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  • Pakistan receives second shipment of discounted Russian crude oil

    Pakistan receives second shipment of discounted Russian crude oil

    On Tuesday, the second shipment of discounted Russian crude oil, comprising a total of 55,000 tonnes, reached the Karachi port.

    The vessel carrying Urals oil, named ‘Clyde Noble’, had been en route to the port of Karachi in the Arabian Sea, according to earlier reports from reliable sources. Once the ship’s berthing plan is finalized, it will be docked at the oil pier.

    An insider from the oil industry had previously informed The News that the vessel was expected to reach Karachi Port by Tuesday. Originally scheduled to arrive on June 20, the second cargo faced a one-week delay due to limited storage space in the tanks of Pakistan Refinery Limited (PRL).

    The PRL, being the first domestic refinery to receive crude oil from Russia under the government-led deal, encountered logistical challenges.

    Pakistan had received its initial shipment of Russian crude oil on June 12 when a tanker carrying 45,000 tonnes of crude oil docked at the Karachi port. The government had placed an order of 100,000 tonnes of Russian crude oil in April of this year after months of negotiations with Moscow to finalize the terms and conditions of the agreement.

    As per the terms of the deal, Russia dispatched the first oil tanker carrying 100,000 metric tonnes of crude, which arrived at the Omani port earlier this month.

    However, due to the Pakistani port’s limitations in handling heavy ships carrying over 50,000 tonnes of oil cargo, it was decided to transport the crude to Pakistan using smaller vessels.

    It is noteworthy that the vessel, loaded with Ural crude on April 21 at a Russian port, faced a 10-day delay due to technical issues. Subsequently, it reached Egypt’s Suez Canal on May 17, where it endured a 12-day wait in a lengthy queue before crossing the canal.

    Currently, Pakistan imports 70 per cent of its crude oil, which is refined by PRL, National Refinery Limited, Pak Arab Refinery Limited, and Byco Petroleum. The remaining 30 per cent is domestically produced and refined by Attock Refinery Limited.

    To meet the demand for petroleum products, PRL is presently in the process of refining the Russian crude oil, blending it with Arabian crude that arrived a few days ago following a PRL order.

  • Ahmedabad will host India vs Pakistan World Cup match, ICC reveals schedule

    Ahmedabad will host India vs Pakistan World Cup match, ICC reveals schedule

    Ahmedabad is set to host the all-important India vs Pakistan World Cup, as International Cricket Council (ICC) has revealed the schedule for the mega event.

    The Cricket World Cup 2023 will be held in 10 venues across 46 days later this year.

    The World Cup kicks off on October 5 with a repeat of the 2019 Final as England take on New Zealand at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

    Hosts India begin their campaign on October 8 against five-time World Cup winners Australia in Chennai.

    A total of 10 teams will participate in the showcase event, the first eight having already qualified through the Cricket World Cup Super League. The final two spots will be determined at the end of the Qualifier tournament in Zimbabwe, which concludes on July 9.

    Each team plays the other nine in a round-robin format with the top four qualifying for the knockout stage and semi-finals.
    Key Fixtures

    The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash is scheduled for Sunday, October 15 in Ahmedabad. Their last encounter in the 2019 World Cup was a high-scoring affair with India achieving a huge victory in Manchester.

    Pakistan will face Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, while England clash against South Africa the next day in Mumbai.
    The final group stage match will be England up against Pakistan in Kolkata on November 12.

    Knockout Stages

    The first semi-final will be held on Wednesday, November 15 in Mumbai, and the second semi-final will be held the following day in Kolkata. Both semi-finals will have a reserve day.

    The final will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on November 19, with November 20 slated as the reserve day.

    All three knockout fixtures will be day-night affairs, with the matches beginning at 14:00 local time.

    Tournament Venues

    There will be a total of 10 venues – Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Dharamsala, Delhi, Chennai, Lucknow, Pune, Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Kolkata.

    Guwahati and Thiruvananthapuram, in addition to Hyderabad, will host the warm-up matches from 29th September to 3rd October.

    Pakistan’s World Cup schedule:

    Pakistan vs Qualifier, Oct 6, Hyderabad

    Pakistan vs Qualifier, Oct 12, Hyderabad

    Pakistan vs India, Oct 15, Ahmedabad

    Pakistan vs Australia, Oct 20, Bengaluru

    Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Oct 23, Chennai

    Pakistan vs South Africa, Oct 27, Chennai

    Pakistan vs Bangladesh, Oct 31, Kolkata

    Pakistan vs New Zealand, Nov 4, Bengaluru

    Pakistan vs England, Nov 12, Kolkata

  • India agrees with Pakistan: Pasoori remake is terrible

    India agrees with Pakistan: Pasoori remake is terrible

    These last two days will probably go down in history as the only time Pakistan and India combined forces to take on the urgent matter of Bollywood taking up classics and destroying them.

    On Monday, T-Series released their own version of Coke Studio’s massive global hit ‘Pasoori’, giving credit solely to Ali Sethi, excluding Shae Gill and Xulfi even though they had an equal part to play in making the song what it is today.

    The new version is sung by Arijit Singh, and even though for Pakistanis it’s like kisi ne dil par pathar mara hai, across the border the verdict has been announced: they can’t feel the new version either.

    Jo bacha ab Pakistan Studies agay ja kar parhay ga, it wasn’t peace talks or Fawad Khan’s smolder that got India and Pakistan to unite, it was the utterly incompetent T-Series.

    It’s confusing for us as well

    Mubarakien maybe Pasoori can be called the song that finally united India and Pakistan together.

  • Senator Sherry Rehman schools CDA Chairman on Twitter

    Senator Sherry Rehman schools CDA Chairman on Twitter

    Climate Change Minister Sherry Rehman is not one to hold back when it comes to calling out audacious ideas. Earlier this week, Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Noor Ul Amin Mengal tweeted a suggestion for alleviating traffic congestion on the road to Daman e Koh and Peer Sohawa on Margalla Hills. He pondered planning a road from Peer Sohawa to Barri Imam and 3rd Avenue to make it a loop to facilitate traffic movement.

    Rehman clapped back today, reminding the Chairman of his domain of authority:

    Correcting the Chairman, Rehman stated that planning infrastructure through a Wildlife Board-protected green area is not under the CDA’s domain of authority. She reiterated that the plan is against Pakistan’s existing wildlife laws and goes against the country’s international commitments to preventing climate change. 

    Other Twitter users also chimed in with their opinions:

    Many users supported Rehman’s sharp response:

    Pakistan’s climate promise

    As part of UNDP’s Climate Promise, Pakistan intends to set a cumulative ambitious conditional target of an overall 50% reduction of its projected emissions by 2030, with a 15% reduction from the country’s own resources and a 35% reduction subjected to the provision of international grant finance.

    Cutting down trees in order to build concrete infrastructure stands decidedly against Pakistan’s Nationally Determined Contribution to the Climate Promise.

  • Survey resurfaces: 40 per cent Pakistani men believe beating wife justified five years ago

    Survey resurfaces: 40 per cent Pakistani men believe beating wife justified five years ago

    According to a resurfaced Demographic and Health survey taken in 2018 by the National Institute of Population Studies (NIPS), around 40 per cent men agreed that a husband is justified in beating his wife.

    However, the reasons for beating were as follows: If she burns his food, goes out without his permission, neglects his children or refuses to have sex with him. Surprisingly, 42 per cent women had also agreed with the statement. Around 34 per cent women, the report reveals, had experienced spousal violence, whether it was physical, sexual or emotional.

    The report states that 28 per cent married women had experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and 15 per cent women had experienced violence in the past year.

    Up to seven per cent married women admitted that they experienced violence during their pregnancy.

    On experiencing sexual violence, six per cent married women had experienced sexual violence and the most common perpetuator was revealed to be the husband, while 14 per cent women who were divorced, seperated or widowed had experienced sexual violence.

    Moving on to financial stability and empowerment, the survey reported that only 19 per cent married women had been working in the past 12 months, compared to 98 per cent married men.

    Half of the married women who are employed and earned an income, made independent decisions on how to spend their earnings, while 41 per cent made joint decisions with their husband. 76 per cent of working women reported making less money than their husband.

    The survey also found that only three per cent of ever-married women owned a house, alone or jointly, compared to 72 per cent ever-married men.

    The survey sampled from all four provinces including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, including Azad Jammu Kashmir and FATA. A total of 12,364 women between the ages of 15-49 and 3,145 men had participated in the survey.

  • State Bank announces aggressive policy rate hike to 22% in response to inflation risks

    State Bank announces aggressive policy rate hike to 22% in response to inflation risks

    During an emergency meeting convened on Monday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) made the decision to raise the policy rate by 100 basis points (bps), resulting in a new rate of 22 per cent.

    The announcement was made subsequent to a gathering of the bank’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

    The SBP clarified that the MPC acknowledged a heightened potential for upward risks to the inflation outlook compared to its previous meeting held on June 12.

    The committee highlighted that these risks primarily stem from the implementation of new measures in the fiscal and external sectors, which hold significant importance in the context of concluding the ongoing programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    “MPC noted that today’s action is necessary to keep the real interest rate firmly in positive territory on a forward-looking basis that would help in bringing down inflation towards the medium-term target of five to seven per cent by the end of fiscal year 25,” the SBP said.

  • Taylor Swift rejected Meghan Markle’s personal request to appear on podcast

    Taylor Swift rejected Meghan Markle’s personal request to appear on podcast

    Cuz baby now we got bad blood?

    The end of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s $15.7 million partnership with Spotify has been the subject of much commentary in news media. The parting of ways had a lot to do with production hurdles, mismanagement and simple laziness on the part of the Sussexes who put out only one season of one podcast.

    According to the Wall Street Journal, at one point, Meghan Markle sent a personal letter to Taylor Swift, requesting the pop star to make an appearance on her show, which had also featured celebrities like Serena Williams, Paris Hilton and Mariah Carey. But the ‘Midnight Rain’ singer rejected the invitation through a representative.

    Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had set up multiple content-creation deals with production giants like Spotify and Netflix, after the duo had announced that they were stepping down from their positions as senior members of the Royal Family.

    They had signed a three year deal with Spotify, which was worth around £15.7 million.

    However, insiders report that the Duke and Ducchess’ production company, Archwell, had been unable to reach production benchmarks required to justify the payout.

    Another report by WSJ revealed that there were several production mishaps and mismanagement in the process, including Markle making last-minute changes to the episodes. The partnership also failed to honor a term in their deal that Harry and Meghan would be directly innvolved in the production and voicing the podcasts.

    Spotify executives were also reportedly frustrated by the length of time it had taken for Archwell to finalise the idea about Meghan’s show, and also put together a team for production to begin.

    Netflix too is reportedly contemplating ending ties with the royal duo.

    Whatever the reasons for ending the lucrative deals, we can safely say that not even a personal invite from the Duchess of Sussex was enough to impress the reigning queen of pop.

  • Twitter celebrates 11 years of actor Yumna Zaidi with some of her best performances

    Twitter celebrates 11 years of actor Yumna Zaidi with some of her best performances

    Today marks eleven years since actress Yumna Zaidi made her mark in the entertainment industry, breaking all the rules with her show-stopping talent and the ability to completely change pop culture with every powerful performance. In those years, her roles have ranged from a child prostitute learning to overcome her past to a headstrong woman with an ambition to serve in the army, and a fearless girl who disguises herself as a man to make a living for her family. In other words, every time she appears on screen, be prepared for a performance so mesmerizing that it will be seared on your memory.

    In celebration of this event, Zaidi’s fans on Twitter marked the occasion by highlighting their favorite performances in dramas.

    Tere Bin

    Hate the drama all you want, but give credit to Zaidi for bringing life to a powerful woman like Meerab, despite attempts by the writer and the show-runners to mold her into another bheegi bili. Yes, the story is cringe worthy and typical of the saas bahu dramas where a woman is abused, bullied by her family members, and she learns to forgive them all. But Zaidi is the only good part of the show with her Meerab, a feared headstrong character who openly challenges her husband, refuses to follow the traditions of her in-laws, and in doing so managed to make the show a bit more bearable.

    Bakhtawar

    How could we forget the drama that proved Yumna is not someone who will fade away after a few years? Very few actresses have taken the leap to challenge themselves to take on a project that challenges social norms, especially in a country like Pakistan. But Yumna did it so and delivered a performance that is to this day still revered by fans. She plays the independent and competitive Bakhtawar, a girl born in a working class family who flees to a new city after her uncle tries to marry her off. To make a living for her family, she cuts off her hair and takes on a boyish appearance to find work.

    Sinf-e-Ahan

    Yumna continued to prove that she was a thespian with this feminist drama, where she played a girl from a conservative family, destined to be married off quickly, but she defies all of them by joining the army, despite their doubts. Paired with equally wonderful performances from Syra Yousef, Kubra Khan and Sajal Aly, this is the drama we recommend to anyone who wishes to understand the lore surrounding Yumna Zaidi.

  • Three officers including a Lt Gen sacked in connection with May 9 events: DG ISPR

    The Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, addressed an important press conference on Monday afternoon.

    While talking about self-accountability in the army, DG ISPR revealed that three officers including a Lieutenant General have been sacked and due actions have been completed against another 15 officers, including three Major General and seven Brigadiers.

    “As of now, a granddaughter of a retired four-star general, son-in-law of a retired four-star star general, wife of a retired three-star general,l and wife and son-in-law of a retired two-star general are facing the process of accountability due to irrefutable evidence,” he said.

    “So far, the investigation has revealed that the May 9 tragedy had been planned in the past few months,” said the DG ISPR.

    Stating that no one involved in May 9 riots will be spared, he stressed that the perpetrators will be punished according to the law.

    He further said that currently 102 people are being tried in military courts.

    While answering a question about the masterminds of May 9 events he said, “It would be premature to say definitively who the mastermind is. These are the same people who have influenced the minds of the people against the military.”

    This is a developing story.

  • What is happening in Dubai? Zardari, Bilawal meet Maryam Nawaz

    What is happening in Dubai? Zardari, Bilawal meet Maryam Nawaz

    The Co-Chairman and Chairman of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari and Bilwal Butto-Zardari have met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Organiser, Maryam Nawaz, on Monday in Dubai.

    The agenda of the meeting was economic and political issues in the country. According to the sources of Geo News, Maryam Nawaz took the two PPP heads in confidence over the ongoing political situation in the country.

    Another meeting will likely be held tonight between PML-N and PPP to further discuss solutions for the economic and political crisis.
    This meeting is important as PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif’s return to Pakistan is expected after a law passed by National Assembly to limit the lifetime disqualification to five years.

    PML-N sources have revealed that a meeting held on Sunday afternoon had the longest discussion, but the attendees have not been disclosed as of now.