Scientists say global heat that inched into worrisome new territory this week is a clear example of how pollutants released by humans are warming their environment

Voters in Ohio will likely decide if the state’s constitution should enshrine the right to abortion care, after abortion rights advocates collected tens of thousands of signatures on a petition to put the issue on ballots this fall. If certified, those 710,000 signatures – roughly 300,000 more than required by state law – will place a proposed constitutional amendment asking whether “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s reproductive decisions.” A statewide vote for abortion protections follows a wave of anti-abortion laws in the aftermath of the US Supreme Court’s decision to strike down a constitutional right to care last year. More than a dozen states, mostly across the entire US South, have effectively outlawed most abortions. But the Supreme Court decision to overturn the half-century precedent under Roe v Wade also fuelled efforts to protect abortion rights across the country, including in neighboring Michigan and Kentucky, where voters in both states voted to support abortion rights in ballot measures last year. After the Supreme Court’s ruling, Ohio lawmakers swiftly outlawed most abortion after roughly six weeks of pregnancy, a law that is currently suspended by a state court injunction but could be reinstated by the Ohio Supreme Court. A vote to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution would effectively overrule any such law. Abortion rights advocates and providers have warned that Ohio’s ban, which does not include exceptions for pregnancies from rape or incest, ignited a healthcare crisis that endangered patients and their families across the state, forcing people to seek care hundreds of miles out of state and navigate complicated legal and medical minefields while experiencing pregnancy complications. The petition launched by Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights will head to the secretary of state, which has until 25 July to determine the validity of the signatures. The campaign launched with an open letter on 7 July of last year signed by hundreds of physicians rejecting the state’s anti-abortion law. “Over the past year, support for the amendment has grown exponentially thanks to our partners at [Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom], the thousands of volunteers who gathered signatures in communities across the state, and the hundreds of thousands of people who added their names to our petitions,” according to a statement from Dr Lauren Beene and Dr Marcela Azevedo, co-founders of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights. “Today, the message we and they are sending is loud and clear: ‘let the people decide,’” they said. The campaign will magnify the role of Ohio – a state that voted for Donald Trump by more than 8 percentage points over Joe Biden in 2020 – in the 2024 presidential campaign and the renewed battle for abortion rights surrounding it, as Republican candidates and members of Congress weigh federal legislation that would outlaw or severely restrict abortion access nationwide. President Biden and Democratic candidates have signalled the central role that abortion rights protections will play in upcoming campaigns, alongside their warnings of a GOP-controlled White House and Congress legislating on abortion at the national level. Last year, a record number of voters in Kansas – a state that Mr Biden lost by more than 15 percentage points in 2020 – turned out for an election to reject a Republican-drafted amendment that would strip abortion rights from the state’s constitution, the first test for abortion rights put directly to voters after the ruling in Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization. That measure was shot down by nearly 20 percentage points, sending a resounding message that underscored the immense unpopularity of the Supreme Court’s decision. The president has repeatedly invoked that election victory in remarks supporting abortion rights in the months that followed, stating that the Supreme Court “practically dared women in this country to go to the ballot box and restore the right to choose,” and that anti-abortion lawmakers vastly underestimated how Americans would respond. Following the outcome in Kansas, Mr Biden pointed to the justices’ own writing in the Dobbs decision: “Women are not without electoral or political power.” “They don’t have a clue about the power of American women,” he said. “In Kansas, they found out women and men did exercise their electoral political power with a record turnout.” Read More Man sentenced to life in prison for rape of 10-year-old girl in Ohio abortion case that drew national attention Senator who once worked at a Planned Parenthood warns that Republicans are planning a national abortion ban One year after Roe v Wade fell, anti-abortion laws threaten millions. The battle for access is far from over

By Sarah Mills LONDON, Personal and previously unseen photographs taken by musician Paul McCartney as 'Beatlemania' was soaring

Fiona Phillips found herself to be the victim of a telephone scam following her Alzheimer’s diagnosis. The former breakfast TV presenter, 62, was told she had the condition 18 months ago after she experienced symptoms of anxiety and brain fog, and has since disclosed her diagnosis to the public. Phillips, who is currently taking part in a drug trial that scientists hope could revolutionise the treatment of the incurable illness, has spoken out about an experience where she was scammed over the phone. In a new interview with The Mirror, Phillips explained she was scammed by a person who called her and managed to take money out of her bank account. The publication reports that Phillips was scammed out of “thousands” of pounds but was refunded by her bank. The journalist, best known for presenting the ITV breakfast programme GMTV, told The Mirror that she was reluctant to tell her two sons, Nat, 24, and Mackenzie, 21 – who she shares with her husband, This Morning boss Martin Frizell – about her condition. “I just didn’t want to make a big thing out of it where we all sit down as a family and announce we’ve got something to tell them,” she said. “And I was worried they might be embarrassed in front of their friends or treat me in a different way. And it’s not like I’m doing anything out of character.” Symptoms of Alzheimer’s include memory problems, like forgetting about recent conversations or events or becoming increasingly disorganised. Others include language problems, changes in mood or spatial awareness. It is typical that family members, friends and work colleagues may notice these changes first, often before the person themselves. Phillips, who took part in BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing in 2005, shared that she and Frizell had blood tests to check whether their children could inherit the disease. “We wanted to know in case we needed to prepare the boys to make some difficult decisions later in life,” Frizell told the publication. “When the results came back as negative, it was a huge moment – such an enormous sense of relief. There’s no Alzheimer’s on my side of the family and thank goodness it seems the boys have not inherited from Fiona’s side of the family.” Read More Woman exits plane after tirade about passenger who is ‘not real’: ‘Final Destination vibes’ The Barbie press tour has finally rescued Margot Robbie’s red carpet reputation Fans mistake Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s daughter Violet, 17, for her mother in new photos This is the lesser-known symptom of Alzheimer’s that could affect drivers The shared symptoms of menopause and young onset dementia Fiona Phillips Alzheimer’s diagnosis at 62: 7 ways to reduce your risk

The Venice Film Festival is serving up one of the year’s buzzier films as its opening night selection in Luca Guadagnino’s “Challengers.”

All eyes are on the nation’s new number one tennis player Katie Boulter. The 26-year-old — who plays right-handed and is about 180cm tall — has been in British Vogue, on the cover of Tatler, and had deals with Nike, Wilson and Jaguar, and Airbnb. She won the International Tennis Federation (ITF) doubles title in 2013, was supported by the NTC Pro Access Programme, which offers the highest level of support to developing players between 16 and 24, with the best chance of reaching the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) or The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) top 100 singles players, and claimed her first WTA title at the Rothesay Open Nottingham, this year. The Leicester-born star is now into the second round at Wimbledon after beating Daria Saville, despite the interruption by a Just Stop Oil protestor, who scattered pieces of jigsaw orange confetti on the court. Boulter is in a relationship with Australian Alex De Minaur — also a Tennis player ranked No 17 in the world — and the pair will play mixed doubles at Wimbledon. Here are some of her best looks on the court. Boulter celebrated her victory over Daria Saville on day three of the 2023 Wimbledon Championships at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club in Wimbledon, in a layered white snug-fitting Nike tennis dress made with a mix of mesh fabrics, leaving the two-layer skirt to flow and flare as she moved. Whilst playing against France’s Caroline Garcia at the Rothesay Classic Birmingham at the Edgbaston Priory Club, Boulter wore a one sleeved patch-worked tennis dress in a yellow and green palette. She paired it with a white Nike sports visor and sweat bands. This web-patterned Nike tennis dress may be one of Boulter’s favourite on-court looks. The two-layers take the traditional tennis skirt in a new direction. She first wore the lilac and black version at the French Open tournament at Roland-Garros stadium in Paris, France. And then repeated the outfit in another colour at the Rothesay Open in Nottingham. Boulter celebrated her victory over Clara Burel on day two of the 2022 Wimbledon Championships in a white Nike tennis dress with a mesh detailing around the collarbone, and exaggerated pleated sides. She paired it with another white Nike sports visor, but no sweat bands this time. This royal blue Nike vest top and white tennis skirt combo was perfect for when Boulter represented Great Britain at the Billie Jean King Cup in Glasgow singles tournament, last year. She played against Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

The head of global energy giant Shell says it would be “irresponsible” to cut oil and gas production at a time when the world economy is still dependent on fossil fuels

Drake kicked off his co-headlining tour with some big album news for fans.

LOS ANGELES Longtime Showtime Networks executive David Nevins has been named chief executive of the North Road Company,

Nelly hopes the deal means his music lasts "beyond" him.

Liam Payne has a bunch of songs with Ty Dolla $ign and fans could hear one of them in the coming months.

The president of this years United Nations’ climate talks has urged the oil and gas industry to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by or before 2050 at a speech Thursday to oil producing states