Новости за 03.05.2017

“Fake news” may be getting lots of headlines, but it is as old as the hills. Propagandists have relied on false evidence for centuries. Of course, not all propaganda campaigns are dishonest; indeed many efforts at persuading people of things are laudable. But the phenomenon of fake news and the “post-truth” culture in which it thrives are clearly a threat to democracy, and to the public sphere that democracy depends on to survive.

'No, I absolutely do not wish to change my password, thanks.' Shutterstock/Rawpixel.com

It’s normally in the final seconds of a TV or radio interview that security experts get asked for advice for the general public – something simple, unambiguous, and universally applicable. It’s a fair question, and what the public want. But simple answers are usually wrong, and can do more harm than good.

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On April 18, British prime minister Theresa May walked out onto the steps of 10 Downing Street and surprised the country by announcing a snap general election, to take place in a matter of weeks.

Consistency is a major challenge for parents. It can be difficult to always treat children the same way in different situations. A modern mother or father might be breezily relaxed about their child’s time at home, but immediately uptight about their performance on the football pitch or in school tests.

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The UK suffers from the highest levels of income inequality in Europe – partly because of the delusions of its rich. In countries where the rich have less, they tend to be less delusional , about themselves, about other people, about what is possible, and about why some become rich.

We have inner conversations all the time, so what difference does it make if we have them out loud? G Allen Penton/Shutterstock

Being caught talking to yourself, especially if using your own name in the conversation, is beyond embarrassing. And it’s no wonder – it makes you look like you are hallucinating. Clearly, this is because the entire purpose of talking aloud is to communicate with others. But given that so many of us do talk to ourselves, could it be normal after all – or perhaps even healthy? Читать дальше...

An attack on a NATO convoy in Kabul on May 3 killed eight civilians and wounded at least 25 other people, including three Americans in the convoy. That this attack happened in a high security area close to the US Embassy is a measure of just how powerful the anti-government paramilitaries are – and it comes just a week after the Taliban announced the start of its spring offensive, Operation Mansouri, which will focus on foreign troops.

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Once the province of prophets, “hearing voices” is still shorthand for madness. And yet in the past 30 years, a new understanding has been created by voice-hearers themselves, as part of the Hearing Voices Movement. This suggests that uncovering the roots of the voice can potentially help the hearer.

Prime Minister Theresa May first crossed swords with Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron in 1992. Both were contesting the constituency of North West Durham unsuccessfully. Now, 25 years later, May has called a snap election. She is showing surprising eagerness to revisit a struggle which has been absent from the Tories’ strategy for many years. So why is she so anxious about the Lib Dems?

The underlying narrative in the French presidential election remains the same as the final vote draws near. Despite the gaps in the republican front against her, Marine Le Pen still looks a long shot to win the run-off on May 7. Most of the opinion polls have Emmanuel Macron winning, taking around 60% of the vote against Le Pen’s 40%. But the far-right candidate is gnawing away at his lead.

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A group of friends are sitting in the garden chatting – only one person hears the ice cream van in the distance. That one person is autistic. He is also able to hear the buzzing of electricity in the walls and sometimes finds it overwhelming to be in a very noisy environment.

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A group of friends are sitting in the garden chatting – only one person hears the ice cream van in the distance. That one person is autistic. He is also able to hear the buzzing of electricity in the walls and sometimes finds it overwhelming to be in a very noisy environment.

The results of a recent YouGov poll suggested that, for the first time in the past 100 years, the Conservative Party was ahead of Labour in Wales, both in terms of the share of the vote, and the number of seats the parties are projected to win on June 8.

Not always a given. Shutterstock

The British government has said that the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union will not be converted into UK law in the “great repeal bill”. The Labour party in turn promised to replace the great repeal bill with an EU Rights and Protections bill. Reports say this means keeping the charter.

A deal signed in Italy with tribes operating in southern Libya may be the last element of the barrier the EU has been constructing to exclude Africans from Europe. “To seal the southern Libyan border means to seal the southern border of Europe,” declared Italian foreign minister, Marco Minniti, following the signing ceremony in early April.

Both the referendum vote to leave the European Union and Donald Trump’s successful run for the US presidency have highlighted increasingly negative sentiments towards immigration.

A European map of implicit racial bias. Author provided.

This new map shows how easily white Europeans associate black faces with negative ideas.