Steel sector braces for shortage of raw material
钢铁行业准备应对原材料短缺
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s long steel sector is bracing itself for a potential shortage of raw material in anticipation of steel scrap prices hitting a record high. A move that poses a significant threat to the industry’s operations and profitability.
With Letters of Credit (LCs) not being opened, domestic scrap shortage is compounding and is hitting manufacturers drastically, said Syed Wajid Bukhari, Secretary General of the Pakistan Association of Large Steel Producers (PALSP) in a statement.
“The crisis-hit steel industry is facing an acute shortage of raw material scrap, with the situation going from bad to worse every day. The local price of scrap has jumped from Rs120,000 to Rs200,000 per tonne in just three weeks, forcing many mills to shut down. Only 30% of the mills are operating and that too at very low utilisation rates,” lamented Wajid, adding that, “Record scrap prices threaten to paralyse the steel industry.”
伊斯兰堡：由于预计废钢价格将创下历史新高，巴基斯坦的钢铁行业正在为潜在的原材料短缺做准备。此举对该行业的运营和盈利能力构成了重大威胁。
巴基斯坦大型钢铁生产商协会（PALSP）秘书长Syed Wajid Bukhari在一份声明中指出，由于信用证（LCs）没有放开，国内废钢短缺的情况正在加剧，对生产商造成了巨大的打击。
"受危机影响的钢铁业正面临着原材料废钢的严重短缺，情况每天都在恶化。当地的废钢价格在短短三周内从每吨12万卢比跃升至20万卢比，迫使许多钢厂停产。只有30%的工厂在运营，而且利用率非常低，" Wajid感叹道，"创纪录的废钢价格有可能使钢铁业陷入瘫痪。"
Pakistan improves risk score on global AML index
巴基斯坦提高了在全球反洗钱指数中的风险评分
KARACHI: Following Pakistan’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) grey list, a global body of banking supervisory authorities has acknowledged the progress made by the country in the overall regulation of the financial affairs slightly lowering the risk score of the country.
However, experts believe that the recently-released Basel AML [anti-money laundering] Index briefing on Pakistan would hardly benefit the country’s overall economy amid larger challenges which have “overshadowed” the progress it’s making on the regulatory front.
“Pakistan’s overall ML/TF [money laundering and terrorist financing] risk score in the Basel AML Index (Public Edition) is 6.16. This places it in the medium-risk category compared to other global jurisdictions. In the latest update of the Expert Edition, which is updated quarterly with the latest data, the risk score is slightly lower at 6.11,” said the Basel AML Index briefing on Pakistan.
卡拉奇：在巴基斯坦退出金融行动特别工作组（FATF）的灰名单之后，一个由银行监管当局组成的全球机构承认该国在金融事务的整体监管方面取得了进展，略微降低了该国的风险评分。
然而，专家们认为，最近发布的关于巴基斯坦的巴塞尔反洗钱指数简报很难使该国的整体经济受益，因为更大的挑战已经 "掩盖了 "该国在监管方面取得的进展。
"巴基斯坦在巴塞尔反洗钱指数（公共版）中的ML/TF[洗钱和恐怖主义融资]总体风险得分是6.16。与全球其他司法管辖区相比，该分数处于中等风险类别。在每季度更新的专家版中，风险得分略低，为6.11，"巴塞尔反洗钱指数关于巴基斯坦的简报报道称。
'Good news' for Pakistani females on Women’s Day
巴基斯坦女性在妇女节的 "好消息"
On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Careem — a ride-hailing service operating in Pakistan — announced its plan to launch a new women-driven motorbike service, catering exclusively to its female customers.
The company announced that the service will commence in Karachi and make its way to other cities in Pakistan, urging women — who are interested in working as female captains and getting access to flexible income opportunities — to get themselves registered.
According to the details shared by Careem, the service includes two models — part-time (five hours) and full-time (10 hours) — for which the company guarantees a monthly payment of Rs30,000 and Rs50,000 respectively.
In addition to this, the ride-hailing firm is offering female motorbike captains "0% commission, bonuses, and guarantees as well as priority access to Careem’s safety and security helpline".
在国际妇女节之际，在巴基斯坦运营的叫车服务Careem宣布其计划推出一项新的女性驾驶摩托车服务，专门为其女性客户提供服务。
该公司宣布，这项服务将从卡拉奇试点，并向巴基斯坦的其他城市推进，敦促有兴趣担任女司机并获得灵活收入机会的妇女进行注册。
根据Careem分享的细节，该服务包括两种模式--兼职（5小时）和全职（10小时）--公司保证每月分别支付30,000卢比和50,000卢比。
除此之外，这家叫车公司还为女性摩托车队长提供 "零佣金，奖金和担保，以及优先使用Careem的安全和保障热线"。
Nestlé, Ufone 4G team up to establish advanced customer contact centre
雀巢公司与优步4G合作建立先进的客户联络中心
KARACHI: Nestlé Pakistan Limited, a leading global food and beverage company, has collaborated with Pakistani telecom services provider, Ufone 4G’s Business Process Outsourcing Operations (BPO Operations) arm to establish a state-of-the-art Contact Center solution to provide effective customer services to Nestlé customers.
In addition to voice and non-voice interactions, the Contact Center will also manage social media engagements, for end-to-end consumer support and enhanced customer experience.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Ahmed Kamal, Group Chief Customer Care Officer, PTCL & Ufone, said, “We’re excited to partner with Nestlé to help facilitate the company’s nationwide customer base. Nestlé is one of the leading global corporate players and its faith in Ufone’s BPO operations is a testament to the quality, technical soundness, and reliability of our services. We are steadfast in our commitment to providing an efficient and rewarding customer service experience for Nestlé customers.
卡拉奇：全球领先的食品和饮料公司雀巢巴基斯坦有限公司与巴基斯坦电信服务提供商Ufone 4G的业务流程外包业务（BPO业务）部门合作，建立了一个先进的联络中心解决方案，为雀巢客户提供有效的客户服务。
除了语音和非语音互动外，联络中心还将管理社交媒体的活动，为客户提供端到端支持并增强客户体验。
PTCL和Ufone集团首席客户服务官Ahmed Kamal在签字仪式上表示："我们很高兴与雀巢公司合作，帮助促进该公司的全国客户群。雀巢公司是全球领先的企业之一，它对Ufone的业务流程外包业务的信任，证明了我们服务的质量、技术的稳定性和可靠性。我们坚定不移地致力于为雀巢公司的客户提供高效和有益的客户服务体验。
Govt askaed to secure tariff cuts on export of sports goods
政府被要求为体育用品出口提供关税优惠
ISLAMABAD-Exporters have demanded the Pakistani government to negotiate tariff concessions with other countries on export of sports goods. “The government should include sports goods in the list of goods given tariff concession while signing trade agreements with other countries,” Mohsin Masood, Secretary General of Pakistan Sports Goods Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PSGMEA), told WealthPK.
He said that sports goods manufacturing is a well-established industry in Pakistan, but it never got the attention of the successive governments. “Pakistan is producing world-class sports products, including footballs, basketballs, hockey sticks, sportswear, boxing equipment and gloves,” Masood added. He was of the view that sports goods manufacturing mostly relied on exports due to a lack of sports activities in the country. “We need government support in exporting our products,” he said. He said that if the government could secure some tariff concessions on exports to various countries, exports of Pakistan’s sports goods could be enhanced substantially.
伊斯兰堡-出口商要求巴基斯坦政府与其他国家就体育用品的出口进行关税优惠谈判。"巴基斯坦体育用品制造商和出口商协会（PSGMEA）秘书长Mohsin Masood向WealthPK表示："政府在与其他国家签署贸易协定时，应将体育用品列入给予关税优惠的商品清单。
他指出，体育用品制造业在巴基斯坦是一个成熟的产业，但它从未得到历届政府的重视。"Masood补充道："巴基斯坦正在生产世界级的体育产品，包括足球、篮球、曲棍球杆、运动服、拳击器材和手套。他认为，由于国内缺乏体育活动，体育用品制造业大多依赖出口。他表示："我们需要政府支持我们的产品出口。"如果政府能在出口到各国时提供一些关税优惠，巴基斯坦体育用品的出口就能得到大幅提升。
Chinese companies to showcase innovations at multinational exhibition from March 10
中国企业将于3月10日起在多国展会上展示创新成果
LAHORE, Mar. 7 (Gwadar Pro)– Chinese solar companies will showcase their innovations at a multinational exhibition here starting from March 10.
The FAKT Exhibitions will organize 12th edition of Solar Pakistan Exhibition and 5th edition of Electricity Pakistan Exhibition here at Expo Centre.
Deputy Chairman of Senate Mirza Muhammad Afridi will inaugurate the three-day event, a spokesperson of FAKT said on Monday afternoon.
"Solar Pakistan Exhibition is established as the leading renewable energy event of the country with its scale setting records in every edition, having more than 120 exhibiting companies from 10 countries of the world including China, Czech Republic, France, Japan etc. showcasing their latest innovations," he added in a statement.
拉合尔，3月7日（瓜达尔周刊）--中国的太阳能公司将从3月10日开始在多国展览上展示他们的创新产品。
FAKT展览公司将在这里的博览中心举办第12届巴基斯坦太阳能展和第5届巴基斯坦电力展。
FAKT发言人周一下午表示，参议院副主席Mirza Muhammad Afridi将为为期三天的活动揭幕。
他在一份声明中补充道："巴基斯坦太阳能展被确立为该国领先的可再生能源活动，其规模每届都创下纪录，有来自中国、捷克、法国、日本等世界10个国家的120多家公司参展，展示他们的最新创新成果。