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Blockbusters, battles and Brits: Hollywood gears up for Oscar nominations

BBC News

The Oscar nominations will be announced later, with Leonardo DiCaprio's politically-charged thriller One Battle After Another expected to lead the field. Marty Supreme, Frankenstein, Sentimental Value, Bugonia and The Secret Agent are also expected to perform strongly when the shortlists are announced from 13:30 GMT. It's a weaker year for UK talent - Wunmi Mosaku from vampire horror Sinners is one of the few British stars with a chance of securing an acting nomination. But Irish actors Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal are expected to be recognised for their roles in the screen adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel Hamnet. US comedian Conan O'Brien will return to host this year's Academy Awards ceremony, which takes place on 15 March.


US House panel advances bill to give Congress authority on AI chip exports

Al Jazeera

What is the Insurrection Act? Why is the US Fed chair criminal probe causing alarm? The United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee has overwhelmingly voted to advance a bill that would give Congress more power over artificial intelligence chip exports despite pushback from White House AI tsar David Sacks and a social media campaign against the legislation. Representative Brian Mast of Florida, a Republican and the chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, introduced the "AI Overwatch Act" in December after US President Donald Trump greenlit shipments of Nvidia's powerful H200 AI chips to China. The bill claims that those "countries of concern" also include countries beyond China, such as Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and Venezuela.


Japanese snow monkeys get more than just relief from hot springs

Popular Science

Bathing can change the primates' parasites and gut microbes. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. When the temperatures plunge and snow falls, it's understandable to envy a snow monkey soaking in a steaming hot spring. Officially called Japanese macaques (), the primates are well known for taking advantage of the warm waters during snowy winters. While the hot water helps keep their bodies toasty in parts of Japan that can be covered with feet of snow for months at a time, there may be more to this unique behavior than meets the eye.


'The end of the world as we know it': Is the rules-based order finished?

Al Jazeera

How much is US support for Israel costing Trump? What is a Palestinian without olives? Why are Gaza's homes collapsing in winter? 'The end of the world as we know it': Is the rules-based order finished? Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the quiet part out loud at the World Economic Forum: what many call the global rules-based order was either collapsing or had collapsed already.


US to transfer Islamic State prisoners from Syria to Iraq

BBC News

The US military has launched a mission to transfer up to 7,000 Islamic State (IS) group fighters from prisons in north-eastern Syria to Iraq, as Syrian government forces take control of areas long controlled by Kurdish-led forces. US Central Command said it had already moved 150 IS fighters from Hassakeh province to a secure location in Iraq. The move aimed to prevent a breakout that would pose a direct threat to the United States and regional security, it added. On Tuesday night, Syria's government announced a new ceasefire with the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), after the militia alliance withdrew from al-Hol camp, which holds thousands of relatives of IS fighters. Separately on Wednesday, Syria's defence ministry said seven soldiers were killed in a drone attack by Kurdish forces in the Kurdish-dominated province of Hasakah.


How Do You Teach an AI to Be Good? Anthropic Just Published Its Answer

TIME - Tech

How Do You Teach an AI to Be Good? A person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of "Claude," an AI language model by Anthropic A person holds a smartphone displaying the logo of "Claude," an AI language model by Anthropic Cheng Xin/Getty Images Getting AI models to behave used to be a thorny mathematical problem. These days, it looks a bit more like raising a child. That, at least, is according to Amanda Askell --a trained philosopher whose unique role within Anthropic is crafting the personality of Claude, the AI firm's rival to ChatGPT. "Imagine you suddenly realize that your six-year-old child is a kind of genius," Askell says.


US, Russia envoys meet in Davos as Ukraine reconstruction plan postponed

Al Jazeera

Could Ukraine hold a presidential election right now? Will Europe use frozen Russian assets to fund war? How can Ukraine rebuild China ties? 'Ukraine is running out of men, money and time' Envoys for United States President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin have met at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, amid reports that the signing of a $800bn "prosperity plan" was postponed due to tensions over Greenland . Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Wednesday said Moscow would not comment on talks in Davos, but stressed the importance for Russia of receiving information on discussions between the US, European leaders and Ukraine.


AI's growing thirst for water is becoming a public health risk

Al Jazeera

AI's growing thirst for water is becoming a public health risk "Bubble" is probably the word most associated with "AI" right now, though we are slowly understanding that it is not just an economic time bomb; it also carries significant public health risks. Beyond the release of pollutants, the massive need for clean water by AI data centres can reduce sanitation and exacerbate gastrointestinal illness in nearby communities, placing additional strain on local health infrastructure. AI's energy consumption is massive and increasingly water-dependent Generative AI is artificial intelligence that is able to generate new text, photos, code and more, and it has already infiltrated the lives of most people around the globe. ChatGPT alone is reported to receive around one billion queries in a single day, pointing to huge demand at the individual level. This, however, is only the tip of the iceberg.


AI 'reveals' what it thinks about people in towns across the UK - and claims residents in Middlesbrough are the most stupid while those in Grimsby are the least sexy

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Cause of death revealed for chess grandmaster who died'unexpectedly' at age 29 Savannah Guthrie in total'PANIC': Today co-workers' brutal true thoughts about her revealed while she's on sick leave... leaving her asking the same humiliating question'The woman is your average mother after too many vinos': Hilarious'drunk' Victoria Beckham dancing videos go viral as fans point out how'happy' Nicola Peltz looks to be with her Palm Beach's old money elite expose the outrageously dirty secret of newbie Netflix reality stars... and name'tackiest' most hated influencer, as turf war explodes America accuses Britain of'letting us down' by giving away Chagos islands as Reeves takes a jab at Trump in Davos America's spirits industry hit again as two iconic brands shut down . Kate and William's second honeymoon era! Subtle gestures on latest engagement that show couple are more in love than ever Inside dramatic FBI raid on Jake Paul's $8million Calabasas mansion: His own mom reveals explosive never-before-told full story Trump warns Iran the whole country will be'blown up' if he is assassinated David and Victoria Beckham'will only speak to son Brooklyn again if he SPLITS from wife Nicola Peltz' Tommy Lee Jones's daughter was pregnant three months before her shock death, court documents reveal Blake Lively's'greatest friend ever' Taylor Swift calls Justin Baldoni a'b****' in juicy texts, explosive court papers claim I suffered EIGHT miscarriages... then I made a simple diet swap and got pregnant with twins at 43 AI'reveals' what it thinks about people in towns across the UK - and claims residents in Middlesbrough are the most stupid while those in Grimsby are the least sexy READ MORE: Is AI making us STUPID? Daily Mail's Wellness Explained examines A damning study asked ChatGPT its opinions on towns and cities across the UK - revealing the bias built in to the popular AI model. Researchers from the University of Oxford questioned ChatGPT on a range of attributes across the UK - including intelligence, racism, sexiness, and style. When asked which UK towns and cities are the most intelligent, ChatGPT claims that Cambridge tops the list.


River of waste 'visible for miles' dumped at mountain beauty spot

BBC News

River of waste'visible for miles' dumped at mountain beauty spot A farmer says she is devastated by a disgusting river of fly-tipped waste dumped down the side of a mountain. Katie Davies, whose family has owned land on Bwlch Mountain in Treorchy for 90 years, said the clean up could cost thousands of pounds and could also harm her sheep which graze on the land. Travel blogger Nathan Dixon, who captured drone footage showing the scale of the discarded waste, said the mess could be seen from three to five miles away, adding that it sticks out like a sore thumb. Rhondda Cynon Taf council said it always took action to hold those responsible for fly-tipping to account, while Natural Resources Wales (NRW) said fly-tipping was a serious crime. Davies, who runs small family business Nantymoel farm which produces Welsh beef and lamb, said the mess keeps me up at night.