Yousafzai — accompanied by her father Ziauddin, Farah Mohamed and Amiro­byn Thompson — flew in aboard flight No EK-614.

Sources said Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi would receive the 20-year-old Malala at the PM Office where she would attend a special function to mark her achievements as an activist for girls education.

Due to security reasons, the sources said, her visit and her entire itinerary was being kept secret.

In December 2014, Ms Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi of India received the Nobel Peace Prize for risking their lives to fight for children’s rights.

Ms Yousafzai, who belongs to Swat, has been living in the UK since October 2012. She was shifted from Pakistan to a hospital in Birmingham in a precarious condition after she had sustained a bullet in her head in a targeted attack by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Swat. She was on her way home in a school van with other girls after taking an exam when the TTP men opened fire on them. Two other girls also sustained gunshot wounds.

The attack on the schoolgirls received widespread criticism at the national and international levels as Ms Yousafzai received sympathies and support from across the world.

Responding to the condemnation, the TTP denounced Malala Yousafzai, compelling her to stay back in the UK due to security concerns.

After her recovery, Ms Yousafzai announced launching a movement for the promotion of girls’ education. She visited a number of countries as official guest where she was warmly welcomed and given an official protocol and reception. During a visit to Canada last year, she was provided an opportunity to address the country’s parliament.

In April 2017, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres selected Malala Yousafzai to be a UN messenger of peace, the highest honour bestowed by the UN chief on a global citizen.

Kim is due to meet South Korean President Moon Jae-in next month, followed by landmark talks with US President Donald Trump which could come as early as May.

Cho Myoung-gyun, Seoul’s unification minister and the leader of its delegation to Thursday’s meeting, said that setting a date for the third-ever summit between the two Koreas was a key agenda item.

“We will have good discussions with the North to successfully hold the inter-Korea summit in April,” Cho told reporters.

The rapid rapprochement on the peninsula was kicked off by the Winter Olympics in the South and comes after a year of heightened tensions over the North’s nuclear and missile programmes, which saw Kim and Trump engage in a fiery war of words.

Events have since moved rapidly, with a flurry of official visits between the two Koreas before Kim went to Beijing this week to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time.

Three-member delegations from the two Koreas were to meet at the Unification Pavilion building on the northern side of the border truce of village of Panmunjom to discuss the agenda for next month’s summit.

Pyongyang’s delegation is led by Cho’s counterpart Ri Son Gwon, who is chairman of the North’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Country.

Also Thursday, China’s State Councillor Yang Jiechi, the country’s top diplomat, was due in Seoul to brief Moon on Kim’s secretive visit to Beijing.

It was the North Korean leader’s first overseas trip since inheriting power after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

China has long been the North’s key diplomatic defender and provider of trade and aid, but relations have been strained by Pyongyang’s weapons programmes, with Beijing showing a new willingness to implement UN sanctions against it.

Even so the two leaders hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Xi accepting Kim’s invitation to visit Pyongyang, according to the North’s official Korean Central News Agency.

“There is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital,” it quoted him as saying, calling it a “noble obligation”.

Kim pledged that he was “committed to denuclearisation” on the Korean peninsula, according to China’s Xinhua news agency — but added that it was dependent on South Korea and the US taking what he called “progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace”.

Analysts say that both sides had reasons for the meeting — Pyongyang to secure Beijing’s backing and support, and China to protect its interests in what it considers its backyard.

Robert Kelly, a professor at Pusan National University in South Korea, said: “Xi would not grant this meeting unless the Chinese were genuinely concerned about the summits to come and wanted some kind of role to play.”

Kim made a surprise visit to Beijing from Sunday to Wednesday during which he reaffirmed his commitment to denuclearization and showed willingness to hold a summit with the US, according to China’s Foreign Ministry.

North Korea needed to repair long-strained ties with China — its traditional ally and biggest trading partner — to bolster its bargaining power ahead of summits with South Korea at the end of April and with the US by the end of May, experts say.

“I think North Korea wanted to have ‘insurance’ against the upcoming summit with the US and check how much China is willing to protect North Korea’s interests,” said Shin Beom-chul, a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. “North Korea probably wanted to show that it has an ally.”

Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University, shared the view.

“Gven its traditional alliance with China, North Korea would have wanted to discuss the situation with China,” he said. “If its talks with the US turn out well, it needs China’s economic assistance. If the talks fail, North Korea still needs China to ease up on sanctions.”

The two countries have been “blood allies” since the 1950-53 Korean War, when Mao Zedong sent troops to support Kim’s grandfather Kim Il-sung. China has long tried to keep North Korea as a buffer state between it and South Korea, home to 28,500 US troops.

But their relations have frayed in recent years, as China enforced international sanctions against North Korea over the reclusive regime’s pursuit of nuclear and missile programs. North Korean exports of coal, seafood and other sources of currency have been hampered by the sanctions.

The North Korea-China summit was an expected event that might have been planned long before Kim Jong-un’s peace overture to South Korea and the US, said Kim Dong-yub, professor at Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies. And it happened to be held ahead of the Pyongyang-Washington summit.

“Both Kim and Xi Jinping needed to build a stable external environment to stabilize their respective regimes after they solidified their power at home,” he said. China’s Xi was recently re-elected as president and North Korea’s Kim declared the completion of its nuclear weapons programs.

Kim’s trip is also in China’s interest, other experts say. China has been worried about losing influence over North Korea’s nuclear issue, as it competes with the US for power in Asia, and it would have wanted to dismiss concerns that it was being sidelined in negotiations between the Koreas and the US.

“It is a win-win for China, too. With China’s President Xi Jinping tightening his grip over the country, his next challenge is to expand his clout on the matter of the Korean Peninsula,” said Jung Jae-hung, a researcher at the Sejong Institute. “Especially as it is facing conflicts over bilateral trade with the US.”

China’s parliament unanimously re-elected Xi as president earlier this month, and the National People’s Congress, which recently ended its 16-day meeting, revoked term limits for Xi.

But complicating the situation is Kim’s remarks made during his trip to China.

“The issue of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realization of peace,” Kim was quoted as saying by China’s Xinhua Agency.

Hong Min, director at the Korea Institute for National Unification, said that the “progressive and synchronous measures” could mean the US’ assurance about the survival of the North Korean regime.

“North Korea appears to be sending a message to the US that it is serious about its commitment to denuclearization if its security is guaranteed, as the US is filling its national security team with hard-liners who are suspicious about North Korea’s intention,” said Hong.

But North Korea’s demand of “progressive and synchronous measures” from South Korea and the US in tandem with its action to denuclearize signals a tough road ahead in the upcoming negotiations among the countries, others warn.

Park Won-gon, a professor at Handong University, pointed out that Kim’s remark shows that China and North Korea remain far apart from the US and South Korea on how to achieve denuclearization.

China has repeatedly emphasized that it supports a denuclearized Korean Peninsula, and has suggested a freeze-for-freeze solution to the current crisis, suggesting North Korea suspend nuclear and missile tests, and South Korea and the US suspend military drills at the same time.

The US has led a maximum pressure campaign against North Korea, demanding North Korea first abandon its nuclear and missile programs in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner before normalization of its relationship with North Korea and loosening of sanctions against it can take place.

“North Korea probably wanted China to play a role in easing the US’ pressure against it in the upcoming denuclearization talks as it is desperate to make a breakthrough in the negotiations with the US,” Park said.

Trump is making it clear that the US will not back down from its position. He tapped John Bolton as his new national security adviser. The former US ambassador to the United Nations is known for his hard-line stance advocating the use of military force against North Korea. He also replaced Secretary of State Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, who has floated the possibility of a strike against North Korea as well as a regime change.

In total, there are 35.1 million people born outside of 28 EU countries living in EU.  Almost, 20.6 % of them are of Asian origin. The largest number of foreign born residents are living in Germany (8.7 million), as per the latest data from Eurostat, the European Union’s statistics office.

People from Morocco and Turkish origin are the largest among the foreign born population in Europe. While Turkish born people number 2.08 million, Moroccan origin people form the largest pool of foreign born Europeans at 2.3 million.

Russians, Algerians and Ukrainians also have a substantial presence in the European Union countries. As per Eurostat, there are 1.8 million Russians currently living in the EU. People from Algeria and Ukraine number 1.5 and 1.1 million respectively. People from Bosnia, Albania and Kazakhstan, while being shy of one million in number, stood at 0.95million, 0.9 million and 0.87 million respectively.

India has a long and historical relationship with different EU countries and over 1 million people from India have made the European Union their home.  Chinese and Pakistan born people living in the EU states outnumber those born in America. There are 0.82 million Chinese-born , 0.74 million Pakistani-born and 0.58 million American-born  living in the EU region.

The Europe remains top destination for immigrants due to its economic opportunities, pluralistic approach and equality with the goal of ensuring an open, tolerant and equal society for all.  The Europe also provides added advantage of free movement across member countries.

Sochua fled Cambodia following the September arrest of opposition party leader Kem Sokha on charges of treason after receiving word from a government official that her own arrest was imminent. Their party – the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP), the nation’s only credible opposition – was forcibly dissolved by the Supreme Court just over a month later.

Speaking in Ottawa on Tuesday (yesterday Thailand time), Sochua repeated calls for targeted sanctions, warned foreign investors not to pour their money into the country, asked for a special Canadian delegation to visit Cambodia and pressure on lawmakers.

“Your money is not safe,” she said of Canadian investors in Cambodia. “You are contributing to the disaster, to the death of Cambodia as far as democracy is concerned.”

She spoke of Prime Minister Hun Sen’s determination to hold the national election on July 29 and urged Canada to take “immediate” action, as parties wanting to register for the election must do so by the end of April.

“We don’t have actually four months. We have four weeks. But yet, it doesn’t mean time is up … The election day can be pushed back,” she said.

“We want to go back so we can put Cambodia back on track. We have no more time to lose.”

She further urged Canada and others in the international community to disavow the legitimacy of an unfair election.

“The government of Cambodia that is born from that kind of election will not be recognised,” she said.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said it was highly unlikely the election date would be shifted, as the premier had publicly committed to holding the national poll at the end of July.

“No delay at all. The prime minister said it,” Siphan said.

He added that Sochua’s appeal to Canadian investors “won’t work”.

“Investors, they really like to invest in Cambodia because of stability, because of peace,” he said.

Kingsley Abbott, from the International Commission of Jurists, also addressed the subcommittee about the “crisis” unfolding in Cambodian courts and the weaponisation of the law to achieve political ends.

    Win Myint, 66, had been tipped for the role after former president Htin Kyaw suddenly stepped down last week, citing the need for rest.

Suu Kyi is barred by the military-drafted constitution from the presidency because she was married to a foreigner and has two sons who are British citizens. She has instead served as state counsellor since her party’s landslide 2015 election victory, declaring she would work “above” the president.

But her position has no official constitutional role.

That makes it crucial for her to have a compliant friend as president as she manages an often fraught power-sharing arrangement with the still powerful military, which ruled the country for almost half a century.

“I hearby announce that U (honorific) Win Myint, who obtained the majority of votes, is elected as President of the State,” said parliament speaker Mann Win Khaing Than.

Win Myint, who resigned as lower house speaker last week, swept up nearly two thirds of the votes in a parliament dominated by Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) party.

He beat two opponents, including the military-backed acting president Myint Swe.

The former lawyer remains one of Suu Kyi’s inner circle — the pair fought side-by-side during the 1988 democracy movement that was violently quashed by the junta and saw Win Myint, alongside many others, being taken political prisoner.

As Myanmar emerged from outright military rule, Win Myint won his seat in 2012 by-elections, the same vote that elevated Suu Kyi to parliament after a combined 15 years of house arrest.

She is still widely regarded as a heroine within Myanmar even though her reputation lies shattered globally for failing to speak up on behalf of the country’s Rohingya Muslim community.

An army crackdown has driven almost 700,000 of the persecuted minority out of the country since last August.

Her supporters say she has her hands tied by the military, which retains control over three key ministries — home affairs, borders and defence — and is guaranteed a quarter of the parliamentary seats.

Supreme Court advocate Khin Maung Zaw worked with Win Myint in recent years and said: “He is an honest person, he is quite hard-working, but sometimes he is stern.”

As speaker he was known for his passion for protocol, famously dressing down members of parliament for failing to don the correct clothing.

His tenure was marked by “exerting strict control over the MPs”, said Khin Zaw Win, director of Yangon think tank The Tampadipa Institute.

Activists have been frustrated with his reluctance to abolish a controversial online defamation law that has seen dozens of people face charges for Facebook posts critical of the government or military.

Observers say his appointment is unlikely to change politics much although he could assume some duties from Suu Kyi, who has been notoriously unwilling to delegate.

“We cannot expect a very high political impact on Myanmar democratisation,” said independent analyst Yan Myo Thein.

Political analyst Yan Kyaw said that while Win Myint’s profile may rise, “he won’t do anything against Daw Aung San Suu Kyi”.//AFP

On his first trip abroad since taking power, Kim and his wife were met with honour guards and a banquet hosted by Xi, according to state media, which confirmed the “unofficial” visit on Wednesday only after Kim had returned to North Korea.

The two men held talks at the stately Great Hall of the People during which they hailed their nations’ historic relations, with Kim pledging that he was “committed to denuclearisation” on the Korean peninsula, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

“There is no question that my first foreign visit would be to the Chinese capital,” Kim said, according to North Korea’s official KCNA news agency.

“This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations.”

KCNA said Xi accepted an invitation to visit Pyongyang, which would be his first trip to the North Korean capital since he took power in 2012.

The two men had not met since Kim took over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011, and relations have been strained as China has backed a raft of UN sanctions against Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile tests.

But Xi underscored the importance of developing ties, saying it was “a strategic choice and the only right choice” and that he was willing to maintain frequent contact with Kim “under the new circumstances”, according to Xinhua.

Xi and Kim shook hands and sat across from each other at a long conference table, both flanked by officials, at the Great Hall of the People, according to television images which showed the North Korean leader taking meticulous notes.

Later, Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, waved goodbye while Kim and his spouse, Ri Sol Ju, smiled as they left in a black car.

Chinese and North Korean state media said the visit started Sunday and ended Wednesday.

Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a deal with US President Donald Trump that hurts Chinese interests during a summit expected to be held in May.

Beijing had appeared sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington, but Kim’s visit puts China firmly back at the centre of the diplomatic game.

“It shows that at this crucial juncture, Kim and Xi believed that it was time to seize the opportunity to consult,” Bonnie Glaser, a China expert at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, told AFP.

“Both likely concluded that further deterioration in relations would be harmful.”

Deng Yuwen, an independent Chinese international relations scholar, said North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as Kim will be sceptical that Trump will guarantee the security of his regime.

“North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment,” Deng said.

 – Trump informed –

Xinhua said Kim expressed his willingness to hold summits with Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

“The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace,” Kim said, according to Xinhua.

South Korea said last month after talks with Kim in Pyongyang that he would consider abandoning his nuclear weapons in exchange for US security guarantees, and flagged a halt to weapons tests while talks were under way.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Trump received a personal note from Xi about Kim’s visit on Tuesday.

“We see this development as further evidence that our campaign of maximum pressure is creating the appropriate atmosphere for dialogue with North Korea,” Sanders said.

Confirmation of the visit ended 24 hours of speculation about the identity of a mysterious North Korean visitor after Japanese media spotted a green train, similar to the one used by Kim’s father, arriving in Beijing on Monday and departing the following day.

During the news blackout, a heavy police presence at key venues, barricades and mysterious motorcades hinted at his presence.

North Korea’s official Rodong Sinmun newspaper on Wednesday featured photos of Chinese officials greeting Kim and his wife with flowers at the train station, and his motorcade being escorted by police motorbikes in front of the Forbidden City.

– Frayed ties –

His visit to China came as a surprise given the state of relations between the Cold War-era allies, which fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War.

China chaired six-party talks on North Korea that collapsed a decade ago, but its calls to revive that forum have not been heeded so far and Beijing appeared to be on the margins when South Korea announced that Kim had offered to meet with Moon and Trump.

Frustrated by its neighbour’s nuclear weapons programme and under pressure from Trump, China has used its economic leverage to squeeze Kim’s regime.

At the same time, Beijing fears the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang and the instability it would bring, potentially sending waves of refugees into China and the possibility of US troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea.

But Kim’s visit appears to have put relations appear back on track, with Xi inviting Kim and his wife to visit China again.//AFP

    The show’s creator, former CIA officer Joe Weisberg, recalls with amusement the question he was asked when he first presented his idea back in 2012: “Who really cares about US-Russia relations?”

Since then, Russia went to war with Ukraine, annexed Crimea, backed America’s foe Bashar al-Assad in Syria and, according to US intelligence agencies, interfered in the 2016 presidential election with the aim of helping Donald Trump win.

The sixth and final season, set to air from Wednesday on FX, finds Soviet sleeper agents Elizabeth and Philip Jennings still posing as an average American couple in the suburbs, with two kids and jobs at a travel agency.

Philip — whose commitment to the KGB has wavered over the years — has left the game of spycraft, but Elizabeth — the idealistic Russian patriot — is all in, and their daughter Paige is along for the ride.

Elizabeth is desperate to gather intelligence on the INF treaty that saw the United States and Soviet Union eliminate part of their nuclear arsenals in 1987.

And their marriage is as chilly as the Cold War standoff between Washington and Moscow.

“Being a girl and getting to play this character is pretty cool. She’s so fierce and single-minded,” Russell told Variety magazine’s “Remote Controlled” podcast, calling her work on the show “by far my most fun role.”

“Everything at home that Elizabeth is fighting for is falling apart, is in complete anxiety and turmoil.”

– ‘Everyone dies’ –

This season, Elizabeth finds herself trapped between the reforms championed by Mikhail Gorbachev and the hardliners at the KGB. And she opts to take the hard line.

“You’re amazing, but this is finally getting to you,” Philip tells his wife.

“The Americans” has been one of the most riveting spy dramas ever put on television, but it is also a gripping portrayal of a family, typical at first glance but layered and complex in reality.

“This show isn’t about spies. It’s about two people that are married to each other and happened to be spies,” Weisberg said at a screening in New York.

Russell, who lives with co-star Matthew Rhys in real life, says, “Set in this weird, heightened spy world, it just allows all of the feelings of a long-term relationship, specifically a marriage, to play out in very big firework ways.”

In the world of “The Americans,” everything can be read at two or three levels, and nothing is simple, all while remaining faithful to what actually happened in the 1980s — the history, the music, the clothes, the cars.

“That’s what this show is so good at, the triple meaning of everything. Every conversation, everyone, has so much connotation and further meaning than surface value,” Rhys said.

No other network series has dared play out entire scenes in a foreign language — mainly Russian — so as not to betray the realism of the subject matter.

Of course, there is a fair bit of action as well, and after more than 70 episodes, Elizabeth and Philip have killed their fair share of adversaries. In that sense, the final season will be the climax.

No one associated with the show would reveal any details, but Rhys joked: “Everyone dies. Pretty simple.”//AFP

The secretive visit was confirmed Wednesday by Chinese and North Korean state media which said Kim was treated to a lavish stay in a show of unity after relations were battered by Beijing’s support of UN sanctions against Pyongyang.

Kim had not met China’s President Xi Jinping since taking over after the death of his father, Kim Jong Il, in 2011.

The young leader told Xi that he was ready to hold a summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in as well as US President Donald Trump, according to China’s Xinhua news agency.

“The issue of denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula can be resolved, if South Korea and the United States respond to our efforts with goodwill, create an atmosphere of peace and stability while taking progressive and synchronous measures for the realisation of peace,” Kim said.

South Korea said last month after talks with Kim in Pyongyang that he would consider abandoning his nuclear weapons in exchange for US security guarantees, and flagged a halt to all missile and nuclear tests while talks were under way.

Analysts said Xi likely wanted to see Kim to ensure North Korea does not cut a deal with Trump that hurts Chinese interests during a summit that is expected to be held in May.

Beijing had appeared sidelined by Pyongyang’s approaches to Seoul and Washington, but Kim’s visit puts China firmly back at the centre of the diplomatic game.

“They don’t want to see a grand deal between the US and North Korea that suddenly makes them great friends,” said Bill Bishop, publisher of the Sinocism China Newsletter.

But Deng Yuwen, an independent Chinese international relations scholar, said that North Korea needed to turn to its old ally ahead of the US summit, as Kim will be sceptical that Trump will guarantee the security of his regime.

“North Korea needs the big brother to protect it at a crucial moment,” Deng told AFP.

And Trump’s decision to draft in hawkish former UN ambassador John Bolton as his new national security advisor last week “will make Kim more vigilant,” Deng said.

Confirmation of the visit ended 24 hours of speculation about the identity of the North Korean visitor after Japanese media spotted a green train, similar to the one used by Kim’s father, arriving in Beijing on Monday and departing the following day.

While Chinese officials refused to confirm Kim’s presence, a heavy police presence at key venues, motorcades driven under police escort, and barricades in the city centre fuelled the belief that Kim had come to pay his respects.

Frayed ties

His visit to China came as a surprise given the state of relations between the Cold War-era allies, which fought together in the 1950-53 Korean War.

China chaired six-party talks on North Korea that collapsed a decade ago, but its call to revive that forum have not been heeded so far and it appeared to be on the margins when South Korea announced that Kim had offered to meet with Moon and Trump.

Frustrated by its neighbour’s nuclear weapons programme and under pressure from Trump, China has backed a raft of UN sanctions, using its economic leverage to squeeze Kim’s regime.

At the same time, Beijing fears the collapse of the regime in Pyongyang and the instability it would bring, potentially sending waves of refugees into China and the possibility of US troops stationed on its border in a unified Korea.

The tensions prompted North Korea’s official news agency to issue a rare critique of China last year, warning of “grave consequences” if Pyongyang’s patience was tested further.

But the Chinese foreign ministry said at the time that Beijing was consistent in its support for “good neighbourly and friendly cooperation” with the North.

In November, Chinese envoy Song Tao became the first senior Chinese official to visit North Korea for more than a year, though he did not meet Kim.

On March 18, the Global Times published a friendlier editorial.

“A severe difference between Beijing and Pyongyang over nuclear issues is a reality, but it should not be the whole picture of ties between the two sides,” the daily wrote.

“North Korea is a respectable country.”

While Kim Jong Un and Moon are due to meet at the border truce village of Panmunjom, the venue for the North Korean leader’s meeting with Trump has yet to be announced.

The Demilitarized Zone that divides the two Koreas is the most plausible locations for the Kim-Trump talks, but Beijing could serve as a more neutral location.

High-level inter-Korean talks are scheduled for Thursday to pave the way for the Moon-Kim meeting, and discussions have also begun for the Trump summit.

The relationship between the North and its key protector China has soured in recent years but at a banquet in Beijing Kim said: “There is no question that my first foreign visit is to the Chinese capital,” KCNA reported.

“This is my solemn duty as someone who should value and continue the DPRK-PRC relations through generations,” he added using the countries’ official acronyms.