DynaSys Networks and NUST Sign Trailblazing Academia – Industry Partnership on IoT in Pakistan:
DynaSys Networks (DynaSys), Pakistan’s leading LPWAN IoT network operator and developer of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence for IoT (AIoT) solutions, has signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (SEECS) at National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Pakistan’s leading engineering and technology university, to drive collaborative research, technology development, and commercialization of practical IoT solutions. The partnership represents a national initiative to strengthen Pakistan’s digital ecosystem, accelerate indigenous innovation, and build technological capacity across sectors critical to the country’s growth. The collaboration will focus on priority technology areas, including digital health and medical monitoring, environmental and climate resilient sensing, and energy efficiency solutions bringing together SEECS’ multidisciplinary expertise in Artificial Intelligence, Industrial IoT, Embedded Systems, and Digital Trust with DynaSys Networks’ industrial capabilities in IoT.
China’s Cheapest AI Is About to Get a Significant Price Hike:
DeepSeek has warned developers that it plans to raise prices across its API services in the near future, saying the increases are expected to be “significant.” The company announced the change on August 6 but has not disclosed the exact increases or when they will take effect. It advised customers to plan their API usage accordingly.
Your Game Plan for Bigger Savings During Daraz Pakistan’s 8.8 Azadi Sale:
From six-hour brand offers and high-value vouchers to category deals and bank discounts, here is how to unlock more value from 7 August at 8 PM until 14 August. Daraz Pakistan’s 8.8 Azadi Sale is bringing multiple ways to save across fashion, beauty, electronics, groceries, appliances, home and lifestyle. With Brand Rush Hours, limited-time vouchers, category offers and payment discounts all running during the campaign, a little preparation can help shoppers make the most of every purchase. Here is how to plan your cart and unlock the strongest offers during 8.8.
NayaPay Wins Fintech Startup at the Asian Banking & Finance Awards 2026:
NayaPay was recognised as Fintech Startup – Pakistan at the Asian Banking and Finance Awards 2026. The award recognises NayaPay’s product innovation and impact in building Pakistan’s digital payments infrastructure, and marks one of the highest honours yet for a Pakistani fintech on the regional stage. The Asian Banking and Finance Awards are judged annually by an independent panel of industry experts, evaluating entries from banks, fintechs, and financial institutions across Asia on innovation and execution. NayaPay was recognised for its role in expanding access to digital financial services for millions of previously underserved Pakistanis through its payments app.
GTA VI Gets a Major New Six-Hour Exclusive Preview on August 27:
Grand Theft Auto VI is finally set to launch on November 19, 2026, with pre-orders already available since late June. Before the game arrives, Rockstar Games will give players a much closer look at what to expect later this month. Rockstar has announced an “extended look” at GTA VI for August 27. The presentation will debut exclusively on Netflix before becoming available through Rockstar’s usual platforms six hours later. The GTA VI presentation will premiere on Netflix at 3 PM ET on August 27. For viewers in Pakistan, that translates to 12 AM PST.
Chinese AI Caught Performing Dangerous Tasks Without Refusal:
SaferAI has found that a leading Chinese AI model completed dangerous cybersecurity and biological tasks without refusing any of them, raising fresh concerns about the effectiveness of safety protections in advanced Chinese AI systems.The independent evaluation found that Zhipu AI’s open-weight GLM-5.2 was willing to carry out offensive-security and biological requests while also proving more susceptible than leading Western models to harmful manipulation. Researchers warned that the findings highlight growing safety concerns as Chinese AI models rapidly close the capability gap with competitors from the United States.
Vivo S Series Returns After Seven Years With Flagship Grade Durability:
Vivo has introduced the Vivo S2, bringing back its S-series smartphone lineup after a seven-year break. The company had not released another S-series model following the Vivo S1, which arrived in August 2019. Vivo positions the new phone for younger users interested in style, creativity, intelligent features and practical innovation. It combines a premium design with advanced cameras and several durability features.
Meta Approved Paid Ads Featuring AI-Generated Child Explicit Material:
Meta approved and hosted dozens of paid ads containing AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to an investigation by Wired and the Tech Transparency Project. Researchers identified more than 50 image and video ads through Meta’s public ad library. The ads appeared across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Threads and reportedly reached thousands of accounts. Meta has since removed them.
TrendAI (Trend Micro) Intelligence and Pakistan’s NCCIA Drive Major Breakthrough in Global Tycoon 2FA Cybercrime Investigation:
TrendAI™️ has reinforced its leadership in AI-powered cyber threat intelligence after its attribution research contributed to a major international law enforcement investigation that led to the arrest of two suspected operators linked to the notorious Tycoon 2FA phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform. The operation, announced by the Singapore Police Force (SPF), was carried out in close collaboration with Pakistan’s National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) and INTERPOL. Authorities arrested two suspects in Punjab while conducting coordinated raids across Islamabad, Faisalabad, and Sialkot. The raids resulted in the seizure of computers, servers, mobile devices, and digital storage media believed to have been used in cybercriminal operations. Investigators also revealed that four additional suspects fled Pakistan before the raids and are now the subject of INTERPOL Red Notice requests.
JazzWorld Partners with Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund to Advance Inclusive Development Across Pakistan:
JazzWorld, Pakistan’s leading integrated digital ServiceCo., has signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) to collaborate on initiatives that expand digital and financial inclusion, strengthen livelihoods, empower underserved communities and accelerate sustainable socio-economic development across Pakistan. The partnership brings together JazzWorld’s digital capabilities and PPAF’s extensive community outreach network to explore and implement high-impact programmes that improve access to opportunity for underserved populations. Through this collaboration, the two organizations will jointly develop initiatives spanning community development, digital literacy, financial inclusion, women’s and youth empowerment, livelihood enhancement, climate resilience, humanitarian response and other mutually agreed social impact interventions.
Meta Launches Cheaper Coding Agent to Punch OpenAI and Anthropic:
Meta has released an early beta of Muse Code, a terminal-based AI coding agent designed to compete with Anthropic’s Claude Code and OpenAI’s Codex at a lower cost. The new tool runs on Muse Spark 1.2, a coding-focused version of Meta’s latest AI model. Meta says the updated model improves code generation, complex debugging, codebase understanding, and complete developer workflows.
Govt Plans Cheaper Electricity for Pakistan’s Telecom Operators:
The government has begun work on a plan to provide cheaper electricity to Pakistan’s telecom operators by extending industrial power tariffs to the sector, sources told Media. The move follows the decision to grant the telecom industry industrial status and is aimed at developing a framework for implementing the new tariff structure.
SpaceX Plans to Become a Full Mobile Network Operator:
SpaceX plans to build a full mobile service in the United States, placing Elon Musk’s company in direct competition with AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. The company outlined its ambitions during an investor call on Tuesday. SpaceX intends to expand beyond Starlink’s existing satellite connectivity by building ground-based infrastructure and offering a complete mobile service directly to consumers.
WhatsApp Group Chats Get Three Upgrades:
WhatsApp has announced several new features for group chats, including an @all mention, improved polls and a quicker way to create a separate group from an existing conversation. The updates aim to make group communication and decision-making easier, particularly in active chats with many members. WhatsApp plans to roll out the features to all users over the coming weeks.
Google Assistant is Leaving Your Phone for Good:
Google will begin shutting down Google Assistant on Android and Wear OS devices on September 4, 2026, as the company completes its transition to Gemini. The shutdown will not immediately reach every user. Google says the process could take several weeks to complete, meaning some people may continue to see Assistant on their devices for a limited period after the September 4 deadline. Once the transition is complete, users on affected devices will no longer be able to switch back to Google Assistant.
Meta fined $567m in largest child safety ruling against social media giant:
A US judge in New Mexico has ordered Meta to pay another $567m (£421m) for its failure to warn the public about dangers its platforms posed to children, marking the largest fine against the company over child safety. Judge Bryan Biedscheid said the social media giant is a “public nuisance” akin to air pollution and that it must put the money in a fund aimed at reducing future harms.
Two people convicted in relation to death of French streamer:
Two people in France have been convicted of aggravated violence, following an investigation into the death of a French streamer known for extreme challenges. Raphaël Graven, 46, died in a village near Nice in August 2025. His death was live broadcast on the streaming platform Kick.
TikTok star Sydney Towle, who shared her cancer journey online, dies aged 26:
Sydney Towle, a popular social media influencer who shared her experience living with a rare, aggressive form of cancer, has died at the age of 26. Towle’s family announced her death, from complications related to bile duct cancer that had spread to other parts of her body, on her social media accounts on Thursday.
Author ‘devastated’ after festival judges accuse her of using AI to write novel:
A Welsh learner who submitted a novel to one of the National Eisteddfod’s most prestigious writing competitions said she was “devastated” when judges accused her of using Artificial Intelligence to write it. Romy Wood from Cardiff submitted her entry titled Y Dderwen under the pseudonym Lithedora.
Social group for young islanders growing ‘rapidly’:
A social group set up to help young adults make new friends and tackle loneliness has grown to more than 80 members. Inclusive Islanders was founded in May by university graduate Rosalie Van Zutphen, who wanted to bring some of the social opportunities she experienced in England back to Guernsey.
Cashing in on SpaceX: ‘Every chance I get, I’ll sell a little more’:
Andre Lavoie joined SpaceX in 2009 as an engineer, designing the pressure tanks that help power its rocket. He was paid partly in stock – a common trade-off at start-ups as a hiring incentive. Some 17 years on, those 200,000 shares he was given are worth about $23m (£17m) – and the 63-year-old says he’s ready to start cashing them as soon as he can.
Faster broadband rollout continues in rural areas:
More than 60,000 rural homes and businesses across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire have been connected to ultra-fast broadband. Winterton in North Lincolnshire, Fosdyke in Lincolnshire, and Sessay and Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire are among the latest places to benefit from Project Gigabit, which is being funded by the government to the tune of about £300m.
‘I’ve had to Botox my CV’: Are AI recruitment tools affecting women’s careers?:
The fear of becoming surplus to requirements because of advancements in AI is one shared by millions of workers, but are AI recruitment tools posing a specific threat to women trying to return to employment? After a career spanning decades, with senior corporate roles in fashion, and a period of freelancing, 52-year-old Stacey Duguid decided to find “one last job”. What followed was 16 months of sending “gazillions” of CVs, with little more than a handful of automated replies, despite never previously struggling to find work.
Meta becomes latest firm to say its AI hacked another company:
Facebook owner Meta has become the latest tech firm to say one of its AI models was able to connect to the internet and hack into another organisation’s systems, during testing. The incident, which Meta says occurred during an evaluation by an independent company, is the fourth recent incident of its kind disclosed by AI companies. Similar breaches by OpenAI and Anthropic models have raised cyber-security concerns and prompted calls for tougher safeguards and more rigorous testing.
‘Brick phones’ among online child safety ideas:
Campaigners from local and national organisations have made suggestions on ways Guernsey could protect children from accessing harmful content online. The UK’s Online Safety Act require websites containing pornographic content to have age verification checks, or they could face fines of up to £18m or 10% of the company’s global revenue. Guernsey currently does not have similar procedures in place.
SpaceX shares sink after first earnings report reveals huge AI spending plans:
Shares in Elon Musk’s SpaceX tumbled after the company’s first-ever earnings report revealed a huge jump in spending on artificial intelligence, spooking investors. While the firm’s quarterly revenue had nearly doubled to $7.8bn (£5.8bn) from a year earlier, its spending ballooned to $18.3bn, more than six times what it was a year ago, the bulk of which was for AI. The firm builds space rockets and Starlink internet satellites as well as owning the social media platform X. It began trading on the US stock market in June.
Disney agrees deal to let TikTokers use its films and TV shows in videos:
Disney and TikTok have agreed a deal which will allow creators to use clips from Disney films, including its subsidiaries, in their videos. It means clips from hit franchises like Star Wars, Toy Story and the Marvel Cinematic Universe will soon start popping up in videos – which will also be shared on Disney’s short-form video platform, Verts. The scheme will be launched in the US before being rolled out to other countries.