Author: i2wtc

Since the great wave of independence from European rule swept across Africa in 1960, no country on the continent has joined the exclusive club of the world’s richest nations. Africa is not unique in this respect: Most of the countries that have risen to wealth since World War II have been European nations that benefited from the Marshall Plan, Western colonies such as Australia and New Zealand, and a handful of coastal Asian states, with a few exceptions, including those with vast oil and gas wealth. And yet Africa dominates the list of the world’s poorest countries. If natural resource…

Take a look at the unfolding chaos in Europe through the sharp eyes of Vladimir Putin: You don’t have to imagine the wolfish grin on his face to see that the Russian tyrant is having a surprisingly good spring.The two fulcrums of European power, France and Germany, are in the final stages of political collapse and, in the case of Germany, deep economic decline.In France, the pro-Russian far-right just won a shock victory in the European Parliament elections, and in Germany, an even more pro-Russian far-right party won more votes than Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party.European elections are primarily a referendum…

CNN — The family of one of the hostages rescued in an Israeli operation last weekend said he was subjected to psychological abuse by his Hamas captors during the eight months he was held captive in Gaza. Andrei Kozlov, 27, was rescued along with Noa Al-Ghamani, Almog Meir Jan and Shlomi Ziv during a raid on the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza on Saturday. The operation was Israel’s third rescue of hostages held in Gaza and was celebrated in Israel. But it also left a devastating impact, with Gaza authorities saying at least 274 Palestinians were killed in the…

Last year, the Pakistani government allocated Rs1,804 billion for defence spending, higher than the previous year’s Rs1,523 billion.The minister said the tax revenue target will be Rs 12.97 trillion, up 38 percent from the previous year. Photo: PexelsPress Trust of India Islamabad Pakistan on Wednesday announced an increase of about 15 percent in defense spending, allocating Rs2.122 trillion in the 2024-25 budget, a significant increase from last year as it struggles to secure fresh loans from the IMF to repay the country’s cash-strapped foreign debt. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the first budget in the National Assembly (lower house) of…

India vs USA T20 WC Live Score: Arshdeep Singh barely took his foot off the gas with career-best figures of four for nine as India restricted co-hosts United States to 110 for eight in a Group A match at the T20 World Cup on Wednesday.After some brave batting displays during the winning streak, the American batsmen found India’s fast-bowling attack several notches above them in terms of level and quality.There were few instances when the home team felt the noose around their necks was loosening.But the US scored 42 points in the first 10 minutes before adding 68 more in…

Passenger electric vehicles are not the only alternative in the transportation sector that could potentially replace some of China’s oil needs: LNG-fueled heavy vehicles are also likely to limit diesel use in transportation, especially now that LNG is cheaper than diesel. LNG truck sales in China have surged in recent months as global and Asian LNG prices remain well below the highs recorded at the peak of the summer 2022 energy crisis. The surge in LNG truck shipments is expected to reduce China’s demand for oil for transportation, slowing overall oil demand growth in the world’s largest crude importer. The…

BATHINDA: South Asia Peace Action Network (SAPAN), an organisation aimed at promoting cooperation, peace and dialogue across the region, has written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the eve of his third term expressing concern over Pakistan’s exclusion from the invitation to meet the heads of state of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). The letter highlighted the common history, culture and aspirations that drive the SAARC umbrella countries’ insistence for better relations.Among other things, the letter congratulates Prime Minister Modi and the NDA 3.0 on their recent electoral victory. It also reaffirms the Indian…

Space manufacturing company Apex has secured $95 million in Series B funding led by XYZ Venture Capital and CRV to ramp up production of its satellite buses. A Los Angeles-based space tech startup has the capacity to mass-produce spacecraft buses — the bodies and structural components of satellites — to meet growing demand from customers such as the U.S. Department of Defense, helping to streamline approaches to satellites. The new funding will enable the company to ramp up production to meet customer demand after the launch of Apex’s first bus in March. Apex recently opened a new factory to increase…

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo, who won the Patnagar Assembly constituency in Odisha’s Bolangir district, was sworn in as the state’s Deputy Chief Minister along with Prabati Parida on Wednesday.Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo (67), a native of Bolangir, a former royal family in Patna, defeated BJD candidate Saroj Kumar Meher by a narrow margin of 1,357 votes in the state assembly elections.Who is Kanak Vardhan Singh Deo?With a long and illustrious political career spanning over two decades, Kanak Vardhan Singh hails from a politically active family and holds a BA Part I from Delhi University.Kanak Vardhan…

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The European Union on Wednesday increased tariffs, or import taxes, on Chinese-made electric vehicles, making EVs the latest flashpoint in a broader trade dispute over Chinese government subsidies and a surge in exports of green technology from the Asian nation to the 27-nation bloc.Here are some basic facts about the EU’s planned tariffs:What has the European Union done?The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said preliminary findings from an ongoing investigation into Chinese EV subsidies revealed that China’s battery electric vehicle “value chain” benefits from “unfair subsidies” to the detriment of EU rivals. The Commission plans…