Invite

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Wednesday that she will invite leading artificial intelligence companies to discuss slowing the pace of AI development. • The initiative follows warnings from tech industry leaders regarding the escalating risks associated with rapid AI advancement. • This move signals a push for industry-wide cooperation to establish safety guardrails and prevent uncontrolled growth in the AI market.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen invited Canada to become the first associate member of the European Union during her State of the Union address. • The proposal includes a new alliance between the EU and Ottawa focusing on energy, defense, technology, and critical raw materials. • This entirely new membership status would create a formal strategic partnership between the two regions to secure essential resources and security.

• European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently backed a pause in artificial intelligence development and invited frontier AI labs to discuss risks and new EU regulations. • Von der Leyen warned EU lawmakers that upcoming models will enable hacking at an unprecedented level and could be used by adversaries. • This move signals a shift toward stricter oversight for AI developers to prevent the deployment of rogue agents and security threats.

Commission president says EU must ‘urgently reimagine our partnerships’ as she makes unprecedented offerEurope live – latest updatesCanada has been invited to become the first “associate member” of the EU by the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen.In an unprecedented offer, von der Leyen said on Wednesday that the EU and Canada “see the world with the same eyes” through shared democratic values and common approaches to many big issues, from AI to climate breakdown, the Ukraine war and geopolitics. Continue reading...

Chancellor says he wants everyone from apprentices to senior economists to take part in brainstorming exerciseJohn Healey has asked junior Treasury staff – including IT workers and apprentices – to send him ideas for his October budget, saying he will listen to all suggestions regardless of grade or profession.The chancellor’s unorthodox approach comes as he faces a tricky autumn with expected inflation rises, sluggish growth and potential cuts from other departments to fund extra defence spending. Continue reading...

• German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hosted leaders from Austria, Denmark, and Finland in Berlin on Thursday to coordinate a strategy among "frugal" EU member states. • The meeting serves as preparation for upcoming negotiations regarding the European Union's joint budget for the 2028-2034 seven-year period. • This alliance, which also includes the Netherlands and Sweden, advocates for tighter spending discipline, often clashing with nations like Italy, Spain, and Poland that favor higher spending.

New research sheds light on the genetic basis of the venomous insect’s ‘weird mating behaviour’Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastIf you think you’ve had a bad one-night stand, spare a thought for the male redback spider, whose sole reproductive partner eats him after sex.Male redbacks appear to invite this cannibalism through a “self-sacrificial somersault”, with new research shedding light on the genetic basis of the behaviour. Continue reading...

• The European Central Bank (ECB) has unveiled ten finalist designs for future euro banknotes, divided into two primary themes: culture and nature. • The culture theme features icons such as Leonardo da Vinci, Maria Callas, Beethoven, and Marie Curie, while the nature theme focuses on birds symbolizing European biodiversity. • This initiative allows European citizens to vote for their preferred designs via a survey on the ECB's website, ranging from minimalist to traditional styles.

• The European Central Bank (ECB) has unveiled ten finalist designs for future euro banknotes, focusing on themes of culture and nature. • Proposed designs include portraits of iconic figures such as Leonardo da Vinci for the €100 note, Bertha von Suttner for the €200 note, as well as Maria Callas, Beethoven, and Marie Curie. • Other options feature birds to symbolize Europe's biodiversity, reflecting a choice between celebrating human intellectual achievement or environmental preservation.

• The European Commission has fined Alphabet, Google's parent company, €890 million ($1 billion) for violating the Digital Markets Act (DMA). • The penalty stems from Google unfairly promoting its own shopping and transport services over competitors in search results and restricting how app developers sell to users. • This enforcement action highlights the EU's commitment to curbing the dominance of Big Tech to foster a more competitive digital marketplace.

• Olivia Wilde's new film 'The Invite,' distributed by A24, debuted with a strong per-screen average of $56,194. • The movie achieved these results while playing on a limited scale of only 7 screens. • This performance is significant as it outpaces the platform openings of other recent A24 releases.

• The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 529 new voting members to join its ranks, including stars Jacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega, Teyana Taylor, and Josh O'Connor. • In a separate announcement, legendary actress Glenn Close will be honored with an Honorary Award statuette at the upcoming ceremony. • This recognition for Close comes after a distinguished career featuring eight competitive Oscar nominations.

Annual list of creatives invited to join the Academy also includes Josh O’Connor, Teyana Taylor and Jon BernthalJacob Elordi, Jenna Ortega and Stephen Fry are among the 529 creatives invited to join this year’s member class of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.“We are delighted to invite this remarkable group of film artists and professionals from around the world to join the Academy,” said CEO Bill Kramer and Academy president Lynette Howell Taylor in a statement. “Through their commitment to filmmaking, this year’s exceptionally talented class has made significant contributions to our global movie industry.” Continue reading...

The US president’s opulent tastes will be well served in a palace that has hosted Putin, King Charles and JFKFor a US president who has likened himself to a king and redecorated the Oval Office with golden paint and gold ornaments, it feels like the perfect dinner venue.Donald Trump said one of the deciding factors in accepting an invitation to dine with Emmanuel Macron at the spectacular, 2,300-room Palace of Versailles was that it was “not gold leaf” but the “real deal”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Ukrainian leader says he has ‘a very good relationship’ with British monarch, who has supported his countryZelenskyy hopes Reform UK councils will allow Ukraine flags to be flown againVolodymyr Zelenskyy has revealed that he plans to invite King Charles on a state visit to Ukraine as early as this year, which would make him the most senior royal to travel to Kyiv since Russia’s full-scale invasion.The Ukrainian president said he had a close relationship with the king, whom he has met on numerous occasions, including when he gave a public show of support after Zelenskyy’s explosive visit to the White House last year. Continue reading...

Thirty-nine people taken near Magamin Diddi village in Maradun municipality, north-west Zamfara state, police sayArmed bandits in north-west Nigeria abducted dozens of villagers whom they invited to a meeting about potential peace negotiations, authorities and residents said on Monday, highlighting the region’s worsening security.According to local police, 39 people were seized on Sunday during a meeting in the forest near Magamin Diddi village in the Maradun municipality of north-west Zamfara state. But some residents and officials believe the number of those abducted could be as high as 50. Continue reading...

Health secretary announces expansion of Transform trial but does not back population-wide testingThousands more black men will be invited to take part in a prostate cancer screening trial as the health secretary insisted he was “following the science” in not backing population-wide testing.James Murray accepted a recommendation from the UK national screening committee (UKNSC) that will result in only a few thousand high-risk men with a gene mutation being screened for the disease. Continue reading...

Guess the Party challenges players to pin candidates’ politics to their appearances, with guess rates varying wildlyIs a bristly grey moustache a telltale sign of a Reform candidate? Is pink hair a giveaway for the Greens? Perhaps a sharp suit is the best telltale for the Tories – or spectacles and a rucksack for Labour?Players of a viral politics game have been finding out that it’s never that simple to judge the colour of a candidate’s rosette just by how they look. The game, invented by Sam Hamill-Stewart, challenges players to look at pictures of local election candidates and guess their party affiliation. Continue reading...