Pakistan's cleric, Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani, declared cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum and stablecoins "haram" (forbidden) under Islamic law. In a non-binding fatwa, he said they involve excessive speculation and resemble gambling, making them illegitimate wealth. The view contrasts with the country's crypto-friendly push, including the creation of the Pakistan Crypto Council.

Around 59% of owners of petrol vehicles bought in 2023-24 reported a mileage drop of over 10% after the rollout of E20 petrol in early 2025, a LocalCircles survey found. About 25% said the drop exceeded 20%, far above the 3-5% that the government claimed. Among owners of pre-2023 petrol vehicles, 66% said mileage had fallen by over 10%.

Amid protests by Gen Z, Nepal’s new PM Balen Shah is now facing protests from tomato farmers, who accused his government of not providing enough subsidies. The wholesale prices for locally grown tomatoes have reportedly dropped to just ₹8-12 per kg. Farmers further accused Shah’s government of prioritising import-driven policies over support for domestic agriculture.

Experts say tank-to-tank method is the reliable way to measure real-world fuel efficiency. To check, fill the tank fully, reset the trip meter, drive normally, then refill at the same pump. Divide the distance travelled by litres added to get kmpl. Repeat over 3-4 refills for a more reliable average. Fuel efficiency is calculated as distance travelled ÷ fuel added.

Ransomware group World Leaks has posted on dark web a huge cache of files related to India's largest nuclear plant. The leaks also includes purported blueprints of parts of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant's facilities and supplier details. The data breach could pose a "serious" risk to safety of the plant, Nickolas Roth, a senior director at Nuclear Threat Initiative, said.

Delhi Police busted a racket in which seven people were arrested for relabelling expired food and beverage products with fresh dates and putting them back on the market. Products were sourced from suppliers across multiple states, police said. "We suspect some of the relabelled products were supplied to warehouses operated by e-commerce platforms and may have reached consumers," police said.

Crude oil prices extended gains for a third straight session on Wednesday amid rising tensions in the Middle East. Global benchmark Brent crude rose 1.4% to $85.90 a barrel after surging 11% over the previous two sessions, while West Texas Intermediate gained 1.1% to $80.20 a barrel. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said the US would continue striking Iran.

Chinese AI startup DeepSeek is in talks to raise about $1.5 billion in new funding at a valuation of about $71 billion, Bloomberg reported. The startup has reportedly also begun preparations for an IPO that it may file for this year, allowing it to list by 2027. This comes after DeepSeek raised $7 billion in its first outside funding round.

Apple is in talks with PrismML to evaluate the startup's technology, which it claims can shrink powerful AI models to run on iPhones, CNBC reported. The startup on Tuesday unveiled compressed versions of Alibaba's open-source AI model Qwen, reducing the model's size from about 54 GB to under 4 GB. This enables the model to work on an iPhone 15.

Patanjali Foods shares hit an over six-year low at ₹348.50 apiece, plunging 15% on the BSE in Wednesday's intra-day trade amid heavy volumes. The stock fell to its lowest level since April 2020. "The company continues to remain focused on its growth path...and is carrying on its business operations in the ordinary course...while pursuing its business objectives," Patanjali Foods said.