News

The spectre of AI-driven irrelevance

REMEMBER when making a video required bulky equipment, a field force of camerapersons, an army of editors, sound designers, and countless other support staff? Probably not. For most of us, it meant taking out our phone to record, downloading to make the edits and then uploading to some platform. The monopoly of content had been broken, as evidenced by the fact that some of the biggest creators of

Contenders for the next finance minister

DEMOCRACY in Pakistan has yet to yield significant improvements in living standards and provide a stable environment for businesses to thrive. Despite this, the recent elections saw 60.5 million Pakistanis using ballots, more than ever before in the nation’s history. It indicates people’s profound trust in democracy and a belief, perhaps perceived irrational by many observers, that an elected g

Surging food exports hit local consumers

The export of raw food products consecutively surging for the sixth month in the current fiscal year forcing local consumers to pay higher prices. The food export value more than doubled to $787.36 million in January, up 105.29 per cent from $383.54m in the same month last year, according to data compiled by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics. The new fiscal year began with negative growth of

Industry slams caretakers for gas tariff hike, warns of economic fallout

Industrial bodies are up in arms over the government’s recent decision to increase gas tariffs, warning that this move could lead to the shutdown of numerous industrial units, a rise in unemployment, and a halt in exports unless the decision is reversed. In a concerted appeal, they have called on the government to retract the tariff increase for the sake of the national economy and to prevent t

The dilemma of digital disconnect

A FAMILY was driving home from a wedding when they witnessed two masked men on a bike with guns snatch a laptop case from a person on a motorbike and zoom away. The incident took seconds. Sitting in the car, the wife promptly took off her gold jewellery and stowed it away at the back of the dashboard. Nobody batted an eye. In Karachi, everybody has several stories of muggings. Pakistan is not a