Author: i2wtc
First Vice President Riek Machar reportedly arrested after armed convoy led by government officials entered his residence in the capital, Juba.The United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) has called on all parties to exercise restraint amid reports of the arrest of First Vice President Riek Machar – the longtime rival of the country’s President Salva Kiir. UMISS chief Nicholas Haysom said the country risked losing the “hard-won gains of the past seven years” if the world’s newest nation returned to “a state of war”, following reports that Machar was arrested at his residence in the capital, Juba. “Tonight, the…
A view of the 23andMe headquarters in Sunnyvale, California, on March 25, 2025.Tayfun Coskun | Anadolu | Getty Images23andMe co-founder Linda Avey took to social media on Wednesday to express frustration about the fate of the once-thriving genetic testing company that spiraled into Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection this week.Avey helped launch 23andMe in 2006 alongside Paul Cusenza and Anne Wojcicki, who resigned as CEO on Friday. The company went mainstream due to its popular at-home DNA testing kits, but struggled in recent years to generate recurring revenue, stand up viable therapeutics and research businesses and assuage privacy concerns.”My time at…
A Long March-3B carrier rocket carrying the Tianlian II-04 satellite blasts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province, March 26, 2025. (Photo by Xu Lihao/Xinhua)XICHANG, March 26 (Xinhua) — China successfully sent a new data relay satellite into orbit from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province on Wednesday.The Tianlian II-04 satellite was launched at 23:55 p.m. (Beijing Time) aboard a Long March-3B carrier rocket and entered its planned orbit.Tianlian II-04 is China’s second-generation geosynchronous orbit data-relay satellite.It will provide data relay and TT&C (telemetry, tracking and command) services for manned spacecraft such…
Listen to article The federal government has halted the imposition of additional taxes on solar energy users and directed a review of the net metering policy, according to official sources. Speaking to Express News, sources confirmed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and several federal ministers opposed the proposed taxation plan targeting consumers who generate electricity through solar panels. The energy minister has been asked to revisit the existing net metering policy and propose amendments that do not burden clean energy users. Under the proposed policy, the government had planned to buy electricity from solar users at Rs10 per unit, alongside new tax…
Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua was killed when Israeli fighters jets bombed his tent shelter in northern Gaza.A Hamas spokesperson has been killed by an Israeli air strike in northern Gaza, news outlets have confirmed, as Israel’s army continues its renewed assault on the besieged enclave. Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua was killed when Israeli fighter jets bombed his tent shelter in the northern city of Jabalia in the early hours of Thursday morning, according to Al-Aqsa television and the Shehab News Agency. Several more people were wounded in the strike, including children, according to Hind Khoudary, an Al Jazeera correspondent in…
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox on Wednesday signed a bill that requires Apple and Google’s mobile app stores to verify user ages and require parental permission for those under 18 to use certain apps, the governor’s spokesperson told CNBC.The law is the first of its kind in the nation and represents a significant shift in how user ages are verified online, and says it’s the responsibility of mobile app stores to verify ages — putting the onus on Apple and Google, instead of individual apps like Instagram, Snapchat and X, to do age checks.The App Store Accountability Act, or S.B. 142,…
A high-level dialogue themed on “Building Trust in the Shifting Global Landscape” is held during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province, March 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Ziyi)Jeffrey D. Sachs, professor of Columbia University, speaks at a high-level dialogue themed on “Building Trust in the Shifting Global Landscape” during the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) Annual Conference 2025 in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province, March 26, 2025. (Xinhua/Xie Ziyi)Portugal’s Minister of State and Foreign Affairs Paulo Rangel speaks at a high-level dialogue themed on “Building Trust in the Shifting Global Landscape” during the…
Listen to article Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday hailed the successful staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a new $1.3 billion arrangement, calling it a major milestone in Pakistan’s path toward economic stability. Chairing a Cabinet Committee meeting in Islamabad, the prime minister applauded the efforts of the deputy prime minister, finance minister, planning minister, commerce minister, economic affairs minister, FBR chairman, and other senior officials for securing the deal. “Despite scepticism and predictions of a mini-budget, we secured this agreement without imposing new taxes,” Shehbaz Sharif said. He also acknowledged the burden placed on the public during…
From left, Playground Global partners Peter Barrett, Pat Gelsinger, Jory Bell, Bruce Leak and Ben Kim.Playground GlobalAfter a tumultuous four years running Intel, Pat Gelsinger is going into venture capital.Gelsinger, who was ousted by the chipmaker in December, has joined Playground Global as a general partner. Started in 2015 by a group that included Android founder Andy Rubin, Playground focuses on early-stage investments in deep technology.Gelsinger told CNBC in an interview that he considered starting a venture firm with someone else, but opted to go with a structure that was already up and running.”It’s about scale,” Gelsinger said, adding that…
Listen to article The United States has added 80 companies from various countries, including Pakistan, to its export blacklist. The US added six subsidiaries of Inspur Group, China’s leading cloud computing and big data service provider, and dozens of other Chinese entities to its export restriction list on Tuesday. The Inspur units were listed for contributing to the development of supercomputers for the Chinese military, the Commerce Department said in a posting. Five of the subsidiaries are based in China and one in Taiwan. Inspur Group itself was placed on the list in 2023. The Inspur units are among about 80 companies and…