Indonesia's Interior Ministry began early market engagement for a next-generation biometric system, ABIS, backed by the World Bank under a $250 million project. The system will cover over 290 million citizens and require multimodal deduplication and high-speed matching. Vendor submissions are open until September 30.
The Philippines Office of the Ombudsman reported a 'ghost internet' scheme where contractors supply working hardware but install outdated or counterfeit software while charging full price. The probe will focus on DICT and contracts it approved.
At SEMICON India 2026 in New Delhi, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said semiconductor self-sufficiency does not mean producing everything domestically. He cited four factors for partnerships and noted the India Semiconductor Mission worth 76,000 crore rupees, 12 approved projects, and three fabs already in production.
Royal Society President Paul Nurse called it a mistake to move science policy from DSIT to the new business ministry BIST. He said science affects health, defense, energy and transport, while the BIST head has nine areas, only one related to science.
At Semicon India 2026, MeitY Secretary S Krishnan said three ISM plants are already producing, with two to three more to start by end of year. ISM 2.0 with a budget of 1.27 trillion rupees will cover chip design, equipment, materials, and training; students were urged to learn AI and deeply know the subject to recognize model errors.
Paris prosecutors have opened at least one criminal case of sexual harassment linked to smart glasses with cameras used by men to film women without consent. CNIL received fewer than 10 complaints, and Meta's share of the smart glasses market is estimated at 76–82%.
From September 12, 2026, EU rules require makers of connected devices (smartwatches, medical devices, smart home, cars) to give users direct access to their data and the ability to share it with third parties by default. In Ireland, the CCPC oversees enforcement.
The Delhi High Court on September 17 issued notice to Google and India's Ministry of Electronics on whether a creator can challenge the removal of their YouTube channel via a writ petition. Shaban Alam from Kanpur Dehat seeks to overturn the July 15 Appeals Committee decision upholding the July 1 removal of the Indian Reality Show channel with 267,000 subscribers.
Mafab Communications plans to transfer 2×20 MHz in the 2.1 GHz band and 100 MHz in the 3.5 GHz band to MTN Nigeria. The deal is pending approval from regulator NCC, which is reviewing unused frequencies. In 2021, Mafab paid $273.6 million for its 5G license.
The Delhi High Court issued an ex parte injunction against 11 pirate sites illegally distributing Amazon's film 'VIBE' before its September 18 premiere. Domain registrars were ordered to block the sites within 36 hours, and ISPs to restrict access immediately.
The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) exempted 'passive software' providers from broker registration provided they never hold user assets. The decision expands online trading in crypto and prediction markets.
RAND released a report saying insurers increasingly exclude AI-related risks from corporate policies. The AIIDB database has 713 generative AI incidents and about 250 US lawsuits, while Verisk/ISO has offered to exclude generative AI damage since January 2026.
The U.S. House Judiciary Committee approved H.R. 9834 by a 15-8 vote, allowing entry restrictions on foreign officials for discriminatory investigations of American companies. The dispute centers on the South Korean Fair Trade Commission's actions against Coupang.
King Charles III will meet with leaders from Nvidia, Google DeepMind, Anthropic and OpenAI in Scotland to discuss developing AI for the good of humanity. The event is organized by the Ditchley Foundation, which has prepared a draft charter for AI leaders. The meeting date is unconfirmed and Buckingham Palace is not commenting.
At a South Korean National Assembly seminar on September 18, lawmakers and experts urged urgent support for local EV production amid an influx of cheap Chinese EVs. Proposals include production tax credits, R&D support, supply chains, and charging infrastructure.
Democratic Congressman Ro Khanna sent letters to Chinese AI companies, including Alibaba, DeepSeek, and Moonshot, urging them to join U.S. labs and conclude a binding international agreement on the pace of AI development.
ASPI warned that Venezuela plans to deploy Chinese AI systems to strengthen state surveillance. iFlytek, banned in the US since 2019, is involved in the agreement. ASPI urged US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to dismantle the surveillance system.
Judge Pittman denied OpenAI’s request to disclose the terms of a settlement between Apple and SpaceXAI (formerly xAI) in Musk’s lawsuit. Apple has been removed from the case, but proceedings against OpenAI continue.
A South Korean trade ministry delegation held meetings in Brussels on September 16–18 with European Commission officials on the Industrial Acceleration Act, CBAM, and CSDDD. Seoul asks that Korean companies be considered in the expansion of CBAM to auto parts and home appliances and proposes a permanent consultation channel.
South Korea's Ministry of Science and ICT and five Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan) adopted an AI and technology partnership. The agreement, signed September 16 at the first Korea-Central Asia summit, covers joint research in climate, space and energy transition, talent exchange and access to critical minerals.
Judge Mark Pittman denied OpenAI's request for access to X and SpaceXAI's confidential settlement with Apple in an antitrust case. After a closed review, the court found the document contained no information relevant to the remaining claims against OpenAI.
The European Commission asks China to voluntarily limit the share of hybrid cars in the EU market to ~15% — currently it exceeds one third. In return, Brussels threatens higher tariffs: imports of Chinese hybrids grew from 3,800 units in October 2024 to 50,000 in July 2026.
EASA's first annual ReFuelEU Aviation report for 2025 shows EU airports supplied about 1.1 million tonnes of SAF, 2.8% of total fuel, up from 0.6% a year earlier. However, 85% of feedstock is imported, and none of ~60 e-SAF projects reached final investment decision.
The UK Competition Appeal Tribunal ordered Microsoft to disclose documents and executive communications in a £270M ($361M) lawsuit by license reseller ValueLicensing. Microsoft must explain by October 31 why it did not previously disclose an internal 'Second-Hand Software' presentation.
The US House passed the AM Radio for Every Vehicle Act, requiring new cars, trucks, and SUVs to have AM radio at no extra cost. The bill now goes to the Senate; NHTSA may get authority to enforce via rules. The CBO estimates 2–2.5 million vehicles annually will need radio updates, primarily EVs.
Microsoft published the first draft of its Humanist AI Code of Conduct, a set of values and guardrails for its AI models. The document prioritizes human control and safety, and prohibits AI use in weapons, offensive cyberattacks, deepfakes, and violent content. The final version will be released at the end of the year and will guide model development from 2027.
On September 11, 2026, Article 14 of the EU Cyber Resilience Act took effect: manufacturers of devices and software with digital elements must notify ENISA of actively exploited vulnerabilities and serious incidents. Early warning is due within 24 hours, extended notification within 72 hours, and a final report after remediation. Fines reach €15 million or 2.5% of global turnover.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro advocated for stricter safety measures around AI, stating that the US can simultaneously reap economic benefits from the technology. He joined the debate on the risks of rapidly evolving AI.
Amazon stated that AI models should be released only after thorough testing. The company joined the debate on the pace of AI development following calls from leading labs to slow down due to safety concerns.
At a London tribunal hearing, Ben Jaffey, a lawyer for Privacy International and Liberty, said the UK government's 'neither confirm nor deny' policy regarding an Apple order to access encrypted iCloud backups has become a farce. In July, the UK issued a second technical capability notice concerning only UK Apple users; Apple is challenging it in the Investigatory Powers Tribunal.
