Ahead of the Fourth of July holiday, public health officials in Los Angeles are advising beachgoers to avoid sea lions that have been sickened by toxins from large algae blooms coating California beaches.

There are rumors that Robert De Niro will reprise his iconic 'Taxi Driver' role for an Uber ad campaign in the UK

Surgeons worked all day and into the night to ensure Britain’s first womb transplant went smoothly. Its success is down to meticulous research, years of sharing knowledge between experts around the globe, and the hard work and dedication of doctors Professor Richard Smith, from Imperial College London, and Isabel Quiroga, from the Oxford Transplant Centre. Around 50 babies have been born worldwide as a result of womb transplants, which give women missing a functioning uterus a chance to have a baby. In the first UK case, the operation to remove the womb from the recipient’s 40-year-old sister lasted eight hours and 12 minutes, with surgeons leaving her ovaries behind to prevent pushing her into early menopause. One hour earlier, surgeons began operating on the 34-year-old recipient, preparing her body to receive the donated organ. This operation lasted nine hours and 20 minutes, with the surgical team experiencing some difficulties including a higher-than-expected blood loss of two litres. However, after just 10 days, the recipient was well enough to leave the hospital and has continued to have a good recovery. She is also having regular periods, which shows the womb is working well. Her sister was discharged five days after her donor operation and has also made a good recovery. Removing a womb is a similar operation to a radical hysterectomy, according to Prof Smith, who as well as being a gynaecological surgeon is the clinical lead at the charity Womb Transplant UK. He and Miss Quiroga led the team of more than 30 staff who worked on the transplant one Sunday in February. Prof Smith and Miss Quiroga removed the older sister’s womb, cervix and fallopian tubes, plus crucial blood vessels around the organ. The main vessels are the uterine arteries running into the womb, but the surgeons also aimed to collect some of the larger internal vessels that lead into the smaller branch of the womb. Prof Smith said surgeons doing these operations have to retrieve veins involved in the drainage of the womb. “One of the amazing things is that my surgical skill-mix as a cancer surgeon is to remove organs with a margin of normal tissue, while sealing the vessels as I go,” he said. “Transplant surgical skills are different – that is to remove a normal organ with the best number of non-sealed vessels as you can. “Isabel and I operate together with no ego – it just flows backwards and forwards across the table.” He added: “The day itself was truly humbling. We turned up at 7am at the Churchill transplant centre with the donor and the recipient families, then we went into a pre-op huddle. Those in the huddle included surgeons, nurses, anaesthetists and technicians. Prof Smith and Miss Quiroga worked to remove the womb, before the organ was prepared for transplantation by a “back table” team. “This was an organ which had a very, very unusual blood supply,” Prof Smith said. “In fact, it had a set of blood vessels which I’ve never seen in my entire career. They made my dissection a bit harder than it might have been, but we got there.” In the theatre next door, one hour before the retrieval of the womb was completed, surgeons began to operate on the donor’s younger sister to enable her to receive the womb. Prof Smith and Miss Quiroga switched from donor to recipient and Prof Smith removed the vestiges of the underdeveloped womb the recipient was born with. Meanwhile, the organ was packed and transported between the two theatres under sterile conditions to prevent contamination. A sterile bag with a cold perfusion solution contained the womb, which was then placed into a container with ice. During surgery, ligaments attached to the womb were attached to the recipient to help the womb stay in a relatively fixed place so it does not move around the pelvis. The most important part of the transplant operation was the joining of the very small vessels that give the blood supply to the womb. This was the most delicate and difficult part of the operation and was led by Miss Quiroga. Once all the vessels were connected, the donor’s vaginal cuff – around a 1cm part – was stitched into her sister’s vagina. If and when the recipient is able to complete her family, the womb will be removed six months later to prevent her from needing immunosuppressants for the rest of her life. Prof Smith said: “We know that the chance of failure at the point where the uterus goes in – if you look at the world literature – is 20 per cent to 25 per cent. And that failure is usually on the basis on sepsis and thrombosis. So technically, we are up to the job, but what happens thereafter can be scary. “Once you get to three or four days later, the chance of failure drops to probably less than 10 per cent. “Once you get to two weeks – and at the point where the woman has a period – the chance of her having a baby at that point is very high and the chance of failure has dropped to low. But those first two weeks – it’s very scary as a surgeon to watch and wait.” Biopsies to check the womb was functioning were read in London but then also confirmed by an expert team in the US at Baylor University Medical Centre in Dallas, where other womb transplants have been performed. Prof Smith said the procedure gives new hope to women born with devastating conditions. He said: “You’ve got girls, maybe 14, who have not had periods, they go to the GP and a scan shows there is no uterus. Absolute catastrophe. “Up until now, there’s been no solution for that, other than adoption or surrogacy... That’s not the case now. It’s really exciting.” On whether transgender women may also benefit from the operation, Prof Smith said that was still a long way off. He said the pelvic anatomy, vascular anatomy and shape of the pelvis are different, and there are microbiome issues to overcome. “My own sense is if there are transgender transplants that are going to take place, they are many years off. There are an awful lot of steps to go through. My suspicion is a minimum of 10 to 20 years.” Miss Quiroga said the living donor programme to date in the UK has focused on women with relatives who are willing to give their wombs. “It will come to a point where we will have friends or altruistic donors, like we have with many other transplants, but at the moment we’re only focused on people who have come forward with relatives,” she said. Read More Bursts of activity that make you huff and puff ‘linked to reduced cancer risk’ Fiona Phillips, 62, reveals she has Alzheimer’s disease Woman has all her teeth removed after rare vomiting condition causes them to fall out Bursts of activity that make you huff and puff ‘linked to reduced cancer risk’ Fiona Phillips, 62, reveals she has Alzheimer’s disease Woman has all her teeth removed after rare vomiting condition causes them to fall out

The Supreme Court has ordered two internet sellers of gun parts to comply with a Biden administration regulation aimed at ghost guns, firearms that are difficult to trace because they lack serial numbers

The long-term goal of the campaign against Hamas is to sever all links with Gaza, Israel's defence minister says.

Police in southern Germany say an American tourist who was thrown into a ravine during an attack near Neuschwanstein castle in which her 21-year-old friend was killed has been released from the hospital

Florida governor Ron DeSantis came to his wife’s defence on Monday, claiming that those mocking her as “America’s Karen” were actually threatened by her. Mr DeSantis’s pushback came as MSNBC analyst and former Republican congressman from Florida, David Jolly, called his wife Casey DeSantis “America’s Karen”, a pejorative term typically used for a middle-class white woman who exhibits entitled, demanding, and often confrontational behaviour. The comments were made on MSNBC’s Saturday Show with Jonathan Capehart last week during a discussion on Ms DeSantis’s campaign on behalf of her husband. Appearing on Fox News on Monday, Mr DeSantis said he and his wife will wear the tag as a “badge of honour”. “My wife is an incredibly strong first lady of Florida, a fantastic mother and a great wife, and that threatens the Left,” he said. "So she and I kind of shrug it off because we know it just shows they view her as a threat, because the message that she was bringing in Iowa about the rights of parents and how we are not going to take this anymore with the Left trying to indoctrinate our kids, they understand that that resonates not just with Republican parents, with independent parents and, yes, with Democrat parents," he added. Mr Jolly, who represented Florida’s 13th Congressional District from 2014 to 2017, said the presidential hopeful’s wife was a “fairly compelling political figure in Florida and now nationally”. “For many, she’s the brighter side to Florida’s angry governor. For others, she’s become America’s Karen," he said. "Look, she’s a more effective messenger than Ron DeSantis, but if all she’s doing is amplifying the wrong message, she’s actually clarifying Ron DeSantis’s weaknesses," he added. “It doesn’t matter if it’s presented in heels or boots, the DeSantis doctrine’s a losing one,” he said. “We’re gonna learn that the more Casey DeSantis gets out there.” The panellists on the show, including The Lincoln Project member Tara Setmayer, cracked up at the mention of the words “America’s Karen” and joined Mr Jolly in mocking her. “Well, I called her, I called her this, you know, Serena Waterford wannabe needs to cut it out. We see you. So… there’s all kinds of names for her,” Ms Setmayer said. Waterford is a reference to the antagonist in Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale. “She needs to stop trying to measure the drapes in the White House and think that she’s some kind of Jackie O reincarnate. I mean, Casey DeSantis, keep an eye on her, though. She’s a wily figure." Mr DeSantis said those who are criticising her are probably feeling challenged. "She’s a great advocate for families, a great advocate for children. And I’m thankful that she’s my wife," Mr DeSantis said. "And I’m really honoured that she’s willing to go out there and press the case. And so we wear criticism from MSNBC as a badge of honour." The comments came even as Donald Trump was found to be leading Mr DeSantis in polls of Florida Republicans. A survey of likely Republican primary voters in the Sunshine State by Florida Atlantic University showed him firmly trailing Mr Trump, with the pair’s other rivals for the GOP nomination far out in the wilderness. Mr Trump leads Mr DeSantis 50-30 in the survey. Read More MSNBC panelist calling Casey DeSantis ‘America’s Karen’ sparks war of words with Fox News Trump news – live: Trump spreads White House cocaine conspiracy as DeSantis pledges interviews on policy Palace insists King Charles didn’t mind when President Biden ‘broke protocol’ and patted him on back Cameron bows out of Kentucky political event hosted by possible Rep. Massie challenger Trump leads DeSantis by 20 points in poll of Florida Republicans MSNBC panelist calling Casey DeSantis ‘America’s Karen’ sparks war of words with Fox

President Joe Biden’s national security adviser met with China’s foreign minister over the past two days on the Mediterranean island nation of Malta

TUNIS (Reuters) -A Tunisian security officer wounded in Tuesday's shooting attack outside a synagogue on the Tunisian island of Djerba

Spain is sweltering under an unrelenting heat wave as temperatures start to build toward what is forecast to be a torrid weekend across southern Europe

Ken Jennings was slammed on social media by fans of the show who thought it was too selfish of him to host the show alone and not support the strike

Truth Social’s parent company lost almost $23m (£18.7m) in the first half of this year alone, according to a new securities filing that raises concerns about its “ability to continue”. The filing released on Monday marks the first time any financial details about Donald Trump’s social media platform have been shared publicly, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Truth Social was launched in February last year after Mr Trump was banned from most social networks in the aftermath of the 6 January 2021 Capitol riots. The former US president – who announced his candidacy for the 2024 elections in November last year – has since returned to X (formerly known as Twitter), but says Truth Social is still his primary social media platform and that he won’t post anywhere else until six hours after he sends a “Truth”. Having Mr Trump on board has not translated into revenue for the platform’s parent company Trump Media & Technology Group (TMTG), however. Over the first half of 2023 it has lost $23m while bringing in only $2.3m in net sales, the filing showed. This has raised doubts about the viability of the company and its social media startup, according to the filing. “TMTG’s independent registered public accounting firm has indicated that TMTG’s financial condition raises substantial doubt as to its ability to continue as a going concern,” the company noted in the filing. The company said the “management has substantial doubt that TMTG will have sufficient funds to meet its liabilities as they fall due, including liabilities related to promissory notes previously issued by TMTG”. The remarks were made in its assessment of business till the end of December last year and as of 30 June 2023. Concerns have also been raised over Digital World Acquisition Corporation (DWAC), a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC), that had some years ago announced plans to merge with TMTG. An SPAC is a shell corporation which raises money by listing itself on a stock exchange with the aim of using the funds for a merger with a different and usually more well-known entity. The filing said DWAC has “until 8 September 2024 to consummate a business combination”. It raised concerns that both TMTG and DWAC may not survive unless this merger is completed. “It is uncertain that Digital World will be able to consummate a business combination by this time. If a business combination is not consummated by this date, there will be a mandatory liquidation and subsequent dissolution of Digital World,” the filing said. “TMTG believes that it may be difficult to raise additional funds through traditional financing sources in the absence of material progress toward completing its merger with Digital World,” the filing further said. “A number of companies that had licence agreements with President Trump have failed. There can be no assurances that TMTG will not also fail,” the filing said. TMTG also cited a number of risks to its business in the new filing, including a dedicated section titled “Risks related to our chairman, president Donald J Trump”. The section lists his ongoing legal hurdles. “TMTG’s success depends in part on the popularity of its brand and the reputation and popularity of its chairman, president Donald J Trump,” the filing said. “The value of TMTG’s brand may diminish if the popularity of President Trump were to suffer. Adverse reactions to publicity relating to President Trump, or the loss of his services, could adversely affect TMTG’s revenues, results of operations and its ability to maintain or generate a consumer base.” Read More Return of original Fortnite map causes record traffic on Virgin Media O2 network Elon Musk unveils new sarcasm-loving AI chatbot for premium X subscribers Elon Musk mocks politicians at AI summit Tesla to offer ‘beast mode’ version of Cybertruck with bulletproof panels X now valued at $19bn – less than half of what Elon Musk paid for it Solar panel world record smashed with ‘miracle material’