Author: newsdesk

  • Pakistan seeks to import 1.5 million tonnes of petrol from UAE at a negotiated price

    Pakistan seeks to import 1.5 million tonnes of petrol from UAE at a negotiated price

    In an attempt to begin the process of signing an intergovernmental agreement (IGA), Pakistan will write to the United Arab Emirates this week. The country is looking for a government-to-government contract to import 1.5 million tonnes of gasoline annually.

    According to The News, Pakistan would import 1.5 million tonnes of motor spirit (Mogas) over a five to eight-year period, or 30 cargoes. The nation would receive two to three shipments from the gulf nation each month.

    The IGA with Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and some other nations has already been signed by the energy ministry. UAE will receive the same contract. Both nations will begin negotiating the GtG deal for the import of petrol, crude oil, and jet fuel once the agreement is finalised.

    Leading representatives from both sides agreed to sign a GtG agreement for the import of petrol, crude oil, and jet fuel at the Abu Dhabi negotiations held in the first week of the current month.

    This will enable Pakistan to have a sufficient supply of petroleum products.

    ADNOC (Abu Dhabi National Oil Company), on behalf of the UAE, and Pakistan State Oil (PSO), on behalf of Pakistan, will begin negotiations for a commercial deal on a going-to-market basis after the IGA has been finalised and signed.

    Before December 31, 2022, Pakistan wants both IGAs and business agreements signed so that beginning in January 2023, oil imports from the UAE could begin on a GtG basis.

    Under the terms of the GtG agreement, PSO obtains diesel from KPC (Kuwait Petroleum Company) and pays significant premiums for gasoline purchased on the open market, which is determined by the costs of goods on the global market.

    Now, as part of the GtG agreement, PSO would purchase gasoline from ADNOC at a negotiated rate. Additionally, because the nation’s refineries typically meet jet fuel needs, PSO would also import it as needed.

  • Climate disaster: Pakistan to receive ‘Global Shield’ funding

    Climate disaster: Pakistan to receive ‘Global Shield’ funding

    Pakistan will be one of the first initial recipients of the Global Shield funding that will be provided to countries hit by climate disasters.
    The Global Shield will build support to be deployed in nations like Pakistan, Ghana, Fiji, and Senegal. It is supported by 170 million euros ($175 million) in funding from Germany and 40 million euros ($41 million) from additional contributors including Denmark and Ireland.The Global Shield was officially launched on November 14, 2022 at the COP27 climate conference.

    Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Fiji, Ghana, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Senegal were identified as some of the earliest beneficiaries of Global Shield supplies in a statement released by Germany on Monday.

    Germany stated that these packages would be created in the upcoming months.

    As many as 33 million people of the 220 million in the South Asian nation have been affected in some way by recent monsoon floods that swept away houses, roads, railways and bridges and submerged around 4 million acres of farmland.

  • 50 keyboard shortcuts every Windows user should know

    50 keyboard shortcuts every Windows user should know

    Keyboard shortcuts can help you stay focused, lessen repeated effort, and greatly boost your productivity. For instance, you may select text and use the shortcut Ctrl+C to copy it. The shortcut is quicker than lifting your hands off the keyboard, using the mouse to highlight, right-clicking, choosing copy, and then putting them back on the keyboard.

    There are several keyboard shortcuts offered in Windows, but you do not need to master them all. Just the ones that will make your life simpler and increase productivity should be kept in mind.

    These are the major keyboard shortcuts that every Windows user needs to be familiar with:

    Keyboard shortcut Action
    Ctrl + A Select all content.
    Ctrl + C (or Ctrl + Insert) Copy selected items to clipboard.
    Ctrl + X Cut selected items to clipboard.
    Ctrl + V (or Shift + Insert) Paste content from clipboard.
    Ctrl + Z Undo an action, including undelete files (limited).
    Ctrl + Y Redo an action.
    Ctrl + Shift + N Create new folder on desktop or File Explorer.
    Alt + F4 Close active window. (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears.)
    Ctrl + D (Del) Delete selected item to the Recycle Bin.
    Shift + Delete Delete the selected item permanently, skipping Recycle Bin.
    F2 Rename selected item.
    Esc Close current task.
    Alt + Tab Switch between open apps.
    PrtScn Take a screenshot and stores it in the clipboard.
    Windows key + I Open Settings app.
    Windows key + E Open File Explorer.
    Windows key + A Open Action center.
    Windows key + D Display and hide the desktop.
    Windows key + L Lock device.
    Windows key + V Open Clipboard bin.
    Windows key + Period (.) or Semicolon (;) Open emoji panel.
    Windows key + PrtScn Capture a full screenshot in the “Screenshots” folder.
    Windows key + Shift + S Capture part of the screen with Snip & Sketch.
    Windows key + Left arrow key Snap app or window left.
    Windows key + Right arrow key Snap app or window right.

    Desktop shortcuts

    On Windows, you can use these keyboard shortcuts to open, close, navigate, and perform tasks more quickly throughout the desktop experience, including the Start menu, Taskbar, Settings, and more.

    Keyboard shortcut Action
    Windows key (or Ctrl + Esc) Open Start menu.
    Ctrl + Arrow keys Change Start menu size.
    Ctrl + Shift + Esc Open Task Manager.
    Ctrl + Shift Switch keyboard layout.
    Alt + F4 Close active window. (If no active window is present, a shutdown box appears.)
    Ctrl + F5 (or Ctrl + R) Refresh current window.
    Ctrl + Alt + Tab View open apps.
    Ctrl + Arrow keys (to select) + Spacebar Select multiple items on desktop or File Explorer.
    Alt + Underlined letter Runs command for the underlined letter in apps.
    Alt + Tab Switch between open apps while pressing Tab multiple times.
    Alt + Left arrow key Go back.
    Alt + Right arrow key Go forward.
    Alt + Page Up Move up one screen.
    Alt + Page Down Move down one screen.
    Alt + Esc Cycle through open windows.
    Alt + Spacebar Open context menu for the active window.
    Alt + F8 Reveals typed password in Sign-in screen.
    Shift + Click app button Open another instance of an app from the Taskbar.
    Ctrl + Shift + Click app button Run app as administrator from the Taskbar.
    Shift + Right-click app button Show window menu for the app from the Taskbar.
    Ctrl + Click a grouped app button Cycle through windows in the group from the Taskbar.
    Shift + Right-click grouped app button Show window menu for the group from the Taskbar.
    Ctrl + Left arrow key Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous word.
    Ctrl + Right arrow key Move the cursor to the beginning of the next word.
    Ctrl + Up arrow key Move the cursor to the beginning of the previous paragraph
    Ctrl + Down arrow key Move the cursor to the beginning of the next paragraph.
    Ctrl + Shift + Arrow key Select block of text.
    Ctrl + Spacebar Enable or disable Chinese IME.
    Shift + F10 Open context menu for selected item.
    F10 Enable app menu bar.
    Shift + Arrow keys Select multiple items.
    Windows key + X Open Quick Link menu.
    Windows key + Number (0-9) Open the app in number position from the Taskbar.
    Windows key + T Cycle through apps in the Taskbar.
    Windows key + Alt + Number (0-9) Open Jump List of the app in number position from the Taskbar.
    Windows key + D Display and hide the desktop.
    Windows key + M Minimize all windows.
    Windows key + Shift + M Restore minimized windows on the desktop.
    Windows key + Home Minimize or maximize all but the active desktop window.
    Windows key + Shift + Up arrow key Stretch desktop window to the top and bottom of the screen.
    Windows key + Shift + Down arrow key Maximize or minimize active desktop windows vertically while maintaining width.
    Windows key + Shift + Left arrow key Move active window to monitor on the left.
    Windows key + Shift + Right arrow key Move active window to monitor on the right.
    Windows key + Left arrow key Snap app or window left.
    Windows key + Right arrow key Snap app or window right.
    Windows key + S (or Q) Open Search.
    Windows key + Alt + D Open date and time in the Taskbar.
    Windows key + Tab Open Task View.
    Windows key + Ctrl + D Create new virtual desktop.
    Windows key + Ctrl + F4 Close active virtual desktop.
    Windows key + Ctrl + Right arrow Switch to the virtual desktop on the right.
    Windows key + Ctrl + Left arrow Switch to the virtual desktop on the left.
    Windows key + P Open Project settings.
    Windows key + A Open Action center.
    Windows key + I Open Settings app.
    Backspace Return to the Settings app home page.
  • Justice Babar Sattar says tweeting in a trend does not constitute a crime

    Justice Babar Sattar says tweeting in a trend does not constitute a crime

    Justice Babar Sattar of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed a case filed against a citizen for tweeting in a controversial trend on Twitter, reports Samaa.

    In his verdict, Justice Babar Sattar accepted the petition of a citizen against the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) over tweeting against state institutions.

    Justice Sattar observed in the judgement that “Tweeting in relation to any trend cannot itself attract criminal liability unless the words used in the tweet constitute as offensive under a penal statute.”

    The words in the tweet in question attracted no criminal liability, he ruled.

    Justice Sattar noted that the court cannot act unless there is something wrong in the words used by the person writing the tweet while the court held that the purpose of registering an FIR was to impose illegal censorship on the expression of a citizen.

  • Khawaja Asif says PM Shehbaz didn’t consult Nawaz on COAS appointment

    Khawaja Asif says PM Shehbaz didn’t consult Nawaz on COAS appointment

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that no decision regarding the appointment of Chief of Army Staff (COAS) has been made as yet.

    When asked if Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif was not being consulted on the matter, the minister said: “Consultations have not yet taken place on the army chief’s appointment. These are just newspaper reports”, reports Geo News.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has just returned home from Britain after having several meetings with his brother Nawaz. It was being widely reported that the two brothers were holding consultations on who should be the next head of the armed forces.

    Speaking with journalists outside the National Assembly, Khwaja Asif said: “The prime minister has discretion regarding the appointment of the COAS; therefore, he will make the decision on the appointment.”

    Responding to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s interview with Financial Times where he said he “no longer blamed the US” and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power, Asif sarcastically asked if this was the first time Khan was taking back his words.

    “He turns away from everything, how many things have been said in the last four years? Has Imran Khan stood by anything he says,” the minister asked.

  • PTI submits petition to Supreme Court to look into attack on Imran Khan

    PTI submits petition to Supreme Court to look into attack on Imran Khan

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has on Monday approached five registries of the Supreme Court (SC) in different cities across the country to seek the formation of a judicial commission to investigate the assassination attack on PTI chief Imran Khan in Wazirabad, the secret recording of PTI Senator Azam Swati and his wife and the killing of senior journalist Arshad Sharif in Kenya.

    In the plea filed in the Lahore registry, former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar is the applicant.

    The petition about the assassination attempt on Imran Khan maintains that following the incident, another “grave injustice” continues to fester as the police have “refused to register the FIR according to the request submitted by the complainant”.

    After the former Prime Minister was shot at during his party’s Long March, an First Information Report (FIR) was not registered. Imran Khan had nominated PM Shehbaz Sharif, Federal Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah and Major-General Faisal Naseer as the conspirators behind the firing incident. However, later, on the SC’s orders, an FIR was registered by the Punjab police on November 8. PTI rejected the report as it did not contain the names of the people whom Khan wanted to nominate.

    The petition also sought the formation of a judicial commission into the “illegal private video recording” of Senator Azam Swati and his wife which was allegedly recorded while they were staying at an official rest house in Quetta.

    Additionally, the party has also raised the matter of slain journalist Sharif’s murder with the court. The petition said it is crucial that an independent commission inquires about the circumstance that compelled Sharif to flee the country and eventually end up in Kenya.

    In a press conference after submitting the petition to the SC’s Lahore Registry, PTI Vice President Shah Mahmood Qureshi also made an announcement regarding the petitions.

    He hoped that the Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP), Umar Ata Bandial, would consider his party’s pleas.

    In Karachi, PTI leaders Ali Zaidi and Imran Ismail along with other party members reached the SC registry to file the petition. Meanwhile, former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri and others moved the plea in Quetta.

    Earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif had also written letters to the CJ to form judicial commissions on two issues — the attack on Khan and Arshad Sharif’s murder.

  • Gaddafi Stadium to turn pink for breast cancer awareness

    Gaddafi Stadium to turn pink for breast cancer awareness

    In order to raise awareness about breast cancer, the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will be turned pink on November 16 during the third Twenty20 International between Pakistan and Ireland.

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) took the decision as part of its social business responsibility.

    “Both team captains, players, match officials and commentators will wear pink ribbons over the course of the match and awareness messages will be displayed inside the stadium,” the PCB said in a press release.

    “The stumps will also be branded pink. The backdrop for the post-match ceremony will be coloured pink.

    “Entrance for matches is free for spectators with four enclosures – Imran Khan, Rajas’, Fazal Mahmood and Saeed Anwar – open to the public. The PCB also encourages fans to wear pink for the Wednesday’s fixture,” the statement said.

    Pink coloured shirts will also be distributed to spectators in various stands during the match, PCB said.

    Pakistan has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in Asia. According to Pink Ribbon, 109 women die of breast cancer every hour in the country. That takes the total tally of deaths from breast cancer to 40,000 annually while over 90,000 new cases are reported each year.

    In 2017, Faisal Mosque and the National Assembly in Islamabad were also lit up in pink in solidarity with breast cancer patients.

  • ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    ‘It is over, I want good relations especially with the US’: Khan on his removal

    Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, has said that he no longer “blames the United States (US)” for engineering the Vote of No Confidence that resulted in his government’s ouster, and wants “dignified” ties with the country if he comes back to power.

    Referring to the alleged conspiracy which the former Prime Minister has insisted upon since April of this year, Khan said that “it was over”, in an interview with the Financial Times.

    “As far as I’m concerned, it’s over; it’s behind me. The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States,” he said.

    “Our relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we’ve been used like a hired gun. But for that I blame my own governments more than the US,” the former premier added.

    The former prime minister also termed his visit to Moscow on the eve of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia as “embarrassing”. He, however, added that trip was organised months in advance.

    About the role of the military, he said the army could play a “constructive role” in his future plans for Pakistan.

    The former premier asserted that there should “be a balance” in civil-military ties as “you cannot have an elected government which has responsibility given by the people, while the authority lies somewhere else”.

  • Former PCB medical chief criticises medical panel for putting Shaheen Afridi’s career at risk

    Former PCB medical chief criticises medical panel for putting Shaheen Afridi’s career at risk

    At the MCG, England defeated Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 final match, however Pakistan put up a good fight despite scoring a low score. They strongly desired that their top pacer Shaheen Afridi bowl his entire allotment, but this did not happen and it became a subject of debate after the final.

    Afridi was spotted in severe pain when he injured his knee while attempting a running catch to knock Harry Brook.

    Shaheen returned to bowl after the impact, but he was only able to produce one delivery, which was far from his best effort.

    The fast bowler entered the World Cup after undergoing an expedited recovery from a knee ligament injury he sustained in July. Experts in medicine say that if he experiences another fright during the final, his career, at the age of only 22, may be in jeopardy.

    “If the injury doesn’t result in more injuries, it would take Shaheen three to four months to recover,” former Pakistan Cricket Board chief medical officer Dr Sohail Salim told Dawn.

    “If the PCB’s medical board chooses to treat it through surgery, Shaheen will be out for six, seven months.”

    In any case, Shaheen’s expected absence from two major upcoming home Test series versus England and New Zealand, according to Sohail, raises concerns about the effectiveness of the PCB’s existing medical team.

    “An inquiry should be held to determine if the PCB medical panel went wrong in their approach to treat Shaheen’s injury,” said Sohail.

    Shaheen may become available again soon, however, Sarfraz Nawaz, a former fast bowler for Pakistan, regretted the PCB’s selection of the pacer for the World Cup team despite the fact that he had not had any match practise beforehand.

    “You have put him in directly in the high-profile World Cup without him playing any match since July,” Sarfraz told Dawn.

    “His fitness could have been better judged if he played a game before the World Cup and he shouldn’t have been selected without proving it.”

    Sarfraz believed the tri-series in New Zealand ahead of the T20 showpiece was a good chance to test Shaheen.

  • Pressure the govt to release Joyland: here is how to do it

    Pressure the govt to release Joyland: here is how to do it

    The government of Pakistan has stopped the release of Saim Sadiq’s Oscar contender “Joyland” for containing “highly objectionable” material.
    An order dated Nov. 11 from Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting says that the country’s censor board had granted a censor certificate to the film on Aug. 17. But it has since reversed the decision.

    “Written complaints were received that the film contains highly objectionable material which do not conform with the social values and moral standards of our society and is clearly repugnant to the norms of ‘decency and morality’ as laid down in Section 9 of the Motion Picture Ordinance, 1979,” the order states. “Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 9(2) (a) of the said Ordinance and after conducting a comprehensive inquiry, the Federal Government declares the feature film titled ‘Joyland’ as an uncertified film for the whole of Pakistan in the cinemas which fall under the jurisdiction of CBFC with immediate effect.”
    The ban has caused outrage on social media with citizens denouncing the decision.

    Actor Nadia Jamil has shared things we can do to put pressure on the government to help Joyland:

    Use the hashtag #releasejoyland on Twitter every time you tweet about the film.

    Tag the following accounts on Twitter every time you post: @MoIB_official (ministry of information and broadcasting) @marriyum_A (Marriyum Aurangzeb)

    Call Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and demand that they stand up to pressure from people looking to malign the film. 051 9103557 9211800 9213649.