During a joint operation conducted by the Sindh and Punjab police in the Katcha area of Kandhkot, eight dacoits were killed, and three others were injured. According to the police, the encounter resulted in the death of eight dacoits, including the leader of the notorious Andhar group. The deceased were identified as Janwandhar, Somershar, Nazroshar, and Mushirwandhar. Among them, Janwandhar, …

Mourners across the country are taking out processions on Muharram 9 to commemorate the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), his family, and his followers in Karbala. The processions are moving along their traditional, pre-determined routes in different cities and towns of the country, including Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, Rawalpindi, Quetta, etc. The mourners were expected to perform different rituals associated …

Saudi Arabia summoned a Danish diplomat to protest the desecration of the Quran by an extreme-right group in Copenhagen, state media reported early Friday. During the meeting on Thursday with the Danish charge d’affaires, foreign ministry officials delivered a protest note urging an end to “these disgraceful acts, which violate all religious teachings (and) international laws and norms” and can …

CHENGDU: The first gold medal of the 31st FISU World University Games is set to be awarded from the men’s Nanquan of Wushu tournament on Saturday, as Chinese athlete Cao Maoyuan aims for the top honor. “As the Universiade approaches, I am adjusting my physical condition and hopefully I can try my best and enjoy the competition,” Cao said. The …

CHENGDU: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Guyanese President Irfaan Ali in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Ali is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. Xi said that China and Guyana should be good friends who trust and count on each …

CHENGDU: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday stressed deepening exchanges and mutual learning, and promoting the shared values of humanity. Xi made the remarks while addressing a welcoming banquet ahead of the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. He called for efforts to promote …

LAHORE, Pakistan/XI’AN, China: As the sun rises and street lights turn off in Lahore, capital of Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, the city wakes up and gets bustling with life. As the day begins, Zubair Tufail, a team supervisor of operations at a converter station of ±660 kilovolt Matiari-Lahore high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission project in a suburb of Lahore, starts …

CHENGDU: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday met with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Garibashvili is here to attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games and visit China. Over the past 31 years since the establishment of diplomatic relations, China and Georgia have …

After the backlash for his abhorrent remarks on the floor of the Senate a couple of days ago, our Defense Minister Khawaja Asif, who, by the way, has a sad history of passing sexist remarks in parliament, has come up with a typical explanation, one worthy of a misogynist of his cadre. Khawaja Asif claims that when he referred to …

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said on Thursday that China has rolled over a $2.4 billion loan to Islamabad for a period of two years, a boost to the country’s economy as it tries to build its foreign reserves after clinching a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “Chinese Exim bank rolled over principal amounts totalling $2.4bn which are due …

Thousands of Shia Muslims marched through Indian-held Kashmir’s largest city on Thursday for a major religious procession permitted in the restive territory for the first time since a ban was imposed decades ago. The Islamic calendar is currently in the month of Muharram, the holiest time for Shias across the world when large processions mark the martyrdom of the Prophet …

The FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers are heating up, with Pakistan potentially facing Tajikistan, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia in a high-stakes battle in Group G of the second round. But first, they must triumph over Cambodia in a nail-biting two-legged tie in the first-round qualifiers. Pakistan will face Cambodia in the first round of qualifiers on 12 and 17 August, …

To encourage people to file taxes, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has increased the withholding tax rate for non-activate tax filers or those not on the Active Taxpayers List (ATL). According to a Wednesday circular, non-ATL filers will be taxed Rs303 for a bank withdrawal of Rs50,500. Those withdrawing between Rs55,000-Rs75,000 will be taxed Rs450. However, Pakistan’s government agencies …

The European Commission on Thursday announced an antitrust probe into Microsoft bundling its Teams communication app with its popular Office suite, on concerns it could be cutting out competitors. The investigation, to see whether the US software giant is “abusing and defending its market position” through the practice, comes as computer users have massively adopted online virtual meetings since the …

75th martyrdom anniversary of Captain Muhammad Sarwar Shaheed, the first Nishan-e-Haider recipient, is being observed. Captain Muhammad Sarwar demonstrated indomitable courage and valour in defence of motherland and embraced martyrdom at Tilpatra in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) in 1948 The Armed Forces of Pakistan, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee and services Chiefs have paid glowing tribute to Captain Muhammad …

The Foreign Office has stated that there will be no talks with those who conduct terrorism in Pakistan. At the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday reacted to media reports of Special Representative Asif Durrani’s visit to Kabul. “This is the same advice to those who advise negotiations with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan,” the spokesperson said. Furthermore, …

The Senate has passed the Pakistan Army Act (Amendment) Bill 2023.Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had introduced the bill to further amend the Army Act. According to the bill, a person who, in an official capacity makes an unauthorized disclosure of information obtained in the interest and security of Pakistan, will be punished with rigorous imprisonment for up to five years. …

Pakistan Ambassador to China, Moin ul Haque on Thursday invited the Chinese drone manufacturers to move in Pakistan and set up unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) / drone industry and production units in the special technology zones which were being set up in the country. The present government is offering special incentives and tax exemptions with a focus on civil application …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping will attend the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the FISU World University Games on Friday in Chengdu, capital city of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Xi will declare the Games open. The ceremony will be broadcast live by China Media Group, and Xinhuanet will provide a live broadcast in photos and text.

CHENGDU: The 31st FISU World University Games, which was postponed twice due to COVID-19 concerns, is set to open on Friday in Chengdu, capital of southwest China’s Sichuan Province. Chengdu will become the third city in the Chinese mainland to host the biennial Summer Universiade, following Beijing in 2001 and Shenzhen in 2011. The Universiade, which runs from July 28 …

XICHANG: China launched a Long March-2D carrier rocket on Thursday to place a remote sensing satellite group composed of three satellites in space. The three satellites of the Yaogan-36 family were launched at 04:02 a.m. (Beijing Time) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in the southwestern province of Sichuan and entered the preset orbit. This mission is the 480th flight …

ISLAMABAD: The ongoing and incoming development projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have a huge potential to transform Pakistan’s infrastructure and economy, a Pakistani official said. Pakistan’s Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal made the remarks while addressing a two-day international conference here on Tuesday. CPEC, a flagship project of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), …

ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday met with senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi to discuss enhancing bilateral cooperation in various fields. Erdogan asked Wang, director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, to convey his sincere greetings to Chinese President Xi Jinping, adding that Türkiye and China are …

BEIJING: China’s role in propelling South-South cooperation was commended by participants at the EMDC (emerging markets and developing countries) Development and Cooperation Beijing Forum. With the theme of “Promoting Solidarity And Cooperation, Building Momentum For Growth,” the forum held in Beijing on Tuesday assembled over 300 representatives from governments, industry associations, think tanks, media organizations, and businesses globally. “Cooperation between …

FUKUOKA, Japan: Qin Haiyang earned his second breaststroke title and then guided China to their first mixed 4x100m medley relay victory at the World Aquatics Championships on Wednesday. The 24-year-old added the men’s 50m breaststroke gold medal to his 100m triumph two days ago. America’s Nic Fink, the defending champion, took silver and Qin’s compatriot Sun Jiajun finished third. After about …

BEIJING: From watching football training at a primary school to talking with Chinese boxers in a gymnasium, it is not hard to see that Chinese President Xi Jinping attaches great importance to sports. “Sports are an important means for improving people’s health, meeting people’s aspirations for a better life and facilitating well-rounded human development,” said Xi, also general secretary of …

JOHANNESBURG: Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Tuesday called for joint efforts to address global security challenges. He made the remarks at the 13th Meeting of BRICS National Security Advisers and High Representatives on National Security in Johannesburg, South Africa. BRICS is an acronym for five emerging economies …

CHENGDU: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, inspected southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Tuesday and Wednesday. He visited the site of a section of an ancient road system known as “Shudao” in Guangyuan City and the Sanxingdui Museum in Deyang City, respectively. Xi learned about efforts in historical and cultural heritage inheritance and ecological …

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov spoke via telephone on Wednesday and discussed bilateral issues, including the Black Sea Grain Initiative (BSGI), according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In recognition of the importance of the BSGI initiative as well as its potential impact on disrupting global food supply chains, resulting …

A joint session of the Parliament on Wednesday approved amendments to the Election Act 2017, granting the caretaker government powers to take actions or decisions regarding ongoing bilateral or multilateral agreements and projects. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Murtaza Javed Abbasi presented the Elections (Amendment) Bill, 2023. Sub-clauses 1 and 2 of Section 230 of the election act related to the functioning …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said reforms are needed in order to ensure economic growth in Pakistan. Addressing a ceremony of distributing laptops and cheques in Karachi, PM Shehbaz said the government has developed a plan to push Pakistan towards economic growth. “Despite all the challenges, Pakistan has averted potential default. Now, we need to introduce basic reforms for economic …

Dear Khawaja Asif, we listened to what you said about several PTI women leaders in the National Assembly but unfortunately, we’re not surprised. Your sexism is showing again, not that you ever made any great efforts to hide it. You’re quite the repeat offender a certain tractor trolley remark instantly comes to mind and you’re never repentant. Most of your …

Sindh MPA Muhammad Aslam Abro’s brother and nephew were shot dead on Wednesday after unidentified assailants opened fire on their vehicle in Phase 7 of Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA). South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Asad Raza said that the vehicle that came under attack belonged to Aslam but he was not travelling with his brother and nephew. He …

The federal cabinet on Wednesday approved the National Adaptation Plan 2023 which is aimed at protecting communities that are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change. The cabinet approved the plan on the recommendation of the Ministry of Climate Change. An official handout from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that under the plan, the government, along with other …

Punjab Police has set forth a bold proposal to implement a substantial increase in driving license fees, aiming to generate additional revenue and enhance road safety measures. The Inspector General (IG) Punjab has recently forwarded a summary to the provincial government, seeking approval for the proposed fee hike across various categories of licenses. If the proposal garners the necessary approval, …

Star opening batter, Abdullah Shafique displayed a phenomenal performance in the second Test match against Sri Lanka at Sinhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground. The right-handed batter made a record-breaking maiden double-hundred in the first innings of the match to help the national side post a formidable lead. With this remarkable innings, the 23-year-old batter became the highest run-scorer among opening …

Imran took TikTok by storm, gaining nearly 3 million followers on the social app within 24 hours of making an account. But this was clearly not the end of it as the former Prime Minister’s follower count continued to skyrocket with more social media posts. Now Imran Khan has become the most followed political leader on TikTok with 6.7 million …

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) Wednesday released a detailed report on the devastating loss of life and property caused by the recent monsoon rains across Pakistan. According to the report, since June 25, a staggering 150 people have tragically lost their lives in various accidents directly related to the heavy rains, while 233 individuals have been injured across the …

Misbah-ul-Haq, the head of the PCB Technical Committee, has been actively engaging with various cricketers to join the committee. Sources privy to the development said that former cricketers such as Inzamam-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Mohammad Hafeez, Rashid Latif, and Azhar Ali have been in talks with him. While some of them have expressed interest and sought time to consider becoming members …

The 12-member medical board of the Lahore General Hospital has submitted its report to the Punjab government in the incident of alleged torture of the administrative officer of the Islamabad Judicial Complex on his minor domestic worker. Meanwhile, the Islamabad police has contacted the Sargodha police in the case. They have recommended they be handed over the probe into the …