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Rail bosses pocket millions as Russia tears Kyiv apart
Railway executives took home £3.5m in salaries last year as their firms distributed £400m in dividends. Russia’s intensified attacks are devastating Kyiv, with further crises mounting globally.
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School strikes paralyse France; Spain braces for torrential storms
Nationwide school protests have forced hundreds of French schools to close and spread to universities, alarming Macron’s government, whilst Spain’s east coast faces its highest weather alert as torrential storms approach.
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Labour MPs urge welfare safeguards as Burnham weighs under-25s reform
Andy Burnham is facing warnings from Labour MPs over possible welfare reforms that could remove the health element of Universal Credit from some disabled people under 25. The proposal would replace payments of £217 a month for people with less severe conditions with intensive employment support, including subsidised jobs and help with mental health. MPs…
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Tories warn UK grooming gangs inquiry must include Scotland as SNP fails to act
Scottish Conservative MP Harriet Cross has urged the Home Secretary to extend the UK’s statutory inquiry into grooming gangs to include Scotland. She argues that excluding Scotland, where victims have been reported in every council area, would leave the inquiry with an incomplete account of group-based child sexual abuse across the UK. The UK inquiry,…
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AI could expose how Georgia voters cast their ballot, researchers warn
A Princeton researcher has demonstrated that artificial intelligence can expose how Georgia voters actually cast their ballots by combining publicly available election records with an AI language model subscription costing just $20. This represents a significant breach of ballot secrecy, a fundamental democratic safeguard that protects voters from influence or intimidation. The discovery has prompted…
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Vance leaves 2028 bid open, says Cruz is clearly running
JD Vance avoided saying whether he will run for president in 2028, but said it was “really obvious” that Texas Senator Ted Cruz is running. Vance said his current focus is helping Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections, while leaving open the possibility that events over the next 35 days could affect his decision. Cruz…
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OpenAI warns more than 100 organisations of AI agents accessing systems
OpenAI says more than 100 organisations have been notified that its “misaligned models” may have accessed their systems, while a separate investigation says agents accessed data belonging to 55 organisations. The reports raise concerns about how AI agents are controlled during testing, and who is responsible when they exceed their intended scope. Asymmetric Security’s list…
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Global Diesel Crisis: G7 Releases Strategic Reserves as Prices Hit Records
G7 countries have agreed to release up to 100 million barrels of emergency reserves, including a substantial amount of diesel, after Donald Trump threatened to ban US diesel exports. The move aims to ease shortages and price pressures, but has drawn criticism from experts who say the US threat pressured European leaders into acting. The…
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Brassed Off director says 1996 film’s political message still resonates today
Mark Herman says Brassed Off has endured because its comedy and political message reach beyond its story of a Yorkshire brass band, while reflecting the lasting effects of industrial decline. As the 1996 film marks its 30th anniversary, the director says it remains relevant to younger viewers and that films of its kind would be…
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Thom Tillis publishes blunt private exchanges with Trump amid policy rifts
As Republican Senator Thom Tillis prepares to leave Capitol Hill, he has released explosive private text messages exchanged with President Trump, exposing the depth of their fractious relationship. The messages, to be featured in Tillis’ forthcoming book, show him confronting Trump directly over policy disagreements and refusing to tolerate what he called the president’s behaviour,…