Emma Thomas
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Articles by Emma Thomas
Element By The Living Urn Expands Its Industry-Leading Urn and Keepsake Collections, Will Showcase Innovations at NFDA
GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 / EINPresswire.com / -- Element by The Living Urn is excited to announce its latest innovations, including new walnut and cherry wood scattering urns , urns made from seashells, and a variety of unique memorial keepsakes and jewelry pieces. The company will showcase its new urns and keepsakes at the upcoming National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) International Convention & Expo, October 25-28, 2026, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Element By The Living Urn Expands Its Industry-Leading Urn and Keepsake Collections, Will Showcase Innovations at NFDA
Element By The Living Urn Expands Its Industry-Leading Urn and Keepsake Collections, Will Showcase Innovations at NFDA GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO, UNITED STATES, October 13, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Element by The Living Urn is excited to announce its latest innovations, including new walnut and cherry wood scattering urns, urns made from seashells, and a variety of unique memorial keepsakes and jewelry pieces.
School holiday fines climb despite growing backlash
The number of fines issued to families across the West Midlands for taking children out of school during term time has almost doubled in five years, according to BBC analysis. Councils in the region issued 59,440 Fixed Penalty Notices (FPNs) for unauthorised holiday absences in the 2024-25 financial year, compared with 30,143 in 2018-19. BBC analysis found every local authority in the West Midlands except Herefordshire recorded an increase in fines during the period.
Pupils trained to use life-saving bleed kits
Holly Baird, from the Daniel Baird Foundation, demonstrating how to use a bleed kit The sister of a man who died after being stabbed on a night out has been training pupils to use life-saving bleed kits installed in Wolverhampton secondary schools. Holly Baird, from the Daniel Baird Foundation, spoke to pupils at Smestow Academy in the city and hopes her family's campaign to deliver and demonstrate bleed kits in schools will save lives.
Pupils trained to use life-saving bleed kits
The sister of a man who died after being stabbed on a night out has been training pupils to use life-saving bleed kits installed in Wolverhampton secondary schools. Holly Baird, from the Daniel Baird Foundation, spoke to pupils at Smestow Academy in the city and hopes her family's campaign to deliver and demonstrate bleed kits in schools will save lives. Her brother, 26-year-old Dan, suffered fatal stab wounds during a dispute outside the Forge Tavern in Digbeth, Birmingham, in July 2017.
The Odyssey and an ‘era of cultural destruction’
John Daniel Davidson writes for the Federalist about the latest example of efforts to undermine our cultural heritage. It was difficult to peruse social media last week without seeing a steady stream of reactions and reviews of Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey — a film that had already prompted, weeks before its premiere, mountains of derisive commentary for its purportedly woke casting choices, strangely modern costumes, American accents, and flat color palette.
Plan for asylum seekers in new-build homes on hold
Emma Thomas; Vikki Ballard - West Midlands Fri, July 3, 2026 at 12:20 p.m. UTC 4 min read Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. More than 100 people attended the public meeting on Thursday night [BBC] Plans to house 83 asylum seekers on a new-build estate in a village in rural Shropshire have been put on hold, the area's MP has said. More than 100 people from in and around Stoke Heath attended a residents meeting on Thursday.
Bridging the gap: scaling policy implementation support in SIDS with new UK International Development funding
From policy on paper to strategy in action Effective national policies to tackle a challenge as pressing and pervasvie as plastic pollution cannot stay on the desks of government officials. An effective National Action Plan to tackle plastic pollution is a living, system-wide strategy felt across the entire country. Its vision must be promoted across sectors, and its long-term impacts should be evident everywhere from ecosystems, to workplaces, to markets, to households and beyond.
Resident doctors 'want pay we think we're worth'
Action took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham site on Tuesday [BBC] A union resident doctor committee says "pay back to the value that we think we're worth" is being sought, as a six-day strike is held in England. The resident doctor strike is likely to cause significant disruption to services, with those formerly called junior doctors making up nearly half of the medical workforce in the NHS.
In Tuvalu, I saw how tackling plastic pollution is more important than ever
I arrived in Tuvalu on a small plane from Nadi, Fiji, and immediately it was apparent that this remote small island state was different to anywhere I had visited before. As I sat beside colleagues from the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme, I noticed the small size of the aircraft, the limited number of passengers.
Tufts club leaders forced to look for alternative sources of funding as surplus runs out
As the student activity fee surplus from the COVID-19 pandemic begins to run out, clubs at Tufts are turning to other sources of funding beyond the Tufts Community Union Senate to fill gaps in their budgets. “The surplus has … increased what the student activities fee goal has been,” TCU Treasurer Brendan French, a junior, said.
The Living Urn’s Tree Nurseries are Well Stocked in Anticipation of Continued Strong Demand in 2026
The Living Urn’s Tree Nurseries are Well Stocked in Anticipation of Continued Strong Demand in 2026 The company has thousands of trees and flowering shrubs in stock to supply an increase in demand for its unique memorial option over the next 12 months.
New vision for regional EPR approach in SIDS and remote geographies endorsed by 40 organisations globally
New research suggests that regional approaches to Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) could help to overcome persistent plastic waste management challenges in Small Island Developing States and remote coastal countries. A Vision Paper sharing key insights from the research has been endorsed by 40 organisations from across regions and sectors.
Review: 'Eddington' takes on the chaotic 2020 politics of COVID
Movies The first half of the film comes off as libertarian but then it takes a weird turn. | There's never been a movie quite like Eddington. This latest offering from the independent film studio A24 is ripped from the headlines of summer 2020, when the dual crises of the COVID-19 pandemic and the George Floyd protests slammed a very anxious America.
Element by The Living Urn to Introduce New and Innovative Urns and Keepsakes at the National Funeral Directors Expo
Element by The Living Urn to Introduce New and Innovative Urns and Keepsakes at the National Funeral Directors Expo The company is excited to introduce its new and unique U.S. made ceramic and wood urns as well as various innovative keepsakes.
Alcoa fined after students, workers burned at refinery
Alumina giant Alcoa has been fined $400,000 after a hot caustic solution burned school students on work experience and workers at a refinery. A worker noticed a burning smell and found a faulty pump emitting smoke and debris at the US-listed company’s Kwinana alumina refinery near Perth, Worksafe WA says. Fearing the pump would explode if pressure built up, a shift supervisor opened a discharge drain valve before leaving it to alert the student group to the incident.
Up in smoke: billions wiped off tobacco tax forecast
Firebombings and violent burglaries have sparked a renewed crackdown on illicit tobacco as taxes on legal cigarettes are labelled an epic fail. Seven men, some allegedly linked to the Alameddine crime family, have been arrested across Sydney over the theft of illegal cigarettes and chop-chop, or loose tobacco, in the past year, police said on Wednesday.
Trump election order calls for proof of US citizenship
US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that would require voters to prove they are US citizens and attempts to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after election day. The sweeping order also would seek to take federal funding away from states that do not comply. Trump has long questioned the US electoral system and continues to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.
Budget no barrier to May rate cut amid easing inflation
Tax cuts in the federal budget are unlikely to sway the Reserve Bank’s interest rate decision-making as fresh inflation data is tipped to show more progress on price growth. In the second consumer price index release since the Reserve Bank cut rates for the first time in more than four years, AMP economists are tipping a 0.1 per cent easing to 2.4 per cent in the year to February.
EU trade chief meets with Trump officials over tariffs
The European Union’s trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic is meeting with US President Donald Trump’s top trade officials to try to avoid steep US tariffs on EU goods as early as next week. Sefcovic had two previous discussions with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer that have yet to alter Trump’s plans to raise US import duties to match the rates charged by major trading partners and counteract their non-tariff trade barriers.
Billions locked and loaded for clean green metals
Low-emissions metals and other industries the federal government views as vital to Australia’s net zero future have locked in funding in the federal budget. A total of $3 billion has been earmarked to support green aluminium and iron endeavours in Tuesday’s budget. Households keen to soak up their excess rooftop solar power have been left disappointed, with no sign of subsidies or cheap loans for batteries.
Tax reform laid bare as Labor entrenches budget deficit
Australian workers will get two years of bracket creep back in tax cuts, but income earners will be increasingly called upon to prop up the government’s bottom line without genuine tax reform. The “modest” cuts announced by Treasurer Jim Chalmers in the federal budget will save Australians $10 a week once fully implemented in 2027/28. But the documents revealed government spending was on track to reach a 40-year high, with deficits stretching into the middle of next decade.
Treasurer sells 'modest' tax cuts as coalition hits out
Tax cuts for all Australians may be “modest” but are significant among other cost-of-living measures, the treasurer insists. Fresh from handing down his fourth budget, Jim Chalmers has begun the sales pitch ahead of voters going to the polls in May. The budget centrepiece was tax cuts for all taxpayers, which will see a reduction of up to $268 from July 2026 and $536 the following year.
Taxpayers to get $10 a week cut in pre-election budget
March 25, 2025 20:52 | News Taxpayers are being promised $10 a week of relief in a pre-election sweetener, as Jim Chalmers lays out the economic case for a second term of a Labor government. In his fourth federal budget handed down on Tuesday night, weeks before Australians go to the polls, the treasurer revealed the average earner would be $536 a year better off once the tax cuts are fully implemented.
Workers to benefit as wages growth outpaces inflation
Wages are set to rise on the back of a robust jobs market, stronger economic activity, sectoral pay boosts and a ban on non-compete clauses. Workers have already seen some let-up in prices eroding hard-won pay gains and new Treasury forecasts suggest the gap between inflation and wages will widen. The 2025/26 budget predicts real wages will grow by a quarter of a percentage point more than predicted in December’s mid-year budget update.
Higher deficit locked in as storms cloud budget outlook
March 25, 2025 19:37 | News Australia is on track for structural deficits as far as the government can see, clouding the economy’s final approach to a soft landing. The federal budget, unveiled by Treasurer Jim Chalmers on Tuesday night, locks in underlying deficits until 2035/36 as a result of ballooning spending and lower revenue growth than previous years.
'Up against the clock': time ticking for Brisbane 2032
March 25, 2025 19:27 | News The race to the Brisbane 2032 Games is finally under way after a few false starts, with the long-awaited Olympic venue plan unveiled. But the finishing line is already fast approaching, with an expert warning organisers are “up against the clock” to complete projects across Queensland. A 63,000-seat main stadium in Brisbane’s Victoria Park has been confirmed as the centrepiece of a bold venue plan revealed by the Queensland government after a 100-day review.
Move to enshrine eco approval smells fishy, critics say
March 25, 2025 16:27 | News Controversial changes to Australia’s environmental protections have been decried as a product of “rotten, stinking politics”. Hours before a budget and on the cusp of an election, the federal government introduced a bill that could water down Australia’s main nature laws by removing the environment minister’s ability to revoke some past decisions.
Samsung Electronics co-CEO dies of cardiac arrest
South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics’ co-chief executive officer Han Jong-hee has died at the age of 63. Han was in charge of Samsung’s consumer electronics and mobile devices division, while co-CEO Jun Young-hyun oversees the chip business of South Korea’s biggest company. Han died at a hospital on Tuesday while being treated for cardiac arrest, a company spokesperson said, adding that a successor had not yet been decided. Samsung Electronics shares were flat in morning trade.
Rammed environment laws could 'fast-track extinctions'
Changes that threaten to water down Australia’s environmental protections are being rammed through parliament under the cover of the federal budget, crossbenchers warn. The federal government will introduce an amendment to Australia’s main environmental act on Tuesday – during the last sitting week before an election and hours before it delivers a budget. While Labor committed to reforming the laws by the end of its first term, these changes are not what Australians want, environment groups warn.
Boeing seeks to withdraw guilty plea deal in crashes
Boeing is seeking to withdraw an agreement to plead guilty in a criminal case that blamed the company for deceiving regulators before two deadly crashes of 737 MAX jets, the Wall Street Journal is reporting. A US judge in December rejected the deal, faulting a diversity and inclusion provision, and Boeing and the Justice Department have been negotiating toward a new agreement. US President Donald Trump took over on January 20, giving his administration a chance to weigh in on the deal.
Tariffs on cars, aluminium, pharmaceuticals soon: Trump
US President Donald Trump says he will in the very near future announce tariffs on cars, aluminium and pharmaceuticals. Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the United States would need all those products if there were problems including wars. “We’ve been ripped off by every country,” Trump said as he presided over a meeting of his cabinet.
Debt nudges $1 trillion as budget returns to deficit
Australia will hit a record level of debt when the government unveils a federal budget that shows a structural worsening in the bottom line. Treasurer Jim Chalmers spruiked the government’s “responsible economic management” for limiting gross debt to $940 billion in 2024/25 as he prepares to unveil the budget on Tuesday night.
Budging Labor incumbents huge task even for Muslim Vote
March 25, 2025 03:30 | News Two independents challenging ministers face a tougher election battle with the Liberals confirming they will place them below Labor on how-to-vote cards. Ziad Basyouny will run against Tony Burke in Watson and Ahmed Ouf against Jason Clare in Blaxland, with Labor holding both seats on 15 per cent margins.
Starmer and Trump discuss new UK-US 'economic' deal
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer and US President Donald Trump have held a brief call to discuss progress on a new economic deal between the two countries, the prime minister’s spokesman says. The United Kingdom is hoping to negotiate a deal with the United States to avoid a broader round of reciprocal tariffs that Trump says he will announce next week.
Futures buoyant ahead of data-driven week
European shares have risen on upbeat German data and US stock futures while the dollar has firmed at the start of a data-driven week, although the threat of US tariff hikes is making investors cautious. The pan-European STOXX 600 steadied by 0955 GMT Monday with German and French indices both up 0.3 per cent and 0.1 per cent respectively after data showed Germany’s manufacturing production increased for the first time in almost two years.
UK airport defends decision to shut amid blame game
Britain’s Heathrow has defended its decision to shut down operations at Europe’s busiest airport as the blame game intensifies over an 18-hour closure that cost airlines tens of millions of pounds and stranded thousands of passengers. As questions mounted over how such a critical part of Britain’s infrastructure could fail and whether all of Heathrow’s four terminals needed to shut, both National Grid and Heathrow agreed the failure of the transformer was unprecedented.
Calls for premier's rail 'pet project' to be cancelled
There are fears a multibillion-dollar rail loop will hurtle a state’s finances into oblivion, with calls for the premier to cancel the “pet project”. Victorian Opposition Leader Brad Battin wants Premier Jacinta Allan to immediately suspend all contracts linked to the Suburban Rail Loop. The proposed 90km orbital rail loop is intended to run from Cheltenham in Melbourne’s southeast to Werribee in the outer west via the airport at Tullamarine.
Trump protest: some Europeans reconsider trips to US
March 24, 2025 18:11 | News Danish traveller Kennet Brask loved his fishing trip to Florida two years ago and was planning to return. But after watching US President Donald Trump’s explosive meeting with Volodomyr Zelenskiy in the White House, he called it off. “When I saw this meeting, I told myself, ‘I’m never going to go to the United States as long as Mr Trump is the President there’,” he told Reuters, adding Trump was “so rude” and did not behave like a grown-up.
'Nation-building' deal as public schools fully funded
March 24, 2025 17:25 | News A landmark agreement that ensures every Australian student receives a fully funded public eduction is being toasted as a nation-building breakthrough. After months of back-and-forth, the Commonwealth on Monday bowed to demands from a final holdout state and brokered a deal.
Consultants in firing line amid public servant stoush
Slashing consultants will help save the government $2.1 billion in the upcoming budget, countering a coalition promise to repair federal finances by axing public servants. Commonwealth employees have been in the sights of the opposition, which claims the growth of the public service headcount is emblematic of wasteful government spending under Labor.
Bayer ordered to pay $3b in Roundup weedkiller lawsuit
A jury has ordered Bayer to pay $A3.3 billion in damages to a US man who says the company’s Roundup weed killer caused his cancer. The verdict in the US state of Georgia marks the latest in a long-running series of court battles Monsanto has faced over its Roundup herbicide. Germany-based Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, has continued to dispute claims that Roundup causes cancer. The agrochemical giant says it will appeal the verdict, reached in a Georgia courtroom on Friday.
PM accuses opposition of lacking its own policies
March 24, 2025 10:55 | News The prime minister hopes the budget cycle will force the opposition to show its cards as he confirmed Australians would go to the polls in May. Ahead of the budget on Tuesday, the federal government has spruiked its cost-of-living relief efforts, announcing a $150 energy bill rebate in an extension of the $300 subsidy offered in the previous budget.
Carney calls snap vote, says Trump has sights on Canada
March 24, 2025 05:54 | News New Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has called a snap election for April 28, saying he needed a strong mandate to deal with the threat posed by US President Donald Trump, who “wants to break us so America can own us.” The comments showed the extent to which relations between the US and Canada, two long-time allies and major trading partners, have deteriorated since Trump imposed tariffs on Canada and threatened to annex it as the 51st state.
Treasurer denies election 'bribe' as bill relief looms
The Albanese government will use the federal budget as a springboard into an election campaign set to be dominated by price pressures. Both major parties are vowing to make Australians better off as Labor focuses on healthcare and the coalition slams the government for increases in power bills and grocery prices following a stinging run of inflation.
Budget week has parties preparing for election call
Peter Dutton’s pledge to relieve economic pressures is set to be scrutinised as the coalition seek to regain momentum before the federal election. The opposition leader is promising a major announcement in Thursday’s budget reply speech with immigration and housing likely to be areas of focus. Recent migration intakes had forced Australians out of the housing market while not enough homes were being built, Mr Dutton claimed.
'Hip pocket help' on its way in pre-election sweetener
March 23, 2025 13:52 | News Labor has used an energy rebate announcement ahead of the federal budget to ask supporters for donations to help sell its economic message. Australians will save $150 on their power bill across two instalments from July 1, extending a previous $300 rebate to cover the rest of 2025. The pre-election sweetener will cost about $1.8 billion and forms the centrepiece of Labor’s pre-election budget to be handed down on Tuesday.
Budget week to bring inflation, cost-of-living news
Inflation is not the same concern it was a couple of years ago but Australians can still look forward to more cost-of-living relief in the federal budget. Every household will receive $150 rebates on their electricity bills in what will be an otherwise low-key fiscal update on Tuesday.
Coalition set to cut public service, Labor defends WFH
March 23, 2025 10:44 | News More than 36,000 public servants will be axed if the opposition takes power while Labor vows to keep work-from-home entitlements, saying it saves people $5000. The Liberals have attacked Labor for expanding the public service by 36,000 people as it cut costs on consultants, with opposition finance spokeswoman Jane Hume confirming they’d be gone under a coalition government.
Labor to give households $150 in energy bill relief
Small businesses and all households will have $150 taken off soaring electricity bills as Labor emphasises hip-pocket relief heading into a pre-election budget. Some $1.8 billion in energy rebates would automatically be applied to every residence and one million small businesses around the nation on a quarterly basis from July 1 under the plan. It’s the second time in a year the government will roll out energy rebates after it provided $300 in relief in the 2024 budget.
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