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Many new UK drone users must take theory test before flying outside

BBC News

Many in the UK who unwrapped a new drone this Christmas may face a rude awakening next week, when they will have to take a theory test before being allowed to fly outdoors. From 1 January, those intending to fly drones or model aircraft weighing 100g or more outside must complete a Civil Aviation Authority (CCA) online theory test to get a Flyer ID - something previously only needed for heavier drones. The regulator believes up to half a million people in the UK may be impacted by its new requirements. CAA spokesperson Jonathan Nicholson said with drones becoming a common Christmas present it was important people knew how to comply with the law. With the new drone rules coming into force this week, all drone users must register, get a Flyer ID and follow the regulations, he said.


Bernie Sanders criticizes AI as 'the most consequential technology in humanity'

The Guardian

Bernie Sanders criticizes AI as'the most consequential technology in humanity' US senator Bernie Sanders amplified his recent criticism of artificial intelligence on Sunday, explicitly linking the financial ambition of "the richest people in the world" to economic insecurity for millions of Americans - and calling for a potential moratorium on new datacenters . Sanders, a Vermont independent who caucuses with the Democratic party, said on CNN's State of the Union that he was "fearful of a lot" when it came to AI. And the senator called it "the most consequential technology in the history of humanity" that will "transform" the US and the world in ways that had not been fully discussed. "If there are no jobs and humans won't be needed for most things, how do people get an income to feed their families, to get healthcare or to pay the rent?" Sanders said. "There's not been one serious word of discussion in the Congress about that reality."


12 ethereal images from the 2025 Northern Lights Photographer of the Year awards

Popular Science

Photographer Victor Lima used a 12 millimeter fisheye lens to take this panoramic image of the aurora borealis over the Skรณgafoss waterfall in Iceland. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Watching the aurora borealis (in the Northern Hemisphere) or aurora australis (in the Southern Hemisphere) is unforgettable. Photographing them is on a whole other level. Capturing these ribbons of light as they move and twist across the night sky transforms even the darkest winter night into a surreal wonderland.


Watch: Spaniards hurl flour, eggs and fireworks in mock battle

BBC News

The annual food fight festival ''Els Enfarinats'' has left the Spanish town of Ibi covered in flour and egg shells. Every year participants wear military-style costumes and stage a fake coup using eggs, flour and firecrackers. The eggers go around asking for taxes - donations to charity - from local people and if you don't pay you could end up getting splatted. The festival, held in the province of Alicante, is more than 200 years old and takes place on the 28 December each year to coincide with the Day of the Innocents - Spain's equivalent of April Fools' Day. The French model and actress has died at the age of 91.


Injured veterans say Meta's AI-powered glasses are a 'gamechanger' for people with disabilities - as it allows them to send texts and get directions by just using their voice

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Inside the somber birthday of Rob Reiner's heartbroken daughter Romy: Pictured for first time since parents' murders... she seeks solace at the beach with boyfriend and family by her side Donald Trump meets with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago as president snaps at reporter: 'What a stupid question' SARAH VINE: The miasma of gloom has finally lifted over the royals. How sad Harry and Meghan can't see past their own psychodramas to allow their children to join this happy band Fast moving winter storm and possible'bomb cyclone' set to sweep across the country as 40 million Americans are placed on alert Redemption for Jake Paul's fiancee as Jutta Leerdam bounces back after heartbreaking fall at Olympic trials FBI gives update on daycare accused of $4MILLION taxpayer fraud as Kash Patel says it's the'tip of the iceberg' and vows to'follow the money and protect children' A Boy Scout vanished in the mountains then stumbled into a police station 12 years later. The tale gripped social media... but then the truth came out Shopping mall was once the jewel in Democrat-run city's crown in its 90s heyday but now it's a ghost town and up for sale Brigitte Bardot's final social media posts show her doing what she loved and looking remarkably healthy without the care she relied upon in her final years - just days before her death Nashville's brutal secret RANKING of influencers - revealed: From the'cougar' to the country music WAG with an ugly nickname... and the star whose marriage is facing WILD accusations Bryson DeChambeau gives stark update on his LIV Golf future after Brooks Koepka's shock exit I've been a mechanic for 50 years... here are the cars you should desperately avoid: 'Blowing up' I'm a psychiatrist who almost never prescribes antidepressants. My drug-free treatment has a 70% success rate... Injured veterans say Meta's AI-powered glasses are a'gamechanger' for people with disabilities - as it allows them to send texts and get directions by just using their voice The Ray-Ban Meta AI Glasses and newer Oakley Vanguard glasses might look like a standard pair of chunky specs. But in reality, these cutting-edge wearables are a hands-free device that lets users seamlessly interact with AI controls.


Nvidia insists it isn't Enron, but its AI deals are testing investor faith

The Guardian

Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, has been on an energetic world tour as the company's share price has soared. Nvidia's chief executive, Jensen Huang, has been on an energetic world tour as the company's share price has soared. Nvidia insists it isn't Enron, but its AI deals are testing investor faith The chipmaker's sprawling partnerships are driving extraordinary growth but also bank its future on the AI boom paying off quickly N vidia is, in crucial ways, nothing like Enron - the Houston energy giant that imploded through multibillion-dollar accounting fraud in 2001. Nor is it similar to companies such as Lucent or Worldcom that folded during the dotcom bubble. But the fact that it needs to reiterate this to its investors is less than ideal. Now worth more than $4tn (ยฃ3tn), Nvidia makes the specialised technology that powers the world's AI surge: silicon chips and software packages that train and host systems such as ChatGPT.


Could AI relationships actually be good for us?

The Guardian

Could AI relationships actually be good for us? T here is much anxiety these days about the dangers of human-AI relationships. Reports of suicide and self-harm attributable to interactions with chatbots have understandably made headlines. The phrase " AI psychosis " has been used to describe the plight of people experiencing delusions, paranoia or dissociation after talking to large language models (LLMs). Our collective anxiety has been compounded by studies showing that young people are increasingly embracing the idea of AI relationships; half of teens chat with an AI companion at least a few times a month, with one in three finding conversations with AI " to be as satisfying or more satisfying than those with real life friends ".


Revealed: What Brits searched for most on Google in 2025

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Inside the somber birthday of Rob Reiner's heartbroken daughter Romy: Pictured for first time since parents' murders... she seeks solace at the beach with boyfriend and family by her side Donald Trump meets with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago as president snaps at reporter: 'What a stupid question' SARAH VINE: The miasma of gloom has finally lifted over the royals. How sad Harry and Meghan can't see past their own psychodramas to allow their children to join this happy band Fast moving winter storm and possible'bomb cyclone' set to sweep across the country as 40 million Americans are placed on alert Redemption for Jake Paul's fiancee as Jutta Leerdam bounces back after heartbreaking fall at Olympic trials FBI gives update on daycare accused of $4MILLION taxpayer fraud as Kash Patel says it's the'tip of the iceberg' and vows to'follow the money and protect children' A Boy Scout vanished in the mountains then stumbled into a police station 12 years later. The tale gripped social media... but then the truth came out Shopping mall was once the jewel in Democrat-run city's crown in its 90s heyday but now it's a ghost town and up for sale Brigitte Bardot's final social media posts show her doing what she loved and looking remarkably healthy without the care she relied upon in her final years - just days before her death Nashville's brutal secret RANKING of influencers - revealed: From the'cougar' to the country music WAG with an ugly nickname... and the star whose marriage is facing WILD accusations Melanie Watson dead at 57: Diff'rent Strokes star dies after suffering severe health complications in hospital Bryson DeChambeau gives stark update on his LIV Golf future after Brooks Koepka's shock exit I've been a mechanic for 50 years... here are the cars you should desperately avoid: 'Blowing up' Charlie Kirk was the top trending search term Google in the UK in 2025, according to an annual list compiled by the search engine. The Turning Point USA founder, 31, who was gunned down at a speaking event at a Utah college campus, was also the most read article globally on Wikipedia. Following Kirk, the second most searched subject was Ozzy Osbourne .


Google reveals most popular trends of 2025 in website's 'Year in Search'

Daily Mail - Science & tech

Inside the somber birthday of Rob Reiner's heartbroken daughter Romy: Pictured for first time since parents' murders... she seeks solace at the beach with boyfriend and family by her side Donald Trump meets with Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago as president snaps at reporter: 'What a stupid question' SARAH VINE: The miasma of gloom has finally lifted over the royals. How sad Harry and Meghan can't see past their own psychodramas to allow their children to join this happy band Fast moving winter storm and possible'bomb cyclone' set to sweep across the country as 40 million Americans are placed on alert Redemption for Jake Paul's fiancee as Jutta Leerdam bounces back after heartbreaking fall at Olympic trials FBI gives update on daycare accused of $4MILLION taxpayer fraud as Kash Patel says it's the'tip of the iceberg' and vows to'follow the money and protect children' A Boy Scout vanished in the mountains then stumbled into a police station 12 years later. The tale gripped social media... but then the truth came out Shopping mall was once the jewel in Democrat-run city's crown in its 90s heyday but now it's a ghost town and up for sale Brigitte Bardot's final social media posts show her doing what she loved and looking remarkably healthy without the care she relied upon in her final years - just days before her death Nashville's brutal secret RANKING of influencers - revealed: From the'cougar' to the country music WAG with an ugly nickname... and the star whose marriage is facing WILD accusations Melanie Watson dead at 57: Diff'rent Strokes star dies after suffering severe health complications in hospital Bryson DeChambeau gives stark update on his LIV Golf future after Brooks Koepka's shock exit I've been a mechanic for 50 years... here are the cars you should desperately avoid: 'Blowing up' Google reveals most popular trends of 2025 in website's'Year in Search' Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter to get all the best exclusive stories Google has revealed that Charlie Kirk was the top trending US search of 2025 following the conservative influencer's assassination in September. The search engine platform shared its top US searches in its Year in Search on Sunday, an annual report and recap of the platform's most popular searches that users most wanted to know about throughout the year. Following Kirk in the top searches list was KPop Demon Hunters.


Snow-capped Mount Etna erupts as skiers use its slopes

BBC News

Huge plumes of ash and smoke were filmed erupting from Mount Etna, Sicily on 27 December as skiers used the slopes below. Scientists at the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia said volcanic activity at the site, which frequently erupts, had intensified, with craters continuously emitting ash. In response, scientists issued a red Volcano Observatory Notice for Aviation, its highest level, though authorities said flights would continue to operate normally at a nearby airport unless ashfall increased. The annual food fight festival ''Els Enfarinats'' has left the Spanish town of Ibi covered in flour and egg shells. The French model and actress has died at the age of 91.