Author: i2wtc

Energy experts warn spiralling capacity payments, underutilised plants remain core crisis The Asian Development Bank has approved a $330 million financing package for Pakistan to expand and modernise its high-voltage transmission infrastructure, a move expected to significantly improve the flow of clean and low-cost energy across the national grid. While the project marks an important step toward strengthening Pakistan’s power sector, energy experts caution that chronic structural distortions — especially ballooning capacity payments and underutilised generation assets — continue to pose urgent and unresolved challenges. Announced in Manila on Wednesday, the Second Power Transmission Strengthening Project is one of the…

CrowdStrike is setting the standard for modern cybersecurity and enjoying a well-deserved, incredible year for its stock. It’s a leader in a competitive industry, with rivals, such as fellow Club name Palo Alto Networks , all vying for companies’ ever-expanding cyber budgets. Despite strong earnings Wednesday evening, Palo Alto shares dropped sharply in Thursday’s big market reversal. Nvidia ‘s post-earnings rally fizzled and took Wall Street down with it. Even CrowdStrike, which had been up strongly earlier in the session, turned lower. For the year as a whole, however, CrowdStrike has been a market standout as the company expands artificial…

Sale signs inside the Bath and Body Works store in Edmonton. On Thursday, January 6, 2022, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.Artur Widak | Nurphoto | Getty ImagesBath & Body Works Inc. stock plunged Thursday after the company reported “disappointing” third-quarter earnings and slashed its full-year outlook, citing “macro consumer pressures.”Shares sank nearly 25% on Thursday and hit a new 52-week low. The stock has plunged more than 50% this year.CEO Daniel Heaf announced a turnaround plan for the company, with expectations of $250 million in cost savings by 2027, aimed at attracting younger consumers and recentering the company’s focus to its…

Over 15,000 cases reported from Jan–Jun 2025, including 51 kidnappings and 24 incidents of domestic violence At least 85 women face violence daily in Punjab, including an average of nine who are sexually assaulted, according to a biannual report released by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO). The findings, based on data collected through the Right to Information (RTI) from Punjab Police, highlight disturbing trends of gender-based violence, with more than 15,000 cases reported between January and June 2025. The Violence Against Women Punjab 2025 factsheet documents major categories of offences including sexual assault, kidnapping, domestic violence, honour killing, trafficking,…

Every weekday, the CNBC Investing Club with Jim Cramer releases the Homestretch — an actionable afternoon update, just in time for the last hour of trading on Wall Street. Markets : There was an ugly reversal in the market Thursday. Stocks soared for most of the morning in reaction to Nvidia ‘s strong quarter, bullish outlook on AI spending, and pushback that customers weren’t generating a sufficient return on their investment. Nvidia shares climbed as high as $196 on Thursday — a roughly 5% gain — and its gravitational pull helped lift other technology and AI-adjacent industrial stocks. The market’s…

The Hyundai Crater concept SUV was revealed at the LA Auto Show on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025.Michael Wayland / CNBCLOS ANGELES — Hyundai Motor has ambitions to increase the rugged, off-road capabilities of its vehicles in the U.S., based on a new “Crater” concept SUV revealed Thursday.The rugged compact vehicle mixes Hyundai design characteristics with off-road capabilities reminiscent of American SUVs such as the Jeep Wrangler, Ford Bronco and GMC Hummer.”Crater began with a question: ‘What does freedom look like?’ This vehicle stands as our answer,” SangYup Lee, head of Hyundai global design, said in a release. “It is a…

U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks on artificial intelligence at the “Winning the AI Race” Summit in Washington D.C., U.S., July 23, 2025. Kent Nishimura | ReutersAn executive order that could soon be signed by President Donald Trump would thwart states’ artificial intelligence laws by launching legal challenges and withholding federal funding, according to a draft of the order obtained by CNBC on Wednesday.The draft surfaced shortly after Trump publicly called for a single federal standard on AI “instead of a patchwork of 50 State Regulatory Regimes.”The draft order would give Attorney General Pam Bondi 30 days to establish an…

IMF reports says Pakistan’s anti-money laundering enforcement compromised by political pressure, weak oversightAn employee counts Pakistani rupee notes at a bank in Peshawar on August 22, 2023. Photo: Reuters The International Monetary Fund has said that Pakistan faces significant risks of corruption-related money laundering, while accountability remains weak, as high-profile or politically sensitive cases often face external interference that limits the independence of investigations. “Pakistan faces significant risks of corruption-related money laundering. High-risk sectors include banking, real estate, construction, politically exposed persons, and public procurements,” states the Governance and Corruption Diagnostic Report released by the Ministry of Finance on November…

Sign at the entrance to a Walmart in Venice, Florida(L), and a T.J. Maxx store in Pinole, California.Getty ImagesAs more major retailers post earnings, one theme is clear — value players are winning both the wealthy and the cash-strapped.Walmart and T.J. Maxx’s parent company TJX stood apart from the pack this week by hiking their full-year forecasts and expressing optimism about the start of the holiday season. Both said sales have grown as they win shoppers across the income spectrum, on the same week other major U.S. retailers Home Depot, Lowe’s and Target cut their profit outlooks and said they…

Waymo driverless vehicles charge at a Waymo charging station in Santa Monica, California, U.S., May 30, 2025. Daniel Cole | ReutersAlphabet’s Waymo on Thursday announced that it will soon begin manually driving its robotaxi vehicles in Minneapolis, Tampa and New Orleans. The Google sister company will start operating test drives in that trio of towns with human drivers in hopes of launching its driverless robotaxi service there as soon as next year, the company said. If Waymo does begin operating in those markets next year, that would bring the robotaxi company’s list of 2026 planned expansions to 15 cities. On…