CAPE TOWN: South Africa has asked Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the administrative capital, Pretoria, in a move that’s seen as appeasing ally China.
The South African foreign ministry said Friday that it had given Taiwan a “reasonable” timeframe of six months to relocate its “liaison office” to the commercial hub of Johannesburg. The decision was communicated to China last month by South African Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola when he was in China for the China-Africa summit, the ministry said.
South Africa severed formal diplomatic ties with the self-governing island of Taiwan — over which China claims sovereignty — in 1997, but has an unofficial diplomatic relationship with it, as do many countries.
The move comes during heightened tensions between China and Taiwan. Taiwan celebrated the founding of its government and its national day this month and again rejected China’s claims of sovereignty. China then held large military exercises around Taiwan.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said “we appreciate South Africa’s correct decision to relocate the Taipei liaison office in South Africa out of its administrative capital, Pretoria. Taiwan independence is unpopular and doomed to failure.”
Taiwanese Foreign Minister Lin Chia-long said his government would consider closing South Africa’s own liaison office in Taiwan, cutting off a major channel for travel, trade and educational exchange.
China and South Africa are both members of the BRICS bloc of developing economies, which will hold its annual summit in Kazan, Russia, next week. China is by far South Africa’s largest trade partner.
Moving the Taiwan office out of Pretoria “will be a true reflection of the non-political and non-diplomatic nature of the relationship between the Republic of South Africa and Taiwan,” the South African foreign ministry said. It said the office will be rebranded a “trade office.”
South Africa asks Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the capital
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South Africa asks Taiwan to move its unofficial embassy out of the capital
China rolls over $2 billion loan to Pakistan, confirms official
- Debt rollover commitments from China, Saudi Arabia and UAE helped Pakistan secure IMF bailout last year
- Development takes place as IMF delegation holds first review of Pakistan’s $7 billion loan program in Islamabad
KARACHI: China has rolled over a $2 billion loan to Pakistan, the adviser to the finance minister of Pakistan confirmed on Saturday amid Islamabad attempts to strengthen its financial reserves.
The development takes place as an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation is in Islamabad to conduct its first review of the $7 billion loan agreement reached between the two sides last year. The IMF delegation will assess the government’s performance in meeting key conditions of the loan. A successful review would secure the release of an additional $1 billion for Pakistan.
Debt rollover commitments from Pakistan’s allies and regional partners China, Saudi Arabia and UAE were instrumental in helping Islamabad secure the bailout program last year to keep its fragile economy afloat.
“Yes, it is confirmed that China has made this rollover,” Khurram Schehzad, the adviser to the finance minister, told Arab News on the phone. He confirmed the amount of the rollover was $2 billion.
Pakistan needs to repay over $22 billion in external debt in fiscal year 2025, including nearly $13 billion in bilateral deposits, Fitch said.
Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has repeatedly said the country aims to escape its prolonged macroeconomic crisis by boosting exports, undertaking long-term financial reforms and ensuring economic growth led by the private sector.
As per its deal with the IMF, Pakistan has agreed to undertake reforms in its energy sector, widen the tax net and privatize loss-making state-owned enterprises.
Pakistan was able to build some trust with the IMF by completing a short-term nine-month program last year. Previous loan programs in Pakistan ended prematurely or saw delays after the governments at the time faltered when it came to meeting key conditions.
Pakistan warns against heavy rains, snowfall from Mar. 12-16 in KP and Punjab
- Westerly wave to enter northern parts of country from Mar. 9, persist till Mar. 16, says disaster management agencies
- Disaster management authorities advise citizens against traveling unnecessarily, alets district administrations
PESHAWAR: The provincial disaster management authorities (PDMA) in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and eastern Punjab provinces have warned against heavy rains and snowfall from Mar. 9-16, alerting district administrations to act against any untoward situations.
The PDMA in both provinces said that a “shallow, westerly wave” will enter the northern parts of the country form Mar. 9 and is expected to gain strength from Mar. 12 and persist till Mar. 16.
The PDMA KP warned that during this period, intermittent rain with thunderstorms/snowfall on mountains is likely in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Shangla, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Haripur, Malakand, Buner, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Waziristan, Peshawar, Charsadda, Nowshera, Swabi, Bannu, Karak and Kohat districts.
“PDMA has issued a letter to all district administrations to deal with any untoward incident due to rain/snowfall in advance,” PDMA KP said in its notification on Saturday.
Meanwhile, rain with thunderstorms and snowfall is expected in Punjab’s Murree and Galiyat region Mar. 9-16, PDMA Punjab said in a notification on Sunday.
It said rain with thunderstorms is expected in Rawalpindi and Attock, Jhelum and Chakwal on Mar. 10 while rain with thunderstorms (moderate with few heavy falls) is expected in Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Hafizabad, Gujranwala, Mandi Bahauddin, Sargodha, Khushab, Gujrat, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sahiwal, Faisalabad, Jhang, T.T Singh and Mianwali from Mar. 12-16.
It warned residents against traveling to these areas in Punjab during this time period, calling on them to save essential items such as food and warm clothing.
Parts of Pakistan last month received rains after a months-long drought severely impacted crops like wheat, a staple food, as well as vital cash crops like potatoes in several regions, according to the Pakistani climate change ministry.
Torrential rains during the monsoon season of 2022 triggered flash floods across the country, with scientists attributing it to climate change impacts. The floods killed over 1,700 people and inflicted damages worth $33 billion on Pakistan, as per official estimates.
India faces New Zealand in budding rivalry at Champions Trophy final
- New Zealand beat India 3-0 in its own backyard last year, an unprecedented feat
- Spin expected to hold key as both sides lock horns with each other in UAE’s Dubai
India faces New Zealand in the Champions Trophy final Sunday in what can be deemed a new-age rivalry.
While India’s clashes against Pakistan, Australia and England have attracted more attention, this matchup with the Black Caps has slowly been bubbling under the surface.
The 2024-25 season saw this new-age rivalry come to a proper flash point.
New Zealand beat India 3-0 in a test series in its own backyard, a feat never registered before. India went on to lose in Australia. Both series defeats cost India a spot in the World Test Championship final. It has only gained little redemption in reaching the Champions Trophy final here.
Last fall’s test series is vital on another account. Mitchell Santner led New Zealand’s bowling attack with sizzling performances in Pune and Mumbai, as India got stumped against spin at home.
Santner is now the Black Caps’ ODI skipper and has led them to the final — where spin is again expected to hold the key.
The square at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium has progressively slowed down. Australia’s 264 in the first semifinal was the highest first innings’ total here in the Champions Trophy — chased down by India with 11 balls to spare.
When India and New Zealand clashed here in their group game last Sunday, the ball hardly bounced up more than the knee in the second innings. Spin, thus, will play a key role in determining the outcome of this final.
Rohit Sharma started the tournament with three spinners and brought in Varun Chakravarthy with Mohammed Shami and all-rounder Hardik Pandya as the only pace options. It has worked well — Chakravarthy took seven wickets in two games; Indian spinners have picked 14 out of 20 wickets against New Zealand and Australia enroute to the final.
With spin taking precedence on a two-paced surface, certain batters from both sides will hold the spotlight. Virat Kohli (217 runs in four matches) and Kane Williamson (189 runs in four matches) will anchor their sides with strike rotation. Rachin Ravindra (226 runs in three matches) and Shreyas Iyer (195 runs in four matches) have higher strike rates, and their aggression will be key in setting up the innings.
“It could be a 300-run wicket or a 250-one,” Santner said on Saturday. “We have to go in with an open mind and adjust accordingly. There will be periods of sustained pressure on both sides.”
Advantage India?
India did not travel to host country Pakistan for security reasons and played all its group games, the semifinal and now the final too, in Dubai. Pakistan and the ICC didn’t think it best to split India’s games across other venues in the UAE for financial reasons.
Opinion is varied, even within India’s dressing room, if that’s given India an advantage.
“What undue advantage?” asked coach Gautam Gambhir after the semifinal victory over Australia. “We haven’t practiced here even for a day. We have practiced at the ICC Academy (in Dubai). Some people are just perpetual cribbers — they need to grow up.”
Shami, India’s lead pacer with eight wickets in four games, differed: “It definitely helped us because we know the conditions and behavior of the pitch.”
New Zealand, for its part, dominated the Pakistan leg of the Champions Trophy. It knocked out Pakistan and Bangladesh in the group games, and despite tiring journeys to-and-from Dubai, had enough gas in the tank to pummel South Africa in the Lahore semifinal.
“The weather has been a little shock — it jumped up 10 degrees in the last couple days,” Santner said. “We will get a run tonight and it will set us up for tomorrow.”
Roots of the rivalry
Nearly 25 years ago, Chris Cairns’ well-timed century in Nairobi powered New Zealand past India to win the ICC Knock Out Trophy, which later was renamed the Champions Trophy.
It remains the only limited-overs ICC trophy in New Zealand’s cabinet. The Black Caps did add another in 2021 — beating India in the World Test Championship final at Southampton. In between, the Men in Blue were stopped in their tracks at the semifinal stage of the 2019 Cricket World Cup, losing a two-day rain-affected semifinal to New Zealand at Manchester.
There have been a handful of other vital clashes between the two sides — in 2021, New Zealand knocked India out of the T20 World Cup. In 2023, India returned the favor — beating New Zealand in the semifinal at Mumbai, denying them a third straight final appearance in the Cricket World Cup.
India last won the Champions Trophy in 2013 — star players Rohit Sharma and Kohli were part of that winning group. Could it be a potential final ODI outing for the stars, if they manage to overturn the 2023 disappointment of losing to Australia in the final?
“There is no talk about retirement in the dressing room, now,” vice-captain Shubman Gill said. “Last time we could not win the 2023 World Cup. We are determined to win this time.”
Pogacar remounts after fall and charges to Strade Bianche win
- After victory in the Tuscany one-day race in 2022 and 2024, 26-year-old Pogacar now equals Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara’s record of three victories in the Strade Bianche
- Pogacar saw his rear wheel give way and ended up in a ditch after a spectacular spin
SIENA: Slovenia’s Tadej Pogacar won the Strade Bianche on Saturday for the third time in his career, after recovering from a fall 50km from the finish.
Pogacar of Team UAE topped the podium by 1min 24sec ahead of Briton Tom Pidcock, with Belgium’s Tim Wellens a further 48sec adrift.
After victory in the Tuscany one-day race in 2022 and 2024, 26-year-old Pogacar now equals Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara’s record of three victories in the Strade Bianche.
“Pretty good race today. The race was super fast. It was a really strong breakaway and our guys did super amazing work in the front,” said Pogacar who completed the 213km race in 5hr 13mins and 58secs.
“We just went fast and it was a really hard race.”
After falling off his bike at a corner on a descent, Pogacar displayed several cuts to his body with blood notably visible on his left shoulder.
“I enjoyed it until I crossed the finish line. Now I’m in adrenaline wear-off and I start to feel a lot of pain,” said the reigning world champion and Tour de France winner.
“Not the best way to win a race, but a win is a win. Let’s hope it’s nothing worse than it looks and all should be fine.
“I went too fast I guess. I know this road very well. I rode it already 20 times in my life,” added Pogacar, who had been leading at the time of his fall.
“For a moment I didn’t know if I was OK. The bike was not working so I had to change the bike.
“I was a bit worried because when you crash the body takes a lot from you. But still I had enough to finish it off.”
Pogacar saw his rear wheel give way and ended up in a ditch after a spectacular spin. But the three-time Tour de France champion quickly got up and resumed the race, with his jersey and shorts ripped.
He then found himself 32 seconds behind Team Q36.5’s Pidcock, but after a change of bike, he finally caught up with the 2023 winner 45km from the finish in Siena, after Pidcock had sportingly stopped to wait for him.
“When he crashed, of course, I carried on. I didn’t know what was happening, but then he was back on his bike, he was coming back, so of course I waited,” said Paris 2024 Olympic mountain bike gold medallist Pidcock.
“He’s a competitor, he’s a world champion, you respect that, you wait, regardless of whether he’s a world champion or not.
“You know, he made a mistake. This is not how you take advantage in a race.”
Pogacar dropped Pidcock at 18.8km thanks to a lightning-fast acceleration on one of the last difficulties, the Colle Pinzuto.
“Of course I wanted to try and win. I think I did a good performance, let’s be honest. I came pretty close,” said Pidcock.
“But he (Pogacar) was still too strong in this last attack of his. I’m happy, but at the same time, of course, disappointed.”
Pogacar will have to put any lingering pain from the fall swiftly behind him as his schedule starts to heat up, with Milan-San Remo two weeks away on March 22.
Alongside Paris-Roubaix, it is one of the two Monuments that the Slovenian has yet to win and is his main objective at the start of this 2025 season.
France, Germany, Italy, Britain back Arab plan for Gaza reconstruction
- Plan calls for reconstruction of Gaza for $53 billion, avoids displacing Palestinians
- Drawn up by Egypt, plan has been rejected by Israel and US President Donald Trump
ROME: The foreign ministers of France, Germany, Italy and Britain said on Saturday they supported an Arab-backed plan for the reconstruction of Gaza that would cost $53 billion and avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave.
“The plan shows a realistic path to the reconstruction of Gaza and promises – if implemented – swift and sustainable improvement of the catastrophic living conditions for the Palestinians living in Gaza,” the ministers said in a joint statement.
The plan, which was drawn up by Egypt and adopted by Arab leaders on Tuesday, has been rejected by Israel and by US President Donald Trump, who has presented his own vision to turn the Gaza Strip into a “Middle East Riviera.”
The Egyptian proposal envisages the creation of an administrative committee of independent, professional Palestinian technocrats entrusted with the governance of Gaza after the end of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
The committee would be responsible for the oversight of humanitarian aid and managing the Strip’s affairs for a temporary period under the supervision of the Palestinian Authority.
The statement issued by the four European countries on Saturday said they were “committed to working with the Arab initiative,” and they appreciated the “important signal” the Arab states had sent by developing it.
The statement said Hamas “must neither govern Gaza nor be a threat to Israel any more” and that the four countries “support the central role for the Palestinian Authority and the implementation of its reform agenda.”
