Author: SKYNEWS

Dame Judi Dench, John Cena and Awkwafina will all voice Meta AI – the artificial intelligence being rolled out by Instagram and Facebook owner Meta.As part of an update to its Llama model, people will now be able to interact with Meta AI – the company’s ChatGPT-like chatbot – by speaking and getting responses from the celebrities. Frozen’s Kristen Bell and comedian Keegan-Michael Key will also be options.During Meta’s annual Connect conference, chief executive Mark Zuckerberg also showed off Orion, a set of smart glasses he described as “the most advanced glasses the world has ever seen”.As well as Orion,…

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has revealed a further £500m investment in its Halewood plant on Merseyside to bolster future production of all-electric cars at the site.The country’s largest automotive manufacturer, which revealed plans in 2023 to produce the first emission-free model at Halewood in early 2025, is now targeting a timeframe later that year. It signalled a greater ambition for Halewood at a time when global demand for new cars remains constrained.The plant, which currently makes hybrid, diesel and petrol-powered Range Rover Evoque and Discovery Sport models, has already been expanded to allow for electric vehicle (EV) production to run…

A toy company must pay $71.5m (£53m) for making dolls infringing the name and likeness of a US teen pop group.OMG Girlz sued MGA Entertainment over its LOL Surprise! OMG dolls, arguing the company had copied their look and brand. On Tuesday, the group finally won the long-running intellectual property case after a California jury agreed they had been ripped off.It awarded $17.9m (£13.3m) in real damages and $53.6m (£39.9m) in punitive damages, saying their “trade dress” and “name, likeness and identity” had been infringed. Instagram This content is provided by Instagram, which may be using cookies and other technologies.…

Heart conditions are the “number one killer for women”, experts have said, but cases are being “ignored” and more must be done to stop “preventable” deaths.A group of leading heart specialists have warned the “misconception” that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a “man’s disease”, has contributed to cases among women going “under-recognised and undertreated”. Writing in the journal Heart, the academics said most heart disease is “preventable” so more should be done to “ensure parity of care for women with CVD”.Lead author, Professor Vijay Kunadian, said: “Heart disease, in particular coronary artery disease, is the number one killer for women in…

Crime rose sharply in Co-op shops over the last six months, with 950 offences taking place every day, the business said. The cost of theft and fraud in Co-op’s food business rose to £39.5m in the first half of 2024 alone. Compared to the same time a year earlier, it cost 19% more, up from £33.3m. Across the half-year period, 172,008 incidents took place, 4% more than in 2023.Money blog: US suing Visa in case that could have global implicationsIn an effort to bring down stealing, Co-op began testing the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in 14 shops to detect…

The Cure will release their first new song in 16 years on Thursday.The goth rock band shared a short burst of the song titled Alone on social media, along with close-up black and white images of a stone statue’s face. Image: The Cure performs on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury in 2019. Pic: PA In the snippet of the track, which features drums and an electric guitar, frontman Robert Smith sings the lyrics: “This is the end of every song that we sing. The fire burned out to ash, the stars grow dim with tears.”It will have its full premiere…

TikTok has said it’s removed accounts associated with Russian state media for “engaging in covert influence operations”.It’s part of the site’s efforts to prevent disinformation in the run up to November’s US presidential election. Accounts affected are those from media group Rossiya Segodnya, which owns the RIA Novosti and Sputnik news services; and TV-Novosti, the parent body of the RT news channel.TikTok said the accounts were previously restricted in the UK and EU, and that their worldwide content was marked as state-controlled media.However, they are now understood to have been permanently banned. It follows a similar move last week by…

A new credit referencing agency set up to provide real-time data to lenders has landed millions of pounds from investors to fund its expansion.Sky News understands that Infact, which recently secured authorisation from the City watchdog, will this week announce a £4m fundraising. Infact enables the sharing of consumer credit information in real-time, which it says enables lenders’ credit risk teams to make more effective lending decisions.The company argues that this technology-led approach will promote financial inclusion by allowing consumers to rebuild their credit profiles more quickly.The funding round is being led by AlbionVC, with prominent investors including Portfolio Ventures,…

Hollywood actress Olivia Munn and comedian John Mulaney have welcomed a daughter via surrogacy.The X-Men star shared photos of baby Mei on Instagram and said she was born on 14 September. Munn, 44, posted: “Mei June Mulaney came into the world September 14, 2024, the year of the dragon.”I had so many profound emotions about not being able to carry my daughter. When I first met our gestational surrogate we spoke mother to mother.”She showed me so much grace and understanding, I knew I had found a real-life angel. “Words cannot express my gratitude that she kept our baby safe…

Millions of people can book their flu and COVID vaccines from today, which officials hope will ease pressure on the health service ahead of the winter months.It comes amid concerns from NHS England over a so-called “tripledemic” of flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Bookings open at 9am on Monday and can be made through the NHS website, app or by calling 119.Who can get the free jabs?Adults aged 65 and over, long-term care home patients and people in clinical risk groups are all eligible for the COVID and flu vaccines – as are frontline social care workers and…