China’s industrial output and retail sales grew at a faster-than-expected pace in August, but property investment slumped further and could drag on broader demand even as the recent flurry of support policies showed signs of stabilising the economy. Industrial output, released on Friday by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), rose 4.5% in August from […]
Read MoreBy Abid Hussain Islamabad, Pakistan – As Umar Ata Bandial prepares to hang up his robe on Saturday, ending his tenure as Pakistan’s 28th chief justice, his detractors and supporters say he will be remembered as one of the most polarising top judges in the country’s history, who leaves behind a “tarnished legacy”. The Lahore-born […]
Read MoreBy Bibek Debroy, Aditya Sinha The transformative potential of the India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) recalls the prescient observations made by Peter Frankopan in his seminal book, “The Silk Roads: A New History of the World.” Frankopan meticulously charts the historic relevance of trade routes, emphasizing their role not just in the exchange of goods, […]
Read MoreBy Peter Hoskins & Derek Cai BBC News Taiwan has told billionaire Elon Musk it is “not for sale” after he said the island was a part of China. “Listen up, Taiwan is not part of the PRC [People’s Republic of China] & certainly not for sale!,” foreign minister Joseph Wu said on Mr Musk’s […]
Read MoreBANGKOK, Sept 15 (Reuters) – Thailand’s Pita Limjaroenrat resigned on Friday as leader of the progressive Move Forward party, months after delivering a stunning electoral victory on an anti-establishment reform agenda that threatened to upend the political status quo. Riding on a wave of youth and urban support, Move Forward was the huge surprise of […]
Read MoreBY SANIYA SAKENOVA in EDITOR’S PICKS, INTERNATIONAL ASTANA – Kazakhstan remains steadfast in its commitment to strategic, multifaceted cooperation with all Central Asian countries, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said at the fifth Consultative Meeting of the Heads of State of Central Asia on Sept. 14, reported the Akorda press service. The President acknowledged the success of […]
Read MoreBy Apoorvanand Apoorvanand teaches Hindi at the University of Delhi. He writes literary and cultural criticism. A Muslim friend from a town in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh recently called, seeking counsel. His young daughter had told him the previous day that her friends refused to play with her any more – after […]
Read MoreKabul, Islamabad: The Torkham border crossing between Afghanistan and Pakistan reopened to pedestrians and vehicles early Friday, a senior official told AFP, more than a week after it was closed following a gun battle between frontier guards. “The clearance of trucks is in process and Afghan citizens are entering Afghanistan after clearance and passing immigration […]
Read MoreBy Edna Mohamed Climate-induced catastrophes have devastating global effects, from intense heatwaves to heavy rainfall. In 2023, record-breaking heatwaves hit much of continental Europe and resulted in wildfires and flash floods that took lives. In China, typhoons have forced school closures and evacuations. Meanwhile, in South Asia, rising temperatures and longer monsoon seasons are increasing […]
Read MorePakistan has a stockpile of approximately 170 nuclear warheads which could realistically grow to around 200 by 2025 at the current growth rate, according to top American atomic scientists. “We estimate that Pakistan now has a nuclear weapons stockpile of approximately 170 warheads. The US Defense Intelligence Agency projected in 1999 that Pakistan would have […]
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