61 h. ago European leaders near deal to use frozen Russian assets for Ukraine

Plans to secure loan with Russian funds ‘moving to happy resolution’, says Polish foreign ministerEuropean leaders, including in the UK, are increasingly confident a proposal to lend Ukraine €140bn (£159bn) secured on frozen Russian central bank deposits can be agreed by the end of the year, in a move deemed critical for Kyiv to maintain its defence effort.Proposals from the European Commission were discussed at a meeting of G7 finance ministers in Washington last week and will be debated at an EU leaders summit on Thursday in Brussels. US participation remains uncertain. Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago The Iris Affair's Tom Hollander addresses Elon Musk comparisons in Sky's new tech thriller

Sky thriller The Iris Affair stars Niamh Algar as a brilliant woman who's hired by a wealthy tech investor to unlock a supercomputer

Science

7 d. ago The Iris Affair villain Tom Hollander shuts down comparisons to Elon Musk

Tom Hollander has claimed he wasn’t inspired by Elon Musk while portraying The Iris Affair’s tech investor baddie

Politics

2 w. ago Unity is desperately needed, but the EU prefers turf wars to facing down Russia | Paul Taylor

Failure to agree a common defence strategy risks emboldening Vladimir Putin. The squabbles have to stopThe closer Russia’s hybrid war comes to European capitals, the less EU leaders seem able to agree on how to respond. That, at least, was the worrying impression left by a dissonant EU summit in Copenhagen. Summoned last week to build consensus on the top priorities for European rearmament, the meeting was an embarrassing display of the turf wars, political squabbles and hidden agendas that are plaguing attempts to build a coherent European defence. Leaders quarrelled not only about who should be in charge of Europe’s military buildup but also about how to fund Ukraine’s continued resistance against Russian aggression, and how to advance Kyiv’s bid for EU membership.They voiced alarm at repeated breaches of their airspace by drones buzzing European airports and military bases, and Russian fighter jets violating their borders but appeared unsure how to react. Shoot them down? Escort ...

Events

2 w. ago Arsenal’s Women’s Champions League title defence starts with defeat to Lyon

Arsenal 1-2 Lyon: Renee Slegers’ side endured a poor start to the defence of their European title, with defensive howlers costing them at Meadow Park

Sport

2 w. ago Arsenal vs Lyon live: Gunners’ Women’s Champions League defence begins with defeat to eight

Arsenal 1-2 Lyon: Renee Slegers’ side endured a poor start to the defence of their European title, with defensive howlers costing them at Meadow Park

Sport

2 w. ago Arsenal begin WCL defence with wobble after Dumornay double for OL Lyonnes

Reigning European champions Arsenal began their title defence with defeat to last year’s semi-final opponents Lyonnes in a thrilling encounter in north London.Renée Slegers’ team had taken the lead in style through Alessia Russo early on against the tournament’s most decorated team, but two goals in seven minutes from Melchie Dumornay, courtesy of some questionable defending, gave the visiting side all three points. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Europe in ‘most dangerous situation’ since second world war, Danish PM warns

Mette Frederiksen tells EU leaders all countries are affected by ‘Russian hybrid war’ via drones or sabotageEurope live – latest updatesEurope is in its “most difficult and dangerous situation” since the end of the second world war, Denmark’s prime minister has said at an EU summit dedicated to advancing the continent’s battle readiness by the end of the decade.Mette Frederiksen is hosting EU leaders in Copenhagen for talks on aiding Ukraine and firming up European defence projects intended to ensure the continent is ready to deter invaders by 2030. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago Leading UK tech investor warns of ‘disconcerting’ signs of AI stock bubble

James Anderson voices concern over soaring valuations of artificial intelligence firmsA leading British tech investor has described soaring valuations of artificial intelligence companies as “disconcerting”, amid concerns of an AI stock market bubble.James Anderson was an early backer of Tesla, Amazon and China’s Tencent and Alibaba, generating vast returns for Baillie Gifford’s flagship fund. Now at the Italian investment company Lingotto, Anderson said he had not seen signs of an investment bubble until recently, when the ChatGPT developer, OpenAI, and its rival Anthropic announced hefty valuation increases. Continue reading...

Events

3 w. ago James Anderson warns Nvidia’s $100bn OpenAI bet echoes dotcom bubble

Former Baillie Gifford tech investor says recent jump in AI valuations is ‘disconcerting’

Events

3 w. ago European defence tech investor gets boost as geopolitical tensions persist

Expeditions says second fund on track to close at €150mn by end of year, compared with €15mn for the first one

Politics

3 w. ago EU to move forward with plans for drone wall amid Russian incursions

Ministers aim to bolster defences after spate of airspace violations, amid rising momentum for €140bn loan to UkraineThe EU has agreed to move forward with plans for a drone wall at the heart of its eastern defences, as momentum grows for a €140bn loan to Ukraine, based on Russian frozen assets.After a meeting with ministers from 10 mostly central and eastern European member states, plus Ukraine, the EU’s defence commissioner, Andrius Kubilius, said a drone wall to protect against incursions from the skies was an immediate priority and core element of the bloc’s eastern flank defences. Continue reading...

Events

last month Documents offer rare insight on Ice’s close relationship with Palantir

For years, little was known about the multibillion-dollar company that handles data for the US immigration enforcement agency. Now, a cache of emails, training documents and reports sheds light on how Palantir helps Ice with investigations and on-the-ground enforcement Over the past decade, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (Ice) has amassed millions of data points that it uses to identify and track its targets – from social media posts to location history and, most recently, tax information.And there’s been one, multibillion-dollar tech company particularly instrumental in enabling Ice to put all that data to work: Palantir, the data analytics firm co-founded by Peter Thiel, the rightwing mega-donor and tech investor. Continue reading...

Politics