One weather expert countered that it was unclear whether heavy hail had increased significantly in the United States in the long term. Harold Brooks, senior researcher at the National Laboratory for Severe Stormswhich is also part of NOAA, said the Storm Prediction Center’s hail data should be viewed with caution.

For example, reports can be filed by volunteer spotters, whose training may vary. (Normally, people reporting hail are asked to compare the size of a ball or coin, which is then translated into inches.) Also, the criteria for heavy hail changed in 2010, making historical comparisons difficult.

Yet insurers report greater hail losses. In 2023, State Farm paid 27,300 claims for hail damage to homes and businesses, up from 23,200 in 2022, said Heather Paul, a spokeswoman for the company. Payouts totaled $6.1 billion last year, more than the previous two years combined.

“We are seeing severe weather increasing,” Ms Paul said.

In addition, inflation drives up the costs of materials and labor to repair the damage, increasing insurers’ liability. More development in areas affected by severe storms is also a factor. The average State Farm hail claim for homeowners was about $17,000 last year, compared to $16,000 in 2022, Ms. Paul said.

That’s a worrying trend for homeowners because losses mean insurers “could become bold in phasing out coverage,” said Amy Bach, executive director of United Policyholders, a consumer advocacy group. Property owners and insurance adjusters have suggested that insurers are “becoming aggressive” in denying hail claims, she said.

SOCIAL media app Instagram no longer works for thousands of users due to a major outage.

Reports of an outage started pouring in Down detector around 11 p.m. on Thursday and users reported the issue in other apps.

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It comes after Meta suffered a global outage of its products including Instagram and Facebook Messenger just days ago.

Nearly 7,000 people reported the app was unavailable across Britain, peaking around 11:50 p.m., according to Down Detector.

Most reported problems with the app and logging into the app.

When the app is opened it seems to be constantly loading without updating the app.

Instagram fans posted memes about the issue on X, formerly Twitter, with the hashtag “#Instagramdown.”

One fan said: “I thought I was hacked, put me to bed like this, just instagram AGAIN.”

Another said: “It’s a relief to find out I haven’t been hacked, but it’s a problem everywhere.”

A third said: “Everyone is rushing to Twitter to see if Instagram is down.”

The Sun has contacted Meta for comment.

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THOUSANDS of women are owed compensation by the government, a landmark report has revealed.

Official findings published today by an ombudsman have called for compensation for WASPI women over DWP’s “shortcomings”.

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The Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman released the report following an investigation into potential injustices resulting from raising the retirement age for women in line with that of men.

Those affected are called WASPI (Women Against State Pension Age Inequality) and are those who saw their retirement age rise from 60 to 65.

These women were born in the 1950s and were told they would have to wait longer for their pension money when changes to the state pension age accelerated in 2010.

The ombudsman published the first phase of his report in 2021, which criticized the government for being too slow to inform women about the consequences of the age change.

It has now published the second and third parts of its investigation, which address these communication errors and recommendations on compensation.

To date, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has not acknowledged its failings or put matters right for the women affected, the report said.

The Ombudsman has now asked Parliament to intervene, saying it must “act quickly” and ensure a compensation scheme is put in place.

Rebecca Hilsenrath, director of the Parliamentary and Healthcare Ombudsman, said: “The UK National Ombudsman has identified DWP’s failings in this case and has ruled that the women affected are owed compensation.

“DWP has clearly indicated that it will refuse to comply. This is not acceptable. The department must do the right thing and be held accountable if it does not do so.

“Complainants do not have to wait to see whether DWP will take action to correct its shortcomings.”

Legally, the Ombudsman cannot recommend that the government reimburse women for the full pension amount they have not received.

However, it may recommend that at least some of those affected receive payments of £10,000 or more, although it is not yet known how a compensation scheme would work.

It can be difficult to figure out who actually qualifies for the money, and so far nothing has been guaranteed by the government.

Some critics have said that a blanket payment scheme would fail to distinguish between people who knew their state pension age was rising and others who had not been properly contacted by the DWP and suffered as a result.

It would also be quite expensive, costing the government billions of pounds.

Others do not believe the £10,000 figure would be enough for some who believe they have lost much more.

The DWP has been contacted for comment.

Who are WASPI women?

WASPI women refers to an estimated 3.8 million women born in the 1950s who have been severely affected by a change in the state pension age from 60 to 65.

The abbreviation stands for Women against inequality in state pensions.

The women represented were born between April 6, 1950 and April 5, 1960.

Until 2010, women could claim their state pension from the age of 60, and men from the age of 65.

But from 2010 to 2018, the retirement age for women was gradually increased from 60 to 68, bringing it in line with the state pension age for men.

The women affected say the changes were made with little notice, leaving them without enough money.

This shake-up was introduced by successive governments in 1995, 2007 and 2011 to bring women’s state pension age on par with men’s and to take into account the fact that people are both living and working longer.

Angela Madden, chair of the WASPI campaign, previously told The Sun: “More than 260,000 WASPI women have died since the campaign began and this tragic statistic reaffirms the urgent need for justice for all those affected, following the repeated failures of the DWP and subsequent governments of all colours.”

What is the WASPI campaign?

The WASPI campaign was set up in 2015 to help people affected by the change in the state pension age.

Campaigners say they agree with the equal retirement age for men and women and are not calling for a return to the previous retirement age.

But they say they do not accept the unfair way in which the changes to the state pension age have been implemented ‘inadequately’ or ‘without notice’.

Many women had made life plans based on when they thought they would retire.

When this was subsequently postponed, they ran into financial problems because they had to wait extra years for their pension.

Millions of women were suddenly faced with unemployment, zero-hour contracts and a loss of independence, according to the group.

Among the hardest hit were the 300,000 women born between December 1953 and October 1954, who had to wait another eighteen months before they could retire.

What compensation is proposed and what is the likelihood that it will be paid?

Over the years, many MPs have supported the WASPI campaign, but ministers have repeatedly ruled out any form of concession to those affected.

This included compensation to bridge the gap between the change in the state pension age or a one-off payment.

In February, MP Alan Brown introduced a bill calling for a compensation scheme with payouts of at least £10,000 to help those affected.

However, the bill is not a certainty and cannot be adopted by parliament.

Ms Madden said at the time: “We have been working closely with Alan Brown MP and are grateful for his support in our ongoing fight for fair and speedy compensation.

“The figure of £10,000 is in line with the findings of the cross-party APPG for State Pension Inequality for Women, which concluded that the figures set out in the Ombudsman’s level 6 compensation scale are both necessary and proportionate.”

The second reading of the state pension age (compensation) bill was scheduled for Friday, April 19, but it is unlikely to pass parliament without government support.

This means that the cash payouts are far from guaranteed, but we will keep you informed of any changes.

Do you have a money problem that needs to be solved? Get in touch by emailing squeezeteam@thesun.co.uk.

Moreover, you can join us Sun Money chats and tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories.

The private hospital at the centre of a scandal around alleged attempts to access the Princess of Wales’s medical records did not report the suspected breach to the authorities for more than seven days after she was discharged, it is claimed.

Three members of staff at The London Clinic are under investigation over claims of a data breach at the clinic, with the trio believed to have been suspended and facing professional sanctions if proven to have accessed her private medical information.

The alleged breach took place at the clinic after the future Queen was admitted for planned abdominal surgery on January 16, with Kate being discharged 14 days later. She has rarely been seen in public since then, leading to cruel conspiracy theories on social media about her wellbeing and health.

It was claimed one member of staff attempted to view her medical records while she was a patient there.

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is investigating the incident, with reports claiming that part of the probe will look into whether there was a delay in the clinic flagging it them amid claims it took more than a week for a ‘breach report’ to be filed.

Official rules state that any personal data breaches must be reported within 72 hours of their discovery, while data protection rules mean the private hospital could be fined up to £17million if found to have committed wrongdoing, one expert has claimed.

King Charles has also used the clinic in recent months, first for treatment for an enlarged prostate and then after he was diagnosed with cancer. However, his private medical information was not affected by the breach.

The ICO says it is investigating the incident as the clinic itself says it will take ‘all appropriate steps’ to investigate the alleged breach. 

It is believed the police could probe the allegations, with one government minister claiming the Metropolitan Police have been ‘asked to look at it’, although the force says it is not aware of any referral as of yet. 

The CEO of The London Clinic vowed on Wednesday that ‘all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken’ as it investigates the data breach claims.

Al Russell, broke his silence yesterday, saying in a statement: ‘Everyone at the London Clinic is acutely aware of our individual, professional, ethical and legal duties with regards to patient confidentiality.

‘We take enormous pride in the outstanding care and discretion we aim to deliver for all our patients that put their trust in us every day.

‘We have systems in place to monitor management of patient information and, in the case of any breach, all appropriate investigatory, regulatory and disciplinary steps will be taken.

‘There is no place at our hospital for those who intentionally breach the trust of any of our patients or colleagues.’

Executives have remained tight-lipped over the nature and extent of the embarrassing breach of private records.

In addition to the alleged breach itself, the ICO is also said to be investigating whether the clinic delayed notifying the watchdog.

Official rules state that any personal data breaches must be reported within 72 hours from their discovery if a risk is posed to a person’s rights or freedoms.

However, reports suggest the ICO did not receive a ‘breach report’ for more than a week after Kate was discharged from the hospital on January 29. 

One source told The Guardian that ‘timeliness of reporting’ was part of its ‘ongoing’ probe into the hospital.

A spokesperson for the clinic told ITV News that they would not comment further other than to say ‘all our patients, no matter what their status, deserve total privacy and confidentiality regarding their personal medical information.

The Princess is said to be aware of the allegations, while a spokesperson for Kensington Palace said: ‘This is a matter for the London Clinic.’

The ICO said on Wednesday: ‘We can confirm that we have received a breach report and are assessing the information provided.’

ONe data protection expert claimed that the Waleses could even sue The London Clinic if the breach is proven to have taken place. 

Iain Wilson, from Brett Wilson LLP, told The Sun: ‘They’ve obviously got obligations to keep medical records secure through the Data Protection Act.

If it is found they didn’t have sufficient systems in place, for instance, they hadn’t trained staff properly, then they could be fined by the information commission officer.

‘A very large sum, I think up to £17.5million or 4 per cent of an organisation’s annual worldwide turnover and potentially sued by the individuals in question.’

He added that the hospital might have had ‘all the training and systems in place’ and the incident took place through a ‘rotten egg’ which is difficult to guard against.

According to the 2018 Data Protection Act, it is an offence to obtain or disclose personal data ‘without the consent of the controller’.

A spokesperson for the General Medical Council, which is the watchdog for doctors, told the Telegraph: ‘Patients must have confidence that their personal information is protected at all times.

‘Our guidance is clear: we expect doctors to make sure any personal information about patients is effectively protected at all times against improper access, disclosure or loss, and they must not access a patient’s personal information unless they have a legitimate reason to view it.’

Jon Baines, a data protection specialist from the law firm Mishcon de Reya, told ITV News: ‘Any investigation by the ICO is likely to consider whether a criminal offence might have been committed by an individual or individuals.’

‘Section 170 of the Data Protection Act 2018 says that a person commits an offence if they obtain or disclose personal data ‘without the consent of the controller’.

‘Here, the ‘controller’ will be the clinic itself.’

While the allegations are being probed by the ICO, it is also claimed that the police could investigated the situation alongside the watchdog.

A source told The Mirror: ‘The IOC will deal with anything as a criminal matter which could end up in a Magistrate’s Court, but if there were further claims of wrongdoing such as a conspiracy to distribute illegally accessed information, then that could be a matter for the police.’

The Metropolitan Police has said it is not aware of any referral to the force regarding the incident at this time.

However, Health Minister Maria Caulfield said she understood ‘police have been asked to look at it’.

Speaking to Sky News, she said the allegations were ‘pretty serious stuff’.

She said: ‘I say this as someone who’s still on the nursing register, that the rules are very, very clear for all patients. That unless you’re looking after that patient, or they’ve given you their consent, you should not be looking at patients’ notes.

‘So there are rules in place and the Information Commissioner can levy fines, that can be prosecutions, your regulator, so as a nurse my regulator would be the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council), can take enforcement action… and can strike you off the register if the breach is serious enough.

‘So there are particularly hefty implications if you are looking at notes for medical records that you should not be looking at.’

When asked if the Met Police should also be looking into the matter, she said: ‘My understanding is that police have been asked to look at it – whether they take action is a matter for them.’

Royal experts say Kate has likely been left shocked by the news of the alleged data breach – but will be too busy focusing on her own recovery to let it get to her.

Ingrid Seward, royal biographer and editor-in-chief of Majesty Magazine, told the Mirror the news will have come as ‘a shock to the palace, a shock to the Princess and a shock to her husband and (to her) father-in-law, the King’.

‘For the London Clinic, it is an embarrassment of the worst kind and they will do their best to appease everyone concerned,’ she continued.

But Ms Seward added: ‘As for Catherine it is another emotional upset; she is going to have to put behind her. She is far stronger than she looks. She will not allow her battered emotions to get the better of her.’

Quizzed by reporters on Wednesday, Rishi Sunak’s official spokesman has urged Brits to ‘get behind the Princess of Wales’.

Asked about the alleged breach at the London Clinic, the spokesman said: ‘Clearly there are strict rules on patient data that must be followed.’

And on whether people should give Kate a break, he added: ‘I think we all want to get behind the Princess of Wales, and indeed the Prince of Wales, and we obviously wish her the speediest of recoveries.’

The Princess of Wales has been the subject of a series of cruel conspiracy theories in recent weeks while continuing to recover from surgery she underwent in January.

Online trolls have suggested she is recovering from ‘Brazilian butt lift surgery’ or that she has even been replaced by a body double.

The toxic discourse has been fuelled further by the Mother’s Day photo shared from the Prince and Princess of Wales’ social media accounts earlier this month – after it emerged the picture had been digitally manipulated at source before release.

Global picture agencies including AP, Getty and PA issued a rare ‘kill order’ on the photograph after ruling that it had been manipulated beyond what they considered acceptable journalistic standards.

It had been hoped that footage of Kate walking happily with William outside a farm shop in Windsor at the weekend might have silenced those sharing theories online.

Instead, conspiracy cranks have pored over the footage trying to give weight to their completely unsupported suggestions that she has been replaced by a lookalike, or that the footage itself is old.

Even professional Kate lookalikes have made it clear that they believe it is the Princess herself in the footage – calling for the conspiracy wonks to leave her alone.

Palace sources have fumed at the ‘madness of social media’ as cruel trolls claim to have found ‘proof’ that the princess is more unwell than claimed, or has been replaced with a double.

Kensington Palace has stated since the start of the year that the Princess will not return to public duties until sometime after Easter.

It has not denied that the video of the Princess captured at the weekend is genuine.

Climate change is ‘off the charts’ and presents a ‘defining challenge’ to humanity, a damning new report warns today.   

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says several climate records were broken and in some cases ‘smashed’ last year.

Greenhouse gas levels, surface temperatures, ocean heat and acidification, sea level rises, and Antarctic ice loss all escalating in 2023 due to fossil fuel emissions. 

‘Sirens are blaring across all major indicators,’ said United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres. 

‘Some records aren’t just chart-topping, they’re chart-busting – and changes are speeding-up.’ 

The WMO’s State of the Global Climate report, published today, confirms that the year 2023 broke ‘every single climate indicator’. 

TEMPERATURES  

WMO confirmd that 2023 was the warmest year on record, as already announced by the UN’s Copernicus climate change programme in January. 

The global average near-surface air temperature for the year was at 2.61°F (1.45°C) above the pre-industrial average (1850 to 1900).

Before 2023, the two previous warmest years were 2016 (2.32°F/1.29°C above the 1850–1900 average) and 2020 (2.28°F/1.27°F above the 1850–1900 average). 

What’s more, the past nine years – between 2015 and 2023 – were the nine warmest years on record.

But the experts admit that the shift to ‘El Niño’ conditions in the middle of 2023 contributed to a rapid rise in temperature from 2022 to 2023. 

El Niño is natural climate phenomenon where there’s warmer-than-average sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean near the equator. 

GREENHOUSE GASES 

Temperatures are largely fueled by greenhouse gas emissions, and these continued to climb in 2023. 

WMO says data for concentrations of the three main greenhouse gases in the air (carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide) are not yet available for the whole of 2023, but in 2022 they reached ‘new highs’. 

Globally averaged concentrations were 417.9 parts per million (ppm) for carbon dioxide (CO2), 1,923 parts per billion (ppb) for methane (CH4), and 335.8 ppb for nitrous oxide (N2O).

Respectively, this marks an alarming rise of 150 per cent, 264 per cent and 124 per cent compared with greenhouse gas concentrations levels in the year 1750. 

‘For more than 250 years, the burning of oil, gas and coal has filled the atmosphere with greenhouse gasses,’ said Dr Friederike Otto, climate lecturer at Imperial College London, who wasn’t involved in the report. 

‘The result is the dire situation we are in today – a rapidly heating climate with dangerous weather, suffering ecosystems and rising sea-levels, as outlined by the WMO report.

‘To stop things from getting worse, humans need to stop burning fossil fuels. It really is that simple.

‘If we do not stop burning fossil fuels, the climate will continue to warm, making life more dangerous, more unpredictable, and more expensive for billions of people on earth.’

OCEAN HEAT 

Although the main metric for measuring how hot the planet is getting is air temperatures, WMO also tracks how hot the world’s waters are getting. 

Numerous adverse effects result from ocean warming, including accelerated melting of Earth’s ice sheets and sea level rise due to thermal expansion. 

Ocean species are also threatened, including coral which become ‘bleached’ white due to the stress of higher temperatures.  

Meanwhile, CO2 dissolving in the ocean causes acidification of the waters, which makes it harder for marine life such as lobsters, shrimp and coral reefs to survive. 

WMO says the overall temperature of Earth’s oceans have risen since 1960 and ‘it is expected that warming will continue’. 

The Southern Ocean is the largest reservoir of heat, accounting for around 32 per cent of the ocean heat increase since 1958. 

The Atlantic Ocean accounts for around 31 per cent, while the Pacific Ocean makes up around 26 per cent. 

SEA LEVELS 

Rising sea levels can cause disastrous flooding, forcing authorities to spend millions on flood defences and even force people to flee their homes. 

This is largely being caused by the increased melting of land-based ice, such as glaciers and ice sheets.

Again, in 2023, global mean sea levels reached a record high since they first started to be tracked with satellites, in 1993. 

According to the WMO, average sea level rises went from 0.08-inch (2.13mm) per year between 1993 and 2002, to 0.13-inch (3.33mm) per year between 2003 to 2012, and finally 0.18-inch (4.77mm) per year between 2014 and 2023. 

Although this may not sound like much, Professor Jonathan Bamber, director of the Bristol Glaciology Centre at the University of Bristol, said this could lead to catastrophic long-term change. 

‘Our own research indicates that, if greenhouse gas emissions continue unabated, there is a small chance that we could experience up to a 2 metre rise by 2100,’ he said.

‘This would truly be catastrophic for civilisation with the potential to displace around a tenth of the population of the planet. 

‘We are looking at the disappearance of small island nation states in the not too distant future and inundation of heavily populated coastal zones.’

MELTING ICE 

Due to the higher surface and ocean temperatures, ice in the Antarctic reached a record low since records began in 1979. 

September’s annual maximum – when Antarctic ice is usually at its greatest extent due to colder temperatures – was 6.54 million sq miles (16.96 million sq km). 

This is roughly 5.7 million sq miles (1.5 million sq km) below the 1991-2020 average and 386,000 sq miles (1 million sq km2) below the previous record low maximum.

In the northern hemisphere meanwhile, the Greenland Ice Sheet – the world’s second-biggest ice sheet after Antarctic – continued to lose mass in 2023. 

Combining the two ice sheets, average rates of mass loss increased from 105 gigatonnes per year from 1992-1996 to 372 gigatonnes per year from 2016–2020. 

The world’s glaciers – which reflect sunlight back into space and help keep the planet cool – likely suffered ‘the largest loss of ice on record’ since 1950. 

In Switzerland, which relies on ice for the ski season, glaciers have lost around 10 per cent of their remaining volume in the past two years.

‘If that trend continues then we could see much of the Alps devoid of glaciers in a matter of decades,’ said Professor Bamber.

‘That is something that few, if any of us, would have expected see happen so rapidly.’  

Researchers also warn that extreme weather events including floods, tropical cyclones, drought, and wildfires, are linked with the warming of the planet and so will likely keep occurring. 

These will hit ‘vulnerable populations’ in countries without the ability to respond adequately already hit by food insecurity, such as Somalia, Sudan and Syria. 

‘Climate change can intensify existing inequalities and social and economic pressures, placing further pressure on the people and places who are already under stress and who have often done the least to cause climate change in the first place,’ said Dr Leslie Mabon, lecturer in environmental systems at The Open University. 

Professor Tina van de Flierdt, head of the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, called the new report ‘alarming’. 

‘Generally, the data in the report reinforces that climate change is not a distant threat – it is here now, and it is already impacting lives worldwide,’ she said. 

‘However, it is important to note that we are not yet locked into this trajectory. 

‘The future is in our hands, and ongoing climate projects and greater use of clean energy sources offer hope for a just and resilient future.’ 

The launch of 5G has proven to be a major catalyst for the growth of data usage and will contribute to 15 percent of all data traffic by 2023, the findings show.

New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) 5G users in India are using around 3.6 times more mobile data traffic compared to 4G since it was launched in October 2022 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a report showed on Wednesday.

Average monthly data traffic per user also increased by 24 percent year-on-year in 2023, to 24.1 gigabytes per user per month.

India’s 5G device ecosystem is rapidly evolving: About 17 percent of active 4G devices, totaling 134 million out of 796 million, are now 5G-enabled.

“5G data consumption in India is four times faster than 4G,” said the ‘Nokia Mobile Broadband Index’ report.

In 2023, users consumed 17.4 exabytes per month, with a CAGR of 26 percent over the past five years.

The launch of 5G has proven to be a major catalyst for the growth of data usage and will contribute to 15 percent of all data traffic by 2023, the findings show.

“What is immediately apparent is the incredible spread of 5G technology across India and the increasing demand for ultra-fast 5G data speeds,” said Tarun Chhabra, Head of Mobile Networks Business at Nokia (India).

5G traffic has shown substantial growth across telecom circles, with metro circles leading the way, reaching a 20 percent share of total mobile data traffic.

Improved availability and performance of 5G, coupled with the availability of a wide range of affordable devices, as well as the introduction of new data-intensive apps and services, will accelerate the future growth of 5G, the report found.

The rise of 5G Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) will also serve as a key enabler for new services both at home and at work, with FWA users expected to consume an estimated 2.5 times more data than average 5G users, the report said.

“The literature is clear in practice – the effect this had on socialization, pro-social behavior, if you will, and people’s ability to feel connected and have community,” said Dr. Norris on the pandemic. “A lot of the things that would normally have happened for people, especially young adults in high school, didn’t happen,” he added. “And that still happens.”

Jade Song, one 27 year old novelistcounted himself among those who had become increasingly unhappy in recent years.

“It’s mainly because as an adult you suddenly become aware of all the world news and pay more attention to what you can control, and you realize that there is so little you can control,” Ms Song, who was not part of the study , said in an interview. “Even if you protest or pay your rent and bills all on time, it’s so hard, especially now, to break away from the way you live your life when you realize how little impact your actions actually have on a broader audience . level.”

In 2022, a study from Harvard University showed this welfare among young adults in the United States had declined over the past two decades. Young people – people between 18 and 25 years old – reported the lowest levels of happiness compared to other age groups, as well as the poorest mental and physical health, meaning, character, virtue, close social relationships and financial stability. Similar findings have emerged in Great Britain and Canada.

“One factor we’re all thinking about is social media,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development. “Because there is some research showing that depending on how we use social media, well-being decreases and rates of depression and anxiety increase, especially among young girls and women, teenage girls.”