Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has landed in Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, to attend the twin summits of the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) and SCO Plus, scheduled for July 3 and 4. He was received warmly by his Kazakh counterpart Oljas Bektenov at the airport. The prime minister was accompanied by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister …

LANZHOU: Wearing a white lab coat and a face mask, Chadian man Tidjani Daoussa follows the instructions of a Chinese technician as he learns to operate refining and hydrogen production equipment. Daoussa, 32, is an employee at N’Djamena Refinery Co., Ltd., a Chad-based joint venture between China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Chad’s state-owned oil company. He joined the company …

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping said here on Wednesday that China and Kazakhstan are companions on the path to modernization. Xi said that he and Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev agree that both China and Kazakhstan are at a critical stage of development and revitalization. The two sides will continue to carry forward the fine tradition of mutual support, deepen political …

DUSHANBE: China-Tajikistan relations have reached new heights, with strategic leadership of the two heads of state playing a key role, Chinese Ambassador to Tajikistan Ji Shumin said in a recent interview with Xinhua. China is willing to work together with Tajikistan to comprehensively implement the consensus reached by the two heads of state and benefit both countries and their peoples, …

BEIJING/DUSHANBE: “I am filled with joy and expectations to visit the home of a good neighbor and good brother during this crisp fall season,” Chinese President Xi Jinping said in his signed article published in Tajik media ahead of his first state visit to the country in 2014. In this midsummer, Xi’s third state visit to Tajikistan will surely write …

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China and Kazakhstan have established a unique permanent comprehensive strategic partnership. Xi made the remarks in a written statement upon his arrival in Astana for a state visit to Kazakhstan, where he will also attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). …

Various natural remedies can help manage the symptoms of anxiety. These include exercise and relaxation activities, using supplements or CBD oil, and spending time with animals. Anxiety is among the most common of mental health issues. In the United States, more than 19% of adults are affected by anxiety disorders yearly. They face symptoms such as nervousness, agitation, tension, a …

Pakistan has been included among the qualifying teams for the World Cup 2026, the International Cricket Council said. The list of the qualifying teams for the T20 World Cup 2026 has been published. “Pakistan qualified directly for World Cup 2026 based on better ranking,” ICC said. The International Cricket Council (ICC) 12 teams qualified directly for the T20 World Cup …

Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi Tuesday launched a strong critique against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that the statements he made in the Lok Sabha were truthful. Gandhi’s comments followed the Speaker’s decision to expunge several parts of his speech, which addressed issues concerning minorities, the NEET examination controversy, and the Agnipath scheme. “In Modi ji’s world, truth can …

Zia Rasheed renowned as Pakistan’s tallest man standing at an impressive 8 feet (244 cm) –  passed away on Tuesday in his hometown Vehari after a prolonged battle with illness. He was 30 years old. Zia, who became a national figure due to his extraordinary height, attracted significant attention and admiration from people across the country. His funeral prayer was …

Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association has announced a nationwide strike from July 5 and Islamabad will close petrol pumps across the country, demanding government to withdraw advance tax decision immediately. Pakistan Petroleum Dealers Association Chairman Abdul Sami Khan in a press conference on the budget said that 0.5 percent advance turnover tax has been imposed in budget while advance turnover will …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif landed in Dushanbe on Monday for a two-day official visit to Tajikistan, where he was warmly welcomed at the airport by his Tajik counterpart Kokhir Rasulzoda, Tajik Minister of Energy and Water Resources Daler Juma, and Tajik deputy minister of foreign affairs. As the prime minister reached the Qasr-e-Millat Palace, he was warmly received by President …

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman approved introducing the Yo-Yo fitness test for players’ selection in the team. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi approved team selection including regional contracts has been made subject to fitness tests. Test, international and national cricketers must pass all fitness tests including the Yo-Yo test and athletes will also have to pass the push-ups test along with …

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Tuesday rebuffed the recommendations of the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention regarding PTI founder Imran Khan’s release and said the former premier’s detention was an “internal matter”. In an opinion made public a day ago, the working group held that Imran’s prosecution and detention in the cipher and one of the two …

Justice Aalia Neelum has been nominated as the first woman chief justice of the Lahore High Court. The Judicial Commission of Pakistan, chaired by Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa, unanimously approved her nomination on Tuesday. During a significant session of the Judicial Commission, the name of Justice Neelum was put forward and received unanimous approval, marking a milestone in the country’s …

Renowned Pakistani model and actress Sarwat Gillani has candidly shared her experience with postpartum depression, shedding light on a topic often shrouded in silence. During a recent appearance on a private TV show, Gillani discussed the emotional and mental challenges she faced following the birth of her third child, a daughter. A video clip of her heartfelt revelation has since …

Hearing the reserved seats case of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC), the Supreme Court (SC) examined whether the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) committed a constitutional violation. Justice Athar Minallah remarked that the election commission had itself committed a serious violation of the Constitution, and questioned if, as guardians of fundamental rights, it was the court’s responsibility to correct it. …

Pakistan and the Afghan interim government have re-established contact in Doha, Qatar. The Pakistani and Afghan delegations met at the residence of the Pakistani ambassador in Qatar, where they participated in discussions facilitated by the United Nations during the Afghan conference. As per reports, Pakistan’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Asif Durrani met with the spokesperson of Islamic Emirate of …

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Kazakhstan on Tuesday for a state visit and to attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. This is Xi’s fifth visit to Kazakhstan and the second one in less than two years, following his previous state visit in September 2022. The visit this time …

GAZA: At least 14 Palestinians were killed on Tuesday by Israeli attacks targeting several areas in the Gaza Strip, said Palestinian sources. Security and medical sources told Xinhua that eight people were killed and more than 30 others were injured with varying injuries as a result of Israeli missile and artillery shelling that targeted various areas of the cities of …

ASTANA: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Tuesday that China and Kazakhstan have established a unique permanent comprehensive strategic partnership. Xi made the remarks in a written statement upon his arrival in Astana for a state visit to Kazakhstan, where he will also attend the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). …

ASTANA: About one year ago at the 23rd meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), Chinese President Xi Jinping raised a question to the global community: Unity or split, peace or conflict, cooperation or confrontation — these are the questions raised again by our times. As leaders of the SCO prepare to meet …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Tuesday morning for the 24th Meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, and state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan at the invitation of President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of the Republic of Kazakhstan and President Emomali Rahmon of the Republic of Tajikistan. Xi’s entourage includes …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping’s upcoming state visits to Kazakhstan and Tajikistan will further boost China’s relations with the two countries, foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said Monday while briefing the media on the visits. Kazakhstan is China’s friendly neighbor and permanent comprehensive strategic partner, Mao noted, adding that since the establishment of diplomatic ties 32 years ago, China-Kazakhstan relations …

KABUL: Approximately 115,000 Afghan refugees have returned to homeland from neighboring Pakistan and Iran over the past one month, the country’s Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation has said. “In the past month, nearly 115,000 Afghan citizens have returned from Pakistan and Iran,” local media TOLOnews channel quoted Abdul Mutalib Haqqani, the spokesman of the ministry, as saying. Haqqani said cash …

RAMALLAH: Hussein Al-Sheikh, secretary general of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization, arrived in Doha on Monday to hold official talks with the Qatari leadership regarding the latest developments in the Palestinian territories. According to a statement released by his office, al-Sheikh met Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Qatari Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. …

The Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has announced to increase local oil and gas production. As per details, the OGDCL’s spokesperson said that the Nashpa field, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has seen an increase in oil and gas reserves. As a result, an additional 330 barrels of oil and 77 million cubic feet of gas are being produced …

The government has increased regulatory duty on hundreds of imported items in the fiscal year budget 2024-25. According to the Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO), the regulatory duty has been increased on various items ranging from 5% to 55% under Finance Bill 2024, including: Milk and cream (25%), Yogurt, butter, and nuts (20%), Natural honey (30%), Dates, figs, pineapples, and oranges …

Jamaat Islami has announced protest sit-in in Islamabad against over-billing and power loadshedding on July 12, on Monday. Ameer Jamaat Islami Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman has claimed that 1,000 people have died in the ongoing heatwave, but K-Electric didn’t reduce loadshedding of electricity in Karachi. “It has been 19 years to privatization of the power utility but its line losses …

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has expressed satisfaction with the recent measures taken by the Pakistan government, paving the way for a new loan program, on Monday, citing finance ministry sources. As per details, Pakistan hopes to secure a new IMF loan program in July as the budget 2024-25 prepared under IMF conditions has also been approved, fulfilling one of …

The government, acting on the recommendations of the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), has instructed the Ministry of IT and Telecom and the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) to accelerate the digitization of procurement and other government functions. To facilitate this, all government agencies will process procurements through the Cloud Services Procurement Framework. The Managing Director of PPRA has been …

Gippy Grewal, a well-known Indian actor and singer of Punjabi films, has reportedly arrived in Pakistan to promote his latest film. This is not Grewal’s first visit to the country, however. Last year, Grewal, along with Binnu Dhillon and Karamjeet Anmol, travelled to Pakistan to promote their film, Mojan Hi Mojan. During the same trip, the three artists also visited …

Pakistan’s Atif Butt emerged victorious in his first ever Tekken 8 tournament held at the prestigious CEO 2024 on Sunday in Daytona Beach, Florida. We made it to the Esports World Cup with winning my first ever Tekken 8 tournament CEO! See you all in Riyadh! Atif defeated Keisuke by a score of 2-0 in the semi-final and Doujin by …

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Cyber Crime Circle Monday launched an investigation against YouTuber Hasan Iqbal on a complaint launched by the Punjab Commission on the Status of Women’s ‘anti-education’ video. A video has gone viral on social media in which women’s education was opposed as YouTuber Iqbal Chishti claimed that girls danced in schools and colleges and also condemned parents …

India and Pakistan Monday exchanged the lists of civilian prisoners and fishermen in each other’s custody under provisions of the bilateral Agreement on Consular Access 2008, under which the lists are exchanged every year on January 1 and July 1. India has shared the lists of 366 civilian prisoners and 86 fishermen in India’s custody of Pakistan prisoners. Pakistan has …

Justice Ayesha Malik of the Supreme Court on Monday declared that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) holds the reins of the formula for the allocation of reserved seats, granting it the authority to declare any candidate as an independent candidate. As part of a 13-member full-court SC bench hearing the Sunni Ittehad Council’s (SIC) plea against the Peshawar High …

NEW DELHI: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) announced on Sunday a monetary award of 1.25 billion Indian Rupees (about 15 million U.S. dollars) for the country’s cricket team for winning the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup. The World Cup tournament, organized by the ICC, was co-hosted by the U.S. and the West Indies. …

ISLAMABAD: As the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) entered the second phase, a Pakistani expert said that Pakistan and China are all set to pool efforts to reinvigorate and upgrade CPEC for socio-economic development, taking the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership to new heights. CPEC, a flagship project of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), is one-of-a-kind to transform the economic …

BEIJING: With the Communist Party of China (CPC) celebrating its 103rd founding anniversary on July 1, the CPC is set to unveil a new round of deep and comprehensive reforms to better serve China’s 1.4 billion people. On July 15, the CPC will convene the third plenary session of its 20th central committee in Beijing, with a host of reforms …

ISLAMABAD: As the June sun waned behind clouds and a gentle breeze whispered across a small lake in Pakistan’s east Sahiwal district, ducks emerged with renewed vitality, gliding effortlessly through the cool water, and the air, alive with rustling leaves and distant bird calls, mingled with the sweet scent of blooming flowers. The lake, the trees whirling in the wind …