Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has so far faced a Rs65 billion revenue shortfall, which authorities attributed to a drop in electricity consumption from the national grid and an industrial slowdown, underpinning challenges caused by weak tax collection and the reversal of enforcement measures. Against the target of Rs1.7 trillion, the FBR collected Rs1.635 trillion till the last working day of the month, according to provisional figures. A senior FBR official said the collection would improve once final figures were compiled, reducing the shortfall to around Rs45-50 billion. The collection was Rs190 billion, or nearly 13% higher than…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in Tianjin, north China, Aug. 30, 2025. Guterres is here to attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Summit 2025. (Xinhua/Ding Haitao)TIANJIN, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — China will always be a trustworthy partner of the United Nations (UN), Chinese President Xi Jinping said when meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the port city of Tianjin on Saturday.China is willing to deepen cooperation with the UN, support the UN in playing a central role in international affairs, and jointly shoulder the responsibility of safeguarding world peace and promoting development and…

Imagine a child born in Pakistan today. By the time they are an adult, they’ll only be able to reach 41 percent of their potential because of challenges they face, such as lack of access to good health, education and nutrition, early stimulation and responsive caregiving, and safety and security.The largest loss in this potential happens in the first few years of life. It’s as if a child starts life with the potential of a high-performance sports car, but because they do not get the right fuel, maintenance, or training, he/she might only end up performing like a run-down dabba…

Portugal have paid tribute to Diogo Jota by passing his number 21 jersey to his close friend and former teammate Ruben Neves, following the forward’s death in a car crash last month, national team coach Roberto Martinez said. Neves, a midfielder at Saudi side Al-Hilal, was a pallbearer at Jota’s funeral. The Liverpool forward died aged 28 with his younger brother, Andre Silva, in northwestern Spain after their Lamborghini veered off the road and burst into flames. Neves and Jota were teammates at Premier League club Wolverhampton Wanderers. “We know what Diogo meant to each of us and the impact…

With fears about the strength of consumer spending running high due to tariffs, inflation and other economic pressures, retailers are working hard to sustain revenue growth. While some retailers are leaning into worker-led personalized experiences for shoppers, other retailers are focusing more on leveraging artificial intelligence to optimize the shopping experience. Walmart is one of those retailers, adding new “super agents” that aims to save time and effort for both workers and shoppers. At its recent Retail Rewired innovation event, Walmart highlighted the launch of four “super agents,” which include Marty for sellers and suppliers, Sparky for shoppers, the Associate…

When confronted in 2013, the man who claimed scholars agreed on the death penalty for blasphemy told his interrogators that he could not actually read Arabic. This man, Advocate Ismail Qureshi, is at the centre of a new documentary by the Alliance Against Blasphemy Politics Pakistan (AABP). It hosted an early screening of The Inevitable Misuse of Blasphemy Politics (2024) and a new episode titled Blasphemy as Biddat: Intra-Muslim Difference in the Age of Empires on Sunday, August 17, at Kitab Ghar. A small group of students, teachers and journalists gathered to watch the documentaries and have a Q&A with…

India batting great Rahul Dravid has stepped down as head coach of Indian Premier League team Rajasthan Royals after just one season with them, the franchise said on Saturday. Dravid, 52, was offered a “broader position” after a structural review of the team set-up but the former Indian captain declined the offer, the franchise said in a statement. “Head coach Rahul Dravid will conclude his tenure with the franchise ahead of IPL 2026,” it said. Dravid had returned to the team as head coach ahead of this year’s T20 tournament, but Rajasthan failed to make the playoffs and ended a…

Semma restaurant in New York, NY. Courtesy: Steven HallExecutive Chef Vikas Khanna has plated hundreds of thousands of dinners over the past 20 years — and he’s seen firsthand just how much Indian cuisine has evolved in the U.S.Khanna, a world-renowned Indian restaurateur, created Junoon, his high-end Indian restaurant in New York City, more than a decade ago to wade deeper into sophisticated Indian dining, ultimately earning a Michelin star for the restaurant — one of the first Indian restaurants to earn the distinction.As an immigrant in a post-9/11 America, Khanna said his bosses early in his career had been…

LAHORE: The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Punjab has issued its latest assessment of the devastation caused by the overflowing Ravi, Sutlej and Chenab rivers, outlining the scale of damage and the ongoing relief efforts. Relief Commissioner Nabeel Javed said more than 2,308 villages across Punjab had been inundated, affecting 1.516 million people. Of these, 481,000 had been evacuated to safer areas. The provincial administration has set up 511 relief camps providing food and shelter, along with 351 medical camps and 321 veterinary camps. Over 405,000 animals have also been moved to secure locations. Read: Floods to drive up food…

Participants take part in a training for the upcoming V-Day military parade in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 12, 2025. (Xinhua/Yin Gang)BEIJING, Aug. 30 (Xinhua) — Many cities around the world bear the label of “peace.” Few, however, wear it as literally as Zhijiang, a county in central China’s Hunan Province, where a boulevard, a bridge, a theater, a hospital and even a lake all contain the word.In 1945, Japanese troops signed a memorandum of surrender in Zhijiang, which was followed by similar events in more cities across China. After 14 years of resistance, a nation long scarred by war…