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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Western misunderstandings of ‘one country, two systems’

Lau Siu-kai – China Daily Since Hong Kong’s reunion with the Chinese mainland in 1997, the practice of “one country, two systems” in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has been incessantly and unrelentingly criticized by Western politicians, media, opinion leaders, NGOs, human rights organizations and international bodies dominated by the West.Recently, some Westerners have […]

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Experts anticipate positive changes on China-US academic ties as Biden takes office

Song Jingyi The geopolitical, trade and technology frictions between the United States and China will continue to have an impact on higher education cooperation between academics and universities in the two countries under US President-elect Joe Biden, education experts say, although they see a likely change of tone under Biden which could ease some current […]

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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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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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Extraordinary times call for extraordinary leadership in OPEC+ — and Saudi Arabia stepped up

Cornelia Meyer The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has taught us how quickly things can change. In the oil industry, things were looking so good in mid-December when the Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee of OPEC+ (a group of OPEC countries and 10 non-OPEC allies) postponed its meeting until the beginning of January amid rising oil prices and […]

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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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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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Multilateral cooperation to help tackle challenges

Zhang Yongpeng – China Daily Since the establishment of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2000, institutionalized cooperation between China and African countries has not only deepened but also extended to organizations and platforms such as the United Nations, the Belt and Road Initiative and the Non-Aligned Movement, reflecting the ever increasing importance and benefits […]

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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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Egyptian ambassador Tarek Mohamed Dahroug calls on Senator Rehman Malik

Newswire Islamabad: Egyptian ambassador to Pakistan Tarek Mohamed Hussein Dahroug calls on Senator A. Rehman Malik, Former Federal Interior Minister here this week at his residence in Islamabad. During the meeting, both exchanged views over bilateral relations, regional situation, present world political scenario, and matters of mutual interest.Senator Rehman Malik welcomed and extended his best […]

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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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Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo for eliminating corruption in Afghanistan

Newswire Kabul: NATO Civilian Representative to Afghanistan Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo has stressed the need for anti-corruption efforts in Afghanistan.“Corruption in Afghanistan must be stamped out. The needs of the Afghan people must be put first. NATO’s training mission and Afghan National Army Trust Fund are helping to fight corruption and build strong security institutions,” he […]

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Electoral College confirms Biden win

Washington: The US Electoral College officially confirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s election victory on December 14.The Democrat received 306 votes, while incumbent President Donald Trump secured 232 votes but despite this, incumbent US President Donald Trump still has not conceded the election. It seems that Trump plans to contest the election results further. Experts point out […]

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