More than 100 people were killed and 150 injured in a fire at a wedding party in Hamdaniya district in Iraq’s Nineveh province that left civil defense searching the charred skeleton of a building for survivors into the early hours of Wednesday. Nineveh Deputy Governor Hassan Al-Allaq said that 113 people had been confirmed dead, with state media putting the …

UNITED NATIONS: The General Debate of the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) concluded Tuesday, with global leaders stating that the UN remains a paramount platform for crafting solutions to humanity’s challenges. In his concluding remarks, General Assembly President Dennis Francis underscored the unwavering dedication of the UN to bring peace, prosperity, and sustainability to the world. …

JIUQUAN: China on Wednesday sent its latest remote sensing satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite, Yaogan-33 04, was launched on a Long March-4C carrier rocket at 4:15 a.m. (Beijing Time), and has entered its planned orbit successfully. It will be used for scientific experiments, land resource surveys, crop yield estimates, and disaster …

BEIJING: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, has recently delivered instructions on advancing the development of pilot free trade zones (FTZs). He pointed out that building pilot FTZs is an important strategic move of the CPC Central Committee to promote reform and opening up …

WELLINGTON: David Stringer is a star in the Chinese community in New Zealand’s South Island, due to his great mastery of traditional Chinese musical instrument hulusi flute. Last weekend, Stringer impressed the audience again with a beautiful interpretation of the Chinese folk music “Deep in the Bamboo Forest” using hulusi at the annual Moon Festival Gala Concert organized by the …

JAKARTA: Chinese telecom giant Huawei has participated in developing an integrated networking system for the newly launched high-speed rail (HSR) connecting Indonesia’s national capital Jakarta and West Java’s provincial capital Bandung. Together with China Railway Communications and Signaling Co., Ltd. (CRSC) and China Telecom, Huawei has built real-time communication and control systems and organized train trips with technical support to …

CHENGDU: Even 78 years after the end of World War II (WWII), the heroic story of the Flying Tigers lives on well in a private museum in China. It was a special combat team, comprised of a group of American volunteer pilots, who came to China over 80 years ago to help the Chinese drive out invading Japanese troops. To …

BEIJING: China’s police authorities issued a traffic safety warning on Tuesday for travelers who will be on the roads during the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day holiday, scheduled from Sept. 29 to Oct. 6 this year. The Ministry of Public Security expects outbound traffic from cities to increase starting from the afternoon of the last working day and peak …

Interestingly, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in his state of the nation address rightly emphasized the strategic importance of trans-regional connectivity. At least0 “11 international transport corridors” navigate Kazakhstan, and it aims to increase the share of transport and logistics in its GDP to 9 percent within the next three years. Historically, Kazakhstan was one of the first countries to support the …

HANGZHOU: 17-year-old Chinese shooter Huang Yuting and her 18-year-old teammate Sheng Lihao clinched the gold medal of the 10m air rifle mixed team event at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Tuesday. This victory marked Huang’s third gold medal and the second for Sheng, fresh from his world record-breaking performance in the men’s 10m air rifle on Monday. The dynamic duo …

HANGZHOU: Fencer Huang Qianqian achieved a remarkable feat at the Hangzhou Asian Games here on Monday, becoming China’s first woman to win the individual foil gold at the Asiad in 21 years. The past three months have been a rollercoaster for Huang as she competed in the Asian Championships, World Championships, and the Chengdu Universiade in both individual and team …

HANGZHOU: China’s judoka Ma Zhenzhao won the Asian Games women’s 78kg category crown as individual events of Asiad judo competition concluded here on Tuesday. 25-year-old Ma, who secured a bronze at the Jakarta Asian Games five years ago, said that overcoming her Japanese opponent Rika Takayama was a hard-fought victory. “Grabbing the gold medal depends on my willpower and encouragement …

HANGZHOU: China’s tennis star Zheng Qinwen dominated Lee Ya-hsuan of Chinese Taipei 6-0, 6-2 to enter the last eight of the women’s singles, while Wong Chak Lam Coleman of Hong Kong, China upset Chinese Wu Yibing 6-4, 3-6, 7-6 (6) in the third round of men’s singles at the Hangzhou Asian Games here on Tuesday. “Whoever the opponent is, I …

HANGZHOU, Zhejiang/ZAOZHUANG, Shandong: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, stressed the importance of fully and faithfully implementing the new development philosophy on all fronts, on his recent inspection tour in Zhejiang Province. He called on Zhejiang to center around creating a new development paradigm …

ANKARA: President Tayyip Erdogan said Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may visit Turkiye in October or November, adding that he would reciprocate the visit after, broadcasters reported on Tuesday. Erdogan and Netanyahu met for the first time in person last week at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as the regional powers work to repair long strained ties. …

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) on Tuesday lashed out at Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti over his statement that Nawaz Sharif would be arrested from the airport if he was not granted bail from court. “Not the interior ministry, but people will decide where Nawaz Sharif has to go from the airport on his return on October 21,” PML-N …

Despite facing global sanctions, Afghanistan’s currency the afghani has emerged as the best-performing one this quarter as billions of dollars in humanitarian aid and rising trade with Asian neighbours propelled it to climb around 9% in the said period, reported Bloomberg on Tuesday. “The ruling Taliban, which seized power two years ago, has also unleashed a series of measures to …

The Intelligence Bureau (IB) has filed an application in the Supreme Court to withdraw its review petition against the court’s verdict on the 2017 sit-in by the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) at Faizabad in Islamabad. Authored by Justice Qazi Faez Isa years before he took oath as the chief justice of Pakistan (CJP), the searing judgement had instructed the defence ministry …

In the world of Indian fashionistas, Rakul Preet Singh reigns as one of the ultimate style icons. She effortlessly navigates the realms of traditional and Western fashion with unmatched grace. Recently, she caught our attention in a pink Ekaya saree that would make a trendy addition to your festive wardrobe. This satin six-yard wonder featured front pleats and a flowing …

After two years of piloting its low-cost subscription plan, Premium Lite, YouTube is discontinuing it. YouTube Premium Lite will no longer be offered after October 25. The low-cost plan was first offered in select European countries at a rate of £6.99. With the help of this plan, subscribers were able to get an ad-free viewing experience. However, it didn’t have …

OpenAI’s ChatGPT is getting a major update that will enable the viral chatbot to have voice conversations with users and interact using images, moving it closer to popular artificial intelligence (AI) assistants like Apple’s Siri. The voice feature “opens doors to many creative and accessibility-focused applications”, OpenAI said in a blog post on Monday. Similar AI services like Siri, Google …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwarul Haq Kakar has said that Pakistan is soon entering the election phase, and no particular group will be favoured or opposed during the polls. Kakar said this in an interview to Turkish TV channel, TRT. He remarked that civilian institutions have been performing poorly for the last three to four decades. And when there is poor …

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reopened the assets beyond means reference against former finance minister Ishaq Dar. An accountability court of Islamabad has summoned the PML-N leader on October 10. Accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir has issued a summons notice to Senator Ishaq Dar. The court had previously returned the reference to the NAB under the amendments to the NAB …

In a sweeping operation against unlawful housing schemes, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has declared a staggering 336 out of 484 housing societies in the city as illegal. This revelation comes as part of a concerted effort to regulate the real estate landscape and ensure the safety and rights of its residents. Saif Anwar Jappa, the Director-General (DG) of RDA, …

Sarfaraz Ahmed Khan, a resident of an upscale neighborhood in Defence Housing Authority (DHA), Karachi, was caught growing marijuana at his rented home. Speaking at a press conference, Atif-ur-Rehman, Secretary of the Excise and Taxation and Narcotics Control Department, explained how Sarfaraz farmed marijuana using advanced and innovative methods. According to Atif, Sarfaraz had converted rooms into temperature- and humidity-controlled …

Renowned pacer, Haris Rauf, has expressed confidence in his enhanced fitness ahead of the upcoming 2023 World Cup, scheduled to take place in India. Rauf felt discomfort in his right side during the Super 4s match against India in the Asia Cup and, as a result, did not bowl on the reserve day of the match. Speaking to the media …

In a developing legal saga, Lohibher Police Station in Islamabad has filed charges against a well-known property tycoon and his marketing director under section 489F of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The accused parties have been identified as Sheikh Fawad Bashir, Chairman of AAA Associates, and Wajahat Ali, the Director of Marketing. This unfolding incident follows a complaint lodged by …

The Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony convened at Parliament House, with Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri presiding over the meeting. The committee’s primary agenda was a critical discussion on a recent letter from Saudi Arabia proposing a drastic reduction in the number of Hajj operators in Pakistan, from 905 to a mere 46, a national daily …

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said Tuesday the Green Shirts were filled with confidence ahead of their departure to India for the ICC Men’s World Cup, with an eye on the coveted trophy. “As a team, our morale is very high, we have confidence. We will try to play our best. I request all of you to pray for the team,” …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed efforts to build higher-level pilot free trade zones (FTZs), urging FTZs to take the lead in breaking new ground and tackling tough challenges. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a recent instruction on advancing the …

HANGZHOU: Every time Oksana Chusovitina competes in a gymnastics event, she captures the spotlight. The Hangzhou Asian Games proved no exception. When the 48-year-old Uzbek gymnast participated in the Asiad women’s gymnastics qualification at Huanglong Gymnasium on Monday, thousands of spectators chanted for “Qiu Ma,” which translates to “Mother Chusovitina.” A throng of journalists waited in the mixed zone, hoping …

XI’AN: A big data platform for the management of ancient and famous trees across China was launched on Monday in Huangling County, northwest China’s Shaanxi Province. The platform aims to facilitate the smart management of the country’s ancient and famous trees, and includes data from the second national survey of these trees, which was made public in 2022. It was …

NAIROBI: Scientists from China and Kenya on Monday launched a volume of the Flora of Kenya in the Kenyan capital of Nairobi, marking the publication of Kenya’s first national flora and filling the gap in the field of plant resources research in the country. The Flora of Kenya, which is divided into 31 volumes, will document the East African nation’s …

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Joe Biden hosted leaders of Pacific Island countries at the White House on Monday for a summit, as the latter is still waiting to see if Washington is going to deliver the “big commitments” it has made. According to the White House, the new U.S. funding for the region that Biden announced at the summit, which still …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday stressed the need to uphold the equality, mutual learning, dialogue and inclusiveness of civilizations. He voiced opposition to the clamoring of the so-called “democracy versus authoritarianism” narrative and any attempt to impose one’s own values or development modes onto others. Wang, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the …

BEIJING: China has been actively involved in fostering cultural exchanges, China’s Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Li Qun said Tuesday, calling strengthening cultural exchanges a crucial pathway towards building a global community of shared future. Li, also head of the National Cultural Heritage Administration, made the remarks at a press conference on a white paper titled “A Global Community …

BEIJING: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Tuesday called for efforts to promote lasting peace and actively practice true multilateralism. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a press conference on a white paper titled “A Global Community of Shared Future: China’s Proposals and Actions.” “We should …

BANGKOK: Thailand extended a warm welcome to the first batch of visa-exempt flights from China on Monday, marking the launch of the nation’s fresh initiative to reinvigorate its Chinese tourist market. Approximately 341 visitors from Shanghai landed at Suvarnabhumi airport on Monday morning, greeted with flowers and applause by the newly appointed Prime Minister (PM) Srettha Thavisin and several senior …

HANGZHOU: Chinese President Xi Jinping is an important partner of the global Olympic Movement, International Olympic Committee (IOC) vice president Juan Antonio Samaranch Jr. said here on Monday. Samaranch Jr. made the remarks during an exclusive interview with Xinhua in Hangzhou on the sidelines of the 19th Asian Games. “His commitment, his support to sport and the role that sports …

BEIJING: Chinese Premier Li Qiang held talks with Nepalese Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People on Monday. China and Nepal have always respected, trusted and supported each other since the establishment of diplomatic ties nearly 70 years ago, said Li noting that the bilateral relations …