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US and tech firms strike deal to review AI models for national security before public release
The Guardian

US and tech firms strike deal to review AI models for national security before public release

Microsoft, Google DeepMind and xAI products to be vetted for cybersecurity, biosecurity and chemical weapons risksThe US government has struck deals with Google DeepMind, Microsoft and xAI to review early versions of their new AI models before they are released to the public.The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), part of the US Department of Commerce, announced the agreements on Tuesd...

US announces deals with tech firms for national security review of AI models before release
The Guardian

US announces deals with tech firms for national security review of AI models before release

Agreements with Microsoft, Google DeepMind and xAI focus largely on recognizing cybersecurity, biosecurity and chemical weapons risksThe US government has struck deals with Google DeepMind, Microsoft and xAI to review early versions of their new AI models before they are released to the public.The Center for AI Standards and Innovation (CAISI), part of the US Department of Commerce, announced the ...

Prosecutors to ‘fast-track’ hate crime cases in England and Wales after spate of attacks
The Guardian

Prosecutors to ‘fast-track’ hate crime cases in England and Wales after spate of attacks

Staff told to prosecute as quickly as they can, rather than waiting to gather all evidence, to tackle ‘climate of fear’ felt by Jewish communityProsecutors in England and Wales have been told to “fast-track” hate crime prosecutions after a spate of antisemitic attacks that the prime minister on Tuesday called a “crisis for all of us”.Stephen Parkinson, the director of public prosecutions, issued g...

Ex-US spy for Israel calls for Gaza ethnic cleansing as he seeks Knesset seat
The Guardian

Ex-US spy for Israel calls for Gaza ethnic cleansing as he seeks Knesset seat

Jonathan Pollard, who served 30 years for selling US military secrets, advocates ‘forcible removal’ of PalestiniansJonathan Pollard, a former US navy intelligence analyst jailed for 30 years for spying for Israel, has said he will stand for election to the Knesset this year on a platform of ethnic cleansing.Speaking to Channel 13 television, Pollard said: “I personally prefer the forcible removal ...

US to take steps to curb antidepressant prescribing, RFK Jr says

US to take steps to curb antidepressant prescribing, RFK Jr says

The Guardian

Plan promotes ‘deprescribing’ as psychiatrists warn crisis stems from lack of access to care, not overuseThe federal health department will begin a series of steps intended to curb antidepressant use in the US, Robert F Kennedy Jr announced this week.Antidepressants, specifically selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, have long been a target for Kennedy, the Trump administration’s health secreta...

Stop plotting to oust Keir Starmer, ex-deputy Labour leader urges MPs

Stop plotting to oust Keir Starmer, ex-deputy Labour leader urges MPs

The Guardian

Tom Watson, who had role in attempted coup against Tony Blair in 2006, said move would go down extremely badly with votersLabour MPs have been urged to stop plotting to remove Keir Starmer by Tom Watson, who as a junior minister spearheaded the last attempted coup against a Labour prime minister, faced by Tony Blair in 2006.Watson’s warning came as Steve Reed, the housing and communities secretary...

Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale

Dark clouds, protests and resignations dampen start of 61st Venice Biennale

The Guardian

Russian pavilion to stay closed as outcry over Israel’s inclusion also grows – but nesting seagull provides some light reliefThe 61st Venice Biennale vernissage began on Tuesday under grey clouds and rain showers, as political tension, parties and protest dominated proceedings at one of the art world’s biggest events.Lubaina Himid, the British entrant, who has spent a career creating work that pic...

‘Hands off Memphis’: protests in Nashville as Tennessee Republicans consider redrawing maps ahead of midterms – live

‘Hands off Memphis’: protests in Nashville as Tennessee Republicans consider redrawing maps ahead of midterms – live

The Guardian

Lawmakers consider plan to break up state’s lone Democratic-held district, in majority-black Memphis area, after supreme court ruling that gutted Voting Rights ActSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.The remar...

‘Hands off Memphis’: Protests in Nashville as Tennessee Republicans consider redrawing maps ahead of midterms – live

‘Hands off Memphis’: Protests in Nashville as Tennessee Republicans consider redrawing maps ahead of midterms – live

The Guardian

Lawmakers consider plan to break up state’s lone Democratic-held district, in majority-black Memphis area, after supreme court ruling that gutted Voting Rights ActSign up for the Breaking News US emailDonald Trump has issued a fresh verbal attack against Pope Leo XIV, accusing the pontiff of “endangering a lot of Catholics” because “he thinks it’s fine for Iran to have a nuclear weapon”.The remar...

Alberta voter data leaked as separatists file signatures for independence vote

Alberta voter data leaked as separatists file signatures for independence vote

The Guardian

Authorities investigate leak of 2.9 million voters’ details, adding to turmoil over push for independence referendumAlberta separatists have delivered more than 300,000 signatures to elections officials in western Canada, in support of their attempt to force an independence referendum in Canada’s oil-rich province.But the effort stumbled immediately as a separatist-linked group posted the personal...

Alberta separatists submit 300,000 signatures to push independence referendum

Alberta separatists submit 300,000 signatures to push independence referendum

The Guardian

Authorities investigate leak of 2.9 million voters’ details, adding to turmoil around independence pushAlberta separatists have delivered more than 300,000 signatures to elections officials in western Canada, in support of their attempt to force an independence referendum in Canada’s oil-rich province.But the effort stumbled immediately as a separatist-linked group posted the personal data of near...

Man and ex-partner killed in Bristol blast after he forced entry into house

Man and ex-partner killed in Bristol blast after he forced entry into house

The Guardian

Ryan Kelly, 41, had ‘explosive device’, say police, who are treating death of woman, Jo Shaw, 35, as homicideA man forced his way into a house in Bristol with an “explosive device” a few minutes before a blast that killed his ex-partner and himself.Police said they were treating the death of the woman, whom they believe to be 35-year-old Jo Shaw, as homicide and named the man who died as her forme...

A veneer of normality has returned to Tehran but fears for the future are rife

A veneer of normality has returned to Tehran but fears for the future are rife

The Guardian

From economic woes to concerns that war could break out again at any moment, underlying worries run deepIn the weeks since the fragile ceasefire with the US and Israel took hold, life in Tehran has – on the surface at least – largely returned to something like prewar normality. Many security checkpoints have been taken down, coffee shops are bustling, parks are full of people gathering for picnics...

A veneer of normality has returned to Tehran, but fears for the future are rife

A veneer of normality has returned to Tehran, but fears for the future are rife

The Guardian

From economic woes to concerns that war could break out again at any moment, underlying worries run deepIn the weeks since the fragile ceasefire with the US and Israel took hold, life in Tehran has – on the surface at least – largely returned to something like pre-war normality. Many security checkpoints have been taken down, coffee shops are bustling, parks are full of people gathering for picnic...

Barrister in Palestine Action trial facing contempt of court proceedings

Barrister in Palestine Action trial facing contempt of court proceedings

The Guardian

Rajiv Menon KC accused of defying judge’s orders to not inform jury of right to acquit on basis of conscienceA leading human rights barrister is facing contempt of court proceedings after he was accused of defying a judge’s orders during a trial of Palestine Action activists.Rajiv Menon KC is accused of breaching the judge’s directions while giving his closing speech in the trial of six people in ...

Hundreds of animals rescued from ‘appalling’ conditions at California sanctuary

Hundreds of animals rescued from ‘appalling’ conditions at California sanctuary

The Guardian

San Diego Humane Society finds 400+ animals at Julian site, with malnutrition and injuries amid bankruptcy disputeAuthorities in California have rescued more than 400 animals, including horses, cats, dogs and goats, from a now shuttered sanctuary in San Diego county.The San Diego Humane Society conducted the massive operation last week at Villa Chardonnay, a sprawling facility in Julian that had o...

Democrats urge Rubio to acknowledge Israel possesses nuclear weapons amid Iran war

Democrats urge Rubio to acknowledge Israel possesses nuclear weapons amid Iran war

The Guardian

Letter from House Democrats to secretary of state calls for end to ambiguity over Israel’s nuclear weapons programsHouse Democrats have asked secretary of state Marco Rubio to publicly announce that Israel possesses nuclear weapons, arguing that Washington must end decades of ambiguity over the issue amid the conflict with Iran.In a letter sent on Monday, 30 Democrats wrote that it was unsustainab...

Israeli army chief says West Bank troops ‘killing like we haven’t killed since 1967’

Israeli army chief says West Bank troops ‘killing like we haven’t killed since 1967’

The Guardian

Leaked remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth describe fatal shootings of stone-throwers and different treatment for Jewish settlersThe Israeli army chief in the West Bank has said his troops were “killing like we haven’t killed since 1967”, including fatally shooting Palestinian stone-throwers, according to an Israeli report of his comments.The remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth, head of the army’s central comma...

Israeli army chief admits discrimination against Palestinians in the West Bank

Israeli army chief admits discrimination against Palestinians in the West Bank

The Guardian

Leaked remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth describe fatal shootings of stone-throwers and different treatment for Jewish settlersThe Israeli army chief in the West Bank has said his troops were “killing like we haven’t killed since 1967”, including fatally shooting Palestinian stone-throwers, according to an Israeli report of his comments.The remarks by Maj Gen Avi Bluth, head of the army’s central comma...

Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency

Farage’s partner refuses to confirm how she paid for house in his constituency

The Guardian

French publication Le Monde says Laure Ferrari ‘dodged’ question when quizzed over property purchase in ClactonNigel Farage’s partner, Laure Ferrari, has refused to confirm how she paid for a house in the Reform leader and MP’s constituency of Clacton, adding “there’s more than one way to pay for a house”.In an interview with French publication Le Monde, Ferrari was questioned over revelations in ...

Rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure

Rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ after tracker failure

The Guardian

Marine experts criticise €1.5m privately funded operation as humpback’s fate remains unknown after release into BalticMarine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to release a humpback whale that was stranded for weeks off Germany’s Baltic coast after it emerged that a tracker fitted to the whale was not working.The whereabouts and health of t...

Expert brands rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ over deficient tracker

Expert brands rescue of Timmy the whale ‘an all-round catastrophe’ over deficient tracker

The Guardian

Marine biologists step up criticism of privately funded operation to release stranded humpback whale off Germany’s Baltic CoastMarine biologists and whale experts have stepped up their criticism of a privately funded operation to release a humpback whale that was stranded for weeks off Germany’s Baltic Coast after it emerged that a tracker fitted to the whale was not working.The whereabouts and h...

US Secret Service agent placed on leave for allegedly fondling himself in public

US Secret Service agent placed on leave for allegedly fondling himself in public

The Guardian

John Andrew Spillman was part of an external screening security detail for the PGA Championship, which Trump is attendingA US Secret Service officer has been placed on administrative leave after being arrested for allegedly exposing and fondling himself in a public area of a Miami hotel.Local sheriff’s office deputies say they arrested John Andrew Spillman, 33, on Sunday after he was found naked w...

Zelenskyy condemns Russian ‘cynicism’ over parade truce as 23 killed in attacks

Zelenskyy condemns Russian ‘cynicism’ over parade truce as 23 killed in attacks

The Guardian

Kyiv lambasts Moscow’s request for ceasefire while ‘carrying out missile and drone strikes every single day leading up to it’Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused the Kremlin of “utter cynicism” for seeking a truce so it can stage a military parade in Moscow as 23 people were killed in attacks on Ukraine.At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday in a strike on southern city of Zaporizhzhia, the regional...

‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools

‘Close to zero impact’: US study casts doubt on effect of phone ban in schools

The Guardian

Researchers say findings are not reason to shy away from restrictions as MPs consider ban in England’s schoolsStrict bans on mobile phones in schools have “close to zero” impact on student learning and show no evidence of improvements in attendance or online bullying, a study has found.Researchers at US universities including Stanford and Duke looked at nearly 1,800 US schools where students’ phon...

Political row as report calls for sweeping cuts to French public broadcasting

Political row as report calls for sweeping cuts to French public broadcasting

The Guardian

Inquiry set up by rightwing politician recommends merging major channels and slashing TV entertainment budgets by 75%French politicians on the left and centre have criticised a parliament inquiry report that recommends sweeping cuts to public broadcasting, with a row over culture wars building before next year’s presidential election.State broadcasting is a key topic in the run-up to April’s vote,...

Badenoch defends seeking a ban on pro-Palestine marches but not Tommy Robinson ones – as it happened

Badenoch defends seeking a ban on pro-Palestine marches but not Tommy Robinson ones – as it happened

The Guardian

Tory leader says the protests are ‘not the same’Kemi Badenoch has questioned whether the undisclosed £5m donation given to Nigel Farage by a crypto billionaire shows that he has been “bought”.In an interview with the Today programme this morning, the Conservative leader asked whether the donation was linked to Farage’s support for cryptocurrencies, and she said the donation showed why Farage could...

Carney appoints former war crimes prosecutor as Canada governor general

Carney appoints former war crimes prosecutor as Canada governor general

The Guardian

Louise Arbour will serve as Canada’s representative of King Charles and carry out ceremonial and constitutional dutiesCanada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has appointed a former supreme court justice and war crimes prosecutor as the country’s new governor general, saying her appointment would reflect the importance of global institutions.Louise Arbour, a celebrated jurist, served as United Nation...

Carney appoints former supreme court judge as Canada’s new governor general

Carney appoints former supreme court judge as Canada’s new governor general

The Guardian

Louise Arbour will serve as Canada’s representative of King Charles and carry out ceremonial and constitutional dutiesCanada’s prime minister, Mark Carney, has appointed a former supreme court justice and war crimes prosecutor as the country’s new governor general, saying her appointment would reflect the importance of global institutions.Louise Arbour, a celebrated jurist, served as United Nation...