Tag: Dubai

  • US Open Cup bans Salt Bae for his annoying FIFA World Cup 2022 antics and breaking rules

    US Open Cup bans Salt Bae for his annoying FIFA World Cup 2022 antics and breaking rules

    Turkish chef Nusr-et Gokce, better known as ‘Salt Bae’, has been banned from the US Open Cup final after his antics at FIFA World Cup celebrations angered football fans across the globe.

    Founded in 1914, US Open Cup is the oldest and most prestigious soccer tournament in America.

    The development has been confirmed on the official Twitter handle of the US open cup.

    For some reason, he was allowed onto the field with the players in the immediate aftermath of Argentina’s victory over France. He was seen with the trophy, which he even slapped and did his little “salt and pepper” trick on as well.

    Lionel Messi was witnessed being approached by the owner of the steakhouse, who seemed irritated when Salt Bae grabbed his arm and dragged him off for a photo. The Turkish chef has received strong criticism as a consequence, especially from former Watford goalkeeper Ben Foster.

    “Its current design dates back to 1974,” FIFA’s website reads. “As one of the most recognised sports symbols in the world and a priceless icon, the original FIFA World Cup Trophy can only be touched and held by a very select group of people, which includes former winners of the FIFA World Cup and heads of state.”

    An internal investigation is being conducted to find out how the chef was authorized to be so near to the players. It is unclear how Salt Bae was permitted on the field. Additionally, he violated World Cup rules by holding the trophy.

  • Customs seizes 400 kg of pork at Lahore airport

    Customs seizes 400 kg of pork at Lahore airport

    Around 400 kg of pork was seized from a foreign individual by customs officials stationed at the Lahore airport.

    Sources claim that the customs officials were informed that pork will be smuggled from Dubai aboard private aircraft flight ER 724.

    Customs officers intervened and removed 400 kg of pork from the accused’s hands, thwarting the attempt at smuggling.

    The pork was concealed from the scanning device, according to the authorities, by being packed in 12 large cartons with special black plastic sheets.

    The smuggler was apprehended by deputy collector of customs Saira Batool when she arrived at the airport, and it was later discovered that the pork was being distributed to other hotels, according to reports.

    In a related incident, customs agents apprehended a passenger flying from the United States and thwarted an attempt to smuggle goods worth around Rs 8 million through Lahore’s Allama Iqbal International Airport.

  • Dubai-based watch company says they didn’t sell or buy Toshakhana gifts

    Dubai-based watch company says they didn’t sell or buy Toshakhana gifts

    Styleout Watches, a Dubai-based watch company, has rejected rumours about selling or buying Toshakhana gifts received by former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    Referring to the recent controversy regarding the luxurious Graff set which was gifted to Khan by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Styleout watches released a statement, stating, “We certify that we never bought or sold the Graff Mecca Map diamond MasterGraff Tourbillon minute repeater watch along with diamond cufflinks and round diamonds gent’s ring, as well as rose gold pen set with diamonds to any person.”

    “We were approached by an undisclosed person, to market this watch using our Instagram page,” Styleoutwatches said, adding that any information about the watch being sold for USD250,000 is “incorrect and baseless”.

    The company said that they reserve the right to sue and take legal action against anyone using their name and their brand to sell and market the watch.

    “What we did do is we got it for promotion and marketing reasons,” they said, adding that they took the watch from an undisclosed person, took pictures and posted it on social media to create attention and hype in 2019.

    “Then, we returned the watch to the person and whatever happened before or after, we don’t know,” he clarified. The company requested the people to keep them out of the matter.

    Earlier, rumours were circulating on social media that Styleout watches had sold the watch for 250k USD in 2019.

    On Tuesday, Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor revealed to Shahzeb Khanzada how he had bought the Graff set from Khan. He had bought the branded set through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi. He said on the show that he had paid the equivalent of $2 million in cash for the set.

  • Fawad asked Umar not to take Imran’s name on Toshakhana scandal, WhatsApp chat reveals

    Fawad asked Umar not to take Imran’s name on Toshakhana scandal, WhatsApp chat reveals

    Senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, landed in hot water on Wednesday night after Geo News‘ Shahzeb Khanzada revealed WhatsApp conversations the former minister had with Dubai-based businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor.

    The alleged Whatsapp conversations show that Fawad Chaudhry was in contact with Zahoor who claimed this week that former Prime Minister Imran Khan sold him a precious Graff set gifted to him by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2019. Fawad, who had called Zahoor a “liar” after his explosive claims about the sale of the state gift, refers to the businessman as “brother”.

    When Zahoor revealed that he had bought state gifts from Imran Khan, Chaudhry denied the allegations. However, he acknowledged that the gift was “legally” sold in the market.

    In the chats, Fawad said to Zahoor that “It seems the watch alleged to be of IK is not the same”. He also requested him not to take Khan’s name.

    During the show, Khanzada said Chaudhry also promised to help Zahoor get contracts from the Government of Pakistan.

    On Tuesday, Zahoor revealed to Shahzeb Khanzada how that he had bought the Graff set from Khan. Immediately afterward, Chaudhry contacted him and asked what had happened. “[Taking the name of] Shahzad Akbar is understandable, but why Imran Khan?” Chaudhry asked the businessman.

    Zahoor and Chaudhry met in Dubai several times. During the PTI government, the two also exchanged messages.

    Zahoor claimed that he had bought the branded set through former accoun­ta­bility minister Shahzad Akbar and Farah Khan, a close aide of Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi. He said that he had paid the equivalent of $2 million in cash for the set.

  • Billionaire Mukesh Ambani buys Dubai’s most expensive villa for $163 million

    Billionaire Mukesh Ambani buys Dubai’s most expensive villa for $163 million

    India’s second-richest man is expanding his Dubai real estate portfolio with the acquisition of a new beachfront mansion, shattering his previous record for the most expensive residential real estate transaction in the city in a couple of months.

    According to reports, Mukesh Ambani purchased the Palm Jumeirah property from the family of Kuwaiti tycoon Mohammed Alshaya last week for approximately $163 million.

    Starbucks, H&M, and Victoria’s Secret have local franchises owned by Alshaya’s company. Ambani, whose net worth is $84 billion, is the chairman of Reliance Industries Ltd., the largest firm in India by market value.

    The tycoon has been buying up properties abroad and is increasingly searching for second residences in the west. According to Bloomberg, Ambani is looking into purchasing a home in New York and Reliance spent $79 million last year purchasing Stoke Park, a renowned country club in the United Kingdom.

    According to Bloomberg, the $80 million mansion that Ambani bought earlier this year is only a short stroll from his most recent purchase in Dubai. Until another mansion on the palm-shaped island sold for $82.4 million, that transaction represented the largest residential sale in the history of the city.

    This Thursday, the Dubai Land Department reported a $163 million real estate transaction in Palm Jumeirah without identifying the purchaser. Reliance’s spokesman declined to comment, and Alshaya’s representatives did not respond to calls for comment.

  • Imran Khan’s close aides’ names placed on no-fly list

    The federal government placed the names of two of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s close aides — Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Ziaul Mustafa Naseem — on the no-fly list pertaining to a private housing scheme at the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

    According to media reports, the cabinet removed the 22 names from the Exit Control List (ECL) and added the names of 10 people to it.

    Both Akbar and Naseem are presently in the United Kingdom (UK). According to Dawn, as per practice, if a person whose name is placed on ECL is abroad, he is arrested on his return and handed over to the relevant law-enforcement agency.

    Akbar has served as an adviser on interior and accountability to former PM Khan. He left for Dubai on April 17, from where he flew to London five days later, five days after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended FIA orders placing his name on the stop list.

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah accused Akbar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi of accepting Rs5 billion and hundreds of kanals from a housing developer in return for “providing protection” to the real estate firm in the same case during their term.

    Earlier this month, the coalition government reportedly decided to put the names of Khan and other PTI leaders on the no-fly list to prevent them from leaving the country.

  • Two PIA planes miraculously avoid mid-air collision

    Two PIA planes miraculously avoid mid-air collision

    Two Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flying on the same route and altitude avoided mid-air collision over Iranian airspace near the United Arab Emirates (UAE) border.

    It has been reported that the two carriers came close to mid-air collision due to the alleged negligence of the Iranian Air Traffic Control (ATC). However, the Iranian ATC then cleared the altitude for both airplanes. One was directed to dive while the other was asked to go higher in altitude as per standard practice.

    One airplane was PIA Boeing 777, which was en route from Islamabad to Dubai while the other airplane was Airbus A320, en route from Doha to Peshawar.

    A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) spokesman said that flight (PK-211), a Boeing 777 was maintaining a 35,000-feet altitude when it came close to a Peshawar-bound PIA flight (PK-268) of Airbus A320 from Doha. He said the PK-268 flight was flying at an altitude of 36,000 feet at the time and was cleared to descend to 20,000 feet.

    According to the PIA spokesman, the descent would have come in the flight path of PIA flight of Boeing 777 PK-211.

    Over the negligence matter, the spokesman said that the Pakistan Airlines is writing to the ATC to investigate the matter.

  • Asif Zardari will celebrate his 67th birthday in Dubai with his 9-month-old grandson: Bakhtawar Bhutto

    Asif Zardari will celebrate his 67th birthday in Dubai with his 9-month-old grandson: Bakhtawar Bhutto

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari left for Dubai, which led to some questions about why he had gone abroad at a crucial time for the coalition government.

    Taking to Twitter, Bakhtawar Bhutto-Zardari clarified why her father is in Dubai.

    “My father will be spending his 67th birthday (& first as a grandfather) with his 9 month old grandson,” tweeted Bakhtawar.

    Asif Zardari will celebrate his 67th birthday tomorrow (July 26).

    In an earlier tweet, Bakhtawar said that Zardari did not run away for “11+ YEARS of jail” so why would he now.

    “[Zardari] faced courts under every regime including our wannabe dictator Select but never ran. 1st bday as a grandfather he’s here to spend with his grandson (who due to a medical procedure last month could not fly himself).”

    Bakhtawar Bhutto gave birth to a baby boy, Mir Hakim Mahmood Choudhry, on October 10, 2021.

  • Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Gen Bajwa receives medal for his contributions by Saudi Arabia

    Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, first deputy Prime Minister (PM) and minister of defence, decorated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class for making “significant contributions in defence cooperation” between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

    The medal was named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud and is considered the highest civilian honour in KSA. Recently, it was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.

    Pakistan’s army chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour met with the Crown Prince in Jeddah on Saturday. They reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.

    Following this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the COAS for being conferred the honour. “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.

    In another tweet, he said Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia “as our own and are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation”.

    COAS Bajwa meets Musharraf:

    COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife also paid a visit to former President and Army Chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, reports emerged on Saturday.

    Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army. They spent some time with Gen Musharraf and his family while the army doctors examined the former military ruler, reports The Express Tribune.

    Earlier this month, Musharraf’s family revealed that he is going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible as his organs are malfunctioning.

    After this, the establishment and politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, came forward and were of the view that he should be brought back to Pakistan.

  • Superstar Ravi: Adidas collaborates with Dubai-based Pakistani restaurant

    Superstar Ravi: Adidas collaborates with Dubai-based Pakistani restaurant

    Famous shoe brand, Adidas, has announced the launch of a limited-edition shoe dedicated to iconic Dubai-based Pakistani eatery Ravi.

    The collection will be available in selected shops in Dubai and online beginning June 23. It’s part of a collection of sneakers honouring legendary eateries in 11 locations around the world.

    The special edition Superstar Ravi is an addition to the Adidas Original Superstar series.

    RAVI founder​ Chaudary Abdul Hameed said, “It’s humbling to see so many cultures and communities coming together to celebrate our traditions and roots through food. We’ve been feeding the people of Dubai for over 40 years, across different generations, and now bringing our story to the table in a different way is a moment for our family to be proud of.”