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International Energy Agency says 17m vehicles will be sold this year, up more than 20% compared with 2023Electric and plug-in hybrid car sales will jump to a new global record in 2024 despite slowing growth in some markets, according to forecasts from the influential International Energy Agency (IEA).The Paris-based forecaster said that 17m battery electric vehicles and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will be sold...

Young people feel their internet activity is overwhelmed by betting promotions and similar content, says GambleAware Children are “saturated” with betting promotions and gambling-like content while using the internet, despite restrictions on ad campaigns targeting young people, new research reveals.GambleAware, the charity funded by donations from gambling firms, commissioned research that found the risks of online gambling were not understood by children because of the...

Child safety group says Meta ‘putting profits before protecting children’, as messaging app lowers age limit from 16Campaigners have reacted with anger to the social media company Meta lowering age restrictions for WhatsApp users to 13 in the UK and EU.The change to the messaging app, which reduces the age limit from 16 to 13, was announced in February and came into force in...

Cross-party committee urges creation of strategy engage with new platforms that appeal to youngThe government needs a TikTok strategy to help combat misinformation directed at young people, MPs have said.Members of the cross-party culture, media and sport committee said the government needed to adapt to new apps and platforms that appeal to young people who are increasingly turning away from traditional sources of news....

Mobile units will be deployed on high streets to identify wanted people – including repeat offendersThe government is investing more than £55m in expanding facial recognition systems – including vans that will scan crowded high streets – as part of a renewed crackdown on shoplifting.The scheme was announced alongside plans for tougher punishments for serial or abusive shoplifters in England and Wales, including being...

University of Oxford study shows benefits and risks of technology to healthcare, but ethical issues remainBritain’s hard-pressed carers need all the help they can get. But that should not include using unregulated AI bots, according to researchers who say the AI revolution in social care needs a hard ethical edge.A pilot study by academics at the University of Oxford found some care providers had...

Washington hopes more countries will join US, UK and Canada in signing agreement to define, identify and label such operationsA global coalition of democracies is being formed to protect their societies from disinformation campaigns by foreign governments, the US special envoy on the issue has said.James Rubin, the special envoy for non-state propaganda and disinformation efforts at the US state department’s global engagement centre...

CAA proposals would allow operators to fly drones at low heights beyond the line of sightDrones could be used for critical medical deliveries, as well as inspections of railways, powerlines, and roads under new proposals put forward by the UK’s air travel watchdog.The proposals, set out in a consultation published on Monday by the UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), would allow operators to fly...

Teaching unions say guidance includes practices already adopted and most schools already have policies in placeMinisters have confirmed plans to ban the use of mobile phones in English schools, releasing guidance for headteachers that some unions said included practices that had already been widely adopted.However, one headteacher welcomed the Department for Education (DfE) plan, saying it would help give schools the confidence to make...

Some interviews will still be shown on TalkTV but Morgan calls commitment to daily show ‘unnecessary straitjacket’ Piers Morgan has announced he is leaving his TalkTV daily evening show, less than two years after its launch, to focus on his YouTube channel.The Piers Morgan Uncensored channel has grown to 2.3 million subscribers since 2022. Continue reading...

Labour criticises government ‘dithering’, after Vishay deal last autumn to buy chip maker Newport Wafer Fab stalls, putting jobs at risk Labour has criticised “dither and delay” from the government over a decision on a proposed takeover of the UK’s largest semiconductor facility by a US company, warning that it could lead to further job cuts at the Welsh factory.The fate of Newport Wafer...

Online publication Polyester will train writer in honour of its managing editor who died last yearA new fellowship to train an aspiring working-class journalist is aiming to help diversify the media landscape while honouring the memory and spirit of Eden Young, who died in an accident last year.The Eden Young Fellowship for Aspiring Working Class Journalists aims to provide a year-long training and mentorship...

Study warns that lack of reporting may mask the dangers of still-mostly-illegal scooters on roads and pavementsThe majority of e-scooter accidents that involve someone needing hospital treatment are not being recorded in official road accident figures, a new study reveals, sparking fears that their dangers have been underplayed.The analysis found that just 9% of injuries involving e-scooters and recorded by 20 emergency departments over...