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YouTube’s UK and Ireland boss has insisted there will always be a future for long-form videos despite increasing competition from the likes of TikTok. Alison Lomax, who took on the post in January this year, told the PA news agency that YouTube is committed to a multi-format proposition, through its traditional longer videos as well as Shorts, launched in 2021 to draw back some of the audiences that had switched to short-form rivals such as TikTok. She said YouTube Music is rolling out its new podcast feature in response to increasing demand for podcasts from younger viewers, who she stressed are not turning their backs on longer-form content. Having launched in the US in April, it is now set to be unveiled in the UK by the end of the year, according to Ms Lomax. But it comes as TikTok continues to enjoy exponential growth, with mobile phone usage driving consumers towards short-form video. Speaking on the launch of YouTube’s latest UK impact report, Ms Lomax said: “Generation Z have really embraced the podcast, but they’re not 60 seconds.” She said in the future “there will still be a world for multi-format and you see that with creators”. “Just because you can create short form content, does not mean that they do. “People experiment with different formats.” (AI) is the buzz word of the year, but it's been part of what we are doing for many years Alison Lomax, YouTube UK and Ireland managing director The group, owned by Google parent Alphabet, said in its impact report that more than 45,000 full-time jobs were created among its creator economy in 2022, while its “creative ecosystem” contributed over £2 billion to wider UK economic output last year. The research, conducted by Oxford Economics, found that more than 65,000 creators and partners in the UK receive income linked to their YouTube presence, with over a third of British creators who earn money from YouTube saying it was their main source of revenue. Ms Lomax said recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) were also presenting “real opportunities” for its creators. The group has been working with Google DeepMind, which is headquartered in Britain, to design AI solutions to create performance improvements on the platform for creators and viewers. Ms Lomax said YouTube has been using AI since 2017, including to help develop content moderation in the battle against misinformation, something that is becoming increasingly important in the area of health and in particular ahead of upcoming elections in the US and UK. She said: “(AI) is the buzz word of the year, but it’s been part of what we are doing for many years.” Echoing recent comments from YouTube chief executive Neal Mohan, she said the industry is “at a critical inflection point” with AI. “We need to boldly embrace it, but also by being mindful about responsibility.” YouTube recently announced an initiative that will see it partner with the music industry as artists face increasing challenges from the rise of AI technology. It has launched YouTube’s Music AI Incubator to help inform its approach to the technology, look at how it can enhance creativity and address issues. “We’re aware of the big opportunity but also we are aware of the downsides… we want to be part of the solution and the opportunity,” said Ms Lomax. The music initiative is the first of a number of YouTube announcements in the AI arena this year, she said, adding it is “something we’re thinking about very deeply for the ecosystem”. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Robotic dog brought into survey historic Cold War weapons testing facilities Period and fertility tracking apps scrutinised over data security concerns Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns

FIFA president Gianni Infantino feels equal pay at the Men’s and Women’s World Cups would only be a “symbol” that would not “solve anything” if additional development targets for the women’s game are not achieved. On Sunday, England will play Spain in the final for their share of an increased prize pot of 110 million US dollars (£86.1m) for this tournament, more than three times than what was on offer for the 2019 Women’s World Cup in France, but still significantly less than the 440 million USD (£346m) awarded at the 2022 men’s competition in Qatar. Infantino has previously outlined ambitions for prize parity by the 2026 and 2027 World Cups but two days before the conclusion of the ninth edition of the women’s showpiece, challenged stakeholders to do more. Infantino said: “Let’s really go for a full equality. Not just equal pay in the World Cup, which is a slogan that comes up every now and then. Equal pay in the World Cup, we are going in that direction already. ...this World Cup generated over 570 million US dollars in revenues, and so we broke even. We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage Gianni Infantino “But that would not solve anything. It might be a symbol but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players. We need to keep the momentum. We need to push it. We need to go for equality but we have to do it for real.” Two months before the tournament, Infantino threatened that he may be “forced not to broadcast” the World Cup in Europe’s ‘big five’ countries following what he felt were “very disappointing and simply not acceptable” offers from broadcasters, though deals were eventually done. Viewing figures have broken records in Australia, where a peak 11.5 million people – about 46 per cent of the population – tuned in to watch the Matildas play England in their semi-final, the country’s most-watched television programme of any kind since 2001 when the existing rating system was established. Back at home, the 7.3 million people who viewed the same contest on BBC One comprised the biggest UK audience of the World Cup so far, and on Friday Infantino reiterated his view that broadcasters have a part to play in the prize parity target. The 2023 tournament was expanded to 32 teams, and is also the first time the competition has been hosted by more than one country. Infantino said: “Some voices were raised, where it cost too much, we don’t make enough revenues, we will have to subsidise. “And our opinion was, well if we have to subsidise, we will subsidise, because we have to do that. “But actually, this World Cup generated over 570 million US dollars in revenues, and so we broke even. We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage. More than half a billion (in revenues).” The decision to include more teams initially drew scepticism that it would only highlight the disparity between lower-ranked teams and heavily-resourced nations at the top of the table. Instead, this has been one of the most competitive finals on record, guaranteed a new champion after 2011 champions Japan were eliminated at the quarter-final stage, one round after double-defending title holders the United States were sent packing in the last-16. World number four England managed just one goal against tournament debutants Haiti, 49 places below them in FIFA’s world rankings, while fellow debutants Morocco advanced to the last-16 alongside Jamaica, who were knocked out in the group stage in their only other appearance in a final. Three top-10 sides in Germany, Canada and Brazil were eliminated in the group stage, while England’s quarter-final opponents Colombia advanced to the last eight for the first time. And while breakout performances at this World Cup could lead some players to more lucrative contracts in places like Europe and the United States, FIFA’s most recent benchmarking report revealed the average league and club salaries for women worldwide was just 14,000 dollars (£11,000). Infantino demanded: “Football in general, in all the leagues and all the competitions, pay a fair price. Show that you respect women and women’s sport. You will see the feedback that will be absolutely fantastic. “We need to have more local competitions, more continental competitions, more international competitions because when you see some of the beautiful, stories that were written at this World Cup. “We need to create the conditions in the next four years for them to able to play at professional level at home. This is the biggest challenge we have to take onboard.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live On this day in 2018: Tyson Fury defeats Francesco Pianeta on points in Belfast Rory McIlroy and Brian Harman in front after opening round of BMW Championship Katarina Johnson-Thompson believes heptathlon world title is there for taking

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Christmas is almost upon us so that can mean only one thing… It’s time for some doomsday predictions, courtesy of Baba Vanga. The legendary blind Bulgarian mystic is credited with foreseeing many of the biggest events in history, including the Chernobyl disaster, 9/11, the Covid pandemic and the death of Princess Diana. And even though she’s been dead for 27 years, people still follow her prophesies with great dedication. Her loyal disciples claim that many of her forecasts came true long after her death, and there are still plenty more to come. So now, it’s time to look ahead to what’s on the cards for 2024. Assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin The Russian president is hardly the world’s most popular man, so he has to watch his own back. A lot. And, apparently next year he’ll face an assassination attempt, not by an international agent but by someone from his own country. Still, according to Astrofame, Vanga only predicted an “attempt” on Putin’s life. Perhaps the whole reason he manages to survive is the late clairvoyant’s warning… Terrorist attacks on Europe Russia’s leader isn’t alone in facing an existential threat. Next year, Europe is supposedly set for a terrorist attack by Islamic extremists and a “big country” will carry out biological weapons tests or assaults next year. Vanga, the so-called “Nostradamus of the Balkans,” didn’t say where exactly in Europe these strikes would take place so, if you believe her word, we’ll all need to be on guard. Major economic crisis Many of us have become inured to dire financial forecasts but it’s still unsettling to learn that Vanga predicted a massive global economic crisis. According to Astrofame, she envisaged a number of different factors converging, including rising debt levels, increasing geopolitical tensions, and economic power shifting from the West to the East. Tech revolution General artificial intelligence is the hot topic when it comes to tech, but next year will be all about quantum computing, according to the Bulgarian oracle. Vanga foresaw a major breakthrough in the realm, which harnesses the laws of quantum mechanics to solve problems that are too complex for classical computers. This will bring about an unprecedented technological revolution, which will touch all areas of life: from healthcare to cybersecurity. And hey, maybe it will help sort out all those economic issues. A surge in cyber attacks If biological and terrorist attacks weren’t enough to contend with, 2024 will also see a spike in cyber strikes, according to Vanga. And these won’t be under-the-radar hacks, these will be fully-blown onslaughts on critical infrastructure, including power grids and water treatment facilities. The question is, will those quantum computers cause the crises or help solve them? Medical breakthroughs Sure, disaster after disaster is on the horizon, but it’s not all bad. According to Sky History, the blind soothsayer predicted that humanity would shackle cancer “with iron chains”, and 2024 might be the year this happens. She apparently also foresaw a significant breakthrough in treatment for Alzheimer’s patients. But let’s be clear, Vanga was far from infallible. This year, we were supposed to see the explosion of a major nuclear power plant – causing toxic clouds to settle over Asia – and a new religion based on artificial intelligence was due to emerge. Still, 2023 isn’t over yet, and she was alarmingly close to the truth with some of her other prophecies. The mystic claimed that the Earth would be hit by a devastating solar storm and suffer a potentially apocalyptic shift in its orbit around the sun. And whilst, we’ve managed to evade the apocalypse so far, back in August, NASA detected a massive sunspot with the power to bring forth solar flares and “coronal mass ejections” of solar plasma and potentially wreak havoc on power grids and other infrastructure. Last week, it also emerged that the Earth’s axis is shifting. Nevertheless, it’s important to note that Vanga’s predictions are cryptic and impossible to verify. She was unable to write, so everything she said was documented by those around her, meaning there are no first-hand accounts of her visions on paper. Countless Bulgarian and Soviet scientists studied and tested Vanga throughout her life, ultimately concluding that she had an 85 per cent success rate with her predictions, Sky History reports. She even allegedly foresaw her own death on 11 August 1996 at the age of 85. All we can do now is hope that her doomsday visions for the rest of this year, and next, fall into that 15 per cent margin of error... 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