Today’s news summary – Paper Talk: Escape from hell & AI warnings
Thursday’s front pages mostly focus on the re-opening of the Rafah border crossing which allowed civilians, including some British nationals, to cross from Gaza to Egypt.
‘Escape from hell’
The Daily Mirror leads with an image of a Palestinian boy being taken to hospital for medical treatment, along with the headline: “Escape from hell.”
The Times says the Foreign Office refused to confirm how many Brits were allowed to leave, but diplomats expect around 7,500 foreign passport holders will cross the border in the next two weeks.
The Telegraph reports that many Brits were turned away from the crossing because their names were not on a list of those approved to leave. The paper says the delays and confusion are due to Israeli intelligence vetting all foreign nationals for links with terrorism.
The i newspaper reports that there was a list of those allowed to leave only after arriving at the crossing. The paper says it’s seen a list with only two British citizens on it. One of them, a surgeon from Liverpool, was turned away because, by the time he arrived at the gate, the crossing was closed again.
“Bring them home” is the Sun’s headline, surrounded by pictures of 32 children taken hostage by Hamas on 7 October. The paper says the kids are being held in the underground Hamas tunnels.
AI threat to humanity
Elon Musk’s AI warning features on several front pages. The tech boss said that artificial intelligence poses one of the biggest threats to humanity.
The Daily Mail picks up on Musk’s comments and says it contrasts a comment by Meta senior executive Nick Clegg, who argues the risks of AI are overstated.
An editorial in the Telegraph reports Clegg’s comments are not surprising given his post-politics career and there’s been a lot of special pleading by tech companies at the conference on the safety of AI.
Covid inquiry
A Times editorial reports on the Covid inquiry saying that the latest revelations show that Britain is badly served by a system which is says “promotes slippery amateurs into positions demanding integrity, professionalism and expertise”.