92 m. ago Poland’s birth rate is in freefall. The cause? A loneliness epidemic that state cash can’t solve | Anna Gromada

Bonuses for families have done nothing to fix a baby bust caused by post-communist Europe’s relationships crisisIn 2015, I found myself advising Poland’s president on the nation’s demographic woes: the country’s fertility rate had stalled at 1.3 children per woman, among the lowest in Europe. I thought I understood the problem. Most Polish couples wanted to have two kids but settled for one. The culprits, I believed, were predictable: precarious jobs, not enough childcare, apartment prices out of reach. At 27, flush with the confidence that comes from being both right and young, I sparred with politicians and policymakers twice my age, usually men, who insisted that women like me would reproduce if only the state threw enough cash into the cradle.We were all, it turned out, fighting the wrong battle. In the decade since then, unemployment in Poland has sunk to one of the lowest in the EU. Incomes have more than doubled. Nursery and childcare places are multiplying. The government no...

Politics

2 h. ago Domestic abuse thug ripped off partner's beard and bit his nose in series of vicious attacks

"They had been in an on-off relationship for a few years. The relationship was described as being problematic."

Events

2 h. ago Suspect accused of killing Ukrainian refugee Iryna Zarutska on Charlotte light rail may face death penalty if convicted

Decarlos Brown Jr. was indicted by a federal grand jury following the fatal train attack on 23-year-old Iryna Zarutska on August 22

Events

2 h. ago New Zealand ‘mega strike’: 100,000 public sector workers demand better conditions

Teachers, nurses and public service staff among those walking off job and also pressing for more government investment in health and educationAn estimated 100,000 nurses, teachers and public sector staff walked off the job in New Zealand on Thursday to call on the government to better fund and resource public services, in one of the country’s largest ever strikes.The so-called “mega strike” brought together workers from multiple sectors, including more than 60,000 school teachers, 40,000 nurses and salaried medical specialists and 15,000 public service staff. Continue reading...

Events

4 h. ago Record Tesla sales can’t help Musk avoid massive profit decline as company pursues bets on robotaxis and AI

Tesla has weathered attacks on dealers and boycotts since Elon Musk became more involved in politics

Economics

5 h. ago New York City mayoral debate live: Mamdani, Sliwa and Cuomo trade jabs over Israel, rent and Trump

Candidates come out swinging as they vie for New Yorkers’ votes in final debate“It’s us versus them,” Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, says in his brief opening statement, in which he claims that he is the true representative of New Yorkers.Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, begins by urging the Knicks to win, and then pivots to attacking “my main opponent”, Zohran Mamdani. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago New York City mayoral debate live: Zohran Mamdani, Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa face off for final time

The two-hour debate is likely to focus on public safety, cost of living, housing and Trump “It’s us versus them,” Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, says in his brief opening statement, in which he claims that he is the true representative of New Yorkers.Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, begins by urging the Knicks to win, and then pivots to attacking “my main opponent”, Zohran Mamdani. Continue reading...

Politics

6 h. ago Brigitte Bardot, 91, releases statement denying she has died and says 'I have no intention of bowing out' following hospital stay

The actress, 91, was furious when Aqababe - a hugely popular influencer who specialises in celebrity news in her home country - said Brigitte had passed away in the South of France.

Events

6 h. ago The biggest heart health breakthrough since statins? Largest study to date shows Ozempic can dramatically lower risk of major heart problems regardless of weight lost

In a major global study examining the jab's cardiovascular benefits, British scientists discovered they were apparent regardless of how much weight was lost.

Events

6 h. ago Fide to investigate Kramnik over attacks on Naroditsky as chess reels from player’s death

Chess world mourns 29-year-old streaming pioneerKramnik criticized for reckless cheating accusationsFide CEO’s statement prompts calls for resignationThe International Chess Federation (Fide) said on Wednesday it is examining former world champion Vladimir Kramnik’s public attacks on Daniel Naroditsky, the American grandmaster whose sudden death at 29 has stunned the chess world and laid bare fissures in the sport’s digital age.Naroditsky, among the most visible faces of chess’s pandemic-era renaissance, was one of the most popular players and teachers of his generation, a Stanford-educated prodigy who won the Under-12 world championship, became a grandmaster at 18 and went on to amass more than 800,000 followers across Twitch and YouTube. Known by his nickname Danya, the California-born Naroditsky’s mix of patience, humor, generosity and gift for communication made him a standard-bearer of chess’s online boom, helping to bring vast new audiences to a centuries-old pastime. Continue...

Events

7 h. ago Cutting one thing from kids' diet could slash heart attack and stroke risk in later life

People were less likely to suffer heart attacks, heart failure and stroke if they cut one ingredient in early childhood

Events

7 h. ago Wegovy and Ozempic shown to slash risk of heart attack and stroke

Weight loss jabs like Wegovy and Ozempic have been shown to cut people’s risk of heart attack or stroke regardless of how much weight they lose - and belly fat is crucial

Events

7 h. ago Fat jabs ‘could prevent deadly heart attacks even if you DON’T lose weight’

OZEMPIC boosts your heart health even if you don’t lose weight, according to a study. Scientists at University College London found semaglutide, the active ingredient in diabetes medicine Ozempic and fat jab Wegovy, cut heart attack or stroke risk by 20 per cent. They found this was true regardless of how much weight the patient...

Events

7 h. ago Danny Mac breaks silence on 'emotional' Hollyoaks storyline fans 'won't see coming'

Hollyoaks favourite Dodger Savage was physically attacked and raped by gang mumber Griff in dark scenes as spin-off show Hollyoaks Later returned after five years

Politics

9 h. ago Nurse was left 'sobbing and shaking' when transgender NHS worker repeatedly asked 'when she was getting changed' in female locker rooms at hospital

A nurse has told an employment tribunal she was left 'sobbing and shaking in a panic attack' when she was forced to share a changing room with a transgender colleague.

Politics

9 h. ago Wetherspoons 'disappointed' after vandals attack new £2.75million pub just 24 hours after opening

A brand-new Wetherspoon pub in Basildon was vandalised just hours after it opened, sparking a police investigation - with MP Richard Holden slamming the 'pathetic morons' responsible

Economics

9 h. ago Potential grooming gangs chair accuses Kemi Badenoch of 'weaponising' inquiry

Jim Gamble was the second candidate to chair the probe to pull out of the process - and said Ms Badenoch and others were using victims as a "political football" and using their voices to launch attacks on the government

Events

10 h. ago Biden's former press secretary launches extraordinary attack on George Clooney for saying what everyone thought about ailing former president

Karine Jean-Pierre blasted actor George Clooney in for writing a high-profile essay telling Joe Biden to drop out of last year's presidential election.

Politics

10 h. ago Plans for Milan’s Serie A match in Perth thrown into serious doubt

Asian Football Confederation under pressure not to sanction gameBarcelona v Villarreal in Miami has already been called offSerie A’s plan to host a match in Australia could be the next attempt at staging a domestic fixture abroad to be scrapped, following the abandonment of La Liga’s efforts to move Barcelona’s game against Villarreal to Miami.The Guardian understands there are serious doubts over whether Milan and Como will face each other in Perth, rather than their home country, in a game scheduled for February. This month Uefa approved both switches, emphasising permission had been granted on an exceptional basis. Now senior figures within European football’s governing body feel that the probability of Serie A breaking precedent and playing a game 8,500 miles from home is also receding. Continue reading...

Politics

11 h. ago More than 30 people killed by US strikes on ‘narco’ boats as Trump launches first attack in Pacific waters

At least 34 killed in war-like campaign over mounting questions about legal justification and evidence

Events