Author: i2wtc

Brussels pushes for trade talks with Washington while preparing countermeasures on tariffs.The European Union has signalled its willingness to negotiate a tariff-free trade pact with the United States, but has indicated it is also prepared to retaliate if necessary. Trade ministers met in Luxembourg on Monday to discuss the bloc’s response to US tariffs on steel and aluminium, with most agreeing that launching talks to avoid an all-out trade war should be the priority. Following the meeting, EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic told reporters that the bloc’s countermeasures would be adjusted after considering member states’ feedback. “When it comes to…

Listen to article Federal Minister for Railways Hanif Abbasi has issued a one-year directive to eliminate engineering restrictions on the ML-1 railway line, in a bid to reduce travel durations across key routes, Express News reported. Chairing a meeting at the Railway Headquarters in Lahore on Monday, Abbasi was briefed on infrastructure development and reviewed the performance of various railway divisions. He instructed authorities to take immediate steps toward improving travel times along ML-1, Pakistan’s main railway corridor. The minister also directed that work on the Karachi–Hyderabad (Kemari–Hyderabad) section be initiated without delay and called for the acceleration of track rehabilitation projects. Abbasi…

Following announcements of layoffs, a Starbucks store is shown in Encinitas, California, U.S., February 24, 2025. REUTERS/Mike BlakeMike Blake | ReutersRestaurant stocks fell in morning trading Monday, fueled by investors’ fears that a recession is coming.U.S. stocks have tumbled for three consecutive days after President Donald Trump shocked the markets with high tariffs on goods imported from key trading partners. While analysts do not expect the tariffs to hit most restaurant companies directly, the inflation that is expected to follow would put pressure on consumers’ wallets and could lead to an economic downturn.”We view the direct cost impact of tariffs…

Listen to article Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Monday dismissed any connection between his party and the recently introduced ‘Pakistan Democracy Act’ in the US House of Representatives, which seeks sanctions on Pakistani officials over alleged human rights abuses. Speaking to reporters at the Parliament House, Gohar said, “Countless legislations and resolutions are passed in the US Congress. PTI has no link with this particular bill.” He also clarified that the party has had no contact with the US delegation currently visiting Pakistan. The bill, introduced last month by two US lawmakers, invokes the Global Magnitsky Human Rights…

Ukraine to send team to discuss the latest US proposal as Russia cites ‘unanswered questions’ in ceasefire plan.Ukraine plans to send negotiators to the United States this week to discuss Washington’s latest proposed deal for access to its rare earth minerals deposits. Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko announced on Monday that a team would visit the US “to move forward with negotiations” on the contentious deal, which President Donald Trump has made a condition for continued support for Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion. Trump has claimed that the deal, which would grant the US preferential access to valuable natural…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s adviser Elon Musk reacts on the day of a rally in support of a conservative state Supreme Court candidate of an April 1 election in Green Bay, Wisconsin, U.S. March 30, 2025. Vincent Alban | ReutersTechnology stocks teetered in volatile trading Monday as President Donald Trump stood by his sweeping global tariff plans following last week’s devastating selloff.The Magnificent Seven stocks — Nvidia, Apple, Meta Platforms, Amazon, Microsoft and Alphabet — were largely lower after briefly rallying amid a short-lived broader market attempt to stage a rebound. Stocks temporarily jumped on speculation of a possibly delay in…

United States President Donald Trump has doubled down on his tariffs plan, even as markets crash around the world. However, signs of divisions among Trump’s aides are emerging with key ally Elon Musk publicly clashing with trade adviser Peter Navarro on Saturday. Others have also presented diverging narratives. Here is more about what has happened: What happened between Musk and Navarro? On Wednesday, Trump announced sweeping tariffs impacting most of America’s trading partners. This marked a major break from decades of US trade policy and sparked criticism and concern from economists and countries targeted by Trump’s tariffs. In the aftermath,…

Nomination of endocrinologist Djuro Macut likely to pass parliament despite opposition fury.Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic has nominated a politically inexperienced endocrinologist and university professor as prime minister, amid massive ongoing protests that forced the previous premier to resign. Vucic announced the nomination of 62-year-old Djuro Macut weeks after the resignation of Milos Vucevic was approved by parliament on March 19 amid violence at the protests, which are focused on the president’s authoritarian stance and government corruption. Opposition parties were quick to reject the nomination of the Belgrade University lecturer, who had previously backed Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party (SNS). They claimed…

Chief Executive of Apple, Tim Cook gives a thumb’s up during a tour the Apple Headquarters on December 12, 2024 in London, England. Chris Jackson | Getty ImagesApple has triumphed over an effort from the U.K. government to keep details secret of its appeal against an order to create a “backdoor” to iPhone users’ data.The U.K.’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal on Monday published a ruling dismissing the government’s attempt to prevent details from a hearing on the appeal from being made public. The government had tried to keep the information secret on the grounds it posed risks to national security.Judges Rabinder Singh and…

A nurse works at a maternal and child health care hospital in Huai’an City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, May 12, 2024. (Photo by Zhao Qirui/Xinhua)BEIJING, April 7 (Xinhua) — In 2024, China recorded a maternal mortality rate of 14.3 per 100,000 live births, an infant mortality rate of 4 per 1,000, and a mortality rate of 5.6 per 1,000 for children under the age of five, according to health authorities.In recent years, China has seen consistent improvements in maternal and child health. The maternal mortality rate has declined at an average annual rate of around 4 percent, while both the…