Economy

Google owner drops promise not to use AI for weapons

The Google owner, Alphabet, has dropped its pledge not to use artificial intelligence for purposes such as developing weapons and surveillance tools. The US technology company said on Tuesday, just before it reported lower than forecast earnings, that it had updated its ethical guidelines around AI, and they no longer refer to not pursuing technologies…

Economy

Flies in hospital wards may be spreading drug-resistant bacteria to patients

Flies buzzing between beds may be spreading drug-resistant bugs among patients in hospitals, according to new research. Researchers from the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) found that houseflies in Nigerian hospitals carry bacteria resistant to some key antibiotics, including those used only as a last resort. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR), when pathogens such as…

Economy

Alcohol-related deaths in UK hit record high of 10,473

Alcohol-related deaths in the UK have hit a record high, with 10,473 people dying in 2023 as a result of heavy drinking, statistics have revealed. That is an increase on the 10,048 deaths the Office for National Statistics recorded across the four countries of the UK during 2022, the first time more than 10,000 such…

Economy

Trump dismisses USAid direct-hire workers around the world

The Trump administration is placing US Agency for International Development direct-hire staffers around the world on leave, except those deemed essential. A notice posted online on Tuesday gives the workers 30 days to return home, upending the aid agency’s six-decade mission overseas. Thousands of USAid employees already had been laid off and programs worldwide shut…