Author: i2wtc
KANANASKIS, ALBERTA – JUNE 16: U.S. President Donald Trump walks out to talk to reporters at the G7 Leaders’ Summit on June 16, 2025 in Kananaskis, Alberta. Chip Somodevilla | Getty Images News | Getty ImagesTop U.K., France and Germany diplomats are pushing for eleventh-hour diplomacy with Iran in Geneva on Friday, as Washington weighs the possibility of joining Israel’s military campaign against Tehran over the next two weeks.Iran and Israel have been trading fire for the past week, in the latest climax of tensions that have been simmering since the Tehran-backed Hamas’ terrorist attack against the Jewish state in…
Customers enter an Olive Garden restaurant in Pittsburg, California, US, on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022.David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesDarden Restaurants on Friday beat Wall Street’s earnings and revenue estimates, while the Olive Garden parent predicted solid growth for fiscal year 2026.Shares of Darden rose more than 2% in premarket trading Friday.Here’s what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by LSEG:Earnings per share: $2.98 adjusted vs. $2.97 expectedRevenue: $3.27 billion vs. $3.26 billion expectedDarden reported fiscal fourth-quarter net income of $303.8 million, or $2.58 per share, compared with…
* Participants at Qingdao Multinationals Summit have expressed strong confidence in the Chinese market, praising China’s continued efforts to promote high-level opening-up.* Despite a complex and volatile international environment, China’s expanding market scale and increasingly optimized business environment have still attracted many multinational companies to invest.* The development of China’s AI industry and low-altitude economy has provided a broad stage for multinational companies to explore new business models. Investing in China is investing in the future.JINAN, June 20 (Xinhua) — The sixth Qingdao Multinationals Summit was held in the coastal city of Qingdao, east China’s Shandong Province, from Wednesday to…
Listen to article LAHORE: Local auto industry has termed the government’s target of having at least 30% electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030 both ambitious and daunting for a financially constrained country like Pakistan. The industry also mentions that when India could not do it in 10 years despite significant financial interventions, how can Pakistan realise this in the next five years? Jamil Asghar, who has been associated with the motorcycle industry for around 35 years, said that India introduced FAME I (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles) scheme in 2015 with an initial outlay of INR895 crore (INR8.95 billion), followed it…
In 2019, the Indiana legislature passed a bill that would offer eligible data centers significant sales tax exemptions. The legislation said facilities packed with state-of-the-art servers could avoid the state’s 7% tax when purchasing equipment and power. The measure was a boon for large tech companies that have been rapidly building out data centers and was heavily backed by a trade association representing the industry. Similar tax incentives have been passed elsewhere. Today nearly all states that have sales taxes offer data centers exemptions on computers, wires, air-conditioning units and, in some cases, even the energy required to keep it all running.Demand…
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon, who is on an official visit to China, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, capital of China, June 20, 2025. (Xinhua/Shen Hong)BEIJING, June 20 (Xinhua) — Chinese President Xi Jinping met with New Zealand’s Prime Minister Christopher Luxon in Beijing on Friday, calling on both sides to place greater emphasis on cooperation.For more than 50 years, since the establishment of diplomatic ties, China-New Zealand relations have long been at the forefront of China’s relations with Western developed countries, Xi said.As the China-New Zealand comprehensive strategic…
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Finance was informed on Thursday that the federal government has decided to abolish tax exemptions for Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and Special Technology Zones (STZs) in line with the IMF conditions. During a meeting chaired by Senator Saleem Mandviwalla on Thursday, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial briefed the committee that under the IMF agreement, all tax exemptions must be phased out by 2035. He stated that going forward, no SEZ or STZ will receive any form of tax relief. “Our hands are tied,” Langrial remarked, adding that tax concessions and…
Members of the California National Guard stand guard outside the Federal Building before a curfew takes effect in Los Angeles on June 10, 2025, following days of protests in response to federal immigration operations that saw clashes spread across downtown. Benjamin Hanson | Afp | Getty ImagesAn appeals court on Thursday allowed President Donald Trump to keep control of National Guard troops he deployed to Los Angeles following protests over immigration raids.The decision halts a ruling from a lower court judge who found Trump acted illegally when he activated the soldiers over opposition from California Gov. Gavin Newsom.The deployment was…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: In a paradoxical move, the government on Thursday decided to import 750,000 metric tonnes of sugar after having already exported nearly the same quantity during the current fiscal year — a move that has driven domestic prices sharply higher, benefitting sugar millers. The move has raised questions over the rationale behind the government’s earlier approval of sugar exports, which critics warned would hurt domestic supply and inflate prices. The new plan includes submitting a policy for the import of 250,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar to the cabinet for approval, while 500,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar have…
CHITRAL: Shandur Polo Festival will start from Friday (today) in the highest polo ground of the world and it will continue for three days with matches between the teams of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) being the major event. The tourists will also enjoy cultural and musical evenings while fireworks and enthralling musical concerts will be arranged at night time. Arranged by the district administrations of Lower and Upper Chitral districts with the financial assistance of KP Culture and Tourism Authority, the event has been included in the calendar of events of the province. Tourists have started arriving here to proceed…