59 h. ago Grok AI: is it legal to produce or post undressed images of people without their consent?

Deluge of ‘nudified’ images on social media platform X raises questions about regulation of use of AI technologiesThe deluge of images of partly clothed women – stripped by the Grok AI tool – on Elon Musk’s X has raised further questions over regulation of the technology. Is it legal to produce these images without the subject’s consent? Should they be taken off X?In the UK alone there is some doubt over the answers to these queries. Social media regulation is a nascent area, let alone trying to control the deployment of artificial intelligence. There are laws in place to tackle the problem, such as the Online Safety Act, but the government has yet to introduce additional measures such as banning nudifying apps. Continue reading...

Politics

4 d. ago Warner Bros Discovery tells investors to reject ‘inadequate’ $108bn Paramount bid

Board unwilling to accept hostile takeover despite $40bn guarantee from billionaire Larry EllisonWarner Bros Discovery (WBD) has again told its shareholders to reject an “inadequate” $108.4bn (£80bn) hostile takeover bid by Paramount Skydance amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the media conglomerate.Paramount, controlled by the billionaire Ellison family, had sought to combat WBD’s criticism of its offer and claims it had “consistently misled” investors by saying it had a “full backstop” – a safety net to ensure it has sufficient funds – from the Ellisons. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Warner Bros Discovery tells investors to reject latest $108bn hostile Paramount bid

Board unwilling to accept hostile takeover despite $40bn guarantee from billionaire Larry EllisonWarner Bros Discovery (WBD) has again told its shareholders to reject an “inadequate” $108.4bn (£80bn) hostile takeover bid by Paramount Skydance amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the media conglomerate.Paramount, controlled by the billionaire Ellison family, had sought to combat WBD’s criticism of its offer and claims it had “consistently misled” investors by saying it had a “full backstop” – a safety net to ensure it has sufficient funds – from the Ellisons. Continue reading...

Events

4 d. ago Celebrity Big Brother winner's incredible 2.5 stone weight loss secret revealed

After winning Celebrity Big Brother and starting a new podcast, David Potts decided his next focus would be to slim down, even managing to lose weight over Christmas while doing panto

Politics

5 d. ago Starmer tells ministers to work ‘as a team’ amid leadership speculation

Prime minister urges cabinet to focus on issues that matter to voters in start-of-year meeting

Politics

5 d. ago Rosenior needs bright start at Chelsea to avoid being a focus for fan discontent | Jacob Steinberg

The club are in a decent position but there is dissatisfaction with the ownership and the new head coach must not get caught in the crossfireThe way Chelsea are run will come as no surprise to Liam Rosenior. He has longstanding relationships with three of the five sporting directors and will know from his time at Strasbourg, who are part of the same ownership, that the head coach’s best chance of surviving is not to make the mistake of rebelling against the structure.Rosenior will have to show more political savvy than Enzo Maresca, who talked himself out of the job last week. Yet given the 41-year-old is familiar with the working conditions at BlueCo, the investment vehicle that owns Chelsea and Strasbourg, his biggest challenge is unlikely to be managing upwards. Rosenior will know where to train his focus and not to rock the boat. Crucially, he does not inherit a team in crisis. Chelsea are fifth and earned a creditable draw at Manchester City on Sunday; despite the rancour of Ma...

Sport

6 d. ago Overnight oats, spinach pie and cheesy corn muffins: Alexina Anatole’s recipes for make

Batch-cook weekday breakfasts in advance, and you’ll always have something filling and healthy to kickstart your dayThe saying goes that you should breakfast like a king, and I’ve long found that the key to making that happen during the busy work week is to batch-prepare breakfast at the weekend. As we start a new year, the focus is back on balance, and these dishes offer both nourishment and flavour, while also being ideal for making ahead. The overnight oats are a source of fibre, the muffins are high in protein and the pie is a source of both. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago New Universal Credit fraud crackdown starting this month will focus on three key loss areas

The new campaign will launch at the end of January.

Politics

1 week ago The perfect working day: how to get everything done – without getting stressed

From writing lists to taking a walk, it can be possible to gain clarity and perspective, even when faced with the most daunting tasks• Sign up here to get the whole series straight to your inbox“Perfection,” the French writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry once wrote, “is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” The Little Prince author was talking about elegance in design, but it’s not a bad principle to apply to having a productive day. Rather than thinking about how many things you can cram in, perhaps it’s better to ponder how few you really need to do, and focus on doing them really well.Where do you start? With a list, obviously. To the chronically overstressed, taking the time to handwrite all the stuff you already know you need to do can feel like a waste of time, but it’s always worth the effort. “You can’t prioritise tasks if you feel overwhelmed,” says Graham Allcott, the author of How to Be a Productivity Ninja, “but you ca...

Politics

1 week ago What would it take for me to feel safe wearing a kippah after Bondi? | Glen Berman

Jewish safety after Bondi will only be found by tackling radicalisation across Australia head onWhat would it take for me to feel safe wearing a kippah (a Jewish head covering) on a daily basis? This is a question I have been asking myself since 14 December. Which is not to suggest that I felt safe – or maybe comfortable is a better adjective – being Jewish in public before the Bondi massacre, but is to say that the question has suddenly become far more urgent.I do not feel safe wearing a kippah because I fear that to many Australians this would be interpreted as a sign that I support Israel. I do not want people to make assumptions about my politics based on my appearance. And, more prosaically, in terms of my fear, I do not want to be shouted at when I’m going to the shops. I do not feel safe wearing a kippah because all of my life I’ve overheard non-Jewish people sharing antisemitic conspiracy theories. Greedy, cheap, power hungry, in control of the media. A host of conscious and...

Politics

3 w. ago Wilfried Nancy’s Venn diagram and the optics of controlling the controlables | Max Rushden

The Celtic manager wants to focus on the things that matter but after starting with four defeats he may not have the chanceYears ago when sport was good, you didn’t have optics. You just had what happened. And what happened was what you had seen happen.Things are different now. If you haven’t lent into optics when discussing your underperforming team, then you’re missing out. One dictionary definition for you: Optics (1) “The way in which an event or course of action is perceived by the public.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Wilfried Nancy’s Venn diagram and the optics of controlling the controllables | Max Rushden

The Celtic manager wants to focus on the things that matter but after starting with four defeats he may not have the chanceYears ago when sport was good, you didn’t have optics. You just had what happened. And what happened was what you had seen happen.Things are different now. If you haven’t lent into optics when discussing your underperforming team, then you’re missing out. One dictionary definition for you: Optics (1) “The way in which an event or course of action is perceived by the public.” Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Warner Bros Discovery urges shareholders to reject Paramount’s $108.4bn takeover bid

WBD had agreed to sell to Netflix but Paramount swiftly countered with an all-cash offer, which WBD’s board is calling ‘inadequate’Warner Bros Discovery has urged shareholders to reject a $108.4bn hostile takeover offer from Paramount Skydance, branding it “inadequate” amid an extraordinary corporate battle to control the legacy media conglomerate.WBD agreed to sell its storied movie studios, HBO cable network and streaming service to Netflix in a $82.7bn deal earlier this month, setting the stage for a seismic shift in Hollywood’s industrial landscape. Continue reading...

Events

4 w. ago ‘The UK needs some media free of US control’: Comcast’s move for ITV starts to focus minds

With public service broadcasters starting to look like ‘endangered species’, many want Channel 4 and BBC to work more closelyThe prospect of Comcast taking over ITV has prompted concerns about the impact on British public service broadcasting, a fact that Channel 4’s new chief executive, moving from a senior post at Sky, will be all too well aware.Sky’s advertising chief, Priya Dogra, will now be expected to lead the charge to block her former employer’s takeover plan to protect Channel 4. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Deal or no deal? The inside story of the battle for Warner Bros

As Paramount, with close ties to the Trump administration, entered the bidding, experts predict any merger will ‘raise red flags’ among regulatorsOver the first 10 months of his second presidency, Donald Trump has not hidden his desire to control the US media industry – from encouraging TV networks to fire journalists, comedians and critics he dislikes to pushing regulators to revoke broadcast licences. Now he seems determined to set the terms for one of the biggest media deals in history.It’s a deal that could have repercussions not just in the US, but across the world, with not just the future of Hollywood at stake but also the landscape of news. Continue reading...

Events