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Politics
Policy, power, and the news of the day.
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Bernie Sanders calls on Silicon Valley to ‘pause AI development’ in interest of humanity
Progressive US senator urges Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic to ‘stop building machines that humans cannot control’ Senator Bernie Sanders has called on Meta, OpenAI and Anthropic executives to halt their development of artificial intelligence, warning that the US Senate will implement regulation if the companies continue deploying AI at their current pace. In a new letter addressed to the CEOs of three of the country’s leading AI companies, Sanders said the capabilities of these AI models have reached a critical risk threshold and that the companies are losing control over the technology. Continue reading...
Benjamin Netanyahu’s rejection of US deal for Gaza is a risky gamble
Israeli prime minister’s unexpected move blindsided IDF commanders and risks alienating Trump, his main ally Benjamin Netanyahu’s public rejection of a US-backed deal for Gaza drew scepticism in Israel, amid reports he was personally hammering out details of a pilot military withdrawal days earlier. The Israeli prime minister is struggling to balance incompatible demands on Gaza policy from his key domestic and international allies. Continue reading...
Indian police use force to disperse youth protesters calling for exam overhaul
Demonstrators accuse authorities of failing to tackle issues in exams for highly sought-after civil service jobs Thousands of angry young job-seekers clashed with police in Jharkhand, one of India’s poorest states, on Monday as a weeks-long protest over alleged irregularities in recruitment drives for coveted government jobs escalated into a march on the state legislature. Police fired water cannon and teargas and swung batons as they tried to stop flag-waving demonstrators from clambering over barricades and surging towards the assembly in Ranchi, the state capital. Some of the protesters responded by dancing and cheering as jets of water drenched the crowd. Continue reading...
Barack Obama launches podcast about books that ‘shaped his worldview’
The former US president will host six episodes of A Great Book for Audible, discussing work from Toni Morrison and John le Carré to James Baldwin Barack Obama is set to host a podcast about books that have “profoundly shaped his worldview and our society”, from Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison to Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy by John le Carré. The podcast, called A Great Book with Barack Obama, will launch on Audible on 24 September. Continue reading...
Arron Banks urged to set out extent of surveillance of journalists
Industry body says use of private investigators against reporters is ‘attack on our democracy’ after apparent admission by Reform donor The businessman and Reform UK donor Arron Banks is facing calls to lay out the extent of his surveillance of journalists, described by an industry body as an “attack on our democracy”. The News Media Association (NMA), which represents regional and national media, raised concerns after Banks appeared to admit over the weekend to hiring private investigators to spy on a Sunday Times journalist . Continue reading...
US intelligence ‘believes Russia was behind Leipzig airport drone bomb’
German government talks of a ‘new level of danger’ but declines to say who it thinks was responsible for device American intelligence experts believe Russia was behind an attack on a German airport last week with a drone laden with explosives , US media have reported, as Berlin remained silent on the likely culprit. Last week’s security emergency prompted the interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, to break off his summer holiday in Italy and rush to the scene in the eastern city of Leipzig, as he spoke of a “new level of danger” for Germany. Continue reading...
From ticket booking fees to shrinkflation, six other ways Burnham could cut cost of living
The prime minister is promising to crack down on ‘rip-off’ business practices Andy Burnham has announced he will ban fake discounts and make it easier to cancel unwanted subscriptions in an effort to improve life for UK consumers. In the long run, these so-called “everyday fixes” may not make as much difference to your wealth as increasing mandatory contributions on pensions or capping rents, but they will get rid of some day-to-day frustrations. Here are six other things he could fix while he is in the mood: Continue reading...
FDA proposes new food ingredient rule but skips defining ‘ultra-processed’
Move closes loophole but doesn’t include definition of ultra-processed foods, promised earlier this year The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is changing its rules on how food manufacturers notify them of ingredients brought to the market – but the Trump administration has once again punted on defining “ultra-processed foods”, promising more details later. While the move would close a regulatory loophole, it falls short of the administration’s promises to reform food regulations dramatically even as one of the biggest foodborne illness outbreaks unfolds. Continue reading...
Trump admits reflecting pool makeover was rushed but renews vandalism claim
US president on Truth Social concedes contractor had cut some corners to finish $14m renovation project by deadline Donald Trump has conceded his own administration’s renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool was rushed and shoddy, while insisting that alleged vandals were to blame for damage to the Washington landmark. In a post on his Truth Social platform, the US president said the pool’s contractor had cut some corners to finish the $14m repainting project in time for a 4 July opening. “As with many jobs, there was also some contractor error done by rushing the job,” he wrote on Sunday, claiming the resulting damage from this was confined to “a very small area” and “relatively inconsequential”. Continue reading...
Rare animals threatened as wildfire ravages New Forest heathland
More than 120 firefighters tackling blaze which started on Sunday after a van caught fire near habitat ‘more rare than rainforest’ More than 120 firefighters are tackling a “devastating” blaze on internationally protected heathland in the New Forest. The area hit by the blaze, which started after a van caught fire on the A31 near Ringwood on Sunday, is protected heathland that is home to a number of rare species, according to the New Forest national park authority. Continue reading...
Ukraine drone strike on oil refinery deep inside Russia kills at least 13
Attack hundreds of miles from border one of deadliest launched by Kyiv as it steps up campaign to weaken Moscow’s economy A “massive” Ukrainian drone strike on an industrial city deep inside Russia killed at least 13 people, according to the local mayor, as Kyiv steps up its campaign of long-range strikes on targets far from the frontline. Kyiv said it hit the Taneko refinery in the industrial city of Nizhnekamsk, around 1,200km (750 miles) from the Ukrainian border. The raid was part of a campaign to reduce the “military potential of the Russian aggressor,” Ukraine’s general staff said. Footage circulating online appeared to show smoke rising from the refinery in the city. Continue reading...
Australia’s falling house prices are actually a good thing for mortgage holders. Here’s why
The RBA’s governor, Michele Bullock, has made it clear that the ‘easing’ property market is on her mind Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast It’s the silver lining that’s not making headlines: falling home prices means another Reserve Bank rate hike is less likely. RBA board members will not be sitting on Monday and Tuesday discussing ways to prop up Sydney house values . Continue reading...
Dogs can distinguish between fearful and angry or sad human faces, brain scans suggest
Researchers analysed activity in regions of brain when dogs were shown images of different facial expressions While dogs are known to turn the puppy eyes on their owners , it seems our pets are keeping a close eye on us too: research has revealed dog brains can distinguish different types of unhappy human faces. Dr Laura Cuaya, a co-author of the study from the University of Vienna, said previous behavioural studies had shown dogs could tell apart some human facial expressions, but such studies tended to only test two at a time, one positive and one negative. As a result, it was not clear if dogs could distinguish different types of happy or unhappy faces. Continue reading...
Rush to find solar eclipse glasses as UK high street stocks run short
Some online shoppers may have left it too late to order – but you can view partial eclipse indirectly without specs A frantic rush is on across the UK to find the right kind of protective eyewear ahead of Wednesday’s partial solar eclipse. High street stores are running out of eclipse glasses and online shoppers who track down a pair are being told they may not reach them until the end of the week. In other words, in plenty of time for the next comparable UK eclipse – in 2081 – but no good at all for Wednesday’s show. Continue reading...
7.4 magnitude earthquake shakes Colombia, causing serious damage – latest news
More than a dozen buildings collapsed in aftermath of earthquake, which has also prompted evacuations A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck western Colombia today, shaking the South American nation and neighbouring Ecuador and causing people to evacuate homes and buildings. At least 20 buildings collapsed in an earthquake on Monday in the Colombian city of Cali, with people trapped inside, mayor Alejandro Eder said. The city has requested teams from Bogota and Medellin to aid in rescue efforts, he added. Continue reading...
Powerful 7.4 magnitude earthquake strikes western Colombia
Reports of collapsed and severely damaged buildings in several major cities, including Cali and Pereira Colombia earthquake live – latest updates A powerful earthquake has struck western Colombia, with reports of collapsed and severely damaged buildings in major cities including Cali and Pereira. The US and Colombian geological surveys reported that a 7.4 magnitude earthquake had struck at 7.34 am local time (13.34 BST) on Monday, with its epicentre in the western department of Chocó. It was also felt in neighbouring Venezuela. Continue reading...
Ofcom investigates GB News over guest’s pride and paedophilia remarks
Regulator acts after 12,000 complaints over comments by Caroline Farrow linking parades with bestiality and paedophilia UK politics live – latest updates GB News is being investigated by the UK’s media regulator after a guest appeared to link pride parades with bestiality and paedophilia. The remarks are thought to have set a new record for individual complaints about a GB News programme, with more than 12,000 people raising concerns about comments made by the guest Caroline Farrow. Continue reading...
Car owners should challenge insurers on steep price hikes and ‘call their bluff’, Asic says
Regulator finds many insurers raising premiums faster than inflation and advises customers to ask for better deals Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Car owners should challenge motor insurers over steep premium hikes, the corporate regulator advises, after finding many companies were raising prices faster than inflation. In a report released on Tuesday, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (Asic) found that none of the eight insurers it reviewed adequately explained the reasons behind premium calculations to customers or why prices had changed in quote or renewal documents. Continue reading...
SpaceX plan for vast rocket launch site on Louisiana coast sparks backlash
Opponents fear Elon Musk firm’s plan to develop 18-mile strip of Pecan Island will badly damage fragile ecosystem Plans by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to build a vast rocket launch site on a stretch of Louisiana’s rapidly eroding coastline have stirred a backlash among some local opponents who fear it will badly damage the area’s fragile ecosystem. A deal for SpaceX to take control of 130,000 acres of coastal Vermilion parish is reported to be close to being finalized , allowing the company to escalate its number of launches, including of its new Starship mega rocket. SpaceX also has ambitions to deploy artificial intelligence datacenters in space, and while some experts have doubts about this , it has submitted regulatory filings to build a constellation of up to a million of them. Continue reading...
The media is infatuated with Gadi Eisenkot, the ‘anti-Netanyahu’. Why? | Mehdi Hasan
The challenger to Netanyahu is more of the same. His record makes that abundantly clear Western media outlets cannot seem to get enough of Gadi Eisenkot. Israel’s former military chief and the leader of the newly formed Yashar party has been embraced by the international press as he and his party take the lead in the polls in the run-up to October’s elections. Mehdi Hasan is Guardian US columnist and the editor-in-chief and CEO of Zeteo . Continue reading...
Gen Z calls it ‘loud budgeting’ – small business owners have been doing it for decades
The practice of openly proclaiming to the world what you can’t afford can lead to lower fees, reduced prices and better deals Ask any small business owner what has challenged them the most over the past couple of years and you’ll frequently hear about cashflow. It’s no secret that costs have risen dramatically and finding places to save money isn’t easy. If this describes your situation then I’ve got a solution to your problem. Ever hear of “loud budgeting”? Of course you have! You’ve probably been doing it for years. Continue reading...
From Dubai luxury to an Irish jail cell: Daniel Kinahan’s drastic lifestyle shift
Only spending outlet for man accused of helping to control a third of Europe’s cocaine supply will be prison tuck shop It sounds like the penal equivalent of five stars: a private gym and library, daily outings to the exercise yard and a landing cleared of other prisoners. Daniel Kinahan’s first full day inside the walls of Portlaoise prison on Monday, however, marked a drastic change from his luxury lifestyle in the United Arab Emirates. Continue reading...
Liverpool owners close to £1.35bn sale of 30% stake to consortium including Jeff Bezos
Group including Amazon founder has held talks with FSG Bhatia and Facebook co-founder Saverin also involved A consortium including the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos, is close to completing a deal for a 30% stake in Liverpool after months of talks with Fenway Sports Group. The investors are led by Amit Bhatia, the son-in-law of the Indian billionaire Lakshmi Mittal and who previously was a shareholder and director at Queens Park Rangers. The Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin is another member of the group who will pay in the region of £1.35bn. The deal is effectively agreed, but may take up to a month to complete. Continue reading...
Is Andy Burnham seriously about to tour Britain like some medieval monarch? | Zoe Williams
The ‘King of the North’ is on the march – or rather, on a bus. But maybe he’d be better off staying at home and thinking than heading out to press the flesh Andy Burnham is going on a “listening tour”, travelling the country on a bus to find out what real people are concerned about. I’ve heard commentators rationalise the idea in various ways: apparently it underscores the difference between him and his predecessor, who only ever relaxed when he was out of the country; what else is Burnham going to do in recess, with his cabinet already chosen – organise his Post-it notes?; he’s been out of politics a long time, and many people will be only dimly aware of who he is; his speeches to date have had a very urban focus, and particularly with farming being this season’s crisis sector, he needs to broaden his sphere of interest to take in rural areas. Truly, the prime ministerial honeymoon period is like a one-year-old’s birthday party – all you have to do is stand up and smile, for everyone to clap. None of the rationalisations are in any way true: an in-person focus group, where you journey to discover a range of concerns you could figure out for yourself with one report from the Institute for Public Policy Research and half a brain, is exactly the kind of thing Starmer would have done, if he’d thought of it. There’s quite a bit to be getting on with, between now and September, since autumn’s looming crises – food shortages, energy price hikes due to the ongoing war in Iran – are plain, and there’s no better time to plan than when you don’t have the leader of the opposition yanking your chain. Burnham actually has tremendous household-level recognition, thanks to a combination of hinterland and eyelashes, as evidenced by the fact that even when contesting Makerfield he got mobbed every time he got out of a car. Now, the conditions devastating farmers , being the direct result of climate crisis, would be better addressed by a long-range strategy on the transition to renewables, not a chinwag. Continue reading...