Keir Starmer says UK will ‘have to act’ to curb addictive features of social media

• An expeditionary force of American Marines arrived in the Middle East on Saturday as Yemen's Houthis launched an unsuccessful ballistic missile attack on Israel, escalating the US-Iran conflict. • Strikes on Friday and Saturday continued despite President Trump's claims of 'very strong talks' with Iran on a diplomatic solution, with no signs of de-escalation. • The involvement of Iran-allied Houthis raises fears of broader regional war and further economic disruption, particularly to global shipping routes.

• Huge crowds rallied across the U.S. on Saturday for 'No Kings Day' protests against President Donald Trump, expressing fury over his policies amid international tensions. • Demonstrations also spread abroad, including massive marches in France and crowds at NIH headquarters protesting cuts to medical research. • The protests highlight domestic opposition to Trump's leadership, potentially influencing U.S. politics as global conflicts intensify.

Experts say verdict gives Trump officials scope to crack down on leftwing views using spurious ‘terrorism’ labelThe conviction in Texas of nine activists on terrorism and other charges earlier this month sets an alarming precedent: the Trump administration can crack down on leftwing groups and label them “domestic terrorists”.The case was widely seen as a major test of the Trump administration’s efforts to punish protesters and leftwing views. The charges came after a protest outside of an ICE facility outside of Fort Worth last year. Activists planned to set off fireworks outside of the facility in solidarity with those detained inside, traveling with a cache of automatic weapons and body armor they said was for self-defense against counter-protesters. Once they got there, a small group broke away and began vandalizing cars in the parking lot, spray painting graffiti, slashing tires on a government van, and breaking a security camera. A police officer arrived on the scene and drew his weapon at those in the parking lot, one of the activists opened fire with an AR-15 and hit the police officer in the shoulder. He ultimately survived. Continue reading...

Peaches, strawberries and grapes were almost always found to be contaminated with ‘forever chemicals’ in the analysisSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxA first-of-its-kind analysis has identified Pfas pesticide residues on 37% of conventional California produce, with peaches, strawberries and grapes almost always found to be contaminated with the toxic “forever chemicals”.The analysis coincided with the introduction of California legislation that would by 2035 fully ban Pfas from being used as active ingredients in pesticides, and require warning labels and other restrictions in the meantime. Continue reading...

Brent crude jumps 51% since start of March and gold suffers fifth-largest monthly fall in 50 yearsMiddle East crisis – latest updatesThe Brent crude oil price is on track for its biggest monthly gain on record in March after the Iran war caused mayhem in the markets.Brent crude, the international benchmark, has climbed by 51% since the start of March, LSEG data shows, beating the previous monthly record of 46% in September 1990 after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, leading to the first Gulf war. Continue reading...

Model posted picture of herself naked and pregnant, standing ‘in her full power’, to celebrate Mother’s Day It is a black-and-white photograph of a heavily pregnant Erin O’Connor touching her baby bump with an expression of maternal bliss on her face.For the 48-year-old model, who has worked for Dior, Versace, Alexander McQueen and Chanel, it conveys the “abundance of life being right there” under her fingertips when she was pregnant. Continue reading...

Forthcoming rules mean debilitating conditions may not meet strict ‘severe and lifelong’ eligibility criteria, say disabled people’s organisationsHundreds of thousands of severely ill and disabled people making new claims will have their benefits cut if the government assesses that their condition might improve, charities have said.In April, the health element of universal credit – an extra payment for people assessed as too unwell to work or prepare for work – will be reduced to £50 a week and frozen for new claimants unless their condition is found to be terminal or severe and lifelong with no prospect of improvement. Continue reading...

Sara Ziff, founder of Model Alliance, said business leaders need to be hauled before House oversight committeeA top modeling industry activist has called for business leaders to be hauled before lawmakers in Washington to investigate what role modeling agencies may have played in the Jeffrey Epstein sex trafficking scandal.Sara Ziff is founder of the Model Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group calling for fair treatment, labor rights and safe working conditions for fashion industry workers. Continue reading...

Five months after a ceasefire was announced in Gaza, airstrikes are still killing civilians, and the humanitarian situation remains direThere is little left that connects Palestinians in Gaza with their prewar existence. The contours of life have become darker and far more brutal, as if the population has been stripped from its past.“Drones never stop buzzing overhead, gunfire and shelling continue almost daily and naval boats fire towards fishermen,” said 56-year-old Ahmed Baroud, a father of five currently displaced in Deir al-Balah. Continue reading...

Ban on junk food adverts has cut advertising spend and prompted a debate over the policy’s impactThe UK will have its first Easter without the traditional barrage of TV ads for chocolate eggs and hot cross buns as the ban on junk food advertising makes the sweetest tradition of the year a sugar-free viewing experience.New regulations, which came into force at the beginning of the year, prohibit products high in fat, sugar and salt from appearing in TV ads before 9pm, as part of efforts to tackle rising childhood obesity. Continue reading...

Conviction revealed during questioning of Rob Hastings about a second woman whom he deceived into intimate relationshipAn undercover officer who deceived a woman into an intimate relationship was later convicted and dismissed from the police for assaulting his long-term partner, the public inquiry into undercover policing has heard.Rob Hastings, who infiltrated pro-Palestinian and left wing protest groups for three years during his covert deployment, was convicted of assaulting his now ex-partner and mother of his three children in 2014. He was sacked by the Metropolitan police for gross misconduct as a result. Continue reading...