AI coding platform's flaws allow BBC reporter to be hacked The BBC has been shown a significant - and unfixed - cyber-security risk in a popular AI coding platform. Orchids is a so-called vibe-coding tool, meaning people without technical skills can use it to build apps and games by typing a text prompt into a chatbot. Such platforms have exploded in popularity in recent months, and are often heralded as an early example of how various professional services could be done quickly and cheaply by AI. But experts say the ease with which Orchids can be hacked demonstrates the risks of allowing AI bots deep access to our computers in exchange for the convenience of allowing them to carry out tasks autonomously. The BBC has repeatedly asked the company for comment but it has not replied.

The US economy is growing - so where are all the jobs? When 42-year-old Jacob Trigg lost his job as a project manager in the tech industry he didn't think it would take too long to find a new one - he always had before. But more than 2,000 job applications later he is still hunting, trying to make ends meet with jobs in package delivery and landscaping. It's a huge surprise because I've always been able to get a job very easily, said Trigg, who lives in Texas. It wasn't even on my radar to be prepared for more than six months of unemployment.

The science of soulmates: Is there someone out there exactly right for you? On Valentine's Day, there's the temptation to believe that somewhere out there is The One: a soulmate, a perfect match, the person you were meant to be with. Across history, humans have always been drawn to the idea that love isn't random. In ancient Greece, Plato imagined that we were once whole beings with four arms, four legs and two faces, so radiant that Zeus split us in two; ever since, each half has roamed the earth searching for its missing other, a myth that gives the modern soulmate its poetic pedigree and the promise that somewhere, someone will finally make us feel complete. In the Middle Ages, troubadours and Arthurian tales recast that longing as courtly love, a fierce, often forbidden devotion like Lancelot's for Guinevere, in which a knight proved his worth through self-sacrifice for a beloved he might never openly declare.

MPs fear data centre boom could derail Miliband's net zero plans Ed Miliband has been urged to explain whether a planned boom in energy-hungry data centres have been factored into his plans to deliver net zero carbon emissions. In a letter to the energy secretary, Labour MP Toby Perkins, who chairs the Environmental Audit Committee, said data centres are a key area of concern in hitting the emissions target. Data centres are giant facilities full of powerful computers used to run digital services, such as streaming and artificial intelligence (AI). The government has backed plans for many more to be built to help turn the UK into an AI superpower, despite the large amounts of electricity needed to run them, including from gas-powered generators. Perkins said it was concerning that the UK government was relying on a carbon-reduction plan that made no allowance for the impact of data centres.

AI researcher says'world is in peril' and quits to study poetry An AI safety researcher has quit US firm Anthropic with a cryptic warning that the world is in peril. In his resignation letter shared on X, Mrinank Sharma told the firm he was leaving amid concerns about AI, bioweapons and the state of the wider world. He said he would instead look to pursue writing and studying poetry, and move back to the UK to become invisible. It comes in the same week that a OpenAI researcher said she had resigned, sharing concerns about the ChatGPT maker's decision to deploy adverts in its chatbot . Anthropic, best known for its Claude chatbot, had released a series of commercials aimed at OpenAI, criticising the company's move to include adverts for some users.

Twelve men have been charged with the manslaughter of football fan Simon Dobbin. Dobbin was assaulted outside the Railway Tavern in Southend-on-Sea in Essex in March 2015 following a match between Cambridge United and Southend United. The dad from Mildenhall, Suffolk, died in October 2020 after suffering a brain injury as a result of the attack. The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said it had now decided to prosecute 12 men in connection with his death and all the defendants will appear at Colchester Magistrates' Court on 31 March. Rebecca Mundy, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said the CPS had worked closely with Essex Police to examine and review material obtained during previous investigations.

Disney advert banned for showing'disturbing' severed body A menacing Disney advert featuring a severed body has been banned by the advertising regulator, which said it was likely to frighten and cause distress to children. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found the entertainment giant had broken its rules with its advert for the Predator Badlands film. Parents complained that the digital poster, which featured a large alien holding aloft the severed body of a smaller, human figure, was inappropriate and disturbing for young children. Disney said the severed body was actually that of a robot, and the fact it had been cut in two further emphasised its non-human nature. The advert, which was seen on the roadside in Giffnock, Glasgow, was promoting the Disney sci-fi film ahead of its release in November.

Apple and Google agree to change app stores after'effective duopoly' claim Apple and Google have agreed to make changes to their app stores in the UK following an intervention from the UK markets regulator. According to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), the tech giants have committed to not giving preferential treatment to their own apps and will be transparent about how others are approved for sale, among other agreements. It comes seven months after the regulator said Apple and Google had an effective duopoly in the UK over their dominance in the sector. The CMA's head Sarah Cardell said the proposed commitments will boost the UK's app economy and were the first of many measures. The ability to secure immediate commitments from Apple and Google reflects the unique flexibility of the UK digital markets competition regime and offers a practical route to swiftly address the concerns we've identified, she said.

The maker of Ozempic and Wegovy is suing a rival firm for selling what it says are unsafe, knock-off versions of its weight-loss drugs in the US. Danish company Novo Nordisk asked US courts on Monday to ban Hims & Hers' range of weight-loss pills and injections, which it says are not approved by US authorities and infringe on its patent. The legal drama began on Friday after Hims & Hers launched a new weight-loss pill, leading to an initial threat from Novo Nordisk. Over the weekend, Hims & Hers said it would stop selling the pill. On Monday, its share price slumped as it called Novo Nordisk's decision to press ahead with the lawsuit a blatant attack.

The University of Cambridge has won its fight to stop a rowing company based in the city trademarking its name. It argued Cambridge Rowing Limited would be able to take unfair advantage of and cause detriment to the university's reputation if its logo was registered. The university owns trademarks for the word Cambridge, meaning it has the right to stop others from using it in certain circumstances. Omar Terywall, the company's founder, said he was gutted at the outcome and the case had been a terrifying ordeal. He said he hoped to appeal the decision by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO).