Author: i2wtc

LOS ANGELES: Organisers of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics on Monday released the first look at the Olympic competition schedule, highlighting a historic reshuffling of key events and the most ambitious sports lineup in Games history. The announcement comes as the city marks three years to go until the Opening Ceremony and celebrates a major legacy milestone: more than one million enrolments in the PlayLA youth sports programme. For the first time in nearly three decades, the Summer Olympics will return to the United States, with Los Angeles hosting for the third time after 1932 and 1984. The 2028 Games…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, July 15, 2025. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in Beijing on Tuesday.Xi once again congratulated Albanese on his re-election. He said that with the joint efforts of both sides, China-Australia relations have emerged from their low point and achieved a turnaround in recent years, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries.The most important insight this…

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reacted to a major breach of the $7 billion programme and conveyed its reservations about the government’s decision to import 500,000 metric tonne of sugar by waiving taxes, in violation of written commitments. The development came as sugar prices officially hit Rs200 per kg for the first time in the country’s history, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics’ (PBS) inflation bulletin released last Friday. Government sources told The Express Tribune that the IMF did not accept Pakistan’s plea that the tax-free sugar import was justified due to a food emergency. The Federal…

India’s Fauja Singh, believed to be the world’s oldest distance runner, has died in a road accident aged 114, his biographer said on Tuesday. Singh, an Indian-born British national, nicknamed the “Turbaned Tornado”, died after being hit by a vehicle in Punjab state’s Jalandhar district on Monday. “My Turbaned Tornado is no more,” Fauja’s biographer Khushwant Singh wrote on X. “He was struck by an unidentified vehicle… in his village, Bias, while crossing the road. Rest in peace, my dear Fauja.” Singh did not have a birth certificate but his family said he was born on April 1, 1911. He…

Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers an important speech at the Central Urban Work Conference in Beijing, capital of China. The conference was held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping laid out the overall requirements, key principles and priority tasks for urban work at a key conference held in Beijing from Monday to Tuesday.Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military…

Listen to article LAHORE: US Consul General Lahore Kristin K Hawkins has said that Pakistan and the United States share a longstanding and enduring relationship, with cooperation expanding across sectors including agriculture, trade, education and cultural preservation. In an exclusive interview with Express News, Hawkins stated that agricultural experts from both countries are working jointly to tackle farming challenges faced in South Punjab and the US. She added that bilateral programmes in areas such as trade and agriculture can further strengthen mutual support. “Our focus is to provide modern educational opportunities to Pakistan’s youth,” Hawkins said. She highlighted the success of the English Access Micro-scholarship…

MANAMA: Pakistan’s Shahid Aftab and Mohammad Asif progressed to the knockout stages of the IBSF World Masters Snooker Championship after the league round concluded on Monday, though their paths diverged during the day’s tense encounters in Manama. Shahid, the current national champion, delivered a remarkable comeback against Kuwait’s Abdullah Alyousef to secure his place directly in the last 16. Trailing 0-2 after losing the first two frames [25-70(44), 31-53], Shahid staged a stunning recovery. He dominated the third frame with a 48 break (79(48)-6), controlled the fourth (58-13), and sealed the decider emphatically with a superb 73 break [103(73)-25]. Later,…

Tourists visit the Xixia Imperial Tombs archaeological site park in Yinchuan, northwest China’s Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, July 13, 2025. China’s Xixia Imperial Tombs were officially added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on Friday during the 47th session of the World Heritage Committee held in Paris, France. (Photo by Yuan Hongyan/Xinhua)BEIJING, July 15 (Xinhua) — Upon receiving the news that the Xixia Imperial Tombs have been inscribed on the World Heritage List, archaeological workers at the historical site of Yinxu in central China’s Henan Province were overjoyed.”We’ve always had high hopes for the Xixia Imperial Tombs’ successful inscription on…

Listen to article Minister of State for Interior Senator Talal Chaudhary announced on Monday that the Frontier Constabulary (FC) is being restructured and renamed as the Federal Constabulary to enhance Pakistan’s internal and national security. Speaking at a press conference alongside FC Commandant Riaz Nazir Gara, he clarified that the revamping of the FC is not politically motivated but an institutional necessity.  Chaudhary emphasised that the restructuring is solely a defence-related initiative designed to strengthen national security by providing enhanced support to law enforcement agencies. “For nearly a century, the FC has played a crucial role in maintaining peace and order within the…

Petrol and diesel prices in Pakistan are expected to increase by up to Rs6.60 per litre for the next 15 days, following a continued upward trend in global crude oil prices, according to industry sources. At the time of reporting, the proposed hike includes a Rs6.60 per litre increase in petrol and a Rs5.27 per litre rise in high-speed diesel (HSD). Conversely, the prices of kerosene and light diesel may see reductions of Rs3.74 and Rs2.23 per litre, respectively. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has completed its work based on the latest global market trends, and a final…