Interesting

Category: Well-Being

The happiest place to live in the UK in 2024 is Woodbridge in Suffolk

The Guardian »

Residents of Woodbridge scored it particularly highly for feeling that they are able to “be themselves” in the area, the community spirit and friendliness of the people, and access to essential services such as doctors and schools.

The mayor of Woodbridge, Councillor Robin Sanders, said the happy mood of the town’s residents was “a reflection of the vibrant town centre”.

Jamie Curran, the director at IP Properties in Woodbridge, said: “The amenities Woodbridge has to offer in my eyes are second to none; having boutiques, coffee shops, public houses and highly reviewed restaurants all within walking distance of each other is amazing.”

The London borough of Richmond upon Thames was placed second, having been top last year, while Hexham in Northumberland, a previous winner, was ranked third.

In other findings from the report, Monmouth was crowned the happiest place to live in Wales, while Stirling came top in Scotland.

‘Living apart, together’ partners enjoy better wellbeing

Chris Osuh, writing for The Guardian »

Couples who meet in later life and decide against moving in together experience mental health benefits comparable to marriage or cohabiting – but without the “frictions”, “intense day-to-day interactions” and care commitments that come with those relationships, the research showed.

Challenging the perception that older people prefer more “conventional” arrangements involving marriage and cohabitation, the research found that when the over-60s form a new relationship, “living apart, together” is the most popular option: 10 times more probable than marriage.

Australia a step closer to being the world’s first country to ban social media for people under 16 years old

Tech Xplore »

Australian lawmakers moved a step closer to banning under 16s from social media platforms Wednesday, threatening companies that fail to comply with multimillion-dollar fines.

The landmark legislation passed parliament’s lower chamber Wednesday and is now set to be debated by the Senate.

The new rules would mean the likes of Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat have to take “reasonable steps” to prevent young teens from having accounts.

Social media firms—who could face fines of up to Aus$50 million (US$32.5 million) for failing to impose the ban—have described the laws as “vague”, “problematic” and “rushed”.

SCMP »

The leaders of all eight Australian states and mainland territories have unanimously backed the plan, although Tasmania, the smallest state, would have preferred the threshold was set at 14.

Australia’s House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would ban children younger than 16 years old from social media. That leaves it up to the Senate to finalise the world-first law.

Also » Le Monde / Al Jazeera / VoA

Climate change is a human rights issue

Kuan-Wei Chen, McGill University and Hoda Asgarian, Bond University, writing in The Conversation »

In April, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in favour of a group of seniors who alleged that the Swiss government’s failure to meet climate change mitigation targets is having an adverse impact on their health, well-being and quality of life.

This landmark decision by the highest human rights court in Europe confirms not only that climate change is intimately linked to human rights, but effectively holds all European governments accountable to adopt more rigorous measures to combat climate change. »

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