Tech and Telecom

Askari Bank Limited recorded a dip of 17 percent in profitability during the first half of 2021 (January-June) compared to the profits recorded in the same period last year. According to the financial results released by the bank, it made a profit of Rs. 4.11 billion in the first half of 2021 against Rs. 4.95 billion registered in the first half of 2020. ALSO READ Foreign Loans to be Re-Lent on Same Financing Terms as Original Borrowing Conditions The decline in profitability was registered in the second quarter of 2021, in which the bank generated a profit of Rs. 1.3…

Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek has announced two new chipsets based on TSMC’s 6nm node. Dimensity 920 and 810 are follow-ups after the Dimensity 900 and 800 respectively with slight improvements in some of their features. ALSO READ MediaTek to Launch a Flagship 4nm Chip by the End of 2021 Both chipsets bring an octa-core CPU and support 1080p displays with 120Hz refresh rates, indicating that they will power upper-midrange phones in late 2021. The CPU on the Dimensity 920 is based on powerful Cortex-A78 cores running at 2.5GHz with the Cortex-A55 ones clocked at 2GHz. The GPU on it is the…

The federal Minister for National Food Security and Research, Syed Fakhar Imam, recently attended and addressed the sixth meeting of the Ministers of the SCO member states on agriculture issues. He said that agriculture has been given utmost importance under Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s leadership and that the current government aims to transform Pakistan’s agriculture sector through mechanization and research. ALSO READ Govt to Transfer Sugar Advisory Board to Food Ministry Minister Imam said that there are approximately 8.4 million farms in Pakistan that will get direct subsidies through the Kisan Card Scheme that has been launched by the…

The Universal Service Fund (USF) awarded a contract worth approximately Rs. 555 million to Telenor for providing High-Speed Mobile Broadband services in the Nowshera, Mardan, Swabi, and Charsadda districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Federal Minister for Information Technology (IT) and Telecommunication, Syed Amin ul Haque, and Federal Minister for Defense, Pervez Khattak, witnessed the contract signing ceremony held at the USF Head Office on Thursday. The contract was signed by Haaris Mahmood Chaudhary, CEO of USF, and Irfan Wahab Khan, CEO of Telenor Pakistan. The Federal Secretary for IT & Telecommunication and Chairman USF Board, Dr. Muhammad Sohail Rajput, and…

The National Command and Operations Center (NCOC) has decided to ban unvaccinated citizens from traveling by air from 10 September. The nerve center of Pakistan’s COVID-19 response has taken this decision on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health to speed up the vaccination campaign across the country. ALSO READ Pakistan Sends Two Players Home Ahead of Test Series Against West Indies In an official statement, the NCOC said that COVID-19 vaccination certificates will be mandatory for air travel after 10 September and unvaccinated citizens will not be allowed to board the flights. NCOC has also decided to revoke partial…

Following the closure of its safety audit, Transport Canada has declared Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) flight and operational airworthiness to be up to international standards. It informed the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of PIA, Air Marshal (retd.) Arshad Malik, in a letter that all the concerns about the safety of its flight operations have been settled. ALSO READ Shibli Faraz Reveals How Electronic Voting Can End Rigging in Pakistan The letter read: Transport Canada accepts that PIA has implemented the corrective actions to address the findings generated by the Foreign Operations Division Airworthiness Audit of Specific ICAO Airworthiness Elements dated…

The Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoIT&T) issued a policy directive to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the auction of the Next Generation Mobile Services (NGMS) spectrum in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K) and Gilgit-Baltistan with the base price of $0.87 million for 2×1 MHz (1 MHz paired) spectrum in both 1800 and 2100 MHz bands respectively. The spectrum auction will generate revenue and help to improve mobile broadband services. ALSO READ Commercial Loans to Replace Govt Equity in National Power Parks Management Company Ltd Currently, five Cellular Operators, including a Special Communication Organization (SCO), are providing Cellular Mobile…

Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has announced the schedule for the 13th Pakistan Premier Football League. The league is scheduled to take place from 14 August at Multan. ALSO READ Sikandar Raza Rates Food at Gaddafi Stadium as the Best in the World Twelve teams from across the country will take part in the league, including defending champions, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), Karachi United, Pakistan Army, Sui Southern Gas Company, Pakistan Air Force, PCCA, Muslim Club Chaman, Pakistan Navy, Pakistan WAPDA, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines, Lyallpur FC, and Huma Club Islamabad. The competition will kick off with a doubleheader on 14…

Alongside its latest foldables, Samsung has unveiled its latest TWS earbuds, the Galaxy Buds 2. This pair of earbuds is one of the lightest to exist with a new design and active noise cancellation enabled by six microphones. ALSO READ Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 Announced With Larger Outer Display and Lower Price The speaker on these earbuds is split into two portions, a woofer, and a tweeter. This ensures clear high notes as well as deep atmospheric lows. The weight of these earbuds has been reduced to 5 grams per bud, and the case only adds 41 grams. There…

Pakistan’s economy is on a growth trajectory after achieving stability, and will continue on this path towards growth, the Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), Dr. Reza Baqir, said on Wednesday. He made these remarks while addressing a conference on ‘Sustainable Growth and Promoting Digitization’, and added that the transition period has been completed but the aim is to avoid the previous trend of the boom and bust cycles. ALSO READ Pakistan’s Digital Development Needs an Overhaul to Align With Global Development: Report Dr. Baqir said that neither a very high economic growth rate nor a very low…