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Tesla factory in Germany halts production after suspected arson

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Tesla’s car factory in Berlin came to a standstill on Tuesday following a suspected arson attack in the vicinity. The incident occurred when an electricity pylon near the plant caught fire, resulting in power disruptions within the factory premises and neighboring towns. Despite ongoing protests by environmental activists against the factory’s expansion, they denied any involvement in the fire incident.

Although the fire did not reach Tesla’s factory itself, it caused damage to the electricity pylon and high-voltage wires nearby. The company took precautions by sending its workers home, ensuring the safety of its building. Authorities, including Brandenburg’s Interior Minister, emphasized the seriousness of the act of sabotage but urged against premature speculation regarding the perpetrators.

The situation has escalated against the backdrop of environmental concerns, with around 100 activists camping in the adjacent forest to protest against the factory’s expansion plans. Their primary objection revolves around the potential deforestation required for the expansion project. Despite assertions from environmental groups like Robin Wood denying any involvement in the fire, tensions remain high.

Tesla’s ambition to double the size of its only European plant is met with resistance from environmental activists. Currently, the factory produces approximately 500,000 cars annually, with plans for expansion aimed at doubling this output. However, the disruption caused by the recent incident has left production in limbo, with uncertainty surrounding when operations will resume.

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Binance chief Changpeng Zhao pleads guilty to money laundering charges

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Changpeng Zhao, the CEO of Binance, has stepped down from his position after pleading guilty to money laundering violations. In a statement on the platform X, Zhao acknowledged his mistakes, stating, “I made mistakes, and I must take responsibility. This is best for our community, for Binance, and for myself.”

The U.S. Justice Department has imposed penalties and forfeitures of $4.3 billion on Binance, citing the exchange’s involvement in helping users bypass sanctions worldwide. Binance is accused of facilitating transactions totaling nearly $900 million between U.S. and Iranian users, as well as enabling transactions involving users in Syria and the Russian-occupied Ukrainian regions of Crimea, Donetsk, and Luhansk.

The Justice Department highlighted Binance’s role in making it easy for criminals and terrorists to move money. It revealed that between August 2017 and April 2022, approximately $106 million in bitcoin was directly transferred to Binance.com wallets from Hydra, a popular Russian darknet marketplace associated with criminal activities.

As part of the settlement, Binance is now required to report suspicious activity to federal authorities, aiding criminal investigations into cybercrime and terrorism financing. Richard Teng, the head of regional markets at Binance, has been appointed as the new CEO.

Changpeng Zhao, a prominent figure in the cryptocurrency industry, expressed the emotional difficulty of letting go in his farewell post on X. Earlier in March, U.S. regulators sought to ban Binance, alleging illegal operations in the country. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) accused Binance of breaking U.S. financial laws, including rules against money laundering.

In June, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed another lawsuit against Binance, accusing the company and Zhao of disregarding investor protection rules to continue operating in the U.S. Binance vowed to defend itself vigorously against these allegations. The legal actions against Binance come amid increased scrutiny of the cryptocurrency industry by U.S. authorities.

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Apple to Release iPhone 12 Update in France Addressing Radiation Concerns

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Following concerns about radiation levels, France’s digital minister, Jean-Noel Barrot, has announced that Apple will release a software update for iPhone 12 users in the country.

Sales of the iPhone 12 were temporarily halted in France due to excessive electromagnetic radiation detected by regulators, prompting Apple to address the issue with a specific software update for French users. The update will undergo testing by the radio frequency regulator (ANFR) before the iPhone 12 can be reintroduced to the French market.

Apple maintains that the radiation concerns stem from France’s unique testing protocol and do not pose a safety risk. This development has raised questions about the iPhone 12’s status in other countries. The World Health Organization has previously stated that low-level electromagnetic fields emitted by mobile phones are not harmful to humans.

Apple intends to contest the ANFR’s review, providing lab results to support its compliance with global emissions regulations. However, this issue may have implications for other EU countries, as regulators in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany are now investigating similar concerns.

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Nvidia, Leading AI Chip Manufacturer, Witnesses Over 100% Growth in Sales

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Nvidia, a prominent technology company, has achieved record-breaking sales by more than doubling its revenue due to the surging demand for its artificial intelligence (AI) chips. The company reported revenue exceeding $13.5 billion (£10.6 billion) for the three months leading up to June. Furthermore, Nvidia anticipates a continued surge in sales during the present quarter and plans to repurchase $25 billion worth of its own stock.

In New York’s extended trading, Nvidia’s stock saw a boost of over 6.5%, adding to its substantial gains throughout the year. The company has also projected revenue of approximately $16 billion for the three months ending in September. This estimate significantly exceeds Wall Street’s predictions and translates to an impressive rise of about 170% in comparison to the same period last year.

Jensen Huang, Nvidia’s CEO, declared the dawn of a new computing era, emphasizing the global shift towards accelerated computing and generative AI among various companies. The standout performance was primarily driven by Nvidia’s data center division, which encompasses AI chips. The unit’s revenue exceeded $10.3 billion, marking a remarkable surge of over 170% from the previous year. This growth was attributed to the adoption of its next-generation processors by cloud computing service providers and major consumer internet companies.

Nvidia’s market value has soared to over $1 trillion this year, with its shares more than tripling in value. This accomplishment propelled Nvidia into the “Trillion Dollar Club,” joining the ranks of publicly traded US giants like Apple, Microsoft, Alphabet, and Amazon.

The increasing fascination with Nvidia’s success has been noted by experts. The company, previously recognized for producing graphics processing units for computer games, has now become a foundational player in the AI domain. It is reported that Nvidia’s hardware underpins the majority of AI applications, with an estimated 95% share in the machine learning market. Notably, technologies like ChatGPT, which relies on Nvidia’s graphics processing units for its training, are anticipated to reshape how computers are used and their role in society.

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ChatGPT banned in Italy over privacy concerns

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Italy has become the first Western nation to obstruct ChatGPT, an intelligent chatbot. The model, developed by US start-up OpenAI and supported by Microsoft, raised privacy issues, according to the Italian data protection authorities.

With “immediate effect,” the agency said it will forbid OpenAI and launch an investigation. Since its debut in November 2022, ChatGPT has been used by millions of users.

With the internet as it was in 2021 as its database, it can replicate different writing styles and respond to queries in a manner that is natural and human-like. It was included to Bing last month after Microsoft invested billions in it.

Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook will all have a version of the technology integrated into them, according to the company.

Concerns have been raised about the possible downsides of artificial intelligence (AI), including the threat it poses to employment and the spread of bias and false information. Elon Musk and other prominent industry heavyweights called for the suspension of these AI systems earlier this week over concerns that the race to develop them was out of control.

In addition to blocking OpenAI’s chatbot, the Italian watchdog declared that it will look into whether it complies with the General Data Protection Regulation. The GDPR sets rules for the collection, use, processing, and storage of personal data.

The data breach involved user communications and payment details, the watchdog reported on March 20.

It claimed that there was no legal justification for “the widespread collecting and storage of personal data for the purpose of ‘training’ the platform’s operating algorithms.”

It added that the software “exposes minors to utterly improper replies relative to their degree of development and knowledge” because there was no method to confirm the users’ ages.

Due to the same worries, Bard, Google’s competing artificial intelligence chatbot, is currently only accessible to select persons above the age of 18.

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 – responsible for upholding the fundamental right of individuals in the EU to have their personal data protected – 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.

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Bill Gates: AI is most important tech advance in decades

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The development of artificial intelligence (AI), according to Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, is the most significant technological achievement in decades.

He compared it to the development of the microprocessor, personal computer, Internet, and mobile phone in a blog post on Tuesday. According to him, it will alter how people work, learn, travel, access healthcare, and interact with one another.

He was discussing the technology behind programmes like ChatGPT, a chatbot. ChatGPT, an AI chatbot created by OpenAI, is built to respond to internet queries in a manner that is natural and human-like.

Microsoft, where Mr. Gates still serves as an advisor, made a multibillion dollar investment in the project’s team in January 2023. But it is not the only AI-powered chatbot available, with Google recently introducing rival Bard.

Mr. Gates claimed that since 2016, he has met with OpenAI, the group behind the artificial intelligence that drives chatbot ChatGPT.

Mr. Gates stated in his blog that he issued the OpenAI team a challenge to develop an AI that can pass an Advanced Placement (AP) Biology exam in 2022, which is roughly equivalent to an A-level exam. The challenge came with the strict requirement that the AI could not be specifically programmed to respond to questions in biology. A few months later, the findings were made public. According to him, the score was nearly perfect, with only one mark out of fifty being missed.

Mr. Gates claimed that after the test, he instructed the AI to compose a letter to a father of a sick child.

Mr Gates, who co-chairs the charitable Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, called on governments to work with industry to “limit the risks” of AI, but said the technology could be used to save lives.

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Quake-hit Turkey issues 113 building arrest warrants

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According to Turkish authorities, 113 arrest warrants have been issued in relation to the building of the structures that were destroyed by the earthquake on Monday. There have already been at least 12 people detained by Turkish police, including construction workers.

Rescue operations have been hampered in some areas due to protests in southern Turkey. More than 28,000 individuals have now been officially declared dead in Turkey and Syria.

More arrests are anticipated, but many will interpret the move as an effort to shift responsibility for the catastrophe in general.

Since many new buildings in Turkey are unsafe because of widespread corruption and government practises, experts have been warning about this for years.

In order to promote a construction boom, including in earthquake-prone areas, those rules permitted so-called amnesties for contractors who flouted building regulations.

The earthquake caused the collapse of thousands of buildings, prompting concerns about whether human error contributed to the severity of the natural disaster. After 20 years in office, the president’s future is in jeopardy as elections approach.

The United Nations’ top humanitarian official, who was in the Turkish province of Kahramanmaras on Saturday, called the earthquake the “worst occurrence in this region in 100 years.”

For the first time in 35 years, the Turkish-Armenian border crossing reopened on Saturday to permit the passage of aid.

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Technology Trending War

Ukraine hit by Russian missiles day after West’s offer of tanks

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A day after the US and Germany promised to provide tanks to support Kyiv in its fight against the invasion, Russia unleashed a barrage of missiles at Ukraine on Thursday.

According to the state’s emergency agency, 35 structures were hit across multiple locations, resulting in 11 fatalities and 11 injuries. It was noted that the Kyiv region had sustained the worst damage to residential buildings.

Additionally, two energy facilities in the Odesa region were struck, according to officials. Following the UK’s promise to send Challenger 2 battle tanks, the barrage occurred as Russia claimed it perceived the new military support as “direct” Western involvement in the conflict.

According to the commander of the Ukrainian army, Moscow launched 55 air and sea-based missiles in what was a protracted and extensive attack.

Following weeks of international pressure, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz committed to give Ukraine 14 Leopard 2 tanks the day before. They are frequently regarded as some of the best battle tanks on the market.

It’s anticipated that the heavy weapons will show up in late March or early April. Following this announcement, President Joe Biden overturned long-standing Pentagon claims that the US would not send 31 M1 Abrams battle tanks to the Ukrainian battlefield.

Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, welcomed the action but urged for the tanks to arrive quickly. He also urged the West to send fighter jets and long-range missiles.

But for tanks to be “game-changer”, 300 to 400 of them would be needed, an adviser to Ukraine’s defence minister told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

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Ed Sheeran releases tribute to friend Jamal Edwards on SBTV

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Nearly a year after Jamal Edwards’ passing, Ed Sheeran released a song called F64 in his honour. It was made available on Edwards’ music service SBTV, where Sheeran first found success more than a decade ago.

The video for the song was shot at Chelsea FC’s Stamford Bridge stadium because Edwards had been a lifetime supporter of the team. Brenda Edwards, the mother of the DJ and businesswoman, has also been advocating for greater CPR training in order to bring attention to her son’s passing.

In February 2022, Jamal Edwards, age 31, passed away from a heart arrhythmia after using recreational drugs.

Brenda Edwards said she was proud to continue on her son’s legacy and that he always helped people when speaking on BBC Radio 5Live on Thursday.

“It’s spurred me on to continue to do the same that he used to do – he had such a big heart and he was so giving to so many.

“I was honoured to have the time with Jamal, he inspired me on a daily basis and his legacy continues to inspire me and so many people,” she said.

On his YouTube music station SBTV, Jamal Edwards is credited for helping to start the careers of Dave, Jessie J, and Sheeran.

He offered guidance and funding for the creation of music and videos for up-and-coming musicians.

Early in Sheeran’s career, Edwards supported his music, and in 2010, he uploaded a performance video to YouTube.

Stuart Camp, who is now his manager, noticed it and gave him a record deal with Atlantic.

Sheeran raps about spending more than a week with Brenda Edwards after Jamal died in his freestyle song, which has a language advisory.

With Jamal’s name written out on stadium seats visible in the background, the 31-year-old Grammy Award winner is illuminated in the stadium by a circle of candles.

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Ukraine Invasion: Facebook Access Restricted by Russia

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During the invasion of Ukraine, Russia has restricted access to Facebook due to the platform’s stance on the accounts of several Moscow-backed news outlets. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s communications regulator, accused the network of “censorship” and violating “Russian citizens’ rights and freedoms.”

Facebook stated that it would not stop fact-checking and labelling content from state-owned news outlets. The announcement came just one day after Russia launched its attack on Ukraine. It’s unclear what the regulator restrictions mean or how much Facebook parent company Meta’s other platforms – WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram – are affected. The regulator had demanded that Facebook remove the restrictions it imposed on state news agency RIA, state TV channel Zvezda, and pro-Kremlin news sites Lenta.Ru and Gazeta.Ru on 24th February.

Many state-owned Russian media outlets have painted a largely positive picture of Russia’s military advances in Ukraine, describing the invasion as a “special military operation” forced on Moscow. On 24th February, Meta announced the establishment of a “special operations centre” to monitor content related to the Ukrainian conflict.

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