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Louise Haigh: UK must heed warnings from AI experts
The UK’s first secretary, Louise Haigh, has told ministers to “heed the warnings” from AI industry leaders about potential threats, as pressure builds on the prime minister to use next year’s UK-hosted G20 summit to drive global regulation of the technology. Speaking at the TUC conference, Haigh said AI had huge potential to improve public…
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Farage says a Reform UK government would stop unions funding Labour if they block £72m donations – UK politics live
Nigel Farage has warned that a future Reform UK government would prevent trade unions from funding the Labour Party if unions succeed in pushing through a cap on political donations, after his own party received an unprecedented £72m from two donors. Trade unions responded with a joint statement stopping short of backing an outright cap…
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Cabinet minister refuses four times to rule out poorest pensioners being dragged into income tax – as ‘triple lock’ is set to see payments rise 3.9% in April
Pensioners face fresh uncertainty over whether they will be dragged into paying income tax, after Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds repeatedly declined to guarantee that those relying solely on the state pension would be shielded from tax bills. The concern stems from the state pension being on course to rise 3.9 per cent in April, pushing…
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Piddington goes to the polls: Villagers vote in ‘independence referendum’ on leaving UK as they fight plans to house 1,250 migrants at MoD base next door
Residents of Piddington, a small Oxfordshire village of around 350 people, held a symbolic “independence referendum” today to protest government plans to house 1,250 male asylum seekers at a nearby former Ministry of Defence garrison. The vote, which has no legal standing, was organised after villagers said ministers ignored their objections, and campaigners hope it…
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MPs call for iconic bearskin caps of Buckingham Palace guards to be replaced by fake fur to ‘meet today’s ethical standards’
A cross-party group of 18 MPs and one peer has written to defence minister Luke Pollard calling for the real bear fur used in the King’s Guard’s ceremonial caps to be replaced with a faux alternative, arguing the practice no longer meets “today’s ethical standards”. The letter says continued use of Canadian bearskin is “impossible…
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Trump facing AI backlash in Congress as push for guardrails intensifies
Donald Trump is facing pushback from members of both parties in Congress over his dismissal of growing concerns about the dangers of artificial intelligence, as Democrats and some Republicans call for regulatory guardrails on major AI companies. After tech leaders warned this week about the rapid pace of AI development and its potential threat to…
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Help-to-Buy scheme delivered ‘very high value for money,’ review finds
A government audit has found that George Osborne’s Help-to-Buy scheme delivered “very high value for money”, providing £25bn of social value to the UK in the last financial year. The findings strengthen the hand of senior Labour figures, including housing minister Matthew Pennycook and former housing secretary Steve Reed, who have been pushing behind the…
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Emmy Awards’ hidden political moments as TV’s biggest stars fail to mention Trump by name before Colbert makes desperate attempt to dodge question backstage
At the 78th Emmy Awards on Monday night, Hollywood’s winners notably avoided mentioning President Donald Trump by name during their acceptance speeches, a departure from previous years when liberal-leaning stars often criticised him directly. Trump also did not comment on the ceremony via his Truth Social platform, though the event was not entirely free of…
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Lawmaker recalls terrifying moment his plane crashed into Wisconsin lake: ‘Like staring into the abyss’
US Republican congressman and Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Tom Tiffany has described the terrifying seconds before the small plane he was travelling in crash-landed into a lake, saying it felt “like staring into the abyss.” Tiffany, who was returning from a campaign event in La Crosse County, said the pilot warned him they were going down…