Tag: Beef

Miley dedicates song to Sinead O’Connor, ending dispute with late singer

Pop star Miley Cyrus has dedicated her song ‘Wonder Woman’ to Sinead O’Connor during an ABC concert special ‘Endless Summer Vacation: Continued (Backyard Sessions), ending a decade long dispute with the late Irish singer.

In 2013, the two songstresses engaged in a public clash when Miley’s ‘Wrecking Ball’ video came out. O’Connor wrote an open letter to Miley advising her not to “obscure your talent by allowing yourself to be pimped” by the industry. “None of the men ogling you give a s*** about you either, do not be fooled,” she wrote.

In response, Miley shared a list of tweets by the late singer, and compared her to the actress Amanda Bynes, who was publicly struggling with her mental health at the same time. O’Connor had been open about mental health struggles, especially the time she spent in psychiatric hospitals. The late singer slammed Cyrus for the response, writing:

“You have posted today tweets of mine which are two years old, which were posted by me when I was unwell and seeking help so as to make them look like they are recent… In doing so you mock myself and Amanda Bynes for having suffered with mental health issues and for having sought help. I mean really really… who advises you?”

Now, in the concert special, the former ‘Hannah Montana’ star reflected on the feud, confessing that she wasn’t prepared to be publicly humiliated by another woman, especially one who had been in her position before- but also apologised because she wasn’t aware of Sinead’s fragile mental health state:

“I was expecting there to be controversy and backlash, but I don’t think I expected other women to put me down or turn on me, especially women that had been in my position before,” said the ‘Flowers’ singer. “This is when I’d received an open letter from Sinead O’Connor, and I had no idea about the fragile mental state that she was in, and I was also only 20 years old, so I could really only wrap my head around mental illness so much. All that I saw was that another woman had told me that this idea was not my idea.”

“Our younger childhood triggers and traumas come up in weird and odd ways, and I think I’d just been judged for so long for my own choices that I was just exhausted, and I was in this place where I finally was making my own choices and my own decisions, and to have that taken away from me deeply upset me,” she continued. “God bless Sinead O’Connor, for real, in all seriousness.”

August 29, 2023
Weekly inflation in Pakistan soars 35% from last year’s rates

The Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) has reported an increase in the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) based inflation for the week ending on February 9th, 2023. The SPI recorded a rise of 0.17 per cent due to heightened prices for both food and non-food items.

The year-on-year trend shows an increase of 34.83 per cent mainly due to an increase in the prices of onions (507.98 per cent), chicken (93.21 per cent), diesel (81.41 per cent), eggs (79.19 per cent), rice basmati broken (68.92 per cent), petrol (68.77 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (68.26 per cent), pulse moong (66.30 per cent), tea Lipton (63.92 per cent), bananas (61.88per cent), pulse gram (56.80 per cent), bread (50.66 per cent), LPG (50.41 per cent), pulse mash (50.25 per cent) and salt powdered (46.46 per cent), while a decrease is observed in the prices of tomatoes (57.76 per cent), chilies powdered (12.43 per cent) and electricity for q1 (12.31 per cent).

The SPI for the week under review in the above-mentioned group was recorded at 228.17 points against 227.79 points registered in the previous week, according to the latest PBS data released on Friday.

During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 29 (56.87 per cent) items increased, 05 (9.80 per cent) items decreased and 17 (33.33 per cent) items remained stable.

The SPI for the consumption group up to Rs. 17,732 decreased by 0.06 per cent while it increase for Rs. 17,732-22,888, Rs. 22,889-29,517, Rs. 29,518-44,175 and above Rs. 44,175 consumption group increase by 0.02 per cent, 0.10 per cent, 0.14 per cent, and 0.22 per cent respectively.

The items, which recorded an increase in their average prices during the week over the previous include potatoes (7.15 per cent), chicken (6.94 per cent), bananas (6.53 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib or other superior quality 1 kg pouch each (5.67 per cent), rice basmati broken (3.80 per cent), rice irri-6/9 (3.64 per cent), LPG (3.06 per cent), vegetable ghee Dalda/Habib 2.5 kg tin each (2.71 per cent), cooking oil Dalda or other similar brands (sn), and 5 liter tin each (2.60 per cent).

Other items which recorded an increase are pulse mash (2.42 per cent), cigarettes capstan 20’s packet each (2.25 per cent), garlic (2.20 per cent), pulse moong (2.20 per cent), mustard oil (2.20 per cent), powdered milk Nido 390 gm polybag each (1.88 per cent), pulse gram (1.87 per cent), curd (1.83 per cent), tea prepared (1.77 per cent), milk fresh (1.52 per cent), matchbox (1.47 per cent), Sufi washing soap (1.39 per cent), bread plain (1.25 per cent), pulse masoor (1.23 per cent), energy saver Philips (0.79 per cent), salt powdered (0.65 per cent), firewood whole 40 kg (0.60 per cent), cooked daal (0.52 per cent), gur (0.31 per cent) and cooked beef (0.09 per cent).

The commodities, which recorded a decrease in their average prices included onions (9.83 per cent), tomatoes (5.40 per cent), eggs (3.40 per cent), wheat flour bag 20 kg (2.71 per cent), and sugar (0.31 per cent).

February 11, 2023
Here’s how chicken prices surpassed beef prices for the first time in Pakistan

Owing to a major shipment that has been stuck at Port Qasim in Karachi for several months, chicken prices have sharply increased and surpassed beef prices (with bones) for the first time in thirty years.

A shipment of soybean seeds worth $100 million was halted in October 2022 at Port Qasim in Karachi. These oilseeds were designed to be crushed rather than planted. One of the main components of the edible oil used in Pakistan is the liquid that is produced when the seeds are pressed.

Being one of the biggest importers of palm seeds, soybeans, and other oilseeds from nations like Malaysia, Pakistan is heavily dependent on these oilseeds to meet its demands for edible oil. But because they are also used as cattle feed, these oilseeds serve yet another crucial role in the food chain.

The solid parts of the seeds are left behind when oilseeds like soybeans are pressed to produce edible oil. Then, “oil cakes” made from this fiber- and protein-rich material are fed to cattle and birds as food.

The majority of these livestock’s “meals” up until 2015–16 were made from locally obtained cotton seeds. Since they are more nutritive than cotton seeds, soybean meals have gained popularity in recent years. Pakistan consumes 2 to 2.8 million tonnes of these meals each year.

This indicated that when the soybean shipments were stopped at the port, the poultry business was also shocked in addition to the edible oil industry. Feed for chickens was suddenly unavailable, and prices began to soar.

Since Pakistan is a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol for Biosafety, the environmental ministry was authorised to halt the exports of genetically modified soybean seeds at the port.

Several issues arose with this. First of all, despite widespread scaremongering, GMOs have never been proven to be dangerous for human consumption. Second, these oilseeds weren’t intended to be planted solely for the purpose of extracting edible oil and as a component in the poultry industry.

One of the worries was that since hens were being fed with these GMO oilseeds, the ‘harmful consequences’ from these GMOs would eventually move into the chickens and reach the populace, according to Food Security Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema.

This argument has a flaw in that Pakistani poultry has been fed oilseed diets made from GMOs since at least 2005. Cottonseed meals, which are generated by genetic modification in Pakistan, are a significant component of the poultry diet.

As things stand, a sizable portion of the population no longer has access to one of its main sources of protein because of the skyrocketing price of chicken. Mutton and beef prices have risen faster than the Consumer Price Index (CPI) during the last few decades.

According to Profit, only chicken costs increased more slowly than the CPI during this entire period, making it the only protein source. With chicken now costing more than beef on the open market, the population’s nutritional impact might be affected in the long run.

January 14, 2023
Lahore-based frozen food facility to supply beef products to McDonald’s

Major meat exporter Al-Shaheer Corporation Limited (ASC) revealed on Tuesday that it had signed a business connection deal with McDonald’s Pakistan for the supply of beef products, making it the first-ever Pakistani company to do so.

According to Brecorder, the company said that the beef products would be delivered through its Lahore-based plant for frozen foods in a notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX).

“It is our great pleasure to announce that ASC is the first-ever Pakistani company to enter into a business relationship agreement with McDonald’s Pakistan for the supply of beef products,” it said in the PSX notice.

McDonald’s Pakistan’s interest in the business, according to ASC, “is a testament to its commitment to upholding international standards and producing top-of-the-line products.”

According to the material on ASC’s LinkedIn page, the business was founded as a partnership in 2008 with the establishment of an abattoir in Gadap Town, Karachi. The company initially solely shipped red meat to Dubai and Saudi Arabia.

The first red meat brand in Pakistan, Meat One, was founded in 2010 when Al-Shaheer Foods entered the domestic fresh meat market. In 2014, the economy brand Khaas was introduced, aiming its marketing at local butcher shops.

Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Qatar are a few major export markets. Locally, Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad are where it is most prevalent.

ASC announced the start of its frozen food facility’s commercial operations last year.

September 13, 2022
Extremist mob protests, prohibits Alia-Ranbir from entering temple amidst beef controversy

Bollywood stars Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt are actively promoting their upcoming film Brahmastra as the release date draws closer. There have been calls for the boycott of Brahmastra as well for different reasons. Whether it is Karan Johar’s backing of the film or Alia Bhatt’s controversial comments in a recent interview, the movie has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Recently internet users dug out an old Ranbir Kapoor interview from ten years ago and cited it as a reason to boycott the film.

The video of the interview is being reshared now with fresh calls for a boycott of his forthcoming biggie.

Not just a boycott, the beef controversy resulted in an embarrassing affair for the lead couple of the film. Members of right-wing groups Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Bajrang Dal, created a huge row in Ujjain today ahead of the visit of actors Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Ayan Mukerji. They were to visit the famous Jyotirlinga at the Mahakaleshwar Temple this evening.

Ahead of the visit, the right-wing workers gathered at the main gate and the conch gate meant for VVIPs to show them black flags. The police had to use batons to bring the crowd under control.

After promoting the film in Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad, the lead actors of Brahmastra had taken a flight to Ujjain hoping to visit the Mahakaleshwar Temple along with director Ayan Mukerji.

Since Alia Bhatt is pregnant, she decided not to go to the temple amid the ruckus. Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor returned to Indore without darshan. From Indore, they will take a flight to Mumbai, said Ashish Singh, the Collector of Ujjain.

After the situation was brought under control, only Ayan Mukerji went to the temple and had darshan, said Mr Singh.

Brahmastra, directed by Ayan Mukerji, also stars Amitabh Bachchan, Akkineni Nagarjuna and Mouni Roy in pivotal roles and is a fantasy adventure film that draws heavily from mythology. It is slated for release on September 9.

September 7, 2022