Category: Information Technology

Argentina is considering purchasing JF-17 Thunder aircraft from Pakistan to consolidate its defensive capabilities after having been refused the same by South Korea.

The South Korean aerospace company KAI reportedly had an agreement with the Argentine Air Force to supply it FA-50 fighter aircraft but rescinded as it capitulated to the diplomatic pressure of the United Kingdom (UK) which is Argentina’s geopolitical rival.

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Ties between the UK and Argentina have been strained since the 1980s after the latter invaded British Overseas Territories (BOTS), namely the Falkland Islands and its territorial dependency South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in 1982. The move resulted in the 10-week long undeclared Falklands War that ended with a British victory.

The Air Chief of the Argentine Air Force, Brigadier Xavier Isaac, has said that KAI had annulled the defense deal on the pretext that Argentina is financially unstable and cannot afford to purchase FA-50 jets.

He remarked that Britain’s action did not surprise Argentina as it had long anticipated this move by KAI.

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Brigadier Issac also stated that the Argentine Air Force is now contemplating purchasing JF-17 Thunder Block-III from Pakistan, adding that a high-level delegation of the Argentine Air Force had visited Pakistan in 2017 to examine the fighter jet.

He concluded that the acquisition of the JF-17 Thunder Block-III will be a giant leap by Argentina.

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Zameen Developments and EBCO Constructions have signed an agreement with Tameer Constructions, granting the latter exclusive rights to construct the grey structure of Mall 35 in Rawalpindi. The signing ceremony was held at Zameen’s Head Office in Lahore.

Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan, Zameen Developments Director Fahad Arif Khawaja, EBCO Constructions Senior Director Hassan Sheikh, Tameer Constructions Director Operations Intikhab Akbar, and other officials were all present at the event.

Commenting on the occasion, Zameen.com CEO Zeeshan Ali Khan, said that Zameen Developments is committed to achieving excellence with well-planned, international standard mixed-use projects such as Mall 35. “We have built trust with both local and overseas Pakistanis over the course of 14 years; consistently meeting the public’s expectations with our revolutionary real estate initiatives,’” he further stated.

Zameen Developments Director Fahad Arif Khawaja stated that Mall 35 is being developed with the best quality construction material in the heart of Rawalpindi. “Tameer Constructions is a respected name in the construction sector and have we picked them for their impressive track record on superior-quality constructions,” he added.

EBCO Constructions Senior Director Hassan Sheikh praised the collaboration between his organization and Zameen Developments, stating that the latter’s involvement in the venture “is a matter of immense pride for us”. “Mall 35 is the first-of-its-kind real estate development, not just in Rawalpindi but in Pakistan,” he further said.

Tameer Constructions Director Operations Intikhab Akbar said that his organization would provide its expertise for Mall 35’s construction. “Construction of grey structure is the inaugural phase in all kinds of construction projects and Tameer Constructions is committed to providing a high-quality grey structure for Mall 35,” he further stated.

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Pakistan captain Babar Azam has established himself as one of the best batsmen in the world and he has been showered with praises from all over the world due to his sublime run of form recently.

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Fans and pundits have been comparing Babar with the likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, and other top batsmen from around the world and Babar said that he feels honored to be compared to such brilliant batsmen. Babar added that his aim is to reach such a level that other batsmen are compared to him.

“I feel happy and proud when pundits and fans compare me with top batters. My dream is to get to the same level where others are compared to me,” Babar said.

“My aim has always been to compete with them and try to produce the same amount of performances in every possible condition just like them,” he added.

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Babar was criticized recently for his inability to finish off matches. He vowed to improve this area of his game and showcased improvement as he led Karachi Kings to their first-ever PSL title.

Early on in his career, he was criticized for his batting in Test cricket, however, he is now ranked as the fifth-best Test batsman in the world.

His track record shows that he manages to achieve what he sets his eyes on and his latest aim might not be that far away, as he is the only batsman in the world to be ranked in the top 5 across all formats.

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Pakistan’s consumer inflation was reportedly low as compared to the last month. It was reported at 8.35 percent in November from 8.9 percent in October on the back of a slight decline in the price of perishable products.

On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, Pakistan’s Consumer Price Index (CPI)-based inflation in November 2020 increased by 0.82 percent over October 2020 and increased by 8.35 percent over November 2019.

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According to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), on an MoM basis, the top commodities that had contributed to the inflation include chicken (21.36 percent), tomatoes (15.68 percent), potatoes (8.79 percent), onions (5.81 percent), vegetables (5.63 percent), dry fruits (4.38 percent), eggs (2.83 percent), butter (2.61 percent), condiments and spices (2.6 percent), and fish (1.89 percent). However, the prices of some items declined, including wheat flour (4.83 percent), wheat (4.1 percent), pulse moong (3.54 percent), and pulse gram (1.94 percent).

On the year-on-year (YoY) basis, the commodities the contributed to the inflation include potatoes (56.11 percent), eggs (48.67 percent), chicken (46.82 percent), condiments and spices (37.6 percent), wheat (36.6 percent), sugar (35.78 percent), beans (31.81 percent), pulse moong (26.12 percent), pulse maash (22.61 percent), butter (19.72 percent), gur (16.13 percent), pulse masoor (15.76 percent), and mustard oil (15.12 percent).

However, the prices of some items declined, which include tomatoes (22.58 percent), fish (8.34 percent), onions (6.6 percent), and fruits (3.59 percent).

The CPI inflation general increased by 8.3 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 8.9 percent in the previous month and 12.7 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.8 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 1.7 percent in the previous month and an increase of 1.3 percent in November 2019.

The CPI inflation urban increased by 7 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 7.3 percent in the previous month and 12.1 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.6 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 1.3 percent in the previous month and an increase of 1 percent in November 2019.

The CPI inflation rural increased by 10.5 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 11.3 percent in the previous month and 13.6 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 2.4 percent in the previous month and an increase of 1.9 percent in November 2019.

The SPI inflation on YoY increased by 9.9 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 12.3 percent a month earlier and an increase of 20.2 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 1.1 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 3 percent a month earlier and an increase of 3.7 percent in November 2019.

The Wholesale Price Index (WPI) inflation on YoY basis increased by 5 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 5.1 percent a month earlier and an increase of 11.2 percent in November 2019. The WPI inflation on an MoM basis decreased by 0.9 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 2.9 percent a month earlier and a decrease of 0.8 percent in November last year.

Measured by non-food non-energy, the urban CPI increased by 5.6 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 5.6 percent in the previous month and 7.5 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.3 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 0.6 percent in the previous month, and an increase of 0.3 percent in the corresponding month last year.

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Measured by non-food non-energy, the rural CPI increased by 7.4 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 7.6 percent in the previous month and 8.4 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.3 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 0.6 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.5 percent in November last year.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean, the urban CPI increased by 6.3 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to 6.5 percent in the previous month and by 9.5 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.2 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 0.6 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.4 percent in the corresponding month last year.

Measured by 20 percent weighted trimmed mean, the rural CPI increased by 9.1 percent on a YoY basis in November 2020 as compared to 9.5 percent in the previous month and by 10.7 percent in November 2019. On an MoM basis, it increased by 0.4 percent in November 2020 as compared to an increase of 1.1 percent in the previous month and an increase of 0.7 percent in November 2019.

The post Pakistan’s Consumer Inflation Continues to Decrease in November appeared first on .

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Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Tech Summit has finally kicked off, lifting the curtains off the Snapdragon 888 SoC instead of the Snapdragon 875 we all had been waiting for. The SD888 is the next flagship chipset from Qualcomm that will be powering most of the premium phones in 2021 instead of the SD875.

Details on the Snapdragon 888 are still scarce and more information will surface next week. For now, we know that the SoC will come with a fully integrated 5G modem, unlike last year’s Snapdragon 865 which required manufacturers to add a separate modem chip. This new integrated chip will be Qualcomm’s new X60 modem which brings better power efficiency and 5G carrier aggregation.

Other than that, Qualcomm also hinted at several other improvements such as the company’s sixth-gen AI Engine that promises a big leap in terms of AI performance. The company has also said that the Snapdragon 888 will feature the “most significant upgrade in Qualcomm Adreno GPU performance,” though specifications are still under the wraps.

Thanks to the updated ISP, which is 35% better than before, the Snapdragon 888 will allow you to shoot roughly 120 photos per second at 12MP resolution. In addition to that, Qualcomm has also announced updates to the Snapdragon Elite Gaming suite of gaming optimizations and will include support for 144Hz displays.

Lastly, the chipmaker gave a list of 14 manufacturers that will feature the new chipset in their devices. For some reason, Samsung and Sony do not appear to be on the list.

ASUS
Black Shark
Lenovo
LG
MEIZU
Motorola
Nubia
Realme
OnePlus
OPPO
Sharp
Vivo
Xiaomi

We will have more details on the Snapdragon 888 as the Tech Summit continues, so stay tuned.

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Business software giant Salesforce has purchased the workplace app Slack for $27.7 billion, making it one of the biggest tech mergers in recent years. Salesforce executive Marc Benioff is calling this acquisition a “match made in heaven”.

Benioff said that he had been pushing to expand the company’s software offerings and compete against tech giants such as Microsoft.

The acquisition comes at a time where the pandemic has caused a surge in work from home facilities and apps such as Slack which make it easier to collaborate while working remotely. This is why tech analyst Dan Ives of Wedbush Securities called this a “now or never” purchase for Salesforce.

Following the announcement, he wrote to the investors saying:

If Salesforce wants to expand beyond its core gold mine of sales and marketing departments … this was the moment and thus represents a major shot across the bow against Microsoft.

Microsoft tried to acquire Slack four years ago, but that deal never kicked off and Microsoft instead focused on creating its own workplace platform. As a result, Microsoft Teams was created as a direct rival to Slack and the two apps have been contesting each other ever since.

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The United Nations (UN) has launched a $35 billion appeal to help more than 235 million people afflicted with a financial crisis globally. According to reports, 10.5 million people in Pakistan are on the UN’s radar of ‘most vulnerable and fragile’ and will receive portions of the global aid through a tentative process.

The United Nations has allocated $285.3 million for Pakistan, according to sources close to the world body. According to the UN report, more than 235 million people are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance and protection for the year 2021. The world body, along with partner organizations, has listed 160 million people across 56 countries as the most vulnerable.

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The picture we are presenting is the bleakest and darkest perspective on humanitarian needs in the period ahead that we have ever set out. That is a reflection of the fact that the COVID pandemic has wreaked carnage across the whole of the most fragile and vulnerable countries on the planet.

“Multiple famines are looming,” the UN emergency chief said, adding that the situation was ‘desperate’ for millions and has left everyone overwhelmed. The ongoing global economic fallout is threatening to have an adverse socio-economic impact on Pakistan. The report suggested instances of growing unemployment, inflation, and poverty.

According to the Global Humanitarian Overview 2020, 1 in 33 people seek emergency relief. The UN report highlighted the impact of the novel coronavirus, stating that because of the unprecedented timeline of COVID, poverty in Pakistan is expected to rise from 24.3 percent to a dismal 40 percent in 2021.

The post Global Humanitarian Overview: Poverty to Almost Double in Pakistan in 2021 appeared first on .

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Following Wednesday morning’s one COVID-19 positive results and after discussions with the relevant authorities in New Zealand, the Pakistan Cricket Board has clarified the situation.

Out of 54, a total of eight Pakistan cricket team members have tested positive following day 1, 3, and 6 tests

Of the eight positives, two have been deemed to be “historic” (not infectious) and, as such, they are now observing the isolation period on the same floor as the other members of the squad who have tested negative

After day 9 (Thursday) tests, all those who will continue to return negative tests and subject to final approval from the New Zealand Health Ministry are expected to be able to train for the remainder of their time in the managed isolation

Following day 12 tests and subject to New Zealand Health Ministry’s final approval, all those who will clear the 14-day health check will be able to leave the managed isolation facility

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The PCB has been maintaining close contact with the Pakistan team management in New Zealand, keeping them updated on the return to the training process. The management and the players are fully supportive of the process and keen to get back on to the field as soon as they are compliant with the New Zealand government’s rules.

The post PCB Reveals the Real COVID-19 Situation and Future Plans in New Zealand appeared first on .

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In August this year, Trustwave researchers revealed that the famous IM application Go SMS Pro has a major security flaw. All the media sent via the application is stored insecurely on a publicly accessible server that can be accessed using some very minor scripting. Even though it is not possible to link the files to a certain user, images containing faces, names, or other identifying characteristics put users’ privacy at risk online.

Just a day before this news broke, a new version of the application was uploaded on Play Store that was taken down. However, the application is now back on Play Store, and its Version 7.94 available for download. Go SMS Pro’s parent company GOMO is trying to fix the issue, but a complete fix is still not available. In version 7.93 of GO SMS Pro, the ability to send media files has been completely disabled, whereas version 7.94 allows users to upload media to the app, but these files are not sent.

Despite GOMO’s efforts, according to a recent report by Trustwave, the older media used to verify the original vulnerability is still available online. The worst part is, the exposed media files contain quite a bit of sensitive data, including driver’s licenses, health insurance account numbers, legal documents, and personal family pictures.

Trustwave detailed that cybercriminals are well aware of the flaw in GO SMS Pro, and there are numerous tools and scripts designed to exploit the vulnerability on sites such as Pastebin and GitHub.

In the meantime, avoid using this app on Google Play Store.

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