Artificial intelligence is accelerating a global economic revolution that began back in the 1970s. Researching the impacts of AI on different sectors of society highlights an important parallel moment in history: the creation of the “service economy” in the US.

In 1972, amid a period of global turmoil, a group of OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) economists sought to reinvent how nations thought not only about wealth but the very purpose of society. They did this by proposing a broad new category of commerce: services.

It seems hard to imagine now, but until then economists had perceived and measured trade largely in terms of goods alone. Money was made by exchanging tangible, physical products (wheat, guns, butter). To become a rich nation, the wisdom went, you needed to add unique value to your raw materials (crops, iron) by turning them into more complex products (processed foods, steel) that gave you a competitive advantage over other countries.

Instead, this new category of services lumped together a diverse range of “intangible” jobs and social goods – from teaching and driving trains to social housing and water – in a huge new economic basket. It suggested there could be common standards by which to trade in them globally, creating metrics that offered a new source of wealth for investors.

While it would be two decades until the General Agreement on Trade in Services became a cornerstone of the newly formed World Trade Organization in 1995, the reimagining of jobs and social goods as tradeable services had an immediate effect on nations around the world. It spurred a new wave of private enterprise, and changed how and why essential societal activities were provided.

It also enabled the rise of the generalist boss and the creation of the “CEO class”. To run complex sectors from public transport to healthcare required accepting a view of management as a skill divorced from the specifics of the activity being managed.

Statistics and benchmarks became more important than the particulars of the task at hand, since they determined how services were valued in the market. Consulting firms supercharged this new era of key performance indicators, audits, rankings and standardised workflows.

While trade unions and the public sometimes resisted these changes through strikes and street protests, they were largely unable to stem the tide. Many governments came to see their role less as providers of public goods, more as managers of services outsourced to the private sector. This dramatic shift in how global trade operates set the scene for how we view and measure AI today.

Services on steroids

At its core, AI technology is about seeing patterns across data that, due to scale and complexity, we humans cannot. Acting on what AI tells us can, for example, save lives through early detection of cancer. Yet within that promise, how AI is sold today looks very much like services on steroids.

The services revolution helped create common standards and means of valuation across different sectors of society. Today, when politicians and CEOs speak of AI, it is usually in terms of universal models that can be applied to almost anything, regardless of context or human values.

This understanding is only possible in a society in which many of the sector-specific challenges of, say, health services and utility companies are ironed out and glossed over by those operating and investing in them. The services approach has enabled this.

Today’s gobsmackingly high share valuations in AI-centric businesses result from global marketeers’ desire to own a piece of whichever system dominates how we create society – from accessing healthcare to finding love.

Amid strategies of mass data capture and subscription services, there is the assumption that only the private sector can be a provider – and that the solutions are largely the same. AI is the lucrative but badly defined tool with which mainly US providers are seeking to drive home their existing competitive advantage.

But this leaves us with an important question from history.

Who benefits?

Looking for parallels between what we see as AI today and the creation of the services economy points to the classic question, cui bono? Who benefits?

The invention of trade-in-services greatly expanded the range of activities in which financiers might speculate. Through pension funds and private shareholding, many people’s personal wealth grew rapidly as a result.

But it has also led to the rise of large multinational corporations, for example in energy and water utilities. Anger over rising prices and exorbitant CEO bonuses in these sectors are in part a consequence of the services revolution.

The present approach to AI is following a similar, but much-accelerated, path. The rollout of AI has not only made a small group of companies extraordinarily rich and powerful, it has created a global sovereignty crisis.

At the same time as governments are extolling the virtues of AI for service delivery, there is growing awareness that not all countries have equal control over a technology seen as critical to how society will be run.

To use and regulate AI wisely requires being clear-eyed about whether we are talking simply about technology, or a broader political project. Given the evidence of the services revolution, we believe it is time to look beyond the hype and examine more rigorously what AI actually means for different sectors of society – and what exactly it is trying to achieve.

With many people looking for medicines in supermarkets, the Money Saving Expert has shared a way to pay less and save money.

Martin Lewis has shared a handy way shoppers can pay less for medication when shopping at a pharmacy or supermarket. With prices of medicines rising over the years, the money saving expert has revealed a ‘hidden’ code that Brits need to look out for.

With many medicines claiming to do the same thing, it can be hard for shoppers to choose which tablets will work best for them. And with branded items receiving more advertisement, quite a few of us choose them over cheaper alternatives.

However, the MoneySavingExpert website has revealed that people could be paying half the price if they checked the ingredients rather than the brand name. The website advises: “It’s important to realise you can often save big by buying an identical pill, just in different packaging. Some tablets are half the price of their doppelgangers.”

In order to make sure you aren’t overspending on your non-prescription medication, which is usually sourced for cold, flu, allergies or pain relief, shoppers are advised to look out for a nine-digit identification code on the packaging, reports the Express.

The money saving tool’s guidance states: “How to spot which tablets are identical. Check the ‘PL number’ on the packet. It’s a unique licence number given to a particular drug made by a particular manufacturer.”

This ‘hidden’ code is usually found under the distributor’s information on the back or side of medicine packets. Martin Lewis also highlighted the nine-digit code in a variety of TV shows.

In a previous appearance on This Morning, he shared that branded doesn’t always guarantee that you are getting the best. He explained: “If they have an identical PL code, which is on the back of the packet, they are the same tablet.

“Not the same active ingredient—the same tablet. “Big pharmaceutical companies spend millions of pounds promoting this, ‘Go with the name you know.’ And that’s just baloney in most cases.”

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To prove his point he compared a £1.85 product with a branded £4.99 medicine, both of which had the same PL code. He added: “This happens all over the place”.

Many people on social media were blown away by this money saving tip, with the clip racking up over 2,000 likes when it was uploaded on Facebook.

Thousands of people also flooded the comments section, with one person who worked in a pharmacy explaining that most shoppers wouldn’t listen when they gave this advice.

They wrote: “I work in a well-known pharmacy. We tell people of the price difference in pain meds and hay fever stuff mostly, and it’s amazing how many people dare not buy the cheaper own-brand stuff. It can make about £12 difference in some cases. Branding really works.”

With another person adding: “I worked in a pharmacy for years trying to get people to buy the store’s own cheaper brand, but most customers would say only the branded medicines worked!!”

A third also shared that they have not taken on Lewis’ advice, writing: “Used to buy expensive hayfever tablets for my daughter. Now buy Wilkinson’s own, same PL code and only 89p a box.”

This was followed by another social media user adding: “I’m always baffled when people buy expensive branded paracetamol or ibuprofen. let’s hope more people take heed of this video and start buying medicines more sensibly.”

As of Wednesday, visitors to Britain will need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), which is form of digital permission to travel, first introduced in October 2023.

They cost £16 and permit multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months over two years or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner.

Those without an ETA will not be able to board their flight, ferry or train.

UK visitors urged to be ‘travel-ready’ following ETA introduction

Enforcement of this new border system for visitors to the country is “vital”, a minister has said.

ETAs aim to “strengthen the UK’s border security,” according to Home Office minister Mike Tapp.

Mr Tapp is now urging anyone planning a trip to the UK to “ensure they are travel-ready”.

He commented: “The ETA scheme is a vital part of our work to strengthen the UK’s border security, helping to deliver a more efficient and modern service that works for both visitors and the British public.

“I’d urge anyone wanting to travel to the UK to ensure they are travel-ready and have the right permission, to make their journey much smoother.”

What is an ETA?

An electronic travel authorisation lets you travel to the UK for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons for up to six months, GOV.UK explains.

Most visitors travelling to the UK need an ETA or a visa, but what exactly you need depends on your nationality and why you’re coming to the country.

GOV.UK shares you usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you’re from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries.

Find out if you need one, or need to apply for one via the GOV.UK website.

Who is exempt from an ETA when travelling to the UK?

British and Irish citizens, including dual nationals, are exempt from the ETA requirement.

But due to the introduction of the border system, dual British citizens will now need a valid British passport to travel to the UK.

Ukrainians can now extend their stay in the UK by applying up to 90 days before their permission expires – triple the current window.

The Ukraine Permission Extension Scheme is being expanded by two years, giving Ukrainians in the UK ongoing sanctuary from Russia’s illegal war. pic.twitter.com/MhgSF8ZL87

— Home Office (@ukhomeoffice) February 24, 2026

Alternatively, they can pay £589 for a certificate of entitlement, which can be applied for on the GOV.UK website to prove they have right of abode in the UK.

Some dual nationals have said enforcement of ETAs is being brought in at short notice and was poorly communicated.

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There are fears that holidays or work trips could be affected if people cannot get a passport or certificate of entitlement in time.

The Home Office previously said public information advising dual nationals to carry the correct documentation has been available since October 2024, and a “substantive communications campaign” has been running since 2023.

Are you a dual national? Let us know how you have been affected in the comments below.

A second-grade basketball game in Pennsylvania erupted into a postgame brawl and arrests after an argument between an assistant coach and her father and members of the opposing team escalated.

Brittany Ortiz, 38, of Malvern, and her father, William Stanley, 70, of Paoli, face multiple charges, including assault on a sports official, stemming from the alleged February 1 incident at Holy Child School in Rosemont, according to Lower Merion police.

The alleged altercation left the opposing coach, his wife and the coach’s 3-year-old daughter injured, the victims told authorities.

The dispute allegedly started when Ortiz began shouting and cursing during the game, which involved 7- and 8-year-old players in the Malvern Basketball League, which is not associated with the Catholic school. This sparked a verbal argument with the opposing team’s assistant coach.

Stanley joined his daughter in arguing with the opposing head coach, according to the affidavit of probable cause, NBC 10 Philadelphia reports.

After the game, Ortiz continued her argument with the opposing coach and his wife in the gym hallway. Witnesses told police that she grabbed the coach’s wife by the hair and slammed her to the ground, causing her head to strike the floor. This resulted in a concussion, a scalp contusion and clumps of hair being pulled out, according to the criminal complaint reviewed by the outlet.

As the opposing coach attempted to intervene, Stanley allegedly struck him in the head, while Ortiz kicked him in the inner thigh and attempted to kick him in the groin, according to the report. The coach was holding his 3-year-old daughter during the attack, who became hysterical, urinated on herself and got a bruise on her leg.

The opposing coach sustained bruising to his inner thigh.

Ortiz was charged with assault on a sports official, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, disorderly conduct and harassment. Her unsecured bail was set at $10,000, with a preliminary hearing set for March 5. Her attorney told NBC10 that he plans to review the evidence and will “vigorously defend” her.

Stanley later turned himself in to authorities, NBC10 reported. His attorney, Nathan J. Schadler, told the outlet that Stanley maintains his innocence and was taken to the hospital with broken bones and a head injury.

“We will be doing our own investigation and speaking to people who were there,” Schadler said. “My client asserts his innocence, and it was my client’s family who called 911 and asked the police to show up in this matter.”

The Independent has contacted Schadler and the Malvern League for comment.

Draper said he was “really proud” to make a winning return to the tour following “a lot of down moments [during] the last eight months”.

Seeking to build on the victory over the 68th-ranked Halys, Draper made an assured start on serve as he lost just two points across his opening four games.

But he crucially failed to take his first two break points in the 11th game, before Rinderknech seized his opportunity to clinch the opening set in the following game.

Draper was the first to come under pressure in the second set as he withstood three break points to restore parity at 3-3 but, from the brink of trailing by a set and a break, he reset impressively.

The Briton lost just one point over his next three service games and would not relinquish control of the tie-break after winning four of the first five points.

However, it was Rinderknech who forced the breakthrough in the deciding set – with that proving enough to secure a quarter-final meeting with Russian fifth seed Andrey Rublev.

Heartbreaking tributes are being paid to Daniel Cullen and Caoimhin Porter, both aged 18, who lost their lives in a crash in Donegal last night.

The two teenagers who were killed in a road traffic collision in St Johnston, Co Donegal on Tuesday night have been named locally.

Daniel Cullen and Caoimhin Porter, who were both 18 and from the Shantallow area of Derry, lost their lives after the car in which they were travelling collided with a lorry.

A third man, an 18-year-old driver of the car, suffered serious injuries and has been transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.

The three men were returning home to Derry having gone to Asda in Strabane when the tragedy occurred at around 11.15pm on the R236 road. The Vauxhall Corsa collided with a Volvo FH 500 lorry towing a cattle trailer on the main Lifford-Derry road.

Local curarte Fr Damien Nejad attended the scene at around 1am and administered the Last Rites to one of the young men at the scene.

“It was very, very sad,” Fr Nejad said. “I said a prayer over the body of a young man. There is just shock in the area. It is shocking that this could happen here.”

Already dark clouds in the small village of St Johnston felt blacker on Wednesday morning as news broke of the death of the two young men. One of the young men was pronounced deceased at the scene, while the other died a short time later at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry.

Derry-based cleric Fr Michael Canny met with the bereaved families on Wednesday. “Their family and their friends are in total shock,” he said. “This is a close knit community that sticks together, but nevertheless their lives are now going to be changed forever. We also pray for the young man in hospital.”

“Our thoughts and the thoughts of most of the people in the city are with the families who are totally devastated to have received this news last night.”

The Shantallow Community Centre opened its Youth Wing to offer support. Grief counsellors were also on site for assistance. A spokesperson said: “Our thoughts and deepest condolences are with their families and everyone who loves them.”

The collision occurred close to the Presbyterian Church and the manse house, at a known blackspot for collisions. Local Presbyterian Minister Rev Craig Wilson said: “It’s terrible. We have families devastated and the loss of two teenage lives is desperate. We heard the sirens going on Tuesday night.”

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The road was closed for a technical examination by Garda Forensic Collision Investigators, who arrived at around 10.30am on Wednesday. Local diversions were put in place and a dark cloud hung over the village.

Donegal County Councillor Gary Doherty said the incident was “an absolutely devastating tragedy”.

“Our thoughts, first and foremost, are to the family and friends of the young lads who have lost their lives and also to the other young lad who is in hospital,” the Sinn Féin representative told Donegal Live.

“The entire community in St Johnston and across east Donegal is in complete shock. This was a quiet Tuesday night and people woke up to go to work not thinking that something like this would come to their own doorstep.

“The fact that we are talking about two teenagers losing their lives, the fact that they are so young, makes it even more profound.”

Councillor Doherty said that St Johnston is a “very close knit community” and the tragedy left a dark cloud over the village.

“East Donegal is intertwined with our neighbours in Derry and Tyrone given the proximity and people will know someone connected,” he said. “There are members of our community who know the leds and the sense of shock is just devastating.”

Foyle MP Colum Eastwood said this was a “profound tragedy”. He said: “Today and the days ahead will be unimaginably difficult. But I know that people in Derry and Donegal will offer them every possible support to get through this.”

The Donegal Coroner, Dr Denis McCauley, was notified and post mortem examinations will take place in due course.

Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward. A spokesperson said: “Road users who may have camera footage (including dash-cam) and were travelling in the area between 10.45pm and 11.45pm on Tuesday 24th February 2026 are asked to make this footage available to investigating Gardaí.

“Anyone with information is asked to contact Letterkenny Garda Station on (074) 9167100, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.”

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The JD Sports Bar will open on Friday, March 6, and aims to become the go-to spot for live sport, games, and socialising with friends in the town.

The bar is kitted out with five new pool tables, two snooker tables, and three virtual darts lanes.

JD Sports Bar say they will also have Sky Sports and TNT Sports. (Image: JD Sports Bar)

In a Facebook post the Northumberland Street bar said: “Welcome to the new home of game nights.

“We have five brand new pool tables, two brand new snooker tables, three brand new virtual darts lanes, custom seating design, the list goes on!!”

The post also mentions eight “massive”  built-in media wall screens.

The bar is kitted out with entertainment options including five new pool tables. (Image: JD Sports Bar)

They also promoted ice-cold beers, next-level cocktails, good music and good vibes, adding that this isn’t just another bar opening, this is a sports bar when you can have fun with your friends whilst enjoying drinks.

The bar will open at 12pm and show sport on Sky and TNT.

The news has been met with excitement from people in the community. (Image: JD Sports Bar)

The news has been met with excitement from people in the community, with social media users quick to share their support.

One Facebook user said: “Looks absolutely mint, it’s definitely something needed for Horden.”

Another wrote: “Looks amazing, absolutely unrecognisable.”

Their social media page describes it as “the best place to catch every game. Whether you are here for the action or the rivalries, or just good times with friends – we’ve got you covered.”

On test, the quality shone through. The Dryrobe Advance is reliably waterproof, windproof and lined with a cosy synthetic ‘lambswool’ material that provides instant warmth and comfort when you get out of winter water and feel the cold bite.

This robe is roomy enough to get changed under in chilly, windy conditions too, but is on the bulky side, so I’d size down if you’d like to wear it as a coat.

There are plenty of pockets, plus a waterproof hood. The waterproof outer material is a tough nylon that feels made to last and doesn’t let an inch of rain or a breath of wind through. This robe ticks the sustainability box too, using recycled materials throughout as well as ECO Durable Water-Repellent (DWR), which is a plant-based coating that delivers weather resistance without harmful chemicals.

Read our full Dryrobe Advance Long Sleeve Robe review.

If you’re more of a dog-walking or city street-donning Dryrobe wearer, the brand has just launched the brand new Nexus. It’s more waterproof (30,000mm) and more breathable than the Advance (and consequently more expensive), but it is also more tailored, making it more of a hybrid between a winter coat and a changing robe.

On first test, after a cold plunge bath outside on a chilly 3C morning, it performed excellently, keeping me snug and warm. We will publish a full review after further testing.

Key specifications

• Waterproof level: 25,000mm
• Outer material: Recycled nylon
• Lining: Recycled polyester
• Colours available: 16

2. Best Value Changing Robe: Passenger Escapism Recycled Robe

The Hawking family have defended the late physicist after a photograph from the Epstein files

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The family of the late British astrophysicist Professor Stephen Hawking have responded to ‘insinuations of inappropriate conduct’ following the emergence of a photograph from the Epstein files showing him alongside two women in bikinis.

A spokesperson for the Hawking Family told the Mirror: “Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century whilst at the same time being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition which left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair and round-the-clock medical care.

“Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”

The two women pictured with Professor Hawking in the photograph are understood to have been his long-standing carers, with the image now confirmed to have been captured at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in the US Virgin Islands in 2006, where Professor Hawking delivered a lecture on quantum cosmology.

Professor Hawking was amongst 21 distinguished scientists who participated in a conference organised by Epstein on his Little St James island and the neighbouring St Thomas in 2006, reports the Mirror.

Prior to the summit, Professor Hawking appeared in two photographs – one depicting him at a barbecue with several other attendees, and another showing him being given a tour of the island’s seabed from within a submarine. Epstein had reportedly adapted the underwater vessel to accommodate Hawking, who was wheelchair-bound due to his motor neurone disease.

There are no known photographs of Professor Hawking and Epstein together.

The esteemed Cambridge professor is mentioned at least 250 times in the multitude of emails and documents released by the US Department of Justice as part of their investigation into Jeffrey Epstein. However, being referenced in these files does not imply any wrongdoing, and Professor Hawking has never been accused of any criminal activity.

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In a poorly composed 2015 email sent by Epstein to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, the financier proposed a monetary reward for anyone close to Virginia Giuffre who could help refute an allegation that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy” in the Virgin Islands.

Epstein wrote: “You can issue a reward to any of virginias friends acquaionts [sic] family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false. The strongest is the clinton dinner, and the new version in the virgin isalnds that stven hawking particpated in an underage orgy.”

Ms Giuffre did not publicly accuse Professor Hawking of such actions before her death last year, and Epstein’s email is the sole recorded mention of such a claim.

An unverified tip received by FBI officials in 2019 and subsequently released by the US Department of Justice suggested that Epstein and Hawking attended an “all-male” club together in 2011.

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby and her son Robert Jr shared an emotional conversation on the programme before he died at the age of 23

Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Mary Cosby had a heartbreaking conversation with son Robert Jr on screen prior to his death. Her son was confirmed to have died aged just 23 after police attended his Utah property.

Years earlier, Mary opened up on her difficulties with her son as the pair sat down to confront his drug addiction. In 2024, the reality TV star and her son had a rare moment as cameras rolled.

Mary opened up to Robert about her concerns and told him she had noticed changes in his behaviour. Speaking in a confessional on the show, Mary said: “Robert was like, the perfect child.

READ MORE: Martin Short ‘inconsolable’ as A-list pals support him amid daughter’s suicideREAD MORE: Katie Price shows off new face after booking in for ‘full treatment plan’ in Dubai

“He was very good in school. He got straight A’s all the way up until he graduated. When he set his mind to do something, he did it. He was like our prize, very smart, very advanced. That’s the Robert I know, and that’s the Robert I’m trying to reach.”

The cameras then showed her entering her son’s room. Telling him she had be honest, she told her son: “You’ve gotta be real. You’ve gotta talk to me.” He confided in his mum the he had taken Xanax and had been awake all night.

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She then asked him: “So were you just gonna sleep through the day? Just sleep your whole day away?”But he said he “just took half to just chill me out”. “And then I took an Adderall to balance out the Xanax,” he admitted.

Mary looked tearful as she asked her son if he thought he had a problem and quizzed him on whether he was unhappy. He told her: “Sometimes, I feel like, I don’t know, just life is like this chicken without seasoning. But when I get high, it’s like seasoning.”

He began to open up to his mum, saying he first took Xanax when he was 16. He admitted a friend gave him it at a party.

Robert went on: “Then I was like, ‘I like this’. I started buying it. Then I started doing Xanax with acid, and then Molly with Xanax, because I really like Xanax, so I mixed it with everything, Xanax and cocaine.”

“You know, the regular 30-milligram Oxys I noticed, like, this is a turning point for me. I was taking 10 at once, and I couldn’t even feel it. I couldn’t feel it at all.”

Mary pleaded with her son to let her help him before she got upset as she told cameras she felt like she had let her son down. “I’m very aware,” she said. “And I do know that Robert did smoke weed.

“I do know he would eat edibles, but yet I just trusted him in my mind, thinking that’s where he would stop. And I was clearly wrong. I mean, clearly wrong. I missed the mark.”

And in a haunting comment after telling her son he was wasting each day by getting high, Mary said: “You will die.” Robert’s words then hurt Mary as he said: “I wanted to die at the time.”

“You know how that would kill me?” Mary then said before her son admitted she was the only reason he hadn’t killed himself.

Crying, Mary then told her son: “You have to know I love you more than anything. More than anything in this world. I think I love you more than dad, like, don’t ever tell dad I said that, but you’re my friend, you’re my son, you’re my gift. God gave you to me. You’re the only thing that ever made me happy. Before I had you, I was never happy. You came and you were so real. It was everything I hoped for in a person.”

As Robert was also seen tearful, Mary pleaded with her son to change before he told her he loved her. On Wednesday, the reality TV star told TMZ: “Our beloved son Robert Jr. has been called home to the Lord. Though our hearts ache, we take comfort in God’s promise and in knowing he is finally at peace. We are grateful for your prayers and trust in the Lord to carry us through this time of sorrow.”

*Frank offers confidential advice about drugs and addiction (email frank@talktofrank.com, message 82111 or call 0300 123 6600) or the NHS has information about getting help.

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