Author: News Desk

More than 100 AI trials to boost small-business productivity launched Some 120 projects trialling how AI could help small businesses be more productive have been launched by the Government in its first wave of initiatives to use the technology to boost the economy. The projects include an AI tool that can predict potholes before they appear, another which can anticipate where mould is likely to grow in buildings and another being trialled at a bakery aimed at cutting food waste. Each of the projects will receive a share of £7 million in Government funding to help test the AI technology.…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has dismissed demands from US President-elect Donald Trump that Germany and other NATO allies increase defense spending to at least 5% of gross domestic product (GDP). “Five percent would be over €200 billion ($204 billion) per year — the federal budget is not even €500 billion,” Scholz said at a campaign event in the western German city of Bielefeld on Monday. “That would only be possible with massive tax increases or massive cuts to many things that are important to us,” he said, insisting that he would not countenance cuts to pensions, local government or transport infrastructure.…

Proposals aim to protect UK infrastructure from ransomware All public sector bodies and critical national infrastructure could be banned from making ransomware payments under new Government proposals designed to combat the cyber crime. A Home Office consultation is being launched that will consider expanding the existing ban on government departments making such payments, which are often demanded by cybercriminals to unlock or return files they have accessed after breaking into a computer system. The proposals also include a ransomware payment prevention regime, designed to increase the National Crime Agency’s awareness of live attacks and block payments to known criminal groups…

South Korea’s military reported that North Korea launched several suspected short-range ballistic missiles into the East Sea on Tuesday around 09:30 AM local time. This incident follows Pyongyang’s test of a new hypersonic missile system last week and occurs amid strengthening ties between Japan and South Korea. North Korea fires several suspected short-range ballistic missiles

It has been over two months since Donald Trump’s election victory, but he won’t become president until January 20. The reason for the long wait? A quirk of history. Like many aspects of American political life, the November-to-January timeline from election to inauguration outlined in the US Constitution has its roots in historic logistics. It “is somewhat of a historical artifact,” Michael Berkman, a professor of political science at Pennsylvania State University in the United States, told DW. For over a century, the United States waited until March to inaugurate its president, potentially leaving an administration that was voted out in…

TV host signs off with powerful message as channel shuts down after 10 years TV channel London Live is closing after over 10 years. Bosses made the announcement with a statement addressed to their ‘loyal followers’ today. Posted on X, the message began on a sombre note, admitting that ‘sadly’, the channel will be going off air. ‘The TV channel will no longer be on air from 12am on 20th January and the final news programme will be on 16th January at 6pm,’ the statement confirmed. ‘We want to thank you for following and supporting us over the last 10…

Los Angeles faces critical wildfire threat as Santa Ana winds, gusting up to 75 mph, exacerbate blazes that have destroyed neighborhoods and claimed over two dozen lives. Firefighters work tirelessly to control fires that have scorched an area as large as Washington, D.C., with red flag warnings effective from 10 p.m. PST. Los Angeles braces for strong winds as deadly wildfires continue to rage

Dangerously high winds are set to return to Los Angeles, threatening efforts to extinguish wildfires that have destroyed neighborhoods and claimed at least 24 lives. “We are not in the clear as of yet,” Los Angeles Fire Chief Kristin Crowle said. “We must not let our guard down,” she added. Dry Santa Ana winds of up to 70 miles (112 kilometers) per hour are predicted to resume on Monday and continue until Wednesday, according to the National Weather Service, which issued a “particularly dangerous situation” red flag warning. Firefighters are working to contain three active blazes in the Los Angeles area…

The PP spokesperson in Parliament, Juan Fernández, stated this Monday that the president of the Generalitat, Salvador Illa, is a “hostage of ERC” after the refusal to agree on the regional budgets communicated yesterday by the independence party. At a press conference, Fernández lamented the “paralysis” of the regional government, which in his opinion plays the “inherited score” of the Pere Aragonès era. “We continue with the same uncertainties with which we ended last year,” he declared. The leader has regretted that ERC is not interested in “entering into a negotiating dynamic” and that, literally, the Catalans have been kidnapped…

The government is to set out plans to use artificial intelligence (AI) across the UK to boost growth and deliver public services more efficiently. The AI Opportunities Action Plan being announced on Monday will be backed by leading tech firms, which are said to have committed £14bn towards various projects, creating 13,250 jobs, the government said.

The pound has dropped to its lowest value against the dollar since November 2023 while government borrowing costs have continued to rise. The pound fell to $1.21 on Monday morning as the recent sell-off continued.