By Chinekwu Osakwe U.S. law firm Paul Hastings said Thursday that it has hired two partners from rival

WhatsApp will finally let people create group chats without having to come up with a clever name for them – or any name at all. Users will instead be able to just make a group and then have that group name itself after the people inside of it. WhatsApp suggested that the tool will be useful when “you need to create a group in a hurry, or you don’t have a group topic in mind”. It will be available for group chats with up to six people in them. The group names will be changed dynamically, depending on who is in the group. The group name will display differently for each user in it, depending on how they have people saved in their phone. If someone is added to a group with people who don’t have that person saved, then their phone number will show instead. Mark Zuckerberg announced the feature on Facebook. “Making it simpler to start WhatsApp groups by naming them based on who’s in the chat when you don’t feel like coming up with another name,” he wrote, sharing a picture of how the new groups will look. The feature is rolling out “globally over the next few days”, Meta said. It is one of a number of small tweaks that have been added to WhatsApp in recent weeks. Most recently, it fixed a major frustration that meant that pictures would be shrunk when they were sent within a group. The company is also quietly working on other features, including the addition of generative AI to create new stickers just by describing them. Read More WhatsApp update finally stops it ruining your photos WhatsApp rolls out AI tool for creating custom art Jury finds teenager responsible for computer hacking spree

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, asked on Wednesday about a recent break-in

Tech execs tend to announce new apps, features and devices in slick promotional videos, and Instagram boss Adam Mosseri was no different when he shared a Reel announcing the launch of Meta’s Twitter rival, Threads, earlier this week – one which has since been parodied by one content creator. Just days after Elon Musk’s Twitter suffered a significant outage at the start of July - and had to implement controversial, but temporary reading limits on tweets - Mark Zuckerberg’s company started teasing its “civil”, text-based alternative ahead of it eventually being released in the UK at midnight on Thursday (7pm ET). After the launch, Mosseri released a video explainer on his own Instagram profile in which he said: “We’re hoping to bring some of what we’ve built for photos and videos on Instagram to Threads with text. “Now the idea is there’s an amazing community on Instagram, and wonderful creators, and we want to create a space where we can engage in public conversations that is friendly, and that is open.” And it’s certainly proved popular, with Zuckerberg reporting more than 10 million sign-ups to the app after seven hours of it being available to the public. But one Instagram content creator decided to create his own take on Mosseri’s Reel, with a greater focus on Threads’ similarities with Twitter. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Posing as the Instagram boss, Dan Toomey opens his parody by describing Threads as “some new s*** to waste your time on from Instagram”. “Threads is for public arguments, cyber-bullying and the occasional post from a fast-food chain that goes too far – in other words, Twitter. “Now the idea is there’s an amazing opportunity to end Twitter while it’s down, like we saw a wounded deer on the side of the road and we just jammed our thumb into the side of its neck very slowly, so we can feel the last drop of life exit its body,” he continued, before a voice can be heard off-camera saying “too far, Adam”. As Toomey’s version of Mosseri carries on talking about the supposed benefits of Threads, the necklace sported by his character starts undergoing some changes with every cut, at one point turning into a pair of scissors dangling from a chain. Toomey continued: “So we’re going to bring a lot of the good creators from Twitter over to Instagram with Threads – people like BTS stans, the kid who doxes billionaires’ planes [Jack Sweeney’s ElonJet] and millions and millions of furry porn accounts. “And we’re also looking to integrate Mastodon, which is a decentralised, social media bulls*** thing.” Toomey’s take on the latest social media platform to take up some storage space on your phone has been branded “genius” by commenters on Instagram. One wrote: “The constantly changing necklace pendants really tie this thing together.” “No one’s picked up on the El*n [sic] photo in the background yet,” noted another. A third commented: “The fact that you made like seven necklaces for this is just perfect. Never change, Adam.” And yes, Mosseri himself – the real Adam - has actually seen it, sharing it to his Instagram story and on his Threads profile, where he added: “The changing necklace pendants really got me you b******.” Wholesome. 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.

Fans of Taylor Swift have written an open letter to the pop star asking her to distance herself from The 1975 frontman Matty Healy. Titled #SpeakUpNow, a play on Swift’s album Speak Now, set to be re-released July 7th, has sparked conversation from both sides on Twitter. The letter, first posted by account @SpeakUpNow_13, expressed ‘disappointment’ with Swift’s recent sightings with Healy. Healy has been spotted at multiple of Taylor’s shows as she embarks on a US tour, igniting dating rumours after Swift’s recent split from her ex-boyfriend Joe Alwyn. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Healy has faced multiple controversies for his actions in the past, accused of ‘engaging in racist remarks and making offensive jokes’ are some of the issues Swift’s fans, known as Swifties, have raised in the letter. They write: ‘your voice holds tremendous power and right now your silence is palpable,’ adding, ‘we urge you to reflect on the impact of your own and your associates’ behaviour.’ The original account has since be deleted following criticising from fans and others accusing the user of having a ‘parasocial relationship’ with the singer. A term often used to describe the relationship between fans and celebrities, who have no idea the fan exists. Some quoted previous statements made by Swift about having people ask invasive questions surrounding her personal life and accused the fan of crossing boundaries. Others said those sharing the hashtag are ‘chronically online’. Others rose to the defence of the letter, saying you’re allowed to hold someone accountable. One Taylor Swift fan account wrote it’s disappointing to see ‘a lot of hate and comments ridiculing this,’ adding, ‘it’s okay to love an artist and speak up when you are disappointed or disagree with them.’ Some fans announced they had cancelled their pre-orders of Swift’s latest re-release, saying they don’t feel comfortable giving her money whilst she supports Healy and remains silent on his controversies. People of colour have shared the hurt they feel from Swift’s association with Healy, who made comments on a podcast earlier in the year about watching porn that humiliated and dehumanised black women. Swift and Healy have not made any public comments on the letter. 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.

Robot vacuums were once an anomaly, but now it seems like almost every household has

Attorneys general from 33 states, including New York AG Letitia James, have filed a lawsuit against tech giant Meta alleging it designed harmful features that contributed to the youth mental health crisis. The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of California, alleges that Mark Zuckerberg’s company knowingly created addictive and “psychologically manipulative” features targeted at young people while falsely assuring the public it was safe to use. Some of the features, they say, include infinite scrolling, filters that change a person’s face or body, notifications that call young people back to Meta’s social media platforms like Instagram and Facebook and more. “Meta has profited from children’s pain by intentionally designing its platforms with manipulative features that make children addicted to their platforms while lowering their self-esteem,” Ms James said in a statement. “Social media companies, including Meta, have contributed to a national youth mental health crisis and they must be held accountable,” she added. Multiple studies have shown that children and teenagers’ prolonged exposure to social media can have negative impacts on their mental health due to disrupting their sleep, exposing them to bullying, rumour spreading, unrealistic views of people’s lives and more Plaintiffs in the lawsuit allege that Meta internally knew the impact of social media on young people but denied and downplayed the potential harm anyway in order to maximize profit – something a Facebook whistleblower testified to Congress about in 2021. The lawsuit seeks to force Meta to drastically change some of its design features that they allege are harmful to young people as well as impose financial penalties under each state’s specific consumer protection law. In a statement provided to The Independent, a spokesperson for Meta said, “We share the attorneys general’s commitment to providing teens with safe, positive experiences online, and have already introduced over 30 tools to support teens and their families.” Some of the “tools” Meta has implemented to help young people include age verification, preventing content that promotes harmful behaviours, giving users the option to hide “like” counts, prompting young people to take breaks or set timers and more. “We’re disappointed that instead of working productively with companies across the industry to create clear, age-appropriate standards for the many apps teens use, the attorneys general have chosen this path,” the spokesperson added. The lawsuit is the latest action taken against tech giants as concern about the impact of social media on young people grows. Read More People’s Instagram posts are showing where they are not expected Google and Meta withdraw from upcoming Web Summit Mark Zuckerberg uses Meta’s new AI Ray-Bans to braid daughter’s hair WhatsApp update will change how you log in forever Instagram Threads adds yet more features as it tries to take over from Twitter Viral WhatsApp warning of cyberattack targeting Jewish people is fake

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes owners will hold a vote on the Oakland Athletics’ proposed move to Las Vegas when they meet from Nov. 14-16 at Arlington, Texas

His pals went all out and assembled for a two-day concert extravaganza, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, to celebrate the milestone

The recent breach at Okta gave hackers the opportunity to try and infiltrate password manager

The new Formula 1 season is here - and that means F1 Fantasy is back! The game will see millions of motor sport fans pick their fantasy selection of drivers for an imaginary $100m budget. F1 Fantasy began five years ago and it has grown rapidly in popularity, in line with F1’s rise in popularity. The 2023 season will reward those players who are able to spot the early trends as the new season takes shape. See below for all the rules and top tips: How to play F1 Fantasy 2023 Each player gets to pick five drivers and two constructors (up from one in 2022) ahead of the first race of the season in Bahrain, spending a budget of $100m. They also pick a weekly ‘DRS Boost’ whose points are doubled – and new for 2023, any driver in your team can be given the DRS boost. There are also chips available to power up your team, 6 in total: Autopilot, Extra DRS boost, No Negative, Wildcard, Limitless and Final Fix. Max Verstappen is the most expensive driver at $27.6m, with Lewis Hamilton second on $24.0m and Charles Leclerc on $21.2m. As for the Constructors, Red Bull are $27.9m, Mercedes $25.2m and Ferrari $22.2m. Players can make up to two transfers to their team per week, up until the start of qualifying. More than 2 transfers carries a 4 point penalty per additional transfer - similar to Fantasy Premier League. F1 Fantasy tips (pre-Monaco) Let’s not mess about: get Fernando Alonso on your team! The two-time world champion, for Aston Martin, who has finished third in four out of the five races, is still something of a steal at $9.4m. Elsewhere, Nico Hulkenberg is a cheap option at $3.8m while Lance Stroll is also not a bad bet at $7.6m. It’s still hard to look beyond picking Max Verstappen ($27.6m), but Carlos Sainz is not a bad bet for your second-most expensive driver - at $17.2m. Similarly, Aston Martin are an obvious Constructors option at this point at $7.0m alongside one of the big boys. The deadline to make changes to your team is Canada qualifying at 9pm (BST) on Saturday afternoon *** One key to success in Fantasy F1 is riding the price waves and increasing the value of your team. You can do this by identifying the best value picks each week, and also by buying and selling strategically - so buy a successful driver at the end of a race on Sunday and sell him on later the following week for a profit. It’s worth biding your time when it comes to making your final substitutions, however. Practice on Friday will generally reveal plenty about what go down in qualifying, so waiting as long as possible to soak up information will help in making the right decisions each week. Given the budgetary restrictions, and the fact that most players will have some combination of Hamilton, Verstappen, Mercedes or Red Bull, the area to get a jump on the rest is in the midfield pack. Will Ferrari toppple Red Bull? Can McLaren top the midfield? And what about Alpine? How does the scoring work? Qualifying: Pole position (first place) 10 pts 2nd place 9 pts 3rd place 8 pts 4th place 7 pts 5th place 6 pts 6th place 5 pts 7th place 4 pts 8th place 3 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt No time set -5 pts Disqualification from qualifying -15 pts Constructors’ in qualifying Neither driver reaches Q2 -1 pt One driver reaches Q2 1 pt Both drivers reach Q2 3 pts One driver reaches Q3 5 pts Both drivers reach Q3 10 pts Race: 1st Place 25 pts 2nd place 18 pts 3rd place 15 pts 4th place 12 pts 5th place 10 pts 6th place 8 pts 7th place 6 pts 8th place 4 pts 9th place 2 pts 10th place 1 pt 11th-20th place 0 pts DNF/Not classified -20 points Disqualified -25 points Extras Positions Gained 1 pt per position Positions lost -1 point per position Overtakes made 1 pt per overtake Fastest lap 10 points Driver of the Day 10 points Constructors’ in race Fastest pitstop 10 points 2nd fastest pitstop 5 points 3rd fastest pitstop 3 pts Read More F1 Monaco Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP3 results after Lewis Hamilton crash F1 2023 season predictions: World champion, surprise star, best race and more Guenther Steiner interview: What makes star of Drive to Survive tick? Lewis Hamilton fastest as practice for Canadian GP finally starts Canadian Grand Prix practice descends into farce after bizarre CCTV blackout F1 Canadian Grand Prix LIVE: FP2 results with Lewis Hamilton fastest in Montreal

IndiGo reported fourth-quarter profit that missed analysts’ estimates, as rising fuel costs offset the post-Covid travel rebound at