Tech and Telecom

Flight operations at Lahore Airport were disrupted on Sunday due to a shortage of aircraft and other factors, as reported by 24NewsHD TV Channel. According to the channel, two flights to and from Lahore were canceled, and nine flights experienced delays. The canceled flights were: Airblue flight PA 401 from Lahore to Karachi Airblue flight PA 402 from Karachi to Lahore The delayed flights included: Serene Air flight ER 723 from Lahore to Dubai, delayed by 11 hours PK 609 to Gilgit, delayed by 2 hours PA 405 from Lahore to Karachi, was delayed by 1 hour and 45 minutes…

South Africa defeated the co-hosts West Indies by 3 wickets in a last 0ver thriller during the ongoing Super 8s stage of the T20 World Cup 2024. This triumph marks their seventh consecutive win in the tournament, securing them a spot in the semi-finals for the first time since 2014. These seven consecutive victories are the highest number of wins any team has achieved in a single T20 World Cup. The South African team displayed exceptional prowess throughout the match, showcasing their dominance in both batting and bowling. This remarkable streak has been a testament to their consistent performance and…

The Telecom Operators Association has made an urgent appeal to the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to abolish the Rs. 100-200 million fines on the telecom sector under the Federal Board of Revenue’s (FBR) Income Tax General Orders (ITGOs) against non-filers. In a letter, the association wrote the authorities to withdraw “punitive measures” proposed in the Finance Bill 2024-25. It also requested to review and abolish the 75 percent advance tax on mobile services for non-compliant non-filers. The association said the proposed fines of Rs. 100 million and Rs. 200 million every fortnight for ITGO implementation by the telecom sector,…

India will lock horns with Australia at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground, in St Lucia Stadium, this will be the last match of India’s Super 8s campaign, a team that has already qualified for the semifinals. Afghanistan defeated Australia in a shocking result by 21 runs while defending a target of 149. A result that has completely changed the complexion of the game. If Afghanistan beats Bangladesh in their last group game and India manages to defeat Australia in their final Super 8s game then this will be the first time in history that Afghanistan will qualify into the semi-finals.…

Ashura, which falls on Muharram 9 and 10, is expected to occur this year on Jul 16 and July 17, as per experts’ predictions shared on Sunday. This day holds significant reverence for Muslims, particularly among Shia communities, commemorating the martyrdom of Hazrat Imam Hussain (RA), the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Special preparations are made annually for this occasion, with the government implementing heightened security measures to ensure the safety of mourners, processions, and gatherings known as Majalis. Earlier, the federal government had included July 16 and July 17 as Ashura holidays in its list of public holidays for…

Finance Bill 2024 has empowered Inland Revenue officials to conduct an investigative audit of persons suspected to be involved in tax fraud. A former member of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) told ProPakistani that a major change having far-reaching consequences proposed in the Finance Bill 2024 is the introduction of the concept of Investigative Audit by insertion of a new section in the Sales Tax Act 1990. Previously, the law did not contain such a concept. A general and vague concept of Investigation and inquiry was included in Section 25 concerning audit. However, the terms were neither defined in…

All four provinces of Pakistan Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Sindh, and Balochistan have designated specific departments to serve as their provincial Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs). Sources told ProPakistani that Punjab has chosen the Punjab Information Technology Board (PITB) as its CERT, while Sindh has designated its Science Department. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has named the KP IT Board as its CERT, complementing the already active KP Computer Emergency Response Center (CERC). Balochistan has also selected its Science Department to handle its CERT responsibilities. Officials from the Ministry of IT and Telecom have confirmed that the provinces have communicated their choices and…

Cryptocurrencies had their second-worst weekly drop of 2024 as global investors cooled off their interests in Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The top 100 cryptocurrencies slid 5 percent over the past week, the market’s worst decline since April, Bloomberg reported. Bitcoin dropped below $63,000 on Monday, sliding to its lowest level since May. This comes as the crypto market continues to incur losses for the 6th consecutive day since last week due to massive confusion in US markets on whether the Federal Reserve would cut its key interest rate or not. Demand has dropped massively as a result as investors halt…

Pakistan loses Rs. 600 billion per year due to electricity theft, Energy Minister Owais Ahmad Laghari told a private news. He said many feeders requesting electricity are not metered, and illegal transformers are widespread, making it difficult to provide electricity without burdening consumers. He said there was 6,000 MW of surplus power available on Saturday which wasn’t distributed to avoid losing Rs. 2.5 billion. Breaking down the losses by region, Laghari noted an annual loss of Rs. 137 billion in PESCO and tribal areas. In Sindh, excluding Karachi, Rs. 51 billion worth of electricity is stolen each year, while Punjab…

Some years after side-stepping legacy media as the go-to source for news about current affairs, Pakistan’s digital media business is now facing an imminent collapse itself with generative artificial intelligence (AI) blowing away human resources in creating cutting-edge news reports. A former ProPakistani chief executive recently wrote about how digital publishers were finding it hard to sustain operations when catering to local readers only. In my view, those running local media businesses should learn to retain people, master the ads game, and navigate ways for perpetual survival. AI won’t stop due to its limitless feature to evolve at a frightening…