A member of the public in Chapel St Leonards, Lincolnshire, called emergency services to report people lying on the floorA yoga class was cut short after a member of the public called the police to report a mass killing" after seeing several people lying on the floor.Participants in the class, which was being held at the Seascape cafe, inside the North Sea observatory in Chapel St Leonards, Skegness, Lincolnshire, were in the midst of meditation when officers turned up on Wednesday night. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Access to immediate testosterone therapy significantly reduces gender dysphoria, depression and thoughts of suicide, research findsFast access to testosterone therapy for transgender adults is life-saving", leading to a significantly reduced risk of depression and suicide, a clinical trial led by the University of Melbourne has found.It is the world's first study to examine the impact of access to hormone therapy on mental distress for trans people through a randomised control trial, a strong type of study crucial in medicine due to the minimal risk of confounding factors influencing the results. Continue reading...
Ex-footballer was among those at restaurant in Bournemouth when royal dropped in to highlight his homelessness campaignFormer England footballer Paul Gascoigne had an affectionate encounter with the Prince of Wales after popping up in a Pret a Manger where the royal was highlighting his homelessness campaign.The one-time England midfielder was among staff and diners at the sandwich chain in Bournemouth as William dropped in to help out as part of his Homewards initiative. Continue reading...
Chairman Bruce Carnegie-Brown also says clients are not properly served if workers avoid Mondays and FridaysWorkers should come into the office at least three days a week - and not just Tuesday to Thursday - to ensure clients are properly served throughout the week, according to the head of the world's biggest insurance market.Bruce Carnegie-Brown, the chairman of Lloyd's of London, said he wants to see people working in its building in the City for most of the week, and to avoid a situation where people were taking long weekends" every week, and Mondays and Fridays weren't properly covered for clients. Continue reading...
There will be pressure on rich countries to fulfil a commitment to provide climate finance to poorer nationsThe run-up to this weekend's G20 summit in Delhi has largely been dominated by two issues: the host's efforts to project India as a superpower; and the intriguing decision of Xi Jinping not to attend. The substance of what world leaders will discuss during their two days together has struggled to surface.Yet this year's G20 - the 24th since the format was inaugurated in 1999 - is potentially a make or break moment for the organisation that includes the world's 19 wealthiest nations plus the European Union as a bloc. With one part of the world increasingly gathering in the now expanded Brics format where China has a leading role, and the west comfortable with its annual G7 summitry, the G20 is the best remaining hope of keeping the principle of multilateralism alive. The United Nations secretary general, Antonio Guterres, spoke on Thursday of a real risk of fragmentation of the world order, while his own organisation is paralysed by the war in Ukraine. Continue reading...
Julie Fujishima, niece of late pop mogul, apologises and acknowledges agency founder's abuse for first timeThe president of Japan's biggest boyband talent agency has resigned after acknowledging for the first time that its late founder sexually abused aspiring young stars.The country's most powerful pop mogul, Johnny Kitagawa, who died in 2019 aged 87, was accused of sexually assaulting multiple teenagers over decades, but evaded justice because his victims feared he would destroy their careers if they spoke out. Continue reading...
Duo's 2019 hit was alleged to have imitated 2015 song Dancing With Strangers, performed by Jordan VincentSam Smith has won a copyright lawsuit filed by songwriters who claimed Smith's hit Dancing With a Stranger imitated their own track.Jordan Vincent, Christopher Miranda and Rosco Banlaoi had alleged that their song Dancing With Strangers, performed by Vincent, was infringed upon by Smith's song, a duet with US singer Normani which shares the same chorus line dancing with a stranger". Dancing With Strangers amassed over 500,000 streams after being uploaded to Soundcloud in 2015. Continue reading...
by Aubrey Allegretti Senior political correspondent on (#6EHD4)
Investigation launched over escape of Daniel Khalife from category B facility, cabinet minister confirmsAn investigation is under way into why a former soldier accused of terrorism who is now on the run was held in a lower-security prison, a cabinet minister has said.Michelle Donelan, the science secretary, said the government's top priority" was tracking down Daniel Khalife, who absconded from HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning by clinging to the bottom of a delivery van. Continue reading...
Tech to scan cloud storage services is operated by Meta, Microsoft and Google, but Apple stopped development last year to focus on warnings for explicit images
In today's newsletter: As the Department of Work and Pensions looks to tighten' work capability assessments, we look at the impact of a decade of welfare policies Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning.After a decade of austerity, the Conservative party's track record on providing an adequate safety net for those who need it has been heavily criticised. A growing body of research indicates that a reduction in health and social care spending in real terms has led to tens of thousands of excess deaths.Police | An undercover officer used his fake identity to deceive a woman into a 19-year relationship in which they became partners and had a child together, on whose birth certificate he used his fake name, the Guardian can reveal.Politics | Labour should consider using wealth taxes to raise 10bn as the UK needs to go further" to bring in money to repair public services, the head of the Trades Union Congress, Paul Nowak, has said.Climate | The summer of 2023 was the hottest ever recorded, as the climate crisis and emerging El Nino pushed up temperatures and drove extreme weather across the world.Schools | Nine out of 10 schools in England have said they are providing clothing and uniforms for students, while seven out of 10 are giving out food in the form of parcels, food bank provisions, vouchers or subsidised breakfasts because of the cost of living crisis. Teachers are reporting deteriorating hygiene among pupils as families cut back on brushing teeth, showering and even flushing the toilet.Technology | The EU has unveiled a set of revolutionary" laws to curb the power of six big tech companies, including allowing consumers to decide what apps they want on their phone and to delete pre-loaded software such as Google or Apple's maps apps. Continue reading...
Sentencing of Sai Zaw Thaike at one-day trial for treason and defamation shows press freedom has been completely quashed' under junta, editor saysA Myanmar court has sentenced a photojournalist to 20 years in prison with hard labour over his coverage of the aftermath of a deadly cyclone, according to Myanmar Now, the media organisation he worked for.The sentence given to Sai Zaw Thaike, a photographer for the independent online news service, appeared to be the most severe for any journalist detained since the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021. Continue reading...
Two-fifths of UK adults disconnected for three hours or more with one in four left without service for nearly a weekThe number of Britons who have experienced their internet connection failing for at least three hours has almost doubled in the last year, with irate consumers now ranking broadband outages as a bigger frustration than roadworks or public transport delays.In the past year, two-fifths (41%) of all UK adults - 22 million consumers - have had their internet disconnected for three or more hours, a significant increase on the 12 million who reported disruption the previous year, according to a report by the price comparison website Uswitch. Continue reading...
UK losing belief that hard work brings better life, and fewer millennials now think work always comes first, survey indicatesIn the great live to work or work to live" debate, Britons have traditionally been seen to fall into the first group. But research appears to turn that reputation on its head.According to a study of 24 countries, Britons are less likely than people from elsewhere to place importance on work. Increasingly, they also no longer believe that hard work brings a better life. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6EH8M)
Set in a psychiatric hospital in Aberdeenshire, new National Theatre production puts Mina Murray at centre of actionThe first major staging of Dracula with an all-woman and non-binary cast aims to reclaim and subvert" gothic tropes of fragile and corruptible females by retelling the genre classic through the eyes of Mina Murray.In Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Murray's fiance, the solicitor Jonathan Harker, clumsily embroils Mina and her friend Lucy in Dracula's bloodlust when he travels to Transylvania to assist the count in a property purchase. However, the new National Theatre of Scotland production puts Mina at the centre of the action. Continue reading...
Paul Nowak says Keir Starmer's party has some progressive ideas on tax but needs to go furtherLabour should consider using wealth taxes to raise 10bn as the UK needs to go further" to bring in money to repair public services, the head of the Trades Union Congress has said.Paul Nowak, the general secretary of the organising body for trade unions in England and Wales, said proposals put forward by the TUC to bring capital gains tax into line with income tax or to impose a wealth tax on assets of more than 3m were relatively modest" and were supported by the public. Continue reading...
Government seeks views on periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and menopause for health strategyWomen in England are being urged to help shape reproductive health policy by sharing their experiences of a range of issues.The government's launch of the survey comes more than a year after ministers first promised to seek women's views on issues including periods, contraception, fertility, pregnancy and the menopause, as part of its women's health strategy. Continue reading...
Artists say the insurance carve-out by QBE will effectively prevent them doing public art and mural projects, or installing in galleriesThere are fears Australian artists may be left unable to work on large-scale and public art projects, as insurance giant QBE prepares to make another round of carve-outs to a policy held by thousands of artists.QBE will no longer cover artists working at heights of more than five metres, and those working at lower heights face extra premiums of up to $600 per annum. Continue reading...
Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum and senator Xochitl Galvez were selected as the candidates for the two major electoral groupsMexico will almost certainly have its first female president in 2024, after the governing Morena party and the opposition coalition both chose women as their candidates.Former Mexico City mayor Claudia Sheinbaum was named Morena's candidate on Wednesday, despite runner-up Marcelo Ebrard's last-minute denouncement of the process and demand for it to be redone. Continue reading...
by Elias Visontay Transport and urban affairs reporte on (#6EH4R)
Federal transport minister says treatment of Australian women subjected to bodily inspections at Doha airport in 2020 provided context for decision to block additional flights by Qatar Airways
Decision to remove abortion from federal penal code comes amid trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on procedureMexico's supreme court has unanimously ruled that state laws prohibiting abortion are unconstitutional and violate women's rights, in the latest in a series of victories for reproductive rights activists across Latin America.Wednesday's ruling came two years after the court ordered the northern state of Coahuila to remove sanctions for abortion from its criminal code, a decision which prompted a tortuous state-by-state process of legal battles. So far 12 of Mexico's 31 states have decriminalized the procedure. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6EH2D)
Institute for Fiscal Studies finds stark disparities in earnings based on geography and ethnicityMoving up the social ladder in Britain has become harder than at any point in more than half a century for children born into poor households, according to the country's foremost economic thinktank.Exposing a striking breakdown in social mobility, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) said those growing up in the north of England and the Midlands, as well as those from a minority ethnic background, would find it a lot harder than others to become wealthier than their parents. Continue reading...
Tamir Pardo comments, slammed by ruling Likud party, carry weight because of high regard for intelligence agency in IsraelA former head of the Mossad intelligence agency has said Israel is imposing a form of apartheid on the Palestinians, joining a growing number of prominent Israelis to compare the occupation of the West Bank to South Africa's defunct system of racial oppression.But Tamir Pardo's views will have added impact because of the high regard for Mossad in Israel and because they come at a time when far-right members of Israel's government are moving to kill off any prospect of an independent Palestinian state. Continue reading...
Republican Senate leader, 81, says he will finish term as signs emerge of uncertainty over his future in GOP ranksMitch McConnell rejected speculation about his future as Republican leader in the US Senate, telling reporters: I'm going to finish my term as leader and I'm going to finish my Senate term."The remarks on Wednesday came amid intense speculation about the 81-year-old Kentucky senator's health, after two recent freezes in front of reporters, one on Capitol Hill in July and another in McConnell's home state last week. Continue reading...
Brian May and some fans express dismay as contents of late Queen frontman's home go under hammer in six-day saleFreddie Mercury's Yamaha baby grand piano has been sold for 1.74m as thousands of his possessions were auctioned on Wednesday night, amid criticism by some fans and Brian May.The Queen frontman left his Kensington home, Garden Lodge, and its contents to his close friend Mary Austin. More than 32 years after his death, Austin is selling the contents at Sotheby's, with some of the proceeds going to charity after the six-day sale. Continue reading...
by Léonie Chao-Fong (now); Yohannes Lowe ; Tom Ambro on (#6EG5R)
Volodymyr Zelenskiy condemns attack on the eastern city of Kostiantynivka, where a child was among the deadCuba has uncovered a human trafficking ring aimed at recruiting Cubans to fight as mercenaries for Russia in its war in Ukraine, its foreign ministry has said, as Moscow seeks to increase the size of its forces.In a statement, the Cuban foreign ministry said the authorities were working to neutralise and dismantle" the network, which it said was operating within the Caribbean island nation and in Russia. Continue reading...
Austrian rail operator OBB says service will resume partly in December and daily from October 2024A night train linking Berlin and Paris will return in December, nine years after the service was cancelled, the Austrian rail operator OBB has announced.OBB has been a pioneer in bringing back night trains as Europeans look for low-carbon travel options. Continue reading...
Government says text scanning under online safety bill would only occur if technically feasible' after apps threaten to leave countryMinisters have attempted to head off a threatened exodus of messaging apps from the UK by assuring tech firms they cannot be forced to scan encrypted texts indiscriminately for illegal content.WhatsApp and Signal have threatened to quit the UK over a provision in the online safety bill that allows Ofcom to order a messaging service to use accredited technology" to look for and take down child sexual abuse material. Continue reading...
Crew represents six Colorado voters - Republican or unaffiliated - seeking to remove Trump from ballot over Capitol attackA watchdog group is suing to remove Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot, saying he violated the constitution and is disqualified from holding future office.The lawsuit is so far one of the strongest challenges to Trump's eligibility to seek re-election. Continue reading...
High court judge issues ruling after relative of Peter Otitoju launches action against Benedicta OnwordiA woman has been barred from removing the body of her partner from a funeral home after becoming embroiled in high court litigation with one of his relatives.Mr Justice Roth has ruled that Benedicta Onwordi cannot take possession" of the body of Peter Otitoju, who died aged 67. Continue reading...
Worcester Art Museum says bust, bought in 1966 but probably stolen and improperly imported from Turkey, to be returnedAn ancient Roman bust has been seized from a Massachusetts art museum as part of an investigation into antiquities stolen from Turkey.The Worcester Art Museum announced that it had transferred ownership of the bronze bust to the New York county district attorney's office so it can be repatriated to Turkey. Continue reading...
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