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‘Pacing’ won’t eliminate the risk of AI doom. Here’s what could | David Krueger
In a comment piece, AI researcher David Krueger argues that Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei’s proposal to “pace the frontier” of AI development – a one-to-two-year slowdown to allow “profound progress” on safety – is inadequate to address the existential risks posed by advanced AI. Krueger, an AI professor at Cambridge and Montreal, contends that…
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Big-money donations poison British politics. We can stop the mega-rich buying access and influence | Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown warns that huge political donations, including recent multi-million-pound gifts to Reform from crypto billionaires Ben Delo and Christopher Harborne, are distorting British democracy by letting wealthy donors buy access and influence. He argues that spending imbalances directly translate into electoral advantage, and that without reform, elections risk being decided by the size of…
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Company behind failed Surrey oilfield project sells site at massive loss
UK Oil and Gas (UKOG), the company behind the long-running and ultimately unsuccessful bid to drill for oil at Horse Hill in Surrey, has sold the site for just £1m and rebranded as UK Energy Group, pivoting towards clean energy projects such as salt-cavern storage. The sale comes after the 2024 supreme court “Finch Ruling”,…
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Meta is reportedly ready to launch less pervy smart glasses
Meta is reportedly preparing to launch a new pair of smart glasses, codenamed Luna, that ditch the camera entirely — a move that comes as the company faces a growing privacy backlash over the recording capabilities of its existing Ray-Ban smart glasses. According to a report from The Information, Meta could unveil the camera-free device…
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Von der Leyen extends historic associate membership offer to Canada
The European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, has offered Canada an unprecedented “associate membership” of the EU in a historic deepening of relations between the bloc and Canada. This unprecedented move comes as both the EU and Canada seek to reduce their dependence on US trade and strengthen ties in response to Donald Trump’s…
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‘I can’t go another night knowing he’s out there alone’: Father of missing non-verbal, partially deaf Noah, 3, pleads for public’s help to find him as search enters second day after he vanished from park
The father of missing three-year-old Noah Woods, who is non-verbal and partially deaf, has appealed to the public to keep searching after his son vanished from a park in Brantham, Suffolk, as the search entered its second day. Rhys Woods said emergency services now believe Noah has moved beyond the immediate area around the playground,…
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Saudi Arabia intercepts drone near Mecca amid escalating Yemen tensions
Saudi Arabia says it shot down a Houthi drone south of Mecca on a Tuesday evening, an incident that came amid a wider escalation between the Saudi-led coalition and the Iran-backed Houthi movement in Yemen. The Houthis denied targeting the holy city, insisting their strikes were aimed only at Saudi oil facilities and military bases,…
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Houthis ‘fire drone at Mecca’ and ‘shoot down Saudi fighter jet’ as war intensifies
Saudi Arabia said it shot down a Houthi drone near Mecca, while the Houthis claimed to have downed a Saudi fighter jet, as fighting between the two sides intensifies amid the wider regional war. The clashes have fuelled fears of a fresh global oil supply crisis after Houthi forces seized the strategic Greater and Lesser…
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Nato boss heaps pressure on Burnham to up defence spending as unions join clamour to invest 3% of GDP in military
Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte is set to press new Prime Minister Andy Burnham to increase UK defence spending during talks in Downing Street, with a speech at the Ditchley Foundation praising Britain’s approach to security while pointedly noting it must go further. The intervention adds to pressure already building from within Labour’s own ranks, as…
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Mayors and other local leaders could be given powers to oversee water firms
The UK government is considering giving mayors and other local political leaders new powers to oversee water companies, as part of a wider push to bring the utilities sector under greater public control. Under the plans, regional authorities—potentially including local government figures, mayors, independent chairs and other experts—would have some say over water firms’ spending…