Muhammad Ali

 Shell Petroleum intends to sell its shareholding in Pakistan unit   Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) on Wednesday announced that its parent company, Shell Petroleum Company Limited, has notified its intent to sell its shareholding in the Pakistan unit. Shell Pakistan, in a notice sent to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), said: “We hereby inform you that the Board of Directors of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL), in a meeting of its Board, held on June 14, 2023, have been notified by The Shell Petroleum Company Limited (SPCo) of its intent to sell its shareholding in SPL." The oil and gas company clarified that any sale will be subject to a targeted sales process, the execution of binding documentation and the receipt of applicable regulatory approvals. SPL, however, said that the development would have no impact on its current business operations, which will continue. “SPL remains committed to continuing to deliver safe and reliable operations for our customers and partner...

As a flower blooms on International Space Station, Nasa sees 'food for astronauts'   As the deep space missions will be very long, with the scientists intending to set foot on Mars, experts and astronauts are trying to include a variety of food and endeavouring to cultivate plants in space. It is crucial for them to comprehend how space agriculture works. It was a step taken by the US space agency Nasa toward cultivating flower crops in space back in 2015 when its astronaut Kjell Lindgren activated the Veggie system and its rooting "pillows" containing zinnia seeds. Nasa released an image of a zinnia plant Tuesday on its official Instagram handle that grew on the International Space Station (ISS). While posting the picture of the flower, the US space agency wrote: "This zinnia was grown in orbit as part of the veggie facility aboard the International Space Station. Scientists have been studying plants in space since the 1970s, but this particular exp...

ISLAMABAD, June 12 (Reuters) - Pakistan paid for its first government-to-government import of discounted Russian crude oil in Chinese currency, the South Asian country's petroleum minister said on Monday, a significant shift in its U.S. dollar-dominated export payments policy . Discounted crude offers a respite as Pakistan faces an economic crisis with an acute balance of payments problem, risking a default on its external debt. The foreign exchange reserves held by the central bank are scarcely enough to cover a month of controlled imports. The first cargo of discounted Russian crude oil arranged under a deal struck between Islamabad and Moscow earlier this year arrived in Karachi on Sunday. It is currently being offloaded at the port in the southern city of Karachi. Petroleum Minister Musadik Malik, speaking to Reuters by telephone, did not disclose the commercial details of the deal, including pricing or the discount that Pakistan received, but said, the "payment (was...

ISLAMABAD: With around 160,000 Pakistanis proceeding to Saudi Arabia for Haj, the telecom companies are vying to capitalise on the potential clientele by offering competitive International Roaming (IR) packages.        The largest network company, Jazz, is offering 5GB internet data for Rs2,000 while Telenor has launched its ‘Hajj Saudia Bundle’ for prepaid users only at Rs799. It included 1GB of internet, 30 minute voice call for both incoming and outgoing and 30 SMS. The package will be valid for 30 days. Zong 4G was offering international roaming at Rs1,200, with 1GB data, while 3GB data was available at Rs3,300 and the 5GB for Rs5,400 plus tax. The network has even claimed that the IR services will include WhatsApp audio and video calls, which are not available through local operators in Saudi Arabia. According to Ufone, its IR package will provide unlimited access to WhatsApp calls for unrestricted communication with friends and family back home....

     Karachi’s Seaview Road was blocked for traffic on Monday to prevent people from heading out into the open sea as the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said Bipar­joy, now classified as an “extr­emely severe cyclonic storm”, was around 600km away from the coastal city.     “Abdul Sattar Edhi Avenue has been closed at Sehr junction while traffic from Dolmen Mall, Clifton is being diverted to Khayaban-i-Ittehad via Saba Avenue,” South Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Syed Asad Raza Key developments PMD says heavy rain, thunderstorm and squally winds likely in Thatta, Sujawal, Badin, Tharparker and Umerkot districts from June 13-17 Sindh CM conducts aerial inspection of coastline, says cloudburst expected in Karachi and preparations for evacuations from areas at risk under way Police official says 15 checkpoints have been established at Seaview Hyderabad commissioner says sea level will rise by four to five metres when storm hits “However,...

  KARACHI: While presenting Sindh’s education budget for the fiscal year 2023-24 on Saturday, Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah said education was an essential investment, also acknowledged worldwide as the most powerful agent of change.     With an aim at improving access to ‘equitable, inclusive and quality education for all’, the Government of Sindh has earmarked an amount of Rs312.245 billion for the education sector in the budget estimates 2023-24, presenting a seven per cent increase over last year’s budget estimates of Rs292.47bn. The budget allocation for FY 2023-24 will be utilised on recruitment of school teachers and their upgradation, the upgradation of schools, capacity building of colleges, the strengthening of Sindh HEC, grant to schools, the Sindh Education Foundation and other projects, distribution of free textbooks, etc. The chief minister said the recruitment of 58,000 qualified primary and middle school teachers (PSTs & JSTs) on...

  WhatsApp allows users to edit messages  San Francisco: WhatsApp has granted users one of its most awaited features — the ability to edit messages. “For the moments when you make a mistake or simply change your mind, you can now edit your sent messages on WhatsApp,” With the feature rolling out globally in the coming weeks, senders will be able to modify their messages within 15 minutes of hitting send. The function can be accessed by long-pressing the message and choosing “edit” in the drop-down menu. The modified message will carry the label “edited”, without showing edit history.