73 m. ago US funds supported Nepal's growing LGBTQ+ community. Now that money is gone

Many support centers for Nepal’s LGBTQ+ community have closed since the Trump administration began dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development

Economics

86 m. ago The ancient psychedelics myth: ‘People tell tourists the stories they think are interesting for them’

The narrative of ancient tribes around the world regularly using ayahuasca and magic mushrooms in healing practices is a popular one. Is it true?Beginning in 2001, the Austrian anthropologist Bernd Brabec de Mori spent six years living in the western Amazon. He first arrived as a backpacker, returned to do a master’s thesis on ayahuasca songs, and eventually did a PhD on the music of eight Indigenous peoples in the region. Along the way, he married a woman of the local Shipibo tribe and settled down.“I did not have a lot of money,” he told me, “so I had to make my living there.” He became a teacher. He built a house. He and his wife had children. That rare experience of joining the community, he said, forced him to realise that many of the assumptions he had picked up as an anthropologist were wrong. Continue reading...

Politics

87 m. ago DWP issues update on calls to scrap planned cuts to disability benefits

Titled "Protect Disabled people who cannot work from planned cuts to benefits", the petition called for the government to scrap its proposed plans for the disability benefit PIP and the health element to Universal Credit

Politics

1 hour ago Sir Rod Stewart help offer is great but waiting lists are far too long for young Scots

Record View says as a “knight of the realm”, Sir Rod Stewart sees it as his duty to help people whenever and wherever he can.

Events

2 h. ago Snake on a train line: Japan’s busiest bullet train route brought to a halt

Outage occurred between Maibara and Gifu-Hashima stations after the snake appeared to have climbed an electricity poleJapan’s busiest bullet train line was brought to a halt on Wednesday after a metre-long snake wrapped itself around a power line, shorting the electricity supply and stranding hundreds of passengers.Shinkansen trains running between Tokyo and Osaka were brought to a standstill by the snake, with news reports showing footage of people inside trains waiting for services to resume. Power did not appear to have been cut inside trains, with lights and air conditioning still functioning, according to passengers. Continue reading...

Politics

3 h. ago The attack on Zamzam refugee camp and what it means for the Sudan war

Guardian journalist Kaamil Ahmed reports on the devastating assault by the Rapid Support Forces on the camp in Darfur and what it tells us about the group’s plans in Sudan’s civil warZamzam, in Darfur, has been a place of refuge for decades. A sprawling camp in western Sudan, some have estimated that it houses up to 700,000 people – a place of relative safety from the violence that has engulfed the region over the last 20 years.It was also one of the last holdouts in Darfur, one of the few places in the region not yet under the control of the Rapid Support Forces. The paramilitary group has fought a devastating civil war with the Sudanese army since April 2023. Continue reading...

Events

3 h. ago Veteran card is now accepted as photo ID at polling stations

Voter ID rules were first enforced in England in 2023 and across Britain at the 2024 general election.

Culture

3 h. ago Many people ‘stuck in financial habits’ as experts suggest ways to boost budgets

Some people worry they may make a wrong decision, or feel overwhelmed by choice, according to research for new savings app Spring.

Economics

4 h. ago Martin Scorsese announces film that will feature Pope Francis’s ‘final interview’

Aldeas – A New Story documentary to examine work of organisation pontiff founded to connect young people around the worldMartin Scorsese has made a documentary with the late Pope Francis that will feature conversations between the pontiff and Scorsese, including what the film-makers say was the pope’s final in-depth on-camera interview.Aldeas – A New Story will detail the work of Scholas Occurrentes, a non-profit, international organisation founded by the pope in 2013 to promote what it termed “Culture of Encounter” among youth. Continue reading...

Culture

4 h. ago Handyman who was jailed for life over rape and murder of four people at 1986 Fordingbridge 'mansion massacre' dies in prison aged 73

George Stephenson was jailed for life in October 1987 aged 36 after being convicted alongside two others of murdering four people, raping a woman.

Events

4 h. ago King Charles tells Dame Deborah James' family he is 'so sorry' he didn't meet the fierce campaigner as he celebrates people in the cancer 'community' at Buckingham Palace

Charles met Alistair and Heather James at Buckingham Palace before moving into the ballroom to join 500 guests who had been invited to a reception to celebrate people within the cancer 'community'.

Politics

4 h. ago British expat in Spain shares 'mistake' everyone makes before they move

Daniel Efford, who has lived in Spain for 38 years, revealed a common 'mistake' people make before relocating - whilst sharing his top tips for those hoping to follow in his footsteps.

Politics

4 h. ago Don't forget the sun cream... for your CAT: Vet urges pet owners to take care of their felines as temperatures rise

A white rescue cat named Bobble has undergone life-changing surgery after years of sun exposure left her with skin cancer so severe that vets were forced to amputate both of her ears.

Politics

5 h. ago Households with no time urged to plant these 'neglect thriving' flowers

If you're too busy to grow a bountiful garden this summer there is no need to miss out - these delightful climbing plants require little to no care and will grow almost anywhere

Politics

6 h. ago Family of boy 9, who died after 'gross failure of basic care finally receive hospital apology: 'We have had to fight for answers'

Dylan Cope, from Newport, died on December 14, 2022, just eight days after he was sent home from hospital with a perforated appendix

Events

6 h. ago Boy, 16, and girl, 14, in hospital after stabbing in Merseyside

Police urged people to avoid the area while officers conduct their enquiries.

Politics

6 h. ago Handyman who was jailed for life over rape and murder of four people at 1986 Fordingbridge 'mansion massacre' dies in prison ages 73

George Stephenson was jailed for life in October 1987 aged 36 after being convicted alongside two others of murdering four people, raping a woman.

Events

7 h. ago Questions swirl on if Texas bill to fine people who package the abortion pill $100k is actually legal

An attorney last month described the bill as an ‘incursion on Texans’ constitutional rights’

Economics

7 h. ago Police suspect 2 shootings that left 4 dead in Minneapolis were connected and gang related

Police strongly suspect that a pair of shootings three blocks apart in Minneapolis that left four people dead and two others seriously injured were connected and were gang related

Events

8 h. ago 'I keep my chopped off body part in a jar – people are scared of me but I don't care'

A young woman has decided to literally take her body in her own hands and modified near enough most of it and has even revealed where she keeps her removed body parts

Politics