Though Europe has measures that address how consumers might encounter AI, technology will impact them if the worst scenarios bear
Europe’s dilemma over AI was rendered in stark terms this week. The head of the continent’s central bank, Christine Lagarde, said Europeans have two options: shun the technology and lose out on growth; or embrace it and become dependent on tools developed by the US and China.
The great debate over AI safety that has erupted in recent days threatens to make the choice moot. If the worst scenarios come to bear – and experts have differing views on this – then the technology will impact the continent regardless.
Continue reading...Trump wants China to use its influence with Iran, while Xi seeks a halt to US arms sales to Taiwan
The leaders of the world’s two superpowers are meeting in the US on Thursday for Xi Jinping’s first state visit to the US in more than a decade. The last time the Chinese president was hosted in Washington (by Barack Obama in 2015), the issues on the agenda included cybercrime, technology, the climate crisis and human rights. The star of the day was Ne-Yo, who serenaded Xi and his wife, Peng Liyuan, with Peng reportedly singing along at the state dinner.
This time, Xi is meeting Donald Trump, who has overhauled the world order and recalibrated the US-China relationship. Trump is contending with a China that is in a much stronger position than it was 10 years ago. Click the link below for five things to look out for at the US-China summit.
Continue reading...A growing body of research is putting the ovary in a new light, not as an egg factory with an expiration date, but as an organ that shapes women’s health long after the fertile years have passed.
Hitler was an artist in Vienna before first world war
Horse also has full sister called New Order
The US Jockey Club has ordered a racehorse to be renamed after ruling the animal’s name was a reference to Adolf Hitler.
Austrian Painter won its debut race at the Horseshoe Indianapolis track on Monday. However, the Jockey Club received a complaint about its name and began an investigation. Hitler, who was born in Austria, was a professional artist in Vienna before the first world war. People often use the term “Austrian Painter” online to discuss Hitler without naming him in order to avoid content moderation filters.
Continue reading...Warren and Blumenthal raise concerns about case against Gautam Adani, who promised to invest $10bn in US
The Trump administration is facing growing questions over its decision to abandon a fraud and bribery case against the Indian billionaire Gautam Adani after he promised to invest $10bn in the US.
For the second time this year, two Democratic senators have demanded attorney general Todd Blanche answer questions about the US Department of Justice department’s handling of the case – and raised concerns over its judgment under Donald Trump.
Continue reading...A federal judge had ruled Trump administration must immediately return the outlets’ press passes and said ban likely unconstitutional
Yesterday evening, after briefly taking the case under consideration, a federal judge ordered the White House to temporarily restore access to CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, the three outlets the president banned from the building via a social media post last week.
White House security may not have gotten the memo, according to a new story from Politico.
Continue reading...State visit takes place at same time as UN general assembly, which Chinese leader has avoided. Plus, meet the people who are real-life Pokémon ‘professors’
Good morning. Donald Trump has welcomed Xi Jinping to the US, greeting the Chinese leader on the tarmac at Joint Base Andrews at the start of his state visit. Xi’s trip coincides with the UN general assembly in New York, but he is not attending the gathering.
The pageantry will continue with a formal welcome on the South Lawn of the White House, private tea with the US president and first lady, and a tour of the National Archives, among other special events. The White House has also invited major tech leaders to a state dinner being held for Xi.
What will the two leaders discuss? Amy Hawkins note in this explainer that topics are likely to include the development of AI technology, frosty trade relations and Taiwan.
What developments have there been in US-China relations? The US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, announced that the US and China agreed on Wednesday to extend the so-called Busan agreement – a temporary trade truce between the world’s two biggest economies.
Who else has been invited to the US? The US has invited Vladimir Putin to take part in the G20 meeting scheduled to take place in Miami in December, in what would be the Russian leader’s first attendance at such a summit since he launched his invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US secretary of state, Marco Rubio, said: “We hope that’s an invitation he’ll accept.”
Why is Israel facing a water supply crisis? Israel is facing weeks of water shortages after an exceptional algae bloom crippled much of its desalination capacity, in a crisis scientists say was triggered when Israeli attacks destroyed much of Gaza’s wastewater infrastructure, causing a huge discharge of untreated sewage.
Continue reading...Senators’ report says taxpayers face higher bills after ‘bargain’ between president and major polluters
The fossil fuel industry secured an estimated $190bn in tax breaks and subsidies over the next decade after responding to Donald Trump’s pre-election call for major campaign donations, leaving American taxpayers to shoulder higher bills and public health costs associated with pollution, according to a new report.
Released on Thursday by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse, ranking member of the Senate environment and public works committee, and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, the report details what the senators describe as the fossil fuel industry’s expansive influence over the Trump administration.
Continue reading...This is an impressive piece of malware. Its sophistication says nation-state to me, but there is no direct evidence and certainly no attribution.
Rising cost of 10-year gilt to near 19-year high hikes upfront cost of government investment and limits chancellor’s room for manoeuvre
A global sell-off in government bonds has put fresh upward pressure on UK borrowing costs, before a tough budget for John Healey next month.
The yield – effectively the interest rate – on 10-year UK bonds, known as gilts, had risen to 5.38% by mid-morning on Thursday, approaching the 19-year high set last week.
Continue reading...Judge rules Trump’s ban of journalists from CNN, MS Now and Politico likely unconstitutional
Donald Trump has been raging about a story first reported by MS Now on Wednesday that he is seeking to rename the Ford Theatre in Washington DC, a site infamous for the assassination of president Abraham Lincoln, after himself.
Last night he posted on Truth Social about the news item, blaming “Dumocrats” for the “ridiculous lie.”
The Dumocrats make up lie after lie. The new one is that I want Ford’s Theater named after me. That’s where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. Who would want that? I don’t! It is FAKE NEWS started by MSDNC AND CNN.
The three outlets sued Trump and other members of his administration in federal court in Washington on Monday, saying the ban violated the US constitution’s first amendment protections for free speech and a free press, as well as their due process rights. They requested a temporary restraining order that would immediately reinstate their White House access while their legal challenge plays out.
Trump had said on social media that the three outlets “shouldn’t be able to constantly write or report FICTION and LIES,” and justice department lawyers had sought to justify the ban on national security grounds.
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