JOHANNESBURG: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday calls for actions to translate the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind into reality. Xi’s appeal was made in a speech read out by Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao at the BRICS Business Forum 2023. “Right now, changes in the world, in our times and in history are unfolding …

BANGKOK: Srettha Thavisin, a candidate backed by Thailand’s Pheu Thai-led coalition, was elected the country’s new prime minister (PM) after winning a simple majority in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday. Srettha was the only candidate nominated to be the new prime minister during the parliamentary session on Tuesday. After a roll call vote that lasted nearly three hours, Vice President …

JOHANNESBURG: Atlantis, a place that had long been referred to as the “forgotten town” amid the gorgeous surroundings of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, underwent a stunning metamorphosis about a decade ago. This transformation was catalyzed by the establishment of a Hisense factory in the heart of this once-sleepy town. Prior to the arrival of the Chinese appliance …

PRETORIA: Chinese President Xi Jinping received the Order of South Africa from President Cyril Ramaphosa here on Tuesday. The award ceremony came following Xi’s meeting with Ramaphosa during his state visit to South Africa, where he will also attend the 15th BRICS Summit and co-chair with Ramaphosa the China-Africa Leaders’ Dialogue. The Order of South Africa is the highest decoration …

PRETORIA: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on China and South Africa to strengthen their partnerships in four dimensions during his state visit to the African nation. Xi made the remarks during his meeting with his South African counterpart, Cyril Ramaphosa, here in the country’s administrative capital. Ahead of his arrival, Xi said in his signed article published in …

Four terrorists were killed and six soldiers embraced martyrdom in an exchange of fire on Tuesday in South Waziristan district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. “On 22 August 2023, [a] fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists in general area Asman Manza, South Waziristan District,” the ISPR said. According to the military’s media wing, …

BEIJING: China welcomes and commends a resolution of the Central American Parliament to revoke the “permanent observer status” of the so-called “Legislative Yuan” of the Taiwan region and accept the National People’s Congress of China as a permanent observer, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. “This again shows that the one-China principle represents the unstoppable trend of the times …

As the Sutlej River continues to experience severe flooding, the resulting devastation in adjacent villages had led to the migration of people from the affected areas while many others face the looming threat of being drowned out by the unsparing deluge. The flood water has reached 175,000 cusecs, breaching protective dykes, submerging numerous villages and disrupting transportation links. However, the …

Two wires of a chairlift car in Battagram’s Allai tehsil snapped on Tuesday morning leaving at least eight people, including schoolchildren and teachers stranded at over 2,000 metres mid-air. The children were headed to school when the incident occured at around 8am, according to Allai tehsil chairperson Mufti Gulamullah. Meanwhile, a notice issued by the provincial authorities later in the …

More than 200 members of Afghanistan’s former military, law enforcement and government have been killed since the Taliban took over, the UN mission in Afghanistan said on Tuesday, despite a “general amnesty” for old enemies. The mission said in a report it had recorded at least 218 extrajudicial killings with links to the Taliban from their takeover of Afghanistan in …

The Pakistani government has formally requested Saudi authorities to grant an exemption for elderly pilgrims from the mandatory biometric verification process. Interim Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Aneeq Ahmed praised the Saudi government’s commitment to providing top-notch facilities to Pakistani pilgrims. Speaking at a joint press conference alongside the Saudi Minister for Hajj and Umrah, Ahmed highlighted the historic and …

The social media platform previously recognized as Twitter, now referred to as X, has implemented a new policy for users of X Blue. As outlined in a PC Magazine report, users subscribing to X Blue will be obligated to provide a selfie as well as an image of an official government ID. To facilitate this verification procedure, the user’s personal data …

While electricity prices have surged to a record high in Pakistan in the first seven months of 2023 (7MCY23), fuel costs for power generation have decreased by 19.2 percent year-on-year (YoY) to an average of Rs. 9.32/KWh, compared to an average cost of Rs. 11.54/KWh last year. Power generation in the country went down by 8.5 percent YoY to 75,861 …

Pakistan Federation Baseball (PFB) has announced the appointment of Steven Fish as the head coach to boost the prospects of the national baseball team. Australian-born Steven Fish, a former Minor League Baseball (MiLB) player, will bring a wealth of international experience and success to the role. Steven Fish is no stranger to victory on the international stage. He previously helmed …

Shanaya Kapoor hasn’t made her Bollywood film debut as yet but that hasn’t dented the fact that she’s an up-and-coming style star. The celebrity daughter of Maheep Kapoor and Sanjay Kapoor has turned her Instagram feed into fashion inspiration for the rest of us for years. Now, she gave us a peek into what the recent folder of her camera …

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Rustam Emomali, chairman of the National Assembly of Tajikistan, in Beijing on Tuesday. Han said the China-Tajikistan relationship has made continuous headway, with fruitful outcomes of cooperation under the strategic guidance of the two countries’ leaders. He said China is ready to work with Tajikistan to act on the important consensus of …

YINCHUAN: The Belt and Road Trade and Investment Promotion conference will take place during the sixth China-Arab States Expo, which will run from Sept. 21 to 24 in Yinchuan, the capital of northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, said local authorities Tuesday. Starting on Sept. 21, the two-day conference will be committed to creating conditions for exchanges and cooperation between …

BEIJING: For Eleanor Grace Ellsworth, a college student from the United States, her recent experience of cycling across the Central Axis of Beijing was just like a time travel trip which brought her into close contact with the rich history and culture of the Chinese capital. “It has been really fascinating! This class was a good opportunity to actually explore …

BEIJING: The output value of China’s display panels exceeded 360 billion yuan (about 50 billion U.S. dollars) in 2022, accounting for 48 percent of the global total, an official said on Tuesday. Although affected by sluggish downstream demand, China’s new display industry still showed strong resilience and impact resistance, said Yang Xudong, an official of the Ministry of Industry and …

BEIJING: The number of criminal cases related to firearms and explosives in China hit a record low in 2022, a ministry official said Tuesday. “China has become one of the countries with the lowest incidences of gun and explosives violence in the world,” said Qi Xiguo, deputy head of the public security management bureau under the Ministry of Public Security …

CAIRO: Initiatives proposed by China have promoted the strength of BRICS and the world economy, an Egyptian expert has said. “China’s role in boosting BRICS is essential in light of the several initiatives proposed by Beijing in the past few years, including the Belt and Road, Global Development, and Global Security,” Mokhtar Ghobashy, deputy chairman of the Cairo-based Arab Center …

BEIJING: The nation’s railways recorded 701 million railway passenger trips from July 1 to Aug. 21, data from the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. shows. The number of passenger trips handled by railways nationwide was approximately 15.69 million last Saturday, a record daily high for the summer travel rush, the data shows. During the period, 10,444 trains were operating …

SHENYANG: A total of 63 county-level regions in northeast China’s Liaoning have activated emergency response for flood control as heavy rainfall lashed the province, triggering flooding of rivers and forcing the evacuation of residents. In Liaoning, water levels in four reservoirs have exceeded flood alarm thresholds, prompting the discharge of floodwater, the provincial flood control and drought relief headquarters said …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistani forces had arrested six suspected smugglers from Pakistani territory near the Indo-Pak border, said the military on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistan army, said in a statement that Pakistan Rangers, a force guarding the country’s eastern border with India, detained the smugglers from July 29 to Aug. 3, 2023. The ISPR …

BEIJING: More than 50 out of the 75 rare disease drugs approved for marketing in China have been incorporated into the catalog of medicines covered by medical insurance, according to the National Healthcare Security Administration (NHSA). To enhance the accessibility and affordability of rare disease drugs, the NHSA has added more qualifying medications to the medical insurance drug list by …

EIJING: China’s new development drivers have gained momentum, adding to economic vitality and innovation capability, an index showed. The new growth driver index, compiled by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), increased by 28.4 percent in 2022 from a year ago to hit 766.8, the NBS said. With 2014 as the base year and 100 points as the base value, …

BEIJING: In response to the worst flooding in the Haihe River Basin since 1963, Chinese authorities are pumping recovery funds into the area, and, with the floodwaters receding after the July 28 to August 1 deluge, residents are beginning to return home. Some 22 rivers in the basin experienced above-warning level flooding, and eight rivers reported the largest floods ever …

BEIJING: China’s finance ministry has allocated 2.4 billion yuan (about 329.7 million U.S. dollars) in subsidies for fertilizers, pesticides and other agricultural sprays to help ensure a bumper harvest of autumn grains. The subsidized sprays improve the yields of autumn grains such as corn and soybeans, and strengthen their resistance to detrimental environmental factors. The ministry has urged local governments …

TIANJIN: North China’s port city of Tianjin reported a year-on-year rise of 2.93 percent in its cross-border e-commerce trade in the first seven months of 2023, said the municipal commerce bureau. The total volume reached around 7.55 billion yuan (about 1.05 billion U.S. dollars) in January-July. During the period, imports saw a year-on-year increase of 2.77 percent to 2.3 billion …

BEIJING: German industrial automation company Festo displayed its bionic swift and butterfly robots, demonstrating their flight capabilities, at the ongoing 2023 World Robot Conference in Beijing. “The research and development of bionic robots represents a process that humans learn from nature. The automation products simulate the motion principles of animals,” said Wang Weijuan, a staffer with Festo Business Region Greater …

WASHINGTON: Giant panda cub Xiao Qi Ji celebrated his third birthday at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington, D.C. on Monday. Animal care staff presented Xiao Qi Ji with a special panda-friendly fruitsicle cake made by the zoo’s nutritionists in the morning. Keepers crafted the multi-tiered cake and “3” topper using frozen diluted apple and pineapple juices and decorated the …

JOHANNESBURG: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Johannesburg on Monday to attend the 15th BRICS Summit to be held here, and pay a state visit to South Africa. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, together with South Africa’s International Relations and Cooperation Minister Naledi Pandor, and Nkosazana Clarice Dlamini-Zuma, minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, warmly …

Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar visited Jaranwala on Monday to express solidarity with the victims of the Christian community, distributing cheques worth two million rupees each. A violent mob last week ransacked and torched several churches while also attacking the residences of members of the Christian community in Jaranwala. During the visit, the premier also examined the restoration and repair …

State-owned Kuwait Airways has slashed its loss by nearly half in 2022 as passenger revenue surged amid the airline’s continuing transformation plan. The carrier narrowed its loss for the 2022 fiscal year to 55 million Kuwaiti dinars ($178.6 million) from a loss of 107 million dinars recorded in 2019, state-run Kuwait News Agency (Kuna) reported, quoting Kuwait Airways chairman Ali …

Indian authorities have blocked the website and social media handles of an online news group based in Kashmir, the latest in a continuing crackdown on press freedom in the disputed region after it was brought under New Delhi’s direct rule. Human rights groups and media organisations have accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of stifling press freedom in the region …

As dengue cases are rising in many part of the country, it has become essential to follow all necessary steps to control the spread. Various factors can increase one’s risk of catching dengue. In addition to this, patients with dengue face agonising pain, a high temperature, and weakness. In the worst scenarios, recovery might even take months. A healthy diet …

The unexpected news of Anil Kapoor and Nana Patekar’s omission from “Welcome 3,” with Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi stepping in, sent shockwaves across social media. While Anil and Nana have etched their iconic characters Majnu and Uday in the minds of audiences, Sanjay and Arshad are set to bring a fresh take to the familiar dynamic in “Welcome to …

Pakistan Cricket Team could rise to No.1 position in ICC One Day International (ODI) Ranking once again, if they manage to win all three matches against Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. Pakistan had also become No.1 team in May when they won first four matches of ODI series against New Zealand but lost two points when they were unable to win …

The Supreme Court’s (SC) Registrar Office refused to entertain on Monday a petition challenging ‘political victimisation’ and denial of ‘right to fair trial’ over rejected pre-arrest bail pleas of ousted prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan. A constitutional petition was filed before the top court on Imran’s behalf seeking relief in cases wherein his pre-arrest bail pleas were …

Actor Kriti Kharbanda has opened up about a ‘scary’ incident when she found a hidden camera in her hotel room. She mentioned that since she and her team make it a habit to check for such things, they discovered the camera. Kriti added that the person who hid the camera there wasn’t very skilled because of how it was positioned. …