Love history, art, music, BBC R3. Read my 'Walks with Max' journal https://xitter.cf/t.co/YZJ6C36p9s #sebald #wgsebald

Joined November 2015
Standing up to Trump..... The BBC has asked that the court dismiss the lawsuit, arguing that the programme does not meet the legal criteria for defamation and was not available in the US. share.google/8686wfvgz5a1ud5…
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Trump agreed to drop the lawsuit against BBC Studios, its commercial arm, after the BBC argued that it had "no role in creating or producing the documentary" He has no case & is just trying to smear the BBC. Yes the cutting in the doc was misleading but he still said those things
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The motion concerning Zionism from the Greens is damaging and deflects the party and the publics view of the party away from its core mission which is to protect the environment. Let's hope the party does not take it further & drops it. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cm4g…
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Some kind of PR would be more representative of opinions across the UK. It would almost certainly lead to a coalition, which again would reflect opinions. Personally I'd like to see Labour, Libdems and Greens work together to make up a left leaning social democratic government.
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"We will contest the next election with a manifesto commitment to change the electoral system so that everyone's vote counts and everyone's voice is heard," Burnham said. I've supported this for decades and finally it may happen. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr20…
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Adding yet another frontier in this fragile world, which is now under severe stress on multiple fronts - space and drone unmanned warfare, out of control AI & autonomous agents, unstable economies, and climate breakdown. Where will this take us? bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c32l…
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It depends how the US & China respond to these challenges, either separately or in cooperation. Given they are in a competitive race for dominance, it's hard to see how this plays out well for the good of all. Plus Russia is a rogue factor threatening to escalate war in Europe
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Exactly! The effects of AI are just one aspect of our whole way of living that is potentially destroying our civilisation. It's our wholesale over exploitation of the planet's resources that's the problem. We either change our ways, or we face the hard reality of system breakdown
I wonder what it will take for us to realise that it’s not just AI. It’s our entire way of living that is putting us in danger. We need radical change, not just pathetic restraints on AI and tinkering at the edges with climate change. Humanity must evolve or we’re toast.
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Biological misuse, Anthropic said, is "one of the most serious risks of frontier AI model". Without the correct safeguards, such capabilities "could have catastrophic consequences". Well yes! AI should be able to tell the diff between good & bad actors. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx2z…
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The report indicated that cybercriminals and state-backed hackers have increasingly used its technology to assist their operations. It's time to consider restricting access to AI to verified users only, especially the frontier models.
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This is extraordinary. An expert in AI saying that there's a chance of an AI system doing significant damage. We should design these systems so the chance is zero!
“You just said that 10% doesn’t seem an unreasonable estimate that AI could kill all humans” “Yes” “Wow… oh my God.” @vicderbyshire speaks to Nobel Prize Winner and so-called ‘Godfather of AI’ Geoffrey Hinton about predictions by an Anthropic researcher that there’s a more than 10% chance AI could kill all humans within a decade. #Newsnight
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Top safety researcher at Anthropic has warned AI is advancing so quickly he believes there is a greater than 10% chance it "could kill all humans" within the next decade. More likely are life-threatening catastrophic events, so Govts need to regulate this. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgw…
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It's good that a broad coalition of countries is sanctioning the Israeli Govt over the West Bank. The settlements are illegal and should be removed, but going forward must not be allowed to expand further. This totally undermines the possibility of the 2-state solution.
The UK and 11 other countries today announced their support for trade sanctions targeting illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. All EU Member States agree that Israeli settlements in the West Bank are illegal under international law. The Israeli Government’s settlement expansions in the West Bank are undermining the prospects for a viable two-State solution. The EU remains the largest donor of humanitarian assistance to Gaza and the West Bank. We remain firmly committed to supporting a comprehensive, just and lasting peace based on the two-State solution, with two states living side-by-side in peace within secure and recognised borders.
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Correct and important statement & actions from the UK PM. "I have condemned the monstrous terrorist attack on Israel on 7 Oct 23 in the strongest possible terms - & continue to condemn Hamas. However, it does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank"
In a difficult and dangerous world, a decade on from Brexit, there is a risk that Britain loses the confidence to lead and stand up for its values. I’m not prepared to let that happen. It is more important than ever that Britain stands for something. We have called for years for a two-state solution in the Middle East, but we must recognise that those words are meaningless unless we back them up with action. For too long, we have been hesitant to act, fearful of being accused of being anti-Israel. Today we are announcing carefully judged, targeted steps that are not aimed at the Israeli people, but at the unacceptable policies of the current Israeli government. The suffering of the Palestinian people is a scar on the conscience of the world. Innocent Palestinians, including children, continue to be killed in Gaza. And there is still a humanitarian crisis, with far too little aid getting in. The scale of destruction is hard to comprehend. More than 70,000 people lie dead - at least 20,000 of them children. Families and communities have been torn apart. Millions displaced. And the population of Gaza is now penned into just one third of the territory. I know that people across the UK feel very deeply about this issue - and so do I. Before I became Prime Minister, I said our country’s response had been too slow and simply not good enough. That’s why I committed to changing the government’s approach. I will not stand by as the horrific suffering continues to grow and the prospect of a two-state solution - the best hope for peace and stability in the region - comes under attack. More settlements have been approved under the four years of this Israeli government than in the previous 20 years. The UN has reported more than 1,500 incidents of settler violence so far this year, aimed at driving out Palestinians. And the situation is growing worse, fast. The Israeli government has now approved 104 new settlements since it took office in December 2022, and ahead of the October elections in Israel, it is allowing tenders for the construction of the E1 mega settlement to go ahead. This would cut a swathe through the heart of the West Bank - snuffing out the hope of realising a two-state solution. It cannot be allowed to happen. That’s why we are announcing a new package of tough measures to put pressure on the Israeli government: First, we will ban the trade in goods with illegal settlements in Palestine. Second, we have formally changed the view of the British government to say for the first time that the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territory is unlawful - independent of, but in line with, the conclusion of the international court of justice. And third, we will sanction individuals and companies that support, facilitate or profit from illegal settlements. That includes any businesses or investors that take part in the construction of the E1 settlement. In addition, we are announcing a new package of desperately needed humanitarian aid to Gaza. We are taking these steps because it is the right thing to do. I have condemned the monstrous terrorist attack on Israel on 7 October 2023 in the strongest possible terms - and continue to condemn Hamas. However, it does not justify the Israeli government’s actions in Gaza or the West Bank. The measures we are taking are about targeting illegal settlements and increasing the pressure on the Israeli government to change course. We are not imposing sanctions on Israel as a whole, which would punish the Israeli people, many of whom disagree with their government’s position. The Israeli people are not responsible for the actions of their government. And nor is the Jewish community in the UK. Blaming British Jews for the actions of Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is wrong, plain and simple. And it is antisemitism, plain and simple. I met the representatives of the Jewish community just last week. I know the fear they live with day by day. My government will stop at nothing to ensure they are safe and to stamp out antisemitism in every part of our society. The measures we are announcing today are about protecting the only solution that could see the Israeli and Palestinian people living side by side in peace and security - something that people up and down the UK desperately want to see. The government I lead will keep working with our partners around the world to keep that hope alive.
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This is the very least any UK govt should be doing or saying against the actions of the Israeli Govt in the occupied West Bank. Those lands are for Palestinians & form an essential part of a 2-state solution, so the occupation & settlements are illegal. bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4g7…
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OpenAI's chief scientist Jakub Pachocki has called for "extreme caution" over AI's runaway progress and warned more intervention may be needed to ensure "humans remain in control of the future". bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cwyz…
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The is worrying and also insane - of course humans should remain in control of AI, that should be designed in from the start, and if not urgently addressed now. Ultimately AI relies on electricity and we can always turn it off.
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