Author: i2wtc

LAHORE: More than 200,000 frontline polio workers and supervisors will participate in a vaccination campaign targeting over 23.3 million children under the age of five across Punjab from April 13. Addressing a ceremony on Thursday where the Punjab Emergency Operations Centre inaugurated the upcoming National Immunisation Days (NIDs), Provincial Minister for Health and Population Imran Nazeer said sustained efforts and effective strategies had brought Pakistan closer than ever to the final phase of polio eradication. He urged parents to ensure that their children receive polio drops during every campaign. In Lahore, identified as a high-risk reservoir district, the campaign will…

The Alibaba logo is pictured during a tour at the Alibaba office in Beijing on April 1, 2026. Wang Zhao | Afp | Getty ImagesA mysterious AI video model that has ascended global leaderboards has been confirmed as a project from Chinese tech giant Alibaba, in a development that could boost the company’s artificial intelligence ambitions.HappyHorse-1.0, which appeared on the benchmarking platform Artificial Analysis around April 7, without identifying its affiliations, climbed to the top of blind-test rankings for both text-to-video and image-to-video generation. The developers revealed in a newly created X account Friday that HappyHorse was part of Alibaba’s ATH…

A farmer levels seedbed soil in a rice cultivating greenhouse of Youyi Farm Co., Ltd. under Beidahuang Group in Shuangyashan, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province, April 9, 2026. Heilongjiang, a major grain-producing area in China, has entered the spring ploughing season for rice. (Xinhua/Wang Song)This photo taken on April 9, 2026 shows an interior view of a rice cultivating greenhouse of Youyi Farm Co., Ltd. under Beidahuang Group in Shuangyashan, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. Heilongjiang, a major grain-producing area in China, has entered the spring ploughing season for rice. (Xinhua/Wang Song)An aerial drone photo taken on April 9, 2026 shows a…

The High Court held that matters relating to CNICs fall outside the jurisdiction of civil courts LAHORE: In a ruling on a petition filed by citizen Ali Ansari, the Lahore High Court (LHC) has declared that civil courts do not have the authority to order the blocking or cancellation of a citizen’s Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC). Justice Tanveer Ahmad Sheikh issued a detailed seven-page judgment, setting aside a civil court’s decision that had led to the blocking of the petitioner’s CNIC. The court termed the action illegal and directed that the CNIC be restored within 15 days. In its…

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Kuomintang party chair Cheng Li-wun in Beijing on Friday, the first encounter between Xi and a sitting Taiwanese opposition leader in nearly a decade. In a readout released by Chinese state media, Xi said Beijing “welcomes any proposals conducive to the peaceful development of cross-strait relations.” That’s according to a CNBC translation of the statement in Chinese. Xi also reiterated that “‘Taiwan independence’ is the primary threat undermining stability across the Taiwan Strait,” calling on party leaders on the mainland and Taiwan to oppose “separatism and foreign interference.” Cheng took the helm last October…

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with a delegation of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party led by its chairwoman Cheng Li-wun in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday morning met with Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Beijing.Invited by the CPC Central Committee and Xi, Cheng is the first KMT chairperson to have led a delegation to the Chinese mainland in the past decade. The delegation…

OGRA, FIA empowered to fine violators, cancel licences An employee checks empty LPG cylinders inside Vidyarthi Bhavan restaurant, as restaurants and hotels in southern India, including the IT hub of Bengaluru, have warned of shutdowns amid disruptions in commercial LPG supply, following the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Bengaluru, India, March 10, 2026. Photo: Reuters ISLAMABAD: The government has ordered a nationwide crackdown to ensure the supply of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) at officially notified prices, directing regulators and enforcement agencies to take strict action against violations. Acting on the prime minister’s directive, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA)…

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s logo is seen in the background beside a printed circuit board. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesTaiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. on Friday posted another quarter of record revenue driven by demand for AI chips.For January to March, the world’s largest chipmaker reported revenue of 1.13 trillion new Taiwan dollars ($35.6 billion), exceeding analyst forecasts of 1.12 trillion new Taiwan dollars, according to LSEG’s compiled estimates. That marks a 35% year-on-year increase.For March alone, TSMC reported a 45.2% year-on-year rise in revenue to 415.2 billion new Taiwan dollars. The chip giant is benefiting from sustained demand…

The government has agreed to the need for a mini-budget if revenues fall short of expectations by end-December 2025, according to the IMF. Photo: file WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects to have to provide up to $50 billion in immediate financial assistance to countries affected by the Middle East war, its managing director said on Thursday, with the crisis likely to have lasting economic effects. “Given the spillovers of the Middle East war, we expect near-term demand for IMF balance-of-payments support to rise to somewhere between $20b and $50b, with the lower bound prevailing if the ceasefire holds,”…

Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with a delegation of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party led by its chairwoman Cheng Li-wun in Beijing, capital of China, April 10, 2026. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)BEIJING, April 10 (Xinhua) — Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on Friday morning met with Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Chinese Kuomintang (KMT) party, in Beijing.Invited by the CPC Central Committee and Xi, Cheng is the first KMT chairperson to have led a delegation to the Chinese mainland in the past decade. The delegation…