Author: News Desk

London: Trading standards officers have issued a major health warning over nasal tanning sprays that have been linked to skin cancer, respiratory problems, and severe allergic reactions. These unregulated and dangerous products, marketed online and boosted by social media influencers, are being flagged as a growing threat to public safety by the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI). The sprays, which are inhaled through the nostrils, typically contain melanotan 2, a synthetic hormone not approved for use in the UK. This substance stimulates melanin production in the body to darken skin and can enhance tanning effects when used with sunbeds or…

Papua New Guinea: The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially declared a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea and has called for an immediate and comprehensive vaccination campaign to prevent the disease from spreading further. The announcement follows the detection of the poliovirus in two healthy children during a routine health screening in Lae, a coastal city located in the northeast of the country. Although both children were asymptomatic, the highly infectious virus has sparked concern due to the country’s low immunisation rate. Currently, less than 50 percent of Papua New Guinea’s population is vaccinated against polio, a potentially deadly…

London: A coalition of the UK’s leading end-of-life and social care organisations has voiced strong opposition to the proposed Assisted Dying Bill, formally known as the Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, expressing deep frustration over being excluded from vital consultations. The group warns the bill is ‘unworkable, unaffordable, and naive,’ expressing concern about its potential consequences on the workforce and vulnerable individuals. The Coalition of Frontline Care for People Nearing the End of Life represents key care stakeholders, including the Gold Standards Framework Charity (GSF), National Care Forum (NCF), British Geriatric Society (BGS), Care England (CE), and the…

Wellington: Three members of New Zealand’s Te Pāti Māori, co-leaders Debbie Ngarewa-Packer and Rawiri Waititi, along with the party’s youngest MP Hana-Rawhiti Maipi-Clarke, are facing temporary suspensions from parliament for performing a haka during a vote on the controversial Treaty Principles Bill last November. The performance, which included Maipi-Clarke tearing up a copy of the bill, quickly went viral, garnering hundreds of millions of views globally. The bill in question, introduced by the libertarian ACT Party, aimed to reinterpret the Treaty of Waitangi, New Zealand’s founding agreement between the Māori and the British Crown. The proposal sparked nationwide protests, the…

San Francisco, CA: Airbnb has announced a major update to its app, introducing a suite of luxury services such as personal trainers, in-home massages, private chefs, spa treatments, makeup artists, and professional photographers. These new offerings, aimed at enhancing user experience and competing with traditional hotel amenities, will initially launch in 260 cities worldwide and are priced starting from below $50 (£37.57). Notably, these services will be available to both Airbnb guests and individuals not staying in Airbnb accommodations. “People choose hotels for their services. People choose Airbnbs for the space… now, we’re giving you the best of both worlds,”…

London: The UK government has for the first time used an AI tool called Consult to review public responses to a government consultation. Initially deployed by the Scottish government, Consult was used to analyze feedback on the regulation of non-surgical cosmetic procedures, such as lip fillers. This marks a significant step toward utilizing AI in public sector processes, with plans to expand its use across government consultations to save costs and reduce the workload of officials. The UK government confirmed that Consult was able to analyze over 2,000 public responses, identifying key themes that were subsequently verified and refined by…

New York: United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres has unveiled the ‘UN80 Initiative’, a major reform plan aimed at reshaping the structure and operations of the UN ahead of its 80th anniversary in 2025. Speaking to the Member States in New York, Guterres outlined a broad roadmap that seeks to streamline operations, reduce costs, modernise digital platforms, and strengthen the UN’s ability to deliver results across peace, development, and human rights. Launched in March, the initiative is built on three main pillars: boosting operational efficiency, assessing how existing mandates from Member States are being implemented, and exploring structural reforms across the…

Sydney: Australia’s Liberal Party has appointed a woman as its leader, electing Sussan Ley, for the first time in its history, to succeed Peter Dutton after the party’s crushing defeat in the 3 May 2025 federal election. Ley, a senior figure from the party’s moderate faction, narrowly beat Angus Taylor, a conservative candidate promising to restore traditional values, by four votes in the party room ballot. The leadership transition follows what is widely considered the worst election result for the Liberal-National coalition, currently the main opposition bloc in Australian politics. Analysts, party insiders, and MPs blamed the loss on divisive…

London: Migrants will now need to live in the UK for ten years instead of five before they can apply for citizenship, under sweeping migration reforms aimed at reducing the country’s reliance on foreign workers. The new contributions-based model will include exceptions for individuals who provide a high contribution to the economy or society, such as nurses, doctors, engineers, and AI professionals, who may qualify for fast-tracked permanent settlement. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer announced the measures ahead of the upcoming Immigration White Paper, describing the reforms as a clean break from the past. Starmer said that the settlement should…

Málaga, Spain: In the first direct comparison between two blockbuster weight-loss drugs, Mounjaro (tirzepatide) has proven more effective than Wegovy (semaglutide), delivering significantly greater weight reduction over 72 weeks. According to findings presented at the European Congress on Obesity in Malaga and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, participants using Mounjaro lost an average of 20 percent of their body weight, compared to 14 percent for those on Wegovy. Head-head weight-loss trial The trial, sponsored by Mounjaro’s manufacturer Eli Lilly, involved 750 obese adults with an average weight of 113kg (approximately 18 stone). Participants were given the highest…