Author: newsdesk

  • Russia agrees to supply blended crude oil to Pakistan, rates to be finalised next month

    Russia agrees to supply blended crude oil to Pakistan, rates to be finalised next month

    A delegation from Moscow will visit Islamabad in January 2023 to talk about the potential sale of Russian oil.

    Officials from Russia and Pakistan met via video link to discuss purchasing crude oil and petroleum products from Moscow, according to government sources.

    Musadik Malik, Pakistan’s State Minister for Petroleum, and the Secretary for Petroleum took part in the online meeting.

    Due to Pakistan’s inability to refine crude oil of a single specification, Russia has offered to supply Pakistan with blended crude oil. The offer represents a portion of the daily supply of 100,000 barrels of crude oil.

    Senior officials from the Petroleum Division and representatives from the oil industry made up the Pakistani side, which was chaired by State Minister for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik, while senior officials from the Russian energy ministry and relevant departments constituted the Russian side.

    The Pakistani government informed its Russian counterparts that their nation needs crude oil, petroleum products, gas, and infrastructure investment, according to sources with knowledge of the meeting’s activities.

    According to The News, when a delegation from Russia visits Pakistan, the Russian side stated that they will further consider their intentions to collaborate with the Pakistani authorities.

  • PM Shehbaz Sharif chairs NSC meeting amid rising terrorism in Pakistan

    PM Shehbaz Sharif chairs NSC meeting amid rising terrorism in Pakistan

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is charing a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) as the country faces an uptick in terrorist incidents.

    Senior civilian and military leaders are part of the meeting. The decision to convene the meeting of the NSC was taken in a meeting between PM Shehbaz and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Thursday.

    Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and military chiefs are also present in the moot.

    According to news reports, Director-General Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum will brief the meeting on the recent terror wave in Pakistan and the situation at the Pak-Afghan border while an integrated strategy against terrorism is expected to be formulated.

  • Naan prices may increase to Rs35 per Naan in Lahore

    Naan prices may increase to Rs35 per Naan in Lahore

    The Nanbai Association of Lahore has summoned a meeting to discuss a raise in the price of roti and naan, ARY has reported.

    The Association is considering raising the price of roti and naan by Rs11 in the provincial capital.

    The owners of tandoors requested approval from the Lahore district administration to raise the price of naan and roti to Rs35 and Rs25 respectively, citing a hike in wheat prices for raising rates of the dietary staples.

    An uptick of smuggling of wheat and subsidised flour bags to other provinces has led to the price of flour in the Punjab capital increase by Rs5 per kilogramme to Rs140.
    Smuggling has exacerbated Punjab’s flour problem, increasing open-market prices to an all-time high. According to sources, subsidised flour bags were being smuggled into Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkwa at a cost of Rs2,400 per bag.

  • Hina Altaf expresses disappointment over morphed viral video, rubbishes miscarriage speculation

    Hina Altaf expresses disappointment over morphed viral video, rubbishes miscarriage speculation

    In an interview with BBC Urdu, actor Hina Altaf spoke about her prolonged absence from social media and how misconstrued narratives can be detrimental to an individual.

    Recalling the controversy involving her husband Agha Ali in 2020, when Ali told her “never to get fat again”, the Dour star pointed out how it was just a private agreement between them as partners that was misunderstood on many levels.

    “It was just a personal understanding between us as a couple that served as a motivation factor. I just said ‘Agha reminds me not to eat a lot’ casually but people took this too sensitively than expected. I strongly respect the fact that weight loss is not an easy journey for everyone. Not everyone has the time to hit the treadmill, run a few kilometers daily, or just do a quick 15-day course to lose a couple of pounds. Many people have different challenges and health problems in their path, so maintaining health definitely isn’t easy,” explained Altaf.

    She then highlighted how the aforementioned incident served as a reminder to her to never openly share her views again. “I think people took our drawing room talk too seriously and compared our situation with their own. After this incident last year, I have learned that everything is not meant to be spoken on television,” noted the Agar actor.

    Before concluding the conversation, Altaf mentioned how social media doesn’t really bother her anymore, except for the time someone made a doctored video on her. She said, “Looking at a few pictures online doesn’t make anyone know the whole truth behind someone’s life or relationship. However, one thing I really dislike is when people ask me about having children. Normally, I always respond that when God wills, it will happen. But my relatives once sent me a video that implied I have had two miscarriages and am currently pregnant. This video extremely hurt me. I have never said this, usually, I would have ignored it, but it made me really upset.”

    Last year, Aagha and Hina shared on Waseem Badami’s show that they first met on an ARY Zindagi show that Hina hosted, however, they first got talking on an Eid show in which they were the hosts.

    While Hina denied that the two fought, Aagha confirmed that the two had, in fact, had some disagreements. “I would say it was a small disagreement because it was hard to develop a comfort level since we had to host the show together for the first time,” he shared.

    The two then shared just how unpredictable life is. They ended up sharing their life together when they couldn’t even share the stage when they first met!

    “Sometimes we sit and talk about how unbelievable it is! I could’ve never thought that I’d end up with Aagha and vice-versa. But we’re blessed,” said Hina Altaf.

    When and how did they decide to get married then? Aagha shared that their friendship blossomed went they were cast together in a serial. “The show’s name was apt because we were in fact lost, and perhaps we were meant to find the right way to each other’s hearts and that’s how we became friends through that project,” he said.

    Aagha termed their marriage a blend of friendship and arranged marriage, thanks to Hina becoming great friends with his mom who pushed him to pursue her for marriage.

    “I had told Aagha that I want to settle down and that I was looking forward to settling down soon, and Aagha took that seriously,” said Hina Altaf, adding, “Aagha’s younger brother also pushed us to get our nikkah done on Jumma tul wida, and his mother and my father also wanted it to happen as soon as possible so.”

  • National Security Council meeting tomorrow as terrorism on rise

    National Security Council meeting tomorrow as terrorism on rise

    The National Security Council (NSC) is set to hold a meeting on Friday (tomorrow) as terrorist activities in Pakistan continue to rise.

    The council will discuss a strategy to combat the new wave of terrorism in the country along with reviewing the situation at the Pak-Afghan border.

    The country’s federal ministers, military brass, and representatives from the security apparatus will attend the meeting, chaired by the head of government—Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.

    Pakistan is facing a resurgence of terrorism since the militant Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) called off its ceasefire with the government in late November.

    Currently, security is on high alert in Islamabad after a foiled suicide bomber blew himself up while threats have also hit Karachi, Hyderabad, and Sukkur.

  • WhatsApp will stop working on older smartphones after December 31

    WhatsApp will stop working on older smartphones after December 31

    Every year, WhatsApp discontinues support for specific devices that are considered obsolete. After December 31, the Meta-owned messaging platform will no longer be available on more than 40 smartphones, including two older iPhones.

    WhatsApp is discontinuing support for devices and operating systems that are rarely used and quite old. The messenger currently supports Android 4.1 and higher, iOS 12 and higher, and KaiOS 2.5.0 and higher.

    GizChina has compiled a list of 49 phones that will no longer be able to operate WhatsApp after December 31.

    Apple: iPhone 5, iPhone 5c

    Samsung: Galaxy Ace 2, Galaxy Core, Galaxy S2, Galaxy S3 mini, Galaxy Trend II, Galaxy Trend Lite, Galaxy Xcover 2

    LG: LG Enact, Lucid 2, Optimus 4X HD, Optimus F3, Optimus F3Q, Optimus F5, Optimus F6, Optimus F7, Optimus L2 II, Optimus L3 II, Optimus L3 II Dual, Optimus L4 II, Optimus L4 II Dual, Optimus L5, Optimus L5 Dual, Optimus L5 II, Optimus L7, Optimus L7 II, Optimus L7 II Dual, Optimus Nitro HD

    Sony: Xperia Arc S, Xperia miro, Xperia Neo L

    Huawei: Ascend D, Ascend D1, Ascend D2, Ascend G740, Ascend Mate, Ascend P1

    Given that the majority of individuals use the latest recent smartphones, very few people may be impacted by WhatsApp’s expiration. However, it’s time to upgrade if your phone is on the aforementioned list.

  • Woman pretends to be dead to avoid paying back loan

    A woman in Indonesia faked her own death to avoid giving back a loan she owed.

    The alleged scam artist — known only as “L” — reportedly owed an undisclosed sum to her associate Maya Gunawan, with the cash initially due to be paid on Nov. 20.
    According to details, when the woman was unable to procure the money, she asked Gunawan to extend the payment date till Dec. 6.

    That day came and went — and Gunawan was shocked when she logged onto Facebook Dec. 12 to discover a post from L’s daughter announcing her mom had been killed in a car crash.

    According to the post, L had passed away following an incident on a bridge close to her home in Medan, North Sumatra. The post also said that she would be laid to rest 370 miles away in Banda Aceh.

    The daughter, who claimed her mother had hacked into her Facebook account to write the lie, reportedly acknowledged the post was false.
    According to the Daily Star, the picture of the gurney the daughter put up in the post was reportedly borrowed from a TV show, and the pictures of L in a shroud were taken to “make her lie more convincing.”

  • Aide to PM arrested over Shehbaz’s audio leaks: report

    Aide to PM arrested over Shehbaz’s audio leaks: report

    A former aide to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was arrested over his connection with the premier’s audio leaks, released in September and October, a media report has said.

    On their YouTube show Talk Shock, veteran journalists Azaz Syed and Umar Cheema have revealed that ADC to PM Shehbaz, identified as Major Arsalan, had recorded and leaked the audio clips. Afterward, he was taken into detention by Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) General Nadeem Anjum on the directives of former army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa.

    According to Azaz, Major Arsalan had earlier served as an ADC to former Corps Commander Bahawalpur Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, and was allegedly transferring the Premier’s recorded conversations to Bahawalpur.

    The major himself confessed to committing the crime, Azaz Syed said on the programme. He said that whenever there was an important meeting, Major Arsalan used to have a secret phone specifically for recording the conversation or calls.

    Shehbaz Sharif had been told about the development.

    It is pertinent to mention that since the ouster of former PM Imran Khan, several audio leaks came out to the public adding more drama to the country’s politics.

    Earlier, Federal Minister for Interior, Rana Sanaullah claimed that the matter of the premier’s audio leaks is not related to an agency, but a few people, who had been identified. He added that these people belong to the staff of the PM House.

    In one of the audio leaks, PM Shehbaz and an unidentified person talked about a power plant to be imported from India for PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz’s son-in-law. In the other audio leak, the unknown person is allegedly telling the premier that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) is asking for their “shares” for the Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) as well.

  • Pakistan-India to play Test series in Australia?

    Pakistan-India to play Test series in Australia?

    The Melbourne Cricket Club and the Victorian government have expressed interest in hosting a Test series between Pakistan and India at their iconic venue, Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

    Informal inquiries to Cricket Australia have been made in this regard.

    MCC CEO, Stuart Fox, revealed his intention for the series during a conversation on SEN radio on the fourth day of the second Test between Australia and South Africa.
    “Absolutely. Three [Tests] in a row would be lovely at the MCG. You’d fill it every time. We have asked,” Fox said.

    “We’ve taken that up with Cricket Australia. I know the [Victoria] government has as well. Again, it’s enormously complicated from what I can understand, amongst a really busy schedule. So I think that’s probably the greater challenge. Wouldn’t it be great that it wasn’t just Australia-centric and Victoria-centric, that we’re catering for all the countries and filling the stadium all the time. So we have asked.”

    He hoped that Cricket Australia will keep taking it up with the ICC and keep pushing for it. “When you do see some of the stadiums around the world unoccupied, I think it would be much better to have a full house and that atmosphere and celebrate the game with full houses,” he said.

    Since 2013, India and Pakistan haven’t faced off in a bilateral international cricket match outside of World Cups and the Asia Cup. Neither team has faced off in a Test match since 2007.

  • Amar Khan wants Lollywood to create more female-centered, commercially successful films

    Amar Khan wants Lollywood to create more female-centered, commercially successful films

    Looking back at the year 2022, Pakistani cinema produced commercially and critically successful films like Kamli, Joyland and of course, Maula Jatt. This year was the start of listening to voices that didn’t just circle around men. Now actress Amar Khan has expressed hope that the conversation keeps going on, while the industry releases more movies that champion women voices and don’t revolve around male-centered notions.
    Yesterday on Twitter, the actress shared a post applauding the success of Bollywood movie “Gangubai Kathiawari” which has surpassed all other productions to become the number 1 movie at the Indian box office. The post applauded director and writer Sanjay Leela Bhansali for breaking the stereotype that women-led movies don’t become instant hits, and that movies infused with emotional dialogues rather than intense action scenes wouldn’t interest anyone.

    Amar Khan wrote that she hoped Pakistan would follow the same footsteps as its neighbor and soon start creating more films that were female-centered and also commercially successful.
    “Rab kare 2023 mein koi aik adh bhansali border k is paar bhi janam le.Warna we have never made a female oriented commercially succesful film.They continue to be male centric!!”