Gulf fintech body opens Pakistan chapter, citing World Bank’s MENA shift
The UAE-based MENA Fintech Association links Pakistan’s banks, start-ups and regulators to its 22-market network, after the World Bank grouped Pakistan with the Middle East.
National
Petrol cut by Rs8 to Rs338 a litre as oil slides to two-month low
Diesel falls Rs7 to Rs371 from Wednesday, the second cut in a week, but petrol is still about Rs72 a litre dearer than before the Gulf war.
PM Shehbaz, Field Marshal Munir attend Chashma-5 nuclear plant dome ceremony
The dome has been placed on the 1,200MW C-5 reactor in Mianwali, a Chinese-designed Hualong One unit that will be Pakistan’s largest nuclear power plant
Lahore gurdwara on Temple Road reopens for first time since Partition
The Gurdwara Chhevin Patshahi Sri Guru Hargobind Sahib in Mozang has been restored and reopened for worship, 79 years after it was shut
Lahore tops world pollution list at 590 before air eases by evening
The Punjab government blames fireworks across the border in part, and an assessment of how much came from where is due on Tuesday
Khawaja Asif backs up to 12 provinces, but not on ethnic or language lines
The defence minister says power and funds must move from provincial capitals to local institutions, as the MQM-P renews its demand for new administrative units in Sindh
Forces clear terrorist hideouts inside two Mir Ali mosques, ISPR says
The military says the terrorists used the mosques in Muzak village to store explosives and run torture cells, and that a clearance operation is continuing in the area
Tarbela 5 work halted as water floods power house site, workers safe
WAPDA says a weak rock mass gave way during tunnel excavation and that no one was hurt; the Haripur administration says a protective bund breached and an inquiry will look into the cause
Pakistani AI startup RLabs wins award at Silicon Valley summit
The firm, led by NUST graduate Harris Ahmed, beat 17 international startups at Plug and Play’s November summit with technology that trains people and machines in simulated worlds
KP to set up faceless anti-terrorism courts, spend Rs70bn on police and CTD
The province’s home secretary says witnesses, prosecutors and judges in terrorism cases will be shielded, as the police get money to close gaps in manpower, surveillance and counter-drone defences
