“I was told that my symptoms were just part of being a woman.”
These are words that are likely to be familiar to scores of women who have suffered years of seeking a reason for their extreme pain and heavy periods, before finally being told they have endometriosis.
For Zoe Armstrong, 35, from Bristol – who lost two pregnancies, including an ectopic pregnancy that became “trapped” due to her endometriosis – a rapid test could have made all the difference.
She said it was “absolutely amazing” to hear that rapid tests could be made available on the NHS, having been told – like many – that her symptoms “were just part of being a woman”.
While she might never know for sure, Armstrong, who now has a daughter, said a simpler test for endometriosis might have caught the condition before her pregnancies.
“There is a little bit of sadness because there are so many people out there who haven’t been diagnosed yet, who think they have [endometriosis] and are in this loop,” she said.
“Hopefully this will cut their waiting times down.”
While Armstrong only discovered her endometriosis after an emergency surgery, others with the condition spent years looking for reasons for debilitating pain.
It took 21 years for Charlotte Hutchings, 36, to get her endometriosis diagnosis, after suffering symptoms from the age of 11.
Hutchings, who helps lead the Gloucestershire Endometriosis Support Group, said rapid testing could have made a “massive difference” to her life, and potentially could have avoided years of “countless doctors, hospital and A&E visits”.
Being asked to be a bridesmaid used to mean one thing: your friend loved you enough to want you standing beside her on the biggest day of her life. Now, according to Independent readers, it can just as easily mean a bill.
Dresses, hair, makeup, hen dos – the costs pile up, and several readers said it’s fair enough to decline if you can’t stretch to it.
Others questioned why being a bridesmaid, once a childhood rite of passage, has become an expected adult duty at all.
It’s not just the wedding party feeling the strain. Some in our community said the pressure and expectations extend to guests and even vendors, with several wondering whether the fuss over having an extravagant wedding has started to eclipse the marriage itself.
Here’s what you had to say:
Scale it back
I remember being the bridesmaid for a friend from university. We made our own dresses – I chose the style and fabric myself, just agreeing the colour scheme and general feel with the bride – and I did her hair; her family hired the hall and catered.
The extravagance of modern weddings astounds me – all that for one day, when many complain they can’t afford a house.
If the bride wants to dictate the exact dress – probably something that will never be worn again – then she should pay for it. If it’s just a colour scheme and self-pick, then maybe the bridesmaid could.
But it comes down to the same thing as the rest of the wedding: if you cannot afford to pay for twelve bridesmaids in identical OTT dresses, then satisfy yourself with a cheaper solution.
Another side of the stress. Not a bridesmaid (I’m a guy), but as a photography teacher I was asked for photo duties instead.
An old friend phoned me out of the blue to tell me she was getting married and would be sending an invite to her nuptials. Having accepted, she then asked me to be the wedding photographer, which I politely declined.
I think it’s strange to require anyone to be a servant
I must have been mistaken – all my life I thought being a bridesmaid was about putting on a pretty dress and feeling honoured to be one of the bride’s treasured people. I didn’t have bridesmaids at either of my own weddings, both of which were low-key; what mattered to us was saying the vows in front of family and friends. I have been a bridesmaid once, to my sister, and found it a rather weird experience – though we still love each other 36 years on. I think it’s strange to require anyone to be hopping about providing some sort of servant role.
It shouldn’t cost anything to attend a wedding if you’re one of the bridal party. I’m sure this is an import from the States – elaborate weddings and all the hype that comes with it.
The best weddings I’ve ever been to have been low-key events where the couple and/or their parents have covered everything. If you can’t afford to invite people to what is essentially a party, then don’t have one.
It’s interesting that as well as many people choosing not to get married at all, of those that do, too many seem to spend more thought and feeling on the wedding than the actual marriage, which soon ends in divorce. Is this yet another result of the superficial narcissism encouraged by social media? What’s happened to our priorities?
“It became clear, too, that the bride-to-be wasn’t going to pay for the bridesmaids’ dresses or their hair and makeup on the day.”
From personal experience, there seems to be a significant and insurmountable divide – akin to the jam-or-cream-first debate – as to whether it’s standard etiquette for the bride to pay for the bridesmaids’ outfits, or whether that’s the bridesmaids’ own responsibility. I’ve seen rooms go very cold and quiet when a believer in one approach is confronted with the other. Makes me bloody glad to be a bloke, tbh.
Don’t worry too much. All this dies down eventually, and before you know it you’ll be getting invites to gender reveals and baby showers. After that there’s a bit of a hiatus, but eventually there will be a special place in your wardrobe for black things.
Hen dos and stag dos, not to mention weddings, have got ridiculously expensive, whilst marriages have got shorter and divorces have also become more expensive – make of that what you will.
Some of the comments have been edited for this article for brevity and clarity.
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Volunteers have clocked up more than 1,000 hours of service to save 34 tonnes of uneaten food from the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, going into the bin.
Since Sunday, about 50 helpers from Roade and Towcester’s Community Larders have driven back and forth from the Northamptonshire racetrack to offer up items like eggs, milk, fruit, vegetables, and even a carpet, at pop-up shops.
Katie Steele, from the Towcester group, said it had seen “record attendances” and believed the groups had helped about 3,000 people.
She said the collections ended on Friday and were only made possible by “absolutely amazing teamwork”.
Alongside the development of artificial pitches, Grottland cited a “revolution” in the period 2010-2020, “where Norwegian football, the top clubs, the federations and the districts started to invest heavily in player development”.
After failing to qualify for Euro 2012, the Norwegian Football Federation established Landslagsskolen, known as the NTS, in 2013.
Of the 15 players who played in Norway’s 2-1 victory over Brazil, 14 had represented the national team at youth level and 11 of those were part of the NTS pathway from under-15 or under-16s.
Grottland clarified the NTS was not an academy nor a centralised school, such as the famed Clairefontaine in France, but “a national development structure connecting grassroots clubs, districts, top clubs and the federation”.
“It’s not like in other countries where the top clubs are working on talent development and the grassroots clubs are just having fun,” he added.
“In Norway, everyone’s in it together.”
The importance of that grassroots system was acknowledged by the national team before the World Cup, when the squad posed for a team photograph wearing kits from their first clubs.
In England, many promising talents are selected by Premier League academies at the age of eight, but children in Norway stay with their grassroots clubs until 12.
“One important part of the philosophy is that we are not trying to close doors too early,” said Grottland.
He used Haaland, 25, as an example of why this philosophy has worked as he added: “He was part of national talent camps within the National Team School (NTS) structure from the age of 14, but at that time nobody thought he would become the best player in that age group.”
The one player Grottland was sure about from a young age was Odegaard, admitting the whole philosophy of the NTS was inspired by encountering him at 11.
Having been coveted by Europe’s leading clubs, the midfield prodigy signed for Real Madrid aged 16 for 4m euros (£3.4m).
“In Norway, a talented player is a player who loves the game the most – a player who has ownership for his own development and who takes ownership for the team’s development,” added Grottland.
“We don’t measure ball handling and speed and things like that. We start with: ‘does the player love this game?’
“That was inspired by Odegaard – I’ve never seen anyone like him as a child.”
You can feel it when you walk down the street: that little pep in everyone’s step. While it’s not unusual for everyone to shuffle past each other with a grunt (particularly in London), throughout the last three weeks there’s been a vibe shift, with people even engaging in eye contact and flashing the occasional smile. And it looks like the summer of sport could be behind this shift in the national mood.
The sun is out, England are through to the quarter finals of the World Cup, and 23-year-old British wildcard Arthur Fery made a courageous march into the semi-finals of Wimbledon before bowing out. “Just seems to get better and better every match,” Fery said after beating Italy’s Flavio Cobolli in straight sets on Wednesday. “I can’t believe it,” the dumbstruck wildcard added.
Days earlier, England’s beautifully chaotic 3-2 World Cup victory over Mexico in the early hours of Monday morning, which saw Jude Bellingham scoring twice in the space of two minutes, shattered BBC viewing records, as well as our sleep schedules and, perhaps, collective grump. Unexpected victory is, of course, reason enough for joy – but studies show there’s more at play with sports spectatorship that’s making everyone feel great… for now.
Scientific studies have largely backed this phenomenon up. In 2024, Japanese researchers put 14 volunteers through an MRI scan while they watched various sports to see whether people who tune into matches on a daily basis undergo structural changes in their brain regions related to wellbeing. Ahead of this, academics analysed public data on 20,000 Japanese residents and found that watching sport (in a stadium, online, or on TV) was positively associated with life fulfilment across differing ages, genders and income levels.
Researchers then asked 208 participants to watch videos of multiple sports and assess their wellbeing before and after. They found that popular sports in Japan, particularly baseball, had more of an intense impact on wellbeing than less popular sports, such as golf. So, it’s safe to say that the World Cup success is doing something special to English people.
Now, to return to those 14 participants in the MRI machines, academics found that watching even just a 20-second clip of sport could trigger the activation of the participants’ brain reward circuits, which signifies they were experiencing happiness or pleasure. This can have long-term impacts, too. “It can imply that brain structures may gradually change by watching sport daily so that people can feel greater well-being more easily,” researchers said. “By inducing structural changes in the brain’s reward system over time, it fosters long-term benefits for individuals,” they explained. Basically, bring on England v Norway.
All smiles: England’s Jude Bellingham surely lifted many English spirits with his two goals against Mexico – can he keep people happy this weekend? (The FA via Getty Images)
Although this is just one study in this field of research, another paper in 2023 found that watching baseball in stadiums boosted “subjective vitality” in Japan to a greater extent than watching it on TV. No one has, however, done a study of football fans in British pubs – yet. Nevertheless, looking around at the pint-flinging and singing, it’s fair to assume that collective viewing of sports is more than enough for spirits to soar.
“What feels particularly powerful about this summer is the way major sporting events can transcend age, culture, and even language,” says Dr Steven Mahan-Taylor, consultant clinical psychologist at London Bridge Therapy. “Whether it’s Wimbledon, cricket, or the World Cup, sport gives people a shared emotional focal point: something positive to gather around, talk about, and celebrate and experience together. That sense of collective anticipation and shared joy can be incredibly mood-boosting, because it reminds us we’re part of something bigger than ourselves.”
It provokes generosity towards others, too. In one of the many heart-warming incidents, singer Lewis Capaldi (who is, yes, Scottish) bought a drink for everyone at a pub in Marylebone after England beat Mexico on Monday. “Even people who would not normally follow a particular sport can find themselves swept up in the excitement, especially when there is a national team or athlete to support and celebrate,” adds Mahan-Taylor.
Whether it’s Wimbledon, cricket, or the World Cup, sport gives people a shared emotional focal point: something positive to gather around
Dr Steven Mahan-Taylor, psychologist at London Bridge Therapy
As our society becomes increasingly more isolated and individualistic, with half of UK adults reporting feelings of loneliness, sport, quite simply, gives us something to talk about. “It creates countless opportunities for social connection,” says Mahan-Taylor. “Watching matches together, chatting with colleagues about the game the next day, striking up conversations with strangers wearing a team shirt, or simply sharing in the buzz that surrounds a major tournament. Sharing those emotions helps us feel understood and connected, creating moments of belonging that extend well beyond the final whistle.”
Wildcard: Arthur Fery celebrates his victory over Flavio Cobolli to reach Wimbledon semi-finals before going out (PA)
Win or lose, sport encourages fans to share in the same emotional journey as those around them. “Thousands, or even millions, of people experience the same moments of anticipation, excitement, tension, disappointment, or elation at the same time,” Mahan-Taylor says. Of course, this doesn’t always manifest positively. Incidents of domestic violence increase by 38 per cent when England lose a World Cup game and by 26 per cent when the three lions win. Additionally, bullying from fans and racism towards players have increased, according to social media researchers, making sport a mood shifter to be wary of.
But, for now, joy prevails – and the summer weather and long days have made this year’s tournament all the more notable for bringing friends, families, neighbours, or wider communities together. “In that way, it can put a real spring in our step,” says Mahan-Taylor. “It offers connection, enjoyment, and a welcome break from the demands of everyday life. The result is not just enjoyment of the match itself, but a wider sense of unity and shared celebration that can be difficult to replicate in everyday life.” Come on England!
Iranian leaders say they’ll never surrender and US President Donald Trump says the ceasefire between the two sides is ‘over’. Iran and the US are locked in the most serious escalation in almost a month. So is the war back on? Soraya Lennie breaks it down.
Officials in Bedar said some of those who had died had not taken a recommended evacuation route – but it’s not clear how well that guidance was conveyed.
Neither the Spanish authorities – nor the Foreign Office in London – have revealed the identity of the deceased.
Sanz said the rapid fire had been complex and the majority or even all of the victims may have been foreign nationals.
Belgian Foreign Minister Maxime Prévot said many Belgians had second homes in the country and consular services were trying to contact “Belgians with whom they have not been able to get in touch”.
The Andalusian branch of national weather agency AEMET said conditions were due to be “rather more favourable” on Saturday, with moderate wind and cooler air.
With at least 12 people dead, this is already among the deadliest wildfires in Spanish history.
In 1984, 20 people died in a fire on the Canary Island of La Gomera, while in 1979, 21 people, including nine children, died in a forest fire near Lloret de Mar in north-eastern Spain.
Climate change is driving up temperatures around the world, and Europe is the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as fast as the global average, according to the Copernicus climate service.
This is causing increased summer heatwaves, greater pressure on Europe’s water supply, and more intense wildfires.
Washington — A landmark housing bill automatically became law at 12 a.m. on SaturdayafterPresident Trump declined to sign it in protest of the Senate’s inaction on an elections bill known as the SAVE America Act.
The bipartisan bill, known as the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, is the most comprehensive housing legislation in decades. The measure aims to increase housing supply and bring down costs, including by limiting institutional investors from purchasing certain single-family homes.
The president had been set to sign the legislation at a Capitol Hill bill signing ceremony last month, shortly after the House and Senate approved it by wide bipartisan margins. But he abruptly canceled the bill signing hours in advance, and threatened not to sign the legislation until Congress approved the SAVE America Act. That legislation would impose new restrictions on voting and registering to vote.
The president reiterated his intent not to sign the housing bill on Friday morning.
“I will not sign the Housing Bill, which has been fully approved by Congress and sent to the White House, in PROTEST over the fact that the United States Senate is not capable of passing THE SAVE AMERICA ACT, which is polling at 97% with the Republican Party, and very high with the non-politician Dumocrats,” the president posted on Truth Social.
Under the Constitution, a bill that has passed both houses of Congress automatically becomes law if the president doesn’t sign or veto it within 10 days, excluding Sundays.
Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the chief proponent of the legislation in the Senate, harshly criticized the president’s refusal to sign the bill.
“At the stroke of midnight, a huge bipartisan bill to lower housing costs became law without the President’s signature. Why did President Trump sit on the landmark housing bill for more than 2 weeks? Maybe because there was nothing in it for him personally — no gold-encrusted ballroom, no Qatari jet, no $2 billion crypto deal. Nothing in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing except ways to make housing more affordable,” she said in a statement. “Donald Trump couldn’t pick up the pen because he just isn’t interested in lowering costs for American families.”
The president’s decision put his Republican allies in Congress in a difficult position, depriving them of an opportunity to tout their efforts to address concerns about affordability that have remained top of mind for Americans. And despite pressure from the president in recent months, Senate GOP leaders have repeatedly stated that the elections bill does not have enough support to pass.
The housing bill’s passage came after months of work and represented a rare moment of bipartisan consensus ahead of the midterm elections. But the president called the bill “a yawn,” while making clear that he wants the focus to be on his push to ban voting by mail, requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID to cast a ballot.
Despite the president’s refusal to sign the bill, he also didn’t veto it, allowing it to become law automatically. House Speaker Mike Johnson, who met with the president multiple times on the issue late last month, sent the bill to the president on June 29, starting the 10-day clock.
That day, when asked what he planned to do about the housing bill, Mr. Trump told reporters he didn’t know, adding, “I think it’s so unimportant” in comparison to the SAVE America Act.
A day later, Johnson responded to Mr. Trump’s comments by saying that “the president has a lot going on and I think it’s safe to say he’s not read through every line of that piece of legislation.”
The Louisiana Republican said there’s “a lot to it and a lot of great things,” and added that he and the president had “spoken about it quite a bit.”
“What he was saying is in comparison to ensuring election integrity, which is now represented by the SAVE America Act, nothing is as important,” Johnson said. “That’s not to say that there are not also incredibly important issues, and the cost of living and affordability is among them. It’s top of mind.”
Johnson ultimately expressed confidence that the bill would become law, noting that he had encouraged the president to sign it with “the fattest black marker you have,” while telling him the results of the legislation “are going to be very, very good for the American people.”
“So I hope he does sign it. If he doesn’t, it’s still law; we’ll still celebrate it,” Johnson said. “But he’s trying to make a point and I think he’s making it very effectively.”
What the housing law does
The new law includes more than 45 provisions, many of which are aimed at increasing development of affordable housing by removing regulatory barriers and streamlining environmental reviews. It also launches a pilot program to aid local governments in converting vacant commercial buildings into affordable housing, unlocks more federal funding for the construction of factory-built homes and eliminates a rule that requires homes to be built on a chassis — a steel framework used to transport them.
In addition, it creates an innovation fund for communities that are increasing their housing supply, supports housing opportunities for veterans and limits the purchases of single-family homes by institutional investors.
The institutional-investor limits are aimed at cutting competition to benefit homebuyers, supporters say. And applying to existing single-family homes, rather than new construction, the law preserves incentives for financial firms to invest in new housing construction.
A routine visit to his parents’ home in California turned into a life-threatening medical emergency for an Idaho man after he was bitten by a rattlesnake and ultimately required 54 vials of antivenom—an exceptionally rare amount—to survive.According to SFGATE, Chris Howarth was visiting family in Oroville, Northern California, in May when he stepped into the backyard to check a water line. At first, he thought he had brushed against a thorny plant. Moments later, he looked down and realized he had been bitten by a rattlesnake.
A rare snakebite that quickly turned critical
Howarth was bitten twice, but one of the snake’s fangs is believed to have punctured a vein, allowing the venom to spread rapidly through his bloodstream. Within a short time, he developed severe symptoms, including swelling, a numb tongue and difficulty breathing. Doctors later determined that he had developed disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC), a rare and dangerous condition in which the body’s blood-clotting system becomes severely disrupted. The complication can lead to excessive bleeding as well as clot formation, making it one of the most serious consequences of venomous snakebites.
Hospital ran out of antivenom
As the venom continued to affect his body, Oroville Hospital used 36 vials of antivenom—enough to exhaust its available supply. Because Howarth still required urgent treatment, he was transferred to Stanford Hospital, where doctors administered another 18 vials, bringing the total to 54Medical experts told SFGATE that most rattlesnake bite patients require only a handful of antivenom doses. Receiving 54 vials is highly unusual and reflects the severity of the envenomation rather than a standard course of treatment. Dr. Rais Vohra, medical director of the Fresno-Madera division of the California Poison Control System, described the incident as “a really unfortunate case,” explaining that, in rare situations, antivenom alone may not completely neutralize the venom’s effects.
Recovery is still ongoing
Howarth spent 12 days in intensive care before he was finally discharged. Although he is back home, his recovery remains far from complete. According to reports, he continues to experience swelling in his ankle, soreness in his leg and persistent fatigue that has prevented him from returning to work. He has said he feels only about 80% recovered. His family has since spoken publicly about the ordeal, hoping it encourages others to take rattlesnake encounters seriously, especially during the warmer months when snakes become more active.
What to do if you’re bitten by a rattlesnake
Medical experts stress that a rattlesnake bite is always a medical emergency. The recommended response is to call emergency services immediately, remain as calm as possible, limit movement of the affected limb and avoid home remedies such as cutting the wound, sucking out the venom or applying a tourniquet. Quick access to hospital care and antivenom remains the most effective treatment.
