Science and technology

Bandai Namco and FromSoftware Studios have released the launch trailer for Elden Ring Nightreign, a co-operative game. The footage revealed part of the gameplay and cinematics, showing the characters fighting monsters to survive three nights and then defeat the final boss. The multiplayer game will allow gamers to play as Wylder, Revenant, Recluse, Raider, Ironeye, Guardian, Executor and Duchess, each coming with an individual set of skills and equipment, backstory and storyline. Elden Ring Nightreign will be made available on May 30 for users of PlayStation, Xbox and PC. Elden Ring Nightreign is a game designed for one to three players. Set in an alternate version of The Lands Between, it takes place in a small, distinct area where the locations differ slightly from those in the original Elden Ring. The game blends genres, including souls-like, roguelike, and elements of battle royale. Read more: Elden Ring film adaptation gets notable filmmaker as director Before each match,...

Ubisoft has announced its plans to release the much-anticipated Title Update 1.0.5 for Assassin’s Creed Shadows. The update, set to roll out on May 27, 2025, will introduce new quests for players while also bringing improvements to enhance the parkour mechanics. The Assassin’s Creed Shadows Title Update 1.0.5 will also introduce a crossover event with Dead by Daylight. “This event comes with a new free quest that you can access from the Hideout upon unlocking Yasuke as a playable character. Once the event is completed, you will obtain a free trinket and banner,” as per Ubisoft. Additionally, Ubisoft will unlock the “Thrown to the Dogs” quest in the title update. Read more: Assassin’s Creed Shadows coming to Nintendo Switch 2? The developer is adding a new trinket for Naoe, and an amulet for Yasuke called “Winning Hand” — directly inspired by Balatro. Improvements to the parkour mechanics include the addition of a new vertical jump and sprint toggle lock “The new parkour inter...

Nintendo is reportedly planning to hold a Direct live stream around the launch of the Switch 2 gaming console on June 5. Journalist Pedro Henrique Lutti Lippe, who has previously shared credible details about Nintendo’s plans, made the claim during a live stream with a foreign media outlet. According to Lippe, the company is likely to hold another Direct around the launch of the Switch 2 gaming console on June 5. The Kyoto-based company has held a Nintendo Direct every year since the format was started in 2012. The events are generally aimed at new announcements across multiple titles, while there have been Directs, which focused on single titles such as Smash Bros. Ultimate or Pokémon. There have not been any official statements from the company on the claim about its rumoured Direct. Read more: Red Dead Redemption 2 reportedly heading to Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo has, however, held multiple Directs this year, the first of which announced details on the Switch 2 gaming consol...

Amid the wait for Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6, a new rumour about the game’s story mode has triggered another debate among fans. The sixth title in the Rockstar Games franchise was initially scheduled for release in Fall 2025. However, the developer announced delaying it to mid-2026 to further improve the upcoming title. Days later, Rockstar Games released the second trailer for GTA 6 and confirmed that it featured actual gameplay footage and cutscenes. “Grand Theft Auto VI Trailer 2 was captured entirely in-game from a PlayStation 5, comprised of equal parts gameplay and cutscenes,” the studio wrote in its X post. While the developer has not disclosed details about the GTA 6 story mode, a rumour has emerged online, suggesting the longest story mode in franchise history. GTA 6 Media, an X handle which regularly posts on the game, stated that the main story was expected to span 45–50 hours. Read more: Take-Two CEO stuns fans with shocking admission about GTA 6 “It’s not official, ...

The National Cyber Emergency Response Team (PKCERT) has issued a high-priority alert, warning social media users about a major data breach involving platforms such as Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, ARY News reported. According to the alert, over 1.8 billion records from various social media applications have been leaked. Among these, 184 million passwords are confirmed to have been compromised. The team has strongly advised users to immediately change passwords of all sensitive apps and accounts. Furthermore, users are urged to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) as an additional layer of security. The alert also warns users to avoid clicking on suspicious links and to regularly monitor their accounts for any unusual activity. Authorities are actively monitoring the situation and have called on the public to stay vigilant and take necessary cyber safety precautions. Read More: PKCERT issues advisory on windows security vulnerability Earlier, in December 2024, The National C...

A mysterious metallic sphere found in Colombia has sparked fresh UFO speculation among scientists and the public. The object was spotted on 2 March flying over the town of Buga before landing, according to the social media page @Truthpolex . The moment has drawn global attention and led many to wonder if the sphere could be a real UFO. The strange sphere is being studied by researchers, including Jose Luis Velazquez. He noted that the object has three layers and shows no signs of welds or joints, details that are usually seen in human-made items. BREAKING – Radiologist Examines UFO Sphere That Crashed in Buga, Colombia #Ufotwitter pic.twitter.com/TFeJ8OPmhE — T R U T H P O L E (@Truthpolex) May 6, 2025 Because of this, Velazquez believes it might be of extraterrestrial origin, further fuelling the belief that it could be a UFO. However, not all experts agree. Julia Mossbridge, executive director of the Institute for Love and Time (TILT) and a physicist at the University o...

ISLAMABAD: The government of Pakistan has allocated two thousand Megawatts of electricity for Bitcoin Mining and Artificial Intelligence Data Centers. According to Finance Division, the ambitious initiative is part of a broader strategy to monetize surplus electricity, create high-tech jobs, attract billions of dollars in Foreign Direct Investment, and generate billions of dollars for the government. In a statement, Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb said the strategic allocation marks a pivotal moment in Pakistan’s digital transformation journey, unlocking economic potential by turning excess energy into innovation, investment, and international revenue. Highlighting the transformative nature of initiative, CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council Bilal Bin Saqib said that with proper regulation, transparency, and international collaboration, Pakistan can become a global crypto and AI powerhouse. He said this energy-backed digital transformation not only unlocks high-value inv...

A new Instagram update has rolled out that brings more features to its Direct Messages (DMs), aiming to make chats more flexible and useful. This Instagram update reflects the way people now use the app, with more photos and videos being shared privately rather than publicly. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently said that DM sharing is now far more common than posting to the feed or Stories. Calling it a “paradigm shift,” Mosseri explained that this change in user behaviour is why the company is focusing more on messaging features. One of the key changes in this update is the ability to transcribe voice messages. When users receive a voice clip, they will see a “View transcription” button, which shows the text of the message either before, during, or after listening. This feature makes it easier to understand voice messages when you’re in a place where listening isn’t possible. Another feature introduced with this Instagram update is the extension of voice message length. Unt...

Alibaba, the Chinese-owned global business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform, has introduced tailored online logistics services to support Pakistani exporters. The initiative aims to streamline international trade processes by offering fast, reliable, and cost-effective shipping solutions to over 200 countries and regions. In partnership with leading international express delivery companies like CPEX, Alibaba’s new service integrates the entire logistics chain—from packaging and warehousing to delivery—helping Pakistani businesses optimize costs and reduce transit times. The platform also features enhanced order tracking, control capabilities, and a fully digitalized order fulfillment process to ensure efficiency. “Online logistics services are essential for small and medium-sized enterprises in global trade. They streamline operations, reduce costs, and empower businesses to reach global markets with ease,” said Ms Summer Gao, Head of Global Supply Chain at Alibaba.com. She em...

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held a high-level meeting with Bilal Bin Saqib, CEO of the Pakistan Crypto Council (PCC), at General Headquarters (GHQ) to explore the future of Pakistan’s digital economy. The discussion centered on leveraging blockchain, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence to empower the country’s youth and bolster economic resilience, reflecting a national commitment to emerging technologies for global competitiveness. Bilal Bin Saqib emphasized the pivotal role of Pakistan’s youth in driving this transformation, stating, “The Pakistan Crypto Council exists because our youth demand a seat at the global tech table. We are building for a generation that sees digital finance, decentralization, and AI as opportunities to lead, innovate, and uplift the nation.” He updated the COAS on PCC’s initiatives, including a recent visit by a World Liberty Financial delegation and Binance founder Changpeng Zhao, ongoing regulatory cons...

Huawei has recently launched its first foldable MateBook Fold Ultimate Design, marking a breakthrough in laptop technology, ARY News reported. According to the reports, the Huawei MateBook Fold Ultimate Design combines elegance with groundbreaking innovation, presenting users with a foldable screen that helps the device transform into multi-function modes. The Huawei MateBook Fold Ultimate Design has an 18-inch OLED display that folds into a compact 13-inch laptop. Upon opening completely, the device works as a large tablet, ideal for multitasking and productivity. When placed at an angle, it transforms into a traditional laptop, making it versatile for different usage scenarios. Huawei MateBook Fold Ultimate Design Specifications: Operating System:       HarmonyOS 5 RAM:                            32GB Storage:   ...

Hollywood actor Ana de Armas is set to join Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 as Eve Macarro from ‘John Wick’ spinoff ‘Ballerina.’ To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu – Click Here The action film, set to hit theatres on June 6, is set for a crossover with Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in season 4. Call of Duty confirmed the crossover with ‘Ballerina’ in a post on X, showing Ana de Armas as the titular character in a sparkling red dress she’s seen wearing in the film’s trailers. “New contract just dropped. Deploying from the World of Wick, Ana de Armas as @BallerinaMovie’s Eve Macarro joins the fight in Call of Duty for Season 04,” the post read. Read more: Ana de Armas breaks silence on dating Tom Cruise The upcoming season will launch on May 29, while the Ana de Armas skin will release in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 on June 5. It will be purchasable as part of the Tracer Pack: Ballerina bundle. As well as the two skins, players will also get the following Legendary Weapon Blueprints: Eve Ma...

U.S. President Donald Trump threatened once again on Friday to ramp up his trade war, recommending a 50% tariff on European Union goods starting June 1 and warning Apple he may impose a 25% tariff on any iPhones manufactured outside the U.S. The twin threats, delivered via social media, roiled global markets after weeks of de-escalation had provided some reprieve. The S&P 500 fell 0.9% in early trading, the Nasdaq fell 1.5%, and European shares fell 1.1%. Trump’s latest broadside against the EU stemmed from his frustration at the lack of progress in trade talks with the bloc. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Fox News on Friday that the 50% threat will hopefully “light a fire under the EU,” adding that other countries have been negotiating with Washington in good faith. “The European Union, which was formed for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the United States on TRADE, has been very difficult to deal with,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site. “Our discuss...

Notable Hollywood filmmaker Alex Garland is set to direct the film adaptation of the hit video game Elden Ring. To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu – Click Here The filmmaker will helm the live-action film produced by A24 and Bandai Namco. Alex Garland most recently served as writer and director on ‘Warfare’ and will also write the upcoming feature, besides directing it. The live-action film adaptation of the popular game will be based on a mythological story written by author George R. R. Martin, best known for ‘Game of Thrones’ and its spinoff series. Directed by FromSoftware’s Hidetaka Miyazaki, Elden Ring is a dark fantasy role-playing game set in an expansive, immersive world filled with dragons, mythical beasts, towering castles, and treacherous dungeons. Read more: Leak teases the return of Dark Soul bosses in Elden Ring Nightreign The story unfolds in a legendary land called the Lands Between, where the shattering of the powerful Elden Ring has thrown the realm into confl...

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission dropped a case that sought to block Microsoft’s (MSFT.O), $69 billion purchase of “Call of Duty” maker Activision Blizzard, saying on Thursday that pursuing the case against the long-closed deal was not in the public interest. FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson is seeking to use the agency’s resources for cases that fit with President Donald Trump’s agenda, such as a probe related to whether advertisers colluded to spend less on X first reported by Reuters on Thursday. Ferguson is beginning to shut down some efforts started by his predecessor Lina Khan, including dropping a case on Thursday that had accused PepsiCo (PEP.O), of price discrimination that favored Walmart (WMT.N). The FTC lost an appeal on May 7 seeking to reverse a judge’s decision declining to block the Microsoft-Activision deal, which closed in 2023. Microsoft President Brad Smith said on Thursday that the FTC’s decision to drop the case was “a victory for players across the country and ...

Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford faced backlash from fans and Baldur’s Gate 3 publisher after his comment about Borderlands 4’s potential price went viral. The incident happened when a fan asked him about the studio’s plans for the price tag of the upcoming title amid a hike by other developers in their upcoming games’ prices. Responding to the question, the Gearbox CEO said that gamers would pay $80 for Borderlands 4 if they were ‘real fans.’ “If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to make it happen,” he responded to the fans on X. A) Not my call. B) If you’re a real fan, you’ll find a way to make it happen. My local game store had Starflight for Sega Genesis for $80 in 1991 when I was just out of high school working minimum wage at an ice cream parlor in Pismo Beach and I found a way to...

The contest in Silicon Valley to dominate artificial intelligence is playing out on a new court: superstar researchers. While the scramble to attract top talent and keep them happy has always been a hallmark of the tech industry, since ChatGPT launched in late 2022, recruiting has escalated to professional athlete levels, a dozen people who have been involved in recruiting AI researchers told Reuters. “The AI labs approach hiring like a game of chess,” said Ariel Herbert-Voss, CEO of cybersecurity startup RunSybil and a former OpenAI researcher who entered the talent fight after launching his own company. “They want to move as fast as possible, so they are willing to pay a lot for candidates with specialized and complementary expertise, much like the game pieces. They are like, do I have enough rooks? Enough knights?” Companies including OpenAI and Google, eager to get or stay ahead in the race to create the best AI models, court these so-called “ICs” – the individual contributors...

Shopify on Wednesday rolled out AI Store Builder, a generative artificial intelligence feature that would allow merchants on its e-commerce platform to set up their online stores by entering descriptive keywords. The “AI Store Builder” generates three store layouts, complete with images and text, based on the keywords, helping sellers significantly reduce the time and resources required to design their store website. While Shopify has offered various AI-based tools and third-party applications to assist merchants in building their stores, the AI Store Builder is the first integrated feature that fully automates the website setup process. “Instead of just having a merchant click and drag and fill out text fields on how they want their site to look – which can be really daunting for some – we thought why not ask them more open-ended questions and set up their store in the best likeness we can imagine, using AI,” said Vanessa Lee, vice president of product at Shopify. Shopify has bet...

Stalker 2 has received a fresh update as developer GSC Game World rolls out Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1, addressing key problems faced by players. While this isn’t the biggest update for the game, Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1 brings some much-needed stability improvements after previous patches caused new issues. Stalker 2 Update 1.4.1 focuses mainly on fixing crashes that occurred when certain mods were installed. Specifically, the patch solves problems where the game would crash at launch if the Simple Mod Loader was in use. Another issue causing crashes when loading save files with mods like UETools has also been fixed. Read More: Infinity Nikki 1.6 update gets new date after player complaints These crash fixes may seem minor, but they’re important for fans who have faced trouble since the release of the previous major patch, Stalker 2 Update 1.4, which introduced hundreds of changes. Unsurprisingly, that large update also led to some unexpected problems, now being addressed in Stalke...

Dell Technologies on Monday unveiled new servers powered by Nvidia’s Blackwell Ultra chips, aiming to capitalize on the booming demand for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The servers, available in both air-cooled and liquid-cooled variations, support up to 192 Nvidia Blackwell Ultra chips but can be customized to include as many as 256 chips. These servers can train AI models up to four times faster than previous models, Dell said. The pricing of these products will be “competitive,” Arthur Lewis, President of Dell’s Infrastructure Solutions Group, told Reuters, adding that “there’s a lot of interest on what’s next.” Dell and Super Micro Computer have benefited from the growing demand for servers designed to handle the computer-heavy AI tasks, but the high cost of producing the systems and tough competition have pressured their margins. Dell in February forecast a decline in adjusted gross margin rate for fiscal 2026, while Super Micro projected fourth-quarter revenue below...

Elon Musk’s xAI responded to widespread reports that its Grok chatbot made claims about a genocide against white citizens in South Africa, saying there had been an unauthorized change to the artificial intelligence bot. In a post on X on Thursday, xAI said it would update the system to address the problem. Issues of political biases, hate speech and accuracy of AI chatbots have been a concern since at least the launch of OpenAI’s ChatGPT in 2022. XAI said that early on Wednesday the unauthorized change was made to Grok’s response software, circumventing the normal review process. “This change, which directed Grok to provide a specific response on a political topic, violated xAI’s internal policies and core values,” xAI said. Some X users on Wednesday noticed that Grok brought up the topic of “white genocide” in South Africa in unrelated discussions about other matters, sharing screenshots of their exchanges. Read more: How will Gemini chatbot change the way kids interact with AI...

11 Bit Studios’s action-adventure survival game, The Alters, is one of the most anticipated games of this year. The single-player sci-fi game allows players to assume the role of Jan Dolski, a man on a mission to a planet rich in a valuable element. Tragically, Jan’s entire team is wiped out during the approach to the planet, leaving him to complete the mission alone in this perilous environment. The planet is plagued by radiation storms, so Jan must gather essential resources during the day and return to a wheel-shaped mobile base to upgrade his gear while hunkering down through the night. However, one of the planet’s suns scorches everything in its path when it rises, forcing Jan to get the base up and running before the sun hits and sets both him and the base ablaze. 11 Bit Studios has set June 13 as the release date for The Alters. Read more: Take-Two reaffirms confidence in new GTA 6 release date According to reports, the action-adventure survival game will arrive on Play...

WhatsApp, the world’s top messaging app, owned by Meta, is working on a status sharing feature to give users better control over status and updates. This new feature will let users choose if their contacts can forward or share their status or not. Initially, the Status sharing feature was discovered in the Android Beta version 2.25.16.16 and is likely to be launched globally in the coming weeks. The update introduces a forwarding toggle within the Status Privacy Settings, enabling users to turn the feature on or off. The functionality brings a forwarding toggle in the status privacy settings, which users can turn on or off. If disabled, the contacts will not be able to share or forward the status of the user. Read More: WhatsApp parts ways with ‘THESE’ phones Likewise, WhatsApp will add an “Allow Reshare” option under the Privacy Menu, which, when switched off, will remove the forward icon from viewers’ screens. Moreover, to ensure privacy protection, users’ phone numbers and p...

Activision has announced its plans to delist Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile from Google Play and App Store as it has not met the studio’s expectations. The mobile version of the game is set to be taken down from the App Store and Google Play on Sunday, May 18, as per Activision. According to the developer, the game, which was launched on March 21, 2024, did not meet expectations. In a post shared on X, the company acknowledged the shortfall, stating the game has not met the expectations of mobile-first players. “We deeply appreciate your dedication and passion for Call of Duty: Warzone Mobile. Going forward, we will be streamlining the scope of the game. This decision was made after careful consideration of various factors and while we’re proud of the accomplishment in bringing Call of Duty: Warzone to mobile in an authentic way, it unfortunately has not met our expectations with mobile-first players like it has with PC and console audiences,” Activision stated in the post. Read mo...

The CEO of Take-Two Interactive, parent company of Rockstar Games, has reaffirmed confidence in the new release date of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6. Originally scheduled to hit the shelves in Fall 2025, the game was delayed to May 26, 2026, as Rockstar Games said that they needed “extra time to deliver at the level of quality you expect and deserve.” At the time, Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick said that the company supported the developer in its decision to push GTA 6 to 2026. “We support fully Rockstar Games taking additional time to realise their creative vision for Grand Theft Auto VI, which promises to be a groundbreaking, blockbuster entertainment experience that exceeds audience expectations,” he said in a statement. Zelnick has now reiterated his confidence in the developer to release the sixth title in the Grand Theft Auto series on the revised release date. “Generally, when we announce a date [for] certain, we’re able to hit that date,” he said during a recent int...

PESHAWAR: The National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) has developed a mobile app for the online registration of birth, death, and change in marital status. The mobile application was prepared for the online registration of changes in marital status, births, and deaths, says the spokesman of NADRA in a press release here Saturday. NADRA spokesman stated that through this app, citizens will be able to register important life events from the comfort of their homes. The mobile app will initially be introduced in Punjab, where biometric verification facilities are being provided in all union councils. The NADRA spokesman also mentioned that NADRA one-window counters are being established in Union Councils of Islamabad for facilitation of people. In a separate development, the authority has partnered with provincial governments to modernise civil documentation to introduce a digital birth and death registration system across hospitals and healthcare centres in Pakistan. R...

After months of speculation, Rockstar Games announced a delay in the release date of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) 6 earlier this month. Take-Two Interactive CEO Strauss Zelnick is now opening up on the reason behind their decision to push the game to May 2026 from the Fall 2025 release date. Speaking during the company’s recent financial results, he said that the need for more polish “became clear” as GTA 6 got closer to launch. “As we get closer to completion of a title that’s seeking perfection, the needs or lack thereof, for continued polish become clear,” the Take-Two Interactive boss said. “In this case there was an opportunity with a small amount of incremental time, we thought, to make sure Rockstar Games achieves its creative vision with no limitations. And I supported of course that approach,” he added. Strauss Zelnick, however, admitted that the delay in the release of GTA 6 pains him. Read more: GTA 6 release date could face another delay: report “I feel really good about ...

Apple has blocked the Fortnite video game on its iPhones in the United States and through the game maker’s own store in the European Union, its maker Epic Games said on Friday. Access to Fortnite via iPhone Operating System and through its App Store will be unavailable worldwide until Apple unblocks it, Epic Games said. The tech giant did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Epic Games did not give a reason why Fortnite had been blocked. Epic Games, a US-based studio backed by China’s Tencent, is the world’s largest game studio. It was launched in 2017 and its last-player-standing, “battle royale” format became an instant hit, drawing millions of players. Since 2020, however, it has been in a legal battle with Apple, after the gaming firm alleged that Apple’s practice of charging up to 30 precent in commission on in-app payments violated US antitrust rules. Read more: Fortnite Chapter 6 goes full Star Wars with new map and vehicles Apple banned Fortnite from its...