When lawyer and analyst Reema Omer posted a Twitter update complaining about getting only three Cocomos in a 5-rupee packet, little did she know that her tweet would blow up and people would start demanding PML-N’s Miftah Ismail [owner of Bisconni] to investigate the matter.
Oh the disappointment of opening a packet of cocomo and finding only three instead of the usual four biscuits 💔
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Ismail had said that there are supposed to be four cocomos in each packet. The businessman turned politician said that he wants to have at least five in each packet but due to an increase in the price of ingredients used, they cannot afford to increase the number of cocomos in one packet.
Meanwhile, PML-N’s Maiza Hameed Gujjar promised that when the party wins the NA-249 recount, she will request Ismail to add “one more cocomo” in the packet.
Stay strong when we win in the recount tom inshAllah we will request #miftah Sab to add one more 🙌
Amazon has finally added Pakistan to its list of seller countries with Pakistanis now able to create accounts using Pakistani credentials and details.
As per details, several officials including Aisha Moriani (Joint Secretary, Ministry of Commerce), Omer Gajial (Ex-Amazon Category Development Head for Amazon North America division), and Shoaib Sarwar (deputy Consul General, Consulate General Pakistan, Los Angeles) along with the team members of NECC (National Ecommerce Council) and Badar Khushnood from Pakistan Software Houses Association have played an important role in this development.
This is a huge milestone and will transform Pakistan’s economy as more sellers from the country will visit the platform.
Earlier, advisor to Prime Minister (PM) Iman Khan on Commerce and Trade, Abdul Razak Dawood stressed that e-commerce has changed the business practice and that Pakistan must pay attention to it.
Besides, after COVID-19 e-commerce practices have increased by many folds, and it is a great oppertunity for women, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and entrepreneurs.
We have finally made it. @amazon will be adding Pakistan its Sellers’ List within a few days. We have been engaged with Amazon since last year and now it’s happening. It is a great opportunity for our youth, SMEs and women entrepreneurs. .
On this occasion, Special Assitant to PM, Dr Shahbaz Gill said: “The contemporary government has achieved a milestone that the country had been unable to achieve for more than ten years.”
“Pakistan will enter into the global market, and it will generate economic activity of millions, that will also create many employment opportunities, thank you, Imran Khan,” he added.
پاکستان کی تاریخ میں جو کام پچھلے دس سال سے نا ہوسکا وہ بالآخر موجودہ حکومت نے کر دکھایا۔
AMAZON نے پاکستان کو سیلر لسٹ میں شامل کردیا ہے۔
اس سے پاکستان عالمی منڈی میں شامل ہوگیا ہے۔اس سے اربوں کی سرمایہ کاری اور روزگار کے مواقع پیدا ہوں گے. شکریہ عمران خان pic.twitter.com/c7PIqHCUTU
In addition, Pakistan’s largest EdTech platform, Extreme Commerce has trained millions of people for Amazon selling and trading and complete e-commerce.
The company has said that “The new era of e-commerce boom for Pakistan is about to start. Get your agencies ready for more business, aa you are about to get flooded with Pakistani manufacturers and brands who would need your services to take them to Amazon. Do your best, do not let the brand Pakistan down ever again, please.”
In less than 24-48 hours, Pakistan will hopefully show up in the list of allowed countries for Amazon sellers. You…
Prime Minister Imran Khan virtually addressed Pakistani ambassadors and high commissioners from across the globe on Wednesday.
PM tweeted that he told all Pakistani missions abroad that their priority “must be the welfare and well-being of our greatest asset, overseas Pakistanis”.
Today I addressed our envoys in all our missions abroad with a strong message that their priority must be the welfare & well-being of our greatest asset, overseas Pakistanis – especially our hard working labour abroad. Their welfare must take priority.https://t.co/WA7Ah49m9Q
“Overseas Pakistanis are precious assets of the country,” the premier said, adding that it is unfortunate that Pakistani ambassadors do not treat them well.
He read out complaints received on Citizens Portal and condemned the “callousness and insensitivity” displayed by embassy workers.
“Expats face unnecessary delays and complications in availing routine services,” PM Imran said. He further added that complain resolution of the embassy is mostly firefighting and lacks a passion to solve these issues. “The job of embassies is to serve their citizens.”
PM had recently recalled Pakistan’s Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Raja Ali Ejaz and six staff members after reports of their alleged mistreatment of the Pakistani expat community surfaced. The Foreign Office said there is zero tolerance for any lapse in public service delivery. “The feedback provided by Pakistani expats living in Saudi Arabia was shocking,” said PM. He added that an indifferent attitude towards the expat community is “unforgivable”.
PM Imran in particular acknowledged the services of labour working abroad in tough conditions . “These workers deserve our utmost respect and the government will not spare anyone misbehaving with them.”
Former diplomatsreact to PM’s comments
Former Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua tweeted she was deeply dismayed at the unwarranted criticism of the foreign ministry.
Deeply dismayed at the unwarranted criticism of the Foreign Ministry. There seems to be woefully inadequate understanding of Embassies’ consular work, the acute resource constraints, and the role of multiple departments which not under the control of Ambassadors.
Former Foreign Secretary and Ambassador of Pakistan to the US Jalil Abbas Jilani does not completely agree with PM Imran. In a tweet, the former diplomat said that he wished the PM was properly briefed about working of Missions. “Services like attestation of degrees, marriage certificates, licenses etc are referred to HEC, Interior or Provincial govts for verification. You don’t get timely response. Hence delays. Blaming envoys unfair.”
Hon PM Sir, wish you were properly briefed about working of Missions. Services like attestation of degrees, marriage certificates, licenses etc are referred to HEC, Interior or Provincial govts for verification. You don’t get timely response. Hence delays. Blaming envoys unfair. https://t.co/FtmVSQnrer
Jilani also said that the foreign service of Pakistan suffers from “decades of neglect, political paralysis and resource constraints”.
FSP suffers from decades of neglect, political paralysis,and resource constraints.What is needed now is a renewal of diplomatic capacity, resources,appreciation and an effort that balances ambition with limits of the possible at a moment of growing difficulties at home and abroad https://t.co/FtmVSQnrer
Jilani and Janjua were not the only former diplomats to be irked by PM’s comments. Former Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir also tweeted that PM’s ire and critique of the foreign ministry and envoys is misplaced.
Sir respectfully, your ire and critique of Foreign Ministry and Envoys is misplaced. Usual services to the community are essentially in the domain of other departments that handle passports, nicop, consular attestation etc. Yes the missions should keep their doors open. https://t.co/mMJuvY9j1J
HBO has released the official first images from Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon. The images feature series stars Emma D’Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans and Steve Toussaint.
The upcoming series, which began production last month is set 300 years before the original Thrones series. It will tell the story of the Targaryen family, ancestors of Mother of Dragons Daenerys Targaryen (played by Emilia Clarke), as House Targaryen begins its historic downfall.
The cast so far includes Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen, Paddy Considine as King Viserys, Olivia Cooke as Alicent Hightower, Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Sonoya Mizuno as Prince Daemons’ unlikely ally Mysaria, Rhys Ifans as Hand of the King Otto Hightower, Steve Touissant as Lord Corlys Velaryon aka a legendary Westerosi seafarer known as The Sea Snake, Fabien Frankel as the knight Ser Criston Cole and Eve Best as Lord Corlys’ wife Princess Rhaenys Velaryon.
Earlier, in an interview, HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys had said that showrunners Miguel Sapochnik and Ryan J. Condal are “prepping” and “have been writing for a long time”. He added that they have drafts of all 10 Season 1 episodes “in various stages.”
The series is one of several spinoff Game of Thrones projects in the works, including a Broadway show and the Dunk and Egg novellas and planned TV adaptation. A prequel starring Naomi Watts has already been killed by HBO.
House of the Dragon is based on author George R R Martin’s 2018 novel Fire & Blood. The series will premiere on HBO and HBO Max in 2022.
Television host and actor Fakhar-e-Alam has escaped a fatal car accident unhurt.
Sharing the horrific experience on social media, Alam said: “Without question, Allah is the greatest protector of them all. I have just survived what could have been easily a fatal accident while on my [way] to to Hum News Pakistan for filming.”
“These trucks become killing machines in the hands of unlicensed drivers,” said Alam further, adding that Islamabad Capital Territory Police is handling the case.
Without question Allah is the greatest protector of them all. I have just survived what could have been easily a fatal accident while on my to to @humnewspakistan for filming.These trucks become killing machines in the hands of unlicensed drivers. @ICT_Police is handling the case pic.twitter.com/BmGwQSgpkq
Later, in a series of tweets, the 45-year-old actor detailed the entire incident.
“It was a close call to what would have been most certainly a fatal accident. This milk truck from Chiniot without indication made a U-turn from the far out lane forcing our vehicle to take evasive measure missing the truck, hitting the divider and ending up on the other side,” said Alam.
1/5 It was a close call to what would have been most certainly a fatal accident. This milk truck from Chiniot without indication made a U turn from the far out lane forcing our vehicle to take evasive measure missing the truck, hitting the divider & ending up on the other side. pic.twitter.com/f7bLDzXdQ0
“Once tossed to the other side we narrowly missed oncoming traffic,” he shared further. “The fact that the driver and I have walked away alive is nothing short of a miracle. These truck operators without proper training are allowed on our roads endangering all of us and our loved ones.”
“I am grateful to Allah that I will once again get to see my children but there are many who have never returned home because of extremely poor road safety & dangerous drivers. Tonight I followed up with Islamabad Police to do whatever was possible legally to stop this driver,” Alam added.
3/5 I am grateful to Allah that I will once again get to see my children but there are many who have never returned home because of extremely poor road safety & dangerous drivers. Tonight I followed up wid @ICT_Police to do whatever was possible legally to stop this driver
Alam shared that the traffic warden, who was an eye witness stated that the truck driver was wrong. “The driver had no ID card, no license. All I want is for Islamabad Police to make sure he never drives again & endanger anyone else’s life. He wrote a confession & maafinama, I just don’t want any family to be a victim of his,” Alam said.
He also urged people to report such drivers, saying: “Please report dangerous drivers, please wear a belt, it saved my life today and above all the law enforcement must not allow for such irresponsible people to drive on our roads. The truck is now at Aabpara police station. What happens next we will all be watching.”
5/5 Please report dangerous drivers, please wear a belt, it saved my life today and above all the law enforcement must not allow for such irresponsible people to drive on our roads. The truck is now at Aabpara police station. What happens next we will all be watching.
Meanwhile, in one of his tweets, Alam had revealed that he will be sharing studios with five gold medalists of Cambrian Patrol Britain, world’s toughest & largest military competition with 140 teams each year.
He said: “I will be bringing you the story of this league of extra ordinary gentlemen very soon with Hum Network.”
Had the honor of sharing studios with 5 gold medalists of Cambrian Patrol Britain, world’s toughest & largest military competition with 140 teams each year. I will be bringing you the story of this league of extra ordinary gentlemen very soon with @humnewspakistan@Humtvnetworkpic.twitter.com/1L8XQ7NWaU
According to him, this will be a “very special project” and “a big filming project,” presumably airing on Hum News/Hum Network.
Islamabad pre production meeting on a very special project into late night….a big filming spell starts tonight…Next few days will be awesome, tiring and entertaining…. pic.twitter.com/0LsenLtEm6
The minister tweeted that the students of grade 9 and 11 will sit for their exams as per the scheduled timetable given by their respective boards.
Mahmood added that there was no truth to the rumours circulating regarding the cancellation of the exams.
Last month, Mahmood and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had announced that as per the suggestion of the National Command and Operation Centre, all board exams had been postponed till June 15.
“Exams of 9, 10, 11 and 12, which were supposed to begin from the end of May, have been delayed further,” the minister said. “No board exams will be held till mid-June (June 15).”
Mahmood added that another meeting of the NCOC will decide in the third week of May whether these exams will be postponed further or not.
Netflix’s latest horror film Things Heard and Seen, featuring Amanda Seyfried and James Norton, is reportedly based on a true story of a murder that took place in 1982.
According to a report in NY Post, the film based on Elizabeth Brundage’s novel All Things Cease To Appear was partly inspired by the gruesome death of Cathleen Krauseneck in 1982 in Brighton, New York. Cathleen’s murder is better know as “the Brighton Ax Murder.”
On February 19, 1982, James Krauseneck Jr. returned to his new house on Del Rio Drive near Rochester from his job as an economist at Eastman Kodak Co., when he spotted broken glass inside from a window and called the police. He had found his 29-year-old wife, Cathleen, dead in bed with an ax lodged in her head and their 3-year-old daughter seated calmly in her own bedroom, dressed to go out.
In a statement to the police, James had said: “She [his daughter] had a red sweater over a pink sweater with blue ABC corduroy pants and two pairs of socks. She looked dazed to me. I picked her up from her bed and ran downstairs and out the front door with her.”
James, who was considered to be one of the key suspects, said he had been at work all day. The next day he reportedly took his daughter Sara and fled to Michigan, where he grew up. Brighton Police Chief Eugene Shaw opted not to question the daughter a month later because “too much time has gone by.”
James Krauseneck Jr.
Meanwhile, Cathleen’s murder case, which had gone unresolved for almost 39 years, finally made a breakthrough in November 2019 when James was indicted by a grand jury on a second-degree murder charge. He pleaded not guilty.
The Brighton Police Chief attributed the delayed charges to improved forensic technology that’s clarified the timeline of the murder — calling James’ alibi into question — and has shed more light on the crime scene.
“I understand people want a singular piece of evidence that can directly point to James Krauseneck Jr.,” the current Brighton Police Chief David Catholdi had told a local media out. “This is not one of those cases.”
It is pertinent to add that at the scene of the crime no other DNA was found other than the family’s. It was also reported that shortly before her death, Cathleen found that James had not completed his doctorate and lied to his employers.
After Michigan, James moved to Gig Harbor in Washington, where he worked as a vice president of sales for a timberland company called Weyerhaeuser. When he was charged, James was living in Peoria, Arizona, with his fourth wife.
To add another twist, serial rapist Ed Laraby, right before he died in 2014 claimed that he killed Cathleen and committed at least a dozen more crimes.
“Ed Laraby is a notorious self-described sociopathic killer of women,” Krauseneck’s defense attorney said. “The issue is he lived really within basically a half mile, or less than a half mile, and has confessed to this murder as he lay dying in prison.”
Unlike the ending of the movie, which had a comprehensive end, Cathleen Krauseneck’s murder remains unsolved. James, now 69, was freed on $100,000 bail and is awaiting a trial that was delayed by the pandemic — the next pretrial hearing is set for June.
Things Heard and Seen follows an unhappy young mother (Seyfried), who is brutally murdered with an ax while her child is found eerily seated on the couch downstairs. Her studious husband (Norton) leaves shortly after the crime. The film gives the real-life characters different names, changes up their circumstances (they have a son and live in the Hudson Valley) and adds some ghosts for some more horror.
The film is currently trending in the top ten on Netflix Pakistan.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has issued final notices to the owners of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor’s ancestral houses as the government plans to take over the properties after Eid, Geo News has reported.
As per details, KP Archaeology and Museums Department Director Dr Abdul Samad has said that restoration work on both houses will take place following the take over.
Dr Abdul Samad added that the “deputy commissioner has sent the final notices to the landlord”.
Meanwhile, the owners of the properties will be summoned on May 18, and they can demand the KP government or the court for a higher price and can submit their objections.
Earlier this year in January, Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mahmood Khan approved Rs 23.56 million to purchase the ancestral houses of two Bollywood legends Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor in Peshawar, but the owner of Kapoor Haveli in Peshawar refused to sell the house to the government at the price set by the authorities.
As per reports, the value of Raj Kapoor house is Rs 15 million, while Kumar’s home is worth Rs 8.56 million. Both houses will be converted into museums after restoration work.
Prime Minister Imran Khan is likely to restart his initiative of taking phone calls from the masses and giving them his response from May 11. The initiative is expected to restart when he returns from Saudi Arabia.
Khan is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia from May 7 to May 9. The issue of the release of Pakistani prisoners who are suffering in Saudi Arabia’s jails is likely to be highlighted by the PM.
This is the third telethon series to be done by PM Khan. He launched the event on March 28, which was a telethon for the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme and also took calls from the general public on April 4th.
“It is the practical implementation of the promise made by the prime minister to the masses in his victory speech that he would be answerable before the people,” a PTI leader said.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced nominees for April’s ICC Player of the Month Awards. Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman are among the nominated players.
The ICC Men's Player of the Month nominees for April are in 👀
Fakhar Zaman 🇵🇰 302 ODI runs at 100.66, two centuries Babar Azam 🇵🇰 228 ODI runs at 76.00; 305 T20I runs at 43.57 Kushal Bhurtel 🇳🇵 278 T20I runs at 69.50
ICC introduced the award to recognise the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all formats of international cricket.
In the month of April, Pakistan captain Babar Azam became the number one ranked batsman in the ICC Men’s ODI Player Rankings, ending Indian Cricket Team’s captain Virat Kohli’s long reign at the top of the charts.
Babar’s match-winning 82-ball 94 in the third ODI against South Africa helped him gain 13 rating points to reach a career-best 865 points. He also contributed 122 from 59 balls in Pakistan’s successful chase in the third match of a T20I series against the same opposition.
His compatriot Fakhar Zaman also produced a stellar showing during the month, scoring two centuries in the ODI series victory over South Africa, including a magnificent 193 in the second match in Johannesburg.
Completing the men’s shortlist, Nepal’s Khushal Bhurtel was the leading run-scorer as his team won a tri-series also featuring the Netherlands and Malaysia. His significant contribution with the bat totalled 278 runs, including four half-centuries in five matches.
Meanwhile, Australia’s Alyssa Healy, her team-mate Megan Schutt and New Zealand’s Leigh Kasperek made it to the Women’s Player of the Month nominees.
Who gets your vote for the April ICC Women's Player of the Month?
Alyssa Healy 🇦🇺 155 ODI runs at 51.66 Leigh Kasperek 🇳🇿 9 ODI wickets at 7.77 Megan Schutt 🇦🇺 7 ODI wickets at 13.14
