Evaluating the power of mass media and social media

More children must blow the whistle on harmful content online, says Ofcom in its first campaign as the incoming regulator of social media firms. Its call for children and young people to put pressure on social media firms to take down harmful material follows its research showing only a sixth lodged complaints about it. This was despite more than two thirds of those aged 13 to 24 encountering potentially harmful content that ranged from bullying, abusive behaviour and threats to scams, misinformation and trolling. It is the first move by Ofcom to get social firms to clean up their act before the Government’s online safety bill gives it the powers to start investigating all social media companies for potential breaches. Its regulatory reach currently only extends to video-sharing sites. It will have powers to fine social media firms up to 10 per cent of their global turnover and shut down services if they fail to remove harmful content. It will also be able to prosecute … [Read more...] about Children urged to blow the whistle on harmful online content

The British Army has confirmed a "breach" of its Twitter and YouTube accounts. The Ministry of Defence said an investigation is under way after both official sites appeared to have been hacked. The Army's YouTube channel features videos on cyptocurrency and images of billionaire businessman Elon Musk, while its official Twitter account retweeted a number of posts appearing to relate to crypto assets known as NFTs. The profile picture on its twitter page was changed numerous times during the hack, and at one point showed a monkey wearing face paint. The bio was replaced with the message: “We all have a dark side. What will yours look like?” Defence sources would not comment on whether Russians were behind the hack. Hacking of soldiers’ details has been a feature of the war in Ukraine, with hacker group Anonymous claiming to have released the personal details of 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine in early April. The British Army cyber attack is the latest … [Read more...] about British Army hit by cyberattack as Twitter and YouTube accounts hacked

British Airways has been forced to apologise over a "glitch" that bars women from using the title doctor when booking flights online. The flag carrier said it was "urgently investigating" issues with its website following a customer complaint. An American traveller, Juliana Kling, posted a picture of BA’s website on Twitter along with the comment: “Apparently ‘Dr’ and ‘woman’ do not match on British Airways. Looking forward to their reply.” A BA spokesman said: "We’re sorry for a technical issue that has occurred in one drop down box on our website and we're urgently investigating." A picture with Ms Kling’s tweet showed an error message on the BA website saying “Title and gender do not match. Please try again” above Dr Kling’s attempt to input her details as a female doctor. The comment prompted hundreds of infuriated replies on social media. British Airways has been beset by IT problems in the past, including a number of IT failures that have caused flights to be … [Read more...] about Female doctor unable to book BA flights as ‘title and gender do not match’

Being fat is actually an advantage when it comes to competing in video game tournaments, according to a new study. Obese people are more prone to impulsive behaviour - such as eating - and the trait boosts performance in esports , say scientists. And gorging on calorie-loaded biscuits and cakes and guzzling fizzy drinks is also good as the energy lift provides an edge over rivals during marathon competitions. The surprising finding has implications for larger people in the office, say scientists and bosses should consider them for computer-based activities . Lead author Dr Petr Parshakova said: "Employers have too little understanding of how to select employees for particular tasks. "We tried to answer the question: Does BMI affect the results of computer skills? This is the first such analysis ever conducted." The findings are based on CS:GO (Counter-Strike: Global Offensive) - a shooter game played by more than a million around the world. The BMI (body mass index) … [Read more...] about Being fat can work to your advantage if you’re a gamer, study finds

Russia: Fire breaks out at Moscow City Towers Sign up for our news briefing, including a daily special Russia-Ukraine edition SUBSCRIBE Invalid email We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you've consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info Fire broke out on the roof of the mammoth but yet unfinished Capital Towers building that is around 300m high and has 66 floors. Scaffolding caught fire at the top of the massive building, which had due to be finished later this year, according to local reports. Emergency services rushed to the scene, with the Ministry of Emergency Situations saying only that firefighters were investigating the incident. Related articles Putin under pressure as Kremlin growing 'upset' over sanctions Ukraine LIVE: Zelensky prepares for fresh attacks from Belarus … [Read more...] about Putin nightmare as huge Moscow tower block catches fire and fills sky with black smoke

A 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v Wade, the landmark ruling that guaranteed American women a constitutional right to abortion. The message this sends to women and girls not only in the US but all over the world is clear. You are not free. Your bodies are not your own. Your destinies will be shaped by the state, by the church, by men. When Samuel Alito’s draft opinion was leaked on May 2, thousands of people poured into the streets to express their outrage. Rise Up 4 Abortion Rights , a movement that launched in January on the 49 th anniversary of Roe v Wade, fought hard to prevent this draft from becoming the law. We called mass rallies across the country; staged bold, non-violent direct action ; and for the past weeks have been a continual presence in front of the Supreme Court, with multiple activists chaining themselves to the Supreme Court fence and getting arrested. This is the kind of conviction and courage needed to stop a grave assault on the … [Read more...] about Roe has been overturned and women’s bodies are no longer their own in America. Here’s what to do now

One big bonus of nepotism is ensuring that you’re surrounded with unthinking, uncritical loyalists. So Donald Trump must be especially miffed that his own family has been nervously but definitively sliding the knife between his shoulder blades during the ongoing January 6 Congressional hearings. Trump’s daughter, former Senior White House Advisor Ivanka Trump, said in taped testimony during the hearings on Thursday that she did not believe her father’s baseless claims that the 2020 election was stolen. “I respect Attorney General Barr,” she said . “So I accepted what he was saying [when he said that the claims of election fraud were false.]” Donald Trump immediately hit back against his own daughter. He insisted that Ivanka had not been involved in studying election results, and dismissed her on the right-wing social media site Truth Social: “She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr.” Then, today, Ivanka’s husband … [Read more...] about Jared and Ivanka are turning on Trump — and now you see the true face of the Republican Party

Liz Hurley left fans swooning all over her latest beach photoshoot, which was hot enough for a heatwave. The ageless actress never shies away from a glamorous social media snap, so this week she decided to dazzle the internet in a leopard print summer dress. 57-year-old Liz looked youthful as ever as she released her endless legs in the skimpy leopard print dress with a plunging neckline. READ MORE: Liz Hurley, 57, unleashes killer curves as she strips down to skimpy bikini The model made sure all eyes were on her as she took the beach in the flowing dress, which let loose her endless legs and enviable tan. Glowing Liz looked confident as ever as she playfully hitched up her leopard slip dress as she sat on a boat looking out to sea. Keeping things low-key, she accesorised with a pair of stylish shades to shield her eyes from the sun. Another snap showed the actress posing on the sand up against a tree with a sultry stare that could have melted the camera lens. … [Read more...] about Liz Hurley, 57, hailed ‘most beautiful woman alive’ as she dons leopard print dress

CASA Amor bombshell Cheyanne Kerr is no stranger to the red hot temperatures in the villa - spending her days soaking up the sunshine in Dubai. The air hostess from Barnsley, 23, who is one of six new girls to enter Love Island 's Mallorca compound, lives a lavish lifestyle which she depicts on her Instagram page. ITV2 viewers will surely see her impeccable taste in swimwear play out on the show, with her social media filled with snaps of her posing in an array of costumes. One recent snap displayed to her 40K-plus followers saw her sporting a blue and white halterneck bikini and posting in front of the Burj Al Arab, joking to fans: "Yes another bikini picture." Another saw her opt for a cut-out lime coloured swimsuit as she perched by the edge of a pool overlooking the beach. The blonde bombshell entrant clearly enjoys the outdoors in the holiday hotspot, with other images showing her by the pools in major hotels and resorts. READ MORE LOVE ISLAND … [Read more...] about Inside Casa Amor bombshell Cheyanne Kerr’s amazing life in Dubai with glam nights out and days by the pool

A young Ukrainian tourist lost an arm and an Egyptian tour guide a leg in a rare shark attack over the weekend off Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh, officials said Tuesday. The attack took place Sunday when two tourists - a mother and her son - and their tour guide were snorkeling in Ras Mohammed national park, the Environment Ministry said in a statement . The injured were taken to a nearby hospital and an initial investigation showed that the attack involved a 2-meter long Oceanic Whitetip shark, the ministry said.  A video on social media taken by a safari submarine in the area showed a female shark behaving "hostile towards humans," which is likely the fish that attacked the group, the ministry added. The ministry did not release details of the injuries, but a statement by Ukraine's State Agency for the Development of Tourism said Monday the 12-year-old boy was in intensive care, and that surgery had failed to save his arm. An Egyptian health official said that … [Read more...] about 12-year-old boy loses arm, tour guide loses leg in rare shark attack in Egypt