Pakistan’s ministries asked to prepare ‘deliverable projects’ list for 10th JCC with China

Gwadar Pro Islamabad: Pakistan’s Parliamentary Committee on China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) this week directed the concerned ministries to prepare the list of ‘deliverable’ projects for the upcoming 10th Joint Coordination Committee (JCC) with Iron Brother China.The 31st meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on CPEC was held here at the Parliament House, Islamabad under the Chairmanship […]

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Peace a common mission for NATO, the whole world: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Newswire Kabul: Senior Civilian Representative of NATO in Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has said that peace was a common mission for the NATO and the whole world. In a meeting with former Afghan Finance Minister and diplomat Dr Omar Zakhilwal this week, Ambassador Pontecorvo said NATO wanted all the groups to work together to achieve […]

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Russia expects US to shape its policy within a month

Moscow: Moscow expects that the United States’ Joe Biden-led administration will make up its mind regarding its policy on the Russian track within a month’s time, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told the Ekho Moskvy radio station in an interview this week. Zakharova recalled that so far there had been only telephone conversations between […]

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Lavrov, Blinken discuss normalization of Russian-US relations

Moscow: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken have discussed the normalization of relations between Moscow and Washington during their phone call this week, along with issues of strategic stability, the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, Syrian regulation and the Alexey Navalny case, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. Lavrov congratulated […]

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Aseefa Bhutto turns 28

Newswire Islamabad: The youngest daughter of Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan and Asif Ali Zardari, former president of Pakistan turned 28 this week. Her dynamic personality has swept the admirers, as she exhibited exceptional leadership qualities in her first political appearance at the Multan rally of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in […]

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Ceasefire key to Afghanistan peace: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Newswire Kabul: NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative for Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said ceasefire was key to Afghanistan peace. In a meeting with Sayed Sadat Mansoor Naderi, Afghanistan State Minister for Peace this week, the envoy said all parties must give up hostilities and make a new beginning. “They discussed NATO support for the Afghan Peace […]

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PDM to march towards Islamabad on March 26

Islamabad: Opposition parties will march towards Islamabad against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government on March 26, Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced this week. The announcement came after a meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in Islamabad.Caravans from across the country will leave for Islamabad on March 26, Fazl told reporters. He was flanked by other […]

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Corruption worsens TI report shows Pakistan ranked 124 out of 180

Newswire Islamabad: Transparency International this week released its annual report, showing that the corruption situation in Pakistan has worsened in 2020. The annual Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) for 2020 has revealed that persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic.Countries that perform well on the index invest […]

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Italy continues its contribution to Afghanistan’s lasting security

Newswire Herat: Italian Army Brigadier General Alberto Vezzoli, Commander of the “Julia” Brigade and Multinational Land Force, officially handed over the command of Train, Advise, Assist Command-West (TAAC-W) at Camp Arena to Italian ArmyBrigadier General Beniamino Vergori, Commander of the “Folgore” Brigade this week.The ceremony was attended by the Italian Minister of Defence Hon. Lorenzo […]

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Pakistan, China agree on formation of Joint Parliamentary body

Gwadar Pro Islamabad: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser and Chairman National People’s Congress of China this week agreed for formation of a joint Parliamentary Committee for effective oversight of China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).They were of the view that enhanced economic cooperation would give impetus to the existing bilateral relations through parliamentary and economic cooperation. […]

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Generous China pledges free of cost Covid vaccines to Pakistan

Islamabad: In yet another generous move, Iron Brother China this week promised to send 0.5 million Covid-19 vaccines free of cost to Pakistan amid Islamabad’s fight against the pandemic.Speaking to journalist here after holding talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi over the telephone, FM Qureshi Pakistan was expected to receive the first free shipment […]

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NATO aims to make Afghanistan peaceful: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Newswire Kabul: NATO Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said NATO’s aim was to make Afghanistan a safe place to live.He said the intensive violence by the Taliban was the biggest challenge for peace in Afghanistan. In an interview, Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo said that the Taliban have expressed committeemen for peace but continuation of […]

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Big virus resurgence highly unlikely in China

China Economic Net Beijing: It is highly unlikely that China will experience a major resurgence of the novel coronavirus during the upcoming Spring Festival, given that the nation has created containment measures to quickly identify, isolate and control any possible outbreaks, a health official said.Feng Zijian, deputy director of the Chinese Center for Disease Control […]

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US never replied substantially about reporter rights: Russia

Moscow: The US State Department has never reacted substantially to notes sent by the Russian embassy in Washington, demanding investigations into attacks on Russian journalists in the United States, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova noted. The diplomat recalled that American human rights activists recorded around 1,000 journalist rights abuses in 2020 in […]

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Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo, Hanif Atmar discuss Doha talks

Newswire Kabul: Afghan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohammad Hanif Atmar and NATO Senior Civilian Representative for Afghanistan this week discussed the resumption of the second round of talks in Doha and the future of the alliance mission in Afghanistan.Atmar held a telephonic conversation with SCR Stefano Pontecorvo and highlighted the importance of NATO’s continued support […]

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Bilawal Bhutto re-elected to PPP top slot

Newswire Karachi: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) held its federal level elections at Karachi this week and re-elected Bilawal Bhutto Zardari as the party chairman. The election commissioner Fauzia Habib announced the results. “In accordance with Constitution of Pakistan People’s Party and Election Act 2017, the elections at federal level were held and the following office […]

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Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo eyes peace

Newswire Kabul: The Senior Civilian Representative of NATO Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo reaffirmed the alliance’s support to Afghanistan and the Afghan National Defense and Security Forces following the conclusion of a peace agreement. Ambassador Pontecorvo said “Certainly yes, that is certainly our intention. After the peace deal we’ll have to negotiate whatever we do with the […]

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China’s economy to keep recovering with proactive fiscal policy

China Economic Net Beijing: The epidemic-induced lockdowns loomed over China’s economy in the first half of 2020, but with quick emergency response and government-aided stimulus package, the country’s economy roared back.Massive tax cuts and increased government spending have helped the economy recover faster. The market is also closely watching over the country’s fiscal policy in […]

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PPP will fight govt everywhere: Bilawal Bhutto

Staff Writer Karachi: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week warned the rulers that his party will fight them everywhere. Earlier, the PPP’s Central Executive Committee endorsed the decision by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) to submit resignations to respective party leaders by December 31.Speaking at a news conference, Bilawal Bhutto once […]

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Peace not easy to achieve in Afghanistan: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Kabul: Senior Civilian Representative of NATO to Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo reaching peace was not easy after forty years of conflict in Afghanistan. In an interview, he said big progress had been made towards Intra-Afghan talk negotiations. “NATO has supported ambassador Khalilzad’s efforts to get the two sides to the peace table. I think there […]

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Half of Americans think Trump a ‘failed’ president: New poll

New York: Half of registered American voters say they think history will view Donald Trump as a “failed” president, according to a new poll released here. The poll of 1,000 registered voters, carried out by USA TODAY/Suffolk University from Dec. 16 to 20, found stark partisan divides in attitudes towards Trump’s presidency, with many Republicans […]

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Include women in Afghan peace process: Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo

Newswire Kabul: NATO Senior Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has said there was a need for inclusion of Afghan women’s views in the peace process. He said the future of Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) will be one of the most pressing issues in the peace negotiations with the Taliban, suggesting […]

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Russian lower house approves bill on recognizing political groups as foreign agents

Moscow: The Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) has approved the third reading of the bill regulating the activity of foreign agents developed by Russian parliamentary commissions to avoid foreign interference in Russian affairs. Non-registered public groups involved in political activity and receiving foreign funding will be considered foreign agents, along with individuals involved […]

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Biden will alleviate EU-US strife but issues will remain, says Russian envoy

Moscow: The issues in the relations between the European Union and the United States, which exacerbated under Donald Trump’s presidency, will not be as acute under Joe Biden, but they will still remain there, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the EU Vladimir Chizhov told an online briefing. “Some landmark decisions announced by Biden – return to […]

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