Federal judge halts White House effort to collect university data on applicants’ race

Results suggest radiotracer maraciclatide can ‘light up’ condition on scan and reduce need for investigative surgeryA non-invasive scan for endometriosis has shown promising results in a trial, boosting hopes for far quicker diagnosis.The trial, which included 19 women with the condition, suggests that an experimental radiotracer, called maraciclatide, can “light up” endometriosis on a scan. The current need for a surgical investigation is seen as a major obstacle to timely diagnosis, with women in England typically waiting nearly a decade. Continue reading...

Report calls for tough action to combat ‘escalating and unsustainable burden’ of liver-related problems in EuropeGovernments in Europe should impose much higher taxes on alcohol and unhealthy food to tackle the continent’s 284,000 deaths a year from liver disease, experts say.Taxes on those products should rise sharply enough for the money raised to cover the huge costs they place on health services, the criminal justice system and social services. Continue reading...

The astronauts joined president in Oval Office for a press conference, and it wasn’t long before he praised himselfDonald Trump hosted the crew of the historic Artemis II lunar flyby mission at the White House on Wednesday.The four astronauts – commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen – joined the president in the Oval Office for a celebratory meeting and press conference. Continue reading...

Actor and presenter broke his hip, right leg, pelvis and ribs when he gave a talk at CogX festival at O2 Arena in 2023Stephen Fry is suing two companies that organised a tech conference where he was injured in 2023 after falling off the stage, high court documents show.The actor and presenter broke his hip and had multiple breaks in his right leg, pelvis and ribs when he attended the CogX festival at the O2 Arena, where he delivered a talk on artificial intelligence on 14 September 2023. Continue reading...

HAYI has taken responsibility for a string of incidents targeting Jewish sites, but investigators say the latest claim may be opportunistic rather than state-backedPolice treating stabbing of two men in Golders Green as terrorismIt took just over an hour after the horrific knife attack on two British Jewish people in Golders Green, north London, for an Iran-linked terror group, Harakat Ashab al-Yamin al-Islamia (HAYI), to make a claim of responsibility on a Telegram channel.Counter-terror police are aware of the initial posting – a brief statement accompanied by the group’s logo – put online at 12.23pm and a follow-up 40 minutes later showing a violent attack at a bus stop. Continue reading...

People with meniscus tears who underwent surgery had poorer knee function and worse osteoarthritis after 10 years than those who did notA common knee surgery for cartilage damage does not benefit patients and may lead to worse outcomes, a 10-year trial suggests.The study tracked outcomes for patients treated for a meniscus tear, who were given a partial meniscectomy, one of the most common orthopaedic surgeries. Their trajectories were compared with patients who had randomly been assigned to receive “sham surgery”, in which no procedure was carried out. Continue reading...

Foreign affairs minister says China has agreed to facilitate exports of jet fuel to ease supply disruptions. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.Penny Wong has been busy on her latest overseas trip, saying China has agreed to negotiate on jet fuel sales to help ease the global oil crisis. Continue reading...

Decision gives mapmakers in Republican states power to crack districts into pieces and dilute votes into oblivionThe Voting Rights Act was a political peace compact written in John Lewis’s blood.The Callais v Landry decision by the US supreme court, which set aside much of section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, whitewashed that blood from history, along with that of thousands of other Americans who fought segregationist white supremacists at lunch counters and bus stations and courthouses for political equality. Continue reading...

Russian president welcomed decision to extend Iran ceasefire in what US president said was a ‘very good conversation’Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump discussed the war in Iran and floated a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine in a phone call on Wednesday.In the call, which lasted more than 90 minutes, the Russian president said Moscow viewed the prospect of a US ground operation in Iran as dangerous, while welcoming Trump’s decision to extend a ceasefire in the region, according to Yuri Ushakov, Putin’s foreign policy adviser. Continue reading...

California regulators settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executiveCalifornia regulators apologized to the SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk, this week as they settled a lawsuit that claimed a state agency showed political bias against the rocket company and its chief executive.As part of the settlement, the California Coastal Commission acknowledged its members made “improper” statements about Musk’s political beliefs at a 2024 hearing on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch program. Continue reading...

Sophie Corcoran challenging 10,000 Interns Foundation, which works with people from under-represented groupsAn influencer is taking a charity that organises internships for black and minority ethnic people to court because they do not organise schemes for white people.Sophie Corcoran, a GB News commentator, applied to a programme the 10,000 Interns Foundation was running with the Bar Council. She said she was “shocked to discover that the scheme is restricted to applicants of a particular racial background”. Continue reading...

Fed officials cite elevated inflation, slow job growth and uncertainty in Middle East as reasons for holding ratesSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxThe US Federal Reserve left interest rates unchanged after its latest board meeting, defying once again Donald Trump’s call for a cut as the central bank prepares for a leadership shake-up next month.On Wednesday, Fed officials continued to cite elevated inflation, slow job growth and uncertainty in the Middle East as reasons why rates were left untouched. Continue reading...