Chinese tech company Alibaba on Wednesday released a new version of its Qwen 2.5 artificial intelligence (AI) model that it claimed surpassed the highly acclaimed DeepSeek-V3. The unusual timing of the Qwen 2.5-Max’s release, on the first day of the Lunar New Year when most Chinese people are off work and with their families, points to the pressure Chinese AI startup DeepSeek’s meteoric rise in
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to facilitating foreign investors by ensuring a conducive business environment, streamlined processes and robust institutional support. A press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said the premier underscored Pakistan’s unique appeal as a global investment destination during a meeting in Islamabad
Pakistan witnessed 87 per cent foreign investment withdrawal from treasury bills (T-bills) due to a sharp reduction in profit rates in almost seven months. The returns on T-bills halved during the first seven months of the current fiscal year. These large outflows occurred despite a stable exchange rate for over a year. Financial market experts said many other factors could contribute to the
GSMA has criticised Pakistan’s spectrum policy, warning that increasing the cost of spectrum is unsustainable and poses a significant threat to the future development of mobile services. GSMA, a global organisation representing mobile operators and entities across the mobile ecosystem and adjacent industries, has issued a paper emphasising that mobile network infrastructure is vital for Pakista
The European Union has warned Pakistan not to take its GSP+ status for granted. Olof Skoog, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights who is currently on a week-long visit to Pakistan, has also urged the government not to use military courts to pursue cases against citizens, and opposed recent moves to restrict freedom of expression. Talking to Dawn, he said he had conveyed these messa