THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA & THE UNITED NATIONS

Ø  Pakistan, US reaffirm commitment to promote cooperation in diverse sectors
https://www.nation.com.pk/15-Mar-2023/pakistan-us-reaffirm-commitment-to-promote-cooperation-in-diverse-sectors

Ø  Rethinking US-Pakistan Relations in the Age of Great Power Competition
https://www.usip.org/publications/2023/03/rethinking-us-pakistan-relations-age-great-power-competition

Ø  Around the halls: AUKUS defines an emerging alliance at sea
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/order-from-chaos/2023/03/15/around-the-halls-aukus-defines-an-emerging-alliance-at-sea/

Ø  Staying the Unfavorable Course: National Security Council Decision making and the Inertia of U.S. Afghanistan Policy, 2001–2016
https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RRA808-1.html

Ø  Something Is Missing From Americans’ Greatest Fears. It’s the Bomb.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/13/opinion/international-world/putin-ukraine-nuclear-weapons.html

Ø  Afghanistan Central Bank Reserves
https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF12052

Ø  China Surges Ahead in Middle East Diplomacy
https://www.hudson.org/foreign-policy/china-surges-ahead-middle-east-diplomacy

Ø  Diplomacy in Yemen reaches new pitch following year of relative calm, Security Council hears
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134642

Ø  UN deputy chief warns of faltering progress towards SDGs
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134557

Ø  Sticking to ‘cold, hard’ climate facts can end global warming: Guterres
https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/03/1134537

Ø  Fifty-eighth Session of the IPCC (IPCC-58), Interlaken Switzerland, 13 – 17 March 2023
https://www.ipcc.ch/meeting-doc/ipcc-58/

Ø  At UN, Pakistan calls for closing digital gender divide
https://dailytimes.com.pk/1073465/at-un-pakistan-calls-for-closing-digital-gender-divide/

Ø  A difficult lesson from the Pakistan floods
https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/difficult-lesson-pakistan-floods

Ø  WFP Pakistan Floods Situation Report, 28 February 2023
https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/wfp-pakistan-floods-situation-report-28-february-2023

Ø  Afghanistan Situation Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) : Summary & Inter-Agency Funding Requirements January-December 2023
https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/afghanistan-situation-regional-refugee-response-plan-rrp-summary-inter-agency-funding-requirements-january-december-2023

Ø  UNHCR launches new appeal for Afghan refugees and hosts, urging partners to stay the course
https://reliefweb.int/report/pakistan/unhcr-launches-new-appeal-afghan-refugees-and-hosts-urging-partners-stay-course-enar

RUSSIA & EUROPE

Ø  Russia’s forced transfers of Ukrainian children in areas under its control amounts to a war crime, investigators say
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/un-backed-investigation-accuses-russia-of-war-crimes-in-ukraine

Ø  Poland to become first NATO member to meet Ukraine’s increasingly urgent requests for fighter jets.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/duda-says-poland-to-send-four-mig-29-planes-to-ukraine-in-coming-days

Ø  Pentagon says footage shows Russian Su-27 approaching the back of MQ-9 drone and beginning to release fuel as it passes.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/us-releases-video-of-black-sea-drone-incident-with-russian-jet

Ø  Moscow says American drone downing highlights increasing intelligence gathering off the annexed Crimea peninsula.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/russia-vows-to-respond-proportionately-to-us-provocations

Ø  Turkey and Hungary are the only NATO members that are yet to ratify the accession of Finland and Sweden.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/15/erdogan-hints-turkey-may-ratify-finlands-nato-membership

Ø  Florida governor and other leading conservative US presidential hopefuls express scepticism of Washington’s aid to Kyiv.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/14/us-republican-desantis-calls-ukraine-war-a-territorial-dispute

Ø  Updated defence and foreign policy paper highlights ‘threats’ that Russia and China pose to the UK and world order.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/14/russia-china-creating-world-of-danger-disorder-division-uk

Ø  Fuelled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, European countries are also increasing arms imports, the think tank says.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/13/ukraine-is-worlds-third-largest-arms-importer-sipri-says

Ø  The Syrian leader made the comments during a visit to Moscow, adding that Russia’s presence should become permanent.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/assad-will-welcome-new-russian-military-bases-in-syria

Ø  The Syrian leader made the comments during a visit to Moscow, adding that Russia’s presence should become permanent.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/16/assad-will-welcome-new-russian-military-bases-in-syria

Ø  Serbia, Kosovo deal possible this year, U.S. envoy says
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/us-envoy-says-deal-between-serbia-kosovo-entirely-possible-this-year-2023-03-16/

Ø  German Chancellor Scholz sees prolonged war in Ukraine -Handelsblatt
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/german-chancellor-scholz-sees-prolonged-war-ukraine-handelsblatt-2023-03-16/

Ø  Anger as French government pushes through pension change without vote
https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/french-pension-reform-heads-final-vote-2023-03-16/

Ø  Russia Agrees to 60-Day Black Sea Grain Deal Extension
https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/03/13/russia-agrees-to-60-day-black-sea-grain-deal-extension-a80466

Ø  Finance minister Jeremy Hunt unveils measures aimed at boosting workforce as strikers demand better wages, conditions.
https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2023/3/15/uk-unveils-budget-plans-as-thousands-of-workers-stage-strikes

Ø  The EU’s new industrial strategy will aim to have 40% of its green technology homegrown by 2030
https://www.euronews.com/my-europe/2023/03/16/the-eus-new-industrial-strategy-will-aim-to-have-40-of-its-green-technology-homegrown-by-2

POLITICAL ECONOMY & NON-TRADITIONAL THREATS

Ø  SBP Weekly Data Report
http://www.sbp.org.pk/ecodata/index2.asp

Ø  IFC to double project funding in Pakistan in three years
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742276/ifc-to-double-project-funding-in-pakistan-in-three-years

Ø  ‘Political situation delaying IMF deal’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742273/political-situation-delaying-imf-deal

Ø  Pakistan awaits nod from Gulf states to unlock IMF loan
https://www.geo.tv/latest/476839-pakistan-looking-towards-gulf-states-to-fulfil-financing-promise-as-it-looks-to-unlock-imf-loan

Ø  Remittances tumble 10.8pc to $17.9bn
https://www.dawn.com/news/1741522/remittances-tumble-108pc-to-179bn

Ø  World Bank ‘committed’ to Pakistan’s long-term development
https://www.geo.tv/latest/476209-world-bank-extends-commitment-to-pakistans-long-term-development

Ø  ‘Textiles on verge of collapse’
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2406092/textiles-on-verge-of-collapse

Ø  The cost of the shadow economy
https://www.dawn.com/news/1741949/the-cost-of-the-shadow-economy

Ø  Rethinking and adopting new trade strategies
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2405775/rethinking-and-adopting-new-trade-strategies

Ø  Delay in IMF deal may cause Pakistan to pause repayments, warns report
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742086/delay-in-imf-deal-may-cause-pakistan-to-pause-repayments-warns-report

Ø  ‘Dollar-starved’ Pakistan struggles to pay international airlines: report
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742627/dollar-starved-pakistan-struggles-to-pay-international-airlines-report

Ø  Perfect storm?
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742667

Ø  Oil rebounds 1% as investors take stock of banking crisis
https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/oil-steadies-investors-take-stock-banking-crisis-2023-03-17/

Ø  Agri sector can wipe out CAD in 6 years
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2406543/agri-sector-can-wipe-out-cad-in-6-years

Ø  Arresting climate change through LGs
https://www.dawn.com/news/1741938/arresting-climate-change-through-lgs

Ø  ‘Pakistan must not follow high-emitting developed world’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1741864

Ø  Army handed over 45,000 acres for ‘corporate farming’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742652/army-handed-over-45000-acres-for-corporate-farming

Ø  US, Pakistan to jointly tackle climate change
https://www.dawn.com/news/1742633/us-pakistan-to-jointly-tackle-climate-change

Ø  IMF approves first batch of climate resilience loans
https://climatechangenews.com/2023/03/15/imf-approves-first-batch-of-climate-resilience-loans/