NAIROBI: Kenyan President William Ruto on Saturday called for elimination of bottlenecks that were slowing down growth of youth-led enterprises in Africa, worsening poverty and unemployment. Speaking at the official opening ceremony for Youthconnekt Africa in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, Ruto stressed that abolishing obsolete policies and regulations and hastening integration will be key to spurring growth of start-ups owned …

BEIJING: Fixed-asset investment (FAI) in China’s road and waterway transport networks expanded in the first 10 months of this year, official data showed. The combined FAI in roads and waterways stood at 2.57 trillion yuan (about 361.35 billion U.S. dollars), up 4.1 percent year on year, according to the Ministry of Transport. In breakdown, FAI in roads went up 2.9 …

GENEVA: Amid the escalating humanitarian crisis in Gaza, Mirjana Spoljaric Egger, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), commended China’s support for upholding international humanitarian law. In a recent exclusive interview with Xinhua, Spoljaric elaborated on the dire situation she witnessed during her visit to southern Gaza last week and called on all parties to the conflict …

COLOMBO: Income generated by tourism in Sri Lanka from January to the end of November reached 1.8 billion U.S. dollars, which is a 78.3 percent hike from the same period in 2022, the latest data by the Central Bank of Sri Lanka (CBSL) revealed. The revenue earned from tourism increased to 205.3 million dollars in November 2023, which is over …

BEIJING: New research has revealed that large portions of the Great Wall of China, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are protected by a biological community found on the surface of the ancient ramparts. According to a study published on Saturday in the journal Science Advances, the biological soil crusts or biocrusts, consisting of photosynthetic bacteria, mosses and lichens, aid in …

AUCKLAND, New Zealand: As the sun dipped below the Auckland skyline, the Auckland Art Gallery sparkled with the presence of celebrities and dignitaries, who came to celebrate the exquisite symphony of art, fashion and heritage as the Chinese couturier Guo Pei unveiled her exhibition “Fashion, Art, Fantasy.” The six-month exhibition from Saturday will showcase over 60 striking garments from Guo’s …

XICHANG: China on Sunday launched a Long March-2D carrier rocket, placing a remote sensing satellite in space. The rocket blasted off at 9:58 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and sent the Yaogan-39 satellite into the preset orbit. It was the 500th flight mission of the Long March series rockets.

WARSAW: Olympic champion Gao Tingyu claimed a title in the men’s 500m race at the ISU Speed Skating World Cup in Tomaszow Mazowiecki, Poland on Saturday. During the World Cup in Beijing in mid-November, Gao assured that he was on track to return to his best form, and he proved that at the Arena Lodowa. China’s first men’s Olympic speed …

Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali and his family performed Umrah. Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter) on Friday, Ali penned, “Alhamdulillah, the Higher Power gave us another opportunity to visit Makkah and Madina.” He also expressed his voice for the people of Palestine, saying, “Lots of dua’s for Palestinian people who have been under illegal occupation for the last …

Imran Khan’s petition was submitted by his lawyers Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Samir Khosa. The petition has made the federal government, the Election Commission of Pakistan and the Adiala Jail superintendent parties. Imran Khan argues in the petition that the ECP started proceedings for contempt of the commission illegally. The ECP did not have the authority to try someone …

A six-member bench, led by Justice Tariq Masood, will hold the hearing on December 13, marking a crucial development. The bench includes Justice Aminuddin, Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, along with Justice Musarrat Hilali and Justice Irfan Saadat. Convening a larger bench suggests the complexity and significance of issues surrounding civilian trials in military courts. It emphasizes …

Lahore and Faisalabad are facing a severe shortage of over 150 essential medicines, including life-saving drugs. This is causing great worry and stress for patients and citizens. People are forced to look for other ways to get the medicines they need, including buying them on the black market for very high prices at various spots in the cities. The shortage …

Cristiano Ronaldo marked the 1,200th game of his professional career by scoring one goal and assisting another for Al-Nassr. The 38-year-old helped the Saudi Arabian club beat Al-Riyadh 4-1 to continue their fight for first place in the Saudi Pro League 2023/24. The Portuguese tapped in Sadio Mane’s cross in the 31st minute to break the deadlock and then set …

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Saturday reserved the verdict in Sarah Inam’s murder case which will be announced on December 14. Sessions Judge Nasir Javaid Rana will announce the decision. Sarah, a 37-year-old economist, was murdered with dumbbells by her husband Shahnawaz Amir, who is the son of journalist Ayaz Amir, in Islamabad’s Chak Shahzad area …

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Quaid Nawaz Sharif on Saturday renewed the call for holding those accountable who ousted him when he was the prime minister. “The country was thriving from 2013 to 2017 and the economy was better, however, good people were thrown out and Pakistan was handed to clumsy people,” said the PML-N supremo while addressing the party’s …

Veteran politician and senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan has claimed that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government are trying to ensure Nawaz Sharif wins a two-thirds majority in next year’s general elections. “The way things are going, they are trying to give Mian Sahib a two-thirds majority. The election commission, the administration and the caretakers [are in …

URUMQI: The railway freight volume of northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region since the beginning of this year has reached 200 million tonnes, according to China Railway Urumqi Group Co., Ltd. Coal is the main cargo transported by railway in the region. As of Friday, a total of 121 million tonnes of coal have been transported by railway in Xinjiang, …

MOGADISHU: Somalia and the African Union Transition Mission in Somalia (ATMIS) have vowed to intensify military operations to flush out al-Shabab militants following the lifting of a 31-year-old United Nations arms embargo on the country. African Union Special Representative for Somalia and ATMIS Head Mohamed El-Amine Souef and Somali Minister for Information, Culture and Tourism Daud Aweis said in a …

FUZHOU: The fifth Maritime Silk Road International Arts Festival kicked off Friday in Quanzhou in east China’s Fujian Province, a city widely believed to be the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road. The festival, which will last until Dec. 13, has attracted over 1,600 artists and 52 troupes from 43 countries and regions. The art festival will feature …

BEIJING: China’s producer price index (PPI), which measures costs for goods at the factory gate, went down 3 percent year on year in November, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Saturday. On a monthly basis, the November PPI went down 0.3 percent compared to October when the PPI stayed unchanged, according to data. “Due to factors such as the …

CAIRO: Arab-Chinese cooperation remains vast, with both sides implementing more than 200 mega-cooperation projects in various fields, including energy and infrastructure, an Arab official has said. “The two sides are also jointly implementing the Belt and Road action plan for technological innovation within the framework of the China-Arab technology partnership to fully benefit from China’s technological advantages,” Ali bin Ibrahim …

BANGKOK: Chinese electric vehicles (EVs) have been emerging as the sales volume front-runners among over 30 car brands exhibited at the 40th Thailand International Motor Expo which is wrapping up its 12-day run. Led by Chinese brands, EV orders in the top 10 list have outpaced those of fuel-powered cars for the first time. “It’s an unprecedented scene at the …

GAZA: Om Mohammed Mahani, a Palestinian woman from Gaza, finally reached the Rafah city at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, her fifth temporary shelter after the Hamas-Israel conflict broke out two months ago. “The Israeli army forced us to displace five times, from my house in Gaza City to Dier al-Balah City in the center of the strip, …

OTTAWA: A total of 3.5 million Canadians, or 11.7 percent of the total adult population, reported experiencing long-term symptoms from a COVID-19 infection by June 2023, Statistics Canada said Friday. Revealing the results of a study in partnership with the Public Health Agency of Canada, the national statistical agency said that of those who continue to experience long-term symptoms, 79.3 …

GENEVA: Gaza’s health system is on its knees and cannot afford to lose another ambulance or a single hospital bed more, the World Health Organization warned on Friday. “The situation is getting more and more horrible by the day… beyond belief, literally,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a press briefing in Geneva. “The health system is on its knees. Gaza …

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund will meet on January 11 to approve the Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with Pakistan for the first review of the $3bn Stand-By Arrangement (SBA), an IMF spokesperson told Bloomberg. In June, the IMF executive board had approved the much-needed nine-month arrangement with Pakistan “to support its economic stabilisation programme”. The approval had allowed …

Team In Flames keeps racking up the accolades. Their latest Best Competition Film at the Red Sea International Film Festival in Jeddah. The film, written and directed by Zarrar Kahn, won the Yusr Award for best competition film at the third edition of festival. Premiering at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight earlier this year, the film’s story unfolds in Karachi. Following …

Salvoes of rockets were launched on Friday at the US embassy in Baghdad’s heavily fortified Green Zone, the mission said, the latest in a flurry of such attacks amid Israel’s bombardment of Gaza for the October 7 attack by Hamas. “A multi-rocket attack was launched at US and coalition forces in the vicinity of Union III and the Baghdad embassy …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued notice to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a petition filed by its founding member Akbar S Babar challenging the party’s intra-party polls. The PTI recently held intra-party polls after which Babar, along with other party members, filed a petition, against “rigged/fraudulent PTI intra-party elections” requesting the country’s top electoral authority to …

In a fresh blow to the former ruling party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) another wicket downed as former finance minister Shaukat Tarin parted ways with Imran Khan-led party on Friday. The former finance czar confirmed giving up his party membership and resignation from his seat in the Senate as well, in conversation with media. Tarin said that he is also bidding …

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has renewed his demand to hold accountable those elements behind his ouster from power in 2017 and responsible for Pakistan’s “destruction”. He said this while addressing the party’s parliamentary board meeting flanked by PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, Vice President Maryam Nawaz and other leaders in Lahore on Friday. …

LAHORE: The weekly inflation rate has increased by 1.16 per cent while the overall inflation has touched mark 42.68 per cent on an annual basis. According to a Pakistan Bureau of Statistic (PBS), the prices of 15 essential items were increased during the week where the prices of onion were raised by Rs13 per kg and eggs Rs8 per dozen …

LAHORE: Renowned actor and host Imran Ashraf said that he is actually very ‘Bhola’ (Innocent) just like his famous character of Bhola when it comes to love and trust. Imran Ashraf got overnight fame through his character ‘Bhola’ in super-hit drama ‘Ranjha Ranjha Kar Di’. He truly won the hearts of millions of fans through his memorable role of ‘Bhola’. …

LAHORE: An accountability court of Lahore on Friday acquitted Adviser to Prime Minister Ahad Cheema in assets beyond means reference. Accountability Court Judge Malik Ali Zulqarnain Awan announced the reserved verdict.  The court, accepting Cheema’s appeal, acquitted him in assets beyond means reference. The NAB court, in its previous hearing, had reserved its judgement on Cheema’s appeal. Earlier, the National …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday met with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, who were in China for the 24th China-EU Summit. Xi underscored that China-EU relations not only hold strategic significance but also have a worldwide impact, carrying implications for global peace, stability, and prosperity, amid …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Friday held talks with Malian Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Diop, vowing enhanced cooperation with Mali in education, training, medical care, and agriculture. Noting the China-Mali friendship was forged by the older generations of leaders of the two countries, Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, …

LONDON: Chinese international Wang Shuang has inked a contract with Tottenham Hotspur and is set to represent their women’s team until 2026, the North London club announced Friday. Wang, 28, is slated to wear the number 77 for Spurs’ first team starting January 1, 2024, following the conclusion of her contract with Racing Louisville. She will join her national teammate …

CHONGLI, China: China’s veteran Olympians Cai Xuetong and Liu Jiayu clinched the top two spots in the FIS women’s snowboard Halfpipe World Cup held at the Genting Snow Park here on Friday. Cai claimed the title with a best score of 93.25 points from her third run, followed by Liu with 85.75 and Maddie Mastro of the United States with …

CHENGDU: Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province, and Chongqing Municipality have handled over 5,000 China-Europe freight trains throughout the first 11 months of this year, according to data released at a conference. According to the first global partner conference of China-Europe freight train services to and from Chengdu and Chongqing, which took place in Chengdu, there are now nearly …

BEIJING: China is projected to inaugurate about 400 new shopping malls in 2023, according to a recent report. During the first half of this year, the average daily customer volume in shopping malls nationwide reached 18,500, marking an over 30 percent increase from the same period of the previous year, according to the report released by the China Chain Store …