Comedian Diane Morgan has joined a group of public figures pressing the government to make the BBC portray farmed animals more honestly.The letter, sent to media secretary Lisa Nandy, is backed by names including Brian May, Athena Turner, Kirsty Gallacher, Jenny Seagrove and Will Young.It is also supported by 16 animal welfare organisations that have submitted a joint proposal to the Department...

When Rod Stewart received a prostate cancer diagnosis in 2017, he and his wife Penny Lancaster chose to keep the news private while awaiting further tests.The secrecy and uncertainty took a significant emotional toll on Penny, who later revealed the impact in her memoir.Penny describes the diagnosis as an intensely stressful period. Doctors told the couple the tumor was aggressive, yet Rod...

A month of air strikes, economic collapse and harsh crackdowns has left many Iranians living on edge, sleepless and worried about survival.In Tehran a young woman — given a pseudonym for her safety — describes the moment the war came into her office: a violent blast, smoke on the skyline and instant panic as colleagues fled to the roof.Her employer closed the business that day and let staff...

A Miami mother who tried to arrange the killing of her three-year-old son was sentenced without immediate jail time after pleading guilty to charges linked to the plot.Twenty-year-old Jazmin Paez contacted a website that presents itself as a hitman-for-hire and supplied photos and a precise location for the child, prompting the site operator to alert law enforcement.The site, which is intended as...

Germany is preparing to tighten its laws on pornographic deepfakes after a television actress accused her former husband of circulating sexually explicit fake images of her online.Collien Fernandes has filed a complaint in Spain against actor Christian Ulmen, saying fake social media accounts with sexualised images of her have appeared for about a decade.She says the offending material was traced...

The European Parliament has approved legislation to put an EU‑US trade framework into effect, but only after adding measures to protect European interests.Lawmakers insisted on conditions that would force a pause or end the deal if Washington fails to meet its commitments.MEPs voted 417 in favour, 154 against and 71 abstained. The text still needs formal approval from all 27 EU governments...

A court in Chelyabinsk has ordered an Oscar-winning documentary to be taken down from three online video services, saying the film promotes extremism and terrorism.The documentary, a Danish–Czech production that picked up both an Oscar and a BAFTA in 2026, chronicles how a Russian school became a site of pro-war indoctrination after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.The footage was shot by Pavel...

Leicester-based JM Wholesale, a major UK distributor of vaping and CBD products, has been put into administration after a notice was filed on March 20.The filing was made through law firm Shakespeare Martineau, with Christopher Lewis and Chris Newell of Quantuma appointed as administrators.The company sells a wide range of items including vape devices, e-liquids, disposable vapes and nicotine...

This Nowruz has a different feel: homes are being swept and prepared for spring, but celebration is muted by war, internet blackouts and a sense of danger.Families who would normally gather are cut off from loved ones and struggling to get news from the outside.Reporters working with people inside Iran have been sent accounts under strict anonymity for safety. The government has tightened online...

A Los Angeles jury has ruled that Meta and Google are responsible for harm suffered by a young woman who says she became addicted to social media as a child.Jurors apportioned blame between the companies, assigning 70% of the responsibility to Meta and 30% to YouTube.The decision follows roughly five weeks of testimony and evidence. The plaintiff, identified only as Kaley, argued that platform...