Author: i2wtc
PARIS: Tadej Pogacar claimed his fourth Tour de France title on Sunday, cementing his status as the most dominant rider of his generation and joining Britain’s Chris Froome on the all-time winners’ list. The 26-year-old Slovenian, who previously triumphed in 2020, 2021 and 2024, delivered a near-flawless performance over three weeks, excelling in every department, even coming close to prevailing on a spectacular final stage on the Champs Elysees after an epic duel with Belgian Wout van Aert. Pogacar attacked relentlessly in the ascents of the Butte Montmartre but eventually suffered a brutal counterpunch from Van Aert, who went solo…
Alibaba announced plans to release a pair of smart glasses powered by its AI models. The Quark AI Glasses are Alibaba’s first foray into the smart glasses product category.AlibabaAlibaba on Monday unveiled a pair of smart glasses powered by its artificial intelligence models, marking the Chinese firm’s first foray into the product category.The e-commerce giant said the Quark AI Glasses will be launched in China by the end of 2025 with hardware powered by the firm’s Qwen large language model and its advanced AI assistant called Quark.The Hangzhou, headquartered company is one of the leaders in China’s AI space, aggressively…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining strong relations with both China and the United States, stressing that its partnership with Washington should not be seen through the lens of its close ties with Beijing. Addressing the Pakistani community at the Consulate General in New York, Dar highlighted the country’s diplomatic resurgence on the global stage, saying Pakistan had emerged from a period of diplomatic isolation and was now witnessing signs of economic revival. He called upon the United Nations and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) to move beyond rhetoric and…
SINGAPORE: World record holder Summer McIntosh stormed to the women’s 400 metres freestyle world title on Sunday, making a flying start to her bid for five individual crowns at the Singapore meet as American great Katie Ledecky finished with the bronze. The highly anticipated battle between McIntosh and Ledecky failed to materialize as the Canadian led from start to finish and claimed the win in three minutes and 56.26 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Chinese silver medallist Li Bingjie. Ledecky was 2.23 seconds behind McIntosh, who had only a small break before returning to qualify fastest for the 200…
Key PointsThe U.S. and European Union on Sunday announced a trade agreement, including 15% tariffs on EU goods imported to the U.S.It comes just days ahead of the Aug. 1 deadline which would have seen EU goods be hit with a 30% tariff rate.However there are concerns that the deal is “unbalanced” and leaves the EU on the backfoot.After an initial sigh of relief at the U.S. and European Union avoiding further escalation by striking a trade agreement, concerns have grown that the framework deal is “unbalanced” and leaves Europe on the backfoot. The two trading partners on Sunday announced…
Listen to article CHAKWAL: A passenger bus on Sunday overturned on M-2 Motorway in Chakwal, resulting in the deaths of nine passengers and injuries to 31 others. The bus was carrying more than 40 passengers. The tragic incident took place near the Balkasar Interchange at the Dhoke Sial area. According to eyewitnesses, the passenger bus — registration number JA-6871 — traveling from Islamabad to Lahore met with an accident after one of its tysres burst due to speeding. The accident was so severe that eight passengers died on the spot and 31 others sustained serious injuries. One of the injured later succumbed…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) has confirmed three new polio cases, raising the country’s tally for 2025 to 17. According to the laboratory, the new cases were detected in Takhtikhel (Lakki Marwat district) and Mir Ali (North Waziristan district) of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), as well as Chajro in Umerkot district of Sindh. The affected children include a 15 month old girl from Lakki Marwat, a six month old girl from North Waziristan, and a five year old boy from Umerkot. So far this year, 10 cases have been reported in…
TURNBERRY: US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen Sunday announced they had reached a deal to end a transatlantic tariffs standoff and avert a full-blown trade war. The agreement came as the clock ticked down on an August 1 deadline for the European Union to strike a deal with Washington — or face an across-the-board US levy of 30 percent. “We have reached a deal. It’s a good deal for everybody,” Trump told reporters following a high-stakes meeting with von der Leyen at his golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. Trump told reporters the deal involved a baseline…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The federal government banned the overland travel for pilgrims heading to Iraq for the Arbaeen, citing security concerns in the restive Balochistan province, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi confirmed on Sunday. Naqvi said that the decision had been taken after consultations with the Foreign Ministry, the Balochistan government, and the security agencies, adding that the pilgrims would be allowed to travel to Iraq only by air. Arbaeen, marking the 40th day of mourning after Ashura, sees millions of pilgrims, including thousands from Pakistan, travel to Karbala, Iraq, annually. Traditionally, many Pakistani pilgrims journey by road through Balochistan and Iran.…
A visitor takes photos of a product at the booth of XtalPi during the 2025 World AI Conference in east China’s Shanghai, July 27, 2025. The ongoing 2025 World AI Conference showcases the world’s latest AI advancements while providing a platform for visitors to access AI products and technologies. (Xinhua/Chen Haoming)China Mobile’s self-developed robot dogs and humanoid robot dance at the company’s booth during the 2025 World AI Conference in east China’s Shanghai, July 27, 2025. The ongoing 2025 World AI Conference showcases the world’s latest AI advancements while providing a platform for visitors to access AI products and technologies.…