PAKISTAN NEWS:
Telenor velocity is uplifting pakistani agri sector through technological intervention:
Given its status as the economic backbone of Pakistan, the potential of the agriculture sector has been the subject of discussions on a multitude of platforms for decades. Yet, the hardships of this sector and associated communities persist due to a variety of reasons. Mobile technology has the answer to the longstanding woes of the local agri sector, therefore it is imperative to engage more digital solutions. Within the past decade, we have witnessed the power of mobile technology in terms of financial inclusion of the unbanked in Pakistan and have seen how easy a financial transaction can get with a mobile phone.
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China replaces pubg with patriotic game:
Chinese internet giant Tencent has scrapped the launch of a hit video game in China, after failing to get regulatory approval. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PubG) is a battle-royale video game, similar to the global hit Fortnite, in which 100 players fight for survival. PubG was developed in South Korea but Tencent had licensed the game and was testing a mobile app version in China. Players in China have been offered a state-approved alternative instead.
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Google pixel 3a & 3a XL come with flagship camera at half the price:
Google I/O 2019 has kicked off and with it came the launch of the more affordable siblings of the Google Pixel 3 series. The Pixel 3a and 3a XL are budget variants of the vanilla Pixel 3 series and of course have some downgrades here and there. Both of the two budgets smartphones have the same downgraded processor chipsets, but fortunately, we get to see the same flagship grade camera with a bigger battery inside.
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Apex legends is coming to smartphones:
Battle Royale-based video games have been trending all over lately ever since Fortnite rose to fame. A lot of other companies hopped on the bandwagon following Fortnite’s success, with games like Call of Duty Black Ops 4 Battle Royale, Realm Royale, etc. But none of them could match up with the hype of Fortnite as much as the recently released Apex Legends. Apex Legends quickly became one of the hottest things in gaming thanks to being completely free just like Fortnite while also combining other elements like the ability to play as several characters with different abilities, much like Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege.
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Samsung launches new galaxy fold:
Samsung now finally announce a new launch date for the Galaxy Fold. According to CEO Dong-Jin Koh, the company, has reviewed the defect caused from substances [entering the device] and we will reach a conclusion [about the launch]. Samsung says that they have conducted internal testing for the reported issues and are making changes to prevent them, specifically mentioning that they reinforced the hinge and reduced the gap between the bezel and protective coating, which should prevent debris from getting into the phone.
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Intel reveals more details about its ambitious project athena:
Laptops traditionally don’t have a lot of battery life or performance. With ultrabooks, the most you can get is around 7-8 hours on low brightness with not many apps open. Heavy use of any sort brings it down further. Intel is trying to remedy that with Project Athena. This project aims to improve performance in laptops, increase battery life in a sleek form factor, which is easier said than done.
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Google is training its Ai to help people with speech impairments:
One of the most important announcements at Google I/O was about the company’s efforts towards improving speech recognition software to aid people with speech impairment. Voice interfaces and assistants are very common and are being used as a tool in almost all daily tasks. However, they are not as accessible as we think. These tools are off-limits for individuals with speaking disorders or speech impairments due to neurological issues including ALS.
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Massive samsung data breach exposes details for 135 projects:
First Facebook and now Samsung. If you remember, Facebook’s sensitive information, including user data, was found on a public domain with open access recently. Turns out, Samsung may have had a similar incident. The company left source codes, Amazon web accounts and employee GitLab tokens on a GitLab instance that was hosted by Vandev Lab, a Samsung hosted domain. The source code of projects like the SmartThings platform and Bixby services were also available on the repository. Access to all the data was set to public, and there was no password set on it and the GitLab instance was being used by Samsung staff.
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Oppo’s update for reno 10x will boost its digital zoom to 60x:
Oppo Reno 10x Zoom entered the market with a boom in April, mainly because it offers camera specifications comparable to Huawei P30 Pro. Before getting into the details, you should know what optical zoom and digital zoom is. Optical zoom is a true zoom lens like the one used on a film camera, the quality doesn’t degrade when you zoom in with optical zoom. Digital zoom, on the other hand, is an image processing algorithm which cuts an image at the center and interpolates it to keep the contrast sharp. Image quality gets worse with digital zoom, the more you zoom in.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS:
Jeff Bezos unveils moon lander concept:
Amazon entrepreneur Jeff Bezos has unveiled a mock-up of a new lunar lander spacecraft that aims to take equipment and humans to the Moon by 2024. The unmanned, reusable Blue Moon vehicle will carry scientific instruments, satellites and rovers. It will feature a new rocket engine called BE-7 that can blast 10,000 pounds (4,535 kg) of thrust.
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Google is changing how apps are rated in play store:
Announced earlier at Google’s I/O press conference, there are quite a few changes coming to Google Play Store. These changes include improved security, better app updates, and changes to user reviews. Google has responded to user feedback and suggestions on its app store and is bringing new features and tools to make it easier to develop, release and grow their apps on the store.
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Facebook ‘auto-generated’ extremist video:
Facebook has been accused of “auto-generating” extremist content, including a celebratory jihadist video and a business page for al-Qaeda. The material was uncovered by an anonymous whistleblower who filed an official complaint to US regulators. Similar content for self-identified Nazis and white supremacist groups was also found online. Facebook said it had got better at deleting extreme content but its systems were not perfect.
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Yolo: viral snapchat app raises abuse concerns:
Yolo — an app that lets anonymous questions be posed to Snapchat users — has become the most-downloaded iPhone app in the UK and US just a week after its release. It is highly unusual for an app to top Apple’s chart so soon after its launch without a major marketing campaign. However, the viral success of the product has raised concerns. Previous anonymous online Q&A services have been blighted by abuse and bullying.
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Amazon sellers hit by ‘extensive’ fraud campaign:
An “extensive” fraud let thieves steal cash from Amazon merchants for six months during 2018, the online retailer has revealed. About 100 accounts run by merchants who sell via Amazon were compromised by fraudsters. Quoting legal documents it had seen, Bloomberg said the fraudsters changed bank details on Amazon accounts to divert cash. It is not known how much money the thieves managed to take.
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Loot boxes should be banned, says us senator:
A US senator has proposed a ban on loot boxes — spending within video games — saying they are “preying on user addiction” and exploiting children. Last month, the Belgium government said loot boxes were in violation of its gambling laws. Sweden is also investigating them. And the Chinese government has restricted the number of loot boxes players can open each day. The gaming industry said it had tools to limit in-game spending.
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Data breaches a ‘time bomb’, warns security report:
Data breaches are a “time bomb” under companies that let customer information go astray, warns a security expert. Bryan Sartin, Verizon’s head of global security services, said he was “surprised” more breaches had not become public. Companies that lose data face fines of up to 4% of their global revenues, under European data protection laws. Mr Sartin was speaking following the publication of a report analyzing thousands of successful attacks.
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Amazon accused of failing pregnant workers:
A US woman is suing Amazon, alleging that she was sacked because she was pregnant, raising more questions about working conditions in its warehouses.
According to tech news site CNET, the online retailer has been involved in seven similar legal cases brought by pregnant warehouse workers in the past eight years. And all of these women allege Amazon failed to accommodate their needs. In response, Amazon said it had never sacked anyone for being pregnant. Amazon later quoted as saying: “It is absolutely not true that Amazon would fire any employee for being pregnant.”
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Binance exchange hackers steal bitcoins worth $41m:
Hackers have stolen $41m (£31m) worth of Bitcoin in a major crypto-currency heist. The Binance exchange, which stores Bitcoin and other crypto-currencies for members, said hackers took 7,000 bitcoins in one go. Withdrawals have now been suspended on the platform.”We beg for your understanding in this difficult situation,” Binance said. However, the exchange said it would replace the lost cash with the help of its emergency insurance fund.
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Google maps is getting an incognito mode:
Google Chrome’s incognito mode is seemingly as old as the browser itself. Nobody remembers when it was first rolled out, but I doubt that there is anyone out there who is not familiar with it. We also have the incognito mode in Chrome mobile and YouTube. Google, a company that relies on collecting personal information is taking the next step towards privacy by announcing that Google Maps and the Google search app will soon get an incognito mode of their own.