TEHRAN: Iranian reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian was sworn before parliament on Tuesday as the Islamic republic’s ninth president at a ceremony attended by foreign dignitaries. Pezeshkian won a runoff race against ultraconservative Saeed Jalili on July 5 to replace president Ebrahim Raisi who died in a helicopter crash in May. Tuesday’s ceremony came two days after Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei officially endorsed Pezeshkian and …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkmenistan on Tuesday agreed to intensify joint efforts to further expand and deepen bilateral cooperation in defence, economic and political domains. The two countries also agreed to develop closer economic engagement in priority areas of trade and investment, energy, connectivity and information technology. The understanding was reached at the third round of Pakistan-Turkmenistan bilateral political consultations held …

ISLAMABAD: In a rare move, the Foreign Office on Sunday summoned the German ambassador in Islamabad to lodge a strong protest over the vandalism of Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Frankfurt by Afghans. The incident happened on Saturday when Afghan nationals protested outside the Pakistani Consulate in Frankfurt. Some of the protesters, as visible in social media videos, scaled the walls …

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan stands for boosting cooperation between the United Nations and regional and sub-regional organisations in maintaining world peace and security, a top Pakistani diplomat has said, while also stressing that no state should be allowed to dominate regional organisations. “We must strive for a collective vision that benefits all,” Ambassador Munir Akram told the UN Security Council which …

BEIJING: Fu Cong, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, has called for efforts to revitalize global development partnerships. “First, we must stay development-oriented and revitalize global development partnerships,” Fu stated on Monday, on behalf of the Group of Friends of the Global Development Initiative, during the general debate of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. “Currently, global progress …

Aid for Trade is a way to help developing countries address trade-related obstacles that constrain their ability to engage in international trade. Its primary objective is to improve the trade capabilities of developing countries, particularly the least-developed ones, and facilitate their integration into the global trade system. During the 9th Global Review of Aid for Trade recently held by the …

Located in southeast China’s Fujian province, Quanzhou is one of the most important Chinese ports along the historic Maritime Silk Road. “Quanzhou: Emporium of the World in Song-Yuan China” was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 25, 2021, becoming China’s 56th UNESCO World Heritage Site. The serial property encompasses 22 sites of administrative buildings and structures, religious …

MUSCAT/ISLAMABAD: Four Pakistanis were killed while multiple others were wounded in a shooting near a Shia mosque in the Omani capital Muscat, officials said on Tuesday, a rare attack in the otherwise stable Gulf sultanate. Police said the overall death toll climbed to six today, adding that the three attackers were also killed. Monday’s shooting “resulted in the death of …

ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev landed in Islamabad on Thursday on a two-day official visit from July 11-12, at the invitation of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. As President Aliyev alighted at Nur Khan Airbase from his special aircraft, he was received by PM Shehbaz along with his cabinet members, including Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Attaullah Tarar. A …

KENYA: A Kenyan court on Monday found police acted unlawfully over the killing of Pakistani journalist Arshad Sharif in 2022 following a complaint by his widow, her lawyer and local media said. Sharif, an ardent supporter of former premier Imran Khan, was shot in the head when Kenyan police opened fire on his car in October 2022. He had left Pakistan in August 2022 …