I used to use Twitter and Facebook to post items of news that interest me (incuding ones that I disagree with), but since the proposed purchase of Twitter by Elon Musk in April 2022 (effected in October 2022) I have decided to reduce my use of these social media platforms (especially Twitter), and instead use this page to keep a chronological record of some of the news items in which I am interested so that I can refer back to them in the future (commencing at the end of April 2022). For material relating to the interface between digital tech and the environment, please also see DESC’s stories page (material posted there is usually not duplicated here).
Tyrian purple: The lost ancient pigment that was more valuable than gold, BBC Future, by Zaria Gorvett, 24th November 2023
Inside Hungary’s fight for its borders against Afghan warlords, Bruno Waterfield in The Times, 17 November 2023
It’s Official: Cars Are the Worst Product Category We Have Ever Reviewed for Privacy, Mozilla, 6 September 2023
China detains DouYu founder, investment guru – reports, BBC News, 7 November 2023
The app that promised an NHS ‘revolution’ then went down in flames, Danny Fortson and Shaun Lintern in The Times, 28 October 223.
China passes new law to promote ‘love of motherland’ in schools, Richard Lloyd Parry in The Times, 26 October 2023
Facebook and Instagram ‘ensnared’ teenagers, says US lawsuit, The Times, 25 October 2023
Humanity’s power over nature threatens planet, says Pope at synod, Tom Kington in The Times, 4 October 2023
Rules of engagement issued to hacktivists after chaos, BBC News, 4 October 2023
Bills set to soar as water , companies seek record £96bn spending, Financial Times, 2 October 2023.
My books have been used to train AI bots — and I’m furious, Sathnam Sanghera in The Times, 29 September 2023
Law protects opposition to critical race theory, judge rules, Matt Dathan, The Times, 29 September 2023
Early humans were ‘just as violent as today’, Tom Whipple in The Times, 21 September 2023
Musk start-up Neuralink seeks people for brain-implant trial, BBC News, 20 September 2023
TikTok fined €345m over children’s data privacy, BBC News, 15 September 2023
Marks & Spencer scraps plastic for paper bags, BBC News, 15 September 2023
Taiwan fury as Elon Musk raises China’s claim to island, Richard Spencer in The Times, 14 September 2023.
To resurrect the church, try the gospel truth, A.N. Wilson in The Times, 13 September 2023.
G20: How Russia and West agreed on Ukraine language, BBC News, 11 September 2023
Ulez: 510 camera-related crimes in five months, says Met Police, BBC News, 8 September 2023
UK public among least likely to place importance on work, King’s College London, 7 September 2023
Mayor uncorks plan to boost Bordeaux, Charles Bremner in The Times, 7 September 2023
James Cleverly visits Beijing as MPs criticise China strategy, BBC News, 30 August 2023
Where have all the millionaires gone? Paris, bien sur. Here’s why, Adam Sage in The Times, 29 August 2023.
Google tests watermark to identify AI images, BBC News, 29 August 2023.
Universities switch to three-day week so students can get jobs, Mario Ledwith in The Times, 28 August 2023
Pakistan: more than 100 arrested after churches burned, BBC News, 17 August 2023.
Cash crusaders trying to save money — one pint at a time, Lily Russell-Jones in The Sunday Times, 13 August 2023.
Probate explained: what to do with a house after the death of a loved one, The Sunday Times, 13 August 2023.
UK schools cut classic books in antiracism drive, James Beal in The Times, 11 August 2023.
Morten Morland, Times Cartoon, The Times, 8 August 2023
Vegan diet massively cuts environmental damage, study shows, Damian Carrington in The Guardian, 20 July 2023.
So very sad to hear of Harold’s death – he was someone very special – thoughtful, kind, intelligent and with a great sense of humour – Harold Elletson obituary, The Times, 30 June 2023.
Meghan ‘had to learn how to be black’ after joining royals, says Trevor Phillips, Laurence Sleator in The Times, 28 June 2023
Harry believes he has a brain and something meaningful to say. Unfortunately, that’s not the case, Petronella Wyatt in The Daily Telegraph, 8 June 2023.
Neuralink: Elon Musk’s brain chip firm says US approval won for human study, BBC NEWS, 26 May 2023.
Virgin Orbit: Branson’s rocket dream ends after mission failure, BBC News, 25 May 2023
France’s attractions tell the tourist hordes: We’re full, Charles Bremner, in The Times, 24 May 2023.
Stone Age hunters ‘carved out architectural plans’ for huge traps, Tim Whipple in The Times, 18 May 2023.
Why 9000BC proved to be a vintage year for wine, Kaya Burgess in The Times, 18 May 2023.
The grieving families trapped in probate limbo, Lucy Alderson in The Sunday Times, 14 May 2023
Weaponising population growth is a dangerous and regressive road, Camilla Cavendish in Financial Times, 22 April 2023
‘Population anxiety’ fuelling harmful fertility policies, says UN, Federica Cocco in Financial Times, 19 April 2023.
Hard-pressed Bordeaux winemakers turn to olives, Adam Sage in The Times, 18 April 2023
Ikea cuts ties with security services supplier over labour policy breach, Financial Times, 17 April 2023
New smart motorway plans being scrapped, The Times, 17 April 2023.
Loudmouth minorities are ruling the roost, Trevor Phillips in The Times, 11 April 2023
Biden’s America is sidelined in China’s New World Order, Irwin Stelzer in The Sunday Times, 2 April 2023
Dars: BBC education show in Afghanistan helps children banned from school, BBC News, 1 April 2023.
Italians hail US teacher forced out for showing pupils David, Phillip Willan in The Sunday Times, 26 March 2023
NHS tells hospitals to share medical records with US spy-tech company, The Times, 17 March 2023.
UK aid to India does little for human rights and democracy, watchdog finds, The Guardian, 14 March 2023
Silicon Valley Bank: Rising interest rates will uncover more ticking bombs, BBC News, 12 March 2023.
Documenting the horror of mass rape in Ukraine, France24, 10 March 2023
Bao Fan: Why do Chinese billionaires keep vanishing?, BBC News, 9 March 2023
Police warn children of Snapchat ads luring them into selling drugs, George Styllis in The Times, 9 March 2023
Twitter insiders: We can’t protect users from trolling under Musk, BBC News, 7 March 2023
French parents who exploit children for online fame face prosecution, The Times, 6 March 2023.
Nearly half of UK TV viewers say ethnic minorities over-represented, Andrew Ellson in The Times, 28 February 2023.
Diabolical HMRC service hurts economy – accountants, BBC News, 11 February 2023
Gay blessings ‘out of step with Bible’, says former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey, Kaya Burgess in The Times, 11 February 2023
Watchdog warns rules not keeping up with surveillance tech, BBC News, 10 February 2023
Harry and Meghan could be questioned in Samantha Markle defamation case, BBC News, 8 February 2023.
Google launches ChatGPT rival called Bard, BBC News, 6 February 2024.
Devout Christian claims son, 4, was forced to go to LGBT Pride parade, Keith Perry in The Times, 1st February 2023
Retired vicar banned over ‘virulently antisemitic’ posts, BBC News, 30 January 2023. This says much about the leadership of the Church of England.
Super-rich falling out of love with Britain, Tom Howard in The Times, 20 January 2023.
Ethnic segregation in England and Wales at all-time low – study, by Ashitha Nagesh, BBC News, 17 Januarty 2023.
China’s population falls for first time since 1961, by Kelly Ng in BBC News, 17 January 2023.
The world’s torrid future is etched in the crippled kidneys of Nepali workers, Gerry Shih in The Washongton Post, 6 January 2023
Why the godfather of human rights is unwelcome at Harvard, The Nation, January 23/30 2023.
Inside the $3bn mission to reverse signs of ageing, The Times, 31 December 2022
Public support for stripping Harry of royal title after Netflix film, James Beal in The Times, 31 December 2022
Alfred, Lord Tennyson is offensive, students told, The Times, 29 December 2022
Electricity exports to Europe soar as wind and solar power increase, The Times, 29 December 2022
A 99th birthday facelift, including a new font named after its founder, cost the BBC £7 million, it has emerged, Business Matters, 28 December 2022.
Only a third of Leave voters think Brexit has been a success, poll finds, Oliver Wright in The Times, 24 December 2022
Trouble in Bethlehem: why Christians are leaving the Holy Land, Julia Llewellyn Smith in The Times, 24 December 2022.
Meta settles Cambridge Analytica scandal case for $725m, BBC News, 23 December 2022
Stanford University to erase phrases ‘causing harm’, Will Pavia in The Times, 21 December 2022
Harry and Meghan didn’t lead me into Netflix film, says Jacinda Ardern, Valentine Low in The Times, 20 December 2022.
UK schools must teach about antisemitism, says government adviser, BBC News, 19 December 2022.
Harry and Meghan want a royal summit — and an apology, The Sunday Times, 18 December 2022. Have to admit to finding this extraordinary – who do they think they are? Surely it should be H&M who should apologise and beg for a reconciliation – but they really don’t seem to get it: nobodies wanting to be somebodies – and selfishly milking their past to generate income for the future at the expense of others. What hypocrisy!
Palace must reject Harry and Meghan ‘lies’, says former aide, Valentine Low and Keiran Southern in The Times, 8 December 2022
Elon Musk rejects concerns over beds at Twitter HQ, BBC News, 7 December 2022
China abandons key parts of zero-Covid strategy after protests, BBC News, 7 December 2022.
Onshore wind rules to be relaxed after Tory revolt, BBC News, 6 December 2022
Elon Musk’s firm Neuralink investigated over animal tests, by Joshua Thurston in The Times, 6 December 2022
China’s digital Stasi sees all from cyberspace, The Sunday Times, 4 December 2022
Rod Liddle’s comments on Lady Susan Hussey and Conor Burns in The Sunday Times, 4 December 2022
San Francisco to allow police ‘killer robots’, BBC News, 1 December 2022 – it may be inevitable, but cannot be “right”.
Social media firms told to protect young or pay price, The Times, 29 November 2022
Solar farm is an obstacle to hopes of Olympic gold for Charlotte Dujardin, The Times, 29 November 2022
Facebook: Meta fined €265 m by Irish Data Protection Commission, BBC News, 28 November 2022
Graph of recent Bank of England interest rates – a reminder that during my mortgage the Bank’s interest rates were almost always over 4% and reached 14.88% in 1989 (the actual mortgage rates were of course higher than the Bank rates, reaching an average of 15.25% in 1990, although faling to single digits in 1992).
Crypto collapse is a familiar tale of the big lie, David Aaronovitch in The Times, 16 November 2022
Universities told to ‘decolonise’ maths courses, George Sandeman in The Times, 16 November 2022
UK-Swiss science deal as both barred from EU scheme, 10 November 2022
Leaders of charity backed by Meghan were paid £2m, Ben Ellery in The Times, 10 October 2022.
Netflix pushes back on ‘panicked’ Prince Harry, Meghan Markle over doc edits, by Sara Nathan, Page Six (New York Post), 4 October 2022
Elon Musk X: What life is like on a super-app in Asia, BBC News, 6 September 2022
UK’s Truss joins big European club seeking ‘new order without Russia’, BBC News, 6 September 2022
The Molly Russell inquest verdict damns Silicon Valley. There can be no more excuses, by Peter Wanless and Beeban Kidron in The Guardian, 30 September 2022. See also the BBC’s Molly Russell inquest: Father makes social media plea.
The race to be England’s biggest wine producer is hotting up, by Jancis Robinson in The Financial Times, 1 October 2022
Study contradicts Rees-Mogg over hydrogen for heating, BBC News, 28 September 2022
Labour conference: Starmer ambition to get off fossil fuels by 2030, BBC News, 25 September 2022
Harry, Meghan and the palace insiders who saw what really happened, Valentine Low in The Times, 23 September 2022; see also Harry ‘turned down dinner with father after Meghan was banned’, The Times, 23 September 2022, and Harry, Meghan and the Sussex Survivors’ Club: ‘We were played’, The Times, 24 September 2022
Why the hate for Meghan during mourning period, asks America?, Will Pavia in The Times, 19 September 2022 – this very much shows the difference between USAn and UK cultures. Dislike of Meghan in the UK is actually rather little to do with racism or royal couplings, and much more to do with her arrogance, selfishness and hypocrisy – but such “individualism” lies at the heart of what is seen as success by many in the USA.
Joe Biden sits at back of Queen’s funeral as realms with British monarch take priority, Catherine Philp in The Times, 19 September 2022
Meghan asks Variety to postpone front cover out of respect for Queen, Charlotte Wace in The Times, 16 September 2022 – although according to this article there seems to be some doubt whether she really did ask, or whether Variety made the decision on its own.
Uber investigating hack on its computer systems, Shiona McCalum, BBC News, 16 September 2022
US school app accounts hacked to send explicit image, BBC News, 15 September 2022
Google loses appeal over record EU anti-trust Android fine, BBC News,14 September 2022
Modern slavery shoots up by 10 million in five years, by David Molloy, BBC News, 13 September 2022
Gates-Funded ‘Green Revolution’ in Africa Has Failed, Critics Say, The Seattle Times, 8 September 2022
Simply a classic “Ma’amalade sandwich Your Majesty?” – a happy way to remember the Queen
Clive Coates obituary, The Times, 9 September 2022.
World wonders at the Elizabethan paradox, Gerard Baker, The Times, 9 September 2022
Queen Elizabeth II obituary, The Times, 8 September 2022
New malaria vaccine is world-changing, say scientists, Jame Gallagher, BBC News, 8 September 2022
Meghan shares her self-doubt with young audience, by Sean Coughlan, BBC News, 5 September 2022 – can someone please tell me how anyone can think they could learn anything from her. Surely this is all about her self-promotion? I suppose people could learn about that…
See also Hilary Rose, Meghan and Harry’s not-royal tour — and oh no, another podcast, The Times, 6 September 2022.
Elon Musk loses the race to sew implants into the brain, Danny Fortson in The Sunday Times, 4 September 2022
I was a John Lewis customer for 16 years . . . then it kicked me out, David Byers inThe Sunday Times, 4 September 2022 – can’t help but feel that this is yet another example of how John Lewis/Waitrose has lost its way under the leadership of Sharon White; a once really good company is now performing badly on most fronts!
I was Russia’s richest man. Now Putin has $500,000 on my head, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, The Sunday Times, 4 September 2022.
Meghan and Harry: ‘There are no words left for the delusion and tragedy of it all,’ says royal source, Roya Nikkhah inThe Sunday Times, 4 September 2022
Soma Sara: Extreme porn is rewiring boys’ brains to sanction rape culture, The Times, 3 September 2022
Cressida Dick: Sadiq Khan wrongly ousted Met chief – report, BBC News, 2 September 2022
Prince Charles guest edits special edition of The Voice, BBC News, 28 August 2022
Microchip implants threaten to kill off the business card, Alexander Butler, in The Times 26 August 2022
Nigeria becomes first country to ban foreign models in adverts, Richard Assheton, in The Times, 26 August 2022
Prince Harry visits Rwanda before brief UK visit with Meghan, Alexander Butler, The Times, 22 August 2022. Why on earth would President Kagame want to spend any time with him?
It’s not always the perpetrator who pays for sexual harassment at work, Sarah O’Connor, Financial Times, 16 August 2022
England drought: Everyone must rethink their water use, experts say, James Clarke, BBC News, 14 August 2022 – I’ve always been against privatisation of public utilities, and the profits accrued whilst still having very significant leakage seem to reinforce my views.
The rise and rise of anti-Muslim hate music in India, Raghvendra Rao, BBC News, 8 August 2022.
Venture capital’s silent crash: when the tech boom met reality, Richards Waters, in the Financial Times, 1 August 2022
Winland Academy caught hiring writers for uni applications, Sean Coughlan, BBC News, 30 July 2022 – surprise, surprise, this has been happening for a long time. Not surprising when hugher education is a business.
Elon Musk’s Tesla sells most of its Bitcoin holdings, BBC News, 21 July 2022
Addressing modern slavery with data science methods, UKRI, 18 July 2022
Why are there so few black women in England’s Euros squad?, The Sunday Times, 17 July 2022 (note that 3/23 is 13%, far higher than the percentage of black people in England)
I don’t need a talking toothbrush! When ‘smart’ tech gets too smart, Madeleine Spence, in The Sunday Times, 17 July 2022.
Boris Johnson: Fact-checking three years of the outgoing prime minister’s claims, BBC News, 8 July 2022
Don’t blame your bad behaviour on autism, Ben Spencer, The Sunday Times, 10 July 2022
Adam Kay: my electric car hell, The Sunday Times, 10 July 2022
‘Horrendous’ sex education lessons to be investigated by children’s commissioner, by James Beal, The Times, 5 July 2022.
Weak laws on gambling cost lives, warn MPs, by Geraldine Scott, The Times, 5 July 2022.
Hacker claims to have obtained private details of a billion Chinese citizens, by Didi Tang, The Times, 5 July 2022.
Universities tackle grade inflation by cutting firsts, Emma Yeomans, The Times, 5 July 2022
New public buildings must have separate male and female toilets, says minister, BBC News, 4 July 2022
Help, my energy smart meter is lying to me, Ali Hussain and David Byers, The Sunday Times, 3 July 2022
‘Sex positive’ education is harming children, Janice Turner, The Times, 1 July 2022.
Cambridge University fellows dismiss Gonville and Caius College report on slavery as ‘distorted’, Nicola Woolcock, The Times, 27 June 2022
Tangshan and Xuzhou: Fury and questions over China’s treatment of women, Frances Mao, BBC News, 24 June 2022
India’s government cuts Muslim rulers from Indian history books, Penelope MacRae, The Times, 21 June 2022
Plans to close all rail ticket offices in UK…, The Sunday Times, 19 June 2022
Amandeep Singh Gill, Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology, Executive Office of the Secretary General
Palantir gears up to expand its reach into UK’s NHS, Madhumita Murgia and Sarah Neville, Financial Times, 9 June 2022
Harry and Meghan’s private jet to US raises climate questions, Andrew ELison and Debbie White, The Times, 6 June 2022.
EU sets date for common phone charge cable, Tom Gerken, BBC News, 7 June 2022
Russian phone scammers prey on families of Ukrainian soldiers, Larisa Brown, in The Times, 25 May 2022
Church of England priest accused of antisemitic conspiracy posts, Kaya Burgess, The Times, 24 May 2022.
Clearview AI fined in UK for illegally storing facial images, Shiona McCallum, BBC News, 23 May 2022.
The radio station giving indigenous people a voice, BBC News, 19 May 2022
Girls see physics as for white men only, MPs told, BBC News, 18 May 2022
Europeans’ data shared 376 times daily in advertising sales, report says, BBC News, 16 May 2022
Liz Truss ties aid to trade to take on ‘malign actors’, The Times, 16 May 2022. See also FCDO The UK Government’s Strategy for International Development (May 2022)
Crypto crash: Stablecoin collapse sends tokens tumbling, Joe Tidy, BBC News, 12 May 2022
‘No explanation’ for most first-class degrees as grades soar, Nicola Woolcock, The Times, 12 May 2022
Migrant workers are flipping the script and using Photovoice to tell their own stories, Reena Kukreja, The Conversation, 8 May 2022
Reparations for slavery are just a cynical shakedown, Douglas Murray, The Times, 29 April 2022
Katharine Birbalsingh: Girls dislike hard maths, says education adviser, BBC News, 28 April 2022
Russia’s casual savagery is seared into its soul: The absence of a historical reckoning with the evils of Stalinism has spawned a people who believe brutality works, David Aaronovitch, The Times, 27 April 2022
Britain shouldn’t feel guilty about Empire, says Australian diplomat, George Grylls, The Times, 27 April 2022
Cambridge slavery dispute was about feelings, not truth, Nigel Biggar, in The Times, 24 March 2022.
The Triumph and Terror of Wang Huning, N.S. Lyons in Palladium. 11 October 2021.