Nepal schools make Mandarin compulsory

Kathmandu: A Chinese proposal of covering salaries of teachers in Nepal who teach Mandarin have prompted many private schools in the Himalayan kingdom to make it mandatory for students to learn the language. The move comes at a time when the Chinese involvement in Nepal is surging on the back of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative. PTI 

Pak minister accidently shown with cat ears 

Islamabad: In a comedy of errors, a person streaming live on Facebook a conference by a Pakistani minister accidentally activated the cat filter. Photos of Khyber Pakhtukhwa's Minister of Information Shoukat Yousufzai and his fellow ministers with cat ears and whiskers quickly went viral on social media, Dawn news reported. PTI

10 crew members of Indian boat rescued

Muscat: An Indian boat and 10 of its drowning crew members have been rescued 6.4 km off the Omani port city of Dhalkut, Omani authorities said. After receiving a distress call, the Omani Navy sent a ship to the Indian boat, which had a technical failure in the engines. The Omani Air Force planes are still searching for a missing crew member. IANS