Vice President Pence laid out an ambitious plan Thursday that would begin creating a military command dedicated to space and establish a “Space Force” as the sixth branch of the U.S. military as soon as 2020, the first since the Air Force was formed shortly after World War II. Pence ... Read More »
Colombia recognizes Palestine as sovereign state
Colombia recognized Palestine as a sovereign state in the days before new President Ivan Duque took office, according to a letter from the foreign ministry made public on Wednesday. “I would like to inform you that in the name of the government of Colombia, President Juan Manuel Santos has decided ... Read More »
Artificial Intelligence Is Coming for Hiring, and It Might Not Be That Bad
Even with all of its problems, AI is a step up from the notoriously biased recruiting process. Artificial intelligence promises to make hiring an unbiased utopia. There’s certainly plenty of room for improvement. Employee referrals, a process that tends to leave underrepresented groups out, still make up a bulk of ... Read More »
Environmental expert James Lovelock says humans may have had their day and could make way for AI
Humans’ time may have run out and artificial intelligence could be about to take our place on Earth, according to James Lovelock. The leading environmental thinker, who became famous for Gaia theory and is soon to turn 100, said that the Earth was in dire trouble and could soon experience ... Read More »
Russian PM warns NATO admission of Georgia could trigger ‘terrible conflict’
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said on Monday that any future NATO decision to admit Georgia to its ranks could trigger “a terrible conflict” and questioned why the alliance would consider such a move. Medvedev’s comments come weeks after President Vladimir Putin warned NATO against cultivating closer ties with Ukraine ... Read More »
UK ‘complicit’ in spiralling death toll of refugees and migrants in Mediterranean, human rights charity says
Surge in human rights abuses a ‘deadly consequence’ of EU policy, Amnesty report alleges The UK has been branded “complicit” in a recent rise in the number of refugees and migrants dying in the Mediterranean, following the release of a damning human rights report. Amnesty International said a spiralling death ... Read More »
EU acts to protect firms from Donald Trump’s sanctions against Iran
Companies told to ignore White House demands to drop all business with Iran The EU has launched an attempt to protect European businesses from Donald Trump’s sanctions against Iran as the US administration voiced its intent to apply maximum pressure on Tehran by vigorously applying its punitive measures. The sanctions ... Read More »
Domino-effect of climate events could move Earth into a ‘hothouse’ state
Leading scientists warn that passing such a point would make efforts to reduce emissions increasingly futile A domino-like cascade of melting ice, warming seas, shifting currents and dying forests could tilt the Earth into a “hothouse” state beyond which human efforts to reduce emissions will be increasingly futile, a group ... Read More »
Massive rogue planet with unexplained aurora glow discovered drifting far beyond our solar system
Newly identified object is 12 times bigger than Jupiter A planet over 12 times bigger than Jupiter has been found drifting alone through space around 20 light years away from Earth. The rogue world is not attached to any star, and is the first object of its kind to be ... Read More »
Have smartphones killed the art of conversation?
So we’ve gone off voice calls yet spend hours glued to our phones. But it’s simply that the rules of conversation have been redrawn in the age of WhatsApp, Snapchat and emojis News of the un-newsy kind this week, fresh from an Ofcom study designed to confirm a belief in ... Read More »