Foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) decreased by a substantial $220 million on a weekly basis, clocking in at $7.5 billion as of October 20, data released on Thursday showed. Total liquid foreign reserves held by the country stood at $12.6 billion. Net foreign reserves held by the commercial banks stood at $5.1 billion. The …

A delegation from Hamas, the Palestinian group that controls Gaza, is currently visiting Moscow, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a weekly briefing on Thursday, without providing any further details. Russia’s state-run RIA news agency, quoting a source from the Palestinian delegation, said senior Hamas member Abu Marzook was among those visiting Moscow. Russia has ties to all key …

Israel bombarded the Gaza Strip as it prepared for a ground invasion it says is aimed at annihilating the Palestinian Hamas group as Russia warned the conflict could spread beyond the Middle East. In besieged Gaza humanitarian supplies were critically low, as world powers failed to agree on a lull to the fighting to deliver aid, and residents buried the …

For Pakistan-born Zimbabwean all-rounder Sikandar Raza, the highly-anticipated seventh edition of Abu Dhabi T10 is another chance to play his favourite sport at his ‘home away from home’. Raza has been a part of ‘Cricket’s Fastest Format’ for the past few years and has garnered massive popularity among local fans. Last season, the right-handed batter was also named the Captain …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday urged fans to rally behind the Green Shirts following three consecutive losses in the World Cup. Pakistan has lost three consecutive World Cup matches against India, Australia and Afghanistan after winning its first two matches against Sri Lanka and Netherlands. The latest string of defeats has dropped them to the fifth spot in …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday restored PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif appeals against his conviction in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia references. The verdict, which was reserved earlier today, was announced by a division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. The bench issued the verdict while hearing Nawaz’s pleas seeking protective bail in the …

A Qatar court has announced the death penalty for eight Indians arrested in the country last year, the Indian government said on Thursday, adding it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict. New Delhi said in a statement that it attaches “high importance to this case” and will “take up the verdict with Qatari authorities”. Local media has reported that the …

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir on Thursday said the safety and security of every Pakistani was of paramount importance and could not be compromised “at any cost”. He passed these remarks while talking about the repatriation and deportation of illegal foreigners residing in Pakistan during the National Security Workshop, the military’s media affairs wing said. Earlier this …

The first cargo of relief supplies to aid the victims was sent out quickly by the renowned humanitarian organisation Alkhidmat Foundation in response to the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza. The Alkhidmat Foundation’s commitment to helping individuals affected in the region has begun with the delivery of 13 truckloads of needed supplies, including food items, medicines, delivery kits, infant kits, …

UNITED NATIONS: China on Wednesday vetoed a UN Security Council draft resolution regarding the conflict between Israel and Palestine, pointing out that the draft departs from the spirit of previous UN resolutions. “The draft departs from the spirit of previous UN resolutions and embeds the dangerous logic of clash of civilizations and the justification of war and use of force,” …

BOGOTA: Colombian President Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego is in Beijing for a state visit this week, as many in Colombia are closely watching his maiden trip there. “President Petro’s visit to China can be deeply transformative for Colombia in a very positive way,” said David Castrillon Kerrigan, an international relations academic at the Externado University of Colombia. Since the establishment …

FREETOWN: China plays a significant role in the development of Sierra Leone’s agriculture and food security, said a senior Sierra Leonean official. Agriculture is a top priority for Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio in the pursuit of sustainable economic development and social progress, said the country’s Deputy Minister of Information and Civic Education Yusuf Keketoma Sandi in a recent …

HANGZHOU: The port of Zhoushan secured fourth place in the 2022 global bunker port rankings at the International Petroleum Enterprise Conference (IPEC) 2023, which opened on Wednesday in Zhoushan, east China’s Zhejiang Province. The China Petroleum Circulation Association released the “2022 Top Ten Global Ship Bunker Ports” rankings at the conference. The port of Zhoushan moved up one slot from …

JIUQUAN: China launched the Shenzhou-17 crewed spaceship on Thursday, with Tang Shengjie, the country’s youngest astronaut to enter the space station, serving as one of its crew members. “It is a great honor and great duty for me, and I feel very lucky and very happy,” Tang said when meeting the press Wednesday at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in …

UNITED NATIONS: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday strongly refuted the “false” assertion made by senior Israeli diplomats, who accused him of endorsing the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks in a statement he presented to the Security Council. Addressing Tuesday’s debate at the Security Council on the worsening crisis in Israel and Palestine, the UN chief said that although nothing could …

RIYADH: The 7th Future Investment Initiative (FII) conference kicked off on Tuesday in Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh, with Xinhua News Agency participating as the event’s media partner. Xinhua’s Deputy Editor-in-Chief Ren Weidong attended the opening ceremony of the conference. Dubbed “Davos in the Desert,” the FII conference is the largest international investment and innovation forum in the Middle East, attracting …

GENEVA: Chinese player Wang Lili was named MVP of the 2023 FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) announced on Wednesday. “Chinese talisman Lili Wang was elected MVP for the fourth edition of the FIBA 3×3 Women’s Series decided by a panel of players and fans on October 24, 2023,” FIBA announced. Wang led China to “an incredibly …

JIUQUAN: China on Thursday launched the Shenzhou-17 manned spaceship, and the three astronauts aboard will be sent to stay in orbit for about six months on a space station mission. The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, according to the China Manned Space Agency (CMSA). The Shenzhou-17 crew, …

WASHINGTON: To deepen agricultural cooperation with China, the United States should stop politicizing economic issues or overstretching the concept of security, Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng has said, in response to Arkansas’ recent order requiring Chinese company Syngenta to sell farmland in the state. At the China-U.S. Sustainable Agricultural Trade Forum & Contract Signing Ceremony held in …

PHNOM PENH: The decade-old Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China has become a catalyst for regional and global economic growth and property, Cambodian experts said here on Wednesday. Neak Chandarith, director of the Cambodia 21st Century Maritime Silk Road Research Center, said the BRI is not just a framework for infrastructure development, it’s a catalyst for economic progress …

NEW YORK: At least 22 people were killed and dozens were injured on Wednesday night in mass shootings in Lewiston, U.S. state of Maine, NBC News and FOX News reported, citing multiple law enforcement sources.

BISHKEK: On the uppermost floor of the Kyrgyz State Historical Museum in Bishkek lies a captivating exhibition showcasing an array of state gifts to Kyrgyzstan. Among them are a coral-red porcelain vase adorned with gold dragons, a gilt bronze Ruyi scepter, a masterpiece of traditional brushwork and others. These Chinese gifts displayed in one of the most important museums in …

JERUSALEM: Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Thursday morning that “in preparation for the next stages of combat,” its tanks and infantry struck numerous Hamas targets, infrastructure and anti-tank missile launch posts in northern Gaza. According to a statement released by the IDF, the soldiers have since exited the area and returned to Israeli territory.

LAHORE: Under the leadership of Ilham Aliyev, the Republic of Azerbaijan succeeded to liberate its illegally occupied territories from Armenia afterwards, which has drastically changed the socio-economic, geopolitical and geostrategic landscape of South Caucasus. Azerbaijan which has the 75 percent GDP of South Caucasus, and its macro-economy will be further flourished after the regaining of Karabakh and other adjacent areas …

Dr Umar Saif, Pakistan’s caretaker federal minister for IT and Telecommunications, said on Wednesday that the country will hear “good news” regarding PayPal and stripe payment gateways in Pakistan in the coming weeks. Talking about the country’s budding freelancing community, Dr Saif, who was addressing the media alongside caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi, said that there is no financial instrument …

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday accused the United States of “directing” strikes Israel has been carrying out on Hamas in Gaza in response to the October 7 attacks. Israel has heavily bombarded the Gaza Strip since Hamas gunmen stormed across its border with Israel and, according to Israeli officials, killed more than 1,400 people, most of …

An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Wednesday issued perpetual arrest warrants for nine PTI leaders in a case relating to violence outside the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC). Judge Abul Hasnat Zulqarnain issued arrest warrants for Hammad Azhar, Shibli Faraz, Murad Saeed, Omar Ayub Khan and Ali Amin Gandapur. Perpetual arrest warrants were also issued for Ali Nawaz Awan, Hassaan Khan …

Former senator and senior lawyer Aitzaz Ahsan on Wednesday filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court to “challenge the illegal and unlawful practice of enforced disappearances”. The move comes amid the PTI’s complaints as it faces a months-long crackdown following the May 9 riots that occurred due to party chairman Imran Khan’s arrest. Last month, anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Wednesday said Pakistan was committed to the implementation of projects recently concluded with China in diverse sectors. He said the recent agreements between the two countries would add a new chapter to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). In a meeting with Chinese Ambassador Jiang Zaidong, he said China’s Belt and Road Initiative was …

PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Wednesday petitioned the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against his indictment in the cipher case, calling on it to declare the exercise “illegal and unlawful”. The cipher case pertains to a diplomatic document that the charge sheet claims was never returned by Imran. The PTI alleges that the document contained a threat from the United States …

The number of people worldwide living in forced displacement from their homes is estimated to have exceeded 114 million, the United Nations said Wednesday a record figure. “The number of people displaced by war, persecution, violence and human rights violations globally is likely to have exceeded 114 million at the end of September,” UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, said in …

HANGZHOU: 52-year-old Japanese cyclist Keiko Sugiura believes that she has yet to approach the end of her career after clinching two medals and breaking the Games record twice at the ongoing Hangzhou Asian Para Games. Sugiura claimed a silver medal in the women’s C1-3 3000m individual pursuit on October 23 after dashing the previous C3 class record in the qualifying …

BEIJING: An interesting pattern depicting three racing rabbits, with each two sharing one ear, is vividly presented in caves of the Mogao Caves in Dunhuang, a UNESCO World Heritage Site in northwest China. What’s more interesting, the unique picture is also seen on chinaware of Egypt, on the clocks of some churches in Germany, and on tile paintings in the …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with President of the Republic of Colombia Gustavo Francisco Petro Urrego, who is on a state visit to China, in Beijing on Wednesday.

Right from the beginning China’s neighborhood foreign policy has been standing for mutual sovereignty, territorial integrity, peaceful co-existence, international cooperation, economic globalization, immense regionalism through socio-economic integration, free trade, connectivity and above all political consultation, dialogue, diplomacy and development. Moreover, regional peace, prosperity, stability and harmony have been the cornerstones of its pragmatic foreign policy. It seems that China has …

During most recently concluded 3rd BRF the Chinese President Xi Jinping “chalked out” a holistic and comprehensive strategic “road map” for the further development of the BRI in next decade based on eight action plans. Hopefully it will take to support high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. In this regard, building of a multidimensional Belt and Road connectivity network, speeding up …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday met with Gavin Newsom, governor of the U.S. state of California, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Noting that China and the United States, as the world’s two largest economies, account for more than a third of the global economy and nearly a quarter of the world’s population, and bilateral …

BISHKEK: China is willing to continue to enhance political mutual trust with Kyrgyzstan, strengthen the alignment of development strategies, and seek more convergence points of common interests for mutual achievement and common development, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said here Wednesday. China-Kyrgyzstan relations have maintained high-level development in recent years, said Li during his talks with Kyrgyz Prime Minister Akylbek Japarov. …

BEIJING: A State Council Taiwan Affairs Office spokesperson on Wednesday assured Taiwan compatriots in the zone affected by the Palestine-Israel conflict that they would receive overseas consular protection similar to that of mainland people. Zhu Fenglian made the remarks while responding to a question on what assistance the mainland would provide to Taiwan compatriots who are in the affected zone …

BEIJING: At the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, a five-star red flag was passed around by more than 100 ordinary Chinese people from various ethnic groups and different sectors of society. Among them was Liu Kuo, a deliveryman clad in working uniform, as a representative of the country’s more than 4 million couriers to participate in the …