Author: i2wtc

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 27, 2025.Hu Yousong | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesAll eyes are on talks between the U.S. and the European Union, which have yet to strike a trade deal with just days to go before Washington’s tariffs come into full effect.Should the trading partners fail to reach an agreement by July 9 — when a 90-day reprieve on U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs ends — EU goods imported to the U.S. could be hit by duties of up…

* In recent years, China has placed great emphasis on cultivating representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage.* Once hidden in remote mountain villages, intangible heritages like Miao embroidery, Dong songs and traditional batik are now gaining global recognition through the efforts of young Chinese creators.* With digital tools, global platforms, and bold creativity, young Chinese are reimagining traditions as powerful cultural exports.GUIYANG, July 4 (Xinhua) — Across the southwestern highlands of China, ancient cultural practices — Miao embroidery, Dong songs and traditional batik — have long thrived in mountain villages, passed down through generations.Once isolated by geography, these intangible heritages…

MIRANSHAH: A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was critically injured while a police constable was kidnapped after unidentified assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in the Azam Warsak area of Lower South Waziristan on Wednesday. According to police sources, the vehicle was on its way from Wana to the Toi Khulla subdivision via Samar Bagh when it came under attack. The injured officer, DSP Rakhmeen, was immediately shifted to the hospital where he is receiving medical treatment. A search operation is underway to locate the missing police official, while security in the region has been tightened in the aftermath…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan on Thursday filed a disqualification reference with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against 26 opposition members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) for “disparaging the sanctity of the house”. The MPAs against whom the reference was sent to the electoral supervisor belong to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Talking to media, the speaker confirmed the development, saying that those, who violated the sanctity of the house, would not be spared. “The matter is with the ECP, which may disqualify such members,” he added. Malik Ahmed Khan said that it was not…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has adopted an ‘open handed policy’ to award multibillion-dollar mining contracts, by providing equal opportunities to global competitors including the United States (US), China and Russia. China and Russia have long been arch-rivals of the US. At present, Pakistan is simultaneously engaging with all three countries. The petroleum ministry has recently held a webinar with US officials and companies, and offered them joint ventures in mining contracts. “We are offering equal opportunities to Russia, China and the United States (US) to engage in the mining sector,” Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told the media here on Thursday.…

Robotic arms are displayed during the 9th China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, June 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) — China’s structural tax and fee reduction policies have injected fresh momentum into the high-quality development of firms engaged in technological innovation and advanced manufacturing, latest data has shown.In the first five months of 2025, the total value of tax and fee reductions and tax refunds, which were geared toward supporting technological innovation and the development of advanced manufacturing, reached 636.1 billion yuan (about 88.9 billion U.S. dollars), data from the State Taxation Administration revealed on…

A five-storey residential building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood, claiming at least five lives and injuring at least six people, rescue officials said on Friday. All injured persons were shifted to the Trauma Centre at Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, hospital sources confirmed. One person is in critical condition, while the others sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment. Deputy Commissioner South stated that buildings adjacent to the collapse site are also being evacuated as a precaution. The collapse occurred in the Baghdadi area of Lyari. Rescue personnel said five people, including three woman, were initially pulled from…

LONDON: Novak Djokovic showed signs that he is easing into the old routine at Wimbledon as the seven-times champion sauntered into the third round on Thursday and Barbora Krejcikova also made it through as her title defence continued. This year’s Championships have been littered with seeds biting the dust early but day four offered some big statements from those fancied for deep runs on the lawns. Former women’s champion Elena Rybakina may have arrived very much under the radar but has reached the third round for the loss of a mere seven games, the 11th seed destroying Greece’s Maria Sakkari…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Salaried individuals have paid a staggering Rs555 billion in income tax in the last fiscal year, which were Rs188 billion more than the preceding year and also 100% more than the combined taxes paid by retailers and real estate sector. The record-high contributions by people, who pay income tax on the gross salaries without having the luxury to adjust their expenses, substantially reduced the home-take salaries of a larger segment of society. According to provisional figures compiled by the Federal Board of Revenue, the salaried persons paid Rs555 billion in income tax during the fiscal year 2024-25. The…

Listen to article BERLIN/ISLAMABAD: In a cramped guesthouse in Islamabad, 25-year-old Kimia spends her days sketching women — dancing, playing, resisting  — in a notebook that holds what’s left of her hopes. A visual artist and women’s rights advocate, she fled Afghanistan in 2024 after being accepted on to a German humanitarian admission program aimed at Afghans considered at risk under the Taliban. A year later, Kimia is stuck in limbo. Thousands of kilometres away in Germany, an election in February where migration dominated public debate and a change of government in May resulted in the gradual suspension of the programme. Now the…