Author: i2wtc

On February 1, the United States government announced a new 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports under the pretext of combatting the proliferation of the opioid fentanyl. The following day, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated that China firmly deplored and opposed this move and would take necessary countermeasures to defend its legitimate rights and interests. Indeed, a new tariff is counterproductive not only when it comes to efforts to rein in the production and distribution of fentanyl but also for bilateral trade relations. The US is one of the largest consumers of fentanyl-based drugs in the world…

The Alibaba office building is seen in Nanjing, Jiangsu province, China, on Aug 28, 2024.CFOTO | Future Publishing | Getty ImagesAlibaba on Wednesday said that it has made its video generation artificial intelligence models free to use, further ramping up competition with rivals like OpenAI.The Chinese giant said it is open sourcing four models that are part of its Wan2.1 series, the latest version of the company’s foundational AI model that can generate images and video from text and image inputs.These models will be available via Alibaba Cloud’s Model Scope and Hugging Face, a huge repository of AI models. They…

Interim head coach and de facto chief selector Aqib Javed said on Wednesday that hosts Pakistan were kicked out of the Champions Trophy tournament “due to a lack of experience among the players”. A wave of criticism has engulfed the Pakistan cricket team following their six-wicket defeat to India in Dubai, a result that was decisive in Pakistan’s ouster from the International Cricket Council (ICC) Champions Trophy, an event which they are hosting. Before that, during the opening match against New Zealand in Karachi, the Green Shirts faced a 60-run defeat. India and New Zealand advanced from the four-team group…

Listen to article The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday referenced former army chief General (Retd.) Qamar Javed Bajwa’s service extension while hearing a case on military trials for civilians, reigniting debate over past legal precedents. A seven-member constitutional bench, led by Justice Aminuddin Khan, heard an intra-court appeal challenging military courts’ jurisdiction over civilians. During the proceedings, Bajwa’s tenure extension was cited as an example of legal changes driven by the court’s interventions. Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan remarked that the former army chief’s extension had no legal backing at the time and was only formalised after parliamentary legislation, following the Supreme…

Barcelona and Atletico Madrid draw 4-4 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semifinal.Barcelona and Atletico Madrid both rallied from two goals down in a frantic 4-4 draw in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semifinal at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys in Catalonia, Spain. Atletico scored twice in the first six minutes before conceding four unanswered goals and coming back to even the match with goals in the final 10 minutes, including the equaliser by substitute Alexander Sorloth three minutes into stoppage time on Tuesday. Barcelona saw Atletico jump to an early lead, with goals by…

Listen to article Allegations of a high-profile drug cartel, financial fraud, and judicial manipulation have surfaced against the family of Kamran Qureshi and Armaghan Qureshi. The claims about the prime suspect in the Mustafa Amir murder case add to the already sensational revelations uncovered during the course of interrogation. Barrister Aamir Hasan, a guest on a local news channel engaged in a discussion surrounding Kamran Asghar Qureshi and Armaghan Qureshi, during which both father and son were accused of running an illicit drug trade and a fraudulent call centre operation. Another guest on the programme journalist Talha Jatoi, citing his own investigative work, claimed that…

The United States and Ukraine have reached a deal providing access to the European country’s rare earth minerals and other natural resources, US President Donald Trump has said. Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump confirmed earlier reports that he had reached an agreement with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to develop his country’s natural resources. “I hear that he is coming on Friday. Certainly, it’s OK with me if he would like to. And he would like to sign it together with me, and I understand that’s a big deal, a very big deal,” Trump told reporters at the…

The Super Micro Computer headquarters in San Jose, California, on Dec. 3, 2024.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesSuper Micro Computer shares fell 12% on Tuesday as the company nears a deadline to file audited financial reports or be delisted from the Nasdaq exchange.Earlier this month, Super Micro CEO Charles Liang told investors he was “confident” that the company could file those reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission by Feb. 25, a deadline set by Nasdaq. The company must file its audited annual report for fiscal 2024 and the first two quarters of fiscal 2025.If Super Micro…

Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House’s Oval Office.Kevin Lamarque | ReutersThe Republican and Democratic leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives’ select committee on China warned on Tuesday that Beijing may try to exert leverage with Elon Musk in a bid to win favorable U.S. policies, and that Washington must counter any such effort.Republican committee chair John Moolenaar and Democratic ranking member Raja Krishnamoorthi said they believed the Chinese Communist Party wants to use U.S. business leaders including Musk, who have commercial interests in China, to advance its goals in talks with Washington.”To the question of Elon Musk, I do believe that the…

Listen to article Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has announced the imminent launch of a bone marrow transplant card to facilitate treatment for patients in the province, Express News reported. According to reports, under the chief minister’s initiative, 150 successful bone marrow transplants have been conducted at Lahore’s Children’s Hospital. The Punjab government is covering over Rs4.2 million per procedure. Children’s Hospital is the first public-sector facility in Pakistan to offer bone marrow transplants. In the past year, its cancer ward has treated 2,000 patients, while more than 25,000 children have benefited from outpatient services. The hospital’s bone marrow transplant success rate…