Following are the top foreign stories at 2015 hours

Following are the top foreign stories at 2015 hours:

FGN32 PAK-GOOGLY-IMRAN

Imran Khan says Kartarpur corridor's opening was not 'googly'

Islamabad: Attempting to do some damage control, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said Monday that the Kartarpur corridor's opening was not a googly but a straight-forward decision, contradicting his Foreign Minister's remarks that led to a war of words with his Indian counterpart.

FGN28 LANKA-COURT-2NDLD RAJAPAKSA

Sri Lankan court bars Rajapaksa from acting as Prime Minister

Colombo: A Sri Lankan court on Monday barred Mahinda Rajapaksa from acting as Prime Minister, in a major setback to President Maithripala Sirisena who installed him after sacking premier Ranil Wickremesinghe that triggered a major constitutional crisis in the country.

 

FGN26 BUSH-2NDLD PLANE

In rare honour, Air Force One arrives in Houston to carry Bush casket to Washington

Houston: President Donald Trump's Air Force One, which has been redesignated as 'Special Air Mission 41' in a "special tribute" to George H W Bush, arrived here to transport the body of the former president to Washington for a state funeral at National Cathedral on Wednesday. By Seema Hakhu Kachru

FGN35 AFPAK-TRUMP-LD LETTER

Trump writes to Imran Khan; seeks help in bringing Taliban to negotiating table

Islamabad: US President Donald Trump has written to Prime Minister Imran Khan, seeking Pakistan's help with stuttering Afghan peace talks and support in bringing the Taliban to the negotiating table to end the 17-year brutal war in the neighbouring country, officials here said. By Sajjad Hussain

FGN20 PAK-KARTARPUR

Pak opens immigration centre at Kartarpur border

Lahore: Pakistan has established an immigration centre at the Kartarpur border following the groundbreaking of the landmark corridor for Sikh pilgrims.

The corridor will connect Sikh faith's founder Guru Nanak Dev's final resting place in Pakistan's Kartarpur to the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in Punjab's Gurdaspur district in India, fulfilling a long-pending demand of the Sikh community.By M Zulqernain

FGN23 INDONEPAL-MADHAV

Nepal neither used China card against India nor India card against China: Madhav

Kathmandu: Nepal neither used the China card against India nor the India card against China, and wants to develop good relations with its neighbours on the basis of self-respect and sovereignty, a former Nepalese prime minister has said here. By Dipak Ranjan.

FGN19 CHINA-JAI-REAX

China reacts guardedly to first JAI summit

Beijing: China on Monday reacted cautiously to the first trilateral summit between the leaders of Japan, America and India, saying it "remained open" to normal cooperation between them, and hoped they will play a constructive role in promoting peace in the region. By K J M Varma

FGN22 CHINA-US-CARS-2NDLD TARIFF

Trump says China to cut car tariffs in trade truce

Beijing: China will roll back tariffs on US-made cars, US President Donald Trump said, unveiling another potential breakthrough in a trade war truce that cheered stock markets on Monday.(AFP)

FGN18 QATAR-3RDLD OPEC

Qatar will pull out of OPEC amid tension with Saudi Arabia

Dubai: The tiny, energy-rich Arab nation of Qatar announced on Monday it would withdraw from OPEC, mixing its aspirations to increase production outside of the cartel's constraints with the politics of slighting the Saudi-dominated group amid the kingdom's boycott of Doha. (AP)

FGN15 UN-CLIMATE-LD GUTERRES

World 'way off course' in climate change fight: UN chief

Katowice: The world is "way off course" in its plan to prevent catastrophic climate change, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Monday as the COP24 summit officially opened in Poland. (AFP)

FGN34 US-CHINA-TRADE

US needs to see 'something concrete' from China in 90 days: Mnuchin

Washington: The US will need to see "something concrete" from China on trade in the next 90 days to build a real agreement, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Monday.