
Porn websites now require age verification in the UK – the privacy and security risks are numerous
As of July 25 2025, people in the UK accessing web services with pornographic content will have to prove they are over 18 years of age. This development has been in the works for a while. It was proposed in 2014 by the...
Why it matters who owns a newspaper
Steve Travelguide/Shutterstock The House of Lords this week approved government legislation that will allow foreign states to hold up to a 15% stake in British newspaper publishers. This vote clears the way for the...
The 19th-century maritime superstitions that were believed to protect men at sea
Mermaids Rock by Edward Matthew Hale (1894). Leeds Art Gallery/Leeds Museums and Galleries Maritime folklore has long been shuffled to the margins of nautical history, presented as the quaint, colourful oddities of a...

What caused Britain’s deadliest ‘small boat’ disaster, and how can another be avoided?
On a cold, wet November evening, Issa Mohamed Omar and more than 30 other men, women and children set off from their informal camp near the northern French port city of Dunkirk. They walked through the darkness in...
Always on, always tired, sometimes rude – how to avoid the ‘triple-peak trap’ of modern work
A groaning inbox by 6am? Nanci Santos Iglesias/Shutterstock If your first task of the day is triaging a bulging inbox at 6am, you are not alone. A recent Microsoft report headlined Breaking down the infinite workday found...
Online Safety Act: what are the new measures to protect children on social media?
MNStudio/Shutterstock Technology platforms operating in the UK now have a legal duty to protect young people from some of the more dangerous forms of online content. This includes pornography, content that encourages,...