Technology

ISLAMABAD: The National Telecommunication Corporation (NTC) has raised questions over Higher Education Commission’s (HEC) agreement with Microsoft Corporation and proposed an audit of the utilisation of the accounts from the last eight years. Through a letter dated Oct 29 and addressed to the federal secretary education, NTC stated: “Arrangement [agreement with Microsoft] of HEC at such a high cost of …

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that by 2030, 60 per cent of all energy produced in the country will be “clean” and through renewable resources. “Thirty per cent of all the country’s vehicles will use electricity,” he added. The premier made the remarks while speaking at the Climate Ambition Summit 2020. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, the …

ISLAMABAD: Responding to concerns expressed by the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC) over the recently enacted rules for social media, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said on Friday that “prejudiced and wrong impression is being created regarding the rules”. The rules — titled “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) 2020” — were notified by the government on Nov …

Uber chief Dara Khosrowshahi on Thursday urged US states to make sure rideshare drivers get quick access to Covid-19 vaccines so they can help with broader distribution plans. Vaccinated drivers will be able to provide transportation for health care workers and people getting shots, Khosrowshahi said in a letter to the governors of states across the US. “I encourage you …

Saudi Arabia’s health authority has approved the registration of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine in the kingdom, it announced on Thursday. The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) made the announcement after Pfizer submitted a request to approve registering the vaccine. The authority will evaluate samples from each incoming shipment of the vaccine before using it to ensure it is safe …

WASHINGTON: Facebook Inc could be forced to sell its prized assets WhatsApp and Instagram after the US Federal Trade Commission and nearly every US state filed lawsuits on Wednesday against the social media company, saying it used a “buy or bury” strategy to snap up rivals and keep smaller competitors at bay. With the filing of the twin lawsuits, Facebook …

LONDON: Britain’s medicine regulator said anyone with a history of anaphylaxis to a medicine or food should not get the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, giving fuller guidance on an earlier allergy warning about the shot. Starting with the elderly and frontline workers, Britain began mass vaccinating its population on Tuesday, part of a global drive that poses one of the biggest …

WASHINGTON: Scientists may have solved one of paleontology’s enduring mysteries – the evolutionary origins of the flying reptiles called pterosaurs that ruled the skies at the same time that dinosaurs dominated the land. Researchers said on Wednesday a poorly understood Triassic Period reptile group called lagerpetids, known from a few partial skeletons from the United States, Argentina, Brazil and Madagascar, …

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received four per cent more income tax returns from salaried, non-salaried individuals, the association of persons and companies for the tax year 2020 by Dec 8 deadline. The board received 1.8 million returns until the last date as compared to 1.73m returns filed in the corresponding period of tax year 2019. However, …

AARHUS (Denmark): A European group has uncovered an Indian disinformation network operating since 2005 to discredit nations in conflict with Delhi, particularly Pakistan. Last year, the Brussels-based EU DisinfoLab uncovered a vast network of 265 coordinated fake local media outlets in 65 countries serving Indian interests, as well as multiple dubious think tanks and NGOs. This network was active in …