Google has shared early access to its Read Along Android applications to help the housebound masses. The application is designed for children 5+ years of age. Read along helps them learn to read with an intuitive audio-visual experience.
This Android application uses Google’s text-to-speech, and speech recognition technology to provide real-time feedback as the children read stories out loud. Real Along was initially launched in India, and after an overwhelming response, the application has been launched in 180 countries globally, including Pakistan, where it is dubbed ‘Bolo.’ Apart from helping children improve their English learning skills, Bolo will also help Pakistani children improve their Urdu reading with locally inspired stories.
Bolo (Read Along) features an in-app reading buddy named Diya. As kids read out loud, Diya uses Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology to detect if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage.
To help encourage chi..
Category: Press Releases
Detailed Judgement Clarifies Umar Akmal Has No Chance of Playing Cricket Earlier
The detailed judgment of Umar Akmal’s ban has been submitted by Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Panel, Justice (R) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to the judgment, Umar Akmal will be eligible to resume cricketing activities from 19th February 2023.
The troubled cricketer has been charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated events.
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Here’s what the verdict reads:
“It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse, seek apology, and make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.
As far as Charge No.1 is concerned, I do not see any circumstances to mitigate the nature of the offence, particularly, when the participant has not coo..
Balochistan’s Coronavirus Tally Can Cross 300,000 by July
Coronavirus cases are increasing by the day in Pakistan and the numbers may reach an alarming level in Balochistan if the restrictions are not followed.
Balochistan’s Director General of Health Department, Dr. Saleem Abro, has warned that COVID-19 tally in the province may cross 300,000 in July. In a news conference, he said that the numbers can reach 9.5 million by December if the masses don’t cooperate with the government.
Another alarming fact is that the number of locally transmitted cases in the province is increasing and the situation can get out of control if safety precautions are not followed. The Health Department had performed random testing in the province to find out that local transmission was on the rise.
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Currently, around 700-800 tests are being performed in the province on a daily basis, a number which is significantly low.
He urged the public to take the novel coronavirus seriously, adding that s..
PTCL Ramazan Ration Drive for Coronavirus affected Families across Pakistan
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), embarks upon a massive Ramazan ration drive to provide relief for families affected during the Coronavirus pandemic. The ration drive initiative will be covering 25 cities across Pakistan in the coming days.
The ration packs for an entire month comprising of essential food items, were distributed amongst a few beneficiary families at a special ceremony organized at District Commissioner (DC) Office, Kohat.
The ceremony was attended by senior management from PTCL, along with high-ranking officers of the KP Government. Majority of the ration distribution was conducted by the District Administration at the Mohammadzai Union Council of Kohat. This ceremony marks the 1st phase of the ration drive that will continue throughout the month of Ramazan.
On the occasion, Zia ullah Bangash, Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said, “We are grateful and much obliged at the support given by PTCL and its staff who have generously con..
Potential Game Changer: Blood Thinners Show Promising Results For Many Covid-19 Patients
As doctors and medical researchers continue to battle the new coronavirus, their understanding of the elusive contagion and the disease it causes appears to be making headway.
Part of this positive development is the findings of several new studies pointing to blood clots as a key reason behind serious illness and death among Covid-19 patients, with blood thinners showing promising results for severe Covid-19 infections.
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that systemic anticoagulants (blood thinners) may be associated with improved outcomes among patients hospitalized with Covid-19.
The study looked at 2,700 patients treated at Mount Sinai in New York City, the global virus epicenter. Since the beginning of March, some patients were given anti-clotting drugs by the doctors, a treatment that worked well for most, especially those put on breathing support.
The study found a stark difference in fatality rate of patients on ventilators w..
Ali Tareen Planning to Buy a Franchise Team in The Hundred
Multan Sultans owner, Ali Tareen, and Kolkata Knight Riders CEO, Venky Mysore, have expressed their interest in investing in England’s new tournament, The Hundred.
The 100-ball tournament will now be inaugurated next year after its postponement this summer due to COVID-19. The delay is likely to result in a loss of £380 million ($470 million) to the England Cricket Board (ECB), which could help change its stance over private investment in the league. Earlier, the ECB had rejected the idea of foreigners involved with the teams.
ECB Chief Executive, Tom Harrison, has also hinted at a change in the policy due to the financial fallout, adding that they could explore such opportunities now.
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Ali Tareen Voices Concerns Against Giving PSL Trophy to Multan Sultans
Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Tareen expressed his desire to invest in Hampshire-based Southern Brave, if the opportunity arises. Explaining the reason behind this, he said the owners should have some links with the team the..
Vivo Launches the Affordable Y91D With 6.22″ Display & 4000 mAh Battery
The budget-friendly Vivo Y91D is now available across Pakistan, aiming at the entry level segment for a price of Rs. 16,999.
Design & Display A 6.22-inch Halo FullView Display gives Y91D an enjoyable viewing experience with a screen-to-body ratio of 88.6%, even higher than its predecessor. The phone also supports hand gesture controls making the devices easier to use.
Y91D adopts a stylish back-cover gloss painting process that blends colors together for an interesting effect. The phone is available in three colors; Fusion Black, Ocean Blue and Sunset Red.
It sports an octa-core SoC, 2GB of RAM and 32GB of Internal storage expandable via MicroSD card.
Y91D uses AI photo algorithms for its camera to automatically deliver facial enhancements, saving you the trouble of manually adjusting beautification levels.
To power the internals there is a 4030mAh battery which should be enough to last through a full day easily.
Y91D runs on Funtouch OS 4.5.
Pricing & Availability: The Vivo Y91..
Swvl Quietly Raises Over $24 Million in Latest Round of Funding
The Egyptian mobility startup Swvl, in a new round just before the corona pandemic, raised over $20 million, according to MENAbytes. However, the company hasn’t formally announced this yet.
The round was also shown in the recent financials of the Swedish VC, Vostok New Ventures, who last year co-led Swvl’s $42 million Series B-5.
In the Q1 report of 2020, Vostoke shows that in February around $7 million were invested in Swvl and while it doesn’t show the exact amount raised in the round the estimate ranges around $24 to $28 million.
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Swvl was established in 2017 in Cairo and is now headquartered in Dubai, offering its services in 5 cities in 3 countries including Kenya and Pakistan. The firm, like its rivals, had been badly impacted by the corona pandemic, as its services in Pakistan are suspended and operations have been scaled back in Egypt and Kenya as well.
Earlier this week, Careem stated that it was culling its Careem Bus and was for..
Facebook Might be Breaking Other Apps on Your iPhone
Popular applications on iOS have been experiencing crashes due to an issue on Facebook’s end. Apps including Spotify, TikTok, Pinterest, Tinder, and others experienced problems launching on iOS on Wednesday due to Facebook’s software development kit (SDK).
Facebook’s SDK tool is used as a log-in feature by many applications and an apparent problem with the tool caused a mass outage. Many developers reported problems with the SDK tool on GitHub and while some weren’t able to sign-in to their accounts, most were experiencing crashes instead.
A Facebook spokesperson said in a statement:
Earlier today, a new release of Facebook included a change that triggered crashes for some users in some apps using the Facebook iOS SDK. We identified the issue quickly and resolved it. We apologize for any inconvenience.
A source with inside knowledge on the matter explained that the issue was caused by Facebook disabling a server configuration update. He added that Facebook had reverted the server-s..
World Bank to Help Pakistan Develop A New Non-Formal Education Model
World Bank has decided to help Pakistan in formulating a non-formal education model aiming to impart basic literacy, labor market, and life skills to the uneducated and illiterate children, youth, and young adults in Punjab and Sindh.
This model will be based on similar initiatives for out-of-school children that are supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), USAID, and UNICEF. These agencies will assist the World Bank in implementing the proposed model. The project is also in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
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In Pakistan, primary schools do not admit children aged 8 or more and they find it difficult to enter the formal primary education process.
Under this non-formal education model, out-of-school children at primary school age – 8 to 10 years – and secondary school age – 10 to 16 years – will be admitted to Accelerated Learning Programs (ALPs). The ALPs will include..
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