LAHORE , March 30, 2023: Singer Ali Zafar has expressed his reaction to the malpractice in the distribution of free flour in the country. Actor and meme maker Shafaat Ali took to the micro-blogging website Twitter to express his views on the stampede, disorder and deaths during the distribution of free flour in the country. Shafaat Ali wrote that when …

KARACHI , March 30, 2023: China is working on a request from cash-strapped Pakistan to roll over a $2-billion loan that matured last week, a top finance ministry official told Reuters, amid a stalemate in bailout talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Such a rollover is critical for Pakistan, where foreign exchange reserves have dipped to just four weeks’ …

ISLAMABAD , March 30, 2023: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed grief over the martyrdom of four policemen including a DSP in a militant attack in Lakki Marwat. The sacrifices rendered by police officers and personnel in the war against terrorism were unforgettable, the premier said in a tweet while praying for the speedy recovery of those injured in the …

LAHORE, March 30, 2023: A Japan’s leading trading company has reportedly offered Pakistan to sell Russian oil and Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) to Pakistan at 35 per cent less than the global market’s prices. The Japanese company partners with an Irish company for the purpose. It is learnt that the representative of the Japanese company made this offer to …

RAWALPINDI , March 30, 2023: Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed claimed on Thursday that overseas Pakistanis were ready to give Rs20 billion donation for elections if the Supreme Court gave an assurance. In a series of tweets, the former interior minister said there would be “rule of jungle” in the country if the Constitution and laws were …

Web Desk, March 30, 2023: Twitter has blocked the Pakistan government’s account from being viewed in India in response to a legal demand, according to a notice on the social media platform on Thursday. The company’s guidelines compel it to withhold entire accounts in response to a valid legal demand, such as a court order. The account, @GovtofPakistan, remained available …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday ordered to halt proceedings on ongoing suo motu notices until rules for the procedure were made. A three-member bench, headed by Justice Qazi Faez Isa, issued the verdict at the outset of the hearing of a suo motu notice taken on awarding 20 extra marks to Hafiz-e-Quran. Two members of …

Tourists view cherry blossoms at the Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, capital of China, March 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Yin Dongxun) Tourists view cherry blossoms at the Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, capital of China, March 29, 2023. (Xinhua/Yin Dongxun) This photo taken on March 29, 2023 shows cherry blossoms at the Yuyuantan Park in Beijing, capital of China. (Xinhua/Yin Dongxun)

BOAO, March 29 (Xinhua) — Boao, a beautiful coastal town in south China’s island province of Hainan, boasts the permanent venue of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA), a non-governmental and non-profit international organization founded to promote regional economic development and cooperation. A small fishing village before, Boao now is a name card of Hainan. Since the founding of BFA …

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) — China’s centrally-administered state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have expanded effective investment in the first two months of 2023, said the country’s top state-asset regulator. During the January-February period, total investment by China’s central SOEs, excluding real estate, rose 5.6 percent from a year ago to 350 billion yuan (about 50.89 billion U.S. dollars), according to the State-owned …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: The National Assembly (NA) on Wednesday passed the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, meant to curtail powers of the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) to unilaterally take suo motu notice. Addressing the NA session, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar said the legislation was in line with the constitution as it did not affect …

KASUR , March 29, 2023: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Maryam Nawaz lambasted on Wednesday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, saying the latter had now become the biggest absconder in connection with the violation of law. Addressing a public gathering, Ms Nawaz said the nation will not let Mr Khan to rule the country again. She bashed …

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) — A meeting on the handling of proposals submitted at the first session of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), China’s top political advisory body, was held in Beijing on Wednesday. Shi Taifeng, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and vice …

BEIJING, March 29 (Xinhua) — A Chinese mainland spokesperson on Wednesday affirmed that Taiwan compatriots will enjoy real benefits after the country’s reunification. Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, said that after its reunification with the mainland, Taiwan may adopt a social system different from that of the mainland. Provided that China’s sovereignty, security, …

BENGALURU (India) March 29, 2023: With temperatures set to soar next month, Indian authorities need more resources and better preparation to deal with searing heat particularly for the most vulnerable communities around the country, a New Delhi-based think tank said. Analyzing 37 regional and federal heat action plans, the Centre for Policy Research found this week that the plans are …

SHANGHAI, March 29, 2023: China is ramping up efforts to develop home-grown semiconductor talent as it seeks to rapidly fill a shortage of expertise that has been made worse by U.S. efforts to limit Beijing’s access to advanced chip technology. Enrolments for undergraduate and post-graduate courses have surged over the past five years thanks to new funds for top universities …

SCOTLAND , March 29, 2023: Scotland’s new Muslim First Minister Humza Yousaf led Ramadan prayers with his family on his first night at Bute House, the historic home of power in Edinburgh. Taking to Twitter, Yousaf, 37, shared happy moments with his family and him leading prayers after iftar on Tuesday evening. He captioned the post saying it was a …

DUBAI , March 29, 2023: Pakistan’s star cricketer Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed have become the latest stars to be honoured with the Golden Visa by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Both players expressed their delight on receiving the honour and thanked the Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs of Dubai. Shadab Khan, who recently captained the national squad in …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: Yasra Rizvi is an ace Pakistani actor and poet. She began her acting career with theatre and then she switched to the television. Yasra Rizvi has performed in numerous hit Pakistani drama serials including Manto, Man kay Moti, Thora Sa Aasman, Wo Dobara, Aangan, Dil Na Umeed Tau Nahi and Dunk. Her recent claim to …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday resumed hearing of a constitutional petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and others regarding delay in elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) assemblies which were dissolved in January this year. A five-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the general elections in the country must be held simultaneously. Speaking to media here on Wednesday, he expressed apprehension if elections were held in phases, no one would accept results. Referring to the PTI plea in the Supreme Court on postponement of elections by the Election Commission of Pakistan …

LAHORE , March 29, 2023; The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday allowed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Shahbaz Gill to travel to the United States for four weeks. A three-member bench of the LHC headed by the Chief Justice heard the petition field against the inclusion of Shahbaz Gill’s name in the Exit Control Lists (ECL). The court has allowed …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday sought reply from the federal government over its action to bar the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) chief minister and the governor from taking regional police officials with them outside the region. IHC’s Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani heard a petition filed by GB chief minister and government against a notification issued …

RAWALPINDI , March 29, 2023: Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed came down hard on the government for targeting judiciary, saying it was pushing parliament and judiciary towards confrontation. In a series of tweets, the former interior minister said it was not new that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had attacked the judiciary. He said the government was …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: Minister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday said ex-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Iftikhar Chaudhry imposed “judicial dictatorship” in the country that was aimed at sabotaging the democracy and installing hybrid regime. Addressing the National Assembly (NA) session debating the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Bill 2023, he said the country was in …

ISLAMABAD , March 29, 2023: Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran Khan for threatening woman judge Zeba Chaudhry. The judge announced his decision after a short break during proceedings. The judge dismissed Imran’s plea for exemption from personal appearance and ordered him to appear before court on April 18. When proceedings resumed after a …

ISLAMABAD , March 29,2023: Judicial Magistrate Malik Aman on Wednesday issued non-bailable arrest warrant for Imran Khan for threatening female judge Zeba Chaudhry. The judge announced his decision after a short break during proceedings. The judge dismissed Imran’s plea for exemption from personal appearance and ordered him to appear before the court on April 18. When proceedings resumed after a …

LAHORE, March 29, 2023: An accountability court in the Punjab capital on Wednesday scrapped the reference against Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khawaja Salman Rafique owing to lack of jurisdiction and sent it back to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The judge announced the verdict reserved earlier in the day after hearing arguments on acquittal pleas filed …

KARACHI, March 29, 2023: The European Union (EU) has removed Pakistan from the “List of High-Risk Third Countries” after which Pakistani businesses and individuals will no longer be subjected to “Enhanced Customer Due Diligence” by the regionals body’s legal and economic operators. A statement issued by the Ministry of Commerce today said the EU authorities have removed Pakistan from the …

NANJING, March 28 (Xinhua) — A delegation led by former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou visited the Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Tuesday morning. Ma, also former chairman of the Chinese Kuomintang party, presented a floral basket to the statue of Sun Yat-sen who died in 1925. Then the delegation observed a minute of silence. Ma and …

BOAO, Hainan, March 28 (Xinhua) — Some 2,000 participants will attend the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA)’s annual conference, scheduled for March 28 to 31 in Boao, a coastal town in China’s island province of Hainan, BFA Secretary General Li Baodong said on Tuesday. Marking the first entirely offline annual conference of BFA since the COVID-19 outbreak, this year’s conference …

BOAO, Hainan, March 28 (Xinhua) — The weighted real GDP growth rate of Asia in 2023 is estimated at 4.5 percent, an increase from 4.2 percent in 2022, according to a report released by the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Tuesday. In the context of a global economic slowdown and the risk of increasing fragmentation of globalization, Asia is expected …

ISLAMABAD , March 28, 2023: The federal cabinet on Tuesday approved a draft bill, titled Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) bill 2023, to debate the legislation on judicial reforms in the parliament amid the Supreme Court’s (SC) under-hearing suo motu notice on holding elections in Punjab Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The debate heated up when two members of the apex court’s …

ISLAMABAD , March 28, 2023: Pakistan on Tuesday decided against participating in the Second Summit for Democracy being held by the US on March 29-30, 2023. Pakistan is among over 100 countries invited by US President Joe Biden to the summit. In 2021, Islamabad had politely refused to attend the moot without specifying any reasons. The summit was being considered …

ISLAMABAD , March 28, 2023: Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial has questioned whether the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has the authority to extend the date of elections. The CJP raised the question when the hearing of PTI’s petition against postponement of the Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa elections resumed on Tuesday. At the outset of the hearing, CJP …

LAHORE , March 28, 2023: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) decided on Tuesday to continue its mass contact campaign. After Lahore, the PTI had decided to stage more public gatherings during the month of Ramazan. In connection with the holding of more gatherings in Punjab, the PTI had decided to stage “power show” in Central Punjab and then in South Punjab. As …

ISLAMABAD , March 28, 2023: Prime minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday demanded the National Assembly to make legislation to reduce powers enjoyed by the chief justice of Pakistan. The premier made the demand while speaking in the National Assembly a day after Supreme Court’s Justice Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail raised objections over “one man show” powers …

LAHORE , March 28, 2023: The confirmation of financial support from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will lead to the signing of the staff level agreement (SLA) between Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), sources said. Sources told Dunya News that the IMF was awaiting the support confirmation from two countries. Finance and Revenue Minister Ishaq …

BEIJING: China is ready to work with Saudi Arabia to make all-out efforts to build a China-Arab community with a shared future in the new era and contribute more to peace, stability and development in the Middle East, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday. Xi made the remarks during his phone talks with Saudi Crown Prince and Prime Minister …

BEIJING:  China released a list of the top 10 archaeological findings of 2022 on Tuesday. A site dating back to the Paleolithic period, which includes ruins of ancient humans, animals and stoneware excavated in central China’s Hubei Province, is on the list. At this site, archaeologists have unearthed a fossilized skull, which is regarded as the most intact Homo erectus …