Author: i2wtc

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s security forces are locked in what they describe as a “complex operation” against a group of separatists who attacked a train earlier on Tuesday. The train was traveling from Quetta, the provincial capital of the southwestern province of Balochistan, to Peshawar, the capital of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Fighters belonging to the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA), a separatist group seeking Balochistan’s secession from Pakistan, claimed responsibility for the attack. They targeted the Jaffar Express as the train was passing through a series of tunnels near Sibi city, about 160km (100 miles) from Quetta. While security…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The government has assured the International Monetary Fund of selling the Pakistan International Airlines by July, but the future of Roosevelt Hotel in New York has yet to be decided amidst the US decision to terminate the $228 million worth lease deal prematurely. In a briefing to the IMF over Pakistan’s virtually stalled privatisation programme, the federal authorities said that they will try to privatise five to seven enterprises, including PIA, three financial institutions and three power distribution companies, according to the government sources. Among the financial institutions that will be privatised is the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited…

Lebanese media reported that the released hostages had arrived in a hospital in southern Lebanon city of Tyre.Lebanon says it has received four hostages taken by Israel during its war with Hezbollah, as Israel said it has agreed to hold talks to demarcate its border with Lebanon. The office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun confirmed in a statement on Tuesday that it had received the four captives, with a fifth expected to be handed over the following day. Lebanese media, including the state news agency NNA, reported that the released Lebanese captives had arrived in a hospital in southern Lebanon’s…

4th graders are served lunch at Heather Hills Elementary School in Bowie, Md., on Oct. 22, 2024. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty ImagesThe U.S. Agriculture Department has cut two federal programs that spent over $1 billion annually to help schools and food banks buy food from local farms and ranches, according to a school group and a Politico report on Monday.The School Nutrition Association, which represents cafeteria workers and directors nationwide, said in a press release that the USDA cut the $660 million Local Food for Schools program for 2025.Politico, citing a spokesperson for the USDA, reported that…

Listen to article Pakistan has warned the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is evolving into an umbrella organisation for militant groups in the region, with Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban authorities complicit in its cross-border attacks. Speaking at a UNSC session on Afghanistan, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, accused Kabul of providing safe havens to militants who have intensified attacks on Pakistani soil. He warned that Afghanistan is now home to more than 20 terrorist groups, posing a direct threat to regional stability. “We have evidence that the Kabul authorities have not only tolerated but…

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman stands on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) after ringing a bell on the floor setting the share price at $47 in its initial public offering (IPO) on March 21, 2024 in New York City.Spencer Platt | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesReddit shares rose more than 10% on Tuesday, reversing a three-day slump that coincided with a broader decline among technology companies.Despite Tuesday’s gains, Reddit shares are still roughly 30% below the close on Wednesday.Reddit’s stock market upswing was likely bolstered by a Loop Capital analyst note published Tuesday that reiterated a…

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy meets Saudi Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, during his visit to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, March 10, 2025.Saudi Press Agency | Via ReutersUkraine agreed Tuesday to an immediate 30-day ceasefire negotiated by the United States if Russia accepts the plan, officials said.As part of the plan, the United States immediately lifted its pause on sharing intelligence with Ukraine, and will resume security assistance to that country, which was invaded by Russia more than three years ago.”Ukraine is ready to start talking and stop shooting,” said Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Jedda, Saudi Arabia, after more than…

Listen to article Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has issued a letter of apology to US President Donald Trump following a tense public argument during their Oval Office meeting last month, according to Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy. Speaking to Fox News on Monday, Witkoff confirmed that Zelensky had sent the apology letter to Trump after their heated exchange. He stated that this step had initiated further discussions between the US, Ukraine, and relevant European officials regarding the ongoing war in Ukraine and efforts towards a peace agreement. “It was an important step, and there’s been a lot of discussion between our teams…

US President Donald Trump has announced he will double planned tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminium imports to 50 percent, escalating a trade war with the United States’s northern neighbour. In a social media post on Tuesday morning, Trump said the increased tariffs come in response to a decision by the province of Ontario to put a 25-percent surcharge on electricity exports to some US states. He said the increased tariffs on steel and aluminium would come into effect on Wednesday. “The only thing that makes sense is for Canada to become our cherished Fifty First State. This would make…

Clifford is sentenced to life in prison for three ‘brutal and cowardly’ murders of Carol Hunt, 61, Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28.A former British soldier who used a crossbow and a knife to murder three women at their family home north of London has been sentenced to a whole-life order, meaning that he would never be released from prison. Kyle Clifford, 26, was imprisoned for life for each of the three “brutal and cowardly” murders of Carol Hunt, 61, the wife of BBC sports commentator John Hunt, and their two daughters Louise Hunt, 25, and Hannah Hunt, 28.…