Former Tory leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith has warned the merger between Vodafone and Three is “dangerous” and risks giving a company with its roots in Communist Party-ruled China a more prominent place in the UK’s mobile network. The former work and pensions secretary and MP for Chingford and Woodford Green said the proposed deal raised serious questions about national security and competition within the UK telecommunications market. Vodafone and Three, both of which have millions of customers in the UK and Ireland, announced earlier this month that they were joining forces in a multibillion-pound deal they said would create one of Europe’s biggest 5G networks. “This is a dangerous deal, which it seems is yet another example of how the Communist Party is trying to create a Western dependency on China,” Sir Iain told The Independent. “Not only does it raise important questions about competition, but it poses risks to our communication networks and personal data.” Three is owned by CK Hutchison, a Hong Kong-listed conglomerate that has been accused of supporting repression in the former British territory, where thousands of residents fled after China’s implementation of a sweeping national security law used by authorities to crack down on dissent against the regime in Beijing. Sir Iain is among a number of cross-party MPs to raise concerns about the growing influence of China in the West, and in particular, telecoms companies who have their headquarters there and are operating in the UK. “The government still doesn’t seem to understand that Chinese companies can be mandated to hand over their data to Beijing at the drop of a hat,” Sir Iain said. “We should be really worried about that. I also think we need to be taking a closer look at who owns these companies, the links between them and the Chinese government and the origins of the money flowing through them.” Last autumn the government announced that Shenzen-based Huawei technology must be removed from the UK’s 5G public networks by the end of 2027, It followed advice from the National Cyber Security Centre and pressure from Washington, which banned equipment made by the company because it posed an “unacceptable risk” to US national security. In March, prime minister Rishi Sunak warned that China plans to “reshape the world” in plans that posed an era-defining challenge for the UK and its allies in the West but dismissed calls for Beijing to be categorised as a threat, something his predecessor Liz Truss pushed for. The union Unite, which has 1.4 million members, is also campaigning against the merger, which some analysts say could result in job losses and higher prices for consumers who are already being squeezed by the cost of living crisis. The deal has triggered an initial investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority and will be subject to approval under the new National Security and Investment Act. Gail Cartmail, Unite’s executive head of operations, said: “Instead of idly watching the CK Group cream profits from UK businesses, the government should ask if they are a suitable custodian of British assets.” Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Wigan North who sits on the Department for Business and Trade sub-committee on national security, said: “Unite the Union has shared research with me that shows this merger would leave sensitive government contracts and the data of millions of UK consumers in the hands of Three, a company whose key leadership have supported repression in Hong Kong and worked hand-in-hand with the Chinese state for decades. “This will be dangerous deal for the UK and I fully support Unite’s campaign against it.” Other MPs – both Labour and Conservative – have tabled questions to government departments asking what security assessments ministers have made of the proposed merger deal. Both Three and Vodafone refused to comment but have previously dismissed concerns about security, saying that they work closely with security bureaus in what is a regulated industry. The Cabinet Office has said it welcomes foreign trade and investment “where it supports growth and jobs in the UK, meets our stringent legal and regulatory requirements, and does not compromise our national security. “However, we will not hesitate to use our powers to protect national security where we identify concerns.” Read More Vodafone and Three to merge in multibillion-pound deal Vodafone and Three merger: What the huge deal actually means for you Cleverly defends China visit plans and pledges to use UK’s global ‘influence’ Three and Vodafone are merging. Here’s what that means for your phone No one wants to take responsibility for No 10 ‘groper’ complaints, warns accuser Top Tories urge Rishi Sunak to use cabinet reshuffle to get a grip on warring party

He's a big Manchester United fan, but iShowSpeed had no idea who a group of Newcastle United footballers were after they 'butchered' him during a late night Fortnite session. Three players took down iShowSpeed during his latest gaming stream, but despite being notable Premier League stars the content creator had no clue who he was up against. "Who the f*** is Harvey Barnes, bro?" iShowSpeed shouted after meeting a sticky end in the game. Harvey Barnes, as football fans know, is a talented winger on the fringes of the England squad who moved to Newcastle from Leicester in the summer. Viewers weren’t 100 per cent sure whether it was the real Harvey Barnes who had taken iShowSpeed down at first. However, he was joined by players with the aliases Anthony Gordon and Paul Dummett, who also play for Newcastle, which seemed to confirm things. "I’m creased some Fortnite pro players and Speed got butchered by Harvey Barnes, Paul Dummett and Anthony Gordon at 1am,” one social media user posted after seeing the incident unfolded. Another said: “Never thought i’d hear speed and xqc talking about harvey barnes lmfao.” One more added: “Speed getting his ass handed to him on Fortnite by Harvey Barnes is hilarious.” “A crossover we never knew we needed…” another wrote. It comes a few days after iShowSpeed attracted controversy after attempting a dangerous “coke and condom challenge” on his live stream. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel 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

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Throughout the course of lululemon's 25-year athleisure reign, the Canadian-born brand has garnered an impassioned fanbase that few can hold a flame to. The brand has a Subreddit with more than 266,000 users, 4.5 million followers on Instagram, 5.1 million likes along with #lululemon growing over 7.4 billion views on TikTok. Whatever's in its bestselling secret sauce, the internet has a hankering for it. No matter where your habit falls on the obsession spectrum — from lulu-curious noob to veteran lulu-lover with a color-coded Align collection — you might want to know what the most essential, top-rated, and fanatically loved styles are.

When you’re living your life constantly online, it’s no surprise that streamers occasionally make mistakes for all to see. Streamers have become some of the most watched people on the planet over recent times, with millions tuning in to consume content on platforms like Kick and Twitch. Inevitably, mistakes – deliberate or not – are made and scandals emerge, with platforms quick to clamp down on anything that infringes on their rules. These are the biggest scandals in streaming history, from content violations to the most unfortunate slip ups imaginable. iShowSpeed The most recent - and arguably most unfortunate - scandal involves iShowSpeed. The 18-year-old accidentally exposed himself to thousands of fans while live streaming to 24,000 fans. He inadvertently flashed the camera, explaining that it all happened because he didn't have any clean underwear and had to go commando on the day. He escaped being banned by YouTube, thankfully, but he’s been subjected to trolling by fans in the days since with people (including his father, no less) constantly calling him "IShowMeat" online. "These past days and hours, I've been suffering very mentally, genuinely," iShowSpeed told viewers recently, honestly discussing his feelings since the incident. "At the end of the day, I'm still a human being." He said it was "one of the worst fears" that has happened and that it's "just depressing." "You guys are joking, you guys can crack your jokes – but you're genuinely not looking at the bigger picture," he said. "Do you all know I have family, little siblings?" "I don't know what to do anymore, bro," Speed added. Twitch streamer banned for running over dog A Twitch streamer was banned from the platform for appearing to run over a dog after getting distracted by her phone while driving her car in a bizarre case earlier this year. On February 17th, Polish streamer 'sidneuke' was streaming from her car and chatting to her followers when she briefly glanced down at her phone. In those few seconds the car appears to hit something and a small yelp can be heard. A distressed 'sidneuke' then stops the car and gets out to check whatever she hit was ok. Shortly after the ban 'sidneuke' received a ban from Twitch. Her account read at the time: "This channel is currently unavailable due to a violation of Twitch’s Community Guidelines or Terms of Service." It is not clear if the ban is permanent or not. It was not clear why 'sidneuke' was hit with a ban but it has been suggested that it was for using her phone while she was driving, which has happened to other streamers on the platform. Twitch streamer banned for 'sexual content' while playing fishing simulator A Twitch live streamer was banned due to “sexual content” in 2022 while streaming a fishing game and hit out at the platform as a result. Streamer Sara "ih3artpew" Heart criticised the app, owned by Amazon, for the indefinite ban which came just minutes into a stream. Heart claims the Amazon-owned site banned her for “sexual content” but insists there was nothing sexual about the stream. The incident occurred on 22 August last year when Heart went live online playing the game, Ultimate Fishing. Woman banned for having sex while live on a Twitch stream A popular Twitch streamer was banished from the platform for sexual content in 2022, marking one of the most blatant violations of streaming rules. Kimmikka was banned for having live sex during one of her broadcasts. While the footage didn't explicitly show anything explicit, the window reflection gave it away. The pair were drinking alcohol while the camera focused primarily on her face. Her facial expressions soon started to change, creating suspicions in the comments. Her partner's face can also be seen in the background at one point, while the streamer tried to keep things discreet by continuing to respond to viewers. Twitch streamer banned for humping Garfield toy Viral Canadian Twitch streamer and YouTuber Ricky Berwick was banned from the platform after he “humped” his stuffed Garfield toy. Surprisingly, though, he said he had no regrets. Berwick is known on social media to create comedic skits, but things went a little too far during the broadcast earlier this year. On 4 January, StreamerBans shared a tweet, relaying the news that Twitch banned Berwick. Fortunately, the creator didn’t waste any time revealing what went down and how long the platform said his punishment would carry on. In a post on his official Twitter, Berwick shared a screenshot of an email Twitch sent him about getting a “Community guidelines strike” concerning “sexually explicit content”. “My Twitch is disabled like me,” Berwick captioned the tweet. And in another tweet, he said he got the suspension because he decided to get a bit frisky with his Garfield stuffed animal. “It's only a 7 day ban. I humped my Garfield plush (clothed) for 20 subs.Worth ittt,” Berwick added. Streamer banned after recording himself receiving oral sex Twitch streamer Heelmike was banished from rival platform Kick for a single day after recording himself receiving oral sex. The crude footage showed Heelmike recording himself while a woman performed the sex act. He took to social media following the act, admitting he was "over the top". "One day ban on Kick after averaging 15K views and honestly I got lost in the sauce and was over the top," he admitted. "I’ll be back with the energy, but not being disrespectful." 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.

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