Your contacts on the networking site LinkedIn could be deepfakes, according to a new study. Researchers at the Stanford Internet Observatory found more than 1,000 deepfake accounts on LinkedIn, the social media platform for professional networking. The Times said the profiles are created by artificial intelligence software that has learnt, through viewing thousands of real faces, how to create convincing facial features.
Church of Flying Spaghetti Monster’s hat battle
The leader of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is campaigning hard on a key issue: the right to wear a pirate hat for a driver’s licence photo. Gary Smith, who identifies himself as a Pastafarian, insisted that his pirate hat is part of his church’s religious headwear. He has accused licensing authorities of “sheer arrogance” for blocking his request, reported Vancouver Island’s Times Colonist. According to followers, Pastafarianism is a “real, legitimate religion, as much as any other”.
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Message in bottle found after 56 years
A message in a bottle written by two teens looking for boyfriends has been found 56 years after it was released. The requests have been floating in the Humber Estuary for nearly six decades, after Jennifer Coleman and Janet Blankley wrote them aged 15 in August 1966. A mother and daughter spotted the bottle when they were litter-picking in Scunthorpe, said The Metro. They hope to reunite the notes with their authors.
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Heavenly spectacle in the wilds of CanadaThe Week Recommends ‘Mind-bending’ outpost for spotting animals – and the northern lights
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Facial recognition: a revolution in policingTalking Point All 43 police forces in England and Wales are set to be granted access, with those against calling for increasing safeguards on the technology
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Codeword: December 14, 2025The daily codeword puzzle from The Week
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Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
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Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
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Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
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Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
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Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
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Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
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Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
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China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
