Author: i2wtc

Senators on Monday began offering amendments to President Donald Trump’s megabill, following a weekend of tense negotiations to try to get the president’s second term domestic priorities through the upper chamber.The process, called a “vote-a-rama,” began shortly after 9 a.m. ET, and it was not yet clear how long it could go on. Eight hours or more is not unusual.Senators are allowed to introduce an unlimited number of amendments to the budget bill, forcing the chamber to cast back-to-back votes.Some Senate Republicans, such as Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, have already signaled that they intend to file “a number of…

A Home Depot store in San Carlos, California, US, on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesHome Depot said Monday that it is buying GMS, a building-products distributor, for about $4.3 billion as the retailer moves to draw more sales from contractors and other home professionals.Shares of Home Depot were roughly flat in early trading Monday. GMS shares jumped more than 11%.As part of the deal, the Home Depot-owned subsidiary SRS Distribution will buy all outstanding shares of GMS for $110 per share, which adds up to about $4.3 billion and amounts to total enterprise value…

This photo shows a view of Guozigou scenic spot in Huocheng County, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, May 1, 2025. (Xinhua/Jia Zhao)URUMQI, June 30 (Xinhua) — Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has unveiled six new scenic highways, investing 10.7 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars) to develop 965 km of tourism-focused roads.The routes connect diverse landscapes, from snow-capped mountains and grasslands to forests, lakes, deserts and oases, and aim to enhance the region’s “fast entry, slow travel” transportation network and enrich self-driving tourism experiences, according to the regional transport department.The newly constructed highways are designed to bridge…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has officially declared Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar as the senior-most judge of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and confirmed the permanent transfer of Justice Dogar along with two other judges. Following the president’s decision, a new seniority list of IHC judges was released through a gazette notification dated June 27, 2025. According to the notification, Justice Sarfraz Dogar, who had earlier been serving on transfer, has been placed at the top of the seniority list of the IHC. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani has been listed second and will serve as the senior puisne judge.…

Listen to article Two firefighters were shot dead while responding to a fire in northern Idaho and the body of a man was later found with a gun nearby, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said on Sunday, as it lifted a shelter-in-place order. Sheriff Bob Norris had earlier said law enforcement officers and firefighters were taking sniper fire and urged people to stay clear of the area around Canfield Mountain, a nature zone popular with hikers near Coeur d’Alene, about 260 miles (420 km) east of Seattle. “This evening, members of the SWAT team located a deceased male on Canfield Mountain. A…

Tom LeeAdam Jeffery | CNBC Fundstrat’s Tom Lee is joining a little known bitcoin miner aiming to become the biggest publicly traded holder of ether.Lee, a high-profile market strategist known for his prescient bitcoin price forecasts and stock predictions, has been appointed chairman of the board of directors of BitMine Immersion Technologies, effective Monday. The company also announced a $250 million private placement to implement a buying strategy around ether, which it aims to make its primary treasury reserve asset while continuing with its core bitcoin mining business.Lee’s appointment comes amid a groundswell of interest around stablecoins following the successful…

An Indian defence official has admitted that the country’s air force did “lose some aircraft” on the night of May 7 when they launched an unprovoked attack on civilian sites in Pakistan during the recent 86-hour war between the two nuclear powers. Captain Shiv Kumar, an Indian defence attache, made the statement while speaking at a seminar, ‘Analysis of the Pakistan — India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power’ organised by Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Indonesia, reported Indian media. Kumar blamed the losses suffered by the Indian Air Force (IAF) on the constraints…

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday appointed former all-rounder Azhar Mahmood as the acting red-ball head coach of the Pakistan men’s team. In April, after having tested as many as six head coaches without any positive results in key international contests during the past two years for the national team, the PCB again advertised the post. Aaqib Javed, the last interim head coach for both formats who had failed to deliver after performing double duties as selector and coach during the past six months, had left the job following this year’s ICC Champions Trophy held in February-March. “The Pakistan…

The Moderna Inc. headquarters in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on March 26, 2024.Adam Glanzman | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesModerna on Monday said its experimental mRNA-based flu vaccine produced a stronger immune response than a currently available shot in a late-stage trial, clearing a path forward for the product and the company’s separate combination flu and Covid jab.Moderna in May voluntarily withdrew an application seeking approval of its combination shot targeting Covid-19 and influenza, saying it had plans to resubmit it with efficacy data from the phase three trial on its standalone flu vaccine. That decision came after discussions with the Food and…

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has urged the nation to renew its resolve to strengthen parliamentary institutions, uphold democratic values, and ensure that the voices of the people are truly reflected in the lawmaking process. In a message on the International Day of Parliamentarism, he said, “The day is observed every year on June 30 to reaffirm our global commitment to reinforcing democratic institutions.” “The day also celebrates the vital role of Parliaments in promoting inclusive governance, ensuring meaningful representation of women and youth, and embracing technological innovation in legislative practices,” he said. The PM noted, “Our Parliament occupies a…