In suggesting there is a possibility that we all lie somewhere on an ADHD continuum, your correspondent (Letters, 27 February) is missing the point. ADHD – and autism – are neurodiversities, meaning that the brains of individuals with ADHD and/or autism are “wired” differently from those of people with “typical” brains. In other words, you either have it or you don’t. To suggest that everyone is a...
In suggesting there is a possibility that we all lie somewhere on an ADHD continuum, your correspondent (Letters, 27 February) is missing the point. ADHD – and autism – are neurodiversities, meaning that the brains of individuals with ADHD and/or autism are “wired” differently from those of people with “typical” brains. In other words, you either have it or you don’t. To suggest that everyone is a bit ADHD or a bit autistic is insulting to those of us who actually are ADHD/autistic, and diminishes our lived experience. Yes, self-help tools can be useful. But the affirmation of a diagnosis can also be hugely beneficial. I am a children’s health professional who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 56 and ADHD at the age of 57. I cannot overstate the difference this has made to my mental health and my approach to my life. I spent my life pre-diagnosis unknowingly developing strategies to cope with my neurodiversities, while at the same time suffering from depression and low self-esteem, wondering why on earth I couldn’t just do things like everyone else and wondering why people told me I was “weird”. If I had been diagnosed at an early age, I would hopefully have understood myself better, not had to mask my difficulties and not been so hard on myself. I am now able to reflect on past behaviours and mistakes and forgive myself for these. These diagnoses are not “labels”. They are explanations of who people are. In my professional role I advise parents to pursue assessment for ADHD or autism for their children. The process of diagnosis is robust and not undertaken lightly. Please don’t campaign to take this away from us. Francesca Finch-Andrews Belper, Derbyshire
Your editorial on adult services websites (4 March) rightly raises urgent questions about platform harm and the government’s responsibility to act. Unseen’s modern slavery helpline indicated 799 potential victims of sexual exploitation in 2025. Reports of child sexual exploitation more than doubled in 2024 – from 53 to 110. These are not projections. They are cases reported directly to us by victi...
Your editorial on adult services websites (4 March) rightly raises urgent questions about platform harm and the government’s responsibility to act. Unseen’s modern slavery helpline indicated 799 potential victims of sexual exploitation in 2025. Reports of child sexual exploitation more than doubled in 2024 – from 53 to 110. These are not projections. They are cases reported directly to us by victims and frontline workers with nowhere else to call. The structural point your editorial identifies is the right one. This is not isolated bad actors using neutral tools. Platform design embeds harm and restricts exit routes. That is a design question, and design questions require design answers. The Online Safety Act already provides the framework. What is missing is the will to enforce it. Removing platforms does not end exploitation. It moves it underground and severs victims from support. The question is not whether these platforms should face tougher regulation. They should. The question is whether the response is designed to reduce harm or merely to reduce visibility. Those are not the same thing. Andrew Wallis CEO, Unseen, Bristol
The news doesn’t stop when markets close. Hosts David Gura, Christina Ruffini and Lisa Mateo bring clarity, context and a bit of humor to the weekend’s biggest headlines, LIVE from New York. Joined by S&P Global Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin, The Atlantic Staff Writer Nancy Youssef, 6-Time Olympic Medalists Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, Former US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, BIMCO Ch...
The news doesn’t stop when markets close. Hosts David Gura, Christina Ruffini and Lisa Mateo bring clarity, context and a bit of humor to the weekend’s biggest headlines, LIVE from New York. Joined by S&P Global Vice Chairman Daniel Yergin, The Atlantic Staff Writer Nancy Youssef, 6-Time Olympic Medalists Kaillie Humphries and Elana Meyers Taylor, Former US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides, BIMCO Chief Safety & Security Officer Jakob Larsen, Senator Mike Rounds, Puck News Washington Reporter Abby Livingston and Journalist & Author Philip Delves Broughton. (Source: Bloomberg)
Jane Logan pays tribute to her late husband’s lifelong passion for classifying organisms My late husband, Niall Logan , professor of bacterial systematics at Glasgow Caledonian University, would have been astonished that his lifelong field of academic study, taxonomy, in his case the genus Bacillus , would merit an entire article in the Guardian ( ‘I love midges because I know what their hearts lo...
Jane Logan pays tribute to her late husband’s lifelong passion for classifying organisms My late husband, Niall Logan , professor of bacterial systematics at Glasgow Caledonian University, would have been astonished that his lifelong field of academic study, taxonomy, in his case the genus Bacillus , would merit an entire article in the Guardian ( ‘I love midges because I know what their hearts look like’’: is the passion for taxonomy in danger of dying out?, 2 March ). It is certainly not sexy science, and chasing funding for research projects was always tiresome. However, how about mentioning some of the spinoffs of his research, which many would have thought dry in the extreme? He spent time in the Antarctic researching Bacillus species found in geothermal soils, his expertise was sought when old tannery sites were to be redeveloped to exclude presence of anthrax, and the food industry needed his expertise when investigating food spoilage. His knowledge was valued and his guest lectures were welcomed worldwide. Continue reading...
Fans clashed on the Ibrox pitch after Celtic knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup on penalties. The visitors progressed to the semi-finals despite failing to register a single shot on target in 120 minutes of action. Celtic secured a 4-2 shootout victory after the goalless draw before dozens of their fans invaded the pitch. That sparked an invasion from hundreds of Rangers supporters and missil...
Fans clashed on the Ibrox pitch after Celtic knocked Rangers out of the Scottish Cup on penalties. The visitors progressed to the semi-finals despite failing to register a single shot on target in 120 minutes of action. Celtic secured a 4-2 shootout victory after the goalless draw before dozens of their fans invaded the pitch. That sparked an invasion from hundreds of Rangers supporters and missiles were thrown as police and stewards moved to form a barrier. Flares were thrown and some minor skirmishes appeared to take place before order was restored and the 7,500 Celtic fans were left to celebrate alone. The Rangers captain, James Tavernier, hit the bar with the first penalty before his fellow substitute Djeidi Gassama blazed over, with Tomas Cvancara then sealing the victory and prompting the chaos. The Celtic striker Daizen Maeda had a goal disallowed for offside following a video assistant referee review, but Martin O’Neill’s side otherwise never threatened. Statistics showed that Rangers managed 24 shots and they also had a goal wiped out by VAR following an obvious handball by Emmanuel Fernandez. But the hosts struggled to seriously test Viljami Sinisalo and were denied on a number of occasions by some penalty-box blocks. View image in fullscreen Police officer and stewards form a line to separate the fans on the pitch after the end of the game. Photograph: Steve Welsh/PA Celtic were missing their captain, Callum McGregor, and Kieran Tierney after injuries picked up in the midweek win at Aberdeen. Luke McCowan came into central midfield, while Liam Scales moved to left-back as Auston Trusty came in amid a three-match league suspension. Maeda started through the middle. There was also a notable omission in the Rangers team as John Souttar was dropped to the bench along with Tochi Chukwuani. The hosts forced the early pressure and there was flashpoint when Trusty blocked Youssef Chermiti’s strike with an arm. But it was tucked into his body and video assistant, ...
The performing arts industry in the UK is “inhospitable to parents” and falling far behind other industries in supporting women who have children, according to research. The report, titled “the Motherhood penalty”, criticises the industry for failing to consider how it might adapt to better accommodate parents, with the result that many, in particular women, drop out. Its author, Jennifer Tuckett,...
The performing arts industry in the UK is “inhospitable to parents” and falling far behind other industries in supporting women who have children, according to research. The report, titled “the Motherhood penalty”, criticises the industry for failing to consider how it might adapt to better accommodate parents, with the result that many, in particular women, drop out. Its author, Jennifer Tuckett, a playwright, said: “Caring responsibilities were one of the major issues affecting women’s careers in the arts. “We were shocked to find problems like schedules being sent out the night before and the impact this has on parents, and we would urge both arts organisations and policymakers to look at new models which support both women and men to achieve success in the workplace and at home.” The actor Gemma Arterton, who was involved in the research, said “long working hours, a lack of flexibility and the need to travel without there being support in place” were all familiar issues for women and mothers in the industry. Potential solutions included initial meetings to discuss needs, schedules being sent out earlier, greater flexibility, and targeted projects to help parents return to the workplace, Tuckett added. The report, which is the outcome of a Women in Theatre research project supported by Equity and the Writers’ Guild of Great Britain among others, drew on focus groups and questionnaires of 10 senior industry professionals, all of whom felt there was a need for the arts to improve how they support mothers and parents. It was intended to identify the problems and form the basis for further research under the umbrella of two new organisations, Women in Arts and Women in Theatre, which will also run mentoring programmes and networking events. An Arts Council England spokesperson said it had been building on the work through the establishment last July of a task and finish group to address the needs of women across the cultural sector, including glass ceilings, harassme...
Nigel Farage’s attempt to reach the Chagos Islands military base was made on a private jet that appears to be linked to Reform UK’s mega-donor Christopher Harborne, it has emerged. Harborne, who has donated £12m to Reform UK, has links to two charter planes that flew Farage to the Maldives and, separately, a group of Chagossian campaigners to Sri Lanka, before they attempted to reach the archipela...
Nigel Farage’s attempt to reach the Chagos Islands military base was made on a private jet that appears to be linked to Reform UK’s mega-donor Christopher Harborne, it has emerged. Harborne, who has donated £12m to Reform UK, has links to two charter planes that flew Farage to the Maldives and, separately, a group of Chagossian campaigners to Sri Lanka, before they attempted to reach the archipelago by boat. The Thailand-based cryptocurrency and aviation investor did not reply to requests for comment about whether he owns the planes that facilitated the stunt. The trip ended in failure for the Reform UK leader after he was unable to reach the islands without permission from the UK government to access the military base. Farage said he undertook the trip to highlight the plight of the Chagossians, whose families were removed from the islands in the 1960s and are seeking to return. He also opposes the UK government’s decision to hand sovereignty of the islands to Mauritius to comply with international law while continuing to lease the base from them. Although Farage did not reach the islands, it generated attention for Reform as the party sought to set the political agenda on the Chagos Islands controversy. While a precise equivalent cost for the trip is unavailable, private jets of the size of those used would typically cost upwards of £10,000 an hour between the two. The disclosure underlines the importance of Harborne, one of the biggest donors in British political history, to Farage’s operation. It emerged this week that he donated a further £3m to Reform in the last quarter of 2025 after a record £9m gift last summer. The intensely private mega-donor’s ongoing generosity is likely to renew demands for greater transparency into the sources of donations in British politics. Farage has in the past raised questions about the optics of donors providing funding to leading political figures. When Keir Starmer was revealed to have accepted more than £16,000 for work clot...
Markets enter a critical week following last week's February jobs report that showed the U.S. economy lost around 92,000 jobs, which was a dramatic miss that has intensified recession concerns and raised questions about economic resilience amid escalating geopolitical tensions. The unexpected job losses create a challenging backdrop for Wednesday's all-important February CPI report at 7:30am, whic...
Markets enter a critical week following last week's February jobs report that showed the U.S. economy lost around 92,000 jobs, which was a dramatic miss that has intensified recession concerns and raised questions about economic resilience amid escalating geopolitical tensions. The unexpected job losses create a challenging backdrop for Wednesday's all-important February CPI report at 7:30am, which will test whether inflation is finally moderating enough to allow aggressive Fed accommodation or if price pressures remain stubbornly elevated despite weakening employment. Developments in the Iran conflict and energy prices will dominate attention, with any comments from President Trump potentially moving markets as investors assess whether Middle East tensions will escalate further or find diplomatic resolution. Friday delivers another big economic data day with January Core PCE Price Index, durable goods orders, and additional inflation metrics all releasing at 7:30am, providing comprehensive perspectives on price pressures and business investment. The earnings calendar features Oracle (ORCL) Tuesday testing cloud infrastructure demand, followed by Alibaba (BABA) and Adobe (ADBE) Thursday offering Chinese consumer and creative software insights. Here are 5 things to watch this week in the Market. Iran Conflict Escalation and Energy Market Dynamics The ongoing Iran war continues driving energy prices higher while creating broader market volatility as investors grapple with geopolitical risk premium and potential economic impacts from sustained oil price elevation. President Trump's comments on the conflict will be closely monitored for any signals about military strategy, diplomatic efforts, or policy shifts that could influence tension trajectories. Higher energy prices create a complex challenge for markets: supporting energy sector stocks while pressuring airlines, transportation, and consumer-facing companies through margin compression, and threatening to reignite ...
With agentic AI, businesses are conducting business more dynamically. Instead of traditional pre-programmed bots and static rules, agents can now “think” and invent alternate paths when unseen conditions arise. For instance, using a business domain ontology like FIBO (financial industry business ontology) can help keep agents within guardrails and avoid unwanted behavior. The bottleneck is now in ...
With agentic AI, businesses are conducting business more dynamically. Instead of traditional pre-programmed bots and static rules, agents can now “think” and invent alternate paths when unseen conditions arise. For instance, using a business domain ontology like FIBO (financial industry business ontology) can help keep agents within guardrails and avoid unwanted behavior. The bottleneck is now in the user experience (UX) layer. While agents are dynamic and transform with the data drift guided by ontology, the user interface is still very much static. These experiences with fixed fields and configurations can hamper the creative freedom given to agents. Modern standards like AG-UI (agent User interface) help streamline communication between UX and agents — but still the screens must be pre-defined at design time. A newer technology is taking this to the next level, dynamically allowing agents to render their desired user screen based on specific content. One is A2UI - agent to user interface . With A2UI, we first define a UX schema for how components should be rendered. This loosely coupled schema allows agents to build screens as per the data. Agents now communicate with a A2Ui compliant “renderer” that dynamically renders screens based on JSON content that agents produce dynamically. Screens are fully interactive and can communicate back with respective agents using AG-UI. Companies like Copilotkit are actively building A2UI renderers that can dynamically build the UI from JSON spec and wire it together back to the agent via AG-Ui. Moreover, using newer compression standards like token object notation (TOON) can help obtain highly efficient compression and include schema like ontology and A2UI into context prompts. Of course, as models get smarter, they will also include capability to auto generate screens compliant with A2UI and AG-UI via pre-training. The below schematic explains one view of this architecture. As shown, the A2UI specification is complementary to ...
John Crace asserts that Kemi Badenoch is “the worst leader of the Tory party in living memory” (Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran, 4 March). Really? Worse than Liz Truss? Roshi Saul Avening, Gloucestershire A warm welcome to “Britain’s newest affordable towns” (Revealed: the new affordable commuter hotspots in Great Britain, 7 March). Could this replace the Fantas...
John Crace asserts that Kemi Badenoch is “the worst leader of the Tory party in living memory” (Badenoch gives a borderline disgraceful performance at PMQs on Iran, 4 March). Really? Worse than Liz Truss? Roshi Saul Avening, Gloucestershire A warm welcome to “Britain’s newest affordable towns” (Revealed: the new affordable commuter hotspots in Great Britain, 7 March). Could this replace the Fantasy house hunt series, please? John Pelling Coddenham, Suffolk Perhaps it takes longer to learn dog owners’ names because they don’t so frequently have to be called to heel (Letters, 5 March). Maggie’s owner, whom I first met while dog walking on the sand dunes at least seven years ago, decided to introduce himself last week. Valerie Pedlar Southport, Merseyside Emma Brockes reports that the most shoplifted chocolate in London is Ferrero Rocher (Digested week, 27 February). Must be those light-fingered ambassadors. Quentin Rubens Twickenham, London I too had a Belling bed warmer when I was young (Letters, 3 March), which I swapped for a husband. I have him still, although after 50 years, the heat output may not be what once it was. Margaret Ward Carluke, South Lanarkshire Interesting though they are, the letters on how to fall asleep are of little use to me (Letters, 4 March). As a 95-year-old with a tendency to doze off, I would prefer some advice on how to stay awake, especially in front of the television. Cyril Duff London
President Emmanuel Macron will visit Cyprus on Monday, his office said, as France deploys warships to the Mediterranean following a drone attack on the island EU member days ago. Macron will meet Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos to show “solidarity” and detail moves to “strengthen security around Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranea...
President Emmanuel Macron will visit Cyprus on Monday, his office said, as France deploys warships to the Mediterranean following a drone attack on the island EU member days ago. Macron will meet Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos to show “solidarity” and detail moves to “strengthen security around Cyprus and in the eastern Mediterranean”, the Elysee said on Sunday. The visit will take place as the war pitting US and Israel against Iran is in its second week, affecting much of the Middle East. Advertisement Cyprus on Monday was targeted by Iranian-made drones, leading Macron to order France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean and a frigate and air defence units to Cyprus. “This trip is intended to demonstrate France’s solidarity with Cyprus, a member state of the European Union with which we have a strategic partnership” and which was recently hit “by several drones and missile strikes”, the Elysee said. Advertisement France has insisted its stance in the region is “strictly defensive”. The visit to Cyprus will also allow Macron “to emphasise the importance of guaranteeing freedom of navigation and maritime security in the Red Sea and the Strait of Hormuz, in particular through the European Union’s Aspides maritime operation,” it added.
Pressed on doubts over the legality of the war, Herzog said it was "quite amazing" to question it "when you think about the fact that Iran did not adhere to any rule of international law", and given concerns in the UK over Iranian-backed domestic security threats.
Pressed on doubts over the legality of the war, Herzog said it was "quite amazing" to question it "when you think about the fact that Iran did not adhere to any rule of international law", and given concerns in the UK over Iranian-backed domestic security threats.
This morning a "Potential Dividend Run Alert" went out for LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE: LTC), at our DividendChannel.com Dividend Alerts service (a free email alerts feature). Let's look at the situation in greater detail, shall we? First of all, what is a "Dividend Run" anyway? This is an interesting concept which we first learned about at a past ValueForum conference. And to best explain the conc...
This morning a "Potential Dividend Run Alert" went out for LTC Properties, Inc. (NYSE: LTC), at our DividendChannel.com Dividend Alerts service (a free email alerts feature). Let's look at the situation in greater detail, shall we? First of all, what is a "Dividend Run" anyway? This is an interesting concept which we first learned about at a past ValueForum conference. And to best explain the concept, we need to start with the expected behavior of a stock on its ex-dividend date. For anyone unfamiliar with the term, the ex-dividend date marks the trading day when any buyer of the stock is no longer entitled to the referenced dividend — in other words, to be eligible to receive the dividend in question, one would have had to purchase their shares before the ex-dividend date. All else equal, the stock price would be expected to drop by the dividend amount on that ex-date (remember, that's "all else equal" and naturally other factors will drive stocks higher/lower on any given day). But think about it: if a buyer is entitled to a 0.19 dividend before ex-date, but no longer entitled to that amount on or after ex-date, then this drop makes perfect sense! Because if the shares didn't drop by that same 0.19 the next day, then effectively, buyers would effectively be paying 0.19 more for the same share of stock. But now think about this: if a stock is expected to drop by the dividend amount (all else equal) on ex-date, then in turn, shouldn't that stock be expected to rise sometime ahead of a dividend? After all, if a dividend-paying stock didn't ever rise and only fell on each and every ex-date, then eventually after enough dividend payments those shares would have fallen to zero. And that wouldn't make any sense for a company continually earning money and paying dividends. So indeed, "sometime" before a given dividend, there should be sort of a built-in "pressure" for a stock to gradually rise in expectation of that next cash dividend... in other words: pressure for the s...
Scientists Train Lab-Grown Human Brain Cells To Play Doom Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, In a development that sounds like a Black Mirror script, Australian biotech firm Cortical Labs has taught clusters of human brain cells – grown in a lab – to interact with the iconic video game Doom. With roots in earlier work that had these “mini-brains” mastering Pong, the leap to Doom signals ...
Scientists Train Lab-Grown Human Brain Cells To Play Doom Authored by Steve Watson via Modernity.news, In a development that sounds like a Black Mirror script, Australian biotech firm Cortical Labs has taught clusters of human brain cells – grown in a lab – to interact with the iconic video game Doom. With roots in earlier work that had these “mini-brains” mastering Pong, the leap to Doom signals rapid progress in biological computing. Critics worry this tech, backed by agendas that prioritize efficiency over ethics, might pave the way for dytopian nightmare scenarios where values of self-reliance and human dignity fall by the wayside. The breakthrough involves roughly 800,000 to one million living human neurons clustered in a petri dish, forming what the company calls “mini-brains.” These cells, stimulated by electrical signals from a computer, learn to respond in ways that control actions in the game. Engineers at Cortical Labs translated Doom’s digital environment into patterns the neurons could process. The cells’ firing patterns then dictate moves like shooting or navigating. “So we showed that biological neurons could play the game Pong,” Cortical Labs chief scientific officer Brett Kagan explained in a video announcement. “This was a massive milestone because it demonstrated adaptive, real-time, goal-directed learning.” Building on that 2022 achievement, the team tackled a tougher challenge. “Doom was much more complex,” Kagan added. “It’s 3D. It has enemies. It needs to explore, its an environment, and it’s hard.” 🚨Nobody wants to hear this but it needs to be said. > Scientists put human brain cells in a petri dish. No body. Just neurons on a chip. > It learned to play DOOM in under a week. > 800,000 neurons figured out how to navigate, shoot, and survive a video game without ever… https://t.co/RRsC0MwE1k — Tuki (@TukiFromKL) March 7, 2026 The system, dubbed the CL1 biological computer, allows remote interaction with these living neurons via an online platfo...
Amazon stock has lost about 7% year to date, at the time of writing, Friday afternoon, March 6, according to Yahoo Finance. Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 index (SPY) is down about a little more than 1% in the same period. Alphabet (GOOGL) is down almost 5%.Microsoft (MSFT) is down 15%.Apple ...
Amazon stock has lost about 7% year to date, at the time of writing, Friday afternoon, March 6, according to Yahoo Finance. Meanwhile, the SPDR S&P 500 index (SPY) is down about a little more than 1% in the same period. Alphabet (GOOGL) is down almost 5%.Microsoft (MSFT) is down 15%.Apple ...
Key Points Johnson & Johnson owes its impressive dividend streak largely to its strong, innovative business. Zoetis should overcome the headwinds it faced last year and profit from a key long-term tailwind. 10 stocks we like better than Johnson & Johnson › Dividend stocks are not all the same. Some will readily decrease or suspend their payouts at the first sign of trouble, while others will conti...
Key Points Johnson & Johnson owes its impressive dividend streak largely to its strong, innovative business. Zoetis should overcome the headwinds it faced last year and profit from a key long-term tailwind. 10 stocks we like better than Johnson & Johnson › Dividend stocks are not all the same. Some will readily decrease or suspend their payouts at the first sign of trouble, while others will continue increasing them even during market downturns or economic recessions. Dividend investors prefer those that are in the latter category. Let's consider two stocks along those lines that are worth buying: Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) and Zoetis (NYSE: ZTS). These two healthcare companies are excellent picks for income-oriented investors. Will AI create the world's first trillionaire? Our team just released a report on the one little-known company, called an "Indispensable Monopoly" providing the critical technology Nvidia and Intel both need. Continue » 1. Johnson & Johnson Johnson & Johnson has many qualities that long-term income seekers seek. The company's business, albeit not particularly exciting, is consistent and resilient. Johnson & Johnson is a leading pharmaceutical company with a vast portfolio of approved medicines, as well as a medical device leader operating across several therapeutic areas. Revenue and earnings typically grow at a decent clip. That's the case even when it encounters problems such as patent cliffs and government-led drug price negotiations -- issues it is currently dealing with, but it expects its annual reported sales to grow this year and top $100 billion for the first time. Johnson & Johnson also has a rock-solid balance sheet, evidenced by its higher credit rating than the U.S. government's. Further, Johnson & Johnson is an innovative company. It routinely launches new products, both in its biopharma and medtech divisions, that help it counter stiff competition, whether biosimilar or otherwise. Johnson & Johnson is now awaiting approval f...
The UK government says it is "sickening and irresponsible" that X's AI tool Grok generated explicit and derogatory posts about the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters, the death of former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and the Munich air disaster. The posts, which the government says "go against British values and decency", were generated after X users asked Grok to create "vulgar" posts about Liverpo...
The UK government says it is "sickening and irresponsible" that X's AI tool Grok generated explicit and derogatory posts about the Hillsborough and Heysel disasters, the death of former Liverpool forward Diogo Jota and the Munich air disaster. The posts, which the government says "go against British values and decency", were generated after X users asked Grok to create "vulgar" posts about Liverpool and Manchester United, telling the AI tool to not hold back. The Premier League clubs have both complained to Elon Musk's social media platform X about the posts, some of which have now been removed. Grok has responded to some users on X explaining its actions. In one post it said its responses were generated "strictly because users prompted me explicitly for vulgar roasts" on specific topics, adding: "I follow prompts to deliver without added censorship. The posts have been removed from X after complaints. No initiation of harm on my end." Some other derogatory posts remain on the platform. In a statement to the BBC, a spokesperson for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said: "These posts are sickening and irresponsible. They go against British values and decency. "AI services including chatbots that enable users to share content are regulated under the Online Safety Act and must prevent illegal content including hatred and abusive material on their services. "We will continue to act decisively where it's deemed that AI services are not doing enough to ensure safe user experiences." It is understood X is looking into the issue and some of the posts have been removed. BBC Sport has contacted Ofcom for comment. Earlier this year, UK watchdog Ofcom and the European Commission launched investigations into concerns Grok was used to create sexualised images of real people.
Iraq has made a formal request to have the World Cup playoff game postponed after rejecting a proposal from Fifa that the squad should make a 25-hour road journey to Turkey before flying to Mexico to fulfil the fixture. The Guardian revealed last week that the playoff against Bolivia or Suriname, that is scheduled to take place in Monterrey on 31 March, is in doubt after the Iraqi Transport Minist...
Iraq has made a formal request to have the World Cup playoff game postponed after rejecting a proposal from Fifa that the squad should make a 25-hour road journey to Turkey before flying to Mexico to fulfil the fixture. The Guardian revealed last week that the playoff against Bolivia or Suriname, that is scheduled to take place in Monterrey on 31 March, is in doubt after the Iraqi Transport Ministry informed the Iraqi football association that the country’s airspace will remain closed for the duration of the war. Around half of the Iraq squad are in Baghdad and unable to travel while the Australian head coach, Graham Arnold, is stuck in Dubai. Following correspondence with Fifa over the past few days it is understood that the world governing body has suggested Iraq’s players travel from Baghdad to Istanbul, an arduous journey through the north of the country that has been under attack from Iranian drones since the war began. Arnold is understood to have told the Iraqi FA that he will not permit his players to travel by road while the conflict is ongoing. In addition to the travel problems, a number of Iraq’s players and backroom staff have yet to receive visas for Mexico or the US, where they had planned to hold a training camp in Houston. The Iraqi FA is understood to be lobbying Fifa for a quick decision and announcement on a postponement this week to give them certainty. Iraq has already qualified for one of two finals in the six-team intercontinental playoffs, with their game the last of the tournament. In another complication that could present a potential solution for Fifa, Iraq are seen as the most likely candidate to replace Iran should their neighbours withdraw from the World Cup due to the war, as they are the next highest-ranked team based on the Asian Football Confederation qualifying tournament.
A 15-year-old Oxford United academy player has died after collapsing during a match, the club have confirmed in a statement expressing their “immense sadness” at the news. Amelia Aplin collapsed on Saturday during the girls’ academy fixture against Fulham at Oxford’s Horspath training centre and later the club confirmed that a “serious medical incident” had occurred. An Oxford statement on Sunday ...
A 15-year-old Oxford United academy player has died after collapsing during a match, the club have confirmed in a statement expressing their “immense sadness” at the news. Amelia Aplin collapsed on Saturday during the girls’ academy fixture against Fulham at Oxford’s Horspath training centre and later the club confirmed that a “serious medical incident” had occurred. An Oxford statement on Sunday said: “It is with immense sadness that we announce the passing of 15-year-old academy player, Amelia Aplin. The thoughts and sincere condolences from everyone at Oxford United are with Amelia’s family, friends, teammates and coaches. “We would like to place on record our appreciation for the efforts of the medical staff at both Oxford United and Fulham Football Club, along with the emergency services. “The club will offer support to Amelia’s family, players, coaches and staff impacted by this tragic event. We would ask that the family’s privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time.” The Football Association said: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Amelia. Our thoughts go out to her family, friends and everyone associated with Oxford United Women at this incredibly difficult time.” Earlier on Sunday, Oxford announced that the third-tier league game between their senior women’s side and Real Bedford had been postponed. Oxford are fourth in the FA Women’s National League Southern Premier Division. A statement from the league added that they were “deeply saddened” to learn of Aplin’s death and said: “We will continue to support the club throughout this incredibly sad time.” A number of clubs from across the divisions have sent messages of condolences to Oxford on social media, including Manchester United Women, who described the news as heartbreaking and added on X: “Sending our condolences to Amelia’s loved ones and the Oxford United family at this desperately sad time.” Fulham said: “Everyone at Fulham Football Club is shocked and saddened to hear this...
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer said that it is the “most important company reporting” in the week, as he commented: After the close, wow, big one, Oracle reports. This one’s a total pain point ever since it decided to go all in on building data centers. The plan was hatched back when the stock was in the low $100s, then it soared to $345 as we...
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer said that it is the “most important company reporting” in the week, as he commented: After the close, wow, big one, Oracle reports. This one’s a total pain point ever since it decided to go all in on building data centers. The plan was hatched back when the stock was in the low $100s, then it soared to $345 as we learned that Oracle had huge orders to build data centers all over the country, including a gargantuan one from OpenAI. But when Oracle took down a gigantic amount of debt to do the buildout, investors started getting worried, and the stock’s now been more than cut in half since then. Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) provides cloud and on-premise software, databases, and IT infrastructure to help businesses manage operations. While we acknowledge the potential of ORCL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer said that it is the “most important company reporting” in the week, as he commented: After the close, wow, big one, Oracle reports. This one’s a total pain point ever since it decided to go all in on building data centers. The plan was hatched back when the stock was in the low $100s, then it soared to $345 as we...
Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) is one of the stocks on Jim Cramer’s game plan. Cramer said that it is the “most important company reporting” in the week, as he commented: After the close, wow, big one, Oracle reports. This one’s a total pain point ever since it decided to go all in on building data centers. The plan was hatched back when the stock was in the low $100s, then it soared to $345 as we learned that Oracle had huge orders to build data centers all over the country, including a gargantuan one from OpenAI. But when Oracle took down a gigantic amount of debt to do the buildout, investors started getting worried, and the stock’s now been more than cut in half since then. Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash Oracle Corporation (NYSE:ORCL) provides cloud and on-premise software, databases, and IT infrastructure to help businesses manage operations. While we acknowledge the potential of ORCL as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the best short-term AI stock. READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. Follow Insider Monkey on Google News.