Author: i2wtc

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The salaried class paid staggering Rs331 billion income tax in the eight months of the current fiscal, which is 1,350% more than the taxes paid by retailers, but still not enough for the government to seek relief from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the marginalised segment. The total income tax contributions by the salaried people during July-February period of this fiscal year were Rs120 billion or 56% higher than Rs211 billion collected during the same period of the last fiscal year. The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had targeted the collection of Rs75 billion additional from…

French movie star Gerard Depardieu has admitted in a Paris court to grabbing by the hips a woman who accuses him of sexual assault, but denied this was assault and said any crude comments he made were just because of his bad mood. The plaintiff, Amelie K, who spoke in court after Depardieu on Tuesday, said he had touched her all over her body as he trapped her between his legs, while making explicit sexual comments, in an assault on a film set in 2021 that terrified her. “I grabbed her hips,” Depardieu said, admitting to physical contact with set…

People inspect the site after U.S. airstrikes in Sanaa, Yemen, on March 20, 2025. (Photo by Mohammed Mohammed/Xinhua)”I have never seen a breach quite like this,” said Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, revealing he learned of a U.S. airstrike in Yemen two hours early after being added to a Signal chat on the plan.WASHINGTON, March 25 (Xinhua) — Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor-in-chief of The Atlantic, said on Monday that senior U.S. national security officials recently added him to a Signal group chat discussing a military strike on Houthi forces in Yemen. He said he became aware of the…

Listen to article The war of words between Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori and Mayor Karachi Murtaza Wahab continues as the latter made a statement that issues facing the city cannot be solved simply through gestures like ‘Iftar and Sehri’, but only through consistent and practical work. Speaking to the media, Wahab, belonging to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), emphasised the importance of taking concrete steps rather than engaging in propaganda. Wahab said that the PPP is committed to addressing the problems of the public regardless of political affiliation. He also took a moment to offer prayers for protection from those he referred to as “adversaries” and…

Waymo self-driving cars with roof-mounted sensor arrays traveling near palm trees and modern buildings along the Embarcadero, San Francisco, California, February 21, 2025. Smith Collection/gado | Archive Photos | Getty ImagesWaymo’s officially on its way to the nation’s capital.The Alphabet-owned autonomous driving robotaxi service will be available in Washington, D.C., in 2026, the company announced Tuesday. “I’ve experienced firsthand how safely the Waymo Driver operates around pedestrians, cyclists, and other vulnerable road users,” said Governors Highway Safety Association CEO Jonathan Adkins. “Waymo has worked with GHSA and our first responder network as they’ve expanded their service, always putting safety first. As…

The 35th National Games will be held in Karachi from May 1 to 9, it was decided during a meeting on Tuesday, chaired by Sindh Sports Minister Sardar Muhammad Baksh Mahar. The nine-day event will be held under the supervision of the Sindh Olympic Association (SOA), of which Mahar is president, with the support of the Sindh government. Pakistan Olympic Association Secretary Khalid Mahmood was also present on the occasion. The Sindh government had completed all preparations for hosting the games, he said. Officials from sports federations and associations of all provinces were in attendance at today’s meeting, including Sports…

US President Donald Trump speaks to the press as he meets with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 13, 2025 as, seated from L to R, Vice Presient JD Vance, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz.Mandel Ngan | Afp | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump on Tuesday said he was not upset with national security advisor Michael Waltz after he reportedly added a journalist to a text thread in which top officials discussed pending military strikes.”Michael Waltz has learned a lesson, and he’s a good…

Max Levchin, co-founder of PayPal and AffirmDavid Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesFintech lender Affirm said Tuesday that it’s reached an agreement with JPMorgan Chase to offer its buy now, pay later loan services to merchants on the bank’s payments network.U.S. merchants who use JPMorgan to handle payments can soon add Affirm to their checkout pages, according to a release. Consumers will have access to loans ranging from 30 days to 60 months, according to Affirm.The deal follows a similar announcement from rival Klarna last month, in which the Swedish fintech said it would be available to JPMorgan’s merchants.…

This photo taken on March 19, 2025 shows the logo of Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) at BFA International Conference Center in Boao, south China’s Hainan Province.  (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)BOAO, Hainan, March 25 (Xinhua) — Despite increasing global economic uncertainty, Asia has remained a key growth engine for global economy, according to a report released at the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) on Tuesday.The weighted real GDP growth rate of Asia is projected to reach 4.5 percent in 2025, an increase from 4.4 percent in 2024, according to the annual report titled “Asian Economic Outlook and Integration Progress.”Addressing a press conference…

Listen to article Governor of Sindh, Kamran Khan Tessori, on Tuesday took a firm stance against Karachi’s notorious dumper mafia, stating that if he is given authority over the DIG Karachi for just one week and a single dumper-related accident occurs, he will resign from his position. Addressing a public gathering in Hyderabad, Governor Kamran Tessori discussed various pressing issues and announced initiatives aimed at the city’s development. He criticised the situation in Karachi, saying, “The public has been misled, and now these dumpers are crushing our own children.” Tessori further claimed that if the Mayor of Karachi were placed under his…