Author: i2wtc

Participants march in the Reclaim Pride Coalition’s seventh annual Queer Liberation March in New York, June 29, 2025.Erik McGregor | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesCanadian citizen Robert Sharp was planning to visit Provincetown, Massachusetts — one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly places in America — for his friend’s milestone birthday in July.But against a backdrop of ongoing trade tensions sparked by President Donald Trump’s tariff policies and increasing anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and policies in the U.S., he said his plans changed.”Do we want to have that stress before going on vacation? Or do we want to support our own country?” Sharp said.The group…

Listen to article KARACHI: Just two years ago, Pakistan struggled to cover even a few weeks of import and export payments. Now, the country’s external position has shown a significant turnaround, with total liquid foreign exchange reserves reaching $19.87 billion amid improved inflows and growing political stability. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank surged to $14.51 billion, marking a sharp year-on-year increase of $5.12 billion, or 54.5%, from $9.39 billion a year earlier. The SBP attributed the rise in reserves to the realisation of inflows including $3.1 billion in commercial loans and…

The bodies of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva arrived in northern Portugal on Friday for a wake in their hometown, as tributes continued to pour in after they died in a car accident in Spain. A convoy of hearses left for Gondomar near Porto on Thursday evening from the morgue of Puebla de Sanabria, near where the Lamborghini the brothers were travelling in had veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight early on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks…

U.S. President Donald Trump attends a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C., the United States, on June 27, 2025.Hu Yousong | Xinhua News Agency | Getty ImagesAll eyes are on talks between the U.S. and the European Union, which have yet to strike a trade deal with just days to go before Washington’s tariffs come into full effect.Should the trading partners fail to reach an agreement by July 9 — when a 90-day reprieve on U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called reciprocal tariffs ends — EU goods imported to the U.S. could be hit by duties of up…

* In recent years, China has placed great emphasis on cultivating representative inheritors of intangible cultural heritage.* Once hidden in remote mountain villages, intangible heritages like Miao embroidery, Dong songs and traditional batik are now gaining global recognition through the efforts of young Chinese creators.* With digital tools, global platforms, and bold creativity, young Chinese are reimagining traditions as powerful cultural exports.GUIYANG, July 4 (Xinhua) — Across the southwestern highlands of China, ancient cultural practices — Miao embroidery, Dong songs and traditional batik — have long thrived in mountain villages, passed down through generations.Once isolated by geography, these intangible heritages…

MIRANSHAH: A Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) was critically injured while a police constable was kidnapped after unidentified assailants opened fire on a police vehicle in the Azam Warsak area of Lower South Waziristan on Wednesday. According to police sources, the vehicle was on its way from Wana to the Toi Khulla subdivision via Samar Bagh when it came under attack. The injured officer, DSP Rakhmeen, was immediately shifted to the hospital where he is receiving medical treatment. A search operation is underway to locate the missing police official, while security in the region has been tightened in the aftermath…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Ahmed Khan on Thursday filed a disqualification reference with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against 26 opposition members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) for “disparaging the sanctity of the house”. The MPAs against whom the reference was sent to the electoral supervisor belong to the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC). Talking to media, the speaker confirmed the development, saying that those, who violated the sanctity of the house, would not be spared. “The matter is with the ECP, which may disqualify such members,” he added. Malik Ahmed Khan said that it was not…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has adopted an ‘open handed policy’ to award multibillion-dollar mining contracts, by providing equal opportunities to global competitors including the United States (US), China and Russia. China and Russia have long been arch-rivals of the US. At present, Pakistan is simultaneously engaging with all three countries. The petroleum ministry has recently held a webinar with US officials and companies, and offered them joint ventures in mining contracts. “We are offering equal opportunities to Russia, China and the United States (US) to engage in the mining sector,” Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik told the media here on Thursday.…

Robotic arms are displayed during the 9th China-South Asia Expo in Kunming, southwest China’s Yunnan Province, June 22, 2025. (Xinhua/Chen Xinbo)BEIJING, July 4 (Xinhua) — China’s structural tax and fee reduction policies have injected fresh momentum into the high-quality development of firms engaged in technological innovation and advanced manufacturing, latest data has shown.In the first five months of 2025, the total value of tax and fee reductions and tax refunds, which were geared toward supporting technological innovation and the development of advanced manufacturing, reached 636.1 billion yuan (about 88.9 billion U.S. dollars), data from the State Taxation Administration revealed on…

A five-storey residential building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood, claiming at least five lives and injuring at least six people, rescue officials said on Friday. All injured persons were shifted to the Trauma Centre at Dr. Ruth K. M. Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, hospital sources confirmed. One person is in critical condition, while the others sustained minor injuries and are receiving treatment. Deputy Commissioner South stated that buildings adjacent to the collapse site are also being evacuated as a precaution. The collapse occurred in the Baghdadi area of Lyari. Rescue personnel said five people, including three woman, were initially pulled from…