Author: i2wtc
U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as military strikes are launched against Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis over the group’s attacks against Red Sea shipping, at an unspecified location in this handout image released March 15, 2025.White House | Via ReutersOil prices rose on Monday after President Donald Trump said the U.S. would hold Iran responsible for any future attack by the Houthis, a militant group in Yemen that has launched missile strikes on commercial shipping in the Red Sea and on Israel.U.S. crude oil futures rose 40 cents, or 0.6%, to $67.58 per barrel. Global benchmark Brent traded higher by 44…
A cotton harvester is at work in Shawan City, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 8, 2024. (Photo by Guan Bing/Xinhua)With a jab at Western mudslinging, a popular joke in Xinjiang goes that the only “forced laborers” would be the cotton farmers’ machines.BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) — A recent French video program alleging that a Chinese company was “forcing” ethnic Uygurs to produce cotton textiles for French sports brand Decathlon has now been confirmed as a poorly fabricated piece of propaganda against China.Since its broadcast on France 2 and YouTube, the TV program “Cash Investigation” has drawn widespread criticism…
Listen to article Pakistan has made a significant breakthrough in its energy sector with the discovery of a second major oil and gas reserve in the Waziristan Block, according to an official statement. Mari Petroleum Company Limited (MPCL) informed the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) in a letter that new hydrocarbon reserves have been found in the Spin Wam-1 well, located in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The letter stated that the well is producing light crude oil and natural gas with a flow pressure of 3,431 pounds per square inch (psi). The daily output from the well is estimated at 20.485 million standard cubic feet…
Opposition forces claim that sentences reflect regime’s fear of the former pro-Western leader.A Georgian court has sentenced former President Mikheil Saakashvili to four and a half years behind bars for illegally crossing the border. Monday’s ruling followed on the heels of a nine-year sentence imposed on Saakashvili last Wednesday and raises the already jailed pro-Western politician’s time behind bars to 12 and a half years. Opposition groups insist that the sentences are politically motivated and that the Georgian Dream government, which is accused of abusing democracy and pulling Georgia back towards Russia, is scared of Saakashvili. After being sentenced while…
Forever 21 filed for bankruptcy protection for the second time in six years on Sunday and blamed fast-fashion e-tailers Shein and Temu for its demise. The retailer’s operating company is expected to cease all operations in the U.S. and has already begun liquidation sales at its more than 350 locations, but it’s still open for bids if a buyer is willing to take on its inventory and keep running its stores, court filings show. Forever 21 has been seeking a buyer for several months and made contact with more than 200 potential bidders, 30 of which signed confidentiality agreements, but no viable…
Listen to article The federal government has ruled out any increase in salaries and pensions for public sector employees in the upcoming budget, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb confirmed in a written response to the National Assembly. During the question hour, Aurangzeb stated that no proposal is under consideration to revise pay scales, allowances, or pensions for government employees in the next fiscal year. However, he mentioned that the government is reviewing the ceiling and hiring limits for public sector workers. The announcement comes at a time of rising inflation, with many government employees hoping for financial relief in the upcoming budget. The…
After arriving in a frigid Siberian jail in November 2023, Nariman Dzhelyal ate nothing but bread and gruel. The bespectacled, bearded Crimean Tatar community leader is a devout Muslim. He said most of the meals he was served contained pork, the consumption of which is forbidden in Islam. “I just took bread, it wasn’t of good quality, and ate it with tea,” Dzhelyal, who had been sentenced to 17 years in jail for “blowing up a natural gas pipeline” and “smuggling explosives” in a trial Ukraine called Kremlin-orchestrated, told Al Jazeera. He denied all the allegations against him. Within days…
President Donald Trump’s top economic aide on Monday warned of more economic uncertainty stemming from the United States’ evolving tariff agenda.”Absolutely, between now and April 2, there’ll be some uncertainty,” National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” referring to the date on which Trump says he will unveil “reciprocal” tariff plans.The remark acknowledges what many analysts and business leaders have complained about for weeks, as Trump’s sweeping tariff announcements — and subsequent revisions to them — sow confusion in the markets.Yardeni Research President Ed Yardeni, who appeared on CNBC immediately before Hassett did on Monday, said,…
Workers package blueberries at a company in Mengzi of Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Feb. 28, 2025. In 2024, China’s blueberry cultivation area surpassed 73,000 hectares, yielding around 500,000 tonnes of berries, making China one of the fastest-growing blueberry producers in the world. Yunnan Province, with its ideal climate and extended growing season, has emerged as a leading production hub, contributing about 30 percent of the national output. (Photo by Xue Yingying/Xinhua)KUNMING, March 17 (Xinhua) — While blueberry bushes in most parts of China are just beginning to bloom, early-ripening varieties in southwestern Yunnan Province…
PCB’s mismanagement, uncertainty, and poor infrastructure threaten Pakistan cricket’s future despite immense talent. It is early morning, I have just finished having Sehri. Pakistan is playing cricket in New Zealand. Batting first a typical collapse has started, nothing new for a Pakistani cricket fan. However, looking at the batting line up, my confidence is at its dimmest. For perhaps the first time in 40 years, television was turned off and I went back to sleep, unable to bear watching further. Later, I discovered Pakistan had been dismissed for a mere 91 runs, playing at a little over 4 runs an…