Author: i2wtc
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to the prosecutionthe Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)on the acquittal petitions filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana-II case and sought a response. An IHC bench comprising Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas on Tuesday took up the couple’s petitions seeking their acquittal in a case related to alleged misuse of the state gifts repository — Toshakhana — rules for getting a precious Bulgari jewellery set presented as a gift by Saudi royal’s during Imran’s term as the prime minister. Presenting arguments, Imran’s counsel Salman Safdar…
Samuel Boivin | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesAnthropic on Wednesday said it plans to open its first office in India, entering a market where artificial intelligence usage is growing and its rival OpenAI is already making headway.The Amazon-backed AI firm, valued at $183 billion, said it plans to open an office in Bengaluru in early 2026. It will be the company’s second office in Asia after Tokyo, Japan.Dario Amodei, CEO of Anthropic, is visiting India this week to meet with public officials and enterprise partners, the company said.AI adoption among both consumers and businesses is expected to ramp up quickly in…
ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority Advisory Committee (IAC) on Tuesday approved water availability for the Rabi 2025-26 season, projecting an overall system shortage of 8%, despite the country experiencing heavy floods during the current year. The figure marks the lowest shortage in the past decade, according to officials. As a result, the anticipated provincial withdrawals were fixed at 33.814 million acre-feet (MAF) — a substantial rise compared to the 10-year average of 28.870 MAF and last year’s 29.427 MAF. The IAC met here with Irsa Chairman Sahibzada Muhammad Shabir in the chair. It was attended by Irsa members, representatives of…
As the Supreme Court began live-streaming proceedings on petitions challenging the 26th Constitutional Amendment, the Constitutional Bench (CB) heard arguments on a plea seeking the formation of a “full court” — a move seen as crucial for collective judicial deliberation on a case concerning the court’s own structure. The petitioners’ counsel argued that Article 191A places the appointment of judges and the formation of benches within the Supreme Court’s internal domain. However, for the first time in Pakistan’s history, the amendment — passed in October 2024 — introduced a mechanism that transfers this authority away from the judiciary. The counsel…
An ABB robot on a production line at the Sony UK Technology Centre in Pencoed, UK.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSoftBank Group on Monday said it had agreed to buy the robotics division of Swiss engineering firm ABB for $5.4 billion, as the Japanese giant looks to bolster its artificial intelligence plays.The deal, which is subject to regulatory approval globally, means ABB will no longer look to spin off its robotics business as a separately listed company.”SoftBank’s next frontier is Physical AI. Together with ABB Robotics, we will unite world-class technology and talent under our shared vision to fuse Artificial…
Pakistan has finalised a $3.5 billion financing agreement with six major international financial institutions for the development of the historic Reko Diq mining project in Balochistan — a milestone for one of the country’s most significant mineral ventures. According to official sources, the financing package includes commitments from leading global lenders such as the US EXIM Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Financial Institutions, International Development Association, and the European Bank. The agreement was signed by the project sponsors, the federal government and Barrick Gold Corporation, while final approval from the lenders’ boards remains pending. Once cleared, the disbursement process is…
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Tuesday confirmed that former Jamaat-e-Islami senator Mushtaq Ahmad has been released from Israeli detention and is now at the Pakistan embassy in Amman, Jordan. Dar said Ahmad was “in good health and high spirits” and that arrangements had been made for his return to Pakistan on October 9. “I am pleased to confirm that former senator Mushtaq has been released and is now safely with [the] Pakistan embassy in Amman. He is in good health and high spirits,” Dar said in a post on social media platform X. Dar added…
Days after a brazen gun attack on Gilgit-Baltistan’s top Sunni cleric Maulana Qazi Nisar Ahmad, Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has announced the arrest of eight local facilitators linked to the assault. Speaking at a news conference on Tuesday, accompanied by the provincial ministers, the chief minister said Gilgit remained tense in recent days but, by the grace of Allah, the region escaped a major tragedy. He confirmed that Maulana Qazi Nisar and his guards suffered minor injuries and are now out of danger. Khan said, the government took immediate action against those aiding the attackers, with detailed information about the…
A Joint Action Committee of journalists and media representatives have submitted a Charter of Demands to the Ministry of Interior, seeking swift and strict action against those involved in last week’s police raid on the National Press Club in Islamabad. A delegation led by senior journalist Azhar Jatoi met Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry on Tuesday to present the demands formally. During the meeting, NPC Secretary Nayyar Ali briefed the minister about the incident and conveyed the committee’s concerns over the assault on media personnel. According to the Charter, the journalists have demanded that an inquiry committee be formed…
ISLAMABAD: A group of 10 powerful and influential countries that included China, Russia, Iran, India and Pakistan on Tuesday opposed any attempts by the United States to regain foothold in Afghanistan by retaking control of the strategically important Bagram Airbase. Without explicitly naming the US, a joint statement issued after the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan read: “They called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighbouring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.” The statement came against the backdrop of recent announcement by President Donald Trump in…