Dangerous

Initial evidence suggests the drone, which was found near Ukrainian cargo planes at the German airport, came from RussiaThe armed drone found at Leipzig airport on Wednesday may not have exploded, but the fact that it got inside the perimeter, close to Ukrainian cargo planes, raises obvious concerns for the security of international aviation.Though the identity of the culprits is unknown, the initial evidence points firmly towards a Russian-orchestrated plot. It is the first time that a drone with explosives has been found in Europe far from the Ukrainian border. Continue reading...

• The Trump administration has implemented a new policy ending federal support for "dangerous" gain-of-function (DGOF) research. • The policy increases oversight of life sciences research that could pose significant risks to national security, biosecurity, or public health. • This move targets the study of infectious agents altered to increase transmissibility or disease severity, a practice previously used to predict viral evolution and design vaccines.

Green party leader says it was ‘a mistake’ and if Farage wants to apologise for times he’s put people in danger he’ll be happy to say sorryThe Green party leader, Zack Polanski, has said he made an “inadvertent mistake” over a social media image but will not apologise to Nigel Farage.The image, which Polanski said he “shared inadvertently” on Instagram and then removed, featured a man wearing a black T-shirt with the message “We’re only making plans for Nigel” and an image of a guillotine. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a new policy on Tuesday banning federal funding for "dangerous" gain-of-function research. • This type of research involves enhancing viruses to predict potential threats, a practice that has faced scrutiny following the COVID-19 pandemic. • The move follows a 2020 order from the Trump administration and aligns with a bipartisan bill signed by President Joe Biden on March 20, 2023.

The conditions for ferocious fires are expected to worsen as the planet heats up, putting more people at riskFierce wildfires after back-to-back heatwaves have forced tens of thousands of people across southern Europe to flee their homes, while powerful infernos across Canada and the US choke big cities with thick smoke. Continue reading...

• Big tech "hyper-scalers," including companies like Amazon, are aggressively investing in AI and machine learning to keep pace with rapid technological developments. • There is a growing gap between the high expectations for AI and the actual reality of its current utility, creating a "dangerously hidden" bubble. • While short-term spending remains stable because buyers are locked in and funded via bonds, this instability poses a long-term risk to both tech giants and their suppliers.

• Arcee, a U.S.-based open-source AI lab, has stated that AI models developed in China are not inherently dangerous. • The statement comes amid intensifying debates over the security risks of Chinese AI as these models increase in capability and gain popularity among American companies. • Arcee argues that the fundamental training processes of these models do not make them naturally hazardous, challenging the narrative that foreign origin equates to a security threat.

• OpenAI experienced a model-driven security breach, though the specific technical details of the compromise remain under scrutiny. • The incident is currently being obscured by conflicting narratives, ranging from "singularity" alarmism to dismissals of the event as mere marketing hype. • This tension matters because it prevents a clear understanding of how AI models can be exploited, potentially masking critical vulnerabilities in AI safety.

Airports have had to use gazebos to shield passengers from sun as they wait to be processed, says Alexander ZinellThe boss of 14 Greek airports has called for a serious overhaul of the EU’s new border checks, after being forced to erect gazebos for passengers to cope with queues.The chief executive of Fraport Greece, Alexander Zinell, joined a growing chorus of critics calling out “fundamental flaws” in the entry-exit system (EES), which requires non-EU passengers to have their fingerprints and photo taken at the start of the their trip and verified every time they leave or re-enter the Schengen zone. Continue reading...

Exclusive: health groups call on expected next prime minister to rip up agreement, which analysis suggests could lead to 229,000 excess deaths by 2036UK politics live – latest updatesAndy Burnham is being urged to scrap the UK-US trade deal on medicines as health organisations and doctors’ groups warn it is dangerous and prioritises pharmaceutical company profits over the lives of NHS patients.Ministers have defended the agreement, signed last December, as a way of helping British drug exports to the US avoid tariffs and giving patients access to potentially life-extending drugs that would otherwise be denied. Continue reading...

• The U.S. is celebrating its 250th anniversary this July 4th with major festivities, including "Freedom 250" events in Washington, D.C., and a scheduled speech by Donald Trump. • For the first time, the capital's Independence Day celebrations have been designated as a National Special Security Event, a high-level security status usually reserved for inaugurations and Super Bowls. • These historic celebrations are unfolding amidst a dangerous heat wave, posing potential health risks to attendees and participants.

• Senator Marco Rubio is reportedly advocating for a diplomatic strategy in Lebanon that would allow for a prolonged or indefinite Israeli military occupation. • Critics argue that this approach ignores Lebanese sovereignty and risks destabilizing the region, potentially triggering a full-scale civil war. • The situation highlights a contentious shift in U.S. foreign policy toward the Levant, prioritizing Israeli security objectives over Lebanese territorial integrity.

National Weather Service warns heat index could reach 115F as extreme heat grips midwest, Ohio valley and east coastSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailA “prolonged, dangerous heatwave” is expected to intensify across parts of the central and eastern United States over the next few days and into the holiday weekend, bringing record-breaking temperatures, humidity, and dangerous conditions to millions of Americans.The National Weather Service (NWS) warned on Thursday that temperatures between 95F (35C) and 105F (40.5C), combined with high humidity, will push heat index values across parts of the region to between 100F (37.7C) and 115F (46.1C). Continue reading...

Nine of the group stage games played in severe heat, analysis finds, as union points to lessons for the whole sportNine matches in the World Cup group stage were played amid potentially dangerous heat and humidity, a Guardian analysis shows, as global players’ union Fifpro warned that heat would have to “play a bigger part” in the sport’s future scheduling decisions.The findings come as likely record-breaking heat and humidity will hit the midwest and eastern US this week and could make conditions even more challenging for players and fans at some games. Continue reading...

Founder of Maternity Safety Alliance says recommendation in Amos report will not solve wider cultural problemsThe appointment of a national maternity commissioner would be “fundamentally dangerous”, a bereaved mother who founded a maternity safety campaign group has warned.Emily Barley, whose daughter Beatrice died because of failings at Barnsley hospital in 2022, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the recommendation for a maternity commissioner in England in the Amos review was “not going to do what we need to move maternity safety forwards”.Maternity triage services – the childbirth equivalent of A&E – need an urgent overhaul, including more staff on duty, so that women’s concerns are acted on more quickly.Families should get the right to seek a fresh, independent investigation when things go wrong if they are not happy with the hospital’s own inquiry.The NHS’s “brutal” and “cruel” system of agreeing compensation with harmed and bereaved families should be replaced by a new process in which hospitals admit errors immediately.The NHS must root out racism and discrimination that is “embedded throughout the maternity and neonatal system”. Continue reading...

Red warnings issued as record-breaking heatwave pushes east, with authorities urging people to stay indoorsParts of central, eastern and southern Europe sweltered on Monday as the “heat dome” behind last week’s record-breaking temperatures shifted east, bringing dangerous conditions to a new swathe of the continent.Budapest is forecast to exceed 40C on Tuesday, according to models from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. Belgrade and Bucharest reached 38C and 37C respectively on Monday as the heatwave, which has been linked to hundreds of deaths in western Europe, moved east. Continue reading...

Those partial to a pint may be relieved to know a modest of amount of weak beer may actually be beneficialEuropean heatwave live – latest updatesAs Europe endures a record-breaking heatwave, countries are taking steps to keep people safe and prevent health services from becoming overstretched. Parisians face a temporary ban on drinking alcohol in public to reduce the pressure on the hospitals after a four-fold rise in cardiac arrests in a 24-hour period.We look at why drinking alcohol can be dangerous in a heatwave. Continue reading...

• A drone strike in the Sudanese city of El Obeid hit an empty fuel tanker parked near a school on Tuesday, resulting in injuries to students. • The United Nations reported on Wednesday that ongoing fighting in the city continues to endanger civilians and cause significant damage to local infrastructure. • This incident highlights the escalating risks to non-combatants and educational facilities amidst the broader Sudanese conflict.

• UN Assistant Secretary-General Mohamed Khaled Khiari warned the Security Council on Monday that recent deadly drone and missile attacks in Ukraine signal a "dangerous cycle of escalation" in the ongoing war. • Edem Wosornu, crisis response director at OCHA, emphasized that the decisions made by the Council are critical and will directly determine whether lives are saved or lost. • The briefings highlight the intensifying violence of Russia's full-scale invasion, which has now entered its fourth year.

• Dozens of cybersecurity experts are protesting a U.S. government export-control ban on Anthropic’s most powerful AI models, specifically Fable and Mythos. • The group argues that restricting access to these high-tier models prevents cybersecurity defenders from effectively securing software and products against emerging threats. • This conflict highlights the tension between national security efforts to prevent AI proliferation and the practical needs of the security community to utilize advanced tools for defense.

Study of mothers in Seattle underscores ‘widespread, systemic problem’ of chemical contamination, experts sayBreast milk samples from mothers in Seattle contain alarming levels of dangerous hormone-disrupting chemicals, including BPA, BPS, melamine, cyanuric acid, and triclosan, new peer-reviewed research has found.The chemicals present a serious risk to infants because they likely interfere with hormones that are critical to newborns’ proper development, and have been found to be harmful at very low levels of exposure. About 92% of 50 samples were contaminated with at least one of the anti-microbials or plasticizers for which researchers checked. Continue reading...

• Anthropic has launched Claude Fable 5, the first "Mythos-class" model made available to the general public. • To mitigate safety risks, the model includes built-in guardrails that block responses related to high-risk fields such as biology and cybersecurity. • The release occurs as Anthropic prepares for a potential public market entry, joining other industry giants like OpenAI and SpaceX.

• U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned that Europe is being "invaded" by "dangerous ideologies" during a speech commemorating the 82nd anniversary of the D-Day landings. • Hegseth specifically cited the arrival of boats and migrants on the beaches of Spain, Italy, Greece, and Bulgaria as a modern threat to the continent. • The remarks highlight a shift in rhetoric, framing current migration patterns as a security crisis comparable in urgency to the historical military threats faced in 1944.

Draft treaty claims sexual and reproductive health and rights are an existential threat to the African familyAn African treaty that rejects longstanding international human rights obligations moved a step closer to becoming policy this week as governments across the continent met in Ghana.The draft African charter on family, sovereignty and values, seen by the Guardian, asserts that African values and culture are under attack from “foreign ideologies” and urges states to withdraw from any agreements that do not align with the principles of the charter, including the 2003 Maputo protocol, which promotes gender equality and protects the reproductive and health rights of women and girls. Continue reading...

• Researchers at the University of Toronto have demonstrated that artificial intelligence can be used to "supercharge" computer worms, allowing them to automatically identify and exploit vulnerabilities. • The AI-driven programs can target any known flaw in global computer systems, significantly increasing the speed and efficiency of cyberattacks. • This development is critical because it lowers the barrier for hackers to create sophisticated, self-propagating malware that can spread rapidly across networks.

Civil rights scholar Kimberlé Crenshaw warns Birmingham City University’s decision part of extremist campaign that has ‘travelled across Atlantic’A leading US civil rights scholar has urged Birmingham City University (BCU) to reverse its decision to close its black studies course, comparing it with the attack on diversity, equity and inclusion in the US.Kimberlé Crenshaw, a professor of law at the University of California, Los Angeles and Columbia University, expressed “profound concern” about plans to withdraw the MA in black studies and global justice, just months after the course was launched. Continue reading...

Home secretary’s condenmation of ‘misinformation and inflammatory commentary’ comes after death threats to policeUK politics live – latest updatesThe home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, has warned of a “dangerous undercurrent” in the wake of the murder of Henry Nowak, who was falsely accused of racism by a Sikh man who had fatally stabbed him with a ceremonial dagger.Vickrum Digwa, 23, was sentenced on Monday to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years for the December 2025 murder of 18-year-old Nowak. Continue reading...

The overwhelming majority of those deported had no criminal convictions, and at least 600 were childrenIn late January, the Trump administration was planning a war in Iran, weighing possible airstrikes and staging aircraft carriers and other military ships in the region. Around that time, government officials deported 18 people to Iran, the last of them arriving just days before American and Israeli bombs began falling across the country.These deportations were the latest in an aggressive campaign to deport Iranians from the United States, the first time in recent history the US government had done so in large numbers. In the 13 months of Donald Trump’s presidency leading up to the war, the United States deported more than 200 people to Iran, even as the state department decried human rights abuses by the Iranian government and warned US citizens not to travel there “for any reason”. Continue reading...