People mourning animals can suffer prolonged grief disorder, a condition brought about by death of loved one, study says Grief over the death of a pet could be as chronic as that for a human family member, research has shown, confirming what many people already know about their bond with their furry friends. People grieving the loss of a pet can suffer from prolonged grief disorder (PGD), a mental health condition brought about by the death of a loved one, a survey published in the academic journal PLOS One has found. Continue reading...

Platform with 700m users worldwide says it is investigating after Anna’s Archive claims to have accessed tracks and metadata An activist group has claimed to have scraped millions of tracks from Spotify and is preparing to release them online. Observers said the apparent leak could boost AI companies looking for material to develop their technology. Continue reading...

Performing arts union Equity says it may hold formal ballot after 99% of actors polled in indicative ballot voted in favour of refusing body scans Actors have voted in favour of refusing to be digitally scanned in order to prevent their likeness being used by artificial intelligence in a pushback against the use of AI in the arts. Members of the performing arts union Equity were asked if they would refuse to be scanned while on set, a common practice where actors have their likeness captured for future use, with 99% voting in favour of the move. Continue reading...

The marathon national security trial against Apple Daily founder and pro-democracy advocate Jimmy Lai finally comes to an end.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Flow Neuroscience's at-home brain stimulation device to treat depression, offering an alternative to typical antidepressants that can cause side effects with long-term use, the company said on Thursday.

Exclusive: letters with deepfake images of Carmen Lau in UK and targeting of Ted Hui in Australia part of growing harassment Sexually explicit letters and “lonely housewife” posters about high-profile pro-democracy Hong Kong exiles have been sent to people in the UK and Australia, marking a ratcheting up in the transnational harassment faced by critics of the Chinese Communist party’s rule in the former British colony. Letters purporting to be from Carmen Lau, an exiled pro-democracy activist and former district councillor, showing digitally faked images of her as a sex worker were sent to her former neighbours in Maidenhead in the UK in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Powerful security agency accuses international journalists of disregarding facts and smearing the government Beijing’s powerful security agency in Hong Kong has summoned journalists from international media to inform them it will not tolerate “trouble-making”, after critical coverage of the deadly apartment complex fire that has left the territory reeling. Senior reporters from several outlets operating in the city were called to the meeting by the Office for Safeguarding National Security (OSNS), which was set up by Beijing in 2020. Continue reading...