Seven out of 10 UK mothers feel overloaded, research reveals

Seven out of 10 mothers in the UK feel overloaded and almost half have a mental health issue such as anxiety or depression, new research has revealed.The survey of mothers’ experiences in 12 European countries also found that most of those in Britain still do the majority of household tasks and caregiving work alone, and that the UK was among the worst for motherhood disadvantaging a woman’s career.The grim picture that emerged from the report, by the pan-European campaign group Make Mothers Matter, prompted calls for GPs and NHS maternity and health visiting services to routinely ask mothers about their mental wellbeing and provide much more help to those who need it.Make Mothers Matter surveyed 800 mothers in each of 12 European countries about the psychological impact of giving birth and dealing with the pressures of motherhood.It found that:71% of UK mothers feel overloaded – 4% more than the 67% European average47% of UK mothers suffer from mental health issues, including burnout, compared with 50% in Europe as a whole31% of UK respondents felt motherhood had a negative effect on their career, higher than the 27% average, with Ireland the highest on 36%However, it also found some measures by which mothers in the UK find it easier to balance work and caring

AI boom will produce winners and ‘carnage,’ says tech boss; dollar sinks to four-year lows after Trump comments – business live

Ipek Ozkardeskaya, senior analyst at Swissquote, said it is likely that the dollar will continue to weaken.There were plenty of major stories and market moves yesterday, but the most significant — and most impactful — was undoubtedly the sharp sell-off in the US dollar. It pushed the US dollar index to a four-year low and continues to drive gold and silver to fresh record highs this morning.Trade and geopolitical uncertainty, tied to an increasingly unreliable American friend and ally, as well as growing concerns about what will happen to the Federal Reserve’s credibility once Jerome Powell leaves office (it will fly out of the window), continue to weigh on the US dollar. Add to that the latest US consumer survey, which showed a sharp drop in consumer confidence, a marked deterioration in how households view the current situation, a decline in the share of consumers expecting income growth, and a steady rise in those saying jobs are hard to get

Reform byelection candidate refuses to disown claim that people born in UK not necessarily British

The Reform UK candidate in the Gorton and Denton byelection has refused to disown his claim that UK-born people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British.Matthew Goodwin, a hard-right activist, was presented on Tuesday as the party’s candidate in the demographically diverse seat in south-east Manchester.Goodwin has been criticised for claiming recently that people from black, Asian or other immigrant backgrounds were not always British, saying: “It takes more than a piece of paper to make somebody ‘British’.”Speaking at an event in Denton, the GB News presenter twice declined to answer when asked by the Guardian whether he stood by those views – described by the Liberal Democrats as “racist” and “abhorrent”.Nearly half of the Gorton and Denton population – 44% – identifies as coming from a minority ethnic background, while 79% of the constituency identifies as British, according to the latest census

Slurp the blues away: Ravinder Bhogal’s recipes for winter noodle soup-stews

One of the best things for lifting deflated spirits is a deep bowl of steaming, restorative soup – perfect for warming the places your old woolly jumper can’t reach. I love the romance and cosiness of creamy European soups drunk straight out of a mug around a fire in November, but in the icy tundra that is January I need something with more heat and intensity, something sustaining, spicy, gutsy and textured, so that I need a fork or chopsticks to eat it, rather than just a spoon. These punchy soups are simply rapture in a bowl, and make for extremely satisfying slurping.Khao swe is a Burmese noodle soup with hot coconut broth, springy noodles and a madness of garnishes, from boiled eggs to peanuts or crisp shallots. Feel free to swap out the poultry for vegetables such as pumpkin or tofu, or seafood such as prawns

Eric Huntley obituary

Eric Huntley, who has died aged 96, was the co-founder with his wife, Jessica, of the radical publishing house Bogle L’Ouverture, set up in London in 1968 to showcase black writing talent. Initially run on a printing press in their west London living room, the venture soon outgrew those makeshift premises, and in 1975 became the Bogle L’Ouverture bookshop, which established itself as a community hub and informal advice centre as well as a place to buy books from outside the mainstream.Among the authors championed by Bogle L’Ouverture were Linton Kwesi Johnson, Valerie Bloom, Lemn Sissay, Beryl Gilroy and Donald Hinds, while the Huntleys also became involved in creating the International Book Fair of Radical and Third World Books, which ran from 1982 to 1995, uniting and amplifying the thoughts of black intellectuals, creatives and activists across continents.Aside from his work in publishing, Huntley was for many years involved in racial justice campaigns in the UK. He was a key figure in the Caribbean Education and Community Workers Association and the Black Parents Movement; the first formed in response to the racist labelling of large numbers of black children as “educationally subnormal” and the second campaigning against “sus” laws that allowed police to stop, search, and arrest individuals on suspicion of intent to commit a crime – a facility that was deployed disproportionately against young black people in the 1970s and 80s

Novak Djokovic survives at Australian Open as Lorenzo Musetti retires hurt while two sets up

Novak Djokovic said he will double his prayers on Wednesday night after receiving a massive slice of luck in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open as the Serb was thoroughly outplayed for two sets by an inspired Lorenzo Musetti before the Italian was forced to retire due to injury while leading 6-4, 6-3, 1-3.Musetti had been working towards one of the best victories of his career, dominating Djokovic from the baseline and establishing an authoritative lead before his retirement.“I don’t know what to say except that I feel really sorry for him. He was a far better player, I was on my way home tonight,” Djokovic said. “I don’t know what to say, these kinds of things happen in sport