Recent News

www.theguardian.com

Paul McCartney and Dua Lipa among artists urging Starmer to rethink AI copyright plans

Hundreds of leading figures from UK creative industries urge prime minister not to ‘give our work away’ Hundreds of leading figures and organisations in the UK’s creative industries, including Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Ian McKellen and the Royal Shakespeare Company, have urged the prime minister to protect artists’ copyright and not “give our work away” at the behest of big tech. In an open letter to Keir Starmer, a host of major artists claim creatives’ livelihoods are under threat as wrangling continues over a government plan to let artificial intelligence companies use copyright-protected work without permission. Continue reading...

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Diver dies during salvage operation to recover Mike Lynch’s superyacht

Dutchman, 39, had been working underwater in Sicily during operations to raise British tech tycoon’s vessel A diver who was working on preliminary operations to raise the late tech tycoon Mike Lynch’s sunken superyacht, Bayesian, has died during underwater work in Sicily. The 39-year-old Dutch diver died on Friday while working underwater in preparation to cut the ship’s mainmast. Continue reading...

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August default looms without debt limit action, Treasury Department warns | Arizona Mirror

Treasury debt limit deadline August warning urges Congress to act by mid-July on $5 trillion borrowing increase to avoid default

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UNM post-docs forewarn threats to research at Stand Up for Science event • Source New Mexico

New Mexico Stand Up for Science tabled at the University of New Mexico, to organize against federal defunding of science research.

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Israel committing genocide in Gaza, says EU’s former top diplomat

Josep Borrell also criticises EU response to what he calls largest ethnic cleansing operation since second world war The former EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has launched a blistering attack on Israel, accusing its government of committing genocide in Gaza and “carrying out the largest ethnic-cleansing operation since the end of the second world war in order to create a splendid holiday destination”. Borrell, a former Spanish foreign minister who served as the EU’s top diplomat from 2019 to 2024, and president of the European parliament from 2004 to 2007, also criticised the bloc’s failure to use all the means at its disposal to influence Israel, saying expressions of regret were simply not enough. Continue reading...

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Chicago celebrates cultural victory with native son, Pope Leo XIV

The likelihood that the newly elected pope has consumed a Chicago style hot dog is not zero. And that means something.

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Cities aiming to thwart immigrant detention centers wield a secret weapon: local laws

As the Trump administration moves to quickly expand immigration detention space, a series of standoffs have emerged between city officials and the private prison companies.

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Martin Rowson on the election of the first US pope – cartoon

Donald Trump said that it is a ‘great honour’ that Pope Leo XIV had been chosen to lead the Catholic church

michiganadvance.com

Slotkin co-sponsors bill targeting Trump’s crypto coin, cites risks of foreign influence • Michigan Advance

U.S. Senator Elissa Slotkin says legislation she co-sponsored seeks to prevent President Donald Trump from “lining his pockets” with money from cryptocurrency assets. The End Crypto Corruption Act wou...

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Why this U.S. ambassador cried at a press conference -- and is being called a hero

Michael Gonzales, the ambassador to Zambia, announced at an emotional press conference that the U.S. would cut $50 million in aid due to theft of medications.

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Giro d’Italia: Pedersen wins but Landa crashes out on opening stage in Tirana

Mads Pedersen edged out Wout van Aert in a bunch sprint to win the opening stage of the Giro d’Italia in Tirana

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Two decades of the Glazers: a debt of morals at United with football paying the bill

Fans protested against the leveraged takeover but were offered little support and the toxicity has had a lasting impact

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Deep cuts to bus and rail services loom across big cities, small towns • Ohio Capital Journal

The financial future of public transit is questionable in small cities like Minot, N.D., population 48,000. While increasing, ridership remains below pre-pandemic levels. Federal funding and state…

thetyee.ca

What in God’s Name Is Happening in Politics? | The Tyee

Why conservative leaders use religious rhetoric to build secular movements.

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Women’s World Cup to expand to 48 teams at 2031 tournament

The US is set to host the tournament in 2031, with the UK in 2035, although neither has been formally ratified, while Fifa has approved a strategy for Afghan women’s football

alabamareflector.com

Gov. Kay Ivey signs grocery tax cut into law | Alabama Reflector

Governor Kay Ivey signed HB 386 into law Friday, reducing the state grocery tax from 3% to 2% starting September 1st.

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'Out of control': Kristi Noem on defense over Homeland Security spending overrun • Ohio Capital Journal

The top Democrat on a U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee panel Thursday slammed Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for her handling of her agency’s funding and the Trump…

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Librarian of Congress firing is latest move in upheaval of U.S. cultural institutions

President Trump fired Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, via email late Thursday night, the latest in a string of actions the president has taken to shape American cultural institutions.

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Head of Royal Navy suspended pending investigation

Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to ‘step back’ as first sea lord, after MoD said he had departed for ‘private reasons’ The head of the Royal Navy has been suspended pending an investigation. Adm Sir Ben Key has been asked to “step back” as first sea lord, sources at the MoD confirmed on Friday. Continue reading...

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Trains, planes, two-day ferries? Spurs and United fans weigh up Bilbao travel options

Europa League final travel costs are hitting home, with a spokesperson for Spurs’ supporters’ trust saying fans are ‘being exploited’

alaskabeacon.com

Cost estimates rising for permafrost-related damage to Alaska roads and buildings | Alaska Beacon

Better knowledge about infrastructure on permafrost has led to a new estimate of future thaw costs under varying climate scenarios.

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Puzzled senators question Trump’s FBI chief on nonexistent spending plan • Ohio Capital Journal

The case of the missing Federal Bureau of Investigation budget request was on full display Thursday, when senators repeatedly asked the law enforcement agency’s director what resources he needed…

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How Authoritarian Politics Took Over My Christian College

I spent more than a year investigating my alma mater, Cornerstone University. What I discovered explains the Right's strategy to transform the U.S.

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Giving weight loss jabs could bolster UK economy by £4.5bn a year, study says

Providing semaglutide for all those eligible may bring productivity gains as people are able to work more Giving weight loss jabs to everyone eligible for them could boost the UK economy by £4.5bn, according to research. Worldwide, about 3.8 billion people over 25 and just under 750 million children and young people are forecast to be overweight or obese by 2050. In England, 26.5% of adults are obese, while across the UK 4.6 million are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. Continue reading...