ABU DHABI: The four-day 13th Ministerial Conference (MC13) of the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded here Saturday with several practical agreements reached after intensive negotiations, and China’s positive and constructive role won wide praise during the meeting. POSITIVE OUTCOMES At the closing ceremony, WTO members adopted the Abu Dhabi Ministerial Declaration, pledging to strengthen the multilateral trading system and continue …

BEIJING: The following are the schedules for the second session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) and the second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) on Monday. At 3 p.m., the second session of the 14th CPPCC National Committee will hold its opening meeting at the Great Hall of the People …

Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghadam congratulated Shahbaz Sharif on being elected as prime minister of Pakistan. The ambassador said, “I would like to express my warmest congratulations on the election of Shahbaz Sharif, as the 24th Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan following a successful nationwide election.” Moghadam added that the …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday congratulated Shehbaz Sharif on his election as prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Xi noted he believes that under the leadership of Sharif and the new Pakistani government, and with the united efforts of all walks of life in Pakistan, the country will definitely achieve new and greater accomplishments in the …

SHIJIAZHUANG: As of the end of February, 276 wild bird species have been spotted at Baiyangdian Lake, a major wetland in northern China, local authorities have said. The figure has increased by 70 since the establishment in 2017 of the Xiong’an New Area, where the lake is located, according to the area’s bureau of natural resources and planning. Of the …

CAIRO: Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said on Saturday that Egypt contributes to the delivery of more than 80 percent of humanitarian aid to Gazans. Madbouly made the remarks during his meeting with a visiting delegation from the FAO led by Director-General Qu Dongyu, during which they discussed further cooperation in agriculture and food security. The Egyptian prime minister noted …

After trudging upslope for weeks, a giant tortoise slows its hundreds of cumbersome kilograms to a stop. Dense woods defended by barbed wire like blackberry bushes block its path. After a brief foray into the painful prickles, the tortoise backs out and plods on, searching for a way out of the woods. These blackberry-lined forests of Spanish cedar trees (Cedrela …

The killing of over 100 Palestinians in Gaza who were requesting humanitarian relief angered French President Emmanuel Macron, who expressed his outrage on Friday, March 1. He also demanded “truth and justice” over the involvement of Israeli forces in the tragedy. More than 100 Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers on Thursday while they were waiting for supplies to …

An Iranian pop singer whose song became an anthem during mass protests more than a year ago has been sentenced to at least three years in prison, he said Friday. Shervin Hajipour, 26, wrote and published ‘Baraye’ during nationwide demonstrations triggered by the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini. Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, had been arrested for …

In a delightful reunion that has left fans thrilled, Ayeza Khan and Hamza Ali Abbasi have once again joined forces for the television drama Jaan e Jahan. Portraying the characters of Mahnoor and Shehram, the on-screen duo has ignited a renewed spark of romance, prompting an outpouring of excitement from their dedicated fanbase. Ayeza, in an off-set conversation with the …

A latest research raised concerns in tattooed American regarding how tattoos causing organ damage. A recent survey found that one-third of Americans get tattoos, with the biggest contributing factor cited being the powerful impact of musicians like Justin Bieber and Machine Gun Kelly. Half of these American are at least between the ages of 30 to 49 years of age. Although …

A US court has mandated NSO Group, a cyber-weapon manufacturer notorious for its espionage tools, including the infamous Pegasus software, to relinquish the source codes of Pegasus and other spyware products to WhatsApp. The ruling, delivered by US judge Phyllis Hamilton, represents a landmark victory for Meta-owned messaging platform WhatsApp, which has been embroiled in a legal battle against NSO …

Global celebrities are set to don “jungle fever” outfits in India as they gather for a trip to a zoo, hosted by Mukesh Ambani, Asia’s wealthiest individual, as part of his son’s pre-wedding celebrations. Among the star-studded guest list are renowned figures such as pop icon Rihanna, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and Ivanka Trump, daughter of former US President Donald …

Severe weather conditions have wreaked havoc in various parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, resulting in multiple casualties and injuries. Heavy rains have caused the collapse of roofs in different areas of the province, leading to tragic consequences. Reports indicate that 17 individuals lost their lives, while 23 others sustained injuries as a result of the roof collapses. Among the deceased were …

Ahead of the crucial presidential elections, the Sunni Ittehad Council has decided to nominate Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party President Mehmood Khan Achakzai as their candidate for the top constitutional position. Sources close to the party had earlier revealed that Achakzai, a prominent political figure known for his advocacy for Pashtun rights and his anti-establishment narrative, would be formally announced as …

The stage is set for a one-on-one showdown in the upcoming election for the prime minister tomorrow (Sunday), as the nomination papers of PML-N’s Shehbaz Sharif and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC)-backed PTI leader Omar Ayub Khan have been approved, marking the culmination of the nomination process. The reservations of the SIC over Shehbaz’s nomination were also rejected. Until the nomination …

ANKARA: “When we think of the Silk Road, the first thing that pops into people’s minds is trade. However, trade isn’t limited to goods; it encompasses culture,” said Berkant Demir, a young puppeteer at the Intangible Cultural Heritage Museum in the Turkish capital Ankara. Demir, a puppeteer of Türkiye’s traditional shadow play Karagoz, highlighted how the cultural exchange along the …

BANGKOK: Adisorn Sangkrajang arrived early at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport on Thursday evening for his flight bound for Shanghai. He has been long looking forward to his first trip to China, and when the plane touched down early Friday morning, he became one of the first to benefit from the “visa-free era” between Thailand and China that takes effect on March …

BEIJING: The Party School of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee (National Academy of Governance) held an opening ceremony on the morning of March 1 for the training program for young and middle-aged officials for the spring semester of 2024. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, Chinese president, and chairman of the Central Military Commission, …

In the People’s Republic of China, 2 Sessions holds a strategic position which also vividly reflects its highest levels of good governance. As every democratic country, China’s whole process political system, the biggest in the world represents all norms of modern human civilization and traits of advanced democracy which is commendable. The “2 Sessions” will be held on March 4-5 …

SHIJIAZHUANG: A fossil of an extinct lamprey that can date back 134 million years, was found in Chengde, a city in north China’s Hebei Province, according to the provincial department of natural resources on Thursday. The fossil was later identified as the extinct species Mesomyzon mengae Chang by Zhang Jiangyong, a researcher from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, …

ISLAMABAD: Sardar Ayaz Sadiq of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was elected the speaker of the National Assembly or the lower house of the country’s parliament on Friday, according to an official announcement made by Raja Pervez Ashraf, the outgoing speaker. Sadiq got 199 votes of the total 291 votes polled in the 336-member house and defeated Malik Muhammad Amir Dogar, …

Showbiz A-lister Hania Aamir is everyone’s favourite wedding guest, and her latest Instagram pictures are proof. Taking to her Instagram handle on Thursday afternoon, Hania Aamir treated her 12.4 million followers on the social site with some breathtaking pictures, as she decked up in a traditional yet modern attire, probably for a recently-attended family wedding. The candid three-picture gallery, captioned …

Relief and rescue efforts were underway in Gwadar on Friday after it received more than 180 millimeters of rain in the past two days, authorities said. On Thursday, the Balochistan government had imposed an emergency in Gwadar and declared it calamity-hit after heavy rains wreaked havoc in the city. Normal life and traffic had remained suspended in Gwadar, Makran and …

According to a global analysis published in The Lancet journal, there are now more than one billion children, teenagers, and adults suffering from obesity globally. According to the researchers, these patterns, along with the fact that the percentage of underweight persons has decreased since 1990, make obesity the most common kind of malnutrition among most of the nations. Based on …

WhatsApp’s design aesthetics are improving with each passing year. The instant messaging app is set to undergo a big revamp in the next months, WhatsApp developers are experimenting with new design changes to make the UI more attractive and easier to grasp. WhatsApp for Android’s latest beta version includes an updated overflow menu design. This update was discovered by WABetaInfo, …

Quetta Gladiators spinner Abrar Ahmed said on Thursday that he had learned a lot from former Pakistan captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. Expressing his thoughts after bagging 3-31 in his four overs, Ahmed said: “I had some support after the innings moved a bit forward. I have come back from injury, and the team’s environment is quite good.” “I am working on …

Another air hostess of PIA assigned to Toronto flight from Karachi has disappeared after leaving the hotel as flight steward Jibran Baloch is the second air hostess to slip away this month. On February 29, Flight 782 did not arrive for the scheduled return duty. Flight steward Jibran Baloch is the second air hostess to slip this month. On the …

Ali Amin Gandapur, the newly elected chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), has pledged to uphold justice, transparency, and the rights of the people following his success in the provincial assembly. In a series of statements made after he was declared the winner, Gandapur expressed gratitude to the people and reiterated his commitment to fulfilling the trust placed in him. …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced the election schedule on the six vacant seats in the Senate. Six seats were declared vacant when the Senate members were elected as members of other houses. These six Senate seats including election schedule for one vacant seat in Islamabad, two in Sindh and three vacant seats in Balochistan. As per schedule, …

A three-point government formation agreement has been reached between Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM-P). MQM will vote for PML-N for Prime Minister and Speaker. The three-point agreement was also signed by the leaders of both parties. Local government systems and solving the problems of Karachi are also part of the agreement. “According to the Charter, Constitutional …

NAIROBI: The high-level segment of the sixth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-6) opened Thursday in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, with African leaders renewing the call for a revitalized multilateral system to boost action on planetary threats, including climate change, habitat loss and pollution. Kenyan President William Ruto, in his address to the assembly, said that given …

DHAKA: At least 43 people were killed Thursday night after a devastating fire tore through a high-rise building in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. Minister of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh Samanta Lal Sen told Xinhua early Friday that they had confirmed the deaths. The minister said 33 bodies were brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital and 10 …

BEIJING: The main agenda proposed for the upcoming second session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, was unveiled Friday. The second session of the 14th National Committee of the CPPCC will open on March 4 in Beijing, according to a decision made at a meeting of the Standing …

GUANGZHOU: U.S. energy giant ExxonMobil plans to invest 10 billion yuan (about 1.4 billion U.S. dollars) in its Huizhou ethylene project in south China’s Guangdong Province this year. Addressing the Guangdong Provincial High-quality Development Conference in Shenzhen recently, Jean-Marc Taton, chairman of ExxonMobil China, said ExxonMobil has already invested over 30 billion yuan in the first phase of its Huizhou …

BEIJING: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, has stressed vigorously promoting the high-quality development of new energy in China to make greater contributions to building a clean and beautiful world. Xi made the remarks on Thursday while presiding over a group study session of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee. Noting …

BEIJING: Following the devastating loss of over 30,000 lives in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israel’s continuous strikes since last October, the world is witnessing not only a harrowing scale of human suffering, but also the ugly truth of Western double standards regarding human rights. As government officials and representatives worldwide convene in Geneva for the 55th session …

BEIJING: An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on strengthening and improving the work of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and fully developing consultative democracy will be published on Friday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this …

BEIJING: The Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee met on Thursday to discuss a draft government work report, which will be submitted by the State Council at the top legislature’s annual session in March for deliberation. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, presided over the meeting. It was noted at the meeting …

CHICAGO: Students from Muscatine High School in Muscatine, U.S. state of Iowa, received a special gift a letter from Chinese President Xi Jinping. At a reception here on Tuesday marking the 45th anniversary of the establishment of China-U.S. relations, Chinese Consul General Zhao Jian handed the letter to Jennifer Fridley, principal of Susan Clark Junior High of Muscatine Community School …