Pakistan’s auto industry has been struggling in the calendar year 2022. From jacked up taxes in the mini-budget in January and now difficulty in opening Letter of Credits (LCs) amid falling foreign exchange reserves in the country.
LC is a banking instrument that companies use to import goods and the auto sector is a large importer since localization is low in Pakistan. The State Bank appears to be hindering auto companies from opening LC in an effort to conserve foreign exchange reserves.
Since the companies were not able to import auto parts or commonly known as CKDs (completely knocked down units) in the auto sector, they have been suspending booking of some of their models.
Moreover, rupee depreciation to unprecedented levels has also been making auto assemblers nervous since they appear to price their cars in rupees on the basis of the cost incurred on import of CKD in dollars. Therefore, the falling rupee has made it unpredictable for them.
Earlier, the industry has already been facing a semiconductor chip shortage, which has been a global phenomenon post-economic shutdowns amid the coronavirus pandemic. Due to this, the auto industry was unable to deliver some of their variants, mostly automatic, on time and they later suspended their booking.
All of these facts have forced most car assemblers to suspend the booking on their different car models.
“Toyota has suspended bookings of all of their cars,” said auto sector analyst Muqeet Naeem. “They have done it probably because they first want to see the rupee stabilize against the dollar so that they can price their cars accordingly.”
The analyst said Suzuki has also suspended booking of its top-selling cars Alto and Cultus amid supply chain constraints.
KIA has also suspended the booking of Picanto.
As the industry struggles with these issues, social media is now replete with videos of late deliveries where buyers are seen chastising car dealers for long delays.
If a car is priced Rs5 million and has a delivery time of one year, an investor, who has booked a year ago and his delivery is due, would sell it for around Rs5.5 million. This is rampant but an illegal practice. This practice chokes supply of cars and tends to further increase delivery time hence giving more space for investors to earn.
The car delivery time is the time taken by dealers to deliver cars to buyers from the time buyers booked the car. Delivery time has gone up by as much as one year such as happened with Honda Civic.
This high delivery time of the industry has jacked up incentive for the investors to earn own money.
Image Source: Smartchoice.pk
Own-money is a price charged by investors to make a quick delivery of a car. For instance, if a car is priced at Rs5 million and has a delivery time of one year, an investor, who has booked a year ago and his delivery is due, would sell it for around Rs5.5 million. This is rampant but an illegal practice. This practice chokes the supply of cars and tends to further increase delivery time hence giving more space for investors to earn.
As the industry struggles with the reasons discussed, some reports on the auto sector see the sector’s sales falling in the fiscal year 2023. One report sees the sector’s sales declining by as much as 25%, which may erode the profitability of the car companies.
Imagine wandering new gorgeous cities but feeling grumpy due to hunger because there’s no halal food around. You can also imagine digging into a delicious plate of food only to realize it’s not Halal! These are problems people face on a daily basis abroad, here’s how to avoid that with apps!
This is an excellent app if you’re traveling in the UK. Download the app on iOS or Android. It helps you customize search filters to find places where you can buy halal food. Best part? You also get more discounts with usage.
Image Source: Launchgood
2. Halal Dining Club
This app was launched back in 2016 after a crowdfunding campaign. It has over 90,000 registered users. The Dining Club app lists thousands of restaurants across the globe. However, their directory is most detailed and full of nine particular cities: Singapore, Bangkok, Hong Kong (Kowloon), London, Paris, New York, Toronto, Manchester and Birmingham.
3. Scan Halal
This is another helpful app that does barcode scanning. Scan Halal app will let you know whether the edible product you’re getting is halal or not. Love technology, yes?
Image Source: App store
4. Halal Trip
The name sounds trippy but the app is not. This app will let you find Halal-friendly hotels and restaurants around the world. It even helps out with hotels! Wherever you’re planning to go, simply make a search for the place on the app and you’ll be sorted.
5. Best of Halal
This is another popular app to find halal food when traveling abroad. Best of Halal has great reviews and halal food locations for cities like Bangkok, Sydney, Hong Kong and Chicago. It also has more details to show whether the owner is Muslim or not.
Image Source: I Love free software
6. Crave Halal
This app only covers restaurants in South Korea, USA, and Canada. It has one of the most accurate databases. The team behind it used to call each and every restaurant to manually verify their Halal status. Sounds too easy? It isn’t considering their database has 13,000 places!
7. Verify Halal
The last app is an initiative by Malaysia’s JAKIM (Malaysian Islamic Development Department). It’s there to help Muslims navigate a global Halal that can be really confusing. The app is linked to 6,000 local companies and 60 global certification bodies from Australia to Taiwan and South Africa. Isn’t it amazing?
The PS5 has been out for a couple of years now, so rumors are starting to appear about a potential slimline version that would continue the trend set by all the Play stations that have come before.
With the PS5 being the largest console Sony has ever released, the PlayStation 5 Slim can’t arrive soon enough. Meanwhile, Matt Perks, known as DIY Perks on YouTube, has spent a considerable amount of time and effort to create a PS5 ‘Slim’ that brings the size down from nearly four inches to just under an inch.
PS5 Slim
The slim copper console contains the key PS5 components, and a rather giant external power supply and cooling solution that can be hidden away. Most of the thickness of the PS5 comes from its cooling heatsink and power supply, so DIY Perks relocated those into a long external unit to make the actual console far more attractive on top of a TV stand.
Image source: tweaktown.com
A custom water cooling system replaces the PS5’s existing cooling solution and makes use of copper sheeting to channel water over the CPU. This sheeting also includes several thermal bridges to help cool components like the SSD and power circuitry that are attached to the PS5’s motherboard.
While Sony has lowered the power consumption of some previous PlayStation models to create slim versions, that’s a little out of reach for DIY and modding. Instead, DIY Perks went the route of the PS2 or PS One slim models by creating an external power supply.
This external power and cooling unit resulted in disaster at first, frying the motherboard of the PS5 because the unit fell over and blocked air-flow to effectively cool the console. After swapping the motherboard out, the PS5 “Slim” successfully boots and plays games as you’d expect.
While some will call the enormous power and cooling unit cheating, the entire project is still a fascinating 30-minute journey into the trial and error of modding consoles. The custom copper water block is impressive in how simple DIY Perks makes it seem, built using a jigsaw and regular tools.
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
All hail the Lotus Biscoff because it made us go all crazy a few years ago, and it’s safe to say we still are not over it. Seriously though, the stuff is addictive, so proceed with caution if you haven’t tried already. Lotus Biscoff is famed for its distinctive caramel taste and is commonly served with coffee in cafes and restaurants. A few years ago, a trinity of lotus cheesecakes was introduced in our country, too and many brands and cafes jumped on the bandwagon. There are so many cafes and home-based bakers that have included lotus cheesecake and desserts on their menu.
Let’s take a look at some places where you can get the most mouthwatering and heavenly lotus cheesecake. You know, just in case you have been craving it lately.
1. Swing
Swing was one of the first ones to introduce a lotus cheesecake on the menu. As if the interior was not enough to keep us hooked, their lotus cheesecake is one of their best desserts on the menu. Their cake is the perfect treat for all the sweet lovers who like an extra kick of sugar. Thick cream cheese is topped with drizzling lotus sauce and a biscuit, leaving you licking the spoon.
The Second Serving was among the first home base brands to introduce a lotus cheesecake. Their flavor is unique and distinctive and a perfect option for cream cheese lovers who like a balanced flavor. However, their customized boxes and giveaways for special occasions take the award home for being the best ones in town. So in case, you plan to surprise someone, hop on to their page.
Image source: facebook.com
3. Pie In The Sky
If you love the creamy lotus biscoff but do not like the idea of a cheesecake, then Pie In The Sky is the perfect option for you. Their version of cheesecake comes with a sponge cake instead of cream cheese. However, the top of the cake is loaded with lots of Biscoff enough to satisfy your cravings.
Image source: https://peekaboo.guru/
4. Therapeutic-Secrets By Amna
Therapeutic Secrets have also got a lot of rave reviews from their customers. They are known for their big cheesecakes, and their lotus cake comes in a two-tiered version which you customize as per your choice.
Image source: facebook.com
5. Theatre Live Bakery And Cafe
Despite opening in the middle of the pandemic, the Theatre was able to gain a lot of attention thanks to their relaxed and aesthetically pleasing ambiance and variety of flavors on the menu. Their lotus cheesecake is a must-try that is full of the creamy goodness of lotus.
Image source: facebook.com
6. Meat The Cheese
They offer a creamy cheesecake that screams Lotus in every bite! Meat The Cheese provides a lotus cake with the perfect crunchy top and drizzling lotus sauce which is sweet enough to keep you on the hook.
Image source: facebook.com
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
In the internet-powered world that we live in today, people have gotten used to quick gratification of their wants and needs whether that be a sandwich for their hungry stomach or the latest smartphone to hit the market. foodpanda is a dominating figure in the food and grocery delivery sector in Pakistan, allowing you to browse countless restaurants and shops to get your favorite products delivered to your doorstep. Until now, while you could browse through a few tech options, no smartphone brand had a presence on the Q-commerce platform. Recently, realme Pakistan has entered in a strategic partnership with foodpanda in order to make its products more readily available to potential customers.
This new development is great news for fans of the tech democratizer as they can purchase their much-liked realme products from the comfort of their homes and receive their brand new smartphones the very same day. Established in 2018 by Sky Li, realme as a brand has shown a deep understanding of what its consumers want with its range of high value for money smartphones that feature next-level technology at economical prices. The smartphone brand also goes above and beyond to remove barriers for customers to purchase its products through alternate delivery and payment channels such as with this partnership.
Through this partnership, realme fans in five major cities across the country including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Faisalabad and Multan will be able to log onto the foodpanda app and browse through the entire realme catalogue including AIoT. Through the activation of brand stores in different areas, the aim of this partnership is to allow realme fans to purchase their desired products through two alternate payment channels (Cash on Delivery and Online Payment) and receive their products in the staggeringly low time of 30 minutes. This new partnership will act to target product availability area-wise and ensure that areas with high demand of realme products get catered to according to their needs. realme hopes to connect the open market with the massive potential of the q-commerce market in order to create a valuable shopping experience for its loyal fans.
This is an exciting time for tech enthusiasts in the country as realme and foodpanda work together to tear the barriers preventing the adoption of new technology in the country further down. realme has had an eventful year of coveted releases so far in 2022 with the debut of the high value for money 9 series phones (realme 9i and 9 Pro+) as well as the budget-stunner, realme C35. The smartphone brand does not plan to slow down by any means with two to three more phones expected to join the release slate before the year comes to a close. With a commitment to maintaining quality, realme has service centers in major cities across Pakistan so new customers coming through foodpanda can rest assured that they will be able to avail support from realme if the need arises. Consumers can expect realme products to drop on Foodpanda soon so keep your eyes peeled for realme to make its big debut on the Q-commerce platform.
June 24, 2022: Taking inspiration from the vision of Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) to help mainstream tourism in the country, PUBG MOBILE, Pakistan’s No. 1 gaming platform, is working towards bringing attention to Pakistan’s stunning scenery and beautiful culture both online as well as offline, which can be further supported with patronage from Pakistan’s foremost tourism authority.
From the rivers in Sindh and Punjab to the snow-capped mountains in Gilgit-Baltistan, PUBG MOBILE Pakistan’s users will get to travel across the plains and plateaus and numerous national monuments through PUBGM’s in-game activity that takes players on a virtual tour of the country from June 13 to July 3.
During the campaign, PUBG MOBILE’s users will win exciting prizes upon completing tasks while immersing themselves in the social and cultural experience that the region offers. To spread this message of positivity, PUBGM has branded a bus operating on the most popular route which include Kalma Chowk in Lahore, taking the Canal Road to Thokar Niaz Baig and Faizabad in Rawalpindi. Players will be able to take photos and join the online activity to claim their rewards.
Speaking on the occasion, Khawar Naeem, Country Head Pakistan, Tencent Games said, “This is an exciting initiative to highlight Pakistan’s most popular tourist attractions by featuring them in the virtual space of PUBG MOBILE. We want to promote Pakistan’s beauty in line with the vision of PTDC by sharing the untapped potential of the country based on its diverse topography and provide our users with a highly immersive experience”.
PUBG MOBILE’s Version 2.0 Update is available now! Download for free on the App Store and Google Play Store.
June 24, 2022, Lahore — The annual Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference (CVPR) came to an end in New Orleans, with globally leading technology company OPPO successfully having seven of its submitted papers selected for the conference, putting it among the most successful technology companies at the event. OPPO also placed in eight of the widely watched competition events at the conference, taking home three first place, one second place, and four third place prizes.
“In 2012, deep neural networks designed for image recognition rejuvenated the research and application of artificial intelligence. Ever since, AI technology has seen a decade of rapid development.” said Guo Yandong, Chief Scientist in Intelligent Perception at OPPO.
“OPPO continues to promote artificial intelligence to accomplish complex perceptual and cognitive behaviors. We empower AI with higher cognitive abilities to understand and create beauty and develop embodied AI with autonomous behavior. I’m delighted to see that seven of our papers have been selected for this year’s conference. Building on this success, we will continue to explore both fundamental AI and cutting-edge AI technology, as well as the commercial applications that will enable us to bring the benefits of AI to more people.”
The Seven papers accepted by CVPR 2022 showcase OPPO‘s progress in creating humanizing AI
Seven papers submitted by OPPO for CVPR 2022 were selected for presentation at the conference. Their areas of research include multimodal information interaction, 3D human body reconstruction, personalized image aesthetics assessment, knowledge distillation, and others.
Cross-modular innovation is viewed as the way to ‘humanizing’ artificial intelligence. Text data frequently includes an elevated degree of over-simplification, while visual picture data contains a lot of specific contextual details. OPPO researchers proposed a new CRIS framework based on the CLIP model to enable AI to get a more fine-grained understanding of the text and image modal data.
The biggest difference between human and artificial intelligence today lies in multimodality. Humans can undoubtedly figure out data in both words and pictures and draw relationship between the two sorts of data. The novel method proposed by OPPO improves multimodal intelligence, which could potentially lead to artificial intelligence being able to truly understand and interpret the world through multiple forms of information such as language, hearing, vision, and others, making the robot and digital assistants of sci-fi movies become a reality.
3D human body remaking is one more region in which the OPPO Research Institute has made significant progress. At CVPR, OPPO demonstrated a process for automatically generating digital avatars of humans with clothing that behaves more naturally. By analyzing RGB video of humans captured with a camera, the OPPO model can accurately generate 3D, 1:1 dynamic models that include small details like logos or fabric textures. Creating accurate 3D models of clothes has remained one of the biggest challenges. The new model effectively reduces the requirements needed to perform 3D human body reconstruction, providing technical foundations that can be applied to areas such as virtual dressing rooms for online shopping, AI fitness instruction, and the creation of lifelike avatars in VR/AR worlds.
Structured Local Radiance Fields for Human Avatar Modeling
AI image recognition has now reached a stage where it can accurately identify a wide range of objects within an image. The ability of AI to evaluate images in terms of their perceived aesthetic quality is often strongly related to the big data used in training the AI model.
In collaboration with Leida Li, a professor from Xidian University proposed Personalized Image Aesthetics Assessment (PIAA) model. The model is the first to optimize AI aesthetics assessment by combining users’ subjective preferences with more generalized aesthetic values. In the future, the model will be used to create personalized experiences for users, not just limited to the curation of photo albums, but also provide recommendations on how to shoot the best photo and which content a user might prefer.
Personalized Image Aesthetics Assessment with Rich Attributes
OPPO has also chosen to make the PIAA model evaluation data set the open source for developers, with a number of research institutions and universities already expressing an interest in using the data to further their own efforts in personalized AI aesthetic assessment.
Further to this, OPPO also proposed a multi-view 3D semantic plane reconstruction solution capable of accurately analyzing surfaces within a 3D environment. Developed in partnership with Tsinghua University, the INS-Conv (INcremental Sparse Convolution) can achieve faster and more accurate online 3D semantic and instance segmentation. This can effectively reduce the computing power needed to perform environment recognition, which will enable such technology to be more easily adopted in applications such as automated driving and VR.
OPPO makes AI ‘lightweight’ with second place win in the NAS Challenge
CVPR 2022 also saw a number of technical challenges take place, with OPPO placing third and above in eight challenges. These include the neural architecture search (NAS) challenge, SoccerNet, SoccerNet Replay Grounding, ActivityNet temporal localization, the 4th Large-scale Video Object Segmentation Challenge.
From mobile photography to automated driving, deep learning models are being applied in an increasingly large pool of industries. However, deep learning relies heavily on big data and calculation power and consumes a lot of cost, both of which present challenges to its commercial implementation. Neural architecture search (NAS) techniques can automatically discover and implement optimal neural network architectures. In the NAS competition, OPPO researchers trained a supernetwork of 45,000 sub neural networks to inherit the parameters of the supernetwork by optimizing the Model.
Using the NAS technique, researchers only need to train a large super network and create a predictor to let the subnetworks learn by inheriting the super network parameters. This provides an efficient and low-cost approach to obtaining a deep learning model that outperforms those manually designed by expert network architects. This will ultimately bring previously unthinkable levels of AI technology to mobile devices in the near future.
During CPVR 2022, OPPO also participated in seminar presentations and three high-level workshops. At the SLAM seminar, OPPO researcher Deng Fan shared how real-time vSLAM could be run on smartphones and AR/VR devices. In AICITY Workshop, Li Wei proposed a multi-view based motion localization system to identify abnormal behavior of drivers while driving.
OPPO is bringing the benefits of AI to more people, sooner
This is the third year that OPPO has participated at CVPR. OPPO’s rising success at CVPR during these three years owes much to its continued investment in AI technology. At the beginning of 2020, the Institute of Intelligent Perception and Interaction was established under the OPPO Research Institute to further deepen OPPO’s exploration of cutting-edge AI technologies. Today, OPPO has more than 2,650 global patent applications in the field of AI.
Guided by its brand proposition, ‘Inspiration Ahead’, OPPO is also working with partners across the industry to take AI technology from the laboratory into daily life. OPPO’s AI technology has also been used to develop products and features such as the real-time spatial AR generator CybeReal, OPPO Air Glass, Omoji, and more. Through these technologies, OPPO is aiming to create more lifelike digital worlds that combine virtual and reality to create all-new experiences for users.
Karachi, June 24, 2022: Spotify announced Zoha Zuberi as June’s EQUAL Pakistan Ambassador. The program is part of Spotify’s commitment to showcase women creators revolutionizing Pakistan’s music industry and to celebrate the women-leading innovations and exciting developments in the Pakistani music scene. Zoha became the fourth Ambassador after Arooj Aftab, Mehak Ali, and Hadiqa Kiani, representing young and established women artists in the country. In addition, as the EQUAL Pakistan Ambassador of June, Zoha was featured on a Spotify digital billboard at Times Square NYC on the 23rd of June, promoting her latest single, “I Rather“.
For the last five years Zoha Zuberi, an independent singer and composer from Pakistan’s capital city, has changed music dynamics both within the country and internationally. The vibrant indie musician is a voice of her own, amongst the women making a mark for themselves in the entertainment scene through their unique compositions. Through songs such as ‘Kuch Kehna Chahta Hun‘, ‘Judaa‘, and ‘Jo Tu Na Mera‘, Zoha has captured the attention of a global audience across India, the US, Bangladesh, and Canada.
When asked about her feelings about being the EQUAL Ambassador of the month, Zoha said, “A sense of gratification is overwhelming but what this really means to me is far more than just a sense of personal achievement. It is for me and the woman of Pakistan to step into the spotlight. For all of us to express ourselves and take our place in the music scene.”
Zoha Zuberi is also featured on Spotify’s EQUAL Global playlist alongside artists from Poland, Morocco, Peru and more, along with being on the cover of EQUAL Pakistan.
Rising inflation has been the talk of the town. To keep up with the demand and supply, brands are now increasing their retail prices, further adding weight to customers’ budgets. Amidst the skyrocketing inflation, designer HSY has announced that the brand will not increase its prices so the customer can go to them and shop for their bridal and luxury outfits as usual.
The designer shared the news on his social media account, reassuring the customers. He also announced the launch of different payment plans, so everyone has a chance to get their hands on designer pieces, even if it’s heavy on their pockets.
He further added that they want to treat their clients as their family, so they don’t feel like they are going to strangers while preparing for their special occasions.
HSY’s Statement Sparks A Debate
While HSY is a big name in luxury known for its stunning designs, good customer service, and statement pieces, it is known that the brand’s prices are not on the steeper side. While HSY charges for his craft and services, some customers already find it a little absurd. One such user took notice of the brand’s announcement and called out the designer on social media.
The netizen’s statement started an online debate, and social media agreed with the opinion. Meanwhile, some users also shared their own experiences with the designer. While the designer’s statement sounds like the brand is budget-friendly and is going to be the same in the near future, the reality is quite the opposite of that.
The designer turned actor reassures the customer that they can count on them. However, the customers are displeased. While HSY caters to a specific niche, is it justified to question the brand regarding its decision?
Islamabad, 24 June 2022 – Mobilink Microfinance Bank Limited (MMBL), Pakistan’s largest digital bank, has been recognized for its services in offering innovative digital financial solutions at the 13th Annual Retail Banker International (RBI), Asia Trailblazer Awards 2022. MMBL won the prestigious title of ‘Best Retail Bank in Pakistan’ along with an honorable mention of ‘Highly Commended’ for Excellence in Client Onboarding through its premium digital financial services application – MMBL DOST.
Organized in collaboration with Retail Banker International (RBI), UK, Middle East Economic Digest (MEED), UAE, and GlobalData (Singapore), the 13th annual edition of RBI Asia Trailblazers Awards celebrated retail banks and leaders in adapting to the modern customer in these unprecedented times. The awards program celebrated the best-in-class retail banking and consumer finance institutions and individuals for their innovative service offerings and commitment to customer excellence. For the 13th edition of the coveted awards this year, MMBL was among 50 winners selected from over 300 entries across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region. The winners were announced in a virtual ceremony given ongoing COVID-19 safety protocols.
The RBI Asia Trailblazer Awards highlighted MMBL’s continued efforts to introduce new innovative digital financial products and services to help curb the financial gap and promote financial inclusion in the country.
Commenting on the achievement, President & CEO MMBL, Ghazanfar Azzam said, “We are honoured to be recognized as the Best Retail Bank in Pakistan for the second year in a row. This prestigious title is a testament to our unwavering efforts in promoting financial inclusion in the country through digitally-led, customer-centric product offerings. MMBL is consistently optimizing products and services to meet the growing financial needs of our customers. We remain focussed on leveraging our extensive digital capabilities to continue serving the underserved/unserved segments of society.”
The Bank, through its expanding product portfolio, has been a key enabler for millions of Pakistanis to become financially empowered. Today, a significant ratio of financial transactions is processed digitally, further cementing MMBL’s place as a digitally-oriented organization committed to customer facilitation on all tiers. An insatiable drive for innovation coupled with a traditional brick-and-mortar network that expands across Pakistan, even in the most remote and inaccessible regions, has contributed to MMBL’s successful journey in the last 10 years.
As Pakistan’s leading digital financial institution, MMBL is currently serving over 40 million registered users, including 15 million+ monthly active mobile wallets and has over 100 branches across Pakistan. The Bank strives to facilitate customers by streamlining nationwide access to simplified and convenient financial solutions. MMBL, over the past decade, has introduced multiple innovative and customized digital and financial initiatives, such as digital onboarding of customers, Self-service banking through the DOST App (available on both iOs & Android), Internet Banking, the Women Inspirational Network (WIN) program, and the Humqadam program to provide employment opportunities to the differently-abled and much more.
In this hot heat, cherries are the ideal fruit to consume. They are low in calories and high in fibre, vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. Each fruit also contains potassium, magnesium, and calcium. They include antioxidants such as beta-carotene as well as the vital mineral choline. Pakistan is also the 48th highest producer of cherries, so make sure you consume all the cherries provided. To luxuriate in the deliciousness of fresh cherries, try these three dishes.
Cherry Pie
Imagr Source: Baker By Nature
Ingredients:
Chilled pie dough for top and bottom 9-inch pie
6 cups pitted fresh cherries
1/4 cup (30 grams) cornstarch
2/3 to 3/4 cup (135 to 150 grams) sugar, adjusted accordingly to sweetness of cherries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small squares
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy or whipping cream
Additional sugar for topping crust (coarse sugar is a nice option)
Directions:
· Make filling
Heat oven to 400 degrees F.
In a large bowl, stir sugar, cornstarch, vanilla extract, almond extract, lemon juice and the salt together then add cherries. Gently toss to combine. Set aside.
Prepare and fill the crust
Remove half of dough from refrigerator and let sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to a 13-inch (1/8-inch thick) circle. (Occasionally, check if dough is sticking to the surface — add a small amount of flour when necessary).
Check for size by inverting pie dish over dough round. Look for a 1-inch edge around the pie dish. Carefully press the dough into the dish.
Spoon cherry pie filling into pie crust. Discard most of the liquid pooled at the bottom of the bowl. Dot filling with little squares of cold butter.
Top pie
Roll out second half of dough then top pie. Use a knife or pair of kitchen scissors to trim dough to within 3/4-inch of the edge of the dish.
Fold edges of top crust underneath edges of bottom crust, pressing the edge to seal it so that it creates a thicker, 1/4-inch border that rests on the lip of the dish. Then, crimp edges by pressing the pointer finger of one hand against the edge of the dough from the inside of the dish while gently pressing with two knuckles of the other hand from the outside Refrigerate dough at least 20 minutes or freeze for 5 minutes before baking.
Bake pie
Just before baking, make egg wash by whisking egg yolk and cream together in a small bowl. Use a pastry brush to brush over the top crust. Then, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of sugar. Then, cut 3 to 4 slits in top of pie.
Bake for 20 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling. Cool pie at least 2 hours, preferably 3, before cutting to allow filling to set.
Michigan Cherry Salad
Image Source: Taste Of Home
Ingredients
7 ounces fresh baby spinach (about 9 cups)
3 ounces spring mix salad greens (about 5 cups)
1 large apple, chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans/walnuts, toasted
1/2 cup fresh cherries
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Dressing:
1/4 cup fresh cherries
1/4 cup vinegar
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons olive oil
Directions
In a large bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients.
Place cherries, vinegars, preserves and sugar in a blender. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat.
Cherry Chutney
Ingredients
3 cups fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries, thawed
1 large sweet onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, chopped
1 small sweet red pepper, chopped
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons minced fresh gingerroot
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
Directions
In a large saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45-50 minutes or until vegetables are tender and mixture achieves desired thickness, stirring occasionally. Serve warm or chilled. Refrigerate leftovers.
Inflation has gripped Pakistan strongly and the recent bans on imports are also not helping. So where does one turn to protect their hard-earned money from being reduced to a heap of nothing? It is more important now than ever to ensure your money does not lose its value. Here’s how you can do it:
Investment during times of inflation should not be discounted. You still need a way to expand your money and make more out of what already exists. Investing in irreplaceable things like land or real estate will keep you grounded.
Image Source: Investopedia
2. Make A Personal Budget
You need to chart a personal budget for yourself or your family too. What are your main expenditures and what are the secondary ones? This will help you cut down on unnecessary cash outflows so you can keep your money secure. Cutting down on small and unnecessary things ends up saving more than you can imagine.
3. Don’t Stop Learning
Many experts will have you know that the best way you can fight inflation is if you continue to learn more and educate yourself. This is because learning at a time like this can help with professional marketability and take you farther in your professional aspects. You need that raise or promotion and here’s one strong way you can get it!
Image Source: Entrepreneur
4. Invest In Natural Resources
Not many people will tell you this but this is a trick many financial experts swear by during times of inflation. Investing in natural resource-producing companies is an excellent way of bearing the storm of inflation. This is because you can take advantage of commodity price inflation which gets passed onto you in the form of profits.
5. Put Your Money In Long-Term Assets
Gold is considered the number one investment outlet, especially in Pakistan. Whenever people feel that they have extra that they could invest, they reach out to gold. Investing in gold can be a good option during inflation but not for the short term. Gold can give high returns over the long term which is decades. Put your money in and forget it, you might end up earning a fortune.
Lexus has blown it out of the park with its latest car commercials. The brand is a popular one without a doubt but its latest ad may not be everyone’s cup of tea despite its brilliance. How artistic is too artistic and has Lexus gone beyond that or is stretching the bounds of what an ad can be? Let’s find out:
Lexus has created ads for its cars without the cars themselves. See? It sounds unbelievable. This ad is apparently being worked upon since January because the idea is a tough one. It is difficult to execute but we can report back that the execution was brilliant. In this latest ad, you see all the common places where you see a car usually. A road, a garage, a highway.
However, that’s the thing— you don’t see a car. More than that, you don’t see a Lexus!
Have A Look:
Image Source: Ads of The World
What Do You See?
Instead, you just see text that says “No Lexus here. Because with the Lexus Relax 10 years warranty, you will see it as many times as you want.” This whole ad is also a marketing ploy to invite attention to the latest offering of Lexus. The 10-year warranty. This is also a new thing for automobile companies since the warranty they offer is usually of a couple of years or 5 years maximum.
Image Source: Ads of The World
Lexus has not only gone above and beyond in the warranty but also in the ad to speak about the warranty. The new warranty comes as part of a whole new brand created by Lexus called ‘Lexus Relax.’
Who Created The Ad?
The ad was created by the creative digital agency called ‘Burns’. It was first released in Spain this year. The ad is kind of unnerving and disconcerting. When you see it and you simply see empty spaces ahead of you with a voiceover you keep feeling strange.
Image Source: Ads of The World
It’s also interesting to note that in the ad they keep engaging the audience. “Wow have you seen it?” and then they respond with “me neither”. It’s the first ad of its kind and we have a feeling it’s already successful.
KARACHI 16th June 2022 – Every year, since the introduction of the first Kissan Day by Sarsabz Fertilizers (Fatima Fertilizers) in 2019, the company pays tribute to farmers through a social media campaign. Kissan Day, which falls on the 18th of December, highlights the importance of farmers for national food security, and aims to help them towards the path to success.
In 2021, on the third Kissan Day, Sarsabz chose the fast-growing platform SnackVideo, to pay tribute to farmers via a branded hashtag challenge #SalamKissan, receiving an astounding 1.5M+ user-generated videos.
Using the Salam Kissan song and the campaign hashtag, users were encouraged to create videos paying tribute to farmers, who work tirelessly without recognition. The response to the campaign was beyond all expectations, with celebrities, influencers and the general public all taking part. Over 1.5M user-generated videos were created, which garnered a staggering 4.19B+ views and over 277M likes.
Compared to last year, this year’s campaign with SnackVideo produced 3 times the result with the participation and reach going beyond expectations. The success of the campaign bagged SnackVideo the award for best social media campaign at the Pakistan Digital Awards 2022.
The Pakistan Digital Awards is an independent platform that recognizes and rewards the best digital platforms and talent across the country. With over 400 campaigns and nearly 700 participants, the award is a prestigious title for any brand.
Have you ever felt annoyed by the traffic here? Do you find yourself cursing everything while getting stuck in an unnecessary traffic jam? Mind you, this is a jam that could have been avoided due to a simple thing: not breaking the signal. The signals have been made for our own safety. It does not do well to break them whenever you please to do so. Of course, we must remember that rules can be ignored when it comes to emergencies. However, running a red light because you did not want to stop, is not a reason to do so.
Like everything, cars also have a smooth flow on the road. If the flow is broken, there is chaos everywhere. Running the red light not only causes problems in your lane but in many others too. The point of traffic signals is not to waste your time. It is to make sure that everyone gets their opportunity to cross the road. It is nothing too advanced to understand or comprehend. In fact, it is quite simple. Stop running through red lights!
Image Source: megainteresting.com
Traffic Signals Being Broken
People often find it an inconvenience to slow down at a signal. They think it is a lot of effort to slow down after the car is moving at a brisk pace. What one does not consider is that another car has just started to move from the other signal. Your decision to not slow the car could bring it to a terrifying abrupt stop. You could even hurt a pedestrian who is crossing the road, thinking the traffic has stopped or that you will stop.
This is also why the writer of the article thinks many problems could be solved by not breaking signals. What is the person going to do with the whole two seconds that they saved in crossing the red light? People have families in their cars, even those that break the signal. If they cannot give regard to their life, they should think about the people with them. Is it necessary to be involved in a signal-breaking accident and then realizing the signal shouldn’t have been broken?
Gif Source: giphy.com
Many Problems Solved
If people give more regard to following the traffic signals, a lot of fatalities and traffic jams can be avoided. There are a few seconds between the green and red light if there is no yellow present. If you are over the pedestrian line before it turns red, you can cross. Otherwise, you must reverse and wait. Don’t keep going! Additionally, one should never speed at a signal if the light has already turned yellow.
Just simply not breaking signals can solve a huge chunk of traffic issues that reside here in Pakistan. It’s justified if it had to be done in an emergency but otherwise, it’s just increasing risk. Just because it’s early morning and there aren’t many cars on the road, does not mean you break the signal. The writer of this article believes people who cannot respect road rules should not be given permission to drive until they learn.
As summer is approaching fast in its full swing hotness and rise in temperature, it is important to remain hydrated. There is a misconception amongst many individuals that coffee is a dehydrating drink modern research proves them mistaken.
Here are some proven benefits of drinking a cup of coffee every day:
Secret To Healthy, Flawless, And Shiny Skin
Coffee is a versatile substance that may supply several skincare advantages. Caffeine and chlorogenic acids in coffee efficiently protect the skin from UV-induced damage, thanks to their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Some Major Weight Loss Benefits Of Black Coffee
Chlorogenic acid, found in black coffee, aids in the slowing of glucose synthesis in the body. This shows that drinking black coffee after a meal reduces the amount of glucose and fat cells produced by your body.
It’s important to note that if you’re drinking black coffee for weight reduction, you shouldn’t add anything to it. This implies no added sugar, cream, milk, or other flavorings.
Coffee Enhances Mental Alertness In All Ages
Caffeine can enhance the effects of over-the-counter analgesics in the treatment of headaches and migraines. Coffee/caffeine consumption over time has been linked to a lower risk of stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. As a result, regular coffee consumption may be part of a healthy balanced diet; it does not need to be avoided by the elderly.
Coffee Is An All-Season Drink
In Pakistan coffee consumption declines based on the mythical assumption of it being a dehydrating drink. Research has proven that drinking a daily 100ml (about 3.38 oz) of pure coffee has many health advantages. As the amount has only 1-2 kcal with 0 calories. Coffee hot-or cold supplies an extra kick in starting the day regardless of the day’s temperature.
A Coffee In Need!
A cup of coffee functions as your best friend just as they say seasons are temporary but coffee ensures life in all the seasons. As Jackie Chan once put it, “Coffee is a language itself.”
Your skin is covered in pores. These tiny holes are everywhere; the skin of your face, arms, legs, and everywhere else on your body. Pores serve an important function. They allow sweat and oil to escape through your skin, cooling you off and keeping your skin healthy.
Pores are also the openings of hair follicles. Even though pores are important, some people dislike their appearance — especially on areas of the body where they appear more noticeable, like on the nose and forehead. And no matter how much you would want to get rid of them, you cannot “erase” or “eliminate” your pores. However, there sure are ways which can reduce the appearance of your pores and make them look less noticeable.
Take a look at how you can take care of pores at home.
1. Cleansing
It goes without saying but cleansing your skin regularly is the key behind clean small pores. Over time, our skin gets exposed to pollution and sweat. These two are the most common causes behind clogged pores. Cleansing regularly can reduce the chances of dirt getting trapped on your skin. You can cleanse twice a day or once a day, but if you cleanse once a day, choose the nighttime. At the end of the day, your skin will have a buildup of dirt and/or makeup, and it’s critical to clean that all out before going to sleep.
Image source: Healthline.com
2. Exfoliation
Skin exfoliation is a dreaded concept. However, when done correctly, it does more good than harm. Exfoliation means getting rid of the top layer of the dead skin cells. While this can be done manually with scrubs, using acids like AHA, BHA and PHA can do wonders for the pores. They help to gently get rid of the dead skin cells while removing impurities and minimizing the appearance of pores. AHA, BHA and PHA are the holy grails when it comes to taking care of the pores. The key is to start with low concentration and work your way up without compromising on your skin barrier.
Image source: teenvogue.com
3. Prime & SPF
Always remember to wear sunscreen to protect your skin from harmful UV rays. UV and pollution cause free radicals that break down the collagen and elastin in the skin, making the skin less tight and enlarged pores. Primers that contain SPF are a perfect solution since they multitask by smoothing over pores while also providing sun protection.
Not only does the vitamin A-based topical smooth wrinkles and brighten dark spots, but it also works to stop acne and shrink pores. Retinol’s magic results from its ability to increase your skin’s collagen production while simultaneously decreasing its oil production, which leads to smoother skin, fewer breakouts and blackheads, and tighter pores.
While a home skincare routine can improve the quality of skin over time, going to a professional can do wonders for your skin. Facials are a great way to remove impurities and dead cell buildup from the skin. A chemical peel is an in-office treatment that will improve the appearance over time. The new generation of peels work under the surface of the skin and give you an instant glow without making your skin look worse before it looks better.
Image source: Pinterest.com
Stay tuned to Brandsynario for the latest news and updates.
Monsoon is here, which means uncertainty regarding the weather, clogged-up traffic on the roads and broken vehicles. However, to deal with the situation, the city traffic police offer free vehicle repair services to facilitate the public during the monsoon season. This will also help maintain a smooth flow of traffic.
The monsoon rains can often leave the motorists stranded on the roads for hours. To counter this situation, DIG Traffic has introduced this service for free to help people and keep the traffic flow smoothly. For this purpose, 26 vehicles are patrolling the city with essential repair equipment that can fix minor problems. Out of 26, eight will patrol Shahrah-e-Faisal, five in the district south, three in the district west and the rest on other busy roads, including major highways.
Free Vehicle Repair Services
26 vehicles patrolling the city will offer the following services,
Tire puncture fixing and reinflation
Car towing pump starting the car
Extinguishing car fire
Refuelling (enough to travel to the nearest petrol station) for bikes and cars
Some other minor fixes
According to the DIG, the services would have the necessary equipment to deal with emergencies like fixing punctures, inflating tires, towing vehicles and fire extinguishers. The DIG further added that the service would also provide medical assistance to the people.
Image source: mysocialdiary.com
“In case a vehicle stops moving, two litres of petrol would be provided to the car owners and half a litre to the motorcycle owners for the vehicles to reach the nearest petrol pump and to prevent traffic jams,” said Cheema.
“Citizens can call for getting assistance 24/7 from Madadgar 15 staff by calling their helpline 15. The Urban Flooding Rescue Unit team is also associated with Madadgar 15’s service”, the DIG added.
Karachi Police has established a particular unit associated with Madadgar 15. It means citizens can avail this service 24 hours a day and seven days a week by calling 15.
The initiative seems like a significant step to help the citizens of Karachi since monsoon always comes with unexpected situations, leading to emergencies and accidents. These services will help the citizens to reach out to concerned departments in case they meet with an urgent situation.
KraftHeinz has been in the business for close to a century now. They have amassed hundreds and thousands of fans who turn to the brand, especially for its ‘macaroni and cheese’ box which promises comfort unlike anything else. However, when the times get tough, the tough get going. Kraft is no longer the same brand now— everything is being updated. Have a look:
The logo of the company has also changed. From the iconic all caps to now only the K is capitalized. The color of the brand has also remarkably changed. It used to be many hues of blue before almost in an ombre effect. However, now it is just one color of deep blue which reflects the brand’s identity and association with blue over the years.
Image Source: VNBC
Many other aspects are subject to change such as the typography and the box designs too. However, what is really rubbing off on people the wrong way is the name change.
The Journey From Macaroni to Mac
Kraft’s iconic ‘macaroni and cheese’ box will now be called the ‘mac and cheese’ box. For 85 years, it has been called the former and people always turn towards it when they want a pick-me-up comfort food. Now its name is changing. That is a big thing.
Image Source: WCVB TV
The people over at Kraft added that this name change is coming to reflect how people refer to the box anyway. No one refers to it in its full form and they want to show that they are also going with the wave in 2022. It’s to reflect comfort in the modern, Gen-Z colloquial way.
How Did People Respond?
People did not take kindly to the new changes. They feel like a big part of their life is changing and they’re upset about it, it makes sense. Doesn’t it? Everyone is conflicted and they’re also voicing it on Twitter. Have a look at what they said:
As a marketing coordinator, I understand the new look. As a life time Kraft macaroni and cheese eater, my heart hurts.
The Pakistani drama industry is full of gems that have made us proud. However, many underrated actors who, when recognized and appreciated duly, will take our industry to new heights.
1. Mansha Pasha
Mansha Pasha is one of those underrated actors whose under-representation hurts your heart. She’s a woman of substance, and we hope our industry can recognize that!
Adeel Hussain’s roles in several movies have only shown that this man knows his acting stuff. Over the years he has gone under the radar which we’re hoping can change very soon.
Sarmad Khoosat’s work has always been at the centre of controversy. However, that doesn’t take away from the fact that he’s a phenomenal actor. All those who loved him in Churails, do you feel us?
This woman rocked every person watching Churails. From the expressions and the dialogue delivery all the way to how she could change herself according to roles: Nimra Bucha’s performance is a sight for sore eyes.
Ahmed Ali Akbar is also worthy of more attention than he gets. His performances ranging from Siyaah to Karachi Se Lahore, from ‘Yeh Raha Dil’ to ‘Mera Yaar Mila De,’ have made many his fans.
Amir Gilani is the actor who stole everybody’s attention as he starred next to Mawra Hocane. His performance in Sabaat shows he has a truckload of potential which can help him achievement accolades.
Rabab is an actress who deserves more screen time given her performances. She has played the role of Rukhi in Hum TV’s acclaimed series Zid phenomenally. She is also known for her leading roles in Piya Mann Bhaye and we hope she gets more.
Kinza Hashmi started her acting career in 2014 and appeared in several television commercials and serials after which her career took off. She played Rushna in Hum TV’s Ishq Tamasha for which she also received a nomination for Best Negative Actor at the Hum Awards. Playing negative characters seems to be her forte and our industry loves them all the more.
Hussain is super under-rated amongst her peers on this list. She has played a prominent role in dramas like Bashar Momin and Gul e Rana, among others. However, that is all she has to her name. Her performances would beg to change that!
Ali Rehman Khan has talent, the looks to go with it, and a personality/sense of humor that keeps bringing people back to his Instagram. He has also played several diverse roles in all of his careers so far which shows just how talented he is. Here’s to hoping we see more of him soon.
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