MUNICH, Germany: China is ready to work with the European Union (EU) to promote an equal and orderly multipolar world, so that each country has its own place in the global multipolar system, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said here on Friday. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the …

Despite its hectic efforts to form a government, the PTI has finally resolved to sit on the opposition benches in national and provincial assemblies, while launching a countrywide protest against alleged rigging in the February 8 general elections. A PTI source also told Internews that the party’s incarcerated founder, Imran Khan, has tasked former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser with …

Despite passage of over a week, the workers and supporters of various political parties have refused to abandon their protest against alleged rigging in the elections, and called for a wheel jam strike across Balochistan on Sunday. The sit-ins being staged in Quetta, Dera Murad Jamali and other towns ent­ered the 8th day on Friday. Hundreds of workers and supporters …

Rawalpindi commissioner says poll results ‘manipulated’ under his watch; ECP rejects claims. Rawalpindi Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chatha made explosive claims on Saturday, asserting that the results of the February 8 general elections were “manipulated” under his watch. He also resigned from his position. Speaking to reporters outside the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Chatha said, “I am taking responsibilty for all this …

A 4.5 magnitude earthquake struck various parts of Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly the Ghizer district, sending tremors through the region earlier on Saturday. According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) the epicenter of the quake was along the Afghanistan-Tajikistan border, with a depth of 102 kilometers, causing tremors across the bordering areas. Fortunately, no major damage or casualties have been reported as …

Seven members of a family died in a road crash at GT Road here, while three persons were seriously injured. Rescue officials said that a car carrying deceased and a truck collided at Ravi-Ryan U-turn owing to over speeding. The passengers of the car were traveling from Multan to Gujranwala. All deceased were family members, identified as Zaheer Ahmed, his wife …

Amitabh Bachchan, Bollywood’s Shehenshah, commemorates his 55-year long illustrious journey in Indian cinema with an AI twist. Known for his unparalleled contribution and an iconic stature that transcends generations, Bachchan took to social media, sharing an AI-crafted image that beautifully encapsulates his cinematic voyage. The image, a symbol of his mind brimming with filmic creativity, was aptly captioned, “55 years …

Protests have erupted across Pakistan as supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party take to the streets, alleging widespread electoral fraud in the recently concluded general elections of 2024. In the city of Bannu, PTI activists staged a sit-in on Miran Shah Road, causing traffic disruptions and inconvenience to commuters. They voiced their concerns over irregularities in the electoral process, …

Former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Pervez Khattak stepped down as the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-Parliamentarians (PTI-P) chairman on Saturday after a poor showing in the recently held general elections. The development came after the PTI-P held its Central Executive Committee (CEC) meeting. During the meeting, the resignation of Khattak as the party chief was accepted. It was decided that former KP chief …

An important consultation meeting among judges is underway in the chief justice of Pakistan’s chamber, according to sources, in the wake of the allegations of pressure and electoral rigging by the Rawalpindi commissioner. The meeting aims to address the allegations made by Commissioner Liaquat Ali Chattha. Sources indicate that prominent judges, including Justice Muneeb Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Ayesha …

CHENGDU: Li Yuanming, an experienced artisan with 30 years of expertise in crafting lanterns, is consistently occupied during the Spring Festival, or the Chinese New Year, as well as during international festivities. The custom of attending lantern fairs during the Spring Festival is a time-honored tradition in Chinese culture, with a history spanning over 1,800 years. Colored lanterns, mainly handcrafted, …

SYDNEY: China is expected to reclaim the top spot in Australia’s international tourism industry “in the very near future,” chief of the Australian government’s tourism promoting agency has said. “We certainly know that Australia has a lot to offer Chinese travelers and our industry and the Australian public love to welcome Chinese guests to Australia,” Phillipa Harrison, managing director of …

MANILA: The Philippines continues to struggle to lower the price of rice despite an ample supply of the national staple, a Philippine agriculture official said Friday. Agriculture Undersecretary Roger Navarro said the Philippines has enough rice supply due to a bumper harvest last year and additional importation in January. “But it’s difficult to reduce prices since the cost of the …

NEW YORK: U.S. former President Donald Trump and his business organizations were ordered to pay as much as 355 million U.S. dollars of penalties on Friday in a business fraud case lodged by New York State Attorney General Letitia James. In order to borrow more money and at lower rates, Donald Trump and the entities he controls submitted blatantly false …

BEIJING: China’s inclusive finance sector maintained rapid loan expansion in 2023 as the country stepped up credit support for the real economy, a central bank report showed. China’s outstanding balance of small and micro loans reached 29.4 trillion yuan (about 4.14 trillion U.S. dollars) as of the end of 2023, up 23.5 percent from the end of 2022, according to …

BEIJING: The People’s Bank of China (PBOC), the country’s central bank, has signed bilateral currency swap agreements with more than 40 foreign central banks or monetary authorities, according to a PBOC report. At present, 31 bilateral currency swap agreements are in force, with a total scale of about 4.16 trillion yuan (about 586 billion U.S. dollars), the report said. Bilateral …

VIENTIANE: The Lao government and tourism-related businesses are making all efforts to raise its tourism standards to increase visitor arrivals. At a meeting held here on Tuesday to report Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s 2023 annual work summary and plan for 2024, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune advised the public and private sectors to form closer links …

ADDIS ABABA: China-Africa cooperation in education and vocational training is “very important” and a critical enabler for human capital development in Africa, a senior African Union (AU) official has said. Speaking to Xinhua on Wednesday, Albert Muchanga, the AU commissioner for Economic Development, Trade, Tourism, Industry and Minerals, expressed his high expectations with regard to further strengthening China-Africa ties in …

Aloe vera is more than just a remedy for your skin-related issues. It can offer multiple health benefits to your overall health. Aloe vera gel is usually applied on the skin to treat sunburn, rash, acne, dryness and other issues. Aloe gel can also be consumed directly. Not many enjoy it as it is, therefore, aloe vera gel can also …

Former Supreme Court judge Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi has said that after his resignation, the Supreme Judicial Council has “no jurisdiction to initiate or continue with any proceedings” against him, it emerged on Friday. The former judge is facing an inquiry over allegations of misconduct, a show-cause notice for which was issued in October last year. In a letter penned …

PTI Central Information Secretary Raoof Hasan said that 2024 would be remembered due to the “biggest voter fraud” in Pakistan’s history against the party and its candidates. “According to our estimates, out of 177 [National Assembly] seats which were supposed to be ours, only 92 have been given to us. And 85 seats have been taken away from us fraudulently,” …

Following the general elections, the cricket fever starts to grip the country as the ninth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) is around the corner. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the PSL administration announced on Thursday to hold the opening ceremony of the domestic premium tournament at 6:00 pm. on February 17. The opening ceremony will feature renowned artists …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday imposed penalties on fast bowler Haris Rauf, following an investigation into his decision to decline to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the 2023–24 tour of Australia. After an extensive hearing process conducted by a PCB committee, which took into account the perspectives of all parties involved, Haris Rauf’s central contract has been terminated, …

The caretaker federal health minister has implemented a ban on the use of sugary items in subordinate institutions under the Ministry of Health, in a move being hailed as groundbreaking at promoting public health. This decision, heralded as a revolutionary step, underscores the government’s commitment to curbing the prevalence of communicable and non-communicable diseases linked to sugary consumption. The Federal …

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami have initiated contact once again, signaling a potential rekindling of their political relationship. A meeting between the leadership of both parties is scheduled to take place in Islamabad later on Friday evening. The gathering, which is expected to bring together representatives from both PTI and Jamaat-e-Islami, aims to explore avenues of collaboration and discuss …

Appeals have been lodged against the convictions of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan in both the cipher and Toshakhana cases of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The appeals were filed in the Islamabad High Court by Khan’s legal team. The Official Secrets Act special court convicted Khan in the cipher case on January 30, while the Islamabad Accountability Court …

The 21st century is an era of big reform, big development and big adjustments across the globe with the emergence of big changes. Political parties are becoming more influential with huge significance in the political discourse of different countries. Big and worthy changes have also been recorded to the relationship between China and the world including the relations between the …

BEIJING: Over 3,700 athletes are set to compete in the 14th National Winter Games of China, opening in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region this Saturday. For many of China’s elite athletes, including Winter Olympic champions, participating in the national games feels more akin to a collective celebration aimed at mutual advancement in preparation for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics. Marking …

VIENTIANE: The Lao government and tourism-related businesses are making all efforts to raise its tourism standards to increase visitor arrivals. At a meeting held here on Tuesday to report Laos’ Ministry of Information, Culture and Tourism’s 2023 annual work summary and plan for 2024, Lao Deputy Prime Minister Kikeo Khaykhamphithoune advised the public and private sectors to form closer links …

NOWSHERA (Pakistan): The Pakistan-China Friendship Association (PCFA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Pakistan & Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Economic Zones Development & Management Company (KPEZDMC) celebrates the Chinese Spring Festival 2024 at Rashakhi Special Economic Zone (RSEZ) the flagship Economic Zone under CPEC. Extending Greetings & Best Wishes   to the Chinese Community based in RSEZ which is being leased to China Road & Bridge …

CHONGQING: A new direct passenger air route will be launched on March 19 to link southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality with the city of Milan, Italy, according to Chongqing Jiangbei International Airport. Operated by Hainan Airlines, the new service will make two round trips per week on Tuesday and Friday, with the first outbound flight departing Chongqing at 2 a.m. on …

ADDIS ABABA: Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat on Wednesday called for a political solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict. The chairperson of the pan-African bloc made the remarks while addressing the 44th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the AU, which began Wednesday at the headquarters of the AU in the Ethiopian capital of Addis …

He was all praise for his captain Shaheen Shah Afridi, who is also the skipper of Pakistan’s T20 team. “Shaheen is a very cool player and captain and he always backs his players.” The players of the domestic circuit also had the chance to get a place in the national T20 team by performing well in the PSL, Haris added. “Therefore, …

The Foreign Office (FO) said on Thursday that the electoral process in Pakistan was an internal sovereign affair and the nation was committed to upholding its constitutional obligations. The remarks were passed by FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch in response to media queries regarding the global response to the February 8 election, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. Nearly 60.6 million Pakistanis …

An Anti-Terrorism Court of Lahore has declared 11 accused including Mian Aslam Iqbal, Murad Saeed, and Azam Swati as Proclaimed Offenders (POs) on Thursday. Eleven accused including Mian Aslam Iqbal, and Murad Saeed, were declared as POs as ATC judge Muhammad Naveed Iqbal accepted the plea of the Police Other accused including Hamid Raza, Azam Khan Swati, Hafiz Farhat, Imtiaz …

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has nominated former minister Omar Ayub as its candidate for the prime minister’s slot. This was announced by former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser while speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where he held a meeting with PTI Founder Imran Khan. Asad Qaiser also hoped that the prime minister will be from the …

Indian film actor Arjun Kapoor is confirmed to join the star-studded cast of Rohit Shetty’s much-anticipated venture, ‘Singham Again’. The actor is poised to take on the role of the antagonist, marking a significant addition to the franchise. Unveiling his first look from the film, Kapoor exudes an aura of malevolence, his facade smeared in blood, reminiscent of Suriya’s iconic …

Lahore Police and law enforcement security personnel made fool-proof security arrangements for PSL season 9 while overseas players started reaching the city of Flowers—Lahore. Over 16,000 police personnel will perform security duties during PSL as a security plan has been prepared for matches in Rawalpindi and Multan. Islamabad United’s Colin Munro and Tymal Mills arrived in Lahore while Islamabad United …

The Election Commission of Azad Jammu and Kashmir has issued an arrest warrant for Ali Amin Gandapur, the PTI’s nominee for the chief minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, citing contempt of court in an ongoing case. The warrant has been issued in a case of contempt of the election commission. Gandapur, who is a former PTI federal minister, has reportedly failed …

BEIJING: An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on upholding and improving the system of people’s congresses and ensuring the people run the country will be published on Friday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year’s fourth issue …