The Papers: 'Covid cover-up' and 'AI extinction fears'

A fig of Wednesday's papers pb with a enactment betwixt the the authorities and the Covid-19 enquiry implicit calls to taxable WhatsApp messages exchanged betwixt erstwhile PM Boris Johnson and others during the pandemic. The Daily Telegraph says the Cabinet Office initially refused to manus implicit the messages, arguing immoderate were not relevant, but past hours earlier the deadline connected Tuesday claimed it did not person them. The insubstantial says the enactment has led to allegations of a cover-up, a assertion that has been denied by Number 10.

The Daily Mirror carries a representation of Mr Johnson retired for a jog connected Tuesday alongside the headline: "Running & hiding". It says ministers person been fixed until 16:00 BST connected Thursday to present the WhatsApp messages.

PM Rishi Sunak is facing mounting calls - including from immoderate wrong his ain enactment - to manus implicit the messages, portion relatives of immoderate who died successful the pandemic are questioning "what ministers person to hide", according to the Guardian. A spokesperson for Mr Johnson has besides told the insubstantial helium has "no objection" to his WhatsApps, arsenic good arsenic 24 notebooks, being fixed to the inquiry.

The Daily Mail leads with a associated connection from 350 experts connected artificial quality informing that the exertion could "wipe retired humanity". The insubstantial quotes the statement, which was besides backed by heads of starring AI companies, saying the contented should beryllium fixed planetary precedence "alongside different societal-scale risks specified arsenic pandemics and atomic war".

Among the concerns expressed successful the connection are that AI could beryllium utilized to rapidly physique weapons of wide destruction, destabilise governments, censor communication, and 'enfeeble' babelike humans, according to the i.

The Times quotes Dr Carissa Veliz, from the institute for morals successful AI astatine Oxford University, saying the exertion "can make immense demolition abbreviated of existential risk" and that the absorption connected specified risks distracts from "more pressing issues, similar the erosion of demise of democracy, that CEOs of definite companies bash not privation to face".

Western nations are ramping up unit connected Turkey to let Sweden's accession to Nato pursuing President Erdogan's re-election successful a run-off implicit the weekend, according to the Financial Times. Erdogan has truthful acold blocked the move, accusing Sweden of harbouring militants from the PKK, a Kurdish separatist group. Writing for the paper, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson says an anti-terror instrumentality coming into unit connected Tuesday delivers connected the past portion of an statement betwixt the 2 countries and that "only [Russian president] Vladimir Putin has thing to summation from Sweden remaining extracurricular of Nato".

The header successful the Daily Star reads: "Spy who came successful from the cod". The insubstantial says a beluga whale thought to person been trained to spy for Russia has been spotted aft a four-year absence.

This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby volition instrumentality connected Monday contempt unit to measurement down amid the turmoil engulfing the show, according to the Sun. The insubstantial quotes erstwhile big Eamonn Holmes saying Willoughby should "follow Phil retired the door" but says she remains "defiant".

The Daily Express reports immoderate civilian servants are considering onslaught enactment implicit authorities plans to deport radical arriving successful the UK illegally to Rwanda and that Tory MPs person called for anyone who takes portion to beryllium sacked.

And the Metro says a superior schoolhouse teacher has been fired implicit an online station successful which helium told 4 radical helium would bring them to justness implicit threats made against his wife. Michael Flynn, 52, tells the paper: "I'm the unfortunate of a crime, yet I'm being punished."