European satellite launcher set for first commercial blast off
After several postponements, Europe's Ariane 6 launcher will carry out its first commercial mission on Monday when it puts a French military intelligence satellite into space.
The launch from the Kourou base in French Guiana is key to Europe's efforts to build up its security autonomy amid the shocks caused by the US-Russia diplomatic rapprochement.
'The whole world is watching us,' Arianespace chief executive David Cavailloles told AFP this month.
Ariane 5 was retired in 2023 and Europe has not been able to use Russia's Soyuz rocket for satellite launches since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Tribune
12 hours ago
- Daily Tribune
World's first humanoid robot games begin in China
The world's first-ever humanoid robot games began yesterday in Beijing, with over 500 androids alternating between jerky tumbles and glimpses of real power as they compete in events from the 100-metre hurdles to kung fu. Hundreds of robotics teams from 16 countries are going for gold at the Chinese capital's National Speed Skating Oval, built for the 2022 Winter Olympics. The games include traditional sports like athletics and basketball, as well as practical tasks such as medicine categorisation and cleaning. 'I believe in the next 10 years or so, robots will be basically at the same level as humans,' enthusiastic 18-year-old spectator Chen Ruiyuan told AFP. Human athletes might not be quaking in their boots just yet. At one of the first events yesterday morning, five-aside football, 10 robots the size of seven-year-olds shuffled around the pitch, often getting stuck in a scrum or falling over en masse. However, in a 1500-metre race, domestic champion Unitree's humanoids stomped along the track at an impressive clip, easily outpacing their rivals. The fastest robot AFP witnessed finished in 6:29:37, a far cry from the human men's world record of 3:26:00. One mechanical racer barrelled straight into a human operator. The robot remained standing, while the human was knocked flat, though did not appear to be injured. Robot competitions have been held for decades, but the 2025 World Humanoid Robot Games is the first to focus specifically on robots that resemble human bodies, organisers said. The Chinese government has poured support into robotics hoping to lead the industry. Beijing has put humanoids in the 'centre of their national strategy', the International Federation of Robotics wrote in a paper on Thursday.
Daily Tribune
2 days ago
- Daily Tribune
How India has become the world's smartphone making powerhouse
TDT | agencies India is now the United States' biggest supplier of smartphones. New data shows that New Delhi has surpassed Beijing as Washington's top supplier of smartphones. What made this possible? Apple shifting its operations to India in the backdrop of the Covid-19 pandemic and President Donald Trump's ongoing tariff wars. But what happened and why? How did India overtake China as the US' top supplier of smartphones? Let's take a closer look: What happened? Data from research firm Canalys showed that India's smartphone shipments to the US increased by a whopping 240 per cent in the second quarter of 2025. These phones now comprise around 44 per cent of all smartphones sent to the US. Last year, that figure was at just 13 per cent, Meanwhile, China's share of smartphones sent to the US declined to 25 per cent. This is a major shift from the second quarter of 2024, when China comprised 61 per cent of smartphones sent to the US. Canalys analyst Sanyam Chaurasia said, 'India became the leading manufacturing hub for US-sold smartphones for the very first time in Q2 2025, largely driven by Apple's accelerated supply chain shift to India amid an uncertain trade landscape.' iPhone exports from the US to India hit a high in March – just before Trump announced the reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners. Trump has imposed a 50 per cent tariff on India, a 30 per cent tariff on China while the two countries negotiated trade deal and a 20 per cent tariff on Vietnam. India has exported over 24 million iPhones across the world in 2025 – 78 per cent of which have gone to the United States. India sent 21.3 million smartphones to the US between January and May 2025 – more than what it sent last year. Smartphone exports from India to the US have skyrocketed 182 per cent to $9.35 billion in 2025. Tamil Nadu, which houses Apple suppliers such as Foxconn, Pegatron, and Tata Electronics, is the hub of iPhone production in India. Apple is making its bas models such as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 15 in India. However, it is important to note that though the tech giant has begun assembling some iPhone Pro models in India, it remains dependent on China for its iPhone Pro models to the United States. Samsung and Motorola have also increased sending handsets from India. However, they are doing so on a fast smaller scale than Apple. Chaurasia said Motorola, like Apple, had its core manufacturing base in China, while Samsung kept its in Vietnam. Incidentally Vietnam has also grown its share of the US market to 30 per cent. Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw confirmed the development on Sunday. Vaihnav added that electronics manufacturing in India is now estimated at Rs 12 lakh crore. Vaishnav, inaugurating metro projects in Bengaluru, said India's electronic production has increased six-fold over the past 11 years. He said electronic exports have surged eight-fold to Rs 3 lakh crore, which reinforced India's position as the world's second-largest mobile phone manufacturer. 'Our electronic production has grown six times in the last 11 years. Today, electronics manufacturing has touched Rs 12 lakh crore. Electronic exports have increased by eight times… Today, it has grown to Rs 3 lakh crore. India has become the second-largest manufacturer of mobile phones in the world,' Vaishnaw said. Government data shows that India had just two mobile manufacturing units in 2014 – that number is over 300 today. A decade ago, a mere 26 per cent of mobile phones sold in India were made locally. Today, 99.2 per cent of phones sold in India are made locally. The value of mobile phone manufacturing industry rose from Rs 18,900 crore in FY14 to Rs 4,22,000 crore in FY24. The Union Minster Jitin Prasada earlier told the Lok Sabha earlier that the production linked incentive (PLI) scheme meant for mobile phone manufacturing attracted a total investment of Rs 12,390 crore. 'The PLI Scheme for LSEM has already attracted a cumulative investment of INR 12,390 crore, led to a cumulative production of Rs 8,44,752 crore with exports of Rs 4,65,809 crore and generated additional employment of 1,30,330 (direct jobs) till Jun'25,' the minister said. He said India's mobile import demand decreased by 0.02 per cent in 2024-25 from 75 per cent in 2014-15. 'PLI Scheme for Large Scale Electronics Manufacturing has significantly impacted the mobile manufacturing sector in India particularly in transforming India from a net importer to a net exporter of mobile phones. Bharat is now the second largest mobile manufacturing country in the world,' the minister said. What do experts say? That US smartphone makers are clearly in the mood to diversify. Experts say that issues over tariffs and trade rules have resulted in vendors front-loading inventory – which means buying far more inventory than usual and changing their sourcing plans. India's increasing role as a manufacturing base for global smartphone brands shows it is becoming a bigger part of the phonemakers' plans for both low-cost and high-end models. However, it must be noted that the smartphone market in US increased just 1 per cent in the second quarter of 2025. In fact, iPhone shipments decreased 11 per cent from the previous year. However, Samsung's shipments increased by a massive 38 per cent. Motorola also saw a two per cent bump. The other popular models were Google and TCL.
Gulf Insider
08-08-2025
- Gulf Insider
EU Proposal To Scan All Private Messages Gains Momentum
A controversial European Union proposal dubbed 'Chat Control' is regaining momentum, with 19 out of 27 EU member states reportedly backing the measure. The plan would mandate that messaging platforms, including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram, must scan every message, photo and video sent by users starting in October, even if end-to-end encryption is in place, popular French tech blogger Korben wrote on Monday. Denmark reintroduced the proposal on July 1, the first day of its EU Council presidency. France, once opposed, is now in favor, Korben said, citing Patrick Breyer, a former member of the European Parliament for Germany and the European Pirate Party. Belgium, Hungary, Sweden, Italy and Spain are also in favor, while Germany remains undecided. However, if Berlin joins the majority, a qualified council vote could push the plan through by mid-October, Korben said. A qualified majority in the EU Council is achieved when two conditions are met. First, at least 55 percent of member states, meaning 15 out of 27, must vote in favor. Second, those countries must represent at least 65% of the EU's total population. Instead of weakening encryption, the plan seeks to implement client-side scanning, meaning software embedded in users' devices that inspects content before it is encrypted. 'A bit like if the Post Office came to read all your letters in your living room before you put them in the envelope,' Korben said. He added that the real target isn't criminals, who use encrypted or decentralized channels, but ordinary users whose private conversations would now be open to algorithmic scrutiny. The proposal cites the prevention of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) as its justification. However, it would result in 'mass surveillance by means of fully automated real-time surveillance of messaging and chats and the end of privacy of digital correspondence,' Breyer wrote. Beyond scanning, the package includes mandatory age verification, effectively removing anonymity from messaging platforms. Digital freedom groups are asking citizens to contact their MEPs, sign petitions and push back before the law becomes irreversible. An infographic explaining the proposed EU Chat Control bill. Source: Patrick Breyer Last month, Telegram founder Pavel Durov warned that France risks societal collapse if it continues down a path of political censorship and regulatory overreach. Durov was arrested in France in August 2024 after being accused of failing to moderate his app to reduce criminality. He also alleged that French intelligence officials approached him earlier this year with requests to censor pro-conservative content ahead of the May 2025 Romanian election, a request he says he refused. Also read: Most Americans Reject Fall COVID Shot, Don't Trust CDC Or FDA On Vaccine Safety
