Yango Group Showcases Its SuperApp at Pakistan Largest Tech Conference ITCN Asia 2025:
Yango Group, global tech company, marked a major milestone at ITCN Asia 2025, Pakistan’s largest technology conference, by unveiling its SuperApp and offering visitors a live demonstration of its evolving digital ecosystem. Having set up a physical booth at the VIP lounge, Yango’s SuperApp brought together Ride, Delivery, Shops, Tech, Ads and a suite of B2B activities under one umbrella, redefining how people interact with mobility in the digital ecosystem of Pakistan. The exhibition at ITCN Asia allowed visitors to experience firsthand the convenience, speed, and breadth of services, now accessible through the Yango app.
Pakistani Doctor Passes Away 30 Minutes Before Undergoing Liver Transplant in US:
Dr. Maryam Shoukat, a 27-year-old Pakistani physician pursuing her residency in the United States, passed away just half an hour before undergoing a life-saving liver transplant. Earlier this month, Dr. Maryam was admitted to Rutgers University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, after suffering acute liver failure. Her condition deteriorated rapidly, and doctors stressed that an urgent transplant was her only chance of survival.
Realme Watch 5 Launches at Just $75 with 14-Day Battery Life and IP68 Protection:
The Realme Watch 5, which surfaced in leaks earlier this month, has now been made official and is listed on Realme’s official website. The smartwatch features a 460 mAh battery, promising up to 14 days of use on a single charge. As expected, it runs on Realme’s proprietary software rather than Google’s Wear OS, which helps extend its battery performance.
Pakistan is Officially Getting WiFi 7:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has approved the adoption of Wi-Fi 7 and subsequent Wi-Fi generations within the 6 GHz band (5925–6425 MHz). In a statement, the regulator said the approval aligns with parameters earlier set for Wi-Fi 6E and marks a major step forward in advancing the country’s digital connectivity. According to PTA, the move places Pakistan among the early adopters of Wi-Fi 7 in the Asia-Pacific region. The development is expected to deliver faster, more reliable connectivity across multiple sectors, strengthening Pakistan’s digital transformation agenda.
Durability Test Shows the iPhone Air is Surprisingly Durable:
Allstate Protection Plans has conducted a series of drop and bend tests on Apple’s new iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone Air to evaluate how the redesigned devices hold up under stress. The results provide insight into their real-world durability and how they compare with industry standards. During bend testing, the iPhone 17 Pro withstood more than 90 kilograms of pressure before deforming, while the thinner iPhone Air bent at 86 kilograms of pressure, which is a lot for a phone as thin as the Air. Despite the difference, both devices continued functioning after the stress test. Testers noted that the applied force exceeds any pressure likely encountered in everyday use, confirming the resilience of the new frame, particularly in the iPhone Air, which measures just 5.6 millimeters in thickness.
Netflix and Amazon Prime Will Not Be Censored in Pakistan Thanks to Court Decision:
The Lahore High Court (LHC) has dismissed a petition seeking regulation of streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, ruling that existing laws do not cover digital services of this nature. Justice Raheel Kamran Shaikh issued a 20-page written verdict on Thursday in response to the petition filed by a private company. The Punjab government, represented by Assistant Advocate General Muhammad Usman Khan, opposed the plea.
Xiaomi Pad 8 Brings PC-Level Power at Just $310:
Xiaomi has expanded its product lineup with the launch of the Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro tablets, unveiled alongside the Xiaomi 17 series. Both models share a similar design but differ in performance, camera systems, and charging speeds. These tablets have been announced in China, but should reach the global market later on.The Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro feature an 11.2-inch LCD with a 3.2K resolution, 800 nits peak brightness, and a 144Hz refresh rate. The screens support HDR10, HDR Vivid, and Dolby Vision, while a Matte edition with AG texture coating reduces reflections by up to 70%.
Google’s “Help Me Edit” Feature Breaks Free from Pixel Phones, Now Rolling Out to Other Android Devices:
Google’s Pixel 10 series introduced an AI-powered conversational editing tool in Photos, allowing users to make edits by describing them through voice or text. The feature was exclusive to Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold. It is now rolling out to eligible Android devices beyond the Pixel 10 lineup. Eligible users will see a “Help me edit” button in the Photos editor. After tapping it, users can describe the changes they want using their voice or text, and Gemini applies the edit. The tool supports:
Xiaomi 17 Launched As the First Phone With Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for $630:
Xiaomi has officially unveiled the Xiaomi 17, the first smartphone to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Alongside this performance leap, the device introduces a massive 7,000 mAh battery, faster charging capabilities, and a refined design. These updates place the Xiaomi 17 among the most advanced flagship devices of 2025. For now, the phone has only been launched in China with a global rollout expected later on. The Xiaomi 17 carries a flat aluminum frame and an IP68 rating, ensuring protection against both dust and water. On the front, the phone is equipped with a 6.3-inch LTPO OLED display, offering a resolution of 1,220 x 2,656 pixels and a dynamic refresh rate that ranges from 1Hz to 120Hz.
Xiaomi 17 Pro Series With Dual Screens Teaches Apple What a 2025 Flagship Phone Should Be:
Xiaomi has officially introduced its latest flagship smartphones, the Xiaomi 17 Pro and Xiaomi 17 Pro Max, in China. These two devices stand out not only for their cutting-edge hardware but also for their innovative rear-mounted secondary displays, designed to unlock creative use cases such as main-camera selfies, quick notifications, and even retro gaming. The Xiaomi 17 Pro features a 2.7-inch secondary screen with a resolution of 904 × 572 pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 3,500 nits. Positioned alongside the main camera module, this screen allows users to take selfies with the rear cameras, control music, check notifications, handle calls, and set timers.
Technology: The Relentless Engine of Transformation:
Forget what you thought you knew about technology. It’s no longer just a tool in the background; it’s the engine that rewrites the universal rules. The world has digitized everything—cash, commerce, entertainment, even our conversations reduced to a single emoji. But this is just a warm-up act.Look around: driverless cars navigating streets, paperless systems streamlining airports, AI agents resolving complaints in seconds without human involvement. These aren’t futuristic experiments. It’s here, today, making decisions and creating value on a scale we’ve never seen, proving that technology no longer just supports the world around us, rather it’s the primary driver of transformational growth and change.
PayFast and Askari Bank Partner to Advance Digital Payment Innovation in Pakistan:
In a strategic step towards enhancing the digital financial landscape of Pakistan, PayFast, a State Bank of Pakistan-licensed fintech, and Askari Bank, one of the country’s leading commercial banks, have signed a partnership agreement to launch a white-label checkout solution that makes use of Raast for easier payments. The signing ceremony, held at Askari Bank’s Digital Innovation Lab at NSTP, NUST in Islamabad, marks the beginning of a forward-looking collaboration aimed at delivering secure, customizable, and seamless digital payment experiences to businesses and consumers nationwide.
Can anyone become an influencer? Three people with zero followers find out:
Social media is a minefield. It’s a place where people battle for likes, fight to be noticed, risk being cancelled and dream of going viral overnight. For a lucky few, it’s a lucrative career path – the creator economy is expected to be worth almost $500bn (£372bn) by 2027 – but for most, it’s a confusing and unforgiving space where the algorithm decides who gets seen and who stays invisible.
‘You’ll never need to work again’: Criminals offer reporter money to hack BBC:
Like many things in the shadowy world of cyber crime, an insider threat is something very few people have experience of.
Even fewer people want to talk about it. But I was given a unique and worrying experience of how hackers can leverage insiders when I myself was recently propositioned by a criminal gang. “If you are interested, we can offer you 15% of any ransom payment if you give us access to your PC.” That was the message I received out of the blue from someone called Syndicate who pinged me in July on the encrypted chat app Signal.
‘A million jobs in London could be changed by AI’:
Artificial Intelligence may be the key to transforming the workplace – but how could it affect you? If your job involves repetitive or automated tasks the impact could be significant.
Research has suggested nearly a million jobs in London could be changed by AI, affecting more than 200,000 telemarketers, 150,000 bookkeepers and more than 95,000 data entry specialists. The research from online CV company LiveCareer UK, indicated other jobs at risk include fast food and warehouse workers, retail cashiers, paralegals and proof readers. Consultancy firm McKinsey agreed, and said the number of adverts for jobs vulnerable to AI’s impact is down 38% compared to three years ago.
Disabled TikToker shows she is ‘normal teen girl’:
A girl who shares her life living with a disability on TikTok said “being judged doesn’t scare me anymore” after receiving praise and thanks from other disabled teenagers. Maya Czerminska, who lives near Milton Keynes, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 (SMA) – a genetic muscular disorder causing progressive muscle weakness. The 17-year-old began making videos in 2022 as a hobby but has slowly taken it more seriously. She said: “I wanted to start posting on social media because I didn’t see many people like me. I thought if I felt that way then other people must feel that way too.”
Swiss vote on electronic identity cards for second time:
A referendum in Switzerland to decide whether to introduce electronic identity cards has taken place, with initial projections suggesting voters are evenly split. It is the second nationwide ballot on the issue, after the idea was rejected in 2021 over data protection concerns and unease over the proposed system being largely run by private firms. Under the revised proposal, the new system would remain entirely optional and in public hands, with data stored on users’ smartphones rather than centrally. It comes as the UK government this week announced plans to introduce its own digital ID as part of efforts to curb the number of illegal migrants living and working in the country.
Harrods says customers’ data stolen in IT breach:
Luxury department store Harrods has warned customers their personal data may have been taken in an IT systems breach. It said information like names and contact details of some online customers was taken from the systems of a third-party provider. Harrods described the breach in an email sent to customers on Friday evening as an “isolated incident”, and that no passwords or payment details were taken. It said in a statement: “The third party has confirmed this is an isolated incident which has been contained, and we are working closely with them to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken. We have notified all relevant authorities.”
Nursery hackers threaten to publish more children’s profiles online:
Hackers holding pictures and private data of thousands of nursery children and their families to ransom say they will publish more information online unless they are paid. Criminals calling themselves Radiant hacked the Kido nursery chain and posted profiles of 10 children online on Thursday and a further 10 on Friday. They have also published the private data of dozens of employees including names, addresses, national insurance numbers and contact details.
Kido has not responded to the BBC’s requests for comment. But it is working with the authorities and the Met Police is investigating.
‘It reinforced the idea that anything can happen’: The glitch in Super Mario Bros that obsessed gamers:
Forty years ago, the series’ original game was released by Nintendo. As well as trying to complete it, fans were desperate to access a secret world that became legendary. Today, video gamers are always looking for the unexpected when they sit down to play. All the biggest titles feature easter eggs, secret areas, intentional “glitches” and other surprises woven into their expansive worlds: see, for example, Ubisoft’s 2011 racing game Driver: San Francisco, where driving a Delorean (of Back to the Future fame) at 88mph will unlock a secret level called Blast From the Past, and The Sims 4 (2014), where typing in “motherlode” as a “cheat code” will instantly add a flood of money to your budget.
The 3,000-year-old story hidden in the @ sign:
In Taiwan they call @ “little mouse”. It’s “dog” in Russian, “strudel” in Hebrew and “monkey’s tail” in Dutch. The @ sign is a mirror, and its story goes back thousands of years. In 2010, Paola Antonelli, senior curator of architecture and design at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), made a bold choice. “I wanted to have an exhibition of objects that shows everybody can have a museum-quality exhibition in their drawer. It includes the Post-it Note, M&Ms, the paper clip, the OXO Good Grips [a popular series of kitchen tools], objects that are so embedded in our lives and work so well that we don’t even notice them anymore,” she says.
The airliner pilot who gets to fly World War Two’s biggest bomber:
The Commemorative Air Force in the US flies the only two airworthy Boeing B-29s, the most expensive weapon of World War Two. One pilot tells BBC Future what it feels like to fly them. They are two of the most celebrated aircraft still flying today. The two Boeing B-29s flown by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) in the US are the last airworthy examples of nearly 4,000 built in the mid-1940s, the largest bomber in the world at that time and a design which pushed aviation technology to the limit. The aircraft, nicked “Fifi” and “Doc” by the CAF, take part in airshows across the US during the summer, where aviation fans can pay to ride along in 30-minute-long demonstration flights.