Author: Liam Porter

Chinese influencer Luo Yonghao and co-host Xiao Mu tried out livestreaming on Sunday, June 15, 2025, using interactive digital avatars based on Baidu’s generative artificial intelligence model.ScreenshotBEIJING — Avatars generated by artificial intelligence are now able to sell more than real people can, according to a collaboration between Chinese tech company Baidu and a popular livestreamer.Luo Yonghao, one of China’s earliest and most popular livestreamers, and his co-host Xiao Mu both used digital versions of themselves to interact with viewers in real time for well over six hours on Sunday on Baidu’s e-commerce livestreaming platform “Youxuan”, the Chinese tech company…

Honorable MentionEvery OLED we’ve tested is a great TV, and older models are often on sale so they’re well worth considering before you hit the buy button. Here’s where we list favorites not on our top list.Sony A95L: Sony’s 2023 flagship A95L isn’t as bright as the latest crop of top-tier OLEDs, but it’s still a dazzler with fantastic colors, excellent contrast, and thrilling picture processing that’s nearly as eye-popping as the latest Bravia 8 II. The best part is you can often get this TV on sale for well below its replacement, making it a great choice for those…

Put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, grooming gang survivors urgeAlexandra ToppingThe political “tug-of-war with vulnerable women” abused by grooming gangs must stop ahead of a new national inquiry into the crimes, survivors have told the Guardian.Holly Archer and Scarlett Jones, two survivors who played a key role in a “gold-standard” local inquiry into the crime in Telford, have urged politicians and those without experience of abuse to allow women to shape the investigation.“We have to put politics aside when it comes to child sexual exploitation, we have to stop this tug-of-war with vulnerable women,” said Archer,…

We compare and contrast the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq over alleged weapons of mass destruction with Israel’s military

Flames rise as a SpaceX rocket explodes in Brownsville, Texas, U.S., June 18, 2025, in this screengrab obtained from a social media video. Therocketfuture Via X | Via ReutersA SpaceX Starship rocket on Wednesday exploded at the Starbase facility in Texas during routine testing in preparation for a launch flight, according to local authorities and live stream footage.The rocket “experienced a major anomaly while on a test stand at Starbase” at 11 p.m. local time, SpaceX said on social media, noting “a safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted…

Bank of England interest rate decisionNewsflash: The Bank of England has left UK interest rates on hold at 4.25%.The decision, which matches City expectations, comes as the Bank weighs up the risks to the UK economy from US trade wars and the conflict in the Middle East, which has pushed oil prices higher in the last week.But it’s a split decision – with six of the nine policymaker’s voting to hold, and three voting for a cut.Details and reaction to follow.ShareKey eventsShow key events onlyPlease turn on JavaScript to use this featureClosing postTime to recap….The Bank of England has left…

A new hotel discovery platform verifies luxury properties for both accessibility and inclusivity.The platform, called Inclusive Luxury Hotels, ensures all of its listings are committed to providing “conscious inclusivity” for travelers with mobility, sensory, and neurodivergent exceptionalities.Included in the listings are luxury properties in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Luxury travel just got a bit more inclusive, thanks to a new platform designed for discerning travelers with disabilities. Accessible travel company Inclu has just launched a new hotel discovery platform for travelers with disabilities called Inclusive Luxury Hotels. The platform features hotels that have been vetted (or are in…

The trend forecasters are predicting a prep revival. The all-American look, born of mid-century country clubs and popularized by 1980s movies, seems to be in the air again. A 17-year-old I know sets out each weekend to shop for vintage polo shirts, and Luca Guadagnino is filming a new version of the Bret Easton Ellis novel, American Psycho. That about synthesizes it.If prep does make a comeback on the runways in the coming weeks, it wouldn’t surprise Thom Browne. “I’m always in that world because I love the timelessness of it and the ease,” he says. “I like the idea…

Mark Peploe, the Oscar-winning screenwriter who collaborated with some of the greatest names in European film-making including Michelangelo Antonioni and Bernardo Bertolucci, has died aged 82. Peploe’s family told the Guardian he died in Florence, Italy, after a long illness.Peploe’s prominence centred on the screenplays he wrote for some of the great European directors of the era, notably Italian new wave auteurs Antonioni and Bertolucci. Despite its chequered release history, the 1975 film The Passenger, directed by Antonioni and starring Jack Nicholson, has since been acclaimed as one the decade’s cinematic masterpieces, and Peploe went on to forge a regular…

A listeria food poisoning outbreak that has killed three people and led to one pregnancy loss is linked to newly recalled heat-and-eat chicken fettuccine Alfredo products sold at Kroger and Walmart stores, federal health officials said late on Tuesday.The outbreak, which includes at least 17 people in 13 states, began last July, officials said. At least 16 people have been hospitalized.FreshRealm, a large food producer with sites in California, Georgia and Indiana, is recalling products made before 17 June. The recall includes these products, which were sold in the refrigerated sections of retail stores: 12.3oz trays of Marketside Grilled Chicken…