Outrage in Lanka over export bid of crop-raiding monkeys to China

COLOMBO: Despite the fact that crop raids and other animal-human conflicts are on the rise in Sr i Lan ka, a recen t r eq ue st f or 100,000 toque macaques from Sri Lanka by a Chinese company has reignited the conversation about wildlife exploitation

The destruction of crops by wild has been a significant issue for many people, particularly rural communities, and a survey published last year anticipated an overall loss of 30 215 billion Sri Lankan rupees ($93 6 million) during the first half of 2022

The toque macaque (Macaca sinica) tops this list of pests with coconuts being the most affected crop As Sri Lanka looks for solutions to the problem, a statement by Agriculture Minister Mahinda Amaraweera about a Chinese company ’ s wishes to import 100,000 macaques has resulted in a huge outcry from animal rights activists and environmentalists

“The minister says the animals will be exported to some Chinese zoos However, there are only a few zoos there with the ability to accommodate this many number of monkeys This just fuels our fear that this is not the real purpose and the macaques may be used for medical research,” says Panchali Panapitiya of the animal rights non-profit Rally for Animal Rights and Environment

However, it is now illegal to serve monkey brains in China and violations can result in imprisonment extending up to 10 years

Recent news stories that claimed China was having a shortage of experimental monkeys raised suspicions According to other media sources, China was interested in importing donkeys and dogs from Pakistan, primarily for domestic consumption

As the controversy grew, the Chinese Embassy of Sri Lanka issued a statement denying any involvement of the government of the People’s Republic of China in any “monkey imports” from Sri Lanka

Taliban agree with China, Pak to extend BRI in Afghanistan

IS L A MA B A D: The Ta liba n a gr ee d wit h China and Pakistan to extend the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to Afghanistan, potentially drawing in billions of dollars to fund infrastructure projects in the sanctions-hit country As part of their agreement to coope r a te on Afg ha nista n' s re ha bil ita tio n, including bringing the $60 billion ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor to the Talibanruled country, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto Zardari met in Islamabad

“The two sides agreed to continue their humanitarian and economic assistance for the Afghan people and enhance development cooperation in Afghanistan,” according to a joint statement issued by Pakistan’s foreign ministry

Officials from China and Pakistan have previously talked about expanding the project to Afghanistan The cash-strapped Taliban government has stated its willingness to take part in the endeavour and the opportunity to get much-needed infrastructure funding

The Taliban’s top diplomat Amir Khan Muttaqi travelled to Islamabad to meet his Chinese and Pakistani counterparts and reached an agreement, his deputy spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad said

The Taliban have also harboured hopes for China to boost investments in the country’s rich resources, estimated to be $1 trillion The government inked its first contract in January with a subsidiary of China National Petroleum Corporation to extract oil from the Amu Darya basin The Chinese and Pakistani ministers also stressed on the need to unfreeze Afghanistan’s overseas assets The Taliban have been blocked from accessing about $9 billion of Afghanistan’s central bank reserves held overseas on concerns the funds will be used for terror activities and Lahore There were also reports of workers seen on the roads of Rawalpindi and Islamabad as well

Imran Khan has been arrested by Rangers in the Al-Qadir Trust case He was arrested from outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) The arrest of the 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician comes a day after the powerful army accused Khan of levelling baseless allegations against a senior officer of the spy agency ISI Khan has been facing a slew of cases since his ouster through a no trust vote in April last year He has rejected all these cases as political victimisation by the ruling alliance Currently, Khan is facing over 140 cases related to terrorism, blasphemy, murder, violence, inciting to violence

50 Hindus convert to Islam in Pakistan's Sindh province

S I ND H : At l east 50 members fr om ten Hindu families converted to Islam in the southern Sindh province of Pakistan, troubl in g Hi ndu a cti vi sts who al lege d t he involvement of the state in the mass conversion

The people were from different areas of the Mirpurkhas region of the province and were converted in a ceremony organised at the Baitul Iman New Muslim Colony seminary of the city, The Express Tribune newspaper reported Qari Taimur Rajput, one of the caretakers of the seminary, confirmed that a total of 50 people from 10 families converted to Islam, including 23 females and a one-yearold girl Mohammad Shamroz Khan, the son of minister for religious affairs senator Muhammad Talha Mahmood, also attended the conversion ceremony, the report said "They all willingly converted to Islam No one has forced them," Rajput said, quoting Khan During the conversion ceremony attended by several residents, Rajput reportedly inquired the new converts if they had taken the step willingly Hindu activists, on the other hand, were troubled over the mass conversions and expressed their anger and disappointment

Faqir Shiva Kucchi, a Hindu activist who often raises his voice against the practice, said, "It seems the state itself is involved in these conversions " He added that demands to initiate legislation against conversions had been made to the government by local community members for several years

IMF warns of economic dangers to Bangladesh

D HAKA: In its final report for $4 7 billion loan programme, the Int ern ation al Mon eta ry Fund warned of economic dangers to Bangladesh, including inflation, growth, and foreign reserves

“Persistent inflationary pressures, elevated volatility of global financial conditions, and slowdown in major advanced trading partners continue to weigh on growth, foreign currency reserves, and the Taka,” according to an IMF press release following the conclusion of the staff team visit on May 7

Later this year, the IMF will conduct the first review of its extended credit facility, extended fund facility, and resilience and sustainability facility agreements, according to the press release After two months' worth of import bill payments during next week, reserves are predicted to drop to $29 8 billion, the lowest level in seven years

Exports fell 16 5% to $3 9 billion in April from a year earlier as orders from clothing retailers slowed Inward remittances that help the country’s balance of payments declined 16% year onyear to $1 6 billion in April Banks will be allowed, starting July, to set their lending rates at a maximum of 3% above six month weighted average rates for Treasury bills

Two Indian origin brothers were shot dead by a compatriot in the US state of Oregon in a case of possible homicide police and media reports said The accused 21-year-old Jobanpreet Singh shot and killed two men in their 20s in a strip mall in Portland city The identities of the victims were not released by the police However Kamal Singh an owner of a tobacco shop across the mall, said he believed the two victims were his cousins The two men were brothers and in their 20s, Singh said Jobanpreet was detained at the scene on two counts of first-degree murder and booked into a detention centre

PAK INFLATION HIT RECORD 36 4% IN APRIL

Pakistan consumer prices rose a record 36 4% in the year to April the highest inflation rate in South Asia, up from March s previous record of 35 4%, the statistics bureau said Pakistan s rural areas recorded food inflation of 40 2% the bureau said Food inflation for both rural and urban areas reached 48 1%, the highest since FY16 when the bureau started recording the categories separately Pakistan has been in economic turmoil for months with an acute balance of payments crisis while talks with the IMF to secure $1 1 billion as part of a $6 5 billion bailout have not been successful Prices rose 2 4% in April from March the bureau said

Imran To Face Indictment

An Islamabad court announced that it will indict former Pakistan PM Imran Khan on May 10 in a case in which he allegedly hid the proceeds from the sale of state gifts The Toshakhana case was filed against Khan last year after the Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that he failed to declare the funds he received after selling the gifts given by foreign dignitaries A Toshkhana is a treasure house where gifts that are received as honour from foreign dignitaries are stored Khan, 70, has challenged the maintainability of the case but a additional sessions judge of the sessions court dismissed the pleas and objection regarding the jurisdiction after hearing arguments by the lawyers The judge announced to indict the accused Khan and also summoned him in person on the day of the indictment

130 Killed In Rwanda Floods

Powerful floods and landslides tore through Rwanda killing at least 130 people and leaving many thousands homeless The government was still counting the cost as families buried their dead in the aftermath of one of the worst such natural disasters in years in the hilly East African nation Rivers of mud swept away homes and other infrastructure and cut off roads after heavy rains in several areas, particularly the Western Province bordering Lake Kivu where the worst devastation was reported The death toll is now 130 people We do not know the total number of homeless people at the moment but counting is ongoing " deputy government spokesperson Alain Mukuralinda said

7 Teachers Killed In Shooting At Pak School

At least seven teachers were killed in a shooting at a school in northwestern Pakistan, in an apparent retaliation to an earlier attack in which another teacher was shot dead, Geo TV reported Both incidents took place on in the Parachinar area of Kurram tribal district near the border with Afghanistan, the local television channel said It said the motive behind the killings remained unclear, and that the teachers killed in both incidents belong to the country s Shi'ite Muslim minority The tribal district contains a majority Shi ite population who are often attacked by Sunni militant groups as part of the local Taliban movement