TEHRAN – Female scholars constitute 665 out of 4,818 most-cited researchers of the country, more than 13 percent of the total, Ahmad Fazelzadeh, the head of the Islamic World Science Citation (ISC) Institute, has said. In the past Iranian calendar year (March 2023 – March 2024), women accounted for 12.75 percent of most-cited researchers. With 29.57 percent share, the Ministry of Health has the highest number of the most-cited female researchers, IRNA quoted Fazelzadeh as saying. According to the recent report of ISC, in the list of one percent of researchers in the world which is based on the Essential Science Indicators (ESI) database, a total of 177 Iranian female researchers have been recognized in the areas of Agricultural Sciences, Clinical Medicine, Biology, Biochemistry, Chemistry, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Neuroscience and Psychology, Engineering, Material Science, Psychiatry/Psychology, Computer Science, Physics, Molecular Biology and Genetics, Social Sciences, Generalities, Physics, Plant and Animal Sciences, Immunology, and some have obtained the necessary points even in several fields, he added. The official went on to say that according to the Stanford University List which was conducted by a number of researchers from Stanford University and the Elsevier Institute via analyzing the data of the Scopus database, 73 highly cited Iranian female researchers are among the top two percent in the world (service performance) in eight subject areas including Clinical Medicine, Chemistry, Biomedicine, Strategic Technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Nanotechnology, etc.), Biology, Physics, Astrology, Information Technology and Communications, and Engineering. Moreover, 375 female Iranian highly-cited researchers are among the top two percent of the world (one-year performance) in 13 subject areas of Clinical Medicine, Biomedicine, Chemistry, Engineering, Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Strategic Technologies (Artificial Intelligence, Nanotechnology, etc.), Information Technology and Communication, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, Public Health and Health Services, Biology, Statistics and Mathematics, Communication and Textual Research have obtained the necessary points. Using the data indexed in the ISC database, ISC identifies highly cited Iranian researchers in Human Sciences, Social Sciences, Art, and Architecture. In the latest announced list, highly cited researchers have been introduced in the period of 10 years (since 2013). The criteria for selecting researchers in this list is the number of citations made to their scientific productions. Some 40 female researchers in 14 subject areas including Human Sciences, Social Sciences, Art and Architecture, Psychology, Sociology and Political Sciences, Language and Linguistics, Business, Management and Accounting, Theology and Islamic Studies, Educational Sciences, Philosophy, Geographical Sciences, Historical Sciences, Knowledge and Information Science, and other areas gained required scores. According to Zahra Behrouz-Azar, the Vice President for Women and Family Affairs, women account for more than 24 percent of inventions in the country, compared to the global average of 17 percent. “Unfortunately, only 12 percent of entrepreneurship and start-ups are founded by women. We hope that women’s presence in entrepreneurship reaches 30 percent by the end of the current administration,” Behrouz-Azar noted. The official went on to say that in Iran, entrepreneurship officially commenced in 2000. Following that it was defined as a field of study in universities, and the first entrepreneurial major as an interdisciplinary one launched at University of Tehran. Today, the concept of entrepreneurship is interwoven with various fields such as economy, psychology, culture, sociology, and even religion. With the conceptual development of entrepreneurial thought, women’s entrepreneurship begins to grow because there is a difference between men and women in terms of performance, motivation, and access to resources. One of the most important differences between entrepreneurship among women and men is the issue of motivation. Men’s motivation in entrepreneurship is more concerned with earning a living and increasing wealth, but women all over the world tend to use it to strengthen the family foundation. The most important goal in women’s entrepreneurship in the current administration is to promote motivation. Men entrepreneurs can more easily provide resources and capital for their businesses, but this happens less for women. Therefore, educated women face funding problems to start off their business. The government is well aware of the issue and is looking for solutions to boost access to finance for women entrepreneurs, Behrouz-azar highlighted. MT/MGInflation, elections and war dominated 2024Mickey, Minnie, Goffy and Wemby

PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce will try his hand at late-night television early next year. Kelce announced during an appearance on ABC's “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Thursday night that he will host “They Call It Late Night with Jason Kelce,” on ESPN. The one-hour show will tape on five straight Friday nights beginning Jan. 3. That coincides with the last week of the NFL's regular season and the playoffs. The show will originate in front of a live audience from Union Transfer in Philadelphia. The first four episodes will air at 1 a.m. EST starting on Jan. 4 with the final episode coming on at 1:30 a.m. EST on Feb. 1. “I loved late-night shows, I’ve always loved them. I remember sleepovers watching Conan O’Brien with my friends,” Kelce said on Kimmel's show. “We’re going to have a bunch of guys up there — legends of the game, friends that I played with, coaches, celebrities,” Kelce said. The Philadelphia-based band Snacktime will provide the show's music. The show's title is a homage to “They Call it Pro Football,” which was NFL Films’ first full-length film in 1967. NFL Films originated in Philadelphia and founders Ed and Steve Sabol are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It also featured the legendary voice of John Facenda, who did the news on Philadelphia television before becoming better known as the voice of NFL Films. NFL Films will produce the show in conjunction with Kelce’s Wooderboy Productions and Skydance Sports. Each episode will also be also seen on Replays airing on ESPN2, and also be available on ESPN+, ESPN's YouTube channel and the Jason Kelce channel on YouTube. Kelce is in the first year of a multi-year agreement with ESPN. He appears on the network's “Monday Night Countdown” show as well as providing halftime and postgame analysis. He played 13 years for the Philadelphia Eagles before retiring at the end of last season and was the most sought-after former player by networks. He participated in last year’s NFL Broadcasting and Media Workshop , which used to be known as the “Broadcast Bootcamp.” Kelce has made news lately, though, for other reasons. He was involved in a confrontation with a fan in State College, Pennsylvania, before the Penn State-Ohio State game on Nov. 2, when a fan heckled Kelce and appeared to shout an anti-gay slur about his brother, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, for dating pop star Taylor Swift. Video showed Kelce grabbing the fan’s phone and throwing it to the ground. Kelce apologized about the incident on ESPN on Nov. 4. On Thursday night an autograph seeker verbally confronted Kelce outside the El Capitan Entertainment Center in Hollywood, where “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” is taped. Video obtained by TMZ shows Kelce explaining that he doesn’t sign autographs for people that follow where he is going. After being shouted at for over two minutes, Kelce eventually got out of the car and signed autographs, including shaking the hand of a man who was berating Kelce with obscenities. ___ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nflThe Salt Typhoon telecom hack targeted senior American political figures, the White House says

Lululemon Athletica ( NASDAQ:LULU – Get Free Report ) had its target price raised by analysts at Morgan Stanley from $345.00 to $414.00 in a report released on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the apparel retailer’s stock. Morgan Stanley’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 3.60% from the company’s previous close. LULU has been the subject of several other reports. Raymond James boosted their price objective on Lululemon Athletica from $320.00 to $355.00 in a report on Thursday. Oppenheimer dropped their price target on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $445.00 to $380.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, November 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $338.00 to $425.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday. BMO Capital Markets upped their target price on shares of Lululemon Athletica from $265.00 to $302.00 and gave the company a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday. Finally, Telsey Advisory Group raised their price target on Lululemon Athletica from $360.00 to $430.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, ten have issued a hold rating and nineteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Lululemon Athletica currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $379.52. Check Out Our Latest Stock Analysis on LULU Lululemon Athletica Stock Up 15.9 % Lululemon Athletica ( NASDAQ:LULU – Get Free Report ) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, December 5th. The apparel retailer reported $2.87 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.69 by $0.18. The firm had revenue of $2.40 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $2.36 billion. Lululemon Athletica had a return on equity of 42.59% and a net margin of 16.34%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 9.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.53 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Lululemon Athletica will post 13.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year. Insider Transactions at Lululemon Athletica In related news, insider Nicole Neuburger sold 486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $269.59, for a total transaction of $131,020.74. Following the sale, the insider now owns 6,198 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,670,918.82. This represents a 7.27 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink . 0.48% of the stock is currently owned by insiders. Institutional Inflows and Outflows Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in LULU. Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd grew its holdings in Lululemon Athletica by 19,890.3% during the second quarter. Value Star Asset Management Hong Kong Ltd now owns 4,653,746 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $1,390,074,000 after purchasing an additional 4,630,466 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Lululemon Athletica by 74,856.2% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 895,726 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock worth $243,055,000 after acquiring an additional 894,531 shares during the period. Maverick Capital Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Lululemon Athletica during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $93,476,000. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in Lululemon Athletica by 136.3% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 529,295 shares of the apparel retailer’s stock valued at $143,624,000 after acquiring an additional 305,302 shares during the period. Finally, Southpoint Capital Advisors LP bought a new position in Lululemon Athletica during the third quarter worth $81,405,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 85.20% of the company’s stock. Lululemon Athletica Company Profile ( Get Free Report ) Lululemon Athletica Inc, together with its subsidiaries, designs, distributes, and retails athletic apparel, footwear, and accessories under the lululemon brand for women and men. It offers pants, shorts, tops, and jackets for healthy lifestyle, such as yoga, running, training, and other activities. It also provides fitness-inspired accessories. Recommended Stories Five stocks we like better than Lululemon Athletica Stock Market Upgrades: What Are They? Fast-Growing Companies That Are Still Undervalued Technology Stocks Explained: Here’s What to Know About Tech Top Cybersecurity Stock Picks for 2025 What Are the U.K. Market Holidays? How to Invest and Trade Archer or Joby: Which Aviation Company Might Rise Fastest? Receive News & Ratings for Lululemon Athletica Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Lululemon Athletica and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter .Offsetting NHS funding from existing services to pay for expensive new drugs could be harming the health of the nation, a study suggests. The cost of innovative new medicines “do not always justify the benefits they offer”, researchers warned. They suggest England’s pharmaceutical pricing policy should be reformed “to better serve the health needs” of all NHS patients. However, NHS spending watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) said its role is “vital”, with it helping to prevent a “postcode lottery” in patient access and potentially higher costs. The study, led by academics at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), looked at how many additional years of full health were generated by drugs approved by Nice between 2000 and 2020. The analysis found new medicines led to 3.75 million additional years of full health, costing £75 billion. However, it suggests that redirecting that funding to existing services could have generated five million years of full health. Researchers said that while new drugs “could have benefited patients who received them” access “came at a considerable cost for others who might have missed out on potential health gains due to necessary disinvestment or underinvestment in other forms of care to fund these newly recommended drugs”. Lead author Huseyin Naci, associate professor of health policy at the LSE, added: “New drugs can be a lifeline for patients who have significant unmet clinical needs. “However, innovative drugs are expensive, and their costs do not always justify the benefits they offer.” Academics said the findings relate to Nice’s cost-effectiveness threshold and suggest it should be lowered. Nice advises its committees to consider new drugs as offering value for money to the NHS if they cost less than £20,000 to £30,000 per additional year of full health gained. Prof Naci added: “After more than a decade of underinvestment in the NHS, it may no longer be justifiable to have a Nice threshold that doesn’t reflect the amount the NHS needs to spend to generate health. “Lowering the threshold would allow the NHS to negotiate better prices for new medicines, taking into account not only the benefits to patients receiving these drugs but also the impact on other NHS users who may lose out due to resource reallocation.” Irene Papanicolas, professor of health services, policy and practice at Brown University, said the findings, published in The Lancet, “are reflective of the tight budget of the NHS”. “In this environment, offsetting funding from existing services to pay high prices for new drugs can more adversely affect population health than in health systems where there is greater budgetary flexibility,” she added. Beth Woods, senior research fellow at Centre for Health Economics at University of York, said: “This work shows that there is a need to reform pharmaceutical pricing policy in England to better serve the health needs of all patients served by the NHS.” A spokesperson for Nice said the spending watchdog’s role is “vital” and helps prevent a postcode lottery. “Spending money on new medicines does create an opportunity cost, displacing services elsewhere in the health system,” they said. “That’s why Nice’s role is vital: we carefully evaluate new treatments and recommend only those that offer value-for-money for the taxpayer. “This is especially important during times of significant challenge to the NHS. Every pound of the NHS budget can only be spent once. “If Nice had not recommended these innovative new medicines, they almost certainly would have been used within the NHS anyway. “Without Nice’s input, funding decisions would be taken locally, leading to inequitable patient access – the ‘postcode lottery’ – and potentially higher costs, because multiple local negotiations with pharmaceutical companies may not drive best value for the NHS.”NHRA Reveals Complete 2025 Season Race Schedule

N.J. Benson has 22 points, 17 rebounds and DePaul wins 84-65 over Loyola MarylandANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Anaheim Ducks forward Trevor Zegras will be out for six weeks after undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. Zegras had surgery Thursday, the team announced. Zegras was injured last week on a fairly innocent-looking play during the Ducks' 4-1 loss to Vegas in Anaheim. Zegras and William Karlsson only briefly got their skates and stick blades entangled, but Zegras needed help to get off the ice after taking a fall. Zegras' torn meniscus is his third major injury in just over a year, although a torn meniscus is likely a fortunate outcome for a knee injury that could have been much worse. He was limited to 31 games last season by two injury setbacks, including a broken ankle that required surgery. Zegras has four goals and six assists in 24 games this season for Anaheim, which had lost four straight heading into its road game against Toronto on Thursday night. The Ducks surprisingly activated forward Robby Fabbri from injured reserve before they faced the Maple Leafs. Fabbri had arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 15 and is progressing much faster than his initial predicted timeline of six to eight weeks. AP NHL: https://apnews.com/NHLKUWAIT CITY, Dec 08: The Operations and Information Technology Group at National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) serves as the driving force behind the bank's digital transformation, a cornerstone of its long-term strategy. Acting as the bank's central hub of innovation and strategic thinking, the group spearheads efforts to reinforce NBK’s leadership in delivering cutting-edge banking solutions and exceptional digital products and services. This commitment ensures the bank stays at the forefront of the rapid technological advancements reshaping the global banking landscape. Throughout 2024, the Operations and Information Technology Group sustained its trajectory of success, introducing several innovative projects across various markets. These initiatives significantly enhanced the quality and scope of services and products offered by the Bank, reinforcing its commitment to delivering exceptional value to its customers. Mr. Mohammad Yousef Al Kharafi, Head of Operations and Information Technology Group at NBK, emphasized that NBK's strategy is built on three core pillars. The first pillar is customer centricity, leveraging technology to deliver personalized, intuitive, and seamless experiences across all touchpoints. The second pillar focuses on operational efficiency, achieved through intelligent process automation, optimization, and the development of scalable platforms to reduce costs and enhance flexibility. The third pillar emphasizes data-driven decision-making, with a strong focus on building robust data analytics capabilities to derive actionable insights, improve decision-making, and unlock new business opportunities. Al-Kharafi added that NBK's Operations and Information Technology Group has outlined a clear roadmap and a phased approach to achieving its goals, which consists of three key stages. The first phase is digital empowerment, focused on modernizing platforms and building a robust IT infrastructure to support future innovation. The second phase centers on innovation and integration, expanding the bank's digital offerings through advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), while ensuring seamless integration across various channels. The final phase is continuous development, fostering a culture of flexibility and innovation where technology, processes, and people continuously adapt to evolving customer needs and market dynamics. He also pointed out that in 2024, NBK successfully upheld its leadership in Kuwait and the region. This achievement follows substantial investments in technology and digital banking services over recent years. He also highlighted the bank’s commitment to anticipating the future of financial technology and staying aligned with the latest global advancements in the sector. Moreover, Al-Kharafi emphasized that earlier this year, the bank launched a transformational initiative designed to reshape its technological approach, strengthening institutional resilience through agile methodologies. He explained that this initiative resulted in a thorough restructuring of the group's technology ecosystem, significantly boosting the bank's capacity to swiftly and efficiently respond to the dynamic demands of its diverse business sectors. “This step marks a significant milestone in the bank's journey towards realizing one of its core objectives: becoming a more agile and responsive organization. It reinforces our optimism about the transformative impact of these changes, which are poised to enhance the bank's future success. By improving operational efficiency, these transformations will further reinforce NBK's position as a leading institution locally, regionally, and globally,” Al-Kharafi said. He further explained that the Operations and Information Technology Group is committed to translating NBK’s digital transformation strategy into clear objectives. In addition, to prioritizing training and knowledge sharing, the bank's strategy emphasizes fostering a digital culture and mindset across the entire organization, with over 7,000 employees actively engaged. The strategy also includes providing all employees with access to a digital learning library, covering key topics such as innovation, digital product development, digital payments, fintech, open banking, agile methodologies, and digital customer experience. Al-Kharafi also highlighted the Group’s dedication to tracking the latest global digital trends impacting the banking sector and creating insightful research and reports that capture the trends shaping the industry, including global best practices, gaps, and opportunities. In partnership with the Bank's Design Center, the Operations and Information Technology Group prioritize delivering an outstanding user experience tailored to the specific needs of the bank’s users. This approach also includes conducting market research and user testing to identify the most relevant products and services for NBK’s customers. “These initiatives are designed to enhance service efficiency, allowing our employees to meet and often exceed customer expectations, thereby solidifying our reputation as a leading fintech organization through the rigorous application of our digital strategy. Our goal is not only to meet the needs and expectations of our customers, but to exceed that by anticipating their future needs and preferences” Al-Kharafi added. He emphasized that NBK possesses unique strengths that set it apart from other financial institutions. As a dynamic leader in the banking sector, NBK boasts a diversified and ever-evolving portfolio of products and services. The bank's leadership is reinforced by its strong presence in international markets, coupled with its commitment to attracting, developing, and investing in top banking talent. This dynamism reflects the bank's unwavering focus on continually enhancing its products and services, while providing innovative solutions that effectively meet customer needs. Building on Success, One Milestone at a Time The Operations and Information Technology Group contributed significantly to NBK's digital transformation journey with several key achievements in 2024. As part of the International Banking Group (IBG) blueprint, in 2024, the Operations and Information Technology Group has embarked on a mission to utilize the bank’s digital technology assets in Kuwait to deploy state-of-the-art digital channels for its international branches, thus enhancing customers banking experience regardless of their location. This exemplifies NBK’s steadfast commitment to innovation and its role as a leader in the digital banking landscape, not only locally but also across its international locations. NBK has made substantial progress in the digital transformation of its overseas branches by adopting advanced technologies and digital channels to streamline banking operations and enhance the customer experience. The bank's digital initiatives have received positive feedback, leading to a notable increase in its market share in the banking sectors of the countries where it operates. As part of its ongoing efforts to improve customer experience through self-service channels, and under the guidance of the Central Bank of Kuwait (CBK), NBK launched the WAMD service in July 2024 via the NBK Mobile Banking App. This service offers the fastest payment transfer system in Kuwait, processing three times the volume of standard KWD transfers across all channels. Furthermore, in its ongoing efforts to modernize its ATM fleet, NBK has introduced a new service that transforms the customer banking experience. This service provides a personalized experience for various customer segments, offering flexible dispensing options, the ability to update KYC details using Kuwait Mobile ID, along with the full range of traditional banking transactions for NBK customers. NBK Mobile Banking App The NBK Mobile Banking App, Kuwait's highest-rated mobile application for digital banking, underwent significant enhancements in 2024. These improvements focused on refining existing services and introducing new features, all driven by the newly implemented agile methodology, to better serve the bank's customers. This year, the NBK Mobile Banking App saw a fourfold increase in new launches compared to the previous year, with nearly 90 new services and application enhancements. These updates have significantly advanced the bank's digital channels, ensuring continued uptime, availability, quality, and secure operations. To support this growth, the bank has also upgraded its technology portfolio, reinforcing its capacity to meet the needs of an expanding customer base. Underscoring the strong trust in NBK's digital channels, 97.9% of total banking transactions were conducted through the bank's digital platforms (including all self-service channels). AI and Automation NBK has launched the “Open Text Workflow” for Request Approval Workflow process Automation, marking significant step forward in streamlining the bank’s workflow. Moreover, NBK has reached a significant milestone by implementing 102 RPA processes and attained a program success rate of 98%. NBK is set to implement RPA automation in various regions, having already established RPA in three international locations. The automation initiative has significantly advanced NBK’s ESG goals, leading to a reduction of 6.3 million sheets of paper, saving over 200,000 hours of time, improving turnaround time by 90%, and decreasing carbon emissions. Fikrah Platform NBK's Operations & Information Technology Group has recently introduced the Innovation Platform, Fikrah. This platform will facilitate the sharing of ideas among participants, with the system assisting in the generation of creative concepts through various brainstorming techniques and customized prompts. This initiative is designed to foster a dynamic environment for the presentation of innovative ideas. The platform integrates gamification by assigning points to staff for their submitted ideas, which they can subsequently use for redemption purposes. International Transfers Leveraging the outstanding regulatory and supervisory framework provided by the Central Bank of Kuwait, which sets a benchmark for excellence in the banking sector, NBK has achieved an impressive STP rate exceeding 90% for international transfers, positioning it among the region's leaders in seamless and efficient cross-border transactions. NBK leverages cutting-edge technology to enhance transparency and convenience for customers in tracking their transfers. The bank utilizes the GPI tracker for outbound transfers and the Swift4C tracker for inbound transfers, enabling customers to receive real-time status updates on their fund transfer transactions through online channels at any time. Combined Outgoing FCY+ KWD Incoming STP Rates stood at 97%, while Combined Incoming FCY+ KWD Incoming STP Rates were 96%. Building on the Central Bank of Kuwait's guidance, NBK has further enriched its banking services with the introduction of the 24/7 WAMD settlement mechanism for low-value transfers, alongside the innovative AFAQ service. This new feature, available through the NBK Mobile Banking App, provides near-real-time settlement of funds transfers to the GCC. Cybersecurity and Anti-Fraud In line with the Central Bank of Kuwait’s Strategic Framework for Cybersecurity for the Banking Sector issued in February 2020, NBK is adopting a proactive cybersecurity framework that aligns with the highest international standards. The bank strengthens this framework with a comprehensive strategy focusing on data governance, privacy, and security. The bank also utilizes advanced security technologies to safeguard its digital interfaces, which undergo regular assessments by both internal and external auditors. Additionally, NBK ensures continuous monitoring of its digital channels through its Security Operations Center, backed by integrated and well-defined response plans to efficiently manage any potential cyber incidents. In a proactive effort to strengthen customer protection and combat financial fraud, the Virtual Room (VR) was launched on December 7, 2023. Operating 24/7, under the guidance of the CBK, it offers immediate and comprehensive support for fraud-related cases, underscoring the vital role of banks in ensuring financial security. The VR operates in close coordination with the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and local banks to address fraudulent cases efficiently and promptly, 24/7.. Legal restrictions are enforced as directed by the Public Prosecution, with meticulous monitoring of fraud-related transactions across both NBK and non-NBK bank accounts. Additionally, advanced systems are employed to detect and report suspicious activities. A notable example of the VR’s efforts involved combating sophisticated scams where fraudsters exploited Kuwait Mobile ID App to breach customers' phones and transfer their lines from traditional SIM cards to eSIMs, granting access to sensitive information. Additionally, the VR has identified other fraudulent tactics, including fake links, phishing emails, and deceptive phone calls. Complementing its control measures, NBK, in collaboration with the Central Bank of Kuwait, launched a series of intensive awareness campaigns under the slogan "Let's Be Aware." These initiatives aimed to enhance customer vigilance against potential risks, featuring appearances on prominent TV and radio programs such as 360 FM Radio and Kuwait News Channel. The efforts also extended to producing and sharing educational clips across the bank's social media platforms. NBK underscores the importance of customer vigilance in safeguarding their financial security. It advises caution when interacting with unverified links or calls, encourages the use of authorized apps for transactions, and warns against falling for enticing but dubious social media offers. The bank also stresses the need for immediate reporting of suspicious activities, reaffirming its dedication to protecting customer funds and ensuring the security of their banking transactions. NBK Tech Academy In collaboration with the Operations and Information Technology Group and the Human Resources Group, NBK launched the NBK Tech Academy last year to stay ahead of advancements in technology, information, and data security. The academy's inaugural batch of 10 trainees achieved remarkable success, and this year, it aims to qualify 15 trainees as part of its continued growth and development. In 2024, the focus shifted to nurturing internal talent while also recruiting new Kuwaiti graduates from the first cohort of the NBK Tech Academy. These graduates were integrated into the development teams within the Operations and Information Technology Group, where they played a significant and effective role in enhancing and innovating current and future services. Their contributions have helped further develop the services provided to customers, enriching them with new features and improving overall service offerings. Attracting Female Presence Demonstrating NBK's commitment to attracting women in the technology sector, the Operations and Information Technology Group has recently initiated the "Women in Technology" program, which aims to promote leadership and enhance diversity within the organization. In 2024, NBK has observed a significant rise in the representation of women at different levels, including both technical and leadership roles. This progress is consistent with NBK’s commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion, acknowledging that diverse teams have a positive and sustainable impact on business results. IT Infrastructure As NBK continues to innovate and enhance its technological and digital services by unifying its infrastructure and technologies, investing in new initiatives, and adopting the latest cybersecurity systems, infrastructure technology remains the cornerstone driving the bank’s technology and digital agendas. In 2024, the Operations and Information Technology Group focused on stabilizing the infrastructure of the Bank's Tier III certified Data Center by making strategic investments in technology modernization and upgrading digital components and systems. Furthermore, the Group is advancing infrastructure automation and adopting a self-service model to accelerate and streamline user requests. The Group is placing strong emphasis on proactive monitoring by consistently investing in cutting-edge technology in this area, while also exploring a new infrastructure architecture design aimed at simplifying and unifying the Bank's data centers. Going forward, NBK plans to adopt more innovative initiatives, including AI, generative AI, and other cutting-edge technologies that will drive business growth, enhance customer experiences, and accelerate service delivery in the market.

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Govt installs 100pc emission control systems in Lahore industries