Connect with us

NewsBeat

RICHARD LITTLEJOHN: AI kill off humanity? Dealing with chatbots has made me lose the will to live

Published

on

Any delusions Burnham may nurture about forging a worldwide set of rules to control the spread of AI are dead in the water without US support

Andy Burnham told the United Nations this week that Britain was going to lead the world in tackling rogue Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Good luck with that, councillor. We’re also ‘leading the world’ by rushing headlong to Net Zero, but the rest of the world isn’t in the slightest bit interested in following our determination to commit economic hara–kiri.

Donald Trump has already said he will ignore any attempts to introduce global restraints on AI, which he calls ‘Super Intelligence’. ‘We’re going to encourage it, not rein it in,’ the President told the UN.

So any delusions Burnham may nurture about forging a worldwide set of rules to control the spread of AI are dead in the water without US support – just like the Chagos Islands surrender.

Advertisement

That’s not to say the technology doesn’t pose a clear and present threat, and not just to millions of jobs. Only this week, it was revealed that a rogue AI agent (whatever that is) had hacked into an Australian government website and accessed confidential medical data.

Few of us even understand what AI actually is, or how it works. But among those who do, there are predictions that the intellectual capacity of these robots (programs?) will soon surpass that of humans.

One of the more lurid scare stories comes from a former researcher at a company called Anthropic who claims that there is a ten per cent chance AI ‘could kill all humans’ within the next decade.

Advertisement

Any delusions Burnham may nurture about forging a worldwide set of rules to control the spread of AI are dead in the water without US support

Donald Trump has already said he will ignore any attempts to introduce global restraints on AI, which he calls 'Super Intelligence'

Donald Trump has already said he will ignore any attempts to introduce global restraints on AI, which he calls ‘Super Intelligence’

How does Andy Pandy propose to stop that happening? He can’t even stop the flotilla of rubber dinghies dumping thousands of illegal immigrants on our shores day in, day out.

If the PM wants to tackle the spread of AI, he might start closer to home. For instance, by passing a law that every company that does business in Britain has to employ human beings to answer the phone and deal with customer complaints.

Advertisement

It was bad enough when you rang your bank, or some other big corporation, your call was diverted to India or Malaysia and you were forced to explain yourself to someone with English as a second language.

These days it’s all AI–powered, voice–activated software, or one of those infuriating online chatbots.

For instance, this week I’ve been locked in combat with Amazon’s ‘customer service’ system. Here’s the shorthand version: I’d bought a couple of Apple TV gizmos. When my tech guy Will came to fit them they turned out to be incompatible with my existing equipment.

I packed them back in the box they came in and returned them registered mail.

Advertisement

Amazon duly issued a refund for one, but not the other.

So I went to the website and clicked the ‘request a callback’ option. The callback came quickly, but that’s when the nightmare began.

Andy Burnham told the United Nations this week that Britain was going to lead the world in tackling rogue Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Andy Burnham told the United Nations this week that Britain was going to lead the world in tackling rogue Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Join the discussion

Advertisement

Is replacing human customer service with AI making life better or just driving us all crazy?

It wasn’t a living, breathing person, it was an electronic version of one of those old I Speak Your Weight Machines. How could it help?

Refund.

It located the order, but insisted I’d received the refund. No, I told it, I’ve only received a refund for one item. This did not compute. Case closed. Have a nice day.

Advertisement

AAAArrrgggh!

Getting nowhere, and with trepidation, I tried the chatbot. How could it help me?

Refund.

Again, it located the order and told me I’d already received the refund. When I typed in that I’d only received one, not two, it offered a couple of options, both of which took me back to the beginning.

Advertisement

I realised I was dealing with the AI incarnation of Little Britain’s ‘Computer Says No’ sketch, only with David Walliams’s unhelpful assistant Carol now replaced by an algorithm.

In desperation, I typed into Google ‘how to speak to a human at Amazon’. It gave me instructions on how to navigate the website and click on ‘speak to associate’. A phone number would then be forthcoming. Turned out the advice was out of date and the ‘speak to associate’ option had been withdrawn.

Back at Google, I tried again and – eureka! – the new ubiquitous AI assistant at the top of the page came up with what looked like a real–life Greater London phone number. Now we’re getting somewhere. So I called it and –you know where I’m going with this, don’t you? – was put through to the same I Speak Your Weight Machine which had called me in the first place. I’d been plunged straight back into the original Doom Loop and Amazon still owed me the thick end of 200 quid.

This is a typical, everyday frustrating experience for millions who have to deal with corporations and Government departments, only to be put on hold interminably while being told: ‘We are experiencing high volumes of calls. Please hold, your call is important to us.

Advertisement

No, it isn’t.

All our assistants are dealing with other customers.

No, they’re not, they’re working from home, watching Bargain Hunt and eating Hobnobs.

You are being held in a queue. Did you know you could also visit our website at www…

Advertisement

I’ve just done that, which is why I’m ringing you…’

After half an hour, you give up. Or, if you are lucky enough to get through, these days you won’t find yourself talking to ‘Barry’ in Bangalore, you’ll come up against an AI–powered Metal Mickey, who won’t be able to help, either.

AI is no longer confined to the big boys. Last week, I rang my alarm company. ‘Good afternoon, this is Charlie speaking, how can I get you to the right team to help you today?’

Having replied: ‘Oh, hello Charlie, my name’s…’ I realised I wasn’t talking to a person, I was talking to a robot.

Advertisement

A friend of mine called the White Horse pub, near Guildford, Surrey, to book a table for lunch. After the usual ‘this call is recorded for training purposes, etc’ he was redirected to ‘Charlie’, who turned out to be another robot voice. The White Horse is a boozer, for heaven’s sake, not NASA. Surely they could ask one of the barmaids to answer the phone.

(The pub’s ‘Charlie’ was female, and the ‘Charlie’ at my alarm company was male. Are all AI–bots called Charlie?)

AI is spreading like Japanese knotweed, from giant corporations to provincial alarm companies and even Surrey pubs. Councillor Burnham’s kidding himself if he thinks he can lead the world in turning back the tide.

As for the doomsday warning that in ten years it could start killing all humans, that might well turn out to be a blessing in disguise.

Advertisement

After my dealings with Amazon’s AI–powered customer service this week, I lost the will to live.

Surkeir may have been Labour leader for six years and Prime Minister for two, but it seems he rose and vanished almost without trace. 

On the BBC’s Pointless this week, contestants were asked to name the man who succeeded Rishi Sunak as PM. They were even given the initials ‘K.S.’ as a clue. Out of 100 people questioned, 69 had never heard of him.

Which only goes to prove that however important politicians think they are, most people think they’re pointless.

Advertisement

With the military run down to its lowest level since the Napoleonic Wars and defence spending unlikely to reach a paltry three per cent any time soon, the Government now plans to spend £7.8billion on a Space Force.

Beam Me Up, Scotty.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading
Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

NewsBeat

Sky TV confirms big upgrade with UK homes getting more things to watch

Published

on

Daily Mirror

Sky is back with a blockbuster boost for Sky Q, Glass and Stream boxes.

Anyone bored with the current crop of channels might want to check out Sky’s latest update. The telly provider has just announced the launch of a new platform now available on its popular devices that opens up a vast library of bonus things to watch. The blockbuster update is thanks to the launch of the JioHotstar service on Sky.

Advertisement

The premium streaming platform already boasts around 500 million active users worldwide.

Those who sign up get instant access to 160,000 hours of content across over 12 Asian languages.

Its huge catalogue includes popular Hotstar Specials and original series such as Asur, Special Ops, Criminal Justice, Pritam & Pedro, Chiraiya and HeartBeat.

There are also blockbuster movies and hit shows, including Bigg Boss, Anupama and Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai, giving Sky customers even more to watch without needing to switch between devices.

Advertisement

And you don’t need one of Sky’s newest gadgets to get access. JioHotstar is available on the latest Sky streaming devices, including Sky Glass, but owners of older Sky Q boxes can also find it directly from the home screen.

Sky has confirmed that customers can sign up for JioHotstar through the dedicated app, making it easy to start watching without leaving the Sky platform.

Designed to make discovering entertainment as seamless as watching it, the platform combines an intuitive, modern interface with ultra-personalised recommendation engines

There are two subscription options in the UK, with JioHotstar costing £19.99 for three months or £69.99 for a full year.

Advertisement

Amit Malhotra, Head of International Business at JioStar, said the UK launch aims to make South Asian entertainment “more accessible, immersive and relevant” to audiences in Britain.

“For decades, South Asian storytelling has been a cultural bridge between the UK and the communities that call it home,” Malhotra said.

“Our ambition is not just to take content across borders, but to reimagine how audiences discover, experience and engage with it. We are creating a destination that makes South Asian storytelling more accessible, immersive and relevant for audiences in the UK, while bringing the scale and innovation we have built in India to a global audience.”

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Cotswolds home to UK’s first air taxi assembly centre

Published

on

A Valo aircraft on the ground. It is silver and it has large propellers on each of its wings.

Futuristic air taxis that take off like helicopters will be built at a new facility that is the first of its kind in the UK.

Bristol-based company Vertical Aerospace has announced a new aircraft assembly centre at Cotswold Airport, near Kemble in Gloucestershire, describing it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity”.

The Valo aircraft currently being developed and tested there are electric, carry four passengers and can fly up to 160km (100 miles) with no operating emissions, the firm said.

Minister for Reindustrialisation Blair McDougall said the new facility would “help turn British innovation into British manufacturing”.

Advertisement

The new centre adds 60,000sq ft (5,574sq m) of space to Vertical’s existing flight test centre at Cotswold Airport.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

This is a national emergency – but all Burnham does is dither and waffle: NIGEL FARAGE

Published

on

Ours is an island nation with one of the most sophisticated, best-funded border forces in the world, writes Nigel Farage. Yet boats continue to arrive without the authorities even knowing about it.

More than 1,200 illegal migrants have crossed the Channel since Monday.

Let that extraordinary figure sink in. In the space of a few short days, more than a thousand people have illegally landed on our shores, many of them undetected until they reached British beaches.

Ours is an island nation with one of the most sophisticated, best-funded border forces in the world. Yet boats continue to arrive without the authorities even knowing about it.

It is utterly insane.

Advertisement

And if it wasn’t clear before, the events of the past few days have proved beyond any reasonable doubt that both Border Force and the Home Office have completely lost control.

Make no mistake, this is now a national emergency. And it’s about time Andy Burnham declared it as such.

The Government’s response to this developing crisis has been nothing short of pathetic.

Advertisement

Ours is an island nation with one of the most sophisticated, best-funded border forces in the world, writes Nigel Farage. Yet boats continue to arrive without the authorities even knowing about it.

In the space of a few short days, more than a thousand people have illegally landed on our shores, many of them undetected until they reached British beaches.

In the space of a few short days, more than a thousand people have illegally landed on our shores, many of them undetected until they reached British beaches.

Yesterday, Burnham’s deputy Lucy Powell weakly admitted to the BBC: ‘We can’t stop everything.’ Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has demanded an ‘urgent review’ – as if that will make a difference.

Years ago, I warned the small-boats crisis would define this era of British politics. Predictably, the chin-stroking commentariat declared I was exaggerating. Well, look where we are now.

Advertisement

On a political level, the cost to this country of this weekly invasion has been devastating. Public trust in politicians is at an all-time low, and why wouldn’t it be? Ordinary Britons rightly ask if successive governments cannot stop people from arriving illegally in broad daylight, let alone under cover of darkness without detection, then what exactly is the point of having a border?

As for the financial impact, it’s been eye-watering. Billions are poured into accommodation, handouts and into a legal system overloaded with appeals.

Each arrival is estimated to have a lifetime net-fiscal cost of £350,000. That means Wednesday’s invasion alone – some 781 arrivals – will cost the British state £273million. I’m sorry, but this cannot go on.

Andy Burnham’s response since entering office has been yet more of the same. More money for France that never seems to deliver results. More rhetoric about ‘working with European partners’. More dithering while the boats keep coming.

Advertisement

His predecessor Sir Keir Starmer spouted similar nonsense. Fat lot of good it did us. It is a case, quite literally, of that old cliche: ‘Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.’

Make no mistake, this is now a national emergency. And it¿s about time Andy Burnham declared it as such.

Make no mistake, this is now a national emergency. And it’s about time Andy Burnham declared it as such.

Returning every illegal entrant to France is not only our right as a sovereign nation. It is necessary.

Returning every illegal entrant to France is not only our right as a sovereign nation. It is necessary.

Reform UK has a different plan, and it is the only one that matches the scale of the problem.

Advertisement

We will put the Royal Navy in the Channel: not as a taxi service, like the French do, but as a deterrent and an enforcement tool. Every illegal arrival will be returned to France: no ifs, no buts. Nor will there be any endless legal wrangling in the British courts while the hotels fill up.

This is not complicated. Other countries do it. Australia stopped the boats by turning them back. Denmark has taken a hard line and seen numbers fall. Britain can do the same if it has the political will.

The human-rights industry will howl. Of course they will. The usual suspects in the media will call it ‘unworkable’. I say let them. The British people are sick of being lectured by people who do not live with the consequences of their own decisions.

Returning every illegal entrant to France is not only our right as a sovereign nation. It is necessary. It restores the basic principle that entry to the United Kingdom is controlled by the British Government, not the people-smuggling criminals in Calais. It frees up resources currently wasted on processing claims that should never have been made. And most of all, it tells the world that Britain is no longer a soft touch.

Advertisement

Enough is enough. The status quo simply cannot continue.

Reform’s Operation Fortress will end the migrant-hotel culture. We will dismantle the pull factors and restore the principle that only the British authorities decide who comes here, and on what terms. Anything less is an admission of failure.

The English Channel is not a ferry route for people-smugglers to ply their trade. It is a national frontier. It is high time we treated it like one.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Best Apple iPhone 18 Pro cases, from Burga to Casetify

Published

on

Best Apple iPhone 18 Pro cases, from Burga to Casetify

Our tech writer, David Phelan, dubbed the iPhone 18 a “handsome, persuasive design”, so you could be forgiven for not wanting to cover it up. But, that said, he also went on to say “its improved performance, all-new Siri AI strengths, and improved camera build on the capabilities of the iPhone 17 Pro – arguably the most successful iPhone already – to become something even better”, and that to me sounds well worth preserving with a phone case.

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Wayne Rooney insists he’d never hire a nanny despite struggling with the ‘chaos’ of raising four sons – while tearful Coleen admits she’s finding it hard to juggle work and motherhood

Published

on

Wayne Rooney has revealed why he and Coleen refuse to hire a nanny despite struggling with the challenge of raising four sons (pictured with youngest son Cass)

Wayne Rooney has revealed why he and Coleen refuse to hire a nanny despite struggling with the challenge of raising four sons. 

The couple are parents to Kai, 16, Klay, 13, Kit, ten, and Cass, eight, with their new £10million fly-on-the-wall show, The Real Rooneys, giving an insight into their chaotic family life. 

Filmed last year, the show captured the moment Coleen began to return to work, having previously been a stay-at-home mum while Wayne travelled the country for his football career. 

With Wayne having just been sacked as manager of Plymouth Argyle he explained: ‘I think Coleen going back to work is good for her, rather than just being here and looking after the kids and me as well.

Advertisement

‘And that’s coincided with me not having a 9-5 job so I’m here with the kids.’ 

As the camera cut to the three youngest boys running wild, Wayne sighed: ‘It’s tough.’ 

Wayne Rooney has revealed why he and Coleen refuse to hire a nanny despite struggling with the challenge of raising four sons (pictured with youngest son Cass) 

Advertisement
The couple are parents to Kai, 16, Klay, 13, Kit, ten, and Cass, eight, with their new £10million fly-on-the-wall show, The Real Rooneys, giving an insight into their chaotic family life

The couple are parents to Kai, 16, Klay, 13, Kit, ten, and Cass, eight, with their new £10million fly-on-the-wall show, The Real Rooneys, giving an insight into their chaotic family life

He continued: ‘There’s chaos, fighting, arguing. Every day’s a challenge with them…  I’m chilled until I need to snap.’ 

Yet despite the chaos going on around them, Wayne explained that he refused to bring in any outside help. 

Wayne explained: ”People ask why don’t we have a nanny. “You can afford to have a nanny help you”, but they’re OUR kids. 

Advertisement

‘It’s tough for anyone who has four kids but you want to bring them up. You want to be around them. 

‘It’s tough but enjoyable. You have some great moments, great memories with the kids and I wouldn’t change it.’

Wayne wasn’t the only one struggling with the change in their childcare dynamic, with Coleen confessing that she was still coming to terms with being a working mum. 

Confiding in best friend Danielle Gibson, Coleen shared: ‘I want a nice balanced life. I do feel a bit sad at the minute. Just because I don’t think things are… just a bit snappy, irritated.’ 

Advertisement

Breaking down in tears, she continued: ‘It’s just a bit hard juggling everything and the house is not happy. 

‘I try and do it but it’s – there’s small problems that we need to fix and I’ve got no time to stop and fix it and that’s a bit worrying. 

‘I prep and I try to do everything the best I can but I still find it really difficult leaving my kids. The hardest thing is picking the pieces up when you get back. 

‘Over the past few weeks I’m questioning myself, what do I need to do? 

Advertisement

‘I need to calm down but that’s because I’m quite highly strung. I feel I have a lot, I need to do a lot, but maybe I don’t have to do it all.’ 

Wayne wasn’t the only one struggling with the change in their childcare dynamic, with Coleen confessing that she was still coming to terms with being a working mum

Elsewhere in the series, Coleen’s own childhood was discussed as her mother Colette McLoughlin tearfully recalled Coleen nearly dying as a toddler. 

Speaking about Coleen’s childhood, Colette shared: ‘When she was three, Coleen got really sick and turned out it was encephalitis. 

Advertisement

‘Her brain was swelling, she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t speak, she was stumbling her words. When we got to Alder Hey hospital she ended up in a coma…’

Choking back tears, Colette went on: ‘I’m gonna get upset… 24 hours [were] touch and go.

‘She had to learn to walk again, all her coordination had gone. But I’m so grateful because she was alive. We wanted to give something back.’ 

The Rooneys did not go into further detail about Coleen’s recovery, but encephalitis is treatable and often curable. Recovery depends heavily on the underlying cause, how fast treatment begins, and the severity of the infection.

Advertisement

Colette then revealed she and husband Tony provided foster and respite care for children with special needs and disabilities after being inspired to give back following Coleen’s near-death experience.

The conversation arose after Coleen visited Ukrainian refugees in Poland to make a promotional video for children’s charity, UNICEF, with the WAG explaining that it was a cause close to her heart because she ‘has a lot of experience of being around kids with different needs’. 

Elsewhere in the series, Coleen's own childhood was discussed as her mother Colette McLoughlin tearfully recalled Coleen nearly dying as a toddler

Elsewhere in the series, Coleen’s own childhood was discussed as her mother Colette McLoughlin tearfully recalled Coleen nearly dying as a toddler 

Colette shared: 'When she was three, Coleen got really sick and turned out it was encephalitis. 'Her brain was swelling, she couldn't talk, she couldn't walk, she couldn't speak'

Colette shared: ‘When she was three, Coleen got really sick and turned out it was encephalitis. ‘Her brain was swelling, she couldn’t talk, she couldn’t walk, she couldn’t speak’

Advertisement
Coleen then discussed helping her parents provide temporary care for children with additional needs. During this time they took in two-year-old Rosie, who was battling Rett syndrome

Coleen then discussed helping her parents provide temporary care for children with additional needs. During this time they took in two-year-old Rosie, who was battling Rett syndrome 

Coleen then discussed helping her parents provide temporary care for children with additional needs. 

During this time they took in two-year-old Rosie, who faced a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome, a rare brain disorder that causes severe disabilities. 

‘We fell in love with her straight away,’ Coleen recalled. ‘She had a rare genetic disorder that needed a lot of care and attention.’ 

Advertisement

The McLoughlins ended up adopting Rosie and cared for her until she tragically passed away surrounded by her family a month shy of her 15th birthday.

Releasing a statement at the time of Rosie’s death, the McLoughlin family said: ‘Rosie was just 14 years old and fought a lifelong battle with Rett syndrome. Throughout her life she brought so much love and happiness to all our family and everyone who knew and met her.

‘She was such a strong little girl and an inspiration to us all. We shall cherish for ever the memories we have shared and the love she showed us each and every day of her life. As a family we are heartbroken but we are blessed to have had her in our lives.’

Coleen then explained the experience had made her all the more passionate about using her platform to help children.  

Advertisement

‘For UNICEF to place me in that environment and that was my film to make I’m glad they did choose me because it’s something I feel passionate about,’ she shared. ‘Hopefully people will see the film and donate. 

‘But on a personal level I want to make my mum and dad proud and show them I’ve not forgotten the values they taught me growing up.’ 

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Top 20 highest-rated Premier League players in FC27 as Arsenal and Liverpool stars dominate

Published

on

Daily Mirror

There is a strong Premier League presence when it comes to the new edition of EA FC and Arsenal edge out Liverpool as the team with the highest-rated players

Football fans who play EA Sports FC keep an eye out for player ratings every season. The numbers are now in for FC27 and there are plenty of Premier League representatives towards the top of the pile.

Advertisement

Reigning champions Arsenal are, as you might expect, very well represented. Eight of the 20 highest-rated Premier League stars in the new edition of the game are Gunners players.

One of those representatives wasn’t there last year. Bruno Guimaraes joined at considerable expense from Newcastle in August and sits alongside his new colleagues in the top 20.

Just four other Premier League clubs have players in that top 20. Here, we’ve given you the full rundown from 20th all the way up to first.

JOIN US ON FACEBOOK! Latest news, analysis and much more on Mirror Football’s Facebook page

Advertisement

A rating of 86 is enough to put a player among the top 20 Premier League players on the game. However, that wouldn’t be enough to crack the top 20 overall when you include players from La Liga, the Bundesliga and other top competitions.

There are nine 86-rated players in the English top flight. These include Chelsea’s sole representative in the top 20, £115m midfielder Moises Caicedo, and Liverpool’s nine-figure stars Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz.

Arsenal have three players rated 86 while Bukayo Saka is their only player in 87. He is joined there by Manchester City captain Ruben Dias and Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson, while to put that in context it’s also the score given to Paris Saint-Germain skipper Marquinhos.

Moving up to 88 and we have four more Premier League players, three of whom play for the champions. Declan Rice, David Raya and William Saliba are joined by Virgil van Dijk, the highest-rated Liverpool player on the list.

On 89, we have the highest-rated goalkeeper in the game in the form of Gianluigi Donnarumma, as well as Arsenal centre-back Gabriel and Manchester United playmaker Bruno Fernandes. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Erling Haaland leads the way with a rating of 91 – no current player in any league scores higher.

Top 20 Premier League players on EA FC 27:

20. Enzo Fernandez – 86

19. Florian Wirtz – 86

Advertisement

18. Rayan Cherki – 86

17. Viktor Gyokeres – 86

16. Moises Caicedo – 86

15. Bruno Guimaraes – 86

Advertisement

14. Martin Odegaard – 86

13. Alexander Isak – 86

12. Dominik Szoboszlai – 86

11. Bukayo Saka – 87

Advertisement

10. Ruben Dias – 87

9. Alisson – 87

8. David Raya – 88

7. Virgil van Dijk – 88

Advertisement

6. William Saliba – 88

5. Declan Rice – 88

4. Gabriel – 89

3. Gianluigi Donnarumma – 89

Advertisement

2. Bruno Fernandes – 89

1. Erling Haaland – 91

Join our WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

NewsBeat

‘My favourite Cambridgeshire walk is through storybook villages to charming town full of coffee shops’

Published

on

Cambridgeshire Live

There’s one walking route that is by far my favourite in Cambridgeshire, passing through pretty villages and along meandering rivers before reaching a town with cosy coffee shops

Cambridgeshire is home to ample walking trails through open fenlands and ancient woodland, along river valleys and around circular reservoirs. Many are ideal for those autumnal strolls and to marvel at the picturesque seasonal scenes before cosying up in an inviting café or traditional pub.

Advertisement

Yet with an extensive collection of rambling routes right on our doorstep, it’s not always easy deciding where to spend your weekend rambling, especially if you’re looking for a varied route. I’ve tried many walks around the region, but nothing compares to a route I discovered that starts in a pretty Cambridgeshire village and ends in a charming town packed with snug cake shops and coffee houses.

'I went to Norfolk's most popular beach near Cambridge - I can sum it up in two words'

Standing out as my absolute favourite is the Houghton Mill to St Ives walk, which measures around five miles and takes two hours to complete the full loop, but after an hour, you can sit down for a well-deserved coffee and slice of cake! The route takes you past idyllic villages with thatched-roof cottage homes, through kissing gates and enchanting woodland, across open meadows, down narrow lanes and along the River Great Ouse.

Advertisement

With such a diverse route to follow, you’ll never be bored, with landscapes constantly changing with every step and corner you take against the pretty scenes. Better yet, as there are different trails to follow in the surrounding area, you’ll rarely pass the same person twice. It remains blissfully tranquil and is perfect for dogs too, with fields to run around and uninterrupted pathways.

For this route, I start at Houghton Mill, a National Trust site in the village of Houghton, home to a handful of pubs and a sweet tearoom. Sometimes you can find a space to park in the village, but because it’s compact, it’s not always easy, so there’s always the National Trust car park.

From here I wander along the bridge crossing the Great River Ouse, passing the locks and across Hemingford Meadow to the Black Bridge. This is the start of the first idyllic village, Hemingford Abbots, with fairy-tale-like half-timbered homes and thatched roofs, alongside honey-hued homes and quaint wooden gates. I love wandering past and admiring the storybook scenes, and it’s even better in October, when the doors are decorated for Halloween.

Advertisement

Through the village leads to another open meadow, along the River Great Ouse, before skimming the edge of the village of Hemingford Grey, along narrow riverside lanes, before reaching a wide open field, which is sometimes home to flocks of sheep. This is the biggest meadow to cross, but equally as enjoyable, with St Ives sitting at the end for that sought-after refreshment over the bridge.

St Ives has a selection of cafés, including Nuts Bistro, The Commute Cafe, Fifi’s Cakery and Hambleton Bakery, but after my ramble, I will always stop by Tom’s Cakes as my cosy retreat. Amid its plethora of freshly baked goodies, I’ll sit down for a delicious coffee and a sweet treat, with the Hummingbird cake my go-to choice, though it’s hard to choose with so many mouthwatering options.

But a visit to St Ives can’t go by without stopping at The Courtyard shopping area, with wooden cabins packed with vintage gems, antiques, homeware, artwork, kids’ clothes, and Christmas decorations in winter. I love exploring the array of shops in a space that feels alive with community. Just be sure you can carry whatever you find on the return ramble.

Advertisement

On the way back, it gives me a chance to explore St Ives a little more before taking a footpath through The Thicket woodland, following it directly down under the canopy of trees until I return to my starting point at Houghton Mill. The circular route is super easy to follow with signs and pathways guiding you along the way – it really shouldn’t be missed.

On the National Trust website, they note the circular route as the St Ives and the Hemingfords walk, the only difference is that I walk it the opposite way, starting at Houghton Mill, through Hemingford Abbots and towards St Ives, before returning through the Thicket footpath. So it’s up to you on what direction you take, but either way, the halfway point will be at St Ives, and you’ll still discover all the scenic sites on what has long been my favourite Cambridgeshire walk.

For more information and to check a route, visit the National Trust website.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

This 18th-century Gospel has reignited a fierce battle over Ethiopia’s looted heritage

Published

on

This 18th-century Gospel has reignited a fierce battle over Ethiopia’s looted heritage

A high-stakes cultural dispute has erupted over the promoted sale of an important 18th-century Ethiopian manuscript at the Abu Dhabi International Book Fair.

The Magdala Gospel is a large manuscript, probably dating to the second half of the 18th century. It measures approximately 360 x 290 x 100mm and contains the Gospel of Luke and most of the Gospel of John.

The manuscript is written in Ge’ez or ancient Ethiopic, the language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. It would have originally been the second of a two-volume set. The first volume is probably a manuscript in the Bavarian state library that contains the gospels of Matthew and Mark.

The Magdala Gospel is sumptuously illustrated with 235 scenes from the life, passion and resurrection of Christ. The images are rich in details inspired by daily life that are of interest to historians, such as a group of Qing porcelain vases present in the bottom left corner of a representation of the wedding at Cana story.

Advertisement

This article is part of our State of the Arts series. These articles tackle the challenges of the arts and heritage industry – and celebrate the wins, too.


The volume’s most distinguishing feature is its unusual binding. The front and back boards are covered with openwork red leather and lined with gold foil and velvet. Such opulence implies high-ranking patronage, but there is seemingly no evidence to support the current seller’s claim that the manuscript was an imperial commission.

In fact, on one page there are two uncoloured figures sketched beneath a representation of the Trinity. They are represented as clergymen prostrated before God. Their supplicant pose and prominent placement in the manuscript suggests that they were probably its intended donors.

Advertisement

However, the lack of colour (many of the illustrations are unfinished) indicates that these patrons may have been unable to complete their purchase for unknown financial or personal reasons. This offers a compelling explanation for why the manuscript remains unfinished at its close.

The manuscript today

The Magdala Gospel was likely acquired by the Ethiopian Emperor Tewodros when he stripped the churches of the city of Gondar (both in 1864 and 1866).

The front and back boards, covered with openwork red leather, lined with gold foil and velvet.

The front and back boards are covered with openwork red leather, lined with gold foil and velvet.
Courtesy Jacopo Gnisci

In 1868, the artefact was seized by British troops after the storming of Tewodros’s mountain fortress at Magdala. Facing defeat, the emperor died by suicide rather than surrender. In the aftermath, British forces systematically looted the stronghold. They plundered the royal treasury and a local church of countless sacred relics, crosses and manuscripts. A portion of these items were left behind in Ethiopia. The vast majority was dispersed in various public and private collections across Europe.

Two pages of undated typewritten notes have been inserted at the start of The Magdala Gospel by one of its previous owners. One note, attributed to the Rev. John Medows Rodwell, states that the Gospel was presented by Robert Napier, commander of the Abyssinian Expedition, to William Robert Seymour Vesey-Fitzgerald, Governor of Bombay (1867–72), at the time of the military campaign. Vesey-Fitzgerald sold the manuscript in 1887 and it subsequently passed through private hands into various collections.

Advertisement

The Magdala Gospel had been advertised for sale on the website of the Vienna-based antiquarian bookseller Antiquariat Inlibris since mid-August. But the announcement that it would be put on display with a guide price of €250,000 (£214,480) – a sum that considerably exceeds the amounts usually fetched by Ethiopic manuscripts – drew attention of international heritage campaigners and subsequently the Ethiopian Heritage Authority. The latter dispatched a letter to the bookseller demanding that the manuscript be unconditionally withdrawn from sale and repatriated.

According to Al Jazeera, Hugo Wertscherk, head of the dealership, has argued that while the historical facts of the looting are indisputable, there are no applicable legal frameworks or international laws that retroactively invalidate the current owner’s title. The dealer offered to sell the religious text back to Ethiopian institutions at a “preferential price” as a gesture of goodwill. Such offers are generally rejected by the relevant Ethiopian authorities.

The controversy highlights a broader, escalating global movement demanding the return of African antiquities. Over recent years, Ethiopia has successfully reclaimed dozens of smuggled or looted items, including a lock of Emperor Tewodros’s hair repatriated by Britain in 2019.

Advertisement
Text and illustrations inside the Gospel

The two unfinished donors represented in the Gospel.
Courtesy Jacopo Gnisci

More recently, 17 Ethiopic manuscripts of varying significance have been privately repatriated from the US to Ethiopia. Meanwhile the Toledo Museum of Art has announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Ethiopian Heritage Authority. It will see the museum acquire some 380 Christian Ethiopian artefacts that will be partly sold and partly donated by their current owner Robert McCarthy Jr.

According to Adam M. Levine, director of the Toledo Museum of Art, this novel collaborative approach breaks a common loophole regarding looted artefacts. Previously, such objects would often remain in private hands because American museums no longer accept pieces with opaque provenance records.

Amid these developments, the political situation in Ethiopia remains extremely tense, with active skirmishes across the country. Recent reports indicate that several Ethiopian armed groups are forming an alliance to topple the current government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. Repatriation efforts may soon need to contend with the harsh realities of a full-scale civil war.

Despite vocal campaigns and stakeholder demands for its return, the fate of the Magdala Gospel remains as uncertain as the political future of Ethiopia itself.

Yet, as much as this individual case hangs in the balance, recent developments suggest that international momentum around the restitution of colonial-era African artefacts has reached a clear turning point. One that antique dealers and institutions alike can no longer easily dismiss.

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

York parking ban plans decision after concerns raised

Published

on

York road double yellow line plans spark objections

Proposals to paint double yellow lines along a stretch of Haxby’s North Lane have been shelved.

Cllr Kate Ravilious, City of York Council’s Labour transport spokesperson, said wider plans to tackle parking in the area were needed following objections to the plans.

The decision at the council’s Transport Decision Session on Tuesday, September 22 comes after 23 objections were lodged against plans for the no waiting at any time restrictions.


RECOMMENDED READING:

Advertisement

Double yellow lines would have been painted on the eastbound side of North Lane, between a cut-through leading to Acadia Grove and just after one going to Hawthorn Avenue.

A report on the plans stated they were first advertised in November 2025 and consulted on in July this year.

Four comments were lodged in support of the plans along with the 23 against them.

Haxby Sports Bar stated they supported the plans to tackle issues caused by cars parking in the street which affect its deliveries.

Advertisement

The proposed double yellow lines in North Lane, Haxby (Image: City of York Council)

The business stated: “At present, there are cars parked along both sides of the road from The Village and it narrows past Church Lane to our premises and thereafter becomes one way, heading from the opposite direction.

“We have had issues with delivery trucks being unable to get into and out of our car park, some reversing a considerable distance along a perilously narrow road, with parked vehicles everywhere.”

But one objector claimed the plans would cause problems for elderly and disabled people visiting St Mary’s Church.

They said: “The proposed restrictions will make it much more difficult for many who access church services and events run in the hall by the church and other voluntary groups.

Advertisement

“The consequences of the restrictions will be made worse by residents’ vehicles displaced from the restricted area which might be expected to park starting at the end of the restriction.”

Council officers proposed taking no further action on the plans and studying the issue further ahead of Tuesday’s meeting.

Cllr Ravilious said she had taken the objections on board.

The executive member said: “I agree that a more comprehensive proposal is needed looking at the wider area to take on board the concerns raised around the impact that a narrow scheme will have on the area.”

Advertisement

Source link

Continue Reading

NewsBeat

Woman, 40, dies after three-vehicle crash in Lisburn

Published

on

Belfast Live

The crash happened on Saturday morning

A woman has died following a three-vehicle collision in Lisburn at the weekend.

In a statement issued by the PSNI on Thursday night, they confirmed that the fatal crash claimed the life of 40-year-old Karen Stewart from the Portadown area.

Detective Inspector Stewart, from the Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Police received a report at around 11.06am on Saturday, 19 th September of a collision involving a Ford Kuga, Citroen C5 and a BMW on the Moira Road, at the junction of Crewe Park Road.

Advertisement

“Officers attended the scene, along with colleagues from the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service.

“Five people – including four adults and a child – were subsequently taken to hospital for treatment to their injuries.

“We can now confirm that, sadly, a woman who was driving the Ford Kuga, later died in hospital from her injuries.

“Our enquiries are ongoing and anyone who witnessed what happened or has any information which might assist – including dash-cam or other footage – is asked to contact police using our witness appeal form at https://reporting.psni.police.uk/appeals, quoting reference 433 of 19/09/26, or to call us on 101.

Advertisement

“Alternatively, you can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://crimestoppers-uk.org/.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here

Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2025