Barnard's star is a red dwarf, the smallest type of regular star and much smaller and less luminous than our sun. At about 6 light years away, it is the closest single star - one not orbiting with other stars - to our solar system. It is, in cosmic terms, in our neighborhood.

Because of this, scientists eager to study nearby potentially habitable worlds are excited by the discovery of the first confirmed planet orbiting Barnard's star, a rocky one with a mass about 40% that of Earth, Reuters reported.

While this planet, orbiting very close to Barnard's star, has a surface temperature too high to be suitable for life, the researchers found what they called "strong hints" of three other planets around Barnard's star that might be better candidates.

The confirmed planet, called Barnard b, has a predicted diameter about three-quarters that of Earth, so about 6,000 miles (9,700 km).

"It is one of the least massive planets ever found," beyond our solar system, said astronomer Jonay González Hernández of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias in Tenerife, Spain, lead author of the study published this week in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, opens new tab.

Among planets in our solar system, only Mars and Mercury are smaller.

Barnard b, with a surface temperature around 275 degrees Fahrenheit (125 degrees Celsius), orbits Barnard's star in just three Earth days at a distance 20 times closer than our solar system's innermost planet Mercury is to the sun.

Planets beyond the solar system are called exoplanets. Scientists searching for exoplanets that possibly could harbor life look at those residing in the "habitable zone" around a star, where it is not too hot and not too cold, and liquid water can exist on the planetary surface.

The researchers used an instrument called ESPRESSO on the European Southern Observatory's Chile-based Very Large Telescope to detect this planet. The three other potential planets orbiting Barnard's star all apparently are rocky and smaller than Earth, ranging from 20-30% of Earth's mass. The hope is that at least one of these may be in the vicinity of the habitable zone.

If confirmed, this would be the only known star with a multi-planet system entirely comprised of planets smaller than Earth.

Barnard's star, in the constellation Ophiuchus, has a mass about 16% of the sun's, a diameter 19% of it and is far less hot. It also is estimated to be more than twice as old as the sun.

"Being so cold and small, it is quite faint, making its habitable zone much closer to the star than in the case of the sun," said Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias astronomer and study co-author Alejandro Suárez Mascareño. "It also is a very quiet star. While some red dwarfs have been found to flare very frequently, Barnard's star doesn't do it."

The closer that exoplanets are to us, the easier they are to study. It is easier to detect low-mass rocky planets orbiting red dwarfs, the most common type of star in our Milky Way galaxy, than around larger stars.

Only the three stars in the Alpha Centauri system, about 4 light-years away, are closer to our solar system than Barnard's star. A light-year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km). Two exoplanets have been detected in the Alpha Centauri system, both orbiting the red dwarf Proxima Centauri. One has a mass about equal to Earth's. The other is about 25% Earth's mass.

In science fiction, light speed travel is commonplace. In reality, it is far beyond human capabilities, though research projects such as Breakthrough Starshot are exploring the feasibility of interstellar travel. Barnard's star and Alpha Centauri might be on wish lists of future destinations.

"While they are very close in astronomical terms, they are out of reach for any kind of human technology. However, if projects such as the Breakthrough Starshot are successful, it is likely that these will be some of the first targets," Mascareño said.

Facebook owner Meta said on Monday it was banning RT, Rossiya Segodnya and other Russian state media networks from its platforms, claiming the outlets had used deceptive tactics to carry out covert influence operations online, Reuters reported.

The ban marks a sharp escalation in actions by the world's biggest social media company against Russian state media, after it spent years taking more limited steps such as blocking the outlets from running ads and reducing the reach of their posts.

"After careful consideration, we expanded our ongoing enforcement against Russian state media outlets. Rossiya Segodnya, RT and other related entities are now banned from our apps globally for foreign interference activity," the social media company said in a written statement.

Enforcement of the ban would roll out over the coming days, it said. In addition to Facebook, Meta's apps include Instagram, WhatsApp and Threads.

The Russian embassy did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. The White House declined to comment, read the report.

Meta's move came after the United States filed money-laundering charges earlier this month against two RT employees for what officials said was a scheme to hire an American company to produce online content to influence the 2024 election.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Friday that countries should treat the activities of Russian state broadcaster RT as they do covert intelligence operations.

RT has mocked the U.S. actions and accused the United States of trying to prevent the broadcaster from operating as a journalistic organization, Reuters reported.

In briefing materials shared with Reuters, Meta said it had seen Russian state-controlled media try to evade detection in their online activities in the past and expected them to continue trying to engage in deceptive practices going forward.

Apple opens new tab on Monday unveiled its long-awaited, artificial intelligence-boosted iPhone 16 and promised improvements in its Siri personal assistant as it rolled out new software, beginning in test mode next month, Reuters reported.

"The next generation of iPhone has been designed for Apple Intelligence from the ground up. It marks the beginning of an exciting new era," Chief Executive Tim Cook said at a product launch.

Shares of Apple closed barely changed for the day at $220.91. Apple's event came hours before China's Huawei launches a tri-fold phone, underscoring the competitive challenge the iPhone maker faces. Apple has yet to announce an AI partner in China to power the 16s.

Apple and technology companies around the world are racing to add AI to products, and phones are expected to be among the most important battlegrounds. The Cupertino, California-based company also is betting the AI feature will drive consumers to upgrade amid a slowdown in iPhone sales.

Apple Intelligence, the company's AI software, will be used to improve Siri as well as enhancing features such as understanding and identifying objects captured by the phone camera, executives said.

A test version of Apple Intelligence will be available in the U.S. version of the English language next month. It will be available for other localized versions of English in December, with versions in languages including Chinese, French, Japanese and Spanish next year. Features including improvements to Siri will be rolled out over time, Apple said. It did not say, however, when it would move beyond test, read the report.

The iPhone 16 and 16 Plus will cost the same as models they replace and use a new chip and an aluminum case. A customizable button that can control the camera was one of the most touted hardware features in a format that looks similar to previous models.

The higher-end 16 Pro and 16 Pro Max are made from titanium and have more AI capability, such as offering suggestions on how to set up a photo shoot more effectively and audio-editing capabilities aimed at professional-level video production.

Apple's new iPhone chips use the latest version of Arm's architecture that includes specific features to speed AI applications.

"Existing iPhone users who have had their device for 3-4 years will definitely be enticed to upgrade, even if some things are rolling out later, as this will future-proof their device for AI," said International Data Corp analyst Nabila Popal.

Still, several analysts described the delays in features as keeping many potential buyers on the sidelines initially.

"You might see people wait a little bit to see how these things work out, how well they function, and then they'll start to investigate it. But I don't think we'll see the mad rush that we've seen in years past," said TECHnalysis Research founder Bob O'Donnell.

By comparison, Huawei's website showed on Monday that it had garnered more than 3 million pre-orders for its Z-shaped tri-fold phone ahead of its official unveiling. This underscores Huawei's ability to navigate U.S. sanctions and solidifies its position against Apple in China, where consumers are hankering for more AI features and are willing to pay for them, Reuters reported.

Apple also unveiled new Watches and AirPods with health-focused capabilities, as well as hardware-design improvements. Apple highlighted the Watch's ability to discover longer-term health conditions such as sleep apnea as well as detecting and responding to emergencies such as a fall.

As it updated AirPods, Apple rolled out hearing-aid features that it has submitted for U.S. regulatory review.

Apple fans globally have been waiting to see the new phones with AI. IPhones accounted for more than half of Apple's $383 billion sales last year.

"While Android phones may have some of these features, Apple has packaged them well and will be able to market them far more broadly," said D.A. Davidson analyst Gil Luria.

China offers particular challenges to Apple.

"Apple fell out of the list of top five smartphone vendors in China in Q2," said eMarketer senior technology analyst Gadjo Sevilla. "It was the first time that China's domestic smartphone firms held all five spots. Since Apple Intelligence still needs to be approved by Beijing for a rollout in China, it will likely not initially be a key driver for adoption in the region."

In China, Apple aggressively slashed prices earlier this year, prompted by government restrictions and increased domestic competition, read the report.

The iPhone 16 lineup is the first Apple smartphones designed around these AI features though those are expected also to be available on iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max, the top-end versions of the previous-generation devices.

Rivals including Alphabet's, opens new tab Google are also showcasing AI features to try to upend Apple's dominance in the high-end smartphone market.

Google, developer of the Android operating system which competes with Apple's iOS, focused its Pixel smartphone rollout event in August on AI features including Gemini Live, which allows users to hold live voice conversations with a digital assistant. Many of the AI features Google announced were also rolled out to the Android-based devices made by manufacturers such as Samsung, opens new tab and Motorola, opens new tab.

In June, one week after its developer conference, Apple said it would delay the release of AI-powered features in Europe due to European Union tech rules.

Huawei has scheduled an official announcement of its Mate XT Z-fold phone on Tuesday in China, Reuters reported.