Lahore: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and opposition leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday has termed the economic condition of Pakistan as alarming.

In a statement, Shehbaz Sharif said that the current conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), there are serious fears that Pakistan's defense capability and future system of government will be paralyzed.

The PML-N leader said that another mini-budget is being presented on the demands of the IMF

The opposition leader further stated that next year, more loans will be taken to pay salaries, pensions and even to run the country.

The destruction of economy is due to the wrong policies of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, he added. 

Islamabad: The federal government Tuesday announced to maintain the prices of petroleum products.

Following the prime minister's decision, the petrol price will remain unchanged at Rs145.82 per litre, and the price of diesel will remain Rs142.62 per litre as before.

The prices of kerosene oil and light diesel will stay at Rs116.53 and Rs114.07 per litre, respectively.

According to the notification, the new prices will be effective from December 1.

On November 5, the government had jacked up the price of petrol in Pakistan by Rs8.03 per litre despite November 1's decision of the prime minister to not increase the prices.

Thirteen players at Portuguese club Belenenses have tested positive for the newly discovered COVID variant ‘Omicron’, upon return from national team duty in South Africa.

As many as 44 players and staff at Belenenses are now quarantining while Benfica has not taken the same steps due to what it calls low-risk for getting the virus from their opponents.

It has now been confirmed all 13 players have the Omicron variant, first detected in South Africa last week.

The players, reportedly, wanted to cancel the game, but officials pressed forward with the contest. 

Meanwhile, Portugal’s health authorities are also sequencing the viruses from two passengers who tested positive for COVID after flying in from Maputo, Mozambique. 

Portugal’s health institute INSA, said in a statement that “there is still no scientific data to support [the Omicron variant’s] greater transmissibility or its ability to reduce the effectiveness of current vaccines.”

The World Health Organization (WHO), has declared the new strain a ‘variant of concern’.