Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday strongly rejected claims that it threatened to nuke Israel if it dropped an atom bomb on Iran, even as the foreign minister warned Tel Aviv “dare not look at Pakistan” with an evil eye. Ishaq Dar, who is the leader of the house in the Senate as well as deputy prime minister, stressed that Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programs were meant for the defence of the country. Dar said that the news attributed to an Iranian general regarding a nuclear strike on Israel was false and based on “fake news”. The foreign minister’s remarks came at…

Higher mortgage rates and uncertainty in the broader economy continue to weigh on consumers — and consequently on the nation’s homebuilders.Builder sentiment in June dropped 2 points from May to 32 on the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI). Anything below 50 is considered negative. The index stood at 43 in June 2024.Analysts had been expecting a slight improvement, given recent tariff negotiations and pullbacks by the Trump administration.This index has only seen a lower reading than June’s level twice since 2012 – in December 2022, after mortgage rates shot up from record lows during…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 17, 2025. (Xinhua)ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said that cooperation between China and Kyrgyzstan holds great potential, urging the two countries to scale up trade and investment and expand cooperation in emerging sectors.Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Kyrgyz President Sadyr Japarov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.Since the establishment of diplomatic ties 33 years ago, China-Kyrgyzstan relations have achieved…

ISLAMABAD: After the hue and cry made by common people and businesspersons, the federal government on Monday decided to radically limit the proposed powers for arresting executives and also simplified the income tax on cash-on-delivery of goods at home. The decisions were made after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif intervened over concerns expressed by people about giving powers of arresting businessmen to junior tax officers. However, the National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance, where these decisions were disclosed, opposed the grant of authority to share taxpayer information with banks and to allow taxmen to enter business premises in income tax cases.…

Helsing uses AI to analyze large amounts of sensor and weapons system data from the battlefield.Pavlo Gonchar | Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesEuropean defense technology startup Helsing on Tuesday said that it’s raised 600 million euros ($693.6 million) in a bumper new round of funding.The investment was led by Prima Materia, the venture capital firm founded by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek and by Shakil Khan, an early investor in the popular music streaming app. Ek is also chairman of Helsing.Existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Accel, Plural, General Catalyst and Saab also put money in, alongside new investors BDT &…

The Johnson & Johnson logo displayed on a monitor.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesTwo Democratic lawmakers on Tuesday pressed five of the nation’s largest pharmaceutical companies about their low tax bills and whether they support extending massive tax cuts for the industry in the GOP reconciliation bill.Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Rep. Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill., accuse Pfizer, Merck, Johnson & Johnson, AbbVie and Amgen of paying little to no federal taxes for profit earned in 2024 and years prior, despite generating tens of billions of dollars annually from their drugs.In separate letters to each company on Tuesday, the lawmakers…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Li Tao)ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday called on China and Tajikistan to expand the scale of bilateral trade and investment.Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Tajik President Emomali Rahmon on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.Xi recalled that during his visit to Tajikistan last year, he and Rahmon jointly announced the establishment of a comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in…

LONDON: PML-N President and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif has condemned Israel’s ongoing actions against Iran, deploring them acts of “oppression and excess” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s solidarity with the Iranian people. In a brief interaction with journalists outside the Avenfield residence in London, Nawaz Sharif said Israel was currently committing “oppression and injustice”. “We were with Iran and we will continue to stand with Iran.” The former premier’s statement came amid escalating regional tensions following Israeli strikes inside Iranian territory, drawing widespread condemnation from across the Muslim world. Pakistan, in official statements, has firmly supported Iran’s right to self-defense and…

Nine of the world’s top-10 men and nine of the top-10 women have officially entered into the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles event, tournament organisers said on Tuesday, with former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu teaming up. The competition, which will take place a week before the singles main draw during its “Fan Week”, will award $1 million in prize money to the winning team. Sixteen teams have entered and the entry window closes on July 28, after which the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking will be in the draw via direct acceptance, with…

Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in Astana, Kazakhstan, June 17, 2025. (Xinhua/Yan Yan)ASTANA, June 17 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday said China is willing to work with Turkmenistan to fully unlock the potential for cooperation on the basis of mutual respect and win-win collaboration.Xi made the remarks in a meeting with Turkmen President Serdar Berdimuhamedov on the sidelines of the second China-Central Asia Summit in the Kazakh capital of Astana.Xi urged China and Turkmenistan to scale up natural gas cooperation, expand cooperation in…