Chinese mobile app addresses loneliness crisis as more people live alone. Are You Dead app tops China's paid app charts and ranks sixth in U.S. App Store.

The US military has launched a mission to transfer up to 7,000 Islamic State (IS) group fighters from prisons in north-eastern Syria to Iraq, as Syrian government forces take control of areas long controlled by Kurdish-led forces. US Central Command said it had already moved 150 IS fighters from Hassakeh province to a secure location in Iraq. The move aimed to prevent a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security, it added. On Tuesday night, Syria's government announced a new ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after the militia alliance withdrew from al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of relatives of IS fighters. Separately on Wednesday, Syria's defence ministry said seven soldiers were killed in a drone attack by Kurdish forces in the Kurdish-dominated province of Hasakah.

How Do You Teach an AI to Be Good? A person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of "Claude," an AI language model by Anthropic A person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of "Claude," an AI language model by Anthropic Cheng Xin/Getty Images Getting AI models to behave used to be a thorny mathematical problem. These days, it looks a bit more like raising a child. That, at least, is according to Amanda Askell --a trained philosopher whose unique role within Anthropic is crafting the personality of Claude, the AI firm's rival to ChatGPT. "Imagine you suddenly realize that your six-year-old child is a kind of genius," Askell says.

Activists are demanding a way to hold the memory-chip maker accountable to its promises to protect the environment and embrace communities of color in central New York. Days after Micron broke ground on a $100 billion chip factory in New York state, a coalition of environmentalists, labor unions, and civil rights groups are urging the US tech giant to sign a deal that would make a series of promises to be a good neighbor legally enforceable. Micron's megafab to make memory chips is on track to become the biggest commercial development in state history and the largest chipmaking complex in the country . Officials held a groundbreaking ceremony in the city of Clay, near Syracuse, last Friday. The first chips could arrive in five years, though the entire site won't be finished for 20 years.

MAGA's'Manifest Destiny' Coalition Has Arrived Warring factions of right-wing influencers and MAGA pundits can finally agree on something: American imperialism. For the past few months, some of the most influential figures in MAGA politics have been locked in bitter infighting . But with a new year comes new priorities, and the warring factions are reuniting around a new cause: a new era of American "manifest destiny." Major players, from influencers to politicians, have been arguing over the Trump administration's plans on issues like H-1B visas, Jeffrey Epstein document dumps, AI regulation, Israel's war with Hamas, and even white nationalist Nick Fuentes. But in recent weeks, these feuds have faded into background noise as the US raided Venezuela, arresting president Nicolás Maduro, and, more recently, as President Donald Trump publicly toys with invading Greenland and destroying NATO as we know it.

Plus: why it's so hard to achieve AI sovereignty. At Davos this year Trump is dominating all the side conversations. There are lots of little jokes. The US president is due to speak here today, amid threats of seizing Greenland and fears that he's about to permanently fracture the NATO alliance. Read Mat's story to find out more . This subscriber-only story appeared first in The Debrief, Mat's weekly newsletter about the biggest stories in tech.

Could Ukraine hold a presidential election right now? Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund war? How can Ukraine rebuild China ties? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' Envoys for United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, amid reports that the signing of a $800bn "prosperity plan" was postponed due to tensions over Greenland . Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said Moscow would not comment on talks in Davos, but stressed the importance for Russia of receiving information on discussions between the US, European leaders and Ukraine.

Silicon Valley's battle against AI regulation is already shaping the next US election cycle. Silicon Valley is already pouring tens of millions of dollars into the midterm elections taking place across the US in 2026, as the tech industry's war over AI regulation moves decisively into American politics. Technology executives, investors, and companies tied to the AI boom are funding a new network of AI-focused super PACS, which is poised to make AI a major issue in this year's state and federal elections races. The election spending marks a sharp escalation of the AI regulation debate that has divided Silicon Valley for years. In the absence of federal action, state lawmakers in New York, California, and Colorado have passed laws in the past year requiring large AI developers to disclose safety practices and assess risks such as algorithmic discrimination.

While AI is all over the stages, Trump is dominating the side conversations. I've been here for two days now, attending meetings, speaking on panels, and basically trying to talk to anyone I can. And as far as I can tell, the only things anyone wants to talk about are AI and Trump. Davos is physically defined by the Congress Center, where the official WEF sessions take place, and the Promenade, a street running through the center of the town lined with various "houses"--mostly retailers that are temporarily converted into meeting hubs for various corporate or national sponsors. So there is a Ukraine House, a Brazil House, Saudi House, and yes, a USA House (more on that tomorrow). There are a handful of media houses from the likes of CNBC and the .

The trial starts soon in New Mexico's case against Meta--and the company is pulling out all the stops to protect its reputation. As Meta heads to trial in the state of New Mexico for allegedly failing to protect minors from sexual exploitation, the company is making an aggressive push to have certain information excluded from the court proceedings. The company has petitioned the judge to exclude certain research studies and articles around social media and youth mental health; any mention of a recent high-profile case involving teen suicide and social media content; and any references to Meta's financial resources, the personal activities of employees, and Mark Zuckerberg's time as a student at Harvard University. Meta's requests to exclude information, known as motions in limine, are a standard part of pretrial proceedings, in which a party can ask a judge to determine in advance which evidence or arguments are permissible in court. This is to ensure the jury is presented with facts and not irrelevant or prejudicial information and that the defendant is granted a fair trial.