PFA

A Guardian feature follows a community that discovered its water and residents had been contaminated by PFAS, the persistent 'forever chemicals' linked to serious health risks. Residents describe getting blood tests and demanding answers after learning how long the pollution went undetected. The story highlights growing public concern over industrial PFAS pollution, regulatory delays and the difficulty of holding polluters to account.

Researchers writing in The Conversation say deepfake content is distorting this year's Victorian state election in Australia. Their analysis identifies which groups of voters are most susceptible to manipulated audio and video, warning that synthetic media could influence how people judge candidates and parties ahead of polling day.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has signed legislation requiring the identification and tracking of pesticides containing PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals. The bill is intended to give state regulators better data on where PFAS pesticides are used and in what quantities. Environmental and health advocates have pushed for tighter oversight of the substances, which are linked to lasting contamination of soil and water.

A home cook shared a recipe for a spaghetti and vegetable pan using pre-cooked spaghetti, carrots, zucchini, red pepper, spring onion, sunflower seeds and ground flaxseed, seasoned with soy sauce, vegetable broth and chili flakes. It is a straightforward, budget-friendly dish aimed at everyday cooking.

US states are finding it difficult to pass and enforce laws regulating AI-generated deepfakes in elections, as the technology spreads faster than legislation can keep pace. The Fast Company report highlights the gap between rapid advances in generative AI and the slow, fragmented patchwork of state-level rules meant to protect voters from manipulated political content.

Police in Rhineland-Palatinate are asking the public for help locating Milena, a 13-year-old girl missing from Lörzweiler near Mainz. The appeal, circulated through regional news outlets, is drawing attention across the region as people share the description and urge anyone with information to contact the authorities.

New research indicates that victims of deepfake sexual abuse who are celebrities encounter a distinctive pattern of victim-blaming, distinguishing their experience from other forms of image-based abuse. The findings shed light on how audiences hold famous targets partly responsible for fabricated sexual content, complicating efforts to support victims and curb the spread of such material.

A BBC Ideas animation with The Open University explains how deepfakes, voice cloning and other synthetic media have made online fraud far harder to detect than in the era of obviously distorted hands and glitches. The piece lays out practical verification habits people can use to spot manipulated content, and is being shared by science and technology commentators warning that old visual tells no longer work.

A new explainer from BBC Ideas and The Open University warns that deepfakes, voice cloning and other synthetic media have made online fraud far harder to detect than in the era of distorted hands and obvious glitches. The short animation lays out practical verification habits people can use to spot manipulated content and avoid scams, prompting renewed discussion online about how to stay alert to AI-driven deception.

An opinion piece argues that AI-generated political deepfake advertisements are spreading rapidly online while state legislators remain unable to craft effective rules in response. The commentary highlights the gap between fast-moving AI technology and slower legislative processes, raising concerns about voter manipulation ahead of elections and urging lawmakers to act on disclosure requirements and oversight.

Commentary at Tech Policy Press argues Taiwan needs a deepfake law that actually works to protect its elections. The piece contends that AI-generated manipulated media poses a growing threat to voters and candidates, and calls for legislation that is practical and enforceable rather than symbolic, as Taiwan faces ongoing information pressure from abroad.

US state lawmakers are racing to regulate AI-generated deepfakes in elections, but legislation is lagging behind the fast-moving technology. With synthetic audio and video of candidates increasingly easy to produce, states are passing a patchwork of disclosure and ban rules, raising concerns about voter deception ahead of upcoming votes and gaps in enforcement across jurisdictions.

Eau Claire, Wisconsin, says PFAS contamination is now officially being treated at a removal facility. The city has been dealing with 'forever chemical' pollution in its water supply, and the announcement marks a milestone in local efforts to make drinking water safe. Residents have closely followed the city's response to the contamination.

Claros Technologies and Daikin America have announced a commercial agreement to deploy Claros' permanent PFAS destruction technology at full scale. The partnership, reported via PR Newswire and carried by financial outlets, aims to address contamination from so-called forever chemicals, which have faced growing regulatory scrutiny in the United States and worldwide.

The head of the Environmental Protection Agency visited a Maine company that is developing technology to eliminate PFAS, the so-called forever chemicals linked to health and environmental harm. The visit highlights federal interest in emerging methods for destroying the persistent compounds, which have contaminated water supplies across the US, including in Maine where PFAS spread through sludge-based fertiliser on farmland.

Campaign-season deepfakes created with artificial intelligence are now prompting legal threats, according to reporting by Axios. The piece highlights a growing clash between political operatives using AI-generated imagery or audio of candidates and officials who say the fabricated content is defamatory. The development signals that campaigns may soon face lawsuits over synthetic media, a frontier where election law and existing defamation rules remain unsettled.

An AI policy scholar at the University of Denver examines how US lawmakers are responding to viral AI-generated political deepfakes ahead of the 2026 elections. Writing in The Conversation, he argues that two states' existing laws illustrate the limits of what state-level regulation can achieve as synthetic political content spreads faster than legislation can keep up.

AI-generated deepfake fraud is creating new legal liability questions for banks and companies, according to Bloomberg Law. As scammers use convincing fake voices and video to impersonate executives and clients, institutions face growing uncertainty over who bears the losses when payments are authorized by fakes. The report suggests courts and regulators will play a key role in defining responsibility for deepfake-enabled financial crime.

Researchers at Brown University report that young U.S. veterans carry higher levels of PFAS, the long-lasting 'forever chemicals' linked to health risks, than similarly-aged Americans who never served. The findings suggest military service may increase exposure to these substances, which are associated with firefighting foams and industrial materials widely used on bases.

A federal court has blocked enforcement of the labeling provisions of New Mexico's PFAS Protection Act. The law, aimed at regulating products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, had required labeling disclosures for items containing the chemicals. The ruling pauses those requirements while legal challenges proceed, and industry observers are watching closely for what it means for similar state-level PFAS restrictions across the United States.

The Environmental Protection Agency has pushed back its PFAS wastewater rule for metal plating facilities to 2027. The rule would set discharge limits for the so-called forever chemicals from electroplating and metal finishing operations. Environmental groups have long pressed for stricter controls on PFAS in industrial wastewater, while industry has sought more compliance time.

Historians are revisiting the Donation of Constantine, a forged imperial decree that medieval church officials cited for centuries to support papal authority over secular rulers. The document, now widely recognised as an eighth-century fabrication, functioned much like a modern deepfake, lending false legitimacy to claims of power until Renaissance scrutiny exposed it.