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May 16 0800 UTC Brief
In the UK
London Mayor Sadiq Khan says foreign-linked AI-generated posts are helping push a false story that London is dangerous and in decline. City Hall-commissioned research found a sharp rise in that material over the past two years, and Khan is calling on social media platforms to label AI content more clearly and stop rewarding it in their algorithms, a modest request from the mayor of one of the world’s favorite objects of online grumbling.
The Covid Inquiry has also drawn fire after finding the government’s counter-disinformation unit acted lawfully, necessarily and proportionately during the pandemic. Critics say that amounts to an endorsement of state-backed monitoring of lockdown sceptics, while the inquiry says the unit only flagged public posts under approved policies and never accessed private data. The Information Commissioner’s Office says it found no evidence of misuse.
Separately, a student says she may lose hundreds of pounds after UK travel advice on Lebanon changed and her insurance was left void. It is one more reminder that official guidance can shift after the booking is already paid for.
In the Middle East
Residents of Jerusalem’s al-Bustan district say they have been told to clear their homes to make way for the planned Kings Garden theme park. Some say demolition by their own hands is the cheaper option as jackhammers and bulldozers move through the area below the old city walls.
The United Arab Emirates is accelerating an oil pipeline expansion designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and move exports out through the Gulf of Oman instead. The goal is to reduce exposure to regional tensions around one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
In international security
Donald Trump says a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as Islamic State’s second-in-command globally and “the most active terrorist in the world.”
In Australia
Police in Western Australia say a 38-year-old man has died after being bitten by a great white shark near Rottnest Island, off Perth. It is the second shark death in the state this year.
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By IniaesIn the UK
London Mayor Sadiq Khan says foreign-linked AI-generated posts are helping push a false story that London is dangerous and in decline. City Hall-commissioned research found a sharp rise in that material over the past two years, and Khan is calling on social media platforms to label AI content more clearly and stop rewarding it in their algorithms, a modest request from the mayor of one of the world’s favorite objects of online grumbling.
The Covid Inquiry has also drawn fire after finding the government’s counter-disinformation unit acted lawfully, necessarily and proportionately during the pandemic. Critics say that amounts to an endorsement of state-backed monitoring of lockdown sceptics, while the inquiry says the unit only flagged public posts under approved policies and never accessed private data. The Information Commissioner’s Office says it found no evidence of misuse.
Separately, a student says she may lose hundreds of pounds after UK travel advice on Lebanon changed and her insurance was left void. It is one more reminder that official guidance can shift after the booking is already paid for.
In the Middle East
Residents of Jerusalem’s al-Bustan district say they have been told to clear their homes to make way for the planned Kings Garden theme park. Some say demolition by their own hands is the cheaper option as jackhammers and bulldozers move through the area below the old city walls.
The United Arab Emirates is accelerating an oil pipeline expansion designed to bypass the Strait of Hormuz and move exports out through the Gulf of Oman instead. The goal is to reduce exposure to regional tensions around one of the world’s most important energy chokepoints.
In international security
Donald Trump says a joint U.S.-Nigerian operation killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, whom he described as Islamic State’s second-in-command globally and “the most active terrorist in the world.”
In Australia
Police in Western Australia say a 38-year-old man has died after being bitten by a great white shark near Rottnest Island, off Perth. It is the second shark death in the state this year.