Web Desk, Author at Outlook Times

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realmeet with realme C21 Gives You A Chance To Meet Your Favourite Stars

realme C21 now comes for PKR 19,999/- bringing top notch quality, reliability and a chance for people to meet with their favourite stars such as Romaisa Khan, Zulqarnain Sikandar and Bilal Munir through the realmeet with realme C21 campaign

realme – a smartphone brand that has gained impeccable popularity amongst Gen-Zers and has become a name most synonymous with the youth, is set to maintain its reputation with the exciting announcement of their new campaign for realme C21 that would enable fans to meet their favourite online personalities ranging from the world of entertainment to tech.

realme is collaborating with Romaisa Khan – actress, model, and TikToker, Bilal Munir – tech YouTuber of VideoWaliSarkar fame and Zulqarnain Sikandar – TikTok star, for the massive campaign “realmeet with realme C21” that would let the realme Community to connect with their favourite online stars like never before.

Romaisa Khan, Bilal Munir, and Zulqarnain Sikandar have garnered immense popularity amongst the youth with their content and abilities across all social platforms. As their achievements vibe with the essence of realme, the brand recognizes and caters to the wants of its young consumers and has come up with this initiative to build a bridge between the realme Community and their most-liked content creators.

To be part of the realmeet with realme C21 campaign, people have to follow these steps:

Buy a realme C21*
Post a photo with their realme C21 along with the hashtag #realmeet & tell us why you want to meet your favourite influencer
Join the realme Community: http://t.ly/ILgl

With the recent price drop of realme C21 to PKR 19,999/- it has become even more feasible for youngsters to become eligible for #realmeet campaign and becoming a part of the celebrated realme Community.

* People who have bought the realme C21 earlier are also eligible to be a part of this campaign.

by Web Desk — July 29, 2021 in News 0

KP Startup Ecosystem Report 2021 launch by Invest2Innovate and UK Aid-funded SEED Programme

Invest2Innovate – in collaboration with UK Aid-funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) Programme – has recently released the report, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Startup Ecosystem Report 2021, a first of its kind ecosystem mapping study at the provincial level. The report collates both secondary and primary data gathered from key stakeholders such as entrepreneurs, entrepreneurship support organisations (ESOs), policymakers, and investors/funders into a detailed diagnostic of the startup ecosystem in KP.

The study was conducted under UK Aid-funded Sustainable Energy and Economic Development (SEED) programme supporting provincial economic development and sustainable energy in Pakistan. The programme aims to mobilise investment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from both public and private sources to generate greater economic, social, and environmental returns. As nascent entrepreneurship ecosystems such as that in KP are constrained by a shortage of data, the report addresses this information gap by taking a systems view of the ecosystem with an analysis of its key pillars. Subsequently, SEED will employ these insights to design interventions for stakeholders in the ecosystem and add to the overall economic development of KP.

Currently, 63% of Pakistan’s population is below the age of 30, and while the country recorded its highest overall employment rate of 11.56% among the age group 20-24 years in 2020, Pakistan’s third-largest province by population, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, has the largest youth unemployment rate. Over half of KP’s residents are young people, who represent an untapped opportunity in helping the province transition towards a digital economy. Atif Khan, Minister of Science and Technology and Information Technology for the KP Government emphasised that “the government fully realises the potential of the startups’ segment to become a significant contributor to the provincial economy, create jobs, raise exports and support livelihoods across the province.”

The study using the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) Ecosystem Survey Instrument focused on five key pillars: business support, finance, policy, human capital, and market. The report suggests that one of the biggest challenges faced by the KP ecosystem is the lack of formal and institutional funding, with 83% of entrepreneurs perceiving the lack of venture capital friendly laws and processes as an impediment. The lack of funding is an even greater challenge for startups with female founders, as the study found that of the 18 startups that raised funding in its sample, only 3 were female-founded/co-founded (16.7%) compared to 15 male-founded (83.3%).

Additionally, data showed that entrepreneurs (76%), policy individuals (100%), ESOs (100%), and investors (91%) felt that the availability of an adequately educated/trained general workforce is a significant constraint on the ecosystem reaching its full potential. Entrepreneurship support organizations (ESOs) seemed to echo this sentiment in interviews where they highlighted that often the relative lack of originality in the ideation of businesses in KP (which is a common feature of nascent ecosystems worldwide) could also potentially be attributed to the inadequate entrepreneurial training and education provided to the youth early on.

On-ground engagement with the stakeholders through a focus group discussion helped develop a deeper understanding of the gaps and challenges faced by the key stakeholders. It enabled i2i and SEED Programme to put forth recommendations on ways to remove/reduce these constraints. Mehvish Arifeen, CEO (Invest2Innovate), said, “this study is going to play a critical role in setting up the entrepreneurship ecosystem in KP for success in the future. The insights from this study will give all stakeholders a strategic direction for the way forward.”

Hasaan Khawar, SEED Team Leader, highlighted that “an enabling policy framework is essential to put in place startup-friendly regulations in taxation and registration. Continuous investment in human capital is required. Linkages to new and existing markets need to be established. Women entrepreneurs need a level playing field to access opportunities that are rarely available to them” and added that “SEED is grateful to the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, particularly, the Science and Technology and Information Technology Department for its continued support and we hope that this report informs future government policies and plans for this promising sector.”

You can download the complete report here.

by Web Desk — July 6, 2021 in News 0

Pakistan lifted the ban on TikTok

KARACHI – The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday lifted the ban on TikTok after the telecom regulator assured the court of issuing a ruling on the petitioner’s request by Monday.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) told the court that access to the application was blocked by it on June 30. It had requested the court to review its decision and allow it to restore the services.

The PTA counsel assured the court that it would expedite the process on the petitioner’s request and issue a ruling on it by July 5.

After hearing the arguments, the SHC withdrew the suspension order and directed the PTA to make a decision on the matter till then. The hearing was adjourned until next Monday.

Last month, the SHC imposed a ban on the widely popular social media app, TikTok. The high court issued the verdict while hearing a petition seeking a ban the app over objectionable content.

The petitioner said that a complaint was also lodged with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) but it took no action.

The SHC issued notice to the Attorney General of Pakistan and sought a reply from the parties by July 8.

TikTok, a widely popular video-sharing app, responded to the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) ruling to suspend its services across Pakistan, saying that it is working with regulators to check violation of community guidelines.

“The creativity and passion of our community has brought joy to households across Pakistan and provided a home for incredibly talented creators,” said TikTok in a statement.

“We have grown our local-language moderation capacity for Pakistan, and work diligently to review and take action on content in violation of our Community Guidelines,” it added.

In the Muslim nation, posting videos in Western clothes that reveal too much skin is taboo, and is often met with abuse.

by Web Desk — July 2, 2021 in News 0

Pakistan’s Irfan Mehsood registers his 43rd Guinness World Record

Pakistani martial artist Irfan Mehsood has registered his 43rd Guinness World Record as he achieved the latest record for the most push-ups (one leg raised carrying 100lb pack) in one minute.

“I broke France’s Eric Lejeune’s record to achieve the feat. Eric had made 31 in one minute while I did 43,” Mehsood said.

The martial artist revealed that he attempted the record in February in Dera Ismail Khan. “I have earned a total of 43 Guinness World Record titles, 23 of which are for various push-up challenges,”

Further, he hoped to promote his region of Waziristan and inspire people especially the youth of his country to stay fit and active.

Moreover, Irfan is also confident as he wishes to continue achieving record titles for fitness and martial arts-related records.

So far, Mehsood broke 13 Guinness World Records for India and several of USA, UK, Iraq, Spain, Italy, Philippines, Egypt, India and France.

43وا گینیز ورلڈ ریکارڈ#irfanmehsood
@GuinnessMuseum @GWR pic.twitter.com/bRjN7Bgxx1
— irfan mehsood (@irfanmehsoodgwr) June 29, 2021

by Web Desk — June 30, 2021 in News 0

foodpanda Announces Rs. 1 Crore in Cash Incentives for Vaccinating Riders

Extending support to the governmental initiative of mass immunization while ensuring rider safety, foodpanda Pakistan has announced PKR 1 crore as cash incentives to compensate riders for the time spent in getting their COVID vaccine shots.

As the nation is successfully steering out of the third wave of coronavirus, mass immunization has turned out to be the only strategy to tackle the crisis. Pakistan’s largest delivery platform, foodpanda has announced PKR 1 Crore in cash incentives to the first batch of riders on the platform who are getting vaccinated. Riders can claim the cash incentive once they present a vaccination certificate at the rider hub.

The vaccination drive is the latest addition to foodpanda’s COVID-19 response in Pakistan. Since the early days of the pandemic, foodpanda has been providing financial assistance for up to 14 days to riders who are diagnosed with COVID-19. In addition to this, riders are also being provided medical insurance, increased incentives and earnings support for the areas where services were halted due to lockdown.

To fight COVID-19, foodpanda also installed washbasins outside rider hubs, introduced Contactless Deliveries, conducted food donation drives at hospitals and installed disinfectant walkthrough gates outside various medical centers nationwide. Daily temperature checks at rider hubs have now become an integral part of a hero’s job, before starting his shift. Ever since the outbreak, foodpanda has dispatched hand sanitizers to their riders on-board and continues to actively distribute face masks and gloves to their heroes.

In collaboration with the district government, hygiene kits including masks and sanitizers were also distributed to citizens earlier this year.

Commenting on this initiative, Nauman Sikandar, CEO foodpanda stated, “Safety and wellbeing of our stakeholders is one of our core values and we encourage all our riders to get vaccinated to ensure safer deliveries. Riders are essential frontliners, who deliver orders to hundreds of customers every day. We believe it’s important for each rider to be vaccinated for the greater good of the society.”

“foodpanda stands by all its stakeholders – they are not alone in the battle against this virus. With this and many more such initiatives, we hope to play our part in making Pakistan COVID free”, he further added.
More than 40,000 riders are part of the foodpanda family and this campaign will encourage Pakistan’s mass vaccination drive to further strengthen.

by Web Desk — June 16, 2021 in Business

Sri Lanka name squad for England tour as pay row remains unresolved

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s cricket board on Tuesday named a 24-member squad led by Kusal Perera for the six-match limited overs series in England even as a pay dispute remained unresolved.

The Sri Lankan squad will leave early Wednesday to play three One-day Internationals and three Twenty20 Internationals.

Official sources said the players have refused a performance-based pay scheme which will see some of them lose up to 40 percent of their salaries, but agreed to continue negotiations after the England tour.

The players have been threatened with bans of up to three years if they did not play.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has cut fees for 24 national players by up to 40 percent in new performance-based contracts, which the players have rejected.

Both sides failed to conclude their talks on the new scheme — which would mean drastic pay cuts for some senior players — by a weekend deadline set by SLC.

“Players have agreed to abide by the conditions of the board for the England tour,” a SLC official said, asking not to be named.

The official said Sri Lanka would have had to pay huge penalties to the England Cricket Board if the tour was cancelled due to the pay issue.

A lawyer representing the cricketers reiterated at the weekend they did not agree with the new pay scheme.

Under the proposed structure, former skipper Angelo Mathews and current Test captain Dimuth Karunaratne would suffer the biggest cuts.

Mathews’ annual fee would fall from $130,000 a year to $80,000, while Karunaratne was offered $70,000, a drop of $30,000.

When the new pay plan was unveiled last month, players said it was ‘non-transparent’ and urged SLC to not hold them at ‘gunpoint’.

The board has said players could earn more under the new performance-based scheme, formulated with the help of former skipper Aravinda de Silva and ex-Australia all-rounder Tom Moody.

The Australian was hired in March as the Sri Lankan board’s director of cricket to prepare the team for the next World Cup.

The national players were offered annual contracts with all-rounder Dhananjaya de Silva and wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella getting the highest remuneration of $100,000 each. However, both have also rejected the new pay deal, according to their lawyer.

The SLC officials said the base fees in the new contracts were in addition to payments for each match as well as allowances for travel outside Colombo.

The players, including Karunaratne and Perera, had refused to sign new contracts.

Squad: Kusal Perera (captain), Kusal Mendis (vice-captain), Danushka Gunathilaka, Avishka Fernando, Pathum Nissanka, Niroshan Dickwella, Dhananjaya de Silva, Oshada Fernando, Charith Asalanka, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Ishan Jayaratne, Dushmantha Chameera, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Nuwan Pradeep, Binura Fernando, Shiran Fernando, Lakshan Sandakan, Akila Dananjaya, Praveen Jayawickrama.

Published in Dawn, June 9th, 2021

by Web Desk — June 9, 2021 in Cricket

SnackVideo takes a trip down memory lane as Annie Khalid’s Mahiya becomes a hit again

More and more musicians are settling in SnackVideo these days, releasing and promoting their groovy music with thousands of users on the platform. Last week, the ‘Mahiya’ Queen, Annie Khalid, made an exclusive debut of her signature song on SnackVideo and kicked off #MahiyabyAnnie Challenge.

So far, there has been around 77k participants in the challenge. Related hashtag

#SnackMusician has become trending on Twitter in Pakistan, gaining over 1.5k posts and comments.

As an English-Pakistani singer and model, Annie Khalid rose to fame in Pakistan in 2005 when her first single ‘Mahiya’ took the nation by storm. The song became popular due to its catchy tune and simple lyrics, and it was later used in the Indian film Awarapan (2007).

According to Annie, it is the unexpected success of ‘Mahiya’ that allowed her to consider making singing her life career as well as moving back to Pakistan. Since then, the talented singer has done it all from Bollywood item songs to collaborations with big names and her own hit albums, rocking the music world with her impressive fashion and soulful voice.

Till now, the song ‘Mahiya’ still remains a fan favorite, and it got onboard only on SnackVideo. The #MahiyabyAnnie challenge on SnackVideo is breathing new life into the most-played hit song back in the days. Within the hashtag, people can either cover the song itself or create transition videos, dance moves, or duet videos to join the challenge and “shine just like a star.”

by Web Desk — June 5, 2021 in Artist

Aurat Gardi is Now Available for Streaming on UrduFlix!

Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform is marking another one of its great feat with the launch of a women-led, empowering new web series ‘Aurat Gardi’ which is now available for streaming on the official platform.

Starring Javeria Saud and Alyy Khan in the lead, Aurat Gardi is one of those women-centric stories with enthralling and appealing female characters that bring together the whole plot – with a lot of intensity. The plot centers around the setbacks and evils of the misogynistic society that stoops low to make life harder for the women around them – and how sometimes it just takes one strong voice to unite the oppressed and bring about a change.

Directed by Aayan Hussain and produced by Farhan Gauher, Aurat Gardi also brings together an ensemble cast and gives a new light to a sensitive topic. There are certainly still strides to be made for female empowerment in the entertainment world in Pakistan, but UrduFlix – is taking the lead once again to bring important social issues to light.

UrduFlix – recently launched as Pakistan’s first-ever Urdu OTT platform has upped the game and expectations with brilliant new content, and has kept the surprises coming. The platform has also garnered great feedback from the audiences after multiple series including ‘Lifafa Dayan’, ‘Khudkush Muhabbat’, ‘Dulhan Aur Aik Raat’ have been streaming online. The platform is officially live for download for viewers on Google Play Store, Apple App Store, and Roku TV.

https://www.urduflix.com/aurat-gardi

by Web Desk — June 4, 2021 in Drama