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well, that escalated quickly.
That ceasefire the US apparently brokered in Gaza never materialised, and now both the US and Israel are escalating their military operations elsewhere.
This week, Trump ordered pre-emptive attacks on Iran upon hearing that Israel was preparing an imminent attack on the nation. The president feared the US allyship with Israel would inevitably prompt retaliation, so opted to go on the offensive and blunt the military prowess of Iran – particularly, it’s ‘pretty good’ missiles.
It doesn’t exactly scream Nobel Peace Prize, does it?
Iran and Israel have been locked in a shadow conflict for years. Israel has long been consumed by the existential threat of Iran’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and the US has raised alarms over Iran’s refusal to slow down in ‘diplomatic’ meetings. It also says Tehran has long sponsored terrorism against the west by supplying arms, training, and wealth to outfits like Hezbollah.
Iran argues that it is, and has long been, acting in self-defence against aggressors. Officials say they just want sovereignty and claim foreign influences wish to destabilise their government by using tactics that set fire to international law. Iran’s military capacity is taking a battering as we speak, and it has warned that retaliation will come.
While Trump is busy using bolshy language to describe how Iranian missiles were obliterated and ships sit ‘at the bottom of the ocean,’ the primary concern for Gen Z is just how many innocents will suffer at the hands of angry men squabbling once again.
The standard justification is always ‘war has casualties,’ but there’s a strong argument to say the ends don’t justify the means when leaders are quite literally jumping the gun based on fear and ego.
Young people are seeing the brutal reality of what governmental posturing and impulsiveness can lead to in TikTok videos increasing in volume by the hour. We’ll refrain from giving details because it’s all very upsetting.
It’s also stomach turning to hear Trump discuss the situation so trivially, forecasting the conflict to be over in a matter of weeks, when the loss of life and civilian suffering has been so severe already.
700 civilians are dead, including almost 180 children, yet all we hear is how ‘precise’ attacks have been on military infrastructure. From the videos shown, they look about as precise as someone performing keyhole surgery while bungy jumping.
Are we supposed to gladly accept the deaths as collateral and celebrate a theoretical threat being somewhat diminished? Are we thrilled the US now has leverage to apply in imminent diplomatic negotiations with Iran after failing last time out?
Not in the slightest.
🤖 tech talk
Meta won’t let morality get in the way of a product launch – the verge
‘We are no longer operating in a world where we judge technology by what would happen if it landed in the “wrong hands”. It’s already in the wrong hands.’ The Verge’s Sarah Jeong banged with that one, as she outlined Meta’s planned rollout of ‘Name Tag’, a facial recognition technology coming custom with all Meta wearables in the near future. Meta execs and Zuckerberg are already neck deep in legal proceedings, so what’s another privacy palaver chucked into the mix? Equipped with the knowledge that these tech companies aren’t neutral, and answer to corporations and government interests, The Verge argues that Name Tag reeks of surveillance capitalism. If you were planning to get a pair of techy Ray Bans despite the billions Meta has shelled out in user reparations recently, you could soon be labelled a snitch – and you deserve it!
ChatGPT uninstalls surged by 295% after DoD deal – techcrunch
If OpenAI were banking on stolid patriotism, we fear for their market research department. Immediately after announcing a partnership with the US Department of Defense, app uninstalls of ChatGPT jumped 295% day over day, stratosphere’s above its usual 9% wobble. One star reviews ballooned by 775% in a single day, five star ratings were cut in half, and downloads – that were up 14% the day before the news dropped – slumped by a further 18% over that weekend. We’d had busy weeks and still made time to hate during our chill time. That’s an elite level of shithousery. Anthropic took full advantage and publicly declined a partnership with the DoD, seeing Claude’s downloads surge by 51% and above ChatGPT on the charts. One robot’s demise is another’s ascendance. Hold that Altman.
✨ smoke & mirrors
Jim Carrey debunked the conspiracy theories about his face – the cut
Carrey has one of the most malleable faces in showbiz, but the internet was absolutely convinced something was off in his latest appearance at the Cesar Awards in Paris. Clips went viral of the veteran comedian accepting his honorary award, and conspiracies raged about his appearance being strange. Many even suggested a clone, a body double, or someone wearing movie-grade prosthetics took the stage, and the fact the speech was delivered in French became further ‘evidence’ he was an imposter – as opposed to an act of dedication which deserved praise. Alexis Stone, a celebrity makeup artist, fuelled the flames with an Instagram photo of a hyper realistic mask and social media ate it up. Given AI has us second-guessing the validity of everything we see, are we predisposed to spotting the uncanny valley in everything now? So, he looks a little more Val Kilmer recently. Chill.
‘The awful truth’: The police problem with rape and sexual offences – sky news
A Sky News investigation has unearthed some disturbing findings that could prompt major reform in the UK. The tragic story of Sarah Everard, and the institutional failings that led to her death, have sparked major inquiries into the prominence of sexual misconduct across the nation’s police forces. Alarmingly, of the 17/43 police forces that responded to FOI requests, 16 confirmed rape investigations had taken place against serving officers. Six brought rape charges and 15 brought charges for sexual offences. Of those Met officers under investigation, 28% continued working without suspension or restrictions between 2021 and 2025. The worst part? The data shows that women are being discouraged from reporting sex related crime through a mistrust in authority. If government intervention isn’t swift following these revelations, we truly worry for this country.
