Author: i2wtc

JIUQUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang will carry out the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight mission, and Zhang Lu will be the commander, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference on Thursday. The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:44 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, said Zhang Jingbo, spokesperson of the agency.A press conference on the Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceflight mission is held in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Ma Jinrui)Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu (C),…

Summary proposing polling date will be forwarded to president of Pakistan for approval once voter rolls final GILGIT: As Gilgit-Baltistan heads toward general elections, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Raja Shahbaz Khan on Tuesday said the voter registration process was nearing completion, with the total number of registered voters expected to reach nearly one million in line with the 2023 census. “We will have nearly two hundred thousand additional voters this time,” the CEC said, drawing a comparison with the 2020 elections. He said the current assembly would complete its constitutional term on November 24, after which an interim government would…

Merck on Thursday reported third-quarter earnings and revenue that topped estimates as it saw strong demand for its cancer immunotherapy Keytruda. The drugmaker also narrowed its full-year profit outlook to reflect lower estimated tariff costs, among other factors.Sales of Keytruda topped $8 billion for the first time in a quarter, rising 10% from the same period a year ago. Revenue from the drug of $8.14 billion came in just slightly under the $8.24 billion analysts were expecting, according to StreetAccount estimates. The results come as Merck slashes $3 billion in costs by the end of 2027, and prepares to offset revenue…

LAHORE: “Since my childhood, I observed that females face serious challenges in society, especially regarding their right to health,” says Mahnoor Omer, a young lawyer and activist who has taken a bold legal step against what she calls institutional discrimination toward women in Pakistan. Speaking on Express News Morning Show, she said, “If we have licences to practise law, then why not use them to challenge the injustices women face every day?” Her remarks come as the Lahore High Court (LHC) admits a landmark petition filed by her, challenging heavy taxation on sanitary pads — a move that has sparked national…

With high vehicular emissions and industrial pollution, the metropolis has fallen under a blanket of deadly airA biker, though without helmet, wears a mask on a dusty and windy day in the port city on Wednesday. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/express KARACHI: Although the arrival of autumn has become synonymous with the smog season in much of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, little attention is paid to the quality of air in the industrial hub of the country, where high vehicle and industrial emissions have polluted the atmosphere. Air pollution in Karachi has become such a serious issue that even the Auditor General of…

Chinese President Xi Jinping is warmly welcomed by senior South Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, upon arriving at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025. Xi landed in Busan on Thursday to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, and pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of ROK President Lee Jae-myung. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)BUSAN, South Korea, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Busan on Thursday to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, and pay a state visit to South Korea.Upon…

On the orders of a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC), the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has blocked Aleema Khan’s computerised national identity card (CNIC), while the Director General of Passports has blocked her passport. The State Bank of Pakistan has also frozen her bank accounts in compliance with the court’s directives. The orders were issued earlier on October 24, when the Rawalpindi ATC directed the Director General of NADRA to block Aleema Khan’s CNIC, instructed the Director General of Passports to block her passport, and ordered the Governor of the State Bank to freeze all her bank accounts. The…

The Google corporate office at The Hub building in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 16th, 2025. Beata Zawrze | Nurphoto | Getty Images The news cycle barely stopped to breathe today.First, Trump meets Xi.U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, during which he struck a 1-year rare earths agreement with China and lowered fentanyl-related tariffs on Beijing to 10% from 20%, effective immediately.China, in return, will resume buying soybeans and other agricultural products from America, Trump added.Second, interest rates.The U.S. Federal Reserve lowered rates by 25 basis points, as expected by traders. But Chair…

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government has deferred the implementation of up to 45% agriculture income tax for one year and restored the old low rate of 15% on the ground that new rates cannot be enforced with effect from January this year. The restoration of the old rate means that the agriculture sector, which has one-fourth share in the national economy, will hardly contribute a few billion rupees in income tax. Compared to this, revised calculations showed that the salaried class paid Rs575 billion in income tax in fiscal year 2024-25. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori promulgated an ordinance to defer…

Many passengers with tickets, complete documents are stopped from leaving for work The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has made it mandatory for people travelling abroad for employment to obtain verification from a government officer. Hundreds of passengers have been offloaded at Lahore Airport and other airports across Pakistan by the FIA immigration. Despite holding tickets worth hundreds of thousands of rupees and complete travel and employment documents, many passengers have been stopped from leaving the country for work. Passengers say that, despite fulfilling all legal requirements, they are not being allowed to travel, resulting in significant financial losses. “We have…