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For some, creating a smash hit puzzle would have been enough to kick back for life. But for the Josh Wardles and Timothée Chalamets of the world, not even the moon is enoughHe is one letter away from being a household name. Now Josh Wardle, the inventor of Wordle, has launched a new online game, and in doing so, provided an interesting insight into ambition.For some, creating a global smash hit puzzle so zeitgeisty and popular it becomes part of millions of strangers' daily routines and is bought by the New York Times for seven figures would have been sufficient for a lifetime. Rather than face inevitable comparison and potential disappointment by attempting That Difficult Second Album, they would have just kicked back on their yacht and called it a day. Continue reading......

It gave us Game of Thrones, The Sopranos and The Wire. But as HBO Max comes to the UK and with new ownership imminent, the network that reinvented television is fighting to stay itselfIt's not TV. It's HBO.” It might have seemed like a hollow brag at the time, but this aggressively assertive tagline marked the beginning of a new era in small-screen entertainment. The slogan was a statement about what the US cable network aspired to be but, also, a tacit rejection of what most television still was in 1996. It seemed a brave opening salvo: after all, at that point, there wasn't yet much basis for it.HBO (Home Box Office) had begun life in 1972 as a subscription service touting a mixture of films and sport. But by the late 80s, this offering was growing stale; threatened by proliferating networks, the protectiveness of big studios and increasing competition. Original, made-for-TV content was the obvious way forward. But how to find a niche? Continue reading......

Network breakdowns compounded by daily blackouts of up to 12 hours caused by fuel shortagesCuba's power grid collapsed on Saturday leaving the country without electricity for a third time in March as the communist government battles with a decaying infrastructure and a US-imposed oil blockade.The Cuban Electric Union, which reports to the Ministry of Energy and Mines, announced a total blackout across the island without initially giving a cause for the outage. Continue reading......

How did this pick-n-mix salad-and-protein sludge become a typical working lunch?Few things have killed the leisurely lunch like capitalism, but to really see this in action, the food court of London's financial shadowland, Canary Wharf, is a good place to start. Wandering the warren of Prets and Itsus are Deliveroo riders and suits-on-the-clock. And they're usually carrying the same thing: a nice big bowl of slop.A slop bowl is the universal term for a mishmash of pick-your-own dishes assembled and sold in fast-casual spots that have become the de facto working lunch. The contents vary (they tend to feature Asian and eastern Mediterranean dishes) but as the name suggests, it is always served in a bowl, and by the time you've got to your desk, has usually become slop. They can cost anything from £7 to £25 depending on what you add – much like coffee, the slop bowl is as customisable as a modular shelving unit from Ikea. This sounds like a lot. But we also live in an era where a salad bowl from Pret ...

US president threatens to take out Iranian energy facilities – 'starting with the biggest one first' – if Tehran does not reopen the straitMiddle East crisis live – latest updatesDonald Trump has given Iran 48 hours to reopen the strait of Hormuz to shipping or face the destruction of its energy infrastructure, as Tehran launched its most destructive attack yet on Israel.The ultimatum, made just a day after the US president said he was considering “winding down” military operations after three weeks of war, came as the key oil passage remained effectively closed and thousands more US Marines headed to the Middle East. Continue reading......

As the chain marks 50th anniversary in Britain, Karen O'Rourke explains what makes it stand out against cut-price rivalsAlmost exactly 50 years after H&M opened its first British store, the doors on its newest, in Brighton, swung open this week and the Swedish fashion company's UK boss is determined to keep investing in the nation's high streets despite its struggles.In 1976, H&M opened in the brand-new Brent Cross shopping centre, the first American-style out of town mall to grace these shores. Its opening was such an event that the then Prince Charles attended. Continue reading......

Yet another cost of living crisis looms with fuel, food, holiday, energy and home loan prices expected to riseMiddle East crisis – live updatesHere we go again. For Britons it has been a rollercoaster few years and just as better times seemed ahead the country has been plunged into a fresh cost of living crisis.The economic storm caused by war in the Middle East is already pushing up the cost of key household outgoings, including mortgage payments, energy bills and driving. There are warnings that the weekly shop will be next. Continue reading......

Fraudsters exploit isolation and search for human contact to often devastating effect. These are steps you can take to avoid themAs you have got older, retirement has left you with more time on your hands. Loneliness has set in. Luckily, you have found a friend through one of the online motoring groups you are in, and a close bond has blossomed over your common interest in cars.But your new friend has found themselves short when it comes to paying for their university textbooks, and has asked you for £50. It's not much, and you get on so well that you agree to pay via bank transfer. Continue reading......

Donald Trump's 'little excursion' is likely to have long-term effects, from oil prices to inflation to growth, say expertsIn the days after the US and Israel first bombed Iran, financial markets bet the economic fallout from Donald Trump's “little excursion” in the Middle East would be short-lived.“There are risks from higher oil prices longer term. But this is a tail risk,” one US-based fund manger said after the airstrike killing Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. “History has shown time and time again that geopolitical flare-ups like this tend to be short-lived. This one should prove to be no exception.'' Continue reading......

Wrexham owners Mac and Reynolds helped commentate'Buildup and coverage of the game left a lot to be desired'Swansea's chief executive has said the club will raise concerns over television coverage of their game against Wrexham with the English Football League (EFL), with Tom Gorringe saying the team owned by Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds “were given priority at every opportunity”.Wrexham won the Championship match 2-0 on a night when Mac and Reynolds provided alternative commentary alongside the Sky presenter David Prutton, marketed as “Live from Wrexham with Rob & Ryan”. Sky Sports trailed the live commentary – which ran on one of its channels with the usual match coverage on its main platform – as “part of a first-of-its kind broadcast”. Continue reading......

Michael Smith, 52, charged after flooding platforms with thousands of AI songs and boosting them with botsSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA North Carolina man has pleaded guilty to defrauding music streaming platforms and his fellow musicians out of millions in royalties by flooding the services with thousands of AI-generated songs – and using automated “bots” to artificially boost the number of listens into the billions.As part of a deal with federal prosecutors in New York's southern district, 52-year-old Michael Smith pleaded guilty on Friday to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Continue reading......

States argue deal would create largest broadcast station group in US, cut jobs and increase consumers' cable billsEight states asked a US judge on Friday to issue a temporary restraining order to stop a $3.5bn merger of Nexstar Media Group and Tegna.On Thursday, the local broadcast station owners received merger approval from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the US Department of Justice and said they had closed the transaction two hours after approval, the day after the states filed their lawsuit. Continue reading......

Videos of Labour's Al Carns include him talking about his time as a marine and challenging a firefighter to pull-up contestLabour minister Al Carns has claimed thousands of pounds on parliamentary expenses for promotional videos including one showing him doing pull-ups at a fire station in competition with a firefighter.The veterans minister and former Royal Marine, who is tipped by some MPs as a leadership hopeful, claimed about £3,000, approved by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa), for the production of 17 videos that show him interacting with local businesses. Continue reading......

Ben Ainslie and Ineos ended partnership last yearStatement says boat used in 2024 'belongs to Ineos'Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos Group is taking legal action against Sir Ben Ainslie over the boat built for the 2024 America's Cup.Ratcliffe and Ainslie worked closely together across two cycles of the famous sailing competition, culminating in a historic but ultimately unsuccessful challenge for the title 18 months ago. Continue reading......

With major developments collapsing, pressure is growing on councils to concede on affordable housing and public amenitiesDonald Trump has done his best to crush the green shoots of the global, post-pandemic economic recovery – nowhere more so than in the UK.The US president's vandalism can be seen across the economic landscape, especially in the property sector, which has become more sensitive to international events since the spread of Covid-19 disrupted long-established supply chains and sent the cost of raw materials soaring. Continue reading......

Nearly 300 of the actor's items, from designer gowns to everyday basics, to be sold in Los Angeles, with some lots under $100A customised sunhat. A slogan sweatshirt. A “mom” necklace. An old copy of Cosmopolitan. If these sound like items found in many homes today, they're actually the castoffs of a household name: Gwyneth Paltrow.Next week, nearly 300 pieces owned by Paltrow will be on sale as part of an auction at Julien's, the Los Angeles auction house that has sold big-ticket items such as Marilyn Monroe's so-called “naked” dress and the leather jacket worn by Olivia Newton-John in Grease. But, while those items went for six-figure prices, Paltrow's sale is a little more affordable, with estimates starting at about $50 (£37) to $75 (£56) for some of Paltrow's personalised stationery. Continue reading......

Police issue alerts and security tips to households reliant on heating oil to deter a crime that can leave victims with bills of thousandsThere is no subtle way to receive heating oil deliveries in rural Northern Ireland: clearly marked tankers trundle through roads and lanes and park outside homes while they replenish storage tanks.The trucks' comings and goings are visible to the entire community, indicating which households have stocked up on oil, and that is a problem because criminals monitor deliveries to identify targets. Continue reading......

Gig AI trainers worldwide are selling moments of their lives, including calls and texts, to AI companies for quick cashOne morning last year, Jacobus Louw set out on his daily neighborhood walk to feed the seagulls he finds along the way. Except this time, he recorded several videos of his feet and the view as he walked on the pavement. The video earned him $14, about 10 times the country's minimum wage, or for Louw, a 27-year-old based in Cape Town, South Africa, half a week's worth of groceries.The video was for an “Urban Navigation” task Louw found on Kled AI, an app that pays contributors for uploading their data, such as videos and photos, to train artificial intelligence models. In a couple of weeks, Louw made $50 by uploading pictures and videos of his everyday life. Continue reading......

Bypassing animal health certificate system by using cheaper pet passport issued abroad could backfire, experts sayBritish pet owners who want to take their furry friends elsewhere in Europe have been warned not to try to dodge expensive health certificates by using a pet passport issued abroad.Before Brexit, taking a cat, dog or ferret to the EU was relatively simple: the Pet Travel Scheme meant an animal needed a microchip, vaccination against rabies, a pet passport and, for dogs, there were also requirements concerning tapeworm treatment. Continue reading......

In one corner, clean energy champion Ed Miliband. In the other, residents – and Reform politicians – outraged at plans for more large-scale solar farms in Lincolnshire than anywhere else in the UKAs night descends on the grand offices of Lincolnshire county council, everything appears orderly and calm. Paintings of long-forgotten councillors and dignitaries stare out into an empty drawing room. The council chamber is silent and dark. Bored receptionists glance at their phones while a handful of admin staff hunch over glowing screens. But a rebellion is brewing in the office of the council leader, Sean Matthews, who took charge last May, when Reform replaced the Conservative old guard. The affable former royal protection officer is plotting an apparently radical campaign of civil disobedience against a series of giant solar farms planned for Lincolnshire.Despite a quarter of a century in the Metropolitan police, Matthews is willing to break the law to stop solar developers. He is planning to lie d...