A torrent of special pleas from Thames Water

Mega retention bonuses for executives, the risk of a hosepipe ban this summer, and a confession that the company came within five weeks of running out of money. Yes, it was more of the usual delights from Thames Water in front of the environment select committee on Tuesday.But the most overused phrase in the session was “turnaround regime”. This is the murky – or pragmatic, depending on your point of view – notion that Thames can win further big compromises from regulators to get its financial restructuring over the line. In short: special treatment

Dutch climate campaigners vow to take Shell to court again

Climate campaigners in the Netherlands have promised to take Shell to court for a second time to force the energy company to stop developing new oil and gas projects.In a letter to Shell, the Dutch climate non-profit Milieudefensie vowed to take legal action because the company has 700 oil and gas projects in development that will continue to drive up carbon emissions despite efforts to slow global heating.It revealed its plan to return to the Dutch courts six months after the oil company successfully overturned a ruling in favour of the green group that called on Shell to reduce its emissions.It is currently waiting for a ruling from the Netherlands supreme court on the case in which Milieudefensie argued that Shell should reduce its emissions by 45% in line with the Paris climate agreement.Donald Pols, the director of Milieudefensie, said the ruling late last year had prompted the group to “pick up the gauntlet and take Shell to court once again”

UK government to launch AI tool to speed up public consultations

An AI tool has been used to review public responses to a government consultation for the first time and is now set to be rolled out more widely in an effort to save money and staff time.The tool, named “Consult”, was first used by the Scottish government when it was seeking perspectives on the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures such as lip filler.The UK government said the tool analysed responses and was able to produce results identical to human officials, and will now be used to review responses from other consultations, while also being developed further.While reviewing more than 2,000 responses, Consult identified key themes, which were then checked and refined by experts in the Scottish government.The government built Consult to be among its new package of AI tools, nicknamed “Humphrey”, which they claim will “speed up work in Whitehall and cut back on consulting spending”

ChatGPT may be polite, but it’s not cooperating with you

After publishing my third book in early April, I kept encountering headlines that made me feel like the protagonist of some Black Mirror episode. “Vauhini Vara consulted ChatGPT to help craft her new book ‘Searches,’” one of them read. “To tell her own story, this acclaimed novelist turned to ChatGPT,” said another. “Vauhini Vara examines selfhood with assistance from ChatGPT,” went a third.The publications describing Searches this way were reputable and fact-based

Major League Baseball ends lifetime bans for Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson

Major League Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred announced on Tuesday that Pete Rose, ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson and other deceased players have been removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list. The decision clears the path for the sport’s all-time hits leader and the storied Chicago White Sox star to be considered for the Hall of Fame.Manfred ruled that MLB’s punishment of banned individuals ends upon their death. “Obviously, a person no longer with us cannot represent a threat to the integrity of the game,” Manfred wrote in a letter to attorney Jeffrey M Lenkov, who petitioned for Rose’s removal in January.ESPN was first to report the news of the commissioner’s historic decision

Bill Belichick insists girlfriend Jordon Hudson ‘doesn’t have anything to do with football’

North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick insists his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, is not a distraction and said he has addressed the relationship with his new team.The relationship between the 73-year-old Belichick and Hudson, who is 24, has attracted huge amounts of media attention as the coach prepares for his first season as a college head coach. Last week journalist Pablo Torre reported that Hudson had been barred from UNC’s football operations. Torre cited 11 sources, including two who claimed Hudson was specifically told she was “no longer allowed in the football building”. UNC later denied those reports and Belichick told ESPN on Tuesday that he had spoken to his players about the issue