Psychiatrist Amir Levine’s first book explored different types of attachment. In his follow up, he explains how anyone can become more secure

Amir Levine has been quietly working towards a second book for 16 years. When Attached, which he co-wrote with Rachel Heller, was published in 2010, it brought the categories for how we behave in relationships – AKA attachment styles – into the public consciousness. According to attachment theory, you could be anxious (often resulting in social hypervigilance), avoidant (independent, suppressing difficult emotions), fearful-avoidant (craving closeness, but often retreating in fear) or secure. Knowing which you were and where significant others sat on this spectrum provided helpful insights for self-awareness and relationship harmony.

Since then, Levine has received countless emails from readers around the world either seeking his advice or telling him how the book changed their life. “I got an email from a woman from Iran,” he recalls. “She said that she realised she was with someone very avoidant. She was able to cut off from him and she found someone else who was secure.” Also, because she felt better equipped “to communicate her needs with this new partner, she reached an orgasm for the first time”. From all of these stories, as well as research into the neuroscience of attachment and neuroplasticity and working with therapy clients, Levine has now compiled the tools needed to help anyone become more secure.

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Research casts doubt on plans by UK government to offer subsidies for carbon capture attached to the power source

Burning wood for power generation can be worse for the climate than burning gas, even when the resulting carbon dioxide emissions are captured and stored, new research has shown.

The findings cast doubt on plans by several governments, including the UK, to offer subsidies or other financial support for carbon capture attached to wood-burning power.

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Activists say clamp down on period products to target insurgents is gender-based violence and violates rights

Myanmar’s military regime is expanding its ban on the distribution of period products, claiming they are being used to treat wounded resistance fighters, according to local activists.

The south-east Asian country has been locked in civil war since 2021, when the military usurped the democratic government and launched a violent crackdown on dissidents. Artillery fire, the burning of townships and arbitrary arrests have become common in the years since then.

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As I age, there are loads of things I want to do, but none are the kinds of bland, commodified ‘adventures’ that these lists imply

No, I don’t want to smoke a cigar in Havana. I don’t want to go hot-air ballooning in the Serengeti, nor skydive naked from a microlight plane in Costa Rica. I don’t have a bucket list. And I wish people would stop asking me if I do.

I’m 73 and the co-founder of a social enterprise, Advantages of Age, that challenges the media narrative around ageing. Recently I appeared on a podcast to discuss it. Of course, the host asked me what is on my bucket list. I was horrified. Strangely, for once, I didn’t offer a raft of invectives: I simply said I didn’t have one. But here’s what I really think: the bucket list has blandified adventure. And that is a sin in my book.

Rose Rouse is the editor and co-founder of Advantages of Age, a social enterprise challenging media stereotypes around ageing

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The latest in our ongoing series of writers recommending their favourite comfort watches is a pick for 1971’s unusual romantic comedy

The best films give you something to take away. Not just a moral message, or some sort of transcendental teaching about the world. But a tangible thing you can find meaning in long after the credits have rolled, holding space in the corners of your mind like a cultural souvenir you’ve popped on the shelf.

For me, this usually takes the form of a song or an artist. Sometimes, it’s a place or a quote. Very occasionally, it’s an outfit. Rarely does anything give me all of the above. But Harold and Maude is special, offering a goodie bag of miscellaneous feel-good delights that instantly transport me somewhere joyful.

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Former president – heading a left-leaning , pro-Russia coalition – to take power following eighth election in five years

But as Eden Maclachlan reported in his correspondence from Sofia for us over the weekend, younger voters are not particularly convinced by Radev’s platform – which concerns he could prove to be another tricky partner in the bloc, like Viktor Orbán.

Here is what Eden wrote before the Sunday vote:

Compared by some to Viktor Orbán, Hungary’s recently defeated rightwing populist, Radev [was] leading in the polls, buoyed up by the support of older, rural voters who hope he can smash what he calls an “oligarchy” of corrupt veteran politicians.

For voters like Aleksandar Tanev, 22, Radev is not a credible option. The law student believes Radev, who resigned as president in order to run in this election, “is part of this same model” of politicians and “had the opportunity to use the caretaker governments to fight this mafia” as president but did not.

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Owner of X summoned along with former CEO Linda Yaccarino over investigation by cybercrime unit

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Elon Musk has been summoned to Paris, where investigators are looking into allegations of misconduct related to the social media platform X, including the spread of child sexual abuse material and deepfake content.

The world’s richest man and Linda Yaccarino – the former chief executive of X – were on Monday summoned for “voluntary interviews”, while other employees of the platform were scheduled to be heard as witnesses throughout this week, the Paris prosecutor’s office said.

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IDF says sledgehammer photo circulating online is authentic and is being viewed with ‘great severity’

The Israeli army has said it is investigating a soldier who was seen apparently striking a statue of Jesus with a sledgehammer in southern Lebanon.

The Israel Defense Forces said they had determined that an image circulating on social media showing the incident was authentic. The image appears to show an Israeli soldier using a sledgehammer to strike the head of a statue of a crucified Jesus that had fallen off a cross.

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Waarom onthouden we het ene moeiteloos en zijn we het andere binnen een uur alweer kwijt? Die vraag houdt neurowetenschappers al decennia bezig. En goed nieuws: we weten inmiddels verrassend veel over hoe ons geheugen werkt én hoe je het slimmer kunt gebruiken.

Ons geheugen bestaat grofweg uit drie systemen. Eerst is er het zintuiglijke geheugen, dat flitsen van beelden, geluiden en geuren opvangt, vaak maar milliseconden lang. Daarna komt het werkgeheugen: je mentale kladblok. Hier bewaar en bewerk je informatie, bijvoorbeeld als je een som maakt of een route onthoudt. Tot slot is er het langetermijngeheugen, waarin kennis, ervaringen en vaardigheden voor langere tijd worden opgeslagen.

Dat werkgeheugen is cruciaal, maar ook beperkt. De Amerikaanse psycholoog George Miller stelde al in 1956 dat we gemiddeld zo’n zeven dingen tegelijk kunnen onthouden. Het precieze aantal staat nog altijd ter discussie, maar één ding is zeker: je hoofd raakt snel vol.

Gelukkig kun je dat systeem slimmer benutten. Met deze vijf praktische tips haal je meer uit je geheugen:

1. Leg je telefoon weg
Zelfs een stille smartphone op tafel kost mentale energie. Je brein blijft ‘opletten’, wat je werkgeheugen belast. Leg je telefoon in een andere kamer als je echt wilt focussen. Dat maakt meer verschil dan je denkt.

2. Breng rust in je hoofd
Stress en piekeren slokken kostbare denkruimte op. Ontspanningstechnieken zoals mindfulness of eenvoudige ademhalingsoefeningen kunnen je geheugen verbeteren. Een simpele methode: diep inademen, nog een korte extra inademing en langzaam uitademen. Vijf minuten kan al helpen.

3. Denk in blokjes (chunking)
Door informatie op te delen in logische stukjes, wordt het makkelijker te onthouden. Denk aan hoe je telefoonnummers groepeert. Ook bij presentaties werkt dit: bundel informatie in duidelijke thema’s met één kernboodschap per onderdeel.

4. Test jezelf regelmatig
De Duitse psycholoog Hermann Ebbinghaus ontdekte dat we razendsnel vergeten wat we leren, soms al de helft binnen een half uur. Maar actief ophalen helpt enorm. Stel jezelf vragen, gebruik flashcards of leg de stof hardop uit. Zo versterk je je geheugen.

5. Neem pauzes
Urenlang stampen heeft minder effect dan gespreid leren. Door studiemomenten te verdelen en rust in te bouwen, onthoud je meer. Een handige vuistregel: neem pauzes die 10 tot 20 procent van de tijd tot je deadline duren.

Bron: Science Alert

DEN HAAG (ANP) - Verhuurders moeten meer kunnen vragen voor dure huurhuizen, nieuwbouw en huizen zonder tuin of balkon. Dat wil woonminister Elanor Boekholt-O'Sullivan regelen in een versoepeling van de huurwet. Op die manier hoopt ze dat er meer huizen beschikbaar zijn voor het middensegment.

De huurwet werkt met een puntensysteem, op basis van bijvoorbeeld woonoppervlakte en de waarde van het huis. Voor dat laatste was een maximumbedrag vastgesteld, dat betekent dat de woningwaarde boven dat bedrag niet meer meetelt in het bepalen van de huurprijs. Dat maximum wil de D66-minister eraf halen. Voor het ontbreken van buitenruimte zoals een tuin of balkon krijgt een huis nu minpunten, dat schrapt de minister ook in haar voorstel. Ook het wonen in een rijksmonument moet duurder kunnen worden.

Als vierde punt wil de minister dat studenten een tijdelijk huurcontract kunnen krijgen. Deze vier wijzigingen moeten ingaan per 1 januari 2027. Het vorige kabinet wilde de huurwet ook al aanpassen op deze punten. De Tweede Kamer besluit of dit voorstel van het minderheidskabinet ook echt doorgaat.

Nieuwbouwhuizen

Een nieuw voorstel van Boekholt is een hogere huurprijs mogelijk maken voor nieuwbouwhuizen. Als vóór 2032 de eerste paal van een project de grond ingaat, mag de verhuurder twintig jaar lang steeds 10 procent meer huur vragen. Dat mag nu als de bouw is begonnen voor 2028, Boekholt verlengt die regeling dus.

Verhuurders, vooral investeerders, verkochten de afgelopen tijd meer huurhuizen, omdat verhuren minder geld oplevert. Dit zogenoemde 'uitponden' zorgt voor een kleiner aanbod van middenhuur en een groter aanbod van koophuizen. Vooral in de grote steden gebeurde dat, blijkt uit een analyse van de Kadasterdata. In de tweede helft van 2025 zijn 36.000 huurhuizen verkocht door private investeerders. Ongeveer drie op de vijf van die huizen kwam bij starters op de woningmarkt terecht.

Vrijwel iedereen zit weleens met de benen over elkaar. Het voelt heel natuurlijk. Als je het af en toe doet is het ook niet zo erg, maar wie urenlang met de benen gekruist zit, kan daar maar beter mee ophouden.

Ten eerste kan het ertoe leiden dat je heupen uit balans raken, waarbij de ene heup hoger komt te zitten dan de andere. Ook kunnen de spierlengte en de botten in je bekken erdoor veranderen. Zelfs de positie van je ruggengraat, nek en schouders kan worden aangetast.

Bloedklonters

Met de benen over elkaar zitten, verandert ook de snelheid waarmee bloed door de bloedvaten in je benen stroomt, wat de kans op bloedklonters vergroot. Het kan ook de bloeddruk verhogen doordat het bloed in de benen zich ophoopt waardoor je hart harder moet werken. Niet voor niets, moet je altijd beide benen plat op de vloer zetten als je bloeddruk wordt opgemeten.

Spermakwaliteit

Tenslotte kan het ook nog de spermaproductie en -kwaliteit aantasten. De testikels moeten 2 tot 6 graden kouder zijn dan de standaardlichaamstemperatuur, maar doordat je met je benen gekruist zit, neemt de temperatuur met 3,5 graad toe, waardoor de ballen mogelijk te warm worden.

Dus zeker voor mannen, maar ook voor vrouwen geldt: houd die voetjes maar netjes naast elkaar op de grond.

Bron: Science Alert

American boomers’ favourite TV network is trying new digital tricks

De noordoostelijke kust van Japan werd maandagochtend door een aardbeving getroffen. De autoriteiten waarschuwen voor tsunamigolven tot drie meter hoog en roepen kustbewoners op direct te evacueren.

Norway shows the potential pitfalls of uncommon prosperity

In ‘Buitenhof’ sprak Maaike Schoon uitgebreid met de Oekraïense president Zelensky. Dat gesprek liet volgens onze recensent zien hoe het ook kan, een politicus annex leider van een land in oorlog interviewen: aandachtig en kritisch, maar niet uit op slimmigheden, journalistieke valstrikjes of ‘gotcha’-momenten.

Harun Farocki legde in zijn films en installaties bloot dat zowel films en games als militaire toepassingen gebruik maken van dezelfde technologie. Een nieuw retrospectief met zijn werk dat de komende weken in het IDFA Documentaire Paviljoen is te zien, toont hoe ver hij zijn tijd vooruit was.

It's been a decade since we lost Prince, and I wanted to take a moment to offer a look back at some of the pieces I've written over the years, and share some of the work I've done, and hopefully it will give you a chance to explore some aspect of his artistry or legacy that you haven't yet had a chance to discover!

Perhaps a good place to start: It's time to discover Prince — a set of starting points to look at Prince's musical catalog, with selected albums (with more than 40 albums to pick from, it can be overwhelming to know where to start!) and some playlists that I created specifically to help new fans find out exactly why we love his music so much.

Another comprehensive overview: Every video Prince ever made. I walked through all of the music videos Prince made over the four decades of his career, offering some info and context that might help you find which ones are most compelling (or weird!) and worth your time.

I've also gotten to guest on a number of podcasts and in other media over the years to discuss various aspects of Prince's career. Perhaps none was more exciting for me than talking about Prince's history of technological innovation for the official Prince podcast. Then, no less than the New York Times described me as a "Prince scholar" when it covered the discovery of the earliest known footage of Prince as a child. There are a bunch of other podcast appearances (see below) but these felt like the pinnacle of legitimacy for my career as a Prince fan.

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Here on my site, there are some pieces I wrote to try to explain a few of Prince's masterworks. I wanted to give a sort of x-ray view into the larger cultural and even political context behind his choices when Prince created his best-known artistic expressions:

• I Know Times Are Changing: This is the minute-by-minute story of how the song Purple Rain was created — covering everything from the background story of how conservative rock fans had hounded Prince's band off the stage at the turn of the 80s, to a glimpse into Prince's editing process where he turned a debut of his band into his signature song.
• How Prince Won the Super Bowl: Many people know that Prince played the greatest Super Bowl halftime show of all time, but very few know that it wasn't just a scintillating musical performance. I get into why Prince didn't play his biggest hits like "When Doves Cry" and "Kiss", and how the show was a deeply personal statement on race, equity, and legacy.
• Prince Interactive: Shortly after Prince's passing, I collaborated with several of the people who maintained Prince's (many!) websites over the years to help create the Prince Online Museum, an archive of many of Prince's digital works over the years. The earliest of these digital experiences is the Interactive CD-ROM which Prince released in 1994. I created a walkthrough video of the game which is shared as a resource on the site for those who've never gotten a chance to see the game in the years since its release.
• Prince's Own Liner Notes On His Greatest Hits: I have worked hard to preserve Prince's extensive digital archives over the years, and this is one of the bits I'm most proud of. For the release of his first greatest hits set in 1993, Prince compiled a list of draft notes for his former manager Alan Leeds to use as the basis of the box set's liner notes. This draft was later posted on Prince's first website, and then quickly deleted — but not before I was able to archive a copy! So I was able to share the only surviving copy of Prince's first-person commentary on the biggest hits of his career, which is well worth a read.
• Message From The Artist: This is another bit of digital archiving from Prince's original website of a letter that was briefly posted 30 years ago before being lost to history. In it, Prince explained the spiritual and artistic reasons behind his shocking decision to change his name to an unpronounceable symbol, and laid out the battle for ownership and control of his music which would come to define the second half of his career. The letter was quickly amended to be far less personal, and then deleted completely from Prince's website, but I was able to hold onto a copy that we can now read for ourselves.

Then, there are some fun artifacts and experiences about Prince that I found to be worth sharing, and other folks have found them to be pretty fun, too. One of my most favorite stories is The Purple Raincheck, about the time that Prince invited me to his house, but I couldn't go. And yet somehow, in true Prince fashion, I ended up with an even better story in the end anyway. If you've ever wanted to know what it's like to roll up to Prince's Oscars party, this is the one for you.

At the other end of the nerdy spectrum, there's this piece about my favorite floppy disc of all time, a rarity I was able to track down which contained the obscure font that Prince's team sent out to publications when he had changed his name to an unpronounceable symbol, so that they could properly render his trademark icon. Later, with the help of the brilliant minds at Adafruit, I was able to recover the data from the disc after almost three decades, through some vintage technology and a little bit of good luck.

For Minnesota Public Radio's The Current, we also dug into Prince's history as a computer nerd. On Switched on Pop, we dug into Why U Love 2 Listen 2 Prince, with an incredible audio breakdown showing how Prince influenced everybody — including a direct connection to the biggest album of all time.

Dig, if u will

We've been lucky to have a global community of Prince scholars that's formed over the years, which regularly hosts academic symposia, publishes papers and books, delivers remarkable talks on every aspect of Prince's work and the impact of his legacy, and in general uses his art as the starting point for some pretty extraordinary cultural exploration. One manifestation of that tendency to take his work seriously is the spreadsheet of Prince recordings, which is a fan-created work designed to provide a canonical reference for the thousands of compositions that Prince created over his career, unifying the conversations and discussions that people have. This is genuine nerd stuff!

And finally, one of the things I'm most proud of is this talk I delivered just a few weeks after Prince passed, in Minneapolis on what would have been his 58th birthday. It covers a really broad swath of Prince's influences and both his technical innovations and fierce battle for artistic independence. But it also dives into a lot of my background and my family's personal history, and connects it to a lot of themes of immigration and the systems that govern how this country moves. A decade on, I think some of these themes resonate more than ever, and if you're willing to set aside some time for it, I'd really love for more people to watch it, as I think it speaks to so many of the things I care most deeply about.

In all, after the initial grief and shock of his loss, I've been pleased to see Prince's legacy and impact grow. It's been wonderful to see so many people be surprised and delighted at all the different ways his work and innovative ideas remain relevant and resonant years and even decades after he created them. And I never get tired of people around the world sending me links or images of Prince or Prince-related items, saying "this reminded me of you!". Whether it's from old friends or people I've never met, it's something very special to be connected to others through the art and creativity of a fiercely independent spirit.

Above all else, Prince wanted to encourage people to create and be creative, to have mastery over their work and their lives, to be their true selves, and to be loving and compassionate towards others. Like everyone, he was flawed and complicated and weird and contradictory. But unlike anyone, he was able to create new worlds that millions of people got to live in inside their imaginations, and to fight impossible battles against all the odds and still somehow prevail.

That's still an inspiring example everyone can follow, no matter who your are, or how you create in the world. And best of all, Prince has created a perfect soundtrack to help you do it.

​Dit ziet er niet goed uit: een lijn in een grafiek gaat naar beneden. De lijn is ook nog eens rood, dus het is echt foute boel.

In de grafiek is te zien dat de lijn een stuk hoger begon, maar dat het daarna snel bergafwaarts is gegaan. Oh ja hoor, er staat zelfs een pijl bij die naar beneden wijst. Wat een ellende.

Misschien verschijnt er binnenkort wel een nieuwe grafiek. Je zal zien dat die lijn dan nog verder gedaald is, want hij gaat blijkbaar al lange tijd naar beneden. Ze zullen de bodem van die nieuwe grafiek misschien zelfs naar beneden moeten halen voor die lijn.

Op het internet zijn ook artikelen over de grafiek verschenen. Er staan allemaal foto’s bij van mensen die heel bezorgd kijken. Er is zelfs een plaatje van iemand met een hand voor de mond. Oh man, dit kunnen we er nu echt niet bij hebben.

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The overnight strike is the second to damage the strategic oil export hub in less than a week.

The overnight strike is the second to damage the strategic oil export hub in less than a week.