Day: October 22, 2026

Some Japanese ministries” webpages have been partially suspended as a preventive measure following the detection of vulnerabilities in the widely used PHP programming language, Japan”s top government spokesman said on October 22, Report informs via The Straits Times.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara also told a press conference that no damage to government websites related to the PHP flaws has been reported.

Meanwhile, moves to address vulnerabilities found in the programming language continued on October 22, with MUFG Bank and JR West announcing that they were conducting extraordinary system maintenance.

The Japanese megabank said some of its services, including online opening of investment trust accounts, would be unavailable.

West Japan Railway Company said about 60 of its group websites were suspended.

Restaurant operator Zensho Holdings, meanwhile, said it had halted app services for its Sukiya beef bowl chain and Hama-sushi conveyor belt sushi restaurant chain as a preventive measure from the night of October 21.

The vulnerabilities, which were discovered with the assistance of artificial intelligence and alerted on October 21, prompted governments and companies around the world to temporarily shut down websites amid concern that the flaws could be exploited for cyberattacks.

According to a European research organisation, PHP, which is mainly designed for servers, is used by 69.3% of websites worldwide whose server-side programming language is known.

The developer had announced by the early hours of October 21 that it discovered two major vulnerabilities. Patches have been released to fix the vulnerabilities.

A photo exhibition was held in Milan, Italy, as part of the international Mine-Free World campaign organized in Europe by Azerbaijan’s Gilavar Photo Club Public Union.

According to Report, visitors were informed that although the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has ended, landmines planted during the occupation continue to pose a threat to civilians and undermine sustainable peace. Armenia was urged to fulfill its obligations to Azerbaijan and provide accurate minefield maps.

As part of the campaign, a series of photo exhibitions were held in Geneva, Switzerland, on October 5, Brno, Czech Republic, on October 7, Ljubljana, Slovenia, on October 9, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 11, Zagreb, Croatia, on October 13, Salzburg, Austria, on October 15, and Rome, Italy, on October 17.

Azerbaijani families of missing persons, organized by the Garabagh Missing Families Public Union, have launched protest actions in Europe against Armenia. On October 20, family members of missing Azerbaijanis staged a protest in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, and held another rally at Schuman Square on October 21.

Overall, 4,010 Azerbaijanis went missing during Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijani territories, including 71 children, 288 women and 319 elderly people. Mines have been discovered in residential areas of the liberated territories, cemeteries and even around mass graves where the remains of some missing persons have been found. Clarifying the fate of the missing remains of particular importance as the peace agenda advances.

The United States plans to establish a command responsible for the deployment of autonomous combat systems within its Armed Forces by October 1, 2027.

According to Report, citing a Pentagon statement released on October 21, the new command will be created under the Agincourt project.

“Agincourt has two objectives. The first is to establish the Autonomous Warfare Command (AUTOWARCOM) by October 1, 2027. The second is to continue the work of the Drone Portfolio Management Office (DRPM-UxS) while introducing a new procurement model that directly links developers of autonomous systems and robotics with frontline combat units,” the statement said.

The new command will be headed by a four-star general.

The Pentagon emphasized that the project’s goal is not to develop a single unmanned system, but to create a scalable system capable of adapting to changing conditions.

The results of practical testing will play a crucial role in selecting promising developments. Competitions, military exercises and combat use will determine which systems will be further developed and deployed on a large scale, and which will be abandoned.

United States Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced on Wednesday that Washington, Moscow and Kyiv will continue trilateral negotiations at the technical level.