Pakistan’s decision on granting a licence to Starlink to operate in its satellite internet market has been delayed amid data security concerns, geopolitical sensitivities and competition from Chinese firms, local media reported on Sunday.Starlink, owned by tech billionaire Elon Musk, is among five companies seeking approval to provide satellite-based internet services in Pakistan. However, officials say unresolved security considerations and broader geopolitical factors have slowed the clearance process.According to the Express Tribune, the government has raised concerns that Starlink’s services could allow certain data transmissions to bypass Pakistan’s monitoring, regulatory and safety checks. “We cannot allow a license to Starlink without ensuring a safety check to ensure the safety of the data of consumers in Pakistan,” a senior government official was quoted as saying by Express Tribune.Sources cited by the newspaper said authorities had tested scenarios in which Starlink was expected to pick up sensitive data while providing satellite-based internet services. “But the real reason is that the government has tested some cases in which Starlink was supposed to pick up some sensitive data while providing satellite-based internet services,” sources said. Officials added that the government is working to address these issues, which have delayed the approval process.The report also cited the fallout between US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk as a factor being weighed by the Pakistani establishment. While Trump and Musk had enjoyed a close relationship in the past, they later drifted apart. Officials indicated that Pakistan, which has seen improved ties with the United States since Trump returned to power last year, is cautious about taking steps that could draw scrutiny from Washington.At present, Pakistan maintains control over internet data traffic largely through Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited, which holds a majority stake in the country’s undersea cable infrastructure. Authorities are concerned that similar oversight may not be feasible with satellite-based services, raising fears of potential data breaches or loss of regulatory control.Satellite internet services are expected to focus primarily on remote and underserved regions, including Balochistan, where conventional broadband infrastructure remains limited. Currently, authorities are able to monitor internet traffic and suspend connectivity when required for security reasons. Officials have expressed concern that enforcing similar controls over satellite-based networks could prove more challenging.The Pakistan Space Activities Regulatory Board has confirmed that five companies, including Starlink and China-based Shanghai Spacecom Satellite Technology Limited, have shown interest in entering the satellite internet market. Chinese firms already have a strong presence in Pakistan’s telecommunications sector and are viewed as direct competitors to US-based companies such as Starlink.While consultations with stakeholders have been completed, the PSARB has yet to finalise the licensing framework. According to officials, additional time is needed to establish safety mechanisms before satellite-based internet services are permitted to begin operations.

Storm Marta batters Spain and Portugal (Representative image)

Fresh storms and torrential rain battered Spain and Portugal on Saturday, triggering widespread flooding, evacuations and major transport disruptions across the Iberian Peninsula, just days after earlier storms caused deadly damage in the region.In Portugal, the latest weather system — named Storm Marta — prompted the deployment of more than 26,500 rescue workers as authorities responded to rising waters, landslides and flood risks across several regions. Flood alerts remained in place in both Portugal and neighbouring Spain, where hundreds of roads were blocked, rail services disrupted and thousands of residents forced to leave their homes.In Spain, southern regions, particularly Andalusia, were placed on orange alert amid heavy rain and violent storms, while parts of the northwest also faced severe weather warnings. Andalusia’s regional president Juan Manuel Moreno described the situation as “complex”, with dozens of roads cut off, rail traffic largely suspended and more than 11,000 people evacuated. The farming sector has been severely affected, with repair costs for damaged infrastructure expected to exceed 500 million euros.Authorities closed the historic Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir river in Cordoba as a precaution, while Sevilla Football Club’s home match against Girona was postponed to ensure public safety. Evacuated residents from hard-hit areas such as Grazalema were sheltered in temporary accommodation, including gymnasiums in nearby cities.The severe weather also disrupted civic life in Portugal, where three municipalities postponed a presidential vote scheduled for Sunday due to safety concerns. The risk of flooding along the Tagus river in the Santarem region remained at its highest level, although waters further south along the Sado river had begun to recede.CasualtiesThe storms claimed another life on Saturday when a 46-year-old volunteer member of Portugal’s emergency services drowned while attempting to cross a flooded area near Campo Maior in the central Portalegre district. Local media reported that the man encountered difficulties in strong floodwaters, becoming the first confirmed victim of Storm Marta.The death adds to a growing toll from a series of recent storms. Storm Kristin killed five people in Portugal last week, while Storm Leonardo claimed another life earlier this week. Authorities said Leonardo also forced the evacuation of around 1,100 people across the country.Background: a deadly series of stormsSpain and Portugal have faced an unusual succession of intense weather systems in recent weeks, with meteorologists pointing to increasingly volatile climatic conditions in the region. Portuguese Prime Minister Luis Montenegro described 2026 as a “particularly unusual year” marked by “exceptionally violent” weather events.According to the Portuguese Environment Agency, dams across the country were forced to release a volume of water equivalent to Portugal’s annual consumption within just three days during the recent storms, highlighting the scale of the rainfall.The Iberian Peninsula is considered one of Europe’s regions most exposed to climate change, with scientists warning of longer heatwaves and more frequent episodes of extreme rainfall in recent years. The latest storms have reinforced concerns about growing weather volatility across southern Europe.The impact has extended beyond the peninsula, with Morocco also reporting severe storms in recent days that displaced around 150,000 people in the country’s northwest.

Norway’s royal family faced renewed scrutiny this week as charities reviewed or cut ties with Crown Princess Mette-Marit over her past contact with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, while critics questioned her suitability as Norway’s future queen. The Crown Princess issued a “profound apology” to Norwegians after it emerged she had exchanged messages with Epstein for three years.

“I also apologise for the situation in which I have placed the Royal House, especially the King and Queen,” she said in a palace statement.Hundreds of emails exchanged between Crown Princess Mette-Marit and Jeffrey Epstein between 2011 and 2014 were revealed in files released by the US Justice Department last week. Some messages discussed plans to meet in person and showed that the crown princess spent four days at Epstein’s Palm Beach home in Florida while he was reportedly not present.Emails sent in 2012 from “H K H Kronprinsessen” — Norwegian for “Her Royal Highness The Crown Princess”, show Mette-Marit referring to Jeffrey Epstein as “sweetheart” and “soft hearted,” as cited by CNN.In another exchange the same year, she described Epstein as “very charming,” and wrote: “Is it inappropriate for a mother to suggest two naked women carrying a surfboard for my 15-year-old sons wallpaper?”A separate 2012 conversation records Epstein saying he was on a “wife hunt,” adding: “Paris is proving interesting but I prefer scandinavians (sic).” Mette-Marit replied that Paris was “good for adultery” and that “Scandis better wife material.”The tone of the correspondence surprised many in Norway, and the messages indicate she was aware Epstein had served a jail term in 2008. In an October 2011 email, she wrote: “Googled u after last email… Agree didn’t look too good.”The palace initially issued a statement last week in which the crown princess expressed regret and acknowledged “poor judgment”, but it faced pressure to clarify the nature of her relationship with Epstein.In a further statement on Friday, the palace said she was “deeply saddened” that she had not realised earlier what kind of person Epstein was. It added that she wanted to provide a more detailed explanation but was in a “very difficult situation” and needed time to “gather herself.”

Crown Princess’s son denies rape charges

Another controversy surrounding Norway’s royal family centres on Crown Princess Mette-Marit’s 29-year-old son, Marius Borg Høiby, who broke down in tears during his first day of testimony this week as he denied four counts of rape in an Oslo court.Høiby is not in the line of succession, having been born before Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon in 2001.Ahead of the trial beginning on Tuesday, Crown Prince Haakon issued a rare statement reaffirming Høiby’s status as a private citizen, saying his stepson was “not a member of the Royal House of Norway and is therefore autonomous.”

TOI Correspondent from London: UK communications industry regulator Ofcom said on Friday it has revoked both broadcasting licences of an Indian community TV channel run by Overseas Friends of BJP (UK) president Kuldeep Shekhawat.Both licences were held by Middlesex Broadcasting Corporation Limited (MBCL) for MATV National and MATV Music.MATV National is a satellite television service that, until Friday, broadcast on Sky 709 in Indian languages and English, covering news and entertainment for the South Asian diaspora in Europe. MATV Music has never been on air and just had a licence.In the UK a broadcasting licence must be held by the provider of the service, that is a person or organisation who has editorial control over programmes.In Aug 2024, Ofcom started investigating the control exercised by MBCL over MATV National and MATV Music and determined that MBCL , the licence-holder for MATV, was not the provider as it did not did not have editorial responsibility for MATV’s output, but instead, it was MATV Broadcasting Ltd that exercised control. Providing a television service without a licence is a criminal offence in the UK.Shekhawat is a director of MATV Broadcasting. He was the sole director, holding 90% of the shares until July 2025. Now his wife Alpana has 65% shares. Ofcom said it would be “minded to refuse” any application for the transfer of the licences to MATV Broadcasting on the basis that it appeared that they are likely to be a ‘disqualified person’.”An individual who is an officer of a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature is disqualified to hold a TV licence in Britain. “Throughout this time Kuldeep Singh Shekhawat has been president of the OFBJPUK. We were concerned that the OFBJPUK is likely to be a body whose objects are wholly or mainly of a political nature…” Ofcom said.Shekhawat has run the Wembley-based channel since 2005. He told TOI that his wife, Alpana, is now director of MBCL and majority share-holder.“Ofcom is saying because of my political background I am not allowed to run the channel. But I only became OFBJP UK president in 2018. Before that I wasn’t involved in politics. OFBJP is not a political party. It is a social group. We will apply for a licence again with 100% shares to a different person,” he said.

The 8th Central Pay Commission (CPC) has launched its official website and begun seeking structured feedback from stakeholders, marking a key step in the process of reviewing salaries, pensions and allowances for central government employees and pensioners.According to a statement posted on the Commission’s official website, inputs are being collected through a structured questionnaire hosted on the MyGov portal. The move is aimed at gathering broad-based feedback before finalising recommendations.“The 8th Central Pay Commission solicits views/opinions/inputs for being better informed. These inputs are being sought in a structured manner through a questionnaire with 18 questions hosted on the MyGov.in web portal. Responses are invited from ministries, departments, state/UTs, employees of the government, employees of Union Territories, judicial officers, officers/employees of courts, members of regulatory bodies, associations or unions of serving or retired employees, pensioners, researchers, academicians and individuals,” the Commission said.The Commission added that identities of respondents will remain confidential and data will be analysed and disclosed only in aggregate, non-attributable form.Check official website

Deadline and submission rules

The last date to submit responses to the questionnaire is March 16, 2026.“All responses should be through the MyGov portal. Paper-based physical response, emails or pdf response are not being considered by the commission,” the Commission said.The questionnaire has been made available in both English and Hindi to ensure wider participation.

When was the 8th Pay Commission notified?

The formation of the 8th Pay Commission was announced in January 2025. It was formally notified by the Ministry of Finance on November 3, 2025, along with approval of its Terms of Reference (ToR).The Commission has been given 18 months to submit its recommendations on revision of salaries, pensions and allowances. It has also been allotted office space in the national capital.

Who can participate in the questionnaire?

The consultation process has been opened to a wide stakeholder base, including:

What kind of policy questions are being asked?

The questionnaire includes macro and structural policy questions, including:

The government has not announced an implementation date yet.Replying in Lok Sabha in December 2025, Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary said:“The date for implementing the 8th Central Pay Commission will be decided by the government. The government will make appropriate provisions of funds for implementing the accepted recommendations of 8th CPC.”

How arrears may be calculated

Experts say arrears are generally calculated using a standard formula.Ramachandran Krishnamoorthy, Director – Payroll Services, Nexdigm, told ET arrears can be calculated as:

He said arrears usually include:

The final arrears amount depends on the delay period, which is typically estimated between 18–24 months depending on implementation timelines.

Why the 8th CPC matters

The 8th Pay Commission is expected to influence income levels and consumption patterns across millions of government-linked households. Its recommendations typically impact salary structures, pension payouts and allowances across central government departments.

Pakistan’s Babar Azam (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)

NEW DELHI: Pakistan narrowly avoided a major upset in their T20 World Cup opener against the Netherlands, winning by three wickets in Colombo on Saturday. But during the match, former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif took a swipe at Babar Azam on Hindi commentary, saying, “Aapne bola chakka maro, kaha maar paayein, fielder peeche hai, unka taqat nahi hai, style unka chakka marne ka nahi hai. Run-a-ball lo aur match jeetake jaao hai unka style. Jaha badha shot marne gaye, out ho gaye. (You asked him to go for a six, but where could he hit it? The field was set back, he doesn’t have that power, and hitting sixes isn’t his style. His style is to take a run a ball and win the match. When he went for a big shot, he got out.)”

Pakistan’s chase was far from smooth. After a solid start, wickets kept falling, and the team suddenly needed 29 runs from the last two overs with just three wickets left. That’s when Faheem Ashraf played a crucial role, smashing an unbeaten 29 off 11 balls, including three sixes in the 19th over, to take Pakistan home with three balls to spare.Pakistan captain Salman Agha admitted, “We had to do it the hard way,” and praised Faheem, saying, “All credit to Faheem.” Faheem himself said, “We have been playing this brand of cricket for this past year. Heart rates go up and down, it’s happened so many times before, we’re used to it.”Earlier, the Netherlands looked strong with the bat and reached a good position, but Pakistan’s bowlers pulled things back in the final overs. Dutch captain Scott Edwards admitted, “We weren’t at our best in all three departments today,” and added that small moments made the difference.Pakistan survived a scare, while Kaif’s on-air comment about Babar’s batting style went viral and sparked debate among fans.