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[ad_1] Petrol and diesel prices in Pakistan are poised to experience a reduction in the upcoming week, with reports indicating a noteworthy decline. The anticipated decrease amounts to Rs13 per litre for petrol and an even more substantial reduction of Rs15 per litre for diesel, slated for implementation on December 16, pending approval in the fortnightly review by the government. It is expected that the official announcement regarding the revision of petrol and diesel prices will be made before 12 am on December 15, with the new rates set to take effect from 12 am on Saturday, December 16. Insights into the global market reveal a decline of $5.49 per barrel in the price of petrol, bringing the current cost per barrel to $94.95. Similarly, diesel has seen a reduction of $5.13, with its price now standing at $100.05. As of the latest data, the existing petroleum prices in Pakistan are Rs281.34 per litre for petrol and Rs289.79 per litre for diesel for all cities including L

[ad_1] NEW YORK: Oil prices rose about 1% to a nine-month high on Friday on rising US diesel futures and worries about tight oil supplies after Saudi Arabia and Russia extended voluntary cuts this week. Brent futures rose 76 cents, or 0.9%, to $90.68 a barrel by 1608 GMT. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude rose 67 cents, or 0.8%, to $87.54. Both crude benchmarks remained technically overbought for a sixth day in a row, with Brent on track for its highest close since November 16 and WTI since November 11. For the week, both benchmarks were up about 3% after Brent gained about 5% last week and WTI gained about 7% last week. Also read Of rising oil prices and the devaluing rupee This week, Saudi Arabia and Russia extended their voluntary supply cuts of a combined 1.3 million barrels per day (bpd) to the end of the year. Saudi Arabia will probably find it difficult to end its cuts at the end of the year without triggering a price slide, Commerzbank analysts said in a not

[ad_1] Pakistan have won the toss and opted to field against India in the Super Fours stage of the Asia Cup 2023 in Colombo, Sri Lanka on Sunday. A hazy sun shone as captain Babar Azam and Indian skipper Rohit Sharma stood for the toss on the pitch as commentator Ravi Shastri looked on. After captain Babar Azam said he would bowl first, Indian skipper Rohit Sharma said they would have batted anyway. Earlier, the skies looked clear at the R. Premadasa International Cricket Stadium in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo where arch-rivals Pakistan and India are set to clash again in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023 on Sunday. According to a photograph posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on its X (formerly Twitter) account, the skies appeared to be clear. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) also put up a photo exclaiming: “The skies are clear as we all gear up for an exciting contest!” Pakistan side Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul H

[ad_1] Karachi Kings pacer, Mohammad Amir, has opened up about his on-field clash with Peshawar Zalmi captain, Babar Azam, on Wednesday. Babar played a match-winning 68-run knock from 46 balls against Kings. During the innings, he flicked Amir for a boundary, which frustrated the left-arm pacer and he threw the next ball towards Babar in desperation. “It was heat of the moment thing and it was nothing personal [against Babar]. Bowlers should show aggression on the field, to get the best out of them,” Amir said in pre-match interview on Thursday. “I was under pressure in the game, which is the beauty of this league. It helps you get better,” he added. Amir conceded 42 runs in his four-over spell and went wicketless. Left-arm pacer emphasised the need to stick to basics. “In T20, there is no guarantee for success, so you have to execute your plans. If you keep making mistakes, you can’t win the game,” he said. “I thought we did well as a team, but little things can make a hu

[ad_1] Babar Azam faced a challenging year in Test cricket, encountering a notable downturn in his batting performance, especially in the red-ball format. Throughout the entirety of 2023, he found himself unable to secure a Test half-century in nine innings, marking the first instance since his debut that he failed to achieve this milestone in a calendar year. His struggles persisted in the second Test against Australia at the renowned Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). In a match where Pakistan had a daunting 317-run target set by Australia, Babar managed to score 41 runs before falling victim to Josh Hazlewood's delivery, succumbing to a clean bowled dismissal. This continued a trend seen in the first innings, where Babar Azam was similarly dismissed by Pat Cummins after scoring only one run. The right-handed batsman misjudged the ball, resulting in his stumps being disturbed as he was bowled out, reflecting the challenges he faced with the bat in the match and the year a

[ad_1] Pakistan secured a comprehensive 238-run win over Nepal in Asia Cup opener on Wednesday in Multan. Iftikhar smashed an unbeaten 109 off just 71 balls, which included 11 boundaries and four sixes. He was involved in a 214-run partnership with Babar Azam – the highest fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan in ODIs as the duo’s efforts propelled Pakistan to 342-6. Iftikhar is fondly referred to as "chacha" (uncle) by his fans. Following the game, during the press conference, a journalist playfully addressed Babar as Iftikhar's "bhatija" (nephew), and inquired about Babar's support during their partnership. In response, Iftikhar highlighted the strong camaraderie between them, stating, "Bhatija also gave confidence to chacha and chacha also gave confidence to bhatija. Babar is a world-class player. The way he handles strike rotation alleviates pressure. Consequently, we relished our time batting together."   Aik hi dill hai kitni bar jee

[ad_1] Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has questioned Pakistan's intent after a devastating loss to India in the Super Four stage of the 2023 Asia Cup. Following Pakistan's defeat to India, Afridi took to the social media platform 'X' (formerly known as Twitter) to express his thoughts about Pakistan's intent in the game while also encouraging the players that they could deliver better performances in their upcoming matches. He also commended India for their outstanding performance in all aspects of the match against Pakistan. "Winning/losing is part of competing, but not putting up a fight, not showing intent to win is just poor. Exactly what I was referring to in my previous tweet. India played as #1 on the field, batting & bowling. Congrats @imVkohli on achieving another dream milestone of ODI runs and well-crafted 💯 by you and KL Rahul. Chin up boys, you can do better than this, next match #PakvsInd,"Afridi said on 'X.'

[ad_1] The Health Department in Pakistan's Sindh province has confirmed this year’s first case of the life-threatening Congo virus in Karachi, media reports said on Sunday. According to health officials, Muhammad Adil, a 28-year-old resident of Nazimabad, visited the Ziauddin Hospital as an outpatient on Thursday this week. Qasim Siraj Soomro, the parliamentary secretary on health said that the health facility took samples from the patient and sent them to the Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH), where the laboratory results confirmed that he had contracted the Congo virus, Express Tribune reported. Soomro said the Health Department received the results on Sunday evening and immediately sent a team to Adil`s residence to bring him to the Infectious Disease Hospital. This is the first case of Congo virus in the country this year, and medical experts have warned that the virus is very dangerous as it can cause bleeding at very early stages, Express Tribune reported. While t

[ad_1] The HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) has placed itself as one of the most sought-after events and one of the factors that make the league so exciting for the viewers are the rivalries between the six franchises. It is not only the fans who look forward to them, but the players and coaches also enjoy being in the middle of those high intensity contests. Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan told PCB Digital: “We plan ahead of the season on how we have to approach the upcoming tournament and we have done that already. “On a personal note, I enjoy playing against Karachi. It is one of the matches that I don’t want to lose as a captain or a player. It is not like I say this in the team huddle or something. It is just my personal desire to not to lose to them, especially when we play in Karachi.” Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim: “This rivalry [Lahore v Karachi] is good [for the HBL PSL]. It is the biggest game and now Karachi-Peshawar and Lahore-Quetta are new rivalries. “B

[ad_1] Pakistan men's chief selector, Wahab Riaz, has announced a 17-member squad for the five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting from January 12 in Auckland. While speaking in press conference in Lahore, Wahab gave an update on the fitness status of Pakistan pacers. “Mohammad Hasnain and Naseem Shah has recovered. Naseem is undergoing rehab at the NCA. We don't want to put too much load on him. Hopefully by the PSL, he will be fit to turn out for Islamabad United. Mohammad Hasnain has also just regained fitness, and we've called him to the academy to assess him,” Wahab said.  However, Wahab Riaz expressed less optimistic news regarding Ihsanullah's recovery, stating that additional time is needed before he can regain full fitness. There is uncertainty about his availability for the upcoming PSL matches. “Unfortunately, Ihsanullah will take some more time to regain fitness - we're not sure if he'll be able to play this PSL,” he added. A

[ad_1] Leaving behind Pakistan's Babar Azam and Bangladesh's Najmul Hossain Shanto, Ireland's batter Harry Tector bagged the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month Award for May 2023. Tector proved his mettle in a recently concluded One-Day International (ODI) series against Bangladesh, scoring his career-best 140 off merely 113 balls to help Ireland post a big total in the first ODI of three-match series. The middle-order batter came to the pitch at number four when his team was struggling at 16-2 in the 7th over. However, by the time of his dismissal at the end of the 42nd over, he had turned the contest around, scoring 45 from 48 balls in the third ODI against Bangladesh. Tector has become the first-ever Irish player to bag the ICC Player of the Month Award. "I'm delighted with the Award and would like to thank those who voted for me; however, cricket is a team sport first and foremost, so the Award is more a reflection on the perfo

[ad_1] Dominant Pakistan put on an all-round show to storm past New Zealand in the third PAK vs NZ ODI to win the five-match series 3-0 with two games to spare. The third PAK vs NZ ODI of the five-match series was played at the National Bank Cricket Arena on Wednesday. New Zealand captain Tom Latham opted to bowl first after the coin flipped in his favour. Pakistan, in response, put up a decent total on the scoreboard at the back of brilliant half-centuries by Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam. Imam-ul-Haq smashed seven boundaries and a six on his way to top score for Pakistan with a 107-ball 90. Babar Azam, on the other hand, was also impressive with the bat as he notched up 54 runs in 62 balls, laced up with three boundaries and a six. The target set by the green shirts turned out to be too much for New Zealand as they succumbed to their third straight defeat in the ongoing five-match series despite a brilliant start by their openers – Will Young and Tom Blundell. Blundell rem

[ad_1] Less than six months after knee surgery threatened to rule him out of next month's ODI World Cup, the goal of captaining New Zealand in India has been the key driver in getting Kane Williamson through his recovery. The 33-year-old tore the cruciate ligament in his right knee playing for Indian Premier League side Gujarat Titans in April, which looked to have scuppered his chances of making the showpiece tournament. However, intense rehab work has meant a speedy recovery. New Zealand is set to play their first warm-up match against Pakistan on Friday. "It's [about] working through those warm-up games to get as much out of it as I can - personally and as a team - without sort of bothering too much," Williamson said on Wednesday before Kiwis departure for India.  "There is a strong desire to basically be involved in those as much as I can; we've got two of them before our first competition game. And basically, it's just wanting to progres

[ad_1] The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday asked Pakistan to share the plan in writing to provide relief in electricity bills as the protests continue countrywide. According to media report, the development comes after the caretaker government decided to seek the lender's nod before announcing any relief to the consumers. A meeting of the federal cabinet was held on Tuesday with interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar in the chair to mull options but ended without announcing any measures. The Power Division shared its proposals with the authorities but due to strict IMF loan conditions, it was concluded that the lender should be taken on board first. Islamabad had signed a $3 billion loan agreement with the Fund in July and agreed to stringent financial discipline during the programme. Under the bailout package, the previous government of the Pakistan Democratic Movement okayed a massive increase in electricity rates which are now being reflected in th

[ad_1] Pakistan announced 12 players for the second Test Against Australia, which will take place in Melbourne from December 26. Pakistan, who are 1-0 down in the three-Test series, will announce their final XI tomorrow. Sarfaraz Ahmed, who could only score seven runs in the first Test, has been replaced by Mohammad Rizwan. Prior to the Melbourne Test, Sarfaraz played innings of 35 and 10 runs in a two-day match. In contrast, wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan demonstrated his batting skills by scoring an impressive 50 runs in the first innings of the two-day match. All-rounder Faheem Ashraf has also been dropped, meanwhile pacers Mir Hamza and Hasan Ali have been included in the squad. Pakistan squad for second Test Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (c), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Afridi (vc), Hasan Ali, Mir Hamza, Aamir Jamal, Sajid Khan Remember, Pakistan were facing a selection dilemma in the bowling department. Spinne

[ad_1] Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was in awe of Australia's Glenn Maxwell, who smashed the fastest-ever World Cup century against the Netherlands at New Delhi's Arun Jaitley Stadium. Boom Boom is expecting middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed to play the same way Maxwell did as he has those skills similar to Australian all-rounder. "What an innings by Glenn Maxwell today, its a showcase of top class power hitting, well deserved win for Australia," Afridi posted on X. "I expect Iftikhar Ahmad to play a similar role for our team, he definitely has the capability to do so and the pitches are curated for power hitting, we all need you to fire up now," he added. Remember, Glenn Maxwell showed no mercy to the Netherlands bowlers and hit them to all parts of the ground. He completed his ton in just 40 balls. The 35-year-old came to bat when the Aussies were 266-4 in 38 overs after they had just lost the wicket of Josh Inglis. Maxwell came in

[ad_1] The US State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said that Pakistan has a right to defend itself from terrorism. The spokesperson while briefing the newsmen in Washington on Tuesday, said that we’re aware of the recent statement by the Pakistani National Security Committee. The Pakistani people have suffered tremendously from terrorist attacks, he said. Price said the US is closely monitoring the situation in Afghanistan and called on the Taliban to uphold the very commitment they have made to see to it that Afghan soil is never again used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks. The US State Department further said seems that the Taliban have been unable or unwilling to fulfill the commitments they made. Price said that the US calls on the Taliban to uphold the very commitment they have made to see to it that Afghan soil is never again used as a launchpad for international terrorist attacks. "These are among the very commitments that the Taliban h

[ad_1] Shaheen Afridi's struggle to regain his form continued during the highly anticipated World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.  Despite being a significant threat to the Indian top order in the past, the tall left-arm seamer couldn't make an impact as India secured a resounding seven-wicket victory, chasing a modest target of 192. Anticipation was high for the clash between Shaheen and the Indian top order, particularly Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, and Virat Kohli. Known for his late movement and ability to trouble right-handed batsmen, Shaheen was expected to challenge the Indian batting lineup. However, his form had been a concern leading up to the crucial India game, having only taken two wickets for 103 runs in the opening matches against Netherlands and Sri Lanka. In the match against India, Indian skipper immediately took on Shaheen, hitting a boundary off the very first ball. Although Shaheen managed to di

[ad_1] ISLAMABAD: As a tanker operators’ strike disrupts petroleum supply, the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) has called on the government to swiftly intervene and address the issue. In a letter to the Petroleum Division’s director general oil, the OCAC – a grouping of refineries and oil marketing companies (OMCs), said “on behalf of member companies, it would like to bring to your attention the ongoing strike by oil transporters, which has resulted in significant disruption to operations and the distribution of petroleum products across the country”. At a meeting on Monday, OCAC said, representatives of OMCs provided critical updates on the challenges and issues they were facing at key terminals and depots. Owing to the strike by oil tankers, the supply of oil had been affected at three key depots, it said. Read Missed opportunities of delayed oil refining policy These included the Port Qasim, Korangi and Keamari Terminal, where cargo loading on tank lorries had be

[ad_1] KARACHI: Pakistan has won back confidence of global investors as the country risk premium fell significantly from the peak of over 14% in June while its dollar-denominated Eurobond prices rose notably. Topline Securities CEO Mohammed Sohail said on social media platform X “Pakistan’s country risk premium has fallen significantly from its peak of 14.13% on June 27, 2023 to the current level of 3.35%. This shows building investor confidence in Pakistan post-IMF standby arrangement (SBA).” The reduction in risk premium signals the revival of global investors’ trust in Pakistan’s equity and debt instruments from the earlier negative stance. On the other hand, prices of Pakistan’s Eurobonds worth $1 billion maturing in April 2024 surged to 94.08 cents from near 50 cents in June. Prices of other Eurobonds and Sukuk also maintained their uptrend since the IMF awarded a $3 billion loan programme at the end of June 2023. Talking to The Express Tribune, Pak-Kuwait Investment