Friday, January 29, 2021

Petrol may become more expensive in Pakistan from February

Petrol may become more expensive in Pakistan from February
The prices of petroleum products in Pakistan are likely to go up yet again from February 1.

The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has sent a summary of the prices of petroleum products in which it has proposed an increase of Rs12 per litre for petrol and Rs10 per litre for diesel, say sources in the petroleum division.

The final decision would be taken by the Ministry of Finance headed by Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh after consultation with Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Ogra prepared its summary on the basis of a levy of Rs30 per litre. Currently, the levy on petrol is Rs21.56 per litre and Rs23.9 per litre on diesel.

The government can reduce the proposed increase to a very low level by not increasing the levy or it can maintain the current prices of petroleum products with a slight reduction in the levy.

Last month, the government had increased the prices of petroleum products twice after every 15 days.

On January 1, the price of petrol went up by Rs 2.31 and diesel by Rs1.80, while on January 15, the government again increased the price of petroleum products with petrol becoming Rs3.20 more expensive per litre and diesel Rs2.95 more expensive per litre.



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Sindh to begin coronavirus vaccine drive from Feb 3: Shah

Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah
Sindh Information and Local Government Minister Syed Nasir Hussain Shah on Friday said that Sindh will start a COVID-19 vaccination drive from Wednesday, February 3.

He was addressing a press conference at the Sindh Assembly, during which he said that the federal government has received about 500,000 vaccine doses from China, out of which Sindh has received 82,359 doses.

"In the first phase of the vaccination drive, front line healthcare workers will be inoculated, " he said. "The Sindh health department has allocated Rs1.5 billion for COVID-19 vaccine."

Nasir Shah said that the chief minister of Sindh has also earmarked a separate budget for the purpose.

"Sindh CM has also written a letter to prime minister Imran Khan regarding the procurement of the vaccine," the Sindh information minister said, adding that in the beginning, vaccines will be distributed in 10 districts of the province.

Nasir Hussain Shah added that the Centre is yet to permit the Sindh government to purchase the vaccine.

"We want to vaccinate the people of Sindh free of charge," the minister said.

The minister also touched upon the topic of cleanliness in Karachi and said that there has been "considerable improvement" in this regard.

He lamented that the Centre is yet to give Sindh its due share of Rs72 billion.



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PM Imran Khan congratulates CM Buzdar on destroying 'palaces' of landgrabbers

Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday gave Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar a pat on the back for razing to the ground landgrabbers' 'palaces'.

The prime minister made these comments while addressing a public gathering in Sahiwal, where he arrived earlier today on a one-day visit. The prime minister's comments seemed to be targeting PML-N leaders Saiful Malook Khokhar and his relatives.

The government had launched a massive operation against the PML-N leaders, alleging that they had occupied land illegally. The Khokhar brothers denied accusations of wrongdoing, blaming the government for exacting political revenge on them.

He said that the government had taken action against "Lahore's largest qabza group", accusing a former prime minister of supporting them.

"The [former] prime minister and his government were protecting these landgrabbers," he said.

The prime minister turned his guns to the Opposition, saying that change had indeed been brought to Pakistan because for the first time ever, "big thieves" were being held to account.

The prime minister said that the government had decided that every person in Sahiwal will be given health insurance amounting to Rs750,000.

"Research around the world shows that those households, that even are placed above the poverty line, suffer setbacks when they are afflicted with diseases," he said.

The prime minister said that his government had decided to initiate health insurance free for the masses from DG Khan since it was the most backward area of the province. He promised to provide health insurance to each and every person in Punjab.

"By December, Insha'Allah, every person in Punjab will have health insurance," he said.

The prime minister said that even in developed countries, universal healthcare was not offered to the common man.

The prime minister urged the Punjab chief minister to focus on improving education in government educational institutions.

He lamented how there were three different educational syllabuses being taught to students in one country. "In one country, we have three different syllabuses. Three different cultures," he said.

 



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Biden administration keeping Zalmay Khalilzad as US negotiator with Taliban

Zalmay Khalilzad
The United States has decided to retain Zalmay Khalilzad as the US special envoy to Afghanistan.

He has been asked to stay in his post under US President Joe Biden.

“We’ve asked him to continue the vital work that he’s performing,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told his first news conference since taking office.

Khalilzad, a political scientist born in Afghanistan, is a veteran of Republican administrations who served as US ambassador to the United Nations, Iraq and Afghanistan under former President George W Bush.

He brokered a deal with Afghanistan’s Taliban.



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U.N. voices alarm about Myanmar after military threats, coup fears

U.N. voices alarm about Myanmar after military threats, coup fears
The United Nations and Western governments voiced alarm on Friday over threats by Myanmar’s military that have stirred fears of a coup in the aftermath of an election the army says was fraudulent.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was following with “great concern” developments in Myanmar, where the army has said it would take action if complaints about the election are not addressed. An army spokesman on Tuesday declined to rule out the possibility of seizing power.

Australia, Britain, Canada, the European Union and United States, and 12 other nations, in a separate statement urged the military to “adhere to democratic norms”.

They said they opposed “any attempt to alter the outcome of the elections or impede Myanmar’s democratic transition”.

A military spokesman did not answer phone calls seeking comment.

Talks between the civilian government and army failed to ease tensions ahead of parliament’s opening on Monday, a ruling party spokesman said as pro-military protesters gathered in two cities.

Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy (NLD) won a resounding victory in the Nov. 8 poll, only the second election deemed free and fair by international observers since the end of direct military rule in 2011.

But allegations by the army of widespread voter fraud, which the electoral commission denies, have led to the most direct confrontation yet between the civilian government and the military.

The country’s constitution reserves 25% of seats in parliament for the military, which has demanded a resolution to its complaints ahead of Monday, when parliament is set to convene, and has refused to be drawn on whether its lawmakers will show up.

The commander-in-chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, told military personnel on Wednesday that the constitution should be repealed if it was not abided by, citing previous instances when charters had been abolished in Myanmar.

A Western diplomat in Yangon said information about the situation was hard to verify because “not many people speak with one of the sides”, referring to the army, but a coup would be a “tragic eventuality”.

“The country is defined by that history, so this would be unforgiveable. The people from Myanmar would consider that unforgiveable,” the diplomat said.

Suu Kyi has not made any public comment on the dispute. A spokesman for her NLD said members had met military leaders on Thursday for talks but said they were “not successful”.

“We do have concerns but they are not too significant,” the spokesman, Myo Nyunt, said by telephone, explaining how they had anticipated some tension due to the NLD’s plan to amend the constitution after the vote to curb the power of the military.

He said police battalions were stationed in the capital, Naypyitaw, where the Supreme Court was set to hold an initial hearing on complaints filed against the president and the head of the election commission.

He said in the event of a coup the NLD would not respond with force.

Several dozen trucks carrying protesters with placards denouncing the government and election commission and praising the military circled the city on Friday morning but turned back from the court, where police were deployed.

NLD lawmaker Zin Mar Aung said police were patrolling the parliament compound and there was need for caution.

“We cannot pretend as if nothing is happening,” Zin Mar Aung said by telephone.

Win Htein, a senior member of the NLD who spent years in prison during military rule, said he was prepared in case he was arrested.

“I am packed and ready to follow them if they come to take me today,” he said.

Author and historian Thant Myint-U said on Twitter on Thursday the country was likely “veering towards its most acute constitutional crisis since the abolition of the old junta in 2010”.

A youth leader for the NLD, who asked not to be identified, said many people had a real fear of return to military rule.



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U.S. and China may meet at Singapore's 'Davos', WEF says

United States President Joe Biden
United States President Joe Biden’s new administration may hold meetings with Chinese counterparts at a World Economic Forum meeting in Singapore in May, the organisation’s president said on Friday.

Borge Brende was speaking in a virtual dialogue with Singapore’s prime minister, who called for a reset of the relationship between the two superpowers.

“Singapore has had very close ties with the U.S. but also worked very well with China,” Brende said.

“The special annual meeting could be a place where you could see the new Biden administration and China meet.”

The meeting has been moved from its usual home in the Swiss town of Davos, from where it takes its informal name, to Singapore over concerns about COVID-19 in Europe.

Beijing has been pushing for greater global influence in a challenge to traditional U.S. leadership. Relations between the two nations soured under former U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration over trade tariffs and Trump’s criticism of China’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It cannot possibly be too late for the U.S. and China to reset the tone of their interactions, and avert a clash between them,” said Singapore PM Lee Hsien Loong.

“The new U.S. administration is an opportunity to steer the relationship towards safer waters,” he said, adding the U.S.-China relationship should become a key strategic priority for Biden.

Neither China or the United States have said whether they will send officials to the meeting due to be held from May 25-28, over which there remains uncertainty given the pandemic still raging across many parts of the world.

Lee said Singapore would work with the forum to ensure the health and safety of all.

“I welcome all of you to Singapore in May...and forge a new path forward together,” Lee said in prepared remarks.



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PM Imran Khan congratulates CM Buzdar on destroying 'palaces' of landgrabbers

Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday gave Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar a pat on the back for razing to the ground landgrabbers' 'palaces'.

The prime minister made these comments while addressing a public gathering in Sahiwal, where he arrived earlier today on a one-day visit. The prime minister's comments seemed to be targeting PML-N leaders Saiful Malook Khokhar and his relatives.

The government had launched a massive operation against the PML-N leaders, alleging that they had occupied land illegally. The Khokhar brothers denied accusations of wrongdoing, blaming the government for exacting political revenge on them.

He said that the government had taken action against "Lahore's largest qabza group", accusing a former prime minister of supporting them.

"The [former] prime minister and his government were protecting these landgrabbers," he said.

The prime minister turned his guns to the Opposition, saying that change had indeed been brought to Pakistan because for the first time ever, "big thieves" were being held to account.

The prime minister said that the government had decided that every person in Sahiwal will be given health insurance amounting to Rs750,000.

"Research around the world shows that those households, that even are placed above the poverty line, suffer setbacks when they are afflicted with diseases," he said.

The prime minister said that his government had decided to initiate health insurance free for the masses from DG Khan since it was the most backward area of the province. He promised to provide health insurance to each and every person in Punjab.

"By December, Insha'Allah, every person in Punjab will have health insurance," he said.

The prime minister said that even in developed countries, universal healthcare was not offered to the common man.

The prime minister urged the Punjab chief minister to focus on improving education in government educational institutions.

He lamented how there were three different educational syllabuses being taught to students in one country. "In one country, we have three different syllabuses. Three different cultures," he said.

 



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Islamabad court dismisses Gill’s bail plea in sedition case

A District and Sessions court of Islamabad dismissed the post arrest bail petition of PTI leader Shahbaz Gill on Tuesday. Additional Dist...