Author: SKYNEWS

Artificial intelligence (AI) is appearing in every part of our lives, from voice assistants in our speakers to smart washing machines. This week, Apple announced a new slew of AI features in its phones which Elon Musk said could become an “unacceptable security violation”. Last month, Microsoft sparked security concerns when it announced a feature that would take screenshots of users’ laptops every few seconds.So with all this technology sitting in our homes and pockets, should we be worried about privacy and how our personal information is being used?”Technology is great. You need to trust the technology, right?” says Vonny Gamot,…

Mark James – the Grammy-winning songwriter behind Elvis Presley’s hit Suspicious Minds – has died aged 83.A member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame, he also wrote Hooked On A Feeling and co-wrote Always On Mind. James died on 8 June at his home in Nashville, as first reported by his hometown newspaper, the Houston Chronicle.His family said in a statement: “Mark’s legacy and zest for life will live on in the hearts of those who loved him, and through his timeless lyrics and melodies that have been the soundtrack of lovers for generations.”Named as a Songwriter Of The Century…

Latitude Festival has dropped its sponsor, Barclays, after a number of musicians and comedians dropped out in protest over the bank’s ties to the Israel-Hamas war.Latitude Festival told Sky News: “Following discussion with artists, we have agreed with Barclays that they will step back from sponsorship of Latitude Festival”. Comedians Joanne McNally, Sophie Duker, Grace Campbell, and Alexandra Haddow all announced they would be boycotting the event last week.Musicians including CMAT, Pillow Queens, Mui Zyu, and Georgia Ruth had also pulled out of the event.Palestine Action, a group whose members attacked 20 of the bank branches across England and Scotland…

People are risking “dangerous consequences” by using “powerful” weight loss drugs to get “beach body ready”, a senior NHS doctor has warned.Professor Stephen Powis, NHS England’s national medical director, said he was concerned about medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy being used by people who are “otherwise healthy” and “just want to lose a few pounds”. Buying such drugs online can lead to “side effects”, he said.”I’m worried about reports that people are misusing them – they are not intended as a quick fix for people trying to get ‘beach body ready’.”Doctors are seeing “increasing numbers” of patients with “complications”…

Hayley Tamaddon, who starred in Coronation Street, has arthritis, she has revealed.The 47-year-old actress, who also appeared in Emmerdale and Dancing On Ice, posted on Instagram she has been dealing with “horrendous” neck pain. She felt like her “head was going to explode” and she “puked up twice” after waking up, she wrote on the site on Thursday morning.Tamaddon – who played Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street from 2013 until 2015 – added she “realised I really should see a doctor” after dropping her son Jasper off at nursery and arriving for a photoshoot.”Ended up in hospital. On a drop…

Jaguar Land Rover is to invest more than £1m to help police tackle car thefts in the UK as part of ongoing efforts to reassure its luxury vehicle owners. The cash will be used to support police operations in hotspots, as well as fund intelligence gathering and target ports used by criminal gangs to smuggle stolen vehicles abroad, including Range Rovers. Money blog: Cadbury’s relaunches popular chocolate barIn addition to this direct support, specialist JLR teams continue to assist police by sharing expertise on the tactics and tools used in the theft of its vehicles, as well as help in recovery…

Microsoft won’t be releasing its controversial AI Recall feature with the rest of its updates next week.The feature that takes screenshots of users’ laptops every few seconds was being investigated by the Information Commissioners’ Office over security concerns. In a blogpost on Thursday, Microsoft said Recall won’t be “broadly available” from 18 June on Copilot+ PCs but instead, will be released to its testing group Windows Insider Programme “in the coming weeks”.”This decision is rooted in our commitment to providing a trusted, secure and robust experience for all customers and to seek additional feedback,” said Pavan Davuluri, a vice president…

Members of the public have been warned to plan their travel as Taylor Swift descends on Cardiff next week.Thousands of her fans – known as Swifties – are expected to gather in the Welsh capital on Tuesday for the American singer’s Eras Tour. Last week, the 34-year-old superstar took Edinburgh by storm.Swift then performed in Liverpool on Thursday and will do two more concerts in the city on Friday and Saturday before arriving in Wales.The UK leg of the tour will come to an end next week with performances at Wembley Stadium in London. She will then go on to…

Tesco says it has recorded a “strong” rise in retail sales in the latest quarter – buoyed by easing inflation.The UK’s largest supermarket also said its market share was growing at its fastest rate than at any time in the last two years. The grocery giant reported sales grew across the group, including Ireland, by 3.4% to £15.3bn in the 13 weeks to 25 May, compared with the same period last year.Money blog: The best affordable rose wines availableIts performance was even stronger at home – its UK market seeing a rise of 4.6% to £11.4bn. This came on the…

Tesla shareholders have approved Elon Musk’s multi-billion-dollar pay package.The package is now worth $44bn (£34bn). The package was once as much as $56bn (£44bn) but has declined in value in tandem with Tesla’s stock. The proposal passed despite opposition from some large institutional investors and proxy firms.Onstage at the annual shareholder meeting in Austin, Texas, the billionaire described himself as “pathologically optimistic”.”If I wasn’t optimistic this wouldn’t exist, this factory wouldn’t exist,” Musk said to resounding applause. “But I do deliver in the end. That’s the important thing.”The approval does not, however, resolve a lawsuit on the pay package in…