UK

Disinformation, sharing false information to deceive and mislead others, can take many forms. From edited “deepfake” videos made on smartphones to vast foreign-led information operations, politics and elections show how varied disinformation can be. Hailed as “the year of elections”, with the majority of the world’s population going to the polls, 2024 will also be a year of lessons learned, where we will see whether disinformation can truly subvert our political processes or if we are more resilient than we think. The dissemination of disinformation, as well as misleading content and methods, is not always high-tech. We often think about...

At least 40% of women experience hair loss or alopecia over their lifetimes. This could be alopecia areata (patchy hair loss), traction alopecia (strained hair loss) or another form. The different ways that women’s hair loss has been depicted across art history demonstrates the many different ways it has been interpreted over the years. In 16th and 17th century Britain, for example, women’s alopecia was sometimes interpreted as retribution for sins, including adultery. Some historical art, however, depicts a more neutral, or even positive, attitude towards women’s alopecia. In religious or mythical art, it was sometimes idealised as divine. Left:...

File image of the High Court.An 88-year-old woman who sued after she allegedly tripped and fell on a footpath in Kilkenny city has settled her High Court action for €160,000.Sarah Mahoney, Pearse Street, Kilkenny, had sued Kilkenny County Council over the alleged fall four years ago. She claimed she suffered serious injuries when she was caused to lose her footing as she encountered an allegedly defective and hazardous broken section of footpath. Source link

I have always been fascinated by forgiveness. For something so fundamentally crucial to us flawed humans, understanding it seems daunting — a concept both complicated and nebulous.I’m also fascinated by “Sex and the City” (like so many other 40- to 50-somethings, I suspect). The series sometimes foregrounded forgiveness, as did the 2008 “SATC” film, in which both Carrie and Miranda face betrayal by their respective partners. Later in the film, Carrie discovers that Miranda withheld information from her about Big’s betrayal, and she — in current terms — ghosts Miranda. Soon after, Miranda confronts Carrie and begs for forgiveness. Carrie...

A Dumfries man accused of causing the death of a two-year-old boy has told a jury at the town’s sheriff court that he thought he had “just hit a scooter” after leaving his home. Alan Dalrymple, 56,was at the wheel of a car which collided with Alexandru George Radan on April 2, 2021. Mr Dalrymple, of Charnwood Place, is accused of driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other persons using the road or public place and to have failed to maintain proper observations. Mr Dalrymple pleaded not guilty to the alleged offence. His car collided...

The long-awaited cycling and walking greenway along the river Dodder on Dublin’s southside could see sports fans leave their cars at home and opt to cycle to matches in the Aviva Stadium on big game days instead, Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has said.Mr Ryan, who is also Minister for the Environment and leader of the Green Party, was addressing a public meeting of about 100 people in The Dropping Well pub in Milltown on Thursday. He also indicated the greenway would encourage staff of companies located in Ballsbridge to cycle, relieving the traffic logjam in the area.“You know the...

Detailing the reasons for the council’s rejection of the application, David Norris, service manager for development management planning, wrote: “The proposed use of the site for ‘glamping’ would result in a material intensification in the use of a quiet rear garden area, which would result in a level of noise and disturbance that would significantly exceed what would typically be expected within a predominantly residential area. Source link

Iranian voters head to the polls on March 1 to elect the country’s next parliament and the powerful Assembly of Experts. The result is likely to be a foregone conclusion, given the tight control that the Islamic Republic holds over who can run for office. But the way the election plays out – and its significance – may be different to normal. Every four years the public get to vote for the 290 members of the Iranian parliament (also known as the Islamic Consultative Assembly). The parliament is the legislature of the country, and its members are responsible for drafting...

Peppa has brought a genuine smile to my lips more often than plenty of supposedly funny shows aimed at adults Some parents have accused Peppa Pig of being a bad influence but maybe she's just a four-year-old. Photo: BBC/Peppa PigFive years ago, I packed away Peppa Pig. The books, the clothes and the toys, the series link on the TV was stopped, and I felt confident I would never hear the words “silly Daddy Pig” or “Dinosaur, grrrrrr” again. My eldest son had left the world of playgroup piggies and headed for the more sophisticated worlds of Lego Ninjago and...

Vladimir Putin has warned the West that it risks the “destruction of civilisation” in a nuclear war if Nato countries send troops to fight in Ukraine.In a speech on Thursday, the Russian president said any deployment of Nato forces would have “tragic” consequences.His comments came after French president Emmanuel Macron said that sending Western troops to Ukraine is not “ruled out”.Putin said: ″(Western nations) must realise that we also have weapons that can hit targets on their territory.“All this really threatens a conflict with the use of nuclear weapons and the destruction of civilisation. Don’t they get that?”Putin said Russia’s...