Technology

Greenland's remoteness, limited infrastructure and complex geology have so far prevented commercial rare earth mining; experts and companies say development would likely take years and faces significant hurdles.

Officials report major bushfires have burned more than 350,000 hectares in Victoria, and leaders have warned people not to enter fire‑impacted areas.

The Canon R6 Mark III upgrades to a 33MP sensor and expands video tools (including 7K open-gate), while keeping a familiar body and refined controls; it is priced above the Mark II and sits amid strong competition from Nikon, Sony and Panasonic.

Tropical Cyclone Koji is expected to cross the coast between Townsville and Bowen on Sunday, bringing heavy rain and strong winds, and emergency services report teams are in position.

John Kelly, 84, was found injured on an icy path in East Kilbride and was pronounced dead at the scene; police say a slip on ice is being examined and Lorraine Kelly has asked for privacy after posting a tribute.

Security firm Malwarebytes reported that about 17.5 million Instagram account records were published online and that Meta has not yet confirmed the breach.

The German Research Center for Geosciences (GFZ) reported a magnitude 6.8 earthquake off Indonesia's Talaud Islands, while Indonesia's BMKG gave a 7.1 reading and said there was no tsunami threat.

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.