66 m. ago Sudan’s children face growing threat of deadly infectious diseases as vaccination rates halve

The country, beset by war, has the world’s lowest rates of vaccination, says the World Health Organization, as global immunisation drive also stallsChildren in Sudan, caught up in what aid organisations have called the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and threatened by rising levels of violence, are increasingly vulnerable to deadly infectious diseases as vaccinations in the country plummet.In 2022, more than 90% of young children in Sudan received their routine vaccinations. But that figure has nearly halved to 48%, the lowest in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Continue reading...

Events

91 m. ago New ambulance category to be created in Wales to help stroke victims

The changes come amid rising ambulance response times

Events

2 h. ago Mining companies are pumping seawater into the driest place on Earth. But has the damage been done?

In Chile’s drought-stricken Atacama desert, Indigenous people say desalination plants cannot counter the impact of intensive lithium and copper mining on local water sourcesPhotographs by Luis BustamanteVast pipelines cross the endless dunes of northern Chile, pumping seawater up to an altitude of more than 3,000 metres in the Andes mountains to the Escondida mine, the world’s largest copper producer. The mine’s owners say sourcing water directly from the sea, instead of relying on local reservoirs, could help preserve regional water resources. Yet, this is not the perception of Sergio Cubillos, leader of the Indigenous community Lickanantay de Peine.Cubillos and his fellow activists believe that the mining industry is helping to degrade the region’s meagre water resources, as Chile continues to be ravaged by a mega-drought that has plagued the country for 15 years. They also fear that the use of desalinated seawater cannot make up for the devastation of the northern Atacama region’...

Events

2 h. ago Voices: My friends don’t make any effort with me now they have kids

The Independent’s agony aunt Victoria Richards is here to help. Email dearvix@independent.co.uk for advice on love, work, family and relationships

Politics

2 h. ago More Ball Games: Can changing prohibitive signs help make the UK more active?

More Ball Games: Can changing prohibitive signs help make the UK more active?  The New York Times

Politics

3 h. ago Humble peasants or an odyssey of sex and death? The Millet masterpiece that electrified modern art

Van Gogh saw compassion for the rural worker; Dalí saw phalluses and a child’s grave. As The Angelus comes to the UK, our critic celebrates a painting so deep it could even induce hallucinationsIt was Salvador Dalí who turned a small, intense rural scene called The Angelus, painted by Jean-François Millet in 1857-59 and hugely popular in its day, into a totem of modern art.In the original, a pious peasant couple have heard the Angelus bell from a distant church, the Catholic call to prayer, and paused their work digging potatoes to lower their heads and pray. But from Dalí’s writings, we know he saw far more in the painting, from obscene sex to family tragedy. In one of his many versions of it, Atavism at Twilight, the couple sprout agricultural implements from their bodies. In his surreal drawings these good country people become mouldering, mummified husks, or are transformed into fossils by time and sadness. Now that the original painting is being lent by the Musée d’Orsay to the...

Events

6 h. ago Ukraine war briefing: Weapons will be Europe’s support to Ukraine – not Trump’s, Kallas suggests

‘If you promise to give the weapons, but say somebody else is going to pay, it’s not really given by you’; Russia bombs shopping centre, killing two. What we know on day 1,240Donald Trump’s move to take credit for the additional weapons headed to Ukraine at Europe’s expense has created some mild friction in EU-US relations. “If we pay for these weapons, it’s our support,” said Kaja Kallas, the EU foreign policy chief, on Wednesday. “So it’s European support, and we are doing as much as we can to help Ukraine If you promise to give the weapons but say that somebody else is going to pay for it, it’s not really given by you, is it? We welcome President Trump’s announcement to send more weapons to Ukraine, although we would like to see the US share the burden.”A meeting of Patriot owner nations and Ukraine donors – aiming to find additional Patriot air defence systems for Kyiv and chaired by Nato’s top military commander – could take place on Wednesday of next week, Reuters reported. A ...

Events

6 h. ago Revealed: Five patient deaths were linked to junior doctors' strikes

An audit shows strikes by the BMA in 2023 and 2024 were raised in five Prevention of Future Death Reports issued by coroners.

Events

8 h. ago Basic advice should be helping millions better manage their money

Basic advice could address as much as a quarter of the advice gap, according to Foresters Financial, which said the model is a 'proven and cost-effective' solution.

Economics

8 h. ago Battle to save historic Robin Hood tree after summer heatwaves and droughts

The RSPB is working with specialists to help the 1,000-year-old tree which is suffering from poor health

Events

8 h. ago Eight babies born in UK with DNA from three people to prevent devastating disease

The scientific method, known as mitochondrial donation treatment, is designed to prevent children from being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases that are passed down from their mothers

Politics

8 h. ago Scientists unlock secret behind rare disease where flu can cause paralysis

One family said that the discovery offers hope.

Science

9 h. ago IVF technique using DNA from three people sees eight babies born free of hereditary disease

Mitochondrial donation treatment is designed to prevent children being born with devastating diseases

Politics

9 h. ago Groundbreaking IVF technique using DNA from three people sees eight babies born

Mitochondrial donation treatment is designed to prevent children being born with devastating diseases

Politics

10 h. ago Healthy babies born in Britain after scientists used DNA from three people to avoid genetic disease

Researchers report that eight healthy babies were born with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing rare diseases to their children

Science

10 h. ago Eight healthy babies born after IVF using DNA from three people

Genetic material from mother and father transferred to healthy donor egg to reduce risk of life-threatening diseases‘We’d never heard of it’: a woman tells of her daughter’s death of mitochondrial diseaseDoctors in the UK have announced the birth of eight healthy babies after performing a groundbreaking procedure that creates IVF embryos with DNA from three people to prevent the children from inheriting incurable genetic disorders.The mothers were all high risk for passing on life-threatening diseases to their babies due to mutations in their mitochondria, the tiny structures that sit inside cells and provide the power they need to function. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago Eight babies born from pioneering IVF technique to prevent devastating disease

The scientific method, known as mitochondrial donation treatment, is designed to prevent children being born with devastating mitochondrial diseases.

Politics

10 h. ago Meghan Markle 'rubbed salt in Harry's wounds' as she 'failed to help him heal'

A royal expert has claimed that Princess Diana acted as a "stabilising and steadfast presence" for Prince Charles - while Meghan Markle 'rubbed salt in Harry's wounds'

Politics

10 h. ago The martial art which is helping Parkinson’s disease patients overcome their symptoms

Capoeira is considered both a martial art and a dance, combining ritual, exercise, spirituality and music

Science

11 h. ago Deepti Sharma helps India to victory against England in first ODI

Sharma put on 62 as India claimed a four-wicket win.

Politics