Day: February 4, 2023

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Cape Town plays host to ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Captains’ Day 

Dubai, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):Cape Town’s Table Mountain was the backdrop for the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup Captains’ Day, setting the tone for an exciting month of fast-paced and high-energy cricket as the World Cup comes to South African shores for the very first time. The Captains’ Day which took place at Cape Town’s Waterfront marks the start of the eight edition of the World Cup which is now just six days away.

The wait for Africa’s first Women’s T20 World Cup is nearly over as the 10 best teams in the world will be in action across three iconic venues, Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town, Boland Park in Paarl and St George’s Park in Gqeberha, with the opening match taking place on 10 February, when South Africa face Sri Lanka at Newlands Cricket Ground in Cape Town. The 10 captains have shared their excitement and thoughts ahead of the start of the event.

Australia’s Meg Lanning said: “It’s great to be here, we’ve been looking forward to this tournament for a while. We’ve spent a couple of days getting used to the new climate – it’s pretty hot here – and there’s some amazing things to see and experience. We’re pumped to be here, World Cups are always massive to be a part of and we’re looking forward to taking on everyone else in our pool and hopefully, playing well.” New Zealand’s Sophie Devine said: “It’s such an awesome experience. Taking part in a World Cup is such a special moment and honour to represent your country. This is an awesome opportunity to show off our beautiful game to the rest of the world.”

South Africa’s Sune Luus said: “I’m extremely excited to be here as part of this historic moment for South African cricket, hosting a women’s T20 World Cup for the very first time. As a team, we’re really excited to be representing our nation here at home and we’re looking forward to doing everything we can to keep the trophy here at home. The excitement that we’ve experience from people here in Cape Town and all over the country, telling us how excited they are to support us and the tournament has been really humbling and we just want to go out there and do our best for them.

Sri Lanka’s Chamari Athapaththu said: “In Sri Lanka, a lot of young girls are beginning to play cricket because they are looking up to myself and our team. The support we have been getting has been really great from back home and we are excited to play in this T20 World Cup and play for our country.” Bangladesh’s Nigar Sultana Joty said: “It’s great to be here and we are so happy to qualify for this tournament. So many of us have played cricket for many years, but this is only our fifth T20 World Cup. We have never gotten a win, but we are looking forward to trying our best for this one.”

India’s Harmanpreet Kaur said: “After watching the U19 World Cup, we are motivated to do what they have done. They have motivated us to do well, they have done it and we have not done it yet. It was a very special moment for all of us and after watching the U19s many of the girls back home will also want to play cricket and that’s always our aim to motivate young girls who can come and play cricket.” Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof said: “We have improved as a team over the years and this tournament gives us another opportunity to test ourselves. We are all pumped up and we’re excited to put in our best efforts to create good results for our team.”

England’s Heather Knight said: “Our job as a team is to play the group games in front of us and to try to get out of the group stages. Everyone starts on the same page, we’re pretty clear as a team how we want to go about things and in a T20 World Cup, you don’t have much chance to slip up and our sole focus is on that. We as a squad we’ve brought in a few young players (from the U19 team) which has kept us old girls on our toes and we’ve got that real nice balance of youth and experience. The amount of young players coming through, it’s great to see cricket as a real option for young girls around the world.”

Ireland’s Laura Delany said: “After we didn’t qualify for the last World Cup cricket in Ireland has changed massively over the last three or four years and the introduction of full-time contracts has now allowed us to train on a full time basis but now guarantees us games against the best sides in the world and as a team that’s the only way we’re going to grow and develop. We’re looking forward of the next couple of weeks, we know it’s going to be a tough challenge but it’s one that we welcome.” West Indies’ Hayley Matthews said: “We’ve had the tri-series between ourselves, India and South Africa and it was a really great opportunity to be down here and get acclimatized to the conditions and see where we’re at with our game as well. A good opportunity for us to get out there in a T20 World Cup in a place we’ve been quite a lot over the last couple of years.”

The ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2023 will be putting on a spectacular show for all spectators, with entertainment and festivities at the centre of a day out at the cricket. Fans can look out for top South African artists performing at prominent matches, DJs on the decks, giveaways and more, a memorable and inclusive experience for everyone. Fans can get in on the action by purchasing their tickets at www.t20worldcup.com/tickets or ticket offices at any of the venues.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

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Asian Cricket Council Executive Board Meeting held 

Lahore, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):The Asian Cricket Council held its Executive Board Meeting on Saturday, 4 February 2023, in Bahrain. The key decisions taken at the meeting are as under: Asia Cup 2023: The ACC had a constructive dialogue on the upcoming Asia Cup 2023. The Board agreed to continue discussions on operations, timelines and any other specifics with a view to ensure the success of the tournament. An update on the matter would be taken on the next ACC Executive Board Meeting to be held in March 2023.

Pathway Inclusions: The Executive Board also approved of the inclusion of teams from Japan (JAPAN CRICKET ASSOCIATION) and Indonesia (PERSUTAN CRICKET INDONESIA) in the ACC pathway tournaments to participate in the events as invitees.

ACC Calendar: The Executive Board ratified ACC’s calendar of activities for the financial years 2023 and 2024.

The Executive Board further approved

a) Operational Budget for the years 2023 and 2024

b) Distributions from Asia Cup 2022.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

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22nd International Research Conference 2023 

Karachi, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):SZABIST Islamabad is proud to announce its 22nd International Research Conference 2023 in collaboration with Higher Education Commission, Pakistan.

Mark your calendars for March 8th and 9th, 2023 to experience the days full of Research, Panel Discussions, Portfolio Development Workshops and much more. You will also get a chance to meet and greet renowned researchers from National and International Universities and Forums.

For registrations and more details, please visit the link given below:

https://research.szabist-isb.edu.pk/irc/

For more information, contact:
Shaheed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST)
90 and 100 Clifton, Karachi 75600, Pakistan
Phone: (92-21) 111-922-478
Fax: (92-21) 35830446
Email: info@SZABIST.edu.pk

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AI That Works For All. An Opinion by IoBM’s CTO Dr. Imran Batada

Karachi, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):AI tools boost productivity by a high percentage. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are the future of work, and most people are actively using these tools to make it easy to perform certain tasks. AI is actively being used in different industries such as education, healthcare, real-estate, business, content writing and finance.

There are certain AI tools for language. ‘Poised’ is one such AI-powered platform that assists people in speaking confidently and with clarity. The application gives users real-time feedback on their choice of words – for example in an interview. They will also get a progress report over time. This way, they will know where they need to work harder.

‘Paper cup’ is another ideal AI tool that people can use to convert their text into other languages for better localization. ‘Native Chats’ is another AI-powered platform that lets business owners speak to their customers in their localized languages with fluency. There are AI tools for collaboration. ‘Pragma’ centralizes an organization’s knowledge base for easy reference. Also, it enhances the collaboration and sharing of various documents. It automates workflows and writing in real-time.

‘Sembly’ is another tool that works as a person’s assistant by recording, Analyzing, transcribing, and providing insights. ‘Sheet AI’ is another platform that people can use to boost their Google Sheets using extensive features and predictions.

Mem is another AI platform almost similar to Notion that organizes notes and workflows in real-time. It is an ideal platform for organizing workflows as it enables the seamless arrangement of work schedules and works based on categories. Modyfi is another AI tool that helps boost collaboration and simplifies the design processes. Finta is another platform that automates organizational workflow in real-time.

Third, there are certain AI tools for text automation into audio or video. Those who want to generate audio using text can use ‘Murf’ – one of the best AI tools. The voice will sound so natural and ultra-realistic. People can choose a female or male voice of any age. Synthesis is another ideal platform that people can use to transform plain text into videos in real-time.

Therefore, no one will require videographers to create simple videos. It can be a great marketing strategy. Luckily, it can be used to create videos in 120 languages. ‘Assembly AI’, another application, translates audio into text. Therefore, people can easily read it out instead of listening. ‘Super Creator’ is another tool that can be used to create short-form videos in real time.

Fourth, there are also certain AI tools for content creation. ‘Lex Page’ is an ideal platform for imitating writing tones. Writers will not have to worry when they face writer’s block. ‘Craftly’ is another great tool that is ideal for copywriting; people need to give instructions to the tool on the kind of writing they need and wait for great copy.

‘Texti’ is another useful platform that is ideal for use on browsers. It resembles ChatGPT and can be used to ask questions and get answers in real-time. For content managers, using ‘Word Tune’ would be quite valuable. It suggests alternative words that people can use in their text. For those who are lazy at writing, ‘Compose AI’ will be valuable. It finishes sentences like Gmail does when a person drafts emails.

Content managers can benefit fully from AI-powered technology. ‘Copy AI’ is another platform that can be used to generate content in real-time while ‘Ideas AI’ can be used to provide ideas that professionals can leverage in their businesses. ‘Texta’ is another AI tool that can help generate text within a short term. People need to input their ideas and get their work done almost immediately.

They are high-quality blog posts that will bring the right attention to your site. ‘Jasper’ and ‘in storied’ are popular AI tools that can be used to write posts, copywriting, and social posts.

Fifth, there are certain AI tools for image automation or creation. ‘Stock AI’ is an ideal platform that can be used to create stock photos. ‘DALL E 2’ is another platform that can be used to create images and art from text.

It is similar to ‘Stable Diffusion’ which also creates images based on some specific text. ‘Lexica’ features the images generated by Stable Diffusion. ‘Mirage’ is another platform that easily generates 3D images based on the prompts given.

‘Interior AI’ is another platform that designers can use for interior designing. It can be used for image rendering and can turn text into specific images. ‘Imglarger’, an AI tool, is ideal for editing, resizing, improving, and cleaning up images to make them look much better. ‘Flair’ is another platform that creates brand images for more originality.

Sixth, there are certain tools for monitoring websites and systems. ‘Browse’ is one of the AI tools dedicated to website owners or managers as it monitors competitors’ websites in real-time. ‘Com’ is another AI platform that is used to generate 100 pages optimized for specific-use cases.

It is like a website page analysis tool based on certain keywords or terms. ‘TimelyAI’ is another platform that allows you to organize your schedule using WhatsApp. ‘Nuclia’ is used to create a real-time search engine for your site, app, API, or extension.

Seventh, there are a couple of efficient AI marketing tools. Those who are poor at email writing, ‘Smart Writer’ is a perfect tool for you. The tool uses AI to understand people’s prospects and write personalized emails to them for more productivity.

You can also use the presentation AI tool to create presentations that you can even use in meetings. ‘Pencil’ is another AI tool that can be used to produce engagement-driven promotions within minutes. ‘Patent Pal’ is a platform that can be used to automate the mechanical writing required for a patent.

‘Mutiny’ is an AI platform that can be used to identify and A/B test your website or another platform. Finally, ‘Mintlify’ is an AI tool ideal for creating beautiful documentation that can be used by users in real time.

All these AI tools are ideal for use by anyone. However, you need to find a specific one for the tasks you want to undergo. Some of these tools are free to use while some are premium. People need to find an all-around platform that will make their work easier. The future is AI, and people need to find the perfect platform to automate their tasks. Therefore, try and research on the best tool for your tasks.

The writer is CTO and director, Centre of Information Technology at IoBM.

He tweets @imranbatada and can be reached at: Imran.batada@gmail.com

For more information, contact:
Institute of Business Management (IoBM)
Korangi Creek, Karachi, Pakistan
UAN: +92-21-111-002-004
Tel: +92-21-35090961-67
Fax: +92-21-35090968
Email: omer.iftikhar@iobm.edu.pk, mec@iobm.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iobm.edu.pk/

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Post-Cop27 Strategies for Pakistan Climate Financing and DE carbonization 

Islamabad, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):Pakistan is among the top countries that are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change while having an insignificant contribution in its causes. The COP27 meeting held in November 2022 made a breakthrough in deliverables including the initialization of loss and damage fund for the vulnerable countries.

Pakistan needs a strategy to improve environmental governance in order to enhance the effectiveness of climate financing and fostering it for adaptation measures. Moreover, exposure to the international climate financing markets is yet another necessity. Along with that, an interventional strategy is needed for improvements at the local, regional, national and international levels to mitigate and adapt the climate impact.

For more information, contact:
Outreach and Publications,
Institute of Policy Studies (IPS)
1, Street 8, F-6/3, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-8438391-3 (Ext: 122)
Fax: +92-51-8438390
Website: www.ips.org.pk

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To meet the furniture requirements in the university, a Furniture Manufacturing Unit has been established at BJC, IUB 

Bahawalpur, February 04, 2023 (PPI-OT):According to the vision of Vice Chancellor Islamia University Bahawalpur Engineer Professor Dr. Athar Mehboob, the university has established a furniture manufacturing unit taking a step forward towards the goal of self-sufficiency. High quality furniture is being produced in this furniture factory established in Baghdad Al-Jad Yad Campus.

The skilled craftsmen in the furniture factory are busy with their work and are working in day and night shifts to meet the furniture requirements of all the campuses of the university as soon as possible.

Bilal Ahmed Khan Lodhi, director of the furniture manufacturing unit, has said that furniture for all teaching and administrative departments will be produced in this furniture factory, which will be established under the direction of Vice Chancellor Engineer Professor Dr. Athar Mehboob will be saved.

Likewise, the furniture manufactured in this factory is world class. It will also lead to an increase in the income of the university by providing it to other institutions. He said that in this furniture factory, all the modern machines and tools have been provided for the production of furniture.

He said that the prices of furniture in the market have become very high at this time. The furniture produced by the university will be of better quality at lower cost. He said that the Vice-Chancellor is grateful to Engineer Prof. Dr. Athar Mehboob for not only making the university self-sufficient by solving the long-standing problem in the matter of furniture but also providing employment to skilled craftsmen.

For more information, contact:
The Islamia University of Bahawalpur (IUB)
University Chowk, Gulshan Colony, Bahawalpur,
Punjab – 63100, Pakistan
Tel: +92-62-9250235
Fax: +92-62-9250335
E-mail: info@iub.edu.pk
Website: https://www.iub.edu.pk/