When Hector Xu was learning to fly a helicopter in college, he recalled having a few “nasty experiences” while trying to navigate at night. The heart-stopping flights led to his research of unmanned aircraft systems while getting his doctorate degree in aerospace engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Then, he formed Rotor Technologies in 2021 to develop unmanned helicopters. Rotor has built two autonomous Sprayhawks and aims to have as many as 20 ready for market next year. The company also is developing helicopters that would carry cargo in disaster zones and to offshore oil rigs. The helicopter could also be used to fight wildfires.

Rabbinical representatives who inspected the Shabbos eruv after police and security officials left the impact site of a missile that fell on the border between Bnei Brak and Ramat Gan on Tuesday evening couldn’t believe their eyes. To their astonishment, the eruv that passes through the area wasn’t torn or damaged at all, remaining intact amid extensive destruction from shattered windows and glass due to the heat of the fire and debris. The missile shrapnel that fell [from an Iranian Fateh-110 surface-to-surface ballistic missile and not an interceptor missile as was initially reported], injured five people, knocked down a high-voltage power line, caused a fire, and damaged several buildings and an empty bus.

The U.S. government recognized Venezuelan opposition candidate Edmundo González as the “president-elect” of the South American country on Tuesday, months after President Nicolás Maduro claimed to have won the July election. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken recognized González in a post on X in which he also demanded “respect for the will” of Venezuelan voters. The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden previously said González earned the most votes in the disputed July 28 election but it had fallen short of acknowledging him as president-elect. Venezuela’s National Electoral Council, which is stacked with Maduro loyalists, declared Maduro the election winner hours after polls closed.