The Lahore High Court (LHC) has set aside orders to keep a Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) member’s name in the Fourth Schedule, it said in a written verdict issued on Saturday. The Fourth Schedule of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 (ATA) is a list of individuals placed under observation by the government on suspicion of their involvement in terrorism or sectarianism. Today, …

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday strongly rebuked Afghanistan for “neglecting its duties as a neighbouring and fraternal country”, and for disregarding vital obligations made in the Doha peace agreement, specifically its commitment to prevent the use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities. The minister’s statement comes just a day after the armed forces of Pakistan voiced their “serious concerns …

Istalif, Afghanistan: Twice a month, Noor Agha Faqiri lights up the kiln at his small workshop around 50 kilometres (30 miles) northwest of the Afghan capital to fire a fresh batch of pottery. Faqiri is one of dozens of potters in Qarya-e-Kulalan (potter’s village) in the picturesque Istalif district, but many have ceased production since the Taliban’s return to power …

TIANJIN: To achieve carbon reduction and improve energy efficiency, Tianjin has pushed forward the comprehensive transformation of its iron and steel industry chain in recent years. Iron and steel producers are encouraged to reform their energy mix, upgrade technology and develop hydrogen-fuelled transportation. The iron and steel enterprises still in operation in Tianjin have all completed the ultra-low emission transformation. …

JAKARTA: Wang Yi, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, on Friday urged actions to stabilize relations between China and India. Such a relationship is an important consensus between leaders of the two countries, Wang told Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on the sidelines of a series of ASEAN foreign ministers’ meetings. Wang said common …

BEIJING: Here are the latest Chinese sports headlines from the past week: Hangzhou Asian Para Games medals unveiled with 100 days to go With 100 days to go before the Hangzhou Asian Para Games, the design of medals were revealed on July 14 at an event held at Fuyang Water Sports Center. The medals, named “Osmanthus Grace,” draw inspiration from …

JAKARTA: Senior Chinese diplomat Wang Yi on Friday called on the East Asia Summit to make efforts to safeguard regional peace and stability given profound changes in the international and regional situation. While attending the 13th East Asia Summit Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, Wang, director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, said the East Asia Summit is …

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari have reached a consensus on the appointment of a caretaker set-up for the highly anticipated upcoming general election. The breakthrough occurred during a meeting between top guns held in Dubai. According to sources privy to the matter, the meeting between Nawaz Sharif …

HARBIN: The images of a wild Siberian tiger have been captured recently in the Muleng forest area in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, local authorities said on Wednesday. In the footage, the tiger walked leisurely in front of the camera. Zhao Yue, a research assistant at the Feline Research Center of the National Forestry and Grassland Administration, said that the wild …

BEIJING: Chinese Vice President Han Zheng met with Jose Vinals, chairman of Standard Chartered Group, on Friday in Beijing. China and Britain are highly complementary in trade and enjoy broad prospects for economic and trade cooperation, Han said. He said that China is committed to the path of reform and opening up, building a market-oriented, law-based and internationalized business environment, …

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) has called for an emergency meeting in Dubai on Sunday to discuss and finalize the schedule for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. As per details, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) delegation, along with representatives from other council member countries, will be participating in the meeting after returning from South Africa. ACC President Jay Shah will …

The anti-corruption court (ATC) in Lahore has summoned DIG Jails for not executing the robkar (release order) of former Chief Minister Punjab, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi – in a case of illegal appointments in the Punjab Assembly. The court has directed the DIG to appear before it on July 19, expressing dissatisfaction with the superintendent of prisons for violating court orders. …

Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari have reached a consensus on the appointment of a caretaker set-up for the highly anticipated upcoming general election. The breakthrough occurred during a meeting between top guns held in Dubai. According to sources privy to the matter, the meeting between Nawaz Sharif …

WhatsApp, the Meta-owned instant messaging platform, will introduce yet another update offering millions of its users to disseminate their messages to a larger but specific audience. Its latest feature will allow users in Singapore and Colombia to create broadcast channels to “share updates with their followers”, Yesterday, the WhatsApp for iOS 23.14.74 update was released on the App Store,” the …

Alia Bhatt is set to make history as the first female lead in a film from Yash Raj Films’ spy universe, as per Variety. The production for the film, in which Bhatt will portray a “super agent,” is expected to begin in 2024. A trade source told Variety: “Alia is one of the biggest superstars of our country today and she …

Drizzle is expected to drench the port city and adjoining areas tonight, and on Saturday night, while the rest of Sindh’s weather will remain hot and humid, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Friday. Sindh districts including Qambar Shahdadkot, Jacobabad and Larkana will likely receive isolated dust with thunderstorm and light rain during the evening and/or night. Meanwhile, drizzle …

As the instances of sexual abuse of children rise in Pakistan, the Punjab interior department has recently revealed that more boys become victims of such crimes than girls in the country’s largest province. A report based on data from January to June 15, 2023 reveals that in less than six months, 1,390 child abuse cases were reported in the province. …

The premier’s remarks came during the groundbreaking ceremony of the plant, which is expected to be completed in seven to eight years, costing around $3.48 billion. The prime minister witnessed the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the C-5 project between the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC)and the China National Nuclear Corporation Overseas Ltd (CNOS) last month. Addressing …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has called for additional measures to be implemented in Pakistan in order to increase the tax net and achieve the revenue target of Rs 9,415 billion for the fiscal year 2023-2024. One of the proposals put forward is to bring new sectors, such as construction and agriculture, into the tax net. The inclusion of these …

Pakistan LNG Ltd (PLL) received a bid from commodities trader Trafigura at $23.47 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) for an LNG import tender to be delivered on January 3-4 and at $22.47/mmBtu for delivery February 23-24, a source with knowledge of the matter said on Friday. In June, Pakistan issued two tenders seeking spot liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes …

Pakistan will draw $5.6 billion in financing, Bloomberg News reported on Friday, an amount that includes inflows from Saudi Arabia and the UAE that have been deposited in the country’s central bank. Inflows from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are not part of this financing. The funding “includes $3.7 billion of commitments from bilateral partners including Saudi Arabia and the …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said that Pakistan’s new $3 billion loan programme would anchor the country’s immediate efforts to stabilise the economy and ensure that the current balance of payments need was fulfilled. Earlier this week, the global lender’s executive board green-lit the nine-month standby arrangement (SBA) in order “to support the authorities’ economic stabilisation programme”. The board …

The Cybercrime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday said it has arrested nine suspects and booked 19 others for allegedly blackmailing citizens through loan-giving mobile applications (apps). The development comes a day after the agency launched an investigation into the death of a man in Rawalpindi who purportedly ended his life due to “threats” made by loan …

Nine months before a general election, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have dusted off a potentially divisive plan to enact a common set of personal laws for all, irrespective of religion. Currently, India’s Hindus, Muslims, Christians and large tribal populations follow their own personal laws and customs, alongside an optional secular code, …

The armed forces of Pakistan have “serious concerns on the safe havens and liberty of action available to” the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Afghanistan, the military’s media affairs wing said in a statement on Friday. The Inter-Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) statement came following Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir’s visit to Quetta Garrison where he was briefed on …

Islamabad police registered a first information report (FIR) on Friday of the alleged rape of a woman at one of the hiking trails of the capital’s Margalla Hills. The FIR was registered on the complaint of the rape survivor under Section 376 (punishment for rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code at Islamabad’s Kohsar police station in the early hours of …

An elderly runner from northeast China fulfilled his late wife’s wish to keep running. BEIJING, July 13 (Xinhua) — Slim, wearing a worn-out cotton jacket under the sizzling sun, an elderly runner caught everyone’s attention at a marathon held in May in Changchun, northeast China’s Jilin Province. Xi Zhanyu, who is approaching 70, has kept the old jacket with him …

BEIJING: The central parity rate of the Chinese currency renminbi, or the yuan, strengthened 209 pips to 7.1318 against the U.S. dollar Friday, 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 …

JAKARTA: China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) have vowed to advance their comprehensive strategic partnership at the China-ASEAN (10+1) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting held here Thursday. China and ASEAN have actively implemented the purposes and principles of the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), and expanded mutually beneficial cooperation on all fronts, blazing the right path …

BEIJING: China’s electricity consumption, a key barometer of economic activity, recorded steady growth last month, boosted by the overall recovery of the country’s economy, official data showed. Total power use in China rose 3.9 percent year on year in June to 775.1 billion kilowatt-hours, said the National Energy Administration. Power consumed by the primary industries soared by 14 percent year …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in an address to the nation on Thursday, said the incumbent government would hand over the country’s reins to the caretaker set-up in August. PM Shehbaz had made a similar announcement yesterday as well, in which he declared that the term of his government would end on August 14. He, however, did not clear the confusion …

In today’s worldwide society, the media industry is crucial for shaping public opinion and disseminating information. But when a country like Pakistan faces a foreign exchange shortage, media businesses face significant difficulties. This opinion piece will look at these issues and potential solutions for Pakistani media companies that operate with limited access to foreign currency. For Pakistani media enterprises to …

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said on Thursday that 99 percent of work had been completed on the “much-needed” electoral reforms and hoped that an agreed-upon proposal would be drafted by the next week, Aaj News reported. He made these remarks while speaking to the media after the third parliamentary meeting on electoral reforms that examined 73 rectification proposals presented …

Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday said India’s unabated repression over the last seven decades has failed to break the will of Kashmiri people for the right to self-determination. At her weekly news briefing in Islamabad, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch urged the Afghan authorities to fulfill their promises that their soil will not be used for terrorism against Pakistan. …

The Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has launched a crackdown on online loan apps following the tragic suicide of a 42-year-old man named Muhammad Masood from Rawalpindi. The FIA spokesperson on Thursday confirmed that two offices of loan apps located in Sector G8, Islamabad, were raided and subsequently sealed. Laptops and computers were also seized as …

The Supreme Court has finally fixed for hearing the Practice and Procedure Act case, as well as the one against trials of civilians in military courts. The Supreme Court will hear the Practice and Procedure Bill case on July 21. The apex court has issued an injunction on the implementation of the law until a decision on the case. An …

Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) members including Awn Chaudhry and Nauman Langrial have submitted their resignations from their positions as assistants to the prime minister. Awn Chaudhry and Nauman Langrial were part of the federal cabinet, but they later joined IPP. The move comes on the heels of the direction by IPP President Aleem Khan. Aleem Khan reaffirmed that the IPP had …

Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi is making a return to the red ball cricket in the two-match Test series against Sri Lanka at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota. What makes this return more exciting is the milestone in line, as the star seamer is just one wicket away from becoming the 11th pacer from Pakistan to record a …

Cristiano Ronaldo’s love for watches is no secret, and taking his passion a step further, he is buying a stake in Chrono24 GmbH the largest dedicated online marketplace for luxury watches. The football star’s investment will likely benefit him in another way, giving him exposure to the second-hand market for luxury watches. “As a long-term watch collector and regular user …

Three soldiers of the Pakistan Army tragically lost their lives on Wednesday while engaged in combat against heavily armed terrorists in Balochistan’s Sui District,the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement. The operation, which was underway at the time, resulted in the successful elimination of two terrorists, said the Pakistan army’s media wing. According to the ISPR, on July …