Author: i2wtc

WASHINGTON: US tariffs of 50 percent took effect Wednesday on many Indian products, doubling an existing duty as President Donald Trump sought to punish New Delhi for buying Russian oil. India has criticized the levies as “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable,” with its export body calling on Wednesday for government intervention to assuage fears of heavy job cuts. Trump has raised pressure on India over the energy transactions, a key source of revenue for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, as part of a campaign to end the conflict. The latest salvo strains US-India ties, giving New Delhi fresh incentive to improve relations…

LAHORE: Punjab was hit by catastrophic floods triggered by heavy rains and worsened by India’s release of water, prompting the provincial government to call in the army for a massive relief and rescue operation across several districts. In extraordinary measures to save lives and protect critical infrastructure, authorities deliberately breached an embankment near the Qadirabad headworks on the Chenab River to ease pressure on the structure and reduce the water’s destructive force. Despite the intervention, vast areas remain inundated, including the Kartarpur Gurdwara, one of Sikhism’s holiest sites, where floodwaters entered the compound, disrupting pilgrimage activity and stranding dozens before…

* With 10 member states, 2 observer states and 14 dialogue partners, the SCO now represents nearly half of the world’s population, a quarter of the global landmass and about a quarter of global GDP.* Since its inception in 2001, the SCO has grown into a comprehensive regional organization that contributes certainty and vitality to an often volatile global economic landscape, analysts noted.* As leaders from Asia, Europe and Africa will gather in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1 for the largest-ever SCO summit in history, it is expected that the meeting will…

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) came under fire during National Assembly’s standing committee on climate change and environmental coordiantion’s session on Wednesday as the province grapples with record floods. MNA Malik Awais Jakhar lambasted the NDMA for incompetence and demanded answers on behalf of his district – Layyah. “Committees have been formed for one and a half years [but] has any result been produced?” he asked. Jakhar further criticised the NDMA for failing to appear before the standing committee despite multiple summons. This year, the torrential rains have flooded the rivers, with high-flood alerts…

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang waves to a crowd as he leaves the China International Supply Chain Expo (CISCE) in Beijing on July 17, 2025. Jade Gao | Afp | Getty ImagesNvidia CEO Jensen Huang said there’s a “real possibility” the company brings its advanced Blackwell processor to China as he urges the U.S. government to open up access for American chipmakers.He also predicted the artificial intelligence market in the world’s second-biggest economy will grow 50% next year.”The opportunity for us to bring Blackwell to the China market is a real possibility,” Huang said on Wednesday in a call for Nvidia’s…

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged a generous donation of US$1 million to support the World Health Organization (WHO) in its efforts to bolster Pakistan’s response to the ongoing monsoon floods. “We are particularly thankful to the Gates Foundation for this generous and timely support to WHO teams in the field, assisting federal and provincial authorities to meet health needs, deliver medical supplies, and save lives,” said WHO Representative in Pakistan Dr Dapeng Luo during a visit to health facilities in flood-affected areas in Swabi District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). The funding will help meet the health needs of…

A journalist takes pictures during the visit to the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 27, 2025. Nearly 200 journalists went to the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression for visits and interviews on Wednesday.The participating journalists came from more than 130 domestic and international media organisations in over 60 countries and regions. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuwei)A journalist shoots videos during the visit to the Museum of the War of Chinese People’s Resistance Against Japanese Aggression in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 27, 2025. Nearly 200…

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said that Pakistan failed to prepare investable projects to utilise $11 billion, pledged by foreign lenders during Geneva conference nearly three years ago. This inability has led to the gap between the government’s need for foreign aid and its ability to spend it effectively. “Let’s accept that we could not come up with investable projects to benefit from the billions of dollars, pledged in Geneva,” Aurangzeb said while speaking at a conference in Islamabad on Wednesday. He questioned whether state institutions had learned anything from the devastating 2022 floods and facing two existential threats —…

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai during the Google I/O developers conference in Mountain View, California, on May 10, 2023.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesGoogle has eliminated more than one-third of its managers overseeing small teams, an executive told employees last week, as the company continues its focus on efficiencies across the organization.”Right now, we have 35% fewer managers, with fewer direct reports” than at this time a year ago, said Brian Welle, vice president of people analytics and performance, according to audio of an all-hands meeting reviewed by CNBC. “So a lot of fast progress there.”At the meeting, employees…

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced a 25% discount on tickets for passengers travelling from Paris to Pakistan, with bookings open until August 31, 2025, for travel between August 25 and September 28. The discount also applies to connecting routes with Air France across Europe and the United Kingdom. The airline confirmed it will discontinue its Lahore–Paris service due to low demand, with the final flights scheduled for September 12 and 17. The Islamabad–Paris route will remain in operation. Earlier, PIA launched direct flights from Lahore to Baku, Azerbaijan, as part of its efforts to expand international routes and promote tourism.…