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Attempted murder charge after nurse stabbed
A 37-year-old man will appear in court on Tuesday after a nurse was stabbed at a hospital in Oldham.
Liz Truss Has 1 Truly Outlandish Idea To Fix UK’s Economic Turmoil
Liz Truss has just advised chancellor Rachel Reeves to follow her mini-Budget from 2022 to get the UK out of its current economic mess.
Government borrowing costs have soared since Labour got into power in July, while inflation crept up to 2.6% in the 12 months to November and the value of the pound has dropped.
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The economy stagnated over the second half of 2024 too, suggesting the UK is rather a long way off Labour’s number one mission of higher growth.
Naturally, the government’s critics have rallied together to slam Reeves’ efforts to boost the country’s finances – including none other than Truss, who only lasted 49 days in office after crashing the economy.
Responding to reports that Reeves is feeling “very depressed” about the UK’s economic outlook, the former PM wrote on X that “the way out” was to “cut taxes, cut regulation, get fracking, limit the benefits bill”.
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She then posted the front cover of “The Growth Plan 2022” – better known as the mini-Budget, which was so disastrous Truss was kicked out of office.
Her plan for £45bn of unfunded tax cuts sent the market into turmoil and the pound plummeting, so much so the Bank of England had to step in with the UK hours away from total financial meltdown.
She even became the centre of social media mockery after a viral stunt asked which would last longer: Truss in office or a lettuce head with a short shelf life (the lettuce won).
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But, Truss – who also lost her seat in the general election – has actually been blaming the Bank of England for the crisis ever since.
Last week, she even issued a cease and desist letter to Keir Starmer demanding the PM stop saying she “crashed the economy”, and calling it “false and defamatory”.
This caused “Liz Truss crashed the economy” to start trending on social media.
Labour has repeatedly attributed their “tough” financial decisions – complete with £40bn of tax rises – to the black hole the Tories (especially Truss) left in the public finances.
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And the prime minister’s spokesperson suggested Starmer would not stop pointing the finger at Truss, telling reporters the PM “absolutely stands by” what he has said about his predecessor.
So Truss’ attempt to promote her mini-Budget once again has, of course, sparked quite the reaction online….
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Elon Musk Should Be Treated As ‘A National Enemy’ Of The UK, Says Former Labour Leader
Elon Musk should be “regarded as a national enemy” of the UK over his attacks on Keir Starmer, a former Labour leader has declared.
Neil Kinnock said supporters of all parties should oppose the tech billionaire, who is set to be a major figure in the incoming Donald Trump administration.
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Musk, the world’s richest man and owner of the X social media platform, has spent months lambasting the prime minister over his response to last summer’s riots, the state of the UK economy and, most recently, the child grooming gangs scandal.
He accused Starmer of being “complicit” and of failing to prosecute those involved when he was head of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Starmer hit out at Musk last week, saying he had “crossed a line” by personally attacking safeguarding minister Jess Phillips and saying that she should be jailed.
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On Radio 4′s Broadcasting House programme on Sunday, Kinnock – who led Labour from 1983 until 1992 – said politicians should unite against Musk.
He said: “Trump has given Musk official status. He is going to be in charge, together with another guy, of a federal government department, and that’s on top of being the most powerful private individual in human history, as well as being the world’s richest man.
“He’s gunning for Keir and he’s got to be resisted, and I don’t think that should be limited to Labour supporters.
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“I think that when somebody has very clearly declared antagonism on this level to the prime minister of the United Kingdom, he should be regarded as a national enemy.”
Kinnock’s comments came as Dan Carden became the first Labour MP to echo Tory and Reform UK calls for a national inquiry into the grooming scandal.
He said: “The public call for justice must be heeded. It is shocking that people in positions of power could have covered up and refused to act to avoid confronting racial for cultural issues or because victims were poor or working-class.
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“We must question and challenge the orthodoxy of progressive liberal multiculturalism that led to authorities failing to act. We need a new doctrine to take our multi-ethnic society into the future.”
We Can’t Stop Watching This Iconic Clip Of Linda From The Traitors In Her Opera Singing Days
Let’s just say it, we all know by now that Linda is the true queen of this year’s series of The Traitors.
Admittedly, her performance as a Faithful isn’t exactly convincing (truth be told, the fact she’s managed to remain unbanished every single day defies logic), but her theatrics and line deliveries have given us some of the season’s most iconic and quotable moments.
Before joining the latest cast of The Traitors, Linda had a whole other career as an opera singer (which might well explain why she has a flair for the dramatic when things are going on in the castle) and we’re happy to report that one fan has managed to dig up one of her old performances from back in the early 1980s.
The clip has already received more than half a million views on TikTok, of which we reckon we’re probably responsible for about a hundred thousand…
All we can say is… enjoy.
The most recent instalment of the Bafta-winning reality show ended on a massive cliffhanger, after Linda and fellow Traitor Minah picked four members of the Faithful group to go head-to-head in a “death game”.
While Anna and Alexander managed to come out on top, the episode ended with one hand left to go, with either Fozia or Leon set to be “murdered” when The Traitors returns later this week.
However, one viewer pointed out that Linda may have once again put herself in the firing line for banishment, thanks to her distinctive penmanship.
The Traitors continues on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night at 9pm on BBC One.
‘I feel blessed to get weight-loss jab’ – but can the NHS afford it for all?
We meet some of the first NHS patients, as expert says funding everyone eligible would “bankrupt” the service.
‘Very Unsatisfied’: Michael Cohen Reacts To Trump Sentencing In Hush Money Trial
Michael Cohen, an ex-personal attorney and former fixer for Donald Trump who pled guilty and served time in prison for charges tied to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, said he feels “very unsatisfied” after the president-elect was sentenced without penalty in a historic New York trial.
Cohen told MSNBC’s The Weekend on Saturday that there should’ve been “accountability” or the case should’ve been dismissed.
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“I believe that if there’s no accountability, there’s no deterrence. And if there’s no deterrence, no accountability, what’s the point to have the case anyway? So that we can all just turn around and refer to him now as the felon president?” said Cohen.
Friday’s sentencing arrived after a jury convicted Trump last year of 34 counts of falsifying business records in connection to the payment made in the final days of his 2016 campaign.
The president-elect would took to his Truth Social platform Friday to vow that he’ll “appeal this Hoax” after he was sentenced to an unconditional discharge, or effectively no punishment.
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Cohen declared on MSNBC that “nobody in this country” — whether they’re a Republican, Democrat or independent — should take “solace” in the fact that Trump is a convicted felon when he takes office in just over a week.
Cohen, who was disbarred from practicing law in New York State and has been a fierce Trump critic since being sentenced in 2018, said he’s “never heard” of an unconditional discharge in his “entire life” before adding that he couldn’t find a single case with such a sentence when he searched for one on ChatGPT.
He declared that Trump should’ve been sentenced to a “conditional discharge” and suggested that the president-elect be asked to work in a soup kitchen or to pick up garbage on the side of the West Side Highway in New York City.
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“I did six years, three years of incarceration and three years of supervised release without a single second, not a second, not a minute, not an hour off of my sentence and he doesn’t even get a slap on the wrist. So I feel unsatisfied,” Cohen said.
Cohen later declared that Trump, who has complained about being the victim of a two-tiered justice system, has “taught us all” that there are people above the law.
“When you hear, ‘We’re a country of laws without justice’ — yeah, that’s an accurate statement. And worse than that is that the law is not applied equally to all citizens,” he said.
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“There are three sets of laws — there’s for you and for me and for the average Joe and Jane, there’s for those that are powerful whether it’s politically powerful or financially super powerful and then, of course, there’s Donald Trump. He stands unique and alone.”
He went on to acknowledge that Trump’s election win was the one way he could’ve avoided incarceration, probation or responsibility despite “everything that was thrown against him.”
“All of this somehow managed to become inconsequential to a plurality of Americans who voted for him based upon three words: gasoline and groceries. That’s an amazing trick,” Cohen said.
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Rudy Giuliani Found In Contempt Of Court For Second Time This Week
A federal judge found Rudy Giuliani, former personal lawyer to Donald Trump, in contempt of court on Friday for the second time this week.
US District Judge Beryl Howell’s ruling was in response to Giuliani refusing to turn over requested financial records in a defamation case brought against him by former Georgia election workers Ruby Freeman and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, whom he repeatedly and falsely accused of committing fraud while serving as Georgia poll workers during the 2020 presidential election.
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It’s “outrageous and shameful that Mr Giuliani suggests that he is the one being treated unfairly,” Howell said in court, according to reporters in the room. “This takes real chutzpah, Mr Giuliani.”
Howell also ordered the former New York City mayor to sign a sworn declaration stating he’d seen all the trial evidence. She threatened potential jail time if he fails to sign it within the next 10 days.
Giuliani was also held in contempt of court on Monday for refusing to surrender records and personal items to Freeman and Moss, including paperwork for his Mercedes convertible and his property in New York City.
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In December 2023, a jury ordered Giuliani to pay Freeman and Moss $148 million, and in May, he agreed to a permanent injunction requiring him to stop claiming the mother and daughter had committed fraud.
Giuliani has turned over some possessions to Freeman and Moss, but the women are fighting for ownership papers and the bulk of the settlement.
He’s back in court now after Freeman and Moss say he violated that injunction by slamming the women as fraudsters on his podcast. He even acknowledged the violation in a November episode, saying, “I’m sorry they’re going to sue me again for saying it, but what am I going to do but tell the truth?”
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His continued allegations against Freeman and Moss come in spite of the Georgia secretary of state declaring in a 2023 final report that no fraud was detected during the two women’s poll work.
Freeman and Moss say Giuliani’s accusations upended their lives, forcing them to quit their jobs and go into hiding as they endured an onslaught of threats and racist attacks.
In court on Friday, Howell dismissed arguments from Giuliani’s lawyer that his client sincerely believed that the women had engaged in election fraud.
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“So, what? You’re saying this defamation is never going to stop? He’s never going to stop saying this because he thinks he’s right?” she asked. “That’s chilling.”
Here’s Why Michelle Obama, Who Would Have Sat By Trump, Skipped Carter’s Funeral
Michelle Obama did not attend former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral on Thursday due to a scheduling conflict, aides to the former first lady told CNN.
She was in Hawaii at the time on an extended holiday vacation, her advisers told CNN’s Jeff Zeleny.
“Mrs Obama sends her thoughts and prayers to the Carter family, and everyone who loved and learned from the remarkable former President,” Crystal Carson, a spokesperson for Michelle Obama, said in a statement to Politico.
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Her husband, Barack Obama, did attend the event, and sat beside President-elect Donald Trump. Michelle Obama apparently would have been seated there had she attended. All five living presidents were at the ceremony; Michelle Obama was the only spouse who did not attend.
Trump and the Obamas do not have a friendly history. Trump routinely attacks his predecessor and for years pushed a racist conspiracy theory that he was not born in the US.
The Obamas campaigned fiercely against Trump in the past two elections. Barack Obama warned in August that another Trump term would mean “four more years of bluster and bumbling and chaos.” His wife, in her own speech at the Democratic National Convention, said Trump has done “everything in his power to try and make people fear us.”
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“His limited narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by two hardworking, successful people who happened to be Black,” she said.
On the campaign trail, Trump called her “nasty” and asked if he was “allowed to hit her” back, a turn of phrase that many interpreted as a threat.
Trump and Barack Obama were seen chatting, smiling and laughing together at the funeral in an exchange that went viral. Trump later addressed the moment, saying, “It did look very friendly, I must say. I didn’t realise how friendly it looked.”
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“We met backstage, as you know, before we went on. And I thought it was a beautiful service. But we all got along very well, which is good,” he added.
Lower access to air conditioning may increase need for emergency care for wildfire smoke exposure
As Los Angeles County battles the most destructive wildfires in its history, a new study suggest that US policies should prioritize equity and education regarding the measures people can take to protect themselves from the harmful pollutants in wildfire smoke.
People who have limited access to air conditioning may be at higher risk of seeking emergency care for health problems following exposure to wildfire smoke, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH).
Posted online ahead of publication in the journal Environmental Research: Health, the study found that exposure to fine particle matter (PM2.5) from wildfire smoke in California is associated with higher rates of emergency department visits for all causes, non-accidental causes, and respiratory disease. This risk varied by age and race, but was especially high for individuals who lived in areas with lower availability of air conditioning.
The findings come at a critical time, as firefighters in Southern California continue to battle multiple wildfires that have been blazing in and around Los Angeles County since Tuesday, January 7 — including the Palisades fire, which is likely the largest and most destructive wildfire in the county’s history. Health experts are urging residents who are not under evacuation orders and can safely remain in their homes to turn on air conditioners and/or air purifiers if they have access to these devices.
Despite this guidance — and the growing threat of more frequent and intense wildfires due to worsening climate change — very little research has examined how the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure may differ based on individuals’ access to air conditioning. Understanding this relationship can inform policies and interventions that mitigate barriers to air conditioners and protect vulnerable populations from the consequences of inhaling PM2.5 and other harmful pollutants from this smoke, which can permeate the air from hundreds or thousands of miles away.
“Depending on the type of system and filter used, air conditioning may modify the impact of smoke exposure on human health,” says study lead and corresponding author Dr. Jennifer Stowell, research scientist in climate and health at BUSPH, noting that the analysis only addressed the likelihood of access to air conditioning, rather than air conditioning types or actual usage. “Studies like these will become more and more relevant as wildfire exposure increases. California is, perhaps, the best example of this in the US, with bigger fires and longer fire seasons. An important next step will be to identify ways to better characterize access to air conditioning.”
For the study, Dr. Stowell and colleagues from BUSPH, Boston University College of Arts & Sciences (CAS), and the Health Effects Institute utilized a nationwide dataset of healthcare claims to assess more than 50,000 emergency department visits during the 2012-2019 California wildfire seasons, which occurred from May to November each year. They quantified the adverse health effects from PM2.5 exposure among all study participants, as well as subgroups of participants.
Consistent with prior research, wildfire smoke exposure was most strongly associated with emergency department visits for respiratory issues, but not cardiovascular-related complications. These visits were generally higher among children under 10 years old, adults between 20-74 years old, and among the Black population, although also elevated among White, Hispanic, and Asian/Pacific Islander populations.
People living in areas with lower availability of air conditioning had a 22-percent greater risk of visiting the emergency department for respiratory conditions associated with wildfire smoke exposure. Greater insight into air conditioning use as a pollutant-filtering tool and the barriers that certain populations face in accessing these cooling systems is critical, as wildfires are expected to occur more regularly in the Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) — areas where human activity is in close contact with sources of dry fuel. This is exactly what is happening now in LA County, Dr. Stowell says, as the fires destroy thousands of homes and businesses near vegetation.
“WUI fires are particularly concerning due to the burning of human-made structures and the additional toxic chemicals and particulates that can be found in their smoke plume,” says Dr. Stowell. “The current fires in LA are out-of-season fires driven by severe Santa Ana winds coming from the mountains. As climate change continues, the temperature differentials between land and sea will grow and, potentially, drive stronger and stronger late-season or out-of-season wind events.”
So how may residential air conditioners help dispel PM2.5 from homes? The filters in these cooling systems can remove particulate matter, although certain filters are more effective at filtering particulate matter than others. “HEPA filters can remove the majority of particles greater than 0.3 µm, but they are significantly more expensive than fiberglass air filters, which only remove larger particles and may allow high amounts of fine particulate matter to penetrate indoors,” Dr. Stowell says. “Generic pleated air filters are also fairly efficient at filtering out most particulate matter.”
Air conditioning systems with a Minimum Efficiency Reporting Value (MERV) rating of seven or higher are thought to be the most efficient at removing particulate matter from outdoor air, but are also more expensive.
The study findings indicate a need for stronger policy measures that can reduce the health risks associated with wildfire smoke exposure.
“Many homeowners do not understand the differences between MERV ratings and how these might impact your health,” Dr. Stowell says. “Policymakers should consider delivering better information to the public — such as the types and ratings of filters that perform better — especially for those who reside in smoke-prone regions.”
Given that marginalized populations appear to be disproportionately burdened by the health effects of wildfire smoke exposure, economic assistance should also be considered, she says, particularly for low-income populations residing in smoke-prone regions. “Considering the current fires in CA, local and state governments should heighten their responses to these events and develop plans and policies to reduce exposure before the fires occur,” Dr. Stowell says.
The study’s senior author is Dr. Gregory Wellenius, professor of environmental health and director of the Center for Climate and Health at BUSPH. The study was coauthored by Dr. Ian Sue Wing, professor of earth and environment at CAS; Dr. Yasmin Romitti, staff scientist at the Health Effects Institute, and Dr. Patrick Kinney, Beverly Brown Professor of Urban Health at BUSPH.
