KP to Launch Wheat/Atta Supply Chain System Ahead of Ramadan:
The Food Department and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) have collaborated to develop a comprehensive and efficient supply chain system for wheat/flour in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this Ramadan. The Wheat/Atta Supply Chain System is a web/mobile-enabled integrated application that will monitor and track the demand and supply of wheat flour in the province. The newly developed system is aimed at providing real-time tracking of stock-in, stock-out, and available stock in the district, including godowns, floor mills, dealers, and citizens. Furthermore, the Dealer’s ATTA Distribution app is linked with BISP data in real-time, ensuring seamless and timely distribution of the essential commodity.
Tijarat.com: An eBay-Like Marketplace Set to Revolutionize Online Shopping in Pakistan:
Tijarat.com, a new online marketplace, is set to launch on Pakistan Day, March 23, 2023. The platform offers an eBay-like unique buying and selling experience with features like bidding on listings, fixed-price listings, a “Buy It Now” option, and diverse marketplace opportunities. One of the most exciting features of Tijarat is the ability for buyers to bid on listings. Unlike other online marketplaces in Pakistan, buyers can make offers below the listed price and bargain with the seller. This feature allows for greater flexibility in pricing and can lead to great deals for buyers.
First-Ever Approval of the Digital Lending App of an NBFC Company in Pakistan:
The Center of Business Consultancy (Pvt.) Limited has successfully acquired the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (the Commission) for its foreign client to launch the first approved digital lending app in Pakistan. The Commission has accorded its approval to launch the first approved digital lending app under a new regulatory regime, which is governed by the requirements contained in Circular 15 of 2022 dated December 27, 2022 (the Circular).
Oppo’s Most Powerful Phones Launched in China:
Oppo has unveiled its latest Find X6 series, which boasts improvements in every aspect, including the most impressive camera system yet. For now, we are only getting the Find X6 and X6 Pro and they are limited to China. The device boasts a 6.82-inch 1440p AMOLED display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and a 240Hz touch sampling rate. Oppo asserts that this is the world’s brightest panel, with a peak brightness of 2,500 nits.
Warning: Turn Off Wi-Fi Calling on Samsung/Vivo Phones:
Several security vulnerabilities were uncovered by Google’s Project Zero team in Samsung Galaxy smartphones, enabling hackers to target devices with ease. Merely having the victim’s phone number would suffice for a hacker to compromise the phone secretly, without the user being aware of any abnormalities. The team believes that with minimal research and development, experienced attackers could promptly create a working exploit to compromise affected devices remotely and without detection.
Netflix is Working Hard on a Cloud Gaming Service:
Netflix is currently developing a cloud gaming service, which would allow for its growing game collection to be played more easily and on a wider range of devices. In a briefing with reporters, Leanne Loombe, Netflix’s VP of external games, confirmed that work on the project is currently “underway.” This follows an announcement made by the company’s VP of games, Mike Verdu, in October stating that Netflix was “seriously exploring” a cloud gaming service. Loombe emphasized that Netflix is taking a cautious approach to the development of the service, likely in order to avoid a debacle on the scale of Google Stadia.
Muhammad Naveed Asked to Take Charge as PTA Chairman:
Muhammad Naveed has been asked to assume the office of Chairman Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for an undefined period, sources informed ProPakistani. He is currently serving the Member Finance at PTA. Naveed will replace Gen (R) Amir Azeem who completed his term as chairman of PTA in January this year. The slot for the chief has been vacant since then. According to an approval issued by the cabinet division, a copy of which is available with ProPakistani, the cabinet considered the summary titled “Grant of current charge to Muhammad Naveed for the post of Chairman PTA.”
LG’s New Gram Laptop Can Change Colors:
The LG Gram has been available for several years, but the latest addition to the line, the LG Gram Style, boasts a fresh new appearance. This laptop is ultra-thin and ultra-light and features a striking iridescent finish that changes color as it catches the light. It typically appears silvery-white but can appear blueish, grayish, or even sunset-orange depending on how it is positioned and the lighting conditions. Another unique feature of the Style is its non-delineated haptic trackpad, which is illuminated by LEDs.
Pakistan’s IT Exports Register 3% Decline in February:
The IT and IT-enabled Services (ITeS) export remittances comprising computer services and call center services increased by over 1.7 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2022-23 and remained $1.718 billion compared with $1.689 billion during the same period of the last fiscal year. According to the official data, on a year-on-year (YoY) basis, the sector exports remittances decreased by around 3 percent to $195 million in February 2023 compared to $201 million in February 2022. On a month-on-month basis, the sector exports remittances increased by 2.5 percent when compared to $190 million in January 2023.
Microsoft to Launch App Store to Rival Google and Apple:
The mobile app distribution market has long been dominated by Apple and Google through their app stores, with Google’s Android allowing for alternative app stores but failing to pose a significant challenge to the Play Store. To break this duopoly, Microsoft is now preparing to create its own mobile games store and is relying on regulatory support. Microsoft’s gaming division’s head, Phil Spencer, revealed in an interview with the Financial Times that the EU’s Digital Market Act (DMA), set to take effect in March 2024, will aid the company in achieving its ambition for a mobile app store.
ChatGPT Goes Down For An Hour, Kicked Out Premium Users:
Earlier today on March 20, ChatGPT, the extensively used AI chatbot developed by OpenAI, encountered an unforeseen one-hour service interruption. It is probable that the surge in demand caused ChatGPT to fluctuate, resulting in instability. As a result, users were unable to access the platform, and even premium users were unable to utilize the popular AI service. According to user reports garnered at Down Detector the outage started around 1 PM and peaked at 2:26 PM today with thousands of reports from around the globe. The issue was mostly resolved around 3 PM.
Bill Gates: AI is most important tech advance in decades:
Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says the development of artificial intelligence (AI) is the most important technological advance in decades. In a blog post on Tuesday, he called it as fundamental as the creation of the microprocessor, the personal computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone. “It will change the way people work, learn, travel, get health care, and communicate with each other,” he said. He was writing about the technology used by tools such as chatbot ChatGPT. Developed by OpenAI, ChatGPT is an AI chatbot which is programmed to answer questions online using natural, human-like language. The team behind it in January 2023 received a multibillion dollar investment from Microsoft – where Mr Gates still serves as an advisor.
Hungary official takes on German MEP in AI ‘rap battle’:
It’s unlikely to dominate the streaming charts, but Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban has become the subject of a unique diss track. And the man behind the song is no up-and-coming artist or future festival headliner. It’s a member of European Parliament from Germany, Daniel Freund – a fierce critic of Mr Orban. The lyrics refer to “scams and hustles” and take aim at alleged corruption in Hungary. “From football clubs to luxury castles; Orban’s empire is built on scams and hustles; It’s time to clean up, it’s time to fight; We won’t back down until Orban’s out of sight,” the lyrics say.
Robots deliver groceries to Co-op customers in Sale:
Supermarket customers in part of Greater Manchester have begun to receive grocery deliveries from robots. Co-op has joined forces with Trafford Council and Starship Technologies to offer the online delivery service to 24,000 residents in the Sale area. The robots are lightweight and travel at human walking pace – no faster than 4mph (6km/h) – and can detect cars. The scheme has previously been trialled in Leeds, Milton Keynes and Northampton.
Google’s rival to ChatGPT launches for over-18s:
Google has started rolling out its AI chatbot Bard, but it is only available to certain users and they have to be over the age of 18. Unlike its viral rival ChatGPT, it can access up-to-date information from the internet and has a “Google it” button which accesses search. It also namechecks its sources for facts, such as Wikipedia. But Google warned Bard would have “limitations” and said it might share misinformation and display bias. This is because it “learns” from real-world information, in which those biases currently exist – meaning it is possible for stereotypes and false information to show up in its responses.
Chinese regulator accuses chip tycoon of corruption:
China’s anti-fraud watchdog has accused chip tycoon Zhao Weiguo of corruption, in the latest sign of trouble faced by the country’s semiconductor industry. Mr Zhao is the former chairman of computer chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup. Key players in the sector were investigated for corruption last year after the government poured billions of dollars into projects which stalled or failed. Mr Zhao and Tsinghua Unigroup did not respond to BBC requests for comment.
How Elon Musk’s tweets unleashed a wave of hate:
I had just finished my investigation into whether Twitter can protect users under Elon Musk’s ownership, when – to my surprise – the man himself tweeted about it. “Sorry for turning Twitter from nurturing paradise into a place that has… trolls,” he said in one tweet, posting a screengrab of the report. According to Twitter’s own data, that tweet was seen by more than 30 million profiles.
‘I left teaching to train as a heat pump engineer’:
He used to love teaching kids football and PE. But increasing amounts of desk work, and then Covid-19 lockdown, took the fun out of it. So Adam Weech, who lives near Camberley in Surrey, decided to quit and retrain as a heating engineer. He started out working with gas boilers but then stumbled on a Facebook post about VitoEnergy, a company that installs heat pumps as well as other heating systems. He was soon hooked on the idea and is now training with VitoEnergy to become a heat pump installer, specifically.
Amazon to cut another 9,000 jobs:
Online retail giant Amazon plans to cut another 9,000 jobs as it seeks to save costs. The firm, which employs 1.5 million people worldwide, said the cuts would fall mainly in areas including cloud computing and advertising. It did not say which countries would be affected but said the positions would be closed in the next few weeks. Boss Andy Jassy said it was a “difficult decision” but it would be best for the company in the long term. The firm already axed 18,000 jobs in January.