Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Wednesday made a pitch for a new regional body to replace the long-dormant South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). Speaking at the opening session of the 5th Islamabad Conclave hosted by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), Dar warned that South Asia could no longer afford to remain trapped in “zero-sum mindsets, political fragmentation and dysfunctional regional architecture”. He said Pakistan sought “open and inclusive regionalism” and signalled support for emerging multilateral platforms outside SAARC. Dar said earlier this year Pakistan, Bangladesh and China established a trilateral mechanism…

Justin Tallis | Afp | Getty ImagesBitcoin’s more than 30% drop from its record high underscores the volatility that has come to characterize the cryptocurrency.Moves from previous cycles not only show how the current price swings are all part of bitcoin’s normal operating pattern but also how they may often precede a rally, according to figures compiled by CoinDesk Data for CNBC.Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, dropped to a low of around $80,000 late last month before staging a rally and falling again this week. When bitcoin dropped to under $81,000, that represented an approximately 36% fall from its all-time…

Chinese President Xi Jinping addresses the closing ceremony of the seventh meeting of China-France Business Council in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2025. Xi and French President Emmanuel Macron attended and addressed the closing ceremony in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron attended and addressed the closing ceremony of the seventh meeting of China-France Business Council on Thursday in Beijing.Xi noted that the two sides should respond to uncertainties in today’s world with the stability of China-France relations.Xi called on both sides to continuously expand new areas…

Human Settlement Dept warns of legal action against corrupt officials, land grabbersTown planner says capital lags behind in framing policy; offers alternative solution to katchi abadis. PHOTO: FILE KARACHI: Following the recovery of a huge cache of narcotics from the residence of an Excise and Taxation Department official just days ago, a new scandal has surfaced, implicating personnel from another government department in the illegal occupation of land in the metropolis. In a public notice issued by the regional director of the Sindh Human Settlement Department (formerly known as Katchi Abadis), it transpired that police officers and Anti-Encroachment Force personnel…

When Nvidia this week said it would take a $2 billion stake in chip design company Synopsys, it was just the latest in a string of massive investments announced by the chipmaker this year. Nvidia has also said it would take a $1 billion stake in Nokia, invest $5 billion in Intel and $10 billion in Anthropic — $18 billion in investment commitments from those four deals, not counting smaller venture capital investments.That doesn’t even include the biggest commitment of all: $100 billion to buy OpenAI shares over a number of years, although there is still no definitive agreement, Nvidia…

India are all in a spin after losing a scarcely believable 20 coin tosses in a row in one-day internationals — at odds of more than a million-to-one. Stand-in captain KL Rahul admitted he was flummoxed at the run of bad luck that goes all the way back to the 2023 World Cup final in Ahmedabad, when Rohit Sharma was in charge. “I’ve been practising, but clearly it’s not working,” said Rahul after losing the flip again in the second one-day international against South Africa in Raipur on Wednesday. The odds against losing 20 consecutive coin tosses are 1,048,576 to…

GM Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson during the automaker’s “GM Forward” event on Oct. 22, 2025 in New York City.GMDETROIT — General Motors’ newest product and technology executive has said he thinks of the Detroit automaker as a canvas. One that can be curated, retouched or even torn apart. After roughly six months as executive vice president and chief product officer, Sterling Anderson appears to be putting all three ideas to work as he oversees the company’s vast product portfolio — from the vehicles themselves to the software powering them.Anderson, who left the self-driving car company Aurora Innovation that he…

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan pose for photos with French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron ahead of talks between the two leaders in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 4, 2025. Xi held talks with Macron, who is on a state visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on Thursday. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)BEIJING, Dec. 4 (Xinhua) — China and France should seize opportunities and expand the scope of cooperation, Chinese President Xi Jinping said while holding talks with visiting French President Emmanuel Macron in Beijing on Thursday.As both visionary and…

During the first eleven months of 2025, Pakistan witnessed an over 25% surge in overall violence in its security landscape, recording at least 3187 violence-linked fatalities (compared to the entire tally of 2024, i.e., 2546), and 1,981 injuries — among civilians, security personnel, and outlaws, according to the Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS). The casualties resulted from as many as 1188 incidents of violence, including terrorist attacks and counterterrorism operations. The violence was overwhelmingly concentrated in the country’s northwestern Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Balochistan, where both these regions, together, accounted for over 96% of all fatalities and 92% of…

Big centuries by Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra put New Zealand firmly in control of the first Test against the West Indies with a lead of 481 at stumps on day three in Christchurch on Thursday. The pair put on 279 for the third wicket before Latham was out for 145. Ravindra followed soon after for 176. At stumps, Will Young was 21, Michael Bracewell was on six and New Zealand were 417-4 to go with their 64-run first innings lead. “If you asked what a perfect day looked like it would probably look something like that,” Ravindra said after…