The US, UK and Australia say they will develop underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables and boost defence, under their military alliance known as Aukus. The uncrewed undersea vehicle (UUV) technology is expected to be ready by next year. While the project's total cost was not stated, British defence secretary John Healey said the UK would contribute £150m ($201m). The announcement, made by the countries' defence ministers at a security summit in Singapore, follows claims of slow progress in Aukus's projects. Acknowledging the criticism, Healey said for too long in Aukus, we talked too much and delivered too little, adding that has now changed under our three governments.

The UK's Information Commissioner's Office and the Australian Information Commissioner have announced a joint investigation into Clearview AI. The data watchdogs will focus "on the company's use of'scraped' data and biometrics of individuals" they said in a statement. The investigation follows a similar announcement by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, which also has opened an investigation into Clearview AI. "The joint investigation was initiated in the wake of media reports which stated that Clearview AI was using its technology to collect images and make facial recognition available to law enforcement in the context of investigations" the Canadian statement says. "Reports have also indicated the US-based company provides services in a number of countries to a broad range of organizations, including retailers, financial institutions and various government institutions." The company had advised the privacy protection authorities that, in response to their investigation, it would be withdrawing its services from Canada.

The wait is finally over. Apple's first smart speaker, the HomePod, became available for pre-order online in the US, UK and Australia on Friday. The firm announced earlier this week that its £319 ($349) voice-activated device will go on sale on starting February 9th. But Apple fans who are eager to get their hands on the HomePod early can place an order beginning today. Apple's £319 ($349) 'HomePad' smart speaker is set to go on sale on 9th February in the US, UK and Australia.

Apple has joined the race to put a microphone in every home. The firm today announced that its £319 ($349) 'HomePad' smart speaker is finally set to go on sale on 9th February in the US, UK and Australia - just over a month later than initially planned. The wireless smart speaker uses spatial awareness technology to sense its place in a room and adjust audio output accordingly. The 7in speaker, first unveiled last year but whose release was delayed from December, will also house Apple's virtual assistant Siri, meaning it can be controlled using voice commands and also provide news and weather information when asked. It is fitted with six microphones to records owners' voice commands.

Brits can now ask their iThings to give them a brief update on what's happening in the world with the command: "Hey Siri, give me the news." Siri doesn't actually read the news, though, and instead will automatically play the latest podcast from a trusted source of your choice. I was treated to a 2-minute bulletin from BBC News when I said the magic words to Siri this morning, which also offered Sky News and LBC up as alternative sources. As Apple prepares Siri for life inside its HomePod smart speaker, it first added the news briefing feature to the beta version of iOS 11.2.5 -- limiting it to the States at that point, too, where The Washington Post, Fox News, NPR or CNN provide the updates. In a matter of weeks, however, it's now graduated out of beta to become a standard Siri feature in iOS 11, whilst rolling out to new territories.