Democrats' midterm gains have made data-center backlash a political force, with candidates opposing rapid AI infrastructure winning seats in several states. Possible next steps include construction moratoriums and requiring operators to fund grid upgrades, though a nationwide freeze remains contested and would face veto risk.
A German Amazon reseller said 2K Games reportedly recalled the physical Switch version of Civilization 7, citing technical and security requirements, and offered the code-in-box edition. The cartridge is linked to CivSwitch, a homebrew exploit granting userland access on the Switch 2; Nintendo has not commented.
SoftBank signed a five-year deal with Sceye to operate HAPS aircraft for direct-to-device coverage across Japan, with mobile broadband and a stratospheric optical network subset. It follows a 30-day test from Roswell, New Mexico, to Japan and a week of services at about 12.4 miles.
Snap reported that over 30 million users now pay for one of its subscription plans, including Snapchat+ and the ad-free Platinum tier, disclosed alongside third-quarter earnings. Non-advertising revenue climbed 84% from a year earlier, and CEO Evan Spiegel said AI-powered creative features helped Lens+ beat expectations.
Meta Platforms acquired Conductor, the maker of an app that runs several AI coding agents at once; terms were not disclosed. Conductor halted new sign-ups and downloads, plans to shut its cloud service on Nov. 20 with refunds for active subscribers, and expects local Mac copies to keep working until early 2027.
Shares of Amazon, Microsoft, Alphabet and Meta closed higher after Democrats won both chambers of Congress on a campaign emphasizing data center limits; voters approved 40 ballot measures aimed at curbing AI projects. Analysts cited investor expectations that tighter rules could aid the companies' finances.
France’s national blood service reported hackers took control of cold-storage systems at medical facilities, though it said blood products were saved. Similar attacks on connected fridges and freezers hit supermarkets across Europe, causing food losses, and experts have not identified the perpetrators.
Apple's iOS 27 adds Apple Intelligence-powered Extend, Reframe and an upgraded Clean Up tool to the Photos app, letting users fill in cropped areas, shift an image's perspective and remove distractions. The release also expands iCloud Shared Albums, introduces Captured by Me and Identity Documents collections, keyword tagging and customizable slideshows that can be saved as video.
Counterpoint Research reported that global smartphone chip shipments fell 21% year over year in Q3 2026, while Apple and Samsung were the only major chip vendors to gain share. The firm expects shipments to decline 20% in 2026 and another 3% to 4% in 2027.
Apple released Retention Messaging, which lets developers show personalized text, images or offers inside the subscription cancellation flow before a user finishes cancelling. Developers set eligibility and wait times in App Store Connect and can create up to 10 messages per app; API access is available by request.
A lawsuit accusing Los Gatos restaurant Coup de Thai of causing permanent chemical burns with its Dragon Balls appetizer has settled; terms remain confidential. Santa Clara County court has a December 17 hearing scheduled to review the case’s dismissal.
Walnut Creek voters appeared to approve Measure U, which would rezone a 2.4-acre site near the Walnut Creek BART station for mixed-use senior housing, with 71% support in unofficial early results. Measure T, making the city treasurer an appointed post, drew about 60%, while two council candidates won unopposed.
Apple reported fourth-quarter sales of $114.5 billion, lifting its annual total to $478.8 billion, up 15% year over year. Annual profit reached $132 billion as margins improved to 48.8%, while iPhone sales grew 21% and accounted for more than half of revenue; services rose 13% to $123 billion.
Elon Musk's midterm spending failed to secure Republican wins, and Democratic gains prompted questions about whether tech companies might face tougher regulation, AJ Bell's James Flintoft said. Senator Ed Markey suggested tech executives could face many subpoenas, though any legislation would still need Trump's approval.
In an interview, Voto Latino CEO María Teresa Kumar attributed Democrats' midterm gains among Latino voters to backlash over ICE raids and economic strain, saying young Latinos were pivotal in Texas. She noted Texas elected Gina Hinojosa as its first Latino governor and James Talarico to the Senate.
Princeton Digital Group secured about $1.3 billion in green financing for its JH1 data center campus in Johor, Malaysia, to fund continued development and expansion. The 200MW campus in Sedenak Tech Park targets high-density AI and cloud workloads; its first 52MW phase was completed in July 2025.
Marcy Paramonova and Stéphane Cusin told InfoQ how a bank using Kubernetes emphasized culture, shared ownership and bottom-up improvement; deployment was easier than operating the platform. Their later version hid Kubernetes behind standardized Helm charts and opinionated deployment patterns.
Panama-based Efy Finance landed a $5 million seed round headed by Tether, with Astor Management and angel investors joining. The cross-border payments firm, serving over 25,000 accounts and reporting $2.5 billion in cumulative volume, plans to grow banking links and stablecoin settlement corridors across Latin America.
Pure Data Centres Group unveiled a $780 million growth facility and a $1.1 billion accordion, creating a framework that can expand to about $1.9 billion for data center projects in Europe and the Middle East. The London-based company said the financing follows $2.7 billion announced in May.
Visa has opened six technology hubs in Singapore at Paya Lebar Green, employing 1,500 people. Work there will span applied AI for payments, digital money and stablecoins, cybersecurity and quantum research, with partners from banks, government and academia.
Singapore's Civil Aviation Authority said sustainable aviation fuel purchased with levy proceeds must meet CORSIA eligibility and reduce lifecycle emissions by at least 40% compared with conventional jet fuel. The first tender covers 20,000 to 30,000 tons and is due by mid-December 2026, with delivery in June 2027.
Sony's gaming division reported higher revenue and profit for Q2 2026 even as PS5 console sales fell to 2.6 million from 4 million a year earlier, with software and network services growing. Sony reportedly warned partners that supply constraints and high demand could limit console stock into next year.
Grab Vietnam plans to spend VND2,950.9 billion ($112 million) on lower fees, driver refunds, incentives and promotions beginning November 10, following a National Competition Commission review of how its fares were calculated and after driver complaints and a September boycott.
Microsoft plans to build its Southeast Asia 3 cloud region in Johor Bahru, its second in Malaysia, as part of a $2.2 billion four-year investment plan for the country. The site will join Azure's more than 70 regions and use backup generators running on renewable biofuel.
Galaxy owners report that after installing One UI 9, their phones intermittently lose Wi-Fi or mobile data, and some no longer detect SIM cards, according to Reddit and Samsung Community threads. Restarting or toggling airplane mode appears to help only briefly, and no permanent fix has been identified.
