Author: admin

The Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council on Thursday condemned Taiwan authorities led by Lai Ching-te for deliberately obstructing media exchanges between the two sides of the Taiwan Straits. Chen Binhua, a spokesperson for the office, made the remarks after Taiwan authorities announced the suspension of a Fujian-based newspaper and its parent organization from stationing reporters in Taiwan for “engaging in united front work.” Chen said the Lai authorities have been restricting and obstructing cross-Straits exchanges and cooperation since taking office. Now they are making baseless accusations against a mainland media outlet, he said. For over 20 years, the…

Beijing recorded 290 days of good air quality last year, the highest since monitoring began, the municipal ecology and environment bureau said Thursday. The number of days with good air quality in the national capital accounted for 79.2 percent in 2024, marking an increase of 19 days compared to the previous year and a significant rise of 114 days compared to 2013. Summer Palace in Beijing, China, September 25, 2024. /CFP The number of days with heavy air pollution dropped dramatically, from 58 in 2013 to just two in 2024, a decrease of 96.6 percent. Beijing’s average concentration of PM2.5…

Chinese Premier Li Qiang has called for efforts to ensure the effective implementation of policies and secure a good start for this year’s economic development during his inspection in the city of Jinan in east China’s Shandong Province. While conducting this inspection tour on Thursday, Li also stressed the need for efforts to implement policies as early as possible, seek fast progress with projects and ensure that measures yield tangible results. During a visit to a home appliance store, the premier said the government’s consumer goods trade-in scheme is of great significance to meet the needs of people for high-quality…

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife, Peng Liyuan, on Wednesday sent a New Year card in return to representatives of middle school teachers and students in the U.S. State of Washington, extending their New Year wishes. In the card, Xi and Peng said the year 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People’s War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War. During the Second World War, China and the United States fought together for peace and justice, and the friendship between the two peoples stood the test of blood and fire and…

RAWALPINDI: The sentences of as many as 19 convicts have been pardoned after they appealed for mercy, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Thursday. A total of 67 convicts have filed mercy petitions, of which 48 have been processed to Courts of Appeal, whereas, pleas of 19 convicts have been accepted purely on humanitarian grounds, in line with the law, added the military’s media wing. Noting that the remaining mercy petitions will be decided in due course of time, following the legal process, the ISPR said that the 19 individuals, whose appeals have been accepted, shall be released after…

Pakistan has successfully achieved its key tax targets set by the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The tax-to-GDP ratio has reached 10.8%, surpassing this year’s target of 10.6%. According to the Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Shahzad, this is the highest tax-to-GDP ratio recorded in the past four years. The tax target of Rs6,009 billion for the first half of the fiscal year was also achieved by 94%, he added. In the first half of the fiscal year, from July to December, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs5,624 billion in taxes, reflecting a 26% increase compared to the…

KARACHI  – Bulls continued to rule the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) as KSE-100 index surged to another historic high during intraday trading on Thursday. The benchmark 100 index gained 1,359.73 points to reach intraday high of 118,367.81 points compared to previous close of 117,008.08. The massive buying spree by traders comes amid expectations of economic stability in the country as the federal government has unveiled its ambitious plan to reform the national economy. On Dec 31, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated ‘Uraan Pakistan’ – a five-year national economic plan aimed at achieving sustainable development and economic stability. Addressing the gathering,…

The second round of negotiations between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will take place today at 3:30 PM in a closed-door session at the Parliament House, chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. This follows the first round of talks on December 23, which ended on a positive note with both sides expressing their willingness to continue discussions. According to reports, PTI has prepared a comprehensive charter of demands, which will be formally presented to the government team. The demands are reportedly based on the instructions of PTI’s founding chairman, Imran Khan, and include the release of…

Anti-Terrorism Court has suspended non-bailable arrest warrants issued against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in connection with a case registered in Hassan Abdal. The warrants were suspended following a petition filed by Muhammad Faisal Malik, Gandapur’s lawyer. The case concerns charges of arson and vandalism. The petition argued that the Peshawar High Court had already granted bail to Ali Amin Gandapur in all cases against him. The lawyer also submitted the Peshawar High Court’s order to the court. In response, the court suspended the arrest warrants and canceled the process of declaring Ali Amin Gandapur a proclaimed offender.

The Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker BYD has continued to gain momentum, closing the gap with Tesla as it aims for the top spot in global EV sales for 2024. With a notable surge in sales, the company sold 207,734 EVs in December, pushing its total for the year to 1.76 million vehicles. The December performance came as a result of strategic discounts and government-backed subsidies, which BYD said helped attract a larger customer base. The company’s total vehicle sales jumped by over 41% compared to the previous year, with much of the growth driven by its hybrid car models.…