'Criminal': Elton John condemns UK's AI copyright plansNew Foto - 'Criminal': Elton John condemns UK's AI copyright plans

LONDON (Reuters) -Elton John on Sunday accused the British government of "committing theft" by proposing that tech firms could train artificial intelligence models on the UK's music and creative output without guaranteeing proper recompense. Creative industries globally are grappling with the legal and ethical implications of AI models that can produce their own work after being trained on existing material. Britain, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer wants to become an AI superpower, has proposed relaxing copyright laws to allow AI developers to train their models on any material to which they have lawful access. The proposal would require creators to proactively opt out to stop their work being used. The biggest names in the industry, including John, Paul McCartney, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Ed Sheeran and others, have urged the government to change course, saying the proposal will make it even harder for young people to make a living in the creative industries. "The danger is for young artists, they haven't got the resources to keep checking or fight big tech," John told the BBC. "It's criminal and I feel incredibly betrayed." "A machine ... doesn't have a soul, doesn't have a heart, it doesn't have human feeling, it doesn't have passion. Human beings, when they create something, are doing it ... to bring pleasure to lots of people," he said. John has sold more than 300 million records over a six-decade career. A supporter of Starmer's Labour Party, he said he had always sought to support young artists and would continue to fight against the changes. The government says it is seeking a solution that will enable creative industries and AI companies to flourish. It said on Sunday it was consulting on measures, would publish an assessment on the economic impact of any move, and will not sign off on anything unless it is "completely satisfied they work for creators". Britain has long outperformed in the creative industries, with thousands employed in sectors including theatre, film, advertising, publishing and music. (Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Barbara Lewis)

'Criminal': Elton John condemns UK's AI copyright plans

'Criminal': Elton John condemns UK's AI copyright plans LONDON (Reuters) -Elton John on Sunday accused the British government of...
15 Craziest "Final Destination "Deaths, from the Log Truck Accident to Eye Surgery Gone Wrong

Eric Milner/Warner Bros Final Destinationis back — and the kills are more creative than ever. After 14 years, the franchise returned withFinal Destination Bloodlineson May 16. The new installment serves as both a prequel and a sequel, following Iris (Brec Bassinger) as she saves everyone dining atop the Skyview restaurant, before her descendants begin to feel the consequences. TheFinal Destinationfilms are known for their wild death scenes, which often involve a series of events creating the perfect trap for their victims. The film series centers on various groups of people who survive catastrophic accidents they weren't supposed to live through. To bring the world back to equilibrium, Death itself hunts them, doing everything it can to kill them. Throughout its six films, the franchise has killed hundreds of people in ways that are horrifying, agonizing and sometimes even a little humorous. The franchise has also featured a few big-name stars throughout its run as well, includingAli Larter,Tony Todd,Seann William Scott,Mary Elizabeth WinsteadandDevon Sawa, among others. But what are the wildest deaths in theFinal Destinationfranchise? From a particularly memorable plane disaster to the most bonkers roller coaster ride in history, here are the 15 craziestFinal Destinationkills. Alamy The originalFinal Destinationfilm starts off with one of the most traumatic scenes in the entire franchise. The movie kicks off with a group of passengers boarding Volée Flight 180, which is departing John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City and headed for Paris, France. But shortly after takeoff, an engine catches fire. The plane starts to fall apart, with pieces of the plane (and passengers) falling out, dropping thousands of feet to the ground. The incident ends in an explosion that kills everyone on board. The most terrifying part of this first kill is how real it is, as many fans have pointed out its similarities to the real explosion ofTWA Flight 800. In 1996, a Boeing 747 was headed from New York to Paris and exploded mid-air, causing the plane to break apart before crashing into the Atlantic Ocean. Alamy One ofFinal Destination's biggest fake outs happens relatively early on in the franchise. The scene begins when the group's car stalls on a set of train tracks while a giant freight train is speeding straight towards them. Audiences don't know who — if anyone — will get out of the way and survive. Luckily, they all manage to escape just before the car is obliterated by the train. But it turns out Death still has a plan: While the train itself didn't kill anyone, one of its wheels rolls over a shattered piece of the car, shooting it through the air and directly through Billy's neck, decapitating him. Shane Harvey/New Line/Kobal/Shutterstock The true wackiness and complexity of Death is showcased with the demise of Ms. Lewton (Kristen Cloke). It all starts when she pours herself some vodka into a mug that cracks, subsequently spilling the liquid onto her computer. When the vodka drips down into the mainframe, it starts a fire, exploding the screen's glass into her neck. With her throat slit and house catching on fire, Ms. Lewton tries to grab a rag hanging off of her kitchen counter. But she doesn't realize that it's tangled up in a set of knives, which, naturally, fall directly into her chest. Alamy Final Destination's plane explosion was horrifying because it's a disaster that could actually happen. The sequel took that to a new extreme by focusing on something even more common: deadly car crashes.Final Destination 2begins on a freeway that's still slick from a recent rainfall. The disaster starts when giant tree trunks spill out of the back of a logging truck, crashing into cars and causing drivers to swerve. Thanks to the wet roads, it causes a massive pileup that kills dozens of people. Shane Harvey/New Line Cinema/Courtesy Everett Another example of the franchise's excellent ability to fake out viewers happens during the death of Evan (David Paetkau). First, his hand gets stuck in his garbage disposal. Then, a grease fire starts on his stove. Even worse, after Evan knocks the burning pan off the stove, it lands on a bunch of flammable paper towels and cardboard boxes. Now, with his hand stuck and his apartment on fire, audiences are certain that this is how he'll die. Despite all this, Evan manages to flee out the fire escape. But once he's on the ground, the ladder from the fire escape comes crashing down, impaling him through the eye. Alamy Final Destination 3kicked off with one of the wildest incidents in the franchise's history. On a theme park's roller coaster, one man attempts to film himself; naturally, he drops his camcorder and it gets caught in the tracks, causing the ride to partially derail. Some of the cars fly off into the night, flinging bodies everywhere. But it's not over yet. The shoulder restraints unlock, and in the final loop, the remaining cars get stuck upside down. Eventually, the rest of the cars derail, killing the last person onboard. Alamy During the 2000s,tanning bedsbecame incredibly popular, andFinal Destination 3utilized the zeitgeist to create one of the most disturbing deaths in the entire franchise. In the scene, two friends, Ashley (Chelan Simmons) and Ashlyn (Crystal Lowe), get trapped in their tanning beds, which malfunction and begin to overheat. The beds get so hot that they ignite, burning the two alive. Alamy One ofFinal Destination's goriest kills comes in a hardware store where Ian (Kris Lemche) and his girlfriend Erin (Alexz Johnson) work. After a rogue forklift runs into one of the store shelves, it knocks down a bunch of fence pickets that almost kill Ian. He's able to avoid the falling pickets, but his girlfriend Erin isn't so lucky. While trying to escape the falling materials, she accidentally trips into a nail gun that shoots her through the head nearly a dozen times. It's macabre and shocking — especially since the scene sets Ian up as the one who is about to die. Jim Sheldon/New Line/courtesy Everett Collection The Final Destination's resident bully Hunt (Nick Zano) dies after he dives into his country club's pool. Unbeknownst to him, the pool's drainage system is malfunctioning and running way harder than usual. His butt gets pulled down into the drain — and while it's never fully shown, it's implied that his insides are essentially sucked straight out of him. Even worse, the other people in the pool have no idea it's happening. New Line/courtesy Everett The opening disaster ofThe Final Destinationis a NASCAR race gone horribly wrong. Of course,NASCAR crashes happenand can even be deadly — but typically, they remain on the course's track. In this scene, a crash causes numerous cars to go careening into the bleachers, killing people on impact and causing a stampede. Eventually, the entire grandstand collapses. Alamy Early on inThe Final Destination, Carter (Justin Welborn) is shown to be an antagonist — at the NASCAR race and subsequent memorial, he makes several racist remarks to George (Mykelti Williamson). But a few days after the funeral, Carter gets his just desserts. After blaming George for the incident, Carter drives a tow truck to his house to burn a cross on his lawn. After Carter gets tangled up in the truck's chain, the car starts rolling down the street, dragging him with it. Alamy Final Destination 5plays out like your typical sequel until the very end, where it's revealed to actually be a prequel. Just when audiences think the protagonists have safely escaped Death, Sam (Nicholas D'Agosto) and Molly (Emma Bell) board a flight to Paris. Unfortunately for them, it turns out the plane they've boarded is Volée Flight 180, a.k.a. the exploding plane from the first movie. Fans are forced to watch that terrifying accident all over again — knowing exactly what's about to happen. Alamy One of the most squirm-worthy deaths in the entire franchise is when Olivia (Jacqueline MacInnes Wood) gets strapped to the operating table for laser eye surgery. Of course, beingFinal Destination,the operation goes horribly wrong: The laser becomes super-charged and begins incinerating her eyeball. Scared and disoriented, Olivia trips into a window and falls four stories to her death. Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures One of the wildest opening death scenes yet comes inFinal Destination Bloodlines. Set during the 1960s at a new restaurant and observation tower called the Skyview, protagonist Iris arrives on a date with her boyfriend. Sadly, the date is ruined when the restaurant's glass floor shatters, some 40 stories above the ground. Even worse, a huge fire breaks out and the structure begins to collapse, causing huge sections of the tower to break off. Luckily, Iris has a premonition of the accident and saves everyone — but that causes unintended consequences, as Death begins to come for her descendants. Eric Milner/Warner Bros./courtesy Everett Final Destinationhas a long history of malfunctioning machines, but none of them compare toBloodlines' MRI. One of the characters, Erik (Richard Harmon), works at a tattoo and piercing parlor — so naturally, he has a number of piercings himself. But when all that metal comes into contact with a malfunctioning MRI machine, it doesn't end well for Erik. In fact, it becomes the most gruesome and wild kill of the entire film. Read the original article onPeople

15 Craziest “Final Destination ”Deaths, from the Log Truck Accident to Eye Surgery Gone Wrong

15 Craziest "Final Destination "Deaths, from the Log Truck Accident to Eye Surgery Gone Wrong Eric Milner/Warner Bros Final Destin...
Prince Edward Attends Pope Leo's Inauguration Mass on Behalf of His Brother King CharlesNew Foto - Prince Edward Attends Pope Leo's Inauguration Mass on Behalf of His Brother King Charles

Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Prince Edward represented the British royal family at Pope Leo XIV's inauguration ceremony in Rome The youngest brother of the King was joined at the May 18 event by British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Foreign Secretary David Lammy Prince Edward's attendance comes after Prince William represented his father, King Charles, at Pope Francis' funeral in April Prince Edwardrepresented the British royal family at the inauguration mass ofPope Leo XIV. The youngest brother ofKing Charlestraveled to Vatican City for the May 18 event on behalf of the monarch, where he joined dignitaries at the inauguration mass for the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church andfirst-ever American pontiff. Prince Edward, 61, attended theceremonyalongside British Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Foreign Secretary David Lammy. He was also joined by several world leaders, including Vice PresidentJ.D. Vance, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy, and King Philippe andQueen Mathildeof Belgium. The Duke of Edinburgh — as Prince Edward is titled, taking on his father Prince Philip's former styling — is a working member of the royal family and often takes on duties on behalf of the monarchy. Buckingham Palace confirmed to PEOPLE that Prince Edward is representing King Charles at the inauguration ceremony on May 10. This comes after the King sent a congratulatory message to the newly elected pope as the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church. Associated Press/YouTube Last month, King Charles sent another representative on his behalf to thefuneral of Pope Francis: his eldest son and heir,Prince William. The Prince of Wales, 42, joined foreign dignitaries and religious leaders from around the world, including U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. PresidentDonald Trumpas well as other royals such as Prince Albert of Monaco, King Philippe of Belgium, King Felipe of Spain and more. King Charles, 76, andQueen Camilla, 77,met with Pope Francisduring their state visit to Italy on April 9, just 12 days before he died. After their original plans to meet were canceled amid the late pope's health struggles, they met privately and exchanged gifts. Following the news of the pontiff's death on Easter Monday, the King released an official statement via Buckingham Palace. "My wife and I were most deeply saddened to learn of the death of Pope Francis," the monarch said. "Our heavy hearts have been somewhat eased, however, to know that His Holiness was able to share an Easter Greeting with the Church and the world he served with such devotion throughout his life and ministry." AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino "His Holiness will be remembered for his compassion, his concern for the unity of the Church and for his tireless commitment to the common causes of all people of faith, and to those of goodwill who work for the benefit of others," King Charles continued his tribute. "His belief that care for Creation is an existential expression of faith in God resounded with so many across the world. Through his work and care for both people and planet, he profoundly touched the lives of so many." Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage?Sign up for our free Royals newsletterto get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more! King Charles holds the title of "Defender of the Faith and Supreme Governor of the Church of England," dating back to the reign of King Henry VIII, who famously separated from the Catholic Church in 1534 and made himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. However, he regularly meets with leaders from different faiths. During his time as heir, Charles made a central part of his work to promote tolerance and greater understanding between different faiths and communities. Read the original article onPeople

Prince Edward Attends Pope Leo's Inauguration Mass on Behalf of His Brother King Charles

Prince Edward Attends Pope Leo's Inauguration Mass on Behalf of His Brother King Charles Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Pri...
Resurrection of Dolton: Can Pope Leo XIV bring glory back to his hometown?New Foto - Resurrection of Dolton: Can Pope Leo XIV bring glory back to his hometown?

DOLTON, Il. – They said this village didn't have a prayer. And then Leo came along. Plagued by the tempests of drugs, murder, corruption and other vices of biblical proportion for much of the past five decades, residents in this tiny burg just south of Chicago areseeing a ray of divine hopein their most famous native son,Pope Leo XIV. "This brings back hope. We went from hell-land to holy land because it was a rough several years for our community," Kiana Belcher, a village trustee, told USA TODAY. "Even in the grocery store you can tell it's a different atmosphere. Right now the light is shining bright on Dolton." Pope Leo was born in Chicago but grew up in this tiny hamlet in the 1960s. Back then, it was a modest working-class enclave, known for hard-working people who prospered, then struggled in the Rust Belt. Along with the new landscape came many changes. The community by the 2000s became a symbol of dysfunction. Former "Super Mayor"Tiffany Henyardran the city into over $3.5 million in debt. Meanwhile themurder ratehit about 10 times thenational average. The story of Dolton is not just about Pope Leo, but about how communities in America change - and not always for the better, due to poverty, crime and lack of jobs. "It got so bad I eventually had to move my mom out of here, what with the crime," former Dolton resident Mike Geagan told USA TODAY. Geagan, 66, also served as an altar boy at the St. Mary of the Assumption parish at the same time as Pope Leo. Robert Francis Prevost- Leo's name before the papacy - grew up in a modest ranch house on 141st Place, less than a mile from the Catholic parish where he learned his faith, served as an altar boy and went to school. Leo's parents bought the 1,200-square-foot brick house in 1949 on a$42 monthly mortgage. Dolton has changed tremendously since when the future pope lived thereplaying priest. Leo's late father, Louis, was an educator who led a local school district. His late mother, Mildred, worked as a librarian and was devoted to the family's now-shuttered parish, St. Mary of the Assumption. The area began changing drastically in the 1990s after Leo had moved away and when steel mills and other factories where village residents worked closed. Chicagoans today regard it as an example of the type of malfeasance the city manages to avoid. Residents now hope that Pope Leo's election will bring the village redemption, starting with his old haunts. "This is going to be a landmark," said Geagan of sites where Leo grew up. "People are going to come from all over." A flood of pilgrims and other curious visitors began arriving at the little brick house where Pope Leo grew up within hours of the announcement of his election. The house is located at 212 E. 141st Pl., about a mile south of Chicago. Visitors came so quickly that local officials put out signs warning strangers not to park in front of houses and neighbors complained of sudden traffic. Beatific looks from visitors outside the house left next-door neighbor Donna Sagna "flabbergasted." "A sense of peace," she said incredulously of what they said they felt. "This was a house that was not peaceful at all." Sagna, 50, moved in about eight years ago and said for the first several years Leo's house and others around it were hotbeds of drug dealing and violence. Today several on the block are apparently vacant. Dolton police did not respond to requests for information about the block but Trustee Belcher said the area was considered the rougher part of the village. "That side of town is a little more impoverished," she said. Problems on the block are a microcosm of the entire village. Dolton had a dozen murders in 2023, Cook County Medical Examiner's office. About 20,000 people live in the village, meaning the homicide rate is about 10 times thenational average. According to census data, the average income in the area is under $30,000. About a fifth of the population lives in poverty. Dolton was founded in 1892, according to theEncylopedia of Chicago, and for half a century it remained small with a population of just a few thousand people. Then it went the way of many Rust Belt America towns, experiencing a massive growth in population before hollowing out as nearby factories closed. Dolton's boom came around the same time Leo moved to the area when it nearly quadrupled in size. The village grew from 5,000 people in 1950 – the year after Leo's parents bought the family home – to 19,000 in 1960, according to census data. Chicago and Northwest Indiana formed an industrial hub then with plentiful factory jobs in everything from the steel mills behind the buildings making up the city's iconic skyline to car factories assembling the Fords cruising along Lake Shore Drive. Many factories beganclosing in the 1980sbut Dolton's outlook remained sunny. TheChicago Tribunereported in 1985 that Dolton's stability was "one of its charms" and no "major changes in the community" were expected. The average household income in 1980 was $27,000, or $107,000 in 2025 dollars, the newspaper reported. Dannie Lee, a Chicago native and retired railroad supervisor, moved to the village in 1989, a few years after the Tribune's sunny report. "It was cool for a couple years," said the 77-year-old. Then he began having brushes with neighbors that kept him "on his toes." Issues included drug dealing, attempted break-ins and other potentially volatile interactions. "I didn't know if we were going to have all-out war here or not," said Lee. "It was a rocky road from time to time." Dolton's problems, he said, began as plentiful factory jobs went away. "Most of those types of jobs are gone and some whole neighborhoods were dependent on those jobs," he said. "You can't emphasize that enough." Lee stayed despite bullet holes in his house because he felt his upbringing in Chicago public housing taught him to handle rough neighbors. He wasn't sure things were better elsewhere either as the impact of closing factories hit American small towns. "It's not just Dolton in that situation," said the retired Amtrak railroad supervisor. "Our entire region has similar problems. It's all over the country." Only Dolton has a blessing other towns don't, according to Lee: Pope Leo. "We're hopeful it'll bring some tourism. I admit I'm being greedy but we want Dolton to grow," Lee said. "I'm more optimistic now than I've ever been." People in Dolton are eager to think in terms of before Leo and after Leo. "To see he's from here where I lay my head every night, it makes me feel anything is possible," Sagna said. "God has a plan for all of us." Leo moved away for seminary school in the late '60s but his family held onto the house until 1996, according to Cook County property records. The inside of the house has changed significantly since Leo lived there. Current owner Paweł Radzik renovated the inside, according to photos of the inside shown to USA TODAY by neighbors. He tried selling the house for$219,000but took down the listing after Leo's election. Radzik plans to put the house up for auction on June 18, with a minimum price of $250,000, according to theChicago Tribune. The owner's real estate agentpreviously saidthat he hoped a new owner might turn it into a shrine or a restore it to how it was Leo lived there. Radzik did not respond to requests for comment. Almost everyone agrees they want it to become some sort of landmark. "The miracle on 141st Place," said Trustee Belcher. "It's an honor to have this type of attention. It's the beginning stages so we really don't know what will happen but we know we have a lot of people coming through to visit the town." Dolton officials and the owner of the house are still working out what's next for Pope Leo's old home. But neighbors haven't wasted a moment. Sagna plays Gregorian chant music to set the mood for visitors and often stands outside to chat. Another neighbor Marilyn Awong keeps candles lit on the steps leading up to the house. The eight little flames she said are a reminder that the Dolton resident was elected to the papacy on May 8. Awong, 71, also hopes that the building will become a protected landmark with programming that would provide a boost to her longtime community. In the meantime she's grateful that the pope has gotten her outside and chatting with neighbors. "A lot of times you don't even know who your next-door neighbor is," said Awong, a Trinidad and Tobago native who has lived in the area for over 50 years. "So I'm grateful that as a community we're finally coming together and talking with each other." This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:The blighted town where Pope Leo grew up is hoping for a resurrection

Resurrection of Dolton: Can Pope Leo XIV bring glory back to his hometown?

Resurrection of Dolton: Can Pope Leo XIV bring glory back to his hometown? DOLTON, Il. – They said this village didn't have a prayer. An...
Russia launches largest drone attack against Ukraine since beginning of war, Ukrainian military saysNew Foto - Russia launches largest drone attack against Ukraine since beginning of war, Ukrainian military says

Russia has battered Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the war began, Ukraine's military said Sunday, as Moscow intensified its military assault despite holding direct peace talks with Kyiv Friday. Russia launched 273 Shahed drones in one night, the Ukrainian Air Force said, predominantly targeting the central Kyiv region. A 28-year-old woman was killed, and three others including a four-year-old child were injured, according to Mykola Kalashnik, the governor of the Kyiv region. Ruslan Stefanchuk, the head of Ukraine's parliament, said in a social media post Sunday: "The air raid alarm lasted almost nine hours. This is what Putin's 'sincere desire for peace' looks like." The attack destroyed residential buildings, damaged a high-rise and set garages on fire, Stefanchuk wrote, adding: "This is terror in its purest form." The "massive attack" caused a number of fires, Ukraine's emergency services also said, adding that 55 rescue workers had been deployed. Elsewhere, Russian shelling killed one person and injured eight in the Donetsk region Saturday, according to the head of the Donetsk regional military administration, Vadym Filashkin. Russian drones also targeted the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions, regional military chiefs said. Meanwhile, Russian forces have downed 75 Ukrainian drones in the past 24 hours, TASS, a Russian state news agency, reported Sunday, citing Russia's defense ministry. The latest assault comes after a Russian drone attack on a bus in Ukraine'snortheastern region of Sumykilled at least nine people and injured seven Saturday, just hours after the two countries met for the first direct peace talks since the early weeks of Russia's 2022 invasion. Thenegotiationsin Turkey failed to produce a major breakthrough. The two countries discussed a possible meeting between their presidents, a ceasefire and agreed a prisoner swap. The talks capped days of back-and-forth: Russia's President Vladimir Putin called for the face-to-face meeting but did not attend himself, instead sending a junior delegation after rejecting Ukraine's proposal of a 30-day ceasefire. During the talks, Russia demanded Ukraine cede land that was still under Kyiv's control, a source familiar with Friday's negotiations told CNN, a position Ukraine has long dismissed. The leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland called Russia's stance in the talks "unacceptable." Donald Trump is set to speak with Putin Monday on ending the Ukraine war, the US presidentannouncedSaturday. Trump has previously said he doesn't think there will be a significant breakthrough on peace talks until he speaks with Putin directly. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed Saturday that preparations were underway for a phone conversation between the two leaders. CNN's Victoria Butenko, Nick Paton Walsh and Olesya Dmitracova contributed reporting. For more CNN news and newsletters create an account atCNN.com

Russia launches largest drone attack against Ukraine since beginning of war, Ukrainian military says

Russia launches largest drone attack against Ukraine since beginning of war, Ukrainian military says Russia has battered Ukraine overnight w...

 

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