China, Pakistan to further advance CPEC

Celina Ali Islamabad: China and Pakistan agreed to further deepen economic cooperation and advance the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project during talks between Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Beijing this week. The two sides signed a number of bilateral cooperation documents after their talks in such fields as transport, […]

Read More

Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan in talks to boost Kazakh oil transit

Astana: Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan are in discussions to increase the transit of Kazakh oil through Azerbaijan, potentially raising the volume to between five and seven million tonnes per annum (mtpa). Zaur Gakhramanov, an adviser to the president of SOCAR, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil business, confirmed the development. Kazakhstan is actively seeking to diversify its energy export […]

Read More

Italy, Iran, senior diplomats confer on Syria situation

Tehran: Italian Foreign Ministry Special Envoy for Syria Stefano Ravagnan met the Iranian foreign minister’s senior adviser for special political affairs Ali Asghar Khaji this week and discussed the latest developments in Syria on national and foreign fields. Expressing concern regarding the difficult economic situation of the Syrian people and the reduction of humanitarian aid, […]

Read More

Pakistan, Kazakhstan decide to strengthen bilateral relations

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Ambassador of Kazakhstan, Yerzhan Kistafan this week met Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Chaudhry Salik Hussain and discussed issues of mutual interest and bilateral relations. During the meeting, it was agreed to further promote bilateral relations and share Pakistani students data with Kazakhstan so that there should not be any […]

Read More

Faisal Karim Kundi questions logic of making May 9-tainted people ministers

Lahore: In an apparent reference to the PTI leaders, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi this week said that when those involved in incidents of violence of May 9 would become ministers, people would raise eyebrows. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, he reiterated the demand that perpetrators of these crimes be brought to […]

Read More

78th Republic Day: Italy for international peace, stability

Newswire Rome: On the 78th anniversary of Italy’s Republic Day, President Sergio Mattarella laid the traditional laurel wreath at the Milite Ignoto at the Altare della Patria, in Piazza Venezia Rome this week. Presidents of the Chamber and Senate, Ignazio La Russa and Lorenzo Fontana, and Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni were also in attendance. To […]

Read More

French Ambassador Nicolas Galey celebrates second edition of Alumni Days

Celina Ali Islamabad: The French Residence in Islamabad was abuzz with excitement as Ambassador Nicolas Galey this week welcomed members of the business and education communities, distinguished guests, and former students to celebrate the second edition of Alumni Days in Pakistan. This event was part of a global initiative to connect and celebrate international graduates […]

Read More

China-Europe freight train trips surpass 90,000, energizing high-quality BRI development

Xi’an: A train fully loaded with diverse goods departed from Xi’an, the capital city of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province this week, bound for Malaszewicze, Poland, marking a significant milestone as the total number of China-Europe freight train trips has surpassed 90,000. To date, China-Europe freight trains have transported more than 8.7 million twenty-foot equivalent unit […]

Read More

Ambassador Jakob Linulf reiterates Denmark’s commitment to Green Framework Agreement

Celina Ali Islamabad: Ambassador of Denmark to Pakistan Jakob Linulf this week reiterated his government’s efforts for implementation of Green Framework Agreement with Pakistan. “Met with the newly appointed Secretary at @MoCCPak, Eazaz Dar, to discuss green projects in and steps forward for implementation of the ‘Action Plan’ under the Green Framework Agreement signed between […]

Read More

Xi, Putin highlight need to safeguard fairness, justice

Cao Desheng Beijing: President Xi Jinping this week reiterated that the fundamental solution to the Ukraine crisis lies in promoting a new type of balanced, effective and sustainable security architecture, highlighting China’s readiness to play a positive role in advancing a political settlement of the protracted Russia-Ukraine conflict. Xi made the remarks while meeting with […]

Read More

Meloni: “We European Conservatives are the engine and protagonists of the Renaissance”

Rome: “Today may be a different moment, we are ahead of decisive European elections because for the first time the result of such elections could put an end to unnatural and counterproductive majorities. It’s time to up the ante. We European Conservatives are the engine and protagonists of the Renaissance of our continent.” This was […]

Read More

China, France to cooperate on Notre-Dame restoration

Beijing: China and France will work together on the restoration of Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and the protection of China’s Terracotta Warriors. According to the Emperor Qinshihuang’s Mausoleum Site Museum in Shaanxi Province, the joint research endeavor with France’s Foundation for Cultural Heritage Sciences will predominantly focus on the protection of wooden remains and earthen […]

Read More

Senate Chairman Gilani appreciates Christian Community’s role in country’s uplift

Liaquat Ali Multan: Chairman Senate Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani said this week that Christian community was performing important role in country’s uplift. He said this during lunch in his honour given by Christian Community, led by MNA Naveed Amir Jeeva, at a local hotel. Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani observed that he himself got education from […]

Read More

Bilawal Bhutto urges political parties to engage in dialogue

Abdullah Jan Lahore: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week emphasised the necessity of dialogue among political parties. “If the political parties wouldn’t talk to each other, the problems would not be resolved,” stated Bilawal while addressing a seminar in Lahore. Discussing the significance of the Zulfikar Ali Bhutto reference, the PPP […]

Read More

Kazakhstan highlights OIC’s vital role in ensuring peace in Muslim states

Astana: Kazakhstan stressed the significance of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) role in ensuring peace and security in several Muslim countries during the 15th Session of the Islamic Summit Conference in Gambia on May 4-5, reported the ministry’s press service. A Kazakh delegation led by Deputy Foreign Minister Alibek Bakayev and other event participants […]

Read More

EU Policy: Italy to challenge Nutri-Score with constitution

Rome: Giorgia Meloni’s party is proposing a tweak in the country’s constitution that would complicate adoption of the colour-coded front-of-packet labelling in Italy – and Europe. The Italian government is proposing an amendment to its constitution that would stymie introduction of the EU-backed Nutri-Score system in the mediterranean state, Euronews reported. Italy has long been […]

Read More

Celebrations mark World Day of Portuguese Language and Lusophone Cultures

Newswire Portugal, Brazil embassies join hands with Pakistani institutions Ambassador Frederico Silva and Ambassador Olyntho Vieira co-author joint message Islamabad: The Embassies of Brazil and Portugal, in collaboration with Pakistani institutions have prepared plan to celebrate the 2024 World Day of the Portuguese Language and Lusophone Cultures in Islamabad and Lahore. Ambassador of Portugal to […]

Read More

China reiterates willingness to strengthen high-level exchanges with France

Cui Fandi Beijing: China stands ready to strengthen high-level exchanges with France, give play to the leading role of head-of-state diplomacy, and add new connotations to the comprehensive strategic partnership between the two countries, said China’s top diplomat Wang Yi this week, amid rising high-level contacts between China and France in the past few months. […]

Read More

Portuguese govt rejects President’s suggestion of slavery reparations

Sam Jones and Ashifa Kassam Lisbon: The Portuguese government has dismissed suggestions from the country’s president that it should “pay the costs” for slavery and other colonial-era crimes, saying it has no plans for reparations and will instead focus on deepening international cooperation “based on the reconciliation of brotherly peoples”. Campaigners have long appealed to […]

Read More

Plea to reject Aseefa Bhutto’s nomination papers dismissed

Liaquat Ali Karachi: The Sindh High Court (SHC) this week once again dismissed the petition seeking to reject the nomination papers of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Member of National Assembly, Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, for NA-207 Shaheed Benazirabad, deeming it inadmissible. In its judgment, the SHC stated that the disqualification of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) candidate […]

Read More

Italy’s Giorgia Meloni throws her hat in the ring for EU elections

Newswire Live from the Fratelli d’Italia programmatic conference in Pescara, the Italian prime minister this week announced her candidacy in the European elections next June Giorgia Meloni is officially a candidate in the European elections next June. From the stage of the programmatic conference of her party, Brothers of Italy, in Pescara, the Prime Minister […]

Read More

China rebukes US deployment of missiles in Indo-Pacific

Beining: Beijing officials are decrying the deployment of U.S. medium-range missiles in the Asia-Pacific region for the first time since the Cold War. China’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian, at a regular press briefing this week, said China “expresses grave concern” and “strongly opposes the U.S. … strengthening forward deployment at China’s doorstep to seek […]

Read More

Portugal ‘needs to lead’ to combat deforestation

Newswire Lisbon: The environmental organizations Zero and ANP/WWF, DECO – Consumer Protection, and the TROCA Platform, of Fair International Trade, say they are concerned about the possibility that European legislation to combat global deforestation and the climate and biodiversity crises “may come to be subverted.” At issue is the European Regulation for Deforestation-Free Products (EUDR), […]

Read More

Bilawal Bhutto for tripartite dialogue to curb terrorism

Liaquat Ali Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week demanded the government to initiate tripartite dialogue with the neighbouring countries to curb the menace of re-surging terrorism. Speaking to journalists outside the Parliament House, Bilawal appreciated Sindh police for thwarting a terror attack in Landhi, Karachi. Bilawal said, “This is also […]

Read More

Climate change requires US and China to cooperate not compete, experts warn

Newswire Islamabad: China and the US need to move beyond their perennial squabbles and chest thumping to address existential global problems, drawing on their collective creativity, financial expertise and manufacturing prowess, experts warned this week at a Harvard University conference on US-China relations. Few expect the deep distrust between the two countries to abate any […]

Read More

Portugal’s new govt clears first hurdles in parliament

Lisbon: Portugal’s parliament voted down two motions put forward by hard-left parties against the minority centre-right government’s inaugural legislative programme, clearing the first hurdle for the administration of Prime Minister Luis Montenegro. Despite the widely expected successful investiture, analysts say his government will be highly unstable as it will constantly require complex negotiations with the […]

Read More