Author: i2wtc

Justice Yahya Afridi. PHOTO: FILE ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi has noted that prolonged tax litigation not only constrains fiscal space but also undermines investor confidence and economic stability. He has underscored the judiciary’s commitment to reforms that promote timely justice, efficiency, and predictability, particularly in matters directly affecting the national economy. According to a statement issued by the Supreme Court on Saturday, CJP Afridi on Friday chaired a high-level meeting to deliberate on strategic reforms aimed at expeditious disposal of high-impact tax litigation that has significant implications for the national economy. SC’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb,…

Highlight achievements of Pakistanis on World Braille Day; say govt committed to promoting Braille literacyPrime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari. Photo: APP/AFP ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to protecting the rights, dignity, and full participation of persons with visual impairment on the occasion of World Braille Day. In a message issued on the occasion, President Asif Zardari extended greetings to persons with visual impairment across the country and underscored the importance of inclusion in national life. He said World Braille Day commemorates the birth anniversary of Louis Braille,…

Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi speaks to media representatives in Lahore on December 27, 2025. SCREENGRAB PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Saturday slammed the government for running a system of “oppression and fascism”, saying that such orders could build roads but never nations. He stressed that genuine nation-building was only possible when the rich and the poor were governed by the same law and the same system of justice. Addressing a two-day health awareness conference organised by the Pakistan Medical Association in Peshawar, where he attended as chief guest, the chief minister said K-P was the only…

Religious scholar Engineer Mirza Muhammad Ali. Photo: File Religious scholar Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza, who was recently imprisoned in Adiala Jail before being granted bail in a blasphemy case, has shared details about the conduct and daily routine of PTI founder Imran Khan behind bars. Speaking to a private television channel, Mirza said Khan does not enjoy “palace-like” facilities in jail but does have access to news from the outside world. He said the former prime minister is provided with two newspapers and an LED television in his room, allowing him to stay updated. Mirza said Imran Khan appeared “very…

Zhao Xintong celebrates with the trophy after claiming the title by defeating Mark Williams of Wales in the final at World Snooker Championship 2025 in Sheffield, Britain, May 5, 2025. (Photo by Zhai Zheng/Xinhua)Hua Zihui of Zhejiang competes during the men’s decathlon pole vault of athletics at China’s 15th National Games in Guangzhou, south China’s Guangdong Province, Nov. 16, 2025. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)China’s Xu Mengtao attends a practice session for the 2024-2025 FIS Freestyle Ski World Cup at the Livigno Aerials & Moguls Park, in Livigno, Italy, March 11, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Jing)An aerial drone photo taken on May 21, 2025 shows…

PUBLISHED January 04, 2026 There are few railways in the world that can claim the romance and symbolism of the Khyber Pass Railway (KPR) that follows the contours of the Khyber Pass as it cuts through the Safed Koh Mountains. Over millenniums it was a highway for invaders, Sufi saints, spies, traders, adventurers’ nomads and caravans. When the Pass came under control of British India, it was picketed twice a week and camel caravans, some five miles long, would crawl from Landi Kotal to Jamrud in one long-days march. Winding its way through barren mountains and guarded by pickets and…

This photo taken on March 27, 2025 shows a mountain fire in Cheongsong County, North Gyeongsang Province, South Korea. A wind-driven wildfire that first broke out on March 21 in Sancheong County in the province of South Gyeongsang rapidly grew into South Korea’s largest mountain fire on record. (Xinhua/Yao Qilin)Yoon Suk-yeol attends a hearing of his impeachment trial at the constitutional court in Seoul, South Korea, Feb. 20, 2025. Yoon declared an emergency martial law on the night of Dec. 3, 2024, but it was revoked by the opposition-led National Assembly hours later.Yoon was apprehended in the presidential office and…

PUBLISHED January 04, 2026 I love James Cameron and have watched all his films, from The Terminator, which came out more than 40 years ago, to the present day. However, ahead of his latest release — Avatar: Fire and Ash — I was as sceptical as any other fan, because the film’s predecessor wasn’t able to satisfy me, nor others. It seemed more like a lengthy underwater documentary featuring characters from the first Avatar rather than a worthy sequel, and the same scepticism kept returning ahead of the third film in the franchise. However, after 195 minutes of watching the…

PUBLISHED January 04, 2026 US arms sales to Taiwan have pushed an already precarious arrangement into a far more volatile phase, and what is being supplied no longer sits comfortably within the language of “defensive” support. At the same time, the regional blade has been sharpened from another direction. Japan’s embrace of “counterstrike” capabilities, its expanding role in arms exports and its deepening operational alignment with US forces show a structural shift in posture. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s statement soon after taking office that any Chinese military action against Taiwan could be grounds for a Japanese military response leaves little…

People learn about a ducted-fan drone at the 2025 Wuhan International Industrial Design Expo in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei Province, Dec. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)BEIJING, Jan. 4 (Xinhua) — China’s low-altitude equipment industry has continuously expanded, with the industry output value maintaining an average annual growth rate of over 10 percent during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-2025), official data showed Sunday.As of Dec. 30, 2025, a total of 1,081 enterprises have completed registration in this sector, with 3,623 types of products filed and more than 5.29 million units registered, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).MIIT…