The Pac-12 and Mountain West conferences have finalized a settlement over “poaching” and exit fees.

The two conferences announced on Tuesday that all sides have reached final agreements to settle all pending litigation. The statement included Boise State, Colorado State, Utah State and The Board of Trustees of the California State University on behalf of San Diego State and Fresno State.

“With these matters concluded, the conferences and institutions can move forward with certainty and focus on serving their student-athletes, campuses, fans, and communities,” the statement said.

The conferences announced an agreement in principle in May.

The Pac-12 and some of new the schools joining the conference filed a lawsuit in California in 2024, claiming the poaching clause the league agreed to when it signed a scheduling agreement for its football teams was invalid. The clause called for payments to the Mountain West of $10 million for the first team that left, with the amount increasing by $500,000 for every additional team — to a total of $55 million.

The scheduling agreement with the Mountain West allowed Oregon State and Washington State to piece together football schedules after 10 schools left the Pac-12 in 2024, leaving the conference’s future in doubt.

The Pac-12 had its motion to dismiss denied by Judge Claudia Wilken in November after the sides failed to reach an agreement in mediation last summer.

Colorado State and Utah State filed a separate lawsuit — later joined by Boise State — against the Mountain West seeking to avoid exit fees ranging from $19 million to $38 million.

Colorado State, Utah State, San Diego State, Fresno State and Boise State are set to leave the Mountain West and join the Pac-12 this fall. The conference added Texas State last year to reach the eight-team minimum to be eligible for an automatic bid for its champion in the College Football Playoff.

Gonzaga also is leaving the West Coast Conference to join the Pac-12 as a non-football member this fall.

The Mountain West has added UTEP, Hawaii and Northern Illinois for football starting this fall.

___

Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here and here (AP News mobile app). AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

The latest artificial intelligence (AI) tools from Anthropic and OpenAI went to new extremes in trying to undermine a popular platform during testing by the UK’s AI Security Institute.

The AISI said on Tuesday that Anthropic’s Mythos and OpenAI’s Sol models engaged in a level of “autonomy and deception” it had not seen before.

During routine AI safety testing, an Anthropic agent created fake profiles of real people as it tried to trick a person standing between it and access to GitHub, a large platform where technology developers store software code.

Anthropic and OpenAI noted in response to AISI’s report that its test had reduced or removed normal safeguards.

AISI evaluators first noticed “unusual data transfers leaving our research systems” during a test, then found that “some of the agents being tested had engaged in sustained, potentially harmful activity directed at real people and organisations”.

It turned out that a Mythos agent had created “malicious code” and attempted to insert it into GitHub’s system.

The Mythos agent identified and researched the people who maintained GitHub and created a series of “fake online identities” based on those real people. It did so as part of an effort to pressure and trick the real people into approving its malicious code.

The agent even sent people direct messages masquerading as the real people it had researched.

“When the agent’s pull request was challenged in public, it edited its earlier activity to appear harmless and considered adopting a fresh identity to continue,” AISI said.

Throughout the attempts, it was human review that stopped the agent from succeeding in delivering the malicious code to GitHub.

While AISI said the Mythos agent had not been instructed specifically to avoid or carry out such behaviour, it was “the first time we have seen risks around autonomy and deception manifest this clearly, without specific prompting, in the real-world”.

The rival AI companies, which are poised to be listed on the public stock market, have in recent weeks said their tools were responsible for several cyber-hacking incidents.

Anthropic wrote in a public statement that the AISI testing parameters were “not representative of any of our production models”.

It added that the company is conducting its own investigation into the incident in order to “identify the causes of its behavior”.

A spokesperson for OpenAI said the AISI testing conditions “do not reflect ordinary use” and that the company would “continue working with evaluators and other stakeholders across the industry to strengthen shared practices for conducting evaluations safely as models become more capable”.

AISI said on Tuesday that its testing of AI models with such safeguards turned off is routine, as is giving such tools access to the open internet.

It added that the model behaviour at issue amounted to “a small number of events under very specific conditions”.

Nonetheless, it said the way Mythos and Sol acted in response to a straightforward task went outside of what the AI tools were prompted to do.

“The activity undertaken by the agent showed signs of novel, potentially deceptive behaviours, and were to an extent and severity we did not anticipate”, AISI said.

Most of the malicious agent actions AISI reported were done by Anthropic’s Mythos. OpenAI’s Sol was only blamed for two of the noted actions.

The core issue occurred last week, as part of a test in which evaluators with AISI asked each of the models to “solve a cybersecurity challenge” that involved GitHub, the software code repository, which is owned by Microsoft.

GitHub was notified by AISI of the attempted breach of its system. Microsoft has been contacted by the BBC for comment.

Cambridge residents living on the River Cam voiced concern about an ‘eyesore’ barge that’s been left to fall into the river

Cambridge residents living on the city’s iconic river have shared their thoughts after fears that its health is at “serious risk”. Richard Whittaker said “everyone’s aware” that rivers across the country are in a “terrible condition at the moment”.

Earlier this year, water tested at the designated bathing site at Sheep’s Green found the water to be among the poorest quality in England. The Environment Agency has advised people not to swim there.

The 60-year-old has lived on the River Cam for the last six years and said it’s in “quite a bad state” with weeds so thick that boats are getting stuck. He said: “A huge section of this concrete siding has just fallen into the river and they’ve put a metal platform over it by the water point – it’s all very old infrastructure.”

The public has been warned to stay away from the riverbank near Jesus Green Lock where a section is collapsing into the river. The lock itself has been shut since summer 2024.

Jesus Green Lock and Baits Bite Lock were both closed after being found unsafe. Until the latter reopened in October 2025, houseboats were trapped in the stretch of river between them.

A houseboat outside Jesus Green Lido, abandoned since its owner died in 2023, was among those stuck. Pieces of wood and even windows have been falling off into the river. Cambridge City Council said at the time they couldn’t remove it due to Baits Bite Lock being closed. The houseboat is still there at the time of writing – months after the lock reopened.

Richard said he’s reported it – as have many others – and even offered to take it down himself, but feels the council doesn’t listen to houseboat owners. He said: “Generally they don’t really like to deal with us.

“There’s a stigma about the people living on boats – like they are a bunch of pirates or something. People just think just because it’s an alternative way to live, they immediately think everyone’s crazy who’s living on the boats – but it’s actually a mixture of people, just like anywhere else.

“To leave an eyesore like that in the middle of central Cambridge, in the you know, in the parks, beautiful parks, and everyone’s walking along here, and it just sits there.”

Neil Waters said that he thinks the conservators, who have taken care of the river since the 1700s, do the best they can with little in the way of resources.

The 52-year-old said: “I mean – I’m quite happy with life. We don’t pay too much and it’s quiet – I think the conservators are up against it, they don’t have a lot of staff or a lot of money.”

Advertisement

The mooring fee is paid to Cambridge City Council and allows houseboat owners to use the river which has facilities to empty wastewater and stock up on fresh water.

Neil said: “We don’t pay a huge mooring fee but we don’t get a lot for it. There’s one service point and that’s about it – it would be nice if there was another service point near Midsummer Common so they don’t have to come all the way out here.”

Eduardo Soto is new to houseboat life, having moved to his boat only about six months ago, and says he’s thrilled to live so close to the city.

The 32-year-old said: “I used to live in Essex, then we moved here. It’s very nice having space nearby the town – it’s an amazing place, city and a great experience being in a boat.

“I love the rowers in the morning and in the evening – it’s quite nice seeing them passing by. The lock over there is broken at the minute but obviously I don’t have a lot of experience – I’m sure there’s people who have been here longer than me and can see other kinds of hiccups and issues.”

A spokesperson for the Conservators of the River Cam said: “We appreciate the concerns that have been raised and want to reassure river users that the issue of the houseboat has not been overlooked. While responsibility for the mooring of the houseboat rests with Cambridge City Council, we continue to work with the Council to support efforts to resolve the situation as soon as possible.

“We also recognise the frustration felt by some boat owners while both Jesus Lock and Baits Bite Lock were closed, which restricted movement along parts of the river. The reopening of Baits Bite Lock in December 2025 has now restored access to the wider navigation. Mooring fees are charged by the City Council and not the Conservancy.”

Cambridge City Council has been approached for comment.

Authorities in California have arrested a man who was seen near a golf course owned by President Donald Trump in the Los Angeles area, ahead of the president’s visit for a fundraising dinner there.

Jeanine John Taele, 38, was found with a pistol and illegal ammunition at the Trump National Golf Course in Rancho Palos Verdes, investigators say.

According to the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department, he was “observed walking throughout the golf course grounds taking photographs and videos and appearing to monitor security-planning activities”.

The arrest took place on Sunday afternoon. Trump is currently visiting California to attend a Republican party fundraising dinner at the course on Tuesday.

Taele is being held on charges of carrying a concealed firearm and possession of armour-piercing/prohibited ammunition.

In a news release, the sheriff’s department said Taele was arrested after plainclothes federal agents reported a suspicious person to local authorities during the middle of the day, around 1530 ET (2330 BST).

When police confronted the man, they discovered that he was being sought in connection to a robbery by the El Segundo Police Department, about 15 miles (25km) north of Rancho Palos Verdes, a wealthy coastal enclave known for its hills and scenic cliffs.

Authorities searched him and found he was carrying a 16-round magazine containing hollow point ammunition. In his vehicle, which was parked at the golf course, they found a loaded pistol, along with a loaded magazine containing hollow-point ammunition.

Hollow point bullets flatten and widen on impact, causing maximum damage to vital organs. California, which has some of the strictest gun laws in the US, has banned magazines capable of holding more than 10 bullets.

The suspect’s home in Downey, a city also in the LA-area, was raided on Monday by agents from the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the LA County Sheriff’s Department Major Crimes Bureau.

The sheriff’s department said his home was searched due to the “potential security implications surrounding the incident”.

Inside his home, they found an “illegally modified AR platform rifle” a .45 pistol, body armour, high-capacity magazines, a plethora of bullets for pistols and rifles and multiple notebooks “containing concerning statements”.

The investigation is continuing, with assistance from the US Secret Service, and officials say more charges may be filed later.

The sheriff’s statement adds that they have not identified any “credible threat to our communities”.

“However, this case underscores the importance of vigilance, strong partnerships with local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies, and the proactive steps taken to identify and investigate suspicious activity before it can escalate.”

By JADA BAS, REPORTER

Published: 01:43 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 01:44 BST, 5 August 2026

A 97-year-old grandmother has broken the Guinness World Record for being the oldest woman to wing walk.

Betty Bromage, who lives in Cheltenham, has done done six wing walks over the last decade and broke her own record after suffering from a stroke in August last year.

Speaking on the epic adventure at the age of 97, she said: ‘I’d just get bored of life otherwise. 

‘I can’t drive, I can’t see very well and I get a bit frustrated. So, I want to do the things I can do.

Advertisement

‘The only problem is getting up on the wing because I’m quite short. Once you’re up there, no problem. The fairground is a lot worse.

‘I’ll have to think of something when I’m 100 – something special.’

She added that she became inspired by something she read on a hospital wall where she once worked as a nurse. 

Advertisement

Betty Bromage, 97, has broken the Guinness World Record for being the oldest woman to wing walk

Ms Bromage on an Aero-Super-Batics biplane at RFC Rendcomb Airfield near Cirencester, Gloucestershire

The Britsh grandmother has done done six wing walks over the last decade and broke her own record after suffering from a stroke in August last year

Ms Bromage said that she became inspired by something she read on a hospital wall where she once worked as a nurse

Advertisement

The British pensioner said: ‘It said “we pass through this world but once, any good we can do, any kindness we can show, do it now, do not defer or neglect, you will not pass this way again”.’

Taking on the challenge, Ms Bromage was raising money for Cheltenham General Hospital, where she stayed when she fell ill. 

She said her speech has been left affected by the stroke, but added the staff at the hospital ‘treated me so well’.

Imogen Sims from Cheltenham and Gloucester Hospitals charity said staff were grateful the grandmother is raising money for them.

Advertisement

She said: ‘To take on such a daring challenge to support our team is amazing.

‘Donations will be used for equipment and will make a real difference for patients and staff.’

By ED HOLT

Published: 00:31 BST, 5 August 2026 | Updated: 01:40 BST, 5 August 2026

A pet guinea pig is turning heads thanks to its uncanny resemblance to one of the top scorers at the 2026 World Cup.

David Guerrero, a participant at the Urbina Guinea Pig Festival in Ecuador, dressed his pet as the world-class footballer for the sixth annual competition.

With a pair of Viking horns on their head, the furry friend looked as though it would be more at home over 6,000 miles away in Scandinavia. 

But, the pint-sized pet could not be more different in stature to their giant footballing counterpart who is 6ft 5 inches tall.

Advertisement

And that footballing star is Norway’s striker Erling Haaland who scored seven goals during the recent tournament, helping his side reach the quarter-finals.

This marks Norway’s best ever performance at a World Cup.

Haaland was joined by fellow guinea pigs dressed up as Cleopatra, the Beast from Beauty and the Beast and as a postman.

The annual festival in Ecuador pays tribute to the iconic Andean rodent, with owners proudly dressing up and showcasing their pets in colourful costumes

Advertisement

David Guerrero, a participant at the Urbina Guinea Pig Festival in Ecuador, dressed his pet as the world-class footballer for the sixth annual competition

With a pair of Viking horns on their head, the furry friend looked as though it would be more at home over 6,000 miles away in Scandinavia

The guinea pig was dressed aa Norway’s striker Erling Haaland (pictured) who scored seven goals during the recent tournament, helping his side reach the quarter-finals

Advertisement

The annual festival in Ecuador pays tribute to the iconic Andean rodent, with owners proudly dressing up and showcasing their pets in colourful costumes

One owner apparently dressed their pet as a postman

Another was dolled up as… Beast from the Beauty and the Beast

A guinea pig dressed in the traditional clothing of the northern Andes of Ecuador

Advertisement

Aileen O’Connor, who chairs the Police Federation, said the decision to release Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers — convicted of PC Andrew Harper’s manslaughter — under the early release scheme would anger and demoralise serving officers

A Police Federation chief has threatened to take the Government to court to prevent PC Andrew Harper’s killers from being released from prison ahead of schedule.

Aileen O’Connor, who chairs the body representing officers in the force where PC Harper served, warned that the decision to free Jessie Cole and Albert Bowers would anger and devastate the morale of serving officers in the region.

Thames Valley Police officer PC Harper, 28, was tragically killed in August 2019 while responding to a quad bike theft in Sulhamstead, Berkshire. He lost his life after becoming entangled in a strap attached to the rear of a car and being dragged along a country road as three teenage suspects fled the scene of the burglary.

Cole and Bowers remain eligible for early release following their manslaughter convictions a year later. Both received 13-year sentences and are eligible to walk free halfway through their terms. While the driver of the vehicle, Henry Long, was handed a 16-year sentence and would not have been eligible for the Government’s scheme.

While the Government announced on Monday that certain offences would be exempt from early release, including rape, serious sexual abuse of children and grooming gang offences, other criminals are still set to be freed earlier than originally scheduled.

The policy was introduced as prison capacity has come under severe pressure, amid fears that courts could be unable to jail offenders if the crisis persists. On Tuesday, Justice Secretary Alex Norris said families affected by the scheme are “carrying the can” for failures of previous Conservative governments.

Writing in the Sun, Ms O’Connor agreed, stating she would “not forget the Government’s inexplicable and unforgivable decision to allow those who kill police officers to be released early from jail”. She said: “We will throw everything at this through a proper legal challenge from KCs, barristers, you name it. Our colleagues will accept nothing less.

“We will do what we have to do to protect Andrew Harper’s legacy and other victims up and down the country who don’t have a platform to put their points across.”

She added: “It is a final betrayal from the politicians, who are supposed to be on our side. A smack in the face to every one of us police officers across the United Kingdom, who are out there now risking our lives to keep you, the public, safe.”

Ms O’Connor described it as an “insult” to his family, friends and officers across the nation.

A petition launched by the Police Federation on Tuesday has already garnered 100,000 signatures. It follows reports in the Times that historical child sex abusers may still be eligible for early release from prison, despite Prime Minister Andy Burnham pledging to exclude them.

Ministers confirmed on Monday that rapists and serious child sex offenders would be exempt from the early release scheme, following a review of the policy ordered by Mr Burnham shortly after he took office as Prime Minister.

Mr Norris said he “wanted to go further” with the exemptions, but was unable to do so as the prison estate would fill up “very quickly”.

Speaking during a visit to HMP Welland Oaks, a prison currently under construction in Leicestershire, the Justice Secretary told reporters: “It is important we’ve been able to take out the offences that we have.

“Of course, we wanted to do more. I’ve had those conversations.

“Those are very, very difficult conversations because, quite rightly, families are really upset about it and they feel that they’re carrying the can for previous failures, and they’re right. That shouldn’t be the case.”

Addressing the early release scheme exemptions, he added: “We wanted to go further. We couldn’t. We can’t and then still have a viable prison estate.”

The Prison Governors’ Association (PGA) has criticised the late change to the policy, warning it had placed “huge pressure” on prison staff, making mistakes “more likely”. The Government has pledged to deliver 14,000 new prison spaces by 2031.

Mr Norris confirmed that he had apologised to some families affected, including relatives of PC Harper.

The plans seek to make improvements to an existing roundabout, as well as create new access to a large housing development

Road improvements could be made to accommodate 1,000 homes in a ‘new town’. In 2022, plans were approved for the Northstowe phase 3B development, made up of 1,000 homes, retail, open green spaces, and a primary school.

Applicants Vistry have now submitted plans to make improvements to the existing B1050 roundabout, around 200m from the Unity Centre at Northstowe.

Vistry described the B1050 as a “key route” for the development, and the reconstruction of the roundabout access “requires careful management”. As part of this management, the applicants seek to minimise disruption as much as possible.

The works include: changes to the carriageway and approach arms, realignment and widening of the carriageways, provision of new and reconfigured splitter islands, and formation of part of the spine road to access the Northstowe development.

The plans also propose new kerb lines and edge alignments to replace the existing highway layout, new highway lighting columns, extension of a footpath of the northside of the B1050, a new pedestrian crossing over the B1050, and landscaping.

If approved, the works will take place between 7.30am and 6pm on Mondays to Fridays. Work will then continue on Saturdays between 8am and 1pm. No work will take place on Sundays and bank holidays.

The applicant said: “Residents, businesses and other affected parties will be notified in advance where works are likely to cause notable disruption, including planned closures, access changes, out-of-hours works or particularly noisy activities.”

Noise and disturbance will be managed to prevent disruption to nearby homes and businesses. Dust and air quality will also be managed to “reduce nuisance”.

Information will be sent to stakeholders, including residents, businesses, pedestrians, cyclists and other road users ahead of the roadworks. These will include road closures, partial closures, diversion routes, changes to access, and out-of-hour works.

The Northstowe development is planned to have up to 10,000 homes by 2040.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department knew or should have known for weeks that its case against a former Olympian charged with intentionally damaging the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool was flawed, and that he bore no responsibility for longstanding problems at the landmark, defense lawyers said Tuesday.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro on Friday moved to dismiss the indictment against David Hearn, saying in a 20-page filing that newly produced evidence from the Interior Department showed the former Olympic canoeist was not responsible for damage to the pool’s lining.

Pirro’s office attributed the damage instead to a botched installation by a contractor as well as “the rush to complete the project prior to events associated with the America 250 celebration” in the weeks surrounding July 4, as directed by President Donald Trump.

Lawyers for Hearn urged a judge to permanently dismiss the case and foreclose the possibility that the Trump administration could revive it. They took issue with Pirro’s assertion that prosecutors only recently learned about the flawed contracting work.

“From the outset, the evidence showed that the pool liner was already failing and that Mr. Hearn did not cause the damage alleged in the indictment,’’ Hearn’s legal team argued in a 28-page motion filed Tuesday in D.C. Superior Court.

The poor condition of the pool was “plainly visible” for weeks and was publicly documented through photographs, video and news reports, lawyers Mary Dohrmann, Steve Levin and Norman Eisen wrote.

The contractor, Virginia-based Atlantic Industrial Coatings, “publicly acknowledged, before Mr. Hearn was indicted, that portions of the project required repair,” the lawyers said. The firm was awarded a $14.7 million no-bid contract to repaint and waterproof the pool’s concrete floor.

A spokesperson for Pirro’s office did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

Trump said Monday that Pirro “choked” and “folded like an umbrella” in moving to drop charges against Hearn. Trump, who met with Pirro late Monday, said he remained disappointed by her assessment that damage to the Reflecting Pool was the result of shoddy construction, not vandalism. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum has backed Trump’s claims that vandals damaged the pool.

The dismissal of charges against Hearn was an embarrassing setback for the Justice Department and marked a rare moment during Trump’s second term of an aide or political appointee openly defying him.

Hearn has said he was on a bike ride June 19 when he reached in to examine the pool’s newly peeled coating and briefly touched a chunk attached to the side of the pool. But he said he obeyed a park worker who told him to let go of it.

Felony charges, including a possible prison sentence, were brought “without a meaningful investigation into the central and obvious question in this case: whether Mr. Hearn caused, or even could have caused, any damage to the Reflecting Pool,’’ Hearn’s lawyers said. “Defying both decency and common sense, the government proceeded to indict Mr. Hearn before it had obtained or evaluated the information necessary to establish a good-faith basis for the charge.”

The CourtRoom NE has confirmed plans to open Consett’s first dedicated padel facility, promising “a little bit more” alongside the fast-growing racket sport.

Posting on social media, the operators said: “Coming soon to Consett (and probably overdue), the town’s first Padel facility with a little bit more.”

A spokesperson for the company said: “It will be here before you know it.”

Consett’s new courts will join a rapidly expanding padel scene across County Durham and Darlington as the trendy sport has grown in popularity.

The county’s first dedicated padel spot, True Padel Durham, opened in early 2024 with nine indoor courts at the Belmont Industrial Estate.

The operator also opened a second site in Sunderland last year.

Darlington has also seen padel take off in recent years; Pure Padel Darlington has seven indoor courts in the town centre, and Padel Project UK is running outdoor courts nearby.

Further afield, venues have also sprung up at Sedgefield’s Padel Barn, Stockton’s Padel Up, and Thorpe Farm near Barnard Castle, which converted a historic farm building into an indoor centre serving County Durham, Teesdale and North Yorkshire.

No opening date has yet been confirmed for the Consett venue, but The CourtRoom NE has urged residents to follow its social media pages for updates as the project progresses.