An anonymous reader quotes a report from The Guardian: France's parliament has approved a bill banning social media access for children under 15, making it the first European country to bar children from apps such as TikTok. The president, Emmanuel Macron, has championed the ban as a key reform of his final term in office and pledged to enforce it by September. "France is leading the way in Europe when it comes to protecting our children and teenagers," Macron said in a video posted on social media, hailing "a major step forward."
He thanked members of parliament for backing the legislation on Tuesday. "The Constitutional Council must now rule on it, and then it will be time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online," he added on X. After approval by the Senate earlier on Tuesday, members of the National Assembly passed the bill by 279 votes to 81. A growing number of countries are taking steps to restrict social media access amid multiplying warnings over its harmful effects on children.
The ban was to be introduced in two stages, with under-15s blocked from creating new accounts from September 1. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the legislation. The digital minister, Anne Le Henanff, said before the vote that the timeline was realistic, "because age-verification tools already exist" and others are still in the works, and the onus was on the platforms to impose the rule. "For four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age," she told journalists. "If someone is under 15, the account will be closed." The minister also gave assurances that users' personal data would be protected.
He thanked members of parliament for backing the legislation on Tuesday. "The Constitutional Council must now rule on it, and then it will be time to take action to make this measure a reality and protect our children online," he added on X. After approval by the Senate earlier on Tuesday, members of the National Assembly passed the bill by 279 votes to 81. A growing number of countries are taking steps to restrict social media access amid multiplying warnings over its harmful effects on children.
The ban was to be introduced in two stages, with under-15s blocked from creating new accounts from September 1. The ban would apply to existing accounts from January 2027, according to the legislation. The digital minister, Anne Le Henanff, said before the vote that the timeline was realistic, "because age-verification tools already exist" and others are still in the works, and the onus was on the platforms to impose the rule. "For four months, all of us in France will have to prove our age," she told journalists. "If someone is under 15, the account will be closed." The minister also gave assurances that users' personal data would be protected.
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
In April Japan coined new term kokushobi for days above 40C as country advises workers to wear shorts to the office to cope with stifling heat
Japan logged its first official kokushobi or “cruelly hot day” on Tuesday since the new term for when temperatures top 40 degrees Celsius was introduced in April. The Japan Meteorological Agency coined the new designation to warn the public of the heat dangers of days that were once freak weather events but have now become more common.
The central Japan cities of Gujo and Tajimi in Gifu prefecture, along with Toyota in Aichi prefecture, all hit 40C. Gujo’s 40C and Toyota’s 40.1C were all-time highs recorded at their respective weather stations.
Continue reading...Little is known about the complex near the Natanz nuclear facility, but it is estimated it is buried almost 100 metres inside a mountain
With the conflict between the US and Iran facing its most sustained outbreak of violence since a ceasefire was agreed in April, Donald Trump has returned to threatening Iranian nuclear sites.
The current run of US strikes is aimed at forcing Iran to reopen the strait of Hormuz, but in comments on Tuesday, the president said that his administration remained committed to stopping Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, and reiterated threats against a site linked to the country’s nuclear programme.
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Vandaag is het overwegend bewolkt en kan er soms wat lichte regen of motregen vallen. Het zal daarbij om kleine hoeveelheden gaan. De temperatuur stelt zich uitermate bescheiden op voor deze tijd van het jaar. Het wordt slechts 20 graden, terwijl 23 of 24 graden normaal is voor deze periode. De wind waait matig uit het noordwesten en is vanmiddag aan zee vrij krachtig, met windkracht 5.
Swatten is een vorm van online intimidatie. Hoe bestrijd je dat? Jongerenwerker Yüksel Özkan helpt ouders en scholen om meer grip te krijgen op de online leefwereld van jongeren. „De lijn van slachtoffer naar dader is een hele dunne.”
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OM en politie waarschuwen na een „gevaarlijk incident” voor opzettelijk valse meldingen via 112. Zo’n melding leidde onlangs tot een inval waarbij een moeder en dochter onder schot werden gehouden, omdat de dochter met een wapen zou dreigen. Het gaat om wat intussen ‘swatten’ heet, naar de Amerikaanse term ‘swat’ voor een zwaarbewapend arrestatieteam.
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NEW YORK (ANP) - Burgemeester van New York Zohran Mamdani heeft de regering-Trump opgeroepen om de Israëlische premier Benjamin Netanyahu te arresteren als die in september naar New York komt voor de algemene vergadering van de Verenigde Naties. De reden is dat het gemeentebestuur niet wettelijk bevoegd is Netanyahu te laten arresteren, zoals Mamdani wilde, aldus The New York Times.
Volgens de burgemeester is Netanyahu "een oorlogsmisdadiger" en "de architect van een afschuwelijke genocide tegen het Palestijnse volk", zo laat hij in een op video opgenomen verklaring weten. Maar een gesprek met gemeentelijke juristen had de burgemeester tot het inzicht gebracht dat hij zijn wens niet tot uitvoering kon brengen.
De Amerikaanse president Donald Trump zei op Truth Social al dat Netanyahu niet zal worden opgepakt tijdens zijn verblijf in de Verenigde Staten. Netanyahu vecht juist tegen Iran, aldus Trump. "De enigen die gearresteerd zouden moeten worden, zijn degenen die Iran in deze ongekende spiraal van dood en verderf hebben gestort."
Nationwide vigils this Saturday for the two men killed by ICE. US Americans check the map to find one near you. More about the Disappeared in America weekend of action here. Short profiles of the some of the men and women disappeared in America collected on this page.