Author: i2wtc

This photo taken on March 29, 2023 shows the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)BEIJING, April 8 (Xinhua) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday issued another threat against China, demanding China drop its countermeasures, or else face a new round of tariff hikes.The naked extortion undoubtedly highlights Washington’s hegemonic behavior. Utterly absurd is the underlying logic of the United States: “I can hit you at my will, and you must not respond. Instead, you must surrender unconditionally.”This is not diplomacy. It is blunt coercion dressed up as policy. Washington’s stance reflects a dangerous form of…

Listen to article Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar held his first official phone call with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Monday, discussing bilateral ties, economic cooperation, and regional security, according to a statement from Foreign Office. The call marked the first direct communication between the two leaders since Rubio assumed his role as America’s top diplomat. “During the call, Dar reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the United States,” the statement said. Dar emphasised increased cooperation in areas such as trade, investment, and counterterrorism. Rubio, in turn, expressed the United States’ desire to expand economic engagement, particularly in sectors…

Listen to article The Sindh High Court (SHC) has issued a stay order halting the construction of canals following a challenge to the water availability certificate issued by the Indus River System Authority (IRSA), Express News reported on Monday. The court was hearing a petition questioning the legality of the certificate, which is required for canal construction projects. The bench has sought a detailed response from the federal government by April 18. The IRSA had earlier approved the water supply for the Cholistan Canal System project, issuing a certificate that allowed the Punjab government to construct the canal, which branches from the…

A worker is seen at a copper pipe workshop of Zhejiang Hailiang Limited in Diankou Town of Zhuji, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 7, 2025. Zhuji has made continuous efforts in promoting the quality development of its private sector in recent years. Home to many state-level high-tech enterprises, the city’s value-added industrial output of enterprises above the designated size has maintained growth for 47 consecutive months. (Xinhua/Zheng Huansong)A robot works at VIE Science and Technology Co., Ltd. in Diankou Town of Zhuji, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 7, 2025. Zhuji has made continuous efforts in promoting the quality development of…

Listen to article Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication, Shaza Fatima, said that SpaceX’s Starlink internet services are expected to become operational in Pakistan by November or December this year. The announcement was made during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on IT and Telecom, chaired by MNA Aminul Haque. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) briefed the committee on the licensing process for Starlink. PTA Chairman confirmed that Starlink has been granted a temporary licence by the Space Board, adding that a full operational licence would be issued once regulatory frameworks are finalised. “There are no issues with the licensing…

Steve Eisman of “The Big Short” fame has a message for investors: Don’t be a hero because there’s more market downside ahead. Eisman, who’s known for successfully betting against the housing market ahead of the 2008 financial crisis, warns Wall Street isn’t done discounting worst-case scenarios tied to President Donald Trump’s tariffs. “The issue is that everybody of our social class took Econ 101, and we were all taught the same thing: Trade good, tariffs bad, trade war terrible,” the former Neuberger Berman senior portfolio manager told CNBC’s “Fast Money ” on Monday. “Now, you have a president of the…

Actors in traditional costumes perform for tourists at Zuidongfeng art village in Tancheng County, east China’s Shandong Province, April 6, 2025. China recorded 126 million domestic trips during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that ended Sunday, a 6.3 percent increase from the previous year, according to data released by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday. (Photo by Zhang Chunlei/Xinhua)BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) — In Liba Village, about 1.5 hours’ drive from downtown Chengdu in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, dozens of steaming hot pot tables dotted the fields, where tourists dined amid a golden sea of yellow blossoms, soaking…

Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that efforts are under way to further reduce electricity prices, prioritising relief in power tariffs over petrol despite a continued drop in global oil prices, Express News reported. Speaking at a high-level meeting in Islamabad, PM Shehbaz said the government aims to provide nationwide benefits through cheaper electricity and is committed to delivering additional cuts in the coming months. “Efforts are ongoing to bring down electricity prices further. As petroleum prices fall in the global market, we will once again focus on reducing electricity tariffs rather than petrol,” he said. The prime…

Doctors Without Borders raises alarm over child malnutrition in Greece’s migrant facility.Doctors Without Borders (MSF) has reported the first cases of malnourished children in a migrant camp on the Greek island of Samos, raising fresh concerns over the facility’s conditions. The medical charity said on Monday that its doctors had diagnosed six children from Syria and Afghanistan, aged between six months and six years, with acute malnutrition requiring urgent care. While MSF could not confirm whether their condition was directly caused by life in the camp, it warned that inadequate food and healthcare placed children at serious risk. “No child…

Listen to article The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) suffered a steep sell-off on Monday, shedding nearly 3,900 points amid global market jitters triggered by fresh US tariff measures and local economic anxieties. The benchmark KSE-100 index dropped 3,882.18 points, or 3.27%, to close at 114,909.48. The index hit an intraday low of 110,103.97 — a staggering 7.31% plunge — before paring some losses. At its highest during the session, it reached 117,601.62, still down 1% from the previous close of 118,791.66. Trading was briefly halted after the index fell more than 5%, triggering a market-wide circuit breaker. The exchange resumed trading at 1:03pm…