Author: Press Room

Neighbours described a ‘huge bang’ and said the former Birmingham Council house had been ‘flattened’ and was ‘completely missing’ after the accident that killed retired pub landlady Doreen MaceThe family of a 79-year-old great-grandmother killed in a house blast triggered by a “decades-old” faulty copper gas pipe have praised “brave” rescuers who tried to save her. An inquest jury concluded on Tuesday that the death of retired pub landlady Doreen Mace, originally from Birmingham, was accidental. She died at a house owned by her partner, David Murphy, in Dulwich Road, Kingstanding on June 26 last year, in a blast that…

CNN  —  The West has reached its latest fateful crossroads over Ukraine. Looming decisions on deepening support for Kyiv’s fight against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s onslaught have been rendered even more critical by a winter battlefield that was more dynamic than the expected frozen stalemate. Time is also fast ebbing for the US and its allies to send more powerful weapons and to train Ukrainian soldiers how to use them before the second, possibly decisive year of the war, which could see Russia launch a ferocious new offensive. The aching humanitarian cost of the conflict and the justification for Western…

New York CNN  —  Women living in states that restrict or ban abortion face greater economic insecurity than those living in states where they have access, new research finds. Since the nearly seven months since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, half of all states – 26 in total – have implemented new abortion restrictions or all-out bans. In nearly all 26 states, there are lower minimum wages, unionization levels, access to Medicaid and unemployment benefits, as well as higher rates of incarceration than states with more lenient abortion policies, according to new research by the Economic Policy Institute.…

A woman and a boy were fatally attacked by a polar bear in Alaska on Tuesday, authorities said.The bear went on a rampage in the small community of Wales, and a resident fatally shot the polar bear as it attacked the woman and the boy, the state Public Safety Department said in a dispatch.The identities of the two couldn’t be publicly released because authorities were still notifying their families, the department said. Their ages were also unavailable.The attack was reported about 2:30 p.m.”Initial reports indicate that a polar bear had entered the community and had chased multiple residents,” the dispatch…

JAKARTA: The Indonesian government has urged local health authorities to monitor food establishments and asked parents to be more vigilant after reports that several children were hurt after consuming a type of liquid nitrogen-infused snack. The snack – known locally as chiki ngebul and often referred to as “dragon’s breath” – is a type of colourful candy that is coated in liquid nitrogen mist. It has taken social media by storm recently, with children recording themselves eating the snack. They then breathe the liquid nitrogen mist out of their mouths. There are dozens of videos of people consuming the snack…

World War II restrictions cut deep into every American pantry as federal officials announced that sliced bread would be rationed on this day in history, Jan. 18, 1943. “I should like to let you know how important sliced bread is to the morale and saneness of a household,” distraught mother Sue Forrester of Fairfield, Connecticut, claiming to speak on behalf of America’s housewives, lamented in a New York Times letter to the editor.Wartime rationing had already caused severe restrictions on the nation’s household food supply. ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY, JAN. 17 1706, BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, FOUNDING FATHER, BORN IN BOSTONBasic resources were devoted…

More than 40 people have been killed and hundreds injured in protests that have rocked Peru since December.Peruvian President Dina Boluarte has apologised for dozens of deaths in protests that have broken out across the country in recent weeks, but insisted that she will not step down. Speaking to the nation in a late night address on Friday, Boluarte lamented the violence that has killed more than 40 people since December – mostly protesters during clashes with security forces, but also a police officer burned alive in a vehicle – and injured hundreds more police and demonstrators. “Some voices that…

Technology companies now account for a larger share of Wall Street’s primary gauge of “value” stocks than after any previous rebalancing in the benchmark’s near-30-year existence.The metric is a sign of the humbling of the once high-flying sector, with last year’s sharp sell-off sending a swath of stocks spinning from growth indices into the out-of-favour bargain bucket, but also provoking scrutiny of the indices themselves.“It’s just a confusing rebalance,” said Jeremy Schwartz, global chief investment officer at WisdomTree. “If you thought you were a value investor buying cheap stocks it’s become more than that.”Following an annual end-of-year revamp, Microsoft, Amazon…

Woodside Executive Vice President Mark Abbotsford says that the energy and gas prices have been experiencing an “incredible amount of volatility.”“That to me is the major concern in the marketplace at the moment,” Mr Abbotsford told Sky News Political Editor Andrew Clennell. “We actually do wanna see prices at a more sustainable level.“We want to see ultimately goldy locks zone of gas prices not too high and not too low.“Ultimately delivers a return to gas producers but ultimately provides an environment that gives users to our gas the ability to invest in their business as well.” Source: Sky News

Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov did not participate in warmups before the team’s home game against the Ducks on Tuesday night because he refused to wear a Pride Night jersey and use sticks wrapped in rainbow Pride tape. Provorov, who said he is Russian Orthodox, cited his religious beliefs as why he chose not to partake in the warm-ups. “I respect everybody. I respect everybody’s choices,” Provorov told reporters after the game, declining to get into any further detail. “My choice is to stay true to myself and my religion.” The Flyers released a statement on the matter but did not…