Author: i2wtc

WASHINGTON, DC – OCTOBER 16: U.S. Senate Minority Leader Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) (R) and House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) (L) brief members of the press during a news conference on the government shutdown at the U.S. Capitol on October 16, 2025 in Washington, DC. Alex Wong | Getty ImagesCapitol Hill remains locked in a stalemate as the government shutdown trudges into its third week — and Democrats say their lack of trust in President Donald Trump is a major obstacle to negotiations.In past legislative disputes, bipartisan coalitions known as “gangs” have formed to break the logjams. The…

President Donald Trump listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House on April 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. Andrew Harnik | Getty ImagesViresh Varma can’t sleep. The CEO of AV Universal Corp., a small footwear company that sells through retailers like Macy’s, Nordstrom and DSW, said he needed to take out a $250,000 loan to pay his tariff bill on a container of shoes he imported from India for the holiday shopping season. Varma didn’t have the cash on hand to pay the duties, which he said used to be around $7,500 for a similar-sized container before President Donald Trump’s new…

* This year marks the final lap for China’s implementation of its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025). The country has achieved groundbreaking progress, transformative breakthroughs and historic accomplishments during the period.* China’s unwavering commitment to advancing its reform and opening-up has been a major driving force behind the country’s remarkable achievements in economic and social development during the period.* The scientific formulation and continuous implementation of the five-year plans constitute vital experience in China’s governance system, and demonstrate the significant political strength of socialism with Chinese characteristics.BEIJING, Oct. 17 (Xinhua) — This year marks the final lap for China’s implementation of…

Shehbaz open to talks if Afghans serious, Pakistan warns patience wearing thin, Accuses India of trying to escalatePakistan-Afghanistan border at Chaman. PHOTO: FILE ISLAMABAD: Senior officials from Pakistan and the Taliban regime are expected to meet in Doha to find a solution to the banned TTP and other terror groups operating from Afghanistan, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said Pakistan was ready to talk to Kabul provided it showed seriousness to address the country’s legitimate security concerns. As the truce holds, the prime minister told his cabinet colleagues that despite repeated efforts to convince Kabul to take action…

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressing crowd of demonstrators outside the Lincoln Memorial during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.Francis Miller/The LIFE Picture Collection via Getty ImagesOpenAI halted artificial intelligence-generated videos of Martin Luther King Jr. after users utilized its short-form video tool Sora to create “disrespectful depictions” of the civil rights leader.”While there are strong free speech interests in depicting historical figures, OpenAI believes public figures and their families should ultimately have control over how their likeness is used,” OpenAI said in a post to social media platform X.The ChatGPT maker said it will work to toughen…

ISLAMABAD: A session of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research on Thursday witnessed sharp criticism from members over the ministry’s performance and lack of follow-up on previous meeting directives. The panel, chaired by Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, was informed that the report on the implementation of decisions from earlier meetings could not be presented. Several senators expressed dissatisfaction, saying the ministry appeared indifferent to parliamentary oversight. Senator Dinesh Kumar remarked that such committee meetings served little purpose when all members remained unaware of progress on key issues. Federal Minister for National Food Security Rana Tanveer Hussain…

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will speak by phone on Friday with Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng to discuss the ongoing trade negotiations between the United States and China, a senior Trump administration official told CNBC’s Eamon Javers.Additional details about the call, including the specific time it would take place or the next steps to be discussed, were not immediately clear.But the scheduled conversation could signal progress in the U.S.-China relationship, which hit a rocky patch this past week after President Donald Trump reacted to Beijing’s new export controls by threatening an additional 100% tariff on Chinese imports.Trump, asked in a…

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 leads Carlos Sainz of Spain driving (55) the Ferrari SF-24 and Lando Norris of Great Britain driving the (4) McLaren MCL38 Mercedes into turn 1 at the start during the F1 Grand Prix of Mexico at Autodromo Hermanos RodriguezPeter Fox – Formula 1 | Formula 1 | Getty ImagesApple and Formula 1 announced a five-year media rights deal Friday that will bring every F1 race to Apple TV beginning in 2026.Apple TV will provide coverage of all Formula 1 events, including practice, qualifying and Sprint sessions, as…

Mark Zuckerberg, chief executive officer of Meta Platforms Inc., during the Meta Connect event in Menlo Park, California, US, on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMeta on Friday announced new safety features that will allow parents to see and manage how their teenagers are interacting with artificial intelligence characters on the company’s platforms.Parents will have the option to turn off one-on-one chats with AI characters completely, Meta said. They will also be able to block specific AI characters, get insight into the topics their children are discussing with them.Meta is still building the controls,…

Afghan security stands guard at a fenced corridor of the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in Spin Boldak, Afghanistan on December 3, 2023. PHOTO: AFP PESHAWAR: With the onset of winter, Pakistani security agencies have warned of a growing threat of terrorists crossing over from Afghanistan into Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). Officials say terrorist groups have altered their strategy, attempting to infiltrate through the border regions of Chitral, Kurram, Bajaur, and Khyber. However, timely response by security forces successfully foiled these attempts and prevented the formation of new terror networks. According to police sources, a fresh security plan has been drawn up following recent cross-border…