Potentially disastrous signal interference has become an "invisible threat that risks devastating air travel," said Christopher Jasper at The Telegraph after an attack on a plane carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Sept. 1. The airplane's pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in Bulgaria using paper maps after its GPS navigation systems were jammed. 

What's jamming? 
Jamming disrupts GPS, the satellite navigation system that uses radio signals from satellites to calculate position, by broadcasting high-intensity radio noise in the same frequency band as that used by the navigation satellites. It's a bit like a "person shouting loudly in your ear" who stops you "hearing what someone is saying on the other side of the room," said Lucia McCallum, a senior scientist at the University of Tasmania, at The Independent. It's also highly dangerous, increasing the risk of collisions with other planes or potentially causing the pilot to mishandle the aircraft. 

Who's doing it? 
Jamming is "active along a 3,500-mile arc" from the Arctic Ocean to Oman, with a growing number of reports of its use in the conflict zones of Eastern Europe and the Middle East, said Jasper. Ships in the Red Sea "report frequent interference," probably by Houthi rebels in Yemen, and a "clandestine" Russian base near the Polish border has been blamed for satellite navigation interference in the Baltic region, said McCallum. Authorities in Bulgaria suspect Moscow also jammed the GPS of the jet carrying von der Leyen, but a Kremlin spokesperson told the Financial Times that this claim was "incorrect." 

Can it be prevented? 
Some navigation systems can tune in to more than one set of satellites, so if one is jammed, others may be available. Backup navigation options can also be used, employing different radio frequencies and paper maps. And new possibilities are on the horizon, including sensors that use small fluctuations in Earth's magnetic field to detect position. 

Everyday air passengers have "no need to worry" about jamming because it's still "very rare, especially outside conflict zones," said McCallum. The aviation industry is "highly regulated and extremely safe," with "backup options" when satellite navigation isn't working.

Google Maps is available in more than 250 countries, so it may surprise some people to learn that a modern tech-obsessed nation like South Korea isn't on the list. Google Maps has long been shunned by the Asian country, and the app has never fully worked in South Korea. South Korean officials say this is due to national security concerns over geographic data, but many South Koreans and tourists feel the time has come to let Google in.

'Decades-long struggle'
Many South Korean officials are wary of making Google Maps fully accessible in the country. At the "heart of this issue lies a set of map data owned by the South Korean government," which Google says it "needs to create a comprehensive map of the country," said CNN. Google has repeatedly "asked South Korea to export that data," and authorities have repeatedly "refused, citing national security concerns."

This "decades-long struggle began over geopolitical tensions" in 2008, when Google Maps "labeled some Korean locations by their Japanese names," said Soyun Ahn, an assistant professor of communications at Boston College, to CNN. Since then, South Korea has been reluctant to allow Google Maps access to its data, even though "most overseas platforms have no such issue operating, including other Google products like Gmail and YouTube."

Many defense experts say providing Google the maps would "hand adversaries a precision targeting aid," said The Diplomat. They cite Ukraine's 2022 experience: When Google Earth "refreshed satellite tiles, bloggers scraped the imagery and geolocated newly built military facilities, forcing Kyiv to ask Google to blur sensitive areas after the fact."

'Major inconveniences to foreign tourists'
Others say the time has come for Google to gain a seat at the South Korean map table. This may ring especially true for tourists who must find alternative navigation apps. 

Google claims the "lack of data restricts its Google Maps services in Korea, causing major inconveniences to foreign tourists," said Reuters. The company also claims there are "no security concerns about its mapping data on South Korea," saying the data is "publicly available and used by a number of companies." The South Korean government is now "under stronger pressure" to capitulate on the map issue "amid escalating trade pressure" from the Trump administration, said The Korea Times.

A blood moon appears behind Japan's Tokyo Skytree tower. Sky-gazers were treated to the rare phenomenon as the moon was engulfed by Earth's shadow in a lunar eclipse, making it appear red.
Jiji Press / AFP / Getty Images

We are shooting straight into fall without a cushion. New TV comes in hot with a "Mare of Easttown" follow-up, an Ethan Hawke-starring deep dive into Oklahoma crime, and a new show from the creator of "The Office."

'The Paper'
The U.S. version of "The Office" ended 12 years ago, but the absurdist mockumentary about a local paper company remains one of the most rewatched shows of all time. The original series' creator, Greg Daniels, returns as the co-creator, executive producer and co-showrunner of the new spinoff "The Paper." "By the season finale," the show has "all the makings of being as witty and iconic as its predecessor," said Aramide Tinubu at Variety. (out now, Peacock)

'Task'
Brad Ingelsby, the creator of HBO's hit 2021 series "Mare of Easttown," is back with his second original crime show. "Task" puts Mark Ruffalo in the lead as Tom, a priest turned FBI agent tracking a gang of home invaders. "Casually shedding the cliches it's built upon, HBO's crime saga mounts a potent blend of cat-and-mouse chase, bleak family drama, and a character study," said Ben Travers at IndieWire. (out now, HBO)

'The Lowdown'
This neo-noir starring Ethan Hawke was created by Sterlin Harjo, whose previous show, "Reservation Dogs," emerged as "one of the best TV series of the 2020s," said Noel Murray at The New York Times. In "The Lowdown," Hawke plays a freelance journalist in Tulsa, Oklahoma, who hopes to expose the seedy underbelly of corruption in his city and becomes embroiled in a murder mystery. (Sept. 23, FX; Sept. 24, Hulu)