India accused Pakistan of violating a ceasefire hours after the two countries announced it on Saturday, while Pakistan has denied the accusation.
According to Indian media reports, loud blasts were heard in Indian-controlled Kashmir on Saturday evening, and a blackout was enforced later in some areas.
Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a press briefing in the evening that the Indian armed forces were responding to ceasefire violations by Pakistan.
In response, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar told local media that there had been no violations of the agreement, dismissing relevant Indian media reports as groundless.
Earlier in the day, Pakistan and India announced that they had agreed on a ceasefire.
The announcement came following four days of military strikes on each other.
Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on social media that Pakistan and India have agreed to a ceasefire with immediate effect.
It is a "full-fledged" and "not partial" ceasefire, Dar said in an interview.
Pakistan has always striven for peace and security in the region, without compromising on its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said in the social media post.
The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority said on Saturday that Pakistan has fully reopened its airspace for all types of flight operations, assuring travelers that the aviation network is now functioning normally.
Misri announced at a press conference on the day that New Delhi and Islamabad have agreed to observe a ceasefire and stop military actions.
According to Misri, the two sides agreed to cease all land, sea, and air exchanges of fire and military actions starting from 17:00 Indian Standard Time (11:00 GMT) on Saturday.
The top military leaders of the two countries will speak again on Monday, Misri added.
After the deal was reached, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked the international community for facilitating this outcome and expressed hope for resolving issues through peaceful dialogue with India.
On Wednesday, India launched airstrikes on Pakistani targets to avenge last month's killing of 26 people by gunmen in Pahalgam town, about 89 km east of Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.
India blamed Pakistan for being behind the incident, a charge denied by Pakistan.
The situation along the Line of Control dividing Kashmir had been tense as troops of India and Pakistan deployed on both sides of the ceasefire line were engaged in an exchange of fire and artillery.
Pakistan denies India's accusation of ceasefire violation
Pakistan denies India's accusation of ceasefire violation
Pakistan denies India's accusation of ceasefire violation
A new round of trade-in subsidy program is energizing China's consumer market these days, with provinces across the country seeing a surge in demand for cars, home appliances and digital devices.
In north China's Shanxi Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, which started on January 9, has further helped boost sales in home appliances and digital devices which are covered by the new round of subsidies.
To enjoy the subsidies, six types of home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, must meet national Level 1 energy-efficiency or water-efficiency standards. Digital and smart products include four types, such as mobile phones and tablets, with a sales price cap of 6,000 yuan (about 800 U.S. dollars) per item.
In both categories, subsidies are set at 15 percent of the final transaction price. For home appliances, the maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per item. For digital products, the cap is 500 yuan per item. Each consumer can receive a subsidy for one unit in each category.
Neighboring Shanxi, Hebei Province kicked off the year of 2026 with the new round of trade-in subsidy program starting on January 1.
The subsidies cover automobiles, home appliances, and digital products. Individual consumers who purchase designated Level 1 energy-efficiency appliances or eligible digital products priced at no more than 6,000 yuan can receive subsidies equal to 15 percent of the transaction price. The maximum subsidy is 1,500 yuan per appliance and 500 yuan per digital or smart device, with each person limited to one subsidized item in each category.
Data showed that from Jan 1 to 9, Hebei's home appliance trade-in program alone disbursed more than 130 million yuan in subsidies, driving sales of over 920 million yuan.
In east China's Jiangsu Province, the new trade-in subsidy program, taking effect for two weeks, has brought the province a boom in trade-in.
At a local 4S store in Jiangsu's Suqian City, showroom traffic has spiked as salespeople walked customers through the new benefits from the trade-in subsidy program.
"Under the scrappage-and-replacement scheme, customers who buy a new energy vehicle (NEV) can receive a subsidy worth 12 percent of the vehicle price, capped at 20,000 yuan (about 2,860 U.S. dollars). For combustion-engine cars, the subsidy is 10 percent, with an upper limit of 15,000 yuan. For trade-ins, NEVs are able to receive a subsidy worth 8 percent of the vehicle price, up to 15,000 yuan, while combustion-engine cars will receive a 6-percent subsidy, with a cap of 13,000 yuan," said Sun Yue, a saleswoman at the store.
In the home appliance sector, Jiangsu's policy this year stipulates that only products that meet China's Level 1 energy-efficiency standard are eligible for subsidies. The scheme covers six major categories, including refrigerators and washing machines.
Consumers who purchase qualifying appliances can receive a subsidy equal to 15 percent of the final retail price, up to a maximum of 1,500 yuan per item. Each person is limited to one subsidized unit per product category.
Four types of digital and smart products, such as mobile phones and tablets, are eligible for a 15-percent subsidy capped at 500 yuan per unit, with a retail price no more than 6,000 yuan.
"With the national subsidy policy back in place this year, I went to the store to check what discounts I could get. It knocked 500 yuan off the price. [The discounted price is] very reasonable," said Wang Kang, a resident of Jiangsu's Xuzhou Province.
To enhance the shopping experience for consumers, many retailers are pairing subsidies with "one-stop" services that combine the delivery of new products with on-site collection of old ones.
"After consumers place an order for new home appliances, our staff will schedule a time to pick up the old units. Recycling the old appliance can also further offset the purchase price of the new one," said Yang Jie, a sales supervisor at a major home appliance company.
China's new trade-in program sparks consumption boom
