From claiming Ukraine was responsible for the war to incorrect numbers about aid received from the US and Europe, Donald Trump made a number of inaccurate statements while praising the progress made in US-Russia talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Guardian has had a look at his claims
Continue reading...Move over Wim Hof, it’s not just cold showers that are good for us. There are times when only a long, hot drench hits the spot
Hot or cold, long or short? Getting your showering right can leave you feeling not just fresh and clean but reaping health benefits too. Showering is often an unsung part of our daily routine, but something as simple as adjusting the heat of the water can be an effective way to boost wellbeing by, for example, easing muscle soreness, clearing congestion and helping us sleep better.
Neuroscientist Dr Rachel Taylor says: “You might have heard that a quick, cold shower a few times a week can reduce inflammation in the body, lower stress levels and improve concentration, but turning up the heat every once in a while can reap different benefits, anything from promoting muscle relaxation to helping with skin blemishes.”
Continue reading...Ancient Egyptians prized them, long-suffering medieval patients were less keen. The popularity of showers may have ebbed and flowed through the ages – but now they’re here to stay
Whether our ancestors stood under waterfalls or poured jugfuls of water over their heads, the pleasure of taking a refreshing shower is something humans have delighted in for thousands of years. Evidence of waterfall ablutions has long been washed downstream but history throws up many tantalising insights into how we progressed from public bathing to the sophisticated showers of today.
Incredible as it seems, it’s only in the past 50 years that many people in the UK have been able to shower at home, yet wealthy ancient Egyptians were enjoying that luxury thousands of years ago. Excavations of palaces around the Nile have uncovered the remains of shower rooms where a bather could stand on a slab of stone with a drain while they, or a servant, poured water over their head.
The showering evolution: from left, an early catalogue; 1930s; 1960s; and 1970s. Photographs: Getty Images, Advertising Archives, Mira Showers, Alamy
The showering evolution: from left, an early catalogue; 1930s; 1960s; and 1970s. Photographs: Getty Images, Advertising Archives, Mira Showers, Alamy
Continue reading...A GP surgery in one of the most deprived areas in the north-east of England is struggling to provide care for its patients as the health system crumbles around them. In the depths of the winter flu season, the Guardian video producers Maeve Shearlaw and Adam Sich went to Bridges medical practice to shadow the lead GP, Paul Evans, as he worked all hours keep his surgery afloat. Juggling technical challenges, long waiting lists and the profound impact austerity has had on the health of the population, Evans says: 'We are seeing the system fail'
Continue reading...Russia's foreign minister has dismissed the prospect of a place for Europe at talks between the US and Russia to end the fighting in Ukraine. Speaking at a press conference alongside his Serbian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov said: 'If they are going to weasel out some cunning ideas about freezing the conflict, while actually intending – as is their custom, nature and habit – to continue the war, then why should we invite them at all?'
European leaders have been unnerved by the willingness of Donald Trump, the US president, to engage the Kremlin directly over Ukraine and have been attempting to find a place for themselves in the talks
Continue reading...The parents of late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny joined hundreds of mourners at their son's grave on Sunday to mark the anniversary of his death. Navalny died aged 47 on 16 February last year while being held in a jail about 40 miles north of the Arctic Circle, where he had been sentenced to 19 years under a ‘special regime’
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