Author: i2wtc

Google suffered a setback Thursday after an advisor to the European Union’s top court recommended it dismiss the tech giant’s appeal against a record 4.1-billion-euro ($4.7 billion) antitrust fine.Juliane Kokott, advocate general at the European Court of Justice, advised the court to throw out Google’s appeal and confirm the fine, which was reduced in 2022 to 4.125 billion euros from 4.34 billion euros previously by the EU’s General Court.”In her Opinion delivered today, Advocate General Kokott proposes that the Court of Justice dismiss Google’s appeal and, therefore, uphold the judgment of the General Court,” the Luxembourg-based ECJ said in a…

Mercer Island, a wealthy enclave just outside Seattle.Danita Delimont | Gallo Images Roots Rf Collection | Getty ImagesA version of this article first appeared in CNBC’s Inside Wealth newsletter with Robert Frank, a weekly guide to the high-net-worth investor and consumer. Sign up to receive future editions, straight to your inbox.The United States is home to the most millionaires of any country, with a tally of 23.8 million in 2024, according to a new report by UBS. The Swiss bank estimated the U.S. minted some 379,000 new millionaires last year, or more than a thousand each day, for an increase of 1.5%.Mainland…

A Unitree G1 humanoid robot blows a kiss at an exhibition hall of Unitree Robotics in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang Province, April 23, 2025. (Xinhua/Han Chuanhao)BEIJING, June 19 (Xinhua) — China’s surging technology innovation is rewriting the playbook for foreign investors, with the country’s booming tech sector having reshaped expectations regarding its long-term growth potential.The latest example came as Goldman Sachs unveiled a list of what it has identified as China’s Prominent 10, a move reminiscent of the Magnificent Seven, a group of high-performing and influential stocks in the U.S. tech sector.The top 10 Chinese stocks, most of which are…

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance signed a five-year long-term financing facility for $1 billion, the government said in a statement on Wednesday. Dubai Islamic Bank (DIB) served as the sole Islamic global coordinator, while DIB and Standard Chartered Bank acted as mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners. “The Ministry of Finance has signed a syndicated term finance facility of $1,000 million partially guaranteed by a Policy-Based Guarantee of the ADB Programme ‘Improved Resource Mobilisation & Utilisation Reform’,” according to a press release. “The facility is a landmark transaction for the Government of Pakistan that demonstrates strong support from leading financiers in…

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold6 at its Galaxy Unpacked event in Paris. The tech giant said the foldable device is thinner and lighter than its predecessor.Arjun Kharpal | CNBCSamsung will unveil a thinner version of its flagship foldable smartphone at a launch likely set to take place next month, as it battles Chinese rivals to deliver the slimmest devices to the market.Folding phones, which have a single screen that can fold in half, came in focus when Samsung first launched such a device in 2019. But Chinese players, in particular Honor and Oppo, have since aggressively released foldables that…

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned until Thursday (today) the hearing of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge transfer case. A five-member constitutional bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, presided over the hearing. During proceedings, the Advocate General for Punjab advanced his arguments, stating that West Pakistan was made a single unit in 1955 through the Pakistan Governor General Order. As a result, all high court-level courts were consolidated into one, and a seniority list was compiled based on the judges’ appointment dates. However, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan remarked that the situation in the…

An aerial drone photo taken on Feb. 25, 2025 shows a view of the Harbin Ice-Snow World in Harbin, northeast China’s Heilongjiang Province. (Xinhua/Wang Song)HARBIN, June 19 (Xinhua) — The world’s largest ice and snow theme park, Harbin Ice-Snow World, will introduce a range of new summer tourism offerings, including immersive performances and an international beer festival, to provide visitors with a uniquely refreshing summer experience.The move marks a strategic expansion for the park, which is famous for its winter attractions, as it seeks to attract global tourists year-round.Sun Zemin, deputy director of the marketing department at Harbin Ice-Snow World,…

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance reviewed the Finance Bill 2025 on Wednesday and recommended a zero-rated tax on the income of up to Rs1.2 million and rejected a proposal to impose tax on individuals doing small online businesses. During a meeting, chaired by its chairman Saleem Mandviwala, the committee approved the proposal to impose tax on the income of online academies and teachers but opposed the levy of tax on the income of the Islamabad Club. Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officials informed the meeting that teachers were providing online digital education services, earning Rs20-30 million. They added…

A SpaceX Starship is seen in Boca Chica, Texas in 2023.Patrick T. Fallon | Afp | Getty ImagesA SpaceX Starship rocket on Wednesday exploded at the Starbase facility in Texas during routine testing in preparation for a launch flight, according to local authorities and live stream footage.The rocket “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase” at 11 p.m. local time, SpaceX said on social media, noting “a safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for.”Local authorities said that Starship “suffered a catastrophic failure and exploded,”…

LONDON: Czech Republic’s Jakub Mensik plays a return against Roberto Bautista Agut of Spain during their Queen’s Club Championships match on Wednesday.—AFP LONDON: British number one Jack Draper survived a scare to reach the Queen’s Club quarter-finals with a gritty 3-6, 6-2, 7-6(7/5) win over Australia’s Alexei Popyrin on Wednesday. Draper was rocked by the world number 21 in the first set of the second round tie at the Wimbledon warm-up event. But the 23-year-old hit back to level the match before taking the final set tie-break to complete his comeback in a tense encounter lasting two hours and 13…