A global analysis covering 204 countries found that nearly 3 billion people are regularly exposed to second-hand smoke, contributing to roughly 1.7 million deaths each year. The research highlights that passive smoke exposure remains a major public health burden despite decades of anti-smoking campaigns.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-08
Two recent reports—the World Inequality Lab's Global Justice Report and a UN High-Level Expert Group's Beyond GDP recommendations—have reignited debate over whether nations should deprioritize economic growth in favor of other measures of well-being. A commentary argues both reports miss the real issue: whether governments are leaving future generations richer or poorer, not simply how fast economies grow or how well-being is measured.
nature.com
· 2026-09-08
The Autistici/Inventati (A/I) collective, which for 25 years ran free, privacy-focused digital services, announced it is shutting down all operations. The decision follows being labeled a global terrorist organization, which the group says exposed users, contributors and their families to legal and physical danger.
keepitfree.ai
· 2026-09-06
A new U.S. Census Bureau report finds that people aged 65 and older now outnumber young children worldwide for the first time. The bureau projects the share of people 65 and up will nearly double from 10.5% in 2025 to 19.6% by 2060, driven largely by falling birth rates and longer lifespans. Global population is expected to grow from about 8 billion to 10 billion by 2060, with over half that growth coming from the elderly population.
slashdot.org
· 2026-09-05
Terence Tao posted a paper showing that a modified, 'averaged' version of the three-dimensional Navier-Stokes equations can develop a finite-time singularity, even though this modified equation preserves the same energy identity and function-space bounds as the real equations. Earlier blowup examples for Navier-Stokes-like systems either lacked the energy identity or required five or more dimensions; Tao's construction is the first to combine three dimensions, the energy identity, and finite-time blowup.
terrytao.wordpress.com
· 2026-09-05
A new UN Environment Programme report titled 'Limiting Overshoot' concludes that surpassing 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming above pre-industrial levels is now unavoidable. The paper notes current warming is near 1.4 degrees, but even with all existing climate pledges fulfilled, temperatures would still hit at least 1.8 degrees, while current trends point toward 2.6 degrees by 2100.
futurism.com
· 2026-09-03
Verisign asked ICANN to eliminate all third-level '.name' domains to cut administrative complexity, and ICANN approved the request on 28 July 2026. Long-time users like Neil Fraser, who registered his personal domain nearly 25 years ago, learned of the change only recently via registrar notices, and will lose their websites, email addresses, and connected IoT services starting in February.
neil.fraser.name
· 2026-09-03
A new United Nations report concludes that global temperatures will almost certainly exceed the 1.5°C threshold set under the Paris Agreement within just a few years. Climate scientists broadly agree the milestone is now unavoidable, though some worry the report fails to offer clear guidance on next steps.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-09-03
A threat actor identified as Breeze Comet has been infiltrating Brazil's financial systems with advanced techniques, siphoning funds directly rather than reselling stolen data. Security researchers describe the group as one of the most capable operating against Brazilian banks and payment networks currently.
darkreading.com
· 2026-09-03
A group of technology CEOs joined Trump administration officials in urging G-20 nations to favor light-touch, pro-innovation policies for artificial intelligence rather than strict regulatory frameworks. They argued that heavy-handed rules risk stifling an industry they believe could drive major economic expansion and medical breakthroughs.
wsj.com
· 2026-09-02
A new United Nations report finds that global warming is on track to exceed the 1.5°C threshold established by the Paris Agreement much sooner than previously expected, potentially within just a few years. The finding undercuts the most optimistic projections for limiting climate change that policymakers have relied on for years.
gizmodo.com
· 2026-09-02
The UN Environment Program's new Limiting Overshoot report acknowledges that global temperatures will rise past the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C threshold, and instead focuses on how to minimize the severity and duration of that overshoot. The plan calls for nations to simultaneously cut greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero and deploy large-scale carbon dioxide removal, treating the latter as a supplement rather than a substitute for emissions cuts.
engadget.com
· 2026-09-02