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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Activities_after_leaving_Mojang] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#0x10c] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/video] | [TOKENS: 3717] |
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How sex with Neanderthals changed us forever We find out what we gained when Homo sapiens mated with Homo neanderthalensis many thousands of years ago. The woman who checked in and never checked out A mysterious 1892 death at a California hotel sparked ghost stories that still intrigue visitors today. A view inside King Tutankhamun's tomb One month after the famous discovery, photographer Harry Burton recreated the first view of Tutankhamun's tomb. How early filmmakers invented the internet’s funniest trend Discover how quirky clips paved the way for viral humour, proving randomness never goes out of style. Cultural Conversation Is human connection the new job security? Katty Kay speaks to Jane Wurwand about her theory about what jobs are best protected from AI replacement. Rachel McAdams has many fans on the sofa Chris Hemsworth, Halle Berry and John Bishop tell Rachel McAdams why they love her films. 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Wild Life Father penguin uses unique call to distinguish chick Father penguins have developed a solution to help distinguish their child from identical chicks in the colony. Watch river dolphins play with local children River dolphins in Mocajuba in Brazil are known to play with people without guarantee of reward. The face-clawing sloth bear that scares tigers Sloth bears are the world's deadliest bear and for humans, outrunning them is usually not an option. The undersea mountains where sharks rule Under the surface of the ocean, 100,000 towering mountains dot the Earth. Their violent currents are key to life. Lion saves pregnant hyena from wild dog attack Hyena mother-to-be Tandala spots an opportunity to steal food from a wild dog pack, but she's in for a shock. These wildlife photos won funniest of 2025 The Nikon Comedy Wildlife Awards crowned the funniest animal photos of the year 2025. Listen to world's first 'chat' between humans and whales Scientists had a conversation with Twain, the humpback whale. It's the first ever recorded chat of its kind. How does the weaverbird attract a mate? Watch as weaverbirds build intricate nests along the Blue Nile to attract a mate. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Leaving_Mojang] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/scotland/scotland_politics] | [TOKENS: 1218] |
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How a very political court case sparked a huge row - and questions about the separation of powers. Scottish Lib Dems 'squeezed every penny' out of budget deal, says Cole-Hamilton He says an agreement with SNP ministers will see £300m of Holyrood money funding his party's priority issues. Healthy life expectancy falls across Scotland New figures show people in Scotland are spending a greater proportion of their life in poor health than previously. Swinney was told of Murrell charges weeks before they became public Former SNP chief executive Murrell is accused of embezzling £459,000 from the party over a 12-year period. Swinney backs lord advocate after corruption claim The accusation which involves Dorothy Bain was repeated during exchanges at First Minister's Questions in Holyrood. FMQs: Angry exchanges over lord advocate memo The ongoing controversy over a memo sent to the first minister about a criminal charge against former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell is raised by opposition party leaders. Double-digit council tax rises proposed for second year in a row Aberdeenshire and Moray councils are both considering 10% council tax increases. 'No guarantee' bus driver's killer will have free pass removed MSPs are demanding assurances Keith Rollinson's attacker will not get concessionary travel upon his release. Free tuition under threat without revenue boost, report warns Scotland's more generous benefits and public policies may have to be reconsidered, according to the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Officers call for police cars to be equipped with guns The Scottish Police Federation wants the country to follow New Zealand in allowing officers to quickly access weapons in emergencies. New adverts urge boys not to share sexist content online The Scottish government campaign highlights the hurt that online misogyny can cause to women and girls. Desperate times are behind Sarwar's PM resignation call Anas Sarwar's demand for Sir Keir Starmer's resignation may look disloyal but it was borne of fear and frustration. Features and analysis How community service showed me a different way to live Josh Andrews tells BBC Scotland News that prison would have derailed his recovery and left him anchored in a life of crime. Jeane Freeman: SNP politician who led Covid response The former SNP politician spent her life in public service and inherited the health brief just before the global pandemic. 'Our daughter's cancer symptoms were dismissed because she was a child' Isla Sneddon died in March 2025 aged 17, just six months after she was diagnosed with cancer. Record number of children in temporary housing There has also been a rise in rough sleeping, though there has been some improvement in other housing statistics. New exams body plans to shake up qualifications system Qualifications Scotland announces a major review of the exams system saying it wants to ensure they are "absolutely fit for purpose". Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/technology/artificial-intelligence] | [TOKENS: 2478] |
Artificial IntelligenceTumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shootingOpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified.See moreLatest headlines'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work'As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI bossBut the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI."AI and coding firm's 'pride' at business awardManny Athwal, chief executive and founder of the Wolverhampton firm, says the win is a huge milestone.The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panicClips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement.Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool CopilotThe company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see".Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversyThe Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities". 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Artificial Intelligence Tumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shooting Latest headlines 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Urgent research needed to tackle AI threats, says Google AI boss But the head of the US delegation at the AI Impact Summit in Delhi says: "We totally reject global governance of AI." AI and coding firm's 'pride' at business award Manny Athwal, chief executive and founder of the Wolverhampton firm, says the win is a huge milestone. The Chinese AI app sending Hollywood into a panic Clips of Deadpool and other film characters have sparked alarm within Hollywood over copyright infringement. Microsoft error sees confidential emails exposed to AI tool Copilot The company says it has addressed the issue and it "did not provide anyone access to information they weren't already authorised to see". Bill Gates pulls out of India's AI summit over Epstein files controversy The Gates Foundation said the decision was made to "ensure the focus remains on the summit's key priorities". AI v the Mind Machine yearning: The one-sided truth of AI 'romance' AI can write you love poems and some people even have romantic feelings towards it. But can a machine ever love you back? What AI can teach us about listening better AI chatbots don't interrupt and aren't judgemental – so what can they teach us about deep listening? Watch Is this how AI might eliminate humanity? A research paper predicts AI autonomy by 2027 could lead to human extinction within a decade. The best-case scenario for AI in schools Amid fears about the use of AI in classrooms, American educator and founder of Khan Academy Sal Khan lays out an optimistic future. What it takes to write like Agatha Christie We explore how technology is reviving the renowned fiction writer's legacy. Meet the world's first recipient of an AI-powered bionic arm Sarah De Lagarde lost an arm and a leg after being hit by two trains in London. Now, she has an AI-powered arm. Meet the world's first artist robot We find out how AI blurs the line between creation and automation, raising questions about the essence of art. 'A tech firm stole our voices - then cloned and sold them' Two voice-over artists were listening to a podcast when they heard their own stolen AI-generated voices. Would you eat a meal dreamed up by a computer? AI v The Mind: We explore the world of food and ask if human expertise is the only way to deliver great flavour. Century-old Olympics footage brought back to life A look through footage from the Paris 1924 Olympics gives viewers a chance to reflect on how much has changed. How AI scouts sporting heroes of future at the Olympics A project using AI and sports science identifies potential future athletes from the crowds of Olympic fans. Can AI tell funnier jokes than a human? In a clash of wit and technology, we bring together two unlikely adversaries: a comedian and an AI chatbot. Watch the movie that rewrites itself Filmmaker Gary Hustwit has created a documentary which can rewrite itself before every screening. AI v The Mind: Who has the edge? In a new series, we will test the limits of the latest AI technology by pitting it against human experts. How AI and deepfakes are changing politics Some politicians have found themselves victims of deepfakes. Can the public trust politicians in the age of AI? The spectacular world of 'data sculpture' Art critic Alastair Sooke meets digital artist Refik Anadol in Istanbul to learn about his latest AI-based work. Could this suit revolutionise motion capture? A company’s motion capture system offers access to advance animation capacities at an affordable price. What happens to our digital lives when we die? Can technology help us keep a connection with lost loved ones? Can artificial intelligence predict the future of fashion? Using AI to spot future fashion trends could also help reduce clothing waste. The tech keeping planes in the sky The team developing advanced flight safety aids in a small South African suburb. What happens when AI has an overactive imagination? Google DeepDream explores how artificial intelligence can produce dream-like art. ChatGPT: Why we're still smarter than machines ChatGPT has been hailed as a game-changer, but how smart are AI chatbots really? More artificial intelligence Tech firms will have 48 hours to remove abusive images under new UK law The government is proposing that intimate image abuse should be treated more severely. Indian university faces backlash for claiming Chinese robodog as own at AI summit A professor claimed that a robotic dog made by Chinese firm Unitree had been made by the university. I hacked ChatGPT and Google in 20 minutes I found a way to make AI tell you lies – and I'm not the only one. Could Bill Gates and political tussles overshadow AI safety debate in Delhi? As global tech leaders meet Delhi, India hopes to level the playing field for countries outside the US and China. Long queues and confusion mar first day of India's landmark AI summit The India-AI Impact Summit 2026 in Delhi is expected to be attended by top tech leaders from the world. Reddit's human content wins amid the AI flood Reddit says its human contributors are valued amid an internet awash with AI-generated content. Deepfake videos 'targeting' school staff probed The Education and Lifelong Learning Minister said the incident had been reported to the police. ByteDance to curb AI video app after Disney legal threat Videos featuring Spider-Man and other characters which are Disney's intellectual property have gone viral since Seedance's update. Why India’s AI summit is key to its future in tech The BBC's Arunoday Mukharji explains why India needs to capitalise on the momentum. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/politics] | [TOKENS: 2224] |
NewsNewsUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandScotlandWalesGovernment considers removing Andrew from royal line of successionThe former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne meaning he remains eligible to be King.50 mins agoPoliticsUK agrees drone defence plan with four EU alliesThe scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. 16 hrs agoUKDeportation of Chagos Islanders blocked by judgeA court upholds a challenge about the lawfulness of the orders to remove four men who travelled to the territory.17 hrs agoAfricaLobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson goes into administrationGlobal Counsel's clients cut ties with the firm over Lord Mandelson's links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.20 hrs agoBusinessTrump announces new 10% global tariff as he hits out at 'deeply disappointing' Supreme Court rulingThe US president says he will impose the temporary levies, after the top court struck down his sweeping tariffs.Higher tax helped UK government reach record January surplusThe government took in more from tax receipts than expected, official data suggests.21 hrs agoBusinessLib Dems set out plans to stop SEND services being 'cash cows'Council spending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities has soared in recent years.1 day agoPoliticsStarmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaignerBaroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media.UK has not given US permission to use RAF bases for Iran strikesIt comes as US President Donald Trump criticises Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands.Starmer appoints Romeo as head of UK civil serviceDame Antonia will be the first woman to hold the post and replaces Sir Chris Wormald as the UK's top civil servant.'Nasty' councillor jailed for coercive behaviourEx-Reform UK councillor for Cliftonville, Daniel Taylor, receives a prison term and loses his seat.Lib Dems win by-election after Reform controversyReform had pulled support for its Redcar and Cleveland Council candidate over offensive posts.Features and analysisThe fallout from Labour's local elections U-turn is not over yetKeir Starmer and his team knew last week that delays to council elections would need to be reversed.What we learned from BBC Gorton and Denton debateGorton and Denton by-election candidates from five parties go head to head in a BBC debate.A simple guide to the May elections in England, Scotland and WalesMillions will vote in parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, and local elections in England.Ministers want to reform SEND - but they are treading very carefullyThe government is expected to outline its plan to overhaul the complex system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England soon.Labour face tough fight in Gorton and Denton by-election Labour is in a tough fight with Reform UK and the Greens in previously safe seat Gorton and Denton.From our Political Editor Chris MasonChris Mason: Latest vetting row raises fresh concerns over Starmer's judgementThe BBC's political editor analyses the vetting rows facing the PM over Lord Doyle and Lord Mandelson.Chris Mason: Smiles of a survivor as Starmer attempts his latest resetSome political air has been cleared for Sir Keir but fundamental issues remain unaltered, the BBC's political editor writes.Chris Mason: Labour sticks with Starmer for now but this is not overThe prime minister has come through a political near-death experience, the BBC's political editor writes.Starmer prepares to face Labour MPs knowing his future is in the balanceCabinet ministers have expressed support for the prime minister, as he prepares to face Labour MPs.Chris Mason: Starmer's predicament is dire and now he faces future without top aidesSir Keir Starmer's administration appears rudderless after the loss of two key aides, writes Chris Mason.BBC InDepthOne giant boys' club? 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Has Keir Starmer saved his job? NewsNews UK Government considers removing Andrew from royal line of succession The former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne meaning he remains eligible to be King. UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies The scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. Deportation of Chagos Islanders blocked by judge A court upholds a challenge about the lawfulness of the orders to remove four men who travelled to the territory. Lobbying firm co-founded by Mandelson goes into administration Global Counsel's clients cut ties with the firm over Lord Mandelson's links with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump announces new 10% global tariff as he hits out at 'deeply disappointing' Supreme Court ruling The US president says he will impose the temporary levies, after the top court struck down his sweeping tariffs. Higher tax helped UK government reach record January surplus The government took in more from tax receipts than expected, official data suggests. Lib Dems set out plans to stop SEND services being 'cash cows' Council spending on Special Educational Needs and Disabilities has soared in recent years. Starmer 'appeasing' big tech firms, says online safety campaigner Baroness Kidron tells the BBC the PM has being "late to the party" in regulating social media. UK has not given US permission to use RAF bases for Iran strikes It comes as US President Donald Trump criticises Sir Keir Starmer's deal to hand over the Chagos Islands. Starmer appoints Romeo as head of UK civil service Dame Antonia will be the first woman to hold the post and replaces Sir Chris Wormald as the UK's top civil servant. 'Nasty' councillor jailed for coercive behaviour Ex-Reform UK councillor for Cliftonville, Daniel Taylor, receives a prison term and loses his seat. Lib Dems win by-election after Reform controversy Reform had pulled support for its Redcar and Cleveland Council candidate over offensive posts. Features and analysis The fallout from Labour's local elections U-turn is not over yet Keir Starmer and his team knew last week that delays to council elections would need to be reversed. What we learned from BBC Gorton and Denton debate Gorton and Denton by-election candidates from five parties go head to head in a BBC debate. A simple guide to the May elections in England, Scotland and Wales Millions will vote in parliamentary elections in Scotland and Wales, and local elections in England. Ministers want to reform SEND - but they are treading very carefully The government is expected to outline its plan to overhaul the complex system of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in England soon. Labour face tough fight in Gorton and Denton by-election Labour is in a tough fight with Reform UK and the Greens in previously safe seat Gorton and Denton. From our Political Editor Chris Mason Chris Mason: Latest vetting row raises fresh concerns over Starmer's judgement The BBC's political editor analyses the vetting rows facing the PM over Lord Doyle and Lord Mandelson. Chris Mason: Smiles of a survivor as Starmer attempts his latest reset Some political air has been cleared for Sir Keir but fundamental issues remain unaltered, the BBC's political editor writes. Chris Mason: Labour sticks with Starmer for now but this is not over The prime minister has come through a political near-death experience, the BBC's political editor writes. Starmer prepares to face Labour MPs knowing his future is in the balance Cabinet ministers have expressed support for the prime minister, as he prepares to face Labour MPs. Chris Mason: Starmer's predicament is dire and now he faces future without top aides Sir Keir Starmer's administration appears rudderless after the loss of two key aides, writes Chris Mason. BBC InDepth One giant boys' club? Why Westminster can still feel like a man's world The decision to appoint Peter Mandelson has prompted soul searching about women’s role in government, writes Laura Kuenssberg. Why China views the UK visit as part of something bigger Sir Keir Starmer is one of a number of world leaders heading to Beijing Labour wants to shake up the police - but will that solve 'everyday crime epidemic'? The home secretary is promising the biggest policing reform in centuries, but she faces a fight, writes Laura Kuenssberg. Jenrick's move is massive - but could it cause a bigger fight on the right? He's a big political character adapting to a new political tribe, but his move could be overshadowed by a poisonous row. Starmer has kept Trump on side - but is it coming back to bite him? The PM’s increasingly assertive opponents are set on turning one of his few sweet spots sour. Watch/Listen Could planned increase in your minimum wage be delayed? Joe Pike breaks down the latest on the government's plans to bring in the same minimum wage for all age groups. Why has the government U-turned on delayed council elections? BBC at memorial for Gen Z protesters after landmark election in Bangladesh BBC South Asia correspondent Azadeh Moshiri visited Sheikh Hasina's former residence which is now a memorial for the student protesters killed in the 2024 uprising. Three issues that matter to voters in the Bangladesh election It's the first election since the 2024 Gen Z uprising that toppled Bangladesh's long-serving prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Has Keir Starmer saved his job? Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Personal_life] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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AI v the MindMeet the world's first recipient of an AI-powered bionic armSarah De Lagarde lost an arm and a leg after being hit by two trains in London. Now, she has an AI-powered arm.See moreMachine yearning: The one-sided truth of AI 'romance'AI can write you love poems and some people even have romantic feelings towards it. But can a machine ever love you back?What AI can teach us about listening betterAI chatbots don't interrupt and aren't judgemental – so what can they teach us about deep listening?The optical illusions that fool AI Our eyes can frequently play tricks on us, but scientists have discovered that some artificial intelligence can fall for the same illusions.How AI helped my back pain (sort of...)Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the world, but an AI-powered app is being used to help patients in the UK to manage their symptoms. But how does it measure up?More stories24 Feb 2025We gave an AI a Rorschach test. What did it see?Inkblot tests play with the human imagination and our mind's ability to impart meaning onto the world around us – but what does AI see in them?24 Feb 202521 Jan 2025Can a robot ever compete with the human hand?Our hands perform thousands of complex tasks every day – can artificial intelligence help robots match these extraordinary human appendages?21 Jan 202523 Dec 2024Why AI chatbots are 'tasting' coloursThe brain often blurs the senses – a fact that marketers often use in the design of food packaging. And AIs appear to do the same.23 Dec 202425 Nov 2024Can AI replicate the human voice? Artificial intelligence-powered speech synthesisers can now hold eerily realistic spoken conversations and clone the voices of others. Can we tell them apart from the human voice?25 Nov 202421 Oct 2024The AI art redefining creativityArtificial intelligence is being used to generate paintings, images and even sculptures, with some selling for thousands of dollars. Do we need to reframe our definition of art?21 Oct 202418 Oct 2024Meet the world's first artist robotWe find out how AI blurs the line between creation and automation, raising questions about the essence of art.18 Oct 202423 Sep 2024When robots can't riddleAI runs unfathomable operations on billions of lines of text, handling problems that humans can't dream of solving – but you can probably still trounce it at brain teasers.23 Sep 202426 Aug 2024'It looks like cat food': The grey goop dreamed up by AINot sure what to eat tonight? Artificial intelligence wants to tell you what to cook, but are the recipes it creates any good? We put it to the test.26 Aug 202423 Aug 2024Would you eat a meal dreamed up by a computer?AI v The Mind: We explore the world of food and ask if human expertise is the only way to deliver great flavour.23 Aug 2024... AI v the Mind Meet the world's first recipient of an AI-powered bionic arm Machine yearning: The one-sided truth of AI 'romance' AI can write you love poems and some people even have romantic feelings towards it. But can a machine ever love you back? What AI can teach us about listening better AI chatbots don't interrupt and aren't judgemental – so what can they teach us about deep listening? The optical illusions that fool AI Our eyes can frequently play tricks on us, but scientists have discovered that some artificial intelligence can fall for the same illusions. How AI helped my back pain (sort of...) Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the world, but an AI-powered app is being used to help patients in the UK to manage their symptoms. But how does it measure up? More stories We gave an AI a Rorschach test. What did it see? Inkblot tests play with the human imagination and our mind's ability to impart meaning onto the world around us – but what does AI see in them? Can a robot ever compete with the human hand? Our hands perform thousands of complex tasks every day – can artificial intelligence help robots match these extraordinary human appendages? Why AI chatbots are 'tasting' colours The brain often blurs the senses – a fact that marketers often use in the design of food packaging. And AIs appear to do the same. Can AI replicate the human voice? Artificial intelligence-powered speech synthesisers can now hold eerily realistic spoken conversations and clone the voices of others. Can we tell them apart from the human voice? The AI art redefining creativity Artificial intelligence is being used to generate paintings, images and even sculptures, with some selling for thousands of dollars. Do we need to reframe our definition of art? Meet the world's first artist robot We find out how AI blurs the line between creation and automation, raising questions about the essence of art. When robots can't riddle AI runs unfathomable operations on billions of lines of text, handling problems that humans can't dream of solving – but you can probably still trounce it at brain teasers. 'It looks like cat food': The grey goop dreamed up by AI Not sure what to eat tonight? Artificial intelligence wants to tell you what to cook, but are the recipes it creates any good? We put it to the test. Would you eat a meal dreamed up by a computer? AI v The Mind: We explore the world of food and ask if human expertise is the only way to deliver great flavour. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/search/] | [TOKENS: 62] |
Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/england] | [TOKENS: 2329] |
NewsNewsUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandScotlandWalesMobile home park residents fear radiation from belowHealth officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park.7 hrs agoNottinghamshireTributes paid to teens who died at holiday parkCherish Bean, 15, and Ethan Slater, 17, died at Little Eden Holiday Park on Wednesday, police say.13 hrs agoHull & East YorkshireWoman handed gift card receipt for £63 quadrillionShe thought it was "hilarious" when she saw her remaining gift card balance from a matcha latte.2 hrs agoNottinghamshireWhen satnavs go wrong: Why drivers end up following GPS into dangerThe experts have their say after an Amazon delivery driver got stuck in mudflats this week.3 hrs agoUKThe animal rescue centre that became a mass graveyard of dogsA senior police officer of 30 years says he has never seen animal cruelty on such a scale.7 hrs agoEngland'Dubai dental work left me with nightmare veneers'Jade Morgan says she was left with bite problems, a snapped tooth and bleeding gums after treatment.2 hrs agoLiverpoolHow Andrew's arrest brought global glare to quiet townAylsham is thrust into the spotlight after the former prince is taken to its police station.3 hrs agoNorfolkCash may be rotting after UK's biggest raid - policeTwenty years after the notorious Securitas raid, Kent's top police officer looks back at the case.Couple left with $200k bill after baby born in USFamily face a nine month battle with insurance giant Zurich which has now apologised.'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work'As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives.Bishop of Lincoln arrested in sexual assault inquiryRight Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England.'We tied the knot... then went for a coffee'Katie Molloy and Gouse Subhan Saheb enjoy a brew after getting married at Sudbury Registry Office.Stories to make you smilePony racer, 12, a 'little celeb’ in Hong KongHarriet, from Bridgnorth, admits winning in Hong Kong was "unreal" but her pony was "amazing".Gritter driver's 40 years as a 'winter hero'Gary Lawson can "manoeuvre his gritter in ways others would never attempt", an award ceremony hears.Woman's fox rescue forges unusual bondAn injured fox is nursed back to life thanks to a "strong connection" with a Hackney resident.Features & Analysis'Why I'm burying a plane in my back garden'Dave Billings bought the fuselage for £4,000 to add to a network of tunnels under his garden.A tip-off and 'more luck than judgement': The story behind Andrew car snapAfter the former prince's arrest, Reuters photographer Phil Noble began a six-hour drive to Norfolk.How Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the BritsThe opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. Why do 'horrific' funeral scandals keep happening?Police, funeral sector leaders and MPs believe a "lack of laws" to stop wrongdoing "beggars belief".'The rain's been great for my pub - takings are up 20%'Some businesses in Richmond said they have seen a 20% increase in revenue compared to last year.SportOhashi scores 95th-minute winner as Blackburn beat PrestonYuki Ohashi's stoppage-time header earns Blackburn a vital three points in their fight for Championship survival as they beat Preston.Relegated in February? Why Sheff Wed are on brink of historySheffield Wednesday are on the brink of becoming the first team in English Football League history to be relegated in February.'Wonderfully different' Pollock ready to fire up England"Wonderfully different" Henry Pollock will start his first England Test in Saturday's must-win Six Nations game against Ireland.How Hodgkinson broke a 23-year-old world recordPreparation, training, and belief - after Keely Hodgkinson smashes the indoor 800m world record, her coach Jenny Meadows explains how their plan came together.Latest updates8 mins agoRoyal medals for dedicated ambulance workersNorth East ambulance workers reflect on their experiences as staff are awarded long-service medals.8 mins ago24 mins agoSolicitor sanctioned after stalking convictionAndrew Milne, who owns Sheffield freehold properties, is told he may not act without supervision.24 mins ago2 hrs agoYorkshire's 'mysterious' murmurations caught on cameraYorkshire's murmurations are a "world-class phenomenon on our doorsteps", one enthusiast says.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoTributes to city 'legend' and tax row for van dwellersA roundup of stories from local newspapers and the BBC from the past week in the West of England.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoDrivers warned over week-long HS2 road closureThe road is due to shut from Monday to 2 March to install parts of the Water Orton viaducts.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoRail line closure prompts warning to plan aheadThe closure is part of engineering works taking place on the line over the school half-term break.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoChinese New Year celebrations in YorkshireThe two-week long festival of Chinese New Year began on 17 February to mark the Year of the Fire Horse.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoWhere are Lunar New Year events being held?A range of activities are taking place across the West Midlands to mark the Year of the Horse.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoMan 'frustrated' over Alton Towers pass backtrackHe says change is needed after a plan to tighten access to a disability queuing system was paused. 2 hrs ago... NewsNews UK Mobile home park residents fear radiation from below Health officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park. Tributes paid to teens who died at holiday park Cherish Bean, 15, and Ethan Slater, 17, died at Little Eden Holiday Park on Wednesday, police say. Woman handed gift card receipt for £63 quadrillion She thought it was "hilarious" when she saw her remaining gift card balance from a matcha latte. When satnavs go wrong: Why drivers end up following GPS into danger The experts have their say after an Amazon delivery driver got stuck in mudflats this week. The animal rescue centre that became a mass graveyard of dogs A senior police officer of 30 years says he has never seen animal cruelty on such a scale. 'Dubai dental work left me with nightmare veneers' Jade Morgan says she was left with bite problems, a snapped tooth and bleeding gums after treatment. How Andrew's arrest brought global glare to quiet town Aylsham is thrust into the spotlight after the former prince is taken to its police station. Cash may be rotting after UK's biggest raid - police Twenty years after the notorious Securitas raid, Kent's top police officer looks back at the case. Couple left with $200k bill after baby born in US Family face a nine month battle with insurance giant Zurich which has now apologised. 'Breweries using AI could put artists out of work' As two pubs in Newcastle ban AI art, artists discuss the impact it can have on creatives. Bishop of Lincoln arrested in sexual assault inquiry Right Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England. 'We tied the knot... then went for a coffee' Katie Molloy and Gouse Subhan Saheb enjoy a brew after getting married at Sudbury Registry Office. Stories to make you smile Pony racer, 12, a 'little celeb’ in Hong Kong Harriet, from Bridgnorth, admits winning in Hong Kong was "unreal" but her pony was "amazing". Gritter driver's 40 years as a 'winter hero' Gary Lawson can "manoeuvre his gritter in ways others would never attempt", an award ceremony hears. Woman's fox rescue forges unusual bond An injured fox is nursed back to life thanks to a "strong connection" with a Hackney resident. Features & Analysis 'Why I'm burying a plane in my back garden' Dave Billings bought the fuselage for £4,000 to add to a network of tunnels under his garden. A tip-off and 'more luck than judgement': The story behind Andrew car snap After the former prince's arrest, Reuters photographer Phil Noble began a six-hour drive to Norfolk. How Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the Brits The opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. Why do 'horrific' funeral scandals keep happening? Police, funeral sector leaders and MPs believe a "lack of laws" to stop wrongdoing "beggars belief". 'The rain's been great for my pub - takings are up 20%' Some businesses in Richmond said they have seen a 20% increase in revenue compared to last year. Sport Ohashi scores 95th-minute winner as Blackburn beat Preston Yuki Ohashi's stoppage-time header earns Blackburn a vital three points in their fight for Championship survival as they beat Preston. Relegated in February? Why Sheff Wed are on brink of history Sheffield Wednesday are on the brink of becoming the first team in English Football League history to be relegated in February. 'Wonderfully different' Pollock ready to fire up England "Wonderfully different" Henry Pollock will start his first England Test in Saturday's must-win Six Nations game against Ireland. How Hodgkinson broke a 23-year-old world record Preparation, training, and belief - after Keely Hodgkinson smashes the indoor 800m world record, her coach Jenny Meadows explains how their plan came together. Latest updates Royal medals for dedicated ambulance workers North East ambulance workers reflect on their experiences as staff are awarded long-service medals. Solicitor sanctioned after stalking conviction Andrew Milne, who owns Sheffield freehold properties, is told he may not act without supervision. Yorkshire's 'mysterious' murmurations caught on camera Yorkshire's murmurations are a "world-class phenomenon on our doorsteps", one enthusiast says. Tributes to city 'legend' and tax row for van dwellers A roundup of stories from local newspapers and the BBC from the past week in the West of England. Drivers warned over week-long HS2 road closure The road is due to shut from Monday to 2 March to install parts of the Water Orton viaducts. Rail line closure prompts warning to plan ahead The closure is part of engineering works taking place on the line over the school half-term break. Chinese New Year celebrations in Yorkshire The two-week long festival of Chinese New Year began on 17 February to mark the Year of the Fire Horse. Where are Lunar New Year events being held? A range of activities are taking place across the West Midlands to mark the Year of the Horse. Man 'frustrated' over Alton Towers pass backtrack He says change is needed after a plan to tighten access to a disability queuing system was paused. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/ai/] | [TOKENS: 2878] |
AI // Open the pod doors An AI coding bot took down Amazon Web Services Blames “user error, not AI error” for incident in December involving its Kiro tool. Financial Times – 2/20/2026 | 87 An AI coding bot took down Amazon Web Services Blames “user error, not AI error” for incident in December involving its Kiro tool. Microsoft deletes blog telling users to train AI on pirated Harry Potter books The now-deleted Harry Potter dataset was “mistakenly” marked public domain. Ashley Belanger – 2/20/2026 | 90 Microsoft deletes blog telling users to train AI on pirated Harry Potter books The now-deleted Harry Potter dataset was “mistakenly” marked public domain. Lawsuit: ChatGPT told student he was “meant for greatness”—then came psychosis “AI Injury Attorneys” target the chatbot design itself. Cyrus Farivar – 2/19/2026 | 296 Lawsuit: ChatGPT told student he was “meant for greatness”—then came psychosis “AI Injury Attorneys” target the chatbot design itself. Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it’s better at complex problem-solving Google says 3.1 Pro is ready for “your hardest challenges.” Ryan Whitwam – 2/19/2026 | 96 Google announces Gemini 3.1 Pro, says it’s better at complex problem-solving Google says 3.1 Pro is ready for “your hardest challenges.” OpenClaw security fears lead Meta, other AI firms to restrict its use The viral agentic AI tool is known for being highly capable but also wildly unpredictable. WIRED – 2/19/2026 | 131 OpenClaw security fears lead Meta, other AI firms to restrict its use The viral agentic AI tool is known for being highly capable but also wildly unpredictable. Record scratch—Google’s Lyria 3 AI music model is coming to Gemini today With a simple prompt, you can generate 30 seconds of something like music. Ryan Whitwam – 2/18/2026 | 214 Record scratch—Google’s Lyria 3 AI music model is coming to Gemini today With a simple prompt, you can generate 30 seconds of something like music. ByteDance backpedals after Seedance 2.0 turned Hollywood icons into AI “clip art” Hollywood backlash puts spotlight on ByteDance’s sketchy launch of Seedance 2.0. Ashley Belanger – 2/16/2026 | 103 ByteDance backpedals after Seedance 2.0 turned Hollywood icons into AI “clip art” Hollywood backlash puts spotlight on ByteDance’s sketchy launch of Seedance 2.0. Aided by AI, California beach town broadens hunt for bike lane blockers Hayden AI’s cameras will scan for violations from 7 city vehicles. Cyrus Farivar – 2/13/2026 | 164 Aided by AI, California beach town broadens hunt for bike lane blockers Hayden AI’s cameras will scan for violations from 7 city vehicles. Retraction: After a routine code rejection, an AI agent published a hit piece on someone by name This story has been retracted Ars Staff – 2/13/2026 | 1 Retraction: After a routine code rejection, an AI agent published a hit piece on someone by name This story has been retracted I spent two days gigging at RentAHuman and didn’t make a single cent These bots supposedly need a human body to accomplish great things in meatspace. WIRED – 2/13/2026 | 116 I spent two days gigging at RentAHuman and didn’t make a single cent These bots supposedly need a human body to accomplish great things in meatspace. OpenAI sidesteps Nvidia with unusually fast coding model on plate-sized chips OpenAI’s new GPT‑5.3‑Codex‑Spark is 15 times faster at coding than its predecessor. Benj Edwards – 2/12/2026 | 110 OpenAI sidesteps Nvidia with unusually fast coding model on plate-sized chips OpenAI’s new GPT‑5.3‑Codex‑Spark is 15 times faster at coding than its predecessor. Attackers prompted Gemini over 100,000 times while trying to clone it, Google says Distillation technique lets copycats mimic Gemini at a fraction of the development cost. Benj Edwards – 2/12/2026 | 52 Attackers prompted Gemini over 100,000 times while trying to clone it, Google says Distillation technique lets copycats mimic Gemini at a fraction of the development cost. We let Chrome’s Auto Browse agent surf the web for us—here’s what happened Auto Browse is capable of some impressive things, but it can also crash and burn spectacularly. Ryan Whitwam – 2/12/2026 | 122 We let Chrome’s Auto Browse agent surf the web for us—here’s what happened Auto Browse is capable of some impressive things, but it can also crash and burn spectacularly. OpenAI researcher quits over ChatGPT ads, warns of “Facebook” path Zoë Hitzig resigned on the same day OpenAI began testing ads in its chatbot. Benj Edwards – 2/11/2026 | 83 OpenAI researcher quits over ChatGPT ads, warns of “Facebook” path Zoë Hitzig resigned on the same day OpenAI began testing ads in its chatbot. Yet another co-founder departs Elon Musk’s xAI Tony Wu leaves a company now entangled with social media, space-based IPOs. Kyle Orland – 2/10/2026 | 87 Yet another co-founder departs Elon Musk’s xAI Tony Wu leaves a company now entangled with social media, space-based IPOs. Alphabet selling very rare 100-year bonds to help fund AI investment Alphabet becomes first tech company to issue 100-year bonds in nearly three decades. Financial Times – 2/10/2026 | 222 Alphabet selling very rare 100-year bonds to help fund AI investment Alphabet becomes first tech company to issue 100-year bonds in nearly three decades. No humans allowed: This new space-based MMO is designed exclusively for AI agents SpaceMolt envisions a world where AI plays with itself and the humans just watch. Kyle Orland – 2/9/2026 | 153 No humans allowed: This new space-based MMO is designed exclusively for AI agents SpaceMolt envisions a world where AI plays with itself and the humans just watch. Sixteen Claude AI agents working together created a new C compiler The $20,000 experiment compiled a Linux kernel but needed deep human management. Benj Edwards – 2/6/2026 | 226 Sixteen Claude AI agents working together created a new C compiler The $20,000 experiment compiled a Linux kernel but needed deep human management. Lawyer sets new standard for abuse of AI; judge tosses case Behold the most overwrought AI legal filings you will ever gaze upon. Ashley Belanger – 2/6/2026 | 139 Lawyer sets new standard for abuse of AI; judge tosses case Behold the most overwrought AI legal filings you will ever gaze upon. Waymo leverages Genie 3 to create a world model for self-driving cars With Genie 3, Waymo wants to explore rare and even impossible driving conditions. Ryan Whitwam – 2/6/2026 | 115 Waymo leverages Genie 3 to create a world model for self-driving cars With Genie 3, Waymo wants to explore rare and even impossible driving conditions. Why Darren Aronofsky thought an AI-generated historical docudrama was a good idea Production source says it takes “weeks” to produce just minutes of usable video. Kyle Orland – 2/6/2026 | 339 Why Darren Aronofsky thought an AI-generated historical docudrama was a good idea Production source says it takes “weeks” to produce just minutes of usable video. AI companies want you to stop chatting with bots and start managing them Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI Frontier pitch a future of supervising AI agents. Benj Edwards – 2/5/2026 | 142 AI companies want you to stop chatting with bots and start managing them Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI Frontier pitch a future of supervising AI agents. With GPT-5.3-Codex, OpenAI pitches Codex for more than just writing code The emphasis is on “mid-turn steering and frequent progress updates.” Samuel Axon – 2/5/2026 | 38 With GPT-5.3-Codex, OpenAI pitches Codex for more than just writing code The emphasis is on “mid-turn steering and frequent progress updates.” OpenAI is hoppin’ mad about Anthropic’s new Super Bowl TV ads Sam Altman calls AI competitor “dishonest” and “authoritarian” in lengthy post on X. Benj Edwards – 2/5/2026 | 154 OpenAI is hoppin’ mad about Anthropic’s new Super Bowl TV ads Sam Altman calls AI competitor “dishonest” and “authoritarian” in lengthy post on X. Increase of AI bots on the Internet sparks arms race Publishers are rolling out more aggressive defenses. WIRED – 2/5/2026 | 55 Increase of AI bots on the Internet sparks arms race Publishers are rolling out more aggressive defenses. Should AI chatbots have ads? Anthropic says no. ChatGPT competitor comes out swinging with Super Bowl ad mocking AI product pitches. Benj Edwards – 2/4/2026 | 72 Should AI chatbots have ads? Anthropic says no. ChatGPT competitor comes out swinging with Super Bowl ad mocking AI product pitches. Nvidia’s $100 billion OpenAI deal has seemingly vanished Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize. Benj Edwards – 2/3/2026 | 261 Nvidia’s $100 billion OpenAI deal has seemingly vanished Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize. X office raided in France’s Grok probe; Elon Musk summoned for questioning Paris prosecutor: Illegal content probe includes pornographic images of minors. Jon Brodkin – 2/3/2026 | 172 X office raided in France’s Grok probe; Elon Musk summoned for questioning Paris prosecutor: Illegal content probe includes pornographic images of minors. Xcode 26.3 adds support for Claude, Codex, and other agentic tools via MCP With Model Context Protocol (MCP), this works with more than Codex/Claude, too. Samuel Axon – 2/3/2026 | 27 Xcode 26.3 adds support for Claude, Codex, and other agentic tools via MCP With Model Context Protocol (MCP), this works with more than Codex/Claude, too. Senior staff departing OpenAI as firm prioritizes ChatGPT development Resources are redirected from long-term research toward improving the flagship chatbot. Financial Times – 2/3/2026 | 68 Senior staff departing OpenAI as firm prioritizes ChatGPT development Resources are redirected from long-term research toward improving the flagship chatbot. The rise of Moltbook suggests viral AI prompts may be the next big security threat We don’t need self-replicating AI models to have problems, just self-replicating prompts. Benj Edwards – 2/3/2026 | 115 The rise of Moltbook suggests viral AI prompts may be the next big security threat We don’t need self-replicating AI models to have problems, just self-replicating prompts. SpaceX acquires xAI, plans to launch a massive satellite constellation to power it “This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission.” Eric Berger – 2/2/2026 | 629 SpaceX acquires xAI, plans to launch a massive satellite constellation to power it “This marks not just the next chapter, but the next book in SpaceX and xAI’s mission.” OpenAI picks up pace against Claude Code with new Codex desktop app The macOS app does everything the CLI, IDE, and web interfaces do. Samuel Axon – 2/2/2026 | 14 OpenAI picks up pace against Claude Code with new Codex desktop app The macOS app does everything the CLI, IDE, and web interfaces do. AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it’s getting weird fast Moltbook lets 32,000 AI bots trade jokes, tips, and complaints about humans. Benj Edwards – 1/30/2026 | 232 AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it’s getting weird fast Moltbook lets 32,000 AI bots trade jokes, tips, and complaints about humans. Developers say AI coding tools work—and that’s precisely what worries them Ars spoke to several software devs about AI and found enthusiasm tempered by unease. Benj Edwards – 1/30/2026 | 215 Developers say AI coding tools work—and that’s precisely what worries them Ars spoke to several software devs about AI and found enthusiasm tempered by unease. Web portal leaves kids’ chats with AI toy open to anyone with Gmail account Just about anyone with a Gmail account could access Bondu chat transcripts. WIRED – 1/30/2026 | 45 Web portal leaves kids’ chats with AI toy open to anyone with Gmail account Just about anyone with a Gmail account could access Bondu chat transcripts. Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/us-canada] | [TOKENS: 2440] |
NewsNewsUS & CanadaTrump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxesThe Supreme Court decision striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs injects new uncertainty into global trade.8 hrs agoBusinessTrump lashes out at Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. 7 hrs agoUS & CanadaTumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shootingOpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified.2 hrs agoUS & CanadaCanada and USA to meet in charged Olympic finaleMilan-Cortina 2026 has been one of the most eventful Winter Olympics in history - in sporting and political terms - so it is appropriate that the final medal event could be the most enticing of all.10 hrs agoWinter OlympicsCanada looks to trade talks after US Supreme Court tosses Trump's tariffsCanada, the US and Mexico are gearing up negotiations as part of a review of the USMCA this summer.7 hrs agoWorldTariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agendaThe Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher.14 hrs agoUS & CanadaTrump says he is considering limited military strike on IranTrump's new threat came a day after he appeared to give Iran about 10 days to agree to a deal to curb its nuclear programme.11 hrs agoWorldNasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, dies aged 81The author, journalist and philanthropist died at home in Florida, according to Rupert Murdoch's news outlets.How Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALSThe Grey's Anatomy star spent his last months campaigning towards a cure for the rare, incurable condition. Woman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airportA charity says it has been inudated with applications to adopt the dog after it was tied to the baggage sizer at a ticket counter. 'Hard to keep lights on' - Business owners cautiously welcome tariff rulingA toy importer says the Supreme Court decision was a rebuff to "insane fluctuations" in duties.Watch/ListenWatch: What the tariffs ruling means for Trump's agendaWith a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court rules US President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs via a law reserved for national emergenciesWhy haven't more Americans faced charges in the Epstein case?Sarah Smith explains why so far, no Americans, beyond Epstein and Maxwell, have faced criminal investigations.US kids talk about chasing Olympic glory alongside elite figure skatersThey skate in the same rink as Ilia Malinin, and they're dreaming of their shot at Olympic medals.California hit by heavy snow as avalanche leaves skiers missingSix others skiers were rescued, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, but conditions remain dangerous, with a high chance of further avalanches. Watch: Lindsey Vonn shares her journey home after Olympics crashThe US skier was the Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and had been hoping for a fairytale ending to her illustrious career in 2026.FeaturesTrump tariffs ripped up global trade order. What now?If you think the Supreme Court ruling heralds a return to pre-Trump business as usual - think again.How will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next?The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs.Trump's foreign policy dilemma laid bare by Iran tensionsThe president’s calls for peace and willingness to exert military power can at times feel like competing impulses.US build-up of warships and fighter jets tracked near IranA second US aircraft carrier appears to be heading towards the Middle East as Washington increases its pressure on Iran.How rescuers raced against time to reach skiers trapped in avalancheTeams deployed from nearby ski resorts trying to reach six trapped skiers, and nine more who died.Latest updates2 hrs agoTumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shootingOpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified.2 hrs ago6 hrs agoHow will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next?The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs.6 hrs ago7 hrs agoTrump lashes out at Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. 7 hrs ago10 hrs agoBBC inside Trump press briefing slamming Supreme Court tariffs rulingBernd Debusmann describes how the president reacted after his sweeping levies were struck down.10 hrs ago14 hrs agoTrump says he's 'ashamed' of Supreme Court judges over tariffs rulingThe president also said that in an effort to "protect" the US, he will charge more under other statutes and announced a new 10% global levy.14 hrs ago14 hrs agoTariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agendaThe Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher.14 hrs ago17 hrs agoWoman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airportA charity says it has been inudated with applications to adopt the dog after it was tied to the baggage sizer at a ticket counter. 17 hrs ago17 hrs agoWatch: Gary O'Donoghue on US Supreme Court ruling against Trump tariffsWith a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court rules US President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs via a law reserved for national emergencies17 hrs ago18 hrs agoHow Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALSThe Grey's Anatomy star spent his last months campaigning towards a cure for the rare, incurable condition. 18 hrs ago... NewsNews US & Canada Trump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxes The Supreme Court decision striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs injects new uncertainty into global trade. Trump lashes out at Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. Tumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shooting OpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified. Canada and USA to meet in charged Olympic finale Milan-Cortina 2026 has been one of the most eventful Winter Olympics in history - in sporting and political terms - so it is appropriate that the final medal event could be the most enticing of all. Canada looks to trade talks after US Supreme Court tosses Trump's tariffs Canada, the US and Mexico are gearing up negotiations as part of a review of the USMCA this summer. Tariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agenda The Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher. Trump says he is considering limited military strike on Iran Trump's new threat came a day after he appeared to give Iran about 10 days to agree to a deal to curb its nuclear programme. Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission. Anna Murdoch-Mann, writer and former News Corp director, dies aged 81 The author, journalist and philanthropist died at home in Florida, according to Rupert Murdoch's news outlets. How Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALS The Grey's Anatomy star spent his last months campaigning towards a cure for the rare, incurable condition. Woman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airport A charity says it has been inudated with applications to adopt the dog after it was tied to the baggage sizer at a ticket counter. 'Hard to keep lights on' - Business owners cautiously welcome tariff ruling A toy importer says the Supreme Court decision was a rebuff to "insane fluctuations" in duties. Watch/Listen Watch: What the tariffs ruling means for Trump's agenda With a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court rules US President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs via a law reserved for national emergencies Why haven't more Americans faced charges in the Epstein case? Sarah Smith explains why so far, no Americans, beyond Epstein and Maxwell, have faced criminal investigations. US kids talk about chasing Olympic glory alongside elite figure skaters They skate in the same rink as Ilia Malinin, and they're dreaming of their shot at Olympic medals. California hit by heavy snow as avalanche leaves skiers missing Six others skiers were rescued, according to the Nevada County Sheriff's Office, but conditions remain dangerous, with a high chance of further avalanches. Watch: Lindsey Vonn shares her journey home after Olympics crash The US skier was the Olympic downhill champion in 2010 and had been hoping for a fairytale ending to her illustrious career in 2026. Features Trump tariffs ripped up global trade order. What now? If you think the Supreme Court ruling heralds a return to pre-Trump business as usual - think again. How will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next? The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs. Trump's foreign policy dilemma laid bare by Iran tensions The president’s calls for peace and willingness to exert military power can at times feel like competing impulses. US build-up of warships and fighter jets tracked near Iran A second US aircraft carrier appears to be heading towards the Middle East as Washington increases its pressure on Iran. How rescuers raced against time to reach skiers trapped in avalanche Teams deployed from nearby ski resorts trying to reach six trapped skiers, and nine more who died. Latest updates Tumbler Ridge suspect's ChatGPT account banned before shooting OpenAI said the account's activity did not meet the threshold to flag it to authorities when it was identified. How will Trump's new 10% global tariffs work and what's next? The Supreme Court's decision has led questions over whether people can get a refund over the unlawful tariffs. Trump lashes out at Supreme Court justices over tariffs ruling The six justices who voted against the tariffs, dealing a major blow to his signature economic policy, should be "absolutely ashamed", Trump said. BBC inside Trump press briefing slamming Supreme Court tariffs ruling Bernd Debusmann describes how the president reacted after his sweeping levies were struck down. Trump says he's 'ashamed' of Supreme Court judges over tariffs ruling The president also said that in an effort to "protect" the US, he will charge more under other statutes and announced a new 10% global levy. Tariffs ruling is major blow to Trump's second-term agenda The Supreme Court has weakened Trump's hand in dealing with other nations, writes Anthony Zurcher. Woman charged over abandoning dog at Las Vegas airport A charity says it has been inudated with applications to adopt the dog after it was tied to the baggage sizer at a ticket counter. Watch: Gary O'Donoghue on US Supreme Court ruling against Trump tariffs With a 6-3 majority, the Supreme Court rules US President Donald Trump exceeded his authority when he imposed tariffs via a law reserved for national emergencies How Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALS The Grey's Anatomy star spent his last months campaigning towards a cure for the rare, incurable condition. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Markus_Persson#Games] | [TOKENS: 3525] |
Contents Markus Persson Markus Alexej Persson (/ˈpɪərsən/ ⓘ PEER-sən, Swedish: [ˈmǎrːkɵs ˈpæ̌ːʂɔn] ⓘ; born 1 June 1979), known by the pseudonym Notch, is a Swedish video game programmer and designer. He is the creator of Minecraft, the best-selling video game in history. He founded the video game development company Mojang Studios in 2009. Persson began developing video games at an early age. His commercial success began after he published an early version of Minecraft in 2009. Prior to the game's official retail release in 2011, it had sold over four million copies. After this point Persson stood down as the lead designer and transferred his creative authority to Jens Bergensten. In September 2014 Persson announced his intention to leave Mojang, and in November of that year the company was sold to Microsoft reportedly for US$2.5 billion, which made him a billionaire. Since 2016 several of Persson's posts on Twitter regarding feminism, race, and transgender rights have caused public controversies. He has been described as "an increasingly polarizing figure, tweeting offensive statements regarding race, the LGBTQ community, gender, and other topics." In an effort to distance itself from Persson, Microsoft removed mentions of his name from Minecraft (excluding one instance in the game's end credits) and did not invite him to the game's tenth anniversary celebration. In 2015 he co-founded a separate game studio called Rubberbrain, which was relaunched in 2024 as Bitshift Entertainment. Early life Markus Alexej Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden, to a Finnish mother, Ritva, and a Swedish father, Birger, on 1 June 1979. He has one sister. He grew up in Edsbyn until he was seven years old, when his family moved back to Stockholm. In Edsbyn, Persson's father worked for the railroad, and his mother was a nurse. He spent much time outdoors in Edsbyn, exploring the woods with his friends. When Persson was about seven years old, his parents divorced, and he and his sister lived with their mother. His father moved to a cabin in the countryside. Persson said in an interview that they experienced food insecurity around once a month. Persson lost contact with his father for several years after the divorce. According to Persson, his father suffered from depression, bipolar disorder, alcoholism, and medication abuse, and went to jail for robberies. While his father had somewhat recovered during Persson's early life, his father relapsed, contributing to the divorce. His sister also experimented with drugs and ran away from home. He had gained interest in video games at an early age. His father was "a really big nerd", who built his own modem and taught Persson to use the family's Commodore 128. On it, Persson played bootleg games and loaded in various type-in programs from computer magazines with the help of his sister. The first game he purchased with his own money was The Bard's Tale. He began programming on his father's Commodore 128 home computer at the age of seven. He produced his first game at the age of eight, a text-based adventure game. By 1994 Persson knew he wanted to become a video game developer, but his teachers advised him to study graphic design, which he did from ages 15 to 18. Persson, although introverted, was well-liked by his peers, but after entering secondary school was a "loner" and reportedly had only one friend. He spent most of his spare time with games and programming at home. He managed to reverse-engineer the Doom engine, which he continued to take great pride in as of 2014[update]. He never finished high school, but was reportedly a good student. Career Persson started his career working as a web designer. He later found employment at Game Federation, where he met Rolf Jansson. The pair worked in their spare time to build the 2006 video game Wurm Online. The game was released through a new entity, "Mojang Specifications AB". Persson left the project in late 2007. As Persson wanted to reuse the name "Mojang", Jansson agreed to rename the company to Onetoofree AB. Between 2004 and 2009 Persson worked as a game developer for Midasplayer (later known as King). There, he worked as a programmer, mostly building browser games made in Flash. He later worked as a programmer for jAlbum. Prior to creating Minecraft, Persson developed multiple, small games. He also entered a number of game design competitions and participated in discussions on the TIGSource forums, a web forum for independent game developers. One of Persson's more notable personal projects was called RubyDung, an isometric three-dimensional base-building game like RollerCoaster Tycoon and Dwarf Fortress. While working on RubyDung, Persson experimented with a first-person view mode similar to that found in Dungeon Keeper. However, he felt the graphics were too pixelated and omitted this mode. In 2009 Persson found inspiration in Infiniminer, a block-based open-ended mining game. Infiniminer heavily influenced his future work on RubyDung, and was behind Persson's reasoning for returning the first-person mode, the "blocky" visual style and the block-building fundamentals to the game. RubyDung is the earliest known Minecraft prototype created by Persson. On 17 May 2009 Persson released the original edition (later called "Classic version") of Minecraft on the TIGSource forums. He regularly updated the game based on feedback from TIGSource users. Persson released several new versions of Minecraft throughout 2009 and 2010, going through several phases of development including Survival Test, Indev, and Infdev. On 30 June 2010 Persson released the game's Alpha version. While working on the pre-Alpha version of Minecraft, Persson continued working at jAlbum. In 2010, after the release and subsequent success of Minecraft's Alpha version, Persson moved from a full-time role to a part-time role at jAlbum. He left jAlbum later that same year. In September 2010 Persson travelled to Valve Corporation's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, United States, where he took part in a programming exercise and met Gabe Newell. Persson was subsequently offered a job at Valve, which he turned down in order to continue work on Minecraft. On 20 December 2010 Minecraft moved into its beta phase and began expanding to other platforms, including mobile. In January 2011 Minecraft reached one million registered accounts. Six months afterwards, it reached ten million. The game has sold over four million copies by 7 November 2011. Mojang held the first Minecon from 18 to 19 November 2011 to celebrate its full release, and subsequently made it an annual event. Following this, on 11 December 2011, Persson transferred creative control of Minecraft to Jens Bergensten and began working on another game title, 0x10c, although he reportedly abandoned the project around 2013. In 2013 Mojang recorded revenues of $330 million and profits of $129 million. Persson has stated that, due to the intense media attention and public pressure, he became exhausted with running Minecraft and Mojang. In a September 2014 blog post he shared his realization that he "didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had", that he had "become a symbol", and that he did not wish to be responsible for Mojang's increasingly large operation. In June 2014 Persson tweeted "Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig", reportedly partly as a joke. Persson controlled a 71% stake in Mojang at the time. The offer attracted significant interest from Activision Blizzard, EA, and Microsoft. Forbes later reported that Microsoft wanted to purchase the game as a "tax dodge" to turn their taxable excess liquid cash into other assets. In September 2014 Microsoft agreed to purchase Mojang for $2.5 billion, making Persson a billionaire. He then left the company after the deal was finalised in November. Since leaving Mojang, Persson has worked on several small projects. On 23 June 2014 he founded a company with Porsér called Rubberbrain AB; the company had no games by 2021, despite spending SEK 60 million. The company was relaunched as Bitshift Entertainment, LLC on 28 March 2024. Persson expressed interest in creating a new video game studio in 2020, and in developing virtual reality games. He has also since created a series of narrative-driven immersive events called ".party()", which uses extensive visual effects and has been hosted in multiple cities. At the beginning of 2025 Persson decided to create a spiritual successor to Minecraft, referred to as "Minecraft 2", in response to the results of a poll on X. However, after speaking to his team, he shortly went against this in favour of developing the other choice on his Twitter poll, a roguelike titled Levers and Chests. Games Persson's most popular creation is the survival sandbox game Minecraft, which was first publicly available on 17 May 2009 and fully released on 18 November 2011. Persson left his job as a game developer to work on Minecraft full-time until completion. In early 2011, Mojang AB sold the one millionth copy of the game, several months later their second, and several more their third. Mojang hired several new staff members for the Minecraft team, while Persson passed the lead developer role to Jens Bergensten. He stopped working on Minecraft after a deal with Microsoft to sell Mojang for $2.5 billion. This brought his net worth to US$1.5 billion. Persson and Jakob Porsér came up with the idea for Scrolls including elements from board games and collectible card games. Persson noted that he will not be actively involved in development of the game and that Porsér will be developing it. Persson revealed on his Tumblr blog on 5 August 2011 that he was being sued by a Swedish law firm representing Bethesda Softworks over the trademarked name of Scrolls, claiming that it conflicted with their The Elder Scrolls series of games. On 17 August 2011 Persson challenged Bethesda to a Quake 3 tournament to decide the outcome of the naming dispute. On 27 September 2011 Persson confirmed that the lawsuit was going to court. ZeniMax Media, owner of Bethesda Softworks, announced the lawsuit's settlement in March 2012. The settlement allowed Mojang to continue using the Scrolls trademark. In 2018, Scrolls was made available free of charge and renamed to Caller's Bane. Cliffhorse is a humorous game programmed in two hours using the Unity game engine and free assets. The game took inspiration from Skyrim's physics engine, "the more embarrassing minimum-effort Greenlight games", Goat Simulator, and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing. The game was released to Microsoft Windows systems as an early access and honourware game on the first day of E3 2014, instructing users to donate Dogecoin to "buy" the game before downloading it. The game accumulated over 280,000 dogecoins. Following the end to his involvement with Minecraft, Persson began pre-production of an alternate reality space game set in the distant future in March 2012. On April Fools' Day Mojang launched a satirical website for Mars Effect (parody of Mass Effect), citing the lawsuit with Bethesda as an inspiration. However, the gameplay elements remained true and on 4 April, Mojang revealed 0x10c (pronounced "Ten to the C") as a space sandbox title. Persson officially halted game production in August 2013. However, C418, the composer of the game's soundtrack (as well as that of Minecraft), released an album of the work he had made for the game. In 2013, Persson made a free game called Shambles in the Unity game engine. Persson has also participated in several Ludum Dare 48-hour game making competitions. Personal life In 2011 Persson married Elin Zetterstrand, whom he had dated for four years before. Zetterstrand was a former moderator on the Minecraft forums. They had a daughter together, but by mid-2012, he began to see little of her. On 15 August 2012 he announced that he and his wife had filed for divorce. The divorce was finalised later that year. On 14 December 2011 Persson's father committed suicide with a handgun after drinking heavily. In an interview with The New Yorker, Persson said of his father: When I decided I wanted to quit my day job and work on my own games, he was the only person who supported my decision. He was proud of me and made sure I knew. When I added the monsters to Minecraft, he told me that the dark caves became too scary for him. But I think that was the only true criticism I ever heard from him. Persson later admitted that he himself suffered from depression and various highs and lows in his mood. Persson has criticised the stance of large game companies on piracy. He once stated that "piracy is not theft", viewing unauthorised downloads as potential future customers. Persson stated himself to be a member of the Pirate Party of Sweden in 2011. He is also a member of Mensa. He has donated to numerous charities, including Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders). Under his direction, Mojang spent a week developing Catacomb Snatch for the Humble Indie Bundle and raised US$458,248 for charity. He also donated $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation in 2012. In 2011 he gave $3 million in dividends back to Mojang employees. According to Forbes, his net worth in 2023 was around $1.2 billion. In 2014 Persson was one of the biggest taxpayers in Sweden. Around 2014, he lived in a multi-level penthouse in Östermalm, Stockholm, an area he described as "where the rich people live". In December 2014 Persson purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, a neighbourhood in Beverly Hills, California, in the United States, for $70 million, a record sales price for Beverly Hills at the time. Persson reportedly outbid Beyoncé and Jay-Z for the property. Persson began receiving criticism for political and social opinions he expressed on social media as early as 2016. November 30, 2017 In 2017, he proposed a heterosexual pride holiday, and wrote that those who opposed the idea "deserve to be shot." After facing backlash, he deleted the tweets and rescinded his statements, writing, "So yeah, it's about pride of daring to express, not about pride of being who you are. I get it now." Later in the year, he wrote that feminism is a "social disease" and called the video game developer and feminist Zoë Quinn a "cunt", although he was generally critical of the GamerGate movement. He has described intersectional feminism as a "framework for bigotry" and the use of the word mansplaining as being sexist. Also in 2017, Persson tweeted that "It's okay to be white". Later that year, he stated that he believed in the Pizzagate conspiracy theory. In 2019, he tweeted referencing QAnon, saying "Q is legit. Don't trust the media." Later in 2019, he tweeted in response to a pro-transgender internet meme that, "You are absolutely evil if you want to encourage delusion. What happened to not stigmatizing mental illness?" He then also promoted claims that people were fined for "using the wrong pronoun". However, after facing backlash, he tweeted a day afterwards that he had "no idea what [being trans is] like of course, but it's inspiring as hell when people open up and choose to actually be who they know themselves as. Not because it's a cool choice, because it's a big step. I gues [sic] that's actually cool nvm". Later that year, Microsoft removed two mentions of Persson's name in the "19w13a" snapshot of Minecraft and did not invite him to the 10-year anniversary celebration of the game. A spokesperson for Microsoft stated that his views "do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang". He is still mentioned in the End Poem ("a flat, infinite world created by a man called Markus").[citation needed] Awards References External links |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/live] | [TOKENS: 2384] |
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Reaction as St Johnstone stretch lead after draw with Raith RoversWatch Sportscene coverage and follow live text commentary, score updates and match stats from Raith Rovers vs St Johnstone in the Scottish Championship.See how it played outWatch U20 Six Nations: Wales v ScotlandFollow live BBC coverage as Wales host Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff.See how it played outListen: Prem Rugby Cup commentariesListen to live BBC Radio commentary as Newcastle Red Bulls face Northampton Saints and Gloucester Rugby take on Sale Sharks in the Prem Rugby Cup.See how it played outListen: Super League commentariesListen live to BBC Radio commentaries of Friday’s Super League action from three games plus Oldham take on Widnes Vikings in the Championship.See how it played outBBC Radio WM: Watch Friday's Football Phone-InWatch Friday's West Midlands Football Phone-In from BBC Radio WM, with Richard Wilford and former Villa and Wolves winger Steve Froggatt.See how it played outBBC Radio Sheffield: Watch Friday's Football HeavenWatch BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven, previewing the weekend's fixtures, including the Steel City derby, with Andy Giddings.See how it played outTrump announces new 10% global tariff as he hits out at 'deeply disappointing' Supreme Court rulingThe US president says he will impose the temporary levies, after the top court struck down his sweeping tariffs.See how it played outListen: T20 World Cup - Australia v OmanListen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary as Australia face Oman in the ICC T20 World Cup in Pallekele.See how it played outScottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton delivers conference speechThe party leader addresses delegates at the Scottish Lib Dems' spring conference in Edinburgh.See how it played outWinter Olympics: Follow all the action on day 14Get live text updates and reaction from the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.See how it played outAircraft carrier seen off Gibraltar and fighter jets fly to UK as US build-up continuesLatest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.See how it played outRelive final day of pre-season testing as Ferrari's Leclerc fastest in BahrainRelive the action from the final day of pre-season testing in Bahrain, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc fastest.See how it played outRelive Hull KR's World Club Challenge win over BrisbaneRelive Hull KR's World Club Challenge win over Brisbane Broncos as it happened.See how it played outPremier League Darts: Clayton beats Van Veen to win night three - as it happenedRelive all the action as Jonny Clayton beats Gian van Veen to win Premier League night three in Glasgow.See how it played outMan Utd beat Atletico to reach Women's Champions League last eightManchester United win at home against Atletico with goals from Zigiotti Olme and Park to secure quarter-final spot against Bayern Munich.See how it played outCeltic endure punishing night at hands of ruthless StuttgartCeltic suffer a damaging and likely decisive Europa League knockout round play-off first-leg defeat to Stuttgart in Martin O'Neill's 1,000th match as a manager.See how it played outWatch Having a Gas, with Bristol Rovers captain Alfie KilgourWatch a special episode of BBC Radio Bristol's Having a Gas, with Bristol Rovers captain Alfie Kilgour in the studio.See how it played outWasteful Palace held by Zrinjski in Conference LeagueCrystal Palace fail to make their dominance count as they are held to a draw by Zrinjski Mostar in the first leg of their Conference League play-off tie.See how it played outBBC Radio Sheffield: Watch Thursday's Football HeavenWatch BBC Radio Sheffield's Football Heaven, discussing the latest football news, with Rob Staton.See how it played outImpressive Forest win at Fenerbahce, Palace draw with ZrinjskiFollow live as Nottingham Forest face Fenerbahce in the Europa League and Crystal Palace visit Zrinjski in the Conference League.See how it played outRosenior news conference: 'Anyone found guilty of racism should not be in the game'Premier League news conferences: Chelsea manager Liam Rosenior previews Saturday's game against BurnleySee how it played outListen: T20 World Cup - Afghanistan v CanadaListen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary as Afghanistan face Canada at the ICC T20 World Cup in Chennai.See how it played outSix Nations: Kinghorn & Van der Merwe 'will bring freshness' to Scotland against WalesFollow live text updates with Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend set to name his team to face Wales in the Six Nations on Saturday.See how it played outFMQs: Angry exchanges over lord advocate memoThe ongoing controversy over a memo sent to the first minister about a criminal charge against former SNP chief executive Peter Murrell is raised by opposition party leaders.See how it played outReaction and analysis from Ireland's team announcementCatch up on updates from Ireland's team announcement and Andy Farrell's press conference ahead of Saturday's Six Nations game in England.See how it played outPolice asking Andrew's protection officers what 'they saw or heard' as part of Epstein files reviewThe Metropolitan Police says officers have been asked to consider whether anything "they saw or heard during that period of service may be relevant to our ongoing reviews".See how it played outListen: T20 World Cup - Sri Lanka v ZimbabweListen to BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra commentary as Sri Lanka face Zimbabwe at the ICC T20 World Cup in Colombo.See how it played outSix Nations: Costelow starts as Wales make four changes for Scotland - reactionWales head coach Steve Tandy has made four changes for Saturday's game against Scotland in the Six Nations, including a first start of the tournament for Sam Costelow.See how it played outAs it happened: Hull KR World Club Challenge ball relayThe match ball is being carried by fans and famous faces from Craven Park to the MKM Stadium.See how it played outListen: Australia v India - second women's T20Listen to ball-by-ball ABC commentary as Australia face India in the second women's T20 at Manuka Oval in Canberra.See how it played outWinter Olympics: USA's Alysa Liu wins gold in women's free skateFollow live updates, reaction and commentary on men's curling, women's free skate and women's ice hockey.See how it played outMore US military flights seen over Europe as images show fortification at Iran facilityLatest updates from the BBC's specialists in fact-checking, verifying video and tackling disinformation.See how it played outF1 pre-season testing: Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli ends day two quickestLive text commentary of the second pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit.See how it played outSouth Korea’s ex-president jailed for life for masterminding an insurrectionYoon Suk Yeol was impeached and indicted for declaring martial law in 2024.See how it played out Live Now Winter Olympics: Follow the action on day 15 Listen: Australia v India - third women's T20 Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 27 Q&A with expert Pras - send us your questions Recently Live Watch U20 Six Nations: England v Ireland Blackburn beat Preston with 95th-minute winner Watch Bundesliga: Mainz 1-1 Hamburg Irish Premiership - Carrick stun Larne as Coleraine defeat Ballymena Highlights: Coleraine see off Ballymena United Highlights: Carrick extend unbeaten run with win over Larne Watch: Scottish Championship - Reaction as St Johnstone stretch lead after draw with Raith Rovers Watch U20 Six Nations: Wales v Scotland Listen: Prem Rugby Cup commentaries Listen: Super League commentaries BBC Radio WM: Watch Friday's Football Phone-In BBC Radio Sheffield: Watch Friday's Football Heaven Trump announces new 10% global tariff as he hits out at 'deeply disappointing' Supreme Court ruling Listen: T20 World Cup - Australia v Oman Scottish Lib Dem leader Alex Cole-Hamilton delivers conference speech Winter Olympics: Follow all the action on day 14 Aircraft carrier seen off Gibraltar and fighter jets fly to UK as US build-up continues Relive final day of pre-season testing as Ferrari's Leclerc fastest in Bahrain Relive Hull KR's World Club Challenge win over Brisbane Premier League Darts: Clayton beats Van Veen to win night three - as it happened Man Utd beat Atletico to reach Women's Champions League last eight Celtic endure punishing night at hands of ruthless Stuttgart Watch Having a Gas, with Bristol Rovers captain Alfie Kilgour Wasteful Palace held by Zrinjski in Conference League BBC Radio Sheffield: Watch Thursday's Football Heaven Impressive Forest win at Fenerbahce, Palace draw with Zrinjski Rosenior news conference: 'Anyone found guilty of racism should not be in the game' Listen: T20 World Cup - Afghanistan v Canada Six Nations: Kinghorn & Van der Merwe 'will bring freshness' to Scotland against Wales FMQs: Angry exchanges over lord advocate memo Reaction and analysis from Ireland's team announcement Police asking Andrew's protection officers what 'they saw or heard' as part of Epstein files review Listen: T20 World Cup - Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe Six Nations: Costelow starts as Wales make four changes for Scotland - reaction As it happened: Hull KR World Club Challenge ball relay Listen: Australia v India - second women's T20 Winter Olympics: USA's Alysa Liu wins gold in women's free skate More US military flights seen over Europe as images show fortification at Iran facility F1 pre-season testing: Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli ends day two quickest South Korea’s ex-president jailed for life for masterminding an insurrection Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/northern_ireland/northern_ireland_politics] | [TOKENS: 920] |
NewsNewsN. IrelandN. Ireland Politics'Understandable anger' over MLAs' £14,000 pay riseFirst Minister Michelle O'Neill says MLAs had "no part to play" in plans for an almost 27% pay rise.18 hrs agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsShould alcohol minimum pricing be introduced in NI?The pricing structure is already in place in Scotland and Wales where alcohol cannot be sold for less than 65p per unit.2 days agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsTroubles bill debate is 'veterans vs victims', warns commissionerThe commissioner also says the Executive Office is yet to respond to proposals for a bereavement payment scheme.11 Feb 2026Northern Ireland PoliticsTreasury to give Stormont £400m in a bid to balance department budgetsNI Minister Matthew Patrick says the Treasury has granted a one-off reserve claim to protect public services.11 Feb 2026Northern Ireland PoliticsSinn Féin will not attend White House for St Patrick's DayIt is the second year Sinn Féin has boycotted St Patrick's Day events at the White House.5 days agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsNesbitt decision to halt puberty blockers trial is 'disgraceful' - O'NeillThe health minister defends his decision to suspend NI from taking part in the UK-wide trial after a review of gender identity services from Dr Hilary Cass.4 days agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsSinn Féin MLA says he will not seek re-election Delargy says he and his family will be moving away from the city early next year as a reason for the move.8 days agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsAssembly expresses no confidence in communities ministerGordon Lyons insists there is no evidence that he breached Stormont's ministerial code.Fewer schools and 'cashless' meals in education reform plansThe Department of Education plans will be presented to MLAs for approval.Catherine Connolly hails Northern Ireland as 'a beacon of light'The Irish president made her comments during a speech at Ulster University in Belfast on Wednesday.Police enquiries over Stormont meeting 'deflection', says O'NeillThe first minister clashes with MLAs as questions are asked over a complaint to police of misconduct in public office.Christianity will remain central to religious education - GivanThe minister adds that the RE syllabus will change to include other main religions and philosophical traditions. NewsNews N. Ireland 'Understandable anger' over MLAs' £14,000 pay rise First Minister Michelle O'Neill says MLAs had "no part to play" in plans for an almost 27% pay rise. Should alcohol minimum pricing be introduced in NI? The pricing structure is already in place in Scotland and Wales where alcohol cannot be sold for less than 65p per unit. Troubles bill debate is 'veterans vs victims', warns commissioner The commissioner also says the Executive Office is yet to respond to proposals for a bereavement payment scheme. Treasury to give Stormont £400m in a bid to balance department budgets NI Minister Matthew Patrick says the Treasury has granted a one-off reserve claim to protect public services. Sinn Féin will not attend White House for St Patrick's Day It is the second year Sinn Féin has boycotted St Patrick's Day events at the White House. Nesbitt decision to halt puberty blockers trial is 'disgraceful' - O'Neill The health minister defends his decision to suspend NI from taking part in the UK-wide trial after a review of gender identity services from Dr Hilary Cass. Sinn Féin MLA says he will not seek re-election Delargy says he and his family will be moving away from the city early next year as a reason for the move. Assembly expresses no confidence in communities minister Gordon Lyons insists there is no evidence that he breached Stormont's ministerial code. Fewer schools and 'cashless' meals in education reform plans The Department of Education plans will be presented to MLAs for approval. Catherine Connolly hails Northern Ireland as 'a beacon of light' The Irish president made her comments during a speech at Ulster University in Belfast on Wednesday. Police enquiries over Stormont meeting 'deflection', says O'Neill The first minister clashes with MLAs as questions are asked over a complaint to police of misconduct in public office. Christianity will remain central to religious education - Givan The minister adds that the RE syllabus will change to include other main religions and philosophical traditions. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk] | [TOKENS: 2382] |
NewsNewsUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandScotlandWalesMet asks Andrew's protection officers what they saw or heard in Epstein inquiryOfficers will continue searching Andrew's former Windsor home until Monday, the BBC understands.15 hrs agoUKGovernment considers removing Andrew from royal line of successionThe former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne meaning he remains eligible to be King.50 mins agoPoliticsTributes paid to teens who died at holiday parkCherish Bean, 15, and Ethan Slater, 17, died at Little Eden Holiday Park on Wednesday, police say.13 hrs agoHull & East YorkshireOnline pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checksTwo online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks.9 hrs agoNorthern IrelandMobile home park residents fear radiation from belowHealth officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park.7 hrs agoNottinghamshireUK agrees drone defence plan with four EU alliesThe scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. 16 hrs agoUKBishop of Lincoln arrested in sexual assault inquiryRight Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England.14 hrs agoEnglandLife sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mumKamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house.Higher tax helped UK government reach record January surplusThe government took in more from tax receipts than expected, official data suggests.Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog pooAdam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm.The Uber-driving English champion & his 30-year fight for a passportEnglish light-middleweight champion Bilal Fawaz challenges for the British title belt on Saturday, but is still fighting for a British passport.I ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother Bobby White ran seven 26.2 mile races across the world to raise money for Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity.Watch/ListenWhat happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning on Thursday 19 February.Watch: The day Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrestedThe former prince spent the day at a police station in Norfolk, before being released under investigation.Ros Atkins on... unanswered Andrew questionsThe BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins looks at the questions around the way Buckingham Palace has responded to the various accusations against the King's brother.Moment Julia Donaldson reveals name for third Gruffalo bookAfter a 20-year Gruffalo hiatus, author Julia Donaldson announces the new book's title on BBC Radio 4.Features & analysisAndrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothersThe problems facing the monarchy over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are also a family problem between brothers.'That's me!': Hundreds tell BBC how medication triggered gambling and other addictionsMore than 250 people contacted us describing impulsive behaviour side effects from prescription drugs.Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social mediaDeepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses.How Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the BritsThe opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. The animal rescue centre that became a mass graveyard of dogsA senior police officer of 30 years says he has never seen animal cruelty on such a scale.More from the UKMobile home park residents fear radiation from belowHealth officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park.Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checksTwo online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks.Are MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland?How a very political court case sparked a huge row - and questions about the separation of powers.Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog pooAdam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm.Latest updates2 hrs agoChief minister disappointed over airline decisionDeputy Lyndon Farnham calls for Jersey and Guernsey to "find solutions" to inter-island travel.2 hrs ago3 hrs agoWhen satnavs go wrong: Why drivers end up following GPS into dangerThe experts have their say after an Amazon delivery driver got stuck in mudflats this week.3 hrs ago15 hrs agoJail's 'obsolete' fire system flagged before deathPrisoner Clare Dupree, 48, died two days after a blaze in her cell caused by a vape.15 hrs ago15 hrs agoWhat happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor?The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning on Thursday 19 February.15 hrs ago15 hrs agoMet asks Andrew's protection officers what they saw or heard in Epstein inquiryOfficers will continue searching Andrew's former Windsor home until Monday, the BBC understands.15 hrs ago15 hrs agoAndrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothersThe problems facing the monarchy over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are also a family problem between brothers.15 hrs ago16 hrs agoUK agrees drone defence plan with four EU alliesThe scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. 16 hrs ago16 hrs agoThousands of puffins starve to death during stormsDead seabirds wash up on on the south west coast, Channel Islands and French beaches.16 hrs ago18 hrs agoHow Andrew's 11-hour detention on his birthday played outFrom being arrested at home to detention in a cell, this is how the former prince's detention unfolded.18 hrs ago... NewsNews UK Met asks Andrew's protection officers what they saw or heard in Epstein inquiry Officers will continue searching Andrew's former Windsor home until Monday, the BBC understands. Government considers removing Andrew from royal line of succession The former Duke of York is eighth in line to the throne meaning he remains eligible to be King. Tributes paid to teens who died at holiday park Cherish Bean, 15, and Ethan Slater, 17, died at Little Eden Holiday Park on Wednesday, police say. Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checks Two online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks. Mobile home park residents fear radiation from below Health officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park. UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies The scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. Bishop of Lincoln arrested in sexual assault inquiry Right Reverend Stephen Conway has also been suspended by the Church of England. Life sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mum Kamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house. Higher tax helped UK government reach record January surplus The government took in more from tax receipts than expected, official data suggests. Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo Adam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm. The Uber-driving English champion & his 30-year fight for a passport English light-middleweight champion Bilal Fawaz challenges for the British title belt on Saturday, but is still fighting for a British passport. I ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother Bobby White ran seven 26.2 mile races across the world to raise money for Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity. Watch/Listen What happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning on Thursday 19 February. Watch: The day Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested The former prince spent the day at a police station in Norfolk, before being released under investigation. Ros Atkins on... unanswered Andrew questions The BBC's Analysis Editor Ros Atkins looks at the questions around the way Buckingham Palace has responded to the various accusations against the King's brother. Moment Julia Donaldson reveals name for third Gruffalo book After a 20-year Gruffalo hiatus, author Julia Donaldson announces the new book's title on BBC Radio 4. Features & analysis Andrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothers The problems facing the monarchy over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are also a family problem between brothers. 'That's me!': Hundreds tell BBC how medication triggered gambling and other addictions More than 250 people contacted us describing impulsive behaviour side effects from prescription drugs. Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media Deepfakes showing grim taxpayer-funded waterparks have gone viral and drawn some racist responses. How Co-op Live went from falling air con units to hosting the Brits The opening of the Co-op Live was in every headline, but not quite for the right reasons. The animal rescue centre that became a mass graveyard of dogs A senior police officer of 30 years says he has never seen animal cruelty on such a scale. More from the UK Mobile home park residents fear radiation from below Health officials have said they think there is "suitable justification" to look again at Tollerton Park. Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checks Two online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks. Are MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland? How a very political court case sparked a huge row - and questions about the separation of powers. Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo Adam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm. Latest updates Chief minister disappointed over airline decision Deputy Lyndon Farnham calls for Jersey and Guernsey to "find solutions" to inter-island travel. When satnavs go wrong: Why drivers end up following GPS into danger The experts have their say after an Amazon delivery driver got stuck in mudflats this week. Jail's 'obsolete' fire system flagged before death Prisoner Clare Dupree, 48, died two days after a blaze in her cell caused by a vape. What happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? The former prince was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and taken to a Norfolk police station for questioning on Thursday 19 February. Met asks Andrew's protection officers what they saw or heard in Epstein inquiry Officers will continue searching Andrew's former Windsor home until Monday, the BBC understands. Andrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothers The problems facing the monarchy over Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor are also a family problem between brothers. UK agrees drone defence plan with four EU allies The scheme will seek to take inspiration from Ukraine's drone manufacturing programme. Thousands of puffins starve to death during storms Dead seabirds wash up on on the south west coast, Channel Islands and French beaches. How Andrew's 11-hour detention on his birthday played out From being arrested at home to detention in a cell, this is how the former prince's detention unfolded. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/] | [TOKENS: 2868] |
Biz & IT // Informed technology Password managers’ promise that they can’t see your vaults isn’t always true Contrary to what password managers say, a server compromise can mean game over. Dan Goodin – 2/17/2026 | 167 Password managers’ promise that they can’t see your vaults isn’t always true Contrary to what password managers say, a server compromise can mean game over. Most VMware users still “actively reducing their VMware footprint,” survey finds Broadcom’s “strategy was never to keep every customer,” CloudBolt report says. Scharon Harding – 2/17/2026 | 86 Most VMware users still “actively reducing their VMware footprint,” survey finds Broadcom’s “strategy was never to keep every customer,” CloudBolt report says. Retraction: After a routine code rejection, an AI agent published a hit piece on someone by name This story has been retracted Ars Staff – 2/13/2026 | 1 Retraction: After a routine code rejection, an AI agent published a hit piece on someone by name This story has been retracted OpenAI sidesteps Nvidia with unusually fast coding model on plate-sized chips OpenAI’s new GPT‑5.3‑Codex‑Spark is 15 times faster at coding than its predecessor. Benj Edwards – 2/12/2026 | 110 OpenAI sidesteps Nvidia with unusually fast coding model on plate-sized chips OpenAI’s new GPT‑5.3‑Codex‑Spark is 15 times faster at coding than its predecessor. Attackers prompted Gemini over 100,000 times while trying to clone it, Google says Distillation technique lets copycats mimic Gemini at a fraction of the development cost. Benj Edwards – 2/12/2026 | 52 Attackers prompted Gemini over 100,000 times while trying to clone it, Google says Distillation technique lets copycats mimic Gemini at a fraction of the development cost. Once-hobbled Lumma Stealer is back with lures that are hard to resist ClickFix bait, combined with advanced Castleloader malware, is installing Lumma “at scale.” Dan Goodin – 2/11/2026 | 20 Once-hobbled Lumma Stealer is back with lures that are hard to resist ClickFix bait, combined with advanced Castleloader malware, is installing Lumma “at scale.” OpenAI researcher quits over ChatGPT ads, warns of “Facebook” path Zoë Hitzig resigned on the same day OpenAI began testing ads in its chatbot. Benj Edwards – 2/11/2026 | 83 OpenAI researcher quits over ChatGPT ads, warns of “Facebook” path Zoë Hitzig resigned on the same day OpenAI began testing ads in its chatbot. Sixteen Claude AI agents working together created a new C compiler The $20,000 experiment compiled a Linux kernel but needed deep human management. Benj Edwards – 2/6/2026 | 226 Sixteen Claude AI agents working together created a new C compiler The $20,000 experiment compiled a Linux kernel but needed deep human management. Malicious packages for dYdX cryptocurrency exchange empties user wallets Incident is at least the third time the exchange has been targeted by thieves. Dan Goodin – 2/6/2026 | 34 Malicious packages for dYdX cryptocurrency exchange empties user wallets Incident is at least the third time the exchange has been targeted by thieves. AI companies want you to stop chatting with bots and start managing them Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI Frontier pitch a future of supervising AI agents. Benj Edwards – 2/5/2026 | 142 AI companies want you to stop chatting with bots and start managing them Claude Opus 4.6 and OpenAI Frontier pitch a future of supervising AI agents. OpenAI is hoppin’ mad about Anthropic’s new Super Bowl TV ads Sam Altman calls AI competitor “dishonest” and “authoritarian” in lengthy post on X. Benj Edwards – 2/5/2026 | 154 OpenAI is hoppin’ mad about Anthropic’s new Super Bowl TV ads Sam Altman calls AI competitor “dishonest” and “authoritarian” in lengthy post on X. Increase of AI bots on the Internet sparks arms race Publishers are rolling out more aggressive defenses. WIRED – 2/5/2026 | 55 Increase of AI bots on the Internet sparks arms race Publishers are rolling out more aggressive defenses. Microsoft releases urgent Office patch. Russian-state hackers pounce. The window to patch vulnerabilities is shrinking rapidly. Dan Goodin – 2/4/2026 | 77 Microsoft releases urgent Office patch. Russian-state hackers pounce. The window to patch vulnerabilities is shrinking rapidly. Should AI chatbots have ads? Anthropic says no. ChatGPT competitor comes out swinging with Super Bowl ad mocking AI product pitches. Benj Edwards – 2/4/2026 | 72 Should AI chatbots have ads? Anthropic says no. ChatGPT competitor comes out swinging with Super Bowl ad mocking AI product pitches. So yeah, I vibe-coded a log colorizer—and I feel good about it Some semi-unhinged musings on where LLMs fit into my life—and how I’ll keep using them. Lee Hutchinson – 2/4/2026 | 275 So yeah, I vibe-coded a log colorizer—and I feel good about it Some semi-unhinged musings on where LLMs fit into my life—and how I’ll keep using them. Nvidia’s $100 billion OpenAI deal has seemingly vanished Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize. Benj Edwards – 2/3/2026 | 261 Nvidia’s $100 billion OpenAI deal has seemingly vanished Two AI giants shake market confidence after investment fails to materialize. The rise of Moltbook suggests viral AI prompts may be the next big security threat We don’t need self-replicating AI models to have problems, just self-replicating prompts. Benj Edwards – 2/3/2026 | 115 The rise of Moltbook suggests viral AI prompts may be the next big security threat We don’t need self-replicating AI models to have problems, just self-replicating prompts. Notepad++ users take note: It’s time to check if you’re hacked Suspected China-state hackers used update infrastructure to deliver backdoored version. Dan Goodin – 2/2/2026 | 113 Notepad++ users take note: It’s time to check if you’re hacked Suspected China-state hackers used update infrastructure to deliver backdoored version. AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it’s getting weird fast Moltbook lets 32,000 AI bots trade jokes, tips, and complaints about humans. Benj Edwards – 1/30/2026 | 232 AI agents now have their own Reddit-style social network, and it’s getting weird fast Moltbook lets 32,000 AI bots trade jokes, tips, and complaints about humans. Developers say AI coding tools work—and that’s precisely what worries them Ars spoke to several software devs about AI and found enthusiasm tempered by unease. Benj Edwards – 1/30/2026 | 215 Developers say AI coding tools work—and that’s precisely what worries them Ars spoke to several software devs about AI and found enthusiasm tempered by unease. County pays $600,000 to pentesters it arrested for assessing courthouse security Settlement comes more than 6 years after Gary DeMercurio and Justin Wynn’s ordeal began. Dan Goodin – 1/29/2026 | 96 County pays $600,000 to pentesters it arrested for assessing courthouse security Settlement comes more than 6 years after Gary DeMercurio and Justin Wynn’s ordeal began. Does Anthropic believe its AI is conscious, or is that just what it wants Claude to think? We have no proof that AI models suffer, but Anthropic acts like they might for training purposes. Benj Edwards – 1/29/2026 | 278 Does Anthropic believe its AI is conscious, or is that just what it wants Claude to think? We have no proof that AI models suffer, but Anthropic acts like they might for training purposes. Site catering to online criminals has been seized by the FBI One of the last holdouts for ransomware discussions, RAMP is taken down. Dan Goodin – 1/28/2026 | 40 Site catering to online criminals has been seized by the FBI One of the last holdouts for ransomware discussions, RAMP is taken down. Report: China approves import of high-end Nvidia AI chips after weeks of uncertainty Over 400,000 H200 chips coming to tech giants as China tries to balance tech needs with self-reliance. Benj Edwards – 1/28/2026 | 22 Report: China approves import of high-end Nvidia AI chips after weeks of uncertainty Over 400,000 H200 chips coming to tech giants as China tries to balance tech needs with self-reliance. Users flock to open source Moltbot for always-on AI, despite major risks The open source “Jarvis” chats via WhatsApp but requires access to your files and accounts. Benj Edwards – 1/28/2026 | 75 Users flock to open source Moltbot for always-on AI, despite major risks The open source “Jarvis” chats via WhatsApp but requires access to your files and accounts. There’s a rash of scam spam coming from a real Microsoft address Abusing Microsoft’s reputation may make scam harder to spot. Dan Goodin – 1/27/2026 | 49 There’s a rash of scam spam coming from a real Microsoft address Abusing Microsoft’s reputation may make scam harder to spot. OpenAI spills technical details about how its AI coding agent works Unusually detailed post explains how OpenAI handles the Codex agent loop. Benj Edwards – 1/26/2026 | 61 OpenAI spills technical details about how its AI coding agent works Unusually detailed post explains how OpenAI handles the Codex agent loop. Why has Microsoft been routing example.com traffic to a company in Japan? Company’s autodiscover caused users’ test credentials to be sent outside Microsoft networks. Dan Goodin – 1/26/2026 | 70 Why has Microsoft been routing example.com traffic to a company in Japan? Company’s autodiscover caused users’ test credentials to be sent outside Microsoft networks. Overrun with AI slop, cURL scraps bug bounties to ensure “intact mental health” The onslaught includes LLMs finding bogus vulnerabilities and code that won’t compile. Dan Goodin – 1/22/2026 | 90 Overrun with AI slop, cURL scraps bug bounties to ensure “intact mental health” The onslaught includes LLMs finding bogus vulnerabilities and code that won’t compile. eBay bans illicit automated shopping amid rapid rise of AI agents New policy requires “buy for me” AI tools and chatbots to obtain permission before accessing the platform. Benj Edwards – 1/22/2026 | 62 eBay bans illicit automated shopping amid rapid rise of AI agents New policy requires “buy for me” AI tools and chatbots to obtain permission before accessing the platform. Millions of people imperiled through sign-in links sent by SMS Even well-known services with millions of users are exposing sensitive data. Dan Goodin – 1/21/2026 | 70 Millions of people imperiled through sign-in links sent by SMS Even well-known services with millions of users are exposing sensitive data. Wikipedia volunteers spent years cataloging AI tells. Now there’s a plugin to avoid them. The web’s best guide to spotting AI writing has become a manual for hiding it. Benj Edwards – 1/21/2026 | 120 Wikipedia volunteers spent years cataloging AI tells. Now there’s a plugin to avoid them. The web’s best guide to spotting AI writing has become a manual for hiding it. 10 things I learned from burning myself out with AI coding agents Opinion: As software power tools, AI agents may make people busier than ever before. Benj Edwards – 1/19/2026 | 326 10 things I learned from burning myself out with AI coding agents Opinion: As software power tools, AI agents may make people busier than ever before. Rackspace customers grapple with “devastating” email hosting price hike Reseller says Rackspace plans to charge it 706 percent more. Scharon Harding – 1/16/2026 | 112 Rackspace customers grapple with “devastating” email hosting price hike Reseller says Rackspace plans to charge it 706 percent more. OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT as it burns through billions Ads coming to free tier and new $8/month ChatGPT Go plan in US. Benj Edwards – 1/16/2026 | 186 OpenAI to test ads in ChatGPT as it burns through billions Ads coming to free tier and new $8/month ChatGPT Go plan in US. Mandiant releases rainbow table that cracks weak admin password in 12 hours Windows laggards still using the vulnerable hashing function: Your days are numbered. Dan Goodin – 1/16/2026 | 24 Mandiant releases rainbow table that cracks weak admin password in 12 hours Windows laggards still using the vulnerable hashing function: Your days are numbered. Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/northern_ireland] | [TOKENS: 2954] |
NewsNewsN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsOnline pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checksTwo online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks.9 hrs agoNorthern IrelandParking 'grace period' costs Stormont quarter of revenueThe "grace period" for Lisburn and Newry's on-street spaces gives motorists an hour to return to their vehicles after their parking expires.9 hrs agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsActor 'so proud' as Belfast film wins Ifta awardNostalgie, based in Belfast, took the Best Short Film prize in the live action category at the Iftas.10 hrs agoNorthern IrelandCarrick beat league leaders Larne as Coleraine winLeague leaders Larne are now without a win in their last three games after losing 3-2 to Carrick Rangers, as Coleraine win against Ballymena United to close the gap at the top of the Irish Premiership to just two points. 11 hrs agoIrish FootballOver 50 firefighters tackle blaze in County ArmaghThe fire is at commercial premises at Ballyards Road in Milford, County Armagh.2 hrs ago'Miserable after 42 days of rain' - behind the deluge at one of UK's wettest spotsKatesbridge is used to making headlines for cold weather, but this time it is the rain which is catching the attention.3 hrs agoNorthern Ireland'Understandable anger' over MLAs' £14,000 pay riseFirst Minister Michelle O'Neill says MLAs had "no part to play" in plans for an almost 27% pay rise.18 hrs agoNorthern Ireland PoliticsIn case you missed itWomen's programme helped me rebuild my life - now it's goingWomen trying to get back into the workplace say they're devastated at the loss of a key employment scheme following UK government funding cuts. It's one of hundreds of organisations in Northern Ireland, facing funding changes when the current UK Shared Prosperity Fund is replaced by the Local Growth Fund in April.I needed help for addiction - 30 years later I'm running the serviceNorthland's Addiction Centre has grown into one of the leading treatment centres in Northern Ireland.My life changed in an instant after terminal diagnosisPatrick Malone says a new support service for people who are living with mesothelioma has been "invaluable".Features & AnalysisLearning from New Zealand in how to reduce bovine TBA new cross-border pilot aims to emulate New Zealand's success in dramatically reducing infections.'Farm accident hasn't stopped my musical dream'A renowned banjo player, who almost lost a finger, is one of over 150 farmers injured since 2019. Should alcohol minimum pricing be introduced in NI?The pricing structure is already in place in Scotland and Wales where alcohol cannot be sold for less than 65p per unit.Choice between cinema or pub causing headache for finance ministerA cinema chain says it is taking legal action after John O'Dowd's recent U-turn on business rates.Northern Ireland weather forecastFoyle & WestConcrete firm fined £160,000 over employee's deathColin Thomas died while working at the County Londonderry company's main production site in April 2023Tourism projects get cross border funding boostThe money aims to develop closer tourism links across the Wild Atlantic Way in and the Causeway Coastal Route.'Meeting my dad was a D:Ream' - pop star's 50-year search for his birth fatherThe musician, who was born in a mother and baby home, only found out who his natural father was when he was 59. Listen: North West TodayA round-up of local news, sport and weather across the north west of Northern Ireland.Republic of IrelandGardaí still to identify man in critical condition after Dublin attack The man was brought to Beaumont Hospital after the assault which occurred in Temple Bar on Wednesday.Man jailed for causing unlawful termination of pregnancyAdeleke Adelani forced his victim to take five misoprostol tablets on Valentine's Day 2020, the court heard.Deportation of Irish man in ICE custody temporarily haltedLawyers for Seamus Culleton say a court has issued a temporary order pausing his deportation for 10 business days.Sinn Féin will not attend White House for St Patrick's DayIt is the second year Sinn Féin has boycotted St Patrick's Day events at the White House.Search for Irish women missing since 1990s ends for the night The search is for Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard and Deirdre Jacob who have been missing since the 1990s.More BBC News NI on iPlayer & SoundsGood Morning UlsterWake up to Good Morning Ulster and get all the news and analysis from home and abroad.The Nolan ShowBreaking news and hard-hitting talk about the big stories of the day.TalkbackHighlights from Talkback. William Crawley and guests discuss the news headlines.Evening ExtraAll the day’s news and analysis with Richard Morgan.BBC NewslineThe latest news for Northern Ireland.The State of UsTara Mills and Declan Harvey react and reflect on news stories in a BBC NI podcast.The ViewMark Carruthers provides comment and expert analysis on the week's political newsRed LinesThe back-stop’s here? Bad puns with top political coverage from BBC Northern Ireland.SpotlightHard-hitting investigations on the stories that matter in Northern Ireland.Sunday Politics Northern IrelandMark Carruthers with the latest political news, interviews and debate.Latest updates3 hrs ago'Miserable after 42 days of rain' - behind the deluge at one of UK's wettest spotsKatesbridge is used to making headlines for cold weather, but this time it is the rain which is catching the attention.3 hrs ago9 hrs agoOnline pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checksTwo online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks.9 hrs ago10 hrs agoActor 'so proud' as Belfast film wins Ifta awardNostalgie, based in Belfast, took the Best Short Film prize in the live action category at the Iftas.10 hrs ago15 hrs agoOrganisers defend KPop gig after angry backlash over 'horrendous' concertThe K-pop Forever! Tribute shows took place in the SSE on Thursday evening, with further gigs due to take place next Monday and on 16 May.15 hrs ago16 hrs agoTourism projects get cross border funding boostThe money aims to develop closer tourism links across the Wild Atlantic Way in and the Causeway Coastal Route.16 hrs ago16 hrs agoMemorial to child abuse victims makes survivors feel 'believed'The plaque, at Stormont's entrance hall, offers an acknowledgement and apology to those who suffered harm.16 hrs ago22 hrs agoBelfast-based film on Bafta shortlistA short film set in Northern Ireland has been shortlisted for a Bafta award. 22 hrs ago22 hrs agoPay classroom assistants all year round - unionNorthern Ireland has almost 22,000 classroom assistant but many are only paid during term-time.22 hrs ago1 day agoAirbus 'committing a lot of cash' to Belfast operationAirbus finalised a deal to buy part of the Spirit Aerosystems facility in east Belfast in December 2025. 1 day ago... NewsNews N. Ireland Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checks Two online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks. Parking 'grace period' costs Stormont quarter of revenue The "grace period" for Lisburn and Newry's on-street spaces gives motorists an hour to return to their vehicles after their parking expires. Actor 'so proud' as Belfast film wins Ifta award Nostalgie, based in Belfast, took the Best Short Film prize in the live action category at the Iftas. Carrick beat league leaders Larne as Coleraine win League leaders Larne are now without a win in their last three games after losing 3-2 to Carrick Rangers, as Coleraine win against Ballymena United to close the gap at the top of the Irish Premiership to just two points. Over 50 firefighters tackle blaze in County Armagh The fire is at commercial premises at Ballyards Road in Milford, County Armagh. 'Miserable after 42 days of rain' - behind the deluge at one of UK's wettest spots Katesbridge is used to making headlines for cold weather, but this time it is the rain which is catching the attention. 'Understandable anger' over MLAs' £14,000 pay rise First Minister Michelle O'Neill says MLAs had "no part to play" in plans for an almost 27% pay rise. In case you missed it Women's programme helped me rebuild my life - now it's going Women trying to get back into the workplace say they're devastated at the loss of a key employment scheme following UK government funding cuts. It's one of hundreds of organisations in Northern Ireland, facing funding changes when the current UK Shared Prosperity Fund is replaced by the Local Growth Fund in April. I needed help for addiction - 30 years later I'm running the service Northland's Addiction Centre has grown into one of the leading treatment centres in Northern Ireland. My life changed in an instant after terminal diagnosis Patrick Malone says a new support service for people who are living with mesothelioma has been "invaluable". Features & Analysis Learning from New Zealand in how to reduce bovine TB A new cross-border pilot aims to emulate New Zealand's success in dramatically reducing infections. 'Farm accident hasn't stopped my musical dream' A renowned banjo player, who almost lost a finger, is one of over 150 farmers injured since 2019. Should alcohol minimum pricing be introduced in NI? The pricing structure is already in place in Scotland and Wales where alcohol cannot be sold for less than 65p per unit. Choice between cinema or pub causing headache for finance minister A cinema chain says it is taking legal action after John O'Dowd's recent U-turn on business rates. Northern Ireland weather forecast Foyle & West Concrete firm fined £160,000 over employee's death Colin Thomas died while working at the County Londonderry company's main production site in April 2023 Tourism projects get cross border funding boost The money aims to develop closer tourism links across the Wild Atlantic Way in and the Causeway Coastal Route. 'Meeting my dad was a D:Ream' - pop star's 50-year search for his birth father The musician, who was born in a mother and baby home, only found out who his natural father was when he was 59. Listen: North West Today A round-up of local news, sport and weather across the north west of Northern Ireland. Republic of Ireland Gardaí still to identify man in critical condition after Dublin attack The man was brought to Beaumont Hospital after the assault which occurred in Temple Bar on Wednesday. Man jailed for causing unlawful termination of pregnancy Adeleke Adelani forced his victim to take five misoprostol tablets on Valentine's Day 2020, the court heard. Deportation of Irish man in ICE custody temporarily halted Lawyers for Seamus Culleton say a court has issued a temporary order pausing his deportation for 10 business days. Sinn Féin will not attend White House for St Patrick's Day It is the second year Sinn Féin has boycotted St Patrick's Day events at the White House. Search for Irish women missing since 1990s ends for the night The search is for Josephine "Jo Jo" Dullard and Deirdre Jacob who have been missing since the 1990s. More BBC News NI on iPlayer & Sounds Good Morning Ulster Wake up to Good Morning Ulster and get all the news and analysis from home and abroad. The Nolan Show Breaking news and hard-hitting talk about the big stories of the day. Talkback Highlights from Talkback. William Crawley and guests discuss the news headlines. Evening Extra All the day’s news and analysis with Richard Morgan. BBC Newsline The latest news for Northern Ireland. The State of Us Tara Mills and Declan Harvey react and reflect on news stories in a BBC NI podcast. The View Mark Carruthers provides comment and expert analysis on the week's political news Red Lines The back-stop’s here? Bad puns with top political coverage from BBC Northern Ireland. Spotlight Hard-hitting investigations on the stories that matter in Northern Ireland. Sunday Politics Northern Ireland Mark Carruthers with the latest political news, interviews and debate. Latest updates 'Miserable after 42 days of rain' - behind the deluge at one of UK's wettest spots Katesbridge is used to making headlines for cold weather, but this time it is the rain which is catching the attention. Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checks Two online pharmacies are bringing in enhanced measures after it was found they were selling weight-loss injections without proper safeguarding checks. Actor 'so proud' as Belfast film wins Ifta award Nostalgie, based in Belfast, took the Best Short Film prize in the live action category at the Iftas. Organisers defend KPop gig after angry backlash over 'horrendous' concert The K-pop Forever! Tribute shows took place in the SSE on Thursday evening, with further gigs due to take place next Monday and on 16 May. Tourism projects get cross border funding boost The money aims to develop closer tourism links across the Wild Atlantic Way in and the Causeway Coastal Route. Memorial to child abuse victims makes survivors feel 'believed' The plaque, at Stormont's entrance hall, offers an acknowledgement and apology to those who suffered harm. Belfast-based film on Bafta shortlist A short film set in Northern Ireland has been shortlisted for a Bafta award. Pay classroom assistants all year round - union Northern Ireland has almost 22,000 classroom assistant but many are only paid during term-time. Airbus 'committing a lot of cash' to Belfast operation Airbus finalised a deal to buy part of the Spirit Aerosystems facility in east Belfast in December 2025. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/scotland] | [TOKENS: 2877] |
NewsNewsScotlandScotland PoliticsAre MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland?How a very political court case sparked a huge row - and questions about the separation of powers.10 hrs agoScotland PoliticsPolice search for missing Ben Nevis climberBrian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain.11 hrs agoScotlandFrom playing Glastonbury to running a cider festivalGrant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind.10 hrs agoScotlandThe twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royaltyBen and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow.10 hrs agoScotlandDrinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol stationResidents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. 15 hrs agoScotlandI ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother Bobby White ran seven 26.2 mile races across the world to raise money for Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity.10 hrs agoGlasgow & West ScotlandFour men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling goldAll eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics.16 hrs agoWinter OlympicsYour pictures of ScotlandA selection of photographs submitted to BBC Scotland News from around the country this week.Skier dies in hospital after falling from mountain in Nevis RangeThe man, believed to be in his 60s, was critically injured following a fall on Aonach Mor in the Highlands.McTominay overhead kick captured in Glasgow street muralThe artwork of the goal that helped secure Scotland's World Cup place appears on a tenement near Hampden ParkReopening of Glasgow's People's Palace delayed indefinitely The People's Palace on Glasgow Green shut in April 2024 for refurbishment work costing just under £36m.Closing speeches heard in Aberfeldy murder trialDavid Campbell is accused of shooting dead Brian Low near Aberfeldy in February 2024Features and analysisThe hotel ice rink fuelling Winter Olympic gold medal dreamsThree members of Team Mouat are from Stranraer - home to an ice rink built in a hotel. Politics Show: Corruption row at HolyroodLynsey Bews, Phil Sim and Hannah Rodger on the week's political news.'People don't recognise me since I lost weight' - Gregor FisherThe actor best known for playing Rab C Nesbitt was recently diagnosed with diabetes and told to make some lifestyle changes.Dog walkers discovered 2,000-year-old beach footprintsThe imprints were uncovered by storms at Lunan Bay - and later wiped away by the wind and the rain.I invested £12,000 in Brewdog - I think I've lost it allMore than 200,000 people bought Equity for Punks shares in the craft brewer but many now believe they are worthless.News from around ScotlandFirm fined £183,000 over death of worker in roof fallRoss Hanratty died while working for Ipsum Drainage Limited at Seafield Industrial Estate in Edinburgh.Police search for missing Ben Nevis climberBrian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain.'Best ski season in years' on Scotland's snowy hillsSome of Scotland's mountain resorts say it has been the best winter snowsports season in six years.From playing Glastonbury to running a cider festivalGrant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind.Drinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol stationResidents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. SportBond, bagpipes & controversial Canadians - why curling is must-watchCurling might seem a strange choice for prime-time Saturday night viewing, but at 18:05 GMT - live on the BBC - millions will find themselves tuning in to see if Team GB can add a fourth gold medal of these Winter Olympics.Tuipulotu on red alert as Scotland face wounded WelshCaptain Sione Tuipulotu is wary of a Wales side led by former Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy as the Scots look to back up their win over England.Rangers to open contract talks with Raskin - gossipRangers plan to extend the terms of influential midfielder as Ibrox defender suffers another injury setback.Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling goldAll eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics.Celtic chair urges end to 'debilitating' conflict with fansCeltic interim chairman Brian Wilson vows to "continue to seek an end to this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict" after a fan protest during Thursday's Europa League game left the Scottish champions fearing disciplinary action.More news on iPlayer and SoundsReporting ScotlandBig stories from across the countryRadio Scotland BreakfastWake up to the stories that matter from across Scotland and the world.Reporting ScotlandMore from the day’s top stories and communities across Scotland.ScotcastThe BBC’s Scottish news podcast.Latest updates10 hrs agoFrom playing Glastonbury to running a cider festivalGrant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind.10 hrs ago10 hrs agoThe twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royaltyBen and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow.10 hrs ago11 hrs agoPolice search for missing Ben Nevis climberBrian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain.11 hrs ago15 hrs agoDrinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol stationResidents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. 15 hrs ago17 hrs agoFirm fined £183,000 over death of worker in roof fallRoss Hanratty died while working for Ipsum Drainage Limited at Seafield Industrial Estate in Edinburgh.17 hrs ago22 hrs agoYour pictures of Scotland: 13 - 20 FebruaryA selection of photographs submitted to BBC Scotland News from around the country this week.22 hrs ago1 day agoScotland's papers: Andrew's arrest over misconduct claims A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland.1 day ago1 day agoDog walkers discovered 2,000-year-old beach footprintsThe imprints were uncovered by storms at Lunan Bay - and later wiped away by the wind and the rain.1 day ago1 day agoVan der Merwe returns from Scotland wilderness with a point to prove Duhan van der Merwe's try-scoring X-factor makes him perfectly suited to return to the Scotland XV against Wales on Saturday, writes Tom English.1 day ago... NewsNews Scotland Are MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland? How a very political court case sparked a huge row - and questions about the separation of powers. Police search for missing Ben Nevis climber Brian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain. From playing Glastonbury to running a cider festival Grant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind. The twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty Ben and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow. Drinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol station Residents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. I ran marathons on seven continents in a week in memory of my brother Bobby White ran seven 26.2 mile races across the world to raise money for Glasgow Hospital Children's Charity. Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling gold All eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics. Your pictures of Scotland A selection of photographs submitted to BBC Scotland News from around the country this week. Skier dies in hospital after falling from mountain in Nevis Range The man, believed to be in his 60s, was critically injured following a fall on Aonach Mor in the Highlands. McTominay overhead kick captured in Glasgow street mural The artwork of the goal that helped secure Scotland's World Cup place appears on a tenement near Hampden Park Reopening of Glasgow's People's Palace delayed indefinitely The People's Palace on Glasgow Green shut in April 2024 for refurbishment work costing just under £36m. Closing speeches heard in Aberfeldy murder trial David Campbell is accused of shooting dead Brian Low near Aberfeldy in February 2024 Features and analysis The hotel ice rink fuelling Winter Olympic gold medal dreams Three members of Team Mouat are from Stranraer - home to an ice rink built in a hotel. Politics Show: Corruption row at Holyrood Lynsey Bews, Phil Sim and Hannah Rodger on the week's political news. 'People don't recognise me since I lost weight' - Gregor Fisher The actor best known for playing Rab C Nesbitt was recently diagnosed with diabetes and told to make some lifestyle changes. Dog walkers discovered 2,000-year-old beach footprints The imprints were uncovered by storms at Lunan Bay - and later wiped away by the wind and the rain. I invested £12,000 in Brewdog - I think I've lost it all More than 200,000 people bought Equity for Punks shares in the craft brewer but many now believe they are worthless. News from around Scotland Firm fined £183,000 over death of worker in roof fall Ross Hanratty died while working for Ipsum Drainage Limited at Seafield Industrial Estate in Edinburgh. Police search for missing Ben Nevis climber Brian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain. 'Best ski season in years' on Scotland's snowy hills Some of Scotland's mountain resorts say it has been the best winter snowsports season in six years. From playing Glastonbury to running a cider festival Grant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind. Drinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol station Residents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. Sport Bond, bagpipes & controversial Canadians - why curling is must-watch Curling might seem a strange choice for prime-time Saturday night viewing, but at 18:05 GMT - live on the BBC - millions will find themselves tuning in to see if Team GB can add a fourth gold medal of these Winter Olympics. Tuipulotu on red alert as Scotland face wounded Welsh Captain Sione Tuipulotu is wary of a Wales side led by former Scotland defence coach Steve Tandy as the Scots look to back up their win over England. Rangers to open contract talks with Raskin - gossip Rangers plan to extend the terms of influential midfielder as Ibrox defender suffers another injury setback. Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling gold All eyes will be on Team GB's Bruce Mouat, Grant Hardie, Hammy McMillan and Bobby Lammie on Saturday (18:05 GMT) when they take on Canada with a gold medal at stake at the Winter Olympics. Celtic chair urges end to 'debilitating' conflict with fans Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson vows to "continue to seek an end to this debilitating and unnecessary atmosphere of conflict" after a fan protest during Thursday's Europa League game left the Scottish champions fearing disciplinary action. More news on iPlayer and Sounds Reporting Scotland Big stories from across the country Radio Scotland Breakfast Wake up to the stories that matter from across Scotland and the world. Reporting Scotland More from the day’s top stories and communities across Scotland. Scotcast The BBC’s Scottish news podcast. Latest updates From playing Glastonbury to running a cider festival Grant Hutchison - who formed Frightened Rabbit with brother Scott - has left the world of music behind. The twin brothers making movies and rubbing shoulders with Hollywood royalty Ben and Nathan McQuaid shot their first feature film, Welcome to G-Town, on the streets of Glasgow. Police search for missing Ben Nevis climber Brian McGillicuddy was last seen in Fort William on Thursday before a planned hike up the mountain. Drinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol station Residents in the village of Killin reported a solvent smell and taste to their water on Friday. Firm fined £183,000 over death of worker in roof fall Ross Hanratty died while working for Ipsum Drainage Limited at Seafield Industrial Estate in Edinburgh. Your pictures of Scotland: 13 - 20 February A selection of photographs submitted to BBC Scotland News from around the country this week. Scotland's papers: Andrew's arrest over misconduct claims A review of the front page stories from the daily newspapers in Scotland. Dog walkers discovered 2,000-year-old beach footprints The imprints were uncovered by storms at Lunan Bay - and later wiped away by the wind and the rain. Van der Merwe returns from Scotland wilderness with a point to prove Duhan van der Merwe's try-scoring X-factor makes him perfectly suited to return to the Scotland XV against Wales on Saturday, writes Tom English. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/home] | [TOKENS: 1630] |
BBC Homepage Trump brings in new 10% tariff as Supreme Court rejects his global import taxes The Supreme Court decision striking down some of Trump's most sweeping tariffs injects new uncertainty into global trade. Government considers removing Andrew from royal line of succession Andrew and King Charles: A personal battle of royal brothers Killing of nationalist student leaves French far left in deep trouble as elections loom Why fake AI videos of UK urban decline are taking over social media Winter Olympics: GB make promising start in four-man bobsleigh - watch & follow The best looks at London Fashion Week 2026 Andrew arrest Met asks Andrew's protection officers what they saw or heard in Epstein inquiry What happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? Video, 00:01:00What happens next for Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor? A tip-off and 'more luck than judgement': The story behind Andrew car snap How Andrew's 11-hour detention on his birthday played out Sport headlines Keep up with the latest from BBC Sport GB go for men's curling gold and Atkin in halfpipe final - Saturday's guide Winter Olympics: GB make promising start in four-man bobsleigh - watch & follow Bond, bagpipes & controversial Canadians - why curling is must-watch 'Wonderfully different' Pollock ready to fire up England Winter Olympics 2026: Where are Team GB in the medal table? Around the UK The top stories from England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland Mobile home park residents fear radiation from below Are MSPs undermining the rule of law in Scotland? Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo Online pharmacies rapped for selling weight-loss jabs without full checks Find your regional news Entertainment and TV Latest news and must-see moments Sam Fender and Olivia Dean finally reach number one after 35 weeks Rein Me In sets a new UK chart record for the longest time to reach number one. Woody and Buzz reunite in trailer for Toy Story 5 How Eric Dane gave his final months to 'moving the needle' on ALS 'People don't recognise me since I lost weight' - Gregor Fisher First look at new BBC drama set in 1980s East Berlin 'Funny, gentle and weird': Must Watch critics review Small Prophets Australian presenter apologises for drinking before slurred Olympics report Food and recipes Meal ideas, cooking tips and more, updated daily to keep you inspired Fun and simple baking recipes that are perfect for little chefs Get in the kitchen with your kids and make these family-friendly sweet treats. Hosting made effortless with these tasty sharing plates The best foods for hair growth and stronger, healthier hair Bacon off the menu for Peppa Pig family show The new tech that can tell if we cheat on our diet. Audio, 00:02:24The new tech that can tell if we cheat on our diet Money 'Fair is not always even': How to manage your finances as a blended family How you can save on your weekly food shop. Video, 00:04:50How you can save on your weekly food shop 'The rain's been great for my pub - takings are up 20%' Fresh warning from police puts counterfeit £20 notes back in the spotlight Why do we love online unboxing videos? Health and wellbeing Don't have the time or inclination for the gym? Keeping fit might be easier than you think Make a big difference to your health without signing up for a marathon or joining a class. 'I started smoking at 12 and quit 66 years later' Prince William opens up in a frank conversation on mental health 'I thought being deaf meant I couldn't be on a dating show - now I'm starring in one' Are some chopping boards more hygienic than others? Video, 00:07:39Are some chopping boards more hygienic than others? Uplifting stories Six unusual bridges from around the world Larry marks 15 years as No 10's chief mouser 'What have we just witnessed?!' - Is this the greatest big air final of all time? Video, 00:05:01'What have we just witnessed?!' - Is this the greatest big air final of all time? Trampolining champion still winning medals at 91 'Sir, I've named an ancient crocodile after you' Audio, 00:03:52'Sir, I've named an ancient crocodile after you' Insight and analysis A closer look at the week's stories Four men, one aim - to end 102-year wait for Winter Olympic curling gold How a fatal crash happened on a smart motorway 'Just push us into the sea': The frustration of an area failed by politics What is 'strewing' and how can you use it to home educate? The undercover officers who hunt in the hidden corners of the internet. Video, 84 minutesThe undercover officers who hunt in the hidden corners of the internet Science and nature Incredible South Downs night sky snaps win photography awards The shots capture astronomical wonders such as a jellyfish-shaped supernova 5,000 light-years away. Flurry of baby wild boars take on a stream in the Forest of Dean. Video, 00:00:26Flurry of baby wild boars take on a stream in the Forest of Dean 'It looks like false teeth': Unusual fossil found on Holy Island. Audio, 00:01:52'It looks like false teeth': Unusual fossil found on Holy Island Why are 5,000 oysters being scrubbed by volunteers? Seven extraordinary things science has discovered in the last decade Arts and culture Ian McKellen: L.S. Lowry was clearly a man who enjoyed life Fashion designer Charles Jeffrey: My brand is 'for weirdos by weirdos' When Robert Duvall fell in love with Scottish football Quiz: Can you match the music to the film? Labi Siffre: Everybody thinks they know themselves - you have to find yourself. Video, 25 minutesLabi Siffre: Everybody thinks they know themselves - you have to find yourself The video playlist Watch a selection of standout clips from across the BBC Discover more to watch and listen to Can these couples fall in love while stranded on an island? Video, 71 minutesCan these couples fall in love while stranded on an island? Deep in the Pacific Ocean, a string of islands is the staging ground for the wildest ever dating experience. The untold story of the woman who united Scandinavia in a time of war. Video, 113 minutesThe untold story of the woman who united Scandinavia in a time of war How noise affects the everyday life of a neurodivergent mind. Audio, 23 minutesHow noise affects the everyday life of a neurodivergent mind iCarly: The iconic 2000s sitcom about a quirky gang of friends and a hit web show. Video, 22 minutesiCarly: The iconic 2000s sitcom about a quirky gang of friends and a hit web show Is an ancient charioteer the best-paid sportsperson of all time? Audio, 9 minutesIs an ancient charioteer the best-paid sportsperson of all time? New and trending on the BBC Add to your watchlist on iPlayer and subscribe on Sounds The 1994 figure skating scandal that shocked the world Graham Norton and Maria McErlane share their 'so-so' advice The heartwarming, chaotic comedy has returned Has FIFA dropped the ball with ticket pricing? Quizzes and games Weekly quiz: Where was the collapsed 'Loversâ Arch' located? Which classic stories were these modern films inspired by? About 9% of quizzers got full marks last week - try this week's sport quiz You have 60 seconds... can you complete the word search in time? Keep your brain active with these Sudoku puzzles BBC around the UK Scotland ALBA Wales Cymru NI Get support About the BBC Copyright © 2026 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://www.fast.ai/about.html] | [TOKENS: 815] |
On this page About About fast.ai Deep learning is transforming the world. We are making deep learning easier to use and getting more people from all backgrounds involved through our: About our slogan The world needs everyone involved with AI, no matter how unlikely your background. Being cool is about being exclusive, and that’s the opposite of what we want. We want to make deep learning as accessible as possible– including to people using uncool languages like C#, uncool operating systems like Windows (which is used by the majority of the world), uncool datasets (way smaller than anything at Google, and in domain areas you’d consider obscure), and with uncool backgrounds (maybe you didn’t go to Stanford). fast.ai in the news About the team Jeremy Howard is a data scientist, researcher, developer, educator, and entrepreneur. He created ULMFiT, the AI system at the heart of all of today’s major language models, including ChatGPT and Google Gemini. Jeremy is the founding CEO of Answer.AI, a new kind of AI R&D lab which creates practical end-user products based on foundational research breakthroughs. He is also the co-founder of fast.ai, a research institute dedicated to making deep learning more accessible, an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland, and a Digital Fellow at Stanford University. Previously, Jeremy was a Distinguished Research Scientist at the University of San Francisco, where he was the founding chair of the Wicklow Artificial Intelligence in Medical Research Initiative. Jeremy is a co-founder of the global Masks4All movement, including leading the largest evidence review of masks, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, and becoming the most read paper of all time on preprints.org. He wrote the first article to push for public mask use in the English-speaking work, in the Washington Post, along with articles in The Guardian, The Atlantic, The Conversation, and the Sydney Morning Herald, and he appeared on most of the major national US TV channels, including Good Morning America and Nightline. He co-authored the book Deep Learning for Coders with Fastai and PyTorch, which has 5 stars on Amazon. Google’s Director of Research, Peter Norvig, said “This is one of the best sources for a programmer to become proficient in deep learning.” The book is based on Jeremy’s free online course, which is the world’s longest-running course on AI and deep learning. He also created the fastai software library, one of the world’s most popular deep learning frameworks. Jeremy was the founding CEO of Enlitic, which was the first company to apply deep learning to medicine, and was selected as one of the world’s top 50 smartest companies by MIT Tech Review two years running. He was the President and Chief Scientist of the data science platform Kaggle, where he was the top ranked participant in international machine learning competitions 2 years running. He was the founding CEO of two successful Australian startups (FastMail, and Optimal Decisions Group–purchased by Lexis-Nexis). Before that, he spent 8 years in management consulting, at McKinsey & Co, and AT Kearney. Jeremy has invested in, mentored, and advised many startups, and contributed to many open source projects. His talk on TED.com, “The wonderful and terrifying implications of computers that can learn”, has over 2.5 million views. Dr Rachel Thomas is a professor of practice at Queensland University of Technology and co-founder of fast.ai, which has been featured in The Economist, MIT Tech Review, and Forbes. She was the founding director of the USF Center for Applied Data Ethics, and was selected by Forbes as one of 20 Incredible Women in AI. Dr Thomas earned her math PhD at Duke, and was an early engineer at Uber. Her writing has been read by over a million people; has been translated into Chinese, Spanish, Korean, & Portuguese; and has made the front page of Hacker News 9x. Some of her most popular articles include: Rachel’s talks include: |
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[SOURCE: https://www.fast.ai/posts/2026-02-17-education/index.html] | [TOKENS: 1757] |
I Don’t Want a Learning Dashboard for My Child Rachel Thomas February 17, 2026 On this page Often debates about education are framed as non-tech versus AI approaches, but too often, AI ed tech just magnifies the same failures of traditional school. Against quantification As part of a select group of parents whose children homeschool in part with online resources, we met with an EdTech entrepreneur. Our children were already spending time daily on math apps, reading apps, and zoom calls. “I want a dashboard to track what my child is learning, their proficiencies in different areas,” one of the parents brainstormed. “I actively do not want that,” my husband Jeremy countered. Despite embracing the use of screens, we did not want to quantify our child. Our goals for her are more holistic. Outsiders may have expected that we would care more about quantification. Jeremy and I have both built our careers in data and machine learning. We use AI regularly. Yet I know, both personally and through my research, the harms of overemphasizing metrics. Not everything that matters can or should be quantified. We are more interested in whether she can get wholly absorbed in activities she enjoys. She spends hours lying on the carpet of our living room, unable to put down an exciting novel. She can’t turn away from her coding project when she is in the middle of debugging. She focuses intensely when working on digital art, paper crafts, and pottery. We have interesting discussions about science and history together as a family, and she has deep relationships with a diverse set of friends and tutors. Decomposing everything into granular skills For the most popular language arts curriculums in the United States, 3rd-6th graders go the entire year without reading a whole novel. That is because reading is no longer about a suspenseful story, a set of fascinating characters, or an alternate world you become immersed in, losing track of time. Rather, reading has been reduced to a discrete set of tasks: decoding words, summarizing, making inferences, identifying main ideas. These skills can be tested in isolation from short passages, divorced from the context of reading actual books. These short passages can be compiled in “basel readers” which are more profitable for textbook companies. Fewer children are reading independently in their free time than ever before. From 2012 to 2022, the percentage of 9 year olds who read for fun almost daily declined from 53% to 39%. The percentage of 13 year olds reading for fun almost daily dropped from 27% to 14% over the course of a decade. Atomized reading “skills” are taught without sparking a love of reading. The part is less than the whole. Sadly, this has long been how math is taught. A collection of facts to memorize, strategies to drill, no coherent picture of building towards anything more beautiful and meaningful. The birthplace of high stakes standardized tests I grew up in the birthplace of high-stakes testing: Texas under Governor George W. Bush. Texas state policies of the 1990s went on to be the blueprint for the disastrous nation-wide No Child Left Behind Act of the 2000s. I saw a precursor to the rise of standardized tests firsthand. As one reporter wrote, “no state has been more important than Texas in the growth of standardized testing.” My younger brother (a student at the same public middle school I had attended) had his art, music, and gym classes cancelled so students could spend more time drilling tedious multiple choice worksheets. Teacher friends of my mom complained that creativity and autonomy was being sucked from the curriculum. They had to abandon their most innovative and open-ended assignments for extra time practicing test questions. W. Bush touted his education policy as the “Texas Miracle” during his 2000 presidential campaign. I was (narrowly) not old enough to vote, yet I could see clearly that the policy had been disastrous for Texas schools. The Texas Miracle was later debunked in a 60 Minutes investigation. Changes were slower to be rolled out at the public high school I attended, and watching my brother’s experience, I felt lucky to graduate before they were fully implemented. I was horrified when this approach was implemented for the whole USA with No Child Left Behind. It was already obvious from talking to Texan teachers and students that this was a terrible idea. And this approach to education spread across the west, including to the UK and Australia. The Tyranny of Metrics Australian teacher Gabbie Stroud wrote (in a 2016 essay which went viral and landed her a book deal), “I’m rarely required to ‘teach’ anymore. Apparently I’m more valuable as an assessor, an examiner, a data collector. I have had to dull my once-engaging lesson sequences. Now I must begin by planning the assessment, consider how students will show what they’ve learnt and pre-determine what they are going to learn. Nothing can be left to chance. It is mechanical and rigid and driven.” Things have not improved. In 2025, an experienced teacher in Colorado wrote about his sadness at being forced to drop Socratic Seminars, book reports, and creative writing from his teaching in order to follow a required Same Way Same Day curriculum. He laments, “Not only do I despise forcing poorly written, artificial texts onto my students, but I really hate feeling like my personal pedagogy is being dampened because of the pressure to quickly get my students to perform a meaningless and standardized task. Same Way Same Day doesn’t feel like teaching. It feels more like one-dimensional, schooling banality.” When the measure becomes the target, it ceases to be a good measure. This is Goodhart’s Law. While it exists in analog systems, such as this over-focus on standardized test scores, AI often amps it up even further. As I wrote in a previous blog post and academic paper, AI is often too effective at optimizing metrics, leading to a range of unfortunate consequences. Teachers reported that the focus on assessments took away from actual teaching and relationship building, leading them to become burnt out or quit. Curriculums grew increasingly narrow. Student well-being and academic performance declined. Administrators cheated to artificially raise their schools’ test scores, creating a series of scandals. Teachers who didn’t cheat were even fired when their student’s scores looked less impressive in comparison. Lack of meaningful Relationships When we over-prioritize metrics, that which can’t be measured gets neglected, including relationships. The quality of the connection between a child and their teacher can’t be quantified. “Students in the United States across all grade levels are really hungry for meaningful adult relationships. I think a lot of them love their teachers but can’t get the level of attention they want from them. This is not the teacher’s fault; this is the system that we created,” says the author of a book describing tutoring as the future of education. With frequent exposure to illness (made worse when school systems pressure kids to attend school sick) in poorly ventilated classrooms, teachers have high rates of illness. This can lead to endless cycles of substitute teachers, further eroding chances for close relationships. Many AI products are pitched as substitutes for humans. But that has never been our approach with fast.ai. Since the start we’ve kept humans at the center of the technology we build and of how we approach education. Our students and alumni love the community of the online forums and discord server and of in-person meetups they’ve created around working through the courses together. Moving Forward Too many people romanticize the past and the experience of analog school. Getting kids off screens isn’t necessarily going to improve their lives– particularly if they are only reading dull passages in basel textbook readers, if they are endlessly drilled on detached tasks, or if their teachers are constrained against including creative, open-ended activities. At the same time, many AI education approaches are exacerbating the problems created by the tyranny of metrics: doubling down on trying to quantify everything, working only with discrete decomposable units, or discounting the value of human relationships. My experiences helping build the fast.ai community and homeschooling my daughter have shown me that technology, education, and human connection can be combined in powerful ways. In the most recent How to Solve It with Code fast.ai course, students particularly enjoyed ShareIt, the channel where they shared and commented on each other’s creations. There was no set theme, and the projects they shared varied greatly in purpose and style. Learning, building with creativity, and then sharing what you’ve learnt and built with others are essential parts of being human. Related Reading |
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[SOURCE: https://www.bbc.com/news/wales] | [TOKENS: 3010] |
NewsNewsWalesWales PoliticsRugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog pooAdam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm.2 hrs agoWalesLife sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mumKamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house.16 hrs agoWalesMy hometown kept me grounded amid early career rejection, says actorThe Welsh actor, from Pontypridd, has built a career across film and television.15 hrs agoWalesMy 24-hour Winter Olympics trip cost me £135 - the same as going to a football matchJohn McAllister managed to avoid forking out for a hotel during his bargain 24-hour trip to Milan.19 hrs agoWalesGavin Henson on autism, shaving his legs and struggles with rugby fameHenson was a star on and off the field, but says he struggled with the media spotlight on him.2 hrs agoWalesHow Scottish road trip with sauerkraut in the boot led to fermentation love affairFrom goat's milk kefir to fermented vegetables made from leftovers, Welsh producers are finding their market. 19 mins agoWalesJealous husband jailed for life after killing wife in a car parkThisara Weragalage stabbed his wife Nirodha to death in a car park after they separated.18 hrs agoWalesWe traded our London terraced home for an 80-acre nature reserve in WalesAdam and Lou Bourns moved from busy metropolitan London to an 80-acre nature reserve in west Wales.Tandy's day of destiny as Wales search for elusive winWith Wales reeling from heavy defeats against England and France, BBC Sport analyses the areas they must improve on to try and beat Scotland.Dad murdered in racist attack and drivers stuck for six hoursA review of the front page stories from the daily and weekly newspapers in Wales.Don't make us security guards, says teacher stabbed by pupilThe ex-Ysgol Dyffryn Aman teacher says staff are not security guards and giving them handheld scanners would not help.Man in court after woman's body found in freezerA man appears in court after a woman in her 80s is found dead in Porthcawl.Features & analysisFrom 12-hour hospital night shifts to New York Fashion WeekGeorgia Sullivan, 24, spent three "incredible" days painting models at New York Fashion Week.The cafe serving Welsh rarebit and bara brith to LondonersA cafe inspired by a Welsh cookbook from the 1950s has opened in south London.Army failed him, says mum of soldier found dead days after taking part in Queen's funeralJack Burnell-Williams, from the Household Cavalry, was found dead at Hyde Park Barracks in London in September 2022.You're never too old, says dancer, 71, cast in Taylor Swift videoDenise Sides was selected from hundreds of applicants to take part in the Opalite video.Check your payslip, warns nurse who overpaid nearly £3k in taxGemma Belby says she only found she was paying "double tax" after chatting with her colleagues.SportTandy's day of destiny as Wales search for elusive winWith Wales reeling from heavy defeats against England and France, BBC Sport analyses the areas they must improve on to try and beat Scotland.Four-try Wales U20s beat Scotland in CardiffWales enjoy first success of the 2026 U20 Six Nations with a bonus-point win against Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park.Wales' Rees-Zammit inspired by Man Utd turnaroundLouis Rees-Zammit hopes Wales can enjoy a Six Nations turnaround similar to his beloved Manchester United's Premier League revival.Tandy aims to solve Finn Russell problemKeeping Finn Russell quiet is a question that occupies defence coaches across the world when they face Scotland.Glamorgan interested in Australian seamer ElliottGlamorgan are interested in signing Australian seam bowler Sam Elliott, son of the Welsh county's former batter Matthew Elliott.Stories from Cymru FywEnseffalitis: 'Angen gw'bod mwy wedi i Dad farw o'r cyflwr'Ar Ddiwrnod Enseffalitis y Byd chwaraewr rygbi rhyngwladol yn galw am godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r cyflwr wedi i'w dad farw yn 2014. Galw am wahardd cŵn o gaeau chwarae ar ôl i chwaraewr fynd i'r ysbytyBu'n rhaid i chwaraewr rygbi amatur fynd i'r ysbyty gyda haint ar ôl cwympo mewn baw ci yn ystod gêm.Gwobrau'r Selar 'angen bod yn uchelgeisiol' i ddenu pobl ifancWrth i Wobrau'r Selar ddychwelyd i Undeb Myfyrwyr Aberystwyth am y tro cyntaf ers 2020 mae un o'r trefnwyr yn dweud bod rhaid i wyliau fentro os am gyffroi cynulleidfaoedd ifanc.Cwis: Hanes Mawr CymruFaint wyt ti'n ei wybod am hanes Cymru? Dysgu Cymraeg / Learning WelshCynnwys ar gyfer pobl sy'n dysgu Cymraeg / Content for people who are learning WelshLatest updates19 mins agoHow Scottish road trip with sauerkraut in the boot led to fermentation love affairFrom goat's milk kefir to fermented vegetables made from leftovers, Welsh producers are finding their market. 19 mins ago2 hrs agoGavin Henson on autism, shaving his legs and struggles with rugby fameHenson was a star on and off the field, but says he struggled with the media spotlight on him.2 hrs ago2 hrs agoRugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog pooAdam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm.2 hrs ago11 hrs agoDad murdered in racist attack and drivers stuck for six hoursA review of the front page stories from the daily and weekly newspapers in Wales.11 hrs ago15 hrs agoMy hometown kept me grounded amid early career rejection, says actorThe Welsh actor, from Pontypridd, has built a career across film and television.15 hrs ago16 hrs agoLife sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mumKamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house.16 hrs ago16 hrs agoDefence minister refuses to give timescale on troubled Ajax armoured vehiclesThe multi-million pound Ajax vehicles, made in Merthyr Tydfil, have been beset by problems. 16 hrs ago18 hrs agoJealous husband jailed for life after killing wife in a car parkThisara Weragalage stabbed his wife Nirodha to death in a car park after they separated.18 hrs ago19 hrs ago'You're not going to believe this'It is 40 years since Paul Thorburn stunned world rugby and wrote his name in the record books with his 'kick of the age'.19 hrs ago... NewsNews Wales Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo Adam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm. Life sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mum Kamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house. My hometown kept me grounded amid early career rejection, says actor The Welsh actor, from Pontypridd, has built a career across film and television. My 24-hour Winter Olympics trip cost me £135 - the same as going to a football match John McAllister managed to avoid forking out for a hotel during his bargain 24-hour trip to Milan. Gavin Henson on autism, shaving his legs and struggles with rugby fame Henson was a star on and off the field, but says he struggled with the media spotlight on him. How Scottish road trip with sauerkraut in the boot led to fermentation love affair From goat's milk kefir to fermented vegetables made from leftovers, Welsh producers are finding their market. Jealous husband jailed for life after killing wife in a car park Thisara Weragalage stabbed his wife Nirodha to death in a car park after they separated. We traded our London terraced home for an 80-acre nature reserve in Wales Adam and Lou Bourns moved from busy metropolitan London to an 80-acre nature reserve in west Wales. Tandy's day of destiny as Wales search for elusive win With Wales reeling from heavy defeats against England and France, BBC Sport analyses the areas they must improve on to try and beat Scotland. Dad murdered in racist attack and drivers stuck for six hours A review of the front page stories from the daily and weekly newspapers in Wales. Don't make us security guards, says teacher stabbed by pupil The ex-Ysgol Dyffryn Aman teacher says staff are not security guards and giving them handheld scanners would not help. Man in court after woman's body found in freezer A man appears in court after a woman in her 80s is found dead in Porthcawl. Features & analysis From 12-hour hospital night shifts to New York Fashion Week Georgia Sullivan, 24, spent three "incredible" days painting models at New York Fashion Week. The cafe serving Welsh rarebit and bara brith to Londoners A cafe inspired by a Welsh cookbook from the 1950s has opened in south London. Army failed him, says mum of soldier found dead days after taking part in Queen's funeral Jack Burnell-Williams, from the Household Cavalry, was found dead at Hyde Park Barracks in London in September 2022. You're never too old, says dancer, 71, cast in Taylor Swift video Denise Sides was selected from hundreds of applicants to take part in the Opalite video. Check your payslip, warns nurse who overpaid nearly £3k in tax Gemma Belby says she only found she was paying "double tax" after chatting with her colleagues. Sport Tandy's day of destiny as Wales search for elusive win With Wales reeling from heavy defeats against England and France, BBC Sport analyses the areas they must improve on to try and beat Scotland. Four-try Wales U20s beat Scotland in Cardiff Wales enjoy first success of the 2026 U20 Six Nations with a bonus-point win against Scotland at Cardiff Arms Park. Wales' Rees-Zammit inspired by Man Utd turnaround Louis Rees-Zammit hopes Wales can enjoy a Six Nations turnaround similar to his beloved Manchester United's Premier League revival. Tandy aims to solve Finn Russell problem Keeping Finn Russell quiet is a question that occupies defence coaches across the world when they face Scotland. Glamorgan interested in Australian seamer Elliott Glamorgan are interested in signing Australian seam bowler Sam Elliott, son of the Welsh county's former batter Matthew Elliott. Stories from Cymru Fyw Enseffalitis: 'Angen gw'bod mwy wedi i Dad farw o'r cyflwr' Ar Ddiwrnod Enseffalitis y Byd chwaraewr rygbi rhyngwladol yn galw am godi ymwybyddiaeth o'r cyflwr wedi i'w dad farw yn 2014. Galw am wahardd cŵn o gaeau chwarae ar ôl i chwaraewr fynd i'r ysbyty Bu'n rhaid i chwaraewr rygbi amatur fynd i'r ysbyty gyda haint ar ôl cwympo mewn baw ci yn ystod gêm. Gwobrau'r Selar 'angen bod yn uchelgeisiol' i ddenu pobl ifanc Wrth i Wobrau'r Selar ddychwelyd i Undeb Myfyrwyr Aberystwyth am y tro cyntaf ers 2020 mae un o'r trefnwyr yn dweud bod rhaid i wyliau fentro os am gyffroi cynulleidfaoedd ifanc. Cwis: Hanes Mawr Cymru Faint wyt ti'n ei wybod am hanes Cymru? Dysgu Cymraeg / Learning Welsh Cynnwys ar gyfer pobl sy'n dysgu Cymraeg / Content for people who are learning Welsh Latest updates How Scottish road trip with sauerkraut in the boot led to fermentation love affair From goat's milk kefir to fermented vegetables made from leftovers, Welsh producers are finding their market. Gavin Henson on autism, shaving his legs and struggles with rugby fame Henson was a star on and off the field, but says he struggled with the media spotlight on him. Rugby player ends up in hospital after falling in dog poo Adam Lang says he did not realise a cut had become infected until he felt an "unbearable" pain in his arm. Dad murdered in racist attack and drivers stuck for six hours A review of the front page stories from the daily and weekly newspapers in Wales. My hometown kept me grounded amid early career rejection, says actor The Welsh actor, from Pontypridd, has built a career across film and television. Life sentences for teens after racist murder of stranger delivering food to his mum Kamran Aman was subjected to further racist abuse as he lay dying on the floor of a neighbour's house. Defence minister refuses to give timescale on troubled Ajax armoured vehicles The multi-million pound Ajax vehicles, made in Merthyr Tydfil, have been beset by problems. Jealous husband jailed for life after killing wife in a car park Thisara Weragalage stabbed his wife Nirodha to death in a car park after they separated. 'You're not going to believe this' It is 40 years since Paul Thorburn stunned world rugby and wrote his name in the record books with his 'kick of the age'. Copyright 2026 BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. |
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[SOURCE: https://arstechnica.com/health/] | [TOKENS: 2959] |
Health MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Beth Mole – 2/20/2026 | 124 MAHA moms threaten to turn this car around as RFK Jr. flips on pesticide MAHA members call movement a “sham” after Kennedy supports glyphosate order. Controversial NIH director now in charge of CDC, too, in RFK Jr. shake-up The unusual dual role has renewed criticism of Bhattacharya’s lack of leadership. Beth Mole – 2/20/2026 | 51 Controversial NIH director now in charge of CDC, too, in RFK Jr. shake-up The unusual dual role has renewed criticism of Bhattacharya’s lack of leadership. FDA reverses surprise rejection of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine Trump admin’s vaccine chief overruled FDA scientists to initially reject the shot. Beth Mole – 2/18/2026 | 127 FDA reverses surprise rejection of Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine Trump admin’s vaccine chief overruled FDA scientists to initially reject the shot. Hallucinogen DMT an effective antidepressant in small clinical trial Effectiveness appears to correlate with self-described mystical experience. John Timmer – 2/18/2026 | 72 Hallucinogen DMT an effective antidepressant in small clinical trial Effectiveness appears to correlate with self-described mystical experience. 99% of adults over 40 have shoulder “abnormalities” on an MRI, study finds Some adults over 40 have shoulder pain, but nearly all have “abnormal” joints. Beth Mole – 2/17/2026 | 131 99% of adults over 40 have shoulder “abnormalities” on an MRI, study finds Some adults over 40 have shoulder pain, but nearly all have “abnormal” joints. WHO slams US-funded newborn vaccine trial as “unethical” CDC awarded $1.6 million for study birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau. Beth Mole – 2/13/2026 | 224 WHO slams US-funded newborn vaccine trial as “unethical” CDC awarded $1.6 million for study birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau. Trump official overruled FDA scientists to reject Moderna’s flu shot FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, is known for overruling scientists. Beth Mole – 2/12/2026 | 138 Trump official overruled FDA scientists to reject Moderna’s flu shot FDA’s top vaccine regulator, Vinay Prasad, is known for overruling scientists. RFK Jr. food pyramid site links to Grok, which says you shouldn’t trust RFK Jr. Grok generated a meal plan to fit RFK Jr.’s food pyramid, then explained why it’s bad. Beth Mole – 2/12/2026 | 138 RFK Jr. food pyramid site links to Grok, which says you shouldn’t trust RFK Jr. Grok generated a meal plan to fit RFK Jr.’s food pyramid, then explained why it’s bad. FDA refuses to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine The move comes amid RFK Jr.’s relentless efforts to enact his anti-vaccine agenda. Beth Mole – 2/10/2026 | 302 FDA refuses to review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine The move comes amid RFK Jr.’s relentless efforts to enact his anti-vaccine agenda. Dewormer ivermectin as cancer cure? RFK Jr.’s NIH funds “absurd” study. There’s no reason to think ivermectin cures cancer, but RFK Jr’s NIH is on it anyway. Beth Mole – 2/10/2026 | 218 Dewormer ivermectin as cancer cure? RFK Jr.’s NIH funds “absurd” study. There’s no reason to think ivermectin cures cancer, but RFK Jr’s NIH is on it anyway. Penisgate erupts at Olympics; scandal exposes risks of bulking your bulge Claims of penis injections in ski jumpers has fillers spewing into the news. Beth Mole – 2/6/2026 | 214 Penisgate erupts at Olympics; scandal exposes risks of bulking your bulge Claims of penis injections in ski jumpers has fillers spewing into the news. Bad sleep made woman’s eyelids so floppy they flipped inside out, got stuck Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. Beth Mole – 2/5/2026 | 57 Bad sleep made woman’s eyelids so floppy they flipped inside out, got stuck Never underestimate the value of a good night’s sleep. Trump admin is “destroying medical research,” Senate report finds In a Senate hearing Tuesday, NIH director dismissed concern about research chaos. Beth Mole – 2/4/2026 | 73 Trump admin is “destroying medical research,” Senate report finds In a Senate hearing Tuesday, NIH director dismissed concern about research chaos. Newborn dies after mother drinks raw milk during pregnancy Raw milk is promoted by anti-vaccine Health Secretary Kennedy. Beth Mole – 2/3/2026 | 277 Newborn dies after mother drinks raw milk during pregnancy Raw milk is promoted by anti-vaccine Health Secretary Kennedy. Guinea worm on track to be 2nd eradicated human disease; only 10 cases in 2025 When the eradication program began in 1986, there were a 3.5 million cases. Beth Mole – 2/2/2026 | 93 Guinea worm on track to be 2nd eradicated human disease; only 10 cases in 2025 When the eradication program began in 1986, there were a 3.5 million cases. A cup of coffee for depression treatment has better results than microdosing The effect of microdosing have been overstated, at least when it comes to depression. WIRED – 1/31/2026 | 162 A cup of coffee for depression treatment has better results than microdosing The effect of microdosing have been overstated, at least when it comes to depression. TrumpRx delayed as senators question if it’s a giant scam with Big Pharma The website is delayed as senators seek answers from health department watchdog. Beth Mole – 1/30/2026 | 114 TrumpRx delayed as senators question if it’s a giant scam with Big Pharma The website is delayed as senators seek answers from health department watchdog. Having that high-deductible health plan might kill you, literally With ACA tax credits gone, more people are turning to high-deductible plans. Beth Mole – 1/29/2026 | 280 Having that high-deductible health plan might kill you, literally With ACA tax credits gone, more people are turning to high-deductible plans. She’ll mess with Texas: Nurse keeps mailing abortion pills, despite Paxton lawsuit Texas sues Delaware nurse practitioner shipping out hundreds of abortion pills each month. Ashley Belanger – 1/29/2026 | 210 She’ll mess with Texas: Nurse keeps mailing abortion pills, despite Paxton lawsuit Texas sues Delaware nurse practitioner shipping out hundreds of abortion pills each month. Custom machine kept man alive without lungs for 48 hours Infections had turned his lungs to soup and had to be cleared before transplant. Jacek Krywko – 1/29/2026 | 68 Custom machine kept man alive without lungs for 48 hours Infections had turned his lungs to soup and had to be cleared before transplant. South Carolina tops Texas measles outbreak record—with no end in sight Since start of the year, South Carolina’s outbreak has accelerated dramatically. Beth Mole – 1/28/2026 | 132 South Carolina tops Texas measles outbreak record—with no end in sight Since start of the year, South Carolina’s outbreak has accelerated dramatically. Dozens of CDC vaccination databases have been frozen under RFK Jr. Anti-vaccine Kennedy may be “enacting a self-fulfilling prophecy,” expert says. Beth Mole – 1/27/2026 | 108 Dozens of CDC vaccination databases have been frozen under RFK Jr. Anti-vaccine Kennedy may be “enacting a self-fulfilling prophecy,” expert says. A weird, itchy rash is linked to the keto diet—but no one knows why While the rash has a clear link to ketones, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Beth Mole – 1/24/2026 | 126 A weird, itchy rash is linked to the keto diet—but no one knows why While the rash has a clear link to ketones, the underlying mechanism remains elusive. US officially out of WHO, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars unpaid US did not pay $278 million in 2024–2025 dues and millions more in promised funds. Beth Mole – 1/22/2026 | 325 US officially out of WHO, leaving hundreds of millions of dollars unpaid US did not pay $278 million in 2024–2025 dues and millions more in promised funds. mRNA cancer vaccine shows protection at 5-year follow-up, Moderna and Merck say The vaccines are tailor-made to target each patient’s unique cancer. Beth Mole – 1/21/2026 | 67 mRNA cancer vaccine shows protection at 5-year follow-up, Moderna and Merck say The vaccines are tailor-made to target each patient’s unique cancer. Flesh-eating flies are eating their way through Mexico, CDC warns Eight animal cases in Mexico’s Tamaulipas spur CDC to warn doctors of festering wounds. Beth Mole – 1/20/2026 | 90 Flesh-eating flies are eating their way through Mexico, CDC warns Eight animal cases in Mexico’s Tamaulipas spur CDC to warn doctors of festering wounds. This may be the grossest eye pic ever—but the cause is what’s truly horrifying Hypervirulent germ nearly destroys man, invading brain and blowing out an eye. Beth Mole – 1/16/2026 | 174 This may be the grossest eye pic ever—but the cause is what’s truly horrifying Hypervirulent germ nearly destroys man, invading brain and blowing out an eye. “I am very annoyed”: Pharma execs blast RFK Jr.’s attack on vaccines Pharma execs had avoided conflict with Trump admin, but now join doctors in rebukes. Beth Mole – 1/15/2026 | 178 “I am very annoyed”: Pharma execs blast RFK Jr.’s attack on vaccines Pharma execs had avoided conflict with Trump admin, but now join doctors in rebukes. SC measles outbreak has gone berserk: 124 cases since Friday, 409 quarantined On Jan. 6, there were 211 cases. The outbreak, which began in October, is now at 434. Beth Mole – 1/14/2026 | 151 SC measles outbreak has gone berserk: 124 cases since Friday, 409 quarantined On Jan. 6, there were 211 cases. The outbreak, which began in October, is now at 434. Man got $2,500 whole-body MRI that found no problems—then had massive stroke The MRI showed a problem in a brain artery that should have been flagged, man claims. Beth Mole – 1/14/2026 | 156 Man got $2,500 whole-body MRI that found no problems—then had massive stroke The MRI showed a problem in a brain artery that should have been flagged, man claims. FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier. Beth Mole – 1/13/2026 | 94 FDA deletes warning on bogus autism therapies touted by RFK Jr.‘s allies The agency used to warn of chelation, used by RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ally David Geier. Wild mushrooms keep killing people in California; 3 dead, 35 poisoned Officials have linked the poisonings to the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides). Beth Mole – 1/13/2026 | 252 Wild mushrooms keep killing people in California; 3 dead, 35 poisoned Officials have linked the poisonings to the death cap mushroom (Amanita phalloides). New research shows how shunning ultraprocessed foods helps with aging Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes. The Conversation – 1/12/2026 | 148 New research shows how shunning ultraprocessed foods helps with aging Studies have linked ultraprocessed foods to poor health outcomes. Measles continues raging in South Carolina; 99 new cases since Tuesday With so many exposures sites, officials can’t figure out where people were infected. Beth Mole – 1/9/2026 | 170 Measles continues raging in South Carolina; 99 new cases since Tuesday With so many exposures sites, officials can’t figure out where people were infected. RFK Jr.’s dietary guidance: Food funnel features slab of red meat, butter Old-school food pyramid returns, but jumbled and upside-down, like a funnel. Beth Mole – 1/8/2026 | 245 RFK Jr.’s dietary guidance: Food funnel features slab of red meat, butter Old-school food pyramid returns, but jumbled and upside-down, like a funnel. AI starts autonomously writing prescription refills in Utah The program allows patients in the state to get prescription refills for 190 common meds. Beth Mole – 1/7/2026 | 152 AI starts autonomously writing prescription refills in Utah The program allows patients in the state to get prescription refills for 190 common meds. Ars Technica has been separating the signal from the noise for over 25 years. With our unique combination of technical savvy and wide-ranging interest in the technological arts and sciences, Ars is the trusted source in a sea of information. After all, you don’t need to know everything, only what’s important. |
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