Researchers found that most birds-of-paradise are biofluorescent – meaning they absorb light through their bodies
Birds-of-paradise are known for their bright and colourful plumage, but it turns out they are even more dazzling than previously thought.
Researchers have found 37 of the 45 species show biofluorescence – in other words, patches of their plumage or other body parts absorb UV or blue light, and emit light at lower frequencies.
Continue reading...Deputy PM Angela Rayner announces plans as she presents £350m funding increase for affordable housing
Rogue landlords in England will face curbs on how much housing benefit they can receive if their properties are substandard, Angela Rayner has said as she announced an extra £350m for affordable housing.
The deputy prime minister presented the funding increase, adding to £500m already announced at the budget, as part of the government’s drive to build 1.5m homes.
Continue reading...Research shows happiness levels have bounced back post-Covid, although depression also remains more common
People 50 and over in England have greater life satisfaction and sense life is more worthwhile than before the Covid pandemic, although depression is more common, researchers have found.
Prof Paola Zaninotto, first author of the research from University College London, said the study showed wellbeing and mental health worsened between the early stages of the pandemic and later in 2020, contrary to some reports. However, this situation subsequently improved.
Continue reading...Third-largest healthcare insurer will be first to give 20% off treatments such as Wegovy and Mounjaro through health cover
Vitality has become the first health insurer in the UK to offer customers discounted weight loss treatments for up to a year through its health cover.
The UK’s third-largest health insurer behind Bupa and Axa, with 1.9 million members, said it would offer discounts of up to 20% for medications such as Wegovy and Mounjaro – which are popular but pricey – to members, based on their body mass index (BMI) and weight-related health conditions.
Continue reading...A £750 mai tai previously earned the city centre bar the title of world’s most expensive cocktail
Spending a grand on an unforgettable experience might not feel extreme for people keen to shake up their routines. But what if it doesn’t involve falling through the skies, or even going outside at all?
“A life-changing experience” is the promise of one Belfast hotel’s £1,000-pound cocktail, launched as part of a new drinks menu.
Continue reading...Prosecutor confirms body of Dawn Searle was found semi-clothed outside with head injuries caused by several blows
French police say they are still investigating the deaths of a British couple whose bodies were found at their rural home in Aveyron in the south of France last week.
The bodies of Andrew Searle, a retired fraud investigator, and his wife, Dawn, a project manager, were discovered at about 12.30pm on Thursday at their home in the village of Les Pesquiès.
Continue reading...Animals suspected of being illegally left in ‘extremely harsh’ environment near where lynx were found last month
Rangers in the Cairngorms are searching for a herd of feral pigs believed to have been illegally released in the national park.
The animals were spotted near the Uath Lochans area, close to the village of Inch and only 5 miles from where four lynx were illegally released last month.
Continue reading...Two countries have not immediately explained reasons for not signing communique
The US and the UK have reportedly not signed the Paris AI summit’s declaration on “inclusive and sustainable” artificial intelligence.
The communique states that among priorities are “ensuring AI is open, inclusive, transparent, ethical, safe, secure and trustworthy, taking into account international frameworks for all” and “making AI sustainable for people and the planet”.
Continue reading...Danny Kruger says those who backed the bill did so under false premise after change to safeguards announced
There will be two urgent questions after 12.30pm: on the Clonoe inquest, which found that the SAS acted unlawfully when they killed four IRA terrorists in an ambush in 1992; and then another on the US steel tariffs.
A Northern Ireland Office minister will respond to the first, and a business minister will respond to the second.
Continue reading...Exclusive: Beeban Kidron says plans will lead to ‘wholesale’ transfer of wealth from creative industries to tech sector
A consultation on changes to UK copyright law is “fixed” in favour of artificial intelligence companies and will lead to a “wholesale” transfer of wealth from the creative industries to the tech sector, according to a crossbench peer campaigning against the mooted overhauls.
Beeban Kidron said the government was undermining its own growth agenda with proposals to let AI companies train their algorithms on creative works under a new copyright exemption.
Continue reading...Force faces having to reinstate officers and staff removed under scheme launched in wake of Sarah Everard case
The Metropolitan police have lost a high court case over whether they can oust officers and staff deemed unsuitable through enhanced vetting procedures.
Scotland Yard had used the scheme, which effectively dismisses officers by removing their vetting clearance, to get rid of scores of staff, some of whom had faced allegations of sexual assault.
Continue reading...Downturn in jobs market will mean workers will be unlikely to be able to bid up their wages, says policymaker
The Bank of England policymaker Catherine Mann has said she backed a half-point cut in UK interest rates last week because she believes the downturn in the jobs market will make the inflation “hump” this year short-lived.
Mann surprised financial markets last week by switching from voting against the Bank’s last cut, in November, to supporting a half-point reduction.
Continue reading...Singer will visit US, UK and Europe later this year alongside members of the original band who recorded the classic punk text
Patti Smith is to perform her classic album Horses in full on a tour to mark the album’s 50th anniversary.
Playing gigs across the US, UK and Europe, Smith’s band will feature guitarist Lenny Kaye and drummer Jay Dee Daugherty, each of whom played on the original recording. The tour includes two UK dates, at London’s Palladium on 12 and 13 October, with Dublin, Madrid, Bergamo, Brussels, Oslo and Paris also featuring on the European run. The US tour will visit Seattle, Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington DC and Philadelphia.
Continue reading...Burnley’s Oliver Ryan suspended as details emerge about Trigger Me Timbers group
Downing Street has announced a mini-reshuffle following the sacking of Andrew Gwynne as a health minister over the weekend.
Ashley Dalton is replacing Gwynne as a health minister. Dalton was a backbencher.
Forcing those whose asylum applications have been rejected or who have overstayed their visas on to planes has never been the most effective way to return people and never will be. Being punitive just scares people into hiding. They lose contact with the authorities, living a life on the margins.
Voluntary returns are far more effective, and the government should know this because it was the last Labour administration that commissioned independent agencies to run a voluntary programme that saw numbers increase. Building trust with refugee and migrant communities and treating people with dignity and humanity was far more successful than an enforcement approach.
Continue reading...Ryan is second MP to face sanctions after emergence of details of Trigger Me Timbers group
The Labour MP Oliver Ryan has been suspended by the party over his membership and comments on a WhatsApp group that featured offensive messages, including alleged racism and sexism.
The party took action against the Burnley MP after the emergence of details about the Trigger Me Timbers group, mainly involving a group of councillors and party activists in Greater Manchester.
Continue reading...Ryan Mason sent Jaysley Beck, 19, thousands of WhatsApp texts in a month, inquest hears
A 19-year-old soldier found dead in her room at an army camp had become frightened at the “psychotic and possessive” behaviour of her boss, who had sent her thousands of WhatsApp messages and expressed his love for her, an inquest heard.
Royal Artillery Gunner Jaysley Beck, who died at Larkhill camp in Wiltshire, was concerned Bombardier Ryan Mason had hacked her phone because he seemed to know where she was, the inquest was told.
Continue reading...Ministers mothball promised reforms to simplify the process amid fears over rise of Reform UK
Labour has quietly shelved plans to make it easier for people to legally change their gender amid concerns about the rising popularity of Nigel Farage’s Reform UK.
Ministers have mothballed their promised reforms to simplify the process whereby anyone seeking to change gender in the UK must get approval from a panel of doctors and lawyers.
Continue reading...Birds observed going to lengths to flavour food, with particular penchant for blueberry-flavoured soy yoghurt dip
Whether you savour Ottolenghi’s recipes or prefer a feast from Nigella’s cookery books, humans enjoy mixing flavours and textures when preparing food. Now research suggests some cockatoos do too.
Researchers have previously discovered that some of the birds dunk dry rusks in water before eating them, just as some people enjoy dunking a biscuit in tea, apparently reflecting a penchant for a soggy texture.
Continue reading...Salma al-Shehab was arrested in 2021 during holiday in Saudi Arabia
A Saudi student at Leeds University who was sentenced to 34 years in prison over her use of Twitter, now X, has been released after her sentence was dramatically reduced.
Salma al-Shehab, a mother of two who was arrested in 2021 during a holiday in Saudi Arabia, was convicted in 2022 over her tweets.
Continue reading...Local channels show police officer walking up to star as he sings Shape of You and unplugging microphone
Ed Sheeran has been stopped by police from busking in India after he was told he lacked permissions.
The songwriter was seen singing the hit single Shape of You on a pavement in the southern city of Bengaluru before his concert on Sunday night.
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