Leading tech entrepreneurs from the US have called for the development of AI to be slowed down. In a post on his blog, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei has stressed the need to pace AI development and allow the industry more time for risk prevention. Otherwise we run the risk of losing control of AI systems in six to twelve months, he wrote. Amodei's statements were echoed by Elon Musk, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Google.
Two days after the parliamentary election in Sweden, there is still no clear winner. With most of the votes counted, the centre-left opposition, led by the Social Democrats, is three seats ahead of the centre-right governing coalition comprising the liberal conservative Moderate Party, the Christian Democrats and the Liberals, which is supported by the right-wing populist Sweden Democrats. The official election result is expected for Wednesday.
A passenger train travelling from Kyiv to Warsaw was hit by a Russian drone in Ukraine on Sunday. It was not far from the Polish border. The 206 passengers were evacuated without any injuries. A petrol station in the Ukrainian border region with Poland was also hit. Given the proximity of the strikes, the incident is provoking growing concern in Poland.
The heads of government of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland signed a joint declaration on Monday calling for greater self-determination for their regions, which form part of the United Kingdom. Scotland's First Minister, John Swinney, called for a new independence referendum for his nation within five years. Commentators assess the significance of the meeting.
US President Donald Trump has promised to pay every adult US citizen 5,000 dollars (around 4,300 euros) if the Republicans win the mid-term elections in November. "If the Republicans win, you win with us and get 5,000 dollars," he said at the Republican Party Convention in Dallas. Europe's press asks how exactly the "Trump dividend" is to be financed.
The US technology group Google has announced plans to invest 13 billion euros in data centres and digital infrastructure in Finland over the next two years. Google emphasised that the investments would encompass "clean energy projects" and the company also plans to support projects aimed at protecting biodiversity and restoring damaged ecosystems. The Finnish press takes stock.
Twenty-five years ago today, Islamist terrorists hijacked four US passenger aircraft and attacked key symbols of American power. Nearly 3,000 people died. The attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon triggered lasting changes in international security and foreign policy. Europe's press discusses the knock-on effects.
In the run-up to the Swedish general election on Sunday, the centre-left opposition comprising the Social Democrats, the Left Party, the Greens and the Centre Party is leading the polls, ahead of the centre-right coalition of Liberal Conservatives, Christian Democrats and Liberals, which cooperates with the right-wing Sweden Democrats (SD). However, both camps have been hit by new scandals shortly before the vote.
The European Central Bank (ECB) has raised its key interest rate from 2.25 to 2.5 percent. Officials said the decision was prompted by inflationary pressure caused by the conflict in the Middle East. Prices are being driven up primarily by the oil price shock resulting from the war in Iran. Commentators see little hope of the situation improving with this measure.
Around 2,000 representatives from politics, the military, business and research were invited to Paris to attend the International Space Summit on Wednesday and Thursday. The purpose was to explore ways in which Europe can catch up with the US and China, who are currently leading the space race. "Our European space programme is fragile and we must step up our efforts," French President Emmanuel Macron stressed at the opening event.
The AfD's election victory in Saxony-Anhalt, where it secured just under 44 percent of the vote, has rocked the political landscape in Germany. In other European countries, too, right-wing and right-wing extremist parties have also made significant gains in recent years and even participated in coalition governments. The election result in this German state coincides with a Europe-wide debate about the right.
Hungary's Foreign Minister Anita Orbán announced on Tuesday that ten Russian diplomats had been ordered to leave the country for engaging in activities that were "unacceptable for diplomats under the Vienna Convention". This apparently refers to espionage. Moscow has threatened "harsh and painful" retaliatory measures in response to the expulsions. Reactions in the national press are mixed.