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Hark launches privacy-focused AI assistant with a paid subscription option
Hark, a startup founded less than a year ago, has launched Hark Pro, an AI personal assistant prioritising privacy and data protection. Unlike competitors such as OpenAI and Meta, the company is not harvesting user data or selling advertising, a crucial distinction when these assistants require access to users’ entire digital lives. Available free with…
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Abusive boyfriend jailed for nine years after fleeing to Thailand
Nicholas Cash has been jailed for nine years and four months after a ten-month campaign of abuse against his former girlfriend, Olivia Croft. The case included controlling behaviour and assaults, and Croft went to police after he killed one of her rabbits by flushing it down a toilet. Cash, 26, was convicted in his absence…
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Texas woman charged after husband and two children stabbed at home
A 37-year-old Texas woman has been charged after police say she stabbed her husband and two young children at their home before dawn. The case is significant because all three family members were injured and remain in hospital. Police say the husband called 911 at about 4.30am with a head wound; officers found the three-year-old…
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Fifa cleared DRC goalkeeper to play at World Cup despite eligibility concerns
Fifa reportedly allowed the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) to play at this summer’s World Cup despite investigators finding that goalkeeper Lionel Mpasi had not completed the process to represent the country. Mpasi played in the tournament, including against England, and no punishment was imposed on the Congolese football federation. The dispute followed Nigeria’s…
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Dunfermline childminder admits neglect after leaving children unsupervised
A Scottish childminder has admitted neglecting and abandoning children in her care after leaving them unsupervised at her home in Dunfermline. The case matters because families said the practice was commonplace, while the court heard children were left distressed and some parents raised concerns about their care. Amanda Mathewson, 55, pleaded guilty at Kirkcaldy Sheriff…
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Cornell defendant’s lawyer asks Letitia James to quit investigation role
A lawyer for one of seven men accused in a sexual assault case at Cornell University has asked New York Attorney General Letitia James to step aside as special prosecutor. The lawyer argues that James’s public expression of support for the woman who made the allegations could raise doubts about the investigation’s independence, though he…
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Student attacked and robbed at Midtown Atlanta crossing as bystanders watch
A Georgia State University student, identified as Amaris, was followed from a MARTA station, attacked and robbed at a Midtown Atlanta crossing on Saturday. Several bystanders watched, but nobody intervened until the attacker left; the incident has raised concerns about personal safety and people’s responses when someone is in danger. The attacker claimed to have…
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Teen charged with new offences after four-year-old is killed in shooting in Charlotte
A 17-year-old has been charged with additional offences after a shooting in Charlotte, North Carolina, killed four-year-old Caleb Flax as he slept at home. Police say the attack involved seven armed people firing into several occupied homes, and that the suspects may have been seeking retaliation for a shooting the previous day. The new charges…
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Oregon lawmaker Paul Evans arrested after crash with stop sign
Oregon State Representative Paul Evans was arrested in the early hours of 4 October on suspicion of driving under the influence following a reported hit-and-run in Independence. The 56-year-old Democrat, representing the state’s 20th District since 2014, struck a stop sign before leaving the scene. His arrest raises questions about his fitness for office as…
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Naugatuck housing plan delayed as residents question historic graves
A proposed 11-lot housing development in Naugatuck, Connecticut, has been delayed after two tombstones were found on the site and residents raised concerns that they mark graves dating from the 1800s. The dispute matters because construction may be restricted if human remains are found, and residents say the land should not be disturbed until the…