Author: NCIJ NETWNCIJ NETWORK

In brief Two U.S. and Chinese security experts proposed red lines barring AI from independently attacking nuclear systems. The authors also called for a military AI hotline and a shared definition of human control. AI’s speed and uncertain behavior could leave leaders with little time to stop an escalating conflict. Security experts from the United States and China have proposed rules that would bar artificial intelligence from independently launching cyberattacks against nuclear command systems or deciding to use nuclear weapons.A recent report by Brookings and Shanghai-based Fudan University urges the U.S. and China to extend their commitment to human control…

Researchers have identified early molecular warning signs of inflammatory bowel disease that may appear before symptoms and remain active even when patients seem to be doing well. The study, led by WEHI in partnership with the Royal Melbourne Hospital, uncovered a hidden defect in intestinal cells that can make them vulnerable to damage. The problem was still detectable in some patients whose disease appeared to be well controlled. Published in Science, the findings may help explain why people with inflammatory bowel disease can experience sudden flare-ups even after reaching remission. Key findings WEHI researchers identified a ‘smoldering’ molecular defect in…

Millions of young Indians spend years preparing for such examinations, often paying for coaching and study materials. But faith in the system has been shaken by repeated allegations of question-paper leaks and other irregularities.The controversies have fed a wider sense of frustration among young Indians over education, jobs and the increasingly uncertain promise of a secure future. That frustration has also fuelled student-led protests and youth movements demanding changes to India’s education system.For families such as Ramabai’s, education is something they make sacrifices for every day.After her husband’s death, she took whatever work she could find. She now cooks at…

Despite the energised start Andy Burnham has made as prime minister, plenty of his party’s MPs and hardcore activists are still haunted by a familiar sense of insecurity. Underpinned by a political version of impostor syndrome, it runs deep – and, bar the odd spell of Labour optimism, it always has. So it is with the battle between Labour and Reform UK that will define an election that could arrive much sooner than some people think, and a widely held ambivalence on the left about the possibility of Nigel Farage’s party taking power. Reform is apparently in deep trouble, yet…

At the start of this week, the who’s-who of AI seemed — at least tentatively — on the side of AI regulation. Over the weekend, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei had proposed a three-step plan for slowing AI development, including by embedding third-party evaluators in labs, coordinating across the domestic industry, and forging international agreements potentially with government assistance. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google DeepMind co-founder Demis Hassabis, and even SpaceX CEO Elon Musk publicly seemed to agree on aspects of all three things.Anthropic and OpenAI had already been dropping hints that they and other labs were working on some kind…

Ethereum Institutional signaled support for Ethlabs’ motion to reduce block times and create a faster Ethereum to address increasing competition from other networks.“Make Ethereum faster,” wrote the non-profit organization in a Friday X post, arguing that reducing block times is needed as “more institutional activity moves onchain.” On Thursday, Ethlabs published an article quoting 20 decentralized finance (DeFi) founders showing broad support for EIP-8198, also known as “Quick Slots,” which seeks to initially reduce Ethereum block times to 10 seconds from 12 seconds.Other blockchain networks are also working on similar block time reduction initiatives. On Monday, the majority of Zcash token…

At least two people have been killed and six injured in a “massive” overnight Ukrainian drone attack on the Moscow region, Governor Andrei Vorobyev has said.Vorobyev said 249 drones had been shot down, and he reported fires in several residential houses. A local warehouse was also ablaze. In the capital Moscow, an oil refinery was damaged, and flight restrictions were in place at two airports.Earlier, a Ukraine official said seven people, including two children, were killed in Russian attacks in the Kyiv and Sumy regions on Saturday.Russia and Ukraine have recently intensified their strikes, targeting energy-generating and transport facilities, as…

Standing outside Toynbee Hall in the East End of London, Josh Babarinde doesn’t exactly look like a rabble-rouser. But despite the well-cut suit and disarmingly large smile, the president of the Liberal Democrats is, apparently, up for a fight.“There are big modern giants that are getting in the way of people’s ability to thrive, and it is the job of Liberal Democrats to address that,” says the 33-year-old. “How are we going to do that? Well, first of all, we’ve got to flip the table over and rise up.”Flipping over tables is not behaviour normally associated with Liberal Democrat members,…

Chiltern Railways has become the latest train operator to enter public ownership as the government closes in on its ambition to renationalise all major passenger rail services.The operator, which runs commuter rail services on the Chiltern mainline between London Marylebone and Birmingham, on Sunday became the sixth to be nationalised under Labour, with the remaining four to follow by the end of 2027.The Department for Transport (DfT) said the move would bring more reliable services, with plans to end what it termed the “daily frustration” of overcrowding.It has promised a package of improvements for Chiltern passengers, including more services and…

Today on Decoder, we’ve got the first of a two-part series on the future of business, and I’m talking with Jonathan Kanter, the former antitrust chief for the US Department of Justice in the Biden administration. These days, he’s both a professor of law at WashU and professor of technology policy at Carnegie Mellon.The biggest story in tech right now is the spiraling debate about AI safety and regulation. Researchers at the big AI labs including Anthropic and Google DeepMind have quit in noisy ways, saying the models pose real threats and safety isn’t being taken seriously across the industry.…