Suga, the K-pop superstar rapper/singer/songwriter, has become the third member of BTS to begin South Korea’s compulsory military service

Penelope Cruz has revealed she read Enzo Ferrari's love letters to get a better understanding of his marriage before playing his wife Laura in new biopic Ferrari

Elon Musk’s X is planning to charge users in New Zealand and the Philippines joining via the platform’s web application $1 per year as part of its programme to reduce bot activity. The subscription is part of X’s “Not A Bot” programme, which attempts to “bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity”, the company noted in a help centre post on its website on Tuesday. As part of the pilot programme, new users signing up via the website in the two countries will also be required to verify their account with a phone number, the unsigned post said. It remained unclear why the subscription programme is being rolled out only in these two countries, and exclusively for new users joining via the X website, and not the mobile app. However, Not a Bot’s terms and conditions suggested that people may also subscribe to the programme from X’s iOS and Android apps, while the main help centre post only specified web. X did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment. “As of October 17th, 2023 we’ve started testing “Not A Bot”, a new subscription method for new users in two countries,” the company posted. “This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. Within this test, existing users are not affected,” it said. New users from the two countries who opt to subscribe with $1 will for the web version of the platform will be able to post content, like posts, reply, repost and quote other accounts’ posts, as well as bookmark posts, X noted. However, those who opt out of this subscription in the web application “will only be able to take ‘read only’ actions, such as: Read posts, Watch videos, and Follow accounts,” the company stated. “This new programme aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon,” it added. The latest programme is also in addition of X’s premium $8 subscription option. Commenting on a post on X about the new programme, Mr Musk called it “the only way to fight bots without blocking real users.” “Correct, read for free, but $1/year to write. This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform,” the multibillionaire said. X’s latest decision is in line with the Tesla titan’s aim to curb bot activity on the platform since before his takeover of then-Twitter in November last year. He has also held from the beginning that charging users would curb bot activity on the social media platform even though it has been found that only a small fraction of users subscribe to its $8 premium service. But the multibillionaire has continued to hold that a subscription fee would make it harder for bots to create accounts since each bot would need a new credit card to register on the platform. “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Mr Musk said last month. “Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but even if it has to pay a few dollars or something, the effective cost of bots is very high,” he added. Read More EU to investigate X’s handling of disinformation over Hamas attack on Israel EU asks Elon Musk to ‘walk the talk’ on X/Twitter disinformation over Hamas attack How Elon Musk’s Twitter became a haven for fake news and misinformation Viral hate and misinformation amid Israel-Hamas crisis renew fears of real-world violence Instagram Threads adds edit button and voice notes as it attempts to take over from Twitter EU opens investigation into X’s handling of disinformation over Hamas attack on Israel

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has put the team on his back the last few weeks, but it hasn't helped their postseason hopes. Now, Ohtani is injured.Shohei Ohtani left Thursday's start against the Seattle Mariners -- in which he became the first player in MLB history to h...

'The F1-inspired film starring Brad Pitt will make sports look 'how it is supposed to' in the future, according to Lewis Hamilton

In today's Steelers rumors, Pittsburgh looks inward for a Matt Canada replacement. Calvin Austin blows off steam, and Kenny Pickett gets benched.

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has criticised players moving to Saudi Arabia as Franck Kessie nears a switch to Al Ahli.

CINCINNATI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jun 23, 2023--

Coffee shop Blank Street has partnered with Stanley, the viral TikTok cup, to hand out free flasks to caffeine-seekers across the city. For the blissfully unaware, the famed Stanley cup has been making waves online in recent months with a staggering 2.3 billion views under the hashtag alone. The platform has been flooded with reviews, unboxing videos and has almost become an emotional support accessory for avid TikTokers, influencers and celebrities across the globe. To secure the iconic cup, all you need to do is tell your Blank Street Charlotte Street barista: "Quench my thirst." Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter You'll then be given your very own Stanley Quencher, perfect for keeping iced coffee temperature perfectly chilled for two whole days. You must be quick, as there are only 50 available across Thursday and Friday (10-11th August) between 11am and 2pm. On Thursday, Blank Street will have its first drop of 25 Stanley Quenchers, in the sell-out eucalyptus colour, available only at Blank Street’s Charlotte Street store. The next drop of 25 cups will be available at the same time, the same place on Friday – the rush for thirst-quenching is on. Coffee fans will have another opportunity to secure their Stanley at a later date. All they need to do is keep their eyes peeled on the Blank Street socials for further details. Caffeine addicts wondering what to fill in their newly-secured Stanley Quencher can find inspiration in Blank Street’s expertly crafted Cold Brew menu. With delights such as the traditional Cold Brew, clean-cut Cortado Cold Brew, and treacly, best-selling Shaken Brown Sugar Cold Brew - the curated menu of delicious iced creations is packed full of chocolate-y and caramel-y flavours from the coffee shop’s innovative Cold Brew Shot. The menu has been taking London by storm already, with Blank Street seeing a whopping 11X increase in the number of Cold Brews ordered from May to August this year. Ignacio Llado, UK MD at Blank Street said: "Keeping your iced coffee cold in the summer can be a bit of a mission, so we’ve partnered with the sell-out success that broke TikTok Stanley Cup to give away a limited number of free cups, and help fight the fight against melting iced beverages. "At Blank Street we want to keep Londoners cool, caffeinated and chic, and what’s more on-brand than a eucalyptus Stanley Quencher - but you’ve got to be quick!" Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Saints star running back Alvin Kamara says he feels physically as fresh as if he were in college again as he returns from his three-game suspension

So, what is Plus-Minus in hockey? Learn about this stat that tracks goal differential during equal-strength situations.

Stevie Nicks is finally commenting on the hit show that many believe is loosely based on her music career with Fleetwood Mac.