The Taliban have sent a high-level delegation to Pakistan for talks to resurrect a stalled peace deal, the group said on Wednesday.
A Taliban representative said Abdul Ghani Baradar, the head of the movement's political office in Doha, would lead the delegation in discussions with Pakistani officials.
The US special representative for Afghanistan, Zalmay Khalilzad, travelled to Islamabad this week after discussions between US President Donald Trump and Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in Washington the week before.
"These consultations follow discussions between the United States and Pakistan during the UN General Assembly in New York last week," a spokesman for the US embassy in Islamabad said.
The spokesman did not say if Mr Khalilzad was still in Pakistan on Wednesday or if he planned to meet the Taliban officials.
The Taliban's visit is part of a tour that has included Russia, China and Iran in an attempt to revive a peace process that Mr Trump last month called “dead” after the group’s fighters killed an American soldier in Kabul.
Pakistan's Foreign Ministry and the US embassy would not comment on visits by the Taliban and Mr Khalilzad.
Mr Khan and other officials have been urging Washington to resume talks on ending nearly 18 years of fighting in neighbouring Afghanistan, where violence has increased in recent months.
Over the past year, the Afghan government was sidelined in the US-Taliban talks.
The rebels refusing to negotiate with Kabul officials because they consider the Afghan government to be a US puppet.
Taliban attacks continued unabated as Afghanistan held a presidential election on Saturday, weeks after the US-led peace talks collapsed.
The vote was marred by violence, Taliban threats and widespread allegations of mismanagement and abuse.
It was the fourth time Afghans have gone to the polls to elect a president since 2001, when a US-led coalition ousted the Taliban regime.
Pakistan said it would try to convince the Taliban to hold talks with Kabul when they reach a deal with Washington.
The Taliban also planned to follow up on Mr Khan's recent comments before a meeting in New York with Mr Trump, when he said he would try to convince the US president to re-enter talks.
It was not clear whether the Taliban delegation would meet Mr Khan.
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What is a calorie?
A food calorie, or kilocalorie, is a measure of nutritional energy generated from what is consumed.
One calorie, is the amount of heat needed to raise the temperature of 1 kilogram of water by 1°C.
A kilocalorie represents a 1,000 true calories of energy.
Energy density figures are often quoted as calories per serving, with one gram of fat in food containing nine calories, and a gram of protein or carbohydrate providing about four.
Alcohol contains about seven calories a gram.
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
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UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
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Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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The specS: 2018 Toyota Camry
Price: base / as tested: Dh91,000 / Dh114,000
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Power: 298hp @ 6,600rpm
Torque: 356Nm @ 4,700rpm
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- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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Euro 2020 qualifier
Ukraine 2 (Yaremchuk 06', Yarmolenko 27')
Portugal 1 (Ronaldo 72' pen)
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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Match 1 – UAE won by 4 wickets
Match 2 – UAE won by 5 wickets
Match 3 – UAE won by 25 runs
Match 4 – UAE won by 77 runs
Fixture
Match 5, Saturday, 9.30am start, ICC Academy, Dubai
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Sand storm
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Dust storm
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Ain Issa camp:
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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Tickets
Tickets for the 2019 Asian Cup are available online, via www.asiancup2019.com
