Scientists have decided it’s official – people do not necessarily have to believe in a “god” to have a moral compass. A group of four University of Illinois surveys found that while there were subtle differences in behaviour between groups of atheists and religious people – or “theists” – they live by the same moral codes. Tomas Ståhl of the University of Illinois said: “The most general take-home message from these studies is that people who do not believe in God do have a moral compass. "In fact, they share many of the same moral concerns that religious believers have, such as concerns about fairness, and about protecting vulnerable individuals from harm.” The first two surveys crowdsourced responses from hundreds of American residents, and found that religion was unrelated to amoral tendencies, whether people would endorse liberty or oppression or whether people cared about being fair to others. The second two surveys compared thousands of people across the US and Sweden, which is a much more secular country. The data came up with the same results. Mainstream religions are on a downward trend worldwide. In the UK, for example, just 46 percent of people identified as Christian in the 2021 census, compared to 59 percent in 2011. The US has seen similar declines. Ståhl added: “However, disbelievers are less inclined than believers to endorse moral values that serve group cohesion, such as having respect for authorities, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity… “It is possible that the negative stereotype of atheists as immoral may stem in part from the fact that they are less inclined than religious people to view respect for authority, ingroup loyalty, and sanctity as relevant for morality, and they are more likely to make moral judgments about harm on a consequentialist, case by case basis.” It’s news that will come as little surprise to the estimated 750 million atheists across the globe, of course. But for people who still think religion is the key to morality, it could be food for thought. How to join the indy100's free WhatsApp channel Sign up to our free indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Valorant Kingdom Credits are a new in-game currency coming in Episode 7 Act I that can unlock items in Agent contracts and previous Battle Pass cosmetics.

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A twisted rumour spread across social media on Friday (23 June) that said Marvel actor Jeremy Renner had passed away from a "freak escalator accident." He has not. It is simply yet another celebrity death hoax. The image was originally shared on Twitter with a fake headline that read: "Jeremy Renner, actor, passes away at 52 from freak escalator accident." The fake article is credited to The Guardian's deputy culture editor Sian Cain but appears to be a doctored screenshot from an article written back in March, as the two used the same image of the star. The original article covered Renner's snowplough accident that occurred in January. The rumour seems to have started from user @weedhitter, whose original tweet has over 1 million views, according to Twitter. The hashtag #ripjeremyrenner soon began trending on Twitter as a result of the fake headline, which later featured a community note letting users know that the Hawkeye actor was still alive. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Whilst the hashtag was trending it seemed that most were in on the hoax, rather than spreading misinformation: However, some didn't appreciate the rumour: Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Apple will release its major new software updates for the iPhone, Watch and more next week. iOS 17 will arrive on Monday, 18 September, Apple said as it revealed the new iPhone 15 and other products. WatchOS 10 will be released on the same day, timed around the launch of the Apple Watch Series 9. Both will be available as free upgrades for almost all devices that can run the current updates. iOS 17 drops support for the iPhone 8 and iPhone X, however, which were released in 2017. iOS 17 brings with it a whole range of features, primarily based around communication. There are major upgrades to the phone app, Messages, and more. The new version of WatchOS brings a fresh design to the Apple Watch, allowing more information at a glance. It also adds new fitness features, including the option to track cycling metrics. Read More Here’s the new iPhone Pro, made out of an entirely new material Apple is changing the plug on the bottom of your iPhone Here is the iPhone 15

By Abhirup Roy SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) -Rivian's earlier-than-expected bond issuance this month was aimed at strengthening the electric-vehicle maker's balance

The UK’s data protection watchdog is seeking permission to appeal against the decision of a tribunal to overturn a data privacy fine handed out to facial recognition firm Clearview AI. The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said it believes the tribunal incorrectly interpreted the law when overturning a £7.5 million fine handed out to Clearview by the ICO last year. At the time, the ICO said Clearview had collected billions of images of people’s faces and data – without informing people or gaining their consent – from publicly available information on the internet, including social media platforms, for use in facial recognition services by law enforcement agencies outside of the UK. But last month, a tribunal overturned the ICO’s decision after a Clearview appeal ruling that the ICO did not have the jurisdiction to issue its fine and enforcement notice because Clearview’s system was only used by law enforcement agencies based outside the UK. Whilst my office supports businesses that innovate with AI solutions, we will always take the appropriate action to protect UK people when we believe their privacy rights are not being respected John Edwards, Information Commissioner Now the ICO says it wishes to seek permission to appeal on the grounds that it believes that Clearview itself was not processing data for foreign law enforcement purposes and should not be shielded from the scope of UK law on that basis. “I fully respect the role of the tribunal to provide scrutiny of my decisions – but as the defender of the public’s privacy, I need to challenge this judgment to clarify whether commercial enterprises profiting from processing digital images of UK people, are entitled to claim they are engaged in ‘law enforcement’,” Information Commissioner John Edwards said. “It is my job to protect the data rights of the people of the United Kingdom and it is my view that there are too many who are being affected by the sheer scale and intrusiveness of Clearview’s mass scraping of personal information. “This is an important issue within the AI sphere and whilst my office supports businesses that innovate with AI solutions, we will always take the appropriate action to protect UK people when we believe their privacy rights are not being respected.” The ICO said it would now await the tribunal’s decision on the issue. Clearview AI has been contacted for comment.

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sep 5, 2023--

As of May 22, several Sony headphones, earbuds, and speakers are on sale at Amazon

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The hiker stopped right in front of the camera and mouthed the words "help" and "lost".

Instead of snagging dinner reservations, pinickers are snagging spots in the park to dine al fresco.