Man jailed over 2003 Salford rape for which Andrew Malkinson was wrongly imprisoned 05. June 2026 (17:40) Paul Quinn sentenced to 21 years but minimum term of 14 years means he may serve less time than innocent manA “savage” rapist who evaded justice for nearly two decades could spend less time in prison than the innocent man who was wrongly convicted for his crime.Paul Quinn, 52, was ordered to serve a minimum of 14 years in prison on Friday over a 2003 rape for which Andrew Malkinson wrongly spent 17 years behind bars. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Anthropic urges ‘temporary pause’ on AI development to discuss risks 05. June 2026 (17:35) US firm says it will convene policymakers in post detailing progress of its Claude model towards ‘recursive self-improvement’Anthropic has floated the idea of a worldwide “temporary pause” on AI development – and said it was going to convene “policymakers” to discuss the dangers of advanced AI – in its latest release touting the capabilities of its products.In a long post on Thursday, Anthropic detailed the progress of its AI model, Claude, towards “recursive self-improvement” – that is, being able to make better and more powerful versions of itself. Recursive self-improvement is a bugbear of AI safety researchers, viewed as the key step for AI to become superintelligent and therefore unleash widespread consequences on humanity. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
International Space Station astronauts resume normal duties after evacuation order 05. June 2026 (17:30) Crew previously told to enter docked spacecraft and don spacesuits in case an air leak worsenedAstronauts onboard the International Space Station have been told to return to normal duties after previously being on evacuation alert due to a worsening air leak.The four astronauts of Nasa’s Crew-12 mission on the station – two US astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut – received orders from Nasa mission control at 9.04am ET (2.04pm BST) on Friday to enter their Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station and don their spacesuits in case the air leak warranted an emergency evacuation, a Nasa official said. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Scientists make sourdough bread using yeast found in 5,000-year-old mummy 05. June 2026 (17:00) Team now plans to see if they can use yeast strains harvested from Ötzi the Iceman to brew beer tooScientists have baked a sourdough loaf of bread using yeast strains harvested from a 5,000-year-old mummy and now plan to see if they can use them to brew beer too.The yeast came from Ötzi the Iceman, a famous corpse remarkably preserved by being frozen in Alpine ice near the Italy-Austria border until he was discovered in 1991. Ötzi has been the subject of intense study since he was found and has shed much light on pre-historic European people and their way of life. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
EU must prove it is capable and willing to take in new members, leaders say 05. June 2026 (17:00) Von der Leyen tells Balkans summit that bloc needs to make enlargement process ‘faster and more credible’The EU must prove its willingness and ability to take in new members and speed up its enlargement process, leaders of the bloc have said, as they gathered with their counterparts from six western Balkan countries that hope to join soon.“The European Union has to show that it is capable of enlarging and willing to enlarge, and we want to discuss that here,” Germany’s chancellor, Friedrich Merz, told reporters on Friday at the summit in Tivat, a coastal town in Montenegro. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Australian housing was already cooling before the budget – but how cold it gets depends on two key factors 05. June 2026 (17:00) Most economists believe the chronic undersupply of homes will eventually push prices higher once interest rates ease and the tax changes are priced inGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe government’s property tax changes have become one of the defining political issues of Labor’s second term, drawing fierce criticism from opponents who argue they represent an “assault on aspiration” that will destroy home values.In the three weeks after the negative gearing and capital gains tax changes were revealed in the 12 May budget, housing data has begun to show how they may affect Australia’s property market. Here’s what the data shows, and what could happen next. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
California governor’s race remains too close to call as vote-counting continues 05. June 2026 (16:34) Experts warn primary vote-counting could go on for days in governor’s race, LA mayoral race and congressional racesThree days after Californians headed to the polls, key races in the primary election remained too close to call and experts warned the counting could continue for days.In the governor’s race, the British-born conservative pundit Steve Hilton was narrowly leading with an estimated 60% of ballots counted by Friday morning. Xavier Becerra, a former US health and human services secretary under Joe Biden, followed closely behind, and billionaire Tom Steyer trailed behind the pair. The top two vote-getters will advance to the general election in November. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
Senate blocks surveillance bill in dispute over Trump’s intelligence pick 05. June 2026 (15:56) Seven Republican senators joined Democrats to block Fisa extension amid disquiet over nomination of Bill PulteUS politics live – latest updatesSeven Republican senators joined Democrats early on Friday to block the extension of a powerful government surveillance program, a rebuke to Donald Trump for choosing an inexperienced ally as the country’s top intelligence official.The renewal had been in question amid bipartisan concern over the US president’s appointment of Bill Pulte, a major Republican donor and heir to a home construction fortune, to serve as acting director of national intelligence. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
More than a quarter of UK musicians lost all EU work since 2021, report finds 05. June 2026 (15:52) Average tour earnings down 45%, with nearly three-fifths of musicians saying touring in Europe is no longer viableMore than a quarter of British musicians have lost all their work in the European Union since 2021, according to new research.The report by European Movement UK, a cross-party campaign group advocating closer UK-EU relations, found that nearly half of British musicians had experienced a reduced amount of work in the EU since 2021, while more than a quarter had stopped working there altogether. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
UK-EU ‘reset’ summit may still happen next month despite delay speculation 05. June 2026 (15:35) EU’s Maroš Šefčovič says summit will ‘probably’ be in July but sources say it could be put back as talks deadlockedThe EU has said Keir Starmer’s upcoming summit “resetting” the UK-Europe relationship may still happen in July, amid growing fears it could be postponed to the autumn as talks over youth mobility remain deadlocked.“The summit is supposed to be mid-July but at the moment it could be put back to after the summer,” said one EU diplomat. Continue reading...(The Guardian)
