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Telenor Velocity concludes its 6th Cohort, focusing on EdTech Innovation

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, JAN 4 – In an effort to promote e-learning and accelerate digitalisation, Telenor Pakistan’s Velocity, brought on board 4 ed-tech startups including, MUSE by Sabaq, Skills First, Edtech Worx and LearnObots, in the fields of STEM and Digital Skills education, and provided them with opportunities to scale and forge strategic partnerships. After the participating startups went through the process of testing out their platforms on Telenor Pakistan’s customers and gaining valuable knowledge from experts, MUSE was selected as the most suitable to take forward, due to its rapid growth in a short time.

Telenor Velocity brings to the table a variety of deep insights into Telenor’s digital ecosystem, building key aspects of the user experience, pricing, and the opportunity to scale ed-tech products by opening various digital assets. The MyTelenor App sees daily active usage from 1.5 million subscribers, and in order to continue surpassing their expectations, Telenor Pakistan only features the best quality content. The app now also features educational content from MUSE, as their product demonstrated the most engagement and has already gained a loyal consumer base across the country.

48% of Telenor Pakistan’s users are from rural areas, and that gives startups an opportunity to access that demographic strategically. Rural areas saw a total of 33% uptake around the country. Similarly, Balochistan region adopted the highest number of digital products, with an adoption rate of 60% higher than Punjab and KP. This acts as encouragement for other startups around the country to serve not just urban areas, but rural ones as well

Edkasa a start up from Lahore that was onboarded by Telenor Velocity is working to ensure the availability of education for Pakistani high school students to prepare them for standardised examinations, for secondary and post-secondary education. Similar to other outstanding tech startups in the country, Edkasa has also successfully raised its first round of investment from home and abroad. This establishes Edkasa as one of the country’s highest valued tech startups, while also offering the skills and expertise of the new investors. This investment is a major milestone for Pakistan’s start-up ecosystem, where Ed-tech is officially gaining traction. The company foresees piloting of its operations in partnership with Telenor Pakistan, in January 2021.

“According to The Pakistan Education Statistics 2016-17 report, Pakistan is home to more than 40 million K-12 students who require access to the latest 21st century educational skills. These skills are essential to counter the challenges they face every day and to embark on a prosperous future career. Close to half of this number is made up of children who remain out of school,” said Khurrum Ashfaque, Chief Operating Officer, Telenor Pakistan. While also talking about the current health situation, he further added, “With the existing challenges in place, the pandemic has further worsened the educational obstacles by limiting access to mainstream education for the other half as well. Thus, making the situation all the more precarious. We will be playing our part in addressing this challenge by leveraging latest connectivity technologies and using our digital expertise to bring education closer to these children and help reduce inequalities.”

All these activities designed to grow startups were further complemented by utilizing Telenor Velocity’s wide presence in the market. SMS campaigns were strategically used to reach close to 3 million customers, enabling the startups to introduce their work to rural and suburban areas. Telenor Pakistan provided insights for the startups to analyse their value proposition by offering firsthand reviews from real customers.

Now, with MUSE on board, the MyTelenor App features an exclusive Kids education section, for the first time ever. With its achievement of the Transformational Business Award 2020, Telenor Velocity will take MUSE forward as a comprehensive learning app for children in primary grades that features an interactive and gamified digital learning experience. MyTelenor App users will be able to avail this option by simply using Telenor Mobile balance.

BMP’s impressive victory in FPCCI elections is a success of entire business community: Anjum Nisar

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DNA

KARACHI, JAN 4 – Anjum Nisar, Chairman Businessmen Panel(BMP) and former president FPCCI, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, newly elected president FPCCI, Khawaja Shahzeb Akram, newly elected Senior Vice President and Athar Sultan Chawla, newly elected Vice President have termed the BMP’s impressive victory in the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce & Industry elections for 2021 as a success of the business community across Pakistan.

In a statement, BMP leadership and newly elected office bearers of FPCCI vowed that they would use all their abilities to address the problems of the business community on priority basis and would surely fulfill the trust of the business community.

“The solidarity shown by the business community in the FPCCI elections was commendable, especially their role in the success of the Businessmen’s Panel will always be remembered”, they added. Our aim is only to serve the business community and to solve their problems and take every step to develop trade & industry so that business can flourish and the country’s economy can flourish.

Anjum Nisar, Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo, Khawaja Shahzeb Akram and Athar Sultan Chawla said that FPCCI is a strong platform for raising the voice of business community in the houses of the country. This is where the issues facing trade and industry will be effectively addressed, as only by providing a conducive business and industrial environment can trade and industry be developed and vast employment opportunities be created.

They further stated that the BMP team will continue its tradition of serving the business community without any discrimination and like last year, this year too, problems will be solved in real sense. However, we must maintain full solidarity and unity and convince the decision makers that we are not only united but also stronger and more organized than ever before on the BMP platform.

Afghan peace talks resume on Tuesday

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DNA

KABUL: A fresh round of peace talks between the Afghan government and the Taliban would begin in Qatar tomorrow (Tuesday) although months of deliberations between the two sides have yielded little so far.

In a major breakthrough last year both parties had finally agreed at least on what to discuss in the next round.

Afghan government negotiators will push for a permanent ceasefire and to protect the existing system of governance, in place since the ouster of the Taliban in 2001 by a US-led invasion in the wake of the September 11 attacks.

Govt decides to reopen schools in phases

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Nazir Siyal

KARACHI: Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood announced on Monday that schools and educational institutions will reopen across the country in three phases.

“On January 18, classes for grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 — those that have exams — will resume,” he said during a news conference along with SAPM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan. “This means that students of grades 9, 10, 11 and 12 will go to their schools and colleges from January 18 and their studies will resume.”

He said that in the second phase, students of primary classes till grade 8 will return to schools from January 25.

The minister said that universities and other higher education institutions will reopen from February 1 in the third and last phase.

Reopening schedule:

Online learning can resume from Jan 11

Classes 9 to 12 would start from Jan 18

Classes 1 to 8 would start from Jan 25

Higher education classes at universities and colleges to start from Feb 1

Board exams have been postponed to May and June. Speaking on the occasion, SPAM on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said they noted a decline in infection rate after the educational institutions were closed and urged the masses to keep following the safety protocols announced by the government.

The SAPM added that keeping in view the current data we decided to further delay the reopening of schools.

Meanwhile, Shafqat Mehmood said the administrative staff and teachers can resume their duties at schools, colleges and universities from January 11. “Online and home-based learning, can also be held from January 11,” he said.

The minister announced that board exams have been postponed till May and June as students did not have enough time to prepare for their exams.

Mahmood said that another meeting will be held on January 14-15 by the education ministers to review the health situation in the country. He reiterated that the decisions had been taken after consulting all provinces.

Prior to Mahmood’s press conference, Punjab Education Minister Murad Raas tweeted that classes from grades 9-12 will resume in the province from January 18 while those from ECE to 8th grade will resume from January 25.

“Universities to open on February 1st, 2021. All institutions will have 50% students on alternate days as before,” he tweeted.

Missing persons commission disposes off 4798 cases upto Dec 31, 2020

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DNA

ISLAMABAD, JAN 4 – Missing Persons Commission has disposed of 4798 cases upto December 31, 2020 as per monthly progress report of December 2020 released by Secretary (ColoED) on cases of alleged enforced disappearances.

A total number of 6854 cases were received by the Missing Persons Commission upto November 2020. During December 2020, 67 more cases were received by the commission and total numbers of cases reached to 6921. The Missing Persons Commission disposed of 16 cases in December 2020 and thus total disposal of Missing Persons December 31, 2020 is 4798 and balance as on December 31, 2020 is 2123.


The Missing Persons Commission will resume its hearings soon after review of COVID-19 policies announced by Federal Government and Provincial Governments in order to prevent from COVID-19 as per law.


Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, President Missing Persons Commission and other Honorable members have disposed of 4798 cases upto December 31, 2020. The relatives of missing persons have lauded the efforts of Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal Chairman Missing Persons Commission and other Honorable members of Missing Persons Commission for taking personal interest in locating their near and dear ones.

Honorable Mr. Justice Javed Iqbal, Chairman, Missing Persons Commission is serving Missing Persons Commission in an honorary capacity and is drawing no salary and availing other faculties which are admissible as per law.

Xinjiang’s tourism boom driving connectivity with Pakistan: Report

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BEIJING, Jan 4 : Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, Xinjiang region has developed tourism, promoting connectivity with Pakistan under CPEC.

According to a report published by Gwadar Pro on Monday, the boom of Xinjiang tourism, a cultural corridor is constructed to link tourism of Pakistan and China. The connectivity will contribute to prosperity of the tourist economy and local poverty alleviation.

In 2020, tourist attractions in Xinjiang have an all-round update. Among them, 19 scenic spots got 4A level and Karamay World Devil City Scenic Spot got 5A level.

On December 28, Narati Tourist Resort was recognized as one of the 15 national tourist resorts of China selected in 2020, and became the first national tourist resort in Xinjiang.

Meanwhile, 3 routes in Xinjiang were selected as 2020 top 10 self-driving tour routes.

As one of the 3 selected routes, “Symphony silk road” which provides a smooth transition between Chinese culture and Pakisani culture, meanwhile constructs geological connectivity between the two countries, links Chinese famous cultural spots such as Xi’an, Kashgar, Hotan, and so on to Pakistan.

Xinjiang also digitized its tourism industry in 2020. The “Xinjiang Smart Tourism” management platform integrates cloud computing, big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, 5G, AR/VR, slow broadcast and other modern Internet application technologies, so that managers can learn the dynamic situation of scenic spots in real time and provide convenient and intelligent tourism services for tourists.

The experience of Xinjiang’s tourism has provided a new train of thought for Pakistan to develop tourism under pandemic and cultural globalization context also created opportunities for tourism connectivity between Pakistan and China under CPEC.

Yang Xiaolong, a famous Chinese traveler who used to travel to Pakistan by motorcycle through Xinjiang many times, said that Xinjiang plays an irreplaceable role in CPEC tourism connectivity.

“In Xinjiang, we can see an existing belt, a real corridor from China to Pakistan which promotes not only economy but also cultural and geological exchange. ”

Amnesty extension termed New Year’s gift

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Islamabad : Former President ICCI Shahid Rasheed Butt on Monday lauded the decision of the Prime Minister Imran Khan to extend construction amnesty scheme terming it a New Year’s gift for this important industry.

The decision will trigger economic activity, provide jobs to millions and help offset the impact of coronavirus on the economy to some extent, he said.

Shahid Rasheed Butt said that rising prices of steel bars, cement, paint, wires etc. is a threat to the construction sector which should be tackled without delay.

He said that some builders and developers are misusing this scheme for their personal benefit which should be noticed.

The business leader noted that the move of the PM is widely hailed as it has generated positive results. Trillions of rupees of investments are coming to the construction sector while many stalled large projects in the private sector have been restarted.

However, he said, continued hike in the cost of construction has become a matter of concern for which taxes should be reduced on imported and locally made material.

Some builders are exploiting this scheme to whiten their black money by indulging in the sale and purchase of plots while avoiding construction activity which should be noticed and such elements must be penalised, he demanded.

Mr. Butt said that the scheme should be made transparent so that massive investment could be attracted for which the FBR and SBP should upload all the data on their websites, banks should be asked to increase lending by two percent to seven percent, the land record should be improved and computerised and other required actions should be taken without delay.

China substantially contributes to enhance Pakistan’s export: CEN

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BEIJING, Jan. 4 : China substantially contributed to enhance Pakistan’s export in the recent year, says a report published by China Economic Net (CEN) on Monday.

Pakistan’s exports stood at $2.357 billion in December 2020, up 18.3 percent from $1.993 billion in the corresponding month of the previous year, which grew for the fourth consecutive month, according to data released by Pakistan Ministry of Commerce showed on January 1.

Pakistan achieved record exports in December 2020 with a growth of 18 percent over the previous year.

As per the report, Chinese scholar Prof. Cheng Xizhong commenting on it said, there are three main reasons for Pakistan’s substantial export growth.

First, this shows the resilience of Pakistani economy. It is a vindication of the government’s policy to keep the wheels of economy running during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The policies of the federal government of Pakistan are very wise, focusing on the prevention and control of the pandemic on the one hand and the economic recovery on the other hand.

Judging from the current situation, the novel coronavirus pandemic in Pakistan has been effectively controlled. In this regard, Pakistan has done the best in South Asia.

At the same time, from the very beginning to now, the Imran Khan administration has strongly stressed on the importance of economy development, improvement of people’s livelihood, increase of exports, and maintenance of a good state of finance, and roll outed a series of policies and measures.

Second, the second phase of China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) came into effect on December 1, 2019.

The conclusion of the second phase of FTA between China and Pakistan is an important measure to further enrich the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership and enhance the level of trade liberalization and facilitation between the two countries.

Since then, Pakistan’s exports to China have increased rapidly. For example, Pakistan’s rice exports to China have increased from 1.3 percent in the past to 24.4 percent in 2020.

The Chinese government and people have a strong inclination for expanding trade between China and Pakistan.

Some of Pakistan’s special vegetables and fruits are favored by the Chinese consumers. At the same time, Pakistan is a very reliable supply chain for Chinese halal food.

Third, the substantial growth of Pakistan’s exports should also be attributed to the cooperation between China and Pakistan in building the economic corridor.

The corridor construction has entered a new stage. The construction of special economic zones (SEZs) and industrial parks is steadily advancing.

Now the increase in overall exports is mainly driven by double-digit growth in proceeds from textile and clothing sectors as well as engineering products, surgical instruments and value-added leather products.

Experts predict that once the SEZs and industrial parks are fully in operation, Pakistan will have a series of modern industrial production lines. By that time, Pakistan’s exports will grow at a rate of 30-50 percent per year, the report added.

Cuba strives to combat COVID-19 after Christmas amid surging cases

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Havana, Jan. 4 :As thousands in Cuba are set to return to work and school on Monday after Christmas break, the government strives to keep the COVID-19 pandemic in check amid a new surge in cases.

New statistics released by the health ministry shows that December 2020 has been the worst month in terms of the COVID-19 pandemic in Cuba, with more than 3,000 infections.

So far, 147 people have died from the virus nationwide as Cuba on Sunday registered 199 new COVID-19 confirmed cases, bringing the national count to 12,424.

Francisco Duran, national director of epidemiology at the Cuban Ministry of Public Health, urged people to be cautious and minimize the risk of COVID-19 contagion.

“Discipline is required to slow the spread of the virus,” Duran said, adding that the government has paid 100 percent of medical attention to infected patients, their contacts and suspected cases. “Our intensive care units for the treatment of the disease have never collapsed.”

Local authorities have called for parents to step up measures to protect their kids as more than 1,200 children and adolescents have been infected with the virus since the onset of the pandemic on the island in March.

Clara Judith Abrahantes, a 39-year-old mother living in Havana’s Camilo Cienfuegos district, told Xinhua that it is the paramount priority at present to keep safe from the virus.

“During the pandemic, parents have been thinking outside the box to raise awareness among kids about social distancing measures and COVID-19 protocols,” she said. “I always find time to talk to my son about the pandemic, trying to hold a fun conversation.”

Cuban state TV has reported that the island expects to use local COVID-19 vaccine doses to completely immunize its population during the first semester of the year.Although vaccination could help protect the Cuban population from the virus, Manuel Calvino, a senior professor at the University of Havana’s School of Psychology, said that it should not replace responsible behavior in regards to social distancing measures and safety guidelines.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the idea that people are the key players to manage their health condition,” he said, adding “vaccination and self-care will lead to a substantial improvement of our health.”

“Most imported COVID-19 cases are Cuban nationals who come back home while the transmission rate among tourists who stay at hotels is low,” said Lissete Sanchez, a senior expert, during a recent governmental meeting.

The island reduced the number of flights from the United States, Mexico, Panama, the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic as of Jan. 1.

In addition, as of Jan. 10, Cuba will require tourists to have negative COVID-19 test results from certified health institutions.

Armando Ruiz, a taxi driver outside Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport, voiced confidence that Cuban people will continue to work hard to address the sanitary emergency.

“I feel fortunate not to have gotten infected with the virus. Life is too precious a thing to put it at risk,” he said. “We can win the battle against this terrible disease, if we want to.”

Oil prices rise on expectations that OPEC+ likely to maintain output

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SINGAPORE : Oil prices rose on Monday on expectations that OPEC and allied producers may cap output at current levels in February at a meeting later in the day as the coronavirus pandemic keeps worries about first-half demand elevated.

Brent crude for March was at $52.42 a barrel, up 62 cents or 1.2%, by 0348 GMT while U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude for February rose 55 cents, or 1.1%, to $49.07 a barrel.

Broader macro momentum trends including a weaker dollar and investors positioning for a recovery in the oil sector this year could be supporting oil prices, Energy Aspects analyst Virendra Chauhan said.
“Maybe there is some positive sentiment from OPEC+ looking to constrain supply in light of the virus rearing its ugly head in the west,” he added.

Mohammad Barkindo, Secretary General of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), said on Sunday that while crude demand is expected to rise by 5.9 million barrels per day (bpd) to 95.9 million bpd this year, the group sees plenty of downside demand risks in the first half of 2021.

“We are only beginning to emerge from a year of deep investment cuts, huge job losses and the worst crude oil demand destruction on record,” he said.

Prices ended 2020 about 20% below 2019’s average, still recovering from the impact of global economic lockdown measures imposed to battle COVID-19 that slashed fuel demand, even though the world’s major producers agreed record output cuts through the year.

OPEC and allied producers including Russia, a grouping known as OPEC+, decided at a meeting last month to raise output by 500,000 barrels per day in January, anticipating a boost in demand, and agreed to meet every month to review production.

Analysts from Energy Aspects and RBC Capital said OPEC+ was likely to maintain January production levels in February.

“We think the producer group will opt to forgo any further production increases for February with COVID-19 cases continuing to climb and the slower-than-expected vaccine rollout,” RBC Capital’s Helima Croft said.

In the United States, crude oil production stayed under pressure from weak prices and tepid demand, down more than 2 million barrels per day (bpd) in October from earlier this year, a government report showed on Jan. 1.

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