UBL Virtual Prepaid Card Launched
UBL has launched its ’Virtual Prepaid Card’ to keep up with the ever increasing demand for E-Commerce transactions and the need for a safer and more secure payment option.
UBL’s Virtual Prepaid Card is the most versatile prepaid solution in the market, catering to the growing population of the digitally savvy generation. This Card is designed to create customer convenience in the E-Commerce universe by providing a care-free online shopping experience.
UBL’s Virtual Prepaid Card stands out from the competition, since it provides its account holders the flexibility to call-up the Contact Center or log-on to their internet banking at any point in time 24×7 and get their virtual card in less than 10 minutes; without any hassle and requiring no paperwork or documentation.
Commenting on the successful roll-out of this unique service, Sharjeel Shahid – Group Head Banking Products, said; “The UBL Virtual Card is for anyone and everyone who is looking for convenience, safety and security when going online to shop at their favourite website or to make payments. The UBL Virtual Prepaid Card is one more addition in our bouquet of prepaid cards that started with the first prepaid card in Pakistan – UBL WIZ”.
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Pindi gets affordable ride option through uberAUTO
Uber, the global smartphone app that seamlessly connects riders to drivers operates in more than 600 cities worldwide has announced the start of its uberAUTO service in Rawalpindi, a first of its kind initiative for the city. The service is already operating in Karachi, Faisalabad and Lahore.
At the tap of a button, Uber will connect riders with the closest available uberAUTO rickshaw driver, who shall pick the rider up at the earliest. Riders will be able to see a photo of the driver, vehicle license plate, and will be able to follow them on the app as they make their way to the requested destination.
Just like other Uber services, uberAUTO is a reliable, safe and affordable rickshaw service on offer by the global ride-hailing app. The base fare for hailing an uberAUTO is set at PKR 45, while riders will be charged PKR 5 per km for the trip and PKR 1.15 per minute as waiting charges.
Speaking about the launch, Safee Shah, GM – Uber Pakistan, said, “Our uberAUTO service has been a success in Lahore, Karachi and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is another area, where research showcases that rickshaws are a primary mode of public transport for many. With uberAUTO, riders will now be able to experience convenience and safety like never before.”
UberAUTO has been launched for the convenience of riders who prefer affordable and safe alternatives to their daily commute. uberAUTO also allows for easy navigation during peak traffic hours in metros across Pakistan.
UberAUTO also provides the option of the ’Share Status’ feature, where riders can share their current location with family and friends so they are aware of the route and expected arrival time at the destination.
In order to use uberAUTO, riders will need to download the Uber App from any App store and request a ride within the app.
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International students visit Pakistan high commission under the model ASEM Singapore spin-off 2017
A group of international students visited the Pakistan High Commission for Singapore under the Model ASEM Singapore Spinoff 2017.
Mr. Nasrullah Khan, High Commissioner, who is also Pakistan’s Asia Europe Foundation (ASEF) Governor, gave a comprehensive briefing to the students on Pakistan- Singapore bilateral relations. They were also informed about the daily operations and working of the different Wings of the High Commission. The briefing was followed by a lively discussion/ Question-Answer session. The High Commissioner was assisted by Ms. Nighat Shah, Press Counsellor, during the briefings.
The students belonging to various educational institutions of Indonesia, Malaysia, Italy and Singapore showed keen interest in Pakistan’s views/position on various domestic and international issues. They appreciated the briefings which provided a clearer understanding of the working of the Diplomatic Mission and ground realities in Pakistan.
Model ASEM is a political simulation of the ASEM Foreign Ministers’ Meeting where students enhance their diplomacy, negotiation, consensus-building and public-speaking skills through role-play, research, case-studies and practical trainings.
ASEF is a non- profit, intergovernmental organization which strengthens relations between Asia and Europe. To further promote the awareness and visibility of ASEM among the young people, ASEF encourages and supports youth and student organizations in Asia and Europe to organize small-scale Model ASEM spin-off activities on a local level and for their community.
The students who visited the Pakistan High Commission were Muhammad Rizal Saanun University as Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta Indonesia, Ms. Alessandra ThiMandelli University of Milan Italy, Ms. Aw Yong Wei Li National University of Singapore Malaysia, Mr. Chayakorn Suwannachot DISTED College, Penang Malaysia, Ms. NurMaisarahBte Mohammad Wizan National University of Singapore, Mr. Matthew Low Jing Wen National University of Singapore.
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Ihsan trust obtains Islamic economy award
Ihsan Trust, a Pakistani Organization established under the rules of Waqf, has received the Global ’Islamic Economy Award 2017’ in the category of ’Waqf and Endowment’ in recognition of its efforts to provide interest free loans to deserving students for higher education. His Excellency Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, presented the award to Ihsan Trust, at a ceremony held in Dubai. Ahmed Ali Siddiqui received the award on behalf of Ihsan Trust.
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IBA-CEJ, ICRC Award Journalists For Excellence In Humanitarian Reporting
Journalists are the first-responders when it comes to humanitarian crises in Pakistan yet their hard work goes mostly unappreciated. To acknowledge good journalism conducted in the field of humanitarian reporting, the Centre for Excellence in Journalism at the Institute of Business Administration (CEJ-IBA), Karachi and the International Committee of the Red Cross organized the Humanitarian Reporting Award 2017 on Friday (December 15, 2017).
The awards were given in three categories: Mainstream Broadcast (Urdu), Mainstream Print and Online (Urdu) and Mainstream Print and Online (English) for news stories published between November 1, 2016 to November 9, 2017.
The winners and runners-up in the three categories are as follows:
Mainstream Broadcast (Urdu)
Winner: Khawar Khan, Geo News (Story: Medicines without cold chain management)
Runner up: Umar Farooq, Voice of America Urdu (Story: Sikh Bachon ka School Kis Mushkil Se Dochar Hai)
Mainstream Print & Online (Urdu)
Winner: Islam Gul Afridi, Akhbar e Khyber (Story: KP aur FATA mein AIDS ke mareezon ki tadaad mein izafa)
Runner up: Fariha Fatima, ARY News (Story: Robinhood Army’s fight against hunger)
Mainstream Print & Online (English)
Winner: Shazia Hassan, Dawn Media group (Story: Ghosts of Gadani)
Runner up: Ghulam Dastageer, Herald Magazine (Story: Walking the line in times of conflict)
The ceremony started with a welcome note by Director CEJ Kamal Siddiqi, who shared some details of CEJ’s collaboration with ICRC that began with Humanitarian Reporting Workshops and concluded with these awards. “We received more than 200 applications for a workshop of 20 journalists, showing the overwhelming interest in the media for humanitarian reporting,” he said, adding that CEJ and ICRC decided to conduct two workshops and hold these awards to acknowledge good journalism in humanitarian work.
Najum Abbasi, ICRC Pakistan’s Communications Coordinator, said ICRC recognizes the efforts of CEJ-IBA for its relenting efforts in making this initiative a success. “The collaboration with CEJ will continue in 2018 in an effort to continue inspiring and encouraging media to write, talk, and debate on humanitarian issues in an objective and non-partisan manner by keeping the interests of those affected by such issues at the heart of its reporting,” he said.
There were 185 submissions received for the Humanitarian Award 2017 and the winners were shortlisted by a panel of distinguished journalists – Aamer Ahmed Khan, News Director Aaj Television; Munazza Siddiqui, Executive Producer at Geo News and Iftikhar Firdous, Bureau Head of The Express Tribune in Khyber- Pakhtunkhwa and FATA.
Firdous spoke to the audience about the casualties and importance of humanitarian reporting. “There is frustration in people when disasters or aspects of disasters are not covered properly,” he said. “Some of the most interesting stories came from Baluchistan. They were not big stories but stories on everyday struggles.” Unfortunately, they could not be selected due to weak editing and failing to meet the criteria, he added.
Pleased and excited to have won an award, journalist Islam Gul Afridi talked about the difficulties in gathering data due to the stigma attached to AIDS. The security operations and sectarian issues mean they find it harder to access the medicine which proves fatal, he shared.
The ceremony concluded with a speech by the Chief Guest, Shehzad Roy, who shared his experiences of working in humanitarian and disaster-hit areas. He appreciated the importance of acknowledging good journalism and stressed that there is still a long way to go. “We have freedom of speech but not freedom after speech,” he said.
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Ms. Tahira Raza President FWBL honoured with South Asian Business Excellence Award
Ms. Tahira Raza President & CEO First Women Bank Ltd. honored with the South Asian Business Excellence Award in recognition of her outstanding services for the socio economic upliftment of women in particular and for exemplary leadership and achievement in the Banking sector in Pakistan by the South Asian Partnership Summit and Business Award. The award was hosted by World HRD Congress and endorsed by Asian Confederation of Businesses.
The ceremony was held in Dhaka, Bangladesh recently and the award was received by Mr. Shah Faisal Kakar Pakistan Deputy High Commissioner on her behalf.