Goods train between Iran to Pak derails
Karachi, April 14: A goods train carrying chemicals from the Iranian border town of Taftan to Pakistan has derailed in the restive Balochistan province, prompting authorities to suspend the rail operations between the two nations. The accident happened on Saturday near the Tozgi station in Balochistan. “The derailment took place around 70 kilometres from Taftan and we are not ruling out a terrorist attack,” Pakistan Railways spokesperson Amir Baloch said while speaking to the reporters. The derailment of the cargo train carrying phosphorus and other chemicals from Iran to Pakistan caused significant damage to the locomotive, the staff rest coach and a few other wagons with the cargo. (PTI)
Chicago shooting kills 8-year-old girl
Chicago, April 14: Eleven people standing outside a family gathering on Saturday night were shot including a young girl who was killed in what Chicago police believe was gang-related violence on the city’s South Side, police said on Sunday. Four victims were children. An 8-year-old girl was shot in the head and died, while a 1-year-old boy and a 8-year-old boy were each shot multiple times and listed in critical condition. A 9-year-old boy was also injured with a graze wound to his finger and hospitalised, police said on Sunday. The department’s Sunday statement updated the number of shooting victims to 11 from 8 and gave new ages for the victims compared with a news conference late Saturday. No one was in custody Sunday. (AP)
Pakistan PM felicitates Sikhs on Baisakhii
Islamabad, April 14: Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday felicitated the Sikhs on the occasion of the Baisakhi festival as about 3,000 Indian Sikhs arrived in Punjab province to participate in the celebrations. In his message, Prime Minister Sharif described Baisakhi as the “symbol of spring season and the festival of spreading love and happiness”. He said “Pakistan is a beautiful blend of different faiths and cultures” and the colour of Baisakhi further added to this beauty. Sharif said that the Government of Pakistan and its provincial governments will provide all-out facilities to Sikh pilgrims coming from all over the world to perform Baisakhi rituals. (PTI)
Winter session of Nepal’s Parliament prorogued
Kathmandu, April 14: Nepal Parliament Speaker Devyaj Ghimire on Sunday announced that the current session of the House of Representatives will be prorogued from midnight, amidst a tussle between the ruling coalition and the opposition over several issues. Ghimire announced this during Sunday’s Parliament session, reading out a letter from President Ramchandra Paudel to this effect. During the meeting, he informed lawmakers about the work carried out by the House of Representatives – the Parliament’s lower house – in the current session that started on January 16. (PTI)