Category: 3. Business

Pakistan projects itself in opposition of Israel as it has never recognised it as a sovereign nation, and it does not keep any bilateral relations with the country. But, behind the curtains, the story is all together a different one. 

Pakistan secretly enjoys friendly relations with Netanyahu govt

Pakistan enjoys secret friendly relations with Israel. It has not only maintained its relations, but also spying against its own people with the help of Israel. 

The Pakistani government is using Israeli spyware and it is using it against its people in Balochistan. The government is monitoring the movement of Baloch people with the help of spyware, Amnesty International has revealed in its report. 

‘Israeli spyware is being used in Pak’

Amnesty International says in its report that spyware developed by an Israeli company is being actively used by Pakistan. Amnesty says in its report named, ‘Intellexa Leaks’ in which a story of a lawyer in Balochistan was narrated. According to a report, the lawyer received a mysterious link on his Whatsapp from an anonymous number, and later he contacted Amnesty International. 

The Amnesty security lab checked the link and on the basis of technical behaviour of the infection server identified it as a predator attack. Predator has been developed by Israeli company, Intellexa which is a very aggressive spyware. Amnesty International said in its report that the investigation of the link is based on sensitive documents and other elements. The internal document contained sales and marketing materials and training video. 

Report was published collectively

The investigation took place for months and the report was published collectively by inside story in Greece, Haaretz in Israel  and WAV in Switzerland. Google had started sending notifications to hundreds of its users in Pakistan and several other nations of spyware threat.  

On the other hand, Pakistan has rejected the reports published by Amnesty International. On the condition of anonymity, a senior intelligence officer told Dawn that the attempt was to malign the image of Pakistan, and he stressed that there was no truth in the story. 

The US has long sat at the centre of the global financial system, with the US dollar serving as the backbone of the world economy. Private investors rely on the dollar as a store of value in times of uncertainty.

Governments and central banks hold dollars to manage the value of their own currencies and as a form of insurance against economic shocks. Key commodities such as oil are also priced in dollars.

This dominant position, which has given the US enormous privileges including the capacity to borrow money cheaply and the ability to use the global financial system as a tool of statecraft, is often explained through the size and stability of US markets and the strength of its institutions. But beneath these economic fundamentals lies something more intangible: trust.

Countries and private financial institutions hold dollars, trade in dollars and borrow in dollars because they trust the US to maintain an open, rules-based international order. They also trust the US to honour contracts, protect property rights and manage the world’s financial plumbing responsibly by acting as an international lender of last resort during periods of crisis.

The dollar system has long had its critics. In the aftermath of the global financial crisis, which occurred between 2007 and 2009, emerging economies faced severe spillovers from US monetary policy and growing exposure to dollar-denominated debt. They also witnessed the increasing use of financial sanctions as a tool of US foreign policy.

China, Russia, India and other countries outside the west began constructing alternative financial infrastructures – new payment systems, currency swap lines and efforts to internationalise their own currencies. What began as a gradual search for some form of protection from US financial power quietly created cracks at the margins of the dollar-based system.

However, nothing has been as disorienting to the global role of the dollar as the second Trump administration’s overt attacks on the liberal international economic order. The imposition of sweeping trade tariffs, as well as efforts to undermine international and domestic institutions, represent a fundamental break with the promise of responsible American financial leadership.

Previous predictions of the dollar’s decline have proved premature. But as we argue in a recently published paper, the erosion of trust in the US as the steward of the liberal international order should be taken seriously. What we are seeing is not the immediate collapse of US financial power, but the beginning of a slow transition towards a fragmented, multipolar – and less predictable – global monetary system.

Rupture of trust

Three developments stand out. First, Washington’s commitment to the liberal economic order under the leadership of Donald Trump is being widely questioned. Rather than acting as the guarantor of open markets, Trump has reframed global trade as a transactional system where countries must “buy down” US tariffs. This means other countries must essentially now buy American Treasuries and other securities in exchange for access to the US market.

Second, surging US debt is increasing doubts about US fiscal stability. The Trump administration’s major tax cuts and spending plans are projected to create persistent deficits of around 6% of GDP, and US government debt has ballooned to record levels. This has prompted foreign central banks to reduce their dollar holdings.

Third, the Trump administration is openly attacking and undermining US government agencies and the country’s central bank, the Federal Reserve. Trump has repeatedly threatened to replace the current Fed chair, Jerome Powell, and dismiss other central bank officials since returning to the White House in January.

Central bank independence is considered a hallmark of credible monetary governance and undermining it raises doubts about whether the US remains a reliable anchor for the global financial system. According to Reuters, European officials are now openly questioning whether the Fed will continue to supply dollars to overseas central banks at times of financial strife.

Taken together, these actions are striking at the core foundation of dollar dominance: the assumption that the US will behave predictably, responsibly and with institutional restraint.

Despite the turbulence, no single currency is ready to replace the dollar. China’s renminbi still lacks open capital markets and strong legal protections, while the euro lacks a unified fiscal authority. New digital currency platforms remain experimental or speculative.

Still, the world is moving towards a more fragmented monetary landscape. Countries are diversifying their reserves into gold and other non-dollar assets. At the same time, regional payment systems are proliferating and dollar-denominated lending to emerging economies is declining.

Commodities are also priced increasingly in currencies other than the dollar. And no longer are only countries like China retreating from the dollar system, even US allies in Europe are encouraging banks to reduce their reliance on dollar funding.

The global economy is entering a financial interregnum – a period in which the old order is fading but the new one is not yet born. The dollar’s dominance will not vanish overnight as too many institutions and networks still rely on it. But its uncontested supremacy is coming to an end.

A fragmented financial system will reduce US leverage, while also making the global economy more complex and, possibly, more crisis-prone. The dollar is not dead. But the world is slowly preparing for life beyond dollar hegemony, and the second Trump administration may be the catalyst that turns long-running dissatisfaction into systemic change.

Financial markets are now pricing in a 100% chance the Reserve Bank will hike rates in 2026, in what would be a blow to mortgage holders but may take some steam out of an overheating property market.

The latest forecasts represent a turnaround from just two weeks ago, when traders were factoring in an even chance that the next RBA move would be a cut by its May meeting.

It comes as data showed inflation is now moving in the wrong direction, alongside this week’s national accounts and household spending figures which showed the economy is accelerating into the new year.

Adam Donaldson, the head of interest rates strategy at the Commonwealth Bank, said “the market has come to the conclusion that the Reserve bank won’t be cutting rates any further”.

“Basically, from February onwards, the market is starting to price some risk that rates will go up.”

Data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showed consumer price growth jumped to 3.8% in the year to October – far higher than expected, and well above the top end of the central bank’s 2-3% target range.

The pain of higher mortgage costs would be a particular blow to the more than 85,000 first-home buyers this year who have enjoyed three rate cuts in 2025 but now face the prospect of higher repayments.

Sally Tindall, the director of data insights at Canstar, said there was a dwindling number of banks offering loans at interest rates of below 5%, and that she expected fixed rates to climb higher from here as banks factored in the shifting expectations around the RBA’s cash rate.

While outsmarting the banks was a hard task, Tindall said it was possible that fixing your mortgage at the lowest possible rate could work out for borrowers.

“If it suits your finances, right now, based on current forecasts, wouldn’t be the silliest time to fix – but the key is to shop around.”

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Three rate cuts this year have helped drive a rapid rise in home prices that has pushed affordability to its worst on record.

As first-time buyers rushed to take advantage of the federal government’s expanded 5% deposit scheme, property investors have flooded into the market.

Analysts at Westpac this week said they now expected property prices nationwide to rise by about 8% in 2025, and by as much as 14% in Brisbane and Perth.

But the changed outlook for interest rates means that instead of accelerating to 9% next year, national home values should instead climb by 6% – only cold comfort to those struggling to get on the property ladder.

All eyes now turn to Tuesday, when the RBA will deliver its final rates decision for 2025 and before the January break.

Analysts are confident the central bank’s board will hold the cash rate at 3.6%, but will be looking for any pushback against the financial market’s recent “hawkish” outlook.

While traders have moved swiftly to switch from predicting rate cuts to hikes, most economists believe the RBA is more likely to hold through 2026.

AMP’s chief economist, Shane Oliver, has “decided to give up on our view of another cut”.

But Oliver believes financial markets are overestimating the chance of higher rates.

Unemployment is trending higher, he said, which means the jobs market is still “a little bit soft”.

“There’s uncertainty around the reliability of the new monthly consumer price index, and consumer spending seems very dependent on getting discounts, which suggests a degree of fragility.”

The shifting role of the pharmacist

Pharmacists were once seen as a drug-dispensing function, even within hospital and health system settings. Now, with team members present in nearly every care setting, from hospitals and physician clinics to patients’ homes and virtual environments, it is viewed as an enterprise. This evolution moves pharmacists onto the integrated care team, where they apply their deep knowledge of medication-related functions.

Their unique skill set combines clinical insight, drug administration knowledge, financial acumen, and operational experience, which allows them to not only have impact on care quality and patient outcomes, but on operational efficiency and financial outcomes as well.

Challenging financial dynamics of pharmacy

Integrating pharmacists more deeply into care teams can present financial hurdles, as their value is often demonstrated by preventing adverse events, a metric that is difficult to quantify. However, a systems-focused view reveals their significant impact on both cost savings and revenue growth.

Pharmacy can influence a health system’s total revenue by:

Despite these contributions, reimbursement models often fail to cover the clinical work pharmacists perform. According to Staci A. Hermann, PharmD, MS, FASHP, FACHE, Vice President, Embedded Clinical Decision Support Content at Wolters Kluwer Health, “it does take some creativity to figure out the financial model and show where pharmacies can add value.”

The value pharmacists bring to care outcomes and accessibility

Modern pharmacy teams are frequently focused on helping patients navigate complex care access issues. Some of the ways they contribute to better outcomes and experiences, include:

• Prior authorizations and coverage questions: By navigating coverage gaps and assisting with appeals on patients’ behalf, pharmacists improve patient satisfaction, accelerate access to care, and help solve efficiency issues.
• Assistance programs: Pharmacists help patients discover medication rebate, discount, and assistance programs that, in some cases, are vital to their access to treatment.
• Population health: By tracking at-risk groups of patients or reaching out to those in target groups for preventive care, pharmacists can help improve overall wellness with proactive information and reminders of needed immunizations, testing, and patient education.

Technology to support the modern pharmacist

Workforce shortages and burnout remain significant challenges, with many pharmacists reporting high stress levels and insufficient time for patient-focused tasks. Smart technology is essential for improving operational efficiency and allowing pharmacy staff to focus on higher-value clinical activities.

Evidence-based technology is crucial for streamlining access to drug and clinical intelligence. Unified solutions that provide point-of-care access to trusted, updated information help make professional workflows more efficient:

• UpToDate® Lexidrug™ provides pharmacists with the latest drug knowledge and patient-specific tools to support complex medication decisions directly within their workflow. It helps streamline tasks, enhance outcomes, and provide high-quality patient education.
• Medi-Span® powers meaningful medication alerts, using clinical screening based on the latest evidence to help pharmacists reduce errors, inappropriate dosing, and adverse events. By optimizing notifications, it helps lessen alert fatigue and allows pharmacists to focus on the information that matters most.

By using consistent, evidence-based solutions, care teams can standardize practices, reduce harmful variations, and streamline processes. This alignment is critical as pharmacists continue to expand their role in driving better patient care and access across the healthcare ecosystem.

Learn more in the eBook, “Redefining pharmacy: Contributing to patient care ecosystem-wide.”

MADRID — Internet infrastructure company Cloudflare on Friday said it had restored services following an outage that took place in the morning and brought down several global websites including LinkedIn, Zoom and others, the second such crash to affect the company in less than three weeks.

Cloudflare said the issue had been resolved and was not due to an attack. A change to how its firewall handles requests “caused Cloudflare’s network to be unavailable for several minutes this morning,” the company said.

It said it was “investigating issues with Cloudflare Dashboard and related APIs,” or application programming interface that allow software systems to communicate with each other.

Cybersecurity experts say it generally takes time to pinpoint the exact cause of an outage.

But based on Cloudflare’s initial statements, Friday’s incident came “down to a database change they had made as part of planned maintenance that just went slightly awry,” according to Richard Ford, chief technology officer at Integrity360, a Europe and Africa-based cybersecurity firm.

It “effectively overloaded their systems,” he said.

Edinburgh airport had to shut down briefly on Friday morning. But the airport later said the outage was a localized issue that was not related to Cloudflare.

In November, a three-hour Cloudflare outage affected users of everything from ChatGPT and the online game, “League of Legends,” to the New Jersey Transit system.

Last month Microsoft had to deploy a fix to address an outage of their Azure cloud portal that left users unable to access Office 365, Minecraft and other services. The tech company wrote on its Azure status page that a configuration change to its Azure infrastructure caused the outage.

Amazon also experienced a massive outage of its cloud computing service in October.

“This is one of the things that we are going to see more and more,” said cybersecurity expert Ford. “We are seeing the frequency increase as organizations put more eggs in fewer baskets, and as the complexity and the size and scale (grow) of operations like AWS, Google Cloud, Microsoft Azure, Cloudflare.”

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This version has been updated to reflect that Edinburgh airport says its temporary shutdown was not related to the Cloudflare outage.

BOSTON, Dec. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ginkgo Bioworks (NYSE: DNA) today announced it has been awarded by the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) a four-year, up to $47M contract to co-design, build, and integrate a High‑Throughput Automated Phenotyping Platform (HTP‑APP) in support of the Microbial Molecular Phenotyping Capability (M2PC). The platform, selected through a competitive procurement process, is intended to enable the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research program to generate rich, reproducible microbial and microbiome data that ensure the U.S. remains at the forefront of the bioeconomy, safeguarding economic, societal, and national security benefits while maintaining global leadership in biotechnology innovation.

Drawing on Ginkgo Automation’s dynamic Catalyst scheduling software and modular Reconfigurable Automation Carts (RACs), the HTP‑APP is designed to automate end‑to‑end workflows—from media and cultivation to sample preparation and multimodal analytics—while supporting BSL‑2 operations, remote planning and execution, and laboratory integration. This modular approach is expected to help PNNL adapt the platform as scientific needs evolve, add new methods or instrumentation, and maintain high uptime in a user‑facility environment. Conceptual design elements include a RAC‑based architecture with function‑oriented “pods,” integrated transport, and software‑enabled interleaving of diverse protocols.

“Our team is excited to contract and collaborate with PNNL again to build a new capability we believe will expand access to high‑quality biological phenotyping at scale. By combining modular automation with flexible software and managed support, we aim to help researchers generate the datasets that modern AI methods need,” said Will Serber, General Manager of Ginkgo Automation.

“The recent AI Action Plan from President Trump called for investment in AI-enabled cloud laboratories to accelerate U.S. scientific innovation. This new project is a powerful example of how Ginkgo’s AI-enabled cloud lab technology can help keep the American bioeconomy competitive globally,” added Jason Kelly, CEO of Ginkgo Bioworks.

M2PC is focused on delivering a predictive understanding of complex biological systems relevant to DOE’s mission. The planned platform is intended to (i) increase throughput and reproducibility of phenotyping campaigns across diverse microbes and consortia, (ii) capture multimodal analytical measurements suitable for AI/ML, and (iii) provide a sustainable, expandable foundation for future instrumentation and workflows at PNNL’s EMSL.

More information about RACs and Catalyst automation software can be found here or at automation.ginkgo.bio.

Planned platform highlights

• Modularity and expandability: RAC‑based hardware that can be reconfigured or scaled as needs change; software “digital twin” tools to model throughput and identify bottlenecks.
• End‑to‑end workflow coverage: Media prep, cultivation (including photosynthetic workflows), sample prep, and multimodal analytics (e.g., plate readers, imaging, flow cytometry, and LC/GC‑MS modalities) designed to support high‑quality, multimodal data generation.
• Operations and reliability: Designed for cloud lab-ready remote monitoring and safe recovery, with training and managed support to help maximize uptime in a national user‑facility setting.

About Ginkgo Bioworks

Ginkgo Bioworks builds the tools that make biology easier to engineer for everyone. Ginkgo R&D Solutions delivers customizable R&D packages—such as protein engineering, nucleic acid design, and cell-free systems—giving partners a comprehensive way to accelerate innovation across therapeutics, diagnostics, & manufacturing. Ginkgo Agriculture provides R&D services for innovative companies that are developing agricultural biologicals and novel plant traits, including lead discovery, characterization and validation, product & process co-development, and small-scale toll manufacturing. Ginkgo Automation sells modular, integrated laboratory automation so scientists can spend their days planning and analyzing experiments rather than pipetting in the lab. Ginkgo Datapoints uses Ginkgo’s in-house automation to generate the large lab data sets to power your AI models. Ginkgo Biosecurity is building and deploying the next-generation infrastructure and technologies that global leaders need to predict, detect, and respond to a wide variety of biological threats. For more information, visit ginkgobioworks.com and ginkgobiosecurity.com, read our blog, or follow us on social media channels such as X (@Ginkgo and @Ginkgo_Biosec), Instagram (@GinkgoBioworks), Threads (@GinkgoBioworks), or LinkedIn.

Forward-Looking Statements of Ginkgo Bioworks

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including statements regarding the capabilities and potential success of the partnership and Ginkgo’s cell programming platform. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “can,” “project,” “potential,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “intend,” “strategy,” “future,” “opportunity,” “plan,” “may,” “should,” “will,” “would,” “will be,” “will continue,” “will likely result,” and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements are predictions, projections and other statements about future events that are based on current expectations and assumptions and, as a result, are subject to risks and uncertainties. Many factors could cause actual future events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, including but not limited to: (i) our ability to realize near-term and long-term cost savings associated with our site consolidation plans, including the ability to terminate leases or find sub-lease tenants for unused facilities, (ii) volatility in the price of Ginkgo’s securities due to a variety of factors, including changes in the competitive and highly regulated industries in which Ginkgo operates and plans to operate, variations in performance across competitors, and changes in laws and regulations affecting Ginkgo’s business, (iii) the ability to implement business plans, forecasts, and other expectations, and to identify and realize additional business opportunities, including with respect to our solutions and tools offerings, (iv) the risk of downturns in demand for products using synthetic biology, (v) the uncertainty regarding the demand for passive monitoring programs and biosecurity services, (vi) changes to the biosecurity industry, including due to advancements in technology, emerging competition and evolution in industry demands, standards and regulations, (vii) the outcome of any pending or potential legal proceedings against Ginkgo, (viii) our ability to realize the expected benefits from and the success of our Foundry platform programs and Codebase assets, (ix) our ability to successfully develop engineered cells, bioprocesses, data packages or other deliverables, (x) the product development, production or manufacturing success of our customers, (xi) our exposure to the volatility and liquidity risks inherent in holding equity interests in other operating companies and other non-cash consideration we may receive for our services, (xii) the potential negative impact on our business of our restructuring or the failure to realize the anticipated savings associated therewith and (xiii) the uncertainty regarding government budgetary priorities and funding allocated to government agencies. The foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive. You should carefully consider the foregoing factors and the other risks and uncertainties described in the “Risk Factors” section of Ginkgo’s annual report on Form 10-K filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 25, 2025 and other documents filed by Ginkgo from time to time with the SEC. These filings identify and address other important risks and uncertainties that could cause actual events and results to differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. Readers are cautioned not to put undue reliance on forward-looking statements, and Ginkgo assumes no obligation and does not intend to update or revise these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. Ginkgo does not give any assurance that it will achieve its expectations.

GINKGO BIOWORKS INVESTOR CONTACT:
[email protected]

GINKGO BIOWORKS MEDIA CONTACT:
[email protected]

SOURCE Ginkgo Bioworks

Karachi, December 5, 2025: K-Electric (KE) has partnered with Bank Alfalah to encourage digital bill payments through a limited-time cashback offer, enabling customers to save instantly while experiencing seamless and secure transactions. Under the campaign, customers paying their KE bills via Alfa app by scanning the QR code on their bill will receive PKR 500 cashback, applicable on bill amounts of PKR 5,000 and above.

The initiative is part of KE’s ongoing commitment to strengthen digital adoption across its customer base. Over 2.7 million customers are currently digitally connected, nearly three-fourths of KE’s total customers. Of these, 1.9 million customers actively use digital banking channels for their monthly electricity payments, reflecting a strong shift toward convenient and cashless modes of engagement.

Speaking about the collaboration, Noor Afshan, Head of Marketing & Customer Experience at KE, said: “Digital adoption is no longer an added convenience, it is central to how today’s customers want to manage their lives. At KE, we are continuously working with leading financial partners to make bill payments easier, faster, and more rewarding. This collaboration reinforces our focus on building a frictionless customer experience and strengthening the digital ecosystem for Karachi.”

The steady rise in digital payments reflects how Karachi’s customers, across both urban and peri-urban areas, are increasingly opting for cashless, contactless, and convenient channels. KE continues to introduce digital solutions that make essential services easier to access, supporting a more convenient ecosystem where customers can engage, transact, and resolve queries with greater ease.

About K-Electric:
K-Electric (KE) is a public listed company incorporated in Pakistan in 1913 as KESC. Privatized in 2005, KE is the only vertically integrated power utility in Pakistan supplying electricity to Karachi and its adjoining areas. The majority shares (66.4%) of the Company are owned by KES Power, a consortium of investors including Al-Jomaih Power Limited of Saudi Arabia, National Industries Group (Holding) of Kuwait, and KE Holdings (Formerly: Infrastructure and Growth Capital Fund or IGCF). The Government of Pakistan is also a shareholder (24.36%) in the Company while the remaining are listed as free float shares.

www.ke.com.pk