Latest news with #ComsatsUniversity
Irish Independent
07-08-2025
- Science
- Irish Independent
Body of man missing for 28 years found inside glacier after ice melt
The body was found last Friday with clothing intact in the Supat Valley, also known as Lady Valley, in the Kohistan region in the country's north-east. 'What I saw was unbelievable,' the local shepherd who found the body, Omar Khan, told the BBC. 'The body was intact. The clothes were not even torn.' An identity card recovered with the body named the man as Naseeruddin. Once police confirmed the identity, locals came forward to provide more information, said Mr Khan, who often visits the area in summer. Police say Naseeruddin disappeared in June 1997 during a snowstorm after falling into a glacier crack. Naseeruddin, who had a wife and two children, had been travelling on horseback with his brother Kathiruddin at the time. A family dispute forced the two brothers to leave their home on the day he disappeared, according to The Express Tribune. As a result, the family had to migrate from Palas Valley to Alai tehsil in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region. Having arrived in the valley in the morning, Naseeruddin stepped into a cave in the afternoon, his brother told the BBC. Kathiruddin looked for him inside the cave when he did not return. He went to get help from other people in the area but they never found him. Experts have said the discovery indicates the role of climate change in accelerating glacial melt. Glacier conditions freeze bodies fast and prevent decomposition, according to Professor Muhammad Bilal, an environmental scientist at Comsats University. Low oxygen and moisture then cause the body to mummify in the glacier. Researchers previously found that climate change is altering the landscape across the northern regions of Chitral and Gilgit-Baltistan– part of an area referred to as The Third Pole for its high levels of ice. A 2023 International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development report found that Himalayan glaciers could lose up to two-thirds of their volume by the end of the century if current levels of emissions persist.
Al Bawaba
30-05-2025
- Business
- Al Bawaba
Ninth Huawei ICT Competition Global Final Concludes with Middle East & Central Asia Teams Earning Top Honors
The 9th Huawei ICT Competition Global Final 2024-2025 concluded in Shenzhen with a glittering closing ceremony and awards presentation. Sixteen teams from nine Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) countries — Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon — competed across the Innovation Track and Practice Track, securing four first prizes, four second prizes, and eight third 16 teams advanced from a highly competitive regional selection process that attracted over 31,000 university students and faculty from more than 640 institutions across 19 countries in Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA). The 62 students and faculty who formed the 16 qualifying teams demonstrated strong technical skills and innovation capabilities at the Global Final. The Comsats University Islamabad team from Pakistan won first prize in the Innovation Track. The Qatar University of Doha for Science and Technology team won second with their "BeMySense" project, a real-time cross-platform communication assistance system that uses AI, computer vision, and natural language processing to enable sign language and voice interaction. The third prize went to team Volta from Uzbekistan and NABEEH from Saudi Arabia."We sincerely thank Huawei for providing us with such a valuable learning and competition platform," said a member of the Qatar team. "Our experience in China was incredibly rewarding, especially the opportunity to interact with outstanding teams worldwide. Their ideas showcased how technology creates value for society."The all-female NABEEH team from Saudi Arabia also took home the "Women in Tech" award. Huawei also presented Green Development Awards to recognize teams addressing environmental challenges through technology the Practice Track, ME&CA teams dominated the Network category, with first prizes awarded to teams from Bahrain, Kazakhstan, and Jordan, while the Pakistan team emerged in third place. In the Computing Track, the teams from Kazakhstan and Pakistan took the second prize, while the Lebanese and Iraqi teams attained third place. Meanwhile, the team from Lebanon took second place in the global finals of the Cloud Track, with representatives from Pakistan, Iraq, and Kazakhstan claiming Engagement and Educational ForumsThe competition drew international attention, with diplomatic representatives in attendance to present awards to their national teams. The Counselor from the Embassy of Kazakhstan in China and officials from the Saudi Consulate General in Guangzhou presented awards to the winning teams from their respective countries.A roundtable forum moderated by Tavsultanova Tamara, Executive Manager of Huawei's ICT Talent Partner Development Department, brought together participants from government, industry, and academia to discuss "Embracing the Future: Educational Evolution Trends and Innovation." The panel included Dr. Omar Alzubi, Dean of Al Balqa Applied University in the 2025 Huawei Most Valuable Instructor Forum, held on May 21, gathered nearly 200 ICT Academy teachers and industry experts to share teaching practices and explore school-enterprise cooperation models. Mardin Anwer, Associate Professor at the College of Engineering, Salahaddin University, presented her teaching achievements following a global selection process. Eighteen instructors from 10 countries received Most Valuable Instructor Izdenova, AI-Sana Project Manager at the Science Foundation of the Ministry of Education and Science of Kazakhstan, delivered a keynote on how industry standardization can drive educational advancement and how the "AI-Sana" program accelerates AI startup development and education Mohamed Madkour, Vice President of ICT Strategy & Marketing, Huawei Middle East and Central Asia, said, "This competition demonstrates how students can harness emerging technologies to address society's most pressing challenges. Through mastering cloud computing, AI, and big data analytics, participants are not just learning technical skills but developing solutions that can transform industries from healthcare to education while keeping sustainability and digital inclusion at the forefront of innovation."During the event, Huawei hosted an AI Accelerating Education Transformation Summit and announced the AI Capability of the Huawei ICT Academy Intelligent Platform. Participants also visited Huawei's Ox Horn Campus and Exhibition Hall to learn about the company's research and ICT practices. Since its launch in 2015, the Huawei ICT Competition has engaged over 960,000 students and faculty members from more than 2,000 institutions across 100 countries and regions. The competition is included in China's national list of university competitions and serves as a key partner program of UNESCO's Global Skills Academy. The competition addresses the growing demand for skilled professionals in AI, big data, and cybersecurity through multiple tracks, industry-academia collaboration, and curriculum development initiatives.
