Power

• La startup TextWeave a obtenu un financement d'amorçage de 10 millions de dollars le mois dernier pour exploiter les LLM afin de générer des textes marketing pour les petits commerces. • La plateforme répond à des besoins de niche en matière de création de contenu, démontrant comment les solutions d'IA spécialisées alimentent la croissance des startups. • Ce financement s'inscrit dans les tendances d'adoption par les entreprises, où l'IA générative domine l'actualité des startups technologiques pour des tâches telles que la rédaction automatisée.

Les législateurs s'accordent sur une prolongation de 45 jours, mais les détracteurs républicains et démocrates réclament une réforme du programme de surveillance. Le Congrès américain a adopté une prolongation de 45 jours d'une loi qui accorde aux agences de renseignement des États-Unis des pouvoirs de surveillance sans mandat. D'âpres luttes intestines concernant l'article 702 de la Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act au sein de l'aile républicaine du Congrès ont, à plusieurs reprises, fait échouer les projets des chefs de file conservateurs visant à renouveler cette loi de surveillance controversée pour plusieurs années. L'impasse s'est poursuivie jeudi, le président républicain de la Chambre, Mike Johnson, ayant refusé d'inclure des réformes clés réclamées par les radicaux de son parti et les démocrates progressistes. Continuer la lecture...

Des dizaines de pairies à vie accordées dans ce qui semble être une concession, permettant leur retour sur les bancs rouges Des dizaines de pairs héréditaires dont les sièges ont été supprimés ont vu leurs pouvoirs législatifs rétablis alors que Keir Starmer cherche à accélérer les changements à la House of Lords. Il est entendu que 15 pairs héréditaires Conservative, deux Labour et neuf crossbenchers ont reçu des pairies à vie, permettant leur retour sur les bancs rouges. Lire la suite...

• Une équipe internationale, comprenant des chercheurs de l'University of Wisconsin–Madison, a mesuré la force des jets de particules expulsés par un trou noir dans le système Cygnus. • Cette mesure, la première du genre, confirme une prédiction faite par des astronomes de l'UW-Madison il y a dix ans. • Les résultats valident des théories de longue date sur la mécanique des jets de trous noirs, faisant progresser la compréhension de l'astrophysique.

Les guichets automatiques de cryptomonnaies font également face à une interdiction, après qu'une enquête publique a conclu que le Canada manquait d'une stratégie de lutte contre le blanchiment d'argent. Le Canada doit mettre sur pied une nouvelle et puissante agence d'application de la loi pour enquêter sur la criminalité financière, un contraste frappant avec les États-Unis, où des enquêteurs fédéraux affaiblis ont peiné à poursuivre les fraudeurs et où la Maison-Blanche a gracié des blanchisseurs d'argent condamnés. Un projet de loi visant à créer la Financial Crimes Agency (FCA) a terminé sa première lecture au parlement cette semaine. La législation a été présentée par les libéraux au pouvoir et, grâce à leur majorité parlementaire, le parti est susceptible de la faire adopter rapidement par les deux niveaux de gouvernement. Lire la suite...

• Des centaines de personnes se sont rassemblées devant la Cour suprême des États-Unis le 29 avril 2026 pour les plaidoiries sur le Statut de protection temporaire (TPS) pour les Haïtiens et les Syriens, les juges examinant de près l'autorité du président Trump pour mettre fin au programme. • Le tribunal a semblé sceptique quant à l'étendue du pouvoir exécutif de révoquer les amnisties d'expulsion, selon les comptes rendus de l'audience. • Un arrêt pourrait affecter des milliers de personnes menacées d'expulsion et tester les limites des actions exécutives en matière d'immigration avant les élections de mi-mandat.

Cette décision donne aux cartographes des États républicains le pouvoir de morceler les districts et de diluer les votes jusqu'à l'oubli Le Voting Rights Act était un pacte de paix politique écrit avec le sang de John Lewis. La décision Callais v Landry de la Cour suprême des États-Unis, qui a écarté une grande partie de la section 2 du Voting Rights Act, a effacé ce sang de l'histoire, ainsi que celui de milliers d'autres Américains qui ont combattu les suprémacistes blancs ségrégationnistes aux comptoirs des restaurants, dans les gares routières et les tribunaux pour l'égalité politique. Lire la suite...

• Dans la course au New York City Council, le soutien de Zohran Mamdani est remis en question alors que l'élu sortant est à la peine face à de faibles sondages et une base divisée. • Le candidat, défiant, refuse de s'effacer au profit d'un challenger centriste malgré de mauvais chiffres. • Cette course locale témoigne de l'évolution des dynamiques démocrates dans la politique urbaine avec des implications nationales.

• Sevii a annoncé le lancement de sa capacité de défense autonome par essaim cybernétique (Cyber Swarm Defense - CSD) le 28 avril 2026, afin de contrer les cyberattaques à haut volume pilotées par l'IA à une vitesse et une échelle machine. • La plateforme ADR déploie des agents « Agentic AI Cyber Warrior » qui détectent, contiennent et remédient aux menaces en moins de 15 minutes, réduisant la charge de travail des analystes de 95 % grâce à un modèle de tarification fixe par actif éliminant les coûts liés aux jetons d'IA. • Le mode CSD intègre la technologie de défense Myrmidon (MDT) pour une micro-orchestration efficace, permettant une budgétisation prévisible sans embauches supplémentaires ni externalisation, comme l'a souligné Frank Holt, PDG de Synergem Technologies.

• SkyfireAI Inc., a US-based autonomous drone startup, raised $11 million in new funding to advance dual-use technology. • The investment targets AI autonomy for public safety, defense, and commercial drone applications. • This funding accelerates development amid rising demand for intelligent unmanned systems in critical sectors.

Though solar was initially blamed for loss of power, renewables have helped to insulate Spain from gas price rises caused by war in Middle EastOne year ago today, all of Spain, and much of Portugal, suffered through a blackout of unprecedented scale and duration. In mere seconds, a cascading sequence of events burst through the grid and created Europe’s first “system black” event in recent memory.Traffic signals failed, mobile networks stopped working entirely, petrol stations could not pump fuel and supermarkets couldn’t process payments. Madrid’s metro came to a halt and people had to be pulled out of carriages. “People were stunned because this had never happened in Spain,” Carlos Condori, a 19-year-old construction sector worker, told AFP at the time. “There’s no [phone] coverage, I can’t call my family, my parents, nothing: I can’t even go to work.” Continue reading...

Audias Flores, known as ‘El Jardinero’, of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel, captured in western state of NayaritMexican special forces have arrested one of the top commanders of the powerful Jalisco New Generation Cartel in the western state of Nayarit.Audias Flores, known as “El Jardinero”, is a regional commander in control of swathes of CJNG territory along Mexico’s Pacific coast. He was considered a potential successor to Nemesio Oseguera, alias “El Mencho”, who ran the cartel and was killed in a security operation in February. Continue reading...

Coordinated attack by JNIM and the Tuareg minority inflicted significant casualties on government forces and Russian auxiliariesWhen al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic militants launched a series of attacks on military bases and raids into major towns in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso last summer, observers suggested they had been inspired by their counterparts in Syria, who had overthrown the regime of Bashar al-Assad and taken power six months or so earlier.Despite the tactical successes that earned them the fearful title of the “Ghost Army”, seizing swathes of territory and denying cities and the military of fuel and other essentials, the chances of Jama’at Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) definitively defeating Mali’s military regime and the thousand or so Russian mercenaries hired to defend it looked poor. Continue reading...

Sarah Mullally hails Leo for addressing the ‘many injustices in our world’ after private meeting with pope in RomeThe archbishop of Canterbury praised Pope Leo on Monday for speaking “powerfully about the many injustices” in the world, in an apparent reference to the pontiff becoming more outspoken in recent weeks, particularly in his criticism of the US-Israeli war on Iran.Sarah Mullally, who in March became the first woman to lead the Anglican church, arrived in Rome on Saturday for a visit aimed at reinforcing relations with the Vatican. Mullally had a private meeting with Leo, the first US-born leader of the Catholic church, at the Apostolic Palace, the pope’s official residence. Continue reading...

Top aide says SNP leader will seek approval to press for independence even if he fails to win majority on 7 MayJohn Swinney will call a vote seeking independence powers on the first day of the next Scottish parliament even if he fails to win an overall majority, his aides have said.The Scottish National Party leader’s senior adviser indicated that if necessary, he would rely on support from the pro-independence Scottish Greens to win that vote in order to demand the UK government gives Holyrood the legal powers to hold a second referendum. Continue reading...

Russian backing for the ruling junta has not stopped rebel fighters striking significant blows in recent daysWhen Assimi Goïta, the leader of Mali’s military junta, sat down with the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in the Kremlin last summer, it symbolised Moscow’s commanding sway over Mali at the expense of the west.As the two men spoke, roughly 3,500 miles to the south, about 2,000 Russian troops were propping up the regime in the landlocked desert country, as part of Moscow’s broader push for influence across the Sahel region. Continue reading...

Health secretary’s ‘power grab’ to override Nice comes amid growing concern move may be illegal and benefit big pharmaDozens of MPs are opposing Wes Streeting’s decision to award himself power to dictate what the NHS pays for drugs amid growing concern the move may be illegal.Thirty-one MPs have signed a House of Commons motion voicing their disapproval of the health secretary being handed the power to override the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (Nice) judgment on how much the NHS should spend on individual medicines. Continue reading...

• Apple unveiled iOS 20 on April 25, 2026, featuring Apple Intelligence enhancements for on-device AI processing in Siri and Photos apps, rolling out first to US users. • Key additions include real-time language translation supporting 15 languages and AI-generated summaries for Safari, trained on 3 trillion parameters without cloud dependency. • The update addresses privacy concerns post-EU DMA rulings, boosting Apple's 45% US smartphone market share amid AI race with Google Pixel.

Statue – one of city’s most popular tourist attractions – on steps of Philadelphia Museum of Art key plank of new showA statue of Sylvester Stallone’s fictional boxer Rocky Balboa is the focal point of an examination of the power of monuments opening at the Philadelphia Museum of Art this weekend that marks two millennia of boxing and celebrity.The statue, placed on the “Rocky Steps” of the museum in 1982, six years after the the 1976 film Rocky made Stallone a star, is one of Philadelphia’s most popular tourist attractions, visited by an estimated 4 million people annually. Continue reading...

Diplomats poke fun at Donald Trump while Madonna loses her corset off the back of a golf buggyThe one upside to a rolling international crisis is that it can give backroom people a rare chance to shine. Witness, this week, the breakout stars of the Iranian diplomatic corps, who from two different diplomatic missoverions managed to poke fun at Donald Trump while maintaining the base-level decorum that so eludes the American president. Continue reading...

• Power Solutions International reduced its debt-to-equity ratio from 2,140% to 54.6% over five years, signaling substantial improvement in financial health. • The company achieved 64.5% earnings growth last year, outpacing the electrical industry average of 21.4%. • Despite recent share price volatility, the company's financial restructuring and strong earnings demonstrate improved operational performance.

Budget outlines funding for autonomous drone warfare program as experts say military unprepared for risksThe Pentagon is aiming to increase funding more than a hundredfold for an autonomous drone warfare program, according to budget documents released this week, signalling a major pivot towards AI-powered war.In its 2027 budget, the Pentagon has asked for over $54bn to fund the Defense Autonomous Warfare Group, a 24,000% increase on last year. Continue reading...

• Nashville SC rose in ESPN's MLS Power Rankings after a strong week, solidifying their position as East leaders. • The team continues its impressive form, positioning them as one of the league's strongest sides. • This ascent signals Nashville's title contention potential amid ongoing MLS action.

PM says in Commons statement he has ordered inquiry into any security concerns relating to Mandelson’s tenure in USUK politics live – latest updatesThe Foreign Office has been stripped of its powers to overrule vetting decisions after the Peter Mandelson scandal, Keir Starmer has told MPs, as he sought to set out his side of events in a politically crucial statement in parliament.Saying to jeers that he accepted it appeared “incredible” he and other ministers were not told Mandelson was initially refused security vetting, Starmer also said he had ordered an investigation into any security concerns related to Mandelson’s tenure as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading...

People in affected areas urged to evacuate as quake registering 7.5 magniture occurred off the coast of SanrikuThe strength of the earthquake has been revised up to 7.5 and the biggest waves due to the tsunami are expected in Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, authorities said.Reuters reported that prime minister Sanae Takaichi said the government had set up an emergency task force and urged citizens in the affected areas to evacuate to safety. Continue reading...

• President Donald Trump signed a series of emergency executive orders from the Oval Office, with the White House describing them as the 'World's Most Powerful Reset,' reportedly granting the administration vast new powers over the U.S. economy and financial system. • The orders are grounded in national security protocols and reportedly address economic stability and foreign threats, with details remaining tightly controlled by the White House. • The executive action has triggered fierce debate over presidential constitutional authority and sparked volatile political reactions from both Democrats and Republicans across the political spectrum.

• Wealth.com, an AI platform modernizing estate and tax planning for wealth management firms, closed an oversubscribed $65M Series B funding round. • The funding will accelerate product enhancements and expand adoption among high-net-worth advisors handling complex client portfolios. • This raise highlights surging investor interest in AI tools automating legacy financial planning processes amid rising wealth transfer demands.

• IBM launched IBM Autonomous Security on April 17, 2026, a multi-agent AI service automating detection, policy enforcement, and remediation against frontier AI-driven attacks in hybrid environments. • The solution addresses emerging 'agentic attacks' where adversaries use advanced AI models, with nearly 80% of global IT leaders citing AI as a major security risk. • IBM also released an enterprise cybersecurity assessment tool focused on threats from large language models and generative AI.