Pakistan and the International Monetary Fund have reached a staff-level agreement on the fourth review of the country’s 37-month Extended Fund Facility and the third review of its Resilience and Sustainability Facility, a development that could unlock roughly $1.2 billion in financing if the IMF Executive Board gives its approval. The agreement follows talks between…
Pakistan’s proposed five-year Auto and Auto Parts Manufacturing Policy 2026-31 is moving closer to federal cabinet approval, with the government preparing a broad package of reforms covering vehicle affordability, local manufacturing, imports, electric vehicles, exports, safety standards and consumer protection. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan told a Senate committee that…
National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq met Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad as political dialogue efforts continued amid a tense national environment. The meeting was officially described as a courtesy call in which Sadiq congratulated Fazlur Rehman on performing Umrah, but the speaker also told reporters that political contacts, consultations and back-channel…
NASA has released more than 800 gigabytes of lunar science data collected during the Artemis II mission, making imagery, audio, crew observations and supporting reports available to researchers and the public. The data comes from the crewed Artemis II journey around the Moon in April 2026 and includes material that had not previously been released….
Microsoft has unveiled a broader push to make artificial intelligence run directly on Windows PCs, introducing new hardware, local AI capabilities and security controls aimed at moving more AI work from the cloud onto personal computers. At a San Francisco event on October 7, the company presented what it calls a “hybrid intelligence” approach, where…
Zong recorded Pakistan’s fastest national 4G download and upload speeds in the second quarter of 2026, according to the latest mobile network experience benchmarking cited by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority. Jazz ranked second in both speed categories, while Ufone led the national mobile gaming experience measure. The results give consumers a fresh picture of how…
Nvidia-backed AI cloud company Lambda is reportedly seeking to raise up to $4 billion in what could be its final private funding round before a planned initial public offering in 2027. The fundraising would value the company at about $14.5 billion before the new capital is added, according to reporting based on people familiar with…
Lionel Messi brought the curtain down on his Argentina international career with a decisive performance in a 3-0 friendly win over Benin at Buenos Aires’ Monumental stadium on October 6, 2026. Reuters reported that the 39-year-old scored once and created two more goals as more than 85,000 supporters packed the stadium for a night built…
Asian markets moved lower on October 7 as investors weighed another rise in oil prices, elevated U.S. Treasury yields and growing concerns that inflation and borrowing costs could stay higher for longer. Reuters reported that MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan slipped about 0.3%, even after major U.S. stock indexes had reached fresh…
Pakistan’s shift toward digital payments accelerated sharply in fiscal year 2025-26, with digital channels accounting for 92% of all retail payment transactions processed through formal banking channels. According to the State Bank of Pakistan’s Annual Payment Systems Review, the country recorded 14.3 billion retail transactions worth about Rs673 trillion during FY26, while 13.2 billion of…
