Plus: AI could already be conscious. Are we ready for it? ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
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| Hello. Elon Musk leaves his role in the Trump administration on Friday, bowing out in a shower of Oval Office praise from US President Donald Trump. As artificial intelligence continues to advance, we speak to experts on the potential dangers it could pose if it gains sentience. And if you think you're good at spelling, watch the video of a 13-year-old take spelling bee victory and you might think again. Plus, test your news knowledge with our quiz of the week. | |
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TOP OF THE AGENDA | Trump says 'Elon is not really leaving' as Musk's White House role ends |
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| | Trump heaped praise on Musk as they appeared together in the Oval Office. Credit: Reuters | Elon Musk has said his departure from the US government "is not the end of Doge but really the beginning" and that the Department of Government Efficiency will continue cutting government spending. Praising the tech billionaire as the two men appeared alongside each other in the Oval Office, US President Donald Trump said he had a "feeling" that the SpaceX and Tesla owner "is not really leaving" but will be "back and forth". Musk added he would "continue to be visiting here and be a friend and advisor of the president". Musk's role was temporary and his exit is not unexpected, but it comes just days after he criticised the legislative centrepiece of President Trump's agenda on TV. |
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| China hits back as Trump claims truce violation | Washington and Beijing agreed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat tariffs but both sides are now alleging wrongdoing. | Who said what > |
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| Last hospital in North Gaza governorate evacuated | Al-Awda is now out of service after the Israeli military ordered its evacuation. Israel has not commented. | Read more > |
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| Taylor Swift buys back her master recordings | The singer now owns the rights to her first six albums, ending a long-running battle over the ownership of her music. | More on the row > |
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| Ryanair boss on target for bonus worth €100m | It comes after shares in the budget airline closed above €21 (£17.65; $23.86) for a 28th consecutive day on Thursday. | More on the payout > |
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| 'I left one conflict zone to enter another': Harvard's Jewish foreign students on Trump row | | Genia Lukin says she's confused and fearful about Trump's attacks on Harvard. Credit: BBC | Harvard University won a reprieve in its fight to enrol international students on Thursday, after the Trump administration appeared to walk back its initial decertification and a federal judge upheld a block on the government's order. The proposed ban on foreign students is one of several moves against the university by the Trump administration which claims it has allowed antisemitism to flourish. While the institution admitted some shortcomings, it says the president is trying to curtail its academic independence. |
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| | Nomia Iqbal, North America correspondent |
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| | If President Trump says he's punishing Harvard to protect Jewish students, not everybody is convinced. More than 2,000 Harvard students identify as Jewish, and for some of those from abroad, Trump's rhetoric has stirred fear and uncertainty. "I thought when I left Israel I was leaving a conflict zone," PhD student Genia Lukin, 41, tells me. It's foreign students like her that fear becoming collateral damage in Trump's crackdown.
The government's bid to end Harvard's international student programme contains no exceptions for Israelis or other international Jewish students. An order ostensibly designed to protect Jewish students like Genia appears to have put those from abroad in peril and has led to accusations that President Trump has politicised antisemitism. |
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PICK OF THE WEEK | AI could already be conscious. Are we ready for it? |
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| | In just a few years, we may well be living in a world populated by humanoid robots and deepfakes that seem conscious, one expert told the BBC. Credit: BBC | With a leap in the evolution of large language models, some leading thinkers believe that artificial intelligence (AI) could soon become sentient and are questioning whether we're ready for it. One of several concerns is that humans won't be able to resist believing that AI has feelings and empathy, which experts say could lead to new dangers. |
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SOMETHING DIFFERENT | What to watch in June | TV critic Caryn James recommends 10 series due for release next month. | |
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And finally... in the US | The 2025 Scripps National Spelling Bee has crowned a new winner in a redemption story. In 2024, Faizan Zaki lost to Sarvadnya Kadam during a tiebreaker rapid-elimination round. But this year the 13-year-old from Texas took the title over Kadam and eight other finalists by correctly spelling the French-derived word "éclaircissement". Watch how it happened. | |
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US Politics Unspun newsletter | No noise. No agenda. Just expert analysis of the issues that matter most, from North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher. | |
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MORE BBC NEWSLETTERS | | The Essential List: The best of the BBC, handpicked by our editors, in your inbox every Tuesday and Friday. Sign up. | | World of Business: Gain the leading edge with global insights for the boardroom and beyond, every Wednesday. Sign up. | | Tech Decoded: Get timely, trusted tech news direct to your inbox, every Monday and Friday. Sign up. | |
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