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  • Self-love: woman to marry herself, plans to go on a two week honeymoon

    Self-love: woman to marry herself, plans to go on a two week honeymoon

    A woman in India is all set to marry herself on June 11. Kshama Bindua a 24-year-old woman will take the ‘saat phere’ with herself on June 11.

    “I never wanted to get married. But I did want to become a bride. So I decided to marry myself”, said the girl while talking to Indian media. “Maybe I am the first to set an example of self-love in our country,” she added.

    “Self-marriage is a commitment to be there for yourself and unconditional love for oneself. It’s also an act of self-acceptance. People marry someone they love. I love myself and hence, this wedding,” she said, while explaining the reason behind the decision of marrying herself.

    She’s even planning a two-week vacation for herself, complete with wedding customs.

  • Honda 125S will now be sold for nearly Rs200,000

    Honda 125S will now be sold for nearly Rs200,000

    Several factors, including burgeoning raw material costs, continuous depreciation of the local currency, and greater freight rates, have forced the Pakistani two-wheeler industry to announce regular price hikes in 2022, putting motorcycles in a price range that is difficult to afford for a remarkable portion of the populace.

    Atlas Honda recently announced a price increase for their motorcycles in the range of Rs3,600-9,000, with the new rates taking effect from June 1, 2022.

    United, Metro, and Road Prince, among other Chinese motorbike manufacturers, have also hiked their two-wheeler prices.

    New prices

    The price of the Honda CD 70 has increased by Rs3,600, to Rs106,500. Similarly, following a Rs4,000 increase, the CD70 Dream model is now available for Rs113,500.

    Following a Rs5,000 price hike, the Pridor variant will now be available for Rs144,900.

    The CG125 and CG125S have had their prices increased by Rs5,000 to Rs168,500 and Rs198,500, respectively.

    The price of the Honda CB125F has been hiked by Rs9,000 from Rs244,900 to Rs253,900.

    The price of the CB150F has been increased to Rs308,900, while the CB150F (red, black) will be available at Rs312,900 starting June 1.

    Since March 2022, Atlas Honda has increased the price of its motorcycles every month.

    The two-wheel market isn’t the only one seeing price increases; car costs have grown by up to 55 percent in the current fiscal year.

    As per industry experts, the increase in motorbike and automobile prices is primarily due to an increase in foreign raw material prices and an increase in freight costs following Covid-19.

    The automobile industry, particularly due to auto-grade steel and plastic resins, is significantly reliant on imports.

    Furthermore, the sector has a low level of localisation, with the majority of parts being imported. As a result, the rupee’s depreciation has an impact on automobile and motorcycle prices.

  • ‘Acha khasa mard zanana lagta hai’: Twitter slams PTI’s Suri for comment on Hamza

    ‘Acha khasa mard zanana lagta hai’: Twitter slams PTI’s Suri for comment on Hamza

    Former Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri passed a misogynist comment about Chief Minister (CM) Punjab Hamza Shehbaz.

    Suri quote-tweeted a picture of Hamza and wrote in the caption, “Fashion ka yeh daur suhana lagta hai [This era of fashion seems wonderful]. Acha khasa mard zanana lagta hai [A man looks like a woman]. Pal bhar main kesay badaltay hain naqshay [How do personalities change within minutes]. Humko tu yeh larka shabana lagta hai [to us this boy looks like Shabana].”

    Twitterati slammed Suri for his comment.

    https://twitter.com/hassaanibl/status/1532026513595543558?s=20&t=lFtlxQk-RcM-3DKNBgcqHQ

    https://twitter.com/samuraijacckk/status/1532106085179564032?s=20&t=lFtlxQk-RcM-3DKNBgcqHQ

  • Sheryl Sandberg to step down from Facebook after 14 years

    Sheryl Sandberg to step down from Facebook after 14 years

    Facebook-parent Meta confirmed that Sheryl Sandberg is stepping down as its chief operating officer (COO) of the social media platform.

    However, Sandberg did not specify the reason for her departure from the company, which will happen in the fall, in a Facebook post. Sandberg revealed that she intends to concentrate on her charity efforts in the future.

    “The debate around social media has changed beyond recognition since those early days. To say it hasn’t always been easy is an understatement,” Sandberg wrote. “But it should be hard. The products we make have a huge impact, so we have the responsibility to build them in a way that protects privacy and keeps people safe”.

    Mark Zuckerberg clarified that Sandberg will remain on the board of directors of Meta, according to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a separate Facebook post. The company’s Chief Growth Officer, Javier Olivan, will take over as COO, although his work will be “distinct from what Sheryl has done” and “a more traditional COO function”.

    In a recent post, Zuckerberg said: “It’s unusual for a business partnership like ours to last so long. I think ours did because Sheryl is such an amazing person, leader, partner, and friend”.

    Sandberg established herself as a high-profile figure in the IT industry prior to joining Facebook, having previously served as Google’s vice president of global online sales and operations. Prior to joining Google, she worked for President Bill Clinton at the World Bank and the Treasury Department.

    She was often regarded as the adult supervisor for a firm led by a very young entrepreneur during her early years at Facebook.

    Sandberg closely worked with Zuckerberg to increase Facebook’s income from around $150 million in 2007 to over $3.7 billion in 2011, the year before the company went public.  She also rose to fame as one of the most powerful women in technology. Her notoriety was enhanced by her role in founding the Lean In movement, which outlined a strategy for women to succeed and achieve their objectives.

  • Transnational celebrities cheer Johnny Depp post legal victory against Amber Heard

    Transnational celebrities cheer Johnny Depp post legal victory against Amber Heard

    Actor Johnny Depp has won his multimillion-dollar US lawsuit against former wife Amber Heard after a jury ruled her 2018 article in the Washington Post was defamatory.

    Depp sued the Aquaman star for $50 million over the piece, titled: “I spoke up against sexual violence and faced our culture’s wrath. That has to change.”

    The jury also found in favor of Heard, who said she was defamed by Depp’s lawyer when he called her abuse allegations a hoax. Jury members found Depp should be awarded $15 million in damages, while Heard should receive $2 million.

    Transnational celebrities from South Asia have reacted to the verdict!

    Bollywood diva Disha Patani extended her support by sharing a photo of Johnny’s character Jack sparrow from the franchise Pirates of the Caribbean and said, “No body can ever replace you.” 

    India Tv - Disha Patani's post for Johnny Depp

    Ali Zafar retweeted a fan’s video collage of him and Depp and wrote, “Even a true empath could only understand a small percentage of what Johnny Depp must’ve gone through.” According to Zafar, no verdict or amount of money can “bring him (Depp) back 6 prime years of his life, the art he could’ve produced and smiles he could’ve brought.”

    Sana Javed shared a photo of the Pirates of the Caribbean actor Depp and announced that he has “won” the case.

    Mansha Pasha took to Twitter and wrote, “Abuse has no gender. June off to a good start.

    Actresses Aiman Khan and Mariyam Nafees also shared pictorial posts.

    Armeena Khan shared her thoughts on the win. She wrote in a tweet that she’s “happy for victims of DV (Domestic Violence) everywhere”. In additional tweet, she also mentioned what she disliked the most about the case and that was the “vile, misogynistic abuse (online)” directed towards Heard. “I read some truly despicable things” she wrote.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1532082573165330432?cxt=HHwWgICwwfS-hsMqAAAA

    Film producer Jemima Goldsmith took to Twitter and suggested that Depp “waive off Amber Heard’s damages” saying that it was never about the money and urge “trolls to stand down and wish her well.”

  • PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi resigns after court stops him from working

    PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi resigns after court stops him from working

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Hanif Abbasi resigned from his post as Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) after Islamabad High Court (IHC) had stopped him “temporarily” from performing his duties.

    In a letter, the former federal minister addressed PM Shehbaz Sharif and said that he would be “unable to perform at present” and requested the premier to accept his resignation while thanking him for the opportunity.

    Read more- PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi has fled country, media reports claim

    IHC stopped Abbasi from working as SAPM

    Last month, IHC Chief Justice (CJ) Athar Minallah stopped Abbasi from working, saying that “a person convicted in any case is ineligible to hold any public office in the country.”

    He issued the directives while hearing a petition filed by former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed, who challenged Abbasi’s appointment as SAPM on grounds of his 2018 conviction in an ephedrine case.

    During the hearing, Hanif Abbasi’s counsel Muhammad Ahsan Bhoon argued that the post of SAPM is not similar to other public offices.

    Justice Minallah said he hoped Abbasi would not use public office till the next hearing.

    “The SAPM’s job is to advise the prime minister, he can do that without a notification as well,” he observed.

  • Khan says Pakistan ke teen hissay hongay, Shehbaz warns him not to cross limits

    Khan says Pakistan ke teen hissay hongay, Shehbaz warns him not to cross limits

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif warned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Thursday, saying that his recent remarks on Pakistan make him “unfit for public office”.

    Khan in an interview with Sami Ibrahim for Bol News programme ‘Tajzia’ said that if Pakistan goes bankrupt, then the country will have to face denuclearisation, predicting that the country would then be divided into three parts.

    Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits & talk about division of Pakistan

    PM Shehbaz tweeted: “While I am in Turkey inking agreements, Imran Niazi is making naked threats against the country. If at all any proof was needed that Niazi is unfit for public office, his latest interview suffices.”

    “Do your politics but don’t dare to cross limits and talk about [the] division of Pakistan,” he warned the PTI chairperson.

    Pakistan will have to face de-nuclearisation, the country would then be divided into three parts

    Imran Khan in an interview aired on Wednesday said that the establishment needs to make the right decisions and if they don’t, “the army will be destroyed”.

    Khan questioned what would happen if the country went bankrupt, saying the army will be the worst hit. And if Pakistan goes bankrupt, then according to Khan, Pakistan will have to face de-nuclearisation, predicting that the country would then be divided into three parts.

    Khan said that the current political situation was an equal problem for the establishment and the country.

    He said, “If the establishment doesn’t make the right decisions then I can assure you in writing that the army and they will be destroyed. Pakistan is going towards default. If right decisions aren’t made, then the country will be on a suicidal path.”

    Imran also added that as prime minister, he didn’t have absolute power. “Everyone knows where the real power lies.”

  • After Airlift, Swvl to let go 32 per cent workforce, limit operations

    After Airlift, Swvl to let go 32 per cent workforce, limit operations

    The provider of tech-enabled mass transit solutions, Swvl announced that it is implementing a portfolio optimization plan to boost sales performance while lowering its expenses as a way to accelerate its path to increase profitability and gain a tremendous reputation by the next year.

    The company’s big move comes just days after Airlift announced that it was reducing headcount by 31 per cent across all countries and limiting categories on the platform. Also, the company has withdrawn from several markets, including Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Sialkot, Peshawar, Hyderabad, Johannesburg, Cape Town, and Pretoria.

    Swvl aims to cut its workforce by 32 per cent, according to the company’s official press release. Roles that have been automated as a result of investments in the Company’s engineering, product, and support operations will be targeted for reductions. Swvl intends to provide monetary, non-monetary, and job placement assistance to assist specific employees in transitioning to new responsibilities.

    Swvl’s Transport as a Service (TaaS) and Software as a Service (SaaS) businesses are both rapidly growing. Swvl’s TaaS business provides technology-enabled transportation for corporates, schools, universities, industrial facilities, airlines, and other institutional clients via its asset-light marketplace. They presently have over 500 active accounts on four continents, with a monthly salary of over $5 million.

    According to the company’s LinkedIn site, it employs over 1,330 people. Around 400 employees will lose their employment as a result of the mobility company laying off nearly 30 per cent of its workforce.

    Tech startups, both private and public, have had to face a reckoning in recent months, with their stock prices plummeting. An economic slump has impacted company finances, forcing them to make cost-cutting decisions, the most important of which is laying off staff.

    The Dubai-based startup’s restructuring joins a lengthy list of global cross-stage cutbacks in what has been a difficult month for tech workers. According to statistics, over 15,000 tech workers have lost their jobs in the United States alone. Multiple Companies including Klarna, Getir, Gorillas, and Bolt (the payments startup) have fired employees, while Snap, Twitter, and Instacart have halted or stopped hiring entirely.

  • FIA Cyber Crime Wing arrests two Pakistanis involved in ‘secretly filming women in Turkey’

    FIA Cyber Crime Wing arrests two Pakistanis involved in ‘secretly filming women in Turkey’

    The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two Pakistanis involved in criminal activities in Turkey.

    The two accused — Muhammad Junaid and Ameer Khan — were arrested during two separate operations. They are allegedly involved in ‘transportation of illegal immigrants’ and secretly filming and sharing videos of Turkish women on social media.

    “Their criminal act created an uproar and anger in the Turkish society and severely damaged goodwill which Turkish people have for their Pakistani brethren,” the FIA statement added.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also taken notice and ordered strict action against the accused. The statement further added that a crackdown has been launched against all agents involved in trafficking.

    “Pakistani Perverts” and “Pakistani Get Out” hashtags trended on Turkish social media in April after videos of Turkish women made by Pakistanis were shared on social media.

    Read more- Fact check: Has Turkey tightened visa policy for Pakistanis?

  • ‘Speaks Nonsense, ignores husband, tries to become Benazir’: Nausheen  slams Maryam Nawaz

    ‘Speaks Nonsense, ignores husband, tries to become Benazir’: Nausheen slams Maryam Nawaz

    Actor Nausheen Shah took to her instagram stories to take jibes at the Vice President of Muslim League Nawaz, Maryam Nawaz.

    The Deewar-e-shab star wrote, “Being Maryam Nawaz is so fun. Just wake up and ignore your husband. Go out in protocol of your father’s slave, speak nonsense, and try to become Benazir by shouting to the limits of the throat. Sleep.”

    Recently Nausheen adviced politician Firdous Aashiq Awan, on Tabish Hashmi’s chat show, “She must do less makeup and focus on politics”. 

    PML-N leader Hina Parvez Butt grilled Nausheen for her remarks. Butt sarcastically hit out at her by saying that being Nausheen is a joke as she wakes up, rants and strokes controversy.

    Earlier when a clash started off between Nauman Niaz and veteran cricketer Shoaib Akhtar on national television, the Pehli Si Mohabat diva, Nausheen Shah extended her to support to the ‘national hero of Pakistan’.

    She took to her Instagram stories and stated:

    In an exclusive conversation with The Current, the Deewar-e-Shab star mentioned that Nauman is just a journalist not the owner of the channel and hence he should behave and conduct himself accordingly.

    On the work front, Nausheen was last seen in Bebasi co-starring Alizeh Shah and Ali Rehman Khan.

    Uske bohat baray dant hain': Nausheen Shah opens up on comparisons with  Kareena Kapoor - The Current