UK news

UK news

Nations including the UK, France and India have condemned xAI's Grok chatbot, accusing it of illegally creating sexualized images of people without their consent. The US and Japan are by far X's largest markets by active users, followed by Indonesia, India and the UK, according to the data and analytics provider DataReportal. The governments of the three latter nations have now all chastised xAI, with Indonesia going as far as to temporarily block access to Grok.

Ofcom noted that in its view, CSAM does include "AI-generated imagery, deepfakes and other manipulated media," which "would fall under the category of a 'pseudo-photograph.' As Ofcom explained, "If the impression conveyed by a pseudo-photograph is that the person shown is a child, then the photo should be treated as showing a child." Similarly, "manipulated images and videos such as deepfakes should be considered within the scope" of intimate image abuse, Ofcom said.

Police have advised a high-profile Sikh activist in the UK to install security cameras at his home and reinforce door locks because of threats from Hindu nationalist elements. Paramjeet Singh Pamma, 52, said he had been visited by police and received verbal advice to increase his security due to intelligence suggesting threats to his safety. Singh Pamma said the threats were linked to the Indian government and he accused ministers in the UK of failing to take relentless transnational repression by India seriously.

Selina Hales has a thing about pineapples. She is talking in a quiet office, set aside from the bustle of Refuweegee, the charity she founded 10 years ago, and the walls are festooned with tissue paper cutouts of the fruit, which is an international symbol of hospitality. Refuweegee its name a combination of the words refugee and Weegee, local slang for Glaswegian has expanded exponentially over the decade into an operation that supports hundreds of asylum seekers and refugees in the city every day.

Image source, Shutterstock Challenge Cup holders Hull KR will visit Castleford Lock Lane or Brighouse when they begin their title defence in the third round stage of the 2026 competition. The Robins beat Warrington Wolves in last season's Wembley final to end a 45-year wait to regain the trophy - the first part of a historic treble under Willie Peters. Other than newly-promoted Toulouse Olympique - who have declined participation - 13 of the 14 Super League sides enter the competition at the third-round stage.

NHS Surrey Heartlands said the situation at three hospital trusts Royal Surrey NHS foundation trust, Epsom and St Helier university hospitals NHS trust and Surrey and Sussex healthcare NHS trust was exacerbated by increases in flu and norovirus cases and an increase in staff sickness. It added that the recent cold weather front has also impacted on more frail patients needing to be admitted to hospital.

Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Minicab driver, Ashenafei Demissie, 53, was behind the wheel of a Volkswagen ID.4 when it suddenly accelerated forward, killing Fareed Amir and seriously injuring his son, on November 25 2022. During the weeklong trial at the Old Bailey, a prosecution crash expert told the court the collision occurred when Demissie had accidentally pressed the accelerator. However, Demissie maintained that the vehicle moved forward on its own, suggesting a possible software fault. After five hours of deliberation, the jury found him not guilty of causing death and serious injury by careless driving.

Gillespie, who has resigned from his role with Scottish Premiership rivals St Mirren after five years, is also chief executive of social care charity Kibble, which is part owner of the Paisley club. Rangers say he will start his new role "later in the season", with Fraser Thornton continuing as acting chief executive until then before becoming executive director. Gillespie was quoted in September 2024 saying that he had pulled out of talks with Rangers to become chief executive

The government committed 7.3bn in November's Budget to fix roads over the next four years. The DFT rated 154 local highway authorities as red, amber or green based on road conditions and how well they were using government funds. The vast majority were rated as amber, meaning they were patching up roads and had preventative measures in place but there was still room for improvement.

Video footage showed someone shouting through a megaphone: "Standing with the resistance, we affirm that Palestinians have the right to return to their homeland that was stolen from them during the 1948 Nakba. "We believe in the right to resist by any and all means necessary, for the full liberation and from the river to the sea." Protesters then chanted: "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free."

The grocer is the first UK brand to use the glasses to film an ad which will appear in Snapchat's walls. The spot was shot in a 115-degree circular format to give a first person viewpoint, and was designed to capture the comforting feeling of huddling road a hot pot of food and diving straight into the saucepan for a taste.

The minute I walked through the doors of that boxing club, that was it. I saw the ring, the bags, the lines on the floor, and I was immediately obsessed. This was going to be my life. I saw boxing as a game of tag. I'm going to hit you and you can't hit me. It took speed and accuracy and I was really good at it.

One commuter based in Islington, North London, wrote on social media: 397 a month council tax and they can't even put a bit of grit in the roads. Death trap out there today. Simon O' Farrell from Richmond added: Disgraceful lack of gritting around Whitton. Roads and pavements icy. People sliding around all over the place. It's winter, it's icy. We pay a fortune for council tax. Get on with it! Atrocious ice in SW London. Main high street almost impossible to walk on. Useless councils, said another. The Councils in London are not even bothered about gritting the roads after a snowy morning. All the pathways and main roads are filled with ice all day. That's a disaster waiting to happen, another added.

Fahri, then 19, received a life sentence in 2009 with a minimum term of 14 years for the killing of 16-year-old schoolboy Jimmy Mizen. On 10 May 2008, in a south London bakery, Fahri threw an oven dish at Jimmy, which shattered and severed blood vessels in his neck. Witnesses reported seeing Fahri swaggering from the shop with a smile.