Pakistan to sell first three power distributors in early 2027, pushing back December target
IESCO, FESCO and GEPCO will go first, with Hyderabad and Sukkur next and the Lahore, Multan, Peshawar and Hazara companies in the second half of 2027.
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Saturday 31 October 2026
Fakhar Zaman century and Arafat Minhas blitz win Pakistan the tri-series as they chase 326 to beat Sri Lanka
Shaheen Shah Afridi finished it with a six as Pakistan pulled off the joint-highest successful chase in an ODI final.
Sehat Dehleez is Balochistan’s healthcare breakthrough
Free consultations, e-prescriptions, referrals and family health records on one public platform: Balochistan has built a model the rest of Pakistan can learn from.
Chelsea beat 10-man Manchester United 2-0 as Martínez red card deepens pressure on Carrick
Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored after the break as United slipped to a seventh defeat in 13 games.
Iran has no plans for talks with US, Araghchi says, as aide heads to Doha and Hormuz reopening plan is cut to two days
The foreign minister confirmed Tehran received the US vice president’s message and said it had been discussed at the highest level.
‘First arrest, then decide the charges’: Khawaja Asif criticises political victimisation, says foreign bases exist to protect Israel
The defence minister recalled his own six months in NAB custody and said Pakistan was playing a historic role in ending the Iran-US conflict.
Police constable martyred, PPP lawyer wounded as gunmen open fire inside Lakki Marwat court complex
Constable Karamatullah was killed outside a sessions court; police sealed the Judicial Complex and launched an investigation.
Yemen fighting has displaced 290,000 since August, UN says, as Houthis tighten grip on Taiz
The UN warned that 6,100 pregnant women are among the displaced as the Houthis fire missiles at Aden and drones at Saudi Arabia.
Mansehra assistant commissioner wounded as gunmen fire on his vehicle in Nowshera
Adil Waseem is stable in hospital after the attack in Panah Kot; police have launched a search operation and registered a case.
Iranian lawmakers push to quit nuclear treaty as Trump says war will be ‘wrapped up soon’
Ten proposals to leave the NPT have been registered in Iran’s parliament as Qatari and Pakistani mediators try to stop the war resuming.
Jamie Carragher apologises to Aston Villa after club threatens legal action over ‘unacceptable insults’
The pundit said his remarks telling Villa fans to “shut up” were meant to be tongue in cheek, a day after chairman Nassef Sawiris said the club would sue.
India’s opposition stages ‘public impeachment’ of election chief, accusing him of deleting 132 million voters
Mallikarjun Kharge moved six charges against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar at a symbolic hearing, a day before the INDIA bloc’s Ramlila Maidan rally.
Thousands of Meitei and Naga protesters rally in Imphal demanding an end to India’s ‘proxy war’ in Manipur
In a rare joint march, Meitei and Naga groups demanded the end of the ceasefire pact with Kuki armed groups and the withdrawal of the Assam Rifles from Manipur.
Balochistan sacks 72 doctors flagged by AI attendance system, taking dismissals to 200
The provincial health department removed the doctors for prolonged absence, has docked Rs410 million in pay and issued notices to 11,000 staff as part of a crackdown on absenteeism.
Syria weighs joining Makkah defence pact with Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Türkiye
Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani told the Manama Dialogue that talks are under way on Syria’s entry into the alliance, which treats an attack on one member as an attack on all.
Iran’s supreme leader orders ‘geographically unrestricted response’ to any US or Israeli attack
Mojtaba Khamenei told commanders to update target lists to reach US and Israeli assets, as Iran’s army warned war would spread if Trump resumes strikes after the midterms.
Captain Safdar’s cancer jibe at ‘my body, my choice’ draws backlash, and a ‘heartbreaking’ post from Maryam Nawaz
The Punjab chief minister’s husband mocked women who seek prayers for cancer; Maryam Nawaz, whose mother died of cancer, called it ‘heartbreaking’ on X.
‘Very little, if anything’ done for KP in 13 years, Shehbaz Sharif says of PTI rule
Addressing PML-N lawmakers from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the prime minister questioned PTI’s record on dams, hospitals and universities and whether provincial funds were spent transparently.
US to deport Afghans via Pakistan from Monday as it has no ties with Taliban, official says
More than 150 Afghans are expected to be removed in one of the largest such expulsions, with a US official saying flights would be routed through Pakistan.
Second cyclone in a week to hit India’s Andhra Pradesh on Monday as Arnab recovery continues
The IMD says a low-pressure system in the Bay of Bengal will strengthen into a cyclone, likely named Murasu, and cross the Andhra coast on November 2.
Trump may order major Iran strike if Republicans lose in midterms, US officials say, as Qatar presses talks in Tehran
A US official said Trump could ‘do something bold’ if embarrassed at the polls, as Qatari mediators reported ‘positive progress’ after 12 hours of talks in Tehran; the White House denied any link.
Ebola deaths in DR Congo pass 5,000 as outbreak spreads to Nigeria and Saudi Arabia bars Kenya travellers
More than 10,000 people have been infected by the Bundibugyo strain, which has no approved treatment or vaccine, in the DRC’s deadliest Ebola outbreak on record.
Pakistan tells UN rights council Taliban let terrorists operate from Afghanistan, 4,700 Pakistanis killed in three years
Pakistan accused the Taliban regime of complicity with terrorist groups targeting it, as a UN rapporteur urged states not to normalise ties with Kabul until it reverses its repression of women.
Brazil summons Argentine diplomat over Flávio Bolsonaro’s flight to the US
Brasília called in Argentina’s chargé d’affaires over how the defeated candidate crossed Argentina in defiance of a court order, straining ties between Lula and Milei.
US approves $2.1bn sale of 500 Patriot missiles to Ukraine, paid for by European and Canadian allies
The State Department cleared 500 PAC-3 interceptors for Ukraine, funded by Canada, Germany, Norway and an EU loan, after Kyiv warned it was critically short of air defence missiles.
Shehbaz Sharif to visit Moscow in December for talks with Putin, leading big business delegation
The prime minister reviewed preparations for a Russia visit in the first week of December, where he will meet Vladimir Putin and address a joint business forum, sources said.
Revolt in Omar Abdullah’s party as 17 National Conference legislators issue 15-day ultimatum over ‘coterie culture’
Seventeen ruling-party legislators in Indian-administered Kashmir demanded an end to ‘unilateral decisions’ after a cabinet expansion left them out, as MP Aga Ruhullah prepares to quit.
Polish president turns plane around as constitutional court calls its chief’s suspension a ‘coup d’état’
Karol Nawrocki abandoned a flight to Senegal after police entered the Constitutional Tribunal and its president was suspended, as the government moved to strip him and his deputy of immunity.
Three policemen martyred in terrorist attacks in Bannu, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur; head constable abducted
Terrorists martyred a CTD constable in Bannu, a constable in Lakki Marwat and another in Bajaur, while a head constable was abducted; police killed two terrorists in a retaliatory operation in Lakki Marwat.
Israel-linked influence campaign spent $11m painting Qatar as force behind Muslim migration to Europe, report finds
Researchers found 533 million ad exposures across 30 countries pushing racist, Islamophobic and anti-Qatar messaging, with metadata pointing to an operation run from Israel.
CDA gives Fazlur Rehman’s Islamabad residence 15 days to remove ‘illegal’ construction, also targets JUI-F seminaries
A Capital Development Authority notice cites a guard post and generator on CDA land and setback violations at the JUI-F chief’s G-6 house, warning of sealing, demolition or cancellation of the allotment.
Friday 30 October 2026
Diesel up Rs2.29 a litre, petrol unchanged at Rs377.91 until Monday
High-speed diesel will sell at Rs402.96 a litre from October 31 to November 2 while petrol stays at Rs377.91, as Jamaat-i-Islami threatens a march on Islamabad over the petroleum levy.
Pakistan ‘cautiously optimistic’ on US-Iran mediation, DG ISPR says, as Makkah pact door left open to Tehran
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said Field Marshal Asim Munir’s two Tehran visits signalled progress, warned of ‘powerful spoilers’, and said the Makkah Defence Alliance does not bar new members.
Scottish police open investigation into Andrew’s Balmoral stays with Epstein and Maxwell
Police Scotland said its inquiry, reportedly linked to claims women were trafficked to the King’s Highland estate, is at a very early stage; several English forces are also examining the Epstein files.
Intel plunges 30% and Nasdaq hits two-month low as AI spending fears hit tech stocks
Intel was on course to lose over $130bn in value, Reddit fell 26% and Roblox nearly 20% as worries about the cost of the AI race spread a day after Alphabet’s $500bn slide.
Israel treating Gaza’s ‘Yellow Line’ as a kill zone, UN says, warning of ethnic cleansing
The UN human rights office says Israeli forces are pushing west past the Yellow Line, attacking displacement camps and squeezing Palestinians into a shrinking share of Gaza.
Pope Leo XIV becomes first pontiff to vote in a US election, casting mail-in ballot in midterms
The Chicago-born pope voted by post from the Vatican in Illinois, days before midterms that will decide control of Congress, after clashing with Trump over Iran and immigration.
‘My body hurts’: US prisoner Christa Pike speaks out a month after surviving botched execution
Christa Pike, who survived a lethal injection in Tennessee on September 30, said she is in constant pain and blamed ‘incompetence’, as the state’s governor said her death sentence should stand.
PTI’s KP lawmakers back talks with Centre to end governor’s rule and emergency
More than 40 PTI lawmakers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa backed dialogue with the federal government, endorsed staying off the streets and distanced the party from remarks against state institutions.
Opposition signals it will join electoral reforms committee after PPP outreach
Opposition leaders are consulting PTI before formally joining a 30-member parliamentary committee on electoral reforms, after a PPP delegation invited them on Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s instructions.
