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BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — The European Union’s top official on Wednesday told Serbia’s populist leader to “get concrete” about its proclaimed goal of joining the 27-nation bloc, including implementing sanctions against traditional ally Russia. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also pressed President Aleksandar Vucic over democratic reforms as he faces accusations of a crackdown on protests against his increasingly authoritarian rule in the Balkan country.“We live in a fractured world with a widening gap between democracies and autocracies,” von der Leyen said at a joint press conference with Vucic. “And you know very well where the European Union…

MOSCOW (AP) — Syria’s interim leader, who led a swift rebel offensive last year that ousted former Syrian President Bashar Assad despite years of Moscow’s support, held talks Wednesday in Russia during his first visit to the country that gave asylum to the deposed autocrat.Welcoming interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa at the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the historic links between Moscow and Damascus, and he voiced hope for their expansion. The meeting underlines Russia’s desire to establish working ties with Syria’s new leadership and secure a military foothold in the country.Assad was an ally of Russia, and Moscow’s scorched-earth…

Rupee’s Performance Against US Dollar Since 04 March 2025 The Pakistani rupee posted marginal gain against the US dollar, appreciating 0.01% during trading in the inter-bank market on Wednesday. At close, the local currency settled at 281.12, up by Re0.03 against the US dollar. On Tuesday, the local unit closed at 281.15. Internationally, the US dollar was on the defensive early on Wednesday after comments from Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell bolstered wagers on an interest rate cut this month. The greenback had lost ground to the safe-haven yen and Swiss franc on Tuesday as Washington and Beijing traded volleys…

Indonesia has said that its shrimp shipments to the US can continue following stricter rules in response to a radiation scare, as business executives call for a global campaign to restore the reputation of the product and diversify the local industry’s markets apart from the world’s largest economy.The Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry in Jakarta said on Saturday that exports to the US, the biggest buyer of Indonesia’s shrimps, could resume for companies based on Java island and Lampung province in Sumatra if they could obtain a safety certificate from the ministry to confirm the absence of the hazardous isotope…

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb held a constructive meeting with Nigel Clarke, Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), during the ongoing IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings. During the meeting, the finance minister reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining macroeconomic stability and advancing structural reforms, read a statement released by the Finance Division on Wednesday. Aurangzeb acknowledged the IMF’s appreciation of Pakistan’s programme performance and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to sustain the trajectory of stability and reform. “He thanked the IMF for its support in the second review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) and the first review of the Resilience…

Mari Energies announced on Wednesday that it had agreed to acquire a 20% working interest in Eastern Offshore Indus-C Block from Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL), alongside Turkish Petroleum Overseas Company (TPOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Türkiye Petrolleri Anonim Ortaklığı (TPAO), the national oil company of Türkiye, and Oil & Gas Development Company Limited (OGDC). As per the notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), the partnership stems from high-level engagements between the Governments of Pakistan and Türkiye aimed at deepening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector and “encouraging FDI to kickstart exploration activities in Pakistan’s underexplored offshore basins”. The…

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO’s two newest members, Finland and Sweden, said Wednesday that they would buy more weapons from the United States to give to Ukraine, a day after data showed that foreign military aid to the war-torn country had declined sharply in recent months.Over the summer, NATO started to coordinate regular deliveries of large weapons packages to Ukraine to help fend off Russia’s war. The aim was to send at least one load a month of targeted and predictable military support, each worth around $500 million.Spare weapons stocks in European arsenals have all but dried up, and NATO diplomats…

Southeast Asia must urgently modernise its electricity grids to sustain its economic boom and unlock the full potential of renewable energy, according to a new report.Without sweeping investment in digitalised “smart” networks, the region’s industrial competitiveness and climate goals are at risk, warns the report from the independent global energy think tank Ember.Over the past decade, renewable capacity across the 10-nation Asean bloc has more than doubled, but this rapid growth has been outpaced by surging energy demand, making it harder to deliver steady, reliable power.Rigid and outdated power grids are now the chief bottleneck, according to the Ember report…

Premier Li Qiang called on China’s companies to be resilient and reiterated a pledge to achieve the country’s annual economic goals at a symposium with business leaders, academics and other experts on Tuesday.“To accurately understand the current economic situation, one must take a broader perspective … [it is necessary to] further strengthen confidence, face problems squarely and stay firmly committed to doing our work well,” Li was quoted as saying by state news agency Xinhua.The meeting, held as trade uncertainties linger between Beijing and Washington, came less than one week before a crucial gathering for China’s ruling Communist Party where,…

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — Dutch far-right lawmaker Geert Wilders said Wednesday that he’s returning to the campaign trail, with two weeks to go before a general election after he briefly suspended his election activities following reports that he was a possible target of a suspected plot in Belgium to kill politicians using an explosives-laden drone.Wilders’ populist Party for Freedom, known by its Dutch acronym PVV, won the last election in late 2023 and was the biggest bloc in a four-party ruling coalition until earlier this year, when Wilders pulled his ministers out of the government in a dispute over…