Tech and Telecom

A recent report from HMD’s headquarters in Finland reveals that the company’s upcoming self-branded smartphone will be dubbed “Skyline”. Scheduled for a July launch, the Skyline is anticipated to hit shelves at a Finnish retailer by July 10th. Notably, this device marks a departure from the usual offerings of both HMD and Nokia brands, boasting a higher-end positioning with an expected retail price of €520. It is slated to come equipped with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage in black color, featuring the anticipated dual-SIM support. Its model number is identified as TA-1688. Although no further specifics…

The Azad Kashmir Education Department has announced summer vacations for schools and colleges. The education department has notified that all the private and public schools and colleges of Azad Kashmir will remain closed from June 10 until August 13. It added that all the educational institutes will open on August 14. The institutes under the control of the Higher Education Department will arrange ceremonies to celebrate Independence Day on August 14. Previously, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Sindh, and Balochistan had announced summer vacations for schools and colleges. The summer break in Punjab began earlier than scheduled due to the extreme heat.…

In an embarrassing gaffe, the federal government took a late-night U-turn on its earlier announcement of a Rs. 15.4 per liter cut in the price of petrol as the finance ministry issued a notification of a Rs. 4.74 per liter cut in petrol price. Around 10:30 pm on Friday, the press wing of the prime minister’s office issued a statement saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a cut of Rs. 15.4 per liter in the price of petrol, and Rs. 7.9 per liter in price of high-speed diesel. The statement further quoted the premier as saying that government…

The Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) approved Rs 1,221 billion Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) for the upcoming fiscal year 2024-25 on Friday. The APCC meeting chaired by Deputy Chairman, Planning Commission was attended by the officials of Federal Ministries/Divisions, provincial governments and State Bank of Pakistan, according to press release issued by Planning Commission. The APCC noted that Ministries/Divisions initially requested over Rs. 2.8 trillion for projects, however, due to fiscal constraints, the essential funding requirements were discussed with the Ministry of Finance and consequently, the provisional size of the PSDP was set at Rs. 1,221 billion. The formulation…

The federal government has announced a significant cut in the prices of petroleum products. According to sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved a cut of  Rs. 15.4 per liter in the price of petrol, while the price of high-speed diesel has been cut by Rs. 7.9 per liter. The new prices will be applicable from June 1. The finance ministry is expected to issue a notification in this regard shortly. At the last fortnightly review of petroleum prices, the price of petrol was decreased by Rs. 15.39 per liter, while the price of high-speed diesel was reduced by Rs.…

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has exceeded the revenue target by collecting Rs. 760 billion for the month of May 2024 against the assigned target of Rs. 745 billion. The overall revenue growth remained 31 percent during the first eleven months of the year as compared to the same period last year. During the month of May, FBR registered a growth of 33 percent as compared to May 2023. The growth in domestic taxes has been 43 percent during the month. In a statement, FBR said it has been the policy of the government to mobilize more resources from…

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a cyber security advisory regarding the sophisticated Raspberry Robin malware, which is now exploiting Discord and undisclosed “0-day” vulnerabilities. According to the advisory, previously recognized as a USB-borne worm, Raspberry Robin has advanced, employing zero-day exploits to target vulnerabilities before official patches are released. The malware now leverages Discord for distribution, embedding itself within seemingly innocuous archive files downloaded from the platform. It exploits user trust by using a legitimate Microsoft program, OleView.exe, alongside a malicious DLL with a disguised signature. The PTA has categorized this threat under Advanced Malware, Discord Exploitation, and…

The Competition Appellate Tribunal (CAT) has dismissed the appeal filed by M/s Options International (SMC-Pvt.) Limited, a Pakistani company penalized by the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) for the fraudulent use of the international coffee chain Starbucks branding in its restaurants. In its decision, the tribunal increased the penalty from the originally imposed Rs. 5 million to Rs. 6 million. Starbucks, a globally recognized chain of coffeehouses registered in Washington, lodged a formal complaint that the Lahore-based restaurant, Options International, was selling “Starbucks Coffee” while fraudulently using Starbucks Marks, in its branding thereby deceiving consumers and harming its business interests.…

Every six seconds, a clandestine printer in a factory on Stockholm’s northern outskirts churns out sheets worth thousands of euros each, each containing 108 miniature solar cells destined for everyday gadgets. These cells promise to revolutionize our interaction with technology and prompt a reevaluation of our relationship with light. The setting may seem unlikely for a solar breakthrough, but the winter’s dimness in Sweden prompted Exeger co-founder Giovanni Fili to seek alternative power sources beyond the Sun. His company’s breakthrough technology can harvest electricity from any light source, from direct sunlight to candlelight, even moonlight, though less immediately useful. “We…

Recent years have seen numerous extreme weather events worldwide, underscoring the escalating severity of climate change. In July 2022, the United Kingdom experienced temperatures surpassing 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. A small town in northwest China recorded 52 degrees Celsius last year, the highest ever for the country. In 2021, Sicily in Italy recorded 48.8 degrees Celsius, the highest ever for Europe. On May 29th, the temperature in parts of Delhi reportedly reached 52.9 degrees Celsius, marking the highest ever recorded in India. Another alarming incident occurred in Iran last year, where the heat index caused temperatures to…