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Uber drivers launch European class action over ‘soulless’ and ‘scary’ AI algorithm
Uber drivers from the UK, the Netherlands and other European countries have launched a landmark legal action against Uber, alleging that the AI-powered algorithm the company uses to set pay and allocate jobs breaches data protection law and unfairly depresses their earnings. Drivers describe the system as a “black box” that learns their individual willingness…
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Chaos at Trump’s G20 summit as Europe issues stunning ultimatum over ‘family photo’
The G20 finance ministers’ summit in Asheville, North Carolina, was overshadowed by a row over the traditional “family photo” after European finance ministers threatened to boycott it unless Russia’s delegation was excluded, given Moscow has been shut out of G20 events since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had invited Russian…
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Meryl Streep, Laura Poitras Join ‘My Undesirable Friends: Part II’ as Exec Producers (Exclusive)
Meryl Streep and Oscar-winning filmmaker Laura Poitras have joined as executive producers on *My Undesirable Friends: Part II – Exile*, the follow-up to director Julia Loktev’s acclaimed 2024 documentary about independent Russian journalists. The new film will premiere at the Venice Film Festival before screening at the New York Film Festival and later reaching theatres…
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Tado’s new thermostat is designed as a Nest killer
Tado has launched the second generation of its Smart Thermostat X, positioning the device as a direct successor to Google’s Nest thermostats in Europe following Google’s withdrawal from the market last year. Google’s decision to shut down servers for its first- and second-generation Nest thermostats has already driven “significant” sales towards Tado, according to cofounder…
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Burnham warned cash ‘not vibes’ needed to bolster defence amid rising threat from Russia
Andy Burnham faced pressure at Prime Minister’s Questions to commit firmly to raising UK defence spending, after reports suggested the Government could drop its pledge to reach 3% of GDP by 2030. Labour’s Tan Singh Dhesi, who chairs the Commons Defence Select Committee, told Burnham that “vibes alone” would not be enough given the heightened…
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Burnham doubles down on blaming Brexit for UK’s woes at PMQs as he vows to use summit to get closer to Brussels
Andy Burnham used his second day as Prime Minister to reinforce his view that Brexit is largely responsible for a “decade of low growth” in the UK, using Prime Minister’s Questions to make the case again after first raising it in his Commons debut a day earlier. He said he wanted a closer relationship with…
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Gun battle breaks out in Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine’s own security services
A gun battle broke out between two branches of Ukraine’s own security services in Kyiv in the early hours of the morning, during an investigation into an alleged Russian plot to target a Russian opposition figure. Officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) exchanged fire with a unit from Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR)…
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EU and Nato vow to step up pressure on Russia after ‘new escalation’ in Germany
The heads of the European Commission and Nato have accused Russia of growing recklessness towards Europe and pledged a faster, tougher response, after Germany formally blamed Moscow for a failed drone attack on Leipzig airport last month. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte said the incident marked a new…
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Freelancers are getting buried with ‘soulless’ AI slop cleanup: ‘It’s a shame we need to do it’
As companies increasingly rely on AI tools to generate marketing copy, images and video, they are turning to freelance creatives not to produce original work but to fix the flawed output – a trend now dubbed cleaning up “AI slop”. Freelancers such as Spain-based graphic designer Lisa describe the work as lucrative but exhausting and…
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George Clooney Defends Mark Ruffalo’s ‘Ability to Speak Freely’ About Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal and Doesn’t See How the Merger ‘Financially Ends Up Making Sense’
George Clooney used a press conference ahead of receiving the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to weigh in on Hollywood’s biggest current controversy: Paramount Skydance’s pursuit of a merger with Warner Bros. He defended fellow actor Mark Ruffalo’s right to criticise the deal, after Ruffalo was accused by Paramount of using “antisemitic…