Teenagers routinely see content promoting weight-loss drugs, steroids and skin-whitening creams, research finds Children are being “bombarded” with harmful products online, including weight-loss drugs, steroids and skin-whitening chemicals, a study has found.Research conducted for the children’s commissioner for England found that teenagers were routinely exposed to harmful products on social media, video games and apps. Continue reading…

As he faces calls from lawmakers to resign, Lutnick testifies that he and his family visited disgraced financier in 2012The US commerce secretary, Howard Lutnick, had lunch with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein on the disgraced financier’s private island, he said on Tuesday, as he faces mounting calls to resign from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.“I did have lunch with him, as I was on a boat going across on a family vacation” in 2012, Lutnick said in testimony on Tuesday before the Senate appropriations committee. Continue reading…

Series of meetings is mandated by $305m settlement agreement for 600 survivors of decades-long abuse scandalA small number of victims of New Orleans’ Catholic clergy abuse scandal filed into a local church office recently for the first of 10 group meetings with Archbishop Gregory Aymond.The New Orleans archdiocese agreed to the meetings as part of settling its six-year-old federal bankruptcy protection case in December. Such group and one-on-one meetings are some of the non-monetary terms of a settlement that is expected to otherwise pay about 600 abuse survivors $305m. Continue reading…

Former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touchingThe actor Noel Clarke has been arrested over an attempted rape, which allegedly took place in 2007.The former Doctor Who star is also facing allegations of exposure and sexual assault by touching. Continue reading…

Khanna, who co-sponsored the Epstein transparency act, named six people including Victoria’s Secret tycoon Leslie Wexner on the House floorUS commerce secretary says he had lunch with Epstein on private islandJeffrey Epstein plotted with lawyer to try to have woman deportedJamie Raskin, a top House Democrat, accused the justice department of making “puzzling, inexplicable redactions” to documents related to Jeffrey Epstein that obscured the names of abusers, while allowing the identities of the disgraced financier’s victims to become public.Raskin told reporters that he wanted to view the complete files to better understand how the justice department handled the redaction process. Continue reading…

Cabinet Office, PM and Met urge caution amid police investigation linked to release of Epstein documentsMinisters have been warned not to publish their messages with Peter Mandelson after Wes Streeting released his private WhatsApp exchanges with the disgraced former ambassador.In a message to officials, the Cabinet Office is understood to have said members of government should not share material that could be covered by a Commons motion forcing the release of documents relating to Mandelson’s appointment as US ambassador. Continue reading…

Agency says person ‘appears to have tampered’ with Nest camera as hunt for Savannah Guthrie’s mother continuesThe FBI on Tuesday released new photos and video footage of someone the agency’s director described as “an armed individual appearing to have tampered with the camera at Nancy Guthrie’s front door the morning of her disappearance”.Broadcast journalist Savannah Guthrie, host of NBC’s Today and Nancy’s daughter, wrote on social media: “We believe she is still alive. Bring her home.” Continue reading…

Tehran’s intervention comes as the Israeli prime minister heads to a hastily arranged White House encounterTehran has told the US not to allow Israel to destroy the chance of reaching an agreement over Iran’s nuclear programme amid speculation that Benjamin Netanyahu intends to use a hastily arranged White House meeting with Donald Trump on Wednesday to divert negotiations.Iran’s intervention came as the Israeli prime minister flew to Washington to plead with Trump not to negotiate a deal with Tehran if it excludes limiting the country’s ballistic missile programme, dropping its support for proxy forces in the region and curtailing human rights abuses at home. Continue reading…

Boy held on suspicion of attempted murder after two pupils, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed at Kingsbury high schoolPolice have arrested a 13-year-old boy on suspicion of attempted murder after two boys, aged 12 and 13, were stabbed at a school in north-west London .The Metropolitan police were called to the scene at Kingsbury high school in Bacon Lane, Brent, at 12.40pm on Tuesday to reports that a 13-year-old boy had been stabbed. When they arrived at the scene, officers found a 12-year-old boy who had also been stabbed. Continue reading…

When piloted, initiative that provided €325 a week to eligible artists recouped more than its net cost, study shows Ireland is creating a scheme that will give artists a weekly income in the hope of reducing their need for alternative work and boosting their creativity.The Basic Income for the Arts (BIA) initiative will provide €325 (£283) a week to 2,000 eligible artists based in the Republic of Ireland in three-year cycles. Continue reading…

Clients of Global Counsel, co-founded by Mandelson, included OpenAI and Palantir, which have both signed deals with governmentA lobbying firm co-owned by Peter Mandelson worked for OpenAI before the US tech company signed a wide-ranging agreement with the UK government to explore deploying AI in Britain’s justice, security and education systems.In 2024, the $500bn-valued maker of ChatGPT was a client of Global Counsel, which Mandelson co-founded and part-owned. Keir Starmer subsequently appointed Mandelson as ambassador to Washington. Continue reading…

Exclusive: Eirik Kristoffersen, who served in Afghanistan, rejects Trump’s claim that Nato troops stayed off frontlinesNorway’s army chief has said Oslo cannot exclude the possibility of a future Russian invasion of the country, suggesting Moscow could move on Norway to protect its nuclear assets stationed in the far north.“We don’t exclude a land grab from Russia as part of their plan to protect their own nuclear capabilities, which is the only thing they have left that actually threatens the United States,” said Gen Eirik Kristoffersen, Norway’s chief of defence. Continue reading…

Christos Flessas detained in case seen as exposing Beijing’s strategy of infiltrating western military and security servicesA Greek air force officer arrested on suspicion of spying for China has been detained pending trial after appearing before a military judge in a case that is seen as exposing Beijing’s determination to infiltrate Europe’s security and intelligence services.Surrounded by armed escorts, a squadron leader identified as Col Christos Flessas emerged from the court late on Tuesday after giving testimony for more than eight hours. Continue reading…

Cold spell means cars can cross 20km stretch of frozen sea but drivers must be able to exit quickly in case of a problemTemperatures in northern Europe have been so low that citizens of Estonia can now drive across a 20km stretch of frozen sea linking the country’s two main islands.The so-called “ice road” connecting the islands of Saaremaa and Hiiumaa, located in western Estonia between the Baltic Sea and the Gulf of Riga, was officially opened on Sunday with a line of cars waiting to use it that afternoon. Continue reading…

Democrat Ro Khanna and Republican Thomas Massie reveal names they say DoJ redacted ‘for no apparent reason’US politics live – latest updatesThe Democratic congressman Ro Khanna said on Tuesday that he and his Republican colleague Thomas Massie had forced the justice department to disclose the “hidden” names of six wealthy men they say are “likely incriminated” by their inclusion in the so-called Jeffrey Epstein files.In a post on X at lunchtime, Khanna, of California, named the six as Salvatore Nuara, Zurab Mikeladze, Leonic Leonov, Nicola Caputo, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem and Leslie Wexner. Continue reading…