Author: i2wtc
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has set a more stringent fiscal path for Pakistan by setting the primary budget surplus target for the next fiscal year at 1.6% of the size of the economy which, this time, is projected to be achieved by largely containing expenditures. Compared to this fiscal year’s 1% of the GDP primary budget surplus target, which is calculated after making interest payments, the IMF has set the target at 1.6% for fiscal year 2025-26, according to the details the Fund released on Saturday after the approval of the new loan. Unlike in this fiscal year…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said Pakistan, as a responsible state, responded positively to the ceasefire in view of regional peace and well-being of millions of people living in this region. In a televised address to nation, the premier expressed the hope that all the outstanding issues including the water distribution, Jammu and Kashmir dispute and all other unresolved issues would now be settled by holding negotiations and adopting a peaceful path. The prime minister wholeheartedly congratulated the nation for demonstrating to the world that their self-respect and dignity were more precious than life itself, adding, “If…
In a recent TV interview, United States President Donald Trump said he did not know whether he needed to uphold the US Constitution. Trump was answering a question on NBC News last week about whether undocumented immigrants in the US are entitled to due process. “They talk about due process, but do you get due process when you’re here illegally,” Trump asked the interviewer, Kristen Welker, NBC’s Meet the Press moderator. “The Constitution says every person, citizens and noncitizens, deserves due process,” Welker responded. She then asked Trump whether he agreed with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who said noncitizens…
The new pope used phrases favoured by his predecessor, Francis, to call for an end to wars around the world.Pope Leo XIV has called for genuine peace in Ukraine and an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip in his first Sunday noon blessing as pontiff. “No more war,” Leo said on Sunday, adding, “the dramatic scenario of a third world war being fought piecemeal.” “I too address the world’s great powers by repeating the ever-present call ‘never again war’,” he said from the loggia of Saint Peter’s Basilica to an estimated 100,000 people below. The new pope, who was elected…
Mohammad Rizwan is arguably the most media-savvy active cricketer in Pakistan right now. He knows the art of virality. The zappy Rizwan has a punchy remark for all situations, but that night he was compelled to repeat the very words he had uttered after it became all but certain that Pakistan would not go beyond the group-stage of a home Champions Trophy under his captaincy. “I do not like to be dependent on the results of the other teams,” the Multan Sultans captain said after Quetta Gladiators condemned his team to the largest defeat in terms of balls remaining in…
The flag of Iran is seen in front of the building of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Headquarters on May 24, 2021 in Vienna, Austria.Michael Gruber | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesDUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran and the United States held a fourth round of negotiations Sunday over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program, just ahead of a visit by President Donald Trump to the Middle East this week.The talks ran for some three hours in Muscat, the capital of Oman, which has been mediating the negotiations, said a U.S. official. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei also said the…
Pakistan is observing Youm-e-Tashakur today, as declared by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in recognition of the armed forces’ response to recent Indian aggression and the success of ‘Operation Bunyan-un-Marsoos’. A statement from the Media Wing of the Prime Minister’s Office said the operation delivered a strong and coordinated response that demonstrated Pakistan’s superiority on all fronts. Youm-e-Tashakur ceremonies are underway nationwide to offer thanks to Allah Almighty, honour the valour of military personnel, and reaffirm national unity. In his statement, the prime minister urged citizens and religious scholars to hold collective Nawafil (voluntary prayers) and special supplications for the martyrs…
These are the key events on day 1,172 of Russia’s war on Ukraine.Here is where things stand on Sunday, May 11: Fighting: Politics and diplomacy: Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, Turkiye, on Thursday “without preconditions” to achieve “lasting peace” and “eliminate the root causes” of the three-year conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called on Russia to confirm an unconditional 30-day ceasefire beginning on Monday, saying Ukraine would then be ready to meet for direct talks with Russia. United States President Donald Trump described the talks offer as a “potentially great day for Russia and…
GUANGZHOU: France’s mixed relay team competes in the 4x400m heat of the World Athletics Relays on Saturday.—AFP GUANGZHOU: Italy, Canada and Jamaica reached the mixed 4×100 metres relay final in the event’s global debut while heavyweights the United States experienced mixed fortunes on a dramatic opening day at the World Athletics Relays on Saturday. Victory in 41.15 seconds in the first heat amid challenging conditions in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou following a spell of rain earned the Italians a place in the medal round to be held on Sunday. They will be joined by France, who finished second…
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent testifies before a House Financial Services Committee hearing entitled “The Annual Testimony of the Secretary of the Treasury on the State of the International Financial System,” on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., May 7, 2025. Nathan Howard | ReutersTreasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that trade talks with China officials over the weekend were “productive.”He said the talks yielded “a great deal” of productivity and that he would give more details in a complete briefing on Monday morning.Bessent also said from Switzerland that he and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer both spoke to President…