Author: Finance for Sight

JAMMU: Blasts rang out across Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) and Amritsar in neighbouring Punjab state late on Friday, with the Indian military claiming they were shooting down drones in the worst fighting with Pakistan in nearly three decades. The explosions in Amritsar – the first heard in the three-day-old conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours – could mark a further expansion in the hostilities that have alarmed world powers. Projectiles and flashes were seen in the night sky above the IIOJK that was plunged into a blackout in the second night of blasts in the region’s winter capital,…

U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that 80% tariffs on Chinese goods “seems right” as representatives prepared for weekend talks to contain a trade war between the world’s two largest economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and chief trade negotiator Jamieson Greer will meet Chinese economic tsar He Lifeng in Switzerland for talks that could be the first step toward resolving their trade disputes. “China should open up its market to USA — would be so good for them!!! Closed markets don’t work anymore!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social post. “80% tariff on China seems right. Up to…

BEIJING: The Chinese embassies in Pakistan and India on Friday advised citizens to step up safety precautions and to be cautious about travelling to the South Asian countries, amidst the worst fighting in the region in nearly three decades. Pakistan, India have been clashing since India struck multiple locations in Pakistan on Wednesday that it said were “terrorist camps”, in retaliation for a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir (IIOJK) last month. Chinese citizens in Pakistan and India should closely follow the situation and enhance security measures, separate statements from the embassies said. Civil-military leadership vows…

A helicopter crash in Sri Lanka has killed six military personnel, an Air Force official said on Friday. A Bell 212 helicopter had crashed into the Maduru Oya reservoir in central Sri Lanka with a dozen armed forces personnel on board. Six died after they were rescued and rushed to hospital, Sri Lanka Air Force spokesman Group Captain Eranda Geeganage said. Sri Lanka’s bondholders sign off on $12.55bn debt overhaul “The helicopter was assigned to conduct a grappling exercise at a passing-out parade. Four special forces personnel and two Air Force gunmen died of their injuries,” Geeganage told Reuters. He…

BEIJING: Since US President Donald Trump imposed steep tariffs on China last month, Beijing has responded in kind. On state and social media, it posted images of Mao Zedong, lambasted “imperialists,” and sent a message: capitulation to bullies is dangerous, and it wouldn’t back down. But behind closed doors, Chinese officials have grown increasingly alarmed about tariffs’ impact on the economy and the risk of isolation as China’s trading partners have started negotiating deals with Washington, according to three officials familiar with Beijing’s thinking. These factors, along with outreach by the U.S. and an easing of Trump’s rhetoric, persuaded Beijing…

WASHINGTON: U.S. President Donald Trump met Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer on Thursday and discussed nuclear talks with Iran and Israel’s war in Gaza, Axios reported, citing two sources briefed on the meeting. The meeting was held at the White House and was not made public by the U.S. or Israel, according to Axios. Dermer met with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday and had several meetings in the White House including one with Trump on Thursday, Axios said. The White House had no immediate comment. Trump is preparing for his first major diplomatic trip next week…

VATICAN CITY: USA Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the new pope and leader of the Roman Catholic Church on Thursday and has taken the name Pope Leo XIV a senior cardinal announced to crowds in St. Peter’s Square. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel on Thursday and the bells of St. Peter’s rang out, signalling that cardinals have elected a new pope to succeed Pope Francis and take charge of the Roman Catholic Church.** The election came on the first full day of voting by the 133 cardinal electors, who secluded themselves behind the Vatican’s medieval walls on Wednesday…

WASHINGTON: Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged de-escalation and expressed support for direct dialogue in separate calls with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said. Fears have grown that the worst confrontation in two decades in the conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbors could escalate after India on Wednesday struck what it said was “terrorist infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-controlled Kashmir in retaliation for a deadly attack in Indian Kashmir on April 22 that New Delhi has blamed on Islamabad. New blasts rang out across the city…

VATICAN CITY: Roman Catholic cardinals were set to have returned to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday, resuming voting for a successor to the late Pope Francis in the largest and most geographically diverse conclave in history. The cardinals began the heavily ritualised and secret process of choosing a new leader for the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics on Wednesday, locked away in complete isolation from the world. In the evening, black smoke billowed from a chimney on the roof of the chapel, signalling an inconclusive first ballot. On Thursday, they were expected to begin voting from around 9 a.m. (0700 GMT),…

BEIJING: China’s Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that it was “not familiar with the matter” when asked whether Chinese jets were involved in the India-Pakistan conflict after India hit Pakistan and Azad Kashmir with missiles on Wednesday. 25 Indian drones shot down, at least one dead: ISPR