Infinity Social Updates

The Ministry of Energy (Power Division) on Friday announced the large-scale rollout of smart meters across electricity distribution companies (Discos) in the country, which it described as a “major step” towards improving customer service and operational efficiency. According to the spokesperson of the Power Division, Zafaryab Khan, metering plays a vital role as the key interface between the customer and the service provider. “In line with the ministry’s declaration of 2025-26 as the Year of Customer Service Improvement, Discos have embarked on a comprehensive digitalisation drive to modernise their infrastructure,” said a statement by the Power Division. “This initiative aims to ensure real-time data availability, transparency, and enhanced customer experience.” Recognising that the pricing of smart meters was a major impediment in this transformation, the Power Division actively intervened to rationalise costs, said the statement, adding that out of nearly 38 million electricity...

In Pakistan’s turbulent economic landscape, credibility becomes currency. And over the past year and a half, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has quietly been building it. Where once monetary policy was dismissed as toothless, the central bank has now shown that a steady hand can calm markets, anchor expectations, and restore confidence. On October 27, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at [11 per cent][1] — the fourth consecutive hold since May 2025. This came after a series of measured adjustments: from June 2023 to May 2025, the SBP [cut rates][2] cautiously from 22pc to 11pc. Each move was calculated, with pauses where necessary, resisting market pressure for a steep, one-off reduction. The strategy appeared to be deliberate. Instead of succumbing to calls for a dramatic cut, the SBP moved gradually. This paid off. The rupee remained steady. Inflation bottomed out [below 1pc][3] in April 2025. And by May, [consumer confidence surged to 4...

The inaugural Esports Olympics scheduled to be held in 2027 will no longer be hosted by Saudi Arabia, the International Olympic Committee announced on Thursday. The IOC and the Saudi National Olympic Committee “mutually agreed that they will end their cooperation on the Olympic Esports Games”, a statement said. The first Esports Games was originally slated to be held this year in Riyadh but were postponed in February. The Saudis were guaranteed the hosting of the Games for 12 years from 2025, when the agreement was first announced by the IOC in July last year. Then-IOC president Thomas Bach had been influential in the creation of the event but has since been replaced at the helm by Kirsty Coventry. Olympic Esports Series competitions, smaller virtual sports events run by the IOC, were held in 2021 and 2023. They were widely panned by gaming critics over the lack of traditional esports titles. “Recently, the two parties and the Esports World Cup Foundation sat down again a...

A promising 17-year-old Australian cricketer died on Thursday after being struck by a ball, with his family saying they were “utterly devastated”. Ben Austin was in the nets with a helmet on before a Twenty20 game in Melbourne on Tuesday when he was hit in the neck while facing a ball-throwing device. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition. “We are utterly devastated by the passing of our beautiful Ben, who died earlier on Thursday morning,” his father Jace Austin said in a statement. “This tragedy has taken Ben from us, but we find some comfort that he was doing something he did for so many summers — going down to the nets with mates to play cricket. “We would also like to support his teammate who was bowling in the nets. This accident has impacted two young men and our thoughts are with he and his family as well.” Austin was an emerging bowler and batter, considered by his Ferntree Gully Cricket Club as a “star cricketer, great leader and an awesome young man”. D...

United States President Donald Trump on Thursday announced that he had instructed the Department of Defence to immediately resume the testing of nuclear weapons on an “equal basis” with other nuclear powers, in a move that could potentially destabilise the nuclear treaty under which countries have been constrained for decades. The move has raised concerns about the threat of nuclear power being wielded by multiple countries, including the risk of the collapse of the nuclear disarmament treaty that keeps this power under strict control. Why is the US resuming nuclear testing? Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social early this morning the news of the announcement, saying that the US had more nuclear weapons than any other country as a result of his first term in office. “Because of the tremendous destructive power, I HATED to do it, but I had no choice!” he said, adding, “Russia is second, and China is a distant third, but will be even within 5 years.” The Assoc...

Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa Kamal and his Saudi counterpart Fahad Al-Jalajel held a discussion in Riyadh related to polio eradication from Pakistan, along with talks related to cooperation in the health sector and promotion of investment, the health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday. The meeting took place a day ago on the sidelines of the Ninth Edition of the Future Investment Initiative (FII9) in Riyadh, where Kamal was part of a Pakistani delegation led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Islamabad and Riyadh share long-standing diplomatic ties and, in recent years, have sought to expand and strengthen their partnership by adding greater strategic depth through enhanced cooperation in defence , economy , and health . Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic . Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. ...

Despite plummeting relations between Beijing and Washington, Shanghai resident Huang is determined that her daughter will complete her costly education in the United States. Even as the two sides have spent much of this year locked in a blistering trade row, US schools and universities remain hugely popular with parents who are chasing what they see as better opportunities and an international outlook for their children. They will be among many hoping that an expected meeting between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping in South Korea on Thursday — their first encounter since the former’s return to the White House — could pave the way to stabilising ties. “Even though there’s a lot of drama going on right now… this is just temporary,” Huang told AFP . “This is something I firmly believe in.” Her 17-year-old daughter has been enrolled in high school in the United States for three years and is hoping to study computer science at a university there. Trump’s mercurial nature and hi...