36 m. ago The sudden rise of scabies: ‘I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy’

These microscopic mites, which burrow under your skin and cause ferocious itching, are incredibly hard to get rid of – and cases in the UK have soared. What is causing the outbreak, and is there anything we can do about it?Louise (not her real name) is listing the contents of a bin liner she has packed with fresh essentials in case of emergency. Clothes, toothbrushes, hairbrushes, a teddy “Although it should be two teddies,” she re-evaluates, quickly. I can hear her trying to quell her panic.A diehard survivalist preparing for catastrophe? Actually, a beleaguered 44-year-old mother recovering from scabies – an itchy rash caused by microscopic mites that burrow under human skin. Far-fetched as it sounds, emergency evacuation is exactly what she, her partner and children (six and four) resorted to in November in a desperate bid to beat the bugs. She is now on tenterhooks in case they return. Continue reading...

Politics

2 h. ago How can we defend ourselves from the new plague of ‘human fracking’?

Big tech treats our attention like a resource to be mercilessly extracted. The fightback begins hereIn the last 15 years, a linked series of unprecedented technologies have changed the experience of personhood across most of the world. It is estimated that nearly 70% of the human population of the Earth currently possesses a smartphone, and these devices constitute about 95% of internet access-points on the planet. Globally, on average, people seem to spend close to half their waking hours looking at screens, and among young people in the rich world the number is a good deal higher than that.History teaches that new technologies always make possible new forms of exploitation, and this basic fact has been spectacularly exemplified by the rise of society-scale digital platforms. It has been driven by a remarkable new way of extracting money from human beings: call it “human fracking”. Just as petroleum frackers pump high-pressure, high-volume detergents into the ground to force a litt...

Politics

14 h. ago Michael Jackson's chimp Bubbles used to party with rock stars all night but new photos show him enjoying quiet retirement in Florida where he's in bed by 6pm

Michael Jackson got Bubbles in 1983 when the chimp was just eight months old. He slept in a crib inside the singer's room and was often seen wearing human clothes.

Culture

16 h. ago Elle Brooke turns into human champagne flute as she asks 'is this enough proof?'

Elle Brooke has reignited her online fame by posting a cheeky champagne-drinking video with the caption "When he asks if I swallow...", sparking a wave of racy comments

Politics

19 h. ago Venezuela? Iran? Greenland? We’re doing our best, says extreme tour operator

The Man Who Pays His Way: When the industry of human happiness turns sour, Lupine Travel soldiers on

Politics

22 h. ago Hollywood stars DEFEND Timothy Busfield after child abuse claims as he reveals sex life with Melissa Gilbert

Busfield's lawyers filed a motion late on Friday filled with statements from star friends of the scandal hit actor and director after he was held without bond following his first court appearance this week.

Events

27 h. ago Japanese mayor apologises after using ‘human scum’ to insult staff

Takeharu Yamanaka called his colleagues ‘useless’, ‘silly’ and ‘low-spec’

Politics

28 h. ago The hill I will die on: Stag and hen dos should be fun, not bankrupting endurance tests | Liam Pape

Multi-day benders that deplete your mates’ annual leave and wallets are a no-no. Keep it cheeky, cheap and – crucially – enjoyableA stag or hen do should be a straightforward, fun night celebrating a good friend moving into a new chapter of their life. Instead, thanks to films such as The Hangover and Bridesmaids, as well as the general Americanisation of what a “bachelor” or “bachelorette” party should be, we’ve ended up with too many overindulgent, wildly inconvenient and quite frankly underwhelming send-offs to our friends who are getting married.Somewhere along the way, they’ve morphed into three-day tests of stamina and disposable income. Groomsmen bankrupting themselves on long weekends in Vegas that are billed as obligatory for anyone who wants to keep calling themselves a friend. Injuries sustained during ill-advised human pyramids on Spanish beaches. Weddings called off after drunken lapses of judgments in strip clubs. To add insult to injury, in 2023, a survey by Aviva fou...

Events

32 h. ago Couple have sex in MRI machine for wild experiment and one thing baffles scientists

After scientists studied a number of people having sex in an MRI scanner there's one thing that has left them stumped about the human body - providing them with useful insights

Politics

32 h. ago How Miss Baird’s Primary 5 class set an example to Scotland about the Ukraine War

Expressions of solidarity with Ukrainians as they defend their country and democracy against the Russian invaders help them feel less isolated and alone

Events

41 h. ago Melania left on mute: First Lady's tech speech plagued by 32 seconds of silence

First Lady Melania Trump was accidentally left on mute Friday when she appeared at a summit sponsored by Zoom to help children learn about artificial intelligence.

Politics

44 h. ago I studied the brains of raccoons. Here’s what it tells us about human intelligence

A raccoon broke into a liquor store in Virginia last year before passing out in the bathroom

Events

45 h. ago Police slap 48 hour dispersal order on Greater Manchester town plagued by 'constant' anti

Police say large groups of youths have been intimidating customers at Tesco and throwing eggs at cars

Events

46 h. ago A robot learned to lip sync after watching hours of YouTube videos

The robot learned the ability to use its 26 facial motors by practicing to imitate human lip motions in front of the mirror

Technology

46 h. ago ‘Questionable parenting’ is not a crime: Lawyers defend woman for allegedly letting 5

Jasmine Moss allegedly bragged that her daughter had raised over $700 by waxing dozens of clients

Society

47 h. ago Darlington nurses accuse Government of dragging feet on single

A tribunal found they suffered harassment which violated their dignity and created ‘a hostile, intimidating, humiliating and degrading environment’.

Politics

47 h. ago ‘He was, above all, a treasured spirit, who understood how vital music is for the human soul’: tributes to Andrew Clements

In the week that we mourn the death of the Guardian’s long-serving classical music critic, composers, performers, colleagues and others who knew and worked with him pay tribute to a writer whose passing is a huge loss to the music worldI owe Andrew Clements big time. He wrote so positively about my music early in my career and the last article he wrote was singling out my opera Festen for special praise. He did seem to go off me a bit in mid career but he was such a serious and thoughtful critic that I often agreed with him. I got to know him very well in the late 90s as he was the partner of the librettist and translator Amanda Holden. He had such a broad knowledge of music and a great enthusiasm for new music which he wrote and spoke about with such warmth and humour. We spent many evenings in Highbury talking about Stravinsky, politics and Arsenal football club – he cared about the most important things in life. Mark-Anthony Turnage, composer*** Continue reading...

Politics

47 h. ago Producer 'concerned for cameraman's safety' before paramotor crash death

Dan Burton, 54, died after a mid-air paramotor collision with "human swan" Sacha Dench while filming a climate change documentary in September 2021.

Events

48 h. ago Producer concerned for safety of ‘human swan’ expedition cameraman, inquiry told

Dan Burton, 54, died in a mid-air paramotor collision with climate activist Sacha Dench in the Highlands in 2021.

Politics

48 h. ago Surrey police defend extraditing influencer HStikkytokky on £16,000 private jet

Police insisted the chartered plane was the ‘only option’ after a judge criticised the cost

Economics