Author: newsdesk

  • Lahori students to get free rides on Orange, Metro line

    In a bid to provide easier access to transportation, public train systems Orange Line and Metro Line in Lahore will provide free transportation facilities to students in school uniforms, Samma has reported.

    The decision was announced by the Caretaker CM Punjab Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi on Sunday, in order to help students attend their schools punctually and also lessen the financial burden of travelling costs on their families.

    Students will only need to be dressed in school uniforms in order to receive a free ride.

  • Pakistan’s Petroleum Division eyes discounted Russian crude oil amid high global prices

    Pakistan’s Petroleum Division eyes discounted Russian crude oil amid high global prices

    Petroleum Division is attempting to purchase Russian crude oil for approximately $50/barrel, which is at least $10/barrel below the price ceiling imposed by G7 countries on this valuable commodity originating from Russia because of its conflict with Ukraine. Presently, crude oil is being sold internationally for $82.78/barrel.

    Officials participating in the virtual negotiations with Russia have disclosed that Moscow is primarily focused on fulfilling all prerequisites, such as deciding on the method of payment, shipping costs with premium, and insurance expenses, before entering into an agreement with Pakistan. These officials, who requested anonymity, revealed that Russia will respond regarding the discount on the base price after the prerequisites are finalized. They also stated that shipping the crude oil from Russian ports will take 30 days, resulting in a $10-15/barrel increase due to transportation costs.

    The talks between Moscow and Islamabad are progressing positively, with the expectation that a government-to-government deal on Russian crude oil imports will be finalized by the end of March. When asked, officials stated that the government has decided not to disclose the payment method to Russia for crude oil imports, but authorities are considering using Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) ships or Russian tankers for transportation.

    An official cautioned that the landed cost of Russian crude must be considered because the crude vessel will arrive in 30 days, leading to a per barrel shipping cost of $10-15. They added that Moscow has not agreed on the discount yet, and the maximum discount may be offset by the crude oil’s shipping costs.

    State Minister Musadik Malik had previously claimed that Pakistan would receive a 30% discount on Russian crude oil during a press conference. The government plans to import one Russian crude oil ship to test the landed cost compared to the existing cost of crude being imported from Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Aramco.

    According to Geo, the Petroleum Division secretary is currently in Karachi to further discuss the import of Russian crude oil to process it for finished products with the top management of Pak-Arab Refinery Company Limited (PARCO), Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL), and other refineries. If the test ship’s cost is low enough to bring down the prices of petroleum, oil, and lubricants, Pakistan will approve Russian oil cargos within a month.

    Due to a US dollar liquidity crunch, Pakistan will pay Russia in the currencies of friendly countries such as China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The officials revealed that the ship carrying Russian crude will be insured by the National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) and Pakistan Reinsurance Company Limited (PakRE). The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), which was previously hesitant about transactions with Russian banks due to G7 restrictions, has now expressed a willingness to communicate with the Russian counterpart bank regarding a payment mechanism for oil imports in three currencies other than dollars.

  • Ruh-roh, Maria B quotes trans supporter Lady Gaga in campaign video

    .It seems that while insisting she has better knowledge about who is a real woman and who is not, Maria B should have first researched which celebrities champion trans causes.

    A video for the promotion of Maria B’s upcoming fashion brand is going viral because Mona Hussain, another vocal anti-trans rights person, was seen quoting Lady Gaga’s famous song ‘Born This Way’ in it.

    “Women empowerment is when a woman is allowed to reach her full potential in whatever way that may be. What it certainely means is that we do not need men to tell us who we are, or define our roles… In the words of the famous Lady Gaga, ‘Baby, you were literally born this way!”

    Mona Hussain is a psychologist who has collaborated in the past with Maria B in transphobic videos.

    What Maria B chooses to completely filter out here is that ‘Born This Way’ was written by Lady Gaga in support of the transgender community, and it features lyrics that encourages people to love themselves, regardless of being gay, straight or transgender:

    “No matter gay, straight, or bi
    Lesbian, transgender life
    I’m on the right track, baby
    I was born to survive
    No matter Black, white, or beige
    Chola or Orient made
    I’m on the right track, baby
    I was born to be brave!”

    Lady Gaga has also called out transphobes in interviews, for instance in an interview with Anderson Cooper, she was asked about the rumor that she is secretly a man to which she responded:

    “Maybe I do…Would it be so terrible? Why the hell am I gonna waste my time and give a press release on whether or not I have a penis? My fans don’t care and neither do I.”

  • Male Iranian pharmaceutical employees start wearing hijabs to protest against sexist govt policy

    Iranian-American journalist Masih Alinejad has shared a clip of male pharmaceutical workers actively resisting a sexist policy introduced by the Iranian Drug & Food Administration which had ordered women to start wearing black veils at their workplaces. Alinejad wrote in a tweet:

    “Iran’s Food & Drug Administration has ordered pharmacies to force their female staff to wear black veils at workplace. Iranian men are mocking this order and supporting their female colleagues by wearing hijab. Compulsory hijab is the main pillar of a religious relationship. Together we will bring this wall down.”

    Alinejad called for international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues in their fight for gender equality, as many women have lost their jobs because they protested against compulsory hijab laws:

    “I call on international pharmacists to support their Iranian colleagues. Many women lost their job for the crime of resisting compulsory hijab laws. Forcing women to wear hijab is an insult to all women and men across the globe. Human rights is a global matter. Show your solidarity.”

    Compulsory hijab has been in the eye of the storm in Iran, leading to strikes and demonstrations across Iran after the death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, who died under custody of the morality police after refusing to abide by the strict hijab rules. Many women continue to remove their hijab in order to protest against the compulsory law, stating that it denies them social and political freedom.

    Speaking to RFE, an unnamed psychologist said: “Women see it as their absolute right, a right they have been denied for years. I’m protesting the status quo.”

  • ‘Stop lying’: Imaan Zainab, Aurat March protesters criticize Sherry Rehman for tone-deaf tweet

    At the Aurat March protest held in Islamabad on March 8, police officers were caught on camera assaulting female protestors and pushing them back by installing barbed wires.

    Politicians like the Minister of Climate Change, Sherry Rehman, condemned the clashes in a tweet and called for an inquiry on the conduct of the police officers who had brutally beaten the female protesters.

    Lawyer and activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Haazir called Rehman out, writing in a tweet that the Minister had done nothing to prevent the police from preventing the peaceful protest from going on.

    “You came to the march for a photo-op and left after creating complete chaos which we were then dealing with for the next hour. You were rude to us in our meeting with you on 6 March and were aware of all the risks we were taking. Please save this drama for someone who believes it. Too little, too late.”

    Rehman responded to Mazari-Hazir’s tweet saying that she had left early due to a distress call, and offered an opportunity to meet all year round rather than just for a “one year episodic march”.

    “Oh please. I did not need your “photo op”; left a fully scheduled press con at PID (anyone can check) at 2.40 becoz I got a distress call. In my office I offered u a safe space thru the year to meet and build traction, not just a one year episodic march. With my broken shoulder I stood there but many were caught up in angry sloganeering. Have been the butt of many laathi charges but never behaved like this. Rudeness is never going to get u allies or grow solidarity. All the best”

    Mazari-Hazir then criticized Sherry Rehman for reducing Aurat March to a “one year episodic march”.

    “Calling it ‘just a 1 year episodic march’ shows what you really think of it. That in itself is sad. This ‘one year episodic march’ is a global practice- doesn’t mean collectives (or even individuals within them) are not working year round. Could have criticized what I said without punching down on movement.”

    Other Aurat March protestors also criticized the minister, calling her “condescending” for interrupting the trans performers present at the march.

    This user wrote: “You were extremely condescending to all of us whn we met u. You interrupted the Trans persons’ perfrmance by standing over them knowing fully well tht the media will follow u. U brought out the inner transphobes in the media persons who thn started strampling the trans performers”

    Another activist, Fauzia Yazdani tweeted how Rehman had refused to condemn the police officers who had started harassing and pushing back the protestors

  • ‘Aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li’: Shahid Khaqan about his Toshakhana gifts

    ‘Aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li’: Shahid Khaqan about his Toshakhana gifts

    Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said that his son bought watches from Toshakhana which he had received from foreign dignitaries when he was the PM.

    In an interview with a web channel, Abbasi said that he doesn’t wear watches, adding that “aik do ghariyaan theen, mere betay ne le li” (There were some watches, which my son bought).

    He said that gifts are given to the military secretary, not to the prime minister, which are then deposited in the Toshakhana.

    Shahid Khaqan said that later the military secretary writes to the official that such a thing has been gifted, quoting the price if the PM wants to buy it for personal use. If you don’t buy them, they auction the gifts.

    The former premier said that his son took some watches from Toshakhana after paying the amount they asked for it. He added that he left the rest of the gifts in Toshakhana.

    The debate on Toshakhana started when former PM Imran Khan was accused of acquiring gifts without giving their full payment and selling them for profit.

  • Meta developing new social networking app to compete with Twitter

    Meta developing new social networking app to compete with Twitter

    Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, is developing a standalone text-based social network app that could potentially compete with both Twitter and its decentralised rival, Mastodon.

    According to reports, Meta is exploring the creation of a decentralised social network for sharing text updates, providing a separate space where public figures and creators can share timely updates about their interests.

    Meta’s Twitter-like app would allow the company to take advantage of the current confusion at Twitter, where cost-cutting has been widespread ever since Elon Musk’s takeover of the platform late last year. Companies have withdrawn their spending following Twitter’s restoration of suspended accounts and release of a paid account verification that resulted in scammers impersonating firms.

    The new app, codenamed P92, will allow users to log in using their existing Instagram credentials and will be based on a similar framework to Mastodon, a Twitter-like service launched in 2016.

    The decentralised platform cannot be run at the whim of a single entity and cannot be bought or sold. Meta’s plans come at a time when Facebook, its largest platform, is struggling to capture the attention of younger audiences. In addition, the company has invested heavily in the metaverse, a virtual world where users interact and work, which has yet to come to fruition.

    Instagram, its video-sharing app, is also facing tough competition as content creators or hit influencers abandon the platform in favour of TikTok. It is currently unclear when Meta will launch the new app.

  • CM Mohsin Naqvi says PTI worker died in car accident

    CM Mohsin Naqvi says PTI worker died in car accident

    Interim Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Mohsin Naqvi and Punjab Inspector General (IG) Dr Usman Anwar on Saturday jointly addressed the press conference, presenting their case that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) worker Ali Bilal lost his life in a car accident and not due to custodial torture by the Punjab police.

    Both of them claimed that PTI leadership had known the truth yet accused the Punjab government of Bilal’s death.

    CM Naqvi said that the Vice president of the PTI in Central Punjab Raja Shakeel informed PTI leader Yasmin Rashid that Bilal was hit by a car. Later, Rashid also informed the party about it at Zaman Park.

    He added that all the evidence will first be taken to Bilal’s family. He claimed that the PTI worker’s father was also offered money to stick to torture allegations.

    Naqvi asserted that the government will financially help the family.

    “I am accused of murder, is it that easy to level murder accusations on someone?” he asked, adding that the PTI is openly asking to file an FIR for the murder.

    Naqvi said he would have answered the accusations “in a different manner” had he not been in CM’s position.

    Addressing the presser, Punjab IG said that the people who brought Bilal to the hospital have been arrested and will be presented before a court.

    “Action will be taken if evidence of police torture is found,” the IG said.

    During the press briefing, confessional video statements of the two suspects, who are currently under police custody, were also played.

    On March 8, PTI workers were picked up by the police when a clash took place just before a scheduled election rally.

    Later, the party leadership claimed that Bilal was tortured and killed while in police custody. Bilal’s postmortem report, issued by the Mayo Hospital, says the victim suffered “massive blunt trauma”, while a fracture to his skull and subsequent bleeding has been cited as the cause of death. The report also noted damage to his liver, spleen and testes, which led to profuse bleeding.

  • Toyota IMC increases car prices by up to Rs2 million due to GST hike

    Toyota IMC increases car prices by up to Rs2 million due to GST hike

    Indus Motor Company (IMC) has increased the prices of all Toyota vehicles in Pakistan due to the recent hike in the General Sales Tax (GST) from 18 per cent to 25 per cent by the Federal Government. The models affected by the price hike include Toyota Yaris, Toyota Corolla Altis X, Toyota Hilux Revo (IMV III), and Toyota Fortuner (IMV IV).

    According to a circular released by the company, the economic uncertainties and extreme volatile situation of Pakistani rupee against US dollar have adversely impacted the cost of manufacturing for IMC. The company has therefore been compelled to pass on some impact to the market.

    The government of Pakistan has also enhanced the rate of Sales Tax to 25 per cent on all CKD vehicles with an engine capacity of 1400cc and above, except for IMV-I Single Cabin.

    Toyota Pakistan has stated that the mentioned car prices are subject to change and the prevailing prices at the time of delivery shall be applicable on all orders. Any change in Government levies and taxes, tariff, fiscal policies, import policies, forex, etc. will be on account of the customer.

    Here are the new prices of all Toyota cars after tax hike:

    Toyota Corolla Altis X latest prices

    Model Old price (Rs) New price (Rs) Hike (Rs)
    Toyota Corolla 1.6 MT 5,576,000 6,169,000 593,000
    Toyota Corolla 1.6 CVT 6,111,000 6,769,000 658,000
    Toyota Corolla 1.6 Special Edition 6,716,000 7,429,000 713,000
    Toyota Corolla 1.8 CVT 6,423,000 7,119,000 696,000
    Toyota Corolla 1.8 CVT SR 6,998,000 7,759,000 761,000
    Toyota Corolla 1.8 CVT SR BLK 7,039,000 7,799,000 760,000

    Toyota Yaris latest prices

    Model Old price (Rs) New price (Rs) Hike (Rs)
    Toyota Yaris 1.3 GLi MT 4,316,000 4,499,000 183,000
    Toyota Yaris 1.3 GLi CVT 4,588,000 4,789,000 201,000
    Toyota Yaris 1.3 ATIV MT 4,558,000 4,759,000 201,000
    Toyota Yaris 1.3 ATIV CVT 4,790,000 4,999,000 209,000
    Toyota Yaris 1.5 ATIV X MT 4,911,000 5,429,000 518,000
    Toyota Yaris 1.5 ATIV X CVT 5,213,000 5,769,000 556,000

    Toyota Hilux Revo latest prices

    Model Old price (Rs) New price (Rs) Difference (Rs)
    Hilux Revo STD 10,316,000 11,439,000 1,123,000
    Hilux Revo G MT 11,184,000 12,409,000 1,225,000
    Hilux Revo G AT 11,728,000 13,019,000 1,291,000
    Hilux Revo V 12,969,000 14,389,000 1,420,000
    Hilux Revo V AT ROCCO 13,675,000 15,179,000 1,504,000

    Toyota Fortuner latest prices

    Model Old Price (Rs) New Price (Rs) Hike (Rs)
    Toyota Fortuner G 4x2L 14,230,000 15,809,000 1,579,000
    Toyota Fortuner V 4×4 16,297,000 18,099,000 1,802,000
    Toyota Fortuner Sigma 17,175,000 19,079,000 1,900,000
    Toyota Fortuner Legender 18,112,000 20,129,000 2,017,000
  • ‘I don’t think PML-N can clean sweep in elections’: Miftah Ismail

    ‘I don’t think PML-N can clean sweep in elections’: Miftah Ismail

    Former Finance Minister Miftah Ismail has cast doubts over his party’s ability to sweep the upcoming general elections. In an interview with Geo News, the disgruntled Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader said that he believed whether Pakistanis have Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari or martial law, nothing will improve the system until “we make systemic changes”.

    Talking about the upcoming general elections, Miftah said that he doesn’t see any party sweeping the elections; however, the PML-N leader was sure that he “absolutely does not see PML-N sweeping the elections.”

    Miftah said that any political party be it PML-N, PPP or PTI needs to talk to the people of Pakistan asking them about their real problems and needs.

    “When you hear the leaders today, you hear them say that I want to be the prime minister, there is one leader who is more into I, me and myself than others but it is all about them,” he said.

    “Nobody is talking about the people of Pakistan. What about the 60 per cent of people who earn Rs40,000 a month? What about the young people who cannot find jobs? What about the people living in rural areas? What about an average Pakistani child failing in science and mathematics,” he asked.

    Declaring that nobody is talking about real solutions, Miftah Ismail slammed politics as “just a fight for power, nothing else.”

    There are no new ideas and absolutely no competence, he maintained.