UK and US refuse to sign international AI declaration
Zoe Kleinman & Liv McMahon Technology editor & reporter Vance: ‘American AI will not be co-opted into a tool for authoritarian censorship’ The UK and US have not signed an international agreement on artificial intelligence (AI) at a global summit in Paris. The statement, signed by dozens of countries including France, China and India, pledges […]
Why is it so difficult to discover new antibiotics?
Getty Images Sources being checked for new antibiotics include the blood of Komodo dragons Over-reliance on and misuse of antibiotics has led to warnings of a future without effective medicines. Why is it so difficult for scientists to discover new drugs? It’s a tale of scientific discovery taught the world over: the serendipitous find of […]
Earliest iron use found in India? Tamil Nadu digs spark debate
Department of Archaeology/Tamil Nadu An aerial view of Iron Age graves in Mayiladumparai in Tamil Nadu For over 20 years, archaeologists in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu have been unearthing clues to the region’s ancient past. Their digs have uncovered early scripts that rewrite literacy timelines, mapped maritime trade routes connecting India to the […]
Hexham auctioneer to quiz MPs over lamb imports
Robert Smith Jack Walton has concerns about the sustainability of importing huge quantities of lamb from New Zealand A livestock auctioneer is heading to Westminster to raise his concerns about “worrying” levels of lamb meat being imported from New Zealand. Jack Walton, from Northumberland, said supermarkets are stocking “a hell of a lot” of imported […]
Artists release silent album in protest against AI using their work
Paul Glynn Culture reporter Getty Images / Shutterstock (Left to right) Annie Lennox, Kate Bush and Damon Albarn have all backed the silent album protest More than 1,000 musicians – including Annie Lennox, Damon Albarn and Kate Bush – released a silent album on Tuesday in protest at the UK government’s planned changes to copyright […]
Black-owned London restaurants share £120,000 grant
Supplied Santeni Brown said the grant would help her to expand her business A dozen black-owned London restaurants have been awarded a combined total of £120,000. The grants were given in £10,000 lump sums to each firm in a bid to encourage more diversity in the industry. Recipient Santeni Brown, who owns Dinner at Sans […]
Singapore’s biggest bank DBS to cut 4,000 roles as it embraces AI
Singapore’s biggest bank, DBS, says it expects to cut about 4,000 roles over the next three years as artificial intelligence (AI) takes on more work currently done by humans. The move will affect temporary and contract staff, a bank spokesperson said, with the reduction in the workforce coming from “natural attrition” as projects are completed. […]
Godstone sinkhole to be investigated with 3D maps, says council
Katy Docherty-Warren BBC News, South East PA Media The sinkhole on Godstone’s High Street may be investigated with 3D mapping The Godstone sinkhole will be investigated using 3D mapping technology, a council leader has said. Godstone Parish Council said an operation by Surrey Highways to investigate the two holes had had to be delayed until […]
Michelin stars, MasterChef and more
Getty Images Gary Rhodes, who has died at the age of 59, was one of Britain’s most popular chefs on and off screen – showing his love of good British food on numerous TV shows, and winning Michelin stars for his restaurants. BBC Rhodes grew up in Kent and began cooking at the age of […]
Countries compete to keep skilled young workers
Pedro Garcia Technology Reporter, Lisbon Duarte Dias Lisbon, Dublin and Seattle – like many Duarte Dias has moved to move up In 2020, Duarte Dias, a Portuguese software engineer, accepted a job offer to work in Microsoft’s Dublin subsidiary. A little over a year later, he joined a team at Microsoft’s headquarters in Seattle, where […]