Take steps to function as a country:

IMF tells cash-starved Pakistan

Ukraine is estimated to be burning through thousands more shells each month than the EU defence industry is currently able to produce.

Zelensky hailed Biden’s visit as a key sign of support.

Bidenpledgesnew$500million militaryaidpackageforUkraine

revenues. Those who can, those that are making good money [in the] public or private sector need to contribute to the economy.

“Secondly, to have a fairer distribution of the pressures by moving subsidies only towards the people who really need it. It shouldn’t be that the wealthy benefit from subsidies,” she said.

4

killed, 13 hurt in suspected firecracker blast in Indonesia

JAKARTA, FEB 20

(IANS): A huge explosion at a village house in Blitar city of Indonesia’s East Java Province killed four and injured dozens in the area on Sunday evening, the local police said on Monday. The victims killed in the blast were all from the same family, a father with his two children and a nephew, Blitar police chief Argo Wiyono told local media, adding that the blast also injured at least 13 villagers and damaged more than 20 houses in the area, Xinhua news agency reported. The police have suspected the explosion was caused by the firecrackers made by the father ahead of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

KYIV, FEB 20 (AGENCIES): US President Joe Biden on Monday made a surprise trip to Kyiv, promising increased arms deliveries for Ukraine and unflagging support ahead of the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of the country.

Air raid sirens rang out across the capital as Biden met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on what is the US president’s first visit to the country since Russian troops invaded on February 24, 2022.

Uniformed Ukrainian military officers lined the street just outside. Biden and Zelensky walked over and together laid a wreath at the Wall of Remembrance for the fallen heroes of the Russian-Ukrainian war, as a military salute played and the two presidents stared down in silence for a few moments.

Biden promised increased arms deliveries for Ukraine and vowed Washington’s “unflagging commitment” in defending Ukraine’s territorial integrity.

“I will announce an -

US President Joe Biden has discussed longrange weapons and a new military aid package with his Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday. Biden, who made an unannounced wartime visit to Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, barely days ahead of the first anniversary of Russian invasion, said Ukraine will get additional military aid package worth $500 million from the US.

After the meeting, Zelenskyy said the military support and more details will be announced on Tuesday. The White House in a statement said that the package will include HIMARS ammunition, anti-armour systems and air surveillance radars.

Additional sanctions will also be placed on Russia, and companies that are trying to “evade or backfill Russia’s war machine”.

“Over the last year, the United States has built a coalition of nations from the Atlantic to the Pacific to help defend Ukraine with unprecedented military, economic, and humanitarian support – and that support will endure,” Biden said in a statement.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 20 (PTI): Cash-strapped Pakistan must take steps to ensure that its high earners pay taxes and only the poor get the subsidies if it wants to function as a country, the International Mone tary Fund has said, amid looming fears of a default.

In an interview with the German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference in Germany on Friday, IMF chief Kristalina Georgieva said Pakistan needs to take strong measures to avoid getting into a “dangerous place” where its debt needs to be restructured. She said the IMF was

Turkiye rejects links between NATO expansion, F-16 deal

ANKARA

(TURKIYE),

FEB 20 (AP): U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday called for Sweden and Finland to be accepted into NATO “as quickly as possible,” although his Turkish counterpart dismissed the possibility of any link between their accession and Turkiye’s request for F-16 fighter jets.

very clear that it wanted the poor people of Pakistan to be protected, the Dawn newspaper reported, “It shouldn’t be that the wealthy benefit from subsidies. It should be the poor [who] benefit from them,” she said.

“What we are asking for are steps Pakistan needs to take to be able to function as a country and not to get into a dangerous place where its debt needs to be restructured,” she said.

Pakistan was devastated by last year’s flash floods that affected one-third of its population, she said.

“I want to stress that we are emphasising two things. Number one: Tax

The IMF chief’s statement came days after the two sides concluded the ninth review of the USD 6.5 billion bailout package without a staff-level agreement after 10 days of talks. However, both sides agreed to a set of measures that could still help clinch the deal.

Pakistan, which is in dire need of funds as it battles a wrenching economic crisis, has received financial assistance from the IMF in the past and is presently in discussions with the organisation to resume its loan programme.

An agreement on the ninth review of the programme would release over USD 1.1 billion.

Pak ministers warn Alvi not

To

turn

President House into blackmailing den

9 killed in

Houthi rebels’ attack on gov’t forces in Yemen

ADEN (YEMEN) FEB

20 (IANS): Nine people were killed in Yemen after Houthi rebel militants launched an overnight attack on sites of the government forces in the northern province of al-Jawf, a military official said on Monday. “Heavy armed confrontations took place between the government forces and the Houthi fighters in Abtar area and other adjacent areas bordering Saudi Arabia late on Sunday night, killing at least four soldiers and five rebels,” the local military official said on condition of anonymity, Xinhua news agency reported.

Death toll from NZ’s cyclone Gabrielle

Increases To 11

WELLINGTON, FEB 20

(IANS): Eleven people have been reported dead, with more than 3,200 people still unaccounted for as serach and rescue operations continue in New Zealand after cyclone Gabrielle lashed the North Island last week. More fatalities are possible, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins told media, adding that the government discussed initial recovery plans on Monday, with the cost of the recovery estimated to be about NZ$13 billion ($8 billion), reports Xinhua news agency.

Taliban shuts down border point with Pak

KABUL, FEB 20 (IANS):

The Taliban-led government in Afghanistan has ordered the shut down of one of the country’s main trading and border crossing points with Pakistan, accusing Islamabad of reneging on its commitments. The Afghan Taliban commissioner for Torkham said the border point had been closed down for travel and transit trade, reports Dawn news.

“Pakistan has not abided by its commitments and so the gateway has been shut down on the directions of (our) leadership,” Taliban commissioner at Torkham Maulavi Mohammad Siddique tweeted.

Turkiye has delayed the Nordic countries’ admission to the trans-Atlantic defense alliance, citing concerns over terrorism. Meanwhile, members of the U.S. Congress have tied approval of the F-16 deal to Ankara retracting its opposition to the NATO enlargement.

Heavy rains leave 36 dead in Brazil, cities cancel Carnival

“We’re confident that NATO will formally welcome them in soon,” Blinken told a joint news conference with Turkish Foreign Minis- ter Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara. “And when that happens, it will enhance the security of every NATO member, including the United States, including Turkiye.” Cavusoglu repeated Turkiye’s stance that it would be willing to approve Finland joining NATO before Sweden. Turkiye has complained about what it sees as Stockholm’s tolerance of support for the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, which has waged a 39-year insurgency against Ankara.

“Unfortunately PKK supporters are still present in Sweden,” he said. “They are recruiting people and they are financing terror acts and they are carrying out terror propaganda in Sweden … because they don’t want Sweden to become a NATO member.” While acknowledging that Sweden had made constitutional changes in a bid to satisfy Turkiye’s demands, he said that more needed to be done to “convince our parliament and people.”

ISLAMABAD, FEB 20 (IANS): Two Pakistani Ministers on Monday warned President Arif Alvi from turning the President’s House into a den for blackmailing after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) refused to participate in a meeting he had summoned for today.

The Election Commission, in a letter to President Alvi, stated that the issue of fixing the election date is subjudice and it cannot be part of this process led by the President, Geo News reported.

Resignation From Npf Party

I, the undersigned would like to state that, I joined the NPF Party in 2002 with a big dream and vision for all round development of the state. Since then, I have worked to the best of my capability to strengthen the party and helped in enrolling the NPF party workers in 19 A/C Phek over the past years. It is a fact that the NPF party in the 19 A/C Phek is one of the strongest party.

However, after seeing various pro-people programs of the present Government under the visionary leadership of Shri. Neiphiu Rio, Hon’ble Chief Minister of Nagaland, I have decided to join the NDPP and support Shri. Kupota Khesoh, NDPP Candidate of 19 A/C Phek.

Therefore, I hereby tender my resignation from the NPF party with immediate effect.

My sincere apologies if I have hurt anyone (unintentionally) during my association with the NPF party for the past 21 years.

(VEZOTO JACK DOZO)

1. Former PS to Chairman, PAC & DAN

2. Former Official PS to Minister (Agri/Printing & Stationery)

SAO PAULO, FEB 20

(AP): Heavy rain caused flooding and landslides that have killed 36 people in Brazil’s north Sao Paulo state, officials said Sunday, and the fatalities could rise.

Sao Paulo state government said in a statement that 35 died in the city of Sao Sebastiao and a 7-year-old girl was killed in neighbouring Ubatuba. The cities of Sao Sebastiao, Ubatuba, Ilhabela and Bertioga, some of the hardest hit and now under state of calamity, cancelled their Carnival festivities as rescue teams struggle to find missing, injured and feared dead in the rubble.

“Our rescue teams are not managing to get to several locations; it is a chaotic situ- ation,” said Felipe Augusto, the mayor of Sao Sebastiao. Later, he added there are dozens of people missing and that 50 houses collapsed in the city due to the landslides.

Augusto posted on social media several videos of widespread destruction in his city, including one of baby being rescued by locals lined up on a flooded street.

Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Twitter he will visit the region Monday. Sao Paulo state government said in a statement that precipitation in the region has surpassed 600 millimetres (23.6 inches) in one day, one of the highest amounts ever in Brazil in such a short period.

Switzerland sweetens trade deal as top officials travel for EFTA

BERN (SWITZERLAND), FEB 20 (PTI): Switzerland has offered to make some concessions as it seeks to put talks on the India-European Free Trade Association (EFTA) trade deal on the fast track, hoping to seal it this year as the two countries celebrate 75 years of their friendship treaty.

The European Free Trade Association is a free trade area between four countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland -- and the trade deal negotiations have lingered on for over 15 years.

Helene Budliger,

State Secretary in the

the

State

Secretariat of Economic Affairs and Niklaus Samuel Gugger, the Indian-origin member of the Swiss Parliament, are travelling to India for meetings with Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, their second meeting in three weeks to push for an early conclusion of the negotiations on the trade deal.

Officials said there are three sticking points in the trade talks – migration issues, intellectual property rights and healthcare.

Top representatives of leading Swiss companies are also travelling with Budliger.

OFFICE

The declaration released by RPI ‘A’ 51 A/c Noksen resigned from NDPP dated: 18 th Feb 2023 is totally baseless. As such, those signatories were expelled from NDPP on 14th Oct 2022 for their Anti-Party activities. The action was taken to defaulters according to party norms & articles. So, they are no more active members of NDPP 51

3. Former Official PS to Minister (Health & Family Welfare)

4. Former Official PS to Minister, PWD (R&B) & Parl. Affairs.

Office Of The Wokha District Village Council Chairman Association

WOKHA : NAGALAND

Govt. Regd. : No-Home/SRC-6542

AppEAL

The Wokha District Village Council Chairman Association is pained by the spate of violence, threat, intimidation, vandalism and arson, threatening the peaceful atmosphere and existence of the people of Wokha District at large. Having serious concern for the welfare of the people and due indulgence to the Model Code of Conduct and Election Commission of India Directives for the ensuing 14th General Election in the State of Nagaland 2023, the WDVCCA in all humility put forth this appeal to all the Political Parties contesting in the 4 (four) Assembly Constituencies under Wokha District to adhere to the MCC and ECI directives in letter and spirit for the smooth conduct of the forthcoming election in true democratic principles of free and fair election without fear and fervor.

Thus, the following appeals are hereby enunciated for the Political Parties and its supporters for strict compliance.

1. The Model Code of conduct be strictly adhered to and instruct its supporters accordingly.

2. The Political Parties, its candidates and supporters should refrain such acts of intimidation, threat and terrorizing the public which are injurious to peaceful coexistence.

3. Acts of vandalism, arson on properties and physical assault to the people should be stopped forthwith.

Any Political Party, candidate and supporters, who blatantly ignore this appeal with disregard, the WDVCCA will be tasked to enforce its agenda of free and fair election by taking punitive actions on the perpetrators.

Sd/-

Yankhosao Ezung

Vice President President