The ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is launching a nationwide propaganda effort ahead of the centenary of the party’s founding on July 1, lauding general secretary Xi Jinping’s “victory” over poverty and ordering officials to watch patriotic TV shows.

Pakistan and India have agreed to immediately cease military hostilities in disputed Kashmir by restoring a 2003 truce to deescalate tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian rivals.

One civilian was killed in a magnetic bomb blast in Jalalabad City, the capital of eastern Nangarhar province, an official said.

German troops are likely to stay on in Afghanistan as the government on Wednesday agreed to extend its military mandate in the country by 10 months, according to a media report on Friday.

Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar on Wednesday departed for Moscow on an official visit in response to an invitation from his Russian counterpart. During his three-day trip, Atmar would meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and other officials on issues of common interest, including regional stability, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) said.

In an expected move, the government in Berlin has agreed to extend its military mission in Afghanistan by 10 months, Deutsche Welle reported on Thursday.

Pakistan’s Director General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said Wednesday that Pakistan has done what it can to promote peace efforts in Afghanistan and that Islamabad will not support the Taliban in any attempt to “recapture Kabul”.

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced Thursday it will increase the number of international flights to Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Thursday that the establishment of peace in Afghanistan is essential for peace in Pakistan and the entire region.

The third meeting of the EU-Afghanistan Special Working Group on Human Rights, Good Governance and Migration was held on Wednesday virtually in which parties involved expressed grave concern about the continuing high level of violence, and condemned the increasing number of targeted killings of media workers, civil society activists and law enforcement officials.