Sustainable

• Indian companies are increasingly shifting toward Chinese Large Language Models (LLMs) as an alternative to American options. • The transition is driven by the "unsustainable" cost of US token bills, with developers arguing that high-end US models are often "overkill" for basic operational tasks. • This shift highlights a growing demand for cost-effective AI solutions and suggests a potential decline in US market dominance within the Indian enterprise sector.

Forecaster says curtailing rising costs such as health and pensions ‘are today’s challenge, not just tomorrow’s’Business live – latest updatesPolicymakers must act to prevent public debt rising unsustainably in coming decades as the population ages and defence spending rises, the government’s independent economic forecaster has said.In a fresh illustration of the challenges facing the prime minister in waiting, Andy Burnham, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) said that without government action “debt would move on to what would be an unsustainable, ever-upward path from around the 2040s”. Continue reading...

• A new report by Dilek Ayhan and Rwitwika Bhattacharya identifies Hyderabad as a potential leader in sustainable AI growth by balancing technological progress with responsible resource management. • The study emphasizes that while AI discussions typically focus on algorithms and computing power, the physical infrastructure supporting these breakthroughs is a critical and often overlooked necessity. • This shift in perspective matters because the scalability of AI is fundamentally dependent on the physical capacity and sustainability of the underlying infrastructure.

• The UAE is positioning its energy transformation as a global model for balancing economic growth with long-term environmental sustainability. • The strategy focuses on reconciling the urgent need for energy security with accelerated climate action to meet international goals. • This approach serves as a development pathway for other nations seeking to transition from fossil fuel reliance to sustainable energy sources.

While huge donations are nothing new in UK politics, some fear electoral finance is distorting democracy itselfKeir Starmer may be relaxed about allowing millions from cryptocurrency billionaires to flow into Reform UK’s coffers but Labour MPs are tearing their hair out every time the quarterly data on electoral finance drops.“I look at it through my fingers,” says one MP, as the latest figures show a further £7m went to Reform UK from just two men – Christopher Harborne and Ben Delo. Continue reading...

• The EU's Energy Commissioner, Dan Jørgensen, is urging Big Tech to adopt sustainable AI practices. • Energy-hungry data centers must support the EU's shift to carbon-free power, according to Jørgensen. • This push for sustainability is part of the EU's broader efforts to reduce carbon emissions and meet climate goals.

• European Union officials are warning Big Tech companies to implement sustainable AI practices or face potential regulatory restrictions. • The urgency is highlighted by Ireland, where data centers now consume over 20% of the nation's total electricity, the highest share per capita in the region. • This energy crisis underscores the environmental strain caused by the massive computing power required for AI, threatening EU climate goals.

Guide retires award for eco-friendly practices – and says restaurants will no longer be able to advertise they have itWith rare bluefin tuna and red meat often on their menus, Michelin-starred restaurants have not always prioritised sustainability.In an effort to consider the climate crisis, in 2020 Michelin began awarding green stars to chefs who cooked eco-friendly ingredients and reduced waste. But now the body has abruptly retired the prize and said chefs will no longer be able to advertise that they have it. Continue reading...

Survey of 27,000 Australian supermarket items found some products boasting environmental benefits had significantly higher emissions than unlabelled counterpartsFoods in supermarkets boasting environmental terms such as “natural” or “sustainable” are mostly just using marketing speak, rather than verified claims, Australian researchers have found.More than 27,000 packaged foods sold at Coles, Woolworths, Aldi, IGA and Harris Farm supermarkets in Sydney were assessed by researchers from the George Institute for Global Health. Continue reading...

• Anthropic has discontinued third-party tools like OpenClaw for Claude subscribers, citing unsustainable demand straining its infrastructure. • The move prioritizes core model stability as user growth surges, impacting developers relying on extensions for customized workflows. • It highlights operational challenges for leading AI providers balancing openness with capacity limits in a rapidly scaling market.

City Property, which manages buildings for council, accused of ‘coercive and unfair’ increases and issuing eviction noticesTenants at one of Glasgow’s leading cultural hubs are battling what they describe as “unsustainable” rent increases, with critics describing the landlord responsible as a “rogue agency” imposing similar rises on vulnerable organisations across the city.With tenants expected to sign new leases or receive notices to quit this week, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the offices of City Property last Friday. The demonstration reflects growing concern about the conduct and accountability of the arm’s-length organisation that manages hundreds of buildings on behalf of Glasgow city council. Continue reading...

Closure of strait of Hormuz – a key fertilizer production and transportation route – has squeezed farmers as prices jumpRodney Bushmeyer has been farming as long as he can remember. Bushmeyer’s father was a farmer, as was his grandfather.The family-run Bushmeyer Farms in Illinois dates back more than 100 years, when his ancestors came to the US from Germany. They acquired the first 80 acres cost-free as homesteaders, cleared the land, and worked it. Continue reading...

• Rep. Adam Schiff has publicly declared the war with Iran 'simply unsustainable,' marking significant Democratic opposition to the administration's military strategy and escalation decisions. • Schiff has criticized President Trump's continued downplaying of the war's impacts, arguing that the costs—both economic and human—are becoming untenable for the American public and global markets. • Key Congressional figures from both parties are expressing concerns about the war's trajectory, with worries that if operations extend beyond a four to six week timeframe, the conflict could spiral out of control.