Islamabad, Dec 12: OpenAI reported a significant outage affecting ChatGPT, its API, and Sora on Wednesday, starting around 3 p.m. PT. The company’s status page confirmed services began recovering by 7 p.m. PT and were largely restored by 9 p.m. PT. The outage coincided with OpenAI’s integration launch for Apple Intelligence on iOS 18.2, potentially increasing server traffic. Users reported downtime in Apple Intelligence due to the issue. Earlier this week, OpenAI launched Sora publicly, which drew overwhelming interest, leading to usage limits. The outage also overlapped with Meta’s global service interruptions on the same day, though no connection has…
Author: Mawadat Fatima
Islamabad, Dec 12: China and Punjab have agreed to collaborate on combating smog, improving the environment, and promoting afforestation through the formation of a joint working group, Beijing-Punjab Clean Air, during Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s visit to Beijing. The agreement includes exchanging environmental expertise, enhancing biodiversity, protecting wildlife, and adopting sustainable practices. China will assist Punjab in developing an advanced air quality management system, launching eco-friendly energy and transportation projects, and introducing sustainable agricultural practices. Chief Minister Nawaz emphasized adopting China’s advanced environmental models to address climate challenges in Punjab. The collaboration aligns with the second phase of the CPEC…
Islamabad, Dec 12: YouTube is taking its gaming initiative to the next level by testing real-time multiplayer functionality in its lightweight gaming feature, Playables. The platform, known for video streaming, aims to enhance user engagement by allowing users to play games like Ludo Club and Magic Tiles 3 with others in real time. In an official statement, YouTube announced, “We’re beginning to test a new multiplayer feature for a few select games on YouTube Playables,” signaling the evolution of its gaming ecosystem. Initially launched with a limited free mini-game catalogue for premium users, Playables expanded to all users in May…
Islamabad, Dec 12: Pakistan faces a significant educational crisis, with 26 million out-of-school children and only 5% receiving quality education, according to the “National Education Policy Development Framework 2024.” Launched by Federal Minister Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, the document highlights challenges such as limited access to higher education, with only 12% of the eligible population enrolled, and an alarming 40% of children stunted by age five. The framework emphasizes the need for quality improvements across all levels of education. In higher education, it identifies deficiencies in teaching, research, and alignment with global and economic standards. Research in STEM fields remains…
Islamabad, Dec 12: The world’s richest individual has reached an unprecedented milestone. Elon Musk’s net worth has soared to $400 billion, as reported by Bloomberg, making him the first person to cross this benchmark. This surge was largely driven by a $20 billion increase tied to a SpaceX valuation boost, which reached approximately $350 billion after Musk and investors agreed to buy up to $1.25 billion in insider shares. Musk’s wealth has seen rapid growth since the 2024 US presidential election. His collaboration with President-elect Donald Trump has elevated his businesses, including Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink, and xAI. Musk will also…
Islamabad, Dec 12: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif extended his congratulations to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for securing the rights to host the FIFA World Cup 2034. He described the achievement as a “befitting recognition” of Saudi Arabia’s growing global stature. FIFA, the global football governing body, officially announced Saudi Arabia as the host nation for the 2034 tournament during an Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting. Additionally, it confirmed Morocco, Spain, and Portugal as co-hosts of the 2030 World Cup. Saudi Arabia becomes the second Middle Eastern country to host the prestigious event,…
Islamabad, Dec 12: The Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) has published the results of its Business Confidence Index (BCI) Survey – Wave 26, conducted in October and November 2024. The survey indicates a notable 9% improvement in business confidence, shifting from -14% to -5% compared to the previous survey conducted in March-April 2024. This recovery is attributed to economic stability, a steady exchange rate, and lower inflation. The Services Sector showed the strongest recovery, rising from -14% to +2%, followed by the Manufacturing Sector, which improved from -15% to -3%. Conversely, the Retail/Wholesale Sector declined from -15%…
Islamabad, Dec 12: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has set a new record by surpassing the historic 113,213-point milestone for the first time. The trading session began with a remarkable surge, as the market gained 1,400 points in just half an hour. The KSE-100 Index rose by 1,467 points, reaching an all-time high of 112,277 points. Shortly after the market opened, the PSX hit another milestone, with the index climbing 1,200 points in just 15 minutes, reaching 112,041 points. In a further record-breaking move, the PSX saw a sharp 1,000-point rise in only 10 minutes, pushing the KSE-100 Index up…
Islamabad, Dec 12: WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook, all owned by Meta, experienced a major outage that affected users worldwide, including in Pakistan, as reported by ARY News. The disruption began around 10:58 PM, preventing users from accessing the platforms. Reports revealed that WhatsApp users had trouble sending and receiving messages, while Facebook users struggled to log in and post content. Instagram users faced difficulties viewing or updating their content. Many users reported issues on DownDetector, but Meta has yet to issue a statement regarding the outage. In March 2024, Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram also encountered a global outage, which began…
Islamabad, Dec 12: As of November 29, 2024, bank advances rose by Rs. 1.1 trillion, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The banking sector’s advances-to-deposit ratio (ADR) improved to 47.8%, with total advances reaching Rs. 14.9 trillion, an 8% month-on-month (MoM) increase from Rs. 13.8 trillion in October 2024. In October, advances had grown by Rs. 1.473 trillion, rising from Rs. 12.3 trillion in September to Rs. 13.77 trillion. Meanwhile, bank deposits remained stable at Rs. 31.11 trillion in November . Investments saw a slight MoM increase of Rs. 0.1 trillion (0.3%), totaling Rs. 29 trillion. The investment-to-deposit…
