ZHENGZHOU: Thirteen students were killed and another one injured in a fire that took place in a school dormitory in the county of Fangcheng, Nanyang City, central China’s Henan Province, on Friday night, according to local authorities Saturday. At 11 p.m. on Friday, the local fire department received an alarm about a fire in a male dormitory of Yingcai School …

ISLAMABAD: The delegation of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Pakistan visited the Central Police Office (CPO) here and met with Islamabad Capital City Police Officer (ICCPO) Akbar Nasir Khan. The Additional Inspector General of Police, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and other senior police officers were also present on the occasion, said a press release issued on Friday. The …

GUANGZHOU: The total installed capacity of offshore wind power in south China’s Guangdong Province has exceeded 10 million kilowatts, able to generate about 30 billion kWh of electricity every year. “Such an installed capacity of offshore wind power can meet the annual electricity consumption demand of 10 million households,” said Liu Zhengfu from the Guangdong branch of China Southern Power …

New Zealand batters Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips scored unbeaten half-centuries to guide their side to a thumping seven-wicket win over Pakistan in the fourth T20 at the Hagley Oval on Friday. New Zealand extended their lead to 4-0 in the series after chasing the 159-run target in 18.1 overs. Pakistan’s captain Shaheen Afridi gave his team the early advantage …

Over 17,800 candidates, including 11,785 independents, are flexing their muscles to try their luck in National and provincial assembly seats in the upcoming general elections in 2024. According to the detailed list of candidates unveiled for the approaching general elections scheduled on February 8, 2024, a total of 5,121 candidates are in the fray for 266 National Assembly seats. Out …

The Air Quality Index (AQI) of Karachi, the largest metropolitan city of Pakistan, becomes the 2nd most polluted city in the world. According to the Air Quality Index, the air pollution in Karachi is recorded at 251 particulate meters which is very unhealthy for the Karachiites. The current air quality status serves as a critical indicator, prompting health-conscious decisions. The …

At least 18 more children die of pneumonia in Punjab during the last 24 hours due to increase in cold weather. As per health department data, 1062 cases of pneumonia were reported during the period with the majority of them being from Lahore. In January alone, 780 cases were reported in Lahore in government hospitals while 4900 pneumonia cases in …

The public sentiment in Pakistan has been robust in support of the country’s response to the recent attack by Iran, with many citizens hailed the decisive military strikes deep inside Iran. Emphasizing the necessity of the response, individuals have praised the Pakistan Army for safeguarding the nation’s integrity and contributing to peace and security. Some citizens have criticized Iran’s actions, …

SHIJIAZHUANG: More than 60,000 birds have been spotted in a nature reserve in north China’s Hebei Province, according to local authorities. During the 2023-2024 water bird monitoring operations conducted recently, the staff spotted 70 species of birds in the Hengshui Lake National Nature Reserve, said Zhang Yuguang with the reserve. The birds include some species under first-class national protection, such …

HARBIN: A wild Siberian tiger has been spotted in a forest area in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, indicating the ongoing improvement of the local ecological environment, according to forest rangers. The footprints and excrement of a suspected Siberian tiger were found by forest rangers during regular patrols at Heping forest farm under the Muling Forestry Bureau Co., Ltd., said ranger …

BEIJING: As the highly anticipated Spring Festival holiday draws near, the “ice city” of Harbin in northeast China is poised to welcome yet another surge of excitement for ice and snow adventures. The city has made a remarkable impact on the tourism market during this year’s ice and snow season, thanks to its rich resources, warm hospitality and extensive visibility …

URUMQI: Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to increase its grain storage capability this year, with new facilities scheduled to be built with a total storage capacity of 500,000 tonnes. The grain output in Xinjiang reached a record high of 20 million tonnes in 2023, an increase of over 3 million tonnes from 2022. The regional food and strategic …

KABUL: Standing in queue for hours to fetch water from the well of a local mosque on the western edge of Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, Rajab Rezai whispered with anger that taking potable water requires hours to wait. “There are 10 people in my family and I have to fill eight tins with water for use of drinking, cooking …

WASHINGTON: The U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday passed a short-term spending bill that would extend government funding until March, a few hours after the bill was approved by the Senate, as funding for some federal agencies and programs is set to expire on Saturday. The lower chamber passed the measure by a vote of 314-108 amid opposition from hard-line …

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday expressed deep concern over the recent exchange of military strikes between Iran and Pakistan, which have reportedly caused casualties on both sides, said his spokesman. Guterres urged both countries to exercise maximum restraint to avoid a further escalation of tensions, said Stephane Dujarric, the spokesman, in a statement. “The secretary-general underlines that …

The DP World ILT20 season 2, with a galaxy of star-studded teams, takes off from tomorrow January 19 (Friday). This one-month long contest consisting of six teams, is an Emirates Cricket Board’s event, and has a List A status granted by the International Cricket Council (ICC).  On Thursday, team captains and vice captains who assembled at the Dubai International Stadium …

Interesting discourse is going on in the country about the strategic role of the SIFC in the CPEC Phase-II which is indeed a healthy sign to seek more and more inflows of foreign direct investments. The prominent policy makers and key organs/departments of the country are striving hard to create bridges of trust, cooperation, and collaboration among main stakeholders in …

NAIROBI: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s tour of four African countries continues the 34-year tradition of prioritizing Africa for the first overseas visits by Chinese foreign ministers annually. The purpose of Wang’s visit is to implement follow-ups of the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue held last year in Johannesburg, South Africa. China, at the dialogue, made three proposals to support Africa’s industrialization, …

BEIJING: China is ready to play a constructive role in easing the current situation between Pakistan and Iran, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “We hope both parties can exercise restraint and calmness and avoid escalation. If they need, we are ready to play a constructive role in easing the situation”, spokesperson Mao Ning said during her regular briefing. Chinese …

The Pakistan cricket team reached here on Thursday from Dunedin for the last two T20I against New Zealand. The fourth T20I of the five-match series between Pakistan and New Zealand will take place at the Hagley Oval tomorrow, while the last match will be played at the same venue on Sunday. Notably, New Zealand attained an unassailable 3-0 lead in …

India’s explosive batter Suryakumar Yadav underwent a successful groin surgery in Munich, Germany yesterday to treat a sports hernia. The 33-year-old batter took to his official X (formerly Twitter) account to thank his fans for their concern and announced that he will return to the field soon. “I want to thank everyone for their concerns and well wishes for my …

Pakistan and Dubai have inked more than $3 billion investment pact in diverse fields including cooperation in railways, economic zones and infrastructure development. The agreement was signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos by Minister of Communication, Railways and Maritime Affairs Shahid Ashraf Tarar and Chairman of Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation (PCFC) Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem. According …

An abscess is a pocket of pus. One can get an abscess almost anywhere in the body. When an area becomes infected, the body’s immune system tries to fight it. White blood cells go to the infected area, collect within the damaged tissue and cause inflammation. During this process, pus forms. Pus is the buildup of fluid, living and dead …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has cut short his visit to the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos after Islamabad announced that it has conducted military strikes in Iran. “He has decided to cut short his visit in view of the ongoing developments,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in her weekly news briefing on Thursday. Ms Baloch …

Following Iran and Pakistan’s strikes on each other’s territory over the last two days, Pakistan has become more active and monitoring all the flight entering its airspace The Civil Aviation Authority has started strict monitoring of all the flights entering from Iran and the west side. Sources confirm that in view of the tense regional situation, officials have been asked …

BEIJING: China is ready to play a constructive role in easing the current situation between Pakistan and Iran, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday. “We hope both parties can exercise restraint and calmness and avoid escalation. If they need, we are ready to play a constructive role in easing the situation”, spokesperson Mao Ning said during her regular briefing. Chinese …

Six children lost their lives due to pneumonia-related cases while 140 cases were reported in Punjab including 60 cases from Lahore in a single day. Lahore the capital of Punjab is facing a troubling soar up in pneumonia cases, with recent indicating a distressing toll of six children deaths in a single day. As per health department data, 140 cases …

In a startling revelation on Wednesday, Tehran’s top diplomat Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, openly acknowledged that Iranian armed forces had launched a targeted attack on what they termed as an “Iranian terrorist group” operating within Pakistani territory. The admission came during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where the foreign minister insisted that no Pakistani nationals had been targeted …

ABIDJAN: President of Cote d’Ivoire Alassane Ouattara met with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Wednesday in Abidjan, the economic capital of the West African country, during which the president reaffirmed the adherence to the one-China principle. Ouattara asked Wang to convey his good wishes to Chinese President Xi Jinping, and expressed appreciation for Xi’s governance philosophy and deep …

KAMPALA: Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) member states meeting here are coalescing positions to ensure that the 120-member state organization has a greater say in international affairs. Ugandan Vice President Jessica Alupo, while opening the two-day NAM Ministerial Meeting Wednesday, as part of the 19th Summit of the NAM, said the Movement gathers at a time of increased geopolitical tension. Alupo said …

FUZHOU: The Meihuashan South China tiger breeding institute, located in east China’s Fujian Province, saw the birth of South China tiger triplets on Wednesday. The cubs were born following a 106-day gestation period, Luo Hongxing, deputy head of the institute, said on Thursday. The South China tiger is a subspecies unique to China and is among the top 10 endangered …

LOME: Visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Togolese Foreign Minister Robert Dussey on Wednesday pledged to enhance strategic cooperation between the two countries in their joint effort toward modernization. Dussey said that he once again welcomed Wang’s visit, emphasizing its special significance. Togo highly appreciates China’s tradition of adhering to the annual first visit of foreign ministers to Africa …

Over the past 40 years of reforms and opening up, China has successfully realized the great historical transformation towards becoming an economic power, and its economic strength and comprehensive national strength have been significantly enhanced, completely changing the situation of poverty and weakness since the opium wars in the mid -19th century. The national economy has maintained sustained and rapid …

SHANGHAI: A new-generation large language model, capable of accepting and processing about 300,000 Chinese characters at one time, was released in Shanghai on Wednesday. The limited context length of large models is a significant problem in artificial intelligence. The new model, InternLM2, was developed by the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, SenseTime, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Fudan University. …

CANBERRA: Chinese Ambassador to Australia Xiao Qian on Wednesday said 2023 was a year of “exchange, dialogue and improvement” for China-Australia relations, in which dialogue and cooperation across the board have been resumed and practical cooperation has yielded fruitful results. In his remarks at the New Year reception of Chinese and Australian media held in the Chinese embassy in Canberra, …

SAN FRANCISCO: A judge of the U.S. state of Maine on Wednesday paused Secretary of State Shenna Bellows’ decision on former President Donald Trump’s disqualification from the state ballot in the U.S. presidential primary election. In a 17-page order, Justice Michaela Murphy from the Superior Court in Maine said that a December decision from Bellows should remain on hold until …

SHENZHEN: The southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen saw its foreign trade grow 5.9 percent year on year to 3.87 trillion yuan (about 544 billion U.S. dollars) in 2023, local authorities said on Wednesday. Exports grew 12.5 percent year on year to 2.46 trillion yuan last year, according to Shenzhen customs authorities. Last year, the foreign trade of Shenzhen’s private enterprises …

GUIYANG: Large quantities of artifacts made of stone, bone and horn have been unearthed at Chuandong Site in Puding County, southwest China’s Guizhou Province, indicating prehistoric human activity dating back more than 55,000 years. Chuandong Site, first discovered in 1978, is believed to have existed across the end of the middle Paleolithic Period, the late Paleolithic Period and the Neolithic …

BEIJING: The Chinese economy wrapped up 2023 with target-beating growth despite domestic challenges and external pressure, providing a strong impetus for the global economy. China’s gross domestic product (GDP) grew 5.2 percent year on year to a new high of 126.06 trillion yuan (about 17.7 trillion U.S. dollars) last year, the National Bureau of Statistics said Wednesday. The growth rate …

WENCHANG, Hainan: China launched cargo spacecraft Tianzhou-7 on Wednesday night to deliver supplies for its orbiting Tiangong space station, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The Long March-7 Y8 rocket, carrying Tianzhou-7, blasted off at 10:27 p.m. (Beijing Time) from the Wenchang Spacecraft Launch Site in the southern island province of Hainan, the CMSA said. After about 10 …