Wednesday, January 5th, 2022
Kazakh leader Tokayev removes veteran ex-president from key security post
Kazakhstan’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said on Wednesday he had taken over as head of the powerful Security Council from veteran former leader Nursultan Nazarbayev and promised to respond with “maximum toughness” to fuel price protests. In a televised address, Tokayev said he was immediately assuming the leadership of the Security Council, a role in which Nazarbayev had continued to wield significant influence after unexpectedly stepping down from the presidency in 2019. He did not mention Nazarbayev by name. The former president, 81, has not been seen or heard from in public sinceRead More
Hong Kong bans flights from 8 countries, including Pakistan, as authorities fear fifth Covid wave
Hong Kong announced a two-week ban on incoming flights from eight countries, including Pakistan and India, and tightened restrictions on Wednesday as authorities feared a fifth wave of Covid-19 infections. The restrictions were announced as health authorities scoured the city for the contacts of a Covid-19 patient, some of whom had been aboard a Royal Caribbean ship that was ordered to cut short its “cruise to nowhere” and return to port. Incoming flights from Australia, Canada, France, India, Pakistan, the Philippines, Britain and the United States, including interchanges, would beRead More
Ghee, cooking oil smuggled from Iran wreak havoc on local industry
KARACHI, JAN 05 (DNA) — Former Vice Chairman of Pakistan Vanaspati Manufacturers Association (PVMA) and Former President of KATI Sheikh Umer Rehan has expressed concern over the increasing consumption of edible oil and ghee smuggled from Iran in the country and especially in Karachi. He said thousands of tonnes of smuggled oil and ghee had devastated local manufacturers. Smuggled oil is not only costing the government billions of rupees in taxes but also shutting down local industries due to low prices and the black market. Sheikh Umer Rehan further said thatRead More
FM Qureshi holds wide-ranging talks with GCC Secy-General
ISLAMABAD, JAN 5: /DNA/ – Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi received His Excellency Dr. Nayef Falah M. Al-Hajraf, Secretary General of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), and his delegation at the Foreign Office today. Fondly recalling the meeting in December 2021, Foreign Minister Qureshi extended a warm welcome to Dr. Al-Hajraf. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s abiding fraternal and historical ties with the GCC member states, rooted firmly in shared faith, values and culture. During delegation-level talks, the two sides reviewed Pakistan-GCC cooperation in diverse fields, and explored new avenues for anRead More
EU warns Russia of consequences for Ukraine provocations
Any provocation or aggression against Ukraine will have serious consequences, EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said in a message to Moscow ahead of a meeting with Ukrainian officials on Wednesday. “The European Union is Ukraine’s closest partner and we fully support Ukraine‘s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the top EU diplomat said in an interview with Polish news agency PAP that was published on Tuesday. During his visit, Borrell is to meet with Ukrainian officials including Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kiev and in eastern Ukraine. Borrell’s efforts are part of an international push to calm a brewing crisis at theRead More
Khalid Maqbool says MQM to raise PML-N’s reservations on ‘mini-budget’ with govt
Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM) convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said on Wednesday his party would raise reservations expressed by the PML-N over the contentious Finance (Supplementary) Bill 2021 and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Amendment Bill 2021. The government has tabled both the bills to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF’s) conditions for the clearance of Pakistan’s sixth review of the $6 billion Extended Fund Facility by the financial institution, in turn paving way for the disbursement of a tranche of around $1 billion. Both bills have been panned by theRead More