Author: i2wtc

LAHORE: Heavy rains and flooding across Punjab have disrupted the movement of food supplies to Lahore, leaving wholesale markets short of key perishable items and triggering sharp price hikes across poultry, vegetables, and fruits. Consumers reported that the shortage has not only reduced the availability of fresh produce but also pushed quality down, with many items arriving damaged or in smaller quantities. The absence of active government monitoring and enforcement has further allowed retailers to charge well above the official prices, deepening frustration among buyers already coping with rising costs of living. Traders at major wholesale markets said truckloads of…

White House trade advisor Peter Navarro speaks to members of the media near the West Wing of the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 21, 2025. Nathan Howard | ReutersPresident Donald Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro said Sunday that “it will be the end of the United States” if the president’s sweeping tariffs are ultimately blocked by the U.S. Supreme Court.Navarro’s comments echoed Trump’s own rhetoric as the president sharply criticized last week’s 7-4 appeals court decision, which ruled that most of Trump’s tariffs are illegal, placing a central tenet of the administration’s economic agenda on shaky ground.The final…

PUBLISHED August 31, 2025 Lahore, Gujarat, and Sialkot – what do these cities have in common? They are all major urban centres in Punjab, and they were all drowned in unprecedented floods this week, with Sialkot reportedly experiencing the most intense recorded rainfall in half a century, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department. If this is the state of our major cities, one can only imagine the conditions in rural Punjab. One also wonders if departments like the PMD are only there to measure the loss, rather than prevent it. Weak coordination and unclear mandate Pakistan does not seem to…

The U.S. Capitol is seen in the morning on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 15, 2025. Ken Cedeno | ReutersCongressional Republicans scored a massive victory this summer when they passed President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill” of tax and spending cuts without a single Democratic vote. But as they return to Washington this fall after a monthlong August recess, they will have to find a way to work with Democrats — or around them — as a government shutdown looms.The annual spending battle will dominate the September agenda, along with a possible effort by Senate Republicans to change…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Modi is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Sunday, agreeing that China and India are partners, not rivals.The meeting of the leaders of the world’s two most populous countries took place ahead of a summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to be held in north China’s port city of Tianjin from Sunday to Monday.Xi told Modi that…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Erdogan is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is in China’s port city of Tianjin to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.China and Türkiye are both emerging major countries with a spirit of independence, Xi said, adding that the high-level development of bilateral relations serves the fundamental interests of both countries as well as the…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan may lose $1.8 billion in the next two years in case of any further delays in the auction of frequency spectrum, as the existing allocated space has almost been consumed, the country’s largest telecom operator has warned the prime minister. Network congestion has become a recurring problem, and users are experiencing degraded service quality, stated Aamir Ibrahim, Chief Executive Officer of Jazz, in a letter to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Ibrahim, whose company holds about 37% of the market, said the premier’s Digital Pakistan vision was at risk because of an inordinate delay in the auction. “If the…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 31, 2025. Pham Minh Chinh is in China to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Bogu)TIANJIN, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh in China’s port city of Tianjin on Sunday.Chinh is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025.Xi called for intensified efforts to implement the consensus reached by the two sides during his state visit to Vietnam in April, to deliver more substantive outcomes in their comprehensive…

UPPER DIR/KOHAT/BAJAUR/MOHMAND: UPPER DIR/KOHAT/BAJAUR/MOHMAND At least five law enforcers were martyred and seven others injured in a series of terrorist attacks in different tribal districts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) on Saturday, local officials and sources said, adding that three terrorists were also eliminated in retaliatory operations. Terrorists belonging to the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) — which is officially designated as Fitna al-Khwarij — launched a brazen attack on a security outpost in the Soni Darra area of Upper Dir district near the Pakistan-Afghan border on the night between Friday and Saturday. The assault left three border guards — Naik Gulfam, Sepoy…

KARACHI: For Pakistan’s elite athletes, the pursuit of international glory is a solitary grind against a tide of financial constraints, inadequate coaching and systemic neglect. Their greatest battle is often fought far from the spotlight. When Commonwealth gold-medallist weightlifter Nooh Dastagir Butt stands atop the podium, the nation sees triumph. What it doesn’t see is the anxiety that once plagued him. “People initially supported me after my triumph but after that no one helped,” Nooh revealed to Dawn, his voice carrying the weight of experience. His sentiment is a familiar refrain in the echoing halls of Pakistani sports, a testament…