On special invitation of the Kosovo’s Ambassador for Turkey & Pakistan, H E Mr. Avni Spahiu, MR. Zahid Anjum, Kosovo’s Honorary Consul General for Pakistan attended the celebrations of 9th Independence Day of Kosovo in Ankara. 

Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo & Deputy Chief of Army Staff of the Republic of Kosovo also attended the occasion.

An Ikea sustainability report has revealed the Swedish furniture firm sent zero waste to landfill in the UK for the first time in 2016. The retailer is actually making a small profit from its waste, with recycled materials forming parts of some of its best-selling furniture. Used cardboard is going into one of its most popular products - the Billy bookcase

Gas supply in Punjab has dramatically improved after a 200MMCFD consignment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) is being added to the system after re-gasification since Jan 27 every day, enabling the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) to restore supplies to some fertilizer and power units and the CNG sector. The government plans to import 1,200MMCFD LNG every day by June and has so far importing 600 to 625MMCFD. The petroleum ministry has also informed the SNGPL to start planning for the import of further 1,200MMCFD to cope with the increasing demand.

Time magazine named US President-elect Donald Trump its person of the year on Wednesday, citing the upheaval in American politics brought about by the New York businessman’s election campaign and victory. “It’s hard to measure the scale of his disruption,” Time said in its announcement, noting Trump’s career as real estate magnate and reality television star before he won the presidency on Nov 8. The Republican president-elect, who will be sworn in on Jan 20, ran an unconventional and controversial campaign against Democrat Hillary Clinton. Time noted that views of him were deeply divided. “For those who believe this is all for the better, Trump’s victory represents a long-overdue rebuke to an entrenched and arrogant governing class,” the magazine said. “For those who see it as for the worse, the destruction extends to cherished norms of civility and discourse, a politics poisoned by vile streams of racism, sexism, nativism.” The magazine said its short list for person of the year included Clinton, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and singer Beyoncé.

Samsung’s probe into its Galaxy Note 7 fiasco has found that the overheating and burning of the phones was caused by faults with their batteries. The firm had axed its iPhone rival in October last year after an earlier botched recall and re-release. The recall is thought to have cost $5.3bn (£4.3bn) and was hugely damaging for the South Korean firm’s reputation. The company said that errors both in design and manufacturing affected batteries by two different manufacturers. According to the findings, the problems centered on insufficient insulation material within the batteries and a design that did not give enough room to safely accommodate the batteries’ electrode.

Volkswagen has overtaken Toyota to become the world’s best-selling carmaker, the first time the German company has held the position. Japan’s Toyota, which had topped sales for the past four years, sold 10.175 million vehicles globally in 2016. Volkswagen, which makes the Audi, Porsche and Skoda brands, saw a 3.8% increase in sales buoyed by demand in China. And it has been making inroads in other markets too. In Sweden for example, the Volkswagen Golf was the most popular new car in 2016 - the first time in more than half a century that a Volvo hadn’t topped the country’s sales. Toyota’s sales grew by 0.2% - though it appears to have suffered from a slowdown in the US car industry.

The Syrian government’s lead negotiator has denounced what he called his rebel counterpart’s “provocative” comments at the start of peace talks in Astana. Bashar Jaafari said Mohammed Alloush had acted in a way “removed from diplomacy” at the indirect negotiations convened by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Mr. Alloush described the Syrian government as a “terrorist entity”.

The meeting was closed to the media after an address by Kazakh Foreign Minister Kairat Abdrakhmanov, who said it was time to “make the real breakthrough that Syrian people rightfully deserve. Government officials said they wanted to focus on “establishing lines of the cessation of hostilities” and separating the rebels represented in Astana from the jihadist groups excluded - so-called Islamic State and Jabhat Fateh al-Sham.

A “very high” air pollution warning has been issued for London for the first time under a new alert system. Warnings are being issued at bus stops, roadside signs and Tube stations under the new system set up by London Mayor Sadiq Khan. The rise has been attributed to cold, calm and settled weather, meaning winds are not dispersing local pollutants. The mayor said “the shameful state of London’s toxic air” meant he had to trigger the alert. “This is the highest level of alert and everyone - from the most vulnerable to the physically fit - may need to take precautions to protect themselves from the filthy air,” he said.

Maiden voyage – The first self-driving boat - the “Roboat” - will sail for the first time in Amsterdam in 2017. The vessel will provide an eco-friendly alternative form of transport for people and goods. It will also be equipped with a battery of sensors to monitor air and water quality. The design allows the Roboats to be connected together to form floating bridges and platforms, which can serve a variety of purposes including emergency relief and water-based entertainment venues.