Author: i2wtc

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…

PUBLISHED May 11, 2025 LAHORE: The propaganda warfare. The methodical dispensation of misinformation. The shrillest jingoism. The primitive bloodlust. The hatred of the other disguised in chants of patriotism. Destruction of the enemy hailed as revenge. Internal failures camouflaged in external blame game. Lust for TV TRPs and social media likes trumping responsibility to the traumatised audiences. Melodramatic slogans outlined in blood red trampling over veritable journalism. Vicious monologues drowning sensible discourse. Terrifying hashtags blinking on bright screens. That, tersely, was the Indian electronic and online media, barring a few channels and vlogs, on May 8, 2025. On April 22,…

Data shows that about 80 percent of all toys and 90 percent of Christmas goods sold in the US are manufactured in China.By Loreben Tuquero│PolitiFactPublished On 11 May 202511 May 2025Whether you are gift-wrapping a toy car or hanging Christmas ornaments, there is a strong chance you are handling products made in a Chinese factory. The day after President Donald Trump spoke in an interview about his tariff policies that girls in the United States do not need to “have 30 dolls”, some political commentators discussed China’s influence over the US toy market. The US currently has a 145 percent tariff…

Leo XIV, the first American pope, voted in past Republican primaries but is not formally registered with any party.By Grace Abels and Amy Sherman | PolitiFactPublished On 11 May 202511 May 2025Hours after Robert Prevost became the first United States-born pontiff on May 8, social media discussions in the US speculated whether Pope Leo XIV, as he is known after the election, was a “registered Republican”. “SCOOP: Our Turning Point Action team pulled the voting history for Pope Leo XIV,” conservative influencer Charlie Kirk wrote on social media platform X on May 8. “He’s a registered Republican who has voted in…