Author: i2wtc

A man sits next to trucks parked at the Torkham border crossing, after Pakistan closed border crossings with Afghanistan, following exchanges of fire between the forces of the two countries, in Torkham, Pakistan, October 12, 2025 Photo: Reuters Sunday morning, for the second time this year, we woke to the news that Pakistan was at war again. This time it was with Afghanistan. Videos of Pakistani soldiers standing on top of Afghan border posts flying the Pakistan flag circulated on WhatsApp. Why was this happening? Weren’t our relations with Afganistan warming? We had agreed to a train from Peshawar to…

Democratic Senator Mark Kelly called on President Donald Trump on Thursday to get involved in the negotiations between Republican and Democratic senators to end the government shutdown, which is in its third week.The Senate, which was unable for the ninth time to pass a stopgap funding bill to end the shutdown on Wednesday, is set to repeat that effort on Thursday morning.That vote is, again, expected to fall short of the 60 senators needed to approve it because Republicans and Democrats cannot agree on the terms of the funding resolution.”I think we need the president to make that happen, that…

The CNN building in Atlanta, Georgia, on Monday, May 17, 2021.Elijah Nouvelage | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCNN is trying again at a full-service streaming subscription.The news network, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, announced Thursday its “All Access” subscription will launch in the U.S. on October 28 and cost $6.99 per month or $69.99 annually.The new plan is pitched as a centralized hub for CNN’s journalism and includes access to live and on-demand U.S. and international video programming, CNN.com articles and subscriber-only content across all platforms. To attract early adopters, the company is offering a limited-time annual subscription for $41.99 for…

Dara Khosrowshahi, chief executive officer of Uber Technologies Inc., speaks during an unveiling event in New York, US, on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. Yuki Iwamura | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesUber plans to offer drivers and couriers in the U.S. ways to make money through the company’s app when they’re not ferrying around people or food.The ride-hailing company said on Thursday that it’s starting a pilot with its AI Solutions Group that will allow drivers to complete small online jobs. The example Uber gave is “uploading photos to help train AI models,” which the company said is already being tested in…

FO says ceasefire initiated on Taliban’s request. ISPR says precision strikes inflict heavy losses on terrorists ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime on Wednesday agreed to a temporary ceasefire along the border, following days of deadly and intense clashes in multiple locations that left dozens dead on both sides. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the 48-hour ceasefire came into effect at 6pm on Tuesday. The truce, the ministry said, was reached at the request of the Afghan Taliban and with mutual consent. “During this period, both sides will make sincere efforts to find…

Upgrade CEO Renaud Laplanche speaks at a conference in Brooklyn, New York, in 2018.Alex Flynn | Bloomberg via Getty ImagesUpgrade, the online lender started by LendingClub founder Renaud Laplanche, has raised a new round of funding that values the startup at $7.3 billion.The company said in a press release on Thursday that it raised $165 million in a round led by Neuberger Berman, with participation from LuminArx Capital Management. Laplanche, who created Upgrade in 2016, said it’s the first time the company has raised money since 2021. “We’ve been cash flow positive over the past three years, so we didn’t…

Key PointsApple is about to announce a $140 million per year media rights deal with F1 for its U.S. rights, according to people familiar with the matter.Apple’s Eddy Cue said his company would like to buy more sports rights and would seek to change how broadcasts are done.”We’re not going to compromise,” said Cue. “We don’t have to do sports the way that they are. There’s plenty of people doing that. So the world doesn’t need us to do that.”A version of this article first appeared in the CNBC Sport newsletter with Alex Sherman, which brings you the biggest news and exclusive interviews from…

K-P Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. Photo: File LAHORE: Senior PPP leaders expressed deep disappointment over Governor K-P Faisal Kareem Kundi’s attempt to obstruct the resignation process of outgoing Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, warning that such undemocratic manoeuvres – in pursuit of “establishment-driven objectives” – were damaging the party’s credibility. “We were once seen as flag bearers of democracy in Pakistan, but today we are seen as just another pawn on the establishment’s chessboard,” a senior party figure said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. He pointed out that Governor Kundi initially stalled the process by objecting to a “computer-typed…

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba has pledged to spend more than $50 billion on artificial intelligence over the next three years.CNBC | Evelyn ChengSHANGHAI — Chinese tech giant Alibaba is already recouping its investment on artificial intelligence in the company’s e-commerce business, vice president Kaifu Zhang told reporters on Thursday.The Chinese tech giant has bet big that AI will generate returns despite market concerns that companies are spending too much on the technology with little to show for it. Alibaba last month announced it will increase its spending on AI and cloud infrastructure, after pledging in February it would spend 380…

Microsoft Executive Vice President and Consumer Chief Marketing Officer Yusuf Mehdi speaks at company headquarters in Redmond, Wash., on May 20, 2024. Microsoft unveiled a new category of PC that features generative artificial intelligence tools built into the Windows operating system. Microsoft estimates that over 50 million AI PCs will be sold over the next 12 months, given the appetite for devices powered by ChatGPT-style technology.Jason Redmond | AFP | Getty ImagesOn Tuesday, Microsoft stopped supporting Windows 10, the operating system it introduced 10 years earlier. The software company is enticing people to upgrade their PCs with a slate of…