US President Donald Trump on Tuesday will soften the blow of his auto tariffs through an executive order mixing credits with relief from other levies on parts and materials, after automakers pressed their case with the administration. The changes to Trump’s 25% vehicle tariffs will provide auto companies with credits for up to 15% of the value of vehicles assembled domestically. These could be applied against the value of imported parts, allowing time to bring supply chains back home, a senior administration official said. A Commerce official said this would work out to allowing automakers to import duty-free…
Author: Web Desk
ChatGPT, the AI-powered chatbot developed by OpenAI, is expanding its capabilities into online shopping, a space long dominated by Google, Amazon, and traditional media review platforms, BBC News reported. The new feature will enable users to get personalised product recommendations, compare prices, read reviews, and access direct purchase links — all from within the chat interface. OpenAI clarified that the suggestions are not paid advertisements but are chosen independently using AI algorithms. The company, which gained global attention in 2022 for revolutionising artificial intelligence, says this shopping update is part of a broader enhancement to its search tool. Since launching…
Armed conflicts by virtue of their nature entail adverse economic repercussions, and a war between Pakistan and India is no different as it is set to have far-reaching consequences due to current economic conditions, global interdependence and the costs of modern warfare, The News reported on Wednesday. Dr Nadeem-ul-Haq, an eminent economist, former deputy chairman of the Planning Commission, ex-Vice Chancellor of PIDE and who has also worked at the IMF in various capacities, said that in the event of war, the economies of both Pakistan and India would suffer, as wars devastate economies with the possibility of New Delhi’s…
The bourse saw a sharp decline on Wednesday as geopolitical tensions escalated following a late-night warning from the federal government that India may launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours. The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at 111,326.57 points, plunging by 3,545.61 points or 3.09% from the previous close of 114,872.18. The market had hit an intraday low of 110,631.84 points, marking a steep fall of 4,240.34 points, or -3.69%. Even the session’s high of 114,066.12 reflected a decline of 806.06 points or 0.70%, underscoring the day’s bearish momentum. “The market is…
End power consumers are most likely to experience a hike in the rates, mainly in the head of Fuel Cost Adjustment (FCA) while the government is going to provide relief in electricity tariff by Rs7.41 per unit in May, The News reported. Due to lower water level in Tarbela and Mangla dams and dysfunctional Neelum-Jehlum project causing more reliance on costly thermal power generation, the likely hike in electricity rates is mainly because of less hydro generation in summer months. This has been communicated by General Manager of National Power Control Centre (NPCC) during a public hearing here Tuesday on…
Australia’s burrowing echidna evolved from a water-dwelling ancestor in an “extremely rare” biological event, scientists said Tuesday in a new study of the peculiar egg-laying mammals. With powerful digging claws, protective spikes and highly sensitive beaks, echidnas are well suited to a life shuffling through the forest undergrowth. But a team of Australian and international scientists believe many of the echidna’s unusual traits were first developed millions of years ago when its ancestors splashed through the water. “We’re talking about a semiaquatic mammal that gave up the water for a terrestrial existence,” said paleontologist Suzanne Hand, from the University of…
WhatsApp is developing a highly anticipated feature that will bring voice and video calling, which is exclusive to its native desktop applications for both Windows and macOS, directly to its web browser client. As this functionality is currently limited to users who download and install the app on their desktops, it often requires users to switch between platforms for seamless communication. However, the discovery of this in-development feature within recent WhatsApp Web beta updates signals a major step by the popular Meta-owned instant messaging app towards a more integrated user experience. For a long time, WhatsApp Web users have been…
China’s Shenzhou-19 crewed spacecraft landed in the north of the country on Wednesday, state broadcaster CCTV reported, after a one-day delay due to weather conditions at the landing site. The spacecraft and its three crew members were sent into space in October last year to work on China’s “Tiangong” permanently inhabited space station. Shenzhou crewed spaceflights have been a regular fixture of the country’s space programme for the past two decades and have increased in frequency in recent years after China officially completed “Tiangong” in November 2022. The rapid development of China’s manned and unmanned space programme has caused concern…
Social media behemoth Meta unveiled its first standalone AI assistant app on Tuesday as it tries to take on ChatGPT by giving users a direct path to its generative artificial intelligence models. “A billion people are using Meta AI across our apps now, so we made a new standalone Meta AI app for you to check out,” Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg said in a video posted on Instagram. Zuckerberg said the app “is designed to be your personal AI” and would be primarily accessed through voice conversations with the interactions personalized to the individual user. “We’re starting off…
Social media giant Meta announced on Tuesday the launch of its first standalone artificial intelligence (AI) assistant application aimed at further improving the user experience — a move also set to take on rival AI platforms such as ChatGPT and others. Meta CEO and founder Mark Zuckerberg took to social media and shared a post on his Instagram account saying that the AI application could be accessed via voice conversations with the interactions personalized to the individual user. With the ever-evolving and dynamic field of AI bringing various changes to how we use technology in our daily lives, let’s dive…
