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AI helps decipher Napoleon-linked letter revealing troop positions and strategy
An 1809 coded letter linked to Napoleon Bonaparte has been deciphered after remaining unread for 217 years. Carter Church, an engineer at SentinelOne, used AI to interpret the handwritten symbols and numbers, revealing military intelligence and advice for General Auguste de Marmont during rising tensions with Austria. The message, sent by Napoleon’s stepson Eugene, listed…
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Two killed in trench collapse during road works in County Down
Two people have died after a trench collapsed during road works in Crossnacreevy, County Down. Emergency services are working to rescue people still trapped, while the incident has closed the Ballygowan Road and prompted a workplace safety investigation. The collapse was reported shortly after 11am as earthworks were under way. Firefighters are using specialist equipment,…
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Algerian man jailed for 32 months over £12,800 handbag robbery
An Algerian asylum seeker has been jailed for over two and a half years after robbing designer handbags from a London John Lewis store and assaulting staff members. Kheirddine Fatmi, 35, was part of a gang of five masked men who stole 13 Mulberry handbags and a keychain worth £12,800 from the West End shop…
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Firmus faces investor doubts and local opposition ahead of multibillion-dollar float
Firmus Technologies is preparing for a multibillion-dollar Australian sharemarket listing as it plans a large expansion of AI datacentres, but its projections and valuation are drawing investor scepticism. In Tasmania, local opposition has grown over how the company secured approval for a major facility, raising questions about community consultation and the practical risks facing its…
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Ocala driver suspected of drink-driving released before fatal crash kills mother and son
A Florida police officer allowed a driver he suspected was intoxicated to continue driving after the driver admitted to drinking. Minutes later, the vehicle crashed, killing a mother and son. The incident has raised serious questions about police procedures and officer training. On 29 September, Ocala police stopped two brothers who were arguing; body-camera footage…
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Judge warns spectators may be removed as Bohm wins ruling on evidence
A judge overseeing Fraser Bohm’s case has threatened to remove spectators if clashes between the accused man’s supporters and the victims’ families continue. The warning came as the court granted Bohm’s defence a pre-trial victory, barring prosecutors from using three studies about pedestrian survival in high-speed collisions. Bohm, 24, has pleaded not guilty to four…
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Royal Navy officer abandoned night watch on £143 million frigate leaving ‘scared’ trainee in charge
Lieutenant Samuel Hanney was convicted of negligently abandoning his watch on HMS Sutherland, leaving a trainee officer as the only person monitoring the frigate’s safety. The case matters because the officer of the watch was responsible for keeping a proper lookout and supervising the bridge team while the ship was at sea. The incident took…
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Former Sheffield priest convicted of raping and assaulting churchgoers
Chris Brain, 69, was convicted of rape and sexual assault against women who attended the Nine O’Clock Service he led in Sheffield. The verdicts add to earlier convictions and bring his total to 22 sexual offences against 13 women. The offences in this trial involved three women who attended the service in the 1980s and…
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Man jailed for 15 years over explosive attack on Ulez camera in Sidcup
Kevin Rees, 63, has been jailed for 15 years after being convicted of setting off a homemade explosive beside a Ulez camera in Sidcup, south-east London. The blast damaged nearby cars and a child’s bedroom window, prompting a counter-terrorism investigation; police said it was fortunate nobody was seriously hurt. The explosion took place on 6…
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Baltimore arts society dismisses director after backlash over cornrows at Burning Man
Kelly Carnes says the Baltimore Rock Opera Society dismissed her from its executive director role after an online reaction to photographs of her wearing cornrows at Burning Man. The dispute has raised questions about the society’s reasons for ending her employment and whether Maryland’s protections for race-associated hairstyles may apply. Carnes began the job on…