Are you sitting uncomfortably? | Letter

Creating a network of public seating at regular intervals can hugely increase the independent mobility of people who need to sit and rest frequently. This sometimes means bench positioning can mystify those who don’t actually need them (Emma Beddington, 16 February).But sometimes, complainants are just plain mischievous. I was involved in improvements in the heart of Windermere, Cumbria, a few years back, when a complaint was made that a bench facing a butcher’s shop window “may distress vegetarians”. In truth, of course, the bench was very much welcomed – especially by those needing to rest their plates of meat

UK manufacturing still beset by low orders and price pressure, says CBI

British manufacturing orders remain well below average and price pressure continues to persist, according to a closely watched survey.The CBI industrial trends survey found that manufacturers’ orders for the month were below average in February, while most firms expected to raise their prices and for output to decline over the next three months.The survey compiled by the Confederation of British Industry adds to a mixed picture for the UK economy since the start of the year. Households are feeling “dismal” about their finances, while companies have been cutting staff amid rising cost pressures. However, some business surveys have suggested a rise in optimism among companies since the start of the year after uncertainty over the government’s autumn budget lifted

West Virginia sues Apple over child sex abuse material stored and shared on iCloud

West Virginia’s attorney general filed a lawsuit on Thursday accusing Apple of allowing its iCloud service to become a vehicle for distributing child sexual abuse material.The state alleges that the company facilitated the spread of child sexual abuse material by declining to deploy tools that scan photos and videos and detect such material in iCloud users’ collections.JB McCuskey, a Republican, accused Apple of prioritizing user privacy over child safety. His office called the case the first of its kind by a government agency over the distribution of child sexual abuse material on Apple’s data storage platform.“These images are a permanent record of a child’s trauma, and that child is revictimized every time the material is shared or viewed,” McCuskey said in the statement

Skiers stranded by California avalanche used iPhone SOS feature to seek help

California’s deadliest avalanche killed at least eight people in a ski group near Lake Tahoe on Tuesday. The six survivors used the iPhone’s emergency SOS feature to help first responders find them as they waited under a tarp and discovered some of the bodies, according to the Nevada county sheriff. Apple’s feature, introduced in 2022, allows users to text law enforcement, even if there’s no cell service or wifi by connecting the phone to a satellite.First responders reached the skiers’ location and learned of the six survivors based on conversations held through the feature, Sheriff Shannan Moon said at a press conference on Wednesday.California office of emergency services law enforcement chief Don O’Keefe said his staff spoke with one of the stranded guides for more than four hours to relay information to the sheriff’s office, which was leading rescue efforts

Domenicali pleads for calm over fears new rules will wreck Formula One

Stefano Domenicali, the chief executive of Formula One, has issued an urgent plea for calm after the damning driver criticism of the sport’s new regulations that has emerged during pre-season testing. But the Italian conceded that F1 is prepared to intervene and enforce changes should the racing prove disappointing.There has been a clamour of discontent over how the new regulations will play out, particularly the role of energy management rather than driving flat-out. Not least from the four-time champion Max Verstappen, who dismissed the new rules as being “anti-racing” and insinuated that he might leave F1 if he no longer enjoyed driving the new cars.Domenicali, speaking on the second day of the final pre-season test in Bahrain, faced a broadside of questions about the potential of the new rules being unappealing to fans and drivers and made repeated efforts to calm troubled waters

World Club Challenge fightback falls short as Broncos get glimpse of uncertain NRL season ahead | John Davidson

Disharmony, discord, disarray – or any other adjectives you can think of. Payne Haas’s dramatic defection to South Sydney for 2027, announced a week ago, sent shockwaves across the rugby league world. The best prop on the planet, one of the best players in the world, a NSW Origin star and NRL grand final winner, suddenly turning his back on the Brisbane Broncos four months after he helped them to an NRL title.In terms of stunning transfers in the modern era – Sonny Bill Williams to the Roosters, Glenn Lazarus to the Broncos, Cooper Cronk to the Roosters – it was right up there. And in a sport with more leaks than the Titanic, what was perhaps most fascinating was that it happened quickly and quietly with no rumours or inkling by the media or the fans of what was afoot