Breaking AI & Tech News Analyzed

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has reaffirmed its support for head coach Brendon McCullum and managing director of cricket Rob Key, despite the team's dismal 4-1 Ashes defeat in Australia. This decision, while potentially unpopular among fans, is seen as the right course of action by the ECB.According to Richard Gould, the ECB's chief executive, the board's choice to stick with McCullum and Key is guided by 'good judgment and objective views,' rather than public sentiment. Gould emphasized that the leadership duo has shown a willingness to 'adapt' and 'evolve' their approach in the wake of the Ashes debacle.The ECB's internal review of the Ashes series highlighted several key areas for improvement, including better use of the performance system, enhanced long-term planning, and a more professional culture within the senior men's setup. These findings were presented to the media in the form of two slides with bullet points.One of the major talking points from the review was the team's culture and environment, which came under scrutiny following a mid-Ashes break in Noosa that generated headlines about player behavior. The situation escalated when Harry Brook was disciplined for a drunken altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand.Gould described the incident as 'significantly unprofessional,' while Key noted that Brook was given a second chance due to his previous clean record and the decision to prioritize England commitments over the Indian Premier League.In response to these challenges, the team has introduced a midnight curfew to formalize McCullum's stance on the importance of rest and discipline. Key also highlighted the recent appointment of Troy Cooley to oversee fast-bowling development as a positive step forward.Looking ahead, Key emphasized that the team will not undergo a major philosophical shift under McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, who have different but complementary outlooks. The focus will be on refining their existing approach rather than implementing drastic changes.

Palantir, one of the world's biggest tech companies, has been accused of launching an intimidation campaign against a small Swiss magazine, Republik, after it published an investigative report on the company's activities in Switzerland.The report, which was a collaboration between Republik and the independent Swiss research collective WAV, alleged that Palantir had persistently courted Switzerland but had been rejected. The investigation found that Palantir had pitched itself to Switzerland's chancellor during the Covid-19 pandemic to help with data tracking, approached the Swiss army, and met Switzerland's then finance minister, Ueli Maurer.Palantir was not happy with the report and filed a lawsuit in a Swiss commercial court demanding that Republik print a detailed rebuttal. The company claims that the report paints a false and misleading narrative about Palantir and sets back important discourse on European software modernisation.The journalists behind the report say they had interviewed company executives and sent a full list of questions before publication, but that Palantir demanded they print a detailed rebuttal that went beyond the scope of their investigation. The lawsuit has sparked concerns about Palantir's tactics and the impact on journalism, with the European Federation of Journalists claiming that the legal action is an attempt at intimidation aimed at discouraging critical analysis of Palantir's activities."It does feel like an intimidation campaign," says Marguerite Meyer, a journalist who works with WAV. "However, we adhered to all journalistic standards, and had a thorough factcheck done. They are suing for an absurd list of changes."The investigation, which was published in December, gave an account of Palantir's years-long efforts to try to sell itself to the Swiss government. The journalists found that despite Palantir's efforts, no government contracts had been reported."We tried to find out, is there any kind of government agency that uses this software? I mean, they are in Switzerland, eventually some government official maybe thought they could use this Palantir," says Balz Oertli, who is also with WAV.The lawsuit has raised questions about Palantir's influence and the limits of journalistic scrutiny. Swiss law allows the subjects of a story to request a right of reply, but this has caveats: the right of reply has to be concise and stick to the facts of the story."This lawsuit for a right of reply is not about whether Republik was technically inaccurate or not. It is only about whether Palantir is allowed to place its view of the facts alongside that of Republik and whether Republik must publish it," says Dominique Strebel, an expert in media law and the editor-in-chief of Beobachter, another Swiss magazine.

The Kent meningitis outbreak may have reached its peak after only two new cases were reported on Friday. The UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed 18 cases and 11 probable cases, bringing the total to 29.Of the confirmed cases, 13 were meningitis B. The growth in cases may have slowed, but the situation remains serious, with all cases requiring hospital admission. As of 5 pm on Thursday, 2,360 vaccinations had been given and 9,840 doses of antibiotics handed out.Prof Robin May, the chief scientific officer of the UKHSA, said experts are working to understand if the meningitis B bug has become more transmissible. Initial genetic analysis suggests the Bexsero vaccine should provide protection against the type of MenB in this outbreak.The family of a teenager who died from the disease described their immeasurable loss. Juliette Kenny died on March 14, one day after developing symptoms. Her family is now campaigning for teenagers and young people to be routinely given access to the meningitis B vaccination.Experts believe that with an incubation period of up to 10 days, the peak from the initial super-spreading event will have already passed. However, secondary cases among people who did not attend the nightclub but caught it from someone who did are still possible.