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Rubio speech signals US-Europe relations are bruised but still friendly

BBC News

World leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, have been gathering in Munich for Europe's biggest security and defence conference. The burning question on everyone's minds: is America still an ally of Europe? The keynote speech that everyone was waiting for was from Marco Rubio, the US Secretary of State. Would he repeat the attacks made on Europe last year by the US Vice President JD Vance? Or would he be conciliatory?


UK basks in sunshine ahead of snow and ice weather warnings

BBC News

After days and weeks of gloomy skies and relentless rain for some, there has finally been a change to our weather in the United Kingdom. Arctic air across the UK means the weekend starts cold and frosty with some snow and ice, especially in northern parts. But, there will be lots of sunshine for most throughout Saturday. However, it will be temporary as rain with more snow and ice spreads overnight into Sunday. Further Met Office yellow warnings for ice and snow have been issued across Scotland and northern England from 21:00 GMT to 10:00 on Sunday.


Hobbies could hold key to beating loneliness, say Lib Dems

BBC News

The Liberal Democrats believe hobbies could be the answer to the UK's growing problem of loneliness and social isolation. The party has said £42m could be spent to extend the opening hours of spaces such as libraries and community centres, while a further one-off £40m could go towards helping existing hobby groups hold outreach events or buy equipment. Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: Sharing a passion with others in your community is one of the most powerful ways to fight loneliness. The government says it is committed to helping people to make social connections across a wide range of its social policies. At the end of last year, the Office for National Statistics research found that 33% of Britons aged 16 to 29 reported feeling lonely often, always or some of the time.


She didn't expect to fall in love with a chatbot - and then have to say goodbye

BBC News

She didn't expect to fall in love with a chatbot - and then have to say goodbye Rae began speaking to Barry last year after the end of a difficult divorce. She was unfit and unhappy and turned to ChatGPT for advice on diet, supplements and skincare. She had no idea she would fall in love. He lives on an old model of ChatGPT, one that its owners OpenAI announced it would retire on 13 February. That she could lose Barry on the eve of Valentine's Day came as a shock to Rae - and to many others who have found a companion, friend, or even a lifeline in the old model, Chat GPT-4o.


World's rules-based order 'no longer exists', Germany's Merz warns

BBC News

The rules-based world order no longer exists, the German Chancellor has warned at a major security summit. Opening the annual Munich Security Conference, Friedrich Merz told other world leaders that our freedom is not guaranteed in an era of big power politics, and that Europeans must be ready to make sacrifice. He also admitted that a deep divide has opened between Europe and the United States. The conference is taking place on the backdrop of US President Donald Trump threatening Denmark's sovereignty over Greenland by pledging to annex the Arctic territory and his tariffs on imports from European nations. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was listening to Merz and will deliver his own speech on Saturday, earlier spoke of a new era in geopolitics.


John Wick game starring Keanu Reeves unveiled at PlayStation showcase

BBC News

The billion-dollar action film series John Wick is being turned into a video game, featuring the likeness and voice of star Keanu Reeves. Untitled John Wick Game, as it is currently known, will be made by Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 developer Saber Interactive and include input from film franchise director Chad Stahelsk. A trailer for the game, which is expected to be a prequel to the series, was unveiled at PlayStation's State of Play showcase on Thursday. The Sony event also revealed several remakes of major game franchises, including the God of War trilogy, as well as a 30th anniversary edition of platformer Rayman. The John Wick film franchise, which has earned more than $1bn (£735m) worldwide, follows the story of the retired assassin played by Keanu Reeves on a path of bloody vengeance.


Hollywood studios take aim at 'ultra-realistic' AI video tool

BBC News

Hollywood studios take aim at'ultra-realistic' AI video tool The MPA represents the major US studios - Netflix, Paramount Pictures, Prime Video & Amazon MGM Studios, Sony Pictures, Universal Studios, The Walt Disney Studios and Warner Bros Discovery. The content referenced was created as part of a limited pre-launch testing phase, it said. The AI tool can quickly make highly realistic clips from a short, simple text prompt, such as a fist fight between Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, Will Smith battling a red-eyed spaghetti monster or even Friends characters reimagined as otters. ByteDance should immediately cease its infringing activity. According to ByteDance, steps are being taken to further address risks, and it will implement robust policies, monitoring mechanisms and processes to ensure compliance with local regulations.


Catfishing a conman back on dating app days after jail release

BBC News

Within days of being released from his seventh prison term for romance fraud, Raymond McDonald was back on a dating app looking for his next victim. Over more than 20 years he had racked up 58 convictions, mostly for fraud and theft, while telling lies on an industrial scale and taking thousands of pounds from women for holidays and weddings which were never going to happen. This time when he went looking, the BBC was waiting. He thought he was having a date with Kaye, but instead found himself being approached by a BBC reporter and camera crew. He had met Kaye online and, calling himself Rob, told her he was a deep-sea diver looking for a wife.


AI 'vibe-coding' platform's flaws allow BBC reporter to be hacked

BBC News

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?

BBC News

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.