Revealed: US police prevented from viewing many online child sexual abuse reports, lawyers say | Tec

A child safety watchdog says it received more than 32m reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from companies and the public in 2022. Photograph: Getty Images/Image SourceA child safety watchdog says it received more than 32m reports of suspected child sexual exploitation from companies and the public in 2022. Photograph: Getty Images/Image SourceTechnologyRevealed: US police prevented from viewing many online child sexual abuse reports, lawyers saySocial media firms relying on AI for moderation generate unviable reports which prevent authorities from investigating cases [Read More]

A history of cruelty at Cressbrook Mill | Letters

Child labourLettersA history of cruelty at Cressbrook MillCountry diary | Birds | Figs | Music | Marina Hyde William Newton’s Cressbrook Mill at Water-cum-Jolly may well be “august” (Country diary, 5 November). However, in its heyday it was a place of hideous cruelty and exploitation, where “apprentices”, the starving children of London orphanages, were brought in to be worked literally to death in many cases, in pursuit of fat profits for the mill owners, Newton included. [Read More]

Badly Drawn Boy: Music has saved me in a lot of ways | Badly Drawn Boy

The ObserverBadly Drawn BoyInterviewBadly Drawn Boy: ‘Music has saved me in a lot of ways’Luke BainbridgeIt’s 15 years since Damon Gough, aka Badly Drawn Boy, became a household name by winning the Mercury prize with his much-loved debut, The Hour of Bewilderbeast. As he prepares to tour the album, he explains how his career hit the skids, and why he’s ready to make amendsLike so many great debut albums, when Badly Drawn Boy’s The Hour of Bewilderbeast was released – 15 years ago last month – it seemed to somehow both capture the zeitgeist and convey a magical timeless quality. [Read More]

Christmas weather: rain forecast along Australias east coast after Brisbane hit by storms and hai

Australia weather This article is more than 1 month oldChristmas weather: rain forecast along Australia’s east coast after Brisbane hit by storms and hailThis article is more than 1 month oldThunderstorm conditions extending from Mackay in Queensland to Melbourne, with BoM warning weather may change quickly Widespread rain and cloudy weather affecting much of the east coast is expected to continue into Christmas Day, with revellers encouraged to prepare an indoor option for tomorrow’s festivities. [Read More]

Danny and the Deep Blue Sea review Aubrey Plaza sinks in her stage debut

US theaterReviewLucille Lortel Theatre, New York The White Lotus star struggles alongside Girls’ Christopher Abbott in an overcooked relationship two-hander from John Patrick Shanley Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, the 1983 two-hander from the dramatist John Patrick Shanley, is an odd choice for an off-Broadway revival in 2023. A short and bruising portrait of a doomed working-class romance in the Bronx, a kitchen-sink drama with wild emotional swings and ample domestic violence, it’s out of style with talky, cerebral or sociopolitically provocative contemporary theater. [Read More]

Republicans make wild claims about the dangers of immigration. Heres the truth | Robert Reich

OpinionUS immigrationRepublicans make wild claims about the dangers of immigration. Here’s the truthRobert ReichTrump and his cronies are leaning into five splashy talking points about illegal immigration. But the facts are a bit different Trumpist Republicans are using the surge of illegal immigration at the southern border of the US, as well as a surge of migrants seeking legal asylum, to threaten a government shutdown and no added funds for Ukraine. [Read More]

A porn star Disney princess? Why renegade artists are breaking the mould | Art

Jonathan Jones on artArtA porn star Disney princess? Why renegade artists are breaking the mouldDisney has become the world's most pervasive propagandist for oppressive myths of gender – so fair play to web artists for challenging the normArtists on the web are reimagining Disney princesses – those surreal creatures of so-called human perfection – from casting them as porn stars to portraying them with disabilities. As satires on the global power of Disney go, these efforts are some way behind South Park's characterisation of Mickey Mouse as a violent corporate crime lord. [Read More]

Armpit confidential: why men are now shaving and women are doing whatever they like

Free to be hairy … Adidas Workout Wardrobe designed by Stella McCartney and modelled by dancer Leila Davis in 2021. Photograph: AdidasFree to be hairy … Adidas Workout Wardrobe designed by Stella McCartney and modelled by dancer Leila Davis in 2021. Photograph: AdidasBeautyOn Saturday, the bare underarms of footballer John Stones prompted a huge reaction online. He is far from alone in his depilation choices, at a time when the fashion world is embracing women’s body hair [Read More]

Frank Houston was a serial paedophile and extent of his crimes may never be known, court hears

Hillsong Church This article is more than 1 year oldFrank Houston was a ‘serial paedophile’ and extent of his crimes may never be known, court hearsThis article is more than 1 year oldTrial hears Frank Houston also told his son Brian, founder of Hillsong, that he was abused by his own grandfather as a child Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updates Get our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast The founder of Hillsong church, Brian Houston, has told a court he believes his father was a “serial paedophile” and the extent of his crimes may not be known. [Read More]

Gone by Michael Grant - review | Books

Children's booksBooksGone by Michael Grant - review'I am certain that the fast-paced and frighteningly gripping Gone, and the successive novels in the series, will not fail to delight'Imagine a normal day; you wake up, half-asleep, forcing yourself into the regular routine, the normal day-to-day procedure of getting into school uniform, going downstairs to grumble a 'hi' to your parents and then hurriedly eating breakfast as you realise the bus is about to leave any minute. [Read More]