ISLAMABAD  –  The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Islamabad, has seized smuggled vehicles, foreign-brand cigarettes, cosmetics and other goods worth more than Rs525.5 million during a series of intelligence-led operations conducted since July 18, 2026.

According to a press release, the operations were carried out under the supervision of the senior leadership of Customs Enforcement as part of an intensified campaign against smuggling and illicit trade in the region.

During the operations, Customs Enforcement squads intercepted and seized three high-value smuggled vehicles, including a 2015-model Range Rover, a 2008-model Toyota Land Cruiser and a 2005-model Honda Accord.

The enforcement teams also confiscated 121,250 sleeves of foreign-origin cigarettes, along with 11 vehicles allegedly used for transporting smuggled goods. Large quantities of foreign-origin cosmetics and other miscellaneous items were also recovered.

Officials said the combined estimated value of the confiscated vehicles and goods exceeded Rs525.5 million, dealing a significant financial blow to smuggling networks operating in Islamabad and surrounding areas.

Customs Enforcement Islamabad reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy against smuggling and said intelligence-driven operations would continue in coordination with federal and provincial law enforcement agencies.

The Collectorate said such operations were essential for protecting Pakistan’s national economy, safeguarding legitimate businesses and preventing revenue losses caused by illegal trade.

The Collectorate of Customs Enforcement, Islamabad, has further consolidated its anti-smuggling efforts through a series of high-impact, intelligence-led operations conducted since July 18, 2026. These sustained actions, executed under the supervision of the senior leadership of Customs Enforcement, underscore the Collectorate’s unwavering commitment to root out the illicit trade.

During these targeted operations, Customs Enforcement squads successfully intercepted and seized Three (3) high-value smuggled vehicles, alongside a substantial quantity of foreign-origin Cigarettes, (121,250 Sleeves along with 11 Offending vehicles), Cosmetics and Misc Goods . 

In addition to the vehicles, anti smuggling squads recovered large caches of contraband items, including foreign-brand cigarettes, Cosmetics and Misc Goods. The cumulative estimated value of the seized goods and vehicles exceeds PKR 525.5 million, representing a significant disruption to smuggling networks operating in the region.

Reaffirming its zero-tolerance policy, Customs Enforcement Islamabad reiterated its resolve to continue intelligence-driven operations in close coordination with other federal and provincial law enforcement agencies. These efforts are pivotal to safeguarding Pakistan’s national economy, protecting local industry, and ensuring societal well-being.

Peshawar  –  Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ministers on Saturday directed the Water and Sanitation Services Company (WSSC) Kohat to further strengthen the city’s sanitation and solid waste management system, stressing the need for efficient public service delivery and improved municipal facilities.

The directives were issued during a meeting attended by Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan, Minister for Law Aftab Alam and Member of the National Assembly Shehryar Afridi, who received a detailed briefing from WSSC Kohat Chief Executive Officer Saad Qureshi and members of the company’s Board of Directors on its performance, ongoing development schemes and future operational plans.

The meeting was informed that several initiatives were under way to improve solid waste collection, sanitation services, drainage infrastructure and overall cleanliness across the city. Officials said development projects were progressing at an accelerated pace to ensure residents received timely and efficient municipal services.

Participants also reviewed the city’s existing sanitation arrangements, operational challenges, utilisation of available resources and plans for future improvements.

The briefing highlighted measures taken to strengthen complaint redressal mechanisms, enhance operational capacity and modernise service delivery.

Speaking during the meeting, Shafi Jan, Aftab Alam and Shehryar Afridi said the provision of quality municipal services remained one of the provincial government’s foremost priorities. They emphasised that all relevant institutions must discharge their responsibilities efficiently to ensure better civic services and improve the quality of life for residents.

The three leaders stressed the importance of adopting a coordinated strategy to enhance sanitation services, address public complaints promptly and ensure greater transparency, efficiency and accountability in municipal operations. They observed that access to reliable civic amenities was a fundamental responsibility of the state and called for sustained efforts to meet public expectations.

They also underscored the need for close coordination among all relevant departments to make Kohat a cleaner, healthier and more environmentally sustainable city, adding that effective planning and prudent utilisation of resources were essential for delivering lasting improvements.

The meeting concluded with a renewed commitment to further strengthening sanitation, waste management and other municipal services through coordinated planning, institutional collaboration and the efficient use of available resources to provide sustainable solutions to the public.

Khyber   –  Medical store owners staged a protest at Hospital Chowk in Landi Kotal on Saturday against what they described as unjust taxes incorporated into electricity bills, demanding the immediate withdrawal of the additional charges.

Carrying copies of their electricity bills, the protesters criticised the authorities for imposing what they termed excessive taxes on consumers through power bills.

Speaking to reporters during the demonstration, traders including Rehman Gul Shinwari, Irfan Shinwari and Atif Jan rejected the additional levies, arguing that the former Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) had been promised a 10-year tax exemption by the federal government following its merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

They maintained that the imposition of new taxes violated that commitment and had placed an unbearable financial burden on the region’s business community.

The traders further said that the prolonged disruption of trade through the Torkham border over the past 11 months had severely affected commercial activity, depriving hundreds of families of their livelihoods and deepening the economic crisis in the area.

Instead of providing relief to businesses already struggling with the downturn, they alleged, the federal government had imposed additional taxes through electricity bills and other commercial levies, further worsening the financial hardships faced by traders and residents alike.

The protesters warned senior officials of the Tribal Electric Supply Company (TESCO) that they would launch an indefinite sit-in if the additional taxes were not withdrawn, vowing to continue their protest until their demands were met.

Everyone is eager to see more of GTA 6, but Rockstar has been quiet about trailers since releasing the second one.

However, there is speculation that Rockstar Games might be preparing to unveil another GTA 6 trailer sooner than expected.

Tom Henderson from Insider Gaming mentioned on a recent podcast that he anticipates the third trailer will drop around August 6, coinciding with Take-Two’s upcoming earnings call.

He emphasized that he doesn’t have definitive evidence for that specific date, but his prediction is based on how Rockstar and Take-Two have historically managed marketing, often clustering significant reveals around investor calls.

It has been over a year since fans got a substantial look at the game. The first trailer was released in December 2023 and garnered over 93 million views on YouTube within 24 hours, setting a record for a non-music video reveal at that time.

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The second trailer was released in May 2025 and performed even better, reaching approximately 475 million views across all platforms in a single day, although it did not surpass the YouTube-only record held by the first trailer.

Both trailers were released before fans could pre-order the game.

This time, fans are particularly hoping for actual gameplay footage. The first two trailers heavily featured cinematic sequences, and Rockstar has had to clarify how much of that footage consisted of cutscenes versus in-engine graphics.

It was confirmed that the first trailer was entirely in-game, rather than pre-rendered, which raised expectations significantly.

Nevertheless, a former Rockstar developer recently warned that the footage shown in trailers tends to be a highly polished version of what eventually appears in the final game, so it is important to keep that in mind—even if gameplay is included this time.

GTA 6 is currently scheduled for release on November 19, following two delays from its original 2025 window.

This leaves Rockstar with a tight four-month window to market the game before its launch, aligning with Henderson’s theory that a marketing push needs to commence soon. Pre-orders have been live since late June, and reports indicate that PS5 orders are outpacing Xbox by roughly 6 to 1 so far.

The stakes for this release cannot be overstated. Since 2013, GTA 5 has sold close to 230 million copies, while Red Dead Redemption 2 has reached 85 million.

GTA 6 is expected to challenge or surpass both titles, and Take-Two has already structured its financial forecast around a launch this fall.

TAROUBA  –  Pakistan enjoyed another disciplined outing with the ball, but a resolute unbeaten half-century from Kavem Hodge helped West Indies recover to 127-3 in 43 overs by tea on the opening day of the first Test at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on Saturday.

The rain-affected opening day of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 fixture saw Pakistan seize the early initiative through Mohammad Abbas, only for Hodge to anchor the innings with a determined knock after the hosts found themselves under sustained pressure. Rain had forced an early lunch with West Indies struggling at 23-1 in 14.1 overs, following Abbas’ dismissal of Brandon King for 12.  

The experienced Pakistani pacer continued to trouble the home batters with his trademark accuracy, finishing the second session with impressive figures of 2-40 in 15 overs, including five maidens. After the resumption, Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Hodge rebuilt cautiously, adding 51 runs for the second wicket. Chanderpaul showed patience during his 77-ball stay before Aamer Jamal broke the partner-ship, inducing an edge that was comfortably taken by Salman Ali Agha. The opener contributed a hard-fought 21.  West Indies found fresh momentum through Amir Jangoo, who played positively for his 21 off 32 balls, striking two fours and a six. However, Abbas struck again, trapping the left-hander leg-before to re-store Pakistan’s control with the score on 106. Hodge, meanwhile, remained unshaken throughout the session.  

The left-hander displayed sound technique and admirable composure to register his fourth Test half-century, reaching the milestone in 100 deliveries with nine crisp boundaries. His unbeaten 56 ensured the hosts weathered Pakistan’s relentless bowling attack. At the other end, wicketkeeper-batter Shai Hope was unbeaten on 11, as the pair safely negotiated the closing overs before tea.

Scores in Brief

WEST INDIES 1ST INNINGS (Tea, Day One): 127-3 (Kavem Hodge 56*, Tagenarine Chanderpaul 21, Amir Jangoo 21; M Abbas 2-40, Aamer Jamal 1-29) vs PAKISTAN.

Laura Hamilton disclosed that she had trouble falling asleep after witnessing the tragic death of a teenager in the sea.

Following the terrifying incident during a trip to the beach, the 44-year-old host of A Place in the Sun spoke about the risks associated with swimming.

Speaking to her fans, Laura revealed that she had visited a neighboring beach, but as soon as she arrived, she knew something was deeply wrong.

Reliving the experience, she said, “I got about three hours of sleep last night, and I think it’s because of what I saw on the beach yesterday afternoon.”

“My mind was just racing and I was kind of re-picturing the things that I saw,” Laura Hamilton continued.

She went on to describe what transpired when she arrived at the scene, adding, “When I arrived, there was quite a lot of commotion, and I didn’t really know what was going on.”

“It turns out that there was a fatality, and it was a crazy thing to see. I thought the individual was older than they were, but it turns out they were a 19-year-old boy. They tried to resuscitate him, but they couldn’t, and sadly, he passed away,” the presenter further stated.

She added, “I can’t begin to imagine what that poor boy’s family is thinking and feeling this morning.”

Laura Hamilton, a mother of two, stated that she wished to warn people about the dangers associated with swimming and sea currents.

Megan Fox and Shia LaBeouf had already given viewers one of Hollywood’s most talked-about “were-they-or-weren’t-they?” romances long before celebrity “hard launches” became commonplace.

Before acknowledging there was more to the story, the Transformers co-stars dismissed rumors for years that their intense on-screen chemistry carried over into real life.

In a 2011 interview with Details, LaBeouf was the first to reveal the secret, acknowledging their romance while reflecting on the unique atmosphere of a movie set.

“Look, you’re on the set for six months with someone,” he explained at the time, noting how difficult it can be to separate work from real life on movie sets. He asserted that the connection was genuine, even if the timeline overlapped vaguely with Fox’s other relationships at the time.

When Megan Fox appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen years later, she dispelled any remaining doubts.

“I would confirm that it was romantic… I love him, I have never been quiet about that,” she said, adding that the relationship was an “on-set romance” that ended once filming wrapped.

Both stars have followed very different paths since then. Megan Fox later married Brian Austin Green, with whom she shares three children, and made headlines for her high-profile relationship with Machine Gun Kelly. LaBeouf continued acting while overcoming several personal challenges and starting a family with Mia Goth.

Even though their romance was brief, it remains one of Hollywood’s most memorable behind-the-scenes plot twists for fans of the blockbuster franchise—proof that sometimes the biggest sparks weren’t generated by giant alien robots.