Author: i2wtc
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunications was told on Thursday that Pakistan is facing external pressure not to enact laws securing citizens’ data. During a meeting of the committee, chaired by Senator Palwasha Khan at the Parliament House, IT ministry officials said work on the draft Data Protection Bill is ongoing, with consultations underway with stakeholders. Senator Afnanullah of the PML-N revealed that the government is being pressured from abroad not to legislate on data protection. “If no law is made, the country will continue to suffer massive losses. Data theft is already a billion-rupee black…
PARIS: Marcus Rashford proved the perfect replacement for Lamine Yamal, scoring twice on his return to England as Barcelona kicked off their Champions League bid with a 2-1 victory away to Newcastle United on Thursday, while Kevin De Bruyne watched mostly from the sidelines as Napoli lost 2-0 at his former club Manchester City. With Yamal missing through injury, Rashford — a loan signing from Manchester United — got a start and scored both Barca goals at St James’ Park. The second took the breath away, a piledriver from 25 metres that flew in off the crossbar. “It’s an amazing…
LAHORE: Punjab’s monsoon season has ended and river flows have returned to normal, Director General Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Irfan Ali Kathia said on Friday, while outlining the province’s flood damage and relief operations. At a press conference, Kathia confirmed all rivers are now at normal levels. The Chenab shows no peak from Marala to Panjnad and water has receded from Jassar to Sadhnai, though the Sutlej continues to carry a slightly higher flow. He reported that 22 kilometres of the Multan-Sukkur Motorway (M-5) remain closed due to flooding, with 10-12 kilometres still underwater, but repair work is underway.…
MILAN: Russians will compete as neutral independent athletes without a national flag or anthem at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Games, the International Olympic Committee said on Friday, maintaining the same sanctions as the Paris Summer Games last year. The IOC suspended the Russian Olympic Committee in October 2023 for recognising regional Olympic councils for Russian-occupied regions of Ukraine, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, saying the move had violated the Olympic Charter. “We also spoke about the Independent Neutral Athletes (AINs). This will be nothing new,” IOC President Kirsty Coventry told a press conference. “The…
RAWALPINDI: The hearing of the May 9 GHQ attack case took a dramatic turn on Friday as a key prosecution witness went abroad, defence lawyers boycotted proceedings, and the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) pressed on by recording statements from two other witnesses. The proceedings began with revelations that Sub-Inspector Tasadduq, considered a key government witness, had gone out of the country with his family after giving only a partial statement. Investigators were forced to summon another witness at short notice to keep the trial moving. The controversy deepened when PTI founder Imran Khan, who had been ordered to appear via video…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has clarified that its landmark strategic mutual defence agreement (SMDA) with Saudi Arabia is “purely defensive in nature” and not directed against any third country. The pact would not only strengthen bilateral defence cooperation but also contribute to regional peace, security and stability, Foreign Office spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan said at a weekly news briefing on Friday. He said Pakistan and Saudi Arabia “enjoy a long and distinguished history of brotherhood and cooperation”, with bilateral relations described as “unique, enduring, and multifaceted”. The leadership of both countries, he added, shares a vision to elevate the relationship to new…
BEIJING — After helping shape the early years of Chinese e-commerce, followed by years of management missteps , Alibaba is betting big on artificial intelligence as it takes on a new era. This month, Alibaba led a roughly $100 million investment round in humanoid startup X Square Robot , and put $60 million into the startup behind AI video generation app PixVerse. The tech giant also announced a strategic AI partnership with smartphone company Honor. Since Nov. 2022 — just as OpenAI launched ChatGPT for consumers — Alibaba has joined deals worth more than $3.3 billion, ranging from AI model…
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly Standing Committee on Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Friday called for stronger institutional arrangements and improved facilitation for official religious delegations and pilgrims, while recommending a series of reforms in the Zaireen policy. The 7th meeting of the committee, chaired by MNA Shagufta Jumani at the Parliament House, began with a briefing from Additional Secretary Dr Sajid Mahmood Chauhan on follow-up actions taken on previous recommendations. Discussing preparations for the annual visit of the high-level official delegation to Roza-e-Rasool (Peace Be Upon Him), members voiced dissatisfaction over current arrangements. The committee stressed that the delegation…
ISLAMABAD: The government has allowed the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) to constitute its own project sanctioning body to approve development schemes of up to Rs1 billion. This ends the law ministry’s role in approving projects of the apex court. For the first time, the Supreme Court can conceive its own development projects and get them approved without referring to the government, if the cost is below Rs1 billion. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has given the go-ahead, allowing the Supreme Court to constitute its own Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP), Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal confirmed to The…
Pakistan and India will clash again in the Asia Cup on Sunday, renewing one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries a week after their last match was overshadowed by a handshake row. India won the September 14 group match by seven wickets in Dubai and afterwards refused to shake hands with their opponents in a controversial move. It was the first meeting between the neighbours since a four-day cross-border conflict in May left more than 70 people dead. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lodged a protest with the International Cricket Council (ICC), alleging that match referee Andy Pycroft had told skipper Salman…