PAKISTAN
IMF, govt in talks on economic data, future policies: Dawn
September 28, 2018
A staff mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday started consultations with Pakistani authorities on the exchange of economic data and future economic policies that may ultimately lead to a possible balance of payments support programme. Informed sources said the delegation, led by Herald Finger, IMF’s senior economist, had separate meetings with Finance Minister Asad Umar and a team led by Finance Secretary Arif Ahmed Khan. The mission will stay here until Oct 4. No official word was available from the IMF or the government side while the finance minister did not return calls for comment.Click here to read....
Saudi Arabia to finance three CPEC projects: Dawn
September 28, 2018
The government of Saudi Arabia has signed three grant agreements with Pakistan to finance three road infrastructure and energy projects under the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “These agreements have been inked in line with the understanding reached during Prime Minister Imran Khan’s recent visit to Saudi Arabia,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told a press conference on Thursday. The agreements were signed by the Saudi envoy and the officials of Pakistan’s finance ministry.Click here to read....
AFGHANISTAN
Prince Insists His Plan Will End Afghan Conflict In Six Months: Tolo News
September 27, 2018
The founder and former CEO of Blackwater security company, Erik Prince, who insists in privatizing the war in Afghanistan, says that his forces can change the situation of the conflict in the country within six months. In an interview with TOLOnews, Prince defended his scheme for privatizing the war in Afghanistan. “Well, I would say six months after the program is fully ramped up, you have a very different situation on the ground, I will commit to that,” said Prince, who is the incumbent chairman and founder of Frontier Resource Group, a private equity fund investing in natural resource opportunities in frontier markets. This is not the first time that Prince has called for the use of contractors in Afghanistan. His mission turned controversial in Iraq as contractors working for Blackwater were accused of killing over 10 Iraqi civilians in 2007.Click here to read....
Afghan, Pakistani Clerics To Discuss Stance Against Violence: Tolo News
September 28, 2018
Afghan and Pakistani religious scholars will hold talks in Islamabad on Friday to discuss a joint stance against violence in Afghanistan, Pakistani media reported. A seven-member Afghan delegation led by Atta-ur-Rahman Saleem, deputy head of the High Peace Council (HPC), will lead the delegation in the talks with Pakistani scholars at the Foreign Office on Friday, Pakistan’s Daily Times reported. The Daily Times quoted sources as saying that the religious scholars meeting is part of the bilateral understanding under Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity and that both sides are of the view that religious scholars have to play an important role in restoring peace. Afghan officials and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi agreed this month in Kabul on a meeting of scholars and officials in Islamabad to discuss agenda for a join conference of the scholars to issue a joint declaration about the violence in Afghanistan.Click here to read....
NEPAL
Indian petro Minister arrives to discuss petro pipeline, gas import: Kathmandu Post
September 28, 2018
Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan has arrived in the Capital on Friday to discuss on the construction of Amlekhgunj-Chitwan petroleum pipeline. According to Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) spokesperson Birendra Goit, Indian Minister Pradhan and his team landed at the Tribhuvan International Airport at 9:30 am this morning. “The Indian Minister and his team will observe and hold discussions on the under construction petroleum and gas pipelines,” said Goit adding that the visiting Indian Minister will also hold discussions with various authorities involved in the construction of the pipeline.Click here to read....
MALDIVES
Maldives opposition seeks foreign help for transition: The New Indian Express
September 27, 2018
The Maldivian opposition appealed to the international community Thursday to help ensure a peaceful transition of power amid fears that strongman Abdulla Yameen may cling onto power despite his shock election defeat. The joint opposition, which includes four political parties that successfully put forward the little-known Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at Sunday's vote, called for external help to re-establish democracy in the tiny Indian Ocean archipelago. "In this regard, we look towards our friends and partners in the international community to assist us, as we move forward in trying to create a Maldives in which all citizens can enjoy peace, prosperity and justice," the opposition said in a statement.Click here to read....
CHINA
US actions urged to fix military relations: China Daily
September 28, 2018
The Ministry of National Defense said the United States is solely to blame for the recent rise in tension between the Chinese and US militaries, and demands "rational" and "sincere" actions from the US to work with China to improve military ties, a ministry spokesman said on Thursday.Click here to read....
Extreme US pressure won't cripple Chinese economy: commerce ministry: Xinhuanet
September 28, 2018
U.S. bullying and extreme pressure will not cripple the Chinese economy nor daunt the Chinese nation, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Commerce (MOC) said Thursday. "We will turn the challenges into momentum for advancing China's economic transformation, upgrading, and high-quality development," MOC spokesperson Gao Feng told a news conference.Click here to read....
