Citizen Lab says governments are abusing online ads to hack people with ‘zero-click’ spyware

TechCrunch - Oct 15, 2026

The digital rights unit found evidence that dozens of devices at media organization Al Jazeera were hacked after being shown malicious online ads.

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TSMC confirms talks with Elon Musk over Texas ‘Terafab’ but insists on operational control

Oct 15, 2026

TSMC confirms talks with Elon Musk over Texas ‘Terafab’ but insists on operational control

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) is in discussions regarding a potential role in Elon Musk’s proposed Terafab project in Texas, according to company chairman and CEO C.C. Wei, although he stressed that TSMC would retain operational control of any partner factory. The plant “has got to be run by TSMC”, Wei said during the third-quarter earnings call on Thursday. TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has sent teams to Texas to assess expansion opportunities beyond its US hub in...

China, US discuss AI as chip stock rout hits Asian markets

Oct 15, 2026

China, US discuss AI as chip stock rout hits Asian markets

China and the United States are in regular talks about artificial intelligence (AI) as they seek to firm up plans for an incident “hotline” and develop a formalised dialogue process ahead of a presidential summit next month. The two sides aim to agree on a basic framework for addressing AI incidents before Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump meet on the sidelines of the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec) leaders’ meeting in Shenzhen, the South China Morning...

Inside the Plague Research Labs at the Heart of a Russian Mystery

Oct 15, 2026

Inside the Plague Research Labs at the Heart of a Russian Mystery

A Russian researcher, who died from an unknown illness, worked at a remote anti-plague facility. Few foreigners have visited these labs, which dot the former Soviet states, and are shrouded in secrecy.

Tesla Debuts 2026 Roadster, an EV Sports Car at Least $200,000

Oct 15, 2026

Tesla Debuts 2026 Roadster, an EV Sports Car at Least $200,000

Elon Musk’s company and other automakers, like Jaguar and Bentley, are trying to sell very expensive electric cars to people who usually prefer gasoline-fueled luxury and performance.

Officials say fish are returning and healthy after Sydney tar ponds cleanup

Oct 15, 2026

Officials say fish are returning and healthy after Sydney tar ponds cleanup

It's been 13 years since the governments of Canada and Nova Scotia spent $400 million to clean up the notorious Sydney tar ponds and coke ovens sites, left over from a century's worth of industrial coal and steel production, and fish are now showing signs of bouncing back in local brooks.

Four Chinese sites added to World Heritage Irrigation Structures list

Oct 15, 2026

Four Chinese sites added to World Heritage Irrigation Structures list

Four Chinese irrigation projects have been added to the World Heritage Irrigation Structures (WHIS) list, bringing the country's total number of recognized sites to 46.

GhostAction Compromises About 1,900 GitHub Accounts, Targets Over 30,000 Repositories

Oct 15, 2026

GhostAction Compromises About 1,900 GitHub Accounts, Targets Over 30,000 Repositories

The credential-theft campaign known as GhostAction has ramped up, targeting more than 30,000 repositories across 3,000 users and organizations. The spike, according to GitGuardian, was observed on October 8 and 9, 2026. "This resulted from compromising the GitHub accounts of about 1,900 users. It attempted to extract 3,174 secrets from public repositories' CI," security researchers Gaetan

HSBC to double Hong Kong AI team to 300, outpacing Singapore plan

Oct 15, 2026

HSBC to double Hong Kong AI team to 300, outpacing Singapore plan

HSBC, Hong Kong’s biggest lender, said on Thursday it would double its artificial intelligence specialist team in the city to 300, a figure much larger than the workforce planned for its recently announced AI centre in Singapore. The announcement comes after Hong Kong’s regulators were reported to have raised concerns about the Singapore hub. The bank would double its AI specialist headcount in Hong Kong from 150 to 300 over the next two to three years, said David Liao Yi-chien, HSBC co-CEO for...

The 'leap second' could disappear. How a minor time adjustment became a major problem

Oct 15, 2026

The 'leap second' could disappear. How a minor time adjustment became a major problem

For more than 50 years, humanity has used "leap seconds" to keep our clocks aligned with the rotation of the Earth. On Thursday, an international time-keeping body in France is expected to do away with leap seconds and let the clocks slip until they're out of alignment by a full hour — meaning it could be centuries, or even millennia, before another tweak is needed.

WhatsApp Guest Calling launched: How to join voice and video calls without an account

Oct 15, 2026

WhatsApp Guest Calling launched: How to join voice and video calls without an account

WhatsApp has introduced Guest Calling, allowing people without an account to join voice and video calls through a shared link without downloading the app. Calls are free, end-to-end encrypted and support up to 32 participants. 

Why cling to zero-sum thinking in the age of AI?

Oct 15, 2026

Why cling to zero-sum thinking in the age of AI?

Why cling to zero-sum thinking in the age of AI?

Anthropic flags revenue surge to investors ahead of stock market debut

Oct 15, 2026

Anthropic flags revenue surge to investors ahead of stock market debut

It comes as some investors have become concerned about the amount of money being spent on AI infrastructure.

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