The Reading Agency

Jack Reacher author Lee Child brands book bans 'vile' and calls to resist censorship

Jack Reacher author Lee Child brands book bans 'vile' and calls to resist censorship Jack Reacher author Lee Child has condemned book bans in schools and libraries across the UK and US as 'vile', warning that censorship must be resisted 'with every fibre of our being' Jack Reacher creator Lee Child has called on people to "ridicule, denounce and oppose" the censorship of books. The British author, 71, has spoken out against the wave of book bans sweeping through schools and libraries across...

White House offers to vet AI models before release after Anthropic security scare

AI companies will be able to get their models voluntarily checked by Donald Trump's administration a month before their release, according to the order. Artificial intelligence (AI) companies can now get their models vetted before release, according to a new executive order signed by US President Donald Trump. The executive order, signed overnight Tuesday, establishes a framework for the federal government to vet national security risks for the most advanced AI systems up to a month before...

The AI IPO Race Heats Up, DOGE Whistleblower Sues Elon Musk, and Instagram Gets Hacked

This week on Uncanny Valley, we discuss why the race among the top AI companies to go public has just gotten started but is already creating bizarre repercussions—including numerous San Francisco real estate listings preferring Anthropic stock instead of cash. They also get into why Donald Trump’s new executive order on AI safety is underwhelming and how hackers were able to use Instagram’s AI chatbot to access high-profile accounts like President Barack Obama’s. Plus, we report on how a...

America Is Missing Out on the Ultimate Mosquito Weapon

The announcement of the new “air defense” system was issued from Changzhou. A company called Photon Matrix Lab claimed to have developed a new technology for identifying and eliminating deadly threats mid-flight. A video on Indiegogo showed potential buyers how it works: After detecting a mosquito, the device fires off what looks like a blue-violet lightning bolt.

Wildfire smoke has reversed US progress toward ozone air quality, study finds

Since 2015, fires have undone years of effort to reduce ozone levels, underscoring a growing public health crisisThe highly destructive wildfires that have battered the US and North America in recent years have significantly increased emissions and been linked to tens of thousands of premature deaths, but their impact on air quality is greater than previously known, according to new research. A study published in Science on Thursday found that, since 2015, wildfires have reversed US progress...

Mexico’s senate passes constitutional amendment to safeguard elections. Critics call it ‘alarming’

Mexico’s senate passes constitutional amendment to safeguard elections. Critics call it ‘alarming’

Mexico's senate has passed a constitutional amendment that allows for the annulment of election results based on "foreign interference." The bill, proposed by President Claudia Sheinbaum, defines this interference to include illicit financing, misinformation, and digital manipulation. Opposition groups have strongly criticised the amendment, arguing it grants the ruling party excessive power to overturn voter decisions.

French astronauts set for 2027 voyages to ISS and first commercial space station

French astronauts set for 2027 voyages to ISS and first commercial space station French astronauts Thomas Pesquet and Arnaud Prost will embark on separate space missions in 2027 US company Vast announced on Tuesday. Prost is set to visit the Vast-developed Haven-1 commercial space station, which is scheduled to be deployed next year after years of delays, and Pesquet will launch on a private Vast mission to the International Space Station. Two French astronauts are to blast into space next...

'Better off without them': Mamata's message to TMC rebels and a 'Hitler' jibe at BJP

Amid reports of infighting, TMC supremo and former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee hit back at rebel leaders while saying that the party is "not for its leaders but it is for its workers". Speaking hours after TMC expelled two MLAs for 'anti-party activities', Mamata said that the party is "better off" without the rebel MLAs. "There may be some people who take advantage of situations, but those who thought such people were their assets have left, and we are better off without them.

China mine death toll at least 82 after gas blast