A man has been sentenced for breaking into a house where actor Anya Taylor-Joy was staying and using a crowbar to try to get into her bedroom.

Kirk Holdrick, 43, and another man smashed their way into the London mansion in balaclavas in the early hours of 12 February 2023.

They were confronted by Taylor-Joy‘s husband, Malcolm MacRae, who had gone to investigate the sound of breaking glass.

He ran back to the bedroom and barricaded himself and his wife in – armed only with a lamp – as the raiders tried to prise open the door.

CCTV captured Holdrick and his accomplice climbing a wall to the home and becoming “startled” as they triggered a security light.

Wood Green Crown Court heard they fled after MacRae claimed to have a gun.

Prosecutors believe they may have been specifically targeting the Hollywood star.

Taylor-Joy – known for productions such as The Queen’s Gambit, Peaky Blinders and the Dune films – was still barricaded inside with her husband when police arrived.

Nine days later, Holdrick broke into another house in the famous millionaires’ enclave of Sandbanks and tied up a woman and her daughter at gunpoint.

Holdrick and accomplice Ashley Fulton dressed as police to gain entry.

They dragged the daughter by her hair and threatened to burn her with an iron and shoot her dead if they weren’t given the code to the safe.

They failed but made off with about £200,000 worth of watches, jewellery and cash.

In November, Holdrick was jailed for 12 years after admitting the Sandbanks raid and received a further three-year term this week for the burglary involving Taylor-Joy and her husband.

He initially denied the London burglary and claimed DNA found at the scene was there because he had been to a party at the property.

However, he pleaded guilty in December last year.

Holdrick, who once dated a cast member from The Only Way Is Essex, was also jailed for life in 2005 for an armed robbery on a security van and has convictions dating back to his teens.

The Memphis Grizzlies have traded away one of their cornerstone pieces in a blockbuster move before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.

Jaren Jackson Jr., who the Grizzlies took fourth overall in the 2018 NBA Draft, headlined a trade package to the Utah Jazz that also included John Konchar, Jock Landale and Vince Williams Jr., ESPN reported.

The Jazz are sending back Walter Clayton Jr., Kyle Anderson, Taylor Hendricks, Georges Niang and three future first-round picks.

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Memphis Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) shoots a three-point shot in the second quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at FedExForum on Jan. 28, 2026.  (Matthew Smith/Imagn Images)

Utah is making a major change with this move, adding Jackson to a team that includes Lauri Markkanen, Keyonte George and Walker Kessler, among others.

Meanwhile, the Grizzlies are showcasing their wish to rebuild, as they are stocked with first-round picks and have a good, young core to build around as well.

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The Grizzlies have a whopping 13 first-round picks over the next seven seasons, which is tied with the Brooklyn Nets and Oklahoma City Thunder.

Memphis also made NBA history, creating the largest-ever trade exception worth $28.8 million with this deal. It’s the type of refresh the 19-29 Grizzlies need.

Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. (8) runs with the ball during an NBA basketball game between Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi)

The Jazz have fared worse this season, owning a brutal 15-35 record after losing their sixth straight game on Sunday night.

Jackson was one of the best players in the NBA Draft coming out of Michigan State in 2018, and the Grizzlies added the 6-foot-10 forward/center to be versatile for their team long-term.

He’s done exactly that, earning two All-Star nods while averaging 18.5 points, 5.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.9 blocks per game over 452 career games in Memphis.

Jackson is one of the best defenders in the NBA, winning Defensive Player of the Year during the 2022-23 NBA season, while finishing second-team All-Defense last season.

Jaren Jackson Jr. of the Memphis Grizzlies reacts in the first half against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Jan. 26, 2026 in Houston, Texas.  (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

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Jackson is today’s modern big man, having the ability to shoot from the perimeter as well as near the rim. He has averaged 35.9% from three-point territory and 47.5% from the field this season, while pouring in an average 19.2 points per night.

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The UK’s information watchdog will investigate reports that Elon Musk’s AI chatbot, Grok, has been used to generate sexual imagery of children.

Grok was developed by Musk’s xAI in 2023, designed to be a “truth-seeking” assistant with a witty, rebellious personality.

Integrated into X, formerly Twitter, it uses real-time data from the platform to generate text, images and code.

But complaints have mounted that Grok was being used to generate sexual photos of real women and children, and now the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating.

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Grok: ‘The creators don’t know how it works – or how to keep it under control’

The announcement comes on the same day the X offices in Paris were raided by French prosecutors examining similar allegations.

In a statement on its website, the ICO confirmed it had opened a formal probe into two X companies concerning their processing of personal data in relation to Grok, and the AI’s potential to produce harmful sexualised image and video content.

“We have taken this step following reports that Grok has been used to generate non‑consensual sexual imagery of individuals, including children,” the statement said.

“The reported creation and circulation of such content raises serious concerns under UK data protection law and presents a risk of significant potential harm to the public.”

William Malcolm of the ICO said the investigation would probe whether X Internet Unlimited Company and xAI had complied with data protection laws, and provided sufficient safeguards.

He said: “The reports about Grok raise deeply troubling questions about how people’s personal data has been used to generate intimate or sexualised images without their knowledge or consent, and whether the necessary safeguards were put in place to prevent this.

“Losing control of personal data in this way can cause immediate and significant harm. This is particularly the case where children are involved.

“Our role is to address the data protection concerns at the centre of this, while recognising that other organisations also have important responsibilities.”

Ofcom also investigating

Another regulatory watchdog, Ofcom, also opened a formal investigation into X last month under the UK’s Online Safety Act, to determine whether the firm was complying with its duties to protect people from illegal content.

The European Commission launched a probe into Grok last month too, looking at whether it disseminates illegal content, such as manipulated sexualised images, in the EU.

The EU is one of a number of authorities around the world to have raised concerns about Grok, with government officials in Germany, Sweden, India, Japan, Malaysia, California, Indonesia and Philippines among those that have spoken out.

Mr Malcolm said the ICO was working closely with Ofcom and “international regulators”.

Grok has restricted image editing but yet to say where

In a separate statement, regulator Ofcom said – while it was probing X – it was not investigating xAI, which provides the standalone Grok chatbot app.

Ofcom also said its investigation into X was still gathering evidence and warned the probe could take months.

On why it was not investigating xAI, the statement said: “When we opened our investigation into X, we said we were assessing whether we should also investigate xAI, as the provider of the standalone Grok service.

“We continue to demand answers from xAI about the risks it poses. We are examining whether to launch an investigation into its compliance with the rules.”

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Ofcom is investigating the chatbot, and Sir Keir Starmer has insisted X must act to comply with UK laws ‘immediately’.

Ofcom said that because of the way the Online Safety Act relates to chatbots, it was currently unable to investigate the creation of illegal images by the standalone Grok itself.

xAI said on 14 January it had restricted image editing for Grok AI users and blocked users, based on their location, from generating images of people in revealing clothing in “jurisdictions where it’s illegal”. It is yet to identify the countries where those restrictions apply.

xAI earlier said it had limited the use of Grok’s image generation and editing features to paying subscribers only.

Puzzling cancer and Alzheimer’s link explored in new study: ‘SHORT QUOTE’

A new study may help clarify a long-observed link between cancer history and reduced Alzheimer’s risk.

The research, published in the journal Cell, used mouse models to explore how the biological changes associated with cancer may affect the progression of the most common dementia type.

The findings suggest that certain cancers release a protein called cystatin-C that can travel through the bloodstream and enter the brain, an area that many Alzheimer’s treatments have difficulty reaching.

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Cystatin-C binds to harmful amyloid protein clumps linked to Alzheimer’s and activates a protein called TREM2, which acts like an on-switch for the brain’s immune cells. 

When activated, those cells begin clearing away existing amyloid plaques, a process that was associated with reduced plaque buildup and improved cognitive function, the study found.

New research suggests that cancer-related biological changes may help explain why a history of cancer is linked to lower Alzheimer’s risk. (iStock)

Dr. Bob Arnot, a Vermont-based internal medicine physician, told Fox News Digital that the findings help clarify a pattern doctors have observed for years.

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“Scientists have long observed a puzzling statistical pattern known as ‘inverse comorbidity’ — people with a history of cancer are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease, and people with Alzheimer’s are less likely to develop cancer,” said Arnot, who was not involved in the study.

Cystatin-C sticks to harmful amyloid clumps and turns on brain immune cells, helping them clear plaques and improve brain function. (iStock)

The findings suggest that biological signals tied to certain cancers may slow or reverse key features of Alzheimer’s disease.

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Arnot said the research is notable because it identifies a specific biological pathway that could be targeted for future Alzheimer’s treatments.

“This approach targets existing amyloid plaques, not just early prevention. That distinction could be critical for patients who already have established disease,” he said.

The results suggest that cancer-related biological signals may help slow or even reverse some core aspects of Alzheimer’s disease. (iStock)

Arnot cautioned that the findings do not mean cancer itself is protective.

“This study does not suggest that cancer is protective, desirable or a viable therapy,” he said. “Instead, it reveals that biological programs activated during cancer can inadvertently engage protective immune mechanisms in the brain.”

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The research suggests that future treatments could focus not just on slowing Alzheimer’s, but also on clearing harmful buildup in the brain, Arnot added.

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The results were based on experiments in animal models, and further research is needed to determine whether the same effects occur in humans, the researchers noted.

A US fighter jet has shot down an Iranian drone that was flying “aggressively” towards an aircraft carrier, the US military has said.

The incident in the Arabian Sea comes as Washington prepares for talks with Tehran later this week.

The Shahed-139 drone had approached the USS Abraham Lincoln with “unclear intent” before it was downed by an F-35C fighter launched from the vessel, US military spokesperson Captain Tim Hawkins said in a statement on Tuesday.

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Iran threatens US with ‘regional war’

Capt Hawkins said the aircraft “continued to fly towards the ship, part of a “large armada” deployed in the region, despite de-escalatory measures taken by US forces operating in international waters”.

No US personnel were harmed, and no equipment was damaged, in the incident, about 500 miles (800km) from Iran’s southern coast, he said.

Reports in Iran appeared to dispute the US version of events, as ​media sources, including ​the semi-official Fars ‍news agency, said an ‌Iranian drone completed ​a “surveillance mission ⁠in international waters”.

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‘Big powerful ships’ are heading in Iran’s direction

Hours later, Iranian forces, including a drone, harassed a US-flagged and crewed merchant vessel that was sailing in the Strait of Hormuz.

Two boats carrying Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces, and a Mohajer drone, approached the Stena Imperative “at high speeds, and threatened to board and seize the tanker”, Mr Hawkins said.

The destroyer USS McFaul responded, escorting the Stena Imperative “with defensive air support from the US Air Force”, the statement said, adding that the merchant vessel was now sailing safely.

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What US forces are gathering in the Middle East?

White House ​Press ​Secretary Karoline ‍Leavitt, who confirmed the US had shot down the drone on Fox News, said talks with Tehran scheduled for later this week in Turkey, will still go ahead.

Tensions are high between the long-time enemies as US President Donald Trump tries to get Iran to make a deal over its nuclear programme.

On Monday, he told reporters that his administration had “talks going on with Iran. We’ll see how it all works out”.

He wouldn’t say what, if any, threshold he had for military action against the country, which Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said would lead to a regional war.

The drone shooting came hours after Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s president, said that he told the country’s foreign minister to “pursue fair and equitable negotiations” with the US, one of the first clear signs from Tehran that it wants to try to negotiate with Washington.

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Doctors’ disturbing accounts of crackdown
Iran heads for make or break this week

Iran’s government spent weeks putting down protests that began in late December against growing economic instability before broadening into a challenge to the Islamic Republic.

Anywhere between 33,000 and 50,000 people died in the violence, according to estimates from human rights organisations and doctors.

Tehran has admitted that 3,117 people have been killed, the majority of them being security forces and civilians, rather than protesters.

Mr Trump promised in early January to “rescue” Iranians from their government’s bloody crackdown.