Author: i2wtc
Listen to article Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, has accused the government of preventing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from offering Eid prayers, questioning how an Islamic state like Pakistan can deny its founding party leader the opportunity to perform this religious obligation. Ayub made the remarks after a group of PTI leaders, including himself, Shibli Faraz, party spokesperson Niazullah Niazi, Aliya Hamza, and others, attempted to meet with Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday, Express News reported. The party’s secretary, Salman Akram Raja, had already submitted the names of those wishing to meet Khan…
Greek and Turkish coastguards still searching for two missing people from the two unrelated accidents.Two boats carrying refugees sank in the narrow stretch of sea between Turkiye and the Greek island of Lesbos, leaving at least 16 people dead, according to officials from both countries. The accidents on the boats, which together carried about 66 people, occurred several hours apart on Thursday, with authorities on either side unaware of the other nation’s rescue efforts. On the Greek side, the country’s coastguard said that one of its patrol boats came across a small dinghy of about five metres (5.5 yards) in length that…
Listen to article An attempt by the Israeli military to join a trending social media craze using AI-generated images in the style of Japan’s iconic Studio Ghibli has drawn widespread backlash online. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) on Sunday posted four AI-generated illustrations of its military branches rendered in the distinct aesthetic of Studio Ghibli, known for its hand-drawn animation and pacifist themes. “We thought we’d also hop on the trend,” the IDF said in its post. The move came just as the global social media space flooded with similar imagery following OpenAI’s release of a new image generation tool last week.…
US president says Iran initially wanted talks through intermediaries, but he thinks Tehran has changed its position.Washington, DC – Donald Trump has suggested that Iran may agree to direct talks with the United States despite the intensifying tensions and back-and-forth threats between the two countries. Speaking to reporters on Thursday, the US president appeared optimistic about the prospect of face-to-face diplomacy with Tehran. “I think it’s better if we have direct talks,” he said. “I think it goes faster, and you understand the other side a lot better than if you go through intermediaries. They wanted to use intermediaries. I…
The dynamite attack is thought to be the result of two mining collectives fighting over access to gold deposits.A clash between gold-mining operations in Bolivia has resulted in an explosion that killed six people, according to authorities. Thursday’s blast rocked the Yani mining camp approximately 150 kilometres – or 90 miles – northwest of the country’s administrative capital, La Paz. “There are six dead, and we have reports of missing persons,” said Jhonny Silva, a representative from one of the mining groups involved, the Hijos de Ingenio Mining Cooperative. That mining collective reportedly brawled with another group, known as Senor…
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order after delivering remarks on reciprocal tariffs during an event in the Rose Garden on April 2, 2025.Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump has cited a host of reasons to impose steep new tariffs on U.S. trading partners. Some of the justifications are at odds with each other, economists said.Trump on Wednesday announced a new 10% tariff on all imports, plus additional levies for major exporters including China, India, Vietnam and the European Union.The duties, when combined with others already announced earlier this year, push the average effective U.S. tariff…
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken notice of the reduction in the private Hajj quota for this year, which left thousands of Pakistanis unable to perform Hajj under the private scheme. The PM directed an immediate inquiry into the matter and established a three-member committee tasked with identifying the responsible parties within three days, Express News reported. The inquiry follows the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony’s failure to secure the private Hajj quota from Saudi Arabia for 2025 despite the timely fulfillment of necessary procedures. PM Shehbaz expressed dissatisfaction with the delay in securing the quota, instructing the…
Civilians in Sudan’s North Darfur’s capital, el-Fasher, and surrounding towns are starving. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have imposed a siege on them for about a year, yet they managed to forestall an invasion thanks to the Joint Forces – an array of local armed factions backed by the army. The besieged civilians are now pleading for help, but some fear the army has neither the political will nor the capability to rescue civilians, say experts, local journalists and civilians. The nearly 500,000 civilians in Zamzam camp – the largest refugee camp in North Darfur – are already suffering…
Apple CEO Tim Cook, center, watches during the inauguration ceremonies for President Donald Trump, right, and Vice President JD Vance, left, in the rotunda of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Jan. 20, 2025.Shawn Thew | Afp | Getty ImagesIn the past few years, Apple has sold Americans iPhones made in India, AirPods from Vietnam and Mac desktops assembled in Malaysia. It was part of a strategy by Apple to diversify its manufacturing from China. Apple employed the strategy as a hedge for its supply chain after the company dealt with tariffs by the first Trump administration, supply chain issues tied to…
Russian billionaire , businessman Boris Rotenberg (L) listens to his wife Karina Rotenberg (R) during the awarding ceremony at the 2017 Formula 1 Russian Grand Prix in Sochi , Russia, April, 30, 2017. Mikhail Svetlov | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesThe Trump administration lifted economic sanctions on the wife of a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, even as it imposed sanctions on six other Russian individuals and entities.Karina Rotenberg was removed as a sanctioned person on Tuesday by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control. The official government notice of Rotenberg’s removal as a sanctioned…