8 h. ago MARKET REPORT: Recovery hopes breathe life into hip replacement maker Smith & Nephew

Smith & Nephew shares rose 10% in early trading before ending the day up 6.1%, or 64p, to 1107.5p. That took gains for the year to nearly 11%.

Politics

21 h. ago Hip replacement firm Smith & Nephew’s profit surges amid recovery in US sales

The medical technology giant has been in the midst of a turnaround effort, and recently faced calls from its top investors to break the company up.

Economics

25 h. ago Thousands gather outside the Vatican to pray for Pope Francis' health

Thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square to pray for an ailing Pope Francis, expressing sorrow for his suffering, hope for his recovery and gratitude for his efforts to steer the Catholic Church in new directions

Politics

36 h. ago Chance of giant asteroid hitting Earth in 2032 falls to 0.0017%

Asteroid 2024 YR4 had reached a 3.1% likelihood of impact but further data has rendered it negligibleIt was a discovery that lead to panic-inducing headlines: a giant asteroid found to be hurtling towards Earth that, while unlikely to wipe out life, could do some serious damage.But now the world can breathe a sigh of relief. After the odds of a future collision rose earlier this year, the likelihood of an impact is now so low as to be negligible. Continue reading...

Events

46 h. ago When my sister died, it wasn’t just her own childhood memories that disappeared. Mine did too | Jason Hazeley

Millie had fantastic recall, unlike mine. Now there are parts of my past – and myself – that I’ll never be able to rememberI was midway through Kathryn Mannix’s With the End in Mind when it happened. It’s a comforting book – the author is a palliative care consultant – that describes the basics of a good death: a diminuendo. The mind fades. The breath slows. Inevitably, gently, life stops.And then I got the call: my sister Millie had died. Her death, at the age of 47, was sudden and unexpected. She was my only sibling – four years younger than me. I put the book down. I’ll probably never finish it.Jason Hazeley is a comedy writer who is partly responsible for TV untellectual Philomena Cunk Continue reading...

Events

2 d. ago ‘I stripped away this caricature that I created’: Pamela Anderson on makeup, activism and gardening

The star of Baywatch and The Last Showgirl answers questions from Observer readers and famous fans including Stella McCartney, Liam Neeson, Ruby Wax and Naomi KleinPamela Anderson, makeup-free and beautiful in a floral Westwood suit, is making a fuss of my dog. My dog likes her. I’m not a particular believer in the idea that animals are great character judges but, in this case, me and the dog are aligned. I like Anderson too. She combines openness with a kind of vulnerability, and you warm to her immediately.Settled on a sofa in a small dressing room off a photography studio, she asks for a coffee and promptly spills it everywhere. “I strive for imperfection,” she jokes. “I strive for it, and I just hit it every time.” Cortado mopped, she takes a breath, before talking excitedly of a new phase in her eventful life. “A door opened, and I walked through,” she says. “It’s hard to believe.” Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Wind farm fund breathes life into sheltered housing development

A South Lanarkshire sheltered housing charity has been left glowing after receiving vital funds from a nearby windfarm to redesign its garden grounds for the first time in over 25 years.

Politics