Author: i2wtc

The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited has failed to process around 72,000 gas connection applications despite the lapse of five years and collecting full payments from the applicants — a clear violation of OGRA service standards. Audit officials revealed it to the subcommittee of the National Assembly’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which expressed strong displeasure over the company’s lacklusture attitude and directed that the matter be referred back to the Departmental Accounts Committee for further review and action. The meeting, chaired by PPP MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, was informed that the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited had collected full payments…

Locally designed multi-role warship marks major step toward self-reliance in naval defence technology The Pakistan Navy unveiled a scale model of a state-of-the-art warship named the Jinnah-class frigate at the Pakistan International Maritime Conference and Expo exhibition being held at the Expo Centre till Thursday.  A contract for its construction has been signed with the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works Limited. The fully Pakistani-built warship, slated to join the fleet by 2028, will be capable of anti-submarine operations, anti-surface operations and counter-piracy missions at sea. The Jinnah-class frigate will be equipped with a hull-mounted sonar (a system for threat detection)…

Microsoft President Brad Smith speaks at a press conference at the Representation of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia about future visions for the development and application of artificial intelligence in education in NRW in Berlin on June 4, 2025.Soeren Stache | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesMicrosoft is giving employees a way to raise concerns about the uses of its technology after controversy emerged over the company’s work in the Middle East. An internal portal for Microsoft’s 200,000-plus workers now includes an option to request a “Trusted Technology Review,” Brad Smith, the company’s president, wrote in a memo that was disclosed…

A man enters the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) office in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 12, 2016. PHOTO: REUTERS LAHORE: The dispute between Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) management and the Society of Aircraft Engineers of Pakistan (SAEP) escalated further on Wednesday as the national carrier transferred six aircraft engineers from Peshawar to Karachi, drawing vehement criticism from the engineering body. The transfer orders came as the airline continued to grapple with widespread flight delays and cancellations at major airports, leaving passengers stranded and frustrated across the country. PIA’s flight schedule remained severely disrupted, with several domestic and international routes affected. At Lahore’s…

A Pony.ai autonomous car.Pony.aiChina’s Pony.ai on Thursday saw its shares drop over 14%, while rival WeRide fell nearly 12% as the autonomous driving companies began trading in Hong Kong.Pony.ai and WeRide, which are already listed in the U.S., raised 6.71 billion Hong Kong dollars (about $860 million) and HK$2.39 billion, respectively, in their initial public offerings.The companies are striving to keep pace with larger competitors such as Baidu’s Apollo Go in China and Alphabet’s Waymo in the U.S. amid growing interest in autonomous technologies.Pony.ai and WeRide, both headquartered in Guangzhou, China, stated that funds would go toward scaling efforts, and…

Treasury, opposition members trade barbs over proposed amendment, sharply disagree over its implicationsMinister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry addressing the National Assembly during Wednesday’s session. Photo: X Heated exchanges erupted in the National Assembly on Wednesday as lawmakers debated the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment. The treasury benches rejected claims that the government intended to roll back the 18th Amendment as both sides traded barbs throughout the session over the scope and intent of the proposed amendment. Speaking on the floor, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhry rejected what he termed “false and misleading propaganda” suggesting that the…

Senator Faisal Vawda says 27th Amendment has enough support, dismisses concerns over vote countSenator Faisal Vawda shakes hands with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman after a meeting at the latter’s residence in Islamabad on Wednesday. SCREENGRAB Opposition leaders joined heads over the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, convening at the residence of Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss the amendment’s scope and the broader political situation. The huddle was attended by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, and nominated opposition leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai.…

Dylan Field, co-founder and CEO of Figma, center, appears on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange in New York on July 31, 2025. Figma Inc. shares surged as much as 229% after the design software maker and some of its shareholders raised $1.2 billion in an IPO, with the trading valuing the company far above the $20 billion mark it would have reached in a now-scrapped merger with Adobe Inc.Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDesign software maker Figma on Wednesday reported stronger-than-expected third-quarter revenue and quarterly revenue guidance. The stock moved as much as 6% higher in…

PTI’s Gohar calls it an ‘attack on parliament’; Fazl warns coercive changes will erode public trust ISLAMABAD: Opposition lawmakers on Wednesday came out all guns blazing in the National Assembly against the proposed 27th Constitutional Amendment, which has stirred up a political storm in the country at a time when the apex court is already seized with petitions challenging the 26th Amendment. Speaking on the floor of the lower house of parliament, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan denounced the new proposed changes to the 1973 Constitution as “an attack on the House,” vowing that his party would continue to…

Robinhood beat Wall Street expectations for the third quarter on Wednesday, extending a hot streak that has made it one of the biggest large-cap U.S. tech stocks this year.Here is how Robinhood’s results compared to Wall Street estimates, according to analysts surveyed by LSEG:Earnings per share: 61cents vs. 53 cents expectedRevenue: $1.27 billion vs. $1.19 billion expectedRevenue doubled year-over-year, while net income climbed to $556 million, or 61 cents per share, up significantly from the same quarter last year, when the company posted net income of $150 million, or 17 cents per share.Transaction-based revenue, which is a proxy for trading…