YouGov survey of six countries shows respondents think crime is increasing – though most trust their national police

Western Europeans believe crime is rising in their country, according to a survey, despite long-term overall crime rates falling across the region since the mid-1990s.

The YouGov poll of Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy and Spain found most countries trusted their national police, led by Denmark where 74% of respondents said they had a lot or a fair amount of confidence in police nationally.

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Supply problems pose risk to health, with common painkillers, epilepsy medication and HRT affected

Britons are facing some of the “most severe” shortages of NHS medicines on record including common painkillers, epilepsy drugs and HRT, health leaders have warned, even forcing some patients with impaired digestive systems to skip meals.

The National Pharmacy Association (NPA) has warned that medicine shortages pose a “serious risk to patient safety”.

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The opening night against South Africa was met with mixed feelings but Thursday night’s South Korea clash promises to spark feelgood factor

The mood in Mexico City last Thursday night, after a 2-0 win over South Africa in the opening game of the World Cup, was gleeful. Fans crowded around the Angel of Independence, and Calle Río Sena was not merely rammed but carried the smell of urine and spilled beer that tends to characterise mass celebrations. The big roundabout at Insurgentes, where the night before a Beatles tribute act had entertained students, was packed with green shirts. And yet there was a sense that something was missing.

This was in Roma Norte, a relatively wealthy area an hour or so north of the Azteca, and it was notable how many of the shirts seemed box-fresh. A significant proportion of those there were Mexicans who lived in the US. A persistent theme over the first few days of the tournament is how the fans who regularly go to Liga MX games have been priced out. A few minutes from the stadium, in a simple bar just off Avenida del Imán, where the tables were upturned barrels and a sweating teenager grilled burritos on a hot plate, the mood was slightly more ambivalent. Couples danced in the street outside, and there was a general sense of relief. After a group-stage exit in 2022, Mexico can at least now be relatively sure of making the last 32. And there was delight for Raúl Jiménez who, in his fourth World Cup, finally scored his first goal. But there were also two gripes.

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We are told the natural world is ‘breaking down’. But forests don’t work like aeroplanes or human hearts

• A version of this piece was originally published on Aeon as Why we need to think again about ecosystem failure

The Amazon rainforest, according to a 2021 study, is losing its capacity as a carbon sink and now emits more than it absorbs. In the tropics, marine scientists are reporting that coral reefs are in decline, threatening fish stocks. Equally concerning is research into the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (Amoc), a vast system of ocean currents that helps regulate the climate and is at risk of collapsing this century. The entire global ecosystem appears to be losing its ability to function.

We find this view in newspapers, magazines, technical reports and the journals of learned societies. But thinking about the environment in terms of its functions is also how many of us tend to understand the world. We may think that forests exist to produce oxygen, wetlands to filter water and bees to pollinate our crops.

Of special interest to humanity is the relationship of biodiversity to the variety of services provided by ecosystems and, in particular, to the stability of the flow of those services, such as the maintenance of the gaseous composition of the atmosphere, preservation of soils, recycling of nutrients and provision of food from the sea.

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Sea ice is melting fast and worsening the climate crisis. But what if there were a way to thicken it again? Madeleine Finlay is joined by environment editor Damian Carrington to discuss a bold attempt to refreeze the Arctic which is showing early signs of success. He visited the project to find out how it will work, how much it will cost and whether it really has potential to improve the fate of the Arctic’s ice

‘At first, the idea does sound crazy’: meet the scientists trying to refreeze the Arctic

Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod

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As the pornography platform has exploded in popularity, a side industry has emerged: middlemen who encourage young women into the industry, then take a large cut of their earnings

Markuss Hussle wants his online students to understand one thing: he knows how to make money. There is no subtlety involved. He gives an hour-long presentation in one video, sitting next to his silver Lamborghini. In another, he splices his money-making tips with footage of a ski weekend with his friends in Courchevel, in the French Alps, including shots of private jets, helicopters and a girlfriend in a fur coat. He claims the trip cost $100,000 (£75,000). He shows off his watches and his swimming pool and talks about how his mother worked three jobs as a cleaner until he “retired her” and bought her a home by the sea.

If you were not paying close attention to the spreadsheets and presentations interspersed with the motivational lifestyle content, you might guess he was offering guidance on how to trade shares or invest in cryptocurrency. There are a lot of performance graphs and much discussion of account management, optimisation, scaling, working smart and tripling profits.

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Hoe heeft het zonnestelsel zijn huidige vorm gekregen? Zo’n twintig jaar geleden verscheen een model dat „enorm veel” verklaarde. Maar wat staat daarvan nog overeind?

Oudervereniging Balans stelt dat de overheid tekortschiet in het waarborgen van passend onderwijs voor ieder kind. De overheid voldoet volgens de belangengroep niet aan de internationale kinderrechten voor ’thuiszitters’.

Op TikTok, Facebook en Instagram gaan schattige video’s met aapjes en andere dieren massaal viral. Achter de schermen gaat het vaak om zwaar dierenleed – soms zelfs georganiseerd, puur voor clicks en advertentie-inkomsten. M et een paar simpele reflexen kun je voorkomen dat jij daar onbewust aan meewerkt.

Wat gebeurt er precies?

• Sinds 2021 hebben onderzoekers ruim 80.000 dierenleed-video’s en -foto’s verzameld, vooral op grote socialmediaplatforms.
• Een deel daarvan zijn zogenoemde “Fake-Rescues”: in scène gezette “reddingsacties” waarbij een dier eerst in gevaar wordt gebracht, om vervolgens voor de camera “gered” te worden.
• Vooral apen worden vermenselijkt – met luiers, babykleertjes of make-up – terwijl ze achter de schermen worden mishandeld of onder dwang leven.

5 signalen dat je naar dierenleed kijkt

• Het dier zit in een onnatuurlijke situatie. Denk aan apen in luiers, wilde dieren in een woonkamer of een baby-aapje dat als mensenkind wordt behandeld.
• “Heldhaftige” redding die te perfect voelt. Dieren die steeds “toevallig” op het nippertje worden gered uit water, vuur of aanvallen van andere dieren: vaak is dat vooraf geënsceneerd.
• Steeds hetzelfde dier in nieuwe video’s. Kom je dezelfde aap of hetzelfde hondje in verschillende “reddingsvideo’s” tegen, dan is dat een rode vlag voor een exploitatiemodel.
• Overdreven emoties en clickbait-tekst. Titels in de trant van “You won’t believe what happens” of “So sad, please help this baby” zijn klassieke engagement-triggers.
• Het dier oogt gestrest of apathisch. Starre blik, trillende bewegingen, krachteloos hangen of overdreven meegaand gedrag kunnen wijzen op angst en mishandeling.

Wat je wél moet doen (en vooral laten)

• Niet liken, delen of opslaan. Elke interactie – ook verontwaardigde comments – geeft het algoritme het signaal dat de video “werkt”.
• Video melden bij het platform: gebruik de meldknop en kies dierenmishandeling of vergelijkbare categorie. Hoe meer meldingen, hoe groter de kans dat de video verdwijnt.
• Account blokkeren Door het account te blokkeren, voorkom je dat je nog meer van dit soort content in je feed krijgt én verzwak je het bereik.
• Geen verontwaardigde boost in de comments. Boze comments jagen het bereik vaak juist op. Beter: melden, blokkeren en er zelf niet langer naar kijken.
• Bewustwording in je eigen kring. Deel eventueel een uitlegpost (zonder de originele video te embedden) waarin je uitlegt wat Fake-Rescues zijn en waarom dit geen onschuldige content is.

Schattige dierenfilmpjes zijn niet meer weg te denken uit onze tijdlijn. Maar achter een deel van die content gaan georganiseerde folternetwerken schuil, die verdienen aan ons kijkgedrag. Met een paar bewuste keuzes – niet klikken, wel melden – kun je voorkomen dat jouw feed onderdeel wordt van hun verdienmodel.

Vanaf vandaag beginnen we aan een lange (zeer) warme periode met hoge temperaturen. Met name door de hoge luchtvochtigheid voelt de warmte warmer aan dan de thermometer aangeeft. Er is vandaag vrij veel zon met in de loop van de middag vanuit het zuidwesten ook wat meer bewolking.