Author: i2wtc

With high vehicular emissions and industrial pollution, the metropolis has fallen under a blanket of deadly airA biker, though without helmet, wears a mask on a dusty and windy day in the port city on Wednesday. Photo: Jalal Qureshi/express KARACHI: Although the arrival of autumn has become synonymous with the smog season in much of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, little attention is paid to the quality of air in the industrial hub of the country, where high vehicle and industrial emissions have polluted the atmosphere. Air pollution in Karachi has become such a serious issue that even the Auditor General of…

Chinese President Xi Jinping is warmly welcomed by senior South Korean officials, including Foreign Minister Cho Hyun, upon arriving at Gimhae International Airport in Busan, South Korea, Oct. 30, 2025. Xi landed in Busan on Thursday to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, and pay a state visit to the Republic of Korea (ROK) at the invitation of ROK President Lee Jae-myung. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)BUSAN, South Korea, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping landed in Busan on Thursday to attend the 32nd APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Gyeongju, and pay a state visit to South Korea.Upon…

On the orders of a Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC), the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has blocked Aleema Khan’s computerised national identity card (CNIC), while the Director General of Passports has blocked her passport. The State Bank of Pakistan has also frozen her bank accounts in compliance with the court’s directives. The orders were issued earlier on October 24, when the Rawalpindi ATC directed the Director General of NADRA to block Aleema Khan’s CNIC, instructed the Director General of Passports to block her passport, and ordered the Governor of the State Bank to freeze all her bank accounts. The…

The Google corporate office at The Hub building in Warsaw, Poland on Sept. 16th, 2025. Beata Zawrze | Nurphoto | Getty Images The news cycle barely stopped to breathe today.First, Trump meets Xi.U.S. President Donald Trump met Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday, during which he struck a 1-year rare earths agreement with China and lowered fentanyl-related tariffs on Beijing to 10% from 20%, effective immediately.China, in return, will resume buying soybeans and other agricultural products from America, Trump added.Second, interest rates.The U.S. Federal Reserve lowered rates by 25 basis points, as expected by traders. But Chair…

ISLAMABAD: The Sindh government has deferred the implementation of up to 45% agriculture income tax for one year and restored the old low rate of 15% on the ground that new rates cannot be enforced with effect from January this year. The restoration of the old rate means that the agriculture sector, which has one-fourth share in the national economy, will hardly contribute a few billion rupees in income tax. Compared to this, revised calculations showed that the salaried class paid Rs575 billion in income tax in fiscal year 2024-25. Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori promulgated an ordinance to defer…

Many passengers with tickets, complete documents are stopped from leaving for work The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has made it mandatory for people travelling abroad for employment to obtain verification from a government officer. Hundreds of passengers have been offloaded at Lahore Airport and other airports across Pakistan by the FIA immigration. Despite holding tickets worth hundreds of thousands of rupees and complete travel and employment documents, many passengers have been stopped from leaving the country for work. Passengers say that, despite fulfilling all legal requirements, they are not being allowed to travel, resulting in significant financial losses. “We have…

Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu (C), Wu Fei (R) and Zhang Hongzhang for the upcoming Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission, meet the press in Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China on Oct. 30, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Minggang)JIUQUAN, Oct. 30 (Xinhua) — Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu, Wu Fei and Zhang Hongzhang for the upcoming Shenzhou-21 spaceflight mission, met the press on Thursday.The Shenzhou-21 crewed spaceship is scheduled to be launched at 11:44 p.m. Friday (Beijing Time) from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China, the China Manned Space Agency announced at a press conference earlier on the day. ■Chinese astronauts Zhang Lu (C),…

Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi issues 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India Preparations have been finalised across Pakistan for the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Baba Guru Nanak Dev Ji, the revered founder of Sikhism. The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi has issued more than 2,100 visas to Sikh pilgrims from India to participate in the celebrations, which will be held in Pakistan from November 4 to 13, 2025. During their visit, the pilgrims will pay homage at Gurdwara Janam Asthan in Nankana Sahib, Gurdwara Panja Sahib in Hassan Abdal, and Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Narowal.…

Headquarters of Samsung in Mountain View, California, on October 28, 2018. Smith Collection/gado | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesSamsung Electronics reported a rebound in earnings on Thursday, with operating profit more than doubling from the previous quarter, bolstered by strong memory chip demand from artificial intelligence servers. Here are Samsung’s third-quarter results compared with LSEG SmartEstimate, which is weighted toward forecasts from analysts who are more consistently accurate:Revenue: 86.1 trillion Korean won ($60.5 billion) vs. 85.93 trillion won Operating profit: 12.2 trillion won vs. 11.25 trillion wonThe South Korean technology giant’s quarterly revenue rose 8.85% from a year earlier, while its first-quarter…

Meta Platforms shares were taking a beating in extended hours trading on Wednesday after management raised its expense guidance and took a massive tax charge. Revenue in the three months ended Sept. 30 climbed 26% year over year to $51.24 billion, easily outpacing the consensus estimate of $48.14 billion, according to LSEG. Adjusted earnings per share came in at $7.25 versus the $6.69 consensus, LSEG data showed. That earnings number does not include a nearly $16 billion, or $6.20 per share, one-time income tax charge due to the implementation of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Bottom line Given the…