Author: i2wtc
Iga Swiatek and Jannik Sinner showed their championship pedigree at the US Open on Tuesday with commanding displays at the Arthur Ashe Stadium, walloping their first-round opponents on the third day of first-round action at the newly expanded major. Wimbledon champion Swiatek arrived in pristine form after capturing the Cincinnati title and made quick work of Emiliana Arango 6-1 6-2 in just an hour, never facing a break point. The 2022 winner acknowledged the unique challenge of New York’s atmosphere afterwards. “Every year is tough, because New York is just so loud, and it’s hard to find that balance off…
NEW DELHI: Indian exporters are bracing for a sharp decline in orders from the United States after trade talks collapsed and Washington confirmed that steep new tariffs on the South Asian nation’s goods would take effect from Wednesday, escalating tension between the strategic partners. An additional 25 per cent duty announced by President Donald Trump, confirmed in a notice by the Homeland Security Department, takes total tariffs to as much as 50pc, among Washington’s highest, in retaliation for New Delhi’s increased buying of Russian oil. “The government has no hope for any immediate relief or delay in US tariffs,” said…
ISLAMABAD: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has blocked a move to immediately declare digital currencies as legal in the country, cautioning that allowing transactions without a regulatory framework could create serious challenges. At its maiden meeting on Monday, the board of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) sought to withdraw existing orders that prohibit the use of cryptocurrencies. However, officials said the SBP opposed the proposal, stressing that premature approval would be problematic without a legal and licensing structure in place. The meeting was chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Blockchain and Crypto, Bilal bin…
PESHAWAR: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed two new poliovirus cases from South Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, from District Tank and North Waziristan. According to a statement issued here on Tuesday, the recent polio cases include a 16-month-old girl from Union Council Mullazai, District Tank, and a 24-month-old girl from Union Council Miran Shah-3, District North Waziristan. With these detections, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in 2025 has reached 23 — including 15 cases K-P, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Baltistan. Despite significant progress, the continued detection…
ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Authorities on Tuesday placed the disaster management institutions and related agencies on “high alert” warning of “exceptionally high” inundation risks across Punjab, following a mix of relentless monsoon rains, glacial melt, and India’s release of water from multiple upstream dams. Provincial and federal authorities said nearly 190,000 people have already been evacuated, with the military assisting in rescue operations across dozens of inundated villages. The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) warned that the next 48 to 72 hours will be critical as heavy rainfall continues and dam discharges accelerate. The latest crisis comes as the Rivers Chenab, Ravi and…
Brad Smith, president of Microsoft Corp., at the Web Summit conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on Wednesday, May 28, 2025. The annual conference gathers key industry figures in technology.James MacDonald | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesMicrosoft asked police to remove people who improperly entered a building at its headquarters in protest of the Israeli military’s alleged use of the company’s software as part of the invasion of Gaza.On Tuesday, current and former Microsoft employees affiliated with the group No Azure for Apartheid started protesting inside a building on Microsoft’s campus in Redmond, Washington, and gained entry into the office of…
Heavy rains and flash floods in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa since August 15 have claimed at least 406 lives and injured over 245 others, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). The casualties include 305 men, 55 women and 46 children, while the injured comprise 179 men, 38 women, and 30 children. Moreover, torrential rains and floods have damaged 3,526 houses, with 2,945 partially destroyed and 577 completely demolished. Buner recorded the highest number of fatalities with 337 deaths, followed by Sawabi with a death toll of 46. Casualties were reported in Swat, Buner, Bajaur, Mansehra, Shangla, Lower Dir, Battagram, DI Khan and Sawabi. Authorities in affected districts have been…
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman speaks during the Federal Reserve’s Integrated Review of the Capital Framework for Large Banks Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 22, 2025. Ken Cedeno | ReutersOpenAI is detailing its plans to address ChatGPT’s shortcomings when handling “sensitive situations”following a lawsuit from a family who blamed the chatbot for their teenage son’s death by suicide.”We will keep improving, guided by experts and grounded in responsibility to the people who use our tools — and we hope others will join us in helping make sure this technology protects people at their most vulnerable,” OpenAI wrote on Tuesday, in…
A set of floral installation is pictured at Xidan area in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 22, 2025. Ten sets of floral installations along Chang’an Avenue marking the 80th anniversary of the victory in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War have been completed. (Xinhua/Ju Huanzong)BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) — Floral decorations at Beijing’s downtown Tian’anmen Square and Chang’an Avenue have been completed ahead of China’s massive V-Day military parade in early next month.These floral displays feature over 100 varieties of plants arranged in 10 sets of flower beds, with a theme focusing…
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) announced on Tuesday that nearly 190,000 people have been evacuated from flood-affected areas along the River Sutlej, with rising water levels continuing to pose a serious threat to vulnerable communities, Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Speaking to the media, NDMA Chairman Lieutenant General Inam Haider said the large-scale evacuation was carried out in coordination with the Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122. The agencies successfully relocated residents to safer zones amid ongoing high flood alerts. “Our operational focus remains on the Chenab, Ravi, and Sutlej rivers, which are facing medium to…