February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Move to tear-up key legal safeguards for terminally ill adults in assisted dying bill sparks major backlash
PLANS to let terminally ill adults end their lives have been thrown into chaos after moves to tear up key legal safeguards.
Labour’s Kim Leadbeater will amend her legislation so that assisted dying cases will not have to be signify by a High Court judge.
PAKim Leadbeater will amend her legislation so that assisted dying cases will not have to be signify by a High Court judge[/caption]
Instead, psychiatrists and social workers will be involved in approving the applications.
She argued it would be a “change for the better” and would actually strengthen safeguards.
But the last-minute tweak, proposed just hours before MPs began debating the Bill on Tuesday, has sparked a backlash — throwing its future into doubt and turning former supporters cold.
It comes after Ms Leadbeater had dismissed warnings that judges couldn’t handle the cases due to scarce capacity, insisting her Bill would be the “most robust” in the world.
Senior Tory James Cleverly blasted: “The protections that were promised in the assisted dying Bill are being watered down even before this becomes law.
“This Bill is being rushed, it is not properly thought through, none of the concerns raised at second reading have been addressed.”
The Bill will face further scrutiny and votes in the Commons and Lords, meaning any change in the law would not be agreed until later this year at the earliest.
Ten Labour MPs, including Meg Hillier and Florence Eshalomi, have warned the Bill has been “fundamentally changed” from what was originally presented to Parliament.
In a statement, they said: “Every MP voted at second reading with a promise of High Court scrutiny of each application for assisted dying.
“Yet despite repeated assurances until just days ago the proponents of the Bill have changed their argument – and fundamentally changed the Bill.”
GettyPlans to let terminally ill adults end their lives have been thrown into chaos after moves to tear up key legal safeguards[/caption]
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on Man City 2 Real Madrid 3: Heartbreak for hosts as Bellingham snatches 92nd-min winner as hosts throw away late 2-1 lead
THIS night began with a feud over last year’s Ballon d’Or but turned into a shoot-out between three more contenders for football’s golden globe.
Erling Haaland netted twice – his first ever goals against Real Madrid – but Kylian Mbappe shinned a goal for the 15-time European champions and Jude Bellingham slid home for a last-gasp winner, either side of a strike from Real sub Brahim Diaz.
PAJude Bellingham bundles home Real Madrid’s last-gasp winner[/caption]
ReutersBellingham celebrates his last-gasp strike[/caption]
Manchester City must now suffer their annual trial by fire at the Bernabeu with a one-goal deficit heading into next Wednesday’s second leg.
But who knows why City seem so determined to wind up heavyweight opponents recently?
After Haaland had provoked a vengeful Arsenal into a 5-1 gubbing of Pep Guardiola’s at the Emirates nine days earlier, here City were hell-bent on stirring up European football’s mightiest club.
Sure, it was petty of Real to snub last October’s award ceremony after City’s Rodri pipped Vinicius Jr to the title of the world’s player of the year.
But why go out of your way to make them angry – this team of all teams.
City cranked up the aggro by unfurling a huge banner of their injured midfielder kissing his golden ball with the words ‘Stop crying your heart out’.
Rodri was spotted in the stands taking a photo of this and in the players’ tunnel, there were similar images to welcome Madrid’s players.
And ultimately City ended up with egg on their faces again.
GettyBrahim Diaz celebrates his late equaliser at the Etihad[/caption]
GettyDiaz fires past Man City goalkeeper Ederson[/caption]
This was football’s version of Hollywood – players currently employed by City and Real occupied all of the top six places in those Ballon d’Or voting.
It high-quality, high-tempo, incident-packed and utterly breathless – just as it always is when the champions of England and Spain meet.
This has become an annual collision, usually in the latter stages, but here were the top two clubs in the Deloitte Money League scrapping it out in a play-off round for the right to reach the last 16.
Guardiola didn’t include any of his £180million January recruits in his starting line-up but sprang a surprise by starting Jack Grealish ahead of Phil Foden.
City had five specialist centre-backs in their starting line-up – John Stones in midfield and four strung across the back.
But Real, suffering a defensive injury crisis to rival Tottenham’s only had one young reserve central defender, Raul Asencio, available as Ancelotti employed two regular midfielders in defence.
In attack, though, Real go from famine to feast. From the off, they set about City by pinging passes at improbable angles at an impossible tempo.
Vinicius was floored by Ederson, who was rescued by an offside flag, and then got down well to keep out Kylian Mbappe after a gorgeous pass from the scorned Vinicius.
Then Ferland Mendy had a shot blocked by Nathan Ake and City were looking dizzy right up until the moment they scored.
Grealish played a delightful chipped pass into an advanced Josko Gvardiol who chested down for Haaland to lift his shot over Courtois.
GettyErling Haaland fires Man City into the lead[/caption]
ReutersHaaland celebrates with Josko Gvardiol[/caption]
It was the Norwegian’s first goal against Real, at his fifth attempt – although it took an an age for VAR to adjudge him onside, presumably a problem with the robot linesman’s wiring.
Grealish, after a bright start, was forced off injured, with Foden arriving and soon having a powerful shot pushed away by Thibaut Courtois.
Vinicius sent a curling effort against the crossbar, Mbappe had a shot deflected but City were gaining far more control in midfield, enjoying far more of the ball.
Rico Lewis replaced Manuel Akanji at half-time and soon Haaland – breaking into beas mode – rattled the crossbar with a blisterling shot.
For all their Hollywood quality in attack, Real were being pulled around frequently when City went forward.
Then the 15-time champions went up a gear – Bellingham heading wide when he should have scored and Mbappe testing Ederson.
These were the warning signs. City didn’t – couldn’t heed them – and on the hour mark, Real were level.
A free-kick was blocked to Dani Ceballos who floated a delicious ball over the top.
AFPKylian Mbappe celebrates his equaliser[/caption]
ReutersThe Frenchman fortuitously found the net[/caption]
Mbappe timed his run perfectly but shinned his effort, which looped over Ederson – the ball crossing the line in slow motion – it seemed like several seconds before the Real fans at the very end of the stadium realised their team had scored.
This A-list contest was living up to its billing – Haaland and Mbappe, the leading men on either side, seizing the limelight.
Feeerico Valverde then picked out Bellingham with an extraordinary raking pass but the Englishman’s finish was weak and Ederson saved.
Then came the moment of fortune which swung the match back in City’s favour.
Foden cut inside from the right, beat Mendy and was then too quick for Ceballos who dived in and trod on his feet right on the edge of the area – Clement Turpin pointed to the spot and VAR concurred.
Up stepped Haaland, who had missed a couple during City’s slump, and sent Courtois the wrong way.
But five minutes form time, Vinicius had an agled drive saved by Ederson only for sub Diaz to snap up the rebound for a second Real equaliser.
Real’s winner was a disaster for City – Mateo Kovacic playing a poor ball to Lewis who lost possession, Vinicius chipping Ederson and Bellingham sliding in to score with virtually the last kick of the match.
GettyHaaland strikes from the penalty spot[/caption]
February 11, 2025New York StateComments Off on ‘Emergency’ Nasa decision announced as odds on city-killer asteroid 2024YR4 smashing into Earth shorten AGAIN to 1-in-43
THE odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth have shortened again with scientists now saying it has a 1-in-43 chance of hitting.
Space officials have reacted to the drastic change by announcing an “emergency” decision has been declared in order to closely monitor the huge asteroid.
GettyThe odds of asteroid 2024 YR4 colliding with Earth have shortened again (stock image)[/caption]
AFPThe asteroid seen on January 27, 2024 now has a one-in-34 chance of colliding with Earth[/caption]
Boffins from the European Space Agency (ESA) previously said there was just a one-in-83 chance it could make an impact in the year 2032.
Just a few days later NASA announced a further drop down to a one-in-53 chance of it striking Earth.
The odds have continued to move in recent weeks with fears starting to rise over what the asteroid may be capable of should it ever strike.
Despite it still having just a 2.3 per cent chance of hitting Earth, 2024 YR4 has caused space agencies to leap into preventative measures.
A clever international team of astronomers have now been granted use of the iconic James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) so they can determine how much damage the asteroid may cause.
Astronomers are set to use the JWST in March to measure the exact size of 2024 YR4 and make any final calculations around its orbit.
The JWST, used by both the ESA and NASA, will take images of 2024 YR4 from its position a million miles away from Earth.
A second round of observations will also take place in May to determine how it has moved within a few months.
At the moment, scientists believe the asteroid could be up to 300ft wide – the same size as New York‘s Statue of Liberty or London‘s Big Ben.
But its true size is yet to be confirmed with the powerful telescope set to help measure the light reflected from the asteroid’s surface.
The larger an asteroid, the brighter it will appear through the lens in most, but not all, cases.
2024 YR4 was first spotted by the NASA-funded Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System station in Chile, late last December.
At the time it had just a 1.3 per cent chance of hitting but was quickly regarded as one of the biggest threats to Earth.
This shot it to the top of NASA’s and ESA’s priority risk lists.
Astronomer Dr David Whitehouse first noted the chances of a disastrous collision increasing as he said the asteroid is “unacceptable to ignore”.
The European Union-funded NEO Shield consortium which aims to investigate the best methods of stopping a clash presented some of its ideas including a nuclear bomb which would be a last resort.
An impact would unleash energy hundreds of times greater than that of the Hiroshima bomb with a blinding flash as shock waves that would flatten anything for miles.
One expert called it a potential ‘city-killer’ telling CBS that “if you put it over Paris or London or New York, you basically wipe out the whole city and some of the environs.”
A tsunami could occur if the asteroid ends up exploding near a coastline.
Another option would be laser ablation where spacecrafts are sent to approach the rock and fire lasers at it.
The lasers would heat up the surface of the asteroid to extremely hot temperatures of around 2,730 degrees.
This would ablate and vaporise the rock and as gases are discharged from the space rock creating a thrust, and eventually its orbit and speed will change.
Other potential aversion options would be gravity tractors where a giant spaceship would move the asteroid off course or they could send in kinetic impactors to smash into it and break it up.
A final option on the table should a collision course ever threaten is what is known as a madmen swarm.
Scientists are researching using a Modular Asteroid Deflection Mission Ejector Node (MADMEN) to drill into the asteroid to push it away from Earth.
The concept would see a swarm of the spacecrafts land on the asteroid and drill into it.
They will then eject the drilled material into space and gradually this change in mass will result in a change of trajectory for the asteroid.
NASASpacecrafts armed with lasers could be used to ablate the space rock[/caption]
GettySending a nuclear bomb into space will be a last resort, officials have said[/caption]
