Undercover reporters ordered 500 drone mesh modems from a Chinese firm, which billed them to Russia’s Alabuga drone plant, investigation by The Insider found. The outlet estimates the firm makes about half the high-power mesh modems that let Russia steer its drones deep into Ukraine. The firm’s director also named US company AMD as the source of a key chip, and AMD says it has not sold to the firm.
Geran drones and Banderol drone-missiles have become Russia’s main weapons against Ukraine’s energy grid. Russia began this winter’s strike campaign against that grid in late September, ISW assessed. Ukrainians’ survival this winter depends largely on how fast the West halts mesh modem sales to Russia, the outlet argued.
What a mesh modem does
A mesh modem links drones into one radio network. Each unit relays data for the others, so if one drone is shot down, traffic reroutes through the rest. Information keeps flowing even if nearly 80% of the drones are downed, Ukrainian defense adviser Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said in November 2025.
Range is the other half of the threat. One XK F-359 holds a line-of-sight link over 100–300 km, The Insider says. In theory, a couple of relay drones could keep a whole attack on Kyiv connected. Operators can then send new commands in flight and steer around air defenses. Russia’s Gerbera drones, first built as cheap decoys, increasingly carry these modems.
Explore further
Russia’s jam-resistant drones run on a Chinese modem no one has sanctioned
A modem from an upgraded Gerbera
To trace the part, The Insider’s correspondent in Ukraine examined an unmarked mesh modem from an upgraded Gerbera with a vertical tail fin, a version that appeared this summer. The outlet identified it as Xingkai’s XK F-359, the part Ukrainian intelligence and earlier reporting, Euromaidan Press included, had logged as the XK-F358. The Insider calls that label a misidentification.
Next, The Insider and the Nordsint investigative project contacted Xingkai on WeChat, posing as a Russian military supplier based in Alabuga. A company employee who introduced himself as “Jack Jiang” confirmed the firm is the model’s sole maker. The Insider identified him as Jiang Qin, Xingkai’s director and owner.
500 modems, three banks
The reporters then ordered 500 units for delivery to Alabuga, home to the plant that makes most of Russia’s long-range drones. Jiang invoiced 19.5 million yuan, which The Insider put at about $2.87 million. He offered two ways to pay: dollars to Xingkai’s DBS Bank account in Hong Kong, or yuan to his personal Ping An Bank account.
Explore further
America has sided with Russia against Ukraine. Europe should stop pretending and build a coalition against Russia, China, and even the US
In the chat, the reporters said outright that the end user was a military production facility. Jiang raised no objection, The Insider reported.
Later, after the reporters asked to update the address, Xingkai sent a revised invoice with “Alabuga” spelled in Latin letters. This time, it routed payment to a China Merchants Bank account in the name of a former Xingkai manager. She left a management post at the company in 2025, according to Tesari corporate records cited by The Insider. None of the three banks answered The Insider’s requests for comment.
Jiang also claimed the modem’s programmable chip is made by AMD. Asked for an AMD license, he refused, saying Xingkai buys the chips through a middleman. AMD told The Insider that Xingkai “is not an AMD customer or authorized partner,” and said it had sold the company nothing. AMD added that it bars exports of its products to Russia that violate US export controls and sanctions.
ISLAMABAD – Pakistani government increased the price of high-speed diesel by Rs1.91 per litre for October 24–26, 2026, while keeping petrol unchanged at Rs377.71 per litre.
The latest revision takes diesel from Rs391.75 to Rs393.66 per litre, marking its second consecutive increase. On Thursday, the government had raised diesel by Rs1.64 per litre and reduced petrol by Rs1.60 per litre.
In a press release issued on Friday, the Petroleum Division said the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority had revised the ex-depot prices under the federal government’s petroleum pricing mechanism.
The announcement coincided with rising global crude prices as Houthi attacks in Saudi Arabia fuelled concerns about further disruption to energy supplies from the Middle East.
Brent crude futures gained $1.40, or 1.2%, to reach $114.57 a barrel by 1138 GMT on Friday. Earlier in the session, Brent touched $115, its highest level since May 4 and a peak of more than five months.
US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.48, or 1.5%, to $100.95 a barrel. Brent was on course for its third consecutive weekly increase, with a gain of 4.2%. WTI, despite advancing during Friday’s trading, was heading towards a weekly decline of approximately 0.5%.
ISLAMABAD – A total of Rs24 billion in financial irregularities has come to light in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), where 140,488 government employees allegedly received money earmarked for deserving families.
According to documents submitted to the National Assembly by the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation, only Rs710 million has been recovered so far against the billions of rupees in irregularities.
The documents say that in the 2019-20 fiscal year, government employees and pensioners received Rs23.13 billion from BISP. Payments allegedly continued for six years despite the irregularities being identified in 2019, and Rs900 million was paid even after the employees were flagged.
The record shows that in 2020-21, more than 12,000 government employees received Rs146.7 million. The number of government employees found drawing BISP funds was 2,447 in 2021-22, 2,235 in 2022-23, 227 in 2023-24 and 12,078 in 2024-25.
The documents state that spouses of government employees were also involved in the irregularities. Among those who allegedly received funds meant for beneficiaries are 236 BISP’s own employees.
According to the documents, the FIA recovered Rs540 million from government employees involved in the irregularities, while other government departments recovered Rs145 million. BISP recovered Rs21.5 million from its own employees, bringing total recoveries to about Rs706.5 million, or roughly Rs710 million.
BISP has sent the record of the government employees involved to the relevant institutions, and it has decided to scrutinise the records of more than 600,000 government employees and pensioners for further investigation.
The documents submitted to the National Assembly say recovery and investigation are continuing. However, the wide gap between the alleged Rs24 billion in irregularities and the amount recovered so far has raised questions about government oversight and accountability systems.
LAHORE – Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz issued a warning against abuse of wealth and influence after police arrested a man accused of assaulting a Lahore petrol station worker for asking him to stop smoking.
Calling the arrest ‘tight slap in the face’ to spoiled brats, CM Maryam condemned those who treat poorer people as lesser human beings and assume their money and connections give them a licence to intimidate others. She said such arrogance shows belief that the powerful could mistreat vulnerable citizens and escape the consequences. She pledged to stand firmly with the oppressed, regardless of the standing or influence of those confronting them.
Maryam Nawaz said wealth, political connections and personal influence must never become shields against accountability. Justice, she said, was every citizen’s fundamental right, rather than a privilege reserved for those with money and power.
She also vowed that victims would not be left to fight alone because an alleged aggressor enjoyed greater resources or connections. Every possible effort would be made to secure justice and ensure nobody could buy their way out of the law’s reach, she said.
The incident occured at petrol station in Lahore’s Jubilee Town, where a customer allegedly attacked an employee who asked him to stop smoking in accordance with safety protocols.
According to police, the man got out of his vehicle, assaulted the worker and issued threats before fleeing. CCTV footage of the confrontation later went viral on social media. Chuhng police traced the suspect through his vehicle and arrested him. Police alleged that he resisted arrest and said officers recovered a weapon from his possession.
ISLAMABAD – Azerbaijani national Diana withdraws her allegation against Ahmed Tanveer, calling him innocent and appealing for the case to be closed.
In her latest statement, Diana said Tanveer had neither raped her nor taken her mobile phones. She also claimed her earlier accusations were made under pressure, without identifying who had allegedly pressured her. “Ahmed Tanveer did not rape me and did not take my mobile phones,” she said. Diana submitted a document through the Azerbaijani embassy declaring Tanveer innocent. According to the report, police had arrested him despite his having obtained interim bail.
لاہور میں پیش آئے ایک معروف مقدمے کے سلسلے میں آذربائیجان کی شہری ڈیانا کا ایک نیا ویڈیو بیان سامنے آیا ہے، جس میں انہوں نے دعویٰ کیا ہے کہ ملزم احمد تنویر نے ان کے ساتھ کوئی زیادتی نہیں کی اور نہ ہی ان کا موبائل فون یا پاسپورٹ زبردستی لیا گیا۔ اس ویڈیو میں انہوں نے یہ دعویٰ بھی کیا ہے کہ ان کا پہلا بیان دباؤ کے تحت دیا گیا تھا اور وہ اس کیس کو ختم کرنے کی خواہشمند ہیں۔
ویڈیو میں ڈیانا کا کہنا ہے کہ وہ اس معاملے کو اب مزید آگے نہیں بڑھانا چاہتیں اور چاہتی ہیں کہ یہ کیس بند کر دیا جائے۔ دوسری جانب، عدالت نے اس کیس کی سماعت کے دوران ملزم کی ضمانت میں توسیع کر دی ہے، جبکہ پولیس اس بات کی تحقیقات کر رہی ہے کہ بیانات میں تضاد کی اصل وجوہات کیا ہیں۔
Her fresh statement shows U-Turn as compared to her statement in Lahore court, where she accused three men of sexual assault. However, her latest denial specifically names Tanveer, leaving unclear whether she has withdrawn the allegations against the other accused.
غیر ملکی خاتون ڈیانا کا ایک اور بیان جاری
سمجھ سے باہر ہے کہ پولیس نے احمد تنویر کو کس بنیاد پر گرفتار کیا ہے
میں اس وقت بھی عدالت جا کر بیان دینا چاہتی تھی
مجھے کہا گیا ہے کہ اپکی جان کو خطرہ ہے مجھے زبردستی پاکستان بھیجا گیا
مجھے اپنی مرضی سے اظہار کرنے اور فیصلہ کرنے کا موقع نہیں دیا گیا
اس سارے معاملے میں ایسا سلوک کیا گیا جئسے میں مجرم ہوں اور مجھے نکالا جا رہا ہے
میں ملزم محسن اور عزیر کو بھی معاف کرتی ہوں اس معاملے کو اگے نہیں بڑھانا چاہتی
The report contains no subsequent court ruling. Her revised statement therefore does not establish that the case has been closed or that any accused has been judicially cleared.
In her statement recorded on September 29, Diana said she arrived in Islamabad from Istanbul on September 13, spent five days in Faisalabad and then travelled to Lahore. She also intended to visit Skardu.
While in Lahore, she contacted Nimra and Muskan before meeting Muskan at a café. According to her earlier account, they later went to an apartment, where other people joined them. Diana alleged that Nimra received between Rs20,000 and Rs30,000 from Mohsin, purportedly for a party. She claimed she was subsequently prevented from leaving and told that her friends had accepted money.
Her earlier statement accused Mohsin, Ahmed and Ali Zain of rape. She further alleged that her bag, containing Rs200,000 and two mobile phones, was withheld. Diana said she was later pushed out of a car and sought help from members of the public, who contacted police.
The case was registered at Lahore’s Defence police station. Muskan, Mohsin and Ali Zain were arrested, while Shabbir Ahmed was also detained. Investigators questioned more than 20 other people, according to the report. The controversy extended to Lahore airport, where Diana initially refused to return to Azerbaijan despite completing immigration clearance and boarding an aircraft.
Diana eventually departed for Baku on October 4 accompanied by three police officers. The report identified two members of the team as ASP Bareera and DSP Qamar Abbas, alongside another female police officer.
LAHORE – A Sessions Court has extended the interim bail of suspect Tanveer until October 27 in the rape case involving foreign national Diana, but police arrested him from outside the court premises despite the extension. Reports say several others, including Tanveer’s brother, were also arrested.
Advocate Safdar Shaheen Pirzada appeared in court for Tanveer. He argued that police were deployed on all four sides of the Sessions Court to arrest his client, and expressed fear that Tanveer was being arrested after being implicated in a new case.
Meanwhile, Diana’s lawyer filed an application seeking to record the complainant’s statement via video link. The lawyer argued that she was not being granted a visa for Pakistan, and asked the court to order a video-link statement. The court sought arguments on the application.
During the hearing, the court summoned the Sessions Court’s security in-charge and directed him to escort the suspect safely to his vehicle. The court remarked that security could be provided up to the vehicle, and that beyond that it was between the suspect and the police.
A petition has also been filed against Tanveer’s arrest. It states that he was on interim bail until October 27, but that CCD and plainclothes personnel abducted him and moved him to an unknown location.
The petition expresses fear that the suspect could be killed in a staged police encounter while in illegal custody. It asks the court to have Tanveer recovered immediately and produced in court, and to issue orders for his security.
Tanveer had also obtained protective bail from the Sindh High Court to avoid arrest. Two other suspects in the case, Mohsin and Zain, have already been arrested. Defence C police registered the case on Diana’s report.
Separately, Diana released a video statement in which she declared the suspect, Ahmed Tanveer, innocent. She said Ahmed Tanveer had not assaulted her and had returned her phone and belongings, and she appealed for the case to be closed.
In the Azerbaijan case, police have two suspects in custody. Ahmed Tanveer obtained pre-arrest bail and appeared in court today. According to police, the suspect escaped with the help of associates, while Ahmed Tanveer’s associates say investigators arrested him.
The City Council voted 40 to 7 to ban the carriages from Central Park starting in 2028. But the carriage drivers vowed to fight their loss of livelihood in court.
ISLAMABAD – Four key suspects have been arrested in a gang that blackmailed innocent children, sexually abused them, made obscene videos of them and sold these in Pakistan and internationally. Indecent videos of 50 to 60 children were recovered from the suspects.
Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, NCCIA Additional Director Muhammad Shoaib Khan said the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency had exposed an international gang during a countrywide crackdown on elements involved in child pornography, online financial fraud and cyber harassment. The suspects sold the children’s videos internationally.
Shoaib Khan said the agency arrested four members of the child pornography gang after investigating around 60 videos found on a child’s mobile phone. The suspects befriended children aged 6 to 14 on Instagram and other social media platforms, lured them with money, made indecent videos of them, and sold these through WhatsApp groups and internationally. Two Chinese nationals have previously been convicted in connection with this crime, he added.
The additional director said 473 foreign nationals, who posed as bank representatives to commit fraud in Malaysia, China and India, have been arrested in raids on call centres across the country. In the past week, 22 suspects in cyber harassment cases have also been taken into custody, and their entire inquiry and investigation has been assigned exclusively to women officers.
ISLAMABAD – Rotary International has reaffirmed its support for Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate wild poliovirus, calling for sustained political commitment, funding and community engagement ahead of World Polio Day today (October 24).
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries where wild poliovirus is endemic, the organisation said in a statement.
Rotary International President Olayinka Hakeem Babalola said the organisation had contributed more than $3 billion towards polio eradication worldwide, including $1.3 million raised by Rotary members in Pakistan.
More than $500 million of its global contribution had supported efforts in Pakistan, alongside volunteer work to help protect over 45 million children against the disease, he said.
Babalola, who helped lead eradication efforts in Nigeria before Africa received wild poliovirus-free certification in 2020, said the continent’s experience demonstrated that Pakistan could achieve the same goal with coordinated support.
“Africa’s achievement demonstrates that with collaboration and political and financial support, ending polio in Pakistan and eradicating it globally is possible.”
Community trust remains central
Rotary said its members continued to advocate for government support and promote immunisation in Pakistan, where vaccine refusals remained an obstacle to reaching every child.
Aziz Memon, chair of Rotary’s Pakistan National PolioPlus Committee, said addressing wider community needs was essential to maintaining public trust in vaccination efforts.
He said the committee had helped establish water filtration plants, community resource centres and facilities for frontline vaccination workers. Permanent transit posts also helped vaccination teams reach children travelling between areas.
Sustained support urged
Rotary helped establish the Global Polio Eradication Initiative in 1988, when the disease affected an estimated 350,000 children annually across 125 countries.
According to the organisation, cases have since declined by more than 99.9 per cent, and eradication efforts have spared more than 20 million people from paralysis.
Rotary urged governments, donors and partner organisations to keep polio eradication a priority, saying the tools and expertise to eliminate the disease were available.
Observed annually on October 24, World Polio Day honours Jonas Salk, who developed the first safe and effective polio vaccine, and highlights efforts to end the disease.
LAHORE – Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has urged women not to share their photographs under any circumstances, saying suspects use photos and videos to blackmail them.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Naqvi said he was at the NCCIA office to understand the public’s problems.
He appealed to mothers and sisters not to share their pictures with anyone, saying that suspects blackmail women using their photos and videos. He said the cybercrime wing receives the highest number of harassment cases involving girls, and that an awareness campaign for girls and the general public is about to be launched.
He also advised the public not to transfer money if someone asks for it online, including if a person poses as ill and seeks funds.
The interior minister said the NCCIA has only 61 personnel across Punjab, and efforts are under way to bring staffing up to strength so that complainants’ problems can be resolved. He said the NCCIA has arrested suspects in several important cases, and that the cyber police will be strengthened in every way. Whether a government employee or anyone else, anyone found involved in cybercrime will be arrested, he added.
RAWALPINDI – Indian-sponsored terrorist attempt foiled at Gabd border crossing and in Gwadar city.
According to the ISPR, security forces killed 10 terrorists, including a female terrorist, in a clearance operation in Gwadar city and its surrounding areas.
The ISPR said one civilian was martyred in the terrorists’ attack and a few vehicles were damaged. There were no casualties among the security forces during the operations.
The ISPR said the terrorists’ aim was to obstruct Balochistan’s development and prosperity.
According to the ISPR, the attempt by the terrorists to challenge the writ of the state was foiled, and law and order and the writ of the state were restored after the operations in Gwadar were completed.
In a statement, the ISPR said that forcibly using a woman in the attack violates the sanctity of Baloch women, and that the terrorists are using Baloch women to spread propaganda and incite public sentiment. It added that the people of Balochistan have consistently rejected those who shed blood in their name.
The statement further said that the counter-terrorism campaign under Azm-e-Istehkam will continue at full speed, and that the military is committed to eradicating foreign-sponsored terrorism from the country.
LAHORE – A CCD (Crime Control Department) police official in the Kahna area has been accused of raping a young woman and filming her in a state of undress. A case has been registered.
According to the FIR, the woman, a resident of Kot Lakhpat, went to Kahna Bazaar on October 1, where her mobile phone went missing from her purse. She went to Kahna police station to report the loss, where she met a CCD police official named Shabbir.
The case states that CCD official Muhammad Shabbir took her phone number and sent her away. He later called her, claiming her phone had been traced, and summoned her to Ahlu Road.
The FIR further states that when the woman reached Ahlu Road, Shabbir took her to the house of a woman named Humaira Bibi. There, he pulled out a weapon, raped her, and filmed her in a state of undress.
On October 10, Shabbir again summoned the woman to Humaira Bibi’s house on Ahlu Road. Fearing for her honor, she went, and Shabbir raped her again.
Meanwhile, the woman went to Kahna police station to file a case, but the police there stalled instead of registering it. She then appeared at the open court (khuli kachehri) of DIG Operations Faisal Kamran, where her grievance was heard.
Subsequently, a case was registered at Kahna police station on the woman’s complaint against CCD official Muhammad Shabbir, and an investigation has begun.
Russia's state-backed payment firm A7 took in at least 283 tons of cash rubles, worth more than $14 billion, between November 2024 and July 2025, and turned much of it into payments to China that hide where the money came from, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) and Russian investigative outlet Proekt reported on 21 October, citing leaked internal records.
Cut off from Western banks over its war against Ukraine, Russia now moves money the way drug gangs launder theirs: cash goes in, and clean-looking wire transfers come out abroad. The overlap is literal.
Last year, UK investigators found that a network laundering British drug gangs' cash had bought a Kyrgyz bank that was handling payments for Promsvyazbank, Russia's state defense bank. That same bank co-owns A7, which "is also likely to facilitate cash-based money laundering," anti-money-laundering expert George Voloshin told ICIJ. On 1 October, the US Treasury named A7 a "significant transnational criminal organization." Most of the market cash pays Chinese suppliers, and China supplies about 90% of the high-priority Western-restricted items Russia imports for its weapons. Drone makers working for the Russian army are among A7's clients, Proekt found in April.
From market stalls to a defense bank vault
Much of the cash came from Moscow's giant Sadovod market, where broker teams known as "departments" collect bags of rubles from traders, the records show. Vans take the numbered bags to an A7 office, where about 50 cashiers count the money before it is trucked to Promsvyazbank. The bank vaults it and credits A7. At its peak, A7 handled at least 58 tons of cash a month.
Russia's central bank has flagged the problem itself. Money of unknown origin comes "primarily" from Moscow's wholesale and retail markets and from illegal crypto exchanges, a senior Central Bank official said in September, as quoted by ICIJ.
Sadovod market in Moscow, where broker teams later collected cash for the A7 payment firm, Russia, 19 September 2023. Photo: Nikita Andreev/Wikimedia Commons
Clean money for Chinese factories
A7 then orders shell companies outside Russia to pay its clients' suppliers, mostly Chinese exporters. The money moves through Kyrgyzstan, largely via the state-owned Trading Company of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the wire transfers carry no trace of cash or of Russia. The records list accounts at ICBC, Bank of China, Agricultural Bank of China, and China Construction Bank. One $287,000 transfer went through Standard Chartered's Hong Kong branch with "Sadovod" recorded as the client.
Chinese banks began refusing Russia-linked payments in December 2023 under the threat of US secondary sanctions. Stripping the funds of their origin makes them easier for Chinese banks to accept, illicit-finance expert Zachary Tvarozna told ICIJ. "The only company that sees everything is A7 itself," Voloshin said.
A7, Promsvyazbank, the Chinese banks, and Kyrgyzstan's economy ministry did not answer ICIJ's questions. A7 has publicly rejected the US accusations, saying it runs "a modern, multi-tiered compliance system."
Explore further
US Treasury cracks down on Russia-China-Kyrgyzstan payment network, expands sanctions
Sanctioned, but still moving
A7 launched in late 2024, co-owned by Promsvyazbank and led by Moldovan oligarch Ilan Shor, a "sanctioned and convicted criminal fraudster," according to the US Treasury. Ukraine sanctioned its network in February, and the UK followed in May. A7 claimed to have moved more than 7.5 trillion rubles, about 13% of Russia's 2025 foreign trade transactions, and its network also helped Iran sell oil and buy weapons, the Treasury said.
Sanctions did hit A7's crypto side. Daily volume of its ruble token A7A5 fell 96% from its peak by June 2026, blockchain analytics firm Elliptic found. The cash channel is harder to touch: Western banks can see where A7's money lands, but not where it starts.
LASBELA – At least twelve people were killed when a van collided with a passenger coach in Lasbela.
According to police, the tragic incident occurred at Zero Point in Uthal, Lasbela, where the van and passenger coach collided.
Police said the ill-fated coach was travelling from Gwadar to Karachi. As soon as the incident was reported, police and rescue teams rushed to the scene and immediately shifted the bodies and injured to a hospital.
According to police, 12 people, including women, lost their lives in the accident.
LAHORE – A petrol pump worker’s attempt to prevent possible accident allegedly triggered a violent confrontation in Lahore’s Jubilee Town, where a man travelling in a Prado reportedly assaulted him for asking him to stop smoking.
According to police, the worker was following safety protocols when he warned the SUV owner against smoking at the filling station. The suspect allegedly responded by beating the worker and issuing serious threats before fleeing.
سگریٹ کا دھواں روکا تو تشدد کی آگ بھڑک اٹھی، چوہنگ پولیس کی کارروائی، پٹرول پمپ ورکر پر تشدد اور سنگین دھمکیاں دینے والا ملزم گرفتار۔ حفاظتی ایس او پیز کے تحت سگریٹ نوشی سے منع کرنے پر ملزم نے ورکر کو تشدد کا نشانہ بنایا اور فرار ہو گیا۔ پولیس نے گاڑی کی مدد سے ملزم کا سراغ لگایا، دورانِ گرفتاری مزاحمت کرنے والے ملزم کے قبضے سے اسلحہ بھی برآمد ہوا۔ ملزم کے خلاف مقدمہ درج۔
After the incident was reported, Chuhng police traced the SUV. Investigators found that the vehicle had been rented, with its rental receipt providing the lead that helped identify the suspect as Idrees Bhatti. Police subsequently arrested Bhatti, who allegedly attempted to resist officers during his arrest.
DIG Operations said a weapon was also recovered from the suspect’s possession. Further legal proceedings are underway.
KARACHI – Savers looking for stronger returns gets relief, with the government increasing profit rates across several National Savings schemes. Special Savings Certificates recorded the largest increase among the listed products, while Behbood Savings Certificates now offer an annual rate of 12.96%.
The revisions cover range of savings options, including regular income products, Islamic accounts and short-term certificates, as the government seeks to encourage saving and attract funds into secure savings schemes.
Special Savings Certificates saw their profit rate climb by 110 basis points to 12%. Regular Income Certificates followed with a 96-basis-point increase, taking their rate to 12.12%.
Savings Scheme
Profit Rate
Increase
Special Savings Certificates
12.00%
110 basis points
Regular Income Certificates
12.12%
96 basis points
Behbood Savings Certificates
12.96%
36 basis points
Sarwa Islamic Account
11.84%
59 basis points
Short-Term Savings Certificates — 3 months
11.12%
26 basis points
Short-Term Savings Certificates — 6 months
11.50%
64 basis points
Short-Term Savings Certificates — 1 year
11.72%
44 basis points
For investors in Behbood Savings Certificates, the rate increased by 36 basis points to 12.96%. The Sarwa Islamic Account also received an upward revision, with a 59-basis-point rise bringing its profit rate to 11.84%.
Short-term savers will also receive higher returns. The three-month certificate rate rose by 26 basis points to 11.12%, while six-month certificates registered a 64-basis-point increase to 11.50%. The rate on one-year certificates increased by 44 basis points to 11.72%.
Across the products listed, the increases range from 26 to 110 basis points.
The revised rates could lift earnings for investors in the relevant schemes, although the amount they ultimately receive will depend on their investment, scheme conditions, taxes and other applicable deductions. Investors should confirm the latest rates, their effective date and eligibility requirements with National Savings before committing funds.
LAHORE – The Lahore district administration has announced March 12 to 14, 2027, as the dates for next year’s Basant festival, following approval from the Punjab government.
Deputy Commissioner Lahore Captain (retd) Ali Ijaz issued a new notification outlining the arrangements for the three-day event.
The latest schedule allows kite flying across Lahore’s district limits, except in areas specifically designated as prohibited. The activity will remain subject to conditions set by the government.
The notification also establishes requirements for kites and strings used during Basant, stating that only materials meeting officially prescribed standards may be used.
Kite and string manufacturing has been permitted for a specified period beginning September 5, 2026, and ending on March 14, 2027. Digital registration will be compulsory for manufacturers operating under the arrangement.
The district administration has directed those involved in the festival to comply with all applicable rules and restrictions. Kite flying and related activities will be permitted only in accordance with the government’s notified conditions.
But the headache hasn't deterred him from taking risks on projects that challenge the audience.
"It's not even about Trump anymore. We should be able to explore anything and everything that is uncomfortable," Stan told Business Insider. "We can't become so sensitive to the point where we're actually depriving ourselves of elevated thought about anyone or any matter. Certainly not in the hands of fear."
Stan's latest film, "Fjord," delivers on that promise, telling a subversive, provocative story about a conservative Romanian-Norwegian couple whose parenting methods are called into question after they move to a progressive Norwegian town.
For Stan, the film wasn't just an opportunity to play nuanced, thought-provoking material. As a Romanian-American who fled the country as a boy in the late 1980s, working with Romanian filmmaker Cristian Mungiu ("4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days") was also a long-awaited homecoming.
Sebastian Stan plays a Romanian who moves to Norway in "Fjord."
Neon
Stan immersed himself fully in the role, sporting a shaved head with a massive bald spot and speaking most of his lines in Romanian. He and Renate Reinsve, who plays his wife, were so locked in during production that they would go out to dinner together, still dressed in the clothes they shot their scenes in that day. Stan said the experience brought him closer to his homeland.
"A lot of people go, 'Great, you want to come back to Romania, and you want to do movies, but you didn't grow up here, you don't know what our experience is. You were lucky you got away,' so I was a little apprehensive," Stan told Business Insider about working with Mungiu's Romanian-heavy crew. "But, honestly, on the last day of this movie, they wrapped the Romanian flag around me, and they were so proud to kind of take me back in a way and welcome me home."
For the latest interview in Business Insider's Role Play series, Stan talks about his failed "American Idol" audition, where he thinks Bucky Barnes fits in the current MCU, and realizing how "hypocritical" Hollywood is after playing Trump.
On sleeping on the street to audition for 'American Idol' and losing out on 'The O.C.'
Stan in 2006.
Chance Yeh/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
Business Insider: What are your recollections of auditioning for "American Idol" back when you were 19?
Sebastian Stan: It was my friend Justin; we both went to Rutgers for the acting program, and he said, "I'm going to New York City to try out for this new show, 'American Idol,'" and he said, "Want to come?" And I was like, "Fuck it, why not."
I remember I had on leather pants; I don't know why I thought that was gonna make a difference. We got there and it was in Times Square, and I see this huge line around the block, and I'm like, "What's going on?" He's like, "No, no, the audition is tomorrow," but it was like 6 p.m., and he tells me we're going to sleep on the street.
So we went to a McDonald's in Times Square, slept barely in this line, and in the morning we got in to these auditions. And what they did was they took five or six of you at a time; they lined you up. I didn't meet any of the judges; it was just some guy. The five of us did 20 seconds of a capella; I think I sang the medley from "Moulin Rouge!," and they were like, "Next." So it didn't work out.
You start building credits, and then you go on this five-year run of playing the obnoxious jerk roles: "The Covenant," "The Education of Charlie Banks," "Rachel Getting Married," "Hot Tub Time Machine." Was there a point when you were worried about getting typecast as the 2000s-era jerk?
My mindset was, get a job. I was just trying to get a foot in the door. And by the way, I was getting close to a lot of other kinds of roles. At the time, there was that movie "Alpha Dog" — I tried out for that and didn't get it.
But in that era were the "American Pie" movies and "Not Another Teen Movie," which Chris Evans did; they were these movies that had the stereotypical jock asshole guy, and people would always take a look at me and go, "That's the guy." And in "Gossip Girl" I played that, too. But I was just trying to get a start. It wasn't who I felt I truly was.
I remember I tried out for "The O.C." and got very close. "Star Trek," didn't get that. "Green Lantern," "John Carter," "The Lone Ranger" — so I was going out for big stuff; I just wasn't getting it.
On why he believes Bucky Barnes needs to stay grounded and the 'education' Marvel gave him
Stan as Bucky Barnes in "Thunderbolts*."
Marvel Studios
Looking back, do you think your career could have went down a different path if being cast as Bucky Barnes didn't hit the way it did?
What's funny is you go to acting school, and you're being taught the craft, but then there's the learning that you do on set — having the experience of being on set with a camera, learning the lenses, what everyone does. So in some ways, Marvel was a real education in moviemaking and acting. It also allowed me to go back over and over and have some consistency in my life, which I didn't have. I grew up in that period. I got more focused. And it freed me.
The role, which I thought was complex, this character is very different now than when we started out. That character had PTSD, had gone through things; there was a lot to play there. So that box was checked.
Looking outside of that, it became: what were the things I could do that were so far away from that? I don't know if I would have pursued those things as aggressively if I didn't have this lane where I was getting to play more of the straight man.
Are there tweaks you've done to the Bucky character over the years that you're surprised fans haven't caught on to yet?
We've tried, and I make an emphasis on we because it's not just me. I have had to adjust to Marvel changing and evolving and becoming a bigger world. The Captain America franchise, when we started, they were very grounded. "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is kind of a suspense thriller; "Civil War" had more personalities, but at the heart it was serious, so this character, at its core, is a very serious character.
Maybe people would argue differently, but things have gone more into an expansive, integrative place of how does everybody fit in, and I think humor is a big part of making that happen. We have, and I have, tried to adapt to those things. So the question then became, What's funny about this guy? What is there to play? Some of it has been explored, but not entirely.
It's trying different things. At this moment in time, the character adopted this sort of Clint Eastwood, crusty old man humor. Dry —been there, done that, Why are we fucking doing this again — that kind of thing. I don't know if the character will stay there, but it's not a character who can suddenly go big.
On realizing Hollywood is 'hypocritical' after playing Trump and collaborating with great directors
Stan as Donald Trump in "The Apprentice."
Briarcliff Entertainment
Going to acting school is one aspect of building a career, and you mentioned another is learning what it's like working on sets. But yet another is understanding the Hollywood game. What was the biggest thing you learned about Hollywood after playing Donald Trump in "The Apprentice"?
Um [Laughs.] It's quite hypocritical in a lot of ways. Everybody has good intentions, I think, about saying the right things, but they don't always do the right thing. I'm not saying it's gaslighting, but there's something to it, because there's often times you end up asking yourself if you're the one that's crazy.
There are many times — and I'm not saying it was just related to "The Apprentice" or Trump — there are other things even now where I've been in rooms and talking to people who will say things in private that they will never say publicly.
As it pertains to that movie, that was the experience, which was everybody loved the movie that I talked to; everybody wanted to support it, but yet nobody wanted to step up to the plate.
Now here we are today, where the trailer for the Elon Musk documentary is struggling to be shown online, so now this kind of thing is pretty normalized. Can you imagine that happening ten to 20 years ago?
Back in 2018, I spoke to you for "Destroyer." At that time, you hadn't landed lead roles yet. I asked what you were looking for when that happens, and you said, "Down the line I want to be remembered for being part of specific works and visions of directors rather than a group of characters."
It's crazy to hear that quote. Back then, I think that was where I was starting to go because I had come off of "I, Tonya" and I'd learned the value of having a good director and how it influences your work and the performance. Karyn Kusama, who did "Destroyer," was someone I really respected.
And also, before that, you mentioned "Rachel Getting Married" — my whole plan back then was to just get one scene or a little part in a big director's movie. So that was Jonathan Demme. "The Martian," I got to work with Ridley Scott. I took those parts because this is a director's medium.
Since then, I've tried to stick to that, and these performances you've mentioned, to some extent, they've worked because of those collaborations where you need to have the captain of the ship. You need to have those directors who know how to communicate. I've found myself better when I am in trusted hands, when it's someone that I really allow myself to let go with.
Because if you can't trust a director, what happens is you start to be worried about what's happening on the other side of the camera, and you're then not involved in the experience of the role you're playing. I think that shows when that happens.
This interview has been condensed and edited for length and clarity.
LAHORE – A case has been registered against a Crime Control Department (CCD) police official for allegedly raping a woman twice in Kahna area of Lahore, according to media reports.
The complainant, a resident of Kot Lakhpat, reportedly visited Kahna Bazaar on October 1, where her mobile phone went missing from her purse. She subsequently approached Kahna Police Station to report the loss.
According to the FIR, she met a CCD official identified as Muhammad Shabbir, who allegedly told her that her missing phone had been traced and asked her to come to Ahlu Road.
When the woman arrived at the designated location, Shabbir allegedly took her to the house of a woman identified as Humaira Bibi. The FIR stated that he pulled out a weapon, sexually assaulted the woman and recorded a video of the incident.
The complaint further stated that on October 10, Shabbir again summoned the woman to the same house on Ahlu Road. According to the FIR, she went there out of fear for her safety and reputation, where the official allegedly sexually assaulted her a second time.
A case has now been registered against the CCD official on the woman’s complaint in Kahna.
GWADAR – Security forces have killed seven terrorists during a clearance operation in Gwadar, Balochistan, following an attack on an unoccupied camp belonging to a construction company, according to security sources.
The operation was launched after militants attacked the vacant camp on Thursday. Security forces responded promptly and surrounded the attackers, the sources said.
The clearance operation remains underway, with personnel working to secure the surrounding area and eliminate the threat posed by improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised security forces for killing the seven militants and commended their professionalism and determination in thwarting the attack.
In his statement, Naqvi expressed pride in the security personnel who foiled the assault and took action against the attackers.
He said those attempting to obstruct Balochistan’s development would face serious consequences, while emphasising that the nation stood alongside security forces in the fight against terrorism.
The latest operation highlights ongoing security efforts in Gwadar following the attack on the construction company’s camp. Authorities are continuing clearance activities to ensure the surrounding area is safe from potential explosive threats.
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