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  • McDonald’s temporarily closes US offices ahead of layoffs announcement

    McDonald’s temporarily closes US offices ahead of layoffs announcement

    McDonald’s, the fast-food chain, will temporarily close its US offices this week to inform its corporate employees about layoffs as part of a broader company restructuring.

    Last week, the company sent an internal email to its US employees and some international staff requesting that they work from home on Monday through Wednesday to communicate staffing decisions virtually. It is currently unknown how many employees will be affected by the layoffs.

    The Chicago-based company stated in the message that it would communicate “key decisions related to roles and staffing levels across the organization” during the week of April 3. The report also indicated that McDonald’s asked its employees to cancel all in-person meetings with vendors and other outside parties at its headquarters.

    In January, McDonald’s had previously announced that it would review corporate staffing levels as part of an updated business strategy that could result in layoffs in some areas and expansion in others.

    McDonald’s is expected to start announcing key decisions this week.

  • Subha utha nahi jata? Don’t worry, researchers back up your laziness with scientific explanation

    Subha ka alarm miss hojata hai chahe kitni dafa time set karo?

    If you can’t wake up in the morning, you’re not alone. And now you have a scientific explanation that is more respectable than good old laziness.
    Researchers have concluded that there is a logical explanation behind why you can’t seem to become a morning person- and it all boils down to the way genes function, as Wired has reported.

    Previous research done by a group of biologists who later went on to win the Noble Prize in 2017 showed that human bodies have a total of 24 genes known as the ‘period genes’ which determine the human body clock.

    Now, research published by New Communications has concluded that there are actually 351 genes, which can determine whether a person is an early bird or a night owl. According to Michael Weedon, a bioinformatics at the University of Exeter Medical School:

    “Depending on how many of those genes you carry, you can be anywhere on the scale of ‘morningness’. But our research showed that the top five per cent with the most of those 351 genes go to sleep on average 25 minutes earlier than the five per cent who carry the least.”

    Furthermore, the study further looked into where those genes are more likely to be switched on in the body, because different parts of our body carry different tissues. Samuel Jones from the University of Exeter Medical School explained:

    “The genes we found to be related to our circadian rhythms tend to be switched on a lot more in the brain and in the retina,” he explained. “This helps us map what parts of the body are important in creating morning and evening people.”

    The scientists went on to explain how the genes are activated inside our brain. In a specific zone of the hypothalamus known as suprachiasmatic nucleus (SNC), an oscillator which sets our body time of the day, in accordance to the diffferent signals it receives from the environment.

    An important signal for the SNC to activate is light, because once the retina signals that it is night time, our brain releases a sleep-inducing hormone called melatonin, which is our cue to fall asleep.

  • Govt to send one million Pakistanis abroad for employment

    Govt to send one million Pakistanis abroad for employment

    The Government of Pakistan will send 1 million citizens abroad for employment, Tikka Sani has reported for Samaa. Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development, Sajid Hussain Turi, while talking to Samaa said that the ministry is working on signing work visa agreements with fifty countries including Germany.

    He continued by adding that Saudi authorities are coming to Pakistan soon to issue visas and citizens who pass technical training tests will be able to get the visa.

    The minister further said that Japan has also opened visas for Pakistani workers while South Korea has a demand for 10,000 skilled workers from Pakistan.

    The Federal Minister for Overseas Pakistanis said that 27,000 blocked passports of overseas Pakistanis have also been restored.

  • Imran Khan ko Shah Mahmood se khatra hai, PPP leaders

    Imran Khan ko Shah Mahmood se khatra hai, PPP leaders

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leaders have questioned the loyalty of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi to party Chairman Imran Khan.

    Saeed Ghani has said that Quershi should never forget his past before criticising Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari. Qureshi was part of the PPP and a foreign minister during the party’s tenure.

    Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon said that Shah Mahmood Qureshi has changed political parties according to circumstances, alleging that PPP caught him red-handed while hatching a conspiracy.

    “The biggest threat to PTI chief Imran Khan is from Shah Mahmood Qureshi,” Memon said.

    Qureshi joined PTI in 2011, one of the first big names to do so.

    Earlier, Qureshi held a press conference and criticised the PPP leadership.

    Speaking to the media in Karachi, the former foreign minister asked PPP to clear its stance on whether they are standing with the Constitution or abrogating it.

  • Historian gets mistaken for actor Tom Holland, gets swamped by messages from Bollywood fans

    Ever thought getting mistaken for a celebrity would be a life changing adventure? Turns out reality is far more bizarre than fiction.

    At the launch of the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Center, or as we call it ‘Ambani Gala’, celebrities from all over the world showed up dressed to the nines and had the time of their life. Present among them were Hollywood model Gigi Hadid, and actors Zendaya and Tom Holland rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of Bollywood.

    Holland, renowned for playing Spiderman, only has one social media account on Instagram. However, as photos of the actor posing with Indian celebrities showed up online, Bollywood fans didn’t realise that the Marvel superstar is not on Twitter.

    They tagged another Tom Holland in their tweets, a historian from London.

    The case of mistaken identity later kickstarted a hilarious sequence of Bollywood fans spamming Holland with pictures of an event he definitely did not attend.

    Twitter users found this mistake extremely funny.

    I mean who wouldn’t want to be mistaken for a Marvel star?

  • Khunjerab Pass reopens to boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and China

    Khunjerab Pass reopens to boost bilateral trade between Pakistan and China

    In a press release issued by the PM Office Media Wing, Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif expressed his pleasure over the reopening of the Khunjerab Pass on Sunday. He stated that this development would help to increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and China, and described it as a welcome occasion for boosting trade with “Iron brother China.”

    The prime minister emphasised that the reopening of the Pass had removed a hurdle that would further expedite the pace of work on the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). He added that the restoration of the trade route between the two countries, after a span of three years, was a matter of great rejoicing.

    Furthermore, the prime minister noted that the journey towards CPEC had started way back in November 2019 and recommenced in the year 2023. He expressed his resolve to move ahead on CPEC with dual speed in comparison to 2018.

    He said that CPEC is a gift of progress and prosperity given by Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese leadership for the region and the people. The prime minister also mentioned the affection and cooperation from the Chinese leadership for the people of Pakistan, which he described as unforgettable.

    The prime minister expressed his disappointment over a “foreign funded person” who had created controversy over CPEC. However, he appreciated the relevant authorities of the two countries and the team members over the restoration of trade and travel facilities.

  • ‘Zip your lips’; Rashid Latif thinks Shadab’s statement angered PCB

    ‘Zip your lips’; Rashid Latif thinks Shadab’s statement angered PCB

    Former captain and wicketkeeper batsman Rashid Latif has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that may be trying to punish Shadab Khan for speaking the truth.

    After losing the second T20 match against Afghanistan, Shadab Khan said that team management will now realise the importance of Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan, both of whom were rested for the series.

    The statement raised eyebrows among commentators, being interpreted as Shadab blaming the management for not sending star batsmen Babar and Rizwan for the series.


    Rashid Latif thinks that the statement has angered the Board and they now want to punish Shadab Khan by removing him as Vice-Captain.


    Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, and wicketkeeper, Mohammad Rizwan were rested from the recently-concluded Afghanistan series which Pakistan lost by 1-2.

    While reacting to the aforementioned news on his YouTube channel, Latif slammed the board for mentally torturing Pakistan cricketers.

    “One person is trying to speak the truth but they [PCB] are trying to zip his lips. Disturb him so much that he leaves cricket and makes him a psycho.

    Why do 90 percent of Pakistan players become psycho after leaving cricket? They become psycho because of Pakistan Cricket Board,” Latif said.

    “I don’t understand who brings these people on the board,” he concluded.

    Babar will once again be in the driving seat of Pakistan’s cricket team, resuming his responsibilities as captain in the series against New Zealand.
    The Kiwiswill arrive in Lahore and play three T20Is from 14-17 of April before traveling to Rawalpindi, where the final two T20Is and first ODI will be played from 20-26 of April.

    The tour will culminate in Karachi, with the remaining four ODIs to be played from April 30 to May 7.

  • ‘Mai in logon ke sath nahi bethoonga, meri team bethegi’: Khan refuses to sit with govt for talks

    ‘Mai in logon ke sath nahi bethoonga, meri team bethegi’: Khan refuses to sit with govt for talks

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has said that he will not sit with the government for dialogue, asserting that if any talks are held, his team will participate instead of him.

    “I will not sit with the government. And if any dialogues are held on the issue of elections alone, my team, not me, will participate,” said the PTI chief.

    “The dialogues should only be held on elections alone. However, I will not sit with those to whom I use to call thieves and corrupt,” he clarified. “And if the talks don’t go towards holding elections, then there is no benefit of dialogues,” he added.

    Khan had hoped that after former Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa retired, there will be some change in the treatment given to his party, however, he claimed that matters have become even more difficult than they were before.

    “We were hoping that when Gen Bajwa leaves, and there is change of command there would be some change. However, we have seen no change. Everything is the same, or I should say that the policies have intensified,” said Khan in an interview to news website Urdu.com on Sunday.

    Khan said that he was not in contact with the establishment. He further said if talks are held on elections alone, his party will talk to anyone. When asked if the establishment has something personal against Khan, he said that he can’t say much about this but he knows one thing for sure that Gen (retd) Bajwa caused a lot of oppression on PTI. “We used to ask the police they would say that we have orders from higher ups,” he stated.

    Talking about forced disappearances, Khan said that he knew who was responsible for taking away PTI social media activist Azhar Mashwani.

    “We knew who took Azhar Mashwani. It was neither police who was involved nor FIA. We know which agency was behind it,” said Khan.

    “There are actually scared. They only want my complete blackout. They have banned me on media and now they’re after my social media presence,” said Khan.

  • TRIGGER WARNING- ‘If rape is imminent, then enjoy it’: PPP’s Nabil Gabol’s disgusting remarks once again get slammed on social media

    Trigger warning: rape jokes, kidnapping, assault, sexual harassment

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) politician Nabil Gabol has proved that one can be a legislator in the highest offices and yet resort to making extremely offensive, misogynist jokes whenever they can.

    Twitter users have decried PPP for claiming that they are a progressive party, but providing important positions to men like Gabol who make misogynist and degrading comments about women on public platforms. A clip from a YouTube podcast, The Pakistan Experience with host Shehzad Ghias, is going viral on Twitter where Gabol was a guest and where he said: “When rape is imminent, then just enjoy it.”

    To which activists like Soul Sister’s Founder Kanwal Ahmed responded with “Gross”.

    Journalist Zebunnisa Burki shared the clip on her Twitter page and lamented the fact that men in powerful positions are never held accountable for talking about women in a vulgar manner like he has.

    Founder of ‘Digital Rights Foundation’ and lawyer Nighat Dad criticized Gabol on her Twitter account for casually using rape as a punchline because of the way it malign’s the struggles of survivors of sexual violence, and especially called for politicians to be held accountable for their words because they hold positions of power and influence.

    https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1642617390767677441?s=20

    Dad also shared a clip from Gabol’s previous interview with Youtuber Nadir Ali which took place in 2022, where the politician was seen making sexually suggestive comments about women politicians.

    https://twitter.com/nighatdad/status/1642625211735457794?s=20

    In the same interview, a user shared a clip of Gabol openly claiming that he kidnaps girls and takes them under his possession.

    Recently, Gabol had given an interview to Nadir Ali, where a Twitter users shamed him for his sexual comments about the TikTok star Ayesha, and for asking for her number.

    https://twitter.com/shezanmango/status/1642158091625201665?s=20

    Writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto shared the clip from Gabol’s interview with Ghias, and in the caption she condemned his comments for exposing the ‘criminal mindset of the Sindh government.”

    Bakhtawar Bhutto, the sister of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, condemned Gabol on Monday morning in a tweet.

    His (repulsive) rhetoric belongs to his individual only & is in noway a representation of our party. Incase it wasn’t already abundantly obvious- we absolutely & unequivocally stand for the rights & protection of women. Misogyny has no space in our religion nor our party.”

    However, users demanded that Gabol be removed from the party, calling the tweet a tone-deaf response to criticism.

    Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman has responded to the controversy in a tweet saying that strict action was underway.

  • Muhammad Amir gears up to comeback in international cricket

    Muhammad Amir gears up to comeback in international cricket

    Selectors of the national cricket team have hinted that left-arm fast bowler Muhammad Amir is gearing up to wear the Pakistan cricket team kit once again.

    Sources have said that an important official of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) recently met Muhammad Amir’s manager and gave a green signal to the left-arm pacer by advising him to be prepared while gearing up for a comeback.


    According to a media report, the selector has warned Amir to just focus on his cricket and avoid giving unnecessary statements in the media, which might create controversy.

    The report further added that he will soon be asked to take his retirement back, so he needs to keep practicing and keep himself fit till then.

    Amir called time on his international career in 2020 in protest over the treatment he had received from the then-management, led by Misbah ul Haq.

    However, after Najam Sethi took charge of PCB, the management committee chairman said in a media interaction that Amir would be considered for selection like other players, if he takes his retirement back.

    “Mohammad Amir can play international cricket for Pakistan if he takes his retirement back. I always took a strong stance against match-fixing. I believe no convicted player should be spared, but at the same time, a player should be allowed to resume international cricket once he has completed his years of penalty,” said Sethi.


    Muhammad Amir is the key-bowler for Karachi Kings. The bowler’s remarks often land him into controversy.

    Despite retiring, Amir continues to play in leagues around the world and recently represented Karachi Kings in Pakistan Super League (PSL).
    Recently Pakistan’s former captain wicketkeeper batter Sarfaraz Ahmed praised Amir, stating that he is better than any other left-arm pacer on the team right now.