Mining firms Rio Tinto and Glencore restart $260bn merger talks

Rio Tinto and Glencore have restarted talks over a merger that would create the world’s largest mining company.The talks come almost a year after previous discussions between the two mining companies collapsed. If a deal is agreed, it would create a global mining business with an enterprise value of more than $260bn (£193bn).The two companies said on Friday that they were in “preliminary discussions” about a “possible combination of some or all of their businesses, which could include an all-share merger”.Rio Tinto, which has an enterprise value of $162bn, said the deal under discussion would potentially result in it acquiring Glencore

What is Modella Capital? Firm in spotlight as Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop face collapse

The expected collapse of the high street retailers Claire’s and The Original Factory Shop, with 2,550 jobs at risk, has put the previously little-known investment firm Modella Capital in the spotlight.The UK-based firm, which bought the two troubled chains within the last year, was set up by a group of restructuring professionals four years ago and has risen to prominence.It bought the arts and crafts retailer Hobbycraft in August 2024 and last March agreed to buy the high street business of WH Smith, now renamed TG Jones.Modella has stepped into a gap in the market for investors in medium-sized struggling retailers left by the likes of Hilco, which once bought HMV and Homebasebut has now moved on. It has chosen to take risks on troubled businesses with few potential buyers as private equity is largely steering clear of a tough consumer market

Grok being used to create sexually violent videos featuring women, research finds

Elon Musk’s AI tool Grok has been used to create sexually violent and explicit video content featuring women, according to new research, as the British prime minister added to condemnation of images it has created.Grok has also been used to undress an image of Renee Nicole Good, the woman killed by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent in the US on Wednesday, and to portray her with a bullet wound in her forehead.Research by AI Forensics, a Paris-based non-profit organisation, found about 800 images and videos created by the Grok Imagine app that included pornographic content. Paul Bouchaud, a researcher at AI Forensics, said: “These are fully pornographic videos and they look professional.”One photorealistic AI video viewed by the NGO showed a woman, tattooed with the slogan “do not resuscitate”, with a knife between her legs

Grok AI: is it legal to produce or post undressed images of people without their consent?

The deluge of images of partly clothed women – stripped by the Grok AI tool – on Elon Musk’s X has raised further questions over regulation of the technology. Is it legal to produce these images without the subject’s consent? Should they be taken off X?In the UK alone there is some doubt over the answers to these queries. Social media regulation is a nascent area, let alone trying to control the deployment of artificial intelligence. There are laws in place to tackle the problem, such as the Online Safety Act, but the government has yet to introduce additional measures such as banning nudifying apps.It is a criminal offence to share intimate images of someone without their consent under the Sexual Offences Act in England and Wales, which includes images created by AI

Minnesota Timberwolves hold moment of silence for woman killed by ICE officer

The Minnesota Timberwolves held a moment of silence before Thursday night’s game to honor Renee Good, a 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot in her car by a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer, an incident that has shaken Minneapolis and prompted renewed protests across the Twin Cities.Good was killed Wednesday morning following a brief confrontation with ICE officers on a south Minneapolis street roughly three miles from the Target Center. Federal authorities have said agents were attempting to carry out an enforcement action when the encounter escalated and an officer fired into Good’s vehicle. The shooting came amid a visible increase in ICE activity in the region as part of the Trump administration’s expanded immigration crackdown.The killing sparked protests throughout the day on Wednesday and into Thursday, with demonstrators gathering outside government buildings and marching through neighborhoods near where the shooting occurred

Ashes talking points: searching questions raised by Australia’s series victory | Martin Pegan

An Ashes series that overpromised and underdelivered will be remembered for the dazzling performances and moments of magic rather than as a classic of the genre. For Travis Head’s star turn as a swashbuckling opener, Mitchell Starc’s new-ball destruction and Usman Khawaja’s emotional farewell on one side. For Joe Root’s belated century in a foreign land and Jacob Bethell’s breakout ton on the other.While England rake over the coals of yet another away Ashes campaign wasted, the hosts’ review of their 4-1 series triumph might begin by ticking the box marked “somewhat satisfied”. Australia’s self-appraisal will be swift as the cricket caravan rolls on to a T20 World Cup next month