ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned TV drama ‘Hadsa’, over scenes reminiscent of a notorious gang rape case, saying the series would “tarnish” the nation’s image by depicting it as an “unsafe place for women”. Regulators said the show would be pulled from airwaves due to parallels to the real-life case of a French-Pakistani mother raped in …

BEIJING: During U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo’s four-day visit to China, the two sides announced the establishment of new communication channels, a working group to iron out various trade disputes, and an export control information exchange to explain export curb reasons to each other. They also agreed to maintain regular communication, meeting at least once a year, thus keeping …

LONDON: The China International Fair for Trade in Services (CIFTIS) is an annual flagship event in China, serving as a vital platform for China to build consensus on global cooperation and promote international exchanges, a British business leader has said. As China continues its transformation from a manufacturing-based economy to a services-based one, CIFTIS aims to help further promote this …

NEW YORK: Defending champion Iga Swiatek of Poland secured a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Australia’s Daria Saville in the women’s singles second round of the US Open on Wednesday. “I just felt like I prevailed. I wanted to be intense, and mostly I was in charge of how I played because I was the one attacking,” said the 22-year-old, who …

XI’AN/ALMATY: Ding Yan gives the pottery fragments a few swipes with his brush and examines them with his expert eye. They have been buried for thousands of years at the Rahat site in Kazakhstan, but now the dirt is being removed and the details revealed. This site was home to an ancient civilization that thrived on the Silk Road at …

BEIJING: China will host the third Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation in Beijing in October, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said Thursday. Wang told a daily news briefing that focusing on connectivity as the main theme, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) aims to provide a new platform for international economic cooperation and add fresh impetus to …

BEIJING: A speech delivered by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, at a meeting on cultural inheritance and development will be published on Friday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year’s 17th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine …

BEIJING: China’s lottery ticket sales surged 55.9 percent year on year to about 48.91 billion yuan (about 6.81 billion U.S. dollars) in July, data from the Ministry of Finance showed Thursday. Sales of lottery tickets to support the welfare system stood at approximately 17.87 billion yuan last month, an increase of 44.3 percent or 5.49 billion yuan compared to a …

SHANGHAI: The third themed hotel in Shanghai Disney Resort started construction on Thursday, according to the resort management. This new expansion will further cultivate the credentials of the highly popular resort as a multi-day tourism destination, the management said. Representatives of Shanghai Shendi Group, the Walt Disney Company, Shanghai Disney Resort and the Administrative Commission of Shanghai International Resort attended …

BEIJING: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, has encouraged 20 newly-enrolled cadets from a school in east China’s Anhui Province to strive to become high-quality, professional military personnel. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the remarks in a letter replying to 20 students of the Anhui Province Qianshan …

ADDIS ABABA: Adding new members to the BRICS bloc of developing countries would give the group an impetus to implement its ideology of making the world “fairer and non-discriminatory,” Teruneh Zenna, Ethiopia’s former ambassador to the United Nations, has said. “The existing international order is not fair in which the voices of the Global South are not heard,” the former …

NANNING: The tranquility of the serene hillside in Qinzhou, nestled in south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, has been replaced by the persistent reverberations of dredgers, excavators, and dump trucks, serving as a resounding testament to the ongoing Pinglu Canal project. About 120 km away from this bustling construction scene, technicians sitting inside an operation center located in the regional …

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN: Altogether 26 Bruneian students have flew to Lanzhou, capital of northwest China’s Gansu Province, under a joint scholarship program to further their studies. The students, who will continue their studies at Lanzhou Petrochemical University of Vocational Technology, told media at the airport on Tuesday their excitement about the new journey. “I believe that studying abroad is such …

BUDAPEST: Ancient Chinese healing methods have been spreading along the Silk Road for over two millennia, but the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has further boosted the internationalization of the traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Currently celebrating its 10th anniversary, the BRI, which aims to better connect the world and expand common prosperity, has brought the healing powers of TCM to …

WASHINGTON: Chinese Ambassador to the United States Xie Feng on Tuesday warned against decoupling and conflict between Beijing and Washington in a speech at a business forum in Washington, D.C. Addressing the fifth U.S.-China Business Forum held by Forbes, to which Xie was invited, the ambassador said the biggest risk is any decoupling between China and the United States, and …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani rupee’s losing streak continues against the U.S. dollar, hitting a new record low as the greenback was traded at 304.45 rupees in the interbank market on Wednesday, according to the State Bank of Pakistan. The U.S. dollar closed at the then-record low of 303.05 rupees on Tuesday. On the third session of the week, the local currency …

NEW DELHI: India has asked the United States to release $26 million belonging to at least two Indian diamond firms frozen due to their alleged trade links with sanctioned Russian diamond major Alrosa, three Indian sources said. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the U.S. Treasury unit that oversees sanctions, froze the funds earlier this year, said two of …

LIBREVILLE: Rebel officers in the oil-rich central African state of Gabon announced on Wednesday they had seized power following disputed elections in which President Ali Bongo Ondimba, in power since 2009, had been declared victor. Bongo, 64, whose family has ruled Gabon for over 55 years, was placed under house arrest and one of his sons arrested for treason, the …

US Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland held a phone call with Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Wednesday during which she assured him of Washington’s support to stabilise Pakistan’s economy and its continued engagement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Last month, the global lender’s executive board had green-lit a $3 billion nine-month standby arrangement (SBA) for Pakistan …

Fenugreek is a plant that is commonly used as a culinary spice and herbal medicine. Its seeds have a slightly bitter taste and are often used in Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean cuisines. Fenugreek water, made by soaking fenugreek seeds in water, is believed to have several health benefits. Fenugreek is known to be rich in fibre, vitamins, and minerals, …

Rakhi Sawant, amidst her ongoing controversy with her ex-husband Adil Khan Durrani, recently shared an emotional video from her religious trip to Umrah. In the video, she is seen crying and seeking help from Allah, expressing her distress over her situation. In the video, Rakhi says, “I am innocent, but so many accusations are being thrown at me. What should …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is expected to visit three countries in September. Sources divulged on Wednesday Interim PM Kakar is expected to visit Kenya in the first week, followed by his visit to Saudi Arabia in the second week of the next month. In the third week of September, PM Kakar will visit the United States. According to the sources, …

The coursing floods in eastern Pakistan first swallowed Nasreen Bibi’s corn crop, then the cattle that fed on it, and finally her family home. They retreated to the roof to escape the rising water, before fleeing for their lives by boat. “We didn’t bring any of our belongings with us, everything we own is abandoned back there,” said Bibi, who …

The US dollar continues its steady flight upwards as the Pakistani rupee faces record-breaking battering in the currency exchange market. The American currency shattered records further as it opened the new trading session on Wednesday morning with a surge of 70 paisas in the interbank market. It traded at a record value of Rs303.75 against the local currency. However, a …

The special court set up to hear cases under the Official Secrets Act extended PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s judicial remand in the cipher case by 14 days. The hearing of the cipher case involving the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman was held at the Attock Jail following an official approval from the Ministry of Law. Imran Khan was presented before the …

The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has successfully obtained a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Ministry of Interior for the SAFF U16 Championship. The long-awaited confirmation of this development was announced today by the former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Shaza Fatima Khawaja. According to media reports, the Men in Green, who were initially slated to …

Arshad Butt, a junior clerk at Services Hospital Lahore, was exposed as a millionaire following an investigation launched by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). ACE’s inquiry targeted Arshad Butt, also the President of the Punjab Paramedical Staff Association, who had gained his position at the hospital through forged academic credentials. Despite earning just Rs. 57,000 per month, the probe unveiled that …

Pakistani-origin and internationally acclaimed information technology expert and entrepreneur Noman Said has opined that for all practical reasons the information technology industry is currently the only industry in Pakistan that can turn around the trade deficit, stabilize rupee-dollar parity, create millions of jobs and project soft-image of Pakistan on the world map. Noman Said expressed his optimism based on input …

The name of the host country, Pakistan, was noticeably absent from the jerseys of all participating teams for the 50-over Asia Cup 2023, started on Wednesday in Multan. Yesterday, participating teams revealed their new kits for the event, and cricket fans noticed the absence of the host country’s name below the Asia Cup logo. Fans expressed their concerns, reminding that …

The social media company formerly known as Twitter said Tuesday it would now allow political advertising in the US from candidates and political parties, reversing previous policies and raising concerns over misinformation and hate speech ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Before billionaire Elon Musk acquired the company, now called X, in October 2022, Twitter had banned all political ads …

President Dr Arif Alvi seeks an increase in his salary. Official documents show the president has sought two raises, first with effect from 1st July 2021 and second with effect from 1st July 2023. Presently, the president draws a monthly salary of Rs846,550 and wants a two-step raise to Rs1,024,325 and Rs1,229,190 per month with effect from July 2021 and …

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with James Cleverly, the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, in Beijing on Wednesday. Han said China and the UK have established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level for more than half a century and achieved positive results in practical cooperation in various fields. Faced with …

KABUL: A total of 75 Afghan inmates imprisoned in Pakistan have been set free and returned to their homeland Afghanistan through the Torkham border on Tuesday, the state-run Bakhtar News Agency reported on Wednesday. So far, Pakistan has handed over around 2,516 Afghans jailed in Pakistani prisons to Afghan authorities through the Torkham border, according to Bakhtar. Weeks ago, the …

The BRI has now completed its ten years during which it has brought unlimited “befitting propositions” for all the participating countries and the UAE-China bilateral relations “reconfirm” its multidimensional importance. According to the World Bank published reports the BRI covers more than 153 countries, 65 percent of the world’s population, 40 percent of the world’s land, 36 percent of the …

BEIJING: Chinese basketball icon Yi Jianlian has announced his retirement from a 21-year professional career. “How time flies. In the blink of an eye, basketball has accompanied with me for 21 years. After prudent consideration, I have decided to end my professional basketball career today,” the 35-year-old Yi posted on China’s social platform Weibo late on Tuesday. He went on …

BEIJING: The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 35 pips to 7.1816 against the U.S. dollar Wednesday, according to the China Foreign Exchange Trade System. In China’s spot foreign exchange market, the yuan is allowed to rise or fall by 2 percent from the central parity rate each trading day. The central parity rate …

BEIJING: Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, met with the speaker of the Arab Parliament Adel Al Asoomi on Tuesday in Beijing. Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said that China is willing to work with Arab countries to firmly support each other, …

YANGON: The Yunnan Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries has donated 60 sets of solar-powered streetlights to the Yangon Electricity Supply Corporation in Myanmar. The ceremony was held in Yangon on Tuesday. Speaking at the ceremony, Yangon Region Minister for Natural Resources U Zaw Win expressed thanks to the Chinese friendship association, saying that the donation will help …

PHNOM PENH: A joint cultural show was held here to celebrate the 65th anniversary of the Cambodia-China diplomatic relations, attracting thousands of spectators. Held at the Diamond Island’s Grand Theater on Monday night, the event was jointly performed by a troupe of Chinese artists from Southwest China’s Yunnan Province and a team of Cambodian artists from the Ministry of Culture …

WASHINGTON: The United States announced on Tuesday an additional package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 250 million U.S. dollars. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement that the new package includes AIM-9M missiles for air defense, munitions for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, and over 3 million rounds of small arms …