Author: newsdesk

  • Google announces launch of 8gbps internet service

    Google announces launch of 8gbps internet service

    Google Fiber’s unexpected return will result in a significant increase in internet speeds. Google has disclosed that it will offer 5 Gbps and 8 Gbps subscriptions in early 2023.

    Symmetric upload and download rates, a WiFi 6 router, and up to two mesh network extenders will be included in both levels. According to the corporation, the changes should aid in large file transfers while minimising lag and jittering.

    Customers in Kansas City and Utah can test the faster plans as early as November if they sign up to become ‘trusted’ testers. If they qualify, Google will ask how they intend to use the additional bandwidth, according to The Verge.

    This is a significant improvement over Google’s previous-best 2 Gbps service, which was introduced in 2020, and it might make a significant impact if you’re a gamer or rely on cloud computing. If a 150 GB Microsoft Flight Simulator download takes 11 minutes at 2 Gbps, the 8 Gbps plan might reduce that time to under three minutes under perfect conditions.

    It certainly makes ordinary cable internet plans appear costly. Comcast, for example, already provides 6 Gbps service in select regions, but it costs $300 per month on contract and does not yet provide symmetric uploads.

    In any case, the new plans are a statement of intent. Along with the first network additions in five years, the faster speeds indicate that Google is returning to Fiber’s beginnings. That is, it is raising expectations for truly fast internet access while also (to some extent) increasing competition among incumbent providers.

    Of course, this might help Google promote its other services, but you might not mind if it offers telcos an extra incentive to push out ’10G’ and other comparable upgrades sooner than they otherwise would.

  • Hadiqa Kiani shares her feelings in a heartfelt note after her mother passes away

    Hadiqa Kiani shares her feelings in a heartfelt note after her mother passes away

    Singer and actor Hadiqa Kiani mother Khawar Kiani, who was also a renowned poetess, has passed away.

    The announcement came out through Hadiqa’s personal Instagram, which read: “Mother, grandmother, and poetess Khawar Kiani passed away peacefully at her home today, surrounded by her family and friends. We ask everyone to please respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time.”

    As soon as the news broke out, many actors from the entertainment industry mourned Hadiqa’s loss. Actor Omair Rana wrote: “My deepest Deepest condolences Hadiqa Jee. I pray Allah grants you the Sabr needed at this time.” Whereas, Muniba Mazari commented: “Meri piyari Ammi! Inna Lillahi wa ilayhi raji’un!.”

    Actress Sakina Samo also payed her condolences on the Instagram post.

    Khawar Kiani was a well-known poetess, who wrote some very famous hit Pakistani songs including Boohey Barian, Intehai Shauq, Aas Pass and the Cricket World Cup 1999 anthem. She also wrote numerous critically acclaimed books.

    Last year Hadiqa posted a long note in which she appreciated the government’s new policy related to allowing children of single mothers eligible to acquire CNIC without father’s information.

    In a ruling, the Sindh High Court (SHC) has ordered the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) to issue a Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) to a woman who didn’t know about her father’s whereabouts, reported Samaa.

    The Zindagi Gulzar Hai singer stated: “Only Allah knows the hardships a single mother faces in our country. Today I have been sent so many clips from my conversation with Sameena Peerzada regarding only the surface of those hard realities but today our country has taken one step forward. I am so grateful to the courageous men and women who fought to make this change. Let’s continue on the right path, let’s make a stronger and safer Pakistan.”  

    Hadiqa adopted her son Naad-E-Ali in 2005 from Edhi Foundation and has raised her child as a single mother.

  • Syra Yousuf opens up about Nooreh’s bond with half-sister Zahra

    Syra Yousuf opens up about Nooreh’s bond with half-sister Zahra

    Actor Syra Yousuf appeared on Pyar Zindagi Aur Karachi for Fuchsia Magazine where she and the host strolled through Karachi, talking about their earliest memories of famous landmarks, and food items as well as how life has been for both of them. As they started their mini trip, Yousuf shared a lot about Karachi’s famous food places, her life as a teen, and her routine with Nooreh.

    Then came a much-pondered question about Nooreh’s bond with the latest addition to the Sabzwari family, her younger sister Zahra.

    “You know all of her friends have siblings and even Alishba [Yousuf’s eldest sister], she has two kids, so she has seen siblings everywhere and she wanted one. So when Zahra was born she was on top of the world and it’s lovely to see, it makes me very happy to see her feel that way towards [her sister],” the Sinf-e-Aahan actor said.

    When the host brought up videos that show Nooreh’s bond with the newborn, Yousuf added that she’s glad those videos steered clear of all forms of negativity. “I don’t think we should pollute the minds of children. They are innocent, they are pure and we should keep it that way,” Yousuf added.

    Yousuf also shared that she wants to do a TV drama and is currently in the process of reading different scripts. “I’ll be very honest, I’ve come to the conclusion that dramas and films take a lot of time. There are grueling working hours, it takes a lot of time. I’m not going to pick up crappy scripts just because I have to be on screen. I’m a mother, I’d much rather spend time with my child. Till I don’t get a good script until I don’t feel like this is what I want to give my time to, I don’t see why I should pick a script.”

    When asked if she’d be absent from the screen for long because of these scripts, Yousuf said people “should be able to accommodate each other” because she’s a single mother and cannot leave her daughter for days on end.

    Earlier this year, the Mera Naseeb star spoke about her widely speculated divorce with Shahroz Sabzwari, the media’s insensitive coverage of the issue, and how she battled with that phase in a recent interview.

    She also revealed how her personal life was sensationalised across the board, with her divorce being highlighted in the media repeatedly. Syra shared, “I don’t feel betrayed because I didn’t expect much. But I do find it very insensitive because where you are recycling a story and making connections again and again for the sake of likes and numbers, it’s very important for you to understand that someone else is actually living through what you are constantly talking about.” 

    Syra Spotted with Shahroz On Sets of New Film In a Viral Video - Lens

    She elaborated further, “For me, it was my life in real-time, and I was experiencing it already, and that kind of bombardment from the industry, I feel like it was insensitive. Personal lives should stay personal, and if you do end up finding something out from some source, there’s a way to put it out there.” 

    Speaking about how, initially, the media storm made her feel vulnerable, the Project Ghazi star added, “I felt very exposed. I just kept wondering when people would stop talking about it so that I could process it on my own.”

    However, the actor explained how she found light at the end of the tunnel, sharing, “I feel like in shutting out the outside world, I had the opportunity to go inwards. So, sometimes uncomfortable situations can actually help you end up in a better place.” 

    Syra and Shahroz tied the knot in 2012 after a long on-off relationship that began in 2006. The celebrity couple separated in late 2019 and later confirmed their divorce in February 2020. The very same year later, Shahroz tied the knot with model Sadaf Kanwal.

    Sadaf Kanwal And Shahroz Sabzwari At The Set Of GMP - Xoom

    On the work front, Syra was last seen in ARY’s Sinf-e-Aahan, written by Umera Ahmed and helmed by Nadeem Baig.

    Sinf-e-Naazuk to Sinf-e-Aahan: Sajal, Yumna, Syra, Kubra & Ramsha unite for mega project
  • Pakistan to summon US Ambassador for demarche over Biden’s nukes remark: FM Bilawal

    Pakistan to summon US Ambassador for demarche over Biden’s nukes remark: FM Bilawal

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday said that the incumbent government has decided to summon United States (US) Ambassador Donald Blome for an official demarche on US President Joe Biden’s remarks on Pakistan’s nuclear weapons.

    In a press conference at the Bilawal House in Karachi today, he went on to say that Pakistan had nothing to do with Biden’s statement. “We will call their ambassador and issue a demarche, but I don’t think this was an official function […] it wasn’t an address to the parliament or an interview.”

    “It was a fundraiser […] it was an untraditional conversation in which this sentence was used so it should be [looked at] in this manner, I think we will look at this statement in this way,” he elaborated.

    However, at the same time, Bilawal said that the nation should desist from “getting into conspiracy theories”.

    The foreign minister said that Pakistan’s nuclear assets “meet each and every international standard in accordance with the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) as far as security and safety is concerned”.

    “Pakistan is adamant about ensuring its integrity and safety. Security questions, if any, should be raised on the nuclear weapons of India that recently fired a missile into Pakistani territory by accident,” he observed. Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also stated that, “This is not only irresponsible and unsafe but raises genuine and serious concerns about the safety of nuclear-capable countries,” he pointed out.

    “I am surprised by the remarks of President Biden […] I believe this is exactly the sort of misunderstanding that is created when there is a lack of engagement,” he said.

    Bilawal responds to Khan’s remarks on the government’s failed foreign policy

    Bilawal said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was a liar and it was the government’s responsibility to expose his reality in front of the nation.

    The FM claimed that Khan failed to fulfill any of the promises he made to the people. Bilawal criticised Khan’s foreign policy, claiming that it created huge losses for the country and he compromised Pakistan’s bilateral ties with friendly countries.

    “Today, we are trying to correct that loss […] we will have to work hard but I’m satisfied that the direction of our foreign policy is now right.”

    Going on, he recalled that Imran has passed “irresponsible statements” on the country’s nuclear assets in the past. “When he had to leave the prime minister’s seat, he publicly said that it was better that an atomic bomb was dropped on Pakistan. Find me one example in world history, where a person who is a former premier, says such things about his own country,” he said.

    It is pertinent to mention here that US President Joe Biden has said that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.

    The remark came about during the US president’s address at a democratic congressional campaign committee reception.

  • US officials take notice Ishaq Dar’s heckling incident at airport

    The Foreign Office (FO) of Pakistan said that United States (US) officials had taken notice of an incident in which Finance Minister (FM) Ishaq Dar was heckled at the Dulles International Airport in Washington DC.

    FO Spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmad recalled the time when Saudi authorities raised the issue when the government delegation was targeted by certain individuals during the visit.

    On Thursday, Dar was harassed at the airport and people can be heard chanting “chor”. This was followed by an exchange of abusive words from both sides.

    Dar is currently in the US on a four-day visit to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.

    It is pertinent to mention that this is not the first time that a Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader has been harassed.

    Prior to this incident, Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb was heckled and harassed by a group of PML-N’s political opponents in London while she was in a coffee shop.

    In July, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal was harassed by a group of PTI supporters when he went to a restaurant in Pakistan.

  • Pakistan may be ‘one of the most dangerous nations in the world’, says US President

    Pakistan may be ‘one of the most dangerous nations in the world’, says US President

    President of the United States of America (USA), Joe Biden, has said that Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”.

    The remark came during the US president’s address at a democratic congressional campaign committee reception.

    What did the US President say?

    “Did anybody think we’d be in a situation where China is trying to figure out its role relative to Russia and relative to India and relative to Pakistan,” the American President asked during his speech at the reception.

    Talking about his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, the US president termed him as a man who knew what he wanted but had an “enormous” array of problems.

    “How do we handle that? How do we handle that relative to what’s going on in Russia? And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden said, adding that despite a lot going on, the US has a hunk of opportunities to change the dynamic in the second quarter of the 21st century.

    Reactions to the US President’s statement:

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif reacting to US President’s statement said that Pakistan rejects the remarks reportedly made by the US President, which are factually incorrect and misleading.

    “Over the past decades, Pakistan has proven to be a most responsible nuclear state, wherein its nuclear programme is managed through a technically sound and foolproof command and control system,” read an official statement from the prime minister’s office.

    “The real threat to international peace and security is posed by ultra-nationalism, violation of human rights in regions that are struggling against illegal occupation, violation of global norms by some states, repeated nuclear security incidents, and arms race among leading nuclear weapon states and introduction of new security constructs that disturb the regional balance.”

    “Pakistan and the US have a long history of a friendly and mutually beneficial relationship. At a time, when the world is confronted by huge global challenges, it is critically important that genuine and durable efforts are made to recognize the real potential of the Pakistan-US relationship while avoiding unnecessary comments. It is our sincere desire to cooperate with the US to promote regional peace and security.”

    “Let no one have any doubts. Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state and we are proud that our nuclear assets have the best safeguards as per IAEA requirements,” tweeted the premier.

    “We take these safety measures with the utmost seriousness,” said the prime minister.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supreme leader Nawaz Sharif said that Pakistan is a responsible nuclear state that is perfectly capable of safeguarding its national interest whilst respecting international law and practices.

    “Our nuclear program is in no way a threat to any country,” he said on Twitter. “Like all independent states, Pakistan reserves the right to protect its autonomy, sovereign statehood, and territorial integrity.”

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said he had two questions regarding the US president’s statement. “On what info has Biden reached this unwarranted conclusion on our nuclear capability when, having been PM, I know we have one of the most secure nuclear command & control systems?

    “Unlike the US which has been involved in wars across the world, when has Pakistan shown aggression esp post-nuclearisation,” he asked.

    Khan claimed that Biden’s statement showed the “total failure of the imported government’s foreign policy and its claims of a reset of relations with the US”.

    “Is this the ‘reset’? This government has broken all records for incompetence,” Imran tweeted, adding that he feared the incumbent government would end up compromising national security.

    The ruling PML-N has held PTI responsible for Biden’s statement, saying, the lobbying firm hired by the Imran Khan-led party is doing what it was paid to do.

    “Make no mistake about it, this is a direct attack on the national security of Pakistan.”

    Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan — a senior member of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s cabinet — has termed the US president’s statement about Pakistan’s nuclear programme “baseless”.

    While answering a question about President Joe Biden’s comments regarding Pakistan during a press conference today, the former defence minister said, “Pakistan’s nuclear command and control system is absolutely safe which has been confirmed by international organisations many times”.

    He said that the US president’s doubts about Pakistan’s nukes are “completely wrong and the statement is baseless”.

    Meanwhile, ex-minister Fawad Chaudhry demanded that Biden should immediately retract his statement, asserting that Pakistan’s leadership may be weak but its people were not.

  • What do Pakistani and Indian players talk about? reveals Rohit Sharma

    What do Pakistani and Indian players talk about? reveals Rohit Sharma

    On Saturday, October 15, the captains of all 16 T20 World Cup teams addressed news conferences in Melbourne. Pakistan’s Babar Azam and India’s Rohit Sharma shared the stage with them. Captains of both the arch-rival teams were asked questions about the upcoming big game where they play against each other. In addition, they were also asked about what kind of relationship they share.

    “Rohit Sharma is older than me. I try to take as much experience as possible from him as he has been playing for a long time,” said Babar.

    “Whenever we meet the Pakistan players, we meet them in the Asia Cup and now… we talk about how things are back home, how the families are. Even our previous generation cricketers also told us the same thing. We just talk about what is going on, how is life and what new car they have bought or they are about to buy,” said Rohit during the media session.

    The much-anticipated match between the two is scheduled for October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
    Tickets for India vs Pakistan marquee T20 World Cup 2022 clash were sold out within minutes in Melbourne.

  • Pakistan intends to reschedule its $27 billion bilateral debt: Finance Minister

    Pakistan intends to reschedule its $27 billion bilateral debt: Finance Minister

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said in a statement to Reuters that he would attempt to reschedule around $27 billion in non-Paris Club debt, most of which is owing to China, but he would not seek haircuts as part of any restructuring.

    Dar ruled out the likelihood of Pakistan’s debt default, an extension of the maturity date for bonds that are due in December, and a revision of the existing International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme in an interview.

    The seasoned finance minister claimed that multilateral development banks and foreign donors have been “very flexible” in finding ways to meet Pakistan’s anticipated $32 billion in external financing demands following disastrous floods.

    He said that some of this might come from repurposing money from development loans that had already been granted but were paying out more slowly.

    Just over two weeks after entering office, Dar, who is attending the IMF and World Bank annual meetings, stated that Pakistan would seek restructuring on similar terms for all bilateral creditors.

    When asked if he felt it would be difficult to convince China, the creditor of nearly $23 billion of the debt, to participate, he declined to respond.

    He responded when asked if Pakistan would try to lower the debt’s principal “rescheduling is fine, but we are not seeking a haircut … That’s not fair”.

  • ‘Was four bodies but were in pieces so looked like more’, Nishtar Hospital clarification doesn’t make sense

    ‘Was four bodies but were in pieces so looked like more’, Nishtar Hospital clarification doesn’t make sense

    Nishtar Medical University’s (NMU) Head of Anatomy Department, Dr Mariam Ashraf, appeared on Geo News’s programme Ajj Shahzeb Khanzadan Kay Saath on Friday night in which she said that the facility does not keep bodies only for research purposes but also has to keep corpses for safekeeping that are given by rescue and police officials.

    In the show she also claimed that there were only 4 bodies on the rooftop. However, the videos that are circulating on social media show a large number of bodies piled up in a semi enclosed space on the roof.
    “Edhi Foundation has not been picking up bodies from our hospital since they do not have burial space in their graveyard,” she said.
    “The only reason for keeping bodies on the roof is that their influx is huge and they aren’t being returned back to police stations in the numbers that they should,” she said.

    According to Ashraf, the bodies that the police give to the hospital are kept in the morgue for a month and then sent back to the police for burial if no one comes forward to claim them.
    “Usually, the abandoned bodies that we receive have already decayed to an increased extent. We follow all our SOPs, we do not refuse to take decayed bodies as well.”

  • NEPRA okays Rs3.21 per unit hike in power tariff

    NEPRA okays Rs3.21 per unit hike in power tariff

    A quarterly adjustment of Rs3.21 per unit of power for the period of April to June 2022 has been approved by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA).

    A further burden of Rs93.95 billion will be placed on energy consumers as a result of the most recent price increase. To be effective as of October 1, 2022, the authority transmitted its decision to the federal government.

    According to specifics, the prior adjustments’ time period ended on September 3, 2022. As of October 1, the electricity customers will not receive any respite as the authority implements fresh adjustments immediately following the expiration of the prior adjustment.

    For K-Electric customers, the NEPRA earlier in the day authorised a cut in power rates of Rs4.89 per unit due to a fuel cost adjustment (FCA) for August 2022.

    The notification states that, in contrast to KE’s plea for Rs4.21, the fuel cost adjustment for K-Electric customers would be reduced by Rs4.89 per unit. However, it specified that the tariff cut for July would only be valid for that particular month.

    According to the NEPRA, all consumer categories would be affected by the drop in FCA, with the exception of lifeline consumers, home consumers consuming up to 300 units, agriculture consumers, and EVCS (Electric Vehicle Charging Station).