Author: newsdesk

  • Rs4.5 per unit increase expected in electricity prices

    Rs4.5 per unit increase expected in electricity prices

    The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) will hold a hearing on a petition on May 31 to raise electricity prices in conjunction with April’s monthly fuel adjustment. The price of power is projected to rise by Rs4.5, reports ARY.

    The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA) has requested an increase in the power price due to a fuel adjustment for the month of April. The final decision on the rate hike will be taken by the authority after the hearing.

    According to reports, the petition will overburden the masses by Rs59.45 billion.

    According to the CPPA, in April, 18.55% of electricity was generated from water, 16.74% from coal and 12.07% from furnace oil. The cost per unit of electricity generated from furnace oil was Rs28 to 19 per unit, 9.85% from domestic gas and 19.42% from imported LNG in April. 17.37% of electricity was generated from nuclear fuel and 3.59% from wind.

    The increase will not apply to electricity and lifeline customers.

  • Bilawal Bhutto defends ex-PM Imran Khan’s visit to Russia

    Bilawal Bhutto defends ex-PM Imran Khan’s visit to Russia

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday strongly defended Imran Khan’s Moscow visit, saying there was no way for the former prime minister to know that Russia would invade Ukraine on the day he landed in the Russian capital.

    “As far the former prime minister’s trip to Russia, I would absolutely defend the former prime minister of Pakistan. He conducted that trip as part of his foreign policy and without knowing that — no one is psychic, no one has a sixth sense — there’s no way we could have possibly known that that would be the time [when] the current conflict will start,” Bilawal said.

    https://twitter.com/MediaCellPPP/status/1527401668916256770?s=20&t=KZ4uVQyjDUUPrLQdo_hRgA

    “And I believe it is very unfair to punish Pakistan for such an innocent action.”

    Pakistan, he said, was absolutely clear that it has to stand by the principles of the United Nations, including that of non-use of force, on this issue.

    “We are not part of any conflict. We do not wish to be part of any conflict. In fact, we would continue to emphasise the importance of peace,” he said.

    “We would continue to emphasise the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to resolve this conflict as soon as possible. And we will certainly not take any side or take the side of any aggressor within this context.”

    Twitterati praised FM Bilawal Bhutto for the way he defended not only the formal premier but Pakistan as well. Netizens did not spare this chance to compare Bilawal with Khan.

  • Aishwarya, Deepika slay with red carpet looks at the Cannes Film Festival

    Aishwarya, Deepika slay with red carpet looks at the Cannes Film Festival

    Bollywood actresses Aishwarya Rai and Deepika Padukone graced the red carpet at Cannes Film Festival.

    Cannes 2022 LIVE Updates: Aishwarya Rai and Deepika Padukone make stunning appearances on Day 3 of the event

    Both the leading ladies attended the screening of Armageddon Time on Thursday

    Aishwarya Rai and Deepika Padukone on the Cannes red carpet.

    The Piku diva showed up in a sultry red gown and Rai managed to grab all attention with her shocking pink dress on the third day of the Cannes Film Festival.

    Arriving for the screening, they posed for pictures just minutes apart from each other.

    Deepika wore a Louis Vuitton dress with thin straps, a peplum top and a big skirt. She also wore a delicate diamond necklace and tied her hair in a stylish ponytail. Aishwarya chose her favourite mermaid-style silhouette for her pink dress. What asked to everyone’s attention was an enormous shell-shaped structure that hung behind her shoulders.

  • UET Peshawar secures top spot in Times Higher Education listing

    UET Peshawar secures top spot in Times Higher Education listing

    The University of Engineering and Technology (UET) in Peshawar was ranked first in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the ultimate ranking for SDG-17, ‘Partnerships for Goals’.

    This is an outstanding achievement for UET Peshawar, demonstrating the institution’s determination for maintaining pristine educational standards.

    In the fourth edition of the Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Ranking, 2022, UET Peshawar ranks first in Pakistan under the ‘Engineering and Technology’ table and second in the league for SDG-8, ‘Decent work for economic progress’.

    THE is a British journal that monitors worldwide higher education and ranks universities based on their performance in four key areas: research, stewardship, outreach, and teaching, as well as their assessment of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

    THE impact ratings highlight an institution’s dedication towards delivering the UN SDGs by considering SDG-17 (Partnership for the Goals) mandatory for listing in the overall standings.

    Prof Dr Iftikhar Hussain, the Vice-Chancellor, commended the employees and faculty on their achievement and noted that the university’s objective is to build meaningful collaborations with local industry, government, and academics for the benefit of society. He lauded ORIC’s and affiliated departments’ efforts in providing frequent updates on the impact rankings through 2022.

    The UN Sustainable Development Summit in September 2015 established the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (the 2030 Agenda), a set of worldwide development goals for the years 2016 to 2030 that builds on the success of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

  • Govt bans import of ‘luxury items’ to fight economic crisis

    Govt bans import of ‘luxury items’ to fight economic crisis

    For the first time in Pakistan, luxury or non-essential commodities have been completely banned in the country to help the nation emerge from its financial crisis. Minister of Information Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed the economic strategy established by the federal government on Thursday.

    The Information Minister stated that this is an emergency situation and Pakistanis will have to make sacrifices under the economic plan. This will have a quick impact on foreign reserves. The ban will have an impact of $6 billion.

    Aurangzeb went on to say that the government’s priority was to cut imports, thus it was going to implement an export-oriented policy that would help local industry and producers.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif is working “day and night” to stabilise the economy, according to the information minister, and has decided to ban the import of all commodities that are not in common use.

    Food, decorating, and luxury automobiles were among the imports, according to Aurangzeb, who emphasised that the country was in a “difficult economic condition” as a result of the previous government’s policies.

    Here’s a detailed list of banned goods:

    1. Cars
    2. Mobile phones
    3. Home appliances
    4. Private weapons and ammunition
    5. Fruits and dry fruits (except Afghanistan)
    6. Crockery
    7. Shoes
    8. Chandeliers and lighting (except energy savers)
    9. Headphones and loudspeakers
    10. Sauces, ketchup etc.
    11. Doors and window frames
    12. Travelling bags and suitcases
    13. Sanitary ware
    14. Fish and frozen fish
    15. Carpets (except Afghanistan)
    16. Preserved fruits
    17. Tissue paper
    18. Furniture
    19. Shampoos
    20. Confectionary
    21. Luxury mattresses and sleeping bags
    22. Jams and jelly
    23. Cornflakes
    24. Bathroom ware/toiletries
    25. Heaters/blowers
    26. Sunglasses
    27. Kitchenware
    28. Aerated water
    29. Frozen meat
    30. Juices
    31. Pasta etc
    32. Ice cream
    33. Cigarettes
    34. Shaving goods
    35. Luxury leather apparel
    36. Musical instruments
    37. Saloon items like hairdryers etc.
    38. Chocolates

    The declaration, according to the information minister, is part of the present government’s fiscal plan to combat the PTI’s incompetent policies.

    Aurangzeb chastised the PTI for criticising the incumbent administration over the country’s economic woes, claiming that the Imran Khan-led government had raised inflation, taken historic debts, committed “economic terrorism,” and manipulated the economy by subsidising gasoline prices.

    By subsidising the price of petroleum goods, the PTI administration broke its agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), according to the Information Minister.

    Via: Geo

  • Gucci, Adidas’s three lakh rupee umbrella doesn’t stop rain

    Gucci, Adidas’s three lakh rupee umbrella doesn’t stop rain

    Luxury label Gucci and sportswear firm Adidas AG are receiving a barrage of criticism in China for selling an umbrella which roughly costs Rs 3 lakh ($1,644) and it isn’t even waterproof.

    On the Chinese social media network, Weibo, criticism of the item dubbed a “sun umbrella” has gone viral.

    The umbrella is not made for water, according to Gucci’s website. It is “not waterproof and is suitable for sun protection or decorative use,” according to Gucci’s website.

    On Weibo, a hashtag stating that “the collaborative umbrella being sold for 11,100 yuan is not waterproof” received over 140 million views.

    A Gucci spokesperson told Beijing-based magazine Caijing that the product was “not recommended for use as an everyday umbrella”.

    They added that it had “good collector’s value and is suitable for use as a daily accessory”.

  • Supreme Court bars transfers, appointments in high-profile cases

    Supreme Court bars transfers, appointments in high-profile cases

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) is barring authorities from making new appointments and transferring officials involved in “high-profile” and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) cases as well as those cases which are being heard by special courts, reports Dawn.

    The Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) observed that special courts in Karachi and Lahore lack judges while three accountability courts in Islamabad are also empty.

    The court issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman and the interior secretary. The court asked the parties concerned to give an explanation as to why there was “interference” in criminal cases, and stopped the NAB and FIA from withdrawing cases till further orders.

    The court also asked to be informed about the steps being taken to protect the record of criminal cases and directed for the record of high-profile cases to be checked and sealed. When Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Ashtar Ausaf protested against this, the CJP said that the record of ongoing cases would not be sealed, only that of the prosecution.

    During the hearing, the CJP also observed that there should be “no interference in the prosecution process or the prosecution wing”.

    The CJP also noticed that FIA’s former director Mohammad Rizwan, who was probing money laundering charges against Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Hamza Shahbaz, was also transferred and later died of a heart attack.

    “We are concerned over these developments,” the CJP said. Justice Bandial, indirectly pointing out at Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also stated that according to news reports, “thousands” of people had benefitted after their names were removed from the no-fly list.

    At one point, CJP Bandial remarked that the court was only concerned with ensuring justice and adjourned the hearing till May 27.

  • Bush mistakenly described the invasion of Iraq by ‘one man’ as ‘brutal and unjustified’

    Bush mistakenly described the invasion of Iraq by ‘one man’ as ‘brutal and unjustified’

    Former United States (US) President George W. Bush mistakenly described the invasion of Iraq by “one man” as “brutal” and “unjustified” before correcting himself to say he meant to refer to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “The result is an absence of checks and balances in Russia, and the decision of one man to launch a wholly unjustified and brutal invasion of Iraq,” Bush said, before correcting himself and shaking his head. “I mean, of Ukraine.”

    He jokingly blamed the mistake on his age as the audience burst into laughter.

    In 2003, when Bush was president, the United States led an invasion of Iraq over weapons of mass destruction that were never found. The prolonged conflict killed hundreds of thousands of people and displaced many more.

    Bush’s remarks quickly went viral on social media, gathering over three million views on Twitter alone after the clip was tweeted by a Dallas News reporter.

  • Most common women harassment platforms are WhatsApp, Facebook: Research

    Most common women harassment platforms are WhatsApp, Facebook: Research

    A Pakistani research-focused NGO, Digital Rights Foundation (DRF) revealed its annual report on the five-year cyber harassment helpline.

    According to the DRF, WhatsApp and Facebook were the most commonly utilised apps in Pakistan to harass women. Its helpline for combating online abuse and harassment will reach a five-year milestone this year.

    In the last five years, the online harassment helpline has received over 11,681 cases. In 2021, there were 4,441 cases received, with an average of 370 instances each month. The months of March and September saw a spike in reports, while the remainder of the year was quite constant.

    About 68 per cent of the calls were from women, 30 per cent were from males, and the remaining 2 per cent were from gender minorities. WhatsApp was the most widely mentioned platform for harassment, followed by Facebook.

    In 2021, 893 complaints were related to blackmail, and 727 incidents on the helpline involved the use of non-consensual photos, according to the research.

    Executive Director of DRF Nighat Dad stated that “the pace at which the cases of cyber harassment are increasing is alarming and must serve as a wake-up call for us to take appropriate action to make the internet a safe and equal space for everyone”.

    Pakistan’s first specialised helpline against cyber violence and harassment, the cyber-harassment helpline, was opened in December 2016. The toll-free number (0800-39393) is available Monday through Sunday, 9 AM to 5 PM, and includes email and social media help.

    Via: Geo

  • Shoaib Akhtar reveals he used to pull a truck to train as a fast bowler

    Shoaib Akhtar reveals he used to pull a truck to train as a fast bowler

    Pakistan’s former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has disclosed the training methods that helped him improve his bowling speed and eventually break the 160kmph barrier in the ICC World Cup 2003.

    In an chat with Sportskeeda, Rawalpindi Express said he started pulling light vehicles on the roads of Islamabad before moving on to pulling a truck for at least 4-5 miles.

    “I use to bowl 157 and 158kmph consistently but somehow I was unable to click 160kph. I started planning to train in order to cross the 160kmph barrier,” said Akhtar.

    “Initially, I tied up myself to a tyre and pulled it but the tyre was too light to build my muscles. Later, during nighttime in Islamabad, I tied myself to a small car and pulled it but this also turned out to be light training for my body.”

    Shoaib Akhtar said he intended to tie himself to a truck and pull it afterwards. This worked out since he began training and was able to pull a truck for nearly 5 kilometres.

    “I doubled my weight training for the sake of building muscles in the gym. This started changing my biomechanics,” he added.

    Shoaib Akhtar made the ICC World Cup bowling record with 161.3 kmph against England in 2003.