Liles talked about the song, part of Swift's 2008 album 'Fearless', in the latest episode of 'The Bobby Bones Show'

Social media platform TikTok is being used by incels to spread their “hateful beliefs” against women, according to a new study. Previous research has suggested that incels – men who are involuntary celibates – were mainly restricted to niche men’s forums. But researchers from the University of Portsmouth have found “prominent” incel accounts on video-sharing site TikTok. Incels have been linked to violent attacks including the shooting by Jake Davison of five people in Plymouth in 2021 and an attack in Toronto, Canada, in which self-described incel Alek Minassian drove a van into a crowd killing 11 people in 2018. Lead author Anda Solea, of the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Studies at the University of Portsmouth, said: “It is a common belief that incels are an underground community, removed from beloved and popular platforms such as TikTok. Mainstream platforms like TikTok have stricter moderation policies but are not immune to incel influence Dr Lisa Sugiura “Our study demonstrates that incel ideology is also present, popularised and thriving on TikTok.” The study found that incel ideology was being spread in a manner of styles including through the use of pseudo-scientific appeals. These use fake and misinterpreted graphs, surveys and information often based on evolutionary psychology and biological determinism to “expose the supposed true nature of women”. Other methods include emotional appeals which employ repurposed viral internet media, including TV clips and memes, depicting unattractive men’s humiliation and suffering at the hands of women to portray men as victims and evoke empathy. The study suggests that the language used is soft and implicit enough to escape content moderation but harmful enough to “perpetuate hateful beliefs” while linking with broader sexism and structural misogyny. Study co-author Dr Lisa Sugiura, associate professor in cybercrime and gender at the University of Portsmouth, said: “These clever subtle approaches aim to resonate with broader audiences, including those who might be unfamiliar with the intricacies of incel ideology. “They present a challenge to policymakers and a real danger to women. As TikTok gains popularity, more needs to be done to understand the growing incel activity on the platform.” Ms Solea said: “Incels consider themselves unable to attain romantic relationships due to societal hierarchies based on looks, money and status, where women wield power. “They have been linked to gendered hate speech and violence against women, making them an increasing security concern. “However, research has often oversimplified incels, overlooking their diversity across different online platforms. “Mainstream platforms like TikTok have stricter moderation policies but are not immune to incel influence. “This study aims to understand how incels adapt their ideology to mainstream platforms and how they influence and are influenced by mainstream discourse.” TikTok has been approached for comment.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin has written to the Israel Football Association to express sorrow from the football community over the loss of life following the attack by Hamas. Rockets were launched from Gaza and Hamas breached the border fence into Israel on Saturday, storming villages and taking dozens of hostages. Israel has said more than 1,200 people were killed. Since then, retaliatory airstrikes by Israel have killed another 1,200 civilians in Gaza, which is now subjected to a blockade preventing power and supplies reaching the inhabitants of the 25-mile-long Strip. A letter from Ceferin has now emerged whereby he writes of “profound sorrow” for the “violence” towards the people of Israel, addressed to Israeli FA president Shino Zuares. The letter neither makes any reference to Israel’s retaliation nor those living in Gaza. “I am writing to express our profound sorrow upon learning about the tragic acts of violence that occurred last week in Israel, resulting in the loss of innocent lives,” it reads. “My heart goes out to all the victims and their families during these difficult times. It is an unimaginable tragedy, and the pain and sorrow are profound and resonate across the entire football community. We sincerely hope no one will ever again experience such grief. “I pray for these deep wounds to heal and for a world where such senseless acts of violence have no place.” The letter, a copy of which was posted on social media by Sky’s Rob Harris, is the first communication seen by any Uefa or Fifa officials, with neither governing body officially releasing a statement regarding the attacks over the past week. More than 5,000 civilians are estimated to have been injured or wounded since the strikes on Gaza began.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou says he "gave up" the fight to transform Australian football, speaking of his intense frustrations as he battled to raise the profile of the...

A new and devastating war is raging in Israel and Gaza and Britain’s prisons are full. And yet, one of the top trending topics on X/Twitter last night was… Taylor Swift’s hair. More specifically, fans were desperate to know whether the pop icon had chopped her flowing locks after she was pictured on the red carpet sporting a touseled, wavy “bob”. Decked out in an Oscar de la Renta gown and diamond necklace, Swift was a picture of Hollywood elegance at the LA premiere of her ‘Eras Tour’ film. But never mind all that, people wanted – no, needed – to know: “DID SHE CUT HER HAIR?” Well, it would appear that no, she didn’t, but, you know what, it still matters. It matters because Tay is an idol to millions of “Swifties” who pride themselves on having an intimate connection with the multi-award-winning artist. They proudly exchange friendship bracelets at her concerts and gobble up the Easter eggs in her tracks – everything she does has meaning in their eyes – including how she wears her hair. And lo! They’re right! Because even her subtle up-do was loaded with significance. As netizens were quick to point out, the style is a nod to her soon-to-be-released album ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’. On the cover of the record (which is a reworking of her groundbreaking album ‘1989’ with the added bonus of five previously unreleased tracks), her beaming face is set against a vast blue sky, dotted with gulls. And, you guessed it, she has her hair in a touseled, wavy “bob”. Swift knows that she doesn’t need flashy campaigns to hype up the new release, which is out on 27 October. All she needs is a hairbrush, a few bobby pins, and the knowing eye of her loyal followers. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter 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.

Futures for Wall Street's main stock indexes rose on Thursday as Treasury yields eased, while investors looked forward

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Fears that Evergrande's debt woes are spreading into the wider financial industry have sparked a run on a regional bank in northern China, multiple state media outlets have reported.

The head of Elon Musk’s social media platform X says the company formerly known has Twitter has removed hundreds of Hamas-linked accounts and taken down or labeled thousands of pieces of content since the militant group’s attack on Israel