India lodges strong protest with Pak over harassment of diplomats
PTI, New Delhi
India has lodged a strong protest with Pakistan over several incidents of alleged harassment of Indian High Commission officials in Islamabad between March 8 and 11, and demanded an immediate investigation into them, official sources said on Monday.
The Indian High Commission issued a “note verbale” to Pakistan Foreign Ministry on March 13, giving a detailed account of the incidents including tailing of India’s Deputy High Commissioner, Naval Adviser and a first secretary on multiple occasions, they said.
Trump calls 2020 presidential rival Joe Biden ‘low IQ
individual’
AFP, Washington
President Donald Trump on Monday gave possible 2020 presidential election rival Joe Biden a taste of what to expect if he does jump in the race, with a tweeted insult about his intelligence.
Biden, who was vice president under Barack Obama and is seen as potentially the most heavyweight Democrat, remains on the sidelines.
Putin signs laws against ‘disrespecting’
authorities, fake news
AFP, Moscow
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed controversial laws that allow courts to fine and briefly jail people for showing disrespect towards authorities, and block media for publishing “fake news”.
Putin signed off on the legislation against the advice of human rights activists, who warned the laws amounted to censorship and would be abused to further crack down on freedom of speech.
10 migrants die when boat sinks off Libyan coast
Reuters, Tripoli
At least 10 migrants died when their boat sank off the Libyan coast near the western town of Sabratha on Tuesday, a Libyan security official said.
About 17 others were rescued, Aiman Dabbashi, Sabratha’s security operations spokesman, said.
Libya’s western coast is a main departure point for migrants fleeing poverty and wars to reach Europe, though numbers have dropped since Italy and the European Union stepped up efforts to support the Libyan coast guard.
Australia to cut down annual permanent migrant intake
AP, Canberra
The Australian government will slash the nation’s permanent migrant intake from 190,000 to 160,000 in the lead-up to May’s general election, authorities said on Tuesday.
Fairfax Media and News Corp Australia said the government will place an official cap on the figure at that level, reports Xinhua news agency. The announcement will be made as part of the Federal Budget, which will be released by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg on April 2, and comes months after Morrison first signalled the move in November 2018.
