Brain Flowz (2024)

10/04/2023

Thieves stormed into an Apple store in a mall in Washington and stole iPhones worth $500,000 or Rs14 crore.
According to the details provided by the police, a total of 436 iPhones with an estimated worth of $500,000 (Rs14.07 crore) were stolen from the outlet. “Two men broke into one of our retail locations.

As per a report from a Seattle-based local news agency, the daring heist was carried out at the Apple Alderwood store on Sunday, from a neighbouring business called Seattle Coffee Gear in order to avoid security system intrusion.
According to the details provided by the police, a total of 436 iPhones with an estimated worth of $500,000 (Rs14.07 crore) were stolen from the outlet.

“Two men broke into one of our retail locations. Why? To cut a hole in our bathroom wall to access the Apple Store next door and steal $500k worth of iPhones,” the coffee appliance shop owner, Mike Atkinson, detailed in his tweet the following day.
Eric Marks, the regional retail manager of the coffee shop confirmed that their shop sells appliances to a very specific clientele and their store was used as a conduit to break into Apple.
“I would have never suspected we were adjacent to the Apple Store, how it wraps around I mean. Someone really had to think it out and have access to the mall layout [to carry it out],” Marks mentioned adding that the burglars managed to cut through the shop’s hall, without hitting any pipe, indicating that the entire heist was planned with attention.

As per the Apple Alderwood spokesperson, they are working with the police to solve the targeted robbery.

03/04/2023

United Bank Limited (PSX: UBL) has appointed Muhammad Jawaid Iqbal as President & CEO of UBL for a term of 03 years, the bank’s filing on Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) stated today.

This appointment is subject to the approval of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and compliance with all rules of the regulator.

Shazad G. Dada, the former CEO of the bank, has stepped down from the office of President & CEO of UBL for personal reasons upon completion of his 3-year term.

Muhammad Jawaid Iqbal is a member of the Board of Directors of United Bank Limited since December 14, 2022. He is the Chairman of the Board Risk & Compliance Committee (BRCC) and a member of the Board Human Resource & Compensation Committee (HRCC).

He is the founder of Providus Capital (Private) Limited—an investment firm established in 2017. Providus Capital primarily invests in the public equity markets of Pakistan. Iqbal has over two decades of banking experience and has worked with Emirates Bank International PJSC Pakistan, National Bank of Pakistan, and Allied Bank Limited at senior managerial positions.
Iqbal did his Master’s in Business Administration from Bahauddin Zakariya University, Pakistan; Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) from CFA Institute, USA; and Advanced Management Program from Harvard Business School, USA.
Shazad G. Dada, the former CEO of the bank, is considered among the most highly-paid bankers in Pakistan. In 2022, he stood at the third position with a salary package of Rs. 269 million. In 2021, he earned the highest income from the banking industry, which was Rs. 340 million.

Under his management, the bank’s profit surged to an all-time high level of Rs. 32 billion with year-on-year growth of 4 percent. The bank also made remarkable progress on the technological front.
The Board of Directors appreciated Shazad G. Dada for his invaluable contributions, leading the Bank towards achieving excellent growth and financial results.
“During his tenure, UBL surpassed many milestones and won prestigious industry awards. He has been a driving force behind many of the initiatives and projects that have brought the Bank to where it is today,” stated the filing.

03/04/2023

ISLAMABAD:
Minister for Overseas Pakistanis Sajid Hussain Turi has said that the government would send one million Pakistanis abroad for employment opportunities this year.

Turi made this announcement in an exclusive interview with a private television channel on Sunday. “Saudi authorities will be visiting Pakistan soon to issue work permit visas and new agreements are being signed with 50 other countries, including Germany, Greece, and Romania,” he added. Minister Turi also said Pakistanis who pass the technical training test will be eligible to obtain Saudi visas.

According to the minister, Japan has recently started issuing visas for skilled Pakistani workers, while South Korea needs 10,000 Pakistani skilled workers and plans to recruit them soon.

In addition, Pakistanis are now able to obtain work visas for Germany and Romania, and agreements are in progress to provide professional and labor visas for Portugal and Greece.

02/04/2023

ISLAMABAD:
The Khunjerab Pass, a major trade route between Pakistan and China, has been reopened after a closure of almost three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pass connects Gilgit-Baltistan with China’s Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous region and was closed in 2020 following the outbreak of Covid-19.

According to official sources, Chinese authorities have shared a letter with Pakistani officials regarding the reopening of the pass for trade, and port authorities on the Chinese side have been instructed to take all necessary measures to contain Covid-19 before the arrival of goods from Pakistan.

Similarly, Pakistani border authorities have also been instructed to take all measures regarding Covid-19, ensuring the containment of the disease.
Khunjerab Pass generally opens from April 1 to November 30 every year, and remains closed from December 1 to March 31 due to cold weather and lack of oxygen in the high altitude.

But to ensure the smooth customs clearance of Pakistan’s urgently-needed and other supplies, the port was temporarily opened twice early this year.

Despite difficulties including extremely cold weather, heavy snow and lack of oxygen, the local customs have worked round the clock to ensure the transportation of cargo.
This year, the last temporary opening lasted for 12 days between January 30 and February 10 while the first port opening was between January 19 and 20.

The two temporary openings facilitated 128 cross-border personnel visits, 328 transportation vehicles’ passes, and more than 6,000 tonnes of goods exported.

The reopening of the border crossing is expected to boost economic activities between the two countries.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has expressed his pleasure over the reopening of the Khunjerab Pass, saying it would help increase bilateral trade between Pakistan and China.

The reopening of the pass removes a hurdle that would further expedite the pace of work on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), he said.

The prime minister termed the occasion a welcome one for boosting trade with 'Iron brother China' and expressed his resolve to move ahead on CPEC with dual speed.

He added that CPEC was a gift of progress and prosperity given by former prime minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and the Chinese leadership for the region and the people.

The premier also appreciated the relevant authorities of the two countries and team members over the restoration of trade and travel facility.

02/04/2023

حکومت کے ساتھ مذاکرات میں نہیں بیٹھوں گا‘ عمران خان کا دوٹوک اعلان
بات چیت ہوئی تو پارٹی کے دیگر اراکین کریں گے اور مذاکرات صرف الیکشن کے نقطے پر ہوں گے۔ چیئرمین پی ٹی آئی کا انٹرویو.
لاہور ( اُردو پوائنٹ اخبارتازہ ترین ۔ 02 اپریل 2023ء ) پاکستان تحریک انصاف کے چیئرمین عمران خان نے کہا ہے کہ حکومت کے ساتھ مذاکرات میں نہیں بیٹھوں گا، اگر بات چیت ہوئی تو پارٹی کے دیگر اراکین کریں گے اور اگر مذاکرات ہوں گے تو وہ صرف الیکشن کے نقطے پر ہوں گے۔ اُردو نیوز کے ساتھ ایک انٹرویو میں انہوں نے کہا کہ میں نے تو خیر ان لوگوں کے ساتھ نہیں بیٹھنا، ہماری ٹیم بیٹھے گی لیکن بات تو صرف الیکشن کی ہے، اگر بات انتخابات کی طرف نہیں جاتی تو پھر مذاکرات کا کوئی فائدہ نہیں ہے، گرینڈ نیشنل ڈائیلاگ کی بڑی بڑی باتیں چھوڑیں، پہلے تو الیکشن کے اوپر آئیں، جو قانون اور آئین کہتا ہے اور اگر آپ الیکشن ہی نہیں کروا سکتے تو کسی نے کس سے کون سے مذاکرات کرنے ہیں کیوں کہ اس وقت تو معاملہ ہی الیکشن کا ہے۔
سابق وزیراعظم نے کہا کہ اس وقت ملک کا سب سے بڑا معاملہ 90 روز میں الیکشن ہے، وہ 90 روز گزرتے جا رہے ہیں اور یہ آئین کی توہین ہو رہی ہے، اس کی بے حرمتی ہو رہی ہے، اگر آپ آئین کے اوپر نہیں چل رہے تو اس کے بعد مذاکرات کس چیزکے کرنے ہیں، اگر ابھی انتخابات نہیں ہوں گے تو پھر اکتوبر میں بھی انتخابات منعقد ہونے کے امکانات کم ہیں، ابھی تو فوری چیز ہے کہ 90 دن میں انتخابات ہوں گے یا نہیں ہوں گے، آئین جو کہتا ہے تو اگر یہ نہیں ہوں گے اور اگر ادھر سے نکل جاتے ہیں تو پھر اکتوبر میں کیوں ہوں؟ پھر آپ کہیں گے اگلے سال بھی کیوں ہوں؟ پھر تو جو طاقتور فیصلہ کرے گا تب ہی الیکشن ہوگا۔
ایک سوال کے جواب مین عمران خان نے الزام عائد کیا کہ سپریم کورٹ کے ججز کی حالیہ تقسیم کے پیچھے نواز شریف کا ہاتھ ہے اور یہ ان کی پرانی روش ہے، اس نے پہلے بھی 1997 میں سپریم کورٹ کو تقسیم کیا تھا، اپنے مفادات کے لیے اس نے سو فیصد سپریم کورٹ کو تقسیم کیا، اس کے پیچھے بیانات دے رہا ہے، اس کی بیٹی ججز کے خلاف بیانات دے رہی ہے، وہ فیصلہ نہ ماننے والے کون ہیں، اان کی حیثیت کیا ہے؟ سارے پاکستان کی قانونی برادری کو پتہ ہے کہ 90 دن میں الیکشن ہونے چاہییں، آپ کہہ رہے ہیں کہ ۹۰ دن سے آگے چلے جائیں تو سپریم کورٹ نے 90 دن کا تو کہنا ہی ہے کیونکہ آئین میں یہ ہے، تو آپ ہیں کون کہنے والے کہ ہم نہیں مانتے۔
Source:- Urdu Point

02/04/2023

Italy has become the first Western country to block advanced chatbot ChatGPT.

The Italian data-protection authority said there were privacy concerns relating to the model, which was created by US start-up OpenAI and is backed by Microsoft.

The regulator said it would ban and investigate OpenAI "with immediate effect".

OpenAI told the BBC it complied with privacy laws.

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Millions of people have used ChatGPT since it launched in November 2022.

It can answer questions using natural, human-like language and it can also mimic other writing styles, using the internet as it was in 2021 as its database.

Microsoft has spent billions of dollars on it and it was added to Bing last month.

It has also said that it will embed a version of the technology in its Office apps, including Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.

There have been concerns over the potential risks of artificial intelligence (AI), including its threat to jobs and the spreading of misinformation and bias.

Earlier this week key figures in tech, including Elon Musk, called for these types of AI systems to be suspended amid fears the race to develop them was out of control.

The Italian watchdog said that not only would it block OpenAI's chatbot but it would also investigate whether it complied with General Data Protection Regulation.

GDPR governs the way in which we can use, process and store personal data.

The watchdog said on 20 March that the app had experienced a data breach involving user conversations and payment information.

It said there was no legal basis to justify "the mass collection and storage of personal data for the purpose of 'training' the algorithms underlying the operation of the platform".

It also said that since there was no way to verify the age of users, the app "exposes minors to absolutely unsuitable answers compared to their degree of development and awareness".

Bard, Google's rival artificial-intelligence chatbot, is now available, but only to specific users over the age of 18 - because of those same concerns.

The Italian data-protection authority said OpenAI had 20 days to say how it would address the watchdog's concerns, under penalty of a fine of €20 million ($21.7m) or up to 4% of annual revenues.

Elsewhere, the Irish data protection commission told the BBC it is following up with the Italian regulator to understand the basis for their action and "will coordinate with all EU data protection authorities" in connection to the ban.

The Information Commissioner's Office, the UK's independent data regulator, told the BBC it would "support" developments in AI but that it was also ready to "challenge non-compliance" with data protection laws.

Dan Morgan, from cybersecurity ratings provider SecurityScorecard said the ban shows the importance of regulatory compliance for companies operating in Europe.

"Businesses must prioritise the protection of personal data and comply with the stringent data protection regulations set by the EU - compliance with regulations is not an optional extra."

'Not sufficiently regulated'
Consumer advocacy group BEUC also called on EU and national authorities - including data-protection watchdogs - to investigate ChatGPT and similar chatbots, following the filing of a complaint in the US.

Although the EU is currently working on the world's first legislation on AI, BEUC's concern is that it would take years before the AI Act could take effect, leaving consumers at risk of harm from a technology that is not sufficiently regulated.

Ursula Pachl, deputy director general of BEUC, warned that society was "currently not protected enough from the harm" that AI can cause.

"There are serious concerns growing about how ChatGPT and similar chatbots might deceive and manipulate people. These AI systems need greater public scrutiny, and public authorities must reassert control over them," she said.

ChatGPT is already blocked in a number of countries, including China, Iran, North Korea and Russia.

OpenAI told the BBC that it had disabled ChatGPT for users in Italy at the request of the Italian data protection regulator, called the Garante:

"We are committed to protecting people's privacy and we believe we comply with GDPR and other privacy laws", it wrote.

The organisation said it worked to reduce personal data in training AI systems like ChatGPT because it wanted its AI systems to "learn about the world, not about private individuals".

"We also believe that AI regulation is necessary — so we look forward to working closely with the Garante and educating them on how our systems are built and used", it added

OpenAI said it looked forward to making ChatGPT available in Italy again "soon".

02/04/2023

Pakistan's captain across all formats, Babar Azam, is on fire with the bat, and is ready to shatter multiple records.

Babar is geared up to make history in the upcoming New Zealand series, with five T20Is and five ODIs, as the perfect stage to accomplish his milestones.

ALSO READ: Did IPL copy trophy display idea from PSL?

Babar needs just one T20I series victory against New Zealand to become the most successful T20I captain of all time, surpassing the record of retired Eoin Morgan, who has 42 wins as captain. He is currently tied at 40 wins each with Aaron Finch from Australia.

Another record that Babar will be targeting is to become the first Pakistan batsman to reach 3,500 runs in T20I cricket. He needs just 145 runs to achieve this feat.

In ODIs, the 28-year-old is inching closer to breaking several records held by South African legend Hashim Amla. He requires just one more century in the next seven innings to become the fastest batter to reach 18 ODI centuries. Amla currently holds the record, having achieved it in 102 innings, followed by Virat Kohli, who reached the same number of centuries in 119 innings.

Furthermore, if Babar scores 187 runs in the next seven innings, he will become the fastest batter to reach 5,000 runs in ODIs, surpassing Amla's record of achieving this feat in 101 innings. Kohli and West Indian great Sir Vivian Richards both took 114 innings to score the same number of runs.

Finally, the right-hand batsman is just 136 runs away from completing 12,000 runs in international cricket, having scored 3,696 runs in Tests, 4,813 in ODIs, and 3,355 in T20Is.

Brain Flowz

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