PERSPECTA

News from every angle

Results for "Birmingham"

70 stories found

Tanya Oxtoby previews Palace
CultureYahoo18d ago

Tanya Oxtoby previews Palace

The Lasses picked up all three points in midweek as they beat second-placed Birmingham City Women to cut the gap on the top two to just two points.In what has been another quick turnaround for…

Birmingham bin workers’ strike: why did it start and when will it end?
PoliticsThe Guardian28d ago

Birmingham bin workers’ strike: why did it start and when will it end?

Unite union began all-out strike more than a year ago and city remains without full waste collection service It has been more than a year since Birmingham’s bin workers began their all-out strike that has left residents without a fully functioning waste collection service – and there is still no end in sight. The strikes have attracted global media attention as pictures emerged of towering waste and overflowing bins on the streets of the UK’s second largest city. Continue reading...

Meta's AI Would Like To Keep You Posting After You're Dead
Technologyzerohedge1mo ago

Meta's AI Would Like To Keep You Posting After You're Dead

Meta's AI Would Like To Keep You Posting After You're Dead Ever since social media became a fixture of daily life, an uncomfortable question has lingered: what should happen to someone’s account after they die? Leave it frozen in time? Hand it to family members as a memorial? Or quietly let it fade into the algorithm? A few years ago, Meta Platforms explored a far more ambitious possibility, according to Futurism. In 2023, the company received a patent describing how a large language model could be trained on a user’s past posts to simulate their voice and behavior — keeping an account active if the person were “absent,” including in the event of death. The filing, led by CTO Andrew Bosworth, outlined how such a system could generate posts, comments, likes, and even private messages in the user’s style. The idea was striking, and for many, unsettling. Meta has since said it has no plans to move forward with that example. But the patent offers a snapshot of a moment when tech companies were aggressively testing the limits of what generative AI might do — including extending a person’s digital presence beyond their lifetime. The Futurism piece says that the concept isn’t entirely theoretical. A small but growing “grief tech” sector has promoted AI tools that recreate voices or personalities of the deceased using photos, recordings, and written messages. Proponents argue that such tools could offer comfort. Critics worry they could complicate the grieving process. Even within Meta’s own public comments, there has been ambivalence. CEO Mark Zuckerberg has spoken about AI companions as a way to address loneliness and, in a 2023 interview with podcaster Lex Fridman, suggested that interacting with digital representations of loved ones might help some people cope with loss. He also acknowledged the psychological risks and the need for deeper study. The business logic behind such experiments is difficult to ignore. Platforms like Facebook are filled with dormant accounts — profiles that remain but are rarely updated. More AI-generated activity could mean more engagement and more data. As University of Birmingham law professor Edina Harbinja observed, the commercial incentive is clear, even if the ethical path forward is not. Others urge caution. University of Virginia sociologist Joseph Davis has argued that part of grieving involves confronting the reality of loss, not blurring it with simulations. Meta has distanced itself from the patent’s more provocative scenario. Still, its existence underscores how far companies have been willing to push generative AI — and how complex the questions become when technology intersects with death, memory, and identity. Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 12:00

Peaky Blinders: Historical Accuracy and Cultural Impact
Culturen1-serbia10d ago

Peaky Blinders: Historical Accuracy and Cultural Impact

A Serbian article explores the historical accuracy and cultural phenomenon surrounding the British crime drama 'Peaky Blinders,' discussing what the series accurately and inaccurately portrays about early 20th-century Birmingham life.

Four-year-old clumber spaniel called Bruin wins best in show at Crufts
CultureBBCThe Guardian1mo ago2 sources

Four-year-old clumber spaniel called Bruin wins best in show at Crufts

Owner Lee Cox describes the winner as ‘dog of a lifetime’ as he claims the crown at prestigious dog contest Bruin, a clumber spaniel, has won the best in show prize at Crufts, which took place at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham. Owner Lee Cox described four-year-old Bruin as “a dog of a lifetime” as he won the competition and was met with roaring cheers from the audience. Continue reading...

Stabbing attack in Birmingham, UK
Worldmorgunbladid1mo ago

Stabbing attack in Birmingham, UK

A serious stabbing attack occurred in the Alum Rock neighborhood of Birmingham, UK, near a primary school, prompting armed police from the counter-terrorism unit to respond.

London Mayor Khan Under Fire As BBC Exposes Scale Of Grooming Gangs
Politicszerohedge1mo ago

London Mayor Khan Under Fire As BBC Exposes Scale Of Grooming Gangs

London Mayor Khan Under Fire As BBC Exposes Scale Of Grooming Gangs Authored by Thomas Brooke via Remix News, London Mayor Sadiq Khan is facing renewed criticism after a major BBC investigation found that vulnerable girls as young as 14 are being lured into forced sex by gangs operating across the capital. The investigation, based on weeks of reporting and interviews with dozens of people, including five survivors of gang-based violence, concluded that exploitation by organised groups is rife in parts of London. Some victims told the BBC they were raped by multiple men as “payment” for unpaid drug debts run up by gangs that controlled them. Others said they had been groomed solely for sex. The investigation also found that girls were often drawn into criminal activity such as drug dealing, weapons trading, and phone theft before being sexually exploited. One Metropolitan Police officer described young girls and women as the “lowest rung” within gang hierarchies, saying they were groomed and exploited “for everything.” Public debate over grooming gangs in the U.K. has often focused on northern towns such as Rotherham and Rochdale. A government-commissioned report last year found that in Greater Manchester, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire, there was evidence of “disproportionate numbers of men from Asian ethnic backgrounds amongst suspects for group-based child sexual exploitation.” Further investigations have found the same in other towns and cities, including Telford, Oxford, Derby, Birmingham, Halifax, Peterborough, and countless others. Last year, Khan said there was no “indication of […] grooming gangs” of the type seen in Rotherham operating in London. Following the BBC findings, a spokesperson for the mayor said he wanted to support police to tackle “all child sexual exploitation in the capital, including grooming gangs.” Survivors told the broadcaster how exploitation often targeted girls from broken homes or troubled backgrounds. “I didn’t feel like I was groomed or exploited. I didn’t think I was a victim. It’s taken me a while to realise I was used and manipulated,” one victim told the BBC. Another survivor, Milly, said she was 15 when she was passed between different men. “I was getting passed around different men every night – sometimes 10 or 15 a month,” she said, describing how she was plied with drink and drugs before being taken into bedrooms by different men. “I don’t remember their names really. It sounds horrible, but I just know they were Asian. Sometimes they just said, ‘Oh, you’re a nice, young White girl,'” she added. A third victim, Ruth, said: “They didn’t want anything but sex. I was low and they gave me expensive things so I felt wanted and then slept with them. It felt like I had multiple boyfriends giving me attention.” Detective Sergeant John Knox, head of the Metropolitan Police child exploitation team in Lambeth and Southwark, said girls inside gangs “cannot say no to sex.” “Within that gang world, the girls are at the lowest rung and they have to do as they’re told. And that includes sexually,” he said, adding that if a girl cannot refuse, “she’s being raped and that’s how we look at it as the police.” Knox estimates at least 60 children in his south London area are currently being exploited by gangs, some as young as 13. The BBC findings prompted sharp criticism from political opponents. BREAKING: Susan Hall lashes out at Sadiq Khan over his reluctance to launch a grooming gangs inquiry 🔴#dailyexpress #sadiqkhan #groominggangs pic.twitter.com/YryxmEIN5X January 29, 2026 Susan Hall, leader of the Conservatives in the London Assembly, said the report was “shocking” and accused the mayor of dismissing concerns. Shadow Justice Secretary Nick Timothy wrote that the mayor had claimed there were no rape gangs in London and that “everyone knew that was nonsense.” Last month, Hall pressed the mayor on whether grooming gangs were operating in London and called for funding for a dedicated inquiry. She accused Khan of previously dismissing her concerns, telling him, “I asked if we had grooming gangs in London. You dismissed my question by saying you didn’t know what I meant. I have to tell you, the rape victims knew exactly what I was talking about.” Hall urged the mayor to apologize to victims who, she said, felt their experiences had been downplayed. Khan refused to concede the point, replying during the exchange that the issue was too serious to “play party politics.” Previously, he argued that the “specific type of systemic cases” seen in some northern towns were not the same as the more “complex” patterns of exploitation in London, refusing to acknowledge that the phenomenon of Asian grooming gangs raping White girls as seen across many U.K. cities was not prevalent on the London scene. In October, the Metropolitan Police announced it will re-examine at least 1,200 child sexual exploitation cases following a national review, and previously confirmed it was reviewing 9,000 cases spanning 15 years. An independent inquiry into grooming gangs chaired by Baroness Longfield is expected to begin later this year, with the Home Office stating it will have full powers to compel evidence and conduct local investigations. Read more here... Tyler Durden Fri, 02/20/2026 - 11:00