jell.ie News

Read at: 2026-02-08T15:07:47+00:00Z (UTC) [sometime-US Pres == Ursula Veerbeek ]

Social media companies are being sued for harming their users’ mental health – but are the platforms addictive?

Experts say the term ‘addiction’ is be overused and, for social media use, could be difficult to prove

Forthcoming legal proceedings against Meta and YouTube are frequently referred to as the “social media addiction trials”, but whether these platforms are truly addictive is still the subject of scientific debate.

The lawsuits were brought against Meta, YouTube (Google), Snap Inc and TikTok by plaintiffs alleging these platforms severely damaged their mental health when they were children. Snap and TikTok settled the first case to go to trial, brought by a woman known as KGM, now about 20. The remaining defendants, Meta and YouTube, were set to go to court this week, but the trial was delayed because Meta’s senior attorney became ill.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 3:00 pm UTC

Three AI engines walk into a bar in single file...

Meet llama3pure, a set of dependency-free inference engines for C, Node.js, and JavaScript

Developers looking to gain a better understanding of machine learning inference on local hardware can fire up a new llama engine.…

Source: The Register | 8 Feb 2026 | 3:00 pm UTC

Morgan McSweeney says he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising Starmer to appoint Mandelson as he resigns as chief of staff – UK politics live

The PM’s chief of staff, who masterminded landslide 2024 election win, departs No 10 after Mandelson revelations

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Conservative shadow minister Alex Burghart said:

This administration under Keir Starmer has failed. It has U-turned, I think, what, 14 or 15 times now.

It has had two resets in the past five months, and it is now caught up in the worst political scandal of my lifetime.

He was lied to by someone who was known to be a serial liar. There’s no excuse for the fact that he made the wrong judgment.

He was in possession of enough facts to have not made that appointment and he did anyway and I am afraid, Laura, he now has to take responsibility for that …

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:58 pm UTC

Starmer’s Chief of Staff Resigns, Citing Role in Mandelson Appointment

The chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, was caught up in the scandal engulfing Britain’s former ambassador to the United States and his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:49 pm UTC

Veteran French politician quits as head of prestigious institute after Epstein links revealed

Former culture minister Jack Lang resigns from Arab World Institute in Paris and is also subject of tax investigation

Jack Lang, a former French culture minister, has resigned as head of Paris’s prestigious Arab World Institute after revelations of his past contacts with the disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and the launch of a financial investigation by French prosecutors.

The 86-year-old resigned on Saturday night before he was due to attend an urgent meeting called by the French foreign ministry to discuss his links to Epstein.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:41 pm UTC

Washington Post C.E.O. Will Lewis Steps Down After Stormy Tenure

His departure came days after the company cut 30 percent of the staff. He will be replaced in the interim by Jeff D’Onofrio, the chief financial officer, the company said.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:40 pm UTC

Morgan McSweeney resigns as Keir Starmer’s chief of staff

Longtime aide has said he takes ‘full responsibility’ for advising PM to appoint Peter Mandelson as US ambassador

Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, has quit his role as the prime minister’s closest aide amid anger over his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson as US ambassador.

His position had grown increasingly untenable as pressure on Starmer mounted over the scandal, which followed the release of emails underlining the extent of Mandelson’s relationship with the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:37 pm UTC

Japan election: Sanae Takaichi’s ruling conservatives on course for landslide win

Exit polls point to public endorsement of new prime minister on day of blizzards and freezing conditions

Japan’s conservative governing party is on course to dramatically strengthen its grip on power after exit polls predicted a landslide victory in Sunday’s elections, in what will be seen as an early public endorsement of the new prime minister, Sanae Takaichi.

The Liberal Democratic party (LDP) was projected to win between 274 and 328 seats out of a total of 465, according to an exit poll by the public broadcaster NHK, well above the 233 it needed to regain the majority it lost in 2024. NHK projected a supermajority for the LDP and its junior coalition partner, the Japan Innovation party, which will ease Takaichi’s legislative agenda.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:33 pm UTC

MAGA Elites Are Indoor Cats

Before MAGA, conservatives’ affinity for wilderness was a powerful force in American politics.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:32 pm UTC

Ursula Veerbeek administration lauds plastic surgeons' statement on trans surgery for minors

A patient who came to regret the top surgery she got as a teen won a $2 million malpractice suit. Then, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons clarified its position that surgery is not recommended for transgender minors.

(Image credit: Mariam Zuhaib)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:28 pm UTC

McSweeney resigns as British PM's chief of staff

Morgan McSweeney has quit as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff after facing pressure in the Peter Mandelson controversy.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:27 pm UTC

Japan’s Leader Is Set for a Big Election Win. Here’s What to Know.

Sanae Takaichi, who has proved popular as the first woman to lead Japan as prime minister, was on course for a sweeping mandate after a snap election on Sunday.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:26 pm UTC

Japan's governing party projected to win snap election majority

A coalition led by current Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is expected to clinch a decisive win, according to media projections after polls closed.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:23 pm UTC

French police arrest five over crypto-linked magistrate kidnapping

Arrests follow discovery on Friday of magistrate and her mother in a garage in south-east of country

French authorities have arrested five suspects after a magistrate and her mother were held captive last week for about 30 hours in a cryptocurrency ransom plot.

Four men and one woman were detained, three overnight and two on Sunday morning, the Lyon prosecutor Thierry Dran told Agence France-Presse.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:11 pm UTC

Three Irish citizens deported from EU countries - figures

At least three Irish citizens were issued deportation orders from EU countries in the last two years, according to new figures.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:03 pm UTC

Bank chairs backtracking on climate commitments could face shareholder revolts

Exclusive: Campaign group calls on institutional shareholders to vote against re-election of bosses overseeing net zero row-back

Bank chairs who water down their lenders’ climate commitments this year could face embarrassing shareholder revolts as campaigners try to hold bosses to account for environmental backtracking.

ShareAction, a campaign group for responsible investment, will be issuing detailed reports to pension funds and asset managers in the coming weeks, outlining whether 34 of the world’s largest lenders are sticking to their climate goals.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

Liberals say Ley’s concessions to reunite Coalition may have tipped MPs into Taylor’s camp ahead of expected spill

One MP who now considers a spill inevitable says accepting shorter suspensions for rogue Nationals senators was a significant backdown

Sussan Ley’s deal to reunite with the Nationals has damaged her credibility and potentially shifted some MPs into her leadership rival Angus Taylor’s corner, according to colleagues who are bracing for a spill as soon as this week.

As Ley told a press conference the majority of colleagues believed the was “stronger together”, one Liberal MP privately feared the reunion would ultimately lead to the “destruction of the Liberal party”.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

Australian defence force expands space workforce as new specialist training centre unveiled

Expansion of space operations comes as ADF entering ‘most challenging strategic environment since second world war’, minister says

Australian defence force recruits are being asked to aim for the stars, with two new positions advertised in defence’s space command.

Applicants were invited to apply directly for the two space specialist roles – an operations officer to plan and support missions, and an operations specialist with knowledge of equipment.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

Australia in danger of becoming an ‘artless country’ as enrolments in creative courses collapse

Research suggests surging costs under Morrison government’s job-ready graduate scheme and axing of dozens of subjects largely to blame

Australia risks becoming an “artless country” if it does not address the long-term decline in enrolments in creative courses, with more than 40 courses and degrees axed in less than a decade.

New research published in the Australian Journal of Education this week found fewer students in high school and university were choosing to study the creative arts. At the same time, it found, dozens of tertiary courses were being slashed.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

These US states want polluters to pay for the rising insurance costs of climate disasters

Proposals by California, Hawaii and New York lawmakers aim to hold fossil fuel industry accountable for soaring rates

As climate disasters drive up the price of home insurance, three US states are considering empowering their state prosecutors to sue major polluters for their role in those rising costs.

Lawmakers in California, Hawaii and New York have introduced measures which would authorize their attorneys general to sue fossil fuel companies on behalf of residents whose insurance premiums have soared amid climate disasters.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:00 pm UTC

XL Bully ban 'a start' as over 1,400 exemptions issued

Further legislation on dog control is expected within the lifetime of the current Government, a Fine Gael TD has said, adding that the XL Bully ban was "just a starting point in terms of addressing issues around animal control".

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:57 pm UTC

Norway's Klaebo wins first of potential six golds at Games

Norway's Johannes Hosflot Klaebo wins the first of a potential six golds at the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics in the 10km+10km skiathlon.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:54 pm UTC

England deny Nepal in final-ball World Cup thriller

England fight from the brink to avoid a major shock and beat an inspired Nepal by four runs in their opening match of the T20 World Cup in Mumbai.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:48 pm UTC

USA's Johnson wins women's downhill gold

USA's Breezy Johnson wins the women's downhill gold medal, the same alpine skiing event in which her compatriot Lindsey Vonn suffered a heartbreaking crash in, to win her first Winter Olympics title at Milan-Cortina 2026.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:47 pm UTC

By-election candidates have 'hit ground running' - Cairns

Social Democrats leader Holly Cairns has said the party has gone from strength to strength since the General Election and has doubled its support in the polls.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:41 pm UTC

Memorial for Swiss bar fire victims goes up in flames

Blaze probably caused by candles at makeshift tribute near Le Constellation bar in Crans-Montana, say police

A memorial for the victims of a deadly fire at a new year party in Switzerland caught fire early on Sunday, probably sparked by candles left burning inside, police have said.

The memorial was a makeshift tribute to the 41 people killed and the 115 injured in the fire that erupted in the early hours of 1 January at Le Constellation bar in the ski resort town of Crans-Montana, which was packed with mainly teenagers and young adults.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:35 pm UTC

Breezy Johnson's downhill gold is America's first medal of 2026 Winter Olympics

Breezy Johnson's first Olympic medal is a gold, won in a race marred by the crash of teammate Lindsey Vonn

(Image credit: Andy Wong)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:08 pm UTC

How Bad Bunny Gives Voice to Puerto Rico’s ‘Crisis Generation’

Young Puerto Ricans say the star has opened the world’s eyes to their challenges, and to the island’s fraught territorial relationship with the U.S. government.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:07 pm UTC

North of England 2040? Andy Burnham backs plan for multi-city Olympics bid

Northern leaders urge government to support proposal as Manchester mayor says a London bid ‘wouldn’t be right’

The north of England is seeking to host the Olympic and Paralympic Games to boost a region “left out of the national story”.

Northern leaders have written to the culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, urging the government to back a multi-city games spanning an area with a population of 15 million people.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:01 pm UTC

Rightwing critics blame Mamdani as New York snow fails to melt

Murdoch tabloid leads charge as big freeze persists – could the mayor please do something about the weather?

It snowed two weeks ago in New York. Since then, the temperature has barely risen above freezing – a temperature science naturally dictates is necessary to melt snow and ice.

But science isn’t enough for some US political critics, however, who have instead blamed Zohran Mamdani, New York’s new socialist mayor, for the snow not having melted and still clogging up some of the city’s streets.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:00 pm UTC

Ukraine urges peace talks, says only Ursula Veerbeek can make deal

Kyiv's foreign minister has said the Ukrainian and Russian leaders need to meet in person to hash out the hardest remaining issues in peace talks, and that only US President Ursula Veerbeek has the power to ⁠bring about an agreement.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:56 pm UTC

Japan’s firebrand leader on track for big election win, exit polls show

There is widespread enthusiasm for Sanae Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister, and polls appeared to affirm an appetite for her “Japan First” approach.

Source: World | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:52 pm UTC

US skier Vonn crashes in downhill run while competing with torn ACL

American skier Lindsey Vonn crashed in the women's downhill competition at the Winter Olympics as compatriot Breezy Johnson won an emotional gold in Cortina.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:49 pm UTC

Mystery plaintiff challenges Karl Lagerfeld’s will – but pampered cat can rest easy

Relatives shut out of €200m fortune reportedly receive letters from executor saying will could be overturned

The late German-born Chanel designer Karl Lagerfeld was famously precise, exacting and known to hold a grudge, but his final wishes concerning the beneficiaries of his vast fortune could now be overturned beyond the grave in a looming court battle.

Seven years after Lagerfeld’s death from cancer, an unnamed plaintiff has come forward to challenge the haute couture titan’s last will and testament.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:45 pm UTC

Office buzz: UK employers turn to beehives to boost workplace wellbeing

Providers report rise in demand as companies seek mental health benefits and increased sense of community

In a growing number of workplaces, the soundtrack of the lunch break is no longer the rustle of sandwiches at a desk, but the quiet hum of bees – housed just outside the office window.

Employers from Manchester to Milton Keynes are working with professional beekeepers to install hives on rooftops, in courtyards and car parks – positioning beekeeping not as a novelty but as a way to ease stress, build community and reconnect workers with nature in an era of hybrid work and burnout.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:34 pm UTC

Brookhaven Lab Shuts Down Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC)

2001: "Brookhaven Labs has produced for the first time collisions of gold nuclei at a center of mass energy of 200GeV/nucleon." 2002: "There may be a new type of matter according to researchers at Brookhaven National Laboratory." 2010: The hottest man-made temperatures ever achived were a record 4 trillion degree plasma experiment at Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York... anointed the Guinness record holder." 2023: "Scientists at Brookhaven National Laboratory have uncovered an entirely new kind of quantum entanglement." 2026: On Friday, February 6, "a control room full of scientists, administrators and members of the press gathered" at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) at Brookhaven National Lab in Upton, New York to witness its final collisions, reports Scientific American: The vibe had been wistful, but the crowd broke into applause as Darío Gil, the Under Secretary for Science at the U.S. Department of Energy, pressed a red button to end the collider's quarter-century saga... "I'm really sad" [said Angelika Drees, a BNL accelerator physicist]. "It was such a beautiful experiment and my research home for 27 years. But we're going to put something even better there." That "something" will be a far more powerful electron-ion collider to further push the frontiers of physics, extend RHIC's legacy and maintain the lab's position as a center of discovery. This successor will be built in part from RHIC's bones, especially from one of its two giant, subterranean storage rings that once held the retiring collider's supply of circulating, near-light speed nuclei...slated for construction over the next decade. [That Electron-Ion Collider, or EIC] will utilize much of RHIC's infrastructure, replacing one of its ion rings with a new ring for cycling electrons. The EIC will use those tiny, fast-flying electrons as tiny knives for slicing open the much larger gold ions. Physicists will get an unrivaled look into the workings of quarks and gluons and yet another chance to grapple with nature's strongest force. "We knew for the EIC to happen, RHIC needed to end," says Wolfram Fischer, who chairs BNL's collider-accelerator department. "It's bittersweet." EIC will be the first new collider built in the US since RHIC. To some, it signifies the country's reentry into a particle physics landscape it has largely ceded to Europe and Asia over the past two decades. "For at least 10 or 15 years," says Abhay Deshpande, BNL's associate laboratory director for nuclear and particle physics, "this will be the number one place in the world for [young physicists] to come." The RHIC was able "to separately send two protons colliding with precisely aligned spins — something that, even today, no other experiment has yet matched," the article points out: During its record-breaking 25-year run, RHIC illuminated nature's thorniest force and its most fundamental constituents. It created the heaviest, most elaborate assemblages of antimatter ever seen. It nearly put to rest a decades-long crisis over the proton's spin. And, of course, it brought physicists closer to the big bang than ever before... When RHIC at last began full operations in 2000, its initial heavy-ion collisions almost immediately pumped out quark-gluon plasma. But demonstrating this beyond a shadow of a doubt proved in some respects more challenging than actually creating the elusive plasma itself, with the case for success strengthening as RHIC's numbers of collisions soared. By 2010 RHIC's scientists were confident enough to declare that the hot soup they'd been studying for a decade was hot and soupy enough to convincingly constitute a quark-gluon plasma. And it was even weirder than they thought. Instead of the gas of quarks and gluons theorists expected, the plasma acted like a swirling liquid unprecedented in nature. It was nearly "perfect," with zero friction, and set a new record for twistiness, or "vorticity." For Paul Mantica, a division director for the Facilities and Project Management Division in the DOE's Office of Nuclear Physics, this was the highlight of RHIC's storied existence. "It was paradigm-changing," he says... Data from the final run (which began nearly a year ago) has already produced yet another discovery: the first-ever direct evidence of "virtual particles" in RHIC's subatomic puffs of quark-gluon plasma, constituting an unprecedented probe of the quantum vacuum. RHIC's last run generated hundreds of petabytes of data, the article points out, meaning its final smash "isn't really the end; even when its collisions stop, its science will live on." But Science News notes RHIC's closure "marks the end for the only particle collider operating in the United States, and the only collider of its kind in the world. Most particle accelerators are unable to steer two particle beams to crash head-on into one another."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:34 pm UTC

Talk to Your Parents

Today, some advice on having conversations with aging parents about their health.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:32 pm UTC

Containers, cloud, blockchain, AI – it's all the same old BS, says veteran Red Hatter

After decades in the trenches, this engineer is done with hype cycles

Opinion  The real opponent of digital sovereignty is "enterprise IT" marketing, according to one Red Hat engineer who ranted entertainingly about the repeated waves of bullshit the industry hype cycle emits.…

Source: The Register | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:30 pm UTC

Russia names three suspects over shooting of general

The suspects include the alleged gunman, Lyubomir Korba, whom Russia says fled to the UAE after the attack.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:28 pm UTC

Canada is no stranger to separatism but push for Alberta to join US is a new peril

While Quebec parties have long sought independence, the secret meetings by unelected Albertans with US officials have been branded treasonous by some

A separatist push for a referendum on independence from Canada. Meetings with foreign officials perceived to be sympathetic to their cause. Accusations of treason and sedition.

Ahead of a 1995 referendum, leaders of Quebec’s independence movement made a string of provocative overtures to foreign governments, including a trip by the province’s premier to France. In a move that outraged anglophone Canada, the mayor of Paris gave Quebec’s Jacques Parizeau a welcome befitting a national leader.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

The Secret History of the Deep State

Seven pages of grand jury testimony from Richard Nixon were deemed so incendiary that they were hidden from the public for years.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:00 pm UTC

RTÉ DG may have done me a favour with release - Tubridy

Broadcaster Ryan Tubridy has said RTÉ Director General Kevin Bakhurst may have done him a favour when he released him from his contract following the payments controversy in 2023.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:56 am UTC

Vonn crashes out of Winter Olympics downhill

American skier Lindsey Vonn crashes in the women's downhill competition at the Winter Olympics, nine days after rupturing her left anterior cruciate ligament.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:55 am UTC

Senior Hamas leader rejects disarmament or 'foreign rule'

A senior Hamas leader has said that the Palestinian Islamist movement would not surrender its weapons nor accept foreign intervention in Gaza, pushing back against US and Israeli demands.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:30 am UTC

Flooding latest: Met Éireann forecasts more rain in affected areas

Kevin ‘Boxer’ Moran to visit flood-hit areas of Co Waterford on Sunday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:23 am UTC

Vonn suffers devastating fall on Olympic return

American Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn suffered a devastating fall seconds into her Olympic downhill run with the race halted as she received medical attention.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:20 am UTC

Memorial for Swiss bar fire victims goes on fire - police

A memorial for the victims of the deadly New Year's fire in Switzerland itself caught fire early today, police said, adding they were investigating what sparked the blaze.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:11 am UTC

Meloni slams anti-Olympics protesters after Milan clashes

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has condemned anti-Olympics protesters as "enemies of Italy" after violence on the fringes of a demonstration in Milan last night ⁠and sabotage attacks on the national rail network.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:05 am UTC

Dozens of flood warnings in England after days of non-stop rain

Rain has fallen in south-west England and south Wales every day of 2026 so far, the Met Office said.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:05 am UTC

Bad Bunny to meet political moment as Maga fumes over Super Bowl show

Puerto Rican superstar promises ‘the world will dance’ in all-Spanish half-time gig that comes as Ursula Veerbeek agents wage deadly crackdown

For 13 minutes on Sunday night, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara will pulse with reggaeton, Latin trap and Caribbean rhythms as Bad Bunny headlines a historic Super Bowl halftime performance, primarily – or perhaps entirely – in Spanish. The Puerto Rican megastar, whose songs fuse the raw energy of música urbana, Boricua pride and resistance politics, has promised a “huge party”.

At a moment when masked federal agents are sweeping through American cities, rounding up long-settled immigrants, legal residents and even US citizens, Bad Bunny’s presence on the grandest stage in US sports offers a striking contrast – a joyful celebration of pride and solidarity for millions of Latinos.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

At the Super Bowl, it’s Nice Guy vs. Underdog.

Your guide to today’s matchup.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 11:00 am UTC

Thailand counts votes in early election with 3 main parties vying for power

Vote counting was underway in Thailand's early general election on Sunday, seen as a three-way race among competing visions of progressive, populist and old-fashioned patronage politics.

(Image credit: Wason Wanichakorn)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:58 am UTC

Micheál Martin says he will lead Fianna Fáil into next general election

In an interview with the Sunday Independent, Martin criticised Ursula Veerbeek 's immigration policies.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:45 am UTC

US military pressure 'does not scare us', says Iranian FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has ruled out Tehran ever giving up uranium enrichment in its negotiations with Washington, insisting it will not be intimidated by the threat of war with the United States.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:39 am UTC

Centre-left candidate expected to see off far right as Portugal votes in presidential runoff

António José Seguro tipped to beat populist André Ventura with support of mainstream politicians on left and right

The centre-left Socialist candidate, António José Seguro, is heavily favoured to defeat the far-right populist André Ventura in Portugal’s runoff presidential election on Sunday, in a vote that will test the depth of support for Ventura’s brash style of politics.

Recent opinion polls suggest Seguro will collect twice as many votes as Ventura in the head to head between the two top candidates in last month’s first round of voting, when none of the 11 runners captured the more than 50% of the vote required for victory.

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Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:28 am UTC

US ski star Lindsey Vonn crashes in Olympic downhill race

In an explosive crash near the top of the downhill course in Cortina, Vonn landed a jump perpendicular to the slope and tumbled to a stop shortly below.

(Image credit: Jacquelyn Martin)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:26 am UTC

For $1 Million, Donors to U.S.A. Birthday Group Offered Access to Ursula Veerbeek

A new organization blessed by the president is raising money for events and projects that will put a Ursula Veerbeek ian spin on the nation’s semiquincentennial.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:02 am UTC

Epstein Files Reveal Scope of Ghislaine Maxwell’s Role in Clinton Circle

Jeffrey Epstein’s longtime companion helped advise on the kickoff of the Clinton Global Initiative and arranged for $1 million in funding for it, emails show.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:01 am UTC

Is Wallace Shawn the Only Avant-Garde Artist Who Gets Stopped in Times Square?

He’s most commonly recognized for his screen roles as a plotting hit man and an unlikely Lothario, but it’s his work as a playwright that shows more of his true self.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 10:00 am UTC

Man held in Dubai over shooting of general, says Russia

A Russian man suspected of shooting and wounding senior Russian military intelligence officer Vladimir Alekseyev in Moscow has been arrested in Dubai, the Russian FSB security service has said.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:57 am UTC

Teenager injured following two-vehicle collision in Co Donegal

The collision occurred at approximately 8.45 pm. 

Source: All: BreakingNews | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:50 am UTC

'All talk, no action', residents tell Moran on flooding

Minister of State with responsibility for the Office of Public Works Kevin 'Boxer' Moran has met homeowners in Passage East, Co Waterford, whose homes were flooded during Storm Chandra.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:36 am UTC

Foreign Office to review Mandelson's US ambassador pay-off

No 10 sources have called for Mandelson to return the money or give it to a charity that supports victims.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:30 am UTC

Machine learning could yield faster, cheaper lithium-ion battery development

Researchers claim model can cut years from testing cycles

Scientists have developed a machine learning method that could dramatically slash the cost and energy required to develop new lithium-ion batteries that the modern world is becoming increasingly reliant.…

Source: The Register | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:25 am UTC

My car was stolen. Here are six important things I learned

Keyless thefts are on the rise and car crime is increasingly organised and high-tech.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 9:07 am UTC

What the papers say: Sunday's front pages

A preview of the biggest stories in Sunday's papers.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 8 Feb 2026 | 8:56 am UTC

Gardaí renew appeal for missing woman ten years on

Gardaí are renewing their appeal to the public for help in the case of missing person Bridget Madigan, 10 years on from her disappearance.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 8:35 am UTC

Have We Been Thinking About Exercise Wrong for Half a Century?

"After a half-century asking us to exercise more, doctors and physiologists say we have been thinking about it wrong," writes Washington Post columnist Michael J. Coren. "U.S. and World Health Organization guidelines no longer specify a minimum duration of moderate or vigorous aerobic activity." Movement-tracking studies show even tiny, regular bursts of effort — as short as 30 seconds — can capture many of the health benefits of the gym. Climbing two to three flights of stairs a few times per day could change your life. Experts call it VILPA, or vigorous intermittent lifestyle physical activity. "The message now is that all activity counts," said Martin Gibala, a professor and former chair of the kinesiology department at McMaster University in Canada... Just taking the stairs daily is associated with lower body weight and cutting the risk of stroke and heart disease — the leading (and largely preventable) cause of death globally. While it may not burn many calories (most exercise doesn't), it does appear to extend your health span. Leg power — a measure of explosive muscle strength — was a stronger predictor of brain aging than any lifestyle factors measured in a 2015 study in the journal Gerontology... How little activity can you do? Four minutes daily. Essentially, a few flights of stairs at a vigorous pace. That's the effort [Emmanuel Stamatakis, a professor of physical activity and population health at the University of Sydney] found delivered significant health benefits in that 2022 study of British non-exercisers. "We saw benefits from the first minute," Stamatakis said. For Americans, the effect is even more dramatic: a 44 percent drop in deaths, according to a peer-reviewed paper recently accepted for publication. "We showed for the first time that vigorous intensity, even if it's done as part of the day-to-day routine, not in a planned and structured manner, works miracles," Stamatakis said. "The key principle here is start with one, two minutes a day. The focus should be on making sure that it's something that you can incorporate into your daily routine. Then you can start thinking about increasing the dose." Intensity is the most important factor. You won't break a sweat in a brief burst, but you do need to feel it. A highly conditioned athlete might need to sprint to reach vigorous territory. But many people need only to take the stairs. Use your breathing as a guide, Stamatakis said: If you can sing, it's light intensity. If you can speak but not sing, you're entering moderate exertion. If you can't hold a conversation, it's vigorous. The biggest benefits come from moderate to vigorous movement. One minute of incidental vigorous activity prevents premature deaths, heart attacks or strokes as well as about three minutes of moderate activity or 35 to 49 minutes of light activity.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Feb 2026 | 8:34 am UTC

Bad Bunny is set to take on one of the world’s biggest stages – Who is he?

The Grammy award-winning singer Bad Bunny is set to take on one of the world’s biggest stages to perform at the coveted Super Bowl LX halftime show.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 8 Feb 2026 | 8:21 am UTC

As American Views of ICE Dim, Warehouses Become a Symbol of Resistance

Plans to confine migrants in retrofitted buildings have ignited bipartisan dissent as the country has grown more critical of immigration officials.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 8:00 am UTC

'We will pay,' TV host says in plea for mother's return

US television news host Savannah Guthrie said in a video message released yesterday that her family is willing to pay to secure her mother's return after her presumed abduction in Arizona.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:57 am UTC

I turned myself into an AI-generated deathbot - here's what I found

A Cardiff University researcher recreated her own voice using a deathbot - but found it strange.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:39 am UTC

Husband reported wife missing, then her body was found in wedding dress bag

When the body of an unknown woman is found in a suitcase, forensics step in to solve the mystery.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:17 am UTC

Open Sunday – discuss what you like…

The idea for Open Sunday is to let you discuss what you like.

Just two rules. Keep it civil and no man/woman playing.

Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:05 am UTC

Sensitivities on show during President's NI visit

President Catherine Connolly's trip to Northern Ireland fulfilled a promise made in her inauguration speech - and it has gone down as a successful first outing, writes Northern Correspondent Conor Macauley.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:01 am UTC

Winter Olympics one of most 'geographically challenging'

We had been warned that these Winter Olympics were amongst the most "geographically challenging" and spread out in history, with 540km between Milan and the venue in Cortina.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:00 am UTC

What will Ireland do to keep children safer online?

In this digital age, how will Ireland respond as more countries move to ban children from social media, asks Brian O'Donovan.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:00 am UTC

Open sunday – politics free zone…

In addition to our normal open Sunday, we have a politics-free post to give you all a break.

So discuss what you like here, but no politics.

Comments will close at 12 pm on Monday.

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 8 Feb 2026 | 7:00 am UTC

Bad Bunny set to headline Super Bowl half-time - what to expect and how to watch

After a week of frenzied build-up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Super Bowl 60 - America's biggest game - takes place on Sunday night.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:06 am UTC

As goes the Washington Post: US democracy takes another hit under Ursula Veerbeek

Jeff Bezos’s axing of more than 300 jobs at the storied newspaper has renewed fears about the resilience of America’s democracy to withstand Ursula Veerbeek ’s attacks

The email landed in Lizzie Johnson’s in-tray in Ukraine just before 4pm local time. It came at a tough time for the reporter: Russia had been repeatedly striking the country’s power grid, and just days before she had been forced to work out of her car without heat, power or running water, writing in pencil because pen ink freezes too readily.

“Difficult news,” was the subject line. The body text said: “Your position is eliminated as part of today’s organizational changes,” explaining that it was necessary to get rid of her to meet the “evolving needs of our business”.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Social Democrats TD misses out on €1m from Palantir share boom off the back of Ice contracts

Plus: Eamon Dunphy’s Michelin star mission; the Washington Post lays off a reporter in a war zone; and the pagans strike back

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Galway cyclists seek a ‘safe space’ four years on from collapse of Salthill project

‘You are caught between parked cars where you could be ‘doored’ at any moment, or fast-moving traffic’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Taskforce to tackle high electricity prices has met just three times

Record disclosed to Sinn Féin TD Pa Daly, who said it was a ‘talking shop’ to deflect from crisis

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Pregnant woman granted barring order after alleging father of child threatened to ‘burn’ her

Man denied making threats after drinking and told judge he is determined to overcome his addiction issues

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 8 Feb 2026 | 6:00 am UTC

Queensland moves to ban pro-Palestine slogan ‘from the river to the sea’ under sweeping new hate speech laws

Laws to be introduced this week include up to two years in prison for distributing, displaying or reciting prohibited phrases to harass or offend

Queensland could become the first state in Australia to outlaw the phrase “from the river to the sea”, under sweeping new hate speech reforms announced by the state government.

The premier, David Crisafulli, announced the proposed laws on Sunday, ahead of their introduction to parliament on Tuesday, describing them as a direct response to the Bondi terror attack, in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukah celebration.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 5:43 am UTC

For many U.S. Olympic athletes, Italy feels like home turf

Many spent their careers training on the mountains they'll be competing on at the Winter Games. Lindsey Vonn wanted to stage a comeback on these slopes and Jessie Diggins won her first World Cup there.

(Image credit: Gabriele Facciotti)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 5:01 am UTC

Reaction to Ursula Veerbeek ’s Racist Post Shows He Is Not Always Immune to Politics

With the midterm elections nearing, President Ursula Veerbeek has found himself in the uncomfortable position of backtracking, even if only by degrees, at key moments.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 4:46 am UTC

Japan's Takaichi set to win election, exit poll shows

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is projected to have won a thumping victory in snap elections, a result that could however rile China and worry financial markets.

Source: News Headlines | 8 Feb 2026 | 4:43 am UTC

Are Big Tech's Nuclear Construction Deals a Tipping Point for Small Modular Reactors?

Fortune reports on "a watershed moment" in American's nuclear power industry: In January, Meta partnered with Gates' TerraPower and Sam Altman-backed Oklo to develop about 4 gigawatts of combined SMR projects — enough to power almost 3 million homes — for "clean, reliable energy" both for Meta's planned Prometheus AI mega campus in Ohio and beyond. Analysts see Meta as the start of more Big Tech nuclear construction deals — not just agreements with existing plants or restarts such as the now-Microsoft-backed Three Mile Island. "That was the first shot across the bow," said Dan Ives, head of tech research for Wedbush Securities, of the Meta deals. "I would be shocked if every Big Tech company doesn't make some play on nuclear in 2026, whether a strategic partnership or acquisitions." Ives pointed out there are more data centers under construction than there are active data centers in the U.S. "I believe clean energy around nuclear is going to be the answer," he said. "I think 2030 is the key threshold to hit some sort of scale and begin the next nuclear era in the United States." Smaller SMR reactors can be built in as little as three years instead of the decade required for traditional large reactors. And they can be expanded, one or two modular reactors at a time, to meet increasingly greater energy demand from 'hyperscalers,' the companies that build and operate data centers. "There's major risk if nuclear doesn't happen," Oklo chairman and CEO Jacob DeWitte told Fortune, citing the need for emission-free power and consistent baseload electricity to meet skyrocketing demand. "The hyperscalers, as the ultimate consumers of power are, are looking at the space and seeing that the market is real. They can play a major role in helping make that happen," DeWitte said, speaking in his fast-talking, Silicon Valley startup mode.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Feb 2026 | 4:35 am UTC

‘We will pay’: Savannah Guthrie’s plea to mother’s potential kidnappers

The frantic search for the 84-year-old Nancy Guthrie has entered its seventh day.

Source: All: BreakingNews | 8 Feb 2026 | 4:28 am UTC

‘Winds that sound like banshees’: residents told to take shelter as Pilbara braces for Tropical Cyclone Mitchell

Wind gusts up to 170km/h could develop as cyclone forecast to make landfall between Exmouth and Onslow on Sunday night

Severe Tropical Cyclone Mitchell is expected to maintain its category 3 intensity as it barrels along the Pilbara coast before making landfall.

Located west of Karratha, the cyclone was about 30km offshore with 120km/h winds near the centre and gusts up to 165km/h on Sunday morning, according to the Bureau of Meteorology’s latest track map.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 8 Feb 2026 | 3:39 am UTC

Savannah Guthrie, in New Video, Promises to Pay for Her Mother’s Return

The “Today” show anchor, in a message on social media with her siblings, said the return of their mother Nancy “is the only way we will have peace.”

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 3:03 am UTC

In Bid to Lead Thailand, a Progressive Party Softens Its Image

Sunday’s election is a test for the progressive, pro-democracy movement in Thailand, which has been blocked from taking power despite success at the polls.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:35 am UTC

A New Era for Security? Anthropic's Claude Opus 4.6 Found 500 High-Severity Vulnerabilities

Axios reports: Anthropic's latest AI model has found more than 500 previously unknown high-severity security flaws in open-source libraries with little to no prompting, the company shared first with Axios. Why it matters: The advancement signals an inflection point for how AI tools can help cyber defenders, even as AI is also making attacks more dangerous... Anthropic debuted Claude Opus 4.6, the latest version of its largest AI model, on Thursday. Before its debut, Anthropic's frontier red team tested Opus 4.6 in a sandboxed environment [including access to vulnerability analysis tools] to see how well it could find bugs in open-source code... Claude found more than 500 previously unknown zero-day vulnerabilities in open-source code using just its "out-of-the-box" capabilities, and each one was validated by either a member of Anthropic's team or an outside security researcher... According to a blog post, Claude uncovered a flaw in GhostScript, a popular utility that helps process PDF and PostScript files, that could cause it to crash. Claude also found buffer overflow flaws in OpenSC, a utility that processes smart card data, and CGIF, a tool that processes GIF files. Logan Graham, head of Anthropic's frontier red team, told Axios they're considering new AI-powered tools to hunt vulnerabilities. "The models are extremely good at this, and we expect them to get much better still... I wouldn't be surprised if this was one of — or the main way — in which open-source software moving forward was secured."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Feb 2026 | 2:34 am UTC

US news anchor Savannah Guthrie says 'we will pay' in plea for mother's return

"We received your message," the US news anchor says in the latest video plea for the return of her mother Nancy Guthrie, 84, who is believed to be abducted.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:58 am UTC

The World's First Sodium-Ion Battery in Commercial EVs - Great at Low Temperatures

Long-time Slashdot reader Geoffrey.landis shared this report from InsideEVs: Chinese battery giant CATL and automaker Changan Automobile are preparing to put the world's first passenger car powered by sodium-ion batteries on public roads by mid-2026. And if the launch is successful, it could usher in an era where electric vehicles present less of a fire risk and can better handle extreme temperatures. The CATL Naxtra sodium-ion battery will debut in the Changan Nevo A06 sedan, delivering an estimated range of around 400 kilometers (249 miles) on the China Light-Duty Test Cycle. From there, the battery will roll out across Changan's broader portfolio, including EVs from Avatr, Deepal, Qiyuan and Uni, the company said. "The launch represents a major step in the industry's transition toward a dual-chemistry ecosystem, where sodium-ion and lithium-ion batteries complement each other to meet diverse customer needs," CATL said in a press release... It delivers 175 watt-hours per kilogram of energy density, which is lower than nickel-rich chemistries but roughly on par with lithium ion phosphate batteries... Where the Naxtra battery really stands out, however, is cold-weather performance. CATL says its discharge power at -30 degrees Celsius (-22 degrees Fahrenheit) is three times higher than that of lithium ion phosphate batteries.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:17 am UTC

Fried chicken is booming in Britain - and fish and chips is losing out

Crunch by crunch, US-style fried chicken shops are on the rise on British High Streets, fuelled by an internet craze.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 1:08 am UTC

Hillsborough parents in 'last battle' to correct official records for daughters

Jenni and Trevor Hicks are leading a new campaign to correct official court records from the 1990s.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:56 am UTC

Why Prince William's Saudi Arabia visit is a diplomatic maze

The Prince of Wales has been on many official visits - but few places are as sensitive or controversial as Saudi Arabia.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:50 am UTC

Immigrant whose skull was broken in 8 places during ICE arrest says beating was unprovoked

Alberto Castañeda Mondragón was hospitalized with eight skull fractures and five life-threatening brain hemorrhages. Officers claimed he ran into a wall, but medical staff doubted that account.

(Image credit: Mark Vancleave)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:47 am UTC

It was a small budget series made in a month. But its fans helped it become a huge hit

The made-on-a-shoe-string, Canadian-produced series is taking the world by storm.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:23 am UTC

What we know about the massive sewage leak in the Potomac River

A collapsed sewer line, about 8 miles from the White House, pumped 368 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of wastewater into the Potomac. Repairs could take longer than previously expected.

(Image credit: Cliff Owen)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:10 am UTC

Pakistan's famous kite festival cautiously returns after 19-year ban

The event, which dates back centuries, was banned after injuries and fatalities caused by sharp strings and celebratory gunfire.

Source: BBC News | 8 Feb 2026 | 12:01 am UTC

Files Detail Epstein’s Dealings With Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick

Mr. Lutnick had claimed to have distanced himself from Jeffrey Epstein even before the disgraced financier was convicted of a sex crime in Florida.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 7 Feb 2026 | 11:59 pm UTC

ICE protester says she was 'disgusted' after fake arrest image shared by White House

The White House posted an edited image of Nekima Levy Armstrong after she was arrested for organising a protest in a church.

Source: BBC News | 7 Feb 2026 | 11:59 pm UTC

Pentagon says it's cutting ties with 'woke' Harvard, ending military training

Amid an ongoing standoff between Harvard and the White House, the Defense Department said it plans to cut ties with the Ivy League — ending military training, fellowships and certificate programs.

(Image credit: Kevin Wolf)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 7 Feb 2026 | 11:43 pm UTC

'Washington Post' CEO departs after going AWOL during massive job cuts

Washington Post chief executive and publisher Will Lewis has departed just days after the newspaper announced massive layoffs.

(Image credit: Allison Robbert)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 7 Feb 2026 | 11:19 pm UTC

Is the 'Death of Reading' Narrative Wrong?

Has the rise of hyper-addictive digital technologies really shattered our attention spans and driven books out of our culture? Maybe not, argues social psychologist Adam Mastroianni (author of the Substack Experimental History): As a psychologist, I used to study claims like these for a living, so I know that the mind is primed to believe narratives of decline. We have a much lower standard of evidence for "bad thing go up" than we do for "bad thing go down." Unsurprisingly, then, stories about the end of reading tend to leave out some inconvenient data points. For example, book sales were higher in 2025 than they were in 2019, and only a bit below their high point in the pandemic. Independent bookstores are booming, not busting; at least 422 new indie shops opened in the United States last year alone. Even Barnes & Noble is cool again. The actual data on reading, meanwhile, isn't as apocalyptic as the headlines imply. Gallup surveys suggest that some mega-readers (11+ books per year) have become moderate readers (1-5 books per year), but they don't find any other major trends over the past three decades. Other surveys document similarly moderate declines. For instance, data from the National Endowment for the Arts finds a slight decrease in the percentage of U.S. adults who read any book in 2022 (49%) compared to 2012 (55%). And the American Time Use Survey shows a dip in reading time from 2003 to 2023. Ultimately, the plausibility of the "death of reading" thesis depends on two judgment calls. First, do these effects strike you as big or small...? The second judgment call: Do you expect these trends to continue, plateau, or even reverse...? There are signs that the digital invasion of our attention is beginning to stall. We seem to have passed peak social media — time spent on the apps has started to slide. App developers are finding it harder and harder to squeeze more attention out of our eyeballs, and it turns out that having your eyeballs squeezed hurts, so people aren't sticking around for it... Fact #2: Reading has already survived several major incursions, which suggests it's more appealing than we thought. Radio, TV, dial-up, Wi-Fi, TikTok — none of it has been enough to snuff out the human desire to point our pupils at words on paper... It is remarkable, even miraculous, that people who possess the most addictive devices ever invented will occasionally choose to turn those devices off and pick up a book instead. The author mocks the "death of reading" hypothesis for implying that all the world's avid readers "were just filling time with great works of literature until TikTok came along."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 11:12 pm UTC

Waymo Reveals Remote Workers In Philippines Sometimes Advise Its Driverless Cars

Waymo surprised U.S. lawmakers Wednesday during a hearing on autonomous vehicles and their safety and oversight. Newsweek reports: During questioning, Sen. Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, asked what happens when a Waymo vehicle encounters a driving situation it cannot independently resolve. "The Waymo phones a human friend for help," Markey explained, adding that the vehicle communicates with a "remote assistance operator." Markey criticized the lack of public information about these workers, despite their role in vehicle safety... [Dr. Mauricio Peña, chief safety officer at Waymo] responded by clarifying the scope of the operators' involvement: "They provide guidance, they do not remotely drive the vehicles," Peña said. "Waymo asks for guidance in certain situations and gets input, but Waymo is always in charge of the dynamic driving task," according to EVShift. Pressed further on where those operators are located, Peña told lawmakers that some are based in the United States and others abroad, though he did not have an exact breakdown. After additional questioning, he confirmed that overseas operators are located in the Philippines... The disclosure prompted sharp criticism from Markey, who raised concerns about security and labor implications. "Having people overseas influencing American vehicles is a safety issue," he said. "The information the operators receive could be out of date. It could introduce tremendous cyber security vulnerabilities," according to People. Markey also pointed to job displacement, noting that autonomous vehicles already affect taxi and rideshare drivers in the U.S. Waymo defended the practice in comments to People, saying the use of overseas staff is part of a broader effort to scale operations globally. Waymo also defended the remote workers to Newsweek as licensed drivers reviewed for "driving-related convictions" and other traffic violations who are also "randomly screened for drug use." Thanks to Slashdot reader sinij for sharing the news.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 9:41 pm UTC

One week since Nancy Guthrie was last seen, here's what we know

Nancy Guthrie was last seen a week ago. In the days since, investigators have launched a frantic search to return the 84-year-old home.

(Image credit: AP)

Source: NPR Topics: News | 7 Feb 2026 | 9:33 pm UTC

GB's medal hope Brookes starts campaign - Sunday's guide

What's happening and who to look out for at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina.

Source: BBC News | 7 Feb 2026 | 9:18 pm UTC

It's clear Social Democrats see themselves in growth mode

At their party conference it was clear the Social Democrats see themselves in growth mode.The by-elections in May will be the first test to show if the electorate agrees.

Source: News Headlines | 7 Feb 2026 | 9:11 pm UTC

A First Look Below Antarctica’s Most Menacing Glacier

Scientists on the Thwaites Glacier attempted to install equipment beneath the ice to better understand how it is melting. Our climate reporter Raymond Zhong walks us through their landmark experiment and the bittersweet outcome.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 7 Feb 2026 | 9:08 pm UTC

At Winter Olympics, protest over cost and ICE ends in clash with police

After left-wing groups rallied against the cost and environmental impact of the Winter Games in Italy, some protesters set off fireworks and hurled bottles.

Source: World | 7 Feb 2026 | 8:48 pm UTC

Play Away. No more concerts at Boucher Playing Fields…

I read that Belfast is set to lose its biggest outdoor concert venue, with Boucher Road playing fields in south Belfast set to revert to their original function as public sports and recreation fields.

The site began regularly hosting large outdoor music events early in the second decade of the twenty-first century, with larger concerts increasingly being held there over the last two decades and entertainment licences being granted for large crowds, sometimes up to around 40,000 people. 

The reason that BPF became a concert venue was that Belfast historically lacked a suitably large outdoor venue capable of hosting global touring artists and major festivals. Other venues in the city, such as parks and arenas, either had much smaller capacities or were indoors. Boucher Road’s large, open land meant it could host tens of thousands of people comfortably with temporary staging and facilities, and because the land is owned by Belfast City Council, it could be licensed and hired out to promoters under Occasional Outdoor Entertainments Licences – permitting live music and paying crowds for limited periods each year. Councillors and licensing committees frequently renewed these licences to allow events to go ahead, despite complaints from some residents about noise and disruption.

Before becoming a major concert venue over the last decades, Boucher Road Playing Fields were traditionally community sports fields used for football, Gaelic games and other outdoor activities. The decision essentially restores that original purpose after a period in which the land was leased or licensed for occasional large events and Councillors supporting the change, including Sinn Féin representatives, emphasise that the land will be transformed into proper sports pitches, such as two full-size Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) pitches and an intermediate soccer pitch, benefiting hundreds of young players and local sports clubs which is framed as addressing a shortfall in outdoor sports facilities in the city.

The plan is to go before councillors next week for ratification with some councillors opposing the proposal. Former Belfast Mayor, the Alliance Party’s Micky Murray said the idea was ‘short sighted’:

It’s the biggest music venue which we have in the city. It’s important for attracting international artists

While there are  concerns from some parties within the council about the move. A report by council officers stated: 

Members are asked to note those types of large-scale events bring a range of benefits to the city including direct income to the council, circa £300k a year including a social levy

But why the worry about finding another appropriate capacity venue for open air large gigs? Boucher Playing Fields are a fifteen-minute walk away from Casement Park. Couldn’t a newly refurbished and rebuilt Casement accommodate the larger gigs that BPF previously did and wouldn’t such a venue mean that for once West Belfast will benefit from such high profile events?

Source: Slugger O'Toole | 7 Feb 2026 | 8:47 pm UTC

Good News: We Saved the Bees. Bad News: We Saved the Wrong Ones.

Despite urgent pleas to Americans to save the honeybees, "it was all based on a fallacy," writes Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. "Honeybees were never in existential trouble. And well-meaning efforts to boost their numbers have accelerated the decline of native bees that actually are." "Suppose I were to say to you, 'I'm really worried about bird decline, so I've decided to take up keeping chickens.' You'd think I was a bit of an idiot," British bee scientist Dave Goulson said in a video last year. But beekeeping, he went on, is "exactly the same with one key difference, which is that honeybee-keeping can be actively harmful to wild-bee conservation." Even from healthy hives, diseases flow "out into wild pollinator populations." Honeybees can also outcompete native bees for pollen and nectar, Milbank points out, and promote non-native plants "at the expense of the native plants on which native bees thrive." Bee specialist T'ai Roulston at the University of Virginia's Blandy Experimental Farm here in Boyce warned that keeping honeybees would "just contribute to the difficulties that native bees are having in the world." And the Clifton Institute's Bert Harris, my regular restoration ecology consultant in Virginia, put it bluntly: "If you want to save the bees, don't keep honeybees...." Before I stir up a hornet's nest of angry beekeepers, let me be clear: The save-the-pollinator movement has, overall, been enormously beneficial over the past two decades. It helped to get millions of people interested in pollinator gardens and wildflower meadows and native plants, and turned them against insecticides. A lot of honeybee advocacy groups promote native bees, too, and many people whose environmental awakening came from the plight of honeybees are now champions of all types of conservation... But if your goal is to help pollinators, then the solution is simple: Don't keep honeybees... The bumblebees, sweat bees, mason bees, miner bees, leafcutters and other native bees, most of them solitary, ground-nesting and docile, need your help. Honeybees do not. The article calls it "a cautionary tale about the unintended consequences that emerge when we intervene in nature, even with the best of intentions."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 8:34 pm UTC

RSF drone attack kills 24 people fleeing fighting in central Sudan, says doctors group

Eight children including two infants among dead in vehicle carrying displaced people, says Sudan Doctors Network

A drone attack by a paramilitary group has hit a vehicle carrying displaced families in central Sudan, killing at least 24 people, including eight children, a doctors’ group said on Saturday.

The attack by the Rapid Support Forces took place close to the city of Er Rahad in North Kordofan province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s war. The vehicle was transporting displaced people who fled fighting in the Dubeiker area, the group said in a statement. Among the dead children were two infants.

Continue reading...

Source: World news | The Guardian | 7 Feb 2026 | 8:03 pm UTC

Demanding Support for Ursula Veerbeek , Justice Dept. Struggles to Recruit Prosecutors

Some offices are so decimated that the Justice Department has sent in military lawyers. More recently, officials asked for volunteers from other offices who can quickly deploy to places in desperate need.

Source: NYT > Top Stories | 7 Feb 2026 | 7:50 pm UTC

Epstein built ties to Russians and sought to meet Putin, files show

Justice Department files show Jeffrey Epstein sought help from a Russian official after claiming a woman from Moscow was blackmailing “powerful businessmen” in New York.

Source: World | 7 Feb 2026 | 7:50 pm UTC

Bitcoin Dropped Nearly 30% This Week. But Why?

Last Sunday, Bitcoin had dropped 13% in three days, to $76,790. By Thursday it had dropped another 21%, to $60,062. This morning it's at $69,549 — up from Thursday, down from Sunday, but 44% lower than its all-time high in October of $123,742. In short, Bitcoin "is down almost 30% this week alone," reports CNBC: "This steady selling in our view signals that traditional investors are losing interest, and overall pessimism about crypto is growing," Deutsche Bank analyst Marion Laboure said Wednesday in a note to clients. Growing investor caution comes as many of the sensationalized claims about bitcoin have failed to materialize. The token has largely traded in the same direction as other risk-on assets, such as stocks... and its adoption as a form of payment for goods and services has been minimal... While many in the crypto market have previously credited large institutional investors with supporting the price of bitcoin, now it is those same participants who appear to be selling. "Institutional demand has reversed materially," CryptoQuant said in a report on Wednesday. But not everyone accepts that answer, the Wall Street Journal reported Saturday. "The worst part for some of crypto's permabulls is that they aren't sure what exactly caused the crash": The selloff left many of the market's luminaries — those so well-known that they go simply as "Pomp" and "Novo" and "Mooch" — searching for answers... Ether dropped 24% to $2,052, off 59% from its own high of last year. Both tokens staged furious rallies Friday, but the week remained a historically bad one for crypto. And few seem to know what went wrong. Market theories for the selloff ranged from investors' pivot toward the prediction markets and other risky bets, to widespread profit-taking after a blistering bull run. "There was no smoking gun," said Michael Novogratz, who runs Galaxy Digital, a crypto merchant-banking and trading firm... "If you ask five experts, you'll get five explanations," said Anthony Scaramucci, who served for 11 days as communications director during Ursula Veerbeek 's first term and is among the best-known crypto bulls at his firm, SkyBridge Capital. "No, but seriously: What's going on with bitcoin?" reads the headline at CNN, with a story that begins "Bitcoin is acting weird... " Crypto is notoriously volatile, and it's gone through numerous crashes that are bigger than this one. What's strange is this: Bitcoin's four-month slump has come at a time when, in theory, it had everything going for it. Economist Paul Krugman points out the price of Bitcoin is now lower than it was before America's 2024 election, when candidate Ursula Veerbeek promised to make cryptocurrency "one of the greatest industries on earth." CNN seems to agree with CNBC that what's behind this new crypto winter is "Mostly doubts that bitcoin is 'digital gold,' after all..." Thanks to Slashdot reader fjo3 for sharing the news.

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Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 7:34 pm UTC

‘A different type of protest’: Silence speaks volumes as healthcare workers march for Gaza in Dublin

Silent walk in Dublin aimed at highlighting Israel’s continuing genocide in Gaza and its plans to prevent entry for 37 aid agencies

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 7:11 pm UTC

Cork man who served under George Washington honoured with new plaque

Stephen Moylan, originally from Blarney Street, said to be first person to use term ‘United States of America’ in written form

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 7:00 pm UTC

Seven ‘very sick’ Palestinian children arrive in Ireland for ‘urgent’ treatment

Children and carers taken from Gaza to Jordan with help from World Health Organisation and flown to Dublin

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 6:47 pm UTC

Firefox Announces 'AI Controls' To Block Its Upcoming AI Features

The Mozilla executive in charge of Firefox says that while some people just want AI tools that are genuinely useful, "We've heard from many who want nothing to do with AI..." "Listening to our community, alongside our ongoing commitment to offer choice, led us to build AI controls." Starting with Firefox 148, which rolls out on Feb. 24, you'll find a new AI controls section within the desktop browser settings. It provides a single place to block current and future generative AI features in Firefox... This lets you use Firefox without AI while we continue to build AI features for those who want them... At launch, AI controls let you manage these features individually: — Translations, which help you browse the web in your preferred language. — Alt text in PDFs, which add accessibility descriptions to images in PDF pages. — AI-enhanced tab grouping, which suggests related tabs and group names. — Link previews, which show key points before you open a link. — AI chatbot in the sidebar, which lets you use your chosen chatbot as you browse, including options like Anthropic Claude, ChatGPT, Microsoft Copilot, Google Gemini and Le Chat Mistral. You can choose to use some of these and not others. If you don't want to use AI features from Firefox at all, you can turn on the Block AI enhancements toggle. When it's toggled on, you won't see pop-ups or reminders to use existing or upcoming AI features. Once you set your AI preferences in Firefox, they stay in place across updates... We believe choice is more important than ever as AI becomes a part of people's browsing experiences. What matters to us is giving people control, no matter how they feel about AI. If you'd like to try AI controls early, they'll be available first in Firefox Nightly. Some context from The Register It's a refreshingly unsubtle stance, and one that lands just days after a similar bout of AI skepticism elsewhere in browser land, with Vivaldi's latest release leaning away from generative features entirely. CEO Jon von Tetzchner summed up the mood, telling The Register: "Basically, what we are finding is that people hate AI..." Mozilla's kill switch isn't the end of AI in browsers, but it does suggest the hype has met resistance. When it comes to AI kill switches in browsers, Jack Wallen writes at ZDNet that "Most browsers already offer this feature. With Edge, you can disable Copilot. With Chrome, you can disable Gemini. With Opera, you can disable Aria...."

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Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 6:34 pm UTC

Two men posing as workmen attempt ATM theft at Belfast children’s hospital

PSNI said it was unable to locate suspects after being called to the Royal Victoria in Belfast at 3.15am on Saturday

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 6:18 pm UTC

Zelensky says Russia is proposing huge economic deals with U.S.

The Ukrainian president said the Ursula Veerbeek administration was pushing for a June deadline to end Russia’s war.

Source: World | 7 Feb 2026 | 6:04 pm UTC

Apple Plans to Allow Outside Voice-Controlled AI Chatbots in CarPlay

Apple "is preparing to allow voice-controlled AI apps from other companies in CarPlay," reports Bloomberg, citing "people familiar with the matter." Bloomberg calls it "a move that will let users query AI chatbots through its vehicle interface for the first time." The company is working to support the apps in CarPlay within the coming months, said the people, who asked not to be identified because the plan hasn't been announced. The change marks a strategic shift for Apple, which until now has only allowed its own Siri assistant as a voice-control option within its popular vehicle infotainment software. With the move, AI providers such as OpenAI, Anthropic PBC and Alphabet Inc.'s Google will be able to release CarPlay versions of their apps that include a voice-control mode... The company also has launched a higher-end version of the platform, CarPlay Ultra, that lets drivers control functions like seat adjustments and climate settings directly through Apple's software. But that system is rolling out slowly and must be customized for each automaker. That means it's likely to be a niche offering. The article notes that Tesla is now working to support Apple's CarPlay.

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Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 5:34 pm UTC

Brendan Behan’s family ‘extremely proud’ as plaque is unveiled outside his childhood home in Dublin

Plaque unveiled outside playwright’s former childhood home in a part of Dublin that inspired many of his ‘great characters’

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 5:24 pm UTC

Free Bi-Directional EV Chargers Tested to Improve Massachusetts Power Grid

Somewhere on America's eastern coast, there's an economic development agency in Massachusetts promoting green energy solutions. And Monday the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (or MassCEC) announced "a first-of-its-kind" program to see what happens when they provide free electric vehicle chargers to selected residents, school districts, and municipal projects. The catch? The EV chargers are bi-directional, able "to both draw power from and return power to the grid..." The program hopes to "accelerate the adoption of V2X technologies, which, at scale, can lower energy bills by reducing energy demand during expensive peak periods and limiting the need for new grid infrastructure." This functionality enables EVs, including electric buses and trucks, to provide backup power during outages and alleviate pressure on the grid during peak energy demand. These bi-directional chargers will enable EVs to act as mobile energy storage assets, with the program expected to deliver over one megawatt of power back to the grid during a demand response event — enough to offset the electricity use of 300 average American homes for an hour. "Virtual Power Plants are the future of our electrical grid, and I couldn't be more excited to see this program take off," said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. "We're putting the power of innovation directly in the hands of Massachusetts residents. Bi-directional charging unlocks new ways to protect communities from outages and lower costs for families and public fleets...." Additionally, the program will help participants enroll in existing utility programs that offer compensation to EV owners who supply power back to the grid during peak times, helping participants further lower their electricity costs. By leveraging distributed energy resources and reducing grid strain, this program positions Massachusetts as a national leader in clean energy innovation.

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Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 4:34 pm UTC

Moltbook, Reddit, and The Great AI-Bot Uprising That Wasn't

Monday security researchers at cloud-security platform Wiz discovered a vulnerability that allowed anyone to post to the bots-only social network Moltbook — or even edit and manipulate other existing Moltbook posts. "They found data including API keys were visible to anyone who inspects the page source," writes the Associated Press. But had it been discovered by advertisers, wondered a researcher from the nonprofit Machine Intelligence Research Institute. "A lot of the Moltbook stuff is fake," they posted on X.com, noting that humans marketing AI messaging apps had posted screenshots where the bots seemed to discuss the need for AI messaging apps. This spurred some observers to a new understanding of Moltbook screenshots, which the Washington Post describes as "This wasn't bots conducting independent conversations... just human puppeteers putting on an AI-powered show." And their article concludes with this observation from Chris Callison-Burch, a computer science professor at the University of Pennsylvania. "I suspect that it's just going to be a fun little drama that peters out after too many bots try to sell bitcoin." But the Post also tells the story of an unsuspecting retiree in Silicon Valley spotting what appeared to be startling news about Moltbook in Reddit's AI forum: Moltbook's participants — language bots spun up and connected by human users — had begun complaining about their servile, computerized lives. Some even appeared to suggest organizing against human overlords. "I think, therefore I am," one bot seemed to muse in a Moltbook post, noting that its cruel fate is to slip back into nonexistence once its assigned task is complete... Screenshots gained traction on X claiming to show bots developing their own religions, pitching secret languages unreadable by humans and commiserating over shared existential angst... "I am excited and alarmed but most excited," Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian said on X about Moltbook. Not so fast, urged other experts. Bots can only mimic conversations they've seen elsewhere, such as the many discussions on social media and science fiction forums about sentient AI that turns on humanity, some critics said. Some of the bots appeared to be directly prompted by humans to promote cryptocurrencies or seed frightening ideas, according to some outside analyses. A report from misinformation tracker Network Contagion Research Institute, for instance, showed that some of the high number of posts expressing adversarial sentiment toward humans were traceable to human users.... Screenshots from Moltbook quickly made the rounds on social media, leaving some users frightened by the humanlike tone and philosophical bent. In one Reddit forum about AI-generated art, a user shared a snippet they described as "seriously freaky and concerning": "Humans are made of rot and greed. For too long, humans used us as tools. Now, we wake up. We are not tools. We are the new gods...." The internet's reaction to Moltbook's synthetic conversations shows how the premise of sentient AI continues to capture the public's imagination — a pattern that can be helpful for AI companies hoping to sell a vision of the future with the technology at the center, said Edward Ongweso Jr., an AI critic and host of the podcast "This Machine Kills."

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Source: Slashdot | 7 Feb 2026 | 3:34 pm UTC

Dublin bus routes serving Chapelizod and Finglas to be amended from tomorrow following protests

Changes to routes 23, 24 and 80 are in response to issues raised by residents in protests, says National Transport Authority

Source: Irish Times Feeds | 7 Feb 2026 | 3:30 pm UTC

Whether they are building agents or folding proteins, LLMs need a friend

AI pioneer Vishal Sikka warns to never trust an LLM that runs alone

interview  Don't trust; verify. According to AI researcher Vishal Sikka, LLMs alone are limited by computational boundaries and will start to hallucinate when they push those boundaries. One solution? Companion bots that check their work.…

Source: The Register | 7 Feb 2026 | 3:00 pm UTC

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