Author: i2wtc

An aerial drone photo taken on July 4, 2025 shows visitors on-board the aircraft carrier Shandong anchored in Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong, south China. (Photo by Pu Haiyang/Xinhua)HONG KONG, July 4 (Xinhua) — The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) celebrated the 28th anniversary of the city’s return to the motherland with a significant visit from a fleet of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy, led by China’s first homegrown aircraft carrier Shandong.Since November 2024, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy has made three visits to Hong Kong, deploying a range of vessels, including aircraft carriers, amphibious assault ships,…

Listen to article KARACHI: At least 11 people died and several others sustained injuries, when a dilapidated five-storey residential building collapsed in the Lyari neighbourhood of Karachi on Friday morning, police and witnesses said, with rescuers searching through the rubble for trapped victims. The incident happened in Lyari’s Baghdadi, near the Lea Market, just before 11am. Witnesses said that the building, which had already been declared as “dangerous” by the authorities concerned, turned into a pile of rubble within minutes, creating scenes of panic and chaos in the area. Nearby residents rushed to save their neighbours before rescuers took over to remove…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Friday reacted cautiously to the Russian decision recognising the Afghan Taliban government, saying the matter was between the two sovereign states. “We have seen the news about Russian recognition of the government in Kabul,” said Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan at a weekly news briefing. “Russia is an important country in the region. It has legitimate security interests in this part of the world and is also friends with all countries in the region. Pakistan enjoys very warm and cordial relations with Russia,” he added. “Both countries are maintaining the positive trajectory and further expanding…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday pitched a new package before foreign donors for up to Rs10.5 per unit reduction in prices on additional use of electricity by industrial and agricultural sector consumers to boost demand, which had dipped by one-fifth due to unaffordable prices. The Minister for Power, Sardar Awais Laghari, shared the broader contours of the Industrial Support Package (2026-28) with over a dozen representatives of international development organisations to seek their diplomatic support to reduce prices. The package appeared to be gaining traction with lenders, but their observations centred on the sustainability of the increase in demand…

A China-Europe freight train passes through an inspection system for large-size containers at Horgos railway port in Horgos, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Dec. 25, 2024. (Xinhua/Chen Shuo)URUMQI, July 5 (Xinhua) — Xinjiang in northwest China is seeing increased vitality across the board as the region accelerates efforts to build core areas of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) through broader opening-up.The 2025 (China) Eurasia Commodity and Trade Expo recently concluded in Urumqi, the regional capital. The five-day fair was one of the latest examples of Xinjiang’s increasingly open and dynamic development, attended by 1,800 exhibitors from 50 countries…

Listen to article Foreign Office Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan stated that cross-border terrorism remains the central challenge in its ties with Afghanistan, asserting that India is actively ‘patronising terrorism ‘ in Afghan territory. In a weekly briefing on Friday, he said Pakistan has repeatedly raised concerns over terrorist sanctuaries in Afghanistan posing grave threats to regional stability. “Counter‑terrorism remains a sticking point,” he noted, accusing India of “patronising terrorism against Pakistan.” Khan also condemned the BJP government’s demolition of over 500 shrines in Uttarakhand as evidence of rising Islamophobia. He described the act as “another demonstration of the virulence with which the…

Pakistan had real-time knowledge of Indian Army’s movements during Operation Sindoor, underscoring the military’s preparedness and vigilance, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Friday. The revelation came after Indian Deputy Army Chief Lt General Rahul Singh admitted India’s military defeat in the operation, further complicating India’s already failed attempt to cover up its humiliation. Lt Gen Singh’s statement, made two months after the operation’s failure, included baseless accusations against Pakistan, claiming that its success was the result of foreign support from China and Turkey. However, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) rejected these allegations, instead reaffirming that Pakistan’s…

A staff member conducts inspection of the first train of the “Zheng He” Sea-Road-Rail International Multimodal Transport Service at Tengjun International Land Port in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, July 4, 2025. The train left Kunming on Friday. After arriving in Vientiane of Laos via the China-Laos Railway, the goods will be transported to Thailand, Singapore and Bangladesh through other three routes. (Xinhua/Peng Yikai)An aerial drone photo shows the first train of the “Zheng He” Sea-Road-Rail International Multimodal Transport Service waiting for departure at Tengjun International Land Port in Kunming, capital of southwest China’s Yunnan Province, July 4,…

Listen to article The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued the long-awaited schedule for Senate elections in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Punjab, setting July 21 as the polling date for several seats that have remained vacant due to delays stemming from an incomplete electoral college. According to an official notification, polling for seven general seats, two reserved seats for women, and two for technocrats and ulema from K-P will be held on July 21 at the provincial assembly building in Peshawar. The elections had earlier been scheduled for April 2, 2024, but were postponed after the K-P Assembly speaker refused to…

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met with Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian on Friday on the sidelines of the 17th Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) Summit held in Khankendi, Azerbaijan. During the meeting, the two leaders reviewed ongoing bilateral cooperation across all sectors and expressed satisfaction over the progress made on decisions taken during their previous meeting aimed at further strengthening Pakistan-Iran relations. The two leaders also discussed the evolving regional situation in light of Israel’s unjustified aggression against Iran. PM Shehbaz appreciated President Pezeshkian’s leadership and commended Iran’s decision to exercise restraint and pursue a ceasefire during the recent crisis. Reiterating Pakistan’s…