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Today — 8 July 2025Main stream

早报|单踏板新规:不可减速至停车/罗马仕退款排到 17 万位/苹果大模型负责人跳槽 Meta,年薪数千万

By: 柯铭源
8 July 2025 at 09:29
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工信部新规:「单踏板」默认状态不可减速至停车

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全球首例 AI「找出隐藏精子」案例成功怀孕

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微软上线企业 Deep Research

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Google AI 制药有望进入临床阶段

🐮

上海新政:外资游戏在沪研发的作品可视为国产

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OpenAI 联合创始人提出「细菌编程」

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GoPro Max 2 全景相机亮相

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阿里通义开源网络智能体,登顶开源排行榜

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罗马仕退款排到 17 万位

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外卖混战升级,茶饮股集体上涨

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大众点评回应「给刷好评开绿灯」:下线违规商家

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《F1》成为苹果史上票房最高的院线电影

重磅

工信部新规:「单踏板」默认状态不可减速至停车

据央视新闻消息,工业和信息化部于 7 月 7 日正式发布《乘用车制动系统技术要求及试验方法》强制性国家标准,将于 2026 年 1 月 1 日起开始实施。

据了解,新发布的《乘用车制动系统技术要求及试验方法》相较于 2008 年发布的旧版本新增加了电力传输制动系统、电力再生制动要求、紧急制动信号要求等内容,同时对驻车解除、制动衬片磨损检查、电子驻车制动电气失效等内容做出了修改。

其中为规避误操作风险,新标准加入了「单踏板制动」相关要求。标准规定,默认状态下不可通过松开油门踏板减速至停车,驾驶员需通过制动踏板完成车辆刹停,尽可能避免驾驶员在紧急状态下将油门踏板当成制动踏板误踩的风险,这标志着「单踏板模式」在国家标准层面得到了明确规范。

专家表示,随着车辆电动化和智能化的快速发展,乘用车制动系统的结构形式也进行了多个阶段的迭代和升级,为适应制动技术发展的新趋势,对标准中部分指标和要求进行修订可有效推动、引导和规范我国汽车制动产品发展。

大公司

苹果模型负责人跳槽 Meta

据彭博社今天凌晨报道,苹果基础模型团队的负责人、核心 AI 高管 Ruoming Pang 即将跳槽加入 Meta 旗下的超级智能团队。报道称,Meta 为了挖来 Pang,甚至开出了每年数千万美元的薪酬大礼包。

据了解,Ruoming Pang 2021 年加入苹果,在此之前,他在 Google 担任了 15 年的工程师;后续其领导着约 100 人的苹果基础模型团队(AFM),致力于研发苹果大型语言模型。由他开发的模型已经应用到 iPhone 中,比如邮件摘要、生成式表情(Genmoji)等。

据悉,这次离职事件是自苹果几年前启动 Apple 智能项目以来,AI 团队最重要的一次人事变动,且由于他的离开,AFM 团队的士气受到了影响。已有数位工程师向同事透露他们计划很快跳槽至 Meta 或其他公司。Pang 的得力助手 Tom Gunter 已于上月离职。

Pang 离开后,AFM 团队将由 Zhifeng Chen 接手。新架构下将设立多个管理层级,工程师将通过多个经理向 Chen 汇报。据团队内部人士透露,Chong Wang、Zirui Wang、Chung-Cheng Chiu 和 Guoli Yin 有望出任这些新任经理。

全球首例 AI「找出隐藏精子」案例成功怀孕

据 CNN 报道,一对人类夫妇在 18 年间尝试怀孕未果,而在近期依靠 AI 技术,成功怀上了他们第一个孩子。

报道称,该对夫妻的男方怀有无精症,其精子数量极低,因此导致此前多次体外受精均失败。而他们通过哥伦比亚大学生育中心帮助,成功成为全球首例由 AI 系统 STAR「找出隐藏精子」并实现成功怀孕的案例。

据悉,研究人员在 STAR AI 系统中分析上述夫妻中男方的精液样本:仅花费一小时,该 AI 系统通过拍摄超过 800 万张图像,并成功找到了 3 条隐藏精子。后续,研究人员将隐藏精子提取出来,并通过体外受精(IVF)使妻子的卵子受精,她由此成为首个通过 STAR 方法实现成功怀孕的案例。

相较于手术(直接从患者睾丸中提取精子)和处方激素药物等治疗无精子症的传统方法,STAR 不仅在舒适性、效率上大幅提升,并且在成本方面,STAR 方法为患者寻找、分离并冷冻精子的总费用略低于 3000 美元。

值得一提的是,据博主「智慧科技迷」消息,西班牙穆尔西亚大学的科学家近期发现,调查中的 69% 女性卵泡液和 55% 男性精液,都含有一系列微塑料,这些微塑料都来源于日常常用塑料用品。这引发了人们对生育和生殖健康风险的担忧。

尽管该研究没有评估微塑料如何影响人类生育力,但也凸显了继续探索的必要性。并且在 STAR 系统的帮助下,也有望一定程度解决环境所带来的生育能力问题。

微软上线企业 Deep Research

今日凌晨,微软正式宣布旗下 AI 平台「Azure AI Foundry」正式上线 Deep Research 公开预览版。

官方介绍,本次上线的 Deep Research 支持 OpenAI 高级智能体研究能力的 API 和 SDK,并且完全集成在 Azure 的企业 Agent 平台中。

具体使用上,Azure 中的 Deep Research 将通过必应搜索与 OpenAI GPT 系列模型的深度协同,将研究需求拆分、主动搜索、整合等。值得一提的是,在架构和智能体流程方面,Deep Research 使用了 OpenAI 目前最强的 o3 模型。

为了进一步增强 Deep Research 能力,微软还为其集成了「自动化网络规模的研究」「以编程方式构建 Agent」「协调复杂工作流」等多项功能。

目前,微软已开放 Azure Deep Research 的服务申请。

🔗 申请:https://customervoice.microsoft.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=v4j5cvGGr0GRqy180BHbR7en2Ais5pxKtso_Pz4b1_xUQ1VGQUEzRlBIMVU2UFlHSFpSNkpOR0paRSQlQCN0PWcu

Google AI 制药有望进入临床阶段

据《财富》报道,Isomorphic Labs(Google 旗下专注于药物研发的实验室)总裁、Google DeepMind 首席业务官 Colin Murdoch 在采访中透露,Isomorphic Labs 通过 AI 设计的新药物即将进入临床试验阶段。

Colin 表示,实验室下一个重要里程碑就是进行临床试验,将 AI 研发的药物技术应用到人体上。

Isomorphic Labs 成立于 2021 年,脱胎于 DeepMind,其中该机构最引人注目的技术突破之一——AlphaFold。

据悉,AlphaFold 为一套能够高精度预测蛋白质结构的 AI 系统,最初只用于预测单一蛋白质的形态,但其能力逐渐扩展至模拟蛋白质与 DNA 及药物等分子的相互作用。而这些突破性的进展也让 AlphaFold 在药物开发中的实用价值大大提升。

另外,在与药企的合作中,Isomorphic Labs 一方面支持对方现有项目,另一方面也开展自身主导的药物研发计划,聚焦癌症、免疫等领域,期望在完成早期临床后将新药授权给其他公司。

报道指出,目前一款新药从研发到上市需要耗资数百万美元,且成功率往往只有 10%,而 Colin 认为,Isomorphic Labs 的技术可以根本性地改善药物研发成功率。

Colin 表示,团队的目标是「加快研发速度、降低研发成本,并提高成功几率」。他希望通过 AlphaFold,能让研究人员能够拥有百分百的信心,将现开发的药物用于临床试验。

上海新政:外资游戏在沪研发的作品可视为国产

日前,上海市人民政府办公厅关于印发《上海市促进软件和信息服务业高质量发展的若干措施》的通知,提到「激发软信业经营主体发展活力」「完善软信业新动能培育的支持政策」等多项相关政策措施。

值得一提的是,通知中提到「推动数字内容产业在沪集聚发展」。具体来看:

  • 将支持有条件的区建设数字内容产业集聚区,推动数字游戏、数字影视、数字音乐、网络直播、短剧、短视频等领域内容生产、产品服务与运营发行;
  • 创新孵化、登记、交易、融资阶梯式服务模式;
  • 适时开展外资游戏企业在沪研发的游戏产品视同国产游戏的政策试点,支持数字内容项目开展版权质押融资试点。

具身智能创企星动纪元完成 5 亿融资

据新皮层获悉,具身智能公司星动纪元近期完成近 5 亿元 A 轮融资。

据悉,上述融资是该公司自 2023 年 8 月成立以来完成的第 4 轮融资,最近一次是去年 10 月近 3 亿元的 Pre-A 轮。

具体情况方面,本轮融资由鼎晖 VGC 和海尔资本联合领投,厚雪资本、华映资本、襄禾资本、丰立智能等财务机构及产业资本跟投,老股东清流资本、清控基金等机构继续追加投资;华兴资本担任独家财务顾问。

报道指出,星动纪元也是目前少有的同时涉足硬件与软件的具身智能创业公司。

在硬件上,据星动纪元透露,今年公司已交付超 200 台产品;全球市值前十的科技公司中,除特斯拉外,都有尝试使用星动纪元的机器人。

另外,在软件方面,星动纪元推出了多款针对机器人优化的大模型产品。今年 5 月,该公司开源了一个生成式机器人大模型 VPP,号称「可以直接学习各种形态机器人的视频数据」。

信息显示,星动纪元最初是清华大学交叉信息研究院的孵化项目,创始人陈建宇是研究院助理教授。

硅基流动推出 CLI Agent 工具

7 月 7 日,硅基流动发文宣布,基于开源的 Gemini-CLI 并依托硅基流动 SiliconCloud 平台的 API,一个 DeepSeek 版本的 CLI Agent 工具 Gen-CLI 诞生。

硅基流动表示,经过多个探索可以发现,使用 DeepSeek 的 Gen-CLI 已经可以惊人地完成很多任务。其称「如果 Claude Code 是 100 分,Gemini-CLI 是 80 分,使用 DeepSeek 的 Gen-CLI 已经可达到 70 分了。」

硅基流动还表示,随着 CLI 的改进和模型本身的改进,未来值得期待。目前,Gen-CLI 已在 GitHub 开源。

🔗 GitHub:https://github.com/gen-cli/gen-cli/

💡 OpenAI 联合创始人提出「细菌编程」

近期,OpenAI 联合创始人 Andej Karpathy 继「氛围编程」(vibe coding)、「上下文工程」(Context Engineering)之后,又创造了一个新词——「细菌式编程」(Bacterial code)。

据 Karpathy 的介绍,细菌编程拥有三个特点:代码块精简、模块化、自包含且易于复制粘贴。拥有上述三个特点后,代码社区就可以通过「水平基因转移」而蓬勃发展。

Karpathy 解释,细菌历经地球各种时期:从严寒到酷暑,从酸到碱,甚至外太空,但细菌几乎能够殖民生态圈的每一处。而细菌能够如此强大,靠的正是其基因组那套厉害的演化逻辑。Karpathy 认为,开发者也应该向细菌的生存方式学习。

在生物学中,为了减少能量消耗,细菌基因组里拥有了「自我精简机制」,Karpathy 认为「开发者们也应该有这样的意识」:写代码太容易、成本太低,导致大家开发十分随意,最后代码变得臃肿不堪,甚至脆弱且杂乱。

另外,Karpathy 也承认了「细菌编程」的局限性:无法构建复杂的生命体。相比之下,更高级的真核生物的基因组,宛如一个庞大、复杂,但高度耦合的单体仓库(Monorepo)。有了单体仓库,才能实现组织性和协调性。

对此,Karpathy 认为,人类在面对「细菌」和「真核生物」两种方式时,可以取长补短:在一个统一、用有结构化的项目(Monorepo)中进行开发,但大框架下,要做到每一个功能、模块写得像细菌基因组一样——精简、独立、自包含,甚至拥有「复制粘贴」功能。

🔗https://x.com/karpathy/status/1941616674094170287

新产品

乐道 L90 全车多处配备「防夹设计」

近日,乐道汽车发布《乐道 L90 问必答》第一期,为用户进行了高频问题解答。

乐道方面表示,L90 几乎在全车所有运动的部件上都做了防夹设计,包括了四门车窗、前备舱、后备箱、电动座椅、二排娱乐屏、电动踏板等,甚至为了小朋友的安心使用,我们在智能全电动冰箱上,都做了双向防夹设计。

而对于「超大前备舱会导致向前碰撞不安全」这一问题,乐道方面表示「L90 的碰撞安全性经过严苛考验,在结构优化设计和高规格材料的应用下,能够实现‘大空间’与‘高安全’兼得」:

  • 上下双层超宽 7 系航空铝防撞梁,宽度覆盖率达 80%;前舱高强度钢+铝合金材料占比 92%;
  • 6 系铝合金三角稳定桁架;拥有 2000MPa 潜艇级超高强度钢底部横梁。

另外,蔚来创始人李斌还在近期的直播中首次透露,乐道 L90 起售价将低于 30 万元。据悉,新车将于 7 月 10 日展车全面到店,并正式开启预售。

GoPro Max 2 全景相机亮相

日前,GoPro 官方正式公布了旗下新一代全景相机 GoPro Max 2 的外观信息。

从公布的图片来看,GoPro Max 2 相较于 Max 1,镜头模组居中摆放且体积更大,同时正面加入了大量格栅式散热孔(预测),整机线条更加硬朗。其他参数官方暂未公布。

值得一提的是,GoPro Max 2 于 2023 年官宣,原定于 2024 年第四季度发布。但在上年的第三季度财报会上,GoPro 方面确认了新机跳票至 2025 年上市。

据了解,GoPro Max 1 于 2019 年 10 月发布,采用前后双镜头,拥有 1.7 英寸屏幕,可录制 5.6K30 全景视频,国行上市售价 3198 元起。

阿里通义开源网络智能体,登顶开源排行榜

7 月 7 日,阿里通义正式宣布开源网络智能体 WebSailor,并在发布后登顶智能体评测集 BrowseComp 的开源网络智能体榜单。

据介绍,WebSailor 具备强大的推理和检索能力,可以应用复杂场景下的检索任务,对于模糊问题可迅速在不同的网页中进行快速检索并推理验证,从而在海量信息中通过严密的多步推理和交叉验证中最终得出检索答案。

性能表现上,英文版和中文版 BrowseComp 评测集的实测结果显示,WebSailor 跨越了开源和闭源系统之间的鸿沟,WebSailor-32B、WebSailor-72B 不仅在开源模型和 Agent 阵营里实现了断层领先,甚至超越了 DeepSeek R1、Grok-3 等闭源模型,仅次于闭源的 OpenAI DeepResearch。

值得一提的是,通义团队在构建数据集阶段,通义实验室大规模合成了具有高不确定性的复杂任务数据 SailorFog-QA,并基于 Qwen 模型进行冷启动微调,让模型学到超越人类的复杂推理模式。同时在训练时,团队还提出了高效的强化学习算法 DUPO,将复杂 Agent 的强化学习训练速度提升了约 2–3 倍。

目前 WebSailor 的构建方案及部分数据集已在 Github 开源。

🔗 GitHub:https://github.com/Alibaba-NLP/WebAgent

混元推出业界首个美术级 3D 生成大模型

昨日,腾讯混元带来了业界首个美术级 3D 生成大模型 Hunyuan3D-PolyGen。

官方介绍,结合自研高压缩率表征 BPT 技术,混元 3D-PolyGen 可生成面数达上万面的复杂几何模型,布线精度更高,细节更丰富,同时支持三边面和四边面,满足不同专业管线需求。

基于上述特征,混元 3D 资产可无缝应用于 UGC 游戏资产生成,显著提升美术师建模效率。

效果对比上,混元 3D-PolyGen 在生成的稳定性、细节、布线质量等方面均优于目前 SOTA 模型。另外,在解决前面提到的面数和布线问题上,混元 3D-PolyGen 可根据几何结构自适应分配面数,可利用更低的面数实现更好的细节。

目前,该能力已上线腾讯混元 3D AI 创作引擎。

🔗 体验地址:3d.hunyuan.tencent.com

新消费

罗马仕退款排到 17 万位

近期,罗马仕深陷「易燃」充电宝召回「泥潭」。据各大电商平台显示,罗马仕天猫、淘宝、拼多多等官方旗舰店目前已关闭,仅剩罗马仕京东自营店、罗马仕抖音官方旗舰店暂未关闭。

而据罗马仕服务号显示,该账号已出现了「退款进度」的查询入口。不少购买了召回型号及批次的消费者也纷纷公布了自己的退款进度,其中有帖子显示,目前罗马仕退款排队已达到 17 万位。

另外,还有消费者表示,自己 6 月 17 日看到公告后上传了相关资料,6 月 30 日将充电宝无害化处理的视频发送给客服进行登记,查询进度后显示退款进度排在第 15 万位。其表示此前与客服沟通时,客服表示退款大约需要 10 天左右,但目前查询页面显示大约需要 15-30 个工作日。

在 7 月 6 日,罗马仕正式发布停工停产放假通知。通知称,随着市场环境的不断变化和公司业务的发展需要,经公司股东会研究决定,近段时间公司停工停产。停工时间为自 2025 年 7 月 7 日起持续 6 个月。除召回相关员工外,其余员工停工停产。

大众点评回应「给刷好评开绿灯」:下线违规商家

近日,央视新闻曝光了各大互联网平台的网络水军现象,其中指出「大众点评」等个别正规平台为了整体流量和利益,在暗中撮合刷评控评模式。

而在昨日,大众点评通过新浪科技回应称:

少数商家在参与活动中违反了平台规定,引导用户在未探店情况下撰写笔记,平台已第一时间核实情况,并将相关商家下线,予以处罚。针对审核机制中存在的遗漏,未来将进一步迭代完善,避免类似情况的发生。

大众点评方面解释,被「点名」的点星平台是大众点评笔记推出的商达撮合产品,旨在鼓励用户通过笔记分享真实体验,帮助商户积累线上流量。笔记内容与用户真实体验后评价不同,不影响大众点评上商家的星级评分。

根据《点星全民合作平台规则》声明,平台重点强调达人需要真实到店,笔记内容不得搬运,且设置达人履约分,如出现虚假探店行为会扣除达人相应分数。大众点评表示,同时会严厉禁止商家在用户未到店体验情况下直发笔记素材的「云探店」行为。

外卖混战升级,茶饮股集体上涨

日前,美团和饿了么突然发起新一轮的外卖补贴大战:

  • 7 月 2 日,淘宝闪购宣布 500 亿元补贴计划。当时有市场传闻称,淘宝闪购将 7 月 5 日定为「冲单日」,瞄准 9000 万至 1 亿单冲刺峰值。
  • 7 月 5 日,美团、饿了么放出了大量且大额的外卖红包券,包含多个「0 元购」外卖券。
  • 随着大额外卖券发放,平台单量剧增,导致美团 App 一度陷入瘫痪。随后美团进行了回应:用户下单量突破历史峰值,触发了服务器限流保护。

7 月 7 日,淘宝闪购、饿了么联合宣布,日订单数超过 8000 万,其中非餐饮订单超过 1300 万,淘宝闪购日活跃用户超过 2 亿。而据《每日经济新闻》消息,美团创下了 1.2 亿单的全球即时零售纪录。

同时,受到大量订单的刺激,7 月 7 日,茶饮股全线高开:截止 7 月 7 日收盘,茶百道涨 11.04%、古茗涨 6.15%、沪上阿姨涨 5.68%、蜜雪冰城涨 5.74%、奈雪的茶涨 3.95%。

另外,多家参与活动的奶茶店也纷纷表示爆单之后实在忙不过来了。据综合消息,因为外卖和「0 元自取」订单太多,店员都要「忙哭」了。甚至有奶茶门店人员表示,这次平台的活动并未事先与商家沟通,活动开始商家就被动地自动接单,免单的这部分金额,商家也要承担一部分,因此很多时候做一单还要赔 2-3 元。

好看的

《山河为证》定档 8 月

昨日,纪念中国人民抗日战争暨世界反法西斯战争胜利 80 周年影片《山河为证》官宣定档 8 月 15 日,并发布首张海报。

影片是首部全景式展现中国人民 14 年抗战艰辛历程的纪录电影,聚焦全民抗战伟力,铭刻英烈不朽丰碑。

据悉,影片由华夏电影发行有限责任公司与中央新闻纪录电影制片厂(集团)出品。

《F1》成为苹果史上票房最高的院线电影

据 Variety 消息,由苹果原创电影公司出品的《F1:狂飙飞车》成功该公司票房最高的一部电影,达 2.93 亿美元。

报道指出,《F1》的成绩打败了苹果此前出品的《拿破仑》(2.21 亿美元)、《花月杀手》(1.58 亿美元)等影片。但值得一提的是,《F1》制作成本超过 2.5 亿美元,且后期市场宣传还额外增加了约 1 亿美元的成本,这意味着该片也需要多轮竞争才能证明其巨大的价格标签。

据了解,《F1:狂飙飞车》(于 6 月 27 日上映)在中国内地上映第 8 天,豆瓣评分上涨至 8.6 分,上映当天开分为 8.5 分。

电影由《壮志凌云 2》约瑟夫·科辛斯基执导,在真实比赛期间取景拍摄,七届 F1 世界冠军车手刘易斯·汉密尔顿、布拉德·皮特参与制片,汉斯·季默作曲,布拉德·皮特、达姆森·伊德瑞斯等出演。

《秒速五厘米》真人版新预告上架

日前,《秒速五厘米》真人版上架新预告片,将于 10 月 10 日日本上映。

该片改编自新海诚创作的同名动画电影。原作以一个少年为轴心,展开了三个独立但彼此关联的短篇故事,时代背景是 20 世纪 90 年代至 21 世纪初期的日本,通过少年的人生轨迹也展现了东京及其他地区的变迁。

影片由奥山由之执导,铃木史子担任编剧,松村北斗主演。

#欢迎关注爱范儿官方微信公众号:爱范儿(微信号:ifanr),更多精彩内容第一时间为您奉上。

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Texas floods death toll climbs to more than 100

8 July 2025 at 06:37
Watch: Volunteers help lead search for their neighbours after Texas flooding

The death toll from flash floods that struck central Texas on Friday has now climbed to more than 100 people and an unknown number of others are missing.

Search and rescue teams are wading through mud-piled riverbanks as more rain and thunderstorms threaten the region, but hope was fading of finding any more survivors four days after the catastrophe.

Camp Mystic, a Christian all-girls' summer camp, confirmed at least 27 girls and staff were among the dead. Ten girls and a camp counsellor are still missing.

The White House meanwhile rejected suggestions that budget cuts at the National Weather Service (NWS) could have inhibited the disaster response.

At least 84 of the victims - 56 adults and 28 children - died in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River was swollen by torrential downpours before daybreak on Friday, the July Fourth public holiday.

Some 22 adults and 10 children have yet to be identified, said the county sheriff's office.

Camp Mystic said in a statement on Monday: "Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy."

Richard Eastland, 70, the co-owner and director of Camp Mystic, died trying to save the children, the Austin American-Statesman reported.

Local pastor Del Way, who knows the Eastland family, told the BBC: "The whole community will miss him [Mr Eastland]. He died a hero."

In its latest forecast, the NWS has predicted more slow-moving thunderstorms, potentially bringing more flash flooding to the region.

Critics of the Trump administration have sought to link the disaster to thousands of job cuts at the NWS' parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

The NWS office responsible for forecasting in the region had five employees on duty as thunderstorms brewed over Texas on Thursday evening, the usual number for an overnight shift when severe weather is expected.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt rejected attempts to blame the president.

"That was an act of God," she told a daily briefing on Monday.

"It's not the administration's fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings and, again, the National Weather Service did its job."

She outlined that the NWS office in Austin-San Antonio conducted briefings for local officials on the eve of the flood and sent out a flood watch that afternoon, before issuing numerous flood warnings that night and in the pre-dawn hours of 4 July.

Watch: First responders save people caught in Texas flooding

Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts had hampered the disaster response, initially appearing to shift blame to what he called "the Biden set-up", referring to his Democratic predecessor.

"But I wouldn't blame Biden for it, either," he added. "I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe."

Texas Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican, told a news conference on Monday that now was not the time for "partisan finger-pointing".

Watch: Senator Ted Cruz talks about the children lost at Camp Mystic

One local campaigner, Nicole Wilson, has a petition calling for flood sirens to be set up in Kerr County - something in place in other counties.

Such a system has been debated in Kerr County for almost a decade, but funds for it have never been allocated.

Texas Lt Gov Dan Patrick acknowledged on Monday that such sirens might have saved lives, and said they should be in place by next summer.

Meanwhile, condolences continued to pour in from around the world.

King Charles II has written to President Trump to express his "profound sadness" about the catastrophic flooding.

The King "offered his deepest sympathy" to those who lost loved ones, the British Embassy in Washington said.

Trump delays tariffs on 14 countries until August

8 July 2025 at 07:58
Getty Images US President Donald Trump announces tariffs at the White House in AprilGetty Images

The US plans to impose a 25% tax on products entering the country from South Korea and Japan on 1 August, President Donald Trump has said.

He announced the tariffs in a post on social media, sharing letters he said had been sent to leaders of the two countries.

The White House has said it expects to send similar messages to many countries in the coming days as the 90-day pause it placed on some of its most aggressive tariffs is set to expire.

The first two letters suggest that Trump remains committed to his initial push for tariffs, with little change from the rates announced in April.

At that time, he said he was looking to hit goods from Japan with duties of 24% and charge a 25% on products made in South Korea.

Those tariffs were included in a bigger "Liberation Day" announcement, which imposed tariffs on goods from countries around the world.

After outcry and turmoil on financial markets following the initial tariffs announcement, Trump suspended some of the import taxes to allow for talks. That deadline is set to expire on 9 July.

On Monday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he expected "a busy couple of days".

"We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals," he told US business broadcaster CNBC.

Drugs smuggling 'destabilising' prisons, watchdog says

8 July 2025 at 07:48
PA Media A CCTV camera sits at the top of one of the outside walls of HMP Pentonville in London. Above it, the brick wall is lined with barbed wire.PA Media

An overwhelming amount of drugs being smuggled into prisons in England and Wales is "destabilising" the system and hindering efforts to stop re-offending, a watchdog has warned.

Prisons are being targeted by criminal gangs using drones to fly in contraband to sell to bored inmates being kept in cramped conditions, according to the chief inspector of prisons' annual report.

"This meant in many jails, there were seemingly uncontrolled levels of criminality that hard-pressed and often inexperienced staff were unable to contain," Charlie Taylor wrote.

Prisons Minister Lord Timpson said the report showed the "scale of the crisis we inherited" and that the government was working to end the "chaos".

The damning report published on Tuesday found overcrowding and staffing shortages were contributing to a lack of purposeful activities for prisoners to do that would aid their rehabilitation, with many turning to drugs to keep themselves occupied.

Both staff and prisoners have been saying for several years that far too little is being done to keep drugs out of prisons.

A survey of 5,431 prisoners found 39% said it was easy to acquire drugs, while 30% of random drug tests came back positive.

In one prison, HMP Hindley, this rate was almost double.

An inspection of HMP Bedford found random drug testing had not been conducted for 12 months despite drugs being a "significant threat to safety".

Drugs are smuggled into prisons by visitors or staff, thrown over fences or flown in using drones.

An inmate serving time for a violent offence told the BBC that getting drugs inside was "super easy".

Speaking from his cell on an illegal phone, he said: "If you want spice [synthetic cannabis] or weed or something stronger, you can get it in a jiffy. Everyone inside knows who's got some. You can smell it across the wings.

"The boredom is too much and sometimes you just want something to take your mind off it so you'll get high."

The report said drones were being used to make regular deliveries to HMP Manchester and Long Lartin - which hold "some of the most dangerous men in the country, including terrorists and organised crime bosses".

It said that physical security measures were inadequate, while at HMP Manchester "inexperienced staff were being manipulated or simply ignored by prisoners".

Mr Taylor said the failure to tackle these issues presented a threat to national security.

"The challenge for the prison service must be to work in conjunction with the police and security services to manage prisoners associated with organised crime," Mr Taylor said.

"This is a threat that needs to be taken seriously at the highest levels of government."

West Midlands Police/Handout A handout photo issued by West Midlands Police of a drone and bag of drugs seized as a drug smuggling gang attempted to smuggle it into a prison in 2018.West Midlands Police/Handout
Criminal gangs are often using drones to smuggle drugs into prisons

The report also found:

  • Prisoners were spending too long locked in cells, with limited opportunities to spend time in fresh air or take part in recreational activities
  • Prisoners in full-time work or education missed out on other activities
  • Prisoners released early to ease overcrowding had placed a "huge burden on already-overstretched" probation units
  • The population is growing "faster than new [prison] spaces can be made available"

Lord Timpson said the report highlighted the "unacceptable pressures faced by our hardworking staff".

Addressing the issue of overcrowding, he said the government was building 14,000 extra places, with 2,400 already delivered, and "reforming sentencing to ensure we never run out of space again".

He added that the government had pledged £40m to improve prison security, including enhanced CCTV, new windows and floodlighting.

The Prison Service is also employing x-ray body scanners and detection dogs to combat smuggling.

The government hopes reforms to sentencing will allow more prisoners to be released early, freeing up prison spaces.

But drugs in prison are nothing new, and as long as there is a demand, new ways are likely to be created to bring them in.

With drug dealers and addicts doing time, and a constant appetite to make cash, drugs are something that will continue to be an irresistible temptation to those inside.

Postmasters await compensation report, but findings on blame months away

8 July 2025 at 07:01
Getty Images A Post Office signGetty Images

Tuesday will mark another big milestone in the long road to justice for the victims of the Post Office IT scandal.

The chair of the inquiry into it – Sir Wyn Williams – will publish the first part of his final report, focusing on compensation and the human impact of the scandal.

Thousands of sub-postmasters were wrongly blamed for financial losses from the Post Office's faulty Horizon computer system, which was developed by Fujitsu.

More than 900 people were prosecuted and 236 were sent to prison in what is believed to be one of the biggest miscarriages of justices in UK history.

Sir Wyn put those victims at the heart of the inquiry's work, which has pored over several decades worth of technical evidence and grilled many of those who had a role in ruining so many lives.

Dozens of sub-postmasters gave evidence too - many who had lost their businesses, their homes and some who served prison sentences.

Sir Wyn's findings on their treatment will surely be damning given everything he has heard since the inquiry began in 2022.

The inquiry became almost box office viewing - racking up more than 20 million views on YouTube, with people with no connection to the Post Office following it closely.

However, it is going to be months before we find out who Sir Wyn will point the finger of blame at.

That will come in part two of the report, meaning that accountability is still a long way off.

'Patchwork quilt'

Sir Wyn has taken a big interest in compensation for the victims, admitting at one point that he'd stretched his terms of reference on the issue, "perhaps beyond breaking point".

He held four separate hearings on redress and issued an interim report in 2023, likening the various schemes to a "patchwork quilt with a few holes in it".

Victims and their legal representatives still battling to secure final payouts will be looking to see what his conclusions are on compensation and whether it is living up to the mantra of being full and fair.

They hope his recommendations will result in more action.

Still, you might be wondering why we're only getting the first part of the final report.

Sir Wyn knows how pressing compensation is to many of the victims and that's why he wants to publish his recommendations on the issue as soon as possible.

"It's something I am very keen to say as much about as I reasonably can," he told the inquiry last year.

But the implication from this is that part two - establishing what happened and who is to blame - isn't coming out any time soon.

This second report may not be published until 2026 given the sheer volume and complexity of the evidence as well as the need to give those who are criticised the chance to respond.

As for justice, any criminal trials may not start until 2028. Police investigating the scandal confirmed last month that files won't be handed to prosecutors until after the final inquiry report is published.

After years of waiting, even after part one of Sir Wyn's report is published, the sub-postmasters' long road to justice will continue.

Did US government cuts contribute to the Texas tragedy?

8 July 2025 at 05:35
BBC A boat on a river in Texas with four rescue workers on boardBBC

In the aftermath of the fatal Texas floods, some Democrats have warned about the "consequences" of the Trump administration's cuts to the federal government workforce, including meteorologists, with Senator Chris Murphy saying that: "Accurate weather forecasting helps avoid fatal disasters."

The suggestion is that the cuts may have impeded the ability of the National Weather Service (NWS) - the government agency which provides weather forecasts in the US - to adequately predict the floods and raise the alarm.

But the White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said on Monday: "These offices [of the NWS] were well staffed… so any claims to the contrary are completely false."

BBC Verify has examined the impact of cuts under President Trump in this area and while there has been a reduction in the workforce at the NWS, experts who we spoke to said the staffing on hand for the Texas floods appears to have been adequate.

What are the cuts?

The Trump administration has proposed a 25% cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) current annual budget of $6.1bn (£4.4bn). NOAA is the agency which oversees the NWS.

This would take effect in the 2026 financial year which begins in October this year - so these particular cuts would not have contributed to the Texas tragedy.

However, the staffing levels of the NWS have already been separately reduced by the Trump administration's efficiency drive since January.

The Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), previously run by Elon Musk, offered voluntary redundancies, known as buyouts, as well as early retirements to federal government workers. It also ended the contracts of most of those who were on probation.

As a result, about 200 people at the NWS took voluntary redundancy and 300 opted for early retirement, according to Tom Fahy, the director of the NWS union. A further 100 people were ultimately fired from the service, he said.

In total, the NWS lost 600 of its 4,200 staff, says Mr Fahy, causing several offices across the country to operate without the necessary staffing.

In April 2025, the Associated Press news agency said it had seen data compiled by NWS employees showing half of its offices had a vacancy rate of 20% - double the rate a decade earlier.

Despite this, climate experts told BBC Verify that the NWS forecasts and flood warnings last week in Texas were as adequate as could be expected.

"The forecasts and warnings all played out in a normal manner. The challenge with this event was that it is very difficult to forecast this type of extreme, localised rainfall," says Avantika Gori, an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at Rice University in Texas.

And Andy Hazelton, a climate scientist who modelled hurricane paths for the NOAA until he was fired during the layoffs in February, says: "I don't think the staffing issues contributed directly to this event. They got the watches and the warnings out."

What about the impact on offices in Texas?

However, some experts have suggested that staffing cuts may have impeded the ability of local NWS offices in Texas to effectively co-ordinate with local emergency services.

"There is a real question as to whether the communication of weather information occurred in a way that was sub-optimal," says Daniel Swain, a climate scientist at University of California Los Angeles.

"The impact might have been partially averted if some of the people at the weather service responsible for making those communications were still employed - which they were not in some of these local offices," he adds.

The San Angelo and San Antonio offices, which cover the areas affected by the flooding, reportedly had some existing vacancies.

For example, the San Antonio office's website lists several positions as being vacant, including two meteorologists.

Getty Images Search and recovery workers dig through debris looking for any survivors or remains of people swept up in the flash flooding at Camp Mystic on July 6, 2025 in Hunt, Texas. Heavy rainfall caused flooding along the Guadalupe River in central Texas with multiple fatalities reported. Getty Images
Rescue efforts are ongoing along the Guadalupe River in central Texas

The NSW union director told BBC Verify that the San Angelo office was missing a senior hydrologist, a scientist who specialises in flooding events.

The San Antonio office also lacked a "warning coordinating meteorologist", who coordinates communications between local forecasting offices and emergency management services in communities, Mr Fahy said.

However, he noted that both offices had temporarily upped their staffing in anticipation of a dangerous weather event, which is typical in these circumstances.

"The NWS weather forecast offices in Austin/San Antonio and San Angelo, Texas had additional forecasters on duty during the catastrophic flooding event," NWS spokeswoman Erica Grow Cei said in a statement to BBC Verify. "All forecasts and warnings were issued in a timely manner," she added.

NWS meteorologist Jason Runyen, who covers the San Antonio area, also said in a statement that where the office would typically have two forecasters on duty during clear weather, they had "up to five on staff".

When asked on Sunday if government cuts had left key vacancies unfilled at the NWS, President Trump told reporters: "No, they didn't."

Were weather balloon launches reduced?

In a video shared thousands of times on social media, US meteorologist John Morales said: "There has been a 20% reduction in weather balloon releases, launches... What we're starting to see is that the quality of the forecasts is becoming degraded."

Some social media users have been pointing to Mr Morales' words as evidence that budget cuts have limited forecasters' ability to anticipate extreme weather events like the floods in Kerr County, Texas.

Weather balloons are an important tool used by meteorologists to collect weather data - from temperatures, to humidity, pressure, or wind speed - from the upper atmosphere.

In the US, NWS stations would typically launch them twice a day.

In a series of public statements released since February, the NWS confirmed that it either suspended or reduced weather balloon launches in at least 11 locations across the country, which it attributed to a lack of staffing at the local weather forecast offices.

However, there is no evidence to suggest that any of those changes directly affected weather balloon launches in the areas impacted by the floods in Texas.

Publicly available data shows that, in the lead-up to the floods, weather balloon launches were carried out as planned at Del Rio, the launch station nearest to the flood epicentre, collecting data that informed weather forecasts which experts say were as adequate as they could be.

The BBC Verify banner.

《F1》之后,赛车电影的门槛被永久提高了

By: 李华
8 July 2025 at 09:23

在流媒体「杀死」电影院的论调甚嚣尘上时,一部以 F1 为名的电影,却成功把观众重新拉回了大银幕前。

好莱坞最具权威性的媒体 Variety 确认,由布拉德·皮特主演的电影《F1:狂飙飞车》(下文简称为《F1》),已正式超越《拿破仑》,加冕成为苹果原创电影有史以来票房最高的作品。

与此同时,在口碑层面,这部电影更是通吃了核心车迷和大众影迷,成为了一个值得探讨的年度电影。

一个有趣的问题是,当好莱坞的赛车电影早已被「速度与激情」系列的肌肉车和「极速车王」的奥斯卡光环反复定义后,《F1》的突破口究竟在哪?

答案,恰恰在于它的「反好莱坞」特质。

它没有依赖更夸张的 CG 特效,或是更狗血的戏剧冲突,而是选择了一条更难走的路——对「真实」进行近乎偏执的、不计成本的还原。这样的执念,最终物化为一套前所未有的摄影系统,一个充满了圈内梗的剧本,以及整个 F1 围场的集体开绿灯。

可以说,《F1》的成功,在它开拍的时候就已经注定了。

⚠本文涉及大量剧透,请谨慎阅读 ⚠

真实感的代价,是 3 亿美元

作为好莱坞中生代导演中的「实拍狂人」,曾执导《壮志凌云:独行侠》的约瑟夫·科辛斯基,向来对 CG 特效保持着一种审慎的距离。因此在《F1》这个项目中,他再次选择了一条更笨也更昂贵的道路:

用 3 亿美元的巨额投资,去复现物理世界的真实感。

这种真实感,首先建立在影片的核心——那辆虚构的 APX GP 赛车之上。

很多电影里的「赛车」只是一个虚有其表的道具模型,底盘和动力系统与原型毫无关系。但 APX GP 却是一辆拥有真实心脏的 F2 方程式赛车。更关键的是,其背后站着真正的 F1 世界冠军车队——梅赛德斯-AMG。

▲ 电影里的 APX GP 车队赛车

这支冠军车队对 F2 赛车进行了深度的底盘与动力改装,并为其设计安装了符合 F1 规格的空气动力学套件。这意味着,当布拉德·皮特在驾驶时,他对抗的是真实的物理惯性,他需要用真实的动作去应对悬挂的每一次压缩和回弹。这让他的表演,拥有了无法在绿幕前伪装的信服力。

除了以假乱真的赛车,影片更史无前例地将剧组直接搬进了真实的 F1 围场。

在制片人刘易斯·汉密尔顿(没错就是那个七冠王)和 F1 CEO 斯蒂法诺·多梅尼卡利的共同推动下,制作团队获准在 2023 到 2024 赛季横跨两大洲的 14 个真实大奖赛周末进行实地拍摄。

从银石到蒙扎,从斯帕到拉斯维加斯,电影镜头与真实的赛事无缝衔接,这是以往任何赛车电影都未曾达到的高度。

▲2023 年英国大奖赛,《F1:狂飙飞车》拍摄现场

当这辆赛车驶离赛道,我们看到的依然不是摄影棚里的布景,摄制团队前所未有地,进入了车队研发中心——片中 APX GP 车队的总部,直接借用了现实中大名鼎鼎的迈凯伦技术中心(MTC),在其 CEO 办公室里,我们甚至能看到那辆经典的红白涂装迈凯伦-本田 MP4/4 的展车。

而那些关于赛车气动研发、进行风洞测试的关键场景,则直接在另一支传奇车队威廉姆斯的真实风洞中拍摄。有趣的是,为了防止威廉姆斯车队借机为自己的赛车研发获益,作为监管机构的国际汽联(FIA)甚至亲临现场进行监督。

▲ 电影中的风洞测试

这种前所未有的开放程度,便是整个 F1 世界对这部电影真实性的集体背书。

如果说硬件是真实感的骨架,那影片对 F1「软件」——即对规则的精准理解,则是其灵魂。导演成功地将「空气动力学」这个听起来颇为硬核的概念,转化为了推动剧情的关键。

比如主角桑尼要求赛车必须擅长在「脏空气」(Dirty Air)中缠斗,这不是耍酷的台词。它指向了 F1 比赛的核心痛点:领跑赛车尾部会形成一股混乱的湍流,在弯道中会严重破坏后车的下压力,让跟车和超车变得极其困难。

同样,导演科辛斯基生动展现了「尾流」(Tow/Slipstream)的战术价值,让观众直观地看到,后车如何像搭便车一样躲入前车的空气隧道中以减少阻力、在直道中提升尾速。这些细节,让这部电影的赛车场面不再是单纯的速度展示,而构成了一场场看得见的技术博弈。

电影对比赛策略的呈现也超越了简单的「进站换胎」。

▲ APX GP 车队在赛道建了维修区,还有专业的换胎工

桑尼在匈牙利站坚持使用圈速更快但衰减也更快的软胎,而与车队工程师发生争执的场景,堪称全片经典。当然了,在现实的比赛里,这种情况通常不会出现。

除了赛车、场景,以及必要的理论,要将这些赛道内外的博弈真实地呈现在银幕上,制作团队还必须攻克一个看似不可能的终极难题:如何让摄影机真正「坐进」方程式赛车的驾驶舱?

▲ 电影中许多赛车画面都来自真实比赛的 POV 视角

导演约瑟夫·科辛斯基的目标,是要让观众的感官与车手完全同步,而不仅仅是作为一个远距离的观察者。

根据索尼官方发布的技术访谈,即便是为《壮志凌云:独行侠》开发的先进摄影系统,对于追求极致轻量化、空间逼仄的 F1 赛车来说,依然太重、太大。换言之,在开拍前,这个世界上甚至不存在能完美实现导演意图的摄影系统。

所以,答案是「发明」它,而非「选择」它。为此,制作团队开启了一场前所未有的混合技术革命。

他们兵分两路:一边是与索尼合作,基于顶级的「威尼斯」(CineAltaV)电影摄影机,开发出一套分体式系统,将感光元件和镜头做成极小的探头,塞入驾驶舱内捕捉演员表情;另一边,则是创造性地将 iPhone 的核心部件拆解重组,用以完美复刻 F1 官方转播中那个标志性的车顶 T-Cam 机位,主攻功能性与后期流程的无缝融入。

▲iPhone 改造的 T-cam 摄像机. 图片来自:Wired

这场发明之旅并非坦途。据主创团队透露,在初次测试中,赛车产生的剧烈震动直接「震坏了」昂贵的稳定云台,赛道上飞溅的砂石也让镜头备受摧残。但正是这种不计成本的试错与微调,最终达成了一个核心成就——

让摄影机成为了运动的「参与者」。

正是这种零距离的参与感,最终构建出了影片最宝贵、也最震撼人心的真实感受。

汉密尔顿献给车迷的「私信」

B 站赛车 UP 主 Chester117 提出一个有趣的观点:他认为,影片中大量的关键情节,都与制片人、F1 七冠王刘易斯·汉密尔顿的职业生涯高度重合,仿佛是其「夹带的私货」。

影片对战术的复刻,并非浅尝辄止。从主角桑尼在暖胎圈故意放慢节奏,为对手轮胎「降温」的计算;到车队指令中虚晃一枪、诱骗对手进站;再到主角内斗时,将对方强硬挤向墙边的驾驶风格,都让车迷看到了现实围场的影子。

当剧情走向高潮,影片更开始大胆地「重演」历史,触碰那些让车迷记忆深刻的名场面。其中最令人惊心动魄的,无疑是车手皮尔斯在蒙扎的严重事故。这一幕巧妙地融合了两起真实事件:

它既有 2019 年 F3 车手亚历克斯·佩罗尼在同一弯角,因压上路肩而凌空飞起的骇人轨迹;更有 2020 年罗曼·格罗斯让在巴林大奖赛上,赛车断成两截、燃起熊熊大火后奇迹生还的涅槃时刻。

▲ 2019 年蒙扎赛道,F3 车手亚历克斯·佩罗尼(右上角橙色赛车)

▲2020 年巴林大奖赛,格罗斯让赛车碰撞后起火

影片同样着墨于人性的光辉与阴暗。

当桑尼不顾一切停车救助对手时,我们看到的是对车神埃尔顿·塞纳 1992 年比利时站义举的崇高致敬。而当剧情触及利用故意撞车制造安全车,来为队友谋取利益的时,则又指向了 F1 近代史上最大的丑闻之一——2008 年的新加坡「撞车门」。

然而,以上所有的历史致敬,或许都只是前菜。影片真正的核心,被埋藏在了收官大战的最终结局里。

对于熟悉 F1 的车迷来说,影片的整个最后一幕,都可以被看作是制片人汉密尔顿,对自己职业生涯最大憾事——2021 年阿布扎比大奖赛——的一次重写。

▲ 2021 年阿布扎比大奖赛,汉密尔顿被维斯塔潘超越

在现实的 2021 年,一场极具争议的安全车流程让汉密尔顿错失总冠军。而在电影中,导演巧妙地用一次红旗中断了比赛。这不仅是规则上更清晰、在当时不少人看来也更公平的选择,更重要的是,它启动了一条关键规则:

在红旗期间,车队可以修复受损的赛车。这让主角本已无望的比赛,重新燃起了生机。

更关键的「重写」在于轮胎。红旗让主角有机会换上了一套全新的轮胎,与他的对手站在了同一起跑线上。这直接改写了 2021 年汉密尔顿在现实中的绝境——当时他正驾驶着衰退严重的旧轮胎,无助地面对身后换上新胎、势不可挡的维斯塔潘。

电影,最终给予了现实中未能发生的、一场堂堂正正的公平对决。

正是这些密集的彩蛋,让《F1》彻底超越了一部普通体育电影的范畴。它不仅仅是对于一项运动的展示,而是一次来自围场内的、与 F1 真实历史和忠实车迷的对话。

▲ 电影中的斯泰纳

对于懂得这一切的观众而言,影片带来的已不仅仅是娱乐,更是一种混杂着遗憾、理解与理想主义的复杂回味。

好莱坞,前所未有地专业

如果说片中的彩蛋,是影片献给忠实车迷的加密私信,那么在叙事层面,《F1》则回归到一个更普世的经典框架,并试图以此与最广泛的观众达成共情。

影片的故事内核,是我们熟悉的「老将复出,指导天才新人」的体育电影叙事模型。而它的高明之处,恰恰在于对这个经典模型的再创造。

影片中,主角桑尼与新人皮尔斯的核心冲突,并非流于表面的嫉妒或个人恩怨,而是一场深刻的、关于「如何赢得比赛」的理念碰撞。

桑尼,是模拟时代前的「直觉派」代表,他依赖身体的本能反馈、轮胎抓地力的细微感受和数十年积累的临场经验。而皮尔斯,则是被海量遥测数据和赛车模拟器「喂养」长大的「数据派」原住民,他相信科学分析与精确执行。

两个人物之间的戏剧张力完全来自于赛车运动本身——是经验重要还是数据重要?

当然,在整体的高度真实面前,影片也为大众观众的理解和叙事节奏,做出了一些必要的妥协。比如,片中出现了领跑赛车开启 DRS,以及主角在排位赛后顶替队友出赛等场景,这些在真实的 F1 体育规则中都是不被允许的。

但这些无伤大雅的微小让步,完全可以被理解为创作者为了确保戏剧冲突的流畅,而有意为之的简化,瑕不掩瑜。

当物理层面的极致真实、文化层面的深度共鸣、以及叙事层面的真诚克制这三者合而为一,一部真正伟大的体育电影便由此诞生。它用近乎工匠的精神证明了,在 CG 泛滥的时代,源自物理世界的真实感依然拥有最震撼人心的力量。

不过,现实往往比艺术更加梦幻。

就在昨晚(7 月 6 日)的 F1 英国大奖赛上,索博车队 37 岁的德国老将尼科·霍肯伯格,在历经 239 场大奖赛、等待了整整十五年后,奇迹般地首次登上领奖台。

当他在雨中说出那句「等待这一刻已经很久了」时,全世界的观众,都仿佛看到了电影里桑尼·海耶斯的影子。

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Veterans Affairs Dept. Scales Back Plans for Job Cuts

8 July 2025 at 08:58
The department abandoned its previous plan to cut 80,000 workers, saying it expected a reduction of around 30,000 jobs by the end of September.

© Jason Andrew for The New York Times

The Department of Veterans Affairs building in Washington.

20250708

8 July 2025 at 09:09

典范条目

王储号战列舰是四艘国王级战列舰的最后一艘舰,曾在第一次世界大战期间服役于德意志帝国海军。该舰于1914年2月21日下水,于1914年11月8日正式编入公海舰队。它是为向普鲁士王储威廉致敬而命名。舰只在五座双联装炮塔中装备有十门305毫米50倍径速射炮,最高航速为21节。王储号参与了日德兰海战阿尔比恩行动。1919年6月21日,海军少将路德维希·冯·罗伊特作为被扣押的舰队指挥官,下令將己方舰队全数凿沉,以确保英国无法强占舰只。

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被害妄想是一种在没有客观依据的情况下,坚信自己正遭受他人或群体恶意迫害的错误信念。不同个体的妄想内容具有较大差异,其内容可从相对合理的猜疑,到完全脱离现实的荒诞想法。被害妄想是最常见的妄想类型,与其他妄想类型相比,被害妄想更可能将妄想付诸行动,如因恐惧而拒绝出门,或感到威胁而做出暴力行为。此外被害妄想也常伴焦虑、抑郁、自卑乃至自杀意念等症状。

每日图片

  • 荷蘭聖安東尼教堂(St.-Antonius-Kathedrale),正面上方矗立著一尊聖人雕像,她的雙手分別握著十字架及聖體杯(ciborium),雕像下方寫著:“A.D. MDCCCXXXVII”,意指1837年,該教堂建造的​​年份。
    荷蘭聖安東尼教堂(St.-Antonius-Kathedrale),正面上方矗立著一尊聖人雕像,她的雙手分別握著十字架及聖體杯(ciborium),雕像下方寫著:“A.D. MDCCCXXXVII”,意指1837年,該教堂建造的​​年份。

历史上的今天

7月8日

1709年
俄羅斯沙皇彼得一世率領的軍隊在波爾塔瓦會戰(圖)中擊敗瑞典國王查理十二世的軍隊。
1758年
新法蘭西總司令蒙卡爾姆鐘琴堡戰役中擊垮一支具有五倍人數優勢的英軍部隊。
1853年
美國海軍准將马休·佩里率領四艘黑船停靠日本浦賀,遞交國書迫使江戶幕府結束鎖國
1889年
美國道瓊斯公司紐約創辦的《華爾街日報》首次發行,後來成為發行量最大的報紙之一。
1947年
多家新聞媒體報導美國陸軍航空軍新墨西哥州罗斯威尔尋獲墜毀飛碟的碎片。

Planned Parenthood Wins a Temporary Injunction Over Medicaid Funding

8 July 2025 at 07:14
The nonprofit is challenging a new law that bars its clinics from receiving federal money for any treatment, including birth control and checkups.

© Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times

The lawsuit argues that the law is intended to target Planned Parenthood for its advocacy of abortion rights, violating the group’s freedom of speech.

I.R.S. Says Churches Can Endorse Candidates From the Pulpit

8 July 2025 at 09:05
In a court filing, the tax agency said a decades-old ban on campaigning by tax-exempt groups should not apply to houses of worship speaking to their own members.

© Kenny Holston/The New York Times

An attendee waiting for Donald J. Trump to arrive at a religious gathering in Washington in 2023. Mr. Trump has repeatedly called for the repeal of a ban on campaigning by nonprofits.

TSA to End Shoe Removal Requirement at Airport Security Checkpoints

8 July 2025 at 08:52
Most passengers had been required to remove their footwear at checkpoints since 2006, a policy later eased only for members of trusted traveler programs.

© Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

The Transportation Security Administration is no longer requiring all travelers to take off their shoes at airport checkpoints.

20250708

8 July 2025 at 08:17

From today's featured article

14th-century depiction of Edgar
14th-century depiction of Edgar

Edgar (c. 944 – 8 July 975) was King of the English from 959 until his death. He mainly followed the political policies of his predecessors but made major changes in the religious sphere, with the English Benedictine Reform becoming a dominant religious and social force. His major administrative reform was the introduction of a standardised coinage, and he issued legislative codes concentrated on improving the enforcement of the law. After his death, the throne was disputed between the supporters of his two surviving sons; Edward the Martyr was chosen with the support of Dunstan, the archbishop of Canterbury. Chroniclers presented Edgar's reign as a golden age when England was free from external attacks and internal disorder. Modern historians see Edgar's reign as the pinnacle of Anglo-Saxon culture but disagree about his political legacy, and some see the disorders following his death as a natural reaction to his overbearing control. (Full article...)

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Red Fićo monument
Red Fićo monument

In the news

Flooding near Hunt, Texas
Flooding near Hunt, Texas

On this day

July 8

Players during the Agony of Mineirão
Players during the Agony of Mineirão
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Today's featured picture

The Gross Clinic

The Gross Clinic is an 1875 oil-on-canvas painting by the American artist Thomas Eakins. It measures 8 ft by 6.5 ft (240 cm by 200 cm). The painting depicts Samuel D. Gross (July 8, 1805 – May 6, 1884), a seventy-year-old American medical professor, dressed in a black frock coat and lecturing a group of Jefferson Medical College students in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The painting is based on a surgery, witnessed by Eakins, in which Gross treated a young man for an infected femur. Gross is pictured here performing a conservative operation, as opposed to the amputation normally carried out at the time. Eakins included a self-portrait in the form of a student with a white cuffed sleeve sketching or writing, at the left-hand side of the painting, next to the tunnel railing. The Gross Clinic has been restored three times, most recently in 2010, and is currently in the collection of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Painting credit: Thomas Eakins

Trump Looks to Avoid Casting Blame in Texas Flood as Democrats Question Cuts

8 July 2025 at 08:12
The White House rebuked critics for raising questions about the administration’s efforts to shrink federal agencies that deal with disaster preparedness and response.

© Carter Johnston for The New York Times

Debris from flash flooding in Kerrville, Texas, on Sunday.

Three Big Questions After the Texas Floods

8 July 2025 at 07:26
The Trump administration and its predecessors will face scrutiny over the disaster that has killed more than 100 people.

© Carter Johnston for The New York Times

Flood damage along the dam that feeds into Ingram, Texas, on Saturday.

中国稀土开采的沉重代价:环境污染、民众健康受损

8 July 2025 at 07:50

简繁中文
纽约时报 出版语言
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中国稀土开采的沉重代价:环境污染、民众健康受损

KEITH BRADSHER
据中国学者发表的学术论文,这个人工泥浆湖被铅、镉,以及其他重金属(包括微量的放射性元素钍)污染。
据中国学者发表的学术论文,这个人工泥浆湖被铅、镉,以及其他重金属(包括微量的放射性元素钍)污染。 The New York Times
中国掌控着全球稀土金属开采和精炼的绝对主导权,尤其在数种关键稀土品类上近乎垄断。这一优势使中国政府扼住了全球贸易的战略咽喉。
但在中国北方,几十年的稀土精炼产生的废弃物倾倒在一个面积达11平方公里的人工湖里。在中南部,稀土矿的开采已导致几十个绿意盎然的山谷被污染,山坡被挖到只剩下贫瘠的红土。
中国为获得稀土行业主导地位付出了沉重代价,多年来,政府在很大程度上容许了严重的环境破坏。相比之下,工业化国家的监管更为严格,早在20世纪90年代就不再接受稀土生产造成的哪怕是有限的环境损害,导致中国以外的稀土矿和加工厂关闭。
中国稀土生产污染最严重的地方当属包头及其周边地区。包头位于内蒙古,是一座拥有200万人口的工业城市,它地势平坦,北接戈壁滩。包头自诩为世界稀土之都,但几十年的稀土生产监管不力让这座城市及其人民深受其害。
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一个被称为“尾矿库”的人工泥浆湖占地达11平方公里,里面堆存的是把金属从矿石中提取出来后余留下来的废渣。泥浆在冬天和春天变干,导致湖面上飘扬着含有铅、镉以及其他重金属粉尘,据中国学者发表的学术论文,其中包括微量放射性元素钍。
在夏天的雨季,泥浆湖面变成了一层包含有毒物质和放射性钍的积水。这种危险的混合液体从湖底渗漏到地下水层。
该尾矿库在黄河以北10多公里的地方,建于20世纪50年代,修建时湖底没有铺设厚厚的环保防渗层,这种防渗层在20世纪70年代成为了西方国家的行业规范。包头尾矿库面积巨大,重新铺设防渗层不是容易的事情。
政府的环境整治努力帮助缓解了稀土行业的部分健康和安全风险。但中国的学者和其他专家警告说,多年来的不良做法和监管不力带来的环境损害依然存在。
“离尾矿库越近,污染越严重,环境和生态风险越高,”内蒙古科技大学的学者在今年1月发表的一篇研究论文中指出。
位于北京的部级研究机构中国科学院的研究人员去年在一篇研究论文中也发出过类似的警告,称包头地区存在“严重的空气和尾矿库污染”。
包头市生态环境局负责辐射安全监管的办公室曾在2009年警告说,在包头市以北约130公里、位于戈壁滩的白云鄂博矿(这里生产铁矿和稀土元素矿),矿石中的放射性钍“以废渣、废水和粉尘的形式排放到环境中”。一篇2003年的论文发现,受稀土工业环境污染的影响,包头市儿童中存在智力发育迟缓的问题。另一篇发表在2017年的论文发现,包头儿童的尿液中稀土元素的含量仍高达可能对健康有害的水平。
包头钢厂和稀土提炼厂附近的一条土路,摄于2010年10月。
包头钢厂和稀土提炼厂附近的一条土路,摄于2010年10月。 The New York Times
白云鄂博矿是一个巨大的露天矿,该矿生产中国的绝大部分轻稀土,例如用于炼油的镧,以及中国的大部分中稀土,例如战斗机和导弹磁体用。中国在与美国和欧盟的贸易争端中,自今年4月起全面停止钐的出口,并对重稀土的出口进行限制。中国的重稀土矿位于中南部的龙南地区。
政府在2010年、2011年开始进行环境整改之前,中国中南部的许多非法矿山曾把含有酸和氨的废水排入小溪,给附近的稻田造成了严重污染。
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中国领导人们十多年来一直在努力对稀土行业进行环境整改,已经投入了上百亿人民币。
“一些地方因为稀土的过度开采,还造成山体滑坡、河道堵塞、突发性环境污染事件,甚至造成重大事故灾难,给公众的生命健康和生态环境带来重大损失,”中国国务院曾在2012年发布的稀土状况与政策》白皮书中这样写道。
曾在2010年去包头那个尾矿库做实地探访,将库区围起来的不过是一条用土堆成的护坡道。尾矿库的北边是稀土精炼厂,工厂的设施那时很简陋,工人们搅拌着大桶里的东西。据中国专家当时的说法,附近的一个居民区有很高的污染致病率。包头也笼罩在雾霾之中,空气里有略带金属感的刺鼻气味。
工人们为包头的钢厂和稀土提炼厂修建排放废料的管道,一名牧羊人从他们前边走过,摄于2010年10月。
工人们为包头的钢厂和稀土提炼厂修建排放废料的管道,一名牧羊人从他们前边走过,摄于2010年10月。 The New York Times
如今环境整改已取得了一些看得见的进展。我今年6月初回到那里时看到,护坡道已明显地用石头进行了加固。护坡道的外边还修了一条用混凝土围筑的护城河,能堵住从护坡道里渗漏出来的泥浆。
附近的居民区已迁到了包头市污染较少的地方。取而代之的是用钢墙修建的工棚。周围没有多少人。雾霾也消失了,空气的气味清新。
尾矿库的粉尘问题更难解决。稀土的提取需要用酸来将其从自然界的化合物状态中分离出来。这个过程几乎不可避免地将放射性钍释放出来。包头的工厂几十年来一直将钍直接倾倒在尾矿库里,而不是像西方国家那样,将其储存在专门地点。
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内蒙古政府虽然已在2015年宣布,精炼厂已开始在排入尾矿库之前对废料进行处理,但没有具体说明钍的处置方案。
苏联时代,爱沙尼亚一家稀土加工厂尾矿库的含钍尘埃曾飘越过斯堪的纳维亚半岛。1991年苏联解体后不久,欧盟耗资近10亿欧元,在老库邻近建了一个有三米厚混凝土墙的新库,将泥浆从老库转运到新库,然后用了一个九米厚的泥土层将其覆盖起来。
包头尾矿库存放的泥浆量比任何地方的都多,因为里面除了稀土加工产生的废水,还有数量巨大的铁矿石加工废渣。任何将泥浆搬到别的地方储存的努力将面临巨大的组织工作挑战,我6月份去那里时,完全没有看到任何清运尝试。
江西龙南市郊区一座正在开采的重稀土矿,摄于今年4月。
江西龙南市郊区一座正在开采的重稀土矿,摄于今年4月。 Keith Bradsher / The New York Times
但就在持续推进环境整治的同时,中国当局已在越来越严格地审查有关稀土行业污染的讨论。中国官媒十多年前曾报道,稀土工业产生的粉尘污染导致羊等牲畜死亡,包头附近的数千亩草原被禁止放牧。但如今在中国境内的网上,几乎找不到任何有关上述事件的报道。
对包头稀土行业的监管颇为复杂。中国的污染监管主要由省级政府负责,对包头来说是内蒙古自治区政府。
但内蒙古自治区政府也是包钢集团的拥有者,这家矿业和化工巨头经营着白云鄂博矿、钢铁厂,以及包头的大部分稀土精炼厂。从毛泽东时代以来,包钢一直是中国军工产业的重要支柱。包头博物馆自豪地宣称,包钢曾在20世纪50年代为中国的坦克和大炮生产了大量钢材。
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今年6月初去包头时,我和两名同事在公路上被八辆里面坐有警察和包钢保安的车拦截。我们被带上一辆警车,然后被带到包钢总部的一个警卫室。我们在那里被扣留了两个小时,经进一步盘问才被释放,警卫室外面当时有21辆警车和当地官员的汽车。我们被告知尾矿库是“包钢集团的商业秘密”。
那里一名自称在包钢稀土子公司工作,但没有透露姓名的女士说,包钢拒绝对本文置评。
我今年4月去龙南附近生产重稀土的主要山谷走访时,也看到了环境改善的些许迹象。
在一个位于最大矿场边的小尾矿池可以看出池内壁上有黑色内衬,似乎是一种控制污染的尝试。
但一条从山谷流出、途径几座更小矿场的小溪是鲜橙色的,里面冒着神秘的水泡。

Li You对本文有研究贡献。

Keith Bradsher是《纽约时报》北京分社社长,此前曾任上海分社社长、香港分社社长、底特律分社社长,以及华盛顿记者。他在新冠疫情期间常驻中国进行报道。

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A Day Before Trial, Alleged Accomplice of Alexander Brothers Is Cleared

8 July 2025 at 07:24
Ohad Fisherman had been charged with sexual battery along with Oren and Alon Alexander stemming from an alleged 2016 assault.

© Pool photo by Al Diaz

Ohad Fisherman, a Miami broker and friend of the Alexander family, was accused of holding a woman down while Oren and Alon Alexander assaulted her. He had maintained his innocence.

How King Charles is helping to 'reinvigorate' the shaken UK-France friendship

8 July 2025 at 07:01
BBC Treated image of King Charles and Emmanuel Macron.BBC

Few scenes convey British pomp and soft power more than the King and Queen in a carriage procession through the picturesque streets of Windsor. They are being joined on Tuesday by Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron for the first state visit by a French president since 2008, and the first by a European Union leader since Brexit.

The Prince and Princess of Wales will be there too — a Royal Salute will be fired and Macron will inspect a guard of honour. But at a time of jeopardy in Europe, this three-day visit to Windsor and London promises much more than ceremony.

There is a genuine hope that the coming days will make a difference to both countries.

Getty Images Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer meets with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz onboard a train to the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, where all three were due to hold meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky Getty Images
Macron and Starmer joined the German chancellor on a train ride to Kyiv recently, sending a powerful message of support for Ukraine at a time when US commitment appeared to be flagging

Macron will address MPs and peers at Westminster, and he and Brigitte will be treated to a state banquet back at Windsor. The trip will culminate with a UK-France summit, co-chaired by Sir Keir Starmer and Macron, during which the two governments hope to reach an agreement on the return of irregular migrants.

They will also host Ukraine's leader by video as they try to maintain arms supplies to his military.

But the wider question is how closely aligned they can really become, and whether they can put any lingering mistrust after Brexit behind them.

And, given that the trip will involve much pageantry — with the tour moving from the streets of Windsor, the quadrangle of the Castle and later to the Royal Gallery of the Palace of Westminster — how crucial is King Charles III's role in this diplomacy?

Resetting a 'unique partnership'

It was less than two months ago that the UK and EU agreed to "reset" relations in London. Ties with France in particular had warmed considerably, driven partly by personal understanding but also strategic necessity.

The two neighbours have much in common: they are both nuclear powers and members of the United Nations Security Council.

They are also both looking to update a 15-year-old defence pact known as the Lancaster House treaties, which established a 10,000-strong Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (CJEF), and they have recently been working on broadening it to include other Nato and European countries.

Getty Images Keir Starmer is greeted by Emmanuel Macron ahead of the 'Coalition Of The Willing' summit in support of Ukraine at Elysee Palace on 27 March 2025 in Paris, France.Getty Images
Macron has seen much of Sir Keir lately at summits in London, Canada and The Hague — and Starmer has visited France five times since becoming PM

"It has always been a unique partnership," says former French ambassador to the UK Sylvie Bermann. "I think this partnership will be crucial in the future."

All of this is unlikely to escape the notice of US President Donald Trump, who is also promised a state visit, his second to the UK, probably in September.

King Charles is 'more than a figurehead'

King Charles, who is 76, has already navigated some complex royal diplomacy this year.

Macron was the first European leader to visit Trump in the White House in February, but it was Sir Keir who stole the show days later, handing him a personal invitation from the King.

Then, when Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky returned to Europe fresh from a bruising meeting with Trump at the White House in February, it was King Charles who welcomed him to Sandringham, and then met him again at Windsor in June.

He has spoken in the past of the heroism of Ukrainians in the face of "indescribable aggression".

Even before ascending the throne, King Charles amassed decades of experience in international affairs (he is also fluent in French). He was only 21 when he attended the funeral in 1970 of Charles de Gaulle, the wartime general who became the architect of France's current Fifth Republic.

He went on to become the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history, and now he is King he has weekly audiences with the prime minister. "The choreography is a strange dance, I suspect, between Number Ten and the Palace," says royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams.

"There's no doubt at all that Charles is considerably more than a figurehead."

Getty Images The Shah of Iran, Prince Charles and Prince Harald of Norway attend Mass for General de Gaulle at Notre Dame, on 13 November 1970 in Paris, France.Getty Images
King Charles at 21, attending the Mass for Charles de Gaulle in Paris

Windsor Castle, which dates back to the first Norman king, William the Conqueror, has hosted French presidents before. But there is a quiet significance in the appearance of the Prince and Princess of Wales in welcoming Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron, as Catherine recovers from treatment for cancer.

Between them, the King and Macron have played their part in resetting relations between the two neighbours, and by extension with the European Union too.

The King is a francophile, says Marc Roche, a columnist and royal commentator for French media: "He has always had a good relationship with France."

A year after the death of Queen Elizabeth II, it was France that King Charles and Queen Camilla chose for their first state visit in September 2023.

AFP via Getty Images Queen Camilla plays table tennis, next to King Charles III and Brigitte Macron, during a visit to the Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris, on 21 September 2023.AFP via Getty Images
Queen Camilla played table tennis at a sports centre in Paris with Brigitte Macron

Macron had reminded the world in 2022 that the late Queen had "climbed the stairs of the Élysée Palace" six times — more than any other foreign sovereign. His words were warmly received in the UK.

The King received a standing ovation after an address in French to the Senate, and the Queen played table tennis at a sports centre with Brigitte Macron. France's first lady has since visited her in London for a cross-Channel book award.

Gentle touches they may have been, but it followed a very rough period in Franco-British relations.

Brexit negotiations soured relations

The mood had soured during negotiations over Brexit, which the French president said was based on a lie.

Then four years ago, Australia pulled out of a deal to buy 12 French submarines and signed a defence pact with the UK and US instead. The French foreign minister called it a "stab in the back".

Boris Johnson, who was prime minister at the time, told the French they should "prenez un grip" and "donnez-moi un break".

Getty Images Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron point at each other on 18 June 2020 in London, England.Getty Images
French-British relations soured during negotiations over Brexit, which Macron (pictured with Johnson in 2020) said was based on a lie

It had been Macron's idea for a European Political Community (EPC) in 2022 that brought the UK into a broad group of countries all seeking to respond to Russia's full-scale invasion.

In 2023 the then-Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, sought to turn the page on several years of frosty relations at a Franco-British summit in Paris.

British and French prime ministers have come and gone: the UK had three in 2022, and last year France had four. It was Sunak's team that organised last year's EPC summit at Blenheim, but it was Starmer as new prime minister who chaired it.

Sébastien Maillard, who helped advise the French presidency in setting up the EPC, said he believed "on both sides there is still a lack of trust… The memory of these difficult times has not vanished".

"Trust needs time to build and perhaps the Russian threat, support for Ukraine and how to handle Trump are three compelling reasons to rebuild that trust," says Maillard, who is now at the Chatham House think tank.

Susi Dennison, of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Paris, agrees relations with France are not back to pre-Brexit levels, but suggests some things the UK and France are "bickering" about were being argued over even before the Brexit vote.

For Macron, this is a chance to not only improve the relationship but also to shine on the international stage when his popularity at home has sunk, Mr Roche believes. "It's a very important visit, especially the first day, because the French are fascinated by the Royal Family."

After eight years in power, Macron's second term still has almost two years to run, but he has paid the price politically for calling snap elections last year and losing his government's majority. His prime minister, François Bayrou, faces a monumental task in the coming months in steering next year's budget past France's left-wing and far-right parties.

As president, Macron's powers - his domaine réservé - cover foreign policy, defence and security, but traditionally France's prime minister does not travel with the head of state, so Macron comes to the UK with a team of ministers who will handle far more than international affairs.

The difficult question of migration

During the summit, the two teams will also work on nuclear energy, artificial intelligence and cultural ties. Differences still have to be sorted over "post-Brexit mobility" for students and other young people, and France is expected to push the Starmer government on that.

But most of the headlines on Thursday's UK-France summit will cover the two main issues: defence and migration.

Defending Ukraine will take pride of place. An Élysée Palace source said it would discuss "how to seriously maintain Ukraine's combat capability" and regenerate its military.

"On defence our relationship is closer than any other countries," says former ambassador Sylvie Bermann. "We have to prepare for the future… to strengthen the deterrence of Europe."

And if a ceasefire were agreed in Ukraine, the two countries could provide the backbone of the "reassurance force" being proposed by the "coalition of the willing". Sir Keir and Macron have played a prominent part in forming this coalition, but so too have the military chiefs of staff of both countries.

Migration is the stickiest problem the two countries face, however. How they deal with their differences on it — particularly on small boats — is crucial to their future relationship.

They are especially keen to sign an agreement on migrant returns and on French police stopping people boarding "taxi boats" to cross the Channel.

Getty Images French Police enter the water to try and stop migrants boarding small boats that had come to collect them from further down the coastline on 13 June 2025 in Gravelines, France.Getty Images
Both countries want to sign an agreement on migrant returns. More than 20,000 people have arrived in the UK in small boats in the first six months of 2025

France has long argued that the UK has to address the "pull factors" that drive people to want to risk their lives on the boats — the UK, for its part, already pays for many of the 1,200 French gendarmes to patrol France's long northern coastline to stop the smugglers' boats.

The countries are believed to have been working on the terms of a "one-in, one-out" agreement, so that for every small-boat arrival in the UK that France takes back, the UK would allow in one asylum seeker from France seeking family reunification.

Several countries on the southern coasts of Europe are unimpressed because it could mean France sending those asylum seekers handed back by the UK on to their country of entry into the EU, bordering the Mediterranean.

In the UK, the opposition Conservatives have branded the idea "pathetic", accusing the government of a "national record - for failure" on curbing small-boat crossings.

And yet every country in Europe is looking for a way to cut illegal border crossings. Meghan Benton, of the Migration Policy Institute, believes a Franco-British deal could work as a possible pilot for the rest of Europe: "What works for the Channel could also work for the Mediterranean."

Getty Images Macron and King Charles toast glasses, while looking happy and wearing black tie outfitsGetty Images
King Charles previously called on France and the UK to find common ground "to reinvigorate our friendship"

Any agreement on this tricky issue could also signal a real, practical improvement in the countries' political relationship. France's right-wing Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau, has already been working with Labour's Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to try to find a workable solution.

How far they get, and its wider impact on Europe, is still to be decided, but it does reflect a new willingness between the two neighbours to tackle the divisions between them.

Boris Johnson once accused France of wanting to punish the UK for Brexit. That difficult chapter appears to be over.

As Susi Dennison puts it: "There's a certain distance that will always be there, but things are operating quite well."

During King Charles' 2023 state visit to France he called on the two countries to find common ground, "to reinvigorate our friendship to ensure it is fit for the challenge of this, the 21st Century".

And so this visit will help show — both in the relationships between individuals and on concrete policy debates — whether his call has been answered.

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Why don't we trust technology in sport?

8 July 2025 at 05:15

Why don't we trust technology in sport?

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova shows her frustration at WimbledonImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova lost a replayed point after the electronic line judge did not call a shot from her opponent out

  • Published

For a few minutes on Sunday afternoon, Wimbledon's Centre Court became the perfect encapsulation of the current tensions between humans and machines.

When Britain's Sonay Kartal hit a backhand long on a crucial point, her opponent Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova knew it had landed out. She said the umpire did too. Television replays proved it.

But the electronic line-calling system - which means humans have been fully replaced this year following earlier trials - remained silent.

Minutes ticked by. The human umpire eventually declared the point should be replayed.

This time Pavlyuchenkova lost it. She went on to win the match but, in that moment, she told the umpire the game had been 'stolen' from her. She wondered aloud if it might be because Kartal was British.

It later emerged the reason was a more mundane, but still quintessentially human reason: someone had accidentally switched the line judge off.

That simple explanation hasn't stopped disgruntled discussions that - unlike strawberries, Pimm's and tantrums - the tech does not deserve a place among Wimbledon traditions.

John McEnroe might have been a lot less famous in his prime if he hadn't had any human judges to yell at.

More recently, Britain's Emma Raducanu expressed "disappointment" with the new technology after querying its decisions during her match on Friday

Former Wimbledon champion Pat Cash disagrees.

"The electronic line-calling is definitely better than the human eye," he told the BBC.

"I have always been for it, since day one. Computer errors will come at times, but generally speaking, the players are happy with it.

"There have been a lot of conversations with players and coaches about the line-calling not being 100% this week. But it is still better than humans."

He's right: the tech is demonstrably more accurate than the human eye across various sports. Diego Maradona's notorious 'Hand of God' goal at the 1986 World Cup would probably not have got past artificial intelligence.

Wimbledon's electronic line-calling (ELC) system has been developed by the firm Hawk-Eye.

It uses 12 cameras to track balls across each court and also monitors the feet of players as they serve. The data is analysed in real time with the help of AI, and the whole thing is managed by a team of 50 human operators.

ELC has a rotation of 24 different human voices to announce its decisions, recorded by various tennis club members and tour guides.

It may use artificial intelligence to analyse the footage, but the All England Lawn Tennis Club says AI is not used to directly officiate. The club also says it remains confident in the tech, and CEO Sally Bolton told the BBC she believes it's the best in the business.

"We have the most accurate officiating we could possibly have here," she said.

However, following Sunday's incident, it can now no longer be manually deactivated.

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Media caption,

Tennis losing it's charm because of technology - Pavlyuchenkova

So why don't we trust this kind of tech more?

One reason is a collectively very strong, in-built sense of "fairness", argues Professor Gina Neff from Cambridge University.

"Right now, in many areas where AI is touching our lives, we feel like humans understand the context much better than the machine," she said.

"The machine makes decisions based on the set of rules it's been programmed to adjudicate. But people are really good at including multiple values and outside considerations as well - what's the right call might not feel like the fair call."

Prof Neff believes that to frame the debate as whether humans or machines are "better" isn't fair either.

"It's the intersection between people and systems that we have to get right," she said.

"We have to use the best of both to get the best decisions."

Human oversight is a foundation stone of what is known as "responsible" AI. In other words, deploying the tech as fairly and safely as possible.

It means someone, somewhere, monitoring what the machines are doing.

Not that this is working very smoothly in football, where VAR - the video assistant referee - has long caused controversy.

It was, for example, officially declared to be a "significant human error" that resulted in VAR failing to rectify an incorrect decision by the referee when Tottenham played Liverpool in 2024, ruling a vital goal to be offside when it wasn't and unleashing a barrage of fury.

The Premier League said VAR was 96.4% accurate during "key match incidents" last season, although chief football officer Tony Scholes admitted "one single error can cost clubs". Norway is said to be on the verge of discontinuing it.

Despite human failings, a perceived lack of human control plays its part in our reticence to rely on tech in general, says entrepreneur Azeem Azhar, who writes the tech newsletter The Exponential View.

"We don't feel we have agency over its shape, nature and direction," he said in an interview with the World Economic Forum.

"When technology starts to change very rapidly, it forces us to change our own beliefs quite quickly because systems that we had used before don't work as well in the new world of this new technology."

Our sense of tech unease doesn't just apply to sport. The very first time I watched a demo of an early AI tool trained to spot early signs of cancer from scans, it was extremely good at it (this was a few years before today's NHS trials) - considerably more accurate than the human radiologists.

The issue, its developers told me, was that people being told they had cancer did not want to hear that a machine had diagnosed it. They wanted the opinion of human doctors, preferably several of them, to concur before they would accept it.

Similarly, autonomous cars - with no human driver at the wheel - have done millions of miles on the roads in countries like the US and China, and data shows they have statistically fewer accidents than humans. Yet a survey carried out by YouGov last year suggested 37% of Brits would feel "very unsafe" inside one.

I've been in several and while I didn't feel unsafe, I did - after the novelty had worn off - begin to feel a bit bored. And perhaps that is also at the heart of the debate about the use of tech in refereeing sport.

"What [sports organisers] are trying to achieve, and what they are achieving by using tech is perfection," says sports journalist Bill Elliott - editor at large of Golf Monthly.

"You can make an argument that perfection is better than imperfection but if life was perfect we'd all be bored to death. So it's a step forward and also a step sideways into a different kind of world - a perfect world - and then we are shocked when things go wrong."

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'It became pop culture': Inside the sleepy towns left reeling by the mushroom murders

8 July 2025 at 06:03
Watch: Australia’s mushroom murder case... in under two minutes

The winters in Victoria's Gippsland region are known for being chilly. Frost is a frequent visitor overnight, and the days are often overcast.

But in the small town of Korumburra - a part of Australia surrounded by low, rolling hills - it's not just the weather that's gloomy; the mood here is plainly subdued.

Korumburra is where all of Erin Patterson's victims made their home. Don and Gail Patterson, her in-laws, had lived there since 1984. They brought up their four children in the town of 5,000. Gail's sister Heather Wilkinson lived nearby - her husband Ian was the pastor at the local Baptist church.

The four were invited to Erin's house on 29 July 2023 for a family lunch that only Ian would survive, after a liver transplant and weeks in an induced coma.

And on Monday a jury rejected Erin's claim she accidentally served her guests toxic mushrooms, finding her guilty of three counts of murder and one of attempted murder.

Her 10-week trial caused a massive stir globally, but here in Korumburra they don't want to talk about it. They just want to return to their lives after what has been a difficult two years.

"It's not an easy thing to go through a grieving process... and it's particularly not easy when there's been so much attention," cattle farmer and councillor for the shire Nathan Hersey told the BBC.

"There's an opportunity now for a lot of people to be able to have some closure."

Reuters A road runs throught eh centre of a town with single storey buildings, which appear to be shops. White cars are parked along both sides, a church can be seen about half way down. Two men can be seen crossing about half way down the road. A green tree grows in the central reservationReuters
The small town of Korumburra was home to all Patterson's victims

The locals are fiercely loyal - he's one of the few people who is willing to explain what this ordeal has meant for the many in the region.

"It's the sort of place that you can be embraced in very quickly and made to feel you are part of it," he explains.

And those who died clearly helped build that environment.

Pretty much everyone of a certain generation in town was taught by former school teacher Don Patterson: "You'll hear a lot of people talk very fondly of Don, about the impact he had on them.

"He was a great teacher and a really engaging person as well."

And Mr Hersey says he has heard many, many tales of Heather and Gail's generosity and kindness.

Pinned to the Korumburra Baptist Church noticeboard is a short statement paying tribute to the trio, who were "very special people who loved God and loved to bless others".

"We all greatly miss Heather, Don and Gail whether we were friends for a short time or over 20 years," it read.

It's not just Korumburra that's been changed by the tragedy though.

A memorial plaque on the grave site for Don and Gail Patterson at the Korumburra General Cemetery, with pink and white flowers
The family were well-known in the community

This part of rural Victoria is dotted with small towns and hamlets, which may at first appear quite isolated.

The reality is they are held together by close ties - ties which this case has rattled.

In nearby Outtrim, the residents of Neilson Street – an unassuming gravel road host to a handful of houses – have been left reeling by the prosecution claim their gardens may have produced the murder weapon.

It was one of two locations where death cap mushrooms were sighted and posted on iNaturalist, a citizen science website. Pointing to cell phone tracking data, the prosecution alleged that Erin Patterson went to both to forage for the lethal fungi.

"Everyone knows somebody who has been affected by this case," Ian Thoms tells the BBC from his small farm on Nielson Street.

He rattles off his list. His son is a police detective. His wife works with the daughter of the only survivor Ian. His neighbour is good friends with "Funky Tom", the renowned mushroom expert called upon by the prosecution – who coincidentally was also the person who had posted the sighting of the fungi here.

Down the road another 15 minutes is Leongatha, where Erin Patterson's home sits among other sprawling properties on an unpaved lane.

She bought a plot of land here with a generous inheritance from her mother and built the house assuming she would live here forever.

It has been sitting empty for about 18 months, a sign on the gate telling trespassers to keep out. A neighbour's sheep intermittently drop by to mow the grass.

Getty Images A general view of the Korumburra general cemetery, with trees and rolling hills in the backgroundGetty Images

This week, the livestock was gone, and a black tarpaulin had been erected around the carport and the entrance to her house.

There's a sense of intrigue among some of the neighbours, but there's also a lot of weariness. Every day there are gawkers driving down the lane to see the place where the tragic meal happened. One neighbour even reckons she saw a tour bus trundle past the house.

"When you live in a local town you know names - it's been interesting to follow," says Emma Buckland, who stops to talk to us in the main street.

"It's bizarre," says her mother Gabrielle Stefani. "Nothing like that has [ever] happened so it's almost hard to believe."

The conversation turns to mushroom foraging.

"We grew up on the farm. Even on the front lawn there's always mushrooms and you know which ones you can and can't eat," says Ms Buckland. "That's something you've grown up knowing."

The town that's felt the impact of the case the most in recent months, though, is Morwell; the administrative capital of the City of Latrobe and where the trial has been heard.

Watch: CCTV and audio shown to court in mushroom trial

"We've seen Morwell, which is usually a pretty sleepy town, come to life," says local journalist Liam Durkin, sitting on a wall in front of Latrobe Valley courthouse.

He edits the weekly Latrobe Valley Express newspaper, whose offices are just around the corner.

"I never thought I'd be listening to fungi experts and the like for weeks on end but here we are," he says.

"I don't think there's ever been anything like this, and they may well never be in Morwell ever again."

While not remote by Australian standards, Morwell is still a two-hour drive from the country's second largest city, Melbourne. It feels far removed from the Victorian capital – and often forgotten.

Just a few months before that fateful lunch served up by Erin Patterson in July 2023, Morwell's paper mill - Australia's last manufacturer of white paper and the provider of many local jobs - shut down. Before that, many more people lost their jobs when a nearby power station closed down.

Older people here have struggled to find work; others have left to find more lucrative options in states like Queensland.

So locals say being thrust in the spotlight now is a bit bizarre.

Laura Heller has dark hair in bunches, is wearing a black top and has tattoos on both her upper arms. She is stood in what appears to be a cafe - a coffee machine can be seen behind her
Laura Heller says her town is used to crime - just not like this

In Jay Dees coffee shop, opposite the police station and the court, Laura Heller explains that she normally makes about 150 coffees a day. Recently it's almost double that.

"There's been a lot of mixed feelings about [the trial]," she says.

There's been a massive uptick for many businesses, but this case has also revived long-held division in the community when it comes to the police and justice systems, she explains.

"This town is affected by crime a lot, but it's a very different type of crime," Ms Heller says, mentioning drugs and youth offending as examples.

"Half the community don't really have much faith in the police force and our magistrates."

Back in Korumburra, what has been shaken is their faith in humanity. It feels like many people around the globe have lost sight of the fact that this headline-making, meme-generating crime left three people dead.

"Lives in our local community have changed forever," Mr Hersey says.

"But I would say for a lot of people, it's just become almost like pop culture."

Though the past two years has at times brought out the worst in the community, it's also shone a light on the best, he says.

"We want to be known as a community that has been strong and has supported one another... rather than a place that is known for what we now know was murder."

Additional reporting by Tiffanie Turnbull

Emergency alerts to be sent to UK smartphones

8 July 2025 at 05:30
Watch UK alert go off from a government test in 2023

The national system for sending emergency alerts to mobile phones in the UK will be tested again this September, the government has said.

It will see compatible phones vibrate and make a siren sound for 10 seconds while displaying a message at 15:00 BST on 7 September, even if they are set to silent.

The alerts are intended for situations in which there is an imminent danger to life, such as extreme weather events or during a terror attack.

Though the system has been deployed regionally five times in the past few years, a previous nationwide test in 2023 revealed technical issues - with some people receiving the alert earlier than expected and some not receiving it at all.

Many on the Three network did not get anything, along with users on other networks - while some received multiple alerts. The government later said the message did not reach around 7% of compatible devices.

The Cabinet Office said at the time that the problems uncovered would be reviewed and addressed ahead of another test.

It said September's test is intended to ensure the system works well and to make sure people are familiar with the alerts, in line with other countries that also use them, like the US and Japan.

Of the approximately 87 million mobile phones in the UK, the alert will only appear on smartphones on 4G or 5G networks. Older phones, and phones connected to 2G or 3G networks, will not receive the message.

Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden said: "Just like the fire alarm in your house, it's important we test the system so that we know it will work if we need it."

PA Media A mobile phone screen held in someone's hand displays a test emergency alert message.PA Media
A previous national test took place in April 2023

The system was used to send alerts to 4.5 million phones in Scotland and Northern Ireland during Storm Eowyn in January 2025, and 3.5 million in England and Wales during Storm Darragh the previous month.

It was also used to aid the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents in Plymouth as an unexploded 500kg World War Two bomb was carefully removed and taken out to sea to be detonated after being uncovered.

Tracey Lee, chief executive of Plymouth City Council, said it had been an "invaluable tool" and provided residents with "clear information at a critical moment".

While devices that are not connected to mobile data or wi-fi will still receive the alert, those that are switched off or in airplane mode will not.

Domestic abuse charities previously warned the system could endanger victims by potentially alerting an abuser to a hidden phone. The National Centre for Domestic Violence advised people with concealed phones to turn them off for the duration of the test.

The government stresses that emergency alerts should remain switched on, but has published a guide for domestic abuse victims on how to opt out.

The new test will also feature a version of the message in British Sign Language for deaf people.

Workplace misconduct and discrimination NDAs to be banned

8 July 2025 at 05:44
Getty Images A woman hands over a document in an office. She is wearing an orange shirt and has black, short hair. Getty Images

Employers will be banned from using non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) to silence victims of workplace sexual misconduct or discrimination, the government has said.

An amendment to the Employment Rights Bill, which is expected to become law later this year, will void any confidentiality agreements seeking to prevent workers from speaking about allegations of harassment or discrimination.

Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said it was "time we stamped this practice out".

The use of NDAs to cover up criminality has been in the headlines ever since Zelda Perkins, the former assistant to Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein, broke her NDA in 2017 to accuse him of sexual abuse.

More recently, the now deceased Mohamed Al Fayed, who used to own Harrods, was accused of deploying confidentiality clauses to silence women who accused him of rape and abuse.

An NDA is a legally binding document that protects confidential information between two parties. They can be used to protect intellectual property or other commercially sensitive information but over the years their uses have spread.

Ms Perkins began campaigning for a change in the law more than seven years ago.

She now runs the campaign group Can't Buy My Silence UK and said the amendment marked a ''huge milestone'' and that it showed the government had ''listened and understood the abuse of power taking place".

But she said the victory ''belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn't".

The change in the law would bring the UK in line with Ireland, the United States, and some provinces in Canada, which have banned such agreements from being used to prevent the disclosure of sexual harassment and discrimination.

Ms Perkins said that while the law was welcome, it was vital "to ensure the regulations are watertight and no one can be forced into silence again".

Employment rights minister Justin Madders said there was "misuse of NDAs to silence victims", which he called "an appalling practice".

"These amendments will give millions of workers confidence that inappropriate behaviour in the workplace will be dealt with, not hidden, allowing them to get on with building a prosperous and successful career," he added.

Peers will debate the amendments when the Employment Rights Bill returns to the House of Lords on 14 July and, if passed, will need to be approved by MPs as well.

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