Author: i2wtc

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Sunday framed the IMF’s recent ‘Governance Diagnostic and Corruption Report’ as an opportunity to fast-track institutional reforms, insisting the assessment should be viewed as a catalyst rather than criticism of government policy. Addressing a press conference, he said the government itself had requested and facilitated the study as part of its commitment to transparency, noting that the IMF had acknowledged progress in taxation, governance, public financial management and procurement. While many priority reforms were already under way, he added, the remaining recommendations would be advanced to address structural weaknesses that had persisted for decades.…

This year’s market winners should continue to outperform through December, according to Oppenheimer. Stocks had a rocky start to the month, with the S & P 500 , Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average all lower on Monday. Momentum names like Super Micro Computer and Broadcom both fell nearly 3% in midday trading. However, December has been the best performing month of the year for the momentum factor since 1928, Ari Wald, head of technical analysis at Oppenheimer, said in a note last week. The momentum factor tracks the performance of market leaders versus laggards over a prior 12-month…

By MOHAMMAD ZAFAR BALOCH | PUBLISHED December 01, 2025 Recently, a newly released Balochi song titled “Mallo Bia” has received much applause from listeners of Balochi music. The song captures the essence of timeless love and devotion, blending poetic imagery with soulful melodies that celebrate beauty and passion. It is sung by an artist who, despite possessing the soul of a full-time musician, currently serves in the Civil Services of Pakistan as an Executive Officer in the Military Lands and Cantonments Group (MLCG) at Pano Akil Cantonment. Meet Naeem Dilpul, the mesmerising voice behind “Mallo Bia”. Born and raised in…

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, attends the annual Allen and Co. Sun Valley Media and Technology Conference at the Sun Valley Resort in Sun Valley, Idaho, on July 8, 2025.David A. Grogan | CNBCOpenAI on Monday announced it is taking an ownership stake in Thrive Holdings, a company that was launched by one of its major investors, Thrive Capital, in April. The startup said it will embed engineering, research and product teams within Thrive Holdings’ companies to help accelerate their AI adoption and boost cost efficiency. Thrive Holdings buys, owns and runs companies that it believes could benefit from technologies…

Foreign Office. Photo: File ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Sunday rejected what it termed a “baseless” statement by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressing concerns over the 27th Constitutional Amendment. A day earlier, Turk had cautioned that Pakistan’s hurried constitutional amendments “seriously undermine judicial independence, and raise grave concerns about accountability and respect for the rule of law”. A press release issued by the FO on Sunday said Pakistan rejected the “baseless” statement. “Pakistan notes with deep concern the ungrounded and misplaced apprehensions aired on behalf of the UN high commissioner for human rights regarding the…

Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesThis is CNBC’s Morning Squawk newsletter. Subscribe here to receive future editions in your inbox.Here are five key things investors need to know to start the trading day:1. No-tech NovemberLast week’s recovery rally allowed the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 to both finish their seventh straight winning month. But technology stocks weren’t able to regain as much ground, as investors weighed concerns about overspending on artificial intelligence.Here’s a recap:The tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite dropped around 1.5% in November, snapping its seven-month win streak.Palantir was a notable tech loser last month. The defense stock dropping around…

Alina Habba, speaks after being sworn in as US Attorney General for New Jersey, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, on March 28, 2025.Saul Loeb | Afp | Getty ImagesAlina Habba, President Donald Trump’s pick to serve as New Jersey’s top federal prosecutor, remains disqualified from serving in that role in either a permanent or acting capacity, a U.S. appeals court ruled Monday.The ruling from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is the latest judicial rebuke to the Trump administration’s efforts to quickly install its preferred candidates in powerful law-enforcement jobs.A three-judge…

David Solomon, chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs.Bloomberg | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesGoldmans Sachs on Monday said it agreed to buy Innovator Capital Management, a provider of defined-outcome ETFs, for about $2 billion in its latest deal to bolster the firm’s asset management division.Goldman said the acquisition, expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, will boost its ETF offerings in a fast-growing corner of the investing world.Defined-outcome ETFs use contracts including options to buffer downside risks or offer targeted gains over set time periods. Innovator had $28 billion of assets under supervision across 159 ETFs as of Sept.…

PUNJAB/ PAKISTAN: Punjab Police has announced a mandatory mental and physical health screening programme for all ranks amid rising concerns over stress-related conditions within the force. According to an official circular issued by the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Establishment Punjab-I titled “Psychological Profiling for All Cadres,” police officers and frontline personnel are increasingly exposed to high-pressure environments, including long duty hours and frequent encounters with criminal elements. The letter states that additional administrative, social, economic and political factors place further strain on officers, leaving them vulnerable to a range of mental and physical health problems. It warns that continuous exposure…

Mustafa Hatipoglu | Anadolu | Getty ImagesArtificial intelligence startup Runway on Monday announced Gen 4.5, a new video model that outperforms similar models from Google and OpenAI in an independent benchmark.Gen 4.5 allows users to generate high-definition videos based on written prompts that describe the motion and action they want. Runway said the model is good at understanding physics, human motion, camera movements and cause and effect.The model holds the No. 1 spot on the Video Arena leaderboard, which is maintained by the independent AI benchmarking and analysis company Artificial Analysis. To determine the text-to-video model rankings, people compare two different…