Use of AI tools in justice system poses serious threat to civil liberties, House of Lords says March 31, 2022 A House of Lords select committee has said the government should set up a national body to regulate use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the UK’s justice system, after warning deployment of such tools poses a serious threat to civil liberties. In a report, the House of Lords committee warned that “without many of us [...]
Russia blocks BBC after fierce Kremlin criticism and RT ban across Europe March 4, 2022 BBC Russia says there have been reports there are problems accessing its website in Russia. German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle reported, in Russian, that the BBC site was not working in Russia. According to a tweet posted by BBC Russian in Russian and translated into English, Meta (formerly known as Facebook) also appears to be [...]
Boris Johnson’s survival will be a test of endurance February 1, 2022 Margaret Thatcher is oft quoted on the green benches of the House of Commons. But it is not often that it is a Labour leader taking the words of the architect of many modern ideals of Conservative politics and using them against a Tory prime minister. In the wake of an “update” from Sue Gray’s [...]
Patel’s Policing bill could undermine trust and ‘exacerbate violence’, insiders warn October 25, 2021 Parts of a controversial Police Bill could undermine trust in forces and “exacerbate” serious violence, a number of former police chiefs have warned this morning. The group of ex-police leaders, senior officers and advisers has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to express their concerns about some of the proposals contained in the Police, Crime, [...]
Liz Truss lays out plan to strengthen west against China and other ‘malign actors’ October 3, 2021 Liz Truss has used her Conservative party conference speech to vow that “Britain’s best days lie ahead” as she plots out a new “network of liberty” to hit back against authoritarian foes. The foreign secretary said she wanted to create a series of new security alliances – similar to the recently signed Australia, UK and [...]
Try fine German wine at fabulous Somerset House September 16, 2021 Eva Fricke’s wines are much sought-after, often going for as much as £3,000 per half-bottle at auction. Her Lorcher Krone Riesling Trockenbeerenauslese 2019 is the first wine to score 100 points from the respected American publication The Wine Advocate. Only eighteen bottles are in existence. Now you can sample some of her wares alongside those [...]
Chinese ambassador to the UK banned from parliament September 14, 2021 Zheng Zeguang, China’s ambassador to the UK, has been barred from British parliament after protests were sparked by MPs and peers still under sanctions by China. Zeguang had been invited by Richard Graham, chairman of the All Party Parliamentary China Group, to attend a Commons reception on Wednesday. But Sir Lindsay Hoyle, speaker of the [...]
Online harms laws pose threat to free speech, Lords committee warns July 22, 2021 The government’s plans to crack down on harmful online content pose a threat to freedom of speech and would be ineffective, peers have warned. In a report published today, the House of Lords communications and digital committee slammed plans to address “legal but harmful” material, saying the issue should instead be addressed through tougher law [...]
The Analyst: What could the future hold for Channel 4? July 10, 2021 Ian Whittaker has been a City analyst for more than two decades, and what he doesn’t know about media, advertising and the creative services industry isn’t worth knowing. Here’s his second monthly column for City A.M. The UK Government recently announced a consultation on the future of state-owned Channel 4. Theoretically all options remain but [...]
Biden to sign executive order cracking down on Big Tech July 9, 2021 US President Joe Biden will today sign an executive order aimed at clamping down on anti-competitive behaviour in Big Tech and across a host of other sectors. In a sweeping set of reforms, the president will call on more than a dozen agencies to undertake 72 initiatives aimed at promoting competition across the US economy. [...]