Author: i2wtc

SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attend an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Japan Feb. 3, 2025. Kim Kyung-Hoon | ReutersSoftBank posted a $2.4 billion gain at its Vision Fund in the December quarter as a jump in the value of its OpenAI investment helped offset losses in some of its other bets. The Japanese giant said it made a $4.2 billion gain on the value of its OpenAI investment in its fiscal third quarter, which runs to the end of December, offsetting losses stemming from the share price declines of Coupang and Chinese…

The prospect of a U.S. attack on Iran has roiled oil prices this year, but analysts tell CNBC a strike would require more military commitment and be more complicated, than the U.S. is prepared for.Stock Chart IconStock chart iconBrent crude April futuresTensions are high, and despite talks last week in Oman, both sides remain at an impasse. U.S. President Donald Trump’s pressure on the Iranian regime escalated after a brutal crackdown on anti-government protestors across the country last month.Trump said this week he was considering sending a second aircraft carrier to the Middle East, even as Washington and Tehran prepare…

US President Donald Trump speaks on the day he announced the creation of a critical mineral reserve, in the Oval Office at the White House, February 2, 2026. PHOTO: REUTERS US President Donald Trump has once again asserted that he halted a potential nuclear conflict between India and Pakistan last year by threatening tariffs, reiterating a claim he has made repeatedly since May. In an interview with Fox Business on Tuesday, Trump said he used trade pressure to bring multiple conflicts to an end. “I settled eight wars. Of the eight wars, at least six were settled because of tariffs.…

Information on Zhipu’s AI service on the web, dubbed Z.ai, arranged on a computer in Shanghai, Jan. 7, 2026.Raul Ariano | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesChinese artificial intelligence stocks rallied Thursday as several companies unveiled upgraded models and top policymakers renewed calls for a broader adoption of the technology. Hong Kong-listed Zhipu AI — that trades as Knowledge Atlas Technology — surged 30% after releasing its GLM-5, an open-source large-language model with enhanced coding capabilities and long-running agent tasks. The company said the model approaches Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.5 in coding benchmarks while surpassing Google’s Gemini 3 Pro on some tests.…

SHC chief justice approves dedicated judicial commission secretariat within court premisesRescue and emergency team members gather near heavy machinery before starting their search for survivors, following a massive fire that broke out in the Gul Plaza Shopping Mall in Karachi on January 22. Photo: Reuters KARACHI: The judicial commission established to investigate the Gul Plaza tragedy in Karachi has issued a public notice inviting evidence from the general public, following its first meeting. The commission’s inaugural session was held under the chairmanship of Justice Agha Faisal. The meeting was attended by the Karachi commissioner, as well as the law and interior secretaries.…

Sohail Afridi also announces free transport service for all colleges in merged districtsChief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sohail Afridi on February 11. PHOTO: EXPRESS Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Wednesday said, “Those who want to push us towards guns should know that we choose sports.” He made these remarks while inaugurating the Under-16 Sports Games at the Jamrud Sports Complex in Jamrud. The event features young athletes from eight merged districts and six sub-divisions, competing in football, cricket, volleyball and other sports. He said sporting activities had been organised in the merged districts for some time to identify and…

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Jan. 22, 2026.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Wednesday announced that the company’s xAI artificial intelligence venture implemented a reorganization that “required parting ways with some people.”The overhaul was done “to improve speed of execution,” Musk said in a post on X. He did not say which employees may have been cut as a result of the restructuring or which employees may have resigned of their own volition.”We are hiring aggressively,” Musk added. Earlier this week, xAI co-founders Jimmy Ba and Tony Wu announced…

Party questions rule of law, says failure to protect a lawyer and elected leader raises serious concerns over justicePTI lawyer, Ali Zaman with PTI founder Imran Khan. PHOTO: JUNAID AKRAM X POST Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday condemned the alleged assault of Supreme Court lawyer Ali Zaman, a member of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Bar Council and a former provincial assembly candidate, along with his brother Wasim Zaman, the deputy general secretary of PTI Peshawar. In a statement shared on X, it said Pakistan is witnessing a “complete collapse of human rights,” alleging multiple instances of torture involving its members.…

Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri testifies at a U.S. Senate hearing in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8, 2021.Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty ImagesInstagram chief Adam Mosseri said Wednesday during testimony in a high-profile social media trial that he thinks there can be problematic usage of social media, but does not think it constitutes an addiction.”I’m sure I said this, but I think it’s important to differentiate between clinical addiction and problematic use,” said Mosseri, who noted several times that he is not a medical professional.Mosseri said that sometimes the use of the word addiction can refer to something more casually,…

Sharjeel says new e-stamping system will help citizens buy or sell property online through Pakistani missionsSindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon addresses the press conference in Karachi. Photo: Express/ File KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday has termed the launch of digital property registration a revolutionary and historic initiative for overseas Pakistanis, calling the new system helpful in eliminating long-standing hurdles faced by expatriates in buying and selling properties. “Under the new mechanism, overseas Pakistanis would be able to complete sale deeds online through Pakistani missions abroad. Following amendments to the Sindh Registration Act, the citizens would…