A dress worn by Princess Diana to a party in London hours after a documentary was televised in which the then-Prince Charles admitted to committing adultery during their marriage is going up for auction.&nbsp;Her dramatic arrival at the Serpentine Gallery in 1994 in a custom-made black silk evening dress by designer Christina Stambolian became an iconic pop-culture moment.&nbsp;The media dubbed her outfit the "revenge dress".&nbsp;Auction house Sotheby's expects the dress to sell for up to $300,000 (£220,000) when it goes under the hammer on 9 December.&nbsp;A press release from Sotheby's said it is the first time the dress has been offered at auction since 1997, when the late princess sold 79 of her dresses to raise money for charities.&nbsp;Morgane Halimi, Sotheby's Global Head of Handbags and Fashion, said in a statement that Princess Diana "understood instinctively" that fashion can be a language in its own right.&nbsp;"On her own terms, Princess Diana turned the dress into one of the most powerful messages she ever made, during one of the most scrutinised and emotionally charged episodes of her life," Halimi said.&nbsp;"She walked into a moment in which so much of her story was being told for her and, through what she chose to wear, reclaimed the narrative for herself."&nbsp;According to Sotheby's, Anna Harvey, her stylist at the time, said Diana "wanted to look a million dollars".&nbsp;The princess made a last-minute wardrobe change for the fundraising dinner and chose the strapless evening dress by the Greek designer Christina Stambolian - which she accessorised with a royal jewel, a black clutch and black pumps.&nbsp;The vintage Jaguar XJ40 car that Diana arrived in at the event was sold at auction earlier this year for £66,250.&nbsp;The revenge dress is expected to fetch a considerably higher price.&nbsp;If it does, it will not be the first time an item from the princess's wardrobe has sold for a significant sum.&nbsp;Princess Diana's sweater featuring a black sheep among rows of white ones was sold for £920,000 at an auction by Sotheby's in New York in 2023.&nbsp;Source: BBC

Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' goes up for auction

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law on Thursday new tech company restrictions ​barring children under 16 from exposure to behaviorally addictive features on social media platforms and banning toys containing ‌AI companion chatbots.&nbsp;The two measures were among 13 bills Newsom enacted as a package designed to safeguard young people from technology seen as putting them at risk, including greater online privacy protection for minors.&nbsp;Another measure expanded the scope of criminal sanctions against child sexual abuse material to include any digitally ​altered or AI-generated content that depicts a person under the age of 18 engaged in sexual conduct.&nbsp;Still another bans ​for the next four years the manufacture and sale of toys that incorporate a companion chatbot. A related ⁠measure requires parental controls on chatbot programs, along with other safety and risk assessments.&nbsp;Newsom touted those regulations as the most far-reaching ​of their kind in the nation. The bill was dubbed "Adam's Law," in memory of Adam Raine, a 16-year-old boy who took his own ​life in April 2025 after he acted, according to his parents, on suicidal thoughts validated in months of discussion with OpenAI's ChatGPT program.&nbsp;OpenAI has said it intends to improve ChatGPT safeguards, which the company has acknowledged became "less reliable" as user interactions grow more prolonged.&nbsp;"We want our children - and every California ​kid - to grow up in a world where technology supports their wellbeing, rather than exploits their vulnerabilities," Newsom, a Democrat, said in ​a statement announcing the measures.&nbsp;California, home of such leading internet companies as Google , Meta Platforms (META.O), opens new tab and Snap Inc, joins a growing list of U.S. states ‌cracking down ⁠on business strategies seen as deliberately designed to hook teenagers on social media, despite evidence that extensive use is harmful to their mental health.&nbsp;While gaining broad bipartisan support, some critics objected to the bill as an unnecessary restriction on young people's internet access, including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which called the bill "a massive privacy and free speech nightmare."&nbsp;&nbsp;Utah became the first to adopt laws regulating children's ​access to social media, followed ​by others, including Arkansas, Louisiana, ⁠Ohio, Texas, Florida and New York, though approaches have varied.&nbsp;'PSYCHOLOGICALLY EXPLOITATIVE' FEATURES TARGETED&nbsp;Countries around the world have also moved to curb children's access to harmful internet content, including a ban in Australia on social ​media for children under 16.&nbsp;California's version, known as Assembly Bill 1709, prohibits children under age 16 ​from exposure to ⁠a number of "psychologically exploitative features intended to maximize engagement that foreseeably lead to compulsive use."&nbsp;Those include infinite-scroll feeds, algorithmic autoplay and other features to be defined in future regulations.&nbsp;Its enactment comes at a time when Big Tech, in the face of mounting legal challenges, has shown ⁠greater willingness ​to accept new restrictions.&nbsp;Meta agreed three weeks ago to pay as much as $18 ​billion over the next decade and strictly limit how teenagers use its Facebook and Instagram platforms under a deal with nearly all U.S. states to resolve civil ​claims that the company designed its social media platforms to addict children.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

California enacts new curbs on social media for children

Twenty-five years after the deadliest attack on U.S. soil, Americans paused on ​Friday to commemorate the nearly 3,000 people killed when hijacked planes slammed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania — and to wrestle with the consequences of September ‌11 that reverberate to this day.&nbsp;In New York, family members of the victims joined Vice President JD Vance and four former U.S. presidents at Ground Zero in lower Manhattan. The ceremony began, as always, at 8:46 a.m. with a moment of silence to remember the shocking instant when American Airlines Flight 11 struck the World Trade Center's North Tower.&nbsp;Shortly after, victims' family members began reading aloud the names of all 2,977 people who died on September 11, as well as the six people killed in the 1993 World Trade ​Center bombing, a somber recitation that will last for hours.&nbsp;Other moments of silence, marking when the other three airplanes crashed and the two towers collapsed, will follow. For the first time, a seventh ​silence will be observed to honor the thousands who have died since 2001 from illnesses tied to the toxic dust that poisoned the air for months afterward.&nbsp;In Arlington, ⁠Virginia, senior military leaders gathered amid heavy rain early on Friday to watch the unfurling of an American flag at the west side of the Pentagon where American Airlines Flight 77 hit, killing 184 people in all. ​President Donald Trump is expected to speak at a ceremony there.&nbsp;Mourners will also hold a ceremony in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, at the crash site where passengers brought down one of the four hijacked jetliners, United Airlines Flight 93, that ​had been headed for Washington.&nbsp;The attacks shaped generations of Americans who lived through the day or grew up in its aftermath, influencing U.S. foreign policy, domestic politics and public attitudes toward security.&nbsp;But for many whom the attacks directly affected — the victims' families, first responders and rescue workers — the anniversary is a tribute to the lives lost on a clear blue day a quarter century ago and the heartbreak that followed.&nbsp;Caroline Ogonowski's father, John, was the captain of Flight 11, which took off from Boston 47 minutes before striking ​the North Tower.&nbsp;Ogonowski, now 39, had her first baby this year and named him after her father. She brought him her father's grave last week and was attending a memorial ceremony in Boston on Friday.&nbsp;"This year, there's this new sadness in ​knowing that they won't ever get to know each other," Ogonowski, who has worked in disaster relief and humanitarian assistance, said in a phone interview. "My father will never know his grandson. And my son will never know his grandfather.&nbsp;"We owe it ‌to my ⁠father and all the others that we lost on that day to make sure that we continue to teach future generations about what happened, about who these people were, who these heroes were, how our country came together and became stronger because of it," she added.&nbsp;GENERATIONAL PAIN&nbsp;A generation of Americans has grown up since 2001 who are too young to remember the attacks but whose lives were fundamentally altered by them.&nbsp;The attacks initiated the "war on terror," which led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq that lasted years. The resulting public backlash helped fuel Trump's rise a decade ago, when he vowed not to start new foreign entanglements — a ​promise being tested by the current Iran war.&nbsp;At home, ​Americans expressed deep solidarity and patriotism, as well ⁠as sorrow, in the immediate wake of the attacks.&nbsp;At the same time, however, Muslim Americans and immigrants from Muslim-majority countries faced a rise in prejudice and hate crimes. Public polls have found 9/11 colors Americans' perceptions of Muslims to this day. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, has faced calls from some Republicans to skip Friday's ceremony, ​which he rejected.&nbsp;Casualties were not limited to those who perished on September 11. Many rescue workers who spent weeks or months at the site afterward, as ​well as nearby residents and others, ⁠were sickened by toxins in the air and eventually died.&nbsp;Patrick Whalen's father, also named Patrick, was a New York City firefighter who responded to the attacks and continued working at Ground Zero for months amid the dust and rubble. In 2020, he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, a rare cancer linked to exposure to toxic carcinogens, and died in 2021.&nbsp;"The government told him it was safe to breathe, and, obviously, it was not true," the younger Whalen said after a New York City Fire Department memorial ⁠service this ​week.&nbsp;Information that the air at Ground Zero was safe to breathe came from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Its former administrator, Christine Todd ​Whitman, apologized in a 2016 interview with The Guardian, saying the agency did its best with the knowledge it had.&nbsp;The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members on September 11. More than 600 additional firefighters, including some retired members who took part in the rescue ​effort, have died of 9/11-related illnesses since then, department figures show.&nbsp;Twenty-six have died this year alone.&nbsp;Source: Reuters

Americans mark 25 years since September 11 attacks

Prices in the US rose by 3.4% in the year to August, with the cost of living pushed up by higher gasoline prices, official figures show.&nbsp;The overall inflation rate was unchanged from July, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).&nbsp;It comes ahead of the Federal Reserve making its latest interest rate decision next week, with growing expectations they will be increased in a bid to slow the rate at which prices are rising.&nbsp;US household budgets have come under mounting pressure, especially at the fuel pumps, with a gallon of diesel hitting a new all-time high of more than $6 on average on Friday.&nbsp;The spike in fuel prices has been driven by higher global oil prices, caused by supply disruptions as a result of the US-Iran war. The price of benchmark Brent crude oil is hovering above $100 a barrel following recent escalations in the conflict.&nbsp;As well as directly driving up costs at the pumps, higher oil prices can also make transporting goods more expensive. Such costs can be passed down to consumers through steeper prices for food and other staples, pushing up the overall cost of living.&nbsp;The BLS said gasoline prices rose 3.9% last month alone, accounting for more than a third of inflation overall. Wages are also failing to keep up with the rising cost of living, with separate figures showing real average hourly earnings fell by 0.3% over the past year.&nbsp;There are increasing expectations that interest rates will be hiked given the current inflation picture, strong jobs market and President Donald Trump saying he does not think oil prices will come down until the war with Iran ends, which he expects to happen after November's elections.&nbsp;Fed chair Kevin Warsh has been tight-lipped on any future decisions, but his comments that the central bank's focus should be on slowing price rises has further fuelled expectations of a rise.&nbsp;According to data from CME Group, 85% of traders are now betting on rates being raised by a quarter percentage point next week.&nbsp;Skyler Weinand, chief investment officer at Regan Capital based in Dallas, said while inflation was in line with expectations, it was "still too hot and the Federal Reserve's hands are tied".&nbsp;"A rate hike next week is all but assured. Consumer prices are going in the wrong direction and remain significantly higher than the Fed's 2% target."&nbsp;Interest rates have been left on hold for five meetings in a row, at between 3.5% and 3.75%. Higher rates are a tool used by central banks aiming to slow the pace price rises.&nbsp;By pushing up the cost of borrowing for things such as mortgages, loans and credit cards, it is hoped consumers will spend less and the rate of price increases will slow. Increased rates can encourage people to save money by increasing their potential returns.&nbsp;Source: BBC

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

Anthropic says it has identified and disrupted attempts to use its AI model for "malicious activity" which could support the development of biological weapons.&nbsp;The findings, made in the firm's recent threat intelligence report, is the latest in a growing series of warnings from AI researchers and industry insiders about the technology's potential risks to humanity.&nbsp;The warnings have prompted calls to action, with US Senator Bernie Sanders demanding a pause on advanced AI development and a ban on artificial superintelligence.&nbsp;President Donald Trump has so far rejected such fears, saying on Thursday he was concerned "if we don't win AI, we're going to be put in a very bad position".&nbsp;The company published its latest threat intelligence report on Thursday.&nbsp;Such reports have become a regular feature across the AI industry as firms seek to demonstrate how they identify and disrupt attempts to misuse their models.&nbsp;This includes Google, which wrote on Tuesday that a person had attempted to use its AI tool, Gemini, to obtain a "complete, step-by-step technical guide for synthesizing weaponised biological agents".&nbsp;Claude, Anthropic's AI model was also used by actors linked to a Russia-based cyber espionage campaign and by an Iranian propaganda institution, according to its report.&nbsp;The cases of concern detected over the past eight months ranged from fake dating apps and hotel Wifi scams, to surveillance built to identify dissidents.&nbsp;Anthropic has also accused Chinese AI firms of trying to replicate Claude's capabilities.&nbsp;The lengthy report lists cases in which suspected state-sponsored groups, criminals, spyware vendors, state propaganda institutions and politically motivated individuals misused its technology.&nbsp;"Malicious use" of its Claude Haiku, Sonnet, and Opus models was disrupted between December 2025 and August 2026, it said.&nbsp;None of the misuse cases involved Claude Fable or the powerful Mythos-class models, with the exception of one instance of distillation - the process for training smaller AI models using larger, more expensive models.&nbsp;As well as detecting the use of its models for cyber and influence operations, surveillance, scams and fraud and weapon development, Anthropic said it had blocked scientists who used its AI in ways that could support biological weapons development.&nbsp;The report highlighted "five case studies of actors using our models in ways that could support biological weapons development".&nbsp;Biological misuse, it said, is "one of the most serious risks of frontier AI model". Without the correct safeguards, such capabilities "could have catastrophic consequences", Anthropic said.&nbsp;"The same information that can be used to develop a biological weapon could also be used to develop, for example, a vaccine or a cure for a disease," Anthropic said.&nbsp;Jacob Klein, the head of threat intelligence at Anthropic, told the New York Times it was "an incredibly nuanced situation".&nbsp;"You are not seeing someone in a comic book kind of way say, 'Hey, I want to build a biological weapon to kill everybody,'" he said.&nbsp;The report also noted six cases where Claude was used "to develop software for conventional weapons, including firearms, missiles, armed drones, bombs, and other munitions, as well as the targeting and control systems that operate them".&nbsp;The report indicated that cybercriminals and state-backed hackers have increasingly used its technology to assist their operations.&nbsp;Hacking group ShinyHunters, as well as China-based labs, were among those named in the report.&nbsp;The report also said that a hacking group whose work is consistent with the Russia-based Midnight Blizzard allegedly used AI to build a system that automatically detected when its malware was flagged by security defences and rewrote code until it evaded detection.&nbsp;The California-based company said it had incorporated its findings into its processes "to better prevent, detect, and disrupt these activities in the future".&nbsp;Anthropic said it had shared intelligence with authorities and industry partners where appropriate.&nbsp;The report - the company's first this year - comes after a top safety researcher at Anthropic warned AI is advancing so quickly he believes there is a greater than 10% chance it "could kill all humans" within the next decade.&nbsp;In an article published on 6 September, OpenAI chief scientist Jakub Pachocki called for the industry to implement "voluntary slowdowns" until safeguards are set.&nbsp;"I am concerned no one is prepared for the consequences of a continued rapid rise in machine intelligence," Pachocki said, adding that OpenAI, which makes ChatGPT, will continue its work on building safeguards, though broader interventions are required.&nbsp;The warning prompted an open letter to UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham calling for a new multinational treaty for the safe development of AI and a call for governments to collaborate about what a treaty based on the development of superintelligence should look like.&nbsp;In the US, Democratic lawmaker Bernie Sanders has introduced legislation to ban AI superintelligence and temporarily pause advanced AI development.&nbsp;"When scientists tell you there is a chance, a chance that it could have a cataclysmic impact on humanity, you've got be a moron not to say, slow it down," he said on Thursday on BBC's Newsnight.&nbsp;Source: BBC

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Had the World Athletics Ultimate Championship existed in his prime, Usain Bolt says he would have been first in line to compete, drawn not only by the chance to race the world's best but also ​by the richest prize pot in the sport's history.&nbsp;"I was having a conversation with Asafa (former world record-holder ‌Powell). We were actually talking about that same thing," Bolt said on Thursday. "We're like, 'jeez, we missed out with this cash prize.'"&nbsp;Winners of individual events pocket $150,000, while the winning relay teams share $80,000, meaning a sprinter contesting the 100, 200 and mixed 4x100 metres relay could leave Budapest with ​a tidy sum.&nbsp;"I won a few championships, and it still doesn't add up to all the cash, so ​it's big," said Bolt, the 100m and 200m world record-holder. "It's good for the sport, it incentivises ⁠athletes to do their best. Sorry I missed out on it."&nbsp;Bolt's comments strike at the heart of World Athletics' latest ​experiment. Seeking to attract younger audiences and keep pace in an increasingly crowded sports market, the governing body has launched the ​event as a high-stakes showcase built around elite head-to-head competition, big prize money and a faster, more engaging presentation.&nbsp;"We're really spotlighting the stars and creating new formats," World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said.&nbsp;STREAMLINED SCHEDULE&nbsp;The governing body has introduced a streamlined schedule designed to eliminate downtime, along with ​innovations including a black infield with theatrical lighting.&nbsp;"We want this championship to be an incubator for change," Coe said. "It's an ​event that has been created with and by the fans, with and by the athletes."&nbsp;Organisers also rolled out a red-carpet event on Thursday ‌to ⁠put athletes front and centre, part of a broader effort to showcase personalities beyond performances and help fans connect with the sport's stars.&nbsp;Reigning Olympic 100m champion Noah Lyles wore a rhinestoned black velvet Yves Saint Laurent suit, while pole vault world record-holder Mondo Duplantis, who also wrote and performed the event's anthem entitled "Gold," went for a more understated blue suit and shades.&nbsp;"You ​don't want to miss it. ​Something big could always happen ⁠when I step out on the track or anybody," said Duplantis. "It's going to be athletics displayed in a way that's never been seen before."&nbsp;One question hanging over the competition has been ​whether athletes need another major meet in a year that would traditionally have been ​free of a ⁠world championships or Olympic Games.&nbsp;"If you follow my career, you know that's what I'm about -- competing against the best," Bolt said. "With the Ultimate Championship, you know that 16 people who show up are the best in the world, I would look at it as ⁠big ​as the Olympics and the World Championships for sure."&nbsp;For 2008 Olympic 100m hurdles ​champion Dawn Harper-Nelson, who is a celebrity broadcaster for the event, the stakes extend beyond prize money and presentation.&nbsp;"It's bringing the attention to the sport ​that we begged for," she said. "You asked for it, and now the time has come."&nbsp;Source: Reuters&nbsp;

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural Ultimate Championship

Tangalle High Court today (11) granted bail to former police officer and former SLPP local council election candidate Sampath Manamperi, who had been remanded over allegations of possessing a live hand grenade. He was released on a cash bail of Rs. 10,000 and two sureties of Rs. 250,000 each. Manamperi was arrested over the possession of weapons and chemicals suspected to be used in the manufacture of crystal methamphetamine, commonly known as “ice”. Police later recovered a live grenade from a house in the Middeniya area following questioning under a detention order.

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has agreed to provide support for Sri Lanka Customs’ paperless Customs Declaration Processing System, scheduled to begin on 1 October 2026. Sri Lanka Customs officials briefed IMF representatives today (11) on the system, public awareness programmes and technical readiness. The IMF representatives commended the preparations and agreed to provide the necessary support for the system’s implementation.

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Employment has begun a programme to digitally transform its consular services. A Digital Transformation Committee held its first meeting today (11), focusing on digitising the Consular Affairs Division and consular sections at Sri Lankan diplomatic missions overseas. The programme will also focus on integrating government institutions with the consular system.

Princess Diana's 'revenge dress' goes up for auction

California enacts new curbs on social media for children

California enacts new curbs on ...

Americans mark 25 years since September 11 attacks

Americans mark 25 years since ...

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

US inflation holds steady as d ...

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Anthropic blocks possible atte ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural U ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

IMF agrees to support paperles ...

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

Foreign Ministry begins digita ...

California enacts new curbs on social media for children

California enacts new curbs on ...

Americans mark 25 years since September 11 attacks

Americans mark 25 years since ...

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

US inflation holds steady as d ...

Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

Anthropic blocks possible atte ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marvels at prize money on eve of inaugural U ...

Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...

IMF agrees to support paperless Customs system

IMF agrees to support paperles ...

Foreign Ministry begins digital transformation of consular services

Foreign Ministry begins digita ...

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Americans mark 25 years since September 11 attacks

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Bringing the news paper to your fingertips

US inflation holds steady as diesel prices pass $6 a gallon

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Anthropic blocks possible attempt to use AI to make biological weapons

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Jamaican sprint star Bolt marv ...

Sampath Manamperi granted bail in live grenade case

Sampath Manamperi granted bail ...