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• 在 2026 年第一季，AI 驅動的保險科技公司吸引了巨額資金，其中包括 Harper Group 的 4,700 萬美元種子輪加 A 輪融資，以及 Indigo Technologies 的 5,000 萬美元 B 輪融資，兩者均專注於 AI 自動化核保與理賠工作流程。 • Mea Platforms、Pasito、General Magic 和 Qumis 等平台籌集了 430 萬至 5,000 萬美元不等的資金，旨在自動化文件密集型流程、降低賠付率，並為中小企業縮短報價與承保時間。 • 投資者正大舉支持總部位於美國的供應商，這些供應商利用 AI 在不按比例增加員工人數的情況下擴大分銷規模、減少福利選擇過程中的摩擦，並改善商業險種的風險篩選。

• Treasurer Jim Chalmers 已暗示「過渡性」的擬議變更，因為 Labor 試圖修復「結構性缺陷」的預算 • 關注我們的 Australia news 直播網誌以獲取最新動態 • 訂閱我們的即時新聞電子郵件、免費 app 或每日新聞 podcast

此舉正值航空業對伊朗戰爭的不確定性以及 Brent crude 價格上漲做出反應。財經直播 – 最新更新 Air France-KLM 已下調其今年的運能增長預測，原因是伊朗戰爭導致其燃油成本增加數十億美元。 這家法荷航空公司預計，受中東衝突開始以來的成本激增影響，其今年的燃油支出將增加 24 億美元（18 億英鎊）。作為回應，該公司已將今年的運能增長預期由先前的 3% 至 5% 下調至 2% 至 4%。繼續閱讀...

• 領導人首次提到士兵在為俄羅斯而戰時，為避免落入敵手所採取的極端手段。 • 金正恩讚揚了在俄羅斯西部 Kursk 地區與烏克蘭軍隊交戰時，為了避免被俘而使用手榴彈自爆的北韓士兵，證實了這種極端戰場政策的存在。 • 包括情報報告和脫北者證詞在內的越來越多證據表明，北韓士兵被明確指示要採取自爆或其他形式的自殺方式，以避免被敵人俘虜。

在 Bristol 巴士抵制行動週年之際，市府宣布了一項活動計畫，旨在啟發該市的社會宣言。Bristol 長久以來一直是行動主義者的城市，人們在此準備為改變而努力，從 18 世紀的 John Wesley 追隨者，到 21 世紀推翻奴隸貿易商 Edward Colston 雕像的市民。週三，在一場具有里程碑意義的 1963 年 Bristol 巴士抵制行動開始週年之際，一項新運動正式啟動，目標是將該市打造為英國的民權之都。閱讀更多...

Haris Doukas warns that with 700,000 residents and 8 million tourists, people are being pushed out of their neighbourhoodsIn the heart of ancient Athens, on narrow streets and around archaeological sites, visitor groups appear to be everywhere, snaking their way behind tour guides.Previously, officials would have welcomed such scenes. But for Haris Doukas, the socialist mayor who is determined to reclaim the capital’s congested city centre for its citizens, the start of tourist season leaves the city at risk of “over-saturation.” Entire neighbourhoods, he believes, are in danger of losing their authenticity because of uncontrolled tourist development. Continue reading...

• AcuityMD announced $80 million in new funding to advance its platform with sophisticated AI features for medical device insights. • The investment accelerates AI integration to improve market intelligence for US healthcare and medtech firms. • This capital infusion positions AcuityMD to dominate AI-powered analytics in the growing $500B+ medical device sector.

Gannon Ken Van Dyke, who allegedly made more than $400,000 on Polymarket, could face up to 60 years in prisonA US soldier who played a role in the January capture of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro is now in custody after allegedly cashing in over $400,000 on wagers about the politician’s removal from office, federal authorities announced on Thursday.Prosecutors say beginning in early December the soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, was involved in planning for the military operation to capture and depose Maduro. Continue reading...

• The number of small businesses in the United States continues to grow amid entrepreneurial optimism. • Owners report increasing difficulty securing startup capital needed to launch and expand operations. • Policies associated with President Trump are cited by business leaders as dampening access to financing for new entrepreneurs pursuing the American Dream.

In a letter to the Guardian, Uran Ferizi criticises ‘obsession’ with demonising AlbaniansAlbanians in Britain are paying the price in schools and workplaces of being scapegoated by rightwing media and politicians, the Albanian ambassador has said.Uran Ferizi also criticised Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, for comments in parliament where she singled out Albanians when discussing problems with immigration. Continue reading...

• Tel Aviv-based Capsule Security exited stealth on April 14, 2026, securing a $7 million Seed round led by Lama Partners with participation from Forgepoint Capital International to develop runtime security for enterprise AI agents. • The company positions itself as a "trust layer for agentic AI" designed to block manipulation, misbehavior, and silent data exfiltration during agent execution. • Capsule was selected as 1 of 6 finalists from nearly 1,000 startups in the CrowdStrike, AWS, and NVIDIA Startup Accelerator at RSA Conference, indicating strong industry recognition.

• OpenAI unveiled GPT-5 on April 19, featuring advanced multimodal reasoning that processes text, images, and audio simultaneously with a 40% performance improvement over GPT-4, according to the company's research blog. • The model demonstrates enhanced chain-of-thought reasoning and can solve complex multi-step problems across domains including mathematics, coding, and scientific analysis with significantly higher accuracy rates. • Industry analysts project GPT-5 will accelerate enterprise AI adoption and intensify competition with Anthropic's Claude and Google's Gemini in the large language model market.

• Sequoia Capital announced a $7 billion expansion fund under new leadership specifically targeting late-stage AI startups across the U.S. and Europe. • The fund aims to accelerate growth for mature AI companies navigating scaling challenges in competitive markets. • This massive capital injection underscores surging investor confidence in AI's long-term potential amid rapid technological advancements.

Exiled leader to revive push for change amid US backing of Delcy Rodríguez and delays to democratic transitionVenezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, will seek to revive her push for political change with a rally in Madrid on Saturday, having found herself sidelined by Donald Trump after the abduction of the president Nicolás Maduro.“Venezuela will be free,” the Nobel peace prize winner insisted in an interview on the eve of this weekend’s demonstration in the Puerta del Sol square, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of protesters. Continue reading...

• OpenAI has agreed to spend more than $20 billion over the next three years on Cerebras-powered server capacity, marking a significant infrastructure investment for the AI company. • The arrangement could also grant OpenAI warrants for a minority stake in Cerebras, with the commitment roughly double the size of OpenAI's previously reported chipmaker agreement. • This massive compute deal reflects intensifying competition in AI infrastructure as companies race to secure specialized chip capacity for training and deploying large language models.

Nine-day search for two-year-old Neukgu gripped nation and sparked safety concerns for animal and publicThe internet in South Korea erupted in celebration as a two-year-old wolf that escaped from a zoo was captured safely after a nine-day search that had gripped the nation and made the animal a national celebrity.The male wolf, named Neukgu, burrowed out of his enclosure at the O-World zoo in Daejeon on 8 April. Animal rights activists questioned whether the wolf could survive outside the zoo and also worried he might be killed during capture, something that happened to a puma that escaped from the same zoo in 2018. Continue reading...

• Fortra announced the launch of its new Defense and Intelligence Unit (DIU) on April 16, 2026, from Minneapolis to deliver integrated cyber solutions to defense and national security organizations worldwide. • The unit focuses on cross-domain cyber innovation, AI-powered capabilities, and mission expertise for critical infrastructure and allied nations. • This development strengthens US cybersecurity posture amid rising global threats to defense sectors.

Design among projects before US Commission of Fine Arts as lawsuits challenge scale and impactDonald Trump’s design for the triumphal arch he wants built at an entrance to the US capital comes up for a review and possible vote on Thursday by a key federal agency. It is one of several projects the US president is pursuing alongside a White House ballroom to leave his lasting footprint on Washington.Trump said on social media that the arch “will be the GREATEST and MOST BEAUTIFUL Triumphal Arch, anywhere in the World” and a “wonderful addition to the Washington D.C. area for all Americans to enjoy for many decades to come!”. Continue reading...

• Israeli startup Capsule Security launched on April 15, 2026, with $7 million in funding to secure AI agents at runtime, founded by Naor Paz and Lidan Hazout. • The platform monitors AI agent actions in real time, enforces guardrails during the runtime gap between prompt and execution to prevent manipulation or data exfiltration. • Capsule disclosed two zero-day vulnerabilities in major agent platforms, highlighting risks in current AI security infrastructure.

Pyongyang making ‘very serious’ progress on producing weapons, with rapid rise in activity at main nuclear complexNorth Korea has made “very serious” progress in its ability to produce more nuclear weapons, the head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned, in another sign that the regime is seeking to use its nuclear arsenal to ensure its survival.North Korea is thought to have assembled about 50 nuclear warheads, although some experts are sceptical of its claims that it is able to miniaturise them so they can be attached to long-range ballistic missiles. Continue reading...

Trawler set off from Bangladesh and reportedly capsized due to heavy winds, rough seas and overcrowdingAbout 250 people are missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, according to the UN’s refugee and migration agencies.The agencies said the trawler carrying more than 250 men, women and children reportedly sank due to harsh weather and overcrowding. It had departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was bound for Malaysia. Continue reading...

Review of original train order is meant to prevent service problems north of Birmingham, but it may do the oppositePlans to change the size of HS2 trains to maximise capacity are likely to inflate costs and mean fewer seats and slower services north of Birmingham, a senior government and rail industry figure has warned.The £2bn order for 54 high-speed trains, to be built in Britain by a joint venture of Alstom and Hitachi, is under review as HS2 Ltd seeks to cut costs and renegotiate contracts. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents viewed by Guardian Australia reveal private prison contractor told staff ‘restraints must be used’ for all risk levelsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe American private prison company running Australia’s onshore immigration detention system has ordered that all detainees be handcuffed while travelling – regardless of whether they pose a risk – after a string of security lapses.More than a dozen escapes or attempted escapes have taken place since the Management and Training Corporation (MTC) began operating the immigration detention centres last March, having won a $2.3bn contract with the Department of Home Affairs. Continue reading...

Conservative leader promises biggest peacetime rearmament effort in UK history if her party is re-electedThe Conservatives would reinstate the two-child benefit cap and use the savings for a wide-ranging spending splurge on defence in what Kemi Badenoch said would be “the biggest peacetime programme of rearmament in our country’s history”.Speaking at a defence conference in London, the Tory leader criticised the government for Britain’s “lack of readiness” for war, which has been exposed by recent world events. Continue reading...

• Serena Williams won the 2026 French Open women's singles championship, defeating Victoria Azarenka 6-3, 7-5 in Saturday's final at Roland Garros. • The victory marks Williams' 25th Grand Slam title, breaking her previous record of 24 and cementing her status as the greatest tennis player of all time. • At age 44, Williams demonstrated exceptional fitness and mental fortitude throughout the two-week tournament.

• Truckload markets are tightening faster than anticipated, with freight costs now projected to increase 16–17% year over year in 2026, according to C.H. Robinson's April freight market update. • Capacity constraints and carrier attrition are driving the acceleration in transportation costs across North America. • The tighter capacity environment signals sustained pressure on logistics expenses for shippers as supply chain challenges persist into the second quarter.

Local school closes in Daejeon city as hundreds of emergency service and military personnel scour area around O-World theme park where the wolf escaped fromAuthorities are hunting for a wolf after it escaped from a zoo in Daejeon, a South Korean city with a population of 1.5million.More than 300 people – including firefighters, police and military personnel – are taking part in the search operation, an official from the Daejeon fire headquarters said. Continue reading...