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Pakistan’s cellular subscribers cross 193 million ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) reported that the number of cellular subscribers in Pakistan has reached 193,238,238, marking a mobile teledensity of 79.10% as of November 2024.Mobile broadband subscribers grew to 139 million, achieving a mobile penetration rate of 56.90%. Meanwhile, fixed telephone subscribers were recorded at 3 million, with a fixed teledensity of 1.10%. Broadband subscribers reached 143 million, representing a broadband penetration rate of 58.39%.Additionally, Parliamentary Secretary Sajid Mehdi informed the National Assembly (NA) that 86,000 SIMs were blocked for anti-state activities. The announcement came in response to a call-to-attention notice…

BREAKINGBREAKING, Tremors were reported in northern India and in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, where buildings were shaking.A powerful earthquake has hit Tibet’s second-largest city of Shigatse, according to Chinese and US monitoring groups, with tremors felt hundreds of kilometres away in Nepal. The earthquake struck at 9:05am local time (01:05 GMT) on Tuesday at a depth of 10km (6.2 miles), according to the China Earthquake Networks Centre, which recorded a magnitude 6.8 quake, while the United States Geological Survey reported the earthquake to be magnitude 7.1. A magnitude 6.8 earthquake is considered strong and capable of causing severe damage. China’s state…

The National Meteorological Center, in cooperation with the Bulgarian Institute of Polar Research, completed the first joint scientific expedition to Antarctica, which reflects the UAE’s firm commitment to pioneering global scientific research, strengthening international partnerships in the fields of meteorology and climate science, and its pivotal role in confronting global climate challenges. Two Emirati meteorological experts, Ahmed Al Kaabi and Badr Al Ameri, participated in the mission, after extensive training to withstand the harsh conditions facing scientific missions in the polar regions, including physical and technical training, to ensure the team’s readiness to deal with the challenges it may face…

Egypt has made significant strides in purging school textbooks of antisemitic content and other problematic material, revising over 350 state-issued books since 2018 as a part of an ambitious reform program. These changes aim to foster a more tolerant society yet there has been regression along with progress, underscoring the need for sustained efforts. The United States should support and encourage Cairo’s efforts to build on this progress.The reform program, launched in 2018 with support from the World Bank, aims to overhaul teaching and learning conditions in state-run schools. Textbook revisions have been a central element of this program, with…

National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq chairs second meeting between government and PTI negotiation committee meetings on January 2, 2025 in Parliament House, Islamabad. — PIDRana Sanaullah likens Feb 8 elections to 2018 polls.”Politicians must decide about free and fair elections.”PTI demands meeting with jailed Imran for consultation.ISLAMABAD: Amid ongoing talks between the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the government, the federal government on Monday said that the PTI was bound to demand its mandate, which the party claims was “stolen” during the February 8 general elections, with the opposition castigating authorities for “not allowing” meeting with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan. “Whether…

A person walks down a street during a winter storm in Souris, Prince Edward Island, Canada, January 6, 2025. — Reuters WASHINGTON: A powerful storm swept across the eastern United States on Monday, unleashing heavy snow and freezing rain that claimed five lives and left millions facing travel chaos from the central plains to Washington, D.C.Some 350,000 people were without power across nine states, while more than 1,800 flights were cancelled and thousands more delayed, according to tracking websites Poweroutage.us and FlightAware. The National Weather Service (NWS) predicted up to a foot of snow in Washington, where Congress was set to…

Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO announce new addition to their ‘lil farm’Jelly Roll and Bunnie XO have four new farm animals in their family.The multi-genre singer and the Dumb Blonde podcast host announced the new cattle via an Instagram video posted on January 5. “Our lil’ farm is starting,” the singer captioned the video showing the couple and their daughter Bailee Ann and son Noah Buddy welcome three calves into their new home.The calves are all males, named Crunch, Brownie, and S’more. Meanwhile, another video posted the same day showed the family welcoming a baby donkey as well, named Griz.In…

AC Milan’s Rafael Leao touches the cup after collecting his winners medal during the trophy presentation, after the Italian Super Cup final against Inter Milan at Al Awwal Park in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on January 7, 2025. — ReutersRIYADH: Tammy Abraham’s injury-time winner sealed a remarkable turnaround as AC Milan defeated Inter Milan 3-2 in a thrilling Italian Super Cup final in Riyadh, overturning a two-goal deficit early in the game.Inter had taken the lead through Lautaro Martinez at the end of the first half and Mehdi Taremi doubled their advantage two minutes after the break. Milan pulled one back…

Kate Middleton and Prince William are certainly ‘cleaning up’ their act for the sake of their children.The Prince and Princess of Wales, who have shared a camaraderie with each other throughout their love life, refrain from ‘dirty jokes’ as parents of three young children.Royal expert Christopher Anderson told Fox News Digital: “William once described Kate’s sense of humour as ‘naughty’ and his own as ‘dirty’, and claimed that it was one of the most important things that drew them together. ”They’ve certainly cleaned up their act for the children’s sake, but they can still make each other double over laughing.”The author added: “William…

Representational image shows empty stomatology orthodontic hospital cabinet with nobody in it. — FreepikISLAMABAD: Under pressure from private medical and dental colleges, the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) has decided to postpone the implementation of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme’s conversion from four to five years for one year.This decision will allow students admitted in the coming academic year to complete the programme in four years, as per the previous structure, officials confirmed on Monday. The senior PMDC officials confirmed the development, stating: “The decision to extend the BDS programme duration to five years has been postponed…