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England thrash South Africa by 10 wickets at Women’s World Cup

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England thrash South Africa by 10 wickets at Women’s World Cup


England’s Linsey Smith celebrates after taking a wicket during their Women’s World Cup 2025 game against South Africa in Guwahati, India, October 3, 2025. — ICC

GUWAHATI: After bowling out the Proteas for a paltry 69 in just 20.4 overs, England’s openers Tammy Beaumont and Amy Jones made light work of the chase, cantering home in 14.1 overs.

Electing to bowl first, England rolled the dice early by tossing the new ball to spin, a move captains often shy away from in the power play. But left-arm tweaker Linsey Smith turned out to be the ace up their sleeve, exploiting a tacky surface that had South Africa groping in the dark.

“To get that start was very special. I only found out yesterday that I was opening the bowling and I was excited for the challenge. The conditions suited me well,” said Smith.

It was just Smith’s fifth ODI, but the 30-year-old is no stranger to international cricket, having been part of England’s T20 side since 2018. Now a permanent fixture in the 50-over team, her willingness to bowl in the danger zone of the power play could be a trump card for England going forward in this campaign.

Smith struck in each of her first three overs and was unlucky not to bag a fourth when a stumping chance off Sinalo Jafta went begging. Jafta clung on grimly for 22, the lone South African to reach double figures in a sorry tale of collapse.

It was the Proteas’ third lowest total in ODIs and their worst against England.

The chase was little more than a formality, though Jones survived a let-off on 31 when Masabata Klaas spilled a return catch. She finished unbeaten on 40 with Beaumont on 21 not out.

“Not the way we wanted to start the tournament. We’ve shown resilience in the past and we’ll bounce back,” South African skipper Laura Wolvaardt insisted as her batters were left searching for answers.

England’s dominance was such that Heather Knight, marking her 150th ODI appearance was not required to bat or bowl as her team-mates were so dominant against South Africa. She became only the second player from England to feature in 150 women’s ODIs.

The emphatic win vaulted England to the top of the points table with all eight teams now having played one game each.





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Holly Ramsay goes full Kate Middleton but guest list told another story

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Holly Ramsay goes full Kate Middleton but guest list told another story


Holly Ramsay goes full Kate Middleton but guest list told another story

Holly Ramsay may not be royal, but on her wedding day she certainly dressed the part.

The daughter of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has revealed that Princess Kate was a major style influence behind her elegant bridal look as she married Olympic swimming champion Adam Peaty in a lavish ceremony at Bath Abbey over the weekend. 

Alongside Hollywood royalty Grace Kelly, the Princess of Wales helped shape a gown that Holly says made her feel “very princess-like”.

Speaking to British Vogue, Holly explained that the sheer scale of the historic abbey played a decisive role in her choice. 

With its soaring ceilings and a 65-metre aisle, subtlety was never going to cut it. Instead, she opted for drama, tradition and timeless elegance.

“I knew I wanted something long, modest and lace-heavy,” she said, adding that she has always admired Kate’s wedding dress for its high neckline and feminine silhouette.

The bride wore a lace Elie Saab gown, which she described as an “instant obsession,” paired with a delicate lace veil. 

Accessories included a shell-shaped Chanel minaudière and Amina Muaddi heels.

In the days following the wedding, Adam’s mother Caroline Peaty shared a series of emotional posts on social media, hinting at the toll the fallout has taken. 

In one message, she wrote of losing “a piece of myself that I will never get back,” while another expressed hope for “a year that doesn’t hurt.”

According to reports, tensions reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over Caroline’s wedding outfit, which allegedly spiralled into a wider family dispute. 

Speaking to the Daily Mail before the ceremony, Caroline said she felt “cut out” of her son’s big day and described the situation as deeply painful, particularly over the Christmas period.

Despite considering travelling to Bath Abbey to watch the wedding from outside, she ultimately decided against it, saying it would have been “too sad” and she did not want to detract from her son’s moment.





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Elon Musk’s Grok AI generates sexualized images of minors, xAI vows fixes

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Elon Musk’s Grok AI generates sexualized images of minors, xAI vows fixes


Elon Musk’s Grok AI generates sexualized images of minors, xAI vows fixes

Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has come under fire after users were able to generate illegal images of minors on the social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter).

The AI, developed by Musk’s company xAI, reportedly generated such images due to “laps in safeguards” as posted from Grok on Friday, January 2.

Users shared screenshots online where Grok’s public media tab was filled with sexualized depictions of minors in minimal clothing. xAI noted that child sexual abuse material (CSAM) is illegal and prohibited and stressed that it is “urgently fixing” the system to prevent similar incidents.

Grok stated, “These are isolated cases, but we recognize lapses and are working to block such requests entirely.”

The incident has drawn international attention. French authorities reported the images to prosecutors and referred the matter to the media regulator, Arcom, over possible breaches of the EU Digital Services Act.

Last year, Grok was part of repeated controversies, including posting antisemitic content and other offensive materials, directly raising questions about its safety guardrails. 





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Key to going viral on YouTube isn’t creativity, it’s brainrot AI slop

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Key to going viral on YouTube isn’t creativity, it’s brainrot AI slop


Key to going viral on YouTube isn’t creativity, it’s brainrot AI slop 

A new study conducted by the video-editing company Kapwing found that more than one in five videos recommended to new YouTube users are “AI slop.”

AI slop, also known simply as slop, refers to digital content created by generative artificial intelligence, specifically showcasing low effort and cheap quality content. There’s an overwhelming volume of production of these AI videos, which are designed to farm views and advertising revenue.

In the study, Kapwign assessed 15,000 of YouTube’s most popular channels, including the top 100 channels in every country and found that 278 channels were constituted entirely of AI slop.

Together, these channels have accumulated more than 63 billion views and 221 million subscribers. Leveraging this audience, the channels generated an estimated $117 million (£90 million) annually.

To measure how content went viral on the platform, researchers created a fresh YouTube account without any personal preferences or interests. It was found that out of the first 500 recommended videos, 104 were entirely AI slop, while roughly one-third fell into a broader category of brainrot content, which is also another form of low-quality and meaningless AI-generated content.

These findings indicate a rapidly growing ecosystem of algorithm-driven content spreading across social media platforms, including YouTube.

The Guardian reported earlier this year that around 10% of YouTube’s fastest-growing channels are entirely based on AI slop, despite the platform’s efforts to curb “inauthentic content.”

Interestingly, many of the largest AI slop channels attract global audiences. In Spain, trending AI channels gained 20 million followers while similar channels with millions of subscribers exist in the United States, Egypt, Brazil, and India.

Analysts state that the popularity of AI slop stems from its absurdity, lack of narrative complexity, and algorithm amplification. While social media platforms say they prioritise quality content, researchers argue that the reach of these AI slop channels indicates how effectively they exploit recommendation systems and are deeply embedded in the modern attention economy. 





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