Technology

Communications minister Anika Wells has asked Roblox to explain how it is addressing reports that children are exposed to sexual and self-harm material and that some are approached by adults, and has asked the Classification Board to reassess the platform's PG rating. The eSafety Commissioner has written to Roblox and will test its safety commitments, saying she may take further action under the Online Safety Act.

A Super Bowl ad for Pokémon's 30th anniversary features Lady Gaga performing Jigglypuff's song alongside several celebrities, and the video also promotes a Pokémon GO 'What's Your Favorite' filter.

Opening statements begin Monday in New Mexico's trial against Meta, where prosecutors allege the company exposed children to sexual exploitation and misrepresented platform safety; Meta denies wrongdoing.

Chinese robotics firms are using humanoid robots in live-streamed performances ahead of the Lunar New Year gala, and Agibot’s variety show drew about 1.4 million viewers on Douyin.

A 26-year-old surfer was swept offshore near Haskell's Beach and was found clinging to a lobster trap buoy about a quarter-mile out; Santa Barbara County firefighters located him by drone and rescue swimmers brought him back to shore where he received medical attention.

A 76-year-old British woman who went missing while walking in Tenerife was found alive in a ravine nearly 30 hours later and airlifted to hospital.

Ukrainian leaders say recent Russian strikes damaged infrastructure tied to nuclear power, forcing reduced generation and at least one shutdown; officials also report widespread emergency power outages as freezing weather approaches.

Officials say Severe Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is maintaining category 3 strength about 30 km west of Karratha with 120 km/h winds and gusts to 165 km/h; emergency warnings cover Whim Creek to Onslow and landfall is expected between Exmouth and Onslow late Sunday or early Monday.

South Korean exchange Bithumb says it accidentally sent roughly 2,000 bitcoins to about 695 users during a promotion, recovered 99.7% of 620,000 bitcoins and restricted trading and withdrawals while addressing the error.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the US wants the war with Russia to end by June and that both negotiating teams have been invited to meet in the United States next week.

A bomb attack at the Khadija Tul Kubra Mosque in Islamabad killed 31 people and wounded at least 169; Pakistani police say they have arrested two brothers of the alleged bomber and a woman and the investigation is ongoing.

San Francisco drew most public attention during Super Bowl LX, but the game was played at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara and San Jose hosted a week of related events, officials said.

Dihan Rahman pleaded guilty to possessing two videos and one document useful for terrorism after making threats against his school; the judge has ordered a pre-sentence report and sentencing is scheduled for May.

Storm Leonardo has caused floods and evacuations in parts of Spain and Portugal, and meteorological services say a second storm, Marta, is expected to arrive on Saturday.

Shayne Hambakachere, 16, was found injured in Chippenham and later died in hospital; a 15-year-old has been charged with his murder, remanded in youth detention and a provisional trial date is set for 10 August.

A 17-year-old from Abertridwr was found with serious injuries and later pronounced dead; five people have been arrested and remain in police custody as Gwent Police investigate.

The article recalls 1990s moral panic — including some US Christian pastors labelling Pikachu demonic — and describes how Pokémon has grown over 30 years into a global franchise that has earned north of $100bn.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada will scrap a national electric-vehicle sales mandate and will provide C$2.3 billion for purchase incentives and C$1.5 billion for charging, alongside up to C$3.1 billion for the auto-manufacturing transition.

Organisers said they plan about 100 boats carrying up to 1,000 medics after last year's flotilla of roughly 40 boats was halted by Israeli forces and more than 450 participants were detained.

Eight weeks after Australia introduced a ban on social media accounts for under-16s, the e-Safety Commissioner reported 4.7 million accounts flagged and deactivated, and five teenagers told the Guardian the rule has mostly been an inconvenience as many find workarounds or shift to other apps.

A Russian lawmaker, Alexey Zhuravlev, is reported to have said Russia has weapons capable of "destroying the entire planet" and accused the United States of non‑compliance with the START treaty.

Queensland police say a 27-year-old has been charged with 596 offences after thousands of digital files linked to alleged online abuse of 459 victims were found on his devices; he has been in custody since last February and was due to appear in court on Thursday.

Police say a 27-year-old man from Maryborough used false online identities to groom children; he faces 596 charges and is due to appear in a Brisbane court today.

Reuters reports Alphabet said its Gemini 3 model raised user engagement and that the Google Gemini app reached about 750 million monthly active users, and the company signalled much higher capital spending for AI by outlining a potential $175–$185 billion capex range for 2026.

Epic Games says downtime for Fortnite update 39.40 will start Feb 5 at 9:00am GMT in the UK, with matchmaking disabled around 8:30am GMT, and maintenance expected to last 90 minutes.

State ministers and the national Economic Survey have proposed studying age-based limits on social media for children, while experts warn enforcement and age verification would be challenging.

UNICEF called for countries to criminalize the creation of AI-generated child sexual abuse content and urged developers and platforms to add safety-by-design and stronger moderation. The agency said at least 1.2 million children across 11 countries reported having images manipulated into sexually explicit deepfakes in the past year.

Princess Kate recorded a video for World Cancer Day saying those affected by cancer are 'not alone' and spoke of 'moments of fear and exhaustion'; she was diagnosed in March 2024 and later announced she had entered remission.

NSW police say they have arrested several men in Sydney linked to an alleged international child sex ring; some face charges for possession and distribution of child sexual abuse material and drug offences and are due to appear in court.

A 31-year-old Glasgow man was sentenced to 10-and-a-half years in prison after prosecutors said he used Snapchat to coerce four boys under 16 into sending sexual material in exchange for Xbox and PlayStation codes, and he will serve an additional three years on licence when released.