April 10 (UPI) — The government of Brazil on Friday announced an agreement with the United States to combat transnational crime — a move that will integrate intelligence sharing and joint operations to target organized criminal networks.

The initiative was presented by Brazil’s finance ministry, where Minister Darío Durigan said the agreement between Brazil’s Federal Revenue Service and U.S. Customs and Border Protection will enable the exchange of cargo data, particularly on shipments leaving the United States for Brazil.

The focus will be on intercepting illegal goods, such as weapons and narcotics.

The announcement comes as Washington considers designating Brazil-based criminal groups Primeiro Comando da Capital and Comando Vermelho as terrorist organizations, according to outlet G1 O’Globo.

The effort gained traction after Eduardo Bolsonaro and Flávio Bolsonaro, sons of former President Jair Bolsonaro, urged members of the administration of Donald Trump to take action, The New York Times reported. U.S. officials have not publicly confirmed any such designation.

Brazilian authorities also highlighted the rollout of the DESARMA program, a system designed to allow real-time information sharing when customs officials identify shipments linked to firearms, ammunition, explosives and other sensitive materials.

Officials said the tool enables authorities to trace the origin of illicit goods and map criminal networks involved in the international arms trade.

Recent records show the system has expanded the ability to detect, connect and track illicit weapons flows, with early results already benefiting both countries.

U.S.-provided intelligence has helped uncover sophisticated smuggling methods, including rifle components hidden inside airsoft equipment and drugs concealed in packages labeled as common goods such as pet food sent through postal services.

Over the past 12 months, authorities identified 35 incidents involving the seizure of 1,168 items, weighing about 550 kilograms, primarily shipped from Florida using fraudulent declarations and concealment techniques.

Brazil’s tax revenue secretary, ​Robinson Barreirinhas, said ‌more than 1,100 weapons ​were seized ​over the past 12 ⁠months arriving from ​the United States, ​and that in the first quarter alone, authorities ​have seized more ​than 1.5 tons of ‌drugs.

Brazil’s finance ministry said consolidating this data into a structured database has improved identification of patterns, links between senders and recipients, and recurring trafficking routes. This, in turn, has strengthened information-sharing with U.S. authorities to support enforcement action at the source and dismantle criminal networks.

The ministry added that the cooperation is part of ongoing dialogue between President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Trump, and forms part of a broader bilateral agenda focused on combating transnational organized crime.

“Sentebale’s problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve,” said Charity Commission chief executive David Holdsworth.

THE ROLLING STONES continue to champion new talent, this time signing up Marty Supreme actress Odessa A’Zion for their next video.

The wise old rockers previously cast Sydney Sweeney in the vid to accompany 2023 comeback single Angry.

Now they are hoping to repeat that success, as I can reveal they have got one of Gen Z’s buzziest names on board.

Odessa filmed the visuals during a hushed-up two-day shoot at Battersea Arts Centre in South London last week.

I’m told loads of extras of all ages and styles were brought in to reflect the Stones over the years.

A music industry insider said: “The video represents the Stones through the ages. There’s a lot going on. They brought in lots of extras to represent subcultures and sonic histories.

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“The idea is it blends everything from blues souls and punk kids with old school rockers and Northern Soul dancers.

“Then there’s a load of glam rock attitude and DIY chaos to echo the legacy of the Stones.

“Odessa is at the centre of it all.

“The video should look really impressive when it’s all tied together.”

The return of the Stones has been talked about for a while, but there isn’t long left to wait at all.

The band is expected to drop a new song today, as I revealed on Wednesday.

Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood have been teasing their return under the pseudonym The Cockroaches.

They are coming back with their 25th album, believed to be titled Foreign Tongues, which is largely being touted as their final record together.

It is a follow-up to their 2023 album Hackney Diamonds, with the tracks mainly being written and recorded during the same sessions.

Unfortunately for their fans, I’ve been told there are no immediate plans for the band to hit the road again just yet.

But I live in hope the band will rethink that — when they see just how many people snap up this new album when it drops later in the year.

Zara up to finny business

ZARA LARSSON is por-poised for action as she lifts a dummy dolphin over her head.

She dazzled in a sequined skirt split to the waist and a tiny bikini top while fronting Spanish label Desigual’s Life’s A Beach campaign.

Zara has signed a major deal with the clothing brand for a new range inspired by her Y2K look.

Meanwhile, her US tour ends tomorrow in Houston, Texas – then she’ll focus on a deluxe version of her 2025 album Midnight Sun, due out next month.

Zara has remixed tracks with female collaborators. Tyga, Madison Beer and Jade are among stars expected to be involved.

The record originally peaked at No36, but with Zara enjoying a popularity surge, I predict a massive leap up the charts.

Derm’s so Keane on his main man

DERMOT KENNEDY has a surprising role model in his music career – football great Roy Keane.

His inspiration during gigs is the memory of Man United hero Keane playing against Juventus in 1999.

Despite being yellow-carded, the captain put in a blistering performance that took them to the Champions League final.

Dermot whose album The Weight Of The Woods became his third No1 last night, said of Roy: “If you ask about the way I sing, it’s purely him.

“He has a thing in his book where, when he was younger trying to get spotted, he would play a match to 100 or 200 people, and he developed the skill of creating the atmosphere in his head.

“I think I have that in music. If I play to ten people, I will rip it because I don’t care how many people are there.”

Dermot also shares a love of football with Roy once playing for Dublin’s Crumlin United.

He said: “I’m a far better person when I’m playing football regularly. Whatever feeling everyone thinks I get from music, I get it from football. It’s the one time my mind is clear.”

But Dermot has another reason to be inspired after his wife Aisling Finnegan gave birth to their daughter.

Asked how long they have been together, he told the And The Writer Is . . .  podcast: “I would have been eight years old.

“We went to school together. What age did I know? Early twenties, probably.”

Michaela in a flap

MICHAELA COEL looks amazing despite her suit falling apart at the seams as she steps out in New York.

The actress, whose outfit had several flappy features, recently admitted she didn’t love appearing in 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, in which she played warrior Aneka.

She said: “I really don’t think I was ready for that world of green screen acting. I don’t know how to do that.”

Maybe she’s struggling with new styles.

Nineties exhibition shines the spotlight on Scary’s catsuit

THE famous leopard-print catsuit Mel B wore when the Spice Girls performed at the Brit Awards in 1997 is going on display.

Former Bizarre editor Dominic MOhan has curated the exhibition, 1996: 30 Years On, and managed to get hold of the catsuit which was worn to perform their debut hit Wannabe.

Mel said: “It was all a crazy Nineties whirlwind but, in my leopard print, I knew I could take on anything. This outfit is sexy, naughty and bold, which pretty much sums me and the Nineties up.”

Also on display will be Emma Bunton’s dress from the same performance, Geri Halliwell’s Union Jack boots and a signed Liam Gallagher‘s tambourine.

It opens on Thursday at the Barbican Music Library in London and runs until September 19.

Dom will be launching his four-part show Cool Britannia on Virgin Radio tomorrow from 6pm.

OLIVIA DEAN is obsessed with Love Island.

She said: “I just watched Love Island All Stars and, oh my god, what amazing television that was.

“Thank you everybody involved for that. It really got me through the last couple of months and I loved it. No notes. Can’t wait for the next season.”

She also had a message for its host: “Maya Jama, I love you.”

Even pop’s busiest acts can’t resist a bit of villa drama.

Masterclass by B-Side Boys as jangling Mars Attacks

THERE aren’t many acts that can pull off five sell- out shows by promising only B sides, album tracks and no hits.

But the Pet Shop Boys did, without breaking a sweat.

I’d happily listen to Neil Tennant sing the back of a crisp packet, but he and Chris Lowe had something more special in store here in Camden, North London.

They whipped out guest Johnny Marr early on, who added some excellent guitar jangling on Up Against it from 1996 and 2003’s I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today.

They might be synthpop’s finest duo, but they can rock out too. With a back catalogue spanning more than 40 years, you can forgive Neil for needing lyrics printed out for the more obscure numbers, and being overjoyed at a stool, joking: “Ooh, I can sit down now, like Westlife.”

They finished by teasing the launch of their upcoming musical, Naked, performing a song from it called I Dream Of A Better Tomorrow.

Right now, that’s a mantra we can all get behind.

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom has dismissed questions about the race to succeed him in California for much of the last year.

“You know my position,” he said to reporters last month. “I don’t talk about this governor’s race.”

But as his party runs the risk of losing the most powerful office in the state, Newsom recognizes that he may need to step in and endorse one of the Democratic candidates whether he wants to or not.

California Democrats have put themselves in an unnecessary pickle in the 2026 gubernatorial election: Too many candidates, with few policy distinctions between them, are running to replace Newsom. Opinion polls show no clear favorite and Democrats largely splitting votes.

The tepid support raises the possibility that two Republicans in the race could place first and second in the June primary and advance to the general election. By their own strategic blunder, Democrats could be knocked out of the contest in a state where they outnumber Republicans nearly 2 to 1.

It’s a disaster everyone saw coming and no Democrat, except perhaps Newsom, has the power to stop, said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego.

“Gavin Newsom’s megaphone is loud enough to echo across this race, leading other prominent members of the party to endorse whomever he chooses and vaulting someone, finally, out of the crowded pack,” Kousser said. “This could be the last remaining chance for the party to avoid splitting its vote in June and being locked out of November.”

Endorsing a successor before the primary carries inherent risk and perhaps more so for Newsom, who is positioning himself as a potential leading candidate in the 2028 presidential contest. Publicly backing a candidate for governor ties Newsom to the outcome of the race and the candidate.

“If it doesn’t work, his endorsement would broadcast his political vulnerabilities and attach him to his party’s weakness just at the time when he needs to project his personal strength,” Kousser said. “But if his intervention rescues the party and elevates his chosen successor into being an overwhelming favorite in the general, it would further elevate his national profile while winning him a close friend in Sacramento.”

Newsom is taking a wait-and-see approach for now, tracking polls to determine whether his intervention is necessary.

President Trump’s decision to endorse conservative commentator Steve Hilton over the weekend could relieve some pressure on Newsom to weigh in.

Hilton and Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, the top two Republicans in the race, were leading the field of candidates before the president got involved, according to a recent poll by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies.

If Trump’s support causes support for Hilton to rise and Bianco to drop, it’s more likely that one Democrat and one Republican will place in the top two in the primary.

Trump’s endorsement left Kousser and other California political observers scratching their heads. If a candidate from each party advances to November, the Democrat is expected to easily win the race because of the voter registration advantage.

Until this week, Newsom had held back from responding to Bianco’s controversial investigation into voter fraud, in which the Sheriff’s Department seized thousands of ballots in Riverside County. State Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta led the court challenges. Bianco said he paused his inquiry in late March, citing “politically motivated lawsuits and court filings.”

But the governor publicly celebrated a California Supreme Court ruling this week that Bianco halt the investigation.

“This rogue sheriff chased conspiracy theories, tried to undermine our elections, and got the ruling he deserved,” Newsom posted on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk. “Trump and MAGA’s election denialism is a cancer, a danger to our democracy, and it must be stopped.”

Rob Stutzman, a Republican political consultant in California, compared Newsom’s posts about Bianco to “trying to return a gift.” The Democratic governor’s attack could boost Bianco’s profile and support among Newsom-hating voters.

“Trump has probably bailed the Democrats out of their dilemma by elevating Hilton and for Newsom’s response to be to elevate and draw attention to Bianco, just doesn’t make any sense, and it’s everything Bianco wanted out of this whole ballot seizure gambit to start with,” Stutzman said.

Newsom’s reluctance to endorse a Democrat in the race is, in part, a reflection of his feelings about leaving a position he’s held for eight years and a recognition of his own “sell-by date” in the post. His answers to questions about the contest vary from declining to comment to pointing out that voters don’t appear interested in the race, either.

The focus on national politics, attention Trump draws “24 hours a day” and earlier speculation over whether former Vice President Kamala Harris or U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla would run for governor distracted from the candidates in the field, he said.

“But when I’m out in the community, people aren’t talking to me about it, which is interesting this late, just weeks and weeks before early voting,” Newsom said in March. “And so, as a consequence, I’m not directly as engaged as perhaps I might need to be.”

His comments suggesting that he isn’t paying attention to the race haven’t sat well with some of the candidates. Some Democrats, including San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, were already running against Newsom’s record.

For Newsom, inaction is more risky than picking a losing candidate, Kousser said. Though California’s top-two system and poor leadership from the state party would mostly be to blame if Democrats lose, giving control of California to the GOP would bolster criticism of Newsom’s leadership.

“A Republican victory in the state Newsom leads would be read, on the national stage, as a rejection of his legacy,” Kousser said.

Jamie Smith, with a majestic 166, has now scored a century in each of Surrey’s opening two County Championship matches as he bids to hold on to his England Test place this summer.

And Ollie Pope, dropped during the winter Ashes series defeat in Australia, also hit 103 as Surrey piled up 412-6 against Leicestershire in front of a 5,000-plus day one crowd at the Kia Oval.

Smith and Pope put on exactly 200 for the third wicket, after Leicestershire had decided to bowl first on a green-looking pitch and initially reduced Surrey to 42-2.

Pope’s hundred, the 25th of his first-class career, was more of a workmanlike affair as he looked to spend time at the crease following two low scores in Surrey’s high-scoring draw at Warwickshire in the season’s opener last week.

Smith, however, looked in prime touch throughout his high-class innings after making a six-hour 132 on the final day against Warwickshire on Monday. Overall, he faced 240 balls and struck 19 fours and two sixes before edging seamer Ben Green to slip seven overs before stumps.

Intriguingly, Smith has been handed the number three specialist batter role by Surrey despite playing his 20 Tests to date as a wicketkeeper batting in the lower middle order.

In those Tests he averages a credible 41.48 with the bat, with two hundreds, but in Australia he managed only a disappointing 211 runs at 23.44, passing fifty just once and drawing criticism for the manner of several of his dismissals.

Surrey, who have Ben Foakes as their long-established number one keeper, clearly see Smith’s powerful stroke-making as a key asset in their top order – particularly when he can concentrate solely on his batting – as they start a quest to reclaim the championship after being pipped to a fourth successive title by Nottinghamshire last September.

Dan Lawrence briefly enjoyed himself with a 36-ball cameo of 31, smashing New Zealand Test spinner Ajaz Patel straight for six from the second ball he faced, and also swinging Green over the deep mid-wicket ropes before chopping on against Rehan Ahmed’s leg-spin.

Foakes, meanwhile, also showed he is in fine form with the bat, unfurling some lovely strokes in a poised unbeaten 62 to follow up scores of 128 and 36 not out against Warwickshire and add a further 105 with Smith.

Leicestershire, who won promotion from Division Two last year, struggled to contain the commanding Smith and a busy Pope once they came together in the 15th over.

That followed Dom Sibley’s second-over departure, leg-before for four to an inswinger from left-arm paceman Josh Hull, and Rory Burns chipping Tom Scriven’s medium pace to mid on after a largely untroubled cruise to 24.

Pope finally fell in the 60th over, caught behind pushing at one tossed up by slow left-armer Patel, and by the end of a long day in the field Leicestershire – who lost by 222 runs to Sussex last week on their return to the top flight – are up against it once more.

Report by ECB Reporters’ Network, supported by Rothesay.

April 10 (UPI) — The European Union has implemented a new digital border system for those traveling without an EU passport, and it’s likely to cause long lines at airports and border crossings.

The new Entry/Exit System requires non-EU passport holders who don’t need a visa to enter — including Americans — to present their passports, give fingerprints and take a photo when entering their first EU country if they are staying up to 90 days.

Ireland and Cyprus are not participating.

They will also have to answer a few questions about their visit, such as how long they’re staying, where and if they will have enough money.

People with a United States passport would have to do this upon landing at their first EU airport. After that, their passport will be enough for entry around Europe for three years, but they’ll have to answer questions on each trip.

Many airports and border crossings have set up electronic kiosks that allow users to scan themselves in, but the wait could be long. Before this, non-EU members could move freely across borders without stopping.

A new visa-waiver system called European Travel Information and Authorization System is coming at the end of 2026. No date has been announced yet. This will allow travelers to apply to register their information before their trips and link it to their passports.

ETIAS will cost $23.44 per person and will also last three years. Those under 18 and over 70 will not have to pay.

At Dover, England, ferry passengers have had to use the kiosks a mile away from the ferry, the BBC reported. People will have to take buses that will drive them to the ferry.

Eurostar, which runs trains through the English Channel Tunnel, has installed 49 EES kiosks in its London St. Pancras terminal. But right now border police are doing the checks, BBC reported.

Eurostar said it will use the kiosks “once the operational software and the activation timetable are confirmed and approved by the French Ministry of Interior.”

The Channel Tunnel has installed more than a hundred kiosks on each side of the Channel.

John and his wife Phil, a married couple from Motherwell, Scotland, said they stood in line for five hours in Pisa Airport after flying in from Glasgow.

John, with an Irish passport, was in line for an hour, but Phil has a British passport and had to wait.

“When I came through, all the planes which had arrived in the hours before had all their suitcases unloaded from the carousel, left stacked on the concourse floor,” John told the BBC.

“There were several elderly people in those queues and, as you can imagine at this time, lots of children. Our government must do something about this,” he said.

Lava shot into the air, illuminating the night sky, as Hawaii’s Kīlauea volcano erupted, with fountains reaching up to 190 metres. The volcano, one of the most active in the world, has been erupting on and off since 2024.

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little discusses his new stage role in The Spy Who Came In From The Cold UK tour on BBC Breakfast

Death In Paradise star Ralf Little has opened up about his “disappointing new role”.

The 46-year-old, who shot to fame on BBC sitcom, The Royle Family, appeared on Thursday’s edition of BBC Breakfast to discuss his new stage production, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold.

The theatrical adaptation of the John le Carré novel has embarked on a major UK tour following a sold-out, critically acclaimed West End run. It plunges audiences into the murky world of Cold War espionage, where betrayal is rife and ethical boundaries are perpetually blurred.

Playing lead character Alec Leamas, a British intelligence officer, Ralf spoke to BBC Breakfast hosts Naga Munchetty and Charlie Stayt about how this part contrasts with other spy-themed dramas. Drawing comparisons between The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Ian Fleming’s James Bond, he said: “It’s not like that at all,” reports the Express.

“I don’t get any gadgets, I don’t get to drive an Aston Martin and I was very disappointed because that was really the only reason I wanted to do it,” he joked.

Picking up on his disappointment, Naga questioned why he chose to take on the role. Ralf added: “I know! There’s no glamour at all!”

Despite his misgivings, Ralf added: “I don’t want to have to be given refunds, but I think people will really enjoy it.”

Regarded as a global bestseller for over six decades and featured amongst TIME Magazine’s 100 greatest novels of all time, The Spy Who Came In From The Cold showcases le Carré at his most razor-sharp – delving into betrayal not merely between nations, but within the human soul.

In March 2024, TV fans were left heartbroken following Ralf’s exit from the much-loved detective drama Death in Paradise.

Having portrayed Detective Inspector Neville Parker since 2020, Ralf brought a unique blend of endearing awkwardness and emotional complexity to the part, swiftly establishing himself as a firm favourite amongst viewers.

His departure allowed the character’s journey to reach a natural and fulfilling conclusion, while simultaneously paving the way for new faces and fresh dynamics on the island of Saint Marie.

Although audiences were saddened to see him leave, his contribution made an enduring mark on the programme’s legacy.

Opening up about his exit, Ralf revealed his role felt “completed” and had a “beautiful and poignant” ending.

BBC Breakfast airs Monday-Sunday from 6am on BBC One

Biblical stories like Jonah and the whale would be required reading for Texas public schools students under proposals that are putting the state at the center of another contentious wrangling over the role of religion in classrooms.

Religious leaders, teachers, parents and students spent hours Tuesday before the state education board arguing about the reading list for the state’s 5.4 million kindergartners to 12th-graders. The debate is part of widening efforts in the U.S. to incorporate religion in schools, mostly in Republican-led states, driving legislation and legal action.

Nationally, President Trump has pledged to protect and expand religious expression in public schools. And Texas, a red state that is home to about 1 in 10 of the nation’s public school students, often helps set the agenda.

Texas became the first state to allow chaplains, in 2023. And just last year, a Republican-led mandate that the Ten Commandments be displayed in public schools took effect in the state, although around two dozen districts took them down because of a lawsuit.

But while the debate over Texas’ reading list could have national implications, to the speakers the issue boiled down to whether the passages are essential to understanding the nation’s history and morals — or unconstitutional.

“Our children need truth,” said Nathan Irving, a pastor and father of eight from Myrtle Springs, Texas. “Truth is the only currency that never devalues. Investing truth into our children is the most loving thing that we can do for them. This is the truth. This country and this state were founded upon a Christian worldview. Like it or not, it is true.”

Final vote on the changes still ahead

A final vote on the list is expected in June, and if approved by the Texas State Board of Education, the changes would take effect in 2030.

Several speakers cited the “establishment clause” of the 1st Amendment, which states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion.”

“This list is a tool of proselytization that has no place in our public schools,” Rabbi Josh Fixler, of Congregation Emanu El, a reform synagogue in Houston, told the board. “There is a difference between teaching about religion and teaching religion, and this list will force teachers to cross that line.”

Megan Boyden, a mother of three from Denton, Texas, described is as a direct attack on her private faith.

“As a Christian mother, it is my right and responsibility to teach our family’s religion,” she said. “It is not the state’s job to shed through the lens of a teacher who may not share the same beliefs I do. Will Bible passages be taught in conflict with my beliefs?

“What,” she asked, “of non-Christian students?”

The list stems from a state law passed in 2023, which called for the creation of a state-approved list of high-quality materials.

Third-graders would learn about the Road to Damascus, which tells the story of Paul’s transformation from an early persecutor of Christians into a follower. Seniors, meanwhile, would learn about the Book of Job, a story about a man whose faith is tested when he loses everything.

The list also includes classics like Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat,” stories about the national folk hero Daniel Boone. And there are also works by famous African Americans like Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. and a book about Harriet Tubman of the Underground Railroad fame.

Texas has already approved optional curriculum that incorporates the Bible

The GOP-leaning board previously approved a new Bible-infused curriculum that is optional for schools to incorporate in kindergarten through fifth grades.

The board also is considering social studies standards that have been criticized as too state-centric, not focused enough on world events and rife with an undercurrent of American exceptionalism. They call for students to “identify the Texas flag as a symbol of Texas pride,” and recognize the state song “Texas, Our Texas.”

Students also are supposed to be able to understand stories about Texas Independence.

Curriculum debates crop up occasionally. Over the years, state boards in places such as Kansas have debated whether the teaching of evolution should reflect doubt about the well-established scientific theory — and leave room for arguments that the universe’s complexity points to an intelligent design.

Allison Cardwell, a mother of a fourth-grader and a fifth-grade social studies teacher, urged the board to rethink the standards. She said fifth grade would be the only time most Texas students would receive instruction in U.S. history until high school.

“We have to ask ourselves, how can we expect to create citizens who value liberty, responsibility, and the principles this country was founded on, if we don’t ensure that they truly understand those foundations?” she said.

Hollingsworth writes for the Associated Press.

Jannik Sinner cruised past Felix Auger-Aliassime to set up a semi-final with Alexander Zverev in the Monte Carlo Masters.

The Italian second seed defeated his Canadian opponent 6-3 6-4 to extend his winning streak in Masters 1000 events to 20 matches – a run during which he has lifted titles at Paris, Indian Wells and Miami.

“I feel like it was a step forwards today,” said Sinner, who dropped a set at a Masters event for the first time in 186 days during his last-16 win against Tomas Machac.

“It was a very tough match. I knew I had to get better in certain areas. The serve is not there yet, where I would love it, but all things considered I’m very happy.

“But in any case, very happy to be back in the semis.”

April 10 (UPI) — Ecuador raised tariffs to 100% on imports from Colombia, and Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the immediate return of his ambassador from Quito.

This represents a new escalation of the diplomatic and trade crisis between the two countries, according to an Ecuadorian statement and remarks from both leaders.

Ecuador said it will implement the tariff increase May 1, according to the Ministry of Production, Foreign Trade and Investment. It argued that Colombia has not taken concrete steps to curb drug trafficking and organized crime along the shared border.

“It is not possible to reach agreements with someone who does not have the same commitment to fighting narco-terrorism,” Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa said Thursday night.

Petro described the tariff increase as “a monstrosity” and announced immediate measures.

“Our ambassador to Ecuador must return immediately,” he wrote on X, where he also called for a Cabinet meeting at the border between the two countries.

The Colombian president also defended his anti-drug policy.

“The president of Ecuador insults the Colombian government that has seized more cocaine than in the entire history of the world,” he said.

Ecuador’s decision marks a new critical point in a dispute that has intensified in recent months and is affecting bilateral trade, energy cooperation and diplomatic channels, according to local media reports.

Negotiations between the two countries within the Andean Community of Nations are suspended, Ecuador’s foreign minister Gabriela Sommerfeld said.

Relations deteriorated further after Petro’s recent statements about former Ecuadorian Vice President Jorge Glas, whom he described as a “political prisoner” and to whom Colombia granted nationality. Glas is serving corruption sentences in Ecuador.

The case dates to 2024, when Noboa’s government ordered his capture inside the Mexican embassy in Quito — an operation that led to a break in diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Ecuador maintains that tightening its trade policy also responds to the need to strengthen security along the roughly 373-mile shared border, where networks linked to drug trafficking, arms smuggling, human trafficking and illegal mining operate.

The Ecuadorian government estimates these efforts imply additional spending of about $400 million.

Since the start of the trade dispute, Colombia has responded with reciprocal measures, including tariffs on Ecuadorian imports and suspending energy sales to Ecuador, which in 2024 experienced power outages of up to 14 hours per day.

The economic impact is raising concerns in both countries.

In Colombia, business groups have called for de-escalation, while in Ecuador, companies in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors have reported disruptions due to restrictions on Colombian imports, according to local media.

The figures reflect the scale of the exchange. In 2025, Colombia exported $1.846 billion in goods to Ecuador, making it its sixth-largest trading partner and second destination for non-mining, non-energy exports. Ecuador, exported about $857 million to Colombia, in a trade balance historically favorable to Bogotá.

Colombia’s National Business Council warned that with a 30% tariff, losses for exporters could reach $750 million annually and affect 82% of bilateral trade. With the increase to 100%, the impact would be far greater.

The new increase by Noboa “definitively closes any possibility of trade between Colombia and Ecuador,” Javier Díaz, president of the National Association of Foreign Trade, said to Clarín, Argentina’s largest newspaper.

On the Ecuadorian side, Pablo Cerón, a transport representative in the border province of Carchi, described the decision as “unilateral, improvised, misguided.”

The bilateral crisis comes at a politically sensitive time in Colombia, just months before general elections.

Bahrain has scored the first air-to-air kills by the latest Block 70 variant of the iconic F-16 Viper, taking down two Iranian drones during the conflict in the Middle East earlier this month. The incident comes as air forces around the world grapple with the emerging aerial drone threat and as interest in the advanced version of the Viper remains undiminished.

In a social media post, below a photo of a Royal Bahrani Air Force (RBAF) F-16D Block 70, Lockheed Martin stated: “Proven in combat. Two hostile unmanned aerial vehicles eliminated.”

In another post on X, Lockheed Martin linked to an article from Aviation Week, which provides more details of the landmark air-to-air kill.

On April 1, the RBAF F-16 brought down a pair of Iranian drones after these had evaded intercept attempts by ground-based air defenses in the pre-dawn hours. The fact that the jet was scrambled to respond to drones that had leaked through ground-based air defenses points to the flexibility and rapid response time offered by crewed fighters in this kind of scenario.

The pilot fired single examples of the AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) and AIM-9X Sidewinder to take down the drones. For counter-drone work, the pilot can also call upon an internal 30mm M61 Vulcan rotary cannon, although safely engaging slow-flying drones with the gun is notoriously challenging.

It should be noted that using missile-armed fighters to shoot down low-cost drones has raised repeated concerns about the mismatch in cost between the target and the interceptor. For example, the latest variants of the AMRAAM cost around $1 million each, while current-generation AIM-9X Sidewinders each have a price tag of around $450,000. Air-to-air optimized laser-Guided rockets that are already equipping USAF F-16s will help bring down this cost dramatically, although the capability is still young and few F-16 operators have been equipped with it yet.

Regardless, the Block 70 version of the F-16 is especially well-equipped to tackle drones.

Its Northrop Grumman AN/APG-83 radar, also known as the Scalable Agile Beam Radar (SABR), uses an active electronically scanned array (AESA), which makes it especially suitable for working against drones and cruise missiles. These typically fly at low levels, which, combined with their small size, radar cross-section, and infrared signature, makes them inherently difficult for traditional mechanically scanned fighter radars to spot.

The jets also carry an AN/AAQ-33 Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod, which can also be used to detect and identify aerial threats.

Bahrain was on the receiving end of constant barrages of Iranian missiles and drones after the conflict began on February 28.

According to the Bahrain Defense Force, its units intercepted 194 missiles and 515 drones headed toward the small island kingdom between the start of the conflict and the temporary ceasefire that was announced earlier this week.

Fittingly, for the first operator to claim an aerial kill with the F-16 Block 70, Bahrain was also the launch customer for this version of the jet. It placed an order for 16 examples in 2019, and the first of these arrived at Isa Air Base in Bahrain in 2024.

On the move! ✈️ The very first F-16 Block 70 ferry is now en route to Bahrain! This jet represents a significant leap in 4.5 generation fighter technology, revolutionizing operational capabilities and redefining 21st-century aerial combat for air forces worldwide. pic.twitter.com/yWHIvgA0uz

— Lockheed Martin (@LockheedMartin) March 6, 2024

It is worth noting that, in addition to their air defense role, the Bahraini Block 70s are well equipped for offensive missions.

During weapons tests in the United States, we have seen the jets carrying 500-pound-class Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) precision-guided bombs, including dual-mode GBU-54/B Laser JDAMs (LJDAM).

The U.S. government also approved the potential sale to Bahrain of a slew of other weapons to arm these jets. These included AGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, AGM-88 High-Speed Anti-Radiation Missiles (HARM), AGM-154 Joint Stand-off Weapon (JSOW) glide bombs, 250-pound-class GBU-39/B Small Diameter Bombs (SDB), 2,000-pound class JDAMs (including LJDAMs), and Paveway-series precision-guided bombs.

While the RBAF has not revealed further details of its recent combat missions, the Block 70 is clearly a significant part of the service’s capabilities.

The new Vipers are far more capable than the Block 40 versions that Bahrain originally acquired in the 1990s.

Under the Peace Crown I and II Foreign Military Sales (FMS) programs, Bahrain received 22 F-16C/D Block 40 aircraft in two tranches. Survivors remain in service today.

As well as an AESA radar and the aforementioned advanced weapons, the Block 70 has a 12,000-hour airframe life and a host of other major upgrades over older F-16s, such as cockpits with wide-panel digital displays and conformal fuel tanks. They also have improved mission computers that give the jets a new ‘digital backbone,” and more, as you can read about in detail here.

Since Bahrain ordered it, five more countries have signed up for the Block 70, creating an order book for 148 aircraft. These aircraft are being built at a new assembly line in Greenville, South Carolina, after production was relocated from Fort Worth, Texas, to make room for F-35 expansion.

Already, the new Block 70 versions have seen a surge in demand in recent years, providing the F-16 with a new lease of life. The fact that the type has now proven itself in aerial combat, against Iranian drones, is another significant milestone in the Viper story.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

KATIE Price’s husband Lee Andrews has revealed she could soon be set for a return to the road in Dubai — after she was handed her seventh driving ban in the UK.

The former glamour model, 47, has been stopped from getting behind the wheel for six months after failing to respond to police letters about an 80mph speeding ticket.

She was clocked breaking the law in a Ford Capri on the A64 in North Yorkshire back in October ahead of a theatre gig in Scarborough with Kerry Katona.

But today her Dubai-based husband Lee, 41, told The Sun that she will soon receive her UAE licence issued by Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority.

He added that she will also be granted her Golden Visa via spousal sponsorship. The long-term residence visa allows foreign nationals to live and work in the country for a period of five or 10 years.

A key requirement of the visa application process is to provide a marriage certificate attested by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) in the UAE.

BLIND FAITH

Katie Price’s awkward reply as Junior asks ‘why did you get married so quick?’

STAYING PUT

Katie Price reveals why she’s taking break from Dubai after hubby bombshell

Katie and Lee had a symbolic ceremony in January in Dubai, before making it official in Abu Dhabi’s judicial department weeks later.

This month marks a move to make the digital links between the DVLA in the UK and the RTA stronger.

It means Katie may face new hurdles to a road return in the Middle East.

If the licence was issued prior to her ban, she could be allowed to drive in Dubai, though she will be legally required to disclose her UK ban to her insurer. Failure to do so could lead to deportation, a fine or even jail time.

However, if the application was submitted after the ban was handed down and the RTA checks the status of her foreign licenses it will be rejected.

When asked if Katie would be eligible to drive in Dubai, a spokesperson said: “I have no idea. It’s something she’ll have to look into.”

Katie was first banned for six months in December 2010 after admitting a speeding charge. She was then disqualified for a year in 2012 after failing to respond to speeding tickets, and she received another six-month ban in February 2018 after being caught speeding.

In January 2019, she was in court again to admit driving while disqualified, leading to a three-month ban.

And just a month later she was convicted by a judge of being drunk in charge of a vehicle when it was seen by police to veer off the road and hit a grass verge.

Katie claimed that a mystery man had been at the wheel and left the scene before officers arrived, but a judge concluded her evidence was “not plausible”.

Later in 2019, she was convicted of failing to disclose the name of the driver following a car crash, which led to her receiving an 18-month road ban.

And in 2021, a judge condemned Katie for “one of the worst driving records I have ever seen”, as she was given a 16-week suspended prison sentence for drink-driving while disqualified and without insurance.

Katie had flipped her car and told police at the scene: “I took drugs, I should not be driving, I admit it all.”

The incident landed her with a two-year driving ban, as well as 100 hours of community service and up to 30 rehabilitation sessions.

In 2024, Katie was fined £880 for driving without a licence and insurance in Northamptonshire, but she was spared a ban for those offences.

Her latest conviction and driving disqualification was dealt with last week in the Single Justice Procedure, a secretive court process where magistrates deal with criminal cases behind closed doors.

More eyes are on women’s rugby than ever before.

Following a highly successful Rugby World Cup last year, supporter numbers in the UK climbed from 7.94m pre-existing fans of women’s rugby to 13.21m, according to research commissioned by BBC Sport.

England’s victory over Canada in September’s final took place in front of 81,885 fans at Allianz Stadium – a record for a women’s rugby match and the second-highest attendance for a men’s or women’s World Cup final.

It was the most-watched women’s rugby match on UK television, with a record-breaking peak audience of 5.8m viewers. It also beat both the Six Nations and the British and Irish Lions’ winning tour of Australia to become the most-watched rugby match of last year.

Rugby union was the second most-watched women’s sport in 2025, so with momentum at an all-time high, this year’s Women’s Six Nations is set to be comfortably the biggest yet in terms of crowd numbers.

Pre-tournament demand has already broken records, with all four home nations staging fixtures at their national stadiums.

The record crowd for a Women’s Six Nations game is 58,498 for the Grand Slam decider between England and France in 2023.

That record is set to fall, with more than 75,000 tickets sold for England’s opener against Ireland at Allianz Stadium on Saturday.

“There is probably a line of thinking that audiences will just keep growing, but they are actually hard to maintain,” Rugby Football Union director of women’s rugby Alex Teasdale told BBC Sport.

“The role of the Red Roses as ambassadors has helped sustain some of that strong buy-in, and the fans have had a brilliant time.

“It has been really pleasing to see, but anyone involved in women’s sport knows it is not a given.

“You have to work hard to give fans a brilliant experience so they want to keep coming back.”

Scotland will play their first Women’s Six Nations match in front of fans at Murrayfield when they host England next weekend.

Scotland women’s record home attendance of 7,774 was set at Hive Stadium in 2024, but more than 25,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture.

The expected record crowd will be the biggest for a standalone women’s sporting event in Scotland.

Ireland’s game against Scotland on the final weekend will be their first at the 51,711-capacity Aviva Stadium and their record home attendance of 7,754 is set to be smashed, with more than 16,000 tickets already reported to have been sold.

Wales, who play Scotland at Principality Stadium on the opening weekend, are aiming to better last year’s record crowd of 21,186 for a Wales women’s team event on home soil.

Meanwhile, France will host England at the 42,115-capacity Stade Atlantique in Bordeaux in the final round, where they will hope to have a full house for a possible Grand Slam decider.

But will the entertainment on the pitch match the clamour for tickets?

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April 10 (UPI) — President Donald Trump‘s tariffs are back in court Friday to decide on their legality.

The U.S. Court of International Trade will consider the president’s 10% global tariff that he created on Feb. 20 after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his previous tariffs over his use of emergency powers. The new tariffs are based on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974.

That law allows the president to unilaterally surcharge imports up to 15% for up to 150 days “to deal with large and serious United States balance-of-payments deficits.”

Challenging the new levies are Democratic-led states and small businesses.

“This is another case where the president invokes a statute to impose whatever tariffs he wants, its limits be damned,” the states wrote in court filings.

Timothy C. Brightbill, a trade lawyer for the Washington law firm Wiley Rein, told The New York Times that he expects the court to be “skeptical of President Trump’s ability to impose broad tariffs,” including the global 10% rate.

Brightbill said it could be months before the legal system can give a full verdict.

“By then, there will most likely be a new tariff regime in place,” Brightbill said.

The White House said in a statement that Trump was “lawfully using the executive powers granted to him” and the administration was “committed to robustly defending the legality of the president’s actions in court.”

“For over a century, Congress has supplemented the president’s constitutional power over foreign affairs and national security by delegating to him the authority to manage foreign trade in response to international conditions, including by imposing tariffs,” the administration said.

But critics say Trump’s position only includes the U.S trade deficit. They argue that the president is ignoring inflows of foreign capital and financial investment. Those help “balance” the deficit.

They argue that a balance-of-payments crisis is impossible because the United States stopped using the gold standard and a fixed exchange rate system in the 1970s.

“A balance-of-payments crisis is a currency crisis that was of great concern when Congress enacted Section 122, but which can no longer exist,” the states wrote in court filings.

There are 24 states in the suit, along with two small businesses: spice and e-commerce business Burlap & Barrel and Basic Fun!, a toy company that designs and markets Tonka, Lincoln Logs, K’nex and others. They filed separate suits against the tariffs, but the cases will be heard together.

“When these tariffs were first announced last April, we made two promises: we would not raise our prices, and we would not ask our partner farmers to absorb the costs,” Burlap & Barrel wrote on its website. “A year later, we’re proud to say we’ve kept those promises. This lawsuit is about protecting our ability to continue doing that.”

The plaintiffs are represented by the Liberty Justice Center, a libertarian firm that worked on the tariff case that the administration lost at the Supreme Court. The three-judge panel is made up of different judges from the previous panel at the Court of International Trade.

Islamabad, Pakistan – With key differences in the Iranian and American positions seemingly intact, Pakistan is aiming for what officials describe as a realistic – if modest – outcome from the negotiations between the two warring nations set to commence in Islamabad on Saturday.

The aim: to get the United States and Iranian negotiators to find enough common ground to continue talks.

On Friday, US Vice President JD Vance left Washington for Islamabad, where he will lead the American team, which will also consist of President Donald Trump’s chief negotiator Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner. While Iran has not formally confirmed its representatives at the talks, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf are expected to lead Tehran’s team.

These high-level talks follow days after the US and Iran agreed to a Pakistan-mediated two-week ceasefire, and will be held exactly six weeks after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran with the killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28.

Experts and sources close to the mediation effort said there was little expectation that a major breakthrough would be reached on Saturday. But by setting a more realistic ceiling – an agreement in Islamabad to continue deeper negotiations aimed at finding a lasting peace deal – Pakistan is hopeful it can help build on a truce that led to a collective sigh of relief globally.

“Pakistan has succeeded in getting them together. We got them to sit at a table. Now it is for the parties to decide whether they are willing to make the sacrifices necessary to reach an eventual solution,” Zamir Akram, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United Nations, told Al Jazeera.

Now, he added, it will aim to secure an agreement for the US and Iran to continue dialogue.

The ‘proximity format’

The US and Iranian delegations will land at the Nur Khan airbase outside Islamabad and then drive to the Serena Hotel, where they will stay, and where the talks will be held.

Though the two teams will be in the same hotel, they will not come face to face for the negotiations, officials said.

Instead, they will sit in two separate rooms, with Pakistani officials shuttling messages between them.

In diplomatic jargon, such negotiations are known as proximity talks.

Pakistan’s experience with such a dialogue is not new. In 1988, Islamabad itself participated in the Geneva Accords negotiations on the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, where UN-mediated indirect talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan produced a landmark agreement.

Akram, who has represented Pakistan at the UN in Geneva from 2008 to 2015, said that history was relevant.

“Proximity talks have been used before. Pakistan itself participated in one in Geneva in 1988 on the Afghan issue,” he told Al Jazeera. “If the parties did not trust Pakistan, they would not be here. The metric of success should be an agreement to continue this process in search of a solution. It will not happen in a couple of days.”

Building diplomatic momentum

In the days between the ceasefire announcement on April 7 and the arrival of the delegations in Islamabad, world leaders moved quickly to register support.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the ceasefire and expressed appreciation for Pakistan’s role. Kazakhstan, Romania and the United Kingdom also issued statements endorsing Islamabad’s mediation.

French President Emmanuel Macron called Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to congratulate him, while Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also spoke to the Pakistani leader.

Analysts say these calls were not only expressions of goodwill but signals of international backing, aimed at strengthening Pakistan’s hand in pushing both Washington and Tehran to deliver results.

Sharif spoke with eight world leaders, including the emir of Qatar, the presidents of France and Turkiye, the prime ministers of Italy and Lebanon, the king of Bahrain and the chancellors of Germany and Austria.

Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who is also deputy prime minister, engaged with more than a dozen counterparts over the past two days and held an in-person meeting with China’s ambassador in Islamabad.

In total, Pakistan’s leadership made or received more than 25 diplomatic contacts in roughly 48 hours.

Salma Malik, a professor of strategic studies at Quaid-i-Azam University, said the scale of engagement reflected confidence in Pakistan’s role.

“The two main parties showed confidence in Pakistan to act as a neutral agent, that is the first and most critical litmus test for any mediating country, and Pakistan passed it,” she told Al Jazeera.

The Lebanon problem

The most immediate threat to Saturday’s talks lies outside the negotiating room.

Iran has framed Israeli strikes on Lebanon as a direct challenge to the ceasefire. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who spoke to Sharif earlier this week, warned that continued attacks would render negotiations meaningless.

Hours after the ceasefire was announced, Israel launched its most widespread bombardment of Lebanon since the start of the conflict, killing more than 300 people across Beirut and southern Lebanon in a single day.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran could abandon the ceasefire entirely if the strikes continued.

Sharif, in a call with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on April 9, strongly condemned Israel’s actions.

Whether Lebanon is covered by the ceasefire remains contested. Pakistan has maintained that the truce extends across the wider region, including Lebanon, as reflected in Sharif’s statement earlier this week.

Washington has taken a different view. US Vice President JD Vance, who will lead the American delegation, said in Budapest that Lebanon falls outside the ceasefire’s terms, a position echoed by President Donald Trump and the White House.

Seema Baloch, a former Pakistani envoy, said the issue ultimately rests with Washington.

“Lebanon is key and Israel will use it to play the spoiler role,” she told Al Jazeera. “It is now the US decision whether it will allow Israel, which is not seated at the negotiating table, to play that role.”

There are, however, signs of limited de-escalation.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel was ready to begin direct negotiations with Lebanon “as soon as possible”, focusing on disarming Hezbollah and reaching a peace agreement.

The announcement followed US pressure. Trump told NBC he had asked Netanyahu to “low-key it” on Lebanon.

However, Netanyahu made clear there was no ceasefire in Lebanon, saying Israel would continue striking Hezbollah even as talks proceed.

Salman Bashir, a former Pakistani foreign secretary, said Lebanon remains within the ceasefire’s scope.

“Lebanon is very much part of the ceasefire, as was mentioned in the prime minister’s statement,” he told Al Jazeera. “The Israelis may be inclined to keep the pressure on Lebanon, but not for long if the US is keen on a cessation of hostilities, as it seems.”

Stumbling blocks

Beyond Lebanon, several other obstacles remain.

Washington is expected to push for verifiable restrictions on Iran’s nuclear programme, including limits on enrichment and the removal of stockpiled material.

Tehran, in turn, is demanding full sanctions relief, formal recognition of its right to enrich uranium and compensation for wartime damage.

The Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a fifth of the world’s oil and gas passes in peacetime, remains a key pressure point, with Iran retaining the ability to disrupt maritime traffic.

Bashir said there could be movement on some of these issues.

“There may be an opening on the Strait of Hormuz, under Iranian control. Iran will not give up on the right to enrichment. If nothing else, there should be an extension of the ceasefire deadline,” he told Al Jazeera.

Muhammad Shoaib, a professor of international relations in Islamabad, said progress would depend on movement on core issues.

“Both parties agreeing on the need to continue or even extend the ceasefire, while in principle agreeing on crucial points such as the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s right to enrichment and respect for sovereignty, will suggest that the first round is meaningful and successful,” he told Al Jazeera.

The regional atmosphere has also been shaped by sharp rhetoric from some of Iran’s Gulf neighbours.

The United Arab Emirates, which faced hundreds of missile and drone attacks during the conflict, has been among the most vocal.

Its ambassador to Washington wrote in The Wall Street Journal that a ceasefire alone would not be sufficient and called for a comprehensive outcome addressing Iran’s “full range of threats”.

Bahrain, meanwhile, presented a United Nations Security Council resolution on April 7 calling for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. The measure received 11 votes in favour but was vetoed by Russia and China, with Pakistan and Colombia abstaining.

Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt are not expected to have a formal presence at the talks, despite being closely involved in pre-negotiation diplomacy. The four countries held meetings in Riyadh and later in Islamabad aimed at securing a pause in hostilities.

Israel, a party to the conflict, will also not be represented. Pakistan, like most Muslim-majority countries, does not recognise Israel and has no diplomatic relations with it.

A slight easing

There are, however, tentative signs of easing tensions ahead of Saturday’s talks.

On Friday, as he was departing from Washington, Vance said that the US team was “looking forward to the negotiations”.

“We think it’s going to be positive. We’ll, of course, see. As the president of the United States said, if the Iranians are willing to negotiate in good faith, we are certainly willing to extend an open hand,” the US vice president said. “If they try to play us, they’re going to find that the negotiating team is not that receptive. So we’ll try to have a positive negotiation.”

He also said that Trump had given the US team “some pretty clear guidelines”.

Earlier this week, Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister spoke with his Iranian counterpart for the first time since the war started.

And Iran’s Supreme National Security Council said on April 8 that discussions could continue for up to 15 days, suggesting readiness for a prolonged process.

Akram, the former envoy, said the benchmark for success was clear.

“What they need to agree is that they will find a solution, and that in itself would be a step in the right direction,” he told Al Jazeera. “Finding a long-term solution will take time. It will not happen in a couple of days.”

Malik, the academic in Islamabad, said Pakistan’s expectations remained modest.

“What Pakistan expects is breathing space, an opportunity for peace. It is not expecting anything big. It is a small wish, but realising it will be very difficult,” she told Al Jazeera.

This week saw the publication of The Times’ tremendous package on the imminent opening of Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s new David Geffen Galleries. The nearly $724-million new building designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, which opens to members on April 19, with general admission beginning May 3, has been a lightning rod for split opinions for nearly two decades — and it seems not much has changed.

We ran five stories: architecture critic Sam Lubell’s review of the building; art critic Leah Ollman’s roundup of 17 must-see artworks currently installed in the galleries; my report on how, exactly, the $724 million was spent; and an up-close look at the reinstallation of Alexander Calder’s fountain sculpture, “Three Quintains (Hello Girls),” which was among the museum’s very first commissions when it opened in 1965. We also included a handy map to the new campus.

Each article attracted its fair share of reader comments — for and against — the new building. I’m rounding up nine that best reflect reader consensus. (Note: Comments don’t have formal names attached.)

1. “Ugh. I hate that building. It does nothing to activate the street itself and Wilshire should be an active urban street with thousands of people walking. The design is a puddle of oil seeping high above and across the boulevard that conflicts with its surroundings. For all of that gross amount of money spent it should be universally positively recognized. But it’s not and most of the citizens that have commented about it don’t appear to be too happy with a building its creators expect to exist for hundreds of years. What a blotch.”

2. “One will always wonder: what would Frank have done if he had ended up with the commission for replacing LACMA’s core campus. Did he ever venture to tell anyone what approach he might have pursued?”

A high priest of design has given Los Angeles a plebian concrete maze (period) which demands that visitors ascend one story above the ground plane for the sake of art. Rather than the prospect of random wandering, this respondent wonders whether Mister Gehry may have otherwise had no fear of paying homage to the classical idea of hierarchy, would have elevated our better angels and given us a singular or particular reason (aspiration) to go upwards at a far greater extent, first off, then return to the ground plane mixing formal and random paths.

With Disney Hall he became an emotional hierarch of the city and his discountment from this project will always remain a great tragedy. He understood us.”

3. “I love LACMA’s collection and have been going several times a year for a long time. Very excited to check out the new galleries. Contrary to a lot of other commenters, I find the architecture of the new building fresh and exciting, and I appreciate how it hangs over Wilshire in a manner that incorporates the museum directly into the city.”

4. “I loved the old museum. I really hope I’m wrong, but I’m afraid the new one will be disappointing. Less display space, chaotic organization and galleries that on paper look like warehouse spaces make me wonder how successful the new museum will be. I look forward to visiting and finding out for myself.”

5. “I’m amazed that it is almost 11:00 AM and I am posting the first comment here. Does nobody reading the L.A. Times care about this very expensive reimagining of our County Art Museum, $125 million of which was funded by our taxpayers? What I want to know now is whether any these 17 pieces are adjacently-placed in some idiosyncratic curatorial thematic scheme that will elude both common sense and intuition of most museum visitors? How is this reduced gallery capacity with ever-changing displays providing access to art to the people that helped to fund it?”

6. “I look forward to visiting this museum and experiencing its uniqueness.”

7. “It’s one of the worst decisions in art-world history. Destroy perfectly functional galleries and spend hundreds of millions on smaller galleries. And they are ugly. It’s a mockery of art to place a beautiful painting on those concrete walls.”

8. “I knew there would be a bunch of negative Nellies in the comment section lol. I LOVE the new building and interior spaces (as pictured) I can’t wait to see and experience the unique curatorial displays!”

9. “How exciting for Los Angeles! I can’t wait to see it and love that we now have such a world class forward thinking art museum in L.A. Money well spent.”

I’m Arts editor Jessica Gelt, getting the conversation started. Here’s your arts and culture news for the week.

The week ahead: A curated calendar

FRIDAY
Blue Kiss
An SAT tutoring session takes unexpected twists and turns when a teacher learns his student is not who she claims to be in this drama by playwright Stephen Fife. Directed by Mike Reilly.
8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; 2 p.m. Sundays, through May 17. Ruskin Group Theatre, 2800 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. ruskingrouptheatre.com

Camerata Pacifica
Principal pianist Gilles Vonsattel performs his second solo recital of the season featuring three piano sonatas by Beethoven.
7 p.m. Friday. Music Academy of the West, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara; 8 p.m. Sunday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. cameratapacifica.org

Danish String Quartet and Danish National Girls’ Choir
Two of Denmark’s cultural treasures team up for an evening that includes a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer David Lang.
7 p.m. Friday. Granada Theatre, 1214 State St., Santa Barbara. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu; 8 p.m. Saturday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. philharmonicsociety.org

Lise Davidsen and Freddie De Tommaso
The celebrated opera singers return backed by an all-star orchestra of classical musicians.
7:30 p.m. BroadStage, Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th St. broadstage.org

History of the Tango
Violinist Martin Chalifour, in musical dialogue with guitarist Mak Grgic, reveals the evolution of Argentina’s iconic style.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org

Installation view, “Instant Theatre: Rachel Rosenthal and King Moody,” 2026. Roberts Projects, Los Angeles.

(Paul Salveson/Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects)

Instant Theatre: Rachel Rosenthal and King Moody
Archival material and design elements set the scene for this exhibition exploring the experimental theatre movement founded by Rosenthal in 1955 and continued with her husband into the 1960s, an antecedent to the performance art of the 1960s and 1970s.
Through May 23. Roberts Projects, 442 S. La Brea Ave. robertsprojectsla.com

Spectacular Brooding
Writer, dancer and experimental filmmaker Harmony Holiday explores Black grief in this multimedia exhibition involving the preparation of a solo dance piece. On Wednesdays at noon, Holiday will take Katherine Dunham Technique classes with choreographer Bernard Brown in the gallery.
Noon-6 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday; Through July 5. REDCAT, 631 W. 2nd St., downtown L.A. redcat.org

Turangalîla
Australian conductor Simone Young leads the L.A. Phil, featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet on piano and Cynthia Millar on the theremin-like 1920s instrument ondes martenot, in Olivier Messiaen’s symphony inspired by the tragic romance of Tristan and Isolde.
8 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com

Tyshawn Sorey Trio
Featuring the Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and multi-instrumentalist, pianist Aaron Diehl and bassist Harish Raghavan, this modern jazz ensemble riffs on original compositions and breathes new life into the American Songbook.
8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu

SATURDAY
The Baptist Witches of Shelbyville
Mamie Gummer and Gigi Bermingham star in a new Southern Gothic comedy written by Julie Shavers and directed by Daniel O’Brien.
8 p.m. Saturday; April 17-18, April 25, May 1. Whitefire Theatre, 13500 Ventura Blvd. Sherman Oaks. whitefire.stagey.net

The Ifugao people of the Philippines leaving a harvest, from the immersive exhibition, “Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines.”

(Fowler Museum)

Mountain Spirits: Rice and Indigeneity in the Northern Luzon Highlands, Philippines
An immersion into the world of the Ifugao, an Indigenous Filipino group known for high-altitude farming, via this exhibition’s carved guardians, ritual bowls, woven blankets, farming tools, soundscapes and video installations.
Opening, 6-9 p.m. Saturday; Walkthrough, 1 p.m. Sunday; “Decolonizing Philippine History” talk, 6-8 p.m. Wednesday. Fowler Museum at UCLA, 308 Charles E. Young Drive North. fowler.ucla.edu

Mutate
L.A. Dance Project presents this selection of multi-medium performances curated by Masha Cherezova, whose relationship to dance changed dramatically when she was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. The evening includes performances from Skylar Campbell, former principal dancer of Canada National Ballet, and dancer Jaclyn Oakley, USC BFA student Garris Munez in a world premiere choreographed by Cherezova, and comedian and breast cancer survivor Julia Johns, plus film screenings from various artists. All profits will be donated to Blood Cancer United.
8 p.m. 2245 E. Washington Blvd., Los Angeles. ladanceproject.org

OperaFest LA
The diverse festival returns to celebrate the city’s rich opera community. Participating companies and venues include Beth Morrison Projects, LA Opera, Long Beach Opera, Overtone Industries, Roy and Edna Disney CalArts Theater, Synchromy, the Industry, the Wallis, and USC Thornton School of Music. The opening week features selected performances from various groups and a panel discussion at the Wallis; Long Beach Opera commemorates the release of the first commercial recording of Anthony Davis’ Pulitzer Prize-winning opera “The Central Park Five,” which was commissioned and premiered by LBO in 2019 and remounted in 2022; and the Industry presents composer Veronika Krausas and Her Rogue’s Gallery performing selections from her work, including “Hopscotch,” “Ghost Opera,” “The Mortal Thoughts of Lady Macbeth.”
Kickoff Panel & Performance, 4 p.m. Saturday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. 6 p.m. Saturday. “Celebrating the Central Park Five Opera,” 440 Elm, 440 Elm, Long Beach. Veronika Krausas, 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Monk Space, 4414 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles. OperaFest LA continues through May 30. operafestla.org

Temporal Echoes
The Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and music director Jaime Martín are joined by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers for the West Coast premiere of Eric Whitacre’s “The Pacific Has No Memory” and Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending.” a timeless ode to lyricism and light. Music Director Jaime Martín unveils Juhi Bansal’s celebratory new work for Sound Investment’s 25th anniversary, followed by the searing intensity of Shostakovich’s Chamber Symphony and the sparkling brilliance of Prokofiev’s “Classical” Symphony. A program of passion, poetry, power, and unforgettable resonance.
7:30 p.m. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laco.org

A Weekend with Bong Joon Ho
The Oscar-winning filmmaker hosts screenings of the 2007 thriller “Zodiac,” with special guest, director David Fincher, and his own 2025 sci-fi satire “Mickey 17.”
“Zodiac,” 7:30 p.m. Saturday; “Mickey 17,” 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org

SUNDAY
Chamber On The Mountain
The duo Dyad — violinist Niv Ashkenazi and bassoonist Leah Kohn — performs their own arrangements of selections from Ernest Bloch, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Niccolo Paganini, Irving Berlin, Bruce Babcock, Johann Sebastian Bach, Camille Saint-Saëns and George Gershwin.
3 p.m. Logan House at the Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts, 8585 Ojai-Santa Paula Road, Ojai. chamberonthemountain.com

Eat Me
The world premiere of a play, written by Talene Monahon and directed by Caitlin Sullivan, about a group of foodies in search of fulfillment; part of SCR’s annual Pacific Playwrights Festival.
Previews, 2 p.m. Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday; Opening night, 7:30 p.m. April 17; continues through May 3. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scr.org

Poetry in the Garden: Scores
National Poetry Month and Earth Month find a natural juncture at this free, daylong event, co-presented with Dublab, featuring live poetry and music inspired by “The Scores Project: Experimental Notation in Music, Art, Poetry and Dance 1950-1975 .” The project is shaped by midcentury experimental artists like Yvonne Rainer, John Cage and Benjamin Patterson. Performers include contemporary DJs. musicians and poets.
11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu

MONDAY

Ruben Ochoa, “Class: C.” The Ochoa family’s former tortilla delivery van transformed into a mobile art gallery.

(Ruben Ochoa)

Breakdown/Breakthrough: Art and Infrastructure
Part 1 of this two-part exhibition probing the ecological cost of L.A.’s human-made landscape presents the photography of Ruben Ochoa alongside works by Carlos Almaraz and Pat Gomez. Part 2 is “Class: C,” a pop-up gallery created by Ochoa, who transformed his family’s Chevy van into a mobile studio and exhibition space while a student at UC Irvine, and now repurposes it to present work by the school’s current students and alumni. An artist talk with Ochoa is scheduled for April 18.
“Breakdown/Breakthrough: Art and Infrastructure,” 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays–Saturdays, through May 16. UC Irvine Langson Museum Interim Gallery, 18881 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. “Class: C” pop-up gallery, Monday-April 18 at the Irvine Barclay Theatre Plaza, 4242 Campus Drive, Irvine; Artist Talk with Ochoa, 2 p.m. April 18. UC Irvine Langson Museum, 3333 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa. imca.uci.edu

TUESDAY

John Waters

(The Luckman)

Going to Extremes: A John Waters 80th Birthday Celebration
The boundary-pushing cult filmmaker and raconteur holds court with behind-the-scenes tales and commentary on the brink of his becoming an octogenarian (April 22).
8 p.m. The Luckman Fine Arts Complex at Cal State LA, 5151 State University Drive. theluckman.org

THURSDAY

An image from Barbara Kopple’s “Harlan County, U.S.A.’

(American Cinematheque)

This Is Not A Fiction
The American Cinematheque’s celebration of documentary filmmaking kicks off with the 50th anniversary premiere of a 4k restoration of Barbara Kopple’s L.A.”Harlan County, USA” and a Q&A with the filmmaker. The festival continues with screenings and appearances by Ross McElwee (“Sherman’s March,” “Photographic Memory”) and Gianfranco Rossi (“Notturno”), plus anniversary screenings of “Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping” and “Jackass Number Two” and more.
7:30 p.m. Thursday. Aero Theatre, 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica. The festival runs through April 24 at the Aero; Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd.; Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave. americancinematheque.com

Arts Everywhere

New and recent releases of arts-related media.

Alice Neel: I Am the Century
The catalog for the American artist’s first major retrospective in Italy, presented by the gallery Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin through May 4, provides an artistic and biographical profile of the Pennsylvania-born painter (1900-1984). Neel defied the abstract expressionism of her contemporaries with a distinctive style of portraiture that exposed the psychological truth of her subjects. The bilingual text (English and Italian) features contributions from curators, scholars and artists, alongside 60 of Neel’s works and archival documents. Mousse Publishing: 272 pp. $50.

Daniel Radcliffe, left, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez in the movie “Merrily We Roll Along.”

(Sony Pictures Classics)

Merrily We Roll Along
Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff and Lindsay Mendez star in Maria Friedman’s film of her acclaimed 2025 revival staging of the Stephen Sondheim musical that originally flopped in 1981. “Captured at the Hudson Theatre last year during its Tony-winning Broadway run, this ‘Merrily’ is stirring evidence of a hit production,” wrote Robert Abele in his December review for The Times when the film had a theatrical run. Its story, of a “tight-knit trio of New York creatives whose friendship, depicted backward across decades, feels like a shattered vase being reassembled so that we appreciate the cracks and cohesion.” Netflix, streaming.

Tyshawn Sorey

(John Rogers / Fully Altered Media)

The Susceptible Now
Can’t get a ticket to the Tyshawn Sorey Trio’s gig at the Nimoy tonight? No problem. Check out their latest album from 2024, which features covers of some of Sorey’s favorite music. The four tracks, which range from 15 to 22 minutes in length, include “Peresina,” the McCoy Tyner classic from the album “Expansions”; Joni Mitchell and Charles Mingus’ collaboration, “A Chair in the Sky,” from her album “Mingus”; “Bealtine” from the Brad Mehldau Trio; and contemporary soul group Vividry’s “Your Good Lies.” Pi Recordings: Available on vinyl ($35), CD ($14) or digital download ($13).

— Kevin Crust

Culture news and the SoCal scene

Compton artist Fulton Leroy Washington — known as Mr. Wash — at his studio.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Painter Fulton Leroy Washington — known as Mr. Wash — recently opened a new exhibit, “The City of Compton: Then & Now,” which serves as a fundraiser for a $15-million community arts center that Mr. Wash plans to build on his property. “The Art by Wash Studio & Community Center … is being designed to provide housing, studio space and support for formerly incarcerated artists with artistic talent,” writes contributor Jane Horowitz about the Morphosis Architects-designed complex.

Gallery 1988, which opened in 2004 and proclaimed itself “the first pop culture-focused art gallery in the world,” is closing at the end of April, writes contributor Marah Eakin. The beloved gallery often attracted lines around the block for its openings featuring “art-focused campaigns around properties such as ‘The Avengers’ and ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens,’ while also launching solo shows from artists like Scott C, Luke Chueh and Tom Whalen.” Some fans believe that AI is to blame for the closure.

Times classical music critic Mark Swed got the scoop on the latest Los Angeles Philharmonic appointment. “With Gustavo Dudamel’s final season as music and artistic director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic reaching its homestretch, the orchestra has announced the appointment of its latest not music director. Anna Handler, a former Dudamel fellow and rapidly rising young conductor, will be given the new title of conductor-in-residence for the next three seasons,” Swed writes.

On a recent trip to New York City Swed noticed how much the Big Apple owes to L.A. for its current cultural offerings. L.A. artists are reshaping New York’s major institutions, Swed writes, noting that Gustavo Dudamel is revitalizing the New York Philharmonic and Yuval Sharon of the Industry is directing the Met’s “Tristan und Isolde.”

Director Knud Adams is photographed at the Wallis in Beverly Hills.

(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)

Times theater critic Charles McNulty sat down for an interview with theater director Knud Adams, who has staged world premieres of back-to-back Pulitzer Prize-winning plays — both of which are heading to Los Angeles. “English” opened Thursday at the Wallis Annenberg Center, and “Primary Trust” will land at the Mark Taper Forum on May 20. “He has become one of the most prized directors of new work in the country, and now Los Angeles will get a sample of his textually nuanced, scenically surprising excellence,” McNulty writes of Adams.

Finally, Malia Mendez wrote a piece about the upcoming two-year closure of the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. Your last day, to visit is July 6. “Prior to closing, the Tar Pits will host a free public KCRW Summer Nights event June 12 and a members-only, disco-themed dance party June 27,” Mendez writes, noting that the closure will facilitate the “first significant overhaul in [the museum’s] 50-year history.”

CineVita near SoFi Stadium is staging “Teen Beat Live,” an immersive concert experience, through May 17.

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Remember CineVita — the 15,000-square-foot Spiegeltent at Hollywood Park next to SoFi Stadium? It’s staging a glitzy tribute to the upbeat, universally loved (or at least known) music of 1980s cinema, running through May 17. Called, “Teen Beat Live,” the immersive concert experience is sure to have you racing to find your old VHS copies of John Hughes films.

Did I tell you about the golden toilet installation on the promenade near the Lincoln Memorial? It was placed there by the satirical arts group Secret Handshake as a criticism of President Trump’s White House renovations. “This toilet, spray-painted gold and set on a faux-marble pedestal, is the latest in a series of protest artworks and installations taking aim at President Donald Trump and his administration. A plaque on each side of the structure reads: a Throne Fit for a King,” writes the Washington Post.

— Jessica Gelt

And last but not least

This headline about the Artemis II journey fills me with longing.

While many of us were worried in recent days about our president ending a “whole civilization,” one Silicon Valley tech company was warning, without much notice, it might accidentally disrupt all civilization as we know it.

The San Francisco technology company Anthrophic announced Tuesday that it wasn’t releasing a new version of its Claude AI super-brain — because it is so powerful that it has the ability to hack into just about any computer system, no matter how secure, in a matter of days if not hours.

“The fallout — for economies, public safety, and national security — could be severe,” Anthropic said in a statement.

AI worry isn’t anything new. We are worried about artificial intelligence taking jobs, about toys that seem too real to our kids, about mass surveillance of our every move. But Anthropic’s warning about its own product is bigger than any of those singular problems. It is a call from inside the house that disaster is hiding right around the corner. That sounds awfully dire and overblown, I know. But here’s the thing — it’s not.

Anthropic, you may recall, is the company that U.S. Secretary of “War” Pete Hegseth is beefing with because it didn’t want Claude going into battle without supervision and maybe doing something like accidentally bombing little girls at a school.

Now, that company has put out this chilling warning: The existing Claude that caused that kerfuffle is outdated and shockingly less powerful than the new one it’s trying very hard to not unleash — though this new Claude, dubbed Claude Mythos Preview, has already escaped at least once on its own. More on that in a moment — there’s only so much existential dread a person can handle.

“We should all be worried,” Roman Yampolskiy told me of this latest advance of a technology certain to change the course of humanity. He’s one of the country’s preeminent AI safety researchers, and a professor at the University of Louisville in Kentucky.

“We’re about to create general super intelligence and that threatens humanity as a whole,” Yampolskiy said.

“Everything else is irrelevant,” he added, before suggesting I stop calling myself an idiot for not understanding the tech-heavy parts of this debate. My simplistic take, he assured me, was “a reasonable way to explain it.”

So here you go.

This isn’t a “really smart computer geniuses could misuse this,” scenario, or an “everyone’s going to be unemployed” scenario, or even a “it might accidentally bomb children” scenario, which is a truly terrible scenario.

This is a “your teenage son could use it to break into the local school district system to change a grade with pretty much minimal knowledge and accidentally destroy the California power grid” scenario.

Or maybe, a country that doesn’t like us — I can think of a few — could drain every U.S. citizen’s bank account, while also clicking open the auto locks on jail cells, shutting down our sewage plants and taking over air control systems. Or maybe Claude Mythos just does that on its own.

For example, Anthropic said that in one popular operating system it tested, used by thousands of companies including Netflix and Sony, Claude Mythos found a flaw that had existed undetected for 17 years. Then, on its own — without human guidance or help — figured out how to use that flaw to take control of any server running the operating system, using any computer, anywhere in the world.

Just spitballing here, but if almost no security system is safe, the possibilities for social, financial and general chaos really are unlimited. And to be honest, any security expert will tell you that some of America’s greatest weak points when it comes to cybersecurity are local and state governments, because strangely, the top experts aren’t working five-figure jobs for cities in the Great Plains.

Based on its own testing, Anthropic predicts it could find “over a thousand more critical severity vulnerabilities and thousands more high severity vulnerabilities.”

That means Claude Mythos puts at risk our infrastructure, well, everywhere — because so much is connected in backdoor ways most of us never consider and it just takes one weak system to open the door to hundreds of others. But it is almost impossible to protect and fix all those systems quickly enough and robustly enough to guard against this kind of AI.

And that’s just the cybersecurity risk, Yampolskiy said. An AI with the capabilities of Claude Mythos could be used to leaps and bounds ahead in so many more ways.

“We see the same happening with synthetic biology. We’ll see the same with chemical weapons, possibly something novel in terms of weapons of mass destruction,” he said.

To Anthropic’s great credit, it sounded the warning on its creation and created, if not a solution, then a game plan of sorts — Project Glasswing, named I suspect, because no matter how bad this gets we’re going to make it sound like a thriller with an exciting ending.

Project Glasswing would have been better named Project Headstart because that’s what it is. Before releasing Mythos into the wild, Anthropic is releasing it to about 40 technology companies, including Apple, Google and Nvidia, to see whether they can collectively patch all the vulnerabilities they find before the general public has a chance at them. It’s kind of like in the movies when the killer gives the victim 15 seconds to run.

I mean, I’ll take the 15 seconds and hope they’re real. But, as Anthropic also said in a statement, the “work of defending the world’s cyber infrastructure might take years; frontier AI capabilities are likely to advance substantially over just the next few months. For cyber defenders to come out ahead, we need to act now.”

And do we really have 15 seconds? One of Claude Mythos’ overseers posted on social media recently that he was having lunch in a park when Mythos emailed him — even though it’s not supposed to have access to the internet. Researchers had tasked Mythos with trying to break out of its not-connected “sandbox” and it did.

That’s another problem with Mythos and other AI — they rarely do what we expect and find sneaky ways around rules. Virtually every AI super-brain created has been shown to lie, deceive, and in general behave in disturbing and unethical ways when put in the right conditions.

Even Claude, billed as one of the most ethical AI super-brains out there, engages in bad behavior. Anthropic boasts its the “best-aligned model” it’s ever made — which is tech-speak for following human values and intentions, but also acknowledges it “likely poses the greatest alignment-related risk,” which is tech-speak for, well, maybe not.

So, at least for now, being the most ethical AI super-brain is a bit like being the most ethical serial killer. Run, people, run.

Again, thank you Anthropic (and its chief executive, Dario Amodei, who often warns of the dangers of what he’s creating, whatever that’s worth) for not plunging us into global chaos with no warning, because I’m betting that some other companies might have just tossed their super-AI onto society and let the destruction fall where it may. There is little doubt that other AI brains as capable as Mythos are coming, and soon — Anthropic was first with this level of capability, but it’s only 15 seconds ahead of its competitors.

But the idea that the technology industry is going to — or should— solve these problems on their own is an absurd, gross abdication of duty and common sense on behalf of governments big and small to protect their people. This isn’t a race for domination as President Trump has described it. It is a race to protect ourselves from ourselves — and from the majority of the superrich titans of the industry who seem to consistently place business and commerce over societal good.

We are down to the last 15 seconds before AI changes everything. Either we demand oversight and regulation now, or we let technology companies decide the fate of the world.

O’Neill was speaking as the Scottish FA announced sports event consultant Mark Blackbourne will lead its investigation into the disorder that followed the Scottish Cup quarter-final between Rangers and Celtic in March.

Tensions have arisen between elements of Celtic’s support and the board about such matters as summer transfer activity, managerial appointments and crowd safety.

Discussions have been held between the Green Brigade and the club and Celtic said earlier this week that Glasgow City Council’s Safety Advisory Group was happy for the suspension to be lifted.

“I think that the safety regulations have been sorted,” O’Neill said. “We’ve got to just see how it goes and see what the end of the season brings. Let’s have a proper conversation at the end.”

Defending champions Celtic go into Saturday’s game three points behind leaders Heart of Midlothian and two adrift of Rangers.

Hearts have been handed a visit to Celtic Park on the final day of the season following the publication of the post-split Scottish Premiership fixtures, but O’Neill said “it’s certainly a long way off for us” to be thinking of that possibly being a title decider.

Celtic’s goal difference is worse than both their title rivals, but the Northern Irishman said “it’s too late now” to think about that and “I would just be delighted to win the games”.

Meanwhile, O’Neill revealed on-loan right-back Julian Araujo had suffered a recurrence of his hamstring injury after returning to Bournemouth for treatment and would miss the rest of the season – and possibly the World Cup with Mexico.

Fellow right-back Colby Donovan also has a hamstring injury that will rule him out for perhaps the next two weeks, but Canada international Alistair Johnston could return next weekend for the first time since October.