Award for Zafar Masud
Zafar Masud, President & CEO of the Bank of Punjab (BOP), was decorated with the highest civil award of Hungary for spearheading the initiative to further strengthen Hungarian-Pakistani cross-cultural ties. The award, “The Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of Hungary”, was presented by the Hungarian Ambassador to Pakistan, H.E. Bela Fazekash, on behalf of H.E. the President of the Republic of Hungary at a ceremony in Islamabad.
Masud said on the occasion, “The restoration of the 19th century Hungarian artist August Schoefft’s paintings at Lahore Fort through experts from Hungary to their original grandeur was fully sponsored by the Bank of Punjab as being one of its most significant Corporate Social Responsibility initiatives. This signifies the importance attached by BOP towards preserving our national – and common international heritage, tying very closely to our value proposition.”
Bela Fazekash, the Hungarian Head of Mission, said that the award was presented to Zafar Masud “in recognition of his outstanding contributions to strengthen Hungarian-Pakistani cultural cooperation.” He further said that this initiative to restore and exhibit the 11 Schoefft paintings at the Lahore Fort could not have been realized without the generous sponsorship of the Bank of Punjab.
Adele Tops the IFPI Chart
British singer Adele has added another accolade to her long list of honours with her latest Global Album All Format Chart for 2021, IFPI. The album, Adele’s fourth, was her first in six years since 2015’s Grammy Award-winning 25.
“It has been wonderful to have Adele back and releasing music over the second half of last year,” IFPI Chief Executive Frances Moore said. “Her dominance of all three IFPI Album Charts speaks of her unique songwriting talent, her iconic voice and unrelenting global popularity.”
Female President
Hungary’s parliament has elected the ruling Fidesz party lawmaker Katalin Novák as the country’s first female president. Novák, 44, was family affairs minister, in charge of economic support agenda for the middle class, including subsidies for housing, state-backed home loans and tax cuts. An appeal was made to female voters to pick Novák for the largely ceremonial role of president for a five-year term.
Shamoon Spy
The trailer for Ayesha Omar and Shamoon Abbasi-starrer, Dhai Chaal, has been released. The film is based on the life of a convicted Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav. Abbasi plays Jhadav, who was caught by Pakistani intelligence agencies in Balochistan.
The trailer begins with an officer sharing intelligence about how India has been accusing Pakistan of attacks in the country - the 2001 Parliament House attacks, 2008 Mumbai attacks, Pulwama, Uri, Pathankot - you name it; Pakistan has been blamed for being the mastermind behind the catastrophes in India.
Saleem Mairaj discloses the idea of ‘Akhand Bharat’ and the camera moves to the first glimpse of Abbasi as an Indian spy who is set to play the ‘dhaai chaal’. Ayesha Omar plays journalist Kanwal, in the film.
Kanwal and Abbasi’s characters are also shown as being romantically involved.
Directed by Taimoor Sherazi and produced by Dr Irfan Ashraf, the cast also includes Humayoun Ashraf, Adnan Shah Tipu, Taqi Ahmed, Saleem Meraj, Areej Chaudhary, Faraz Marri, Jamal Gilani, Pakiza Khan and Anya Hassan.
Women Empowerment
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Huawei Pakistan have signed a memorandum of understanding to close the digital divide and to reduce the gender gap by empowering women through digital technologies all across the country. Dr. Sania Nishter has appreciated all the operators and Huawei’s efforts to promote gender inclusion and Women Empowerment. Huawei plans to support PTA in initiating projects to reduce the digital gender gap through awareness.
Another Heist
The set of Netflix’s crime drama Lupin became the target of another robbery. Equipment amounting to some $333,000 was stolen from the sets on the outskirts of Paris in Nanterre
Netflix confirmed the robbery in a statement, saying that “an incident” had taken place on set. The show is Netflix’s second biggest hit, right behind the South Korean dystopian hit Squid Game.
P&G - Marketer of the Year
P&G Pakistan has received the title of the ‘Marketer of the Year’ at the fourth Effie Awards organised by the Pakistan Advertisers Society (PAS).
Also, the PAS Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Mujahid Hamid, the Renaissance Man, who is known for building some of the most recognisable brands in personal care including Lux, Lifebuoy, Surf and Ponds. Mujahid Hamid was presented the award from PAS Chairperson Dr Zeelaf Munir and Vice Chair Khalid Farid.
Effie Awards spotlights marketing ideas that work and encourage thoughtful dialogue around the drivers of marketing effectiveness while serving as an educational resource for the industry
Rabbani Wins Literary Award
‘The Smile Snatchers,’ a short novel by former Senate Chairman and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Mian Raza Rabbani, has won the ‘Pitras Bukhari Award’ from the Pakistan Academy of Letters.
The Academy recently announced the ‘National Literary Awards’ for the year 2020, given for the best literary books written during 2020 in Urdu and other Pakistani languages. The panel of judges comprised well-known writers and scholars.
The ‘Pitras Bukhari Award’ was given to ‘The Smile Snatchers’ by Senator Rabbani in the category of English prose. The award-winning book is a short novel, which focuses on the mysterious events that unfold in the life of Zaheer, a struggling artist.
Prince William Seeks New Job
During their visit to a chocolate farm of Julio Saqui in Belize, the Duke of Cambridge enjoyed his time there so much that he joked about giving up his job as a senior working royal.
Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton were delighted to be in Belize at the beginning of their first official visit to the Caribbean.
Alongside the environmental diversity, the royal couple also had a taste of Belize’s wonderful cultural diversity - from Mayan chocolate to Garifuna drumming.
They also danced with Belizean villagers and helped make traditional chocolate.
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