From fab-factor flip-flops to new-wave boat shoes – shop summer's hottest new shoes, from £14
Just a whiff of their plastic takes me back to childhood holidays on Yorkshire's Whitby beach. But now, thanks to the Olsen twins' hit New York brand The Row, which sent jelly shoes down its runway, this novelty footwear has been pegged as cool. Unlike the budget fisherman styles we wore as kids, The Row's iteration will set you back £860 – luckily, the high street got the memo.
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BBC News
33 minutes ago
- BBC News
The AI copyright standoff continues - with no solution in sight
The fierce battle over artificial intelligence (AI) and copyright - which pits the government against some of the biggest names in the creative industry - returns to the House of Lords on Monday with little sign of a solution in sight.A huge row has kicked off between ministers and peers who back the artists, and shows no sign of abating. It might be about AI but at its heart are very human issues: jobs and highly unusual that neither side has backed down by now or shown any sign of compromise; in fact if anything support for those opposing the government is growing rather than tailing off. This is "unchartered territory", one source in the peers' camp told me. The argument is over how best to balance the demands of two huge industries: the tech and creative sectors. More specifically, it's about the fairest way to allow AI developers access to creative content in order to make better AI tools - without undermining the livelihoods of the people who make that content in the first sparked it is the uninspiringly-titled Data (Use and Access) proposed legislation was broadly expected to finish its long journey through parliament this week and sail off into the law books. Instead, it is currently stuck in limbo, ping-ponging between the House of Lords and the House of bill states that AI developers should have access to all content unless its individual owners choose to opt out. Nearly 300 members of the House of Lords disagree. They think AI firms should be forced to disclose which copyrighted material they use to train their tools, with a view to licensing Nick Clegg, former president of global affairs at Meta, is among those broadly supportive of the bill, arguing that asking permission from all copyright holders would "kill the AI industry in this country". Those against include Baroness Beeban Kidron, a crossbench peer and former film director, best known for making films such as Bridget Jones: The Edge of says ministers would be "knowingly throwing UK designers, artists, authors, musicians, media and nascent AI companies under the bus" if they don't move to protect their output from what she describes as "state sanctioned theft" from a UK industry worth £ asking for an amendment to the bill which includes Technology Secretary Peter Kyle giving a report to the House of Commons about the impact of the new law on the creative industries, three months after it comes into force, if it doesn't change. Mr Kyle also appears to have changed his views about UK copyright once said copyright law was "very certain", now he says it is "not fit for purpose".Perhaps to an extent both those things are Department for Science, Innovation and Technology say that they're carrying out a wider consultation on these issues and will not consider changes to the Bill unless they're completely satisfied that they work for creators. If the "ping pong" between the two Houses continues, there's a small chance the entire bill could be shelved; I'm told it's unlikely but not it does, some other important elements would go along with it, simply because they are part of the same bill. It also includes proposed rules on the rights of bereaved parents to access their children's data if they die, changes to allow NHS trusts to share patient data more easily, and even a 3D underground map of the UK's pipes and cables, aimed at improving the efficiency of roadworks (I told you it was a big bill).There is no easy answer. How did we get here? Here's how it all started. Initially, before AI exploded into our lives, AI developers scraped enormous quantities of content from the internet, arguing that it was in the public domain already and therefore freely available. We are talking about big, mainly US, tech firms here doing the scraping, and not paying for anything they hoovered they used that data to train the same AI tools now used by millions to write copy, create pictures and videos in seconds. These tools can also mimic popular musicians, writers, artists. For example, a recent viral trend saw people merrily sharing AI images generated in the style of the Japanese animation firm Studio founder of that studio meanwhile, had once described the use of AI in animation as "an insult to life itself". Needless to say, he was not a has been a massive backlash from many content creators and owners including household names like Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Dua Lipa. They have argued that taking their work in this way, without consent, credit or payment, amounted to theft. And that artists are now losing work because AI tools can churn out similar content freely and quickly Elton John didn't hold back in a recent interview with the BBC's Laura Kuenssberg. He argued that the government was on course to "rob young people of their legacy and their income", and described the current administration as "absolute losers".Others though point out that material made by the likes of Sir Elton is available worldwide. And if you make it too hard for AI companies to access it in the UK they'll simply do it elsewhere instead, taking much needed investment and job opportunities with opposing positions, no obvious compromise. Sign up for our Tech Decoded newsletter to follow the world's top tech stories and trends. Outside the UK? Sign up here.
The Guardian
37 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Country diary 1950: Everyday life at Dippersmoor Manor
HEREFORD: As I went up the pitch just outside my gate called Hangman's Hill a polecat passed on the road in front of me. The keeper on a nearby estate told me he had trapped about 40 in the last few years but had never seen a polecat alive. Ravens still build in the big wood. I saw one on a misty morning flying low down; it was croaking dismally. Sheep-shearing is nearly over; it must be a relief to the ewes in this fierce sun to get their mantles peeled off. So far my lamb has only gone round and watched the shearing. A hitherto indolent young tom cat has killed and eaten a large grey squirrel, leaving only the flat tail – a very sporting effort. And the old tabby cat has two coal-black kittens in the barn; I hope they may be lucky – they are certainly not beautiful and will, I trust, stay out there.
The Independent
44 minutes ago
- The Independent
Stirling-London train tickets for fewer pounds? Anglo-Scottish rail rivalry to start in spring 2026
Rail passengers between London and central Scotland will get new direct services from spring 2026. Lumo, part of FirstGroup, plans to run five trains a day between London Euston and Stirling, stopping at 10 English and Scottish stations along the way. The new 'open access' service will compete with Avanti West Coast as well as other operators including TransPennine Express and LNER – both of which are publicly owned. Experience on the East Coast main line, where Lumo competes with LNER between London and Edinburgh, suggests fares will fall and some airline passengers will switch to rail as the market expands. At present Stirling has only two direct daily trains serving London: one by day on LNER, and another by night with Caledonian Sleeper. The new Lumo service will also call at the Scottish stations of Larbert, Greenfaulds (serving Cumbernauld), Whifflet (serving Coatbridge), Motherwell and Lockerbie en route to England. The company says that the first three have never had direct trains to and from London. Carlisle, Preston, Crewe, Nuneaton and Milton Keynes Central are the English station calls. Open access trains between Stirling and London – offering fresh journey possibilities and bringing competition to existing operators – were first proposed six years ago by an organisation called Grand Union Trains. But the new service will be operated by FirstGroup and branded Lumo. The Office for Rail and Road gave the project the go-ahead in March 2024. Announcing approval for the plan, the ORR's strategy director, Stephanie Tobyn, said: 'Our decision helps increase services for passengers and boost competition on Britain's railway network. 'By providing more trains serving new destinations, open access operators offer passengers more choice in the origin and price of their journey leading to better outcomes for rail users.' It will be the first time that the incumbent long-distance operator, Avanti West Coast, has faced open access competition. Even though the route is electrified, initially diesel-powered six-car trains will be deployed, using rolling stock previously operated by East Midlands Railway. Revealing details of the new link, Lumo's managing director, Martijn Gilbert, said: 'Today's announcement underscores Lumo's commitment to growing Scotland's rail network, providing passengers with more affordable, fast, and convenient travel options. 'Our new service between Stirling and London has the potential to unlock significant economic opportunities for communities along the route, and we're proud to deliver this direct rail connectivity to towns previously overlooked by traditional rail services. 'We are focused on further expanding our services in Scotland to ensure even greater connectivity across the country and the whole UK.' Besides serving passengers living or working on the line of route, the new link will increase journey possibilities to and from Perth, Aberdeen and Inverness, connecting with ScotRail services at Stirling. The portion of the journey linking London with Crewe, Preston and Carlisle could lead to lower fares on these core Avanti West Coast routes. Avanti West Coast is a joint venture between FirstGroup – owner of Lumo – and Trenitalia. The train operator will be nationalised within the next year or two as part of the UK government's programme of bringing most rail firms into public ownership. Speaking in May, ahead of nationalising South Western Railway, the transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said: 'I'm clear that there is a role for open access operators going forward . But we need to make sure that the open access operators coexist with the public sector operator in a way which maximises benefit and value to the travelling public.'
