Why is Starlink internet so important on the battlefield in Ukraine? Starlink satellites operated by Elon Musk's SpaceX provide high-speed internet - something modern war relies heavily on. Kyiv has adopted it as a vital battlefield communications tool and also uses it in drone warfare. Using Starlink, Ukrainian drones are able to maintain stronger connections with operators over longer distances than conventional radio networks and are less vulnerable to jamming. But a sudden speed restriction for drones connected to Starlink means some battlefield missions have been disrupted, according to a top Ukrainian official.

Our gifting experts are obsessively searching for holiday gifts that are unique, thoughtful and suitable for any budget. Lance Whitney is a technology journalist with an IT background. He's written for TechRepublic, PCMag, Macworld, and Time, among others, He also teaches classes in AI, cybersecurity, and social media. The October Windows update squashes more than 1,400 security flaws. This marks Microsoft's final supported update for Windows 24H2.

A hidden video recording device has been found in an Australian navy ship's cabin, the Australian Defence Force (ADF) has confirmed. The device was located on Sunday in the cabin of Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Leeuwin in Cairns, Queensland. The confirmation came after independent Australian senator Jacqui Lambie, a former veteran and defence advocate, told parliament she was contacted by personnel with allegations that concealed cameras have recently been found in the female sailors' showers facilities. Australia's defence department has not said whether the device was found in a female-only space and said the incident was referred to the Joint Military Police United. Lambie told the Australian Senate on Wednesday: I was also told this had occurred recently and prevented the vessel from sailing while investigations were ongoing.

Plus: The FBI has arrested an OpenAI engineer accused of snooping. The US military's race to make fake blood In February 2007, a US military helicopter carrying blood to a field hospital was shot down in Iraq, killing all seven crew members. The mission was a reminder of the risks of transporting blood, which has a limited shelf life and is often in short supply. Now, a $73 million DARPA effort aims to create shelf-stable versions of plasma, platelets, and red blood cells. The idea is to develop dried blood products that can be stored for long periods and deployed quickly on the battlefield. The project aims to have bags of dried blood products deployed in the field by 2029.

At least 600,000 people across Ukraine are now without electricity after deadly overnight Russian missile and drone strikes, President Volodymyr Zelensky has said. He said critical energy infrastructure had been hit in Kyiv and the capital region and also in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv - despite a claim by US President Donald Trump on Sunday that an energy ceasefire was in place between Russia and Ukraine. In Kyiv, at least three people were killed and 21 injured, Ukraine's state emergencies service DSNS said. Russia's defence ministry said its massive strikes overnight had targeted communications and energy facilities in the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions used by Ukraine's military. The defence ministry also said 902 Ukrainian drones had been shot down overnight over a number of Russian regions, including the capital Moscow and Crimea - Ukraine's southern peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014. Ukraine's air force said that overnight, Russia had launched 39 ballistic and cruise missiles and 128 drones, and that four of those missiles and 115 drones had been shot down.

Is the war entering a new phase? Ukrainian drones struck the Saratov region. The regional governor reported one person was killed and several homes were damaged. Vatican confirms Pope Leo's surgery was successful Food shortages in Yemen's Taiz as Houthi siege hits supplies

SoftBank junk bond sale raises stakes for CEO Son's all-in AI bet SoftBank Group Chairman and CEO Masayoshi Son's bets have a mixed track record -- his investment in Chinese tech giant Alibaba was a major success, but he also directed $16 billion to Adam Neumann's WeWork, which ultimately went bankrupt. SoftBank's promise to pay its highest-ever yields in a record $11 billion junk-bond offering highlights the pressure on CEO Masayoshi Son to secure returns on his all-in bet on artificial intelligence amid concerns about possible overheating in the market. The SoftBank debt issuance last month added to a sharp surge in corporate borrowing this year, including major bond sales from Amazon, Alphabet and Tencent. The scale of Son's investments, which include backing totaling $64.6 billion for ChatGPT maker OpenAI, in particular, has made the technology-and-investing conglomerate a bellwether for AI sentiment. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.

OpenAI discovered a recording device plugged into a USB port on the back of a television in an executive conference room at one of its San Francisco buildings last month. U.S. federal agents have arrested a Saudi national who was an OpenAI engineer and charged him with installing a hidden audio recording device in an executive conference room at the AI company, the Justice Department said on Tuesday. The case highlights growing security concerns around sensitive AI research as companies and governments compete fiercely for the talent and technology that could confer economic and strategic advantages. Abdulrahman Alfozan, 35, had worked as an engineer at OpenAI since July 2025, the Justice Department said in a statement. An email sent to an address associated with that name did not elicit a response, and it was not immediately clear who his lawyer was.

A group of more than 300 scientists from around the world is calling for urgent changes to how artificial intelligence is developed and deployed amid growing concerns about its unpredictable behaviour. The letter, released on Tuesday and signed by researchers representing universities and research institutes in 32 countries, warned that failures to follow basic cybersecurity practices could lead to damage to critical infrastructure. They recommended that organisations developing and testing advanced AI systems capable of carrying out cyberattacks do so in more tightly controlled environments, including "air-gapped" systems that are not connected to the internet. The letter comes amid growing concerns about AI's capabilities and its potential impact on everyday users. On Monday, Anthropic warned that its AI models could soon be capable of creating self-spreading malware that could affect everyday internet-connected devices, including smart TVs, security cameras and smart appliances such as ovens.

A cyberattack in France targeted connected refrigerators at hundreds of supermarket stores, forcing chains like Carrefour and Monoprix to discard food over food safety concerns.