Healthy Snack Brand for Kids

Koala Picks, the snack brand for children, was launched in October 2019 by Ahmed Mobasher, Aya Assaf and Omnia Abdelhalim. As parents, they believe that what children eat impacts their health and development in the short and long term. The easy access of unhealthy food attracts children and makes them crave for more. Koala Picks decided to create a platform to provide healthy products for children, starting with healthy snacks.

The Koala Picks team also consists of an in-house nutritionist who inspects all ingredients and participates in menu development to optimize the nutritional profile and perfect all portion sizes.

Recently, Koala Picks raised AED1.5 million in their first external round of funding led by friends and family investors. They plan on using the funding to expand the business which has already allowed them to scale up operations by moving to a bigger facility.

Women Empowerment Anthem

Mars Wrigley, a leading manufacturer of chocolate, chewing gum, mints and fruity confections, has announced the launch of GALAXY® chocolate’s first-ever women’s empowerment anthem ‘I Choose’ in the Middle East and Africa made by Arab women for Arab women in collaboration with Anghami, the first legal music streaming platform and digital distribution company in the region.

Sung by rising pop star Zena Emad from Saudi Arabia and directed by music video director Angy Jammal from Lebanon, the inspiring anthem recognizes the importance of consistently championing women across the Arab world. The song’s catchy chorus is thoughtful and uplifts affirmations which aim to embolden young women to choose their own paths.

The anthem is yet another endeavour by GALAXY® chocolate which has had a long and successful history of supporting women all over the world. The brand seeks to encourage women in the Arab region to keep living their best lives, achieving their goals and pursuing their dreams.

Wasim Akram Rubbishes ToI

Former Pakistan cricketer Wasim Akram has rubbished a report by Times of India regarding his vying for the Pakistan Cricket Board’s position of Chairman.

Times of India had claimed that Wasim Akram undicated interest in becoming the new chairman of PCB but Prime Minister Imran Khan was advised against appointing him due to his dubious past record and Ramiz Raja was recommended instead.

Wasim Akram advised the Indian media outlet to stop spreading such news about him as it had no credibility. He asked them to get their sources straight before publishing.

A great fast bowler in his day, the charismatic Wasim Akram said that he had never been interested in becoming the PCB chairman as it was a specialized job and he was content with whatever he was doing.

He congratulated Ramiz Raja on his appointment as PCB chairman and wished him the best of luck in his bid to take Pakistan cricket to new heights. Akram was hopeful that Ramiz’s appointment would bring a positive change in Pakistan cricket as he had the vision and experience to achieve it.

Indian Director Plagiarises

Indian singer Brahm Darya has copied the Pakistani video song ‘Ki Jana’ sung by Shani Arshad. Nabeel Qureshi, the director of ‘Ki Jana’, has also pointed to the plagiarism in an Instagram story. The song originally featured Pakistani stars Sonya Hussyn and Mohsin Abbas Haider.

The plagiarised video premiered on YouTube on September 4 with the name ‘Mood Happy’. Though the moods of both the songs are totally different, the music video for ‘Mood Happy’ has heavily plagiarized ‘Ki Jana’ in both storyline and cinematography.

Zameen Affiliate Program

Zameen.com, a real estate enterprise, has introduced a Premium Affiliate program for its affiliated agencies. The affiliate agency with the best business record will receive the illustrious rank of Premium Affiliate with benefits of exclusive services provided by Zameen. The company will also provide avenues for business growth and success to its affiliates.

Zameen affiliates will get the opportunity to develop their business and receive exclusive media coverage on all online platforms of Zameen with the Premium Affiliate.

More than 30 affiliate agencies have so far been elevated as Premium Affiliates.

Cinema Revival

The federal government has recently decided to allow the screening of foreign films in Pakistan for the revival of the cinema industry. Non-Indian Punjabi films are allowed to be screened in cinemas but soon all international films, except those from, India will also be allowed to be imported to Pakistan.

Pakistan had 780 cinemas in the 1970s but now there are only 78. If immediate steps are not taken to revive the film industry, it will collapse completely.

Armeena’s Film at International Film Fest

‘Snapshot’, a collaborative work between Turkey and Pakistan, has been selected by the Gold Movie Awards. Organized by an international film festival based in London and the Los Angeles Lift-Off Film Festival, the film is Armeena’s debut as a film producer.

The short film is based on the story of a Canadian girl (played by Armeena) who gets stuck in Istanbul because of Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.

Heist Boycotted

While the popular series ‘Money Heist’ Season 5 was greatly awaited, social media users in the Middle East are now boycotting it after the actors were seen praising Israel.

Ahead of the release of the fifth season, the cast appeared on Israel’s Channel 12 to promote the return of the show, praising the Israeli police and TV shows.

Darko Peric, who plays the role of Helsinki in the series, was impressed by the people as well as the police of Israel while the Spanish-American actor Hovik Keuchkerian expressed his desire to visit Israel. He even went on to praise an Israeli TV serial ‘Fauda’ which is about an undercover unit Mistaravim who, disguised as Arabs, carry out missions in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The comments created chaos among fans prompting a backlash and negative comments on social media.

Bravery Honoured

In a late night traffic jam near Bahria Town and Sukh Chen gardens, a speeding car overturned another vehicle which went into the canal. The Cheetay rider Haider Ali, en route to his next delivery destination, saw the incident and jumped instantly to save the family trapped in the car. He helped pull the trapped passengers out to safety. The passengers, three men and two women, were helped by bystanders who had come to their aid.

Diligent in his duty, Haider returned to work. As soon as he reached the office, his colleagues helped him wear a raincoat and gave him tea and a painkiller for his headache. He considered himself lucky to have helped save lives.

To honour his bravery, Cheetay held a grand ceremony at its head office in Lahore where the guest of honour, Haider, attended the event with his parents and brothers. He was received by loud cheers of his colleagues and music.

Originally from Sheikhupura, Haider works in Lahore along with his 3 brothers. His sister and parents live in their hometown.

‘Blackout’ by Amna

Popular for being a model, Amna Ilyas has been part of several TV plays, films and short films over the years. Recently, she announced her first short film, ‘Blackout’ which she is producing.

Directed by Dawar Mehmood and written by Sajid Hasan, the short film is about two sworn enemies who were friends in the past. The duo had an intense encounter when they got stuck in an elevator. The cast includes Najaf Bilgrami, Shafqat Khan and Tanveer Gill.

‘Blackout’ was released on September 11 and got positive reviews.

Ayeza Khan Tops

Ayeza Khan becomes the first Pakistani actress to hit 10 million followers on Instagram. She is now the most followed local person on Instagram. Following closely behind is Aiman Khan with 9 million followers.

Ayeza and Danish Taimoor are considered to be one of the most romantic real-life couples of the Pakistan showbiz industry, who often share their whereabouts on the photo and video sharing platform. Recently, they vacationed in Dubai with their kids.

Serial Killer Story

Written and directed by Abu Aleeha and produced under the banner of KK Films by Javed Ahmed, ‘The Untold Story of a Serial Killer: Javed Iqbal’ features Ayesha Omar and Yasir Hussain in lead roles.

Ayesha, who has previously worked in films like ‘Karachi Se Lahore’ and ‘Kaaf Kangana’, recently shared her first look from the film. She will do the role of a determined police officer, Zahra Nigar, running the investigation on the serial killer and tracking down his accomplices.

Yasir Hussain is playing the serial killer Javed Iqbal. The film will trace the story of the man who sexually abused and killed more than 100 children in Lahore between 1998 and 1999. The killer not only tortured and murdered the children but also butchered and dissolved their bodies in acid to get rid of the evidence. He was sentenced to death in the same way.

‘Swipe’ Wins Big

People around the globe are praising Arafat Mazhar’s animated short ‘Swipe’, the first Pakistani film to feature at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2021 as well as Animafest Zagreb, along with a Special Jury Award at Animafest International Animation Festival.

Released in November 2020, the 14-minute animated short tells the story of a boy who is addicted to an app iFatwa that crowdsources religious death sentences. The film examines extremism resulting from excessive accessibility to technology.

The film is made by a team of 20 Pakistani animators, musicians, storytellers and actors over a year.