LONDON, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Ustad Naseeruddin Saami; widely regarded as Pakistan’s preeminent living classical vocalist, has been honoured with the Patron’s Award at the Aga Khan Music Awards 2025 in a ceremony on Friday night at the Southbank Centre, London.

Patrons Award winners, Pakistan’s Saami Brothers with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami perform at the opening of the Aga Khan Music Awards in London.Photo by Joao Peixoto

The recognition placed Pakistan at the heart of a global celebration of cultural heritage as the world’s music industry came together to celebrate eleven groundbreaking artists from Morocco, Bahrain, Türkiye, Iran, Lebanon, India, Mali, Palestine, Greece, Pakistan and Senegal, each representing a wide range of musical heritages and their evolutions.

Ustad Naseeruddin Saami is widely regarded as Pakistan’s preeminent living classical vocalist. He is a torchbearer of the Delhi Gharana (hereditary lineage) of Hindustani music, which traces its origins to Amir Khusrau (1253–1325), the Sufi mystic, visionary polymath, celebrated pluralist, and bridge builder who shaped the cultural history of South Asia. Ustad Naseeruddin Saami is a master of khayal, the refined art of improvisation within the constraints of raga (melody) and tala (rhythm) in Hindustani music. Together with his four sons – Rauf Saami, Urooj Saami, Ahmed Saami, and Azeem Saami – who perform as the Saami Brothers, he leads a renowned qawwali group that preserves the poetic, musical, and spiritual legacy of Amir Khusrau.

The Aga Khan Music Award laureates, selected by an independent jury from a pool of over 400 nominees, share a prize fund of $500,000. The Awards ceremony headlined a four-day festival celebrating music from the Great East, marking the first time the Aga Khan Music Awards have taken place in the United Kingdom.

His Highness the Aga Khan:

“I am honoured to carry forward a vision deeply rooted in my father’s belief in the power of music to bridge cultures and uplift the human spirit. The Aga Khan Music Awards reflect values that lie at the heart of the Aga Khan Development Network: pluralism, intercultural dialogue and the spiritual connection that communities around the world find in music. In many of the regions we serve, music is an integral part of daily life, woven into the rhythms of prayer, celebration, memory and identity. We continue to support artists and traditions that speak not only to heritage, but also to hope.”

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Patrons Award winners, Pakistan’s Saami Brothers with Ustad Naseeruddin Saami perform at the opening of the Aga Khan Music Awards in London.Photo by Joao Peixoto

• Recorded the highest number of container ship orders in 18 years since the shipbuilding supercycle in 2007
• Signed large-scale supply contract with HMM: HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and HD Hyundai Samho to deliver consecutively through 2029
• “Based on our technological competitiveness in eco-friendly and high-efficiency vessels, we will lead the decarbonization of the shipbuilding and shipping industries”

SEOUL, South Korea, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — HD Hyundai has secured an order for ultra-large container ships worth around 1.46 billion USD, recording the largest container ship order volume in 18 years since the shipbuilding supercycle in 2007.

HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE), the intermediate holding company for HD Hyundai’s shipbuilding business, announced on Sunday, November 23, that it has signed a shipbuilding contract with HMM for eight 13,400-TEU dual-fuel container ships. The total contract value amounts to 1.456 billion USD.

The vessels ordered are 337 meters in length, 51 meters in width, and 27.9 meters in height. They are equipped with LNG dual-fuel engines and a significantly enlarged fuel tank—expanded by approximately 50%—to enhance operational efficiency. Of the eight vessels, two will be built by HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) and six by HD Hyundai Samho, with deliveries scheduled consecutively through the first half of 2029.

Through this contract, HD Hyundai has achieved its largest container-ship order volume since 2007, when global cargo demand peaked during the economic boom (793,473 TEU). HD KSOE has secured orders for a total of 720,000 TEU (69 vessels) in container ships this year, marking the highest order volume among domestic shipbuilders.

Container ships built by HD Hyundai are regarded as highly cost-competitive when considering operating expenses over the vessel’s entire lifecycle, despite their relatively higher prices compared to competitors.

Since 2023, HD Hyundai has applied “HiNAS Control”—an autonomous navigation assistance system developed by Avikus, a subsidiary specializing in autonomous navigation—to newly built vessels. Actual operational data has confirmed that the system’s autonomous navigation support features and RPM optimization deliver a 15% reduction in carbon emissions and a 15% improvement in fuel efficiency.

An HD Hyundai representative stated, “We are further solidifying our position in the global market based on advanced technological capabilities and customer trust,” adding, “Going forward, we will continue to lead the decarbonization of the shipbuilding and shipping industries through technological competitiveness focused on eco-friendly and high-efficiency vessels.”

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Terra Madre Asia & Pacific 2025 marked a historic milestone for the Slow Food movement, demonstrating the power of community-led initiatives and the political impact of grassroots food advocacy. Bringing together more than 2,000 delegates from across Asia and the Pacific, the event celebrated the region’s food heritage while reinforcing the urgent need for sustainable, regenerative, and culturally rooted food systems.

“This first edition has been overwhelming,” said Reena Gamboa, Executive Director of Terra Madre Asia & Pacific. “These five days have shown us the richness of natural resources in the region. Farmers, cooks, and food producers have formed new alliances and realized their potential to advocate for a shift towards good, clean, and fair food. Terra Madre Asia & Pacific has given us a voice to promote our food biodiversity and culinary heritage, and it has inspired the entire Slow Food network to drive change toward the next edition.”

“As we close this extraordinary gathering, I want to highlight how the Philippines stand as a remarkable example of diversity, sustainability, and quality. This is why they will remain at the heart of our movement’s development in this part of the world. Now we are already looking forward with great enthusiasm to the second edition of Terra Madre Asia & Pacific in 2027,” added Paolo Di Croce, Director General of Slow Food.

The event reinforced Slow Food’s decentralized approach, highlighting a politically conscious, culturally rich movement rooted in gastronomy, Indigenous wisdom, and biodiversity. Delegates celebrated the first step toward establishing Bacolod in Negros Occidental as the first international Slow Food Hub in Asia and the Pacific, strengthening the movement’s regional identity and promoting alternatives to industrial food systems, in continuity with the global Slow Food vision. 

“This comes at a moment when we urgently need to take concrete action against the climate crisis: action that goes beyond negotiations and high-level talks. Lasting climate solutions grow from the ground up,” emphasized Slow Food President Edward Mukiibi. “They are rooted in biodiversity, Indigenous knowledge, and strong local food systems that put communities, not corporations, at the center. The solutions we need already exist within our communities and within Slow Food farms: agroecology strengthens resilience today while mitigating emissions for the future. The final commitment of Terra Madre is therefore to amplify agroecological practices, defend biodiversity, and reject industrial, unsustainable models of agriculture.”

Looking at the island which hosted the first edition of the event, Negros emerged as a highlight, celebrated for its inseparable combination of biodiversity, heritage, and community. The first Slow Food Travel destination launched here in the Philippines will offer visitors the chance to experience authentic local flavors while engaging directly with the people who preserve them. 

Program Highlights

The Education Program featured 18 hands-on workshops led by farmers, cooks, and Indigenous knowledge keepers, exploring soy, spices, rice, and taro. Children, youth, and families walking through the Foodways Area learned to cook taro, grind spices, craft miso, prepare bamboo-cooked dishes, and create indigenous rice snacks. More than 15 local schools brought students to participate.

Taste Workshops were sold out, while conferences and public talks drew strong engagement, with lively discussions on food and health, seed preservation, traditional crops, sustainable development, and food policies. Areas such as the Slow Food Coffee Coalition, Slow Drinks, and Terra Madre Kitchen offered spaces for learning, exchange, and networking with producers, cooks, and bartenders.

High resolution images can be downloaded here.

About Terra Madre Asia & Pacific

Part of the global Slow Food movement, Terra Madre Asia & Pacific is a space where communities, ingredients, and ideas converge to shape the future of food. In Bacolod, it unites more than 2000 delegates from across the region to exchange knowledge and strengthen networks for a fairer, more resilient food system. TMAP 2025 is made possible through collaboration between Slow Food, the City Government of Bacolod led by Mayor Greg Gasataya, the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental led by Governor Eugenio Lacson, the Department of Tourism led by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, the Department of Agriculture led by Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., the Department of Trade and Industry led by Secretary Cristina Roque, TESDA Director General Kiko Benitez, Congressman Albee Benitez, Congressman Javi Benitez, and Senator Loren Legarda. Partners include the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Meatless Monday, Plus63 Design Co., FEATR, and the Slow Food Community in Negros.

The event also introduces a distinct visual identity inspired by archipelagic landscapes and handcrafted clay forms, reflecting resilience, biodiversity, and cultural interconnectedness designed and created by illustrator Dan Matutina.

Media contacts:
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Allison Tong, Director
Allison.tong@finnpartners.com
Stephanie Sin, Account Manager
Stephanie.sin@finnpartners.com

SINGAPORE, Nov. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Zenika Singapore today announced the appointment of Seet Teck Kiang as Head of Business and the return of Michael Isvy as Head of Engineering. These two strategic leadership hires reinforce Zenika’s ambition to expand its regional footprint while scaling the impact of its AI Multiplier Framework — the company’s holistic model for delivering high-performance AI across products, architecture, and operations.

Seet Teck Kiang Joins as Head of Business

A seasoned transformation leader with over two decades of experience, Seet Teck Kiang brings deep expertise across Asia’s enterprise and public-sector landscapes. A graduate of the National University of Singapore, Seet has held senior positions at ThoughtWorks, EPAM Systems, and Zühlke Group, where he guided clients through platform modernisation, digital transformation, and large-scale strategic initiatives.

Seet’s appointment aligns with Zenika’s ambition to scale its AI Multiplier Framework^TM (SHAPE × SHIP × SYNC) — a comprehensive approach that unifies product engineering, AI-boosted delivery, and cloud-native architectures to help organisations move beyond experimental AI toward sustained business value.

 “What attracted me to Zenika is its ethos of engineering excellence and its ability to bring AI, product, architecture, and operations together with real discipline ,”  Seet said. “The AI Multiplier Framework is a practical and powerful way to scale AI impact, and I look forward to accelerating Zenika’s growth across Asia using this model.“

Michael Isvy Joins as Head of Engineering

Zenika also welcomes back Michael Isvy, who helped found Zenika Singapore a few years ago. Michael returns to lead the company’s Engineering and AI strategy, focusing on scaling augmented development practices, rationalising AI usage, and industrialising AI workflows to support complex, real-world delivery.

With a career shaped across two engineering cultures — France’s heritage of rigorous craftsmanship and Singapore’s fast-paced innovation ecosystem — Michael brings a rare ability to bridge teams, practices, and delivery methodologies. His new mission: transform our Singapore division into Zenika’s living lab for AI engineering, enhancing collaboration with French teams and accelerating technical excellence across the group.

 “Returning to Zenika is about reconnecting the two cultures that shaped my approach to engineering ,” Michael said. “My goal is to turn our Singapore division into a true experimentation hub for AI adoption — making AI more reliable, more useful, and more accessible for our engineers and clients.“

Welcoming the dual appointments, Timothée Dufresne, MD of Zenika Singapore, said:

 “Seet and Michael each bring exceptional strengths that perfectly complement Zenika’s ambitions for the next decade. Seet strengthens our business strategy and regional growth, while Michael elevates our engineering and AI capabilities. Together, they will drive the expansion and shape the next chapter of Zenika Singapore and Asia. ”

About Zenika: Founded in 2006, Zenika is a digital services boutique specialising in business transformation, IT modernisation, and innovation, with over 530 experts across 14 offices globally. Zenika Singapore is the Asia-Pacific arm of Zenika. It works with enterprises, government agencies, and emerging tech innovators to design, build, and scale modern digital products and platforms.