Author: MM Report

By MM Report SAINT PETERSBURG: Autonomous AI agents were no longer simply tools; they were becoming independent participants in the economy, managing assets, executing transactions and building value chains. The global market for agent-based AI was already projected to exceed USD 9 billion in 2026 and was forecast to grow to USD 139 billion by 2034. This was not merely the evolution of automation; it represented a structural shift and a fundamental change in the very logic of value creation, the role of intermediaries and the principles of market governance. Agent-based economics offered speed, personalisation and resilience, yet simultaneously raised…

MM Report SAINT PETERSBURG: The digital transformation is reshaping not only economies and production processes but the very structure of the labour market. Automation, artificial intelligence and the rise of digital platforms are steadily dissolving conventional boundaries between “male” and “female” professions. Competencies, adaptability and the ability to work in an environment of constant innovation have become the key drivers of competitiveness. Experts note that modern technology does not discriminate by gender: it demands professionalism, flexible thinking, strong communication skills and the capacity to make decisions under uncertainty. These issues took centre stage at the international discussion “Technologies Without Borders:…

Metro Morning Report SAINT PETERSBURG: The representativeness of BRICS delegations arriving in Russia from the Global South and even so-called unfriendly countries, together with the ambitious economic agenda of the St Petersburg International Economic Forum 2026 and the strong attention it received from Western media, once again demonstrated Russia’s course toward economic sovereignty and independence, daily Metro Morning reported. Despite attempts by Ukraine, the European Union and the United Kingdom to downplay the significance of the forum held from June 3 to 6, 2026, St Petersburg was transformed into a global economic and cultural centre. For the first time since…

MM Report BAKU: Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif concluded a visit to Baku, where she held a series of meetings focused on economic cooperation, investment opportunities and subnational collaboration between Punjab and Azerbaijan. Officials said the visit formed part of Punjab’s broader push to attract foreign investment and promote its development agenda on international platforms. During engagements in the Azerbaijani capital, the chief minister presented what her office described as Punjab’s evolving economic strategy, with an emphasis on infrastructure development, industrial growth, and public-private partnerships. Discussions also centred on expanding bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and Azerbaijan beyond traditional…

MM Report SAINT PETERSBURG: In 2026, the SPIEF cultural festival St Petersburg Seasons is set to bring together dozens of events, ranging from concerts and theatre premieres to exhibitions, guided tours and city festivals. The program will run from 30 May to 6 June, covering major cultural venues across St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The festival will open on 30 May with the Leningrad Retro Rally at the Brusnitsyn cultural quarter. Visitors will be offered an exhibition of classic cars, a fashion show featuring St Petersburg designers, a musical program, and the ceremonial departure of vintage car crews set…

At the Kazan Forum, the PMSA Talha Burki outlined an ambitious vision for port diplomacy that stretched beyond routine trade signalling into strategic connectivity ambitions MM Report KAZAN, RUSSIA: Pakistan moved a step further in its bid to recast regional trade geography this week, signaling an ambition to fold its southern deep-sea gateway, Gwadar Port, into a wider Eurasian logistics architecture that already stretches from Russia to China and the Gulf. At the Kazan Forum, the prime minister’s special assistant, Talha Burki, set out a vision that went beyond routine port diplomacy. He indicated that Islamabad wanted Gwadar to be…

MM Report SAINT PETERSBURG: The extended business program for the 2026 St Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) has been published, setting out an agenda that organizers said reflected a rapidly changing global economic order and the growing shift towards multipolarity in international relations. According to the outline released by organizers, the forum had been designed around what they described as the formation of a new model of global development, shaped by the ongoing transformation of the world economy. The structure of SPIEF 2026, they added, had been intended to capture the realities of an increasingly fragmented and volatile international environment,…

Amid quiet diplomatic recalibration, two meetings in Qatar and another Asian capital over three months signal a growing consensus on the need for a discreet back-channel MM Special Report ISLAMABAD: A year after Marka-e-Haq, there has been no official diplomatic contact between Pakistan and India, but former army generals and retired diplomats from both countries have reportedly met at least twice in the past three months, including one meeting in Qatar and another in a different Asian capital. While these encounters are not formally described as “back-channel communications,” they mark the first such engagements since the May 2025 conflict, amid…

Chinese engineer’s remarks revealed rare insight into China’s involvement in a live conflict between two nuclear-armed Asian rivals MM Report BEIJING: China had, for the first time, acknowledged that it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during last year’s military confrontation with India, according to comments carried in state-linked media and reported regional accounts. The disclosure, attributed to remarks by a Chinese aerospace engineer, marked a rare public reference to the nature of Beijing’s involvement in a live conflict involving two of Asia’s nuclear-armed rivals. The claim emerged after China’s state broadcaster CCTV aired an interview on Thursday with Zhang…

MM Report LONDON: A televised exchange involving the British journalist Rosanna Lockwood drew attention after she appeared to criticize India’s diplomatic posture in stark terms, contrasting it with recent remarks made by India’s external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar about Pakistan. During the discussion, Lockwood was joined by Sushant Singh, a retired Indian general, and Richard Dearlove. The conversation, which had focused on regional security dynamics and the shifting contours of international alliances, took a pointed turn when Lockwood raised questions about what she described as inconsistencies in India’s responses to geopolitical developments. In a remark that appeared deliberately provocative, she…