KARACHI – The political rupture between Pakistan’s two largest political entities, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), escalated sharply on Sunday as a senior PPP minister accused the Punjab government of undermining their central coalition partner. Sharjeel Inam Memon, Sindh’s Senior Minister, alleged during a press conference in Karachi that while the Punjab government was “indirectly targeting” the PPP, their “actual target is the federal government.” The PPP, which governs Sindh, and the PML-N, which leads the ruling coalition in Islamabad, have been embroiled in a public war of words over issues ranging from flood…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Indian student’s American dream shattered in Texas shooting — young doctor killed while working night shift, suspect in custody By Raja Zahid Akhtar Khanzada Fort Worth (Texas): Another dream drowned in blood, another mother’s son silenced forever in a foreign land. A young Indian doctor, Chandrashekar Pole, who came to the United States in pursuit of higher education and a brighter future, was shot dead on Friday night while working at a gas station in Fort Worth. The tragic incident occurred at the Fort Worth Express Gas Station on Eastchase Parkway, when an armed assailant opened fire during a reported…
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani smartphone market is highly competitive in the PKR 32,000 to 34,000 price bracket, with two models standing out: the Redmi 15C and the TECNO Spark 40. While both promise good performance at an affordable price, their strategic focus differs significantly. Redmi prioritizes raw endurance via battery size and screen real estate, whereas TECNO aims for a more balanced and feature-rich user experience. The Battery and Charging Trade-off The Redmi 15C features a massive 6000mAh battery supported by 33W charging. This ensures exceptional longevity but necessitates longer waiting times for a full recharge. In contrast, the…
Xiaomi has significantly expanded its premium product portfolio with the simultaneous launch of the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro tablets, unveiled alongside the Xiaomi 17 series smartphones. While both devices share a cohesive design language, they are distinct in terms of raw performance, camera specifications, and charging speeds, setting the stage for a strong challenge in the high-end tablet segment. The tablets have been announced in China, with an anticipated global release to follow. Display and Design Excellence Both the Xiaomi Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro feature a striking 11.2-inch LCD display that delivers a 3.2K…
LOS ANGELES: Snap Inc., the company behind the Snapchat platform, has announced a significant policy shift regarding its popular Memories feature, eliminating the unlimited free storage option that has been available to users since 2016. Under the new terms, users will now be restricted to a maximum of 5GB of free storage for their saved photos and videos. While Snap asserts that the vast majority of its user base consumes significantly less than this amount, the decision has been met with considerable backlash, as it places a paywall on highly personal digital archives that were previously free. Critics also fear…
DUBLIN: WhatsApp, the world’s leading messaging platform, has begun rolling out a new feature designed to streamline user interaction, allowing individuals to initiate a chat with just a single tap directly from the status viewers list. The move significantly accelerates the speed of spontaneous communication on the platform. Now, when a user views a status update, a dedicated chat button will appear next to their name. This crucial shortcut makes it possible to message the viewer instantly without exiting the status screen. Previously, the process required users to navigate away from the status view, find the contacts in the chats…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s newly enacted National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy is positioned as a critical driver for future economic growth, with projections suggesting it could boost the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 7 to 12% and generate close to one million new jobs by 2030. The optimistic assessment was shared by Dr. Anil Salman, Chair of the government’s AI Policy Committee, at a major policy seminar. Policy Vision and Scope Speaking at a seminar organized by the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), Dr. Salman characterized the policy as bold, ethical, and transformative, emphasizing its inclusive vision aimed at driving…
GLOBAL WEATHER WATCH: The first Supermoon of 2025 is scheduled to grace the skies on October 7, promising a spectacular celestial display for stargazers across the globe. During this event, the full moon will reach the closest point to Earth in its orbit, causing it to appear an impressive 14% larger and 30% brighter than an average full moon. Known scientifically as a perigee syzygy, the phenomenon is commonly called a Supermoon. This occurrence takes place when the moon’s elliptical orbit brings it into unusually close proximity to our planet. This year’s October Supermoon will be approximately 224,599 miles from…
SAN FRANCISCO: OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is set to introduce critical new controls within its AI video-generating tool, Sora, that will allow content rights holders to dictate how their characters are used. The move is a direct response to mounting pressure over intellectual property rights, with the company also planning to share revenue with those who permit such AI-driven creation. The announcement came from Chief Executive Sam Altman on his blog on Friday, where he stated that the artificial intelligence firm will provide rights holders with “more granular control over generation of characters.” Altman confirmed that options for copyright…
ISLAMABAD: Meta has announced the rollout of the Instagram Map feature in Pakistan, offering users a new, interactive means to discover localized content and enhance social connection. The launch emphasizes the platform’s commitment to user control by incorporating strong privacy safeguards as a core component of the experience. The latest feature, announced on October 4th, is directly accessible at the top of users’ Direct Message (DM) inboxes. The new functionality allows Pakistanis to share their location and explore Stories, Reels, Posts, and Notes with location tags. This makes it easier to find out what friends and favourite creators are sharing…
