The sale of illegal cigarettes in the country has increased significantly since the imposition of the Federal Excise Duty (FED), according to a quarterly report released by the State Bank of Pakistan. The output of the official cigarette industry declined by 35.5% due to the increase in FED as it pushed the consumers towards cheaper alternatives in the form of counterfeits and cigarettes smuggled from abroad.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday fixed Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s plea seeking her removal from the Exit Control List (ECL) for hearing on February 18. A two-member bench of the LHC headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi will hear the plea. Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh will be the other member of the bench.
NAB has summoned PPP head Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Thursday (February 13) in the Joint Venture Opal 225 case. The bureau’s Rawalpindi branch has asked him to bring all Zardari Group records from 2008 to 2019. He has also been asked for a list of the company’s board of directors. NAB says an on-paper company was used to pull out Rs1.22 billion from fake accounts.
British Airways has set the fastest subsonic transatlantic flight record after a little help from Storm Ciara. The New York to London journey was completed in four hours and 56 minutes, 80 minutes faster than the estimated travel time. The plane, a Boeing 747-436, reached speeds of 1,327 km/h as it rode a jet stream accelerated by Storm Ciara.
An Instagram influencer has taken to social media to accuse Shadab Khan of threatening to leak her nudes. The influencer, Ashreena Safia, posted a message on Instagram along with several screenshots from various applications such as Instagram, Snapchat and WhatsApp. Safia has attached a few pictures of herself with Shadab, but the conversations seem to be missing context considering that some of the content has been blacked out by Safia.
Prime Minister Imran Khan has decided to introduce another Rs. 15 billion relief package to counter the uncontrolled inflation in the country. It was decided during a meeting that Rs. 15 billion will be used to provide an uninterrupted supply of household commodities to utility stores across the country. Along with that, the district and city administrations will be mobilized to keep a check on the prices of grocery items to curb price manipulation.
One of the richest men on earth, Bill Gates has ordered the first-ever hydrogen fuel cell-based yacht, the Sinot’s Aqua. The “Superyacht” costs $644 million, and is powered by two 1MW motors fuelled by supercooled hydrogen tanks. It has a 17-knot top speed (19.6MPH), it is capable of cross-ocean travel due to its 3,750-mile range.
Pakistan’s fast-bowling great Wasim Akram turned back the clock through a moment of brilliance with the ball, during the bushfire relief match in Melbourne, Australia. During the penultimate over of the Gilchrist XI innings, Akram, who was playing for the Ponting XI, clean bowled Rugby League legend Cameron Smith with a cleverly disguised inswinger.
Ancient vikings had the words ‘Allah’ and ‘Ali’ woven with silk and silver thread into their funeral clothes, according to a discovery made by Swedish researchers. The breakthrough was made by textile archaeologist Annika Larsson of Uppsala University while re-examining the remnants of burial costumes. The discovery is raising new questions about the influence of Islam in Scandinavia.
Pakistan bowler Naseem Shah lit up day three of their Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi when he became the youngest cricketer to claim a Test hat-trick at the age of 16. Naseem who left the visitors reeling at 126-6, broke the record of compatriot Abdul Razzaq, who claimed a hat-trick at the age of 20 against Sri Lanka