1 week agoViral XComments Off on Thousands of Scots face major benefits cuts as welfare budget slashed by Rachel Reeves in Spring Statement
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Citizen’s Advice Scotland chief executive Derek Mitchell blasted the cuts to benefits.
He said: “It’s important to understand the context of this. The cost of living crisis hasn’t gone away.
“There are no circumstances in which ill and disabled people should bear the brunt of the problems in the wider economy.
“It’s in all of our interests to ensure the system works and is properly funded. We need more investment in social security, not less. The cuts announced today are in complete contradiction to this and will only cause more hardship and harm.”
The cuts to benefits come as part of £14billion of cuts and other money-saving measures announced by Ms Reeves in the House of Commons.
The Chancellor set out the swingeing cuts to meet her “non-negotiable” rule of balancing day-to-day spending against tax income.
But she was forced to admit inflation would be higher during 2025 than planned, rising from 2.6 per cent to 3.2 per cent according to official forecasts.
The OBR said higher energy and food prices and “more persistently high wage growth” will cause inflation to hit a peak of 3.7% in the middle of this year.
The economy will also grow by just 1 per cent of GDP instead of 2 per cent – a major blow to the government which promised growth as part of its sell to voters at last year’s general election.
Ms Reeves said: “I am not satisfied with these numbers.
“That is why we on this side of the house are serious about taking the action needed to grow our economy. Backing the builders, not the blockers.”
Despite the dramatic downgrade in 2025, she said the OBR had upgraded its forecasts for subsequent years with GDP expected to increase by 1.9% in 2026, 1.8% in 2027, 1.7% in 2027 and 1.8% in 2029.
Ms Reeves also said that overall, day-to-day spending will be reduced by £6.1 billion by 2029/30 and it will now grow by an average of 1.2% a year above inflation, down from the 1.3% forecast at the time of the budget.
It is not yet clear how that could impact Scottish spending due to it being unclear on which departments the cuts will fall and whether they are devolved or reserved areas.
1 week agoViral XComments Off on I played against England at World Cup then became David Beckham’s team-mate – now I want to be a Premier League referee
CHRIS BURCHILL never made it to the Premier League as a player – but is eager to get there in retirement.
Paul TongeFormer Port Vale and LA Galaxy midfielder Chris Burchill is training to become a ref[/caption]
GettyThe midfielder played alongside Englnad legend David Beckham in LA[/caption]
GettyBirchall also faced England in the 2006 World Cup for Trinidad and Tobago[/caption]
And now he is retraining as a referee, all thanks to a special PGMOL initiative for former pros.
The scheme aims to fast-track ex-players into officiating over a three-year period.
Birchall, who played most of his club football for Port Vale, hung up his boots in 2017.
Now 40, he believes the scheme is vital to bring through the next generation of referees.
Birchall told Sky Sports: “If you were a professional who finished at 32, 33, there wouldn’t be an opportunity because you’d be 45 before you had the chance.
“This is why this programme is so exciting because it opens doors to ex-players to come through into the game and use their experience to not be better referees.
“But to try and be as good as they individually can, because there are some exceptional referees coming through who haven’t played the game.
“A lot of people say this is what the game’s been crying out for, but you don’t want to be the person to say ‘ex-players are going to become better refs’.
“It’s just another string to the bow of officiating.”
Ex-pros including Coventry winger Carl Baker and Milwall midfielder Liam Trotter are also enrolled in the course.
And Birchall has big ambitions – with a spot in the Premier League within his sights.
He continued: “Sometimes, someone will ask you a question like, ‘Where do you want to be in three years?’
“I want to be in the Premier League. I don’t want to come across as arrogant, but the opportunity is there to be in the Premier League.
“So, my goal within that three to four years is to be officiating in the Premier League.”
What do David Beckham’s tattoos mean?
Hands
Starting with the hands, and David Beckham has the word “Love” inked across the top of his left hand, with a swallow on either side.
This is joined by the numbers 723, a combination of the shirts he famously wore for Manchester United and later Real Madrid.
On his little finger, he has the year he was married.
Becks also has a small female-stick figure designed by his daughter Harper.
The devoted husband has “Posh” tattooed on a finger as a nod to wife Victoria Beckham‘s Spice Girls nickname.
Arms
Becks has two sleeve tattoos on both his arms with the centrepieces paying tribute to his marriage to Victoria.
The most famous of his body art comes in the shape of her name along the inside of his forearm, which is inked in Sanskrit.
Both Posh and Becks have Hebrew tattoos, which they got to celebrate their sixth wedding anniversary.
The matching tatts translate to, “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine”.
Meanwhile, Becks also has a separate rose inking on his left arm to mark the couple’s tenth anniversary.
Neck
One of Beckham’s most famous tattoos is on his neck, which is a gothic style cross and wings.
It is symbolic of to his religion and acts as a protective guardian of his son Romeo, whose name is tattooed just below the angel wings.
Beckham also has the name of his daughter, Harper, on the side of his neck.
This was later updated to include the words “Pretty Lady”, to mark her fourth birthday.
Back
Beckham’s back tattoos serve as tribute to his sons.
He has angel wings at the top as a sign of protection for them.
Becks has both his eldest on Brooklyn, and his youngest son Cruz‘s names inked across his back.
Body
Beckham has a large chest tattoo that is an image of himself as Jesus, with three cherubs representing his sons, Brooklyn, Romeo, and Cruz.
The footy ace also has a vertical tattoo down his left side in Chinese symbols – this translates as “Death and life have determined appointments”.
Paying homage to his father, he has an inking of a ship at full mast – which is identical to the same one his dad has.
Birchall spent much of his early career in England’s lower leagues, playing for Vale, Coventry and Brighton.
His world was turned upside down in 2009 when he joined the Galaxy in Los Angeles, replacing Beckham on his debut.
1 week agoViral XComments Off on The common virus linked to 7 types of cancer now found to raise heart disease risk – and 80% of people will be infected
A VIRUS that’s previously been linked to seven types of cancer could also increase the risk of heart disease, say researchers.
GettyHPV has previously been linked to seven types of cancer – including cervical cancer and some types of head and neck cancer[/caption]
GettyA new study has now linked it with heart disease – researchers would now like to see if reducing HPV via vaccination could reduce cardiovascular risk[/caption]
The link between human papillomavirus (HPV) and heart disease and coronary artery disease was made in a study carried out by the American College of Cardiology study.
While they don’t usually cause any problems, some types can cause genital warts or cancer – including cervical, vulvar, vaginal, penile, anal, oropharyngeal (mouth and throat), and some types of head and neck cancer.
The study is the first to assess the association by pooling data from several global studies involving 250,000 patients.
“Our study shows that clearly there is an association of some kind between HPV and cardiovascular disease,” said Stephen Akinfenwa, an internal medicine resident at UConn School of Medicine in Farmington, Connecticut, and the study’s lead author.
“The biological mechanism has not been determined but is hypothesised to be related to chronic inflammation.
“We would ultimately like to see if reducing HPV via vaccination could reduce cardiovascular risk.”
For the meta-analysis, researchers identified seven studies conducted between 2011 and 2024 that included data on HPV status and cardiovascular outcomes across a follow-up time of three years to 17 years.
The researchers used several statistical approaches to extract data on the relationship between HPV and cardiovascular disease, coronary artery disease (a condition when plaque builds up in the heart’s arteries, reducing blood flow to the heart) and high blood pressure.
Some of the analyses also adjusted for potential variables such as smoking, diabetes and other known heart disease risk factors.
The results showed HPV-positive patients had a 40 per cent higher likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease and twice the risk of developing coronary artery disease compared with HPV-negative patients.
Even after adjusting for variables such as medical history and lifestyle behaviours, the relationship between HPV and heart disease remained – HPV-positive patients had a 33 per cent higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those without HPV.
Based on the findings, Akinfenwa said said health professionals could consider closer heart monitoring for people who test positive for HPV.
“We always talk about cardiovascular risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure and so on, but we know that about 20 per cent of cardiovascular disease cannot be explained by these conventional risk factors,” Akinfenwa said.
“This makes it important to identify non-conventional risk factors like HPV that could potentially be targeted.”
But he added further research is needed to better understand the strength and mechanisms of the link between HPV and heart disease, as well as the potential role of HPV vaccination in preventing cardiovascular problems.
Symptoms of HPV
HPV doesn’t usually cause any symptoms, and most people who have it don’t realise.
But in some cases the virus can cause painless growths or lumps around your vagina, penis or anus (genital warts).
Many types of HPV affect the mouth, throat or genital area and are easy to catch – you don’t need to have penetrative sex.
You can get HPV from:
any skin-to-skin contact of the genital area
vaginal, anal or oral sex
sharing sex toys
HPV testing is part of cervical screening, there’s no blood test.
But cervical screening is offered to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 to 64 to help protect against cervical cancer.
How to protect yourself against HPV
YOU cannot fully protect yourself against HPV, but there are things that can help.
Condoms can help protect you against HPV, but they do not cover all the skin around your genitals, so you’re not fully protected.
The HPV vaccine protects against the types of HPV that cause most cases of genital warts and cervical cancer, as well as some other cancers. It does not protect against all types of HPV.
HPV vaccine
The HPV vaccine is recommended for children aged 12 to 13 years old and people at higher risk from HPV.
Most people who are eligible for the HPV vaccine can have it.
You only cannot have the vaccine if you’ve had a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) to a previous dose of the vaccine, or an ingredient in the vaccine.
There’s no evidence the vaccine is harmful if you’re pregnant, but sometimes you may be advised to wait until you’re no longer pregnant before having the vaccine.
Adolescence star Ashley Walters bravely admits he was a ‘functioning alcoholic’ on Top BoyInstagram/grmdailyInstagram/grmdailyThe TV star made an appearance on the GRM Daily podcast Thoughts in a Culli[/caption]
The TV star, who plays Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in the hard-hitting Stephen Graham drama, made an appearance on the GRM Daily podcast Thoughts in a Culli.
The show features in-depth interviews with influential figures from the UK, all whilst cruising around in a Rolls Royce.
When asked how often he would drink by host, GRM CEO Koby “Posty” Hagan, Ashley replied: “I was drinking from morning to night.
“I was waking up at seven, if I wake up, I’m drinking.”
Ashley, who appeared on the gritty Channel 4 and Netflix crime drama Top Boy, played the iconic character of Dushane.
He continued: “I was a functioning alcoholic, there’s a lot of times you guys would have seen me on Top Boy waved (drunk) or I would have come in very hungover,” he admitted.
He played the role alongside Kane Robinson, better known as Kano, and Ashley was asked if his co-star ever noticed his addiction.
“Yeah, I think so, we discussed it. When the time came that I had to get the help that I needed, it was whilst we were filming, actually,” he replied.
“I just had to say to producers and to everyone, I need to go away. I didn’t say what for, I just said, I need to go away and I went away for about four or five weeks and just cleansed myself.”
Ashley admitted how he would even substitute Mouthwash to fulfil his alcoholic addiction at the time, he said: “Mouthwash has got alcohol in it, I’d drink that if I needed to.
“Alcoholism is not about the drink. Addiction is not about the drug or the thing that you choose to be addicted to.
“It’s about you, I’d be out in spaces and I’m like, how come everyone can talk to each other and have conversations happily and laugh and joke and whatever, and I can’t?
“When I started drinking, I became the life of the party.
“The worst parts of me and the best parts of me, I was able to show people and that’s the issue, that’s alcoholism.
“It’s about a mindset, It’s about feeling like you’re different to everyone else.”
A few weeks ago, the Top Boy star candidly shared his struggles with addiction during an appearance on The Jonathan Ross Show.
“It (alcohol) took its toll on me, my body, it took its toll on my career but more importantly my family, my wife and kids,” he revealed.
“The day I decided to get help was the day my six-year old daughter at the time knocked on my bedroom door and said she didn’t want me to live there anymore.”
“I went in (rehab) for four weeks and came out a better man.”
The Netflix star has now been sober for half a decade and since his time on Top Boy has gone on to feature in some major TV and films projects, including current streaming sensation, Adolescence.
Adolescence has gripped the nation since landing on Netflix earlier this month.
Latest stats revealed that Adolescence had been watched by 6.45 million people in its first seven days
Courtesy of Netflix.Ashley plays Detective Inspector Luke Bascombe in Adolescence[/caption]
Not known, clear with picture deskAshley admitted that at one point he had to leave the set of Top Boy to ‘cleanse’ himself[/caption]
Courtesy of Netflix.Adolescence has gripped the nation since landing on Netflix earlier this month[/caption]
1 week agoViral XComments Off on Tesco urgently recalls popular ready meals over health risk fears & warns shoppers ‘do NOT eat’
TESCO has urgently recalled its Free From Meal Kits due to undeclared soya in the products.
The recall was announced by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).
The supermarket giant is taking this action because the presence of soya is not mentioned on the product labels.
The FSA confirmed the products contained soya, making them potentially dangerous for those with this specific allergy.
According to Cleveland Clinic: “A soy allergy is a type of food allergy that occurs when your immune system mistakenly triggers a defensive response to soy.
“This response — or allergic reaction — can cause various symptoms, including vomiting, stomach cramps, indigestion, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, anaphylaxis.”
GettyTesco has recalled its Free From Meal Kits due to undeclared soya in the products[/caption]
Shane O’DOnnell, left, is in non-contact training with ClareJohn Sheridan/SportsfileThe Eire Og man was believed to have suffered a season ending shoulder injuryRay McManus/Sportsfile
That news was confirmed by Clare senior hurling boss Brian Lohan, who told the Irish Times: “It’s very unfortunate for Shane himself and the team as well.
“We looked at every option with Shane but the medical advice was that surgery was 100 per cent necessary, so we wish him well and a full recovery.”
However, in a potentially seismic twist, the Irish Examiner is reporting that the Eire Og man has returned to non-contact training.
It is all-but certain to come far too soon for him to be involved in the Banner’s Munster championship opener against Cork.
However, it conjures hope among fans that the three-time All Star could play some role in their All-Ireland defence later in the summer.
His injury represented a nightmare scenario for 2025 for the 30-year-old, especially after a dream 2024.
The Ennis man, who scored a hat-trick as a teenager when Clare won the All-Ireland final in 2013, was similarly influential in 2024.
Brian Lohan’s men beat Cork in last year’s decided to win Liam McCarthy for the first time in 11 years.
And O’Donnell’s contributions were recognised by winning his third All-Star and being named Hurler of the Year.
Asked by host Podge O’Connor in the aftermath of last year’s final about what legacy he’d like to leave after retirement.
O’Donnell said: “I had until I finished my career to break the idea that I was just that person who scored the goals in 2013, as if I didn’t have a career that spanned…like, I went on for years after that.
“So that would have been frustrating, if I’d played for 12 years and I was only remembered for what I did in my first year.
“I think that would have been frustrating.
“A couple of years ago, when I got my first All-Star, I kind of felt like that monkey was off my back.
“I felt I had a good year and I was really happy to get an All-Star.
“After that, I was like, yeah, it kind of broke that a small bit.
“Before that, I would have been conscious of being like, ‘God, I really need to do something one of these years so that I can have some sort of, I don’t know.
“Staggered nature to my career, rather than completely frontloading it’. That’s probably my answer.
“I think I would like to be remembered as, I don’t have any grand ambitions.
“Just for being a Clare player that contributed to the cause enough to bring two of Clare’s five All-Irelands back.
1 week agoViral XComments Off on I’m over 40 and tried ‘versatile’ jeans from Dunnes Stores for just €25 – here’s how I styled them
A FASHION fan revealed her everyday looks from Dunnes Stores that are comfortable but “not restrictive”.
Debbie, who posts under @stylemedeb, took to Instagram to rate some of the retailer’s latest jeans.
Dunnes Stores have released a new pair of high rise jeansdunnesstores.comInstagramAn Irish style lover rated the high rise jeans[/caption]
She said: “Out with the old, in with the new. Getting rid of lots of items from my wardrobe. I placed a large Dunnes order.”
The mum-of-four revealed the High Rise Wide Leg Raw Hem Jeans.
Debbie said: “First up are the jeans. They’re much darker than I thought, but I actually quite like the denim.
“So they are high rise, wide leg, €25, pretty good value.
“The colours are really nice, aren’t they?
“Again, jeans are something I really need because after clearing out all my old jeans – they just don’t do anything for my shape anymore.”
Dunnes Stores representatives said the jeans are a versatile choice.
They said: “These wide-leg jeans feature an unpicked hem and natural fading, giving them a well-worn look.
“The dark wash and classic five-pocket detailing make them a versatile choice, perfect for pairing with boots or heels for a polished finish.”
The classic jeans come in sizes 8 to 20 but many sizes have been snapped up online.
Sizes 10, 12, 14, 16 and 20 have sold out online.
Debbie styled the jeans with a pastel blue cardigan by Gallery costing €25.
She said: “This is so nice. So I love this color, and I love the buttons.
“I’m always struggling for something to put on every day during the day that isn’t gym wear, but is comfortable.
“I don’t want to be restricted. So this is actually really nice.”
Next up is the Crochet Stitch Button Cardigan retailing at €20.
Debbie said: “This is like a crochet effect, but again, it has buttons down the front.
“Love the colour. It’s like an olive green, which is really nice.
“It is going to be a bit see-through, but I think we could get away with a little cami under it, or to be honest, even a nude bra.”
Available in khaki or natural, it comes in sizes XS to XXL.
Its description reads: “This cardigan features intricate crochet detailing throughout and is designed with a button-through front and a traditional collar.
“Perfect for layering over a blouse or dress, this versatile piece can easily transition from day to night.”
Why police were called to first Dunnes Stores opening
BETWEEN the weekly food shops and bargain fashion - Dunnes Stores is a staple retailer in Irish households.
But this wasn’t always the case, and when the initial branch of the shop opened its doors in 1944 it caused quite the stir
On March 31 of the year, Ben Dunne opened the first ever Dunnes Stores on St Patrick’s Street in Co Cork.
Locals quickly learned of the grand opening and flooded into the store in what the retailer’s archives recall as a “shopping frenzy.”
The bargain clothing on sale inside the new store at “pre-war prices” was one of the factors cited for the buzz.
During the chaos a window was forced in and Gardai were called to the scene.
Cops worked to deal with the eager crowds and keep shoppers calm and safe before they made it into the store for their first Dunnes experience.
Fast forward some 80 years, the business now employs over 18,000 people and although an opening of a Dunnes branch hasn’t caused quite as much stir since the very first one, it has cemented its place as one of the nation’s leading retailers.
The fashion fan shared her haul on InstagramInstagramShe teamed the jeans with a blue cardiganInstagramAll items are available online and in storesGarrett White - Commissioned by The Sun Dublin
1 week agoViral XComments Off on Jason Statham’s Fifth Movie With Guy Ritchie Will Finally Return to Streaming Soon After $48 Million Box Office Disappointment
Jason Statham's fifth movie with Guy Ritchie is returning to streaming next month, after box office disappointment.
1 week agoViral XComments Off on The Apothecary Diaries Fans Can’t Miss April 4 as Studio Promises More Jinshi and Maomao Content
The Apothecary Diaries is on a roll with its fame being skyrocketed to new heights with every episode. It has been consistently delivering exceptional storytelling, making fans crave more of its content. Recently, the very romantic and kind of suggestive episode of The Apothecary Diaries Season 2 has renewed anticipation amongst fans who were dying […]
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