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Albanese to compare pivotal moment in AI to renewable energy transition as he outlines approach
Labor sources say the PM will discuss safety concerns in speech this week but will not provide an update on copyright reforms to protect artists Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast Anthony Albanese will describe the progress of AI as an inflection point for society on par with the renewable energy transition, but is not expected to detail progress on copyright reforms to protect creative industries. The prime minister will deliver a highly anticipated speech in Sydney on Wednesday to address growing concerns around social license and the necessary policy guardrails for AI, datacentres, and the ability of big tech to profit from Australian intellectual property. Continue reading...
Hello from the outside: heat domes impeding radio and other signals in US midwest
Higher temperatures can cause radio, TV and microwave signals to travel hundreds of miles farther, upsetting communications It was 3am in north-east Indiana’s Huntington county when the outdoor emergency alarm went off on 1 July. The only issue? There wasn’t a storm, tornado or any other emergency weather event forecast or present anywhere for hundreds of miles. Continue reading...
Person killed in shooting involving ICE agents in Maine, reports say
Shooting occurs days after man killed by immigration agent during traffic stop in Texas US politics live – latest updates A person was killed on Monday in a shooting involving US immigration agents in Maine , media outlets reported citing a prominent state lawmaker, days after a man was killed by an immigration agent during a traffic stop in Texas. Media reports of the shooting in Biddeford, Maine, cited a post by the Maine state house’s speaker, Ryan Fecteau, on a personal Facebook page. Continue reading...
JP Morgan boss pressed by US senator about bank’s contact with Jeffrey Epstein
Elizabeth Warren asked Jamie Dimon if he took advice from child sex offender while lobbying against UK tax on bankers’ bonuses A leading Democratic senator has written to the JP Morgan Chase boss Jamie Dimon to request clarification on the bank’s contact with the child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the senate banking committee, wrote to the Wall Street grandee last week to ask if he took advice from Epstein while lobbying against a UK tax on banker bonuses, in a letter published by the US senate’s banking, housing and urban affairs committee . Continue reading...
Two teens arrested after five members of family killed in Illinois shooting
Suspects, aged 15 and 16, taken into custody but not formally charged in ‘targeted mass shooting’ in East St Louis Two teenagers were arrested Sunday in connection with a “targeted mass shooting” that killed five members of the same family and wounded two others in East St Louis, Illinois , according to state police. The 15- and 16-year-old suspects were taken into custody at Holten State Park, a recreation area east of the city, Illinois state police director Brendan Kelly said at a Sunday news conference – but they had not immediately been formally charged with a crime. Continue reading...
Killings continue on Del Monte farm in Kenya, families say, after G4S hired for security
Exclusive: Three men killed in incidents over past year allegedly involving G4S guards, who replaced in-house team after previous deaths Bereaved families and politicians have raised alarm about continued killings on Del Monte’s pineapple farm in Kenya despite the company hiring G4S to replace its in-house security team after previous deaths were exposed by the Guardian. Del Monte appointed G4S to guard the farm, which is estimated to cover at least 40 sq km, the area of a small city, after the Guardian detailed allegations of brutal assaults and killings of people suspected of trespassing on its land. Kenyan police have been working with G4S to guard the site. Continue reading...
‘As if a hurricane had passed’: Puerto Ricans at breaking point after weeks without water
Shortages triggered by pipeline rupture drive up costs and deepen frustrations, as pressure grows on water utility Jonathan Collazo owns two restaurants in a bustling section of San Juan, which has been plagued by water outages, severely disrupting the daily lives of residents and businesses alike. The water scarcity is part of an escalating frustration felt by thousands of customers of Puerto Rico’s water utility over the past several months, prompting the governor to activate the national guard to distribute drinking water across the US territory. The shortages extend beyond San Juan, with sectors in municipalities including Loíza, Guaynabo, Bayamón and others experiencing interrupted service. Continue reading...
Britons to use e-gates in Switzerland as Starmer seals £5.2bn trade deal
Roaming charges also scrapped and trading terms continue for medicines, cars, art, jewellery and other goods British nationals can expect shorter passport queues at Swiss airports and border crossings after a £5.2bn trade deal was sealed by Keir Starmer, likely his last big international agreement as prime minister. As part of the deal they will be able to use e-gates from later this year, starting with exit checks at Zurich airport and with Basel and Geneva, a leading airport for business and winter sports travel, to follow next year. Continue reading...
Pilot fighting Colorado wildfire dies as plane crashes into reservoir
Body of pilot involved in tackling Gold Mountain fire recovered by divers from Silver Jack reservoir A pilot who was helping to fight a wildfire in Colorado has died after the aviator’s aircraft crashed into a reservoir, local authorities said. The Gunnison county sheriff’s office said in a statement that it was notified of the deadly crash at about 5.17pm local time on Sunday. Gunnison’s regional communications center received a call reporting that the aircraft involved in the crash went down in the Silver Jack reservoir located in the county’s south-western portion. Continue reading...
USWNT to play No 1 ranked Spain in two October friendlies as 2027 World Cup approaches
Matches will take place on 10 and 13 October Washington DC and Chester, Pennsylvania to host The top two teams in women’s soccer will meet in a pair of friendlies this fall, with the United States hosting Spain in Washington DC on 10 October and Chester, Pennsylvania three days later. The meeting pits the 2024 Olympic gold medalist United States against a Spain side who won the 2023 women’s World Cup. It will serve as a benchmark for both sides in the run-up to the 2027 World Cup in Brazil. Continue reading...
VW chief confirms plan to cut 50,000 jobs as board rejects plant closures
Oliver Blume tells staff restructuring proposal includes ‘controversial decisions’ but he has broad support Business live – latest updates The chief executive of Volkswagen has confirmed plans to cut 50,000 more jobs despite the carmaker’s supervisory board rejecting his plan to shut four factories in Germany. Oliver Blume told staff on Monday that proposals for a sprawling restructuring was “the most comprehensive realignment in the company’s history” and revolved around “12 initiatives, approximately 150 pages and 45 individual resolutions” for change. Continue reading...
Burnham expected to vote in favour of Mahmood’s asylum system changes
Home secretary also expected to outline plans to enable deportation of Shabir Ahmed, grooming gang ringleader UK politics live – latest updates Andy Burnham is expected to vote for the immigration bill on Monday night in the Commons, with his team indicating that he backs Shabana Mahmood’s changes for indefinite leave to remain (ILR) and on refugee settlement. The bill returns to the Commons on Monday for its second reading, where Mahmood is also expected to announce plans to make it possible to deport the ringleader of a grooming gang, Shabir Ahmed, a move publicly backed by Burnham. Continue reading...
A journey down one of the last wild rivers in the American west: ‘The bullseye will always be on its back’
As US water wars rage, a tributary of the Colorado River faces unprecedented pressure. Visitors worry how long this aquatic ‘relict’ will last On an early morning in mid-May, a group of near strangers shoved camping gear and clothes into waterproof bags, slathered on sunscreen, and ambled into the bright-yellow rafts that would carry them down one of the last free-flowing rivers in the American west. Unhindered by large dams or diversions, the Yampa curves across 250 miles (400km) of alpine tundras, cottonwood forests and ancient red-rock canyons, rising from Colorado’s Rocky mountains to where it joins with the Green River in Utah, much in the way it has for millions of years. Continue reading...
Ursula von der Leyen pledges EU-wide social media ban for children
European Commission president’s commitment comes after panel of experts calls for restriction for under-13s The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has pledged an EU-wide social media ban for children after an expert group called for restrictions for under-13s. “It is clear we need age-appropriate restrictions to platforms,” von der Leyen told reporters after the publication of a report on child safety online. Continue reading...
Keystone pipeline operator agrees to pay $26.9m penalty over Kansas oil spill
Proposed legal settlement over 2022 oil spill would resolve allegations that South Bow violated clean water laws A proposed legal settlement with the US government would require the Keystone pipeline system’s operator to pay a $26.9m civil penalty over a large oil spill in Kansas in December 2022 and spend about $40m more to prevent future accidents. The agreement would resolve allegations from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Kansas that South Bow, based in Canada, violated US and state clean water laws. The rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of heavy crude oil into a creek running through a rural pasture in Washington county, Kansas, about 150 miles (241km) north-west of Kansas City. Continue reading...
Trump officials accused of stacking top chemical safety board with industry ‘mouthpieces’
Public health advocates warn of conflicts of interests and say panel likely to provide justification for key rollbacks The Trump administration has stacked a top chemical safety board with industry-aligned scientists who have a range of financial conflicts of interest and stand to profit from deregulation, public health advocates say. The Environmental Protection Agency’s science advisory committee on chemicals (SACC) is slated to review research for dozens of toxic chemicals during the new members’ terms. At least 13 proposed Trump appointees are probably conflicted on the chemicals that will be reviewed, comments filed with the EPA by a coalition of public health advocacy groups alleges. Continue reading...
Trump’s Nato remarks rang hollow – but he recognizes something real | Christopher S Chivvis
US political leaders must be more clear-eyed about our global alliances, without embracing his scorched-earth approach Donald Trump memorably took out a full-page advertisement in multiple newspapers in 1987 charging that America was carrying too much weight for its allies. In his first term he repeated this charge, threatening to withdraw from Nato and berating US allies around the world in the process. Last week’s gathering of Nato’s heads of government in Turkey suggests his approach is running out of steam as the world adjusts and the president bumps up against the limits of American unilateral power in Iran. Trump’s domestic political opponents should breathe a sigh of relief but not rush headlong into an uncritical embrace of US alliances. For all his counterproductive bluster, Trump recognized something real. If his opponents in the Democratic and Republican parties are not more clear-eyed about what alliances cost Americans – as Biden failed to be with Israel – they will fuel the fires that brought Trump to power in the first place. Christopher S Chivvis is a senior fellow and director of the American Statecraft Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Continue reading...
Young men report more ‘sextortion’ than any other age group, Australia’s online safety watchdog says
In six months last year, more than 2,000 such complaints were made to eSafety Get our breaking news email , free app or daily news podcast A new report by Australia’s online safety regulator has found “significant gaps” in how major tech platforms tackle online sexual extortion and child sexual exploitation, as “reports of this abuse continue to rise”. The findings come from eSafety’s latest transparency report, examining how tech companies – including Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, Snap, Discord and WhatsApp – are addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse. Continue reading...
Ann Widdecombe death: counter-terrorism police take over investigation
Officers say decision made after ‘new information and evidence has come to light’ Counter-terrorism police are now leading the investigation into the death of the the former MP and Reform spokesperson Ann Widdecombe after “new information and evidence has come to light”, counter-terrorism policing south east said. Widdecombe’s body was found with “serious injuries” by the ambulance service at her home in Haytor, Devon, at 11.40am on Thursday, Devon and Cornwall police said. Continue reading...
UK to list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as terrorist organisation
Home Office announces ban on support for Iranian military group in escalation of diplomatic tensions with Tehran The UK will list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organisation, ministers have announced, in a major escalation of the diplomatic tensions between London and Tehran. The Home Office said on Monday it would ban support for the IRGC, a central branch of the Iranian military, after years of political division over the issue. The move is equivalent to proscription, though not legally identical. Continue reading...
US and Iran exchange fire and disagree on whether strait of Hormuz is open | First Thing
Tehran says latest US attacks have ‘rendered futile’ diplomatic efforts of last few months. Plus, hit song in Australia prompts speculation about use of AI Good morning. The US military has launched a fresh wave of attacks against Iran amid the escalating standoff over the strait of Hormuz. What has Iran said about the latest hostilities? Iran condemned the latest wave of attacks, its foreign ministry saying they had “rendered futile all efforts of the past few months to reduce tension and establish peace in the west Asian region”. The ministry added: “The US regime has also caused the return of insecurity in the strait of Hormuz and disruption of international commercial shipping.” Is the strait open? Iran said on Sunday that passage through the waterway was not possible because of what it called recent illegal US military movements in the region. The US said its forces were positioned to safeguard freedom of navigation, and reiterated guidance that, despite a severe security threat, an “expanded” southern route near Oman coastline was available for two-way traffic. How will Graham be replaced in the senate? South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, will appoint a new senator to serve out the remainder of Graham’s term, which ends on 3 January. Whoever is appointed will likely have a leg up in a special primary election on August 11 to get on the November ballot. The candidate would still run against the Democratic nominee Annie Andrews, a pediatrician who gained significant support in the red state, but who still faces an uphill challenge. Continue reading...
Plan to restore nature in England by 2030 criticised as ‘completely insufficient’
Critics accuse ministers of failing to take control of nature crisis and leaving it to private landowners to act voluntarily The government’s plan to protect and restore nature in England by 2030 has been condemned as “pathetic” and “completely insufficient” in the face of the spiralling environmental crisis. The long-awaited plan published on Monday calls for landowners to voluntarily opt to protect and enhance nature, rather than creating legal protections for nature across more of the country’s land, critics say. Continue reading...
‘You come out feeling high’: I sang with strangers in a one-day choir – and it was surprisingly spiritual
As people yearn for connection, these events are popping up around the world - and spreading ‘collective effervescence’ We met in a former synagogue, a vast room with hardwood floors where the sound could echo freely. All were strangers, many former choir nerds, united by a love for group singing. Our goal was to learn and perform, in a single day, a classic of our time: a song from the Hannah Montana movie. The event, near downtown Los Angeles, was a one-day choir hosted by the Gaia Music Collective – a three-hour gathering where more than 100 people rehearsed a choral arrangement of the song and sang it three times, with ourselves as the only audience. Continue reading...
Chatsworth House joins free entry scheme to improve access to Britain’s country houses
Initiative run through local libraries aims to boost access to cultural experiences amid cost of living crisis When Kate, a 47-year-old contract worker came face to face with Charlotte Brontë’s handwriting while visiting Chatsworth House, the avid reader, who counts Jane Eyre as her favourite book, struggled to contain her excitement. “I had a little bit of a moment,” she said. “I just thought: ‘Wow, that was actually Charlotte Brontë’s writing there on that page.’ That was pretty special.” Continue reading...