New office for AI to ‘explore opportunities’:
Establishing an office focusing on Artificial Intelligence aims to “balance the opportunity” of the technology with “making sure it is used appropriately”, the executive heading up the project has said. The government has launched the National Office for Artificial Intelligence (AI), which aims to educate people on the tool, and empower businesses and individuals to utilise it. Establishing the office has seen £1m drawn down from the Economic Strategy Fund, which would be used for training, awareness, literacy and engagement with industry. Chief executive of Digital Isle of Man, Lyle Wraxall, said it was important to “make sure people know how to use AI responsibly and ethically”.
Honor’s New Slim Phone Destroys The iPhone Air in Every Way While Being Cheaper:
It seems that every slim phone coming out lately is acting like an insult to the iPhone Air.Ultra-thin smartphones are usually built around design first, with compromises in battery size, camera flexibility, and charging speeds. The Honor Magic8 Pro Air takes a different approach, offering several practical advantages over the iPhone Air while maintaining a slim and lightweight form factor.
Here’s Why Your Mobile Packages Are 50% More Expensive Now:
The federal government has acknowledged that mobile phone operators increased the prices of their monthly packages by up to 50% during the current financial year, the Senate was informed on Monday. The minister attributed the price hikes to multiple economic pressures faced by the telecom sector. She said fuel prices surged by 158 percent between March 2021 and May 2024, inflation rose by 77 percent, and the Pakistani rupee depreciated by 44 percent against the US dollar. She also pointed out that the policy rate increased by 214 percent, significantly raising financing costs for telecom operators.
Crypto to Enter Formal Economy Under Pakistan’s First Virtual Assets Framework: Advisor:
Advisor to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said that “Digital Nation Pakistan 2025” is not just a project but a comprehensive vision aimed at transforming Pakistan into a digitally empowered nation. Through the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA), crypto holders will have the opportunity to participate in the formal digital economy. Tax incentives are also being developed, with various options under discussion.
FBR Announces Massive Reduction in ‘PTA Tax’ for 4 Imported Phone Brands:
The Directorate General of Customs Valuation Karachi has fixed new customs values for the import of 62 types of old and used branded mobile phones, aiming to align duties with prevailing international market prices. In this regard, the directorate issued Valuation Ruling No. 2035 of 2026 on Monday.
JazzWorld and UBL Execute Pakistan’s Largest PKR 75 Billion Interest Rate Swap Transaction:
JazzWorld, Pakistan’s leading integrated digital ServiceCo, has successfully executed a PKR 75 billion Interest Rate Swap (IRS) transaction with United Bank Limited (UBL), marking the largest interest rate swap ever concluded in Pakistan. The landmark transaction represents a significant advancement for Pakistan’s financial markets and reflects JazzWorld’s disciplined, forward-looking approach to financial risk management.
Realme Shows Off Bold New Design for 10,000mAh P4 Power:
Realme has shared new details about its upcoming P4 Power smartphone, which is set to launch in India. The device will feature a 10,000mAh battery and a design co-created with students from Pearl Academy. Realme said the P4 Power is the first smartphone to feature its new TransView design language. The rear panel uses a dual-tone finish, with a matte texture on the lower half and a semi-transparent section on the upper portion.
Realme Neo8 Goes Big on Battery as Key Specs Are Officially Confirmed:
Realme has officially confirmed several details about its upcoming Neo8 smartphone just days before its launch. The device is scheduled to debut on January 22 in China and will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor.Through a series of posts on Weibo, Realme confirmed that the Neo8 will feature an 8,000mAh battery, which is 1,000mAh larger than the battery used in the Neo7.
A Fan-Favorite Gaming Brand Is Officially Exiting the Phone Market:
Asus has officially confirmed that it is moving away from the smartphone business, following earlier reports that suggested the company would not launch any new phones this year. Asus chairman Jonney Shih confirmed that the company is not planning any new smartphone releases. He made the statement during a special event gala held at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
China’s New Groundbreaking Machine Can Generate 2000x More Gravity Than Earth:
China has unveiled a new hypergravity research machine capable of generating forces nearly two thousand times stronger than Earth’s gravity, according to a report shared cited from Futurism.The machine, known as CHIEF1900, was built at the Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility at Zhejiang University in eastern China. It allows researchers to examine how extreme gravitational forces affect materials, plants, cells, and other structures, the South China Morning Post reported.
Is Pakistan Considering Restrictions on GROK?:
This piece takes the opportunity to surface a growing and increasingly urgent debate around AI accountability, digital harm, and online safety. Last week, Malaysia and Indonesia took action against Grok, the AI chatbot integrated into X, following the viral spread of an “undress” trend that enabled users to generate sexually altered images of real individuals. Policy discussions and investigations are also reportedly underway in the United Kingdom, India, and Australia, signalling a broader global reckoning around AI-enabled visual manipulation. Pakistan has not announced any formal move to restrict or ban Grok, but the international trajectory raises important questions for local regulators, platforms, and civil society.
Meta’s Threads is Once Again Making a Huge Comeback Against X:
Meta’s Threads is now seeing higher daily usage on mobile devices than X, according to a report from market intelligence firm Similarweb. While X continues to lead on the web, Threads has recorded steady growth in daily active users on its iOS and Android apps over recent months.Similarweb data shows that Threads reached 141.5 million daily active users on iOS and Android as of January 7, while X recorded 125 million daily active users on mobile platforms. The increase follows months of sustained growth for Threads.
World-Renowned Surgeon-Scientist Dr. Adil Haider Appointed Inaugural Chief AI Officer at CI MED:
Dr. Adil Haider, a globally recognized surgeon-scientist and founder Boston Health AI, has been appointed as the Inaugural Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO) at the Carle Illinois College of Medicine (CI MED), the world’s first engineering-based medical school.The appointment marks a major global milestone for Dr. Haider, whose career spans clinical excellence, academic leadership, and health-technology innovation across the United States, United Arab Emirates and Pakistan. In this newly created role, he will lead the strategic vision and responsible deployment of artificial intelligence across CI MED, advancing AI-enabled medical education, translational research, and clinical innovation.
How crypto criminals stole $700 million from people – often using age-old tricks:
There’s something uniquely agonising about having your cryptocurrency stolen. All transactions are recorded on a digital ledger, known as a blockchain, so even if someone takes your money and puts it in their own crypto wallet, it is still visible online. “You can see your money there on the public blockchain, but there’s nothing you can do to get it back,” says Helen, who lost around $315,000 (£250,000) to thieves.
She likens it to watching a burglar pile up your prized possessions on the other side of an impassable chasm.
Nasa’s mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission:
Nasa’s mega rocket has been moved to the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, as the final preparations get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. Over almost 12 hours, the 98m-tall Space Launch System was carried vertically from the Vehicle Assembly Building on the 4-mile (6.5km) journey to the pad. Now it is in position, the final tests, checks – and a dress rehearsal – will take place, before the go-ahead is given for the 10-day Artemis II mission that will see four astronauts travel around the Moon. Nasa says the earliest the rocket can blast off is 6 February, but there are also more launch windows later that month, as well as in March and April.
The ultra-cold temperatures needed for epic nuclear science:
One of the world’s most sophisticated scientific facilities is turning to ultra-low temperatures to try and unravel hidden secrets of our Universe. It’s one of the most famous scientific installations in the world – and it’s getting a cool upgrade. Physicists use the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), buried in the ground on the border between France and Switzerland, to unravel secrets of the tiny particles that make up our Universe. The LHC works by smashing some of these particles into one another and observing what happens when they collide.
AI can now ‘see’ optical illusions. What does it tell us about our own brains?:
Our eyes can frequently play tricks on us, but scientists have discovered that some artificial intelligence can fall for the same illusions. And it is changing what we know about our brains. When we look up at the Moon, it seems larger when it is close to the horizon compared to when it is higher up in the sky even though its size, and the distance between the Earth and the Moon, remains much the same during the course of a night.
UK to consult on social media ban for under 16s:
The government will consult on whether social media should be banned for under-16s in the UK. It said “immediate action” would give Ofsted the power to check policies on phone use when it inspects schools, and it expected schools to be “phone-free by default” as a result of the announcement. A similar ban took effect in Australia in December 2025, the first of its kind in the world. Other countries are said to be considering such a law.
‘Somebody perhaps decided to test us’: How a Norwegian weather rocket almost sparked a nuclear war:
A Norwegian rocket launched on 25 January 1995 in order to study the Northern Lights, was mistaken by Russia for an incoming nuclear missile on a direct course to Moscow. For just over an hour on a freezing winter’s day, the world had a chilling brush with the worst of Cold War nightmares. On an unremarkable Wednesday afternoon, military technicians on shift at radar stations across northern Russia spotted an ominous blip on their screens. A rocket had been launched somewhere off Norway’s coast and was rising fast. Where was it going and was it a threat? After all, most assumed such nuclear tensions had evaporated when the Berlin Wall came down.
When does the Nasa Moon mission launch and who are the Artemis II crew?:
The first crewed Moon mission in more than 50 years could be launched by Nasa as soon as the first week of February. On Saturday, in preparation, Nasa rolled out its gigantic Space Launch System (SLS) Moon rocket and Orion Space Capsule from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to the launch pad. The Artemis II mission, which will last about 10 days, could take its astronauts further into space than anyone has been before. It aims to set the stage for an eventual human landing on the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 70s.
Academic says deepfake law delay was frustrating:
An academic involved in drafting the law against creating non-consensual intimate images has said it was “frustrating” how long the government took to enact it. Law researcher Prof Clare McGlynn, of Durham University, was part of a coalition that lobbied for the law, which will come into force in February amid the recent furore over X owner Elon Musk’s Grok AI chatbot. McGlynn said she had not been given a reason for the delay but was happy it was due to be enacted, several months after it was passed by the government. Deputy prime minister David Lammy said he was “repulsed” by abusive behaviour online and perpetrators would face the “full force of the law”. X said it had taken action.
Mysterious ‘iron bar’ discovery in space may reveal Earth’s future:
Scientists have discovered a large bar-shaped cloud of iron atoms in space that could offer clues about the future of Earth. The structure, which was found inside the Ring Nebula – a famous, colourful cloud formed when a dying sun-like star released its outer layers – was roughly 500 times wider than Pluto’s orbit and sits 2,283 light-years away. Astronomers from Cardiff University, as well as University College London, detected the iron bar using a new telescope instrument called the WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (Weave). Scientists observing it say its origin is unclear, but their theories about how it formed suggest it could hint at the Earth’s future.