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People over 40 in England will be sent a blood test to carry out at home in a bid to reduce heart disease and obesity. Digital NHS health checks, which will also include an online health questionnaire, will be launched next spring for people aged 40 to 74. Around 15 million people will be eligible, with around one million online checks expected to be carried out over the next four years. Health and Social Care Secretary Steve Barclay said: “Thousands of heart attacks and strokes could be prevented every year through simple health checks, which could save lives and ease pressure on the NHS. “This new digital check-up will mean people can do simple tests and get tailored advice from homes while reducing pressure on GP services.” The home blood test will check cholesterol levels with patients asked to take a blood pressure test at a pharmacy, alongside the online assessment covering details such as weight, height, diet, alcohol intake and exercise levels. Results will be made available online with help available to anyone showing early signs of issues such as diabetes or heart disease, as well as referrals to weight-loss clinics or medication. The online questionnaire will be available via phone, tablet or computer and the Government believes each check will save 20 minutes of NHS time. This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS Professor Sir Nilesh Silemani Cardiovascular disease is the second biggest killer in England, affecting around 6.4 million people. The Government says the new digital check will help to identify 200,000 people who could benefit from the use of statins, 30,000 cases of hypertension and prevent around 400 heart attacks and strokes over the first four years. Professor Sir Nilesh Samani, medical director at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This initiative will help to reach more people and encourage them to get their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked so that, where necessary, healthcare professionals can work with them to manage their condition. “This could play an important role in helping people live healthier for longer and saving lives in the coming years, while reducing pressure on the NHS.” Existing NHS health checks for people in the same age group take place face-to-face with a GP and concerns have been expressed that elderly people are not left behind if they struggle with technology. David Baines, vice chair of the Local Government Association, told The Times: “Making more digital health checks available is a useful tool to detect certain illnesses but it should be treated as an addition to, not a replacement for, a physical health check.”

It’s blistering hot across China and people will be trying to beat the heat by indulging in iced

The latest fashion trend to go viral online doesn’t involve a hot new denim style or designer handbag – it’s about overhauling your entire wardrobe with the help of colour analysis. Professional stylists and amateur enthusiasts alike have been sharing videos of fashionistas swathed in swatches of fabric as they endeavour to discover the palette of colours that suits them best. Also known as ‘finding your colours’, the topic is exploding on social media, with millions of video views on TikTok and 100k posts under #colouranalysis on Instagram. “TikTok users love educational content and transformation stories,” says Cliff Bashforth, managing director of Colour Me Beautiful, which provides personal colour consultations. “Colour analysis provides a captivating narrative, and the system can be proven by displaying ‘before and after’ makeovers, good and bad colours on an individual and colour combinations.” While trends like this year’s ubiquitous Barbie pink will keep popping up from time to time, consumers are increasingly rejecting the idea of ‘must-have’ pieces and adopting a more personalised approach. “With the general conscience turning away from fast fashion, colour analysis is a good way to ensure you’re buying something that will suit you perfectly and last a lifetime,” says Megan Watkins, head stylist at SilkFred. What are the benefits of colour analysis? “For many people, finding their most flattering shades of clothing (and make-up) is a life-changing experience,” says Bashforth. “Wearing your best shades of clothing enhances your natural colouring, brings out your individuality, boosts confidence, and ensures you always look your best, effortlessly expressing your personal style.” As well as guiding how you buy and style clothes, colour analysis can suggest flattering make-up and hair shades. Watkins says: “Finding the right colour palette for you will elevate your entire aesthetic and can even help with making your skin look brighter and minimise dark circles.” What happens at a colour analysis appointment? “It is a common misconception that ‘finding your colours’ is down to your hair colour or eye colour – it’s all about your skin,” says Watkins. “Your skin undertone stays the same no matter your age or how long you’ve been in or out of the sun, so assuming the colour analysis is done correctly, your colour palette will stay the same for the rest of your life.” At a professional colour analysis session, which can last up to two hours, a stylist will look at how different groups of shades look against your face. “Larger coloured swatches – known as ‘drapes’ in the trade – are used to test for the undertone, depth and clarity of the individual’s colouring,” Bashforth explains. “Some companies also use the seasonal method and categorise people into spring, summer, autumn, or winter. “At Colour Me Beautiful we start by explaining our 24-palette system so the client fully understands why he or she falls into a certain colouring type.” The stylist will talk through colour combinations, outfit ideas and make-up suggestions, and you’ll be given a fabric swatch to use as a guide for shopping. “No longer is an individual told ‘what colours to wear’,” Bashforth adds. “Instead a flexible approach has been adopted which means a client is shown ‘how to wear colour’ – it’s more about the shades of a hue, rather than the hue itself.” Can you do it yourself? While a thorough consultation with a specialist is the best way to find your perfect palette, there are some principles you can borrow to try some DIY colour analysis. “Gather up a variety of tops, knitwear etc. in warmer and cooler hues,” says Bashforth, starting with no make-up and wearing a top in a basic neutral shade. “In daylight, stand in front of a mirror and hold each garment up to your face, observing whether your complexion is enhanced and looks fresher, or your skin appears dull or pale.” You could also use the ‘vein test’ to see where you fall on the warm/cool divide. “All you need to do is check your wrist and see if your veins appear as a more green shade or if they appear to be a blue/purple hue,” says Watkins. “If you’re on the green side, this is classed as a warm tone, if you’re veering towards blue or purple then you’re on the cooler side of things.” She adds: “If you’re looking for a colour that suits just about everyone, primary red is a good bet as it partners well with every other colour on the colour wheel.” Leem Ruffled-Hem Woven Maxi Dress in Olive, £145, Selfridges Roman Blue Sleeveless Abstract Print Maxi Dress, £60 River Island Pink Ruched Sleeve Blazer, £65; Pink Wide Leg Pleat Trousers, £40 Oliver Bonas Gold & Yellow Striped Midi Dress, £79.50 Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Dementia diagnosis could be sped up thanks to AI Reading for pleasure in childhood boosts brain health in teenage years – study Stan Wawrinka on setbacks, preparing for Wimbledon and friendship with Roger Federer

By Jennifer Rigby and Richa Naidu LONDON One of the world's most common artificial sweeteners is set to

A new artificial intelligence (AI) tool may be able to look for early signs of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease, speeding up diagnosis. The technology, which could help doctors assess the early signs of the condition more efficiently, has been developed by researchers at the University of Sheffield. Known as CognoSpeak, the system uses a virtual character displayed on a screen to engage a patient in a conversation. It asks questions to test memory, inspired by those used in outpatient consultations and conducts cognitive tests, such as picture descriptions and verbal fluency tests. This tool could help patients start treatments sooner, reduce waiting times and give people certainty earlier Dr Dan Blackburn, University of Sheffield After that, the tool uses AI and speech technology to analyse language and speech patterns to look for signs of dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other memory disorders. Researchers behind the technology suggest it could play a key role in reducing the burden on dementia assessment services, once further testing in GP and memory clinics across the UK is complete. The National Audit of Memory Assessment Services in England and Wales, conducted between January and August 2021 by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and supported by Alzheimer’s Society, found that the average waiting time from referral to dementia diagnosis had increased to 17.7 weeks. This was up from 13 weeks in 2019, with waiting times across services nationwide ranging between zero and 104 weeks (two years), compared to three and 34 in 2019. There are currently around 900,000 people in the UK living with dementia, and this is projected to almost double by 2040, according to the Alzheimer’s Society. Dr Dan Blackburn, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Neuroscience, said: “Waiting for a possible diagnosis of dementia can be a very anxious time for patients and their families. “This tool could help patients start treatments sooner, reduce waiting times and give people certainty earlier. “The CognoSpeak system could transform how dementia and other memory disorders are diagnosed by speeding up assessments. “This would also free up clinicians’ valuable time and mean that those who need specialist care get access to it as quickly as possible.” Also an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and researcher at NIHR Sheffield BRC, he added: “There is a real clinical need for this kind of technology. “There are long waiting lists for memory clinics across the UK, but there are also inequalities in accessing the memory clinics service. “The CognoSpeak tool can reduce these inequalities and help make the service more efficient.” The CognoSpeak system could transform how dementia and other memory disorders are diagnosed by speeding up assessments Dr Dan Blackburn Professor Heidi Christensen, from the University of Sheffield’s Department of Computer Science, added: “The way a person speaks can tell us a great deal about their cognitive health and emotional wellbeing, and give us a very early indication of any signs of cognitive decline that may not otherwise have been detected. “The system we’ve developed here at Sheffield uses speech technology to automatically extract these signs and the automation means we can provide a consistent, accurate and fast assessment for everyone. “CognoSpeak is advanced, high tech and based on world-leading research in this field. “We have the biggest collection of data for this type of assessment anywhere in the world, which we’re using to advance the technology and improve its accuracy.” The system is being designed in a way that means once it is fully rolled out, a GP could refer a person with memory complaints to use the technology. CognoSpeak would send the test results back to the GP and then they would decide whether to refer the patient to a memory clinic for further assessment. The programme can be accessed through a web browser – meaning patients are able to take the test in the comfort of their home, rather than having to wait for a hospital appointment to take a pen-and-paper-based assessment. Researchers say early trials have shown the technology is as accurate at predicting Alzheimer’s as the current written tests used to assess or screen for cognitive, memory or thinking impairments. According to the team, previous research has demonstrated accuracies of 90% for distinguishing people with Alzheimer’s from people that are cognitively healthy. Developed by Dr Blackburn and Prof Christensen, the system is still in the research phase, but a £1.4 million National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) grant will allow it to be trialled more widely. The researchers are recruiting 700 participants from memory clinics across the UK to help develop the system further. The tool has been developed in collaboration with Therapy Box – a company specialising in speech and language technology – and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Devices for Dignity MedTech Cooperative (D4D). Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Reading for pleasure in childhood boosts brain health in teenage years – study Stan Wawrinka on setbacks, preparing for Wimbledon and friendship with Roger Federer Hacks for saving money on school uniforms

A Delta Air Lines flight from Michigan to Florida was diverted to Atlanta on Wednesday due to an incident with an unruly passenger, the airline said in a statement.

General Mills Inc. fell the most in the S&P 500 after the food producer’s annual forecast suggested that

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have announced the arrival of their fourth child, a baby boy born via surrogate. On Wednesday, the cookbook author, 37, and the “All of Me” singer, 44, shared the news that their family had expanded once more on Instagram, where they revealed they’d welcomed a son named Wren Alexander Stephens on 19 June. On Teigen’s Instagram, she reflected on the couple’s surrogacy journey in a lengthy post, in which she revealed that she’s wanted four children for “as long as [she] can remember”. In the emotional post, Teigen then reflected on the loss of her and Legend’s unborn child, Jack, in 2020, with the model revealing that she didn’t think she’d be able to “carry any more babies on my own”. According to Teigen, who gave birth to her and Legend’s third child, a daughter named Esti, in January 2023, she and the singer reached out to a surrogacy agency in 2021 about the possibility of “having two tandem surrogates, each to bring us a healthy baby boy or girl”. However, Teigen revealed that, early on in the surrogacy journey, she also decided that she wanted to try getting pregnant “just one more time”. “If it doesn’t work, we will be okay. We’ve already seen the worst,” she wrote. “I promised I would be okay no matter what happened.” According to the Cravings author, at that point, she and Legend started undergoing IVF, which she noted was the same process that allowed the couple to welcome their daughter Luna, seven, and son Miles, four. “We made new embryos. We did my transfer, and were so happy to learn it worked - we were pregnant with our little girl, Esti,” Teigen wrote, adding that “around this same time,” the couple also met the “most incredible, loving, compassionate surrogate we could ever imagine”. In the candid post, Teigen revealed that the first embryo transfer to their surrogate “didn’t survive,” before noting how “hard” their surrogate fought to prepare for a second transfer. According to Teigen, she and Legend didn’t want to rush the process, and so they were “patient” as she enjoyed the first trimester of her pregnancy “with, of course, a little bit of fear that isn’t any different from any other expecting couple”. Teigen said she and Legend learned that their surrogate was pregnant with a boy as they “crept toward the safe zone” of her own pregnancy, with the celebrity chef writing that she and the family’s surrogate celebrated together with their “growing bellies, our families blending into one for the past year”. In the post, Teigen then revealed that she’d gotten to witness as the “most beautiful woman, my friend, our surrogate,” gave birth “just minutes before midnight” on 19 June. Teigen concluded the lengthy post expressing her gratitude to her surrogate for the “incredible gift” before sharing a photo of their surrogate and one of the couple holding their newborn child in the hospital. The final photo showed a close-up shot of the baby. “Our hearts, and our home, are officially full. And to our Jack, we know both their angel kisses are from you,” she wrote. Legend also shared the news of the baby’s arrival on his Instagram, where he posted a photo of himself surrounded by his and Teigen’s four children, as well as the photo of the couple cradling their newborn. “Wren Alexander Stephens, our new love,” Legend captioned the album. More follows… Read More Chrissy Teigen responds to critics claiming she has a ‘new face’: ‘I gained weight’ Chrissy Teigen praised for thanking team of four nannies in Mother’s Day tribute ‘My small rash turned out to be a parasite living in my leg after a beach trip’ Bre Tiesi reveals whether she’d have another child with Nick Cannon How do I get a mammogram screening?

Chrissy Teigen and John Legend have welcomed a son via surrogate, just five months after Teigen gave birth to their daughter Esti.

By Leah Douglas Food insecurity is rising in the U.S. as the end of pandemic-era aid and higher

Hailey Bieber has divided fans after she appeared to attend her friend Stephanie Shepherd’s wedding in a white dress. Over the weekend, Bieber, 26, was accompanied by her husband Justin Bieber as they attended the Beverly Hills nuptials, where they were joined by fellow celebrities including Kim Kardashian, Kris Jenner, and Malika Haqq, according to photos of the festivities shared by the DailyMail. For the occasion, the Rhode Skin founder opted for a white, backless, long-sleeved gown with a high neck. She paired the look, which she later shared photos of on Instagram, with teal eyeshadow, a pale blue fur purse, and simple jewellery. According to the photographs, Justin wore an oversized white button-down shirt and black pants for the wedding of Shepherd, Kardashian’s former assistant, while the Skims founder, her mother, and Haqq were all photographed in black gowns. On social media, Bieber’s outfit choice has sparked criticism from fans, with some questioning the model’s choice to wear white to a wedding. “The only thing I want to know is why the f**k you wore white to a WEDDING,” one person commented under Bieber’s photos, while another asked: “Why is she wearing white to a wedding???” “Isn’t it against wedding law to wear anything close to white to a wedding?” someone else wrote. “I’m not even hating but it’s a huge yikes…” According to Diane Gottsman, a national etiquette expert and founder of The Protocol School of Texas, who previously spoke to The Independent, the rule against wearing white still applies for most weddings, as she noted that “white is still reserved for the bride” and that guests “should select another colour” when choosing an outfit. As for why guests should avoid white for a wedding, wedding dress designer Madeline Gardner previously told The Knot that it comes down to “the most important thing to keep in mind,” not upstaging the bride. Although many of Bieber’s fans questioned her dress choice, others argued that the model’s dress was actually light blue. “Her dress is light blue, not white,” one person claimed in the comments under Bieber’s Instagram post, while another said: “Before y’all start with your think pieces… the dress is baby blue. She wore baby blue head to toe.” However, others suggested that, even if Bieber’s dress was light blue, the light shade meant that it was still a breach of wedding etiquette. “This is too close to white I fear,” one person tweeted. “Is it me or is that dress pretty much white,” someone else wrote in response to the photos of the couple. While most were in agreement that guests should generally avoid wearing white to a wedding, others pointed out that Shepherd may have requested that attendees wear either white or black to her nuptials. “The theme was white and black right? Because it doesn’t make sense for this woman to be in WHITE at a wedding. I’ll be giving the benefit of the doubt,” one person tweeted. Although Shepherd did not post photos from the wedding, Swizz Beats shared an album of photos taken during the reception, in which Alicia Keys could be seen wearing a green dress. Bieber was not the only guest who faced backlash over the outfit she wore to the wedding, as fans also questioned the appropriateness of Kardashian’s dress, which featured a bra-style top and a skirt with cut-out details. “Is she going to a club or a wedding?” one critic asked. Shepherd, who previously held the role of COO of Kardashian’s KKW company before parting ways with The Kardashians star, married Larry Jackson, the former global creative director at Apple Music who recently created music company Gamma. Olivia Wilde faced similar criticism earlier this year after she wore a white gown to Colton Underwood’s wedding to Jordan C Brown. The Independent has contacted a representative for Bieber for comment. Read More Man sparks debate about engagement etiquette after proposing at girlfriend’s college graduation Woman sparks debate about what makes a dress too similar to a wedding gown Olivia Wilde sparks etiquette debate after wearing ‘wedding dress’ to Colton Underwood’s nuptials Bride’s friend calls out ‘sad and disrespectful’ wedding guests over outfits Influencers called out for visiting and promoting Shein’s factory in China Gabourey Sidibe jokes she ‘needs to take a class’ on ‘boob tape’ Outfit choices for Barbie cast photo sparks hilarious reactions

The Masaccio trains by Hitachi are Europe's first battery-powered trains, and are already running on regional routes in Italy. The hybrid trains can cut emissions and fuel consumption by 50%, with even more effective ones due to debut in two years time.