BEIJING: The National Development and Reform Commission, the country’s economic planner, on Tuesday announced that it has allocated another 500 million yuan (about 69.7 million U.S. dollars) to support the reconstruction of infrastructure and the resumption of basic public services in areas hit hard by floods and other rain-triggered disasters. The central government funding will be allocated to the Hebei, …

HELSINKI: The Finnish enterprise Nurminen Logistics had already recognized China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) as a significant opportunity for collaboration back in 2015 when it decided to participate in the initiative, said Olli Pohjanvirta, the company’s chief executive officer. “As we had been working with Russian and Kazakhstan railways for years, it was logical for us to recognize the …

GENEVA: With economic hardships having severely affected living conditions in Afghanistan, continued humanitarian support coupled with investment in long-term solutions are urgently needed for the country, the United Nations (UN) officials and partners said on Tuesday. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that about 28 million Afghans …

HAIKOU: The finals of the 2023 National Youth Space Innovation Competition were launched on Monday n Wenchang City of south China’s Hainan Province, providing teenagers with an opportunity to share their wisdom on aerospace innovation. Speaking at the finals, Fang Xiangming, deputy Party chief of the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC), said that young people are not only …

MOSCOW: China’s continuous promotion of ecological civilization has scored great achievements and attracted worldwide attention, a Russian ecological expert has said. Oleg Deripaska, Russian chairman of the Ecological Council of the China-Russia Friendship, Peace and Development Committee, said in a recent interview with Xinhua that China has gradually become a global leader in the development of renewable energy, which has …

WUHAN: A new air cargo route was launched on Wednesday linking Ezhou City in central China’s Hubei Province, with Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), announced SF Airlines. Early Wednesday morning, a Boeing 747-400 freighter took off from Ezhou Huahu Airport, China’s first cargo-focused airport. This marked the launch of the first cargo route connecting the airport …

NANNING: South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region has added an annual average of more than 3 million mu (200,000 hectares) of afforested area for 15 consecutive years. The region’s grassland vegetation coverage rate has reached 82.9 percent, said the forestry bureau of Guangxi on Tuesday. The rocky desertification land area in the region decreased by 7.2 million mu compared with …

The Chinese Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) have completed its first ten years. During this decade, it remained an ideal global cooperation platform and strategic vision of China for global development and offering remedial resolution to the reform of the global governance system and multi-faceted challenges. While delivering a keynote speech at the Indonesian parliament in 2013, the Chinese President …

URUMQI: An intangible cultural heritage exhibition will take place in northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from Aug. 23 to 27, local authorities have announced. The exhibition will showcase 330 intangible cultural heritage projects and attract 296 inheritors from Xinjiang and 19 other provincial-level regions that offer pairing assistance to Xinjiang, said the Xinjiang regional culture and tourism department. The …

BEIJING: China’s pair skating Olympic champion Han Cong announced on Tuesday that he will skip all competitions of the current Olympic cycle because of injury. It means the 31-year-old Han and his 28-year-old partner Sui Wenjing will not be able to defend their Olympic title at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games. “I am sorry to announce that I have decided …

In a disconcerting development, consumers in Pakistan are bracing themselves for yet another jolt to their wallets, as the caretaker government prepares to unveil the anticipated surge in petroleum product prices today. Sources privy to the matter said a comprehensive document outlining potential adjustments to the pricing of petroleum products has been meticulously crafted. revealing that the price of petrol …

Imran Khan, the World Cup-winning captain of Pakistan, is considered one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of cricket. As a fast bowler and middle-order batsman, he captained the Pakistan national team to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan’s only victory in the competition. Khan’s leadership of the Pakistan team was inspirational. He instilled a sense of …

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and stroke. It is essential to promote the importance of maintaining a healthy weight in decreasing the risk of such diseases. The number of people who are overweight or obese continues to rise dramatically. The main reason for being overweight is more calories being consumed than used. …

Pakistani actors Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui along with musician Rahat Fateh Ali Khan were among recipients of civil awards conferred by President Dr Arif Alvi on Monday, August 14. The investiture ceremony is slated to take place on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2024 President Alvi announced a list of 694 individuals, including Pakistani and foreign nationals, who will be …

Afghanistan’s Taliban on Tuesday marked the second anniversary of their return to power, celebrating their take-over of Kabul and the establishment of what they said was security throughout the country under an Islamic system. After a lightning offensive as US-led foreign forces were withdrawing after 20 years of inconclusive war, the Taliban entered the capital on Aug. 15, 2021, as …

At least 35 people were killed in an explosion that created a huge fire ball at a fuel station in Russia’s remote Caucasus republic of Dagestan, spurring condolences from President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday. Images distributed by the emergencies ministry showed burnt-out cars silhouetted by the massive blaze and rescue workers in helmets attempting to put out the fire and …

A Lahore accountability court remanded on Tuesday PTI President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi to the custody of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) till August 21 in a case pertaining to bribes over development project contracts. Additional District and Sessions Judge Zubair Shahzad Kiyani presided over the hearing today. On Monday, NAB’s Rawalpindi and Lahore teams took Elahi into their custody in …

The Player of the Series from the Ashes, Chris Woakes, is now the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for July 2023 after beating off stiff competition from compatriot Zak Crawley and Netherlands’ up-and-coming star Bas de Leede. The English star capped off a memorable Ashes performance with the ICC Men’s Player of the Month Award for July 2023. “It’s …

Nine renowned national athletes have been honored with civil awards for their exceptional achievements in their respective sports on the occasion of Independence Day. As per the official announcement, the investiture ceremony for the following civil awards, divided into different categories, will take place on Pakistan Day, March 23, next year. According to the confirmed list, legendary hockey player, Islahuddin …

Saudi Arabia’s security team has stated that those coming for the Umrah pilgrimage must wear face masks at holy sites. This comes as concerns rise globally about a new coronavirus variant. The World Health Organisation (WHO) is closely watching this new strain. From 10 July to 6 August, the number of worldwide cases shot up by a massive 80 percent, …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to take action against those national cricketers who play in the United States of America without permission. According to the details, the cricket board has sent show-cause notices to players who play in the US without obtaining a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from PCB. Players like Sohaib Maqsood, Arshad Iqbal, Aarish Ali, Hussain …

Renowned singer Asad Abbas, who was suffering from a kidney disease, has passed away. Asad’s death was confirmed by his brother Haider Abbas. The singer, who hailed from Faisalabad, was also a recipient of the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz. Asad Abbas was suffering from a severe kidney ailment and had been undergoing treatment for a long time. Last night, Asad Abbas had slipped into …

Newly appointed caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar is busy with consultations regarding the formation of his cabinet. The caretaker PM is consulting his close associates and other important personalities. He has been proposed to form the cabinet phase-wise. In the first phase, 10 to 12 ministers have been suggested to be inducted In this phase, finance, foreign, interior, information and …

The Supreme Court has sent back the case of the delimitation of Sindh Assembly delimitation to the Election Commission of Pakistan. A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial heard the petitions of the election commission against the provincial delimitation of constituencies in Sindh. The court said that delimitation is a matter of public interest, which …

Amidst the stormy sea of political uncertainty and economic challenges, this year Pakistan’s 76th Independence Day campaigns emerged like beacons in the night. At a time when our national spirit seems to have hit rock-bottom, a handful of brands bravely stepped forward to share their stories, while the more regular ones chose to take a step back. Were they daunted …

Senator Raza Rabbani on Tuesday warned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against a delay in general elections, which are to be held within 90 days of the National Assembly’s (NA) dissolution as per the Constitution. In a statement issued today, Rabbani said, “Any delay in the holding of general elections, within the constitutional period will have serious consequences for …

Five cops were injured after lightning struck a police station in the Hazro tehsil of Punjab’s Attock district late Monday night, an official said on Tuesday. Attock District Police Officer (DPO) Dr Sardar Ghias Gul Khan confirmed the incident and the injuries. He said four wounded personnel were discharged after first aid while one policeman was referred to the Holy …

A mother of two has been allegedly raped in the x-ray room of the government-run Benazir Bhutto Hospital in Rawalpindi, a police official said on Tuesday. The police registered a case under section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code after the woman’s medical examination confirmed that she was raped. Waris Khan locality Station House Officer (SHO) Inspector …

BEIJING: An article on Chinese modernization by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, will be published on Wednesday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year’s 16th issue of the Qiushi Journal, a flagship magazine of the CPC Central Committee. Chinese …

LU’AN: Wang Kedong and Gao Kaiyu, both 58 years old, are rangers of Tiantangzhai management station of Anhui Tianma National Nature Reserve in east China’s Anhui Province. They live in the mountains all the year round and have kept patrolling every day on a route longer than 20 kilometers for 25 years. Anhui Tianma National Nature Reserve was established in …

BEIJING: China’s service production index went up 5.7 percent year on year in July, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Tuesday. Contact-based service sector witnessed fast recovery, with the sub-index for accommodation and catering surging by 20 percent year on year. The sub-index tracking the output of the information transmission, software and IT services climbed 11.2 percent, …

BEIJING: China will promote and strengthen policy support for inbound foreign investment, a Ministry of Commerce official told a press conference on Monday. The ministry will work with relevant departments to implement the guidelines for the further optimization of the country’s foreign investment environment, and to intensify efforts to attract foreign investment that were made public by China’s State Council …

KATHMANDU: A total of 71 Nepali students were awarded Chinese government scholarships on Monday for studies in Chinese universities in the 2023/2024 academic year. While some Nepali students shared their learning and living experiences in China at the awarding ceremony held in Kathmandu, Sakcham Shrestha noted that he was more than excited for being admitted into the Wuhan-based Huazhong University …

HANGZHOU: Chinese President Xi Jinping has urged the whole society to vigorously promote and act as role models in practicing the concept that lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, made the instructions as the country marks its first National …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan celebrated the 76th anniversary of independence on Monday with traditional zeal and zest vowing to struggle and work hard for the security, prosperity and development of the country. People paid tribute to the relentless struggle of ancestors and national heroes in their quest for a separate homeland and those who worked hard for the security and prosperity of …

A sleep schedule, also known as a sleep routine or sleep pattern, is a planned schedule that determines when an individual goes to bed and wakes up. It typically involves setting consistent sleep and wake-up times. A consistent sleep cycle poses very beneficial for the body. Having a stable sleep schedule is generally considered good for health. Adequate and consistent …

Chief of Army Staff Gen Syed Asim Munir has cautioned against spreading despair among the people, and asked to give hope instead. The army chief was speaking to the media in an informal discussion after the swearing-in ceremony of caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar at the President House on Monday. “We are very optimistic about the future of Pakistan,” the …

WhatsApp, the popular messaging platform, has taken a significant stride in addressing security concern with the introduction of its new screen lock feature for WhatsApp Web. Designed to provide an added layer of security, this feature is currently being rolled out to a select group of beta users, promising enhanced privacy for their online interactions A step towards enhanced security …

When you step into a public restroom, one thing that might catch your attention is the gap under the stall doors. It’s a common sight, leaving you feeling a tad less shielded from prying eyes. Have you ever paused and wondered why this design choice exists? Surprisingly, there’s more to these gaps than meets the eye, and it turns out that …

Karachi witnessed an outpouring of patriotic fervor as Pakistani artists both within the country and abroad joined the nation in celebrating the 76th Independence Day. In a demonstration of unity, these prominent figures took part in various events and shared heartfelt messages on social media platforms Actress Ayeza Khan shared her celebrations on Instagram, joyfully observing Independence Day. She also …