BEIJING: China said on Sunday its military spending would rise at the fastest pace in four years, warning of “escalating” threats from abroad at a meeting of its rubber-stamp parliament that will hand Xi Jinping a third term as president. The increase in the world’s second-largest defence budget came as Beijing announced an economic growth goal of around five per …

DOHA: Only a third of people in the world’s poorest countries can connect to the internet, the UN telecoms agency said on Sunday, but low-flying satellites could bring hope to millions, especially in remote corners of Africa. Tech giants including Microsoft have pledged to help populations hobbled by poor internet services to “leapfrog” into an era of online connectivity, with …

ISLAMABAD: The first regional estimate of the level of death registration completeness in Asia and the Pacific region has found 87 per cent of unregistered deaths in five countries, including Pakistan. Besides Pakistan, the other four countries are China, India, Indonesia and Bangladesh. More specifically, completeness exceeded 99.9pc in 10 countries and was below 50pc in South and Southwest Asia, …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan would “actively support” the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action, adding that the country would also advocate “specific steps” to advance sustainable development in least developed countries (LDCs). The prime minister made the remarks while addressing the fifth United Nations Conference (UN) on LDCs in Doha. According to the UN, Doha …

Afghan universities reopened on Monday after a winter break, but only men returned to class with a “heartbreaking” ban by the Taliban authorities on women in higher education still in force. The university ban is one of several restrictions imposed on women since the Taliban stormed back to power in August 2021 and has sparked global outrage — including across the Muslim …

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Monday said those behind the poisoning of schoolgirls in recent months should face “severe punishment”, according to his website. In total, several hundred cases of gas poisoning have been reported in more than 52 schools across Iran since the end of November, according to an official count. Female pupils have reported suffering symptoms such as …

South Korea announced plans on Monday to compensate victims of Japan’s forced wartime labour, aiming to end a “vicious cycle” in the Asian powers’ relations and boost ties to counter the nuclear-armed North. Japan and the United States immediately welcomed the announcement, but victims’ groups said it fell far short of their demand for a full apology from Tokyo and …

Nine individuals, including eight policemen and one civilian, were martyred in a suicide attack on a Balochistan Constabulary van in the Dhadar tehsil of the Kacchi district in Bolan on Monday. According to Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the blast occurred at 10am on the Kambri bridge in the area bordering the Sibi and Kachhi districts. He said the police van …

In his letter, the former premier explained ‘critical’ circumstances —including an assassination attempt on his life — he was facing since his government was toppled in April last year and sought proper security or permission to use the option of video-conference for court appearances. The PTI chief stated that ever since the removal of his government through a ‘regime change …

KARACHI: After former prime minister Imran Khan dodged the arrest by the Islamabad police at his Zaman Park house in Lahore, the ruling collation came down hard on the PTI chairman, calling him a “coward” for using supporters as a “shield” to evade imprisonment. While addressing a ceremony in Karachi, Foreign Minister and PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari used the opportunity …