Movim • The Guardian

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Check mates: analysis of medieval chess sets reveal vision of equality and mutual respect

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 19 March 2026

Far from being a metaphor for racial tension, chess reveals world where people could engage as equals

On the chessboard, black and white pieces are lined up against each other for an unrelenting battle.

But in the middle ages, the game was not a metaphor for racial tension – but often a vehicle for equality and mutual respect, research has found.

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Ban corporate donations to UK political parties to protect elections, says thinktank

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 19 March 2026

CenTax warns bill under debate in parliament has ‘easily exploitable’ loopholes and will not prevent foreign interference

Political donations by companies should be banned to protect UK elections from foreign interference, a thinktank has warned.

In the first big overhaul of election funding in 26 years, ministers have pledged to “keep British democracy safe” by closing a loophole that allows individuals not eligible to vote in Britain to donate to political parties through UK-registered companies.

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Instagram worse for mental health than WhatsApp, global study finds

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 19 March 2026

World Happiness Report finds platforms focused on connection less harmful than algorithm-driven apps

Social media apps such as Instagram and TikTok, which encourage algorithm-driven scrolling, are worse for mental health than platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp, which prioritise social connection, according to an annual barometer of global happiness.

The World Happiness Report found excessive use of social media was causing unhappiness among young people across the world, although the impact was worse in English-speaking countries and western Europe.

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Crossbreed dogs show more behavioural problems than pure breeds, study suggests

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 19 March 2026

Research finds cockapoo, cavapoo and labradoodle dogs display more undesirable behaviours than breeds they derive from

The UK has oodles of doodles but a study might offer paws for thought: researchers have found some of these designer crossbreed dogs show more behavioural problems than the pure breeds from which they derive.

Crosses between poodles and other dog breeds have become increasingly popular in the UK, with research suggesting the trend is – at least in part – driven by the expectation such dogs will be hypoallergenic, healthy and good with children.

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Derek Owusu and Seán Hewitt shortlisted for Dylan Thomas prize

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 19 March 2026

Six writers are now finalists for the prestigious annual prize, which awards £20,000 to a writer aged 39 or under

Derek Owusu and Seán Hewitt are among the writers shortlisted for this year’s Swansea University Dylan Thomas prize .

Harriet Armstrong, Colwill Brown, Sasha Debevec-McKenney and Suzannah V Evans also made the shortlist for the £20,000 award, which celebrates fiction in any form – including novels, short stories, poetry and drama – by writers aged 39 or under, in honour of the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, who died at that age.

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Seoul raises terror alert as it prepares to host BTS comeback concert

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 18 March 2026

Thousands of police prepare to deploy to South Korea’s capital ahead of K-pop’s most anticipated comeback

Seoul has stepped up security ahead of BTS’s huge comeback concert on Saturday, which more than a quarter of a million fans are expected to attend, with authorities raising the terror alert in the area and preparing to deploy thousands of police to the capital.

South Korean president Lee Jae Myung warned at a cabinet meeting this week that “the issue is safety” and urged heightened vigilance by the interior ministry and emergency services to prepare for every possibility. He described the concert as an important occasion to reaffirm the country’s global cultural standing.

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GLP-1 diabetes drugs could stop anxiety and depression worsening, study finds

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 18 March 2026

Drugs such as semaglutide may be useful for mental health conditions associated with diabetes, authors say

Diabetes drugs could prevent anxiety and depression from worsening, according to research .

Type 2 diabetes affects more than 800 million people globally and research shows that those with the condition are about twice as likely to have depression as the wider population.

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Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 18 March 2026

Admission came during questioning at Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has started buying location data on Americans, Kash Patel, FBI director, said under oath at the Senate intelligence committee worldwide threats hearing on Wednesday.

Patel’s admission came in response to a question from the senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who is a longtime opponent of the warrantless surveillance of Americans. Wyden told Patel that his predecessor, Christopher Wray, testified in 2023 that the FBI did not at that time purchase location data derived from internet advertising, although he acknowledged that it had done so in the past.

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Sadiq Khan urges Labour to campaign on rejoining EU at next election

news.movim.eu / TheGuardian • 18 March 2026

Mayor of London says returning to EU now more desirable because of economic instability caused by Donald Trump

Labour should go into the next general election promising to rejoin the EU, Sadiq Khan has said.

The mayor of London has repeatedly made the case for joining the customs union and single market, but went much further on Wednesday night by suggesting the party should promise full membership at next ballot.