ISLAMABAD: On a crisp spring morning, the sun cast its golden rays, painting the outskirts of Islamabad with a warm glow as it illuminated the scene of children frolicking joyfully on receiving gift bags from Chinese volunteers as a token of friendship and goodwill. The laughter of over 100 little boys and girls at a makeshift school in the slums …

BEIJING: Probing Chinese electric vehicles (EVs), replacing China-made cranes at U.S. ports, slamming China’s 5G devices … U.S. politicians view anything impeding U.S. hegemony as a potential threat to U.S. national security. Time and again, U.S. politicians have used protectionism as a national security concern. The story is an old one by now. Sadly, they fail to realize that such …

BEIJING: The Chinese economy has maintained good recovery momentum, beginning the year on a solid note as the country’s macro policies took effect, official data showed Monday. In the first two months of 2024, most key indicators saw sound increases, employment remained generally stable, and new economic growth drivers and advantages began accumulating, according to the National Bureau of Statistics …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday congratulated Vladimir Putin on his reelection as Russian president. In recent years, the Russian people have united as one, overcome challenges, and made steady progress towards national development and revitalization, Xi said, adding that the reelection of Putin as Russian president fully reflects the Russian people’s support for him. Russia will surely make …

BEIJING: China firmly supports the party and government of Cuba in improving people’s life and will continue to provide assistance for Cuba to overcome the current difficulties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on Monday. Lin made the remarks at a regular press briefing when answering a query concerning protest reported by Western media which erupted in Santiago, Cuba …

BEIJING: A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Monday highlighted cross-Strait mutual assistance while confirming the rescue of two individuals from Taiwan in the waters off the Fujian coast. People on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are of the same family and naturally will help each other when an accident occurs on the sea, said Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the …

MOSCOW: Russia’s incumbent President and presidential candidate Vladimir Putin, who is set to win reelection, said he would do his utmost to achieve national development goals on Monday morning. Putin has won 87.32 percent of the vote after 95.04 percent of all ballots were counted, according to data from the Russian Central Election Commission as of Monday morning. Under Russia’s …

The Supreme Court ordered re-election on Monday for Balochistan’s PB-50 Qilla Abdullah constituency after mutual consent of all political parties and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Qazi Faiz Isa heard the case. The court annulled ECP’s earlier order of repolling at six polling stations and ordered the electoral watchdog to conduct fresh …

Afghanistan’s Taliban said on Monday that Pakistan carried out two air strikes in Afghan territory, killing five women and three children, with a spokesman condemning the strikes as a violation of sovereignty. The strikes came as the neighbours have traded blame over responsibility for recent militant attacks in Pakistan, which says they were launched from Afghan soil, although Afghanistan’s ruling …

Uber opens new tab has agreed to pay A$271.8 million ($178 million) to settle a lawsuit brought by Australian taxi operators and drivers, who say they lost income when the ride-hailing company moved into the country, a law firm said on Monday. The settlement is Australia’s fifth-largest, Maurice Blackburn Lawyers said in a statement. The class action suit was filed …

Eight terrorists were killed when the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. As per Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the security forces conducted an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan on the night of March 17 and 18, on the reported presence of terrorists. Following an intense exchange of fire during the operation, eight alleged …

Lahore once again ranked first in the list of the most polluted cities in the world as the city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded 256 points. Lahoreiities are facing cough, cold, and throat diseases due to air pollution and there are many areas where AQI has exceeded 280 points. The AQI recorded Bedian Road 287 points, DHA 237 points, …

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) air hostess Sumira managed to reach Canada without a passport. Sumaira was assigned to duty on flight PK 781 from Islamabad to Toronto when the unprecedented incident unfolded. According to sources within the airline, the air hostess traveled from Islamabad to Toronto relying solely on PIA General Declaration documents, circumventing the standard passport requirement. Upon discovery …

Former tehsildar Najaf Hameed has been arrested from the premises of the Anti-Corruption Court. Najaf Hameed, the brother of former ISI chief Faiz Hameed, was arrested on Monday by the anti-corruption department’s Rawalpindi circle after his bail application was dismissed by Judge Ali Nawaz Bhakar in a case of corruption and bribery. According to sources, the officials of the anti-corruption …

The recent friendly encounter between Indian rapper Honey Singh and Pakistan’s Faris Shafi created excitement among fans on both sides of the border. The Indian rapper captured the essence of their relationship with a warm and friendly remark, sharing a little peek into their meeting at a recording studio, on his Instagram profile. The picture shows the two musicians embracing …

The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has decided to maintain the policy rate at 22% for the next two months, in its meeting held on Monday. The committee meeting, chaired by the SBP governor, noted that despite the sharp decline in February, inflation remained at an elevated level, adding that the inflation outlook is …

BEIJING: A symposium was held in Beijing to study a recent speech on Taiwan-related work made by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee. The symposium was held by the Taiwan Work Office of the CPC Central Committee and the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, jointly with the Central Committee of the …

KABUL: Units of counter-terrorist police have rounded up 300 pieces of weapons during a series of operations in north Afghanistan’s Balkh province over the past year, the Ministry of Interior Affairs said on Sunday. “During a series of operations, which covered the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif and districts in Balkh, police have discovered 300 pieces of light and heavy weapons and …

BEIJING: China’s value-added industrial output, an important economic indicator, went up 7 percent during the January-February period of 2024, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday. The growth accelerated 0.2 percentage points from December 2023, according to the NBS. On a monthly basis, industrial output edged up 0.56 percent in February from the previous month. The industrial …

LONDON: Despite the rising tide of de-globalization and protectionism, China has played an important role in advocating economic globalization and its efforts in promoting high-standard opening-up are worth noticing, several British experts told Xinhua recently. “Trade is the source of prosperity and the source of stopping poverty,” said Stephen Perry, president emeritus of Britain’s 48 Group Club, during a recent …

WENCHANG: The combination of the relay satellite Queqiao-2 and the Long March-8 Y3 carrier rocket was vertically transferred on Sunday to the launching area at the Wenchang Space Launch Center in south China’s Hainan Province. The satellite is projected to be launched at an appropriate time within the next few days, according to the China National Space Administration (CNSA). The …

NANNING: China’s rail-sea intermodal trains have completed 2,000 trips along the New International Land-Sea Trade Corridor since the beginning of 2024, achieving the first-quarter target ahead of schedule. On Sunday morning, a cargo train loaded with 108 containers departed from Qinzhou railway container center station in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, heading for Sichuan Province. This marked the 2,000th …

YAOUNDE: Central African leaders met Saturday in Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), a regional bloc, in hopes of highlighting past achievements and defining a roadmap for strengthening regional integration, while focusing on economic challenges and growth opportunities. When CEMAC was created in 1994, …

KUNMING: Local authorities in southwest China’s Yunnan Province reported on Sunday that four people have died in forest fires in two separate incidents. Three people died when a forest fire broke out in Douge Village in Lincang City at about 6:10 p.m. on Saturday. The blaze engulfed an area of approximately 5.33 hectares, said the local publicity department. Another person …

In an interview, actor Aamir Khan opened up about the financial difficulties his family faced during his childhood.He choked up as he recalled how his father struggled to pay their school fees. He tearfully shared that the fees, even as low as 6 rupees for the 6th standard, were beyond their means. He broke down while sharing about witnessing his …

A biopic on the life and legacy of late veteran star Madhubala, famously called ‘the living Taj Mahal’ and ‘India’s Marilyn Monroe’, has been announced by Sony Pictures International Productions, India. The studio has signed Jasmeet K Reen, who made her debut feature film ‘Darlings’ starring Alia Bhatt. The studio is developing the cinematic journey and the challenges she confronted …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has referred a misconduct allegation leveled against Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Abual Hasnat Muhammad Zulqarnain to its administrative committee. In its written order granting pre-arrest bail to PTI leader Aamir Masood Mughal, a division bench comprising Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir addressed the allegation. Mughal, booked in March last year for allegedly …

Supreme Court judge Muhammad Ali Mazhar has said a judge should always show a “judicial temperament” and maintain a cool demeanor in the courtroom “A judge’s attitude and courtroom behavior matters a lot. A judge should not lose his patience with the stubborn,” Justice Mazhar said in his address to district courts judges at the Federal Judicial Academy (FJA) on …

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on Saturday said that the provinces’ share in the next NFC award would be granted as per the constitutional provisions. “It is written in the Constitution about the NFC award that the provinces’ share [in the divisible pool/resources] cannot be reduced [but] it can be increased,” the chief minister said while speaking to the …

On the culmination of negotiations between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), both parties anticipate significant progress under the $3 billion Standby arrangement (SLA). The draft of the Memorandum of Economic and Financial Policies is slated for finalization. Sources optimist about the expected staff-level agreement SLA for the $1.1 billion installment on the last day of discussions. Following the …

Twenty-one people were killed and 38 injured on Sunday in southern Afghanistan’s Helmand province when a bus collided with an oil tanker and a motorbike, provincial officials said. Deadly traffic accidents are common in the country, due in part to poor roads, dangerous driving on highways and a lack of regulation. “On Sunday morning, 21 people were killed and 38 …

The head of the World Health Organisation on Saturday appealed to Israel “in the name of humanity” not to launch an assault on Rafah, where most of Gaza’s population is sheltering. “I’m gravely concerned about reports of an Israeli plan to proceed with a ground assault on Rafah,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “Further escalation …

Bhutto family’s youngest has now entered in parliamentary politics as Aseefa Bhutto Zardari has submitted her nomination papers as she is contesting an upcoming by-election for the NA-207 Nawabshah seat. The seat fell vacant after Asif Ali Zardari was elevated to become the 14th President of Pakistan. Aseefa submitted her nomination form for the by-election making her debut in electoral …

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) named a final squad for the forthcoming FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifier Round 2 matches against Jordan, scheduled to be held at Jinnah Stadium, Islamabad on 21st March followed by an away game in Jordan on 26 March. The week-long camp scheduled for Lahore will now be relocated to Islamabad today (Sunday). Pakistan Squad: Goalkeepers: …

US authorities are investigating Meta over its role in the illicit sale of medications, The Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. Citing documents and people close to the matter, the American business daily said prosecutors in the southern US state of Virginia are looking into whether the company’s social media platforms are facilitating and profiting from the illegal sale of drugs. …

Military Police (MP) highlighted their role regarding the 23rd March Pakistan Day parade including overseeing the transportation of foreign visitors. Major Muhammed Qasim of the Military Police stated “Military Police are honoured to present the Guard of Honor to the Quaid-e-Azam”. He said that “Military Police is very professional and its men are full of talent”. Military Police also had …

CHONGQING: Without a driver, an online car-hailing service arrives as scheduled, the passengers sit in the back seat, and the steering wheel turns autonomously… This is not a movie clip, nor a novel plot, but a common commuting scene in Yongchuan District, southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. Traveling in such a self-driving vehicle in Chongqing, a mountainous city known for its …

The Chinese President has magnetic force and the recently concluded 2 Sessions have vividly reflected strategic importance and global reach of numerous reforms of the Chinese President Xi Jinping which have many dimensions and dynamics constantly fostering development in the country. Simply Xi has become of magnetic of reforms which successfully negated the Western narratives about China’s so-called stagnating economy …

Industrialists view the appointment of an experienced banker like Federal Finance and Revenue Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb as a revolutionary step that could soon alleviate the country’s economic woes. They urged the country’s top leadership to allow such technocrats to work independently without interference or hurdles. In the past, technocrats in the cabinet were not given the autonomy to address challenges …

Balochistan, once grappling with minimal educational infrastructure, has surged forward, witnessing a monumental shift from its humble beginnings to a thriving hub of learning. Prior to 1947, the educational landscape of Balochistan was stark, with a mere 114 schools, including 1 high school, 16 secondary schools, and 97 primary schools, and a disheartening literacy rate of just 5.5%. However, the …