ISLAMABAD: The government is contemplating launching 5G services could be further delayed by more than a year due to prolonged court cases. The spectrum auction has already been pending for several years for the same reason. According to the details available from the Economic Advisory Wing of the Ministry of Finance, the IT ministry has stated that groundwork is being set to make Pakistan a global digital player, and the Advisory Committee for the launch of 5G has already been constituted under the finance minister. The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) was currently in the process of hiring consultants for the 5G spectrum…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: The ruling PML-N on Wednesday held a special meeting at the Sharifs’ estate in Jati Umra to review budget preparations for the upcoming fiscal year, where it decided to prepare the financial plan in line with the demands of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and also discussed proposals for “drastic” cuts in government expenditure. The ‘people-friendly’ budget envisaged by the ruling party, however, might be delayed to the second week of June as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be visiting China on June 4-8, making the presentation of the federal budget on the scheduled date of June 7 unfeasible. The federal budget has…
KARACHI: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has announced a $180 million project to restore forests, drains and roads in the coastal areas of Sindh. According to a statement released by the Sindh ministry of irrigation and food, the project aims at protecting the coastal areas, providing employment opportunities for the local population and ensuring sustainable economic development. The project was announced during a meeting between Sindh Minister for Irrigation and Food Jam Khan Shoro and a delegation from the ADB led by Dr David Freuilich. “The ADB is committed to supporting Pakistan in addressing environmental pollution, promoting food security, agricultural…
ISLAMABAD: Attributing easing of inflationary pressures to robust agriculture output, lower fuel prices and high base effect of last year, the government on Wednesday promised strong commitment ahead of the next year budget to strengthening of public finances through reforms and initiatives on both revenue and expenditure sides, supported by the next three-year IMF bailout programme. The inflation outlook continues “on a downward trajectory, attributed to elevated inflation levels previous year and improvements in domestic supply chain of perishable items, staple food like wheat and reduction in transportation costs”, the Ministry of Finance said on Wednesday in its monthly Economic Update &…
Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday made only marginal gains of nearly 42 points amid uncertainty regarding the upcoming budget. The KSE-100 index stood at 75,021.59, gaining 185.29, or 0.25 per cent, at 11:34am from the previous close of 74,836.30. However, the index failed to hold the gains and closed at 74,878.12, up by only 41.82 points, or 0.06pc, from the previous close. Shahab Farooq, director of research at Next Capital Limited, attributed the initial upward trajectory to expectations of a drop in inflation for May and decline in T-Bills cut-off yields in auction yesterday “fueling optimism…
TOKYO: The world’s first wooden satellite has been built by Japanese researchers who said their tiny cuboid craft will be blasted off on a SpaceX rocket in September. Each side of the experimental satellite developed by scientists at Kyoto University and logging company Sumitomo Forestry measures just 10 centimetres (four inches). The creators expect the wooden material will burn up completely when the device re-enters the atmosphere — potentially providing a way to avoid the generation of metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth. These metal particles could have a negative impact on the environment and telecommunications, the…
MEXICO CITY: Clashes broke out on Tuesday between police and protesters outside the Israeli embassy in Mexico, rallying against the country’s military offensive in the southern Gazan city of Rafah, journalists said. Some protesters covered their faces and threw stones at riot police who blocked their path to the diplomatic complex in the city’s Lomas de Chapultepec neighborhood. Around 200 people joined the “Urgent action for Rafah” demonstration, about 30 of whom started to break down barriers preventing them from reaching the Israeli mission. Police officers deployed tear gas and threw back the stones hurled at them by protesters. The…
LONDON: Britain’s first Black woman lawmaker, Diane Abbott, said on Wednesday she was dismayed the opposition Labour Party looked set to bar her as an election candidate over comments she made over a year ago about Jews and racism. Abbott, 70, is Britain’s longest-serving Black member of parliament. First elected in 1987, she is a leading figure on Labour’s left wing and has campaigned on such issues as racism, poverty and international affairs. Abbott was suspended by Labour last year after saying Jews did not face racism all their lives. She said she had been reinstated but the Times newspaper…
UNITED NATIONS: Israel must do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza and should “remove all barriers to the flow of aid at scale through all crossings and routes” into the enclave, the United States told the UN Security Council on Wednesday. “The continued pattern of significant civilian harm resulting from incidents like Sunday’s airstrikes undermines Israel’s strategic goals in Gaza,” deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood told the 15-member council. An airstrike on Sunday set off a blaze in a tent camp in Rafah in southern Gaza, killing at least 45 people. Israel — a US ally —…
STOCKHOLM: Swedish police on Wednesday said they were investigating a hate crime after an unidentified person dumped a dead boar outside a mosque in southern Sweden overnight. Police wrote on their website that the mosque “had a pig thrown at its facade”. “The complaint is being classified as agitation against an ethnic group, but other suspicions may arise later,” police said. The head of the foundation that runs the mosque in Skovde, Smajo Sahat, said that it was later established that the dead animal was a wild boar. “I came this morning and saw it, it was dead,” he said.…
