Share
Flying drones used during the Ukraine war have changed land battle tactics for ever. Now the same thing appears to be happening under the sea. Navies around the world are racing to add autonomous submarines. The UK’s Royal Navy is planning a fleet of underwater uncrewed vehicles (UUVs) which will, for the first time, take a leading role in tracking submarines and protecting undersea cables and pipelines. Australia has committed to spending $1.7bn (£1.3bn) on “Ghost Shark” submarines to counter Chinese submarines. The huge US Navy is spending billions on several UUV projects, including one already in use that can be launched from nuclear submarines. Guardian
A popular JavaScript cryptography library is vulnerable in a way which could allow threat actors to break into user accounts. The library has since been updated, and users are urged to move to the new version as soon as possible. The bug was found in the ‘node-forge’ package, a popular cryptography tool that provides functions for things like encryption, decryption, hashing, digital signatures, TLS/SSL, and key generation, all without needing native modules. Tech Radar
Virgin Media is once again opening up its Ultra HD channel to all TV customers throughout December, giving everyone a chance to watch films and documentaries in stunning 4K at no extra cost. If you’ve got a compatible Virgin TV box, you’ll be able to access channels 175 and 999 in UHD from December 1 right through to January 2, 2026. This includes V6 box users, TV 360 customers, and those with the Stream box. This is the second year running Virgin Media has done this. Last December, they opened up the channel temporarily with a lineup heavy on musicals and classic cinema. CordBusters
Electric vehicle (EV) users in Northern Ireland are calling for more clarity on what a new tax announced in the Budget will mean for those who regularly cross the border into the Republic of Ireland. Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the tax for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles on Wednesday. From April 2028, electric car drivers will pay a road charge of 3p per mile, while plug-in hybrid drivers will pay 1.5p per mile. But cross border drivers like Ciarán O’Doherty have been questioning how their miles outside of the United Kingdom will be tracked and paid for. BBC
If a jeans advert hinting at actress Sydney Sweeney’s “good genes” sent the internet into a frenzy over eugenics – how about one for a company that’s actually selling good genes? Posters have appeared on the New York subway offering would-be parents the opportunity to “genetically optimise” their future baby. By signing up to their $8,999 (£6,800) service, Nucleus Genomics will profile the full DNA sequence of up to 20 embryos for couples undergoing IVF. Sky News
A major chip company that was seized by the Dutch government has warned of “imminent production stoppages” at carmakers amid a standoff with its rogue Chinese branch. Nexperia, which produces semiconductors used across the car industry, said in an open letter to staff at its Chinese division that factories risked shutdown without a reopening of relations. The Dutch business said it had been “compelled to communicate publicly” after its “repeated and multiple attempts, both formal and informal, to re-establish the dialogue” were ignored. Telegraph
Related Posts
Discover more from Tech Digest
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.