Category: 3. Business

Oil rose as US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy tempered expectations that a resolution to the conflict with Russia will be reached quickly.

West Texas Intermediate advanced about 1% to settle above $63 a barrel after Zelenskiy said during a meeting at the White House that the countries need to find diplomatic ways to end the war. Brent crude rose more than 1% to settle below $67.

The Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) has granted approval for the acquisition of a certain shareholding in TCS Logistics (Private) Limited by Nippon Express (South Asia & Oceania) Pte. Limited.

Nippon Express is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nippon Express Holdings, a global logistics company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Nippon Express Pte. Limited is incorporated in Singapore and operates in the South Asia and Oceania region.

Meanwhile, TCS Logistics (Private) Limited is a Pakistani company operating in the third-party logistics (3PL) sector. Both companies provide 3PL services within Pakistan, and the CCP identified the relevant market as third-party logistics services in the country.

After a thorough Phase-I review under Section 11 of the Competition Act, 2010, the CCP concluded that the transaction does not raise any significant competition concerns. The combined market share of the parties after the transaction remains negligible, and the acquisition is unlikely to lead to a substantial lessening of competition in the market.

The Commission further observed that the transaction is expected to yield efficiency gains and bring international logistical expertise into the domestic market. These developments are anticipated to improve service quality, enhance operational capabilities, and contribute to the development of Pakistan’s logistics sector. Importantly, the Commission found no indication that the transaction would create or strengthen barriers to entry in the relevant market.

Based on the information reviewed, the CCP has authorized the proposed acquisition under Section 31 of the Competition Act, 2010.

Hyderabad: YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has announced the launch of his first startup, AI Fiesta—an online platform that gives users access to multiple premium AI models through a single interface and only one subscription.

Designed specifically for Indian users, AI Fiesta includes top-tier models such as Gemini 2.5 Pro, Grok 4, ChatGPT 5, Claude Sonnet 4, and more. The service is priced at a fraction of the combined cost of individual subscriptions, making advanced AI tools more accessible and affordable.

Introducing AI Fiesta in a classic Dhruv Rathee-style informative video on YouTube, the content creator says that the idea for the startup emerged from two problems he identified: high cost and fragmented usage.

He says that the actual power of these AI models is hidden in their paid versions, which are very costly to afford for a common man in the country. Since the subscription costs for high-end models start at somewhere around $20 per month (around Rs 1,700 per month), most people only access the free versions of these tools, Rathee says.

“But the problem with these free versions is that they are very restricted and downgraded. In a lot of cases, it also gives wrong answers,” Rathee says, adding that while it is hard to pinpoint the difference between the free and paid versions in minor questions, it becomes evident once you start using them for serious tasks.

Coming to the fragment usage, he highlights preferred use cases for different AI models, as each of these models excels in different areas. To utilise the full extent of these AI tools, one would need to buy subscriptions for all these tools, which comes down to around $110 or Rs 10,000 per month, Rathee says. Additionally, one would still need to access these AI tools one by one.

“This helped me come up with the idea of an interface where you could talk to all these chatbots in a single chat and compare generated responses side-by-side. This would allow us to get the best possible answer for a question instantly,” Rathee says.

AI Fiesta: Features and price

The AI Fiesta subscription gives access to ChatGPT 5, Gemini (Gemini 2.5 Pro), Grok 4, Perplexity AI Pro, Claude Sonnet 4, and DeepSeek. Users can select the models they want to interact with, ask a question to get answers from all the selected models in an interface that facilitates side-by-side comparison of AI responses. It also supports image generation and audio transcription. Notably, it supports 4 lakh tokens per month.

AI Fiesta costs Rs 999 per month or Rs 9,999 annually. Rathee highlights that not only is the cost 1/10th of the total cost of all the bundled subscriptions, but also costs less than any one of the AI models included in the plan.

Notably, ChatGPT Plus costs Rs 1,999 per month or Rs 19,999 per year. Rathee didn’t go into details explaining why the AI Fiesta plan costs so low, citing technical reasons that only developers would understand better. However, he assured his viewers that the platform is legit and would add more features in the future.

The subscription comes bundled with an AI prompt book, which carries over 3,000 prompts under 25 categories and is valued at Rs 5,000 by Rathee. The subscription also gives access to his community and quarterly webinars.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) soared to a new all-time high on Monday, propelled by Fitch’s positive outlook on Pakistan banks and Moody’s upgrade of the country’s rating to Caa1.

Strong earnings, rupee stability and optimism about Pakistan-US trade and investment deals strengthened investor sentiment, driving the KSE-100 index up by 1,705 points to above 148,000, stated analysts. 

Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corp commented that stocks closed at a new all-time high as Fitch Ratings provided investors with a brighter outlook on Pakistan banks amid Moody’s rating upgrade to Caa1.

A strong earnings outlook, rupee stability, speculation about Pakistan-US trade and investment deals and the government seeking further US export tariff incentives led the PSX to a record close, he said.
At the end of trading, the benchmark KSE-100 index recorded an increase of 1,704.79 points, or 1.16%, and settled at 148,196.42.

According to Topline Securities, bulls staged a strong comeback in Monday’s trading session, with the KSE-100 index surging 1,904 points intra-day before closing at an all-time high of 148,196, up 1,705 points.

Market sentiment brightened on reports of the government’s circular debt reform drive, which entails reducing liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes, revising RLNG pricing and mobilising funds through LNG diversion savings, state-owned enterprises’ dividends and power sector receivables.

Detailed proposals are expected to be announced next week, sustaining investor optimism, Topline said. Heavyweights such as Lucky Cement, Meezan Bank, Bank AL Habib and Pakistan Petroleum contributed a combined 756 points to the index’s upward momentum, it added.

Overall trading volumes increased to 610.3 million shares compared with Friday’s tally of 473.6 million. Traded value rose to Rs39.2 billion as compared to Rs32.9 billion in the previous session.

Shares of 487 companies were traded. Of these, 283 stocks closed higher, 175 dropped and 29 remained unchanged. WorldCall Telecom was the volume leader with trading in 40.7 million shares, falling Rs0.01 to close at Rs1.40.

Cellular mobile operators have upgraded telecom infrastructure in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), bringing high-speed 4G broadband to the region. Despite challenging terrain and harsh weather, operators achieved 90% network upgrades, fulfilling Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) license obligations.

This development is expected to boost digital connectivity, support e-commerce, enhance online education, improve telehealth, and promote tourism in these remote mountainous areas. Furthermore, it aligns with the government’s agenda to bridge the digital divide and drive socio-economic growth nationwide.

All major operators commenced 4G mobile broadband services across AJK and GB. The upgrades ensure wider access to reliable connectivity for underserved communities.

According to PTA, operators enabled 4G data on upgraded sites while meeting mandatory rollout requirements. The spectrum auction of 2021 specifically required enhanced coverage obligations in these regions.

By expanding 4G services, operators addressed long-standing demands of residents for dependable mobile internet. The improved connectivity will directly benefit local businesses, students, and healthcare services.

PTA is monitoring the expansion closely, especially in areas impacted by severe climatic conditions. Continuous investments in next-generation technologies are also expected to bring further improvements.

Industry experts highlighted that deeper 4G penetration in AJK and GB will create opportunities for digital inclusion. Moreover, it will strengthen the local economy by supporting tourism, trade, and online platforms.