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  • ‘Forbes 30 under 30 Europe’: Chef Zahra Khan makes Pakistan proud

    Chef Zahra Khan, who hails from Pakistan, has made it to Forbes 30 Under 30 Europe in the Retail and E-commerce category, making Pakistan proud.

    Read more – This girl just made Pakistan proud but here’s why you might’ve missed it

    Sharing the news on social media, Zahra said: “Truly blessed to have been recognised amongst the top emerging and game-changing entrepreneurs.”

    “Deeply humbled and so thankful to my family, my girls- who are my biggest inspiration, my friends and lastly my teams at Feya and Dyce without whom none of this would have been possible,” she added.

    Writing about Zahra, Forbes said: “Immigrant Zahra Khan defied Pakistani cultural stereotypes and launched a career in the UK focused on empowering women.”

    “The chef and mother of two runs Feya cafes and shops. She employs 30 full-time staff, hires female illustrators to design packaging, and donates 10% of retail profits toward professional coaching for women.”

    Zahra opened her debut eatery Feya Café on Bond Street just months after the birth of her first daughter in 2018. Following the unprecedented success, the award-winning DIY dessert parlour and interior masterpiece DYCE was opened in quick succession, followed by flagship Feya Knightsbridge in December 2019. Zahra now employs a 75% female workforce across her three restaurants.

    Meanwhile, the Forbes ’30 Under 30 Europe’ class of 2021 includes 300 honourees across each of the 10 categories, all under 30.

    “Against the backdrop of turbulent social and economic conditions across the region, the sixth annual Under 30 Europe list celebrates the young visionary leaders and entrepreneurs who have made their mark on business and society in the past year,” says a statement by the publication.

  • PCB rejects Umar Akmal’s appeal of paying fine in installments

    PCB rejects Umar Akmal’s appeal of paying fine in installments

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has rejected cricketer Umar Akmal’s appeal of paying his fine in installments, ARY News has reported.

    The 30-year-old cricketer is bound to pay a fine of PKR4.25million, imposed on him by the Court of Arbitration for Sports (CAS) on February 26. Umar told PCB that due to financial difficulties he can not pay the lump sum amount.

    The board, after reviewing his appeal and the evidence provided by him, rejected the application. The right-handed batsman will only be able to participate in the rehabilitation program under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code after he pays off the lump sum fine of PKR4.25million.

    Earlier, CAS reduced Umar’s 18-month ban to 12 months. Akmal was suspended from all forms of the game after PCB found him involved in suspicious activities before PSL 5.

    In an investigation, PCB found him guilty and imposed a three-year ban on him. After the cricketer appealed against PCB’s decision, ex-Supreme Court judge Justice (retd) Faqir Muhammad Khokhar, in his capacity as an independent adjudicator, heard his appeal and reduced Akmal’s ban to 1.5 years from 3 years.

    Akmal was unable to pay the fine imposed on him and appealed in CAS further. In reply, PCB also consulted with CAS for an increase in Akmal’s ban.

  • IN PICTURES: Sunita Marshall celebrates 40th birthday

    Sunita Marshall recently rang in her 40th year with with close friends and family.

    Sharing pictures from her birthday, Sunita joked: “Yes, I’ve turned 40. Koi shak?”

    She also thanked everyone for their birthday wishes.

    The model-turned-actor looked radiant in an off-white dress by Zuria Dor.

    Check out pictures from her celebrations below:

    Sunita Marshal is big a name in the Pakistani modelling industry. In addition to that, she has appeared in many famous drama serials including Qaid-e-Tanhai, Mera Saaein and Kitni Girhain Baaki Hain.

  • ‘PSW Act will contribute $500m in annual savings,’ says PM

    ‘PSW Act will contribute $500m in annual savings,’ says PM

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that the implementation of the Pakistan Single Window (PSW) Act 2021 will bring $500 million in annual savings to the country.

    As per details, the PSW Act 2021 aims to bring an ease in imports and exports. PM Khan said that the PSW will also integrate 75 regulatory departments including customs, banks, port authorities, shipping companies, brokers, etc.

    PSW will be managed by an independent authority that will play a crucial role in unlocking Pakistan’s potential to become a hub for international transit and trade.

    According to reports, the PSW was inaugurated last week in Islamabad by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) in compliance with the Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) of the World Trade Organization (WTO).

    The PSW was rolled out almost a year before its deadline of June 2022 at a cost of $67 million through an indigenous development effort.

    The Customs department has been tasked with completing this transformational project that will reduce time, cost, and complications while ensuring better compliance with cross-border trade regulations.

  • Mattress factory sealed for stuffing used face masks instead of cotton

    Mattress factory sealed for stuffing used face masks instead of cotton

    The police in India have sealed a mattress-making factory in Maharashtra for using discarded masks instead of cotton or other material to stuff its products.

    As per reports, a case has been registered against the owner of the unit with the police starting an investigation into the matter. Piles of face masks were also recovered from the premises of the mattress factory.

    The seized masks pile was burnt as per the prescribed norms.

    The illegal activity at the Maharashtra Mattress Centre was reported to the officials at a police station at the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), Jalgaon.

    Read more – Man digs tunnel to capture ‘jinns, churails’

    Additional Superintendent of Police Chandrakant Gawali said: “When officials visited the premises of the factory in Kusumba village of MIDC, they found a mattress being stuffed with used masks.”

    The production of face masks in India has increased significantly from March of last year when the country was producing 1.5 crore units each day.

  • ‘Friends’ reunion episode wraps up shooting

    ‘Friends’ reunion episode wraps up shooting

    The unscripted reunion episode of the 90’s popular sitcom Friends has wrapped up shooting which means that it will be coming to our screens very soon. The reunion episode was originally announced in February 2020 and will see Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer together on the screen for the first time since the show wrapped in 2004.

    As per details, the special episode was recorded at Warner Bros Studios in just three days. While a release date has not been announced, the episode will be available to stream on HBO Max.

    Earlier, Perry accidentally shared a behind-the-scenes picture of himself prepping for the episode, only to delete the post moments later.

    “Seconds before eating a makeup brush, not to mention reuniting with my friends,” he had captioned the photo.

    Though creators of the show are trying to keep details tightly under wraps, pictures from the sets emerged on social media and it has been reported that the special was shot on the show’s original soundstage on the Warner Bros lot in Burbank, California.

    It has further been reported that while a live audience participated in the reunion, they were “mostly union extras, Covid screened and hired for the gig”, after the pandemic prevented fans from attending.

    The revived set – partially based outdoors for COVID safety protocols – includes the iconic water fountain that the cast splashed around in during the show’s intro, sound-tracked by The Rembrandts’ theme tune, I’ll Be There For You.

    Friends aired for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004. It was also nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards and won the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002.

  • Russian president’s ‘blank cheque’ to Pakistan: What you need to know

    Russian president’s ‘blank cheque’ to Pakistan: What you need to know

    Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently visited Islamabad after nearly a decade and delivered an “important” message to the Pakistani leadership from President Vladimir Putin.

    “I came with a message from my president that ‘tell Pakistan we are open for any cooperation, whatever Pakistan needs Russia is ready for it’,” Lavrov was quoted as saying by a senior Pakistani official who, according to The Express Tribune, attended the closed-door meeting.

    The Russian president’s offer was dubbed by the official as a “blank cheque” as they revealed that Putin had conveyed to Pakistan through his top diplomat that Moscow would help Islamabad in any manner.

    “If you’re interested in gas pipelines, corridors, defence or any other cooperation, Russia stands ready for it,” the official quoted Lavrov as saying, explaining what he meant.

    “It is now up to us to follow up this successful visit,” the official said.

    At the joint news conference with his Pakistani counterpart, the Russian foreign minister had said Moscow was ready to supply Pakistan with “special military equipment” to enhance its anti-terrorists potential. He, however, did not provide further details.

    Relations between Pakistan and Russia have undergone transformation in recent years thanks to the new alignments and strategic realities.

    The rapprochement between the former Cold War rivals began in 2011 when Pakistan’s relationship with the US hit the rock bottom. At that time, a decision was taken to bring a strategic shift in Pakistan’s foreign policy. The shift envisaged reaching out to Russia as part of Pakistan’s efforts to diversify its foreign policy options.

    The two countries initially worked quietly to find common ground. The years-long efforts had resulted in the Russian decision to send its troops to Pakistan for the first time in history for joint exercises in 2016. Moscow even overruled the Indian objections over holding joint drills with Pakistan.

    Since then, the two countries have been regularly holding these exercises and they are looking to further deepen that cooperation.

    Pakistan is hoping that Russian President Vladimir Putin would visit the country, something that would complete the Pak-Russia ties from being Cold War foes to friends.

    In contrast, Russian ties with once its solid ally India are heading in the opposite direction. The two still have good relationship but the usual warmth they expressed earlier have been missing.

  • Scandals related to my marriage have nothing to do with reality, says Meera

    Scandals related to my marriage have nothing to do with reality, says Meera

    Meera has said that all scandals related to her marriage are baseless and far from reality.

    “There are many scandals which have nothing to do with me,” said Meera, while talking about her various controversies on Ahsan Khan’s show Time out with Ahsan Khan. She added that one video scandal associated with her had nothing to do with reality and were mere rumours. The actor had come on the talk show with Javed Sheikh.

    When asked if she succeeded in love or not, Meera said she does not know that if she succeeded but admitted that she has been in love.

    Meanwhile, talking about when and why she decided to become an actor, Meera said she wanted to be an actor since her childhood even though she was very good at her studies. The actor added that there’s a lot left that she wants to do, adding that she will continue to work in films and television.

    Meera also praised her co-guest Javed Sheikh for supporting her and being there for her.

    “Javed Sheikh and her family supported me a lot,” said Meera. “All my initial movies were with Sheikh Sahab.”

    At this point, Sheikh recalled the time when the two shot for Chief Saab, sharing that, as the director, he would tell Meera what to wear and what nail polish to apply.

    Sheikh also narrated a funny incident from the shoot, saying: “She [Meera] was playing this rich girl who comes to meet her lover, who’s not as fortunate, in this basti. She was wearing a skirt and it looked like she’s going to a club which made me angry. When she asked what she should have been wearing instead, I told her a simple white shirt with jeans would do.”

    “After 20-25 minutes, Meera came back wearing a white shirt with jeans, which she borrowed from a local resident living nearby the set,” he added.

    Meera in Chief Saab

    Meera also revealed that her favorite song from her movies is Suno Suno Bolo Bolo, she also sang the song.

  • Shehzad Roy refused a fan a selfie for not wearing a mask

    With Pakistan battling a lethal third wave of coronavirus, authorities and the government have urged the public to be responsible and follow all COVID-19 protocols. Unfortunately, many have been caught flouting the necessary SOPs and Shehzad Roy recently told off one of them for not wearing a mask.

    Read more – Shehzad Roy has the funniest response to a Twitter marriage proposal

    “A boy came up to me for a selfie, not wearing a mask,” shared Roy on social media.

    He continued: “I asked him to step back. [A] minute later his father came angrily and told me off for being rude. I told him, its for [the] boy’s safety.”

    “The father of the boy replied: ‘Itna nuqsan toh is buchay ko corona say bhi nahi hota, jitna tum nay is ka dil dukha kay kiya hai’,” said the singer.

    According to NCOC, Pakistan has recorded 4318 cases of the virus in last 24 hours while 118 people have lost their lives.

  • Nike to clean up used, returned sneakers and put them back on shelves

    Nike to clean up used, returned sneakers and put them back on shelves

    Nike Inc said on Monday it will start refurbishing sneakers – from Vapormaxes to Reacts – returned by shoppers and selling them at cheaper prices, a service offered increasingly by retailers to reduce consumer waste.

    The Beaverton, Oregon-based company said it would clean up gently worn, like-new or slightly imperfect sneakers by hand and resell them “at a value for consumers” at certain Nike stores. To qualify for refurbishment, the sneakers need to be returned to Nike stores within 60 days of purchase.

    “Up to fifteen U.S.-based stores will carry Nike Refurbished footwear by the end of April 2021, with plans to integrate more of this product at additional U.S.-based stores in the coming year,” Nike said in a statement.

    Nike is continuing to explore future expansion of the program to markets outside the United States.