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By   GILLIAN WONG An exhibitor displays a 3D face-capture system at the 17th China Beijing International High-Tech Expo (CHITEC) in May.   Zuma Press On several fronts, 2014 was a particularly eventful year for China’s technology sector. While a handful of domestic players grabbed headlines with blockbuster share offerings, major acquisitions or soaring valuations, some multinational firms encountered major obstacles in their efforts to expand in the vast but increasingly challenging market. Chief among 2014’s Chinese tech highlights was e-commerce giant Alibaba’s  record initial public offering  in New York that raised $25 billion and catapulted it onto the international stage. Also raising eyebrows was Lenovo, the No. 1 personal computer maker, with its sizable acquisitions: first a  server business from IBM  for $2.3 billion, then  Motorola Mobility from Google for $2.91 billion . It was also a year that saw Xiaomi, a four-year-old sm...

 September 27, 2014     There are certain pillars in the Prophet’s masjid   ﷺ  in Madinah which have a special significance. Alhamdulillah, the locations of these pillars have been preserved till today. Signs were placed to indicate the names of these pillars known as ‘Ustuwaanah’ in Arabic. Many people who visit the Prophet’s masjid are oblivious to these pillars or are unaware of the history behind them so in this article, I will illustrate the location of each pillar and tell you the story behind them which took place during the time of the Prophet ﷺ. If you are fortunate enough to visit the Prophet’s ﷺ masjid, try to visit these locations. Mulla Ali Qaari writes: “Those pillars of the Masjid, which are of special virtue and blessed should be visited by the visitor of Madinah. There he should keep himself busy with optional prayers and supplication.” 1. Ustuwaanah Hannaanah This pillar is located behind the mihrab of the Proph...