Latest News
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Former DeepMind researcher from Google adds to the warnings that AI will 'kill humans'
Former Google DeepMind employees warned on Monday that AI technology could "kill off all humans", and that time was running out for the avoidance of this outcome. The public is becoming more concerned about the potential danger of AI. Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon announced last week that he was resigning, partly because "people who are building AI believe it will kill us by the end the decade." Evan Hubinger, an anthropologist, responded to?Coxon’s comments by saying that he agreed with him and believed that there was a higher than?10% probability that AI would kill all humans in the next decade. Bilal Chughtai, a writer for X, wrote: "I recently resigned... from Google DeepMind where I worked on AGI alignment and safety research." "I honestly believe that AI could kill us all, and we may be running out of time." Chughtai was a research engineer at Google DeepMind and worked as such until July 2026. His LinkedIn profile states that he left the company. Google didn't respond to an outside of regular business hours request for "comment". Anthropic CEO Dario modei, in response to recent concerns, called for a halt in the pace of AI?development. He received rare support from SpaceXAI’s Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, sparking a discussion on AI "doomerism." Chughtai said that steering AI safely is?possible, but coordination would be required "to avoid the manic race between AI companies." He added, "We must pace AI development at a rate that the society can handle. Emerging risks should be addressed before extreme harm occurs." The President Donald Trump has, however, dismissed the warnings. He said on social media that the AI industry's calls for regulation are a "hoax."
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Arbitration sought by Combined BHP Ports Unions over wage dispute
The union announced on Tuesday that it would take BHP, the world's largest?miner, to arbitration if the two parties could not agree on the?terms of a new wage?deal in Western Australia for the Port Hedland Iron Ore Operations. Port Hedland, the largest iron ore export center in the world and BHP's main shipping gateway to the Pilbara region, is the hub for BHP Pilbara operations. The union, which represents 450 workers on the site (operators and maintenance), will apply for a "intractable bargaining statement" which allows the Fair Work Commission to determine the terms of the agreement. Over the past nine months, both sides have been in talks to determine a wage agreement that will last four years. They've met almost weekly in recent weeks, with Fair Work Commission as a facilitator. ".....BHP refuses to negotiate an accord that reflects their specialized skills, the extreme conditions they work in and the personal sacrifices made by the employees who have generated more than $13 Billion in profits for the company?this past year", the Combined BHP Ports Unions stated in a press release. In response to a?request for comment, a BHP spokesperson stated: "Our focus is on delivering an?fair?and reasonable?agreement." BHP offers a 17% increase in pay for most workers over the four-year agreement. This includes a 'transition payment' of A$25,000 (17,802.50 USD) spread over two years as well as a rise in roster allowances. The union claims that 40% of workers would be worse off if this proposal were to go through.
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India's Tata share price jumps as RBI decision revives holding company's listing prospects
The shares of several Tata Group firms soared?on Tuesday, after India's Central Bank?rejected Tata Sons?application?to deregister as a non-bank lender. This revived prospects for a stock exchange listing for the holding company. Tata Chemicals shares jumped by 20% while Tata Motors Passenger Vehicles shares rose by 4.4%. Tata Consultancy and Tata Investment, a major provider of IT services, both advanced by 10% and 4.4%. Tata Sons'?potential listing could increase valuation and unlock value for Tata-linked companies. Tata Chemicals, Tata Motors, and Tata Investment?are listed Tata firms that own stakes in Tata Sons. Tata Sons assets alone totaled 1.75 trillion rupees (18.25 billion dollars) as of March 2025. The company has been privately owned for more than 100 years. It controls companies such as Tata Consultancy and Tata Motors. Tata Sons has been classified as a "core investment company" and is subject to RBI rules for non-bank lenders, which require that companies with assets over 1 trillion rupees or those with direct or indirect access to public funds be listed. Tata Sons announced last month that Chairman N Chandrasekaran will not seek reappointment. This has added to the 'uncertainty' surrounding the future leadership of the group.
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Mayor of Kyiv: Russia has hit petrol stations and warehouses in Kyiv
Vitali Klitschko, the mayor of Kyiv, Ukraine, said that a drone struck a petrol station early Tuesday morning. He also added that a drone had also struck warehouses in another part of the city. Witnesses heard an explosion in Kyiv The attack follows a?U.S. Donald Trump stated on Monday that Ukraine had agreed with Russia not to?hit each other's targets. Recently, Russia began targeting petrol stations in Kyiv and expanded the scope of facilities that were targeted. In the last few months, Russia has targeted around 300 petrol stations, mostly in or near Ukraine's frontline areas. In a social media statement, Poland's Armed Forces stated that as a precautionary measure, it had begun military aviation operations to secure its airspace. A regional governor on Telegram said that a Ukraine missile strike?damaged a warehouse owned by the ecommerce company Ozon, in the southern port of Taganrog. Separately, a?industrial facility?in the Samara Region on the Volga River was hit by a drone, said Governor Vyacheslav Federishchev on Telegram without naming this particular industrial facility. A number of large oil refineries are located in the?region. It was not possible to independently verify all the reports. Volodymyr Zelenskiy, the president of Ukraine, said that Kyiv would only support a U.S.-proposed ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine on energy sites if Washington could guarantee that Moscow was truly ready to end its conflict with Ukraine.
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China's oil throughput in August is up for the second consecutive month amid Iran war
China's oil throughput in August?rose for a second consecutive month but was still?6.9% lower than a year ago, according to?data released on Tuesday by the National Bureau of Statistics. In August, the world's largest oil buyer processed 59.07 metric tons crude oil, or 13,91 million barrels per day. This is an increase of 11.2% compared to July. Oil throughput in the first eight months was 456.12 millions metric tons or 13.7 million bpd. This is down 6.6% compared to a year earlier. According to data, China's domestic crude oil production in August rose by 0.8% on the year to a total of?18.43 metric tonne, or 4.34 millions bpd. Beijing does not release information on its reserves. However, calculations that add official crude imports and domestic production, then subtract refinery output, estimated a drop of 639,000 barrels per day (bpd) in August. This was the second largest drop since the Iran War began, following a decline of 936,000 barrels per day?in June. The data also revealed that the crude oil production for the year to date was 146.39 millions metric tons. This is a 0.9% increase from last year. The natural gas production in August increased by 0.8% from the previous year to?21.4 billion cubic meters (bcm). The output for the year to date is 175.7 bcm. This represents a 1.1% increase from a previous year.
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New Hope coal miner in Australia pays out highest dividends since 2022
New Hope Corp, a thermal coal -miner in Australia, declared its 'largest ever final dividend' on Tuesday. This was despite the fact that their annual profit had more than halved and they missed expectations. The shares rose to their highest level in over 3-1/2 years. Rob Bishop, CEO of. "We had a good year and we were able to pay out a large dividend," said he. New Hope announced a final dividend per share of 30 Australian cents for fiscal 2026. This is the highest since 2021 when it was 31 cents and surpasses last year's 15 Australian cents. The company's shares rose by as much as 4.1% in the early trading, reaching their highest level since January 2023. As of 0056 GMT, the broader market was down 0.5%. Sales and production of saleable coal increased by 7.6% and 11.8% respectively. This was due to the ramp-up at its New Acland Mine in Queensland, and the strong performance in the second half of the year at the Bengalla Mine in New South Wales. The annual net profit after taxes fell by 63.4% compared to the previous year, falling to A$161 million ($114.94 millions), the lowest level since fiscal 2021 when A$79million was recorded. Visible Alpha's estimate of A$182.2 millions was also not met. New Hope said that its earnings were negatively affected by a decline of 8.8% in the average realized sales price to A$143.2 per tonne. This was due to unfavourable exchange rate fluctuations, as well as an increase in the percentage of sales with high-ash across the group. The company's Bengalla Growth Project and ramp-up at the New Acland Mine?also contributed to the decline in profits. The company stated that it expects thermal coal prices will be well supported in the medium to long term, due to a shortage of supply caused by ageing assets and a lack of investment in new projects.
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Asian shares fall as oil prices and yields increase ahead of Fed and BOJ meetings
Asian shares struggled on Tuesday, as investors considered Middle East tensions. Industry figures also called for a halt in AI development. Meanwhile, higher oil prices and bond yields heightened caution ahead of 'key' central bank meetings taking place in the U.S. Yemen's Houthis, who are aligned with Iran, launched a new offensive on Saudi Arabia Monday. Riyadh had blamed Iran-backed fighters based in Iraq for an assault on the east-west oil pipeline of the kingdom that could disrupt up to 4% global supply. Gulf Arab states have also delayed planned talks with Iran. Brent crude was up by 1.21% at $106.96 a barrel, while U.S. Crude rose 1.27% to $102,68 per barrel. In a recent note, Yokoo Akihiko, an analyst at Mitsubishi UFJ Bank said that the markets are likely to continue to focus on the possibility that higher crude oil costs could contribute to 'inflationary forces, and in turn, drive interest rates higher. Leading AI figures have called for a'slow down in development of AI technology. This has continued to resonate through the markets, even as U.S. president Donald Trump has played down concerns about misuse. He said that existing U.S. protections are adequate and China would benefit from any doubts regarding AI development. MSCI's broadest Asia-Pacific share index outside Japan fell 0.12%. South Korea's 0.25% drop led the way. Japan's Nikkei index edged up 0.19% after reversing its early losses. Shares of chip-related companies were mixed. South Korea's Samsung Electronics lost 0.2%, while Japan's Kioxia rose 3.3%. Federal Open Market Committee will begin its two-day session later that day. The markets have priced in a 90% probability of a rate increase, which would be the first since mid-2023. Morgan Stanley analysts said in an?address that "while inflation continues to decelerate" recent upside surprises have made the pace of disinflation slower and less convincing. They expect a 25 basis point hike on Wednesday and December. "We can see both arguments for a hike or a hold. However, signs of second-round impacts from energy prices and strong demand linked to AI-related investments, as well as a neutral rate which is temporarily higher and concerns over credibility, mean that the balance of risk now argues in favor of a slightly more restrictive policy." Overnight, the benchmark yield on 10-year U.S. Treasury bonds reached 5% for first time in 2023. Germany's 10-year yield rose above 3.51% to its highest level since 2009, and U.S. Treasury bond yields also touched 5% overnight. Tuesday, Japan’s benchmark 10-year government bond rate jumped back to 3%. Bank of Japan will likely raise its interest rate to 1.25% by 25 basis points at the conclusion of its two-day session on Friday, and signify that more tightening is to come. The Bank of Japan is looking to bolster the yen following intervention that helped move the currency away from a low for 40 years. The dollar index, which measures greenbacks against a basket including the yen, and euro, increased 0.05%, to 99.53. Meanwhile, the euro fell 0.03%, to $1.1543. The dollar rose 0.17% against the Japanese yen to 154.61. Spot gold fell 0.15%, to $4,291.59 per ounce. Spot silver dropped 0.31%, to $63.03 per ounce.
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SB Energy will sell shares worth up to $500,000,000 to Japanese investors as part US IPO
A filing on Tuesday showed that the SoftBank Group-backed Data 'centre developer SB Energy will sell up to $500 million worth of shares to Japanese investors as part a a U.S. public listing. The filing stated that the firm would issue new shares to the Japanese investors and the funds raised would be used for "general operating costs" for the development of data centres, "power generation", and other infrastructure projects. The filing did not disclose the size of the U.S. Initial Public Offering. SoftBank could be looking for a $50 billion valuation for SB Energy. SB Energy's investment prospectus from September reported that Nvidia had committed to investing $1.5 billion at the IPO price in a private placing, while OpenAI was issued warrants valued at approximately $5.5 billion. Investor interest in artificial intelligence led to a flurry of 'public listing' in related firms this year. SpaceX listed in June, and Anthropic is preparing to list in the second half of.this year. Japanese investors?secured a total of $2.2 billion in SpaceX shares at its IPO.
The Supreme Court's top cases
In the current term of the U.S. Supreme Court, there are cases that involve guns, gender affirming medical care for minors who identify as transgender, online pornography and religious rights, TikTok and preventive healthcare. There are also cases that concern funding Planned Parenthood, job discrimination and federal regulation powers over nuclear waste storage, vape products and voting rights.
Take a look at the recent and upcoming cases that the justices will be deciding.
'GHOST GUN' On March 26, the court upheld a federal rule targeting "ghost guns", which are largely untraceable, imposed by former Democratic President Joe Biden in an effort to crackdown on firearms that have been used in crimes across the country. The ruling by 7-2 overturned the lower court decision that the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives exceeded its authority when it issued the 2022 rule aimed at parts and kits of ghost guns. The court found the regulation to be in line with the 1968 federal Gun Control Act.
TRANSGENDER RIGHTS During arguments on 4 December, the court's conservative judges indicated that they were willing to uphold Tennessee's Republican-backed ban on gender affirming medical care for minors who are transgender. This case could have a significant impact on other state laws that target transgender individuals. Biden's Administration appealed the decision of a lower court upholding Tennessee’s ban on medical treatment, including hormones and surgery for minors suffering from gender dysphoria. This refers to the distress caused by the incongruity of a person’s gender identity with the sex assigned at birth. The ruling is expected to be made by the end June.
MEXICO GUN LAWSUIT On March 4, the justices showed sympathy for a request by two American firearms companies to dismiss the Mexican government’s lawsuit accusing the companies of aiding the illegal trafficking of guns to drug cartels, and fueling the gun violence in Mexico's southern neighbor. The justices heard arguments from Smith & Wesson, a firearms manufacturer and distributor of Interstate Arms in their appeal against a lower-court ruling allowing the lawsuit on the basis that Mexico had plausibly alleged the companies aided illegal gun sales and harmed its government. The ruling is expected to be made by the end June.
U.S. TIKTOK BAN On January 17, the justices upheld a federal law that would ban TikTok from the United States if the Chinese parent company ByteDance failed to sell the short video app within a time limit set by Congress. The Justices ruled, 9-0, that the law passed by Congress and signed by Biden last year did not violate First Amendment protections against government abridgment. The justices upheld a lower court decision that had upheld this measure. Biden's replacement, Republican President Donald Trump chose not to enforce it and instead gave both parties time to work out a compromise.
Online Pornography The Justices heard arguments about whether the First Amendment protects against government interference in speech when a Texas law requires that pornographic sites verify users' ages to limit access by minors. The justices voiced concerns over the availability and accessibility of online pornography, but also expressed concern about burdens placed on adults who wish to view constitutionally-protected material. A trade group representing the adult entertainment industry has appealed the decision of a lower court that upheld the Republican-led State's age verification mandate. The ruling is expected to be made by the end June.
WORKPLACE DISCRIMINATION On February 26, the court heard arguments in a case where a woman claimed that she was denied a job promotion and demoted because of her heterosexuality by a state government agency in Ohio. The justices seemed to favor making it easier for those from "majority backgrounds" to bring workplace discrimination cases, such as straight or white people. Marlean Ames, the plaintiff, said that she worked with a homosexual supervisor when, in 2019, she was demoted and passed over for promotion to a woman gay. The ruling is expected to be made by the end June.
RELIGIOUS SCHOOL The court will hear a case that tests the separation between church and state. Two Catholic dioceses are attempting to establish the first taxpayer-funded charter school in Oklahoma. St. Isidore Catholic Virtual School was shut down by a lower court, which ruled that the funding arrangement for the school violated First Amendment restrictions on government endorsements of religion. Arguments will be held on April 30.
RELIGIOUS TASKS EXEMPTION In a case that could have constitutional implications, a Wisconsin Catholic diocese's arm is seeking a religious exemption to the state unemployment insurance tax. The Catholic Charities Bureau of the Catholic Diocese of Superior appealed the lower court's rejection of its exemption request. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the bureau, it could force Wisconsin and other states that have similar tax programs in place to expand their exemptions to conform to the First Amendment protections in the U.S. Constitution. The arguments are scheduled for 31 March.
LGBT SCHOOL BIBLES The court accepted a request from religious parents who wanted to prevent their children from attending classes in a Maryland district public school when LGBT stories are read. This is yet another case that involves the intersection of religion and LGBT rights. Parents of children attending Montgomery County Public Schools filed an appeal after lower courts refused a plaintiff's request for a preliminary order ordering the district not to read these books. Arguments will be held on April 22.
OBAMACARE PREPARED CARE MANDATE This court will determine the legality of an important component of the Affordable Health Care Act, which gives a taskforce established under the Obamacare healthcare law the power to demand that insurers provide preventive medical services without cost to the patient. The court heard an appeal from the Biden administration against a lower-court ruling which sided with a Christian group of businesses that objected to the fact that their employee health plans covered HIV-prevention medication. They also argued that task force structure was in violation of the U.S. Constitution. Arguments will be held on April 21.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD FINANCE The court will examine South Carolina's attempt to cut off funding to Planned Parenthood. This case could support conservative states in the U.S. who want to deny Planned Parenthood government funding for reproductive healthcare and abortion. A lower court ruled that the Republican-governed state could not terminate funding for Planned Parenthood South Atlantic under the Medicaid insurance program. Arguments will be held on April 2.
NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE On March 5, the justices heard arguments over whether the Nuclear Regulatory Commission had the authority to issue licenses for certain nuclear waste facilities, amid objections raised by the state Texas and oil industry interests. The U.S. Government and a company awarded a license to operate an operation in western Texas by the NRC appealed the ruling of a lower court declaring that the storage arrangement was illegal. The NRC regulates nuclear energy in the United States. The NRC is expected to make a decision by the end June.
FLAVORED VAPOR PRODUCTS On December 2, the court heard arguments in defense of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its refusal to allow two ecigarette companies to sell flavored products, which regulators believe to be a risk to health. The lower court ruled that the FDA failed to follow the proper legal procedures in federal law when they rejected the applications for the sale of these nicotine-containing products. The end of June is the expected date for a ruling.
EPA AUTHORITY On March 4, the court handed a major blow to the Environmental Protection Agency with a ruling of 5-4. The case involved a wastewater treatment plant owned by San Francisco. This could make it more difficult for regulators and water quality inspectors to monitor pollution. The court ruled that EPA had exceeded its authority in a law against pollution by putting vague restrictions on a permit for the facility which discharges into the Pacific Ocean. In recent years, the court has limited the EPA’s power as part of a number of rulings that have curbed the federal regulatory agencies’ powers.
TAILPIPE Emissions A major case that tests the power of the Democratic-governed California to combat greenhouse gases is a challenge by fuel producers against California's standards on vehicle emissions and electric vehicles under a federal law on air pollution. Valero Energy, along with fuel industry groups, appealed the lower court's decision to reject their challenge against a Biden administration decision to let California set its own regulation. Arguments will be held on April 23.
The Supreme Court is hearing a dispute regarding the legality and operation of the TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERIES FUND, a fund that Congress authorized to be operated by the Federal Communications Commission in order to increase access to telecommunications. The conservative Consumers' Research group and others accused Congress of illegally delegating authority to an independent federal organization. The FCC, along with a coalition including interest groups and telecoms companies, appealed an earlier court decision which found that Congress had violated the Constitution when it gave the FCC the authority to manage the fund. Arguments will be held on March 26.
LOUISIANA ELECTORAL MAP On March 24, the justices heard arguments in a bid to preserve an election map that increased the number of Black-majority districts in the state. This was in response to a legal challenge brought by a group voters who identified themselves as "non African American." Three federal judges determined that the map of Louisiana's six U.S. House of Representatives district - which now has two Black-majority areas, instead of one - violated the Constitutional promise of equal treatment. The ruling is expected to be made by the end June.
Death Penalty Case On February 25, the court threw away Richard Glossip’s conviction in Oklahoma for a murder-for hire plot that took place in 1997 and gave him a fresh trial. In a 5-3 decision, the justices concluded that prosecutors had violated their constitutional obligation to correct false testimony from their star witness. The justices reversed the lower court decision which had upheld Glossip’s conviction. They also allowed his planned death to proceed despite Glossip’s claim that prosecutors had wrongly withheld information that could have helped his defense.
(source: Reuters)