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Meta Reaches $18 Billion of Settlements Over Children's Social Media Addiction

Meta has agreed to pay up to $18 billion and make major changes to Facebook and Instagram to settle claims from most U.S. states that the platforms were designed to addict children and misled users about their safety. For the next decade, teens will be limited to two hours a day and blocked from using the apps between midnight and 6 a.m. without parental consent. Meta will, however, still be allowed to use personalized recommendations and targeted advertising. Reuters reports: The settlements include more than $17.6 billion of payments to 48 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Meta will also pay $459 million to resolve states' privacy claims related to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, where the British consulting firm collected personal data of millions of Facebook users. California would receive the highest payout, $2.2 billion, and New York and Texas would each receive more than $1 billion. Some of the payout is contingent on whether Alphabet's YouTube and ByteDance's TikTok impose similar protections for children. [...]

The settlement requires approval by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, who oversaw the trial that began on August 18. Gonzalez Rogers still oversees thousands of lawsuits by individuals, school districts, and state and local governments accusing social media companies of harming children. Meta itself still faces thousands of lawsuits by individuals, school districts and municipalities. The next trials are slated for October in Los Angeles.

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Firefox 157 Will Include JPEG XL By Default On All Platforms

Mozilla plans to enable JPEG XL decoding by default in Firefox 157, which is due at the end of September. Phoronix reports: Firefox Nightly has JPEG-XL support enabled by default right now to help in vetting this support while Mozilla believes the support is in good enough shape for a stable debut with Firefox 157. This follows Chrome shipping JPEG-XL and Google Research developing jxl-rs as a Rust-based JPEG-XL image decoder that is both performant and secure.

In today's Mozilla Hacks blog post they elaborate on JPEG-XL vs. AVIF image formats: "JPEG XL: Excels at lossless imagery, progressive rendering, and further compressing JPEGs without quality loss. AVIF: Excels at web-quality photographic images, and images that have a mix of sharp edges and flat surfaces. ... Although AVIF tends to produce smaller files at web-quality than JPEG XL, AVIF only has basic progressive rendering support. So, for very large images, it may be worth taking the filesize hit with JPEG XL."

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Chinese Government Fears AI Might Replace Human Intimacy

China has imposed new restrictions on AI companion services over concerns they can foster "emotional dependence or addiction" and replace real-world social interaction. Officials are also worried that increasingly satisfying AI relationships could deepen loneliness and further discourage marriage and parenthood. The Guardian reports: No country has rolled out AI as comprehensively and as enthusiastically as China; the country's demographic challenges are forcing the government to turn to technology to solve future labour shortages. Elderly people use chatbots to answer medical questions, while young children have AI education in schools. But the authorities are increasingly worried that AI might exacerbate existing social problems including loneliness, unemployment and -- in the eyes of Beijing -- singledom.

New rules introduced on July 15 ban AI companions for minors and mandate certain restrictions for chatbots marketed to adults. Some major providers including Doubao removed the companion function entirely to ensure compliance. The government says it is worried about chatbots fostering "emotional dependence or addiction" in users. It has warned companies against offering services that "replace social interaction." While many countries are grappling with how to limit the potential harm of AI chatbots, particularly for young people, China's rules are the most sweeping to be implemented on a national scale.

[...] But talking to AI is now so commonplace that it would be hard for the government to end the practice entirely, and the new rules include large loopholes for AI services that are deemed educational or "which do not involve continuous emotional interaction." The government "has already recognized that AI companions or AI-related applications are a vital part in the citizens' everyday life," says Liang Ge, a lecturer in digital sociology at the University of Manchester. In many sectors, the government is still pushing the use of AI as a way of easing looming demographic pressures.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Formula 1 News

Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website

Perez on why there has been ‘disappointment’ at Cadillac

Sergio Perez has reflected on Cadillac's ups and downs so far, as well as detailing what would give them a "massive boost" into 2027.

Wolff explains decision behind Monza penalty for Antonelli

Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff revealed in Zandvoort that Kimi Antonelli would be taking a grid penalty for the next round of the championship in Monza.

The Guardian

Latest news, sport, business, comment, analysis and reviews from the Guardian, the world's leading liberal voice

The Guardian view on child marriage: girls should not be wives | Editorial

There’s growing agreement that under-18s need to be protected – but international turmoil is pushing many towards wedlock

Every minute, 23 girls around the world wed, according to the Girls Not Brides campaign, a coalition of more than 1,000 organisations across 100 countries. No child should be married. But girls are far more likely to be affected than boys, accounting for nine in 10 of those wed before 18, and their spouses are often much older men. The consequences, beyond the immediate threat of sexual violence, include the shortening of their education, increased risks of poverty and domestic abuse, and poor health, including high rates of maternal mortality. In spring, the Center for Global Development thinktank estimated that child marriage costs $175bn annually in lost productivity and increased health risks.

The good news is that the last decade has seen a drop in rates; last year alone, Grenada, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Kuwait and Portugal introduced bans. But there are disturbing signs of regression elsewhere. In May, the Taliban issued a new judicial code enabling child marriage below the previous minimum age of 16, and preventing wives from ending marriages they entered as children if their husbands object. Previous protections were inadequate and often poorly enforced; now even those have been swept away. Activists say forced and early marriages have soared since the Taliban returned to power in 2021, thanks to the ban on secondary education and the state of the economy.

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US issues sanctions against UK-based direct action group Palestine Action

US labels group ‘global terrorist’ as its legal challenge against proscription in UK nears supreme court hearing

The US ⁠has ​issued sanctions against ⁠the UK-based direct action organisation Palestine ⁠Action, describing it as a “transnational terror group”.

The US Department of the Treasury labelled Palestine Action a specially designated global terrorist on Wednesday, which allows the US to freeze the assets of foreign individuals and entities.

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Rebecca Hendin on the legacy of Dolly Parton – cartoon

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Dolly Parton: why the world loved the queen of country - The Latest

Tributes have poured in for Dolly Parton, the pioneering country music singer, songwriter and actor, who has died aged 80. Stars including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Oprah Winfrey and Paul McCartney have paid tribute to one of the world’s greatest music artists, with many praising her lifelong philanthropy and advocacy for literacy and LGBTQ+ rights. Lucy Hough speaks to Guardian deputy features editor Jenny Stevens

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Affairs? Drugs? You could ask Dolly Parton about anything and get a laugh. Just stay away from politics …

One autumn day in 2023 I bathed in the luminous glow of this utterly authentic star – and while she did have one weak spot, her life and music will speak for themselves

Celebrity tributes pour in for Dolly Parton: ‘a gift to the world’
Backwoods Barbie and the ‘God almighty’ PMS Blues: Dolly Parton’s 10 best deep cuts
Alexis Petridis on Dolly Parton’s peerless career

The great privilege of my kind of journalism is to get the chance to meet extraordinary people – some famous, many not – and very occasionally that person is beyond extraordinary. Dolly Parton, you may not be surprised to learn, was one of them. I’ve only come across it a handful of times. It has nothing to do with extreme fame – I’ve met plenty of A-listers who are dead behind the eyes. It’s not charm or extroversion either, nor beauty, and it’s not what we’d call “star quality” because it’s less showy than that. It’s almost indescribable, but “luminous” probably comes closest. I think it’s partly innate – God-given, Parton might have said – but it also comes from living with humility, gratitude and humour. Parton was luminous, and it wasn’t just the rhinestones.

The cliche that you should never meet your heroes because you’ll only be disappointed only stands if you think famous people have somehow transcended the deep character flaws that make the rest of us human. Everyone has off days, or off years. Still, I’d been slightly dreading interviewing Parton. The machinery that surrounds a superstar interview – the holding rooms, the allotted time slots, the officious publicists – is designed to be intimidating, and it was all present on that autumn day in 2023. And then it was just Parton and me in a London hotel room, borderline uncomfortably close on a sofa, but unusually, no publicist sitting in, taking notes.

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thexiffy

Last.fm last recent tracks from thexiffy.

Tom Meighan - White Lies

Tom Meighan

Disclosure feat. London Grammar - Help Me Lose My Mind (Disclosure - Settle (Deluxe Version) 2013 [MP3])

Disclosure feat. London Grammar

Rijnmond - Nieuws

Het laatste nieuws van vandaag over Rotterdam, Feyenoord, het verkeer en het weer in de regio Rijnmond

'Irritante' Koen viel af bij Excelsior, maar als hockeyer haalt hij de wereldtop

Koen Bijen (28) was een talentvolle voetballer bij Excelsior, maar viel op zijn dertiende af omdat hij te klein was. Hij koos daarna voor hockey, maar bij HDM in Den Haag kreeg hij opnieuw te horen dat hij te licht was voor het hoogste niveau. Er ging een knop om bij de aanvaller uit Den Bosch en haalde alsnog de absolute top.

Rotterdam - FediMeteo (@rotterdam@nl.fedimeteo.com)

Weer voor de stad Rotterdam Deze bot wordt beheerd door het FediMeteo-project. Voor informatie en contact kunt u de pagina https://fedimeteo.com raadplegen.

Weer voor Rotterdam 🌤️ - 26-08-2026 19:15 CES...

Weer voor Rotterdam 🌤️ - 26-08-2026 19:15 CEST

In één oogopslag:
• 25.1°C · Licht bewolkt 🌤️ | Min 16.3°C / Max 25.9°C | Kans op neerslag 4%

Verwachting voor vandaag:
• Min 16.3°C, Max 25.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 4%, 🧭 1014.1 hPa ↗️ +0.5 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 16.2 km/u (4.5 m/s), richting: ← 96°

Uurlijkse voorspelling voor de komende 12 uur:

20:00: 24.5°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 4%, 🧭 1013.6 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 83°
21:00: 23.5°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 3%, 🧭 1014.0 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 11.2 km/u (3.1 m/s), richting: ← 96°
22:00: 22.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, Kans op neerslag 1%, 🧭 1014.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 9.7 km/u (2.7 m/s), richting: ← 76°
23:00: 22.2°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1014.4 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 90°
00:00: 21.3°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1014.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 15.1 km/u (4.2 m/s), richting: ← 89°
01:00: 20.4°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1014.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 16.2 km/u (4.5 m/s), richting: ← 90°
02:00: 19.9°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1013.7 hPa ↘️ -0.5 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 16.2 km/u (4.5 m/s), richting: ← 90°
03:00: 19.4°C (Gedeeltelijk bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1012.7 hPa ↘️ -1.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 83°
04:00: 18.8°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1013.1 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.0 km/u (3.9 m/s), richting: ← 81°
05:00: 18.4°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1012.5 hPa ↘️ -0.6 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 14.4 km/u (4.0 m/s), richting: ← 84°
06:00: 18.2°C (Helder) 🌕, 🧭 1012.2 hPa ➡️ 0.0 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 13.3 km/u (3.7 m/s), richting: ← 98°
07:00: 17.8°C (Bewolkt) ☁️, 🧭 1011.6 hPa ↘️ -0.6 hPa/1h, Windsnelheid: 15.5 km/u (4.3 m/s), richting: ← 84°

Voorspelling voor de komende dagen:

donderdag 27 augustus: Min 17.8°C, Max 28.5°C (Zware regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 10.3 mm, Kans op neerslag 21%, 🧭 1010.4 hPa ↘️ -3.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 18.4 km/u (5.1 m/s), richting: ← 96°
vrijdag 28 augustus: Min 17.9°C, Max 21.0°C (Matige regen) 🌧️, Neerslag 6.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 53%, 🧭 1007.2 hPa ↘️ -3.2 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 24.8 km/u (6.9 m/s), richting: ↗ 219°
zaterdag 29 augustus: Min 15.9°C, Max 20.5°C (Lichte buien) 🌧️, Neerslag 10.7 mm, Kans op neerslag 62%, 🧭 1008.5 hPa ↗️ +1.3 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 23.5 km/u (6.5 m/s), richting: ↗ 211°
zondag 30 augustus: Min 16.4°C, Max 22.0°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 3.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 39%, 🧭 1009.2 hPa ↗️ +0.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 21.0 km/u (5.8 m/s), richting: ↗ 217°
maandag 31 augustus: Min 15.6°C, Max 20.9°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 4.2 mm, Kans op neerslag 60%, 🧭 1008.5 hPa ↘️ -0.7 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 28.0 km/u (7.8 m/s), richting: ↗ 226°
dinsdag 01 september: Min 14.7°C, Max 19.6°C (Lichte motregen) 🌦️, Neerslag 3.0 mm, Kans op neerslag 38%, 🧭 1014.7 hPa ↗️ +6.2 hPa/24h, Windsnelheid: 17.5 km/u (4.9 m/s), richting: ↗ 226°

Details:
• 🌡️ Huidige temperatuur (om 19:15): 25.1°C (Licht bewolkt)
• 🤚 Gevoelstemperatuur: 23.8°C (-1.3°C)
• 💨 Windsnelheid: 12.6 km/u (3.5 m/s), richting: ← 85°
• 🌬️ Windstoten: 25.2 km/h (7.0 m/s)
• 💧 Luchtvochtigheid: 51%
• 🧭 Luchtdruk: 1013.6 hPa ↗️ +0.8 hPa/3h
• 👁️ Zichtbaarheid: 30.0 km
• ☀️ UV-index: 0.6
• 🌅 Zonsopgang: 06:44 · 🌇 Zonsondergang: 20:42

Luchtkwaliteit:
• AQI: 55 🟡 (Matig)
• PM2.5: 10.0 μg/m³
• PM10: 14.7 μg/m³

Gegevens geleverd door Open-Meteo



VK: Voorpagina

Volkskrant.nl biedt het laatste nieuws, opinie en achtergronden

Ruim honderd vermisten waren op pelgrimstocht naar extreem heilige berg Kailash

Acteur Tim Curry (80), bekend van ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’, overleden

xiffy

Public posts from @xiffy@mastodon.nl

You can now find me on MainDeck: maindeck.eu/md/appieverschoor which could be a Linkedin replacement.
Not that I'm currently looking for a new assignment at the moment. Somewhere in 2027 I might.
But if you are looking for an xBRL (taxonomy) expert, I'm your man.

Man koopt antenne van €200 en bouwt Amsterdamse pontjes-app die wel werkt

Social

Zoals zoveel in dit LAND: het origineel werkt tot op een zekere hoogte, maar als je het eens niet aan ambtenaren overlaat werkt het echt. Pioniersvesting en hofleverancier van vooruitgang Amsterdam is herrezen, want je schroeft er 1 antenne en wat overig spul van in totaal 200 euro op en je hebt een LIVE IJ TRACKER. Binnenkort aan tafel bij Nieuwsuur om de Straat van Hormuz te tracken?

Social

Wel.nl

Minder lezen, Meer weten.

MSC vaart niet naar Russische havenstad aan Zwarte Zee

GENÈVE (ANP/BLOOMBERG) - De grote reder MSC vaart voorlopig niet naar de Russische havenstad Novorossiejsk aan de Zwarte Zee na een droneaanval op een van zijn schepen. Dat staat in een melding aan klanten, die is ingezien door persbureau Bloomberg.

Een drone zou de MSC ULSAN III hebben aangevallen toen dat schip op weg was naar Novorossiejsk. Het scheepvaartbedrijf meldde niet wanneer dit gebeurde.

MSC heeft net als andere internationale rederijen de vaarten van en naar Rusland afgeschaald sinds de grootschalige inval in Oekraïne. Doorgaans vervoeren ze nog wel goederen als voedsel, medicijnen of kleding naar het land. MSC blijft op andere Russische havens varen.

Rusland en Oekraïne hebben de aanvallen in de Zwarte Zee op koopvaardijschepen en havens sinds juli opgevoerd. Dat verstoort onder andere het transport van graan, waar de twee landen belangrijke exporteurs van zijn. De verminderde scheepvaart in de Zwarte Zee en Zee van Azov raakt ook de Russische export van staal en kolen.


Nepalese politie: meer toeristen vermist na overstroming

KATHMANDU (ANP) - Na de overstroming in Nepal worden 579 toeristen vermist, meldt de politie van het land aan de BBC. Onder hen zijn 466 buitenlanders uit 28 landen. Die aantallen zijn hoger dan eerdere cijfers waar het toerismebureau van het land mee kwam.

De politie spreekt tegenover de BBC van 54 vermiste Amerikanen en 33 mensen uit het Verenigd Koninkrijk. Meer details over de herkomst van de vermisten, meldt de zender niet.

Eerder op woensdag sprak het Nepalese toerismebureau van 384 vermiste toeristen, van wie er 93 uit Nepal kwamen. Op die lijst stond ook dat er één Nederlander wordt vermist. Dat is nog altijd niet bevestigd.

De reisorganisatie die de Nederlander zou hebben gebruikt, ontkent dat het de vermissing van een Nederlander heeft gemeld. Het Nederlandse ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken heeft nog geen meldingen gekregen van Nederlandse slachtoffers.