As it grapples with two fatal tragedies, questions emerge over how to protect the country from more landslides – its deadliest natural hazard New Zealand could experience an increase in landslides – its most deadly natural hazard – as global warming triggers more intense and frequent storms, experts have warned in the wake of two landslide tragedies in the North Island. New Zealand’s landscapes are scarred with the evidence of landslides – they are responsible for more than 1,800 deaths since written records began – more than earthquakes and volcanoes combined. Continue reading...

The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, co-directed by Daniel Roher, delves into the world of AI through the lens of personal anxiety Are we barreling toward AI catastrophe? Is AI an existential threat, or an epochal opportunity? Those are the questions top of mind for a new documentary at Sundance, which features leading AI experts, critics and entrepreneurs, including Sam Altman, the OpenAI CEO, with views on the near-to-midterm future ranging from doom to utopia. The AI Doc: Or How I Became an Apocaloptimist, directed by Daniel Roher and Charlie Tyrell and produced by Daniel Kwan (one half of The Daniels, the Oscar-winning duo behind Everything Everywhere All At Once), delves into the contentious topic of AI through Roher’s own anxiety. The Canadian film-maker, who won an Oscar in 2023 for the documentary Navalny, first became interested in the topic while experimenting with tools released by OpenAI, the company behind the chatbot ChatGPT. The sophistication of the public tools – the ability to produce whole paragraphs in seconds, or produce illustrations – both thrilled and unnerved him. AI was already radically shaping the filmmaking industry, and proclamations on the promise and peril of AI were everywhere, with little way for people outside the tech industry to evaluate them. As an artist, he wondered, how was he to make sense of it all? Continue reading...

CBS announced in July that Late Show would end in May, more than 30 years after 1993 debut under David Letterman The final episode of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert will air on 21 May, the host has announced. Colbert, who has hosted the show since 2015, revealed the date on Monday during a taping of NBC’s Late Night With Seth Meyers to air on Tuesday night. Colbert will appear on Meyers’s show as a guest. Continue reading...

Planet closer to destruction as Russia, China and US become more aggressive and nationalistic, says advocacy group Earth is closer than it has ever been to destruction as Russia, China, the US and other countries become “increasingly aggressive, adversarial, and nationalistic”, a science-oriented advocacy group said on Tuesday as it advanced its Doomsday Clock to 85 seconds until midnight. The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientist members had an initial demonstration on Friday and then announced their results on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Updates from the women’s singles tennis on Rod Laver Arena Polish No 2 seed takes on Kazakhstan’s No 5 in Melbourne Any thoughts? Get in touch with an email Mercifully for both the players and my air conditioning bill, after yesterday’s scorcher, the temperature has dipped sharply at Olympic Park today. 24 hours on from highs hitting as much as 45°C, the Bureau of Meteorology currently has temperatures sitting at 21.9°C, with a high of 24°C forecast for later today. Continue reading...

Joël Guerriau sentenced to four years in prison after spiking lawmaker’s champagne with ecstasy A French court has found a former senator guilty of drugging a female lawmaker with ecstasy with intent to sexually assault her. Joël Guerriau, 68, was sentenced to four years in prison on Tuesday, of which 18 months must be behind bars. In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for rape and sexual abuse on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html Continue reading...

Manchester toddler Jude Owens becomes youngest person to perform bank shot and double pot just weeks apart A two-year-old has become the holder of two Guinness World Records by becoming the youngest person to perform a pair of trick shots in snooker. Manchester toddler Jude Owens successfully performed a pool bank shot at two years and 302 days old on 12 October last year. Continue reading...

Study also says almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression How bad is maternal health in Europe, and how can we fix it? Seven out of 10 mothers in the UK feel overloaded and almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression, new research has revealed. The survey of mothers’ experiences in 12 European countries also found that most of those in Britain still do the majority of household tasks and caregiving work alone, and that the UK was among the worst for motherhood disadvantaging a woman’s career. 71% of UK mothers feel overloaded – 4% more than the 67% European average 47% of UK mothers suffer from mental health issues, including burnout, compared with 50% in Europe as a whole 31% of UK respondents felt motherhood had a negative effect on their career, higher than the 27% average, with Ireland the highest on 36% Continue reading...

Advertising Standards Authority says firm advised by George Osborne ‘trivialised risks of cryptocurrency’ A cryptocurrency company advised by George Osborne has been banned from showing a set of adverts that suggested using its services could be a solution to the cost of living crisis. Coinbase, which appointed the former Conservative chancellor to chair its global advisory council last year, has been told by the UK’s advertising watchdog that its adverts were “irresponsible” and “trivialised the risks of cryptocurrency”. Continue reading...

Report emerges as Trump signals he may reduce the surge of ICE and other federal agents in the state As federal immigration crackdowns in Minnesota continued on Tuesday, an initial report to Congress from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) obtained by various news outlets indicates that two officers fired their guns at Alex Pretti during his fatal shooting. The report emerged as Donald Trump signals he may begin reducing the surge of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents in the state. Continue reading...

A ‘massive smack’ of lion’s mane jellyfish has appeared across Port Phillip Bay, but experts say fears of a ‘jellygeddon’ are overblown Sign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter here Swimmers have been advised to steer clear if they see red jellies in the water after a gelatinous horde descended on Melbourne beaches. Thousands of lion’s mane jellyfish have washed into the shallows and on to the sand across Port Phillip Bay, from Altona in the west to Blairgowrie on the Mornington Peninsula. Continue reading...

Joshua Ryan Hoath, 27, argues his political views should not have been considered by Queensland police Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A former member of the Australian neo-Nazi group the National Socialist Network is appealing a police decision to revoke his weapons licence, on the grounds it infringes his right to freedom of political communication. The Queensland civil and administrative tribunal is hearing an application by Joshua Ryan Hoath, 27, to have the licence reinstated. Hoath has argued that his “political views, activities, or communications” should not have been considered by police. Continue reading...

Filing by New Mexico’s attorney general includes Meta staff emails objecting to AI companion policy Mark Zuckerberg, Meta’s chief executive, approved allowing minors to access artificial intelligence chatbot companions that safety staffers warned were capable of sexual interactions, according to internal Meta documents filed in a New Mexico state court case and made public Monday. The lawsuit – brought by the state’s attorney general, Raul Torrez, and scheduled for trial next month – alleges Meta “failed to stem the tide of damaging sexual material and sexual propositions delivered to children” on Facebook and Instagram. Continue reading...

PM promises ‘stability and clarity’ in approach on first visit to Beijing by UK leader in eight years ‘Very low bar’: analysts say Starmer faces slim pickings in China Keir Starmer has said the UK government will remain “clear-eyed and realistic” on the national security threat posed by China as he travelled to Beijing in an effort to improve relations with the economic powerhouse. The prime minister promised “stability and clarity” in his approach to Beijing after years of what he described as “inconsistency” under the Tories, as western powers turn to China in their search for economic stability amid concerns the US may no longer be a reliable partner. Continue reading...

Proposals would require clearer pricing and transparency as CMA finds fees have risen at nearly twice rate of inflation The biggest shake-up of the UK veterinary sector for 60 years should push down costs for pet owners by requiring practices to make their pricing clearer, the government has said. Ministers have announced a package of measures after an investigation into reported high prices found problems in the vet sector could be costing UK households at least £1bn over five years. Continue reading...

US president says Noem is ‘doing a very good job’ amid growing criticism of administration’s immigration crackdown after two US citizens were killed Border patrol commander to leave Minneapolis after shooting of Alex Pretti Melania Trump has called for “unity” in the wake of the fatal federal law enforcement shootings of US citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and widespread peaceful protests this month. Asked about the tensions in Minneapolis on Fox News this morning, the first lady said: We need to unify. I’m calling for unity. I know my husband, the president, had a great call yesterday with the governor and the mayor, and they’re working together to make it peaceful and without riots. Continue reading...

Volodomyr Zelenskyy describes attack as act of ‘terrorism’ undermining ‘efforts to end the war’ A Russian drone strike on a passenger train in north-eastern Ukraine has killed five people, prosecutors said, an attack denounced as terrorism by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Prosecutors said fragments of five bodies had been found at the scene of the strike on the train, which occurred on Tuesday by a village in north-eastern Ukraine’s Kharkiv region. Continue reading...

25-year-old ‘rising star’ died after an incident at one of the UK’s largest army training ranges A British army officer has died after an incident during live firing training in Northumberland, the Ministry of Defence has confirmed. Capt Philip Gilbert Muldowney, 25, died on Sunday after the incident at Otterburn Training Area, one of the UK’s largest army training ranges. Continue reading...

Clubs involved in the inaugural edition of Fifa’s women’s club competition have been dismayed at the built-in advantages afforded to Arsenal There are growing concerns over the integrity and fairness of the Fifa Women’s Champions Cup, with Arsenal viewed as having a significant financial and logistical advantage over fellow competitors Gotham FC, AS Far and Corinthians due to the competition being played in London and the final hosted at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. The Guardian understands that while there is widespread support for a global club competition in women’s football and the announcement of the record-breaking £1.7m / $2.4m prize pot for the tournament is very welcome, clubs have been frustrated by the timing and other details of the inaugural edition, with some feeling that not enough is being done by Fifa to address the significant advantage afforded to Arsenal. Continue reading...

Before wild feline was caught, authorities had advised residents to slowly back away if they encountered it Wildlife officials in San Francisco captured a young mountain lion who was spotted roaming the streets of the city in past days. Authorities issued a warning to residents late on Monday, saying a mountain lion had been seen walking the streets in the Pacific Heights neighborhood and advised people to slowly back away from the animal if they encountered it. Continue reading...

Porro and Van de Ven join lengthy injury list Kolo Muani unharmed after M25 tyre blowout Thomas Frank’s preparations for the Champions League game at Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night have been rocked by injuries to Pedro Porro and Micky van de Ven – and a car crash affecting Randal Kolo Muani and Wilson Odobert. The Tottenham manager reported that Kolo Muani and Odobert were OK after pictures emerged on social media of them standing by a black Ferrari with significant damage to its front end. Continue reading...

Root hails captain’s calmness in third ODI victory Brook imitates move of wrestler after making century The wrestler “Stone Cold” Steve Austin was the surprising inspiration for Harry Brook’s century celebration as the England white-ball captain led his side to a one-day international series victory against Sri Lanka with a thrilling, unbeaten 136. Brook, who was involved in a clash with a nightclub bouncer on the tour of New Zealand earlier this winter, took his gloves off upon reaching his hundred and imitated Austin’s move of bashing beer cans together in the ring before drinking them. Continue reading...

Company cites impact of mandatory age checks introduced in summer 2025 under the Online Safety Act Pornhub is to stop new users accessing its site in the UK from next week, citing the impact of mandatory age checks that were introduced last summer under the Online Safety Act. The porngraphy website, which is one of the most visited in the world, announced that from 2 February only users who have already verified their age will retain access through their existing accounts. The change also affects YouPorn and RedTube, explicit websites operated by the same Cyprus-based company, Aylo. Continue reading...

Exercises described by President Trump as an ‘armada’ to be led by the USS Abraham Lincoln amid standoff The US has announced plans to hold multi-day military exercises in the Middle East as it deploys what Donald Trump has called an “armada” led by the USS Abraham Lincoln to the region as part of a tense standoff with Iran. The display of US air power was announced as the White House has suggested it could launch new strikes on Iran after the government’s crackdown on pro-democracy protesters that has left thousands dead and many more in detention with their fates uncertain. Continue reading...

Ex-president avoids naming Trump but says ‘Minnesotans have suffered enough at the hands of this administration’ Joe Biden has joined other former Democratic presidents in condemning the fatal shooting of the 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti by federal agents in Minneapolis, saying that it “betrays our most basic values as Americans”. In a statement that alluded to the constitutional right to due process, Biden said: “We are not a nation that guns down our citizens in the street. We are not a nation that allows our citizens to be brutalized for exercising their constitutional rights. We are not a nation that tramples the fourth amendment and tolerates our neighbors being terrorized.” Continue reading...