Category: Featured
AI helps drive record $11.8 billion in Black Friday online spending
AI-powered shopping tools helped drive a surge in US online spending on Black Friday, as shoppers bypassed crowded stores and turned to chatbots to compare prices and secure discounts amid concerns about tariff-driven price hikes. US shoppers spent a record $11.8 billion online, up 9.1% from 2024 on the year’s biggest shopping day, according to Adobe Analytics, which tracks 1 trillion visits that shoppers make to online retail websites. The AI-driven traffic to US retail sites soared 805% compared to last year, Adobe said, when artificial intelligence tools such as…
Read MoreSindh Craft Festival 2025 spotlights women artisans and heritage
KARACHI: The Sindh Craft Festival 2025 opened at Port Grand on Friday, transforming the waterfront into a showcase of the province’s cultural identity. With more than 100 stalls displaying Ajrak, Ralli embroidery, beadwork, pottery and other traditional crafts, the three-day event places women artisans at its centre, celebrating the skills that have shaped Sindh’s artistic legacy. Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the festival and was welcomed by Sindh Minister for Culture Syed Zulfiqar Ali Shah, Culture Secretary Khair Muhammad Kalwar and senior officials. “Sindh’s culture and arts…
Read MoreBoxer Muhammad Waseem successfully defends his WBA gold world title
KARACHI: Pakistan’s Muhammad Waseem won his World Boxing Association Gold World Bantamweight title against Thai boxer Jakrawut Majungoen in 12-round bout at Garrison Sports Complex Lahore on Saturday night. Waseem brought the IBC Fight for Glory event to Lahore, and this was his title defence bout. Earlier, he won the WBA Gold World title in Quetta in May, fulfilling his life-long dream of winning a world belt in front of his home crowd. The Fight for Glory event took place with the support of Punjab Government and Pakistan Punjab Chief…
Read MoreAfghan cleanup aborted after Qatar stepped in, reveals Dar
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar revealed on Saturday that Islamabad held back from striking terrorist sanctuaries inside Afghanistan during a planned cleanup operation after a direct intervention by Qatar’s leadership. Dar said Islamabad was on the verge of launching a kinetic action that “would have surely taught them a lesson”, but ultimately chose to pull back in favour of diplomacy at the request of the friendly Gulf nation. Speaking at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, he said Afghanistan’s rulers had misread Islamabad’s restraint as incapacity, warning that Pakistan possessed “ample kinetic…
Read MoreWhen the Enemy Praises You: India’s Calculated Admiration for Imran Khan
(Rafa’el) Foreign Correspondent – Europe Daily Capital Mail India’s political and media landscape has long been defined by a consistent hostility toward Pakistan. From diplomatic forums to newsrooms, New Delhi has historically seized every opportunity to distort Pakistan’s image and erode its credibility. Yet one figure has repeatedly received a strangely soft, almost protective tone from India’s most aggressive broadcasters: Imran Khan. This unlikely admiration poses an uncomfortable question for Pakistan: Why would a country that openly seeks to weaken you, cheer for one of your leaders? In geopolitics, praise…
Read MoreGovt raises over Rs1tr in treasury auctions
KARACHI: The government raised more than Rs1.03 trillion on Wednesday through auctions of treasury bills, Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIB) and the Government Ijara Sukuk (GIS). The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) conducted the three auctions, which attracted strong investor participation across conventional and Islamic instruments. In the T-bill auction, the SBP targeted Rs650 billion but received an overwhelming response as bids totalled Rs1.803 trillion. It accepted Rs749 billion across all four tenors. The one-month paper attracted the highest bids of Rs648 billion against the target of Rs100 billion, though only…
Read MorePakistan Business Forum urges immediate revision of NFC award for economic transformation
LAHORE: The Pakistan Business Forum (PBF) has urged the federal government and all provincial stakeholders to initiate an immediate and comprehensive revision of the National Finance Commission (NFC) award, stating that an updated fiscal framework is now critical to Pakistan’s governance, economic revival and agricultural transformation. PBF provincial leaders Malik Talat Suhail, M Ashfaq Paracha, Daroo Khan Achakzai, Tariq Jadoon and Malik Khuda Baksh emphasised that the existing distribution formula, shaped nearly 15 years ago, no longer reflects the country’s current economic realities, demographic pressures, climate vulnerabilities and national development…
Read MoreGenomics venture launched to ensure food security
ISLAMABAD: In a historic step towards advancing Pakistan’s scientific and technological capabilities, Federal Minister for National Food Security & Research Rana Tanveer Hussain has announced the launch of the country’s first-ever public-private genomics joint venture. This initiative aims to strengthen national research institutions, promote agricultural innovation and improve healthcare through indigenous genomic research and diagnostics. The venture is between the National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology (NIGAB), PARC-Agro Tech Company and Blazon Diagnostics. Speaking at the event, Rana Tanveer Hussain emphasised that the joint venture marked a key milestone…
Read MoreGovernor calls for ending lack of trust
LAHORE: Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider has remarked that the Governor House serves as a facilitation centre for the business community and will continue to provide all possible support to businesses. He said that the lack of trust between the government and the business community must end, because policies could not be effective unless traders were consulted in the policymaking process. He expressed these views while addressing a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI). The governor said that the government should formally consult the business community…
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