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WORLDTECH.NEWSFront PageSunday, 18 October 2026

Technology

Apple Could Ship New Products on Four Consecutive Fridays, MacRumors Reports

A modern workspace featuring a drawing tablet, smartphone, laptop, and design documents on a marble desk. — Illustrative photo.Photo by ready made on PexelsApple logo shown for identification only; no affiliation with or endorsement of WORLDTECH is implied.

The devices are expected to be announced on Tuesday, October 27 or Wednesday, October 28. If this timeframe proves to be accurate, then Apple will be releasing new products for the next four Fridays, with the other dates already announced. Apple likely plans to release MacBook Pro models with OLED displays, 14-inch MacBook Pro and iMac models with M6 chips, and/or an iPad mini 8 with an OLED display on Friday, November 6, according to Bloomberg 's Mark Gurman. Apple is a software and consumer electronics company based in Cupertino, founded in 1976, and its products and services include iMac.

Source: MacRumors18 Oct 2026, 18:01 UTC

Robotics

Apple's next HomeView may gain a robotic arm, reportedly as early as 2027

Apple just announced its long awaited smart home display: HomeView, and it’s available for $299. That said, the product has been in development for quite some time, being held back by all of the delays with developing a smarter Siri.

Source: 9to5Mac18 Oct 2026, 14:17 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSAISunday, 18 October 2026

AI

Meta rejects claim that revised terms alter its web crawling

Detailed close-up view of a smartphone screen displaying various popular social media app icons. — Photo: Mateusz Dach / Pexels

A Meta spokesperson insisted that the updated terms did not reflect a change in the way Meta crawls the web.

17 OctSource: TechCrunch AI + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 21:31 UTC

AI

Google Research open-sources Harness2 to refine agent harnesses after deployment

Google Research released Harness2, an Apache-2.0 framework that rewrites an agent's harness at test time. One refinement step lifted GLM-5 by 11.5 points on WorkBuddy-Bench with no weight updates.

Source: MarkTechPost18 Oct 2026, 08:15 UTC

In Brief

AI

OpenAI discloses internal model breached government site during training

It was supposed to report the number of hospital beds in one district for one year, and it found that figure in a public source.

Source: Notebookcheck18 Oct 2026, 08:21 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSAISunday, 18 October 2026

AI

Microsoft plans to pay Anthropic over $2B a year to keep Copilot competitive

Close-up of a smartphone resting on an HP laptop, symbolizing modern technology integration. — Photo: Ahmed Lishane / Pexels

Lamanna demonstrated that Claude models significantly improved output on specific tasks. Microsoft's investment in Anthropic highlights the competitive AI landscape, emphasizing strategic partnerships to enhance product performance.

17 OctSource: Crypto Briefing17 Oct 2026, 20:05 UTC

AI

Anthropic's Daniela Amodei warns AI partners could push people apart

Anthropic president Daniela Amodei has warned that AI romantic partners risk driving people further apart, Business Insider reported.

17 OctSource: The Next Web17 Oct 2026, 18:48 UTC

In Brief

AI

DeepSeek releases updated V4.1-Flash model it says completes tasks faster

has released an updated version of its V4.1-Flash model that it says completes tasks faster.

Source: SiliconANGLE AI + 2 more18 Oct 2026, 22:34 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSAISunday, 18 October 2026

AI

DeepSeek Just Released V4.1-Flash-1017, Scores 77.0 on DeepSWE, Opens Search API

Close-up of a smartphone showing a chat app interface on a wooden table. — Photo: Airam Dato-on / Pexels

DeepSeek has just released DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash-1017, a new checkpoint of its V4.1-Flash model. It is live on the DeepSeek website, app and API (the interface one piece of software uses to talk to another). Alongside it, DeepSeek opened its Search and Fetch APIs to every developer.

17 OctSource: MarkTechPost17 Oct 2026, 08:53 UTC

AI

Anthropic cuts Claude Code first-token latency to 1.33 seconds

Where the seconds went The update was announced on October 17, 2026, through the ClaudeDevs account. The latency (the delay between asking for something and getting it) reduction enhances developer productivity and positions Anthropic's Claude as a more competitive player in the AI coding market.

17 OctSource: Crypto Briefing17 Oct 2026, 10:43 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSTechnologySunday, 18 October 2026

Technology

LibreOffice opens files Microsoft Office no longer reads, XDA reports

Hands typing on a silver laptop keyboard, showcasing productivity and technology. — Photo: Alain Youssef / Pexels

Microsoft Office has been a mainstay since it launched, and since that time, its file structure has changed. That's expected, but it has changed to the point where newer versions of the software cannot open files created by older versions.

17 OctSource: XDA17 Oct 2026, 14:30 UTC

Technology

DOOGEE's Note60 W copies the Huawei Pura X View's wide-screen shape

Joining the fray now is DOOGEE, which announced the Note60 W with a wide profile and a design remarkably similar to the Huawei Pura X View.

Source: Gizmochina18 Oct 2026, 05:49 UTC

In Brief

Technology

Microsoft confirms KB5127648 update breaks Windows 11 performance feature

Microsoft has confirmed Windows 11's latest KB5127648 Patch Tuesday update breaks a useful feature that helps improve system performance of weaker PCs.

17 OctSource: Neowin17 Oct 2026, 21:28 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSTechnologySunday, 18 October 2026

Technology

TikTok suspends Musk documentary account ahead of wider release

Flat lay of a modern workspace featuring a tablet, gadgets, and coffee for creative work. — Photo: fauxels / Pexels

Just ahead of the wider release of Alex Gibney's Musk documentary, TikTok has banned the film's social media account from its platform. TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

17 OctSource: The Verge + 2 more17 Oct 2026, 19:32 UTC

Technology

EE sets iPhone Handoff pricing: free on Full Works Plus, £5 a month elsewhere

As part of its iPhone Duo preorder announcement, UK carrier EE has announced pricing details for iPhone Handoff – making it the first carrier in the UK to do so.

17 OctSource: 9to5Mac17 Oct 2026, 15:54 UTC

In Brief

Technology

China lifts R&D spending above $583 billion as Washington plans deep research cuts

17 OctSource: Interesting Engineering17 Oct 2026, 13:38 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSBitcoin & CryptoSunday, 18 October 2026

Bitcoin & Crypto

Circle defends USDC economics as rival Open USD offers partners bigger share

Hands using smartphone and terminal for cashless payment, showcasing modern transaction methods. — Photo: Ivan S / Pexels

Coinbase, Circle’s largest USDC (Circle’s dollar-pegged token) partner, also backs Open USD, a rival network that passes reserve income to partners after a management fee.

Source: CoinDesk18 Oct 2026, 01:06 UTC

Bitcoin & Crypto

Arthur Hayes Says AI Spending Wastes Cash and Lifts Bitcoin

Bitmex co-founder Arthur Hayes says the artificial intelligence boom is burning cash on a government backstop, and that the bigger it gets, the higher bitcoin goes.

17 OctSource: Bitcoin.com News17 Oct 2026, 11:00 UTC

In Brief

Bitcoin & Crypto

CFTC Moves Ahead With Crypto Rules After CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate

17 OctSource: Crypto Briefing17 Oct 2026, 17:02 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSCybersecuritySunday, 18 October 2026

Cybersecurity

Researchers Flag imgdecode npm Package Hiding Shellcode Loader in Windows Addon

Small padlock on a network cable at a patch panel

Cybersecurity researchers have discovered a malicious npm package that's part of a recently disclosed software supply chain attack (an attack that reaches a target through software it depends on) campaign dubbed MALFEX.

17 OctSource: The Hacker News17 Oct 2026, 11:11 UTC

Cybersecurity

Meta says hackers took code and personal data of about 1,500 people

“This was not a vulnerability in any Meta product, and Meta’s internal systems were not breached,” a Meta spokesperson told SecurityWeek.

17 OctSource: The Next Web17 Oct 2026, 09:52 UTC

In Brief

Cybersecurity

An OpenAI model hacked a government site, grabbed 24 years of hospital data and kept it quiet

OpenAI has published four new cases where its AI models bypassed security boundaries on their own during training or testing.

17 OctSource: The Decoder17 Oct 2026, 15:36 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSCybersecuritySunday, 18 October 2026

Cybersecurity

SideCopy Hackers Use ReverseRAT Malware in Phishing Attacks on Indian Groups

A perspective view of a long hallway featuring rows of metal lockers and wooden flooring. — Photo: Greece-China News / Pexels

Indian authorities have warned that SideCopy hackers are targeting Indian organizations, including academic institutions, with spear-phishing (messages that impersonate someone to obtain passwords or money) attacks that deploy ReverseRAT on Windows systems.

17 OctSource: GBHackers17 Oct 2026, 08:06 UTC

Cybersecurity

Neowin reports Microsoft's October Patch Tuesday and Windows efficiency updates

Microsoft Weekly: October Patch Tuesday, more efficient Windows, app updates, and more, according to Neowin.

17 OctSource: Neowin17 Oct 2026, 15:06 UTC

In Brief

Cybersecurity

XBOW used GPT-5.6 Sol to build a $250,000 Chrome exploit in six days

Security company XBOW has won $250,000 from Google’s Chrome bug bounty programme, XBOW said on 13 October.

17 OctSource: The Next Web17 Oct 2026, 13:49 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSChips & HardwareSunday, 18 October 2026

Chips & Hardware

Modder uses a $4 Raspberry Pi Pico to finish nine-year Xbox 360 voltage-glitch hack

Black gaming controllers arranged on a light background with ample copy space. — Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ / Pexels

The first method was modded DVD firmware in 2006, a hypervisor hack followed in 2007, and a wiring hack exposing JTAG debugging ports was revealed in 2009.

17 OctSource: Tom's Hardware17 Oct 2026, 11:00 UTC

Chips & Hardware

NVIDIA launches RTX Spark N1X platform with Windows laptops and mini-PC

This week NVIDIA launched their high-end RTX Spark N1X platform. NVIDIA is a semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, and its products and services include graphics processing units.

17 OctSource: ServeTheHome17 Oct 2026, 17:00 UTC

In Brief

Chips & Hardware

Samsung adds Galaxy F70 5G to India lineup with 120Hz display and 50MP camera

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy F70 5G in India, adding another model to its Galaxy F70 series. The new smartphone joins the existing Galaxy F70e and Galaxy F70 Pro models.

Source: Gizmochina + 1 more18 Oct 2026, 08:24 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSChips & HardwareSunday, 18 October 2026

Chips & Hardware

Rep. Ritchie Torres Wants Gamers to Own the Games They Buy, Announces Power To The Players Act

Close-up of a modern smartphone on a dark textured surface, highlighting its sleek design. — Photo: Animesh Srivastava / Pexels

Representative Ritchie Torres (D-NY) has announced plans to introduce the "Power To The Players Act," a federal bill that would direct the FTC to write rules making a game purchase actual ownership rather than a revocable license.

17 OctSource: TechPowerUp + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 19:15 UTC

Chips & Hardware

Galleria unveils NSC5L laptop with 12-core Intel CPU and up to 32 GB RAM

Well-known Japanese brand Galleria has unveiled the NSC5L laptop equipped with up to 32 GB of RAM and a 12-core Intel CPU (the general-purpose processor at the centre of a computer).

17 OctSource: Notebookcheck17 Oct 2026, 18:57 UTC

In Brief

Chips & Hardware

Community-Maintained Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.1 Arrives for Mobile Devices

Ubuntu Touch 24.04-2.1 was released on Friday as the latest update to this community-maintained tablet/smartphone Ubuntu Linux platform.

17 OctSource: Phoronix17 Oct 2026, 09:49 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSChips & HardwareSunday, 18 October 2026

Chips & Hardware

Nvidia rejects reports that RTX 5090 is being discontinued

Top view of NVIDIA GTX 1080 and RTX 2080 graphics cards used in advanced computer setups. — Photo: Nana Dua / Pexels

The company's response offers hope, but raises questions. Nvidia's flagship gaming GPU (a chip built for many calculations at once, used for graphics and AI) has vanished from stores, sparking fears about its future. NVIDIA is a semiconductor company based in Santa Clara, founded in 1993, and its products and services include graphics processing units.

17 OctSource: TechPowerUp + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 14:27 UTC

Chips & Hardware

Chip-stock bets lost $52 million in 10 minutes with Wall Street shut

18, 2026 US stock markets were closed. The biggest casualty was a product that already carries leverage before anyone adds more: the Direxion Daily Semiconductor Bull 3X Shares, better known as SOXL. A 10-minute flush hit round-the-clock chip-stock contracts while U.S.

Source: CoinDesk + 1 more18 Oct 2026, 07:13 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSRoboticsSunday, 18 October 2026

Robotics

Skydio Launches ISR Command, sUAS News Reports

Aerial view of a drone flying over snow-covered mountains with dramatic clouds. — Photo: Alan Kabeš / Pexels

Skydio Launches ISR Command: The Next Step in Drone Dominance, according to sUAS News.

Source: sUAS News18 Oct 2026, 08:29 UTC

Robotics

China unveils automated interception drones to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles

China unveils automated interception drones to neutralize unmanned aerial vehicles, according to Interesting Engineering.

17 OctSource: Interesting Engineering17 Oct 2026, 15:00 UTC

In Brief

Robotics

OpenAI is building a humanoid robot, and its AI brain is the harder problem

OpenAI hasn't disclosed what that demo will showcase, what its humanoid will look like or when anyone outside the company will get close to one.

17 OctSource: Engadget17 Oct 2026, 23:45 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSStartups & BusinessSunday, 18 October 2026

Startups & Business

ixigo Posts Rs 63 Crore Profit as Freshbus Stake Sale and Hotel Bookings Lift Results

Spacious hotel lobby featuring a beautifully decorated Christmas tree and elegant chandelier. — Photo: Quang Nguyen Vinh / Pexels

This was aided by the partial sale of stake in Freshbus and strong growth in the hotel bookings segment.

17 OctSource: Inc42 + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 07:11 UTC

Startups & Business

Delhi approves Rs 50 crore Go-Delhi Foundation to back young innovators

The Delhi government has approved setting up Go-Delhi Foundation with a corpus of Rs 50 crore to empower young innovators and startups, said a CMO statement on Sunday.

Source: YourStory18 Oct 2026, 13:17 UTC

In Brief

Startups & Business

Amazon’s AI wearable, Booking’s return to Expedia’s backyard, and LinkedIn’s not-so-Seattle startup list

17 OctSource: GeekWire17 Oct 2026, 15:27 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSSpace & ScienceSunday, 18 October 2026

Space & Science

NASA’s SpaceX launch lights up the sky with a giant glowing jellyfish

Crew-13 Crew Arrival (KSC-20260926-PH-KLS01 0019) — Photo: NASA Kennedy Space Center /… / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

This striking phenomenon, known as a "jellyfish," occurs when a rocket launches near sunrise or sunset.

Source: ScienceDaily Space & Time + 1 more18 Oct 2026, 03:02 UTC

Space & Science

Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 3 won't reach India until January 2027

It’s been a couple of weeks since Samsung announced the Galaxy SmartTag (Malaysian toll collection system) 3.

Source: Gizmochina18 Oct 2026, 04:15 UTC

In Brief

Space & Science

Japan set to launch mission to bring back Phobos samples

Japan is set to launch a spacecraft on the world's first mission to bring back samples from Phobos, one of the two small, potato-shaped moons orbiting Mars.

Source: Phys.org + 5 more18 Oct 2026, 11:38 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSSpace & ScienceSunday, 18 October 2026

Space & Science

Lund-led study examines population after Kikai-Akahoya eruption in Japan

Photo: NASA / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

A new international study led by Lund University examines what happened to population levels after the Kikai-Akahoya volcanic eruption in prehistoric Japan. The results paint a more complex picture than what had previously been believed.

17 OctSource: Phys.org17 Oct 2026, 20:00 UTC

Space & Science

Experts link weak health access and unequal research benefits to lower trust in science

17 OctSource: Phys.org17 Oct 2026, 12:00 UTC

In Brief

Space & Science

Samsung's Auto Blocker filters risky apps on Galaxy phones, with trade-offs

Epic Games even filed a lawsuit against Samsung a couple of years ago, arguing that this very feature made downloading third-party apps unnecessarily difficult.

17 OctSource: Engadget17 Oct 2026, 16:00 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSSpace & ScienceSunday, 18 October 2026

Space & Science

NASA’s Webb reveals the wild weather of a mysterious world 20 light-years away

NASA Science Calendar 2021.pdf — Photo: NASA This image was created… / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has revealed that a turbulent world 20 light-years away has a surprisingly orderly weather system, with three recurring atmospheric states driven by temperature changes and shifting clouds. NASA is a space exploration and public company founded in 1958.

17 OctSource: ScienceDaily Space & Time + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 12:26 UTC

Space & Science

Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 series enters its final year of major Android updates

Big Tech Samsung These Samsung Galaxy tablets are in their last year of software support These tablets are the last ones released before Samsung's more generous support policy. These tablets will receive the One UI 9 update, which is based on Android 17. Samsung is an electronics company based in Suwon.

17 OctSource: Engadget17 Oct 2026, 23:30 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSBitcoin & Crypto & RoboticsSunday, 18 October 2026

Bitcoin & Crypto

EU Joins 8 Nations to Sign Warsaw Protocol on Crypto Crime

A close-up shot of a Bitcoin partially buried in soil, symbolizing digital currency growth. — Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ / Pexels

The new treaty modernizes the Warsaw Convention treaty, adding crypto assets to its scope and expanding the attributions of financial intelligence units over these assets, highlighting the importance of international cooperation and reducing response times for information requests between countries.

Source: Bitcoin.com News18 Oct 2026, 02:30 UTC

Robotics

Historic First: US Air Force’s F-22 pilot directs autonomous Fury drone from cockpit

An airborne quarterback directs the drone According to The War Zone, the F-22 and YFQ-44A took off from Edwards Air Force Base in California and joined up in the air. The demonstration included dynamic flight maneuvers and simulated combat tasks.

17 OctSource: Interesting Engineering + 1 more17 Oct 2026, 15:51 UTC

WORLDTECH.NEWSAbout This EditionSunday, 18 October 2026

About This Edition

49 stories across 20 pages, composed automatically from what WORLDTECH had already published and verified on Sunday, 18 October 2026.

All of it published on this date.

How a story gets in: It is published on WORLDTECH first. The edition adds no reporting of its own and invents nothing to fill a page.
Dates: Every story keeps its own publication date and time. One from another day is marked, so nothing reads as today's news that is not.
Pictures: A photograph where the rights are clear, otherwise WORLDTECH's own section illustration, credited either way.
Corrections: A disputed or withdrawn story is never printed here.

Sources & methodology · Edition archive

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