Author: admin

By : Zheng Junfeng, CGTN High-speed trains and futuristic cityscapes often dominate global perceptions of China. Yet as millions of visitors arriving in Beijing, Shanghai and Chongqing under visa-free schemes, they discover something fascinating and more fundamental: an astonishing abundance of delicious, diverse and affordable food. It is a stark contrast to the cost-of-living crisis squeezing grocery budgets in many Western countries. Hosting the Green Agriculture Forum at Beijing’s third China International Supply Chain Expo gave me, a CGTN anchor, a privileged view. The expo underscored a critical truth: feeding 1.4 billion people remains China’s paramount challenge, no matter how…

Pakistan and China have agreed to launch joint vocational training programs in construction engineering, AI, agriculture, and hospitality management under CPEC’s second phase. During a high-level visit to China from July 6-12, 2025, led by Gulmina Bilal Ahmad, Pakistan’s NAVTTC Chairperson, both countries also initiated steps for mutual recognition of vocational certifications with Saudi Arabia and Oman. The delegation signed multiple MoUs with top Chinese vocational institutes, including agreements to establish the China-Pakistan High-Skilled Talent Training Center and the Huijiang Workshop. This collaboration aims to strengthen Pakistan’s skilled workforce and create new employment opportunities aligned with global market demands.

Buying momentum continued unabated at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), with the benchmark KSE-100 Index crossing the 135,000 level amid a gain of over 1,000 points during the opening hours of trading on Monday. At 9:35am, the benchmark index was hovering at 135,313.06 level, a gain of 1,013.30 points or 0.75%. Buying was observed in key sectors including automobile assemblers, cement, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs and refinery. Index-heavy stocks including MARI, OGDC, PPL, POL, PSO, SNGPL, SSGC, MEBL, NBP and UBL traded in the green.

AI-powered therapy chatbots may unintentionally stigmatize users with mental health conditions and deliver dangerously inappropriate responses, according to a new study by researchers at Stanford University. The study, titled “Expressing stigma and inappropriate responses prevents LLMs from safely replacing mental health providers,” is scheduled to be presented later this month at the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Fairness, Accountability, and Transparency. Led by assistant professor Nick Haber of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education and computer science PhD candidate Jared Moore, the research assessed five widely available chatbots using standard guidelines that define the traits of an effective human therapist. “These…

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast widespread rain across several parts of the country, including the federal capital, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 to 48 hours. The Met Office said that rain, accompanied by wind and thunderstorms, is likely in various parts of Islamabad, with some areas expected to experience heavy rainfall. “Partly cloudy weather is expected in the capital, however, isolated heavy spells may occur,” a spokesperson from the department said. On Sunday, rain was reported in Murree Mianwali, Attock, Jhang, South Waziristan and Swat. The change…

Television actress Maha Hasan has opened up about a traumatic experience from her early years, revealing that she was subjected to harassment as a child — a disclosure that has prompted widespread support and calls for more open conversations around child protection. Speaking in a recent interview on a private YouTube channel, the Ishqiya and Yunhi star shared a deeply personal account of abuse she faced at a young age, describing the incident as “terrifying” and one that left a lasting impact on her sense of self, faith, and understanding of the world. “When I was little, I was spoken to in the wrong…

Senior Indian actor and former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislator Kota Srinivasa Rao passed away at his residence in Hyderabad on Sunday morning. He was 83. The veteran actor, who celebrated his birthday just two days ago, had been ailing for some time, according to Indian media reports. Originally from Andhra Pradesh, Rao began his acting career in 1978 and went on to become one of the most prolific artists in Indian cinema. Over the span of more than four decades, he acted in over 750 films across multiple languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi. Renowned for his powerful…

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has lauded Pakistan’s economic stabilisation efforts and termed the progress under its climate reform agenda as commendable, urging the country to maintain prudent and forward-looking policies to ensure long-term sustainability. Addressing a seminar organised by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in Islamabad, IMF Resident Representative for Pakistan Mahir Binici said the country’s performance under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) has been “strong so far”. He described the successful completion of the first review by the IMF Executive Board in May as a “key milestone” in restoring macroeconomic stability. “Early policy measures have helped rebuild…

United States President Donald Trump has announced plans to send Patriot air defence systems to Ukraine, marking a significant shift in his administration’s stance on military aid to Kyiv. Speaking to reporters at Joint Base Andrews on Sunday, Trump said Ukraine “desperately” needed the Patriots, adding, “We will send them Patriots, which they desperately need. They’re going to have some because they do need protection.” The announcement comes as Trump’s administration increasingly signals discontent with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s unwillingness to negotiate a ceasefire. “Putin really surprised a lot of people. He talks nice and then he bombs everybody in…

At least 95 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes on Sunday, including an attack on a crowded Gaza City market and a water collection site in Nuseirat refugee camp, as the death toll in Israel’s military offensive surpassed 58,000, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. Seventeen people, including a prominent physician, Dr Ahmed Qandil, were killed in the market bombing, while a separate missile attack on a water point in central Gaza’s Nuseirat area left at least 10 people dead — seven of whom were children, local medical officials reported. The children were reportedly lining up to collect drinking…