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The variable aperture isn’t the cool part of the iPhone 18 Pro’s camera
Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max introduce a variable mechanical aperture in their main camera, alongside manual controls for shutter speed, white balance and focus that were previously only available through third-party apps such as Halide. However, this article argues the adjustable aperture is unlikely to be the standout feature, since smartphone sensors are…
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Clearview AI Is Testing an AI Tool That Would Let Cops Unearth Your Life Online
Clearview AI has been quietly developing and testing an experimental artificial intelligence tool called InquiryIQ, which is designed to automatically scour the internet for personal information once an investigator identifies a person of interest. WIRED discovered the tool through code embedded in Clearview’s login page, revealing that it can browse webpages, analyse images and compile…
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‘That was all secret’: the ‘gay mole’ who fought the BBC to show the first queer kiss on kids’ TV
A new account of the 1987 BBC schools drama Two of Us reveals it as an overlooked predecessor to Heartstopper, telling a near-identical story of a teenage boy falling for his male best friend at a comprehensive school. Made for the BBC’s Scene strand and intended for classroom broadcast, the film was pulled from its…
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Todd Rundgren review – try-anything veteran doesn’t let his freak flag fully fly
The Guardian’s review of Todd Rundgren’s London concert at Cadogan Hall finds the 78-year-old musician’s astonishing versatility undercut by a set list that leans too heavily on unremarkable rock rather than showcasing the experimental range that made his career so distinctive. Despite producing landmark albums for artists like Meat Loaf and the New York Dolls,…
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Ex-partner of ‘Gisele Pelicot 2.0’ husband whose wife died after ‘being drugged and raped by other men’ describes horrific abuse he subjected her and their pet dog to
The former partner of Robert Aichinger, an Austrian man accused of drugging his wife and handing her unconscious to other men for sex, has described a pattern of violent abuse she suffered during their relationship, including a broken jaw from a punching attack and severe beatings of their pet dog. Her account has emerged after…
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Iceland to become first UK high street retailer to open shop in Falkland Islands
The supermarket chain Iceland is to open a store in Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, becoming the first UK high street retailer to have a presence in the British territory. The move, announced by executive chair Richard Walker, comes as tensions over the islands’ sovereignty have resurfaced, with Argentina’s president Javier Milei renewing…
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‘Female survival in a terrifying world’: Tilda Swinton’s return in Man to Man
Director Bruce Guthrie reflects on the return of Manfred Karge’s play Man to Man, starring Tilda Swinton, which is being revived following its groundbreaking run in the 1980s. The one-woman play depicts a working-class woman, Ella, who assumes the identity of her dead husband to survive Nazi rule and the subsequent division of Germany, and…
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Tourists in England face nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb stays under new plans
Ministers are set to give mayors in England the power to impose a nightly levy on hotel and Airbnb-style stays, dubbed a “tourist tax”, as part of a wider devolution push. Housing secretary Angela Rayner is meeting mayors on Thursday to outline plans that would let local leaders charge visitors a percentage of their accommodation…
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Debenhams Group offloads Sheffield distribution centre – fashionunited.uk
Debenhams Group, the online retailer formerly known as Boohoo, has sold its Sheffield distribution centre to Primark in a £90 million cash deal, reassigning the site’s lease and automation equipment to the fashion retailer. The move forms part of the company’s ongoing turnaround strategy, allowing it to reduce debt while shifting away from owning large-scale…
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Heat damage to barley harvest threatens UK beer supplies
Jeremy Clarkson’s partner Lisa Hogan has warned that Britain faces a potential beer shortage after a summer of heatwaves severely damaged the country’s barley harvest, threatening both the quantity and quality of beer produced. Ms Hogan, who runs Diddly Squat Farm in Oxfordshire with Clarkson, said suppliers may struggle to meet demand and warned that…