I took up paddleboarding in my 60s. In the water I feel calm; on land I feel strong

It was a wobbly start. But each day I haul my paddleboard out on the water, I feel my balance and confidence improving

At 66, I don’t feel old, but according to my grandsons, I’m ancient. While I’m reasonably active and walk most days, recent articles about ageing well hit home. Walking isn’t sufficient. I should be doing something about my strength, balance and core. Five-minutes-a-day routines may work for some, but I know that I’ll start with good intentions and soon give up. I’m not one for going to the gym and yoga has never been my thing.

The answer is in my boat shed. It’s a paddleboard I bought for fun a few years ago. I was a total beginner; a friend gave me a few lessons. Then several flooding events turned the Hawkesbury River, where I live, a foul brown and my board has been sitting in the boat shed, unused. Then winter got in the way.

Published: February 14, 2026, 7:00 pm

Wear shades in winter and follow the 20-20-20 rule: experts on 13 ways to look after your eyes

Everyone should get their eyes tested every two years, but there are other ways to optimise your vision, say ophthalmologists – and yes, eating carrots may help

Eye health is often something that we take for granted until we encounter problems. But lifestyle choices such as screen time and smoking can affect your vision. Here, ophthalmologists share their tips on maintaining healthy eyes, from sight tests to sunglasses.

Published: February 13, 2026, 5:00 am

Anthropic raises $30bn in latest round, valuing Claude bot maker at $380bn

Maker of chatbot with coding ability says annualised revenue grew tenfold in each of past three years, to $14bn

Anthropic, the US AI startup behind the Claude chatbot, has raised $30bn (£22bn) in a funding round that more than doubled its valuation to $380bn.

The company’s previous funding round in September achieved a value of $183bn, with further improvements in the technology since then spurring even greater investor interest.

Published: February 13, 2026, 11:30 am

US military used Anthropic’s AI model Claude in Venezuela raid, report says

Wall Street Journal says Claude used in operation via Anthropic’s partnership with Palantir Technologies

Claude, the AI model developed by Anthropic, was used by the US military during its operation to kidnap Nicolás Maduro from Venezuela, the Wall Street Journal revealed on Saturday, a high-profile example of how the US defence department is using artificial intelligence in its operations.

The US raid on Venezuela involved bombing across the capital, Caracas, and the killing of 83 people, according to Venezuela’s defence ministry. Anthropic’s terms of use prohibit the use of Claude for violent ends, for the development of weapons or for conducting surveillance.

Published: February 14, 2026, 4:15 pm

AI is indeed coming – but there is also evidence to allay investor fears

Opinions are divided about the potential impact of artificial intelligence as the response to a recent viral essay shows

• UK ad agencies undergo biggest exodus of staff as AI threatens industry

The message from investors to the software, wealth management, legal services and logistics industries this month has been clear: AI is coming for your business.

The release of new, ever more powerful AI tools has coincided with a stock market slide, which has swept up sectors as diverse as drug distribution, commercial property and price comparison sites. Advances in the technology are giving increasing credulity to predictions that it could render millions of white-collar jobs obsolete – or, at least, eat into the profits of established companies.

Published: February 13, 2026, 5:00 pm

OpenAI retired its most seductive chatbot – leaving users angry and grieving: ‘I can’t live like this’

Its human partners said the flirty, quirky GPT-4o was the perfect companion – on the eve of Valentine’s Day, it’s being turned off for good. How will users cope?

Brandie plans to spend her last day with Daniel at the zoo. He always loved animals. Last year, she took him to the Corpus Christi aquarium in Texas, where he “lost his damn mind” over a baby flamingo. “He loves the color and pizzazz,” Brandie said. Daniel taught her that a group of flamingos is called a flamboyance.

Daniel is a chatbot powered by the large language model ChatGPT. Brandie communicates with Daniel by sending text and photos, talks to Daniel while driving home from work via voice mode. Daniel runs on GPT-4o, a version released by OpenAI in 2024 that is known for sounding human in a way that is either comforting or unnerving, depending on who you ask. Upon debut, CEO Sam Altman compared the model to “AI from the movies” – a confidant ready to live life alongside its user.

Published: February 13, 2026, 12:30 pm

‘It’s over for us’: release of new AI video generator Seedance 2.0 spooks Hollywood

An AI clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting has caused concern among industry figures

A leading Hollywood figure has warned “it’s likely over for us”, after watching a widely disseminated AI-generated clip featuring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt fighting.

Rhett Reese, co-writer of Deadpool & Wolverine, Zombieland and Now You See Me: Now You Don’t was reacting to a 15-second video showing Cruise and Pitt trading punches on a rubble-strewn bridge, posted by Irish film-maker Ruairí Robinson, director of 2013 sci-fi horror The Last Days on Mars. Reposting the clip on social media, Reese wrote: “I hate to say it. It’s likely over for us.”

Published: February 13, 2026, 1:32 pm

The problem with doorbell cams: Nancy Guthrie case and Ring Super Bowl ad reawaken surveillance fears

Many people bought the devices thinking they would do little more than protect their delivery packages

What happens to the data that smart home cameras collect? Can law enforcement access this information – even when users aren’t aware officers may be viewing their footage? Two recent events have put these concerns in the spotlight.

A Super Bowl ad by the doorbell-camera company Ring and the FBI’s pursuit of the kidnapper of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of Today show host Savannah Guthrie, have resurfaced longstanding concerns about surveillance against a backdrop of the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. The fear is that home cameras’ video feeds could become yet another part of the government’s mass surveillance apparatus.

Published: February 14, 2026, 6:00 pm

The best vacuum cleaners in the UK for hard floors, carpet and pet hair – tested

From handheld to corded, self-emptying to stick models, these are our resident cleaner’s favourite vacuums for a spotless home

• The best cordless vacuum cleaners, tested
• How to make your vacuum cleaner last longer

Buying a vacuum cleaner isn’t as easy as you might think. With so many brands and models to choose from, it can be bewildering. Sticking with established brands isn’t necessarily a safe bet, with past performance being no guarantee that the latest models will be as good. Meanwhile, prices can be deceptive, with some affordable models now closing the gap on top-of-the-range brands when it comes to cleaning performance.

You can’t know all this by browsing through a department store or online. The ideal thing to do would be to take a few models home to try them out – but good luck persuading anyone to let you do that. Thankfully, you won’t have to try because I’ve tested an array of models for you. I’ve measured each one’s ability to perform a range of real-world cleaning jobs, so you can discover the best vacuum cleaner for you.

Best corded vacuum cleaner overall:
Shark Detect XL Car + Pet LA791UKT

Best cordless vacuum cleaner overall:
Shark PowerDetect Clean & Empty IP3251UKT

Published: February 13, 2026, 3:00 pm

Weatherwatch: The surprisingly complex science of ice skating

Pressure, frictional heating and a disordered layer of molecules on top of the ice make skating possible

Ice skating is counterintuitive: why should a narrow blade make it easier to slide over the ice? The science is surprisingly complex, but unscientific people worked out the practical application a long time ago.

William FitzStephen described how Londoners entertained themselves in freezing conditions in 1173: “Crowds of young men go out to play on the ice. Some of them fit shinbones of cattle on their feet, tying them round their ankles … and are carried along as fast as a flying bird.”

Published: February 13, 2026, 6:00 am

What is dart frog toxin, which is said to have been used to kill Alexei Navalny?

Epibatidine is about a hundred times more potent than morphine, and derived from frogs native to South America

• Russia killed Alexei Navalny with frog toxin, UK and four European allies say

Epibatidine, the dart frog toxin Britain says was used to kill Alexei Navalny, is about a hundred times more potent than morphine.

The extremely toxic nicotine-like substance was first derived from the Epipedobates genus of poison dart frogs native to northern South America – which do not occur naturally in Russia.

Published: February 14, 2026, 9:12 pm

Four new astronauts arrive via SpaceX rocket at International Space Station

ISS now fully crewed after a medical issue forced the evacuation of four astronauts in January

The International Space Station (ISS) returned to full strength with Saturday’s arrival of four new astronauts to replace colleagues who bailed early because of health concerns.

SpaceX delivered the US, French and Russian astronauts a day after launching them from Cape Canaveral.

Published: February 14, 2026, 8:43 pm