Explore the world of blockchain with stacks Pakistan’s Xplore 1.0:
Blockchain is the future of technology. Globally the blockchain market is forecasted to reach the size of US$23.3 Billion by 2023 representing a CAGR of 81%. Pakistan’s IT industry is growing rapidly as well. Each year, 20,000 IT graduates on average join the tech sector. Our IT exports have hit the mark of US $2 Billion in the first quarter of the FY 2021 alone. That’s a significant indicator of what the future holds for the tech sector of Pakistan but we need to strengthen our economy further. That can only be done when our youth is actively involved in the emerging trends of the world. With a soaring youth bulge and 64% of the population falling below the age of 30, this is the right time that we accelerate the adoption of blockchain technology across industries.
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Honor X20 5G launched with 120Hz LCD panel and 66W fast charging:
Alongside the launch of Honor’s top-of-the-line Magic3 lineup, the former Huawei subsidiary has introduced the X20 5G device with a couple of standard mid-ranger features such as 5G capability, virtual RAM expansion, and double-sided video recording. The display on the X20 5G is a 6.67-inch FHD+LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate and a pill-shaped camera cutout that houses a 16MP selfie shooter. There is a circular camera setup on the back that looks like Honor took inspiration from Xiaomi’s Poco series. Besides that, the phone sports a unique look.
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Here’s how Pakistan-made electronic voting machine actually works:
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are secure and will end the reservations of political parties regarding rigging during elections once and for all, Federal Minister for Science and Technology, Senator Shibli Faraz, has claimed. The Minister’s remarks came during a demonstration of an EVM, developed by COMSATS University Islamabad, held at Parliament House for the lawmakers.
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Honor returns with a bang to unveil flagship Magic3 lineup with massive cameras:
China’s Honor, the ex-budget brand of Huawei, has made a sensational return to the flagship space after being released from its embattled parent to escape U.S. export sanctions on vital smartphone components. For starters, the brand has unveiled a new and pristine Magic3 lineup that uses Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888/888+ 5G chipsets, which are the U.S. chipmaker’s most high-end smartphone processors. The new series is aimed at enabling Honor to regain the global market share that it lost with Huawei, owing to the sanctions.
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UPaisa introduces government payments via app and USSD:
UPaisa has introduced government payments including Token Tax, Traffic Challan, FBR/Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) payments, and Excise and Taxation Payments in Sindh, through its mobile app as well as USSD. UPaisa is leveraging its innovative digital financial ecosystem to facilitate hassle-free payments to government departments that earlier took a lot of time and effort. Besides hundreds of other organizations, UPaisa users can now send payments to the said govt departments with ease.
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Daraz scoops top honors in E-Mall and CSR categories at Retail Asia Awards 2021:
Pakistani e-commerce giant, Daraz, has won big at the Retail Asia Awards 2021, bagging awards in ‘E-Mall of the Year’ and ‘CSR Initiative of the Year’ categories. The Retail Asia Awards 2021 honors the innovations and accomplishments of enterprises in the past 24 months. Daraz received the ‘E-mall of the Year’ award for its focus on developing a premium and secure channel, DarazMall, for high-quality products and services. Since its inception in 2019, DarazMall has been a major catalyst for e-commerce growth in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Myanmar, and Nepal.
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Pakistani company exports another big shipment of mobile phones to Middle East:
Inovi Telecom, a Karachi-based smartphone manufacturer, has exported another 5,500 smartphones from Pakistan to the Middle East. This is Inovi’s second consignment consisting of smartphones manufactured in Pakistan that has left the country in a space of few weeks. Earlier in March this year, Inovi Telecom inaugurated its state-of-the-art mobile phone assembling and manufacturing plant in Karachi. The company aims not only to provide employment opportunities to Pakistani citizens but to also export locally manufactured smartphones worldwide, which will eventually benefit the national economy.
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Huawei sued for using US company to spy on Pakistan using safe city project:
Business Efficiency Solutions (BES) LLC, a California-based company, has moved to California Federal Court against Huawei for stealing its trade secrets during a collaborative project for the Pakistani government and spying on Pakistani police and law enforcement agencies. In a petition lodged by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer and Feld LLP, a leading global law firm, BES, contended that the Chinese tech giant used its technology to create a “backdoor” to collect sensitive data that was important to Pakistan’s national security.
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COVID-19 has allowed the telecom sector to grow faster:
COVID-19 has provided the telecom sector of Pakistan an opportunity to expand further and to strive for reducing existing digital inequality in the country. The experts from the telecom sector said this during a webinar on ‘Future of Telecom Industry amid COVID-19 with special focus on Pakistan’ organized by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI). Muhammad Arif Sargana, Director General Commercial Affairs Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), highlighted that the COVID-19 pandemic has hit every sector of the economy but on the contrary, it proved to be an opportunity for the telecom industry. He informed the participants that currently, there are more than 83 million users in Pakistan while revenue stands at Rs. 468 million with investments of more than Rs. 500 million.
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Local SMEs have potential for growth if supported by digital platforms like Daraz:
The Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Shaukat Tarin, chaired a meeting with the representatives of ‘Daraz’, one of the prominent digital marketplaces in Pakistan. Daraz was represented by Mr. Bjarke Mikkelsen, CEO Daraz Group, Mr. Ehsan Saya, MD Daraz Pakistan, Ms. Kiran Faruqi, CFO Daraz Group, and Mr. Ahmad Hassan, CFO Daraz Pakistan. The Finance Minister welcomed the digital market-place operator and said that the current government is supportive of the idea of promoting the E-Commerce industry as a catalyst to economic growth and source of future foreign direct investments. The Minister said that he sees great potential in promotion of small and medium enterprises in Pakistan if provided support by digital platforms like Daraz. Such collaborative efforts will also create employment opportunities for the youth in the country, he added.
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Protect your kids from harmful online content via safe web:
Easy access to inappropriate and misleading content on the internet has become a massive pain point for parents in today’s world. Parents are concerned about their children’s safety as they can access illegal and harmful sites, whether knowingly or unknowingly. It exposes them to content that can have a negative effect on their behavior. Nayatel brings an effective solution to curb such threats and provides parents with a sense of security and peace in their children’s ‘me’ time.
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Crypto hacker offered reward after $600m heist:
A hacker who stole just over $600m (£433m) worth of cryptocurrency was offered $500,000 and immunity as a reward for returning the money. Poly Network made the controversial offer after the hacker pledged to send back the money. The attack was uncovered on Tuesday when Poly Network publicly pleaded with the hacker to help. One former FBI official said “private companies have no authority to promise immunity from criminal prosecution”.
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The fiendish new trick cyber-criminals are using to evade capture:
“Follow the money” – for generations it’s been the mantra of investigators looking for criminals. In the cyber-realm, this battle between criminals and the authorities has been raging for years. Despite the anonymous nature of cryptocurrencies, dozens of cyber-criminals have been caught in the last two years thanks to new techniques able to track their funds around the cryptocurrency blockchain – a public list of all transactions between wallets.
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Lord of the Rings: Amazon moves show to UK from New Zealand:
Production of the new Lord of the Rings television series will move to the UK from New Zealand, Amazon Studios has confirmed. The as-yet-untitled fantasy epic is set thousands of years before the events in JRR Tolkien’s books The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. It is a major blow for New Zealand’s entertainment industry where the award-winning movies were also filmed.
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Lee Jae-yong: Samsung heir released from prison on parole:
Samsung heir Lee Jae-yong has been released from a South Korean prison and is now on parole. He served 207 days in jail – just over half the sentence he received after being convicted of bribery and embezzlement in January. The case involved the country’s former President Park Guen-hye, who is also in jail for bribery and corruption. Samsung Electronics was founded by Lee’s grandfather and he has been the de facto head since 2014 .
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Activision Blizzard: Diablo 4 director and two others leave company:
Three more high-profile leaders have left gaming giant Activision Blizzard, including some from new game Diablo 4. Diablo director Luis Barriga and designer Jesse McCree have both departed, as has Jonathan LeCraft, a designer on World of Warcraft. It follows the resignation of president J Allen Brack and other executives in the wake of allegations of widespread sexual harassment at the company.
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Competition watchdog says Facebook could have to sell Giphy:
Facebook could have to sell Giphy, a search engine for Gifs, which it bought for a reported $400m (£289m) last year. The Competition and Markets Authority provisionally found Facebook owning Giphy “could lead it to deny other platforms access to its Gifs”. The CMA will now consult before making a final conclusion. And if its concerns are confirmed, the it may require Facebook to sell Giphy.
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TikTok hopes to help teenagers work, rest and sleep:
TikTok has announced a series of changes it says are designed to protect its teenage users’ wellbeing. Users aged 13-15 will not receive push notifications from 21:00 – and for 16- and 17-year-olds, from 22:00. This is to help them focus on work, study, relaxation and sleep, the video-sharing app says.
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Google search led to arrest of cleared campaigner:
An innocent campaigner arrested after downloading and tweeting documents he says he found in a Google search, says the experience was “horrendous”. Police suspected Robert Hutchinson had breached the Computer Misuse Act by downloading board meeting minutes and other documents he found online. Mr Hutchinson says the Leathermarket Community Benefit Society (CBS) documents were publicly accessible. After an investigation, police found no offences had been committed.
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Facebook removes anti-vax influencer campaign:
Facebook has removed hundreds of accounts which it says were involved in anti-vax disinformation campaigns operated from Russia. The company said the network of accounts targeted India, Latin America and the US. They attempted to recruit influencers to spread false claims to undermine public confidence in particular Covid-19 vaccines, it added.
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Z Fold 3: Samsung aims to take folding phones mainstream:
Samsung has said it is aiming to take foldable smartphones “mainstream” with the launch of its Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Fold 3. Typically costing more than £1,000, foldable smartphones have remained a niche product, despite initial hype. Samsung said it had lowered the cost and improved durability to appeal to the average user. But one analyst said the new phones failed to offer “a truly compelling solution to the mass market”.