6 h. ago China’s crackdown on lavish civil servant perks will ‘harm’ the economy, experts warn

Updated regulations ban the country’s 40 million civil servants from lavish banquets, and restrict them from overseas travel for ‘personal leisure’Adjacent to a municipal government building in Beijing, a normally bustling restaurant is now eerily quiet, at lunchtime most of its seats are empty.The recent crackdown on civil servants frequenting restaurants – part of a government austerity drive intended to crack down on corruption – has likely affected business and caused liquor sales to plummet, admits one waitress who works in the opulent establishment. Continue reading...

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8 h. ago Experts warn that progress in cancer survival rates is ‘slowing’

The study, led by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and funded by Cancer Research UK, analysed long-term trends in the cancer survival index (CSI)

Events

8 h. ago £13m scheme boosts rare wildlife but experts warn ‘time running out’ for nature

Rare species from water voles to adders across England have been helped with cash from the Species Recovery Programme’s capital grants scheme.

Events

9 h. ago UK porn site traffic plunges as age verification rules take effect

Pornhub loses more than 1mn visitors in two weeks after Online Safety Act comes into force

Politics

14 h. ago UK porn site traffic plunges as age verification rules take effect

Pornhub loses more than 1mn visitors in two weeks after Online Safety Act comes into force

Politics

16 h. ago ‘It felt like a scene from The Handmaid’s Tale’: US comics on the dangers of political satire

As Jena Friedman, Michelle Wolf and Sam Jay perform at the fringe, they discuss the threats to freedom of speech in the era of Donald Trump In April, comedian Jena Friedman had a strange encounter in Vancouver airport. She had just performed a Ted talk about the future of comedy and was heading home to the US, when someone she thought worked for airport security quizzed her about her visit.Thinking he was probing for visa infringements, “I just said I was doing comedy. Then he asked: ‘What do you joke about?’ Stupidly, I lightly flirted with him, and was like: ‘Everything other than airport security!’ He didn’t react at all. Then I realised he was US border control. He asked again: ‘What do you joke about?’” Continue reading...

Politics

25 h. ago London set for sweltering 34C heatwave today as experts warn of a water shortage

The capital will see some of the hottest temperatures in the UK amid its fourth heatwave of the summer

Events

32 h. ago Thousands of men with prostate cancer facing unnecessary overtreatment, experts warn

Experts suggest ‘outdated guidelines’ around prostate cancer have created a ‘wild west’ of what is implemented in the NHS

Events

35 h. ago Canada wildfire season already second worst on record as experts warn of ‘new reality’

More than 470 Canadian fires classified as ‘out of control’ as scientists say climate change exacerbating the burningWith hundreds of wildfires burning out of control, Canada’s 2025 fire season is already the second-worst on record, as scientists report climate change is prolonging and exacerbating the burning, leading to more destruction, evacuations and smoke-filled skies.More than 470 fires across the country are currently classified as “out of control”, according to the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre (CIFFC). Continue reading...

Events

38 h. ago Palestine Action ban ‘could become Starmer’s poll tax moment’ as freedom of speech row deepens

Baroness Chakrabarti said the proscription of the group risks exacerbating community tensions and campaigners warned the ban was a threat to freedom of speech

Politics

39 h. ago Weight loss jabs like Mounjaro and Wegovy could make you go BLIND, experts warn

A study found jabs were linked to a 'modestly increased risk' of diabetic retinopathy-a condition caused by damage to blood vessels in the retina, the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye.

Events

43 h. ago Wikipedia loses court challenge against Online Safety Act rules

The action sought to exempt the platform from new regulations

Events

50 h. ago Households warned to take this one item out of garden or risk huge fine

Be careful which items you leave out in your garden - experts warn that a common item left outdoors for too long can actually result in serious fines and legal action

Events

51 h. ago Whitehall procurement rules threaten top graduate schemes, experts warn

Education, prison and social work programmes are being forced to rebrand when seeking UK government funding

Events

66 h. ago Voices: Malaysia must stop saying one thing and doing another

Promises in Anwar Ibrahim’s manifesto to repeal draconian legislation around media freedoms appear to be missing from the prime minister’s government, writes John Whittingdale

Politics

67 h. ago Voices: The overzealous Online Safety Act means showing ID to get a pizza delivered

The government’s new bill is hopeless, writes Chris Stokel-Walker. We do need protections for children, so don’t repeal it – rewrite it

Politics

3 d. ago 3 visible signs of bed bugs as experts warn over ‘high risk’ hotels

People going on a summer getaway might come back with more than they planned as experts warn hotel beds can be a high risk zone

Events

3 d. ago TONY HETHERINGTON: I had to warn TSB twice that my 'new' account was a fraud

I called TSB's fraud line, but the person who answered wanted to know about a fraudulent transaction and refused to accept that the new account itself was the fraud.

Events

3 d. ago Keir Starmer's latest approval rating is out and it's not good news

Two key issues, Israel and the Online Safety Act, were looked at in this latest polling

Politics

3 d. ago ‘It’s missing something’: AGI, superintelligence and a race for the future

As US and Chinese tech giants chase artificial general intelligence, experts warn the hype may be outrunning the scienceA significant step forward but not a leap over the finish line. That was how Sam Altman, chief executive of OpenAI, described the latest upgrade to ChatGPT this week.The race Altman was referring to was artificial general intelligence (AGI), a theoretical state of AI where, by OpenAI’s definition, a highly autonomous system is able to do a human’s job. Continue reading...

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