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Daily Archives: June 19, 2021

FO accuses Afghan official of trying to damage peace talks


June 19, 2021

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Friday accused Afghanistan’s National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib of trying to reverse the progress made in the Afghan peace talks. In a rejoinder to a tweet by Mr Mohib on Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s interview with Afghanistan’s Tolonews, the FO said, “repeated impertinent and unwarranted remarks” were “a calculated attempt by his office to disregard …

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Ultraconservative tipped for victory as Iranians go to the polls


June 19, 2021

TEHRAN: Iranians voted on Friday in a presidential election in which ultraconservative cleric Ebrahim Raisi is seen as all but certain to coast to victory after all serious rivals were barred from running. After a lacklustre campaign, low turnout was expected in a country exhausted by a punishing regime of US economic sanctions that has dashed the hopes of many …

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GSP+ conventions to be fully enforced: Foreign Minister Qureshi


June 19, 2021

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reaffirmed its pledge to fully implement 27 international conventions as part of its commitment to the European Union’s preferential trade arrangement, the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+). The commitment was conveyed twice this week — first at the meeting of Pakistan-European Union Joint Commission held on Wednesday, but whose joint declaration was issued two days later, …

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Displacement from war has doubled in a decade: UN


June 19, 2021

GENEVA: Despite the coronavirus pandemic, the number of people fleeing war and persecution continued rising last year, with global displacement climbing to over 82 million — double the figure a decade ago, the UN said on Friday. A fresh report from the UN refugee agency showed global displacement figures swelled by around three million in 2020 after an already record-breaking …

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Palestinians call off vaccine exchange with Israel


June 19, 2021

JERUSALEM: The Palestinian Authority has called off an agreement whereby Israel would transfer one million doses of coronavirus vaccines to it in exchange for a similar number later this year. The PA said the doses, which Israel began shipping to the occupied West Bank on Friday, were too close to expiring. Palestinian officials had come under heavy criticism on social …

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EU loses case for speedier AstraZeneca deliveries


June 19, 2021

BRUSSELS: The Euro­pean Union on Friday lost its bid to speed up deliveries of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccines, the first of its legal challenges against the drug maker that rocked the bloc as it scrambled to shore up supplies. AstraZeneca said the EU had lost its legal case, but European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the court ruling supported …

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Pakistan, UN chief seek debt suspension for mid-income nations


June 19, 2021

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has strongly supported UN Secretary General António Guterres’ suggestion that middle-income countries should have their debts suspended to cope with the social and economic impact of the coronavirus. “It is important that we recognise the multiple dimensions of the vulnerabilities of middle-income countries in the criteria for accessing concessional resources and finance,” said Ambassador Munir Akram, who …

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Ultraconservative Raisi elected Iran president as rivals concede


June 19, 2021

Congratulations poured in for ultraconservative Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday on winning Iran’s presidential election as his rivals conceded even before official results were announced. The other three candidates in the race congratulated him for his victory, which had been widely expected after a host of heavyweight rivals had been barred from running. “I congratulate the people on their choice,” said …

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Britney Spears to never perform again? Singer leaves fans heartbroken


June 19, 2021

Britney Spears says she has no idea whether she will ever perform again. Spears, who has not performed in public since late 2018 and is under a court-ordered conservatorship, made the statement in a video post on her Instagram page where she answered three questions that she said had been posed by her fans. “Am I ready to take the …

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