Google has opened Gemini Omni Flash to developers via the Gemini API and AI Studio, priced at $0.10 per second of generated video. What it means for creators and businesses.

By Oliver Grant

Image: Google

Germany's Helsing, which builds artificial intelligence and autonomous drones for defence, has closed a $1.8 billion round and is now Europe's most valuable startup in the sector.

Europe wants to stop relying on the United States and China for its military technology — and it has just put a lot of money on the table to prove it. Helsing, a German artificial-intelligence defence startup, has closed a $1.8 billion funding round that values it at around $18 billion, making it the most valuable company of its kind on the continent. Based in Munich, Helsing builds AI software for the battlefield: systems that process sensor data in real…

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Tekever, Portugal's drone unicorn, has bought AI startup Cloudsweep to speed up the software behind its defence and security systems.

Tekever, Portugal's drone unicorn, has bought Cloudsweep, a homegrown artificial intelligence startup, to speed up the software behind its defence and security systems. The deal's value was not disclosed, but the logic is clear: rather than wait for AI talent, Tekever went and bought it. It is a Portuguese startup focused on applying artificial intelligence to software development, meaning it uses AI to write and improve code faster. That is exactly the…

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Since 7 July, every new car sold in the European Union has to detect drowsiness and distraction at the wheel. Here's what changes — and whether the camera records your face.

If you buy a new car in Portugal from now on, it will be keeping an eye on you — literally. Since 7 July 2026, every new car and van registered in the European Union must come with systems that detect drowsiness and distraction at the wheel. It is an EU-wide rule, so it applies in Portugal just as in any other member state. The requirement comes from the EU's General Safety Regulation and bundles two technologies. One watches for drowsiness (known as…

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Google has scheduled its Made by Google event for August 12 in New York, where it will unveil the Pixel 11 line, the Pro models and the Pixel Watch 5.

There is now a date to meet Google's next generation of phones: the Made by Google event is set for August 12 in New York, with a twist in the format — instead of the usual midday keynote, the show moves to 6 PM local time, in prime time. The full family: Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold, plus the Pixel Watch 5. The official teaser shows a shiny gold metal frame and the familiar pill-shaped camera bar, with a promise to reveal…

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Apple has sued OpenAI in federal court, alleging trade secret theft 'at every level' to build its AI gadgets. The new Siri will run on Google's Gemini.

The Apple-OpenAI divorce has reached the courts. The Cupertino company has sued the maker of ChatGPT in federal court in Northern California, accusing it of misappropriating trade secrets to fast-track its push into consumer hardware — the bet with which OpenAI hopes to challenge the iPhone itself. A scheme running "at every level", in the complaint's words: from engineers up to hardware chief Tang Tan — himself a former Apple vice president. The suit…

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GTechPlasma, a Técnico spin-off, has developed a graphene-based material that absorbs radar waves and cuts the electromagnetic signature of drones and aircraft. Material has already been delivered for tests.

A Portuguese graphene-based material may soon hide drones and aircraft from radar. The technology was born at GTechPlasma, a spin-off of the Institute for Plasmas and Nuclear Fusion at Instituto Superior Técnico, and will be tested by the Portuguese Air Force — a rare leap for national research in the middle of Europe's technological rearmament race. Instead of reflecting radar waves the way metallic surfaces do, the material absorbs them, drastically…

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Scammers used an AI-manipulated photo to fake the kidnapping of a missing woman in Coimbra and demand ransom from her family. Police found her safe — she had left of her own free will.

A 37-year-old woman goes missing in downtown Coimbra. Days later, her family receives a photo of her, apparently tied up, along with a ransom demand. Except the kidnapping never happened: the image had been manipulated with artificial intelligence, and the woman — from Miranda do Corvo — had left of her own free will. The case, revealed this week by Portugal's Polícia Judiciária, began on 1 July when relatives reported her disappearance. While the family…

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The ACITI partnership brings India, Australia and Canada together on AI, green energy technologies, critical minerals and resilient supply chains.

Three democracies on three continents have decided to team up in the technology race. India, Australia and Canada this week launched ACITI — the Australia-Canada-India Technology and Innovation Partnership — a trilateral framework covering artificial intelligence, green energy technologies, critical minerals and resilient supply chains. A framework to align investment, research and rules across the three countries in sectors where none wants to depend on…

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Decree-Law 138/2026, published Friday, makes prior certification mandatory for information systems used in Portuguese schools below university level.

The platforms and apps entering Portuguese classrooms will now need a green light before they reach students. Decree-Law 138/2026, published this Friday in the official journal, makes prior certification mandatory for information systems intended for school and pedagogical use — across public, private and cooperative education below university level. Until now, adopting school software — from learning management platforms to pedagogical apps — lived in…

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The European Commission has preliminarily found Meta in breach of the Digital Services Act over addictive design on Instagram and Facebook. Fines could reach 6% of global turnover.

Infinite scroll could cost Meta dearly. The European Commission concluded this Friday, on a preliminary basis, that Instagram and Facebook violate the Digital Services Act (DSA) by being engineered to hook users — including minors and vulnerable adults — into compulsive use whose risks to physical and mental health the company never properly assessed. The list is familiar to anyone with a phone: infinite scrolling, videos that autoplay, constant push…

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Google Search logged the most queries per second in its nearly 28-year history, right after Argentina's stoppage-time comeback against Egypt at World Cup 2026.

Nearly 28 years of internet history, and Google had never been asked so many questions at once. The company has confirmed that Search hit its all-time record for queries per second — and the exact moment it happened tells you everything about this World Cup. Football, obviously. The historic spike came immediately after Argentina's wild comeback against Egypt, settled by Enzo Fernández deep in stoppage time. Millions of people reached for their phones at…

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Sound Particles, Brainr and Nutrivalley received more than €2.7 million from Portugal Ventures under the Leiria Crescimento and Leiria Recuperar calls.

Leiria doesn't usually feature on venture capital maps — which is exactly why this story matters. Portugal Ventures, the venture arm of the Portuguese state development bank (Banco Português de Fomento), has invested more than €2.7 million in three tech companies from the region, under its Leiria Crescimento and Leiria Recuperar calls. The biggest slice went to Brainr, which takes €1.5 million, followed by Sound Particles with €1 million — both under the…

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Porto rose over 15 spots among the world's emerging ecosystems in the GSER 2026 report, driven by AI, software, health and fintech.

Porto climbed more than 15 places in the world ranking of emerging ecosystems, according to the Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2026, and is singled out as one of Europe's fastest-growing startup ecosystems. For a city seen only a few years ago mainly as a destination for tourism and wine, it is a jump that confirms a change of status. Four areas explain much of the leap: software, health, fintech and artificial intelligence. It is the mix of…

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The Encontro Ciência e Inovação 2026 takes place on 15-16 July in Lisbon, bringing together researchers, companies and policymakers for two days on the state of Portuguese science.

Portuguese science's biggest annual gathering is back: Encontro Ciência e Inovação 2026 takes place on 15 and 16 July in Lisbon, bringing together researchers, universities, companies and policymakers to take stock of what Portugal is researching — and what it still isn't. It is the national scientific community's yearly meeting point, organised with the backing of the government and the country's science-funding agencies. Over two days, it packs in…

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