Govt Assigns Acting Charge of NITB CEO to Faisal Iqbal Ratyal:
The Federal Government has assigned the acting charge of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Information Technology Board (NITB) to Faisal Iqbal Ratyal, Director General (Telecom) at the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication, for a period of three months.According to an official notification, the decision was made in line with the resolution passed by the NITB Board of Directors during its 9th meeting held on May 6, 2025. The appointment has been made under the National Information Technology Board (Appointment, Powers and Functions of Chief Executive Officer) Regulations, 2025, and takes immediate effect.
Charging in 1 Hour, Usage for 2 Days: realme C71 Revolutionizes Battery Standards with 6300mAh Powerhouse:
In an age where smartphones can barely last the day, realme is changing the game. The realme C71, which is turning heads for its most premium design and dynamic breathing light, now sets a new benchmark in battery innovation offering the first and largest battery in its price segment, a massive 6300mAh powerhouse. It charges in just an hour and keeps going for up to two full days.In an age where smartphones can barely last the day, realme is changing the game. The realme C71, which is turning heads for its most premium design and dynamic breathing light, now sets a new benchmark in battery innovation offering the first and largest battery in its price segment, a massive 6300mAh powerhouse. It charges in just an hour and keeps going for up to two full days.
vivo Y29 256GB Variant Now Available in Pakistan: A Powerful Combination of Long Battery, Extreme Durability & Iconic Style:
vivo is excited to announce the official launch of the vivo Y29 (256GB) variant in Pakistan, further strengthening its popular Y series lineup. The latest model offers a compelling combination of flagship-level battery life, smooth performance, durable build, and an elegant design.With two refined colour choices, Noble Brown and Elegant White, the Y29 continues vivo’s design legacy with a slim and stylish profile, enhanced by a Metallic High-Gloss Frame. The uniquely designed rear camera module includes Dynamic Light, which syncs with music and notifications, creating a lively, interactive experience. Additionally, the built-in Infrared Remote Control allows users to control TVs, air conditioners, and other home appliances from multiple brands, offering convenience for today’s connected households.
OpenAI’s New Codex AI Agent Can Do Coding Tasks for You:
OpenAI has officially released a research preview of Codex, a new AI coding agent built on a refined version of its o3 model architecture, tailored specifically for software engineering. The new Codex agent runs on Codex-1, a variant of the O3 model, optimized for writing cleaner code and following instructions with greater precision. Unlike previous AI assistants, Codex is capable of autonomously testing its outputs and iterating until the code passes. It operates in a sandboxed virtual machine environment hosted in the cloud and can integrate with GitHub to preload repositories, making it capable of completing tasks like bug fixes, test creation, or feature implementation within 1 to 30 minutes.
Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 Brings Much Faster CPU/GPU and Big Boost in AI Tasks:
Qualcomm has announced the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 (model SM7750-AB), the latest addition to its mid-range chipset lineup. The new system-on-chip is built on a 4nm process and succeeds the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 introduced in 2023. The updated platform brings measurable performance improvements across central processing, graphics rendering, and AI task handling.The Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 features a revised Kryo CPU architecture arranged in a 1+4+3 configuration. It includes a prime core operating at 2.8GHz, four performance cores at 2.4GHz, and three efficiency cores running at 1.8GHz. Qualcomm reports that the new layout results in a 27% improvement in CPU performance over its predecessor.
Xiaomi Shares Official Details for Its First Ever Smartphone SoC:
Xiaomi has confirmed the upcoming launch of its first self-developed smartphone chipset, marking a major step forward in the company’s effort to reduce reliance on third-party suppliers such as Qualcomm and MediaTek. In a statement shared on Weibo, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun officially revealed the name of the chip: Xuanjie O1 in Chinese and Xring O1 internationally. He also announced that the chipset will be formally unveiled later this month, positioning it as a significant step toward greater vertical integration in Xiaomi’s mobile hardware business.
Pakistan Reports Record Growth in Women’s Mobile Internet Use:
Pakistan has made significant progress in reducing the digital gender divide, as highlighted in the newly released GSMA Mobile Gender Gap Report 2025. The report reveals that Pakistan achieved the largest year-on-year reduction globally in the mobile internet gender gap, decreasing from 38% in 2023 to 25% in 2024 across 80 surveyed countries.The report notes that 2024 was a breakthrough year for digital gender inclusion in Pakistan. The shift was primarily driven by increased mobile internet adoption among rural women, while male adoption also rose by 7%. According to the data, 8 million women and 5 million men in Pakistan began using mobile internet services in 2024 alone.
PTA Warns Against Serious Security Flaws Found in GitLab:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued a cybersecurity advisory alerting organizations and developers to multiple high-risk vulnerabilities identified in GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE). The advisory warns that these flaws affect a wide range of GitLab versions, from 8.0 up to those released before 17.4.2, and pose a significant threat to information security.According to the PTA, two major vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-3441 and CVE-2024-5005, have been discovered in GitLab’s products. The first, CVE-2023-3441, involves insufficient security warnings when users are granted merge rights to protected branches, potentially increasing the risk of unauthorized changes in critical project code. The second, CVE-2024-5005, enables remote authenticated attackers to exploit the GitLab API, allowing the disclosure of sensitive project information such as templates.
OpenAI’s Upgraded ChatGPT 4.1 is Now Available to Users
OpenAI has officially launched its GPT-4.1 and GPT-4.1 mini models for ChatGPT users, the company announced Wednesday on X. The new models are now available to ChatGPT Plus, Pro, and Team subscribers, with GPT-4.1 mini also accessible to free-tier users.According to OpenAI spokesperson Shaokyi Amdo, GPT-4.1 offers improved capabilities for software development tasks, including writing and debugging code. Compared to GPT-4o, GPT-4.1 reportedly performs better at following instructions and executing reasoning tasks, while maintaining higher speed.
Fact Check: Your Steam Account is Safe and You Dont Need to Change Your Password:
Valve has confirmed that no breach of Steam systems has occurred following claims that a database of over 89 million Steam accounts was being sold on the dark web. The clarification comes after a post on LinkedIn, Underdark.ai, suggested that leaked data tied to Steam accounts was being offered for sale for $5,000, causing alarm among Steam users.In a public statement, Valve addressed the claims directly, stating “We have examined the leak sample and have determined this was NOT a breach of Steam systems.” The company explained that the data in question appears to be logs of old SMS messages sent to users for two-factor authentication (2FA) purposes. These messages contain temporary verification codes that expire within 15 minutes and are not linked to account credentials, payment details, or other personal data.
Zaheer Mehdi Joins Jazz as Group Head Corporate and Regulatory Affairs:
Zaheer Mehdi has joined Jazz as Group Head Corporate and Regulatory Affairs, effective June 16, 2025. In this role, he will also support governance across Jazz’s financial services entities — Mobilink Bank and JazzCash — as the company strengthens its institutional oversight and strategic preparedness.Zaheer brings over 30 years of experience in corporate banking, regulatory affairs, public policy, and financial services. Prior to joining Jazz, he served as Chief Government and Corporate Relations Officer at Engro Corporation, where he led regulatory advocacy and contributed to corporate strategy as part of the Executive Committee. His distinguished career includes senior roles at Standard Chartered, where he served as CEO of Standard Chartered Modaraba and Managing Director of Standard Chartered Bank, working closely with regulators, policymakers, and industry stakeholders.
One Person Arrested Amid Crackdown on CPID and Patched Phone Sellers:
In a significant crackdown on the illegal tampering, cloning, and sale of cloned mobile phone IMEIs, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Zonal Office Gilgit, in coordination with the FIA Cyber Crime Reporting Centre (CCRC) Gilgit, conducted a successful raid on a mobile phone repair shop at NLI Market, Gilgit City.During the raid, a laptop along with specialized software and hardware used for IMEI tampering and cloning was confiscated. One individual was arrested and taken into custody by the Cyber Crime Circle Gilgit for further legal action.PTA said it continues to maintain strict oversight against the illicit trade of tampered and cloned devices, which pose serious threats to public safety by enabling anonymous, untraceable communications. Such devices are often misused for cybercrimes, financial fraud, abductions, and other unlawful activities, it added.
Still booting after all these years: The people stuck using ancient Windows computers:
CTRL+ALT+DEL, but make it forever. As technology marches on, some people get trapped using decades-old software and devices. Here’s a look inside the strange, stubborn world of obsolete Windows machines. Earlier this year I was on my way to a checkup at a doctor’s office in New York City. As I rode up to the 14th floor, my eyes were drawn to a screen built into the side of the lift. Staring back was a glimpse into the history of computing. There, in a gleaming hospital full of state-of-the-art machines, was an error message from an operating system released almost a quarter of a century ago. The elevator was running Windows XP. This year marks the 50th anniversary of Microsoft. The company may not have the cultural cachet it did when that hospital lift was installed, but after a couple of decades playing catch-up Microsoft is back on top. The tech giant has been the first or second most valuable business on earth for the better part of five years. Today, Microsoft is betting on AI to carry it into the next generation of computing. But as it dumps tens of billions of dollars into bleeding-edge technology, some argue that one of Microsoft’s most enduring legacies may be the marks it left on society long ago.
Workers optimistic but overwhelmed by AI – study:
The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on the workplace is both game-changing and overwhelming for UK workers, a study has found. More than 4,500 people from almost 30 different employment sectors were polled as part of the research, which was commissioned by Henley Business School. It found that 56% of full-time professionals were optimistic about AI advancements, while 61% said they were overwhelmed by the speed at which the technology developed. Prof Keiichi Nakata, from Henley Business School, said the study showed many workers “don’t feel equipped” to use AI.Prof Nakata is director of AI at The World of Work Institute at the school, which is part of the University of Reading, and helps organisations get to grips with the technology.
Elton John brands government ‘losers’ over AI copyright plans:
Sir Elton John described the government as “absolute losers” and said he feels “incredibly betrayed” over plans to exempt technology firms from copyright laws. Speaking exclusively to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said if ministers go ahead with plans to allow AI firms to use artists’ content without paying, they would be “committing theft, thievery on a high scale”. This week the government rejected proposals from the House of Lords to force AI companies to disclose what material they were using to develop their programmes. A government spokesperson said that “no changes” to copyright laws would be “considered unless we are completely satisfied they work for creators”.
A letter from the M&S hackers landed in my inbox – this is what happened next:
Almost daily, my phone pings with messages from hackers of all stripes. The good, the bad, the not-so-sure. I’ve been reporting on cyber security for more than a decade, so I know that many of them like to talk about their hacks, findings and escapades. About 99% of these conversations stay firmly locked in my chat logs and don’t lead to news stories. But a recent ping was impossible to ignore. “Hey. This is Joe Tidy from the Media reporting on this Co-op news, correct?” the hackers messaged me on Telegram. “We have some news for you,” they teased.
M&S hackers believed to have gained access through third party:
The hackers behind a cyber-attack on Marks & Spencer (M&S) managed to gain entry through a third party who had access to its systems, the BBC understands. The cyber-attack, which happened in April, has caused millions of pounds of lost sales for M&S and left it struggling to get services back to normal, with online orders paused for more than three weeks. The supermarket declined to comment on the nature of the breach or these new details, saying “availability is now in a much more normal place with stores well stocked this weekend”. DragonForce – the name the criminals are using – previously told the BBC it was behind the attack and was also responsible for hacking the Co-op and an attempted hack on Harrods.
AI and cyber attack centre will be ‘leading force’:
A university’s new centre looking at the global rise in cyber attacks and artificial intelligence (AI) will be a leading force in the field, its director says. The Centre for Cyber Resilience and Artificial Intelligence (CYBRAI) opened at Wolverhampton University on Friday. It will focus on research into limiting cyber attacks and the growth in AI, bringing together academia, industry, and government to tackle the evolving digital challenges. Director Prof Zeeshan Pervez said the centre was the first to bring the two fields together.
Doom: One of gaming’s oldest series reckons with the challenges of 2025:
Few names are as synonymous with video games as Doom.
First launched in 1993, the first-person shooter (FPS) remains one of the most influential – and popular – series in the industry. But even it and its superhuman protagonist, The Doom Slayer, have to contend with the pressures of the games industry in 2025. Attracting new players, competing with the new titans on the scene and the rising cost of making – and selling – blockbuster titles. Media Newsbeat spoke to the project leaders of the latest instalment, Doom: The Dark Ages, about navigating some of these challenges.
The ‘space archaeologists’ hoping to save our cosmic history:
The infrastructure of humanity’s journey into space may only be decades old, but some of it has already been lost. A new generation of “space archaeologists” are scrambling to save what’s left. Space is being commercialised on a scale unseen before. Faced by powerful commercial and political forces and with scant legal protections, artefacts that tell the story of our species’ journey into space are in danger of being lost – both in orbit and down here on Earth. Like Stonehenge, these are irreplaceable artefacts and sites that have a timeless significance to humanity because they represent an essential stage in the evolution of our species. They are often also expressions of national pride because of the industrial and scientific effort needed to achieve them. Sometimes they are also memorials to those who died in the course of ambitious space programmes.