Floor Prices Increase Across Punjab Due to Wheat Shortage

According to media reports, the flour prices in Punjab have been hiked by the flour mill owners due to the increase in the prices of wheat.
Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Chairman, Punjab Flour Mills Association, whilst announcing the hike, said that the price of a 20-kilogram flour bag has been increased by Rs. 40 and will now cost Rs. 840.
He said that the hike was due to the increase in wheat prices and that, “These prices will be applicable across the Punjab province.” He claimed that they weren’t allowed to buy wheat nor was it being provided to them by the government quota. He said, “We are facing shortage of wheat stocks.”
It is important to point out that on 27th March, Khusro Bakhtiar, the former Federal Minister for National Food Security had claimed that there was no shortage of flour and the government had more than enough wheat to meet the demand.
He had said that a mapping process had been carried out by the government under which food commodities would be sent across the countr..

Continue Reading

Meizu 17 & 17 Pro Affordable Flagships Launched With Tiny Punch-Hole & 90Hz Display

Following the flagship trend, Meizu, a Chinese consumer electronics company, has launched its 2020 flagship series with a vanilla and pro model dubbed the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro.
The Smartphones come with top-notch specifications at a reasonable price, taking on the expensive flagships on the market. However, smartphones are only available in China for now. Their global availability has not been confirmed as of now.
Design and Display Staying true to the minimalistic design approach, Meizu has slimmed down the bezels on both smartphones. They come with a simple punch-hole design upfront and feature advanced CoF packaging technology to increase the screen to body ratio. The switch to using a punch-hole seems a rather disappointing one as Meizu’s own implimentation (in previous flagships) of the front camera was far more practical.
At the back, Meizu 17 and 17 Pro feature a quad-sensor camera setup horizontally arranged. The standard Meizu 17 comes in three colors, i.e., Black, Dar..

Continue Reading

Google’s Bolo App Helps Children Learn Urdu and Other Languages

Google has shared early access to its Read Along Android applications to help the housebound masses. The application is designed for children 5+ years of age. Read along helps them learn to read with an intuitive audio-visual experience.
This Android application uses Google’s text-to-speech, and speech recognition technology to provide real-time feedback as the children read stories out loud. Real Along was initially launched in India, and after an overwhelming response, the application has been launched in 180 countries globally, including Pakistan, where it is dubbed ‘Bolo.’ Apart from helping children improve their English learning skills, Bolo will also help Pakistani children improve their Urdu reading with locally inspired stories.
Bolo (Read Along) features an in-app reading buddy named Diya. As kids read out loud, Diya uses Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology to detect if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage.
To help encourage chi..

Continue Reading

Detailed Judgement Clarifies Umar Akmal Has No Chance of Playing Cricket Earlier

The detailed judgment of Umar Akmal’s ban has been submitted by Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Panel, Justice (R) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to the judgment, Umar Akmal will be eligible to resume cricketing activities from 19th February 2023.
The troubled cricketer has been charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated events.
ALSO READ
A Timeline of Umar Akmal’s Career of Offenses
Here’s what the verdict reads:
“It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse, seek apology, and make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.
As far as Charge No.1 is concerned, I do not see any circumstances to mitigate the nature of the offence, particularly, when the participant has not coo..

Continue Reading

Balochistan’s Coronavirus Tally Can Cross 300,000 by July

Coronavirus cases are increasing by the day in Pakistan and the numbers may reach an alarming level in Balochistan if the restrictions are not followed.
Balochistan’s Director General of Health Department, Dr. Saleem Abro, has warned that COVID-19 tally in the province may cross 300,000 in July. In a news conference, he said that the numbers can reach 9.5 million by December if the masses don’t cooperate with the government.
Another alarming fact is that the number of locally transmitted cases in the province is increasing and the situation can get out of control if safety precautions are not followed. The Health Department had performed random testing in the province to find out that local transmission was on the rise.
ALSO READ
Government Issues Guidelines for When Lockdown is Lifted
Currently, around 700-800 tests are being performed in the province on a daily basis, a number which is significantly low.
He urged the public to take the novel coronavirus seriously, adding that s..

Continue Reading

PTCL Ramazan Ration Drive for Coronavirus affected Families across Pakistan

Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), embarks upon a massive Ramazan ration drive to provide relief for families affected during the Coronavirus pandemic. The ration drive initiative will be covering 25 cities across Pakistan in the coming days.
The ration packs for an entire month comprising of essential food items, were distributed amongst a few beneficiary families at a special ceremony organized at District Commissioner (DC) Office, Kohat.
The ceremony was attended by senior management from PTCL, along with high-ranking officers of the KP Government. Majority of the ration distribution was conducted by the District Administration at the Mohammadzai Union Council of Kohat. This ceremony marks the 1st phase of the ration drive that will continue throughout the month of Ramazan.
On the occasion, Zia ullah Bangash, Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said, “We are grateful and much obliged at the support given by PTCL and its staff who have generously con..

Continue Reading