Telenor Velocity invites start-ups that use technology as an enabler for its 7th Cohort

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Telenor Pakistan’s Digital Accelerator Program, Telenor Velocity,has opened for applications from start-ups for its 7th Cohort.As a part of this program, Telenor Velocity will guide, support and mentorstart-ups using Telenor Pakistan’s experts, analytics and access to scaling opportunities over a period of four months.  

The world is going through radical transformation, and Telenor Pakistan is on the lookout for founders who are embracing the constraints and letting their innovation create solutions using technology. Start-ups that specialise in Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Blockchain, Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Internet of Things (IOT) can particularly benefit from this opportunity, as this cohort brings along with it the experts and tools necessary for building impactful, modern solutions. The cohort selects start-ups that have been in the market for more than two years and offers them scaling opportunities through Telenor Pakistan’s digital assets.

Speaking at the development, Khurrum Ashfaque, Chief Operating Officer Telenor Pakistan said “Entrepreneurs are essential to the growth and development of Pakistan’s economy and are the key to bring innovative solutions into the market. Telenor Velocity aims to nurture and mentor start-ups that use technology as an enableracross various verticals which is Telenor Pakistan’s expert domain. We are living in the start-up generation with increasing digitalisation by the day. These tech based new businesses need a platform to jet start their ventures that not only enable solutions for the society but also puts Pakistan on the map for innovation through technology.”

The 7th cohort is accepting applications from start-ups focusing on verticals such as Fin-tech, Ed-tech, Agri-tech, Health-tech, Entertainment/Content/Media, Gaming, Inclusion, E-commerce, Smart Cities and Connectivity. Due to the pandemic, the cohort will be run on a hybrid model with physical and online meetings.

Launched in 2016, the accelerator has to date conducted 6 cohorts, with 32 graduated start-ups, 4+ Pilot Runs, $40,000 Pilot Investment, and $3 million investment raised by Telenor Velocity start-ups. To apply for Telenor Velocity’s 7th Cohort, please fill out the application form (https://gust.com/programs/telenor-velocity-cohort-7). Last date to apply: April 3rd, 2021.

Engro Fertilizers wins DuPont Global Safety Innovation Award

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Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Engro Fertilizers, Pakistan’s premier seed-to-harvest solutions provider that is ranked amongst the world’s top 50 fertilizer manufacturing and marketing companies, has been declared as one of only three global award winners at the virtual ceremony of 14th DuPont Safety and Sustainability Awards.

As a recipient of the Global Safety Innovation Award, Engro Fertilizers has been recognized for making innovative and systemic changes to its operations to achieve higher health, safety, and environment (HSE) standards. The Company undertook a root and branch overhaul of its safety systems, invested in digitization initiatives, and doubled down efforts on development of new capabilities. In line with Engro’s philosophy of being world class in HSE, the all-encompassing Safety Beyond Excellence strategy led to an 87% reduction in the Total Recordable Incident Rate, resulted in a sharp reduction in operational upsets / fire incidents, significantly improved risk management and led to an increase in employee and stakeholder engagement.

The other two DuPont global award winners are Dubai Municipality, UAE and SMRT Trains Ltd, Singapore. Engro Fertilizers edged out Saudi Arabia-based Saudi Aramco, named the winner in the EMEA region, and Brazil-based Usina Coruripe, which took home the Americas award.

Sharing the Company’s journey of safety excellence and achievements in a panel discussion, Nadir Qureshi – CEO of Engro Fertilizers, said that, “A relentless commitment to safety is one of the core values of Engro. We have always strived to set world class HSE standards for both our employees and the communities in which we live and operate. This focus is continuously reinforced by our leaderships’ commitment, with my Chairman and Board regularly highlighting this core commitment and our teams embodying this culture. We are humbled by this global accolade and it is our endeavor to get to similar levels of world-class safety in the new logistics business that was launched 18 months ago with the aspiration of becoming the country’s leading long haul service provider.”

Syed Shahzad Nabi – Senior Vice President Manufacturing, added that, “To develop the team, we put a lot of focus on enhancing the skill level both in terms of the core job, safety system and creativity. Our Transitional Training Model, followed by hands on training, enables all employees to undergo technical training and be aware of associated safety hazards.”

In 2020, Engro Fertilizers was recognized locally and globally with several awards for displaying commitment and focus towards ensuring employee well-being and maintaining HSE standards. These awards include the Country Best Award by the British Safety Council, Health & Safety Silver Award by Royal Society for Prevention of Accidents, eight Green Office Awards by the World Wildlife Foundation, the Annual Fire Safety Excellence Award by the NFEH and the overall Platinum Award in Occupational Safety and Health at the Best Practices in OSH Awards.

ACCA to celebrate women in finance

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ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) will be marking the International Women’s Day 2021 by holding a high-profile webinar celebrating ACCA’s women in finance on 08 March 2021. Featuring an all-women line-up of prominent thought leaders, policy makers and ACCA’s trailblazing women in finance, the webinar will explore the future of diversity and deliberate on how the accountancy profession in the country can be more inclusive and diverse.
Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights, and Shandana Gulzar Khan, Chairperson, Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) are among the speakers who will be sharing their thought leadership on the topic and will offer forward-thinking recommendations.
The event will highlight how accountancy and finance professionals are championing diversity and driving inclusion at their organisations. ‘On International Women’s Day we are also paying tribute to ACCA member Ethel Purdie, the first female who became a member of a professional body in 1909.
She worked tirelessly to achieve balance in the accountancy profession and blazed the trail for women in the profession around the world,’ said ACCA’s head of Pakistan, Sajjeed Aslam, in a statement. ‘ACCA was established specifically to open up the profession to people of all backgrounds, based solely on their ability and ambition.’ ‘Many organisations are now making diversity commitments reaslising that diverse teams tend to perform better, be more profitable, and earn trust from the public who increasingly prefer equitable companies.’ ‘As professionals it is important that we know what our organisations should be doing and the personal steps that we should be taking to ensure that we are furthering the diversity and inclusion agenda.
Accountancy and finance professionals must be a force for good in the organisations that we work in and for. This webinar will offer us with great insights into what needs to be done.’ Other prominent names speaking at the event include Zahida Rafiq FCCA, Chief Compliance Officer, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), Mehwish Iqbal FCCA, Finance Business Partner – High Value Interventions, Unilever Pakistan, Ayla Majid FCCA, Council Member, ACCA, Fiza Imran FCCA, Chair, Women in Finance Subcommittee, ACCA MNP, Sidra Haq ACCA, Education Manager, ACCA, and Madiha Ahmed FCCA, Manager – Consulting Services, EY Ford Rhodes. The event will be attended by a large number of finance professionals from leading private and public sector organisations. On the same day, there’s another global conversation planned by ACCA featuring its Chief Executive Helen Brand OBE and the Chief Executive of CA ANZ, Ainslie van Onselen. Both the female leaders will share their journeys to the top highlighting their challenges, successes, and personal experiences. Following the International Women’s Day, ACCA has also announced a training for public finance professionals on how they can play a key role in ensuring Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) is designed, implemented and evaluated effectively.

Partnership Signed for Mainstreaming Media Entrepreneurship in Digital Storytelling

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The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) at IBA and RINSTRA sign MoU to build capacity for digital storytelling.  

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) and RINSTRA Technologies Pvt. Ltd. signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to work together to build students’ digital storytelling skills. This agreement will enable digital skills through interactive workshops, seminars, and courses, with RINSTRA providing its state-of-the-art platform for digital docu-film festivals and theme-based video competitions. 

Speaking on the occasion, Kamal Siddiqi, Director of the Center for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA) said, “this partnership with Rinstra will help our students test their digital storytelling ideas and creative expressions. We are hoping to generate new ideas around social challenges and economic opportunities with Rinstra through content competitions and documentary film festivals. This will be a great opportunity for the creative minds at CEJ and its alumni of more than 2000 professionals associated with us to create a new genre of media-entrepreneurship in the country.”  

Dr. Adil Akhtar, Co-founder and Chairman of RINSTRA in his message said, “through this collaboration, CEJ-IBA and RINSTRA will create short-form storytelling techniques i.e. movies, dramas, music videos, theater, documentaries and videos for RINSTRA and other digital platforms.” He further said, “RINSTRA is the gateway for Pakistani content and talent to the local and international media markets and digital platforms. Rising stars on iRINSTRA are promoted on the main RINSTRA platform that will open-up global opportunities for the creative minds in the country and beyond.” The state-of-the-art RINSTRA platform allows content creators to discover, create, showcase, and monetize their content creation and creative pursuits. 

Amir Jahangir, Chief Executive Officer RINSTRA said, “this partnership is important to enable young storytellers to be equipped with digital skills that can help them sustain their creative pursuits and economic wellbeing. RINSTRA has a vision to create 1,000,000 content creators in the next five years, that can create a new digital creative economy surpassing US$ 150 million in the country.” 

As per the details of the MoU, both organizations will work on improving digital storytelling techniques and creative thinking in students, helping them look at issues and challenges around them from a narrative perspective. The organizations also agreed to create research opportunities in the space of MediaTech. This will enable the students to find new work opportunities in the content industry, including RINSTRA.com as a potential future work partner, encouraging students of CEJ-IBA for global media-entrepreneurship endeavors.  

The Centre for Excellence in Journalism (CEJ) is an initiative for the professional development, training and networking of Pakistani journalists and media professionals. CEJ is a collaboration between the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. 

CEJ is based at IBA’s City Campus in Karachi. It offers online and in-person training modules for journalists and media professionals from all parts of Pakistan. Eminent international and local journalists conduct hands-on, skills-based courses geared towards meeting the needs of Pakistani newsrooms. The Centre is closely linked with the Pakistani news media industry and works under an advisory board comprising Pakistan’s most prominent and experienced editors and media professionals. News directors and editors from newsrooms across Pakistan assign staff to each module at CEJ. Independent journalists and media professionals are also invited to participate. The CEJ actively hosts talks and panel discussions that are free and open to the journalism community. The Centre’s permanent location is on the fourth floor in the new Aman Tower at IBA City Campus. In addition to classroom and office spaces, the CEJ area includes a working broadcast studio and state-of-the-art multimedia lab and editing suites for the participants. The lab offers journalists a chance to learn practical skills in a real newsroom environment where they have access to the latest technologies and resources. CEJ is made possible through a grant from the U.S. Department of State.  

RINSTRA is the outcome of the thought leadership of Dice Foundation USA’s Creative Arts and Media Initiative (DICE CAM). It is part of Dice Foundation’s National Innovation Basket (NIB) program, which aims to create media as a corner stones of Pakistan’s growth strategy. RINSTRA is Pakistan’s first short-form digital media platform for on-demand streaming and for creation of user generated original content on iRINSTRA. The organization provides entrepreneurship opportunities to emerging and established content creators and film makers in Pakistan and beyond. RINSTRA gives content creators access to a large Pakistani community around the globe, and ithas been able to create a unique platform that offers dramas and films, while enabling users to generate their own content on the same platform. It also has a feature for Content Competition where, more than 100 academic institutions in Pakistan are competing on various thematic areas. The Fest feature of the application has provided some of the leading Film Festivals to partner with RINSTRA for digital viewing of their films and documentaries. This has created an unprecedented experience for viewers in the country.   

Creative and independent content with premier shows and films can be accessed on RINSTRA by visiting the website http://www.rinstra.com or downloading apps from the Google Play Store and/or Apple App Store 

Ajoka’s Film Masterclass Concludes

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Lahore (Qasim Ali)  Ajoka Institute’s Film-making Masterclass came to a successful conclusion on Monday 1st March with the screening of two short films developed by the students. Held under the mentorship of well-known director Aamir Yousaf, the 5-day long masterclass focused on concept development, lighting, camera work and post production. The first short film focused on the unintended but disastrous consequences of irresponsible forwarding of social media posts and pictures while the theme of the other production was the negative attitude towards acting as a career. Ajoka’s Executive Director Shahid Nadeem and Ajoka Institute Director Nirvaan Nadeem attended the screening ceremony and distributed certificates to the students. Those awarded certificates were: Komal Bhatti, Akbar Lashari, Omar Malik, Anila Rizwan, Khurram Hamid, Maryam Tanwir, Midhat Yaseen, Muaaz bin Zaka and Fatima Ali.
Shahid Nadeem, while speaking at the concluding ceremony, appreciated the work of the students in the short span of 5 days and said that  Ajoka will continue to provide opportunities for training and creative use of the talent of the youth through its classes and productions. 
Masterclass trainer Aamir Yousaf thanked Ajoka for holding the masterclass and congratulated the students for their remarkable achievement in the course of five days.
Ajoka Institute Director Nirvaan Nadeem announced that, encouraged by the success of the master class and the enthusiasm of the students Ajoka will soon hold a short filmmaking course. 

Emirates Economy Class customers with new option

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Airline also introduces generous discounts on excess baggage rates to support demand from customers flying on essential trips

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Emirates’ Economy Class customers can now enjoy even more personal space and privacy onboard with the ability to purchase up to three empty adjoining seats on their flight.

These seats will be offered to all Economy Class customers holding a confirmed booking. Customers will not be able to pre-book empty seats, as these are subject to availability. Empty seats will only be offered for purchase at the airport check-in counter prior to flight departure, and costs range from AED 200 to AED 600 (US$ 55 to US$ 165) per empty seat, plus applicable taxes depending on flight sector.

Emirates has introduced this new seat product on the back of customer feedback, addressing the needs of a range of customers seeking extra privacy and space while still flying in Economy Class. This includes couples who wish to have the entire row to themselves (maximum of three seats in same row), parents travelling with in-lap infants, or those who simply want the added assurance of more space while travelling during pandemic times.

In addition to the new empty seats option, Emirates currently offers a variety of seat products for Economy Class customers to choose their favourite seat based on their travel needs:

Extra legroom seats: exit row seats offering additional space but subject to safety requirements;

Twin seats: seats in a row of two at the back of Emirates’ Boeing 777 aircraft, and on the upper deck of Emirates’ 2-class Airbus A380 aircraft;

Preferred seats: seats in the first section of the cabin and on the upper deck of a two-class A380;

Regular seats: all other Economy seats.

These seats, available via Emirates.com, Emirates contact centres, at airport check-in, onboard, and through travel agent partners, are offered for free or at a charge, depending on the customer’s Emirates Skywards membership tier, fare type, time to departure, and other special needs. Visit our page on emirates.com for more information.

Emirates has also introduced generous discounts on excess baggage rates, to help customers flying on essential trips take home what they need most.

These discounts range from 35% up to 60% off normal rates depending on sector and must be pre-booked and pre-paid up to 4 hours prior to flight departure via emirates.com, through contact centres or at an Emirates sales office. Visit our page on emirates.com for more information.

Emirates customers flying for essential reasons can travel with the assurance that the latest health and safety measures are in place at every step of the journey. The airline has also recently introduced contactless technology to ease customers through Dubai airport.

Emirates continues to lead the industry with innovative products and services that address traveller needs during a dynamic time. These include customer care initiatives such as flexible booking policies, multi-risk insurance cover, helping loyal customers retain their miles and tier status, and a commitment to honouring refunds.

The airline provides the latest information on its COVID-19 information hub, including entry requirements, travel restrictions and all its initiatives for customer wellbeing.

 

Shan Foods wins ‘Community Impact Award’ at the 10th Annual CSR Summit

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After championing as a globally-trusted food brand, Shan Foods makes its mark as an active advocate of empowerment and sustainability

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Shan Foods Private Limited (SFPL), a leader in the spice industry, has been awarded with the “Community Impact Award” at the ‘10th Annual Corporate Social Responsibility Summit & Awards 2021’ during a ceremony held at a local hotel.

Organized every year by The Professionals Network (TPN) since 2011, the Annual CSR Summit and Awards is the only nationally-recognized CSR awards of Pakistan, registered with IPO, Government of Pakistan, that recognizes leading corporations from across the country for their outstanding efforts for the betterment of communities and society at large.

As a brand that places ultimate value upon its customers and understands the role it plays in the community, Shan Foods has always believed in giving back to the society. Acknowledging the trying times the pandemic brought with it last year, Shan Foods made rigorous efforts for COVID-19 relief work, assisting vulnerable groups during the time of crisis. As a global brand, these efforts were not only limited to a local level but were also extended on an international level where it partnered with multiple food banks in North America and the Middle East, reallocating its resources to wider communities. In addition, Shan Foods’ CSR efforts are also aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals – supporting livelihoods, ensuring food security, and empowering marginalized segments of society – with sustainability at the core of everything it does. It is in recognition of these contributions that Shan Foods has been conferred with one of the most prestigious CSR awards in the country.

Sharing his views on the achievement, Mr. Sikandar Tiwana, CEO Shan Foods said, “While Shan Foods is renowned for its authentic taste and quality, it is also equally committed to the wellbeing of communities, thriving to enhance the quality of life of all of its stakeholders. It is through our comprehensive business model that all of us at Shan Foods are obliged to fulfill our corporate social responsibilities and undertake initiatives that bring value to the communities and environment in which we operate. This CSR Award is a reward for our Shan family and we will continue to remain committed to what is important for our people and for the world we live in.”

Eminent model Halina Khan joins the music industry as a Singer

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Busy in completing her debut album and videos of some soulful numbers which will premiere soon

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Famous model and celebrity Halina Khan has joined the music industry after conquering the Fashion world. She has been modeling for renowned fashion designers and brands in the fashion industry, as well as appearing in fashion week shows at home and abroad, while these days she is busy preparing her new music album, which will complete this year and It will be released all over the world with Pakistan at same time. While sharing details of her debut album she said that music has remained her passion since childhood and during the completion of her Law degree, she started her artistic career as a model and fashion designer. She said that she has fully incorporated his cultural style in his music in the album by composing Urdu Punjabi songs in a beautiful way.

She added that she has always tried to make her songs with rich music ecstatic values without compromising on the quality for the listeners. In her music album, along with the use of ancient and modern musical instruments, she has also incorporated the soulful culture and folk traditions. She said that the corona epidemic has affected cultural activities all over the world. She prayed that the disease would be eradicated soon and the cultural colors would be restored. Music concerts and other events have started under SOPs. I hope this year the world of music will improve again and people will enjoy music in other events including music concerts.

The Perfect Cricket Anthem by Tahir Abbas We could ask for

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Cricket is our nation’s pride and joy when it comes to sports and no other format gets everyone into a frenzy than Pakistan Super League. Despite Covid-19 still lurking, 2021 has started on a high note with PSL6 bringing together top notch cricketers from the country and around the world to Pakistan. While the High scoring chases with Sixes and fours have fixated the audience one thing was missing and that was a song which reverberates with the richness of our culture and heritage.
Well have no fear as Tahir Abbas has come to the rescue, with sixes and fours being hit all over Karachi stadium our very own Funk Folk Star has come up once again with a Top Notch Gem of a song ” Khelo Re” for Pakistan Super League which is full of “Pakistaniness.”

Leaving no one behind he not only gives you a foot tapping number but also uses the provincial dialects and languages in his song giving tribute to every province and making them the part of the PSL Anthem.

Tahir Abbas composed this song for PSL6 as he felt that international brands are forcibly imposing English culture and destroying the local culture of Pakistan. He strongly feels that the anthems that are made for any event completely ignore the national and provincial languages, culture and dialects of Pakistan. ‘Brands want to destroy our culture and our language through their wealth and it seems that commercials and anthems are being made just for a particular class;he added.

He raises a valid point that why are we still not owning our own language and culture. Even in our anthems we incorporate English language as if we have no identity. We need to identify with our language when it comes to national events and promote our culture across the globe.

So to show his love for Pakistan and cricket at the request of the audience, he has made this song in the provincial languages of Pakistan, ‘Interpreting our culture, we have created this anthem with our regional composers to send a message to the world that our culture, instruments and voices are not barren and we don’t have to rely on others nor a budget of millions to show love for our homeland.’

Like PSL6 Tahir Abbas has given a message of peace, love and togetherness which is surely what the tournament is all about. So people let’s just Listen to the song and promote the talented individuals who have nothing but love for their homeland in their hearts.

Zong’s International Roaming Bundle Zip for UAE

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Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Dominating the field of International Roaming (IR), [services that allow users to use Zong Sim while travelling abroad] the leading Pakistan’s cellular and digital and dynamic services provider, ZONG 4G, has now introduced an INVINCIBLE INNOVATION in the shape of IR BUNDLE FOR THE UAE.

The latest IR Bundle for UAE GIVES ZONG USERS 250 SMSs, 250 Minutes with 2GB Data at an AFFORDABLE PRICE of PKR 2,999 + MEAGER TAX only. All Zong prepaid customers can avail this offer with 7-day validity. For activation, dial *4255# or via
https://www.zong.com.pk/onlineshop/ir-bundles As a customer-centric and customer-friendly company, the Zong 4G has a thorough understanding of its customer’s needs up to their satisfaction. Keeping in mind its globe- roaming and bit conscious customers, ZONG 4G is DETERMINED to fulfill its promise of seamless CONNECTIVITY and world-class services at the most affordable rates ANYWHERE and EVERYCORNER of the world.

UAE is one of the most frequently visited destinations for business and tourism community. The new bundle offer will help Pakistanis keep permanent connectivity with their loved ones back home while travelling to the UAE seamlessly and without switching to SIMs.

This bundle offer for the UAE is one of the many innovations that Zong has introduced recently.

Prior to the UAE prepaid bundle, Zong has also introduced prepaid and postpaid roaming reforms for Turkey, China, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Europe and many other countries.

Zong is one of the Pakistan’s largest mobile connectivity providers, having leading digital transformation system. Alongside network transformation, Zong brought 4G to Pakistan and launched the first successful and dynamic 5G test in the country.