The Guardian
1 day ago
The social media ban sceptic: are we getting it wrong on kids, tech and mental health?
Psychologist Candice Odgers has studied adolescent mental health for 25 years. She fears the current debate around smartphones obscures some of the biggest issues facing teenagers – from the impact of Covid to the health of their adult caregiversThe quickest way to make being online safer for children and teens would be to kick all adult men off the internet, the Canadian psychologist Candice Odgers believes. Men are the biggest perpetrators of sextortion and most likely to spread misinformation, she says.Odgers is not recommending this as a policy for governments to adopt: “That would be crazy, right? It would be unfair.” But she is on a drive to puncture the prevailing narrative that the best way to address online harms is a social media ban for teenagers. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Why did Ryanair-Air Malta plane window blow out mid-air and could it happen again?
Passenger Ljubisa Karović was nearly sucked out of his seat when Boeing 737-800’s window blew out on flight from GreeceFor nervous flyers, it sounds like the stuff of nightmares; for most, only contemplated in an action movie. But last week, a passenger really was nearly sucked out through a broken aircraft window mid-flight.Ljubisa Karović was on a Ryanair-Air Malta flight leaving Thessaloniki in Greece when the adjacent window blew out of the Boeing 737-800, pulling his head and shoulders out of the plane. His wife and fellow passengers helped to keep him inside. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Brazil vows to retaliate if US imposes 25% tariffs on some of its products
President Lula’s office says US move is result of pressure on White House by family of predecessor Jair BolsonaroBrazil has vowed to retaliate against Washington’s decision to impose 25% tariffs on imports of some Brazilian products.The office of the president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, described the tariffs as “a regrettable milestone” in the history of relations between the two countries and said they were the result of pressure exerted on the White House by the family of the far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
‘It’s like home’: Brixton market traders fight to stop site being sold to big business
Campaign hopes to buy site for community, fearing it could go same route of corporate gentrification as Camden and Old SpitalfieldsTraders at Brixton market say they are in a battle of “people over profit” after submitting a last-minute plan to stop the site being bought by a private equity firm which they fear could price out longstanding independent businesses.Those behind the Buy Back Brixton campaign said they are through to the second stage of a bidding process, competing against multinational companies to buy Brixton Village and Market Row for community ownership. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Revealed: Bucharest tourists hiring rentals that could collapse in an earthquake
Exclusive: More than 200 illegal holiday properties found in buildings at the highest level of seismic riskTourists in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, are staying in illegal accommodation listed on Airbnb and Booking.com in buildings considered so seismically vulnerable they could collapse in the event of a major earthquake, according to exclusive data shared with the Guardian.Analysis of data collected by Re:Rise, a Romanian organisation working on seismic risk reduction, identified at least 207 illegal tourist rental properties advertised across the two platforms in Bucharest at the end of May, with a combined capacity to host more than 1,000 visitors each night. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Moroccan intelligence insider reveals widespread use of Pegasus hacking software
Whistleblower suggests internal security services deployed spyware from 2017 against key domestic and foreign targetsA former member of Morocco’s domestic intelligence service has helped to provide an unprecedented insight into how the north African state used hacking software – including Pegasus spyware – to target journalists, human rights defenders, French politicians and Spanish cabinet ministers and police officers.Pegasus, which is manufactured by the Israel-based NSO Group, allows its operator to access everything on a target’s mobile phone, including emails, text messages and photographs. It can also activate the phone’s recorder and camera, turning it into a listening device. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
The most beautiful act of resistance I’ve seen: Madrid tenants fighting landlords with art | Leah Pattem
When an investment fund bought their building, the residents of Tribulete 7 protested in the only way they knew how – through radical creativitySpain’s housing crisis finally came for the tenants of Madrid’s Calle Tribulete 7 when their block was sold to an investment fund. Feeling pressured to leave by rent increases and aggressive construction works that flooded some apartments, they did everything they were supposed to do: organise meetings, contact the tenants’ union and find a lawyer. They also protested, spoke to journalists and created an Instagram account to spread the word. But they also did something I’d never seen before.They opened up their homes to the public and invited musicians to play inside, in the very flats and shops that were suddenly at risk. A month later they flipped this concept on its head and took their furniture out on to the street. There the tenants cooked, knitted, played chess in their dressing gowns, worked from home and bobbed in their armchairs to a local band playing a brass version of Freed from Desire. It was a spectacular theatrical performance of everyday existence, but also a fight for their lives. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Robots, AI and drones: how the Dutch navy is using tech to transform its sea defences
Uncrewed systems are the future for armed forces and the Netherlands is leading the way ‘to keep people out of danger zones’On each side of the target ship, a black vessel keeps a watchful distance. Defender 1 and Defender 2 are the eyes and ears of the navy – but they have nobody onboard, and their paths are controlled by a computer system.This is the future of the Royal Netherlands Navy, according to Capt Sjoerd Feenstra, head of the expertise centre for unmanned systems. He is leading a five-week mission, off the coast of Den Helder in the north of the country, to test the limits of systems that operate without the human touch. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Fears for New Zealand’s native species as first bird flu case emerges
Minister urges public to report cases of three or more sick or dead birds in a group after brown skua seabird tests positive for H5N1 on Wellington beachThe deadly H5N1 bird flu has been confirmed in New Zealand for the first time, sparking alarm that some of the country’s most beloved and vulnerable native birds could be wiped out if it spreads.A single ocean-going seabird, a brown skua, returned a confirmed positive test on Wednesday, after it was found on Petone beach in Wellington on 10 July, said Andrew Hoggard, the biosecurity minister. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
The Andy Burnham I know – podcast
Today in Focus hears from friends, colleagues and mentors of Andy Burnham to find out more about the man soon to be prime ministerOn Monday, Andy Burnham will become the UK prime minister.The former Greater Manchester mayor has faced neither a general election nor a Labour leadership contest to get there, leaving many to wonder: who is he and what does he stand for? Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Will the new AI roadmap keep the tech giants in line? | Fiona Katauskas
Or will they forge a path of their own?See more of Fiona Katauskas’s cartoons here Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
How global heating supercharged floods in West Africa, displacing thousands
Adaptation to frightening new normal and reducing emissions further and faster is critical, scientists warnDozens of people drowned, hundreds had to be rescued and thousands were displaced when floods struck the coasts of west Africa last month.Now scientists have concluded that the rains that caused the floods were supercharged by climate breakdown. Global heating, they say, turned what should have been a routine weather event into a climate catastrophe. Continue reading...
The Guardian
1 day ago
Mexico asks US state attorneys general to investigate immigrant ICE deaths
Since start of Trump’s second term, 14 Mexican immigrants have died in ICE custody and three in agency operationsMexico formally requested that US state attorneys general criminally investigate cases of immigrants who have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody or during raids, the Mexican government said Tuesday.The request follows the death of Mexican immigrant Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot and killed by an ICE agent in Houston. Since the beginning of Donald Trump’s second term, 17 Mexican immigrants have died during immigration enforcement, 14 in ICE custody and three in agency operations. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Woman speaks out on husband being pulled from Ryanair plane – video
Svetlana Grković and her husband, Ljubisa Karović, had just settled into a Ryanair flight last week when a loud bang pierced the hum of engines. Within seconds, she saw her 61-year-old husband being sucked out of the plane through a dislodged cabin window. Karovic is now being treated in hospital in Thessaloniki with severe neck and arm injuries, Maksimovic said‘If we die, we die together’: wife of Ryanair passenger almost sucked through window speaks Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Trump rails against New York’s statewide datacenter moratorium
AI-friendly president shared a post saying governor Kathy Hochul should scrap the one-year policy ‘IMMEDIATELY’Donald Trump railed against the New York governor, Kathy Hochul, for pausing the construction of large new datacenters, the resource-intensive facilities that power artificial intelligence.New York became the first US state to enact a moratorium on new datacenters on Tuesday, when Hochul signed an executive order mandating a one-year statewide pause on so-called “hyperscale” datacenters. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
‘What’s the point?’ Teenagers give their verdict on Britain’s social media curfew
All the young people the Guardian spoke to disagreed with aspects of the government’s proposed blockSixteen- and 17-year-olds in Britain are to be encouraged to observe a midnight to 6am social media curfew but will be able to opt out by changing their account settings.From next spring, they will be urged to refrain from using certain apps, with the block being switched on by default. But the curfew will not be mandatory and can be overridden. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Zombies, gore and creepy kids – why we can’t stop playing horror games
As global anxieties multiply, video games from Resident Evil to Mouthwashing are providing rich source material to help decode society’s problems• Don’t get Pushing Buttons delivered to your inbox? Sign up hereHorror is so hot right now. There’s Obsession, Evil Dead Burn and Hokum in the cinema, Widow’s Bay, From and Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen on TV, and, of course, a rotting smorgasbord of horror games including Resident Evil Requiem (pictured top) and Reanimal, soon to be joined by Silent Hill: Townfall, Silver Pines and Dreadmoor. We’re also seeing weird cross-pollinations, with horror movie studio Blumhouse making games, while games themselves become horror films and the whole backrooms genre infects every medium it touches.So it was fascinating to attend last week’s horror and gaming conference at Falmouth University, in Cornwall: a gathering of students, researchers and lecturers, all engaged in the academic study of horror games. There were brilliant talks on zombies and posthumanism, the gothic in games, and the role of monstrous little girls in survival horror (there are a lot of them!). Subjects as diverse as masculine fragility, disability and ageing came up; Will Doyle, creative director at Supermassive Games, gave a great keynote on the art of creating horror in games using tools such as revulsion, spatial alienation and the human instinct of apophenia. I learned a lot about theorists such as Julia Kristeva and Mark Fisher, and about the technical similarities between indie horror games and film noir (for example, the use of darkness and creative camera techniques to “hide” budget restrictions). It was incredible fun. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Spain and Gibraltar celebrate as border fence falls after signing of ‘historic deal’
Treaty came into effect at midnight, eliminating border controls on land frontier with British overseas territoryEurope live – latest updatesUK politics live – latest updatesSpain and Gibraltar are celebrating the fall of the last frontier fence in western Europe after the signing of a post-Brexit deal that brings an end to border checks for residents, tourists and the thousands of Spanish workers who cross into the British overseas territory every day.The agreement, which was signed in Brussels on Tuesday and came into effect at midnight, marks the conclusion of more than four years of negotiations between the UK, Spain, Gibraltar and the EU after Britain’s departure from the bloc. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Surviving extreme heat increasingly boils down to this: access to air conditioning | Mark Wolfe
The next great climate divide will be between countries that have the resources to adapt and those that don’tThis summer, much of the media’s attention has focused on record temperatures across Europe and the United States. Television coverage has been filled with familiar images: heat maps shaded deep red, schools closing, rail lines slowing, wildfires spreading and emergency rooms treating growing numbers of people with heat-related illnesses.Public officials have responded with equally familiar advice: stay indoors, drink plenty of water and, if possible, turn on the air conditioning. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
‘Please don’t lose another pound!’: Ozempic is upending the wedding dress industry
The ubiquity of GLP-1s is wreaking new havoc on bridal designers who must scramble to accommodate rapid weight lossIn bridal stores across the world, solicitous sales assistants are being trained to ask a new, blunt question: “Are you planning on losing a drastic amount of weight?”Wedding season’s new disruptor is semaglutide, now used by 10% of engaged couples, according to a survey by the wedding planning platform Zola. In the same survey, 42% of couples said the ubiquity of GLP-1s has made them feel they should “look a certain way” for their wedding. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Drivers charging electric cars handed shock parking fines
EV owners were sent hefty PCNs but say some signs in private car parks fail to warn of fees to park and recharge carDoes refuelling your car class as parking? The answer appears to be yes if it’s an electric vehicle. Guardian Money has been contacted by several readers who were fined after charging their cars away from home.The motorists report being caught out by signs that fail to make clear that charging points are subject to parking tariffs or to store opening times. Also, they have found some chargers being advertised as available for use when it would be a breach of the car park’s terms and conditions to use them. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
Heating oil customers to get up to £350 compensation for cancelled orders
Watchdog says about 1,700 people were affected during a price surge triggered by the Middle East crisisHeating oil customers whose deliveries were cancelled when the war in the Middle East caused a price surge are to receive compensation of up to £350 each following an investigation by the UK competition watchdog.As the crisis unfolded, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was investigating heating oil suppliers after complaints that existing orders were being scrapped, with customers offered new deliveries at a significantly higher price. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
The scary rise of locksmith scams: ‘I was shut out with my baby – and charged £2,200 to get back in’
In the UK, these scams have become an epidemic, rising 147% between January and March, compared with the same time last year. Why are they suddenly so common? And what can you do if you’re charged thousands for a quick, easy job?Sarah was alone in her flat with her three-month-old baby when a man put a card machine in her face and demanded she pay £2,209. A few hours earlier Sarah, 30, had been for a walk with her daughter when it dawned on her that she had left her keys at home. She did what most people would do in the same situation: search Google for a nearby locksmith. “I had a screaming baby, so I needed someone to quickly let me in,” she says.Sarah came across a seemingly legitimate company, near the top of the search results, which was sponsored. The company’s website said prices started at £45 and claimed they had received “4,500-plus five-star reviews and counting”, so she called them. When the locksmith arrived, Sarah says, he “seemed pleasant and relatively quiet” at first. After examining her lock, however, he told her it was a high-security one and the only way to get inside was to drill it open. He broke his way in and changed the lock before delivering another blow: he had accidentally damaged the internal mechanism, which also needed replacing. After Sarah got inside and placed her baby on a changing mat, the locksmith told her the price: £2,209. Continue reading...
The Guardian
2 days ago
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