News Update Times

Karachi (Nut Desk) Infinix, the leading smartphone brand in Pakistan is all set to make the sensational actor Feroze Khan the heart of their new edition in NOTE Series – NOTE 12. For this purpose, a MoU is signed between Infinix and Feroze Khan at MovenPick Hotel, Karachi today. Infinix is always dedicated to bring something exciting for its customers and yet again it has done an exciting partnership with Feroze Khan to win the hearts of fans. Infinix being the no. 1 smartphone selling company has the goal of making this partnership the biggest partnership in Pakistan and creating a great hype for its amazing phone NOTE 12. “We are glad to have partnered up with Feroze Khan for our new flagship phone NOTE 12 and take pride in adding more value for our people along,” stated Saad Shams, director marketing of Infinix Pakistan while talking about the partnership. “I am truly honoured to be a part of this new collaboration with Infinix for its stunning phone NOTE 12 and this will definitely add more value to the brand itself and fans who love me and Infinix,” stated Feroze Khan about the partnership. Infinix never fails to attract its customers through amazing campaign ideas every year. Gamers will be able to experience a huge change in gaming quality as NOTE 12 features a huge gaming processor MediaTek Helio G96 which is the absolute best phone for gaming. It comes with an AMOLED display which will give better screen time and experience for the users and its extended 13 GB RAM will never let your phone goes out of memory. The beautiful phone will be available in the Pakistani market from 26th May at an amazing price. 

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir)  Standard Chartered Bank Pakistan Ltd. (SCBPL) in collaboration with Sindh Radiant Organization (SRO) plants 40,000 trees at the Clifton Urban Forest. The tree plantation was conducted with the support of volunteers from the Bank. This initiative is in line with the Banks efforts towards reducing carbon footprint and conservation of wildlife and biodiversity.

The chief guest at the occasion was Mr. Ismail Rahoo, Minister Environment, Climate Change and Coastal Development. Commenting at the occasion Mr. Rehan Shaikh, Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Pakistan said, “It is a privilege for the Bank to play our part in conserving the natural ecosystem of Karachi and contribute to positive climate action. Addressing climate change is essential for the future of our planet, for social development, and for long-term economic prosperity. It also gives me contentment to see Pakistan’s progress on climate action is being driven by the Government and its ambitious plans to change practices and cut emissions.” He further added, “As a bank our Purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good.

We have built a strong foundation in Pakistan, serving the people and businesses that drive growth and we are taking a stand on key issues including climate change, lifting economic participation and globalisation.” This initiative is aligned to the Group targets to reach net zero carbon emissions from financed activity by 2050 and the plan is well set out to cut financed emissions, mobilise capital and accelerate climate solutions. Green and transition finance, helping clients on a path to net zero while maximising the benefits for people and communities is what SCBPL strives to do in Pakistan.

Sindh Radiant Organization (SRO), is an NGO which has developed an urban forest in collaboration with the Government of Sindh which is known as “Clifton Urban Forest” at Marine Promenade area of Karachi and SCBPL is privileged to be associated with it. Mr Masood Lohar, the founder of the forest thanked SCBL for the support. ENDS For more information or interview opportunities, please contact: Farah Asim Head of Communications Standard Chartered Bank +92 302 8270236 farah.asim@sc.com About the Standard Chartered PLC We are a leading international banking group, with a presence in 59 of the world’s most dynamic markets and serving clients in a further 85.

Our purpose is to drive commerce and prosperity through our unique diversity, and our heritage and values are expressed in our brand promise, Here for good. Standard Chartered PLC is listed on the London and Hong Kong Stock Exchanges.

Lahore (Nut Desk) In order to proactively meet the evolving connectivity needs of its customers, Zong 4G, Pakistan’s leading cellular and digital services provider, has launched a new International Roaming (IR) data package for people traveling to Oman and UAE.

The Oman and UAE IR data bundle offers 2GB of data for a validity period of 30 days at an affordable cost of PKR 2,000 + tax only. The offer can be activated by dialing *4255# or visiting the Zong online shop. The Oman and UAE IR data bundle is also available via the My Zong App.

It’s pertinent to note that subscribers who travel to the United Arab Emirates will be allowed to use WhatsApp and all its services without any restrictions that are applied to the country’s WhatsApp users.

Pakistanis visit Oman and the United Arab Emirates on a regular basis for both business and pleasure. With the new bundle, Pakistanis would be able to communicate with their loved ones back home absolutely seamlessly.

“The Oman and UAE International Roaming data bundle is a continuation of our efforts to provide Zong users with a complete communications solution that keeps them connected even while traveling internationally,” Zong’s official spokeswoman stated.

“Through our international telecom partners, we remain committed to providing our consumers with innovative and convenient services and solutions even beyond borders,” the spokesperson added.

Zong is a leading mobile connectivity provider in Pakistan, and it is leading the country’s digital transformation with a number of first-of-their-kind initiatives.

In addition to its continuous network transformation initiatives to provide users with best-in-class services, Zong is credited with pioneering 4G in Pakistan and performing the first successful 5G test in the nation.

Zong has offered dozens of prepaid and postpaid roaming plans for Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Europe, and many more countries prior to the Oman and UAE IR data package.

Zong was also the country’s first telecom operator to introduce an unmatched UAE & Oman T20 World Cup data bundle to make this mega event more exhilarating and special for its subscribers.

CAMON 19 Pro 5G; TECNO among the First Smartphones to introduce Android 13 Beta in the upcoming device

Lahore (Nut Desk)   TECNO becomes one of the first smartphone brands to bring the latest Android 13 Beta. TECNO has been excelling in bringing latest technologies for its consumers and is taking a step ahead with the upcoming CAMON 19 Pro 5G.

Google officially unveiled the Android 13 Beta 2 at the Google I/O 2022 held from May 11 to 12. Being the global pioneers in innovative technology, TECNO announced to be bringing the Android 13 Beta Program in its latest CAMON 19 Pro (5G), providing superior performance and privacy & security to the users. For other Camon users, TECNO announced that they will be updating the Android 12 on its CAMON 18 series as well.  

“We are glad that through the long-term partnership with Google, TECNO has been providing our users with the latest Android system to bring them extraordinary using experiences. The TECNO CAMON 19 Pro (5G) with Android 13 Beta will definitely allow our users to be among the first to access new features and bring them pleasures”, said Stephen HA, Vice President of TRANSSION and GM of TECNO Mobile.

With the “Stop At Nothing” spirit, TECNO aims to encourage users to explore unlimited possibilities dedicated to making their users the early adopters of the latest system.

The much-anticipated CAMON 19 Pro (5G) is expected to be a high-performance smartphone especially designed for young fashionists, focusing on TECNO’s industry-leading night portrait capabilities.

Android 13 has key optimizations including:

• Stricter Notification Permission – Privacy and user trust are core principles of Android products. To give users control over the notifications they want to follow, Android 13 introduces POST_NOTIFICATIONS — a new runtime permission. This means that apps need to request notification permissions from users before posting notifications.
• Color vector fonts – Android 13 adds rendering support for COLR version 1 (spec, intro video) fonts and updates the system emoji to the COLRv1 format. COLRv1 is a new, highly compact, font format that renders quickly and crisply at any size. COLRv1 can be adopted for the app starting in Developer Preview 2.
• Convenient Text Conversion API – Android 13 allows apps to call the new text conversion API, which will make it easier for users to find the content they need faster and easier.
• Upgraded Bluetooth LE Audio – With Low Energy (LE) audio, users would be able to share and broadcast their audio to others, or subscribe to public broadcasts for information, entertainment and more, while seamlessly switching between different use cases.

For more specific download steps please visit official website: https://spot.tecno.com/global/forum.php?mod=viewthread&tid=170154

BARD Foundation establishes DESCON Endowment Fund at Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology

Lahore (Nut Desk) – Bilquis & Abdul Razak Dawood (BARD) Foundation has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (GIKI) to establish a DESCON Endowment Fund.

This fund will be available to both male and female students from underprivileged backgrounds enrolling in GIK Institute from September 2022.

The MoU signing ceremony was graced by Chairman, Board of Governors BARD Foundation Abdul Razak Dawood, along with other BoG Members   Faisal Dawood and Farooq Nazir. GIK Institute was represented by its Rector Professor Dr. Fazal Ahmad Khalid (SI), Pro-Rector (Academic) Prof. Dr. Wasim Ahmed Khan, the Dean of Mechanical Engineering Faculty Dr. Khalid Rahman and Director Finance Shahid Farooq.

“At BARD and Descon, we firmly believe that industry-academia collaboration enhances knowledge, innovation and plays an integral part in the economic growth of developing countries. The objective of our endowment funds is to empower students from underprivileged backgrounds to acquire the right set of technical skills and knowledge so their talent is channelized in the right direction,” said Abdul Razak Dawood. 

Experts believe that universities create knowledge and unless that knowledge is not based on the industrial need, it is of no use. This is why BARD Foundation and Descon’s philanthropic initiatives and their efforts toward academic enrichment have been appreciated by key stakeholders.

BARD Foundation is a human-development initiative, founded by the renowned industrialist, Abdul Razak Dawood and his philanthropist wife, Ms. Bilquis Dawood.  The foundation seeks to utilize its resources to support the talented but less-fortunate individuals, helping them achieve their true potential. This initiative is also supported by Descon Engineering Limited – a leading Pakistani enterprise which has successfully built several large-scale, infrastructure-projects in many countries.

Lahore (Nut Desk) In a world where women are aspiring to be greater than predetermined societal roles, foodpanda is empowering this segment to shatter the glass ceiling in unique ways. Sana Tanveer, founder of Two Hands Kitchen, a HomeChef with an inspiring journey, was recently honoured by the brand, highlighting her achievements from her kitchen to a stall outside Karachi University that serves 82 dishes at a reasonable price of only PKR 200 each.

Sana Tanveer is one of many examples where home-based chefs and women in particular are achieving their dreams in distinct manners. Receiving a healthy response, Sana has been ecstatic to serve customers from across the city, both at her stall and through foodpanda.

foodpanda currently has 5,000+ registered HomeChefs who have been taken on-board after stringent routine checks for food hygiene, quality, safety, packaging, etc. The company’s aim is to increase the HomeChefs base in the next two years and take it up to 100,000 registered HomeChefs.

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) In another milestone towards securing Karachi’s energy future, KE has awarded the EPC contract for the construction of 500/220 kV KANUPP – K-Electric Interconnection (KKI) Grid to Siemens (Pakistan) Engineering Company Limited.

The signing ceremony between Siemens and K-Electric was held at KE’s Head Office. KKI Grid will be the addition of fourth interconnection in KE’s network following the existing NKI and KDA Grids and the upcoming Dhabeji Interconnection. The estimated value of the EPC contract is around USD 84 Million. KE had also entered into agreement in February 2022 for the construction of a 220 kV double circuit transmission line for evacuation of power from the KKI Grid.

The KKI Interconnection, will enable KE to off-take 500 to 800 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the National Grid from summer of 2024 (evacuation capacity of KKI Grid is more than 1000 MVA). Additionally, the infrastructure enhancement will improve system stability and reliability for consumers.

As per NEPRA’s State of Industry Report 2021, KE registered a sales growth of 25% among its industrial consumers in 2021, almost 11 percentage points higher than the rest of the country. Coupled with sustained investment of over PKR 430 billion since privatization, Karachi’s appetite for energy is increasing at a rapid pace.

Cognizant of the present and evolving demands, KE has been working actively with the Government of Pakistan and especially the Ministry of Energy under the guidance of NEPRA to bolster its infrastructure to enable Karachi to receive additional power from the National Grid.

Speaking about the occasion, Chief Generation and Transmission Officer KE, Abbas Husain stated “KE is fully committed towards supporting Karachi’s energy ambitions. We are not only working with multiple stakeholders to cater the current demand, but also continue to innovate our services to cater the growth. We are grateful to the Federal Government, Ministry of Energy, and our regulator NEPRA for their continued patronage and support. This spirit of collaboration and consensus is integral to the sustainability of Pakistan’s economic and strategic hub.”

CEO & MD Siemens Pakistan, Markus Strohmeier also expressed his happiness, stating “This project is another significant step to strengthen Karachi’s development as modern industrial and economic metropolis. Through KKI Interconnect, we are increasing and securing stable access to electricity for the greater society, who’s future is built on reliable energy supply,”

KE has also achieved the first fire on the first unit of its flagship RLNG-based 900 MW Bin Qasim Power Station 3 (BQPS-III). Upon commissioning, this landmark project will significantly increase KE’s generation capacity while also enhancing efficiency of KE’s generation fleet. The plant is utilizing the latest in turbine technology and is anticipated to be among the top five most efficient generation units in the country upon completion. Looking to the future, KE is also aligned with the Federal Government’s vision to increase the share of renewable energy into its generation mix with a planned addition of almost 1,100 MW of green energy by 2030 subject to required approvals.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir)  BankIslami, Pakistan’s leading Islamic financial institution with 340 branches in 123+ cities, sponsored Future Fest 2022 – one of the most comprehensive tech conferences in the country, held in Islamabad from 13 May to 15 May, 2022. Spanning three days, the event included four conferences, an innovation exposition and a blended line up of Pakistan’s most noted tech startups, entrepreneurs, investors, brainiacs, techies and netizens. The event was also attended by leadership from the public and private sectors to discuss the role of technology in the nation’s future.

Future Fest 2022 was home to 30,000+ attendees, 250+ world class speakers, 100+ exhibitors, unlimited networking and 20+ activities all wrapped in 4 mega conferences. With 100+ international guests including the world’s top investors and entrepreneurs, the event featured various announcements including the launch of 3 international venture capital funds in Pakistan and many significant technology projects.

Commenting on the occasion, BankIslami President & CEO, Syed Amir Ali noted, “Hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in Pakistani startups in recent years, standing testament to the nation’s dedication to hard work and progress. Events like Future Fest are essential for the youth to not only learn from the best, but carve their own path to success even if that means failing multiple times. Leaders from across industries shared their knowledge and young, aspiring business leaders have had the chance to create lasting connections with future tech-gurus. We are extremely pleased to be a significant part of this outstanding opportunity, and look forward to seeing the change that comes as a result.”

A conference of this scale invites attendance from business leaders, investors, entrepreneurs from around the world, promoting more opportunities for growth and investment within the startup ecosystem of Pakistan. BankIslami remains at the forefront of driving change across the Sharia-compliant banking industry in Pakistan.