Beijing plans to build 26 leisure parks in 2021 to improve the urban ecological environment, local authorities said. The newly-built parks will be located in the districts of Fengtai, Haidian and Shunyi, said Deng Naiping, director of the Beijing Gardening and Greening Bureau. In 2021, the coverage of parks and green spaces within a radius of 500 meters will rise …

China will promote the use of renewable energy as one of the important sources of heating in the country’s rural areas during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), the National Energy Administration (NEA) said. The administration has issued a circular to improve energy structure and utilise renewable energy for heating, calling on all localities to take measures in accordance with …

China welcomed the return of the United States to the World Health Organisation (WHO), but hopes it will support the WHO’s work with “real actions”, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in the US said on Saturday. A senior US official issued a statement claiming America’s re-engaging the WHO meant holding it to the highest standards and asking all countries to participate in …

STOCKHOLM: The head of the EU’s disease control agency has warned that the novel coronavirus could last indefinitely even as global infections slowed by nearly half in the last month and vaccine rollouts gathered pace in parts of the world. In an interview, ECDC chief Andrea Ammon urged European countries in particular not to drop their guard against a virus …

Trump’s acquittal raises questions about what’s next for the 74-year-old former president, the Republican Party, and President Joe Biden. US President  Joe Biden reacted to former President Donald Trump’s Senate acquittal, saying that   democracy is “fragile” and “must always be defended.” “This sad chapter in our history has reminded us that democracy is fragile. That it must always be defended. …

bit The city of Miami is seeking to embrace bitcoin in its operations, a move that could bring dividends in terms of attracting technology companies, Mayor Francis Suarez said on Saturday. The city commission late on Thursday approved in a 4-1 vote a first step in the mayor’s proposal to allow bitcoin to be used to pay city workers and …

ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus claimed 31 more lives as another 1,404 people tested positive for the deadly disease during the past 24 hours across Pakistan. According to the latest update released by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 1,404 new infections surfaced after 34,475 samples were tested during this period. The positivity ratio of Covid-19 cases was recorded at 4.07 …

Facebook Inc is building a smartwatch that will let users send messages and also offer health and fitness features, The Information reported on Friday, citing people with direct knowledge of the device. The social media giant plans to start selling the device next year, according to the report, a move that would mark its entry into a market currently dominated by Apple …

ISLAMABAD: British High Commission in Pakistan has stated that 17 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine would soon reach Pakistan. “The first consignment of seven million doses of AstraZeneca Covid vaccine will reach Pakistan before April,” British High Commission in Islamabad said in a statement “Next 10 million doses of the vaccine will be dispatched to Pakistan before June,” …

Fast bowler Dwaine Pretorius recorded the best figures for South Africa in the shortest format to help his team beat Pakistan by six wickets in the second Twenty20 international in Lahore on Saturday. The 31-year-old grabbed 5-17 to keep Pakistan down to 144-7 in 20 overs before Pite van Biljon (42) and Reeza Hendricks (42) took South Africa past the …