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By BY MIKE ISAAC AND KELLEN BROWNING from NYT Technology https://ift.tt/3neEl6e

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President Ashraf Ghani launches Afghanistan's coronavirus vaccine campaign

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Amid ongoing attacks by militants, Afghanistan on Tuesday launched its coronavirus vaccination drive with the hopes of inoculating thousands of Afghans against the disease that has wrecked havoc in the world. Doctors, security personnel, and journalists were among the first volunteers to receive doses of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, donated earlier this month by India. "Today, I congratulate the people of Afghanistan for the launch of the first stage of COVID-19 vaccine [drive] with 500,000 doses of vaccines. This is a big opportunity for the people of Afghanistan," said Afghan President Ashraf Ghani as the first jabs were administered. "We don't expect any miracles, but let's help this campaign to be implemented justly," the country's acting health minister Waheed Majroh added. Afghanistan is believed to have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic in the last year, but limited testing and a ramshackle healthcare sector have hampered its abi...
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Biden urges calm in first call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas

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US President Joe Biden urged calm between Israel and Gaza on Saturday and affirmed his support for a two-state solution in his first phone call with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas since taking office, the official Palestinian news agency said. Biden dispatched an envoy to the region on Friday to work for calm. Biden told Abbas the United States “is making efforts with the concerned parties to reach the goal” of reducing violence in the region, a summary of the call published by WAFA said. Biden also said the United States opposes the eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah, the summary said. President Biden also spoke to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday and raised concerns about civilian casualties in Gaza and the bombing of the building that housed AP and other media offices. In Gaza, at least 144 people have been killed since Monday, including 39 children and 22 women. Israel’s army destroyed in an airstrike Saturday the 13-floor bu...
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India’s evil plans against Pakistan will never succeed: FM Qureshi

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Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Sunday the government has strong evidence that India is patronising terrorists and other banned organisations to create unrest in Pakistan, but it will not succeed in its nefarious designs. While addressing a ceremony at the Union Council Multaniwala in his hometown, FM Qureshi said the neighbouring country is conspiring to destabilise us. The foreign minister said India had earmarked billions of rupees to damage the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Similarly, the FM added that India was also sabotaging the peace process in Afghanistan. “Disinfo Lab had exposed India’s conspiracies also. Due to inhuman measures by the Narendra Modi government, the voices are also being heard against the fascist regime from inside India. Instead of addressing local issues, the Indian government was bent on hatching conspiracy against Pakistan. India’s nefarious designs could create law and order situation in the region and the consequence ...
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Biden sends Ramazan greetings, says his govt will protect rights and safety of all people

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As Muslims in America prepared to hold their first fast of the holy month on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden sent their greetings to those observing Ramazan in a statement that touched upon the Muslim community's contribution to the country as well difficulties faced by its members. "Jill and I send our warmest greetings and best wishes to Muslim communities in the United States and around the world. Ramadan Kareem," said the US president in a statement. "As many of our fellow Americans begin fasting tomorrow, we are reminded of how difficult this year has been. In this pandemic, friends and loved ones cannot yet gather together in celebration and congregation, and far too many families will sit down for iftar with loved ones missing. "Yet, our Muslim communities begin the month of revelation with renewed hope." Joe Biden spoke about how Muslim Americans have enriched the United States since its founding. "They are as di...
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As PDM deadline for govt to quit passes, Bilawal says opposition 'must now force removal of puppets'

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PPP chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Sunday called upon the joint opposition to "force the removal of puppets", after the January 31 deadline set by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for Prime Minister Imran Khan to quit passed without any signs of the government retreating. "The selected PM has failed to resign by the deadline set by PDM," Bilawal said in a series of tweets, adding that the opposition alliance had given "this illegitimate regime the opportunity to step aside respectfully and allow for a transition to democracy with free, fair and transparent elections". He said the Pakistani people faced historic poverty, unemployment and inflation because the incumbent government had been "forced on them". "The joint opposition must now force the removal of puppets," he wrote, emphasising that the PPP believed in relying on democratic tactics and that sustained joint efforts inside and outside the parliament would ...
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COVID-19 pandemic: IMF brings down Pakistan's development projection for FY2021

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The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lowered Pakistan’s growth projection by about one percentage point for the current fiscal year driven by weaknesses in the second half of 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Middle East and Central Asia released on Monday said the markdowns in growth during the second half of 2020 are also reflected for Egypt and Pakistan, both countries that lowered their fiscal year 2020/21 (which starts July 2020) projections by about one percentage point, driven by weaknesses in the second half of 2020. Pakistan envisaged GDP growth rate at 1% for the current fiscal year against a negative 0.4% for last financial year 2019/20 that ended on June 30, 2020. IMF’s projection indicates that the economic recovery in the current fiscal year would remain much lower than the expectation of government. Egypt, Jordan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan, and Tunisia have received emergency assistance under the rapid financing instrument from the IMF, while Afghanista...
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CPEC extend to Afghanistan says China

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Beijing welcomes Afghanistan’s active participation in the Belt and Road Initiative, a global infrastructure plan proposed by China, and is willing to push for extending the China-Pakistan Economic Corri­dor (CPEC) to Afghanistan, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday as he made a surprise visit to Kabul. Wang met acting Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to discuss political and economic ties, including starting work in the mining sector and Afghanistan’s possible role in China’s Belt and Road infrastructure initiative, according to a statement from an Afghan foreign ministry spokesman. Read more:  Ukraine pleads for help as Joe Biden heads to summit China was willing to promote the extension of CPEC to Afghanistan, making the latter a bridge for regional connectivity, Wang said on Thursday . He also said China hoped Afghanistan would fulfil its commitment of not allowing any external forces to use its territory as a tool to oppose neighbours, or harm the ...
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Biden and Xi discuss avoiding conflict in first phone call in 7 months

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US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping spoke for 90 minutes in their first talks in seven months on Thursday, discussing the need to avoid letting competition between the world's two largest economies veer into conflict. The US side said the "proof will be in the pudding" as to whether the stalemate can be broken with relations between the superpowers languishing at their lowest point in decades. A White House statement said Biden and Xi had "a broad, strategic discussion," including areas where interests and values converge and diverge. The conversation focused on economic issues, climate change and Covid-19, a senior US official told reporters. "President Biden underscored the United States' enduring interest in peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific and the world and the two leaders discussed the responsibility of both nations to ensure competition does not veer into conflict," the statement said. Occasional hig...
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COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumped to 202,955, recovery rate rose to 92,624

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The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 202,955 on Sunday after new infections were confirmed in the country. The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of June 28, is as follows: Total confirmed cases: 202,955 • Sindh: 78,267 • Punjab: 74,202 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 25,380 • Balochistan: 10,261 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 12,395 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,423 • AJK: 1,027 Deaths: 4,118 • Punjab: 1,673 • Sindh: 1,243 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 914 • Balochistan: 114 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 122 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 24 • AJK: 28 Global coronavirus cases surge past 10 million Global coronavirus cases topped 10 million on Sunday marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months. North America, Latin America, and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively, according to the Reu...
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Biden, Putin hold first telephonic conversation

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US President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin held their first conversation as counterparts on Tuesday in a phone call that underscored troubled relations and the delicate balance between the former Cold War foes. According to the White House, Biden raised concerns about the arrest of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, Russia’s alleged involvement in a massive cyber-espionage campaign and reports of Russian bounties on American troops in Afghanistan. The Kremlin, meanwhile, focused on Putin’s response to Biden’s proposal to extend the last remaining US-Russia arms control treaty. While the readouts from the two capitals emphasised different elements, they both suggested that US-Russia relations will be guided, at least at the beginning of the Biden administration, by a desire to do no harm but also no urgency to repair existing damage. The two presidents agreed to have their teams work urgently to complete a five-year extension of the New START nuclear weapons treaty tha...
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