thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--‘Mad’ Mike Hughes Dies In Rocket Crash On Mission To Prove The Earth Is Flat

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A self-styled daredevil who wanted to fly to the edge of outer space to see if the Earth is flat has died after his homemade rocket crashed.
‘Mad’ Mike Hughes was killed on Saturday after blasting off into the desert sky before plunging back down to the ground near Barstow in California.
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The American believed the world is flat, and has said his goal was to fly to the edge of outer space and see for himself.
The Science Channel said on Twitter it had been chronicling Hughes’s journey and that “thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time”.
“It was always his dream to do this launch,” the Twitter message said.
A video on TMZ.com shows the rocket taking off, with what appears to be a parachute tearing off during the launch.
The steam-powered rocket streaks upwards, then takes around 10 seconds to fall straight back to earth. Shrieks can be heard as the rocket ploughs into the desert.
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Michael 'Mad Mike' Hughes tragically passed away today during an attempt to launch his homemade rocket. Our thoughts & prayers go out to his family & friends during this difficult time. It was always his dream to do this launch & Science Channel was there to chronicle his journey pic.twitter.com/GxwjpVf2md — Science Channel (@ScienceChannel) February 23, 2020
Freelance journalist Justin Chapman, who was at the scene, said the rocket appeared to rub against the launch apparatus, which might have caused the mishap with the parachute.
In March 2018, Hughes propelled himself about 1,875 feet (570 metres) into the air. He deployed one parachute and then a second one but still had a hard landing in the Mojave Desert in California, and injured his back.
“This thing wants to kill you 10 different ways,” Hughes said after that launch.
“This thing will kill you in a heartbeat.”
Hughes said in a video that his goal was to eventually fly to the edge of outer space to determine for himself whether the world was round.
“I don’t want to take anyone else’s word for it,” he said in the video, posted on the BBC News website.
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“I don’t know if the world is flat or round.”
In another video posted on his YouTube site, Hughes said he also wanted “to convince people they can do things that are extraordinary with their lives”.
“My story really is incredible,” Hughes once told The Associated Press.
“It’s got a bunch of story lines — the garage-built thing. I’m an older guy. It’s out in the middle of nowhere, plus the Flat Earth. The problem is it brings out all the nuts also.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--What Bernie Sanders' Win In Nevada Means For The Democratic Presidential Race

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After a big win in Nevada, Bernie Sanders is unquestionably the frontrunner in the race to be the Democratic nominee to take on Donald Trump in November’s presidential election.
Sanders, 78, pulled further away from his rivals after his strong early showings, securing broad-based support across age, race and ideology.
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Nevada, with its large Latino community, was seen as a significant test for the senator from Vermont since it is more reflective of the wider US population than in the pervious two contests in Iowa and New Hampshire.
The state-by-state election now moves to 15 nominating contests in the next 10 days, with 14 states voting on Super Tuesday on March 3.
The question now is: can anyone stop Sanders?
What happened in Nevada?
With 50% of the results in as of Sunday morning, Sanders had captured a commanding 47% of the delegates in Nevada - more than twice as many as his nearest rival and a bigger margin than most expected.
Former US vice president Joe Biden appeared headed to a badly needed second-place finish, and Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend in Indiana, was in third. Massachusetts senator Elizabeth Warren landed in fourth, while Minnesota senator Amy Klobuchar and Tom Steyer were still in a close race for fifth.
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Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders with his wife Jane. ASSOCIATED PRESS
Nevada’s population, which aligns more with the US as a whole than the opening elections in Iowa and New Hampshire, is 29% Latino, 10% Black and 9% Asian American and Pacific Islander.
Triumph in the first racially diverse state in the campaign suggested Sanders was reaching a broader coalition of Democratic voters with his unapologetic message of social and economic justice, including his signature pledge to provide universal healthcare for all Americans.
His campaign argues the candidate will bring in new voters — largely progressives and young people — who have been alienated by politics.
“Together we will defeat the most dangerous president in the modern history of this country,” Sanders told a cheering throng of supporters in Houston.
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“We have won the popular vote in Iowa. We won the New Hampshire primary. We won the Nevada caucus. And don’t tell anybody ... we’re going to win here in Texas.”
Where next?
The Democratic candidates face-off again in next Saturday’s primary in South Carolina, which will be another test of the coalition.
Three days after that contest, 14 states vote on Super Tuesday, when one-third of the delegates the candidates are competing for are awarded.
A strong showing in those states could put Sanders on a smooth path to the nomination against Trump.
What are his rivals doing?
His opponents are already scrambling to blunt the senator’s momentum, and both Buttigieg and Biden have gone after him harder than they have before.
In his speech to supporters in Las Vegas, Buttigieg claimed Sanders was calling for an “inflexible, ideological revolution that leaves out most Democrats”.
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Biden was in South Carolina on Sunday, where he hopes his record on civil rights and as Barack Obama’s vice president will appeal to the state’s many Black voters.
Not long ago, the former VP was the favourite in Nevada. But after disappointing finishes in Iowa and New Hampshire, Biden’s showing in Nevada was strong enough for him to declare his campaign revived.
In an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation, Biden said he was confident he could win in South Carolina with support from African-Americans.
The centrist candidates could now turn on each other for the chance to emerge as the preferred alternative to Sanders.
What are the fears?
Establishment Democrats are worried that the nomination of a self-avowed democratic socialist could cost the party the White House.
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They argue Sanders’ liberal policies will drive away moderate and independent voters in the general election in November.
Jim Clyburn, a senior Black leader in Congress, warned of added risk for Democrats if Sanders was the nominee.
“I think it would be a real burden for us in these states or congressional districts that we have to do well in,” Clyburn told This Week on ABC.
He said that congressional districts that helped Democrats win back the House were moderate and conservative.
“In those districts, it’s going to be tough to hold on to these jobs if you have to make the case for accepting a self-proclaimed democratic socialist,” Clyburn added.
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Supporters of Sanders say his pro-worker agenda can attract blue collar voters the Democrats lost to Trump, and point to him being the most popular politician in the US.
What about Bloomberg?
The former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg did not take part in Nevada, and his performance in last week’s Las Vegas debate may have damaged his candidacy.
But his massive personal fortune means he’s the political equivalent of the Death Star, with the spending available to him unprecedented
The billionaire has spent more than $400 million of his own money on his campaign, and he still has his cheque book open. He is locked in on making an impact on Super Tuesday, the first set of primaries in which he has chosen to compete.
The best news for Bloomberg may have been Sanders’ dominating finish in Nevada, which likely will give fresh urgency to efforts among Democratic moderates to stop the senator.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--Police Search River Clyde As Belongings Of Missing Glasgow Woman Found

Police are searching the River Clyde after the belongings of a missing woman were found near a bridge in Glasgow.
Emily Hope, 22, was reported missing after leaving the Mango nightclub on Sauchiehall Street in the early hours of Saturday morning and has not been in contact with her family or friends.
Following an extensive search of CCTV, Police Scotland tracked Emily to the Tradeston bridge near the city centre, where some of her belongings were found.
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Specialist officers, along with the marine unit, have been called in to help with the search.
Emily Hope was last seen wearing a black and white top, grey trousers and red shoes. Police Scotland
Police Scotland have asked anyone who may have seen the 22-year-old, who lived in Jordanhill, to come forward.
She has been described as around 5ft 3in and of slim build, with shoulder-length brown hair and glasses.
Emily was last seen wearing a black and white top, grey trousers and red shoes.
Inspector Gavin Smith said: “A review of CCTV footage has revealed that Emily was last seen near the Tradeston bridge and personal items belonging to Emily have been found next to the River Clyde in the Tradeston area.
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“Officers, assisted by specialist search teams including the marine unit, will continue to search that area for Emily.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--US Cable News Host Compares Bernie Sanders Winning To The Nazis Taking France

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Bernie Sanders has won Nevada’s presidential primary election and pulled further away from his moderate rivals in the race to be the Democrat presidential candidate.
After strong showings in Iowa and New Hampshire. the 78-year-old self-described ‘democratic socialist’ cemented his position as the frontrunner with support from the state’s large Latino community.
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But his ascendency is sitting uncomfortably with some in the media, with US cable news pundits and hosts making as series of controversial comments about the senator from Vermont.
On Saturday, as results rolled in showing that Sanders was winning the Nevada caucuses, there were horrified reactions and doomsday warnings about Sanders getting the nomination.
The most jaw-dropping came from MSNBC host Chris Matthews, who said he was reading about the fall of France to the Nazis in 1940, and it reminded him of what was going on with Sanders appearing more likely to win the nomination.
MSNBC’s Chris Matthews likens Sanders victory in Nevada to Nazi Germany overrunning France in 1940: “It’s too late to stop him … it’s over” pic.twitter.com/6GJetLoDkq — Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) February 22, 2020
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He mentioned he had been reading about the fall of France in 1940 and about a call to British prime minister Winston Churchill relaying that “It’s over” for France.
“And Churchill says, ‘How can it be? You got the greatest army in Europe. How could it be over?’ He said, ‘It’s over.’ So I had that suppressed feeling,” Matthews said.
Sanders’ spokesman Mike Casca tweeted after the segment that he “never thought part of my job would be pleading with a national news network to stop likening the campaign of a jewish presidential candidate whose family was wiped out by the nazis to the third reich. but here we are.”
After Sanders’ strong showing in the Iowa caucuses, Matthews also expressed his scepticism of socialists, wondering whether Sanders would like to see people executed in Central Park.
Matthews faced swift backlash for his remarks on Saturday, with some viewers calling for his resignation or urging MSNBC to fire him.
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“Chris Matthews has been generous to me a number of occasions, even blurbing my book,” filmmaker Arun Chaudhary tweeted. “However, his constant references to political violence and today Nazism to describe Bernie Sanders campaign is beyond the pale.”
Chris Mathews has been generous to me on a number of occasions, even blurbing my book. However, his constant references to political violence and today Nazism to describe Bernie Sanders campaign is beyond the pale. @HardballChris must resign or be fired from @MSNBC. — Arun Chaudhary (@ArunChaud) February 22, 2020
MSNBC did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment.
In a similar vein, during the New Hampshire primary, which Sanders also won, MSNBC host Chuck Todd read an article asking whether Sanders supporters were akin to Nazis.
On Saturday, MSNBC had a 10-minute interview with Democratic strategist James Carville, who was most known for his work with Bill Clinton in the 1990s. He was most recently a supporter of senator Michael Bennet, who dropped out of the presidential race this month after failing to gain any significant momentum.
Carville spent a good chunk of his interview attacking Sanders ― and then, at the end of the interview, said the candidates should stop “attacking each other” and talk more about how to push the country forward.
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He implied that voters are picking Sanders because they are ignorant, and exhorted the media to better inform the public of the “risks” of making Sanders the nominee.
“I don’t know if us in the media are sufficiently telling people what are the risks that you’re running by doing this,” Carville said, referring to doubts that Sanders could beat president Donald Trump in November. “I think voters need to really be appraised of what’s going on here.”
“The entire theory that by expanding the electorate and increasing turnout you can win an election is the equivalent of climate denial. When people say that, they’re as stupid to political scientists as a climate denier is to an atmospheric scientist ... Politically, you’re a fool. That’s a fact,” he added.
James Carville and Nicole Wallace pushing Russia attacks on Sanders on MSNBC, claiming that Putin is the “happiest person in the world now,” trying to help get Sanders the nomination because electability and tying it to Tad Devine & 2016, “this thing just didn’t start right now.” pic.twitter.com/fVd89GyeDl — wideofthepost (@wideofthepost) February 22, 2020
“The Sanders campaign and the Trump campaign ― they’ve taken these things to the dark arts of bullying the press, abusing the press,” said host Nicole Wallace, who served in president George W Bush’s administration.
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MSNBC contributor Jason Johnson also came under fire for appearing on a SiriusXM radio show and commenting on whether Sanders has support from people of colour.
He said that “racist white liberals seem to love them some Bernie Sanders” and then dismissively referred to Sanders’ African-American female staffers: “I don’t care how many people from the island of misfit Black girls that you throw out there to defend you on a regular basis.”
“That’s where you have crossed the line, sir,” host Karen Hunter said, to which Johnson replied, “I don’t care.”
Johnson apologised on Saturday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--Four New UK Coronavirus Cases Confirmed Among Diamond Princess Evacuees

In the UK, the Department of Health said a “full infectious disease risk assessment” was done before Saturday’s repatriation flight and that no-one who boarded the flight had displayed any symptoms of the virus.
Two of the patients are in the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, one is in the Royal Liverpool University Hospital and a fourth was transferred to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle tonight, NHS England said.
Professor Keith Willett, NHS strategic incident director for coronavirus said the centres are “well prepared” to deal with the cases and appealed to local communities to continue to have a “calm response” to confirmed and potential diagnoses.
It is understood some British nationals who are part of the Diamond Princess crew opted to remain on the ship.
Almost one-fifth of the 3,711 passengers originally on board the cruise liner have been infected.
Japan’s health ministry announced on Sunday that one of the passengers taken to hospital after testing positive for the virus has died.
The death of the Japanese man aged in his eighties brings the number of fatalities from the Diamond Princess to three.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--House Of Lords Says It's 'Busy And Effective' After Expenses Rise By Almost A Third

The House of Lords has defended itself as “busy and effective” – after it emerged that peers paid themselves almost a third more in the last year.
Peers’ expenses and daily attendance allowance rose by 29% in the year to last March to £23 million, the Sunday Times reported.
A total of more than £1m was claimed by more than 110 peers despite them not making any spoken or written contribution to the House during that period.
The average tax-free payment was £30,827 – higher than the median salary of a UK worker, it added.
The newspaper also reported that 31 lords claimed more in expenses than the standard take-home pay of an MP.
But in a move to defend the cost increase, a spokesperson for the House of Lords said that the expense was likely down to the fact that members had more sitting days.
“The increase in the costs of House of Lords allowances in the 2018/19 financial year is largely due to a 25% increase in the number of days that the House sat, rising from 129 in 2017/18 to 161 in 2018/19.
“As members of the Lords can generally only claim allowances for days they attend the House any increase in sitting days is likely to produce an increase in the cost of member’s allowances.”
It said the House sat for fewer days in 2017/18 because of the general election.
The spokesman described the House as a “busy and effective revising chamber which does an important job scrutinising legislation and holding the Government to account”.
He added: “In the period covered by the Sunday Times article it (the House) made 2,513 changes to legislation; members tabled 8,072 written questions and 153 reports were produced by committees.”
SNP MP Tommy Sheppard branded the House of Lords “a national embarrassment” and called for it to be abolished.
He said: “The House of Lords has absolutely no place in a modern democracy – allowing the Westminster parties to reward selfish donors, cronies and politicians rejected by the voters completely erodes trust in our politics.
“Allowing peers to profit from their status, without any accountability to the taxpayers who pay for them to live the high-life, is completely undemocratic.”
Willie Sullivan, a senior director at the Electoral Reform Society, branded the Lords “a rolling expenses scandal”.
He told the newspaper: “Unelected lords are taking advantage of the lack of scrutiny in the upper chamber.
“The Lords is a rolling expenses scandal – and we’ll see this year after year unless there is reform.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--Richard Burgon Suggests Tony Blair Would Face Calls To Be Suspended From Labour

Former prime minister Tony Blair during a speech to mark the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Labour party, in the Great Hall at King's College, London. PA
Tony Blair would be facing demands that he be suspended from the Labour Party if he was an ordinary grassroots member, Richard Burgon has said.
Burgon, who is running to be Labour’s deputy leader and is on the left of the party, said on Sunday that the former prime minister needed to “pipe down”.
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Blair last week warned it would be ”the end” for Labour if its membership did not be come more reflective of the public as a whole.
He warned the left wing membership that grew under Jeremy Corbyn was pushing the party to commit to “unrealistic” policy positions.
Richard Burgon during the Labour leadership hustings at the SEC centre, Glasgow. PA
But speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Burgon said Blair appeared to “get away with a lot” of criticisms that others would not.
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“I mean, you look at the way he behaves. If he was a Labour Party member I think they’ll be people calling for him to be suspended for being in the party into disrepute,” he said.
“I remember back in 2016 there were thousands of members being suspended.
“Remember, one member got suspended for saying that he liked or hated the band, the Foo Fighters, but use an expletive. That person was suspended.
“People were suspended for liking a tweet by Caroline Lucas, the Green MP. Then you’ve got a bloke who took us into an illegal war.”
Burgon, who is seen to be running behind Angela Rayner in the deputy race, said Blair should “reflect upon how he lost us five million votes” and “show a little humility”.
Diane Abbott, the shadow home secretary, also told Sky News this morning that the problems that led to Labour’s election defeat in 2019 “pre-date” Corbyn’s leadership.
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She said the “erosion” of support for the party “was going on under New Labour”.
Labour leadership frontrunner Sir Keir Starmer today called on members to unite or face having the party out of power for a generation as they prepare to vote for Corbyn’s successor.
The shadow Brexit secretary put “uniting the party” as his first priority and his second to be an effective opposition to “really dangerous man” Boris Johnson.
Starmer’s warning in an interview with the Observer came ahead of the opening of the ballot of members and supporters on Monday.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-23--Coronavirus Latest: Here’s What We Know About The Spread Of The Outbreak

Two months after the new virus – named Covid-19 – was first identified in Wuhan it is still relatively poorly understood, with scientists working to identify a definitive source.
Health authorities in the UK and worldwide have been working on the premise that the virus has an incubation period of 14 days, however this was thrown into doubt on Saturday when local government in China’s Hubei province reported the case of a man who had not shown symptoms until 27 days after he had been infected.
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Here’s the latest on coronavirus:
What’s the situation in the UK?
Diamond Princess passengers arrive in the UK. Danny Lawson - PA Images via Getty Images
Four cruise ship passengers flown to England this weekend have tested positive for coronavirus, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the UK to 13.
The four – confirmed to be British nationals – have been transferred to specialist NHS infection centres.
They are the first diagnoses of the Covid-19 strain in people brought back to the UK on repatriation flights.
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They had been among a group of 30 Britons and two Irish citizens who arrived at a quarantine block at Arrowe Park Hospital in Merseyside on Saturday.
England’s chief medical officer said the virus was passed on in the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which had been held for more than two weeks off the coast of Japan.
It comes as dozens of evacuees from a coronavirus-hit cruise ship spent their first night quarantined at Arrowe Park hospital on the Wirral.
It is understood some British nationals who are part of the Diamond Princess crew opted to remain. Since being kept on board the cruise liner in the port of Yokohama, more than 600 passengers and crew have been infected.
British couple David and Sally Abel, from Northamptonshire, who were were on the cruise for their 50th wedding anniversary, have both been diagnosed with pneumonia and relatives complained they had been moved to a “prison-like” hospital in Japan.
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It comes as more than a hundred people who had been flown out of Wuhan were released from quarantine in a Milton Keynes conference centre after being held for 14 days.
One man said it was a “fantastic” feeling to be released from Kents Hill Park training and conference centre.
Some 118 people were being released, with guests holding backpacks and suitcases pictured getting taxis.
The group, who were brought back to Britain earlier this month on a repatriation flight from Wuhan, included around 10 children and a family of four.
In a bid to help stop the spread of the virus in the UK, the health service is piloting home testing where NHS staff, including nurses and paramedics, will visit people in their own homes.
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Slight fall in new Chinese coronavirus deaths
Members of a medical team attend a ceremony before leaving for Hubei Province at the Guiyang Longdongbao International Airport. Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images
The death toll in mainland China has risen by 97 to 2,442, Chinese health authorities have said – marking a slight fall in the number of new deaths in the 24 hours to Sunday morning, compared to the previous day. Officials also announced 648 new infections, representing a spike compared to the downward trend of recent days. The total number of cases in China is 76,510, most of which are in Hubei, the province where Covid-19 originated. Prior to the spike in daily infections, China’s leadership sounded a cautious note about the country’s progress in halting the spread of the virus, after several days of upbeat messages. The Politburo, made up of the senior officials of the ruling Communist Party, said the situation in Hubei and its capital Wuhan remains grave. “We should clearly see that the turning point of the development of the epidemic across the country hasn’t arrived yet,” the Politburo said at a meeting led by President Xi Jinping and reported by state broadcaster CCTV.
Two deaths in Italy
Residents wearing respiratory mask wait to be given access to shop in a supermarket in small groups of forty people in the small Italian town of Casalpusterlengo. MIGUEL MEDINA via Getty Images
It was announced on Saturday that two elderly people had died from the virus in Italy, and on Sunday the total number of cases in the country surpassed 100.
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Italy’s government have passed a series of emergency measures in a bid to limit the spread of the outbreak in what is now Europe’s worst-affected country.
The governor of Italy’s northern Lombardy region Attilio Fontana said certified cases of the illness in his area had risen to 89 from 54 a day earlier, bringing the total number in the country to more than 100.
In an emergency decree approved late on Saturday, the government adopted special powers to be able to stop people leaving or entering the worst impacted zones.
A spokesman for the governor of the northern region Veneto said on Sunday the number of cases there had risen to 19, seven more than on Saturday.
Lombardy is home to Italy’s financial capital Milan which has a population of 1.4m. The city’s mayor Giuseppe Sala has announced that all Milan schools will be closed from Monday, while universities in both Lombardy and Veneto have also been shuttered until early March.
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Sporting events have also been cancelled in the affected regions, including three Serie A football matches.
Fashion designer Giorgio Armani has said his fashion show scheduled to take place in Milan on Sunday would go ahead in an empty theatre without any press or buyers present.
Late on Sunday, Austria halted all train traffic to and from Italy after suspicions that a train at its southern border with the country had two passengers possibly infected with coronavirus on board.
Austria’s interior ministry said it had been informed by Italy’s railway company that two people had a fever and stopped the train at the Brenner crossing before it could enter Austria.
The train was coming from Venice en route to Munich in southern Germany. Italian state railways said it did not immediately have additional details.
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Austria, which shares its southern border with Italy, has expressed concern about the recent outbreak of the virus in the north of the country.
‘Unprecedented’ steps taken in South Korea
A man wearing a face mask walks in front of the Daegu branch of the Shincheonji Church of Jesus in the southeastern city of Daegu. JUNG YEON-JE via Getty Images
South Korea has been put on its highest possible alert for infectious diseases, and officials have been told to take “unprecedented, powerful” steps to fight the viral outbreak.
President Moon Jae-in said the Covid-19 outbreak has reached a “crucial watershed” and that the “next few days will be a very important critical moment”. The number of cases rose by 123 to 556 on Sunday, with five deaths officially recorded. The Korea Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has said that 113 of the 123 new cases came from the country’s fourth-largest city of Daegu and surrounding areas. Centres chief Jeong Eun-kyeong told reporters that 309 of the country’s 556 patients have been confirmed to have links to a branch of the local Shincheonji church in Daegu, which has become the biggest cluster of viral infections. She said 534 of the 556 patients have been placed under isolation and that tests were under way on 6,039 other people. Daegu’s first case on February 18 was a church member with no recent record of overseas travel. Officials said she attended church services and visited other places before being diagnosed with the disease, but they still believe it unlikely that the woman set off the chain of infections. Daegu mayor Kwon Yong-jin said there are concerns that the number of those infected in the city could see yet another massive increase because authorities were launching intensive examinations of church members with virus-related symptoms. Central Daegu has been left mostly deserted with shelves at some supermarkets and stores empty.
What’s the latest from the World Health Organisation (WHO)?
The WHO on Saturday stressed that the number of cases outside of China was still relatively few, but it was worried by the detection of infections without a clear link to China.
More than 30 countries have now officially reported cases of the virus, Al Jazeera reports, with the overwhelming majority recorded in China.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Bette Midler Has Divine Comeback To Trump's 'Parasite' Comments

“We’ve got enough problems with South Korea with trade. On top of it, they give them the best movie of the year? Was it good? I don’t know.”
Midler sensed a good set up for a joke and fired back on Twitter:


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--'Pre-Diabetes' Cases Reach Record High – Why Is It Such A Problem?

bortonia via Getty Images
A record number of people are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the NHS has said.
Around two million people have the “pre-diabetes” condition known as non-diabetic hyperglycaemia – and the scale of the problem is likely to become worse.
So why is non-diabetic hyperglycaemia an issue, what’s causing it and can it be prevented?
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What is it?
If you have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia, you have raised blood glucose levels – but not in the diabetic range. Think of it as your body offering up a warning sign.
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People with non-diabetic hyperglycaemia are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, as well as other cardiovascular conditions.
The growing number of people with diabetes could result in nearly 39,000 extra people suffering a heart attack in 2035, predictions show, and more than 50,000 experiencing a stroke.
Why care about pre-diabetes?
Just like type 2 diabetes, pre-diabetes is largely preventable – or at the very least, you can slow it down. NHS chief executive Simon Stevens said people simply need to take “small, common-sense steps” to control their health.
“Unless many more of us make a change,” he continued, “obesity-related illnesses will end up costing hundreds of thousands more lives and billions of pounds in higher treatment costs.”
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People can find out if they have non-diabetic hyperglycaemia through blood tests that determine the levels of glucose in their blood. There aren’t any symptoms, so you won’t know you have it unless you get a blood test.
How can it be prevented?
A key way to reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes, and pre-diabetes, is to manage your weight. If you’re overweight, losing just 5% of your body weight can significantly reduce your risk.
Eating a healthy, balanced diet can also help – a Mediterranean diet is a good place to start. Or, try a veggie or vegan diet.
Diabetes UK suggests aiming to eat foods with less saturated fat, salt and sugar, as well as at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. Meanwhile, have fewer red and processed meats, refined carbs (white bread, pizza dough, pasta, pastries, white flour, white rice), sugary drinks and fries.
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You should focus on becoming more active – find something you enjoy though, otherwise the chances of you sticking to it will be slim. A sedentary lifestyle is linked with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
The chief medical officer’s physical activity guidelines suggest that every week, adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity (brisk walking or cycling) or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity (running).


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--'Best Day Of His Life:' Bullying Victim Quaden Bayles Leads Out All-Star Rugby Team

Comedian Brad Williams, who was also born with achondroplasia, launched a GoFundMe Page to raise money for Quaden and his mom to visit Disneyland in Los Angeles. The page quickly surpassed its $10,000 goal and as of Sunday, has raised more than $700,000. Williams said all additional money raised would go towards anti-bullying charities.
After being targeted by trolls over the weekend, Bayles removed the original Facebook video and privatised her and Quaden’s Instagram profiles.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Pete Buttigieg Helps 9-Year-Old Come Out To The World In Emotional Exchange

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Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg shared a heartfelt moment on Saturday when a young boy asked the former South Bend, Indiana, mayor to help him come out to the world.
“Thank you for being so brave,” 9-year-old Zachary Ro wrote in a question read during the openly gay candidate’s rally in Denver. “Would you help me tell the world I’m gay, too? I want to be brave like you.”
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Zachary, who reportedly attended the rally with his parents, then joined Buttigieg onstage and gave him a bracelet as the crowd responded with loud applause.
“I don’t think you need a lot of advice from me on bravery. You seem pretty strong,” Buttigieg told the child. “It took me a long time to figure out how to tell even my best friend that I was gay, let alone to go out there and tell the world. And to see you willing to come to terms with who you are in a room full of 1,000 people, thousands of people you’ve never met, that’s really something.”
Powerful moment (better audio): 9 year old Zachary Ro of Lone Tree asks @PeteButtigieg how he can be brave and tell people he is gay too pic.twitter.com/1aUbYM8cDM — Joe St. George (@JoeStGeorge) February 23, 2020
The former mayor then told Zachary that he does have some tips for him “that might be useful.”
“The first thing is that it won’t always be easy, but that’s OK because you know who you are. And that’s really important, because when you know who you are, you have a center of gravity that can hold you together when all kinds of chaos is happening around you,” Buttigieg said.
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“The second thing I want you to know is that you’ll never know who’s taking their lead from you, who’s watching you and deciding that they can be a little braver because you have been brave,” he continued.
Buttigieg came out in his 30s after he returned from deployment in Afghanistan and had already been elected mayor. The Indiana native told his coming-out story at a Democratic debate last year, marking the first time in US history that the public had heard a presidential candidate publicly talk about their coming-out experience.
“When I was trying to figure who I was, I was afraid that who I was might mean that I could never make a difference,” Buttigieg told Zachary. “And what wound up happening instead is that it’s a huge part of the difference I get to make. I never could’ve seen that coming. And you’ll never know who’s life you might be affecting right now just by standing here, right now. There’s a lot of power in that.”
With Buttigieg being the first openly gay presidential candidate in the country’s history, the candidate’s campaign has faced homophobic comments ― mostly from the right ― on whether the US is ready for, or even wants, a gay president.
Conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh recently made homophobic remarks about Buttigieg kissing his husband on the debate stage and questioned on his show how it would play out with voters if the former mayor is the presidential nominee.
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“I love my husband. I’m faithful to my husband,” @petebuttigieg responds to conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s recent comments. “I’m not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.” #CNNSOTUhttps://t.co/bOje6TVl1s pic.twitter.com/icNbNMetlw — State of the Union (@CNNSotu) February 16, 2020
Buttigieg responded to Limbaugh’s comments last week, saying he does not take “lectures on family values” from the Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient who is known for his hateful positions on marginalized groups.
“Well, I love my husband. I’m faithful to my husband,” the candidate told CNN of Chasten Buttigieg. “Onstage, we usually just go for a hug. But I love him very much, and I’m not going to take lectures on family values from the likes of Rush Limbaugh.”
About 78% of Americans said they would vote for someone who is gay or lesbian if the person is a party’s “well-qualified” presidential candidate, according to a Gallup poll released earlier this month.
Buttigieg said that while he can’t promise Zachary it will always be easy, “I can promise you that I’m gonna be rooting for you.” The two were then joined onstage by Chasten Buttigieg, who walked Zachary back to his parents.
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“I think you’ve already got it together, so I’m excited to see what you’re going to do as a leader,” the former mayor told Zachary. “Just promise me you won’t run for president until after I’m done because I think you might be strong competition.”
I caught up with 9 year old Zachary after he was brought on stage and asked @PeteButtigieg his question. His dad told me off camera he was proud of his son. pic.twitter.com/CsO60aQiUh — Joe St. George (@JoeStGeorge) February 23, 2020
Zachary told a KDVR-TV reporter after the event that the former mayor gave him “some really good advice.” The reporter said Zachary’s father told him he was proud of his son.
“I just feel inspired by Pete being openly gay and running for president at the same time,” Zachary told the station. “Someday I wanna be like him.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Disney+ Announces UK Shows And Films, And The Simpsons Is Noticeably Absent

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We’re now just weeks away from the UK launch of the new streaming service Disney+, meaning as much Disney, Pixar, Star Wars and Marvel content as you could ever dream of will soon be at our fingertips.
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However, we’re afraid to report that when the platform finally arrives in the UK, there will be one heartbreaking omission.
Disney+ was first announced back in April of last year, when it was revealed that the service would offer not only any Disney film we wanted to watch at the press of a button, but other TV shows and films owned by the multi-million dollar company.
Since Disney’s acquisition of Fox, this meant The Simpsons was also available to stream for the first time ever, which we’re not even going to pretend wasn’t the main reason we were excited to try out the platform.
Sadly, though, on Monday morning, we were dealt a devastating blow.
Homer and Marge's faces here pretty much say it all Fox
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You see, Disney has now sent out their plans for the British version of the streaming service and The Simpsons – which airs on Sky One and Channel 4 here in the UK – was nowhere to be found.
We have contacted Disney for clarification, but we have to discern this can only mean that The Simpsons will not be on the platform, and our favourite yellow family will once again not be available to stream here in the UK.
What. A. Blow.
Disney+ announces its launch slate for the UK and Europe on March 24.... and it does not, repeat, does not include the Simpsons. pic.twitter.com/FZxEkSdckD — Mark Di Stefano (@MarkDiStef) February 24, 2020
The Simpsons doesn’t *appear* to be on the Disney+ UK slate, announced this morning. I’ve asked them to confirm. — Scott Bryan (@scottygb) February 24, 2020
There has been speculation The Simpsons would be absent from the UK version of Disney+ since January, when a spokesperson was noticeably evasive when asked to confirm whether they’d be on the platform.
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Last week, a teaser for the UK edition of Disney+ was also posted online, omitting the animated doughnut that was present in other versions, prompting further chat about The Simpsons’ probably absence…
Hello! It’s lovely to meet you all. It’s a good thing we’re good at queuing patiently in the UK! It’s now only a few weeks until #DisneyPlus launches *cue the confetti, tears of joy and fireworks* Follow @DisneyPlusUK for the latest #DisneyPlus updates. pic.twitter.com/B4Ni3sw85H — Disney+ UK (@DisneyPlusUK) February 17, 2020
Bonjour ! Quel plaisir de vous rencontrer enfin. Plus que quelques semaines avant le lancement de #DisneyPlus ! *prépare les confettis, larmes de joies et feux d’artifices*
Abonnez-vous à @DisneyPlusFR pour ne rien manquer de nos actualités. pic.twitter.com/QF7Lz7RdiP — Disney+ FR (@DisneyPlusFR) February 17, 2020
We’d make some sort of “all we can say is ‘d’oh!’” joke, but honestly… we’re too upset.
Disney+ launches in the UK on 24 March, and will feature new original content, alongside classic films and shows. You can pre-order now.
Among these new additions will be the hit Star Wars spin-off series The Mandalorian (yes, Baby Yoda is finally coming to homes around the UK) and a new live-action version of Lady And The Tramp.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--The Funniest Tweets From Parents This Week

At lunch time my toddler asked me for more food. Right as I put her plate down with more food she said no thanks I'm done then I looked at her and said that's not for you and I sat down at the little table and started eating my food. The look of defeat on her face, priceless.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Tesco Launches Plasters In Diverse Skin Tones. Here's Why That Matters

Tesco Tesco
Tesco has become the first UK supermarket to launch plasters in a diverse range of skin tones. The plasters come in dark, medium and light shades and will be available online and in store from Monday.
The supermarket said it developed the plasters after an employee saw a viral tweet in which a Black man said he was “holding back tears” at finding a plaster that matched his skin tone after 45 years.
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Paulette Balson, chairwoman of the ‘BAME at Tesco’ network, said: “No UK supermarket had ever stocked plasters in a range of skin tones before and we saw this as an opportunity for Tesco to lead the charge and make a genuine difference.
“Through our research within the network, we know how emotive a product like this can be. For example, one colleague reported that their child had felt self-conscious wearing a plaster on their face to school recently, because it didn’t match their skin tone and stood out.”
To date, plasters or bandages in diverse skin tones have not been sold at a major UK supermarket, with just a small number of independent businesses selling them online.
Last year Dominique Apollon, a 45-year-old from America, posted a Twitter thread explaining how finding a plaster to match his skin tone via the online company Tru-Colours made him feel.
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It's taken me 45 trips around the sun, but for the first time in my life I know what it feels like to have a "band-aid" in my own skin tone. You can barely even spot it in the first image. For real I'm holding back tears. pic.twitter.com/GZR7hRBkJf — Dominique Apollon (@ApollonTweets) April 19, 2019
“I definitely didn’t expect the complex emotions that would swirl as I watched it just... blend in. A seemingly trivial exercise I’ve repeated 1000x on my body with ‘regular’ ones since childhood,” he said.
“This felt like belonging. Like feeling valued. Sadness for my younger self and millions of kids of colour, especially black kids. Like a reminder of countless spaces where my skin is still not welcomed.”
The company Tru-Colours was founded by Chicago-based dad Toby Meisenheimer, who realised the lack of diversity on the plaster market when he adopted his son Kai, who is Black.
“I just want my kids, who are already gonna struggle with the fact that they don’t have the same skin colour as their dad, I want them to see they were made as just as authentic and just as beautiful and the bandage market needs to reflect that,” Meisenheimer told HuffPost.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Now Is The Time To Defend Julian Assange. Even If You Don't Like Him

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Most people reading this will not be fans of Julian Assange. I’m not a fan, and I had plenty of opportunity to form a thorough opinion of him: I worked at WikiLeaks for a few months, and even shared a house with him for a portion of that time.
Many of the criticisms levelled at Assange are entirely fair: he can be arrogant, high-handed, a terrible house-guest, and even a narcissist.
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On another level entirely, he managed never to face questioning in Sweden after facing allegations of rape and sexual assault (which he denied). He was granted bail, took every possible appeal up to the UK Supreme Court, and then fled to the embassy of Ecuador when proper judicial procedure went against him.
Years of running down the clock worked – with only months left on the statute of limitations, and with only the most serious allegation left, Sweden gave up on its investigation.
The women who, way back in 2010, accused Assange of sexual assault and rape will never get their day in court, despite having faced horrific online abuse and harassment, to the point of forcing them into hiding and into adopting false identities.
“We do not get to pick our figureheads – and it’s in cases exactly like this that our freedoms are challenged.”
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Assange, then, does not cut a sympathetic figure now that he’s facing a new extradition attempt – this time to the US. This is a problem, because as little as many of us may care about Assange himself, this prosecution is political, illiberal, and a threat to free speech and government accountability.
Assange is facing extradition to the US over his work with WikiLeaks to obtain and publish classified US military and diplomatic documents in 2010. The revelations from these documents made headlines and led news bulletins across the world.
They included the now-famous “collateral murder” video, which showed a US Apache helicopter in Iraq gun down a group of suspected militants, later found to include civilians and Reuters journalists, before firing a hellfire missile at another site as an innocent bystander walked by.
They include hundreds of thousands of records of the Afghanistan war, detailing among other things the existence of US army assassination squads, and records of the Iraq war, which shed unprecedented new light on the civilian death toll of the US action.
These, and the diplomatic cables, were judged to be of such import and public interest that editors of some of the world’s largest and most respected papers – the New York Times, the Guardian, Der Spiegel, Le Monde and El Pais – placed teams of journalists on the project for months at a time, before publishing their findings.
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The reporting enabled by the documents’ release won journalism awards across the world, including from human rights groups such as Amnesty International.
Demonstrators protest in support of Julian Assange Reuters
We also now know the source of these documents: Chelsea Manning, then a private in the intelligence division of the US army, who admitted in a military trial that she leaked the documents from her base in Iraq.
It is for this leak that Assange faces extradition and decades in US jail, not for later leaks which emanated from hacked email accounts of prominent Democrats – attributed to hackers tied to the Russian state – which influenced the 2016 election in favour of Donald Trump.
Assange is facing prosecution for the best thing he ever did, even if he didn’t redact it well, give his motivations well, or even necessarily do it for the right reasons. If Assange can be prosecuted for releasing information like this, there is little to prevent the next prosecution being the editor of the Guardian, Washington Post, or New York Times.
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The US authorities are trying to frame the prosecution of Assange as one of hacking, relating it to his apparently foolish agreement to help Manning secure the password of another intelligence analyst (unsuccessfully), in a bid not to secure extra documents, but to cover her tracks as the source (again, unsuccessfully).
A trained journalist would know this went beyond journalistic ethics – and certain legal protections – but it seems hardly proportionate to punish such a violation with decades in prison.
Assange does not cut a sympathetic figure. He is easy to dismiss as a hacker, or an anti-US figure, or even as a “Russian stooge”, thanks to some of his associates and his willingness to work with the broadcaster Russia Today.
But we do not get to pick our figureheads – and it’s in cases exactly like this that our freedoms are challenged. The current US administration has shown time and again it is willing to bypass or potentially even break laws intended to hold it accountable and make sure government is in the interests of the people.
There are populist governments across the world whose citizens need the accountability only the media and whistleblowers can provide. We can ill-afford any erosion of those freedoms against this backdrop. Enabling an extradition of Assange would do just that – and so, love him or loathe him, we must all do whatever we can to prevent an extradition.
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--The 8 Best Pram, Carrycot and Car Seat Travel Systems, Recommended By Parents

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FamVeld via Getty Images Baby boy in warm colorful knitted jacket sitting in modern stroller on a walk in a park. Child in buggy. Little kid in a pushchair. Traveling with young kids. Transportation for family with infant.
All The Gear, No Idea is a regular series from HuffPost Finds where we feature product recommendations for parents, by parents.
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There’s not much more baffling when you’re preparing to become a parent for the first time than pram paraphernalia.
And if you’re anything like I was - seven years ago, with a tiny, squirming new baby - you’ll soon realise that you don’t just need a pram, at all. You need a pram that fits a carrycot and a car seat... in one.
As I soon learned, it’s much easier to move your sleeping baby from the pram to the car while keeping them in their car seat, rather than having to pick them up to transfer them to the car. That way, screaming lies. Shudder.
Travel systems might be more expensive than a stroller or single pram (and if you can beg, steal or borrow the components separately, then do so), but if you’re looking for a new purchase, then go for an all-in-one. Trust me.
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They work like this: you have a pushchair chassis (ideally compact, study and lightweight) that can hold either a carrycot or the pushchair’s standard, forward-facing seat.
There will usually be adaptors included (or sold separately) to fit a rear-facing car seat, too - and all three can be changed around at the click of a button.
Sometimes the car seat is included in the price of the travel system, but most simply include the adaptors to fit the most commonly-known brands, such as Maxi Cosi or Britax (meaning you can use it with a second-hand or borrowed car seat to save money).
Here are the best of the bunch, as recommended by HuffPost readers who’ve been there.
Baby Jogger/The Baby Room Baby Jogger City Mini Single i-Size Complete Travel System, The Baby Room, £531.99
This complete Baby Jogger travel system can be used from birth. It comes with a compact carrycot, a City Go i-Size car seat and adaptors, allowing you to change easily from car to stroller. It comes with a lifetime frame warranty and a one-year textiles warranty, too.
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Review: Lucy Tran, mum of two
“The Baby Jogger pushchair collapses in one quick easy movement and can be used from birth. It has a carrycot and a normal pram attachment, and you can also use it with a car seat. It’s very sturdy. I’ve used it every day for five years! It’s been on loads of long-haul flights and is still as strong as ever. It’s medium range price, too, so excellent value for money.”
Bugaboo Bugaboo Donkey 2 Twin Travel System, Bugaboo, from £1,430
Bought new, Bugaboo comes with a three-year warranty. This version includes two pushchairs (each 74cm wide), which weigh 15kg. It folds down in one piece, and the seats are designed to hold infants weighing up to 22kg per seat. There’s a roomy storage basket under the seats that can hold up to 28 litres (10kg). Adaptors are compatible with Chicco, Britax-Romer and Maxi Cosi car seats.
Review: Hannah Hearne, mum of three
“I love it! You buy an adapter and can slot car seats in. You can buy a single or double adapter, so you can have one or two car seats at the same time. It looks huge, but it’s really easy to manoeuvre - so much easier than the single Britax I had for baby number one. The downsides are that it’s wide, and sometimes you struggle to get through doors, so I spend a lot of time telling people off for their premises not being accessible! But I’m still using it and the twins are two-and-a-half, now.”
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This doesn’t come with a car seat included but can be adapted to fit Maxi Cosi, Kiddy and Cybex car seats on the same chassis. The carrycot and seat unit are available from birth and can fit infants up to 25kg. The carrycot can also be used for overnight sleeping, meaning you’ll be saving on the cost of a Moses basket. It also includes a matching rain cover, cup holder and mosquito net.
Review: Sian Kneller, mum of one
“I had an ABC Design travel system - the Turbo 6 - and found it solid and well-made and easy to fold down. They look elegant and have good storage capacity, such as a basket and clips for a changing bag. I never see it on any comparison sites - maybe because it’s a German brand.”
*The Turbo 6 is no longer available, but we checked the specifications and found them comparable to this model by the same manufacturer.
This is the only car seat in the world with integrated wheels. The Doona goes from seat to stroller in seconds. It’s suitable from birth until 13kg. This version comes with a free rain cover, worth £24.99. We’ve never seen a product like this before - and couldn’t stop watching this video.
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Review: Holly Whiteford, mum of one
“The Doona was the best thing I’ve ever bought. My son is too big for it now and I miss it every single day! It just made everything so much easier. I never had to get the pram out of the car when I was quickly popping to the shops or doing the school run, and I didn’t have to transfer my sleeping son from car seat to pram. I would recommended it to every new mum!”
The Stokke stroller looks different to any other on the market - because of its height. The idea, the manufacturers say, is to raise your baby higher “to promote eye contact and connection”, which we love. Suitable from birth, the Stokke is a travel system when combined with the additional Stokke Xplory carrycot (£125, buy it here) or the Stokke® iZi Go™ X1 car seat by BeSafe® (£229, buy it here) - which can be used without need for extra adaptors. Or, you can buy the adaptors as accessories for use with other car seat models, such as the Chicco (£42, buy it here).
Review: Laura Johns, mum of two
“The Stokke is more expensive than other travel systems, but as soon as I saw it, I fell in love with it. It’s slim and sleek and you can easily take it into shops without worrying you’re going to knock everything over! I’ve used it for both children and found having conversations with them while they were in it really easy, because they were almost at my eye level.”
Mountain Buggy/The Baby Room Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle Complete Travel System, The Baby Room, £722
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Mountain Buggy Urban Jungle Complete Travel System, The Baby Room, £722 If you like going off-road, this might just be the travel system for you. It’s touted as an “all-rounder for parents who want flexibility” - and promises a one-hand fast fold, a conveniently located hand-braking system, rear wheel suspension and 12-inch air-filled tyres. This package comes with the ‘Protect Car Seat and Carrycot’, as well as car seat adaptors, a shopping basket, storage pockets and a bottle holder. It has a warranty for up to three years. Review: Carla Pedonomou, mum of four “I love the Mountain Buggy because it’s great for taking the kids to school and for taking the dog for a walk. It has inflated wheels and is excellent for the forest. We live right by the woods and we’re always in there.” Buy it here.
The iCandy is aimed at urban parents, because it’s lightweight (just 6.6kg), compact and nimble - perfect for nipping in and out of busy streets. The pushchair is light and easily foldable, and comes in a 3-in-1 design to adapt to a car seat, a carrycot and a reversible seat position. The reclinable seat can also be adjusted to three different positions: to sit the baby up straight when awake, recline when relaxed or lie flat when asleep. The baby faces the parent and there’s a concealed storage pod which holds weight up to 5kg. There’s an optional Raspberry Universal carrycot (sold separately for £180, buy it here). Car seat adaptors are sold separately and the iCandy fits a range of car seats, including Maxi Cosi, BeSafe and Kiddy Evolution. It comes with a five-year guarantee.
Review: Matt Thomas, dad of one
“We chose it because it was lightweight and narrow (it fits through the tube barriers, not just the big gates), and we could use it with a car seat. It says you can use the buggy from newborn with a special pod, but I’m glad we bought the pram attachment which was nice and cosy. I like the fact it’s so manoeuvrable. There’s no bar, so the baby feels a bit out in the open sometimes, but there are other plus points - like a giant basket. We bring nets of logs home in it for the fire.”
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The BABYZEN YOYO+ is described as a “one pocket-rocker travel system”, eliminating the need for multiple strollers. Ideal for everything from everyday errands, to travelling by car, bus, train or plane. To use the YOYO+ from birth you’ll need to purchase the BABYZEN YOYO+ Newborn Pack (including carry-cot, sold separately for £190, buy it here). There’s also a coordinating car seat: the BABYZEN iZi Go Modular by BeSafe (sold separately for £240, including adapters, buy it here) - which you can connect to the stroller frame in just two clicks. If you want to use the pram chassis with other car seats - such as Maxi Cosi, BeSafe and Cybex - you’ll need these adaptors (sold separately for £53.96, buy it here).
Review: Sarah Williams, mum of one
“I absolutely love the Babyzen Yoyo. It’s my first baby and he’s very active. The Babyzen is perfect for him as it’s light and compact and I can get him in and out of it easily. It can go on the plane as hand luggage because it’s so small - which was handy on a recent long-haul trip to South Africa, as we could take it through the gate and on to the plane with us. It’s not hugely expensive. The only downside is that it’s not brilliant off-road.”


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Love Island Crowns Its Winners Finley Tapp And Paige Turley In Emotional Final Dedicated To Caroline

Love Island Crowns Its Winners Finley Tapp And Paige Turley In Emotional Final Dedicated To Caroline Flack

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Finley Tapp and Paige Turley have won the first ever series of winter Love Island.
They beat fellow finalists Siannise Fudge and Luke Trotman, Luke Mabbott and Demi Jones, and Jess Gale and Ched Uzor to win £50,000.
After discovering they had won the public vote to be crowned the champions, Paige and Finn then had to decide whether to stick or split the cash prize.
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Finley Tapp and Paige Turley celebrate with Love Island host Laura Whitmore (centre). ITV/Shutterstock
They were asked by host Laura Whitmore whether this experience “was about love or money”, and were each given an envelope – Paige’s had the £50,000 prize, and Finn’s had £0.
Paige, 22, then had to decide whether to keep the full prize for herself, or share it with Finn, 20.
She chose to share it with her partner, meaning they won £25,000 each.
Following their win, Finn joked: “How the fuck have I blagged that?”
Siannise and Luke T came in second place, while Luke M and Demi came in third place and Jess and Ched were fourth.
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Earlier in the programme, Finn – a semi-professional footballer from Milton Keynes – had declared his love for Paige as the finalists made their declarations of love for each other.
Breaking down in tears in the pre-recorded segment, he said: “Paigey, I want you to know I love you.”
Paige, a singer from West Lothian who previously dated chart-topping star Lewis Capaldi, told him: “You brought out a side to me that no-one has ever seen.”
The final episode of the winter series of Love Island came just over a week after former Love Island host Caroline Flack died at the age of 40.
Caroline Flack Lia Toby via Getty Images
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An emotional Laura paid tribute to the presenter earlier in the live final, held in Cape Town, South Africa, telling viewers that it has been “extremely difficult coming to terms with the loss of our friend and colleague Caroline”.
She added: “We’re thinking of her family and everyone who knew her at this time.
“Caroline loved Love Island, she loved love, and that’s why tonight’s final is dedicated to her.”
A montage of footage from Caroline’s time hosting Love Island and companion show Aftersun since 2015 was played.
An ITV spokeswoman confirmed earlier on Sunday that the finalists had been told of her death off camera before the live final.
Ahead of the episode, Laura had tweeted a thanks to her boyfriend, Love Island narrator Iain Stirling, “for a brilliant series and helping me every step of the way”.
She added: “Tonight’s show is dedicated to Caroline.”
The final of Love Island tonight at 9pm. Big up to @IainDoesJokes for a brilliant series and helping me every step of the way. Tonight’s show is dedicated to Caroline ❤ — Laura Whitmore (@thewhitmore) February 23, 2020
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Caroline was replaced by her friend Laura on the latest series following the late star’s arrest on an assault charge.
She was found dead at her flat last Saturday after taking her own life as she awaited trial for allegedly assaulting her boyfriend Lewis Burton.
At the end of the programme, Laura confirmed that the regular summer series of Love Island will take place in its usual location of Mallorca later this year.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Coronavirus: China Revokes Wuhan Announcement Easing Lockdown

SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA - FEBRUARY 24: A disinfection professional wears protective gear spray anti-septic solution against the coronavirus (COVID-19) at a traditional market on February 24, 2020 in Seoul, South Korea. South Korea has raised the coronavirus alert to the "highest level" as confirmed case numbers keep rising. Government reported 161 new cases of the coronavirus (COVID-19) bringing the total number of infections in the nation to 763, with the potentially fatal illness spreading fast across the country. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) Chung Sung-Jun via Getty Images
An announcement that Wuhan would relax some of its travel restrictions and allow some people to leave was made without authorisation and has been revoked, local government in China has said.
The city at the epicentre of a coronavirus outbreak that has already killed more than 2,500 people said it would continue to impose strict controls over its borders in order to prevent the virus from spreading further.
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It said it had reprimanded the people responsible for the earlier announcement that healthy people would be allowed to leave if they had vital business.
The earlier announcement came amid signs that the spread of the virus in China was slowing, with more than 20 province-level jurisdictions reporting zero new infections on Sunday and several regions lowering their emergency response levels.
Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have originated, has been under lockdown for a month. It reported 348 new infections on Sunday, and 131 deaths.
The city alone has seen an accumulated 46,607 cases of infection, amounting to around 60% of China’s national total.
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South Korea’s fourth-largest city Daegu grew increasingly isolated as the number of infections there increased rapidly, with Asiana Airlines and Korean Air suspending flights to the city until March 9 and March 28 respectively.
“If we cannot block the spread in the Daegu region in an effective way, there are high possibilities it would lead to a nationwide transmission,” Vice Health Minister Kim Kang-lip told reporters.
In Europe, French Health Minister Olivier Veran said he would talk to his European counterparts soon to discuss how best to cope with a possible epidemic in Europe, after Italy reported a third death from the flu-like virus and 150 infections, from just three before Friday.
“Tonight, there is no epidemic in France. But there is a problematic situation at the door, in Italy, that we are watching with great attention,” Veran told a news conference.
In mainland China, where the virus originated late last year, more than 20 province-level jurisdictions including Beijing and Shanghai, as well as provinces such as Henan and Anhui, reported zero infections, the most since the outbreak began.
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In this Sunday, Feb. 23, 2020, photo, sumo wrestlers wearing masks arrive at Shin Osaka railway station in Osaka, western Japan. A viral outbreak that began in China has infected more than 79,000 people globally. The World Health Organization has named the illness COVID-19, referring to its origin late last year and the coronavirus that causes it. (Kyodo News via AP) ASSOCIATED PRESS
China President Xi Jinping urged businesses to get back to work though he said the epidemic was still “severe and complex, and prevention and control work is in the most difficult and critical stage”.
Yunnan, Guangdong, Shanxi and Guizhou provinces lowered their coronavirus emergency response measures from the most serious level, joining the provinces of Gansu and Liaoning to relax restrictions on movements.
Excluding Wuhan, mainland China reported 11 new cases of coronavirus, the lowest number since the national health authority started publishing nationwide figures on January 20.
The virus has infected nearly 77,000 people and killed more than 2,500 in China, mostly in Wuhan.
Outside mainland China, the outbreak has spread to about 28 other countries and territories, with a death toll of around two dozen, according to a Reuters tally.
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Italy sealed off the worst-affected towns and banned public gatherings in much of the north, including halting the carnival in Venice, where there were two cases, to try to contain the biggest outbreak in Europe.
Austria suspended train services over the Alps from Italy for about four hours after two travellers showed symptoms of fever. The train carrying about 300 passengers from Venice, Italy, to Munich in Germany was allowed to continue after the two tested negative for the new coronavirus.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--Michael Bloomberg Confirms He Used Prison Labor To Make 2020 Campaign Calls

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Democratic presidential candidate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been exploiting prison labour to make calls on behalf of his campaign, The Intercept reported on Wednesday.
The Bloomberg campaign contracted a call centre company named ProCom through a third-party vendor to conduct the calls, according to the report. ProCom operates call centres in New Jersey and Oklahoma, and two of its Oklahoma centres operate out of prisons.
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A source told The Intercept that some people incarcerated at the Dr Eddie Warrior Correctional Center, a minimum-security women’s prison in Oklahoma that houses one of the call centres, have made calls for the Bloomberg 2020 campaign.
“The people were required to end their calls by disclosing that the calls were paid for by the Bloomberg campaign,” reporter John Washington wrote. “They did not disclose, however, that they were calling from behind bars.”
Bloomberg confirmed the report in a statement Tuesday but said he knew nothing about prison labourers being used to make calls on his behalf. He said he “immediately” ended the campaign’s relationship with ProCom and the vendor that acquired their services.
Bloomberg campaign responds to that Intercept story. pic.twitter.com/CYdbcNwZev — Asma Khalid (@asmamk) December 24, 2019
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Bloomberg is among the pool of remaining candidates vying for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020, but he has failed to gain much traction since announcing his candidacy in November.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--WTF Is Hypnobirthing And Does It *Actually* Work?

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If you haven’t tried hypnobirthing yourself, chances are you know someone who has. The Duchess of Cambridge recently revealed she used the technique – which, contrary to what you might think, doesn’t involve swinging pendulums or staring into someone’s eyes – to help her through pregnancy and childbirth, saying she discovered the “power of the mind over the body”.
The mixture of deep breathing and visualisation exercises also helped her deal with hyperemesis gravidarum – a severe form of morning sickness. “I saw the power of it, the meditation, the deep breathing and things like that... and I realised this was something I could take control of,” she said.
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When I was pregnant with my first child, I was given a hypnobirthing tape at an NCT class. I played it in the car and when I went to sleep – but while it was relaxing (and similar in theme to mindfulness apps such as Headspace), I don’t remember getting much more from it than that. I might be sceptical, but other women call the practice “life-changing”. So how does it actually work?
What actually is hypnobirthing?
Hypnobirthing is basically a pre-birth preparation that tries to give pregnant women a positive view of birth – as well as a belief that it doesn’t have to be painful, states the National Childbirth Trust (NCT). The aim is a shorter, more comfortable labour, with less need for intervention. And the practice teaches women that pain is a fear response you can avoid by learning the right techniques. It’s usually taught face-to-face in classes – either over five to eight weekly sessions, or two longer daytime sessions. It can also be taught online.
Katharine Graves, a hypnobirthing teacher who trained midwives at the Lindo Wing, where the Duchess of Cambridge gave birth, has been teaching the practice for 15 years – usually delivering classes over a two-day period. She says combatting the fear of mothers-to-be is the main objective.
“As soon as a bump shows, you’re told horror stories,” she says. “You see traumatic births in the movies – fear is everywhere. We have limited resources in our hospitals and birth can often feel like a conveyor belt, with women put under huge pressure to be induced. They’re not told of the alternatives. Hypnobirthing gives you alternatives.”
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A common misconception about hypnobirthing is that women lose control of their thoughts and actions in a hypnotic state, the NCT says. “In fact, women who learn hypnobirthing use it to be less aware of external stimuli. They also learn to have a more focused attention and responsiveness to verbal or non-verbal suggestions. The idea is that these suggestions might make her feel safer, more relaxed and comfortable, and give her some relief from her pain.”
What do women learn?
Mum-of-three Siobhan Miller had a positive experience of hypnobirthing – and later went on to become a teacher. Common techniques women learn, she explains, include an introduction to the science and biology around labour and birth, followed by relaxation exercises – such as breathing in for four, and out for eight, in blocks of four – throughout a contraction.
There is also mindfulness involved, guided meditation, ‘light touch massage’ which can be done by a partner, and information on induction and intervention. Women are encouraged to make simple decision-making frameworks, weighing up the benefits and risks. They’re also taught what to expect from labour and how to deal with additional challenges, such as haemorrhaging.
So, does it really work?
Zeenath Uddin, head of quality and safety at the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) says there is evidence that women feel more “confident, relaxed, less fearful, focused, and more in control when using hypnobirthing” – but it’s important the technique is taught by competent practitioners.
“Many midwives are qualified and trained to do this,” Uddin says. “What is most important is women are getting all the available information when it comes to pain control and birthing techniques so they can make an informed choice that is right for them. We do know that for many women who use hypnobirthing it works and enables them to manage their pain in labour quite effectively.”
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Not many studies have looked at the effects of hypnosis in labour and childbirth – although one review found that hypnosis might reduce the overall use of pain relief during labour, except for epidural use.
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Miller, who founded The Positive Birth Company and has written a book about the benefits of hypnobirthing, can also attest to the benefits. She had her first baby when she was 21. It was a long process, involving a cascade of intervention – and she suffered from postnatal anxiety for a year after. When she fell pregnant again, seven years later, she thought there had to be a better way. She was doing a Masters degree in psychology, and was interested in the power of the mind. So, she went on a two-day hypnobirthing course.
“It’s very common for women who’ve experienced birth trauma to seek control... so I went on to plan a home birth with my second child, and used the techniques I’d learned through hypnobirthing,” she says. “It was life-changing. It lasted just two hours 20 minutes. I felt euphoric when he was born – elated, capable, strong and empowered – and my sense of confidence carried on. I felt like I could do anything, simply because I gave birth on the sofa!”
After she trained as a teacher, Miller offered an online hypnobirthing course. In the first month, she says 15,000 women signed up. “It was overwhelming,” Miller says. “But it just went to show how many women wanted something different to help them take back control of their birth experience.”
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Miller believes the techniques can also be used by women having surgery – “If you’re having a C-section, these are techniques that can help you feel calm and grounded and confident. You can even have your own music playing, but lots of women don’t know that. As the saying goes: ‘If you don’t know your options, you don’t have any.’”
Does it work for everyone?
Lots of women share their positive stories of hypnobirthing – but it doesn’t work for everyone. The NCT says there can be a difference between what you expect to, or hope, will happen during labour and the reality of your birth experience. It can also take time to learn about hypnobirthing, practise it and master the breathing, visualisation and self-hypnosis techniques.
London-based mum Nicola has previously blogged about it not working for her. Despite being a “huge advocate of hypnobirthing during [her] pregnancy”, and reciting the affirmations “word for word” by the time she was 40 weeks pregnant, things didn’t go to plan.
“The line that was ringing in my ears the whole way through, the line that ‘empowered’ me to refuse the stretch and sweeps and induction was: ‘my body and baby know what to do’,” she wrote on her blog. “I had listened to it twice a day for months, I believed it. I can now confirm neither my body nor the baby knew how to get things started!”
Others have also shared stories of hypnobirthing not working for them online – but like everything in life, it’s different for everyone. What works for you, might not work for someone else. Find out more about hypnobirthing on the NCT website.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--8 Tips To Make Weeknight Family Dinners Easier

Westend61 via Getty Images Weeknight family dinners can be hard to pull off. Here, parents give their tried-and-true advice for making it a little more possible.
For many parents, weeknight family dinners can be hard to swing. Between kids’ commitments and parents’ work schedules, getting dinner on the table so you can all eat together is often a challenge.
There are, of course, innumerable tips for busy families to enjoy a meal during the workweek, as well as pointers on how to make the most of your dinnertime conversation with your child. But we also wanted to hear from the HuffPost Parents Facebook community for their tried and true advice for getting dinner on the table as a family as often as possible.
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Not surprisingly, many readers avow the importance of meal prep, and there are some other gems here, too. Read on for more.
“Simple. We meal-prep. We decide our meals a week in advance. We take that extra time we would be wasting deciding dinner, and use it to converse and sit down. We eat together five to six nights a week. Sit down, at a table, no cellphones. In our house it’s an exciting thing to eat in the living room because it’s never done. So we make fun nights out of it.” ― Kryssy Elyse
“I have a 10-week menu rotation. On the weekend I pull out all the recipes for that week, see what ingredients we already have on hand, and throw the rest on the Walmart pickup app. I drive to get what I need for the whole week. I find that I’m much more likely to cook homemade food when I know what to make, have all the ingredients, and don’t have to make the dreaded stop to the grocery store. Plus, as the week goes on, you start to get hungry for what’s coming up.” ― Karen Miller
“I meal-plan for the week. I do one big grocery haul on Friday (grocery store and Costco) and then stop into the store again on Tuesday if we need a top-up of fresh stuff. I usually do one or two crockpot meals for the busier nights, and the rest of the week is cooked as I planned. My kids like to get involved, which I hope will develop into a love of cooking as they get older. And we sit at the table, no electronics, but we do have jazz on every night. We feel it helps with calming down and enjoying the meal together.” ― Adriana Leigh
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“We meal-plan and shop over the weekend. Whoever is home and least busy around 5 takes ownership of dinner. If a kid has an activity the rest of us still sit and eat together. The Wi-Fi is off between 6 and 7 p.m. When I was in college and a working single mom, we rarely had dinners at home together. But I got up early and made a full breakfast and that was our daily meal together. :)” ― LaTisha Osborne Spice
“We plan ahead, as most are saying. Get what you can done early in the day ... table set, salad made, recipe prep done and refrigerated.” ― Kathy Stamey
“To get the whole family of five involved, each chooses the menu for one meal. The other two nights are a restaurant with grandparents and leftovers!” ― Kelly Holt Nelms
“I batch-cook on weekends and double recipes like chili, soups and sauces and freeze one portion for another night” ― Jaime Ross
“Crockpot meals, pack a ‘picnic dinner’ to eat together in between practices at the Y.” ― Lauren Bechstein Printke
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thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--I Hide My Life-Threatening Asthma At Work Because I'm Afraid It'll Cost Me My Career

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I take great pride in my job.
Working as an NHS nurse, there’s never a dull moment. Every day the ward throws up new challenges, each requiring buckets of compassion, hard work and a thick skin. The toughest challenge I face, however, is living in constant fear of losing a job that I love because of something I can do nothing about.
I have severe asthma, the most serious and life-threatening form of the condition, which affects around 200,000 people in the UK, putting many in a never-ending cycle of emergency trips to hospital. Over the years I have missed precious moments like Christmases, birthdays, New Years and holidays because I’ve been in hospital, rigged up to dozens of tubes to help me breathe.
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Juggling a chronic condition, a demanding job as a nurse and trying to dodge the minefield of asthma triggers on the ward really tests your mettle. Strong cleaning products, cold and flu viruses and stress can all cause my asthma symptoms to flare up or even trigger a life-threatening asthma attack.
“At my worst I can barely walk to the local corner shop... but I often forced myself to work.”
A couple of years ago, asthma nearly cost me my job. Six months in, I was being hospitalised every 6-8 weeks because of asthma attacks. I think my determination not to be seen as ill worked against me. At my worst I can barely walk to the local corner shop down the road to pick up some milk or the pharmacy to collect my prescription, but I often forced myself to work when in reality I’m struggling to put on a brave face. I worried about being seen as flaky and was afraid of putting extra pressure on the team if I went off sick. It’s also no secret that the NHS is under a huge amount of strain. We’re so constantly short-staffed, anyone off sick has a big impact on the team.
That concern means I used to put my own health at risk by not using my inhaler at work. The fear of being judged by those around me made me hold out sometimes until the end of the day. Research shows I’m not the only one; feeling guilt, shame and embarrassment for using inhalers at work is widespread.
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The frequency of my hospital admissions and appointments caused a couple of raised eyebrows, especially amongst management, who weren’t the most sympathetic towards my situation. They questioned whether I was really that ill and said to me that “asthma doesn’t make people this sick.” You’d think hospital staff of all people would understand. Yet no-one believed that I was genuinely sick.
It was only with union support that I was able to keep my job. I really hated involving the union, worried that escalating things would make things worse. But thankfully I am now working in a job where I have an incredible manager who is willing to take the time to understand my condition and help me make the adjustments I need. I don’t do as much hands-on patient care, which has helped massively, and if I’m having a difficult day with my symptoms I take more time working at the desk. Now, I even feel comfortable having open and frank discussions with my manager about how I’m managing my illness.
The shocking truth is stories like mine prove asthma is still so misunderstood. People are shocked when I tell them that three people every day lose their lives because of the condition.
While my job situation has improved, my health is still an ongoing battle. I still have ‘off days’ – in the last two years I have been admitted to hospital 12 times – but having open conversations with my manager about my condition and how it impacts my life and triggers has made the world of difference.
“While my job situation has improved, my health is still an ongoing battle...”
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Asthma UK estimate one in nine adults with asthma say they have lost their job or were worried about losing their job because of their asthma. More than a third of respondents have had an asthma attack at work, and one in ten had been disciplined or been given a warning at work because of their asthma. That means there are lots more people, just like me, who don’t tell their bosses about their asthma. To us, doing so runs the risk of impacting our career prospects. I still worry about my future.
But it’s important to know it’s not all doom and gloom. Some organisations are doing great work to support people with chronic illnesses like mine. Even something as simple things like having a go-to trusted colleague who knows about your condition and what things trigger your symptoms can feel like a huge weight off your shoulders.
With the right understanding and support there is no reason why any of the millions of us living with these conditions can’t have a fulfilling job where we can contribute at the same level and, more importantly, are seen as equal to our peers.
Sarah is a NHS nurse, writing under a pseudonym. Asthma UK have created a bespoke newsletter that brings together advice for employers across different sectors, ensuring people have advice on how to manage asthma risks to employees in the workplace. For more information, visit: asthma.org.uk/employers
Have a compelling personal story you want to tell? Find out what we’re looking for here, and pitch us on ukpersonal@huffpost.com


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--5 Payday Treats Because You Deserve It

5 Payday Treats Because You Deserve It

While January felt like it would never end, February, thankfully, is one of the shortest months, so waiting on that paycheck has never been so quick.
If you need pay-day inspiration, look no further. Splurge on a new wardrobe piece, top up your bathroom shelf or start buying for an upcoming holiday. Either way, we’ve got you covered.
Go forth and shop.


thehuffingtonpostuk--2020-02-24--How To Improve Your Posture With Small, Day-To-Day Changes

Hear the word “posture” and you’ll instinctively pull your shoulders back and stand a few centimetres taller. It’s a reflex reaction, like when someone talks about head lice and you immediately want to scratch. But can you improve your posture by default, not just when you’re reminded?
Physiotherapist Sammy Margo says good posture is all about maintaining good alignment, which basically refers to how our head, shoulders, spine, hips, knees and ankles line up with each other. Exercises like Pilates and yoga can improve core strength, she says, enabling you to hold yourself in a better position. But there are also small changes you can incorporate into your daily routine that’ll make a big difference.
“Not only does [good posture] make you look better and reduce back pain, it makes you project better and feel better – it makes the world feel like a better place,” Margo tells HuffPost UK. ”I think it’s not only physical, there’s a huge mental side to it, too.”
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Posture can be divided into three areas: sitting, standing and lying down. “All three of them need to be considered for good posture,” says Margo.
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Sitting
Margo’s simple trick for sitting better is “BBC”, which stands for “bum back (in) chair”. Remembering this should stop you slumping forwards or to one side as frequently.
Ciaran Keen, an osteopath at The Centre for Health and Human Performance, adds that if your job requires long stints of sitting, being a fidget isn’t always a bad thing. “Adopting the same posture day in, day out can overstretch muscles and ligaments around the spine, which means muscles have to work harder than usual,” he says. This can result in the typical “tight shoulder feeling” if the chin is constantly forward.
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“Changing position frequently allows different joints, ligaments and muscles to take the load off your body,” he says.
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If you have a desk job, Keen advises sitting close to the table with your screen at eye level and your mid-back supported.
“This helps keep the chin more tucked so the levator scapulae [muscle at the back and side of neck] and upper traps [upper back muscles] are less overstretched, which are the main culprits for upper back and shoulder tension,” he says.
For those who have multiple screens, aim to use them equally or switch the one you rely on every week to give your neck a break from looking in a certain direction, he adds.
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Both Margo and Keen also recommend switching between standing and sitting throughout the day if you have access to a standing desk or work shelf. The key message is to keep moving.
Standing
Technology is often blamed for our sedentary lifestyles, but if used smartly, it can actually improve our posture by encouraging us to move around more, says Margo. “Instead of typing, I use more dictation software now,” she says. ”Even just using Siri instead of typing can mean you’re more able to move around.”
Mobile phones are just that, mobile. “They are designed to be moved around, so why aren’t we walking and talking more? Every time you’re on a phone call that doesn’t require you to write anything down, get up and move .”
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You can also purchase apps that have been designed to improve posture. Margo recommends Upright – it comes with a small device you attach to your back, which connects to your phone. This device vibrates each time you slouch. Alternatively, you can turn off the vibrate function, but review a summary of your posture at the end of the day – and the results can be eye-opening.
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Upright devices cost upwards of £69.99, though, so for a cheaper option, Margo advises looking out for flat walls. Whenever she sees a wall, she stands up against it – whether she’s chatting to friends or clients. “Put your heels up against the skirting board and line yourself up against the wall,” she says. “It’s quite shocking how quickly that makes you realise that you’re actually walking around slumping.”
When walking about, Margo recommends adopting a posture she’s named ‘The Prince Charles’.
“Interlink your fingers behind your back and walk around – like Prince Charles does with his hands behind his back,” she explains. “It really opens up your chest.”
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Switching up your shoes can also improve your posture by ensuring you’re not in one fixed position.
“Low shoes all the time are bad and high shoes all the time are bad, doing a blend of both is a good thing,” Margo says. “That might mean walking to work in your trainers and doing the working day in a shoe with a slightly higher heel.”
If you find yourself standing fairly still for a long time, such as in a queue or in a job like hairdressing, Margo advises being mindful of where you’re taking your weight.
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“Bad posture often happens when you’re taking your weight through the front of your feet,” she explains. “You want to bring your weight back into your mid-foot, just in front of your ankles. That’s where the load should be travelling down.”
Lying down
How you sleep will impact your posture, so it’s important to find a position that enables you to drift off, but also feels supported. Our bodies are different, so there’s no “set way” to sleep for better posture, says Margo, but the majority of people will find sleeping on their side most comfortable.
“If you wake up with aches and pains, or you’re a bit stiff in the morning, that’s a sign things aren’t right,” she adds.
Mattresses can lose their firmness and fail to support your body properly after around eight years, so Margo advises investing in a new one if you’ve had yours for a while. Another fast solution can be to try sleeping with a pillow between your legs to raise your hips more comfortably.
If you start the morning pain-free, you’ll be more inclined to keep active throughout the day.