|
Ministers clawing back £251m from carers hit by DWP’s allowance failures‘Strikingly large’ sum being recouped from people who fell foul of system that did not flag overpayments Ministers are clawing back more than £250m from unpaid carers over benefit infringements that occurred largely as a result of government failures, it can be revealed. More than 134,000 people who care for loved ones are being forced to repay often huge carer’s allowance overpayments. The debts are incurred in many cases through no fault of their own, and leave carers saddled with enormous debts, and some with criminal convictions. Continue reading...
Alcohol abuse costing £27bn a year in EnglandExclusive: Experts call for higher taxes and tougher regulation as research shows cost to NHS, other public services and economy The cost of alcohol abuse is laid bare in a new study that shows £27bn a year being spent in England on the health and social harms of drinking. The research that found the extra burden on the NHS, social services, the criminal justice system and the labour market cost at least 37% more than in 2003, when comparable research by the Cabinet Office estimated the costs at between £18.5bn and £20bn. Continue reading...
Israel recovers bodies of three hostages taken by Hamas, including Shani LoukBodies of Amit Buskila and Itzhak Gelerenter also recovered from Gaza as Israel says 129 hostages remain in captivity The bodies of three hostages kidnapped by Hamas, including the German-Israeli Shani Louk, have been retrieved from Gaza by the Israeli military, it announced. The other two hostages were identified as Amit Buskila, 28, and Itzhak Gelerenter, 56, according to the military spokesperson Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, who said the three victims were taken to Gaza after being killed by Hamas at the Nova music festival. Continue reading...
Sticky trick: new glue spray kills plant pests without chemicalsEdible oil droplets trap bugs without the harm to people and wildlife that synthetic pesticides can cause Tiny sticky droplets sprayed on crops to trap pests could be a green alternative to chemical pesticides, research has shown. The insect glue, produced from edible oils, was inspired by plants such as sundews that use the strategy to capture their prey. A key advantage of physical pesticides over toxic pesticides is that pests are highly unlikely to evolve resistance, as this would require them to develop much larger and stronger bodies, while bigger beneficial insects, like bees, are not trapped by the drops. Continue reading...
‘Such a relief’: infected blood scandal victims create support groupsThe ‘blood friends’ share stories and medical advice to help one another feel unburdened by their experiences Victims of the infected blood inquiry are joining forces to share stories and support. Sue Wathen, Joan Edgington and Nicola Leahey were diagnosed with hepatitis C after struggling through years of unexplained symptoms that were dismissed by doctors. Continue reading...
Eye-tattooing: experts warn about risks of colour-changing surgeryConcerns raised as influencers promote pigment-injection procedure as latest cosmetic trend From butter boards to viral dances, social media has spawned a host of fads, but experts have warned against the latest trend: eye-tattooing. The procedure, known as keratopigmentation, is a recent development and can be used for therapeutic purposes to improve the appearance of eyes. This can include for people who have been left with scars on the transparent front part of the eye, known as the cornea, as a result of infection, disease or injury, or who have aniridia, a condition where the iris has not formed properly. Continue reading...
‘Bloody £9 for two’: TikTok twins rage at ice-cream van pricesEight-year-olds’ video, which racked up 14m views, hits a sore point for mobilers who have struggled with the cost of living Like the totemic £8 pint or £5 coffee, the cost of a Mr Whippy ice-cream has become a barometer of a world gone mad. But really, nine quid for two ice-creams? Bloody hell. That was the damning verdict of an eight-year-old whose TikTok rant over the cost of two screwballs from an ice cream van in the park has racked up 14m views at the time of writing. Continue reading...
Four US daycare workers charged with spiking children’s food with melatoninNew Hampshire employees of day care arrested after six-month investigation and each face 10 charges of endangering children Four New Hampshire daycare employees allegedly spiked children’s food with the sleep supplement melatonin and were arrested on Thursday. The arrests stem from a November 2023 investigation at a daycare in Manchester, New Hampshire, about 30 minutes outside the state capital of Concord. Continue reading...
Video shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs assaulting singer Cassie in 2016Hotel surveillance cameras at InterContinental Hotel in Los Angeles captured incident Combs had vehemently denied A newly released video shows Sean “Diddy” Combs manhandling and kicking singer Cassie Ventura – his former girlfriend – in plain view of hotel surveillance cameras in 2016, before the rapper, music producer and businessman rapidly settled a lawsuit that she brought against him this past November, according to footage exclusively obtained by CNN. The video in question illustrates in the most graphic nature possible one of the beatings alleged and described in Ventura’s lawsuit, which Combs had vehemently denied. Continue reading...
‘Sexual predator’ teacher found guilty of grooming schoolboysRebecca Joynes, 30, convicted of engaging in sexual activity with minors while in a position of trust A teacher has been found guilty of having sex with two schoolboys. Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed the teenagers from the age of 15, Manchester crown court heard, and was on bail for sexual activity with the first child, boy A, when she began having sex with the second, boy B, by whom she went on to become pregnant. Neither teenager must be identified. Continue reading...
| 
83° 