22 h. ago Authors Hold London Protest Against Meta For 'Stealing' Work To Train AI

Authors Hold London Protest Against Meta For 'Stealing' Work To Train AI  Barron's

Events

30 h. ago Society of Authors to hold protest at Meta's London HQ after 'pirated books used to train AI'

Society of Authors to hold protest at Meta's London HQ after 'pirated books used to train AI'  The Bookseller

Culture

4 d. ago Authors call for UK government to hold Meta accountable for copyright infringement

‘I am a crime writer, I understand theft,’ said Val McDermid – joining Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro and Kate Mosse in their appeal to Lisa Nandy to act on their behalfA group of prominent authors including Richard Osman, Kazuo Ishiguro, Kate Mosse and Val McDermid have signed an open letter calling on the UK government to hold Meta accountable over its use of copyrighted books to train artificial intelligence.The letter asked Lisa Nandy, the secretary of state for culture, media and sport, to summon Meta senior executives to parliament. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Thailand earthquake: Signs of life detected under collapsed tower block three days on from tragedy

Chadchart Sittipunt the governor of Bangkok, said Thai authorities have successfully detected the vital signs of at least three people who were caught in a collapsed tower block

Politics

5 d. ago Iran dissident still reeling from aftermath of foiled murder plot: ‘I’ve been living in a nightmare’

Masih Alinejad is a vocal critic of Tehran who recently was pursued by hitmen for her advocacy of Iranian womenMasih Alinejad has long held fast fighting for women’s rights in Iran despite ongoing threats from the regime.Alinejad, an Iranian American dissident, has for years been targeted by Tehran for her unrelenting criticism of Iran’s government as a journalist, author and activist publicizing human rights abuses on social media – and calling for change. Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Government asks MP watchdog to review expenses rules after £900 ‘pet rent’ claim

Dan Jarvis said the Government would urge the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority to change expenses rules.

Politics

5 d. ago DWP confirms three benefits targeted by new bank checks clampdown first

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has updated the public regarding the crackdown on benefit fraud after the Government announced the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill

Economics

5 d. ago Conservatives calls for Cobra meeting to deal with Birmingham bin strikes

The Tories also urged the Government to send in private sector binmen to ‘bust the local authority refuse service strikes’.

Economics

6 d. ago Wisconsin's governor vetoes a bill that would revive old test score standards

Wisconsin's governor has vetoed a Republican-authored bill that would revive old standards for student test scores and report cards

Politics

7 d. ago ‘We won’t be deterred or scared’: Hungary’s LGBTQ+ community fights for right to march in Pride

Some want to oppose ban, others are nervous, but all see it as a warning sign under Viktor Orbán’s governmentMarching with a pink, white and baby blue transgender flag, Corvus gathered with thousands of others in a central square of Budapest this week. The 20-year-old started transitioning last August but cannot change their gender or name legally in Hungary, where an authoritarian rightwing government is cracking down on LGBTQ+ rights.Corvus wasn’t asking for an overhaul of transgender policy or anything particularly radical, however. They were asking simply for the right to be able to take part in a Pride parade. “The government wants to silence our voice and deny our existence,” they said. “They will not succeed.” Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago German authorities raid group that allegedly aims to overthrow Eritrean government

Police have been executing raids in six German states that are directed against a group that allegedly “is part of an international network whose aim is to overthrow the government in Eritrea.”

Politics

1 week ago Trump’s shuttering of global media agency endangers reporters, staff say

Employees who may have to return home risk death or imprisonment at hands of authoritarian governmentsForeign workers at US government-backed media outlets being cut by the Trump administration say they face deportation to their home countries, where some risk imprisonment or death at the hands of authoritarian governments.Earlier this month the Trump administration moved to defund the US Agency for Global Media (USAGM), an independent federal agency that oversees the Voice of America (VoA), the US’s largest and oldest international broadcaster, and provides grants to Radio Free Asia, Radio Free Europe and other news agencies. Staff have been placed on administrative leave and contractors have been fired. The agency had around 3,500 employees with an annual budget of $886m in 2024. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Politics have changed but the Democrats haven’t – they are old and out of touch | Moira Donegan

Leading Democrats vainly hope for a return to the politics of the past – they must engage with the realities of the presentIs this the way the Democratic party ends – not with a bang, but with a whimper? Last week, the party’s Senate caucus seemed poised to do something that they had never done before: block the Trump administration’s proposed continuing resolution, and shut down the government. It would have been a largely symbolic move, one that signaled opposition to the Trump administration’s usurpation of Congress’s spending authority and a willingness to play procedural hardball in order to slow Elon Musk’s radical anti-government agenda. It would have signaled, too, a party willing to take itself seriously as the opposition to a president with authoritarian ambitions.Government shutdowns are unpopular, but so, right now, is the Democratic party: several senators from swing states seemed ready to stick their necks out, ready to bet that it would be better to be seen doing some...

Politics

2 w. ago DeSantis warns he has 'tools' including suspending local officials if they don't cooperate with ICE

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says his office has tools including suspending officials from office to compel local governments to cooperate with federal immigration authorities in assisting in detentions and deportations

Events

3 w. ago The ADL and the Heritage Foundation are helping to silence dissent in America | Ahmed Moor

Tax-exempt special interest groups like lobbyists and non-profits are exercising power with little democratic oversightThe repression that began under the Biden administration has accelerated under Trump. Mahmoud Khalil’s detention by federal agents – reportedly Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers – despite his legal, permanent resident status will probably have its intended effect. People will speak up less; their fear of the irreversible harm meted out by a vengeful state is justified. Now we are all left to contend with the wreckage of the first amendment to the US constitution, which used to guarantee the right to speech in this country.Responsibility for the erosion of our rights is attributable – in part – to the bipartisan embrace of the non-governmental, non-profit sector. That’s because from the 1940s onward, the federal government has ceded much state authority to philanthropies and non-profits. Those groups, in turn, have acted to craft policy – everything from h...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Ceasefire’ is a hollow word for Palestinians – the killings, displacements and denial of aid continue | Nesrine Malik

A winding down of operations in Gaza has allowed Israel to turn its attention to the West Bank, with devastating effectsIt has been just over six weeks since a ceasefire came into effect in Gaza, and it’s clear that it would more accurately be called a “reduce” fire, rather than a cessation. Scores of people are still being killed; enough, in any other scenario, to be deemed both alarming and newsworthy. More than 100 people have died since 19 January, Gaza’s civil defence service spokesperson says. Those killings constitute, alongside other breaches, a grim record of hundreds of reported ceasefire violations by the Israeli government.The latest among them is Israeli authorities’ decision to halt humanitarian aid into Gaza, in order to put pressure on Hamas to accept new ceasefire terms: mere hours after the first phase of the ceasefire expired, Israel cut off all supplies. In doing so, Israel is using food and civilian relief as a political tool to achieve its objectives, a move th...

Events

3 w. ago English and Welsh councils to have greater powers to seize land for affordable housing

Exclusive: Compulsory purchase orders will no longer need Whitehall permission under shake-up of planning rulesCouncils and mayors will be granted greater powers to seize land to build affordable housing under the Labour government’s shake-up of planning rules this week.Local authorities in England and Wales will no longer need permission from central government to make compulsory purchase orders (CPOs), in a change that ministers hope will unlock vacant and derelict land. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Long Island fire: Apocalyptic scenes at Westhampton as enormous blaze breaks out

State Governor Kathy Hochul said authorities are in ;'lose communication with local partners on Long Island to coordinate assistance and make sure they have the resources they need to protect their communities'

Events

3 w. ago Barclays boss Jes Staley was 'destroyed' by Jeffrey Epstein probe

Nigel Higgins made the remark when Bailey - now governor of the Bank of England - led the Financial Conduct Authority in 2019, a London tribunal was told.

Politics

last month Trump makes a telling admission of Elon Musk as he lists 'wasteful spending' DOGE is targeting

President Trump said Tuesday night in his speech to Congress that DOGE is 'headed by Elon Musk,' although government lawyers have told courts he has no 'formal authority.'

Events