Pakistan and Denmark discuss multilateral cooperation, strengthening economic ties

Celina Ali Islamabad: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar this week discussed cooperation on multilateral platforms with Denmark’s Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, with the foreign office in Islamabad describing their conversation as “productive.” Both Pakistan and Denmark began their two-year terms as non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council in January 2025, joining the […]

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BISP, ADB discuss skill training, non-formal education for beneficiaries

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid, held a meeting with Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Principal Social Protection Specialist, Ms Xin Long, at BISP Headquarters this week to explore avenues for providing employment opportunities through skill training and non-formal education to BISP beneficiaries. The meeting aimed to strengthen cooperation in […]

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EU needs to do more to boost defense spending: Italy’s Meloni

Newswire Rome: A proposal to exclude defense spending from European Union budget rules is a first step, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said this week, insisting that more was needed to beef up Europe’s contribution to NATO. Earlier this month, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said she would propose exempting defense from the […]

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Pakistan, France agree to expand cooperation in agriculture sector

Celina Ali Islamabad: Pakistan and France this week agreed to expand the cooperation in agriculture sector. This came at a meeting between Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain and French ambassador Nicolas Galey in Islamabad. Speaking on the occasion, the Minister said that agriculture trade volume between Pakistan and France has reached 39 […]

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Denmark to boost defence spending by €6.7bn over next two years

Copenhagen: Denmark will spend an additional 50bn kroner (€6.7bn) on defence over the next two years, amid the ongoing threat Russia poses to Europe, the Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen announced this week. Speaking beside her foreign and defence ministers at a press conference at the Christiansborg Palace in Copenhagen, the Danish leader promised a […]

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Bilawal Bhutto defends Pakistan’s N-programme

Liaquat Ali Islamabad:: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday called out the hypocrisy of Western countries, questioning what makes a state entitled to nuclear weapons. During a wide-ranging speech at the Oxford Union, a pre­stigious debating society that invites world leaders to speak on key issues before students and academics, he […]

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Ambassador Nicolas Galey hosts grand reception

Celebrates PIA’s direct flights between Islamabad, Paris Celina Ali Islamabad: In a momentous celebration of strengthened air connectivity and diplomatic ties, French Ambassador to Pakistan, Nicolas Galey, hosted an exclusive reception this week at the French residence in Islamabad. The gathering marked the highly anticipated resumption of direct flights between Islamabad and Paris, operated by […]

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AI making presence felt in China like never before

Henan Daily Zhengzhou: A pack of 10 robot dogs leaped, spun and waved in perfect harmony to a traditional dance song during China Media Group’s 2025 Intangible Cultural Heritage Gala on January 31, wowing audiences with their synchronized moves. The electrifying performance quickly ignited social media, where impressed users dubbed them “the most dedicated dance […]

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Petition calling for Denmark to buy California reaches 200,000 signatures

Copenhagen: A satirical counteroffer to President Donald Trump’s proposal to buy Greenland has popped in the form of a petition that suggests that Denmark should buy California. More than 200,000 people have signed up for the plan, which says the Scandinavian country needs “more sunshine, palm trees, and roller skates.” “Måke Califørnia Great Ægain,” reads […]

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Henan handles 303 China-Europe freight trains in Jan

Henan Daily Zhengzhou: In the first month of 2025, Henan Zhongyu International Port Group operated 303 China-Europe freight trains, transporting goods worth approximately $490 million with a total weight of about 385,000 tons. This marks the highest January record in the company’s history, laying a solid foundation for high-quality development in the new year and […]

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Denmark grants ‘historic’ low asylum requests in 2024

Copenhagen: Denmark’s strict immigration policies resulted in the granting of just 860 asylum requests last year, the lowest number with the exception of 2020, when Covid-19 lockdowns halted new arrivals. Denmark’s immigration approach has been influenced by the far-right parties for over 20 years, with Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, the head of the Social Democrats, […]

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Bilawal Bhutto advocates stronger Pakistan-US public relations

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said this week that public relations between Pakistan and the United States should be strengthened. Bilawal Bhutto, while talking to Pakistani media representatives in Washington after attending the national prayer breakfast hosted by President Donald Trump, said that he had important meetings with leaders […]

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Denmark to halt offshore wind tenders to revamp subsidy model

Copenhagen: Denmark will halt all ongoing offshore wind tenders as the existing framework where no subsidies are offered does not work under current market conditions, its energy minister said this week. The global offshore wind industry has been hit by surging costs, rising interest rates and supply chain bottlenecks. Denmark said in December that its […]

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Italy, Saudi Arabia ink partnership deals worth $10 billion

Milan: Italy this week signed agreements worth around $10 billion with Saudi Arabia as part of a strengthened strategic partnership, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said after meeting Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Among the deals, Italy’s credit export agency SACE said it would provide loan guarantees worth 3 billion dollars for Saudi Arabia’s […]

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2024, a record year for international tourism in France

Newswire Paris: The ministry of economy this week announced a record year 2024 for French tourism, due to the growth of international visits. The 2024 attendance and revenue figures bear show that over 100 million international visitors came to France (+2 million), generating €71 billion in international revenue (+12%). An encouraging and promising balance sheet […]

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Trump ready for trade deal with China, calls talks with President Xi ‘friendly’

Newswire Washington: US President Donald Trump this week said his conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping was friendly and he thought he could reach a trade deal with China. The leaders of the world’s two biggest economies discussed issues including TikTok, trade and Taiwan in a phone call before Trump took office. Since taking office, […]

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Aseefa Bhutto Zardari inaugurates People’s School project

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, First Lady of Pakistan, Member National Assembly, and Chairperson of Sindh Peoples Welfare Trust (SPWT), this week inaugurated the groundbreaking ceremony for the People’s School, a transformative educational initiative aimed at fostering quality education and youth empowerment. The Sindh Peoples Welfare Trust (SPWT), founded by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto […]

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France calls on EU to delay, water down sustainability reporting and due diligence requirements

Mark Segal Paris: The government of France has called for a significant implementation delay and major amendments to some of the key European sustainability reporting and environmental due diligence regulations introduced over the past few years, in a bid to help reduce bureaucratic burdens and simplify compliance obligations for companies, and for small and medium-sized […]

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China: Consistent progress seen in environmental protection

Henan Daily Zhengzhou: Despite facing challenges in environmental protection amid efforts to boost its economic recovery, China has made consistent progress over the past year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment said. In 2024, the average density of PM2.5 particulate matter in the country’s 339 major cities was 29.3 micrograms per cubic meter, down 2.7 […]

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China to boost consumption, expand imports in 2025

Henan Daily Zhengzhou: China will further implement the special campaign to stimulate consumption, actively expand imports and attract foreign investment this year, according to a national commerce work conference held in Beijing this week. The country will step up efforts to implement the consumer goods trade-in program, according to the meeting. More diversified consumption scenarios […]

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Queen Mary of Denmark opens up the royal couple’s Circular Annex house

Copenhagen: Just 40 minutes from Copenhagen, where the Danish royal family’s official residence Amalienborg is located, you’ll find Fredensborg. With its village-like atmosphere, tall trees and shimmering Esrum Lake, peace and tranquillity reign. Here is the Baroque Fredensborg Palace, and the publicly accessible Palace Garden, renowned as an example of Baroque garden design. Nearby is […]

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Aseefa Bhutto for resolution of Khyber Pakhtunkhaw issues

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari this week urged for development in Khyber Pakhtunkhaw . In a meeting with Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Faisal Karim Kundi, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari discussed pressing issues faced by the province, including the deteriorating law and order situation and the alarming rise in polio cases. During the meeting, concerns […]

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China confident of continuous economic recovery in 2025

Henan Daily Zhengzhou: When setting economic growth targets for 2025, China will consider both needs and possibilities and ensure coherence with medium and long-term planning, an official with the country’s top economic planner said this week. A senior National Development and Reform Commission official, Yuan Da, told a press conference that China’s economy will face […]

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Italy PM says she is ‘in tune on many issues’ with Keir Starmer

Angela Giuffrida Rome: Italy’s prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, has said she is “in tune on many issues” with her British counterpart, Keir Starmer, especially “the fight against mass illegal immigration” and the need to explore “innovative solutions” when it comes to processing asylum claims, touting Italy’s controversial agreement with Albania. Meloni told the weekly magazine […]

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Denmark to boost Greenland’s defence after Trump repeats controversial remarks seeking US ownership

Celina Ali Islamabad: Denmark moves to boost Greenland’s defence capabilities after US President-elect Donald Trump doubles down on controversial remarks of US dire to control the arctic nation. The Danish government this week announced a major plan to bolster Greenland’s defence capacity just hours after US President-elect Donald Trump publicly repeated his desire to purchase […]

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Surprised why fish only cut Pakistani internet cables: Bilawal Bhutto

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week criticised the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)-led government over “slow internet speed” in the country, wondering why fish only cut Pakistan’s undersea fibre optics cable. “PML-N’s politics is based on motorways … infrastructure for our generation is digitalisation, internet and its speed,” Bilawal, […]

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