Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Turkiye sought to deepen their defence cooperation amid regional instability as the two sides, in the level talks here on Wednesday, vowed to increase the bilateral trade to $5 billion. Turkish Foreign Minister Fida Hakan and Defence Minister Yasar Guler, who arrived in Islamabad in Tuesday night, held a series of meetings with Pakistani civil and military leaders. Turkiye has emerged a strong supporter of Pakistan in the wake of recent conflict with India. The presence of Turkish foreign and defence ministers in Islamabad highlighted the deepening cooperation and increased high-level exchanges between the two countries. While…

WELLINGTON: New Black Caps coach Rob Walter says Kane Williamson still wants to represent New Zealand in international cricket despite opting out of the upcoming tour of Zimbabwe. The 34-year-old master batsman turned down a central contract with New Zealand Cricket for this season, enabling him to pick and choose his availability and take up lucrative contracts in franchise cricket. So instead of playing two tests in Bulawayo in late July and August, Williamson will be captaining London Spirit in The Hundred in England. “Myself and Kane have had a nice conversation, a long conversation,” South African Walter told the…

A drone photo shows a cotton picker operating in a field in Awat County of Aksu, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, Oct. 24, 2024. (Xinhua/Gao Han)URUMQI, July 10 (Xinhua) — In northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, the cotton farming mechanization process starts at the very beginning, namely with the development of seeds.As the largest cotton-producing region in the country, Xinjiang has achieved a remarkable mechanization rate of over 97 percent in cotton farming. Through the popularization of large machines and by leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as AI-assisted breeding, biotechnology-based breeding and gene editing, agronomists and scientists are continuously…

Listen to article United States said on Wednesday it was imposing sanctions on Francesca Albanese, the United Nations’ special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has been very critical of US ally Israel’s war in Gaza. “Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful efforts to prompt (International Criminal Court) action against US and Israeli officials, companies, and executives,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. Today I am imposing sanctions on UN Human Rights Council Special Rapporteur Francesca Albanese for her illegitimate and shameful…

LONDON: Jannik Sinner overcame Ben Shelton in straight sets to reach the Wimbledon semi-finals for the second time on Wednesday, easing fears over an elbow injury he suffered in the previous round. Sinner wore a protective sleeve on his right arm and could be seen grimacing at times in his 7-6(7/2), 6-4, 6-4 quarter-final victory against 10th seed Shelton on Court One. But the 23-year-old battled through the discomfort. Sinner had sparked fears he may have to pull out of Wimbledon after injuring his right elbow in an awkward fall during his fourth-round tie against Grigor Dimitrov on Monday. The…

A child interacts with a cat pattern on a Lynk & Co car at the 21st Shanghai International Automobile Industry Exhibition in east China’s Shanghai, April 25, 2025. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)BEIJING, July 10 (Xinhua) — China’s auto production and sales logged double-digit increases in the first half of the year (H1), a sign of vibrant domestic consumption in the world’s second-largest economy, data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers (CAAM) showed on Thursday.The country’s auto output totaled 15.62 million units during the period, up 12.5 percent from a year ago, while auto sales rose 11.4 percent to 15.65 million units.The…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Acting Deputy Governor Dr Inayat Hussain cautioned on Wednesday that the government’s decision to curtail subsidies for promoting foreign remittances, which hit a record $38 billion, may reduce the flow through banking channels. The statement came amid a disagreement between the federal government and the central bank on shouldering subsidies in the new fiscal year 2025-26 under the Pakistan Remittance Initiative (PRI). The finance ministry has not allocated any sum for the scheme while the central bank has also shown its inability to provide funds. The steps that the government has taken will…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited Turkish companies to increase their investment footprint in Pakistan and share their expertise in the country’s structural reforms, economic growth, and development. He made the remarks in a meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and Defence Minister Yasar Güler, who called on him in Islamabad on Wednesday. In an official release, the PM stressed the need for concerted efforts from both countries to enhance bilateral trade, aiming to reach the mutually agreed target of $5 billion. He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to further strengthening cooperation with Turkey in key sectors, including trade, investment, technology, and…

Listen to article Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari urged the people of India to avoid falling prey to disinformation and hate-mongering, stressing that it is easy for the current generation to talk about war. “I just want to tell the people of India that they must avoid disinformation and hate mongerers. It is easy for this generation to talk about war and tell you that every Pakistani is a terrorist, every Pakistani is your enemy; that is not true,” he appealed in an interview with Indian journalist Karan Thapar on Wednesday. Bilawal categorically rejected India’s claims of Pakistani involvement…

HYDERABAD: As the wrangle among the Sindh government’s civic agencies over sharing and utilisation of the betterment charges, collected from builders of commercial buildings lingers on, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has yet again summoned the concerned officers. A team of NAB led by Additional Director Fayaz Hussain Abbasi will visit Hyderabad from July 9 to 11 during which the officers of the concerned departments will be grilled while the team will also visit their offices. In this regard the bureau’s Deputy Director Coordination Sanaullah wrote a letter on July 3 to Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA), Hyderabad Municipal Corporation…