Month: January 2026
EU sanctions 15 Iranian officials
The European Union sanctioned 15 Iranian officials Thursday over the country’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests, including top commanders of its Revolutionary Guard, ahead of an expected decision to name the entire paramilitary organization as a terrorist group. The sanctions add to pressure on the Islamic Republic, which faces a threat of military action from
Samsung’s First Pair of AR Glasses
Samsung plans to release its long-anticipated augmented reality (AR) glasses before the end of the year. In its Q4 2025 earnings call, a Samsung representative briefly spoke about the new form factor and how it will form part of the brand’s AI and AR expansions.Samsung previously confirmed plans for a pair of smart glasses, but
Iran vows ‘crushing response’ to any US attack
Washington and Tehran have exchanged sharp warnings since a protest wave in Iran led Trump to threaten military action over a violent crackdown, while the Islamic republic blamed the United States for fuelling what it deemed ‘riots’. The face-off has sent diplomatic shock waves across the region, with calls for negotiations to defuse tensions drawing
Britain and China hail reset in ties
In the first visit by a British leader in eight years, Starmer agreed 30 days’ visa-free access for Britons, discussed lower Chinese tariffs on whisky, and welcomed a $15 billion investment by the UK’s AstraZeneca into China. Starmer spent around three hours with Xi at a formal summit and a lunch, during which the pair
WhatsApp has quietly introduced a new ‘Lockdown’ mode
WhatsApp has launched a major security update as it unveils a new ‘lockdown’ mode. This set of security features, known collectively as ‘Strict Account Settings’, is designed to protect users from advanced cyberattacks. Once turned on, the feature will limit how your WhatsApp works in some ways, including blocking attachments and media from people you
New Rules for Google’s AI Overviews in UK
The Competition and Markets Authority said Wednesday that, under its plans, Google might have to provide publishers with more choice and transparency over how their content is used in the search giant’s AI Overviews, the company’s artificial-intelligence feature which produces AI-generated summaries of search results. That could mean allowing publishers to stop their content being
Gallot to leave Google Clouud
Google Cloud’s chief revenue officer Matt Renner announced the news on Tuesday in a memo to staff.Gallot joined Google last April to spearhead a new division focused on helping customers and businesses adopt the company’s cloud products, including its AI offerings. The group absorbed several other teams inside Cloud at a critical time for Google,
Putin is hosting Syria’s interim leader for talks
Russia, which in recent years has been focused on the fighting in Ukraine and kept only a small military contingent in Syria, didn’t try to counter the rebel offensive. It gave asylum to Assad and his family after he fled the country. Syria’s interim leader arrived in Moscow on Wednesday for his second visit in
Greenland will not give in
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Wednesday issued a defiant message on the Arctic island’s future, while Denmark warned the world order as we know it is now over. Appearing together at a forum in the French capital as they seek to shore up support from European allies, the political leaders sought to portray a
Meta to trial premium subscriptions for its socials
Technology giant Meta is to trial premium subscriptions for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp users in the coming months. The new offerings would give access to features including expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities.The firm also plans to test subscriptions for features, such as its Vibes video generation app, which the firm says “can bring your ideas