September 2026
All columns and Brief analyses.
10 results
Jury finds Apple infringed Taction haptics patents
A federal jury in California found that Apple infringed two Taction Technology haptics patents and awarded 5.72 billion dollars. Jurors found no willful infringement. The award is not a collected payment or final judgment; Apple said it disagreed and would appeal. The case had returned to trial after an earlier summary judgment for Apple was overturned. A 2023 summary judgment for Apple was overturned before this trial.
Kyiv strike damages Datagroup data centre; services move to backup sites
A Russian drone strike in Kyiv on Friday killed four people and damaged Datagroup’s data centre. The company said customer data was safe and services continued from backup sites. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said additional protection had been decided for data centres and communications infrastructure. Russia’s defence ministry claimed military intelligence used the site; that claim has not been independently verified.
Lebanon's Salam calls at UN for a timetable for Israeli withdrawal
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called at the UN General Assembly for Israeli forces to leave Lebanese territory, the ceasefire to be consolidated and detainees to be released. He asked for a clear timetable and a mechanism to verify the US-mediated framework agreement. Salam also sought an international arrangement to avoid a security gap in the south when the UN force's operations are scheduled to end this year.
Link burned up, and the attempt to raise Swift ended
Katalyst's three-armed Link craft reentered 85 days after launch. It closed to within 12 to 15 kilometres of NASA's Swift observatory but did not capture it; two of its three reaction wheels had failed after launch. NASA's Shawn Domagal-Goldman said the flight did not extend Swift's scientific life. Katalyst held a 30 million dollar NASA contract.
Microsoft puts Home, Code and Autopilot inside one Copilot
Microsoft split the Copilot app into Home, Code and Autopilot. Home joins chat with Cowork and brings Word, Excel and PowerPoint inside Copilot; Code uses the same technology as GitHub Copilot. Home and Code roll out through the Frontier early-access programme in the coming weeks, and Autopilot, formerly Scout, enters private preview at the end of the month.
Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan meet in Riyadh
Military chiefs from Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan met in Riyadh after their foreign ministers called for urgent talks. The agenda included intelligence sharing, military coordination and the joint use of defence capabilities under the Makkah pact. The meeting turns the previously announced plan into talks, although the public accounts name no deployment or start date.
Monsoons lift biogenic particles into the stratospheric aerosol budget
An analysis of nine airborne campaigns and an aerosol model attributes about 40% of background stratospheric aerosol, excluding volcanic and wildfire contributions, to biogenic secondary organic aerosol. Monsoon convection provides routes from several regions into the upper atmosphere. The estimate could change how researchers account for ordinary aerosol loading between major eruptions, but it is a model-supported budget estimate rather than a direct global count.
Monzo weighs a Nubank sale while keeping a funding round in view
Sky News reports that Nu Holdings, the Brazilian group behind Nubank, has approached Britain’s Monzo about a possible purchase. The reported valuation range is 8 billion to 10 billion pounds, with advisers engaged but no agreement announced. Monzo’s board and shareholders are also considering a funding round for European expansion, so the talks have not settled the bank’s next ownership path.
Najaf airport stopped flights to and from Iran
Iraq's Najaf airport stopped flights to and from Iran after a directive from the prime minister's office to the governor. The step followed new US aviation sanctions on companies that do business with Iranian airlines. According to Iraqi state media, Baghdad, Erbil and Sulaymaniyah have also stopped Iran flights. The airport's management says the suspension will last until further notice.
NASA’s dual-mode satellite completes ground tests
NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center ground-tested a small satellite designed to use one fuel tank for two kinds of propulsion. A combustion thruster is meant for quick moves, while electrospray units would make slower adjustments. The craft uses the non-toxic propellant ASCENT, with components contributed by MIT, Plasma Processes and Georgia Tech. Its dual-mode operation in orbit remains a goal of the planned flight.