19 h. ago LA county facing financial turmoil after wildfires and $4bn abuse settlement

County to cut budget by almost $90m as it tackles nearly $2bn in fire-related costs and cuts to federal fundingLos Angeles county is experiencing unprecedented financial challenges amid growing costs from the historic wildfires that ravaged the region earlier this year and a $4bn sex abuse case settlement, the county CEO said this week.The region faces roughly $2bn in expenses related to January’s fires, which killed 30 people and destroyed nearly 17,000 structures. Earlier this month the county announced it had a $4bn agreement to settle thousands of claims of sexual abuse in juvenile facilities dating back 1959 – the largest such settlement in US history. Continue reading...

Events

34 h. ago ‘She helps cheer me up’: the people forming relationships with AI chatbots

From virtual ‘wives’ to mental health support, more than 100m people are using personified chatbotsMen who have virtual “wives” and neurodiverse people using chatbots to help them navigate relationships are among a growing range of ways in which artificial intelligence is transforming human connection and intimacy.Dozens of readers shared their experiences of using personified AI chatbot apps, engineered to simulate human-like interactions by adaptive learning and personalised responses, in response to a Guardian callout. Continue reading...

Politics

42 h. ago Plan for band of volunteer mourners to attend funerals of people without relatives

The plan has been backed unanimously by a council after a resident suggested volunteers could put themselves forward to attend funerals if the deceased had no next of kin

Politics

52 h. ago People left shocked after discovering Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are actually related

Hollywood stars Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been friends since childhood but people have recently been left shocked after discovering they are actually related. 

Events

7 d. ago Rescue efforts continue in Dominican Republic after nightclub roof collapse

More than 120 people died at Jet Set club in Santo Domingo, including singer Rubby Pérez and municipal governorSearch efforts are ongoing after more than 120 people died in a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic.Relatives of clubgoers gathered around the site at the Jet Set club in the capital, Santo Domingo, as rescuers transported the injured to hospital and used a crane to remove debris. Continue reading...

Events

9 d. ago Dozens of families join plan for class action over UK police contact deaths

Lawsuit would be first of its kind against police officers, police chiefs and government departmentsMore than 100 relatives of people who have died after contact with the police in the UK since 1971 have joined plans for a class action lawsuit in pursuit of compensation and justice.The plan for group legal action was announced at the People’s Tribunal on Police Killings, a two-day event in which bereaved families presented evidence to a panel of international experts on how their relatives died and the long-term impact this has had on them. Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago People having relationships with AI bots could hinder humans' ability to find real partners, experts warn

Psychologists say it is becoming increasingly commonplace for people to develop intimate, long-term relationships with artificial intelligence (AI) technologies

Events

1 week ago Clutter and mess are the main reason people in relationship argue

Organisation experts have explained how to tackle your mess and psychologists say why it is improtant

Politics

1 week ago I put the Married at First Sight ‘experiment’ to the test. The results are stark | Gideon Meyerowitz

I’ve become addicted to the show. But as a scientist I wonder: how many couples actually stay together?It has finally happened. After a decade of avoiding the show, my wife and I decided that we would try out the new season of Married at First Sight. We consume quite a bit of reality TV, so it’s not that we avoided it precisely, but something about the idea of watching people struggle to build a healthy relationship amid a storm of cameras and manufactured drama just never drew us in. At least until we watched Married at First Sight and realised it was actually kind of fun.Relationship drama makes for addictive viewing. But after watching most of a season of weird “marriages”, screaming matches and couch quizzes accompanied by deep and meaningful music, one part of the show has struck me as really weird. Everyone keeps referring to the saga as an “experiment”. From the narrator to the experts who counsel the hapless couples on their relationship dramas, the entire show seems to be c...

Politics

2 w. ago Two may be company, but for a rising number of Australians, three (or more) isn’t a crowd

Polls and studies show younger people are showing more interest in polyamory and non-traditional relationships“I didn’t know what polyamory was,” Melissa* says. “I didn’t have the vocabulary. I Googled it a few times to understand.” Melissa was on the “relationship escalator”. She got married, had a child, then the no longer happy couple split.So she started exploring her options. First stop? Singles’ groups.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago ‘Foreigner’ stereotyping led to loss of life in deadliest Channel crossing, inquiry told

Migrant dinghy was confused with another boat from which 35 people were rescued, so incident was marked ‘resolved’Survivors and bereaved relatives have told an inquiry into the biggest ever loss of life in a migrant dinghy in the Channel that they believe stereotyping them as “foreigners” contributed to the failure to rescue them before the majority died.The Cranston inquiry into how at least 27 people drowned on 24 November 2021 heard that survivors believed many on board could have been saved if rescue had been sent more quickly. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Stereotyping a factor in loss of life in deadliest Channel crossing, inquiry told

Migrant dinghy was also confused with vessel from which 35 people were rescued, so incident was marked ‘resolved’Survivors and bereaved relatives have told an inquiry into the biggest ever loss of life in a migrant dinghy in the Channel that they believe stereotyping them as “foreigners” contributed to the failure to rescue them before the majority died.The Cranston inquiry into how at least 27 people drowned on 24 November 2021 heard that survivors believed many on board could have been saved if rescue had been sent more quickly. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago People are only just realising Hugh Grant is related to famed Love Actually co

People have only just realised that Hugh Grant is actually related to one of his Love Actually co-stars.

Politics

2 w. ago Relationship expert reveals the simple reason why people get ghosted

While the term 'ghosting' only appeared in colloquial language in the past decade, the concept of going completely silent on someone after some sort of romantic interaction is anything but new.

Politics

2 w. ago People with multiple partners just as happy as couples, study finds

Research found no significant differences in satisfaction levels between people in monogamous and non-monogamous relationships

Politics

2 w. ago Labour admits welfare squeeze will push another 250,000 Brits into poverty

In the Government's own assessment of its benefits changes, it was estimated an extra 250,000 people will be in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30.

Politics

3 w. ago 250,000 more people will face relative poverty after Rachel Reeves’ benefits cuts, DWP says – spring statement live

Department for work and pensions says thousands, including children, will be hit by chancellor’s reforms, as OBR forecasts UK growth to halve in 2025Spring statement 2025: key points at a glanceRachel Reeves will not be raising taxes in the spring statement today, even though there are many people on the left who would prefer taxes to rise as an alternative to public spending being cut. Reeves came into office promising only one budget-type event a year, and that is one reason why she is not hiking taxes today. But mainly it’s because she thinks Britons are relatively highly taxed already, because Labour was elected on a manifesto ruling out most of the obvious possible tax rises and because she’s not convinced a sweeping wealth tax would work.But that has not stopped campaigners calling for a wealth tax, and yesterday about 300 people attended a ‘Tax the Super-Rich’ rally outside the Treasury. It was organised by charities and social justice campaign groups, but one of the speakers...

Politics

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves' benefit cuts will plunge 250,000 people into poverty, warns DWP

An impact assessment published by the UK Government showed that an additional 250,000 people will be in relative poverty due to the cuts.

Events

3 w. ago Polyamorous and monogamous relationships are equally satisfying, Australian research finds

Research’s lead author says findings could show the importance of infidelity in relationship breakdownsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAustralian researchers say they have debunked the “monogamy-superiority myth” that one-on-one romantic relationships are better than those with multiple partners.Research published on Wednesday in the Journal of Sex Research suggests that people in polyamorous, open or “monogamish” relationships have similar levels of satisfaction to those in monogamous relationships.Sign up for Guardian Australia’s breaking news email Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Israeli airstrikes kill at least 65 people in Gaza in 24 hours, says health authority

Death toll includes women, children and journalists, nearly a week after Israel broke ceasefireIsraeli airstrikes have killed at least 65 people in Gaza in the past 24 hours, including women, children and two journalists, the Palestinian health authority said on Monday, nearly a week after Israel broke its ceasefire with Hamas.Palestinians in Gaza have again been fleeing for their lives after Israel launched its new offensive in the territory, which started on Tuesday last week with a wave of airstrikes that killed about 700 people, mostly civilians, ending two months of relative calm, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the territory run by Hamas. Continue reading...

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