Keir Starmer warns of 'escalation' risk as Iran vows to hit back at Trump's US for nuclear base strike - with minister warning of UK terror threat rise
The Prime Minister urged all sides to return to negotiations but said he had taken 'all necessary measures' to protect British interests in the region if the conflict escalates.
JD Vance reveals strikes against Iran were so precise they hit 'a target the size of a washing machine'
Vice President J.D. Vance praised U.S. pilots for hitting targets the size of 'washing machines' halfway across the world without landing, arguing it's a strike Americans can be proud of.
Police were stumped when my son vanished in the Arizona desert... now my investigation has uncovered the remains of at least seven people
Daniel Robinson had just graduated from college and moved to the Arizona desert to be a geologist - but disappeared just a few weeks into his new life.
Trump and UK PM Keir Starmer hold crisis talks as Iran threatens to unleash their revenge after airstrikes
President Donald Trump held crisis talks with UK Prime Minister Kier Starmer as world leaders plan for Iran's revenge after its nuclear sites were severely damaged overnight.
Six people hospitalized in California mass shooting as suspect remains at large
Six people are in critical condition after gunfire broke out in a residential neighborhood in California, as police frantically search for the suspect.
Ex-Man City star Julian Alvarez reveals how Pep Guardiola's World Cup prediction left team-mates in stunned silence - and was proved right
Argentina clinched the trophy in Qatar, defeating France in a dramatic penalty shootout in the final, with Alvarez having joined the City squad less than six months earlier.
Students will spend 25 YEARS on their phones if screen habits don't change, study finds
The average school, college or university student spends five and a half hours on their phone per day, which could amount to 25 years of their lives.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'mysterious' visit to Area 51 marks 'milestone' in next-generation weapon that would change history
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth secretly visited the remote Area 51 air base for a 'mysterious show-and-tell,' a study of flight-tracking data suggests.
Tesla Begins Driverless Robotaxi Service in Austin, Texas
With no one behind the steering wheel, a Tesla robotaxi passes Guero's Taco Bar in Austin Texas, making a right turn onto Congress Avenue.
Today is the day Austin became the first city in the world to see Tesla's self-driving robotaxi service, reports The Guardian:
Some analysts believe that the robotaxis will only be available to employees and invitees initially. For the CEO, Tesla's rollout is slow. "We could start with 1,000 or 10,000 [robotaxis] on day one, but I don't think that would be prudent," he told CNBC in May. "So, we will start with probably 10 for a week, then increase it to 20, 30, 40."
The billionaire has said the driverless cars will be monitored remotely... [Posting on X.com] Musk said the date was "tentatively" 22 June but that this launch date would be "not real self-driving", which would have to wait nearly another week... Musk said he planned to have one thousand Tesla robotaxis on Austin roads "within a few months" and then he would expand to other cities in Texas and California.
Musk posted on X that riders on launch day would be charged a flat fee of $4.20, according to Reuters. And "In recent days, Tesla has sent invites to a select group of Tesla online influencers for a small and carefully monitored robotaxi trial..."
As the date of the planned robotaxi launch approached, Texas lawmakers moved to enact rules on autonomous vehicles in the state. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, on Friday signed legislation requiring a state permit to operate self-driving vehicles. The law does not take effect until September 1, but the governor's approval of it on Friday signals state officials from both parties want the driverless-vehicle industry to proceed cautiously... The law softens the state's previous anti-regulation stance on autonomous vehicles. A 2017 Texas law specifically prohibited cities from regulating self-driving cars...
The law requires autonomous-vehicle operators to get approval from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles before operating on public streets without a human driver. It also gives state authorities the power to revoke permits if they deem a driverless vehicle "endangers the public," and requires firms to provide information on how police and first responders can deal with their driverless vehicles in emergency situations. The law's requirements for getting a state permit to operate an "automated motor vehicle" are not particularly onerous but require a firm to attest it can safely operate within the law... Compliance remains far easier than in some states, most notably California, which requires extensive submission of vehicle-testing data under state oversight.
Tesla "planned to operate only in areas it considered the safest," according to the article, and "plans to avoid bad weather, difficult intersections, and will not carry anyone below the age of 18."
More details from UPI:
To get started using the robotaxis, users must download the Robotaxi app and use their Tesla account to log in, where it then functions like most ridesharing apps...
"Riders may not always be delivered to their intended destinations or may experience inconveniences, interruptions, or discomfort related to the Robotaxi," the company wrote in a disclaimer in its terms of service. "Tesla may modify or cancel rides in its discretion, including for example due to weather conditions." The terms of service include a clause that Tesla will not be liable for "any indirect, consequential, incidental, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, including lost profits or revenues, lost data, lost time, the costs of procuring substitute transportation services, or other intangible losses" from the use of the robotaxis.
Their article includes a link to the robotaxi's complete Terms of Service:
To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Robotaxi, Robotaxi app, and any ride are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied... The Robotaxi is not intended to provide transportation services in connection with emergencies, for example emergency transportation to a hospital... Tesla's total liability for any claim arising from or relating to Robotaxi or the Robotaxi app is limited to the greater of the amount paid by you to Tesla for the Robotaxi ride giving rise to the claim, and $100... Tesla may modify these Terms in our discretion, effective upon posting an updated version on Tesla's website. By using a Robotaxi or the Robotaxi app after Tesla posts such modifications, you agree to be bound by the revised Terms.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Romeo Beckham's ex Kim Turnbull speaks out on rumours and lies after denying she ever dated Brooklyn: 'It's tough when people are saying things that don't align with your character and your values'
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Insider says Kevin Costner's 'true friends' have vicious plan to sabotage ex Christine Baumgartner's wedding
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Southend council looking to preserve huge tree in private garden
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Firefighters bring two-house Essex fire under control as smoke remains
A blaze that engulfed two semi-detached homes in Mayland has been brought under control by fire crews from five stations.
Firefighters bring two-house Essex fire under control as smoke remains
A blaze that engulfed two semi-detached homes in Mayland has been brought under control by fire crews from five stations.
Loose Women star set to become a grandmother for the third time as her daughter announces pregnancy
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I owe the driver a pint! I was hit by a Range Rover while riding an e-scooter and it turned out to be the LUCKIEST day of my life
Connor McCann, 35, had just finished a late shift in his job as an optometrist on December 9, 2022, when he uncharacteristically decided not to walk home.
Active shooter drives truck into church and opens fire on congregation in Michigan
CrossPointe Church in Wayne, Michigan, was hosting its Sunday morning mass when a 31-year-old man rammed his truck into the building and starting shooting bullets at the congregation inside.
How Will AI Impact Call Center Jobs in India?
How AI will reshape the future of work? The Washington Post looks at India's $280 billion call-center and "business process outsourcing" industry, which employs over 3 million people.
2023 saw the arrival of a real-time "accent-altering software" — now used by at least 42,000 call center agents:
Those who use the software are engaging in "digital whitewashing," critics say, which helps explain why the industry prefers the term "accent translation" over "accent neutralization." But companies say it's delivering results: happier customers, satisfied agents, faster calls.
Many are not convinced. Whatever short-term gains automation may offer to workers, they say, it will ultimately eliminate far more jobs than it creates. They point to the quality assurance process: When callers hear, "this call may be monitored," that now usually refers to an AI system, not a human [which now can review all calls for compliance and tone]... "AI is going to crush entry-level white-collar hiring over the next 24 to 36 months," said Mark Serdar, who has spent his career helping Fortune 500 companies expand their global workforce. "And it's happening faster than most people realize...." Already, chatbots, or "virtual agents," are handling basic tasks like password resets or balance updates. AI systems are writing code, translating emails, onboarding patients, and analyzing applications for credit cards, mortgages and insurance. The human jobs are changing, too. AI "co-pilots" are providing call center agents with instant answers and suggested scripts. At some companies, bots have started handling the calls.
There is no shortage of ominous predictions about the implications for India's labor force. Within a year, there will only be a "minimal" need for call centers, K Krithivasan, CEO of Indian IT company Tata Consultancy Services, recently told the Financial Times. The Brookings Institution found 86 percent of customer service tasks have "high automation potential." More than a quarter of jobs in India have "high exposure" to AI, the International Monetary Fund has warned. "There is a rapid wave coming," said Pratyush Kumar, co-founder of Sarvam, a leading Indian AI firm, which recently helped a major insurance provider make 40 million automated phone calls informing enrollees that their insurance program was expiring. He said corporate clients are all asking him to help reduce headcount...
While AI may be phasing out certain jobs, its defenders say it is also creating different kinds of opportunities. Teleperformance, along with hundreds of other companies, has hired thousands of data annotators in India — many of them women in small towns and rural areas — to label training images and videos for AI systems. Prompt engineers, data scientists, AI trainers and speech scientists are all newly in demand... At some firms, those who previously worked in quality assurance have transitioned to performance coaching, said [Sharath Narayana, co-founder of AI speech tools company Sanas], whose previous firm, Observe.ai, also built QA software. Still, he admits, 10 to 20 percent of workers he observed "could not upskill at all" and were probably let go.
Even the most hopeful admit that workers who can't adapt will fall behind. "It's like the industrial revolution," said Prithvijit Roy, Accenture's former lead for its Global AI Hub. "Some will suffer."
The article also notes that while Indian universities produce over a million engineering graduates each year, "placement rates are falling at leading IT firms; salaries have stagnated."
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
JANA HOCKING: Vile subconscious trick used by pickup artists that's so irresistible to women... even I was fooled
It started off as a very casual date. One glass of wine, legs crossed, phone on silent. The plan was simple: decide if he was more than a pretty face, and absolutely no bedroom antics.
The Essex 'ghost town' that 'died during Covid' and never bounced back
Brentwood, in Essex, was once a bustling commuter town and a TOWIE hotspot, but many of its 50,000 residents say it now feels like a 'ghost town' following the pandemic