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Matthew Perry’s most famous character, Chandler Bing, was known for making eyebrow-raising jokes, but not even he would have found this one funny. An American stand-up comedian poked fun at Perry’s sudden death, aged 54, after he was found unresponsive at his LA home on Saturday. Kevin Brennan, 63, a podcast host and former writer for Saturday Night Live (SNL) responded to the shocking news on Twitter/X, along with millions of others. But rather than pen a message of admiration or grief, Brennan made light of the Friends star's untimely passing. Tweeting a link to TMZ’s coverage of the tragedy, he added the caption: “DROWNED IN A HOT TUB. HAHAHAHA.” His cruelly tasteless remark was met with shock and fury across the platform, with critics branding him an “absolutely disgusting human being”. But rather than admit he’d gone too far with his mockery, the 63-year-old doubled down. He not only retweeted a number of articles condemning his behaviour, but he also hit back with more offensive retorts. Responding to one commentator who asked: “Why is drowning in a hot tub funny[?]” he wrote: “Because it’s not very deep.” Then refuting the suggestion that he had “mocked” Perry’s death, he commented: “I didn’t mock it. I just thought it was funny.” He then added: “But I do love it when junkies die.” Then, hours after the backlash began, he tweeted provocatively: “Am I trending yet?” Perry made no secret of his decades-long battle against addiction to alcohol and prescription medication. Indeed, he made it his later life’s ambition to help others struggling with the same issues. In an interview for the podcast Q with Tom Power Q with Tom Power last year, the 17 Again star was categorical about what he wanted to be remembered for. He told his host: “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life but the best thing about me, bar none, is that if an alcoholic or drug addict comes up to me and says, ‘Will you help me?’ I will always say ‘Yes, I know how to do that. I will do that for you, even if I can’t always do it for myself.’” He added: “When I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned, and I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that.” Despite speculation over the cause of Perry’s death, post-mortem results have reportedly so far been inconclusive, with further investigations underway. The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s office said that the official cause of death is not likely to be declared for a few weeks. Perry will continue to live on through his work, both on and off the screen. Critics have urged Brennan to consider how he himself would like to be remembered: whether as a comic writer who made people laugh, or as a vicious, remorseless troll. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

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By Pat Kane and Nia Williams YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories (Reuters) -Canadian officials ordered the evacuation of the Northwest Territories' capital

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Female university students are more than twice as likely as male students to say they have been affected by poor mental health, new analysis suggests. Data shows 12% of female students say they have been affected, compared to 5% of males. Reported mental health problems among university students have almost tripled in recent years, according to the analysis. The percentage of undergraduate students at universities across the UK who said they had experienced mental health difficulties rose from 6% to 16% between the 2016/17 and 2022/23 academic years. It means one in six undergraduates now reports experiencing mental health challenges. The findings suggest further action should be taken to prevent mental health difficulties arising wherever possible, and that services are adequately resourced to support students quickly when they need help Professor Michael Sanders, King’s College London Analysis by the Policy Institute at King’s College London and the Centre for Transforming Access and Student Outcomes in Higher Education (TASO) found a significant part of this increase occurred in the last 12 months, a period during which the cost-of-living crisis intensified. Poor mental health is by far the most common reason for students wanting to drop out of university. Among those considering dropping out, the proportion citing financial distress as the main reason has risen from 3.5% to 8% between 2022 and 2023. But the general upward trend in mental health problems predates both the rise in inflation and the Covid-19 pandemic, indicating that other factors are likely to be at play, researchers said. The analysis – which drew on a dataset of 82,682 full-time UK undergraduates over seven years – shows some groups are more affected than others. Of the non-binary respondents, 42% said they have been affected by poor mental health, along with 30% of trans people. Bisexual people (28%) have the highest average levels of mental health difficulties among LGBTQ groups across the data, while gay men (14%) have the lowest – although this is still greater than the level seen among straight people (7%). White students (12%) have on average worse mental health than their peers from other ethnicities, but those with a “mixed” ethnicity (12%) are just as likely to have mental health difficulties. Undergraduates who attended state schools (15%) have on average worse mental health than their peers who attended private school (11%), while students who get most of their money through a maintenance loan, grant or paid work are more likely to have mental health difficulties than those on scholarships or with family support. Michael Sanders, professor of public policy at the Policy Institute and author of the study, said: “It’s clear the experiences of mental ill-health among students are deeply unequal, and exist along much the same lines as in society at large, with those from the most disadvantaged backgrounds or who often face discrimination being most likely in general to report struggles with their mental health. “The findings suggest further action should be taken to prevent mental health difficulties arising wherever possible, and that services are adequately resourced to support students quickly when they need help.” Dr Omar Khan, chief executive officer of TASO, said: “This report highlights the persistent and widespread mental health challenges faced by students. “While Covid and the cost-of-living crisis have clearly exacerbated such challenges, the upward trend is not new. “We’re working with the higher education sector to better understand what works to improve mental health outcomes for all students.” It comes as a separate report from the NHS Race and Health Observatory calls for more mental health support for people from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Communities in England. It said that it is estimated that suicide rates among these groups are up to seven times higher than in other communities. Dr Habib Naqvi, chief executive of the NHS Race and Health Observatory, said: “We know that Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities face stark challenges in accessing psychological therapies and other mental health services. “This report lays bare the mental health issues and stigma faced by these communities first hand.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Many parents of under 5s on less than £50k ‘quit work due to childcare costs’ – survey 5 trainer trends that will be everywhere this autumn 11 ways to work autumnal wonder at home

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