Tech
APICTA SUSPENDS BASIS IT ASSOCIATION FOR 2 YEARS
Published
2 years agoon
Asia Pacific ICT Alliance (APICTA) Executive Committee (EXCO) has suspended BASIS IT Association for 2 years due to the lack of cooperation,noncompliance to the clear directive of the EXCO regarding the requirement for participants to attend in person and the disruption caused due to their late stage withdrawal of the APICTA Awards program held December 7 – 11, 2022 in Islamabad, Pakistan.
APICTA was not immune to the global impact of COVID-19 and as a result no in-person
APICTA events were held in 2020 and 2021. A joint virtual award program was held for the
very first time for these two years. On March 30, 2022, Pakistan won the bid to host
APICTA Awards in Islamabad and following key decisions were made at the APICTA EXCO
committee meeting:
- Ratified that the APICTA event for 2022 in Islamabad be held physically.
- If by the event date (December 7 to 11, 2022) a member economy had governmentimposed
travel restrictions due to COVID-19, all participants from that member economy
could opt to attend virtually. - As for the Primary and Secondary Student category, it was made known to all member
economies that the students could participate virtually or physically. - With this context several meetings were held including a crucial meeting on November 8,
2022, where Bangladesh was represented by BASIS.
At the meeting, the host economy, Pakistan, through P@SHA, the organiser of APICTA
2022, together with APICTA EXCO, offered the following to each economy:
a) Visa applications made through P@SHA for all participants from every economy to ease
the burden of applying directly, if they wish to.
b) Assistance where required from any government department or relevant diplomatic
channel to ease in the process of visa application.
c) Subsidies including discounts for lodging for all judges travelling from various
economies and in some instances, airline fare discounts.
Chairman APICTA, Mr. Stan Singh said, “despite all of this, Bangladesh through BASIS did
not take advantage to explore this opportunity so that all judges and participants who were
registered to attend could travel with ease and economically to Islamabad.”
On November 19, 2022, APICTA Secretariat received a letter from BASIS expressing in the
letter that they were still “waiting” for APICTA EXCO’s response on their request to attend
virtually. However, the APICTA EXCO were confused over this strange and lapsed request
as the matter was resolved at the November 8, 2022 meeting, but nevertheless APICTA
EXCO responded soonest on November 20, 2022 expressing to BASIS that there was no
actions or decisions pending from APICTA EXCO and that it was not only made clear at the
November 8 meeting of the decision, but reiterated the decision in that, unless there was
any travel restrictions due to COVID-19, all participants (excluding students) must attend in
person.
BASIS was also offered additional time to register entries, even though the entry date into
the judging system was already closed. Despite all of the support that was offered, there
was no response from BASIS after the email which was sent from APICTA EXCO on
November 20, 2022.
On November 21 & 22, 2022, the APICTA Secretariat with P@SHA, wrote to every
participant from all economies respectively, informing them that unless their economy still
had travel restrictions due to COVID-19, that physical attendance was mandatory. In the
same correspondence, it was reiterated that Primary and Secondary Students Categories
could participate virtually. In the days leading up to the Awards, some of the participants
from Bangladesh were actually applying for Pakistan visas and making travel plans to
Islamabad. However, they informed P@SHA that BASIS requested them not to attend
physically but rather virtually because APICTA EXCO had agreed for Bangladesh to do so.
said, “once judging schedules and other logistics were finalised, Bangladesh withdrew completely on the eve of the event from the awards program, without giving any notice whatsoever and silently, which caused chaos and wreaked havoc in the scheduling causing the host economy to re-schedule the entire program, and this was against the harmony of APICTA.”
Mr. Singh continued to say, “this action taken by Bangladesh was reckless, unacceptable,
and untenable to APICTA EXCO and against the spirit of APICTA. The actions from BASIS
has never happened in the history of APICTA and we were all profoundly upset over this
matter. At the APICTA EXCO meeting in Islamabad, this matter was discussed and every
EXCO member at that meeting felt such action taken by BASIS was truly reckless,
unacceptable and a decision was taken to give BASIS the opportunity to explain their
actions. The response from BASIS was assigned to an APICTA EXCO sub-committee
ONLY to investigate the facts and carry out due diligence on the matter. The sub-committee
shared their findings and recommendations to the APICTA EXCO who then unanimously
decided to suspend BASIS as a member of APICTA for a period of two (2) years. In
addition, in the past we never had any issues arising with any of the BASIS leadership”
In addition, APICTA EXCO is compelled to address and clarify some of the statements
which have been circulating in the public domain:
i. Nepal had requested a leave of absence for a period from APICTA following a major
earthquake and the APICTA EXCO accepted their request and will welcome them back
when they are ready to do so and APICTA wishes them well.
ii. APICTA welcomes any new member economies, and several economies within and
outside the Asia Pacific region have shown keen interest in APICTA membership. The
EXCO reviews each application on a case-to-case basis.
iii. The core APICTA goals and objectives are always maintained – that is, promoting
growth in every member economy and providing them with every opportunity to
showcase the best examples of ICT innovations in government, businesses, community,
and individuals alike.
Over the last few years, APICTA has introduced other elements to the eco-system of
APICTA by adding initiatives like Business Matchmaking, Students Exchange, Startups
Networking etc. In addition, enabling all participants to experience the culture of the host
economy via wonderful social and tourism opportunities whilst providing and facilitating
networking and business opportunities for them, and as the technology landscape changes,
APICTA will continue in its endeavour to make changes to add to the value chain.
Mr. Inserra concluded by saying, “since its inception, every economy has had the
opportunity to host the APICTA event and Bangladesh did so successfully in 2017. It is
important to note that this suspension does not apply to participants from Bangladesh,
whom we strongly felt were deprived the opportunity in Islamabad. As such they shall have
the same opportunity to participate in the upcoming APICTA Awards 2023 & 2024. APICTA
requires that all entries must come through a representative body of the member economy.
Since BASIS, as the incumbent member body representative is suspended, we will explore
other options with the assistance of the IT Ministry to ensure active participation from
Bangladeshi students, startups, IT companies and experienced category judges.”
APICTA will not be making any further comments regarding this matter
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Tech
Web Summit to host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November
Published
4 weeks agoon
September 13, 2024
Web Summit has announced today that it will host hundreds of curated community meetups in Lisbon this November, powered by its proprietary software, Summit Engine.
This initiative is part of Web Summit’s renewed mission to foster meaningful connections and communities. By bringing people with similar backgrounds, interests and objectives together in community meetups, Web Summit hopes to make the event feel smaller and more intimate for attendees, as it continues to grow and scale across the world. Hundreds of these community meetups will take place alongside signature challenging discussions on how technology is shaping the world.
So far, this year’s top speakers include Yinon C. (Yinon Costica), co-founder of cybersecurity powerhouse WIZ , which recently made waves by turning down a US$23 billion offer from Google; Julie De Moyer , LVMH ’s recently appointed chief data and AI officer; Lidiane Jones , CEO of popular dating app Bumble Inc. , which harnesses AI to improve matchmaking; Cristiano Anon, CEO of Qualcomm, the company working to create bigger, better, and more affordable AI chips; and Meredith Whittaker, president of encrypted messaging app Signal, which is fighting against government measures to scan citizen’s private messages.
Also taking to the stage will be Alibaba.com president Kuo Zhang ; Škoda Auto CMO Meredith Kelly; Amazon Web Services VP of AI Matt Wood ; Meta’s global head of consumer marketing, Eshan Ponnadurai; Manchester United CEO Omar Berrada, and much more. They will be joined, by world comms@websummit.com leaders and changemakers, including Germany’s Vice Chancellor, Robert Habeck; Portugal’s minister of youth and modernisation, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, and exiled Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López.
Global tech companies, including IBM, Adobe, Intercom, Samsung Next, and Niantic Labs will exhibit on the floor alongside financial giants such as Visa and American Express. Other notable partners include Novo Nordisk, Bosch, EDP, and KPMG.
New for 2024: Hundreds of curated meetings
Of course, Web Summit isn’t just about the speakers – it’s about the connections. That’s why this November, our curated meetups, powered by Summit Engine, will bring together attendees with shared roles or interests in AI, fintech, crypto, food tech, sustainability, and more.
To do this, Web Summit’s data science team uses in-house software to group attendees who have common interests and backgrounds, helping uncover emerging communities. This technology was tested this year at Web Summit Rio in April, and at Collision in Toronto in June. From data scientists in Uruguay and food tech startup founders and investors to public sector AI innovators, Web Summit wants to make sure that the right people find each other at our events. Attendees can use the Web Summit app to easily connect and stay in touch with those they’ve met long after the event ends in November
“This is going to be our biggest but also our smallest event yet … we aim to host thousands of community meetups at the event and across Lisbon in November. We are evolving from being one large event to becoming a collection of a thousand deep, interconnected experiences,“ said Paddy Cosgrave .
“Over the last 15 years, the world has changed in many ways, and we’ve always been committed to adapting and re-evaluating our mission and goals to meet evolving challenges, ideas, and global circumstances. We’re currently in an especially charged moment in time,” Paddy continued.
“We are bigger than ever, but our mission remains the same – connecting the people, companies and ideas that change the word. Ultimately, the best event experience is when you walk away with a stronger network than you came with,” added SVP of product Brian Flanagan .
Just announced
The full list of speakers at Web Summit is being announced today:
● Lidiane Jones, CEO of Bumble
● Anastasis Germanidis , co-founder and CTO of Runway
● Meredith Kelly , CMO of Škoda Auto
● Sarah Myers West , co-executive chair of AI Now Institute
● Patrick Kluivert, former footballer with Barcelona and The Netherlands
● Paula Goldman , chief ethical and humane use officer at Salesforce
● Omar Berrada, CEO of Manchester United
● Hans Niemann , chess grandmaster
● Meredith Whittaker , president of Signal Messenger
● Munya Chawawa, actor and comedian
● Atul Bhardwaj j, chief digital and technical officer at the LEGO Group
● Smita Hashim , chief product officer at Zoom
● Alex Hirschi, founder of Supercar Blondie
New speakers are being added regularly on the Web Summit speaker page
About Web Summit:
Web Summit is a technology events company, bringing together a global community of founders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, and investors to connect and exchange ideas about the technology and trends shaping the world. Web Summit events – including Web Summit in Lisbon, Web Summit Rio in South America, Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, and RISE in Asia – have gathered nearly one million people since Web Summit’s beginnings as a 150-person conference in Dublin in 2009. Its newest event, Web Summit Vancouver, will launch in May 2025.
Useful Links:
Web Summit website: https://websummit.com/
Web Summit Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/websummit/albums/
Web Summit YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJtkHqH4Qof97TSx7BzE5IQ
Tech
Countries strengthening cybersecurity efforts, but increased action still required
Published
4 weeks agoon
September 13, 2024
UN cybersecurity report assesses global progress in providing a safe and secure digital future for all.
Countries around the globe are improving cybersecurity efforts, but stronger actions are needed to meet evolving cyberthreats, according to the Global Cybersecurity Index 2024, released today by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
On average, countries have taken more cybersecurity-related actions and improved their cybersecurity commitments since the last index was released in 2021.
Worrisome threats highlighted in the report include ransomware attacks targeting government services and other sectors, cyber breaches affecting core industries, costly system outages, and breaches of privacy for individuals and organizations.
“Building trust in the digital world is paramount,” said Doreen Bogdan-Martin, ITU Secretary-General. “The progress seen in the Global Cybersecurity Index is a sign that we must continue to focus efforts to ensure that everyone, everywhere can safely and securely manage cyberthreats in today’s increasingly complex digital landscape.”
A new assessment with sharper focus
ITU’s Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 (GCI 2024) assesses national efforts across five pillars, representing country-level cybersecurity commitments: legal, technical, organizational, capacity development, and cooperation.
GCI 2024 also uses a new five-tier analysis, a shift that allows a greater focus on each country’s advances with cybersecurity commitments and resulting impacts.
The report places 46 countries in Tier 1, the highest of the five tiers, reserved for “role modelling” countries that demonstrate a strong commitment in all five cybersecurity pillars.
Most countries are either “establishing” (Tier 3) or “evolving” (Tier 4) in terms of cybersecurity. The 105 countries in these tiers have largely expanded digital services and connectivity but still need to integrate cybersecurity measures.
A “cybercapacity gap” – characterized by limitations in skills, staffing, equipment and funding – was evident in many countries and across all regional groups.
“The Global Cybersecurity Index 2024 shows significant improvements by countries that are implementing essential legal measures, plans, capacity building initiatives, and cooperation frameworks especially in strengthening incident response capabilities,” said Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication Development Bureau. “ITU’s cybersecurity projects and programmes are supporting those national efforts to more effectively manage cyberthreats, and I hope that the progress demonstrated by this latest index encourages countries to do more in developing secure and trustworthy digital systems and networks.”
Regional and national assessments
According to GCI 2024, the Africa region has advanced the most on cybersecurity since 2021. All world regions show improvement since the last report.
The world’s least developed countries (LDCs) have also started making gains, though they still need support to advance further and faster. GCI 2024 data shows that the average LDC has now reached the same level of cybersecurity status that many of the non-LDC developing countries had in 2021.
Land-locked developing countries (LLDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS) continue to face resource and capacity constraints on cybersecurity efforts.
GCI 2024 includes individual assessments and provides a clear status report and a roadmap of activities to make further progress on cybersecurity.
Other key findings of the GCI
Legal measures are the strongest cybersecurity pillar for most countries: 177 countries have at least one regulation on either personal data protection, privacy protection, or breach notification in force or in progress.
Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRTs) are crucial for national cybersecurity: 139 countries have active CIRTs, with various levels of sophistication, up from 109 in the 2021 index.
National Cybersecurity Strategies (NCS) are becoming more prevalent: 132 countries have a National Cybersecurity Strategy as of 2024, up from 107 in the 2021 index.
Cyber awareness campaigns are widespread: 152 countries have conducted cyber awareness initiatives targeting the general population, with some also targeting specific demographics such as vulnerable and underrepresented populations, to create a culture of cybersecurity and address potential risks.
Incentives for the cybersecurity industry continue evolving: Governments are promoting the cybersecurity industry through incentives, grants, and scholarships, aiming to enhance cybersecurity skills and foster research in the field, with 127 countries reporting some form of cybersecurity-related research and development.
Many countries cooperate on cybersecurity through existing treaties: 92% of countries (166) reported being part of an international treaty or comparable cooperation mechanism for cybersecurity capacity development, or information sharing, or both. Putting cybersecurity agreements and frameworks into practical operation remains challenging.
Capacity development and technical pillars are relatively weak in most countries. 123 countries reported having trainings for cybersecurity professionals, up from 105 in 2021. In addition, 110 countries had frameworks to implement nationally or internationally recognized cybersecurity standards, up from 103 in 2021.
Capacity development initiatives need to be reinforced: 153 countries have integrated cybersecurity into national curricula at some level, but cybersecurity trainings and awareness-raising varies widely across regions. Developing a strong domestic cybersecurity industry is essential to sustain progress.
Countries need to focus on protecting children online: 164 countries have legal measures in place for child online protection; only 94 countries reported associated strategies and initiatives, indicating a gap in implementation.
Cybersecurity assessments leading to action
As cybersecurity continues to evolve, GCI offers a clear picture of where countries are and a roadmap of activities to make progress. The report offers 11 key recommendations, from enhancing critical infrastructure to providing cybersecurity training.
GCI 2024 suggests that countries can prioritize high-impact activities, including:
- implementing legal measures applicable across all sectors;
- developing and regularly updating a comprehensive national cybersecurity strategy and a practical, concrete action plan;
- enhancing incident-response capabilities;
- delivery of capacity building and training to cybersecurity professionals, youth and vulnerable groups to strengthen cybersecurity skills;
- fostering domestic and international cooperation and collaboration on information-sharing, training opportunities, and capacity development.
ITU, the UN Agency for Digital Technologies, aims to connect the estimated 2.6 billion people who currently remain offline. Most of the globe’s offline population live in developing countries, with the widest gaps in the least developed countries.
ITU established the Global Cybersecurity Index in 2015. The report series identifies areas for improvement and encourages countries to act on strengthening cybersecurity.
Tech
Best Computer Hub Ltd. Set to Revolutionize Bangladesh’s E-Commerce Market
Published
4 weeks agoon
September 11, 2024Best Computer Hub Ltd. (BCHL) is poised to make a significant impact on the e-commerce landscape in Bangladesh with the official launch of its online platform on September 1, 2024. Specializing in computer accessories, gadgets, and IT solutions, BCHL aims to become the go-to hub for both retail and wholesale customers across the country.
Operating from GM Plaza, Level-1, 93 New Elephant Road, Dhaka-1205, BCHL will offer a diverse range of products through its website bestcomputerhub.com. The company’s product categories include Brand Laptops & PCs, Gaming Components, Networking Components, Smart Home Appliances, and more. Each product is rigorously checked to ensure top quality, reflecting BCHL’s commitment to customer satisfaction.
BCHL collaborates with top brands like MSI, HP, Antec, Razer, and Noctua, ensuring customers have access to the latest tech at competitive prices. In addition to serving individual consumers, BCHL also partners with corporate clients, including banks, hospitals, and telecom companies, providing comprehensive tech support and IT hardware.
With a focus on quality products and exceptional customer service, Best Computer Hub Ltd. is set to become a leader in Bangladesh’s IT and electronics industry. For more information, contact support@bestcomputerhub.com.