By Ludwig Burger and Maggie Fick FRANKFURT/LONDON Frustrated after countless failed diet and exercise attempts, 41 year-old Jessica

Hundreds of people have rallied in the Thai capital Bangkok to demand that conservative members of the Senate stop blocking the naming of a prime minister belonging to a winning coalition from May’s general election, a stance that risks a potentially destabilizing deadlock

Asian leaders accustomed to straddling the US-China divide are increasingly nervous that tensions between the world’s two superpowers

Tourists post videos of rodents roaming near the ancient amphitheatre, attracted by piles of litter.

The Yamuna river reportedly swells to a 45-year high as heavy rainfall batters north India.

Americans no longer have to fear the Internal Revenue Service showing up unannounced at their door.

A court has granted the rights to the works of the late Jorge Luis Borges, considered Argentina’s most internationally significant author of the 20th century, to five nephews of the author’s widow who died in March

A man who gunned down a beloved store owner in California during a dispute over a Pride flag, was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with police. The identity of the gunman has not been released, with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Office only stating that he was a male adult. The man shot and killed Laura Ann Carleton, 66, at her clothing store “Mag Pi” after he made “several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store,” officials said. The shooting happened around 5pm on Friday at the store on Hook Creek Road in in Cedar Glen, near Lake Arrowhead. When deputies responded to the store, they found Carleton with a gunshot wound. The mother of nine was pronounced dead at the scene. The gunman fled the area, but was later located near Torrey Road and Rause Rancho Road and was armed with a handgun when he was confronted by the authorities. He was killed during “a lethal force encounter” with deputies, who did not sustain injuries. “Through further investigation, detectives learned the suspect made several disparaging remarks about a rainbow flag that stood outside the store before shooting Carleton,” officials said. It was unclear whether the shooting was being investigated as a hate crime. The 66-year-old mother-of-nine had remained defiant as a prominent ally to the LGBT+ community. When people first ripped down the Pride flag hanging outside her store, Carleton simply got another and hung it straight back up. Friends say this happened multiple times in the two years since she opened the California store as a second outpost to her first location in Studio City. Hollywood director Paul Feig, whose works include Bridesmaids and The Heat, posted a tribute saying that Carleton, who he called his “wonderful friend,” had been killed by a young man. “Her alleged murderer was later shot and killed by the San Bernardino police and so no longer poses a threat to the community,” Feig continued. “But this intolerance has to end. Anyone using hateful language against the LGBTQ+ community has to realize their words matter, that their words can inspire violence against innocent loving people. Let’s all keep moving forward with tolerance and love. Let’s not let Lauri’s tragic death be in vain.” The Lake Arrowhead LGBTQ+ described her as a “remarkable figure”, whose "unwavering support" for the community and “dedication to creating a safe and inclusive space within her shop touched the lives of many”. The shooting comes about one month after the Anti-Defamation League and the LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD released a report indicating a recent rise in anti-LGBTQ harassment, vandalism or assault in the United States. “This is absolutely horrific. This disgusting hate has no place in CA,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a social media post on Saturday. Read More Laura Carleton shooting – latest: Mag.Pi store owner and ‘true LGBTQ ally’ killed in row over Pride flag California store owner, 66, shot dead after argument about Pride flag outside her shop Paul Feig leads celebrity reactions to ‘horrific’ shooting of California store owner over Pride flag

It will become illegal to be a member of or support the Russian mercenary group.

Serenity Hawley's ex-boyfriend and fellow high-schooler was reportedly harassing and blackmailing her prior to the incident

As nations across Southern Europe along with parts of the US face temperatures topping 40C, El Nino conditions are building in the Pacific that bring a chance of a record-breaking event that will bring more such sweltering heat. Last month saw a “weak” El Nino form, a periodic climatic event around the warming of sea surface temperatures in the Pacific, which can cause knock-on heat around the world. But an update from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) on Thursday said that it will almost certainly strengthen throughout the year, with an 81 per cent chance it will peak with a “moderate to strong intensity” between November and January. There is a one in five chance that this event will be of “historic” strength, rivaling the major one experienced in 1997, Noaa said. Such an event would only increase the chances of more extreme heat as seen in Italy, Spain, Greece and parts of the US this week, with an expectation such temperatures will continue into next week. The European Space Agency (ESA), whose satellites monitor land and sea temperatures, said July will be a torrid month, with the heatwave in the region – named Cerberus – pushing temperatures up towards 48C (118F). "Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Poland are all facing a major heatwave with temperatures expected to climb to 48 Celsius on the islands of Sicily and Sardinia, potentially the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Europe," it said. Tourists have been warned to take care in the extreme heat, with Cerberus has taken hold across many popular British family holiday hotspots in the Mediterranean. An Abta spokesman said: "High temperatures around our favourite holiday hotspots are not uncommon at this time of year and it is always important that you take sensible precautions, particularly making sure that you and your family drink plenty of bottled water as it is extremely easy to become dehydrated, and always use plenty of high factor sun cream. "Follow the example of local people and leave the beach at midday and early afternoon when the sun is at its most powerful, to have a long, leisurely alfresco lunch in the shade. "Holidaymakers have the option of cooling off in the pool or sea and don't forget to put on the air conditioning or turn on the fan at night to ensure you have a cool, restful sleep." Rebekah Sherwin, an expert meteorologist from the Met Office's global forecasting team, said the "heatwave conditions already occurring across much of southern Europe, northwest Africa and the Middle East are expected to continue through the coming week". She added: "Peak temperatures, which are around 10 to 15C higher than average, could reach the mid-40s degrees Celsius in parts of southern Europe and up to 50C in parts of North Africa. Ms Sherwin said that "unusually high" sea surface temperatures are also occurring across the region, with many parts of the Mediterranean seeing surface temperatures as high as 25 to 28C. Weather alerts were in place across Spain's Canary Islands, Italy, Cyprus and Greece, with the Greek authorities expecting temperatures to reach as high as 43C or 44C on Friday or Saturday. In Greece, the government has ordered the suspension of work between 12pm and 5pm local time in areas where the risk from heat is very high, and also requested remote work for private sector employees with health conditions. In the Balkans, beachgoers in the Croatian town of Nin smeared themselves in its medicinal local mud to protect themselves from the sun while 56 firefighters with 20 vehicles and three aircraft struggled to contain a brush fire near the Adriatic town of Sibenik. In Southwest US, searing conditions will build into Friday and throughout the weekend in the central and southern parts of California, where many residents should prepare for the hottest weather of the year, the US National Weather Service warned. Midday highs were mostly expected to be above 38C, and desert areas could reach nearly 49C, forecasters said. Across the US, more than 111 million people were under extreme heat advisories, watches and warnings. The heat could continue into next week as a high pressure dome moves west from Texas. In Arizona, temperatures have hit 43C for more than a dozen consecutive days. The United Nation's World Meteorological Organisation said on Monday that global temperatures recorded in early July were among the hottest on record. Presss Association, Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report Read More Florida coral reefs risk ‘nasty bleaching’ as temperatures reach 90F Hottest week on record ‘worrying news for planet’, say scientists Earth sets its hottest day record for third time in a week Deforestation of Amazon down by a third in 2023 after Bolsonaro’s defeat Earth’s record high temperature maintained for second day Beijing bans outdoor work after city suffers 10-day streak of temperatures beyond 35C

A new, first-of-its kind study has demonstrated that laughter can indeed be good medicine – especially for those with heart disease. Laughter therapy can increase the functional capacity of the cardiovascular system that includes the heart, lungs, arteries and veins, found the yet-to-be peer-reviewed research presented at the annual meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Amsterdam. Researchers, including Marco Saffi from the Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre in Brazil, found reduced inflammation and better signs of health among coronary artery disease patients who engaged in a course of laughter therapy. They found laughter therapy sessions could cause the tissue inside a patient’s heart to expand, potentially leading to increased oxygen flow through the body. Until now, different treatments without the use of drugs have been studied in coronary artery disease patients, but the benefits of rehabilitation using laughter therapy was not fully assessed, scientists said. In the new study, the impact of laughter therapy on the functional capacity, tissue function as well as markers of inflammation in the bodies of patients with coronary artery disease was evaluated. The condition, which is one of the most common diseases in the world, arises when the heart’s coronary arteries struggle to supply the organ with enough blood, oxygen and nutrients. Scientists conducted a clinical trial involving 26 adults with an average age of 64 from August 2016 to December 2020, measuring each of their oxygen uptake and the widening of their main artery when blood flow increases. Researchers also measured levels of molecules in the patients’ bodies, indicative of inflammation such as interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha, vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM) and intercellular adhesion molecule (ICAM). Thirteen of the patients were assigned to the group that underwent laughter therapy by watching two self-selected TV comedy shows per week. The other 13 served as the control group and watched “neutral documentaries”, scientists noted. They said the study is the first controlled clinical trial to evaluate the impact of rehabilitation using laughter therapy on patients with coronary artery disease. It revealed an increase in the body’s peak oxygen uptake and improvements in tissue function as well as the body’s markers of inflammation. The new findings are in line with previous research that suggested having a good laughter session makes the body release endorphins, which are hormones that reduce stress and inflammation and help the heart and blood vessels relax. Based on the new results, presented at the world’s largest heart conference, scientists say laughter therapy may constitute an “effective form of cardiac rehabilitation in this patient population”. Read More How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) A broad genetic test saved one newborn's life. Research suggests it could help millions of others Snoring before age 50 is a health ‘red flag’, experts suggest How many steps a day can cut risk of early death (and it’s not 10,000) Experts warn that snoring before you turn 50 is a health ‘red flag’ ‘Boy moms’ called out for dubious logic behind teaching their sons to cook