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Meta reportedly plans sweeping layoffs as AI costs increase
Meta is planning sweeping layoffs that could affect 20% or more of the company, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters, as Meta seeks to offset costly artificial intelligence infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers. No date has been set for the cuts and the magnitude has not been finalized, the people said. Top executives have recently signaled the plans to other senior leaders at Meta and told them to begin planning how to pare back, two of the people said. The sources spoke anonymously because they were not authorized to disclose the cuts. Meta did not immediately comment.
Is Dubai's glossy image under threat? Not everyone thinks so
Is Dubai's glossy image under threat? Stephanie Baker had been celebrating her birthday with friends at a bar on Palm Jumeirah - Dubai's iconic man-made palm-shaped island lined with luxury hotels and beach clubs. But as the group stepped outside to head to another nearby venue, something unusual streaked across the night sky. Moments later, debris from a drone struck the five-star Fairmont hotel - Baker and her friends were standing right across the street. We all were scared, she says.
Trump says Putin may be helping Iran 'a bit'
Trump says Putin may be helping Iran'a bit' US President Donald Trump has said he believes that Vladimir Putin and Russia are helping Iran a bit amid the conflict with the US and Israel. In an interview with Fox News, Trump acknowledged that the US also helps Ukrainian forces as they battle with Russian forces. According to some US media reports, Russia has been sharing the location of US military forces with Iran that could help guide missile and drone attacks across the Middle East. On Thursday, US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff said that Russia's government had assured the Trump administration that it was not providing intelligence to the Iranian government in Tehran. Asked by Fox about the potential of Russian intelligence being shared with Iran, Trump said that I think he [Putin] may be helping them a bit, yeah.
Will AI take Australian jobs, or is it just an excuse for corporate restructure?
AI has been blamed for more than 1,000 job cuts in Australia in the past few months. AI has been blamed for more than 1,000 job cuts in Australia in the past few months. Will AI take Australian jobs, or is it just an excuse for corporate restructure? More than 1,000 local tech jobs have recently been cut, with companies citing AI productivity gains. But that's not the full story, experts say T eresa Lim has one of the most recognisable voices in Australia.
Games with loot boxes to get minimum 16 age rating across Europe
Games which feature loot boxes will soon be given an age rating of 16 across Europe, including in the UK, under a host of changes by the European video game ratings organisation. The Pan-European Game Information body (PEGI)'s age ratings are displayed on games sold in the UK and other countries in Europe to indicate their suitability for children of different ages. Loot boxes are an in-game feature allowing players to buy random mystery items with real or virtual currency, but recent research has found they blur the line between gaming and gambling. The new ratings, taking effect from June, could see games containing loot box systems, such as EA Sports FC, receive a much higher age rating. The PEGI system is used in 38 countries to help consumers and particularly parents make informed decisions about the games they purchase.
Anthropic-Pentagon battle shows how big tech has reversed course on AI and war
Less than a decade ago, Google employees scuttled any military use of its AI. The standoff between Anthropic and the Pentagon has forced the tech industry to once again grapple with the question of how its products are used for war - and what lines it will not cross. Amid Silicon Valley's rightward shift under Donald Trump and the signing of lucrative defense contracts, big tech's answer is looking very different than it did even less than a decade ago. Anthropic's feud with the Trump administration escalated three days ago as the AI firm sued the Department of Defense, claiming that the government's decision to blacklist it from government work violated its first amendment rights. The company and the Pentagon have been locked in a months-long standoff, with Anthropic attempting to prohibit its AI model from being used for domestic mass surveillance or fully autonomous lethal weapons.
UK troops at Iraq base shot down Iranian drones, Healey says
British forces based in Iraq shot down two Iranian drones overnight, Defence Secretary John Healey has said. But some drones in the attack hit the coalition base in the Iraqi city of Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, and injured a number of US troops. There were no British casualties. Brigadier Guy Foden said the base and another in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad were struck a number of times on Wednesday night and British personnel are currently in Erbil helping to defend that base. Since the US-Israeli strikes on Iran, US bases in Iraq have been targeted in retaliation.