The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has refuted media claims suggesting that the expiration of long-distance international (LDI) licences could lead to the closure of automated teller machines (ATMs) and a telecom blackout in the country. The LDI licences, which are crucial for managing international telecom call services, are set to expire between July and August 2024. The operators involved include Worldcall, Redtone, ADG-LDI, Telecard, Dancom, Wisecomm, Circlenet, Wateen, 4B-Gentel, and Multinet. Many of these operators have not settled their overdue payments for the Universal Service Fund (USF), totaling Rs24 billion. Earlier media reports cited concerns from a PTA meeting on…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
SAN FRANCISCO: Meta announced on Friday that it had issued warnings to US presidential campaigns about a hacking attempt linked to Iran, detected via the WhatsApp messaging service. This update follows similar warnings from Google and Microsoft, which had also reported Iran-related hacking attempts targeting political figures ahead of the November election between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. Meta’s statement revealed that WhatsApp accounts associated with an Iranian “threat actor” had been sending messages impersonating technical support from major companies like AOL, Google, Yahoo, or Microsoft. These malicious activities targeted individuals in Israel, Palestine, Iran, the…
WASHINGTON: NASA has decided that the two US astronauts who flew to the International Space Station (ISS) in June aboard Boeing’s troubled Starliner capsule will return to Earth on a SpaceX spacecraft early next year. NASA officials announced on Saturday that Starliner’s propulsion system issues pose too great a risk for the return journey. Veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, both former military test pilots, became the first crew to fly on Starliner when it launched on June 5 for what was planned as an eight-day test mission. However, the capsule experienced significant propulsion problems within the first 24…
BRIGHTON: Joao Pedro’s header in the 95th minute delivered a dramatic 2-1 win for Brighton over Manchester United on Saturday, giving 31-year-old boss Fabian Hurzeler a perfect start to his Premier League tenure at home. United seemed set to salvage a point when Amad Diallo’s deflected shot equalized Danny Welbeck’s first-half opener for Brighton. However, the visitors’ hopes of a win were dashed as Alejandro Garnacho’s effort, which had clipped team-mate Joshua Zirkzee (who was offside), was ruled out. Brighton now have a perfect six points from their opening two games under Hurzeler, with Pedro heading in Simon Adingra’s cross…
RAWALPINDI: Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim delivered a remarkable innings of 191 on the fourth day of the first Test, offering Bangladesh a glimmer of hope for a historic win over Pakistan. Rahim’s outstanding performance anchored Bangladesh’s first-innings total of 565, their highest ever against Pakistan, securing a crucial first-innings lead of 117 runs. At stumps on the fourth day, Pakistan was 23-1 in their second innings, trailing by 94 runs after declaring their first innings at 448-6. The hosts lost opener Saim Ayub early, caught behind by wicketkeeper Liton Das off Shoriful Islam. Bangladesh, with a history of losing 12…
MANCHESTER: England clinched a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka on the fourth day of the first Test at Old Trafford, thanks to a steady 64-run partnership between Joe Root and Jamie Smith. Despite a shaky start to their chase of a modest 205, England was anchored by Root, who scored 62 not out, and Smith, who contributed 39 before being bowled by Asitha Fernando. England had lost Ben Duckett early and captain Ollie Pope soon after, both dismissed for small scores. Dan Lawrence was also out for 34, trapped lbw by Milan Rathnayake. Harry Brook’s 32 and his partnership with…
LONDON: Manchester United suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat against Brighton & Hove Albion, while Erling Haaland’s hat-trick guided Premier League champions Manchester City to a 4-1 triumph over Ipswich Town on Saturday. At the Amex Stadium, Joao Pedro’s stoppage-time header sealed Brighton’s victory after Manchester United had equalized through Amad Diallo. United had earlier conceded to Danny Welbeck’s 32nd-minute goal, which came from Kaoru Mitoma’s cross. Despite Diallo’s equalizer, which was deflected in off Brighton’s Jan Paul van Hecke, United saw a late goal by Alejandro Garnacho ruled out for offside by VAR. Pedro’s header from Simon Adingra’s cross secured…
RAWALPINDI: Veteran batter Mushfiqur Rahim delivered a remarkable innings of 191 on Saturday, propelling Bangladesh to a record total and giving them a strong chance of securing their first-ever Test victory against Pakistan at the Pindi Cricket Stadium. Rahim’s outstanding performance, which set multiple records, helped Bangladesh amass a formidable 565 all out in their first innings, taking a vital 117-run lead over Pakistan, who had declared their first innings at 448-6. Bangladesh’s previous highest Test score against Pakistan was 555-6, achieved in Khulna in 2015. At the end of the fourth day, Pakistan’s second innings was 23 for one,…
KARACHI: The government plans to borrow Rs5.6 trillion from banks between August and October, highlighting severe liquidity issues despite setting an ambitious revenue target for the current fiscal year. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has outlined the government’s strategy to raise Rs5.59 trillion through Treasury Bills (T-bills) and Pakistan Investment Bonds (PIBs) over the next three months. Of this, Rs3.435 trillion will come from T-bills and Rs2.16 trillion from PIBs. Government debt has surged dramatically over the past five years, consuming a large portion of the revenue generated. For the fiscal year 2024-25, the government has allocated Rs9.775 trillion…
KARACHI: The stock market ended the week positively, with the benchmark KSE 100 index climbing by 756 points, or 0.97%, to close at 78,801.42. This gain came despite ongoing political tensions and a delay in the approval of the $7 billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), which was initially reached in July. Market sentiments were initially affected by Pakistan’s exclusion from the IMF Executive Board’s meeting agenda for August 28, raising concerns about the disbursement of the next tranche. However, optimism grew midweek when the finance minister announced progress with the IMF, suggesting that approval…
