Train

• Researchers at Sapient developed a 1B parameter reasoning model, called HRM-Text, by training it from scratch for approximately $1,500. • The model was trained on 40B tokens and achieved performance levels competitive with larger models ranging from 2B to 7B parameters. • This breakthrough demonstrates that foundational pretraining is no longer exclusive to wealthy institutions, allowing smaller organizations to build capable reasoning models affordably.

David Stroud grabbed a woman’s hair and asked if he could kiss her two days after legislation took effectA train passenger has become the first person to be sentenced under a new harassment law after a prosecution brought by the British Transport Police (BTP).David Stroud, 44, grabbed a woman’s hair and asked her “can I kiss you?” on a rail journey to London on 3 April, two days after the new legislation came into force banning harassment motivated by a person’s sex. Continue reading...

Decarlos Brown Jr to stay in custody while receiving treatment for remainder of case over Iryna Zarutska’s deathThe man accused of fatally stabbing Iryna Zarutska on a Charlotte commuter train in August has been found incompetent to stand trial in federal court for now, the US attorney’s office for the western district of North Carolina said on Tuesday.Decarlos Brown Jr, 35, is accused of killing Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee, on a Charlotte light rail train in a case that drew national attention after a surveillance camera video depicting the violent attack was released. Continue reading...

• The 2026 World Cup is set to begin in three days, with the opening match scheduled for this coming Thursday. • All 48 competing nations, including England, have arrived at their respective bases to conduct final training sessions ahead of the tournament. • This expanded edition of the tournament represents the "biggest sporting show on earth," culminating in the final match on July 19.

• Youth protesters marched in New Delhi, referring to themselves as "cockroaches" to symbolize their feeling of being overlooked and crushed by the system. • The demonstrators are demanding the resignation of India's education minister and calling for greater transparency and fairness in competitive entrance exams. • This movement highlights growing frustration among India's youth regarding systemic corruption and the high-pressure nature of academic qualification processes.

• Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter has obtained a restraining order against an unidentified man who repeatedly appeared at her home. • The singer reported a series of "deeply alarming" incidents to the Los Angeles police, citing concerns for her safety. • This legal action follows a pattern of harassment and trespassing, highlighting the ongoing security challenges faced by high-profile celebrities.

Amtrak car caught fire in Hudson River tunnel due to overhead wire damage, according to New Jersey transitA fire in a rail yard train car near New York’s Penn Station injured five people and disrupted service for many commuters early Friday, authorities said.The fire resulted in train delays on the New Jersey Transit and Amtrak rail services into New York and briefly suspended Long Island Rail Road service, more than a week after a strike had shut down that system. Continue reading...

• Amazon MGM Studios has greenlit the first three children's shows developed under a new initiative utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) for content creation. • The announcement, made on Wednesday, marks a strategic shift in how the studio approaches the development of programming for younger audiences. • This move is significant as it integrates AI into the creative pipeline, potentially altering traditional production workflows and storytelling methods.

Tribunal decision on Geoffrey Dalton comes as advocacy group releases data showing 30 greyhounds have died at or after Victorian races this yearGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastA veteran greyhound trainer whose dog was found to have cocaine in its system at a race has avoided a temporary ban despite the industry regulator calling for one.The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (Vcat) on Thursday decided not to impose tougher penalties on Geoffrey Dalton, who was fined $300 after the dog tested positive for cocaine before a 2024 race. Continue reading...

Two children among dead after incident at level crossing near town of Buggenhout in FlandersEurope – latest updatesAn investigation is under way after four people, including two children, were killed when a school minibus collided with a train in northern Belgium.Five children were injured in the crash at a level crossing near the small town of Buggenhout in Flanders on Tuesday. Continue reading...

• Diplomacy between Tehran and Washington has accelerated after weeks of escalation, with regional mediators helping drive a new round of Iran-U.S. talks. • The reporting says the confrontation follows more than six weeks of disruption tied to Iran’s pressure on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and a U.S.-enforced naval blockade. • The article frames the talks as a shift from confrontation to negotiation, with economic strain and oil pressure pushing both sides toward a new phase.

• On May 25, 2026, Felipe Sinisterra and Dave Wang launched specialized AI training courses designed specifically for Wall Street bankers. • The program aims to integrate artificial intelligence into financial operations to enhance efficiency and decision-making within the banking sector. • This initiative matters as it represents a targeted effort to upskill high-level financial professionals to keep pace with rapid technological advancements.

Police commissioner acknowledges outcome causes ‘significant distress’ for 24-year-old Warlpiri man’s family and wider communityWarning: This article contains references to Indigenous Australians who have diedNorthern Territory police will not lay any charges against officers after an Indigenous man died while being restrained in an Alice Springs supermarket in 2025.Kumanjayi White, a 24‑year‑old Warlpiri man who lived with cognitive disabilities, died on 27 May last year during a confrontation with police in a Coles supermarket. Continue reading...

• DIGITIMES analyst Sabrina Yu reported at Tech Forum 2026 that AI data centers are increasingly adopting "behind-the-meter" on-site power to bypass persistent electrical grid bottlenecks. • The shift is driven by four critical energy challenges: rising GPU thermal design power, the need for new high-voltage direct current architectures, grid constraints, and strict carbon-emission mandates. • This trend matters as cloud service providers struggle to maintain the massive energy requirements of AI infrastructure while meeting sustainability goals.

Announcement comes after Alan Milburn says Britain has neglected generation of young people struggling to access work and training opportunitiesMinisters are expanding youth work experience and training schemes, after Alan Milburn warned Britain is spending £25 keeping young people on benefits for every £1 spent helping them into work.Pat McFadden, the work and pensions secretary will announce plans for 300,000 extra work experience placements over the next three years as Labour attempts to tackle what the minister described as a “quiet crisis” in youth employment. Continue reading...

• China’s armed forces secretly trained about 200 Russian military personnel in China late last year, according to three European intelligence agencies and documents seen by Reuters. • Some of the trained personnel have since returned to fight in Ukraine, highlighting another layer of cooperation between Beijing and Moscow despite Western sanctions. • The disclosure matters because it suggests China’s support for Russia may extend beyond trade and diplomacy into military preparedness.

Transport secretary says first official estimate in 2026 prices shows ‘obscene increase’ after ‘shocking legacy’ of previous governmentBusiness live – latest updatesThe HS2 high-speed railway will now cost up to £102.7bn and trains will not start running between London and Birmingham until as late as 2039, the government has admitted – £70bn more and 13 years later than originally promised.The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said that the truncated railway would not be entirely completed until as late as 2043. Continue reading...

Train operator says passenger demand will still be met as it trims summer timetable at government’s behestAvanti West Coast is to cut about one in seven trains on its busiest intercity routes this summer to reduce costs.The train operator said it was reducing its timetable between London Euston and Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester in response to a government request to lower spending. Continue reading...

Transport secretary to give budget details of troubled high-speed line, which backers hope will stay well below £100bnThe latest estimate of the cost of HS2 and a timetable to complete construction of the high-speed railway will be set out by the government on Tuesday, including plans to run trains slower to trim costs.The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, is expected to give the first official reckoning of the troubled project’s budget in 2026 prices, which HS2’s backers hope will remain substantially below £100bn. Continue reading...

• China’s economy slowed in April, with industrial output, retail sales and fixed-asset investment all missing expectations as global energy-market volatility added pressure. • Retail sales rose just 0.2% year on year, down from 1.7% in March, while industrial output increased 4.1%, below the 5.63% forecast cited by economists. • National Bureau of Statistics spokesperson Fu Linghui said the economy had “generally speaking” maintained steady growth, but warned the external environment remained “complex and volatile.”

Exclusive: Families of men facing death penalty add to internal opposition to seeking deal with Saudi defence ministryThe families of two scholars facing the death penalty in Saudi Arabia have appealed to the University of Cambridge to drop proposals to run staff training courses for Riyadh’s defence ministry.The Guardian revealed last week that Cambridge’s Judge business school has been authorised to offer “leadership development” and “innovation management” training for the Saudi defence ministry’s staff, despite internal opposition within the university over the kingdom’s record on human rights and academic freedom. Continue reading...

Despite the ban on disposables, waste professionals say the mountain of discarded devices is a £1bn-a-year issue It is 2pm and Ana, 47, has just started the afternoon shift at the Suez recycling plant near Birmingham city centre, standing beneath a sign reading “Non-ferrous sorting station” with a bucket of vapes in front of her. Sorting and dismantling them is part of her job as a site operative.Recycling them is not simple. Each bucket holds between 40 and 50 devices, and over the course of a shift, she gets through about half a bucket. Using a hammer, she has to smash each vape open, pry out the batteries and separate each component into a different container. Continue reading...

New rules would enable single-ticket bookings across multiple rail operators throughout EuropeCross-border train journeys through several European countries are the stuff of many a holidaymaker’s dreams.But the reality of trying to buy the tickets, navigating multiple websites without knowing who can help if a connection is missed, can prove less than relaxing. As one MEP puts it, it can often require “five tabs, three apps and a prayer”. Continue reading...

Defence department says another ADF soldier was injured on Monday evening, but didn’t require hospitalisationFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAn army soldier has died during a parachuting training course at Jervis Bay airfield, Defence has announced.The soldier died during the training incident on Monday evening. Continue reading...

Discovery was made by Union Pacific employee inspecting stopped train at the yard in Laredo before it continued its journey northSign up for the Breaking News US newsletter emailRail workers in Texas found six people dead inside a boxcar at a yard close to the Mexican border on Sunday afternoon, officials said.The discovery was made by a Union Pacific employee inspecting the stopped train at the yard in Laredo before it continued its journey north, a spokesperson for the Laredo police department said, citing the railroad freight company. Continue reading...

State media says Tehran’s response to peace plan passed to Pakistan as drone strikes or incursions reported in UAE, Kuwait, Qatar and IraqIran has said it has replied to a US peace proposal, on a day when a month-old ceasefire showed signs of fraying, with drone strikes reported around the region.Iranian state media reported that the Iranian response had been passed to Pakistani mediators, without giving further details. The announcement came a week after the US presented a peace proposal, which was reported to consist of a one-page 14-point memorandum of understanding that would reopen the strait of Hormuz while setting a framework for further talks on Iran’s nuclear programme. Continue reading...

London Waterloo services particularly hit after radio network fault prevented communication between drivers and signallersTrains in parts of southern England have been severely disrupted after a fault in a radio system.Services out of London Waterloo, one of the UK’s busiest rail stations, have been particularly delayed. Continue reading...

Profits jump to £122m at ticketing retailer but it expects flat or declining revenues over the coming year Business live – latest updatesTrainline has said the US standoff with Iran is hitting its revenues, with rail ticket sales to foreign visitors to Europe affected.The UK-based ticketing retailer said it expected revenues to stay flat or decline over the coming year, citing “the effects of geopolitical tensions in the Middle East on inbound air traffic into Europe”. Continue reading...