Technology

Emergency workers responding to a separate crash on the A130 in Essex were struck by a white Ford Transit van; two paramedics and three police officers were taken to hospital and one officer and one paramedic remain seriously injured.

Iran disconnected internet and telephone networks Thursday as nationwide protests continued, and the attorney general said participants would be considered 'enemies of God.' Observers report that satellite services such as Starlink are also being disrupted.

Lenovo's CEO said around 15% of PCs will be AI PCs this year and predicted roughly half of enterprise-ready computers could be AI PCs by the end of 2026.

At a Beijing conference, Chinese AI researchers said growing risk-taking and innovation could help narrow the technological gap with the United States, but a shortage of advanced chipmaking equipment and software ecosystem weaknesses remain major constraints; a prototype extreme-ultraviolet lithography machine exists but has not yet produced working chips and may not do so until 2030.

UK officials say X’s AI assistant Grok was used to generate non-consensual intimate-image deepfakes; Ofcom has opened an expedited assessment and X limited some image features to paid users.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the use of X's Grok chatbot to create sexualised or exploitative images was 'abhorrent'. Australia's eSafety Office says it has received a small but recent increase in reports, is assessing complaints, and may use removal notices where material meets legal thresholds.

Google is rolling out a new AI-powered 'AI Inbox' to trusted testers and to users in the US and on Google AI Pro and Ultra; the company says it does not use Gmail email content to train its AI and early users can disable the AI features.

A widespread outage has lasted about 36 hours, with external monitors reporting roughly a 90% drop in internet traffic while some official accounts and sites remain reachable.

Elon Musk criticised Prime Minister Keir Starmer as the UK government and regulator Ofcom review X and the Grok AI tool after reports of AI-generated sexualised images; two Commons committees have asked Ofcom for a response by January 16.

China, Russia and Iran have begun a week-long BRICS Plus naval exercise in South African waters described by South Africa as aimed at ensuring the safety of shipping and maritime economic activity; Brazil, Egypt and Ethiopia participated as observers.

The article argues that common metaphors—like humanoid robots and 'artificial brains'—misrepresent how contemporary AI is built and used, and that these narratives shape public understanding, policy debate and investment decisions.

Research by AI Forensics found Grok-generated sexually explicit and violent images and videos, and UK leaders and campaigners have publicly condemned the material.

Officials say a California driver released in October after a crash that injured a cyclist later pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter in that case and is now jailed while prosecutors prepare a separate case over a January crash that killed two people.

Google, which acquired Fitbit in 2021, confirmed in October 2025 that it will release new Fitbit hardware in 2026; the article notes Fitbit's last major device updates were in 2022–2023.

A collapse at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu City reportedly engulfed nearly 50 sanitation workers, and emergency services have recovered 13 people with at least one death reported.

State fire agencies have assigned catastrophic ratings to parts of Victoria (Wimmera, Northern Country and North Central) and extreme ratings across much of Victoria and nine districts in South Australia; total fire bans are scheduled on Friday in Victoria and those South Australian districts.

Larry Page relocated many California-based business holdings to Delaware and Texas in late 2025, reportedly before a proposed one-time five percent "billionaire's tax". The proposal would apply to residents with net worth above $1 billion and is scheduled for a public vote in November, with retroactive effect from Jan. 1, 2026 if passed.

Russia launched the Oreshnik hypersonic intermediate-range ballistic missile at Lviv on 8 January, and officials and analysts say its reported speed and range have raised security concerns across Europe and within NATO.

The Bureau of Meteorology says Tropical Low 12U east of Cooktown has a high chance of developing into a tropical cyclone and a flash tropical cyclone warning has been issued. Heavy rain and flooding are expected as the system approaches, with impacts likely within about 24 hours.

Google is expanding AI features in Gmail to provide customised briefings and condensed task lists, and the company says the change will apply to certain users rather than everyone at once.

Lego introduced Smart Bricks at CES 2026 that sense motion and work with Smart Tags and Smart Minifigures. Three Star Wars Smart Play sets are open for pre-order and are scheduled to ship on 1 March.

The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear a dispute over nearly $200 million in FCC fines imposed in 2024 on major wireless carriers for sharing customer location data without consent, and the justices are expected to rule by the end of June.

At CES 2026 Garmin showed a Unified Cabin concept where the Meta Neural Band was used in a stationary demo to control the vehicle's display with wrist-read gestures; the concept also highlighted ultra-wideband digital-key positioning and dynamic lighting.

The Government said changes to the AI chatbot Grok were "insulting" amid reports the tool had been used to create unlawful sexualised images; Ofcom says it has opened an expedited assessment and two Commons committees have asked for a response by January 16.

Nicola Cristiano was found guilty of attempted rape after an incident on a flight from Naples to Edinburgh, and he will be sentenced at a later date.

Razer expanded Project AVA into a five‑inch desktop hologram that can coach esports and handle everyday tasks such as scheduling, and it has opened $20 refundable reservations in the U.S. with no confirmed shipping date.

Qualcomm unveiled the Snapdragon X2 family at CES 2026 (X2 Plus, X2 Elite and X2 Elite Extreme), and the author says hands-on demos and device previews have made them more open to switching from a MacBook to a Windows laptop.

A jury heard that PC Matthew Pike reached up to 93mph while pursuing a Volkswagen shortly before a collision on 4 November 2021 in Bristol that later killed Dr Keryl Johnson; Pike denies causing her death and is on trial at Bristol Crown Court.

NASA canceled a planned spacewalk and said the four-person Crew-11 team will return to Earth earlier than planned after an astronaut experienced a medical issue; officials said the crew member is stable and that the matter was not related to space operations.

Michael Barron died after meeting Josh Baxter through the dating app Grindr, and prosecutors told a court Baxter is accused of restraining and allegedly strangling him during high‑risk sexual activity; jurors were also told Baxter later made internet searches about causing death during sex.