Logan Paul regrets causing distress to fiancee Nina Agdal amid Dillon Danis bout: 'I am eternally sorry'
Logan Paul apologized for upsetting his fiancee Nina Agdal with the Dillon Danis fight
2023-10-18 13:50
Putin praises 'dear friend' Xi, pitches Russia's Northern Sea route
By Laurie Chen and Vladimir Soldatkin BEIJING President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday praised Chinese President Xi Jinping for
2023-10-18 13:49
What is ‘Fanum Tax’ trend? Kai Cenat's viral slang inspires catchy TikTok song
Twitch sensation Kai Cenat, who notably popularized the slang 'Rizz', is now causing a stir with the term 'Fanum Tax'
2023-10-18 13:45
Soccer-Messi double gives Argentina 2-0 win over Peru
LIMA (Reuters) -Lionel Messi become the all-time top scorer in South American World Cup qualifying on Tuesday after netting both
2023-10-18 13:26
Sudan conflict: Ethnic cleansing committed in Darfur, UK says
Analysis of satellite images provides evidence that dozens of Darfur villages have been burned down.
2023-10-18 13:25
More girls miss school and college due to their periods than colds, survey finds
Girls miss more school or college days due to periods than any other reason – including colds, mental health or truancy, according to a new report. Periods cause girls to be absent from school or college for three days a term on average, compared with colds and flu (2.6 days), mental health (1.9 days) and truancy (1.2 days), the data released by washroom provider phs Group has revealed. This equates to 54 lost education days over the course of their teen years, the equivalent of 11 academic weeks. The findings form part of phs Group’s Period Equality: Breaking the Cycle report, now in its third year, for which Censuswide polled 1,262 girls aged 13-18 years across the UK. The majority (82%) cited cramps as the main reason for this, while almost one in five (19%) said they stay away from lessons because they’re embarrassed about being on their period, and one in 12 (8%) said it’s because no period products were available to them. This is despite the introduction of period equality measures in recent years, designed to improve access to free period products in education settings. “It’s important to recognise that huge advances have been made in giving girls access to free period products in schools across the UK. What we must do now is close the gap between providing schools with all the products they need and getting them into the hands of any girls that need them, for whatever reason,” said Kelly Greenaway, period equality lead at phs Group. “We know from our own data providing schools with products, that they have more than enough for their girls, so we need to tackle the misconceptions around free access to products in washrooms, and the stigma and shame that goes hand-in-hand with failing to have open conversations about menstruation.” Since the launch of the Government’s Period Product Scheme in January 2020, which provides free period products to education settings in England, via phs Group, 99% of secondary schools and 94% of post-16 organisations have ordered products through the scheme. However, the report published today highlights how periods remain a barrier to education for many girls – with the number of girls missing school due to their periods almost the same for the 2023 findings (54%) as the findings in 2019 (52%), before free sanitary product schemes were introduced. Despite the roll-out of such schemes, over half (52%) of the students surveyed said they did not find period products freely available in their school and college settings, while one in seven (14%) said they did not know if they were available. To help tackle the issue and raise awareness, phs Group is launching a new period equality podcast – called The Blobcast: Free The Period – hosted by menstrual wellbeing and confidence educator Kasey Robinson. Robinson said: “I know too well about the barriers facing so many of us when it comes to our menstrual health. It’s simply not enough to blame absenteeism figures on access to products alone. “On the ground, the story is clear: we aren’t being educated, supported and informed enough about periods. Menstruation is still a taboo subject, and our experience is a secret to keep to ourselves and something we feel forced to hide. In education settings, this is leading to more and more girls staying away from school. “Without workshops, learning resources and the support for and from teachers and caregivers, this issue will stay the same, or get worse,” Robinson added. “It should not be a revolutionary act to teach people about periods, it’s a right. We need to break the cycle of shame and encourage open and honest conversations about periods – exactly what The Blobcast is seeking to do.” The Blobcast: Free The Period launches on all free streaming platforms on October 18. More information can be found at www.phs.co.uk/TheBlobcast.
2023-10-18 13:25
When will 'The Voice' Season 24 Episode 9 air? Coaches lock horns as they hunt for front-runner singer
Following the Blinds, each coach partners up their members, therefore there will be seven Battle Rounds for each coach
2023-10-18 13:23
Avalanche use big 2nd period, rally for 4-1 win over winless Kraken
Arttui Lehkonen and Logan O’Connor scored their first goals of the season in the second period, Mikko Rantanen scored his third with 6:15 remaining and the Colorado Avalanche beat the Seattle Kraken 4-1 on Tuesday night
2023-10-18 13:23
Elon Musk’s X may charge users in these two countries $1 a year to post on platform
Elon Musk’s X is planning to charge users in New Zealand and the Philippines joining via the platform’s web application $1 per year as part of its programme to reduce bot activity. The subscription is part of X’s “Not A Bot” programme, which attempts to “bolster our already significant efforts to reduce spam, manipulation of our platform and bot activity”, the company noted in a help centre post on its website on Tuesday. As part of the pilot programme, new users signing up via the website in the two countries will also be required to verify their account with a phone number, the unsigned post said. It remained unclear why the subscription programme is being rolled out only in these two countries, and exclusively for new users joining via the X website, and not the mobile app. However, Not a Bot’s terms and conditions suggested that people may also subscribe to the programme from X’s iOS and Android apps, while the main help centre post only specified web. X did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment. “As of October 17th, 2023 we’ve started testing “Not A Bot”, a new subscription method for new users in two countries,” the company posted. “This will evaluate a potentially powerful measure to help us combat bots and spammers on X, while balancing platform accessibility with the small fee amount. Within this test, existing users are not affected,” it said. New users from the two countries who opt to subscribe with $1 will for the web version of the platform will be able to post content, like posts, reply, repost and quote other accounts’ posts, as well as bookmark posts, X noted. However, those who opt out of this subscription in the web application “will only be able to take ‘read only’ actions, such as: Read posts, Watch videos, and Follow accounts,” the company stated. “This new programme aims to defend against bots and spammers who attempt to manipulate the platform and disrupt the experience of other X users. We look forward to sharing more about the results soon,” it added. The latest programme is also in addition of X’s premium $8 subscription option. Commenting on a post on X about the new programme, Mr Musk called it “the only way to fight bots without blocking real users.” “Correct, read for free, but $1/year to write. This won’t stop bots completely, but it will be 1000X harder to manipulate the platform,” the multibillionaire said. X’s latest decision is in line with the Tesla titan’s aim to curb bot activity on the platform since before his takeover of then-Twitter in November last year. He has also held from the beginning that charging users would curb bot activity on the social media platform even though it has been found that only a small fraction of users subscribe to its $8 premium service. But the multibillionaire has continued to hold that a subscription fee would make it harder for bots to create accounts since each bot would need a new credit card to register on the platform. “It’s the only way I can think of to combat vast armies of bots,” Mr Musk said last month. “Because a bot costs a fraction of a penny – call it a tenth of a penny – but even if it has to pay a few dollars or something, the effective cost of bots is very high,” he added. Read More EU to investigate X’s handling of disinformation over Hamas attack on Israel EU asks Elon Musk to ‘walk the talk’ on X/Twitter disinformation over Hamas attack How Elon Musk’s Twitter became a haven for fake news and misinformation Viral hate and misinformation amid Israel-Hamas crisis renew fears of real-world violence Instagram Threads adds edit button and voice notes as it attempts to take over from Twitter EU opens investigation into X’s handling of disinformation over Hamas attack on Israel
2023-10-18 13:23
Adin Ross praises xQc's Ender Dragon pendant, defends streamer against critics: 'Hating on it is weird'
Adin Ross expressed admiration for xQc's Ender Dragon pendant and praised its captivating design and colors
2023-10-18 13:20
Europe is looking to fight the flood of Chinese electric vehicles. But Europeans love them
Chinese automakers are winning over drivers as they make major inroads into Europe’s electric vehicle market
2023-10-18 13:17
On this day in 2009: Jenson Button crowned Formula One world champion in Brazil
Jenson Button won the Formula One world title on this day in 2009 after a fifth-place finish at the Brazilian Grand Prix. A combination of brilliant driving and dramatic incidents saw the Brawn GP driver elevated into fifth spot at Interlagos, while rivals Sebastian Vettel and Rubens Barrichello finished fourth and eighth, respectively. That left Button with a 15-point cushion over Vettel, with Barrichello two points further back with just one race remaining. He became the 10th British driver to win the top prize in motor racing, inheriting the crown from compatriot Lewis Hamilton, the 2008 champion. The 29-year-old Button may not have wrapped it up in the way he would have liked, having won six of the first seven races of the season, but his Brawn team also claimed the constructors’ title just over 10 months after they appeared to be on the scrapheap when Honda pulled out of the sport. The tears and the champagne flowed at the end of 71 laps, with Button’s father John admitting he and his son “cried like babies” when theyembraced each other after the race. “You don’t win the world championship and feel relief, you feel ecstatic,” Jenson Button said. “All the memories, good and bad, go through your mind, not just from this year, but previous years in the sport, especially this year. “I had such a great start to the season and then the last few races were pretty stressful for me because the pace was there, but we struggled a few times. “This team has done staggeringly well and what we’ve achieved this season after the winter we’ve had is exceptional, and I don’t think there has been a season like it in Formula One. “It’s great to be sat here as world champion and I personally think I thoroughly deserve it. I’ve been the best over 16 races and that’s what world titles are all about.” Button completed the 2009 season with a third-place finish at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix two weeks later, finishing 11 points clear of Vettel. He moved to McLaren the following season and was runner-up to Vettel in the 2011 title race. He retired from F1 in 2017. Read More FIA to review Qatar GP as ‘dangerous’ temperatures prompt driver complaints Lewis Hamilton and George Russell vent anger on radio after collision in Qatar Lewis Hamilton crashes out after first-corner collision with George Russell In his own words: Christian Horner on world champion Max Verstappen Angry Lance Stroll shoves personal trainer and storms out of interview Max Verstappen fastest in Qatar practice as he closes in on world championship
2023-10-18 13:16
