One of the world’s most remote populations must deal with a flood of multinational plastic, much of it tossed overboard by the factory fishing ships hoovering up sealife just offshore

• Photographs by Akira Franklin

From a distance, the colourful beach at Ovahe seems a postcard-perfect mosaic of natural beauty. Craggy volcanic boulders, pockmarked from bubbling lava, jut from the sand, garnished by a necklace of pastel-coloured corals and seashells pounded to pieces by the wild, crashing surf.

As the waves pull back, however, another reality emerges. The sand holds few corals or shells. Instead, the high-tide mark is a multinational carpet of plastics polished into an array of bleached Coca-Cola reds and Pepsi blues.

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© Photograph: Akira Franklin/The Guardian

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© Photograph: Akira Franklin/The Guardian

Ubuntu 23.10, codenamed “Mantic Minotaur,” was released on October 12, 2023, nearly nine months ago. Since it is an interim release, its support period is now approaching with the end of life scheduled on July 11, 2024. After this date, Ubuntu 23.10 will no longer receive software and security updates from Canonical. As a result, […]

The post Ubuntu 23.10 Reaches End of Life on July 11, 2024 appeared first on TuxCare.

The post Ubuntu 23.10 Reaches End of Life on July 11, 2024 appeared first on Security Boulevard.

The birds have not been seen for at least a decade – some for more than 100 years – but the authors of a new list of missing species have not given up hope

The coppery thorntail and New Caledonian lorikeet are among the 126 birds “lost” to science, having not been seen for a decade or more, according to the most comprehensive list of missing species composed to date.

The new tally is based on millions of records collected by enthusiastic birders and amateur scientists documenting wildlife in some of the planet’s most remote locations. To be part of the dataset, the bird must not have a recorded sighting in at least a decade, and not be assessed as extinct or extinct in the wild by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

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© Photograph: Image courtesy of BHL

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© Photograph: Image courtesy of BHL

Narrow vote causes fury in Vienna where climate minister is threatened with legal action by coalition partners

The EU has passed a landmark law to protect nature after a knife-edge vote, ending a months-long deadlock among member states spooked by fierce protests from farmers.

But a last-minute change of heart by Austria’s Green climate minister, whose vote is credited with saving the proposal, led to fury in Vienna, with the party of the chancellor, Karl Nehammer, announcing it would seek criminal charges against her for alleged abuse of power.

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© Photograph: @lgewessler/X.com

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© Photograph: @lgewessler/X.com

Beavers’ dams have created more places for water voles to hide from predators and hopefully flourish, say experts

Beavers reintroduced to a Scottish rainforest 15 years ago may have created the right habitat for the area’s endangered water voles to flourish.

The voles, once abundant in Scotland but now one of the country’s most threatened native animals, could thrive in the “complex boundary between water and land” that beavers have created in Knapdale in Argyll and Bute since their reintroduction there in 2009.

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© Photograph: blickwinkel/Alamy

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© Photograph: blickwinkel/Alamy

Unease and anger are rising over proposals to build country’s first facility on Kilifi coast, home to white sand beaches, coral reefs and mangrove swamps

Kilifi County’s white sandy beaches have made it one of Kenya’s most popular tourist destinations. Hotels and beach bars line the 165 mile-long (265km) coast; fishers supply the district’s restaurants with fresh seafood; and visitors spend their days boating, snorkelling around coral reefs or bird watching in dense mangrove forests.

Soon, this idyllic coastline will host Kenya’s first nuclear plant, as the country, like its east African neighbour Uganda, pushes forward with atomic energy plans.

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© Photograph: John Mawer/Alamy

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© Photograph: John Mawer/Alamy

Our nature series Young Country Diary is looking for pieces written by children about their summer wildlife adventures

Once again, the Young Country Diary series is open for submissions! Every three months, as the UK enters a new season, we ask you to send us an article written by a child aged 8-14.

The article needs to be about a recent encounter they’ve had with nature – whether it’s a trip to the beach, a worm-hungry blackbird or a thriving rockpool.

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© Photograph: Family handout

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© Photograph: Family handout

Laxey Bay, Isle of Man: This protected marine area is doing better than most, but there remains one rather foul problem to address

On the east coast of the Isle of Man there exists an extraordinary little bay that supports a wealth of wildlife. Today, flowering thrift bobs among the breeding gulls and a gannet plunges in the bay, gathering food for a chick that is, almost unbelievably, in Scotland. I have seen 99 different species of bird here; eiders now breed, joining black guillemots, choughs, oystercatchers and peregrines. We have nesting gulls that winter in Africa (who would have thought?), replaced each year by a pod of bottlenosed dolphins who migrate up from Wales. Under the waves, an eelgrass meadow is recovering after bottom trawling was banned in 2009. The sandy bottom is home to spectacular small-spotted cat sharks as well as the venerable ocean quahog, a type of edible clam that can live to 500 years old, and one of the rarer species in all Britain and Ireland.

Laxey Bay was designated a strict marine nature reserve in 2018, forming part of the Isle of Man’s international commitment to protect 30% of our seas by 2030. Few of those paddling its cold waters will be aware that they’re actually in a nature reserve – they don’t usually come with ice‑cream shops. For a marine area to be officially “protected” is no guarantee that it is safe from harm; destructive fishing practices still take place in such areas around the UK. But here the designation works: even potting and anchoring are banned in places. And the results speak for themselves – on the first day of the annual scallop season, there’s a race to be the first to fish right up to the reserve boundary. Protecting bays like this results in larger and more abundant shellfish outside them.

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© Photograph: Leigh Morris

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© Photograph: Leigh Morris

Globe Life disclosed a recent cybersecurity incident that may have resulted in unauthorized access to its consumer and policyholder information. Globe Life is a Texas-based insurance holding company. It offers life, health, and worksite insurance products and services to consumers nationwide through its subsidiaries. The company has over 3,600 employees and also owns several insurance providers like Liberty National, United American and Family Heritage Life. The company had also been accused of shady financial tactics and business operations by short sellers Fuzzy Panda Research and Viceroy Research, allegations the company has denied.

Globe Life Breach Discovery and Containment

According to Globe Life's filing with the SEC, the company had conducted a security review on one of its web portals to discover potential vulnerabilities that may have affected its access permissions and user identity management. The investigation was prompted by a legal inquiry from a state insurance regulator on June 13, 2024. The review revealed that an unauthorized party may have accessed the company's web portal, compromising sensitive customer and policyholder data. The company stated that it had immediately revoked external access to the affected portal upon breach discovery. Globe Life said that at this stage, it believes the security issue is isolated to the one web portal. All other company systems remain fully operational. Globe Life added that it expected minimal impact to its business operations after the take down of the affected web portal. The company has activated its cybersecurity incident response plan and engaged external forensics experts to investigate the breach's scope. In its SEC filing, Globe Life disclosed that the investigation remains ongoing. The full impact and nature of the incident are unclear at the moment.

Incident Comes After Scrutiny Over Business Tactics

The company said it has yet to determine if the breach qualifies as a reportable cybersecurity incident under the SEC's disclosure rules. The disclosure comes amidst increasing scrutiny and financial setbacks suffered by the company. The Texas-based insurer has faced allegations of fraudulent sales tactics and other business and workplace improprieties. The short sellers Fuzzy Panda Research and Viceroy Research had made these allegations public in April 2024. While the company has continued to deny these claims, its share price has dropped by 24% since the publication of the Fuzzy Panda report. The reports claimed that Globe Life and its biggest subsidiary, American Income Life (AIL), had engaged in insurance fraud, framing of policies for dead and fictitious individuals, withdrawal of consumer funds without approval, unfair dismissal, misleading sales tactics and illegal kickbacks. They also alleged that some of AIL's most profitable agents had faced accusations of kidnapping, assault and child grooming from defendants, witnesses and plaintiffs. It remains unclear if the state insurance regulator contact that led to the breach discovery is related to these allegations. Insurers like Globe Life are regulated at the state level rather than federal level. Media Disclaimer: This report is based on internal and external research obtained through various means. The information provided is for reference purposes only, and users bear full responsibility for their reliance on it. The Cyber Express assumes no liability for the accuracy or consequences of using this information.

But this isn't really about the software. It's about what software promises us—that it will help us become who we want to be, living the lives we find most meaningful and fulfilling. The idea of research as leisure activity has stayed with me because it seems to describe a kind of intellectual inquiry that comes from idiosyncratic passion and interest. It's not about the formal credentials. It's fundamentally about play. It seems to describe a life where it's just fun to be reading, learning, writing, and collaborating on ideas. from research as leisure activity by Celine Nguyen [Personal Canon]

Birth control is being trialled as a humane way to limit growing numbers of grey squirrels, pigeons and wild boar

The invention of the contraceptive pill heralded the sexual revolution of the 1960s, and now scientists are looking to revolutionise wildlife control by getting animals in on the action. Trials are under way in the UK and elsewhere in Europe of how to get contraceptives into pigeons, wild boar and grey squirrels, with scientists also proposingother rodents, invasive parakeets and deer as other target species.

As destruction from invasive and pest species grows, researchers are looking to fill special feeders and bait boxes with hazelnut spreads and grains laced with contraceptives. They believe this could be a more humane and effective way of controlling populations that have previously been poisoned, shot or trapped.

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© Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock

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© Photograph: Geoffrey Swaine/REX/Shutterstock

Campaigners say next government must reduce use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late

The UK’s insect populations are declining at alarming rates and the next government must put in place plans to monitor and reduce the use and toxicity of pesticides before it is too late, wildlife experts say.

In recent years, concerns have been raised over earthworm populations, which have fallen by a third in the past 25 years. A citizen science project that monitors flying insects in the UK, meanwhile, found a 60% decline between 2004 and 2021. The overall trajectory, as government monitoring figures show, has been downwards since the 1970s.

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© Photograph: Odd Andersen/AP

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© Photograph: Odd Andersen/AP

Several vulnerabilities have been discovered in the FFmpeg multimedia framework, a popular tool for processing audio and video files. These vulnerabilities could lead to severe consequences such as denial of service or arbitrary code execution on affected systems. Fortunately, they have been addressed in the latest updates, ensuring that users can safeguard their systems against […]

The post Understanding the Recent FFmpeg Vulnerabilities appeared first on TuxCare.

The post Understanding the Recent FFmpeg Vulnerabilities appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Diving with marine life such as blue sharks is growing in popularity in the UK, spurred by footage of encounters on social media

We have only been waiting in the grey Atlantic swell a few moments when the first flash of metallic blue appears in the water. A blue shark, a few miles from the coast of Penzance in Cornwall, emerges from the depths. It is time to get in the water – but part of my brain rebels.

“It’s not what you think it will be like … not that ingrained fear that everyone has about sharks. But until you get in the water with them, that fear will remain,” the guide says to the group.

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© Photograph: Victoria Walker

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© Photograph: Victoria Walker

Sometimes you need to leave to really see the place you came from. Years after sailing solo to Greece, every time I return I’m astounded by what I find

I’m staring at a seahorse. At the little spines on its head. A spiky crown. Like a unicorn under water. Such sightings are always precious, but this one feels unique because I’ve convinced myself that he’s giving birth. I watch them daily, these bony little fish, tails curling twigs, fanning delicately, performing their sunrise greetings (my heart!). This little fella angles this way and that while bubbles, or perhaps thousands of tiny seahorse babies ejected from his pouch, rise around him. It’s hard to tell, but who needs proof? The possibility is magical enough. Life is fairytale-special. If you choose to see it that way.

We’re in northern Greece, the seahorses and me, a few miles south-east of Preveza, in the Ionian sea. But you could find them in your own watery back yard, too – even in London. Hippocampus hippocampus breed in the outer Thames, and along England’s south coast.

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© Photograph: Cat Vinton/The Observer

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© Photograph: Cat Vinton/The Observer

Captive breeding in Norway has built up numbers endangered by the climate crisis and golden eagles but only a more diverse population will survive in the long term

Deep in the Norwegian mountains, amid a vast expanse of bright snow and howling winds, Toralf Mjøen throws a piece of meat into a fenced enclosure and waits for a pair of dark eyes to appear from the snowy den.

These curious and playful arctic foxes know Mjøen well. He has been the caretaker at this breeding facility for 17 years, going up the mountain daily to feed them at their enclosures near the small village of Oppdal, about 250 miles north of Oslo.

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© Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

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© Photograph: Lisi Niesner/Reuters

Multiple security issues were found in Git, a popular distributed version control system. The Ubuntu security team has proactively addressed Git vulnerabilities by releasing updates for various versions of the Ubuntu operating system, including Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, Ubuntu 23.10, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, and Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.   Git Vulnerabilities Fixed in Ubuntu Updates   Security […]

The post Exploring Git Vulnerabilities: Latest Fixes and Updates appeared first on TuxCare.

The post Exploring Git Vulnerabilities: Latest Fixes and Updates appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Cocaine traffickers have put two-thirds of Central America’s key habitats for threatened birds under threat, study finds

Cocaine consumption is threatening rare tropical birds as narco-traffickers move into some of the planet’s most remote forests to evade drug crackdowns, a study has warned.

Two-thirds of key forest habitats for birds in Central America are at risk of being destroyed by “narco-driven” deforestation, according to the paper, published on Wednesday in the journal Nature Sustainability.

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© Photograph: Barry Soames/Alamy

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© Photograph: Barry Soames/Alamy

Exeter University study has origins in 1950 discovery by ornithologists who ‘chanced upon a spectacle’

It is a weird and wonderful sight: millions of migratory insects funnelling through a single narrow pass high in the Pyrenees, looking like a dark flying carpet and emitting a low, deep hum.

A team of scientists from a British university that has been studying the phenomenon for the last four years has now concluded that more than 17 million insects fly each year through the 30 metre-wide Puerto de Bujaruelo on the border of France and Spain.

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© Photograph: Will Hawkes

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© Photograph: Will Hawkes

Cubs killed by cars earlier in the day before spooked Nakoda ran on to highway, where another vehicle struck her

National park staff in Canada are mourning the “devastating” loss of a rare white grizzly bear and her cubs after all three were killed in separate vehicle collisions on the same day.

The bear formally referred to as GBF178 but named Nakoda by locals had in recent months been spotted with her two cubs foraging on spring dandelions along a stretch of highway between Lake Louise and Yoho national parks.

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© Photograph: Parks Canada

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© Photograph: Parks Canada

Researchers have long assumed that a tube in the famous Pikaia fossil ran along the animal’s back. But a new study turned the fossil upside down.

© Mussini et al., Current Biology 2024

Conservationists criticise ‘disappointing’ and ‘dangerous’ move to allow harpooning of fin whales after curbs last year

Iceland has granted a licence to Europe’s last whaling company to kill more than 100 animals this year, despite hopes the practice might have been halted after concerns about cruelty led to a temporary suspension last year.

Animal rights groups described the news as “deeply disappointing” and “dangerous”.

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© Photograph: B Compagnon/Sagaphoto/Alamy

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© Photograph: B Compagnon/Sagaphoto/Alamy

The GNU C Library, commonly known as glibc, is a critical component in many Linux distributions. It provides core functions essential for system operations. However, like any software library, it is not immune to vulnerabilities. Recently, multiple security issues have been identified in glibc, which could result in a denial of service. These vulnerabilities are […]

The post Recent glibc Vulnerabilities and How to Protect Your Linux System appeared first on TuxCare.

The post Recent glibc Vulnerabilities and How to Protect Your Linux System appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Intel Microcode, the firmware responsible for controlling the behavior of Intel CPUs, has recently been found to have several vulnerabilities. These issues could potentially allow attackers to gain unauthorized access to your system, steal sensitive information, or even crash your computer.   Recent Intel Microcode Vulnerabilities   Let’s break down some vulnerabilities that were patched […]

The post Intel Microcode Vulnerabilities Addressed in Ubuntu Systems appeared first on TuxCare.

The post Intel Microcode Vulnerabilities Addressed in Ubuntu Systems appeared first on Security Boulevard.

Researchers used artificial intelligence algorithm to analyse calls by two herds of African savanna elephants in Kenya

Elephants call out to each other using individual names that they invent for their fellow pachyderms, according to a new study.

While dolphins and parrots have been observed addressing each other by mimicking the sound of others from their species, elephants are the first non-human animals known to use names that do not involve imitation, the researchers suggested.

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© Photograph: George Wittemyer/AP

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© Photograph: George Wittemyer/AP

Ben Myers posted to X last year about his grandmother's reading list, and followed it up a year later after her death. This My Modern Met article summarises the tweets.

If you're not careful and you noclip out of reality in the wrong areas, you'll end up in the Backrooms, where it's nothing but the stink of old moist carpet, the madness of mono-yellow, the endless background noise of fluorescent lights at maximum hum-buzz, and approximately six hundred million square miles of randomly segmented empty rooms to be trapped in. God save you if you hear something wandering around nearby, because it sure as hell has heard you.

So stated an anonymous 2019 thread on 4chan's /x/ imageboard -- a potent encapsulation of liminal-space horror that gave rise to a complex mythos, exploratory video games, and an acclaimed web series (previously; soon to become a major motion picture from A24!). In the five years since, the evolving "Backrooms" fandom has canonized a number of other dreamlike settings, from CGI creations like The Poolrooms and a darkened suburb with wrong stars to real places like the interior atrium of Heathrow's Terminal 4 Holliday Inn and a shuttered Borders bookstore. But the image that inspired the founding text -- an anonymous photo of a vaguely unnerving yellow room -- remained a mystery... until now.

...turns out it's from a 2003 blog post about renovating for an RC car race track in Oshkosh! Not quite as fun a reveal as for certain other longstanding internet mysteries, but still satisfying, especially since it includes another equally-unsettling photo (and serendipitously refers to a "back room"). Also, due credit to Black August, the SomethingAwful goon who quietly claims to have written the original Backrooms text. Liminal spaces previously on MeFi:

Discussing the Kane Pixels production (plus an inspired-by series, A-Sync Research). Note that as the Backrooms movie takes shape, Kane is continuing work on an intriguing spiritual successor: The Oldest View The Eerie Comfort of Liminal Spaces A Twitter thread on being lost in a real-life Backrooms space Inside the world's largest underground shopping complex A 2010 post about Hondo, an enigmatic Half-Life map designer who incorporated "enormous hidden areas that in some cases dwarfed the actual level" MyHouse.WAD, a sprawling, reality-warping Doom mod that went viral last year AskMe: Seeking fiction books with labyrinths and other interminable buildings

My personal favorite liminal space: the unnervingly cheerful indoor playground KidsFun from '90s-era Tampa -- if only because I've actually been there as a kid (and talked about its eeriness on the blue before). Do you have any liminal spaces that have left an impression on you?

During a chaotic period some 50 million years ago, the strange deep-sea creatures left the ocean bottom and thrived by clamping onto their mates.

Once called the “poet laureate” of deep-sea creatures, he melded science with art in paintings, books and a notable life-size installation in New York.

© Tony Cenicola/The New York Times

1,180 drawings of plant root systems. A variety of strategies for collecting water and nutrients into the plant.

Some have both horizontal and vertical views.

Scientists in the United States are reporting “unprecedented patterns” of surface warming, an ominous sign for coral.

© Jorge Silva/Reuters

Trained negotiators can help families struggling with vexing elder-care issues.

© Lucas León

Divers and marine biologists are getting a window into the lives of a red crustacean most often found in the guts of other species.

The spring population of the critically endangered species is at a 25-year high, a surprising rebound in a tiny desert cave.

© BioStock Images/Alamy

An effort to protect 30 percent of land and waters would count some commercial fishing zones as conserved areas.

© Karsten Moran for The New York Times