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Glasgow Times
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Glasgow Times
Prince of Wales and Cate Blanchett don lab coats to see eco brand at work
William and the actress visited labs in Norwich on Thursday where Colorifix, a biotechnology firm, creates its textile dyes. Colorifix, which was a finalist in William's Earthshot Prize in 2023, has developed a biological process that replaces the use of harmful chemicals in textile dyes. Since it was founded in 2016, the brand has partnered with fashion brands including H&M and Pangaia. Willam and Cate Blanchett listen during the visit to Colorifix (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) As William and Blanchett were taken through each step of the process to make the eco-friendly dyes, the Prince of Wales asked Sophie Vaud, the head of microbial engineering, to provide a 'layman's version' of the science. After identifying a colour created naturally by an animal or plant, Colorifix's scientists sequence the DNA of that organism to find out where the colour is coded in its genetics. That DNA code is then translated into a safe microbe which is then fermented to grow, creating a dye that can be used on natural and synthetic fabrics. Dyes made chemically have a negative impact on the environment as they seep into rivers, harming wildlife. The process also uses a large amount of water. The Prince of Wales and Blanchett, a council member of the Earthshot Prize, were invited to observe DNA gel under a microscope and were shown diagrams analysing the effectiveness of the pigments. 'What if it explodes?' Blanchett, joked before looking at the sample. 'I'm not going to pretend I know what that drawing means,' William told the experts when being shown diagrams. The pair were then taken through the fermentation process which is where the dye is produced in a small version which can be scaled up. William complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) David Clarke, head of fermentation at Colorifix, which is based in Norwich Research Park on the edge of the city, said their fermentation to produce the dyes is 'just like brewing'. 'We use a genetically-engineered bacteria to produce the substance – in this case colourants. In the brewing industry it's ethanol. 'Traditional dyeing is very, very polluting. This is completely innocuous.' William and Blanchett were wowed by the range of colours produced when shown samples in the colouration lab, especially a bright teal. In that lab, the dyes are sampled on a range of fabrics and then washed and tumble dried to test how they work and if there is any run off. Rebecca Hiscock, a colouration technician, showed them some of the samples. 'It's like Blue Peter – here's one I made earlier,' William said. Meeting the rest of the Colorifix team, the Prince of Wales said: 'Sorry for all the stupid questions you'll hear about later.' He complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work since Colorifix got to the final of the Earthshot Prize two years ago. The Prince of Wales is founder and president of the global environmental award and Blanchett helps pick the winners. 'It's going really well, and it's really exciting,' he said, while Blanchett told them their work was 'really inspiring'.
The Guardian
11 hours ago
- Sport
- The Guardian
News Corp bets big on AI tools but journalists voice concerns
Journalists at three of Rupert Murdoch's Australian mastheads have reported deep concern after training sessions for an in-house AI tool called 'NewsGPT' . Staffers on the Australian, the Courier Mail and the Daily Telegraph say the tool enables them to take on the persona of another writer, or to adopt a certain style, and NewsGPT will then generate a custom article. Another tool, in which they adopt the persona of an editor to generate story leads or fresh angles, has also been used. But they say the training sessions have not explained what the technology will be used for. Reporters have been told to expect another round of training using an AI tool called 'Story Cutter' which will edit and produce copy, effectively removing or reducing the need for subeditors. The Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance said the AI programs were not only a threat to jobs but also threatened to undermine accountable journalism. News Corp mastheads have certainly embraced the use of AI for illustrations recently; and in 2023 the company admitted producing 3,000 localised articles a week using generative artificial intelligence. In March the company's chief technology officer, Julian Delany, unveiled NewsGPT and described it as a powerful tool. A News Corp Australia spokesperson told Weekly Beast: 'As with many companies News Corp Australia is investigating how AI technologies can enhance our workplaces rather than replace jobs. Any suggestion to the contrary is false.' The Guardian's AI policy on the use of AI can be seen here. Kerry Stokes' Seven West Media showed its disdain for the NRL on Thursday with a front-page headline in the West Australian which failed to mention the words State of Origin or NRL. 'One bunch of east coasters beat another at rugby in Perth last night', the dismissive headline said. The report of the match was relegated to page 36 of the sports pages, despite the match being played in Perth. So why ignore a major event in your home town? Seven West Media has a $1.5bn deal with rival code the AFL, and the West Australian has actively campaigned against a new West Australian NRL team, the Bears. While the newspaper claims the NRL is not popular in WA, the match recorded the highest-ever TV total audience for an Origin match in Perth, with 190,000 tuning in and 57,023 attending the match at Optus Stadium. Journalists who work for Stokes at his newspaper empire had some bad news on Thursday in the form of an email with the dreaded words 'operational review' and 'redundancies' at West Australian Newspapers. The company is offering voluntary redundancies across the West Australian, Perth Now, and the regional and community papers, and is asking for expressions of interest, by Friday 20 June. On Tuesday, staff will be informed which roles will be made redundant and those folk will leave the same week. Editor-in-chief of WA Newspapers, Christopher Dore, has been approached for comment. On Monday, Australian Story will examine the Rachael Gunn story – but Raygun's voice will not be heard after the breakdancer declined to participate. While this is a departure for the award-winning program, which conventionally tells first-person stories, it's not unheard of. Australian Story's executive producer, Caitlin Shea, told Weekly Beast the format is broad enough 'to examine ideas, issues, and cultural phenomena as well as the more personal profile'. Shea points to episodes that examined Cliff Young's race, the ABC TV show Race Around the World and true crime stories about Kathleen Folbigg, the Somerton Man mystery and Lyn Dawson. The episode is not a profile but 'examines the Raygun phenomenon to try to understand why it created such a storm and why Gunn remains such a polarising figure'. Murdoch's New York Post launched a new podcast this month from the 'legendary political columnist Miranda Devine', an Australian journalist who relocated from Sydney's Daily Telegraph to New York in 2019. An unashamed right-wing cheerleader, Devine's first guest was unsurprisingly Donald Trump. Videos of Devine laughing in a cosy chat with the president in the White House have been shared widely on social media. Sign up to Weekly Beast Amanda Meade's weekly diary on the latest in Australian media, free every Friday after newsletter promotion Among the scoops she claimed from the debut Pod Force One was Trump saying all rioters found to be burning the US flag should earn an 'automatic' one-year jail sentence. The chat started off with the following exchange. Devine: 'Mr President, thank you so much for doing this, our very first podcast, especially, I mean, I know how much you have on your plate. I mean, how do you juggle it all? Trump: 'I've got wars. I've got war and peace, and I have you. And I heard it was your first, so this is your first [podcast]. It's gonna, it's an honour to be on your show.' When Trump falsely claimed Joe Biden allowed immigrants to come in to the US 'from jails and prisons all over the world … [and] from mental institutions' Devine replied: 'Why did he do that, it's so destructive?' The ABC put out a media release this week announcing it was 'delighted' Kyle Hugall had been appointed 'Head of Made'. There was little in the release to explain what this role at Made might entail or indeed what Made was, although Hugall was described as a creative leader who had worked in advertising. The title reminded us of a letter written by senior presenters to the board in 2016 that condemned new layers of 'preposterously named executives' which would have been at home in an episode of the ABC satire on bureaucracy, Utopia. Titles included 'Head, Spoken' (Radio National manager) and 'Classical Lead' (manager of Classic FM). Despite the failure of her 'official' endorsement of Peter Dutton before the last election, Sharri Markson has issued her own symbolic sanctions on Anthony Albanese and Penny Wong. 'I'm going to start tonight by issuing my own symbolic sanctions against the two most damaging figures in the Albanese government, the prime minister and the foreign minister,' the Sky News Australia host said. 'I sanction Wong and Albanese for their antagonistic and extreme rhetoric which, over the past 20 months has only inflamed anti-Israel sentiment and contributed to the dangerous rise in antisemitism in our country.' An apparent suicide of a young man at a public place in the Adelaide CBD on Sunday has been extensively reported by the Advertiser, much to the dismay of the South Australian Police and the man's family. A spokesperson for the police told Weekly Beast that despite the police advising all media outlets on Sunday 15 June that the incident was 'a mental health matter, and we will not be reporting on it any further', some members of the media went ahead anyway and the family was 'extremely distraught'. The Advertiser published several stories in the newspaper and online, as well as a video. The content included multiple photographs of the location, the manner of suicide and the man's private photographs. The Australian Press Council has specific guidelines for the reporting of an individual suicide, which say it should only be done if it is in the public interest and the journalist has the consent of the family. The manner of suicide should not be disclosed. This individual was not a public figure. Late on Thursday, with another article published in the Advertiser, the South Australian police took the unusual step 'on behalf of [the] family' of asking the media to remove all the content. We 'formally request all media remove any articles, social media or any media relating to his death', SA police said. 'The reporting and media articles are causing further unnecessary distress and harm to the family and friends of [the deceased]. We trust that all media will adhere to this request on behalf of the family and actions its requests immediately.' The editor of the Advertiser, Gemma Jones, and the editor of the Daily Mail, Felicity Hetherington, did not respond to requests for comment and the stories remain online at the time of publication.
Western Telegraph
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Western Telegraph
Prince of Wales and Cate Blanchett don lab coats to see eco brand at work
William and the actress visited labs in Norwich where Colorifix, a biotechnology firm, creates its textile dyes. Colorifix, which was a finalist in William's Earthshot Prize in 2023, has developed a biological process that replaces the use of harmful chemicals in textile dyes. Willam and Cate Blanchett listen during the visit to Colorifix (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) Since it was founded in 2016, the brand has partnered with fashion brands including H&M and Pangaia. As William and Blanchett were taken through each step of the process to make the eco-friendly dyes, the Prince of Wales asked Sophie Vaud, the head of microbial engineering, to provide a 'layman's version' of the science. After identifying a colour created naturally by an animal or plant, Colorifix's scientists sequence the DNA of that organism to find out where the colour is coded in its genetics. That DNA code is then translated into a safe microbe which is then fermented to grow, creating a dye that can be used on natural and synthetic fabrics. Dyes made chemically have a negative impact on the environment as they seep into rivers, harming wildlife. The process also uses a large amount of water. The Prince of Wales and Blanchett, a council member of the Earthshot Prize, were invited to observe DNA gel under a microscope and were shown diagrams analysing the effectiveness of the pigments. 'What if it explodes?' Blanchett joked before looking at the sample. 'I'm not going to pretend I know what that drawing means,' William told the experts when being shown diagrams. The pair were then taken through the fermentation process which is where the dye is produced in a small version which can be scaled up. William complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work (Eddie Mulholland/Daily Telegraph/PA) David Clarke, head of fermentation at Colorifix, which is based in Norwich Research Park on the edge of the city, said their fermentation to produce the dyes is 'just like brewing'. 'We use a genetically-engineered bacteria to produce the substance – in this case colourants. In the brewing industry it's ethanol. 'Traditional dyeing is very, very polluting. This is completely innocuous.' William and Blanchett were wowed by the range of colours produced when shown samples in the colouration lab, especially a bright teal. In that lab, the dyes are sampled on a range of fabrics and then washed and tumble dried to test how they work and if there is any run off. Rebecca Hiscock, a colouration technician, showed them some of the samples. 'It's like Blue Peter – here's one I made earlier,' William said. Meeting the rest of the Colorifix team, the Prince of Wales said: 'Sorry for all the stupid questions you'll hear about later.' He complimented the staff for their 'fantastic' work. 'It's going really well, and it's really exciting,' he said, while Blanchett told them their work was 'really inspiring'.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘England should beat India if they temper Bazball and use some common sense': Geoffrey Boycott
Former England player Geoffrey Boycott urged the Ben Stokes-led England team to temper their Bazball style of batting and apply some common sense in the upcoming 5-match Test series against India, adding that winning is more important than entertaining. 'England should beat India if they temper Bazball and use some common sense. At times their cricket has been thrilling and super enjoyable but also reckless batting has lost them Test matches. Their only thought should be winning because it is no use telling us how good you are when the last three World Test Championship finals have been played in our country but England have not qualified for any of them. They should be embarrassed. Their aim should be to make the next WTC final,' Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph. 'The new cycle starts now and somebody needs to get through to the England players that being a winner is better than being known as an entertainer. If you can win and entertain, that is a bonus. At the moment England are like a one-trick-pony. It's Bazball or Bazball and that is the way we play; take it or leave it. They don't want to change or learn from their losses. It doesn't seem to make any difference that so many top class ex-England Test players keep telling them to moderate their batting. So please, get your act together, bring your best game and apply some cricket nous,' he added. Bazball is the term associated with England's aggressive style of play under head coach Brendon McCullum. Essentially, it gives players license to be more attacking and emboldened with their shot-making and field placings, and be free from recrimination. Last month, Bazball was in full flow against Zimbabwe in England's one-off Test match win where Zimbabwe folded inside three days as expected and the Three Lions won by an innings and 45 runs with four sessions to spare in a worthy warmup for India's five-test tour starting on June 20 in Leeds.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Sport
- Indian Express
‘Rohit Sharma won't be missed as much as Virat Kohli': Geoffrey Boycott ahead of England vs India series
The legendary Geoffrey Boycott said that India will be hurt due to the absence of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma in the upcoming Test series against England, adding that the former will be a bigger miss than the latter. Both Kohli and Rohit retired from the longest format last month with Shubman Gill getting promoted as captain. 'The retirement of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma hurts the chances of India beating England. Kohli is the biggest loss as he has been their best batsman and talisman in all three formats. With so much international cricket played by India, and so little rest, it takes its toll and the mind becomes fatigued,' Boycott wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph. 'It does not matter how much talent or experience you have, if you are not mentally fresh and up for the challenge then it becomes draining. Rohit was a superb batsman. At his best, a beautiful stroke player, but he won't be missed as much as Kohli because his Test record was good rather than exceptional. In the last couple of years his batting was a little inconsistent, which was not surprising in his late 30s. Rohit was never a natural athlete like Kohli and he knows that opening the innings in England can be pretty tough because the new ball moves around more. You really have to be up for the challenge to have any chance of success. I just think that over time the wear and tear of opening the innings and being captain in all three formats wore him down,' Boycott added. England skipper and all-rounder Ben Stokes also heaped praises on Kohli, saying India will miss his 'fighting spirit'. In a video released by England Cricket, Stokes said on what India will miss after the retirement of Kohli, 'I think what India will miss will be his fighting spirit out in the game, his competitiveness, desire to win. He has made number 18 his, hasn't he? It'll be a bit weird not seeing number 18 on the back of anyone… of any Indian shirt, but he has been class for them for a long period of time.'
