A congressional representative just proposed killing America's border tower program The proposed bill comes days after an MIT Technology Review investigation revealed that over 1,050 people have died within the advertised range of surveillance towers. Delia Ramirez, a Democratic US representative from Illinois, has announced a plan to introduce new legislation to terminate the surveillance tower program along the US southern border. The announcement comes just days after publication of an investigation, "Dying on Camera," in which we looked at deaths along the border that took place close to one or more of these towers. We also showed that the Department of Homeland Security does not keep track of these deaths or other metrics on the towers' success or failure. Ramirez, who sits on the Homeland Security Committee, cited's reporting that nearly "1,100 people have died within range of a billion-dollar surveillance tower system between 2015 and 2026," adding, "The towers that we have paid a billion dollars to just don't work." The US spent billions on border surveillance.

The UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is trying to introduce more search choices where Google has the tightest control: Android smartphones and the Chrome browser. The regulator has proposed allowing users to choose their preferred search provider on those platforms so Google's own search engine isn't used automatically. The CMA also wants to change rules around AI assistants and require search providers to give clearer attribution to publisher content when used. The new proposal follows measures recommended at the beginning of 2026. The CMA's latest proposal has three primary recommendations.

Who gets to decide how quickly AI moves? Share Who gets to decide how quickly AI moves? on social media Artificial intelligence (AI) has stirred up more controversy than most things in the past five years. Ever since the introduction of accessible generative AI in 2022, institutions, universities, students, scholars, activists, cognitive specialists, public policymakers and members of the public have all been divided over the ethics of its use. As of the beginning of this month, even the founders of AI companies have taken the same stance. Dario Amodei, chief executive of Anthropic, released an essay calling on AI companies to slow the development of their most advanced models, as the safeguards currently in place are unable to keep up.

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Canada welcomes EU proposal to become'associate member' Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has welcomed the European Union's ambition for Canada to become its first associate member, calling for closer cooperation on defence, critical minerals and energy security. Carney told the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Thursday that Canada and Europe were stronger together in the face of geopolitical rupture. His comments came a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed opening the door to Canada's associate membership, a status that does not currently exist. US President Donald Trump earlier called the idea laughable and threatened very serious tariffs on Europe if he considered it a hostile act. Canada and the US are locked in an escalating trade dispute, with each side imposing tit-for-tat tariffs after bilateral talks collapsed last month.

The US and China agree that advanced AI poses serious risks. But Beijing is deeply skeptical of a deal that prioritizes keeping US companies ahead. For years, many of the most powerful people in Silicon Valley have argued that the US is locked in an AI arms race with China, and that the consequences of losing would be disastrous. But over the past week, those same executives have started emphasizing a different message. AI has the potential to become so dangerous, tech leaders say, that the two countries urgently need to work together to slow the race down.

Residents of an Oxfordshire village have voted to become independent from the UK in a symbolic referendum held in protest at plans to house more than 1,000 migrants at a former military base. Villagers in Piddington, near Bicester, voted on Tuesday over Home Office proposals to house up to 1,256 male asylum seekers at nearby MoD Bicester. The 350 residents were invited to cast their ballot in a small box outside the village hall, the community hub of Piddington. The referendum was organised by the local parish council and out of 312 votes cast, 285 voted to leave, there were 26 no votes, and one ballot paper was spoiled. Delivering the result, Susannah Parden, vice chair of the parish council said: We are Piddington the village that roars. Following the result, council chair Tim McNally said: This is an example of democracy in operation.

Things to Do in L.A. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article. California voters deeply frustrated by length of November ballot, state and nation's direction Voters will decide 14 ballot measures and statewide, congressional and local races in the Nov. 3 election. This is read by an automated voice. Please report any issues or inconsistencies here . See more from the L.A. Times in Google Search.

The Albanese government is considering giving AI companies access to Australian creatives' works by default as it pursues a compromise with US tech giants. "It would mean putting AI companies' interests over everyday Australians, giving AI companies access to all Australians' content, unless they opt out," Pocock said on Tuesday. "The burden should not fall on Australians to defend the rights they already hold over content they create and own and invest in." The proposals were contained in a document Pocock described as screenshots of government's consultation proposals, tabled in the Senate on Tuesday and titled "AI on Australian Terms". The document raises as a key issue the vast number of small individual creators of online content, for which voluntary deals with AI companies "is not realistic/possible".

Donald Trump's $5,000 dividend check proposal draws mixed reactions from voters, with some calling it a publicity stunt and others saying taxpayer money should go to Americans.