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The leader of the United Nations has urged Russia to resume the internationally-brokered deal so that grain can be shipped from Ukraine's Black Sea ports during the war

By Aby Jose Koilparambil British homebuilders are building fewer homes, cutting down on land purchases and offering more

Eight habits that could help people live more than 20 years longer have been identified by researchers. While it’s long been known that certain lifestyle factors can influence lifespan, the American study isolated the eight factors that have the biggest impact – being physically active, being free from opioid addiction, not smoking, managing stress, having a good diet, not regularly binge drinking, having good sleep hygiene, and having positive social relationships. The research was presented at Nutrition 2023, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition, and used data from 719,147 people enrolled in the Veterans Affairs Million Veteran Program. It found low physical activity, opioid use and smoking were associated with around a 30-45% higher risk of death, while stress, binge drinking, poor diet, and poor sleep hygiene were each associated with around a 20% increase, and lack of positive social relationships was linked with a 5% increased risk of dying. Men who had all eight habits at age 40 were predicted to live an average 24 years longer than men with none of the habits, according to the findings, and women with all eight habits in middle age were predicted to live an extra 21 years, compared with women with none of the habits. Xuan-Mai Nguyen, health science specialist at the Department of Veterans Affairs, said: “We were really surprised by just how much could be gained with the adoption of one, two, three, or all eight lifestyle factors. Our research findings suggest that adopting a healthy lifestyle is important for both public health and personal wellness. The earlier the better, but even if you only make a small change in your 40s, 50s, or 60s, it still is beneficial.” The researchers say the findings highlight how lifestyle factors contribute to chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease, which are associated with premature disability and death. How to embrace the eight healthy habits Inspired to give your own lifestyle a boost? “If making these small but mighty adjustments could help you to live for an extra 20 years, maybe it’s time to make those changes,” says life and wellbeing coach, Natalie Trice. She shares the following insights and tips… 1. Do more exerciseRegular exercise can help prevent a wide range of major diseases – plus it’s great for keeping stress levels in check. “Going for a walk, having a swim, running with friends, even just a good old dance-off in the kitchen can get your heartbeat up and those feel-good endorphins pumping – so get your trainers on and start moving,” says Trice. 2. Manage stressTrice suggests adopting simple stress-busting practices such as mindfulness meditation, and enjoying hobbies and sports. “These can profoundly impact overall wellbeing, as you bring your stress levels down,” she says. “This isn’t about pretending everything’s great, but rather looking at easy habits you can adopt that will take down the stress, which can lead to anxiety and burnout.” 3. Don’t smoke Quitting smoking is an essential step in improving health and potentially adding years to your life. Trice points out that while some people may think reaching for a cigarette takes the edge off their stress, there are healthier ways to cope. “Maybe going running or taking up yoga could be the release and focus you need, and one that will help you live longer, smell fresher and feel better,” she suggests. “Also, with the cost of cigarettes going up all the time, giving up will free up cash for the things in life that really need to be paid for.”If you are struggling to quit smoking, talk to your GP about options available to help. 4. Don’t binge drink“By cutting down on booze, you’re doing your body and brain a massive favour,” says Trice. “Drinking every night will impact your body and could affect your sleep and work performance. Enjoy life, but if you want to enjoy it for longer, then keep tabs on your drinking.” Official guidelines suggest drinking no more than 14 units of alcohol a week (equivalent to six medium glasses of wine of six pints of beer), spread across at least three days. 5. Eat healthily Generally speaking, a balanced diet that’s rich in fibre, whole grains, fruit and veg and lean protein, with heavily processed and sugary foods kept to a minimum, is linked with better health. “We all know about eating five-a-day but doing this can be tough if you’re busy with family and work. If you can start to do this, you’ll feel better,” says Trice. “Focus on eating regularly and thinking about what you put in your body, so that it works for you, not against you.” 6. Don’t take drugsRecreational drugs can harm health in a number of ways. Trice suggests those affected start by speaking to a trusted friend or their GP, and “look at the support which could not only extend your life, but save it”. 7. Try to get good sleep Trice says: “It’s vital that we look at getting a decent night’s sleep, as this can help you feel so much better. Making sure you have a sleep routine in place can be helpful and can be as easy as having no screens in the bedroom, having a bath or shower before you hit the sack, as well as making sure the temperature is right and you have curtains to keep the light out in the mornings.” 8. Nurture positive social relationshipsTrice observes: “If you’re able to nurture a supportive network of friends, colleagues and family, this can lead to improved mental and emotional wellbeing and a longer life.” Lacking social connections? Look at local volunteering opportunities and community walks and groups. Making friends can take time, but even finding ways to regularly spend time and interact with others can help. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live George Alagiah: What are the signs of bowel cancer? Carol Vorderman says she no longer sunbathes after health scare Carol Vorderman: Why my skin cancer scare means I no longer sunbathe

VANCOUVER, British Columbia--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 24, 2023--

CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 24, 2023--

“Now it’s time to cross over to our F1 Juniors,” said Sky’s lead presenter Simon Lazenby, in a feel which became familiar throughout the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend. Often the broadcaster striving for new avenues, never afraid of the status quo, Sky Sports took their television trials to a different avenue this weekend with the first-ever Formula 1 broadcast for children. An admirable experiment, it gave three teenagers a few days to savour as they started their summer holidays in Budapest alongside broadcasters Radzi Chinyanganya and Harry Benjamin. For Braydon, Scarlett and Zak – the latter a go-karter at junior level, the former duo presenters on Sky’s BAFTA-winning kids show FYI – it presented opportunities of a lifetime with interviews, quizzes and predictions with the best drivers and pundits in the paddock. And it provided some indisputably heartwarming moments. Like the segment where Zak met Lewis Hamilton and spoke to his hero about how inspiring the Mercedes star has been to black kids around the world, before then sitting in his Mercedes car. Or Scarlett and Braydon quizzing the ‘terrible trio’ of George Russell, Lando Norris and Alex Albon about what ice cream they’d describe themselves as. “Vanilla,” Norris quipped, pointing at Russell. There’s something about the involvement of adolescents in a press environment which can bring some much-needed light-heartedness to what can sometimes be a sterile process for all involved. For example, who can forget the young boy, in awe of his sporting icon, who asked Roger Federer at the US Open in 2017: “Switzerland is really cool, right? There isn’t too much livestock. So why do they call you the GOAT?” Yet away from one-on-ones with drivers, the core aspect to the alternative broadcast was the informal race coverage, live on free-to-air Sky Showcase, which presented an F1 race in an entirely different format. There were bright, 3D augmented graphics throughout, with a colour-coordinated leaderboard which, frankly, seemed clearer than the usual feed at times. Explainers popped up at various points, defining key F1-focused terms for younger viewers. The use of avatars for each driver was a cute touch, though obviously best kept for this experiment. Overall, it provided something completely unique and distinctive for a 70-lap race which provided a common routine in the obligatory Max Verstappen victory. Sure, nobody was asking for an F1-kids broadcast. And inevitably, naysayers online will have been quick to roll their eyes at the initiative. It was notable that both Sky F1 and Benjamin turned off replies to their tweets involving F1 Juniors over the weekend. Less an indication of the general reaction to the initiative and more a sign of the times – and the highly-charged often-abusive nature of social media. But that is not the point. F1 has for a while been a step ahead of other sports in the intuitiveness and creativity of its product, to the stage now where it is in the midst of a period of unprecedented worldwide popularity. The most obvious is the fly-on-the-wall nature of Drive to Survive on Netflix, a format only now being followed by the professional tennis and golf tours in search of extra eyeballs. It is a fine balancing act, though. During practice and the qualifying show, there were regular interspersions on the main feed to the Juniors, a process which may well have irritated petrolheads and fans of a sterner generation. While Sky like to push boundaries, their executives will be all too aware of trying to avoid alienating their core viewership. The one-off nature of F1 Juniors, at least this season, means this is unlikely to materialise. And there were moments of awkwardness. Like cutting to Christian Horner on the pit wall, seemingly in a baffled daze, who bluntly said: “Can we come back and do this in another 10 laps or so?” Like a selfie in the commentary booth with Danica Patrick, who had earlier stated the nature of sport “is masculine and aggressive” as she spoke about the lack of female racing drivers. There were obviously a few mistakes here and there – and it wasn’t completely crisp and clear-cut. But then it wasn’t meant to be. And, frankly, nor is David Croft and Martin Brundle’s expert commentary always error-free. In a sport as technical and fast-paced as F1, perfection is near-on impossible. Of course, unless you’re Verstappen at the moment. But the underlying takeaway is this: as a child, all you want to be is treated as a grown-up. The best way of learning about the intricacies of a sport like Formula 1 is to immerse yourself in the usual feed on a regular basis, creating a curiosity gap to discover more. As a one-off, F1 Juniors was worthwhile and undoubtedly a commendable initiative. For intrigued parents, showing their children an F1 race for the first time, who knows how many may have flicked on the coverage? Who knows how many might now flick on an F1 race in the future on a Sunday afternoon? Something different is not to be something dismissed. Read More Lewis Hamilton makes damning statement about his level after Hungarian GP Daniel Ricciardo is back - and this time he wants to go out on top Max Verstappen making Red Bull rivals ‘look like F2 cars’, says Toto Wolff ‘That would be terrible’: Max Verstappen jokes about Lewis Hamilton’s car number Lewis Hamilton makes damning statement about his level after Hungarian GP

BBC newsreader George Alagiah has died at 67 after being diagnosed with bowel cancer. Bowel cancer is the fourth most common cancer in the UK and leads to around 16,800 deaths every year. More than nine out of 10 cases of bowel cancer develop in older adults over the age of 50, and nearly six in 10 are in people aged 70 or older. Alagiah was first diagnosed with stage four (advanced) bowel cancer in 2014. By the age of 66, it had spread to his lungs, liver, spine and lymph nodes. The three main symptoms of bowel cancer are having persistent blood in the stools, an ongoing change in bowel habit (such as needing to go more often or suffering the runs) and persistent lower abdominal pain, bloating or discomfort. A loss of appetite may also occur, or somebody may suffer significant, unintentional weight loss. Several things are known to increase the risk of bowel cancer, though they cannot explain every case. These include a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre, being overweight or obese, not taking enough exercise and drinking too much alcohol. Being a smoker and having a family history of the disease can also push up the risk. Some people also have an increased risk of bowel cancer because they have another long-term condition, such as extensive ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. Bowel cancer screening is currently widely offered to people aged 60 to 74 who are sent a home stool kit every two years. Those aged 75 and over can ask for a kit every two years by phoning the free bowel cancer screening helpline on 0800 707 60 60. Bowel cancer can be very difficult to treat in its later stages. But in the early stages, tumours can often be removed through surgery. The main treatments for bowel cancer include chemotherapy, radiotherapy and targeted drugs, which depend on the genetic make-up of the tumour. One in 15 men and one in 18 women will be diagnosed with bowel cancer during their lifetime. Expert predictions are that 53,646 cases of bowel cancer (29,356 in men and 24,290 in women) will be diagnosed in the UK in 2035. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Carol Vorderman says she no longer sunbathes after health scare Carol Vorderman: Why my skin cancer scare means I no longer sunbathe This is how often you should actually change your razor

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BBC presenter George Alagiah has died at the age of 67, after nearly a decade of living with bowel cancer. The newsreader was first diagnosed in 2014. He underwent several rounds of treatment after the cancer returned and spread over the last few years. In a statement, his agent Mary Greenham said: “George fought until the bitter end but sadly that battle ended earlier today. George was deeply loved by everybody who knew him, whether it was a friend, a colleague or a member of the public. “He simply was a wonderful human being. My thoughts are with Fran, the boys and his wider family.” Earlier this year, Alagiah opened up about a symptom he wished he had caught earlier. He was taking part in an NHS campaign to encourage the wider public to take up its bowel cancer screening program. He urged people who have received a free test kit from the health service “not to ignore it” because it “could save your life”. “Had I been screened, I could have been picked up. I would have been screened at least three times and possibly four by the time I was 58 and this would have been caught at the stage of a little polyp: snip, snip,” he said at the time. Alagiah received his diagnosis after complaining of blood in his stools. He underwent 17 rounds of chemotherapy and five operations to treat the disease, which eventually spread to his liver and lymph nodes. He supported a campaign by Bowel Cancer UK and Beating Bowel Cancer to make cancer screening available to everyone in England from the age of 50. Currently, screening is available to everyone aged 60 to 74, but the NHS is expanding to include everyone aged 50 to 59 years old. Around 42,000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year in the UK, with 90 per cent of diagnoses made in people over the age of 50. It the fourth most common cancer and the second biggest cancer killer, leading to around 16,800 deaths every year. The three main symptoms of bowel cancer include having persistent blood in the stools; an ondoing change in bowel habits, such as needing to go more often or having diarrhoea; and persistent lower abdominal pain, bloating or discomfort. Some patients may also experience a loss of appetite, or significant, unintentional weight loss. According to Cancer Research UK, another potential symptom is tenesmus, which is the feeling of having to defecate without having stools, or experiencing pain upon defecation. Studies have found that several factors could potentially increase the risk of bowel cancer, although they cannot explain every case. These include a diet high in red or processed meats and low in fibre; being overweight or obese; not exercising often enough; and drinking too much alcohol. Smoking and having a family history of the disease can also increase the risk. Some people with long-term conditions like extensive ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease may also have an increased risk of bowel cancer. Bowel cancer can be treated with surgery, which may be paired with chemotherapy, radiotherapy or biological treatments. Catching the cancer at an early stage greatly improves chances of survival. However, the NHS states that if a cancerous tumour cannot be removed completely through surgery, then a cure may not be possible. For more information about treatment for bowel cancer, visit the NHS here and Cancer Research UK here. To speak to a Cancer Research UK nurse, you can call 0808 800 4040. The helpline is free and open from Monday to Friday, from 9am until 5pm. Additional reporting by PA Read More George Alagiah death: BBC newsreader dies aged 67 after bowel cancer diagnosis ‘One of the best and bravest’: George Alagiah obituary as long-serving BBC newsreader passes away ‘It’s not the doom and gloom you might think’: Jonnie Irwin details experience with palliative hospice care

Max Verstappen’s Hungarian Grand Prix victory gave his Red Bull team a record 12th successive Formula One race win. Here, the PA news agency looks at how the dominant Dutchman and his team compare to the greats of the grid. Prost and Senna’s record falls Verstappen has won nine of this season’s 11 races, with team-mate Sergio Perez taking the other two. Verstappen also won last season’s final race and not since the great McLaren pairing of Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost in 1988 has a single team dominated to such an extent. That season began in Brazil and while Senna was disqualified from his home race for an illegal car change, Prost took the chequered flag. Senna won in San Marino and he and Prost shared the next four races equally before Prost recorded a home win in the French Grand Prix. Four straight victories for Senna followed before Ferrari’s Gerhard Berger broke the streak in Italy, the only race all season not won by McLaren as they and Senna won a championship double with Prost close behind in second in the drivers’ standings. That is the case for Verstappen and Perez this season as well, albeit with Verstappen over 100 points clear of his team-mate. Verstappen added Bahrain and Australia to last season’s success in Abu Dhabi, alternating at the start of the season with Perez’s wins in Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan before taking sole control. Mercedes had three separate runs of 10 successive wins during Lewis Hamilton’s period of dominance, with Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari team also hitting double figures in 2002. Magnificent seven Since the start of May, Verstappen has won the Miami, Monaco, Spanish, Canadian, Austrian, British and now Hungarian Grands Prix to equal the second-longest winning run for an individual driver. Only Sebastian Vettel’s record of nine straight wins in 2013 remains for him to chase – victory in the next two races would see him equal that mark in front of his adoring home fans at August 27’s Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Alberto Ascari has a claim to matching Vettel. The Italian won the last six races of the 1952 season and the Argentine Grand Prix at the start of 1953 before not entering the Indianapolis 500, which at the time was part of the drivers’ championship. He went on to win the Dutch and Belgian GPs on his next two starts. Michael Schumacher won seven in a row in 2004, as did Nico Rosberg at the end of 2015 and the start of his 2016 title-winning season. Schumacher also had a run of six across the 2000 and 2001 seasons while Hamilton’s longest run is five wins, as was Verstappen’s before his current streak. He is on track to be the first driver ever to win over 80 per cent of races in a season – beating Ascari’s 75 per cent in 1952, when there were only eight races in total – while he has won over 93 per cent of the maximum points available with 281 of a possible 302 so far. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Max Verstappen making Red Bull rivals look like Formula Two cars – Toto Wolff I held my breath – Lewis Hamilton enjoys ‘extraordinary’ run to pole in Budapest Max Verstappen gives hope to rivals after coming 11th in Hungarian GP practice

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff believes Max Verstappen’s dominance of the sport is so one-sided that he is making the rest of the grid look like they are racing in a junior category. Verstappen took his ninth win of the season, extending Red Bull’s unbeaten streak to 11 from 11 this year with just one race remaining before the summer break. The Dutchman, now a staggering 110 points clear in the championship, finished more than half-a-minute clear of his rivals following another supreme showing in his supreme Red Bull machine. McLaren’s Lando Norris was runner-up – scoring consecutive podium finishes for the first time in his career – with pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton only fourth and his Mercedes team-mate George Russell sixth. “It was like a bunch of Formula Two cars against a Formula One car,” said Wolff. “In the F2 gang, our car was quick. The F1 car won by 33 seconds. “We had the second quickest car today, and obviously we can talk it up and say we could have been second, but that’s irrelevant because you have a car that finished 39 seconds ahead [of Hamilton], and was probably cruising a lot of the time. “We are going to fight back and win races and championships, but we saw the pace Max had, and that’s the bitter reality. “But it’s a meritocracy, and as long as you’re moving within the regulations, then we need to acknowledge Red Bull has just done a better job.” Hamilton has now gone 34 appearances without a victory – the longest streak of his career – while Verstappen has triumphed 24 times during the same period, moving him to 44 career wins. Verstappen’s Red Bull set a new record of 12 consecutive wins on Sunday, with Mercedes’ unprecedented 19 victories in a single campaign under threat. At the midway stage of this 22-round campaign, the world champions also remain on course to become the first team to complete the perfect season. However, speaking ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps – which includes a sprint race and the possibility of rain – Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was keen to guard against complacency. Horner said: “How long can we keep this winning run going? Who knows? “We’ve got another challenge next weekend, a sprint race, with the variable conditions of Spa. Anything can happen, so we’re really just taking it pretty much one event at a time.”

A woman who turned to roleplaying with hyper-realistic dolls “to help (her) cope” with the death of her first baby – and continues to do so with her husband and two rainbow babies – has said her husband’s parents disapproved of the hobby and fired him from the family business as a result. Christina Keeler, 38, a stay-at-home mum and YouTuber, from Wyalusing, Pennsylvania, USA, fell pregnant with her first “miracle” baby in 2015, despite having endometriosis and being told she would not be able to conceive in her 20s. She suffered a miscarriage, but after watching a documentary about so-called reborn dolls, she had a “lightbulb moment” and realised getting a hyper-realistic doll would be the “perfect solution”. Christina’s husband Bill, 43, was “hesitant” at first but became supportive after he saw how much it “helped (her) grief”. The couple went on to have two “miracle” daughters, Grace, six, and Joy, four, who now help feed, change and dress the family’s five reborn dolls – which cost between £1,560 and £3,899 each – in their “nursery” complete with “a crib and a wardrobe”. The family often take the dolls out in public, and have shared their journey on YouTube – where Christina documents people’s reactions to her dolls and birthing videos. Some silicone dolls come in a fake womb which allows a Caesarean section to be performed at home. But Bill’s family were “disgusted” with the hobby, to the point where they gave him a choice to stop having the dolls or leave the family business. He refused to shut down the YouTube channel and did not want Christina to give up her hobby, so he was fired. She fell pregnant with her first baby in 2015, a year after her mother died of cancer. The couple were “elated” about the pregnancy because Christina had been told in her twenties that she would not be able to conceive because she has endometriosis, but she miscarried at eight weeks. Christina told PA Real Life: “When we lost the baby it was so devastating, I remember lying in the hospital bed after they had taken the baby out of my belly, and screaming for my mum and wept wanting to cuddle my baby.” She “really struggled” with the grief of losing her mother and her baby so close together. She explained: “This feeling of sorrow just never went away, it was so painful that I never talked about it again.” Despite having her two “miracle” children Grace and Joy, Christina still longed to hold her first baby, and after watching a documentary about reborn dolls, she wanted to get one to see if it would help her grief. She said: “I felt so blessed to have two healthy girls, but that feeling of missing the first baby never quite went away. “When my youngest was around two years old, my husband and I came across a documentary about reborn dolls. “And he was like, ‘That’s really weird’, and I played it off that I thought the same, but actually I really wanted one to help me cope and I thought it would be the perfect solution.” After persuading her husband, Christina ordered her first lifelike doll, Hannah, costing her around £155. She said: “I told my husband and he was not on board at all, he was hesitant, but after explaining my reasoning, he was much more understanding and more accepting.” When the doll arrived, Christina instantly felt like it helped with her mourning. She said: “It helped me therapeutically because for the first time ever when I got my first reborn doll, I was able to talk about the loss of our baby. “And since then I have healed tremendously from that loss because I’m able to talk about it and share my story and help others – it helped my grief, for sure.” Christina now has a collection of five dolls called Carter, Cadence, Quinn, Isabella and Sammy, which she loves to dress, cuddle and feed. She takes the dolls out in public and people often mistake them for real babies. She said: “We have a nursery for them with a crib and a wardrobe. I check on them throughout the day, and on other days, especially when the girls want to get involved, I pick out an outfit for them, bring them to breakfast, get them to feed them a bottle, change them. “If we’re running errands we often take them out with us and put them in a car seat and stroller.” Christina and her family have been sharing their experiences on YouTube, where they are known as The Reborn Family. She said: “I make videos about people’s reactions to my dolls, as well as vlogs and birthing videos – I have some silicone reborn dolls which come in a womb and you perform a C-section on it at home, to give birth to the baby.” Despite her immediate family being supportive of the hobby, Christina admits not everyone in her wider family understands. She said: “My husband’s family were, and still are, disapproving of the reborns, even though they can see how much they helped me. They were disgusted. “We moved from California to Pennsylvania because my husband was next in line to take over the family business because they were about to retire, and they asked if we would like to do so and we agreed. “When they were on vacation they came across our YouTube channel, and they called us up and they were mortified and so embarrassed, and said we were ruining the family name.” When Bill’s parents came home, they gave him an ultimatum to stop having the dolls. Christina explained: “Bill said that he was not going to quit his job, and didn’t want me to stop having reborns because they were so therapeutic for me at the time, and his dad said, ‘Well, then you’re fired’.” My husband’s family were disgusted, they said we were ruining the family name Bill’s father was contacted by PA Real Life for comment, but he had not responded at the time of publication. Even though her reborns have caused tension in the family, Christina cannot see herself giving up her hobby any time soon. She said: “Reborns continue to help me with my grief, and I love sharing content with other people who have lost babies, and they can also really help people with dementia, people who are infertile, people with anxiety and depression, I wouldn’t want to stop this.” Read More Teenager who thought she was pregnant diagnosed with ovarian cancer Woman praised for response to parents who asked her to swap first class seat with their child Barbie vs Oppenheimer: Greta Gerwig makes history with biggest box office opening for a female director Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live