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Govt hikes petrol by Rs3.81, HSD by Rs3.59 till August 24

The federal government on Friday increased the price of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.81 and Rs3.59 per litre, respectively, for the next three days. According to a notification issued by the Petroleum Division, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs341.59 per litre, while HSD will cost Rs368.29 per litre from Aug 22 to Aug 24. The latest revision comes a day after the government increased the price of petrol and HSD by 27 paisas and Rs1.64, respectively, for August 21. Read: Govt increases petrol by 27 paisas, HSD by Rs1.64 for Aug 21 Last month, the government announced a new pricing mechanism under which petroleum product prices would be reviewed and notified on a daily basis, replacing the weekly pricing mechanism, as renewed tensions between the United States and Iran continued to drive volatility in global oil markets and raise concerns over fuel supplies. According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25, petroleum products constitute one of the country...
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IHC fixes hearing for Imaan, Chattha's sentence suspension pleas on Sept 8

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday fixed the suspension of sentence applications of lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha for hearing on September 8. Imaan, a rights activist and lawyer, and Chattha, an advocate, were in January 2026 handed a combined 17-year sentence on multiple charges linked to controversial social media posts that the prosecution argued amounted to an anti-state narrative under cybercrime laws. Imaan and Chattha had filed applications for suspension of their sentences in January. The Registrar’s Office issued a cause list for the case that showed Justice Muhammad Azam Khan would hear the case. The appeals for suspension of sentences of Imaan and Chattha were also heard in the Supreme Court by a two-member bench headed by Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan heard the case. During the hearing, Justice Afghan remarked that the "system should be fully exposed". "A case may disappear from the system; we will not disappear, we are presen...
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Fact check: Viral video of girl hitting sixes in men's tape ball match is doctored

Multiple users, a majority of whom appear to be cricket fans based on their past posts, have been sharing a video across social media platforms since August 18, 2026, claiming it shows a girl hitting sixes in a men’s tape ball match. However, the video is AI-generated. On August 18, a social media user who appears to be a cricket fan shared a video on Facebook showing a girl hitting sixes in a men’s tape ball match. “Check the shot,” the caption read. The post racked up 75 million views. The same user shared a close-up angle of the same video as well, which garnered 5.4m views. On TikTok, a user shared the same clip with the caption: “Huge six by Mehak Pindi Wali.” The post gained 10.9m views. Another TikTok user also posted the clip, calling the six “unbelievable”. It accumulated 262,000 views. The video also gathered attention on X, where an account that shared it garnered 190,000 views. “You must have seen boys hitting ...
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Why US states fought to present a united case against Meta over youth social media harms

As opening statements got underway in a landmark trial over claims that Meta Platforms misled the public about the safety of Instagram and Facebook for young users and violated child privacy laws, one of the biggest fights in the case had already been resolved: whether a bipartisan group of ​US states would present their claims together. The states pushed for a single trial covering state consumer protection and federal privacy claims brought ‌by 29 attorneys general, while Meta argued for a series of smaller trials grouping states that have similar laws. The fight was about more than courtroom logistics. The states argued that the case centres on company-wide decisions affecting young users across the country and seeks nationwide changes to Meta's platforms, and that jurors should hear a single story about Meta's actions. Meta countered that ​jurors should evaluate states' claims separately because the underlying laws differ and warned that a combined proceeding...
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US rates likely to stay higher for longer, squeezing consumers

US interest rates are likely to remain elevated for longer as stubborn inflation and signs of a weakening labour market complicate the Federal Reserve’s next move, leaving consumers facing continued pressure from borrowing costs even as economic growth loses momentum. A Reuters poll of economists showed that 90% expect the Fed to leave its benchmark interest rate unchanged at 3.50%-3.75% at its September 15-16 meeting. Nearly 80% also expect rates to remain unchanged through the end of the year, while economists forecasting at least one rate increase this year far outnumber those expecting a cut. The outlook reflects a difficult policy dilemma. Inflation remains well above the Fed’s 2% target, while recent employment data have shown an abrupt cooling in the labour market. Cutting rates too soon could revive inflationary pressure, while raising them further could deepen an economic slowdown and increase recession risks. US consumer prices rose 3.4% in July from a year...
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FO rubbishes India's 'baseless assertions' linking Pakistan to arrests of terror suspects

The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday rubbished what it said were "baseless assertions" by the Indian home minister linking Pakistan to the recent arrests of terror suspects. Earlier today, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said that security agencies arrested more than 200 "terror operatives" allegedly linked to ​Pakistan, thwarting potential "subversive attacks" around the country's Independence ‌Day last week, in one of the largest such crackdowns in years. A multi-state ​operation against what Shah said was a terror ​group, which he accused the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of backing, ⁠was carried out across 14 Indian states on August ​12, three days before India celebrated its 80th year ​of freedom from British colonial rule. Shah ​said agencies had ​recovered pistols, ⁠live cartridges and grenades allegedly bearing Pakistan Ordnance Factory markings and crude bombs. Modi govt destroyed the ISI-backed terror group ...
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GSR, CCTV offer new clues in Wafflix owner Mir Raza’s murder

Crucial CCTV footage and a forensic report on Monday shed new light on the murder of Mir Raza Ali, the young owner of the popular dessert brand Wafflix, revealing the timeline of the discovery of his body, the arrival of police and an Edhi ambulance, and the presence of gunshot residue (GSR) on his body. Ali, 25, was allegedly kidnapped from PECHS before his body was found in bushes near a wedding hall in Gulistan-e-Johar on July 29. The case had initially been surrounded by uncertainty over whether he had been murdered or died by suicide. However, the findings of the second post-mortem consolidated his family’s longstanding claim that he had been murdered. The police probe is facing constant scrutiny by the public because of earlier lapses that were also admitted by the Sindh police chief. According to the footage, a nursery employee was the first to spot Ali’s body at 11:52am on July 29 and alerted the police. Two motorcycle-riding policemen reached the scene first,...
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