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Showing posts from April, 2024

Billy Searle pulls the strings as Leicester prove too strong for Saracens

Leicester 36-28 Saracens Tigers close gap on top four The temperature was zero at kick-off but when the pluses and minuses were totted up, Leicester were comfortably in credit and Saracens were out in the cold. A clinical and cohesive performance by Geoff Parling’s side has them looking upwards, contemplating the playoffs, while the Saracens director of rugby, Mark McCall, must reflect on his team’s inconsistency. As the regular season reaches halfway this was a highly significant mid-table encounter: Leicester in fifth, and sixth-placed Saracens still have ground to make up on the top four, but the home side narrowed the gap with an accomplished win. There were plenty of illustrious names on the teamsheet but it was Billy Searle, the Leicester fly-half, whose headline-grabbing performance won him player of the match. At 29, Searle has already played for five different professional clubs in England and three in France. On this sparkling form you wonder why any of them let him ...
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Prostate cancer screening methods trialled in ‘pivotal moment’

Transform project has potential to reduce deaths from the disease by 40%, savings thousands of lives a year in UK Methods of screening men for prostate cancer will be trialled in an attempt to save thousands of lives in the UK each year, in what has been hailed as a “pivotal moment” by experts. The £42m project, known as Transform, will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes, which can include blood tests, physical examinations and biopsies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/p3zCo5H via IFTTT
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Dividends payments soar globally as worker pay stagnates

Shareholder payouts grew 14 times faster than wages over past three years, says Oxfam report Shareholders have proved to be more successful at securing bumper payouts than workers have at winning higher pay, according to two studies that show dividends outstripping wages by a considerable margin in recent years. Oxfam said analysis of global data showed that dividend payments to shareholders over the last three years grew an average of 14 times faster than worker pay across 31 major economies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/SiIfObN via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: Russia making gains from slow western aid, says Nato chief

Jens Stoltenberg says lack of ammunition has allowed Russia to push forward; Odesa missile strike kills at least four people. What we know on day 797 See all our Russia-Ukraine war coverage Nato countries have not delivered what they promised to Ukraine in time, which has benefited Russia on the frontline, Jens Stoltenberg has said . “Serious delays in support have meant serious consequences on the battlefield” for Ukraine, the Nato secretary general said in Kyiv while meeting the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. Ukrainian officials say Russia is assembling forces for a major summer offensive , even if its troops are making only incremental gains at the moment. “The lack of ammunition has allowed the Russians to push forward along the front line ,” Stoltenberg said. “Lack of air defence has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets, and the lack of deep strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces.” Zelenskiy ...
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Michelangelo: The Last Decades review – where has all the lust and longing gone?

British Museum, London Michelangelo’s drawings were anything but dull, but this exhibition sucks out all the drama by focusing on his spirituality at the expense of his sexuality Lord Elgin, you let us down. With all the masterpieces of world art that Britain’s rapacious collectors grabbed from hither and yon, couldn’t they have got their hands on a single statue by Michelangelo? No, the only original work in marble by the great sculptor, painter, architect and poet in a British collection is a circular relief owned by the Royal Academy. What we have instead are extensive holdings of his drawings in the British Museum and Royal Collection. Unfortunately, the BM’s hushed use of these works on paper to try to illuminate his later life shows what poor recompense they are. The problem is disappointingly obvious from the start. After being moved by a portrait of the elderly, bearded, introspective Michelangelo by his most talented pupil, Daniele da Volterra, you’re plunged into his design...
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Cash is king — for now: China signals it will slow transition to cashless society

With tourists struggling to access the two primary digital payment apps, Alipay and WeChat pay, Beijing has put measures in place to make cash payments easier For 18 years, Liu Yau-li has been bringing tourists to China. In that time she’s seen the full evolution of China’s digital payment system. Twenty years ago, she says, everyone used cash. But today it’s not unusual to find places that can’t or won’t accept cash at all, particularly after the pandemic when much of the world grew wary of handling shared items. If visitors want to enjoy convenient travel, she says, they’re better off downloading one of the major payment apps and hoping it works for them. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Tj6FKRV via IFTTT
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Average cost of UK car insurance rises by one-third in a year, analysis finds

ABI reports annual jump of £157 in first quarter of 2024 but says 1% increase on previous quarter indicates rises are easing The average price paid for comprehensive motor insurance in the UK was about a third (33%) or £157 higher in the first quarter of this year than a year earlier, according to figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI). Based on analysis of policies sold, the typical price paid in the first quarter of 2024 was £635, marking a 1% increase on the previous quarter, the ABI said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/lm4Mert via IFTTT
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No more 12345: devices with weak passwords to be banned in UK

Makers of phones, TVs and smart doorbells legally required to protect devices against access by cybercriminals Tech that comes with weak passwords such as “admin” or “12345” will be banned in the UK under new laws dictating that all smart devices must meet minimum security standards. Measures to protect consumers from hacking and cyber-attacks come into effect on Monday, the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/mPiNn4C via IFTTT
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Sadiq Khan’s green credentials may be critical in London mayoral election

As mayor aims to win third term, what has he achieved so far on air pollution, the climate crisis and nature? When Sadiq Khan launched his campaign for a third term as Labour mayor of London, he put his green policies front and centre, highlighting his work on air pollution, the climate crisis and nature. For seasoned Khan watchers, this came as little surprise. The mayor, who last year published a book called Breathe: Seven Ways to Win a Greener World , has been widely praised for his work tackling air pollution, as well as his efforts on nature restoration and getting London to net zero by 2030. The introduction and expansion of the ultra-low emission zone, which excludes the most polluting vehicles from the capital and has contributed to roadside N0 2 emissions dropping by 50%. The introduction of thousands of new electric buses and taxis, and the continued expansion of the cycle network and promotion of walking. A rewilding programme that has reintroduced a range of species,...
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Foreign states targeting sensitive research at UK universities, MI5 warns

Ministers considering more funding to protect important research sites, with China seen as a particular concern MI5 has warned universities that hostile foreign states are targeting sensitive research, as ministers consider measures to bolster protections. Vice-chancellors from 24 leading institutions, including Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial College London, were briefed on the threat by the domestic security service’s director general, Ken McCallum, and National Cybersecurity Centre (NCSC) chief, Felicity Oswald. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/anKkZsJ via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: Long-range Atacms already hitting Russian forces

Joe Biden gave missiles to Ukraine under prior funding, after the US reportedly warned Russia against using long-range missiles in Ukraine. What we know on day 792 Atacms long-ranges missiles capable of hitting targets 300km away had already arrived in Ukraine this month at the president’s direction, before the US security package was passed by Congress on Wednesday, the state department has said. Vedant Patel, a state department spokesperson, explained that the weapons were part of a March aid package for Ukraine – not the one just approved by Congress and signed by Joe Biden. “We did not announce this at the onset in order to maintain operational security for Ukraine at their request.” Ukraine has begun using the long-range Atacms , bombing a Russian military airfield in Crimea last week and Russian forces in another occupied area in recent days, two US officials have told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity. One of them said the Biden administration previously warne...
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Ruth Perry family furious as Ofsted single-word ratings are retained

Teaching unions share family’s disappointment after government says system has ‘significant benefits’ Ofsted’s controversial single-word judgments are here to stay, the government has ruled, in a blow to campaigners who hoped they would be scrapped after the suicide of the primary school headteacher Ruth Perry. Perry’s sister, Prof Julia Waters, reacted with fury to the government’s statement, published on Thursday in response to an inquiry into Ofsted by MPs on the Commons education committee, describing it as “woefully inadequate”. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie . In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org , or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counsellor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading... from The Guardi...
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BBC unveils 2024 Proms lineup: Daniel Barenboim, Daleks and disco

The 81-year-old conductor makes a rare UK visit with his West-Eastern Divan Orchestra, while Yo-Yo Ma, Doctor Who, Florence Welch, Sam Smith and Rule, Britannia! all feature The BBC today announces details of this summer’s Proms festival of 90 concerts over eight weeks. Daniel Barenboim will be making a rare visit, conducting the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra that he and the Palestinian-American academic Edward Said founded 25 years ago. The 81-year-old conductor has almost completely stepped back from performing because of a neurological condition and has not conducted in the UK since 2019. Sir Simon Rattle, who at last year’s Proms gave his final UK performance as the London Symphony Orchestra’s music director , will be returning to the Albert Hall with his new orchestra, the Bavarian Radio Symphony. Rattle’s orchestral home before the LSO, the Berlin Philharmonic, will give two concerts with its principal conductor Kirill Petrenko, the group’s only appearance in the UK this year. ...
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‘An enigma’: scientists finally learn what giant prehistoric shark looked like

Full and part skeletons found in Mexico reveal body shape and anatomy of Pytchodus as well as its likely diet Fossil experts say they have gained unprecedented insights into a type of enormous prehistoric shark, after finding complete skeletons of the creatures. The specimens, discovered in small quarries in north-eastern Mexico within the last decade, belong to Ptychodus – a creature that roamed the seas from around 105m to 75m years ago. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/pEQAlMk via IFTTT
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Trump’s hush-money trial: key takeaways from opening statements

The ex-president appeared uncomfortable at times as his criminal trial finally got under way in New York on Monday Full story: hush money was ‘election fraud pure and simple’, prosecutors say Donald Trump was confronted on Monday with the unsavory details of his alleged attempt to illegally influence the 2016 election by covering up his hush-money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels, as the first criminal trial for a former US president got under way in New York. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records – where the hush-money payments were recorded as legal expenses – to cover up the affair just weeks before the election. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NwscguV via IFTTT
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Paedophiles create nude AI images of children to extort them, says charity

Internet Watch Foundation has found a manual on dark web encouraging criminals to use software tools that remove clothing Paedophiles are being urged to use artificial intelligence to create nude images of children to extort more extreme material from them, according to a child abuse charity. The Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) said a manual found on the dark web contained a section encouraging criminals to use “nudifying” tools to remove clothing from underwear shots sent by a child. The manipulated image could then be used against the child to blackmail them into sending more graphic content, the IWF said. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/WYkmXsV via IFTTT
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Can AI image generators be policed to prevent explicit deepfakes of children?

As one of the largest ‘training’ datasets has been found to contain child sexual abuse material, can bans on creating such imagery be feasible? Child abusers are creating AI-generated “deepfakes” of their targets in order to blackmail them into filming their own abuse, beginning a cycle of sextortion that can last for years. Creating simulated child abuse imagery is illegal in the UK, and Labour and the Conservatives have aligned on the desire to ban all explicit AI-generated images of real people. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/69tZyhR via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskiy urges US Senate to rapidly ratify aid package amid fears of new Russian offensive

Ukrainian president says priorities are air-defence systems and long-range missiles. What we know on day 789 Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged the US Senate to rapidly ratify the long-delayed military aid package passed by Congress over the weekend, warning that his country was preparing its defences amid fears there could be a large Russian offensive before the fresh supplies reach the frontline . “We really need to get this to the final point. We need to get it approved by the Senate … so that we get some tangible assistance for the soldiers on the frontline as soon as possible, not in another six months,” he said. In the interview with US television network NBC, he also said that Saturday’s vote showed Ukraine would not be “a second Afghanistan”, whose pro-western government collapsed during an US-led pull out in the summer of 2021 . Zelenskiy said his immediate priorities were air-defence systems such as the US-made Patriots and long-range missiles such as Atacms, w...
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‘Like the Somme without the generals’: Tory nerves grow as local elections loom

Contest being treated as a general election bellwether and some MPs fear ‘complete annihilation’ will spark further Conservative rebellion The local elections on 2 May have long been regarded as a moment of high peril for Rishi Sunak , with the results likely to anticipate his party’s fate at the next election. “My colleagues are feeling very restless,” admits one moderate Tory MP. “Rishi needs to show us that the general election isn’t already lost. If we lose the mayoralties in May then I’m afraid we could be on course for a total wipeout. It could be very dangerous for him.” Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ub1nxNJ via IFTTT
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Devin Haney v Ryan Garcia: WBC super lightweight championship – live

Haney defends WBC super lightweight title in Brooklyn Garcia cannot win championship after badly missing weight Send Bryan a tweet at @BryanAGraham or email him If you’re wondering why tonight’s main event has been downgraded to a non-title fight, that’s because Ryan Garcia failed to make the super lightweight division limit of 140lbs. And he didn’t just miss it by a little. The challenger came in an eye-popping 3.2lbs over behind closed doors on Friday morning, prompting a series of last-minute negotiations between the camps to enable tonight’s fight to go forward. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Z4ClAjm via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: ‘Thank you America’ says Zelenskiy as aid passes House at last

Once Senate and Biden give nod, rearming can start ‘almost immediately’; drones hit Russian fuel and energy facilities. What we know on day 788 See all our Ukraine war coverage The US House of Representatives has finally approved more than $61bn worth of military assistance to help Ukraine fight back against Russia . The Senate is set to begin considering the bill on Tuesday, with some preliminary votes that afternoon. Final passage is expected next week , which would clear the way for Joe Biden, the US president, to sign it into law. Immediately after the bill passed, the Ukrainian president, Volodymr Zelenskiy, thanked both the Democrats and Republicans , “and personally Speaker Mike Johnson for the decision that keeps history on the right track … Democracy and freedom will always have global significance and will never fail as long as America helps to protect it. The vital US aid bill passed today by the House will keep the war from expanding, save thousands and thousands of l...
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The rise of booze-free backpacking: why gen Z are choosing to travel sober

As more young travellers opt for morning yoga over late-night parties, tour companies are shifting their focus away from alcohol-fuelled activities Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Issy McDermott used to go on holidays to drink: she did schoolies, partied her way through Central America, Europe and Asia, and “worked at a party hostel in Indonesia where I drank every day for an entire month”. But over the past year, she has experienced a shift. The 23-year-old Sydneysider, who also leads group tours with Plotpackers, a UK-based company marketing more affordable trips to young social media creators, became tired of the party life and wanted to travel “to experience the culture and adventure, rather than drinking” when she goes on holiday. She went to India in February and didn’t drink at all, even when she ventured out with large groups of fellow travellers. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/KcMIUfd via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: Kyiv claims bomber shot down at 308km range after crash in Russia

US House of Representatives moves closer to passing Ukraine aid; bureaucracy delays £500m in foreign assistance channelled through UK Ministry of Defence. What we know on day 787 See all our Ukraine war coverage Ukraine said it shot down a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber from a distance of 308km (180 miles) after it took part in a long-range airstrike that killed eight people including two children in Dnipro. “I can only say the plane was hit at a distance of 308km, quite far away,” said Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine’s military spy agency, the GUR. An intelligence source told Reuters the plane was hit with a modified S-200 Soviet-era long-range surface-to-air missile system . Unconfirmed social media footage showed a warplane with its tail on fire spiralling towards the ground. The Russian defence ministry confirmed the crash in Russia’s southern Stavropol region but claimed it appeared to have been caused by a technical malfunction. Four aircrew ejected with one dead, two res...
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‘We’re the main attraction’: when women’s pro wrestling came to Ballarat

Professional wrestling is normally at home in American stadiums, but for one night in regional Victoria, Australia’s female wrestlers took centre stage Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email It took until the final match of the evening for the 600-strong crowd at Ballarat’s Selkirk Stadium to erupt in a “this is awesome” chant. The refrain rang out at last weekend’s all-women professional wrestling show, HER, as “Adelaide Powerhouse” Delta fought international superstar “The Juggernaut” Jordynne Grace in a battle that spilled out of the ring and on to the entrance ramp. HER, a weekend-long pro wrestling convention , was held for the first time outside America last weekend. This kind of wrestling, known for its over-the-top theatrics and portrayal of heroes and villains, is popular in the US but has an Australian fanbase, too. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning Continue reading... from The ...
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Chris Pratt draws ire for razing historic 1950 LA home for sprawling mansion

Actor and wife Katherine Schwarzenegger dismantle 1950 Zimmerman house designed by architect Craig Ellwood Chris Pratt has drawn ire from architecture aficionados after news broke that the actor and his wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, had razed a historic, mid-century modern home to make way for a sprawling 15,000-sq-ft mansion. Last year, the couple purchased the 1950 Zimmerman house, designed by the architect Craig Ellwood, in Los Angeles’s Brentwood neighborhood for $12.5m. The residence, with landscaping by Garrett Eckbo – who has been described as the pioneer of modern landscaping – had previously been featured in Progressive Architecture magazine. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/q1DBFkM via IFTTT
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‘I’m just a lawnmower man, I’m no one special’: Nathan Stafford, the Sydney gardener with a following of millions

He has amassed a huge international social media audience for videos of tidying, ASMR and helping out ‘legends’. Now he has a meeting with a housing minister. Who is he? On a quiet street in Sydney’s Glebe, Nathan Stafford is standing halfway up a ladder balancing his child’s old shoe, with his phone wedged inside, on the ladder’s top rung. He’s trying to angle his phone to get a good shot of the yard of a public housing unit below. The weeds have run wild and the grass is threatening to reclaim the concrete footpath snaking through. Moments ago the shoe and the phone were atop a yellow bin he’d dragged to the front door of the home to film the resident, Jo Lee, as she answers his loud knock. She’d asked him to come help. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/UgxlkGm via IFTTT
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UK supermarkets accused of misleading labelling on origins of food products

Which? says inconsistencies also found, with ‘meaningless’ labels making it hard for shoppers to make informed choice “Misleading” and “inconsistent” labels make it hard for shoppers to know where their food comes from, the consumer champion Which? has said, as it found supermarket chains were selling products with “meaningless” statements on their packaging. Retailers must supply the “country of origin” for specific foods including fresh fruit and vegetables, unprocessed meats, fish, wine and olive oil but the rules do not generally apply to processed meat or frozen or processed fruit and vegetables. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ZOTptN5 via IFTTT
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Prince Harry confirms he is now a US resident

Paperwork filed shows the royal has informed British authorities that he has moved and is now ‘usually resident’ in the United States Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has formally confirmed he is now a US resident. The acknowledgment is said to underscore the prince’s increasing estrangement from Britain, after he and his wife Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex, walked away from royal duties four years ago. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D9LTCZN via IFTTT
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Students turning to cyberfraud as huge phishing site infiltrated, police reveal

LabHost enabled users to set up websites designed to trick victims into revealing personal information – with 70,000 allegedly duped in the UK University students have turned to cyber fraud to boost their income, police have said, as they revealed they have infiltrated a huge phishing site on the dark web responsible for scamming tens of thousands of people. The site called LabHost was active since 2021 and was a cyber fraud superstore, allowing users to produce realistic-looking websites from household names such as the big banks, ensnaring victims around the world including 70,000 in the UK. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/FwoqtQz via IFTTT
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Forced home moves cost renters over half a billion pounds a year

There were 83,000 unwanted moves in England over the past 12 months, meaning 40% have been forced to relocate Unwanted home moves cost renters over half a billion pounds a year, with tenants coughing up an average of £669 every time they are forced by landlords to leave their home, a survey has revealed. Analysis by the homelessness charity Shelter estimated that there had been 830,000 unwanted moves in England over the past 12 months, meaning 40% of renters who move house are doing so because they have been compelled to look for other accommodation. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Fr1LRGP via IFTTT
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Bluey’s blockbuster episode hit a nerve for my family by casting moving house as difficult and scary | Chloe Booker

Children go through all sorts of changes, along with moving. The show was a missed opportunity to help children navigate such events in their life Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Bluey’s blockbuster 28-minute episode has thrilled children around the world, but I’m sorry to say it was a missed opportunity. The ABC’s Logie and Emmy-winning cartoon could have taught children that change – specifically moving house – can be difficult and scary, but over time they will adapt and even flourish. Instead, the message was that preventing change is what makes a “happy ending” – a phrase repeated throughout the episode. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/U58hjY4 via IFTTT
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Creating sexually explicit deepfake images to be made offence in UK

Offenders could face jail if image is widely shared under proposed amendment to criminal justice bill Creating a sexually explicit “deepfake” image is to be made an offence under a new law, the Ministry of Justice has announced. Under the legislation, anyone who creates such an image without consent will face a criminal record and an unlimited fine. They could also face jail if the image is shared more widely. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/wkxN2MT via IFTTT
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Infected blood scandal: victims’ families hope report will finally apportion blame

UK government’s apologies so far have had a distinct lack of candour about what it is apologising for Surviving victims and relatives of those who died as a result of receiving infected blood and blood products from the NHS in the 1970s and 80s will gather in a few weeks at the Methodist Central Hall in Westminster. After six years of taking evidence, Sir Brian Langstaff’s public inquiry will finally unveil its report there on 20 May. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/c3xWj8e via IFTTT
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The Comeuppance review – eloquence, tension and wit in a dysfunctional reunion drama

Almeida, London Five American friends gather to catch up in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ new play. It’s a portrait of midlife malaise, but also a subtle meditation on post-Covid life A group of former high-schoolers meet, 20 years on, to reminisce and reconnect – or that’s the idea, anyway. Instead they end up drinking, fighting and ruing the disappointments of their middle-aged lives. What looks like a typical American reunion drama is – finally! – a thoughtful post-pandemic play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins. Big politics beyond the losses of Covid – America’s part in recent wars, 9/11, the storming of the Capitol, gun crime – are embroidered into the personality contests and back-stories to explore memory, millennial malaise and modern American history under the shadow of death. A US flag hangs on one side of the porch on which this pre-reunion (before the bigger party) takes place and it looks like a subtle accusation of unquestioned nationalism rather than an endorsement. Continue read...
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‘You can make meaningful relationships’: how does friendship change in older age?

Often the number of friends we have dwindles as we age. What happens when you actively fight against it? When retiree Pat Mathews was planning her post-work life in an outer suburb in Melbourne’s west, she realised she lacked friends – local friends. She remembers thinking: “You’re going to have a lonely life if you don’t do something.” Until then, for more than 30 years, the divorcee had enjoyed a busy city job – 6am to 6pm, five days a week – surrounded by people. The two-hour commute meant she had only ever exchanged little more than a wave with her neighbours. Her closest friends were scattered hours away. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/bloL7aB via IFTTT
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Tiger Woods makes unwanted Masters history while Scheffler edges into lead

Third-round of 82 is Woods’s worst score at Augusta Scheffler is seven under , Morikawa is six under, before final day This was a day in which Tiger Woods created unwanted history. This was a day where Scottie Scheffler – only briefly – displayed his fallibility. This was a day where the latest glimpse of golf’s exciting future was provided by Ludvig Åberg. It feels a pity that this Masters, already one for the ages, has to conclude. Woods entered the record books on Friday after becoming the first player to successfully negotiate 24 Masters cuts in a row . True to form, the 48-year-old made bold predictions about challenging for the Green Jacket. We should probably know better by now than to fall under the Woods spell. Father Time is beaten by no man. A ragged first nine of 42 was his worst at Augusta National. It did not get much better thereafter. Woods signed for an 82, his poorest Masters round by four. Both of those 78s came in 2022; Woods’s pattern now is undoubtedly one of...
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‘This coast is saturated’: Italian village braces for post-Ripley crowds

Netflix hit series based on Patricia Highsmith novel brings prospect of surge in visitors to Atrani area of Amalfi coast When Andrew Scott’s eponymous character in the hit new Netflix series Ripley travels from Naples to the village of Atrani, the rickety bus has the road almost to itself; a solitary Vespa passes going the other way. When he tracks down Dickie Greenleaf at the beach, the rich American and his girlfriend are the only people sunbathing on the pristine sands. Visitors to the Amalfi coast today will note the contrast. Unlike in 1961, the road between Positano and Salerno is now known as much for its traffic jams as for the views. Atrani may be less busy than its neighbour Amalfi, but in summer its beach is taken over by rows of umbrellas and sunbeds. A small area, perhaps a fifth of the space, is public spiaggia libera . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D2h7ta1 via IFTTT
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UK invertebrate of the year: vote for your favourite

Over the past two weeks we’ve gone in search of the UK’s invertebrate of the year . Now it’s your chance to choose Most of life on Earth is not like us at all. Barely 5% of all known living creatures are animals with backbones. The rest – at least 1.3 million species, and many more still to be discovered – are spineless. They are the invertebrates, animals of wondrous diversity, unique niches and innovative and interesting ways of making a living on this planet, which include insects (at least a million), arachnids, snails, crustaceans, corals, jellyfish, sponges and echinoderms. And yet, despite their numerical advantage, originality and dazzling charisma, invertebrates are usually overlooked in favour of animals that more closely resemble ourselves. So, over the last two weeks, we’ve gone in search of the UK’s invertebrate of the year, and profiled 10 different invertebrates – plus the invertebrate nominated by readers, Lumbricus terrestris , the common earthworm. Continue reading...
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Gardener ‘honoured’ to join gallery of servants at Welsh country house

Glyn Smith is first addition since 1920 to portraits commemorating staff at Erddig in Wrexham A rare collection of portraits of domestic staff at a Welsh country house that spans more than 100 years has gained a modern addition with a striking photograph of its recently retired head gardener. The collection at Erddig in Wrexham highlights a new appreciation of the back-breaking work carried out by servants and staff in the upstairs-downstairs world of country houses and stately homes. Kensington Palace recently hosted an exhibition of portraits of overlooked, and often overworked, back-room staff in royal households. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/EHBNDyR via IFTTT
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Player Kings review – Ian McKellen’s richly complex Falstaff is magnetic

Noel Coward theatre, London Mutating from head criminal in a gothic thriller to slippery music hall entertainer, showman McKellen has centripetal force in Robert Icke’s slick, modern dress production It is a wonder that among Ian McKellen’s great, long roster of Shakespearean roles, he has not taken on the corpulent comic antihero of the Henry IV dramas before now. He makes a radically moving Falstaff in Robert Icke’s handsome production of the two joined-up history plays, turning Shakespeare’s embodiment of rude life – the carnal and carnivalesque – inside out. In 1950, Kenneth Tynan wrote that Ralph Richardson’s turn as Falstaff was not comic because “it was too rich and many-sided to be crammed into a single word.” McKellen’s is a richly complex portrayal too. His Falstaff is tragic almost from the start, all colour drained from his cheeks. He is not so much carnivaleque as carnival grotesque and a wheeler-dealer, wheezing and snorting, adenoidal and dyspeptic ­– a pub drunk and i...
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Cheap coal, cheap workers, Chinese money: Indonesia’s nickel success comes at a price

Jakarta hopes the industry is the ticket to becoming a developed nation. But there are fears the toll on the environment – and people’s lives – will be too high Get our morning and afternoon news emails , free app or daily news podcast Standing chest-deep in the Molucca Sea, just outside the billowing smokestacks of the world’s largest nickel industry, Upin adjusts his mask and dives. Members of his people, the Bajau, have been known to stay underwater for more than 10 minutes but Upin resurfaces shortly. He hauls a rugged disc of metal over the side of his dugout canoe. “Since the factories arrived, there has barely been any fish to catch,” he says and grimaces towards the opaque water. Above: Upin steers his boat with wife Jenni and son Riski past nickel factories in Morowali. Since the factories opened, their drinking water has been polluted and fish is no longer abundant. – All images by Per Liljas Below: Open cut nickel mining leads to erosion and sediment sludge in loca...
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Outcry in Ukraine after Kyiv scraps demobilisation plan for long-serving soldiers

Military leaders had put pressure on politicians to ditch a draft amendment that allowed troops who had served for more than 36 months in war a chance to be discharged See all our Ukraine war coverage Ukrainian lawmakers have sparked anger by scrapping a clause in a draft law that would have given soldiers who have spent long periods fighting on the frontlines a chance to return home. With Ukraine’s army outnumbered by Russia on the battlefield, “the offensive continues along the entire frontline. And currently it is impossible to weaken the defence forces”, Dmytro Lazutkin, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s defence ministry, said Wednesday on state TV. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/6z75jUi via IFTTT
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New Brexit checks to cost UK business £2bn and fuel inflation, report finds

Additional measures from 30 April for imported animal and plant products could hike costs by 10% in first year, says Allianz Trade New post-Brexit UK border controls coming into force later this month will cost British businesses £2bn and fuel higher inflation, according to a report warning that UK-EU trade will be damaged as a result. With less than a month before the introduction of new checks on animal and plant products from 30 April, the insurer Allianz Trade said the controls agreed under Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal could add 10% to import costs over the first year. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/HYZEtX8 via IFTTT
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English schools could lose £1bn by 2030 as pupil numbers fall

School rolls swelled because of fertility surge in 2000s but birthrate and migration patterns have brought decline Schools in England could lose up to £1bn in funding by 2030, researchers warn, with exceptional falls in pupil numbers prompting a wave of closures as some establishments cease to be financially viable. Mergers and closures are already under way in parts of London, where pupil numbers have been falling for some time. According to the Education Policy Institute (EPI), a thinktank, the north-east is projected to see the greatest decline in primary pupil numbers, down 13% by 2028/9. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/NHmVyWw via IFTTT
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Cameron’s Mar-a-Lago lobbying may not be enough to reach the new Republican party

The UK foreign secretary’s Trump dinner appeared to fail to bring support for Ukraine, and his Washington meetings don’t look any more promising Whatever happened at Mar-a-Lago between David Cameron and Donald Trump on Monday night, was clearly going to stay in Mar-a-Lago. Dinner at the Trump Florida residence was always going to be a stiff test of the UK foreign secretary’s influence over the former president, presidential candidate, and the man he had previously referred to variously as protectionist, xenophobic, and misogynistic. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/M289LjW via IFTTT
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Silver coin boom in medieval England due to melted down Byzantine treasures, study reveals

Chemical analysis reveals origin of coinage that stimulated trade and helped fuel development of new towns from seventh century Several decades after the Sutton Hoo burial , starting in about AD660, there was a sudden rise in the number of silver coins in circulation in England, for reasons that have long puzzled archaeologists and historians. The new rush of silver coinage stimulated trade and helped fuel the development of the new towns springing up at the time – but where did it come from? Were the Anglo-Saxon kings recycling old Roman scrap metal? Or had they found lucrative sources from mines in Europe? Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/iDArPdv via IFTTT
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UK rent rises forecast to outpace wage growth for three years

Average 13% increase by 2027 will put millions of households under further pressure, says thinktank Rent rises in Britain are forecast to outpace wage growth, despite having already surged at the fastest pace on record after the Covid pandemic and the cost of living crisis. The Resolution Foundation expects added pressure on millions of households and said average rents could increase by 13% over the next three years as current high growth in the private rental market work their way through existing tenancies. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ND1x4wy via IFTTT
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Athletic Club beat Mallorca in Copa del Rey final to end 40-year trophy drought

Bilbao win 4-2 on penalties to clinch 24th Copa del Rey crown Final had finished 1-1 after goals from Rodríguez and Sancet Forty years and it all came down to one kick. At 00.51 in the morning in Seville, Oihen Sancet stood by the penalty spot: one shot, one opportunity to seize everything they ever wanted. Across four decades, five finals, Athletic Club had been close but never as close as this and this time they were not going to let go. Sancet skipped to one side, ran towards the ball, smashed it into the net and just kept on running: over the advertising board and towards the thousands of fans behind the goal, celebrating their first major trophy in a generation. Unmoor the barge that they dared not mention; it is time to take it down the Nervión River for the first time since 1984. Exhausted, Athletic had been made to suffer. They had conceded first and they had to fight back, they had been taken to extra-time and all the way to penalties, this final finishing at 1-1, but the...
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A new Guardian crossword: the Quick Cryptic

Helping you to build up a toolbox of tricks to solve clues, our new Saturday puzzle is a gentle way in for those starting out on cryptic crosswords “I’d like to do cryptic crosswords, but I just don’t understand the damn things.” Perhaps this is you. Or perhaps you are a happy solver and you have heard this from loved ones. Either way, what a regrettable state of affairs. The Guardian Crossword Blog includes a collection of pointers for beginners . Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/D975H6V via IFTTT
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Ukraine war briefing: Russian attack on Zaporizhzhia kills four as Kyiv’s forces target airbase in Russia

Missile strikes in Ukrainian city followed up with further strikes as rescuers worked, says governor; 20 casualties reported in drone attack on Russia’s Morozovsk airbase. What we know on day 773 See all our Ukraine war coverage Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/xS0ICE6 via IFTTT
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Taiwan earthquake: shock and grief take hold in Hualien

Residents of tourist town at the epicentre of the 7.2 magnitude Taiwan earthquake face destruction and despair Lying in his bed, Liao Xiu Bo wondered if he was about to die. As a powerful earthquake rocked the ground beneath him, he tried to escape his house. “Am I going to be crushed?”, he asked himself, before gathering the courage to run down the stairs, which swayed beneath his feet. Outside, he could see that the wall surrounding his house had collapsed, its bricks littered across the road. “That’s when I realised how extreme the earthquake was”. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/08KQ236 via IFTTT
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How hidden WW2 bombs across the Pacific are found and destroyed, 80 years after war

Teams in the Marshall Islands, which is littered with unexploded weapons from the second world war, uncover and detonate potentially deadly devices The Marshall Islands is a nation of atolls – hundreds of small islands carpeted in coconut palms and pandanus trees. While these atolls in the Pacific Ocean are a picture of tropical beauty, they are also home to explosive remnants of war. Eight decades after the guns fell silent, munitions left by the US and Japan still litter beaches, jungles, and lagoons and continue to pose a hidden but lethal threat. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/4vgtZYP via IFTTT
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Israel to reopen Erez crossing into Gaza after Biden sounds warning over protecting civilians

Steps approved in Israel to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza include temporary reopening of crossing in the north See all our Israel-Gaze war coverage Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said his security cabinet has approved a series of steps to increase the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, including the temporary reopening of a key crossing that was destroyed in the 7 October Hamas attack. The office of the Israeli prime minister said early on Friday that the Erez crossing, which lies in northern Gaza and for years served as the only passenger terminal for people to move in and out of the territory, would be temporarily reopened. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/q3WdtE0 via IFTTT
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‘Some were extremely hostile’: how Dutch far-right figure turned to Islam

Joram van Klaveren played a key role in Geert Wilders’ Freedom party but is now actively working to counteract its message He was once Geert Wilders’ right-hand man, crafting Freedom party (PVV) messaging that described Islam as a “lie” and pushed for the Qur’an and mosques to be banned in the Netherlands. One decade on, Joram van Klaveren is a Muslim convert – the second politician from the far-right PVV to convert – and actively working to dismantle the myths he once peddled. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TNrCq3f via IFTTT
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Moon Standard Time? Nasa to create lunar-centric time reference system

Space agency tasked with establishing Coordinated Lunar Time, partly to aid missions requiring extreme precision The White House wants Nasa to figure out how to tell time on the moon. A memo sent Tuesday from the head of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has asked the space agency to work with other US agencies and international agencies to establish a moon-centric time reference system. Nasa has until the end of 2026 to set up what is being called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/Ldw7P9C via IFTTT
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Taiwan 7.5 magnitude earthquake sparks tsunami warning in Japan

Tsunami of up to three metres expected to reach Japan’s southern coast after quake with preliminary magnitude of 7.5 hits near Taipei Building have collapsed in Taiwan after an earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.5 struck on Wednesday morning, sparking a tsunami advisory in southern Japan. Television footage showed collapsing buildings in the city of Hualien, on Taiwan’s eastern coast, with reports of people trapped inside. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/TqpS52z via IFTTT
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Nationwide TV ads starring Dominic West banned as misleading

ASA says sneering bank manager character wrongly suggests building society has not closed any branches Adverts featuring the actor Dominic West as a sneering bank manager will be pulled from TV in their current form after the advertising watchdog ruled they were misleading because they wrongly suggest that the building society had not closed branches. The Advertising Standards Authority (Asa) received 281 complaints, including one from rival lender Santander, about the advert, which ran in October and November. The Nationwide campaign took a swipe at high street banks that have been closing branches. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/F4H75Qn via IFTTT
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Trump posts $175m bond in civil fraud case and averts asset seizures

Former president was found liable in February for fraudulently inflating his net worth to secure better loan and insurance terms Donald Trump posted a $175m bond in his New York civil fraud case on Monday, averting asset seizures by state authorities that could have hobbled the former US president’s business empire. Trump, to face Joe Biden in the November US election, was found liable on 16 February for fraudulently inflating his net worth by billions of dollars to secure better loan and insurance terms. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/ePOb2vW via IFTTT
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Middle East crisis live: Israeli military investigating after Gaza officials say foreign aid workers killed in IDF strike

Four World Central Kitchen employees and their Palestinian driver died when their convoy was hit in central Gaza, officials in Hamas-run organisations said See all our Middle East crisis coverage A full report on the reported Gaza strike is here – by my colleague Ben Doherty : For some background on the World Central Kitchen (WCK), the US-based charity delivers food relief and prepares meals for people in need. Our 60+ kitchens in southern and central Gaza are cooking hundreds of thousands of meals each day like this mujadara, a comforting dish of rice, lentils, and caramelised onions. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/9Jt1mPE via IFTTT
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Four foreign aid workers and Palestinian translator killed in convoy strike, Gaza health officials say

Israeli military investigating after nationals from UK, Australia and Poland, working for World Central Kitchen, were reportedly in convoy struck in central Gaza Four foreign nationals have been killed in a strike in central Gaza, according to health officials in the occupied territory. The Hamas-run Gaza government media office reported the deaths late on Monday. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/umeXdFx via IFTTT
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Inflation in UK shops drops to lowest level in two years

Retailers cut the price of Easter treats, clothing and electrical items as consumer spending slowed Inflation in shop prices in the UK has eased to the lowest level for more than two years after retailers cut prices on Easter treats, clothing and electrical goods amid a slowdown in spending by consumers in the cost of living crisis. Industry figures show prices rose at an annual rate of 1.3% in March, down from a rate of 2.5% in February – the slowest pace since December 2021, according to the latest monitor from the British Retail Consortium (BRC) trade body and the market research firm NielsenIQ. Continue reading... from The Guardian https://ift.tt/7yhpIlw via IFTTT
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