Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Housing and Works on Wednesday stressed the need for the immediate payment of outstanding salaries to the ten employees of the Pakistan Public Works Department (Pak PWD) Maintenance Staff Establishment and their proper adjustment. The panel met under the chairmanship of Senator Nasir Mehmood at the Parliament Lodges in Islamabad. The committee was presented with the compliance report on the directions issued in its previous meetings held at Quetta on November 21 and Lahore on December 18. The body discussed in detail the issue of non-payment of salaries to ten employees of Pakistan Public…

The Flag of Greenland, known nationally as “Erfalasorput”, flies above homes on March 28, 2025 in Nuuk, Greenland. Leon Neal | Getty ImagesThe Trump administration is preparing for a high-stakes meeting with Danish officials next week, seeking to discuss how the U.S. can acquire the world’s largest island.The White House has spoken frequently about taking control of Greenland in the wake of a weekend military operation to depose Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, raising alarm in Europe about Washington’s territorial ambitions.President Donald Trump, who has long coveted making Greenland a part of the United States, has said the mineral-rich and sparsely…

KARACHI: Pakistan’s latest government securities auctions attracted strong investor interest on Wednesday, with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) raising a total of Rs1.09 trillion through treasury bills and Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIB) Floaters, while cut-off yields declined across all T-bill tenors. In the treasury bills auction, the government accepted Rs979 billion against a cumulative target of Rs850 billion, whereas total bids amounted to Rs2.56 trillion. The government accepted Rs87 billion for one-month T-bills at a cut-off yield of 10.20%, marking a decline of 29 basis points from the previous auction. In the three-month tenor, Rs80 billion was accepted against…

U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Russian President Vladimir Putin to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson on August 15, 2025 in Anchorage, Alaska. Contributor | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesWhen U.S. President Donald Trump said the U.S. had to take over Greenland as a matter of national security, saying Chinese and Russian ships were “all over the place” in the Arctic region, the comments attracted a swift rebuke from Beijing.Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Monday hit back, accusing Washington of “using the so-called ‘China threat’ as a pretext for itself to seek selfish gains.”Russia, on the contrary, has been notably…

The U.S. housing market has yet to pick up steam into 2026, but real estate agents say there’s been a real shift toward a more balanced market, according to the quarterly CNBC Housing Market Survey.Mortgage rates didn’t move much at all in the last quarter of 2025, but home prices are steadily easing. The average rate on the popular 30-year fixed mortgage dropped sharply in the third quarter but then stabilized between 6.2% and 6.4% during the fourth quarter, leaving some buyers on the sidelines with no incentive to jump in.Now, there are early signs of what could be more…

An aerial drone photo taken on Jan. 8, 2026 shows people attending the opening ceremony of the 24th Chagan Lake Ice and Snow Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival in Songyuan, northeast China’s Jilin Province. The 24th Chagan Lake Ice and Snow Fishing and Hunting Cultural Tourism Festival opened here on Thursday.Traditional fishing techniques are performed on the lake, such as manual ice-chiseling, horse-drawn winches, and net-hauling beneath the ice-cover lake.Chagan Lake’s ice fishing, a national intangible cultural heritage, has become a significant symbol of ice and snow culture in northeast China. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)An aerial drone photo taken on Jan.…

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has conditionally recommended a Rs465 billion provincial project, named Lahore-Bahawalnagar motorway, for approval in violation of the National Fiscal Pact and instructions of the Prime Minister’s Office, as well as without securing funding and firming up design. The cost is Rs201 billion, or 76%, higher than the original price tag set two years ago, and the road project “jeopardises the viability, need and up-gradation of Mainline-I project” of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, reveals official documents. The Central Development Working Party (CDWP), which has the mandate to clear development schemes, on Tuesday recommended the Lahore-Sahiwal-Bahawalnagar motorway project,…

Achakzai-led alliance plans receptions en route, alleges crackdown on PTI workersTTAP convoy reached Gujar Khan, where it received a formal welcome. SCREENGRAB A convoy of Tehreek Tahaffuz Aain Pakistan (TTAP), an alliance of opposition parties, departed from Islamabad for Lahore on Thursday to express solidarity with the sisters of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan. Led by TTAP chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, the convoy included around 70 vehicles carrying senior leaders of the movement as well as opposition members of the Punjab Assembly, including Opposition Leader Moeen Qureshi. A collective prayer was offered before the convoy set off. The convoy reached…

Chinese officials are reviewing Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of AI startup Manus for possible technology control violations, FT reported on Tuesday.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesChina said Thursday it will investigate Meta’s $2 billion acquisition of artificial intelligence startup Manus to assess its compliance with export control laws.Meta acquired Singapore-based Manus last month as the U.S. tech giant looks to integrate advanced automation into its consumer and enterprise products. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but the Wall Street Journal reported that the deal closed at an amount over $2 billion, according to sources familiar with the acquisition.China’s Ministry of Commerce said…

A man walks past the Google signage outside the US tech giant’s Ananta office in Bengaluru, India, on Jan. 5, 2026. Idrees Mohammed | Afp | 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…