Police Scotland warns ‘robust security’ needed to stop attacks on AI datacentres
The Guardian •

Police Scotland warns ‘robust security’ needed to stop attacks on AI datacentres

‘A great deal of public opposition is likely’ to a proposed datacentre near Edinburgh, the force saysPolice in Scotland have issued a stark public warning about the need for “robust security measures” to stop proposed AI datacentres from being attacked by protesters.The alert follows mounting opposition to AI infrastructure worldwide, including in the US, where such projects have become a major po...

Police warn of anger and ‘incursions’ as AI datacentre planned near Edinburgh
The Guardian •

Police warn of anger and ‘incursions’ as AI datacentre planned near Edinburgh

Planning consultation told ‘robust security measures’ will be needed amid growing resistance to such developmentsScottish police have warned that a proposed datacentre will require “robust security measures” to prevent “incursion” amid growing public resistance to such developments in Scotland.“A great deal of public opposition is likely” to a datacentre planned in Larbert, about 30 miles west of ...

Scottish police expect ‘great deal of public opposition’ to planned Larbert datacentre

Scottish police expect ‘great deal of public opposition’ to planned Larbert datacentre

The Guardian •

Planning consultation told ‘robust security measures’ will be needed amid growing resistance to such developmentsScottish police have warned that a proposed datacentre will require “robust security measures” to prevent “incursion” amid growing public resistance to such developments in Scotland.“A great deal of public opposition is likely” to a datacentre planned in Larbert, about 30 miles west of ...

Europe: Raging wildfires scorch large swaths of the continent

Europe: Raging wildfires scorch large swaths of the continent

France 24 •

Firefighters across Europe battled multiple fires August 14 as a new wave of record-breaking heat baked a swath of the continent. The historic temperatures are linked to human-caused climate change, and are hitting countries better suited for long cold seasons and ill-equipped for such extreme heat, with limited air conditioning.  

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits he killed US insurance CEO

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits he killed US insurance CEO

SCMP •

Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to fatally shooting US health insurance executive Brian Thompson and pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking the executive with the intent to kill him. “I shot Mr Thompson in Manhattan and ‌he died,” Mangione said. The guilty plea will avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of the UnitedHealthcare CEO, a brazen crime ...

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing US insurance CEO

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing US insurance CEO

SCMP •

Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to fatally shooting a US health insurance executive and pleaded guilty to two federal charges of stalking the executive with the intent to kill him. The guilty plea will avert ‌a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of ...

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing insurance CEO

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty in federal case, admits killing insurance CEO

SCMP •

Luigi Mangione admitted in court on Friday to killing a health insurance executive and pleaded guilty to federal charges of ‌stalking the executive with the intent to kill him. The guilty plea will avert a federal trial in the closely watched case over the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, a brazen crime that was condemned by public officials but became emblematic of Americans’ frust...

Brunei Sultan strips daughter-in-law’s royal title; no divorce yet announced from Prince Abdul Malik

Brunei Sultan strips daughter-in-law’s royal title; no divorce yet announced from Prince Abdul Malik

Times of India •

Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei has stripped daughter-in-law Pengiran Raabi’atul Adawiyyah of her royal title over conduct deemed “unbecoming” of a royal spouse. The palace said her actions tarnished the monarchy’s reputation and showed disrespect towards the Sultan. Raabi’atul remains married to Prince Abdul Malik, with no divorce announced, while their four daughters retain their titles.

Male redback spiders somersault directly towards a female’s fangs during mating

Male redback spiders somersault directly towards a female’s fangs during mating

Times of India •

Recent research uncovers that a singular genetic region governs the intricate somersaulting behavior of male redback spiders during mating rituals. This fascinating behavior, crucial for reproduction, is inherited through the X chromosome. Experimental hybrids indicate that this somersault characteristic is not only recessive but also X-linked. Conversely, abdominal narrowing seems influenced by a...

UK politics: Country a ‘tinderbox’, says Burnham, as he calls in military and bans disposable barbecues – as it happened

UK politics: Country a ‘tinderbox’, says Burnham, as he calls in military and bans disposable barbecues – as it happened

The Guardian •

PM also says fire and rescue services will be given more cash This election is a novelty with a record 34 candidates, including Howling Laud Hope of The Official Monster Raving Loony Party and Marcus White from the Everyone is God Party.They have pounded the streets of Clacton over the past few weeks as they seek to win the support of about 80,000 voters. Continue reading...

Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper A-level grades

Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper A-level grades

The Guardian •

Students narrowly missing grades are being rejected, while some on oversubscribed courses are asked to deferStudents across the UK have found themselves unexpectedly squeezed out of their desired university courses as this year’s bumper crop of A-level grades ​h​as not always translated into ​​the places many were hoping for.​With close to a third of the A-levels awarded in England, Wales and Nort...

Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper crop of top A-level grades

Students squeezed out of university courses after bumper crop of top A-level grades

The Guardian •

Students narrowly missing grades are being rejected, while some on oversubscribed courses are asked to deferStudents across the UK have found themselves unexpectedly squeezed out of their desired university courses as this year’s bumper crop of A-level grades ​h​as not always translated into ​​the places many were hoping for.​With close to a third of the A-levels awarded in England, Wales and Nort...

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to charges related to killing of UnitedHealthcare executive in federal case

Luigi Mangione pleads guilty to charges related to killing of UnitedHealthcare executive in federal case

The Guardian •

Plea comes weeks before separate case is scheduled to start in New York, and could throw proceedings into disarrayLuigi Mangione trial – latest updatesLuigi Mangione pleaded guilty on Friday in a federal case in relation to the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson in 2024.Mangione allegedly shot and killed Thompson outside a New York City hotel on 4 December 2024. In his federal ca...

Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging a new sewer

Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging a new sewer

The Guardian •

Kobe, 18, who made discovery on site of former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, at first thought trove was €1 coinsFor a student with a summer job working on a Belgian building site, “money down the drain” has taken on a whole new meaning: excavating the trenches for a sewage system, he stumbled across a hidden trove of gold worth an estimated €9m (£8m).“We suddenly saw something lying there,” ...

Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging sewers

Belgian student strikes gold worth €9m while digging sewers

The Guardian •

Kobe, 18, who made discovery on site of former brewery in Sint-Gillis-Dendermonde, at first thought trove was €1 coinsFor a student with a summer job working on a Belgian building site, “money down the drain” has taken on a whole new meaning: excavating the trenches for a sewage system, he stumbled across a hidden trove of gold worth an estimated €9m (£8m).“We suddenly saw something lying there,” ...

Baby with heart defect at center of US surrogacy dispute handed to parents

Baby with heart defect at center of US surrogacy dispute handed to parents

The Guardian •

Biological parents given custody of child born in Texas amid dispute over surrogate mother’s claim of abortion requestA two-day-old baby with a rare heart defect at the center of a complex surrogacy dispute in Texas has been handed over to the parents’ custody and is receiving care, lawyers for the parents said on Friday.The baby has hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a defect that requires surgerie...

URA posts HK$338 million operating surplus after three years of losses

URA posts HK$338 million operating surplus after three years of losses

SCMP •

Hong Kong’s Urban Renewal Authority (URA) has recorded an operating surplus of HK$338 million (US$43.3 million) for the 2025-26 financial year, after reporting three straight years of losses. At a banquet on Friday to mark the statutory body’s 25th anniversary, chairman Chow Chung-kong announced that the URA had returned to profit in the 2025-26 financial year, recording an operating surplus to fu...

France wildfire forces 520 to evacuate

France wildfire forces 520 to evacuate

France 24 •

Around 520 residents in France’s southwestern Landes region have been evacuated as a raging wildfire has burned through more than 1,000 hectares since Thursday. Significant reinforcements have been mobilised, while authorities warn that the fire’s trajectory remains unpredictable. Simon Moritz has the story.