Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of MitoQ, the recent survey of 2,000 Americans over the age of 30 revealed that the average respondent is better at managing stress now than they were a decade ago.
Lumo, FirstGroup’s new fully electric, affordable rail service travelled from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh for the first time today, 21 October as it celebrates its inaugural service. With the first passenger services beginning on Monday, 25th October, Lumo says early ticket sales are above expectations. Lumo offers a single class service which puts everyone in the ‘good seats’ with optimised leg room and larger tray tables. Some 60% of all single fares will be available at a cost of £30 or less. Lumo aims to contribute £250m to the economy in the next 10 years, create over 100 new jobs and generate over 1m extra seats on the network every year. Brit Award-winning singer-songwriter Tom Walker performed to volunteers from Lumo’s charity partner, The People’s Kitchen, during the inaugural journey. Also travelling was disability campaigner and train enthusiast Harvey Price, who was recently appointed Lumo’s Diversity & Inclusion Ambassador.
The bumpy ride isn’t over at Southwest Airlines. The massive flight cancellations that bedeviled the carrier earlier this month are expected to dent its top line, and mounting costs could hurt its bottom line. The airline said Thursday its October revenue could take a $75 million hit from those cancellations that it blamed at that time on air traffic issues and bad weather. Those cancellations were also partly due to staff shortages, which forced it to rein in its capacity plans. The carrier had earlier added flights, betting that an easing of health crisis restrictions would boost demand for air travel Southwest now expects capacity will fall about 6% in the first quarter compared to the same period before the health crisis in 2019. What’s more, costs will likely rise, and that is expected to offset the improvement in travel bookings it has seen since late September. It expects expenses to jump by up to 12% in the current quarter as it boosts staffing, doles out incentive pay for vaccinations, and battles inflation. The news wasn’t all bad. In the latest quarter, the carrier drastically shrank its loss from a year ago… and it was much smaller than Wall Street expected. But that wasn’t enough to please investors. Southwest shares fell in early trading Thursday. They have now shed roughly a fifth of its value over the last six months.
A cold front was forecast for parts of Georgia on Thursday, October 21, bringing a marginal risk for severe thunderstorms, the National Weather Service (NWS) said.This timelapse footage filmed by Robbie Crozier, who said it was taken over the North Georgia Mountains from the community of Big Canoe, shows rain showers moving across the area.A few storms were expected to potentially produce damaging wind gusts, though the overall threat remained low, according to the NWS. Credit: Robbie Crozier via Storyful
Tanaiste Leo Varadkar has called for people to be more cautious amid rising Covid-19 cases in Ireland.
A sunfish weighing more than 2,200 pounds (1,000 kilograms) and measuring 9 feet 5 inches long (2.9 meters) was released back into the ocean after it became trapped in a fishing net off the coast of Ceuta, Spain, on October 4, scientists said.Footage posted by the University of Seville shows the giant fish, which scientists said belongs to the species Mola alexandrini, being hoisted up by two cranes, and a diver swimming alongside it.According to Spanish news outlet El Pais, the fish was so heavy that researchers were unable to measure its actual weight, as their scales only went up to 1,000 kilograms.Diver Sergio Guzman alerted biologists to the finding, El Pais said. The outlet quoted him as saying, “Two years ago we saw one weighing more than 500 kilos, but this one was incredible.” Credit: Estación de Biología Marina del Estrecho (Ceuta) – Universidad de Sevilla via Storyful
"We are implementing a balanced package of political and military measures to respond to this threat (from Russia)", NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said after the meeting. "This includes significant improvements to our air and missile defenses, strengthening our conventional capabilities with fifth generation jets adapting our exercises and intelligence, and improving the readiness and effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent."Officials stress that they do not believe any Russian attack is imminent. Moscow denies any aggressive intentions and says it is NATO that risks destabilizing Europe with such preparations.But diplomats say the "Concept for Deterrence and Defence in the Euro-Atlantic Area" - and its strategic implementation plan - is needed as Russia develops advanced weapon systems and deploys troops and equipment closer to the allies' borders.
Facebook's independent oversight board is not happy with the social media giant, saying it was not "fully forthcoming" about how it makes content decisions, and demanding more transparency.A report issued Thursday said Facebook withheld information from the very oversight body it had created to ensure accountability.The comments follow a Wall Street Journal report last month that said millions of Facebook accounts belonging to celebrities, politicians and other high-profile users were exempted from some internal checks.And it comes in the wake of whistleblower allegations that Facebook has long been aware of harmful content on its platforms, but prioritized profit over users' health and safety.The oversight board on Thursday accused Facebook of failing to be transparent with the company's 'cross-check' system, which the site uses to "review content decisions relating to high-profile users."The board said that when it ruled back in May to uphold the indefinite suspension of former U.S. President Donald Trump after the Jan 6. riot, Facebook did not mention the cross-check program until asked.The board wrote, "this omission is not acceptable." A company spokesperson said the board's work had been "impactful," and has asked to review the cross-check system.Facebook created the board mainly to address criticism over how it handles problematic content.In its first quarterly report, the board said over half a million Facebook and Instagram users submitted appeals between October 2020 and the end of June 2021, of which more than a third were related to content concerning Facebook's rules on hate speech.
On the fence about getting a COVID-19 vaccine boost shot?This might help.Pfizer and its German partner BioNtech said results from a late-stage clinical trial demonstrated a 95.6 percent efficacy rate of guarding against the virus, including the highly-virulent Delta variant.The trial results released Thursday were based on a study of 10,000 participants 16-years old and older.Among those who got the booster shot - only five came down with COVID-19, compared to the placebo group which saw 109 cases of the disease.The vaccine makers said the median time between the second dose and the booster shot or the placebo in the study was around 11 months. The two companies say they will submit data from the trial to the FDA, The European Medicines Agency, and other regulatory agencies as soon as possible.Booster shots from the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and the Moderna vaccine have both been approved in the U.S. and Europe for older populations and for those who are immuno-compromised.The FDA has also given the green light on an extra shot of the one-dose Johnson and Johnson vaccine...and said Americans can choose a different shot from their original inoculation as a booster.
A police van has been seen leaving Westminster Magistrates' Court on Thursday afternoon, where 25-year-old Ali Harbi Ali had appeared, charged with the murder of Conservative MP Sir David Amess. It is not confirmed that Ali was inside the van.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer told the Government to “get a grip” and speed up its booster programme to control the spread of coronavirus.
Facebook is planning to rebrand itself with a new name to focus on the metaverse.South Korean millennials and Gen Z are gathering on virtual alternative worlds. The term "metaverse" is fast becoming a buzzword in tech and business. But do you know what it means?Here’s Reuters technology correspondent Elizabeth Howcroft. ''So the word metaverse is quite a broad term, but generally it refers to online spaces that allow people to interact in a more immersive way than in traditional website. This could be for the use of that's reality, so wearing a VR headset. But people also use the term metaverse to refer to virtual environments where you have an avatar, a literal cartoon person representing yourself, and you can walk around and interact with other people's avatars, like in a video game.''Fans of the metaverse see it as the next stage in the development of the internet.CEO Mark Zuckerbeg said in July that Facebook will transition from being a social media company to a metaverse company in the next five years. They’ve already invested heavily in developing virtual and augmented reality headsets and glasses… and will reportedly create 10,000 jobs in the European Union to bring their metaverse plans to life.Zuckerberg avatar: ''…we shouldn't really have to physically be together to feel present or collaborate or brainstorm.''And Facebook is certainly not alone.Other investors and companies are getting excited about being a part of the next big thing.The term ‘metaverse’ is popular in Silicon Valley,with Microsoft also talking about converging the digital and physical worlds.'‘Because of the global health crisis, over the past 18 months, more people have been working from home and going to school remotely, spending a lot more time online and missing out on human interaction. At the moment, we connect to people who aren't physically near us by going to websites such as social media platforms or using messaging apps and video calls. But now some people think there's more demand for online spaces where people's interactions can be more multi-dimensional and lifelike, allowing people to immerse themselves in digital content rather than simply viewing it. ‘’There is also a specific type of metaverse which uses blockchain technology – the same technology that’s behind bitcoin. One of such blockchain-based virtual world is Decentraland.In there, users can buy digital assets such as clothes, and even land using cryptocurrencies.Fashion companies are noticing the trend – experimenting with making virtual clothing, which people's avatars can wear in metaverse environments. While the metaverse offers a new space for people to socialize, trade, game and even attend music concerts….right now, it’s still no comparison to the real world. ''So you might have seen the science fiction films that are set in thrash metal vessels or alternate digital worlds, they're almost indistinguishable from real physical life. But this is still the stuff of fiction at the moment. Most virtual spaces I've seen look more like the inside of video games than in real life.''
Sir Keir Starmer has said the government needs to "get a grip" and ramp up the Covid booster vaccine programme to deliver half a million jabs per day. The Labour leader said: "The government said the vaccine would be the security wall against the virus and now the government is letting that wall crumble … driving up the booster rates to 500,000 a day is what we should be arguing about, not the argument about Plan A and Plan B.".
The British fashion set gathered in Londonto celebrate one of the country's most renowned designers, Mary Quant,at the premiere of the first official documentary on her life and career.The movie tracks Quant's rise from a fashion-conscious tomboy growing up in the Welsh countryside to the daring avant-garde designer often credited with the invention of the mini skirt.The film uses archive footage, enactments and interviews with model Kate Moss, British Vogue editor Edward Enninful and Quant's designer godson Jasper Conran, among others.Actor, producer and former fashion designer Sadie Frost made her feature film directorial debut.DIRECTOR, SADIE FROST, SAYING:"You know, she just did so much for women and kind of empowerment and, you know, the whole kind of sexual liberation. You know, women couldn't even run before she invented her clothes. And then once, you know, women kind of started wearing mini skirts and all started running around and having a great old time. So, you know, she changed the way women were in society, I feel."With Quant's role in revolutionizing womenswear at its heart, the documentary takes viewers back to the swinging sixties and the thrill of the British Invasion, the cultural movement of the mid-1960s that included The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.Quant, who turns 92 next February and is rarely seen in public, did not participate in the documentary but the film was made with the blessing of her son Orlando Plunket Greene, who is featured.Guests on the red carpet paid tribute to Quant's enduring influence -including fashion designer Zandra Rhodes.FASHION DESIGNER, ZANDRA RHODES, ON MARY QUANT, SAYING:"Well, her legacy is the beginning of swinging London, you know, the real swinging London and how we remember it. And I'm one of the few people that knew her."
This stunt performer is attempting to break a world recordby performing his rola-bola motorbike act in 50 cities around the globeLOCATION: London, England21-year-old Kevin Chaves performs with Circus Berlin(SOUNDBITE) (English) STUNT PERFORMER , KEVIN CHAVES, SAYING:"Well I performed the skateboard stunt which I balance on a cylinder, which is my act, I do it on the circus and it takes a lot of practice, a lot of years but I decided to do it here in London to try and break the record."Chaves performed the first of his 50 stuntsat the Royal Observatory in Greenwich Park, London(SOUNDBITE) (English) STUNT PERFORMER , KEVIN CHAVES, SAYING:"I am really happy, really excited that we are working and that I get to do this record which is very exciting and it is a wonderful opportunity for me, you know, to bring joy to people again and it is really nice to be back."
A tiger cub rescued in early 2021 after she was found in freezing conditions in San Antonio, Texas, celebrated her first birthday at her new home in an animal sanctuary on October 19.Elsa, named after the Frozen movie character, was found in a cage in February. She was moved to a permanent home at the Black Beauty Ranch in Murchison, Texas.This clip, released by the Humane Society of the United States, shows Elsa playing with toys such as a pinata and pumpkins at the sanctuary.The one-year-old cat, already 185 pounds, was moved to a bigger yard and has become more confident, senior director of Black Beauty Noelle Almrud explained.“At first, she was skeptical and kept going back to her attached smaller area for reassurance, but soon she started to explore and climbed to the top of her new platform,” Almrud said. “Her sassy, observant, and intelligent personality is shining through. Her life on a leash as someone’s pet is far behind her now.” Credit: Humane Society of the United States via Storyful
Boris Johnson got green fingered today as he joined a group of schoolchildren in Antrim, Northern Ireland, for a range of environmental activities - including making a 'bug hotel'. Constructing the holiday home for creepy crawlies, the prime minister asked the children "do they get a minibar?".
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said he hopes Sir David Amess’ loved ones “get the justice they deserve as fast as possible” after a 25-year-old man was charged with the MP’s murder.
New evacuation orders were announced for the Spanish island of La Palma, as the Cumbre Vieja volcano destroyed more than 2,000 buildings and continued to spew lava more than one month after its first eruption.The local emergency service, 1-1-2 Canarias, said the advancement of the lava flow led to the evacuations of up to 50 homes on Wednesday, October 20.A total of 2,185 buildings were destroyed by the volcanic activity by October 19, according to the EU’s Copernicus Emergency Management Service.More buildings have been destroyed since that data was recorded, as the lava reached the town of La Laguna and destroyed several homes and businesses by October 21.This video taken October 21 shows the continued volcanic activity. Credit: Involcan via Storyful
The Guardian's environment editor, Damian Carrington, examines exactly how the climate crisis is fuelling devastating floods – and what we can do to help protect ourselves and our planet.
German political parties have been in talks since last month's election to form a ruling coalition and if they succeed by mid-December, the 67-year-old Merkel will not return to Brussels as chancellor after 16 years and over 100 summits.Long-running tensions between Poland's ruling nationalists and the bloc's liberal majority have risen sharply since Poland's Constitutional Tribunal ruled on Oct. 7 that elements of EU law were incompatible with the country's charter. In challenging a central tenet of EU integration the case risks precipitating a new fundamental crisis for the bloc - still grappling with the after-effects of Brexit - as well as Poland losing generous European handouts.
With an increase in vaccination rates, more mobility, and support schemes, Europe's economic recovery is growing stronger despite uncertainty, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).View on euronews