Floods, power outages and hundreds evacuated as Cyclone Vaianu lashes New Zealand’s North Island

The US president’s reversal on calling for a safety review of new AI models is a green light for tech’s unchecked powerOnly hours before Donald Trump was set to sign a long-awaited executive order on Thursday that would have called for a government safety review of new artificial intelligence models before their release, the president abruptly backed out. Despite growing public backlash to the technology and experts warning new models will pose critical security risks, Trump vowed the US government would not slow down the AI race.During a meeting with reporters on Thursday, Trump cited both American dominance and competition with China and as his reasoning behind the reversal. Continue reading...

Wait times of more than two hours reported at terminal for cross-Channel ferry to FranceFrench police have temporarily suspended extra EU border checks at the port of Dover as thousands of holidaymakers faced long delays in the hot weather.Wait times of more than two hours were reported at the terminal in Kent for the cross-Channel ferry to France. The delays come a month after the EU’s entry-exit system (EES), which replaces passport stamps with a digital registration, became fully operational. Continue reading...

Threat of jihadism continues to lurk along borders with Mali and Burkina FasoThese days, when she is not organising the annual International Day of Reggae celebrations in Côte d’Ivoire, Rose Ebirim picks up litter scattered on the beach in the historic port town of Grand Bassam, 25 miles east of Abidjan. Both activities have become a form of therapy since the time she saw someone die.“13 March 2016 was a Black Sunday for me,” she said. Continue reading...

Moves comes against backdrop of challenge by prime minister, Narendra Modi, to country’s traditional elitesIndia’s government has ordered one of the country’s most exclusive private clubs to vacate its premises in two weeks, underscoring the long-running push of the prime minister, Narendra Modi, against entrenched elite institutions.The ministry of housing and urban affairs directed the Delhi Gymkhana Club to hand over its sprawling site in the heart of New Delhi by 5 June, citing urgent public interest requirements, including defence and security infrastructure. Continue reading...

Swiss police investigating an alleged home invasion71-year-old sustained a head injury, says reportsSwiss police are investigating an alleged robbery amid reports that the four-times Formula 1 world champion Alain Prost was injured during a home invasion.The Swiss tabloid Blick reported late on Friday that the 71-year-old Frenchman sustained a head injury from intruders who forced his son to open a safe during the incident on Tuesday morning. Continue reading...

Prewar US gas prices averaged about $3 a gallon nationally – kiss that number goodbye for 2026Sorry, US drivers, but don’t expect pump prices to return to prewar levels any time soon, even if the US and Iran agree to a lasting peace deal tomorrow.As the war with Iran enters its third month, drivers have become infuriated by rising gas prices – and inflation – and Donald Trump is facing a historic backlash in the polls. The president promised recently that relief will be swift once the war ends. “I see it going down very substantially when this is over, I think very rapidly too, at levels that you’ve never seen,” he said. Continue reading...

DNC’s Ken Martin condemned for suppressing report for months and then admitting it ‘won’t meet your standards’Democrats belatedly publish 2024 election autopsyKen Martin, the chair of the Democratic National Committee, is facing mounting calls to resign over his shambolic handling of an autopsy report on Kamala Harris’s defeat by Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.Martin suppressed the document for months before finally bowing to internal pressure and releasing it on Thursday. The slapdash nature of the autopsy, omitting Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term and failing to mention the words “Gaza” or “Israel”, has only deepened a crisis of confidence in his leadership. Continue reading...

Growing numbers of people are seeking improbable cosmetic surgery based on chatbots’ recommendationsPlastic surgeons are increasingly concerned about the rise of “AI face”, as more and more clients arrive in their offices with unrealistic AI-generated visions of what they want to look like.Dr Nora Nugent, a cosmetic surgeon from Tunbridge Wells, has seen this first hand. Clients have started coming to her office with photos of themselves beautified by AI and a false expectation that those results are achievable with surgery. She is also the president of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and says many colleagues are having similar experiences. Continue reading...

As Canada tightens asylum rules, refugees reuniting with family say they were turned over to ICE and jailed for months after failed border claimsAs each day in US detention passes, Markens Appolon can feel the life he had dreamed of slipping away.The 25-year-old fled Haiti to escape the rampant gang violence that upended his university studies in economics, and planned to join family in Montreal. Continue reading...

Exclusive: ‘Desperate’ man, in hiding after returning in a lorry, says he knows of 18 others from scheme who live in Britain covertlyAn asylum seeker sent from the UK back to France under the “one in, one out” scheme has covertly returned to Britain and is now in hiding, the Guardian has learned.In the first interview with a one in, one out returnee living under the radar in the UK, the man told the Guardian his situation was “desperate”. Continue reading...

Former Labour health secretary Alan Milburn says firms must offer more flexibility and mental health supportAn “anxious generation” of young people is struggling to adapt to the outdated world of work, according to the government’s jobs adviser.Alan Milburn, a former Labour health secretary, will say this week in a report that businesses must adapt by offering more flexibility and mental health support for young people to stave off an “economic catastrophe.” Continue reading...

Ex-foreign secretary urges reset at ‘higher dosage’ after officials revealed to have pitched single market for goodsThe UK needs a “national consensus” about rejoining the European Union, David Miliband has said, in response to revelations that the UK government pitched the creation of a single market for goods with the EU to the bloc.The former foreign secretary, who is now president of the International Rescue Committee, said he thought the UK needed a reset of its relations with the EU at “a much higher dosage” than the government was planning. Continue reading...