Gabon officers say election result cancelled, 'regime' ended
A group of Gabonese military officers appeared on television Wednesday announcing they were "putting an end to the current regime" and cancelling an election that, according to official...
2023-08-30 14:17
Montana agencies issue mountain whitefish consumption advisory near Yellowstone River derailment site
State agencies are warning people not to eat mountain whitefish caught in the Yellowstone River in the area where a train carrying chemicals went off the tracks in June, according to the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
2023-08-14 03:25
Rhodes: First flights taking NI tourists from wildfires due later
EasyJet and Jet2 flights carrying passengers from areas affected by wildfires will touch down tonight.
2023-07-25 17:16
Zimbabwe's election extends to a second day after long ballot delays. Some slept at polling stations
Voting is still underway in Zimbabwe
2023-08-24 14:58
Thai Parliament Convenes After Election to Kick Off PM Selection
Thailand’s parliament will convene for the first time after the May election, kicking off the process of government
2023-07-03 10:22
Russians against Ukraine war should spy for the UK, MI6 boss says
The head of MI6 has urged Russians appalled by the war in Ukraine to “join hands” with his spy service and bring the bloodshed to an end. In his second speech since becoming chief of the Secret Intelligence Service in 2020, Richard Moore said there appeared little prospect of Vladimir Putin’s forces regaining momentum in Ukraine – and expressed optimism about Kyiv’s long-awaited counteroffensive. Delivering his speech at the British embassy in Prague, the MI6 chief likened the current situation in Ukraine to the Prague Spring in 1968, when the Soviet Union quashed liberalising reforms. “As they witness the venality, infighting and callous incompetence of their leaders – the human factor as its worst – many Russians are wrestling with the same dilemmas as their predecessors did in 1968,” Moore said. “I invite them to do what others have done this past 18 months and join hands with us. Our door is always open ... Their secrets will be safe with us and together we will work to bring the bloodshed to an end.” While Mr Putin has sought to maintain an iron grip on the war narrative since Russia’s full-scale invasion last February, with the aid of state TV, public opinion of the conflict is likely to have been knocked by Moscow’s apparent military setbacks and his mobilisation of reservists last Septmeber. Many fighting age men have fled abroad to escape the draft, while thousands of protesters have been arrested at infrequent demonstrations launched across scores of Russian cities since the war began even despite the prospect of swift state repression. “There are many Russians today who are silently appalled by the sight of their armed forces pulverising Ukrainian cities, expelling innocent families from their homes and kidnapping thousands of children,” said Mr Moore. “They are watching in horror as their soldiers ravage a kindred country. They know in their hearts that Putin’s case for attacking a fellow Slavic nation is fraudulent, a miasma of lies and fantasy.” Appealing for such individuals to work alongside the MI6, he added: “We will handle their offers of help with the discretion and professionalism for which my service is famed.” Despite the best efforts of the Russian state to shield citizens from Moscow’s military failures, an awareness of several attacks on Russian soil – including two on Mr Putin’s prized Kerch bridge in Crimea, and the Wagner mercenary group’s armed mutiny last month – have filtered through. The shortlived rebellion by Yevgeny Prigozhin and his mercenaries – whose relative military successes in Ukraine have boosted their popularity within Russia – showed Mr Putin was “clearly under pressure”, Mr Moore said. Criticising the wave of “Russian imperialism” in Africa fuelled in recent years by the Wagner group, Mr Moore also claimed Iran’s “unconscionable” decision to supply Moscow with suicide drones for the Ukraine war had provoked internal quarrels at the highest level of the regime in Tehran. Also denouncing the Russian president’s nuclear sabre-rattling as “irresponsible and reckless”, the spy chief also warned that Moscow and China were racing to master technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum computing. Some of Britain’s adversaries will try to develop AI in a way which is reckless and dangerous, he told Politico, adding: “It will be a significant part of our role going forward into the future, to try and ... detect, uncover, and then disrupt people who would like to develop AI in directions which are dangerous.” But while government and intelligence agencies globally are seeking to harness the power of AI, Mr Moore told those present in Prague that the technology would complement rather replace human agents –who can uncover secrets beyond technology’s reach. “The unique characteristics of human agents in the right places will become still more significant,” he said. “They are never just passive collectors of informatio n: our agents can be tasked and directed; they can identify new questions we didn’t know to ask; and sometimes they can influence decisions inside a government or terrorist group. “Human intelligence in the age of artificial intelligence will increasingly be defined as those things that machines cannot do, albeit we should expect the frontier of machine capability to advance with startling speed.” Additional reporting by agencies Read More On the ground in Ukraine, there’s one weapon troops want from the UK more than any other Britain’s MI6 intelligence chief says AI won’t replace the need for human spies Revealed: Ukraine’s chilling warning to Tony Blair about Putin two decades before invasion South African leader says that arresting Putin if he comes to Johannesburg next month would be 'war'
2023-07-19 17:56
Elon Musk, Donald Trump Jr and the Irish hate speech row
Ireland's first Hate Speech Bill is causing serious debate at home and abroad.
2023-09-02 13:49
Israel, Hamas Prepare for More Hostage Releases as Truce Holds
Israel and Hamas prepared for a third day of hostage releases from Gaza, after a last-minute dispute on
2023-11-26 16:50
Anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo wins Guatemala's presidential election
With more than 95% of the ballots counted, anti-corruption candidate Bernardo Arévalo, from the progressive Movimiento Semilla party, appeared to have won Guatemala's presidential election on Sunday, beating former first lady Sandra Torres by 59.1% to 36.1% of votes cast.
2023-08-21 10:54
The wait for US passports is creating travel purgatory and snarling summer plans
A much-feared backup of U.S. passport applications has snarled summer plans for would-be travelers around the world
2023-07-03 13:23
Turkish candidate drops out in boost to Erdogan's main challenger
A candidate in Turkey's presidential election has withdrawn from the race
2023-05-11 23:54
Kidderminster war veteran remembered after death, aged 100
Lt Edmund Szymczak, who was shot three times in World War Two, went on to help Polish people in the UK.
2023-08-30 13:29
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