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Tesla has finally released its highly-anticipated Full Self-Driving Beta v9 software update.

Here’s what it looks like.

It was a long time coming, but when CEO Elon Musk put an actual date on the release, we knew it was around the corner and Tesla stuck to it.

Last night, the automaker started pushing Tesla FSD Beta v9, a new software update for Tesla’s ‘feature complete’ version of its self-driving software package.

The new version is now using Tesla Vision, a computer vision system that only relies on optical imagery and not any readings from the radar sensor that was previously an important part of Tesla’s sensor suite.

Musk has been touting the new update as “mind-blowing” and an important step toward Tesla’s FSD package actually delivering a true full self-driving system

Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta v9 Release Notes

Tesla didn’t go into many details about the improvements to the driving system in the release notes.

Instead, the automaker mainly reiterated important warnings regarding the use of the feature:

“Full Self-Driving is in early limited access Beta and must be used with additional caution. It may do the wrong thing at the worst time, so you must always keep your hands on the wheel and pay extra attention on the road. Do not become complacent. When Full Self-Driving is enabled your vehicle will make lane changes off highway, select forks to follow your navigation route, navigate around other vehicles and objects, and make left and right turns. Use Full Self-Driving in limited BEta only if you will pay constant attention to the road, and be prepared to act immediately, especially around blind corners, crossing intersections, and in narrow driving situations.”

The release notes also include some comments on “driving visualization improvements” – what Musk called “mind of car” view recently.

Tesla wrote in the notes about the new driving visualization as it applies to Model S and Model X, which are equipped with an instrument cluster screen:

“The driving visualization has been improved to better support Full Self-Driving capabilities. When Full Self-Driving is engaged, the instrument panel will display an expanded visualization to show additional surrounding information. The apps on the left and right side of the instrument panel will be temporarily dismissed and the driving speed, Autopilot availability, Autopilot set speed, and detected speed limit will move to the bottom of the instrument panel.”

Here’s what it looks like on a Model S/X instrument panel:

The change is not as drastic for Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, which don’t have a separate instrument panel and instead, the information listed above is displayed on the center screen.

However, the actual rendering of the visualizations have also improved for all vehicles, including Model 3 and Model Y.

Tesla Full Self-Driving Beta v9 First Drives

The new update is only being pushed to Tesla’s early access program for now. Based on the latest information released by Tesla, the program consists of about 2,000 Tesla owners and the majority are Tesla employees.

Some of them are already posting videos of their first drives with the new version of the software.

Here are a few:

Electrek’s Take

The driving visualization looks like a massive improvement. The lines are much clearer, the intersections are beautifully displayed, and the object detection looks on point.

As for the actual driving behavior, it looks like the testers are seeing some improvements, but the tests have so far being mostly at night and in low traffic situations.

We should expect to see a lot more tests in the next few days with traffic and in more complex intersections to see how the system has improved.

Also of note, Tesla is using neural nets and machine learning systems to improve FSD and a big selling point of this vision-only v9 update is actually the acceleration of the improvement rate.

So what should be more interesting is to see how it improves in the coming weeks as more people use it.


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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

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MasterChef presenter John Torode sacked

MasterChef presenter John Torode will no longer work on the show after an allegation he used an “extremely offensive racist term” was upheld, the BBC has said.

His co-host Gregg Wallace was also sacked last week after claims of inappropriate behaviour.

On Monday, Torode said an allegation he used racist language was upheld in a report into the behaviour of Wallace. The report found more than half of 83 allegations against Wallace were substantiated.

Torode, 59, insisted he had “absolutely no recollection” of the alleged incident involving him and he “did not believe that it happened,” adding “racial language is wholly unacceptable in any environment”.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic:PA
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John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA

In a statement on Tuesday, a BBC spokesperson said the allegation “involves an extremely offensive racist term being used in the workplace”.

The claim was “investigated and substantiated by the independent investigation led by the law firm Lewis Silkin”, they added.

“The BBC takes this upheld finding extremely seriously,” the spokesperson said.

“We will not tolerate racist language of any kind… we told Banijay UK, the makers of MasterChef, that action must be taken.

“John Torode’s contract on MasterChef will not be renewed.”

Australian-born Torode started presenting MasterChef alongside Wallace, 60, in 2005.

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Why Gregg Wallace says he ‘will not go quietly’

A statement from Banijay UK said it “takes this matter incredibly seriously” and Lewis Silkin “substantiated an accusation of highly offensive racist language against John Torode which occurred in 2018”.

“This matter has been formally discussed with John Torode by Banijay UK, and whilst we note that John says he does not recall the incident, Lewis Silkin have upheld the very serious complaint,” the TV production company added.

“Banijay UK and the BBC are agreed that we will not renew his contract on MasterChef.”

Read more from Sky News:
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Couple murdered two-year-old grandson

Earlier, as the BBC released its annual report, its director-general Tim Davie addressed MasterChef’s future, saying it can survive as it is “much bigger than individuals”.

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BBC annual report findings

Speaking to BBC News after Torode was sacked, Mr Davie said a decision is yet to be taken over whether an unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired.

“It’s a difficult one because… those amateur chefs gave a lot to take part – it means a lot, it can be an enormous break if you come through the show,” he added.

“I want to just reflect on that with the team and make a decision, and we’ll communicate that in due course.”

Mr Davie refused to say what the “seriously racist term” Torode was alleged to have used but said: “I certainly think we’ve drawn a line in the sand.”

In 2022, Torode was made an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to food and charity.

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BBC gives update on MasterChef’s future after Gregg Wallace allegations – as annual report released

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MasterChef is 'bigger than individuals' and 'can survive', BBC says

The head of the BBC says MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals” – but the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.

Director-general Tim Davie said he “absolutely” thinks the popular cooking contest has a future, with the production’s current deal with the corporation set to run out in 2028, and praised it as “a great programme that’s loved by audiences”.

Speaking as the BBC unveiled its annual report, and following a series of recent controversies, Mr Davie said the corporation’s leadership team will not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values”, and confirmed “senior individuals and people involved in these cases are being held to account”.

On Monday, it was revealed an independent review into “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace had upheld more than half of the allegations against him.

In response, Wallace said he was “deeply sorry” and never set out to “harm or humiliate”.

A few hours later, MasterChef presenter John Torode said an allegation he used “racial language” was upheld in the report as part of a review.

Torode has said he has “no recollection of the incident” and “did not believe that it happened”.

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Pic: Casey Gutteridge/Shutterstock 

John Torode and Gregg Wallace
Childline Ball, Old Billingsgate Walk, London, UK - 26 Sep 2019
This years MasterChef themed Childline Ball took place at 1 Old Billingsgate Walk, London. Guests were joined by MasterChef judges Gregg Wallace and John Torode, with all the money raised during the evening going directly to Childline's vital work supporting children.
Image:
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2019. Pic: Casey Gutteridge/Shutterstock

Mr Davie said the BBC’s leadership team would not “tolerate behaviour that is not in line with our values,” while BBC chair Samir Shah acknowledged there were still pockets within the corporation where “powerful individuals” can still “make life for their colleagues unbearable”.

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months following an independent review into workplace culture.

The review found the corporation did not have a toxic culture but there was a minority of people who behaved unacceptably and whose behaviour was not addressed.

Wallace, who was sacked from MasterChef last week, is not included in that count as he was not directly contracted by the corporation, but was employed by independent production company Banijay.

John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic:PA
Image:
John Torode and Gregg Wallace in 2008. Pic: PA

The BBC has yet to decide if the unseen MasterChef series – filmed with both Wallace and Torode last year – will be aired or not.

‘We will make mistakes’

News of the findings in the Gregg Wallace report came on the same day it was revealed the BBC was deemed to have breached its editorial guidelines over a Gaza documentary that was narrated by the child of a Hamas official.

Media watchdog Ofcom subsequently launched its own investigation into Gaza: How To Survive A Warzone, which was removed from BBC iPlayer in February.

While the 2024-25 annual report showed a small rise in trust overall for the corporation, Mr Davie said it had been a year which saw the reputation of the BBC damaged by “serious failings” in the making of the documentary.

He said it was important that the BBC “took full responsibility for those failings and apologised for them” and called the documentary “the most challenging editorial issue” he has dealt with.

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BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza

Mr Davie said the BBC was “taking action to ensure proper accountability and we’re taking immediate steps to stop a failing like this being repeated”.

Despite a series of controversies in recent months – including livestreaming the controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury, when the band led chants of “death to the IDF” – Mr Davie insisted he can “lead” the BBC in the right direction.

When asked if he would resign, he replied: “I simply think I’m in a place where I can work to improve dramatically the BBC and lead it in the right way.

“We will make mistakes, but I think as a leadership and myself, I’ve been very clear, and I think we have been decisive.”

BBC Director-General Tim Davie. Pic: PA
Image:
BBC director-general Tim Davie. Pic: PA

After what he called a “tough period,” he said the job of director-general was not one to take on “if you want a quiet life or a stress-free existence”.

Mr Shah backed Mr Davie, saying he had shown “very strong leadership throughout all this period and he has my full support”.

The report showed that Mr Davie, who has been in the role since 2020, has had a 3.8% pay rise, with his salary going up from £527,000 last year to £547,000.

BBC’s top-earning stars revealed

The BBC annual report also revealed its on-screen top earners, which saw former Match Of The Day host Gary Lineker top the chart for the eighth year running.

The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.

Last year’s BBC annual review was overshadowed by controversy over flagship show Strictly Come Dancing, while the year before saw disgraced newsreader Huw Edwards named the corporation’s highest-paid news anchor, despite having been suspended for nine months.

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BBC reveals highest-earning stars – as pay list published

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BBC reveals highest-earning stars - as pay list published

Gary Lineker has topped the list of the BBC’s highest-earning stars for the eighth year running.

The former Match Of The Day presenter, who left the BBC in May, earned £1.35m in 2024/25, according to the corporation’s annual report.

Presenter Zoe Ball was the second-highest paid, earning £517,000 for her work on the Radio 2 breakfast show, which she left in December last year.

Her replacement as breakfast show host Scott Mills was just outside the top 10 as the eleventh highest earner – with a salary of between £355,000 and £359,000.

Ball has since returned to a new Saturday afternoon show on Radio 2, which she began hosting in May.

Lineker’s former Match Of The Day colleague Alan Shearer was the third-highest earner, with a salary of between £440,000 and £444,999.

Exact salaries for Lineker and Ball are listed in the BBC’s annual report, but the pay of the rest of the on-air talent is listed in bands.

BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James was fourth on the list, while presenters Fiona Bruce and Nick Robinson were the joint fifth-highest earners.

The list does not include people who are paid through independent production companies or the BBC’s commercial arm BBC Studios.

Read more:
John Torode says claim he used racist language upheld
BBC gives update on MasterChef’s future
BBC broke editorial guidelines with Gaza documentary

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BBC reputation damaged by ‘serious errors’

The BBC’s annual report comes as the organisation has faced criticism for a series of failings.

They have included the airing of a controversial Bob Vylan set at Glastonbury – where the band led chants of “death to the IDF”, and claims of “inappropriate behaviour” by MasterChef presenter Gregg Wallace.

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BBC under fire over Wallace and Gaza

Speaking after the publication of the report, BBC director-general Tim Davie said MasterChef can survive its current scandal as it is “much bigger than individuals”.

But he stressed that the corporation must “make sure we’re in the right place in terms of the culture of the show”.

They said several BBC staff members had been dismissed in the last three months, following an independent review into workplace culture.

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