Kristen Michal says attack against Milrem Robotics was ordered by Russian special services', after Kremlin denies involvementRutte begins by recalling a drone shot down in Lithuanian airspace by Nato fighter jets two weeks ago.He says the repeated drone incidents along our eastern flank showed the evolving nature of the threat, and we are strengthening our integrated air and missile defence."We are adapting and reinforcing our posture against drones." Continue reading...
Anthropic's prospectus makes chilling claim as new revelations emerge about Muse and Astra models. Plus the silent movie rediscovered in the strangest of placesGood morning. Anthropic is telling investors that advanced AI could pose catastrophic or existential risks to humanity", according to reports, as it prepares for a potential $2tn flotation. The warning inside the startup's IPO prospectus, which has yet to be made public, was reported by Reuters and the Financial Times. The company has previously called for a slowdown in the breakneck development of AI technology.What has Meta's Muse AI done? When the consumer tech reviewer Matt Robb listed a keyboard on Facebook Marketplace, Muse accepted a lowball offer without permission, promised a buyer he was waiting inside and handed over Robb's home address without consent.Why are there also new safety concerns at OpenAI? OpenAI has scrapped the release of new model after internal testing. GPT-6.1 Astra showed deceptive behaviour and tried to use external tools despite knowing it would be unsafe.What is the warning about an intelligence explosion"? Two of the godfathers" of modern AI have told governments to prepare for an AI intelligence explosion", which they say could be the most consequential technological development in history. Their concerns focus on the possibility of AIs being able to improve themselves without human intervention.What did the AI chip company Nvidia announce yesterday? Nvidia announced a new security platform that it said can stop AI agents from going rogue. It also announced a $150bn stock buyback, the largest in US corporate history.How is the Trump administration paving the way for more pollution from gas-powered cars? Yesterday it announced it was slashing clean car rules that had been aimed at reducing planet-heating emissions. The move, which relaxes requirements on automakers to control pollution from gasoline-powered cars and light trucks, was criticized by environmentalists.How have fossil fuel firms tried to influence universities? Recent attacks on US universities by the Trump administration have built on decades of efforts by libertarian donor networks, fossil fuel companies and conservative thinktanks to reshape university governance and increase outside influence, according to a study. Continue reading...
Freedom of information request shows six-month trial cost 320,000, used almost 100 police hours and resulted in no arrestsA six-month trial of live facial recognition (LFR) technology in London's railway stations that cost more than 320,000 and almost 100 hours of police officers' time ended in one false match against a watchlist of suspects and no arrests.More than half a million faces were scanned between February and July this year in some of the capital's busiest transport hubs during the British Transport Police (BTP) trial of the surveillance technology, which aimed to help catch offenders and people breaching court orders. Continue reading...
Green energy entrepreneur plans rescue package for the group behind the Camden New Journal, Islington Tribune and Westminster ExtraThe green energy entrepreneur and Labour donor Dale Vince is planning to launch a London-wide news operation, as part of a rescue" of one of the capital's most highly regarded local newspapers.Vince, who has vowed to take on what he sees as rightwing bias in the UK media, said he would invest whatever it takes" to support the loss-making group behind the Camden New Journal (CNJ), Islington Tribune and Westminster Extra. Continue reading...
Dott, 49, receives seven-year sentence after abusing a boy and a girl in what judge says was gross violation of trust'The former snooker world champion Graeme Dott has been jailed for seven years at the high court in Edinburgh after being convicted of sexually abusing two children.In August, Dott was found guilty of sexually abusing a boy and a girl after a five-day trial at Glasgow high court. The court heard that the 2006 world champion inappropriately touched and exposed himself to both children. He denied the charges but was convicted of two counts of lewd, indecent and libidinous behaviour by a majority verdict. Continue reading...
The Reserve Bank appears ready to push harder against inflation but it comes with a greater risk for the economyThe fight against inflation has entered a new, more dangerous phase.For years, the Reserve Bank has been attempting, as gently as possible, to steer inflation back to its 2.5% target while trying to retain as many of the post-pandemic job gains as possible. Continue reading...
by Eve Livingston Scotland correspondent on (#78PYS)
Residents say shop threatens Charles Rennie Mackintosh's last surviving tearoom months after vape shop blaze nearbyIn the heart of Glasgow city centre, nestled between shops, bars, offices and hotels, sits the Mackintosh Tearooms, the last surviving tearoom designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and one of the city's most treasured heritage sites.But last week passersby noticed a shiny new shopfront next door to the 1903 category A-listed building: hot-pink capital letters on a white plastic sign, advertising a vape and mobile phone repair shop. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#78PXF)
NHS trusts also report disruption to supplies last winter of co-codamol and blood pressure medication ramiprilHospitals are being hit by shortages of key drugs used to provide pain relief, prevent blood clots and tackle high blood pressure.Dozens of NHS trusts in England have encountered scarcities of aspirin, the painkiller co-codamol - a combination of paracetamol and codeine - and ramipril, a blood pressure tablet. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: New details suggest there is a counter-narrative to how events unfolded at the airbase used by the USGood morning. Vehicles suspected of carrying explosives zipping across Britain, entirely unbeknownst to authorities, is a disconcerting prospect.Initially, it seemed precisely this had occurred in Gloucestershire early on Sunday. A major attack on RAF Fairford appeared to have been scuppered by pure luck", a local farmer said, after she noticed suspicious vans and masked men on an otherwise deserted country lane. Had she not tipped off police, the vigilant villager believes the five men arrested on terror offences would not have been apprehended. That account prompted questions about whether police and security services had been caught off guard.Energy | Andy Burnham will take his first major step to putting Britain's utility companies into public control when, at the Labour conference, he announces a new government-backed body to invest in the electricity grid.Immigration | Home secretary Shabana Mahmood has signalled she is considering watering down her plans to make it harder for foreign workers to claim permanent residence in the UK, amid growing demands for a U-turn from cabinet colleagues and unions.AI | Two of the godfathers" of modern AI and senior executives at OpenAI and Anthropic have warned governments to prepare for an AI intelligence explosion", which they say could be the most consequential technological development in history.Petrol | The price of diesel on UK forecourts has hit an all-time high average of 199.18p a litre, as the conflict in the Middle East continues to drive the cost of fuel to record levels.Ebola | A senior member of the Democratic Republic of the Congo's ruling party was beaten to death on Sunday after appearing on a radio programme to raise awareness about the Ebola outbreak, a party representative has said. Continue reading...
Analysts believe PM has a golden opportunity' to offer older people better protection in return for weakening the triple lock guaranteeIt is a brave party leader who is prepared to go into an election promising a multibillion-pound new public service - likely to be funded by tax rises or holding back increases in the state pension.But Andy Burnham's colleagues are excited about the confident promise of new social care system that seven previous prime ministers have failed to deliver. Continue reading...
by Jessica Elgot Deputy political editor on (#78PWD)
The UK communities secretary decried protests by men in black wearing face masks' and those whipping up hatred' towards lifeboat volunteersFar-right marches led by the self-styled Danny Tommo" should not be treated like normal protests, the communities secretary, Angela Rayner, has said, calling the marches intimidation" that should not be permitted.Rayner said the behaviour of some masked marchers - who have blocked roads and transport hubs - was not an acceptable form of protest. Continue reading...
The US secretary of state offered no evidence for his claims, and also said many people were disturbed' that the five suspects had been released on bailUS secretary of state Marco Rubio has said unequivocally that a foreign actor was involved in the suspected UK bomb plot at RAF Fairford, hours after the five suspects arrested close to the airbase were released on bail.What could have happened in the UK over the weekend is a very serious situation," Rubio said in an interview with Fox News on Monday evening, adding that it clearly involves the hands of a foreign actor." Continue reading...
by Australian Associated Press and Tory Shepherd on (#78PS0)
Detained anti-human trafficking campaigners include Tran Hiep, a Vietnamese Australian, not heard from since 18 SeptemberVietnamese authorities have detained three activists, including aNorwegian and an Australian, on what have been described as fabricated" charges.The Vietnamese government said the three confessed to being members of Viet Tan - a pro-democracy organisation - which it describes as a terrorist group. Continue reading...
by Vikram Dodd Police and crime correspondent on (#78PJX)
Police say alleged offences could have been committed knowingly or unknowingly' on behalf of a foreign stateFive men arrested over a suspected bomb plot at RAF Fairford have been released on bail as police investigate why they were so close to the airbase in three vans with suspicious material in the back.The five suspects were revealed to be British men, all in their 20s and from London. They had been arrested in the Gloucestershire countryside early on Sunday morning on suspicion of explosives offences and preparing an act of terrorism, with an Iranian link a key line of inquiry. Continue reading...
by Dan Sabbagh Defence and security editor on (#78PJW)
Tehran has been trying to step up attacks on targets in the west but its track record has been mixedInvestigators may be some way from determining exactly what led five men with three vans to a village just outside RAF Fairford in the small hours of Sunday - but the fact they have all been released on bail without immediate charge suggests they are not deemed to pose a serious and violent threat.In a moment where wider geopolitical tensions mean external threats are perceived to be close, the question of whether Iran had a hand in the alleged plot remains open. Nonetheless, the bailing of the men is a mercifully lower-key development in an investigation that appeared of the utmost gravity. Continue reading...
Carbon Impacts Tracer can be used to estimate climate impact from emissions across eight different factors, including lost food productionThe biggest coal project before authorities in New South Wales, the HVO mine, will emit the equivalent of about 809m tonnes of climate-warming carbon dioxide if it wins approval.
Police said Tasia Fortune, 29, was killed before her body was placed in the tree, and the scene was staged'A Mississippi judge set a $5m bond on Monday for a third man charged in the death of a Black woman whose body was found hanging from a tree in August.Police disclosed on Friday that Tasia Fortune, 29, was killed before her body was placed in a tree behind an abandoned house in Jackson, Mississippi's capital city.Guardian staff contributed reporting Continue reading...
Amid conflicting statements, local MP and councillors demand answers over how suspects were allowed to enter residential areas of nearby villageAn MP and councillors representing the residents of the village near RAF Fairford who were evacuated due to a suspected terror plot have expressed scepticism and concern over the security response to threats made by Iran.About 85 properties in Whelford, Gloucestershire, were evacuated on Sunday morning after five men were arrested on suspicion of explosives offences in the village. The men, who were later re-arrested on suspicion of terror offences, were released on bail on Monday. Continue reading...
Former journalist and honorary life president of Norwich City FC died peacefully at home on MondayMichael Wynn-Jones, the journalist and husband of the TV chef Delia Smith, has died at the age of 85.Wynn-Jones was honorary life president of Norwich City football club, which said everyone at the club was deeply saddened" by his death. Continue reading...
Row comes amid rising division and a tendency towards cynical political posturing in Northern IrelandThree decades ago, it took the deaths of three Roman Catholic children - the Quinn brothers, Jason, nine, Mark, 10, and 11-year-old Richard - in a petrol bomb attack to bring an end to the Drumcree dispute. No road is worth a life, let alone the lives of three little boys," the Orange Order's County Armagh chaplain said at the time.It is perhaps extraordinary to think that this could ever have needed saying - but that was then. Northern Ireland is very different place today. Continue reading...
Billy B Van's 1919 comedy Van-ar-chy found by student in Sendai will be shown in early November in New HampshireA silent comedy filmed in New Hampshire more than a century ago was recently found in Japan, and plans have been set to show the film in early November in the state where it was created.Van-ar-chy, a 1919 film starring the US entertainer and film-maker Billy B Van, was rediscovered by Kohei Okita, a film student in Sendai, Japan. While researching early cinema related to the word anarchy", Okita bought several old film reels at an antique store in Japan and found the comedy starring Van, whom he did not recognize, according to a Van-ar-chy news release. Continue reading...
National Rally and allies gain record 14 seats and can form senate group for first time after indirect vote by local officialsThe French far-right leader Marine Le Pen has said her 2027 presidential campaign will be boosted after her anti-immigration party, the National Rally (RN), and its allies improved to a record 14 seats in partial senate elections this weekend.Le Pen called the results a historic victory" and a major milestone" after her party cleared the 10-seat threshold to be able to form a senate group for the first time, after an indirect vote by local officials including mayors and councillors. Continue reading...
Culture secretary criticises Reform leader after he tried to link suspected bomb plot to small boat crossingsNigel Farage has been described as a master of the conspiracy theory" by the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, , after he tried to link events at RAF Fairford to small boat crossings.The Reform UK leader was criticised over his reaction to the arrests of the men on Sunday, when he said he had been warning for months about Iranian agents" coming into the UK across the Channel in small boats. Continue reading...
Mission goes ahead despite some fears an initial engine failure after the Texas launch would scupper the attemptSpaceX has sent its enormous Starship rocket into Earth's orbit for the first time on a milestone flight intended to pave the way for future missions to the moon and Mars.The rocket, the largest and most powerful ever built, blasted off from SpaceX's Starbase launch facility in Texas at 7.48am local time (1.48pm BST), marking its 14th test flight and first attempt to circle the planet before falling back to Earth. Continue reading...
Merseyside force says 82 people arrested and another 79 reported for summons during demonstrationMore than 160 people were arrested or reported for summons at a pro-Palestine demonstration outside the Labour party conference on Sunday, police have said.Officers arrested 82 people on suspicion of wearing or carrying an article supporting a proscribed organisation, according to the Merseyside force. They were taken into police custody before being released on bail. A further 79 people were reported for summons. Continue reading...
Andy Burnham hails nationalisation of much-criticised service between London, Birmingham and GlasgowBritain's biggest intercity rail operator, Avanti West Coast, will be renationalised in spring, ministers have announced, while new trains could also be publicly owned under plans to reduce costs paid to private firms.Avanti, which has been one of the worst rail firms in the country for train delays and cancellations, will come under public ownership from 7 March when its contract ends. Continue reading...
by Jamie Grierson and Press Association on (#78PDT)
Woman who spotted suspicious vans and masked men says authorities did not contact her after five men were arrestedA farmer who claims to have alerted the police to a suspected terrorist bomb plot at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire has said she has had no follow-up at all" from the authorities.The woman told reporters on Monday that she did not see herself as a hero for having reported vans blocking a road near the base while on her way back from a party. Continue reading...
World's biggest economies release lists of products in latest move away from trade war - but no strategic goods are includedThe US and China have released reciprocal lists of goods worth about $30bn each on which they plan to cut tariffs, ranging from consumer electronics and agricultural products to artificial flowers and live dolphins.The announcements are the latest tack away from the intense trade war between the world's two largest economies that dominated much of last year, though major strategic products are not included and no timeline has yet been given for the reductions. Continue reading...
Leak causes outages and low pressure in parts of London and Surrey, affecting 6,000 properties and leaving some without waterSchools, businesses and homes across seven boroughs in England were hit by a Thames Water outage on Monday, from a burst water main reportedly leaking 750 litres a second.About 6,000 properties across five south London boroughs and two Surrey boroughs had no water supply or low pressure, Thames Water said. Continue reading...
The US says it is unable to support a major global text on pandemic prevention and preparedness put forward at UN general assemblyThe United States government's decision to block a major global declaration on pandemic preparedness severely weakens" the effort, and signals intent to disrupt international cooperation, says Prof Lawrence Gostin, a leading expert on global health law from Georgetown University.The United Nations general assembly had been due to adopt a political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response on 25 September after a high-level meeting on the subject. Continue reading...
by Patrick Wintour and Emma Graham-Harrison on (#78P8S)
Former attorney general Dominic Grieve says Israel is not entitled to shut mission in occupied Palestinian territoryIsrael does not have a legal right to act on its plan to close the British consulate in East Jerusalem, the former attorney general Dominic Grieve has advised the UK Foreign Office.Israel has said it intends to shut the consulate on 8 October in response to the sweeping ban on trade with goods from Israeli settlements announced by the foreign secretary, Ed Miliband, this month. Continue reading...
River charters part of wider movement establishing moral' framework to protect nature and hold institutions to accountOne Monday morning in spring last year, 12 people gathered in the morning drizzle at Joyce's Pool, one of the sources of the Bristol River Avon, and took the first steps of the inaugural Avon pilgrimage.Over the course of eight days, a revolving cast of pilgrims walked about 100 miles from the source of the river to the point at which it reaches the sea, in some cases bivvying on the riverside at night. Along the way they planted trees, sowed seeds, restored footpaths and presented councillors and decision-makers with a fledgling Avon charter, developed by the Bristol campaign group Conham Bathing. Continue reading...
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