Pakistani twin sisters, 10-year old Zara and Zenubia Khan are the youngest persons in the world to win a Microsoft Power platform certification.

The girls had no access to mobile devices or laptops till they were 8. They learned about the certification from their father who works in the tech industry and, due to the pandemic, he had been working from home.

Both the girls learned basic programming online and the necessary skills required for the certification during their free time. They successfully passed the test after six months of preparation, becoming the youngest Microsoft Power Platform certified professionals.

The certification requires no specific experience. However, a basic familiarity with computer technology, the internet, cloud computing and data analytics is needed.

Aijaz Aslam seems to be on a roll. Not only is he doing TV serials such as ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ and ‘Nand’ but has also launched an organic skin and hair care line. His recent short film ‘Chambelli’ was also quite a hit. He is again venturing in a mini web series with Amna Ilyas. The two actors have been actively posting clips and pictures from their shoot since December.

The web series is about two couples; a young boy falls for an older girl and a young girl falls for an older guy. The mini-series is titled ‘Love Square’ with Fazal Hussain and Arisha Razi Khan in the cast.

Former Pakistan Super League champions Quetta Gladiators have signed former Test cicketer Umar Gul as their bowling coach for the sixth edition of PSL. Umar Gul will be replacing Abdur Razzaq.

Quetta Gladiators owner Nadeem Omar praised Umar on his appointment, saying he is delighted to have Gul on board as he will bring in his wealth of experience and his appointment will prove very beneficial for the likes of speedsters Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Usman Shinwari.

Quetta Gladiators head coach Moin Khan believes that the move will prove beneficial for the team.

World T20 winner Umar Gul is known as the world’s best bowler of the format.

Coca-Cola Pakistan is partnering with Cantonment Board Clifton, Rotary International and two other organizations to establish 17 water filtration plants to provide clean drinking water for disadvantaged communities in various parts of Karachi. The project is a part of Coca-Cola’s ‘Karachi is Love’ campaign.

The plants will provide safe drinking water to over 383,000 people of low-income communities living in areas like Akhtar Colony, Hazara Colony, Machhar Colony, Lassi Goth, Khadim Solangi Goth and Aatma Colony. One filtration plant will also be established at the Karwan e Hayyat Psychiatric Care and Rehabilitation Center to provide 4000 gallons per day of water for the Center’s 100 bed hospital for in-house psychiatric patients.

Coca-Cola pledged in 2006 that by 2030 it will return to nature an equivalent amount of water that it uses in its business, through a diverse range of water conservation projects. The target for Pakistan was to replenish 2.1 billion litres of water by 2019 which the company already achieved by the year 2018.

Three billion litres has been replenished through several long-term projects implemented all over the country in partnership with the bottling company, Coca-Cola Icecek – Pakistan, UNDP, WWF-Pakistan, Indus Earth Trust, Rotary International and the Mountain & Glacier Development Organization.

Cisco, the worldwide technology leader, has appointed Dave West as its new President for its Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China business.

Dave has been with Cisco for 20 years and has been in various leadership roles during that period. He has led Cisco’s worldwide Enterprise Networking and Security sales. Most recently, he was the Head of Cisco Japan. Prior to that, Dave was working with Miyuki Suzuki. He has an illustrious career spanning nearly four decades.

Currently based in Tokyo, Dave will relocate to Cisco’s Asia Pacific, Japan and Greater China headquarters in Singapore.

Hint stepped into the clothing industry in January 2020. It has recently celebrated its first anniversary with an outlet in Bahadurabad.

Hint’s online presence is very strong and they deliver their products all over Pakistan as well as globally.

The brand offers innovative designs and good quality fabrics.

A new digital talk show, ‘Shaam Ki Chai’ hosted by Pakistani-Canadian Nitasha Syed is on YouTube.

‘Shaam Ki Chai’ endeavours to break through the traditional media framework, telling stories of Pakistani expats that are making waves all over the globe, along with prominent personalities from Pakistan. The talk show aims to focus on light-hearted conversations over a cup of tea. The show aims to capture warmth and lightheartedness while highlighting the diverse and exciting members of the Pakistani Diaspora all over the world.

It is imperative that positive and constructive content is produced and more people come to hear about the successes and achievements of each other. The concept of the show is to give a sense of connection to those who are away from their homeland.

‘Shaam Ki Chai’ is a dynamic platform that will feature a wide array of notable personalities without a firm focus on any niche, for a free-flowing conversation with the host. The show will be featuring startup CEOs, artists, tech leaders and journalists.

A Turkish delegation with Diriliş: Ertuğrul’s executive producer Kamal Tekdin and actor Celal Al met the Prime Minister Imran Khan recently. Pakistani actors Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed, along with the federal ministers Shibli Faraz and Shaheryar Afridi also attended the meeting in Islamabad. The meeting was about a joint venture between Pakistan and Turkey which will feature actors from both countries.

The venture is going to be a series based on the Khilafat Movement. The working title of the series is ‘Turk Lala’ based on Abdur Rehman Peshawari. Turk Lala was very close to Quaid e Azam Mohammed Ali Jinnah and as the most significant parts of his life were spent in the pre-partition era, it will be interesting to see how the makers will incorporate other historical figures and events in the show.

Pakistani pop-rock artist AWS, an acronym for Ahmed Wahab Shah, has released his first single with a thought-provoking video marking a return after a hiatus of 15 years. ‘Darr’ sheds light on the courage of an acid attack survivor who defied all odds to live her life.

An amalgam of pop, rock and eastern tones, ‘Darr’ features some leading musicians from across Pakistan, including Babar Khanna on percussion, Nescafe Basement’s Sherry K on guitar, Faisal B on synth, the bass icon Khalid Khan and sitar maestro Rakae Jamil, who has also produced the song.

Abu Dhabi Media (ADM) has announced the launch of a brand new breakfast show on Radio 1.

Listeners in the UAE can tune in to Radio 1, from 6-10 am on weekdays, to kick start the day with the dynamic trio Nugget, Naima and Chiara. They’ll bring the latest trending news, UAE updates and the chance to win BIG.

The station will also feature ‘Live from LA’ with Dean McCarthy, an Emmy-nominated presenter and Hollywood correspondent who will bring unprecedented access to Hollywood’s biggest A-list events, with interviews with the stars.

The station mixes popular western music with news on the latest trends and celebrities as well as the UAE’s most exciting competitions and giveaways.

Malaysia’s Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) through its agency Tourism Malaysia has launched its Cuti-Cuti Malaysia ‘Santai di Zoo’ Stimulus Campaign to attract Malaysians to visit zoos nearby. The campaign is a collaboration with Zoo Negara, Zoo Melaka dan Zoo Taiping and Night Safari.

Tourism Malaysia calls on all Malaysians to seize the opportunity and encourage Malaysians to spend time with their families by enjoying the uniqueness of wildlife as well as exploring the beauty of zoos in Malaysia. The campaign is also aimed to cultivate the interest, awareness and love for nature among Malaysians.

Streaming portals such as Netflix, Amazon, Disney+ and others have seen an increase in consumption and subscriptions due to the pandemic. Many series, films and short films are being released online.

Armeena Khan’s latest British sci-fi short film ‘The Achilles Protocol’, is available for streaming on Amazon Prime. She plays a very tricky character. The film also includes Mark Hill and Christopher Faith.

The tagline of the film reads, ‘A Hacker battles an Artificial Intelligence gone rogue to stop a nuclear Armageddon.’

Ace designer Fahad Hussayn recently made a comeback with a song titled ‘Mera Jora’ to introduce his signature wedding collection. It features Iqra Aziz as the bride Shahzadi Baraunaq and model Hasnain Lehri as the groom Shehzada Nazardeep.

‘Mera Jora’ is a visual treat for audiences and synchronises well with Zeb Bangash’s melodious voice. It is a musical performance that brings out the art of storytelling.

Produced and directed by Fahad Hussayn with Wahab Shah, the video is a homage to wedding traditions where the bride is anxiously waiting for her wedding dress. As soon as the bridal outfit arrives, the festive mood takes over and she decks up to dance with the groom.