Author: i2wtc

* China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) has entered a one-month countdown to launching island-wide special customs operations.* Hainan FTP’s strategic position and policy flexibility have made it significant to the country’s long-term plan to advance its opening-up at the institutional level.* The anticipated policy certainty, especially in terms of tariffs, market access and tax incentives, enhances the FTP’s growing appeal as both an investment destination and a springboard into China’s broader market.HAIKOU, Nov. 18 (Xinhua) — China’s Hainan Free Trade Port (FTP) has entered a one-month countdown to launching island-wide special customs operations, a major milestone in the opening-up…

Different sectors owe government gas infrastructure development cess worth over Rs450b ISLAMABAD: The gas infrastructure development cess (GIDC) dispute is once again being debated in government circles as the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has urged fertiliser companies to pay the levy. The government has to receive over Rs450 billion from different sectors on account of GIDC, imposed to build mega pipeline projects. The Supreme Court had directed all sectors to pay the cess in instalments during the tenure of the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government. Fertiliser manufacturers had collected billions of rupees in GIDC from farmers but did not deposit…

Stocks on display at the Nasdaq on Sept. 10, 2025. Danielle DeVries | CNBCThis is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. Bets are offThe stock market dropped yesterday, with technology stocks once again leading the charge lower. Wall Street appears to be taking risk off the table ahead of earnings reports from well-known companies and economic data coming later this week.Here’s the full rundown:The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 each recorded their third straight day of losses. Monday’s declines also…

Pakistan’s search for a first international victory since 2023 goes on after Nolberto Solano’s men were handed a 5-0 thrashing by Syria in their penultimate qualifier for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad on Tuesday. Having drawn their last two matches against Afghanistan, Pakistan were looking to trump the odds against the side that had already secured top spot in Group ‘E’ and a spot at the continental showpiece in Saudi Arabia. In they end, they were comfortably beaten by a Syrian team, missing several regulars, as Mohammad Al-Hallaq scored a brace; his goals coming…

Epstein abuse survivor Lisa Phillips speaks during a news conference with lawmakers on the Epstein Files Transparency Act outside the U.S. Capitol on November 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Heather Diehl | Getty ImagesThe House on Tuesday is expected to vote to order the Department of Justice to release all of its files on notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, two days after President Donald Trump abruptly dropped his opposition to the bipartisan bill.The measure is set to come up during the chamber’s first vote series of the day around 2 p.m. ET, NBC News reported.”Almost everybody” will vote to pass…

People linger in the restaurant of the Netflix House experience center. Andrej Sokolow | Picture Alliance | Getty ImagesNetflix was the early leader in streaming. It’s been later to another crucial piece of the media playbook — merchandising and live events.The streamer has only recently begun adopting tried-and-true marketing methods that have been in play for the likes of the Walt Disney Company, Universal and Warner Bros. Discovery for decades: Namely, consumer product partnerships, special release events and venue destinations that drive fan engagement.In January, the company struck its first master licensing deal with Jazwares, the maker of Squishmallows, to…

Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesTax software provider Intuit has agreed to pay OpenAI more than $100 million a year to use the artificial intelligence startup’s large language models to bolster its financial products.Intuit shares climbed 2% premarket following the news.By using OpenAI’s technology inside GenOS, its internal AI system, Intuit is aiming to upgrade its products with advanced AI agents. The models will work across Intuit’s TurboTax, QuickBooks, Credit Karma and Mailchimp services.The companies are also partnering to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot with Intuit’s offerings.TurboTax users can link their Intuit accounts to ChatGPT, and take tax or financial…

He expressed these views during general house meeting organised by LHCBA against 27th Constitutional Amendment ISLAMABAD: PTI leader Salman Akram Raja on Monday asserted that “the time to stand up has come,” warning that there was “no place left in this country for decency, the Constitution, or the law”. He expressed these views during a general house meeting organised by the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) against the 27th Constitutional Amendment and to pay tribute to the judges who resigned in protest. The meeting, presided over by LHCBA President Malik Asif Ahmad Nissoana, was attended by Salman Akram Raja,…

Omar Marques | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesInternet infrastructure company Cloudflare was hit by an outage on Tuesday, knocking several major websites offline for global users.OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Elon Musk’s social media platform X appear to have been affected by the Cloudflare issues, according to Downdetector, which itself could not be accessed for some users. OpenAI’s status page also indicated its ChatGPT and Sora short-form video app were having issues due to “an issue with one of our third-party service providers.” A Cloudflare spokesperson said the company observed a “spike in unusual traffic” to one of its services around 6:20 a.m.…

Pakistan’s star batter Babar Azam was fined for a minor ICC Code of Conduct breach during the third One-Day International (ODI) against Sri Lanka on Sunday, according to the International Cricket Council. A brilliant bowling show from Pakistan and a laboured chase later saw the hosts beat Sri Lanka by six wickets to complete a 3-0 series sweep over the visitors in the third and final ODI at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Babar was fined 10 per cent of his match fee for a Level 1 ICC Code of Conduct breach, which carry a minimum penalty of an…