Category: Information Technology

The Xiaomi Mi 10 series became official in February this year, but its successor, the Mi 11 lineup, is expected to break cover earlier next year in January. This is because the Chinese company is reportedly trying to become the first to release a Snapdragon 875 phone in 2021.

The launch date leak comes from none other than tipster Digital Chat Station who believes that the Mi 11 series will go public in January next year and production for the flagship phones will start soon. He adds that the device has been sent for network certification already.

Expected Specifications
The Xiaomi Mi 11 series is expected to be powered by the 5nm Snapdragon 875 SoC, which is set to be announced soon in December. The device will have a curved punch-hole display and three cameras on the back. The main sensor will be a 108MP shooter alongside a 30x zoom lens and an ultrawide camera capable of doubling as a macro lens.

The Xiaomi Mi 11 Pro will have the same design, but a 120Hz display with QHD+ resolution. It is unclear whether the base Mi 11 will have the same screen resolution and refresh rate. The Mi 11 Pro may also have a quad-camera setup while the base Mi 11 may only have three.

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The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) apprehended a gang reportedly responsible for leaking the medical entrance test sheet in Peshawar. Sources suggest the gang comprised 20 students and 2 organizers, who pinched the exam sheets in Tehkal, Peshawar.

As per details, the gang leaked entrance exam questions hours before the commencement of the test. The FIA’s investigation is currently underway.

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In a similar case last year, the Federal Investigation Agency arrested three people and two of them were government employees. The culprits were responsible for their alleged involvement in leaking CSS exam papers. An FIA official stated the Agency received complaints about a group allegedly trading CSS exam sheets.

As per the Agency’s details, the culprits leaked CSS exam questions in return for large sums of money, hours before exam time.

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The Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan has abolished the two-year Bachelor’s degree programs at its affiliated institutions across the country. According to its notification, students will no longer be able to pursue two-year degrees like B.Com and B.Sc. This measure is reportedly expected to be enforced in January 2021.

The HEC’s notification has led to students resorting to social media to voice their concerns and questions regarding their futures.

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The following are some FAQs that are in line with the definitive viewpoints of sources close to ProPakistani.

What is HEC’s New Policy?
The HEC will not recognize two-year Bachelor’s degrees including Bachelor’s of Arts (BA) and Bachelor’s of Science (B.Sc.), undertaken after the calendar year 2018. It also issued notifications to its affiliated schools and Degree Awarding Institutions (DAIs ) that it will not recognize these programs in the event of their certifications being awarded to their candidates.

The notification highlighted that students who had enrolled in the discontinued programs at higher education institutes before 31 December 2018 will be allowed to complete them until December 2020. Students who fail in these programs will be awarded the new Associate Degree (AD) upon their completion.

For the avoidance of doubt, students admitted to two-year post-higher secondary or equivalent programs after 31 December 2018 shall have been and shall continue to be admitted to Associate Degree programs.

Through the AD program, the HEC intends for its affiliated institutions to provide general education that has a broader spectrum of application in society. The enrolled students will be trained in the metrics of marketing, financial literacy, and ethics.

Why Has the HEC Introduced This Policy?
Graduate degree programs around the world are typically either 3-year or 4-year programs. Students with two-year B.Com or B.Sc. degrees cannot qualify for international postgraduate studies with their qualifications. Simply put, students with two-year degrees will not be able to apply for foreign Master’s degree programs that require applicants to have completed 16 years of education. Students enrolled in B.Com or B.Sc. programs will qualify for admission to foreign postgraduate programs only if they have completed both their Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees.

According to the HEC, this is not the first time the policy has been introduced. “We have been working on it for the past two years,” it stated.

In March 2017 and July 2019, a notification issued by the HEC had called upon its affiliated universities to immediately discontinue their two-year academic programs. It had been observed by the HEC that despite its notification, the aforementioned programs are still being offered at institutions.

Local institutions will be held responsible for not acknowledging the HEC’s revised policies if the canceled degrees are still active.

Will the HEC Cancel All the Programs Starting After December 2020?
All the HEC-affiliated institutions are liable to address this query. According to the HEC’s refined plans for the AD programs, the BA/B.Sc. degrees can be converted into ADs with minimum changes in the courses during the first year transition period. To facilitate this change, institutions offering AD programs will be allowed to convert their offered pre-existing program into the new one.

The HEC has also directed institutions to proceed with transient changes in their BA/B.Sc. curricula for the AD program. Although conditionally, the HEC-affiliates should continue transitioning to the AD programs with additions that are in accordance with the policies and guidelines that are periodically provided by the HEC.

Do the Affected Students Have to Apply to Other Schools From Scratch? What About the One Year That They Have Passed?
The HEC’s semester guidelines only allow the exemption of some course credits according to its credits transfer policy.

Students can look for enrollment options in either four-year BS degree programs or BS AD programs. They can take the courses that they have studied in their transcripts. All individual cases will be considered by universities on the basis of the courses that have already been studied, and the universities will decide if the credit hours can be transferred or not.

Will the Degrees of B.Com. and BA Students be Considered Now, or Will They Have to Reapply?
According to the HEC, these degrees will be accepted. Additionally, the degrees that had commenced prior to December 2019 will also be accepted.

Will Institutions be Fined if They Continue to Offer the Cancelled Programs?
Currently, this option is not under consideration primarily due to the on-going transition from the outdated degree programs to the international standard.

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Are Master’s Degree Programs Being Terminated as Well?
According to the HEC, Master’s degree programs are not being terminated. However, candidates can apply for them only after completing a four-year Bachelor’s degree. For students who will have completed their B.Com/BSc programs by 2020, the decision will be taken by their universities.

What are AD Programs?
AD programs are two-year programs that extend two-year BA or B.Sc. degrees to four years to enable them to be internationally recognized. The goal of an AD program is to provide broad-based education to students along with experiential learning via skill-based courses.

As per the National Qualifications Framework developed by the HEC, AD programs are equivalent to 14 years of education. Prior to their completion, students can enroll themselves in the fifth semester of Bachelor’s programs of their choice after an evaluation of their transcripts by the concerned universities.

If you have more questions, leave your queries in the comment section below, and we will get back to you soon.

The post Here’s How HEC’s Cancellation of 2 Year BA and BSc Programs is Affecting Students appeared first on .

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A major risk to this scenario of economic recovery on a path of external and internal balance is the upsurge of COVID-19 infections all over the world and also, to a lesser degree, in Pakistan, said Ministry of Finance in its Monthly Economic Update & Outlook (November 2020) report issued on Friday.

The report also outlined the factors showing that Pakistan’s economy is underway of recovery. The MEI [Multivariate ENSO Index] shows strong growth in the first four months of the current fiscal year. Furthermore, based on current information, no significant deterioration in the balance of trade in goods and services is expected.

The inflow of workers’ remittances also remains strong, which means that it might preserve external balance. This, in turn, implies the prospect for a stable exchange rate in the near term, which may contribute, in addition to specific government measures, to reduce inflationary pressures.

The government of Pakistan also intends to keep the pandemic spread in check by imposing a number of restrictions in some sectors and areas of the economy. The effects on the economic outlook will depend on the intensity and duration of these restrictions. But well-designed government policies may soften the economic burden of these necessary restrictions.

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On the other hand, the recent world-wide communications regarding the production of some successful new vaccines may also give rise to the possibility of back-to-normal economic activity in the near future. These developments may boost business and consumer confidence and further enhance economic growth, Finance Ministry said.

Taxation
The report also revealed that the provisional tax collection by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has increased by 4.5 percent during the first four months of the current fiscal year.

Domestic tax collection grew by 5.7 percent, while customs duty declined by 1.6 percent during the period under review. For the month of October 2020, the net collection witnessed an increase of 4 percent to reach Rs. 336.1 billion against Rs. 323.0 billion in the comparable period of FY2020.

Automobiles
During July-October fiscal year 2021, total car sales increased by 8.1 percent while production plunged to 14.4 percent.

For the month of October, the production and sale of cars increased by 21.5 and 25.4 percent, respectively on a year over year (YoY) basis. Total trucks and buses sale increased by 20.8 percent and production decreased by 22.1 percent.

Energy
The government has announced a Relief Package for small and medium enterprises (SMEs), under which electricity tariff has been reduced to Rs. 8 per unit (down from Rs. 16 per unit) from November 1, 2020, till June 30, 2021, with no peak hours.

For the next three years Rs. 12 per unit of electricity tariff would be charged from all industries, which means a 25 percent tariff discount.

Under the Economic Stimulus Package, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has given relief to export-oriented industries by giving Rs. 40 billion (out of Rs. 70 billion) tax refunds up till September 30, 2020.

Inflation
The report said that the national Consumer Price Index (CPI) of October 2020 was recorded at 8.9 percent compared to 11 percent in October 2019. The average CPI between July and October eased to 8.9 percent from last year’s 10.3 percent. Hence, both YoY and average inflation followed the downward path compared to the upward trend in last year.

Sensitive Price Indicator for the week ended November 19, 2020, increased by 0.24 percent on weekly basis after two consecutive declines during the month of November 2020.

The financial sector continues to perform better in the wake of unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. During the first quarter, the recorded performance for this sector slightly increased to 1.1 percent of GDP against 0.7 percent recorded last year. However, it still remained below the target set for the first quarter.

The primary balance remained in surplus of Rs. 257.7 billion (0.6 percent of GDP) in Q1, FY2021. During the quarter, tax revenues (federal & provincial) stood at Rs. 1068.9 billion. Development expenditures increased by 15.4 percent for the first quarter this fiscal year against Rs 142.5 billion in the first quarter of last year.

In October 2020, the Current Account remained in surplus ($382 million) for the fourth consecutive month. Thus, the Current Account posted a surplus of $1.2 billion (1.3 percent of GDP) during July-Oct FY2021 against a deficit of $1.4 billion last year.

Foreign Investment
The report added that the foreign direct investment (FDI) increased by 67.9 percent to $317.4 million on a month over month basis in October 2020 against $189 million in September 2020. On a YoY basis, FDI increased by 150.9 percent during October 2020 and stood at $317.4 million as compared to $126.5 million in October 2019.

During July-October FY2021, FDI increased by 9.1 percent to $733.1 million as compared to $672.0 million last year.

Foreign Private Portfolio Investment recorded a net outflow of $145.6 million during July-October FY2021. Foreign Public Portfolio Investment recorded a net outflow of $162.0 million. The total foreign portfolio investment recorded an outflow of $307.5 million during July-October FY2021 against an inflow of $452.3 million last year.

Countries that majorly contributed to the inflows are UAE ($69.2 million) and Singapore ($19.2 million). While outflows destinations were UK ($106.6 million), US ($88.1 million) and Luxembourg ($29.0 million).

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Worker’s Remittances during July-October FY2021 rose to $9.4 billion against $7.5 billion last year, showing a growth of 26.5 percent. Share of remittances from Saudi Arabia was 28.8 percent ($2715.3 million), UAE 20.4 percent ($1924.9 million), USA 8.7 percent ($815.9 million), UK 13.4 percent ($1264 million), other GCC countries 11.2 percent ($1057.2 million), Malaysia 0.8 percent ($73.4 million), EU 8.5 percent ($804.7 million) and other countries 9 percent.

SBP Reserves
Data on Foreign Exchange Reserves for Pakistan in the report showed that the total liquid foreign exchange reserves increased to $19.3 billion by the end of October 2020, up by $3.9 billion over end-October 2019.

The breakup of reserves accumulation in October 2020 shows that the SBP’s reserves stood at $12.2 billion ($8.2 billion last year) and $7.2 billion ($7.2 billion last year) in commercial banks’ reserves. The present reserves level provides the import cover of around 3 months.

Stock Exchange
The KSE-100 index hovered around 40,000 points in October 2020 and closed at 39,888 points on October 29, 2020, losing 788 points in the month. Market capitalization lost Rs. 249 billion and settled at Rs. 7,399 billion on October 29. Major world indices have shown an oscillating trend in October 2020.

The post Finance Ministry’s Monthly Outlook Report Indicates Strong Economic Recovery appeared first on .

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To address the existing digital divide and to promote digital trade in Pakistan, tax rationalization for the ICT sector and the development of telecom infrastructure in Pakistan has a vital role to play.

Member Prime Minister’s Taskforce on IT and Telecommunication, Pervez Iftikhar said this while sharing his views at the virtual workshop “Toward achieving a sustainable regional integration in Pakistan: Digital trade and health integration”. It was organized by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP).

He said that all stakeholders need to put forth collaborative efforts to provide an enabling environment with a focus on information technology and telecommunication in the country.

The workshop was attended by a variety of stakeholders including the Ministry of Commerce, Federal Board of Revenue, Ministry of Information Technology, Electronic Certification and Accreditation Council (ECAC), National Tariff Commission, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, 1-link, Competition Commission of Pakistan, Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority, Planning Commission of Pakistan, Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Technical Education & Vocational Training Authority, and Unilever among others.

Introducing the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) initiative to measure the digital regional integration, Dr. Yann Duval informed the participants that the country study with SDPI on digital exports aims to play a facilitating role to support decision-makers prioritizing different areas of regional integration.

Dr. Vaqar Ahmed, Joint Executive Director SDPI, highlighted eight main areas where policy interventions are required to boost Pakistan’s digital exports. The areas he identified included addressing gaps in the legal framework and regulations, investment policy for the technology sector, making tax regime consistent across the federation, enabling commercial banks to understand the digital business ecosystem, improving data protection as well as strengthening consumer rights, relaxation in foreign exchange movement for foreign investors, and addressing overall skills and digital literacy.

“Promotion of digital trade products and services should be an integral part of any free trade agreements signed by Pakistan.” Dr. Ahmed concluded.

Dr. Adil Nakhuda, representing the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), presented that exports for Pakistan medical-related products are concentrated on three products and imports tend to be more diversified.

“Pakistan is competitive in a limited number of products which limits the level of diversification in exports basket” Dr. Adil explained and recommended that regular meetings of health ministers must be organized to exchange knowledge on tackling health challenges among neighboring countries.

Aisha Moriani, Joint Secretary WTO at Ministry of Commerce (MoC) informed the participants that the government has taken key initiatives such as the e-Commerce Policy of Pakistan, National e-Commerce Council, mutual recognition agreements related to manpower export, food products, and medical supplies.

Besides, the Ministry is putting efforts to facilitate the entrepreneurs with respect to international payments in collaboration with the National Institutional Facilitation Technologies (NIFT), Pakistan.

Afnan Khan, while representing the Federal Board of Revenue, said that the Pakistan Single Window will be launched in March 2021 which would be a stepping stone to promote unified registration and strengthen e-commerce in the country.

Representing the Ministry of Information Technology (IT), Mr. Raza Sukhera, informed the participants that MoIT is prioritizing the data protection guidelines, facilitating the freelancers through developing the digital portal, and engagements with tax authorities to address tax-related issues.

He said that in the first quarter of this year, tremendous growth in the IT sector was observed, and to sustain this, continuous policy interventions are required.

Ghulam Qadir, National Tariff Commission, proposed to conduct a study to ascertain the missing element of e-commerce in existing international trade agreements.

Wajahat Khan from Electronic Certification and Accreditation Council (ECAC) explained the Electronic signatures and security of the digital economy through Public Key Infrastructure (PKI).

Earlier, Abdus Salam from Punjab Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA), informed the participants that PPRA has developed certain rules to eliminate the discriminatory measures.

Dr. Shahbaz Nasir from PTA added that PTA is working extensively to provide high speed and stable connectivity across Pakistan whereas Syed Minahil from 1-link explained that his organization aims to enhance the network of boundary-less digital payment grid and related ecosystems.

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The Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) for the week that ended on 26 November recorded a decrease of 0.92 percent over the last week.

The decrease was due to a fall in the prices of food items like tomatoes (10.26 percent), onions (8.48 percent), chicken (8.28 percent), sugar (4.78 percent), and pulses and wheat flour (0.2 percent), the Pakistan Bureau of Statistic (PBS) said.

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According to the latest data released by the PBS, SPI dipped from 143.05 points during the week that ended on 5 November to 141.74 points during the week under review.

During the week in question, the price of the gram pulse witnessed a reduction of 0.75 percent, maash pulse by 0.73 percent, moong pulse by 0.49 percent, masoor pulse by 0.25 percent, wheat flour (bag) by 0.20 percent, and potatoes by 0.17 percent.

The variations in the prices of the above-mentioned commodities have a joint impact of -1.01% on the overall SPI for the combined group of (-0.92 percent).

The prices of the following items witnessed an increase on a weekly basis: bananas by 1.76 percent and eggs 1.08 percent; and among the non-food items, the price of firewood increased by 1.04 percent.

According to the PBS, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the SPI witnessed an increase of 7.48 percent from 28 November 2019 to 26 November 2020 as the prices of most of the items increased significantly over the period.

PBS said that on a YoY basis, the price of chili powder increased by 86.31 percent, potatoes by 69.19 percent, eggs by 56.99 percent, chicken by 45.14 percent, sugar by 30.92 percent, matchboxes by 24.40 percent, and Sufi washing soap by 20.79 percent.

Moreover, the price of moong pulse increased by 18.71 percent, mash pulse by 18.25 percent, gur by 18.18 percent, long cloth by 16.57 percent, masoor pulse by 16.25 percent, vegetable ghee (1 kg) by 15.99 percent, bread by 15.95 percent, mustard oil by 15.89 percent, and shirting by 15.72 percent.

However, according to the PBS, on a YoY basis, there was a decline in the prices of certain items including tomatoes by 33.23, diesel by 20.25 percent, garlic by 18.15 percent, onions by 15.89 percent, petrol by 11.75 percent, electricity for Q1 by 8.77 percent, and LPG by 2.40 percent.

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During the week, out of 51 items, the prices of 11 items, which is 21.56 percent of the basket, increased; 10 items reflecting 19.62 percent of the basket decreased; and 30 items, which is 58.82 percent, remained constant.

The SPI for the consumption groups up to Rs. 17,733, from Rs. 17,733 to Rs. 22,888, from Rs. 22,889 to Rs. 29,517, and from Rs. 29,518 to Rs. 44,175, and above Rs. 44,175 per month decreased by 0.1.01 percent, 1.05 percent, 0.99 percent, 0.97 percent, and 0.83 percent respectively.

The commodities that had an increase in their average prices include bananas by 1.76 percent, eggs by 1.08 percent, firewood (whole) by 1.04 percent, and garlic by 0.85 percent.

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The federal government has terminated the contracts of 4,544 employees of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM). Although PSM is the biggest industrial complex in the country, it had been incurring huge losses for years.

According to reports, the letters of termination have already been dispatched to the concerned employees. The move has been highly criticized by the Government of Sindh.

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Keeping in view the huge losses, the federal government had decided to lay off 9,350 PSM employees earlier this year instead of trying to revive the industrial unit.

The decision to lay off additional 4,544 employees had been taken in a meeting held at the PSM CEO Secretariat that was chaired by the CEO of PSM.

In June, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) had announced the decision to terminate the contracts of the employees alongside offering each of them an amount of Rs. 2.3 million on average.

“The ECC gave the go-ahead to a ‘full and final’ human resource rationalization plan for the PSM employees in accordance with the judgments and observations of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and other courts hearing the cases involving the PSM,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement.

The employees that have been laid off include junior officers, assistant managers, deputy managers, managers, and SEDGM and DCO employees.

However, the teachers and non-teaching staff of the PSM schools and colleges, drivers, firemen, fire tenders, operators, public health staff, security guards and watchmen, gardeners, paramedical staff, kitchen staff, office staff, and the workers of all the departments of the Finance Directorate are still employed.

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The news was not received well by the affected employees and trade unions that had already been protesting against the management.

The trade unions said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and the Chief Minister of Sindh, Murad Ali Shah, should put their differences aside and focus on the employees who had lost their jobs. They requested them to work towards resolving the issue and restoring the jobs of thousands of the affected employees.

Sindh’s Minister for Labor, Education, Literacy, and Human Resources, Saeed Ghani, also lashed out at the federal government saying that this action is evidence of its incompetency.

“The PTI-led federal government had announced the provision of 10 million jobs but it has actually deprived thousands of people of their jobs,” he said.

Steps should be taken to run the mill by announcing an immediate package to make PSM economically viable.

PSM incurred huge losses to the federal government over a long period of time. It had ended its operations in 2015 but its employees had continued to draw their salaries at the expense of the government.

According to a summary, the financial impact of the plan will be worth Rs. 19.657 billion, and only 250 employees will be retained for four months for necessary work while the rest will be laid off.

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Self-driving cars are the next step in the evolution of the automobile industry. While they are indeed quite convenient and cost-effective over the long run, their safety has always been a cause for concern.

This is why companies including Tesla, Waymo, and Nuro are testing different ways to train their AI to prepare them for different scenarios for further improvement. The theory goes that the more scenarios an AI faces, the more prepared it will be to respond to real-life situations.

Engineers at Volvo have developed a new driving simulator to improve self-driving cars and it is using the latest gaming tech to bring this simulator to life. The simulator is complete with a moving driving seat, a steering wheel with haptic feedback, and a VR headset, making it hard to tell apart from reality.

It is also using the Unity engine that is used to design games. This software lets the engineers simulate traffic scenarios using a real car and a real track without putting anyone in danger.

Check out the video down below for more details. It shows different Volvo engineers talk about how the technology works.

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According to sources, the restoration of the Karachi Circular Railway (KCR) has added to the woes of Pakistan Railways (PR) by incurring heavy losses within a short time.

The first phase of the resumption of the intra-city train service from Pipri Station to City Station has not been successful, and instead of reaping profits, the railway authorities have been suffering losses. Only 25 percent of its capacity is being utilized by the passengers, which is putting the authorities at a financial loss.

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Sources state that the route between Pipri Station and City Station should have carried around 2,000 passengers but the numbers are far below expected, and only 250 passengers have utilized the train service. Furthermore, it is only at 6 pm that 90 percent of the capacity is utilized.

The daily income from the service is about Rs. 7,500 on average, which, when added to the thousands spent on daily running costs, results in the loss of many thousands of rupees per day.

It has been revealed by sources that a detailed report of the losses incurred due to the restoration of the KCR will soon be presented to the Supreme Court.

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Questions had been raised prior to the restoration of the intra-city train service as many experts believed that the plan to restore it would be ineffective. The traveling schedules also raised eyebrows as there is a gap of three-and-a-half hours between back-to-back trains. Furthermore, the trains cannot operate at maximum speed and the route would be extremely long for the passengers.

The KCR had been inactive for over 21 years before it was restored to traverse its 14-kilometer old route on 19 November this year.

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