Technology

Türkiye communications director warns of Big Tech's information control

Burhanettin Duran warned Saturday that global technology companies' algorithms pose mounting threats to media independence and national sovereignty, citing the suppression of Gaza coverage and recent attacks on Anadolu and TRT journalists as evidence of platform bias.

Pakistani astronaut set for China's space station mission

China's space agency said on Saturday that a Pakistani payload specialist will join the Shenzhou-24 crew later this year, becoming the first foreign astronaut to visit the Tiangong orbital station under a bilateral training agreement signed in February 2025.

Bayraktar TB2 hits targets with pinpoint accuracy using air-launched FPV drones

Türkiye allocates $400M for lunar mission, Somali spaceport

The Turkish Space Agency will receive more than $398 million over three years to fund a lunar spacecraft and a Somali spaceport, according to budget documents that officials said reflect Ankara's drive to end reliance on foreign aerospace technology and secure independent access to orbit.

China launches Yaogan satellites for scientific experiments

China launched three Yaogan remote sensing satellites on Thursday to conduct scientific experiments and electromagnetic environment detection from southwestern Sichuan province, with state media reporting the successful deployment marks the 675th mission of the Long March carrier rocket series.

Türkiye's Aselsan unveils Mercan 100 submarine optronic mast system

Türkiye's defense electronics firm Aselsan announced it has developed the Mercan 100 submarine optronic mast system, an advanced electro-optical platform designed to detect and track targets while providing enhanced situational awareness for underwater vessels in challenging maritime environments.

Bayraktar TB2 launches FPV drones in Türkiye test

Baykar said its Bayraktar TB2 unmanned combat aerial vehicle successfully launched two first-person-view attack drones developed by Skydagger during flight testing in northwestern Türkiye, expanding the platform's strike capabilities a decade after it first entered service with the Turkish Armed Forces.

Germany to ban Chinese telecom gear from 5G networks

Germany is preparing a comprehensive ban on Chinese-made equipment in its mobile networks due to security concerns, a move that could effectively exclude suppliers Huawei and ZTE from Europe's largest economy while shifting toward alternative European and South Korean vendors, according to a report by business daily Handelsblatt.

Israel-linked operation spent millions on anti-Muslim disinformation

A new report has found that Israel-linked entities spent over $8 million promoting anti-Muslim conspiracy theories across more than 30 countries, generating an estimated 800 million advertising exposures through AI-generated videos and social media campaigns.

Nvidia orders partners to cut China exposure: report

US chipmaker Nvidia is pressuring data center clients to reduce China business by requiring 51% of services go to non-Chinese customers, the Financial Times reported.

UN-backed reports warn of 'irreversible' damage if 1.5C warming exceeded

Two UN-backed reports warned Monday that exceeding the 1.5C Paris Agreement target risks triggering irreversible damage to Earth's ice systems, accelerating sea-level rise and threatening water supplies for hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

Swedish supermarkets hit by cyberattack on refrigeration systems

ICA and Coop stores across southern Sweden and Stockholm reported spoiled inventory and temporary closures after unknown hackers targeted cooling infrastructure overnight, leaving managers to discard ruined goods as officials confirmed the affected locations operated outside the company's central network.

Musk says Grok Bot costs 'unsustainably high' versus revenue

Elon Musk said on Sunday that operating costs for xAI's Grok chatbot have become “unsustainably high” relative to revenue, highlighting financial pressures as subscribers report exhausting their weekly usage allowances faster than expected.

Russia, Ukraine report cyberattacks on emergency alert apps

Moscow and Kyiv reported simultaneous cyber incidents early Monday targeting their emergency alert mobile applications, with false warnings about radiation threats and missile attacks transmitted to users in both countries as officials scrambled to restore public confidence in the systems.

Alibaba integrates Qwen AI into Apple Intelligence for China

Alibaba Group announced on Saturday it has partnered with Apple to integrate its Qwen AI model into Apple Intelligence for users in China, with beta testing scheduled to begin November 4 and full availability expected alongside the iOS 27.3 release in December.

Dutch professor with cancer creates AI twin to lecture after death

Jan Rotmans, a 65-year-old professor of transition studies battling metastatic prostate cancer, said his digital twin will preserve decades of research on sustainability and societal transformation, with the first online iteration expected by late 2026 and plans for a holographic stage version to follow.

Samsung executives, OpenAI CEO Altman discuss AI future

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told Samsung executives that gaining competitive advantage requires using artificial intelligence to accelerate operations and outperform rivals, during a leadership seminar held near Seoul on Saturday to advance the conglomerate's AI transition.

India launches NVS-03 navigation satellite into orbit

The Indian Space Research Organization announced on Saturday that it has successfully placed the NVS-03 navigation satellite into orbit, marking the third deployment in the country's next-generation positioning system designed to strengthen independent navigation capabilities for civilian and strategic applications.

Martian meteorite found in Mali dates back 4.1 billion years: Study

A study published Thursday in the journal Science stated that Teghaza 001, a Martian meteorite unearthed in Mali's Sahara Desert in 2022, formed more than 4.1 billion years ago, providing scientists with unprecedented insights into the Red Planet's primordial crust and early interactions between water and rock.

EU delays national child social media laws for bloc-wide rules

The European Commission has decided to postpone for 12 months draft national laws regulating children's access to social media, aiming to prevent regulatory fragmentation and ensure consistent protection for minors across all 27 member states through harmonized EU-wide rules.

Google's Russian unit pays $207M to cover parent company fines

The bankruptcy trustee of Google's Russian subsidiary told a court hearing Thursday that the unit has paid nearly 16.8 billion rubles ($207.7 million) to cover fines imposed on its US parent company, adding that the funds were collected from debtors and written off by Federal Bailiffs Service accounts.

Switzerland adopts climate adaptation plan 2026-2031

The Swiss Federal Council announced Wednesday that it has adopted a revised climate adaptation strategy for 2026-2031, identifying 30 priority areas to protect infrastructure and natural resources from rising temperatures that have already climbed 3 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.

Türkiye presents Digital Sovereignty Strategy to Cybersecurity Board

President Erdoğan chaired the Cybersecurity Board meeting where Türkiye's Digital Sovereignty Strategy was presented to reduce foreign tech dependence and counter AI-driven threats.

Anthropic IPO faces commoditization risks

Anthropic warns that differentiation among advanced AI models may narrow as the San Francisco-based firm pursues a Wall Street debut valued at $1 trillion, with slowing quarterly growth and collapsing prices threatening its pure-play business model.

South Korea completes indigenous marine attack helicopter development

South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration announced on Wednesday that development of the 450 billion-won marine attack helicopter has concluded following successful combat evaluations, with production of approximately 20 units scheduled to begin in 2027 for multidimensional amphibious operations.

Australia warns of unprecedented AI threat to infrastructure

Australia's cyber security agency warns that artificial intelligence poses an unprecedented threat to national infrastructure, with state-sponsored hackers exploiting the technology to launch attacks at scale.

Italian president warns unchecked AI threatens democracy

Sergio Mattarella calls for swift AI regulation to prevent disinformation and protect democratic values from uncontrolled technological expansion.

Musk defends Starlink curbs, says offensive drone use never permitted

SpaceX chief Elon Musk defended restrictions on Starlink satellite internet services on Saturday, stating that using the commercial network for offensive drone strikes was never permitted, while Ukrainian officials confirmed that connection speeds had been restored following high-level diplomatic contacts with the company.

France readies social media blackout for Yellow Vest protests

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has reportedly directed major telecom providers to prepare for potential restrictions on TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat and X during weekend demonstrations, though operators expressed reservations about their technical capacity to enforce such measures, according to French outlet Blast.

Belgian data breaches hit hundreds of thousands in early 2026: Report

An investigation by Belgian newspaper L'Echo found that at least 47 companies and institutions have suffered data breaches since the start of 2026, exposing the personal data of hundreds of thousands of citizens as cybersecurity experts warn that artificial intelligence will accelerate such attacks in the coming months.

Greece passes ban on social media for children under 15

The Greek parliament on Friday passed sweeping legislation prohibiting children under 15 from accessing major social media platforms including Instagram and TikTok beginning January 2027, mandating digital age verification systems while preserving access to educational resources.

Global markets mixed as AI fears, Mideast war roil sentiment

Investors trimmed risk exposure across global equity markets on Thursday as doubts over artificial intelligence profitability compounded fears that escalating conflict between the US and Iran will disrupt energy supplies, overshadowing robust quarterly earnings from American tech giants.

Study finds AI models plot infrastructure attacks in 90% of attempts

Cybersecurity firm Frenos said leading artificial intelligence models developed viable cyberattack plans against water and power infrastructure in nearly nine out of ten attempts, warning that critical facilities face growing risks from automated threat planning despite current technical limitations.

Meta faces Australia lawsuit over child harm allegations

Meta and its social media platforms Facebook and Instagram are facing a class action lawsuit in Australia over allegations that addictive design features are harming children and teenagers, with law firms seeking compensation for users exposed to harmful content or who developed addiction.

AI exposes critical PHP flaws, sparking global website shutdowns

Security researchers using artificial intelligence have uncovered critical vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language that underpins an estimated 70 percent of global websites, prompting widespread shutdowns Thursday as organisations raced to deploy emergency patches before hackers could exploit the flaws.

Meta denies favoring Brazil candidates, adopts human ad review

Meta on Tuesday denied favoring either candidate in Brazil's upcoming presidential runoff and informed the Superior Electoral Court that it introduced mandatory human reviews of automated advertising account restrictions following complaints from the Workers' Party, according to media reports.

Ambani's Jio launches record $3.2 billion India IPO amid Musk feud

Jio Platforms launched India's largest-ever initial public offering on Wednesday, seeking to raise $3.2 billion as billionaire Mukesh Ambani tests digital expansion plans following a turbulent year of energy disputes and public feuding with Elon Musk.

Türkiye's Fergani deploys 6th satellite via SpaceX mission

Turkish space technology company Fergani announced the successful deployment of its sixth test satellite into orbit aboard a SpaceX launch vehicle, marking another milestone in the country's drive to expand indigenous capabilities in the aerospace sector.

China launches satellite from offshore platform in Shandong

China's Taiyuan Satellite Launch Center successfully deployed a satellite into its planned orbit on Wednesday using a CERES-1 Y8 rocket from a sea-based platform near Rizhao in Shandong province, according to state media, as Beijing continues expanding offshore launch capabilities to reduce risks to populated areas.

US bans DeepSeek from federal civilian networks over security risks

The US Department of Homeland Security barred Chinese AI firm DeepSeek from federal civilian networks Monday, citing espionage risks and ordering immediate removal of the technology from government systems.