Directorate General of Customs Valuation, Karachi has revised customs values on the import of Cashew Nuts/Kaju from Vietnam. The directorate issued a new valuation ruling (1836 of 2023) on Friday for an accurate assessment of duties and taxes on the import of Cashew Nuts. Earlier, the Customs values of Cashew Nuts were determined under Section 25A of the Customs Act, …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday intervened in the arrest of Baloch protesters, directing the Inspector General (IG) Islamabad to release Baloch women and children while allowing the protesters to express their grievances peacefully. Chief Justice Aamir Farooq presided over the hearing of a petition challenging the arrests, expressing dissatisfaction with the police inspector’s initial court appearance. IG Islamabad …

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has approved the bail of former PTI chairman Imran Khan and Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi in the cipher case. The apex court accepted the PTI leaders’ petition against the high court verdict in the case. They have been granted bail in exchange for bail bonds of Rs1 million each. A three-member bench of the …

In a tragic incident on Thursday night, a police station under construction in the remote area of South Waziristan became the target of an attack, resulting in the loss of five lives and injuring another worker. The assailants, yet to be identified, opened fire on the under-construction police station, claiming the lives of five labour workers. The victims, all hailing …

The Supreme Court has directed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hear the PTI’s complaints against level playing field at 3pm, and redress their grievances. The court asked the commission to listen to all the complaints and resolve them, as ECP officials appeared in court on being summoned. The court asked what the commission did about the complaints it …

In a heartwarming turn of events, Yumna Zaidi, the renowned Pakistani actress who captured the nation’s hearts with her stellar performance in the hit drama Tere Bin, is making headlines once again. This time, it’s not for her acting prowess but for a delightful dance performance at a family wedding that has taken the internet by storm. After gaining immense …

Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja has challenged the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) charge for wearing a black armband during the first Test against Pakistan, raising questions about the application of regulations. Khawaja donned the armband in Perth after initially wanting to wear shoes emblazoned with “All lives are equal” and “Freedom is a human right” in support of the Palestinian cause. …

Pakistani squash player Huzaifa Ibrahim won a silver medal in the Under 19 Junior Squash Championship 2023 and made the country proud on a global stage. There were around 128 players from 30 countries who took part in the tournament wherein Huzaifa won six matches and then reached the final where he played America’s Rishi Srivastava. Huzaifa played brilliantly in …

More than 1,400 people lost their lives and over 18,000 were wounded in road accidents in Karachi in 2023. According to reports from rescue sources, overspeeding and riding motorbikes without helmets remained the major causes behind the deaths and injuries in road mishaps in the ongoing year of 2023. This year, more than 1,400 citizens lost their lives in road …

BEIJING: China’s annual growth in value-added industrial output is likely to exceed 4.3 percent this year as industrial production maintained a recovery trend, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The ministry said at a national work conference on industrial development and informatization Thursday that the output of the manufacturing sector, with its share in China’s GDP …

HANGZHOU: A team of Chinese scientists has developed a knittable fiber with exceptional thermal insulation drawing inspiration from polar bear fur. According to a study published on Friday in the journal Science, this encapsulated aerogel fiber is washable, dyeable, durable and well-suited for use in advanced textiles. Aerogel fibers typically lack the strength and stretchability required for weaving into cloths, …

ACCRA: As the cooperation between China and Ghana forges ahead, more and more Ghanaian universities are riding the wave of the Chinese language popularity to promote cultural diversity and exchange on campus. On Tuesday, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), one of the most renowned universities in Ghana, became the latest host of a Confucius Institute in the …

ZHENGZHOU: Archaeologists in central China’s Henan Province have unearthed a large number of fragments of tile-shaped earthenware, which may be the earliest earthenware tiles dating back some 5,800 years. The fragmented earthenware discovered at the ruins of Beiyangping in the city of Lingbao is believed to have been used on house ridges to prevent rainwater leakage, according to Wei Xingtao, …

BEIJING: A meeting of the Communist Party of China (CPC) leadership has stressed building on the gains in the Party’s theoretical study program to rally a powerful force for building a strong nation and advancing national rejuvenation. Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, delivered an important speech as he chaired the criticism and self-criticism meeting of the …

Making an impactful international debut is not a privilege too many cricketers can boast of but Aryan Lakra made his presence felt when he scored 84 on his ODI debut against USA in August, 2022. The Desert Vipers have acquired the services of all-rounder Aryan Lakra for season 2 of the DP World International League T20 after finishing as runners-up …

BEIJING: The Central Rural Work Conference was held in Beijing from Dec. 19 to 20. Guided by Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, the conference faithfully implemented the guiding principles of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Second Plenary Session of the 20th CPC Central Committee on …

SHENZHEN: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, hailed reform and opening up as “a crucial move that made China what it is today” in the Qianhai area of the city of Shenzhen more than 10 years ago, highlighting the importance of the reform and opening up that has featured prominently since 1978. Over …

KUALA LUMPUR: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is widely deemed as a “game-changer” transforming the economic competitiveness of its partner countries, said Ong Tee Keat, president of Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific. The BRI has focused on connectivity, notably physical connectivity through infrastructure development, which has also been instrumental in rebalancing the economic inequality across the …

CAIRO: The use of modern technologies and AI in the media should enhance the reliability of journalism instead of hampering it, the chief of Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency (MENA) told Xinhua in a recent interview. “Journalism must be based on truthful and verified information, and the use of modern technologies and AI in the media should not negatively …

SHENZHEN: The number of electronic sports (e-sports) users in China reached 488 million in 2023, up 0.1 percent compared to the previous year, according to an industry report released in south China’s Shenzhen on Wednesday. The actual revenue of the e-sports industry reached 26.35 billion yuan (around 3.71 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, down 1.31 percent year on year, as …

China Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC) has successfully completed its first decade and entered into phase-II in the country. Its phase-II comprises of massive industrialization, building of numerous special economic free zones, social development, revitalization of railways transport system (ML-I), agriculture cooperation, health, culture and education cooperation, growth of renewables (wind, solar) and above all increasing of human capital enabling us …

LOS ANGELES: A new coronavirus subvariant JN.1 is spreading fast in the United States, becoming a significant contributor to new COVID-19 cases in the country. JN.1 is responsible for 21.4 percent of new infections across the country and has become the fastest-growing strain of the virus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In the Northeastern …

GAZA: The death toll of Palestinians from Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7 has reached 20,000, according to a statement issued by the Hamas-run government media office on Wednesday. The statement said the victims included more than 8,000 children and 6,200 women, while more than 52,000 people were injured and 6,700 others were missing. A total of …

KARACHI, Pakistan: Pakistan has made its first shipment of dry red chilies to China as part of enhanced agricultural cooperation between the two countries under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). To mark the event, a grand ceremony was held on Tuesday in Pakistan’s port city of Karachi in southern Sindh province, attended by officials, experts, and business people, among others, …

BEIJING: Dec. 20, a national day of mourning due to the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama, is a grim reminder of how the notorious U.S. foreign policy of the Monroe Doctrine has blighted the Americas for two centuries. Back in December 1823, then U.S. President James Monroe put forward the idea that America is for Americans in his annual State …

BEIJING: The Chinese mainland will suspend tariff reductions on some chemicals from the Taiwan region as the latter’s unilateral, discriminatory trade restrictions have violated the economic pact between the two sides. Starting January 1, 2024, 12 items of chemical products from Taiwan, including propylene and paraxylene, will stop enjoying preferential tax rates stipulated in the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA), …

JISHISHAN, Gansu Province: Hospitals in northwest China’s Gansu Province are currently administering treatments to a total of 784 people injured in the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that jolted the province at 11:59 p.m. Monday, claiming 113 lives, according to a press conference held on Thursday. They have been admitted to provincial, prefectural and county-level medical institutions in Gansu, said Bai Yuping, deputy …

LONDON: Junior doctors in England started a three-day strike on Wednesday in their long-standing dispute with the government over pay and conditions. Junior doctors — around half of all doctors in the National Health Service (NHS) — took strike action from 7:00 a.m. local time on Wednesday until Saturday morning. Further strikes, starting from Jan. 3 next year and lasting …

Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar said that he used to be traumatised by the late actor Amrish Puri. In the upcoming episode of his talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’ season 8, featuring actor Ajay Devgn and filmmaker Rohit Shetty, Johar revealed that although he had great respect for Amrish Puri, he was also quite scared of him. During the conversation, Johar …

Repatriation of illegal foreign nationals including Afghans to their homeland is continuing in a dignified and safe manner. As per details, 1586 illegal Afghan nationals returned to their country on Monday taking the total number of returned immigrants to 438,376. The apex committee of the National Action Plan (NAP) in a meeting on October 3, chaired by Caretaker PM Anwaarul …

The World Bank (WB) has approved $350 million in financing for the implementation of institutional reforms in Pakistan. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors approved $350 million in financing for the Second Resilient Institutions for Sustainable Economy (RISE-II) Operation, which aims to strengthen fiscal management and promote competitiveness for sustained and inclusive economic growth. Najy Benhassine, the World Bank …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir has said that Pakistan eschews bloc politics and seeks to maintain balanced ties with all friendly countries. According to the Pakistan Army’s public relations wing, COAS General Asim Munir’s remarks came during a discussion with US think tanks and media members in Washington. During the interaction, COAS General Asim Munir put across …

Rawalpindi Police on Wednesday rescued a missing policeman after seven years. The policeman, identified as Mustaqeem Khalid, was abducted by a gang of beggars and forced to beg on the streets. According to the police, it has arrested three women members of the gang, identified as Maryam and Tasneem, who abducted Khalid in 2016. The officials added that they also …

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in a statement said that debut fast bowler Khurram Shahzad complained of discomfort in his left side during the first test and following his complaint, after the Test Match Khurram was sent for an MRI scan. Further details will be shared in due course after the medical panel assesses the MRI reports. Australia won the first …

According to reports, top auditors have allegedly uncovered substantial irregularities, including non-transparent contracts and significant losses amounting to Rs14 billion, in the financial records of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Information obtained from documents indicates that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) entered into a non-transparent contract valued at Rs1.4 billion for the sale of TV broadcasting rights. The PCB incurred …

BJP MP Hema Malini responding to the suspension of over 100 parliamentarians from the Opposition camp said: “They ask a lot of questions and behave strangely”. An actor-turned-politician who represents Mathura in Lok Sabha commented said the only goal of the opposition is to ‘disrupt’ the parliament and uproot the Modi government. She defended and said suspension means they have …

PTI Senator Ali Zafar has claimed that former party chairman Imran Khan will contest elections from three constituencies. Speaking to the media, the senior lawyer said Imran Khan had filed a petition against the suspension of his sentence. He added that the workers who rendered sacrifices for the party will be given tickets to contest the elections 100%, adding that …

The process of submitting nomination papers to participate in the general elections 2024 has started from Wednesday. As per the ECP schedule, candidates could get and submit the nomination papers till 4:30 pm December 22. The preliminary list of candidates will be released on December 23 while scrutiny of nomination papers will be held from 24th to 30th December. As …

No one, including the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Intelligence Bureau, is allowed to record audio conversations, said the attorney general for Pakistan. The AGP said this while clarifying the position of the Prime Minister’s Office in a report submitted to the Islamabad High Court. The court also expressed dissatisfaction over the reports of the FIA …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday stressed the need to promote science and technology to make the country equivalent to the developed nations of the world. While addressing students and faculty members during his visit to the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Science and Technology in Topi, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), PM Kakar said the process of creativity is ongoing …