86 m. ago ‘One bite and he was hooked’: from Kenya to Nepal, how parents are battling ultra

Five families around the world share their struggles to keep their children away from UPFsParents and young people: share your concerns about ultra-processed foods (UPFs)The scourge of ultra-processed foods (UPFs) is global. While their consumption is particularly high in the west, forming more than half the average diet in the UK and the US, for example, UPFs are replacing fresh food in diets on every continent.This month, the world’s largest review on the health threats of UPFs was published in the Lancet. It warned that such foods are exposing millions of people to long-term harm, and called for urgent action. Earlier this year Unicef revealed that more children around the world were obese than underweight for the first time, as junk food overwhelms diets, with the steepest rises in low- and middle-income countries. Continue reading...

Events

3 d. ago The Guardian view on the Send crisis: Bridget Phillipson must be tough with the Treasury so children aren’t penalised | Editorial

Tory special needs reforms upended council finances, but Labour’s plan to rebuild public provision won’t come cheap if it’s done properlyThe crisis over special educational needs and disabilities in England is not just a question of cash. Children and parents spend months and years battling for support to which the law entitles them, schools lack the funding to meet needs, and specialist provision is inadequate. An adversarial system shunts families towards tribunals that councils almost invariably lose.Tory reforms created obligations for local authorities but did not adequately fund them – allowing ministers to duck responsibility. The result has been financial chaos, with the overall overspend on special educational needs and disabilities (Send) predicted to reach £6.6bn by next March, and keep rising. Taking responsibility for funding away from councils and handing it to the Department for Education is the right move. But the most important questions about Send go beyond account...

Events

8 d. ago Drugs and alcohol minister's family struggles fuel her fight against overdose deaths

Maree Todd's parents both battled alcohol and she believes they offered proof that recovery is possible. She pledges a key focus on benzos and admits that local Alcohol and Drug Partnerships need more support

Politics

8 d. ago Gemma Collins, 44, confirms she's in perimenopause after opening up on her fertility battle and her wish to become a parent

Gemma Collins has confirmed she's in perimenopause in a new Instagram post on Tuesday. 

Events

2 w. ago Indi Gregory's parents reveal pregnancy joy two years after tragic court battle

Eight-month-old Indi's life support was removed despite her parents battling with medics to give their girl a chance. Two years on, the couple speak of their continued heartache and pregnancy news

Events

3 w. ago Earl of Yarmouth, 31, who was disinherited by his parents over his choice of wife, 39, and refusal to get a proper job faces £1.3m legal bill after losing bid for £85m estate

Lord Yarmouth had been involved in a spat with his parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, since 2018, when they objected to his wedding to former Goldman Sachs banker Kelsey Wells.

Economics

4 w. ago Earl of Yarmouth who was disinherited by his parents over his choice of bride faces £1.3m bill after losing acrimonious legal battle over control of £85m estate

Lord Yarmouth had been involved in a spat with his parents, the Marquess and Marchioness of Hertford, since 2018, when they objected to his wedding to former Goldman Sachs banker Kelsey Wells.

Economics

last month Forget petty bribes, ‘state capture’ is corruption so deep it is shaping the rules of democracy itself | Kenneth Mohammed

Beating the dangerous influence of private interests on governments requires independent judges, journalists and a courageous civil societyA global youth revolt is shaking the foundations of political power. In just a few months, millions of young people have taken to the streets across continents – from Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Kenya, Tanzania, Morocco, Madagascar, Peru and Paraguay – to denounce corruption and collapsing public systems. The spark is familiar: governments accused of looting public wealth while ordinary citizens face unemployment, rising costs, poverty and failing services. These digitally connected protest movements – leaderless, borderless and fast-moving – have toppled governments in Nepal, Peru and Madagascar. The anger is not abstract. It is directed squarely at political and economic elites who have turned public office into private estates. What they are confronting, often without naming it, is state capture – a form of corruption so de...

Politics