Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Gold prices reach all-time high of Rs384,000

    Gold prices reach all-time high of Rs384,000

    Gold prices soared to new all-time highs on Monday in both global and local markets, fuelled by a sharp rally in international bullion rates.

    Gold surged $61 per ounce on the international market, reaching a record high of $3,613. After briefly reaching a record $3,616.64 earlier in the day, spot gold was trading at $3,612.20 per ounce at 0841 GMT.

    The surge spilled over into Pakistan’s domestic market. In Karachi’s Sarafa Bazaar, the price of 24-carat gold shot up by Rs6,100 per tola, reaching an unprecedented Rs384,000. 

    The rate for 10 grams climbed by Rs5,230 to Rs329,219.So far this year, bullion has surged 37 percent building on a 27 percent rise in 2024. 

    Analysts attribute the rally to a weaker dollar, aggressive central bank buying, supportive monetary policies, and persistent global uncertainty.

    Other precious metals also saw slight increases: palladium rose 1.3 percent to $1,124.24, platinum rose 1.6 percent to $1,394.90, and silver rose 0.3 percent to $41.08 an ounce.

  • ‘Mehwish does not look like a college girl’; Khalil on casting Sajal in Main Manto Nahi Hoon

    ‘Mehwish does not look like a college girl’; Khalil on casting Sajal in Main Manto Nahi Hoon

    Controversial Pakistani drama writer Khalil-ur-Rehman Qamar recently commented on why actor Mehwish Hayat was not chosen for the lead female role in the widely discussed drama Main Manto Nahi Hoon.

    In an interview with Sheikh Qasim, he stated that Mehwish Hayat does not look like a college student, which was a primary reason for not casting her in the role.

    Speaking about the title and theme of the drama, Khalil explained, “The name itself implies that the central character, Manto (played by Humayun Saeed), is not as courageous as the real Manto. Manto was a very brave man who fought against societal disgrace with unmatched courage. I haven’t seen anyone braver than him. His pen was powerful enough to stand against a gun.”

    When the host asked about the casting choices, particularly the transition to Sajal Aly, Khalil shared that while Maya Ali’s name was considered early on, they ultimately decided on Sajal. He added, “I hadn’t worked with her before and I felt I owed it to her that we should collaborate. She has done an incredible job, she’s an amazing actress.”

    Addressing rumors that Mehwish Hayat was considered for the role, Khalil promptly denied them, clarifying, “Mehwish Hayat doesn’t look like a student, whereas Sajal Aly does. That was the main reason for choosing Sajal over others, including Maya Ali. Sajal is not only a very established actress but also visually fits the role of a student, which was crucial for the character.”

    On the controversy surrounding the drama on social media, Khalil acknowledged the criticism but said, “Many have appreciated the drama as well. Those who criticize are entitled to their opinions. If someone has the ability to write, they also have the right to critique and comment.”

    Main Manto Nahi Hoon has faced significant backlash online for multiple reasons. The central romance between a teacher and a student has been a particular point of contention. Actor Humayun Saeed, who plays the lead role, addressed the criticism by saying such relationships have occurred in reality. The drama has also been criticised for its bold dialogue and for using Manto’s name, despite having no direct connection to the legendary writer.

    However, the show features a star-studded cast and continues to receive widespread viewership and praise from audiences.

  • Expected dates for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup revealed

    Expected dates for 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup revealed

    The International Cricket Council is close to finalising plans for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, with a provisional schedule pointing to a February 7 to March 8 window.

    India and Sri Lanka will share hosting duties, with matches spread across at least five venues in India and two in Sri Lanka.

    The tournament will feature 20 teams, following the expanded format of the 2024 edition in the USA and West Indies. The larger field promises competitive cricket, combining traditional powerhouses with emerging nations.

    Organisers continue to debate the venue for the final. Ahmedabad, which hosted the 2023 ODI World Cup final, and Colombo remain the leading contenders. If Pakistan reaches the title match, the final will most likely shift to Sri Lanka as a neutral venue.

    So far, 15 teams have qualified: Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Australia, England, South Africa, New Zealand, West Indies, USA, Ireland, Netherlands, Canada and Italy. Italy will make their debut in a senior ICC World Cup, marking a milestone for the European nation.

    Regional qualifiers will decide the remaining five spots, with two places available for African teams and three for Asia and East Asia-Pacific.

    The competition will mirror the 2024 format. Four groups of five teams will kick off the tournament, with the top two advancing to the Super Eight stage. From there, the top two in each group will progress to the semi-finals before the final showdown. In total, 55 matches are expected across the month-long event.

    For Pakistan, a return to Sri Lanka for their fixtures could evoke memories of the 2012 T20 World Cup, when they reached the semi-finals in Colombo. Fans are now waiting for the official draw to confirm fixtures and possible high-stakes clashes, including a potential face-off with India.

  • India frees 67 Pakistanis, including 53 fishermen, at Wagah border

    India frees 67 Pakistanis, including 53 fishermen, at Wagah border

    Despite a diplomatic deadlock between Pakistan and India, New Delhi on Tuesday released 67 Pakistani prisoners at the Wagah-Attari border. 

    The group includes 53 fishermen and 14 civilians, many of whom had been behind bars in India for years.

    According to officials, India has only released over 200 Pakistanis since 2021, but Pakistan has released almost 600 Indian prisoners in the last five years.

    The Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi played a central role in securing their freedom by arranging consular access, processing documents, and coordinating repatriation. First Secretary Tariq Masroor was credited with leading the efforts.

    The majority of those released are from Sindh’s coastal area and Karachi. During fishing trips, many were detained after unintentionally entering Indian waters, frequently due to malfunctioning gear or rough seas. Five members of the same family who were arrested in January 2022 were among the released civilians. 

    Twenty-one inmates were detained in Gujarat, 39 in Porbandar, one in Rajasthan, one in Hyderabad, one in Ludhiana, and four in Amritsar jails, according to authorities.

    Muhammad Rizwan of Karachi, one of the released fishermen, revealed that he had been detained at the age of 19 while fishing with 14 other people. 

    It is said that two of them passed away while in Indian captivity. While Rizwan and his father were set free, a number of his friends are still behind bars.

    Security officials in Lahore confirmed that the repatriated prisoners would undergo clearance and questioning before returning to their families.

    The release comes weeks after both countries exchanged lists of prisoners on July 1, 2025. India announced that it had 463 Pakistanis in its custody, including 382 civilians and 81 fisherman, whereas Pakistan claimed to be holding 246 Indians, including 193 fishermen and 53 civilians.

  • Couple accused of burning teenage maid with electric iron granted bail

    Couple accused of burning teenage maid with electric iron granted bail

    A judicial magistrate in Karachi has granted bail to a couple accused of brutally burning their teenage maid with an electric iron.

    The suspects, identified as Shahroz Muhammad Ali and his wife Kanwal, were taken into custody by Ferozabad police on Sunday after being booked under Sections 328-A (child cruelty) and 337-A (i) (shajjah) of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with Section 14-(1) of the Sindh Prohibition of Employment of Children Act, 2017. The law prohibits employing children and carries a punishment of up to six months in prison, a fine of Rs50,000, or both.

    The couple appeared before Judicial Magistrate (East) Hameedullah on Monday. Their lawyer argued that the charges were bailable, despite the investigating officer’s request for physical remand.

    In the end, the court granted their bail in exchange for a personal bond and a surety bond of Rs 30,000 each. The two were released after fulfilling the conditions.

    The 13-year-old girl from the Ferozabad police station’s jurisdiction was taken to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) on Sunday night, according to police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed. She had multiple burn marks in different stages of healing across her body. Although stable, she was referred for further treatment.


    The victim’s mother Aasiya filed the FIR after claiming that she had sent her daughter to work as domestic help at the couple’s apartment in PECHS Block 2 three months earlier.

    On August 31, Kanwal called Aasiya, claiming the girl was unwell and should be taken back. However, when Aasiya reached the residence, her daughter revealed she had been deliberately burnt with an electric iron.

    The girl alleged that two days prior, on August 29, while ironing Kanwal’s clothes, her dupatta accidentally caught fire. 

    In anger, Kanwal pressed the hot iron on her body despite her pleas for forgiveness. She further claimed that Shahroz also physically assaulted her.

  • PTA denies subscriber data breach, blames external sources

    PTA denies subscriber data breach, blames external sources

    Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has rejected claims that subscriber data was leaked from telecom companies, clarifying that it neither gathers nor oversees such information. The authority stated that subscriber records are retained by licensed telecom operators.

    The statement was issued after media reports started circulating with allegations that personal information of SIM operators was available for purchase online. The reported datasets included familial information, travel histories, vehicle registrations, and digitized national identity cards. Location data was reportedly being sold for Rs500, while call and data records were priced at Rs2,000, and travel details at Rs5,000.

    In its announcement, PTA mentioned that an initial investigation indicated that the exposed information seemed to have been compiled from various external sources rather than originating from telecom providers. It also noted that audits conducted within the licensed telecom industry revealed no security breaches.

    The regulator added that, as part of its extensive effort to combat unlawful online content, it had blocked 1,372 websites, applications, and social media accounts associated with the sale or distribution of personal information.

    The Ministry of Interior has established an inquiry committee to look into the leak’s origin and suggest additional measures. The committee is presently investigating how the data was gathered and made accessible online.

    Concerns regarding extensive data breaches are not new. Earlier this year, the National Cyber Emergency Response Team of Pakistan (PKCERT) alerted that the login information and passwords of over 180 million Pakistani internet users had been exposed in a worldwide breach. PKCERT reported that the compromised file contained more than 184 million unique account details in an unencrypted format and advised users to implement protective actions.

    In March 2024, a joint investigation team looking into another incident found that data from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) had been compromised. This breach reportedly affected the records of 2.7 million individuals between 2019 and 2023.

    The latest reports of subscriber data being sold online have once again raised concerns about the management of personal information in Pakistan, prompting multiple agencies to engage in tracking the leaks’ sources.

  • Pigs’ heads left outside mosques in Paris region

    Pigs’ heads left outside mosques in Paris region

    At least nine pigs’ heads were found outside several mosques in the Paris region on Tuesday, the city’s police chief said — an incident that has sparked alarm over rising anti-Muslim hatred.

    “Pigs’ heads have been left in front of certain mosques… Four in Paris and five in the inner suburbs,” Laurent Nunez told a press conference, adding that officers were not “ruling out the possibility of finding more”.

    Police have opened a probe into incitement to hatred aggravated by racial or religious discrimination, Nunez said, calling the acts “despicable”.

    The consumption of pork is considered haram — forbidden in Islam — as the meat is believed to be impure.

    Several of the heads had the surname of President Emmanuel Macron scrawled on them in blue ink, the Paris prosecutor’s office told AFP.

    Nunez said there could be parallels with past incidents linked to “foreign interference” but urged “extreme caution”.

    In early June, three Serbs were charged over the vandalism of Jewish sites in a case investigators suspect was backed by Russia.

    France is home to the largest Muslim community in the European Union, as well as the largest Jewish population outside Israel and the United States.

    Several EU nations have reported a spike in “anti-Muslim hatred” and antisemitism since the Gaza war started in October 2023, according to the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights.

    Anti-Muslim incidents in France rose by 75 percent between January and May 2025 compared with a year earlier, with attacks on individuals tripling, the interior ministry said in July.

    Fighters from Palestinian organisation Hamas launched an attack in Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023. Israel has responded with a relentless assault on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.


    -‘Anti-Muslim hatred’-

    The incidents around Paris drew swift condemnation from political and community leaders.

    Macron met with representatives of the Muslim community in the capital following the incident to express his “support”, his office told AFP.

    Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city had taken legal action, denouncing the “racist acts”.

    For his part, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau called the deeds “outrageous” and “absolutely unacceptable”.

    “I want our Muslim compatriots to be able to practise their faith in peace,” he said.

    Chems-Eddine Hafiz, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, denounced the “Islamophobic acts” as “a new and sad stage in the rise of anti-Muslim hatred”.

    Bassirou Camara, head of anti-discrimination group Addam, told AFP he feared an escalation.

    “We have been raising the alarm for months and we are not being heard,” Camara said.

    “What will be the next step? Throwing pigs’ heads at worshippers or physically assaulting them?”

    Outside one of the affected mosques, a 40-year-old former association director, who spoke on condition of anonymity, laid flowers to show “solidarity and support”.

    “People shouldn’t have to hide their faith,” she said.

    Similar incidents have targeted mosques and Muslim associations elsewhere in France in recent years, including a pig’s head left outside a Muslim association in the northern Pas-de-Calais region in 2024.

  • Apple unveils iPhone 17 Air amid AI race and tariff pressures

    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Air amid AI race and tariff pressures

    Apple unveiled its iPhone 17 lineup on Tuesday, featuring its thinnest smartphone ever, as the tech giant works to prove it can keep pace in the generative AI race.

    The Silicon Valley powerhouse held its annual iPhone release event amid mounting pressures: the White House is pushing the company to reduce its dependence on Chinese manufacturing, while investors question whether Apple is truly ready for the AI age.

    Adding to these challenges, the company faces headwinds from President Donald Trump’s high tariff policies. Apple shares have dropped more than three percent since the Republican took office in January.

    Against this backdrop, Apple is betting on a product that it hopes will spark a super-cycle of iPhone purchases and reverse the trend of customers holding onto their devices longer before upgrading.

    “The event shows Apple sidestepping the heart of the AI arms race while positioning itself as a long-term innovator on the AI hardware front, with silicon and device-level integration,” said Emarketer analyst Gadjo Sevilla.

    To reinvigorate its brand, Apple introduced the iPhone 17 Air, which CEO Tim Cook called “a total game changer.”

    At just 5.6mm thick (less than a quarter inch), the $999 device features Apple’s new A19 Pro processor — its most powerful iPhone chip to date — and promises all-day battery life with up to 40 hours of video playback.

    The Air joins Apple’s more standard lineup, including the premium iPhone Pro 17, the company’s most expensive and highest-performing model.

    While all new devices incorporate generative AI technology, Apple made no major announcements about expanding its AI capabilities beyond updates to existing features in its “Apple Intelligence” suite.

    The company’s AI push has struggled to gain traction since it launched “Apple Intelligence” late last year. Users have been particularly disappointed with improvements to Siri, which remains surprisingly basic despite years of promises.

    Apple reportedly plans to integrate AI into online search next year and overhaul Siri, though the company hasn’t confirmed these reports.

    The tech giant is also said to be partnering with Google to tap into its search and AI expertise.

    “To truly differentiate and smoke the competition, Apple will have to crack AI as a new contextual user-interface” on its devices, Forrester analyst Thomas Husson said in a note.

    “Executing such an ambitious AI strategy will take time. It won’t happen at best until next year, if not for the iPhone’s 20th anniversary” in 2027, he added.


    – Pivot to Air –

    Industry analysts see the iPhone Air as a strategic pivot, with Apple positioning ultra-thin design — rather than larger screens — as its new premium selling point.

    The super-slim profile could also pave the way for Apple’s long-rumored foldable iPhone, expected as early as next year. Samsung and China’s Huawei already offer foldable smartphones.

    However, engineering such thin devices presents challenges: higher production costs and reduced battery space, though Apple claims 24-hour battery life for the iPhone 17 Air when fully charged.

    Despite tariffs that increase production costs, Apple kept iPhone prices unchanged from last year’s equivalent models — a move that may squeeze profit margins.

    Cook revealed in July that Trump’s tariffs cost Apple $800 million last quarter, with an estimated $1.1 billion impact expected this quarter.

    Apple shares fell 1.40 percent after pricing details were announced, reflecting investor concerns about the company’s ability to maintain its profit margins.

    Apple also introduced the AirPods Pro 3, featuring enhanced noise cancellation and real-time translation capabilities, along with the Apple Watch Series 11, which includes 5G connectivity, extended battery life, and heart health monitoring features pending regulatory approval.

  • Ex-Nepalese PM’s wife burnt alive during protests

    Ex-Nepalese PM’s wife burnt alive during protests

    Nepal plunged into chaos on Tuesday as violent protests led by Gen Z forced Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to resign and claimed the life of Rajyalaxmi Chitrakar, wife of former prime minister Jhalanath Khanal.

    Protesters stormed the Dallu residence of Khanal, trapping Chitrakar inside before setting the house ablaze. Family members rushed her to Kirtipur Burn Hospital, but doctors could not save her.

    The unrest escalated after Oli’s government banned social media platforms including Facebook, X and YouTube, claiming the companies refused to register and submit to government oversight. Police opened fire on demonstrators in Kathmandu on Monday, killing 19 people. Although the government lifted the ban later that night, the protests gained momentum and turned into a broader revolt against corruption and political privilege.

    Angry crowds torched the parliament building and homes of top leaders, including Oli’s own residence. Video footage showed Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, 65, being chased through the streets and brutally beaten. The airport in the capital shut down as army helicopters evacuated several ministers to safe locations.

    Facing nationwide fury, Oli announced an immediate resignation on Tuesday.

    Young protesters accuse Nepal’s political elite of corruption and point to the children of leaders, labeled “Nepo Kids,” who flaunt luxury lifestyles while most young people struggle for jobs.

    The uprising, now known as the “protest of Gen Z,” has shaken the Himalayan nation.

  • Major Adnan Aslam succumbs to injuries

    Major Adnan Aslam succumbs to injuries

    Funeral prayers of Major Adnan Aslam Shaheed, who embraced martyrdom while undergoing treatment at Combined Military Hospital (CMH), were held at Chaklala, Rawalpindi, said the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in a statement on Tuesday.

    According to the military’s media wing, the officer, 31, resident of Rawalpindi, gallantly fought the Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij during their cowardly attack” in Bannu on September 2, 2025.

    “The Honourable Prime Minister of Pakistan Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, Defence Minister [Khawaja Asif], Information Minister [Attaullah Tarar], Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir NI (M), HJ, (COAS), serving Military and Civil Officers and relatives of Shaheed attended the funeral [sic],” ISPR said.

    The statement added that the Major embraced shahadat with unflinching bravery, leading his men from the front.

    “Major Adnan’s martyrdom is a testimony that [the] Armed Forces of Pakistan remain resolute in our mission to root out terrorism in all its forms. Officer will be laid to rest in his hometown with full military honours,” the statement concluded.

    Major Adnan belonged to the 5th Commando Battalion of the Special Service Group (SSG).

    Earlier, purported drone footage of the security forces’ anti-terror operation in Bannu surfaced online. It showed Major Adnan, despite being injured, shielding his comrade from the terrorists, and during that attempt, he was severely wounded.