The Higher Education Commission (HEC) on Tuesday announced the ‘Stipendium Hungaricum Scholarship Program’ for the academic year 2024-25. The Scholarship Programme will allow students from Pakistan and AJK to undertake bachelor’s, master’s, one-tier master’s, and PhD programmes at various Hungarian universities. For bachelor’s and one-tier master’s degrees, the minimum requirement is 12 years of education, whereas, for master’s programme, applicants …

The Caretaker Balochistan Education Minister, Abdul Qadir Bakhsh Baloch, has disclosed that approximately 3,500 schools in the province have had to shut down in the past two months due to a severe shortage of teachers. Addressing the issue, he explained, “The provincial Education Department is grappling with a critical lack of teachers. Owing to political and departmental constraints, the department …

Activist, author, and motivational speaker Taqwa Ahmad, 16, has been appointed as UNICEF’s first-ever Youth Advocate in Pakistan. Hailing from Gujranwala, Punjab, Taqwa is a champion for peace, inclusivity, disability rights, and education. The appointment announced on World Children’s Day encourages children to raise their voices and become changemakers for child rights. “I am humbled and excited to become a …

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Uzbekistan’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Bakhtiyor Saidov on Tuesday in Beijing. Han said China and Uzbekistan are ancient civilizations, and the age-old Silk Road witnessed the friendly exchanges between the two peoples for more than 2,000 years. Noting that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 31 years ago, the two sides have …

BEIJING: China has rejected Australian allegations of a Chinese warship engaging in “unsafe and unprofessional” behavior while interacting with an Australian vessel as completely unfounded. China vehemently opposes the “baseless” Australian comments, and has lodged solemn representations with the Australian side, said Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, on Monday. Wu said that the Australian frigate …

LAUSANNE, Switzerland: World Aquatics announced Monday that Shanghai, Singapore and South Korea’s Incheon would jointly host the Swimming World Cup in 2024. The three events, Shanghai on October 18-20, Incheon on October 24-26 and Singapore on October 31-November 2, will also serve as the qualifying tournaments for the World Aquatics Swimming Championships (25m) – Budapest in December 2024. Shanghai has …

BEIJING: The Shanghai Stock Exchange (SSE) and the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday to strengthen cooperation and exchanges between the capital markets. The partnership facilitates the exchange of knowledge, expertise, and information between the SSE and the DFM and aims to enhance efficiency and transparency in both markets, said the …

BEIJING: China’s meteorological authority on Tuesday renewed a yellow alert for a cold wave, forecasting low temperatures and gales in some parts of the country. From Tuesday to Friday, temperatures are expected to drop by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and in northern areas, according to the National Meteorological Center. …

CHENGDU: Intelligent infrared cameras installed in the Giant Panda National Park, located in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, captured real-time images of wild pandas nine times between Nov. 5 and 19, the Chengdu Management Branch of the national park said Monday. These cameras were officially put into use in December 2022 and have transmitted the image data of rare wild animals …

KANDAHAR, Afghanistan: The persimmon is one of the major fruits grown in Afghanistan and is mostly found in the eastern and southern provinces of the country. As the weather gets colder in the southern Kandahar province, the bumper harvest of persimmons brought immense joy to local farmers. A farmer shows newly-harvested persimmons in south Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, on Nov. 20, …

GUIYANG: Walking into the basement of the Geological Museum of Guizhou in the hinterland of southwest China, a soft buzz came out of a room around the corner. Sitting behind the table, Luo Yongming concentrated on repairing some paleontological fossils with the help of a stereo microscope. With one hand to adjust the focus of the microscope and the other …

BEIJING: China’s central authorities on Tuesday started a new round of environmental inspections, said the Ministry of Ecology and Environment. Five teams, conducting the first batch of this third round of inspections, have been dispatched to Fujian, Henan, Hainan, Gansu and Qinghai provinces for one-month inspections, according to the ministry. Inspectors will focus on issues such as the implementation of …

BEIJING: Blueberries are tart and juicy, but they do not last very long once they have been picked, so it is best to eat them quickly before they turn into mush. All this could change, however, as a new study found that compounds from sunflower crop waste could prevent rotting in the gem-like fruit, helping prolong its shelf life. Led …

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe met here on Monday with visiting Chinese State Councilor Shen Yiqin, with both sides pledging to deepen cooperation and friendship between the two countries. Wickremesinghe thanked China for its long-term valuable support and assistance to Sri Lanka, saying that Sri Lanka firmly supports the joint Belt and Road cooperation, and encourages Chinese enterprises to …

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday emphasized the significance of development and expressed gratitude to China for organizing a debate on this vital issue at the Security Council. “Human development lights the way to hope – promoting prevention, security, and peace. This is why advancing peace and advancing sustainable, inclusive development go hand-in-hand,” the top UN official told …

The Supreme Court of Pakistan has fined a man Rs. 100,000 for not paying ‘Haq Mehr’ to his wife after six years of marriage. While addressing the applicant, Chief Justice Qazi Faez urged him to at least follow the principles of Islam even if he doesn’t recognize Pakistan’s law, adding that Haq Mehr is the right of one’s wife. In …

While condemning the atrocities committed by Israel, Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Monday called upon the world powers to help end the brutal killing of innocent people, especially children. “We are witnessing the children holocaust in Gaza that must have to be stopped immediately,” he said while addressing an event in connection with the Universal Children’s Day in …

Caretaker Chief Minister of Sindh Maqbool Baqar has expressed hope that the Iran-Pakistan Gas Pipeline issue will be resolved soon Caretaker CM was talking with Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Reza Amiri Moghaddam, who called on him today. Maqbool Baqar talking to Iran’s envoy said that the border market has opened between the two countries. Ambassador Reza Amiri Moghaddam has said …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has demanded the notification issued regarding the appointment of the Official Secrets Act special court judge, as well as reports about the supposed security threats to Imran Khan. The court then adjourned the proceedings until tomorrow morning, 11am. The IHC also extended the order halting the jail trial till tomorrow. A division bench of the …

Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming Australia series has been revealed by Chief Selector Wahab Riaz, with Shan Masood at the leading as the newly-appointed captain. Following Babar Azam’s resignation after the disappointing World Cup 2023, Shan takes charge in a crucial three-match Test series. The squad features a blend of experience and emerging talent, including Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, …

In a shocking turn of events following Australia’s triumphant win over India in the ODI World Cup 2023, Australian cricketer Travis Head and his wife have become the target of online abuse and threats from some Indian extremists. The abuse escalated to horrifying levels, with individuals even issuing rape threats against Head’s 1-year-old daughter. The Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad …

The 2023 Miss Universe pageant in El Salvador wasn’t just about beauty—it was a showcase of daring fashion! Contestants from around the world rocked the runway in amazing outfits, from see-through gowns to cutout swimsuits and sparkly minidresses. Let’s check out some of the coolest and most glamorous looks from this unforgettable competition. Miss Nicaragua’s Daring Pink Minidress Miss Nicaragua, …

The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ordered to keep all educational institutions closed on all Saturdays until the end of January, owing to the relentless heavy smog. The court directed the deputy commissioner and other government institutions to issue notifications to shut down schools, colleges, and universities on Saturdays after consultations with the member judicial water commission. Justice Shahid Karim …

SHENZHEN: The 25th China Hi-Tech Fair concluded in the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen on Sunday, with an attendance of 248,000 visitors and a cumulative transaction volume, including the intended transaction amount, totaling 37.28 billion yuan (about 5.17 billion U.S. dollars). Featuring participation from 105 countries and regions, the fair attracted over 4,000 exhibitors, with the exhibition area reaching 500,000 …

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and head of the Central Financial Commission, presided over a meeting of the commission on Monday. The meeting called for efforts to earnestly study and thoroughly implement the guiding principles of the speech by Xi …

SAN FRANCISCO/BEIJING: World political experts and business leaders are upbeat about the outcome of the latest meeting between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Joe Biden at Filoli Estate in the U.S. state of California. They commend the leaders for their courage in finding the right path for the two major countries to foster mutual understanding and engage in …

SANYA: Starch-rich cassava provides food for more than 200 million people in Africa and is an important food security crop for the continent long plagued by hunger and malnutrition. A researcher shows cassava powder, delivered from a China-aid agriculture technology demonstration center in the Republic of the Congo, at a laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Tropical Agricultural Sciences in …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, on Monday respectively sent congratulatory letters to the 10th meeting of the dialogue mechanism between the ruling parties of China and Russia. In his congratulatory letter, Xi extended warm congratulations on the convening of the meeting. He said …

Once again true spirits of liberalized democracy are going to flourish in the upcoming presidential election in Indonesia. The biggest electoral battle will be fought on February 14, 2024. In this regard, Indonesia will hold the world’s largest single day election to elect a president and vice president, along with nearly 20,000 representatives to national, provincial, and district parliaments from …

XI’AN: Pomegranate, introduced to China more than 2,000 years ago from Central Asia, has become a name card for free trade propelled by the Silk Road. Now a sought-after fruit in Xi’an, the capital of northwest China’s Shaanxi Province, pomegranate-made products from Azerbaijan, one of the fruit’s main producers, also drew the attention of participants at the 7th Silk Road …

FUZHOU: With his fingertips tracing the raised dots on a Braille document, Wang Yongcheng, a national legislator from east China’s Fujian Province, said, “This is what democracy looks like. It’s tangible, visible.” Wang was carefully reading the Braille versions of four replies to the suggestions he raised earlier this year, a historic first in the annals of the National People’s …

BEIJING: Cold air will sweep China from west to east over the next four days, resulting in temperature drops and strong winds in different parts of China, the country’s meteorological authority said Monday. From Tuesday to Friday, temperatures are expected to fall by 6 to 10 degrees Celsius in vast regions of the country, with temperature drops in parts of …

BANGKOK: Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is gaining popularity worldwide with joint efforts required to promote TCM globally, experts and scholars said in an international symposium in the Thai capital Bangkok. Over 100 scholars from 20 countries and regions participated in the World Federation of Acupuncture-Moxibustion Societies (WFAS) 2023 International Symposium on Acupuncture-Moxibustion scheduled for Saturday and Sunday. At the symposium, …

ROME: Novak Djokovic won his record-breaking seventh ATP Finals title in style, beating Jannik Sinner of Italy 6-3, 6-3 in Turin, Italy, on Sunday. Djokovic, 36, surpassed the previous record held by Roger Federer, who won six titles in the tournament, and also notched his 71st “Big Title”, including Grand Slam championships, ATP Finals, and ATP Masters 1000 tournaments. Sinner, …

BEIJING: China’s one-year loan prime rate (LPR), a market-based benchmark lending rate, came in at 3.45 percent Monday, unchanged from the previous month. The over-five-year LPR, on which many lenders base their mortgage rates, also remained unchanged from the previous reading of 4.2 percent, according to the National Interbank Funding Center. Based on the quotes made by quoting banks by …

BEIJING: China’s civil aviation transport continued to expand in October, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). The total transport turnover of the sector was 11.01 billion tonne-kilometers last month, surging 158.6 percent from a year ago, the CAAC said. Over 56.05 million air passenger trips were handled in October, soaring 252 percent year on year, data from …

PETERSBURG, Russia: Countries should treat cultures of different countries with an inclusive attitude and work together to preserve cultural heritage, said Russian Culture Minister Olga Lyubimova. “Cultural heritage should be preserved and promoted without fear of dialogue, and we should be open to accept knowledge from other countries and share this knowledge within our own country,” Lyubimova told Xinhua in …

Maintaining high oxygen levels in the body is important because oxygen is essential for the proper functioning of every cell, tissue, and organ. Oxygen plays a crucial role in producing energy, supporting brain function, promoting healthy circulation, and maintaining overall physical and mental well-being. Specific breathing practices called pranayama can indeed help improve oxygenation. Various pranayamas focus on deep inhalations …

The Supreme Court has set two conditions for children claiming maintenance from their grandfathers. “The father of the child must be a poor person who has no financial resources to maintain that child, and the grandfather of the child must be a person who is financially in easy circumstance,” a four-page written order authored by Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah …

The Senate elections are anticipated to take place in the first week of March. Following the announcement of the general election, the relevant authorities initiated the preparations for the senate election as well. It is highly anticipated that the schedule for the Senate election may be released immediately after the general elections. A total of 50 senate members are expected …