Science & Tech · Pollar

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Photo: Reinhold Möller, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)Illustrative photo

Spain has recorded 33 l/m2 of rain since 1 October, above the 30 l/m2 normal, AEMET says

Rainfall accumulated across Spain since the start of the hydrological year in early October reached 33 l/m2, against a normal value of 30 l/m2 for the period, according to the state meteorology agency AEMET.

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AI & Tech·from Oct 16·upd. 11h ago

Apple's iPhone Duo sells out on preorder, with delivery pushed to January 2027

Apple's first foldable sold out within minutes of preorders opening on Friday, 16 October, and delivery estimates moved into January 2027 for every configuration. Launch-day stock also ran out in Apple's retail stores.

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Discoveries·8h ago

Astronomers identify a green white dwarf 280 light-years away, colored by sodium from planetary debris

The white dwarf WD J1330+6435, about 280 light-years from Earth in the constellation Draco, glows yellowish-green because sodium from former planetary material absorbs orange light. Researchers at the University of Warwick reported the find in RAS Techniques and Instruments.

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Discoveries·from Oct 14·upd. 15h ago

Photo: Jörg Behrens, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)Illustrative photo

Leap second scrapped: world clocks will stop adding extra seconds from May 2027

Representatives of member states at the General Conference on Weights and Measures voted in Versailles on Thursday, 15 October 2026, to stop adding leap seconds to world time. The change takes effect on 20 May 2027, and the gap between atomic time and Earth's rotation may then grow to one hour.

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AI & Tech·from Oct 13·upd. 2d ago

OpenAI engineer charged with hiding recording device in executive conference room

Prosecutors say Abdulrahman Alfozan, a 35-year-old Saudi engineer, hid a recording device behind a television in an OpenAI executive conference room in San Francisco. He was arrested on 9 October, and his lawyer is contesting his ongoing detention.

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Climate·from Oct 16·upd. 10h ago

Hurricane Trudy reaches Category 3 off Mexico's Pacific coast; earlier storms left at least six dead

Trudy is about 420 km (260 miles) southwest of Acapulco and is forecast to draw near Mexico's southwestern coast on Saturday, 17 October, after earlier floods killed at least six people.

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Climate·from Oct 15·upd. 7h ago

AI-generated illustration

Severe drought declared in parts of southern England as water minister defends planning

The Environment Agency declared severe drought in parts of six southern English counties on Thursday, 15 October, as reservoirs in the South West and South East fell well below normal levels. Water minister Emma Hardy told MPs on Friday, 16 October, that the government is preparing for a long period of water pressure.

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AI & Tech·12h ago

Anthropic gives six METR evaluators employee-level access to its AI systems

The METR team will receive company laptops, office space and internal tools, and the company has waived its right to block METR's published assessments. The arrangement sits at the top of a three-tier system of outside reviewers that Anthropic is building.

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AI & Tech·11h ago

China proposes export curbs on 40 technologies, including 23 AI systems

Beijing published a draft on Friday, 16 October, that would restrict or ban exports of 40 technologies, including large AI models, agents and chip designs. Comments are open until 15 November, and a registration rule for overseas deals took effect the same day.

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Climate·16h ago

Photo: Reinhold Möller, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons, cropped)Illustrative photo

Cold front brings rain and cooler weather to Switzerland and western Germany

A cold front reaches Switzerland on Saturday, 17 October, bringing rain to the northwest, while up to 100 litres per square metre could fall around the Simplon on Sunday, 18 October.

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Discoveries·17h ago

Four giant LST telescopes open at La Palma for the CTAO gamma-ray observatory

Four 23-metre Large-Sized Telescopes at the Roque de los Muchachos Observatory on La Palma were inaugurated on 15 October 2026, completing the northern LST subsystem of the Cherenkov Telescope Array Observatory.

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AI & Tech·9h ago

OpenAI's ChatGPT extension can now read and act on open Chrome tabs

OpenAI has updated its ChatGPT extension for Chrome so the assistant can read open tabs, compare their contents and, in Work mode, fill in forms and send messages.

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