39 m. ago First Brands creditor claims as much as $2.3bn has ‘simply vanished’

Raistone calls for independent examiner to probe auto supplier’s downfall

Economics

4 h. ago Governments are spending billions on their own ‘sovereign’ AI technologies – is it a big waste of money?

Many US-built AI systems fall short but competing against tech giants neither easy nor cheapIn Singapore, a government-funded artificial intelligence model can converse in 11 languages, from Bahasa Indonesia to Lao. In Malaysia, ILMUchat, built by a local construction conglomerate, boasts that it “knows which Georgetown you’re referring to” – that is, the capital of Penang and not the private university in the US. Meanwhile, Switzerland’s Apertus, unveiled in September, understands when to use the Swiss German “ss” and not the German-language character “ß”.Around the world, language models like these are part of an AI arms race worth hundreds of billions of dollars mostly driven by a few powerful companies in the US and China. As giants such as OpenAI, Meta and Alibaba plough vast sums into developing increasingly powerful models, middle powers and developing countries are watching the landscape carefully, and sometimes placing their own, expensive bets. Continue reading...

Economics

4 h. ago Gaza ceasefire live: Hostages and prisoners to be released within 72 hours of deal starting

Donald Trump announces that all hostages will be released ‘very soon’ and Israel will withdraw troops to an agreed upon lineFull report: ‘First phase’ of ceasefire deal to end war in Gaza agreed by Israel and HamasAs part of the Guardian’s Israel-Gaza: two years on series marking the second anniversary of the Hamas attack into Israel and the war in Gaza, the below has been published:The children’s names appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Gaza ceasefire talks live: Trump says Israel and Hamas have signed off on ‘first phase’ of peace plan

Trump says ‘all parties will be treated fairly’ while Israeli prime minster Benjamin Netanyahu says ‘with God’s help’ all hostages will be brought homeAs part of the Guardian’s Israel-Gaza: two years on series marking the second anniversary of the Hamas attack into Israel and the war in Gaza, the below has been published:The children’s names appear on a list of victims of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, maintained by health authorities in the territory. As of the end of July it ran to 60,199 names, of whom 18,457 were under 18s. Far from comprehensive, the list does not include the thousands still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, as well as the war’s many indirect victims. Continue reading...

Politics

7 h. ago New California law aims to improve school nutrition by phasing out some ultraprocessed foods

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed a law phasing out certain ultraprocessed foods from school meals

Society

7 h. ago Woman who cut down yellow ribbons for Israeli hostages in Gaza is questioned by police as cops probe criminal damage

A WOMAN who cut down yellow ribbons for Israeli hostages has been questioned by police. Cops are probing criminal damage, following the 36-year-old's attempt to remove the London memorial. The ribbons had been displayed on railings in Muswell Hill, Haringey, on the second anniversary of the October 7 attacks. They served to represent solidarity with...

Events

7 h. ago Last of New Orleans jail inmates who broke out in viral escape is caught months later

Derrick Groves was taken into custody in Atlanta, Georgia, after evading the authorities for almost five months, the U.S. Marshals said Wednesday

Events

8 h. ago Schoolboy suffers horror assault on Scots street after being ambushed by gang of yobs

A SCHOOLBOY has been rushed to hospital after being found seriously injured in a Scottish town. Police have launched a probe after a 14-year-old lad was discovered hurt in the Hamilton Road area of Cambuslang this evening. Cops raced to the street in the Lanarkshire town at around 5pm after the alarm was raised. Officers...

Events

8 h. ago Last of 10 inmates who escaped from New Orleans jail captured by police

Authorities say they found convicted killer Derrick Groves after a standoff at a home in south-west AtlantaThe last fugitive from the high-profile, 10-man New Orleans jailbreak in May has been captured, according to authorities.In an announcement on Wednesday, Jason Williams, the New Orleans district attorney, said that authorities had captured four-time convicted killer Derrick Groves after a standoff at a home in south-west Atlanta. Continue reading...

Events

9 h. ago Missing person probe launched after Scots woman believed to have gone to England

Shannon Mitchell was last seen on Monday.

Events

9 h. ago Missing person probe launched after woman believed to have gone to England from Scotland

Shannon Mitchell was last seen on Monday in Ardrossan, North Ayrshire.

Events

9 h. ago Dozens of ailing animals found in New York home where elderly woman was 'trapped' by debris

More than 200 animals were found at the home of a wildlife rehabilitator in New York where authorities also discovered a 95-year-old woman who was essentially trapped in her room due to clutter in the residence

Politics

9 h. ago Disneyland guest dies after riding Haunted Mansion attraction at California park

It was not immediately clear what caused the guest’s death

Events

9 h. ago Here's a look at California's five most destructive wildfires

The Palisades Fire was the most destructive blaze in Los Angeles to date and among the five worst in California’s history

Events

10 h. ago Netflix getting ready to bid for Champions League games in massive £4.3bn development

UEFA and European clubs are set to rake in £4.3billion a season in the forthcoming television rights sale, with the Premier League's biggest sides set for a share of that pot

Sport

10 h. ago Last of the 10 New Orleans jail escapees from May is captured in Georgia, authorities say

The U.S. Marshalls say the only escaped inmate who remained on the run after breaking out of a New Orleans jail in May has been captured

Events

11 h. ago Scientists discover 'natural cancer killer' that's 'safer and more effective' than standard treatments

Elite experts have developed new 'natural killer' cells to fight off a form of cancer impacting 90,000 Americans a year and lower the risk of disastrous immune effects from chemotherapy.

Events

11 h. ago Hamilton Accies 'legend' Chloe kicks off season with JR Group sponsorship

Chloe, who has also worked as part of The JR Group for the past two years, will assist the company’s upcoming new developments in and around the Hamilton area.

Politics

11 h. ago Judge tosses summons for former 'The Bear' writer who was handcuffed in NYC train seating dispute

A New York City judge has dismissed a civil summons against Alex O’Keefe, a former writer for FX’s “The Bear.”

Events

11 h. ago UK libraries urged to remove children’s books with URL hijacked by porn site

Puffin issues alert to schools and local authorities over books in popular Spy Dog series by Andrew CopeThe children’s publisher Puffin is hurriedly contacting UK schools and local authorities after it discovered that a website address included in a popular children’s book series had been hijacked by a pornography site.The publisher has urged school libraries to remove the books after a website address printed in the Spy Dog, Spy Pups and Spy Cat series by Andrew Cope was redirected to unrestricted adult content. Continue reading...

Politics