Author: i2wtc

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military kept up its assault on Gaza City and the wider Gaza Strip on Saturday, dismantling underground shafts and booby-trapped structures in attacks that left 34 Palestinians dead, according to Gazan health authorities. The assault came as 10 countries including Australia, Belgium, Britain and Canada are scheduled to formally recognize an independent Palestinian state on Monday, ahead of the annual leaders’ gathering at the UN General Assembly. Israel’s intensified military demolition campaign targeting high-rise buildings in Gaza City began this week alongside a ground assault. Its forces, which control Gaza City’s eastern suburbs, have in recent days been…

TOKYO: Emmanuel Wanyonyi and Beatrice Chebet made it a memorable night for Kenya at the world championships on Saturday as they produced outstanding performances to win the men’s 800 metres and women’s 5,000m, respectively. Just over a year ago the duo left Paris as Olympic champions, while Chebet won both the 5,000 and 10,000m golds. Wanyonyi timed a championship record of 1min 41.86sec for gold in Tokyo, just four hundredths of a second ahead of Algeria’s fast-finishing Djamel Sedjati. Defending champion Marco Arop of Canada had to settle for bronze in 1:41.95 in a reshuffle of the podium places with…

SAN FRANCISCO/WASHINGTON: The Trump administration’s new $100,000 annual fee for H-1B visas in the United States goes into effect Sunday, prompting some big tech companies to warn visa holders to stay in the US or quickly return. The change could deal a big blow to the technology sector that relies heavily on skilled workers from India and China. Since taking office in January, Trump has kicked off a wide-ranging immigration crackdown, including moves to limit some forms of legal immigration. The White House issued a major clarification Saturday to its new H-1B visa policy that had rattled the tech industry…

RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), acting as the executing agency, has announced that over 70 per cent of the Rawalpindi Ring Road (RRR) project has been completed. The project envisions the development of logistics and education centres, a health city, dry port, business hubs, industrial zones, transport terminals, wholesale markets, recreational parks, and residential communities along both sides of the corridor. A special meeting on the Ring Road Economic Zones was recently held at the RDA, chaired by Director General Kinza Murtaza. In her address, she underscored the transformative impact of the project, emphasising that it would not only…

Pakistan meet India in Super 4 clash of Asia Cup today. CRICKET between Pakistan and India was once an opportunity for diplomacy. After conflict, amid cross-border tensions, a cricket match was perfect to lower temperatures, open dialogue, and start the long and winding road back to normality. Cricket now deepens divisions. Pakistan and India have a great history of fierce but sporting competition but the extent of cricket’s politicisation is damaging the status of these games. India is responsible. J’accuse. Instead of eager anticipation for Sunday’s Asia Cup match, the focus is on handshakes, cancelled press conferences, fan boycotts, and…

Visitors taste coffee in Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu’er City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, Sept. 20, 2025. The city of Pu’er along the China-Laos Railway has fully leveraged its coffee resources and natural landscapes to provide visitors with coffee-themed tourism experience, boosting local rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)This aerial drone photo taken on Sept. 20, 2025 shows a residential area of Nandaohe Village, Simao District, Pu’er City, southwest China’s Yunnan Province. The city of Pu’er along the China-Laos Railway has fully leveraged its coffee resources and natural landscapes to provide visitors with coffee-themed tourism experience, boosting local rural revitalization. (Xinhua/Xing Guangli)This…

ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia remains the major source of cheap foreign loans for Pakistan, rolling over $5 billion in loans at an annual interest rate of 4% — about one-third cheaper than Chinese cash deposits and less than half the cost of foreign commercial borrowing. Official records show that Riyadh charged a 4% interest rate on two separate cash deposit facilities obtained by Islamabad in recent years. The loan, originally contracted for one year, has yet to be repaid. Government officials said the kingdom has been rolling it over annually without imposing additional costs. A $2 billion Saudi cash deposit facility is…

Ma Xiuhua serves fruits at her agritainment in Tacheng City, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Sept. 17, 2025. Ma Xiuhua, 60, is a native of Tacheng. Together with her husband, she built an agritainment named “Friends Manor” in their hometown, where they welcome guests from all over the country.Tacheng is home to over 20 ethnic groups, with a population of less than 160,000. Members of Ma’s family themselves come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.Whenever guests arrive at “Friends Manor,” Ma greets them with warm hospitality, treating them to her signature homemade dishes and fresh fruits harvested right from…

There often are silver linings for teams after defeats, but Pakistan had none last Sunday when they were crushed by India. There often are silver linings for teams after defeats, but Pakistan had none last Sunday when they were crushed by India in a lopsided contest that their bitter rivals dominated from the very first ball. It was the first proper examination of this Pakistan side in transition, which has vowed to be more dynamic with the bat and replaced their reliable, yet slow, run accumulators with feisty players yet to establish themselves at the apex level, based on the…

KARACHI: The controversy over the abrupt suspension of the Green Line project deepened further as the federal government distanced itself from responsibility, saying: “The matter lies between the Karachi mayor and the contractor.” Clarifying, the federal government’s spokesperson Barrister Raja Ansari said the issue stemmed from objections raised by the Karachi mayor over the contractor’s no-objection certificate (NOC). He noted that the Centre remained committed to providing transport facilities to the people of Karachi and had already released funds for the project. The federal and Sindh governments are in contact regarding the multi-billion project, said Ansari, adding coordination with the…