To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. First Minister John Swinney says he does not have confidence the UK is safe from potential Russian threats. The SNP leader said the UK government, which is in charge of Britain's defences, did not have a sufficient presence in vulnerable areas off Scotland's coast. He said he was very worried by security fears highlighted this week by the head of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, who named Russia as aggressor number one. Speaking to BBC Scotland News ahead of the SNP's annual conference, Swinney also denied that independence would weaken Scotland's security.

Scotland's first AI teacher warns pupils: Don't trust everything it tells you To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. Some teenagers are already using artificial intelligence to tackle homework, revise for exams and sharpen coursework. Others are steering clear of it completely. At one Scottish school, staff have decided that pretending AI doesn't exist is not an option. Mearns Castle High School in East Renfrewshire is believed to be the first school in the UK to appoint a dedicated principal teacher of AI literacy, creating a role focused entirely on helping pupils and staff understand the risks and benefits of the powerful new technology.

Scotland is on course to miss legally-binding targets to cut child poverty by a wide margin, according to a report from a leading social reform charity. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) said one in five children was in poverty and radical change was needed to put the Scottish government's pledges back on track. It urged ministers to craft a much bolder and properly-funded plan to reduce poverty by rewiring local government, public services and the tax system. The Scottish government said it had made great strides, with its policies keeping 100,000 children out of poverty this year, but accepted there was more to do. In 2017, MSPs passed a law requiring ministers to hit four targets, external, including pushing the share of children in relative poverty below 10% by 2030.

In today's newsletter: Communities from Scotland to India are pushing back against datacentres, warning they threaten energy supplies and the climate This summer, datacentres have become targets of resistance across the world. Ever since the arrival of ChatGPT, big tech has been lobbying for the creation of enormous new facilities. Many governments claim they're essential in any country that wants to cash in on AI. Campaigners argue datacentres drain resources and exacerbate the climate crisis. The Scottish National Party has backed a moratorium on new developments; so has the Greens.

Scotland could freeze datacentre projects in challenge to UK's AI strategy The Scottish government is about to consider a sweeping moratorium on building new datacentres, putting a key plank of the UK's AI strategy at risk. Last Sunday the Scottish National party (SNP)'s national council passed a motion to freeze all new datacentres in Scotland. That motion has been sent to the Scottish government to consider. It could apply to all datacentre projects that have not yet received planning permission - although its exact implementation is up to the Scottish government to decide. Lesley Backhouse, who attended the national council meeting, said that Scotland's current datacentre plans amounted to "overdevelopment" and were "intrusive and not keeping with the local environment".

The US military action in Venezuela breaches international law and the UK should make clear it is unacceptable, the chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee has said. Dame Emily Thornberry is the most senior Labour MP so far to criticise Donald Trump's strikes on the country over the weekend, which saw President Nicolas Maduro and his wife captured. The UK government has so far refused to say whether the move was illegal, insisting it is for the Americans to lay out the legal basis for the action. But the US president's actions have been criticised by some Labour MPs, as well as the leaders of the Lib Dems, Greens and the SNP. Dame Emily told BBC Radio 4's Westminster Hour the strikes were not a legal action and she cannot think of anything that could be a proper justification.

Welcome to World University and School Wiki which anyone can add to or edit. See, too, the British Film Institute. If you were Scotland and heading for independence with a vote in the British Isles in 2014 or beyond, which currency would you choose for Scotland's long term prosperity, - institutional-wise, especially (e.g. "Like many Scots, I can clearly distinguish between independence and nationalism, and I certainly wouldn't be voting for nationalism, certainly not for tartan-la-la. Really I'd want a yes vote, then a bloodless coup the next morning, before there were any flags or triumphalism."

The AI service will help Encompass customers to "quickly and accurately" find risk-relevant information on their own customers, organisations and investments. Sturgeon said: "Encompass is one of a number of international companies that has chosen to locate and steadily expand its operation, making Scotland an attractive place to grow its business. "From its Glasgow base, the company has access to markets, a supportive business environment and has been able to identify local talent from Scottish professionals in the engineering and software development sector. "Backed by almost £2 million of R&D investment from Scottish Enterprise, Encompass will be able to develop artificial intelligence software tools that will assist companies in the financial sector to reduce operational risks associated with meeting compliance and regulatory standards." Encompass's work in Glasgow has primarily been focused on its Know Your Customer product, where it uses data analytics to ensure clients do not unknowingly trade with organised crime or the proceeds of crime.

There is a "real risk" that the growth of automation and increased use of artificial intelligence will see communities across Scotland left behind, Nicola Sturgeon has warned. Speaking at the Wellbeing Economy Alliance conference, the first minister said the growth of new technology will bring new opportunities for Scotland, but that their introduction must be carefully managed to ensure that the benefits are shared. The Scottish Government has worked with the Scottish Trades Union Congress to examine the effects of new technologies on the economy and workforce, with a joint 2018 report finding "there is a plausible case that the technological change in the 21st century could pose new and serious challenges in sustaining a labour market that supports broadly based prosperity". Appearing in Edinburgh, Sturgeon said her government aimed to create an economy where "collective wellbeing" was as fundamental as GDP, but warned that the movement to a low-carbon economy and the growth of new technologies would also pose challenges for communities and workers. The SNP leader said: "As we moved to increased use of technology, such as artificial intelligence, there is again a big potential for real economic benefit, particularly for country like Scotland, and for a city like Edinburgh, where there is already a very strong, vibrant and growing tech sector. But there are also a range of ethical questions to confront. There is also a real risk that as we make that transition, individuals and communities are left behind, so we must work now to make sure that does not happen."

Younger people prefer assistance from female voices, neuroscience research has revealed. A major study of consumers' subconscious reactions to digitised voices has revealed there is a substantial bias towards female voices among people under the age of 35. The research, which used brain imaging technology to explore the neurological response to male and female voice assistants, discovered respondents of both genders within a younger age group found a female voice both more approachable and more compelling than its male equivalent. In contrast, while those over 35 also found the female voice more approachable, they found the male voice to be more compelling. Analysing the subconscious brain responses of 105 subjects aged between 18 and 65, the study discovered that subjects of all ages and genders found female voices more approachable, with the "approach" response 32 per cent higher for female voices.