Rail passenger slams ‘masterclass in poor service’

And other stories from the stranger side of life

Train
The drag act forked out the sum for a first-class open return ticket between Brighton and Bangor in north Wales, with a Christmas dinner and wine included
(Image credit: Carl De Souza/AFP)

A drag performer who paid an “eye-watering” £589 for a return train ticket from Brighton to Wales has accused Avanti West Coast of providing “a masterclass in poor service”. The act, known as Le Gateau Chocolat, forked out the sum for a first-class open return ticket between Brighton and Bangor in north Wales, with a Christmas dinner and wine included. However, said The Guardian, the driver announced there would be no first-class service because of staff shortages. On his return journey, he was waiting at Bangor station 10.05am train to Euston, only for the train to be cancelled at 10.07am.

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Robot reads the news

China’s state news agency has launched a virtual anchor designed to be able to deliver the news 24 hours a day. “Hello, you are watching English news program. I am AI news anchor in Beijing,” said the computer-generated host at the start of the broadcast. Created by a Chinese search engine company, the anchor was designed to simulate human voice, facial expressions and gestures but, said CNN, it had a “robotic voice”. There were also sceptics on social media, where one viewer wrote: “(His) voice is too stiff, and there are problems with the pauses.”

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