Scientists Discover What AI Does When Left Alone:
Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that artificial intelligence agents left alone on a virtual island began creating their own challenges and learning new skills without being given specific tasks. The researchers placed 13 AI agents, called Eko, in a simulated desert island environment for 30 hours. Each agent was powered by Anthropic’s Claude Opus 4.7 model and could explore the environment independently.
Systems Limited’s 9-Month Profit Rises 14% to Rs. 9.1 Billion:
Systems Limited (SYS) reported a 14 percent year-on-year increase in consolidated profit after tax (PAT) to Rs. 9.085 billion for the nine months ended September 2026, compared with Rs. 7.973 billion in the same period last year. Earnings per share rose to Rs. 5.93 from Rs. 5.21, while net sales grew 33 percent to Rs. 76.492 billion.
iPhone Duo Fails Basic Durability Test in Huge Blow to Apple:
Apple’s first foldable phone the iPhone Duo has failed a popular durability test just a day after market launch. The test was carried out by JerryRigEverything channel, which has been torture-testing foldable phones since the first generation. “Most do survive,” he said. “The iPhone Duo did not.” Despite its IP68 dust and water resistance rating, the iPhone Duo struggled when Nelson covered it in sand and dirt.
Oppo Enco X4 Earbuds Promise 2x Noise Cancellation, 53-Hour Battery:
Oppo has launched the Enco X4 wireless earbuds, featuring lossless audio support, improved active noise cancellation (ANC), and up to 53 hours of battery life with the charging case. The new earbuds compete with Apple’s AirPods Pro and introduce Oppo’s first implementation of the LHDC Lossless audio codec.
Oppo’s New Pad Mini Takes on Apple’s iPad Mini With Flagship Features:
Oppo has introduced the Pad Mini, featuring an 8.8-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor, and an 8,000mAh battery in a slim 5.46mm body. The compact Android tablet is designed to compete with Apple’s iPad mini, offering a high-refresh-rate display and flagship-level hardware in a smaller form factor. The Oppo Pad Mini is priced at approximately $1,001 and will go on sale on October 29. The Oppo Pad Mini features an 8.8-inch OLED display with a 2.5K resolution of 2520 × 1680 pixels and a 144Hz adaptive refresh rate.
Mercantile Unveils iPhone Duo at LAAM Fashion Week on Global Launch Day:
Mercantile, Authorised Distributor for Apple products in Pakistan, unveiled the all-new iPhone Duo at LAAM Fashion Week on October 23, marking the arrival of Apple’s first foldable iPhone in Pakistan on its global launch day. The strategic unveiling brought one of the world’s most talked-about technology products to the country’s biggest fashion stage, creating a distinctive intersection of innovation, style and technology.
HMD Launches Classic Flip Phone With Built-In AI Companion:
HMD has launched the 2660 Flip Senior Edition in the UK, introducing a traditional keypad phone with a built-in AI companion designed for older users. The device is an upgraded version of the HMD 2660 Flip, featuring an AI assistant called Mary that can hold conversations, remember previous interactions, and provide companionship.
Kimi K3.1 Pro Takes on Claude Opus 5.5 and GPT-6 Astra at Much Lower Cost:
Moonshot AI has launched Kimi K3.1 Pro, a new open-weight model that it says matches or comes close to the world’s strongest proprietary AI models in coding, agentic work, and knowledge tasks. In the company’s own benchmarks, K3.1 Pro scores 65.7% on Terminal-Bench 4.0, ahead of OpenAI’s GPT-6 Astra (58.2%) and just behind Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5.5 (66.4%). The Chinese AI company announced that K3.1 Pro is the first model in its new K3.1 series and its most capable 3T-class open-weight model so far. It has a 1-million-token context window and brings major upgrades in coding, 3D creation, financial research, and other agent tasks. It is also cheaper to use than its predecessor through the API.
Pakistan’s Nationwide 5G Rollout to Take Another 2 Years:
Pakistan’s nationwide rollout of 5G services could take another two years, the government told the National Assembly on Friday, as lawmakers raised concerns over slow internet speeds, poor coverage and the reliability of existing mobile networks. During Question Hour, Parliamentary Secretary for Information Technology Sabeen Ghouri said 5G services were available in 24 cities and that work was underway to improve connectivity before expanding coverage to additional areas.
Apple Reportedly Working on a 20-Inch Foldable iPad:
Apple is reportedly testing a large foldable iPad with a display measuring up to 20 inches when unfolded, potentially taking design inspiration from Huawei’s MateBook Fold. According to Chinese tipster Kang, Apple is experimenting with a foldable tablet that could offer a laptop-sized screen while maintaining a compact design when folded.
Global PC Sales Crashes as Laptop Prices Continue to Rise:
Global PC shipments fell 21% year-on-year to 57 million units in the third quarter of 2026, according to a new report from Counterpoint Research. The decline affected all major PC manufacturers as rising component costs pushed up laptop prices and reduced consumer demand. Counterpoint identified increasing DRAM and NAND memory prices as the main reasons behind the slowdown. Higher manufacturing costs have made laptops more expensive, prompting consumers to delay purchases and replacements.
Xiaomi’s Water Purifier Cleans 50,000 Liters, Removes 145 Contaminants:
Xiaomi has opened pre-orders for its Mijia Water Purifier 3 1200G in China, with official sales scheduled to begin on October 30. The new water purifier starts at approximately $225 and features a 13-stage filtration system designed to remove 145 types of contaminants from tap water. Xiaomi says the device uses physical filtration without chemical scale inhibitors and can purify up to 50 tons of water over its rated service life.
Apple iPhone Duo Officially Costs More Than Used Cars in Pakistan:
Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, is now available for order in Pakistan, with the highest-end 2TB variant priced at nearly Rs. 15 lakh. The foldable phone is not widely available across sellers in the country due to limited stock availability, but according to the few listings available, the PTA-approved 2TB iPhone Duo costs Rs. 1,479,599, while the base 256GB variant starts at Rs. 999,599.
PTA Finds Mobile Network Issues Across 166 Sites — Orders Telcos to Fix Them:
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) monitored 166 mobile sites across the country from October 15 to 22 as part of efforts to improve telecom service quality and address consumer complaints. During the inspections, the PTA identified issues related to mobile network coverage and the quality of voice and internet services. Telecom operators were directed to resolve the problems within the specified timeframe.
Classic EA Cricket 07 Now Runs in Your Web Browser With Online Multiplayer:
Cricket 07, the cricket game EA Sports released in 2006, can now be played directly in a web browser. The new browser version also adds an online multiplayer mode, so two friends can play a 1v1 match against each other from different places. The port was made by developer Dhaiwat, who shared it on X on Tuesday. “Cricket 07 with an online multiplayer mode. Play with your friends. All you need is a web browser,” he wrote.
Huawei Is Adding Another Phone to Its Pura 90 Series:
Huawei has opened pre-orders for the Pura 90 Plus in China and released the smartphone’s first official teaser ahead of its launch next week. The device joins the Pura 90 lineup, which debuted in April 2026 with the Pura 90, Pura 90 Pro, and Pura 90 Pro Max. Pre-orders opened at 10:08 AM China time through Huawei’s VMall online store, Experience Stores, and authorized retailers. Early buyers will also receive exclusive benefits.
‘A £12 dog toy bought from Amazon killed my dog’:
A heartbroken dog owner whose pet died after swallowing part of a tug toy has warned others about the dangers they can pose. Antonia Speariett, from Coppull in Lancashire, spoke to the Media after her five-year-old cane corso Cane died from an intestinal blockage caused by ingesting part of a toy she had bought online. “A £12 dog toy bought from Amazon killed my dog,” said the 31-year-old. “Nothing prepared me for this heartbreak. If you are a dog owner who has rope dog toys – throw them out. It is not worth it.” An Amazon spokesperson said: “We were very sorry to hear about this. We are in touch with the customer.”
Fed-up driver builds AI litter tracker:
A software developer became so frustrated by the amount of rubbish he saw dumped along roadsides that he built an AI-powered “litter dashcam” to expose the scale of the problem. Robin Bennett, from Shrewsbury, developed the Roadside Litter app after noticing what he believed was a growing amount of litter while driving around the county. The technology has already logged more than 3,000 litter reports in Shropshire and more than 28,000 across the UK. He is now sharing the data with anti-litter campaign group Clean Up Britain in the hope it will encourage action, while Shropshire Council said it was exploring ways to improve litter management on some of the county’s busiest roads.
Is ‘ferritin face’ a real thing – and can you really spot low iron from looks?:
“Do you have ferritin face?” a young woman asks on TikTok, pointing to dark circles, washed-out skin and brittle hair, alongside before-and-after style photographs. The content creator puts these features down to her iron levels. It is one of a growing number of videos and posts on TikTok and Instagram claiming that low ferritin – a protein which stores iron in the body – can leave visible clues on your face. Users list pale or grey-looking skin, dark under-eye circles, dry or cracked lips, hair shedding and weak nails, while others share portraits claiming stark visual differences.
India’s cartoonists built an audience online – now their posts are being restricted:
For the second time in three weeks, Indian cartoonist Satish Acharya found himself effectively invisible on Instagram in his own country. The 55-year-old discovered on Tuesday that his account had once again been briefly blocked in India, allegedly with no explanation from the platform. Just a few weeks ago, another cartoonist, Manjul, had found that Instagram had restricted a post criticising India’s election commission over its controversial revision of voter rolls. His profile remained accessible.
From agriculture to AI-agriculture: How tech is changing farming:
George McMaster’s farming career started with milking eight cows in a byre, relying on his eyes to spot any health issues in his cattle. He still watches his now-300-strong herd, but via a feed from an AI camera in the milking parlour at the farm near Islandmagee in County Antrim. The device uses an algorithm which assigns each cow its own ID, records a short video of the animal every day, analyses it and flags any changes – often before they are visible to the human eye. For the third generation farmer, it is “absolutely incredible to move from all hand-done to sitting on the phone, watching what’s happening outside”.
Data centre debate heats up ahead of US midterms – here’s what you need to know:
Until a few years ago many of us may have been blissfully unaware of what a data centre was. These giant, warehouse-like buildings power virtually all our internet activity, from our web searches and emails to movie downloads and online banking. They are at the heart of the AI boom, housing the advanced computer chips and servers needed to run services like ChatGPT and Claude. But the speed at which they’re growing, the enormous amount of electricity they consume and concerns about their environmental impact are fuelling a public backlash around the world.
Project to help tourism sector benefit from AI:
A project has been launched to help the tourism industry benefit from advances in artificial intelligence (AI). The University of Plymouth said the £275,000 project would allow students and graduates to work with people in tourism on a “range of exciting initiatives”. Rong Huang, programme lead in tourism and hospitality at Plymouth Business School, said: “This project brings our students, our industry partners and regional employers together so that learning happens on live business challenges.”
Online trend driving break-ins, estate owner says:
The owner of a Georgian country house believes “online trends” have driven break-ins at his properties. William Reeve, who owns Leadenham House, Lincolnshire, said a video posted on social media showing an “urban explorer” inside one of his cottages, sparked “copycat” incidents, including intruders entering his home while he slept. Dr Kevin Bingham, an expert on urban exploring, said social media was leading some people to take it up “for the wrong reasons now and not for genuine interest in historical sites”.
Why is Ukraine so reliant on Starlink and can Europe plug the gap?:
Ukraine is in desperate need of a new satellite internet service, but a fast and reliable alternative to Elon Musk’s Starlink network simply doesn’t exist – yet. Last week’s sudden slowdown of the service in Ukraine, which affected Kyiv’s ability to defend itself from Russian attacks, has shown how vulnerable the country can be, and sharply increased Europe’s urgency to have its own military-grade satellite network. That vulnerability was highlighted by Musk himself on Saturday, when he accused Ukraine of violating Starlink’s terms of service by using it for “drone strikes to kill people”.
Why the charts are full of old songs – and so are your playlists:
More music is being created than at any other time in human history. Every day, more than 100,000 songs are being submitted to streaming services. And despite the deluge of AI music – Spotify says it has removed 75 million “spammy tracks” from its catalogue – real music still makes up most of our listening. The streaming service Deezer says AI accounts for just 0.5% of streams on its platform. The problem for all those artists creating new music is that our listening habits increasingly show a love for nostalgia. Luminate, an independent entertainment data and analytics company that tracks music, film, and television consumption first started tracking music streaming in 2008.
UK to invest £100m in ‘world first’ AI Biosecurity Lab:
The UK says it will establish a national AI Biosecurity Lab (AIBL) to help strengthen its defences against emerging biological threats. As part of Wednesday’s Budget, the government will commit £100m to establishing the new, “world first” institute with the support of leading AI firms. The chancellor will also pledge millions of pounds in spending across a range of initiatives aimed at shoring up the UK’s ability to respond to evolving cyber, biological and AI-enabled threats. “AI will transform daily life: every firm, community, hospital, school, and every aspect of our economy can benefit,” John Healey said. “I understand and share the concerns of working people, so I am setting out a distinctively British approach to AI.