WASHINGTON The head of an intelligence unit of Washington's police department faces criminal charges after allegedly warning the

New York’s highest court has upheld a New York City law that forbids police from using chokeholds or compressing a person’s diaphragm during an arrest

There is no evidence to suggest using Facebook is detrimental to wellbeing, Oxford scientists have said, challenging the view that the social media platform is linked to psychological harm. Researchers from the University of Oxford’s Oxford Internet Institute analysed data from nearly a million people across 72 countries over 12 years – in the largest study of its kind – to understand more about the impact of Facebook on wellbeing. Professor Andrew Przybylski, who co-led the research published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, said: “We examined the best available data carefully – and found they did not support the idea that Facebook membership is related to harm – quite the opposite. “In fact, our analysis indicates Facebook is possibly related to positive well-being.” The research looked at Facebook data from 2008 to 2019, going back to when the platform was in its early stages. “We examined 72 countries’ per capita active Facebook users in males and females in two age brackets, 13-34 years and 35+ years,” the researchers said. The results also showed the association between using Facebook and wellbeing was slightly more positive for males as well as for younger people. It was generally the case that there were positive associations between country-level Facebook uptake and mental wellbeing Prof Peter Etchells Writing in the research paper, the authors said: “Although reports of negative psychological outcomes associated with social media are common in academic and popular writing, evidence for harms is, on balance, more speculative than conclusive.” Professor Matti Vuorre, also of the Oxford Internet Institute, who co-led the study, said: “Our findings should help guide the debate surrounding social media towards more empirical research foundations. “We need more transparent collaborative research between independent scientists and the technology industry to better determine how, when and why modern online platforms might be affecting their users.” Commenting on the study, Peter Etchells, professor of psychology and science communication at Bath Spa University, said: “This is a fascinating study that attempts to link Facebook uptake with measures of mental wellbeing in a broad-strokes manner, using data from over 70 countries. “Contrary to popular sentiment, the researchers didn’t find a negative association between the two; instead, it was generally the case that there were positive associations between country-level Facebook uptake and mental wellbeing. “To my mind, the value in this study lies in proof of principle – it demonstrates that it’s possible to leverage industry data to address meaningful questions about how digital technology interacts with our mental health.” But Prof Etchells said there were some caveats associated with the findings – which the study authors have addressed. He said: “This is a descriptive study, and as such cannot tell us anything about causation – that is, we don’t know how, if, or to what extent, changes in Facebook adoption drive changes in mental wellbeing. “Wellbeing is a complex phenomenon, and even in the context of social media use, we need to be careful drawing any firm conclusions by looking at how people use a single platform such as Facebook.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Ozzy Osbourne PlayStation tweet which failed to reveal link to Sony banned Harry and Meghan ring young online innovators after funding awards James Bulger’s mother condemns ‘disgusting’ AI clips on TikTok of murdered son

The speaker of Canada's House of Commons has apologized after celebrating a Ukrainian veteran who fought for a Nazi military unit in World War II.

WASHINGTON Democratic U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House of Representatives Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries on Friday

Dunne and Hill are said to be feuding over the fact that they are doppelgangers

Police are searching for both the weapon and the motive in a shooting at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that left one faculty member dead and prompted an hours-long lockdown

In her memoir 'My Love Story', Tina Turner reminisced about a period of feeling lost until Mick Jagger and David Bowie took her under their wing

A former WWE wrestler who had a fling with Lauren Boebert’s mother in the 1980s has taken a second DNA test to conclusively prove he is not the congresswoman’s biological father. Stan Lane, 69, was accused by the Colorado Republican’s mother Shawn Roberts Bentz decades ago of fathering the child while he was working for Championship Wrestling in Florida. He submitted to a court-ordered DNA paternity test in the 1980s to settle a child support dispute, which found that he and the 36-year-old lawmaker were not related. However, doubts persisted after a lab technician who took Mr Lane’s DNA was later convicted of taking a bribe to switch samples in a separate case. In May, Mr Lane and Ms Boebert agreed to submit their DNA for testing which proved they were not father and daughter, she told the Daily Beast. “I can confirm that Stan Lane is not my biological father. I personally have never publicly claimed he was my father—but certainly, that allegation is out there,” she told the news site. Mr Lane said in a statement to wrestling site PWInsider.com he had complied with the court order in the 1980s after having a “brief affair” with Ms Bentz. “We went through the legal system and completed a court-ordered paternity test,” he added. “I was declared not to be the father and the case was dismissed.” After Ms Bentz learned of the fraud charges against the lab worker, he agreed to a second DNA test which concluded that he had a “0.0% chance of being the biological father,” he said. Mr Lane said the false claims had been “stressful” for him and his family. “I feel my otherwise good reputation has been tarnished considerably. I and other close members of my inner circle have been dragged into this as well,” he told PWInsider.com. “I have also been followed by the news media so that they could get the scoop on this topic.” He said he had accepted Ms Boebert’s apology on behalf of herself and her family, and that his interactions with the Maga Republican had been “pleasant and enjoyable”. “I wish Lauren all the best in her future endeavours. If she continues the search for her biological father I hope she finds the answers she has been looking for.” In a statement to the Daily Beast, Ms Boebert agreed the matter was closed, joking: “The Toby Keith song ‘Who’s Your Daddy’ hits a bit differently now.” Read More Lauren Boebert claims she missed vote on debt ceiling deal because it was a ‘c**p sandwich’ Lauren Boebert’s hypocrisy over children isn’t just absurd. It’s cruel Lauren Boebert denies rumours of romance with MAGA country star after shock divorce Boebert claims she didn’t vote on debt ceiling deal because it was a ‘c**p sandwich’ Boebert didn’t turn up to vote on debt ceiling deal she furiously campaigned against Lauren Boebert claims Biden plan to combat antisemitism will target ‘conservatives’

Worried of being held hostage economically by China, the G7 spells out its plan to escape.

Tommy Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back homers and Merrill Kelly struck out eight to help the Arizona Diamondbacks force Game 7 of the NL Championship Series with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies

Vladimir Putin has pushed more troops to the frontline in Avdiivka, Ukraine, despite a failing offensive which has incurred heavy losses. The reinforcements are set to arrive after Russian soldiers have become bogged down there in recent weeks, the ISW reported, citing Russian military bloggers. Russian assaults in Avdiivka have contributed to “a 90 per cent increase in Russian casualties”, the Ukrainian ministry of defence claimed. It comes as Ukrainian authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation of 802 children from 23 settlements in Kherson, according to the Reintegration ministry. The children with their parents or legal guardians will leave the Beryslav, Kakhovka, and Kherson districts for safer regions, the ministry said on Telegram. Meanwhile, Russia has amassed “150,000-190,000 permanent casualties” in the war with Ukraine, the UK defence ministry said. In other developments, six people have been killed in a Russian missile attack that hit a postal distribution centre in Kharkiv, Ukrainian officials have said, as Kherson has seen a record number of bomb attacks in the past 24 hours. Read More Spanish police say they have confiscated ancient gold jewelry worth millions taken from Ukraine Ukraine destroys all Russia-launched drones and cruise missile in overnight attacks Ukrainian and Russian forces clashed 82 times in a single day