A week-long anti-polio vaccination campaign begins across the country on Monday. During the drive, field teams of the health department will go door to door to administer anti-polio vaccine drops to over 45 million children under the age of five years. Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif formally launched the anti-polio campaign by administering polio drops to children in Lahore Sunday. Pakistan launched its second national anti-polio campaign of the year, aiming to immunize over 45 million children under the age of five. The week-long drive, running from April 21 to 27, is being carried out in all provinces, with more…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Dubai’s property market has achieved record-breaking sales in the first quarter of 2025. A total of 45,474 property transactions worth AED142.7 billion (over USD 38 billion) were recorded in the first three months of the year. According to real estate data, these figures show a 22% increase in the number of deals and a 30% rise in value compared to the same period last year. High Demand for Ready Properties The market for ready properties, including homes, apartments, and buildings, performed exceptionally well. There were 20,034 transactions worth AED 87.5 billion (around USD 25 billion). This marks a 21% increase…
Although trade ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are showing signs of revival, Afghanistan’s transit trade via Pakistan has collapsed by 84% in the wake of Pakistan’s sweeping anti-smuggling crackdown, The News reported on Monday. The latest data from the Customs department reveals that bilateral goods trade has soared by 27% to $1.575 billion during July–March of the current fiscal year (2024-25), according to the latest data from Customs. This resurgence is largely fuelled by a 33% increase in Pakistan’s exports, which reached $1.05 billion, signalling renewed demand for Pakistani goods across the border. Afghanistan, in turn, ramped up its exports…
The bourse extended its bullish run on Monday, with investor sentiment buoyed by a series of strong economic signals, including a record current account surplus, Fitch’s credit rating upgrade, and easing external financing pressures. Momentum from last week’s rally continued as expectations of an interest rate cut by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), falling global oil prices, and progress on circular debt reforms kept buying interest high across sectors. The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 Index surged to an intraday high of 118,827.47, up 1,511.89 points, or 1.29%, over the previous close of 117,315.58. The session’s low was…
In a global first, over 20 humanoid robots participated in a half-marathon in Beijing on Saturday, but despite impressive technological advancements, they were no match for their human counterparts over the 21-kilometer distance. The race, held in Beijing’s southeastern Yizhuang district, highlighted China’s progress in humanoid robotics as the nation aims to bridge the gap with Western countries in this rapidly evolving field. Robots from various universities and tech companies lined up alongside more than 12,000 human participants, seeking to test their running capabilities on a demanding course. While the robots’ performances were technologically noteworthy, they struggled to keep pace…
While a 70th birthday might typically involve cake, gifts, and a quiet celebration at home, the oldest serving astronaut at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Don Pettit, celebrated his milestone while descending towards Earth inside a spacecraft. A Soyuz capsule, carrying Pettit along with Russian cosmonauts Alexei Ovchinin and Ivan Vagner, touched down in Kazakhstan on Sunday—coinciding with Pettit’s 70th birthday. The team concluded a seven-month mission aboard the International Space Station (ISS), during which they spent 220 days in orbit. Throughout the mission, the crew orbited Earth 3,520 times and travelled a total of 93.3 million miles.…
According to Mark Gurman of Bloomberg, Apple is currently developing two new versions of its Vision Pro headset. The technology giant appears to be addressing significant criticisms of its first-generation spatial computing device, while also expanding the product line with specialized variations. Gurman disclosed in his latest Power On newsletter that Apple is working on a less expensive version of the Vision Pro that will also be lighter than the current model. The initial headset, which debuted in 2024 for $3,299, was criticized for its high price and substantial weight of approximately 650 grams (nearly 1 kilogram with the external…
Donald Trump’s hypothetical first 100 days back in the US presidency have been marked by his characteristic ability to shock—and sometimes entertain—with provocative remarks. From self-aggrandizing statements to scathing criticisms of American allies, here are some of Trump’s most notable quotes from this hypothetical period: ‘I was saved by God to make America great again’ Trump, on his first day back in office, framed himself as a messianic figure, recounting to US lawmakers his survival of an alleged assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania campaign event the previous year. ‘A dictator without elections’ The president’s sharp rebuke of Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing…
Pope Francis died on Monday at the age of 88, a day after his much-anticipated appearance at Saint Peter’s Square on Easter Sunday, the Vatican announced in a statement. “Dearest brothers and sisters, it is with deep sorrow that I must announce the death of our Holy Father Francis,” Cardinal Kevin Farrell said in the statement released by the Vatican on its Telegram channel. “This morning at 7:35am the Bishop of Rome, Francis, returned to the home of the Father. His entire life was dedicated to the service of the Lord and His church.” Francis’s death occurred just a day…
Pope Francis, who passed away on Monday at the age of 88, will be remembered as a transformative pontiff, a champion of the marginalized, who reshaped the Catholic Church with compassion while navigating the complexities of centuries-old dogma. Dubbed “the people’s Pope,” the Argentine pontiff cherished his connection with the faithful and enjoyed widespread popularity, though he faced staunch opposition from traditionalists within the Church. The first pope from the Americas and the Southern Hemisphere, he ardently defended the most vulnerable, from migrants to communities ravaged by climate change, which he consistently framed as a human-caused crisis. While he confronted…
