Saudi air defenses intercepted and destroyed a drone south of Makkah on Tuesday evening before it could enter the holy city’s restricted airspace — an incident the Saudi-led coalition has called a deliberate attempt to target Islam’s holiest site, while the Houthis have denied any such attack took place. What Happened According to a statement from coalition spokesperson Major General Turki al-Malki, the Royal Saudi Air Defence Forces intercepted the drone at around 6:50pm local time on Tuesday, south of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, before it reached the city’s prohibited airspace. The wreckage fell in an area south of the city. Al-Malki…
Author: M Awais
Sonic is going back to preschool. Netflix and SEGA have announced a new animated Sonic the Hedgehog series aimed squarely at an “upper pre-school” audience — a notably younger target than the multiverse-hopping antics of Sonic Prime, which wrapped on the platform in 2024. What We Know About the New Show The as-yet-untitled series is being developed by Carlos Stevens and SEGA head producer Toru Nakahara, and is being pitched as roughly a gateway into the Sonic franchise for kids right around the age when they can start playing the actual video games. Despite the younger target age, SEGA and…
Slowing down AI development is technically possible — but coordinating it globally is turning out to be one of the hardest problems in tech policy today. As calls for a more deliberate pace have grown louder this year, they’ve run straight into the same wall that’s stalled similar efforts before: nobody wants to slow down first. The Proposal That Reignited This Debate The current wave of discussion traces back to an essay from Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, who argued the AI industry needs a more deliberate pace of frontier model development to give safety work room to keep up with…
Gold rate in Pakistan today — Tuesday, 15 September 2026, as reported by the All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association. Rates update multiple times a day — always confirm a live rate before buying or selling. Gold prices in Pakistan opened lower today, extending Friday’s sharp correction after a brief Saturday rebound, with 24K gold falling Rs. 3,800 per tola as international prices eased. Today’s Rates — All Karats Karat Purity Price per Tola Price per 10 Grams 24K 99.9% Rs. 453,336 Rs. 388,672 22K 91.6% Rs. 415,558 — 21K 87.5% Rs. 396,669 — 18K 75% Rs. 340,002 —…
Apple has taken its clearest step yet toward a formal presence in Pakistan, appointing Salman Dar as the company’s first-ever Head of Government Affairs for the country — a dedicated liaison role between Apple and Pakistani regulators at a moment when Islamabad is actively courting major global tech manufacturers. What the Role Actually Involves Dar announced the appointment himself on LinkedIn, saying he’ll lead Apple’s government affairs activities in Pakistan and support the company’s engagement with regulatory authorities, policymakers, and other key stakeholders. According to one report, Dar will operate remotely from Dubai in this position, effective September 2026 —…
ONIC, the digital-first SIM brand run by Ufone’s parent company, has been ordered to immediately stop all new sales, SIM and eSIM issuance, and marketing — with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) ruling that the service has effectively been operating as an unlicensed mobile virtual network for years. What PTA Actually Ordered The PTA directed Pak Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), which operates the Ufone brand, to immediately halt all commercial operations of ONIC — including new sales, activations, SIM/eSIM issuance, subscriptions, and marketing. The regulator determined that ONIC’s operating model falls squarely within the Mobile Virtual Network Operator (MVNO) framework,…
Robot combat just got its own global league. CyberHero, billed as the world’s first global humanoid robot sports league, launched in Riyadh on September 9, with plans to expand into a full circuit spanning eight cities across four continents. What Actually Happened in Riyadh The inaugural event, CyberHero x Riyadh, was held at Boulevard City and marked the Middle East’s first humanoid robot combat event, featuring EngineAI T800 humanoid robots competing inside a purpose-built arena. Staged as an invite-only launch, the event served as a preview of the league’s competition format, personalities, and broader vision rather than a full competitive…
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) held its policy rate steady at 11.5% on Monday, even as inflation jumped sharply to 11.1% in August — leaving the real interest rate cushion at its thinnest point in months, as the central bank weighs a fragile domestic recovery against an increasingly volatile Middle East. The Vote The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) approved the hold by a majority of seven of its 10 members, marking the third consecutive meeting the rate has stayed unchanged at 11.5% — a level it’s now held for more than four months. The decision matched market expectations closely,…
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) held its policy rate steady at 11.5% on Monday, even as inflation jumped sharply to 11.1% in August — leaving the real interest rate cushion at its thinnest point in months, as the central bank weighs a fragile domestic recovery against an increasingly volatile Middle East. The Vote The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) approved the hold by a majority of seven of its 10 members, marking the third consecutive meeting the rate has stayed unchanged at 11.5% — a level it’s now held for more than four months. The decision matched market expectations closely,…
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) staged a strong recovery on Tuesday, with the benchmark KSE-100 index rebounding 1,907 points as buying interest returned across the market’s heavyweight sectors — a sharp reversal from Monday’s steep selloff driven by renewed Middle East tensions. From Sharp Losses to a Strong Rebound Session KSE-100 Close/Level Change Monday, Sept 14 167,970.66 ▼ 2,541.20 points (-1.49%) Tuesday, Sept 15 (opening) 169,970.23 ▲ 1,999.58 points (+1.19%) Tuesday, Sept 15 (session gain) — ▲ 1,907 points The index opened Tuesday with a surge of nearly 2,000 points in the first minutes of trading, before settling into a…