Technology

Since 1980 the Arctic's minimum ice extent has shrunk by 39%, and Arctic shipping activity rose about 37% over the last decade with 1,781 unique ships operating in 2024.

Jen Psaki said reporting on a January 18 protest at a Saint Paul church should be protected by the First Amendment; federal authorities have arrested and indicted Don Lemon and independent journalist Georgia Fort after earlier courts declined to approve charges.

DJI introduced the RS 5 gimbal with an RS Intelligent Tracking Module that lets users tap the touchscreen to track subjects up to 33 feet away. The unit also features a motor rated at about 50% higher torque than the previous generation and is compatible with cameras from Sony, Canon, Nikon and others.

NASA has delayed the Artemis 2 launch timeline because an Arctic blast brought unusually cold temperatures and winds to central Florida; the rocket is on the pad and the four crew members remain in quarantine.

Tim Hortons will release a limited-edition "Moonbits" box of 10 Timbits exclusively in London to mark astronaut Jeremy Hansen's role on Artemis II; availability begins once the launch date is confirmed, with the earliest potential date Feb. 8, 2026.

Amazon's deployed robot count rose to about one million by 2025, growing faster than its human workforce; the company also announced major corporate layoffs in October 2025 and January 2026.

More than 50 former employees and supporters rallied in Halifax after Ubisoft announced the studio's closure on Jan. 7 and laid off 71 staff; the union has filed a labour board complaint alleging the closure was intended to frustrate unionization.

Waabi said it secured US$750 million plus US$250 million in milestone-based funding from Uber to support commercialization of its self-driving systems and expansion into robotaxi deployment, with the round co-led by Khosla Ventures and G2 and including investments from NVIDIA, Volvo and Porsche.

Reports say SpaceX and xAI are discussing a merger that would combine SpaceX's rockets, Starlink, X and xAI's Grok chatbot, and Nevada filings show two entities were created on Jan. 21 linked to the potential transaction.

Canada and South Korea signed a memorandum of understanding that establishes a Canada‑Korea Industrial Cooperation Committee to focus on future mobility, automotive production, battery supply chains and critical minerals.

Vancouver-based Vizsla Silver says ten employees were abducted near Concordia at its Panuco project in Sinaloa; the company says the incident is under investigation, authorities have been notified and information remains limited.

Highguard is a free-to-play raid shooter from Wildlight Entertainment that stages two teams of three in matches combining fortifying, looting, and sieges. The reviewer finds the central concept novel and mechanically sound but says downtime, linear item progression, and limited depth weaken its long-term competitive prospects.

Tesla announced roughly $20 billion in planned capital spending to expand production, scale its nascent robotaxi business and build AI infrastructure, and said it will discontinue the Model S and Model X to repurpose that plant capacity for Optimus humanoid robots.

On Data Privacy Day (28 January), four industry experts told Digital Journal that businesses should pay attention to data flow visibility, strong data governance for AI, privacy-respecting workforce monitoring, and routine security practices such as timely patching and automation.

The Canadian Centre for Cyber Security says malicious actors are increasingly using artificial intelligence to identify vulnerabilities and carry out ransomware attacks, and the number of known incidents in Canada rose from 2021 to 2024.

The federal government says it is in talks with Meta about restoring news on Facebook as Canada and the U.S. prepare for a CUSMA review; the conversations relate to the Online News Act, which requires platforms to pay media outlets for news content.

The U.S. Department of Energy authorized PJM Interconnection and two Duke Energy units to direct data centers and other large facilities to run backup generators as a last-resort step to help prevent rolling blackouts, allowing power to be redirected to households as heating demand strains supplies.

Google expanded anti-theft protections for Android 16 and higher, adding a user-facing toggle for Failed Authentication Lock, longer lockout times, broader Identity Check for biometric apps, and an optional security challenge for Remote Lock; in Brazil, Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock are enabled by default using on-device AI.

Earnings from major U.S. megacap firms, including Microsoft, Meta, Apple and Tesla, arrive this week and the group is expected to post about a 21.5% rise in quarterly earnings; investors will watch for evidence that AI investments are translating into revenue gains.

Amazon announced it will cut 16,000 jobs, raising its announced reductions to about 30,000 over three months; company leaders said the changes aim to reduce management layers, increase ownership and remove bureaucracy.

Waabi raised US$750-million and said it will deploy at least 25,000 robotaxis with Uber, while continuing its autonomous trucking operations.

The deal announced by Prime Minister Mark Carney would cut tariffs on Chinese EVs to 6.1% from 100% and allow up to 49,000 imports, with half required to have an import price below $35,000; the article highlights five models — Mini Cooper SE, Polestar 2, Volvo EX30, BYD Seagull and Zeekr X — that could potentially meet lower price points.

A Los Angeles County lawsuit alleges TikTok, YouTube, Meta and Snap used design features to promote addictive use among young people. Jury selection for three bellwether trials has begun.

Broadcast audiences for the 2024 Olympics rose, and broadcasters are expanding streaming, data tools and creator-driven coverage as viewing shifts toward more personalised and remote production.

Canada and China signed a trade deal that will let up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles enter Canada with reduced tariffs; security experts and some provincial officials say cybersecurity and privacy concerns remain unresolved.

The European Union has opened a legal investigation into X after an update to its Grok chatbot produced sexualized images without consent, and EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen condemned non-consensual sexual deepfakes.

Rep. Robert Garcia said a government shutdown over ICE funding should be on the table to press for accountability and reforms; he also called for abolishing ICE and the impeachment of Kristi Noem.

Linogy's charger uses an integrated e-ink display to show AA and AAA battery type and charge state while supporting 1.5V Li‑ion, Ni‑MH and Ni‑Cd cells; charging stops automatically when cells reach full capacity.

The article reports that investors are shifting attention from AI infrastructure builders to companies demonstrably using AI to improve efficiency and earnings, and that smaller-cap firms are attracting renewed interest as markets seek clearer payoffs from heavy AI spending.

A bellwether trial opens in Los Angeles County after a 19-year-old plaintiff alleges Meta, TikTok and YouTube products contributed to her depression and suicidal thoughts. Mark Zuckerberg is expected to testify and Snap has settled the case.