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British Columbia ends drug decriminalisation after study finds no overdose reduction
A pilot scheme in British Columbia that decriminalised small amounts of hard drugs, including fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and crack cocaine, has failed to reduce overdose deaths, according to a new study, and has since been scrapped. Launched in January 2023, the programme allowed people carrying under 2.5 grams of drugs to be directed towards support…
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Wild dogs record 2,500-mile trek across Africa in search of a mate
A pack of three male African wild dogs has completed a 2,485-mile (4,000km) journey across Zambia in search of a mate, the longest distance ever recorded for an African land mammal undertaking such a trip. Researchers say the feat offers cautious optimism that wildlife can still move across vast, human-altered landscapes, though the study also…
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China spies on US, Trump says, as Amazon axes crash-linked carrier
Trump insisted China spies on America just as America spies on China after claims Beijing aided an Iranian missile strike; Amazon suspends 21 Air over Miami crash safety failures, Alan Jones stands trial in Sydney and a Tracy coach faces locker-room recording charges.
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Microsoft publishes AI code of conduct prioritising human oversight
Microsoft has published a 37-page “humanist AI code of conduct” setting out how it intends to build artificial intelligence, in response to mounting industry concern that AI capabilities are advancing faster than the ability to safely control them. The document insists “people matter more than AI”, states that models must remain “subordinate to humanity” under…
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Baby boomers crown their favorite casual dining chain as Gen Z chooses a different winner
A new survey has found that Olive Garden is the top casual dining chain of choice for baby boomers, as well as for Gen X and millennials, though Gen Z diners favour Chili’s instead. The findings, drawn from YouGov’s US restaurant brand rankings, matter because they highlight how loyalty to casual dining chains varies significantly…
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Young trader scoops national award for hot sauce
Alex and Tom Ward, brothers from Rawmarsh, Rotherham, have won Young Trader of the Year at the National Market Traders Federation (NMTF) awards for their hot sauce business, Chilli Charva. The company began as kitchen experiments after the pair spent six months travelling and researching Southeast Asian cuisine, and their success highlights how young entrepreneurs…
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Kent’s shark secrets discovered in new project
A new initiative called Sharks of Kent, run by Kent Wildlife Trust with marine partners Adonis Blue, is gathering data on sharks along the Kent coastline to better understand their movements and behaviour. Sharks are caught, measured and weighed before some are tagged and released, with local anglers and boat skippers also being trained to…
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AI CEOs say they need to slow the pace of development. But will they?
Facing public alarm over Anthropic researchers’ warnings that AI could pose existential risks by 2030, chief executive Dario Amodei published a proposal at the weekend urging the industry to “pace” the development of frontier AI systems to safeguard the public. Rivals including OpenAI’s Sam Altman, Google DeepMind’s Demis Hassabis and xAI’s Elon Musk quickly voiced…
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Scottish education row deepens as tech titans, City and conkers make headlines
Mairi McAllan faces school-standards backlash and Andy Burnham stumbles on the constitutional question; elsewhere, Altman and Musk back Amodei’s AI slowdown call, City beat United 1-0, and heatwaves may scupper the World Conker Championships.
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California football coach arrested after students make disturbing discovery at school
A high school football coach in Tracy, California, was arrested after students discovered his mobile phone secretly recording them while they were changing in a locker room. Jeffrey Pribble, 48, is the varsity head coach and a physical education teacher at Tracy High School, and has worked as an educator in the district for 22…