Opening of Pak-Iran free economic zone ‘soon’

Opening of Pak-Iran free economic zone ‘soon’

QUETTA, JAN 08 - Iranian Consul General Muhammad Rafiei has announced inauguration of Pakistan-Iran free economic zone at Mir Jawa in the coming days and expressed Iran’s willingness to sell fuel to Pakistan on low rates.

The development came during a meeting of Balochistan Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan with the Iranian consul general at the CM Secretariat on Monday.

Kamal and Rafiei agreed that boosting trade between the two countries would directly benefit ordinary citizens. 

Increasing Pakistan and Iran trade up to $5 billion remained the focal point of the meeting.

They stressed upon trade through Pakistan-Iran border points and economic zones to foster bilateral economic relations.

Discussions were also held about implementation of decisions taken during the Pakistan-Iran joint border commission and the joint border trade commission.

“Today, relations between the two countries depends a lot upon trade and economic relations with neighbouring countries can only be strengthened by boosting trade activities,” said Kamal, adding that unrest in the region had a negative impact on economic stability in Pakistan as well as in Iran.

 

“The federal and provincial governments have been taking measures to enhance trade with Iran,” said Kamal, adding that the government had been making effective strides in curbing drug smuggling and bringing peace to the border areas.

“The tax-free border markets in Pakistan and Iran will boost economic ties between the two countries,” said Kamal, informing the consul general regarding security measures taken for pilgrims travelling from Balochistan to Iran.

“Both nations have social, political and cultural relations for decades; therefore, the Iranian government has always given importance to its relations with Pakistan,” said Rafiei, terming Balochistan an important bridge between Pakistan and Iran.

 

During the one-to-one meeting, the Iranian consul general invited CM Kamal to visit Iran’s Sistian-Baluchestan province.

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PM Imran greets Kohli’s India after Test series win in Australia

PM Imran greets Kohli’s India after Test series win in Australia

ISLAMABAD, JAN 08 - Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has congratulated Virat Kohli-led team Indian after their historic win against Australia in the four-match Test series.

The Men in Blue became the first team from the subcontinent to win a Test series Down Under on Monday with a 2-1 margin after the fourth match finished as a draw.

PM Khan, who is famous for guiding Pakistan to their only 50-over World Cup triumph back in 1992, congratulated Kohli and his team on his official Twitter account early on Tuesday morning.

This was India’s first Test win on Australian soil in 12 attempts, whereas they also became the first side from Asia to achieve that feat.

Star of the show for the visitors in that series was right-handed batsman Cheteshwar Pujara, who scored more than 500 runs with the bat and was named player of the series.

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Afghan President’s envoy to arrive Islamabad today

Afghan President’s envoy to arrive Islamabad today

ISLAMABAD, JAN 08 - Presidential envoy of Afghanistan Umer Daudzai will reach Islamabad Tuesday on a three-day visit of Pakistan.

President Ashraf Ghani’s special envoy Umer Daudzai during his visit of Pakistan, will hold meeting with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and other officials to discuss the Afghanistan peace process.

A delegation led by Daudzai will hold delegation level talks at the Foreign Office here.

The Afghan presidential envoy will also also meet with Pakistan’s civil and military leaders including Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa during his stay in Islamabad and exchange views on Afghanistan’s peace dialogue, sources said.

Daudzai will discuss with Pakistan officials the recently held US-Taliban talks in the UAE and Qatar. Pakistan did act as a facilitator for the talks.

The United States and Pakistan are expected to engage on higher level in the wake of this visit to take the process forward.

A new era of dialogue on political facilitation in Afghanistan and pullout of the US troops is expected to begin, sources said adding that the Afghan elections have been delayed due to these talks.

The US President Donald Trump had recently announced calling back a significant number of US troops from Afghanistan.

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White House says Trump wants safe withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria

White House says Trump wants safe withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria

WASHINGTON, - President Donald Trump wants to ensure the safety of U.S. troops as they withdraw from Syria and has not changed his position removing the forces, the White House said on Monday, a day after his national security adviser outlined conditions for withdrawal that could take months.

 “The president hasn’t changed his position, as he mentioned his primary goal is to ensure the safety of our troops and the safety of our allies as well,” White House spokeswoman Mercedes Schlapp told.

“And so the Department of Defense will come up with its operational plan to safely withdraw our troops.”

On Sunday, White House national security adviser John Bolton added a new condition to the U.S. withdrawal from Syria, saying Turkey must agree to protect the United States’ Kurdish allies.

Trump on Sunday reiterated that the United States would be pulling its troops out of Syria but suggested the move might not happen soon.

Trump’s abrupt decision to announce a U.S. pullout left many questions open, chiefly whether Kurdish fighters who had been operating in northern Syria alongside U.S. forces would now be attacked by their long-time enemy, Turkey.

On a December visit to a U.S. air base in Iraq, Trump said that military commanders had repeatedly requested extensions for the 2,000 U.S. troops in Syria – requests that he finally turned down because he said Islamic State was largely beaten.

 

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World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announces resignation

World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announces resignation

WASHINGTON, JAN 07  - World Bank President Jim Yong Kim announced on Monday he would step down next month, more than three years before his current term was due to expire.

“It has been a great honour to serve as president of this remarkable institution, full of passionate individuals dedicated to the mission of ending extreme poverty in our lifetime,” Kim said in a statement.

Kim, who took over leadership of the global lender in 2012, is to join an as-yet unnamed firm focusing on investments in developing countries.

World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva will serve as interim president upon Kim's February 1 departure, the bank said in a statement.

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Salah set to retain African Player of the Year title

Salah set to retain African Player of the Year title

JOHANNESBURG, JAN 07 - Liverpool star Mohamed Salah is set to be named 2018 African Player of the Year for a second successive time at a gala awards ceremony in Senegal Tuesday.

The sharpshooter is competing against fellow English Premier League stars, Liverpool team-mate Sadio Mane from Senegal and Gabonese Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang of Arsenal.

Consistent scorer Salah has already won the 2018 BBC African Footballer of the Year prize and it would be a shock if he did not add to his collection of individual honours in Dakar.

Should he be confirmed as the best footballer in Africa once again, Salah will become the first player from the north of the continent to claim back-to-back titles.

Ivorian Yaya Toure, Samuel Eto’o from Cameroon and Senegalese El Hadji Diouf achieved the feat in a competition first staged 48 years ago with Malian Salif Keita voted number one.

Manchester City midfielder Toure, the younger brother of former Arsenal defender Kolo, went on to finish first four times in a row from 2011.

Eto’o and Ghanaian Abedi ‘Pele’ Ayew are also four-time Player of the Year winners, but not in consecutive years.

Paris-based France Football magazine organised the annual award until the mid-1990s when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) took over.

Votes from national team and selected club coaches, CAF officials and unnamed ‘experts’ count toward deciding who lifts the trophy.

Salah scored 44 goals in all competitions for Liverpool last season, his first at Anfield after moving from Italian Serie A outfit Roma.

Slow start

After a slow start to the 2018/2019 campaign, the right-side attacker has netted 13 goals, one less than Aubameyang and Tottenham Hotspur and England star Harry Kane.

The Egyptian also scored the winning goal against Napoli at Anfield last month that took Liverpool to the knockout phase of the Champions League at the expense of the Italian club.

Salah had less success with Egypt last year as injury ruled him out of the loss to Uruguay at the start of the World Cup in Russia.

He did score against both Russia and Saudi Arabia, but the north Africans were beaten in both matches and exited without securing even one point.

Later in the year, Salah scored twice but failed to convert two penalties as the Pharaohs ran riot at home to Niger in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier, winning 6-0.

Aubameyang, the son of former Gabon star Pierre, has made the top three for the fifth successive year, finishing second in 2014, then first, second and third.

Mane was third behind Algerian Riyad Mahrez and Aubameyang in 2016 and second last year, 118 points adrift of Salah.

Madagascar and Mauritania, first-time qualifiers for the Cup of Nations, will compete with Uganda for the national team of the year award.

Asisat Oshoala from reigning African champions Nigeria is seeking a third straight victory in the Women’s Footballer of the Year category.

Her rivals are compatriot Francisca Ordega, and Chrestinah Kgatlana from South Africa, runners-up to Nigeria in the 2018 Africa Women’s Cup of Nations.

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Assets worth $1tr to shift from UK to EU due to Brexit

Assets worth $1tr to shift from UK to EU due to Brexit

LONDON, JAN 07 - Assets worth nearly 800 billion pounds ($1 trillion) are being moved from Britain to new financial hubs in the European Union ahead of Brexit, consultancy EY said on Monday.

Britain, which is due to leave the bloc in March, has yet to approve a deal to avoid an abrupt severing of ties with the EU.

Although the British parliament is due to vote on a proposed settlement next week, it is unclear if it will be approved. “The closer we get to March 29 without a deal, the more assets will be transferred and headcount hired locally or relocated,” EY UK Financial Services leader Omar Ali said.

EY has been tracking the Brexit plans of 222 financial firms since Britain voted in June 2016 to leave the EU. In its latest update to the end of November 2018, it said that 80 firms are considering or have confirmed relocating assets and staff.

The latest estimate from EY says that 800 billion pounds in assets would move, a fraction of Britain’s 8-trillion-pound banking sector. 

Frankfurt Main Finance, which promotes the German financial centre, has said it expects 750 to 800 billion euros of assets to transfer there alone, largely during this quarter.

Around 2,000 new European roles have been created by financial services companies in response to Brexit, with Dublin, Luxembourg, Frankfurt and Paris the most popular locations, EY said.

Forecasts of hundreds of thousands of UK financial jobs moving to the EU have not materialised, and the Bank of England expects about 4,000 jobs to have moved by March 29.

“Whilst roles will no doubt move from the UK, many firms are only moving those employees deemed essential and are hiring locally given the expense of relocation,” Ali said.

Moves so far would be only the “tip of the iceberg” if there is a no-deal Brexit, EY said.

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