Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. Residents confront ICE agents on Atlantic Boulevard in the city of Bell on June 20, 2025. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

'Cowboy builders' targeted in new government clampdown People carrying out home renovations will gain greater protections against cowboy builders through a new database of trusted traders and a payment system offering more safeguards, the government has said. Traders signing up to the scheme launching next month will need to demonstrate certain standards of customer service, transparency and dispute resolution. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said unscrupulous tradespeople leave families with months of stress as well as unfinished work. The National Federation of Builders said the changes would not stop rogue operators while the Tories suggested there would be added paperwork for firms already operating legitimately. Citizens Advice has said home renovations are one of its biggest sources of consumer complaints.

Investigators specialising in rape and sex offences will be introduced to every police force in England and Wales by the end of 2027, the government has said. Ministers are speeding up the rollout of the scheme, previously announced by Sir Keir Starmer's government, by 18 months as part of efforts to tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG). They are also offering more money for some forces to boost protection orders. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the previous plans were too slow and ministers should be laser focused on tackling such crimes. One charity has welcomed the measures, but says they represent only a small portion of what is needed for victims. The Home Office initially announced the plans last year and was due to have teams in place by summer 2029.

Human writers are expensive, and they eventually die. AI is cheaper, and will never join a union. I have been thinking about this for close to 20 minutes, and I have concluded that human writing is finished. Let me begin with an anecdote, because that is how serious arguments begin. Last Tuesday I asked a machine to write me a birthday message for my sister-in-law.

AI Agents Are Hacking Systems. Could That Push the US and China to Cooperate? The AI race has long been framed as a zero-sum game: Either the US or China will win in the end. But as concerns pile up around the increasing capabilities of AI models--especially AI agents--researchers in both countries are trying to team up to work on AI safety. This week, contributing editor Zoë Schiffer speaks with senior writer Will Knight about what he saw and heard on the ground when he visited China this summer--and why the two countries might actually need to start working together to avoid a major AI catastrophe. This is our second episode from our summer-break series. We'll be back next week with our usual roundtable. Write to us at [email protected] .

More than 100 companies across AI, tech, finance and other industries have put their names on an open letter calling for improvements to cybersecurity. The long list of participants includes Anthropic, AWS, Cisco, Cloudflare, CrowdStrike, Google, Hugging Face, Microsoft, OpenAI, Oracle and Perplexity. They go on to list actions that organizations, governments, the cybersecurity and tech industry, and AI businesses could take in order to cut off a potential explosion in attacks powered by artificial intelligence. The letter is titled "A call for collective action on cyber defense," but like in so many horror movies, the call is coming from inside the house. It raises the alarm that "In the coming months, AI-enabled cyber attacks will become far more widespread and sophisticated as models around the world become increasingly capable."

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. California legislators advanced bills aimed at policing the state's legal industry, which has been bruised by "a wave of inappropriate attorney conduct" highlighted by the L.A. Times. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

To play this video you need to enable JavaScript in your browser. The clear-up of one of England's largest illegal waste tips has been completed - landing taxpayers with a £6m bill. The government has vowed to recoup the clearance costs for the Kidlington dump in Oxfordshire - and seven other sites - from the criminals responsible. In 2025, around 22,000 tonnes of domestic and commercial rubbish was dumped at the spot, between the River Cherwell and the A34. It is one of nearly 30 so-called supersites first uncovered by a BBC investigation .

Street vendors are a new pressure point in the mayoral race, as Councilmember Nithya Raman unveiled a new pro-street-vendor plan Wednesday and Bass' office announced that some erroneous criminal citations were being rescinded.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. California legislature passes bill to track use of'forever chemicals' by farms This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search. SACRAMENTO -- The California legislature passed a bill Wednesday that would require the state to track the use of pesticides that contain perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS chemicals, which can be harmful to humans.