Author: i2wtc

JUI-F chief says Islamic seminaries are preserving the sciences of the Quran and Hadith RAWALPINDI: JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has said religious seminaries are the guardians of Islam, protectors of the teachings of the Quran and Hadith, and custodians of the blessing of faith, adding that they will not be handed over to the government under any circumstances. Addressing a turban-tying ceremony at Jamia Taleem-ul-Quran in Rawalpindi on Wednesday, Fazl said although global power today rests largely in the hands of the United States, it does not possess the power of faith. He added that religious seminaries are fulfilling…

The Zhipu AI logo is seen displayed on a smartphone screen. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesShares of Knowledge Atlas Technology JSC, better known as Zhipu, edged higher on their Hong Kong debut, following a $558 million initial public offering that made it the first of China’s “AI tigers” to go public.The stock rose around 10% above its offer price of 116.20 Hong Kong Dollars ($15) on Thursday, with around 37.4 million shares on offer by the Beijing-based startup.The IPO valued Zhipu at around HK$4.3 billion, making it one of the larger AI flotations in recent years. Founded in 2019…

ISLAMABAD: Audit officials on Wednesday told parliament’s accountability arm that the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suffered a loss of Rs22 billion due to the prolonged grounding of its aircraft. The Auditor General’s Office informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that the PIA aircraft spent an extended period in routine maintenance, ranging from 44 to 239 days, resulting in substantial losses in 2022. While discussing the Aviation Division’s audit objections for the year 2023-24, officials revealed that one aircraft was grounded for 652 days. The audit department was of the view that, due to the management’s negligence, extended delays occurred, resulting…

A homeless person walks past a free meal distribution facility in Portland, Oregon, the United States, Nov. 5, 2025. (Xinhua/Wu Xiaoling)The viral gaming metaphor “kill line” strips away the illusions of the American Dream, exposing how thin financial buffers and policy choices leave ordinary lives vulnerable to unexpected shocks.BEIJING, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) — In online gaming, a “kill line” refers to the health threshold below which a character can be instantly defeated — no recovery, no second chance. This term went viral on Chinese social media in late 2025, morphing into a stark metaphor for the financial precariousness of American…

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. PHOTO: FACEBOOK ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reportedly given the go-ahead to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq to proceed with negotiations between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), sources said on Wednesday, a significant development in efforts to cool political temperatures. Parliamentary sources said that the government side has agreed to take part in the talks at the speaker’s request. However, discussions will only be held with PTI’s elected representatives, while no engagement is planned with unelected party figures. Despite the government’s readiness, the sources said, no PTI leader has yet…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella speaks during the Future Decoded Tech Summit in Bengaluru, India, on Feb. 25, 2020. Microsoft will open a new data-center region in Spain, expanding their strategic partnership with Telefonica SA, according the the statement by Telefonica.Samyukta Lakshmi | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMicrosoft has identified itself as the mystery company behind a prospective data center in a part of Michigan where locals have objected to such a development. On Wednesday, Microsoft’s cloud infrastructure team was named in a letter, published by Lowell Charter Township, as the party eyeing a 237-acre lot beside Interstate 96. The township, with…

Headquarters of Samsung in Mountain View, California, on October 28, 2018. Smith Collection/gado | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesSouth Korea’s Samsung Electronics expects its profits to triple in the final three months of last year, reaching a record high, as memory prices surge amid booming demand tied to artificial intelligence. The world’s largest memory chipmaker estimated that operating profit reached 20 trillion won and consolidated sales of about 93 trillion won in the fourth quarter, according to an earnings guidance released Thursday. The profit projections mark a significant improvement from a year earlier and would surpass Samsung’s long-standing record of 17.6 trillion…

This photo taken on March 20, 2025 shows the scenery of Nuuk, Greenland, an autonomous territory of Denmark. (Xinhua/Zhao Dingzhe)Ultimately, the Greenland episode may act as a litmus test that exposes the enduring divide between Europe’s autonomous ambitions and its fragmented realities.ROME, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) — A renewed push by U.S. President Donald Trump to acquire Greenland from Denmark has forced Europe to confront a stark question: when the territory of an EU member is threatened, can the bloc ensure its own security?This direct challenge to European sovereignty has once again catapulted Europe’s strategic autonomy back to the forefront in…

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty Images There’s movement going on in the Magnificent Seven group of stocks. Shares of Alphabet, the parent of Google, rose 2.4% on Wednesday, to give the firm a market capitalization of $3.89 trillion. Meanwhile, Apple, the parent of the iPhone (so to speak), retreated 0.8%, and ended the day with a capitalization of $3.85 trillion. It’s the first time since 2019 that Alphabet has overtaken Apple in valuation, and another sign of how the Cupertino-based company is falling behind in the artificial intelligence race. Apple’s promised launch of a smarter Siri, its AI…

Tourists visit the Liziba sightseeing platform in Chongqing, southwest China, Jan. 7, 2026. Acting as a crucial ecological gateway for the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, Chongqing has intensified its environmental protection efforts in recent years.The city has effectively conserved areas along its riverbanks, enhancing their function as protective green corridors. Leveraging these environmental improvements, the city has developed new cultural tourism attractions and landmarks.This integration of ecological conservation and tourism development has promoted local tourism, contributing to improved resident wellbeing and quality of life. (Xinhua/Huang Wei)An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 6, 2026 shows tourists taking cable…