Author: Aytan Gul

ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s military announced signing of a major deal to sell JF-17 Block III (Thunder) fighter jets to Azerbaijan. The military’s media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said this agreement is designed to enhance Azerbaijan’s air power. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev was briefed on the JF-17’s combat capabilities during his visit to Pakistan in July, paving the way for this partnership. JF-17 Thunder is state-of-the-art lightweight fighter aircraft developed through a collaboration between the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex Kamra (PAC) and China’s Chengdu Aircraft Industry Corporation (CAC). Multirole combat aircraft JF-17 is equipped with excellent air-to-air and air-to-surface combat capabilities,…

Nepal has nominated ambassadors for eight countries, including India, a little over two weeks after recalling the incumbents. According to the cabinet sources, former chief secretary and Nepal’s ambassador to the UK, Lokdarshan Regmi, has been nominated as the new Nepali ambassador to India. Regmi has earlier held positions of home secretary, finance secretary and secretary at the ministry of land reform and management. The decision was taken by Nepal’s cabinet on Friday. Earlier on June 6, the Nepal government had recalled ambassadors from 11 countries, including those serving in India and the US and appointed under the Nepali Congress’…

SINGAPORE – The Chinese embassy in Singapore on March 18 asked its citizens in the Republic to “stay away” from gambling, adding that cross-border gambling violates Chinese laws. The embassy, in a statement on its official WeChat account, “solemnly reminded” Chinese citizens in Singapore to steer clear of gambling, which is strictly prohibited by law in China. “Even if overseas casinos are opened legally, cross-border gambling by Chinese citizens is suspected of violating the laws of our country and face the risk of punitive actions,” said the embassy, warning that embassies may not be able to provide consular protection for…

The Pakistan Rangers Sindh announced on Tuesday that action has been taken against the theft of water, which includes shutting off 150 illegal hydrants and 1,200 illegal connections. The actions, according to the paramilitary force’s Brig Kabeer Ahmed and Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) Managing Director Salahuddin Ahmed, resulted in savings of 100MGD (million gallons daily). In a joint press conference at the Rangers headquarters, the officials said the water was being stolen for commercial and domestic use, causing the loss of around Rs13 billion. Stolen water was being sold to industrial and domestic consumers at more than two…

Indian activists have slammed the authorities in Indian-administered Kashmir for putting a Global Positioning System (GPS) tracker on the body of a man facing “terrorism” charges – the first such use of electronic monitoring reported in the South Asian country. For more than a week now, Ghulam Muhammad Bhat, a 65-year-old resident of the region’s main city of Srinagar, has been walking with the tracker around his ankle, which officials said has been introduced for prisoners out on bail. The officials said the device will allow security agencies to maintain round-the-clock surveillance on defendants. Bhat, a lawyer, was a close…

Over the past five years, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer in the US has increased a significant 22%, according to a new report from the American Lung Association. But the number of people who get tested for lung cancer is still not nearly enough, experts say. About 26.6% of people who get lung cancer survive at least five years past their initial diagnosis, Tuesday’s report says, up from 21.7% in 2016. The survival rate for people of color has also increased 17% in the past two years, but there are still significant racial disparities in treatment, diagnosis and survival, the…

U.S. President Joe Biden said on the eve of his much-anticipated meeting with China’s Xi Jinping that his goal for the talks is simply to try to get China-U.S. communications back on stable ground after a tumultuous year. Biden said Tuesday shortly before departing for San Francisco to meet Xi and attend this year’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum that the nations must get “on a normal course corresponding” once again even as they have sharp differences on no shortage of issues. “Being able to pick up the phone and talk to one another if there’s a crisis. Being able to…

The Forbes magazine of Kazakhstan has updated the TOP-50 list of the most influential businessmen in the country. Most of the leaders retained their positions. Kenes Rakishev managed to climb higher and is now, according to the authoritative media, #8 in the list of the most influential businessmen. We’ll look at the success story of Kenes Rakishev and describe his current assets and operations. Forbes describes Kenes Rakishev’s business portfolio as a diversified one. It’s very true statement and, at least for some extent, the recipe of Kenes Rakishev success. He is always in search for new applications of his skills and funds, taking a weighted…

The Nepalese Prime Minister, Pushpa Kamal Dahal, is scheduled to visit China on September 23 at a time when people hit the streets of Kathmandu in a bid to oppose China for its new map, which did not exhibit Kalapani, Lipulekh and Limpiyadhura regions as part of Nepal. Nepal Student Union, affiliated with the Nepali Congress, orchestrated a demonstration outside the Embassy of China in Kathmandu in protest against this move. Expressing his grudge against China, Balen Shah, Mayor of Kathmandu Municipality, even cancelled his visit to the country. For quite some time, the relations between Nepal and China have not been as…

The iPhone 15 Pro may bear more than a striking resemblance to the iPhone 14 Pro series at first glance — especially if you’re just looking at the front of the phone — but the upgrades on the inside are what I’m most excited about. Besides the all-new A17 Pro chip, Apple has also outfitted its latest pro-model iPhone with a new modem from Qualcomm. While many thought the company might design its own modems to break free from having to rely on Qualcomm, that didn’t happen with the iPhone 15 and we’re not going to see an Apple-built modem until at least 2027 based on…