Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 50m

I see the SNP have delayed Muirburn licensing again.

1

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 1h

Who knew that gambling on gambling was a thing? theconversation.com/why-people-a...

Why people are watching livestreams of influencers gambling – and how it could be fuelling addiction

A new study finds gambling livestreams, where influencers bet to huge audiences, are normalising risk and fuelling addiction among young viewers.

theconversation.com

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 13h

37% of those surveyed who used AI to help plan their travels reported that it could not provide enough information, while around 33% said their AI-generated recommendations included false information.

www.bbc.co.uk/travel/artic...

The perils of letting AI plan your next trip

An imagined town in Peru, an Eiffel tower in Beijing: travellers are increasingly using tools like ChatGPT for itinerary ideas – and being sent to destinations that don't exist.

www.bbc.co.uk

1

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Owen Boswarva @owenboswarva.bsky.social · 18h

The IDF are problematic for a number of reasons – mass murder, other war crimes – but I'm disappointed to see they are also poisoning the digital commons:

The Israel Defense Forces used a Scottish museum's 3D models in propaganda videos theferret.scot/idf-scottish...

#opendata #dataforevil

The Scottish Maritime Museum confirmed some of its models are available online through Creative Commons licensing, but stressed it has no control over how the data is used. Following our request for a comment the museum's 3D scans used by the IDF are no longer publicly available.

4 6

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 19h

Alex Salmond has become more popular, despite being dead.

yougov.co.uk/ratings/poli...

yougov.co.uk

1

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 1d

Ouch!

thecritic.co.uk/rob-whistle/

Rob whistle | Robert Hutton | The Critic Magazine

The day had begun with Robert Jenrick accused of racism. This is of course quite unfair. Racists believe in something. Some of us remember Jenrick as a chubby-cheeked fan of David Cameron fighting the...

thecritic.co.uk

1

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

John Lappin @johnlappin.bsky.social · 1d

Seems material, somehow. I mean if this is working, what on earth are we doing?
eciu.net/analysis/rep...

Marginal Gains: how wind is pushing gas out of the power market and…

Growth in British renewables cutting electricity prices by up to a quarter.

eciu.net

1 1 1

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Patrick Dunleavy @patrickdunleavy.bsky.social · 2d

Privatising provision equals lousy service and huge company profits, wherever it is done.

“Asylum hotel provider makes £180m profit despite claims of inedible food and rationed loo paper” - BBC News www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Asylum hotel provider makes £180m profit despite claims of inedible food and rationed loo paper

Asylum seekers and charities tell BBC of

www.bbc.co.uk

5 35 70

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Mark Chadbourn @chadbourn.bsky.social · 2d

Another astonishing sign of incredible incompetence from the UK Conservatives. They can’t even get right the name of the country they want to represent.
(Image via LBC political editor Natasha Clark)

Promo bar of chocolate saying
"When Labour negotiates,
Britian loses"

94 140 560

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Nicolas Tenzer @nicolastenzer.bsky.social · 3d

If you read only one thing today, read this letter written from prison, where she has been languishing for several months, by the awesome Georgian journalist Mzia Amaghobeli.
She dared to speak the truth to the Moscow's puppets.
EU leaders don't have her courage.
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

From my prison cell in Georgia, I implore Europe not to abandon us to Russia | Mzia Amaglobeli

My fellow journalists are putting their lives in danger every day, but we refuse to surrender to a regime that threatens Europe’s own security, says imprisoned Georgian journalist Mzia Amaglobeli

www.theguardian.com

4 75 130

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Otto English @ottoenglish.bsky.social · 4d

Nine jobs Nigel Farage hasn't updated his register of interests in months.

Potentially hundreds of thousands of ££££ from his many "outside interests" remain undeclared

observer.co.uk/news/politic...

‘Nine-jobs Nigel’ Farage denies not declaring extra earni...

Roles outside Parliament make Reform leader the highest-earning MP, but register of interests has not been updated since end of May

observer.co.uk

100 670 1.5K

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Justin Hendrix @justinhendrix.bsky.social · 4d

Macron remarks are notable- some quotes: "We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks that are controlled either by large American entrepreneurs or large Chinese companies, whose interests are not at all the survival or proper functioning of our democracies."

Defend Democracy @defenddemocracy.bsky.social · 4d

President Macron: “Europeans, let's wake up!

We have been incredibly naive in entrusting our democratic space to social networks.”

defenddemocracy.eu/macron-democ...

99 2.3K 7K

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Future Economy Scotland @futureeconscot.bsky.social · 5d

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Who owns Scotland's offshore wind assets?

Our new interactive map with @cmmonwealth.bsky.social lets you explore who really owns ScotWind projects – and who stands to benefit

Highlights in 🧵
Explore the map 👉 www.futureeconomy.scot/scotwind

1 32 32

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Pew Research Center @pewresearch.org · 5d

Americans who have seen AI summaries in search results are lukewarm about their value. One-in-five say they find the information extremely or very useful, 52% say it’s somewhat useful, and 28% say it’s not too or not at all useful.

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that 1 in 5 Americans who have seen AI summaries in search results find them extremely or very useful.

2 8 17

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Who Targets Me @whotargets.me · 10d

An interesting side-effect of Meta's decision to ban political ads in the EU is that it will ban itself from running ads like these, which lobby against significant further regulation of social media for under 16s in the EU.

2 3 4

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 10d

💥 The independence of @electoralcommission.org.uk must be fully restored to safeguard the UK’s electoral integrity from a future authoritarian government, our new report warns. Covered exclusively by Rowena Mason in today’s @theguardian.com 👇

UK government urged to restore Electoral Commission’s independence to protect democracy

Oversight of watchdog could be abused by a future authoritarian government, report warns

www.theguardian.com

2 36 72

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 10d

Just dragged this humongous bit of fish farm pipe up the beach at Gairloch and reported it to the Salmon Scotland collection service. Let's see how many days it takes them to remove it...

6

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 11d

As a journalist, extremely concerning that access to info via EIRs would also be removed.

1

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 11d

The Aarhus Convention does more than allow cost capped judicial review. Very disappointed that leaving it is even being considered. Also assume it will mean taking entire UK out of the agreement, not just England - even though Planning Bill is England only.

www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Starmer asks Conservative peer to write planning bill to block judicial reviews

Exclusive: One option could be to leave treaty that allows legal claims against projects such as Heathrow expansion

www.theguardian.com

2 6 7

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 11d

Full Fact are not impressed with Google.

fullfact.org/technology/g...

Google Search is vandalising the internet. Here’s how. – Full Fact

Google Search is misrepresenting our fact checks, showing incorrect information to millions.

fullfact.org

2 3

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 11d

"Human pet bed"

www.wayfair.co.uk/pets/pdp/sil...

www.wayfair.co.uk

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Spotlight on Corruption @spotlightcorruption.org · 12d

🚨 BREAKING: The former leader of Reform UK in Wales, Nathan Gill, has pleaded guilty to #bribery, admitting he received corrupt payments as a Brexit Party MEP in exchange for making statements in the European Parliament to promote Russia’s interests in #Ukraine.

Reform UK’s ex-leader in Wales Nathan Gill pleads guilty to bribery charges

Gill admits to eight charges while an elected member of the European parliament

www.theguardian.com

49 460 790

Reposted by Ally Tibbitt

Gairloch Times @gairlochtimes.org.uk · 13d

Issue 19 is out now. Get hold of it in all good local shops or, sign up as a paying subscriber to enjoy it full glorious technicolour :)

gairlochtimes.org.uk/ssen-forced-...

SSEN forced to rethink road closure plan

Issue 19 is out now and available to download from the bottom of this post for all our paying digital subscribers.

gairlochtimes.org.uk

1

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 13d

A physical ID card am actually not all that bothered about. I am *very* bothered about a mandatory "citizen app" that everyone will have to install on their phones, if that's what is proposed. Privacy / data collection horror show.

2 6 17

Ally Tibbitt @allytibbitt.me · 13d

Ha. Possibly? But no-one in their right mind would try and build a business on a single local linear TV station license in 2025. Might as well set fire to money.

1