List of All Articles with Tag 'ie'

Eskom Holdings SOC Ltd., the world’s biggest sulfur dioxide emitter, has been given permission to bypass pollution abatement

Saudi Arabian Oil Company (Aramco) and TotalEnergies have signed an $11 billion contract to start building a new

HANOI Vietnamese lawmakers on Saturday approved a government plan to extend a reduction in value added tax (VAT)

A growing number of people -- many in medical or artistic fields -- have found themselves catapulted into the digital limelight after becoming accidental stars in the ASMR community.

Tension between Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia’s Wagner private militia group, and the nation’s defense establishment exploded in

The Bank of England stepped up efforts to beat back the worst inflation since the 1980s by boosting

Reusable water bottles tick many boxes. Not only do they help you stay hydrated and help save money, but they also help cut down on single-use plastic. They've almost become a fashion accessory, with chic stainless steel flasks and viral bottles going viral across TikTok. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Trying to hit the NHS-recommended eight glasses of water a day for adults is an excellent idea, of course, but did you know there’s one way your refillable bottle could potentially be detrimental to your health? According to a study from waterfilterguru.com, reusable water bottles contain an average of 20.8m colony-forming units (CFUs) of bacteria, which equates to 40,000 times more than the microbes on a toilet seat. So what might be the consequences if you continuously sip and refill without washing your bottle properly between uses? We asked health experts to talk through the risks… Bottling up bacteria “A common misconception when it comes to reusable water bottle hygiene is that as you’re typically filling it with pure water and it’s only coming into contact with your own mouth, there’s little need to clean it often,” says Dr Donald Grant, senior clinician at The Independent Pharmacy. However, every time you drink from the bottle, you’re transferring bacteria from your mouth, which can then multiply in the container. “Anything that is reusable can be prone to accumulating dirt, dust or debris and, as a result, bacteria,” says private GP Dr Suhail Hussain. “This is exacerbated by the fact water bottles are the ideal environment for harbouring bacteria due to being moist.” Hard-to-reach crevices – for example, inside a screw top or under a flip-up straw – could also develop mould, and then there’s contamination from other sources. “When you store it in a gym bag, for instance, it can pick up bacteria from the interior of the bag or anything else stored in it, while you can also transfer bacteria from your hands to your bottle,” says Grant. “If your bottle has a valve cap, you may need to lift or twist it with your fingers, and this can transfer bacteria you may have picked up from touching other objects or surfaces.” What types of microbes are found in water bottles? “These might be simple commensals such as streptococcus and staphylococcus, which normally live in symbiosis with their host (i.e. us) but can become problematic if they accumulate or the individual is under the weather,” Hussain says. “Bacteria such as E. coli – a common cause of urine and bowel infections – can often colonise the water bottle following repeated handling, such as taking the cap on and off.” These bacteria can potentially cause a variety of issues. “You may become sick and develop gastric illness, such as diarrhoea or vomiting,” Hussain continues. “Gram negative rods – another common bacterium found in unwashed bottles – can lead to urogenital tract infections and pneumonia.” Grant warns: “If there’s a build-up of mould inside the bottle, this can cause allergy symptoms, such as a runny nose, sneezing, or red and itchy eyes. Symptoms might be more severe for someone with asthma.” How often should you wash your reusable water bottle? “To minimise your risk of getting sick, you should ideally clean your water bottle after each use,” Grant says. “As a minimum, you should aim to wash it thoroughly at least a few times a week.” Hot water and washing up liquid are all you need to banish bacteria on a daily. “Fill the bottle with hot soapy mixture and swill around, or leave to soak in a detergent mixture,” Hussain advises. “Remember to pay special attention to lids/caps and screw top regions – use a clean brush [to scrub them].” If you’ve neglected your bottle for a few days and it needs a deeper clean, Grant suggests: “Soak your bottle overnight in a solution of half vinegar and half water. Rinse the bottle and let it dry fully before using it again.” Storage is also important to help minimise nasty microbes. “Where possible, you should keep your water bottle out of germ-rich environments such as your gym locker or sports bag,” Grant says. “You should also avoid filling your bottle with anything other than water, such as protein shakes, energy drinks, or sugar-rich liquids, as sugar can stimulate the growth of bacteria.” Hussain adds: “Don’t leave a water bottle in the sun for long periods or sitting in the cup holder in the car – the mixture of warmth and moisture is likely to make bacterial overgrowth worse.” Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Fans finally got to watch Artic Monkeys' hotly anticipated Glastonbury set after they returned to the biggest weekend in music for the third time. The iconic British band took to the Pyramid stage on Friday night (23 June), playing a wide range of songs from their extensive catalogue, including old classics like 'Mardy Bum' to tracks off of their latest album, The Car. The band came on stage just after 10pm following Royal Blood as well as the mystery band 'The Churnups', who turned out to be The Foo Fighters. However, some were left disappointed by the band's performance. One Twitter user posted a video of the band's set where a man in the crowd is seen yawning with the caption "sums it up". Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Some said the band 'butchered' the show, whilst others nostalgically longed for the time the band was "good". "I'm sorry but I refuse to believe anyone enjoys watching Arctic Monkeys live," wrote one user. "They sound so off beat, slow and lazy." Others called frontman Alex Turner "pretentious": However, many still enjoyed the set and criticised those who were complaining: There were worries that the headliners would pull out before the show, after cancelling a concert in Dublin a few days before the festival. The band were "extremely sorry" for having to cancel their show at Marlay Park, Dublin, after they revealed lead singer Alex Turner was "suffering from acute laryngitis" and "has been ordered to rest." Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Arsenal are ready to make another push for Ajax defender Jurrien Timber after their opening €35m offer was rejected. The Gunners are confident of agreeing a deal worth less than €50m.

The mercenary boss has openly challenged the military leadership in a defining moment for Russians.

Two of the richest men are going head to head in a cage fight, but who would win if Elon Musk went toe to toe with Mark Zuckerberg? In case you missed it, the tech billionaires appear to have verbally agreed to a fight after Musk said that he was “up for a cage match” after rumours emerged that the Meta boss was working on a Twitter rival. Zuckerberg responded with a screenshot of Musk’s tweet with the caption “send me location”. A spokesperson for Meta confirmed to The Verge that Mr Zuckerberg’s response was not a joke, saying “the story speaks for itself”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Then, Musk replied to news of the fight on Twitter and appeared to set the location as “Vegas Octagon” – UFC Apex centre in Nevada. So, who would win? We’re going to stick our necks out here – we’re absolutely convinced Zuckerberg could win this one pretty comfortably. First of all, it looks like he’s been spending more time on MMA than developing the metaverse at this point. He previously posted about his martial arts training on Facebook. Back in May, he competed in his first jiu-jitsu tournament, having trained with UFC prospects in the build-up. “Competed in my first jiu jitsu tournament and won some medals for the Guerrilla Jiu Jitsu team,” the 38-year-old wrote on Instagram, alongside some photos of him taking part. He genuinely seems pretty good at it too, despite some confusion over the result of one referee ruling. The 38-year-old actually won gold and silver medals at his first public competition. Referee Lucas Costa, who is a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu expert, previously spoke to bloodyelbow.com about his prowess as a fighter. Speaking about the experience of meeting him, Costa said: “Mark’s fight was a surprise… I was impressed though. “He seemed like a normal guy. Looked me in the eye, gave me a firm handshake and an even bigger surprise was that he fights well.” So, we know that Zuckerberg spends a lot of time on this, he has respect for the form and has a bit of technique to back it up. On the other hand, Musk has admitted that he does not exercise. He wrote on Twitter recently: “I almost never work out, except for picking up my kids and throwing them in the air.” So, even if they had a few months to train, Zuckerberg has the edge on him there. There is however the issue of size. Musk is comfortably six foot and weighs around two and half stone more than Zuckerberg – and this is something Musk has already talked about potentially exploiting with a specialist move. “I have a move called ‘The Walrus’, which I used on a friend of mine who’s very agile,” he told the Full Send podcast, going into his hypothetical fight plans. “But I was like, let me explain to you why there are weight classes in MMA. I’m going to use a move called ‘The Walrus’, where I just lie on you and you can’t get away. Zuckerberg is also 12 years Musk's junior, but there is a potential flaw in his fighting style which Musk could look to exploit: if Musk does end up training and has been offered to be coached by former kickboxer Andrew Tate, he could look to exploit Zuckerberg’s overly attacking style Discussing the Meta CEO’s fighting style, referee Lucas Costa also added: “He goes forward a lot. He attacks more. With very little defence.” Perhaps this would give Musk a game plan – but, honestly, there’s something about Zuckerberg’s cold, vacant stare that would put us off ever wanting to fight him in a ring. He’s got this fight behind the eyes, for sure – if the fight ever ends up happening, our money’s on him. Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

South Korean airlines are temporarily suspending some flights to China as demand withers amid strained relations between the