Latest posts

  • Attorney general tells department to stop using X amid UK disinformation concerns

    Exclusive: Richard Hermer’s office understood to be first in government to restrict use after recent riots The attorney general for England and Wales has told his office to no longer post on X, making it the first UK government department to stop using the Elon Musk-owned platform amid increasing worries about its use to incite…

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  • Farage trying to block ‘Britcoin’ plans that could be costly for billionaire donor

    Reform UK leader used private meeting at Bank of England to urge governor to drop plans for state-run cryptocurrency Nigel Farage has been trying to block a Bank of England cryptocurrency plan that could be costly for the billionaire bankrolling his party. The Reform UK leader has said Christopher Harborne wants nothing in exchange for…

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  • UK critical infrastructure hit by 200 cyber incidents in a year, agency says

    Head of National Cyber Security Centre says UK in ‘ongoing contest with capable adversaries’ and AI could add to threat The UK’s critical national infrastructure has been hit by more than 200 cyber incidents over the past year and state-linked assailants were behind three-quarters of the attacks, according to the state cybersecurity body. Richard Horne,…

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  • Gig workers are endlessly exploited. AI could make more of us share their fate

    As companies integrate AI and hire fewer employees, a shift toward a ‘gig economy’ will commence In 2024, the buy-now-pay-later company Klarna announced that it would cut hundreds of customer service roles and begin using an artificial intelligence chatbot instead. The move was expected to save the company millions. But a year later, after customers…

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  • Inspired by Ukraine, and worried by China: Taiwan teaches its citizens how to fly drones

    Ordinary Taiwanese, young and old, are joining courses to learn how to fly drones amid looming China military threat In a small, crowded room in Taipei, Pan Chien-chin is trying to keep a drone hovering steadily. Imagining himself flying a plane, he gently nudges controller joysticks to guide the insect-like device as it hums through…

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  • Taliban order ban on smartphones as officials shown destroying devices

    Directive aimed at government workers, but reports of wider implementation spark warnings of future Afghanistan-wide prohibition The Taliban have ordered a sweeping ban on the use of smartphones by government officials – in what some analysts say could foreshadow broader, population-level restrictions. In a directive issued by the Taliban’s military courts and reviewed by the…

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  • The best power banks and battery packs in the UK for reliable charging on the go, tested

    Forever running out of juice? Top up your battery-powered devices with our expert picks, from tiny smartphone chargers to super speedy models • The best iPhones: which Apple smartphone is right for you It’s disempowering when your smartphone, laptop or other important gadget runs out of battery. With the flash of a graphic or a…

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  • France to ditch Palantir’s AI data tools in favour of domestic provider

    Move to ChapsVision is to avoid ‘strategic dependencies’, says PM amid concern about reliance on US-controlled tools France’s domestic intelligence service is to ditch AI data tools from the US tech company Palantir in favour of a domestic provider in an effort to avoid “strategic dependency”, the prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, has said. “We must…

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  • SpaceX overtakes Amazon to become world’s fifth most valuable company

    Elon Musk’s firm briefly reached $2.97tn valuation days after its IPO following purchase of AI coding startup Cursor SpaceX has overtaken Amazon to become the world’s fifth most valuable company days after its stock market debut. The milestone came as Elon Musk’s company agreed to buy the startup behind the AI-powered coding app Cursor for…

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  • UK ministers lobby Trump to avert backlash against social media ban

    No 10 is worried about retaliation from White House over restrictions on under-16s’ internet use Ministers have embarked on a concerted lobbying operation to prevent a backlash from the Trump administration to the under-16s social media ban announced by Keir Starmer. Officials said they had spent weeks trying to reassure senior Trump officials and the…

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