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'Are you with us or with TTP', Pakistan to ask Taliban
While the civil and military leadership decided to deal with the TTP and other terror outfits with iron hands, the Afghan Taliban would be asked to cooperate in this endeavour, they said, adding that the Afghan Taliban would be given one choice -- "either you are with Pakistan or with the TTP", Express Tribune reported.
Egypt's currency further declines against USD
This is the largest single-day decline of the Egyptian pound's value since the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) allowed it to drop by about 14.5 per cent in late October 2022,reports Xinhua news agency.
The country devalued its currency twice in 2022. The move complies with the country's "shift to a durable exchange rate regime" to contain inflation as a key demand of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which has recently approved a loan of $3 billion to Egypt to support its economic and structural reforms. The IMF's support package also includes measures to be implemented by Egypt
Dubai launches its economic agenda 'D33' for the next 10 years
'D33' comes with a vision of total economic targets of AED 32 trillion (USD 8.7 trillion) over the next 10 years, aiming to double the size of Dubai's economy and consolidate its position among the top 3 global cities. Mohammed bin Rashid said that "2033 will mark 200 years since the foundation of Dubai, the year in which Dubai will be the most important global business centre. "Dubai will rank as one of the top four global financial centres with an increase in FDI to over AED650 billion over the next decade and an annual AED100 billion contributions from digital transformation"
Putin's new warship to deter NATO with deadly hypersonic missiles
Zircon, the hypersonic cruise missile designed to destroy sea and ground targets, has been undergoing extensive testing in the Barents Sea on the northwest coast of Russia over the past year. As the Russian Navy goes ahead with its ultimate goal of equipping the country's warships and submarines with Zircon (also spelled as 3M22 Tsirkon), Admiral Gorshkov, one of the most modern ships of its Northern Fleet, is the first to go on combat duty with the formidable weapons aboard. The frigate Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union, Gorshkov is one of the most modern ships of the Russian Navy.
Indian-American in House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries' team
Sharma will join the team as director of member services, the Politico reported. She has served as a Senior Policy Advisor and the Director of Outreach and Member Services for the Committee on Small Business in the US House of Representatives under Ranking Member Nydia Velazquez. Sharma was previously a Legislative Aide for the Office of Congresswoman Judy Chu and the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC), and a Senior Policy Advisor for the House Democratic Caucus. She has also worked at the Connecticut Center for Economic Analysis, the Connecticut Economic Resource Center
Russia getting ready for escalation in Feb: Top Ukrainian official
In a statement to the country's public broadcaster on Wednesday Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, said that "February will be decisive for them... They are preparing for an escalation", Ukrayinska Pravda reported. "There are many indicators that give us reason to say that in February, they may have another attempt at resolving this issue," he added.
EU 'strongly' urges Covid testing for arrivals from China
Wednesday's recommendation on negative tests came from the EU's Integrated Political Crisis Response group (IPCR), a body made up of officials from the bloc's 27 governments, reports the BBC. France, Spain and Italy have already introduced testing, but others, such as Germany, had been monitoring the situation. England, outside the EU, requires pre-flight testing on China arrivals from Thursday. Despite the recommendation, it remains unclear if an EU-wide policy will be introduced. Individual states however, can set their own policy.
US proposes massive hike in H-1B, other visas' fees
The fee for pre-registration for H-1B visas are proposed to go up by a massive 2,050 per cent from $10 currently to $215, 70 per cent for H-1 category that includes H-1B from $460 to $780, 201 per cent for L visa for intra-company transfers to the US, from $460 to $1,385, and 129 per cent for O category for workers with extraordinary skills.
California declares state of emergency over powerful winter storm
The governor on Wednesday noted in his proclamation that severe winter storms related to a series of atmospheric river systems has struck California, home to around 40 million residents, since last week. It is forecast that additional and continuing related storms threaten California, bringing heavy rainfall, expected flooding, strong winds and wind gusts, falling debris, downed trees, and widespread power outages.
US House temporarily adjourns as political deadlock over speakership persists
The House voted to adjourn until early Wednesday night for closed-door negotiations after US Congressman Kevin McCarthy, a Republican from California, failed to secure enough votes another three times due to intra-party division. House members voted three times on Tuesday, the opening day of the divided 118th Congress, but McCarthy fell short of the necessary 218 votes to be the next speaker.
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