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Anthropic adds ban on persistent, needless cruelty towards Claude
Anthropic has updated Claude’s usage policy for the first time in more than a year, adding an explicit ban on sustained, needless abusive or cruel behaviour towards the chatbot. The restriction is intended for extreme cases where users repeatedly act cruelly without a discernible purpose; ordinary frustration, disagreement, dark creative themes, testing and research are…
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Trump administration says Microsoft ‘abused’ worker visa program and is cutting off access
The Trump administration is suspending Microsoft and several other technology companies from a programme used by employers seeking to hire foreign workers who may become permanent US residents. Vice President JD Vance accused Microsoft of abusing the system, which is intended for jobs without enough available US workers, as part of a wider administration crackdown…
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Obama centre staff organise union amid concerns over pay, benefits and turnover
Staff at the Obama Presidential Center in Chicago say they are organising a union, citing rising workloads, reduced benefits and frustration that management has not addressed their concerns. The move matters because employees say high turnover is taking institutional knowledge and expertise from the foundation, just months after the centre opened. A letter signed by…
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Montagliani seeks another Concacaf term, ending Fifa presidency speculation
Victor Montagliani, president of Concacaf, has announced he will seek re-election as the confederation’s leader rather than challenge Gianni Infantino for the FIFA presidency. This decision ends speculation that had positioned the Canadian businessman as a potential rival to the incumbent, particularly among UEFA members who believed a European candidate could not defeat Infantino in…
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Trump DOJ slaps ex-Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with new bombshell torture charges
Former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been charged in a newly unsealed US indictment with conspiracy to commit torture. The document alleges they oversaw a system of repression that authorised torture against people seen as threats to Maduro’s power, including US citizens. The indictment describes alleged methods including electric shocks,…
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Canadian LGBTQ+ groups seek $450m to expand federal action plan
More than 40 LGBTQ+ organizations in Canada have demanded $450 million in government funding to expand and renew the 2SLGBTQIA+ Action Plan over the next five years, gathering on Parliament Hill during the largest-ever Queer day event. The request comes as the current plan, which launched in 2022 with a $100 million budget, expires in…
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Trump-backed Senate hopeful grilled over her husband’s ‘shadow lobbyist’ ties and $50,000 taxpayer-dollar grab shaking up nail-biter race
During a Wednesday debate in Iowa’s Senate race, Republican Congresswoman Ashley Hinson denied that her husband operates as a “shadow lobbyist,” directly responding to criticism from Democratic opponent Josh Turek. Turek alleged Hinson had claimed $50,000 in taxpayer funds through congressional housing reimbursement for a luxury Washington apartment, which he called corruption; Hinson countered that…
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Ed Miliband embraces Ukrainians at scene of Putin bombing raid that killed 22 as Britain announces new sanctions on Russia
Ed Miliband visited the site of a Russian missile strike in Pryluky with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, meeting residents and paying tribute to victims. During the visit, Britain announced fresh sanctions intended to restrict Russia’s ability to fund and supply its war against Ukraine. The strike hit a five-storey residential building and killed 22 civilians,…
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Medium-term borrowing costs for UK government hit 19-year high
UK government borrowing costs have hit their highest level in 19 years, with 10-year gilt yields rising to 5.515%. Bank of England Governor Andrew Bailey has warned Chancellor John Healey that the budget must demonstrate credibility to financial markets in order to prevent further market turmoil and escalating debt servicing costs. International factors including escalating…
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Italy approves proportional voting reform ahead of next year’s election
Italy’s parliament has approved a major change to the electoral system, backing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s plan by 227 votes to 164. The reform could shape elections due next year and is intended by the government to support stable administrations, while opposition parties argue it is designed to help Meloni’s right-wing coalition stay in power.…