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 …

Newly elected members of the 16th National Assembly (NA) were sworn in on Thursday in a session marred by sloganeering. Outgoing NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf administered the oath to the MNAs-elect. The session was originally scheduled to begin at 10am but was delayed by more than an hour. According to a spokesperson for the NA, 302 members were sworn …

Getting adequate and good sleep is vital for a healthy brain and overall body functioning. Also it necessary for the development of young and adult age. Recent research indicates a link between poor sleep and muscle dysmorphia, a fast-growing problem among the young people. This specific research study was published in the journal, Sleep Health, with more than 900 youths …

Following a couple of weeks of speculation, Bollywood star couple Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone have confirmed they are expecting their first child. The couple took to their respective Instagram accounts to share a graphic that mentioned that the baby was set to arrive in September 2024. The post, shared by both Deepika and Ranveer, featured images of a baby’s …

Pakistan needs a clear strategy for employing tobacco taxation as a tool to protect public health and boost revenue and absence of a clear strategy resulted in a loss of Rs 567 billion in the past seven years. Indus Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) has exposed the staggering loss to national exchequer in a policy paper titled Rethinking Tobacco Taxation in Pakistan: …

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) candidate Babar Saleem Swati has been elected as KP Assembly speaker with securing 89 votes out of total 106 votes while his opponent candidate got 17 votes.  Babar Saleem Swati sworn in as speaker of the KP assembly. The Sunni Ittehad Council members congratulated the newly elected speaker of the provincail assembly. Suriya bibi was elected …

It has been continuous raining since night in Qila Abdullah. The rivers are flooding. In the course of eight hours, Kalat and the surrounding area received eighteen millimeters of rain. Water flooded the low-lying regions Mashkil, near Chagai in the Pakistan-Iran border region. Even on the second day, there was no way to free the stuck cars. A letter regarding …

The Ministry of Finance has released its monthly Economic Update Outlook Report, outlining key priorities and challenges for the nation’s financial future. One of the central pillars of the report is the caretaker government’s proactive stance in formulating a comprehensive roadmap for the incoming administration. With the country poised for elections, this roadmap aims to guide the newly elected government …

Why did soccer become the world’s favourite sport? Everybody knows that this sport has a large number of followers all over the world, and in fact, it is one of the oldest sports in existence, and everywhere you go, you can find groups enthusiastically kicking a ball around with two goalposts on either end of their makeshift field! Learning more …

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has declared that his party will not participate in the election process for the National Assembly speaker, deputy speaker and the prime minister. Speaking to the media after the Lower House’s session to administer oath to newly elected members, the Maulana categorically stated that the JUI-F would not participate in this parliament and …

BEIJING: China intensified its crackdown on tax-related offenses to mitigate tax revenue losses in 2023, according to government agencies. Last year, relevant authorities examined a total of 174,000 businesses suspected of tax fraud, said a recent statement made by eight departments, including the State Taxation Administration and the Ministry of Public Security. In particular, approximately 16.6 billion yuan (about 2.3 …

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang on Wednesday met with a U.S. Chamber of Commerce delegation led by the chamber’s President and CEO Suzanne Clark at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Noting that this year marks the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States, Li said that the past 45 years …

BEIJING: President Xi Jinping has called on officials at all levels to foster a Marxist style of learning to integrate theory with practice, thereby contributing to advancing Chinese modernization with solid actions. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in the preface he wrote to …

WASHINGTON: U.S. congressional leaders have come to an agreement to prevent a partial government shutdown slated for midnight on Friday, lawmakers said Wednesday. The Democratic and Republican parties have agreed to finance certain government sectors and have decided to prolong the existing deadlines of early March until March 8 and March 22, buying Congress more time to craft annual spending …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Sierra Leone Julius Maada Bio, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Wednesday. Noting that China and Sierra Leone enjoy a time-honored friendship, Xi said the two sides have supported each other on issues concerning their core interests and major concerns, carried out …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s experts expect the port city of Gwadar being developed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to become an energy hub with a technology-based development vision and a community-centric social development approach. In a recent policy dialogue on Gwadar organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), an Islamabad-based think-tank, the experts emphasized the need to further focus on …