Understanding the New Space Weather Project The University of Surrey’s Space Centre has joined forces with the UK Met Office to improve monitoring of solar storms that can threaten aircraft, satellites, and power grids. Together, they have launched new space weather monitors designed to better understand how solar activity affects Earth’s upper atmosphere. These Surrey-built radiation sensors were carried to altitudes above 100,000 feet (around 30 km) on weather balloons. The launches took place at Met Office sites in Camborne, southwest England, and Lerwick in Shetland, as well as in De Bilt in the Netherlands with the Royal Netherlands Meteorological…
Author: Aishwarya Parikh
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AI Helps Unlock Secrets of Medieval Jewish Texts in the Cairo Geniza Researchers in Israel are harnessing artificial intelligence to explore the world’s largest collection of medieval Jewish manuscripts — the Cairo Geniza. This vast archive, containing more than 400,000 documents, has fascinated scholars for over a century. However, only a small portion of it has been fully studied until now. Digitising Centuries of History Although the entire Geniza collection has been digitised and made available online as images, most of the material remains uncatalogued. Many items are incomplete fragments from longer works, making traditional research slow and complex. Only…
French Union Challenges Amazon Satellite Internet Licence A French telecoms union has filed a legal challenge against the country’s decision to grant Amazon radio spectrum for its satellite internet service. The move marks the biggest legal test yet of the US company’s plans to expand its global broadband network. Union Disputes Arcep’s Approval Process The CFE-CGC Telecoms union confirmed on Monday that it had lodged an appeal with France’s highest administrative court. It seeks to overturn a July decision by telecoms regulator Arcep, which granted Amazon a 10-year licence to use frequencies for its low earth orbit (LEO) satellite network.…
NASA Dismisses Alien Speculation NASA has released new images of the interstellar object known as 3I/ATLAS, confirming it is a comet likely older than our solar system. The space agency dismissed online speculation that the object might be an alien spacecraft. Detected in July by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile, 3I/ATLAS follows an unusual path through the solar system, suggesting its origins lie beyond. Nicola Fox, NASA’s Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate, referred to it as “our friendly solar system visitor.” She explained, “It behaves like a comet. We’ve seen no technosignatures or signs…
Alibaba Cloud Opens Second Data Centre in Dubai to Boost AI and Tech Expansion Alibaba Group’s cloud computing division has launched its second data centre in Dubai, nearly a decade after opening its first in the region. The move underscores the Chinese technology giant’s efforts to expand its global cloud footprint and support rising demand for digital and artificial intelligence (AI) services across the Middle East. Expanding Global Cloud Operations In a statement released on Tuesday, Alibaba Cloud — the digital technology and AI arm of Alibaba (9988.HK) — said the new facility is part of the company’s broader plan…
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory to Lay Off 550 Employees in Major Restructuring NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) announced on Monday (October 13) that it will cut nearly 550 jobs as part of a major organisational restructuring. The laboratory clarified that the decision is not connected to the ongoing US government shutdown. Restructuring to Ensure Long-Term Sustainability In a statement posted on its website, JPL said the layoffs would impact staff across technical, business, and support departments. The move is part of a wider restructuring effort that began in July. According to JPL Director Dave Gallagher, the cuts are “essential to…
EU Probes Child Safety Measures on Major Online Platforms The European Commission has launched a review into how major digital platforms safeguard minors, focusing on Snapchat, YouTube, the Apple App Store and Google Play. The move, announced on Friday, is part of the enforcement of the EU’s landmark Digital Services Act (DSA), which aims to make online environments safer and more accountable. Focus on Age Verification and Harmful Content Under the DSA, companies must demonstrate they are taking sufficient steps to protect young users from illegal and harmful content. The Commission has requested detailed information on how the platforms verify…
Italy and France Launch Major Satellite Factory to Boost Europe’s Space Industry Italy’s space agency and Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Italy’s Leonardo and France’s Thales, will begin operations at one of Europe’s largest satellite manufacturing centres by the end of this year. The new site, located on the outskirts of Rome, marks a key step in Europe’s bid to compete more effectively with the space industries of the United States and China. Europe’s New “Space Smart Factory” The 21,000-square-metre (226,000-square-foot) facility, known as the Space Smart Factory, represents an investment of about €100 million ($117 million). It…
Samsung and SK Hynix Partner with OpenAI on Chip Supply and Data Centres Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have signed agreements to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s data centres. The move strengthens South Korea’s role in the global artificial intelligence race, as both chipmakers join forces with the ChatGPT creator to meet rising demand from the Stargate project. OpenAI to Build Data Centres in South Korea OpenAI also plans to work with the two South Korean companies to construct two data centres. These facilities, described as a “Korean-style Stargate,” will build on Seoul’s ambitions to become a leading AI hub…
UK Watchdog Proposes New Rules for Technology Licensing Post-Brexit Britain’s competition regulator has advised replacing an EU-era framework for technology licensing with a new UK-specific system. The move is designed to modernise rules and provide clarity for businesses in the post-Brexit environment. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it had recommended scrapping the Assimilated Technology Transfer Block Exemption Regulation (TTBER), which expires in April 2026. In its place, the CMA has proposed a 12-year UK exemption order tailored to the country’s economic goals. Updating Technology Transfer Rules The TTBER was originally designed to let companies share or…