Current Final

Category: Business

  • Honda Atlas to increase prices for all motorcycles from April 1

    Atlas Honda is set to announce another price hike within a month for all of its motorcycles. The manufacturer will increase the prices from Rs2,000 to Rs10,000 for seven variants.

    As per two prominent Atlas Honda motorcycle dealerships in Lahore: Honda Gulberg and Honda Hamiz Bedian, the Association of Pakistan Motorcycle Assemblers (APMA) have already notified all Honda dealerships across Pakistan of the revised prices.

    The imminent price hike is due to the rising cost of raw materials used in production as well as the continuous depreciation of the Pakistani rupee.

    According to the dealerships, the popular Honda CD70 and CD70 Dream variants will see a price hike of Rs2000 which will be sold at Rs99,900 and Rs106,500 respectively from April 1.

    Honda Pridor will be priced at Rs136,900 after an increase of Rs3000 in its existing price of Rs133,900.

    The manager at Honda Gulberg stated that the company will release a formal notification on March 31, 2022, regarding the increase, the new rates will be effective from Friday.

    This hike will place Honda CG 125’s price at almost Rs160,000. It is worth noting that the same bike was priced at Rs134,000 last year in the same period.

  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet approves Rs2.5 billion subsidy under Ramzan package

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) cabinet on March 29 okayed a subsidy package of Rs2.5 billion for the upcoming holy month of Ramzan, to ensure an uninterrupted supply of edible items at lesser rates.

    KP Chief Minister Mahmood Khan presided over the meeting, which was attended by ministers, chief minister’s advisers, and administrative secretaries.

    Following the meeting, government spokesman Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif revealed that 2,800 points had been set up around the KP to sell 20kg bags of wheat flour for Rs800 instead of the customary Rs1100 during Ramzan, while 10kg bags would be sold for Rs400.

    During Ramzan, the cabinet also decided to set up 83 sasta bazaars, 123 Ramazan facilitation centers, 42 mobile utility stores, and 96 Ramzan dastarkhwans.

    All of these points will be supervised by monitoring units led by respective secretaries and deputy commissioners to prevent price hikes and shortages of vital commodities on the market.

  • Instagram may introduce voice message replies for stories soon

    Instagram may introduce voice message replies for stories soon

    Instagram is reportedly working on a feature that would allow users to reply to stories with a picture or a voice message. This was signaled by the application developer, Alessandro Paluzzi, who further mentioned in his tweet that Instagram is also testing a feature that will allow users to share posts using a QR code.

    Paluzzi’s screenshots show the traditional message box where you may reply to users’ stories, with a twist, as one snapshot includes a GIF sign, while another has a mic icon in addition to the GIF button that was already available.

    Users will probably use these icons to respond to Instagram stories with an image or a voice message.

    The social media platform introduced a feature in February that allowed users to like other users’ stories without having to respond with a direct message.

    Until then, the only option to respond to a story was to send a direct message to the user through the text box at the bottom of the story (or using pre-set emojis, GIFS, or stickers, which were almost similar.

    Read more: Intel to launch world’s fastest 5.5 GHz CPU on April 5

    The rumored new picture reply function will complement existing capabilities and provide users with more options for creatively responding to stories. These features are also well-suited to Instagram’s long-term strategy.

    All of this may be included in the coming days as the head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, had already stated that the Meta-owned platform will be focusing on the videos, messaging as well as creators.

  • Banks to remain closed for public dealing on 4 April

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and all other banks will be closed for public business on Monday, 4 April, to observe a ‘Bank Holiday’ for Zakat deduction.

    Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), Microfinance banks (MFBs), and all other banks will be closed to the public on Monday.

    On the Bank Holiday, which will be observed as a working day, all of these institutions’ employees will carry out their official tasks except client dealing, in-office, or through work-from-home (WFH), as per the official instructions.

    According to the central bank’s announcement, it will be closed for public trading on Monday, “which shall be observed as Bank Holiday for the purpose of Zakat deduction”.

    “However, all staff of banks, DFIs, and MFBs will report to work on Bank Holiday as a normal working day (except for public trading),” the statement continued.

  • Pak-China trade to resume through Khunjerab pass after 2-year hiatus

    A lucrative trade route connecting Pakistan and China, the Khunjerab Pass will finally reopen for trade activities on April 1, 2022 after more than a 2-year hiatus. The pass was closed in November 2019 as a preventive measure against the spread of COVID-19.

    As per a credible resource, Chinese authorities sent Pakistan a letter requesting the reopening of the border, in reference to the agreement made in May 2013 between the neighboring countries.

    Port authorities on the Chinese side have been advised to take all preventive measures related to the COVID-19 outbreak.

    Likewise, the Pakistani border authorities have also been instructed to take all necessary precautions to prevent the spread of coronavirus spread.

    The Khunjerab Pass was temporarily opened for less than two weeks from July 29, 2020 to August 10, 2020 to allow the passage of stranded containers filled with goods. The prolonged closure of Khunjerab Pass had caused severe financial hardships to the local business community.

  • Mila Kunis raised $35 million for Ukraine relief in less than 30 days

    Mila Kunis raised $35 million for Ukraine relief in less than 30 days

    Since the beginning of the Ukraine crisis, individuals all over the world have come together to offer monetary and non-monetary relief to the war-torn country. Mila Kunis and her husband Ashton Kutcher were among the first fundraisers to help.

    The American actress instantly created a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Ukrainian refugees fleeing for their lives. They even kicked off the fund with a $3 million donation of their own, and donations only escalated from there.

    The couple had exceeded their $30 million goal in less than 30 days and then increased it to $40 million. They have raised more than $35.3 million from nearly 73,400 donors as of March 29, 2022.

    DST Global and Larry Ellison, the co-founder of Oracle Corporation, are among the fund’s major contributors. DST contributed a total of $3.5 million to the cause, with Ellison donating the most money of all, $5 million.

    Several anonymous donors, in addition to many others, gave significant contributions totaling more than $1 million.

    GoFundMe created a hub for verified fundraisers trying to raise money for humanitarian help in Ukraine in the wake of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

    Presently, the hub organizes fundraisers ranging from supporting major humanitarian groups such as ‘Save the Children’ to raising donations for particular Ukrainian families.

    To get verified on the donation hub, GoFundMe’s trust and safety team need to know the identity of the organizer along with how the funds will be used and who they are raising money for.

  • Intel to launch world’s fastest 5.5 GHz CPU on April 5

    The Core i9-12900KS processor from Intel which is also claimed as the “world’s fastest CPU” will be released on April 5, 2022. Expert PC builders will demonstrate their abilities by putting together a number of PCs, presumably around the new alder lake processor, at the Intel talking tech event, which will be streamed on Twitch.

    The ‘KS’ version of Intel’s flagship, which effectively features the high-end 12900K silicon capable of being pushed to higher clock speeds and can boost up to 5.5GHz, is advertised as the ‘world’s fastest desktop processor’.

    However, this speed can only be achieved for a short period of time on a single core, with the rumor mill claiming that the all-core boost will be 5.2GHz which again is really amazing.

    Given that we have already seen or heard of the forthcoming flagship advertised on some websites, it is no surprise that the introduction of Intel’s Core i9-12900KS is so close.

    As Intel claims that the 12900KS is the “world’s fastest” desktop CPU considering the clock speeds, what PC customers and heavy gamers really want to know is how well it works in real-world applications and high-end games.

    Keeping in view the overall hype, it does not seem like it is going to disappoint the PC builders or gamer’s community.

  • Pakistani assembled Chery Tiggo SUVs to be delivered in June 2022

    Ghandhara Nissan Limited (GNL) has officially opened bookings for Chery Tiggo 4 Pro and Chery Tiggo 8 Pro, introduced with an ex-factory price of Rs 4.6 million and Rs 6.6 million respectively.

    The booking price of Tiggo 8 Pro is Rs 1.5 million and that of Tiggo 4 Pro is Rs 1 million and the expected delivery time for both models is June 2022. 

    The company partnered with Chinese Chery Automobile Co Ltd. for local assembly and distribution of the Tiggo SUV series in 2021. Chery Tiggo will now be the 12th locally assembled SUV in Pakistan.

    GNL said it had started assembling the SUVs and would be delivering the first batch of the vehicles in April at its authorized dealerships. Chery Tiggo 4 is a 1.5L Turbo five-seater vehicle, while Tiggo 8 Pro is a 1.6L Turbo seven-seater SUV.

    Considering the Auto Development Policy (ADP) 2016-21, Toyota Fortuner was the only locally assembled SUV in Pakistan.

    However, nearly a dozen SUVs were introduced after the auto industry was encouraged by the government and new entrants started stepping into the local auto market of Pakistan.

    Tiggo 8 Pro will compete against 7-seater vehicles in the local market, including the most popular Toyota Fortuner, and the offerings from new entrants: Changan Oshan X7 Comfort, DFSK Glory 580 Pro, as well as Kia Sorento. While the Tiggo 4 Pro will be a direct rival to 5-seater crossovers like KIA Stonic, MG ZS, and the newly introduced Peugeot 2008. 

  • Amitabh pays 2.61 crore PKR as GST after selling his NFT collection for 17 crore PKR

    Amitabh pays 2.61 crore PKR as GST after selling his NFT collection for 17 crore PKR

    The Bollywood superstar, Amitabh Bachchan has finally paid 2.61 crore PKR in GST for the sale of his non-fungible token (NFT) collection, which was auctioned for 17.16 crore PKR in the first week of November 2021.

    Some of the netizens may remember that Bachchan had received a warning from the Directorate General of Goods and Services Tax Intelligence (DGGI) to pay the imposed GST.

    Despite Bachchan’s deposit, the DGGI is expected to continue its probe into tax avoidance.

    An NFT venture stated in August 2021 that Bachchan’s NFT collection would be available on its platform. Bachchan had signed an agreement with ‘Rhiti Entertainment’ to convert some of his pictures or illustrations into digital assets.

    Interestingly, this also made Bachchan one of the first Indian actors to support digital art and NFTs.

    Apart from the photos and posters, a famous collection of poems written by Bachchan’s father and recorded in his own voice, ‘Madhushala’ was the most successful auction.

    The NFT auction had garnered 17.16 crore PKR and attracted 18 percent GST. Big B was bound to pay taxes worth 12.61 crore PKR from the sale, which has been now deposited by the actor.

    Read More: Crypto companies at risk of closure in the United Kingdom

    For those who do not know much about NFTs, it is a type of digital asset that represents real-world or sometimes abstract elements. This can be art, photography, meme, music, game characters or any graphic one can think of. This data unit is kept on a blockchain, a digital ledger that makes it non-transferable and unique.

  • Apple to offer subscription-based service for selling iPhone, iPad, MacBook

    With a new subscription-based service, Apple is planning to launch a new method to buy iPhones as well as other Apple gear. Which will allow apple customers to pay a monthly subscription fee and receive an iPhone of their choice, as well as free upgrades when new products are released.

    This plan will differ from Apple’s and carriers’ current installment programmes, as it will be a pre-decided or custom monthly fee plan rather than the cost of the phone divided by 12, 24, and 36 months of installments.

    All applications including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+ will all be included in the iPhone subscription service, which will be linked to users’ existing Apple ID accounts.

    It may also offer bundle free Apple Care and even Apple One services, such as Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud+, Apple News+, and Apple Fitness+.

    The new subscription service may start by the end of this year with iPhones and eventually expand to the rest of Apple’s gadgets including iPads, Apple Watch, and the MacBook.

    Subscription-based selling of phones is not entirely new as Google already operates its Pixel Pass program in the US which lets customers choose between the Google Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro offered with Google’s own first-party services at very affordable monthly charges.