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Four major European telecommunications companies have announced a partnership to explore direct-to-device satellite connectivity for mobile phones. The effort is positioned as a potential rival to Elon Musk's Starlink, which already offers similar satellite-based phone connectivity in some markets.
ESA's Hera spacecraft, launched in October 2024, is set to rendezvous next month with the Didymos-Dimorphos asteroid pair that NASA's DART mission struck in 2022. The probe has already captured images of Didymos, though the asteroids currently appear as only a few pixels in its camera. Hera will examine the aftermath of DART's impact, which shortened Dimorphos's orbital period around Didymos by roughly 32 minutes.
Mozilla says it met with Microsoft to discuss concerns from its 87-page report on how Windows pushes Edge, but found the company unresponsive. Mozilla counsel Kush Amlani points to post-update prompts that set Edge as default and Start menu links that open in Edge outside Europe, contrasting this with EU versions of Windows where such defaults respect user choice due to local law.
CCIA Europe, a lobby group whose members include Amazon, Google and Meta, released a commissioned study estimating the EU's proposed Cloud and AI Development Act could cost 115 billion euros ($128 billion) over ten years, far above the European Commission's own projections. Most of that figure stems from a scenario in which sovereignty rules are applied to a quarter of cloud workloads across essential private-sector industries, with code rewriting cited as the largest cost driver.
Backup cameras activate only when a vehicle shifts into reverse, giving a wide-angle view behind the car to help with parking and avoiding obstacles. Since May 2018 the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has required these on new vehicles, with a similar EU rule starting in 2022. Rearview cameras, by contrast, run continuously and use a narrower lens closer to normal vision, and are not required by either mandate.
Space agency officials and researchers, including ESA director general Josef Aschbacher and Bangor University's Simon Middleburgh, describe plans and challenges for establishing a sustainable lunar base. They point to the moon's value for studying the solar system's origins, hosting telescopes free of atmospheric interference, and serving as a low-gravity launch point for deeper space missions. Significant engineering problems remain, including protection from radiation, dust, asteroids and extreme temperatures, plus the need for self-sustaining resources and autonomous robotic construction.
Tesla has rebranded its Full Self-Driving feature as 'Tesla Assisted Driving' on its websites in Germany, Spain and France. The change follows talks between Tesla and Germany's Transport Minister Steffen Bilger, whose ministry said the original name was misleading since the system only assists with tasks like braking and accelerating rather than driving itself.
Tesla has rebranded its advanced driver-assistance system as Tesla Assisted Driving (TAD) on its European sales website, replacing the Full Self-Driving (Supervised) label. The change followed talks with Germany's Transport Ministry, whose minister Steffen Bilger had called the original name misleading and now says he'll push the EU to approve the feature for public roads by year's end.
Tesla has changed the name of its advanced driver-assistance software from 'Full Self-Driving (Supervised)' to 'Tesla Assisted Driving' on its websites and apps in European countries including Germany, Spain and the UK. The change follows talks with Germany's transport ministry, and comes as German transport minister Steffen Bilger said he would back EU-wide approval of the system under its new name.
Using Claude Opus 5.5, the creator prompted the AI to produce a visual representation of Italo Calvino's 'Invisible Cities' within a six-hour window, spending $25.66 on API costs. The process involved multiple iterations, culminating in a complex, imaginative visualization inspired by the poetic descriptions of 55 cities.
Norway's minister of digitalization has suggested that a ban on the use of AI glasses in public spaces could be considered, though he noted that European regulations might complicate such a move. The proposal aims to address privacy and security concerns associated with wearable AI devices.
The European Commission is reportedly revising its digital tax proposal so that it applies to all large corporations with revenue above €100 million, rather than singling out digital services providers like Apple, Google and Meta. According to the Financial Times, officials hope this broader approach will raise similar tax revenue while avoiding the appearance of targeting US tech firms specifically. The exact levy amount has not been set, with the EU first seeking agreement among its 27 member states on the broader principle.