Online dating industry in crisis as shares fall and nearly half of all users report negative experiences on the appsIn May, the dating app Bumble, launched as the feminist Tinder in 2014, ran what it called an anti-celibacy advertising campaign. It featured a woman attempting to swear off dating" and become a nun - only to find herself lusting after a hunky convent gardener.The backlash to the Bumble fumble" was swift. Lainey Molnar, a celibacy-forward Instagram personality, said the company was gaslighting women who refuse to participate in hook-up culture". Continue reading...
General practices forced to do more and more with less and less', says Doctors' Association UKLabour's promise to end the 8am scramble" for medical appointments will be impossible without increasing core funding for GPs, according to a leading medical association.The health secretary, Wes Streeting, pledged during the general election campaign that Labour would end the 8am scramble by allowing patients to easily book appointments to see the doctor they want, in the manner they choose". Continue reading...
Non-essential medical services paralysed as more than a million doctors expected to join 24-hour protest amid rising anger at violence against womenHospitals and clinics across India have begun turning away patients except for emergency cases as medical professionals started a 24-hour shutdown in protest against the rape and murder of a doctor in the eastern city of Kolkata.More than 1 million doctors were expected to join Saturday's strike, paralysing medical services across the world's most populous nation. Hospitals said faculty staff from medical colleges had been pressed into service for emergency cases. Continue reading...
Starling's fraud team repeatedly refused to allow UK man to send 12,800 to friend in Austria, then froze accountAn Edinburgh academic has accused Starling bank's fraud team of behaving like officers in a police state after they repeatedly refused to allow him to send a 15,000 (12,800) payment to a friend in Austria, then froze his account when he complained about their absurd demands".John MacInnes, a professor emeritus of sociology and statistics, says he has been left astonished by his treatment by staff at the challenger bank. Continue reading...
Satirical artists' collective that recently pranked Liz Truss says project is not tribal, although focus remains on far rightThe satirical artists' collective Led By Donkeys says the Labour government is fair game" and it is inconceivable that the group will not hold it accountable over the next few years.We're not starry-eyed about Labour," said Ben Stewart, one of the group's founder members, after it made headlines this week when it targeted Liz Truss. Continue reading...
Staff were left cleaning bloodstains from the floor after brawl which started when one MP called the ruling majority terrorists'Dozens of lawmakers became embroiled in a fisticuffs brawl in Turkey's parliament on Friday as they argued over a jailed opposition deputy stripped of his parliamentary immunity this year.The 30-minute ruckus, which left at least two lawmakers injured, forced the suspension of the hearing. Deputies eventually returned for a vote that rejected an opposition move to restore the parliamentary mandate of lawyer and rights activist Can Atalay. Continue reading...
Atlantic island territory, which has seen fewer than a dozen hurricanes since 1850, braces for dangerous storm surgeHurricane Ernesto bore down on Bermuda on Friday as a category 2 storm, threatening the British island territory with strong winds, a dangerous storm surge and potentially deadly flooding.Ernesto, centered about 95 miles (150km) south-southwest of the archipelago at 8pm Atlantic Standard Time (0000 GMT on Saturday), was producing sustained winds of up to 100mph (155km/h) and had the potential to drop up to 9in (230mm) of rain, the US National Hurricane Center said. Continue reading...
Resolution Foundation points to growth in claims for conditions such as autism and says adulthood brings financial cliff edgeChildren in England and Wales aged 15 or 16 are now more likely to be receiving disability benefits than adults in their 20s to 40s, according to research highlighting a sharp increase in claims resulting from conditions such as autism and ADHD.In a new report, the Resolution Foundation thinktank points out that the number of children whose families receive disability living allowance (DLA) has more than doubled in the last decade, to 682,000. Continue reading...
by Jason Burke International security correspondent on (#6Q189)
US, Qatar and Egypt issue optimistic statement that may also be aimed at stalling Iranian retaliation against IsraelThe latest round of Gaza ceasefire talks have ended in Doha without a breakthrough, but a new date next week has been set for further negotiations to attempt to end the 10-month-old war.A White House statement signed by the co-mediators Qatar and Egypt described a fresh proposal that built on areas of agreement" and bridged remaining gaps in a manner that allowed for a swift implementation of the deal". Continue reading...
Highly infectious disease confirmed in 10-month-old as UN chief urges pauses in fighting to contain spreadGaza has recorded its first polio case in 25 years, the Palestinian health ministry said on Friday, after the UN chief, Antonio Guterres, called for pauses in the Israel-Hamas war to vaccinate hundreds of thousands of children.Tests in Jordan confirmed the disease in an unvaccinated 10-month-old from the central Gaza Strip, the health ministry in Ramallah said. Continue reading...
Reform UK leader banked 1.2m from role as presenter on GB News and payments from social mediaNigel Farage appears to have become the highest-earning MP, having made almost 1.2m a year from GB News.In the first register of interests of the new parliament, the Reform UK MP declared that he was earning 97,900 a month as a presenter for GB News, the channel co-owned by the hedge fund billionaire Paul Marshall. Continue reading...
Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, arrested for falsely claiming Elvis Presley's daughter borrowed $3.8m from a bogus lenderA Missouri woman has been arrested on charges that she orchestrated a scheme to defraud Elvis Presley's family by trying to auction off his Graceland mansion and property, before a judge halted the mysterious foreclosure sale, the US justice department said on Friday.Lisa Jeanine Findley, 53, of Kimberling City, Missouri, falsely claimed Presley's daughter borrowed $3.8m from a bogus private lender and pledged Graceland as collateral for the loan. She fabricated loan documents, tried to extort Presley's family out of $2.85m to settle the matter, and published a fraudulent foreclosure notice in a Memphis newspaper announcing that Graceland would be auctioned off to the highest bidder, prosecutors said. Continue reading...
David Wilkinson, 48, was part of baying mob' who left driver in fear for his life, court heardA man who was part of a baying mob" who forced three terrified Romanians from their car during a riot has been jailed for six years, as the number of people sentenced for their part in far-right disorder topped 100.David Wilkinson, 48, previously pleaded guilty to violent disorder, attempted arson and racially aggravated criminal damage after playing a prominent role" in the violence that gripped Hull on 3 August. Continue reading...
Union says forced changes to working hours and practices have most harmed those with caring responsibilitiesHundreds of Border Force officers at Heathrow will take industrial action for 23 days from the end of the month over a long-running dispute about changes to their terms of employment.About 650 members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will go on strike from 31 August to 3 September at which point a period of work to rule - where no overtime is undertaken and no extra work is done beyond what is contractually required - will begin and continue until 22 September. Continue reading...
Friends star asked his assistant to inject him with drug several times on day he died, court papers sayThe Friends star Matthew Perry ordered his live-in personal assistant to give him several intravenous doses of ketamine on the day of his death last year, according to a statement by the assistant to investigators.The actor, who was found drowned in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home last October, asked his assistant, Kenneth Iwamasa, to give him a dose at 8.30am, according to court papers. Continue reading...
Number of pupils accepted by high tariff' providers passes 100,000, after better than expected A-level results and fewer international studentsSixth-formers are rushing to take up places at the most selective universities, with figures showing a substantial increase in the numbers enrolling compared with last year after receiving their A-level results.Experts said that high tariff" universities, including those in the Russell Group of research intensive universities, were allocating more places to UK school-leavers this year after recruiting fewer international students. Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6Q188)
Meghan Gallacher says allegations about Ross's actions in leadership contest pose risk to party's reputationOne of the candidates standing to replace Douglas Ross as leader of the Scottish Conservatives has resigned as the party's deputy because of deeply troubling" allegations about Ross's conduct over the leadership contest.The Telegraph on Thursday reported that senior party figures alleged Ross had planned to quit as leader a year ago and install as his successor the current favourite to replace him, Russell Findlay. Continue reading...
Some fear arrival of upmarket chain would pose threat to local stores but others say they would welcome itWalthamstow is a large suburb of north-east London that bustles with all the messy life and colour of the multicultural inner city. On a short, smart, pedestrianised stretch of road to the east of its high street, however, there is a sharp change in mood.Here on Orford Road, close to what was once the original rural village of Walthamstow, the lively buzz gives way to something much more refined. Instead of the betting shops and halal butchers of the cheerful high street, there is an antiques shop, a tapas deli and some very nice independent cafes. Continue reading...
Inquest finds communication failure led to death of Hannah Jacobs, 13, as mother decries tick-box' allergy trainingA 13-year-old girl with a severe dairy allergy died after drinking a Costa Coffee hot chocolate after a failure to follow the processes in place to discuss allergies", an inquest has concluded.Hannah Jacobs, from Barking, east London, who had been severely allergic to dairy, fish and eggs since she was a toddler, died within hours of taking a sip of the drink on 8 February 2023, east London coroner's court was told. Continue reading...
Gardai believe boy had been radicalised online and bore grudge about Irish peacekeepers in Middle EastIrish police suspect a possible terror motive in a stabbing attack outside an army barracks in Galway that inflicted serious injuries on a military chaplain.Police have detained a 16-year-old boy who was reportedly radicalised online and had a grievance about Irish peacekeepers in the Middle East. Continue reading...
Shadow home secretary criticises Labour handling of pay dispute as Aslef announces new strikesTwo men have been charged in Sunderland with offences relating to far-right led disorder that spread across England and Northern Ireland in recent weeks. A 32-year-old has been charged with riot, while a 58-year-old has been charged with a racially aggravated public order offence. Over 390 people have now been charged with offences taking pace during the disorder.Conservative leadership candidate Mel Stride is continuing the Tory strategy of using recent economic data to suggest that the country was doing well under Rishi Sunak's government. He has posted to social media to say:Our growth remains the strongest in the G7. Yet Rachel Reeves continues to lay the ground for damaging tax rises. Labour cannot keep concocting excuses - the facts speak for themselves. If they raise taxes it is not out of necessity, it's because they always planned to do it. Continue reading...
by Edward Siddons, Billie Gay Jackson and Damien Gayl on (#6Q12P)
DLA Piper seeking to recover costs in relation to injunctions it secured for National Highways and HS2, records showBritain's biggest law firm has sought more than 1m from climate protesters to cover the cost of court orders banning them from protesting, an investigation has found.The multibillion-pound City law firm DLA Piper has been trying to recover costs from activists for work done on behalf of National Highways Limited (NHL) and HS2 Ltd - both public bodies - obtaining injunctions banning protests on their sites. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay Global health correspondent on (#6Q12Q)
The move comes amid reports of disappointing results from trials for a treatment against the variant behind the current outbreakSurveillance efforts against mpox are being ramped up globally, as trials for a new treatment showed disappointing results against the variant driving the current outbreak.The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) on Friday raised its risk level assessment for mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, from low to moderate. The decision came after Sweden reported the first case of clade Ib outside Africa. Continue reading...
Union says its members at LNER will stay off work every weekend from 1 September to 10 NovemberPassengers travelling between London and Edinburgh face months of disruption after LNER drivers announced 22 days of strike action from the start of September to early November.The train drivers' union Aslef said its members working for LNER would take strike action every weekend between just after midnight on 1 September and 10 November after what it called a complete breakdown in industrial relations, bullying by management, and persistent breaking of agreements by the company". Continue reading...
by Libby Brooks Scotland correspondent on (#6Q12T)
East Renfrewshire venue cancels upcoming show after Fringe audience booed people who objected to Israel jokeA theatre has cancelled an upcoming show by the comedian Reginald D Hunter following reports that Israeli audience members were heckled during his Edinburgh Fringe show after they objected to one of his jokes.The Eastwood Theatre, where Hunter had been booked to perform in September and which is based in East Renfrewshire, home to Scotland's largest Jewish community, cancelled his show due to controversial comments". Continue reading...
Decision making and use of lethal force will be scrutinised by independent body after tragic incident' on SundayA 29-year-old man who was shot by a Surrey police firearms officer and taken to hospital in a critical condition has died, and the police watchdog is investigating the circumstances.The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said the man died on Thursday after he was shot in the village of Knaphill, near Woking, in the early hours of Sunday. Continue reading...
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6Q10B)
Beijing court rejects lawsuit brought by Xu Zaozao, who was seeking to widen access to fertility treatment in ChinaA Chinese woman who filed a groundbreaking lawsuit to win the right to freeze her eggs has lost her final appeal, exhausting the legal avenues in her fight to widen access to fertility treatment in China.Beijing No 3 intermediate people's court ruled that Xu Zaozao's rights had not been violated when Beijing obstetrics and gynaecology hospital refused to freeze her eggs in 2018. Chinese regulations stipulate that assisted reproductive technology is only for married couples with fertility issues. Xu, now 36, said the doctor gave her some friendly advice instead: hurry up, get married and have children now. Continue reading...
Duke spoke at summit on digital responsibility while on visit with Duchess of Sussex to ColombiaThe Duke of Sussex has hit out at online disinformation during a four-day visit to Colombia, warning: What happens online within a matter of minutes transfers to the streets."Speaking in Bogota at a summit on digital responsibility, Harry said of the spread of false information via AI and social media: People are acting on information that isn't true." Continue reading...
by Kalyeena Makortoff Banking correspondent on (#6Q0ZX)
Staff in line for $500m windfall, with company now worth more than market valuations of big high street banksRevolut has clinched a $45bn (35bn) valuation through a share sale that is expected to net staff a $500m windfall, cementing its position as the most valuable private tech company in Europe.It is a boost for the London-headquartered firm, which was last valued at $33bn in 2021. It is now worth more than the market valuations of big high street banks, including NatWest and Barclays, which are worth 29bn and 33.5bn, respectively. Continue reading...
Data shows continued surge in wind and solar power amid hopes Chinese greenhouse gas emissions may have peakedChina produced as much clean electricity in the first half of this year as the UK generated from all sources in the same period last year, data shows, as wind and solar power generation continued to surge in the world's biggest emitter of greenhouse gases.Electricity generation from coal and gas dropped by 5% in China in July, year on year, according to an update from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA) thinktank, basing its analysis on data released by the Chinese government on Thursday. Continue reading...
Investigation shows restrictions on makers from promoting price reductions softens competitionStrict rules on the advertising of baby formula are pushing up costs for parents in the UK, the competition watchdog has found, as it attempts to tackle historically high" prices for the products.Baby formula makers are restricted from promoting price reductions, which has the effect of softening competition on price", the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Friday. Continue reading...
by Richard Partington Economics correspondent on (#6Q0VW)
Exclusive: Centre for Cities analysis shows more new towns would have to be built than ever before to dent 1.5m targetAngela Rayner has been warned that the government could risk missing its housing targets by placing too much emphasis on creating new towns across England.The deputy prime minister announced plans last month for the largest housebuilding programme since the postwar period", kickstarted by the construction of a generation of new towns. Continue reading...
In today's newsletter: Israel's reluctance to compromise is under mounting pressure - will Tehran's intentions change the prospect of peace? Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. Ten months after Israel's invasion of Gaza began, the death toll compiled by health officials there has reached 40,000 - one in 50 of the territory's prewar population. There are thousands more killed by Israeli forces whose bodies have not yet been recovered. Among those known to have died recently are Ayssel and Asser, four-day-old twins killed in an Israeli airstrike along with their mother and grandmother while their father, Mohamed Abuel-Qomasan, was out registering their births.While a ceasefire is catastrophically overdue for Palestinians in Gaza, there is still no sign that one will soon be agreed. A new round of talks yesterday in Doha with Israel and mediators from the US, Egypt, and Qatar were said to have got off to a promising start". They are expected to continue today. But Hamas is not participating.Contaminated blood | Victims of the contaminated blood scandal will begin receiving compensation before the end of the year, with some entitled to more than 2.5m, the government has confirmed. About 3,000 people who contracted HIV or hepatitis C as a result of the infusions have already registered as potential recipients.Ukraine | Volodymyr Zelenskiy has claimed Kyiv's troops have full control over the Russian town of Sudzha, which had a prewar population of 5,000 people and contains infrastructure pumping Russian gas towards Europe. Both Ukraine and Russia claimed advances elsewhere in Kursk region on Thursday.Education | Pupils achieved the best A-level results in a generation on Thursday, with marks that highlighted the growing gap between the strongest and weakest-performing parts of the country.Mpox | Sweden confirmed its first case of the more contagious variant of mpox, a viral infection that spreads through close contact, marking the first time it has been found outside Africa. The person was infected while in a part of Africa where there was a large outbreak of the disease.US news | Five people have been arrested and charged over the death of Matthew Perry, prosecutors said, including the actor's personal assistant and two doctors. The doctors supplied the Friends actor, who died at his Los Angeles home in October 2023, with a large amount of ketamine, the US attorney Martin Estrada said, and took advantage of Mr Perry's addiction issues to enrich themselves". Continue reading...
Arrests in Cheshunt, Hertfordshire are in relation to alleged extreme rightwing activity but not connected to Southport riots, says MetTwo teenagers have been charged with terrorism offences in relation to suspected extreme rightwing activity, the Metropolitan police has said.
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