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At least five dead and more than 80 missing after fire on Philippines ferry
At least five people have been killed and more than 80 are missing after a fire on a passenger ferry off the western Philippines.

So far, 43 people have been rescued from the MV June Aster off the municipality of Coron in Palawan province, Philippines Coastguard spokeswoman Commodore Noemie Cayabyab said.

According to the manifest, a total of 134 people were on board.

The ferry was afloat but listing after the fire, which started on Wednesday evening and burned overnight, was put out.

Smoke could be seen drifting over the charred vessel by midday, local time (5am, UK time).

Ms Cayabyab said it was unclear what caused the fire, which one survivor said may have begun in the cargo hold.

She said 134 people were on board, 117 of them passengers and 17 crew. There was no information about any foreigners onboard.

Large-scale rescue operation

"We are continuing search and rescue operations," she said, adding that high-speed response boats, a military vessel and other government boats had joined a coastguard vessel in the effort, along with private volunteers and fishermen.

As part of a large-scale rescue operation, the coastguard told ships nearby to be on the lookout for passengers and coordinated with coastal villages in case some passengers drifted to the shore.

Life jackets thrown to survivors

Rescue teams were using drift-modelling tools to identify areas where people may have ​been carried by currents.

Coastguard staff could be seen throwing life jackets to survivors as the ferry burned in the background in pictures published of the scene.

Passengers were helped into smaller boats taking them to shallow water, and body bags were laid out at what looked like a port.

The MV June Aster had left the Philippines capital Manila heading for Coron in Palawan province in the west of the country when the fire started as it neared its destination at around 6.45pm on Wednesday.

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Bad weather and big waves made the rescuers' task more difficult. The ferry was around four nautical miles (4.6 miles) off Coron's village of Turda when it sent a distress signal but strong sea currents had dragged it to a distance of 7.68 nautical miles (4.8 miles) off Turda.

Sea accidents are not uncommon in the Philippines, where ferries are often used to travel between islands of the archipelago.

Storms, badly maintained vessels, overcrowding and loose enforcement of safety regulations, especially in remote provinces, can contribute to problems.

More than 4,000 people died in the world's deadliest maritime disaster when the ferry Dona Paz sank after colliding with a fuel tanker in the central Philippines in 1987.

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Airbnb faces potential new restrictions as EU proposes clampdown on holiday rentals
The EU has drafted new rules which could lead to more restrictions for Airbnb and other short-term home rental companies.

The proposal, which will require agreement from EU countries and the European Parliament in the coming months before it passes into law, would provide the first common European framework for assessing new housing measures.

Increases in short-term holiday rentals have long been linked with shortages of affordable housing, with protests staged across Europe.

Authorities in cities such as Paris, Barcelona and Venice have already introduced measures to crack down on Airbnb, which have triggered various legal challenges.

The new proposal puts forward a "common union approach for determining whether an area is under housing stress".

Authorities could pinpoint areas with housing pressures by determining if the price-to-income level is high, or if there has been an upward trend in demand over the past decade.

It calls on authorities to target short-term lets most likely to have an adverse effect on the availability and affordability of long-term housing, including those "characterised by their commercial scale".

The commission said any subsequent restrictions against short-term rentals must be evidence-based, limited to the affected areas, and not retroactive.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: "A year ago, I promised to tackle Europe's ​housing affordability.

"Today, we are ⁠taking one step in this direction. By providing more ⁠clarity and support to local authorities and communities, anchored in local realities."

Shares of Airbnb were down around 3% during morning trade.

The company said the main issue is the short supply ​of housing.

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George Mavros, Airbnb's head of government affairs for the ⁠European Union, said: "That means focusing it (the regulation) where the shortage actually is: construction, renovation, and ​the homes standing empty across Europe today."

The head of policy for the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA Europe), Alexandre Roure, also criticised the proposal to let cities oversee their own compliance.

He said: "Without independent scrutiny or effective redress, this proposal will remain a paper tiger, ⁠leaving disproportionate restrictions in place and undermining the legal ​certainty the Affordable Housing Act is meant to provide."


Tributes to 'much-loved' cyclist killed in Inverclyde crash
The family of a "much-loved" cyclist who has died following a collision with a car in Inverclyde has said he will be missed "every day".

The fatal crash happened on the westbound carriageway of the A8, between the Langbank and Woodhead roundabouts in the Port Glasgow area, at about 7.10pm on Tuesday.

Police Scotland said the incident involved a blue Ford C-Max Zetec and three cyclists.

Iain McTavish, 46, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Two other male cyclists, aged 27 and 37, were taken to hospital.

The 33-year-old male driver of the Ford was also taken to hospital, but has since been released.

In a statement released through the force, Mr McTavish's family said: "Iain studied at Glasgow University and gained an MA honours and masters in philosophy.

"He was a very active cyclist who competed in events throughout Scotland.

"He was much loved and a valuable member of the community. I will miss him every day."

Mr McTavish was a member of Johnstone Wheelers Cycling Club.

In a tribute on social media on Wednesday, the club said: "Today we're all reeling from the awful news yesterday.

"Iain McTavish was killed yesterday evening whilst riding with the bunch.

"This will take a long time to sink in and process, but for now suffice it to say that we are devastated at the loss of one of cycling's good guys."

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Police are urging anyone with information about the collision to contact them.

Sergeant Jack Swindells said: "Our thoughts are with Iain's family at what is an extremely difficult time for them.

"Enquiries remain ongoing to establish the full circumstances and we are continuing to appeal to anyone who witnessed the crash to come forward.

"If you were driving in the area at the time, please check any dashcam footage to see if it has captured anything which could assist our investigation."


Green Party plan to curb tech giants after warning of AI 'threat to humanity'
The Green Party has proposed a five-point plan to curb the power of tech giants after industry insiders warned that artificial intelligence could pose an existential risk to humanity.

It includes co-operating with other countries to establish a worldwide body to oversee and regulate AI development, as well as a legal ban on lethal autonomous weapons (LAWS).

LAWS can independently identify and engage targets without human intervention. The UK does not currently have them but the recent Defence Investment Plan (DIP) promised £5bn into drones and autonomous systems, which can operate without human control.

The Greens see a crackdown on tech as a new political priority and hope to push the government to "recognise the urgency of the situation" by ramping up the rhetoric, a source told Sky News.

Party insiders are buoyed by the government's major decision this week to impose a trade ban on illegal Israeli settlements, believing they were ahead of the political curve on the issue.

They hope to make tech the next big pressure point, having recently called for a freeze on the approval of new data centres due to the energy and water they use.

Dame Chi Onwurah, the Labour chair of the Science and Technology Committee, said the party was right to call for regulation "in the light of recent events".

But she claimed their announcement "is a hodge-podge of buzzwords and meaningless phrases".

She told Sky News: "Regulate AI - to do what? Protect copyright, require security assessments, protect personal likeness? My select committee has called for clarity on AI regulation, and the government strategy for technology sovereignty, the government response should set that out."

Other elements of the Greens' plan include directing public funding towards AI "for the public good" and protections for workers to keep key decisions in human hands.

This is as well as a cross-sector plan to build our own AI infrastructure to end reliance on US tech.

The party did not explain how this would be funded, with more details expected in due course.

The Green's science and technology working group had already been drafting the proposals but brought forward an announcement in light of new warnings about the threat of AI to humanity

Green MP Sian Berry, leading on plans, told Sky News: "Technologies with the power to reshape our lives must be subject to effective public oversight.

"Greens want strong regulation of AI, with clear safeguards against harmful uses and proper democratic accountability."

On Wednesday a top safety researcher at Anthropic, Evan Hubinger, warned he believed there was a greater than 10% chance AI could pose a species-ending risk within 10 years.

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He laid out his concerns on X in response to another Anthropic researcher, Jacob Coxon, announcing his departure from the company and claiming those building the tech "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade".

The Financial Times also reports that Anthropic had withheld its latest model from the UK's AI Safety Institute, one of the world's leading bodies for testing the risks of the technology.

PM acknowledges security risk

Andy Burnham acknowledged "risks to national security" when asked about the AI threat at Prime Minister's Questions by Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey.

He said his decision to boost the role of AI safety minister Kanishka Narayan by giving him a seat at the Cabinet table had "lifted the level of the conversation about artificial intelligence within government".

He suggested he was open to cross party talks, saying colleagues "on all sides of the House" could be "part of that crucial discussion".

The prime minister is also facing pressure from Labour MPs, with former Cabinet Office minister Darren Jones calling for a new multi-national treaty to regulate the development of the technology.

Meanwhile Alex Sobel, part of the soft-left Mainstream group closely allied to the prime minister, has proposed a bill to prohibit superintelligent AI systems. He told Sky News it was backed by about 50 of his colleagues so far.

Another Labour MP, Will Stone, who is a former soldier, said AI "can enhance the military power of the UK" while protecting jobs in defence and technology. However he said he supports regulation "and a cautious approach".

A government spokesperson said: "The UK is working with partners around the world to better understand the most advanced AI systems, raise safety standards and build a shared evidence base for managing emerging threats. Through the AI Security Institute we are leading global efforts to test and understand frontier AI systems, while helping to develop the standards and safeguards needed to keep people, businesses and critical infrastructure secure."


August was world's joint hottest month on record, say climate change scientists
August was the world's joint hottest month ever recorded - at 1.65C above pre-industrial times, according to scientists.

The EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service said it was tied for the record with July 2023.

Pre-industrial times are classed as 1850 to 1900, when humans were not burning fossil fuels at scale. Last month was 1.65C higher than the estimated average for that period.

August saw extreme heat that led to drought conditions in the UK, France, Hungary, Serbia, and Romania, the Copernicus team said.

Rivers such as the Rhine and Danube also had exceptionally low flows.

Last week, the UK's Met Office said this summer was the hottest on record, with the average temperature 0.4C higher than the previous record - set last summer.

The landmark 2015 Paris climate deal saw countries agree to limit global warming to "well below" 2C above pre-industrial levels and pursue efforts to keep them to 1.5C.

Scientists say temperatures above the 1.5C marker are associated with the most severe droughts, floods, and sea level rises.

August marked the first time the key threshold has been breached since November last year.

Sea surface temperatures also hit record highs in August due to fossil fuel burning and warming seas associated with the El Nino weather phenomenon (expected to be especially extreme this year), according to the Copernicus experts.

Away from polar regions, the seas measured 21.07C - which is also the joint highest ever, tied with March 2024.

Samantha Burgess, deputy director of Copernicus Climate Change Service, said it was a "remarkable month".

"Combined with record global sea surface temperatures and the warmest summer on record for Western Europe, these observations show how climate change is driving extremes across both the atmosphere and the oceans," she said.

"The impacts of these conditions are increasingly being felt by communities, economies and ecosystems across the world."

News of the record-setting month comes not long before the next global climate change conference - COP31 - in Antalya, Turkey, in November.

Gareth Redmond-King of the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit said it was another "warning siren" of the effects of climate change.

He said world leaders at COP31 must "cut greenhouse gas emissions rapidly towards net zero while strengthening resilience to the impacts already locked in".

Mr Redmond-King added: "The task now is to match the scale of the science with the scale of action, supporting communities already on the front line of climate impacts while accelerating the transition away from coal, oil and gas to bring our climate back into balance."


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