A London doctor controlled robotic surgical arms in Gibraltar to perform prostate cancer telesurgery in near real time from 1,500 miles away.

Israel's elite drone Squadron 200 reportedly destroys over half of Iran's ballistic missile launchers in ongoing Middle East conflict operations.

Amid an increasingly severe security environment, the Defense Ministry plans to establish a coastal defense system using thousands of drones, though there are still many issues to overcome. The SHIELD defense system will involve more than 10 types of drones, including those for attacking enemy ships, collecting information and protecting radar sites, to thwart enemy advances in a multilayered manner. The government's fiscal 2026 budget bill allocates around ¥100 billion ($628.7 million) for the drone defense system, which the ministry aims to implement in fiscal 2027. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

The Download: Early adopters cash in on China's OpenClaw craze, and US batteries slump Hustlers are cashing in on China's OpenClaw AI craze In January, Beijing-based software engineer Feng Qingyang started tinkering with OpenClaw, a new AI tool that can take over a device and autonomously complete tasks. Within weeks, he was advertising "OpenClaw installation support" on a second-hand shopping site. Today, his side gig is a fully-fledged business with over 100 employees and 7,000 completed orders. Feng is among a small cohort of savvy early adopters making serious cash from China's OpenClaw craze. As users with little technical background want in, a cottage industry of installation services and preconfigured hardware has sprung up. The rise of these tinkerers shows just how eager the general public in China is to adopt cutting-edge AI--despite huge security risks.

Microsoft's Copilot AI goes head-to-head with China's DeepSeek in Africa Microsoft is investing 5.4 billion South African rand ($330 million) to expand its cloud and AI capacity in the country by the end of next year, and it also has plans to build a geothermal-powered data center in Kenya. Microsoft is making a push for more Africans to adopt its artificial-intelligence tools as the U.S. technology giant competes with China's DeepSeek for customers from the world's youngest and fastest-growing population. The Redmond, Washington-based company plans to train 3 million Africans on its AI technology this year, in partnership with schools, universities and other institutions, with a focus on South Africa, Kenya, Nigeria and Morocco. It's also partnered with MTN Group, Africa's biggest telecommunications firm, to sell the Microsoft 365 suit of apps together with its Copilot digital assistant to its 300 million subscribers. The Microsoft Elevate training initiative aims to make sure cost is not a barrier to building AI literacy at scale," Middle East and Africa President Naim Yazbeck said in an interview. Chinese technology is active in Africa and our job is to compete."

U.S. self-driving startup Nuro begins testing in Tokyo While Tokyo is becoming a kind of test bed for the world's leading robotaxi ventures, Japan is lagging when it comes to the regulatory framework needed for autonomous vehicles to gain traction. Self-driving car startup Nuro has begun testing its technology in Tokyo, the U.S. company's first location abroad after partnering with Uber Technologies and Lucid Group. Backed by the likes of Nvidia and Toyota Motor, California-based Nuro aims to compete with other driverless operators such as Google parent Alphabet's Waymo and Amazon.com's Obviously there are a number of Japanese OEMs that are very interesting potential customers to us in the future," Andrew Chapin, Nuro's chief operating officer, said in an interview, using an industry term for car manufacturer. He declined to name any possible partners or confirm if Nuro is currently in talks with a Japan-based automaker.

WASHINGTON - The FBI warned law enforcement agencies last month of the possibility that Tehran might try to retaliate for any U.S. strikes on Iran by launching surprise drone attacks in California, according to a security bulletin. The confidential alert, issued by the FBI through the multi-agency Los Angeles Joint Regional Intelligence Center, surfaced publicly on Wednesday as the war that began on Feb. 28 with massive U.S. and Israeli bombardments of Iran stretched into its 12th day. Iran, whose supreme leader and other top officials were killed in air strikes, has fought back with missile and drone aircraft attacks against Israel and several Gulf states that host U.S. military installations. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever. By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

Hustlers are cashing in on China's OpenClaw AI craze The AI tool has become the country's latest tech obsession. Feng Qingyang had always hoped to launch his own company, but he never thought this would be how--or that the day would come this fast. Feng, a 27-year-old software engineer based in Beijing, started tinkering with OpenClaw, a popular new open-source AI tool that can take over a device and autonomously complete tasks for a user, in January. He was immediately hooked, and before long he was helping other curious tech workers with less technical proficiency install the AI agent. Feng soon realized this could be a lucrative opportunity. By the end of January, he had set up a page on Xianyu, a secondhand shopping site, advertising "OpenClaw installation support."

East Japan Railway has said it will launch a trial in April of a system that uses artificial intelligence to monitor pantographs on trains running on its busy Yamanote Line in Tokyo to detect defects at an early stage. The railway operator, known as JR East, also plans to use drones to inspect overhead wires and other infrastructure, aiming to reduce the time required to resume operations by 30% when transport service disruptions occur due to equipment problems. Cameras to monitor pantographs, which are located on the roof of a train car and connect the carriage to overheard electrical wires, will be installed near Shimbashi, Ebisu, Mejiro and Uguisudani stations in the capital, the company said Tuesday. The AI system will analyze the images in real time, and if damage is detected, it will notify the control room or other relevant sections. Drones will be dispatched later to inspect overhead wires and other equipment, facilitating faster restoration work.

Tech's politics push at home and abroad We report from California's Silicon Valley, where billionaires pour money into midterms, and the AI Impact summit, where India pushes back on'AI monopoly' held by US and China This week, we're examining the tech industry's push for influence in two places separated by a time difference of 13 hours and 30 minutes. The first is where tech sees its next big market, the second its home turf. My colleague Robert Booth reports from last week's India AI Impact summit, where tech companies pledged to spend tens of billions in the coming year to build customer bases and datacenters in the subcontinent. Dara Kerr and Lauren Gambino reported from Silicon Valley, where billionaires are marshalling their wealth to influence California's politics at greater levels than they ever have before. Visitors explore the Google pavilion during the AI Impact summit at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, India, on 20 February.