Latest news with #Oxford
Daily Mail
4 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Emma Watson is BANNED from driving after being caught doing 38mph in 30 zone - her fourth speeding offence in two years
Emma Watson has been disqualified from driving for six months and has to pay £1044 after being caught speeding in Oxford. The 35-year-old Harry Potter actress was sentenced at High Wycombe Magistrates' Court today after admitting to driving at 38mph in a 30mph zone. The offence was captured by a speed camera on a restricted road in the city where Watson has been studying for a doctorate at Oxford University. Court records confirm the actress was behind the wheel of a £30,000 Audi S3 at the time of the incident. This is not Watson's first brush with motoring misfortune. In February of last year, her Audi was impounded by police after she parked illegally outside the Rose and Crown pub in Stratford-upon-Avon. The car had been left blocking the entrance to a car park, trapping a pizza restaurant manager's vehicle inside for over three hours. The manager, who had just finished a 12-hour shift, was eventually forced to call the police after being unable to locate the car's owner. Watson emerged from the pub as the vehicle was being towed, but her appeals were unsuccessful. She was issued a £192 fine. Watson rose to fame playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter film series from 2001 to 2011 and later starred in 2019's Little Women. She has since taken a step back from Hollywood, focusing instead on her academic pursuits and personal life. At Oxford, she has been spotted coxing the New College women's third rowing team and is reportedly dating fellow student Kieran Brown, who recently completed his own doctorate. The pair were seen kissing at a Gail's Bakery in Oxford last year. Watson has also made headlines for her public support of trans rights, in contrast to Harry Potter author JK Rowling's controversial views on the issue. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Watson wrote: 'Trans people are who they say they are and deserve to live their lives without being constantly questioned or told they aren't who they say they are.'
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tastes of the world: Discover these fantastic local restaurants
Allow your tastebuds to explore the delights and delicacies of different cultures, all from the comfort of your own town! Which of these brilliant, local destinations will you be trying first? A Hidden Gem in the Heart of Oxford Tucked away on St Giles', the Old Parsonage Hotel is one of Oxford's most enchanting retreats — a place where centuries-old history and discreet luxury come together seamlessly. Housed in a beautiful 17th-century building, the hotel's honey-coloured stone walls and ivy-draped façade make it feel like a timeless secret hidden in plain sight. Inside, the atmosphere is warm and intimate. Each of the 35 bedrooms is individually designed, combining traditional English charm with modern comforts like plush Egyptian cotton bedding, marble bathrooms, and carefully chosen artwork. The result is a stay that feels personal, characterful and quietly indulgent. At the heart of the hotel is the Parsonage Grill, a favourite among locals and visitors. Its walls lined with striking oil portraits create an elegant yet relaxed setting for classic British dishes and indulgent afternoon teas. When the weather allows, the walled terrace becomes one of Oxford's loveliest spots to unwind. Guests can curl up with a book in the private library, borrow a vintage bicycle to explore Oxford's colleges and parks, or simply soak up the atmosphere that makes this place feel more like a grand private home than a hotel. Perfectly positioned for discovering Oxford's iconic spires, museums, and hidden lanes, the Old Parsonage Hotel is a haven for travellers seeking a blend of history, comfort, and genuine charm — a place that feels both deeply Oxford and delightfully one-of-a-kind. W: At JinJin Chinese Restaurant, we believe food is more than just a meal — it's a connection to culture, family, and tradition. Since opening our doors in 2018, we've proudly served the Oxford community with authentic, high-quality Chinese cuisine for over seven years. Our signature dish, the Chongqing hotpot, brings friends and families together around a bubbling pot of rich, spicy broth, fresh ingredients, and unforgettable flavours. We also serve traditional favourites like our house special braised pork belly with pak choi, Sichuan-style sliced beef in hot chilli oil, and aubergine with spicy garlic sauce — each prepared with care and authenticity. For those who enjoy British-Chinese classics, our menu features beloved dishes such as sweet and sour chicken, chicken chow mein, and Yangzhou fried rice. A message from Vicky, the owner: 'I started JinJin in 2018 with a simple wish — to share the real taste of Chinese food that I grew up with. I'm so grateful for our customers who have supported us all these years, and I look forward to welcoming more people into our little food family.' Whether you're dining in, picking up takeaway, or celebrating a special occasion, we offer a warm, welcoming atmosphere and friendly service that makes every visit feel like home. You can reserve a table, order delivery, or arrange collection directly through our website: W: Untraditionally British dining in Oxford At Treadwell, we invite you to experience British dining as you've never tasted it before. Nestled in the beautiful Oxfordshire countryside, our restaurant celebrates local, seasonal produce with unexpected twists inspired by Oxford's rich tapestry of cultures. Our menus are playful yet rooted in tradition — from a refined seasonal set menu perfect before a show at the New Theatre Oxford, to a relaxed Sunday lunch where we trade roasts for slow-smoked platters designed for sharing. Every dish is crafted to surprise, delight, and showcase the best of Britain in new and delicious ways. Step inside and find a warm, welcoming space where flavour and creativity meet. Whether you're enjoying a leisurely lunch, dinner with friends, or a pre-theatre bite, Treadwell is a place to savour something different — proudly British, yet refreshingly untraditional. Expect the unexpected. Taste the season. Discover Treadwell. W: Pasta the way it should be At 100% Pasta, we're on a mission to bring you real Italian pasta, made the traditional way — simple, fresh, and packed with honest flavour. Inspired by Italy's time-honoured recipes and vibrant food culture, we craft every dish with care, using the finest ingredients and classic techniques. From silky tagliatelle and pillowy gnocchi to rich, slow-cooked sauces, every plate is a celebration of pure, authentic taste. Whether you're craving a quick comforting lunch, a relaxed dinner with friends, or hearty takeaway for home, 100% Pasta delivers the true taste of Italy — no shortcuts, no compromises. Join us and discover why real pasta is all about quality, generosity, and a love for good food shared. Because when it comes to pasta, we believe it should always be 100% real, 100% fresh, and 100% delicious. W: Discover the heart of Polish hospitality At Polish Kitchen, we bring the warmth and flavour of Poland straight to your table. Our family-run restaurant celebrates traditional Polish recipes passed down through generations, lovingly prepared with the finest local and imported ingredients. From comforting pierogi and hearty bigos to delicate soups and freshly baked breads, every dish tells a story of home, heritage, and hearty hospitality. Whether you're seeking a nostalgic taste of Poland or discovering these timeless flavours for the first time, Polish Kitchen welcomes you with open arms and generous plates. Enjoy a cosy meal with friends and family, or take our authentic dishes home to share. With a passion for genuine Polish cooking and a warm, inviting atmosphere, Polish Kitchen is more than just a place to eat — it's a place to gather, celebrate, and savour the best of Polish tradition, right here in the UK. W: Experience authentic Indian flavours Located in the heart of Kidlington, Ovisher Indian Restaurant offers a truly authentic and memorable dining experience. With a commitment to excellence, Ovisher combines outstanding customer service with exceptional cuisine, prepared by one of the finest chefs in the culinary world. Only the freshest, highest-quality ingredients are used to craft each dish. Alongside beloved traditional favourites, the menu features a variety of unique house specialities that showcase the creativity and skill of the kitchen. The result is a delicious blend of classic and contemporary Indian flavours that cater to all tastes. Ovisher also places a strong focus on healthy cooking, aiming to minimise additives while maximising authentic taste. Whether you're enjoying a quiet dinner for two or celebrating with friends and family, Ovisher offers a warm, welcoming atmosphere and unforgettable food. Join us for Banquet Nights every Tuesday, and let us cater your parties or special occasions with care and flavour. Tel: 01865 372827 / 378884 W: 11-13 Oxford Road, Kidlington, OX5 2BP
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
The global AI divide
Academy Empower your mind, elevate your skills Cassava, a tech company founded by a Zimbabwean billionaire, Strive Masiyiwa, is scheduled to open one of Africa's most advanced data centers this summer. The plans, three years in the making, culminated in an October meeting in California between Cassava executives and Jensen Huang, Nvidia's CEO, to buy hundreds of his company's chips. Google is also one of Cassava's investors. In May, Sam Altman, the CEO of the artificial intelligence company OpenAI, donned a helmet, work boots and a luminescent high-visibility vest to visit the construction site of the company's new data center project in than New York's Central Park, the estimated $60 billion project, which has its own natural gas plant, will be one of the most powerful computing hubs ever created when completed as soon as next the same time as Altman's visit to Texas, Nicolás Wolovick, a computer science professor at the National University of Córdoba in Argentina, was running what counts as one of his country's most advanced AI computing hubs. It was in a converted room at the university, where wires snaked between aging AI chips and server computers."Everything is becoming more split," Wolovick said. "We are losing."Artificial intelligence has created a new digital divide, fracturing the world between nations with the computing power for building cutting-edge AI systems and those without. The split is influencing geopolitics and global economics, creating new dependencies and prompting a desperate rush to not be excluded from a technology race that could reorder economies, drive scientific discovery and change the way that people live and biggest beneficiaries by far are the United States China and the European Union. Those regions host more than half of the world's most powerful data centers, which are used for developing the most complex AI systems, according to data compiled by Oxford University researchers. Only 32 countries, or about 16% of nations, have these large facilities filled with microchips and computers, giving them what is known in industry parlance as "compute power."The United States and China, which dominate the tech world, have particular influence. U.S. and Chinese companies operate more than 90% of the data centers that other companies and institutions use for AI work, according to the Oxford data and other contrast, Africa and South America have almost no AI computing hubs, while India has at least five and Japan at least four, according to the Oxford data. More than 150 countries have AI data centers dwarf their predecessors, which powered simpler tasks like email and video streaming. Vast, power-hungry and packed with powerful chips, these hubs cost billions to build and require infrastructure that not every country can provide. With ownership concentrated among a few tech giants, the effects of the gap between those with such computing power and those without it are already playing world's most used AI systems, which power chatbots like OpenAI's ChatGPT, are more proficient and accurate in English and Chinese, languages spoken in the countries where the compute power is concentrated. Tech giants with access to the top equipment are using AI to process data, automate tasks and develop new services. Scientific breakthroughs, including drug discovery and gene editing, rely on powerful computers. AI-powered weapons are making their way onto with little or no AI compute power are running into limits in scientific work, in the growth of young companies and in talent retention. Some officials have become alarmed by how the need for computing resources has made them beholden to foreign corporations and governments."Oil-producing countries have had an oversized influence on international affairs; in an AI-powered near future, compute producers could have something similar, since they control access to a critical resource," said Vili Lehdonvirta, an Oxford professor who conducted the research on AI data centers with his colleagues Zoe Jay Hawkins and Boxi computing power is so precious that the components in data centers, such as microchips, have become a crucial part of foreign and trade policies for China and the United States, which are jockeying for influence in the Persian Gulf, Southeast Asia and elsewhere. At the same time, some countries are beginning to pour public funds into AI infrastructure, aiming for more control over their technological Oxford researchers mapped the world's AI data centers, information that companies and governments often keep secret. To create a representative sample, they went through the customer websites of nine of the world's biggest cloud service providers to see what compute power was available and where their hubs were at the end of last year. The companies were the U.S. firms Amazon, Google and Microsoft; China's Tencent, Alibaba and Huawei; and Europe's Exoscale, Hetzner and research does not include every data center worldwide, but the trends were unmistakable. U.S. companies operated 87 AI computing hubs, which can sometimes include multiple data centers, or almost two-thirds of the global total, compared with 39 operated by Chinese firms and six by Europeans, according to the research. Inside the data centers, most of the chips -- the foundational components for making calculations -- were from U.S. chipmaker Nvidia "We have a computing divide at the heart of the AI revolution," said Lacina Koné, the director general of Smart Africa, which coordinates digital policy across the continent. He added, "It's not merely a hardware problem. It's the sovereignty of our digital future."There has long been a tech gap between rich and developing countries. Over the past decade, cheap smartphones, expanding internet coverage and flourishing app-based businesses led some experts to conclude that the divide was diminishing. Last year, 68% of the world's population used the internet, up from 33% in 2012, according to the International Telecommunication Union, a United Nations a computer and knowledge of coding, getting a company off the ground became cheaper and easier. That lifted tech industries across the world, be they mobile payments in Africa or ride hailing in Southeast in April, the U.N. warned that the digital gap would widen without action on AI. Just 100 companies, mostly in the United States and China, were behind 40% of global investment in the technology, the U.N. said. The biggest tech companies, it added, were "gaining control over the technology's future."The gap stems partly from a component everyone wants: a microchip known as a graphics processing unit, or GPU. The chips require multibillion-dollar factories to produce. Packed into data centers by the thousands and mostly made by Nvidia, GPUs provide the computing power for creating and delivering cutting-edge AI these pieces of silicon is difficult. As demand has increased, prices for the chips have soared, and everyone wants to be at the front of the line for orders. Adding to the challenges, these chips then need to be corralled into giant data centers that guzzle up dizzying amounts of power and wealthy nations have access to the chips in data centers, but other countries are being left behind, according to interviews with more than two dozen tech executives and experts across 20 countries. Renting computing power from faraway data centers is common but can lead to challenges, including high costs, slower connection speeds, compliance with different laws, and vulnerability to the whims of U.S. and Chinese a startup in Kenya, illustrates the issues. The company, founded by a former Google engineer, is building an AI system known as a large language model that is based on African languages. But Qhala has no nearby computing power and rents from data centers outside Africa. Employees cram their work into the morning, when most American programmers are sleeping, so there is less traffic and faster speeds to transfer data across the world."Proximity is essential," said Shikoh Gitau, 44, Qhala's founder."If you don't have the resources for compute to process the data and to build your AI models, then you can't go anywhere," said Kate Kallot, a former Nvidia executive and the founder of Amini, another AI startup in the United States, by contrast, Amazon, Microsoft , Google, Meta and OpenAI have pledged to spend more than $300 billion this year, much of it on AI infrastructure. The expenditure approaches Canada's national budget. Harvard University's Kempner Institute, which focuses on AI, has more computing power than all African-owned facilities on that continent combined, according to one survey of the world's largest Smith, Microsoft's president, said many countries wanted more computing infrastructure as a form of sovereignty. But closing the gap will be difficult, particularly in Africa, where many places do not have reliable electricity, he said. Microsoft, which is building a data center in Kenya with a company in the United Arab Emirates, G42, chooses data center locations based largely on market need, electricity and skilled labor."The AI era runs the risk of leaving Africa even further behind," Smith Puri, Nvidia's executive vice president for global business, said the company was also working with various countries to build out their AI offerings."It is absolutely a challenge," he Lehane, OpenAI's vice president of global affairs, said the company had started a program to adapt its products for local needs and languages. A risk of the AI divide, he said, is that "the benefits don't get broadly distributed, they don't get democratized."Tencent, Alibaba, Huawei, Google, Amazon, Hetzner and OVHcloud declined to gap has led to brain drains. In Argentina, Wolovick, 51, the computer science professor, cannot offer much compute power. His top students regularly leave for the United States or Europe, where they can get access to GPUs, he said."Sometimes I want to cry, but I don't give up," he said. "I keep talking to people and saying, 'I need more GPUs. I need more GPUs.'"The uneven distribution of AI computing power has split the world into two camps: nations that rely on China and those that depend on the United two countries not only control the most data centers but also are set to build more than others by far. And they have wielded their tech advantage to exert influence. The Biden and Trump administrations have used trade restrictions to control which countries can buy powerful AI chips, allowing the United States to pick winners. China has used state-backed loans to encourage sales of its companies' networking equipment and data effects are evident in Southeast Asia and the Middle the 2010s, Chinese companies made inroads into the tech infrastructure of Saudi Arabia and the UAE, which are key U.S. partners, with official visits and generous financing. The United States sought to use its AI lead to push back. In one deal with the Biden administration, an Emirati company promised to keep out Chinese technology in exchange for access to AI technology from Nvidia and May, President Donald Trump signed additional deals to give Saudi Arabia and the UAE even more access to U.S. chips.A similar jostling is taking place in Southeast Asia. Chinese and U.S. companies like Amazon, Alibaba, Nvidia, Google and ByteDance, the owner of TikTok , are building data centers in Singapore and Malaysia to deliver services across the United States has the lead, with U.S. companies building 63 AI computing hubs outside the country's borders, compared with 19 by China, according to the Oxford data. All but three of the data centers operated by Chinese firms outside their home country use chips from Nvidia, despite efforts by China to produce competing chips. Chinese firms were able to buy Nvidia chips before U.S. government U.S.-friendly countries have been left out of the AI race by trade limits. Last year, William Ruto, Kenya's president, visited Washington for a state dinner hosted by President Joe Biden. Several months later, Kenya was omitted from a list of countries that had open access to needed has given China an opening, even though experts consider the country's AI chips to be less advanced. In Africa, policymakers are talking with Huawei, which is developing its own AI chips, about converting existing data centers to include Chinese-made chips, said Koné of Smart Africa."Africa will strike a deal with whoever can give access to GPUs," he by the concentration of AI power, many countries and regions are trying to close the gap. They are providing access to land and cheaper energy, fast-tracking development permits and using public funds and other resources to acquire chips and construct data centers. The goal is to create "sovereign AI" available to local businesses and India, the government is subsidizing compute power and the creation of an AI model proficient in the country's languages. In Africa, governments are discussing collaborating on regional compute hubs. Brazil has pledged $4 billion on AI projects."Instead of waiting for AI to come from China, the U.S., South Korea, Japan, why not have our own?" Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, said last year when he proposed the investment in Europe, there is growing concern that U.S. companies control most of the data centers. In February, the European Union outlined plans to invest 200 billion euros for AI projects, including new data centers across the 27-nation Nobauer, the CEO of Exoscale, a cloud computing provider in Switzerland, said many European businesses want to reduce their reliance on U.S. tech companies. Such a change will take time and "doesn't happen overnight," he closing the divide is likely to require help from the United States or data center is part of a $500 million effort to build five such facilities across Africa. Even so, Cassava expects it to address only 10% to 20% of the region's demand for AI. At least 3,000 startups have expressed interest in using the computing systems."I don't think Africa can afford to outsource this AI sovereignty to others," said Hardy Pemhiwa, Cassava's CEO. "We absolutely have to focus on and ensure that we don't get left behind."
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Climate
- BBC News
Warming chalk streams a 'perfect environmental storm'
Rising temperatures in chalk streams are damaging them and suffocating wildlife, conservations have streams are very rare and ecologically important habitats, mainly found in southern England, and home to species including the endangered white clawed if the water is too warm, the oxygen level is lowered and the wildlife die, according to the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxford Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) .A spokesperson for the Environment Agency (EA) said it had increased environmental monitoring in response to the weather conditions. It also asked the public to report concerning sightings such as fish in distress. There are only 200 known chalk streams in the world, 85% of which are in are generally a constant temperature, staying between about 10 and 12C, according to the Angling Trust's Peter when he took the temperature of the River Pang in Berkshire he found it to be over 18C."That's when the damage starts to occur," he said."It lowers that whole oxygen level... and when it dries up it completely kills the life in it."Julian Cooper from BBOWT said high temperatures had knock-on ecological impacts."Warming water, less oxygen, less rainfall, more extraction, it's sort of the perfect environmental storm," he said people had a "massive responsibility" to conserve water, and also called for better agricultural policy to support conservation along the rivers. The EA spokesperson said the Thames area had received only 50% of the rainfall it expected over the last three months, which was putting the environment under "increasing stress"."We're increasing our environmental monitoring and preparing for potential impacts like pollution incidents and wildlife distress as water levels fall," they Monday, Thames Water announced a hosepipe ban for parts of its patch as a result of low Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said the government had secured £2b of water company investment to "restore our iconic chalk streams". You can follow BBC Berkshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
5 hours ago
- Health
- BBC News
Oxford Woman fundraises for charity after it helped her
A woman who previously struggled with mental health problems and substance misuse has fundraised hundreds of pounds for a charity that helped her tackle her Prin first came in to contact with the Oxford-based charity Elmore Community Services four years ago whilst "struggling with lots of different issues", she told the forward to today, and she has come full circle, now helping the charity's fundraising efforts - which she said had been "brilliant"."What Jodie's done is very special," the charity's chief executive, Andrew Grillo, said. Elmore aims to engage people with multiple support needs, who may slip through the net of services, to "make a positive impact on their lives".Ms Prin, who is from Oxford, said the charity "came into my life at the right time to help me progress" and to "continue the positive changes" she had begun making."[It helped] keep me engaged in other services around Oxford and make sure I was getting the right help for the issues that I was experiencing at that time," she explained. 'Amazing' Almost half-a-decade on from her first interaction with the charity, she decided to thank the charity for its support by launching a fundraiser."It was a really good day, and it was great to see the wider community come out and support what we were doing," she added: "It's not only helped the charity, but its helped me to realise that now I'm on to my next chapter."Mr Grillo said it was "amazing to hear" stories like Ms Prin's, saying: "It's the point of our organisation to support someone so that they feel able to make those changes, so they feel empowered.""For someone to be in a position and want to and achieve that giving back is fantastic, and is a real show of the work that Jodie has put in and where she has got to," he asked if she had any advice for people in a similar situation to her four years ago, Ms Prin said: "Sometimes it's better the the devil you know than the devil you don't, but I can tell you now the devil that you don't know is worth finding out what's on the other side.""I'm hoping the future that's in front of me is better than the past behind me," she added. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
