Author: i2wtc

With the supply of flour halted from Punjab, locals in the province are deprived of the fundamental commodity PESHAWAR: Due to emerging differences between the federal and provincial governments, the local people of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) are forced to buy flour at exorbitant prices. With the supply of wheat and flour from Punjab to K-P halted since the past three weeks, flour mills in the province are on the brink of collapse. Just a few days ago, a 20-kilogram flour bag in K-P was available for Rs1,400, however, within a week, the price rose to Rs2,100, and this week it has…

On a cold November evening in Shanghai in 2020, the world’s largest IPO was abruptly canceled by Chinese regulators.It was Ant Group, the fintech affiliate of tech giant Alibaba. The company’s founder Jack Ma, one of China’s most famous billionaires, was under scrutiny for comments seemingly criticising the country’s financial regulators.  What followed was four years of pressure on Ma’s empire.Since the IPO cancelation, more than $400 billion has been wiped off Alibaba’s value, even with a more recent rally. In the months after the failed public listing, Ma retreated from the public eye and Alibaba, China’s biggest e-commerce player, looked down and out,…

Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo star in Universal’s “Wicked: For Good.”UniversalUniversal’s “Wicked: For Good” defied gravity at the box office, snaring an estimated $150 million from domestic ticket sales.It marks the second-highest opening weekend for a film released in 2025, just behind Warner Bros.’ “A Minecraft Movie,” which tallied $163 million back in April. It also outpaces the debut of last year’s “Wicked,” which tallied $112.5 million in the U.S. and Canada.The film’s haul sets the record for the biggest opening weekend of a Broadway adaptation. With additional ticket sales from international markets, “Wicked: For Good” is set to reach…

* China-Europe freight trains — dubbed the modern “steel camel caravans” — have established a vast logistics network across Eurasia.* As a cornerstone project of the BRI, China-Europe freight trains have evolved into an international logistics brand characterized by its extensive reach, driving force and influence.* The China-Europe freight train service has catalyzed the growth of port and hub economies.XI’AN, Nov. 24 (Xinhua) — Over 2,000 years ago, during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-25 AD), Chinese envoy Zhang Qian embarked on a journey from Chang’an, known as Xi’an today, to the Western Regions via Central Asia. His expedition laid…

People surround Nagin Chowrangi water hydrant during a protest against water shortage. Photo: PPI KARACHI: Residents of North Karachi in the early hours of Sunday stormed the Nagan Chowrangi pumping station in protest against an acute water shortage that has persisted for weeks. A large number of women were part of the demonstration , during which protesters exchanged harsh words with Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) staff. Some enraged residents allegedly attempted to manhandle the staff as tempers flared. Protesters said that despite repeated assurances, the KWSC had failed to restore water supply to their homes for more than…

U.S. President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has disbanded with eight months left to its mandate, ending an initiative launched with fanfare as a symbol of Trump’s pledge to slash the government’s size but which critics say delivered few measurable savings.”That doesn’t exist,” Office of Personnel Management Director Scott Kupor told Reuters earlier this month when asked about DOGE’s status.It is no longer a “centralized entity,” Kupor added, in the first public comments from the Trump administration on the end of DOGE.The agency, set up in January, made dramatic forays across Washington in the early months of Trump’s second…

Launched in 2016, the project faced repeated delays due to administrative hurdlesMA Jinnah Road lies torn open outside the historic former Radio Pakistan building, its dust and trenches marking the slow, beating pulse of a city remaking itself. Photo: Express KARACHI: Work on Phase-II of the Karachi Green Line Bus project is set to begin this week, after remaining stalled for six years, officials confirmed on Sunday. Federal government spokesperson for Sindh Barrister Raja Ansari told The Express Tribune that the project will be completed within one year – by December 2026 – extending the modern bus service from Surjani…

Large cache of weapons, explosives, communication devices was recovered from suspectsAn undated image showing Levies personnel. The Levies Force arrested five suspects in the Ziarat district, Balochistan, on Monday, through an intelligence-based operation. The suspects were taken into custody near the Spira Ragha Levies check post. A senior official of the district administration stated that the operation was the result of the expertise of the Levies Force’s intelligence and field teams, with the support of the district administration. A large cache of weapons, explosives, and communication devices was recovered from the suspects, including 11 hand grenades, 15 SMG grenades, 3…

The Lahore High Court approved the bail petition of YouTuber Saad ur Rahman, popularly known as Ducky Bhai, in a case related to the alleged promotion of online gambling applications. Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry, who heard the petition, granted bail against surety bonds worth Rs1 million. During the proceedings, Justice Shehram noted that the Supreme Court has already held that denying bail in such cases is considered “unusual.” The court had summoned arguments from counsels representing both sides prior to issuing its order. Ducky Bhai had approached the Lahore High Court seeking post-arrest bail after being nominated in a case…

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) on Nov. 21, 2025 in New York City. Spencer Platt | Getty Images Last week on Wall Street, two forces dragged stocks lower: a set of high-stakes numbers from Nvidia and the U.S. jobs report that landed with more heat than expected. But the leaves that remained after hot tea scalded investors seemed to augur good tidings.Even though Nvidia’s third-quarter results easily breezed past Wall Street’s estimates, they couldn’t quell worries about lofty valuations and an unsustainable bubble inflating in the artificial intelligence sector. The “Magnificent Seven” cohort…