Urupong/iStock via Getty Images The government of Spain has ordered prosecutors to probe social media giants X, Meta Platforms ( META ) and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "Today, the Council of Ministers will invoke Article 8 of the Organic Statute of the Public Prosecution Service to request that it...
Urupong/iStock via Getty Images The government of Spain has ordered prosecutors to probe social media giants X, Meta Platforms ( META ) and TikTok for allegedly spreading AI-generated child sexual abuse material, according to the country's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. "Today, the Council of Ministers will invoke Article 8 of the Organic Statute of the Public Prosecution Service to request that it investigate the crimes that X, Meta, and TikTok may be committing through the creation and dissemination of child pornography by means of their AI," said Sanchez in a post on X, according to a translated version. "These platforms are attacking the mental health, dignity and rights of our sons and daughters," Sanchez added. "The State cannot allow it. The impunity of the giants must end." Meta, TikTok parent ByteDance ( BDNCE ), and X owner xAI ( X.AI ) did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Seeking Alpha. The announcement comes as European regulators are cracking down on tech companies, alleging abusive practices on online platforms. xAI's chatbot Grok and X have recently come under scrutiny following the alleged generation of deepfake images by the AI service. On Tuesday, it was reported that Ireland’s data protection regulator opened an inquiry into X amid concerns about sexualized images generated and shared through the Grok AI chatbot. Earlier this month, Sanchez announced some measures aimed at restricting online abuse and protecting children, including a proposed ban on access to social media platforms for those under the age of 16, Reuters reported . More on Meta and xAI Meta Is Now A Bargain Mag 7 Stock Meta: Analyzing The Surge In Debt From $0 To $60 Billion In 5 Years Meta Platforms: Snatch Up This Big Tech Deal Now SpaceX to compete in Pentagon contest for autonomous drone tech - report Musk’s X faces Irish data protection probe over sexualized images generated by Grok AI
A cooling labour market prompted traders to increase their bets on further interest-rate cuts from the Bank of England after UK unemployment climbed to a five-year high and wage growth eased. Bloomberg Markets Today Editor Kit Rees discusses on "The Pulse with Francine Lacqua" on Bloomberg TV. (Source: Bloomberg)
A cooling labour market prompted traders to increase their bets on further interest-rate cuts from the Bank of England after UK unemployment climbed to a five-year high and wage growth eased. Bloomberg Markets Today Editor Kit Rees discusses on "The Pulse with Francine Lacqua" on Bloomberg TV. (Source: Bloomberg)
I had so many conversations with people fed up with all the chaos, deceit and U-turns. Politics must respond to this disenchantment You can feel Labour’s electoral coalition fraying in the cold, rain-soaked streets of south-east Manchester. With nine days to go now until the historic byelection in Gorton and Denton , one thing unites these otherwise diverse communities: a visceral contempt for the...
I had so many conversations with people fed up with all the chaos, deceit and U-turns. Politics must respond to this disenchantment You can feel Labour’s electoral coalition fraying in the cold, rain-soaked streets of south-east Manchester. With nine days to go now until the historic byelection in Gorton and Denton , one thing unites these otherwise diverse communities: a visceral contempt for the prime minister. Mention Keir Starmer’s name and people laugh: not with affection but disbelief, as though it’s faintly absurd to treat him as a serious topic of conversation. “He just doesn’t stick to his word,” says a middle-aged woman walking her dog, stressing that her real feelings would be impolite to print. Owen Jones is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Stock futures dipped Tuesday morning amid a holiday-shortened trading week, spotlighting key economic data and corporate earnings ahead. Here are some of Tuesday's biggest stock movers: Biggest stock gainers ZIM Integrated Shipping ( ZIM ) +36% - Shares jumped after Hapag-Lloyd ( HPGLY ) agreed to acquire the shipper for $35 per share in cash, a 58% premium that values the company at about $4.2B. ...
Stock futures dipped Tuesday morning amid a holiday-shortened trading week, spotlighting key economic data and corporate earnings ahead. Here are some of Tuesday's biggest stock movers: Biggest stock gainers ZIM Integrated Shipping ( ZIM ) +36% - Shares jumped after Hapag-Lloyd ( HPGLY ) agreed to acquire the shipper for $35 per share in cash, a 58% premium that values the company at about $4.2B. The deal still needs approval from regulators, shareholders, and the government of Israel, which holds a strategic “golden share” in ZIM. To help secure approval, the buyer included FIMI Opportunity Funds in the transaction. Ocular Therapeutix ( OCUL ) +35% - Shares climbed ahead of the company's webcast on February 17, 2026, to review topline results from the SOL-1 Phase 3 superiority trial of AXPAXLI (OTX-TKI) for wet AMD. The detailed data is to be presented later at the Macula Society Annual Meeting on February 25–28. COMPASS Pathways ( CMPS ) +28% - Shares surged ahead of the release of new Phase 3 data for its COMP360 psilocybin treatment for treatment-resistant depression, scheduled for February 17 at 6:30 a.m. ET, covering Part A and B of COMP005 and Part A of COMP006, with management set to host a follow-up webinar later in the morning. Biggest stock losers Wheaton Precious Metals ( WPM ) -2% - Shares slipped after the company agreed to acquire BHP’s ( BHP ) 33.75% silver stream at the Antamina mine for $4.3B in cash, lifting its total share to 67.5%. The deal, effective April 2026, is expected to add ~6 Moz of annual silver output in the first five years, raise 2026 production by ~11%, and expand reserves. The deal will be funded through cash, debt, and credit facilities, leaving net debt near $2.4B at closing. More on related stocks: ZIM Integrated: Hapag-Lloyd Offer Makes Sense For Everyone, Will It Go Through? Ocular Therapeutix: Considering Their Phase 3 'Superiority' Trial's Prospect ZIM Integrated Shipping: Why The Buyout Matters Most - Initiating Strong Buy...
Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc launched a $950 million share buyback program as it signaled confidence in a travel recovery in China and remains optimistic about the US market. Revenue per available room fell 1.6% in the Greater China region in 2025, though turned positive in the final quarter, a sign of incoming rebound, Chief Financial Officer Michael Glover said in an interview. He added tha...
Intercontinental Hotels Group Plc launched a $950 million share buyback program as it signaled confidence in a travel recovery in China and remains optimistic about the US market. Revenue per available room fell 1.6% in the Greater China region in 2025, though turned positive in the final quarter, a sign of incoming rebound, Chief Financial Officer Michael Glover said in an interview. He added that a longer-than-usual Chinese New Year and government plans to boost consumption will support demand going forward. The Holiday Inn owner’s operating profit rose 13% to $1.27 billion, slightly ahead of analyst estimates. Shares rose as much as 4.4% to an intraday record in London. Fourth-quarter performance in the US was negatively impacted by the government shutdown, Glover said, though revenue per available room is currently tracking ahead of expectations in 2026. While US consumer confidence declined in January to the lowest level in more than a decade, Glover expects other factors to offset the impact of more hesitant travelers. “A lot of things going on within the US are positive trends,” he said, citing low unemployment, a pickup in business travel, growing investment in non-residential buildings and this summer’s football World Cup. Southeast Asian markets including Vietnam are seeing robust growth, while Europe and the Middle East are experiencing “strength on top of strength,” Glover said. The hotel operator is also targeting more upscale customers this year with the launch of its Noted Collection brand. The premium end of the market is “an area where we feel like there’s great opportunity to gain share and we’re thinking about 150 hotels in the next next decade coming into that brand,” Glover said.
By turning the novel into just a corset-heaving love story, the director has stripped it of what made it so boundary-pushing It’s difficult, when watching Emerald Fennell’s “ Wuthering Heights ”, not to imagine what Emily Brontë would have made of it. Before I get into it, I feel obliged to state that although I love the book I am not a purist. I often relish creative reinterpretations of classics...
By turning the novel into just a corset-heaving love story, the director has stripped it of what made it so boundary-pushing It’s difficult, when watching Emerald Fennell’s “ Wuthering Heights ”, not to imagine what Emily Brontë would have made of it. Before I get into it, I feel obliged to state that although I love the book I am not a purist. I often relish creative reinterpretations of classics. Admittedly, this one came with a fair few red flags, from the casting of Margot Robbie (simply too old, Cathy is a teenager) and Jacob Elordi (simply too white, Heathcliff, while his origins are uncertain, is described as darker skinned) to the unhinged marketing and crass brand tie-ins . Nevertheless, I was still excited to see it. So why did I leave the cinema not only bored, but feeling a little bit sad? Fennell said she wanted to make the film she imagined at 14, the age at which many of us read the novel in English class. Fennell focuses almost entirely on the “love story” at the expense of almost all of the novel’s other themes. Of course, if you’re a teenager in love, the doomed connection between Cathy and Heathcliff does captivate, although as an abuser who hangs a dog, Heathcliff is not exactly fanciable. I do understand the impulse behind Fennell’s fan-fictiony desire to have them consummate their love, when Brontë, who probably never touched a man her entire life, left all that desire unrealised. Horniness at the expense of all else, however, can feel terribly hollow. Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
US undercover investigator Greg Squire can spend 18 hours a day befriending child sex abusers, to try to identify them and get justice for victims. He reveals the toll the work has taken on him Greg Squire can never forget the video that opened his eyes to what child sexual abuse could mean. It was a Sunday and he was at his home in New Hampshire, sitting out on his deck, his two young children ru...
US undercover investigator Greg Squire can spend 18 hours a day befriending child sex abusers, to try to identify them and get justice for victims. He reveals the toll the work has taken on him Greg Squire can never forget the video that opened his eyes to what child sexual abuse could mean. It was a Sunday and he was at his home in New Hampshire, sitting out on his deck, his two young children running around, playing. This was 2008, about a year into Squire’s career as an agent for Homeland Security – he’d been a postman before this – and he reached for his laptop, checked his inbox and saw that the results of an email search warrant for a suspect had come in. He clicked on a video. A girl was sitting in an adult bed, a child’s picture book beside her. Squire watched as a man came into the frame and began reading it to her. For a moment, it could have been a normal scene – maybe it would be – until the man proceeded to remove the girl’s clothing. Then he raped her. Squire watched her “endure” it – “it looked like her soul left,” he says. Continue reading...
They are hardly essential, but can act as useful teachers The problem Lots of houseplants fail because they aren’t getting enough light. But what does “bright, indirect light” really mean in practice? Light meters and apps promise to turn guesswork into numbers, but are they useful, or just kit for professionals and plant nerds? The hack Light meters measure the amount of light hitting a spot. Som...
They are hardly essential, but can act as useful teachers The problem Lots of houseplants fail because they aren’t getting enough light. But what does “bright, indirect light” really mean in practice? Light meters and apps promise to turn guesswork into numbers, but are they useful, or just kit for professionals and plant nerds? The hack Light meters measure the amount of light hitting a spot. Some are dedicated devices; others are phone apps that use the camera sensor. Instead of guessing whether a corner is bright enough, you measure it and then find the right plant for that spot with more confidence. Continue reading...
Indonesia is trying to engineer a Ramadan spending boost, rolling out transport fare cuts and food handouts to shore up consumption during its busiest shopping season, but economists question how far the temporary support can go in lifting growth. The 12.83 trillion rupiah (US$762 million) stimulus package unveiled ahead of the Muslim fasting month, which culminates in Eid ul-Fitr, is meant to kee...
Indonesia is trying to engineer a Ramadan spending boost, rolling out transport fare cuts and food handouts to shore up consumption during its busiest shopping season, but economists question how far the temporary support can go in lifting growth. The 12.83 trillion rupiah (US$762 million) stimulus package unveiled ahead of the Muslim fasting month, which culminates in Eid ul-Fitr, is meant to keep people travelling and shopping despite rising food prices and softer purchasing power. In a...
In 1994, Richard Leiter, a South African entrepreneur, took a gamble on the then unknown Chinese commercial truck maker FAW with the introduction of the first Jiefang CA141 truck into the South African market. Two decades later, he had transitioned from importer to industrialist, with a sprawling assembly plant in the Coega special economic zone in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. FAW now outsells maj...
In 1994, Richard Leiter, a South African entrepreneur, took a gamble on the then unknown Chinese commercial truck maker FAW with the introduction of the first Jiefang CA141 truck into the South African market. Two decades later, he had transitioned from importer to industrialist, with a sprawling assembly plant in the Coega special economic zone in South Africa’s Eastern Cape. FAW now outsells major brands like Toyota, Daimler and Isuzu in the heavy truck sector in South Africa, driven by...
As demand for integrated IT and cyber security services continues to rise across the UK, Littlefish Group has announced its acquisition of Stripe OLT, a rapidly growing leader (scale up) in managed IT and cyber security with a proven track record in Microsoft–led solutions, enabling Littlefish to further solidify its position in an expanding market.
As demand for integrated IT and cyber security services continues to rise across the UK, Littlefish Group has announced its acquisition of Stripe OLT, a rapidly growing leader (scale up) in managed IT and cyber security with a proven track record in Microsoft–led solutions, enabling Littlefish to further solidify its position in an expanding market.
The Trump administration is proposing massive changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We asked disaster experts to weigh in. (Image credit: Ronaldo Schemidt)
The Trump administration is proposing massive changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. We asked disaster experts to weigh in. (Image credit: Ronaldo Schemidt)
President Trump's immigration policy is complicating Republicans' attempts to maintain control of Congress. A recent crackdown in Maine, for instance, put the focus on GOP Sen. Susan Collins. (Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)
President Trump's immigration policy is complicating Republicans' attempts to maintain control of Congress. A recent crackdown in Maine, for instance, put the focus on GOP Sen. Susan Collins. (Image credit: Joseph Prezioso)
Partnerships between ICE and local law enforcement agencies has expanded widely, under the second Trump administration, data analyzed by NPR shows. (Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Partnerships between ICE and local law enforcement agencies has expanded widely, under the second Trump administration, data analyzed by NPR shows. (Image credit: Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)