Nobel Prize goes to Svante Paabo for Neanderthal work

Posted on 03/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Sweden’s Svante Paabo wins the prize for discoveries on humanity’s extinct relatives.

Cost of living: Young cancer patients ‘in a desperate situation’

Posted on 03/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Young people with cancer say they are struggling with rent and bills because of soaring living costs.

Can electrical stimulation improve your gym workout?

Posted on 03/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Whole-body EMS suits are the new big thing in fitness, but do they work?

Kwasi Kwarteng Doubles Down On Government Growth Plan Despite Mounting Tory Rebellion

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Kwasi Kwarteng will double down on his plan for unfunded tax cuts despite the economic chaos and a mounting Tory rebellion.

The chancellor will tell the Conservative conference in Birmingham the government must “stay the course”.

And he will say: “I am confident our plan is the right one.”

Kwarteng’s comments risk further inflaming the Tory civil war, with Michael Gove among the big-hitters urging the government to change course.

The former cabinet minister said he was “profoundly” concerned by the mini-budget, which saw the chancellor unveil plans to slash taxes for the highest earners and end the cap on bankers’ bonuses.

Gove also suggested that he would join other Tory rebels in voting against the plans when they come before parliament – despite party chairman Jake Berry warning that any MP who does so will lose the whip.

In a sign of the mounting anger, 13 Tory MPs have now gone public to voice their opposition to the decision to axe the 45p tax rate paid by those earning more than £150,000.

They include former chief whip Julian Smith, who said: “We cannot clap for carers one month and cut tax for millionaires months later.”

The first job of an MP is to act in the interest of their constituents & in the national interest. We cannot clap for carers one month & cut tax for millionaires months later. https://t.co/iKtnOxm1jB

— Julian Smith MP (@JulianSmithUK) October 2, 2022

The £45 billion tax giveaway, funded by £70 billion of extra government borrowing, led to a run on the pound, sent interest rates soaring and forced the Bank of England to launch a £65 billion bailout of the pensions industry.

But in his keynote address to the party faithful in Birmingham today, Kwarteng will insist he had no choice but to take radical action to grow the UK economy, and will not back down.

He will say: “We must face up to the facts that for too long our economy has not grown enough.

“The path ahead of us was one of slow, managed decline, and I refuse to accept that it is somehow Britain’s destiny to fall into middle income status, or that the tax burden reaching a 70-year-high is somehow inevitable – it isn’t, and shouldn’t be.

“We needed a new approach, focused on raising economic growth. That is the only real way to deliver higher wages, more jobs, and crucially, revenue to fund our precious public servicee and it is the only way to achieve long-term fiscal sustainability.

“We must stay the course. I am confident our plan is the right one.”

The chancellor will add: “With energy bills skyrocketing. A 70 year high tax burden. Slowing long-term growth rates. Painfully slow infrastructure delivery.

“Should we really have just accepted that fate? Think about the cost to livelihoods and the impact on our communities.

“What Britain needs is economic growth. And a government wholly committed to economic growth.

“That is why we will forge a new economic deal for Britain backed by an iron-clad commitment to fiscal discipline.”

The chancellor’s speech will be closely watched by the money markets for details on precisely how the government plans to balance the books.

Prime minister Liz Truss failed to rule out public spending cuts in an interview on Sunday morning in which she appeared to blame Kwarteng for the 45p tax row, prompting Nadine Dorries to accuse the PM of “throwing the chancellor under a bus”.

Strictly Come Dancing Result: Loose Women Star Kaye Adams Is First Celebrity Voted Off

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Kaye Adams has become the first celebrity to be voted off this year’s series of Strictly Come Dancing.

The Loose Women star found herself in the bottom two alongside singer Matt Goss on Sunday night’s results show after the judges’ scores were combined with the results of the viewers’ votes.

Both stars faced each other in the dreaded dance-off, with Kaye and her dance partner Kai Widdrington performing their Charleston, whilst Matt and his dance partner Nadiya Bychkova performed their Samba in a bid to impress the judges and remain in the competition.

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After both couples had danced a second time, the judges – Craig Revel Horwood, Motsi Mabuse, Anton Du Beke and head judge Shirley Ballas – delivered their verdicts.

Craig chose to save Matt and Nadiya, as did Motsi, who said: “Well that was so close, both couples made mistakes. I feel like they were on the same level, but one couple was a little bit better for me, and I am saving Matt and Nadiya.”

Anton Du Beke also chose to save Matt and Nadiya, admitting it “wasn’t a vintage dance-off”.

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With three votes to Matt and Nadiya, it meant they had won the majority vote and so Kaye would be leaving the competition. However, head Judge Shirley Ballas said she would have decided to save Kaye and Kai.

When asked if she agreed with the other judges, Shirley said: “I didn’t. I thought due to a little better quality, I would have saved Kaye and Kai.”

When asked by host Tess Daly about their time on the show, Kaye said: “It was the right result and I did make mistakes, and when it comes to that high pressured situation that’s what happens. So I am delighted for Matt and Nadiya, the only person I am just sorry for is this wonderful man [Kai], who has just been so brilliant.

“It was a hell of a lot of fun, I said my ambition was to learn to love to dance, and actually I have seen a whole new side to myself, it’s opened a little door. It’s been a wonderful experience and to spend time with such talented people who love the show. So much has been a joy.”

Kaye Adams and Kai Widdrington perform on the second live show of Strictly Come Dancing 2022.

Kai was then asked if he had any words for Kaye and said: “Only we know how much real hard work has gone into this. There has been lots of ups and downs and we won’t go into them, but this lady is a trooper, and I know what she’s been going through in the week.

“For this woman to come out and give the performance that she did tonight really shows the testament to her character. I am proud of you, I know that your girls and your other half are proud of you, but the most important thing is that you should be proud of yourself, because you are a superstar.”

The remaining fourteen couples will take to the dance floor again next week for the annual Movie Week Special when Strictly returns on Saturday 8 October at 6:30pm. The results show follows on Sunday 9 October at 7:20pm on BBC One.

Tory MP Says Children Are Too ‘Coddled’ Nowadays In Debate On Free Speech

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Boris Clair

A Conservative MP has said that children are too “coddled” nowadays, during a panel on free speech.

Miriam Cates said that young people are sheltered from emotional distress which means they find it hard to hear opposing or offensive ideas.

The MP for Penistone and Stocksbridge said that her young children needed to have a risk as assessment before visiting the park with school.

Free speech is a hot topic at Tory party conference in Birmingham and at a separate panel a professor claimed the country was facing a cultural “Cold War”.

Cates told a debate hosted by the Young Conservatives that young people did not have a “good reputation” in terms of welcoming free speech.

She added: “I want to say it’s not your fault and I blame the parents.

“I think one of the things that your generation has been subjected to is this kind of coddling.

“I’m getting most of my ideas from a fantastic book called The Coddling of the American Mind, which I very much recommend to you. But the premise is that from a very young age, young people have been coddled physically.

“My grandfather, who’s 90 next week, when he was four he and his twin brother would be kicked out of the house every day from breakfast time, told to have some fun and come home for tea.

“So that was in the 1930s. When I grew up in the 1980s, we didn’t have anywhere near that amount of freedom.

“But, for example, I went on a school trip to France when I was 11, we got kicked out on the coach at 8 o’clock in the morning and none of us spoke a word of French and we were told to come back to 6 o’clock and our teachers went down the pub. That was just a normal school trip.

“Now my children – who are in primary school – have to have a risk assessment and I have to sign permission for them to go to the local park.

“That involves crossing one road on a zebra crossing with the teacher.

“So you’ve been coddled physically and not exposed to physical risk. And that has hampered your ability to face challenge, to make decisions and to face defeat or failure and to rise back from that.”

Cates said there had been a “mission creep” from physical safety into emotional safety. She said we protected children from emotional distress, which meant young people find it difficult to hear opposing or offensive ideas, adding: “So I think the future of free speech is not necessarily strong.”

In another debate on the first day of Tory conference, panellists were asked: “Is the UK a safe space for free speech?”

Eric Kaufmann, professor of politics at Birkbeck College, claimed that the country was in a cultural “Cold War”.

He told a panel, organised by the Institute of Economic Affairs and TaxPayers’ Alliance, that “wokeness” and “cultural socialism” was becoming a dominant theme among young people, especially younger women.

“We are in a fight for the future of Western civilisation, for British civilisation,” he claimed.

Winston Marshall, former Mumford & Sons’ banjoist, also took part in the panel. He quit the band last year amid a storm after he tweeted his admiration for a book by controversial right-wing US journalist Andy Ngo.

Marshall told the panel: “It seems to me in the arts industry, where I am, there is a serious problem which is completely paradoxical because it’s an industry of people who rely on being able to express themselves and they are censoring themselves and it’s almost every week.”

UK looks to be winning the fight against monkeypox

Posted on 02/10/2022 by Boris Clair

New cases continue to fall, thanks to vaccines and vigilance, says a top expert.

New data reveals severe impact of European contact with Pacific islands

Posted on 01/10/2022 by Boris Clair

Pacific island nations suffered severe depopulation from introduced diseases as a consequence of contact with European vessels, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, indicates population declines were a lot larger than previously thought.

According to the study, the main island of Tonga had a population decline of between 70-86 per cent once Europeans made contact.

Researchers from the ANU School of Culture, History & Language, PhD candidate Phillip Parton and ARC Future Fellow Professor Geoffrey Clark, found there were between 100,000-120,000 people in Tonga prior to European contact.

“I and my co-author used aerial laser scanning data to map residences on the main island of Tonga and then used archaeological data I collected as part of my PhD to estimate the population,” Mr Parton said.

“This improved understanding of the past has allowed us to show a significant population decline from 50,000-60,000 to 10,000 during a 50-year period on the main island of Tongatapu in the Kingdom of Tonga.

“Because this number is so much larger than anything anyone had previously considered, I used shipping and missionary data to check my estimates and found they were plausible.

“Obviously, this shows a big reassessment of the impact of globalisation in the 19th century.

“As in many parts of the world, the population of Pacific islands suffered severe declines after contact when Europeans introduced new pathogens.”

The research has been published in the Journal of Archaeological Science.

Pacific island nations suffered severe depopulation from introduced diseases as a consequence of contact with European vessels, a new study from The Australian National University (ANU) shows.

The research, published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, indicates population declines were a lot larger than previously thought.

According to the study, the main island of Tonga had a population decline of between 70-86 per cent once Europeans made contact.

Researchers from the ANU School of Culture, History & Language, PhD candidate Phillip Parton and ARC Future Fellow Professor Geoffrey Clark, found there were b