Celina Ali Islamabad: The European Investment Bank (EIB) this week expressed keen interest in financing the upgrade of the National Highway (N-5 from Karachi to Torkham and a major water project in Karachi) and committed £50 million ($55.5m) for the rehabilitation of a hydropower project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As a visiting delegation of the EIB, […]
Read MoreNewswire Paris: Pakistan Embassy, Paris this week hosted a reception to commemorate the Defence and Martyrs Day of Pakistan. The event was attended by members of Parliament, Ambassadors, Defence Attaches, dignitaries from French Armed Forces, Foreign Affairs, Defence industry and think tank representatives. In his welcome remarks Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad thanked the guests for […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: Amna Baloch, a Grade 22 officer, has been appointed as the new foreign secretary of Pakistan. The official notification of her appointment was issued by the Establishment Division following the approval of the prime minister. Amina Baloch, who previously served as Pakistan’s ambassador to Belgium, will now take on the role of […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: The Italian Consulate in Karachi has since long promoted University cooperation between Italy and Pakistan, as evidenced by a sizable and growing number of Pakistani students who choose Italy as their destination for Higher Education as well as by the joint-research projects undertaken with benefits for both countries. It is especially important […]
Read MoreNewswire Cernobbio: Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said this week her government has not been weakened by a controversy over a consultancy role offered to the former lover of a minister who resigned after a tearful televised apology to his wife. Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, 62, quit on Friday after being embroiled in a scandal […]
Read MoreBrussels: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen this week welcomed the nomination of the European Union’s former Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier as France’s prime minister. “Congratulations,” said von der Leyen, the head of the EU’s executive arm. “I know that Michel Barnier has the interests of Europe and France at heart, as his long […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: Islamabad and Beijing will start work on five new economic corridors with the support of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), a civil-military hybrid body set up by Pakistan last year to attract foreign investment. Pakistan says it has completed more than 50 projects worth $25 billion under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor […]
Read MoreLiaquat Ali Islamabad: The decision of the Punjab government to provide a subsidy to power consumers in the province remains a bone of contention between the two major allies, with Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari calling the move ‘unsustainable’ in a speech this week. The PPP chief, whose party rules Sindh, also […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: Pakistan-China Institute (PCI), headed by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, this week successfully organised a unique event under its ‘Friends of Silk Road’ series, which brought together leaders of eight political parties on one platform to reaffirm support for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Leaders belonging to parties from Government and Opposition, PML-N, PPP, […]
Read MoreUmar Rehman Malik highlights PPP’s commitment to provide relief to the poor Abdullah Jan Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Umar Rehman Malik this week this week highlighted the PPP’s commitment to resolve the energy crises for the poor. “In line with the PPP’s manifesto, Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is delivering on the promise of […]
Read MoreMartin Jacques Modernization has become one of the great subjects of discussion in China. Ever since the century of humiliation, the quest for modernization had eluded China. By the time of the revolution in 1949, China lagged hugely behind the West. The need to modernize was China’s greatest challenge. In the late 1970s, Deng Xiaoping […]
Read MoreDing Gang The Paris Olympics have ended, and we witnessed a nail-biter. Team USA and Team China ended up in a dead heat, each securing 40 gold medals. Talk about a photo finish! This tie reflects the changing dynamics of global power. However, when discussing the geopolitical meaning of China’s challenge, many Western analysts need […]
Read MoreNewswire Rome: Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government was told by Italy’s finance minister that its budget plans mustn’t deviate from any pledges to Brussels to fix the public finances. In a cabinet meeting this week, Giancarlo Giorgetti set out the process that the country needs to follow to conform to newly revamped fiscal rules to […]
Read MoreAfter 45 days of conventional fighting nukes would be tempting, wargamers suggest The Economist It is bad enough to contemplate a war in Asia. It is grimmer still to think through a nuclear one. But somebody has to. And so Andrew Metrick, Philip Sheers and Stacie Pettyjohn, all of the Centre for a New American […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: The China-Pakistan Study Centre (CPSC) at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI) this week organized a book launch for “Xinjiang ke Khushal Uyghur (Xinjiang’s prosperous Uyghur),” authored by renowned columnist and author Ms. Naz Parveen. The event was graced by Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed as the chief guest. Distinguished speakers included […]
Read MoreAbdullah Jan Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) this week Umar Rehman Malik highlighted the PPP’s commitment to the health sector. “PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has inaugurated Pakistan’s first #CyberKnife surgery facility at Jinnah Hospital, Karachi. This cutting-edge technology offers advanced, non-invasive cancer treatment with exceptional precision,” Umar Rehman Mal;ik said. He added: “In a […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: President Asif Ali Zardari this week has emphasized strengthening bilateral relations with Greece. He was talking to outgoing ambassador to Greece to Pakistan Konstantinos Moatsos who paid a farewell call on him in Islamabad today. Pakistan and Greece enjoy friendly and cordial relations. Pakistan opened its embassy in Athens in 1975. Greece […]
Read MoreCanberra: Pakistani High Commissioner Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week had a productive meeting with the Premier of NSW Chris Minns. “Had an excellent meeting with the Premier of NSW, the Hon. Chris Minns. We discussed various opportunities to further strengthen Pakistan-NSW cooperation and highlighted the significant role of the Pakistani Diaspora in the state,” the […]
Read MoreGlobal Times Less than a week before the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, a think tank is already intensifying its rhetoric about the strategic rivalry between the West and China in the Pacific region. The 53rd Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting will be hosted by Tonga from August 26 to 30. The Lowy Institute, an […]
Read MoreZheng Yongnian As some American scholars have acknowledged, Sinophobia in the US today has reached its highest level. In fact, if someone regularly reads American newspapers, they can find a wealth of hysterical rhetoric – constantly criticizing, opposing and attacking China. In the US, Sinophobia exhibits several characteristics. First, this fear is comprehensive, covering almost […]
Read MoreNewswire Rome: “Eight years ago the catastrophic earthquake that devastated Central Italy. The terrible shock at 3,36am, fixed in the minds of each of us by the stopped clock of the Civic Tower of Amatrice, triggered a seismic sequence which spread its destructive effects for several months to follow and involved a very vast territory […]
Read MorePierre Breteau Paris: August 24 marked 39 days since French President Emmanuel Macron accepted the resignation of Gabriel Attal’s government. Since then, the caretaker prime minister and his team have been managing “day-to-day affairs,” while waiting for a government to emerge from the legislative elections of June 30 and July 7. Since the advent of […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: First Lady of Pakistan, Aseefa Bhutto was honored with the Soft Diplomacy Award at a ceremony hosted by the UAE Consulate in Karachi this week in commemoration of Pakistan’s Independence Day. The Humanitarian Award was presented in recognition of her tireless efforts in eradicating polio and her successful lobbying of the UAE […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: European Union Ambassador Dr. Riina Kionka this week extended congratulations to Pakistanis on their 77th Independence Day and honoured the country’s “vibrant diversity in the spirit of respect, unity, and inclusion envisioned by its founder, Quaid-i-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.” At a special event on the premises of the European Union Delegation to […]
Read MoreRosie Frost There is still not much information out there to help digital nomads apply for the new Italian visa. After years of speculation Italy finally launched a brand new digital nomad visa in April this year. It allows remote workers to stay in the country for up to a year. It has only been […]
Read MoreGlobal Times There have been multiple media reports that a meeting of the China-US Financial Working Group was held in Shanghai on Thursday and Friday. This was the fifth bilateral meeting since the two countries agreed to establish two economic and financial working groups in September last year. The New York Times said the meeting […]
Read MoreLiu Yang and Chi Jingyi Beining: China this week initiated dispute settlement proceedings against the EU’s provisional anti-subsidy measures against Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) at the WTO to safeguard the interests of its EV industry’s development and global green transition cooperation, China’s Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said. Experts said that the move suggests that China […]
Read MoreLiaquat Ali Islamabad: Chairman Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week reaffirmed his unwavering commitment to safeguarding the rights and fostering the development and empowerment of minorities in Pakistan. He emphasized that the PPP will never compromise on these core principles. The PPP Chairman on the occasion of National Minorities Day, underscored his […]
Read MoreAbdullah Jan Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Umar Rehman Malik this week lauded the Sindh government’s strides in the health sector. “The PPP government’s strides in the health sector have been trailblazing. Whether it’s the state of the art Children’s hospital in Sukkur or provision of world class ambulances in interior Sindh to name […]
Read MoreBrussels: The European Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act), the world’s first extensive and far-reaching legislation on AI, has come into force. Its purpose is to ensure that AI developed and used in the European Union’s member states is trustworthy and thus the Act is hedged around with comprehensive safeguards to protect people’s fundamental rights. The […]
Read MoreDing Gang Dr Tsung-Dao Lee, a Chinese-American physicist and Nobel laureate, passed away in San Francisco on August 4 at the age of 97. Dr Lee held many titles, including Chinese-American physicist, foreign member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and honorary professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. However, what makes him most fondly remembered […]
Read MoreZhu Tianxiang Countries showing interest in BRICS membership have seen a significant increase over the years. Malaysia and Thailand are the latest countries in Southeast Asia to express interest in joining the group. The number of African and Latin American countries seeking to join BRICS is continuously increasing, and there is also a gradual spread […]
Read MoreNewswire Rome: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni this week said that taking her seven-year-old daughter on an official visit to China set a good example that should help advance the rights of working mothers. In an interview with lifestyle magazine Chi, she said there had been a lot of debate in Italy after being pictured […]
Read MoreCelina Ali ISLAMABAD, August 2: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif this week pledged to revamp Pakistan’s economy by emulating China’s model. The PM stressed that the objective would be to achieve similar economic success on a smaller scale. Speaking to a 12-member Chinese delegation led by Wang Fukang, the prime minister said that during his […]
Read MoreLiaquat Ali Islamabad: Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Senator Rubina Khalid during her visit to the Peshawar Tehsil Office this week emphasized that there will be zero tolerance against any misbehavior with the women beneficiaries. The purpose of the visit was to monitor the arrangements at the office and review the facilities provided for […]
Read MoreMia Shah – Gwadar Pro Beijing: A group of 19 officials, business representatives, and experts in charge of economic development cooperation from Islamabad, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Punjab participated in a two-week seminar from July 11-24 in China. The seminar, hosted by China Center for Urban Development of the National Development and Reform Commission, is […]
Read MoreAbdullah Jan Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Umar Rehman Malik this week acknowledged Mother of the Nation Fatima Jinnah’s unwavering dedication and tireless contributions to Pakistan. “On the birth anniversary of Madar-e-Millat Fatima Jinnah, we pay rich tribute to her unwavering dedication and tireless contributions to Pakistan,” he said in a statement. Umar Rehman […]
Read MoreNewswire Athens: In 2023 the asylum process in Greece was marked by significant activity, with a high number of asylum applications and an even higher recognition rate, highlighting the clear need for international protection for asylum seekers. This report looks at the monthly statistics published by the Ministry of Migration and Asylum, alongside figures provided […]
Read MoreKalinga Seneviratne I spent about 18 months at the University of the South Pacific in Fiji in 2022 and 2023. During that time I observed that the Pacific media’s coverage of Asia was dismal. I have noted that the Australian media in particular, as well as some of their think tanks, spread the message that […]
Read MoreCelina Ali Islamabad: Pakistan and France this week affirmed their commitment to deepen economic relations, exploring investment opportunities, and expanding bilateral trade. This commitment was expressed during a meeting between Minister of State for Finance Ali Pervaiz Malik and French Ambassador Nicolas Galey in Islamabad. Ali Pervaiz Malik provided an overview of Pakistan’s economic progress, […]
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