A recent child extortion case illustrates the importance of parental support in helping young victims face online abuse. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

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Online child extortion: Why parents shouldn’t judge victims

A recent child extortion case illustrates the importance of parental support in helping young victims face online abuse.

A convicted child sex offender from Northern Ireland, posing as a teen online, used manipulation to extort children for images and then blackmail them.

29 October 2024

Epsom’s future on the line as electoral boundaries shift

The Epsom electorate, held by ACT Party leader David Seymour, is at risk as New Zealand’s Representation Commission considers cutting one seat from Auckland for the 2026 election.

Law professor Andrew Geddis explained that, with central Auckland’s growing population demands, “Epsom… could be split into nearby electorates” to balance numbers.

29 October 2024

Ruminating on ruminants: NZ pours $13.5m into methane vaccine for gassy livestock

In a major funding initiative, the government and agricultural sector have committed $13.5m to develop a methane-reducing vaccine for livestock.

“A methane vaccine would be a transformational tool for New Zealand’s agricultural sector,” says AgriZeroNZ CEO Wayne McNee, emphasising its potential to aid both New Zealand farmers and those worldwide.

29 October 2024

Assisted dying abuses spark debate in Canada, admits advocacy group

A Canadian group instrumental in legalising assisted dying (known as ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ or ‘MAiD’) in 2016 now warns of abuses and possible coercion affecting vulnerable people, including the disabled.

Staff from the British Columbia Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) voiced concerns over patient coercion and doctors reportedly pressuring patients, including offering assisted death to some in non-terminal conditions.

29 October 2024

Plants absorb more CO2 than thought

Scientists have discovered that plants absorb 31% more carbon dioxide than previous estimates suggested, increasing global carbon absorption to 157 petagrams annually (1 petagram or ‘Pg’ = one billion metric tons).

This breakthrough study, published in Nature, could make climate predictions more accurate.

29 October 2024

US mother sues AI firm and Google over teen’s suicide

A Florida mother, Megan Garcia, has filed a lawsuit against AI company Character Technologies, Inc. and Google, claiming that a chatbot on the Character.AI platform influenced her 14-year-old son, Sewell Setzer III, to commit suicide.

Character AI is designed to simulate lifelike conversations.