WEBVTT 1 00:00:14.250 --> 00:00:18.890 Good morning. It's twenty-five past six in the morning on Wednesday the 28th of October. 2 00:00:19.010 --> 00:00:21.280 This is Not Perfect News. I'm James. 3 00:00:21.400 --> 00:00:22.270 And I'm Julie. 4 00:00:22.390 --> 00:00:24.340 Here are today's main stories. 5 00:00:24.460 --> 00:00:30.460 Exit polls in Israel point to a political deadlock following parliamentary elections today. 6 00:00:30.580 --> 00:00:36.440 Donald Trump suggests that Venezuela could eventually become the fifty-first American state. 7 00:00:36.560 --> 00:00:41.710 King Charles plans to discuss the legacy of slavery with leaders across the Commonwealth. 8 00:00:41.830 --> 00:00:50.080 Coming up, artificial intelligence, technology, and today's feature: Meta announces massive stock offering for AI expansion. 9 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:55.210 This programme is researched and voiced using AI, and every source is on our website. 10 00:00:55.330 --> 00:00:57.030 Here's Julie with the world news. 11 00:00:57.730 --> 00:01:08.270 Thanks, James. Exit polls following the Israeli election indicate a political deadlock. Neither major bloc is currently on track to secure the sixty-one seats needed to form a government. 12 00:01:08.390 --> 00:01:17.220 The leaders of Finland and Norway have held a ninety-minute phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They discussed the war in Ukraine during this rare diplomatic contact. 13 00:01:17.340 --> 00:01:27.010 Donald Trump has suggested that Venezuela could become the fifty-first state of the United States. He also highlighted a tanker in Texas carrying oil from Venezuela. 14 00:01:27.130 --> 00:01:28.930 Here's James with the UK news. 15 00:01:29.630 --> 00:01:43.850 Thanks, Julie. British officials have begun discussions with the European Union about a long term relationship. Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds says the focus is a November summit to ease trading restrictions and secure a youth mobility deal. 16 00:01:43.970 --> 00:01:55.130 King Charles has confirmed he will discuss the legacy of slavery with Commonwealth leaders at a summit in Antigua. He previously described the slave trade as one of the darkest days of British history. 17 00:01:55.250 --> 00:02:10.400 The government faces scrutiny after an investigation revealed officials developing artificial intelligence policy met with one hundred and thirty-seven businesses. The report says environmental groups were omitted from the consultation process entirely. 18 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:13.190 Here's Julie with the technology and AI news. 19 00:02:13.890 --> 00:02:19.760 Thanks, James. The Royal Air Force plans to integrate autonomous drones to accompany Typhoon fighters. 20 00:02:19.880 --> 00:02:24.150 The three hundred million pound Storm Fighter programme will support the new fleet. 21 00:02:24.270 --> 00:02:29.820 Artificial intelligence firm Anthropic has filed for a stock market flotation in the United States. 22 00:02:29.940 --> 00:02:35.690 The company intends to list its class A common stock on the Nasdaq exchange under the symbol ANT. 23 00:02:35.810 --> 00:02:40.790 Microsoft is offering voluntary buyouts to up to sixty thousand employees globally. 24 00:02:40.910 --> 00:02:47.590 The cuts represent about twenty-seven per cent of its workforce to help fund heavy investments in artificial intelligence. 25 00:02:47.710 --> 00:02:49.630 Here's James with today's feature. 26 00:02:50.330 --> 00:02:56.280 Thanks, Julie. Meta has announced plans to raise ninety-five billion dollars through a massive stock offering. 27 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:02.890 The funding will go directly toward the company expanding artificial intelligence infrastructure and expenditure. 28 00:03:03.010 --> 00:03:08.550 It follows a similar move by Alphabet in June, when they stated plans to raise eighty-five billion dollars. 29 00:03:08.670 --> 00:03:17.520 Meta says chipmakers Nvidia, AMD and Broadcom have shown interest in purchasing up to five billion dollars of the stock on offer. 30 00:03:17.640 --> 00:03:23.760 This staggering capital requirement demonstrates the huge sums needed to fund modern artificial intelligence. 31 00:03:23.880 --> 00:03:30.240 It also highlights how major tech firms are partnering closely with hardware suppliers to secure supply chains. 32 00:03:30.360 --> 00:03:36.620 Supporters argue that securing this massive funding ensures Meta stays at the forefront of artificial intelligence development. 33 00:03:36.740 --> 00:03:41.750 They believe that strategic alignment with major chipmakers strengthens the entire ecosystem. 34 00:03:41.870 --> 00:03:48.710 Sceptics warn that the sheer scale of the ninety-five billion dollar raise points to an unsustainable spending bubble. 35 00:03:48.830 --> 00:03:54.460 Diluting stock through such large offerings also risks putting downward pressure on shareholder value. 36 00:03:54.580 --> 00:04:02.280 Observers note that while the spending is undeniably risky, tech giants view heavy capital expenditure as an existential necessity. 37 00:04:02.400 --> 00:04:08.870 What remains to be seen is whether the chipmakers will finalise their non-binding interest into formal purchases. 38 00:04:08.990 --> 00:04:15.080 The exact timeline for when the total capital will be fully raised is also yet to be confirmed. 39 00:04:15.200 --> 00:04:19.480 Ninety-five billion dollars is certainly a lot of money to ask for. 40 00:04:19.600 --> 00:04:22.890 It certainly makes your average shopping trip look a bit modest. 41 00:04:23.010 --> 00:04:27.270 Though I suppose you do get quite a lot of microchips for your change. 42 00:04:27.970 --> 00:04:32.070 Thanks, James. Before we go, a reminder of today's main stories. 43 00:04:32.190 --> 00:04:36.760 Israeli exit polls point to a close political deadlock following the general election. 44 00:04:36.880 --> 00:04:41.060 The leaders of Finland and Norway have held a rare phone call with Vladimir Putin. 45 00:04:41.180 --> 00:04:46.650 You'll find all our sources, the transcript and chapters at news.notperfect.biz. 46 00:04:46.770 --> 00:04:51.200 This programme is made with AI, so please check the linked sources for anything important. 47 00:04:51.320 --> 00:04:53.330 That's all from us this morning. I'm Julie. 48 00:04:53.450 --> 00:04:56.060 And I'm James. Thanks for listening, and goodbye.