Day: October 28, 2025
Meta introduces Urdu-language AI
Meta has rolled out an Urdu version of its artificial intelligence platform, Meta AI, for users in Pakistan, aimed at promoting digital inclusivity. The launch took place during the event “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation,” organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), according to a press release issued by the company. “These initiatives aim to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country,” read the release, adding: “Pakistani users will now be able to interact with Meta AI not only in English but…
Read MorePakistan’s inflation expected to remain in 5-6% range in October: report
ISLAMABAD: The Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation in Pakistan is expected to remain in the range of 5-6% in October, the Finance Division said in its monthly economic report on Monday. The report said that flood-related supply disruptions and temporary border closures put “upward pressure” on prices of a few essential commodities. The projection follows September’s 5.6% inflation, compared with 6.9% in the same month of last year. During the first three months (July-September) of the fiscal year 2025-26, CPI inflation was recorded at 4.2%, against 9.2% during the same…
Read MoreSBP keeps policy rate unchanged at 11%
The State Bank of Pakistan’s Monetary Policy Committee on Monday kept the policy rate unchanged at 11%, opting to leave borrowing costs steady. The decision marks the fourth consecutive meeting with no change, extending the pause in monetary easing as policymakers weigh potential inflation pressures against signs of a fragile economic recovery. The policy committee had reduced the interest rate by 1 percentage point to 11% in its meeting on May 5 this year. Outlook improves as flood impact eases, risks persist The MPC noted that headline inflation rose to…
Read MoreTrump tells Japan US is ‘strongest level’ ally
TOKYO: Donald Trump told Japan’s new leader Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday that Washington is an ally of the strongest level, as the US president visited Tokyo on an Asia trip, taking aim at a trade deal with China. Takaichi greeted Trump at the prime minister’s residence in Tokyo, her first face-to-face meeting with the US leader just days after she took office. “We are an ally at the strongest level, and it’s a great honour to be with you, especially so early in what will be, I think, one of…
Read MoreTrump rules out running for vice president in 2028
US President Donald Trump rejected reports of running for vice president in the next US elections after his supporters floated the idea of allowing the Republican president to serve an additional term in office. “I’d be allowed to do that,” Trump said, in an exchange with reporters aboard Air Force One. But he added: “I wouldn’t do that. I think it’s too cute. Yeah, I would rule that out because it’s too cute. I think the people wouldn’t like that. It’s too cute. It’s not — it wouldn’t be right.”…
Read MoreRubio, Jaishankar meet amid US-India tariff tensions
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday as the two sides sought to advance trade talks and cool tensions over Washington’s punitive tariffs. Few details were released, but the meeting marked the highest-level contact since the United States sanctioned Russian oil companies last week, a key source of India’s crude supplies. Jaishankar posted a photo on social media of the pair shaking hands, saying he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties as well as regional and global issues.” The meeting took…
Read MoreThird day of Pakistan-Afghan Taliban talks in Istanbul ends without breakthrough
The third day of Pakistan-Afghan Taliban talks in Istanbul ended Monday with no progress, as well-placed sources said the Kabul administration refused to meet Islamabad’s key counterterrorism conditions. The sources said the session was marred by disagreements, with Pakistan insisting on its proposals while the Afghan Taliban delegation remained constrained by instructions from Kabul. Mediators also recognised Pakistan’s demands as reasonable and legitimate, the sources said, adding that the Afghan negotiators themselves, interestingly, believed it was right to accept Islamabad’s counterterrorism demands. Security sources said the Afghan Taliban delegation has…
Read MoreKP CM, Peshawar corps commander review security, counterterror measures
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi met Peshawar Corps Commander Lieutenant General Omer Ahmad Bukhari on Friday to review the province’s security situation, sources confirmed on Monday. The high-profile meeting took place at the CM’s secretariat, the sources confirmed today. Counterterrorism steps, development projects in tribal districts and other matters were discussed in the meeting, the sources added. All stakeholders should be kept informed in efforts to ensure peace in the province, sources quoted the chief minister as saying. The PTI-backed chief minister also emphasised the need for a…
Read MoreGovt weighs revisiting 18th Amendment: Rana Tanveer
Federal Minister for Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Monday said that the government was weighing a review of the 18th Amendment to address evolving governance challenges. Speaking to journalists in Sheikhupura, Hussain said the 18th Amendment had created certain governance challenges that now require a thorough review. “Amending the 18th Amendment has become the need of the hour,” he said, adding that the government was actively evaluating how to adapt it to “modern administrative realities.” The amendment, passed during the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)-led government in 2010,…
Read More