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ADB warns Pakistan’s AI reforms outpacing state capacity

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KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has identified that Pakistan’s push to modernise public services through artificial intelligence is confronting deep structural barriers, as fragmented data systems, weak inter-agency coordination, low digital literacy and limited institutional capacity continue to constrain access to government services and tax administration, raising concerns that technology-driven reforms may outpace the state’s ability to implement them effectively. These challenges were identified by Farzana Noshab, Lead Economics Officer at the Public Sector Management and Governance Sector Office of the ADB Sectors Group, and Yuji Miyaki, Public Management…

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Nestlé’s $60m sparks cautious optimism

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LAHORE: When Nestle announced a $60 million investment in Pakistan at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, it was not just another corporate commitment. The Swiss food giant’s decision to make Pakistan a regional manufacturing hub for exports signals a quiet transformation underway in the country’s industrial landscape, driven by global environmental standards that could reshape Pakistan’s export potential. The announcement, made by Remy Ejel, Nestle’s Executive Vice President for Asia, Oceania and Africa, during a business roundtable chaired by Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, comes as part…

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Airport moved to privatisation list

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ISLAMABAD: The government has shelved a plan to outsource the management and operations of Islamabad International Airport to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after Abu Dhabi lost interest in the process. The deadlock between the two countries emerged following repeated delays by the UAE in nominating an entity for the outsourcing of Islamabad International Airport. The government has now approved a proposal to include Islamabad International Airport in the active privatisation list following the recent successful privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). Sources told The Express Tribune that despite initial…

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Intel forecasts weak quarter as AI server chip demand outstrips supply

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Intel (INTC.O) said on Thursday it struggled to satisfy demand for its server chips used in AI data centres, and forecast quarterly revenue and profit below market ​estimates, sending shares down 13% in after-hours trading. The forecast underscores the difficulties faced by Intel in predicting global chip markets, where the company’s current products are the result of decisions ‌made years ago. The company, whose shares have risen 40% in the past month, recently launched a long-awaited laptop chip designed to reclaim its lead in personal computers just as a memory chip crunch…

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Fazl, PTI slam govt move to join Trump’s Board of Peace sans parliamentary input

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ISLAMABAD: The opposition slammed the government’s decision on Thursday to participate in United States President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” without parliamentary approval and called for the withdrawal of any formal involvement until a complete consultative process was undertaken. Pakistan accepted Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace, a new international mechanism aimed at supporting the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan, a day ago. The Foreign Office did not provide details about the composition of the Board of Peace or its operational modalities, but officials indicated that the forum was expected…

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Lawyers Imaan, Hadi sent on 14-day judicial remand by Islamabad ATC after arrest: Shireen

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Human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari and her husband, Advocate Hadi Ali Chattha, were sent on a 14-day judicial remand by an anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad on Friday after their earlier arrest. The Islamabad Police had arrested the couple near the underpass outside Serena Hotel while they were on their way to the district session court. Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari said in a post on X that the two were “covertly presented” in the ATC but lawyers were not allowed in and no one was allowed to see…

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Joint session passes Daanish Schools, domestic violence bills despite objections

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ISLAMABAD: The joint sitting of Parliament on Thursday passed multiple bills despite presidential objections, opposition protests and sloganeering in the House, in proceedings chaired by National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq. During the sitting, President Asif Ali Zardari’s objections were raised on the Daanish Schools Authority Bill and the Domestic Violence Prevention and Protection Bill, with lawmakers from the opposition insisting that the advice should not be brushed aside. On the Daanish Schools bill, the President objected that, “The federal government should consult the provinces before establishing the Daanish Schools Authority”.…

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Ahsan Iqbal defends Pakistan’s decision to join Trump’s Board of Peace

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ISLAMABAD: Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Friday responded to remarks made by JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, defending Pakistan’s decision to join the Board of Peace and emphasising that the country’s participation strengthens efforts to support peace in Gaza and the broader Muslim world. Pakistan accepted Trump’s invitation to join his Board of Peace, a new international mechanism aimed at supporting the implementation of the Gaza Peace Plan, a day ago. The Foreign Office did not provide details about the composition of the Board of Peace or its operational modalities, but…

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FIA cybercrime officers accused of abducting families, extorting millions

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GUJRANWALA: A major corruption scandal has surfaced in the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Gujranwala, as the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Composite Circle has registered a case against three of its own officers, along with their accomplices, on charges of corruption, bribery, extortion and abuse of authority. Three government officials, among others, have been taken into custody. The NCCIA, established to strengthen enforcement of cyber laws, has come under scrutiny after allegations emerged that its officers, in collusion with private individuals, struck deals worth millions of rupees with suspects…

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Speech by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Petr Macinka at the meeting with heads of Diplomatic Missions and offices of international organizations accredited to the Czech Republic

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Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Czernin Palace. Welcome to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. And thank you for accepting my invitation to this meeting. Let me begin by wishing you all the very best for the new year. May you enjoy good health and much happiness in your personal lives, and may our cooperation be mutually beneficial. Allow me, as the foreign minister of the new government, to use this rare opportunity to briefly present the main accents and priorities of our foreign…

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