Author: i2wtc

Listen to article US Vice President JD Vance reiterated that Washington had no plans to recognise a Palestinian state, questioning the meaning of recognition “given the lack of a functional government there.” Britain and the United States may disagree on how to address the Gaza crisis but share common goals in the region, US Vice President JD Vance said Friday at the start of talks with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy in southern England. Vance, who has previously criticised Britain’s governing Labour Party, arrived in London with his wife Usha and their three children before heading to Chevening, the red-brick country residence…

Listen to article The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday issued a reminder to all political parties, urging them to submit their consolidated statements of accounts for the financial year 2024–25 by August 29, 2025 in compliance with the Elections Act, 2017. In an official release, the ECP emphasised that under Section 210 of the Elections Act, 2017, along with Sections 204 and Rules 159 and 160 of the Election Rules, 2017, every political party is required to file Form-D, which must include audited financial details for the year ending June 30, 2025. The financial statement must outline the party’s annual…

An aerial drone photo taken on Aug. 8, 2025 shows amateurs riding bikes in Sujiawa Town of Zunhua City, north China’s Hebei Province. As the country marks National Fitness Day this Friday, a legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, more people are embracing active lifestyles. (Photo by Liu Mancang/Xinhua)Kids practice freestyle basketball at a kindergarten in Lianyungang City, east China’s Jiangsu Province, Aug. 8, 2025. As the country marks National Fitness Day this Friday, a legacy of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, more people are embracing active lifestyles. (Photo by Wang Chun/Xinhua)People attend a group exercise event at a square in…

Listen to article LAHORE: Amid swirling rumours of his resignation — which he has vehemently denied — Defence Minister Khawaja Asif met with PML-N President Nawaz Sharif at his residence on Friday. No statement was issued to the media regarding the contents of their discussion. The defence minister recently drew public attention after lashing out at the bureaucracy, accusing it of rampant corruption. In a post on Tuesday, Asif wrote on X, “More than half of the bureaucracy of our dear homeland has already acquired property in Portugal and is now preparing to secure citizenship”. “These are prominent bureaucrats who, after embezzling…

Rescuers set up a temporary passage in Jiuzhuanggou Village of Mapo Town, Yuzhong County of northwest China’s Gansu Province, Aug. 8, 2025. (Photo by Liu Kun/Xinhua)LANZHOU, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) — Rescue efforts are underway after continuous heavy rainfall triggered mountain torrents in Yuzhong County, northwest China’s Gansu Province, leaving 10 dead and 33 missing as of 6:50 p.m. Friday, local authorities said.Torrential rain began pounding Yuzhong, which is under the jurisdiction of the provincial capital city of Lanzhou, and other areas of Lanzhou on Thursday evening, with the maximum precipitation reaching 220.2 mm by noon Friday. Several townships in Yuzhong…

Listen to article A tense phone call between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump over a ceasefire between India and Pakistan has emerged as a key flashpoint in the dramatic collapse of ties between the two leaders, according to a report published by American financial publication Bloomberg. The two leaders spoke during the June G7 summit in Canada, where Modi attended as a guest. At Trump’s request, the two held a 35-minute call, which Indian officials say, centred on Trump’s insistence that Washington deserved credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following four-days of clashes in…

In an aerial view, the Tesla headquarters is seen in Austin, Texas, on July 24, 2025.Brandon Bell | Getty ImagesTesla has been granted a permit to run a ride-hailing business in Texas, allowing the electric vehicle maker to compete against companies including Uber and Lyft.Tesla Robotaxi LLC is licensed to operate a “transportation network company” until August 6, 2026, according to a listing on the website of the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, or TDLR. The permit was issued this week.Elon Musk’s EV company has been running a limited ride-hailing service for invited riders in Austin since late June.…

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell conducts a news conference after a meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee on Wednesday, July 30, 2025. Tom Williams | CQ-Roll Call, Inc. | Getty ImagesU.S. President Donald Trump’s team is reviewing new contenders to lead the Federal Reserve once Chair Jerome Powell’s term ends in May, including a longtime economic consultant and a past regional Fed president, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.The 10 or so people on the newly expanded list include former St. Louis Fed President James Bullard and Marc Sumerlin, a former economic adviser to President George W. Bush, WSJ said, citing officials. Trump last week said he had narrowed the list to four.National…

Guests attend the latest episode of the China Economic Roundtable, an all-media talk show hosted by Xinhua News Agency. (Xinhua/Chen Yehua)* China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) is set to launch an island-wide independent customs operation on Dec. 18, 2025, underscoring the country’s wider push for high-standard opening up.* Hainan’s opening up is not merely about lifting restrictions, but about systematically building an institutional framework to ensure the free and efficient flow of people, goods and capital.* These initiatives will not only drive the island’s high-quality development, but also provide a testing ground for broader national reform and opening up,…

Listen to article Mobile data services have been suspended in Balochistan since over three weeks to disrupt communications among separatist insurgents behind a recent surge in attacks, officials said on Friday. An order issued on Wednesday and seen by Reuters said services would remain suspended until the end of the month because of the law and order situation in the province, which hosts key projects under China’s Belt and Road programme. “The service has been suspended because they [militants] use it for coordination and sharing information,” provincial government spokesperson Shahid Rind said. Read: No power can detach Balochistan from Pakistan: DG ISPR Officials…