LAHORE , March 14, 2023: A heavy contingent of the Islamabad police on Tuesday had a clash with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) workers and supporters outside party chief Imran Khan’s Zaman Park residence. A number of people gathered on Canal Road despite obstructions put up by police hours earlier. The police team from the capital city reached Lahore to arrest …

SHEIKHUPURA, March 14, 2023: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice president Maryam Nawaz said on Tuesday that her party had geared up to win elections.” Addressing a convention, Ms Nawaz lavished praise on the PML-N supporters, saying, “The passion of the workers is forcing me to contest elections from Sheikhupura. Reminding the deposed premier about “making a case against the …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2023: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Haji Ghulam Ali on Tuesday finally announced that elections to the provincial assembly would be held on May 28. The governor announced the date while speaking to media here after a meeting with President Arif Alvi at the Aiwan-i-Sadr. The governor expressed the hope that the elections would be held in a …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2024: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry appreciated the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for not succumbing to pressure for delaying elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The former information minister made the dramatic political volt-face weeks after he secured bail in a sedition case filed against over criticism of ECP boss and members over …

SHEIKHUPURA, March 14, 2023: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah vowed on Tuesday to put Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to the test. Addressing the participants, Mr Sanaullah took a jibe at Mr Khan, saying, “Imran Khan is responsible for spreading incitement in the country.” If Imran will not be contained through the power of vote, then the country might have …

Tourists have fun in cole flower fields in Ziliu Village of Shimeitang Township, Changde City, central China’s Hunan Province, March 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) Tourists have fun in cole flower fields in Ziliu Village of Shimeitang Township, Changde City, central China’s Hunan Province, March 14, 2023. (Xinhua/Chen Sihan) Tourists have fun in cole flower fields in Ziliu Village of Shimeitang …

Web Desk , March 14, 2023:  Packed crowds, high-octane cricket and young talent taking the country by storm — the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) eighth edition has already established itself as a contender for the most exciting edition in the tournament’s history. The 30 league-stage matches had everything that a cricket enthusiast demands and the playoffs — that commence tomorrow …

HARBIN, March 14 (Xinhua) — Every time Wu Guifeng performs a ballad unique to the Hezhen ethnic group, as an inheritor of Yimakan storytelling, memories flood her mind of a rainy afternoon when her village welcomed President Xi Jinping. In May 2016, during an inspection tour in northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of …

BEIJING, March 14 (Xinhua) — China’s national legislature passed an amendment to the Legislation Law on Monday, aiming to promote high-quality development and guarantee good governance by improving the quality of legislation. The amendment was adopted at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC). The amended law will come into effect on March …

Web Desk, March 14, 2023: Meta Platforms Inc (META.O) is cutting off support for digital collectibles or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on its platforms less than a year after rolling it out, as the crypto market continues to spiral. “We’re winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses,” the social media …

Web Desk , March 14, 2023: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Masood Khan held a meeting with World Bank’s Vice President for the South Asia Region Martin Raiser in Washington D.C to advance cooperation between Pakistan and the World Bank in the development and climate response sectors. The Ambassador thanked World Bank for contributing 2 billion dollars towards flood …

LONDON , March 14, 2023: UK hospital doctors on Monday began a three-day strike over pay at the start of a week that will also see teachers, train staff and civil servants walk out, in the latest wave of industrial action. The doctors say years of below-inflation pay increases mean they have effectively had a 26 per cent pay cut …

KARACHI, March 14, 2023: Violent clashes erupted between the police and protesters after the latter gathered to demonstrate against an anti-encroachment drive in Gulistan-e-Johar on Tuesday. When officials of the anti-encroachment department and Karachi Development Authority (KDA) launched the operation in line with the orders of the Sindh High Court (SHC), shopkeepers staged protest in order to obstruct the operation. …

LAHORE , March 14, 2023: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claims to have arrested a human trafficker who was involved in the Italy boat mishap case. According to a spokesman, suspect Obaidullah, who was taken into custody from Gujrat, is the brother of principle accused Afaq. The arrested suspect used to receive money from Pakistan and send it to his …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2023: Three separate bills seeking to take away prime minister’s powers to retain retiring services chiefs and chairmen of the joint chiefs of staff committee have been submitted to the Senate Secretariat. The bills are the Pakistan Army (Amendment) Bill, the Pakistan Air Force (Amendment) Bill, and the Pakistan Navy (Amendment) Bill. Jamaat-i-Islami’s Senator Mushtaq Ahmad …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2023: A court in the federal capital suspended the non-bailable arrest warrants of PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in woman judge threat case. Additional Sessions Judge Faizan Haider Gillani suspended the warrants till March 16 after Imran Khan challenged the decision of a district and sessions court. A legal team comprising Advocate Naeem …

RAWALPINDI , March 14, 2023: Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has asked the government to take public into confidence over conditions laid forth by the US for providing aid to the cash-strapped Pakistan. The statement comes amid reports that Pakistan has approached the United States, seeking its help to secure funds from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) …

ISLAMABAD, March 14, 2023: The federal government has implemented a new policy for retaining gifts from Toshakhana, the state depository where gifts received by the government officials from foreign countries and dignitaries are kept. The development comes as the government, in a historic move, released the record of Toshakhana gifts since 2002 that revealed how the former rulers and bureaucrats …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2023: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime minister Shahid Khaqaban Abbasi claimed that recipients were the owners of the gifts presented to them by foreign countries or dignitaries and not the government. He stated this while talking to media outside Judicial Complex in Islamabad a couple of days after the federal government shared record …

WASHINGTON , March 14, 2023: US State Department spokesperson Ned Price stepped down on Tuesday after more than two years and will now take up a new position reporting to Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “Today was my final in-person press briefing. One person stands at the podium, but briefing requires assistance from many more. Thanks to my colleagues for …

ISLAMABAD , March 14, 2023: An Islamabad district and sessions judge has extended the physical remand of Shoaib Sheikh, chief executive of Axact, in a case of allegedly bribing a judge for acquittal in the fake degrees’ scam. The FIA arrested Shoaib Sheikh on March 9 for allegedly giving Rs1.5 million bribe to an additional district and sessions judge. It …

Web Desk, March 14, 2023: Cash-strapped Pakistan will need to pause debt repayments if it is unable to secure funding from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) quickly enough, according to the Bank of America (BofA). “Unless the payout comes through soon, a state of moratorium looks unavoidable” economists including Kathleen Oh wrote in a note the other day. “Whether and …

LAHORE , March 14, 2023: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf President Parvez Elahi said on Tuesday the Sharif family treated the Toshakhana gifts from 1990 to 2001 as its personal property while saying if the complete record of Toshakhana became public, it would create trouble for the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz. He said there was fear among the PML-N leaders after the rally of …

President Xi Jinping delivered a speech Monday morning at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s national legislature. Here are the highlights. Xi says people’s trust is biggest motivation for him to forge ahead President Xi Jinping said Monday that the people’s trust is the biggest motivation that drives him to …

KATHMANDU, March 13 , 2023: Newly elected President of Nepal Ram Chandra Poudel was sworn in on Monday to start his five-year term. Poudel was administered the oath of office and secrecy by acting Chief Justice Hari Krishna Karki at the Office of the President. He succeeded Bidya Devi Bhandri. Poudel, 78, won the presidential vote on March 9 as …

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered a speech Monday morning at the closing meeting of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC), the country’s national legislature.

LAHORE , March 13, 2023: In a major step to facilitate the cotton farmers, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday approved Rs 8,500 as the support price of the commodity. The prime minister directed to present the matter to the Economic Coordination Committee on priority. Chairing a meeting of the Agriculture Task Force, the prime minister urged the provinces to …

LAHORE, March 13, 2023: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz lambasted on Monday Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, saying the latter had acquired properties for his generations by selling the Toshakhana gifts. Addressing an event in Lahore, Ms Nawaz took a dig at the deposed premier over the electoral campaign, saying, “Imran Khan says that I …

ISLAMABAD , March 13, 2023: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld Zahir Jaffar’s death sentence in Noor Muqaddam’s murder case in the verdict it pronounced on Monday. A two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Sardar Ijaz Ishaq Khan announced the verdict the court had reserved on Dec 21. The court awarded two death counts to the …

ISLAMABAD, March 13, 2023: A district and sessions court in the federal capital on Monday restored the arrest warrants issued against PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case. Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal announced the verdict reserved earlier in the day after hearing arguments from the PTI chief’s lawyer. The judge turned down his exemption plea and ordered the …

LAHORE, March 13, 2023:Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said on Monday he had no trust on the incumbent government, which was why he urged the Supreme Court to provide him with security. Speaking to foreign media, the deposed premier claimed that there was a threat to his life from the prime minister and interior minister. Expressing his views over …

ISLAMABAD , March 13, 2023: The district and sessions judge in Islamabad on Monday turned down PTI chairman Imran Khan’s plea for exemption from appearance and issued his non-bailable arrest warrants in the judge threat case. The court, while hearing a case pertaining to extending threats to a woman judge by the PTI chief, said he would issue non-bailable arrest …

LAHORE, March 13, 2023: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Hamza Shehbaz will return to the country on Monday night in a bid to play an active role in his party’s electoral campaign. Sources privy to the development said in connection with the elections, Mr Shehbaz would be given a key responsibility get the PML-N leaders and workers active for …

BEIJING: For any China observer, the “two sessions” provide a chance not to be missed to get a glimpse of how its grand blueprint for modernization turns into policies and actions. With development and reform priorities reviewed and discussed by over 5,000 national lawmakers and political advisors ranging from farmers to state leaders, the annual meetings of China’s top legislature …

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — China will further expand opening up this year in alignment with high-standard international trade rules, and will open its door wider to the world with a better business environment and services, Premier Li Qiang said Monday. This year marks the 45th anniversary of China’s reform and opening up, which has not only developed China but …

JIUQUAN, March 13 (Xinhua) — China successfully sent a new remote sensing satellite into space from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, located in the country’s northwest region, on Monday. The remote sensing satellite was launched at 12:02 p.m. (Beijing Time) by a Long March-2C carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit successfully. The launch was the 466th flight mission of …

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang met the press after the closing of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress on Monday. ■ Chinese Premier Li Qiang meets the press after the closing of the first session of the 14th National People’s Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of …

Hangzhou, March 13, (Xinhua)– Farmers in Hangzhou now start harvesting Longjing tea leaves ahead of the Qingming Festival to produce the Mingqian (meaning “pre-Qingming”) tea, which is made of the very first tea sprouts in spring and considered to be of high quality. (Xinhua/Xu Yu) A farmer stirs and roasts fresh Longjing tea leaves in Longjing Village of Hangzhou, east …

ISLAMABAD , March 13, 2023: The federal government has declassified the Toshakhana gifts’ records since 2002 for the first time in country’s history. A 446-page record of Toshakhana gifts from 2002 to March 2023 has been released and it includes details of the gifts of the presidents, prime ministers and federal ministers. During the ongoing year, the incumbent government received …

CHANGSHA, March 13, 2023 (Xinhua)– The drill-through of the right-line tunnel, together with the left-line tunnel drilled through a year ago, means the construction of the main part of the two-way river-crossing passway is near completion.