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The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder?
A NEW Channel 4 documentary series investigates the brutal death of a 22-year-old sex worker more than 30 years ago who may have been caught up in a criminal drug ring. In the Footsteps of Killers delves into the case of Janine Downes, a mother-of-three, who was murdered in Wolverhampton on February 2, 1991. 1 Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of Janine's murder Credit: Alamy Who was Janine Downes? Janine had been working in the red-light district of the city and was last seen climbing into a distinctive blue car before her naked and beaten body was discovered in a hedge on the A464 near Hatton, just outside of She was found wearing only a paisley patterned blouse, a bra and blue ankle socks and had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of her murder. Emilia Fox, criminologist David Wilson and former senior detective Dr Graham Hill take up the cold case for Channel 4 and interview key witnesses, looking for clues in Wolverhampton's red-light district. READ MORE IN NEWS Lines of inquiry centre around the possibility Janine was the victim of a potential serial killer and linked to a local criminal drug and sex ring. Their inquiries initially lead them to the man dubbed the Instead, they suspect Janine's murder could be connected to local pimps after discovering they were involved with drug-dealing gangs in the city. Janine's murder remains under investigation by West Mercia Police. Most read in The Sun On the 30th anniversary of her death, Detective Inspector Lee Holehouse appealed for anyone with information about her death to come forward. Chilling moment cops find dismembered victims of Australia's 'worst ever serial killing' rotting in barrels At the time, DI Holehouse, from West Mercia Police's Major Investigation Unit, said: 'Now is the 30th anniversary of Janine's death. 'To date, despite a continuous and full investigation and several arrests being made, nobody has been charged with her murder and I desperately want to change that. 'We the police are still unclear as to what happened to Janine in the hours and days before her death. We are unclear as to whether it's likely that Janine was killed by a stranger or someone known to her. 'We do know that Janine was a sex worker working in the Wolverhampton area at around the time of her death and would appeal to anybody who was within this circle at the time or even now and may who have information to contact us. 'Moreover, I appeal to anybody with any information which may lead to the identity of Janine's killer to get in touch in order that we can get the justice that Janine and her family deserve. 'Somebody somewhere knows what happened. Janine's family have lived without closure for far too long. If you know what happened or have any information which may help, please help us.' To report information about Janine's death visit the Tell Us About Section of the West Mercia Police website Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the Crimestoppers website. How to watch In the Footsteps of Killers - Series 3: Episode 6 The Murder of Janine Downes is on Channel 4 at 10pm on July 22.
Scottish Sun
3 days ago
- Scottish Sun
Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder?
The 22-year-old mother-of-three was found in a hedge after being sexually assaulted KILLER HUNT Who was sex worker Janine Downes and what do we know about her brutal murder? Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) A NEW Channel 4 documentary series investigates the brutal death of a 22-year-old sex worker more than 30 years ago who may have been caught up in a criminal drug ring. In the Footsteps of Killers delves into the case of Janine Downes, a mother-of-three, who was murdered in Wolverhampton on February 2, 1991. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of Janine's murder Credit: Alamy Who was Janine Downes? Janine had been working in the red-light district of the city and was last seen climbing into a distinctive blue car before her naked and beaten body was discovered in a hedge on the A464 near Hatton, just outside of Shifnal. She was found wearing only a paisley patterned blouse, a bra and blue ankle socks and had been strangled and sexually assaulted. Despite a continuous and full police investigation, no one has ever been arrested or convicted of her murder. Emilia Fox, criminologist David Wilson and former senior detective Dr Graham Hill take up the cold case for Channel 4 and interview key witnesses, looking for clues in Wolverhampton's red-light district. Lines of inquiry centre around the possibility Janine was the victim of a potential serial killer and linked to a local criminal drug and sex ring. Their inquiries initially lead them to the man dubbed the Midlands Ripper, who was convicted of two other women's murders, but there is nothing that links him to Janine's brutal death due to a lack of CSI-style evidence. Instead, they suspect Janine's murder could be connected to local pimps after discovering they were involved with drug-dealing gangs in the city. Janine's murder remains under investigation by West Mercia Police. On the 30th anniversary of her death, Detective Inspector Lee Holehouse appealed for anyone with information about her death to come forward. Chilling moment cops find dismembered victims of Australia's 'worst ever serial killing' rotting in barrels At the time, DI Holehouse, from West Mercia Police's Major Investigation Unit, said: 'Now is the 30th anniversary of Janine's death. 'To date, despite a continuous and full investigation and several arrests being made, nobody has been charged with her murder and I desperately want to change that. 'We the police are still unclear as to what happened to Janine in the hours and days before her death. We are unclear as to whether it's likely that Janine was killed by a stranger or someone known to her. 'We do know that Janine was a sex worker working in the Wolverhampton area at around the time of her death and would appeal to anybody who was within this circle at the time or even now and may who have information to contact us. 'Moreover, I appeal to anybody with any information which may lead to the identity of Janine's killer to get in touch in order that we can get the justice that Janine and her family deserve. 'Somebody somewhere knows what happened. Janine's family have lived without closure for far too long. If you know what happened or have any information which may help, please help us.' To report information about Janine's death visit the Tell Us About Section of the West Mercia Police website Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously to Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or via the Crimestoppers website. How to watch In the Footsteps of Killers - Series 3: Episode 6 The Murder of Janine Downes is on Channel 4 at 10pm on July 22.
Leaders
5 days ago
- Business
- Leaders
Baby Grok: Elon Musk Launches Kid-friendly AI Chatbot
The tech billionaire and founder of artificial intelligence startup xAI, Elon Musk, has unveiled plans to develop a new AI app, called Baby Grok, focused on delivering child-friendly content. The new app aims to provide safe content for children, marking xAI's first move towards producing AI tools dedicated to children, to ensure they can access to digital assistance without being subject to inappropriate content. Baby Grok On Sunday, Elon Musk surprised his followers by announcing the launch of the new app. 'We're going to make Baby Grok, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content,' he posted on X. We're going to make Baby Grok @xAI, an app dedicated to kid-friendly content — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 20, 2025 Although he did not provide details, Baby Grok is expected to be a more-child friendly version of the Grok AI chatbot, developed by Musk's xAI, according to Fox Business. This version will be simpler and designed for safe and educational interaction with children. Musk's Criticism of Social Media The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX has previously criticized social media and their impact on kids. In May 2024, Musk warned of the negative effects of children's exposure to social media. 'A lot of social media is bad for kids, as there is extreme competition between social media AIs to maximize dopamine!' he said in an interview with Viva Technology. Musk also urged 'parents to limit the amount of social media that children can see because they're being programmed by a dopamine-maximizing AI.' Baby Grok Features The Baby Grok app is designed to keep children safe from harmful material and address concerns related to algorithmic content safety for younger users, according to the Times of India (TOI). By providing child-tailored content, Baby Grok aims to filter out adult or controversial topics and deliver age-appropriate responses. It also aims to provide simplified user interface for children. Moreover, it will provide educational and entertaining interactions suitable for children of different age groups. The new app will also integrate strong parental controls and safety measures to enable families to review and manage conversations. The launch of Baby Grok comes as major tech companies face growing criticism after their generative AI chatbots gave inappropriate responses to minors. Hence, Musk's child-focused app seeks to meet the growing demands for a safe AI support in home and educational settings. Grok 4 Most recently, Musk's xAI launched Grok 4, which it describes as 'the most intelligent model in the world.' It has cutting-edge features such as advanced training capabilities and real-time search integration. Grok 4 can also use powerful tools to find information from X, using advanced keyword and semantic search tools and view media to improve the quality of its answers. 'Grok 4 is the first time, in my experience, that an AI has been able to solve difficult, real-world engineering questions where the answers cannot be found anywhere on the Internet or in books. And it will get much better,' Musk posted on X. The tech billionaire reiterated his confidence in Grok 4 capabilities. 'I think it may discover new technologies as soon as later this year. And I would be shocked if it has not done so next year. So I would expect Grok to literally discover new technologies that are actually useful no later than next year and maybe [the] end of this year,' Musk said. Grok Controversary Two weeks ago, xAI's Grok came under fire as the chatbot delivered controversial responses which included hate speech and insults to political figures. X users shared screenshots showing Grok praising Adolf Hitler, in response to users' queries. Other screenshots included insults to Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Polish politicians, including Prime Minister, Donald Tusk. After these posts went viral, the company acknowledged the issue and said it was working to fix it. Then, it apologized to users and said the issue was caused by a code update. 'We have removed that deprecated code and refactored the entire system to prevent further abuse,' xAI said at the time. Short link : Post Views: 22
Miami Herald
6 days ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
USCIS ends key parole benefit, says immigration fees will rise ‘soon'
After eliminating several immigration programs and benefits established by the previous administration under Joe Biden, the government of Donald Trump has decided to end another key aid for those seeking to regularize their immigration status in the United States. An update from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) also warns that new fees will 'soon' be implemented for certain immigration benefit applications. The decision regarding one of the most commonly used forms by parole recipients went into effect on Thursday, July 17, 2025. What benefit was eliminated by USCIS? USCIS released a new edition of Form G-1055, the Fee Schedule. In this edition, it eliminates the eligibility for a fee waiver for Form I-131, Application for Travel Document, Parole Documents and Arrival/Departure Records, for immigrants applying for parole under the following categories: ▪ Initial Request for Arrival/Departure Record for Parole In Place (PIP), for noncitizens currently in the United States. ▪ Re-parole Requests for individuals who had previously received a period of parole under the PIP program. Read more: 'A privilege, not a right': Trump administration puts green card holders on notice From now now, those submitting these applications will have to pay the current fee of $630, as stated in the updated G-1055 document. Requirements for obtaining PIP vary by case, since the U.S. grants different types of temporary stay permits, ranging from family members of U.S. military personnel to individuals who qualify for humanitarian reasons. In 2024, the Biden administration proposed expanding parole in place to undocumented immigrants married to U.S. citizens who met certain requirements, such as having lived in the country for a minimum number of years. An estimated 500,000 people could have benefited from that measure, but a federal court in Texas blocked the process, known as the Keeping Families Together (KFT) initiative. USCIS announces increases to immigration fees On July 11, USCIS announced that it 'will soon begin charging new fees for certain immigration benefit requests.' 'We will provide details on the implementation of these fee changes in the coming days,' the agency noted, just before updating the parole in place form. These measures are part of the reforms promoted by President Trump as part of his 'One Big Beautiful Bill' budget plan, which was approved by the Senate. This legislation proposes sweeping changes to the immigration system, including: ▪ Stricter enforcement rules for immigration laws ▪ New restrictions on social benefits such as Medicaid or food stamps (SNAP) ▪ Increases in fees for essential immigration procedures, such as permanent residency, TPS and asylum applications.
Boston Globe
17-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Jessa Crispin's new book asks ‘What Is Wrong With Men?'
As a scion of Hollywood, and the son of legend Kirk Douglas, Michael Douglas found himself increasingly playing characters whose story arcs mirror the identity crisis of American men as the Cold War era wound down, Crispin adds. 'There's just a moment of 'well, now who are we? What do we stand for if we're not fighting communism?'' Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up This sense of displacement, Crispin adds, 'feeds into these stories of grievance,' the sting of lost status translating into anger at women and immigrants as seen in Douglas's lost, angry character in 1993's 'Falling Down.' Is there really a crisis in masculinity? Yes, Crispin says — 'as evidenced by addiction rates and suicide rates' — but most are looking at the wrong culprit to blame: 'There's a kind of stubbornness in men's culture [that keeps them from] really looking at what is behind these trends. It's not the fault of feminism. It's not the fault of immigration.' Advertisement Crispin has seen a photo of the actual Michael Douglas posing with the book, but she says she hopes he doesn't read it ('it's like your crush reading your diary entries about them'). But for the rest of us, she says she hopes readers will come away ready for 'a better conversation about what is going on with men. 'We really have a system of haves and have-nots, of increasing inequality not just of money but of quality of life,' she says. 'I am desperate for there to be a wider acknowledgment of that and to try to fix some of the stuff, because the effects are obvious and it causes a lot of suffering — and not just for men.' Jessa Crispin will read at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 22, at And now for some recommendations…. Katie Yee blends comedy and heartbreak in her spare and elegant debut novel, ' In ' Advertisement If this hot summer has anything to teach us, it's that human beings can only thrive when we have access to shade, whether in the form of tree canopies or the low overhang of a building's roofline. In his new book ' Kate Tuttle edits the Globe's Books section. Kate Tuttle, a freelance writer and critic, can be reached at
