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Cost of commuting rises as government hikes fuel prices

The federal government has increased the price of petrol by Rs5 per litre and high-speed diesel by Rs7.32 per litre for the next fortnight, according to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division late on Sunday night. Petrol has been raised by Rs5 per litre, taking the price from Rs253.17 to Rs258.17 per litre. High-speed diesel (HSD) has been increased by Rs7.32 per litre and now costs Rs275.70 per litre, up from the previous Rs268.38. The notification further stated that the revised prices take effect immediately from February 16 and will remain in force for the next fortnight. Fuel prices in Pakistan are reviewed fortnightly and are influenced by changes in international oil prices, exchange rate fluctuations, and domestic tax adjustments. Diesel prices are of particular concern as HSD is widely used in transport, agriculture, and power generation, meaning increases often have a direct impact on inflation and the cost of essential goods. On February 1, in its fortnightly review...
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K-P vanity plates raise Rs470m in single-day auction

Pride in heritage and hometown turned into multimillion-rupee bids Saturday when the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control Department held its second auction of exclusive personalised vehicle number plates. In a single electrifying day at Arena Hall, Qayyum Sports Complex, bidders drove the total proceeds to Rs470.3 million across just 30 selected plates, many featuring the names of prominent tribes and districts in transliterated English. The undisputed star of the auction was DAWAR 1, which fetched an astonishing Rs175 million, purchased by Inzamam-ul-Haq. The figure is believed to be the highest ever paid for a personalised plate in the province. Runner-up honours went to ORAKZAI 1, snapped up by former Senator and MPA Aurangzeb Khan for Rs41 million. *محکمہ ایکسائز کے تحت پشاور میں چوائس نمبر پلیٹس کی نیلامی کے تفصیلات* ✓• ایک ہی روز میں 47 کروڑ اور 3 لاکھ روپے کی مجموعی نیلامی ہوئی جس میں کل 30 نمبرات شامل تھے۔ ✓• نیلامی میں سب سے زیادہ بولی "داوڑ 1...
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‘Execution was missing’: Agha reflects on Pakistan’s defeat to India

Pakistan Captain Salman Ali Agha on Sunday reflected on his side’s all-round failure after a heavy defeat to arch-rivals India in their much-anticipated T20 World Cup clash in Colombo. Defending champions India produced a commanding performance to register a 61-run victory over Pakistan and move to the top of the group standings. A blistering knock from opener Ishan Kishan powered India to 175-7, despite the early loss of attacking opener Abhishek Sharma in the first over. Pakistan never recovered from early setbacks, losing four wickets inside the powerplay before being bowled out for 114. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Agha said Pakistan’s bowlers failed to deliver despite the team’s trust in its spin attack. “We were believing in our spinners, but they had an off day today. Execution was missing in some parts of the game, but obviously we are going to continue believing in our spinners. They have done really well in the last six months,” he said. He also pointed to Pakista...
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European allies say Navalny was poisoned by dart frog toxin; Russia rejects claims

Five European allies on Saturday blamed Russia for killing late Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny using toxin from poison dart frogs while he was held in an Arctic penal colony two years ago, a claim Moscow rejected as propaganda. In a joint statement, Britain, France, Germany, Sweden and the Netherlands said analyses of samples from Navalny's body "conclusively" confirmed the presence of epibatidine, a toxin found in poison dart frogs in South America and not found naturally in Russia. The Russian government, which has repeatedly denied any responsibility for Navalny's death, dismissed the latest allegations as "a Western propaganda hoax", according to the Russian state's TASS news agency. Britain on Saturday said the poisoning demonstrated "an alarming pattern of behaviour". The country held a public inquiry into the poisoning in Britain of Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in 2018. It concluded last year Russian President Vladimir Putin must h...
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CDF Munir meets US secretary of state, German leaders on sidelines of Munich Conference

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and Chief of Defence Staff (CDF) Field Marshal Asim Munir met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German leaders, and a number of dignitaries from other countries on the sidelines of the 62nd Munich Security Conference, the military’s media wing said on Sunday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), CDF Munir visited Germany from February 12 to 14 . During the visit, “he met US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and discussed matters of mutual interest, including global and regional security dynamics and counterterrorism cooperation,” it said. He also held talks with German officials, including Alexander Dobrindt, Federal Minister of the Interior; Günter Sautter, Foreign and Security Policy Adviser to the German Chancellor; and General Carsten Breuer, Chief of Defence of the Federal Armed Forces. Read More: CDF Munir discusses regional security dynamics “The meetings focused on contemporary security issues, bilateral defence cooperation and the n...
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Electric vehicle policy insufficient for real impact

In a move presented as a decisive step against worsening air pollution, the Punjab government has announced a phased shift to electric vehicles (EVs), banning the purchase of new fuel-powered cars for government departments. However, critics argue that limiting the transition to official fleets alone is unlikely to significantly reduce emissions unless broader incentives and policies are introduced. According to official figures from the Excise and Taxation Department, more than 15,000 electric vehicles are registered in Punjab, most of them electric scooters and motorcycles, while electric cars number only about 1,500. This is negligible when compared to the nearly 26 million vehicles registered across the province. In percentage terms, EVs account for roughly 0.06 per cent of all vehicles. Data from the Punjab Clean Air Policy shows that transport contributes about 43 per cent to overall air pollution in the province, while a report by The Urban Unit estimates that nearly 80 per cent...
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Indonesia seeks to leverage PAF's training ecosystem and aerospace capabilities

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has expressed keen interest in leveraging the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) state-of-the-art training ecosystem and aerospace development infrastructure to enhance his country's defence capabilities, the military's media wing said on Friday. A statement from the Inter Services Public Relations said the Indonesian president showed his intent during a meeting with Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal (ACM) Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, who is on an official visit to Indonesia. During the meeting, the air chief underscored the shared values and longstanding brotherhood between Pakistan and Indonesia. Earlier, he held separate high-level meetings with Defence Minister Lieutenant General (Retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, the commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces and the Indonesian air marshal. "During discussion with the Indonesian air chief, both sides discussed enhanced air force-to-air force cooperation, joint training from basic to a...
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