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Powys County Times
13-06-2025
- Powys County Times
Brecon man to be sentenced for social media accounts
A BRECON man will be sentenced next month after admitting several charges in relation to breaching the terms of sexual offences court sentence he received eight years ago. James Ward, 27, was made the subject of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order (SHPO) by Merthyr Tydfil Crown Court in September 2017, when he was 19. Ward, of Dol Glas, Brecon, was charged with 12 breaches of that order earlier this year. It is alleged that Ward either held social media accounts with apps such as Tinder, Snapchat, Tiktok and YouTube using a different name and then deleted his profiles – both of which he was barred from doing by the SHPO – between September 2, 2022, and August 8, 2023. At Merthyr Crown Court on Friday, June 13, prosecutor Alycia Carpanini said Ward had previously pleaded guilty to four of the charges, entering not guilty pleas to eight others. She said the prosecution was satisfied with the defendant's guilty pleas and formally offered no evidence in relation to the other eight charges. Ross McQuillan-Johnson, Ward's barrister, was tied up in another hearing so Judge Richard Kember asked the defendant if he wanted to proceed or have the matter adjourned, to which Ward said: 'I want to save everyone's time and get on with it.' Judge Kember said Ward will be sentenced on the four offences he has admitted and adjourned the case so that a pre-sentence report can be carried out. He will return to court to be sentenced on July 17. His unconditional bail was extended, but the judge added a condition, to cooperate with the probation service in the preparation of a report.
New Statesman
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New Statesman
Swiping left on Mr Darcy
Illustration by Kristian Hammerstad Is it still possible to make a great romcom? Perhaps not in a contemporary setting. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life, a new, low-budget French film and the debut feature of its scriptwriter and director Laura Piani, illuminatingly tests the proposition to destruction. No first-rate romcoms have appeared for years, at least compared to their heyday in the Long Nineties. Four Weddings and a Funeral appeared in 1994, Notting Hill in 1999, Bridget Jones's Diary in 2001. In the US, Nora Ephron's classic trilogy, When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You've Got Mail, ran from 1989 to 1998. As for the romcoms of Jane Austen herself, both Emma Thompson's brilliant adaptation of Sense and Sensibility and the spiffy updating of Emma, Clueless, were released in 1995. Thirty years ago, the fundamental premise of the romcom still made sense, more or less. The historical inflections of Austen's world, in which questions of class and inheritance are inescapable and, for a woman, the chance of marriage everything, had long gone – but versions of these plots could still be made to matter. 'You don't think people are still concerned with marriage, money, romance, finding a partner?' demanded Emma Thompson back then. They were, of course, and they still are – but it's that last phrase that's the killer. In Austen's novels, and in romcoms generally, there were few opportunities to meet eligible partners: pretty much all encounters were meet-cutes, that staple of the genre. Random fortune, the great question of who bumps into whom, remained important until… when? The first online dating app, started in 1995 too. Grindr, Tinder, Hinge, Bumble and the rest have only been around 15 years or less. But in that time, they have stuffed the romcom, obliterating its key intrigue. Jane Austen Wrecked My Life tries to revive the genre but ends up proving it passé. Agathe (tall, gawky, glorious Camille Rutherford), single, in her thirties, works in the Shakespeare & Co bookshop in Paris, while trying to write novels herself. She is scarred by the death of her parents in a car crash six years previously. A pal at the bookshop, Félix (Pablo Pauly), himself a proficient dating app-user, often stays over. But Agathe hasn't had sex with anyone for two years. 'What are you waiting for? Mark Darcy?' Félix asks her. 'I'm not into Uber sex, I don't do digital, I don't want to 'like' guys,' Agathe retorts. She's more a Jane Austen fan, diagnosing herself as Anne Elliot in Persuasion, 'an old maid who has wilted like a flower in need of water', while Félix is Henry Crawford in Mansfield Park, 'a liar and seducer'. In short, she is not living in the right century, she confesses. Happily, thanks to Félix's support, she wins a fortnight's stay at a writer's retreat, the Jane Austen Writers' Residency, run by the author's descendants in a grand English country house (think Chawton but swisher). Meeting her off the ferry is Oliver (Charlie Anson), Austen's handsome, haughty great-great-great-grand nephew, a Darcy indeed (in this first meeting, Anson blatantly channels Hugh Grant, but later eases up on the homage). Agathe, sick with nerves, vomits on his shoes and slags him off on the phone in his earshot, not realising he understands every word. Nevertheless, maybe he's the one? But her amorous friend Félix rolls up unexpectedly too, in a typically British black cab. Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe Jane Austen Wrecked My Life indulgently grants Agathe the full Jane Austen experience: not just the stately home and magnificent park but a full dress, candlelit regency ball, corsets and lace in her ultimate seduction. Almost no attempt is made at credibility. Having seen so many British films delusively infatuated with French life, I've often longed for the reverse, and here it is. All the English people spontaneously speak excellent French. There's a marvellous night out in a local pub with ukulele-karaoke and darts. The countryside is spectacular. When Oliver's vintage sports car breaks down, he tells Agathe it is 20 miles to the nearest village. Actually, Jane Austen a gâché ma vie was filmed entirely in France, mainly at Château d'Hazeville in the Île-de-France, and it looks totally, gorgeously Gallic, down to the wallpaper and the window catches. It's a charming production, with its repeated use of Schubert and its lovely closing cameo, and Rutherford is enchanting. The moral, that Agathe must discover herself as a writer first before finding romantic fulfilment, is impeccable if banal. But what it shows most, perhaps quite inadvertently, is the lengths we must now go to in a bid to recover the very possibility of credible romcom. Swipe left, I'm afraid. 'Jane Austen Wrecked My Life' is in cinemas on 13 June [See also: We are all Mrs Dalloway now] Related
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Best UK dating sites and apps to help you find love in 2025
Looking for love online is one of the single-most popular ways to meet a new partner. Yet, with so many dating apps and sites available, it can almost feel impossible to find the one that's right for you, especially if you don't want an app that makes you swipe right or left to meet your match. We're here to play matchmaker and have rounded up the best UK dating websites to help you find love in 2025, from free services to those that use impressive personality testing. You can forget about incessant swiping, these websites are all about helping you find a meaningful connection. is perhaps the best known dating site, and it's certainly one of the more well-reputed in the field, honing its algorithm to identify long-term compatibility and facilitate countless first dates, serious relationships and successful marriages. Sign up now Since its launch in 2000, two million people have found love on E Harmony. Its 32-dimension personality test uses psychological truths to identify areas of compatibility between two individuals. The dating site's mission is to foster relationships that last, and every potential match will have a reason behind it. Sign up now Relying on findings from 40 years of research, Parship delivers you a selection of matches based on those it believes are best suited to you, with 9 out of 10 Parship couples still happily together. Sign up now Zoosk is a socially savvy dating site known for its diverse membership base and behavioural matchmaking system. Over 35 million singles in 80 countries have joined the network so far, and it is growing larger every day. The platform offers many different ways to communicate and express interest in members, so it's easy to form a fast connection here. Sign up now The dating site for like-minded singletons over 50, Our Time helps connect those with similar interests and puts on events (in real life!) where you can meet others on the app. Our Time dating services are ideal if you're looking for a no-nonsense approach to mature online dating. The app lets users join for free, but some features are only available with paid subscriptions. Sign up now In 2004, OKCupid's founders launched a free dating site, which delves into what personal attributes made relationships work. OKCupid members can send unlimited messages for free, or upgrade to make use of extra features that will help you gain more insight into prospective matches and really see who is drawn to you. Sign up now Plenty of Fish prides itself on being good for facilitating conversations. It supports 100% free and unlimited messaging for over 120 million monthly users in 20 countries. Sign up now EliteSingles uses a personality test to match users based on their compatibility. The test takes into account looks, personality (with questions on how optimistic and ambitious you are, your social skills, how friends would describe you and more), and what you're looking for in a partner - including whether or not you want children. Sign up now Tailored to matchmaking ambitious, career-savvy young professionals, Inner Circle global community of over seven million members. The app is free to download, but you can upgrade to premium packages. There are also exclusive members events that are set to resume post-lockdown for anyone who is tired of sitting online. Sign up now
Miami Herald
10-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Tinder owner makes harsh decision as consumers switch gears
Match Group (MTCH) , which owns popular dating apps such as Hinge, Tinder, OkCupid, and is noticing that young consumers are falling out of love with its apps. In Match Group's first-quarter earnings report for 2025, it revealed that the number of its paying users dipped by 5% year-over-year during the quarter. Also, the company's operating income, its profit after expenses, shrank by 7%. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter During an earnings call on May 8, Match Group CEO Spencer Rascoff said that the company's recent challenges are "due primarily to a lack of innovation, and our failure to recognize and respond to changes in the younger demographic, especially Gen Z and what they want." Related: Uber CEO gives employees a harsh wake-up call He also mentioned that Tinder, its leading dating app, is specifically losing its relevancy among young consumers. "For a decade, Tinder has been an infinite card stack where you swipe left or swipe right to assess the essentially attractiveness of the photo that you're looking at," said Rascoff. "And that worked well 10 years ago, when there was more of a hookup culture, when smartphones were new, and when there was novelty around that type of feature set. But as millennials aged up and as Gen Z entered into our sweet spot, that product has less resonance, and Tinder has less product market fit today than in the past." Image source: Bloomberg/Getty Images As Match Group's dating apps lose popularity, the company is narrowing in on winning back consumers, and this first involves making a drastic change to its workforce. Rascoff said the company is planning to lay off 13% of its workforce in an effort to become "more nimble, more focused, and better aligned, enabling faster decision-making." With this move, Rascoff said the company will specifically reduce management layers, including around 1 in 5 managers. Match Group will also close an unspecified number of open job roles and will further cut operating expenses in areas such as technology and data services, customer care, content moderation, media buying, etc. Related: Google sends a harsh message to employees after layoffs Match Group expects to generate $100 million in annualized savings, including approximately $45 million this year, through these efforts. "The best tech companies operate in product-first builder mode, and this next chapter at Match Group is about getting back to that," said Rascoff. "Fewer layers, faster execution, and a culture focused on creating value through innovation." The move from Match Group comes during a time when many young consumers are feeling burned out by dating apps. According to a Forbes Health/OnePoll survey last year, 80% of millennials who use dating apps say that they often or always feel burned out on those platforms, while 79% of Gen Z dating app users relayed the same message. "People who experience burnout with dating apps are exhausted from constantly meeting new people, failing opportunities, and lies," said Forbes Health Advisory Board member Dr. Rufus Spann in the survey. "Over time, the unfortunate misgivings of being on a dating app can cause someone to lose hope in the dating process and finding the right person." More Labor: Amazon CEO gives hard-nosed message to employeesIBM gives employees a rude awakening with harsh new policySnapchat CEO teaches new employees a strict lesson About 40% of the respondents in the survey said the biggest reason they felt burned out using the apps was due to their inability to find a good connection. Also, 35% said they felt "disappointed" by people, while 27% said they felt rejected. College students have also recently given dating apps the boot. According to a survey from Axios and Generation Lab in 2023, 79% of college and graduate students in the U.S. said that they don't use any dating apps even once a month. The majority of the students also said that they prefer to meet someone in person. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
The Star
10-05-2025
- General
- The Star
Navigating online dating: Dos and don'ts to make the most of the experience
Online dating has come a long, long way since its inception (I'm looking at you which came out in the mid-90s!). The online dating sites have evolved significantly (Tinder, the first major app that you only use on your phone, launched in 2012), offering new features designed with the hope of improving people's experiences and leading to more, and better, connections. Despite all that, many people find online dating, for lack of better words, worse today than before. Why? Part of it comes from the sheer popularity of the dating apps. Whereas there used to be a stigma ('Ew, you're on eHarmony?!), everyone single is now on a dating app ('How could you not be on Hinge?!'), so the challenges of navigating such a saturated space become noticeable. The evolution of online dating When online dating first started, it was a novel concept for those willing to experiment with new technology, like me. I dabbled in online dating starting in 2001, first using JDate and then moving on to OkCupid when that launched in 2003. The platforms – the dating sites/apps themselves – keep improving and adapting to the times, incorporating algorithms, video features, and, more recently, AI (which I have mixed feelings about in this setting). But, with more widespread use comes more people. And with more people, and more anonymity, comes worse behaviour – ghosting, breadcrumbing, etc. So, it's not that the apps are inherently harder to use or less effective; rather, it's that when a space gets so packed, it's both hard to stand out and harder to weed through everyone. Basically, the likelihood of encountering bad behaviour or feeling overwhelmed increases exponentially. Struggles in the current landscape One of the biggest struggles my clients complain about is people not communicating – their intentions, their desires, their interest, their lack of interest. With so much technology available to us, it's easy to hide behind a screen when an in-person conversation would be much more appropriate. Sadly, this avoidance behaviour has become a hallmark of modern dating culture. And, of course, people struggle with writing their profile and knowing how to effectively use the apps to get the results they want – dates. And ultimately, a relationship. Turning challenges into opportunities While online dating has its own challenges, as I mentioned, it's still possible to overcome them with the right approach and mindset ... and maybe coach (wink, wink). Success in online dating often comes down to treating it with the same level of commitment and effort as any other significant endeavour, like searching for a job or hitting your fitness goals. Here are some practical tips for making the most of the experience: 1. Try a regimented approach Treat online dating like a daily routine. I recommend logging in for 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes in the evening. This method ensures consistency, making sure you get back to people in a timely fashion, without letting dating apps consume your entire day... and mind. Commit to reaching out to or swiping on a certain number of people each day, perhaps eight on Hinge for example. Success often comes through persistence. Invest time in creating a profile that truly lets you shine. Write it. Read it over. Does it sound like you? Yes? Great. But does it also sound like everyone else? It's too generic. An exercise to help might be to 'name your five', which is a game I like to play. Name five things/nouns that truly describe you and no one else. For example, mine are whiskey, puns, crossword puzzles, ping pong and omakase (sushi). No judgment, please! If I take those five things, plus perhaps a bit of biographical information, I could easily turn them into a profile. 4. Limit app conversations While messaging is an important part of online dating, don't linger on the app for too long. Remember that online dating is simply a tool to facilitate meeting someone. The payoff Many people don't realise (or want to realise) the amount of work that goes into online dating. But my most successful clients say to me, 'The work pays off!' And I hope it does for you, too. – Tribune News Service Erika Ettin is the founder of A Little Nudge, where she helps others navigate the often intimidating world of online dating.
