The Guardian
2 days ago
Friday briefing: What do the cuts in aid mean for the fight against Ebola in the DRC?
In today’s newsletter: As the virus spreads across borders, health workers warn that weakened global support is making a prolonged crisis more likelyEbola is spreading rapidly in parts of east Africa. The deadly disease, which kills around half of those it infects, is suspected to have claimed the lives of at least 240 people since the outbreak began in Ituri province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo earlier this month.Public health officials are scrambling to contain the virus in one of the toughest environments: Ituri province, the centre of the crisis, is a mining hub where thousands of people work in close proximity every day, and a conflict zone, with ongoing fighting between rebel groups. Medical facilities are modest, while waves of displaced people are being forced into overcrowded camps to escape fighting, making it even harder to control transmission. The virus has already spread to other regions in eastern DRC and the Ugandan capital Kampala.UK news | Britain risks a financial hit worth £125bn a year after a rise in the number of young people not in employment or education to more than 1 million.US-Israel-Iran | Donald Trump has circulated a draft peace agreement for the war with Iran among allies including Israel as both sides try to prevent fresh breaches of the ceasefire escalating out of control.UK politics | Andy Burnham has rolled back from his previous calls for ministers to scrap a restriction on immigrants claiming benefits as the Makerfield byelection places greater scrutiny on him.Ukraine | A Russian drone that was part of an overnight attack on Ukraine crashed into an apartment building in eastern Romania, injuring two people, authorities said, in what an official statement condemned as an “irresponsible escalation” by Moscow.Climate crisis | Abandoning net zero and drilling for more oil and gas would be a massive setback for the UK and would not help the economy, leading experts have said in response to Tony Blair. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
‘It feels unfair’: the Britons struggling to get a mortgage since Iran war began
Whether first-time buyers, in between homes or refixing, people tell of impact of higher mortgage rates on housingProspects of cuts in UK interest rates in 2026, which were widely expected at the start of the year, were rapidly extinguished when the Iran war started at the end of February. The renewed threat of inflation means the Bank of England is now expected to raise rates at least once this year, with mortgage costs staying higher for longer.The boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder said on Thursday it was the most challenging time to be a first-time buyer since the 2008 financial crisis. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Anthropic reaches valuation of $965bn, beating OpenAI to become world’s most valuable AI firm
Claude’s parent company’s $65bn in latest funding round underscores vast sums of money still flowing into industryAnthropic, the AI firm behind the Claude chatbot, announced on Thursday it had raised $65bn in funding to value the company at $965bn post-money. The move makes Anthropic the world’s most valuable AI startup, eclipsing its competitor OpenAI.The deal marks an exceedingly successful period of growth for Anthropic, which was once considered to be a smaller player in the global AI arms race. The widespread adoption of its products by large enterprise businesses, especially following its release of powerful coding assistants late last year, has turned it into a dominant player in the industry. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Can Trump's negotiation playbook solve the Iran war? – video
The Guardian's Oliver Holmes looks at how Donald Trump's book The Art of the Deal could shed light on the president's negotiation tactics in the war with Iran Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
UK recall alert issued for car seat base that poses risk of injuries to children
Office for Product Safety and Standards advises stopping use of Maxi-Cosi FamilyFix Slide Pro bases immediatelyA baby car seat product that poses a risk of injuries to children because of a malfunctioning safety indicator has been recalled by its manufacturer.Maxi-Cosi is recalling all of its FamilyFix Slide Pro bases from buyers, information on the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) website showed. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Much of what Blair said in essay criticising Labour was wrong, says Starmer – as it happened
This blog is now closed, you can read more on this story herePat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary, is introducing Alan Milburn.He says Milburn’s report is “really important and powerful”.I could see in the first few weeks after being appointed as the secretary of state what was happening, both in human and in financial terms, [in terms of youth unemployment].And I knew that we had to get properly under the bonnet of this problem, because there’s a lot more thing than one thing happening here … Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Unfair childcare eligibility criteria and the ‘nerd tax’ | Letters
Jamie Evans questions the exclusion that means his family will not be able to claim £8,000 of support while his wife is a PhD studentThe education secretary, Bridget Phillipson, is right to order a Competition and Markets Authority review of hidden childcare charges (Report, 24 May). However, she would do well to also review her department’s own eligibility criteria for accessing 30 hours of funded childcare in the first place. One particularly egregious exclusion is that of PhD students, who miss out on approximately £8,000 of support that the majority of other working parents can access, despite earning only about £20,000 per year (if on a typical UK Research and Innovation-funded course).This is the situation that will affect my wife and I from February next year, when our soon-to-be-born daughter will turn nine months old and my wife will need to return to the completion of her PhD (improving patient experiences of GP services). Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
'Lost generation’: why can’t young people get jobs? – The Latest
A landmark government-backed report has warned that the UK risks a ‘lost generation’ of young people, as new figures show that more than 1 million 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK were not in education, employment or training.The former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn said youth disengagement was a mounting economic risk to the country, and urged a fundamental reset of policy covering schools, the health service and the welfare state. Lucy Hough speaks to the Guardian’s senior economics correspondent, Richard Partington Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Image of Thai police in sparkly dresses with handcuffed suspect turns out to be AI fake
Picture was created by administrator in charge of station’s Facebook account who wanted to create ‘friendlier image’It was an arresting image and an irresistible story. A group of tough Thai police officers – five men and one woman – all wearing elaborate festival-style dresses, surrounding a drug dealer they had caught while undercover.The image, released by local police, was so compelling that it found its way on to the front page of the UK’s Daily Star, as well as in picture stories in the Telegraph, the Sun and the New York Post. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Call of controversy? Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 imagines a revived Korean war
Infinity Ward’s new game in the storied shooter genre embraces change with a potentially controversial real-world settingThere was a time when Call of Duty (CoD) regularly courted controversy. In 2009, Modern Warfare 2’s infamous “No Russian” mission saw players (optionally) shooting screaming civilians in a Moscow airport. In 2022’s entry, a drone strike mission that drew chilling parallels to the real-world US assassination of Iranian general Qassem Suleimani two years earlier was featured. The series has not always been straightforwardly palatable.In recent years, however, the world’s most popular shooter game has largely swapped grit for melodrama, following the misadventures of a troop of larger than life elite soldiers. For 2026’s Modern Warfare 4, however, Activision’s shooter series and its developer Infinity Ward are back in tabloid-baiting territory. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Tony Blair and the battle for Labour’s soul
Peter Walker is joined by pollster Luke Tryl of More in Common to discuss Sir Tony Blair’s intervention in the Labour leadership saga and the party’s prospects in the Makerfield byelectionPlease send your questions and messages for Pippa Crerar and Kiran Stacey to politicsweeklyuk@theguardian.com Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
So dumb it just might work: can these dumbphone evangelists convince you to dump smartphones?
As part of a growing anti-tech movement, startup dumb.co is pushing flip phones as a way for young people to find ‘social and spiritual freedom’“They aren’t as dumb as they look,” our facilitator said, referring to the dark gray flip phone in his hand. He just as easily could have been talking about us, the 28 New York residents before him who had signed up to use the device for the entire month of March. He explained that the relic was loaded with WhatsApp, iMessage, Google Maps, Uber, Microsoft 2FA – nothing like my seventh-grade flip phone.We each had paid $75 to participate in Month Offline, or MO, a program that challenged us to swear off our smartphones entirely. Another $25 went to dumb.co, the company behind MO, for the so-called dumbphones we would use as we navigated daily life. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Dormitory fire at Kenyan girls’ school kills at least 16 students
Parents face anxious wait for updates after blaze tears through Utumishi girls academy in Gilgil, Nakuru countyA fire has ripped through a dormitory at a girls’ school in Kenya’s Rift valley, killing at least 16 students.The fire broke out just after midnight at Utumishi girls academy in Gilgil, Nakuru county, about 76 miles north-west of Nairobi, police said. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
New food exports deal signals end to Brexit ‘sausage wars’
First details of agreement published, heralding end to EU-UK checks on dairy products, eggs, fish and fresh red meatBusiness live – latest updatesThe EU and UK have signalled an end to Brexit “sausage wars” with the first details of a new food exports agreement being published by the British government.The deal will mean no more paperwork or physical checks on dairy, fish, cheese, eggs and fresh red meat from the summer of 2027 for both British exporters to the EU and EU exporters to the UK. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
‘Hidden datacentre tax’ costing Irish households millions, report says
Datacentres used 22% of country’s electricity last year, pushing up household bills, study suggestsEnergy demand by datacentres in Ireland has added hundreds of euros to household electricity bills in a pattern that could be replicated across Europe, according to a report.Ireland’s growing number of datacentres last year used 22% of the country’s electricity, more than all urban homes combined, according to the Central Statistics Office. The equivalent figure in the US and UK is 6%. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Blond Bangladeshi buffalo nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ saved from Eid sacrifice
Rare albino buffalo spared due to security concerns over unusual level of public interest in 700kg animalA rare albino buffalo in Bangladesh nicknamed “Donald Trump” for its distinctive blond tuft has been spared from Eid al-Adha sacrifice after a last-minute government intervention, according to a home ministry official.The nearly 700kg (1,543lb) animal had already been sold for ritual slaughter when authorities stepped in, citing security concerns after a surge of public interest before Thursday’s festival. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Young first-time buyers face toughest time since financial crisis, says UK housebuilder
Barratt Redrow boss says rising interest rates, higher student debt and squeeze on wages hitting property dreamBusiness live – latest updatesThe boss of Britain’s largest housebuilder has said it is the most challenging time to be a first-time buyer since the financial crisis, as the dream of home ownership moves increasingly out of reach for many young people.A combination of rising interest rates, higher levels of student debt and the squeeze on wages is making it “challenging, very, very difficult” for young people to get on the housing ladder, according to David Thomas, the departing chief executive of Barratt Redrow. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
‘Instagram truly is the new LinkedIn’: why gen Z is using social media to get hired
In this competitive market, gen Z has started to turn to untraditional ways to land a job – including dating appsSibusisiwe Khupe, 26, entered the job market once again in September after a wave of unexpected layoffs at London marketing agency Wieden+Kennedy.She knew landing her next full-time role was not going to be easy. Young workers have been hit hard by the weakening UK job market as vacancies fall and unemployment climbs to a five-year high. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
Studio Display XDR review: Apple’s pro display shines very brightly
Crisp 27in 5K Mac monitor is packed with features and some of the best HDR performance you can get for work or playApple’s new 27in Studio Display XDR is its best monitor yet, with an exceptionally bright and gorgeous 5K screen that wants to be the pro display for Mac-wielding content creators everywhere, with a price tag to match.Built to be paired with the latest or high-end Macs, the Studio Display XDR costs from £2,599 (€3,099/$2,899/A$4,799), although it is a cool £3,000 if you want it with a stand. It sits above the standard £1,499 Studio Display and is £2,000 cheaper than the 2019 Apple Pro Display XDR it replaces. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
Are robots nearing their ChatGPT moment? – podcast
Last month at Beijing’s half marathon, a robot named Lightning beat the human world record by nearly seven minutes. It’s the latest in a string of AI-powered milestones that have got people wondering whether robots are about to enter our everyday lives, just as chatbots have. And the country leading the charge is China, where the government has pledged to invest more than £100bn in robotics over the next 20 years. To find out how robots are already entering the workforce, and what needs to happen to get them cleaning our homes and weeding our gardens, Ian Sample hears from the Guardian’s senior China correspondent, Amy Hawkins, and from Nathan Lepora, professor of robotics and AI at Bristol University, who researches how robots can achieve human-like dexterityClips: Global News, BBC, CGTN Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
‘This isn’t freedom’: anger, anxiety and tears as Iran’s internet flickers back
After 88 days of near-total blackout, first reactions to the return of partial connectivity were not celebratoryAfter 88 days of near-total internet blackout in Iran, long-delayed messages, images and poems flooded phones and social media feeds at about 5pm on Tuesday, when still-limited connectivity flickered back to life.The first reactions, however, were not celebratory. Many new posts were threaded with scepticism, anxiety and anger. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
The strange surveilled life of Piper Rockelle: why did a former child influencer decide to go on OnlyFans?
She made millions as a tween and teenager by posting clips of herself and her friends on YouTube. Then the business collapsed amid acrimony. What does her success in the adult industry, at 18, say about surveillance, social media and sexualisation?‘Honestly, the answer is kind of gross,” says Piper Rockelle, in a recent TikTok video, reflecting on why she is so popular on OnlyFans. In the clip, she fidgets her fingers and swings in her swivel chair. “It’s because I look so young. I mean, I am really young. I’m literally like fresh turned 18 … and people kind of like that, unfortunately.”This is an accurate and honest assessment. At the end of last year, not long after turning 18, the former child star and teen influencer began an online countdown, telling her millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram that she would be launching herself on OnlyFans on 1 January. Every day or so since, she has posted pictures of herself on the platform, sometimes posing in a typical teenager’s bedroom – a pink cuddly stuffed pig on the bed behind her, fairy lights on the wall – wearing teddy-bear-themed pants and bras, or fluffy underwear decorated with bunny-rabbit faces and floppy ears. Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
US building Ebola quarantine center in Kenya for Americans amid outbreak
Some experts criticize White House approach and say not allowing Americans to return to US hurts treatment effortsThe Trump administration is building a quarantine and treatment center in Kenya for Americans affected by the Ebola outbreak, instead of bringing them home.The White House on Wednesday confirmed that the US was setting up a facility in Kenya for Americans to quarantine after Ebola exposure in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Continue reading...
The Guardian
3 days ago
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