Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong is crediting improved relations with China for the return home this week of an Australian journalist whose three-year detention in China had strained ties

Incomplete homicide autopsy reports continue to pile up in Mississippi even as state leaders have touted tough-on-crime governance this year heading into the Nov. 7 general election

It's been a year since 19 fourth graders and their two teachers were fatally shot inside Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, just two days before the summer break they had been eagerly awaiting.

Everyday activities like walking up the stairs or playing with children could help lower the risk of heart attack, stroke and even premature death, new research suggests. The experts found that although short bouts of incidental activity are good for you, the how long you do them for, and how vigorously makes a difference. The findings may make physical activity much more accessible to people who are unwilling or unable to take part in structured exercise, researchers say. They found that the longer the bouts of activity, the better, regardless of total activity levels. The large majority (97%) of this everyday physical activity, like walking to the bus stop or household chores, was made up in bouts lasting less than 10 minutes. In a group of people who said they did not take part in exercise or sport, short bouts of less than 10 minutes at a moderate to vigorous intensity were associated with a steep decrease in heart attack and stroke, and death by any cause. According to the findings, moving consistently for at least one to three minutes was linked to significantly more benefit (29% lower) than very short bouts of movement that lasted less than one minute. Senior author Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney’s Charles Perkins Centre, in Australia, said: “From walking up the stairs to speedily mopping the floors, in recent years we’ve come to understand that it is not just structured exercise that is good for our health, but we know very little about how these short bouts of incidental activity translate to health benefits.” He added: “The take-home message here is any type of activity is good for your health, but the more effort you put into those daily tasks and the longer you keep up that energy, the more benefits you are likely to reap. “If you are huffing and puffing and unable to hold a conversation for some of that time you have hit the sweet spot.” Lead author Dr Matthew Ahmadi said: “The idea of accruing short bouts of moderate to vigorous activity through daily living activities makes physical activity much more accessible to people who are unwilling or unable to take part in structured exercise. But as we see in this data, the length and the vigour people put into these incidental activities matters.” The risk of all-cause death and major cardiovascular events (heart attack or stroke) was 29-44% lower for activity periods of five minutes to less than 10 minutes, than bouts of less than one minute. The study, published in The Lancet Public Health, also found that the higher the amount of vigorous activity in each bout the better. People who huffed and puffed for at least 15% of the activity period (10 seconds per minute) saw the greatest benefit. Bouts of less than one minute were also associated with benefits if the above 15% vigorous activity rule was applied, researchers found. The researchers used data from wrist devices worn by 25,241 people aged 42 to 78, in the UK Biobank database, and artificial intelligence to analyse the seven-day physical activity patterns in people who said they did not exercise. The study linked these physical activity patterns with health records, following people for close to eight years to identify how length and intensity of physical activity bouts were linked to health status. Dr Ahmadi added: “This study suggests people could potentially reduce their risk of major cardiac events by engaging in daily living activities of at least moderate intensity where they are ideally moving continuously for at least one to three minutes at a time. “In fact, it appears that this can have comparable health benefits to longer bouts lasting five to 10 minutes.” Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live From tiredness to sweating – subtle warning signs something could be wrong with your heart Breast Cancer Awareness Month: 9 brilliant beauty buys supporting good causes Smokers 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely

A Ghanaian minister allegedly lost $1m cash, handbags and jewels from her house.

Madonna's Celebration Tour has kicked off at London's O2 Arena

More than a month after catastrophic flames raced across Lahaina, annihilating most of the historic town and killing 97 people in Maui, some residents will finally be able to return to the charred remains of their homes Monday.

The US secretly provided Ukraine with long-range ATACMS missiles, according to two US officials. The confirmation came on Tuesday after images of the missiles' submunitions inside Ukraine began circulating on social media.

The former head of Santiago s subway will take over as chief executive officer of Codelco as Chile’s

Taylor Swift waited around five seconds for a hidden platform on the floor to open and drop her to the backstage area

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa accused Israel of war crimes and "genocide" in Gaza, as he chaired an extraordinary summit of the BRICS...

Two Chinese activists held without trial for the past two years are expected to appear before a judge in a closed doors hearing on Friday as the ruling Communist Party ramps up its effort to dismantle what remains of the country's civil society.