Following are top foreign stories at 2000 hours

By Gurdip Singh FGN2 VIRUS-US-INDIA-MEDICAL SUPPLY Pressure mounts on Biden admin to ship AstraZeneca vaccine, other medical supplies to India Washington The Biden administration has came under intense pressure from various quarters, including the powerful US Chambers of Commerce, lawmakers and eminent Indian-Americans, to ship AstraZeneca and other COVID-19 vaccines along with several life-saving medical supplies to India, which is witnessing a deadly surge in coronavirus cases.

FGN25 UK-PM-AIDE-ALLEGATIONS Boris Johnson’s ex-aide unleashes fierce war of words against UK PM London: Dominic Cummings, once Boris Johnson’s top aide and closest ally as his Chief Strategy Adviser, has unleashed a fierce war of words against his former boss after Downing Street pointed to him as the leak behind a controversial text message exchange between the UK Prime Minister and vacuum cleaner entrepreneur James Dyson. By Aditi Khanna FGN18 VIRUS-PAK-INDIA-LD IMRAN Pak PM Imran Khan expresses solidarity with India over COVID-19 crisis Islamabad: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday expressed solidarity with the people of India battling the deadly wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, saying “we must fight this global challenge confronting humanity together”. By Sajjad Hussain FGN7 US-BIDEN-CLIMATE-INDIA Climate partnership to be 'core pillar' of US-India cooperation: Biden Washington; US President Joe Biden has said that he wants to make achieving climate and energy goals ''a core pillar'' of bilateral cooperation with India and is looking forward to work with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the matter. By Lalit K Jha FGN11 VIRUS-LANKA-STRAIN New and more potent strain of coronavirus detected in Sri Lanka: immunologist Colombo: A new coronavirus strain that is airborne and more potent than all those found previously in Sri Lanka has been discovered in the island nation, according to a top immunologist here.

FGN6 LANKA-EASTER-ATTACK-ARRESTS Former Lankan minister arrested for aiding bombers responsible for Easter Sunday attacks Colombo: Sri Lankan Police on Saturday arrested a former minister and his brother for allegedly aiding and abetting the suicide bombers responsible for the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks in which 258 people, including 11 Indians, were killed.

FGN4 VIRUS-US-LD INDIA US working closely with India to identify ways to help address COVD-19 crisis: American officials Washington: The US is working closely with India to identify ways to help address the current COVID-19 crisis in the country, American officials have said, as the Biden administration came under intense pressure from various quarters to ship COVID-19 vaccines along with life-saving medical supplies to it. By Lalit K Jha FGN10 VIRUS-SINGAPORE 21-yr-old Indian man in Singapore tests positive for COVID-19 despite both doses of vaccine Singapore: A 21-year-old Indian national, who had received both doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, is among the 36 new coronavirus cases reported in Singapore in the last 24 hours, according to a media report on Saturday. By Gurdip Singh FGN2 VIRUS-US-INDIA-MEDICAL SUPPLY Pressure mounts on Biden admin to ship AstraZeneca vaccine, other medical supplies to India Washington: The Biden administration has came under intense pressure from various quarters, including the powerful US Chambers of Commerce, lawmakers and eminent Indian-Americans, to ship AstraZeneca and other COVID-19 vaccines along with several life-saving medical supplies to India, which is witnessing a deadly surge in coronavirus cases. By Lalit K Jha FGN20 INDONESIA-4THLD SUBMARINE Indonesia navy declares lost sub sank after finding debris Banyuwangi : Indonesia's navy on Saturday said items were found from a missing submarine, indicating the vessel with 53 crew members had sunk and cracked open, and that there was no hope of finding survivors. (AP) FGN27 US-SPACEX-CREW-LD ISS Biggest space station crowd in decade after SpaceX arrival Cape Canaveral: The International Space Station's population swelled to 11 on Saturday with the jubilant arrival of SpaceX's third crew capsule in less than a year. (AP) FGN24 MYANMAR-ASEAN-LD LEADERS ASEAN leaders demand Myanmar coup leaders end killings Jakarta: Indonesian President Joko Widodo has said that Southeast Asian leaders have demanded an immediate end to killings and the release of political detainees in Myanmar, in an emergency summit with its top general and coup leader in the Indonesian capital. (AP) FGN28 RUSSIA-PUTIN-EMBASSIES Putin: ''Unfriendly'' embassies may face Russian hiring bans Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree allowing the country to limit the number of Russians employed at embassies of countries determined to be unfriendly, or to ban their employment entirely.