by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#74RAE)
Exclusive: Seven of England's 24 stroke centres still not providing mechanical thrombectomy 24/7 despite ministers' pledgesThe NHS has not made a life-changing" treatment for stroke available around the clock across England despite ministers repeatedly promising that it would.The health service was expected to improve stroke care by making a clot removal technique called mechanical thrombectomy available everywhere in the country 24/7 from 1 April. Continue reading...
US congressman decried bets on when two crew members on the F-15 jet shot down by Iranian forces would be rescuedAfter strong criticism from a federal lawmaker, the online betting platform Polymarket stopped accepting wagers on when US warplane crew members who were shot down in Iran might be rescued. It promised to investigate how the market materialized.The criticism came from Seth Moulton, a Massachusetts Democratic representative who earned two bronze star medals serving with the United States marine corps in Iraq from 2003 to 2008 and published an X post describing Polymarket's acceptance of bets on the downed pilots' fate as DISGUSTING". Continue reading...
by Rob Davies and Carmen Aguilar GarcĂa on (#74R8M)
Tougher ethical certification process requires companies to meet standards in every one out of seven categoriesDozens of companies may be at risk of losing their coveted B Corp ethical status after the organisation behind the corporate kite-marking system raised the standards required to qualify.B Lab, which oversees B Corp certification, launched the biggest overhaul in its 19-year history earlier this month, scrapping a system under which companies must gather enough points across multiple categories to qualify. Continue reading...
Leaders say automated mowers' blades threaten nocturnal animals as studies highlight risks to wildlifeGerman mayors have called for a nationwide ban on night-time use of robot lawnmowers to protect hedgehogs and other small nocturnal animals from being killed or maimed in the dark.Recent studies have highlighted the threat lawnmower blades pose to wildlife active between dusk and dawn, prompting growing calls for regulation. Hedgehogs also tend to curl into a ball when threatened rather than running away, making them harder for a robot mower's sensors to detect. Continue reading...
Anutin Charnvirakul encourages measures such as home working and carpooling as country is reliant on oil importsThailand's prime minister, Anutin Charnvirakul, has called on the public to conserve energy, urging work-from-home measures and carpooling, as he warned of the impact of the conflict in the Middle East.In a statement posted on social media, Anutin said Thailand was exposed to the crisis because of its reliance on imported oil and gas, and the country could not be complacent. Continue reading...
New legislation comes amid push from big oil, as critics warn polluters' profits prioritized over Americans' healthUtah has made it nearly impossible for residents to hold fossil fuel companies legally accountable for climate damages in a move one advocacy group described as putting profits for the biggest polluters over communities", with other states expected to follow suit.The new state legislation comes as part of a push from big oil and its political allies - including groups tied to rightwing impresario Leonard Leo - for legal immunity in red statehouses and Congress, with a goal of winning state and federal legal immunity similar to the liability waiver granted to the firearms industry in 2005. Continue reading...
Chuck Schumer accuses president of ranting like an unhinged madman' in threat to obliterate Iran's power plants and bridges. Plus, Audrey Hepburn's son Sean on her movies, marriages, good works and fascist parents
Concerns about coming wildfire risk, and temperatures also remain high on other side of Pacific where rare tropical cyclone has formedAfter a historically warm winter across nine states in the US, the first month of meteorological spring again brought exceptionally high temperatures, with numerous states recording new all-time high temperatures in March. The remarkable intensity and longevity of the warmth have left much of the mountain snowpack, a crucial source of water for millions in the American west, at critically low levels.Though precipitation totals tend to increase in spring, the low snowpack has raised concerns about a potentially severe wildfire season if conditions do not improve soon. And with further spells of abnormally warm, dry weather expected this week, the outlook is becoming increasingly worrying heading into the late spring and summer months. Continue reading...
Levy on inherited farms and family businesses worth 2.5m or more comes into force 6 AprilA new inheritance tax regime for UK farms and family businesses comes into force on Monday and will present significant challenges" for those affected, according to accountants.In October 2024 the government announced plans to levy inheritance tax on farms - prompting an outcry in many quarters. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#74R56)
BFI and National Portrait Gallery to mark centenary of the film star's birth with the summer of Marilyn'Though often reduced to a sex symbol frozen in time, or a tragic figure at the centre of several scandals, Marilyn Monroe was something far more subversive, according to two exhibitions that will herald what has been nicknamed the summer of Marilyn".To mark the centenary of her birth, Monroe is being celebrated by leading British cultural institutions as a performer of sharp comic intelligence, a canny architect of her own image, and a woman who reshaped the possibilities for female stardom on screen. Continue reading...
How much fuel does Australia have left today, and when could we run out? Check how much petrol and diesel prices have risen near you in Sydney, Melbourne and across the country since the US and Israel's war on Iran began in late February
Even if motorists can provide evidence they've paid for parking, they are threatened with bailiffs and courtDrivers have accused a leading car park management company of issuing false" parking fines - leaving one mother to defend herself from multiple debt collection agencies sent by the company.Jane Winder says she was sent letters from five different debt collection agencies each asking her to pay 170 after she was accused of not purchasing a 2.30 parking ticket at a car park in Lancashire managed by Euro Car Parks. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#74R3C)
More than half of NHS trusts have cap on availability of products, forcing patients to pay for products themselvesMillions of people across the UK living with incontinence are facing shortages of sanitary products due to supplies being rationed by NHS trusts, according to a coalition of charities.The shortages are leading to a pad gap" where people are having to pay for incontinence products themselves, according to an open letter from organisations including the Royal College of Nursing, Prostate Cancer UK, and Bowel and Bladder UK. Continue reading...
Figures suggest if 500,000 limit set for Great Britain 30 years ago was adjusted for inflation the maximum would be more than 1mA 30-year freeze on compensation for victims of crime should be lifted, campaigners have said, adding that the maximum of 500,000 is insufficient to plan for a lifetime.The current highest rate, set in April 1996 by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA), is paid to victims of crime in England, Scotland and Wales who have suffered severe life-changing injuries, including brain damage and paralysis. Continue reading...
This blog is now closedWatch American sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson win her Stawell Gift heatThe Paris Olympic 100m silver medallist started from scratch but powered past the field with ease. Continue reading...
Japan's ban on married couples having different surnames has prompted an event to highlight people's reluctance to change their nameAt the very least, the three men and three women calming their nerves on a Friday evening at a venue in Tokyo know they have one thing in common.Spaced out across booths, they will soon be placed in pairs and given 15 minutes to get to know one another. Continue reading...
Union says new entitlements, part of Employment Rights Act 2025, will help lower-income householdsUp to 9.6 million UK workers are to benefit from the changes to sick pay rules, according to unions. They say the policy has widespread support from voters despite pushback from some businesses.From Monday, about 8.4 million workers who rely on statutory sick pay - the minimum amount employers must pay - will be paid from the first day of becoming ill rather than from day four, according to an analysis by the Trades Union Congress (TUC). Continue reading...
by Adam Fulton, Marina Dunbar, Fran Lawther, Yohannes on (#74QK2)
This blog has now closed. Our live coverage of the US-Israel war on Iran continues hereIranian media has claims that a US aircraft was destroyed while searching for the crew member of a missing US F-15 fighter jet.An American enemy aircraft that was searching for the pilot of a downed fighter jet was destroyed by the fighters of Islam in the southern region of Isfahan," the Tasnim news agency quoted Iran's Revolutionary Guards as saying. The Guardian was unable to verify their claim. Continue reading...
Nasa team get deeper into space than any humans have ever venturedAstronauts on the historic Artemis II mission are expected to reach the far side of the moon on Monday, venturing deeper into space than any humans before.Nasa has reported satisfaction with progress toward the lunar fly-round since the team's launch on Wednesday, with the three Americans and one Canadian on course to break the record for maximum range from Earth just as a total solar eclipse awaits. Continue reading...
Councils urged to crack down on misuse of parking permits that help people with disabilities and health conditionsCouncils in England have been urged to crack down on the misuse of blue badge parking permits - legitimate and counterfeit - as the proportion of people holding them has reached one in 15.The AA called for more to be done to detect offences such as people using fake or stolen badges. Continue reading...
People encouraged to come forward as normal' when BMA members begin industrial action over pay on TuesdayThe NHS is urging patients not to put off seeking the care they need when resident doctors press ahead with strike action from Tuesday, a stoppage that the health secretary has called disappointing".Tens of thousands of resident doctors in England are to stage a six-day strike after the government took a key part of its offer off the table. Continue reading...
Driver treated for burns after truck was carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline at time of collision outside Fort WorthAn 18-wheel fuel tanker crashed into another vehicle, toppled power lines, then burst into flames outside Fort Worth early Sunday morning, according to local authorities.The truck was carrying 9,000 gallons of gasoline at the time of the collision. Continue reading...
Sponsors pull out after Keir Starmer calls decision to book rapper who wrote song titled Heil Hitler deeply concerning'Pepsi and Diageo have said they will withdraw their sponsorship of a UK music festival that is due to be headlined by Kanye West after Keir Starmer joined criticism of the event.The musician is understood to have not yet made an application to come to Britain and could be blocked under powers allowing the authorities to do so if his presence is deemed not conducive to the public good. Continue reading...
Rally met with bipartisan support after US border patrol revealed plans for steel wall across parts of beloved parksThe story is co-published with Public Domain, an investigative newsroom that covers public lands, wildlife and governmentThousands of people gathered at the steps of the Texas capitol on Saturday to protest against the construction of a border wall through Big Bend, in a show of bipartisan opposition to the White House's plans. Continue reading...
by Ashifa Kassam in Budapest and agencies on (#74QXW)
Incident prompts political scrutiny across Hungary as Viktor Orban trails in polls before next Sunday's electionSerbia has said it found explosives of devastating power" near a pipeline that carries Russian natural gas to Hungary and beyond, sparking claims by Hungary's leading opposition candidate of a possible false flag" operation aimed at influencing the country's elections.On Sunday, Hungary's prime minister, Viktor Orban, said he had been informed by Serbia's president, Aleksandar Vui, of the discovery near an extension of the TurkStream pipeline, which transports Russian gas through the Balkans to central and eastern Europe. Continue reading...
by Bethan McKernan Wales correspondent on (#74QP4)
Road and rail travel also disrupted across the UK before weather warnings lifted on SundayStorm Dave left thousands of homes across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland without power and disrupted road and rail travel across the UK before high wind and snow warnings were lifted on Sunday morning.Winds of up to 93mph were recorded in Capel Curig in north Wales - 20mph higher than forecast - while the Met Office issued a yellow severe weather warning for heavy snow and blizzards across the Scottish Highlands, Argyll and the Western Isles on Saturday. Continue reading...
Protesters held on Sunday after joining a Lakenheath Alliance for Peace encampment outside airbase in SuffolkSeven people have been arrested under suspicion of supporting the banned group Palestine Action after a protest in Suffolk.They were arrested on Sunday morning after joining a peace encampment to create a blockade outside the main gate of Lakenheath airbase. The protest was organised after media reports that a US fighter jet shot down in Iran on Friday had taken off from the Lakenheath base. Continue reading...
Under Anne Hidalgo - mayor for 12 years until last week - the French capital added bike lanes, cut traffic and reclaimed public space, but not without resistanceWhen Corentin Roudaut moved to Paris 10 years ago, he was too scared to cycle. The IT developer had biked everywhere as a student in Rennes but felt overwhelmed by the bustling French capital. Cars were everywhere. Cyclists had almost no protection.But once authorities carved out space for a segregated bike lane on Boulevard Voltaire near his home in the 11th arrondissement, Roudaut returned to the two-wheel commute and did not look back. Continue reading...
Human brains are designed to detect faces as quickly as possible, which can lead to the perception of false faces'Faces: we see them in clouds, electrical outlets and even a $28,000 toasted sandwich said to look like the Virgin Mary.Known as face pareidolia, seeing faces ininanimate objects or patterns of light and shadow is a common phenomenon. Continue reading...
by Rachel Leingang with photographs by Stephen Garcia on (#74QPW)
Immigration agents have spread into rural western Wisconsin, taking dozens of people from towns in more politically conservative areasThe Mexican restaurant where multiple workers were taken in February still sits dark, across the road from a travel plaza where people were also arrested by federal agents.An Ecuadorian market in a nearby town targeted by immigration agents is back open again, with a sign on the door telling people to ring the bell before entering. Continue reading...
Concerns raised over minors placed in adult detention centres since removals began under scheme in SeptemberMore than 70 children from various conflict zones whose ages were disputed by the Home Office have been held in detention centres in the UK in preparation for forced removal to France under the government's one in, one out" scheme, research shows.The one in, one out initiative means each small boat arrival can be forcibly returned to France in exchange for another person - who has not attempted the crossing - being brought to the UK legally. Continue reading...