AUSTRALIA
AI articles criticized
A science magazine yesterday drew criticism after publishing artificial intelligence (AI)-generated articles that experts said were incorrect or oversimplified. Cosmos, published by the state-backed national science agency, used Open AI’s GPT-4 to produce six articles that were published last month. Although the use of AI was disclosed, the Science Journalists’ Association of Australia said its use had caused serious concerns. Association president Jackson Ryan told reporters that in the article “What happens to our bodies after death?” descriptions of scientific processes were incorrect or vastly simplified. These inaccuracies would damage people’s trust in and perception of the publication, he said. A spokesperson for the national science agency said the AI content had been fact-checked by a “trained science communicator and edited by the Cosmos publishing team.”
AUSTRALIA
Dog abuser sentenced
A crocodile expert was sentenced yesterday to more than 10 years in jail for sexually abusing and killing dozens of dogs, and a string of other crimes. Adam Britton, 53, had pleaded guilty to 63 charges relating to bestiality, animal cruelty and possessing child abuse material. In sentencing Britton, Northern Territory Supreme Court Chief Justice Michael Grant described the acts as “unspeakable” and “grotesque.” Broadcster ABC reported that Britton acquired 42 dogs online from 2020 to 2022, promising their owners he would give them a “good home.” Instead, Britton filmed himself raping and killing dogs in a shipping container on his property in Darwin, ABC reported. The footage was shared via Telegram. Police arrested Britton in 2022. Britton was a crocodile expert in Australia and worked on several productions with the BBC and National Geographic. He would be eligible for parole in April 2028 and is banned from owning mammals for the rest of his life.
AUSTRIA
Swift concerts canceled
Organizers of three Taylor Swift concerts in Vienna this week on Wednesday called them off after officials announced arrests over an apparent plot to launch an attack on an event in the Vienna area such as the concerts. Swift was scheduled to play at the Ernst Happel Stadium yesterday, today and tomorrow as part of her Eras Tour. Event organizer Barracuda Music said in a post on its Instagram channel that “we have no choice but to cancel the three scheduled shows for everyone’s safety.” It cited government officials’ “confirmation” of a planned attack at the stadium.
PANAMA
‘VIP smugglers’ arrested
Border police on Wednesday arrested 15 people connected to a criminal organization that helped smuggle Chinese across the Darien jungle via a “VIP route” with fewer challenges to traverse. The arrests were made in the town of Santa Fe. More than 500,000 people traversed the so-called Darien Gap last year, where migrants face dangers such as rapid rivers, wild animals and criminal gangs. However, the “VIP route” used all-terrain vehicles and even horses to speed up the sometimes week-long journey for those who could afford it. Chinese were the primary migrants to pay to use the “VIP route,” local prosecutor Emeldo Marquez said. He attributed this to their generally higher purchasing power compared with other migrant groups.
Kehinde Sanni spends his days smoothing out dents and repainting scratched bumpers in a modest autobody shop in Lagos. He has never left Nigeria, yet he speaks glowingly of Burkina Faso military leader Ibrahim Traore. “Nigeria needs someone like Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso. He is doing well for his country,” Sanni said. His admiration is shaped by a steady stream of viral videos, memes and social media posts — many misleading or outright false — portraying Traore as a fearless reformer who defied Western powers and reclaimed his country’s dignity. The Burkinabe strongman swept into power following a coup in September 2022
‘FRAGMENTING’: British politics have for a long time been dominated by the Labor Party and the Tories, but polls suggest that Reform now poses a significant challenge Hard-right upstarts Reform UK snatched a parliamentary seat from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labor Party yesterday in local elections that dealt a blow to the UK’s two establishment parties. Reform, led by anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage, won the by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in northwest England by just six votes, as it picked up gains in other localities, including one mayoralty. The group’s strong showing continues momentum it built up at last year’s general election and appears to confirm a trend that the UK is entering an era of multi-party politics. “For the movement, for the party it’s a very, very big
ENTERTAINMENT: Rio officials have a history of organizing massive concerts on Copacabana Beach, with Madonna’s show drawing about 1.6 million fans last year Lady Gaga on Saturday night gave a free concert in front of 2 million fans who poured onto Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro for the biggest show of her career. “Tonight, we’re making history... Thank you for making history with me,” Lady Gaga told a screaming crowd. The Mother Monster, as she is known, started the show at about 10:10pm local time with her 2011 song Bloody Mary. Cries of joy rose from the tightly packed fans who sang and danced shoulder-to-shoulder on the vast stretch of sand. Concert organizers said 2.1 million people attended the show. Lady Gaga
SUPPORT: The Australian prime minister promised to back Kyiv against Russia’s invasion, saying: ‘That’s my government’s position. It was yesterday. It still is’ Left-leaning Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese yesterday basked in his landslide election win, promising a “disciplined, orderly” government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. People clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee, Jodie Haydon, who visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling photographers and journalists. Albanese’s Labor Party is on course to win at least 83 seats in the 150-member parliament, partial results showed. Opposition leader Peter Dutton’s conservative Liberal-National coalition had just 38 seats, and other parties 12. Another 17 seats were still in doubt. “We will be a disciplined, orderly
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