49 h. ago UK media regulator investigates possible online safety breaches at 4chan

Ofcom looks into whether 4chan and file-sharing services failed to put measures to protect users from illegal contentBritain’s media regulator, Ofcom, on Tuesday launched nine investigations into the internet message board 4chan as well as several file-sharing services over possible breaches of online safety laws.Britain’s Online Safety Act, passed in 2023, sets tougher standards for platforms to tackle criminal activity, with an emphasis on child protection and illegal content. Continue reading...

Events

53 h. ago Baltimore jail staff failed to protect a deaf man killed by cellmate, lawsuit alleges

A new lawsuit alleges that a deaf man who was killed in Baltimore's jail was forced to share a cell with a first-degree murder suspect whose violent behavior had already alarmed his previous cellmate

Events

65 h. ago The misogyny of the metaverse: is Mark Zuckerberg’s dream world a no

Graphic sexual content, bullying, abuse and threats of violence are rife in the metaverse - and the NSPCC says a huge proportion of online grooming offences take place on Meta-owned products. Is it too late to change course?Everybody knows that young women are not safe. They are not safe in the street, where 86% of those aged 18 to 24 have experienced sexual harassment. They are not safe at school, where 79% of young people told Ofsted that sexual assault was common in their friendship groups and almost a third of 16- to 18-year-old girls report experiencing “unwanted sexual touching”. They are not safe in swimming pools or parks, or at the beach. They are not even safe online, with the children’s safety charity the NSPCC reporting that social media sites are “failing to protect girls from harm at every stage”.This will come as no surprise to any woman who has ever used social media. But it is particularly relevant as Meta, the operator of some of the biggest soc...

Politics

65 h. ago Misogyny in the metaverse: is Mark Zuckerberg’s dream world a no

Graphic sexual content, bullying, abuse and threats of violence are rife in the metaverse - and the NSPCC says a huge proportion of online grooming offences take place on Meta-owned products. Is it too late to change course?Everybody knows that young women are not safe. They are not safe in the street, where 86% of those aged 18 to 24 have experienced sexual harassment. They are not safe at school, where 79% of young people told Ofsted that sexual assault was common in their friendship groups and almost a third of 16- to 18-year-old girls report experiencing “unwanted sexual touching”. They are not safe in swimming pools or parks, or at the beach. They are not even safe online, with the children’s safety charity the NSPCC reporting that social media sites are “failing to protect girls from harm at every stage”.This will come as no surprise to any woman who has ever used social media. But it is particularly relevant as Meta, the operator of some of the biggest soc...

Politics

68 h. ago New Zealand is failing to protect its vast ocean resources. We owe it to the world to act | Helen Clark and Kayla Kingdon

Less than 1% of our country’s seas are highly protected and the damaging practice of bottom-trawling must be restrictedIt’s a remarkable feat that a small, isolated island nation of just five million people has managed to stake a claim to one of the largest ocean territories in the world.New Zealand’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) spans more than 4m square kilometres – an area 15 times the size of our landmass.Rt Hon Helen Clark is a former prime minister of New Zealand, and former administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).Dr Kayla Kingdon-Bebb is chief executive of the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) New Zealand. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago Fears of damage to nature from Labour planning reforms overblown, minister says

Matthew Pennycook dismissed anxiety from campaigners that Planning and Infrastructure Bill could lead to a weakening of environmental law.

Politics

3 d. ago Reform UK backs plan to put swift bricks in every new home in England

Party joins MPs across political spectrum in supporting bird conservation amendment similar to one blocked by LabourReform UK has joined MPs from across the political spectrum in supporting an amendment to provide every new home in England with at least one “swift brick” to help endangered cavity-nesting birds, after a similar amendment was blocked by Labour in the committee stage.Richard Tice , a former housing developer and the Reform deputy leader, said his party’s MPs would support a revised amendment tabled by Labour’s Barry Gardiner to incorporate the measure in the government’s increasingly controversial planning bill. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Government may have failed to comply with law on protecting birds – watchdog

The Government has a legal obligation to maintain populations of wild birds and ensure they have enough suitable habitats.

Politics

3 d. ago UK may have failed to protect wild birds with environmental law, watchdog says

Government appears not to be meeting legal targets to halt decline of species, Office for Environmental Protection saysThe government may have failed to protect critical wild bird populations by neglecting to implement environmental law properly, the environmental watchdog has found.Wild bird populations are declining across the UK. Under the EU, certain parts of Britain’s landscape were designated specially protected conservation zones when the UK was still a member state. They include estuaries, coastal areas and peatlands, as well as wetland areas where wading birds live, and places birds of prey prefer to nest. Continue reading...

Events

8 d. ago College board reverses decision on hiring University of Florida president over DEI concerns

Santa Ono was rejected after questions about his earlier support of DEI initiatives and later disavowal of themConservatives on a state college board reversed a decision to hire the experienced academic Santa Ono to lead the University of Florida, despite his efforts to distance himself from previous support for diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives and past criticism of Donald Trump.The 10-6 vote followed a contentious meeting of the Florida board of governors on Tuesday when members argued over Ono’s record, including accusations he failed to protect Jewish students during pro-Palestinian protests last year while he was president of the University of Michigan. Continue reading...

Politics

9 d. ago Water sector is failing and needs much stronger regulations, independent commission reports

The Independent Water Commission slammed failures in Government strategy and planning for the future, failures to protect billpayers and a failure to act in the public interest.

Events

1 week ago Baltimore schools sued for failing to protect students from a predatory teacher

Three women are suing Baltimore’s public school system, alleging they were sexually abused by a special education teacher decades ago

Society

2 w. ago Supreme Court backs Utah oil railroad expansion, endorsing limited version of key environmental law

The Supreme Court has backed a multibillion-dollar oil railroad expansion in Utah, endorsing a limited interpretation of a key environmental law

Events

2 w. ago Spain aims to ban flushing of wet wipes, with manufacturers paying for cleanup

Government’s draft legislation also includes ban on releasing disposable party balloons into the environmentThe Spanish government is preparing a law that will oblige wet wipe manufacturers to cover the costs of cleaning huge wads of their product from the country’s clogged-up sewers and water-treatment plants.The draft legislation, which is intended to help Spain meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals and comply with EU legislation on reducing single-use plastic products, will also ban people from disposing of wet wipes down the toilet, as well as prohibiting the deliberate release of disposable party balloons containing plastic into the environment because of the marine pollution they cause. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Thames Water fined record £123m over sewage breaches and dividend payments

Regulator Ofwat said Thames had ‘let down its customers and failed to protect the environment’ as it issued the water industry’s biggest ever fine.

Economics

2 w. ago Thames Water hit with biggest ever fine of £122.7m over pollution and dividends

Regulator Ofwat said the utility giant ‘failed to protect the environment’ and issued the combined penalty as part of two separate investigations.

Economics

2 w. ago Disposable vapes ban could push 200,000 people back to smoking, report warns

The law is aimed at protecting the environment and tackling a surge in youth vaping rates, which have soared from 0.8 per cent in 2013 to 7.2 per cent last year.

Events

2 w. ago Wild chickens take over Miami while some embrace roosters as a cultural symbol

Flamingos, pelicans, herons and parrots are just a few of the wild birds that call Miami home

Politics

2 w. ago AP PHOTOS: Chickens take over Miami while some embrace roosters as a cultural symbol

Flamingos, pelicans, herons and parrots are just a few of the wild birds that call Miami home, but it’s the roosters, hens and baby chicks that have come to rule the roost in recent years. Not only found in residential neighborhoods like Little Havana, Little Haiti and Wynwood, the fowl families are also making their home among the high-rises and government buildings downtown. And while some find the crowing to be a nuisance, many have adopted the rooster as an unofficial mascot for the city.

Culture

3 w. ago Mum's fury as new law 'fails to protect children from paedophile parents'

'I had to pay thousands for my daughter to get the same level of protection that was being given, for free, to every child in the UK but her'

Society