Pakistan’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has opened applications for 17 positions in Islamabad, with a strong focus on artificial intelligence, smart sensing, and other emerging technologies aimed at strengthening the country’s disaster response capabilities. What Jobs Are Available The vacancies span management, technology, and support roles, with several posts built specifically around AI and next-generation disaster-monitoring systems: AI & Machine Learning: 1 Deputy Manager and 3 Assistant Manager positions Smart Sensing, IoT & Communications: Manager and Assistant Manager roles focused on real-time hazard monitoring systems Digital Twins & Immersive Technologies: Roles covering XR (VR/AR/MR), simulation, and virtual infrastructure for…
Author: M Awais
The University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) has sharply raised undergraduate fees for the 2026-27 academic session, with several popular degree programs seeing semester charges jump by more than 50% compared to the previous year — reigniting concerns over how affordable public university education remains for middle-class families. How Much Fees Have Increased Program 2025-26 First-Semester Fee 2026-27 First-Semester Fee Increase B.Sc. (Hons.) Agriculture Rs. 35,000 Rs. 54,000 ~54% BS Biotechnology Rs. 35,000 Rs. 84,000 ~140% Poultry / Animal / Dairy Sciences Rs. 44,000 Rs. 65,000 ~48% The jump isn’t limited to agriculture-specific programs — science and computing degrees such as…
For decades, anime in Saudi Arabia meant one thing: dubbed imports from Japan. That’s changing fast, as a new generation of Saudi creators — backed by serious state investment — moves from simply watching anime to producing it. The Company Leading the Shift At the center of this push is Manga Productions, a subsidiary of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Misk Foundation. Rather than trying to imitate Japanese animation style, the company’s stated goal is to build high-quality content rooted in Saudi culture, history, and identity. Producer Lamees Alsantely put the motivation plainly: Saudi Arabia already has a large, dedicated…
Pakistan is bracing for another round of climate uncertainty as a strong El Niño event takes hold in the Pacific — one that global weather authorities say is now firmly established and expected to keep strengthening in the months ahead. What’s Actually Happening The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says El Niño conditions are now clearly in place in the tropical Pacific, with close to a 100% probability that the event will persist through February 2027. El Niño develops when sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific rise well above normal, weakening the trade winds that usually push warm…
Germany is asking the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to throw out a case accusing Berlin of “facilitating genocide” in Gaza through its military and political support for Israel — setting up four days of hearings at the UN’s top court in The Hague. What the Case Is About The case was filed by Nicaragua in 2024, shortly after Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks. Nicaragua argues that Germany’s support for Israel — including arms exports — breaches the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Managua initially…
Three very different currencies are moving the same direction against the US dollar right now — and for three very different reasons. The Japanese yen, the Mexican peso, and the Colombian peso have all strengthened sharply in the past week, even though the forces pushing each one higher have almost nothing in common. The Numbers So Far Currency Recent Move vs. Dollar Key Driver Japanese Yen +2% over the past week (strongest since July) Rising bets on another Bank of Japan rate hike Mexican Peso USD/MXN slipped below 16.90, near multi-year strongest levels Continued “super peso” momentum Colombian Peso USD/COP…
Walk into almost any solar dealership in Pakistan today and one number keeps coming up: 585W. It’s become the default panel size for new residential and commercial installations. But behind the attractive headline prices lies a market going through its biggest policy shakeup in a decade — and buyers who only compare price-per-watt are missing half the picture. Why 585W Became Pakistan’s Default Panel Size 585W panels sit in a sweet spot: large enough to keep the cost-per-watt competitive, but still practical for standard residential rooftop mounting and inverter pairing. A typical 5kW inverter accepts roughly 5.5kW of DC input,…
Pakistan’s fisheries sector just posted its best year on record, with seafood exports reaching nearly $570 million in fiscal year 2025-26 — a milestone officials say reflects both stronger compliance with international food safety standards and the sector’s slow return to European store shelves after years of restricted access. The Numbers Behind the Record According to the Marine Fisheries Department, Pakistan’s fish and fisheries exports climbed to $568 million in FY2025-26, marking a 38% increase over just two years. Fiscal Year Seafood Export Value 2023-24 $406 million 2024-25 $489 million 2025-26 $568 million (record) What’s Actually Being Exported Frozen fish…
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has received nearly 2 million income tax returns for tax year 2026 as of September 5 — a sharp jump from the roughly 1.6 million returns filed during the same period last year. With the September 30 deadline approaching fast, here’s what’s actually behind the numbers. The Numbers So Far Metric Tax Year 2026 (as of Sept 5) Same Period, Tax Year 2025 Returns filed ~2 million ~1.6 million Tax deposited with filings Rs. 3.5 billion Roughly unchanged That’s an increase of about 400,000 returns, or roughly 25% more filers than the same point…
Huawei has launched the Mate XT2, the latest version of its flagship tri-fold smartphone, as it moves to defend its lead in China’s premium phone market against fresh challenges from both Apple and Xiaomi this week. What’s New in the Mate XT2 The Mate XT2 keeps Huawei’s signature tri-fold design, unfolding twice to open into a tablet-sized screen. It’s built around Huawei’s new Kirin 9050 Pro chip, which the company says delivers more computing power while using less electricity — a design choice Huawei credits with helping it work around continued US restrictions on access to advanced chip technology. Beyond…