Yango Pakistan Colleagues Hit the Road as Part of Company’s ‘Go to the Fields’ Initiative:
Yango Pakistan, part of the global technology company Yango Group, is setting a new standard for how businesses connect with their communities and improve services in the country. For the first time in Pakistan, Yango introduced its global “Go to the Fields” initiative, placing executives on the frontlines of urban mobility to better understand the experiences of partner drivers and passengers. The program began in Karachi and Islamabad, where senior leadership spent a full day riding with partners and observing operations firsthand. “Go to the Fields” is the first program of its kind in Pakistan, designed to capture direct feedback from drivers and passengers and transform it into practical improvements. The insights gathered will help elevate service quality, strengthen safety measures, and ensure a closer alignment with local mobility needs.
Infinix Just Launched a $340 Android Tablet With Both WiFi and 4G:
Infinix has added a new device to its tablet lineup with the launch of the Xpad 20 Pro. The tablet first appeared in certification listings a month ago and has now officially debuted in Thailand, but it should hopefully roll out to more regions soon.The Xpad 20 Pro features a 12-inch IPS LCD with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 pixels. It supports a 90Hz refresh rate and reaches a peak brightness of 450 nits. The device is housed in a 6.58mm thick chassis and includes quad speakers. Color options include Titanium Grey and Mist Blue.
95% of Flood-Affected Telecom Sites Restored Nationwide:
Heavy rains and floods have disrupted telecommunications across the country, with 4,349 telecom sites reported affected. According to sources in the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), services at 4,137 of these sites have already been restored. Restoration work on the remaining 212 sites is currently underway.All 212 sites still out of service are located in Punjab, where waterlogging has created challenges for restoration efforts. The flooding has caused power outages and technical issues in the power supply to the telecom infrastructure, slowing down the recovery process.
Pakistan’s Local Mobile Manufacturing Surged by 123% in July:
As per the latest data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), local mobile companies manufactured/assembled 3.59 million units during July 2025, up 123% YoY and 64% MoM. This growth is attributable to low base effects. According to a report by Topline Research, the year-on-year growth stems from a low base in July 2024, when sales declined due to excessive pre-buying in June 2024 ahead of expected changes in the budget. Similarly, the monthly growth is driven by a low base in June 2025, when supply chain disruptions amid regional conflicts reduced volumes to 2.19 million units.
PTA and NCCIA Crack Down on Illegal SIM Activations in Karachi:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), working with the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), has intensified enforcement against illegal SIM activation in Karachi, following a complaint filed by PTA’s Zonal Office. Acting on the complaint, NCCIA raided a telecom franchise in Al Falah Society, Shah Faisal Colony, seizing suspected devices and arresting three people, including the franchise owner and manager. An FIR has been registered and investigations are ongoing, according to officials familiar with the operation.
InnoVista Announces Agentic AI Hackathon 2025 With Rs. 1.7 Million Prize Money:
InnoVista, an arm of SIFC, announced the Agentic AI Hackathon, which is expected to bring together over 500 participants across five major cities to develop innovative AI-powered solutions for exciting challenges.With expert mentorship, access to cloud resources, and Rs. 1.7 million in prizes, the hackathon is set to become a launchpad for Pakistan’s next generation of AI talent and startups in partnership with Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA and Systems Limited.) The hackathon will demonstrate how Agentic AI can drive measurable impact in key sectors like agriculture, financial inclusion, climate resilience, and public health. The event will bring together participants to design over 100 AI-powered prototypes tackling some of Pakistan’s most pressing challenges, including: AgriTech – AI for crop yield prediction, smart irrigation, and supply chain optimization. FinTech – AI for financial inclusion, fraud detection, and digital banking innovation. Public Health – AI for disease prediction, telemedicine, and efficient hospital systems. Climate Change – AI for renewable energy, carbon footprint tracking, and climate adaptation strategies. Open Innovation – Exploratory AI applications in education, e-commerce, mobility, and more.
ROX Shapes a New Era of Youth Engagement Through Football, Arts, and Lifestyle:
ROX, the next-generation lifestyle app by Jazz, Pakistan’s leading digital operator, has announced two landmark partnerships designed to energize Pakistan’s youth culture. By joining forces with Smurfs Football Academy, premier sports institute, and Club 432, Karachi’s leading creative arts hub, ROX is merging sports, arts, and technology into a unified youth lifestyle experience. Through its collaboration with Smurfs Football Academy, ROX will introduce Liga Smurfia, a nationwide youth football tournament that will provide young athletes with structured opportunities to compete, develop their skills, and showcase their talent. Registration, match schedules, and event engagement will be managed seamlessly via the ROX app, which will also offer exclusive discounts to participants and supporters.
One Model in the iPhone 17 Series Will Get a Price Hike:
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 17 lineup has been the subject of pricing speculation in recent weeks. However, a new research note from JPMorgan suggests that the impact may not be as significant as initially feared.According to the report, the iPhone 17 Pro is expected to be priced $100 higher than its predecessor, bringing the base model to $1,199. However, this version will come with 256GB of storage, double the 128GB offered in the base iPhone 16 Pro. As such, the price hike may not represent an actual cost increase for consumers opting for equivalent storage.
10 New Updates Coming to the iPhone 17 Pro:
Apple is set to unveil the iPhone 17 lineup at its upcoming “Awe Dropping” event on September 9, with the iPhone 17 Pro models receiving several noteworthy changes over the iPhone 16 Pro series. While the iPhone 17 Air is expected to grab attention as the new ultra-slim variant, the iPhone 17 Pro is also getting updates in design, hardware, and camera capabilities.
Ignite Gears Up for Establishment of 9th National Incubation Center in Sialkot:
Ignite National Technology Fund has extended the deadline for firms to submit proposals for the establishment and management of the National Incubation Center (NIC) Sialkot, setting September 9, 2025, as the new closing date.The evaluation process will be carried out in two stages, with a committee first reviewing technical bids before moving on to the financial proposals of qualified firms. The highest-ranked bidder, determined on the basis of weighted technical and financial scores, will be awarded the contract following negotiations. An official announcement will be made at least two weeks before the contract is finalized.
Researchers Tricked ChatGPT Into Breaking Its Own Rules With Manipulation:
A new study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania has revealed that AI language models, including OpenAI’s GPT-4o Mini, can be manipulated to bypass their built-in safety protocols with some peer pressure and flattery. The researchers applied seven well-established persuasion techniques from psychologist Robert Cialdini’s book Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion. These included authority, commitment, liking, reciprocity, scarcity, social proof, and unity, methods often used in human social interaction to influence behavior.
Apple iPhone 17 May Not Have a SIM Card Slot:
Apple could be preparing to remove the physical SIM card slot from its upcoming iPhone 17 series in the European Union. The change would follow a similar move made in the US, starting with the iPhone 14.According to a report citing a source familiar with the matter, Apple Authorized Reseller employees across the EU have been instructed to complete training related to eSIM functionality by September 5. The timing closely precedes the anticipated iPhone 17 launch event on September 9, suggesting that eSIM-only iPhones may be introduced in the European market.
World’s largest sports piracy site shut down by police:
The world’s biggest destination for illegal streams of live sports events has been shut down, according to a leading anti-piracy group. The Alliance for Creativity and Entertainment (ACE) said on Wednesday it had teamed up with police in Egypt to close down Streameast, which had been visited more than 1.6 billion times in the past year. It allowed millions to access pirated streams of sports such as Premier League football matches, Formula One races and Major League Baseball games. ACE chairman Charles Rivkin said it was a “resounding victory in its fight to detect, deter, and dismantle criminal perpetrators of digital piracy”.
AI-assisted firm plans eight-storey block of flats:
A firm is seeking planning approval to build an eight-storey complex of 12 flats in north Guernsey. Island Land says it uses a mixture of artificial intelligence (AI) and planning experience to create “development opportunities” on brownfield and commercial sites, and obtains planning permission and helps landowners sell sites to building firms. One of its first projects is One Bridge Avenue, which would be built on the site of an existing two-storey office building at the Bridge. Co-founder Oliver Brock said the firm worked on a no-win-no-fee basis. Fellow co-founder Simon Bone said planning fees could cost “tens or hundreds of thousands of pounds” increasing the risk for property owners.
Creator of Charli XCX Apple dance settles Roblox lawsuit:
The TikToker behind the viral Apple dance has settled a lawsuit against Roblox. Influencer Kelley Heyer had accused the online platform of copying her choreography, inspired by the Charli XCX song of the same name, without her permission. Her legal team claimed Roblox had made $123,000 (£93,000) from selling the moves as an emote – a celebratory animation used by players Court papers filed in the US this week said that Kelley and the Roblox Corporation had agreed to dismiss the case, and a joint statement quoted by Billboard said both sides had “amicably resolved” the issue.
Google told to pay $425m in privacy lawsuit:
A US federal court has told Google to pay $425m (£316.3m) for breaching users’ privacy by collecting data from millions of users even after they had turned off a tracking feature in their Google accounts. The verdict comes after a group of users brought the case claiming Google accessed users’ mobile devices to collect, save and use their data, in violation of privacy assurances in its Web & App Activity setting. They had been seeking more than $31bn in damages. “This decision misunderstands how our products work, and we will appeal it. Our privacy tools give people control over their data, and when they turn off personalisation, we honour that choice,” a Google spokesperson told the Media.
Lost in translation – How Africa is trying to close the AI language gap:
Although Africa is home to a huge proportion of the world’s languages – well over a quarter according to some estimates – many are missing when it comes to the development of AI. This is both an issue of a lack of investment and readily available data. Most AI tools, such as Chat GPT, used today are trained on English as well as other European and Chinese languages. These have vast quantities of online text to draw from. But as many African languages are mostly spoken rather than written down, there is a lack of text to train AI on to make it useful for speakers of those languages.
M&S hackers claim to be behind Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack:
A group of young English-speaking hackers are claiming to be behind the cyber attack which has halted the global production lines of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The group is bragging about the hack on the messaging app Telegram, sharing screenshots apparently taken from inside the car maker’s IT networks. The gang is also responsible for a wave of cyber attacks on UK retailers including M&S in the spring – and are calling themselves “Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters”. “Where is my new car, Land Rover,” the hackers – who are thought to be teens – posted to taunt the company.
Luigi Mangione’s likeness used to model shirt on Shein:
Fast-fashion giant Shein has launched an investigation after an image of Luigi Mangione – accused of murdering UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in New York last year – was used to model a shirt. An image with his likeness, which appeared to show him wearing a white, short-sleeved shirt, appeared on the fast-fashion website until its removal. It is thought the product he appeared to be modelling was on sale for just under $10 (£7.50). A spokesperson from Shein told The Media : “The image in question was provided by a third-party vendor and was removed immediately upon discovery.
Family of dead teen say ChatGPT’s new parental controls not enough:
A lawyer representing a California couple who are suing ChatGPT-maker OpenAI over the death of their 16-year-old son has criticised the popular chatbot’s new parental controls.
The firm has introduced new rules in the wake of the family’s allegations that ChatGPT encouraged their child to take his own life. OpenAI said parents of teenage users will soon be able to receive a notification if the platform thinks their child is in “acute distress”, among other parental controls. But Jay Edelson, a lawyer representing the family, said the announcement was “OpenAI’s crisis management team trying to change the subject” and called for the chatbot to be taken down.
US revokes TSMC’s licence on China-bound tech:
Washington has pulled Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company’s (TSMC) authorisation to freely ship advanced technology from the US to China, the company said. The block potentially disrupts the chip giant’s manufacturing capabilities in China, which produces older-generation devices. Washington made a similar move with South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix last week, making it harder for the companies to ship American products for their Chinese factories.
Government unable to calculate Afghan data breach cost, watchdog says:
The government is unable to calculate the total cost of a secret relocation plan it set up following the Afghan data leak, the public spending watchdog has said. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) estimates the cost of the massive data breach – and setting up a new scheme to relocate those whose lives might be at risk over it – to be £850m. But the National Audit Office (NAO) says the MoD has not provided enough evidence to give it confidence in that figure, which does not include legal expenses, or compensation claims likely to follow.
Google avoids break-up but must share data with rivals:
Google will not have to sell its Chrome web browser but must share information with competitors, a US federal judge has ordered. The remedies decided by District Judge Amit Mehta have emerged after a years-long court battle over Google’s dominance in online search. The case centred around Google’s position as the default search engine on a range of its own products such as Android and Chrome as well as others made by the likes of Apple. The US Department of Justice had demanded that Google sell Chrome – Tuesday’s decision means the tech giant can keep it but it will be barred from having exclusive contracts and must share search data with rivals.