Category: Business

Amid increasing concerns about the threats posed to the UK, artificial intelligence has shared its assessment of how worried Brits should be about the possibility of WW3.

Both the head of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, and the head of the Army, General Sir Roly Walker, have shared stark warnings over the last week about the dangers confronting the UK.

We’ve been told that the ‘extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment’ could soon have a direct impact on our everyday life – and that people will ‘need to play a part’ in protecting the nation.

Former national security adviser Lord Peter Ricketts is the latest figure to chime in on the conversation, as he urged government ministers to keep the public informed about the threats from hostile states such as Russia.

He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that politicians must ‘start a conversation with the British people about what may be coming’, citing Vladimir Putin‘s efforts to ‘undermine morale in European countries’.

Lord Ricketts echoed concerns raised by both Sir Ken and Sir Roly this week, with the latter branding Russia the ‘number one aggressor’ in the current contentious climate.

The MI5 boss warned that authoritarian regimes ‘invest heavily in trying to distort and divide our society, weaponising whatever frictions they notice’ in his annual update, saying: “Those who mean us harm are trying – often with a helping hand from polarising algorithms – to divide our communities and turn us against one another.”

The head of the Army, Sir Roly, then issued a rallying cry as he told troops: “You didn’t know this, but our nation is going to need you.”

He said that politicians will need to have a ‘frank conversation’ about the ‘sacrifices’ that would be needed, telling Brits ‘they need to play a part in the defence and security of this country’.

‘Sacrifices’ must be made

“They need to understand what we do for them,” Sir Roly said. “They need to consent to allow us to do that. Which means sacrifices by them.

“And ultimately we are going to need them to back us, to back you to do the one thing that you do that nobody else gets to do and that is to take the fight to the enemy.”

Given these concerns, LADbible decided to run the risk of World War 3 breaking out by the robots.

Although we should definitely take more heed of the remarks of real human beings with decades of experience in this realm rather than ChatGPT, it at least offers some further food for thought.

After asking OpenAI’s chatbot to share its assessment of when a global conflict could break out, it explained that ‘nobody can reliably predict’ when this might happen – ‘or even whether it will happen at all’.

Which might be a bit of a cop out, considering the weight of the words issued by Sir Ken, Sir Roly and Lord Rickets.

It stated that there is ‘no dependable date or countdown’ to WW3, but noted that there is the possibility that a ‘major international conflict could escalate unexpectedly’.

According to ChatGPT, analysts are currently mostly concerned about Russia’s threat to NATO countries, chaos erupting between China, Taiwan and the US, as well as the situation in the Middle East worsening.

Describing these as ‘potential routes to escalation’, it suggested we shouldn’t worry too much, as these are simply worst case scenarios.

After asking ChatGPT to take a stab in the dark about what the UK’s involvement in WW3 could look like, it explained: “The extent of its involvement would depend on how the conflict started and how it developed.”

Potential scenarios that could unfold, according to ChatGPT

It went on: “If Russia attacked a NATO country: the UK would be expected to help defend that ally under NATO’s Article 5 collective-defence commitment. The response would be decided by the allies and would not automatically require every member to respond with the same type of military action.

“If a war began elsewhere: Britain might provide military support, intelligence, equipment or logistical assistance, depending on the circumstances.

“If a major war reached the UK: there could be consequences for everyday life, including cyberattacks, disruption to transport, energy supplies or communications. Those are possible risks, not evidence that such disruption is imminent. The UK government’s 2025 National Security Strategy describes a more dangerous and uncertain international environment, while its defence strategy emphasises preparing to deter conflict and defend the country. “Preparing for a threat is not the same as knowing a war is about to start.”

Although ChatGPT acknowledged that there are ‘serious issues’ unfolding across the planet right now, it said that ‘they do not establish that a world war is imminent’.

Do with this information what you will, lads.

An advocate for the abolition of the death penalty has said that America was ‘so close’ to getting things in place for possibly getting rid of it before Donald Trump became president.

Christa Pike’s botched execution has brought more attention on the death penalty in the US, as she received a double dose of lethal injection drugs but did not die.

She was rushed to hospital and life-saving measures were performed on her, with her lawyers saying she is now conscious and speaking.

Human rights activist Judi Caruso told LADbible it was ‘so cruel and really almost surrealistic’.

“It’s hard to imagine that any civilised society could inflict this kind of pain and suffering on a human being,” she said of the bizarre and ‘Kafkaesque’ situation where the state of Tennessee was trying to kill Pike but also had to save her life after the botched execution.

“Because my bottom line is we shouldn’t be killing people anyways, period, all the way across the board, but this is just one part of an incredibly broken system for those who look at the death penalty.”

“We were so close… until Trump came into power”

Following Pike’s failed execution, Tennessee has paused death sentences for the rest of the year.

But elsewhere in the US, plans are still going ahead and in a macabre turn there are plans to make an execution public.

US defence secretary Pete Hegseth said the execution of Nidal Malik Hasan, which is scheduled for December, would be something ‘people are able to watch’.

Trump had initially voiced his support for live-streaming the execution, but later reversed his decision as he said ‘many very good and well meaning people would rather not watch him die’.

He said: “I think streaming the execution for all to see might have been a strong deterrent for the World to witness how America deals with Terrorists and SCUM like Hasan.

“He will die, as scheduled, by firing squad, but this event will not be streamed.”

The death penalty won’t be abolished for ‘several decades to come’

Caruso said efforts to halt the death penalty in the US would likely take ‘many, many several decades to come now’ because of the election of Donald Trump as president.

She said: “We were so close to getting five votes on that Supreme Court until Trump came into power. He replaced [Anthony] Kennedy, for example, Kennedy would have been that fifth vote. Kennedy retired.

“Of course, he gets replaced with an ultra far right judge. And now we’re in a position where we’re not going to be able to judicially abolish the death penalty for many, many, several decades to come now.

“Unfortunately, we’re back to thinking of state by state.”

She said the current state of affairs was ‘very demoralising for us activists’ who hoped the day the Supreme Court would find the death penalty violated the eighth amendment, which bans cruel and unusual punishments.

“That exoneration issue… has been absolutely critical”

Caruso said that the pause on executions was ‘a good stepping stone’ for Tennessee to use the case of Christa Pike as an example and widen the debate from the lethal injection protocol to whether the death penalty should stand.

Caruso also argued that the death penalty doesn’t ‘deter crimes any more effectively than, for example, life without the possibility of parole which is the alternative’.

Death penalty in the US is a state by state issue, with 23 states having abolished it, another 23 carrying out executions and four where the death penalty still stands but a moratorium has been placed on executions.

Then there’s the many cases of exoneration where people are on death row only to be proven innocent.

Caruso’s partner Juan Roberto Melendez-Colon is one of these, he spent years on death row in Florida with the electric chair awaiting him before he was proven innocent.

“That exoneration issue, the innocence issue, has been absolutely critical in abolition of the death penalty throughout the United States,” the human rights activist said.

In each state which had abolished the death penalty Caruso said the argument of prisoners being found innocent before they were sent to the execution chamber had been ‘absolutely critical every time’.

“We should get rid of it altogether”

Discussing the matter of the death penalty, Caruso said that the practical argument for keeping it was ‘so irreparably damaged that we should get rid of it altogether’.

She said: “It is significantly more expensive to maintain the death penalty system than to have the alternative in the United States, which is life without the possibility of parole for the most serious of murders.

“If you’re looking at it from a law and order perspective and we know that it doesn’t deter crimes any more effectively than, for example, life without the possibility of parole which is the alternative.

“It is just not effective in terms of deterring crime so it doesn’t make us safer, that money that could be saved by getting rid of the death penalty could absolutely be used for more effective violence prevention.

“Again, if you’re looking at the death penalty from a practical perspective it makes no sense.”

LADbible contacted the White House for comment.

A woman has said that she pays around £11,000 more a year in her monthly expenses than if she had a partner in the ‘single tax’.

Amy Kibblewhite paid £375,000 for her one bedroom flat in Chigwell Essex in 2025, and when she moved in she found that her living costs ended up increasing much higher than she had anticipated.

She estimates that she spends around £22,800 on her mortgage each year, as well as £4,800 on travel, food, and entertainment.

“When you move out, you kind of just think of your mortgage or your rent as the main thing you’re going to have to pay, but everything else drastically adds up,” said Amy.

“Whether it’s service charge, council tax, water, electricity, gas. I was just looking at my mortgage payment thinking, I could do that. But I didn’t work out what my bills were or anything else.”

Prior to getting her own place Amy had lived with her mum, paying a lower rent rate while she saved up to buy her own place, including setting up an automatic savings transfer on her payday which would send the money directly over.

But despite this financial responsibility and being savvy with her money, Amy found that it was a shock when she was looking after her own flat.

And she has said that on top of not being able to split monthly expenses, she also finds that a lot of special offers are targeted towards couples or families as well.

“Subscriptions, things like Netflix, Spotify, Amazon, you can pay for one per household, not per person. Gym memberships can normally give you a couple’s discount, things like two-for-one deals on cocktails,” she said.

“It would make a difference if the council tax discount was 50%, but everything still swamps that. Every little helps though.”

Amy says that she has to be careful with her money, including taking packed lunches to work, cutting out some subscriptions, and hosting friends at her flat rather than going out.

“I have had to massively up-skill myself,” she said. “I didn’t even know how gas and electric bills worked before. Fixed, variable, energy price cap, all of it. Obviously you have to do that on your own if you’re living alone.”

At present, Amy said that her mortgage is £1,350 a month, and she is concerned that this could go up due to interest rates rising before her next renewal, which is in April.

She also warns that people should try to have an emergency fund as ‘you just don’t know what could happen’, such as having to fork out for expenses like plumbers and locksmiths.

“I’ve been living on my own for a year and only now do I feel like I’m on top of everything,” she said. “It was so overwhelming.

“At the moment, even paying bills and a mortgage etc. in a couple is probably difficult. Everyone is struggling.

“Speaking to other people is so important to help you feel like you’re not alone.”

As for her precise monthly expenses, these include £1,900 on her mortgage and bills, £160 on travel, £40 on subscriptions, and £200 on her food shop.

Despite the financial difference, Amy has said that she doesn’t think it’s a good idea to get into a relationship just for financial reasons.

“I definitely wouldn’t say you should get into a relationship if it’s to do with money,” she said. “Being single for the last two years has really allowed me to focus on my career, and that’s meant I can pay these things by myself.

“This is something to be proud of. It’s made me grow in so many different ways, in terms of being more independent, better with money, and able to enjoy my own company.

“Ultimately I’m not paying to be alone. I’m paying to build a life that I love and I don’t think you can put a price on that.”

The boy who became a world famous meme has changed a huge amount in the years since he became a staple of the internet.

Sammy Griner is from Jacksonville in Florida is known to millions around the world as the ‘Success Kid’ in the meme.

His mum took the photo when he was just 11 months old, inadvertently sending him to viral fame on the internet as the picture became popular as the widely used meme.

The ‘Success Kid’ meme sees Sammy on a beach as a baby wearing a white and green top.

He is clutching some sand in his fist and looking at the camera with a satisfied and slightly defiant expression on his face

The meme is frequently used by people to indicate something has been successful, as the name suggests, with Sammy’s pose and expression making it looking like he is pumping his fist in celebration.

Well, in the biggest piece of news that will make millennials feel old since Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone turned 40, Sammy is now 18 years old.

Yes, the baby in the Success Kid meme is now an adult.

A recent picture of Sammy was shared on social media showing how much he has grown in the intervening 17 years, revealing a teen with long brown and wavy hair, as well as even starting to sport some facial hair as he smiles.

And while he has certainly changed a lot, he is still definitely recognisable as the child sitting on the beach 17 years ago.

The original picture was shared to social media by his mum Lacey, showing her sun with a handful of sand in the image shared to her Flickr account.

Her original caption before the photo was re-contextualised into the Success Kid meme was ‘I hate Sandcastles’.

People use it when they have big and small wins in their lives, whether it’s some larger like securing a promotion, someone saying yes to going on a date, or unexpectedly finding a tenner in your jacket pocket.

The image was originally shared back in 2007, and has become one of the most well known memes on the internet.

Sammy’s hair has gotten darker since the meme picture, but it is definitely him.

Another picture taken when he was 10 years old shows him holding up a hand painted version of the meme while recreating the pose he made when he was just 11 months old.

Sammy and his parents also took part in a Buzzfeed YouTube video where they spoe about his viral fame.

His father Justin also needed surgery for a kidney transplant, and the family stated a GoFundMe to raise the funds.

Laney told ABC: “There’s so much positivity. There’s not a single thing we regret about Success Kid. It’s pretty crazy how it all happened. I still can’t wrap my head around it.”

Daniel Dubois has retained his World Boxing Organizaton (WBO) heavyweight title after defeating Fabio Wardley last night (17 October).

He floored his opponent with a straight inside the opening 20 seconds of their rematch at London‘s O2 Arena before his corner threw in the towel in the second round.

And now not only has Wardley lost to Dubois twice this year, but he also now faces an immediate medical suspension from fighting – a regular routine in boxing.

When the 29-year-old took the WBO heavyweight title from him back on 9 May, Wardley, 31, succumbed to an 11th round finish after dropping Dubois twice early on.

But the now reigning champ didn’t quite give him that this time, letting out a relentless assault for this rematch.

“I have always thrown myself in with the best competitors out there, the best in the business, the biggest, hardest, meanest guys around so, there is no shame in a loss when you’re testing yourself against the best,” Wardley said after the fight.

His medical suspension was automatic and immediate, with the match having been finished via TKO by referee stoppage.

But it’s important to remember that this isn’t some kind of punishment for the British boxer but simply a health measure.

These medical suspensions are a routine part of the sport and are put in place to ensure fighters have proper recovery time before they step back into the ring. They’re usually put in place for boxers who have suffered an injury in the ring or who have lost via knockout, but they’re also enforced as a standard concussion protocol.

Suspensions can be enforced for different durations with different conditions depending on the details and which governing body oversaw the bout.

Here in the UK, fights that are sanctioned under the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) tend to result in 28 or 45 days suspensions after a knockout or stoppage. But the ringside senior medical officer can choose to impose a longer suspension if needed.

During this time, the boxer can’t compete under any circumstances and sparring is typically banned.

After the fight, Dubois said: “Fabio is a great boy, coming in for the second time, but it was my time and my era. I had my intentions, bad intentions from the beginning.

“My back was against the wall the first time, this time we just had to go out there and show that we mean business, which is what we did tonight.”