High on life

Sierra Leone’s government has approved a draft law that would decriminalise abortion in a country with one of the world’s highest maternal mortality rates. President Julius Maada Bio told the 10th Africa Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Freetown on Friday that his government had unanimously backed a bill on risk-free motherhood. The law would guarantee the health and dignity of all girls and women of procreation age in the country, he added, after the US Supreme Court removed American women’s constitutional right to abortion. Bio said he was “proud” that Sierra Leone was implementing a “progressive reform” while women’s rights in sexual and reproductive health were being overturned or threatened. The conference’s main organisers welcomed the move as a major step forward for women and rights groups in Sierra Leone. Parliament will debate and vote on the legislation, according to the presidency. Sierra Leone’s current abortion law dates back to 1861, a century before … [Read more...] about Sierra Leone Moves to Decriminalise Abortion Amid High Maternal Mortality Rates

Filmmaker Onir’s memoir, I Am Onir, and I Am Gay (Viking, an imprint of Penguin, 2022) — written with his sister Irene Dhar Malik, a National Award-winning film editor and screenwriter — is out. Over a Zoom call, he says that he wrote the book because growing up he “didn’t have any reference point”; even today, “there are not many books out there by someone who is out and proud, without shame”. Divided into four parts, it not only takes you through his boyhood years — a time when he felt extremely shy and highly conscious about his skin colour — but also narrates a rewarding queer life that has witnessed hardships, triumphs, and heartbreaks in equal measure. When I ask why he chose the title, given that his sexuality is “not the all-defining factor”, he shares that “for someone who’s probably closeted or struggling with their identity, to find a book proudly claiming to be queer can be empowering”. But for Onir, it was also about “asserting an identity that people used to think … [Read more...] about Watch | ‘There aren’t enough stories about us,’ says filmmaker Onir

(Reuters) - Olympic champion Annemiek van Vleuten will retire from professional cycling after the 2023 season, the Dutchwoman announced on Wednesday. The 39-year-old, who races for Movistar, won Olympic gold in the time trial and silver in the road race at the Tokyo Games last year. "The main reason, as I explained, to retire in 2023 is to do so while on top of my game, to round out that improvement process we and the team took up in 2021, and look for new challenges in life," Van Vleuten said in a statement. Van Vleuten's win in Tokyo completed a remarkable turnaround after she had suffered three fractured vertebrae and a concussion following a horrifying high-speed crash during the road race at the 2016 Rio Games. She also won the world time trial title in 2017 and 2018 and the road race in 2019. (Reporting by Tommy Lund in Gdansk; Editing by Toby Davis) … [Read more...] about Cycling-Olympic champion Van Vleuten to retire at the end of 2023 season

Two years after President Donald Trump filled its ranks with conservatives, the US Supreme Court has engineered a sharp turn in US constitutional law that could have a profound effect on American life for decades. Key decisions that rescinded abortion rights, permit Americans to tote their guns freely in public, expand religion in schools, remove voting rights protections, and impede the government’s ability to set controls on greenhouse gases, have turned long-accepted rules of justice on their heads. With a 6-3 majority on the bench, the conservatives led by Chief Justice John Roberts represent a mighty swing of the judicial pendulum from decades of a modestly progressive course. Politically, the Roberts court is effectively payback by the Republican right, which has since the 1970s endeavored to claim control of the high court to reverse key decisions they view as excessive. But analysts say the just-closed annual court season has revealed a set of judges more hard-line than … [Read more...] about Like None Other: Profound Impact of Conservative US Supreme Court

Proper sleep is now considered an essential component for ideal heart and brain health, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). The Association, this week, added sleep duration to its cardiovascular health score — known as Life’s Essential 8 that consists of diet, physical activity, nicotine exposure, weight, cholesterol, blood sugar and blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death globally. An estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32 per cent of all global deaths. Of these deaths, 85 per cent were due to heart attack and stroke, according to the World Health Organisation. Over three quarters of CVD deaths take place in low- and middle-income countries. Various research studies over the past two decades indicate more than 80 per cent of all cardiovascular events may be prevented by healthy lifestyle and management of known cardiovascular risk factors. “The new metric of sleep duration reflects the latest … [Read more...] about Good Sleep Now Officially Acknowledged as 1 of the 8 Factors for Cardiovascular Health

* If you’re unsure if testosterone supplements are right for you, contact your primary care provider. (Ad) If you're a man, your testosterone levels play a significant role in a range of bodily processes: your sex drive, your athletic performance, your energy levels, and more. Unfortunately, as you may know, your testosterone levels begin to drop after you reach age 30. As a result, you may have trouble achieving gains in the gym or pleasing your partner as well as you once did. If you've been experiencing a noticeable decline in your testosterone, you may want to consider testosterone-boosting supplements. These supplements contain only natural ingredients, such as vitamins, minerals, and amino acids, that can jump-start your testosterone production. But with so many testosterone boosters on the market, choosing the best supplement for your needs can feel like an overwhelming task. Unfortunately, many testosterone boosters don’t work as well as they claim ― and some don’t … [Read more...] about Best Testosterone Supplements: Top 5 Test Booster Pills for Men in 2022

Foster carers who took in evil Craig Mulligan warned the ­teenager was obsessed with ­killing, months before he helped murder little Logan Mwangi. But despite being described as a “monster” with a “desire for violence”, social services allowed him to live with his step-dad John Cole and the boy’s mum Angharad Williamson. The heartless trio were today jailed for life after a trial littered with harrowing details of the ­tragic ­five-year-old’s miserable existence at their hands and his violent death. And a safeguarding review has been launched to unearth failings that left Logan at the mercy of vicious killers who later dumped his battered and abused body in the River Ogmore near their home in Sarn, South Wales. Cole, 40, was ordered to serve a minimum of 29 years while Williamson, 30, got at least 28 years and 14-year-old Mulligan 15 years. Craig Mulligan was described as a 'monster' ( Image: Police handout) A reporting restriction in place to protect his identity … [Read more...] about ‘Terrified’ foster carers of Logan Mwangi’s murderer warned he was obsessed with killing

At six weeks pregnant, many expectant parents will head to the doctor for a check-up and might be able to hear their child's heartbeat on an early scan if they're lucky. Lex Ginger, from the US, did just this at the six-week mark of her pregnancy , where doctors confirmed she was having just one baby when they carried out an ultrasound. But a week later, the mum-to-be started experiencing terrible morning sickness, so went back to see her doctor make sure all was ok. And to her absolute astonishment, Lex was told that she expecting twins - and not just any kind of twins, incredibly rare Monoamniotic twins or mono mono twins as they are more commonly known. According to the NHS, these are twins that come from the same egg, which splits into two babies as the cells divide. This means that they share the same placenta (afterbirth) and that they are identical. Get the news you want straight to your inbox. Sign up for a Mirror newsletter here. Lex … [Read more...] about Mum gobsmacked as doctor says she’s having rare twins – a week after scan showed one baby