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Ebola outbreak in Congo spreads to new hotspots, health workers warn

The Ebola outbreak in Congo is creating new hot spots where there's little to no support for patients, responders and officials say, as health workers admit there could still be a long way to go in fighting the disease that has killed over 4,000 people. More than 70 per cent of new cases are still coming from outside of known contacts and at least 60 per cent of deaths are outside of treatment centers, Africa CDC Director-General Dr. Jean Kaseya told The Associated Press. "There are so many other people who are becoming sick, who are not tested, treated, or listed," said Kaseya on Tuesday. The conflict-battered, remote North Kivu province, which has emerged as the new epicentre, now accounts for around 40% of all newly confirmed cases in Congo, compared with 24% at the end of August. But the response on the ground is "chaotic," said Stephanie Hoffmann, a project coordinator with Doctors Without Borders (MSF). "There is a lack of coordination and organization, but there's certainly a

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Norway proposes temporary ban on AI glasses in public spaces

A trip to the park. A day at the beach. A workout session at the gym. All in public spaces where smart glasses can snap photos, record conversations or stream video online - without people in the line of their lenses and microphones knowing about it. Norway's government wants to get a handle on both the promise and peril of AI glasses, and is proposing that parliament enact a temporary ban on them in some places. It's the latest sign of growing concern in many countries about new technologies that are fundamentally changing the way people live. Some governments have banned the use of social media by children and young teens. One effort to rein in the use of AI glasses has run aground - in the home of Silicon Valley. California's governor last week vetoed legislation that would have penalised the use of smart glasses to record people without their permission in places like changing rooms, doctor's offices and other spaces people generally consider private. And Microsoft last month

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California governor Newsom signs laws to protect workers from AI risks

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed laws Wednesday aimed at protecting workers from the threats of artificial intelligence, including potential job losses and workplace surveillance. He also signed an executive order to require state agencies to continue to refer to the technology as "artificial intelligence" instead of the term " super intelligence " President Donald Trump recently ordered US diplomats to use. "AI should expand opportunity - not come at the expense of workers and families," the Democratic governor said in a statement. "As this technology reshapes the workplace, California is putting people at the centre." Newsom sharply criticised Trump at an hourlong event with reporters Wednesday for not passing comprehensive federal AI regulations at a time when industry leaders are warning about the technology's risks. Trump said Tuesday that top tech leaders signed a voluntary accord to "self-police" AI development. The governor signed a law this month requiring operators of

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OpenAI unveils 'always-on' AI agents as company pauses model rollout

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman introduced a "remarkably capable, always-on" artificial intelligence agent at an appearance Tuesday, a day after the company halted the rollout of a more advanced model over security concerns. At the company's annual developer conference, Altman made a slew of product announcements and updates, including OpenAI's new agents, called Dots. The agents, designed to complete ongoing tasks proactively on behalf of users, are a competitor of Meta's personal agent Muse, which exploded in popularity after Meta's own conference last week. Dot agents will be "like an AI helper that always has your back, inspired by the cool versions of what we all watched in movies growing up," Altman said. On Monday, OpenAI said it was holding off on releasing the other model because of concerns raised by its researchers. That followed broader calls within the industry to decelerate the pace of the technology's advance to let safety measures catch up. Altman avoided making references to

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For humanity's sake, please control the AI we created: Tech leaders urge UN

The heads of major artificial intelligence firms pleaded with the United Nations on Wednesday to save the world or at least its people - by somehow regulating the fast-expanding technology that they have been designing. "If managed poorly, I even believe AI could be a risk to humanity as a whole," said Dario Amodei, chief executive officer of Anthropic. And from his competitor Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, came the assessment: "We could lose control of the future to AI." Both said the countries of the world, through the UN Security Council, where they testified Wednesday, have to set safeguards of some kind to prevent the technology from getting too powerful to rein in. They also called for the world to make sure that the power of AI isn't concentrated in one company or country. They also touted the benefits of the technology for bettering humanity and what Altman called "giving people more power over their own lives." Those tech leaders "are telling us in stark terms that it cannot b

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Tech CEOs call for AI regulation but Trump, Congress are not rushing to act

The technology industry's increasingly urgent warnings about the potential harm of artificial intelligence are slamming into political intransigence in Washington, offering a fresh test of the federal government's willingness and ability to confront what may become a defining issue of the era. President Donald Trump is leading the opposition to recent calls by tech leaders seeking greater government oversight, including Anthropic's Dario Amodei, OpenAI's Sam Altman and xAI's Elon Musk. The president dismissed efforts to limit the technology on Monday as a "conspiracy." Other leading Republicans including Vice President JD Vance have expressed caution. House Speaker Mike Johnson has largely deferred to the White House. Democrats, meanwhile, are pressing for a more robust response, convening in private on Tuesday in the House to discuss AI. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., is hosting his colleagues for a briefing with experts on Wednesday. Top candidates on the ballot this year such as Sen

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Uber, Wayve launch London's first robotaxi service with safety driver

Uber and British tech company Wayve are launching London's first self-driving taxi service on Thursday, giving residents a chance to use technology that's already available in many US cities and other parts of the world. The two companies said they're starting with a small rollout of Ford Mustang Mach-E electric vehicles outfitted with Wayve's autonomous vehicle technology. Compared with the US and China - countries where robotaxis operate autonomously in several cities, with no human driver - Europe has been taking a more cautious approach on self-driving cabs. In London, there will still be a person behind the wheel overseeing the trip who can grab the wheel or tap the brakes if there's a problem. Under the UK government's pilot framework, self-driving taxi operators like Uber and Wayve still need approval to operate without a human safety driver. "That process is still playing out," and it's not clear how long it will take, said Sarfraz Maredia, Uber's head of autonomous ...

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Jury convicts man of orchestrating 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur

A jury found Duane "Keffe D" Davis guilty of orchestrating the 1996 killing of rap icon Tupac Shakur, finally bringing a measure of resolution to a case that had gripped hip-hop fans and lingered in the public imagination for decades. The 63-year-old Davis was convicted Monday of a single count of murder with a deadly weapon and could be sentenced to life in prison. The jury deliberated for less than 3 hours after a weekslong trial in Las Vegas. After the verdict was read, Shakur's sister, Sekyiwa "Set" Shakur, cried and hugged the prosecutors. Davis' son covered his face with one hand. Chief Deputy District Attorney Binu Palal told jurors in closing arguments earlier Monday that Davis acquired a gun and "went hunting" for Shakur and Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight after the men had beat up Davis' nephew earlier that night. "He is responsible of the murder of Tupac Shakur," Palal said. "Tell him you hear him. Find him guilty." Prosecutors said that while his stor

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Over 1,000 people killed as Congo battles Ebola outbreak: Africa CDC

More than 1,000 people have died in the Ebola outbreak in Congo, according to Africa's top health body, a grim toll in the fastest Ebola outbreak in history, as conflict, community resistance and an uneven response fuel its spread. Speaking at a health summit in Ghana on Wednesday, Dr Jean Kaseya, director-general of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, said 1,031 deaths have been confirmed. "These are people dying. They are dying because we don't have vaccines, we don't have medicine, we don't have funding," he added. The latest update from Congo's Ministry of Health showed that as of Monday, 2,473 cases had been recorded in the latest outbreak. At least 737 patients were in isolation or hospitalised, it said. The outbreak, which was declared on May 15, is unlike most previous Ebola outbreaks because the Bundibugyo virus responsible for it has no approved vaccines or treatments. It has also killed more people at a faster rate than any outbreak on record, includi

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Congo's Ebola outbreak cases top 1,000 cases, death toll reaches 254

Confirmed cases in the Ebola outbreak in eastern Congo have reached 1,003, including 254 deaths, officials said in a statement late Sunday. A total of 100 people have recovered in the outbreak concentrated in the Ituri province since it was declared on May 15, Congo's Ministry of Health said. The Ebola outbreak caused by the rare Bundibugyo virus, which has no vaccines or treatment, was the worst ever in its first month. Officials admit there could be far more cases they still don't know about and that the peak of the outbreak is still ahead. Contact tracing remains a key issue for local authorities, who have only achieved a 55 per cent coverage rate, the ministry said. Officials also are yet to identify the outbreak's patient zero and still need to trace more than 35,000 people who have come in contact with infected individuals as of last week, authorities said.

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