French weekly published pictures of Pelicot with a man, described as her ‘companion’, walking in the street Gisèle Pelicot, who survived nearly a decade of rapes by dozens of men, will sue Paris Match magazine for invasion of privacy, her lawyers said on Thursday. In its latest edition, Paris Match published seven pictures of Pelicot accompanied by a man described as her companion walking in the streets in her new home town. Continue reading...

Federal judge deals blow to tech giant and paves way for government to break up company’s advertising products Alphabet’s Google illegally dominated two markets for online advertising technology, a judge ruled on Thursday, dealing another blow to the tech giant and paving the way for US antitrust prosecutors to seek a breakup of its advertising products. The US district judge Leonie Brinkema in Alexandria, Virginia, found Google liable for “willfully acquiring and maintaining monopoly power” in markets for publisher ad servers and the market for ad exchanges which sit between buyers and sellers. Publisher ad servers are platforms used by websites to store and manage their ad inventory. Antitrust enforcers failed to prove a separate claim that the company had a monopoly in advertiser ad networks, she wrote. Continue reading...

Scientists sound the alarm over substances such as arsenic and lead contaminating soils and entering food systems About one sixth of global cropland is contaminated by toxic heavy metals, researchers have estimated, with as many as 1.4 billion people living in high-risk areas worldwide. Approximately 14 to 17% of cropland globally – roughly 242m hectares – is contaminated by at least one toxic metal such as arsenic, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, nickel or lead, at levels that exceed agricultural and human health safety thresholds. Continue reading...

From frogs to ferrets, an eye-opening account of the ways we affect the health of other species – and vice versa

New talent program aims to attract academics fleeing US as administration slashes higher education funding * Election 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaign * Get our afternoon election email, free app or daily news podcast The “smartest minds” in the United States will be beckoned to Australia with a new talent program aiming to capitalise on academics disfranchised by the Trump administration’s research cuts. The Australian Academy of Science announced the global talent attraction program on Thursday, warning the nation needed to “act swiftly” to capitalise on the opportunity. Sign up for the Afternoon Update: Election 2025 email newsletter Continue reading...

The US president has upset global norms in the space of weeks, spurring a flurry of defence spending, diplomatic overtures and offers to boost trade Donald Trump’s return to the White House has stoked fears over Washington’s commitment to the security of its allies in the Asia Pacific at a time when tensions are running high in the region, home to several potential flashpoints. Countries across the region are urgently considering their options in a new era where the US president has sided with Russia over its invasion of Ukraine, suggested “cleaning out” Gaza in order to redevelop it, and unleashed punishing tariffs on allies and enemies alike. Continue reading...

Analyst says nuclear is the ‘thirstiest’ energy source, as report commissioned by Liberal supporters throws doubt on plan’s feasibility