Beaconhouse and FranklinCovey Education partner for Leader in Me programme

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Beaconhouse, the country’s largest network of private educational institutions, and FranklinCovey Education, a trusted leadership and training company, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the ‘Leader In Me’ programme, a school transformational model and process that empowers students with leadership and life skills necessary to thrive in the 21st century.  

FranklinCovey’s Leader in Me is an evidence-based training model, developed by educators to build resilience and leadership in students, create a high-trust culture, and help improve academic achievement. This model equips students, educators, and families with the leadership and life skills needed to thrive, adapt, and contribute in a dynamic world.

The MoU was signed by Kasim Kasuri, Chief Executive (CE) at Beaconhouse and Fazal Niazi, Practice Lead FranklinCovey Education, Pakistan and Azerbaijan.

Under this MoU, Beaconhouse School System will have access to the Leader In Me curriculum and a license to use FranklinCovey’s intellectual property, including books meant for Grades 3 to 5 that include skills such as critical thinking, creativity, self-discipline, relationship building, and goal achievement for learners. These books will supplement the personal, social, health, and emotional (PSHE) curriculum through valuable insights and teaching resources. Students and parents will also have access to the Student Schoolyard site by Leader in Me.

In addition to the above, the collaboration also makes Beaconhouse School System the first exclusive partner for the ‘Train the Trainer’ programme.

With this partnership in place between Beaconhouse and FranklinCovey Education, Pakistan is third in school strength for the Leader in Me programme after the United States and Brazil.

Speaking at the occasion, Kasim Kasuri, CE of Beaconhouse stated, “At Beaconhouse, effective learning in the classrooms begins with empowering students to drive their learning journey.  FranklinCovey’s Leader In Me programme in principle is aligned with our learner agency concept of students taking ownership of their learning.  Leader In Me is an excellent value addition to Beaconhouse’s existing curriculum and I am hopeful that in the longer run this endeavour will help us raise and educate effective future leaders for our country.”

Fazal Niazi, Practice Lead FranklinCovey Education, Pakistan and Azerbaijan, while speaking to the audience highlighted the ever increasing importance of social emotional learning and student wellbeing. He said, “The FranklinCovey Education team is proud to collaborate with the Beaconhouse School System, who have been market leaders in the education sector of Pakistan for the last five decades.

Therefore, it is apt that Beaconhouse Schools will be the ones to launch the Leader in Me programme at this scale for the first time in Pakistan. Leader in Me is a premier social emotional learning framework and whole school transformation process since 1999. Findings of the leading educational research bodies have shown it to be most effective in creating a leadership culture, teaching leadership principles and aligning academic systems. We are very excited to see the results of the Leader in Me process transforming the educational horizon of Pakistan.”

Beaconhouse School System was established 46 years ago by Mrs. Nasreen Kasuri and has been an epitome of educational expertise and community development in Pakistan. The school system currently has over 315,000 students enrolled full-time across seven countries.

Huawei OceanProtect Backup Storage Wins Best of Show Award at Interop Tokyo 2022

Lahore (Nut Desk) At Interop Tokyo 2022, the largest ICT trade show in Japan, Huawei OceanProtect Backup Storage won the Best of Show special award in the Server & Storage category. This is the first world-class award won by Huawei OceanProtect Backup Storage, demonstrating its high-end and competitive advantages. Award-winning review: Unmatched backup storage performance. With fast backup speeds and high data reduction rates, the system can revolutionize applications and system designs and propel a new model of backup storage into the future. Interop Tokyo is the largest and most influential ICT exhibition in Japan. Each year, the best technology companies from around the world showcase their cutting-edge solutions and technical prowess, to compete for positive Interop reviews. Huawei OceanProtect backup storage has been praised by IT experts and reviewers for its unique, industry-leading solution and flawless on-site demonstration. The traditional Disk-to-Disk-to-Tape (D2D2T) model for data protection faces problems such as long backup window and recovery time, while the new era of Flash-to-Flash- to-Anything (F2F2X) redefines the model as backup solutions go flash, further unlocking the value of data. Huawei OceanProtect backup storage, as a next-generation smart all-flash benchmark product, is designed for the F2F2X era, featuring fast backup and restore, efficient shrinkage, and high reliability. Why Huawei OceanProtect Backup Storage was crowned the winner The first benefit is fast backup and restore. Upstream, OceanProtect uses a DTOE smart network interface card (NIC) to optimize protocol computation and free up CPU computing resources, doubling the array bandwidth compared to the traditional network card. Additionally, OceanProtect supports high performance SSDs on the back. The full end-to-end acceleration feature enables backup bandwidths of up to 155 TB/hour and recovery of 172 TB/hour, respectively. In terms of reduction efficiency, multi-layer inline variable-length deduplication, feature-based compression, and byte-level compaction achieve a data reduction ratio of up to 72:1, which contributed to significant total cost of ownership savings. In addition, 6-nine high reliability is based on active-active redundancy hardware architecture and RAID-TP technology, which can tolerate three disk failures and implement failover in seconds in the event of one failure. single controller, for high availability and reliability. In the F2F2X era, data protection encompasses a new ecosystem and new challenges. Huawei OceanProtect backup storage adapts to high-speed backup patterns in various industries and application environments, providing superior backup and recovery to protect your data assets in the smart world. For more information on Huawei OceanProtect solutions, please visit: https://e.huawei.com/en/products/storage/oceanprotect/oceanprotect-x8000-x9000 

SkillReactor Launches Virtual Work Experience Platform for Emerging Software Engineers

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Software engineers are in greater demand than ever before. Almost everything we do relies upon the use of technology and they are the facilitators. But while there is no shortage of engineer vacancies, there are few businesses willing to take on the inexperienced. Global tech platform, SkillReactor, has been devised to help close the gap between graduate engineers and the businesses that need to employ them. Providing virtual work experience, SkillReactor enables new and existing software engineers to gain relevant experience and develop their industry understanding on fully-fledged projects in a programming language of their choosing.

By allowing users to operate, code, and problem solve in an industry simulated environment, SkillReactor helps new engineers to learn best practices when coding and get job-ready. Providing a workable solution to the current Software Developer skills shortage. SkillReactor’s scalable approach allows developers from all backgrounds to build their problem solving, comprehension, and research abilities. This in turn helps to improve their employability, while ensuring that employers have access to the critical skills they need to grow. And with remote working now more widely accepted than ever before, SkillReactor’s approach to upskilling uniquely positions the business to prepare developers for a remote environment. The platform has also been devised to help existing developers to upskill, whether that’s learning the demands of a new sector, or developing their skills in another coding language.

Launched by former Amazon and Google engineers – Asim Shaikh, Ryan Bell, and Yinka Fasawe – SkillReactor also helps candidates who have completed a project to find work by linking them with recruiters, and employers. ‘Today, getting work experience is a bit of a chicken or egg problem,’ explains founder and CEO Asim Shaikh. ‘Most job adverts say that you need work experience to be considered, yet to get work experience in the first place you need a job. SkillReactor should put an end to this scenario by offering virtual work experience to graduate engineers, and anyone wanting to expand their skillset. ‘Allowing individuals to build professional work-like projects and accelerate their full-stack developer or backend developer career with a job-ready project portfolio, SkillReactor is our solution to the growing skills gap problem.’

Rouge London Committed for Society’s Well Being and Achieving UN SDG’s

People are at the foundation of every business and we are concerned about the society we do business with.

Too often, typical Business compliance programs fall short of ensuring that worksite-basedSocieties and its improvements have meaningful impacts on worker’s livelihoods beyond the workplace.

 However, Rouge London is a company dedicated to bringing a positive change by focusing on empowering the Societies and uplifting the socio economic conditions of the vulnerable and underprivileged communities of Pakistan . 

Company’s CEO Rizwan Anwar Said:

”The Rouge London takes a unique approach to addressing the needs and issues of the marginal communities Instead of forcing new initiatives on employees, Rouge London has partnered with Youth Revolution Clan to accelerate the advocacy campaigns for United Nations Sustainable Development Goals during the Covid 19 pandemic.  Rouge London has a strong CSR Vision and starts its Social Projects by focusing on Zero Hunger, No Poverty, Quality Education and Better workplace environments”. 

Under its First Campaign 1000 Food Ration Bags will be distributed, 3000 New School admissions will be facilitated and consistent advocacy campaigns will be launched to accelerate the efforts to achieve the SDG’s.  Whereas in the second phase Rouge London will partner with various Local NGO’s and non-profit organizations to implement programs that deliver to achieve the United Nations Development Agenda.

Rouge London is a Registered Company in the United Kingdom with the Companies House of the UK Government.

On this World Music Day, Spotify Celebrates K-Pop in Pakistan

With the growing popularity of K-Pop in Pakistan, Spotify unveils the data on K-Pop consumption in the market and ‘K-Pop ON! Track’ – a new site dedicated to the genre.

Lahore (Nut Desk)

 “Manifesting: Proof #1 on Spotify – Top Album Pakistan Chart” read a recent tweet on BTS Pak Official, Pakistan’s official dedicated fanbase for the rapidly rising Korean band.

Never before has Pakistan’s music scene witnessed a fan base more dedicated to the artists they love than with K-Pop. From birthday celebrations held for their favorite musicians to social media trends on the release of new albums, we’ve seen it all.  In a country where many would imply that foreign language tracks might find it hard to gain traction, K-Pop  has defied all odds.

It all started with BTS, the groundbreaking group of seven Korean youngsters who rose to fame in 2013 with their debut album ‘2 Cool 4 Skool’ and ‘O! RUL8,2’, the first extended play by the idol group released in the same year, and soon made in-roads into the Pakistani market. Their popularity has hit unprecedented levels, and it seems to show no signs of receding soon as their music continues to top the charts.

According to the data revealed by Spotify between March 2021 to March 2022, streaming of K-Pop tunes saw a 56% rise with Gen Z, the segment falling between 18 to 24 years of age, being the most avid listeners of the genre making up to more than 50% of the total streams of K-Pop in the country.

The love for K-Pop and BTS in particular is evident from dedicated fan bases in the form of social media groups that go all-out for the acts that they hold close to their heart. BTS Pakistan Official is a prime example with more than 16,000 followers as of June 2021, the page is one of the biggest and most prominent communities of BTS loyalists in Pakistan. 

“Back in 2014, I discovered the world of K-Pop through my friend who introduced me to some great music. The unique fashion style, vibe and of course the synchronized dance moves had me really intrigued. However, I officially became an ARMY in 2015, during the ‘I Need You’ era,” commented Hajra Gilani. Studying in South Korea, Hajra is the Head Admin and founder of the BTS Pakistan Official Fan Club.

Hajra’s journey started from attending a single BTS concert live. Terming “post-concert depression” as a real phenomenon, she was plagued with a plethora of questions. Was there a possibility to interact with more BTS Armies and how could a community be built around this love in Pakistan? These queries stirred a new dream in her to get BTS recognized in Pakistan and Pakistan to be recognized by the boys themselves.

“I started the fanbase back in 2016 . That was a time when there was no proper BTS fanbase in Pakistan.. I was fortunate to get the chance of seeing the boys live during their Epilogue tour. It was a girl’s dream come true after all the struggles and hard work. And I could surely say THAT WAS THE BEST DAY OF MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!” she added, further explaining how BTS and K-Pop left one of the greatest impressions on her life.

The consumption of music from abroad has greatly increased in Pakistan since Spotify launched in the country with K-Pop songs frequently appearing on Spotify Charts. According to Spotify’s data from February to May of 2022, not only BTS, but also BLACKPINK, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Stray Kids, and TWICE have become the most popular K-Pop acts being streamed by Pakistanis. Additionally, the top 5 most popular K-Pop songs in Pakistan include Jung Kook’s Stay Alive (Prod. by SUGA of BTS), BTS’ Butter, BTS & Coldplay’s My Universe, BTS’s Dynamite, and Black Pink’s LISA’s Money.

Speaking about the appeal of K-Pop, Majid Mushtaq, another well-established name in the world of Korean pop followers, said, “2016 was the time when I developed a passion and interest in K-Pop. At first, I was listening to K-Pop songs with the goal to improve my Korean, but the more I kept diving into this genre, the more I started loving the lyrics, foot-tapping beats, and the music overall.”

“In my opinion, some of the main reasons behind BTS’s popularity in Pakistan include the story behind their success, the message in their lyrics, down-to-earth attitude, world-class dance moves, and love for their fandom.”

Fans will also be pleased to know that Spotify has just launched a site dedicated to all things K-Pop, bringing fans closer to the music they love and the artists who create it. K-Pop ON! Track will provide anyone from the K-Pop curious to bonafide K-Pop Stans a home base for all of Spotify’s K-Pop news, as well as exclusive artist interviews, happenings within the industry, up-and-coming trends and more.

Curated to complement the streaming experience, K-Pop ON! Track is chock-full of content that will take fans deeper into the K-Pop universe. From breaking down the wide world of Kpop terminology to step-by-step guides on creating a Spotify Blend playlist with BTS, from a series dedicated to who ‘We Stan’ (kicking off with NCT127) to sit-downs with Spotify’s K-Pop music experts, the site celebrates the talent behind the tracks and the fans at the forefront of K-Pop.

Get closer to the beat of K-Pop by visiting Spotify’s K-Pop ON! Track HERE.

4 cool things the HUAWEI nova 9 offers

4 cool things the HUAWEI nova 9 offers that will inspire you enjoy life better through technology

 There is no guessing game, no scouring the web for the latest rumours, no hoping for this and that feature. The cats’ out the bag and you have all the facts you need to make an informed decision. Amongst all the cool smartphones of the year, one out there makes for an incredibly compelling option. It has a great a set of great feature and experience, but what makes it so interesting is that it does not come with a sky-high price tag. That is right – it is the Trendy Flagship & Camera King, the HUAWEI nova 9. Here is a roundup of four reasons why you should be putting the HUAWEI nova 9 on the top of your wish list.

  1. A fantastically gorgeous look

Want to be a show stealer? Just walk in with a HUAWEI nova 9 in hand. Huawei’s latest smartphone lands with an all-new Colour No. 9, which is produced with a Starry Flash AG Glass process that gives it a nice texture as well as anti-fingerprint properties.

Whether you’re someone who prefers the outdoors life and sharing your life’s moments with others, or one who loves spending time at home binging on the latest popular TV shows, the HUAWEI nova 9’s wonderful display won’t disappoint. Measuring 6.57 inches, the 120Hz[1] Original-Colour Curved Display, it is capable of rendering 1.07 billion colours so that everything you see on the display is faithful to the original source. At up to 120Hz, the refresh rate of HUAWEI nova 9 makes the simple task of browsing webpages or simply scrolling on apps a fantastic experience with silky smooth animations. Thanks to its 7.77mm, Ultra-Thin Design and its weight of about 175g[2] making it fit comfortably in your hands. The more powerful camera hardware has a simple design that comes with a “nova” ring emblem that highlights the Star Orbit Ring, which makes it even more recognisable and eye-catching.

  1. 50MP Ultra-Vision Quad Camera for next-level photography and videography

Are you aspiring to become the next social media phenomenon? You will want a good camera that is versatile and is always with you. The HUAWEI nova 9 fits the bill to a tee. The Huawei smartphone is equipped with an Ultra Vision AI Quad Camera system, which include 50MP Ultra Vision Main Camera, an 8MP Ultra Wide Angle Camera, a 2MP Depth Camera, and a Macro Camera that lets you capture at as close as 4cm. The rear camera system can support AI High-Res Shot, brilliant low light shots, up to 4K video recording, ultra-wide angle video recording and more.

High resolution aside, this camera system supports some of Huawei’s great photography technology to date, such as the RYYB colour filter array and XD Fusion Engine. The innovative RYYB sensor allows the camera to have 40 percent more light[3] intake than traditional RGGB sensors found in most smartphones today, allowing for more brilliant night shots. Meanwhile, the XD Fusion Engine puts your images through a complex pipeline of processes to enhance the details on your images for a comprehensive quality uplift. These impressive solutions are exclusive to Huawei’s flagship phones, and with the HUAWEI nova 9, you can enjoy them for a more accessible price.

  1. Cool front camera vlogging features!

There is more – the front camera is nothing to scoff at. Fitted with a large 1/2.8-inch sensor, the 32MP selfie camera has all it takes to capture your best looks; it also supports 4K resolution selfie video. Another new feature you can make use of is the Continuous Front/Rear Recording, which lets you take advantage of cameras on both sides to capture both perspectives at once. There is also Dual-View Video recording which allows you to highlight your live reaction to events, simultaneously using the front and rear cameras with no editing required or, for when you want to show the big picture and the detail, you can simultaneously capture a close up shot and wide-angle shot at the same time. The HUAWEI nova 9 lets you record steady videos at all times, so all you need is your creativity to reach social media superstardom.

  1. Battery life that lasts ages and charges super-fast!

When the tank is empty, it does not matter how powerful a smartphone is – a dead phone is just useless! Moreover, when these devices run out of juice, charging them back can take a fair bit of time. HUAWEI nova 9 addresses the battery life and charging issues with a 4300mAh[4] battery and support for 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge[5]. It takes only 15 minutes to charge to 53% and 38 minutes to 100%[6].

Offering a smart and seamless experience, the trusted, innovative and secure AppGallery comes pre-installed on the HUAWEI nova 9, where you can search for, and download a wide range of high-quality apps.

[1] Display supports a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. Display refresh rate may vary by app and game.

[2] Actual product dimensions and weight by vary by configuration, manufacturing process and measurement method. For reference only.

[3] Data from Huawei labs

[4] Typical capacity

[5] Supports up to 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge when using the 66W HUAWEI SuperCharge charging kit (may be sold separately)

[6] Charging power may vary by use scenario. For reference only,

The HUAWEI nova 9 has all the markings of a flagship smartphone: a stunning design with a dreamy colourway, powerful camera, stunning display, formidable performance, and all-day battery. If you are looking for a trendy flagship device that comes with an accessible price tag, look no further than the HUAWEI nova 9.

Pak-Qatar Family Takaful (PQFTL) Signed MOU with Sehat Kahani

Karachi (Muhammad Yasir) Pak-Qatar Family Takaful Limited (PQFTL) came into an MOU with Sehat Kahani, to promote Takaful products through the digital medium. Sehat Kahani and PQFTL aim to make Takaful products, affordable, and accessible for the major part of the population currently not being served.

Mr. Azeem Iqbal Pirani (CEO, PQFTL), Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram (CEO, Sehat Kahani), Mr. Zeeshan Haider (Head of Alternate distribution & Banca Takaful) and Dr. Iffat Zafar (COO, Sehat Kahani) signed the MOU along with senior officials of both companies.

On the occasion, Mr. Azeem Iqbal Pirani (CEO, PQFTL) said “We are delighted to sign MOU with Sehat Kahani as this will benefit customers from choosing quality healthcare services for the low-income population of Pakistan. The world is moving towards digital medium and partnership with Sehat Kahani will further enhance our reach and help us spread awareness about Takaful products.”  

Dr. Sara Saeed Khurram (CEO, Sehat Kahani) said, “Sehat Kahani’s mobile and web-based application is a holistic digital health solution that enables individuals to access primary and secondary healthcare services online without the hassle of waiting for long hours at a physical healthcare facility. That’s why we are one-stop solution for all your health problems.” She further said Pak-Qatar Takaful is the leading Takaful coverage provider in Pakistan and a trustworthy name for settling claims against losses. We are glad that our customers will be able to avail Takaful coverage on real-time basis. I am quite hopeful that this new strategic partnership will bring fruitful results in the near future.

 

Khushhali Microfinance Bank Achieves PCI DSS Compliance Certification

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Khushhali Microfinance Bank Limited (KMBL) has acquired the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) Compliance Certification – an international standard for payment card and data security via PCI QSA Firm Risk Associates, a premier global information technology company, who a certification body of Payment Card Industry Security Standard Council (PCI SSC). This certification recognizes KMBL’s high financial security standards, as recommended by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council (PCI SSC). It is a global forum that brings together payments industry stakeholders to develop and drive the adoption of data security standards and resources for safe payments worldwide. 

In the last decade, the number of cyber-attacks on organizations has increased exponentially. With the continuous expansion in the digital landscape and exposure of services to customers on their cellphones and computers, organizations have become more and more prone to cyber-attacks. Khushhali Microfinance Bank strives to lead the industry on the digital front and considers that the security and protection of customers’ data are of utmost importance. Khushhali Microfinance Banks’ recent PCI-DSS certification bears testament to the Bank’s values, ensures the protection of customer card data from misuse, theft, and hacking, and adheres to the international standards set by the Payment Card Industry Council in all the areas of technology.

The President of Khushhali MF Bank – Ghalib Nishtar, stated that: “KMBL is now amongst those banks in Pakistan that are certified as PCI DSS Compliant and the first-ever microfinance bank in the country to fulfill the 231 total PCI requirements related to cyber-security and associated processes. We are proud of our strategic progress toward Digital Banking operations, and this certification is another big milestone to ensure compliance with global security standards.

The Managing Director– Kashif Hassan, PCI QSA, at Risk Associates, stated, ” I would like to commend KMBL for being assessed and ensuring successful Compliance & Data-Security Standard infrastructure in place, as set out by the PCI Council and endorsed by all the leading card brands, this a mutual accomplishment for our teams’ cooperation. We wish Khushhali Bank success in their endeavors along the path to enhanced data security standards.”

The PCI-DSS certification is based on eight key areas: network security, card data security, encryption, vulnerability management, physical and logical access control, strengthen security technology and security governance, Information Security monitoring, and the security of digital solutions & infrastructure supporting the digital platform.

Last year, KMBL became the world’s first financial institution to achieve Gold Level certification in ‘Client Protection’, given by the prestigious MicroFinanza Rating Agency, for meeting the highest industry standards. It has adopted global best practices, ensuring transparency, sustainability, and privacy of client data. The Bank has the vision to maintain its leadership in Pakistan’s Microfinance sector and strive for excellence. Customer-centricity is at the core of all KMBL operations as it facilitates entrepreneurship to enable the socio-economic growth of Pakistan.

For more information and queries about the PCI Council, please visit the website: https://www.pcisecuritystandards.org/.

Adnan Siddiqui not to attend APPNA to be held in US

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) The iconic actor-producer Mr. Adnan Siddiqui will not be attending APPNA to be held in the US from July14-16 given that Indian artistes too will be part of the program. As a self-respecting Muslim, Mr. Siddiquistrongly condemns the insolent and obscene remarks made by Hindu right-wing Indian politiciansagainst the beloved Prophet (PBUH). “My conscience will never allow me to be in the same space asartists from the country that has insulted our Prophet. I have nothing against the artists personally butas a form of personal protest and as solidarity for my Muslim brethren worldwide,

I have excused myselffrom the event,” Mr. Siddiqui has said.The remarks by the two Indian leaders have received widespread criticism from Muslim nations across the world including Pakistan. “As a Pakistani too, I stand with my country that has strongly criticized the Indian government’s enabling of such Islamophobia,” asserts Mr. Siddiqui.

Tara Uzra Dawood visit State Bank of Pakistan

Karachi (Nut Desk)Tara Uzra Dawood, President, Dawood Global Foundation LADIESFUND, paid an official courtesy visit to Dr. Murtaza Syed, Acting Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, and Sima Kamil, Deputy Governor. They discussed their collaborations for facilitating loans for women SMEs and the handicapable.