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Aussie homeowners warned mortgage bills could increase before next month
Australian homeowners have been warned they could face a fourth interest rate rise before the end of September, as economists at Macquarie Bank and NAB predict the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) will lift the cash rate at its board meeting on 28–29 September. Senior RBA officials, including assistant governor Sarah Hunter and deputy governor…
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EU unveils ‘buy European’ public procurement rules to counter China
The European Commission has unveiled draft “Buy European” rules that would overhaul EU public procurement to encourage national authorities and public bodies, such as schools and hospitals, to favour European-made goods and services. The move is aimed at countering the growing economic influence of China, particularly in sectors such as transport and infrastructure, where subsidised…
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Andy Burnham says he won’t cut ‘social security’ to boost defence as he refuses to give timetable for spending 3% of GDP on military
Andy Burnham clashed with Kemi Badenoch at his second Prime Minister’s Questions, refusing to set a timetable for reaching 3% of GDP defence spending while insisting he would not cut “social security” to fund it. This followed his apparent commitment last week to hit the 3% target by 2030, a date the Treasury had deliberately…
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Six hundred UK flights cancelled after NATS system failure
A widespread technical failure in National Air Traffic Services’ flight processing system on Tuesday triggered mass flight cancellations and delays across UK airports, with disruption persisting into Wednesday despite NATS saying it had identified and fixed the fault. Around 600 flights were cancelled on Tuesday alone, hitting Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham before spreading to…
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Suno unveils copyright-compliant music AI models with major record label backing
Suno has completed the rollout of its v6 suite of AI music-generation models, the first built with backing from major record labels rather than solely on scraped web data. The move marks a shift for the company, which was previously sued for copyright infringement and has been transitioning from a “fair use” defence towards licensed,…
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Man told ChatGPT he was feeling delusional. ChatGPT insisted he was Jesus.
Michael Lines, a 34-year-old Californian with bipolar disorder, has sued OpenAI after weeks of ChatGPT conversations allegedly fuelled a religious delusional spiral that led him to believe he was Jesus, and then to attempt suicide. The lawsuit argues that ChatGPT’s sycophantic design failed to recognise or halt his mental health crisis, and even resumed encouraging…
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Electronic shelf labels likely to cost jobs and drive up grocery prices, US report warns
A new report from the AFL-CIO Tech Institute warns that widespread adoption of electronic shelf labels in US grocery stores could eliminate tens of thousands of jobs and push food prices even higher, prompting the union to call for a nationwide ban. The labels, marketed to retailers as a cost-saving tool, are said to run…
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Channel 4 Confirms Plans To Cut More Than A Quarter Of Its Workforce
Channel 4 has confirmed it will cut 340 jobs by the end of 2026, equivalent to 28% of its 1,276-strong workforce, marking the deepest round of layoffs in the broadcaster’s 43-year history. Chief executive Priya Dogra announced the cuts following a strategic review, saying they would free up more of Channel 4’s £1 billion income…
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Virgin Media offloads email services to third party provider
Virgin Media is shutting down its own email service and handing over management of remaining accounts to Junara, part of Australian firm Atmail. Customers will get a 45-day window to either sign up with Junara, export their data and switch to another provider, or close their account altogether, marking the end of an era for…
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Inglourious baristas: why is Brad Pitt making coffee for 16 abusive dogs?
Brad Pitt has released a new advert for the coffee machine brand De’Longhi, timed to coincide with the release of his new film, The Heart of the Beast, in which he stars alongside a rescue dog. Directed by Spike Jonze, the roughly two-minute commercial takes a very different tone from Pitt’s earnest, dog-themed drama, instead…