Netflix announced on Thursday that it laid off more than 300 employees, or roughly 4% of its workforce, in yet another round of job cuts after losing subscribers for the first time in over a decade.

Mostly affecting US employees, this second round of layoffs comes in the aftermath of 150 job cuts at the company last month.

As reported by The Guardian, Netflix has stated that it has had to make this decision in order to cut costs during a time when revenues are declining.

“While we continue to invest significantly in the business, we made these adjustments so that our costs are growing in line with our slower revenue growth,” the streaming platform said in a statement.

Netflix has blamed several factors for the drop in subscribers, including increased competition from other platforms, the worsening state of the economy, the war in Ukraine, and the unsurprisingly large number of people who share their accounts with non-paying households.

As per the report, Netflix said in February it had lost 200,000 subscribers globally at the start of 2022 and projected a decline of 2 million users in the upcoming quarter.

The platform is looking at different options to increase its growth. It is currently reaching out to companies to explore the ad services to earn revenue.

At a conference in Cannes, co-chief executive of Netflix, Ted Sarandos said, “We’re not adding ads to Netflix as you know it today. We’re adding an ad tier for folks who say ‘Hey, I want a lower price and I’ll watch ads’.”

The company is also trying to figure out ways to prevent password sharing, so that there are multiple paying subscribers instead of one paying subscriber sharing with a group of non-paying people.

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday stressed the use of modern technology for the exploration of minerals as well as for the effective utilization of raw materials for power generation.

The prime minister stated this in a meeting with a delegation of All Pakistan Mines and Minerals Association led by Minister for Housing and Works Maulana Abdul Wasay, as reported by APP.

The meeting discussed various sessions of discussions carried out to harmonize the exploration and drainage system of high quality coal, iron ore and other precious minerals keeping in view international standards.

He directed to take benefit from the reserves of coal in Thar and Lakhra and also the iron cores in Mianwali and Chiniot. The Prime Minister directed to present a report on the development of the mining sector in the country and also set up a committee comprising representatives of the Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Industry and Production, Federal Board of Revenue and other relevant provincial commissions.

In addition, the Prime Minister directed to form a sub-committee headed by the Petroleum Minister Dr. Musaddiq Malik, to oversee the development in mining sector.

A boost in the use of technological methods in the mining sector would undoubtedly improve mining output, which would then have an impact on the country’s GDP and overall economy. Furthermore, the induction of technology also has the potential to result in opening up advanced employment opportunities.

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realme has dedicated the first few months of the year 2022 to its offerings in the mid-range and high-end segments, the realme 9i and realme 9 Pro+ respectively. After the successful impact of these models in Pakistan, realme is gearing up to bring yet another midrange king to dominate the local smartphone industry.

realme C35 has topped sales charts in the European and South Asian markets and is poised to do the same in Pakistan with its Glowing Silk Design, 6.6-inch FHD Display and 50MP AI Triple Camera. The star performer of the C Series – realme C35 is set to take the market by storm with its latest offerings.

realme’s C Series is perfectly packaged for emerging markets like Pakistan due to its large tech-savvy population who have a budget-conscious mindset. The growing youth of the country desires the specifications that a premium smartphone can provide but have to work within a smaller budget. realme’s C series is the answer to this conundrum, balancing quality with reduced costs.

Since its inception realme has had a three-pronged focus of maintaining quality, improving customer satisfaction, and democratizing tech to lower price segments. In order to further this aim, realme even inaugurated its first local assembly plant in the country earlier this year in the city of Lahore. The benefit of this plant was passed on to consumers in terms of reduced prices for realme products and higher reliability in the final product. The realme C35 opened for pre-orders on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 exclusively through Daraz and has piqued the interest of the entry-level segment.

For Phase 1 of the new smartphone’s rollout, realme is expanding coverage to over 1,500 shops across the country. This feat is made possible with help from an addition to realme’s roster of distributors thanks to their recent partnership with Advance Telecom, one of the leading mobile distributors and service providers in the country. The realme C35 is expected to overtake the growth of the realme 9i two-fold. This leads one to wonder what exactly makes the realme C35 such an incredible offering. As with the rest of the phones in the C series, the realme C35 comes with an internationally renowned TUV Rheinland Smartphone High-Reliability Certification. This certification is earned after undergoing rigorous testing under internationally recognized standards and is held in high regard. The Glowing Silk Design of the new handset takes inspiration from the simplicity, rich quality, and smoothness of silk. The handset is designed to give you a premium look and feel. The realme C35 also features a powerful 50MP AI Triple Main Camera setup for you to take high quality images at your disposal as well as a 6.6-inch FHD Display to enjoy those spectacular moments.

realme firmly believes in the “Dare to Leap” philosophy which is why they take chances and aim high. realme’s vision for the next two years is to slide into the group of top three smartphone brands while it aims to snatch the top spot within the next five years. Currently, realme still holds a great position as one of the top five smartphone brands (5G) in the world and was named the fastest growing 5G smartphone brand globally earlier this year. All these acknowledgments were made possible for realme because of their focus on nurturing a customer relationship across longer periods of time as realme is committed to giving their consumers lifetime value. This relationship is tended to with the availability of after-sales service through physical service centers in major cities around the country or through a toll-free helpline to address any customer concerns. The realme C35 is still available for pre-order for just PKR 32,999/- for a few more days on Daraz with a free gift of the realme Buds Classic being included as well so go and grab yours today.

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The second edition of Microsoft for Startups’ GrowthX Accelerator program is nearly through completion, with the cohort of 21 startups gaining invaluable knowledge aimed at helping them grow and scale their businesses.

Part of a strategic partnership between the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and Microsoft for Startups, the GrowthX Accelerator is a 12-week program designed to bridge the gap between corporates and B2B tech startups across the Middle East and Africa by enabling them to work together and solve unique challenges.

“Startups offer creative, innovative solutions to challenges faced in businesses and communities everywhere,” said Eng. Abdulla Abdul Aziz Al Shamsi, Acting Director General of ADIO. “Programs such as the GrowthX Accelerator offer them hands-on, practical training that will help them grow and scale their businesses in the shorter-term, and drive further impact in the long-term. It has been truly rewarding to receive positive feedback from the second cohort of startups. Through such programs, Abu Dhabi will continue to foster an enabling business environment and support startups with the access they need to grow.”

Since commencing in March 2022, the second edition of the program has empowered 21 B2B tech startups with hands-on training and mentorship from the Microsoft for Startups team, as well as the program’s Corporate Engagement Partners which include DHL, Etisalat, EY, Koç Holding, and PwC. Corporate partners are holding bi-weekly mentorship sessions with founders, giving them an opportunity to enhance their business models, modify their tech solutions and discover new customer acquisition techniques.

A notable highlight for founders has been the ‘Pitch Deck Clinics,” where they are guided on best practices to enhance their investment and sales decks. Startups have also participated in weekly sessions on topics such as Go to Market Strategy, where they explored best practices for early-stage customer acquisition, sales processes and communicating company values. Another standout session was on Growth Hacking, which offered vital information to help startups clearly structure a growth plan and always maintain a growth mindset. 

In addition to these valuable teachings that founders can leverage to scale their businesses once the program has concluded, the sessions also prepare participating startups for the corporate sessions they will attend later in the program, where they will pitch their innovative business idea to the program’s participating corporates.

“Over the past few weeks, I have been excited to see how the startups have leveraged the program to engage with our knowledge partners and mentors to enhance areas of their business” said Andrew Macadam, Global Founder Success Director, Microsoft for Startups. “Our partner Stripe delivered an in-depth session on pricing and monetization which gave the cohort insights into how to test pricing, understand the competition as well as how to understand customer personas. Additionally, the startups were able to have access to interesting B2B marketing techniques through a session led by LinkedIn, which they can apply to their own marketing strategies and teams to optimise overall reach and supercharge their growth in the region.”

For more information on the Microsoft for Startups, click here.

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Special technology zones are steadily expanding across the nation. In a welcome development, a high-level delegation of the Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) visited the Sindh Secretariat in Karachi to discuss the plan to launch tech zones thereby creating a vast number of opportunities for Pakistan’s technology industry.

As reported by Global Village Space, the STZA delegation was led by Chairman Amer Hashmi, while the Sindh Secretariat delegation was led by the Chief Secretary of Sindh Dr. Sohail Rajput. The latter also included Secretary of Information, Science and Technology Asif Ikram and Special Assistant to the CM on IT Tanzeela Umi Habiba.

The Chairman STZA explained how the authority is implementing its National Roll-out plan, under which Special Technology Zones (STZs) are being developed across the country, where numerous opportunities will be created for Pakistan’s rapidly developing technology industry to thrive under international benchmarks.

He further elaborated that STZA was making efforts to support the technology industry at the grassroots level by offering globally competitive incentives to the small, medium, and large-scale technology organizations as well as enabling the rapidly growing freelancers’ market in Pakistan.

Chief Commercial Officer STZA Javaid Iqbal presented the Innovation Clusters Strategy, under which high potential technology clusters across the country would offer incentives and regulatory support.

Furthermore, the STZA also briefed about recent technology investment potential in Sindh province. The Sindh Secretariat leadership lauded the initiatives taken by STZA and expressed their full support and commitment to closely collaborating with STZA to pursue programs and initiatives for the fast-paced growth of the technology sector in Sindh.

The Chairman STZA expressed his gratitude to the Sindh Secretariat for their support of the discussed initiatives. He added that the collaboration between government, academia, and industry will promote innovation and provide a plethora of opportunities for the youth in the Sindh technology ecosystem.

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The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Tuesday dismissed news reports carried by a section of media regarding the new Domain Name System (DNS), saying it had not implemented centralised DNS control.

“It is clarified that PTA has only implemented an automation of blocking of unlawful content as mandated to PTA under PECA 37,” a statement issued by the authority read.

Clarification: With regards to news appearing in a section of media regarding new Domain Name System (DNS) implementation by PTA, it is clarified that PTA has only implemented an automation of blocking of unlawful content as mandated to PTA under PECA 37. pic.twitter.com/kbxImOqJqb

— PTA (@PTAofficialpk) June 21, 2022

Domain Name System (DNS) is the decentralised naming system used to identify computers or other devices like mobile phones and tablets reachable through the internet.

Contrary to the claims, it said it has not implemented a Centralised DNS Control thorugh which all resolution will be centrally performed by PTA. Instead, the resolution will be performed at ISP’s end, it added.

“The blocking of illegal content was already being done however to improve the effectiveness of the same, an automation process through domain name resolution at ISP level has been implemented under the policy directives of GoP [government of Pakistan]. This has been done in consultation and extensive due-deliberation with the Internet Service Providers (ISP) of Pakistan,” the statement said.

The PTA further clarified that the recent development will have “no effect on increasing the cost of internet services, no impact on slowing down of internet nor has any implications on privacy of the citizens whatsoever, as wrongly portrayed in some media reports”.

“Furthermore, it will also have no effect on the current arrangements with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs). In view of above stated position, all speculations related to the process should put to rest,” PTA stated.

The authority in April announced setting a Central Domain Name System (CDNS) for the prevention of immoral content specified in section 37 of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca 2016).

According to the authority, the CDNS will ensure immediate, uninterrupted and automatic blocking of illegal content.

The inauguration of this mechanism was carried out at the PTA Headquarters, Islamabad. According to the PTA statement, the system was put into place after months of joint efforts and cooperation by the telecom sector and other stakeholders.

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HBL becomes the first Bank in Pakistan to launch “full feature” banking services on WhatsApp. The facility has been developed in partnership with leading cloud communication service provider E.Ocean.

HBL’s Conversational Banking was made available to its clients through E.Ocean’s WhatsApp Business Platform in 2021. To use the service, HBL clients need to initiate a conversation on HBL’s WhatsApp number (021-111-111-425) from the mobile number registered with the Bank. Now, in addition to the information services already being offered, the “full feature” set of services will enable HBL’s customers to conduct payments / financial transactions as well. These transactions / services include:

• Inter-bank Funds Transfer
• Intra-bank Funds Transfer
• Mobile recharge (Prepaid & Postpaid)
• Utility Bill Payments
• Temporarily block / unblock Debit or Credit Card

Speaking on the occasion, Abrar Ahmed Mir, Chief Innovation and Financial Inclusion Officer – HBL, said, “We are excited to leverage the potential of the WhatsApp Platform to unlock value for our clients. With over 2 billion users, WhatsApp offers an unparalleled opportunity to address immediate basic banking needs. This is why we integrated a host of banking services into a platform which is already embedded in our clients’ everyday lives. Client centricity is fundamental to how HBL does business, and we believe this partnership, and its results reflect our commitment to the same.”

Speaking on the occasion, Altaf Siddiqui, Director of Products, E.Ocean, said “It is a moment of great pride for E.Ocean to facilitate HBL in launching first of its kind full feature banking service for its retail customers over WhatsApp. HBL has become a trend setter by going agile and incorporating financial services into a channel that millions of its customers already use, to deliver truly on the go banking with a focus on convenience, accessibility and security.”

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How many browsers can claim to have a special gravestone dedicated in their memory? Well, for now, only the recently retired Internet Explorer can. Having been the butt of jokes and trolls for most of its life, it was only fitting that the browser’s “final resting place” would be a hilarious homage to one of the most iconic tools in Internet history.

Last week on June 15, Microsoft officially retired its oldest browser after 27 years, resulting in a mix of funny and nostalgic reactions from people all over the world.

Much like most of the netizen population, South Korean software engineer Jung Ki-young had what can only be described as a love-hate relationship with the Internet Explorer. However, unlike most of the netizen population, he chose to react to the browser’s demise in the most epic manner imaginable.

The engineer got to work with 430,000 won ($330) over the course of a month to design a headstone commemorating Microsoft’s browser. With the Explorer’s iconic “e” logo and a hilarious epitaph, the headstone had all the makings of becoming a viral sensation.

“He was a good tool to download other browsers,” the cheeky dedication read.

After the gravestone was sighted in a café run by Jung’s brother in the city of Gyeongju, its photo went viral.

Jung said the memorial showed his mixed feelings for the software, which had played such a big part in his working life.

“It was a pain in the a**, but I would call it a love-hate relationship because Explorer itself once dominated an era,” he said.

He admitted that while he had been meaning to make people laugh with this gravestone, he hadn’t expected it to go viral like this.

“That’s another reason for me to thank the Explorer, it has now allowed me to make a world-class joke,” Jung said. “I regret that it’s gone, but won’t miss it. So its retirement, to me, is a good death.“

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Pakistan earned $2,197.787 million by providing different Information Technology (IT) services to various countries during the ten months of fiscal year 2021-22.

As per Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data, this shows growth of 29.29 percent as compared to $1,699.860 million earned through the provision of services during the corresponding period of fiscal year 2020-21.

During July-April (2021-22), the export of computer services grew by 30.77 percent as it surged from $1,343.550 million last fiscal year to $1,756.957 million this year.

Among the plethora of computer services, the export of software consultancy services witnessed an increase of 48.43 percent, from $443.478 million to $658.239 million while the export of hardware consultancy services also rose by 337.72 percent from, $0.456 million to $1.996 million.

The export and import of computer software related services also rose by 41.42 percent, from $331.730 million to $469.133 million whereas the exports of repair and maintenance services jumped to $1.249 million from $0.464 million.

In addition, the exports of other computer services increased by 10.38 percent going up from $567.422 million to $626.340 million.

Meanwhile, the export of information technology services during the period under review increased by 39.51 percent by going up from $3.240 million to $4.520 million.

Among the information services, the exports of news agency services increased by 68.56 percent, from $1.765 million to $2.975 million whereas the exports of other information services increased by 4.75 percent, from $1.475 million to $1.545 million.

The PBS data further revealed that the export of telecommunication services also witnessed an increase of 23.58 percent as these went up from $353.070 million to $436.310 million during the year under review.

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TikTok has partnered with Edkasa and LUMS to launch a digital learning programme to facilitate online education and distance learning for high school students. Driven by TikTok, the programme #ExamReady will promote digital learning designed to help millions of Pakistani students.

In this first of its kind year-long partnership, TikTok, Edkasa and LUMS will collaborate to bring to life over 500 educational videos online covering Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, including study tips and exam hacks. The Syed Ahsan Ali and Syed Maratib Ali School of Education at LUMS will provide guidance on teaching methodologies and cover monitoring and evaluation of the project whereas Edkasa, as the implementing partner, will develop all content and host it on TikTok and other social media profiles. The programme’s first round of content is expected to go live in August this year.

The announcement comes at an opportune time for Pakistan that is seeing pressure on its low- and middle-income groups with education costs becoming a cause for distress. In a country where access to high-quality educational content remains a major hindrance to human development, Edkasa has achieved over 15 million minutes of viewing time in 2021, enrolled over 145,000 students, and 129 online courses. With demographics of over 140 million Pakistani citizens below 30 years of age, while more than 10 million currently enrolled in high-schools, the partnership could not have come at a better time.

TikTok, home to 1 billion monthly average users globally, will help disseminate the content to millions of Pakistani students through its platform.

Farah Tukan, Head of Government Relations & Public Policy at TikTok – Middle East, Turkey, Africa & Pakistan (METAP) said:

“This partnership with LUMS and Edkasa promises digital access to quality education for everyone. We look forward to working together for the nationwide promotion of literacy, and to enable Pakistani students to use our platform to hone their knowledge and skills to set themselves up for successful professional lives.”

LUMS will be co-creating the content, while engaging learners. The intellectual experience of the University will enhance the teaching efficacy of this innovative programme, while the learning and performance of each participant will also be evaluated by scholars from LUMS.

LUMS Vice Chancellor, Dr. Arshad Ahmad, spoke about how the University is able to amplify the impact created by its dynamic alumni; Edkasa too was cofounded by LUMS alumni Annum Sadiq (BSc 2011) and Muhammad Fahad Tanveer (BSc 2005, MBA 2010). Dr. Ahmad added,

“At LUMS we embrace change and look for opportunities to better pedagogy, and to personalise education to engage students.”

Annum Sadiq, Chief Education Officer and Co-Founder of Edkasa, said:

“As one of Pakistan’s top-ranked, specialised apps for online teaching, we’re excited to come on board as an implementing partner in this initiative. Edkasa pledges to provide the right technological solutions, products and services to enrich the students’ knowledge and perceptions. With over 300,000 downloads in one year, Edkasa enables distance learning of essential subjects like Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology, English and Computer Science (STEM), along with 21st century skills, educating nearly 30,000 students per month.”

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E-commerce titan Alibaba continues to expand the scope of its operations as it announced on Friday that it will be making its first entry into Pakistan.  The logistics service that it operates – Cainiao – is launching two automated distribution centers in Karachi and Lahore as part of this development.

As reported by TechCrunch, the smart distribution centers will come equipped with a suite of Cainiao’s in-house technology, including electric control units, software-based PLCs, and a computing solution that aims to utilize cloud computing and super-fast runtimes on the edge.

According to Cainiao, this suite of warehousing tech can reduce manual labor by half and increasing human productivity by 100%.

Much like its parent company, Cainiao is intent on expanding its global presence as much as possible. Presently operating nine large distribution centers across Europe, Asia and the Americas, it is hoping to boost operations in Southeast Asia, South Asia and Europe.

The opening of the distribution centers in Karachi and Lahore appears to be an integral part of that plan.

“Logistic network development is a priority in our globalization strategy as logistics is the fundamental infrastructure supporting a high-quality consumer experience based on integrated product supply from cross-border and locally,” explained Alibaba CEO Daniel Zhang.

“Cainiao has been developing logistic network in Southeast Asia and Europe, leveraging the commerce use cases presented by Lazada, AliExpress, and the Trendyol,” the executive added.

This wouldn’t be the first instance of Alibaba expanding into Pakistan and other Asian countries with its combination of investment and integration. Back in 2018, it acquired Pakistani e-commerce platform Daraz, which also delivers to Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Myanmar.

The Chinese behemoth also acquired control of Southeast Asian ecommerce platform Lazada in 2016, and it also has a stake in Turkey’s Trendyol and Indonesia’s Tokopedia.

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Pakistan imported a whopping $1.946 billion worth of mobile phones during the July-May period of 2021-22. Compared to the figure of $1.860 billion over the same period last year, this development represents a boost of 4.62 percent.

The data, courtesy of the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) is interesting given the increase in the local manufacturing of phones.

Overall, telecom imports for the country grew by 11.5 percent over the past year, going up from $2.337 billion to $2.597 billion.

The PBS data suggested that, on a monthly basis, imports of mobile phones into Pakistan decreased by 35.54 percent during May 2022 and remained at $137.213 million when compared to $212.881 million imported in April 2022.

Meanwhile, on a year-on-year basis, mobile phones witnessed a 21.82 percent negative growth in May 2022 when compared to $175.501 million in May 2021.

On a month-on-month basis, the overall telecom imports into the country witnessed a drop of 33.50 percent during May 2022 and remained at $183.985 million, when compared to the imports of $276.652 million in April 2022.

On a year-on-year basis, overall telecom imports experienced 16.60 percent negative growth when compared to $220.559 million in May 2021. Other apparatus imports during July-May 2021-22 increased by 36.66 percent and remained at $651.323 million compared to $476.612 million in July-May 2020-21.

The increase in mobile imports despite the increase in locally manufactured handset is certainly noteworthy. According to PTA data, of the over 9 million mobile phones that were manufactured locally, 53 percent are smartphones while 47 percent are 2G devices on the Pakistan network.

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The photo-editing powerhouse might just be on its way to becoming fully accessible for everyone. Adobe has reportedly started testing a free-to-use version of Photoshop on the web in an attempt to attract more users.

As per details from the report by The Verge, the company is in the process of testing a “freemium” version of Photoshop in Canada. According to Adobe, enough tools will be available for users to allow them to perform core tasks, and they will be free of cost.

“We want to make [Photoshop] more accessible and easier for more people to try it out and experience the product,” says Maria Yap, Adobe’s VP of digital imaging.

Having first released the web version of Photoshop back in October, Adobe initially equipped it with only the basic features, including layers and core editing tools.

The company presented it not as a primary editing tool with the full breadth of features, but as a collaboration tool that consumers could use to share images with each other, make some small changes, and then hand it over to someone with more advanced tools.

Ever since then, however, Adobe has continued to upgrade the product and expand the scope of its impact. For instance, any Photoshop subscriber can now log in and initiate a new document straight from the web.

The idea with having a freemium version of Photoshop on the web is to hook new users who will, hopefully, pay for the full version somewhere down the road. Moreover, the web version is just a lot more accessible because you don’t really need a high-performing machine in order to use it.

“I want to see Photoshop meet users where they’re at now,” Yap says. “You don’t need a high-end machine to come into Photoshop.”

Adobe didn’t provide a timeline on when the freemium version would launch more widely.

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FrieslandCampina Engro Pakistan Limited (FCEPL), HBL and Sindh Enterprise Development Fund (SEDF) have collaborated to provide easily accessible, subsidized financing to dairy farmers in Pakistan with a long-term commitment of five years.

Dairy farmers require financial support to upscale their operations, enhance milk yield and improve herd size. Committed to Nourishing Pakistan with better nutrition and better living for farmers, FCEPL aims to provide a long-term sustainable financing solution for the dairy farmers in partnership with HBL and SEDF. This one-of-a-kind partnership will facilitate upscaling operations for sustainable dairy farming and the purchase of exotic animals, benefitting the overall milk supply value chain.

Ali Khan, Managing Director – FCEPL, said: “This is the first time such an initiative is being undertaken for dairy farmers. Our partnership with HBL and SEDF will enable farmers to upscale their operations, enhance milk supply within Pakistan and benefit the economy. Farmers will be able to make independent decisions to grow their operations. The idea behind the tripartite agreement is to work with farmers on herd improvement, mechanization and infrastructure development.”

Muhammad Aurangzeb, President & CEO – HBL stated: “Livestock and dairy alone contributes more than 14% to the national GDP. Pakistani dairy farmers produced more than 60 Billion Liters of milk during 2021-22 making it the fourth largest milk producer globally. Despite these impressive statistics, milk yields and animal productivity are amongst the lowest. This necessitates policy intervention and collaboration. HBL is the leading farmer financing provider in the country and is committed to enhancing financial inclusion in rural Pakistan. The Bank has been actively lending for dairy partnering with farmers for the purchase of quality animals and ensuring funds for feed, vaccine and animal well being. HBL’s dairy value chain partnership with FCEPL will facilitate dairy farmers in improving their farm practices and timely availability of credit. This will  increase milk yield resulting in sustained and higher profits for our hardworking dairy farmers.”

Mehboob Ul Haq, Managing Director – SEDF said: “The Sindh Enterprise Development Fund is proud to team up with FCEPL and HBL in this new venture. We hope to provide dairy farmers with solutions to grow their business and strengthen the country’s dairy industry and economy.”

Leveraging the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Program (PMKJ) the total fund allocation for this tripartite arrangement for FCEPL recommended farmers is PKR 10 Billion. This partnership promises to strengthen the dairy farmer community where farmers between the ages of 21-45 are eligible to apply for a loan between PKR 1million to 10million with faster case processing and turnaround times i.e., within two weeks.  The mark-up cost is as low as 4% with further subsidization by SEDF for farmers based in Sindh.

FCEPL has taken various initiatives over time for creating value for its farmer community such as extending advances at zero mark-up, cow subsidy programs, incentivizing hygienic practices, and investing in capability building of farmers with trainings on best practices and robust processes, thus improving the livelihoods of farmers and transforming the dairy sector of Pakistan.

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Electric vehicles getting charged at lightning-fast speeds? As incredible as that sounds, that is the purpose of the ultra-rapid DC charging station – the first and only one of its kind in Pakistan – launched by Audi and Siemens at the Libra Charging Hub in Saddar, Karachi.

As reported by Dawn, the technology is the result of collaboration between two German titans, Audi and Siemens, and is set to have a significant impact on the country’s EV future. Equipped with Siemens’ SICHARGE D series chargers, the super-fast EV charging station will be capable of charging at speeds of up to 160kW.

In his welcome address, Abdul Haseeb Khan, CEO of Libra Energy Solutions, requested the government for a subsidy to reduce the cost of charging electric vehicles. He also called for electric pole-mounted transformers (PMTs) along highways to make it possible for them install more such charging stations there.

“That way you will be able to easily drive your EV from here to Murree,” he pointed out.

Siemens-Pakistan chief Markus Strohmeier explained that the technology represents the first rapid charger in Pakistan that will be capable of charging bigger electric cars such as the Audi e-tron in just 15 mins. For smaller cars, it will take a mere four or five minutes.

The executive highlighted the need for equipping highways with charging stations in order to facilitate the EV revolution in Pakistan.

“Your highways really need to be equipped with such charging stations. It will be a small investment to see the cars move from city to city,” he said, while pointing out that there is plenty of vacant land alongside our highways, which can be turned into solar farms.

Meanwhile, Germany’s Ambassador to Pakistan Hon Bernhard Schlagheck expressed his pleasure at being present at the inauguration of a development that represented German innovation.

“The future is electric,” the envoy declared. “We are learning that more and more today in times of climate change and global warming. However, electro-based mobility also requires a corresponding infrastructure. I am pleased that another step in this direction is being taken here.”

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E-Processing Systems’ flagship fintech platform Oneload has joined hands with Kuunda Pakistan. With the aim to solve the liquidity challenges faced by informal micro retailers and small businesses in Pakistan to grow their businesses and build economic resilience. OneLoad’s retailers can now access real-time transnational liquidity products, working capital loans and other tailored growth financing products across the country.

Oneload is one of the largest mass market financial access platforms in Pakistan enabling its retailers to deliver telecom, digital payments and banking services to several million unbanked customers each month. OneLoad’s vision is to fully digitize supplier payment settlements and digital payment acceptance for micro-retailers.

As of today, Oneload has expanded its network to 50,000+ retailers whilst the company has also received in-principle approval from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to operate as an Electronic Money Institution (EMI).

Kuunda Pakistan has been formed as a Joint Venture between Kuunda Holdings and an embedded finance platform Neem  Kuunda Holdings, with its global footprint, has provided financial access to loans for more than 160,000 informal agents and retailers, worth more than $150 million, through 12.5 million individual disbursements across the globe. Neem is focused on providing Financial Wellness via embedded financial services products to underbanked communities in Pakistan.

With mobile money transactions valuing more than PKR 1.6 trillion in the country with 12% growth last quarter,  The liquidity challenges that Kuunda is solving are critical, so the joint venture with Neem in the Pakistan market made for a perfect synergy. Kuunda Pakistan is currently in the process of developing a successful, scalable partnership network to launch and scale the full extent of its product portfolio in Pakistan.

Speaking on the occasion, Muhammad Yar Hiraj, CEO EP Systems said “We want to be the preferred digital and financial partner for the retailer, enabling them to increase their business whilst ensuring their financial wellness. This partnership will help us to further expand our offerings and accelerate business growth for our retailer base.”

Jalal ul Haq, CEO Kuunda Pakistan said “We are the connective tissue within the Pakistan eco-system. Our embedded financing solutions have been built to solve the liquidity problems felt by retailers such as those in the OneLoad network, and to enable instant access to transactional liquidity and working capital financing through their mobile phones. We truly believe that this partnership will enable OneLoad to grow the productivity of their retailers and expand the usage and distribution of their products – delivering real, tangible results.”

Building on this collaboration, a new range of services will be extended in the Oneload app to enable retailers to access instant liquidity solutions and grow their business, their transaction volumes and enhance their customer relationships.

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VEON Ltd. (NASDAQ: VEON, Euronext Amsterdam: VEON), a global digital operator that provides mobile connectivity and services, announces today that the Group’s VEON Ventures division has completed a US$ 15 million Series A investment in Dastgyr, a Pakistan-based B2B e-commerce marketplace platform.

The deal is VEON Ventures’ largest investment in a Pakistani start-up and reflects the Group’s continued commitment to the region and growth of the digital economy of Pakistan. The investment positions Dastgyr to take advantage of VEON’s global expertise and its operating company, Jazz’s distribution network and digital payment solutions via JazzCash.

“Pakistan’s start-up ecosystem is at a critical juncture and only startups focused on addressing key challenges and adopting localized solutions will survive and thrive,” added Aamir Ibrahim, CEO of Jazz. “This investment highlights VEON’s commitment to scaling up Pakistan’s digital economy and provides Dastgyr with a platform to build synergies with Jazz’s subscriber base of around 75 million and with JazzCash, further integrating the startup into Pakistan’s fintech ecosystem.”

“As part of VEON’s transformation into a digital operator that delivers a growing range of services to our customers we are investing in leading digital companies like Dastagyr in the countries where we operate. These investments are the building blocks of the digital ecosystem that will enable us to deliver on our strategy,” said Mohd Khairil Abdullah, CEO of VEON Ventures.

“Pakistan, with its rapidly growing digital sector, is a key market for VEON. By bringing together Dagstyr’s e-commerce business with Jazz’s communications network and JazzCash’s mobile payments platform, we will catalyse the growth in digital services in Pakistan. This would be further enhanced by the digital banking services that we have ambitions to provide.”

Dastgyr offers businesses a one-stop-shop application that connects thousands of retailers with suppliers to give them access to real-time visibility on pricing and financing rates.

“We are thrilled to achieve this milestone in the current global economic environment,” said Zohaib Ali, co-founder of Dastgyr. “We welcome the new investors to the Dastgyr family as we continue to work relentlessly toward our vision of building an AliBaba for emerging markets worldwide. We’re lucky to have found strategic partners who believe in our mission and have displayed unwavering faith in our team.

“Financial inclusion, which is central to the startup’s mission, will uplift and enable Pakistan’s small- and medium-sized retail entrepreneurs and unlock up to an additional US$ 10 billion for the country’s GDP, according to our estimates.”

Dastgyr will remain an independent entity, with a minority position being taken by VEON Ventures. The new investment will support Dastgyr’s expansion into 15 new regions of Pakistan, alongside its existing network in Karachi, Lahore, Sheikhupura and Gujranwala.

VEON Ventures’ investment in Dastgyr Series A funding was made alongside Zinal Growth Partners, DEG, Khwarizmi Ventures, Oman Technology Fund, Cedar Mundi Ventures, Reflect Ventures, Century Oak Capital, Haitou Global, GoingVC, Astir Ventures, K3 Ventures, Chandaria Capital, along with the founders of Property Finder, Ayoconnect, Quiqup and senior management from DoorDash.

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After years of being the butt of jokes and taking a backseat to other browsers, the Internet Explorer is bidding the world adieu. Microsoft announced that it will be retiring its oldest browser tomorrow, June 15, after 27 years.

As per details in the company release, Microsoft is now placing the future of its browsing squarely in the hands of Microsoft Edge.

The statement read:

“We are announcing that the future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge. Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications. Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge.”

The company added that the Internet Explorer 11 desktop application will officially retire and go out of support on June 15, 2022 for “certain versions of Windows 10”.

If you are interested in seeing the full scope of who and what gets affected by this development, head over to this FAQ.

First released in 1995 as an add-on package for Windows 95, the Internet Explorer hasn’t exactly enjoyed the kind of glory days its creators had hoped it would. Nevertheless, it represents a significant milestone in the storied history of computing and the Internet.

Naturally, netizens have had a field day with this announcement, with a plethora of reactions ranging from hilarious to nostalgic.

Microsoft is shutting down Internet Explorer after 27 years : ( https://t.co/Mszl6dvxap pic.twitter.com/kTsuq5wy9c

— The Meme Springboard (@MemeSpringboard) June 12, 2022

Internet Explorer is shutting down in three days. I haven’t used IE in a decades but it was the browser I had used for the majority if my childhood.

Whether you loved or hated Internet Explorer, it’ll be the end if an era

— Caesár (@CnaVD) June 11, 2022

Internet Explorer is finally shutting down on June 15 after 27 years.

Seems it’s lagging a bit, I clicked “close” 26 years ago.

— Scott Hanselman (@shanselman) June 14, 2022

Internet Explorer to be finally shut down by Microsoft after 27 years. Thank you for helping us download other web browsers.

— Shubhangi Sharma (@ItsShubhangi) June 13, 2022

Cover Image Credits: @Dipenpanchal710

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In a laudable development, researchers at the National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST) have successfully completed full functional testing “NTiny-E”, the country’s first truly indigenously designed microprocessor.

This was revealed by the Pro-Rector (Research, Innovation and Commercialization) NUST Dr Rizwan Riaz during a press conference on Monday. He was accompanied by Principal SEECS Dr. Ajmal Khan and NTiny design and development team leader Dr. Rehan Ahmed.

This is a remarkable accomplishment because as a country, Pakistan has so far failed to truly capitalize on the ever-present need for semiconductor technology across the world. Global semiconductor sales amounted to $595 billion in 2021, and the ability to indigenously design microprocessors could be the first step toward having a slice of that pie.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Rizwan Riaz highlighted that the embedded microprocessor chip was designed by the research team of the NUST School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS).

He said that semiconductor chips are at the heart of all electronic devices and consumer appliances that we use every day.

The unique aspect of the project is its completely in-house design as opposed to common practice of using open-source cores from other sources or via foreign collaborations. This makes NTiny-E a truly indigenous product that provides the design team complete leverage and control over all aspects of the chip.

NUST selected the world’s largest and leading commercial foundry, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC) for chip fabrication, utilizing the industry-standard 65 nm process node.

This demonstrates researchers’ ability to design chips that are compliant with international industrial design and fabrication standards.

Dr Rizwan Riaz pointed out that the NUST team has not limited itself to the design of the chip itself but also developed a complete ecosystem required for chip testing and its incorporation into end products. The printed circuit board for chip testing and prototyping of end systems has also been indigenously developed along with associated software and development tools.

This development will allow researchers and industrial product developers to design and manufacture products based on NTiny-E. Some interesting applications of this technology include embedded systems, IoT devices and consumer electronic products.

Moreover, the indigenous nature of the product mitigates concerns related to cyber security and technology denial.

NUST is also developing competent and market-ready human resource for the semiconductor market to address critical shortages through its undergraduate and post-graduate programs.

It is worth noting that in the current context of global shortage of semiconductor chips, the ability to design such technology in-house can not be understated. NTiny-E is an important step towards that kind of technological self-reliance.

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Spotify on Monday announced it has formed a Safety Advisory Council to provide third-party input on issues such as hate speech, disinformation, extremism and online abuse.

The formation of this council represents another step in Spotify’s efforts to deal with harmful content on its audio streaming service. This is especially important after backlash earlier this year over “The Joe Rogan Experience,” in which the podcaster was accused of spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The council comprises 18 experts, including representatives from Washington, D.C. civil rights group the Center for Democracy & Technology, the University of Gothenburg in Sweden and the Institute for Technology and Society in Brazil.

These experts will offer Spotify advice and counsel as it develops products and policies and thinks about emerging issues.

“The idea is to bring in these world-renowned experts, many of whom have been in this space for a number of years, to realize a relationship with them,” said Dustee Jenkins, Spotify’s global head of public affairs. “And to ensure that it’s not talking to them when we’re in the middle of a situation … Instead, we’re meeting with them on a pretty regular basis, so that we can be much more proactive about how we’re thinking about these issues across the company.”

The council is purely advisory in nature, and Spotify can accept or reject its advice. Unlike Facebook’s oversight board, which decides what cases it reviews, Spotify will submit issues for its council to consider and provide feedback.

Sarah Hoyle, Spotify’s head of trust and safety, said the advisory council was not formed in reaction to “any particular creator or situation,” but rather a recognition of the challenges of operating a global service at a time when threats are constantly evolving.

“How do we augment the internal expertise that we already have at Spotify, to tap into these folks whose life’s work has been studying this, and they’re on the ground in markets all around the world, just like our users, just like our creators,” said Hoyle.

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