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Instagrams Reels video feed reportedly recommends risqu footage of children as well as overtly sexual adult videos to adult users who follow children with some of the disturbing content placed next to ads from major companies.

In one instance, an ad promoting the dating app Bumble was sandwiched between a video of a person caressing a life-size latex doll and another clip of an underage girl exposing her midriff, according to the Wall Street Journal, which set up test accounts to probe Instagrams algorithm.

In other cases, Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta-owned app showed a Pizza Hut commercial next to a video of a man laying in bed with a purported 10-year-old girl, while a Walmart ad was displayed next to a video of a woman exposing her crotch.

The shocking results were revealed as Meta faces a sweeping legal challenge from dozens of states alleging the company has failed to prevent underage users from joining Instagram or to shield them from harmful content.

It also comes on the heels of dozens of blue-chirp firms pulling their advertising from Elon Musk’s X platform after their promos appeared next to posts touting Adolf Hitler and the Nazi party. The exodus is expected to reportedly cost the site formerly known as Twitter as much as $75 million in revenue this year.

Meta now faces its own advertiser revolt after some companies cited in the study suspended ads on all its platforms, which include Facebook, following Monday’s report by the Journal.

The Journal’s test accounts followed only young gymnasts, cheerleaders and other teen and preteen influencers active on the platform.

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“Thousands of followers of such young peoples accounts often include large numbers of adult men, and that many of the accounts who followed those children also had demonstrated interest in sex content related to both children and adults, the outlet found.

The Reels feed presented to test accounts became even more disturbing after the Journals reporters followed adult users who were already following children-related content.

The algorithm purportedly displayed a mix of adult pornography and child-sexualizing material, such as a video of a clothed girl caressing her torso and another of a child pantomiming a sex act.

When reached for comment, a Meta spokesperson argued the tests were a manufactured experience that does not reflect the experience of most users.

We dont want this kind of content on our platforms and brands dont want their ads to appear next to it, a Meta spokesperson said in a statement. We continue to invest aggressively to stop it – and report every quarter on the prevalence of such content, which remains very low.

Our systems are effective at reducing harmful content and weve invested billions in safety, security and brand suitability solutions, the spokesperson added. We tested Reels for nearly a year before releasing it widely – with a robust set of safety controls and measures.

Meta noted that it has approximately 40,000 employees globally dedicated to ensuring the safety and integrity of its platforms.

The company asserted that the spread of such content is relatively small, with just three to four views of posts that violate its policies per every 10,000 views on Instagram.

However, current and former Meta employees reportedly told the Journal that the tendency of the companys algorithms to present child sex content users was known internally to be a problem even before Reels was released in 2020 to compete with popular video app TikTok.

The Journal’s findings followed a June report by the publication that revealed Instagrams recommendation algorithms fueled what it described as a vast pedophile network that advertised the sale of child-sex material on the platform.

That report prompted Meta to block access to thousands of additional search terms on Instagram and to set up an internal task force to crack down on the illegal content.

Nonetheless, several major companies expressed outrage or disappointment over the companys handling of their ads including Match Group, the parent company of Tinder, which has reportedly pulled all of its ads for its major companies from Meta-owned apps.

Most companies sign deals stipulating that their ads should not appear next to sexually-charged or explicit content.

We have no desire to pay Meta to market our brands to predators or place our ads anywhere near this content, Match spokeswoman Justine Sacco said in a statement.

Bumble spokesman Robbie McKay said the dating app would never intentionally advertise adjacent to inappropriate content and has since suspended advertising on Meta platforms.

A Disney representative said the company had brought the problem to the highest levels at Meta to be addressed, while Hinge said it will push Meta to take more action.

The Canadian Center for Child Protection, a nonprofit dedicated to child safety, purportedly got similar results after conducting its own tests. The Post has reached out to the group for comment.

Time and time again, weve seen recommendation algorithms drive users to discover and then spiral inside of these online child exploitation communities, the centers executive director Lianna McDonald told the Journal.

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World

Drone attacks are intensifying in Sudan – hitting schools and camps homing the displaced

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Drone attacks are intensifying in Sudan - hitting schools and camps homing the displaced

The smell of explosives is still in the air when we arrive.

Hours before, a displacement camp in Atbara housing families who fled the war in Sudan’s capital Khartoum was hit by two drone strikes in a four-pronged attack.

The first bomb on 25 April burned donated tents and killed the children in them.

The second hit a school serving as a shelter for the spillover of homeless families.

Sudan

Chunks of cement and plaster had been blasted off the walls of the classrooms where they slept when the second explosive was dropped.

Blood marked the entrance of the temporary home closest to the crater.

Inside, shattered glass and broken window frames speak to the force of the explosion. We were told by their neighbours that four people in the family were instantly killed.

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“People were torn apart. This is inhumane,” says their neighbour Mahialdeen, whose brother and sister were injured. “We are praying that God lifts this catastrophe. We left Khartoum because of the fighting and found it here.”

Wiping a tear, he says: “It is chasing us.”

Sudan

The sanctuary city held by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) about 200 miles northeast of Khartoum has been hit by six drone attacks by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) since the start of the year.

These latest strikes are the most deadly.

The drones – known for targeting civilian infrastructure – hit the displacement camp twice, the nearby power station supplying the city with electricity and an empty field with four bombs in the dark, early hours of the morning. First responders have told Sky News that 12 people were killed, including at least two children.

Sudan

RSF increasingly using drones to carry out attacks

Data from the conflict-monitoring organisation ACLED shows the RSF has carried out increasing numbers of drone attacks across the country.

The most targeted states have been Khartoum and North Darfur, where fighting on the ground has been fierce, as well as Atbara’s River Nile State.

The data suggests that the increase in strikes has been driven by a change in tactics following the SAF’s recapture of Khartoum in late March, with the number of strikes carried out by the RSF spiking shortly after their withdrawal from the capital.

Satellite imagery shows the RSF’s airpower has allowed it to continue to attack targets in and around Khartoum.

Nearby Wadi Seidna Airbase was targeted after the attack on Atbara, with damage visible across a large area south of its airfield.

We were given access to the remains of latest suicide drones launched at Khartoum and could not find discernible signs of commercial origin.

Drone experts told Sky News that they are self-built devices made from generic parts with no identifiable manufacturers for the components.

Read more:
Sky reporter returns to family home left in ruins
UK announces £120m aid package for Sudan

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Two years of war in Sudan

Drones sighted in South Darfur are consistent with Chinese models

High-resolution satellite images confirm the presence of drones at the RSF-held Nyala Airport.

While the total number of drones kept at this location is unknown, imagery from Planet Labs shows six on 24 April.

This is the highest number of drones observed at the airport, suggesting an increase in the RSF’s available airpower.

The location and number of drones visible in satellite imagery at Nyala Airport has varied over time, suggesting they are in active use.

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Yousra Elbagir visits wartorn home in Sudan

While it is not possible to determine the exact model of drones sighted at Nyala Airport, a report published by researchers at the Yale School of Public Health’s Humanitarian Lab has previously found them to be consistent with the Chinese-produced FH-95.

Analysis carried out by Sky News confirms these findings, with the measurements and visible features matching those of the CH-95 and FH-95. Both designs are produced in China.

The United Arab Emirates is widely accused of supplying Chinese drones to the RSF through South Sudan and Uganda, as well as weapons through Chad. The UAE vehemently denies these claims.

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Sudanese military in presidential palace

Evidence of new airfields

Satellite imagery viewed by Sky News suggests the RSF has worked to increase its air capabilities outside of South Darfur.

In late 2024, five new airstrips appeared in West Kordofan between the contested cities of North Darfur capital Al Fashir and Khartoum.

While the purpose of these airstrips is unknown, it is clear they carry some level of military significance, having been targeted by air in April.

In high-resolution images, no aircraft can be seen. Damage is visible next to a structure that appears to be an aircraft hangar.

The rapid escalation in drone strikes is being brutally suffered on the ground.

In Atbara’s Police Hospital, we find a ward full of the injured survivors.

One of them, a three-year-old girl called Manasiq, is staring up at the ceiling in wide-eyed shock with her head wrapped in a bandage and her feet covered in dried blood.

Her aunt tells us the explosion flung her small body across the classroom shelter but she miraculously survived.

She has shrapnel in her head and clings onto her aunt as her mother is treated for her own injuries in a ward on the first floor.

Sudan

In a dark room deeper in the ward, a mother sits on the edge of a hospital bed holding her young injured daughter. Her son, only slightly older, is on a smaller adjustable bed further away.

Fadwa looks forlorn and helpless. Her children were spending the night with relatives in the temporary tents when the first strike hit and killed her eight-year-old son.

His surviving sister and brother have been asking after him, but Fadwa can’t bring herself to break the news.

“What can I say? This is our fate. We fled the war in Khartoum but can’t escape the violence,” Fadwa says, staring off in the distance.

“We are condemned to this fate.”

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Harvey Weinstein accuser breaks down in tears on witness stand – and swears at his lawyer

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Harvey Weinstein accuser breaks down in tears on witness stand - and swears at his lawyer

One of Harvey Weinstein’s accusers broke down in tears and swore on the witness stand as a sexual abuse trial continues.

Warning: This article contains references to sexual assault

Miriam Haley claims the former Hollywood mogul forced oral sex on her in July 2006.

The case is being retried after the appeals court overturned his conviction last year.

She was working as a production assistant at the time.

Weinstein has strenuously denied all allegations, and Ms Haley also testified at Weinstein’s initial trial.

Miriam Haley, an accuser testifying at Harvey Weinstein's rape trial, arrives to the courtroom after a break in New York, Tuesday, April 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Miriam Haley. AP file pic

Harvey Weinstein appears in state court in Manhattan for his retrial on Wednesday, April 30, 2025 in New York.  (Sarah Yenesel/Pool Photo via AP)
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Harvey Weinstein on Wednesday as he appeared for his retrial. Pic: AP

The 48-year-old was testifying in a Manhattan court when Weinstein’s defence lawyer Jennifer Bonjean questioned her account of the incident.

In court, Ms Bonjean asked why Ms Haley would agree to Weinstein’s invitation to his apartment after testifying about his previous behaviour, including her alleging that he barged into her home.

Ms Haley then became emotional after being asked how her clothes came off before Weinstein allegedly pulled out a tampon and performed oral sex on her.

She said Weinstein took off her clothing, but she didn’t recall the details, before Ms Bonjean asked: “You removed your clothes, right?”

Read more:
Harvey Weinstein retrial: ‘He had all the power’
Weinstein accuser felt ‘the unthinkable was happening’ during alleged assault

Ms Haley then told jurors that Weinstein “was the one who raped me, not the other way around” – to which his lawyer said: “That is for the jury to decide.”

She then started crying and said: “No, it’s not for the jury to decide. It’s my experience. And he did that to me.”

Sky’s US partner network NBC News reported that Ms Haley said during the exchange: “Don’t tell me I wasn’t raped by that f*****g asshole.”

Judge Curtis Farber then halted questioning and sent jurors on a break. Ms Haley’s eyes were red and her face was glistening as she left the witness stand.

In February 2020, Weinstein was found guilty of sexually assaulting Ms Haley – along with raping former actor Jessica Mann in a New York hotel in 2013 – and sentenced to 23 years in prison.

His conviction for the two crimes was overturned in April after an appeals court ruled the trial judge unfairly allowed testimony against Weinstein based on allegations that weren’t part of the case.

After the appeal ruling, Weinstein was charged with raping one woman and forcing oral sex on two others.

Two of the charges are those he faced during the original trial, while the third – one of the charges of forcing oral sex on Kaja Sokola – was added last year.

Weinstein denies all allegations, and his lawyers argue his accusers had consensual sexual encounters.

Regardless of the outcome of the retrial, he will remain in prison over a 2022 conviction in Los Angeles for a separate count of rape. His lawyers are also appealing this sentence.

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Environment

Honda really wants to sell you a hydrogen fuel cell, today [part 5]

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Honda really wants to sell you a hydrogen fuel cell, today [part 5]

Honda came to this year’s ACT Expo in Anaheim, California with the perfect follow-up to the jaw-dropping hydrogen fuel cell-powered semi truck they showed off last year. This year, the company’s fuel cell is in series production – and available now.

“Honda hydrogen is open for business,” says David Perzynski, assistant manager of hydrogen solutions development at American Honda. “(We have) the fuel cell technology, the expertise, and the supply chain to power a variety of zero-emissions products, including commercial trucking and stationary power generation.”

The company arrived with a more developed version of its Peterbilt 579EV-based HFC semi concept, which is based on one of that brand’s existing BEVs and uses the Honda fuel cell as a range-extending generator for its 120 kWh battery … or, rather, it would – if it was ever plugged into a charger.

On battery power alone, the big Pete is good for up to 150 miles of fully loaded range. With the fuel cell along for the piggyback ride, however, the truck’s range climbs to more than 500 miles at an 82,000 lb. combined vehicle weight.

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More than just a range-extender

Honda envisions a world where its hydrogen fuel cell is used in much more than transportation and logistics applications. At the ACT Expo, Honda had a scale mock-up of what a hospital-sized hydrogen backup generator could look like – and hinted that such an installation might soon become a reality.

This is all very normal for Honda

Honda FCX hydrogen fuel cell concept; via Honda.

If it seems weird that Honda is pushing hydrogen so hard these days, it shouldn’t. Honda’s been developing hydrogen fuel cells for nearly forty years, and put its first hydrogen fuel cell car (the FCX concept, above) all the way back in 1999.

Since then, it’s put a number of hydrogen fuel cell-powered vehicles into series production, including the innovative Honda CR-V HFC hybrid that lets you fill the car’s 17.7 kWh battery with electrons at home for up to 29 miles of all-electric driving, then fill up the hydrogen tank for another 241 miles of driving … and they’re not stopping there.

We had a chance to chat with David Perzynski on Quick Charge last year, where he talked us through some of Honda’s hydrogen plans in more detail. You can check it out, below.

Hydrogen had a wild ride last year

Original content from Electrek.

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