Trump makes English the official language of United States
Washington, March 2: President Donald Trump has signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. The order allows government agencies and organisations that receive federal funding to choose whether to continue to offer documents and services in language other than English. It rescinds a mandate from former President Bill Clinton that required the government and organisations that received federal funding to provide language assistance to non-English speakers. “Establishing English as the official language will not only streamline communication but also reinforce shared national values, and create a more cohesive and efficient society,” according to the order signed by Trump on Saturday. Within hours of Trump’s inauguration last month, the new administration took down the Spanish language version of the official White House website. (AP)
Nepal police arrest two Indians for trafficking drugs
Kathmandu, March 2: Three people, including two Indians, were on Sunday arrested from Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city for trafficking narcotic drugs, Nepal Police said. Jiyaul Haque Shesh, 38, and Kishore, 18, both from Kolkata in India, and Nafis Mohmad Kabadiya, 24, a resident of Nepalgunj, were arrested along with 5,000 tablets of Tramadol, a type of narcotic drug, a Nepal Police News Bulletin said. A team of police dispatched from Jayaspur police station arrested the trio with the drug during a security check on an Indian number plate motorbike headed towards Nepal from India, it said. The police have initiated an investigation into the matter, it said. (PTI)
After grenade attack, officials worry about militancy in Karachi
Karachi, March 2: A hand grenade attack on a police station in Karachi has left senior officials concerned whether insurgent groups from Balochistan or the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) have become active in Pakistan’s biggest city. Despite the ongoing terror attacks carried out by the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) or the TTP in other parts of Pakistan, Karachi has largely remained peaceful in recent times. On Friday evening, unidentified men on two motorcycles hurled at least three hand grenades at the Preedy police station in Saddar town, injuring four policemen and damaging the outer building. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) South Syed Asad Raza said the people who hurled the grenades had still not been identified as they sped away on their bikes in the narrow lanes after the attack. Bomb Disposal Squad experts said three grenades were detonated in the attack. Reza said in the past the criminal gangs in Lyari used hand grenades to attack police stations and mobile vans. Reza said the attack alerted police and security personnel as there had been very few such cases in Karachi. The official said they had intelligence reports saying the banned TTP have recently made videos in Karachi, and some of the suspected militants were also apprehended in the city. (PTI)
