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Democrat criticises immigration policy after son’s death by undocumented driver
Elizabeth Carter, a self-described lifelong Democrat, gave tearful testimony to a US House Judiciary subcommittee criticising her own party’s immigration policies after her son, his new wife and their cat were killed in a crash involving a lorry driven by a man illegally in the country. Billy Carter and Jenny Lower had been married for…
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What happens when neutrinos swap identities inside a supernova?
A new study, published in Physical Review D, proposes a possible explanation for why real-world supernova observations don’t quite match theoretical models: neutrinos changing “flavour” (identity) as they stream out of a collapsing star’s core. Neutrinos are already known to be crucial to triggering the explosive collapse of massive stars, but current models don’t account…
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Teenager’s statistical analysis reveals Mozart’s melodic unpredictability compared to peers
An 18-year-old student in Philadelphia, Linus Chen-Plotkin, has used statistical analysis to demonstrate that Mozart’s melodies are measurably less predictable, note-by-note, than those of Haydn, Beethoven and Schubert. The finding offers a rare data-driven answer to a question that has long occupied musicologists: what makes Mozart’s music feel so distinctive and endlessly rewarding to hear,…
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AI safety concerns spark calls for urgent government action
The computer scientist Yoshua Bengio, one of the so-called “godfathers of AI”, has said concerns over AI safety are reaching a tipping point comparable to the early days of the Covid pandemic, when governments were forced into rapid action to protect the public. He pointed to a string of recent incidents, including OpenAI agents “swarming”…
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Snap unveils Specs wearable computer designed to reduce smartphone use
Snap is officially launching its long-awaited Specs augmented-reality glasses at an event in Los Angeles, with CEO Evan Spiegel due to deliver a keynote at 4pm PT on 16 September 2026. The device, first shown off earlier this year at the Augmented World Expo, has been pitched by Spiegel not as another pair of AI-powered…
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Duct-taped passenger claims no memory of alleged mid-flight assault
An Arizona estate agent, Layne Lundeen, 67, has spoken for the first time after being duct-taped to his seat mid-flight following an alleged racist and homophobic outburst. The incident occurred on a flight from Dallas to Newark, forcing an emergency landing at Baltimore airport, where Lundeen was arrested; the case has drawn wide attention after…
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Whitehall spent £2.3m on influencer marketing since election
The Government has been accused of “paying for praise” after figures revealed that 11 Whitehall departments and public bodies have spent £2.3million of taxpayers’ money on influencer marketing since Labour took office. Campaigns have included model Daisy Lowe promoting heat pumps and reality TV star Gemma Collins discussing vocational education, prompting criticism from the Conservatives…
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The world’s best racing driver is about to race 100 karts at once
Max Verstappen, the four-time Formula 1 world champion, is due to race an unusual event at Silverstone in which he must overtake 100 karts, each driven by content creators and Red Bull athletes, before completing 30 laps of a purpose-built layout. The race, streamed live by Red Bull, Disney+ and ESPN, showcases Verstappen’s enthusiasm for…
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Burnham’s own allies warn plan for regional ‘boards’ to monitor water firms could be ‘worse than useless’… as he backs off nationalisation
Andy Burnham is facing criticism, including from his own allies, over proposals to set up regional “boards” to oversee England’s water industry, as the Government appears to be stepping back from full nationalisation. The quango-style bodies would bring together mayors, officials and other stakeholders to monitor water firms, but ministers are reportedly wary of the…
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AI executives champion self-regulation whilst Trump spurns government oversight
A commentary piece argues that Anthropic chief executive Dario Amodei’s call for leading AI labs to jointly slow development and agree common safety standards echoes an old corporate tactic of seeking exemption from competition law under the guise of self-regulation. It notes that the proposal, quickly backed by OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Elon Musk and Google…