News 28 January 2026 - 29 January 2026

Google tightens Android Theft Protection, adding new locks for banking apps and remote controls
···

Google tightens Android Theft Protection, adding new locks for banking apps and remote controls

Google expanded “Identity Check” to more apps using biometrics and added an optional security question for Remote Lock. Theft Detection Lock and Remote Lock will be enabled by default on new Android devices in Brazil. Android 16 devices now feature stricter Failed Authentication Lock controls, including longer lockouts after repeated wrong sign-in attempts.
January 29, 2026
AI in schools: A teacher goes “analog” as educators warn about Pinterest-style classroom clutter
···

AI in schools: A teacher goes “analog” as educators warn about Pinterest-style classroom clutter

A Fort Worth high school English teacher has banned generative AI and requires nearly all assignments to be handwritten, rejecting school-issued laptops. Chanea Bond said students relied on AI for thesis statements and weren’t engaging with literature. Some students said the shift felt strange but made them think more. Other districts, including Miami-Dade, are expanding official access to AI tools.
January 29, 2026
Trump cyber chief faces scrutiny after sensitive files were uploaded to ChatGPT
···

Trump cyber chief faces scrutiny after sensitive files were uploaded to ChatGPT

CISA’s acting director, Madhu Gottumukkala, uploaded sensitive contracting documents to public ChatGPT, triggering DHS security alerts and an internal review, Politico reported. The documents were labeled “for official use only” but not classified. CISA said the use was authorized, limited, and subject to controls. The review’s outcome remains unclear.
January 29, 2026
T-Mobile service suddenly dies overnight — why phones flipped to SOS and what we know now
···

T-Mobile service suddenly dies overnight — why phones flipped to SOS and what we know now

T-Mobile users across several U.S. regions lost service overnight, with many phones switching to “SOS” mode around 12:20 a.m. Eastern, according to outage trackers. Metro by T-Mobile and Google Fi customers also reported disruptions. Service was restored quickly, but T-Mobile has not disclosed the cause. Complaints dropped off within about an hour.
January 29, 2026
Technology News 29.01.2026
··

Technology News 29.01.2026

A federal jury convicted former Google engineer Linwei Ding of stealing AI trade secrets for Chinese companies. Publishers including The Guardian and The New York Times are blocking the Internet Archive’s bot over fears of AI scraping. The FCC approved new rules allowing certain unlicensed devices to use the 6 GHz Wi-Fi band outdoors with geofenced variable power controls. Microsoft says Windows 11 has reached 1 billion users, faster than Windows 10.
January 29, 2026
House probes Ford’s CATL battery pivot as data-center storage plans widen
···

House probes Ford’s CATL battery pivot as data-center storage plans widen

House committee chair John Moolenaar is pressing Ford for details on its licensing deal with China’s CATL as the company shifts U.S. battery plants to LFP cells and grid storage. Ford says its batteries meet tax credit criteria and will boost U.S. jobs. A CATL-licensed LFP battery plant in Marshall, Michigan, is scheduled to start production in 2026. Moolenaar also questioned any potential Ford joint venture with China’s BYD.
January 28, 2026
U.S. DOE wants states to host nuclear waste and spent-fuel recycling hubs — April 1 deadline

U.S. DOE wants states to host nuclear waste and spent-fuel recycling hubs — April 1 deadline

The U.S. Energy Department on Wednesday asked states to consider hosting “Nuclear Lifecycle Innovation Campuses” for nuclear waste storage and reprocessing. States have until April 1 to respond. The initiative comes as the Trump administration aims to quadruple U.S. nuclear capacity, citing rising electricity demand from data centers. Nuclear waste storage remains a major obstacle, with most spent fuel still kept at reactor sites.
January 28, 2026
Cambrian “Huayuan biota” fossils in China reveal a thriving deep-sea world after Earth’s first animal die-off
·

Cambrian “Huayuan biota” fossils in China reveal a thriving deep-sea world after Earth’s first animal die-off

Scientists in southern China uncovered over 50,000 marine fossils from Hunan, dating to 512 million years ago, shortly after the Sinsk extinction. Analysis revealed 153 species, most new to science, preserved with soft tissues. The fossils show a complex deep-water ecosystem, including predators and pelagic tunicates. Researchers say the Huayuan biota rivals Burgess Shale and Chengjiang in diversity and preservation.
January 28, 2026
NASA spots an “ice-cold Earth” exoplanet candidate in Kepler data — and it may sit near the habitable zone
··

NASA spots an “ice-cold Earth” exoplanet candidate in Kepler data — and it may sit near the habitable zone

NASA-backed researchers detected a possible rocky planet, HD 137010 b, orbiting a star 146 light-years away using Kepler K2 data. The planet, slightly larger than Earth, completes an orbit in about a year and receives less than a third of Earth’s sunlight. Only one 10-hour transit was observed; confirmation will require more data. The candidate’s surface may be colder than Mars.
January 28, 2026
1 … 291 292 293 294 295 … 342

Stock Market Today

  • Oil prices drop below $100 on Iran peace deal hopes, markets rise
    May 25, 2026, 8:37 AM EDT. Oil prices fell below $100 a barrel for the first time in two weeks as hopes grow for a US-Iran peace deal. Brent crude dropped 5.5% to just under $98. The conflict's focal point remains Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical energy chokepoint. Equity markets responded positively, with Japan's Nikkei up nearly 3% and Europe's Stoxx 600 rising 0.8%. The dollar weakened while the pound hit its highest level since May. Analysts caution markets remain wary as past negotiations have stalled. Inflation fears have driven central banks to consider further rate hikes, with the Bank of England expected to raise rates twice in 2024.