Author: news update

Experts stress the need for climate smart agriculture to ensure food security in Pakistan

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

A high-powered policy dialogue titled “Climate-Smart Agriculture and Food Security: Challenges & Way Forward for Pakistan” was organized by Syngenta Pakistan and Pakistan Institute of Parliamentary Services (PIPS) on 7th March, 2023 in Islamabad. With the objectives of highlighting the key challenges facing the food security of the country and identifying viable solutions to mitigate these challenges in the context of climate change, the session brought together key stakeholders from public, private, development and academic sectors including members of the parliament, and representatives from UN FAO, ADB, PMAS Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi and Quaid-e-Azam University Islamabad who stressed the need for a collective action plan to deal with the rising food insecurity and to promote climate smart and regenerative agriculture in the country to counter the impacts of climate change.

Honourable Speaker National Assembly, Mr. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest and stated that “Pakistan has become highly vulnerable to climate change, and not because of our own doing, which is manifested in the form of recent super floods which had wreaked havoc on our agriculture. It is essential that we protect our agriculture against climatic shifts and utilize sustainable practices to improve our climate resilience. We are at the turning point of our history. It is through persistence and resilience that we will overcome all the changes that our nation is currently facing.”

Senator Seemi Ezdi (Chairperson Senate’s Standing Committee on Climate Change) was of the view that “Women in Agriculture have an important role to play in ensuring the food security of the country. Most of the labor force in the agriculture sector constitutes of women workers. While it gives us a food for thought to upskill the female labor force in agriculture, it also is an indication of promoting more female farmers who are equipped with the latest technologies for dealing with climate change and productivity issues.

Dr Shahida Rehmani MNA appreciated the timely initiative by the Pakistan Institute for Parliamentary Services and Syngenta Pakistan and she expressed the hope that: Certainly, the report of the Roundtable will help committees in Parliament to advocate and oversee national policy-making on climate smart agriculture.

The participants emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to deal with the overlapping crises of climate-change, food-insecurity, water-scarcity and rising temperatures in the country. They appreciated the policy dialogue which not only contributed as a point of reference for valuable discourse on climate-action, but also helped in improving their understanding around the concepts of ‘climate-smart agriculture’, the nexus between climate-change, food-security and sustainable-agriculture.

Free Fire & Jazz Game Now Collaborate to Launch a New Esports League in Pakistan

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

Free Fire and Jazz Game Now join hands to launch a new esports tournament, Game Now Free Fire Sea Invitational Qualifiers (FFSIQ). It will feature a prize pool valued at PKR 2 million sponsored by Game Now.

Free Fire is the world’s leading mobile battle royale game with over 1 Billion downloads and has been at the forefront of the esports revolution in Pakistan. Free Fire & Game Now remain committed to empowering the youth through opportunity and developing a sustainable ecosystem for eSports in Pakistan.

Commenting on the occasion, – Syed Babar, Head of Digital Marketing, Jazz, said, “Through the Game Now FFSIQ program, we are committed to providing a platform for Pakistani gamers to showcase their skills and take the first step towards becoming professional esports players. This partnership will contribute to the growth of the esports industry in Pakistan and serve as a source of inspiration for young people across the country.

With a focus on mobile and PC games, Game Now has created a platform that allows players to compete in various games, including popular titles such as Free Fire, Call of Duty Mobile, and many more paving the way for a new generation of gamers in Pakistan and beyond.

Free Fire Esports will launch the FFSI this year, a new multiregional tournament designed to focus on the rivalries between competitive regions. Set to take place in May, the FFSI will host 18 teams from around the globe. The Game Now FFSIQ champion team will earn the chance to represent Pakistan at the global stage at this year’s FFSI.

Free Fire can be downloaded on both the Apple iOS App and Google Play store.

realme GT3 Combines Mind-bending Charging Technology with Safety and Battery Longevity

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Pakistan (Nut Desk)

At the culmination of the Mobile World Congress 2023 in Barcelona, Spain, realme offered insight into their newly launched realme GT3 that features the world’s fastest charging capacity at 240W. Speaking to the media, Chase Xu, realme’s Vice President and President of realme Global Marketing along with Mark Wesley, Product Communications Manager for realme Global delved into the leap-forward technology that makes realme GT3 a class apart.

Highlighting the essence of realme’s GT Series, Chase said that it commercializes innovation by bringing groundbreaking technology to the consumers. “Throughout the product timeline of realme’s GT Series, there has always been a leap in design, performance and technology – which is why consumers have come to expect it as a trendsetting trailblazer. With each new addition in the realme GT Series, we aim to step into a new dimension of leading the industry with our technology, going from popularizer to tech-leader.”

The newly launched realme GT3 sets a standard in the industry by minimizing battery charging duration. Under 10 minutes, the battery charges to 100% making it the world’s fastest charging technology to-date. On the safety question, Mark pointed out: “realme GT3 has the industry-leading fast charge certification––the TÜV Rheinland Safe Fast-Charge System Certification. That means that even at 240W, our fast charge solution is even more reliable than other fast charging solutions out there, with more rigorous testing for a more comprehensive testing standard you can count on, allowing you to experience the thrill of fast charging without worrying about safety issues.”

Mark also highlighted the AI Smart Charging Technology of realme GT3. With intelligent scene detection and battery health protection, realme GT3 offers the charging technology that understands users best. It can sense your environment and adapts the charging accordingly. When in an airport, for example, you’ll get the fastest charge possible, getting you from 0-100% in under 10 minutes. When charging at night, the phone maintains an 80% charge while sleeping, and gives you a boost to 100% before you wake up. When charging while driving, the battery also maintains 80% charge, and gives you a boost to 100% before you arrive at your destination. With these features, even after one year of standard use, the battery health will still be close to brand new.

In extreme climates, realme GT3 can even adapt its charge to allow for safe cold-weather charging down to -20 degrees Celsius––the industry’s highest standard. This is significantly more reliable than other smartphones, where charging becomes ineffective at the 0 degrees to -5 degrees Celsius range. In extreme cold environments, the apportioned charging wattage wakes up the CPU and preheats the whole device to achieve fast-charging without causing low-temperature damage to the battery.

On a closing note, realme hinted that the company is analyzing when to introduce the realme GT3 in Pakistan, while also revealing that in the future, a new amalgamation of its GT Series and Number Series – the GT Number Pro Series might be unveiled, promising the best of tech that the industry has ever seen.

TCL Ranked Global Top 2 TV Brand According to OMDIA

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

TCL, one of the dominant players in the global TV industry and a leading consumer electronics brand, announced its latest ranking of Global Top 2 TV Brand according to OMDIA’s Global TV sets report 2022, the data of which also suggests that TCL large size TVs have received significant growing momentum over the past year and remained No.1 in global 98-inch TV market share.

TCL has been the pioneer in Mini LED TVs and started off 2023 by exhibiting its latest display and smart innovations at CES 2023. TCL was also honoured to have won two CES® 2023 Innovation Awards for its TCL Mini LED 4K TV C935 and C835. Previously, TCL was ranked first as the No.1 Android OS Smart TV brand in 2021 with a steady market share of 20.7%, according to OMDIA – a leading market research firm.

In 2023, TCL’s new Mini LED Series will be available in XL screen sizes which allow much bigger number of Mini LEDs applied on a TV with thousand-level local dimming zones, bringing million-level high contrast, stunning peak brightness in the imagery as well as prominent detail performance by TCL’s exquisite light control algorithm, which all help to reveal every detail in very bright areas, such as sunlight or darkness of caves.

TCL’s much-anticipated 2023 Mini LED and QLED TV series will be available to global markets starting from the first quarter. Please stay-tuned and contact your nearest TCL office or visit our social media channels for latest information.

TCL established its operations in Pakistan in 2013 and has maintained its position as the No.1 LED TV brand in the country in 2022.  TCL is also maintaining its leading position in industry leading segments like Mini LED TV and QLED TVs in the country. Due to its innovative and high-quality products and keen attention to the customer needs, sales volumes have consistently grown year on year.

ACCA hosts high-level conference in Karachi

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)

The Karachi session of ACCA Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC) 2023 provided opportunity to country’s senior business leaders and influencers to engage in future-focused discussions and offer businesses and the government with a forward-thinking action plan on how to weather the current economic headwinds and leverage new opportunities in emerging sectors.

Consistent with this year’s event theme ‘Shaping the future in uncertain times: Learn. Adapt. Thrive.’, the session focused on key policy reforms and business initiatives to create a conducive environment for the emerging sectors to thrive, help the country deal with its current economic challenges and embark on a journey to sustainable, inclusive growth.

Focusing on the central role of accountancy profession, ACCA’s global president, Joseph Owolabi, in his keynote address emphasised:

 

‘As society’s expectations shift with speed and intensity, the challenges that lie ahead for business, governments and policymakers are complex. But with skills, knowledge, and experience that transcend sectors and borders, the accountancy profession is uniquely placed to help drive the change people want to see.’

 

Syed Faisal Ali Subzwari, Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, in his address focused on environment, climate change and green growth.

 

Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor, State Bank of Pakistan, also spoke at the event and delivered an insightful talk on the topic ‘Building economic resilience in uncertain times’.

 

Muhammad Aurangzeb, President and CEO, HBL, delivered an insightful keynote presenting a business case for the adoption of ESG framework and explained how it enables businesses to achieve sustainable growth: attract investments, earn customer trust, drive financial performance and make business operations more efficient.

 

Notable conversation leaders who contributed with their knowledge and insights included Shaista Ayesha, CEO, SEED Ventures, Sadia Dada, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, K Electric, Assad Hameed Khan, Head of ACCA Pakistan, Eqan Ali Khan, GM Strategy, Business Development & Innovation, Lucky Core Industries Limited, Mehvish Waliany, COO, AlKaram Studio, Muhammad Shahzad, Finance Director and ESG Ambition Lead, Unilever Pakistan, Nazish Shekha, Senior Research Associate, CERB, Rana Nadeem, Partner, KPMG, Sarwat Ahson, Executive Director, CFA Society Pakistan, Naureen Hayat, Co-Founder & CEO, Tez Financial Services, Nasha Tengra, Senior Manager Consulting, Digital, Data, Strategy & Fintech, A F Ferguson & Co, Azfer Naseem, CEO-Alpha Capital (Pvt) Ltd, Muhammad Shamoon Tariq, Founder/CEO, Mahaana Wealth, Muhammad Shoaib, CEO, Al-Meezan Investment Management, Shahzad Shahid, Group CEO, TPS Worldwide, and Shaham Ahmed, Honorary Secretary, ICMA Pakistan

The aim of this annual conference by ACCA is to develop a meaningful framework for growth, facilitate ideation, and shape forward-thinking policy choices and business opportunities, focusing on high-impact actions to contribute to the country’s progress. The leaders will convene for finale edition on 23 February in Lahore.

Seed Ventures joined as co-organisers for this year’s edition. Bank Islami and The Coca-Cola Company were the Strategic Partners. Platinum Partners included SKANS School of Accountancy, U Microfinance Bank, and The Millennium Universal College. Telenor Group Adroit Accountax/ Obox Accounting, National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited, National Disaster Risk Management Fund, Tabani’s School of Accountancy, PAC Group of Colleges and Mirchawala’s Hub of Accountancy supported as Gold Partners. TCM – The Centrum Media joined as Outreach Partner and KPMG and Nutshell Group were the Knowledge Partners.

The event is also supported by the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), Pakistan Stock Exchange, Special Technology Zones Authority, Pakistan Software Houses Association, KP Board of Investment and Trade, The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (PBC), ICMA Pakistan, National Incubation Center, Universal Service Fund, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade, Punjab Information Technology Board, Central Power Purchasing Agency, and the CFA Society Pakistan.

ACCA is the world’s leading body for professional accountants, with more than 241,000 fully qualified members and 542,000 future members worldwide. It uses its unrivalled connections across the globe to connect people with fulfilling careers, organizations with the best finance talent, and economies with the ingredients for growth.

 

realme is Leading the Industry with 240W Smartphone Charging Record and Offers Fast Charging for All

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

realme, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, is leading the industry with a 240W smartphone charging device offering fast charging solutions for all. Based on the newest report from Counterpoint, realme is holding true to the ‘Dare to leap’ motto, as being the first in fast-charging innovations. As a young brand, realme is able to push the boundaries further and become the first brand to introduce a 240W-capable smartphone, offering the fastest-charging power under Type-C standard.

Leap from a Popularizer to an Industry Leader

Established with a mission of empowering young consumers with a leap-forward technology and design, realme continues to realize and commercialize innovation in fast-charging technology for their smartphones. For example, realme succeeded in providing 65W charging technology to realme X7 in 2020, making the fast charging experience more accessible to everyone. Followed by an innovative breakthrough with the world’s fastest 150W charging technology to realme GT Neo3 in 2022, this year realme is concocting a 240W charging technology through realme GT3.

Despite a younger brand, realme plays a key role in producing fast charging solutions available to all. Smartphone industry has been demanding higher wattages from time to time in a bid to reduce charging time less than an hour. This leads to realme’s innovation of providing fast charging technology in all price segments.

For the first-time, realme is introducing its fast charging capabilities in smartphone devices and is able to grab a market-leading 85% sales penetration portfolio and features fast charging capability in the year 2022. realme was also the first OEM to launch a 65W capable smartphone, the realme Narzo 20 Pro in 2020. This follows realme’s long-standing history of introducing the latest technologies for low-price segments, impelling smartphone industry to adopt this technology at a mass level.

During this time, realme ranked second in the mid-high to entry level premium segments for 65W capable smartphones in 2022. This means realme is also offering market-leading technology at higher price bands.

240W: Industry Highest Charging Standard

The 240W figure represents the highest standards of fast charging technology in the industry these days. The innovation that realme will present is also the fastest 240W charging technology globally that uses a standard USB Type-C interface.

Innovation in Fast-Charging technology has a great impact on the overall smartphone industry. Advances in technology, especially in the smartphone industry, has become a top priority since smartphones are now able to syndicate sundry devices having different functions that previously were available separately. With budding functions in a smartphone, the usage of such devices is becoming more intense, resulting in an additional usage of a battery. The presence of a charging technology innovation, such as what realme endures will settle these issues.

Consumers are now much more concerned about saving their time while charging their smartphone batteries. Previously, it was normal for them to plugged their devices for couple of hours and wait for a 100% charge. But now, there is a rise in content consumption and consumers also prefer being connected without long downtimes caused by charging their phones. The increase in power-delivering capabilities has reduced the charging time significantly, with more than 100W capable charging technology that can achieve full battery charge in 20-25 minutes. realme’s latest industry-first 240W power output is taking fast charging to the next level.

 

ACCA Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC) 2023 kicks off, economic recovery in focus

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

The 2023 edition of ACCA Pakistan Leadership Conversation (PLC) kicked off with its inaugural session in Islamabad featuring an impressive line-up of country’s top thought leaders.

With Pakistan’s challenging economic situation in focus, this year’s event theme is ‘Shaping the future in uncertain times: Learn. Adapt. Thrive.’. A number of panel discussions and keynotes were part of the programme in Islamabad’s session addressing today’s key business and economic challenges and proposed solutions for climate action, effective public financial management, development of future-ready talent, and achieving business resilience and economic growth.

ACCA’s head of Pakistan, Assad Hameed Khan, initiated the conversation with his welcome address emphasising on the role of professional accountants in nation building.

 

The Country Head of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Pakistan, Zeeshan Sheikh, also shared his views on ‘Investment Opportunities for Climate Action’. Muhammad Farooq, Senior Joint Secretary (Development) at the Ministry of Climate Change, spoke on the topic ‘National Adaptation Plan: Building Resilience and Reducing Vulnerabilities’ aimed at integrating businesses and government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of climate change.

 

Notable conversation leaders who deliberated at the conference included Bilal Anwar, CEO, NDRMF, Hassan Daud Butt, Ex-CEO, KPBoIT, Ayla Majid, ACCA’s global Vice President, Abid Qayyum Suleri, Executive Director, SDPI, Shehzad Ahmed Malik, President, ICMA Pakistan, Alexa Greenwald, Chief Strategy Officer, TCM, Alia Zafar, Group Head of HR, BoP, Faisal Mushtaq, CEO, TMUC, Ghazanfar Azzam, President and CEO, Mobilink Microfinance Bank, Samia Qamar, Director and Country Lead (People) at S&P Global, and Zuhair Khaliq, Founder and General Partner, TeamUp Ventures.

The aim of the conference is to develop a meaningful framework for growth, facilitate ideation, and shape forward-thinking policy choices and business opportunities, focusing on high-impact actions to contribute to the country’s progress. The leaders will convene again on 22 February in Karachi and then on 23 February in Lahore.

Seed Ventures joined ACCA as this year’s co-organisers. Bank Islami and The Coca-Cola Company were the Strategic Partners. Platinum Partners included SKANS School of Accountancy, U Microfinance Bank, and The Millennium Universal College. Telenor Group Adroit Accountax/ Obox Accounting, National Clearing Company of Pakistan Limited, National Disaster Risk Management Fund, Tabani’s School of Accountancy, PAC Group of Colleges and Mirchawala’s Hub of Accountancy supported as Gold Partners. TCM – The Centrum Media joined as Outreach Partner and KPMG and Nutshell Group were the Knowledge Partners.

The event is also supported by the Pakistan Business Council (PBC), Pakistan Stock Exchange, Special Technology Zones Authority, Pakistan Software Houses Association, KP Board of Investment and Trade, The Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business (PBC), ICMA Pakistan, National Incubation Center, Universal Service Fund, Punjab Board of Investment & Trade, Punjab Information Technology Board, Central Power Purchasing Agency, and the CFA Society Pakistan.

ACCA is the world’s leading body for professional accountants, with more than 241,000 fully qualified members and 542,000 future members worldwide. It uses its unrivalled connections across the globe to connect people with fulfilling careers, organizations with the best finance talent, and economies with the ingredients for growth.

 

Get a chance to win PSL matches for free!

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s leading selling smartphone brand, Infinix, has stepped up to give fans a chance to watch PSL matches for free.  All that is required to do is to correctly predict the winners of ongoing PSL matches onto Infinix Facebook page and increasing their chances of winning PSL tickets via lucky drawer taking place on Infinix Facebook page as well.

As PSL 8 is heating up with nail-biting competitions, Infinix brings fans a unique opportunity to be a part of this legacy. Starting from today, in this out of the box contest, fans have to simply guess and comment the winner of the ongoing matches of PSL 8 on the Facebook page of Infinix. Those who guessed the right winner will enter the Lucky Draw. The winner(s) of the exciting Lucky Draw will get to witness the live cricketing clash of PSL 8 final playoffs and finale as well.

CEO Infinix, Mr. Joe Hu, urged the fans not to miss out on the opportunity of winning exclusive tickets to PSL 8 matches: ” Infinix also aims to provide fans with innovative experiences & cherish able memories. This time around, we’re thrilled to offer a chance to watch the best teams in action at PSL 8. We’re eager to see who comes out on top in our lucky drawer.”

Stay tuned to Infinix’s Facebook page and find out more about this lucky drawer. In addition to this, there will be more surprises and gifts to make this cricket season worth remembering.

realme Confirms to launch its Speed Flagship realme GT3 during MWC on February 28

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Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

realme, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, confirmed that it will unveil realme GT3 – its next-gen flagship device during Mobile World Congress 2023.

The MWC ‘23 is slated to kick-off on Monday, February 27 in Barcelona, Spain, where realme will reveal its GT3 smartphone with an offline launch event on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

The all-new realme GT3 device marks another milestone for realme’s leap-forward journey as it is equipped with the first-ever 240W world’s fastest charging power. realme believes that pushing the boundaries is not about reaching towards an end but opening up new possibilities for a start.

Join us for the greatest leap ever in the GT journey.

People can catch the launch live on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/zAHrL8M4ttY

realme’s First Coca-Cola® Smartphone, realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition, Takes Co-Branding to a New Level

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Paksitan (Muhammad Yasir)

The world’s fastest growing smartphone brand, realme, has just released the realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola® Edition (8+128GB Variant). With a “Dare to Leap” spirit, realme has always been known as a trendsetting smartphone brand which innovates designs and co-brands  with brands that are loved by young people and have their own attitudes. Following the success of co-branding with well-known film, anime, and gaming IPs, realme is now co-branding with Coca-Cola®, one of the world’s most iconic and enduring brand to provide a fresh and exciting limited smartphone edition.

The smartphone’s rear design is inspired by Coca-Cola’s classic design elements having Red&Black collision. The 70/30 asymmetrical back design highlights the Coca-Cola logo with three points of black and seven points of red, which makes the logo classy and instantly recognizable. Coke® Red gives a positive, youthful, and energetic feeling. With a bold twist, the cropped Coca-Cola logo brings a new ray of energy to the smartphone experience. The matte imitation metal process provides an elegant touch of brushed aluminum which also remains resilient towards scratches and fingerprints. It is the most stylish edition that presents a juvenile and fashion-forward attitude.

Another noteworthy feature is the customized UI system, from the lock screen to the dynamic charging effect, which is all designed based on Coke® Red and Coca-Cola’s bubble element, bringing an extra cheer to each moment for consumers. Besides, ringtones are customized as well to provide more interesting details, such as the Coca-Cola ringtone and the sound of fizzing liquidly bubbles. The app icons are also designed based on Coke® Red and real images of the tangible goods.

Interesting details are customized everywhere on this product to appeal the youth. The 80’s Cola Filter is a true blast from the past with a special edition of a shutter sound. While taking a photo, it sounds like an opening of a real Coke bottle. Besides these customized details, the Coca-Cola Edition was released with a deluxe boxset, which includes interesting peripheral products, a customized SIM card needle, realmeow’s Coca-Cola figure, DIY stickers, as well as a customized and unique limited number card.

In terms of performance, realme 10 Pro 5G Coca-Cola Edition features the segment-leading Snapdragon 695 5G processor, a 5000mAh massive battery, and 108MP ProLight Camera. Additionally, the camera also comes with an updated Street Photography Mode 3.0. Users can experience different city filters based on their geographical locations. And there are other new features, such as Super Group Portrait and One Take to improve the imaging experience. Moreover, it also provides 8GB+8GB dynamic RAM and up to 1TB of external memory, so consumers can hold on to more memories. This all-new customized Coca-Cola Edition smartphone will surely provide a trendsetting and interesting user experience as well as a leap-forward technology to the customers.