• PM to attend military parade in Beijing alongside President Xi.
• Premier scheduled to interact with Chinese businessmen.
• PM to address Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference.
  

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will undertake a visit to China from August 30 to September 4 to attend the 25th Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State Summit in Tianjin.

According to a statement issued by the Foreign Office, the premier will hold meetings with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang to discuss various aspects of bilateral cooperation.

He will also attend a military parade in Beijing, commemorating the 80th anniversary of the World’s Anti-Fascist War, alongside President Xi and other world leaders.

The prime minister is further scheduled to interact with leading Chinese businessmen and executives to enhance trade, investment, and economic ties, and address the Pakistan-China B2B Investment Conference in Beijing.

The Foreign Office said the visit is part of high-level exchanges aimed at deepening the “All Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership,” advancing the second phase of CPEC, and maintaining regular communication on key regional and global issues.

The three-day important 25th meeting of SCO Heads of States is planned for 31 August, September 1 and 2.

This year’s summit will be the largest since the SCO was founded in 2001, a Chinese foreign ministry official said last week, calling the bloc an “important force in building a new type of international relations”.

Among the attendees at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit, set to take place in the northern port city of Tianjin from August 31 to September 1, will be Russian President Vladimir Putin, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, alongside leaders from Central Asia, the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia.

The theme of this year’s meeting will be, “Upholding the Shanghai Spirit: SCO on the Move.” The annual event is likely to focus on key discussions on regional security, economic cooperation, trade and the SCO’s long-term strategic direction and way forward.

The security-focused bloc, which began as a group of six Eurasian nations, has expanded to 10 permanent members and 16 dialogue and observer countries in recent years. Its remit has also enlarged from security and counter-terrorism to economic and military cooperation. 

Julia Roberts came forward to defend Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt while tackling tough “MeToo” questions.

For the unversed, the 57-year-old American actress defended her new film After the Hunt at a press conference in Venice by answering tough questions about the movie’s message on “MeToo” and cancel culture.

In the forthcoming movie, Roberts plays the role of a college professor, Alma Olsson, who finds herself at a crucial stage of life as her student (Edebiri) accuses her colleague Henrik Gibson, played by Andrew Garfield, and a pal of crossing a line.

The Notting Hill star brushed aside a question about whether After the Hunt was sabotaging the feminist movement. The journalist claimed the film has “caused controversy” among the festivalgoers, as they felt it “revives old arguments” about believing women who do not confine themselves in a room after being s**ually assaulted but rather speak up.

Instead of answering the question, Roberts stated she wants the movie to help initiate difficult conversations.

With a laugh, she said, “Not to be disagreeable, because it’s not in my nature, but the thing you said that I love is it ‘revives old arguments.’ I don’t think it’s just reviving an argument of women being pitted against each other or not supporting each other. There are a lot of old arguments that get rejuvenated that creates conversation.”

The Oscar winner added, “The best part of your question is that you all came out of the theater talking about it. That’s how we wanted it to feel. You realize what you believe in strongly because we stir it all up for you. So, you’re welcome.”

Roberts went on to deny claims that the film was trying to stir controversy, emphasising that society is “losing the art of conversation in humanity right now.”

“We’re not making statements; we are portraying these people in this moment in time. I don’t know about controversy, per se, but we are challenging people to have conversation. To be excited or infuriated about it is up to you. If making this movie does anything, getting everybody to talk to each other is the most exciting thing that I think we could accomplish,” she quipped.

Before concluding, it is pertinent to mention that After the Hunt will be released on October 10, 2025.

Hollywood icon George Clooney is reportedly taking stock of his own life and career.

Speaking to AARP, Clooney, 64, revealed, “I think the only life lesson is to bet on yourself. And when there’s opportunities, you gotta go. In my life, I have been the recipient of a lot of luck.”

“But I also believe you create opportunity for luck. You create enough opportunity and, every once in a while, you’ll hit one,” he added. 

The Ocean’s Eleven star stressed the importance of living fully instead of worrying about the future. 

“There’s no rhyme or reason for who gets to age and who doesn’t. So you should live as if you’re not going to get to. And then, if you wake up one day and you’re old, you’ve lived a really full life.”

Clooney, who admitted he “failed a lot” before finding fame in his 30s, reflected on how fortune played a big role in his career. “It’s not just about your brilliance. Luck has a huge hand in it.”

Previously, George has shared that fame itself isn’t something he enjoys.

“Fame can be very dangerous, because you can start to enjoy that part of it. And that’s not the good part of what I do for a living. The good part is the making of films. The unpleasant part is the fame part, if you’re not careful.”

In conclusion, he established, “I do happen to have a good life … but I also like to work.”