AI Surges, War Intensifies, Tech Evolves — This Week’s Big Headlines

News

UK Local Incidents & Public Safety

• Man injured by falling masonry in Leicester Square – BBC News

UK Politics & Governance

• Stormont’s first Irish language and Ulster‑Scots commissioners appointed – BBC News
• UK government blocked bottle return scheme to give SNP a “black eye” – Sky News
• Backlash over plans to house 300 asylum seekers at Inverness barracks – BBC News
• Hospital bosses in transgender row feared “bullying trust” label – Sky News
• Income tax and national insurance unlikely to rise – Sky News
• British citizenship “legal loophole” closed to bar extremists – Sky News
• No simple solution to problem of Prince Andrew and Royal Lodge – Sky News
• ‘Sex predator’ who spiked women’s drinks at club before attacking them jailed – Sky News
• Family of pregnant British teenager pay £138k in bid to cut jail term – Sky News

International Military & Conflict

• Netanyahu orders Israeli military to immediately carry out strikes in Gaza – Sky News
• US kills 14 in strikes on four alleged drug boats in Pacific – BBC News
• Netanyahu threatens Hamas for releasing remains of hostage “already recovered” – Sky News

International Legal & Environmental Actions

• Texas attorney general sues Tylenol makers over autism claims – BBC News
• India launches cloud‑seeding trial over smog‑choked New Delhi – Sky News
• Confederate statue torn down during anti‑racism protests reinstalled in Washington – BBC News

AI

Enterprise AI & Agiliztion

• GitHub’s Agent HQ aims to solve enterprises’ biggest AI coding problem: Too many agents, no central control – VentureBeat – AI
• Intuit learned to build AI agents for finance the hard way: Trust lost in buckets, earned back in spoonfuls – VentureBeat – AI
• PayPal’s Agentic Commerce Play Shows Why Flexibility, Not Standards, Will Define the Next E‑Commerce Wave – VentureBeat – AI
• MiniMax‑M2 is the new king of open source LLMs (especially for agentic tool calling) – VentureBeat – AI
• Anthropic rolls out Claude AI for finance, integrates with Excel to rival Microsoft Copilot – VentureBeat – AI
• Google Cloud takes aim at CoreWeave and AWS with managed Slurm for enterprise‑scale AI training – VentureBeat – AI
• Microsoft gets 27% stake in OpenAI, and a $250 B Azure commitment – GeekWire – AI

AI Adoption, ROI & Strategy

• Finding return on AI investments across industries – Technology Review – AI
• An AI adoption riddle – Technology Review – AI
• Seizing the AI opportunity – OpenAI Blog
• The next chapter of the Microsoft–OpenAI partnership – OpenAI Blog
• Built to benefit everyone – OpenAI Blog

AI Safety, Ethics & Public Policy

• The Download: Microsoft’s stance on erotic AI, and an AI hype mystery – Technology Review – AI
• “We will never build a sex robot,” says Mustafa Suleyman – Technology Review – AI
• Strengthening ChatGPT’s responses in sensitive conversations – OpenAI Blog
• Addendum to GPT‑5 System Card: Sensitive conversations – OpenAI Blog
• I tried OpenAI’s new Atlas browser but I still don’t know what it’s for – Technology Review – AI

AI Defense & Security

• Doppel’s AI defense system stops attacks before they spread – OpenAI Blog

AI Community & Startups in Seattle

• A tale of two Seattles in the age of AI: Harsh realities and new hope for the tech community – GeekWire – AI

Technology

AI & Developer Tools

• Need the best AI content detector in 2025? Try these four tools (you probably already use one) – ZDNet
• Create your dream presentation with Gemini’s latest update – here’s how – ZDNet
• GitHub’s new Agent HQ gives devs a command center for all their AI tools – why this is a huge deal – ZDNet

Gaming & Entertainment

• Pokémon Legends: Z-A physical launch sales in the US were the biggest for a new title since The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was released in 2023 – TechRadar
• Battlefield 6’s free battle royale mode is out now – Engadget
• Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is now free‑to‑play for a limited time ahead of the launch of Black Ops 7 – here’s everything you need to know – TechRadar
• Season 2 of Netflix’s live‑action One Piece premieres in March – The Verge
• The BrickBoy upgrade kit costs more than twice as much as the Lego Game Boy – The Verge

Consumer Electronics & Gadgets

• I tried Nespresso’s festive new Cinnamon and Candied Tamarind coffee pods, and it’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas – TechRadar
• Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 Pro Only Have One Shot at Challenging AirPods Pro 3 – Gizmodo
• I tested the DJI Mini 5 Pro for a month, and it rightly takes top spot in our drones guide – here’s why – TechRadar
• Physicists Built a Pixel So Small, Full HD Could Fit on a Bread Crumb – Gizmodo

Security & Privacy

• Google Chrome will finally default to secure HTTPS connections starting in April – Engadget
• VPN usage is exploding in the UK — here’s how it compares to Europe and the US – TechRadar

Deals & Promotions

• Here are the price‑matching policies for Best Buy, GameStop, and others – The Verge
• Get 30 days of free streaming on AMC+ with this special code – Mashable
• Harness the power of the Bluetti AC200PL portable power station with the Charge 1 alternator charger while the bundle is $1,100 off at Amazon – Mashable
• Black Friday 2025: Everything to know to save (including when sales actually start) – ZDNet

Transportation & EV Tech

• Toyota brings Apple Maps EV routing to its newest models – Engadget

Digital Payments & Services

• You’ll be able to pay with PayPal in ChatGPT next year – The Verge

Gaming

Battlefield 6 Updates

• Battlefield 6’s battle royale mode REDSEC is out now and surprise surprise, there’s a new Gauntlet mode attached — Rock Paper Shotgun
• Battlefield 6 has login queues again, thanks to Season One and the Redsec battle royale release — Eurogamer
• Battlefield REDSEC Launches Alongside Battlefield 6 Season 1 With Battle Royale, Gauntlet, and Portal Modes — Here’s Everything You Need to Know — IGN

Darkwood & Horror Game Announcements

• Overlooked top‑down horror Darkwood is getting a sequel and surprise new developer — Eurogamer
• The Pathologic devs are making Darkwood 2 with Acid Wizard’s blessing in a frankly outrageous piece of horror synergy — Rock Paper Shotgun
• Haunted, an Asymmetrical Dollhouse‑Set First‑Person Co‑op Horror Game, Announced for PC — IGN

Deals & Price Drops

• Black Ops 6 Multiplayer & Zombies modes are FREE to play until November 3! — GG.deals
• Deals for Today: Cheap Yet Epic Power Bank and Shin Godzilla Steelbook Out Now — IGN

Game Showcases & Events

• ID@Xbox Showcase October 2025: Everything Announced So Far (Updating Live) — IGN

Film & Television Updates

• BBC Confirms Future of Doctor Who, New Christmas Special in 2026, and the End of the Disney+ Partnership — IGN
• ‘Ariana Grande’s Impression of Me on SNL Was Spot‑On’ — Jennifer Lawrence Thinks She Was ‘Annoying’ Back in the Mid‑2010s When Everyone Was Making Fun of Her Candid Personality — IGN

Music & Live Events

• Individual Diablo, Hades and Persona orchestral musical concerts are coming to London, and if last year’s Baldur’s Gate 3 concert was anything to go by, you won’t want to miss them — Eurogamer

Tech & Hardware Reviews

• I’ve tested hundreds of keyboards and the 20‑year‑old classic Das Keyboard has held up better than any — how do modern ones compare? — Eurogamer

Developer & Narrative Insights

• The Outer Worlds 2’s senior narrative designer is ‘really happy’ if you miss out on major characters with ‘thousands of lines of dialogue’ — PC Gamer