Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Louder message to the killer, murderers’: Twitter celebrates Mashal Khan’s sister’s graduation

    Storiya Khan Mashal, sister of slain student Mashal Khan, has graduated with a degree in BioMedical Engineering from State University Of Buffalo. In a tweet, Storiya Khan wrote that she has dedicated her degree to her brother Mashal Khan who was killed by a mob in 2017 at his university.

    “Graduated from The State University of New York – University at Buffalo with a Degree in Biomedical Engineering I have also completed my “Student Engagement Ambassador’s Internship and Peer Mentorship. I dedicate my degree to Mashal Khan the Martyr of Knowledge,” she wrote in her tweet.

    Twitter is celebrating Storiya’s graduation after the family faced the tragedy with courage. Have a look at the tweets here:

    Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student of the Department of Mass Communication at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, was lynched by a mob and shot over allegations of blasphemy on April 13, 2017.

    In June 2017, a 13-member joint investigation team concluded that the allegations of blasphemy against Mashal Khan were unfounded and were used as a pretext to incite a mob against him.

    https://twitter.com/Biaacc85/status/1661164682051297281

    Mashal Khan, a 23-year-old student of the Department of Mass Communication at Abdul Wali Khan University, Mardan, was lynched by a mob and shot over allegations of blasphemy on April 13, 2017.

    In June 2017, a 13-member joint investigation team concluded that the allegations of blasphemy against Mashal Khan were unfounded and were used as a pretext to incite a mob against him.

  • Pakistani rupee sinks to record low of Rs308 against US dollar in open market

    Pakistani rupee sinks to record low of Rs308 against US dollar in open market

    On Tuesday, the Pakistani currency experienced a significant decline, reaching a new record low of Rs308 against the US dollar in the open market. This marked a 1 per cent decrease, or Rs3, from the previous day’s closing rate, as reported by the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan.

    Consequently, the disparity between the exchange rates in the open market and the inter-bank market widened considerably, reaching a historic high of Rs21 to a dollar. Just a couple of months ago, this difference was in the range of Rs1-3.

    In inter-bank transactions, the central bank stated that the rupee continued its downward trend for the fifth consecutive working day, dropping by 0.21 per cent, or Rs0.59, to a 12-day low at Rs287.15 against the US dollar.

    There has been speculation in the market that the rupee is facing mounting pressure due to the expanding gap between the demand and supply of the US dollar in the currency market.

    In the meantime, Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves have been consistently depleting and have now reached a critically low level of $4.3 billion. This is concerning because the country requires a comparatively large amount of foreign currency to cover import expenses and repay foreign debt.

    By the end of June 2023, Pakistan has to repay $3.7 billion in foreign debt. Additionally, it needs another $3.7 billion each month to ensure smooth importation of essential goods.

    Currency dealers in the open market have revealed that commercial banks are purchasing dollars in the informal market (kerb market) to settle international payments made through their clients’ credit cards. Furthermore, individuals are acquiring Saudi riyals and US dollars to cover expenses during the Hajj and Umrah pilgrimages.

    Experts strongly emphasize that the government must persuade the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to resume its $6.7 billion loan programme. Additionally, they urge friendly countries to provide fresh financing, which will help mitigate the risk of defaulting on external debt obligations.

    The resumption of the IMF programme will not only assist Pakistan in averting an imminent default but will also enable the country to attract financing from other global lenders and friendly nations. This new financing will bolster the foreign exchange reserves and aid in the reopening of the partially closed economy.

  • ‘They will not let you go without a press conference’; court orders Asad Umar’s immediate release

    ‘They will not let you go without a press conference’; court orders Asad Umar’s immediate release

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday morning accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar’s plea for bail and ordered that he be released immediately.

    However, Justice Gul Hasan Aurangzeb passed cryptic remarks to Asad Umar’s lawyer Babar Awan, stating that, “They will not let you go until you hold a press conference.”

    To which Babar Awan replied, “We are not going to hold a press conference.”

    The remarks seem to be in reference to PTI members holding press conferences to either denounce the May 9 attacks on military installations or announce that they are leaving PTI.

    On Tuesday, Shireen Mazari said in a short press conference that she’s leaving PTI and politics too, citing what her children went through during her detention.

    The IHC has ordered Asad Umar to delete two tweets and give in writing that he will not take part in protests.

    Justice Aurangzeb warned that if Asad Umar renegades on his affidavit to the court, he should be prepared to forget about his political career.

  • WhatsApp will soon let you edit sent messages and lock chats

    WhatsApp will soon let you edit sent messages and lock chats

    The popular messaging app owned by Meta has commenced the phased rollout of its highly anticipated function, which will soon be accessible to all users in the forthcoming weeks.

    Under this innovative update, edited messages will bear a conspicuous label, indicating that modifications have been made, while preserving the confidentiality of the specific changes made. To initiate the editing process, users simply need to press and hold a message, then select the “edit” option from the convenient drop-down menu. However, it’s important to note that this edit feature remains available for a limited duration of 15 minutes after the message has been sent.

    According to a blog post by the company, this new functionality aims to address instances when users make inadvertent errors or alter their thoughts, providing them with a seamless means of rectifying mistakes or supplementing additional context within their conversations. WhatsApp is truly excited to offer enhanced control over chats, empowering users to correct typographical errors or refine their message content.

    WhatsApp now joins the league of other prominent messaging services like Telegram and Signal, which have already integrated the edit function into their platforms. Moreover, Twitter introduced its exclusive Edit Tweet feature for paying subscribers last year, while Facebook has allowed users to edit posts and comments for nearly a decade, albeit without extending the capability to messages until now.

    Notably, WhatsApp’s latest update coincides with Meta’s recent announcement that it will introduce the ability for users to lock and conceal conversations. Through the Chat Lock feature, a specific chat thread can be discreetly removed from the app’s standard onscreen inbox and relocated to a secure folder, safeguarded by a password or advanced biometric measures such as facial recognition or fingerprint authentication. Meta emphasizes that this offers an additional layer of security, although it may potentially raise concerns in relation to the UK government’s online safety bill.

    Prepare to experience an enhanced messaging experience as WhatsApp’s groundbreaking updates redefine the boundaries of user control. Stay tuned as the platform ushers in a new era of communication, offering unparalleled flexibility and security.

  • Faisal Vawda admits that Imran did remove Asim Munir as DG ISI in 2019 for exposing Bushra Bibi’s corruption

    Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prominent leader Faisal Vawda has claimed that Imran Khan as Prime Minister (PM) removed incumbent army chief Asim Munir in 2019 from the post of Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) when he told Imran about Bushra Bibi’s corruption.

    In Geo News’ programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath’, he said that he warned Asim Munir not to do so, but the General took the evidence of corruption to Imran Khan.

    When he was asked to stop by Vawda, Gen Munir responded by asking, “Do you want me to be dishonest to my country?”

    He then said that when Gen Munir presented evidence against Bushra Bibi and her friend Farah Gogi, Khan flew into a rage, accusing him of trying to “meddle in the affairs of his family”.

    “On the same day around 11pm, Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hamid took charge as DG ISI. This shows how much of a hurry Imran Khan was in,” Vawda said.

    During the show, Vawda also revealed that during his prime ministership, Khan approached Gen Munir once to ask him to “manage the Senate”.

    However, he said, Gen Munir rejected the task saying that the army can not interfere.

    Prior to this, Imran categorically termed “completely false” the rumours regarding him removing Gen Munir from the post of DG ISI in 2019 because the then-spymaster wanted to investigate corruption cases involving Bushra Bibi.

  • Shireen Mazari bids farewell to PTI and politics

    Shireen Mazari bids farewell to PTI and politics

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Dr Shireen Mazari has announced that she is leaving the party and politics.

    During a short interaction with the media, the senior leader of the party unexpectedly called it quits, saying that she and her children went through a lot in the past few days because of her incarceration.

    She mentioned that her daughter, lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, went through a lot. The former minister also said that she is not in good health anymore.

    In the beginning of the presser, she pointedly condemned the violence on May 9 when supporters of PTI clashed with law enforcement agencies.

    “Not just May 9 and 10, but I have always condemned the violence on state symbols like GHQ, Parliament and Supreme Court,” she said.

    After the May 9 riots when PTI workers allegedly attacked military installations, many of the party’s senior leaders including Shireen were put in jail for inciting violence. Mazari was arrested several times in the past few days despite being given release orders by the court.

    Shireen also served as human rights minister during Imran Khan’s government till his ouster in April 2022. She joined the PTI in 2008 and since then has remained a vocal member of the party.

  • This is how much PTA tax you have to pay on your new iPhone 14

    This is how much PTA tax you have to pay on your new iPhone 14

    In 2019 Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) introduced a new tax mechanism called the Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS) to regulate the usage of mobile devices in the country. The DIRBS system was designed to identify and register non-compliant devices with PTA mobile tax operating on local mobile networks and eventually block them to ensure that only compliant devices are used. With the implementation of the system, the FBR aimed to bring transparency and accountability to the mobile device market in Pakistan.

    With the latest tax burdens luxury phone users, whether an Apple fan or an android bunny, are now disappointed. Its not easy for every brand lover to pay the tax on a new phone he wants to buy.

    Tax rates change frequently so it is unclear when the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) will raise the taxes of your smarts phones.

    Here is a list of some smarts phones and the taxes applied on them to get approved from PTA on passports and CNIC.

    Here is the list of Apple IPhone taxes on Passport

    IPhone 14 PKR 125,751
    IPhone 14 Plus PKR 125,751
    14 Pro PKR 127,000
    14 Pro Max PKR 127,068
       

    Here is the list of Apple IPhone taxes on ID-Card  

    Iphone 14 PKR 131,126
    Iphone 14 plus PKR 131,126
    14 pro PKR 145,801
    14 pro max PKR 152,424

    Here is the list of Taxes on Samsung Phone

    Samsung Galaxy S23 All Model Tax with Passport 2023

    Samsung Galaxy S23 99,800
    Samsung Galaxy S23plus 127,000
    Samsung Galaxy s23 Ultra 131,000

    Samsung Galaxy S23 All Model Tax with ID Card 2023

    Samsung Galaxy S23 110,500
    Samsung Galaxy s23 plus 145,801
    Samsung Galaxy s23 ultra 152,424

    Suppose you want to import the recently announced Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, S20 Ultra, or standard S20 to Pakistan. In that case, you may use the information above to estimate the tax and customs duty you’ll owe. This Galaxy smartphone’s tax rate is the highest allowed by FBR.

    Here is the list of Xiaomi Redmi 9 PTA tax
    Xiaomi all models Tax with Passport

    Xiaomi Redmi 9(3+32) Tax Payable PKR 9,802 (On Passport)
    Xiaomi Redmi 9(4+64) Tax Payable PKR 10,480 (On Passport)
    Xiaomi Redmi 9C Tax Payable PKR 8,584 (On Passport)

    Xiaomi all models Tax with ID cards

    Xiaomi Redmi 9(3+32) Tax Payable PKR 11,664 (On ID card)
    Xiaomi Redmi 9(4+64) Tax Payable PKR 12,471 (On ID card)
    Xiaomi Redmi 9C Tax Payable PKR 10,214 (On ID card)

    Xiaomi Redmi 9 PTA tax need to be paid if you are importing them to Pakistan.



    These taxes must be paid within 30 days if the phone is registered on your passport and if you have registered the phone on your ID card, you will have 60 days to pay the tax.

  • Twitter weighs in on the times movies and dramas downgraded from the originals

    Do you feel like sometimes the entertainment industry should maybe stop tearing apart masterpiece films by remaking them over and over again? Once a television show is done and over with, don’t try to re-vamp the hype by drawing up another couple of seasons. Instead maybe try to come up with more original shows?

    This debate began on Twitter when a user shared their distate with the recent season of ‘Khuda Aur Muhabbat’, starring Iqra Aziz and Feroze Khan, saying that Season 1, which had starred Imran Abbas, was much better.

    It led to more Twitter users coming up with their suggestions of shows and movies they feel weren’t necessary at all. Here are some of the replies, and honestly we’re shook.

    This even led to Bollywood fans jumping in to share their opinions about the films that had failed to surpass the original’s.

  • Fake image of major Pentagon explosion raises concerns about AI-generated misinformation

    Fake image of major Pentagon explosion raises concerns about AI-generated misinformation

    A fabricated image depicting a significant explosion near the Pentagon was circulated on social media platforms on Monday, triggering a brief decline in the stock market.

    Subsequently, a multitude of social media accounts, including several verified ones, shared the counterfeit image, exacerbating the state of confusion.

    Afterward, authorities officially confirmed that no such incident had taken place. Keen-eyed investigators on social media, such as Nick Waters from Bellingcat, an online news verification group, promptly identified several notable inconsistencies with the image.

    These included the absence of any credible eyewitnesses to substantiate the purported event, particularly considering the Pentagon’s busy surroundings.

    Waters tweeted, “This is why it’s exceedingly challenging (some may argue virtually impossible) to fabricate a convincing counterfeit of such an occurrence.”

    Additionally, discernible disparities between the depicted building and the actual Pentagon served as clear evidence. This disparity can be easily ascertained by employing tools like Google Street View to compare the two images.

    Furthermore, the presence of peculiar elements like a levitating lamp post and a black pole protruding from the pavement unequivocally exposed the image’s deceptive nature.

    The complexities faced by artificial intelligence in faithfully recreating locations without introducing sporadic anomalies persist.

  • Twitter demands release of Imran Riaz Khan

    Twitter demands release of Imran Riaz Khan

    Twitter users are demanding the release of anchorperson Imran Riaz Khan, who has been missing since May 11.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah appeared on Munizae Jahangir’s programme on Aaj News on May 22. During the show, he was asked about Imran Riaz Khan’s whereabouts to which he said that there is a possibility that Imran Riaz Khan has planted his own abduction to defame ‘agencies’.

    Punjab Inspector General Dr Usman Anwar yesterday revealed that there was no trace him at any police department across the country.

    Imran Riaz Khan was arrested by the police on May 11 from Sialkot Airport.

    The vlogger is a prominent supporter of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    Have a look at the tweets demanding his release: