BAGHDAD: The US-led international coalition against Islamic State jihadists has “finished its combat mission” in Iraq, the country’s National Security Adviser Qassem al-Aaraji said on Twitter Thursday. Iraqi interior ministry media official General Saad Maan also told a press conference that “the coalition will have completely finished the transition to a non-combat mission before the end of … Read more
NANNING: The 4th China-ASEAN Industrial Design and Innovation Forum was held in Liuzhou City, south China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region on Wednesday, organizers said. The forum aimed to further promote industrial design innovation and exchange between China and countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and establish a cooperation platform for scientific and … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Chinese scientists have developed a targeted delivery system that can bring gene-editing tools to colon cells, offering a precise cure for inflammatory bowel disease. The study, published on Thursday in the journal Science Advances, reported a CRISPR-Cas9 prodrug nanosystem that can transport a gene-editing protein exclusively to inflammatory lesions in … Read more
GOMA, DR Congo: Three UNHCR staff members were injured in an attack in the east of DR Congo, the UN’s refugee agency said. “Unidentified attackers opened fire on a UN convoy that was travelling in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo,” the UNHCR said in a statement. “Bullets struck a vehicle… and three staff members … Read more
BEIJING, Dec 9, 2021 (AFP) – China warned Western nations on Thursday they would “pay the price” for a diplomatic boycott of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics. Washington announced its boycott earlier in the week, saying it was prompted by widespread rights abuses by China and what it sees as a “genocide” against the Muslim Uyghur … Read more
BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — Futuristic self-driving vehicles– representing a new way of life behind the wheel — went into on-road commercial trial in late November in Yizhuang of Beijing. The feat is a major leap by China into developing its autonomous vehicle industry. The trial operation area in Yizhuang, also known as E-Town, registered … Read more
KARACHI: The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) on Thursday conducted a raid at the Karachi seaport on a tip-off and recovered 96 kilogramme drugs. The ANF spokesperson said the drugs were adeptly concealed in towels. He said the drugs were booked in the name of an exporter identified as Cargo IB Trader. The cargo was being sent … Read more
An Azerbaijani soldier has died in a shootout with Armenian forces, officials in Baku said Thursday, two weeks after the arch-foe countries held talks on easing tensions following their war last year. The ex-Soviet Caucasus neighbours fought last autumn a six-week war over the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh which has claimed more than 6,500 lives. … Read more
SEOUL, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) — South Korea’s health authorities on Thursday asked teenagers to receive COVID-19 vaccine amid the rising infection cases of minors. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement that it strongly recommends the vaccination of teenagers as the number of confirmed cases continued to grow among unvaccinated … Read more
Pakistan Navy on Thursday released a special video to commemorate the golden jubilee of historic Hangor Day, showing the success of the submarine Hangor during the 1971 war against the enemy. Read more: Pakistan successfully test-fires surface-to-air missiles According to the spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy, Hangor Day is a reminder of the unmatched courage … Read more
South Korea’s health authorities said on Thursday that it will administer the COVID-19 booster shot to foreign nationals as it recognizes the full vaccination outside the country. The Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) said in a statement that it improved the policy about the recognition of full vaccination status for foreign nationals. Under … Read more
KARACHI: As the Dubai real estate market staged a strong recovery this year, its prime areas remained in demand throughout the year because of their strategic locations, modern infrastructure and affordable rates, according to Zoom Property Insights. The latest data compiled by the property portal showed that Dubai Marina, Business Bay and Jumeirah Village Circle are … Read more
EU mobile phone users will continue to enjoy free roaming across Europe for mobile phone calls and web surfing until 2032, negotiators agreed on Thursday. Since 2017, the abolition of roaming charges has been one of the most popular reforms for EU consumers, allowing Europeans to use their national mobile plans throughout the EU at … Read more
PARIS: A growing number of countries are taking on gig economy giants like Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo by giving their workers, who are routinely treated as freelancers, full employment rights. With the European Union executive tabling new proposals on Thursday to clear up the grey area, here is a snapshot of recent decisions shaking up the … Read more
Being in the news at all times, TECNO never ceases to amaze the fans. The brand recently launched its Camon 18 series which seems to be doing really well in the market. With its cutting-edge technology and stylishly designed phones, the brand is making it big in the Pakistani market. TECNO’s new TVC featuring Ahmed … Read more
Italy’s antitrust authority said Thursday it had fined Amazon 1.1 billion euros ($1.3 billion) for allegedly abusing its dominant position in e-commerce logistics, the latest action against US Big Tech in the EU. Amazon’s dominant position in the Italian marketplace “has enabled it to favour its own logistics service… with sellers active on the Amazon.it … Read more
BEIJING: Consumer inflation in China picked up to its highest level in over a year in November, official data showed on Thursday, bolstered by an uptick in pork prices as seasonal demand spiked. The consumer price index (CPI), a key gauge of retail inflation, came in at 2.3 per cent on-year according to the National Bureau … Read more
MUMBAI: Twitter’s new CEO Parag Agrawal is the latest alumnus of India’s prestigious technical universities appointed to head a multi-billion-dollar US tech firm, and Shivani Nandgaonkar wants to follow in his footsteps. The 22-year-old student at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Agrawal’s alma mater, has already been recruited by Google to become one of the … Read more
BUFFALO: The ballots have been cast and, on Thursday, employees of three Starbucks cafes in New York state will learn whether they have created the first unions at outlets owned by the retail coffee giant in the United States. The move to unionise by baristas and shift supervisors, in the face of fierce resistance from … Read more
KARACHI: The Bank Alfalah Islamic, Pakistan’s premier financial institution providing Shariah-compliant consumer financing products, has joined hands with Grand City Kharian, a project of Eurobiz Corporation, to facilitate the customers in fulfilling their dream of buying their own house, a statement said. The signing ceremony took place at the Grand City’s office in Phase 6, … Read more
KARACHI: Zong has partnered with The Star School in Okara’s Wasawewala locality to set up a digital lab in the school, a statement said. In pursuit of its “let’s go digital” mission, Zong will facilitate the school with a computer lab for digital and curriculum learning, it added. “The digital lab in Wasawewala School is … Read more
LAHORE: The net metering connections will be initiated next month, a power utility official said. Speaking at a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) chief executive officer Chaudhry Muhammad Amin said that the industries were the first priority of the power utility. LCCI senior vice president Mian Rehman … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday said the Kashmir dispute had made South Asia a hostage. “We tried our best to hold talks with India over the issue of Kashmir, however, India construed our efforts for peace as weakness. We hope that there will come a government in India with which could resolve issues … Read more
LAHORE: Minister for Industries and Commerce Mian Aslam Iqbal on Wednesday directed expediting the process of colonisation of industrial estates. Chairing a meeting, he said, the economy could grow only by accelerating the pace of industrial development. The minister said he would personally visit industrial estates to check on the ground situation of development works … Read more
KARACHI: Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association President Shakir Umar Gujjar on Thursday rejected the milk price set by Karachi Commissioner Iqbal Memon through a notification. Shakir Gujjar said the Karachi commissioner had issued the notification without agreeing to the recommendations of stakeholders. “This is the commissioner’s one-sided notification. We request him to withdraw the notification … Read more
ISLAMABAD: National Security Adviser (NSA) Dr Moeed Yusuf claimed that Pakistan was no longer in the business of offering military bases, but its economic bases were open for all. In an interview with the BBC World News programme, Hard Talk, on Wednesday, Dr Yusuf reiterated that an unstable Afghanistan could give birth to a refugee … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Economic Affairs Omar Ayub Khan commended the government of China for hosting the 15th session of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC) on economic, trade, scientific and technical cooperation after a gap of 11 years. The virtual meeting of the JEC was co-chaired by Ren Hongbin, vice minister of China and Mian … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan-China bilateral trade and Pakistan’s exports to China are both running at record levels for the year to-date, a Chinese official said. The economic and trade cooperation between China and Pakistan are mutually beneficial and has delivered tangible benefits to the people of the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said … Read more
