Author: i2wtc

Representatives attend the main dialogue session of the “Global Mayors Dialogue in Harbin” in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, Jan. 7, 2026. (Xinhua/Zhang Tao)HARBIN, Jan. 7 (Xinhua) — As mayors from around the world jointly lit the torch marking the opening of a dialogue event in Harbin, capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, they also ignited a shared vision for developing the ice and snow economy and advancing cooperation among global winter cities.The Global Mayors Dialogue, starting Tuesday, brought together mayors and representatives from nations including Canada, Finland, and the Republic of Korea (ROK) to Harbin, hailed as China’s “Ice…

US president says India faces 50% tariffs over Russian oil as Modi sought meeting amid trade tensionsUS President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PHOTO: FILE United States President Donald Trump has recounted a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying Modi sought permission to meet him, as he mocked the Indian leader during remarks at a House GOP member retreat. “Prime Minister Modi came to see me, ‘Sir, may I see you please’. Yes,” Trump said while speaking about defence sales and trade ties with India. Trump said India has been waiting for five years for…

KSE-100 index rises to 186,518 points as banking, oil & gas and power shares attract buying KARACHI: Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) maintained its bullish trajectory on Wednesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index closing at a fresh record, supported by continued buying from local institutional investors. The market opened on a weak note, with the index falling sharply in early trade to an intra-day low of 184,896.71. However, sentiment improved as buying interest returned, leading to a broad-based salvage during the late morning and afternoon sessions. The KSE-100 index touched an intra-day high of 187,015.12 before settling at 186,518.72, up 1,456.61…

Google CEO Sundar Pichai gives a thumbs up as he arrives to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit at the Grand Palais in Paris, Feb. 11, 2025.Benoit Tessier | ReutersGoogle parent company Alphabet saw its market capitalization surpass Apple’s for the first time since 2019.Alphabet’s market cap closed at $3.88 trillion on Wednesday. Shares of Alphabet rose more than 2% on Wednesday, closing at $322.03. Meanwhile, Apple’s market cap closed Wednesday at $3.84 trillion as shares slid more than 4% over the last five days.The positional inversion in market cap underscores the different directions that Alphabet and Apple are heading in…

President Donald Trump said Wednesday that Venezuela will purchase American products with revenue from its oil sales.”I have just been informed that Venezuela is going to be purchasing ONLY American Made Products, with the money they receive from our new Oil Deal,” Trump said in a post his social media platform Truth Social. The president said the purchases will include agricultural products, medicine, medical devices and equipment to improve Venezuela’s grid and energy facilities. Trump said Tuesday that Venezuela would turn over 30 million to 50 million barrels of oil to the U.S. after the overthrow President Nicolas Maduro. The…

Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces Apple Card during a launch event at Apple headquarters on March 25, 2019, in Cupertino, California.Noah Berger | AFP | Getty ImagesJPMorgan Chase has reached a deal to take over the Apple credit card from its original issuer, Goldman Sachs, according to a person with knowledge of the transaction.The arrangement, to be announced soon after a year of negotiations between the parties, means that a giant in credit cards and retail banking overall will grow even larger. JPMorgan will take over roughly $20 billion in card loans from Goldman, which began to pivot away from…

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman attends an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo, Feb. 3, 2025.Kim Kyung-hoon | ReutersOpenAI on Wednesday announced ChatGPT Health, which will allow users to securely connect their medical records and wellness apps to the artificial intelligence chatbot.ChatGPT Health is not intended for diagnosis and treatment, and it’s not supposed to replace medical care, OpenAI said. Rather, the experience is supposed to help users navigate everyday questions, and it aims make ChatGPT’s responses more relevant by grounding them in a user’s own health information. “ChatGPT Health is another step toward turning ChatGPT into a personal…

Politicians, civil society urge restoration of political activities, release of political workers, including femalesNational Dialogue Committee (NDC) convenes a conference in Islamabad to discuss political situation in the country. Photo: X The National Dialogue Committee (NDC) has called for immediate and comprehensive negotiations between the government and opposition in order to address Pakistan’s worsening political and economic situation. According to the declaration issued after the committee’s conference held in Islamabad, the forum recommended that President Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz Sharif and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lead negotiations on behalf of the government, while the opposition…

Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.Klaudia Radecka | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesGoogle and Character.AI will settle with families who sued the companies over harm to minors, including suicides, allegedly caused by artificial intelligence chatbots. According to court documents filed this week, the families and companies have agreed to work out settlement terms.In one case, plaintiff Megan Garcia sued Google and Character.AI after her son died from suicide. The complaint claims that Character.AI’s chatbot engaged the plaintiff’s 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, in harmful interactions, and alleges negligence, wrongful death, deceptive trade practices and product liability.”Parties have agreed to a mediated settlement in…

Members of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stand guard after a driver of a vehicle was shot in Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S., January 7, 2026. Tim Evans | ReutersU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents fatally shot a woman in her car on Wednesday on a residential street in Minneapolis, authorities said.Videos of the incident that were posted on social media show the woman being shot within seconds by an ICE agent who was standing at the front of her SUV when she began driving off after being told to exit her vehicle.Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and another top…