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Soo Downe

Professor of Midwifery Studies, University of Central Lancashire
After completing a degree in Literature and Linguistics at the University of York, Soo trained as a midwife, and then worked for 15 years at Derby City Hospital mainly on the labour ward. Since 2001 she has been at the University of Central Lancashire, where she is now Professor of Midwifery Studies. Her research focus is on the nature and consequences of normal (physiological) birth, but she is also actively involved in wider maternity care issues. She was a member of the steering group for the Lancet Midwifery Series, and of the advisory group for the 2016 Lancet Stillbirth Series. With the Research in Childbirth and Health (ReaCH) team that she leads, she is currently contributing to the development process for three World Health Organisation guidelines: antenatal care, intrapartum care, and caesarean section. She is also currently the lead for an EU funded COST project related to global research in the maternity services, that includes 32 countries and over 100 scientists, academics, and service users. She is a member of the Board of Directors for the global MotherBaby Friendly initiative. She regularly contributes to initiatives from the RCOG and the RCM, and she was awarded an OBE for services to midwifery in 2011.

Caesareans are rising fast in the UK – but giving birth is getting worse for women

Jan 17, 2025 14:22 pm UTC| Insights & Views Life Health

Caesarean births are rising worldwide, but the UK has one of the highest rates in Europe, with the fastest increase in recent years. In England, 42% of all births are now by caesarean section compared with 29% five years...

Economy

Asian Currencies Slide as Indian Rupee Hits Record Low Amid Iran Tensions

Asian currencies weakened further on Tuesday, led by the Indian rupee, which plunged to a record low as rising Middle East tensions pushed crude oil prices higher and strengthened demand for the U.S. dollar. Investors also...

US, Japan Reaffirm Strong Currency Coordination Amid Yen Volatility

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Japanese Finance Minister Satsuki Katayama reaffirmed strong cooperation on foreign exchange policy during meetings in Tokyo, signaling continued coordination to address excessive...

Rubio Discusses Iran Crisis and Strait of Hormuz Disruptions With UK and Australia

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio held separate discussions on Monday with Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper regarding the escalating Iran conflict and the ongoing...

Trump Says Iran Ceasefire ‘On Life Support’ as Oil Prices Surge Above $104

Hopes for a peace deal between the United States and Iran weakened Tuesday after U.S. President Donald Trump said the fragile ceasefire was on life support following Tehrans rejection of a U.S.-backed proposal aimed at...

US Inflation Expected to Rise Again in April as Fed Signals Higher Interest Rates

U.S. consumer prices likely increased at a steady pace for the second consecutive month in April, reinforcing concerns that inflation remains stubbornly high and strengthening expectations that the Federal Reserve will...

Politics

Israel Approves Special Military Tribunal for Hamas October 7 Attack Suspects

Israels parliament has approved a new law establishing a special military tribunal to prosecute Palestinian militants involved in the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. The legislation, passed late Monday by a...

GOP Lawmakers Probe Sam Altman and OpenAI Ahead of Potential IPO

Republican lawmakers and several Republican state attorneys general are increasing scrutiny of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman over concerns tied to the companys governance and business relationships ahead of a possible OpenAI IPO,...

Trump Weighs Renewed Military Action Against Iran Amid Strait of Hormuz Crisis

U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly giving stronger consideration to restarting major combat operations against Iran as diplomatic efforts and nuclear negotiations continue to stall. According to a CNN report...

Trump Administration Seeks Court Pause to Reinstate 10% Global Tariffs

The Trump administration has asked a U.S. federal court to temporarily pause a recent ruling that challenged the legality of the administrations 10% global tariff policy while the government continues its appeal process....

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang Pleads Guilty in China Foreign Agent Case

Arcadia Mayor Eileen Wang has agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of acting as an unregistered foreign agent for the Chinese government, according to U.S. officials. The case has drawn national attention due to...

Science

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

NASA Artemis II: First Crewed Moon Mission Since Apollo Takes Four Astronauts on 10-Day Lunar Journey

NASAs Artemis II mission launched Wednesday, marking humanitys return to crewed lunar exploration for the first time since the Apollo era. Carrying four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft, this historic 10-day mission...

NASA's Artemis II Mission: First Crewed Lunar Journey Since Apollo

NASA's Artemis II Crew Arrives in Florida for Historic Moon Mission

The four astronauts chosen for NASAs Artemis II mission have touched down at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marking the beginning of final launch preparations for the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years. NASA...

Technology

Kuaishou Stock Jumps on Kling AI IPO Plans and $20 Billion Valuation

Kuaishou Technology (HK:1024) shares surged on Tuesday after reports revealed that the Chinese short-video giant is considering spinning off its Kling artificial intelligence video generation business. The news boosted...

Samsung Shares Slide as Labor Talks Intensify Ahead of Planned Strike

Samsung Electronics shares dropped more than 2% on Tuesday as investors monitored critical negotiations between the tech giant and its labor union over a potential strike that could impact the global semiconductor...

Ibiden Stock Surges as AI Chip Demand Boosts Profit Outlook

Ibiden Co., Ltd. (TYO:4062) shares climbed sharply on Tuesday after the Japanese semiconductor component manufacturer reported strong annual earnings and raised its forecast for the current fiscal year. The companys stock...

OpenAI-Microsoft Deal Sets $38 Billion Revenue-Sharing Cap Ahead of Potential IPO

OpenAI and Microsoft have reportedly agreed to place a $38 billion cap on total revenue-sharing payments, according to a report published Monday by The Information. The move is seen as part of OpenAIs broader effort to...

Nintendo Shares Tumble as Weak Forecast and Rising Switch 2 Costs Worry Investors

Nintendo shares plunged on Monday after the Japanese gaming giant posted annual earnings that missed analyst expectations and issued a weaker-than-expected outlook for the current fiscal year. The disappointing forecast...