ISLAMABAD: In 2024, countries with more than half the world’s population—over four billion people—will send their citizens to the polls. But many elections are not fully free and fair. Some of these will have no meaningful influence on governments. Economist Intelligence Unit grades countries out of ten according to the state of their democracy and categorizes them from authoritarian regimes to …
KARACHI: The benchmark index of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its record-breaking rally and crossed the 61,000 milestone on Wednesday. According to the PSX website, the KSE-100 index struck 61,412.41 points at 10am, up 682.15 or 1.12 per cent from the previous close of 60,730.26. According to analysts, the rally in stock prices witnessed since the beginning of 2023-24 …
ISLAMABAD: In a first, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has formally inaugurated a mediation centre — a forum for Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) — that would not only reduce the backlog of 18,500 cases in the IHC and over 52,000 cases in the district courts but also provide swift and inexpensive justice to litigants. The inaugural ceremony was held at …
LAHORE: The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has intensified its election groundwork nationwide, opting to entrust election campaigning responsibilities to the youth and minority communities, as announced by the party’s leadership. PML-N Senior Vice President and Chief Organiser Maryam Nawaz has directed the Muslim Students Federation (MSF) and Minority Wing of her party to intensify the campaign nationwide for the upcoming …
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has scheduled PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s appeal against his conviction in the Avenfield Apartments and Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption cases as well as those filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for hearing on Wednesday (today). An IHC division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb will hear them. In July …
ISLAMABAD: In a rather surprising development, former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday picked Barrister Gohar Khan as his candidate for the post of chairman in the intra-party polls – a role he has held since the party’s formation over two decades ago. The announcement came late in the day after much confusion and a sense of conflict creeping into …
BEIJING: In August, amid heavy rains, I traveled to the residence of Leena-Kaisa Mikkola, the Finnish Ambassador to China, for an interview. Recent downpours across China have heightened public attention on climate change, underlining the relevance of our discussion that day. Upon entering, I was immediately drawn to a photo of the ambassador’s sons playing in a vast field, illustrating …
BEIJING: How can such a burgeoning industry accelerate its transition to green logistics services? A whole-process tracking of the warehousing, packaging, delivery and recycling of an express packaging box by People’s Daily may offer a glimpse into the efforts. At 11:15 a.m. on Nov. 5, a woman surnamed Wang who lives in Dongxihu District, Wuhan, capital of central China’s Hubei …
BEIJING: It was a land of mystique and wonder in times of old. Nestled in the western frontier of China, it unfolds with a grandeur that left anyone who visits it spellbound — snow-clad mountains, lush forests, vast deserts, and emerald oases, each a vivid stroke in a masterful painting. Bortala Mongolian Autonomous Prefecture is situated in northwest China’s Xinjiang …
ISLAMABAD: A no-confidence motion submitted to the Senate led to Senator Saifullah Abro’s ouster as the chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on Power, an official statement notified on Tuesday. In a significant turn of events, the motion moved by senators Bahramand Khan Tangi, Manzoor Kakar, Sana Jamali, Hafiz Abdul Karim, and Dilawar Khan, under Senate Rules garnered unanimous support …