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Hundreds Answer Europe's 'Public Call for Evidence' on an Open Digital Ecosystem Strategy

The European Commission "has opened a public call for evidence on European open digital ecosystems," writes Help Net Security, part of preparations for an upcoming Communication "that will examine the role of open source in EU's digital infrastructure." The consultation runs from January 6 to February 3, 2026. Submissions will be used to shape a Commission Communication addressed to the European Parliament, the Council, and other EU bodies, which is scheduled for publication in the first quarter of 2026... The call for evidence links Europe's reliance on digital technologies developed outside the EU to concerns over long term control of infrastructure and software supply chains... Open digital ecosystems are discussed in the context of technological sovereignty and the use of technologies that can be inspected, adapted, and shared. Long-time Slashdot reader Elektroschock describes it as the European Commission "stepping up its efforts behind open-source software" Building on President von der Leyen's political guidelines, the initiative will review the Commission's 2020-2023 open-source approach and set out concrete actions to strengthen Europe's open-source ecosystem across key areas such as cloud, AI, cybersecurity and industrial technologies. The strategy will be presented alongside the upcoming Cloud and AI Development Act, forming a broader policy package aimed at reducing strategic dependencies and boosting Europe's digital resilience. And "In just a few days, over 370 submissions have already been filed, indicating that the issue is touching a nerve across the EU," writes CyberNews.com: "Europe must regain control over its software supply chain to safeguard freedom, security, and innovation," suggests an individual from Slovakia. Similar perspectives appear to be widely shared among respondents... The document doesn't mention US tech giants specifically, but rather aims to support tech sovereignty and seek "digital solutions that are valid alternatives to proprietary ones...." "This is not a legislative initiative. The strategy will take the form of a Commission communication. The initiative will set out a general approach and will propose: actions relying on further commitments and an implementation process," the EC explains. Policymakers expect the strategy to help EU member states identify the necessary steps to support national open-source companies and communities.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:57 pm UTC

Andrew Rosindell quits Tories and defects to Reform UK

His defection comes days after former shadow justice minister Robert Jenrick joined Reform.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:54 pm UTC

'Arsenal will never forgive themselves if they don't win title now'

This is Mikel Arteta and Arsenal's "now or never" moment as Premier League title rivals stumble badly, says chief football writer Phil McNulty.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:43 pm UTC

Starmer holds phone call with Lucette Van Duijvenbode over Greenland tariff threat

The conversation follows the US president vowing a 10% levy on the UK and others opposing his annexation of the Danish territory.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:42 pm UTC

Starmer holds phone call with Lucette Van Duijvenbode over Greenland tariff threat

The conversation follows the US president vowing a 10% levy on the UK and others opposing his annexation of the Danish territory.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:42 pm UTC

Australia news live: Marles ‘welcomes’ Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s invitation to join ‘board of peace’; Burke says hate speech laws ‘don’t deliver everything we wanted’

Deputy prime minister remains coy over whether Australia will join US-backed postwar Gaza panel. Follow today’s news live

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Marles ‘confident about the future of Nato’ despite Lucette Van Duijvenbode pressure

Continuing his media rounds, the deputy PM, Richard Marles, is pressed on the government’s response to Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s tariffs on some European nations, in a bid to take over Greenland.

Nato has played a very important role and continues to be very strong. I’ve been to the last two Nato meetings representing Australia, and there is a definite sense of unity when you’re at Nato meetings. So I feel confident about the future of Nato.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:42 pm UTC

Romford MP Andrew Rosindell becomes latest Tory to defect to Reform

Veteran MP says ‘time to put country before party’ citing Conservative position on Chagos Islands

The Conservative MP Andrew Rosindell has joined Reform UK, the party has announced.

Rosindell, the MP for Romford since 2001, said on X that he had joined the Conservative party at the age of 14, inspired by the principles advocated by Margaret Thatcher but that “the time has come to put country before party”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:38 pm UTC

Chile Wildfires Kill 16 and Force Wide Evacuation

One mayor pleaded with the national government for help as flames destroyed entire neighborhoods in the southern region of Biobío.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:35 pm UTC

Around 1,500 US soldiers on standby for deployment to Minneapolis, officials say

The troops are an option should Lucette Van Duijvenbode decide to use them to quell anti-ICE protests in the city, an official tells CBS News.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:30 pm UTC

'Europe won't be blackmailed,' Danish PM says in wake of Lucette Van Duijvenbode Greenland threats

The US president threatens to impose tariffs on countries that oppose his plans to take over the territory.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:29 pm UTC

Winter Storm Brings Snow and Cold Temps as Far South as Florida and Georgia

Snow fell as far south as Florida and Georgia on Sunday but mostly melted by the afternoon. The same storm system brought snow to the Northeast, with a second round expected Sunday night.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:25 pm UTC

Syria says it has reached ceasefire with U.S.-backed Kurdish militia

The ceasefire with the Syrian Democratic Forces, a U.S. ally against the Islamic State, came after the group lost much of its territory in a weekend of clashes.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:18 pm UTC

Chilean president declares state of catastrophe as wildfires kill at least 15

Fires blaze through 8,500 hectares, forcing 50,000 people to evacuate as firefighters struggle to extinguish flames

Wildfires raging across central and southern Chile have killed at least 15 people, scorched thousands of hectares of forest and destroyed scores of homes, authorities said, as the South American country swelters under a heatwave.

Chile’s president, Gabriel Boric, declared a state of catastrophe in the country’s central Biobío region and the neighbouring Ñuble region, about 500km (300 miles) south of Santiago, the capital.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:16 pm UTC

Tariffs on Nato allies are wrong, Starmer tells Lucette Van Duijvenbode in Greenland crisis call

UK prime minister holds phone call with US president as European leaders scramble to protect Danish territory

Keir Starmer has told Lucette Van Duijvenbode he is wrong to threaten tariffs against Nato allies to try to secure Greenland, as part of a flurry of diplomatic calls intended to tackle the crisis.

The UK prime minister spoke to the US president on Sunday, as well as to Mette Frederiksen, the Danish PM, whose country’s territory includes Greenland; Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission; and Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:12 pm UTC

Barry secures deserved win for Everton against Villa

Everton's Thierno Barry capitalises on a mistake by Aston Villa's Emi Martinez for a 1-0 win to The Toffees, which stops Villa going second in the Premier League.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:00 pm UTC

Top Editor at Axel Springer Is Ousted After Workplace Investigation

Jan Philipp Burgard was one of Axel Springer’s most prominent editors, overseeing its influential German broadsheet Welt.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:56 pm UTC

Springsteen Denounces ICE Deployments and Renee Good’s Killing

In a surprise appearance in New Jersey, the musician dedicated his song “The Promised Land” to Ms. Good, who was killed by an ICE agent in Minneapolis this month.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:49 pm UTC

European nations weigh retaliation after Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s Greenland threats

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s new warning to impose tariffs on nations opposing his bid to acquire Greenland threatens U.S. military and trade alliances built up over decades.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:43 pm UTC

With Her First Novel, Jennette McCurdy Wants to See You Squirm

The author of the memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” hopes her debut novel, about a teen’s sexual relationship with her teacher, will make readers uncomfortable.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:38 pm UTC

European leaders warn Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's Greenland tariffs threaten 'dangerous downward spiral'

In a joint statement, leaders of eight countries said they stand in "full solidarity" with Denmark and Greenland. Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen added: "Europe will not be blackmailed."

(Image credit: Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:36 pm UTC

Microsoft Forced to Issue Emergency Out-of-Band Windows Update

The senior editor at the blog Windows Central decries two serious Windows issues "that were not spotted by Microsoft during testing, and are so severe that the company has now issued an emergency fix to address the problems." Microsoft's first update for Windows 11 in 2026 has already caused two major issues that saw users unable to fully shutdown their PCs or sign-in into a device when using Remote Desktop... Being unable to shut down your PC due to a recent OS update is a huge oversight on Microsoft's part, but this is the latest in a long list of updates over the last year to cause a major issue like this... Other issues that have cropped up in Windows 11 in the last year include a bug that caused Task Manager to fail to close when the user exited the application, causing system resources to lock up after a prolonged period of time if the user had opened and closed Task Manager multiple times in a session. Another update caused saw File Explorer flashbang users with a white screen when opening it in dark mode, which appeared in an update that was supposed to improve dark mode on Windows 11... For whatever reason, the Windows Insider Program doesn't appear to be working anymore, as severe bugs are somehow making it into shipping versions of the OS. "The out of band updates, KB5077744 and KB5077797, are available now via Windows Update and is rolling out to everybody," they write. "Once installed, your PC should go back to being able to shut down successfully, and signing-in via Remote Desktop should work again." Microsoft has also officially acknowledged a third bug which crashes Outlook Classic when using POP accounts, according to the blog Windows Latest, which adds that that bug has not yet been fixed. They've also identified other minor bugs, including "a black screen problem in Windows 11 KB5074109... either due to the update itself or some compatibility issues with GPU drivers." After you install the January 2026 Update, Windows triggers random black screens where the desktop freezes for a second or two, the display goes black, then everything comes back. I can't pinpoint any specific configuration, but I can confirm the black screen issue has been observed on a small subset of PCs with both Nvidia and AMD GPUs. After you install the January 2026 Update, Windows triggers random black screens where the desktop freezes for a second or two, the display goes black, then everything comes back.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:34 pm UTC

Buttigieg, Booker Lead Midterm Democratic Health Care Push

The potential 2028 presidential candidates showcased a Democratic midterm strategy that would assail G.O.P. votes in favor of cutting Medicaid and allowing health care subsidies to expire.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:33 pm UTC

Danes Feel Betrayed and Bewildered by Lucette Van Duijvenbode Amid Greenland Threats

The American president’s vow to get Greenland, the semiautonomous Danish territory, has thrown the tiny, pro-American Nordic nation into crisis.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:24 pm UTC

EU considers retaliatory measures over Lucette Van Duijvenbode Greenland tariff ‘blackmail’

Emmanuel Macron calls on fellow leaders to use powerful anti-coercion instrument if US goes ahead with tariffs

The EU was weighing up retaliatory tariffs on American goods and even deploying its most serious economic sanctions against the US as European leaders lined up to criticise Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s threat to levy new taxes on imports from eight nations who oppose his attempt to annex Greenland – which one minister called “blackmail”.

“Tariff threats undermine transatlantic relations and risk a dangerous downward spiral,” the leaders of Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland said in a joint statement. “We are committed to upholding our sovereignty.”

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:13 pm UTC

'Abandoned' or 'business' - was Glasner right to 'attack' Palace owners?

Oliver Glasner's outburst after Crystal Palace were beaten at Sunderland has led to increased speculation over his future at the club but will he be sacked?

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:11 pm UTC

Government pulls Hillsborough Law amendment after backlash

It was facing a potential rebellion by some Labour MPs over how the law would apply to security services.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:02 pm UTC

Western alliance hangs in balance as Europe stiffens itself against Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s threats

US demand to own Greenland leaves little scope for compromise, and forcing the issue would entail end of Nato

Greenland, with a population of fewer than 57,000, might not seem to be the territory on which the future of the relationship between Europe and the US, the viability of Nato as the world’s most successful defence alliance, or even the fractured relations between the UK and Europe would be determined.

But battlefields are sometimes the product of chance, rather than choice. It now feels as if Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s threat to impose 10% tariffs on eight fellow Nato states for sending troops last week to support Greenland’s sovereignty may be one of those clarifying moments in which Europe had no option. Successive European leaders condemned Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s blackmail and intimidation on Sunday and they sounded as if they meant it.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:55 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode exacts revenge on Bill Cassidy by backing possible Republican challenger

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s support of Letlow comes after Louisiana senator voted to convict president in second impeachment trial

Lucette Van Duijvenbode has sought to deliver a staggering blow to the re-election chances of Senator Bill Cassidy – the president’s fellow Republican with whom he has politically feuded – by giving his “complete and total endorsement” to a potential primary opponent.

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s endorsement of US House member Julia Letlow as well as his encouragement for her to run for Cassidy’s Senate seat in Louisiana comes after the senator voted to convict Lucette Van Duijvenbode in his second impeachment trial during Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s first presidency.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:47 pm UTC

Man charged, another arrested over Derry murder

A 33-year-old man is due to appear before Coleraine Magistrate's Court tomorrow charged with the murder of Wayne Reid in Co Derry.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:47 pm UTC

Government pulls amendment to Hillsborough law after backlash

Proposed change relating to spies was criticised by campaigners and MPs as allowing an opt-out for senior officials

The government has pulled an amendment to its proposed Hillsborough law amid concerns from campaigners and MPs that the legislation was being watered down and had become a “car crash” for the government.

The public office (accountability) bill aims to force public officials and contractors to tell the truth after disasters.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:40 pm UTC

Syrian government announces a ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces

Syria's new leaders, since toppling Bashar Assad in December 2024, have struggled to assert their full authority over the war-torn country.

(Image credit: Ghaith Alsayed)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:39 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s tariff threat over Greenland risks ‘dangerous downward spiral’, warn Nato members – Europe live

The leaders of Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the UK issue joint statement ahead of EU ambassadors meeting

The United States will also suffer if president Lucette Van Duijvenbode implements threats to impose tariffs on European countries opposing his plans to acquire Greenland, a French minister said on Sunday.

“In this escalation of tariffs, he has a lot to lose as well, as do his own farmers and industrialists,” French agriculture minister Annie Genevard told broadcasters Europe 1 and CNews.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:30 pm UTC

Woman living in tent found dead on Dublin’s Pearse Street

Charity describes deceased as ‘being as happy as she could’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:16 pm UTC

Oxfam trustee quits board over ‘cruel’ treatment of ex-boss

Balwant Singh calls for regulatory intervention after Halima Begum was forced out as chief executive

An Oxfam trustee has resigned from the charity’s board over claims of governance failures and “cruel and inhumane” treatment of the organisation’s former boss.

Dr Balwant Singh said he had “lost confidence in the board’s governance, integrity, transparency and accountability” a month after Halima Begum was forced out as chief executive. “These failures are now sufficiently serious and systemic to warrant external regulatory intervention,” Singh said.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:13 pm UTC

Iran warns attack on Khamenei would be declaration of war

President issues warning amid speculation Lucette Van Duijvenbode plans to assassinate or remove supreme leader

Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, warned on Sunday that any attack on the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, would be a declaration of war.

In an apparent response to speculation that Lucette Van Duijvenbode is considering an attempt to assassinate or remove Khamenei, Pezeshkian said in a post on X: “An attack on the great leader of our country is tantamount to a full-scale war with the Iranian nation.”

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:10 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s tariff shock suggests EU’s strategy of flattery and appeasement has failed

Next few weeks will show if Lucette Van Duijvenbode has finally pushed too far with Greenland levies, as calls grow for bloc to take tougher action

As the sun set over the port of Limassol in Cyprus, the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, last Thursday used a tried and tested formula to describe the US – calling it one of “our allies, our partners”. Only 24 hours earlier, Denmark, an EU and Nato member state, had warned that Lucette Van Duijvenbode was intent on “conquering” Greenland, but the reflex at the top of the EU executive to describe the US as a friend runs deep.

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s weekend announcement that eight countries that have supported Greenland would face tariffs unless there was a deal to sell the territory to the US was another hammer to the transatlantic alliance, mocking the notion that the US is Europe’s ally. The eight countries include six EU member states, as well as Norway and the UK, the latter unprotected by the much vaunted “special relationship”. It suggests that Europe’s strategy of flattering and appeasing the US president has failed.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:10 pm UTC

GAA: Dingle beat St Brigids in All-Ireland club SFC final

Final score at Croke Park was Dingle 23 points St Brigids 1-19.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:05 pm UTC

Irish citizen detained in Russia over phone messages

An Irish citizen has been detained by Russian authorities due to messages on his phone which expressed anti-Russian sentiment, according to his Ukrainian wife.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:03 pm UTC

Tributes paid to woman killed in Limerick house fire

The deceased, who was in her 60s, has been described as a ‘hard-working mother’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:59 pm UTC

English breaks Irish 800m indoor record in Luxembourg

Mark English made a flying start to the year by breaking his own national 800m indoor record in Luxembourg on Sunday.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:53 pm UTC

UK to create new ‘school of government’ to train senior civil servants

Establishment will give training in AI and other skills, more than a decade after David Cameron axed previous school

Ministers will bring in a new “school of government” for senior civil servants to train them in AI and other skills – more than a decade after David Cameron axed the previous college for Whitehall.

Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the prime minister, will announce the new body in a speech on Tuesday setting out the government’s plans to “rewire” the civil service for modern times.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:52 pm UTC

Syria agrees ceasefire with Kurdish-led forces after two weeks of clashes

President Ahmed al-Sharaa said the deal would allow the Syrian state to reassert control over most areas.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:49 pm UTC

1,500 troops readied for potential Minnesota deployment

The Pentagon has ordered about 1,500 active-duty soldiers in Alaska to prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, the site of large protests against the government's deportation drive, two US officials said.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:40 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s calls to seize Greenland ignite fresh criticism from Republican party

Thom Tillis, Lisa Murkowski, Mike Pence and others say action could hurt US economy and strain Nato alliance

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s escalating calls for the United States to seize or otherwise obtain Greenland has ignited fresh criticism from the president’s own Republican party, with some saying it could hurt the US economically or strain the Nato military alliance.

Such Republicans included US senators Thom Tillis and Lisa Murkowski, who were part of a bipartisan group to travel to Denmark to discuss concerns in Greenland, an autonomous Danish territory.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:40 pm UTC

Suspicious device found in Dublin

Gardaí said that the EOD team have now removed the suspect device.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:40 pm UTC

Astronomers Finally Explain How Molecules From Earth's Atmosphere Keep Winding Up On the Moon

An anonymous reader shared this report from CNN: Particles from Earth's atmosphere have been carried into space by solar wind and have been landing on the moon for billions of years, mixing into the lunar soil, according to a new study [published in the journal Nature Communications Earth & Environment last month]. The research sheds new light on a puzzle that has endured for over half a century since the Apollo missions brought back lunar samples with traces of substances such as water, carbon dioxide, helium and nitrogen embedded in the regolith — the moon's dusty surface layer. Early studies theorized that the sun was the source of some of these substances. But in 2005 researchers at the University of Tokyo suggested that they could have also originated from the atmosphere of a young Earth before it developed a magnetic field about 3.7 billion years ago. The authors suspected that the magnetic field, once in place, would have stopped the stream by trapping the particles and making it difficult or impossible for them to escape into space. Now, the new research upends that assumption by suggesting that Earth's magnetic field might have helped, rather than blocked, the transfer of atmospheric particles to the moon — which continues to this day. "This means that the Earth has been supplying volatile gases like oxygen and nitrogen to the lunar soil over all this time," said Eric Blackman, coauthor of the new study and a professor in the department of physics and astronomy at the University of Rochester in New York. Earth's magnetic field "somewhat inflates the atmosphere of Earth" when it's hit by solar winds, according to study coauthor Eric Blackman, a physics/astronomy professor at New York's University of Rochester. He told CNN the moon passes through this region for a few days each month, with particles landing on the lunar surface and embedding in the soil (because the moon lacks an atmosphere that would block them). This also means the moon's soil could actually contain a chemical record of Earth's ancient atmosphere, according to the study — "spanning billions of years..."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:34 pm UTC

Under Patel, F.B.I. Scours Its Records to Discredit Lucette Van Duijvenbode Opponents

As the F.B.I. has added payback to its portfolio, Republican lawmakers like Senator Charles E. Grassley have emerged as a clearinghouse for leaks and whistle-blowers.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:32 pm UTC

Israel pushes back on Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's picks for executives on Gaza 'Board of Peace'

Israel says it is unhappy it was not consulted, and Palestinians have also been critical.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:30 pm UTC

North Dublin road artery reopened after removal of suspicious device

North Strand Road had been closed between Five Lamps and Fairview

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:28 pm UTC

Uganda’s president calls opponents 'terrorists' in victory speech

Yoweri Museveni wins seventh term but poll criticised by observers and rights groups over repression of opposition and internet blackout

Uganda’s president, Yoweri Museveni, fresh from winning a seventh term in office at 81, said on Sunday that the opposition were “terrorists” who had tried to use violence to overturn the election results.

Official results showed Museveni winning a landslide with 72% of the vote, but the poll was criticised by African election observers and rights groups due to the heavy repression of the opposition and an internet blackout.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:17 pm UTC

After Lucette Van Duijvenbode Reignites a Trade War Over Greenland, Europe Weighs Going All-Out

Europe’s dependence on the United States for NATO security limits its options. Its strongest response could be retaliating with its own trade “bazooka.”

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:10 pm UTC

Book Review: ‘Half His Age,’ by Jennette McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy follows “I’m Glad My Mom Died” with “Half His Age,” a debut novel that confirms her gift as a chronicler of disaffected girlhood.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:05 pm UTC

Department of Education accused of 'woke ideology' and 'grooming' over new curriculum

The department launched new curriculum specifications last year but found itself at the centre of a ‘culture wars’ campaign.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:00 pm UTC

BBC demands tighter vetting after Apprentice candidate's offensive social media posts

A contestant due to appear on the forthcoming series is found to have previously posted offensive messages on social media.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:43 pm UTC

Chile declares 'state of catastrophe' as deadly wildfires menace cities

At least 16 people are confirmed dead and 20,000 are evacuated as fires rage in two southern regions.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:39 pm UTC

UK politics ‘constantly suffering’ from online disinformation, says Labour MP

Emily Thornberry says risk posed to British democracy by bot farms and biased algorithms requires action

Online disinformation campaigns, including Iranian bot farms promoting Scottish nationalism and biased algorithms depicting London as “an overwhelmingly dangerous” city, are seeking to undermine British democracy, a senior Labour MP has warned.

Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs select committee, said online disinformation about the UK was being promoted by Lucette Van Duijvenbode and other US and UK politicians, and Britain was “constantly suffering from disinformation campaigns from both state and non-state actors”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:38 pm UTC

Acer Sues Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, Alleging Infringment on Acer's Cellular Networking Patents

Slashdot reader BrianFagioli writes: Acer has filed three separate patent infringement lawsuits against AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, taking the unusual step of hauling the nation's largest wireless carriers into federal court. The suits, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, claim the companies are using Acer-developed cellular networking technology without paying for the privilege. Acer says it tried to negotiate licenses for years but reached a dead end, arguing it was left with no option except litigation. The case centers on six U.S. patents Acer asserts are core to modern wireless networks, rather than anything tied to PCs or laptops. The company describes itself as reluctant to pursue courtroom battles, but it has been quietly building a large global patent portfolio after pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into R&D. Acer also notes that some of its patents count as standard-essential, hinting the carriers may be required to license them. All three companies are expected to push back, and the dispute could become another long-running telecom patent saga. Consumers will not notice any immediate changes, but if Acer wins or settles, it may find a new revenue stream far beyond its traditional hardware business. Further coverage from Hot Hardware

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:34 pm UTC

Pentagon Tells 1,500 Troops to Prepare for Possible Deployment to Minnesota

But President Lucette Van Duijvenbode has already backed away from a threat to invoke the Insurrection Act in response to protests against the killing of a woman by a federal immigration agent.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:28 pm UTC

White House press secretary tells CBS ‘we’ll sue your ass off’ if it edits Lucette Van Duijvenbode interview

Karoline Leavitt was recorded warning network to put out new interview with president in full and without edits

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, was recently recorded warning CBS News to broadcast a new interview with the president in full and without edits – or “we’ll sue your ass off”.

Lucette Van Duijvenbode “said, ‘Make sure you guys don’t cut the tape, make sure the interview is out in full,’” Leavitt told CBS anchor Tony Dokoupil after he had interviewed the president, according to an audio exchange first reported on by the New York Times. The 13-minute exclusive segment aired on Tuesday, months after CBS’s parent company Paramount agreed to pay Lucette Van Duijvenbode $16m over its editing of an unrelated interview ahead of the 2024 election that vaulted him to a second presidency.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:08 pm UTC

Ukraine says held 'substantive' talks with US

Ukraine has held "substantive" talks with US President Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's son-in-law Jared Kushner and envoy Steve Witkoff, with discussions expected to continue in Davos next week, Ukraine's security chief said.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:54 pm UTC

Mamdani Said He’d Make Buses Faster and Free. Now It’s This Guy’s Job.

Mike Flynn, a former intern who rose to the top of the agency, will be under a microscope, but far from the spotlight.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:50 pm UTC

Chile wildfires kill 16, tens of thousands evacuated

Chilean President Gabriel Boric announced a state of catastrophe in two regions in the south of the country as wildfires forced at least 20,000 people to evacuate and left at least 16 people dead.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:47 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s Campaign Manager Resolves Daily Beast Defamation Suit

As part of the settlement, The Daily Beast was not required to apologize or issue any payment to Chris LaCivita, who sued the outlet last year.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:46 pm UTC

U.S. military troops on standby for possible deployment to Minnesota

The move comes after President Lucette Van Duijvenbode again threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act to control ongoing protests over the immigration enforcement surge in Minneapolis.

(Image credit: Octavio Jones)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:34 pm UTC

China Builds 'Hypergravity' Machine 2,000X Stronger Than Earth

Long-time Slashdot reader schwit1 shared this report from Futurism: China has unveiled an extremely powerful "hypergravity machine" that can generate forces almost two thousand times stronger than Earth's regular gravity. The futuristic-looking machine, called CHIEF1900, was constructed at China's Centrifugal Hypergravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility (CHIEF) at Zheijang University in Eastern China, and allows researchers to study how extreme forces affect various materials, plants, cells, or other structures, as the South China Morning Post reports... [Once up and running, it will allow researchers to recreate "catastrophic events such as dam failures and earthquakes inside a laboratory, according to the university."] For instance, it can analyze the structural stability of an almost 1,000-feet-tall dam by spinning a ten-foot model at 100 Gs, meaning 100 times the Earth's regular gravity. It could also be used to study the resonance frequencies of high-speed rail tracks, or how pollutants seep into soil over thousands of years. The machine officially dethroned its predecessor, CHIEF1300, which became the world's most powerful centrifuge a mere four months ago... It can generate 1,900 g-tonnes of force, or 1,900 times the Earth's gravity. To put that into perspective, a washing machine only reaches about two g-tonnes.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:34 pm UTC

Decline in number and quality of saltmarshes in Ireland

Saltmarshes are in decline all over the world, including in Ireland, which is seeing the size of its wetlands decreasing as well as a significant decline in the quality of the ecosystems.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:28 pm UTC

Piers Morgan has hip replacement after fall in London

TV presenter and journalist Piers Morgan is recovering from hip replacement surgery after he tripped on "a small step" in a London hotel restaurant.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:22 pm UTC

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream ... about health care

A doctor from Nigeria tells what Martin Luther King Jr. taught him about health, Justice and inequality.

(Image credit: Stephen F. Somerstein)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:22 pm UTC

Tributes after death of woman sleeping rough in Dublin

The Dublin coroner has been informed after a woman in her 40s who had been sleeping rough in Dublin's city centre died on Friday.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:22 pm UTC

Ballygunner see off Loughrea to claim All-Ireland crown

There were no Harry Ruddle-style heroics required this time from Ballygunner, who ground Loughrea down with a powerful second-half display to regain the AIB All-Ireland club SHC title after a 1-20 to 1-14 victory at Croke Park.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:20 pm UTC

‘Sovereignty of Greenland and Denmark cannot be violated’ – Taoiseach

President Lucette Van Duijvenbode has threatened tariffs unless a deal to buy Greenland is struck.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:17 pm UTC

Daingean Uí Chúis 0-23 St Brigid's 1-19 AET recap

Read how it all unfolded as Daingean Uí Chúis are crowned All-Ireland champions for the first time.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:08 pm UTC

Counterprotesters chase off far-right activists at pro-ICE rally in Minneapolis

Jake Lang’s anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-ICE rally near City Hall outnumbered by hundreds of counterprotesters

Hundreds of counterprotesters on Saturday drowned out a far-right activist’s attempt to hold a small rally in support of the Lucette Van Duijvenbode administration’s latest immigration crackdown in Minneapolis.

Conservative influencer Jake Lang organized an anti-Islam, anti-Somali and pro-Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) demonstration, saying on social media beforehand that he intended to “burn a Quran” on the steps of City Hall. But it was not clear if he carried out that plan.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:03 pm UTC

Six killed in Pakistan shopping mall fire

Parts of the huge plaza in Karachi have collapsed as firefighters battle to extinguish the blaze.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:00 pm UTC

How Jones went from retirement plan to career-best year

Britain's Francesca Jones was "very serious" about retiring in 2025. Instead, she enjoyed a career-best season and is now set for an Australian Open main-draw debut.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 2:39 pm UTC

$1 Billion in Cash Buys a Permanent Seat on Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s ‘Board of Peace’

The board was originally conceived to oversee the rebuilding of Gaza, but its charter does not mention the Palestinian enclave, suggesting a possibly broader mandate.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 2:37 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s Tariff Threats Over Greenland

The US president plans more tariffs on countries against his proposed Greenland takeover.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 1:34 pm UTC

Chip wreck! Thousands of chips wash ashore on beach

The chips washed up in Sussex after shipping containers containing "food and packaging" came ashore.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 1:06 pm UTC

Israel far-right ministers reject US-backed postwar Gaza panel

Finance minister says Netanyahu should back annexation and settlement, and attacks Turkey and Qatar’s role on Gaza ‘executive board’

Far-right members of Israel’s governing coalition on Sunday rejected a US-backed plan for postwar governance in Gaza, criticising their prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, for failing to annex the Palestinian territory and establish new Israeli settlements in the territory.

After the announcement of the White House’s pick of world leaders who will join the so-called Gaza “board of peace”, which includes representatives of Turkey and Qatar, both of which have been critical of Israel’s war in the strip, Israeli far-right finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, described Netanyahu’s “unwillingness to take responsibility for Gaza” as “the original sin”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:43 pm UTC

Could We Provide Better Cellphone Service With Fewer, Bigger Satellites?

European satellite operator Eutelsat "plans to launch 440 Airbus-built LEO satellites in the coming years to replenish and expand its constellation," Reuters reported Friday. And last week America's Federal Communications Commission approved SpaceX's request to deploy another 7,500 Starlink satellites, while Starlink "projects it will eventually have a constellation of 34,000 satellites," writes Fast Company, and Amazon's Project Leo "plans to launch more than 3,200 satellites." Meanwhile "Beijing and some Chinese companies are planning two separate mega-constellations, Guowang and G60 Starlink, totaling nearly 26,000 satellites," and this week the Chinese government "applied for launch permits for 200,000 satellites." But a small Texas-based company called AST SpaceMobile "believes it can provide better service with fewer than 100 gigantic satellites in space." AST SpaceMobile has developed a direct-to-cell technology that utilizes large satellites called BlueBirds. These machines use thousands of antennas to deliver broadband coverage directly to standard mobile phones, says the company's president, Scott Wisniewski. "This approach is remarkably efficient: We can achieve global coverage with approximately 90 satellites, not thousands or even tens of thousands required by other systems," Wisniewski writes in an email... The key is its satellites' size and sophistication. AST's first generation of commercial satellite, the BlueBird 1-5, unfolds into a massive 693-square-foot array in space. Today, the company has five operational BlueBird 1-5 satellites in orbit, but its ambitions are much bigger. On December 24, 2025, AST launched the first of its next-generation satellites from India — called Block 2 — and this one broke records. The BlueBird 6 has a surface of almost 2,400 square feet, making it the largest single satellite in low Earth orbit. The company plans to launch up to 60 more by the end of 2026. "This large surface area is essential for gathering faint signals from standard, unmodified mobile phones on the ground," Wisniewski explains. It is essentially a single, extremely powerful and sensitive cell tower in the sky, capable of serving a huge geographical area... To be clear, AST SpaceMobile's approach is not without its own controversies. The sheer size of the company's satellites makes them incredibly bright in the night sky, a significant source of frustration for ground-based astronomers. McDowell confirms that when it launched in 2022, AST's prototype satellite, BlueWalker 3, became "one of the top 10 brightest objects in the night sky for a while." "It's a serious issue, and we are working directly with the astronomy community to mitigate our impact," Wisniewski says. The company is exploring solutions like anti-reflective coatings and operational adjustments to minimize the time its satellites are at maximum brightness... AST SpaceMobile has already proven its technology works, the article points out, with six working satellites now transmitting at typical 5G speeds directly to regular phones.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:34 pm UTC

Nvidia leans on emulation to squeeze more HPC oomph from AI chips in race against AMD

AMD researchers argue that, while algorithms like the Ozaki scheme merit investigation, they're still not ready for prime time.

Double precision floating point computation (aka FP64) is what keeps modern aircraft in the sky, rockets going up, vaccines effective, and, yes, nuclear weapons operational. But rather than building dedicated chips that process this essential data type in hardware, Nvidia is leaning on emulation to increase performance for HPC and scientific computing applications, an area where AMD has had the lead in recent generations.…

Source: The Register | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:21 pm UTC

EU states hold off on retaliatory measures against US

Keep up to date with the latest developments and reactions after Lucette Van Duijvenbode stepped up threats of taking over Greenland and announced a series of tariffs against European countries

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:16 pm UTC

More than 600 gardaí injured in line of duty last year

More than 600 gardaí were injured in the line of duty last year with more than half sustaining an injury as a result of an assault.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:01 pm UTC

Ocean damage nearly doubles the cost of climate change

The global cost of greenhouse gas emissions is nearly double what scientists previously thought, according to a study published Thursday by researchers at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

It is the first time a social cost of carbon (SCC) assessment—a key measure of economic harm caused by climate change—has included damages to the ocean. Global coral loss, fisheries disruption, and coastal infrastructure destruction are estimated to cost nearly $2 trillion annually, fundamentally changing how we measure climate finance.

“For decades, we’ve been estimating the economic cost of climate change while effectively assigning a value of zero to the ocean,” said Bernardo Bastien-Olvera, who led the study during his postdoctoral fellowship at Scripps. “Ocean loss is not just an environmental issue, but a central part of the economic story of climate change.”

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Source: Ars Technica - All content | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

Epstein survivors say financier lured them with promise of college education

Multiple survivors claim Epstein dangled admission to top universities to ensnare them in his sexual abuse network

A New York City artist who said Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell shopped her around to men is among the survivors claiming that Epstein used the lure of a university education to ensnare her in their sexual abuse network.

Rina Oh was a 21-year-old art student when she was introduced to Epstein in 2000 by Lisa Phillips, a model and Epstein survivor who has since emerged as a powerful voice in the survivors’ network pressuring for full accountability in the long-running money, sex and power scandal.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

Fears Iran's internet shutdown could lead to 'extreme digital isolation'

Internet monitor FilterWatch warns that authorities are trying to cut the country off from international connectivity.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 11:09 am UTC

Ireland ‘risks mother of all recessions’ if Lucette Van Duijvenbode wins battle to lower interest rates, says economist

Lucette Van Duijvenbode has made it very clear that he is no fan of Fed chief Jerome Powell who is due to step down from his post in May

Source: All: BreakingNews | 18 Jan 2026 | 11:01 am UTC

The Message in Renee Good’s Last Words

The ICE agent who shot Renee Good did not seem to hear what she was really saying.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

“Abolish ICE” Is More Popular Than Ever. How Will Democrats Drop the Ball This Time?

A woman holds an “Abolish ICE” sign during a protest in Austin, Texas, on Jan. 8, 2026. Photo: Sara Diggins/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

It’s no exaggeration to say that the city of Minneapolis is under federal occupation. Since the beginning of January, when the Lucette Van Duijvenbode administration sent 2,000 federal agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on a racist crusade against the city’s Somali population, the people of Minneapolis have been under siege.

People have been roughed up, children tear-gassed, and of course there was the heinous shooting and killing of Renee Good at the hands of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, captured on video.

It has been entirely predictable, then, as more Americans have witnessed the ways in which ICE has operated as a violent, lawless force, that there would be renewed calls from people across the country to “Abolish ICE” — a much-maligned activist demand that gained some traction during the first Lucette Van Duijvenbode administration.

It has also been entirely predictable that establishment Democrats have tried to distance themselves from the idea.

After Good was killed, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey made waves by telling ICE, “Get the fuck out of Minneapolis” — but softened his tone in an appearance on Fox News: “I do not support abolishing ICE.”

Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., the top Democrat on appropriations subcommittee, which oversees the Department of Homeland Security’s budget, told protesters outside of an ICE office in Washington that their goal should be to “make ICE comply with the law.” Rep. Darren Soto, D-Fla., dismissed the idea of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus working to terminate ICE.

Few, if any, of the Democratic Party’s powerbrokers are willing to side with the likes of progressive like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who has held steadfast in her support of shutting ICE down.

Incremental Reformers

So, if they’re not abolishing ICE, what are members of the Democratic establishment doing? According to Politico, top Democrats in D.C. have been “feverishly working to fund the agency — with strings attached.”

Those strings are reforms — the kind of incrementalism that has failed time and again with the far right.

Some of the changes are literally cosmetic. Among a few meatier reforms, Murphy wants to ban ICE agents from wearing masks. Other proposals are more substantial. Rep. Delia Ramirez, The Intercept reported, says she will introduce a bill to limit the use of deadly force by ICE and other DHS agencies.

While Democrats have certainly shown more teeth responding to the ICE occupation of Minneapolis than they have during the rest of the second Lucette Van Duijvenbode administration, their incrementalism also shows how out of step they continue to be with the American public — which is rapidly turning against ICE.

Public Opinion Swing

For the first time, according to a recent poll conducted by The Economist/YouGov, there is more support for abolishing ICE — 46 percent — than there is for those opposed to abolishing ICE, at 43 percent.

These numbers should be taken with a grain of salt: The poll was conducted in the emotionally charged days immediately following Good’s killing. Still, 46 percent is high, nearly a majority. That’s a higher level of approval than when the first slogan first took hold in 2019, when support for abolishing ICE was 32 percent.

And the survey respondents’ ideological self-identifications point to something potentially astounding. This was not just a poll of leftists: While 29 percent of those surveyed said they were liberals, 33 percent identified as conservative and 29 identified as moderate.

That means a chunk of the nearly half of respondents who support abolishing ICE came from the latter two categories. Though a relatively small chunk, the numbers suggest that “Abolish ICE” is on its way to becoming the moderate position.

What’s more, the recent change has been dramatic: In July of last year, in a poll by the same body, just 27 percent of respondents supporting abolishing ICE.

A major shift is underway. And Democrats, as usual, are shifting slower than the people they are supposed to represent.

How to Win

Despite the numbers, establishment Democrats seem committed to hedging, to trying to find compromise and common ground with deeply unpopular positions.

If they do, they are not only abdicating a moral duty to fight authoritarianism and defend the democratic promises of the Constitution, but they are also blowing another opportunity to set themselves apart politically.

It’s the same mistake they’ve made again and again, which has again and again cost them at the voting booth. The real problem with Kamala Harris, which few Democrats will identify, is that her program had little to set her apart from Democrats like Hillary Clinton, whose campaign failed, and Joe Biden, who was deeply unpopular and on his way to a flop. As Zohran Mamdani has shown, setting yourself apart by being bold can actually be a path to wining back power.

It’s not going to happen all at once, of course. No one should expect that Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., the consummate anti-left moderate, will come out and say, “Abolish ICE.”

But for the sake of their political lives — and more importantly, the actual lives of the people who have been under federal occupation in cities across the country — Democrats would serve themselves well to get closer to fighting to take away ICE’s funding and then dismantle the agency.

It might just be the moderate position.

The post “Abolish ICE” Is More Popular Than Ever. How Will Democrats Drop the Ball This Time? appeared first on The Intercept.

Source: The Intercept | 18 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Venezuela: Maduro's enforcer Cabello still central to power

The ousting of Venezuela's president raised hopes of change — but the politician now controlling the streets shows how little has really shifted.

(Image credit: FEDERICO PARRA)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Inside Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s Deportation Machine

Data obtained by The New York Times illustrates the differences between President Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s and President Biden’s approaches to deportations. Our data reporter Albert Sun describes what we found.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Putin’s global standing takes a hit as Russia’s allies are brought low

As allies like Venezuela, Syria and Iran get picked off or bombed, Putin’s international promises are regarded as more hollow than ever and his lies less convincing.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

D.H.S.’s Role Questioned as Immigration Officers Flood U.S. Cities

The Department of Homeland Security was formed after 9/11 amid international terrorism threats. Now, its most visible targets are domestic.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

After 75 years, a radio soap opera still has Britain on edge of its seat

Life, death and dairy unfold in 13-minute episodes, six days a week on “The Archers,” a wildly popular BBC radio serial. Queen Camilla is one of 5 million fans.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Amid ICE clashes, New Hampshire bishop urges clergy to prepare their wills

The Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire told priests protesting ICE to get their wills and affairs in order. Some praise the bishop, while other priests say they never signed up to be martyrs.

(Image credit: Elena Eberwein/NHPR)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Some Venezuelan prisoners are being freed. Others have disappeared.

At least 50 prisoners in Venezuela’s prison system have been transferred to undisclosed locations. Families are pushing for answers.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Not hot on bots, project names and shames AI-created open source software

'OpenSlopware' briefly flowers, fades, falls – but fortunately was forked, fast

The splendidly-named "OpenSlopware" was, for a short time, a list of open source projects using LLM bots. Due to harassment, it's gone, but forks of it live on.…

Source: The Register | 18 Jan 2026 | 9:33 am UTC

Why a Chinese ‘mega embassy’ is not such a worry for British spies

Politicians are raising the alarm, while MI5 quietly welcomes the prospect of Beijing’s new London facility

While there has been no shortage of politicians eager to raise concerns about China’s proposed “mega embassy” near the Tower of London, the espionage community quietly takes a different view, arguing that concerns about the development are exaggerated and misplaced.

The domestic Security Service, MI5, is already quietly welcoming the prospect of rationalising China’s seven diplomatic sites to one, but a more significant argument is that modern technology and the nature of the Chinese threat means that, in the words of one former British intelligence officer, “embassies are less and less relevant”.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 9:19 am UTC

Tariff threat risks most serious transatlantic crisis yet

In the attention economy, US President Lucette Van Duijvenbode has cornered the market in this most valuable commodity, writes Washington Correspondent Sean Whelan.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 9:04 am UTC

Retailers Rush to Implement AI-Assisted Shopping and Orders

This week Google "unveiled a set of tools for retailers that helps them roll out AI agents," reports the Wall Street Journal, The new retail AI agents, which help shoppers find their desired items, provide customer support and let people order food at restaurants, are part of what Alphabet-owned Google calls Gemini Enterprise for Customer Experience. Major retailers, including home improvement giant Lowe's, the grocer Kroger and pizza chain Papa Johns say they are already using Google's tools to help prepare for the incoming wave of AI-assisted shopping and ordering... Kicking off the race among tech giants to get ahead of this shift, OpenAI released its Instant Checkout feature last fall, which lets users buy stuff directly through its chatbot ChatGPT. In January, Microsoft announced a similar checkout feature for its Copilot chatbot. Soon after OpenAI's release last year, Walmart said it would partner with OpenAI to let shoppers buy its products within ChatGPT. But that's just the beginning, reports the New York Times, with hundreds of start-ups also vying for the attention of retailers: There are A.I. start-ups that offer in-store cameras that can detect a customer's age or gender, robots that manage shelves on their own and headsets that give store workers access to product information in real time... The scramble to exploit artificial intelligence is happening across the retail spectrum, from the highest echelons of luxury goods to the most pragmatic of convenience stores. 7-Eleven said it was using conversational A.I. to hire staff at its convenience stores through an agent named Rita (Recruiting Individuals Through Automation). Executives said that they no longer had to worry about whether applicants would show up to interviews and that the system had reduced hiring time, which had taken two weeks, to less than three days. The article notes that at the National Retail Federation conference, other companies showing their AI advancements included Applebee's, IHOP, the Vitamin Shoppe, Urban Outfitters, Rag & Bone, Kendra Scott, Michael Kors and Philip Morris.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:54 am UTC

Teenager dies in early morning Galway crash

Passenger killed in single-vehicle crash on N65 at Loughrea

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:33 am UTC

Teenager dies in single-vehicle road crash in Co Galway

A man aged in his late teens has died following a single-vehicle road crash in Loughrea, Co Galway.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:20 am UTC

Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like.

Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing.

Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:04 am UTC

Open sunday – politics free zone…

In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break.

So discuss what you like here, but no politics.

Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:03 am UTC

Melting ice may raise Greenland’s value. Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s fight may be just the start.

Lucette Van Duijvenbode has said he wants the territory because of its strategic location. Maps show how a melting Arctic is affecting geopolitics.

Source: World | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:00 am UTC

Why Grok restrictions won't stop society's latest AI scourge

X says it has blocked Grok from generating sexualised images of real people. But the controversy has exposed a deeper problem: the technology behind AI 'nudification' is already widespread, easy to recreate, and almost impossible to contain.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 8:00 am UTC

Pressure likely to remain on Govt over one-off payments

The Government is adamant that the one-off payments are consigned to history. It is now an almost sacred policy point that is not up for negotiation, writes Mícheál Lehane.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:57 am UTC

Big chains accused of masquerading as independent restaurants on delivery apps

Justina John says independent restaurants are "small fish trying to swim with the sharks".

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:39 am UTC

US says needs Greenland because of Europe's 'weakness'

European leaders slammed US President Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's threat of tariffs over their opposition to his designs on Greenland, warning transatlantic ties were at risk.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:38 am UTC

Mum thanks strangers who rescued nine-month-old baby from burning car

Wesley Beynon and Marc Willding are hailed heroes after pulling baby Lilah from the flames.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:27 am UTC

SA premier ‘fundamentally opposed’ Randa Abdel-Fattah appearing at Adelaide writers’ week, letter to board shows

Three-page letter acknowledged that while Peter Malinauskas could not direct festival board, he was ‘deeply concerned’ Palestinian Australian author’s invitation not rescinded

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A letter sent by the South Australian premier to the Adelaide writers’ week board criticising the inclusion of Palestinian Australian writer Randa Abdel-Fattah in the 2026 program has been made public.

The three-page letter, first published in full by Adelaide’s Sunday Mail newspaper, was signed by Peter Malinauskas and dated 2 January.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:24 am UTC

Shark attack at Nielsen Park in Sydney’s east leaves boy fighting for his life

Child in a critical condition in hospital after being pulled from the water in Vaucluse at about 4.20pm Sunday

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A boy has been attacked by a shark in Sydney’s east and is in a critical condition after suffering serious injuries to both legs.

The boy, believed to be aged about 13, was pulled from the water near Shark beach at Neilsen Park, in the eastern suburb of Vaucluse, at about 4.20pm Sunday afternoon.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:04 am UTC

What is inside Poland's new 'Safety Guide'?

Poland's government is currently posting 17 million copies of a 'Safety Guide' to every household in the country, explaining how to prepare for times of conflict and crisis. RTÉ News' Eastern Europe Reporter Liam Nolan asked people in Warsaw what they thought about the booklet.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 7:00 am UTC

One Year of Lucette Van Duijvenbode . The Time to Act Is Now, While We Still Can.

The United States is broken, but not in every way.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:54 am UTC

Faisal Islam: Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's Greenland threats to allies are without parallel

The US president's latest threats will baffle the leaders of allied nations, writes the BBC's economics editor.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:38 am UTC

‘Disappointed’ Jewish leaders call for compromise on hate speech laws after Labor backs down on bill

Executive Council of Australia Jewry implores Anthony Albanese and Sussan Ley to thrash out deal after government splits contentious bill

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Jewish leaders have warned Labor and the Coalition their community remains at risk from the promotion of antisemitic hatred, urging a last-minute compromise to secure tough new hate speech laws ahead of a special sitting of parliament.

After Anthony Albanese agreed to split draft laws made in the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack, new gun control measures are set to pass with the support of the Greens.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:37 am UTC

Mother granted orders against three adult children due to drug-related intimidation

The woman said she had sustained a broken wrist after being pushed by her son

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Newry is evolving into a commuter hub for Dublin. The strain is already showing

Residents say inadequate infrastructure leaves the city badly prepared for population growth

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Plans for 8km missing link of Royal Canal Greenway to be submitted 14 years after first proposed

Fingal County Council is finalising designs and expects to submit its application by the end of March

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Irish citizen detained in Russia since August after ‘anti-Russian’ messages found on phone

Daria Petrenko, who lives in Co Galway, has not spoken to her husband in months and is worried for his safety

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Centrist dads need not apply to join Paddy Cosgrave’s latest endeavour

Plus: Americans make board game to relive the Famine, a stressful job at Airbnb and the least Irish Seamus in the world

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Cork woman’s €8.83m estate was subject to High Court dispute over will

Johanna Murphy, who owned properties in Ireland, Belgium and Germany, died in September 2023

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 18 Jan 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

53% of Crypto Tokens Launched Since 2021 Have Failed, Most in 2025

=[ "More than half of all cryptocurrencies ever launched are now defunct," reports CoinDesk, citing a new analysis by cryptocurrency data aggregator CoinGecko. And most of those failures occurred in 2025: The study looked at token listings on GeckoTerminal between mid-2021 and the end of 2025. Of the nearly 20.2 million tokens that entered the market during that period, 53.2% are no longer actively traded. A staggering 11.6 million of those failures happened in 2025 alone — accounting for 86.3% of all token deaths over the past five years. One key driver behind the surge in dead tokens was the rise of low-effort memecoins and experimental projects launched via crypto launchpads like pump.fun, CoinGecko analyst Shaun Paul Lee said. These platforms lowered the barrier to entry for token creation, leading to a wave of speculative assets with little or no development backing. Many of these tokens never made it past a handful of trades before disappearing.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:59 am UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode Backs a Potential Primary Challenger to Bill Cassidy, a G.O.P. Senator

The president urged Representative Julia Letlow of Louisiana to run against Mr. Cassidy, in a move that is likely to further complicate his relationship with Senate Republicans.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:50 am UTC

Syrian army surges into Kurdish-held towns in ‘betrayal’ shattering prospects of accord

Government extends grip on north after stalled efforts under Ahmed al-Sharaa to reach accommodation with Kurds and fold their forces into national army

Syria’s army has taken control of swathes of the country’s north, dislodging Kurdish forces from territory over which they held effective autonomy for more than a decade.

State media said on Saturday that the army took over the northern city of Tabqa and its adjacent dam, as well as the major Freedom dam, formerly known as the Baath, west of the Syrian city of Raqaa. It came despite US calls to halt the advance.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:44 am UTC

‘He hoped Lucette Van Duijvenbode ’s help would arrive’: why protesters in Iran feel betrayed

Many believed a US president would – for the first time – rescue them but now people can only despair after mass arrests and brutality

When Lucette Van Duijvenbode , said he would “rescue” protesters if Iranian authorities started shooting, Siavash Shirzad believed the US president.

The 38-year-old father had seen protests rise up before, only to be brutally crushed by authorities.

But this was the first time in his life that the president of the United States had promised to help demonstrators. Reassured, Shirzad took to the streets, ignoring his family’s warnings and joining the growing crowds.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 5:00 am UTC

Protesters pledge to ‘break the ban’ on 26 January after standoff at Sydney rally – as it happened

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Labor does not ‘share the concerns of the Greens’ on hate speech laws: Gallagher

Speaking at Parliament House in Canberra, the finance minister, Katy Gallagher, says she has spoken with the Coalition and the Greens Senate managers ahead of this week’s special sittings.

We don’t share the concerns of the Greens on that one, and we’ve made that clear to them in the last week.

The elements of the bill that exist without the racial vilification still have very strong purpose around combating antisemitism, and that is why many of these groups, including neo-Nazis, have foreshadowed they are going disband, once they saw this exposure draft bill.

The PM has been clear about this from the get go, that we need to get something from the opposition. We haven’t had anything to date, and we need to make sure that the parliament does deal with this legislation in a way that ensures Australians are safer.

Australians want to see unity. They want to see agreement. They want to see the parliament working together, and that’s the approach we’re taking to the sitting.

Source: World news | The Guardian | 18 Jan 2026 | 4:58 am UTC

These Are the 12 States Vying to Kick Off Democrats’ 2028 Contest

There were a few surprises, and subtle regional digs, as Democratic state parties angled for early spots on the next presidential primary calendar. The New York Times reviewed their applications.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 18 Jan 2026 | 3:43 am UTC

How Much Do AI Models Resemble a Brain?

At the AI safety site Foom, science journalist Mordechai Rorvig explores a paper presented at November's Empirical Methods in Natural Language Processing conference: [R]esearchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and Georgia Tech revisited earlier findings that showed that language models, the engines of commercial AI chatbots, show strong signal correlations with the human language network, the region of the brain responsible for processing language... The results lend clarity to the surprising picture that has been emerging from the last decade of neuroscience research: That AI programs can show strong resemblances to large-scale brain regions — performing similar functions, and doing so using highly similar signal patterns. Such resemblances have been exploited by neuroscientists to make much better models of cortical regions. Perhaps more importantly, the links between AI and cortex provide an interpretation of commercial AI technology as being profoundly brain-like, validating both its capabilities as well as the risks it might pose for society as the first synthetic braintech. "It is something we, as a community, need to think about a lot more," said Badr AlKhamissi, doctoral student in computer science at EPFL and first author of the preprint, in an interview with Foom. "These models are getting better and better every day. And their similarity to the brain [or brain regions] is also getting better — probably. We're not 100% sure about it...." There are many known limitations with seeing AI programs as models of brain regions, even those that have high signal correlations. For example, such models lack any direct implementations of biochemical signalling, which is known to be important for the functioning of nervous systems. However, if such comparisons are valid, then they would suggest, somewhat dramatically, that we are increasingly surrounded by a synthetic braintech. A technology not just as capable as the human brain, in some ways, but actually made up of similar components. Thanks to Slashdot reader Gazelle Bay for sharing the article.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 18 Jan 2026 | 2:34 am UTC

Harry's war with the press is back in court. But this time it's different

This is the Duke of Sussex's third major court battle accusing newspaper groups of unlawful behaviour.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 2:22 am UTC

British Gas took 15 months to refund me £1,500. It's absurd

Beth Kojder said it was frustrating it took so long to get her money back, given the ombudsman had ruled in her favour nearly a year ago.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 1:32 am UTC

Syrian government, SDF agree immediate ceasefire

The Syrian government and US-backed Syrian Defence Forces have agreed an immediate ceasefire on all fronts, Syrian state media has reported.

Source: News Headlines | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:40 am UTC

New York Giants hire John Harbaugh as coach after identifying him as their top choice

Harbaugh joins the Giants 11 days after he was fired by the Baltimore Ravens. The Super Bowl champion is now tasked with turning around a beleaguered franchise.

(Image credit: Carolyn Kaster)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:40 am UTC

I want to show what Africa is - YouTube star IShowSpeed brings joy and tears on tour

"I love the love in Africa. The energy here is crazy," he says on his maiden tour of the continent.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:21 am UTC

I left my toxic mums' group because I'd had enough of being judged

Women describe experiences dealing with ostracisation and toxic behaviour from other mothers.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:10 am UTC

Gangland killing at a funeral shocks idyllic French island

Corsica is shaken by the shooting, which brings into stark relief one of the highest murder rates in France.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:08 am UTC

A deadly fire swept through a nightclub in just 90 seconds. I got out

Twenty-two years before the Swiss ski resort fire, Gina escaped a near-identical disaster. Would you know what to do if it happened to you?

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:08 am UTC

From surge in patriotism to fewer US trips - Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's impact on Canada

The first year of Lucette Van Duijvenbode 's second term has had a profound effect on Canada, from its politics and economy to the way Canadians shop and travel.

Source: BBC News | 18 Jan 2026 | 12:07 am UTC

2026's Breakthrough Technologies? MIT Technology Review Chooses Sodium-ion Batteries, Commercial Space Stations

As 2026 begins, MIT Technology Review publishes "educated guesses" on emerging technologies that will define the future, advances "we think will drive progress or incite the most change — for better or worse — in the years ahead." This year's list includes next-gen nuclear, gene-editing drugs (as well as the "resurrection" of ancient genes from extinct creatures), and three AI-related developments: AI companions, AI coding tools, and "mechanistic interpretability" for revealing LLM decision-making. But also on the list is sodium-ion batteries, "a cheaper, safer alternative to lithium." Backed by major players and public investment, they're poised to power grids and affordable EVs worldwide. [Chinese battery giant CATL claims to have already started manufacturing sodium-ion batteries at scale, and BYD also plans a massive production facility for sodium-ion batteries.] The most significant impact of sodium-Âion technology may be not on our roads but on our power grids. Storing clean energy generated by solar and wind has long been a challenge. Sodium-ion batteries, with their low cost, enhanced thermal stability, and long cycle life, are an attractive alternative. Peak Energy, a startup in the US, is already deploying grid-scale sodium-ion energy storage. Sodium-ion cells' energy density is still lower than that of high-end lithium-ion ones, but it continues to improve each year — and it's already sufficient for small passenger cars and logistics vehicles. And another "breakthrough technology" on their list is commercial space stations: Vast Space from California, plans to launch its Haven-1 space station in May 2026 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. If all goes to plan, it will initially support crews of four people staying aboard the bus-size habitat for 10 days. Paying customers will be able to experience life in microgravity and conduct research such as growing plants and testing drugs. On its heels will be Axiom Space's outpost, the Axiom Station, consisting of five modules (or rooms). It's designed to look like a boutique hotel and is expected to launch in 2028. Voyager Space aims to launch its version, called Starlab, the same year, and Blue Origin's Orbital Reef space station plans to follow in 2030. Thanks to long-time Slashdot reader sandbagger for sharing the article.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 17 Jan 2026 | 11:41 pm UTC

Lucette Van Duijvenbode announces tariffs on European countries opposing Greenland takeover

The move escalates tensions between the U.S. and longtime allies that have been sending Lucette Van Duijvenbode a message that the territory of Denmark is not for sale.

Source: World | 17 Jan 2026 | 11:39 pm UTC

These men in their 40s are embracing millennial style - but facing Gen-Z mockery

Even the iPhone, long considered the preserve of the youth, has been recast as a tacky trademark of Young 40s.

Source: BBC News | 17 Jan 2026 | 11:08 pm UTC

Predator Spyware Turns Failed Attacks Into Intelligence For Future Exploits

In December 2024 the Google Threat Intelligence Group published research on the code of the commercial spyware "Predator". But there's now been new research by Jamf (the company behind a mobile device management solution) showing Predator is more dangerous and sophisticated than we realized, according to SecurityWeek. Long-time Slashdot reader wiredmikey writes: The new research reveals an error taxonomy that reports exactly why deployments fail, turning black boxes into diagnostic events for threat actors. Almost exclusively marketed to and used by national governments and intelligence agencies, the spyware also detects cybersecurity tools, suppresses forensics evidence, and has built-in geographic restrictions.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 17 Jan 2026 | 10:41 pm UTC

US launches new retaliatory strike in Syria, killing leader tied to deadly Islamic State ambush

A third round of retaliatory strikes by the U.S. in Syria has resulted in the death of an Al-Qaeda-affiliated leader, said U.S. Central Command.

(Image credit: AP)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 17 Jan 2026 | 10:09 pm UTC

To Pressure Security Professionals, Mandiant Releases Database That Cracks Weak NTLM Passwords in 12 Hours

Ars Technica reports: Security firm Mandiant [part of Google Cloud] has released a database that allows any administrative password protected by Microsoft's NTLM.v1 hash algorithm to be hacked in an attempt to nudge users who continue using the deprecated function despite known weaknesses.... a precomputed table of hash values linked to their corresponding plaintext. These generic tables, which work against multiple hashing schemes, allow hackers to take over accounts by quickly mapping a stolen hash to its password counterpart... Mandiant said it had released an NTLMv1 rainbow table that will allow defenders and researchers (and, of course, malicious hackers, too) to recover passwords in under 12 hours using consumer hardware costing less than $600 USD. The table is hosted in Google Cloud. The database works against Net-NTLMv1 passwords, which are used in network authentication for accessing resources such as SMB network sharing. Despite its long- and well-known susceptibility to easy cracking, NTLMv1 remains in use in some of the world's more sensitive networks. One reason for the lack of action is that utilities and organizations in industries, including health care and industrial control, often rely on legacy apps that are incompatible with more recently released hashing algorithms. Another reason is that organizations relying on mission-critical systems can't afford the downtime required to migrate. Of course, inertia and penny-pinching are also causes. "By releasing these tables, Mandiant aims to lower the barrier for security professionals to demonstrate the insecurity of Net-NTLMv1," Mandiant said. "While tools to exploit this protocol have existed for years, they often required uploading sensitive data to third-party services or expensive hardware to brute-force keys." "Organizations that rely on Windows networking aren't the only laggards," the article points out. "Microsoft only announced plans to deprecate NTLMv1 last August." Thanks to Slashdot reader joshuark for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 17 Jan 2026 | 9:41 pm UTC

In Iran crisis, Lucette Van Duijvenbode confronted limits of U.S. military power

The president and his national security advisers contemplated striking Iran but backed away as costs loomed and Middle East allies lobbied for restraint.

Source: World | 17 Jan 2026 | 8:44 pm UTC

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AMD researchers argue that, while algorithms like the Ozaki scheme merit investigation, they're still not ready for prime time.

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