Author: i2wtc

Head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and Russian special presidential envoy for economic cooperation with foreign countries, Kirill Dmitriev, talks to U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 11, 2025.Vyacheslav Prokofyev | Via ReutersU.S. officials and lawmakers are increasingly concerned about a meeting last month in which representatives of the Trump administration met with Kirill Dmitriev, a Russian envoy who is under U.S. sanctions, to draft a plan to end the war in Ukraine, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.The meeting took place in Miami at the…

Deadly Hiace-car collision on Karak–Indus Highway leaves six dead, nine injured; five die in Nowshera roof collapseAn ambulances carrying the bodies of victims, who were killed in Jaffar Express train hijacking, in Quetta on March 13, 2025. Photo: Reuters/File DERA ISMAIL KHAN/ NOWSHEHRA: A deadly collision between a Hiace and a car on the Karak–Indus Highway claimed six lives. Separately, five members of a family lost their lives in Nowshera when the roof of their house collapsed. According to details, a traffic accident occurred on the Karak–Indus Highway on Saturday near Metha Khel area that left six dead and nine…

Swirling speculation emerged after claims that President Zardari expressed reservations over Bugti’s performanceCM Balochistan Sarfaraz Bugti. Photo: File QUETTA: Amid reports suggesting a possible change of Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, the coalition partners — PPP and PML-N — have reaffirmed their confidence in the incumbent provincial chief executive. Swirling speculation emerged after claims that President Asif Ali Zardari had expressed reservations over Bugti’s performance. Reports further suggested that during a recent trip to Dubai, the president declined to meet the Balochistan chief minister, fueling rumours of an impending shift in the provincial leadership. However, senior parliamentary figures from both…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has reached the limit of its patience over cross-border attacks originating from Afghan soil, Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Friday, warning that the country will not allow trade or transit to continue if it puts Pakistani lives at risk. “We cannot let trade become a licence to kill Pakistanis,” he stressed, highlighting that recent attacks on civilians, security forces, and traders have crossed a red line. The spokesperson underscored that the closure of border crossings and suspension of trade with Afghanistan is a direct response to ongoing support by elements within the Afghan Taliban regime to…

D-8 Media Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan. Photo: Express BAKU: Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday underscored the urgent need for collective action against misinformation, highlighting the transformation of the global information landscape from print to electronic and now digital media. Addressing the D-8 Media Forum in Baku, Azerbaijan, he stressed that Pakistan’s youthful demographic was driving change and emphasized cooperation among member states to promote responsible communication practices. He said the D-8 platform offers an opportunity to frame a code of conduct and ethics while guiding Gen Z on the positive use of social media. Tarar described the divide between…

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the relevant ministries and departments to accelerate work on integrating private-sector proposals into a unified industrial policy framework, stressing that coordinated decision-making was essential for sustainable economic growth. Chairing a meeting of the private-sector committee on national industrial development, he said the government sought to translate expert recommendations into actionable reforms without delay. He emphasized that the country’s economic growth, employment generation, and increased income were not possible without industrial development. During the meeting, the private sector members of the committee presented their recommendations aimed at the country’s industrial development and increasing…

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Friday sought a detailed report from Pakistan Railways (PR) on widespread encroachments and illegal occupation of its land. The court directed the department to explain what steps it has taken to reclaim its property and the measures initiated against officials responsible for allowing encroachments. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Hasan Azhar Rizvi and Justice KK Agha heard the case related to the illegal occupation of railway land. During the proceedings, Justice Rizvi questioned whether “anyone is there to stop the encroachment and occupation of the railway’s proprietary land”, adding that railway land is…

With year-end approaching, it’s a good time to make sure your tax house is in order. It’s especially important for crypto investors, given a new IRS brokerage reporting requirement covering transactions after Jan. 1, 2025.The IRS generally treats crypto like property, similar to stocks or real estate, so selling crypto can trigger a capital gain or loss. And while crypto investors should have been keeping good records all along, the new reporting requirement gives them an even more compelling reason. That’s because brokerages now have to send what’s known as a Form 1099-DA. For tax year 2025, they’re required to…

U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) salutes former U.S. President Donald Trump during a rally in Commerce, Georgia, U.S. March 26, 2022. Alyssa Pointer | ReutersPresident Donald Trump on Saturday reacted to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s surprise resignation announcement, saying, “Marjorie went BAD.”Trump once again called the Georgia Republican a “traitor,” referencing Greene’s alliance with Republican Rep. Tom Massie of Kentucky, who sponsored the bill demanding the release of the Jeffrey Epstein files by the Justice Department.Green, who had been a close ally of Trump for years, cited backlash from the president over her advocacy for the bill in her statement,…

Staff members of the Grand China Aviation Maintenance Co., Ltd. under the HNA Technic perform maintenance on an aircraft at the Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) One-Stop Aircraft Maintenance Base in Haikou, south China’s Hainan Province, on Nov. 21, 2025. The Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) One-Stop Aircraft Maintenance Base, which started operation in 2022, has performed maintenance service on more than 2,400 aircraft, completed full-body painting for over 280 aircraft, and repaired about 60,000 aircraft components as of the end of October this year.The maintenance base has drawn global clients like Qatar Airways, Royal Air Philippines and Iberia.Under the…