ISLAMABAD – Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif launched an ambitious programme to provide half a million Chromebooks to students nationwide over the next two years, opening new doors to digital learning for hundreds of thousands of young Pakistanis.
Prime Minister’s Youth Chromebook Scheme was formally inaugurated at a ceremony in Islamabad today, marking another step towards making tech -based education more accessible, particularly for students who cannot afford modern digital devices.
Investing in the youth of Pakistan.
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif arrives at the Convention Centre for the launch of the Prime Minister’s Youth Chromebook Scheme.
#PMYouthChromebookScheme https://t.co/WBOJoQ1OmC
— Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (@PMsYouthProgram) October 25, 2026
The initiative aims to bridge technological divide between students from different economic backgrounds, enabling young people to attend online classes, access international educational resources and build the skills required to compete in an increasingly digital world.
Addressing the ceremony, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made it clear that Pakistan’s greatest investment was not in buildings or infrastructure alone, but in the education and capabilities of its young population. PM termed students country’s most valuable asset and stressed that providing them with modern educational tools was a collective responsibility of the government and the state.
Sharif led government plans to provide half million Chromebooks within two years, substantially accelerating the pace of its previous student technology initiatives.
He highlighted progress made under PML-N govt, and recalled that approximately 600,000 laptops had been distributed to students over a decade. This time, the government intends to provide 500,000 devices in only 24 months, reflecting its renewed emphasis on expanding digital access in education.
PM stressed that the distribution would recognize students’ hard work, abilities and educational achievements, reinforcing the principle that opportunities should be linked to merit rather than financial privilege. He also expressed optimism that the Chromebooks would help young Pakistanis continue their education remotely, participate in virtual classrooms and access learning material that was previously beyond their reach.
Delivering a message of encouragement to young Pakistanis, Shehbaz said that intelligence, ambition and determination were not confined to wealthy households. He stressed that students from financially disadvantaged families possessed the same potential to excel as their more privileged counterparts, provided they were given equal opportunities.
The government was committed to removing barriers that prevented deserving students from receiving quality education and preparing themselves for future challenges. Chromebook programme is intended to support this vision by bringing modern digital learning tools within the reach of students across the country.
He also highlighted the government’s continuing efforts to strengthen education through the expansion of Danish schools. Sharif announced that at least 27 such institutions were being established across Pakistan to provide modern educational facilities and essential services to deserving students completely free of charge.
Prime Minister’s Youth Programme Chairman Rana Mashhood Ahmad Khan, who addressed the ceremony before the premier, described the Chromebook initiative as an important development in the government’s efforts to empower young people. He revealed that the Tokyo Technology Care Foundation had taken practical steps to support digital facilities for 500,000 Pakistani students.
Only students enrolled in Government/Public Schools can apply. Private school students are not eligible.
Eligibility depends on the region:
Students must appear on the list of top performers that their education board has submitted to IBCC. There is no single nationwide marks cutoff; each board decides its own “top-performing” criteria.
Applications are submitted online only through the official portal: https://pmychromebooks.ibcc.edu.pk/
Simple steps:
You can apply only once. Once submitted, the form cannot be edited. If your record is not found, try a different number or contact your school/board. Providing incorrect information can cancel your allocation.
Prepare clear scans (each under 300 KB):
The announcement has generated interest among students seeking access to free educational devices. However, the government has not yet detailed the complete application and registration process in the information shared at the launch.
The official registration portal, eligibility conditions, application deadlines, academic criteria and province-wise distribution arrangements have yet to be clarified.
Students should therefore follow updates from the Prime Minister’s Youth Programme and other authorized government channels for information about how to apply.
The launch of the 500,000-Chromebook initiative, alongside the expansion of Danish schools, signals a broader effort to strengthen Pakistan’s education sector by connecting academic opportunity with modern technology.
For hundreds of thousands of students, particularly those from families struggling to afford digital devices, the programme could provide an important opportunity to access learning resources, develop valuable skills and pursue a more promising educational future.
The post PM Youth Chromebook Scheme 2026 Launched: Check Eligibility and Application Details appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
Apple’s much-awaited foldable iPhone landed in unexpected security controversy, with hackets managing to jailbreak new iPhone Duo just hours after its official launch, raising serious questions about the protection offered by the company’s iOS 27 operating system.
The breakthrough came this week, when security researchers from group known as Calif demonstrated how Apple’s software restrictions could be bypassed on the newly released device running iOS 27.1. The development quickly attracted attention because it targeted Apple’s first foldable smartphone almost immediately after its commercial debut. However, security experts distinguish the controlled jailbreak demonstration from an actual cyberattack targeting ordinary iPhone customers.
Apple unveiled iPhone Duo on September 9, opening pre-orders on October 16 before launching the device across approximately 70 countries and regions on October 23. The premium smartphone features passport-style folding design, combining a 5.4-inch external display with a 7.6-inch inner OLED screen. Powered by Apple’s A20 Pro processor, the device includes a titanium frame, dual-battery configuration and a starting price of $1,999 for its 256GB variant.
While other compatible iPhones continued running iOS 27.0.1, Apple introduced iOS 27.1 specifically for the Duo. But within hours of customers gaining access to the new handset, researchers had already demonstrated a way around its software protections.
Calif released a short demonstration showing unusual modifications to the iPhone Duo’s Home Screen. Apps icons and widgets appeared to move and bounce as the smartphone was tilted. An animated character also appeared on the display, highlighting the researchers’ ability to alter normally restricted interface elements.
The achievement followed an earlier jailbreak demonstration involving an iPhone 18 Pro running iOS 27.0.1.
Researchers reportedly identified weaknesses involving system-level protections, including potential sandbox escape and Secure Page Table Monitor bypass techniques. AI also reportedly assisted development process, although the researchers have not publicly explained which tools were used or how extensively they contributed.
iPhone Duo to cost around Rs15Lac in Pakistan, enough to Buy Used Cultus, Mehran
The jailbreak was conducted by security researchers under controlled conditions rather than through a mass hacking campaign. Such demonstrations can require specific technical circumstances, physical access or user interaction, meaning the successful compromise of one research device does not establish that millions of iPhones are exposed to identical attacks.
Another circulating claim suggests that restarting an affected iPhone cannot reverse the compromise. Although Calif’s earlier iPhone 18 Pro jailbreak reportedly survived a reboot, the iPhone Duo demonstration did not clearly establish the same capability.
Attention shifted towards Apple’s upcoming iOS 27.2 software update, which is expected to address several weaknesses linked to the jailbreak research. Security researcher Stefan Esser indicated that most of the underlying vulnerabilities had either been disclosed to Apple or were expected to be reported shortly.
As of October 25, iOS 27.2 was undergoing testing, with its public release anticipated around the final week of October or shortly afterward.
Despite speculation, iOS 28 is not connected to the incident. Claims describing the discovery as Apple’s first major security vulnerability since iOS 9 are also inaccurate, as numerous significant iPhone security flaws have been documented and patched over the intervening years.
iPhone Duo owners should follow updates through and install security fixes when available. Users should also avoid unofficial jailbreak downloads, particularly websites claiming to offer Calif’s unreleased tools.
Apple unveils first foldable iPhone Duo – Features & prices explained
The post iPhone Duo Hacked within Hours of Launch as iOS 27 Security Flaw sparks frenzy among Apple Users appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
Two years ago, every argument about AI was about quality. The machines hallucinated court cases, absorbed biases from their training data, misspelled words in their own images, drew hands with six fingers, and couldn’t count the letters in strawberry. The confident claims that biases and hallucination errors were inherent to machines already sound quaint. Those […]
The post From slop to non-slop: The new big AI theme is quantity appeared first on Asia Times.
But Elon Musk, whose company SpaceX owns Starlink, accuses Ukrainian military of violating the company’s terms
Ukraine’s military has a “stable connection to Starlink”, the Ukrainian government said, 10 days after its ability to use the satellite communications system was suddenly restricted.
But hours after the announcement, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, whose company owns Starlink, accused the Ukrainian military of violating the company’s terms. Neither Musk nor the US government, which operates Starshield using Starlink technology, took responsibility for imposing the curbs.
Continue reading...
© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
© Photograph: Sergey Dolzhenko/EPA
ISLAMABAD – Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone Duo landed in Pakistan with staggering price tag of Rs1.5 million, putting cost of a single smartphone in the same league as some used cars. But the real surprise is that Pakistani retailers are charging nearly Rs100,000 more than the prices announced through the company’s authorised distribution channel.
iPhone Duo is now being advertised by Pakistani retailers after its international release on October 23, 2026. However, the device’s arrival has exposed a considerable pricing gap, with the top-of-the-line 2TB model listed at Rs1,479,599. Another distributor announced price of Rs1,390,000 for the same variant.
| Model | Dealer Price | Market Price |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone Duo 256GB | Rs899,999 | Rs999,599 |
| iPhone Duo 512GB | Rs980,000 | Rs1,079,599 |
| iPhone Duo 1TB | Rs1,145,000 | Rs1,239,599 |
| iPhone Duo 2TB | Rs1,390,000 | Rs1,479,599 |
The extraordinary price is only part of the story. Pakistan’s initial supply of the iPhone Duo appears limited, with several sellers advertising restricted availability and some listings showing sold-out inventory. Certain retailers are taking orders for deliveries expected during the final week of November, although others are offering considerably shorter delivery estimates.
At Rs1,479,599, the most expensive advertised iPhone Duo is just Rs20,401 away from the Rs1.5 million milestone. That is enough money to compete with the asking prices of some older used vehicles in Pakistan, turning Apple’s latest smartphone into a purchase comparable to a major household investment.
Even entry-level version, priced at Rs899,999 through the authorised distributor, remains beyond the budget of most consumers.
Apple entered the foldable smartphone race with a device designed to combine the convenience of an iPhone with the larger viewing experience of a tablet. iPhone Duo features a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDR outer display, allowing it to function like a conventional smartphone when folded.
Opening the handset reveals a much larger 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen, offering additional space for videos, gaming, reading and multitasking. Under the hood, the phone runs on Apple’s A20 Pro chip, manufactured using a 2-nanometre process, alongside iOS 27.1. The camera system includes a 48-megapixel main sensor and a 48-megapixel ultrawide lens, supported by front-facing cameras for selfies and video calls.
Instead of the familiar Face ID system, Apple has introduced a side-mounted Touch ID fingerprint sensor on its foldable device. Despite its dual-screen design, the handset weighs approximately 254 grams and comes with IP68-rated water resistance.
Apple unveiled the iPhone Duo on September 9, 2026, marking its first major move into the foldable smartphone segment. International pre-orders opened on October 16, followed by the initial commercial release on October 23. A leading phone dealer announced the smartphone’s arrival in Pakistan, offering PTA-approved units through its authorised distribution channel.
Apple unveils first foldable iPhone Duo – Features & prices explained
The post iPhone Duo to cost around Rs15Lac in Pakistan, enough to Buy Used Cultus, Mehran appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
ISLAMABAD – Registering imported mobile phones in Pakistan could become easier on the pocket as Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) rolled out a new facility allowing eligible users to pay sales tax in monthly instalments instead of bearing the entire financial burden upfront.
The move offers potential relief to mobile phone users who face substantial tax payments when registering imported devices under Pakistan’s Device Identification Registration and Blocking System (DIRBS). Under the new arrangement, eligible applicants can spread their sales tax payments across the remaining months of the financial year, making the registration process more financially manageable.
The facility has been introduced through Customs General Order No. 06 of 2026, which amends the regulations originally issued in 2019. The revised framework allows individuals who meet the prescribed conditions to select a monthly instalment plan when applying for the registration of imported mobile phones.
However, the facility is not automatically available to every mobile phone user. Applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements before choosing the instalment option.
The number of instalments will depend on when a person applies for registration. According to the FBR, the total payable sales tax will be divided equally among the months remaining in the financial year, including the month of application. For example, an eligible applicant registering a phone in January could spread the tax over six monthly instalments, from January through June.
Anyone applying for registration in June will have to pay the entire sales tax amount before June 30, leaving no opportunity to spread the payment over multiple months. This is because Pakistan’s financial year ends on June 30, and all outstanding instalments must be cleared before that deadline.
FBR has also outlined the payment procedure to help applicants understand how the new system will operate. Once an eligible individual submits a registration application, the system will generate a Payment Slip ID (PSID) for the first instalment. A new PSID will subsequently be generated every month for the next scheduled payment.
If a particular month does not have the corresponding payment date, the system will issue the PSID for the final day of that month. Importantly, applicants will not have to wait until the final instalment date to clear their outstanding tax. The revised rules allow users to make advance payments, either partially or in full, before their scheduled deadlines.
While the new arrangement offers greater payment flexibility, the tax authority has made it clear that users must follow the prescribed payment schedule. Failure to deposit an instalment by its due date could result in the applicant being declared a defaulter. All payments must be completed by June 30, regardless of when the registration application was submitted.
The decision could make imported mobile phone registration more affordable in the short term by allowing eligible users to distribute their sales tax liability over several months. However, the change concerns the payment schedule rather than a reduction in the tax itself. The total applicable sales tax remains payable.
Mobile phone users planning to take advantage of the facility should first confirm their eligibility, review the relevant conditions and ensure they can meet the monthly payment deadlines.
The new arrangement marks a shift towards more flexible tax collection for eligible imported mobile phone registrations, potentially reducing the pressure of making a large one-time payment.
The post Your Guide to Paying PTA Mobile Phone Tax in Monthly Instalments in Pakistan appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
Apple’s first foldable smartphone, the iPhone Duo, made its debut at Apple Store locations worldwide, introducing a new design that combines a large display with the portability of a traditional smartphone.
The device features a foldable design and offers Apple’s largest iPhone display to date. When unfolded, its 7.6-inch Super Retina XDR screen provides 50 percent more display area than the iPhone 18 Pro Max. Its external screen also offers more than 90 percent of the screen area available on the iPhone 18 Pro.
Apple has designed the iPhone Duo to provide a smooth viewing experience across its inner and outer displays. The inner screen consists of more than 10 ultrathin layers and features a custom nano-texture finish intended to reduce glare. An under-display FaceTime camera remains hidden until needed, helping maintain an uninterrupted viewing surface.
The foldable device supports different positions and orientations, allowing users to watch videos hands-free, make calls and switch between displays. It also supports Apple Pencil (USB-C), expanding its potential for writing and other tasks.
Running iOS 27, the iPhone Duo introduces Split View multitasking, enabling users to work across two applications simultaneously. For example, users can browse photos and drag images directly into Mail.
The larger display also provides more room for Siri AI conversations, allowing users to ask questions and view responses in an expanded interface.
The smartphone includes a 48-megapixel camera system capable of recording video at resolutions of up to 4K and 120 frames per second.
Camera features include Smart Take, which detects when people are ready for a group photograph, Duo Preview, Kid Cue and Duo FaceTime.
Powering the device is Apple’s A20 Pro chip with a dual 16-core Neural Engine, designed to handle demanding applications and artificial intelligence workloads. An advanced cooling system featuring a vapour chamber helps maintain performance during intensive tasks and gaming.
A dual-battery system and an internal eSIM design help maximise space for battery capacity. The C2 modem is designed to improve power efficiency, while fast wired charging can deliver up to 50 percent battery capacity in approximately 20 minutes.
The built-in eSIM eliminates the need for a physical SIM card.
Apple has listed four storage configurations for the foldable smartphone:
256GB: $1,999
512GB: $2,199
1TB: $2,599
2TB: $3,199
The post Apple unveils first foldable iPhone Duo – Features & prices explained appeared first on Daily Pakistan English News.
Undercover reporters ordered 500 drone mesh modems from a Chinese firm, which billed them to Russia’s Alabuga drone plant, investigation by The Insider found. The outlet estimates the firm makes about half the high-power mesh modems that let Russia steer its drones deep into Ukraine. The firm’s director also named US company AMD as the source of a key chip, and AMD says it has not sold to the firm.
Geran drones and Banderol drone-missiles have become Russia’s main weapons against Ukraine’s energy grid. Russia began this winter’s strike campaign against that grid in late September, ISW assessed. Ukrainians’ survival this winter depends largely on how fast the West halts mesh modem sales to Russia, the outlet argued.
A mesh modem links drones into one radio network. Each unit relays data for the others, so if one drone is shot down, traffic reroutes through the rest. Information keeps flowing even if nearly 80% of the drones are downed, Ukrainian defense adviser Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said in November 2025.
Range is the other half of the threat. One XK F-359 holds a line-of-sight link over 100–300 km, The Insider says. In theory, a couple of relay drones could keep a whole attack on Kyiv connected. Operators can then send new commands in flight and steer around air defenses. Russia’s Gerbera drones, first built as cheap decoys, increasingly carry these modems.
To trace the part, The Insider’s correspondent in Ukraine examined an unmarked mesh modem from an upgraded Gerbera with a vertical tail fin, a version that appeared this summer. The outlet identified it as Xingkai’s XK F-359, the part Ukrainian intelligence and earlier reporting, Euromaidan Press included, had logged as the XK-F358. The Insider calls that label a misidentification.
Next, The Insider and the Nordsint investigative project contacted Xingkai on WeChat, posing as a Russian military supplier based in Alabuga. A company employee who introduced himself as “Jack Jiang” confirmed the firm is the model’s sole maker. The Insider identified him as Jiang Qin, Xingkai’s director and owner.
The reporters then ordered 500 units for delivery to Alabuga, home to the plant that makes most of Russia’s long-range drones. Jiang invoiced 19.5 million yuan, which The Insider put at about $2.87 million. He offered two ways to pay: dollars to Xingkai’s DBS Bank account in Hong Kong, or yuan to his personal Ping An Bank account.
In the chat, the reporters said outright that the end user was a military production facility. Jiang raised no objection, The Insider reported.
Later, after the reporters asked to update the address, Xingkai sent a revised invoice with “Alabuga” spelled in Latin letters. This time, it routed payment to a China Merchants Bank account in the name of a former Xingkai manager. She left a management post at the company in 2025, according to Tesari corporate records cited by The Insider. None of the three banks answered The Insider’s requests for comment.
Jiang also claimed the modem’s programmable chip is made by AMD. Asked for an AMD license, he refused, saying Xingkai buys the chips through a middleman. AMD told The Insider that Xingkai “is not an AMD customer or authorized partner,” and said it had sold the company nothing. AMD added that it bars exports of its products to Russia that violate US export controls and sanctions.
"I think capitalism is a good thing, but I think what we need to contend with and be aware of is that a lot of people are not part of it," Tarek Mansour, co-founder and CEO of prediction market platform Kalshi, recently told Reason's Nick Gillespie. "They don't feel like they're part of it. And that's a reality."
Mansour has set out to change that by making it easier for consumers to experience and participate in financial markets. Kalshi's premise is simple: Mansour says the platform matches traders with differing opinions on the outcome of future events, aggregating the "bits and pieces of information" siloed across the country, so long as that information isn't privileged or obtained illegally.
He's up against a rising number of federal and state lawmakers—not to mention the NFL, traditional sportsbooks, casinos, and other regulated gambling operations—who view Kalshi as yet another gambling app. "As of early 2026, more than 20 lawsuits and cease-and-desist actions are pending across the country, filed by state attorneys general, gaming regulators, tribal governments and private plaintiffs," according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. This includes Utah, whose attorney general, Derek Brown, escalated an ongoing legal dispute with Kalshi on Tuesday by filing a complaint against the prediction market in state district court. In his complaint, Brown called Kalshi an "unconscionable and illegal gambling operation." He accused the company of engaging in a "brazen pattern of unlawful conduct."
At the federal level, Bloomberg Law reported last Friday that Sen. Ted Cruz (R–Texas) is preparing to introduce a bill after the midterm elections that would give state and tribal governments authority to regulate sports-related event contracts offered by prediction markets.
Cruz's state-by-state regulatory regime is exactly the kind of scheme Mansour wants lawmakers to avoid. Mansour recently told Reason that, ideally, there'd be a "federal uniform set of rules that apply across all 50 states." Those rules would then "promote and foster" a "multilateral, peer-to-peer idea," where, for example, someone in California, Oregon, or Washington could trade on an event's outcome based on information supplied by someone in Texas.
Data from the Pew Research Center show Kalshi is incredibly popular nationwide; however, the platform is facing headwinds in Congress from the likes of Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.) and James Comer (R–Ky.) and Sens. Adam Schiff (D–Calif.) and John Curtis (R–Utah), who have questioned whether prediction market platforms can indeed self-police insider trading and market manipulation.
Mansour, who calls insider trading an "unfair dynamic that over time dries up liquidity," also argues that prediction markets are uniquely positioned to self-regulate because trades on Kalshi are "fully transparent," making it "easy to flag" suspicious trading patterns. The platform's users play a key role in that work. Mansour says that in February, when convicted fraudster and former Rep. George Santos (R–N.Y.) tried to engage in insider trading, Kalshi received "a hundred whistleblower complaints within a few minutes."
The company's public commitment to rooting out insider trading on its platform may be laudable. Still, it has done little to dispel the prevailing sentiment among state and federal regulators that Kalshi—and prediction market platforms writ large—is indistinguishable from traditional gambling markets.
Indeed, the legal cases against Kalshi are centered on state regulators' belief that the platforms' sports event contracts are the same as the bets offered by legal gambling operations like casinos and sportsbooks. Kalshi has argued that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has exclusive jurisdiction to regulate the kinds of contracts it can offer under federal law, preempting states from exercising any gambling authority over prediction markets.
In March, Arizona became the first state to file criminal charges against Kalshi. Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes accused the company of "running an illegal gambling operation and taking bets on Arizona elections, both of which violate Arizona law." Not everyone in the state shares Mayes' view. One Arizona resident, Zach, a 35-year-old man who makes a living trading sports-related event contracts on prediction markets, tells Reason he'd "move to another state" if Arizona succeeds in driving out prediction markets.
"There's nothing that is excluding other people from the profits that I'm making right now," he says. "I'm under no obligation to bet on Monday Night Football….I'm able to look at all the markets and decide which ones I want; I'm setting a limit order and just saying, 'OK, if I get my price, then hooray.' If I don't, then that's not something that I add to my portfolio."
Of course, not everyone acts as responsibly. Mansour knows that in any competition, including trading, "some people are going to win," while "some people lose." He believes in "individual freedom" and in the idea that "people should be able to choose" which financial markets they engage in, with "some regulations on irresponsible use" so that companies can't target people who exhibit addictive or destructive betting patterns.
The degree to which Kalshi and other prediction market platforms should be regulated will likely be a high priority for federal lawmakers after the midterm elections and in the next Congress. Mansour appears optimistic that there's enough bipartisan support for what he calls "sensible guardrails." He says there's a "big group" on both sides of the aisle that's "actually pro" prediction market platforms. There's reason to be skeptical of Mansour's claim, given that several members of Congress—such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D–Mass.), the ranking Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee—have said prediction markets need to be reined in.
In Mayes' case, her antipathy toward prediction markets might cost her at least one vote in Arizona's attorney general race. Zach says that with Mayes waging a legal battle against Kalshi, he'd have to take that into account "hypothetically, if someone knocked on my door tonight and they want me to vote for Kris Mayes to be reelected."
"If I'm not gonna vote on my own behalf, then who is, right?" he says. (Mayes might not be a fan of Kalshi, but with the platform's penchant for accurately predicting election winners, she can take solace in her current trading position, which shows an 84 percent chance she retains her position.)
Mansour says he's a "free market guy" who wants everyone to "have a shot in the competition." To succeed, he'll have to withstand a host of paternalistic government officials hell-bent on controlling financial decisions made by consenting adults.
The post Kalshi's CEO Wants 1 Set of Rules. The States Want 50. appeared first on Reason Magazine.
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