Author: i2wtc

The Alibaba office building is seen in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China, on Aug 28, 2024.CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesAlibaba shares surged on Wednesday after the Chinese behemoth revealed a new reasoning model it claims can rival DeepSeek’s global blockbuster R1.Hong Kong-listed shares of Alibaba ended the Thursday session up 8.39% — hitting a new 52-week high — with the company’s New York-trading stock rising around 2.5% in premarket deals. Alibaba shares have gained nearly 71% in Hong Kong in the year to date.The Chinese giant on Thursday unveiled QwQ-32B, its latest AI reasoning model, which it said “rivals cutting-edge reasoning model, e.g.,…

LAHORE: The Pakistan team couldn’t make it this far but a national hero was here at the Gaddafi Stadium for the semi-final of the Champions Trophy on Wednesday. Olympic javelin champion Arshad Nadeem brought out the trophy to open the last-four clash between South Africa and New Zealand in front of a thin crowd that eventually swelled up as the day turned to night. Pakistan’s javelin thrower and Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem (L) carries the ICC Champions trophy before the start of the one-day international (ODI) semi-final cricket match between New Zealand and South Africa at the Gaddafi Stadium…

Macy’s delivered another quarter of mixed results on Thursday as investors wait and see how quickly CEO Tony Spring can pull off a turnaround of the business with yet another activist investor looking to take the chain private.Across the business, which includes the Macy’s banner, Bloomingdale’s and Blue Mercury, comparable sales during the all-important holiday quarter were down 1.1%. But comparable sales across its owned and licensed businesses, plus its online marketplace, were up 0.2%, which is the highest the metric has been since the first quarter of 2022. Plus, the so-called “First 50” locations – the stores that Macy’s is…

Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has raised concerns over delays in the audit process of state institutions, Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) Ajmal Gondal informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on Wednesday. Addressing the meeting, AGP Gondal revealed that the IMF had expressed alarm over nearly 600,000 pending audit paras. “The IMF has demanded early settlement of audit cases of institutions,” he said, noting that around 500,000 to 600,000 audit objections related to various ministries and institutions remain unresolved. Despite parliamentary directives, no chief internal accountant has been appointed in state institutions, Gondal stated. “The financial audit system…

The White House has confirmed that the Trump administration engaged in direct talks with Hamas, saying the discussions align with US interests. Following this, President Donald Trump threatened Palestinians in Gaza with deadly consequences if all captives were not released. Here is what we know: What do we know about the US-Hamas direct talks? The discussions, facilitated by Qatari intermediaries, have reportedly been ongoing for weeks but became more evident in early March 2025. This is the first time in decades that the United States negotiated directly with Hamas, a significant departure from US policy, which ruled out direct engagement with…

Emma Raducanu revealed on Tuesday she “couldn’t see the ball through the tears” after being targeted by a stalker during last month’s Dubai Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) 1000 tournament. The British tennis star was left distraught after a man later said to be displaying “fixated behavior” appeared at a courtside seat during her defeat to Karolina Muchova. The man was escorted away by security, subsequently given a restraining order and banned from attending WTA Tour events. Former US Open champion Raducanu, 22, is making her first tournament appearance since her troubled Dubai campaign at this week’s event in California. Speaking…

Listen to article KARACHI: More than 10 memoranda of understanding (MoUs) and agreements are likely to be signed between the two brotherly countries Indonesia and Pakistan soon, according to well-placed diplomatic and Foreign Office sources. Both sides will also engage in talks to make progress on a free trade agreement (FTA) to further strengthen economic ties. When it comes to high-potential sectors for trade growth, Pakistan may focus on processed food, pharmaceuticals, IT services and halal meat while consumer electronics, auto parts and processed palm-based products are far better in Indonesia. In 2023, Pakistan exported goods worth approximately $328.16 million to Indonesia.…

Former Pakistan test coach Jason Gillespie has accused his successor, Aqib Javed, of undermining him and ex-white-ball coach Gary Kirsten to take charge of the national team across all formats. Gillespie’s comments came in response to a social media post containing quotes from Javed a few days after hosts Pakistan crashed out of the Champions Trophy without a win. Javed told reporters on Tuesday that Pakistan had changed 16 coaches and 26 selectors in around two years, stressing that any side would struggle under such circumstances. “This is hilarious,” Australian Gillespie said on social media. “Aqib was clearly undermining Gary…

European Union, and Ukrainian flags fly in front of the Berlaymont, the EU Commission headquarters, for the 3rd anniversary of the large scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia on Feb. 24, 2025 in Brussels, Belgium.Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesPresident Donald Trump’s return to the White House has completely shifted America’s stance on support for Ukraine, prompting European nations to consider new options to bolster military support for Kyiv.Last month, the U.S. president blamed Ukraine for starting the war, called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a dictator — even as Ukraine has been prevented from holding elections during…

ISLAMABAD: Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar of the Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench on Wednesday observed that military courts were not part of the judiciary, adding that there was no judicial ruling that defined military courts as part of the judiciary. “First, let the military court be recognised as part of the judiciary, then talk about separating it from the judiciary,” he pointed out. The remarks were made as a seven-judge bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard intra-court appeals challenging the Oct 23, 2023, ruling by a five-judge bench that nullified the military court trials of civilians involved in the May…