The President House on Friday rejected media reports that President Asif Ali Zardari and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi discussed the creation of new provinces during their meeting in Nawabshah a day earlier. In a statement, the President House said the reports suggesting that provincial matters were discussed during the meeting were incorrect. “Matters concerning national security and the regional situation were discussed during the meeting. However, no discussion took place on matters related to provinces,” the statement said. The clarification came after several media reports claimed that the president and…

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Medical experts on Friday called for affordable genetic screening, early diagnosis and specialised treatment facilities in Pakistan, warning that families affected by inherited disorders face significant challenges in accessing healthcare due to a lack of support systems. The issue was highlighted at a one-day summit titled “Future Health 2035”, organised by the Strive Eradication of Disability Foundation in collaboration with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF). The summit brought together medical specialists, genetic scientists, healthcare professionals and families affected by inherited disorders to discuss developments in genomic science, genetic diagnosis…

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The Pakistan government on Friday reduced the price of petrol by Rs2 per litre to Rs330, while keeping the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) unchanged at Rs360 per litre. According to a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), the revised prices will take effect from Saturday, November 14, and remain in force until November 16, 2026. OGRA said the prices had been determined under the petroleum products pricing mechanism approved by the federal government. The latest reduction follows Thursday’s revision, when the government cut petrol prices…

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Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday shared a video statement of a bus conductor who assaulted a woman passenger on public transport, in which he admitted his mistake and promised not to repeat such behaviour. The conductor, identified as Ali Rizwan, recorded the statement while holding his ears as a gesture of apology and acknowledged that he had mistreated the woman. He also pledged not to behave similarly towards anyone in the future. The development followed Maryam Nawaz’s earlier intervention over an incident in which a transport company employee…

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Judges at the International Criminal Court have issued a decision to formally close part of the prosecutor’s investigations into Afghanistan that previously ​looked at alleged crimes by US troops and to focus only ‌on actions of the Taliban since 2021, court documents show. The decision by the chamber formally closes not only the line of inquiry into alleged crimes by US troops, which ​had already lain dormant since 2021, but also a probe into the ​Islamic State Khorasan (ISIS-K) militia. The office of the prosecutor told ⁠Reuters on Friday it…

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US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday blamed the Commerce Department for failing to blacklist Megaspeed, the Singapore company at the centre of a scandal that prompted Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang to resign. Speaking on CNBC, Bessent said Treasury, the Defence Department, the US Trade Representative’s office and the State Department had backed adding Megaspeed to Washington’s trade blacklist, “for months.” “But Commerce has the pen,” Bessent said. “You will have to ask them about their internal processes.” He said he was “frustrated” because President Donald Trump “made it…

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OpenAI said on Friday it has launched ChatGPT Wallet, which lets ​AI agents pay for purchases without ‌accessing users’ card details, with a security check required for every transaction. The wallet has been built in ​partnership with American Express, Mastercard and ⁠Visa, OpenAI said. It will initially be ​available in the US to ChatGPT Pro ​subscribers aged 18 and older with eligible US-issued cards. It can be accessed through “dots”, the ​company’s always-on AI agents. Users can review ​items, the total and the selected card before ‌each ⁠purchase, then approve…

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Turkiye and Qatar signed a mutual defence agreement on Friday, ​the office of President Tayyip Erdogan said, as ‌the Turkish leader met the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani in Istanbul. “President Erdogan stated that we would continue ​working together to prevent the resurgence of war ​in the Gulf region and establish a basis ⁠for dialogue and achieve peace,” the presidency said in ​a statement on X, which did not provide details ​on the defence accord. The statement cited him as saying that Turkiye and Qatar were working to…

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The Consulate-General of Japan in Karachi hosted the Japan Festival (Japan Fest) 2026 on Friday, showcasing Japanese culture and traditions through a range of artistic performances and interactive activities. The festival was organised in collaboration with the Pakistan-Japan Cultural Association, Sindh (PJCA), and the Pakistan-Japan Business Forum (PJBF) at the Beach Luxury Hotel. Welcoming guests, Japanese Consul General Hattori Masaru highlighted the importance of cultural exchange in promoting mutual understanding and strengthening ties between the people of Japan and Pakistan. He said Japan Fest had developed into a meaningful platform…

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