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The federal government has stepped forward to play a mediating role in the much-anticipated merger of Telenor and PTCL, an issue that holds significant implications for the upcoming 5G spectrum auction in Pakistan. According to government sources, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has assigned Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar the task of resolving the merger issue as soon as possible. The decision came following a recent meeting between the PM and a senior delegation from Etisalat, the UAE-based telecom giant that holds a major stake in PTCL. During the meeting, the Etisalat delegation formally requested the prime minister’s intervention to help…

Investigations into the case of model and actress Humaira have made significant progress as her mobile phone has been handed over to the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) for forensic analysis. According to officials, CTD experts will examine the phone’s privacy locks and extract further details. Investigators revealed that Humaira was last seen leaving her home on September 28. She visited Clifton around 1 PM and returned by 2 PM, after which she was not seen exiting her residence. Officials also disclosed that Humaira was suffering from severe financial troubles and was distressed due to lack of work opportunities. Analysis of…

The United Kingdom has removed Pakistan from its air safety list, effectively lifting restrictions on Pakistani airlines, the British High Commission announced on Tuesday. With this development, Pakistani airlines can now apply for permission to operate flights to the UK. The decision was made by the UK Air Safety Committee following improvements in Pakistan’s aviation safety standards, the High Commission stated. However, airlines will still need to obtain operational approval from the UK Civil Aviation Authority before starting flights. The British High Commission clarified that Pakistan’s removal from the safety list followed an independent and technical evaluation process. British High…

Federal government has decided to keep the petroleum development levy on petrol and diesel unchanged despite the recent increase in prices. According to sources, the levy on petrol remains at Rs75.52 per liter, while Rs74.51 per liter will continue to be charged on diesel. Officials said the decision aims to maintain revenue continuity.

As concerns mount in the global publishing industry over plummeting website traffic, Google has initiated the rollout of AI-generated summaries in its Discover feed. The feature, now live for some users in the United States across both iOS and Android, replaces traditional article headlines with an AI summary accompanied by logos of multiple news outlets. These summaries, Google says, are aimed at helping users decide which articles to click on. However, industry observers argue they may instead deter users from clicking through at all. A Google spokesperson, speaking to TechCrunch, confirmed that the rollout is not part of a test…

Television actor Ali Abbas has opened up about his strained relationship with his father, veteran actor Wasim Abbas, following his father’s second marriage to fellow actor Saba Hameed. In a recent podcast, Abbas spoke at length about the emotional upheaval he experienced as a child after his father’s remarriage. “I was just eleven or twelve when my father got married again, and at that point, our relationship was deeply affected,” he said. Ali Abbas, known for his performances in popular dramas such as Ghisi Piti Mohabbat, Be Lagam, Khali Hath, and Fitrat, is the son of Wasim Abbas and the grandson of the legendary…

Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has resolved a security flaw that potentially exposed users’ private AI prompts and generated content to other users, the company confirmed on Wednesday. The bug was discovered and privately disclosed by Indian security researcher Sandeep Hodkasia, founder of the cybersecurity firm AppSecure. Hodkasia told TechCrunch he had identified the flaw on December 26, 2024, and was later awarded $10,000 by Meta under its bug bounty programme. Meta implemented a fix on January 24 this year and said it found no indication that the vulnerability had been exploited for malicious purposes. The flaw, according to…

At least 30 people lost their lives and several others were injured in rain-related incidents across Punjab in the past 24 hours, as heavy monsoon downpours battered the province. The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued fresh alerts, predicting more torrential rains, potential cloudbursts, and flooding in rivers and low-lying areas across the region. 12 killed in Lahore roof collapses Lahore, the provincial capital, was among the worst-hit cities, where 12 people died in separate roof collapse incidents triggered by continuous rainfall overnight. In Mission Colony, Raiwind, three members of a family — including the head of the household…

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced a trade agreement with Indonesia, unveiling a 19 per cent tariff on Indonesian goods. The announcement, made via Trump’s Truth Social platform, follows weeks of negotiations aimed at avoiding a steeper 32 per cent duty he had previously threatened. Under the finalised agreement, Indonesia will buy $15 billion worth of US energy, $4.5bn in agricultural products, and 50 Boeing aircraft — many of them wide-body 777 jets. “As part of the Agreement, Indonesia has committed to purchasing… and avoiding harsher tariffs,” Mr Trump posted, describing the development as a “great deal, for everybody”.…

A major security lapse by a British government official led to the covert relocation of thousands of Afghans to the United Kingdom, it emerged on Tuesday after a High Court ruling lifted a year-long gag order. The leak, which occurred in February 2022, exposed the personal details of nearly 19,000 Afghans who had applied to relocate to the UK following the Taliban’s return to power in August 2021. The sensitive data included names, contact details, and familial information — many of whom were at risk of Taliban reprisal due to their past affiliations with foreign forces. The breach came to…