Top stories
1. G7 to launch exercises to guard against AI cyber attacks - Reuters
Reuters reports that the G7 will launch exercises to guard against AI cyber attacks. The move aims to strengthen member states’ ability to respond to AI-driven cybersecurity threats.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
2. Beijing seeks tighter grip on AI exports amid US rivalry - Reuters
Reuters reports Beijing is seeking tighter control over AI-related exports amid intensifying US-China tech rivalry. No details of the specific measures were given.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
3. Revealed: VW, Ford and Tesla batteries linked to destructive deforestation of indigenous lands
An analysis found that batteries used by Volkswagen, Ford and Tesla may contain nickel mined in Indigenous woodlands in Indonesia, where primary rainforest has been widely cleared. Corporate disclosures and trade data show the supply chains are linked to deforestation of Tolaki people’s lands.
Source: The Guardian World
World news
1. No 10 leaves option open to impose Chinese EV tariffs if UK joins EU scheme
Downing Street has left open the possibility of imposing tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles if the UK joins the EU’s Made in Europe scheme. Beijing warned that such a move would be “discriminatory.” France has dropped its opposition to Britain joining the related Industrial Accelerator Act.
Source: The Guardian World
2. World Bank’s Banga sets goal of quintupling critical minerals financing in five years - Reuters
World Bank President Ajay Banga has set a goal of quintupling the bank’s financing for critical minerals within five years. The push aims to secure supplies of lithium, cobalt, copper and other materials needed for the energy transition.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
3. Ship attack reports near Hormuz reach record high as oil exports slow
BBC Verify analysis of UK maritime agency data shows 12 vessels were struck near the Strait of Hormuz in one week, a record high for attack reports. Oil exports in the region are slowing.
Source: BBC World
4. IMF chief urges cooperation on AI and war risks, as US hails economic momentum - Reuters
IMF chief urges cooperation on AI and war risks. The US, meanwhile, hails its economic momentum.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
5. Pope pictured for first time since surgery and cancer diagnosis
The pontiff was diagnosed with lung cancer after undergoing surgery at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital on Tuesday. It is the first time he has been pictured since the surgery and diagnosis.
Source: BBC World
6. Patients in chains rescued from suspected illegal rehab centre in South Africa
About 200 patients were rescued from a suspected illegal rehab centre in South Africa. Some were found in chains, with sores all over their bodies, and held in overcrowded rooms.
Source: BBC World
7. Catholics in Africa outnumber those in Europe, Vatican says
The Vatican says Africa now has more Catholics than Europe, underscoring a shift of the Church’s demographic center toward the global south. The change could reshape how church resources and priorities are allocated.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
8. Fed’s Warsh sees US resilience, mum on rate-path view - Reuters
Fed’s Warsh said the US economy shows resilience but declined to comment on the future rate path, according to Reuters. No specific policy signals were offered.
Source: Reuters World (via Google News)
9. Trial of German steakhouse heiress that sparked a huge spy scandal
Christina Block, a German steakhouse heiress, is on trial in a high-security Hamburg courtroom. She is accused of ordering the abduction of her children; the case has sparked a major spy scandal.
Source: BBC World
10. ‘Opening the lid of a horrible secret’: Jamaicans confront enslavement with taboo-busting stories on screen
In Sky’s supernatural series Possession, a woman opens a 300-year-old box, unleashing a violent spirit seen as colonialism and oppression. Observers say Jamaican filmmakers are increasingly reclaiming the island’s stories to confront enslavement, a form of “cultural reparation.”
Source: The Guardian World
11. Museum releases historical photos of island where Amelia Earhart may have crashed
A New Zealand museum has released nearly 50 aerial survey photos of Nikumaroro island from 1938. The island is where Amelia Earhart is believed to have crash-landed, and the images may offer new clues in the search for her plane.
Source: The Guardian World
12. Mortgage repayments are now cheaper than rent in some Australian suburbs. Is yours among them?
High rents and falling property prices have opened a window for tenants to buy, with mortgage repayments now cheaper than rent in dozens of Australian suburbs. Cotality data analysis shows median rents in inner Melbourne, suburban Canberra and Darwin nearly match weekly home-loan costs.
Source: The Guardian World