The i newspaper is one of a number leading on Rishi Sunak’s G7 visit in Japan. During his trip, Mr Sunak will warn that new rules are needed to “tame AI”. In “a dramatic shift in tone”, the government will push for regulation of the technology, and focus on the threats posed by automation, rather than the benefits, the newspaper reports.
The Financial Times also leads on an AI story, reporting that BT is planning to cull 55,000 jobs this decade, replacing some customer service staff with automation. The “radical cost-cutting drive” will account for 42% of the company’s workforce. The Financial Times says that the shift will make for the biggest job cuts since the company was privatised in the 1980s.
The Daily Mail also leads on the BT job cuts, asking if it is the start of “the great AI jobs bloodbath”. The newspaper said the job losses at the telecommunications giant have sparked a debate about “the march of the robots”, saying the rise in automation is having an effect on jobs – and customer experience. It also carries a photo of Indiana Jones and The Dial of Destiny star Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who attended the premiere for the new film in Cannes on Thursday evening.
The Sun leads on presenting duo Ant and Dec stepping down from TV programme Saturday Night Takeaway after 20 years at the helm. The newspaper reports the pair are to “rest” the award-winning show after recording one more series, drawing the show to a close in 2024. It also reports that Rishi Sunak will “lead the way” in regulating AI and chatbots “to stop them taking over the world”.
The Guardian also turns its attention to Rishi Sunak’s plans for the G7 summit, reporting that the PM arrived in Japan “with a self-declared mission” to push India into showing greater support for Ukraine. Ahead of the three-day gathering in Hiroshima, Mr Sunak pledged to ban imports of Russian diamonds and Russian-origin copper, nickel, and aluminium, the newspaper reports. It is expected that other G7 members will follow suit. In another story, the newspaper says council tenants with communal heating systems are facing a 350% rise in energy bills, a “nightmare” affecting 480,000 households.
The government’s plans to develop hydrogen gas as part of its net zero drive will add nearly £120 a year to the average household’s energy bills, according to the Daily Telegraph. The scheme, which is expected to cost £3.5bn a year between 2030 to 2040, could add £118 to household bills, the newspaper reports.
Manchester City striker Erling Harland has made Y-front underwear for men fashionable again, according to the Daily Star. The trend has received the thumbs down from the newspaper, which warns that men are trying and failing to pull off the look. Ant and Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway farewell also makes the front page, carrying the headline “we are off”.
The Daily Express also leads on the prime minister’s G7 visit, reporting that “confident” Rishi Sunak says he will be “PM for years”. Speaking in Hiroshima, Mr Sunak reportedly said he backed his party to win the next general election, and secure a Conservative majority. The newspaper also reports on the late Queen’s funeral costs, which totalled £162m.
Metro leads on water companies reportedly telling customers to shoulder the cost of solving the problem of sewage dumping in rivers, a move the paper brands a “£10bn dirty trick”. Companies say that “modest increments” to water bills for “decades ahead” are the only way to half the 824 spills a day by 2030, the newspaper reports. Anglian Water customers will have around £90 added to their annual bill.
The UK’s reliance on international nursing staff is at “a critical level”, says the Times. Since 2019, two thirds of nursing recruits have been international, a level the government has been warned is “unsustainable”, the newspaper reports. The Times also leads on couples who are not married making up a fifth of all families, making it the fastest growing kind of family unit in the UK, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS).
The Daily Mirror carries an exclusive on a “horror” dog attack. Six-year-old Vick Zidko was “lucky to escape with his life” when the family Staffordshire bull terrier “ripped his scalp off”, the newspaper reports. It warns of a “dangerous dogs epidemic”, asking the government to “finally act” and clamp down on dangerous dog attacks.
The front page of the Daily Mail asks if BT’s announcement that it will cut up to 55,000 staff by the end of the decade is “the start of the great AI jobs bloodbath”. The paper says workers have been given a “chilling glimpse” of the future, as what it calls the “march of the robots” begins to hit the labour market. The Financial Times calls the announcement BT’s “most radical cost-cutting drive since being privatised in the 1980s”. The i reports that the prime minister will call for more international regulation of AI at the G7 Summit.
A number of other papers also cover Rishi Sunak’s trip to Japan – where the leaders of the world’s most developed economies have gathered. The Guardian says he will try to gather more support for Ukraine during the summit, while The Express reports that he will warn other nations about “complacency” when dealing with Russia.
The Times says the government has watered down plans – put forward by Boris Johnson – for a new structure for the rail network. Ministers had wanted “Great British Railways” to run both tracks and trains -as well as creating timetables – but the paper says the plan’s been quietly dropped. The Department for Transport says it is fully committed to reforming the railways.
Image source, Getty Images
The government has reportedly watered down plans – put forward by Boris Johnson – for a new structure for the rail network.
Ministers’ plans to reach net zero carbon emissions will add £120 a year to some households’ energy bills, according to the Daily Telegraph. It says the money will be used to fund new production facilities for hydrogen gas. The government says it is creating cleaner, cheaper and more secure energy sources for Britain.
The Times covers the story of a woman serving in the armed forces who was told that she shouldn’t report being raped by an elite soldier because his career was “too important”. The paper highlights a number of other claims released by whistleblowers as part of an inquiry into sexual abuse in the armed forces.
The family of Elizabeth Chau – who disappeared in West London 24 years ago – have told the Guardian that they’ve lost trust in the Metropolitan Police. The serial killer Levi Bellfield claims to have murdered Ms Chau, who was 19 when she went missing. But the paper says that, at a meeting with her family this week, the Met refused to dig up the site where Mr Bellfield says he buried her. Scotland Yard has declined to comment.
The front page of the Financial Times carries an interview with the US investor Carl Icahn, who says his company has lost the equivalent of more than £7bn on the stock market in the last six years – after making a huge bet that the market would crash. Mr Icahn says that he always tells people that “nobody can really pick the market”, but he admitted he’d made the mistake of not adhering to his own advice.
Image source, Reuters
Businessman Carl Icahn made a huge bet that the stock market would crash – and he said his company lost billions as a result
The Daily Telegraph carries a warning for the owners of golden cocker spaniels – after a study found that they are more like to suffer from “cocker rage”. It says that it could make them more aggressive than a Rottweiler.
