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Iran’s minister of information and communications technology says the country plans to send a new domestically-manufactured satellite into space by  the end of the current Iranian calendar year (ending on March 20, 2017). Mahmoud Vaezi said on Wednesday that the probe called Sharif Sat would be put into orbit by the end of the year, adding that Iran planned to send two more satellites into space by the end of the next Iranian calendar year (which ends on March 20, 2018). The three satellites have been manufactured by young Iranian experts in research centers at the country’s universities, the minister said. He also said that Iran was about to sign a contract with a Russian company on the manufacture of a remote-sensing satellite. “The contract is in final stages. The letter of credit to finance the contract has also been finalized and the work will begin within the next two or three weeks,” Vaezi said. The minister also said that Iran had embarked on manufacturing a telecommunicat

India has successfully launched 104 satellites from a single rocket, setting a world record. Most of the orbiting hardware was made up of nano-satellites; the smallest weighing just over a kilogram India has successfully launched 104 satellites from a single rocket, Scientists  at India's southern spaceport of Sriharikota applauded as the head of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced that all the satellites had been deployed into orbit on Wednesday. "My hearty congratulations to the ISRO team for this success," the agency's director Kiran Kumar said to those tracking the progress of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV). Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted his congratulations on the launch and ejection of satellites, which was covered live on national television channels. The rocket was launched at 9:28 a.m. (0358 UTC), releasing all 104 satellites into orbit about 30 minutes later. Its main cargo was a 714 kilogram Indian satellite to be us

New tech will make them lighter and boost their capacity, says BMW by  Mark Tisshaw BMW  expects a breakthrough in battery technology in 2026, by which time it plans to have solid-state batteries ready for production in its models. The batteries will use lithium ion technology but swap liquid electrolytes for solid ones, with initial targets being for a 15-20% increase in capacity. Other benefits include less weight and a reduction in the amount of safety protection needed due to the reduced fire risk. This also allows for the packaging and housing of the batteries to be revisited. The batteries are in development but 10 years away from production, with long-term durability testing cited as a key reason for the delay. The next development in the refinement of BMW’s existing battery technology will arrive in 2018 in time for the launch of the  Mini Cooper E  and the all-electric version of the next-generation  BMW X3 . BMW will continue to develop its internal combustion engin

Compact SUV confirmed as the first model in an all-new Volvo 40-series family by  Mark Tisshaw Volvo ’s crucial new  XC40 compact SUV  will be launched this autumn, R&D boss Henrik Green has confirmed. Speaking to Autocar at the  Detroit motor show , Green said the XC40 will be the first model to use Volvo’s CMA architecture and the base development work of the car has been completed. “There’s a big chance it’ll be one of the most successful cars in our line-up,” he said. The family of 40-series models, which is also set to be sold in the US, will represent “a significant part of growth in the next three to four years”, said Green. The XC40, which will rival the  BMW X1  and  Audi Q3  in the competitive and rapidly growing compact SUV segment, was previewed last year by the Concept 40.1, along with another potential 40-series model, the Concept 40.2 saloon. A V40 replacement will also be spun off the CMA platform, which Volvo has co-developed with Geely, its Chinese parent

The Facebook logo is displayed on their website in an illustration photo taken in Bordeaux, France, February 1, 2017 Social media companies Facebook, Google and a group of news organizations launched an initiative on Monday to tackle fake news stories in France, with the media in the spotlight as the country's presidential election approaches. Facebook said it would work with several leading French news organizations, including Agence France-Presse, BFM TV, and newspapers L'Express and Le Monde to ensure that false news items were not published on its platform. Google also said it was part of the initiative, dubbed "Cross Check" by the partners. Facebook has faced criticism that it did not do enough to prevent false information being republished on its platform during last year's U.S presidential campaign, and in response has set up measures to try to tackle the problem. There have been similar concerns that people could disseminate false information on Faceb

Glass construction, water resistance, and latest Samsung UI arrive in new 4.7 and 5.2-inch handsets. Samsung has unleashed the latest devices in its mid-priced A series on the UK, with the arrival of the 2017 variants of the Galaxy A3 and A5. As in previous years, Samsung has brought a smattering of high-end features to a more affordable price point through the pint-sized 4.7-inch A3, and the larger 5.2-inch A5. Both phones share a similar glass and metal construction, much like Samsung's higher-end offerings, along with the IP68-rated water and dust resistance that comes as standard with the Galaxy S7. In fact, aside from a few differences in port and button placement, the A5 is the spitting image of its more expensive sibling. (In fact, it one-ups the GS7 in one small but notable area, shipping with a more up-to-date USB-C port.) So the external hardware matches the quality we've come to expect from Samsung's flagships, with a subtle curve to the back panel, and clean