Author: Mawadat Fatima

Islamabad, Oct 4: Oil edges up on Middle East conflict but supply outlook limits gains Oil prices edged higher during early Asian trading on Friday, maintaining their strong weekly gains as investors balanced the risk of Middle East tensions disrupting crude supplies with the currently well-supplied global market. Brent crude futures rose by 9 cents, or 0.12%, reaching $77.71 per barrel as of 0010 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures climbed 8 cents, or 0.11%, to $73.79 per barrel. Both benchmarks were set for weekly gains of around 8%. President Joe Biden’s Thursday remarks about possible U.S. strikes…

Islamabad, Oct 4: Cotton Arrivals Slump by Nearly 60% in September As of September 30, cotton arrivals in Pakistan dropped by 59% year-on-year, according to data from the Pakistan Cotton Ginners Association (PCGA). This year’s total cotton arrivals stand at 2.040 million bales, a significant decrease from 5.025 million bales during the same period last year. In terms of regional breakdown, cotton arrivals from Sindh reached 1.313 million bales, marking a 56% decline compared to last year. Punjab recorded 0.727 million bales, reflecting a 65% decrease. Additionally, cotton arrivals in Balochistan amounted to 58,133 bales.

Islamabad, Oct 4: Xiaomi 15 and Honor Magic 7 Release Date Xiaomi and Honor, two major players in the smartphone market, are preparing to launch their latest flagship devices, the Xiaomi 15 and Honor Magic 7. Both phones will feature cutting-edge hardware, including the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 or Mediatek Dimensity 9400 chips, which are expected to be released in the coming days. The Xiaomi 15, a successor in the Xiaomi lineup, offers several key upgrades, such as a 6.73-inch AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 200MP camera sensor, catering to gamers and camera enthusiasts alike. It…

Islamabad, Oct 4: DRAM Prices Drop by 20% in Just One Month The DRAM and NAND industries are currently facing a significant downturn in consumer demand, with contract prices dropping by almost 20% in just one month. This has created major hurdles for memory manufacturers. DDR4 memory modules, in particular, are difficult to sell, leading to mounting inventory issues. Consequently, manufacturers are cutting prices to offload surplus stock. This price decline follows a turbulent period for the DRAM market, where demand dropped sharply after the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, manufacturers lowered prices to adjust inventory levels, briefly increasing them again before…

Islamabad, Oct 4: Australian Study Visa Harder to Obtain After Recent Changes in Immigration Rules The number of international student visa applications to Australia has dropped significantly, following a government effort to reduce the country’s migrant intake. In August 2024, 15,270 applications were lodged from overseas, compared to 30,703 in August 2023—a 50% decrease. Similarly, July saw 18,697 applications, down from 36,207 the previous year. This decline coincides with a substantial rise in student visa application fees, which doubled from 710 AUD (487.4 USD) to 1,600 AUD (1,098.4 USD) as of July 1, 2024. Additionally, the government has capped new…

Islamabad, Oct 3; The University of Health Sciences (UHS) has introduced significant changes to the MBBS curriculum for third- and fourth-year students, aiming to adopt a more modular and practical approach to medical education. During a special meeting chaired by UHS Vice-Chancellor Professor Ahsan Waheed Rathore, medical education experts discussed the plan to extend the modular system already in place for first- and second-year students to the later stages of the program. A key component of this update is the increase in clinical training hours, with students receiving 12 to 14 hours of clinical exposure weekly starting in the third…

Islamabad, Oct 3: Quaid-i-Azam University (QAU) has announced the suspension of all academic activities and transport services for Friday, October 4, 2024, due to the ongoing political unrest in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. According to a notification from the university administration, buses will only operate until 4:00 PM on Thursday, October 3, after which no further services will be available. The closure, extending through the weekend, means the university will remain closed for three consecutive days. This decision comes as political protests, particularly by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), are expected to escalate in the federal capital. Authorities have preemptively sealed Islamabad’s…

Islamabad, Oct 3: Indian batter Yashasvi Jaiswal continues to rise rapidly in international cricket, gaining attention for his consistent performances. The 22-year-old left-handed opener shone in the recent India vs. Bangladesh Test series, scoring impressive half-centuries in both innings of the Kanpur Test, contributing to India’s 2-0 series victory. With 929 Test runs in 2024 across nine matches, Jaiswal is now just 634 runs short of breaking Sachin Tendulkar’s record of 1,562 Test runs in a calendar year, set in 2010. With seven more Test matches this year, including series against New Zealand and Australia, Jaiswal has ample opportunity to…

Islamabad, Oct 3: Turkish inflation falls less than expected in September at 49.4% Turkey’s annual inflation slowed to 49.4% in September, slightly below August’s 52%, but higher than the forecasted 48.1%, according to official data released on Thursday. The central bank has been raising interest rates in a bid to control soaring prices, following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s shift to orthodox monetary policies. Analysts suggest that this smaller-than-expected decline could delay further monetary easing until 2025, later than previously anticipated. Economists expressed concerns over continued core inflation growth, which rose by 2.97% on a monthly basis in September. The central…

Islamabad, Oct 3: Gold prices in Pakistan saw a decline on Thursday, following international market trends. The price of gold per tola dropped by Rs1,100, settling at Rs274,400, while the price for 10 grams of gold fell by Rs943, bringing it to Rs235,254. This comes after an increase of Rs600 on Wednesday, when the price reached Rs275,500. In contrast, silver prices remained unchanged at Rs3,050 per tola. Last week, gold reached a record high in Pakistan, hitting Rs277,000 per tola.