Technology

Reports say Meta has closed Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru, and Armature, and that the Supernatural fitness app will stop receiving updates while remaining active; Meta has announced it is shifting some investment from the metaverse toward wearables.

Hundreds attended funeral prayers for taxi driver Masrob Ali after a head-on crash in Bolton that also killed three teenagers; Greater Manchester Police say their investigation is ongoing and have appealed for witnesses.

Torvalds used an AI tool to generate a Python visualizer for a small personal audio project, and that code is not part of the Linux kernel or other core projects.

Three Palestine Action hunger strikers ended a 73-day hunger strike after officials announced that Elbit Systems UK was denied a government training contract; further developments are undetermined at this time.

Dashcam shows a motorist in Cocoa Beach rescuing two toddlers who ran onto the A1A; the children were later returned to nearby adults and the Brevard County Sheriff's Office is investigating.

Verizon reported an issue affecting wireless voice and data for some customers, leaving many users across the US with phones showing "SOS" and unable to make calls or send texts.

Researchers including Cardiff University scientists extracted woolly rhinoceros DNA from the stomach of a 14,400-year-old wolf found near Tumat, Siberia, and report the evidence points to a rapid population collapse linked to climate warming rather than human hunting.

Wikipedia launched in January 2001 and has grown into a globally used, volunteer-edited encyclopedia; recent AI competitors such as Grokipedia, launched in October 2025, have expanded rapidly and prompted debate about the role of human editing and AI.

Researchers analysing a roughly 14,400‑year‑old wolf from Siberia recovered woolly rhinoceros DNA from preserved stomach tissue; genetic comparisons suggest the species remained genetically healthy until a rapid population collapse near its extinction.

Irish police say about 200 reports tied to the AI tool Grok are under investigation and that hundreds of related probes into content on X are ongoing.

Docusign is rolling out AI features that generate plain-English contract summaries and support Q&A, and its Intelligent Agreement Management platform is available inside ChatGPT via the MCP.

Transport for London says more Tube stations and tunnel sections now have high-speed mobile coverage, including the whole Elizabeth line; TfL expects most of the Northern and Metropolitan lines to have tunnel coverage by the end of summer 2026.

Sega confirmed the physical Nintendo Switch 2 edition of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will include the full base game on cartridge and the box art lacks the Game-Key Card logo; the release is dated March 26, 2026, with pre-orders priced at $69.99 / £64.99.

A podcast episode discusses a recent government U-turn on a proposed digital ID and raises questions about the prime minister's credibility; it also revisits long-running plans for rail investment in the north of England and whether links between big cities can be improved.

Google has released a free Android update with Pixel-specific fixes, issued alongside the regular monthly Android security update. The update covers all Pixel phones released since the Pixel 7a in May 2023.

The American Federation of Teachers announced it will stop using X after AI-generated images of children appeared on the platform; AFT president Randi Weingarten said X's Grok image tool lacked safeguards.

Apple Creator Studio groups Apple’s creative and productivity apps into a single subscription across Mac, iPad, and iPhone, and it launches on January 28, 2026 with monthly and annual pricing.

The U.S. FDA has extended its review of Travere Therapeutics' Sparsentan for use in focal segmental glomerulosclerosis and set a new decision date of April 13; Travere said it had responded to the agency's request for more data and reported no safety or manufacturing queries.

Growing demand from AI data centres for memory and storage is reducing supply of DRAM and NAND and pushing up prices, and industry reports say that will affect TVs, soundbars and other consumer AV devices, especially at the budget end.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Grok will be integrated into Pentagon networks later this month, and he unveiled a new Department of Defense AI acceleration strategy.

Apple and Google announced a multi-year partnership in which Apple's next-generation foundation models will be based on Google's Gemini models and cloud technology, and the companies said a Gemini-powered Siri is expected to arrive this year.

A concept posted on X shows a clamshell second screen that would attach to the Switch 2 via USB‑C to recreate DS‑style dual displays; Nintendo has not announced such an accessory or confirmed DS emulation.

Malaysia and Indonesia have temporarily blocked access to Grok after regulators said the AI tool was being used to create non-consensual manipulated images; authorities say access will remain blocked until effective safeguards are implemented.

Jacarandas, a Colombian all-women hotline set up after abortion was decriminalised in 2022, uses colourful branding and social media to provide legal information, emotional support and clinic referrals; it is now a leading Spanish-language account on TikTok and Instagram.

The Royal Mint has launched a 50 pence coin marking 50 years since Concorde's first commercial flight, unveiled at the Aerospace Bristol Museum.

Em Rusciano, who is autistic, said she initially felt unsettled by Mattel's new autistic Barbie but later shared a post from a neurodivergent advocate and expressed conditional support. The doll includes features such as a fidget spinner, noise‑cancelling headphones, a shifted eye gaze and articulated joints, and was developed with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network.

SK Hynix will invest 19 trillion won (about $12.9 billion) to build an advanced chip packaging plant in South Korea, with construction set to begin in April and completion targeted by the end of next year.

UK ministers and child protection groups say Elon Musk's Grok AI has been used to generate sexualised images of women and children without their consent; Ofcom has statutory powers under the Online Safety Act but had not opened a formal investigation at the time of the article.

Officials say the immediate bushfire emergency in Victoria has eased, with no emergency warnings for the first time in days, while assessments put damaged or destroyed structures at nearly 500.

Anthropic has launched Claude for Healthcare, an opt-in feature that can connect to platforms like Apple Health and HealthEx to read lab results, fitness data and appointment notes. The company says the tool offers HIPAA-compliant features for clinicians to help with prior authorizations, claims appeals and other administrative tasks.