Latest news with #Luger
Sunday World
2 days ago
- Sunday World
Gardaí uncovered ‘purpose-built hide' in car containing gun, ammo and €153k cash
James Bates, 42, with an address at Parnell Drive, Parslickstown, Dublin 15, was arrested by officers from the Dublin Crime Response team on the M1 northbound near Balbriggan at around 6 pm on Monday Gardaí uncovered a sophisticated "purpose-built hide" containing a handgun, bullets and more than €153,000 in suspected crime earnings after intercepting a car in north Dublin, a court heard. James Bates, 42, with an address at Parnell Drive, Parslickstown, Dublin 15, was arrested by officers from the Dublin Crime Response team on the M1 northbound near Balbriggan at around 6 pm on Monday. He was refused bail when he appeared before Judge Cephas Power at Dublin District Court today. Mr Bates, who has still to enter a plea, is accused of unlawful possession of a semi-automatic gun, and 15 rounds of Luger and S&B ammunition, and two counts of money laundering for having €153,305 and €920 in alleged proceeds of criminal conduct at the scene of his arrest and the smaller sum at his home address. He was granted legal aid and remanded in custody to appear at Cloverhill District Court on August 14 for directions from the Director of Public Prosecutions. Garda John Hynes objected to bail due to the seriousness of the case and concerns that the accused had transported a firearm, which could enhance and strengthen an organised crime group. Garda Hynes contended that, having lost the money, the accused could be pressured to re-offend. Cross-examined by defence counsel Garrett Casey about the condition of the gun, Garda Hynes conceded that a slide component on the top of the weapon was undone so it could not be fired, but added that it was just a flick of a switch. Judge Power noted the prosecution's evidence alleging that when Mr Bates was stopped driving a grey, 2008-registered Peugeot car, officers found the €153,305, gun and bullets in a "purpose-built hide". He described it as sophisticated, noting that it was under a passenger seat and an electronic fob was used to open its motorised lid. The court also heard that the smaller amount of money was recovered from Mr Bates's home, where gardaí allegedly found electronic bagging, and another fob similar to the one in the car. The court heard Mr Bates denied knowledge of the firearm. The garda also alleged that the defendant's phone contained messages with photos of significant sums of cash, including Sterling, and that the accused had contacts in the North and Spain; the phone evidence indicated access to large sums of money. The charges are under section 27 of the Firearms Act and section 7 of the Criminal Justice (Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing) Act 2010. Mr Casey emphasised that his client enjoyed the presumption of innocence and had surrendered his passport. Counsel asked the judge to consider how Mr Bates had no bench warrant history or record for committing a serious offence and would abide by strict conditions that would be monitored, but the application was denied. Photo of the gun seized News in 90 Seconds - Aug 7th
Bangkok Post
4 days ago
- Bangkok Post
Police sting nabs online gun seller
KHON KAEN - Police arrested a 42-year-old man illegally selling firearms online in an undercover sting on Wednesday, and seized two semi-automatic pistols. Cyber Crime Investigation Division 3 led the operation to arrest Tinakrit, alias Kom, in a parking lot behind Ban Muang market in tambon Ban Thum, Muang district, about 1pm. They impounded a black 9mm Luger Parabellum and a black-sand coloured Sig Sauer P320SP pistol. Division 3 had learned Tinakrit was selling firearms, offering buyers weapon inspections before purchase at discounted prices. The unit coordinated with the investigation division of Provincial Police Region 4 to plan the sting. Undercover officers arranged to purchase the Luger for 24,000 baht. When Tinakrit arrived to show the weapon, they identified themselves. During the arrest they discovered he was carrying the second pistol. Police said Tinakrit admitted ownership of both weapons, and said he purchased them from an unidentified Thai man he met through social media but could no longer contact. He was charged with illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and handed over to Muang Khon Kaen station for legal proceedings.
Forbes
31-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
Inside Lex Luger's AI Model: How Lemonaide Is Redefining Consent In AI Music Licensing
For the past year, the debate around AI and Music has largely centered on what AI companies won't do: disclose training data, implement consent mechanisms, or give artists meaningful control. As generative music platforms like Suno and Udio grow rapidly and edge closer to licensing deals with major labels, the real question isn't whether licensing will happen, it's whether those deals will be transparent, auditable, and built on creator consent. Such deals may help settle ongoing lawsuits but without visibility into what was trained, when, and on whose work, licensing alone risks becoming a rubber stamp on opacity. Right now, that's not guaranteed. In the UK, policy is drifting in the opposite direction. The recently passed Data Protection and Digital Information Bill introduces an opt-out model for AI training, allowing copyrighted content to be used unless rights holders explicitly object. But rights groups and artists have called the mechanism 'unworkable' in practice. They argue it shifts the burden to creators, offers no guarantee of compliance, and lacks mandatory disclosure about what data is being used. Attempts to introduce dataset transparency requirements were rejected in Parliament, despite strong support from the creative industries. The result is a system that risks entrenching opacity at the moment when rightsholders are starting to demand clarity. As Xander Banks, CEO of MeKey, an asset license and protection company puts it: 'This is not just a licensing problem; it is a consent problem. Artists deserve to know if they are being used to feed the machine, and be given the choice to decline or be paid.' AI, Music, Licensing, Consent: The Lex Luger Case That Challenges the Status Quo In July 2025, producer Lex Luger and AI music startup Lemonaide launched an AI-powered music model, available for purchase through Lemonaide's partner BeatStars. Based entirely on Luger's own MIDI files and compositional process, the model allows users to generate 4‑ and 8‑bar WAV and MIDI loops via Lemonaide's Collab Club offering. The release was priced at $49.99, available royalty-free up to 1 million streams, with clearance required beyond that, clearly stated on both the BeatStars and Lemonaide platforms. The product page states: 'No scraping. No shortcuts. These are real patterns and melodies from Lex's own sessions.' Luger spoke candidly in public comments: 'I honestly love it, but a part of me is a little afraid of it… The more I educated myself on it… this is a tool that can elevate me so much higher than I already am.' He also praised the design: 'This Lemonaide piece is a genius enhancement for my production. I can take their MIDI, drop it in, flip it, and turn it into a whole different melody if I want.' Lemonaide's CEO and Co-Founder Michael 'MJ' Jacob publicly framed Collab Club as proof that 'AI in music is at a turning point. Creators are asking for tools that honor their sound, protect their rights, and elevate their ability to be creative. Collab Club is the answer.' Lemonaide Chief Strategy Officer and Co-Founder Anirudh Mani put it more bluntly: 'What we're focused on is building artist‑centric models where artists are true stakeholders in the AI era — not just data sources. Consent isn't an afterthought; it's built into the infrastructure. That foundation of consent leads to trust, and trust is everything right now in these early stages of AI in creative fields.' By framing consent as a competitive differentiator, Lemonaide's launch is already having ripple effects. And it shows the argument that transparency is 'too hard' or that consent is 'incompatible with scale' doesn't hold. If a niche startup with limited resources and one willing artist can ship a functioning, consent-based AI instrument, with clear rules, auditable provenance, and no lawsuit bait, then platforms with billion-dollar valuations can't pretend it's impossible. This wasn't a theoretical framework, it was a functioning, released product that modeled consent and transparency in practice. What Lemonaide's product demonstrates is that consent is a business asset. It lowers legal exposure. It builds trust with creators. It makes investors more confident in due diligence. And it opens doors for partnerships with rights organizations, labels, and distributors who are reluctant to engage with models trained on scraped content. If this is possible on a small scale, it's possible at the industry level, if the will exists. The problem isn't technology. The building blocks for a consent-based AI music infrastructure already exist: – Consent logs can record exactly which rights holders authorized training, under what scope, and with what revocation terms. – Content Credentials (developed through the C2PA and CAI standards) allow metadata to persist across files, documenting provenance from dataset to output. – Content-derived identifiers like the open-source ISCC can complement music's existing ISRC/ISWC systems, making it easier to track reuse, support takedowns, and trigger clearance when thresholds are crossed. – Human-readable dataset disclosures can explain, in plain English, what a model was trained on, what the usage limits are, and what happens when outputs reach commercial scale. Lemonaide's product proved the concept. Consent-first, creator-trained AI can be built now. And creators will participate if it's built right. The stakes are high for Majors Labels Major labels are now being asked to make a choice: license their catalogs to AI companies with no public record of what was ingested or demand transparency and shape the framework that comes next. Licensing without dataset disclosures won't restore trust. It won't guarantee opt-outs were honored. And it won't prevent future lawsuits from creators whose likeness or catalog was used without knowledge. On the startup side, there's another path forward. Tools built with creators can become vehicles for ethical training and monetization. Instead of scraping producers' back catalogs to generate 'beats in the style of,' they can invite those same producers in, to train, test, co-own, and share in revenue from bespoke models. Not just Lex Luger, but the thousands of independent beatmakers who already sell loops, samples, and stems via BeatStars, Airbit, Splice, and their own stores. Distributors are beginning to require declarations around AI-generated content. Some DSPs are working on watermarking and model provenance tools. Rights organizations are actively discussing how to track training usage and trigger compensation. But in the U.S., the picture is more fractured. While some legislators and agencies support provenance standards, the newly announced AI Action Plan from President Trump takes the opposite stance. In his July 2025 speech launching the plan, Trump dismissed licensing requirements for AI training as 'unrealistic,' criticized copyright protections as 'woke,' and explicitly warned against any rules that would slow American AI companies. The result is a growing rift: European regulators are codifying consent and auditability, while U.S. policy is shifting toward looser oversight and broader carve-outs, leaving creators with even less leverage. In truth, opacity remains the norm, not the exception. AI companies continue to scale models trained on undisclosed data, and without binding rules, many rights holders are striking deals that sidestep meaningful transparency. But pressure is mounting: the companies that offer clarity on datasets, consent, and usage rules are better positioned to earn trust and mitigate legal and reputational risk. What comes next depends on whether the industry chooses to lead or follow If licensing deals between majors and AI platforms go ahead without a consent standard, they risk becoming sellouts, short-term payouts that ignore long-term consequences. But if those deals include dataset disclosures, consent logs, and real metadata governance, they could reshape the foundation of AI and music. Startups should take note: the edge isn't speed or scale. It's traceable. It's auditability. It's the ability to say, 'Here's what we used, here's who said yes, and here's how we handle rights when this goes big.' Xander Banks sums it up well: 'The companies that come out on top will be the ones that preserve the creatives and show whose side they're really on.'" The future of AI music won't be won by whoever scrapes the most. It'll be won by whoever earns trust, and proves it.
Daily Mail
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Rocketing dud Sir Keir did well to answer the most boring man in Parliament, writes QUENTIN LETTS
Prime Minister's Questions began with news that a Houthi drone factory in Yemen had been destroyed by the RAF. But the drone factory at Westminster was still producing annoying devices – known by various names, most politely 'MPs' or 'backbenchers' – that are capable of doing terrible damage to the nation's morale. The Speaker, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, had just initiated proceedings when there came a mosquito-like whine. Old-timers ducked for safety. More innocent souls looked up, left and right, trying to locate the source of this irritating, doomful hum. Then they spotted it: a little chap on the Lib Dem benches, not much above 5ft, who was clutching his usual cue cards (few of the new intake have the wit to memorise their questions). Oh no, it was Wokingham's Clive Jones, the most boring man in Parliament! He makes even 'Bozo Bill' Esterson look a gifted raconteur. Mr Jones put his question. It was not a short one. They never are. What meagre energy the House had possessed was swiftly going down the plughole. MPs started talking over him. Mr Jones put his question. It was not a short one. They never are. Although I am sometimes critical of Sir Keir Starmer – himself a rocketing dud – it must be said that he did well to produce some sort of answer to Mr Jones, says Letts Mr Jones, oblivious to his shortcomings, seemed to imagine that the laughter was reward for his oratorical brilliance rather than in mockery of his E.L. Wisty dullness. Eventually Speaker Hoyle pulled out his Luger and shot Mr Jones out of the skies. Although I am sometimes critical of Sir Keir Starmer – himself a rocketing dud – it must be said that he did well to produce some sort of answer to Mr Jones. Few others in the chamber had a clue as to what the Wokingham wombat had been saying. Next up: Dan Tomlinson (Lab, Chipping Barnet). Drones sometimes go phut mid-flight. This happened to Tomlinson. Operator error. He made the mistake of trying to suck up to his whips by asking Sir Keir a patsy question about the opposition. You are supposed to ask the PM about government responsibilities. Sir Lindsay rightly told Mr Tomlinson to shut up. The Chipping Barnet stooge tried to finish his question but his microphone had been switched off. His final words went mercifully unheard as his rotor blades bit the turf and his mission ended in tinkling disaster. Little Sam Carling (Lab, NW Cambs) had a question. Mr Carling is aged about 14. As his moment approached he looked pale. Kept swallowing. Checked his flies. Tugged at his fringe. I thought he was going to be sick. His question turned out to be another whips special, imploring the PM to update Cambridgeshire residents on Labour's 'plan for change'. Young Carling sat down with a look of immense relief. Now he could go and have a can of pop at the tuck shop. Julie Minns (Lab, Carlisle and North Cumbria), listing villages that had breakfast clubs, also managed to say 'plan for change'. So did Josh Simons (Lab, Makerfield). The Chief Whip looked faintly disgusted. Whips never respect sycophants. Sir Bernard Jenkin (Con, Harwich and North Essex) gave a plug to a coming concert by the parliamentary choir. It seemed he might be about to list the entire programme. Sir Bernard, who once considered trying to become a professional tenor, could at least have sung his question. Mark Francois (Con, Rayleigh and Wickford) banged on about the late Dame Vera Lynn. A shameless pitch for the Gen Z vote. Nigel Farage (Reform, Clacton) asked about immigration but he was hard to hear in the chamber, either because his microphone was not working or because he lacks Sir Bernard's vocal projection. Sir Keir, having already had a tricky time with Kemi Badenoch, was snappy about both Reform and the Tories. The PM's best moment was when he joked about Robert Jenrick 'still running' after the London marathon. Lady Starmer was in an upstairs gallery. A rare visitor. During the ten minutes I watched her, she betrayed no emotion, not even when her husband did OK. An expressionless visage. She was not quite sad but lacked rapture. Perhaps she hates this place.
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Lex Luger details miraculous recovery from being nearly quadriplegic to standing for WWE Hall of Fame: 'I was at the breaking point'
Lex Luger's induction into the WWE Hall of Fame on Friday was heartwarming for more than the obvious reasons. Luger joined fellow 2025 inductees Triple H and Michelle McCool among the eight individuals enshrined into WWE lore at WrestleMania week in Las Vegas. It's been a long road to get there for Luger, and one many feared he'd never reach due to numerous legal troubles and battles with substance abuse. Luger's health dwindled to such a degree he became a borderline quadriplegic in the late 2000s, suffering from minimal movement in his head and shoulders due to a cervical injury. He could lift his arms a bit, but that was it — until fellow WWE Hall of Famer Diamond Dallas Page came to his aid. Advertisement The legendary duo on Tuesday detailed Luger's recovery journey to the Hall of Fame on Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show." It all started when Page was contacted by one of Luger's old enemies, Erik Watts. "Watts was telling me how Lex has found Christ, he's a completely different person," Page said. "I'm like, 'Bro, what are you talking about? Never happening. Not with Lex.' "[Watts insisted,] 'I'm telling you, it's true.' I go, 'You hate him. I love Lex, but you hated him.' Not anymore. He goes, 'Actually, we're living together.' I was like, 'What?!'" Watts told Page about an autograph signing event with both MMA and pro-wrestling athletes involved. Page recalled agreeing to it, but really only cared about seeing Luger, especially after what he'd been told. Advertisement Upon his arrival, Page said the event promoter called him in a panic, fearing Luger had a heart attack or some other health scare in his hotel room. Because of Luger's condition, which was unknown at the time, the WWE legend needed the paramedics to break down his door with a battering ram. "Your breathing is compromised with a cervical injury, so I tried to move my head and shoulders to knock the phone off the hook," Luger recalled. "I don't know what that would have done, but I was panicking, and I fell down to the floor. It was like being in a metal suit in a bag that pulled me to the floor. I didn't know what was happening. I thought I was dehydrated or something." Page said he arrived after Luger had already been assisted and propped up in a chair. Initially, Luger declined the idea of hospitalization, insisting he was fine. At the time, from what the promoter indicated, Page assumed a heart issue or perhaps a hip issue was the culprit, as Luger was awaiting a double hip replacement the following week. "I go, 'I came here to see you. Are you OK?'" Page said. "I give him a hug, but I didn't really notice he didn't move. Lex says, 'Sure, I'm good.' The EMT is like, 'No, you're not. You have to go to the hospital.' Advertisement "I had no idea. So when he gets back to the Shepherd Spinal Center here in Atlanta, my business partner, Steve Yu, we started filming with Lex 17 years ago when it happened. So we're doing a documentary on it, and the reason why Lex came back to want to work [out] with me again, because I only had floor stuff then. Now you can't tell me you can't do my workout. It starts in bed, then sitting in a chair, then using a chair." Page, a longtime advocate for helping retired wrestlers such as Jake "The Snake" Roberts and the late Scott Hall rehabilitate their bodies, said the process was long and arduous, but Luger stuck with it. "We filmed every video at every moment, and we're going to start putting them up, because I was custom-making this to what he could do, as opposed to what he couldn't do," Page said. "I'd film it and send it to him. By next week or the week after, he'd come back to do more, and then he could do more. Then I said, 'Try to stand up.' He went to stand up, and he could — in the beginning, only get up a little bit, and he'd sit back down. But eventually, he could push himself off. "I said to him that day, 'See if you can get up without touching anything.' And he couldn't. He got a little bummed out, and I go, 'Bro, no. This is good. You're going to be able to do that.'" Advertisement Ultimately, through determination and dedication, the 66-year-old Luger miraculously turned his health around and can now stand again. The WWE Hall of Fame ceremony on Friday was an exciting moment — and an opportunity to show people he was in a good place. Unfortunately, Luger took a tumble when he arrived in Las Vegas, forcing an alteration to his initial presentation idea and his presence at WrestleMania 41. Lex Luger was once one of pro wrestling's biggest names. (WWE via Getty Images) (WWE via Getty Images) "We do our last workout, I'm doing the stand-up with no hands," Luger said. "We're milking it, we got a whole thing worked out. I was going to walk across the stage with Dallas up to the podium, come out in the chair, then walk across the stage. Uber driver drops my wife, Robin, and I off at the airport. She's getting out on the far side. Uber guy rushed around to get my wheelchair at the airport. When I went to turn to sit down, he panicked and moved the chair on me. I landed on the sidewalk. It was a hard fall. My whole right leg went numb. I was buckling, so we had to call an audible at the last minute. Advertisement "We were hoping it would come around in time for the Hall of Fame the following night, but it was right before we went out there. I told Dallas [the plan] was a no-go." For Luger, it took the extremes he went through to finally admit he was outmatched despite his incredible reluctance. It also took the legend finding his lowest point imaginable before he knew something had to change if he wanted to prove the doubters wrong. The biggest doubter of them all, however, was Luger himself. "I heard I was voted 'most likely to be the next wrestler found dead in a hotel somewhere,'" Luger said. "I read that one time back then, but when you're going through it, you always think, 'It's my own body, I can do what I want with it.' I went down that path with drugs and alcohol and excess, and really made a lot of bad decisions. I was a stubborn one, and I wouldn't listen to anybody, I wouldn't get the help. I always thought I could fix anything. I was also supremely, some would say, an arrogant individual. Advertisement "You hear in terms of rock bottom, end of your rope — I had to reach the point where I was in such a bad way ... where I said, 'I can't fix this.' God allowed me to be totally broken down. I had to get myself out of the way. "I was at that point. I was at the breaking point where I was broken enough to look up rather than around, and I think I had to fix it, because I was the problem."
