Tech

A global study published in *Science* reveals that agricultural drones are transforming farming worldwide, spreading rapidly from East Asia to the US. Used for spraying, seeding, and monitoring, drones boost efficiency and safety but risk displacing workers and causing environmental concerns

UPI transactions rose 25 per cent year-on-year in October to 20.70 billion, with total value reaching Rs 27.28 lakh crore, NPCI data showed. IMPS also saw steady growth, as India’s digital payment ecosystem expanded under ongoing GST 2.0 reforms.

Apple CEO Tim Cook announced that the company’s latest Apple Watch lineup will alert one million users about hypertension. The AI-powered feature analyses heart sensor data to detect signs of high blood pressure, strengthening Apple’s focus on preventive health monitoring.

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) has signed a strategic pact with US-based General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) to manufacture Medium Altitude Long Endurance unmanned aircraft systems in India, boosting defence self-reliance and strengthening Indo-US aerospace collaboration under the Ministry of Defence’s MALE RPAS programme

Alphabet reported its first-ever $100 billion quarter, powered by AI-driven growth in Search, Cloud, and YouTube. CEO Sundar Pichai said Gemini reached 650 million users, while Google’s cloud backlog rose 46% to $155 billion amid record paid subscriptions.

Razorpay, through its Malaysian arm Curlec, has partnered with NPCI International to enable UPI payments in Malaysia. The move, announced at the Global Fintech Fest 2025, will allow Indian travellers to pay local merchants seamlessly using UPI apps.

IT major Wipro has entered into a multi-year agreement with apparel giant HanesBrands to modernise its IT infrastructure and enhance cybersecurity. The deal leverages Wipro’s AI-first platforms, including the WINGS Operations AI, to drive efficiency, compliance, and resilience.

HCLTech has partnered with Talents of Endearment to launch an AI-driven learning and development framework that integrates HCLTech’s Career Shaper™ platform with TalEn’s regional expertise, offering adaptive learning, role-based upskilling, and AI-led education programs to build future-ready workforces.

Nikon has rolled out firmware version 3.00 for its full-frame mirrorless Z f camera, adding a new Film Grain feature, improved manual focusing options, and enhanced usability tools such as live streaming, grid overlays, and video orientation recording.

Elon Musk’s Starlink will hold demonstration runs in Mumbai on October 30–31 to prove compliance with India’s satcom norms. The trials before law enforcement agencies mark a key step toward its commercial rollout in India’s growing satellite broadband market.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner V.C. Sajjanar launched the department’s official WhatsApp Channel to share real-time alerts, safety advisories, and traffic updates with residents. The initiative aims to enhance public communication and ensure verified information reaches citizens directly.

Elon Musk said his new AI-based encyclopedia, Grokipedia, will surpass Wikipedia in accuracy and depth. Developed by xAI, the platform aims to eliminate human bias and currently hosts nearly 8.8 lakh articles, with content verified by Musk’s chatbot Grok.

Stem cells offer medical promise, but their capabilities vary. Adult, embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells each have strengths and limits. While therapies exist for blood diseases, broader treatments need rigorous research, regulation and public trust to distinguish genuine advances from unproven hype

The National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research has invited research proposals to study archived deep-water sediment core samples from India’s Exclusive Economic Zone, aiming to boost marine geoscience collaboration, innovation, and data utilisation. Submissions close November 10 under set guidelines.

OpenAI will provide ChatGPT Go free for one year to users in India who sign up during a promotional period starting November 4. The offer celebrates DevDay Exchange in Bengaluru and supports India’s fast-growing AI adoption and IndiaAI Mission

The HTV-X is the successor to JAXA's unmanned H-II Transfer Vehicle, known as Kounotori, or stork in Japanese, which flew nine missions to the ISS between 2009 and 2020. The new freighter can carry a bigger payload and supply power during flight

FutureGuessr, a free online game launched in 2025, uses AI-generated images to show how locations might look in 2100 due to climate change. It blends fun with climate education, inspiring awareness, conversations and collective action on environmental impacts and sustainable game development

Apple’s first foldable iPhone, set for late 2026, could reshape the premium foldable smartphone market. Samsung, Motorola, and Google are expanding their portfolios, while Apple’s entry is expected to boost consumer awareness and accelerate replacement demand.

Google expands its Agricultural Landscape Understanding (ALU) and Agricultural Monitoring and Event Detection (AMED) APIs, initially launched in India, to Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Japan. The APIs provide remot

Astronomers at the Indian Institute of Astrophysics have discovered that radiation and jets from supermassive black holes suppress star formation in galaxies. Studying 538 active galactic nuclei using optical and radio data, the team confirmed black hole activity regulates galactic evolution and growth

India has emerged as the top target for Lumma Stealer malware, with over 44,000 infected Windows devices between March and May 2025, according to Microsoft’s Digital Defense Report. The country ranks eighth globally in overall cyber threat exposure, facing rising identity-based attacks and infiltration by North Korean IT operatives.

ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said 90 per cent of the Gaganyaan mission’s development is complete. Three uncrewed missions, including Vyommitra’s flight, will precede the crewed launch planned for early 2027, following successful air-drop tests of the crew module’s parachute system

The Indian government has proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, to address the growing threat of AI-generated deepfakes and synthetic media. The draft mandates clear labelling, traceability, and metadata embedding for such content, with stricter obligations for large social media platforms.

A major outage at Amazon Web Services (AWS) on Monday disrupted global access to numerous online platforms, including Alexa, ChatGPT, Snapchat, Fortnite, and Canva. The issue, traced to AWS’s US-EAST-1 region, caused increased error rates and latency across multiple services.