According to the schedule released by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), 5 of the Pakistan Super League matches will be held in Karachi (3 matches) and Lahore (2 matches) next year for PSL 2019.
The tournament will kick-start on 14th February 2019 in Dubai, and the final match will be played in ‘The City of Lights’ Karachi on 17th March.
This time around, the list of players, be it national or international, is bigger and better than the previous season.
PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani met with all six PSL franchises on Saturday and had a fruitful meeting with them in terms of the new season.
The board will also be welcoming fresh bids for the sponsor of season 4 and broadcast rights.
Mani stated:
PCB’s aim is to ensure transparency and working in partnership with all franchises in order to make PSL a bigger success.
PCB and all PSL franchises are partners in this project and I am confident that we will all work together to bring in good numbers for our next rights cycle. The inclusion of franchises in the decision-making process highlights the need to ensure the collective growth of all partners.
The drafting of PSL 2019 will be held in the last week of October and franchise can retain up to 10 players. Two of these players can be overseas cricketers from the platinum category.
Squads will be required to have at least 16-20 players, with four spots reserved for young and emerging talent.
Yahoo India has rolled-out out a yearly list of the ‘Top 10 Most Searched Personalities’ for different categories.
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has made the list at number 10!
Furthermore, other personalities who are on it include Indian film star Salman Khan at number 9, former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at number 8, film star Priyanka Chopra at number 7.
Indian Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is at number 6, film star Priya Prakash Varrier at number 5, Indian politician M Karunanidhi is at number 4, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on number 3, late actress Sridevi takes number 2 and actress Sunny Leonne is at the top of the list at #1.
Most Searched Politicians of 2018
PM Imran Khan, who is not just one of Pakistan’s most famous sports personality, but now also a popular politician, is also very reputable globally with a vast fan following.
Khan has made it to yet another list – ‘Most Searched Politicians of 2018’ by Yahoo India.
The search engine has placed Khan at no. 5 right before US President Donald Trump who is at rank no. 6.
The list also features other politicians:
10. H. D. Kumaraswamy (India)
9. Lalu Prasad Yadav
8. Pranab Mukherjee
7. Amit Shah
6. Donald Trump (US)
5. Imran Khan (Pakistan)
4. Atal Bihari Vajpayee
3. Rahul Gandhi
2. M Karunanidhi
1. Narendra Modi
What do you think about the list? Share your thoughts with us!
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for more news and updates.
The glitzy and glamorous Masala Awards 2018 took place last night in Dubai, bringing superstars from the Asian entertainment community under one roof together!
Many Pakistani stars, along with Bollywood celebrities, were there to dazzle this ostentatious night, bigger and more glamorous than the last year.
Some of our favorite stars have also received awards for their outstanding contribution to the entertainment industry and we can’t be more proud of them!
And of course, they all were dressed up like a dream, ensembled in gorgeous outfits designed by world famous designers.
The neat and dapper look of Sheheryar Munawar Siddiqui in this 3-piece by Ismail Farid was to die for! The 7DMI actor has also grabbed the award for the Most Versatile Actor last night.
Wearing this red hot outfit by Faraz Manan at Masala Awards 2018, the supermodel turned actress looked absolutely stunning, winning the award for the Agent of Social Change.
4. Osman Khalid Butt
If someone can rock this glittery gold jacket while looking as dashing as ever, he has to be Osman Khalid Butt!
The ever-gorgeous diva of Bollywood flaunting this lovely outfit by Faraz Manan and became the center of attention at Masala Awards 2018.
Kareena knows just right how to slay in every look and she has also won the award for the Asian Icon of the Year.
7. Kartik Aaryan
Kartik Aaryan, the trending actor of Sonu Ke Tittu ki Sweety, went for an all gentlemen look and have a look at how he rocked the stage while performing with the famous Punjabi singer Navraj Hans.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government is yet again, taking a revolutionary measure in the healthcare sector by imposing a ‘Sin Tax’ (Gunnah Tax) on cigarette smokers across the nation.
Sources say that the federal government was going over several options as high-level consultation meetings are underway to address the matter.
A correspondent of ARY News, Jahangir Khan, said that the center has decided to impose a heavy sin tax on smoking tobacco.
He added:
“The earnings from this tax would be expended on welfare of masses under Prime Minister National Health Programme,”
This step is likely going to lead to an increase in cigarette prices countrywide and earnings from this tax is expected to be in the billions. The tax is already present in some European Union nations in various forms.
In the Phillippines, it has been imposed with the passing of the Sin Tax Reform bill.
According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO):
“Within the first year of passing the bill, Philippines raised more than USD$1.2 billion and allowed the Philippines to provide health care to an additional 14 million families or roughly 45 million Filipinos.”
Jahangir also stated that a tax of around Rs 5-15 a packet was expected to be levied.
Government sources have confirmed that roughly 4 billion cigarette packets are produced in Pakistan annually.
The public exchequer is expected to gain billions of rupees from this taxation.
The news of Sin Tax being imposed in Pakistan was followed by an uproar on social media.
PTI MNA and Federal Water Resources Minister Faisal Vawda took to social media to defend the move
I’m a chain cigarette smoker myself and I appreciate all the measures taken by the government to discourage smoking and I understand it’s injurious to health but this term “Gunnah Tax” is inappropriate. If this is gunnah then what would we name and term the actual gunnahs.
Pakistani diva Mahira Khan and online trolls seem to go hand-in-hand and the actress always manages to make big headlines with her savage replies to them.
The Zaalima actress isn’t afraid to speak her mind when bullies attack her online and take digs at her. Recently, Mahira Khan took to her Twitter account and congratulated Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Hafeez who announced his retirement from test cricket.
She tweeted:
Mubarak on a great innings and thank You!! I’m so glad I got to watch you play live. Love to you and the family.
Mubarak on a great innings and thank You!! I’m so glad I got to watch you play live. Love to you and the family. https://t.co/xcRes6RHgA
Lots of new applications have popped up on Google Play in 2018. Many of them are of really high quality, but the one application which stands out and above the rest is ‘Drops: Learn 31 New Languages’.
This App, as the name suggests, aims to teach users foreign languages, but it uses a bit-sized methodology to teach by using several pictures and playing different games to enhance the learning.
Move over P&G, there’s a new addition to the World’s Largest Advertisers 2018 list! According to Ad Age, Samsung has overthrown P&G from the throne of being the ‘World’s Biggest Advertiser’.
The tech giant started to spend more money, reportedly, after the backlash and negative responses it started to receive the following the highly criticized recall of the Galaxy Note 7 due to exploding batteries.
The new rankings report states that P&G is still the world’s largest spender on a narrower definition of advertising.
P&G reported $7.1 billion in advertising costs in the year ended June 2018, including TV, print, radio, internet and in-store ads.
Samsung’s reported advertising expenses, excluding its massive sales promotion budget, came in at $4.8 billion in 2017.
Total ad spending for the Ad Age World’s 100 Largest Advertisers rose 4.9 percent to $279 billion in 2017, with spending increases at 68 companies. The ranking includes a roster of global brand marketers from Samsung to Mazda Motor Corp. (No. 100 on the list at $1.1 billion).
The list also includes internet-age companies- Netflix, Alibaba, Alphabet, Amazon, and others which have increased the amount of money they spend globally by 26.6%.
Ad Age World’s Five Largest Advertisers
Rank
Marketer
Headquarters
Category
2017 Total Worldwide Advertising Spending
1
Samsung Electronics Co.
South Korea
Technology
$11.2B
2
Procter & Gamble Co.
U.S.
Personal care
10.5B
3
L’Oréal
France
Personal care
8.6B
4
Unilever
U.K./Netherlands
Personal care
8.5B
5
Nestlé
Switzerland
Food and beverages
7.2B
Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers: Top five
$46.1B
Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers: Top 100
$279.0B
Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers: Fastest-Growing Spenders
Chinese online retailer Alibaba more than doubled advertising and promotion spending in 2017.
Fourteen personal care and household products marketers in 2017 accounted for about $52 billion or nearly one-fifth of ad spending for Ad Age World’s 100 Largest Advertisers. Sixteen automakers made the top 100 ranking with spending of $47 billion.
Category
Number of marketers
2017 total worldwide advertising spending
Share of top 100’s spending
Personal care and household products
14
$51.6B
18.5%
Automotive
16
47.1B
16.9
Entertainment and media
11
29.8B
10.7
Retail
14
26.7B
9.6
Food and beverages
7
20.9B
7.5
Technology
6
18.9B
6.8
Beer, wine and liquor
6
17.8B
6.4
Telecommunications
7
17.3B
6.2
Financial services
6
13.2B
4.7
Apparel
4
12.7B
4.5
Pharmaceuticals
4
8.1B
2.9
Travel
2
7.8B
2.8
Restaurants
3
7.1B
2.6
Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers: Top 100
100
$279.0B
100.0%
About Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2018
Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2018 is the 32nd annual global report produced by Ad Age Datacenter.
Eiffel Scholarship 2019 for Pakistan: The French Embassy in Islamabad has announced a ground-breaking opportunity for Pakistani students to study in France. Called the Eiffel Scholarship Program of Excellence, the platform will provide young learners to pursue higher education in the European nation.
The programme financed by the Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs aims to attract foreign talent in diploma courses at Masters’ and Ph.D. level in France
Fields Offered in Eiffel Scholarship 2019 for Pakistan
Economics and management
Engineering sciences and law/political sciences at Masters’ level
Sciences in the broad sense
law/political sciences for the Doctorate/Ph.D. level
Coverage
The scholarship allows the diploma course’s financing at Masters’ level and lasts up to 12 to 36 months
Ph.D. students are eligible for a monthly allowance for a maximum of 12 months.
UPDATE: Arizona Grill, one of Karachi’s leading eateries faced massive backlash after two minors passed away reportedly from food poisoning.
It was found that the children, Muhammad, 5 years, and his 1.5-year-old brother, Ahmed had dined at the eatery located at Zamzama and had candies at Chunky Monkey.
Medical reports from the case have now been shared. According to these reports, the children had consumed substandard food which later resulted in food poisoning, eventually leading to their death the next day.
However, it is unclear if the unhygienic food was consumed at the eatery or the amusement park.
The sources have added that the final cause of death will also be shared with the media once the microbiology report comes in. Earlier, the reports found no traces of food poisoning in samples collected at the residency.
Approximately, 60 food samples were collected and sent to the lab for tests and analysis following the demise of the minors. Sindh Food Authority also came across a huge amount of expired meat found at the eatery which was reportedly being disposed of.
https://youtu.be/iWqy0xY34A0
One of Karachi’s leading eateries, Arizona Grill, along with Chunky Monkey has been sealed after two children lost their lives from food poisoning on Sunday.
Muhammad, 5 years, and his 1.5-year-old brother, Ahmed, had severe food poisoning after they had dinner from Arizona Grill, in DHA Zamzama. Later, they ate sweets from Chunky Monkey DHA Phase-IV on Saturday.
Ahmed of 1.5 years and Muhammad of 5 years died yesterday coz of food poisoning after having dinner at Arizona grill at ZamZama Karachi and also having ice-cream from chunky monkey both concessions were sealed off by Sind govt pic.twitter.com/3yNFQ9EE2r
Both the kids, along with their mother, got admitted in the hospital the same night but unfortunately, Muhammad and Ahmed passed away the next day.
Their mother is still admitted in the South City hospital and has been contacted by the police for the details to proceed with their investigation.
According to reports, 6 employees have been arrested by the investigation team and both, Arizona Grill and Chunky Monkey, have been sealed for an unspecified period.
Chief Minister Sindh, Syed Murad Ali Shah has taken the notice of this tragic incident. He has directed the Commissioner of Karachi to submit a detailed report regarding the inspection of these two facilities and has also advised identifying the people involved in this matter.
Arizona Grill has released a statement regarding the matter and has offered the family their deepest condolences.
Healthy and nutritious food are the fundamental pillars of any restaurant. Arizona Grill proudly upholds these values…
Since both these places are quite popular among Karachities, it is an alarming call to ensure food safety measures in order to prevent any such case in the future.
The UAE based ride-hailing service, Careem, has offered many different modes of transport to Pakistanis in different cities.
Starting off with cars, the platform soon added rickshaws, bikes, mini-car and even Go+ services. Previously, Careem even launched Suzuki Bolan also known as ‘Dabba Service’ for north Pakistan.
Now, the cab service eyes to launch their own bus-service in Pakistan and various other countries around the world.
Careem CEO Mudassir Sheikha shared his company’s plan to expand its type of services in the South Asian country during the inauguration of Careem bus service in Egypt on Monday.
He added that they will expand their services by giving an opportunity to give bus drivers employment and to help low-mid income earners a cheaper mode of transport compared to car services by 60-70%.
Reportedly, the service is now cash only, but passengers will be able to pay via the Careem wallet on the app soon.
Hadeer Shalaby, Director of Careem Bus, said:
Customers now expect the same high-tech experience across all products and services they engage with – why shouldn’t taking a bus be as seamless as ride-hailing a car? Research conducted by Careem revealed 40 percent of the Egyptian population is not being adequately served by a transportation service that suits their needs and the situation was getting worse.
Careem Bus will revolutionise mass transportation allowing customers to enjoy the benefits of our tech as well as reducing traffic in cities as mass shared-mobility could lead to an 80 percent reduction in the number of vehicles and CO2 emissions by 2050
Careem’s CEO and co-founder Mudassir Sheikha also commented on the occasion”
The launch of Careem Bus means that transport options and mobility has just improved for millions of people, as well as decreasing congestion and pollution in the city. Cairo is just the start. Careem’s move into mass transportation will have a huge and positive impact across the region.
Careem plans to expand the service to Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in the near future.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for more news and updates.
The evergreen Hollywood superstar Arnold Schwarzenegger has promised to visit Pakistan and talk about the extreme climatic conditions in the country.
PM’s Advisor for Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam took to Twitter where he posted a picture with Arnold Schwarzenegger, revealing that the Terminator actor has vowed to visit Pakistan and talk about our extreme climate vulnerability.
The famous actor turned politician turned activist, Arnold Schwarzenegger has starred in many superhit Hollywood movies including The Terminator, T2: Judgment Day, Predator, Commando, Conan the Barbarian and Kindergarten Cop to name a few.
The Austrian-American actor who has also served as the Governor of California for many years is in Poland these days to attend the 24th Conference of the Parties (COP24) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change along with the President of Austria.
Malik Amin Aslam is representing Pakistan in this conference which has invited representatives from 200 different countries. The PM’s advisor got to meet the Terminator actor at the COP24 and this how the pact between the two was formed!
Let’s see when Arnold Schwarzenegger will come to Pakistan. One thing is for sure that him discussing the climatic issues is definitely going to leave an impact.
One of Pakistan’s leading biscuit manufacturers, Innovative Biscuits, has recently launched a campaign called ‘iDisconnect’ that is a pure breath of fresh air.
The initiative is urging customers to switch off from social media and to disconnect from unnecessary connections that consumers have all become accustomed to.
In today’s era of digital communication and instant connectivity, people are finding it increasingly difficult to disconnect.
From hundreds of emails each day to non-stop notifications on our cell phones, modern technology separates us from a natural lifestyle and environment.
Innovative Digestive’s campaign makes you take a break!
The brand has taken inspiration from one of Innovative Biscuits’ flagship products, Innovative Digestive.
Going deeper into how Innovative Digestive biscuits are made, it becomes clear where the idea of ‘iDisconnect’ comes from.
Made using real and pure ingredients such as whole wheat and brown sugar, Digestives are completely free of any artificial flavors and/or colors.
To translate this philosophy and extend it to the lives of its consumers, Innovative Biscuits is asking them to be like Digestive!
The idea is to compel consumers to free themselves from artificial constraints, to disconnect from unnecessary things and to reconnect with what is, in fact, real, natural and healthy.
To reinforce this idea, Innovative Digestive invited 6 celebrities, Ahmed Ali Butt, Ahsan Khan, Ushna Shah, Hina Altaf, Sophiya Anjam and Munib Nawaz, to take up the iDisconnect Challenge.
The stars were all invited to spend the day at Greenfields in order to disconnect from technology and their busy lives and connect with their families, friends and themselves.
Once they reached Greenfields, each one of them was asked to surrender their phones!
Faatima Khan couldn’t wait to see if Ahmed Ali Butt could make it without his phone!
Hina Altaf couldn’t imagine spending a day without Instagram!
Sophiya Anjam was excited to spend the day like the 90s!
Ahsan Khan was also excited to get away from social media for a day.
Once the Innovative Digestive iDisconnect challenge began, everyone started taking part in different activities throughout the day.
Later, the gang regrouped for a session of indoor games and some hilarious rounds of dumb charades!
Your beloved stars just found the connection they had been missing out on and lived it. Now it’s your turn to connect with what matters, give up your phones and take the #iDisconnect Challenge! #InnovativeBiscuits #InnovativeDigestive
With the aim to raise awareness about child protection, Haiwan is an ongoing drama on ARY Digital with the first episode aired so far.
A rise in the number of child abuse cases has been reported recently in Pakistan. Several dramas have been made to highlight this sensitive issue and Haiwan is the latest one.
Haiwan follows the story of a couple, Faysal Quraishi and Sawera Nadeem, and their two daughters. Things turn upside down for this small family as the younger daughter, Jojo, disappears as she goes out to play with her friend.
Sanam Chaudhry as Momina is playing the role of the elder daughter, who experiences an emotional breakdown after her little sister goes missing and so does her parents.
Supreme Court (SC) of Pakistan has warned mineral water companies to improve the quality of their water supply in 7 days or they would be shut down.
Hearing the case regarding the use of the groundwater by mineral water companies, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar has also ordered these companies to pay the price of groundwater.
He strictly warned all brands to stop deceiving the nation.
We cannot let our children drink this water as these companies would turn our country into Ethiopia, people should boycott to drink mineral water.
Chief Justice has also advised the advocate generals of all 4 four provinces to come up suggestions to solve this issue.
CJP stated:
“This fraud with citizens should be ended […] We will not let the citizens’ water and money be wasted.
In November, the Supreme Court directed a judicial commission to inspect the companies selling bottled water in Pakistan. All mineral water companies, including Nestle, were given a 10-day deadline to rectify their errors.
Regarding the use of groundwater by these companies, Chief Justice had remarked:
“They are taking water from Indus River and canals. They are cleaning the water and selling it. There should be a restriction on mineral water companies.”
Farzana Shah, Director General of Environmental Protection Agency, told the Supreme Court that mineral water companies source their water from the ground and canals in Punjab. The canal water is replaced by sewage water which is then used by the farmers for the irrigation of crops.
Supreme Court has not yet registered a case against these mineral water companies but CJP Saqib Nisar is not satisfied by their conduct.
Pakistani film and television actor Babar Ali is said to have received death threats from an unknown person. After getting the threats, the actor decided to move to the United States until the matter is resolved.
It has also been reported that the actor has been suspiciously followed by a number of people and is continuously getting messages on his social media accounts.
He said:
I am getting suspicious that I am being followed by some people. I have also received intimidating threats on Viber and WhatsApp multiple times after acting in a private television’s drama.
He further revealed that extremist elements are also active against the artists. The actor has also lodged an FIR at the Defence Police Station in the provincial capital earlier this month but the suspect is yet to be arrested.
On the professional front, Babar Ali has appeared a number of movies and dramas. His debut drama “Labbaik” aired on PTV two decades back and made him an overnight star. He showed his exceptional performance in Dramas like Laal Ishq, Rani, Wafa, Oas, Landa Bazar, and other.
We have heard many versions of the iconic Pakistani tune ‘Jazba Junoon’. And now a new rendition of the track sung by a Saudi singer is going viral on social media.
Apparently, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s concert was held in Riyadh’s King Fahad Culture Center.
The musical evening was dedicated to the friendship between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. A large number of fans gathered to listen to the legendary singer live in concert.
The night was attended by Ambassador Vice Admiral (Retd) Khan Hasham Bin Saddique, and General (Retired) Raheel Sharif, the military commander of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC).
As the night began, popular Saudi singer Ahmed Sultan sang his way into the hearts of Pakistanis by crooning Jazba Junoon.
Cheering for Pakistan on stage, Sultan chanted:
I Love Pakistan. Do you Love Pakistan?
Pakistanis are in love with the video that is now breaking the internet.
General Raheel Sharif was also spotted in the crowd cheering for the singer.
Fans have given Ahmed Sultan a thumbs up for his effort!
The Saudi singer is famous for performing on various Pakistani and Indian songs. He has a great fan following amongst Pakistani community residing in the Arabian country.
Content posted Instagram is mostly visible to the masses unless you have privacy settings enabled.
However, despite the fact that the application gives you privacy options, it still feels like Instagram wants you to have more interaction with people outside your circle.
The popular feature called ‘Insta Stories’ is a good example of this. If you post a picture, or video, or even go live, pretty soon strangers are found commenting
However, Instagram has introduced a new feature this week which now allows you to keep those stories personal while still keeping your account (the stories you chose) public.
The feature called ‘Close Friends’, allows you to choose whether an image is shared publicly or just with close friends list when you add it to a story.
How to Share Instagram Stories with Close Friends List
Open your Instagram application and tap on your profile icon
Tap the hamburger icon at the top-right corner of the page
Select ‘Close Friends List‘ from the drop-down menu
You can manually add people by clicking the ‘Add‘ option aside their name, you can also tap suggestions to make things easier (Instagram will surface people you interact with often on the platform)
Once done, you will start seeing a ‘Close Friends‘ icon when you create a story
Tap it and the story will only be sent to your close friends, voila!
One thing that’s worth noting is that ‘Close Friends’ stories are designated with a green circle around them rather than a red one.
Images shared in this feature, cannot be shared elsewhere, so you do not need to worry about your friends sharing your pictures.
For more info, news and updates Stay tuned to Brandsynario!
If you need an iPhone battery replacement, you’d better hurry up because Apple’s discounted battery offer is nearing its end.
Around this time last year, several iPhone users had experienced severe battery issues and significant slowing down of their phones due to throttling.
After receiving massive backlash, Apple came out and apologised to its consumers and offered them a discounted battery replacement for older iPhones. The price dropped from $79 to $29- a $50 discount.
This covers various models such as 6, 6 Plus, 6S Plus, 7, 7S, 7 Plus and SE.
The offer was also extended to newer phones, 8, 8 Plus and iPhone X. The latest models, iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR are not yet eligible.
How to Check Eligibility
There is also a way to check if your battery is faulty if you’re running on IOS 11.3 or above.
Go to Settings
You will find a new ‘Battery Health’ Option
You will see the current battery’s maximum capacity and it’ll also tell you if you need a battery replacement.
Battery availability depends on the stock. It is wise to replace it sooner rather than later, the offer is available worldwide but ends soon on 31st December!
Users are advised to perform a full backup and then a factory reset before handing their phones.
The incident occurred on November 26 at around 1:15 am. Tahir booked a bike ride using the online app near Tariq Road. The passenger reached the end of the street after confirming the correct license plate of the bike.
After being aboard the bike, the captain drove for a few miles and later, pulled out a gun to snatch the passenger’s mobile phone and wallet.
Police managed to trace the robber after the FIR was registered by Mohammad Tahir.
According to law enforcement officers, three more people are involved in robbing passengers and might be part of the online ride-hailing app service. Consequently, a gang is possibly involved in this crime. Police are now on a lookout for the remaining members.
A copy of the FIR and email receipts were revealed by Samaa confirming the incident.
Watch Hajra Yamin’s exclusive interview with Brandsynario about her upcoming movie pinky memsaab. We are really looking forward to her role in the movie as ‘Pinky’ after this. Watch it now
Ushna Shah and Ahsan Khan went for horse riding and ATVs.
