The equity market experienced a surge on Tuesday, driven by elevated assurances of economic stability, expectations of policy easing, and strong anticipated corporate earnings. The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index closed at an all-time high of 139,419.61, marking an increase of 1,202.03 points, or 0.87%, from its previous close of 138,217.58. During the trading session, the index initially climbed to an intraday high of 139,901.77, gaining 1,684.19 points (1.22%), before retracting slightly to a low of 138,197.81, down 19.77 points (0.01%). “Stocks are trading at a new all-time high after business leaders’ meeting with Field Marshal Munir assured…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
The government is moving to gradually eliminate the protected electricity consumer category, a senior official informed lawmakers on Tuesday. This change aims to replace existing subsidized tariffs with direct cash transfers for low-income households, starting in 2027. During a briefing to the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Dr. Muhammad Fakhr Alam Irfan, the Power Division Secretary, told members that currently, 58% of electricity consumers in Pakistan utilize 200 units or less per month and receive up to a 60% subsidy on their bills. He also noted that the number of protected consumers has increased by 5 million over the past few…
At least 19 individuals were killed when a Bangladesh Air Force training aircraft crashed into a college and school campus in the capital city of Dhaka on Monday, a fire services official reported. Over 50 people, including both children and adults, were hospitalized with burn injuries, a doctor from the National Institute of Burn and Plastic Surgery informed reporters. Officials confirmed that the incident occurred at the Milestone School and College, located in the northern Uttara area of Dhaka. “Bangladesh Air Force’s F-7 BGI training aircraft crashed in Uttara. The aircraft took off at 13:06 [local time],” the military’s public…
President Volodymyr Zelensky has announced that Ukraine and Russia are set to meet again for peace negotiations on Wednesday in Istanbul. This declaration follows two previous rounds that failed to halt the conflict, yet optimism persists for potential progress. A Turkish government spokesperson confirmed that the talks will take place in Istanbul, the same location as earlier negotiations in May and June that yielded no significant breakthroughs. Zelensky’s announcement came just hours after the Kremlin downplayed expectations of any major success, and despite increased pressure from US President Donald Trump, who has given Russia a 50-day deadline to agree on…
At least 27 people, predominantly children, were killed after a Bangladeshi fighter jet crashed into a school in the capital city of Dhaka, a government official confirmed on Tuesday, revising an earlier count of at least 20 fatalities. Most of the victims were schoolchildren who had just been dismissed from class when the Chinese-made F-7 BJI aircraft tragically impacted the Milestone School and College on Monday. The accident, which marks the country’s deadliest aviation disaster in decades, also resulted in over 170 injuries. Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, stated,…
Iran’s foreign minister, speaking ahead of renewed talks with European powers, stated that the country has no intention of abandoning its nuclear program, including uranium enrichment, despite the “severe” damage inflicted on its facilities by recent US strikes. Iran is scheduled to convene with Britain, France, and Germany in Istanbul on Friday to discuss its nuclear program. Tehran has accused European powers of undermining the landmark 2015 nuclear deal. This upcoming meeting marks the first since Iran’s 12-day conflict with Israel last month, during which the United States carried out strikes against Tehran’s nuclear sites. “For now, enrichment is stopped…
China has commenced construction on what it asserts will be the world’s most extensive hydropower project, a monumental undertaking valued at $170 billion, projected to generate sufficient electricity annually to power the United Kingdom. This ambitious scheme significantly surpasses the mighty Three Gorges Dam, currently the largest in the world. Following Premier Li Qiang’s unveiling of the project, Chinese construction and engineering stocks experienced a notable surge. For Beijing, this endeavor promises clean energy, job creation, and a vital economic impetus for a decelerating economy. However, for downstream nations, it rekindles lingering anxieties about water security: the Yarlung Zangbo transforms…
On Monday, two organizations instrumental in uncovering the campaign reported a serious cyber attack targeting Microsoft’s SharePoint server software, affecting approximately 100 organizations. This breach, discovered over the weekend, is part of a broader hacking campaign that has triggered global concern. Microsoft had issued an alert on Saturday about “active attacks” on self-hosted SharePoint servers, which are widely used by organizations for internal document sharing and collaboration. SharePoint instances running on Microsoft’s own servers were unaffected. Dubbed a “zero-day” due to its exploitation of a previously undisclosed digital vulnerability, these hacks allow threat actors to penetrate vulnerable servers and potentially…
Alphabet’s Google and OpenAI have announced that their artificial-intelligence (AI) models won gold medals at a global mathematics competition, signaling a breakthrough in math capabilities in the race to build systems that can rival human intelligence. These results mark the first time that AI systems have crossed the gold medal scoring threshold at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) for high-school students. Both companies’ models successfully solved five out of six problems. This achievement was made using general-purpose “reasoning” models that processed mathematical concepts using natural language, a significant departure from previous approaches employed by AI firms. While Google DeepMind collaborated…
Jennifer Love Hewitt recently shared insights into her involvement in planning the return of her character, Julie James, for the I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel. In a recent conversation with Variety, the 48-year-old actress expressed her enthusiasm for helping to redefine her iconic role, nearly 30 years after first portraying Julie James. Hewitt noted that she brought her extensive experience and insights to ensure Julie’s return in the horror movie felt authentic and impactful. In the original 1997 film, Julie was a scared teenager. However, in the latest sequel, she has evolved into a trauma professor who…
