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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Bahrain’s army generals have inaugurated the King Hamad Institute of Nursing and Associated Medical Sciences (KHINAMS) in Islamabad to uplift medical education and produce competent health care professionals, the Pakistani military said on Wednesday.

The opening of KHINAMS, a joint initiative reflecting deepening Pakistan-Bahrain ties, is expected to not only raise the bar for nursing and allied sciences in Pakistan but also underscore the commitment to expanding cooperation beyond defense and into education and health care.

The ceremony was attended by Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza as the chief guest, and Bahrain National Guard Commander General Shaikh Mohammed Bin Isa Bin Salman Al Khalifa, among others.

“CJCSC, while thanking His Majesty and His Royal Highness, underscored the strong bilateral relation between Pakistan and Bahrain,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement.

More than 120,000 Pakistanis live in Bahrain and contribute to the Gulf state’s economy, serving as a bridge in bilateral relations.

Both countries established diplomatic ties in 1971 and have since maintained close political, trade and defense links through regular high-level visits and security collaboration.

Pakistan and Bahrain have stepped up cooperation this year, with Al Khalifa calling on Pakistan’s army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir in March to discuss bilateral cooperation.

This was followed by Pakistani firms signing $13 billion worth of contracts at the inaugural Pakistan and Bahrain investment summit in May.

Both countries also vowed in July to boost security cooperation and curb the illegal use of drugs and human smuggling.

Later in September, the Bahrain Air Force also expressed its interest in learning from the multi-domain operational expertise of the Pakistan Air Force.

The Pakistan Navy has also agreed with Bahrain to boost naval training and joint operations between the two countries.

KARACHI: Google announced the launch of its paid Artificial Intelligence (AI) Plus plan in Pakistan and 40 other countries, according to a statement distributed on Wednesday, allowing access to AI tools, more storage and higher user limits.

The move follows the launch of Google's "AI mode" in Pakistan last month that offered users access to its most advanced AI-powered search experience, enabling people to answer longer and more complex questions.

Google AI Plus, first launched in Indonesia, is available in Pakistan for Rs1,400 ($5) per month, with first-time subscribers eligible for a 50 percent discount in the first six months for a limited period of time.

The plan includes higher limits for image generation and editing models, greater access to Google’s video generation tools Whisk and Flow, integration of Gemini in Gmail, Docs and Sheets, increased limits in NotebookLM, along with 200GB of storage across Photos, Drive and Gmail.

"Today, we’re bringing Google AI Plus to 40 more countries," Google One Director of Engineering Rohan Shah said in a statement.

"It’s our newest plan designed to help more people do more with Google AI for less."

He highlighted that the plan was launched after receiving a positive response from 40 different countries.

Google Pakistan's Country Director Farhan Qureshi said the country's digital landscape was growing with the launch of Google AI Plus.

"We've been inspired by the creativity Pakistanis have shown in adopting AI tools," he said in a statement.

"This is a core part of our commitment to fuel Pakistan's digital transformation, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to enhance their productivity, creativity, and learning with AI."

Google aims to expand access to its generative AI ecosystem in Pakistan, viewing the country as a growing market for advanced digital tools and reinforcing its strategy to make AI more affordable and widely available.