Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa has said that every citizen has the right to disagree with the judiciary. The CJP made these remarks during a speech he delivered at the launch event of the e-campus of the Federal Judicial Academy in Islamabad. The academy is functioning under a strong board, which includes important personalities. He further said …

The restructuring of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) is on the agenda of the Government, to improve its governance, efficiency, and effectiveness, said a statement. According to the statement issued by the media wing of the Ministry of Finance, certain proposals have been prepared in line with international best practices to rationalize and streamline the functions of the FBR, …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi talked about the enlightenment brought by the development of China-U.S. relations, saying that peace is the most fundamental cornerstone of the bilateral ties. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a reception commemorating the 45th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic …

BEIJING: Chinese cities recorded 86.67 billion passenger trips in the first 11 months of 2023, up 21.8 percent year on year, according to data released by the Ministry of Transport. Of the four modes of urban transport, public buses registered 37.81 billion trips, up 13 percent year on year during the same period, and urban rail transport saw 26.73 billion …

JOHANNESBURG: South African former Paralympian Oscar Pistorius was released on parole on Friday after years behind bars for the murder of his girlfriend. “The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is able to confirm that Oscar Pistorius is a parolee, effectively from Jan. 5, 2024. He was admitted into the system of community corrections and is now at home,” DCS spokesperson …

YINCHUAN: At first glance, Xinghai Lake seems an unlikely sight in the arid northwest of China, boasting vast areas of water, beaches, swamps and meadows, and inhabited by a large variety of wild birds. The man-made lake, situated in the city of Shizuishan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, is thriving these days thanks to an ecological overhaul since 2020 …

DOHA: China secured 1-2 finishes in both singles and doubles at the 2023 World Table Tennis (WTT) Men’s Finals here on Friday. Wang Chuqin defeated world No. 1 Fan Zhendong 11-8, 11-9, 14-12, 11-7 to be crowned the singles champion, while Yuan Licen and Xiang Peng beat Lin Gaoyuan and Lin Shidong 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 in the doubles final. “I …

BEIJING: China’s central bank vowed to provide strong and effective support for steady economic growth and high-quality development this year at a work conference in Beijing on Thursday and Friday. Work will be done to deepen supply-side structural reform in the financial sector, expand high-level opening up in an orderly manner, and strengthen countercyclical and cross-cycle adjustments, according to a …

BEIJING: China’s foreign trade in farm produce went up 0.4 percent year on year in the first 11 months of 2023, official data shows. The country’s total value of imports and exports of agricultural produce came in at 302.96 billion U.S. dollars during the period, according to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs. In breakdown, the exports of this …

XINHUA PICTURES OF THE YEAR 2023: LEADING CHINA This combo photo shows Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, extending festive greetings to all Chinese people when he holds virtual talks with the general public from across the country ahead of the Spring Festival in …

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has completed priority-based training for election supervisory staff appointed for the smooth conduct of the 2024 general elections. According to the electoral body, the training of 579,191 people has been completed, while the remaining 406,222 people will complete training by February 1. ECP spokesman said on Thursday that the Commission had initiated training for …

Several senior political leaders including Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Fawad Chaudhry, Zulfi Bukhari, Atif Khan, Naeem Haider Panjutha, Firdous Shamim Naqvi and others have secured relief from election tribunals as their nomination papers were accepted for the February 8 general elections. Hearing of objections filed against the rejection or acceptance of nomination papers by the election tribunals …

Caretaker Health Minister Dr Nadeem Jan said on Friday that Pakistan country had not yet recorded any cases of the new Covid-19 variant, JN.1 Omicron. The minister made the statement during a senate session. His statement comes a day after the caretaker government decided to procure 500,000 doses of a Covid vaccine, amid a possible resurgence of the new variant …

President Dr. Arif Alvi on Friday approved the reconstitution of the Council of Common Interests (CCI. The president gave the approval under Article 153 of the Constitution. Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar will be the chairman of the council. All four Chief Ministers of the provinces and three federal ministers will be the members of the council. Caretaker federal ministers for Finance, …

The Supreme Court (SC) reserved its decision on Friday in the matter related to the re-examining of the lifetime disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62 (1) (f) of the Constitution. “We will try to come up with a shorter order as soon as possible. Probably not today but it will be very soon God willing,” said Chief Justice Qazi Faez …

Renowned Pakistani actress and philanthropist Mehwish Hayat once again captivated her fans with her stunning appearance and fashion sense. Mehwish Hayat shared a New Year photoshoot on her Instagram, delighting her 5.2 million followers. In the photos, Mehwish looked breathtaking in a dazzling golden jacket, stealing the spotlight with its sequined and intricately detailed design, shimmering at every turn. The …

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali did wonders by racking up 50th first-class and joining the country’s cricketing “elite club”. Azhar, who is known for his batting resilience and masterclass, achieved this milestone by representing the Sui Northern in the domestic tournament. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the 38-year-old shared his moments of celebration, flanked by other cricketers and staff members, …

A five-day Inter-Regional Volleyball Championship Talent hunt has been kicked off by the Pakistan Army in Peshawar. The opening ceremony was held on Friday and attended by senior officials of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Directorate Sports along with military officials. Eight teams from different regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are participating. Three teams under 16, under 18, and 21 will be formed by …

The United States State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller in press briefing said that U. S. supported democracy could not how to conduct elections. Responding to a question about ECP rejecting nomination papers of ex-PM Imran Khan baring him to contest the elections and how the US assess the situation when you call for free and fair elections, Miller said that …

With the next general elections hardly a month away, the Senate passed a resolution on Friday seeking a delay in elections citing security concerns. The resolution, presented by independent Senator Dilawar Khan, was opposed by Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senator Afnan Ullah Khan. The upper house of parliament has a total of 100 members, …

BEIJING: The global production of bulk grain and oil crops saw a year-on-year increase in 2023, according to the 2023 annual report on the remote-sensing monitoring of the global ecological environment, which was made public on Friday. The report, issued by China’s Ministry of Science and Technology, shows that the impact of extreme global events on the production of bulk …

WARSAW: Szymon Marciniak of Poland was named the 2023 Men’s World Best Referee by the International Federation of Football Historians and Statistics (IFFHS) on Thursday. The 42-year-old Pole won the award with 175 points, followed by Daniele Orsato of Italy with 95 and France’s Clement Turpin with 64. Marciniak had also won the 2022 award after his performance officiating the …

BEIJING: Chinese public security departments have cracked 391,000 cases of telecom and online fraud from January to November 2023, the country’s Ministry of Public Security announced Friday. To deliver a heavy blow to relevant criminal activities, the ministry in 2023 launched several law enforcement campaigns targeting telecom and online fraud. In total, 79,000 suspects were apprehended, including 263 persons who …

PHNOM PENH: Two years on, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) has played a crucial role in boosting regional free trade amid protectionism and a global trade downturn, a senior Cambodian official has said. Entering into force on Jan. 1, 2022, the RCEP agreement comprises 15 Asia-Pacific countries including 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states, namely Brunei, …

TOKYO: The death toll has risen to 92, with the number of people unaccounted for exceeding 200 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa four days after a series of earthquakes of up to 7.6 magnitude struck the prefecture and its vicinity, raising concerns of escalating damages as rescue and search efforts intensify. As of 9:00 a.m. local time on …

YANGON: Myanmar’s State Administration Council on Thursday pardoned over 9,000 prisoners to mark the country’s 76th anniversary of Independence Day, according to the council’s orders. The prisoners, 9,652 from Myanmar and 114 from other countries, were remitted sentences for the peace of the people and on humanitarian ground, the orders said. Last year, 7,012 prisoners were granted amnesty on the …

BEIJING: The Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee on Thursday held a meeting to hear a series of work reports. The reports were from leading Party members groups of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC), the State Council, the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference …

Pakistan captured the key wickets of Australia openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja before rain washed out the second day’s play in the third Test in Sydney on Thursday. Marnus Labuschagne was on 23 and Steve Smith six in their team’s 116 for two before play was ended by bad light and rain before tea. The hosts trailed by 197 …

TasteAtlas a local food guide around the world named the aloo baingan among the 100 worst-rated foods in the globe while the local foodies in the region defend the dish’s cultural significance and flavours against the ranking. Recently a video of the minor student went viral where a reporter asked him about his favorite subject and received the reply as …

In a tragic incident, three shepherd children were dead in a landmine blast in North Waziristan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa۔ Local sources report that the explosion occurred in the fields in Mir Ali, where the children, aged between 5 to 15 years, were grazing goats. The deceased children belonged to Khajoori Zakir Khel village, the police said. The bodies were moved to …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) restored on Thursday 10-year disqualification for the convicts charged under the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO). The IHC’s division bench consisting of Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani and Justice Saman Rafat Imtiaz restored the 10-year disqualification period of convicts As per the verdict, the disqualification period spanned five years instead of 10. Today’s order came during the …

National Electric Power Regulation Authority (NEPRA) on Thursday jacked up the tariff by Rs 4.12 per unit for its consumers. The NEPRA issued a notification, increasing the power tariff by Rs 4.12 per unit in the account fuel adjustment charges for the month of November 2023. Meanwhile, the consumers have to pay additional charges in the month of January 2024, …

Actress Deepika Padukone and actor Ranveer Singh celebrated five years of marital bliss in November. The couple was travelling and was in Belgium to celebrate their 5th anniversary. Their photos with fans had gone viral on the internet as they were seen at hotels around Brussels and on the streets. In a recent interview, Deepika has opened up on this …

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has filed an application before the Supreme Court against the Peshawar High Court’s  (PHC) decision regarding the party’s election symbol. The high court had accepted the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) plea and withdrew its previous stay order on the ECP verdict annulling the PTI’s intra-party poll and subsequently withdrawing its election symbol of bat. The …

Bangladesh Army has been deployed in Bangladesh to maintain law and order as the opposition boycotted the election making the elections questionable. Bangladesh has been heading towards the 7th January elections as Awami League (AL) is expected to be elected for the fourth time amid opposition block. The protestors from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party have demanded the resignation of the …

Maintaining a sparkling smile and overall well-being doesn’t just require regular brushing and flossing. Turns out, certain foods and drinks can wreak havoc on your teeth, leading to cavities, erosion, and even fractures. Dentists have identified culprits to steer clear of to keep your oral health in tip-top condition. Citrusy Culprits: While oranges and lemons pack a vitamin C punch, …

Former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Faiz Hameed, has reportedly recorded his statement before the Faizabad dharna inquiry commission. Sources said that the former ISI director general has answered the questions provided by the commission. The sources further said that Faiz Hameed has claimed he negotiated with the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) on the instructions of the then government of …

The Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) has suggested some very important election reforms, including a reduction in the National Assembly’s term, more powers for the election commission, the size of the cabinet, and the number of seats a single candidate can contest. As per the report, titled ‘Reform Agenda’, the prominent economic and research think tank has suggested the …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin expressed deep condolences on Thursday over the passing of Pakistan’s former foreign minister Sartaj Aziz, hailing his outstanding contribution to China-Pakistan relations. Aziz, also former finance minister and adviser to the prime minister on foreign affairs, passed away in Islamabad on Tuesday. “Mr. Aziz was a seasoned politician, strategist and economic expert of …

BEIJING: The expansion of BRICS shows its bright prospects, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin on Thursday. Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, and Ethiopia joined BRICS on January 1, doubling its membership from five to 10, he said during his regular briefing. Wang said China is fully confident in the future of BRICS, and noted that …