United News of Bangladesh

 Greece’s government on Monday said a major radio communications failure that temporarily shut down the country’s airspace a day earlier was unlikely to be the result of a cyberattack, although the exact cause is still being investigated. Air traffic across Greece was halted, diverted or delayed for several hours on Sunday after interference was detected on multiple air traffic control communication channels, including backup systems. Government spokesman Pavlos Marinakis said authorities have found no evidence pointing to a cyber incident. “There is not the slightest indication that we are dealing with a cyberattack,” he said, stressing that this assessment needed to be made clear. The Greek Civil Aviation Authority said the widespread noise across communication channels prompted a precautionary shutdown of operations. Air traffic services were gradually restored after several hours. The outage forced incoming flights to divert to neighboring countries, triggering widespread delays and leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports. Eurocontrol, the Brussels-based European air navigation safety body, assisted in rerouting aircraft during and after the disruption. It said around 120 flights were grounded on Sunday at Greece’s two busiest airports in Athens and Thessaloniki, adding that knock-on effects continued into early Monday. Greece’s Air Traffic Controllers’ Association said the incident highlighted long-standing concerns over outdated infrastructure, renewing calls for urgent modernization of air traffic control equipment. Israel hits multiple targets in Lebanon ahead of key Hezbollah disarmament talks Authorities on Monday launched both a judicial inquiry and an internal investigation to determine the cause of the failure. Separately, Transport and Infrastructure Minister Christos Dimas announced the creation of a special investigative committee comprising representatives from civil aviation authorities, the Greek air force, Eurocontrol and a state-run cyberdefence agency. Describing the incident as “very serious,” Dimas said passenger safety was never compromised.

CES 2026 kicks off this week in Las Vegas, showcasing the latest tech across robotics, healthcare, automotive, wearables, gaming, and more. Hosted by the Consumer Technology Association, the multi-day event highlights innovations aimed at consumers and businesses alike. Artificial intelligence remains a major focus. Nvidia’s Jensen Huang will unveil new productivity AI tools, while AMD CEO Lisa Su shares her vision for future AI applications. AI is also expected in other key presentations, including Lenovo CEO Yuanqing Yang’s. In healthcare, AI addresses personal health challenges and data gaps, such as Beyond Medicine’s prescription app for a jaw disorder and tools for breast milk research. Robotics draws attention too. LG will showcase its household assistant robot “CLOiD,” and Hyundai highlights advances in robotics and manufacturing. Extended reality, used for virtual training of robots and AI systems, is another key focus. Japan turns to new technology as dementia cases surge CES 2025 drew more than 141,000 attendees from over 150 countries; similar numbers are expected this year, with 3,500+ exhibitors. AP spoke with CTA Executive Chair and CEO Gary Shapiro about what to expect at CES 2026.  What are the key trends to watch at this year’s CES? There’s quite a lot on display. Artificial intelligence continues to take center stage, particularly in applications that are practical and user-friendly. Robotics is also a major focus, with more robots—especially humanoid models—than ever before. Health and longevity are receiving significant attention as well, with wearable devices designed for nearly every part of the body. Technology is rapidly addressing gaps in healthcare, benefiting consumers across the board. Mobility innovations are prominent too, extending beyond self-driving cars to include boats, drones, and various other transportation solutions. Finally, content creation remains a major theme, reflecting its ongoing importance in the tech landscape.  Will 2026 be the year humanoid robots start appearing in people’s homes?  Humanoid robots already exist, though performance varies. Their numbers are growing, and CES is expected to showcase even more models in the coming years. Last year’s highlight was a lifelike robotic dog that charmed attendees. Yet, humanoid robots are just one part of robotics, with many designed for specialized tasks beyond human ability.  Will AI play a bigger role in entertainment? AI is shaping the future of creativity. While AI can be creative, human ideas remain unique. The future will likely be a hybrid approach, with creators using AI to develop variations and reach wider audiences. Any notable AI devices or services for consumers? AI is appearing in many devices, with a new focus on helping people with disabilities and older adults. For example, Verizon’s CES stage highlighted ways technology can assist these communities. Robots, AI, and High-Tech innovations on display at China’s National Games  Is there a risk of an AI bubble? There’s no bubble when it comes to AI’s potential. It has the ability to tackle major issues in healthcare, food production, and the environment. Unlike the internet boom of the 1990s, today’s AI companies already generate substantial revenue and continue to attract investment. What concerns me more isn’t a market bubble, but having enough energy to support AI processing. At CES this year, a Korean company is showcasing the first small-scale nuclear-powered energy device, highlighting efforts to meet the growing power demands of AI technology.

Specially commissioned drones will be used to carry blood donations across Wales as part of a new trial aimed at saving lives. Currently, blood processed in south Wales is transported by road, a journey that can take several hours. The Dragon’s Heart project plans to fly life-saving blood samples using drones weighing about 55 lb (25 kg) and measuring 5.5 ft (1.7 m) wide, reports BBC. The first pilot, starting early 2026, will test the blood’s safety during flight at altitudes up to 2,000 ft (610 m). The drones’ design includes a hatch in the body to control temperature and minimize vibrations. Skyports Drone Services, which operates globally, will run the flights in partnership with Snowdonia Aerospace Centre at Llanbedr airfield. The drones can take off vertically, transition to fixed-wing flight, cover up to 62 miles (100 km), land in small areas, and withstand winds up to 30 knots. The trial will initially fly blood between Talbot Green, Rhondda Cynon Taf, and Wrexham, potentially cutting travel time by three hours. If successful, the service could expand to hospitals and support emergency responses, including ambulance 999 services, offering faster, more frequent deliveries across rural Wales.

Tesla has lost its position as the world’s largest electric vehicle manufacturer after annual sales dropped for the second consecutive year, pressured by backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s political views, the end of U.S. tax incentives, and growing international competition. The company reported delivering 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, a 9% decline from the previous year. Chinese automaker BYD overtook Tesla by selling 2.26 million vehicles, becoming the new global leader in EV sales. The shift marks a dramatic turn for Tesla, once seen as an unstoppable force that surpassed traditional automakers and helped make Musk the world’s wealthiest individual. The sales slump came despite a high-profile endorsement last year from President Donald Trump, who publicly praised Musk and announced plans to purchase a Tesla after showcasing the vehicles at the White House. In the fourth quarter, Tesla delivered 418,227 vehicles, missing analysts’ already-lowered expectation of about 440,000 units, according to FactSet. Demand was further weakened by the expiration of a $7,500 federal tax credit for EV buyers, which the Trump administration phased out at the end of September. Tesla shares fell 2.6% on Friday to $438.07. Still, investors remain optimistic about the company’s long-term vision, particularly Musk’s plans to expand robotaxi services and introduce humanoid robots for home and workplace use. Reflecting that confidence, Tesla’s stock ended 2025 up roughly 11%. The most recent quarter marked the debut of lower-cost versions of the Model Y and Model 3, unveiled in October to stimulate demand. The Model Y now starts just below $40,000, while the Model 3 is priced under $37,000. These models are expected to help Tesla better compete with lower-priced Chinese vehicles in Europe and Asia. Looking ahead to earnings expected in late January, analysts anticipate a 3% decline in quarterly sales and nearly a 40% drop in earnings per share. However, many forecast a gradual recovery in sales and profits as 2026 progresses. Although Musk previously predicted a strong rebound in vehicle sales, investors have largely shifted their attention to Tesla’s evolving business focus. Musk has emphasized that the company’s future lies more in autonomous driving, energy storage, and robotics than in traditional car sales. Tesla launched its robotaxi service in Austin in June, initially with safety supervisors onboard before moving to limited testing without them. The company aims to expand the service to additional cities this year but faces stiff competition from Waymo, which has operated autonomous taxis for years, as well as regulatory hurdles. Tesla is currently subject to multiple federal safety investigations and could temporarily lose its license to sell vehicles in California following a court ruling that it misled consumers about vehicle safety. “Regulation will be a major challenge,” said Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives, noting the risks involved with autonomous technology. Still, he believes Tesla’s self-driving initiatives will ultimately prevail. Musk has said that software updates could soon allow hundreds of thousands of Teslas to operate fully autonomously, and the company plans to begin producing its steering-wheel-free Cybercab in 2026. To keep Musk engaged, Tesla’s board approved a new, potentially massive compensation package backed by shareholders in November. Musk also received a major boost recently when Delaware’s Supreme Court reinstated a $55 billion pay package originally awarded in 2018. Musk could further increase his wealth later this year if SpaceX goes public, an initial public offering that analysts expect to be one of the largest ever.

China’s military announced Wednesday that it has wrapped up two days of large-scale exercises near Taiwan, concluding a show of force that heightened regional tensions as 2025 drew to a close. In a statement released late Tuesday, the People’s Liberation Army said the drills, dubbed “Justice Mission 2025,” were completed successfully and served to test the military’s joint combat capabilities. The announcement, delivered through a short video accompanied by patriotic music, did not provide operational details or specify the exact time the maneuvers ended. According to earlier notices, the exercises were conducted Monday and Tuesday in waters surrounding Taiwan, though it remained unclear whether some activities extended into Wednesday. Senior Capt. Li Xi, spokesperson for the PLA’s Eastern Theater Command, said Chinese forces remain on heightened alert and will continue to boost combat readiness through intensive training. He said the military would firmly counter what Beijing calls “Taiwan independence” movements and outside interference, while safeguarding China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Taiwan remains Beijing’s most sensitive diplomatic and security issue. China claims the self-governed island as part of its territory and has vowed to reunify it with the mainland, by force if necessary. Taiwan separated from China in 1949 following the Chinese civil war and has since maintained its own democratic government. China routinely sends military aircraft and naval vessels near the island and has expanded the frequency and scale of such operations in recent years. President Xi Jinping alluded to Taiwan in his New Year’s Eve address, saying people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share close ties and asserting that national reunification is inevitable. The latest drills drew criticism from several countries. Japan’s Foreign Ministry said the exercises increased tensions in the Taiwan Strait and urged Beijing to resolve disputes peacefully. The Philippines also expressed concern, warning the actions could destabilize the broader Indo-Pacific region. The United States recently announced a major arms package for Taiwan, prompting sharp criticism from Beijing. Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump downplayed the drills, saying China has conducted naval exercises in the area for decades. Source: AP 

Meta has acquired artificial intelligence startup Manus as the Facebook and Instagram parent intensifies efforts to expand AI capabilities across its platforms. The California-based tech company did not reveal the financial terms of the deal, though The Wall Street Journal reported that the acquisition was valued at more than $2 billion. Manus, headquartered in Singapore with links to China, introduced its first general-purpose AI agent earlier this year. The platform provides paid subscription services that allow users to deploy its AI tools for research, coding and other professional tasks. In a statement issued Monday, Meta said Manus already supports millions of users and businesses globally and that the company plans to scale the technology across its consumer and business products, including Meta AI. Manus CEO Xiao Hong said the acquisition would help the company grow on a stronger and more sustainable footing without altering how the platform operates or how decisions are made. He confirmed that Manus will continue offering subscriptions through its own app and website. The startup has seen rapid growth, announcing earlier this month that it had surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue just eight months after its launch. Manus previously received backing from investors including China’s Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund and HSG. The platform was initially launched by Butterfly Effect, also known as monica.im, a company founded in China before relocating to Singapore. Meta said there will be no remaining Chinese ownership in Manus following the transaction, and that the platform will shut down its services and operations in China. Manus confirmed it will continue operating in Singapore, where the majority of its workforce is based. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has been seeking to reinvigorate the company’s AI strategy amid stiff competition from rivals such as Google and OpenAI, the developer of ChatGPT. In June, Meta invested $14.3 billion in AI data firm Scale and brought in its CEO, Alexandr Wang, to help lead efforts to develop advanced artificial intelligence systems.  

Humanoid robots took center stage at a major Silicon Valley gathering this week as advances in artificial intelligence renewed investor interest, though doubts remain about how soon humanlike machines will become a practical reality. More than 2,000 people, including engineers from Disney, Google and dozens of startups, attended the Humanoids Summit to showcase emerging technology and debate how to speed up development of robots designed to move and work like humans. Summit founder Modar Alaoui said many researchers now see humanoids or other physical forms of AI as inevitable, with the main uncertainty being how long it will take. The recent boom in AI, fueled by systems such as ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, has injected fresh momentum into a field long considered too complex and expensive for investors. Supporters argue that the same breakthroughs that improved language-based AI are also helping robots better understand their surroundings and perform tasks using vision and language models. Disney highlighted its progress with a walking robotic version of the “Frozen” character Olaf, which is expected to roam independently in Disneyland parks in Hong Kong and Paris early next year. While such entertainment-focused machines already exist, experts said truly general-purpose robots capable of contributing meaningfully in homes or workplaces are still years away. Skepticism was evident even among conference participants. Cosima du Pasquier, co-founder of Haptica Robotics, said the humanoid sector still faces major scientific and engineering hurdles, noting that much research remains unresolved. According to consultancy McKinsey, around 50 companies worldwide have raised at least $100 million to develop humanoid robots, with China leading the race. Government incentives, a push to build a full humanoid ecosystem by 2025 and strong manufacturing capacity have given Chinese firms an edge, reflected in their dominance at the summit’s exhibition area. In contrast, U.S. efforts have been driven largely by private investment and excitement around AI. High-profile skeptics remain, including robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, who has argued that current humanoids are unlikely to achieve true dexterity despite massive funding. Some practical deployments are already under way. Agility Robotics recently announced that its warehouse robot Digit is being tested at a Texas distribution center run by Mercado Libre, showing how robots with limited humanlike features are entering workplaces. Industry leaders said competition between countries is intensifying. Jeff Burnstein, head of the Association for Advancing Automation, said the United States has strong AI expertise but acknowledged that China currently has greater momentum in humanoid development, leaving the question of global leadership still open.

North Korea on Monday said it launched long-range strategic cruise missiles into the sea as part of efforts to verify the effectiveness of its nuclear deterrent, days after revealing apparent progress in building its first nuclear-powered submarine. The missile launches on Sunday marked Pyongyang’s latest show of military strength ahead of an upcoming congress of the ruling Workers’ Party scheduled for early next year. The rare party meeting, the first in five years, is expected to draw close international scrutiny over whether leader Kim Jong Un will set new directions for relations with the United States and respond to Washington’s calls to revive stalled nuclear talks. According to the state-run Korean Central News Agency, Kim observed the launches off the country’s west coast and expressed strong satisfaction with the results. He was quoted as saying that verifying the reliability of North Korea’s nuclear deterrence and demonstrating its power were legitimate acts of self-defense and deterrence against external threats. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed that it had detected multiple cruise missile launches from the Pyongyang area on Sunday morning, adding that Seoul remains fully prepared to counter any potential provocations through its alliance with the United States. While UN Security Council resolutions ban North Korea from testing ballistic missiles, cruise missile launches are not prohibited. However, analysts warn they still pose a serious threat to South Korea and the United States because such missiles can fly at low altitudes and maneuver to evade radar systems. In a conflict, they could be used to target US naval vessels, including aircraft carriers. In recent days, North Korea also test-fired new anti-aircraft missiles and released images suggesting that the hull of a nuclear-powered submarine under development is nearing completion. North Korea shows progress in nuclear-powered submarine The country has hinted that the submarine would be capable of carrying nuclear weapons. A nuclear-powered submarine is among several advanced weapons systems Kim has pledged to develop, citing what he calls US-led security threats. Some analysts believe North Korea’s closer military cooperation with Russia, including support for Moscow’s war in Ukraine, may have helped it gain access to key technologies. Pyongyang has continued weapons testing since nuclear negotiations with former US President Donald Trump collapsed in 2019. However, Kim signaled in September that talks could resume if Washington abandons its push for denuclearization, with experts suggesting he may view his expanded nuclear arsenal as leverage in any future negotiations. Source: AP 

Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming China’s film and television industry, playing an expanding role in storytelling from script development to on-screen production. At Hengdian World Studios in east China’s Zhejiang Province, often dubbed “China’s Hollywood” — AI is increasingly used to create large-scale visuals that were once beyond the reach of low-budget productions. Post-production technician Zhang Shiyu said recent advances in large language models have dramatically improved efficiency, allowing complex scenes such as epic battles to be generated in minutes with greater realism and continuity. AI-generated visuals are now seamlessly integrated into editing workflows through advanced texture mapping and visual effects, blending digital elements with live-action footage. According to Lu Caijian, chairman of Dongyang Gewuzhizhi Culture Media, AI now supports nearly every stage of post-production for micro-short dramas. Industry officials say technology-driven innovation is fueling growth at Hengdian. Several tech firms have set up operations there this year, contributing to dozens of short drama productions by using AI for grand scenes, science fiction, fantasy genres and enhanced special effects. Beyond production, AI is moving upstream into scriptwriting and project evaluation. A report by the China Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers noted that AI is reshaping workflows from creative development to marketing, redefining industry practices and creative boundaries. Some companies have developed in-house AI models. Hangzhou-based Huace Group uses proprietary systems trained on decades of scripts and industry data to evaluate and optimize projects, cutting assessment time from weeks to hours and boosting efficiency by more than 50 percent. Industry experts stress that AI is a creative assistant rather than a replacement for human talent. While it lowers entry barriers for new filmmakers and frees creators from routine tasks, final artistic control remains with people. As AI accelerates content creation, it is also being deployed to protect intellectual property. Hengdian and other regions have introduced AI-powered copyright monitoring systems, helping detect infringements and recover significant financial losses, signaling a new era of AI-driven creativity and protection in China’s screen industries.

China made significant progress in industrial technology innovation in 2025, with the size of its core artificial intelligence (AI) sector surpassing 1 trillion yuan (around $142 billion), according to a national conference on industry and information technology held on Friday. The conference said that under its 2026 plans, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will focus on nurturing and expanding emerging and future-oriented industries, while continuing to strengthen research and development in AI. The ministry plans to build new key growth sectors, including integrated circuits, next-generation display technologies, advanced materials, aerospace, the low-altitude economy and biomedicine. Officials projected that the total added value of major industrial enterprises will rise by 5.9 percent year on year in 2025. Official figures showed that from January to November, value added by large high-tech manufacturing firms and equipment manufacturers grew by 9.2 percent and 9.3 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year. China has also fostered more than 600,000 small and medium-sized enterprises driven by technology and innovation, while the number of high-tech companies nationwide has climbed to 504,000. Industry and Information Technology Minister Li Lecheng said continued efforts are needed to maintain the industrial sector’s stable growth and further strengthen the self-reliance and resilience of industrial supply chains.