Author: i2wtc
Apple is in talks to acquire the US broadcast rights to screen Formula 1 when the contract becomes available next year, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, following the success of Brad Pitt-starrer F1: The Movie. The report follows the strong box office performance of Apple’s high-octane racing film F1: The Movie, which has grossed $293 million in its first 10 days, according to Variety and other outlets. The iPhone maker is challenging current US broadcaster ESPN, owned by Disney, for the Formula 1 rights next year, the FT report said, citing sources familiar with the matter. Reuters could not…
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on Tuesday expressed serious concerns over the awarding of a major highway construction contract to a blacklisted firm, raising alarms over transparency, procedural lapses and funding delays in the Rajanpur-Dera Ismail Khan section of the Indus Highway project. The Senate Standing Committee on Communications, which met at Parliament House with its chairman Senator Pervaiz Rasheed, grilled officials of the National Highway Authority (NHA) over the project’s stagnant progress, insufficient allocation in the current PSDP and the decision to award the contract despite the contractor’s alleged blacklisting. According to NHA officials, five bypasses are planned between Rajanpur…
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks on the balcony of the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on July 4, 2025. (Xinhua/Hu Yousong)The delay adds yet another twist to Trump’s original “90 deals in 90 days” promise — so far yielding only two vague trade agreements with Britain and Vietnam.WASHINGTON, July 9 (Xinhua) — With the 90-day suspension of sweeping U.S. reciprocal tariffs scheduled to expire Wednesday, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday to extend the pause till Aug. 1 while trade negotiations continue.Forbes described the move as the administration’s “27th policy flip-flop” since April 2,…
Listen to article THE HAGUE: The International Criminal Court on Tuesday issued arrest warrants for two senior Taliban leaders, accusing them of crimes against humanity for persecuting women and girls. Judges said there were “reasonable grounds” to suspect Taliban Supreme Leader Hibatullah Akhundzada and chief justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani of committing gender-based persecution. “While the Taliban have imposed certain rules and prohibitions on the population as a whole, they have specifically targeted girls and women by reason of their gender, depriving them of fundamental rights and freedoms,” the court said in a statement. The Taliban had “severely deprived” girls and women of…
LONDON: Wimbledon’s controversial line technology system malfunctioned again as Taylor Fritz beat Karen Khachanov to reach his first Wimbledon semi-final, while world number one Aryna Sabalenka survived a scare to make the last four on Tuesday. Swedish umpire Louise Azemar Engzell had to stop a point in the opening game of the fourth set on Court One when “fault” was incorrectly called after a Fritz forehand landed well inside the baseline. The call of “fault”, rather than “out”, and positioning of the ball suggested the system was still tracking Fritz’s serve as opposed to a rally and the point had…
This aerial drone photo taken on June 6, 2024 shows a solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of a building at a low(zero) carbon-dioxide emission industrial research institute in Sheyang, Yancheng, east China’s Jiangsu Province. (Xinhua/Yang Lei)NANJING, July 9 (Xinhua) — On the rooftops of Shuangjing Village in the city of Xuzhou, east China’s Jiangsu Province, rows of gleaming solar panels shimmer under the summer sun, resembling a vast azure sea from a distance.The installation is part of a village-wide distributed solar photovoltaic (PV) power generation initiative led by the State Grid Xuzhou Power Supply Company. With a total installed…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday asked the relevant authorities to present a comprehensive action plan to boost agricultural production and introduce agriculture reforms in the country. He was chairing a review meeting on the performance of the agriculture sector and ongoing reforms. “Improving agricultural productivity, value addition, and increasing exports of agricultural products are top priorities of the government,” the prime minister said. He directed that a comprehensive short- and long-term action plan be presented for modern agricultural machinery, quality seeds, geographical planning of crops, and provision of easy loans to farmers. To enhance per-acre crop yield,…
LAHORE: The Pakistan selectors on Tuesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20 International series against Bangladesh, with five frontline players including former captains Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi omitted for a second series in a row, while two uncapped pacers were called up. Vice-captain Shadab Khan and fast bowler Haris Rauf were also ruled out due to fitness issues. Shadab is recovering from shoulder surgery in England, while Haris sustained a hamstring injury during a T20 league match in the United States last week. Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen were left out again as the…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission board on Tuesday declared four local parties, including three associated with cement business, eligible for bidding for the acquisition of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), inching a step closer to the sale of the loss-making entity. In a related development, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCOP) approved the transaction structure for the disposal of Roosevelt Hotel, New York, which is owned by PIA. The committee picked the option of running the hotel as a joint venture, which had been suggested by the financial adviser a year ago but was ignored by the government. Deputy Prime Minister…
Police officers work with crew members to secure a mooring vessel at Sanjiangkou Wharf in Taizhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, July 7, 2025. China’s Ministry of Water Resources on Monday activated a Level-IV emergency response to flooding in the eastern provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian as Typhoon Danas approaches. (Photo by Yu Yuexiang/Xinhua)HANGZHOU, July 9 (Xinhua) — Typhoon Danas, the fourth typhoon of the year, made its third landfall in the coastal area of Rui’an City in east China’s Zhejiang Province late on Tuesday, local authorities have confirmed.According to the provincial meteorological observatory, the center of the tropical storm made…