PM Shehbaz Sharif to initiate Rs28 billion relief package after hiking petrol prices

Following the decision to increase the prices of petroleum products by Rs30, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government will initiate a Rs28 billion package to provide relief to the masses.

Addressing the nation, the prime minister said taking up the challenge of coming into power was not easy as the country's situation was gloomy, and the nation was plagued with hatred during the previous government's tenure.

"I would like to thank my leader Nawaz Sharif and the leaders of our allied parties for trusting me with this office," he said.

Criticising the former, PTI-led government and ex-prime minister Imran Khan, PM Shehbaz said that "it was the demand of the people of Pakistan to rid them of the previous incompetent and corrupt government."

PM Shehbaz said a diplomatic cable was used for political means and the nation was fed with lies despite the National Security Committee (NSC) and the ambassador to the United States both rubbishing the "foreign conspiracy" claims touted by ex-premier Imran Khan.

PM Shehbaz said if Khan thinks his "ego" is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception as Pakistan will function in line with the Constitution and not upon following the direction of one person.

Ex-prime minister Imran Khan has repeatedly blamed the US for backing the no-confidence motion — that lead to his ouster — and has refused to accept the newly-elected government.

He claimed that US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu had threatened Pakistan's ambassador for removing his government.

"This person, when Pakistan was progressing under prime minister Nawaz Sharif, staged dharnas. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping had to come to Pakistan, but due to his arrogance, the agreement that was scheduled to take place was delayed."

The premier stressed that the incumbent government was responsible for the nation's safety and security and would not compromise in this regard at any cost.

Reminding the PTI government of its tenure, PM Shehbaz said it was Khan that struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not the current government.

"We did not agree to the strict conditions laid forth by the IMF; you burdened the masses with heavy inflation, not us; you buried the country under heavy debts, not us; international institutions said that corruption increased during your tenure, not ours; electricity load shedding was brought back during your tenure and you are responsible for the economy's suffering," he said.

He said that over the last four years, Pakistan incurred more than $20,000 billion worth of debt.

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PM Shehbaz Sharif to initiate Rs28 billion relief package after hiking petrol prices

Following the decision to increase the prices of petroleum products by Rs30, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that the government will initiate a Rs28 billion package to provide relief to the masses.

Addressing the nation, the prime minister said taking up the challenge of coming into power was not easy as the country's situation was gloomy, and the nation was plagued with hatred during the previous government's tenure.

"I would like to thank my leader Nawaz Sharif and the leaders of our allied parties for trusting me with this office," he said.

Criticising the former, PTI-led government and ex-prime minister Imran Khan, PM Shehbaz said that "it was the demand of the people of Pakistan to rid them of the previous incompetent and corrupt government."

PM Shehbaz said a diplomatic cable was used for political means and the nation was fed with lies despite the National Security Committee (NSC) and the ambassador to the United States both rubbishing the "foreign conspiracy" claims touted by ex-premier Imran Khan.

PM Shehbaz said if Khan thinks his "ego" is bigger than the state, then it is his misconception as Pakistan will function in line with the Constitution and not upon following the direction of one person.

Ex-prime minister Imran Khan has repeatedly blamed the US for backing the no-confidence motion — that lead to his ouster — and has refused to accept the newly-elected government.

He claimed that US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu had threatened Pakistan's ambassador for removing his government.

"This person, when Pakistan was progressing under prime minister Nawaz Sharif, staged dharnas. At that time, Chinese President Xi Jinping had to come to Pakistan, but due to his arrogance, the agreement that was scheduled to take place was delayed."

The premier stressed that the incumbent government was responsible for the nation's safety and security and would not compromise in this regard at any cost.

Reminding the PTI government of its tenure, PM Shehbaz said it was Khan that struck a deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), not the current government.

"We did not agree to the strict conditions laid forth by the IMF; you burdened the masses with heavy inflation, not us; you buried the country under heavy debts, not us; international institutions said that corruption increased during your tenure, not ours; electricity load shedding was brought back during your tenure and you are responsible for the economy's suffering," he said.

He said that over the last four years, Pakistan incurred more than $20,000 billion worth of debt.

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An ocean first: Underwater drone tracks CO2 in Alaska gulf

In the cold, choppy waters of Alaska’s Resurrection Bay, all eyes were on the gray water, looking for one thing only. It wasn’t a spout from humpback whales that power through this scenic fjord, or a sea otter lazing on its back, munching a king crab.

Instead, everyone aboard the Nanuq, a University of Alaska Fairbanks research vessel, was looking where a 5-foot (1.52-meter) long, bright pink underwater sea glider surfaced.

The glider — believed to be the first configured with a large sensor to measure carbon dioxide levels in the ocean — had just completed its first overnight mission.

Designed to dive 3,281 feet (1,000 meters) and roam remote parts of the ocean, the autonomous vehicle was deployed in the Gulf of Alaska this spring to provide a deeper understanding of the ocean’s chemistry in the era of climate change. The research could be a major step forward in ocean greenhouse gas monitoring, because until now, measuring CO2 concentrations — a quantifier of ocean acidification — was mostly done from ships, buoys and moorings tethered to the ocean floor.

“Ocean acidification is a process by which humans are emitting carbon dioxide into the atmosphere through their activities of burning fossil fuels and changing land use,” said Andrew McDonnell, an oceanographer with the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at the University of Alaska Fairbanks

Oceans have done humans a huge favor by taking in some of the C02. Otherwise, there would be much more in the atmosphere, trapping the sun’s heat and warming the Earth.

“But the problem is now that the ocean is changing its chemistry because of this uptake,” said Claudine Hauri, an oceanographer with the International Arctic Research Center at the university.

The enormous amount of data collected is being used to study ocean acidification that can harm and kill certain marine life.

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Govt increases petrol price by Rs 30 per litre

The government on Thursday jacked up the price of petrol by Rs 30 per litre with immediate effect.Federal Finance Minister Miftah Ismail told a press conference that the IMF program could not move forward without raising the prices of petroleum products.

Following Rs 30 per liter increase in price of Petrol the new price will be Rs 179.86.

The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) was also increased by Rs 30 per liter and will now cost Rs 174.15 per liter.

He said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has taken this difficult decision in the larger interest of national economy. He said that it is a hard decision for the government to impose such kind of burden on general public.

He said the government is providing 56 rupees per liter subsidy on petroleum products as the previous government had fixed these prices which caused to increase inflation in the country.

Miftah Ismail said that IMF Program cannot be approved for Pakistan without increase in petroleum prices.

Earlier today, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) urged Pakistan to end subsidies on electricity and petroleum products to revive the program.

According to a statement issued by the IMF, the IMF mission, led by Nathan Porter, held virtual and direct talks with Pakistani officials on policies to ensure economic stability and sustainable growth in Pakistan from May 18 to May 25.

The statement stated that the mission held constructive talks with Pakistani officials to reach an agreement on policies and reforms to conclude the seventh review of the pending reform program, which is supported by the IMF Extended Fund Facility arrangements.

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Russia commits 'all its forces' to take Ukraine's Lugansk, Kyiv says

Russia on Thursday made an all-out effort to capture the rest of the industrial region of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, officials said, as President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Moscow of seeking to commit "genocide" across the eastern Donbas.

As the fighting intensified, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba aired Kyiv s increasing frustration with the West, accusing allies of dragging their feet on arms deliveries and telling his German counterpart that Ukraine needs heavy weapons "as soon as possible."

Russian forces are now closing in on several urban centres, including the strategically located Severodonetsk and Lysychansk. Lugansk is part of the Donbas, the industrial basin comprising that region and Donetsk.

"The situation remains difficult, because the Russian army has thrown all its forces at taking the Lugansk region," regional governor Sergiy Gaiday said in a video on Telegram.

"Extremely fierce fighting is taking place on the outskirts of Severodonetsk. They are simply destroying the city, they are shelling it every day, shelling without pause."

Russian forces also bombarded Ukraine s second city Kharkiv, killing nine people, and five civilians were killed Thursday in the Donetsk region to the south, according to the governor.

In his daily televised address, Zelensky said Moscow was pursuing an "obvious policy of genocide" in the Donbas -- after failing to take the capital Kyiv -- and its bombardments could leave the entire region "uninhabited".

Kyiv has been losing patience with what it views as the West s failure to quickly arm Ukraine and impose a ban on Russian oil exports on top of punishing economic sanctions already in place.

"We need more heavy weapons delivered as soon as possible, especially MLRS (multiple launch rocket systems) to repel Russian attacks," Kuleba wrote on Twitter after speaking with Germany s Annalena Baerbock.

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Qureshi expresses concern over bill to bar overseas Pakistanis from voting

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Thursday expressed concern over the passage of a bill in the National Assembly to abolish the former government election reforms giving expats the right to vote through I-Voting and the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country.

The National Assembly on Thursday approved a bill to bar overseas Pakistanis from voting and stop the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the country.

Qureshi strongly criticised the move and termed it a "regressive and condemnable act" of the government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

PTI vice-chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi tweeted: "PTI gave over nine million Overseas Pakistanis the right to vote. Today, this band of thieves and thugs removed this, disenfranchising a staggering number of Pakistanis and barring the use of electronic voting machines."

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Truck motorcycle collision in Shujabad, Two killed

At least two persons were killed and one more was wounded when the motorcycle they were riding on was hit by a truck in Shujabad on Thursday night.

According to details, the accident occurred at the National Highway in Shujabad where a recklessly driven truck hit a motorcycle, killing a man and his wife on the spot while their daughter was injured.

Rescue teams reached the spot after being informed and shifted the dead and injured to Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital, Shujabad.

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