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Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is on a diplomatic mission in the Middle East to meet Hamas officials and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt to salvage a ceasefire in Gaza. The talks come after Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point peace plan for the territory in a rare public break with the Trump administration this month. Nosheen Iqbal speaks to global editor Devika Bhat

Commentary about the ‘so bad it’s good’ qualities of mother and son’s movie has driven people to see it at cinema

A crude, low-tech animation about a cow and a skylark has become a sleeper hit at China’s box office, sitting alongside blockbusters such as The Odyssey and Spider-Man: Brand New Day in cinema revenue rankings.

Niu Lai, which translates to The Cow is Coming, is an 86-minute budget animation about a newborn calf and a skylark whose relationship develops over the course of an abstract dream sequence.

Sisters argue they should retain concession in Ligurian town of Spotorno because it funds charitable activities

A group of Italian nuns is fighting back against local council plans to take their beach club away from them – the latest flashpoint in the long-running debate about the monopoly of private concessions along Italy’s coastline.

The dispute, described as “a holy war” by some local press, unfolded when a 50-metre stretch of sand at Bagni Gino Garrone, a beach resort in the Ligurian coastal town of Spotorno managed by nuns from the Suore di Carità di Santa Maria order, was designated for public bidding by authorities as they seek to comply with EU beach concession laws as well as regional regulations on free beach quotas.

17 августа в Краснодаре произошло ДТП на 7-полосной дороге. С участием 4 автомобилей. Если бы не "Делимобиль" - нет никаких других причин рассказывать о нем: полиция и скорая прибыли за минуты, движение отрегулировано, погибших нет, все службы отработали эталонно.

Вот только один из участников ДТП был клиентом каршеринга "Делимобиль". И их техническая поддержка своими неадекватными, невменяемыми требованиями буквально довела ситуацию до "белого каления".

Кратко: после ДТП требовали от водителя не прекращать поездку (деньги списываются), предоставить невозможные в ближайшие часы, или нереальные априори ("временная справка о ДТП") документы. А без них - отказывались прислать представителя, техпомощь, эвакуатор.

Сам я оказался не только свидетелем, но даже и участником этого цирка. В самом тексте - подробности происходившего

Southend East & Rochford’s Bayo Alaba has been suspended while inquiry looks at bounceback loans

A Labour MP has been suspended after being questioned about government Covid loans taken out by his businesses.

Bayo Alaba, the MP for Southend East & Rochford, has referred himself to the Labour party for investigation after the Times asked about a loan given to one of his businesses during the pandemic.

Israeli PM again insists troops will not withdraw from strip until Hamas first disarms, but calls meeting constructive

Benjamin Netanyahu has told Donald Trump’s son-in-law and envoy Jared Kushner there can be no progress on the stalled Gaza ceasefire deal or an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip until Hamas first disarms.

An Israeli official said there had been no breakthrough in ‌the meeting between the pair, saying Netanyahu had made it clear the IDF would not withdraw and would continue to carry out operations in Gaza.

В воскресенье, 16 августа, в одной из пекинских пожарных частей прошел финал аварийно-спасательной дисциплины вторых Всемирных игр гуманоидных роботов (WHRG). Год назад роботы на первых играх бегали, танцевали и играли в футбол в декорациях, теперь их впервые вывели на настоящую площадку — с настоящим огнем, настоящими пожарными и, как выяснилось, настоящим дождем. Из двенадцати команд, стартовавших в тот день, до конца испытания дошли только три.

Что делать, если нейросеть из 2500 слоёв выглядит как чёрный ящик, а привычные методы анализа не помогают? В статье разбираем, как по весам и структуре модели удалось восстановить скрытую программу, распознать MD5 и дойти до ответа через механистическую интерпретируемость, SAT и несколько тупиковых гипотез.

Essex opener faces unenviable task batting at No 3 against a new-ball master like Mohammad Abbas in Pakistan series

It has been a complicated start to Jordan Cox’s England career. There have been a handful of white-ball appearances and a Test debut that was taken away from him two years ago when he broke a thumb in the buildup. The cap eventually arrived this summer, though only at No 7 as a specialist batter, filling in when Ben Stokes was suspended against New Zealand at the Oval.

Now comes another unfamiliar role, starting on Wednesday in the three-match series against Pakistan – but Cox is grateful for the straightforward message provided by the England selector Marcus North. He will bat at first drop in the first two Tests in the absence of the injured Jacob Bethell. “Northy didn’t have to go: ‘You’re batting at three in these two Test matches’, but he did. This is 100% – unless I get injured,” Cox said. “Clarity’s one of the best things in sport.”

Georgia Democratic senator has stoked speculation for 2028 presidency bid by delivering stinging attacks on Trump

Democratic senator Jon Ossoff has attacked Donald Trump’s “uniquely despicable” handling of the US-Israel war on Iran, accusing the US president of “re-rigging” a corrupt system for himself in an excoriating speech.

Ossoff, who is running for re-election in Georgia in November, has repeatedly stoked speculation that he is laying the ground for a bid for the US presidency in 2028 by delivering a series of stinging attacks on Trump and his administration.

ИИ‑чаты стали рабочим инструментом наравне с почтой — а вместе с ними появился новый канал утечек, которого три года назад не существовало. Договоры, резюме, пароли и клиентские данные уезжают на чужие серверы не через взлом, а через обычное поле ввода. Блокировать доступ пробовали многие — люди просто уходят на личные устройства, и риск становится невидимым.

Мы решили задачу иначе: расширение для браузера в Chrome Web Store, которое перед отправкой заменяет чувствительные данные обезличенными метками, а ответ ИИ расшифровывает обратно — прямо на экране, незаметно для человека.

В статье расскажу, какие подходы мы перепробовали и почему они не сработали, как выглядит путь пользователя и что у решения под капотом — от контрольных сумм до локального распознавания сканов.

У технологических рынков есть неприятная цикличность. Сначала новую услугу способны запустить только гиганты: инфраструктура дорога, специалистов мало, а клиент ещё не понимает, зачем ему всё это. Затем технология стандартизируется, оборудование дешевеет, компетенции расползаются по рынку — и вчерашняя привилегия нескольких корпораций превращается в массовый бизнес, куда входят сотни небольших игроков. Конкуренция растёт, маржа падает, рынок перенасыщается; часть новичков закрывается, часть остаётся локальной, а наиболее интересных снова покупают те самые гиганты, с которых цикл начинался.

Так развивалась сотовая связь: от дорогой инфраструктуры и ограниченного числа операторов — к массовому рынку, ценовой конкуренции и последующей консолидации. Так развивался доступ в интернет: районные провайдеры тянули кабель быстрее, чем крупные компании согласовывали смету, но со временем абонентские базы, сети и локальные бренды начали собирать большие группы. Теперь в ту же фазу входят IT-сервисы и SaaS, только искусственный интеллект сжимает весь цикл: то, что раньше требовало отдела разработки, поддержки и маркетинга, небольшая команда собирает из моделей, облаков и готовых компонентов.

Значит ли это, что нас ждут тысячи равных компаний и вечный праздник малого бизнеса? Почему тогда технологическое удешевление снова заканчивается укрупнением? Почему хороший продукт не удерживает рынок, а гигант, даже опоздавший с функцией, покупает конкурента или копирует его и возвращает долю? Именно это мы и разберём, потому что производство продукта и производство спроса — разные индустрии.

• Audio to be used during live broadcasts for first time

• Move is part of an expansion of the RefCam system

The Premier League will permit audio of on-field conversations between players and referees during live broadcasts for the first time this season.

The use of audio by the Premier League’s domestic TV rights holders, Sky Sports and TNT Sports, is part of an expansion of the RefCam system, which became a permanent feature of top-flight coverage last season after a six-week trial at the start of the campaign. The head-mounted RefCams were used by broadcasters to ­provide near‑instant replays of match ­incidents from a new angle in an attempt to enhance the viewer experience, but under the terms of their agreement with clubs the audio captured by the cameras was not televised until several days later.

My cherished first-born will soon be off to start a big new phase of his life, shiny saucepans in tow. ‘Empty nesting’ implies this is as nature intended, but it’s knocked me for six

My son sent me a picture of his university accommodation, which looked perfectly nice, but there was something off about it. It was a little bit too tidy, of course, and had the slightly dystopian atmosphere of a neutral colour palette, but the main problem was that places look weird without people in them. That’s why architects, when they’re trying to sell a development, always add the magic ingredients: a child with a balloon, a couple pushing a buggy and a gentleman with a bicycle.

So I squinted a bit and tried to imagine my son in that room, which is when it hit me: he’s actually serious about this. He truly intends, in one month’s time, to get all his stuff, put it in bags, take it to another city and live there. I can neither convey nor explain my surprise, which is bottomless. It’s not that I thought he wouldn’t get the grades; I’m not one of those harridan sceptic-parents. I just had “I’m going to university” filed as one of those cute, dumb things kids say, along with “I’m going to space”, “I’m changing my name to Unnamed Being” and “I’m an otter now”.

In an era of transparency, people are detailing their financial struggles on the internet, breaking one of the last social taboos

Discussions regarding personal finances have traditionally been taboo. But gen Z and millennials in the US are finally normalizing conversations about money, openly sharing about salaries, rent and investment strategies, but also their (sometimes substantial) debt.

In recent years, financial influencers (finfluencers) – some licensed professionals, others not – have gained visibility, sharing advice on once-covert, perhaps unsexy topics such as Roth IRA contributions, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and maxing out 401(k)s. The most popular have a big audience: for instance, Humphrey Yang, a former financial adviser, has more than 2 million YouTube subscribers, and Erika Kullberg, an attorney and financial expert, has more than 20 million followers across social media.

Vegetable and grain growers call for urgent action, warning of ‘catastrophic’ harvests due to continent-wide drought

Successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe, continent-wide drought have left many of Europe’s farmers in an “unprecedented” crisis, with vegetable and grain growers in particular warning of “catastrophic” harvests.

French vegetable production is down by “a very significant extent” compared with previous years, French growers have said, with shortfalls put at 25% for courgettes, 35% for lettuces, 40% for peas, 60% for broccoli and 50% to 100% for artichokes.

Energy prices have been high since the US-Israel war with Iran began and the strait of Hormuz was blocked

US gas prices this month are so far the highest ever recorded for August as peace talks between the US and Iran have stalled and Donald Trump launched fresh threats against Oman.

The national average price of gas was $4.06 per gallon on Monday, according to data from AAA, $0.05 higher than last week and $1 more expensive than a year ago. In California and Hawaii, averages hit about $5.50 a gallon.

Authorities say man, 50, shot wife in Louisiana and put her body in car before driving and being stopped in Tennessee

A man in Louisiana killed his wife and then took her body on a driving tour through several states before he was arrested in Tennessee, authorities allege.

The suspect’s macabre purported odyssey began in Baton Rouge when, according to Louisiana investigators, Tyronne Brazille, 50, shot dead his wife, Lanessa Bradford, also 50, during an argument at the city’s Independence Community Park.

Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is on a diplomatic mission in the Middle East to meet Hamas officials and the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in an attempt to salvage a ceasefire in Gaza.

The talks come after Netanyahu rejected the US-backed 15-point peace plan for the territory in a rare public break with the Trump administration this month.

Nosheen Iqbal speaks to global editor Devika Bhat – watch on YouTube

Vegetable and grain growers call for urgent action, warning of ‘catastrophic’ harvests due to continent-wide drought

Successive intense heatwaves and an increasingly severe, continent-wide drought have left many of Europe’s farmers in an “unprecedented” crisis, with vegetable and grain growers in particular warning of “catastrophic” harvests.

French vegetable production is down by “a very significant extent” compared with previous years, French growers have said, with shortfalls put at 25% for courgettes, 35% for lettuces, 40% for peas, 60% for broccoli and 50% to 100% for artichokes.

Many in the crowd watching on screen outside minster have stories of meeting or knowing singer, who died in July

Bonnie Tyler’s songs have echoed through her home town of Swansea in recent days in memory of the late singer, but on Monday the church bells stopped and wellwishers lining the streets fell silent as her coffin arrived for a service celebrating her life.

As the white coffin, covered in bouquets of white roses, was carried into the minster, shouts of “God bless you Bonnie” and “bye Bonnie” punctured the quiet. Those gathered to pay their respects burst into applause. Tyler’s If I Sing You a Love Song and It’s a Heartache played before the private service began, which mourners outside watched on a screen in nearby St David’s Square.

Industrial output and retail sales slump in July after one of the country’s weakest quarterly growth rates ever

China’s economy is showing signs of extending a slowdown with a slump in industrial output and retail sales in July, adding to pressure on Beijing to intervene with measures to support activity.

After the world’s second largest economy posted one of its lowest quarterly growth readings on record in the three months to June, the latest figures suggest it continued to falter in July.