Pakistan

Shares of Indian tobacco companies slumped on Thursday after the government imposed a new tax on cigarettes, making them costlier for an estimated 100 million smokers in the world’s most populous country. ITC (ITC.NS) maker of Gold Flake and the market leader, fell 9.2%, while Godfrey Phillips India (GDFR.NS), opens new tab, the distributor of Marlboro in the country, tanked…

Indian telecom operator Vodafone Idea said on Thursday it had received an order levying a penalty of 6.38 billion rupees (nearly $71 million), for alleged “short payment” of taxes. The order, issued by a goods and services tax authority, comes a day after the Indian government granted the debt-saddled firm a partial moratorium on adjusted gross revenue (AGR) dues, disappointing…

In 2025, Bitcoin (BTC) navigated a tumultuous landscape marked by institutional adoption, regulatory shifts, and macroeconomic pressures. While the cryptocurrency industry celebrated wins like record ETF inflows and increased mainstream integration, Bitcoin’s price told a story of volatility and overall decline in many currencies. Ending the year on a flat to negative note, BTC’s performance varied significantly across major world…

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Thursday registered a case regarding the illegal occupation of the Cotton Exchange Building located on Karachi’s I.I. Chundrigar Road, ARY News reported. Meanwhile, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has written to the FIA requesting that the building be handed over to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC). In response, the Director of the FIA Karachi…

Australia named injured fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood and big-hitter Tim David in their provisional squad for the Twenty20 World Cup in February-March, while expanding their spin options to suit conditions in Sri Lanka and India. Cummins, who has not played an international game in the short format since June 2024, was rested from the final two Ashes…

ISLAMABAD: Consumer Price Index (CPI)–based inflation eased to 5.6 percent year-on-year (YoY) in December 2025, down from 6.1 percent in November 2025, though higher than 4.1 percent recorded in December 2024, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Thursday. According to the latest PBS data, urban CPI inflation rose 5.8 percent YoY in December 2025, compared to 6.1 percent…

American singer Zach Bryan has married Samantha Leonard in Spain, after announcing their relationship earlier this year. According to TMZ, the country singer tied the knot with Leonard in San Sebastian. Video obtained by the outlet shows Bryan wearing a black suit and sunglasses as he carried Leonard, dressed in a wedding gown with a long veil and sunglasses, towards a…

The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) governing council has decided to remove Chattogram as a venue for the remainder of the 2025–26 season, following scheduling disruptions caused by a two-day suspension of the tournament earlier this week. The BPL was paused after the death of former Bangladesh prime minister Khaleda Zia, forcing organisers to revise the tournament schedule. As a result,…