Committee Formed to Probe Recent Cyberattacks on Govt Websites:
Federal Minister for Information Technology and Telecommunication Syed Aminul Haq Wednesday directed to constitute a committee to find out the causes of the recent cyberattacks and prevent future attacks. The decision was made in a high-level meeting following the recent cyberattacks on government websites. The committee, which will be headed by Additional Secretary Aisha Chaudhry, has been directed to provide a report on the cyber-attacks within two weeks.
Jugnu Launches BNPL Through the Sarmaya Partner Program:
Pakistan’s B2B e-commerce startup, Jugnu, has launched its Buy Now, Pay Later solution for SME retailers. Part of the larger Sarmaya Partner Program, the BNPL solution is geared towards addressing the challenge posed by limited working capital and lack of financial inclusion for SME retail by offering easy access to credit.
What Are StormFiber and NayaPay Up To?:
We have come across some recent messaging on social media from StormFiber and NayaPay that alludes to a collaboration of sorts between the two tech organizations. On their Facebook pages, both StormFiber and NayaPay have posted a teaser saying ‘A Storm Is Coming’ with the hashtag #BetterTogether. And on Twitter, the two organizations have been engaged in a curious conversation that too hints at some kind of a partnership.
WhatsApp is Rolling Out a Chat Filtering Feature:
After a series of updates, Meta’s WhatsApp is now planning to introduce the ability to filter chats on standard accounts. Website WABetaInfo reported that the app is introducing the feature for regular users after successfully launching it for business accounts, last year. The social platform added simple filters for quickly finding certain chats on beta versions of its Android, iOS, and desktop apps.
MMBL Celebrates 10 Years of Banking Operations:
Mobilink Microfinance Bank Ltd. (MMBL) is celebrating 10 years of successful banking operations. With a focus on promoting financial inclusion across the country, MMBL is currently operating with over 100 branches across Pakistan and is serving over 39 million customers including 15 million+ monthly active mobile wallets.
Taro Partners with Muawin to Redefine BNPL in Pakistan:
In a historic industry first, Taro Technologies, a leading BNPL platform, collaborates with Muawin, Pakistan’s first licensed B2B digital lender, to turbocharge Taro’s launch. This partnership will allow both FinTechs to integrate and offer seamless financing for both end customers and merchants across Pakistan.
Spotify is Charging Money on its “Free” Trial:
It’s been over a year since Spotify became official in Pakistan. Since then, the music streaming platform has added over 19,000 Pakistani songs to the app and has millions of plays in total. The basic subscription package is also quite cheap, starting at only Rs 300 a month. There is also a free trial that lets you enjoy Spotify Premium for up to three months at no cost, but it turns out that it’s not free at all. We at ProPakistani subscribed to the free trial that is supposedly free of cost but were charged Rs 100 for it.
Canon May be Launching Two New Cameras Soon:
Contradictory to earlier leaks and reports, the Canon EOS R7 will be arriving at the end of this month. EOS R7 was expected to be announced in June or July this year, however, a Japanese site now claims that the camera may be launched on May 24. The site also claims that the Canon EOS R10 may also be announced at the same time, along with RF-S lenses. Another similar rumor was also spotted on Canon Rumors by Tech Radar that mentioned the launch date and unveiled some specs of the EOS R10, a successor to the Canon EOS M5 & Canon EOS M6 Mark II.
Motorola Launches a Flagship Killer for Only $490:
Motorola was the first to introduce a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 smartphone dubbed the Edge X30 in December 2021. Now the phone maker is updating the Edge lineup with the world’s cheapest SD8G1 smartphone called the Motorola Edge X30 Champion Edition. It is essentially the same phone like the Motorola Edge X30, but with more memory and a cheaper price tag. The flagship killer phone has a 6.7-inch AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, 1080p resolution, 10-bit color, and HDR10+ support. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC is paired with up to 512GB UFS 3.1 and 12GB RAM. The phone boots Android 12 OS with MyUI 3.0 out of the box.
Sony Upgrades Xperia 10 with Better Specs and Eye Watering Price Tag:
Along with its latest flagship phone, Sony has also unveiled its newest mid-ranger at its recent launch event. The Xperia 10 IV, as the name says, is the fourth addition to the lineup with few design changes, but notable differences under the hood. The phone has a 6-inch OLED display with the same 1080p resolution as before. The brightness has been increased by 50%, but it is still stuck with a 60Hz refresh rate. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Victus and the fingerprint sits on the side atop the power button. However, the phone is a bit shorter and narrower than the previous generation.
After Two Decades, Apple is Saying Goodbye to iPods:
Apple has decided to bid adieu to its celebrated line of media players. The company announced that it will be discontinuing the iPod touch and putting an end to the iPod line. The product will only be available in the market until supplies last. First launched in 2001, the iPod followed the footsteps of the Walkman, following a similar format. iPods changed the way people listened to music. The lineup included the original iPod, iPod nano, iPod Shuffle, and iPod touch.
Royal Mail wants fleet of 500 drones to carry mail to remote UK communities:
The Royal Mail wants a fleet of 500 drones to help deliver the mail to remote communities across the UK. In the next three years it hopes up to 200 drones will help carry the mail on 50 new routes with the Isles of Scilly, Shetland Islands, Orkney Islands and the Hebrides the first to benefit. The new services need approval from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). It says that the new routes will depend upon the “ongoing planned improvement in Unmanned Aerial Vehicle economics”.
Apple loses position as most valuable firm amid tech sell-off:
Apple has lost its position as the world’s most valuable company amid a broad sell-off of technology stocks. Saudi Arabian oil and gas producer Aramco has reclaimed the top spot from the iPhone maker for the first time in almost two years. Investors have been selling shares in technology firms as they move into what they see as less risky assets. Bitcoin, other major cryptocurrencies and digital assets have also continued to fall sharply. Shares in Apple fell by more than 5% in New York on Wednesday to end the trading day with a stock market valuation of $2.37tn (£1.94tn).
Coventry City of Culture: Park set for ‘record-breaking’ drone display:
A “spectacular” drone display will be held as part of celebrations to mark Coventry’s final month as the UK City of Culture. The company Celestial will run the free display ‘Our Wilder Family’ in War Memorial Park on Sunday. A total of 360 drones will be used as pixels to create the 16-minute light show. “This record-breaking show will be the longest drone display in the UK,” said organisers. Chief executive of the City of Culture Trust Martin Sutherland said the show will be a City of Culture highlight.
YouTube star Grace Victory reunites with nurse:
A YouTuber who gave birth to her son the day before she was put in a coma with Covid has reunited with the nurse who cared for her. Grace Victory, 31, from High Wycombe, asked doctors to deliver baby Cyprus two months early on Christmas Eve 2020. She was put in a coma on Christmas Day and was asleep for three months, being cared for by student nurse Alice Finnigan. “Alice is the most incredible nurse ever. She is an angel,” she said. Ms Victory was given a 5% chance of survival and suffered multiple organ failures and cardiac arrest when doctors first tried to wake her up.
Google Translate adds 24 new languages:
Global tech giant Google has added 24 new languages spoken by more than 300 million people to its Google Translate platform. Ten of the new additions are in Africa, including Lingala, Twi and Tigrinya. “For years, Google Translate has helped break down language barriers and connect communities all over the world,” the US-based company said. It added that it now wants to help those whose languages “aren’t represented in most technology”. The new languages range from Bhojpuri, which is spoken by as many as 50 million people in northern India, Nepal and Fiji, to Dhiveri with its estimated 300,000 speakers in the Maldives.
Gambling worry as India firms bet big on online games:
Months after Faisal Maqbool stopped playing online games on his smartphone, he still struggles with temptation. Last year, the 31-year-old – a project coordinator with a construction firm – lost close to 400,000 rupees ($5,000; £4,010) in five months while playing an online card game. These are multi-player games which deal you a set of cards and get you to place a wager. “You start with 500 or 1,000 rupees. Then greed overpowers you and you bet more and more till you get sucked in. You keep playing because you want to win back the money you lost. But you keep losing,” Mr Maqbool says. There was a time when he would lose nearly 70% of his $500 monthly salary to these online games, forcing him to borrow money from friends.
Disney sees better than expected streaming growth:
Walt Disney has reported another jump in sign-ups for its streaming services, escaping the slowdown that hit arch rival Netflix. More than 9 million people subscribed to the firm’s online video platforms in the first three months of the year, most of them to its flagship Disney+. The parks business also boomed, extending a rebound from the pandemic.
Disney’s performance was under scrutiny after Netflix reported a fall in subscribers last month. Netflix, an early pioneer in streaming, has been having a harder time signing up new members, as it tries to build from an already massive 220 million base and more competitors enter the industry.
Don’t underestimate Russia cyber-threat, warns US:
There has been a sustained cyber-conflict over Ukraine which could still escalate, a senior US intelligence official has told the Media. Despite warnings, major cyber-attacks on the West have so far not materialised. But Russia shouldn’t be underestimated, Rob Joyce, director of cyber-security at the National Security Agency said. Meanwhile independent hackers targeting Russia in support of Ukraine could also spark escalation, he warned.
Google unveils new Pixel Watch:
Google has unveiled its first smartwatch at its annual developer conference. The Google Pixel Watch combines its own Wear operating system with Fitbit health tracking. Fitbit was acquired by Google for $2.1bn (£1.7bn) in 2019. The watch can be paired with Android devices only and is 4G-compatible, which means it can function on its own without being near a phone – but to do this it requires its own data plan. Both the phone and watch would also need to be on the same network, Google said. The tech giant did not reveal a price for the wearable, but it said would be a “premium product” when it launches in the autumn. It faces stiff competition from the likes of Apple and Samsung, which are already market leaders in smartwatches.
Rebekah Vardy admits trying to leak story about footballer:
Rebekah Vardy has confirmed she tried to leak a story about footballer Danny Drinkwater being arrested for drink-driving to the Sun. But, she told the High Court, the attempt to leak the story was a one-off. Mrs Vardy was giving evidence on the second day of her libel case against Coleen Rooney. Mrs Rooney is being sued for libel after claiming Mrs Vardy leaked private information she obtained on Instagram. In court on Wednesday, Mrs Rooney’s barrister David Sherborne read a WhatsApp exchange between Mrs Vardy and her agent Caroline Watt.
Halsey says ‘body is rebelling’ against her as she reveals poor health:
Halsey has said she is dealing with a number of health issues, in a revealing update on Instagram. Wearing a heart monitor, the singer posted on her Instagram Story saying she’d recently been “hospitalised for anaphylaxis a few times”. “My health has changed a lot since I got pregnant and gave birth. I started getting really sick, I’ve been kind of sick most of my adult life.” But the 27-year-old is still “excited and confident” for her next tour. Halsey has previously spoken about her struggles with endometriosis in the past – which is a condition that affects one in 10 women of any age in the UK – where cells like the ones in the lining of the womb uterus are found elsewhere in the body – including the bowel, ovaries or bladder.
Bedfordshire council published details of pupils online:
A council has been accused of “incompetence” after it published personal details of dozens of special educational needs (SEND) pupils. Central Bedfordshire Council included the details in a Freedom of Information (FOI) request response on Monday. The response had been published on a public website that helps people submit FOI requests. The council has apologised and referred itself to the Information Commissioner. A spokesman for the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said the council had made it aware of an incident and the information was being assessed.