The Lahore High Court has approved the protective bail of former prime minister Imran Khan in seven terrorism cases for two weeks. A two-member bench headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi heard the protective bail pleas. The protective bail was granted in cases filed in various cities, including Rawalpindi, Faisalabad and Mianwali. Earlier, the court upheld the objection of the …

President Dr Arif Alvi on Tuesday said Pakistan offered the world a valuable window to Gandhara civilization with its unique blend of ancient history, and the Buddha’s message of peace and compassion. “In today’s world where hatred is on the rise and increasing polarization is fueling conflicts, it’s time to rediscover the role of cultural diplomacy to promote dialogue among …

The International Monetary Fund has approved Pakistan’s external financing plan. For the release of its bailout package, the IMF had asked Pakistan to provide it the external financing plan. Then the Ministry of Finance sent the $8 billion financing plan from the friendly countries to the IMF as per its requirement. The meeting of the IMF Executive Board will be …

Zeenat Aman, in her 50th Instagram post, revealed that she inspired fans to stop dye their hair after making her debut on social media. Taking to her Instagram, Zeenat shared a cute picture flaunting her gray hair. He wrote a long but encouraging note, asking his followers to be confident in their natural selves. She wrote: “Grey weather, gray hair …

“Tomorrow, IMF board meeting will be held; Pakistan may get up to $1.2 billion from IMF; market sentiment will remain positive in coming days,” he said. With sky-high inflation and foreign exchange reserves insufficient to cover a month’s worth of controlled imports, analysts say Pakistan’s economic crisis could turn into a debt default in the absence of an IMF bailout. …

At least six people, including five Mexicans, died in a helicopter crash on Tuesday, officials in Nepal said, opening an investigation and recovering the bodies. The civil aviation regulator said the cause of the crash near Likku, just northeast of the capital Kathmandu, was still unknown, but the government would set up a committee to investigate the crash. The helicopter …

Shehroz Kashif, a Pakistani mountaineer, faces extreme weather in her attempt to conquer the world’s highest mountain, but her biggest challenge is securing the necessary funding. Kashif, at 21, was aiming to become the youngest person to summit all peaks above 8,000 meters in Pakistan and Asia this year. Everest alone cost him about $60,000, and summiting all 14 “super …

HONIARA, Solomon Islands,: Forging diplomatic relations with China is one of the most significant decisions the Solomon Islands has made over the last 45 years since its independence, Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare has said. Sogavare made these remarks in a recent interview with Xinhua, ahead of his official visit to China starting on Sunday, his second …

KATHMANDU: The Confucius Institute at Kathmandu University has trained nearly 50,000 Chinese-language professionals for Nepal since its inception 16 years ago, as the university voiced readiness on Monday to do more to promote cultural exchanges between the two countries. The institute has not only opened Chinese language courses at universities, colleges and primary and secondary schools in Nepal, but also …

ISLAMABAD: This year, Pakistani farmers and laborers are happy to get a bumper harvest of Chinese red chilies and expect to get good profits as the yield is double that of other varieties of pepper available in Pakistan. The project is part of a large-scale agricultural cooperation between Pakistan and China in the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor …

ANKARA/ISTANBUL: Türkiye will support Sweden’s joining NATO if the European Union (EU) revived membership talks with Ankara, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday. “First, let’s pave the way for Türkiye in the EU, then let’s pave the way for Sweden, just as the case with Finland,” Erdogan told reporters before leaving for Vilnius, Lithuania, where he will attend the …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday met with visiting Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko in Beijing.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday afternoon met with visiting Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands Manasseh Sogavare in Beijing. The two sides jointly announced the official establishment of a comprehensive strategic partnership featuring mutual respect and common development for a new era.  

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday instructed authorities to make foolproof arrangements for handling a flood-like situation in the Ravi, Chenab and Sutlej rivers. The directives come as many cities in Punjab are expected to receive spells of heavy rain over the next 24 to 48 hours, while Chenab and Ravi rivers will be flooded due to an incessant downpour …

Lahore’s Special Court (Central) on Monday acquitted Suleman Shehbaz, son of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a Rs16 billion money laundering case registered with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Suleman, who returned to Pakistan in December 2022 after four years of self-exile in London, was accused in the money laundering case registered with the FIA while the National Accountability Bureau …

British-Pakistani reporter Saima Mohsin is suing CNN for “unfair dismissal and discrimination” after she was severely injured while on assignment, it emerged on Monday. In a tweet, Mohsin said, “I was injured on assignment for CNN. They fired me. “We risk our lives in the field trusting we’ll be taken care of,” she said, adding that she was suing the …

Three Islamabad courts extended on Monday PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s interim bail in 11 cases till July 19. The cases were among 16 registered against Imran for allegedly inciting violence, defaming institutions and violating the law, in which he had earlier secured an extension in interim bail on June 19. The PTI chief arrived at the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) to …

Global rating agency Fitch on Monday upgraded Pakistan’s long-term foreign currency issuer default rating (IDR) to ‘CCC’ from ‘CCC-’, citing the country’s improved external liquidity and funding conditions following the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a nine-month Stand-by Arrangement (SBA) in June. Pakistan had secured the badly-needed $3bn short-term financial package from the IMF last month, …

BERLIN: A German lawmaker has accused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) of fighting a proxy war against Russia by supplying military aid to Ukraine. “If we picture this conflict as a game of chess, then NATO is looking for pawns that can be sacrificed if need be, to secure a better position,” Sevim Dagdelen, a member of Germany’s lower …

BEIJING: The Chinese Table Tennis Association (CTTA) on Monday announced China’s squad for the Hangzhou Asian Games, featuring star players like Wang Chuqin, Fan Zhendong, Ma Long, Sun Yingsha and Chen Meng. In an announcement, the CTTA said that, based on the latest International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) world rankings from July 4, China’s coaching group took into consideration players’ …

GUIYANG: Luo Wenmei, a resident of Qingshan Village in southwest China’s Guizhou Province, felt lucky to join the local project of planting Sichuan pepper in the mountainous area which used to suffer from stony desertification. “I can earn more than 2,000 yuan (about 277.57 U.S. dollars) a month by planting the pepper,” said Luo, who was excited to see how …

BEIJING: China’s consumer price index (CPI), a main gauge of inflation, came in flat in June compared with the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday. The figure was lower than the 0.2-percent increase in May. In breakdown, food prices rose 2.3 percent from a year earlier while prices of non-food items edged down 0.6 …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a congratulatory letter to the first high-level conference of the Forum on Global Action for Shared Development. In his letter, Xi said transformation of the world unseen in a century is unfolding at a faster pace, the world economy is struggling to recover and the global development agenda is facing challenges. “To …

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has identified a mega-scandal of clearing imported goods without the required documents. The goods, worth $80 million (over Rs220 billion), were cleared by forgery and deception. FBR has formed a three-member team to probe into the scam. The team will get to the bottom of how the goods were cleared without the required documents …

England beat Australia by three wickets in a nail-biting third Test at Headingley on Sunday to keep the five-match Ashes series alive. Harry Brook and Chris Woakes shared a crucial partnership of 59 that took England to the brink of victory before Brook fell for 75 to Mitchell Starc (5-78). The recalled duo of Woakes (32 not out) and Mark …

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) Amir Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the PDM was a movement, and now it is no longer needed. He made the remarks in an informal conversation with senior journalists in Peshawar on Tuesday. He said that the PDM was formed to counter the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government and to ensure that …

After India released approximately 185,000 cusecs of water from the Ujh Barrage into River Ravi, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Sunday issued a warning regarding the possibility of “low-level floods” in the region. “Considering previous records (sic) approximately 65,000 cusecs is expected to reach within [the] next 20-24 hours,” the disaster management authority said, citing the Pakistan Commissioner …

Promising young Polo player Ilyas’s two timely goals and a goal scored by star player Miraj guided Chitral to a comfortable 7-5 victory against Gilgit Baltistan (GB) by claiming the Shandur Polo Festival 2023 title. The trilling freestyle game was played at the world’s highest Polo ground, situated on Shandur Pass in the Upper Chitral district on Sunday. The final …

JIUQUAN: China on Sunday sent a new test satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China. The satellite was launched by a Long March-2C carrier rocket at 7 p.m. (Beijing Time) and entered the planned orbit. It will carry out test missions for satellite internet technologies. The launch was the 478th flight mission of the Long March …

NANCHANG: Tucked away in Chenjiafan Village in the suburbs of Jingdezhen, a world-famous “porcelain capital” in east China’s Jiangxi Province, Denis Naymark’s studio stands in a league of its own, showcasing exquisitely crafted works of art. Within his studio, one can marvel at plates adorned with ocean wave patterns, teapots with octopus and coral reef-shaped decorations…The creations by Naymark are …

At least six people lost their lives while another 10 were injured on Sunday after a three-storey building located on the Grand Trunk Road in Punjab’s Jhelum collapsed due to a gas cylinder explosion, officials said. Jhelum Deputy Commissioner Samiullah Farooq, speaking to Geo News, said six people were confirmed dead while 10 injured were recovered so far and admitted …

Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman on Sunday urged all public and non-government organisations to remain “vigilant and ready” as heavy rains with thunderstorms are expected across the country over the next 24 to 48 hours. The estimated number of people that may be impacted by rains, she said, was 0.9 million. “The highest amount of rainfall will be in Punjab’s …

The first thing you notice about eight-month-old Manahil Zeeshan is how tiny she looks on the adult-size hospital bed at the government-run Sindh Institute of Child Health and Neonatology (SICHN) in Karachi’s Korangi district. Her right foot is taped with a cannula, and she whimpers incessantly. “I have been in and out of the hospital for the last seven days,” …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday strongly condemned what he said was a social media campaign regarding an assassination attempt on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, and expressed the resolve to “crush all conspiracies” against Pakistan and state institutions. According to a statement released by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier said similar thinking was done …

More than a dozen people were killed in northern India over the last two days as heavy rainfall continued to lash parts of the country, Indian media reported on Sunday. Indian media reported that the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to extremely heavy rain for New Delhi, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Punjab and occupied Kashmir. The report …

ISLAMABAD: Health experts on Sunday encouraged youngsters to play their active role for a noble cause of ‘Blood Donation’ awareness drives with social media platforms to overcome the common myths in backward areas of the country and urged stakeholders to invest in upgrading the existing infrastructure. District Health Officer Dr. Zaeem stressed that there was a need to educate the …

The unethical activities and disorder of some undisciplined teachers in COMSATS University Vehari campus are on the rise and they have turned the premises into a center of immoral activities, claimed students seeking anonymity. Improper and unethical behavior of some teachers has put the future of students at stake. In COMSATS University Vehari Campus, the bad language of a few …

WhatsApp is rolling out a new sticker suggestion feature for beta testers. The update, version 2.23.14.16, is being released through the Google Play Beta Program. Stickers were introduced on WhatsApp in 2018, allowing users to import packs associated with specific emojis. Now, WhatsApp is introducing a sticker search feature to beta testers. The latest update includes a sticker tray above …

LUANDA: Construction started Wednesday on a primary school donated by Sinohydro, a Chinese company, in the rural area of Xangongo, in Angola’s southern province of Cunene. The school, named “Eko” after the community, is expected to be completed by the end of this year. It will feature 12 classrooms and can accommodate 840 students in two shifts. During a ceremony …

CHONGQING: A conference on minimally invasive and non-invasive medicine was held in southwest China’s Chongqing Municipality. Over 500 experts from more than 20 countries and regions have been invited to share their insights, firsthand experiences, and achievements at the Fifth Yangtze International Summit of Minimally Invasive and Noninvasive Medicine, which opened on Saturday. The two-day event is organized by the …