Peshawar, Dec 31 (PTI) Pakistani police have arrested 26 people belonging to a radical Islamist party after a Hindu temple was vandalised and set on fire by a mob protesting its renovation in northwest Pakistan.

FGN 9 US-VISA SANCTIONS-TRUMP Trump extends visa sanctions on countries refusing to repatriate their nationals

Washington: US President Donald Trump has indefinitely extended the visa sanctions on countries refusing to repatriate their citizens who violated laws in the United States.

By Lalit K Jha

FGN27 PAK-PMLN-ASIF Pak court remands former foreign minister Khawaja Asif into NAB custody for 14 days

Lahore: Pakistan's former foreign minister and opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PM-N) stalwart Khawaja Muhammad Asif was on Thursday remanded in the custody of the anti-graft body for 14 days in the assets beyond means case. By M Zulqernain

FGN25 LANKA-INDIA-FISHERMEN India gets consular access to its detained fishermen in Sri Lanka

Colombo: Indian fishermen, apprehended in Sri Lanka for allegedly poaching in its territorial waters, have been provided consular assistance by the Consulate General of India in Jaffna, the Indian High Commission here said on Thursday.

FGN26 VIRUS-PAK-CHINA-VACCINE Pakistan to procure 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines from Chinese company Sinopharm

Islamabad: Pakistan has decided to pre-book 1.1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine developed by the Chinese state-owned company Sinopharm, the health ministry said here on Thursday, as the number of coronavirus cases reached 479,715 after 2,475 new infections were detected in the country. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN 8 US-BIDEN-APPOINTEES 61% of Biden's White House appointees are women, 54% people of colour

Washington: Sixty-one per cent of the new White House appointees are women and 54 per cent are people of colour, President-elect Joe Biden's transition team has said, asserting that the Biden-Harris administration will prioritise diversity of ideology and background, and foster talent to address the country's most complex challenges.

By Lalit K Jha

FGN23 YEAR-CHINA Chinese aggression wrecks celebratory year to mark 70 years of Sino-India diplomatic ties

Beijing: It was meant to be a year of grand celebrations to mark 70 years of diplomatic relations between China and India, but the Chinese aggression in eastern Ladakh in May has profoundly disturbed bilateral ties, carefully developed after the 1962 war.

By K J M Varma

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)