People attempting to obtain vaccine report major hurdles amid new limitations brought in by Trump health secretary The first deployment of updated Covid shots under the Trump administration has been plagued by access issues and misinformation amid confusion and chaos at US health agencies. People attempting to get the vaccines say they have struggled to understand eligibility requirements, book appointments, process insurance claims, battle misinformation from pharmacists and obtain prescriptions from their doctors in some states. Such hurdles will disproportionately affect people of color and low-income people, experts say. Continue reading...

Whether you’re looking for a trim or a total restyle, top hairstylists reveal how to get the best cut for you Some people love going to the hairdresser while others dread it. How can you make the most of your visit and achieve the best possible look? Stylists share their tips for getting a cut that suits you – and avoiding a hairdo disaster. Continue reading...

Andy McDonald, a shadow cabinet minister under Jeremy Corbyn and under Starmer until 2021, said Peter Mandelson ‘should go immediately’ Good morning. Keir Starmer knew that Peter Mandelson had had a long and close friendship with Jeffrey Epstein when he appointed him ambassador to Washingon. He also knew that Mandelson has been a scandal magnet for most of his career. But he was not appointing him archbishop of Canterbury. He calculated that Mandelson would be the right person to forge a good relationship with the immoral plutocrat narcissist now running America (also an old friend of Epstein’s), and by all accounts Mandelson has done this very successfully. But, as Rowena Mason reports in her overnight story, Starmer is now under pressure to ditch the ambassador because new revelations about his relationship with Epstein have made it increasingly hard to defend – not least because Mandelson continued to support him in private even after he was facing charges for child sex offences. [Mandelson] should go immediately. His position is completely and utterly untenable and him staying on in post is causing the government and the Labour party further damage. I’m afraid if he doesn’t do the right thing and resign today then the prime minister should sack him … Angela Rayner did the right thing. She was under pressure for an inadvertent failure to pay tax. This is of a completely different scale. This speaks about morality and judgement, and Peter Mandelson’s position just is totally untenable, and he needs to act and take responsibility for his failures and withdraw from the political scene immediately. It’s 100%. People have got their heads in their hands over this and I haven’t spoken to anybody who is offering any glimmer of support for Peter Mandelson. It is widespread revulsion that we, by association, being in the same party, are being brought under the microscope for something that he has done. He’s got to take responsibility for his actions and bring this to a close. There’s got to be a moral compass. There are women who have been so fundamentally damaged by the behaviour of Epstein and his associates, and, in honour of them, we’ve got to put down a marker and say this is wholly and utterly unacceptable. And the consequences that flow from somebody having to fall on their sword will be the consequences, and we will deal with it. Continue reading...

A "bubble curtain" is set for activation as part of South Australia's fight against the ongoing algal bloom, as the state government defends its handling of health advice.

Health officials in Cairns have published a list of potential measles exposure sites after a locally acquired case of the illness.

Have you ever noticed a pink or orange-coloured substance in the tile grout or around taps in your bathroom? In most cases, it's one of two things.

Man, who worked in sector for more than a decade, can’t be named for legal reasons. He is due to appear in court on Friday Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A Sydney childcare worker has been charged with seven counts of using a child to make abusive material after federal police allegedly found more than 500,000 unique images on his devices. The man, who can’t be named due to a suppression order, had worked at a number of childcare centres in the city. He’d worked in the sector for over a decade. Continue reading...

The crowd that gathers in Amsterdam is exuberant. Pornography use is more common than ever, so earnings for many here are through the roof. But there is trouble afoot, from AI to chronic illness … Brittany Andrews, a cheerful American porn star, cuts to the chase in her workshop on how to succeed in the adult industry. “Do you think about how much money you’re going to make before you make a clip? Do you know what stuff sells the best? Or do you just follow your creative spark?” she asks. She points to a young Ukrainian model in a gold sequined bra and denim shorts. “I’m starting with you, girlfriend!” Continue reading...

Thanks to firmware update 3.11.0 RingConn Gen 2 – and Gen 2 Air – users finally have automatic workout detection.

With gaming disorders estimated to affect hundreds of thousands nationwide, an Australian first clinic at Fiona Stanley Hospital is helping people who struggle to control their use to turn their lives around.

Social media platform also accused of failing to filter out obvious key usernames like ‘coke’, ‘weed’ and ‘molly’ Snapchat has been accused of leaving an “overwhelming number” of drug dealers to openly operate on Snapchat, making it easy for children to buy substances including cocaine, opioids and MDMA, by a Danish research organisation. The social media platform has said it proactively uses technology to filter out profiles selling drugs. But research by Digitalt Ansvar (Digital Accountability), a Danish research organisation that promotes responsible digital development, has found evidence of a failure to moderate drug-related language in usernames. It also accused Snapchat of failing to respond adequately to reports of profiles openly selling drugs. Continue reading...

Some of the key health upgrades Apple showed off with the Apple Watch 11 are going to come to other models too.

His illness will get worse, my mum will get weaker, neither of them are safe and nothing will be done until there is an emergency My dad has Alzheimer’s, which is not unusual for an 84-year-old man. He lives with my mum, who is also in her 80s, in a two-bedroom apartment in Canberra. My mum has multiple sclerosis, which makes looking after a fit, otherwise healthy man with Alzheimer’s very challenging. Dad cannot think in any structured way. He can’t really understand what’s going on around him and he can’t follow verbal instructions. He’s too big and strong to wrestle in and out of clothes, the way you would with a small child, but he has to be wrestled in and out of clothes fairly often because he also doesn’t really understand when he needs to go to the toilet. Continue reading...

The Apple Watch SE 3 is officially available to preorder – here's how to preorder Apple's newest budget smartwatch and today's best preorder deals.

The Apple Watch Series 11 is coming soon and Best Buy has a fantastic trade-in deal for those looking to upgrade – here's what you need to know.

Vancouver’s Drug User Liberation Front believes we shouldn’t blame users for the ills of capitalism: if so many people are self-medicating, why not give them the clean stuff? On 12 August 2017, I ran from the car that James Alex Fields, a white supremacist, plowed into a crowd of anti-racist organizers in Charlottesville, Virginia. Other peoples’ blood splattered on me. I lost my friends in the crowd and panicked. I thought I might die. A month later, I woke up on a work trip in a hotel room alone in Oakland, California, with my hands trembling, and an unshakeable feeling that I was being chased by a pack of wild animals. I was having a mental breakdown. Continue reading...

FiiO promises 'a brand new kind of listening experience' for your high-end headphones and IEMs with its new K13 R2R headphone amp/DAC.

In the past we would just deodorise our armpits, but now a huge wave of products are aimed at our most intimate areas. Do these serve a need – or just encourage paranoia? Earlier this year, the deodorant brand Sure launched a product to be used on “ta-tas”, “trotters”, and “marbles” (AKA breasts, feet and testicles). “Whatever you call them, wherever you smell”, Sure Whole Body deodorant can help, a playful TV advert promised. It’s not a completely new concept: many of us will remember the intense whiff of a liberally applied “body spray” – the deodorant-cum-fragrances brought out by brands such as Lynx, Charlie and Impulse that were popular in the 00s. But specific deodorants for body parts other than the armpits weren’t really a thing until 2018, when an American obstetrics and gynaecology doctor founded Lume Whole Body Deodorant, after repeatedly seeing patients who were worried about odour “below the belt”. Sold as a roll-on, cream, spray or wipes, it can apparently be used on “pits, underboobs, belly buttons, butt cracks, vulvas, balls, feet and more!” On its website, it has more than 200,000 five-star reviews – and now the mainstream deodorant brands are following suit. Continue reading...

A "surge period" of "particularly high demand" for emergency care, coupled with high staff absences, has resulted in a hospital in Tasmania's north turning away non-urgent patients.

A study will work with Indigenous researchers who will map cultural assets and integrate traditional healing to improve outcomes in remote centres.

Report into Steve Kinmond alleged he failed to maintain ‘proper’ boundaries and had created conflict of interest risks. Kinmond denies the allegations Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The man tasked with protecting millions of children has been dismissed from his job after a scathing inquiry found he oversaw an “inept” complaints process and did not declare potential conflicts of interest. Steve Kinmond, the New South Wales children’s guardian, has been removed from his position after a report deemed the Office of the Children’s Guardian (OCG) “not a psychologically safe workplace”. Continue reading...

A world-first vaccine for chlamydia in koala populations developed over more than a decade may help the fight against the disease.

Authorities are defending the handling of changed public health advice relating to South Australia's algal bloom, amid ongoing warnings to asthmatics about contaminated sea spray.

Aspiring journalism students with autism are back to grill some of Australia's most prominent figures, and this time they've got seasoned peers behind the camera cheering them on.

Steve Kinmond has been removed from office after an independent investigation found he intervened in a "working with children check" while failing to declare a conflict of interest.

The SA government says 473 children have been treated at the Women's and Children's Hospital since 2023, for road trauma related injuries. For Kai Archer, the injuries he sustained in an accident two years ago are still having an impact.

Homicide Squad detectives investigate the death of a 49-year-old man from his injuries after an incident a home in Perth's southern suburbs.

Exclusive: Confidential documents, including passports and medical credentials, made available, meaning ‘there is a risk of identity theft or fraud’ Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast The NSW government has accidentally leaked confidential documents belonging to almost 600 medical staff, including 67 senior doctors in Sydney, who had applied for jobs with the health department. Doctors are enraged that their sensitive data was handled “recklessly” and fear they could now be at risk of identity theft. Medical qualifications could be misused by bad-faith actors to impersonate doctors or buy drugs, they said. Continue reading...

The Minns Government will push ahead with what it describes as "landmark" legislation to make the childcare sector safer.

Cheap ultra-processed food behind rise in overweight children, with one in 10 now obese globally, says Unicef More children around the world are obese than underweight for the first time, according to a UN report that warns ultra-processed junk food is overwhelming childhood diets. There are 188 million teenagers and school-age children with obesity – one in 10 – Unicef said, affecting health and development and bringing a risk of life-threatening diseases. Continue reading...

After losing two years of her life to a poker machine addiction, Bec Healy wants the SA government to put its revenue from gambling into harm reduction.

Nationals leader joins chorus calling for senator to apologise for comments about Indian immigrants. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Two days after the eSafety commissioner issued a notice to a UK company behind a “nudify” deepfake AI app, Meta announced it has issued cease and desist notices to 46 companies attempting to advertise similar products on its platforms. Meta, which is already suing one such company to try to prevent it advertising on Facebook and Instagram, announced on Wednesday cease and desist notices have been sent to 46 companies attempting to advertise nudify apps on their platforms. Meta said it has removed over 5,000 ads and 96 ad accounts linked to those companies, and blocked links to more than a dozen apps and websites offering nudify services. I know what they are capable of, and not a single one of them is doing everything they can to stop the most heinous of abuse to children, being tortured and raped, and this imagery being perpetuated online. Continue reading...

A legislated medical defence for drivers using medically prescribed cannabis was recommended by last year's drug summit. Independent MP Alex Greenwich, who takes medical cannabis, is pushing for reform.

The Australian Medical Association NSW president has said said stark figures were buried in a Bureau of Health Information new report and questioned the bureau's presentation of data. The bureau has said it applies the same criteria of "objectivity, fairness and meaningfulness" in every report.

Apple hid an important chipset detail in its Apple Watch SE 3 presentation.

Music and art therapists will be able to bill NDIS participants at the same rate as counsellors, after a review found the therapies could be effective in the right circumstances.

Construction workers are nearly twice as likely to take their own lives as other employed Australian men of the same age. Understanding the risks, and being able to identify when someone is struggling, can help us better support the construction workers in our lives.

After her daughter's school suggested her 9-year-old find a "secret" way to tell her teacher she was being bullied, one parent has demanded change.

Despite more than 600 reports of "adverse events" for medicinal cannabis in the past three years, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is yet to investigate the safety of most medicinal cannabis products. It has now launched a review.

The Apple Watch 11 was unveiled today – here's everything you need to know, such as the price and where to find the best Apple Watch 11 preorder deals.

Apple Watch Ultra 3 preorders are now live, so I'm rounding up all the best places to buy Apple's latest and most advanced smartwatch.

The Apple Watch Series 11 has been announced, but how does Apple's new flagship smartwatch compare to the Apple Watch Series 10?

The Women's Rugby World Cup, currently being held in England, is trialling a revolutionary approach to concussion management. Players are wearing LED mouthguards which light up when a player sustains a hit that could result in a concussion.

The Apple Watch Ultra 3 has been announced, but is it worth the upgrade? Here's our take on Apple's latest rugged watches.

All the Apple Watches announced during Apple's big livestream earlier today.

You’d think providing funding to help keep vulnerable people out of hospital would be a no-brainer All cancer patients are vulnerable in their own way but no patient is more vulnerable than the elderly cancer patient, which is why my chosen subspeciality of geriatric oncology feels like an especially worthwhile endeavour to me. With global life expectancy soon to be 80 years, 70% of cancers will be diagnosed in older people, with 8% appearing in those over 85. Elderly cancer patients are more likely to be frail and vulnerable from health conditions including cognitive impairment. They are at higher risk of falls, medication mix-ups, malnutrition and loneliness. To complicate matters, the elderly cancer patient is frequently caring for or being taken care of by another elderly person, so treating one patient necessitates thinking about the needs of two. Continue reading...

Tobacco law would also prohibit minors from using vapes and stop sale of single-use electronic cigarettes The Spanish government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking and vaping on bar and restaurant terraces, prohibit minors from using vapes and related products, and end the sale of single-use electronic cigarettes. The legislation, which was signed off by the cabinet on Tuesday morning, is intended to “reinforce protections on people’s health and to adapt the law to consumption patterns and to the tobacco-product market”, according to the health ministry. Continue reading...

Loughborough university and ONS study of 1 million schoolchildren reveals risks increase with longer absence School absences “significantly contribute” to children’s mental ill health, according to research backed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that shows the risks increase the longer a child is absent. “Our research shows that the more times a child is absent from school, the greater the probability that they will experience mental ill health,” the authors, from Loughborough university and the ONS, concluded. Continue reading...

Greens welcome Minns government’s ‘bare-minimum’ changes but say more work is needed to restore faith in the sector Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Large childcare providers found in breach of safety directives will face $500,000 fines – a 900% increase – under new laws to be introduced by New South Wales parliament on Wednesday. The proposed legislation will grant greater powers to the early childhood regulator to suspend educators and revoke quality ratings in a suite of measures addressing grave concerns about safety in the sector. Continue reading...

The Apple event is hours away, but what's the status of the company's first smart ring?

Your Garmin smartwatch could see (if it hasn't already) some form of burn-in in the months to come. Here's what to look out for.

Jonathan Braun of New York faces up to five years after he was arrested and charged in connection to recent crimes A convicted New York drug dealer whose federal prison sentence was commuted by Donald Trump during Trump’s first presidency has been found guilty of violating the terms of his release after being arrested and charged in connection with several recent crimes. Jonathan Braun now faces up to five years in prison during a sentencing hearing tentatively scheduled for 9 October. Continue reading...

Ethiopian PM says dam will electrify entire region but Egypt fears it could restrict water supply during droughts Ethiopia has officially inaugurated Africa’s largest hydroelectric dam, a project that will provide energy to millions of Ethiopians while deepening a rift with downstream Egypt that has unsettled the region. Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous nation with more than 120 million people, sees the $5bn (£3.7bn) Grand Ethiopian Renaissance dam (Gerd) on a tributary of the Nile River as central to its economic ambitions. The dam’s power has gradually increased since the first turbine was turned on in 2022, reaching its maximum capacity of 5,150MW on Tuesday. That puts it among the 20 biggest hydroelectric dams in the world – about one-quarter of the capacity of China’s Three Gorges dam. Continue reading...

Experts say millions in corporate funding and concealment of donors’ identities raises key conflict-of-interest concerns The World Health Organization Foundation took an increasing amount of dark money from corporate donors during the three years after its 2020 inception, research has shown, raising concerns among some experts and campaigners that big business is playing a larger role shaping the institution’s policies. Through the end of 2023, the last year for which records were available, the foundation had taken about $83m in corporate donations, and concealed the identity of donors for about 60% of the sum, a new report into the issue states. Continue reading...

High levels of lead detected in the water at Perth Children's Hospital do not pose a risk to patient safety, health authorities say.

I am happy to give him oral sex, but feel disrespected when he fails to reciprocate. Does this mean the end of our relationship? I am a 56-year-old widow. My husband died two years ago, and I am now in a long-distance relationship with a 55-year-old man. We have been dating for six months. Our sex life is really good, but he will not give me oral sex. I love pleasuring him but when he doesn’t reciprocate I feel disrespected and as if something is wrong with me. When I broached the subject, he said he wanted to wait to see if we got serious enough for marriage and that he would do it then. He says he has done it in the past without being married so I don’t understand. I am going to stop giving him oral sex, but I’m afraid this will end our relationship. I know I need to set boundaries but I don’t know how. He is a great cuddler when we sleep and he never takes his hands off of me, which is very important to me. My late husband, who was very disrespectful to me, wasn’t really affectionate unless we were being intimate but he was always happy to give me oral sex. I see myself as a strong woman; I take care of myself and do not look my age, so I’m not sure what is wrong. Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders. If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to [email protected] (please don’t send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. Continue reading...

What is it like to be in a room full of artists who are observing and drawing your naked body? Sitters discuss the freedom and healing they have experienced Craig, 54 (@tattooed_nude) I started life modelling 18 months ago. My mum said: “You’re getting all these tattoos and no one gets to see them.” That triggered something in me. I’ve always loved art and I wanted to see how artists would respond to my tattoos. ‘I feel a responsibility to get into interesting and adventurous poses that will inspire the artists.’ Photograph: @garygeezerphotoart Continue reading...

SA Health says people should avoid discoloured foam but not avoid the beach because of the benefits to mental and physical health Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast South Australians living with asthma or other types of respiratory illness have been warned of a “potential risk” posed by a toxic algal bloom dominating the state’s coastline at a Senate committee inquiry into the natural disaster. The Senate committee had its first public hearing on Tuesday, and heard there were now toxins in the bloom that could exacerbate asthma; that very little was known about the species in the bloom, and that even its cause was not fully understood. Continue reading...

Nancy Honey’s candid portraits capture girls between 11 and 14, when their bodies start to change and they begin challenging accepted codes of behaviour Continue reading...

Health authorities have told the opening public hearing of a Senate inquiry into South Australia's algal bloom they have escalated their health advice and are now recommending people with asthma carry their medication on the state's beaches when foam is present.

A talented young footballer's return to a regional Victorian finals series after a brain cancer diagnosis was blocked by league administrators.

Despite being something most of us tackle every year, lodging a tax return can easily end up at the bottom of your to-do list.

ABS data shows Australian diets contain less sugar than three decades ago, meeting WHO guidelines for the first time Australia is now meeting the World Health Organization’s (WHO) guidelines on sugar, which recommend keeping sugar below 10% of daily energy intake. New data published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) shows there is less sugar in our diet from food and drinks than three decades ago. Between 1995 and 2023, there was a 65.28% drop in the proportion of children drinking sugary drinks. The number of adults drinking sugary drinks fell from 40.2% in 2011–12 to 29.9% in 2023. However, adults still consume about 5% more sugary drinks than children. On average, Australians have less sugar in their diet than they did a decade ago. Continue reading...

The worker is under investigation after what's understood to have been two incidents of alleged physical violence against a child in the past four months.

A survey of women in Canberra about the state of their wellbeing and health reveals large gaps in access and affordability, as well as the staggering statistic that almost half of respondents felt doctors weren't taking them seriously.

Bank says changes will ‘simplify the bank, strengthen its focus on its priorities and deliver for its customers’. Follow today’s news live Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast Inman Grant said big tech is not stopping online sharing of child abuse images Inman Grant said last night none of the big technology companies are doing enough to stop images of “the most heinous abuse to children” from being shared online. They use anthropomorphism to mimic real human conversation, and they also use a bit of sycophancy to reinforce all your beliefs and to keep you chatting. And the problem with children who don’t have the cognitive ability to really ascertain what is real and what is not, in terms of a relationship with a human versus a computer program, this has led to some tragic outcomes. We need guardrails and we don’t need a body count or ruined or lost lives like we’ve seen in the US here in Australia. Continue reading...

The New South Wales government put Tayla in the residential care system, where the girl with high needs and multiple diagnoses was pulled into a cycle of sexual abuse.

Pacific Islanders supporting PALM workers say they have had to go to great lengths — including flying to their home countries — to chase money owed to them.

A landmark $500 million agreement to "transform" the relationship between Australia and Vanuatu still hangs in the balance as Prime Minister Anthony Albanese flies to the Pacific Island nation.

Can one really relax while being prodded by large robotic arms? I am alone in a dimly lit room, splayed face down on a table. Megan Thee Stallion’s Mamushi is bumping from a speaker, and on a large screen, two white circles roam up and down an outline of my body. Am I at an exclusive German sex club at 2am? Continue reading...

From Covid misinformation to climate denialism, understanding the divergent paths of Australia and the US can help us fight the powerful forces that threaten our world As two scientists who lived through Australia’s black summer bushfires and the Covid-19 crisis in the United States, we have seen firsthand how science in modern societies is under siege from an even more insidious “antiscience virus” of weaponised disinformation that undermines our ability to confront these crises. There are five primary, interconnected forces behind the assault on science and reason. We call them the “five Ps”: the plutocrats, the petrostates, the pros (eg paid promoters of anti-science), the propagandists and – with important exceptions – the media. Together they have generated a perfect storm of antiscientific disinformation that now threatens humanity. Continue reading...

Which is better – Annual incremental upgrades for a watch too expensive for most, or a significant overhaul for the most popular Apple Watch?

Patients who opt for surgery, which is storyline in Materialists film, warned they risk infection, nerve damage and disability It is the ultimate eyebrow-raising kitchen table confession in Celine Song’s romantic comedy-drama, Materialists. After matchmaker Lucy (Dakota Johnson) grows suspicious of scars on her new partner’s body, financier Harry (Pedro Pascal) makes a startling admission: he has had leg-lengthening surgery – and gained six inches in height. Continue reading...

The FDA is allowing the vaccine for people 65 and older, but younger people need to have an underlying condition For many Americans, the new Covid vaccine guidelines from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), spearheaded by health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr and his highly controversial Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement, have added another layer of stress to an increasingly inaccessible healthcare system. The agency authorized Covid vaccines for people 65 and older, who are known to be more at risk from serious illnesses from Covid infections, but younger people will only be eligible if they have an underlying medical condition that makes them particularly vulnerable. Continue reading...

It’s not enough any more to cover just ‘the birds and the bees’ as many more children are seeing adult content before their teens Jess Melendez is an educator and the author of Porn is Not Sex Ed! It’s not exactly every parent’s dream dinner-table conversation: “Mum, what’s porn?” But whether we like it or not, many children stumble across mainstream internet pornography. A recent study in the UK found that more than a quarter of children encounter porn online before the age of 11. In the US, studies show the average age of first exposure to online porn is 12, with some encountering it earlier. For many parents, that knowledge can spark panic: “What if this is the first place my child learns about sex? What if they think that’s what real intimacy looks like?” Here’s the good news: you don’t need to panic, but you do need to prepare. The truth is, your child will be exposed to ideas about sex, whether through peers, media or yes, pornography. And it will happen – long before you’d ideally want it to. The most protective factor isn’t monitoring phones or giving lectures. It’s you showing up as an honest, calm and approachable parent. Jess Melendez is an educator and the author of Porn is Not Sex Ed! Sign up for our new weekly newsletter Matters of Opinion, where our columnists and writers will reflect on what they’ve been debating, thinking about, reading and more Continue reading...

Daniel Lee Barnett goes into the woods in search of the big shy guy, but the real story here is his family’s devotion to supporting their autistic son’s passion Fifteen-year-old Daniel Lee Barnett has been called Britain’s youngest cryptozoologist, sniffing out signs of Bigfoot in the woods near his home in Somerset. Daniel has a YouTube channel and a podcast, and he’s mates with A-listers in the Bigfoot community. He’s spoken in front of a crowd of 3,000 enthusiasts. Which is even more impressive given Daniel is autistic, and as a young child had selective mutism; his dad says he would turn and face the wall if people came into the room. Daniel also co-directs this documentary about his adventures looking for the big shy guy. He first hit the headlines in his local area after finding a large footprint in woods near his home while out walking with his nan Jill. Demonstrating just how persistent he is, Daniel contacted DNA companies; eventually one offered to test his environmental DNA for free. In among the squirrel and dog DNA they found traces of ancient ape. Continue reading...

Frédéric Péchier, 53, allegedly targeted 30 children and adults at clinic, some of whom could not be resuscitated A French anaesthetist accused of intentionally poisoning 30 child and adult patients between the ages of four and 89, 12 of whom died, has gone on trial in the city where he worked. Frédéric Péchier, 53, worked at two clinics in the eastern city of Besançon when patients went into cardiac arrest in suspicious circumstances between 2008 and 2017. Twelve could not be resuscitated. Continue reading...

Immediate issues for the agency will include bird flu, immunisation and misinformation, as well as the challenges of cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But there’s a lot we don’t know yet – and can we ensure it’s apolitical? Australia is a step closer to having its own national agency to inform and coordinate public health responses – a permanent Australian Centre for Disease Control. Long-awaited draft legislation was tabled in parliament last week to create this permanent CDC, which is to start from 1 January 2026. 1987 Epidemiologist Prof Bob Douglas asks in the Medical Journal of Australia Does Australia need a centre for disease control? Continue reading...

After years of partying, I realised the exhaustion and anxiety weren’t worth it, and turned my back on Friday night Fomo. I still enjoy the dancefloor, but I always know when to leave Most of my adult life has revolved around music: clubs, bars, festivals, house parties – anywhere I could dance to loud music. I loved how energising and cathartic it was to get immersed in it, to lose myself a little and move my body expressively without judgment. I’d get so absorbed that I would lose track of time; once, at Burning Man, I was awake for 36 hours exploring the festival, meeting new people and partying. When I became a DJ, these kinds of events increased. Late nights out would last until the morning. Often, they became marathon weekend sessions, which ran from Friday night to Sunday lunchtime. It wasn’t all dancing and shenanigans – there would be moments to sit around and chat with people, too. I’d be out at least three times a week. Even though I’d get tired, I would always find some way to push through to the early hours because I was scared to miss out on things. Fomo (fear of missing out) drove many of my decisions. Continue reading...

A man in his 40s has been critically injured in a workplace incident in Perth's north-east.

We are used to skimming the surface of our emotions, distracting ourselves with endless doing. To discover what we really need, we must move beyond the shallows Ever since I discovered the mating dynamics of the deep-sea anglerfish, where the male fuses with the female, and how closely this mirrors some disturbing human relationship patterns, I have been chewing over the idea that everything that exists in our unconscious also exists in the ocean. From the methodical violence of sharks, to dolphins who mourn their dead and jellyfish whose pulsating contractions remind me of my labour, the only phenomenon on Earth that is as rich and colourful and dark and fascinating as the deep sea is the deep unconscious. My problem, as I realised in a session not long ago with my psychoanalyst, is that I have been swimming in shallow waters. This is something I have seen many times in myself, and perhaps these moments of recognition help me to see it in my patients – the unconscious pull to stay in the emotional shallows, not to delve deeper into your own internal experience and understand the more profound wishes and hungers that drive us. Instead, we scroll away our difficult feelings, staring at whatever screen is in front of us rather than looking inwards. We cheapen our relationships with others, craving and offering a particular kind of emotional stroking that keeps things at surface level. We buy things, we watch things, we listen to things, we squeeze things, we try things on and send things back, and we do, do, do – we do to stay in the shallows, so we don’t have to be in the depths. Continue reading...

Former minister Louise Haigh pitches in with call for ‘economic reset’ as reports suggest candidates will have only four days to secure MP nominations Good morning. The Labour party has had 18 deputy leaders in its history, but only two of them have also served as deputy PM and one of those, Angela Rayner, resigned last week. In the reshuffle that started on Friday, Keir Starmer in effect decoupled those posts, appointing David Lammy as deputy PM (as well as justice secretary). Labour said there would be an election for a new deputy leader to replace Rayner and today the timetable for that election will be set. There is no guarantee that the winner will even have a job in government. Elections are, by definition, divisive, and the easiest option for Keir Starmer would be for Labour MPs to coalesce behind one consensus candidate. Under the rules, an MP needs the support of 20% of the PLP (80 MPs) to be nominated and so it is possible that this could happen. Anyone perceived as a “rebel” candidate might struggle to reach this threshold. Ministers, and cabinet ministers, are free to stand. If Lammy were to stand, and win, he could re-unite the deputy PM and deputy leader jobs, but there is a strong sense in the party that the deputy leader should be a woman, and should represent a seat outside London, and Lammy does not seem interested. At this point there is no obvious favourite, but Annabelle Dickson and Bethany Dawson have a good guide to potential candidates in their London Playbook for Politico. Deputy leadership candidates will only have four days to collect the 80 MP nominations they need, it is being reported. Labour’s national executive committee will reportedly set 5pm on Thursday as the deadline for nominations, with the ballot taking place between 8 and 23 October – with the election over well before the budget, which is taking place on 26 November. Richard Burgon, one of the leading figures in the leftwing Socialist Campaign group in parliament, and a candidate for deputy leader in 2020, has accused the party of a stitch-up. In a post on social media last night, he said: I’ve been warning about attempts to fix the deputy leadership election – and what I’ve heard is now being proposed is the mother of all stitch-ups. Just a couple of days to secure MPs’ nominations! This is a desperate move to keep Labour members’ voices out of this race and to dodge serious discussion on what’s gone wrong over the last year – from the positions on disability benefits cuts, on winter fuel payments, on Gaza and more. This outrageous timetable shows a leadership that’s unwilling to listen and to learn the lessons needed if we’re to rebuild support and stop Nigel Farage. Louise Haigh, the former transport secretary and a potential candidate for the deputy leadership, has published on the New Statesman’s website what amounts to a pitch for the job, demanding “an economic reset” and “a decisive break with the fiscal rules and institutional constraints that hold back renewal”. It is a serious intervention, and, by implication, a damning critique of Rachel Reeves, the chancellor. Here is an extract. There is a democratic argument at the heart of this as well. A Labour government with a landslide majority in parliament cannot – and should not – be stopped from delivering the change we clearly set out in our manifesto simply because of assumptions made by the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility]. If we let unelected institutions dictate the limits of change, we betray the people and communities who put their trust in us. And if mainstream politics can’t deliver proper renewal, populists like Nigel Farage will fill the void. Britain’s economy is broken not just in outcomes but in architecture. Unless we rewrite the rules, we risk managed decline dressed up as moderation. Continue reading...

After my whole class flunked a mock GCSE, Miss T’s home truths helped instil a work ethic that has been crucial to my career “Fix up. It’s not me who needs their GCSEs – it’s you!” These words were barked at my year 10 science class by our science teacher and form tutor, Miss T. And deservedly so, because we had just suffered the ignominy of collectively flunking a GCSE mock exam. All 30 of us. Miss T was relatively young, but she was old-school in her approach – she had a low threshold for nonsense. While I considered this mock an inconsequential test – a pre-season friendly, if you will – she treated it like an FA Cup semi-final. To put it another way, it was half-time and we were losing badly, so she gave us the hairdryer treatment: a relentless, 15-minute tirade berating us for our lack of aptitude and our attitude. Michael Akadiri is an award-winning standup comedian and junior doctor. His debut Edinburgh fringe show, No Scrubs, was nominated for the Biggest Award in Comedy and is available to watch on YouTube Continue reading...

Three weeks of public hearings are due to be held in the state's far north as part of an ongoing inquiry into Queensland's child protection system.

For sometimes up to 12 hours a day, I was falling prey to rage bait and the comparison trap. I wondered what it would be like to live without that noise.

A vision-impaired Paralympic swimmer says he had to involve police when three different Uber drivers refused him transport because he had his guide dog with him.

Exclusive: A Second Life will feature My Bed and never seen before pieces that reflect on artist’s experience of cancer Tracey Emin will open her biggest ever exhibition at the Tate Modern next spring, showcasing her best artworks from a 40-year career. A Second Life will include some of Emin’s most famous works, including the headline-grabbing and Turner prize-nominated My Bed, from 1998, alongside never-before-seen pieces. Continue reading...

Whether it is an 80s classic or a Disney favourite, many of us watch old TV shows and films when we crave comfort, but there is a downside.

Detective Leading Senior Constable Neal Thompson is being honoured at a funeral service at the police academy chapel in Melbourne's east.

I had cancer and I was alone in hospital when it all suddenly hit me. I have never needed a hug more in my life Read more in the Kindness of strangers series In 2024, I was unexpectedly diagnosed with leukaemia. I was 34. I had no symptoms (none!) and it came at the worst possible time, although there is never a good time. I am a musician and was one week away from flying to New Zealand to be in a show. I was extremely excited about the show and, to be organised, I thought I’d get a blood test to check my iron levels before I left the country for five weeks. Continue reading...

For the first time in 36 years Victorian nurses' union members will vote on a new branch secretary after a failed pay deal led to the resignation of the former boss.

Expensive fitness facilities might seem a tough sell in a cost of living crisis. But for young people in crowded or dilapidated house shares, the high price for a haven can be worth paying The best part of Owen Willis’s day is his morning shower. Notes of lavender and eucalyptus waft through his private, stone-tiled shower room as he uses a £32 bottle of Cowshed bodywash. He dries off with a fluffy white towel before slathering on Cowshed body lotion (£24). This isn’t Willis’s home, however. It’s his gym. He belongs to Third Space in London, which calls itself a “luxury health club”. Memberships start at £230 a month for an individual site and go as high as £305 for access to all of its branches, including the Mayfair club, where gym-goers can expect “UV-treated fresh air” and “a Himalayan sea-salt walled sauna and steam room”. Continue reading...

After a shock cancer diagnosis, Nikki Watt thought she'd never dive again. But now she's broken a spearfishing world record with a huge marlin.

Having been ill for a long time, Scott’s life turned around when he met Maria. But as a single working mum, she needed to set the pace • How do you do it? Share the story of your sex life, anonymously I put off meeting Maria because of my insecurities about how I looked, after my illness. But once we met, I wanted to spend all my time with her Continue reading...

Russian leader’s claim that people can ‘get younger’ through repeated organ transplants has raised eyebrows Perhaps it was the extravagant display of deadly weaponry that prompted Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin to mull on mortality at this week’s military parade in Beijing. It was more banter than serious discussion, but with both aged 72, the Chinese president and his Russian counterpart may feel the cold hand on the shoulder more than Kim Jong-un, the 41-year-old North Korean leader who strolled beside them. Continue reading...

This is a horrible situation. It would be difficult even for an adult, so your daughter definitely needs action Our 11-year-old daughter is in a “friendship” with a classmate, which we have come to realise is unhealthy and controlling. She was very shy and self-conscious through the early years of school and struggled to make friends, so we were initially delighted that she had found a close friend. However, we’ve become aware that there is a consistent pattern of control from this girl: demands about when and where they meet, or what our daughter can and can’t wear. If our daughter goes against her, she risks being shunned and ignored or spoken to aggressively. This girl does not let our daughter interact with others without her. There is a barrage of demanding messages and calls at home about arrangements, and we see our daughter being vigilant and tense, having to respond immediately. Sometimes there is unkindness, for example saying our daughter’s clothes are babyish. Around the controlling behaviour, they seem to interact more normally, having fun, playing and chatting – it is this Jekyll and Hyde pattern that makes it so difficult to know how to support our daughter. Continue reading...

One in five eligible Australian cancer patients never receives this form of treatment, according to research cited by Australian oncologists.

Athletes are commonly thought to peak in their 20s. But some top sports stars are extending their careers across decades At this year’s US Open, when 45-year-old tennis great Venus Williams stepped on to the court to play in doubles, it was alongside a teammate who wasn’t even born when Williams won gold in the singles at the Sydney Olympics. Given that the peak performance age for a tennis player has traditionally been considered to be around the mid-20s, it was an extraordinary feat to be competing at a major, but Williams’ exceptional extension of her athletic career is increasingly common. Continue reading...

<p>These wildfires tend to burn in more remote areas and grow larger faster, posing a higher risk to public safety and health</p><p>The climate crisis will continue making lightning-sparked wildfires more frequent for decades to come, which could produce cascading effects and worsen public safety and public health, experts and new research suggest.</p><p>Lightning-caused fires tend to burn in more remote areas and therefore usually grow into larger fires than human-caused fires. That means a trend toward more lightning-caused fires is also probably making wildfires more deadly by producing more wildfire smoke and helping to drive <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/aug/19/wildfire-smoke-far-more-dangerous-than-thought-say-scientists">a surge in air quality issues</a> from coast to coast, <a href="https://eartharxiv.org/repository/view/8187/">especially over the past several years</a>.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/sep/06/climate-crisis-lightning-sparked-wildfires-increase">Continue reading...</a>

Google's Pixel Watch is way ahead of Apple Watch in one regard, and I want to see the Cupertino firm respond this year.

<p>When the TV presenter was offered a free health screening, she thought it was pointless: she was ‘the healthiest woman you’ve ever met’. But then came the shocking diagnosis. Now fully recovered, she’s re‑evaluating everything</p><p>It all starts with the coil. Of course it does. This is Davina, and Davina McCall doesn’t do personal by halves. “I loved the coil, but people always used to go, ‘I’m not getting the coil, <em>ugh.’ </em>I always wondered why it wasn’t more popular.” So, it was June 2023 and McCall was getting her preferred method of contraception replaced – <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/jun/08/davina-mccalls-pill-revolution-review-this-powerful-documentary-could-save-lives">on TV, naturally</a>, for a documentary. “I asked my children’s permission. ‘Can Mummy get her coil refitted on television?’ They all rolled their eyes, like: ‘God! Here she goes again.’”</p><p>Post-fitting, her friend Dame Lesley Regan, a gynaecologist, suggested that McCall have a health screening at the state-of-the-art women’s health clinic where she worked, in exchange for a talk she would give on menopause. To be honest, McCall says, she thought the idea ridiculous. “I was like: ‘Honestly, I don’t need that. I’m the healthiest woman you’ve ever met. I don’t go to the doctor, I have a good immune system, I eat well.’”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2025/sep/06/davina-mccall-addiction-reality-tv-brain-tumour">Continue reading...</a>

<p>Should your makeup be fragrance-free? Is it time to purge your kitchen of plastic? Are all food dyes dangerous? These are the everyday ingredients that could be harming your health</p><p>‘Far from being a rock or island … it turns out that the best metaphor to describe the human body is ‘sponge’. We’re permeable,” write Rick Smith and Bruce Lourie in their book Slow Death By Rubber Duck: The Secret Danger of Everyday Things. While the permeability of our cells is key to being alive, it also means we absorb more potentially harmful substances than we realise.</p><p>Studies have found a number of chemical residues in human breast milk, urine and water systems. Many of them are endocrine disruptors, which can interfere with the body’s natural hormones. “They can mimic, block or otherwise disrupt normal hormone function, leading to adverse health effects,” says Dr Shanna Swan, professor of environmental medicine and reproductive health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York. We (often unknowingly) ingest, inhale or otherwise absorb them, and while toxicity depends on dosage, the reality is that a lot of us are exposed to them daily.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/sep/06/how-spot-chemicals-avoid-food-kitchenware-cosmetics">Continue reading...</a>

A new report has shed light on the experiences of racism nurses and midwives from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds face at work.

Amazfit's new rugged tracker is tougher than titanium and packs built-in GPS for under $400.

Business owners affected by a fire which gutted a shopping centre in Perth's north-east are calling for state government support as they begin the recovery process.

Apply the coupon to get this entry-level electric toothbrush for a record-low price

<p>Five areas of focus at world’s largest heart conference said to mark ‘turning point’ in cardiology and patient care</p><p>Doctors, scientists and researchers have shared new findings on ways to tackle heart conditions at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology annual meeting, the world’s largest heart conference.</p><p><a href="https://www.escardio.org/Congresses-Events/ESC-Congress">The event in Madrid</a> was attended by 33,000 health professionals from 169 countries. More than 1,100 sessions featured “gamechanger” research, new guidelines and groundbreaking trials.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/sep/05/gamechanger-new-research-heart-conditions-conference-madrid">Continue reading...</a>

We're just days away from Apple's next big gadget launch extravaganza, and there's yet more Apple Watch 11 news.

After a young Indian national died, likely by suicide, in 2024, his family and experts call for improved support systems to help ease migrant loneliness. 

A senior WA emergency department doctor describes his workplace as running in a "disaster situation", struggling within a health system which has an "unhealthy fixation" on ambulance ramping.

Smithy Zimran died before he could realise his dream of receiving dialysis on country, but his legacy lives on.

A court orders ex-footballer and sports presenter Warren Tredrea to pay $149,000 to cover legal costs that were accumulated by his former employer, Channel Nine, during part of the long-running court battle between the parties.

The body, believed to be a Newcastle man, was found after he went missing on Wednesday near Seal Rocks.  

We hear a lot about spring cleaning at this time of year, but it's not only your home or wardrobe that might need a refresh.  

The new HushJet Purifier Compact uses a completely different format to previous Dyson air purifiers.

The victim of the first inmate to be granted assisted dying in NSW has criticised the decision, claiming victims should be considered.

<p>My final haircut was a euphoric moment. I was liberated, a reverse-Samson. Then I got cold and put a beanie on</p><p></p><p>When I was a toddler, family and strangers alike would fawn over my crown of golden locks. I was often mistaken for a little girl.</p><p>Then as I grew up, my parents – to save money – honed their craft as amateur hairdressers, with themselves, my two older brothers and I their sole clientele. They only took walk-ins, the small talk was awkward and intrusive, the reviews average at best. After each haircut there was always a nervous dash to the bathroom mirror to survey the damage. I often finished the job, trimming stray hairs around my ears with a pair of nail scissors.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/04/hair-thinning-men-embracing-baldness-out-high-school-opinion">Continue reading...</a>

<p>I stopped dyeing my hair to avoid the hassle. As an older college student, responses from teachers and younger classmates surprised me</p><p>A year ago, on my first day of graduate school, the lecture hall filled up around me – and I plotted revenge on the friend who’d persuaded me to enroll.</p><p>To cure a thousand days of malaise, loneliness and brain fog, she’d suggested I apply to Columbia’s journalism school. So there I was, back in New York after two years in California, armed with 13 books about words and writing, every item of clothing I owned that looked like something my teenage nephews would wear, plus dried persimmons, avocados and walnuts from local farmers markets, the thing I’d miss about LA.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/wellness/2025/sep/03/dyeing-gray-hair-ageing">Continue reading...</a>

<p>Some claim eating steak and whole sticks of butter has improved their skin, cleared brain fog and even eliminated farting. Experts say an all-animal diet carries risks</p><ul><li><p>Read more in the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/series/antiviral">Antiviral series</a></p></li></ul><p>Ex-vegan turned carnivore Isabella Ma, better known to her nearly half a million followers on Instagram as @steakandbuttergal, has glowing skin and a flat stomach. She looks directly at the camera as she <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@steakandbuttergal/video/7535868477165407502">chomps down on an entire stick of butter</a>. It’s part of her <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DKxgKF4hnH7/">“high fat carnivore diet”</a> to which she attributes a whole host of health benefits, not least of which is the claim she <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNYY99iRwb2/">“literally never fart[s] any more” and has a single “scentless” bowel movement a week</a>.</p><p>A lot of gym bros also back the diet touted for helping people lose weight and build muscle, such as Antonio Angotti, who<strong> </strong>says the fat in red meat <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNBK3n5MJp5/">“includes almost every nutrient humans need to thrive”</a> and invokes religion as part of his dietary choices, saying he eats <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DNYlT6ENK78/">“just foods God will actually bless”</a>. It’s also been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/food/2024/sep/12/carnivore-diet-meat-plants">platformed by Joe Rogan and Jordan Peterson</a>.</p><p>Natasha May is Guardian Australia’s health reporter</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/series/antiviral">Antiviral</a> is a fortnightly column that interrogates the evidence behind the health headlines and factchecks popular wellness claims</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2025/sep/03/what-is-carnivore-diet-meat-benefits-science-does-work-why-so-many-influencers">Continue reading...</a>

<p>He struggles to maintain an erection and I feel worthless as his partner. I wonder whether there’s a way back for us</p><p><strong>When we first met, 12 years ago, my husband and I</strong><strong> didn’t waste any time in starting the sexual part of our relationship. He warned me he was a sex addict, and I am enthusiastic about sex. On our first night together I was aware of some erectile dysfunction – he wasn’t entirely hard and benefited from holding himself when penetrating me</strong><strong> – </strong><strong>though this didn’t stop us reaching climax. We joked about how many times I would orgasm and neither of us seemed inhibited. </strong></p><p><strong>Over time, my husband needed </strong><strong>more and more help with ejaculating and would often lose his erection</strong><strong> during sex. </strong><strong>He has shown </strong><strong>less interest in any form of intimacy with me, while I have been trying to show my attraction to him in other ways, like hugging and holding hands. </strong></p><p>Pamela Stephenson Connolly is a US-based psychotherapist who specialises in treating sexual disorders.</p><p>If you would like advice from Pamela on sexual matters, send us a brief description of your concerns to <a href="mailto:[email protected]">[email protected]</a> (please don’t send attachments). Each week, Pamela chooses one problem to answer, which will be published online. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/letters-terms">terms and conditions</a>.</p><p>Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/sep/02/my-husband-has-erectile-dysfunction-is-it-because-of-his-porn-addiction">Continue reading...</a>