O’Sullivan and Trump no-shows spoil mood before World Snooker Championship
Neither former world champion was at obligatory event as two British prospects look forward to moment in spotlightIf there were any doubt remaining that Ronnie O’Sullivan retains a gravitational pull on the world of snooker, few moments hammered home the point better than Friday’s launch of this year’s World Snooker Championship when the seven-time champion became the story without even being there.The first ball will not be potted in Sheffield until Saturday morning and the first headline has been generated by a player not in action until Tuesday.When the traditional photo of the world’s top 16 took place as usual outside the Crucible on Friday afternoon it did so without two of the sport’s biggest names in O’Sullivan and Judd Trump.Both were a no-show at the press event that the seeded players are contractually obliged to attend, with the reasons for their absence unclear.It could yet lead to disciplinary action from the authorities: not that either will be hit too hard financially.
But the absence of O’Sullivan in particular shifted the entire mood going into the event.The long-term deal to keep the tournament at the Crucible was no longer the talking point.Nor was the fact the defending champion, Zhao Xintong, arrives as undisputed favourite to defend his title at the kind of odds with bookmakers not seen since the days of Stephen Hendry’s dominance in Sheffield in the 1990s.It is safe to say the absences did not go down well in some quarters.“I think it’s become normal that they don’t turn up for these types of things, but I’ve got no idea why,” the world No 8 and 2005 champion, Shaun Murphy, said on Friday.
“None of us are shocked by it,It would be more strange for us if they were here, which is saying something,I think it’s a real shame, and they probably could both have done a little bit more to help promote the game over the years,”Murphy, who last reached the final in Sheffield in 2021, insisted the lack of O’Sullivan and Trump was a problem for the pair themselves, not snooker,“I don’t know about image problems,” he said.
“I think it might give those two a particular image problem … once the public sort of tag on to that themselves and realise that two of the biggest stars of the game weren’t here when everyone else has made the effort to be here,It’s a strange one,”All of this is happening at an interesting time for snooker,Even the most passionate O’Sullivan fan would admit the game cannot afford to lean on him for headlines for ever with the first of his world titles won 25 years ago,The emergence of new stars is long overdue, which is in turn what made Zhao’s run to the title 12 months ago so historic, as well as him being China’s first world champion.
There are a record 11 Chinese players in the 32-man field this year with Zhao getting under way against Liam Highfield on Saturday morning,But it is what is happening closer to home could be just as important for snooker – which has been in desperate need of new generational talent for quite some time,It may well be too early to say that has happened, but two young Yorkshiremen catch the eye,Halifax’s Stan Moody and York’s Liam Pullen are rivals from the junior circuit but at the ages of 19 and 20 respectively, have qualified for the first time,Throw in 22-year-old Antoni Kowalski, who becomes Poland’s first Crucible star, and perhaps there is hope.
“So much has been spoken about the Chinese, they’re doing wonders for the game,” Mark Allen, the world No 14, says.“But it’s nice to see a few coming through from over here.It would be nice to see Liam and Stan doing well.The strength in depth of the game is great now.”Murphy, who mentored Moody earlier in his career, agrees.
“You’ve seen the Chinese invasion of snooker coming for a long time,” he says.“They’ve been on their way for 20 years now and we’ve been holding firm, saying there are some kids on the way.” Can a successful run for one of Moody or Pullen inspire a Luke Littler-style effect for snooker and attract more youngsters to the game in the United Kingdom?“I think when you see something, you believe it,” Murphy says.“If you see one of your own, in terms of age, doing something you think, I can do that.There’s definitely something in that.
”But for now, all eyes will still gravitate towards one man when the action gets under way this weekend – or Tuesday, to be precise, when O’Sullivan starts against the qualifier He Guoqiang,But for the first time in a long time, there are shoots of optimism that a new generation of snooker stars from around the world are ready to seize the moment,Whether they can wrestle the eyes of the world away from the seven-time world champion is another question,
Liz Kendall urges UK public to embrace AI as government makes first £500m fund investment
The UK technology secretary has urged the country to “make AI work for Britain”, brushing off fears about its impact on jobs and cybersecurity as the government announced its first investment under a £500m sovereign AI fund. Liz Kendall said the UK had to “seize” the opportunity offered by AI despite concerns underlined this month when US startup Anthropic revealed it had developed an AI model that posed a potentially significant cyber threat. Asked how the government makes the case for embracing a technology that could disrupt jobs and now cybersecurity, Kendall said: “We have to seize this to make it work, for Britain, for our jobs, for solving the biggest challenges we face as a world.”Speaking on Thursday as the government unveiled its first investment in a UK company as part of a £500m sovereign AI fund, Kendall acknowledged “people are worried about the risks and what it means for their jobs”, but AI entrepreneurs also believed they can “make it work … they can create jobs”.In January Kendall admitted “some jobs will go” as AI automates certain tasks and roles, but it would also create new employment opportunities
‘How do I end a call?’: the elderly Japanese people determined to master smartphones
It’s not only young people whose gaze is fixed on tiny screens. But for these users in Tokyo, clicking and scrolling is anything but second nature.“I can’t deal with all of the apps that jump out at me,” says one. “How do I know if I’ve definitely ended a call?” asks another.They are common concerns among the four women and one man attending a beginner’s smartphone class at a public facility for older residents in Nerima in the Japanese capital’s north-west suburbs
Labour and Lib Dem MPs demand ‘shameful’ Palantir NHS contract be scrapped
MPs have queued up to demand the government scraps its £330m NHS contract with the spy-tech company Palantir, calling it “dreadful” and “shameful” in a debate on Thursday, after which the government said it was “no fan” of the US company’s politics.Labour and Liberal Democrat MPs led the calls for Palantir, which also works for Donald Trump’s ICE immigration crackdown and the Israeli military, to be removed as a supplier to the NHS federated data platform (FDP), with one Labour backbencher, Samantha Niblett, questioning whether it could be “trusted as a custodian of the intimate health records of tens of millions of British citizens”.The Lib Dem MP Luke Taylor, who called the deal “shameful”, said: “Palantir and Peter Thiel must have their hands ripped off of our NHS before it is too late.”Thiel, a Trump-supporting tech billionaire, founded the company and has previously said that democracy and freedom are incompatible.In response to the MPs who spoke in a Westminster Hall debate, the government confirmed it would consider whether to continue with the deal when a break clause is due in spring 2027, although £210m of the £330m has already been spent
Man used AI to make false statements to shut down London nightclub, police say
A businessman has pleaded guilty to making false statements in order to shut down a nightclub, which police believe were generated using AI.A Metropolitan police source said the use of AI to generate letters by complainants who do not exist is a growing issue.Aldo d’Aponte, 47, the CEO of Arbitrage Group Properties, pleaded guilty to writing two letters, supposedly by his neighbours, objecting to the reopening of Heaven nightclub, which temporarily closed after a rape allegation against one of its security guards.D’Aponte was given a 12-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £26 victim surcharge.Heaven, an LGBTQ nightclub in central London had its licence suspended in November 2024 after a 19-year-old woman accused a bouncer of rape
NAACP lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s xAI of polluting Black neighborhoods near Memphis
A new lawsuit accuses Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company of illegally spewing toxic pollutants into residential neighborhoods on the border of Tennessee and Mississippi.The suit, filed on Tuesday in Mississippi federal court, alleges xAI is violating the Clean Air Act due to emissions from its makeshift power plant in Southaven, Mississippi, which powers its datacenter there. The NAACP, represented by the environmental groups Southern Environmental Law Center and Earthjustice, says xAI has been polluting areas with homes, schools and churches, including in historically Black communities, by using dozens of methane gas generators without permits.The organization is seeking to force the company to stop operating its unpermitted turbines in Southaven.“A data center should not be a potential death sentence for a community’s health,” Abre’ Conner, the director of environmental and climate justice for the NAACP, said in a statement
Fisa surveillance vote sparks fierce debate as Congress splits on warrantless monitoring
A controversial law that grants the US government sweeping powers for warrantless surveillance is set to expire next week. Replacing it has inspired fierce debate within the White House and Congress, including a scheduled vote cancelled the day of.A coalition of progressive Democrats and far-right Republicans is pushing for reform of Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), but they face strong bipartisan opposition from lawmakers advocating for an 18-month renewal with no changes, in line with Donald Trump’s demands. House GOP leaders delayed a procedural vote on a clean extension of Section 702 on Wednesday, after the chamber’s rules committee approved the measure on Tuesday night. Republican leadership was expected to bring the measure to the floor on Wednesday but canceled the scheduled vote, amid dissent from privacy advocates in their own party
What happens during security vetting and why did Peter Mandelson fail his?
Olly Robbins and Mandelson’s vetting: what did he do, why – and who knew?
Five unanswered questions on Keir Starmer’s Mandelson debacle
‘Almost like a Bond villain’: why Labour MPs expect Starmer to cling on as PM
Starmer says it is ‘staggering’ and ‘unforgivable’ he was not told Mandelson failed vetting – as it happened
Peter Mandelson’s failed security vetting: a timeline of the controversy