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• Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy stated she is "not satisfied" with Channel 4's response to the government regarding allegations of rape and sexual assault. • The concerns follow a BBC Panorama report featuring two former cast members of Married at First Sight UK who alleged they were victims of abuse. • While the men accused in the report have denied the allegations, the government is questioning the broadcaster's handling of the situation and cast safety.

President’s UFC fights held on the White House lawn overshadowed by chants about former first ladyHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.Donald Trump’s UFC fights held on the White House lawn were marred by a misogynistic smear aimed at former first lady Michelle Obama last night.Trump arrives in Evian-les-Bains on Monday afternoon for talks with G7 leaders, including some who have been sharply critical of his managing of the roughly 15-week conflict that has led to a surge in global energy prices. World leaders began gathering in a French spa town for the summit with a new impetus following the US president’s announcement of an agreement that he says will bring an end to the war against Iran.The Iranian deputy foreign minister, Kazem Gharibabadi, confirmed in the early hours of Monday an agreement for an “immediate end” to the US-Iranian war, and said Lebanon was included in a peace deal due to be signed on Friday. Pakistan’s prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, announced the agreement on Sunday afternoon, saying both sides would be declaring “the immediate and permanent termination of military operations on all fronts”.Trump told Vladimir Putin that ending Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine was critical and that he was prepared to help, reported Russia’s TASS news agency. During a phone call on Sunday, Trump also informed the Russian president that the US was nearing a peace deal with Iran as the US-Israel war against the country continues, according to Yuri Ushakov, a Putin adviser.JD Vance said he would discuss a 2028 US presidential run with his wife, Usha, after the 2026 midterms. “Usha and I will absolutely sit down and talk about what comes next for our family,” said Vance. The US vice-president gave insight into his ongoing decision on whether to run during an interview with CBS Sunday Morning where he spoke on his new memoir, Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith, which details his conversion to Catholicism. Continue reading...

• Cast members of "Married at First Sight Australia" claim they were not informed by producers that their on-screen partners had prior convictions for drug offenses and violence. • The controversy centers on the show's vetting process, with participants alleging that critical background information was withheld before they were matched. • This revelation raises significant concerns regarding the duty of care and safety protocols employed by the production company during the casting of the reality series.

• Katie Price has provided an update on her marriage to Lee Andrews after previous reports suggested the couple had split. • Price recently traveled to Dubai to visit Andrews, who is currently incarcerated in a Dubai prison. • Despite earlier hints that the relationship was over, Price has reappeared wearing her wedding rings, signaling a reconciliation.

• Peter Phillips has married Harriet Sperling, an NHS nurse, in a ceremony attended by King Charles, Queen Camilla, and other members of the royal family. • The wedding marks a significant personal milestone for Phillips, the son of the late Princess Anne, as he enters a new marriage. • The event highlights the intersection of the British monarchy and public service, given Sperling's professional role within the National Health Service.

• Fans of Taylor Swift are actively searching for clues regarding a potential marriage between the superstar and NFL player Travis Kelce. • Journalist Joanna Weiss highlights Swift's strategic ability to build a dedicated community and navigate her celebrity status through clever internet engagement. • The speculation underscores Swift's influence not only as a global artist but as a business person and cultural figure who carefully manages her public image.

• Ofcom is investigating "deeply disturbing" allegations surrounding the Channel 4 reality series *Married at First Sight UK*. • The media watchdog stated it is taking the claims very seriously following reports of misconduct or unfair treatment. • The House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee has intervened, submitting a series of questions regarding the regulator's actions and responses.

New Gallup poll finds support for same-sex marriage and relationships in the US has stopped rising after two decadesAcceptance of same-sex marriage and relationships in the US has flattened after more than two decades of steadily increasing support, with an ongoing decline among Republicans, according to a new Gallup poll.About 65% of US adults believe same-sex marriage should be legal, down slightly from 71% in 2022 and 2023. Continue reading...

• Pop star Dua Lipa and actor Callum Turner have married in a low-key wedding ceremony in London. • The couple, who began their relationship in 2024, held the event at the historic Old Marylebone Town Hall. • The venue is a renowned site for celebrity nuptials, most notably hosting Sir Paul McCartney and Linda Eastman's wedding in 1969.

• Two women have accused the Channel 4 reality show *Married at First Sight UK* of fostering a "toxic" culture after alleging they were raped during filming. • Participant Soraya Spiers, who spoke publicly, described the production environment as being "toxic from the top down" with an unhealthy focus on sex. • These revelations highlight serious concerns regarding the duty of care and safety protocols for contestants on high-pressure reality television sets.

Crew members claim hit Channel 4 show’s culture was ‘toxic from the top down’ amid allegations of rape by female cast membersMarried at First Sight UK had an “unhealthy” focus on whether cast members were having sex, former and current workers on the show have said.One former crew member said the culture on the hit Channel 4 show was “toxic from the top down”. The claims from crew members were reported by the BBC, which previously broadcast allegations from two female cast members that they were raped by their on-screen partners. Continue reading...

Bonolo Selelo and Tsholofelo Kumile are going to court for right to wed but face fierce opposition from church groupsBonolo Selelo was at Botswana’s national museum for a Gaborone Pride event when she spotted Tsholofelo Kumile and was struck by her good looks. The two initiated a conversation and when Kumile expressed anxiety about what a tarot reading at the event might hold, Selelo thought nothing of offering her a hug. The reading turned out positive but Kumile claimed her hug anyway and they talked for hours.That was 1 October 2023. Two months later, they moved in together. Then, on a hike during the Easter holidays in 2024, Selelo proposed to Kumile. A year later, they visited a local government office to register their intent to marry and were told it wasn’t legal. Continue reading...

• A BBC Panorama investigation revealed that two women alleged they were raped by their on-screen husbands during the filming of the Channel 4 reality show *Married at First Sight UK*. • The victims reported a systemic failure in the production's welfare team, claiming they felt let down and that their safety was compromised for the sake of entertainment. • This exposure highlights critical concerns regarding the duty of care and safeguarding protocols used by major reality television productions.

Up to 70% of girls may be in early or forced marriages but law now makes divorce impossible if husbands disagreeChild marriage appears to have been legally recognised for the first time by the Taliban in Afghanistan, as activists say “shameful” new laws make it almost impossible for girls and young women to seek divorce against their husbands’ will.There are no official statistics on forced and underage marriages in Afghanistan, but activists say it has risen at an alarming rate in recent years, driven by the ban on girls being in education after the age of 11. Continue reading...

Travel firm exits partnership after Panorama revealed allegations by three women against on-screen husbandsThe travel operator Tui has ended its sponsorship of the UK and Australian versions of Married at First Sight on Channel 4 after contestants on the former made allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.An edition of the BBC’s Panorama programme this week revealed allegations by two anonymous women that they had been raped by their on-screen husbands on the show. A third woman, Shona Manderson, accused her on-screen husband of sexual misconduct. All three men deny the claims. Continue reading...

Priya Dogra says she believes channel acted appropriately, but that she is ‘deeply sorry’ for distress of participantsChannel 4’s chief executive has stood by the broadcaster’s treatment of concerns raised by contestants on Married At First Sight, as she said she was “deeply sorry” for the distress of female participants making allegations of rape and sexual misconduct.Priya Dogra said she believed the channel had acted appropriately at the time of the allegations, but had commissioned an external review to ensure the show was safe for those taking part. Continue reading...

‘The boundaries of entertainment are always pushed for each series,’ psychologist says, as speculation grows over show’s futureThe pressure to keep audiences glued to hit reality TV shows is leading to participants being put in increasingly risky and exploitative situations, according to a psychologist and executive who have both previously worked on Married at First Sight UK.Two women have alleged they were raped during the filming of the show, which is one of Channel 4’s most popular and profitable programmes, and said not enough was done to protect them. Continue reading...

DCMS says there must be ‘consequences for criminality’, after allegations by three women about onscreen partnersRape claims involving Channel 4’s Married at First Sight UK must be investigated, with consequences for criminality or wrongdoing, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has said.The BBC reported on Monday that two women said they had been raped during filming of the dating show, while a third described an allegation of a non-consensual sex act. Continue reading...

Former contestants claim there was not enough protection for cast during making of Channel 4 showTwo women have alleged they were raped during the filming of Married at First Sight UK, one of Channel 4’s biggest shows, and a third alleged she was subjected to a non-consensual sex act.The show did not do enough to protect them, the women told an edition of the BBC’s Panorama outlining their allegations. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Taped conversations also cover playwright’s relationship with fame, self-doubt and communismHe was one of the greatest playwrights of the 20th century and she was one of the greatest actors. In newly unearthed recordings made over a period of nearly three decades, Arthur Miller opened up about his short-lived marriage to Marilyn Monroe, saying she wanted a husband who was a “father, lover, friend and agent,” and the child she longed for would have been an “additional problem”.In taped conversations with his friend and biographer Prof Christopher Bigsby, Miller said he had felt “death was always on her [Monroe’s] shoulder – always”. He had believed that if he did not “take care of her life” she would come to a “catastrophic end”. Continue reading...

Coleen Lamarre, 63, charged with perverting the course of justice in relation to trial over alleged murders of Luke Davies and Jesse BairdFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe mother of a former police officer who allegedly murdered Luke Davies and Jesse Baird two years ago has been charged after allegedly attempting to influence a key witness to change their evidence in her son’s trial.New South Wales police said Coleen Lamarre, 63, was arrested in Balmain and charged with perverting the course of justice, which carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years. Continue reading...

• Country star Jason Aldean released 'Songs About Us' last week, drawing from his 11-year marriage to wife Brittany. • The couple collaborated on a duet for the album after years of balancing agreement and disagreement in their relationship. • Aldean shared in a Fox News Digital interview how family inspired the deeply personal record.

Italian newspapers claim singer and actor, who is tipped to be next James Bond, are planning ‘wedding of the year’ in the cityLast July, Dua Lipa shared a series of photos on Instagram while on holiday in Palermo with Callum Turner, the British actor she had become engaged to weeks earlier. In these photos, the pair appeared radiantly in love with each other – and the Sicilian capital.There were pictures of the couple strolling through the city’s vibrant baroque alleys, admiring the ceiling frescoes in its striking cathedral and enjoying sunset boat trips. In another, a smiling Turner is holding a pair of ricotta-filled cannoli, the Sicilian dessert. One photo even captured the word ‘“amore” scrawled on a wall. Continue reading...

Conservative host says he’s ‘tormented’ by previous support for Trump – could this presage his own run for president?He can’t live with him and can’t live without him. But, finally, the conservative podcaster Tucker Carlson seems to have made up his mind about Donald Trump. Their up-and-down marriage of political convenience is heading for the divorce court.On Tuesday Carlson admitted that he will be “tormented” for a long time by his support for Trump in the 2024 US presidential election “and I want to say I’m sorry for misleading people”. What he did not say is whether this presages his own run for president in 2028. Continue reading...

The family of Marie-Thérèse, from Brittany, fear for her health after she was cuffed and placed in a detention centreAn 86-year-old French woman who moved to the US to marry her 1950s sweetheart is being held in a crowded detention centre in Louisiana after she was arrested by immigration agents and cuffed by her hands and feet.The family of the woman, named only as Marie-Thérèse, said they feared for her health as French consular officials attempted to secure her release. One of her sons told the Ouest-France newspaper that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had treated his mother like a hardened criminal. Continue reading...

‘She got ripped away from me,’ army soldier Matthew Blank said after his wife Annie Ramos was detained in LouisianaImmigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents under the command of the Trump administration have reportedly detained the wife of a US army staff sergeant at his military base in Louisiana amid his preparations to deploy.The arrest of Annie Ramos, 22, took place last Thursday, just days after she married 23-year-old Matthew Blank, a soldier who has served for more than five years and previously deployed to the Middle East and Europe, the New York Times first reported on Sunday. Continue reading...

Anger in France after US president puts on French accent and mocks Macron during private lunch in WashingtonEurope live – latest updatesEmmanuel Macron has said Donald Trump’s comments about his marriage were “neither elegant nor up to standard” after the US president put on an accent and mocked his French counterpart and his wife during a private lunch in Washington.Arriving in South Korea on Thursday, Macron made clear his displeasure at Trump’s comments, which appeared briefly in a video on the White House YouTube channel before being removed. Continue reading...

On second anniversary of his sister ending her life at Dignitas, Tony Marra will protest outside parliament with other campaignersTwo years after Paola Marra, on the eve of her death, appealed to politicians to change the law on assisted dying, the terminally ill adults (end of life) bill is stuck in the House of Lords. For her brother, the second anniversary of her death will be spent protesting outside parliament.Marra died aged 53 on 20 March 2024. She documented her solo journey from north London to Dignitas in Switzerland in photographs and a short film by the photographer Rankin, released posthumously, as well as in a powerful interview with the Guardian. Continue reading...