Google has taken a significant step towards the long-term goal of artificial general intelligence (AGI) with the unveiling of Genie 3, a cutting-edge AI system capable of generating realistic virtual environments from simple text prompts. According to Google DeepMind, the company’s artificial intelligence research division, the model is a foundational piece of technology designed to help train robots, autonomous vehicles, and intelligent agents by simulating the real world. Described as…

Rescue teams in Norway have resumed the search for Alec Luhn, a prominent US-born environmental journalist, who went missing during a solo hike in treacherous weather conditions in the remote Folgefonna national park. Luhn, 38, who has reported for The New York Times, The Atlantic, and served as The Guardian’s Russia correspondent from 2013 to 2017, was reported missing on Monday after failing to catch a scheduled flight from Bergen.…

A key Israeli security cabinet meeting expected to deliberate Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s controversial call for the “full occupation” of Gaza has been postponed, amid growing tensions and doubts over the plan’s feasibility. As ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remain stalled, Israeli officials had previously briefed both local and international media that Netanyahu was weighing an expansive military offensive aimed at seizing full control of the Gaza Strip. This would mark…

Four suspected gunmen, including 19 persons, went on trial in Moscow on Monday over the Crocus City Hall terrorist attack, which left 149 people dead in one of the deadliest assaults in modern Russian history. The attack, which took place on 22 March last year, saw four armed men from Tajikistan allegedly storm the concert venue on the outskirts of Moscow. The assailants opened fire on the crowd before setting…

New Zealand plans to begin charging international tourists to access some of its most iconic natural sites and ease restrictions on commercial use of conservation land, as part of a sweeping and controversial overhaul of its environmental policy. Under the proposals, overseas visitors could be required to pay between NZ$20 and NZ$40 (approximately £9 to £19) per person to enter selected sites. The initial list is expected to include world-famous…

BP has made its most significant oil and gas discovery in a quarter of a century off the coast of Brazil, marking a major milestone in its strategic shift away from renewables and back towards fossil fuel production. The discovery in the Santos basin, located roughly 400km offshore in deep waters near Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, is believed to be the company’s most substantial find since uncovering the…

Switzerland was left reeling following Trump’s decision to lay a 39% tariff on them, one of the highest rates imposed in his sweeping global trade reset. Announced on Friday, coinciding with the country’s National Day holiday, industry leaders warned the move could cost tens of thousands of jobs and tip the Swiss economy into recession. Negotiators in Bern had reportedly believed they were on the brink of securing a 10%…

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he will dispatch his special envoy, Steve Witkoff, to Moscow this week ahead of a self-imposed Friday deadline for progress on ending the war in Ukraine. Witkoff is expected to arrive in Moscow on Wednesday or Thursday, according to Trump, who has given Russia until 8 August to demonstrate commitment to peace or face further sanctions. When asked what message Witkoff would be taking…

At least 68 African migrants have died and 74 more are missing after a packed vessel capsized off Yemen’s southern coast, the United Nations migration agency confirmed on Sunday. The boat, carrying 154 Ethiopian nationals, sank in the early hours in the Gulf of Aden, near the coastal province of Abyan. According to Abdusattor Esoev, the head of the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) in Yemen, only 12 people are…

One of five miners trapped underground following a partial collapse at the world’s largest copper mine has been found dead, Chile’s state-owned mining giant Codelco confirmed on Saturday, as rescue teams continue searching for the remaining missing workers. The collapse occurred on Thursday at the El Teniente mine in Rancagua, approximately 100km south of the capital, Santiago, following what authorities described as a “seismic event”. It remains unclear whether the…

An overnight Ukrainian drone strike has ignited a major fire at an oil depot near the Russian Black Sea resort of Sochi, capping one of the deadliest weeks of the war in Ukraine in recent months.

More than 50 signatures submitted in support of Mayor Eric Adams’ bid to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming mayoral election have been deemed fraudulent, according to a report published on Friday by The Gothamist. The investigation identified at least 52 signatures from individuals who alleged their names had been forged, including three signatories who were confirmed to be deceased. Several others claimed they had been misled into…