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Submission + - China Has Matched Anthropic in Cybersecurity, Resetting AI Race (archive.ph)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Chinese artificial-intelligence systems have matched the performance of Anthropic’s powerful model Mythos in some cybersecurity scenarios, a development poised to reset the global tech race and pressure the White House in its overhaul of U.S. AI policy.

Security researchers said that a new AI model, released this month by China’s Zhipu AI, also known as Z.ai, can match the latest U.S. models when it comes to finding security bugs, although it still lags behind Anthropic’s and OpenAI’s products in other tasks.

Overall, the capability gap between top U.S. models and those built by Chinese companies has narrowed significantly, and use of Chinese AI systems has surged as businesses seek to rein in runaway costs. A host of companies, including Microsoft, are weighing how they can offer Chinese models on their platforms, a development that is set to alter the balance of power among tech companies.

“China is making sure that the gap becomes smaller and smaller over time,” said Lior Div, chief executive officer of the cybersecurity company 7AI.

Submission + - Britons ordered to remove air conditioning from homes in 40C heat under Net Zero (telegraph.co.uk) 2

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Homeowners are being forced to tear out air conditioning from their private properties under climate laws, despite rising temperatures.

Council planning officers ordered residents to remove air-con units over fears they produce too much carbon dioxide, stating they should only be used as a “last resort”.

The net zero clampdown is part of building regulations that state “active cooling” should only ever be allowed when all other means of “passive cooling”, such as opening windows or using fans, have been exhausted.

The Tories said Britain was being “kept in the dark ages” under a net zero mindset that denies people “modern conveniences that are completely normal in other countries”.

Submission + - Volkswagen to cut up to 100,000 jobs globally (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Volkswagen (VW) plans to cut up to 100,000 jobs around the world in the next few years as part of a dramatic overhaul.

The German car giant plans to axe a sixth of its global workforce as part of a restructuring designed to save €11bn (£9.5bn) by 2030, according to local media.

Oliver Blume, the chief executive, is also considering carving up the business and spinning off the namesake VW brand under the proposals, which will lead to the closure of four plants in Germany.

It marks a dramatic escalation from the 50,000 job losses set out in a letter to shareholders by Mr Blume in March, which was itself higher than previous plans for 35,000 cuts. The company employs around 657,000 people worldwide.

The restructuring comes as VW faces intense competition from China, which has flooded the European market with cheap electric vehicles (EVs). VW sales have remained static at around nine million vehicles a year as it grapples with the competition.

Submission + - Non-invasive stimulation of the brain ends Opioid addiction, cigarette craving (jpost.com)

Submitted by Bruce66423
Bruce66423 writes: 'Doctors at the Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa have successfully treated their first Israeli opioid addiction patient using an experimental noninvasive brain technology, easing him through withdrawal in just 20 minutes.

'H., a 40-year-old family man from northern Israel, was injured in his neck several years ago. Because of the injury, he relied on painkillers and eventually became addicted to them....

'The patient himself reported a craving score of zero out of 10 for using the drug, and even another side effect, a drastic drop in the desire for cigarettes, from three packs a day to just a few cigarettes, and with no urge to use alcohol. In other words, in a treatment that lasted about 20 minutes net, our patient was completely freed from an extreme dependence that had accompanied him every day for years. This is nothing less than a medical and therapeutic revolution.”'

Submission + - Polestar Banned From Selling Cars in the U.S. Starting With Model Year 2027 (autoevolution.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Polestar is now winding down its car sales in the United States, following the decision of the U.S. Department of Commerce

The Connected Vehicle Rule is a regulation that restricts the import and sale of vehicles equipped with Vehicle Connectivity Systems (VCS) and Automated Driving Systems (ADS) tied to foreign adversaries, primarily from China and Russia.

Polestar is owned by Chinese auto giant Geely, which has also been the parent company of Swedish brand Volvo since 2010. However, Volvo has recently been granted authorization to sell connected vehicles in the United States.

Submission + - Cracks Discovered on Wings of A380s Prompt Urgent Inspection of 16 Aircraft (archive.is)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: On Monday, June 22, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive targeting 16 Airbus A380 aircraft after the agency determined cracks found on certain aircraft could "reduce the structural integrity of the wing."

The impacted aircraft include 15 Emirates planes and one Qantas aircraft

The A380, the world's largest passenger plane, has faced similar emergency inspections over past wing cracks

Comment Chicken Tax makes it hard to import smaller trucks (Score 1) 317

The Chicken Tax is a 25% tariff currently imposed by the United States on imported light-duty trucks. Despite its poultry-themed name, the tax is a significant factor in the American automotive market and has been in effect since 1964.

https://www.toyotahiluxchamp.c...

Submission + - Helion says the 1st fusion power plant is coming soon. A cofounder isn't so sure (scientificamerican.com)

Submitted by tedlistens
tedlistens writes: The startup backed by Sam Altman recently raised $465 million, tripling it's valuation as it races to build what it says will be the world's first fusion power plant, supplying Microsoft with carbon-free electricity in 2028.

But one of its founders—the plasma scientist whose research inspired its reactor design—has serious doubts.

Comment Focus on the people, at both ends (Score 3, Insightful) 150

A small % commit most crimes. Worst of the worst. Focus on them. 3 strikes and you're out
Require inmates to get a GED and learn a trade to get out. So they don't think they need to be criminals to survive. And get them off drugs.

We don't have enough plumbers, mechanics, welders, electricians, machinists, etc

Submission + - Declassified Files Ignite New Scrutiny of Fauci, COVID Origins and CIA Coverup (legalinsurrection.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: A little over a week ago, outgoing Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard released new evidence of long-standing U.S. government funding of more than 120 biolabs in over 30 countries (including Ukraine).

Gabbard's release of information related to biological research funded by the U.S. government continued this Friday, after she declassified a cache of documents outlining Dr. Anthony Fauci’s involvement in the COVID-19 response, including records indicating that federal officials shielded him from a whistleblower complaint alleging he misled Congress about “gain-of-function” work after publicly advancing a natural-origin theory for a pandemic that ultimately claimed millions of lives.

The documents and whistleblower testimony appear to show that Fauci influenced intelligence assessments on COVID-19 origins, denied such involvement under oath in 2024, and benefited from close ties to the intelligence community that limited scrutiny. They further claim a pattern of retaliation against dissenting intelligence officials and suppression of alternative viewpoints regarding the virus’s origins.

Today, on my final day as Director of National Intelligence, I’m releasing never-before-seen communications and documents exposing how Dr. Fauci provided millions in US taxpayer dollars to fund dangerous gain-of-function research at the Wuhan lab, worked with politicized elements pic.twitter.com/ZMdliW4zyS

- DNI Tulsi Gabbard (@DNIGabbard) June 19, 2026

In her announcement, Gabbard broke down Fauci's actions related to COVID-19 into three main areas:

First, Dr. Fauci funded dangerous gain-of-function coronavirus research linked to Big Pharma and their pursuit of universal vaccines. Worth trillions of dollars.

Second, Dr. Fauci was the behind-the-scenes advisor who, alongside his handpicked so-called experts, pushed the intelligence community to endorse a natural animal origin to hide his dangerous gain-of-function research that he funded using taxpayer dollars—all of this in a deliberate attempt to cover up the truth and shift the blame and attention away from Fauci's own actions.

Third, Dr. Fauci became the nation's pandemic pundit and he publicly pushed lies and disinformation and censorship using every platform available.

Comment Questions for KC officials ... (Score 2) 47

by schwit1 (#66202730) Attached to: Facial Recognition on Public Buses? Kansas City Says Yes

What is the "Function Creep" policy? How does the city guarantee that the technology will not be used for purposes other than its stated intent (e.g., used for tracking political protesters, immigration enforcement, monitoring homeless populations, or general surveillance) in the future?

What are the performance benchmarks? Has the technology been tested for accuracy across different demographics (race, sex, age)? Can the city provide third-party, independent audit results showing the error rates of the software?

What is the escalation protocol? If the system provides a "match," what is the mandatory human review process before any law enforcement action is taken? Who is held accountable if the system produces a false positive that leads to a wrongful interaction?

What is the automated deletion policy? For data where no match is found, is there an automated, instantaneous deletion process? Or is that data stored, even briefly, in a "temp" file that could be accessed or subpoenaed?

What is the retention period? If data is kept for a period after a "no match," what is the specific retention period, and where is the policy document that outlines this?

How is the data "purged"? When data reaches the end of its retention period, is it cryptographically erased, or is it merely archived in a way that could still be recovered?

Who owns the data? Is the data owned by the city or the third-party software vendor? Does the contract grant the vendor the right to use the footage to "train" their AI models or improve their algorithms?

What is the data-sharing policy? Is there a database "interoperability" requirement? Does this system automatically share data with federal agencies (like the FBI or DHS), other state agencies, or private organizations? If so, what oversight do local officials have over those agencies' use of this data?

Are there non-disclosure agreements? Are there any clauses in the city's contract with the vendor that prevent the city from disclosing how the technology works, its error rates, or its limitations to the public?

Where is the public-facing policy manual? Is there a comprehensive, publicly available "Surveillance Impact Report" or "Privacy Impact Assessment" that was conducted before the contract was signed?

What is the community oversight mechanism? Will there be an independent civilian oversight board with the power to subpoena records or shut down the use of the technology if it is found to be used improperly?

Submission + - Paper: Being Out Of Shape Is Far More Likely To Kill You Than Smoking (studyfinds.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: In a Nutshell
  • Very low cardiovascular fitness is associated with a roughly 400% higher risk of death than high fitness levels, dwarfing the mortality risk linked to smoking.
  • Current US and UK physical activity guidelines are built around minimum thresholds, not optimal health outcomes, and a Cambridge researcher argues they need a full overhaul.
  • Protein recommendations in the UK haven't been updated since 1991 and were never designed to help people thrive, only to prevent deficiency.
  • Higher protein intake is linked to better muscle mass, healthier aging, improved fat loss, and potentially better pregnancy outcomes, but current guidelines fall well short of what the science supports.

Submission + - Meta lobbies Congress for protection from child-harm lawsuits (aol.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: Meta Platforms has lobbied the U.S. Congress for legal immunity from child-harm claims tied to social media products such as Instagram, as it faces thousands of lawsuits from young users and their families, according to a source familiar with the matter and proposed legislative language reviewed by Reuters.

If adopted by lawmakers and passed into law as part of the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) under consideration in the U.S. Senate, such a provision could undermine thousands of lawsuits against Meta and other online platforms over harms to children. Meta and Google's YouTube face a combined $6 million in damages after they lost the first case at trial early this year.

While legislators have given no indication of adopting the language, the lobbying effort shows the kind of legal protections Meta is seeking amid the biggest attempt to regulate online platforms in the U.S. since the 1990s.

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