Samsung Reveals J1, A Smartphone for the Masses

Samsung has announced a new phone for the masses. While we don’t know much about the pricing details, it’ll surely be in a lot of people’s reach.
The display of the phone measures 4.3″ and has a usable WVGA (480 x 800) resolution. Not much is known about the screen tech but it’s almost certainly not AMOLED. Underneath, the phone is powered by a 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor of unknown chipset. That is accompanied by 512 MB worth RAM and 4 GB internal storage, expandable via microSD by up to 32 GB.

The rear camera comes with a 5 megapixel lens and LED Flash. There’s also a 2 mp secondary camera at the front. Connectivity options include Wi-Fi, 3G, Bluetooth 4.0 and GPS. A removable 1,850 mAh battery powers the phone for up to 10 hours. The J1 will be available in a choice of three colors: Black, White and Blue.



Here are the specifications again:

• CPU: 1.2 Ghz dual-core processor
• OS: Customized Android 4.4 KitKat
• Supported Networks: 2G, 3G
• Design:
  • Weight: 122g
  • 129 x 68.2 x 8.9mm
• Display: 4.3” WVGA (800 x 480 pixels) resolution
• Memory:
  • RAM: 512 MB
  • Internal: 4 GB
• Card slot:  expandable by up to 128 GB via microSD
• Camera:
  • Primary: 5 megapixel, LED Flash
  • Secondary: 2 megapixel
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth 4.0, GPS + GLONASS
• Battery: 1,850 mAh removable
• Colors: Black, White and Blue

ACCA joins hands with Nayatel

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) has awarded Nayatel (Pvt) Ltd. with employer accreditation recently in Islamabad.

ACCA’s prestigious global programme is awarded to employers who meet high standards for training and developing their employees, and show a commitment towards supporting the ongoing development of their ACCA employees.

Sajjeed Aslam, head of ACCA Pakistan, presented Nayatel with the Approved Employer certificate. At the ceremony Sajjeed stated, “Gaining global accreditation for Professional Development shows the commitment Nayatel has to developing its staff. ACCA looks forward to further strengthening this relationship to assist them in creating the next generation of finance professionals across Pakistan.”

Wahaj us Siraj, CEO, Nayatel (Pvt) Ltd., appreciated the acumen of the ACCA Trainees working at Nayatel. “We strongly believe that our country and society can become a great contributor to the knowledge based economy of 21st century by leveraging on the talent and intellect of young generation. With our finance team led by the young ACCA trainees, we are confident that we are headed in the right direction.”

The ceremony was also presided by Junaid Ahmed, head of North, ACCA Pakistan. “We are extremely excited to have a wide spread portfolio of organisations on board with ACCA. Apart from providing professional and training development to Nayatel, we also look forward to the opportunities to collaborate on a wide range of issues such as the support for enhancing the capacity building of ACCA Trainees and on improving access to finance talent.”

ACCA signs MoU with Sukkur IBA to promote accounting and finance qualification in Sukkur

Karachi, January 2014: The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and Sukkur Institute of Business Administration (IBA) inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at the ACCA office to promote the accounting and finance profession in Sukkur.

The MoU will provide the students of BSc in Accounting and Finance programme in Sukkur IBA the opportunity to pursue globally recognised qualification in the field of accountancy and finance. ACCA will assist the university in aligning their business education programs and award maximum ACCA exemptions. They will assist the university in modernising its accounting and finance curriculum and also promote ACCA qualification through Student Brand Manager Program. It will also provide an opportunity for ACCA members to pursue the post-graduation programs offered at IBA with possible number of exemptions.

The MoU will benefit the university from the ACCA’s research and insight, scholarships, career advisory services, and networking forum. Sukkur IBA students will now be able to avail exemptions and ACCA will provide opportunity for Sukkur IBA students to study academic and ACCA qualifications together.

The ceremony was attended by Mr. Sajjeed Aslam, Head of ACCA Pakistan; Mrs. Almas Abbas Ali, Education Manager South ACCA Pakistan; Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmed Bhutto, HOD Business Administration, Sukkur IBA; and  senior representatives of ACCA Pakistan and Sukkur IBA.

Commenting on the collaboration between ACCA and Sukkur IBA, Mr. Sajjeed Aslam stressed on the advantages of having distant learning opportunity for ACCA students. He emphasized on capacity building and providing grooming opportunity for sukkur students, as part of the expansion plan of ACCA in other major cities in south, Pakistan. He also added that the relationship will, now, open doors to endless possibilities for finance students not just locally but also globally.

At the ceremony, Prof. Dr. Niaz Ahmed shared the journey of Sukkur IBA from the commencement till today, marking yet another milestone as they sign the MoU with ACCA. He highlighted the dynamic and changing model of current market which requires focus on specialization, constant research and advancement of curriculum to increase productivity of the economy. He further added, contribution to the society requires producing excellent resources which should be the ultimate goal of education institutes.

ACCA, UMT ink MoU to promote the Accounting and Finance profession in Pakistan

ACCA-the global body for professional accountants and the University of Management and Technology (UMT) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to promote the Accounting and Finance profession in Pakistan.

According to this MoU, graduates of BCOM programme are entitled to exemptions from ACCA papers F1 to F7 while graduates of BS Accounting and MCOM programmes of the University of Management and Technology (UMT) are eligible for exemptions from ACCA papers F1 to F9 in line with ACCA’s global accreditation policy.

The ceremony was attended by Sajjeed Aslam, Head of ACCA Pakistan, Mr. Faisal Azeem, Head of Education North and Sabahat Khan, BRM-Learning. The MoU was signed by the Rector UMT, Dr Hasan Shoaib Murad and Head of ACCA Pakistan, Sajjeed Aslam.

Sajjeed Aslam, Head of ACCA Pakistan stated, “I strongly believe that this is an excellent opportunity for students of UMT to top up their academic degrees with a globally recognised professional accountancy qualification. ACCAs are known to be complete financial professionals, having breadth and depth of skills, which are needed by employers.”

Dr Hasan Shoaib Murad, Rector UMT commented that, “Students pursuing degrees in finance and accounting have a great future in store in Pakistan and a wealth of opportunities are available in this field in Japan, China and the Gulf countries. We are designing the accounting degree programmes at UMT so that the curriculum equips them with the maximum theoretical and professional knowledge.”

The accreditation of UMT’s BCOM, BS Accounting and MCOM programmes will enhance the recognition of these programmes. Graduates from UMT with dual qualification will have better acceptability in local and international job markets which have become increasing competitive.

Warid Starts Accepting Postpaid Bills Online Via Credit and Debit Cards

Warid has announced that its postpaid customers can now pay their bills online via credit and debit cards.

Warid said that all postpaid customers are offered this facility and an online bill payment portal for postpaid subscribers has been added.

Through this facility, customers can pay their bills in real time from the comfort of their homes, offices or any other place with internet access.
All you have to do is enter your mobile number, credit card details and the amount. It really is that simple!
To ensure the security of the online payment and your personal details, Warid has entrusted Cybersource to oversee the online payment procedure for your peace of mind.

Making Payments Online

• Step 1: Log on to portal: https://gateway.waridtel.com/OnlinePayment/
• Step 2: Enter Subscriber’s information to receive a pin code on your mobile
• Step3: Enter pin code and credit card information to complete the transaction

ACCA Pakistan adds Next Pharmaceutical into their Approved Employer Programme

ACCA Pakistan awarded Next Pharmaceutical with Gold Approved Employer status in recognition of their commitment towards training and development of ACCA trainees and members. ACCA’s Approved Employer Programme plays a pivotal role in the recruitment, development and retention of the ACCA qualified employees in the approved organizations. It allows organizations to reach global best practice in the provision of learning and development opportunities for ACCA trainees and members.

The approved employer certificate was presented to Mr Rizwan Butt, CEO, Next Pharmaceutical by Mr Junaid Ahmed, Head of ACCA Pakistan North. During the ceremony Mr Rizwan said, “We are honored to have been awarded the Gold Approved Employer status.  ACCA trainees and qualified members have proved to be an asset for us as they are highly competitive and are very competently driving the finance function of our organisation”.

Speaking at the occasion Mr Junaid, Head of ACCA Pakistan North expressed that, “We are extremely delighted to have Next Pharmaceutical as an ACCA approved employer and with this linkage, we aim to provide quality talent to the Next Pharma’s management.”

The ceremony was attended by senior officials from both organisations including Mr. Zohair Ahmad ACCA, CFO, Next Pharmaceutical, Mr. Hammad Azim, Head of Marketing ACCA Pakistan and Mr. Shahid Khan, Business Development Manager ACCA Pakistan.

ACCA and University of London launch ground-breaking Masters programme

ACCA and the University of London join to launch the first ever world-class Masters programme integrated with a prestigious professional qualification

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) and the University of London have today agreed to offer a ground-breaking Masters programme to be made available to ACCA students and members around the world including Pakistan.

This marks the first time an accountancy body has joined with a university to enable students across the globe to gain a Masters’ degree and a professional accountancy qualification at the same time.

The combination of ACCA’s unparalleled global network of students and members, alongside the University of London’s unrivalled network of accredited teaching institutions will present a powerful partnership.

Helen Brand OBE, ACCA chief executive said: “We are delighted to be the first professional accountancy body to be able to deliver this type of programme, meaning ACCA now directly offers choice from a complete suite of professional and academic qualifications. ACCA has a long history of working with academic partners and is proud of the opportunities these partnerships offer to our students and members. Consistent with this, providing global access to a prestigious Masters qualification as part of ACCA’s professional qualification will offer our students and members the opportunity to enhance their employability even further.

“Through our strong global relationships, we know that employers in many markets place a very high value on finance leaders having both a professional and a Masters qualification. We also know ACCA’s flexibility and portability are big factors for students when making their decision about which path to take, and ACCA, and the University of London have just increased that access and flexibility.”

Sir Adrian Smith FRS, Vice-Chancellor of the University of London, commented: “The University is pleased to partner with ACCA to offer this pioneering programme to ACCA students and members worldwide.”

“This programme fits well with the University of London portfolio of over 100 international programmes which are offered in collaboration with our internationally renowned colleges in pursuit of our 156 year old widening access mission to learners worldwide. The programme will support students utilising modern online tools and interactive learning activities in addition to offering a range of learning support available through our well established community of teaching institutions and online tutors. Students successfully graduating from this programme will complement their professional skills with masters’ level outcomes to support their career development.”

The Masters programme will be available from early 2016 and will be delivered through online and local institutional support, in association with UCL. Further details relating to the routes for ACCA students and members will be available in March 2015.

 

Pakistanis to be Able to Sell Solar Power Back to the Government

In a situation where energy crisis is only worsening with each passing day, Pakistan has approved the usage of grid-connected solar energy that will enable common citizen to sell solar energy back to national-grid at a fixed rate.
When implemented, individuals will be able to send energy back to the national-grid with the help of smart-meters with following details:

• If you have solar panels installed and you are generating more energy than you need, then simply send the power back to the grid and get paid
• Individuals can take input from the grid (as we do now) however they will also be able to send additional energy back to grid when they will have more energy than the requirement (for example: during day time)
• With net-metering, individuals will be credited for the solar energy they will add to the national grid.
• Tariff applicable for purchase of electricity from the consumer will be the same at which he has been billed by the company for electric power

Individuals who can generate more energy than they need can simply send the power back to the grid and get paid

While the smart grid ecosystem requires the complete over-haul of meters and the grid, the project can go in phases and simple meter-replacement with smart-meter can start the process.
Unfortunately, unlike conventional meters that are provided by electric companies, consumers who would want to sell solar-generated electric power will have to bear the cost for the the smart-meters installations.
The approval of net-metering is a major breakthrough that could spur use of solar energy and help Pakistan’s government cut power shortages in the long run.
Also Read:

• Smart Grid for Pakistan!
• Everything You Need to Know to Setup Solar Energy Plant in Pakistan!

This approval for net-metering is followed by reversal in 32.5% tax that was imposed on imported solar equipment in the country’s 2014-2015 budget.

Starting Q1 2015, Bank Al Falah will allow financing up to five million rupees for rooftop solar installation

Along-with a plan for mortgage financing for home solar panels is also in the approved by the State Bank to encourage individuals get solar panels installed at their premises.
State Bank of Pakistan and the Alternative Energy Development Board have recently allowed the bank Al Falah for the first time to finance rooftop solar installation with home mortgages.
Starting first quarter of 2015, Bank Al Falah will allow financing up to five million rupees for rooftop solar installation.
With massive tax-cut for solar energy products, on top of mortgage financing, government is expecting around 800-1,000 megawatts of solar panels imports by private sector during 2015.
Via Propaksitani