Recent health concerns over veggie sausages and burgers have focused on the fact they are highly processed foods, with long lists of ingredients not found in the average kitchen.
Now there’s a new worry: eating too many of such meat substitutes could potentially harm your health because they contain toxins usually found only in foods in hot countries.
These “mycotoxins” develop mainly in tropical or subtropical regions, when mould starts growing on crops like grains, nuts, beans and fruit.
But mycotoxins were found contaminating all 212 plant-based meat substitutes sold in British supermarkets, according to a recent investigation funded by the EU’s Horizon science programme. It was published in the journal, Food Control.
The toxins were at very low levels, and are likely to only be a possible danger for people who eat a lot of the products, such as vegans and vegetarians, said Dr Andrea Patriarca, a food scientist at Cranfield University.
Shorts – Quick stories
Blood test could detect heart disease earlier than ever before
A scientific breakthrough could allow doctors to start treating patients before their condition becomes life-threatening.
Scientists at the University of Bristol have found a new way to track damage to the blood vessel lining.
Until now, monitoring the body’s vast network of tiny vessels was virtually impossible.
The new technique tracks a coating of the vessels called glycocalyx.
Research shows it is highly sensitive and is the earliest marker of disease.
A simple blood test could detect damage and help predict heart or kidney disease.
What the experts say
Most excitingly, we can also rapidly detect when drugs are effective at restoring the blood vessel lining. These findings could transform our ability to spot and treat disease before it progresses to become potentially irreversible or life-threatening
Dr Matthew Butler, UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL
Caption: Cropped shot of young woman using blood test kit at home while doing health check and consultation online. Home finger-prick blood test. Photographer: Oscar Wong Provider: Getty Images Source: Moment RF
Why experts think health condition PCOS should be renamed
Experts have called for a common women’s health condition to be renamed to reduce delayed diagnosis. Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) affects about one in eight women.
Ovarian cancer occurs when abnormal cells in the ovary begin to grow and divide in an uncontrolled way (Photo: Shutterstock)
What is PCOS?
PCOS is a common condition that affects how a woman’s ovaries work.
The three main features of PCOS are irregular periods, excess androgen (high levels of “male” hormones in your body) and polycystic ovaries.
If you have at least two of these features, you may be diagnosed with PCOS.
Interview
4 min read
What you need to know
Women are facing delays in diagnosis because there is a misunderstanding about cysts and too much focus on the ovaries, experts have warned.
The condition is, in fact, a complex long-term hormonal or endocrine disorder. PCOS should now be referred to as polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS), doctors say.
Caption: Pain, stomach, endometriosis, women’s health Photographer: Kinga Krzeminska Provider: Getty Images Source: Moment RF
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
What the experts say
It is fantastic that the new name now leads with hormones and recognises the metabolic dimension of the condition. This shift will reframe the conversation and demand that it is taken as seriously as the long-term, complex health condition it is.
Rachel Morman, chairwoman of Verity (PCOS UK)
(Photo: SewcreamStudio/Getty).
GO DEEPER ON THIS TOPIC
I got breast cancer at 49 – this is everything I’ve changed about my diet since
Caption: Pic of case study Helen Makris She is a breast cancer survivor Midlife transformations story for Lifestyle Photographer: unknown Source: Helen Makris Copyright: Helen Makris
Victoria Young
Freelance writer
Helen Makris, a senior marketing and partnerships manager, suffered a series of health battles that prompted her to recalibrate her life – and work out how not to sweat the small stuff.
Read more here.
Why driving test booking is set to change for learners
Changes begin on 12 May to reduce wait times and prevent bots and touts from exploiting the system.
(Photo: Steve Parsons/PA).
Driving test reforms
What you need to know
Under new laws, it’ll be illegal for driving instructors or anyone else to book tests for pupils.
They will not be able to change, swap or cancel a test for someone else either.
Learners will still need a reference from their instructor.
Only two changes to a booked slot are allowed; previously, it was up to six.
From 9 June, tests can only be moved to three locations nearest to where the original test was booked.
Why are there changes?
A backlog of driving tests built up as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Instructors were being offered kickbacks of up to £250 to sell their login credentials to touts.
Slots were being bought up in bulk and offered via social media for up to £500.
The standard cost is £62 on weekdays and £75 on evenings and weekends.
Caption: File photo dated 13/10/10 of a learner driver L plate. Driving test candidates should be asked if they would like their examiner to be “chatty” or “formal” to boost female pass rates, a report commissioned by a Government agency has suggested. Transport research group TRL, which proposed the measure, said it would avoid examiners creating “potential anxiety”. AA Driving School told the PA news agency that learners do not want to be examined by “a sergeant major nor a comedian”. Issue date: Sunday August 10, 2025. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: David Jones/PA Wire Photographer: David Jones Provider: David Jones/PA Wire Source: PA
OPINION
2 min read
EXCLUSIVE
The secret deal Rayner’s allies want her to strike to become PM
Caroline Wheeler
Political Editor
Angela Rayner allies are pushing her to strike a deal with Andy Burnham to let him back into Parliament – but only if she becomes prime minister first. Sources close to the former deputy Labour leader say Rayner does not believe that the hugely popular Greater Manchester Mayor has a “realistic chance” of becoming an MP before a leadership contest is triggered.
Burnham or Rayner?
Allies of Rayner have convinced a number of MPs originally backing Burnham that she is the only candidate from the “soft left” that can replace Sir Keir Starmer if the starting gun on the race for No 10 is fired.
Exclusive
5 min read
Exclusive
3 min read
A closer look at the detail
This is despite the fact that Rayner, who was forced to quit the Cabinet last year, is still being probed by HMRC after she admitted to underpaying stamp duty on an £800,000 property in the well-heeled area of Hove, East Sussex.
Angela Rayner says the party needs to reconnect with younger voters (Photo: Carl Court/Getty)Caption: File photo dated 13/4/26 of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, Labour Party MP and former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham meet pupils during a visit to a school breakfast club at Holy Trinity C of E Primary School in Ashton, Greater Manchester. Andy Burnham “should never have been blocked” from seeking a seat in the Commons, Angela Rayner has said today. Issue date: Monday May 11, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Paul Ellis/PA Wire Photographer: Paul Ellis Provider: Paul Ellis/PA Wire Source: PA
According to those familiar with Rayner’s thinking, she is not pushing this idea personally, although they acknowledge that MPs are looking at a number of different scenarios depending on how events play out.
Operation Bring Back Burnham
The PM is facing a perilous few days after Labour was annihilated in the local elections last week.
Over the weekend, Starmer triggered ridicule amongst Labour MPs when he insisted he planned to govern for a decade.
It is understood that Rayner as PM would be prepared to let Burnham stand as an MP and return to Parliament – and even stand aside for him if she cannot turn around Labour’s dire poll ratings.
Exclusive
3 min read
Angela Rayner And Andy Burnham sing karaoke at The Labour Party Conference In Brighton in 2021 (Photo by Jeremy Selwyn/Evening Standard via Getty Images)
Rayner is the only route back for Burnham
A series of embarrassing U-turns and defeats in the House of Commons has severely weakened the Prime Minister’s authority, but he has soldiered on without facing a challenge.
However, Starmer is now facing calls to resign from more than 40 MPs since since Labour lost almost 1,500 council seats in the local elections last week.
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
“The concern is for diets that are exclusively based on alternative plant-based products, because [people] are exposed to a broad range of mycotoxins. The effect increases when you are exposed to them all together.”
The UK’s Food Standards Agency plans to monitor the science and take any appropriate steps, The i Paper understands.
Mycotoxins are not usually at harmful levels in UK food, but they are a major public health problem in hotter countries, growing on crops either before harvest or during storage or processing. There may be no visible mould on the food.
A particularly dangerous compound, called aflatoxin, is produced when moulds grow on maize, peanuts and nuts.
It can cause liver cancer by damaging DNA and triggering mutations. It is thought to cause up to 150,000 cancers a year, mainly in Africa and Asia. There are several other mycotoxins, produced by different species of mould, and they can also cause problems with digestion and the immune system.
Food safety laws in the UK and the European Union have limits for the amount of mycotoxins that can be present in various foods, such as breakfast cereals and bread.
But there are no specific regulations about levels in newer plant-based meat alternatives, such as veggie sausages and burgers, and plant-based “chicken” pieces. These are generally made from grains, or pulses, often imported.
To investigate, Dr Patriarca’s team measured levels of 19 different mycotoxins in 212 plant-based foods, bought in several major supermarkets. “We bought as many samples, as many brands as we could find,” she said.
All products contained at least one mycotoxin and some had more than one. Fortunately, the levels were all below the permitted amounts for other foods, such as cereals. “There is no real concern for people consuming these products among others and having a varied diet,” said Dr Patriarca.
But the levels were not negligible. For instance, some vegan burgers and sausages had levels of a compound called aflatoxin B1 at 0.6µg per kg. That’s about a third of the level permitted in cereals. Vegan burgers had levels of another compound called ochratoxin A at 1.59µg per kg, about half the permitted level in cereal.
The permitted levels had been calculated based on people having a typical varied diet and if someone is eating meat alternatives for most of their meals, they could be having harmful amounts, said Dr Patriarca.
Professor Simon Edwards, a mycotoxin expert at Harper Adams University, who was not involved in the research, said the investigation had revealed a potential risk. “The levels seen are certainly of concern for some diets,” he said. “There is a potential concern where you’ve got vegetarians and vegans eating more meat alternatives.”
People are being encouraged to switch meat for plant-based alternatives for health and environment reasons. Red meat is high in saturated fat, thought to be bad for the heart, and vegetables are high in fibre, which is good for the digestive system.
Richard McIlwain, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, said if there really was a risk to non-meat-eaters, they would have higher rates of cancer. “They tend to have lower rates of cancer,” he said.
“Our recommendation is people consume ultra-processed foods as part of a healthy diet, not that they eat veggie burgers and sausages three times a day every day.”
Andy Murray will coach at Wimbledon for the first time this summer when he links up with British No 2 Jack Draper.
Murray has long been an informal mentor to Draper, 24, having played as a Davis Cup team-mate to the left-hander and a regular confidant on and off the court.
However, Murray’s only coaching experience came at last year’s Australian Open when he worked with former rival Novak Djokovic, helping to guide him to the semi-finals.
The 38-year-old said he “learned a lot about what coaching is” during a six-month stint working with the Serb, but has not taken up any other roles in the year since splitting with Djokovic – until now.
Draper is currently recovering from a knee injury that has already ruled him out of the French Open at Roland Garros later this month, and had previously been working with Murray’s own former coach Jamie Delgado.
“I am very grateful for everything Jamie Delgado has done for me over these past six months. He is a world class coach and a great man,” Draper said.
“In the interim, I will continue to be supported by the excellent team at the LTA, with the addition of Andy Murray, who will be supporting me throughout the grass court season.”
The pair could make their first appearance together at the Stuttgart Open, which starts on 8 June, but if that comes too soon for Draper’s knee then they will target Queen’s on 15 June, a tournament Murray won a record five times, before Wimbledon starts two weeks later.
A German holidaymaker has successfully sued a tour operator in Greece after the lack of available sun loungers devalued his package holiday due to the dreaded “dawn dash.” The Düsseldorf man, who spent more than £7,000 on a package holiday for four to Kos, won nearly €1,000 (£868) in compensation. He claimed that, despite getting up at 6am, he spent up to 20 minutes a day trying to find sun loungers, only to fail because other holidaymakers had already snagged them ultimately.
Beating the Germans to the sun loungers is a trope as old as package holidays themselves. The frantic early morning scrabble to lay down towels and bags is laid bare in endless TikToks of holidaymakers of all stripes battling for the best spots, sometimes going to the extreme of sleeping on loungers and occasionally resulting in poolside brawls. It’s like a live game of Risk, in which the goal is to conquer Hotel Del Sol in Benidorm rather than taking control of Belarus.
But with mounting pressure on household finances raising expectations for those precious summer escapes, shouldn’t equal access to a sun lounger be a basic holiday right?
The rising tension caused by these towel wars or handtuchkriege, as they’re called in Germany, can ruin a holiday. Each year, there are growing calls for hotels and resorts to crack down on the practice, or at the very least provide a reasonable ratio of sunbeds to guests. Towel confiscation and fines introduced by some resorts and destinations often prove ineffective.
Greece leads the way with extra beds
While a government plan in Greece is gradually removing sunbeds from fragile “Apatites Paralies” (untouchable beaches), some of its island resorts are going in the other direction, in a bid to foster a more relaxing atmosphere around the pool.
Sun loungers on the beach and lawns at the Lyttos Beach Hotel in Crete (Photo: Lyttos Beach Hotel)
Lyttos Beach Hotel in Crete has 3,500 sun loungers for just 2,150 guests, spread across its 11 pools and Blue Flag Analipsi beach on Hersonissos Bay – a ratio of 1:6 loungers per guest. As well as an Olympic-size outdoor pool, there are polo, indoor, kids’ and splash pools with flumes. And when you’ve finished lounging next to them, there are tennis and football academies, Padel and pickleball courts and beach courts for volleyball and football. Caspar Nelson, holiday expert at online package holiday specialist On the Beach, said: “Getting a sunbed can sometimes feel more competitive than the Olympics, but at Lyttos Beach, there’s absolutely no need for sunbed wars.” Doubles start at £217 all-inclusive in May.
On the island of Rhodes, the Akti Imperial Deluxe Resort & Spa Dolce by Wyndham has also invested in more poolside furniture with 2,150 sunbeds for its 1,850 guests, in case they don’t fancy exploring the ancient ruins of the Lindos Acropolis. There are also 42,000 m2 of gardens, a main pool with a “no-sunbed-reservation policy” (loungers left unattended for more than 40 minutes have towels or personal items removed by pool staff), a quiet “snail pool,” and a lounger-lined private beach. Doubles start at €178 (£155) all-inclusive in May.
Tech helps stamp out the stampede
Technology is helping combat the towel war, too. Digital reservation systems allow fairer access to sun loungers, eliminating the need to get up for the “dawn dash.”
However, there is potential for this to be an opportunity for hotels to start monetising sun loungers in the way that many upmarket beach clubs do.
Examples include Nikki Beach Dubai and Régence Plage at the Radisson Blu in Nice on the French Riviera, which use booking apps such as MySunbed or BookMySunbed to manage the sun lounger melee, with prices starting at €20 (£17) in Nice and going up to AED1,500 (£300) in Dubai.
At the five-star, adults-only Iberostar Selection Sábila resort in Tenerife, if guests don’t fancy a round of golf or a hike up Mount Teide, they can book a sun lounger for free, via the Iberostar app or reception. However, it has to be claimed by 10.45am. Guest reviews mention this as a highlight. Doubles start at €272 (£236) in May.
Sun loungers line a beach near Venice. Digital reservation systems could help combat the towel war (Photo: StockImages_AT/Getty)
Many Eurocamp sites in Europe have introduced a similar reservation system. Netmum’s Joanna Lovell tried it out at the Pra Delle Torri, a family park in Caorle near Venice. Italy has a long tradition of lidos, beach clubs where hundreds of sun loungers line the sand in uniform fashion, which can cost dearly in the most exclusive spots.
However, at Pra Delle Torri, reservations cost €6.50 (£5.60) per day, paid online in advance, while the park’s lodges start at £381 per week in May for up to six guests. “It was brilliant! We could have a lazy morning and arrive at our sunbeds whenever we wanted, knowing no one else would be on them. I wish more places did it as it saves the rush and the worry that you won’t get a sunbed,” said Lovell.
“I’m an organised person, so I was happy to secure these months before. The only downside is that if you’ve not been before, you won’t necessarily know your preferred spot around the pool, so I booked different spots each day for variety.”
An old fashioned approach to booking
For guests at the Olympic Lagoon Resorts in Ayia Napa, Cyprus, pre-booking is not a problem. As an alternative to the ritzy beach clubs on Nissi Beach, the hotel’s poolside towel kiosk issues guests numbered cards for sun loungers and umbrellas on the first day of their holiday, which are valid for the entire stay. Doubles from €346 (£300) all-inclusive in May.
In Paphos – where you can find Roman mosaics and Aphrodite’s Rock – the Alexander The Great Beach Hotel also allocates guests their own personal sun loungers and umbrellas for the duration of their holiday. Doubles start at €315 (£273) B&B in May,
The result of the recent sunbed court case is the beginning of the end of the “dawn dash”. As these trailblazing hotels and resorts show, if you pile on extra loungers, use booking apps, hand out personal tags, and employ the staff to monitor any potential “towel rage” situations, this age-old problem could be consigned to history.
Sir Keir Starmer has told allies he believes he can win a leadership contest as his premiership teeters on the brink.
According to sources, he has seen private polling which suggests he could still win a ballot of the Labour Party membership.
However, one MP joked that he would only win if the only other candidate was Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, who has become a lightening rod for criticism after the public backlash to her plans to axe winter fuel payments and raise taxes.
Shorts – Quick stories
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Peter Frankopan
Professor of Global History at Oxford University
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Photographer: Nathan Howard Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS (Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: SAUL LOEB Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
It comes as the PM threw down the gauntlet to his rivals in this morning’s Cabinet meeting and dared them to challenge him. He told the Cabinet: “The Labour Party had a process for challenging a leader and that has not been triggered.”
One MP said the PM was right to try to flush out his rivals: “If they’ve not got the bottle to put their names on a nomination form, then he is right to tell them to put up or shut up.”
Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, who is widely seen as one of the frontrunners in the race to succeed Starmer, left Cabinet without speaking to the media, despite other ministers publicly showing their support for the PM.
Andy Burnham, another leadership frontrunner, arrived in London shortly after midday. There is widespread speculation that he might be about to announce that he has found an MP willing to step aside for him – paving the way for his return to Westminster.
Starmer ‘rebuffed’ Streeting’s attempt to speak to him at Cabinet
Despite claims last night that Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, was among a contingent of senior ministers to urge the Prime Minister to set out a timetable for his departure, none of the Cabinet directly challenged him during morning’s meeting. One minister present told The i Paper that it was a “serious discussion” focused on the Strait of Hormuz.
A government source said: “Keir said in Cabinet that he won’t discuss the elections or his leadership, and that he will only speak to cabinet ministers about that individually. Then after the meeting he refused to see Cabinet ministers individually.”
Streeting was one of a number of Cabinet ministers who tried to speak to the PM after the Cabinet meeting but the PM refused to speak to them, The i Paper understands.
Today’s resignations ‘the tip of the iceberg’
As pressure continues to mount on the PM, Jess Phillips, the Safeguarding Minister, became the second minister to resign in the wake of the disastrous local election results.
In a letter addressed to the Prime Minister, Phillips called on Starmer to step down, saying she could not “keep waiting around for a crisis to push for faster progress”.
She added: “Over a year ago I presented solutions, long worked on by brilliant civil servants that would end the ability for children in the UK to take naked images of themselves. 91 per cent of online child sex abuse is self-generated by children groomed, tricked and exploited in to abuse. The technology exists to stop children being able to take naked images of themselves. We could make this possible on every phone and device in the country. We could stop this abuse. It has taken me a year to get you to agree to even threaten to legislate in this space. Not legislate, just threaten. This is the definition of incremental change. Nothing bold about it. The announcement was meant to be in March, I’m still on a promise this will happen in June, I’ve given up believing it. How many children were left without a safety net in the time we dilly dallied and worried about tech bosses?”
Earlier on Tuesday, Miatta Fahnbulleh resigned as Minister for Devolution, Faith and Communities. In a letter she told the PM “to do the right thing for the country and the party and set a timetable for an orderly transition” as the public had lost trust in him because of issues such as the scrapping of the winter fuel payment.
‘What the f*ck are their policies?’
A Government source told this newspaper that these resignations were just the “tip of the iceberg” – suggesting that more ministers will quit in the coming hours.
However, there are signs that Starmer’s allies are trying to launch a rearguard action against the ongoing coup, which has so far seen 85 MPs call on the PM to stand aside.
A Government source said Starmer loyalists were vowing “no surrender” to the leadership plotters, adding of contenders for PM: “What the f*ck are their policies?”
A Labour source said: “I’m hearing there is a groundswell of backbenchers mobilising against those who have come forward in the last two days. I understand that Cabinet was largely supportive of the PM, with many comments highlighting the economic and political impact of a leadership challenge. I also understand that the vast majority of junior ministers are frustrated by the actions of Miatta — an individual who continues to believe that Ed Miliband would make a good PM, despite the public having already rejected him.”
Speaking after the Cabinet meeting, Baroness Jenny Chapman said she was not surprised there was no direct challenge to Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
“I didn’t think they would be challenging the Prime Minister at Cabinet,” she said.
“We have got a job to do. It’s a really serious task. The Prime Minister is leading us in that task and everybody around that table is completely focused on delivering for this country.”
Starmer’s handling of the UK response to the war in Iran was praised by several Cabinet ministers during their meeting this morning, The i Paper was told. A number of ministers made positive references to Starmer’s leadership, particularly in the context of the UK government’s response to the Middle East. Besides the PM’s opening remarks about a contest, this was the main focus of discussion in the context of Starmer’s premiership.
In a show of support, several ministers took the unusual step of speaking to the gathered press outside No10 after the Cabinet meeting, including Business Secretary Peter Kyle, Technology Secretary Liz Kendall and Housing Secretary Steve Reed.
Spain – a land of excellent food, rich cultural identity and a beautiful language. Of course, if you’re a British tourist there, odds are you won’t have noticed.
Following the news that UK culinary bastion Greggs is opening a branch at Tenerife South Airport, I find myself compelled to ask for the millionth time – why do the British insist on exporting their culture when they travel? Is there another nation on earth that flies for hours, only to retreat to a copy-paste, theme-park version of their local high street (sunnier but otherwise identical) when they get there. Or is that just us?
Worse still, the bits we insist on bringing with us, alongside our sunnies, are undeniably the nation’s most odious. Our binge drinking is a country-wide health emergency; our beige diets a national embarrassment; our refusal to learn more than two words of another language a point of global hilarity. Yet for millions touching down in Tenerife, Lanzarote, Ibiza (or Zante or Malia, Marseilles or Amsterdam – unfortunately, it’s not just Spain we inflict ourselves on), the prospect of a week in the sun speaking 100 per cent English, eating oven chips and necking pints of Guinness is, inexplicably, the apex of pleasure.
It’s nothing less than perverse, especially when you consider the joy to be had just metres away from a given expat enclave. The quality of basic ingredients in most of mainland Europe is so wildly superior that even a local supermarket can be mind-blowing for a British traveller. And don’t get me started on the restaurants. Anything is better than our unseasoned roasts, grey pies and weird crisps – but between Italy, Spain and France we’re talking about some of the best food in the world. Extraordinary, then, that in the lands of tapas and fresh seafood, we continue to order gammon and mash.
You’d think that people flying to another part of the planet might be interested in experiencing some of it, but you’d be wrong. That is, if the number of crazy golf courses and “Irish Pubs” on holiday strips frequented by my countrymen is anything to go by. We turn up and cause a drunken ruckus, all while behaving as though our crappy culture is so superior that we’d rather not integrate. Is it any wonder recent years have seen literal protests, urging British tourists to go home? Perhaps we should, if we like it so bloody much.
How to account for our appalling behaviour? Is it some kind of colonial hangover, the impulse to impose bargain-basement Britishness everywhere we go? Or are we just such (pathetic) creatures of habit that we can’t bear to branch out, even after travelling hundreds of miles? God knows – one thing’s for sure, the whole thing makes me want to chuck my UK passport into the Mediterranean Sea and change my name to Αιμιλία (Emilia).
Greggs’s Tenerife outpost might technically represent a leap into international territory. But given that half the 13 million travellers who pass through the airport every year are travelling to and from the UK, it’s arguably the safest bet the chain could have made. However much it might pain me, there’s no danger of those tourists clamouring for anything more exotic than a when their flight lands, or the whole time they’re away for that matter. It’s enough to make you wonder why they bothered making the trip in the first place.
Lloyds Banking Group is launching a new mortgage aimed at helping first-time buyers get onto the property ladder with deposits as low as £5,000.
From Monday, first-time buyers applying through Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland will be able to access the deal on properties worth up to £300,000.
On a £300,000 property, £5,000 equates to a deposit of just 1.67 per cent, which is far lower than most mortgages require.
How does the mortgage work?
The mortgage comes on a five-year fixed rate of 5.89 per cent. There’s no fee for the product, but borrowing is capped at 4.5 times income.
It is not available for shared ownership purchases, new-build homes or buyers relying on gifted deposits.
If you were borrowing £300,000 getting a mortgage requiring a 5 per cent deposit, you would need to put £15,000 up front, and if the mortgage required a 10 per cent deposit, you’d need to double this – £30,000.
How good is the rate compared to others?
The product enters a growing market of low-deposit mortgages, although borrowers able to save larger deposits will still typically access cheaper rates.
On a £300,000 purchase using the new deal, a buyer putting down a £5,000 deposit would need to borrow £295,000 at 5.89 per cent. Assuming a typical 25-year repayment term, that would mean monthly repayments of roughly £1,881 a month.
If you were getting a mortgage with a 10 per cent deposit, the best five-year rate on the market, from Virgin Money, is 4.84 per cent.
Borrowing the same amount on this rate would cost just £1,697 per month, but of course you’d have to have saved a bigger deposit.
Amanda Bryden, head of Halifax Intermediaries and Scottish Widows Bank, said: “We regularly get feedback from brokers that first-time buyers find getting a deposit together one of the main barriers to them buying a home and today we are taking another step to help them get past that.”
Andrew Montlake, a mortgage broker at Coreco, said: “This will not be right for everyone, and proper professional advice is essential, but for the right borrower it could be the key that finally unlocks the front door.”
What are the risks?
While lower deposit mortgages can help buyers purchase sooner, they also leave borrowers more exposed if house prices fall.
With only a small amount of equity in the property, buyers could face negative equity if the value of their home drops below the size of their mortgage.
If you bought a flat for £300,000 with a £280,000 mortgage, then the value of the home dropped to £290,000, you could be in negative equity, which makes it hard for you to sell your home or remortgage.
David Hollingworth, associate director at L&C Mortgages, explained: “A smaller deposit does mean a higher chance of negative equity if property prices fall. That only becomes a problem where the property needs to be sold, which would crystallise a loss.”
But he added that the five-year fixed rate structure could provide stability for borrowers during the early years of ownership.
He said: “There’s a big focus on affordability and the mortgage is a five-year fixed rate, so monthly payments won’t be affected by changes to interest rates.
“That should help ensure that payments are manageable and by the end of the five years borrowers will have eaten into their mortgage balance, hopefully riding out any dip in house prices in the meantime.”
Are there other products that do similar on the market and how do they compare?
A growing number of lenders have introduced low-deposit or no-deposit mortgages in recent years as affordability pressures have intensified.
Some products allow borrowers to take out mortgages above 95 per cent loan-to-value, while a small number of lenders have introduced 100 per cent mortgages backed by rental payment histories or family guarantees.
An example is Skipton Building Society’s track record mortgage. This is for people who haven’t owned a property in the last three years, and requires no deposit, with Skipton looking at your track record of paying rent.
Santander also offers a product known as My First Mortgage, which allows you to buy a home with a deposit as small as 2 per cent.
Hollingworth said: “This new launch is significant as it marks another major high-street lender developing solutions for those with a small deposit.
“We’ve seen a growing range of lenders in this space, designing products that could significantly speed up the journey to home ownership.”
Andy Burnham should abandon his ambitions to return to Westminster amid fears Labour could lose both the mayoralty of Greater Manchester and a by-election, Cabinet ministers told The i Paper.
Senior Labour strategists have been looking with dismay at last week’s local election results in Greater Manchester. Reform won every single ward up for election in Wigan, alongside 18 out of 19 seats in Tameside, with 50-point swings from Labour to Reform.
Labour was also humbled in places like Oldham and Rochdale, while in the centre at the City Council, it was the Greens who triumphed, winning more than twice as many seats up for election than Labour. In Bolton Labour lost five of the seven seats it had up for election. In other parts of the Greater Manchester conurbation, the results were more positive for Labour. The party retained its overall majority in Trafford and Wigan and Salford but also shed multiple seats.
Shorts – Quick stories
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Peter Frankopan
Professor of Global History at Oxford University
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Photographer: Nathan Howard Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS (Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: SAUL LOEB Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
“Look, [Nigel] Farage will throw everything he has at both fights and then we find ourselves in an even worse mess,” a Cabinet minister told The i Paper. “And how much will they [Reform UK] outspend us by? And then [Green Party Leader Zack] Polanski can sweep in too.”
Burnham is understood to have told allies he has lined up a Parliamentary seat. His supporters have been offering peerages to MPs willing to stand aside so he can return to Westminster, The i Paper reported last week. He was photographed arriving at Euston station hours after Sir Keir Starmer told his Cabinet he was remaining in post as he battles to save his premiership during a growing Labour revolt.
In January Burnham was blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton by-election by a Starmer-led coalition on Labour’s ruling National Executive Committee. But on Monday Starmer said only it was a matter for the NEC, as senior Labour voices former Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said he should be allowed to stand.
A second Cabinet Minister told The i Paper: “Andy has got many, many good qualities, and I get on with him. But if he wanted to be back, he could have come back in 2024. I get the frustration that he was blocked in Gorton and Denton, but it was genuinely for a good reason, and he’s made it hard on himself. He could be back now. He could have come back as an MP in 2024. Had he done so, I’m pretty confident he’d now be in the Cabinet. But he didn’t do that, that was his choice. He made that decision, and that decision has consequences.
“I don’t see an easier, straightforward route back for Andy Burnham, or that Andy Burnham alone is going to solve all of our problems. No one person is going to solve the big political malaise and the huge challenges the country is facing and the threat of Reform.”
Nonetheless, Burnham’s personal branding is strong in the area and he remains popular in Manchester. During the Gorton and Denton by-election campaign multiple voters told The i Paper they would have voted for Labour had Burnham been the candidate. Focus group and polling data suggests he could have won the seat and others in the area.
“Andy Burnham does have a powerful appeal with Greater Manchester voters which I suspect sets him apart from the Labour government or a generic Labour candidate. But such is the unpopularity of Labour right now, and the pull of more radical options on both left and right, that nothing is guaranteed,” Robert Ford, Professor of Political Science at the University of Manchester, said.
A spokesman for Burnham did not immediately reply to requests for comment.
Chelsea want Xabi Alonso as their next manager but the Spaniard is yet to make a decision in case his preferred destination becomes available.
It is widely understood that Arne Slot will remain as Liverpool head coach next season, but sources close to Alonso say the former Reds midfielder wants to wait and see if that situation changes.
As The i Paper reported on Tuesday, Alonso is the front-runner for the Chelsea job.
“The job is his if he wants it,” a source said.
The Blues have other candidates on their radar with Fulham’s Marco Silva and Bournemouth’s soon-to-be free agent Andoni Iraola both of interest, but it is Alonso who they really want.
Arne Slot is under increasing pressure at Anfield (Photo: Getty)
The Spaniard has some high-profile backing inside the ownership group and will almost certainly be snapped up by someone soon, given what he achieved at Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid, where he retains admirers.
It is understood that Chelsea and Alonso’s representatives have been in contact for weeks.
While they do have other options, and do not want to make it look like they have all their eggs in one basket, the club are hopeful that he will accept their offer.
Chelsea want to move fast and have a new boss in place before the World Cup.
Alonso is keen to return to management so will not take too much longer to deliberate.
But as one source puts it, he would have “taken the Chelsea job by now if Liverpool was not still in his thinking”.
A growing number of Liverpool supporters have called for Slot to be sacked after a season where they went from Premier League champions to fighting for Champions League qualification, despite an enormous transfer outlay.
Boos greeted the final whistle of their tepid draw with Chelsea at Anfield on Sunday, such is the growing discontent.
Read more
The club’s hierarchy are understood to be willing to give Slot more time to turn things around, given he won the title in his first season.
A big summer rebuild lies ahead with Mohamed Salah departing and reinforcements needed in various positions.
Alonso is not put off by difficulties Liam Rosenior and Enzo Maresca had dealing with the politics at Chelsea, or the size of the task at Liverpool for that matter.
Angela Rayner has warned Labour has “not shown our values” in decisions such as scrapping the winter fuel allowance under Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership.
The former deputy prime minister said in an exclusive interview, conducted before last week’s local elections, that Labour had been “blown off course” and suffered a backlash from voters.
She added that controversies such as Labour’s stance on the war in Gaza had created “a serious amount of damage for us” and suggested the party needs to reconnect with younger voters.
Shorts – Quick stories
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
What is causing damp? And how to fix it
In addition to being generally unpleasant, living in a damp property can lead to structural and health issues if left unaddressed for long periods of time.
Read on to find out the industry expert advice on how to cut the risk of damp forming in your home…
Start with your windows
Don’t keep them closed.
Take time to rest (Photo: Counter/Getty/Digital Vision/Nicolas Hudak)
Regularly opening windows – even on cold days – can improve the ventilation inside and decrease the humidity of the room.
Also wipe away the condensation that has formed overnight with a microfiber cloth to remove the dampness.
Big Read
8 min read
How to reduce the risk of damp
Woman loading washing machine in the kitchen – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Dry clothes in the bathroom
Avoid drying clothes in bedrooms or living rooms without airflow.
Avoid curtains over radiators
It can trap heat behind the fabric, reduce room warmth and cause condensation on windows.
Central heating problem at home. Woman checking heating radiator in cold apartment – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Furniture assembly in new apartment – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Nudge your furniture
Large furniture items placed tightly against cold walls can trap condensation, leading to mould over time.
Caption: Berlin, Germany – January 20: Condensation has been reflected on a cold winter morning on an old double box window on January 20, 2019 in Berlin, Germany. (Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images) Photographer: Thomas Trutschel Provider: Photothek via Getty Images Source: Photothek
It could be the age of your home
Close to 90 per cent of UK homes with solid external walls lack insulation, making them vulnerable.
The airtight design of some new builds helps with energy efficiency but can trap moisture if ventilation isn’t properly managed, says Chad Bragg, chief technical officer at insulation company SuperFOIL.
How to reduce the risk of damp
Clear clothes out
Clothing that is packed too tightly in a wardrobe traps humidity, especially if it is slightly damp.
(Photo: Getty).
Caption: File photo dated 19/09/13 of a general view of a central heating thermostat. Households are set to learn their energy bills will fall by around 7% from April in a shake-up of costs after the Government promised they will receive an average ?150 cut. Latest predictions suggest Ofgem will reduce the energy price cap by ?117 to ?1,641 a year for a typical dual fuel household from April 1 when it makes its announcement on Wednesday. Issue date: Sunday February 22, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Steve Parsons/PA Wire Photographer: Steve Parsons Provider: Steve Parsons/PA Wire Source: PA
Heat strategically
If the heating in your home is reduced in temperature by just two degrees, humidity levels will increase by 10 per cent.
Keep lids on pans
While cooking it avoids releasing moisture into the air. A good cooker hood is most effective.
Protein doesn’t have to mean steak (Photo: 10’000 Hours/Getty Images/Digital Vision)
Planning for an extension?
Pay attention to insulation
(Photo: Pramote Polyamate/Getty).
Poor insulation creates ‘thermal bridges,’ or cold spots, where the new structure joins the old house. These cold junctions act as magnets for condensation, causing localised mould, heat loss, and discomfort.
LIFESTYLE
4 min read
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Peter Frankopan
Professor of Global History at Oxford University
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Photographer: Nathan Howard Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS (Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: SAUL LOEB Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
How to fake your way to being organised
Do you have your life together? Is your home tidy and clutter-free; your diary neatly colour-coded; your to-do list full of satisfying ticks?
If these questions feel like a personal attack don’t worry. We asked the put-together experts for their secrets.
Get to know your brain
The real magic is rarely in the system but in how your brain likes to work.
If you love analytical tasks, try making spreadsheets.
Set reminders for the things you usually forget.
Use the Notes app for the ideas you think of in the shower but never remember when you get to do it.
But if you are more likely to structure your day around how you’re feeling, a calendar isn’t the best option.
How to fake your way to organisation
Cropped image of senior woman putting car key in ignition lock – stock photo. (Photo: Kentaroo Tryman/ Getty)
Make it easier
If you hate folding, change your storage style. If you’re always forgetting your keys, put a sign by your door.
Make a launch pad
Keep a small tray or basket in the hallway for your can’t-leave-home-without essentials.
Two young children wearing school uniforms exit their front door – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Mid adult businesswoman using phone and laptop for work from home. – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Use technology
After meetings use an AI tool to note down what you have to remember as a brain dump.
Create new habits
The one-touch rule
If you put your shoes straight on the rack as you take them off, instead of kicking them onto the floor and moving them later, that’s one touch. If you hang things up rather than tossing them onto the ‘bedroom chair’ it’s another one-touch win.
A woman with one foot is searching for an amputee to share shoes with – so her two bin bags full of unwanted right foot size six shoes don’t go to waste. (Photo: Emma Henson/ SWNS)Full length of mid adult man doing chores in kitchen at home – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
Talk to yourself out loud
This verbal anchor helps you remember what you have decided to do and cuts down on mental drift.
The 300-second challenge
Caption: Millennial black lady vacuuming floor while her husband watching TV, not helping her with household duties, cropped view. Unrecognizable young couple having problem with domestic chores Photographer: Prostock-Studio Provider: Getty Images/iStockphoto Source: iStockphoto
Give yourself five minutes to deal with one overdue chore or task.
Using seconds rather than minutes creates urgency and gives your brain a novelty hit.
Try it when putting the laundry away, making a phone call or reading an overdue email.
LIFESTYLE
9 min read
Make it easier for yourself
Use completion cues
Drop a marble in a jar or move a sticky note across a board each time you complete a task.
To do list – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
It is the perfect time to enjoy an afternoon nap in your own home (Photo: Malte Mueller/Getty/fStop)
Support your future
Write down where you left off and the next small task to tackle to strengthen your control over every day demands.
Ask for help
Consider seeking support from loved ones, neighbours, colleagues, community groups or professionals.
‘Everyone who comes to see me assumes I am hard-up, so they either bring me gifts and treats, or if we go out together, they always insist on paying’ (Photo: Getty)
Rayner said, “We’ve not shown our values in some of the decisions that have been made. For example, the winter fuel allowance, the sense of unfairness, and that doesn’t speak to who you are, so people feel ‘we’re not sure about you on that’.”
“They also feel that some of the decisions our government have made are not speaking to our values, that’s pretty clear. You can see that with what’s happened with the war in Gaza, they feel we haven’t stuck to our values on that.”
“I think the public, it’s not a sense of ‘are you one side or another?’ it’s ‘are you right or wrong, are you standing up for our principles?’ and they’re quite passionate about that, and it’s blown us off course, and it’s created a serious amount of damage for us.”
Angela Rayner speaks to Alistair Campbell and The i Paper‘s Vicky Spratt
Although Rayner was speaking before the current challenge to Keir Starmer, she is considered one of the favourites to succeed him should he quit or be ousted.
The interview took place while speculation over Starmer’s future, following the Peter Mandelson scandal, was current.
It also comes amid a series of interventions, after the local elections, in which Rayner called for the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to be allowed to return to Parliament, and said: “What we are doing isn’t working, and it needs to change. This may be our last chance.”
Rayner was interviewed as part of an investigation by The Rest is Politics podcast into the plight of Gen Z – young adults aged between 14 and 29.
The comments, published today, come as Starmer is facing calls to quit from dozens of his own MPs in the aftermath of local elections which saw Reform win swathes of councils and seats in former Labour heartlands.
In the wide-ranging interview, the former Deputy Prime Minister covered topics such as her time in government, what she calls short-term “sugar rush” politics, the rise of populism and Labour’s communications problem.
Rayner addressed the challenges that the Labour Government has faced. She served as deputy prime minister and housing minister before standing down last September after failing to pay enough council tax on a £800,000 flat in Hove.
“We are not showing [people] the destination. We are saying it’s hard. We are not saying what is hard and where we are going,” Rayner said.
She said: “We need to put rocket boosters up our manifesto…That’s where you get the confidence. That’s where you drive investment. That’s where you get the change.”
Of her time as Secretary of State for Housing, Rayner said she was “in a rush” to push through legislation, including the Renters’ Rights Act, the Planning and Infrastructure Act, the Workers’ Rights Act and leasehold reform.
“I took on more legislation than any other Secretary of State,” she said. She added that being asked to choose which reforms were more important was “like picking between her children”: “I couldn’t pick because they were all needed in order to make the change that people need to feel.”
Rayner warned that young people in particular “feel they’re being saddled with the challenges of Brexit, the COVID pandemic and the 2008 economic crash” and said that politicians need to catch up.
Rayner questioned whether politicians were thinking enough about Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – who she said risk becoming “a lost generation.”
“That was my concern and why I am impatient for the change – and I make no apologies for that,” she said.
“I am creating the basis of change that will pay dividends to the next generation,” she said. “The reforms we are making now will help. They will alleviate some of the challenges – but it’s not going to happen overnight.”
But she added: “We have not helped ourselves in our communications,” and argued that politicians are “waking up to” a new reality of how young people “digest the news and get information” on social media.
Until now, she said, Labour had faced this with “evolution rather than revolution” and said, “we are going to be left behind like the dinosaurs if we aren’t able to grasp that nettle.”
In a speech on Monday, which was widely billed as make-or-break, the Prime Minister attempted to reset his leadership by announcing a new offer for young people, such as “an ambitious youth experience scheme” with Europe and “to go further” on apprenticeships and further education.
Starmer said: “So we will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships, in technical excellence colleges, in special educational needs. We will go much further on our investment in apprenticeships, in technical excellence colleges, in special educational needs.”
“We will make sure every young person struggling to find work will get a guaranteed offer of a job, training or a work placement. And we will go much further with our pride in place programme, back the millions of people who give their time and effort to young people in their community. We will back them, not just with money, but with power,” the Prime Minister also said.
The Gen Z Story is a four-part series for The Rest Is Politics, introduced by Alastair Campbell and presented by The i Paper’s Housing and Society Correspondent, Vicky Spratt. The full interview with Angela Rayner is available on The Rest Is Politics feed.
How on earth did it come to this? Those words must be ringing in the ears of more sensible heads in the Trump administration right now.
Late on Monday, Donald Trump warned reporters that the ceasefire between the US and Iran was on “massive life support” and “unbelievably weak”, having rejected Tehran’s counter-proposal for ending the war as “piece of garbage”.
Shortly afterwards, CNN reported that the frustrated President was “now more seriously considering a resumption of major combat operations than he has in recent weeks.” The report said that people around Trump, including in the Pentagon, have suggested targeted strikes that significantly weaken Iran could force them into accepting a deal that benefits the US.
Shorts – Quick stories
Carefree senior woman enjoying listening to music through headphones while standing at terrace – stock photo. (Photo: Maskot/ Getty)
health & wellbeing
How listening to music and visiting museums can slow ageing
Enjoying the arts could be as important as exercise in slowing ageing, a study suggests.
Academics said their study provides evidence that arts and cultural engagement should be “recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise”.
What you need to know
Engaging with the arts at least once a week
4%
How much slower people aged compared to those who rarely engaged.
This is the same as those who exercise once a week.
One year
Researchers found that people who engaged in arts at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged.
Activities seen to be useful include reading, listening to music or visiting a gallery or museum.
What the experts say
This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu
Painting can be a great way to escape the daily grind (Photo: Susumu Yoshioka/Getty/Digital Vision)
go deeper on AGEING
Six lessons on living to 100 from Sir David Attenborough
Caption: Television programme : Blue Planet II – TX: 10/12/2017 – Episode: n/a (No. n/a) – Picture Shows: The leatherback turtle (Dermochelys coriacea). Weighing over half a ton, it is largest turtle on the planet but globally, its numbers have fallen catastrophically. Sir David Attenborough travels to Trinidad to meet a remarkable community that are trying to save these iconic giants. Sir David Attenborough, Leatherback turtle – (C) Gavin Thurston – Photographer: Gavin Thurston Photographer: Gavin Thurston Provider: Gavin Thurston Copyright: BBC PICTURE ARCHIVES
Kasia Delgado
Chief features writer
For all the inspiring insight into nature that Sir David Attenborough has given us during his extraordinary life, he has also shown us how to age well. Even now, long past retirement age, he has no interest in retreating from the world.
Read the full story here.
MONEY
The benefits of first-time buyers accessing their pensions early – and the risks
Emily Braeger
Money Reporter
First-time buyers should be allowed to access pension savings early to fund a deposit for a house, according to some policy experts. Supporters say it could help tackle the biggest barrier to buying a home. Critics warn it risks weakening already fragile retirement prospects.
How would it work?
Most proposals would allow younger workers to withdraw part of their defined contribution pension pot to fund a deposit, usually with limits on how much could be accessed or restrictions to first-time buyers only.
It comes after the Tony Blair Institute last week proposed replacing the state pension with a more flexible “Lifespan Fund”.
SAVING AND BANKING
4 min read
Who broke Britain?
5 min read
Could it help with deposits?
Supporters of the reform say the policy should be judged against the reality facing first-time buyers. Sir Steve Webb, former pensions minister, said allowing people to access their pensions to fund deposits could help them avoid renting in retirement.
Caption: EMBARGOED TO 2230 SATURDAY APRIL 4 File photo dated 20/08/24 of a view of bank notes. More than 12 million people will see their state pension increase by up to ?575 under the triple-lock guarantee. In line with average earnings growth, the rate will rise by 4.8% from Monday, the Department for Work and Pensions has confirmed. Issue date: Saturday April 4, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Photographer: Gareth Fuller Provider: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire Source: PA Experts are arguing that the UK should make greater use of existing government data Photographer: Andrzej Rostek Provider: Getty Images Source: iStockphoto Copyright: andrzejrostek@gmail.com
He said: “If it helps ensure people are not renters in retirement, then early access to pension pots could still be a good overall strategy for retirement. The risk, as always, is that this approach could stoke up house price inflation.”
What are the downsides?
Several experts argue that early access would do little for those most locked out of home ownership.
Zoe Alexander, executive director of policy and advocacy at Pensions UK, said the policy may sound appealing but risks creating new problems.
She argued that for many younger and lower-income savers, pension pots are still too small to make a meaningful dent in a deposit.
Exclusive
3 min read
How ‘super El Niño’ could make next year hottest on record
Climate scientists have issued a warning of a warming cycle starting later this year.
Here is everything you need to know.
The United Kingdom saw temperatures reach above 40°C for the first time on record last year (Photo: Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty)
What is ‘El Niño’?
A natural weather cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation.
It brings sustained warmth across the Pacific Ocean’s surface, releasing more heat into the atmosphere.
Caption: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM – 2023/06/10: A digital billboard is seen displaying the current hot temperature in Central London. Temperature rises up to 30 degree today in London. This is the first heat wave of the year and forecaster warn more extreme weather to come due to El Nino effect. (Photo by Hesther Ng/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images) Photographer: SOPA Images Provider: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett Source: LightRocket Copyright: ? 2023 SOPA Images
OPINION
5 min read
What the experts say
There is an 82 per cent chance of a ‘very strong’ El Niño this year.
It will push up temperatures starting in autumn 2026 and into summer 2027.
It can cause floods, droughts and push up the price of crops such as coffee and sugar.
Britain could see 40°C temperatures for the first time since 2022.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
READ MORE ON THE ENVIRONMENT
I’ve got a heat pump and solar panels – my monthly bills are just £65
Caption: A heat pump air conditioner in Castelnaud-la-Chapelle France on August 11 2025. The Dordogne is under red heatwave and forest fire alert. (Photo by St??phane Mouchmouche / Hans Lucas via AFP) (Photo by STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE/Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: STEPHANE MOUCHMOUCHE Provider: Hans Lucas/AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: Stephane MOUCHMOUCHE / HANS LUCAS
Lucie Heath
Environment Correspondent
A homeowner who has invested in solar panels, a heat pump and an electric car to help avoid soaring energy and fuel bills has said he is saving more than £1,000 a year.
Click here to read the full story.
HEALTH
How weight-loss drugs can help obese breast cancer patients
CARDIFF, WALES – NOVEMBER 8: A close-up of a Mounjaro KwikPen injection pen on November 8, 2025 in Cardiff, Wales. (Photo by Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Weight loss drugs could improve survival rates and lower the risk of cancer returning in breast cancer patients with obesity, a new study suggests.
Researchers said GLP-1 weight loss drugs such as Mounjaro and Wegovy “may offer protective benefits beyond glycaemic and weight control, potentially improving survival and recurrence risk in some female patients with breast cancer”.
A survival boost
Researchers from the US-based Massey Comprehensive Cancer Centre said breast cancer patients living with obesity or type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer survival outcomes.
While GLP-1 drugs are already known to help treat both conditions, researchers added that their links with breast cancer survival and recurrence “remains unclear”.
HEALTH
4 min read
LIFESTYLE
5 min read
The mystery link
With researchers unsure of the mystery link, they set out to examine the connection among breast cancer patients over a 10-year period. Here’s how it went:
The study, published in the journal JAMA Network Open, examined data on 841,831 US patients aged 18 and over.
They used prescription data to see whether patients had used GLP-1s before or after they were diagnosed.
They compared 1,610 patients who used, and 1,610 patients who did not use, the weight loss drugs at any point.
The weight loss drugs appeared to carry a 65 per cent reduced risk of death among women with obesity during the 10-year follow up period, researchers said.
Use of the drugs were also linked to 56 per cent reduced risk of the disease returning.
Landmark study
All-cause mortality was approximately 60 per cent lower at both five and 10 years among GLP-1 RA users compared with non-users. No study has found a survival difference this large associated with GLP-1 RA prescriptions in a population of women with breast cancer or any other cancer.
Dr Richard Wender, the University of Pennsylvania
Clinical trials suggest that trastuzumab deruxtecan, also known as Enhertu, can increase the amount of time patients live and gives them more time before their disease progresses (Photo: PA)
What next?
The researchers said their findings support the launch of clinical trials to further evaluate the effects of the drugs.
While the findings are promising, more work is needed before changing treatment practices for breast cancer patients.
(Photo: Shutterstock)
LIFESTYLE
7 min read
WORLD ANALYSIS
Trump faces his greatest rival this week. He needs a win
Peter Frankopan
Professor of Global History at Oxford University
Only a few months ago, the prospect of a summit between Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping looked likely to be a bruising confrontation.
Last year, after Washington had imposed tariffs on Chinese goods that reached as high as 145 per cent at one stage, rhetoric on both sides hardened sharply.
Rising anxieties
Trump has tried to navigate the rising anxiety about China, which is one of the issues that has united Republicans and Democrats in the US for the best part of 10 years.
He has consistently expressed his admiration for Jinping, even when he was out of office. To his detractors, this was yet another sign that the US President has a soft spot for autocrats and dictators.
Trump and Xi Jinping tour the Forbidden City in Beijing in November 2017 (Photo: AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)
OPINION
3 min read
A ‘friendly’ summit
After a meeting between the two leaders in Busan, South Korea, last October, Jinping took a similar line. “China and the United States should be partners and friends,” he said.
Caption: U.S. President Donald Trump attends an event at The Villages Charter School at The Villages, Florida, U.S., May 1, 2026. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Photographer: Nathan Howard Provider: REUTERS Source: REUTERS (Photo: Nhac Nguyen/Pool/AFP via Getty).
This does not mean that the anxieties that both countries have about each other’s motivations, ambitions or capabilities have dissipated. At the moment, however, it suits both sides to make this week’s summit as friendly and constructive as possible.
Iran war pressures
For the US, the opening of Pandora’s box that has followed the attacks on Iran means that, as well as being preoccupied elsewhere, there is a need to replenish heavily depleted weapons stocks.
That means that a moratorium with China is helpful, as is a loosening of Beijing’s tight controls on the export of rare earths and critical minerals.
Trump has been messaging his intentions accordingly.
Last month, he posted on Truth Social about the summit: “President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks. We are working together smartly, and very well!”
The cost of fighting
Trump cannot afford to pick another fight at a time when the closure of the Strait of Hormuz has put pressure not only on oil supplies but also on fertiliser, helium and the global economy as a whole.
That works well for Jinping, too. The optics of Washington treating China as a peer are good for the latter’s global stature.
Caption: TOPSHOT – US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine speaks during a press briefing at the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on April 16, 2026. The United States will prevent all shipping from entering or exiting Iranian ports in the Strait of Hormuz for “as long as it takes,” US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Thursday, the fourth day of the blockade. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images) Photographer: SAUL LOEB Provider: AFP via Getty Images Source: AFP Copyright: AFP or licensors
OPINION
4 min read
Movement on both sides
That is why the meeting is likely to produce a set of carefully calibrated announcements designed to show that co-operation remains possible.
The United States is expected to push hard for major Chinese purchases of American goods.
China, meanwhile, will seek movement on export controls, semiconductor restrictions and investment barriers.
Analysis
4 min read
Analysis
6 min read
The World Health Organisation has warned of the risks associated with the us of sweeteners (Photo: Getty)
Environment
How climate change could put tea drinkers in hot water
The familiar taste of tea may turn bitter as climate change disrupts harvests and makes it harder to achieve consistent flavours, campaigners have warned. A Christian Aid report also warns that a warming world could cause the price of a cuppa to spike.
“As climate variability increases, achieving that consistency becomes more challenging, Dr Neha Mittal from the Met Office said.
What does the report say?
Rising temperatures and worsening weather extremes in countries such as Kenya, India and Sri Lanka could make tea more bitter and harsher, researchers say.
The issue is also hitting close to home, with tea growers in the UK warning that it is making it much harder to achieve consistent flavours .
Climate-induced disruptions to harvests could cause price spikes and unreliable supplies .
The rising price of fertiliser and fuel as a result of the US-Iran war is also expected to hit tea producers.
ENVIRONMENT
3 min read
Supporting farmers
Tea production relies on stable temperature and rainfall conditions, which are shifting in producer nations. Optimal growth conditions sit within a narrow range of between 13°C and 30°C and with adequate but not excessive rainfall.
Caption: FUZHOU, CHINA – MARCH 29: Farmers harvest celery in the fields as the area enters the harvest season on March 29, 2026 in Fuqing, Fujian Province of China. (Photo by Xie Guiming/VCG via Getty Images) Photographer: VCG Provider: VCG via Getty Images Source: Visual China Group It’s raining heavily, wearing an umbrella during the rainy season – stock photo. (Photo: Getty)
The flavour and quality of tea depends on a balance of compounds such as catechins, amino acids and polyphenols, the report said. However, higher temperatures increase the production of more astringent compounds while reducing sweetness – leading to a more bitter taste.
The expert view
For generations, consumers have taken for granted that a cup of tea will taste the same, day in, day out. But that consistency depends on a stable climate, and that stability is now breaking down. What we are seeing is the beginning of a shift towards a harsher brew
Claire Nasike Akello, climate adaptation and resilience lead at Christian Aid
(Photo: Matthew Vincent/PA Wire)
Trump may be losing patience, but it goes without saying that this would be an incredibly risky move by the US President, who has already seen his best laid plans go awry: 10 weeks on, the Iranian regime is still in place and has near-total control of the Strait of Hormuz.
For now, it seems Trump has only two options in front of him if he’s sincere about breaking the deadlock: backing down while making dubious claims of victory, or military escalation. If Trump chooses to escalate, we already know what the most likely targets will be: bridges and power plants. He’s already repeatedly threatened such attacks – going so far as saying he’d destroy every single Power Plant, and every single Bridge, in Iran”.
It is worth noting that there are roughly 300,000 bridges and around 400 power plants at last count. Not all of those bridges are strategically critical to the Iranian regime, and almost all of those power plants have nothing to do with Tehran’s nuclear programme. That would mean the US targeting civilian infrastructure on an unimaginable scale and possibly committing war crimes.
If we are to take Trump’s previous threats with a pinch of salt and assume what he really means is the targeting of strategically critical bridges and nuclear facilities, it would still be a gargantuan task, expending significant US resources, causing possible US military casualties, and in all likelihood leaving Trump pretty much where he already is.
South Korea said the cargo ship HMM Namu was hit in the Strait of Hormuz six days ago by unidentified aircraft (Photo: Handout / South Korean Foreign Ministry / AFP via Getty Images)
Last summer, after carrying out airstrikes on Iran in Operation Midnight Hammer, Trump claimed “Iran’s key nuclear enrichment facilities have been completely and totally obliterated.” A leaked US intelligence report disputed this, saying “the US set them [Iran’s nuclear plans] back maybe a few months, tops”.
What should be clear to Trump and his inner circle by now is that the Iranian regime can absorb far more firepower and damage than he initially believed. Many of its key strategic facilities are underground, like the Natanz nuclear facilities – which is also believed to have been further fortified since the 2025 attacks. Iran is thought to have thousands of medium- and short-range ballistic missiles still in secret locations, a small stockpile of cruise missiles and the potential to buy Russian drones.
The regime has also shown a willingness to expose civilians to danger for strategic effect. Last month, Iranian citizens formed human chains around potential targets, raising the prospect of mass civilian casualties had US strikes gone ahead. Any such attack would have triggered international outrage while handing Tehran a propaganda victory.
It is undeniable that Trump’s actions so far have weakened Iran, but it is equally true that the regime knows where its strengths lie – and how to best utilise them. That it will not go down without a fight is abundantly clear when you see that even at this late stage, it hasn’t budged on Trump’s nuclear demands, nor ceding control over the Strait of Hormuz. It is hard to see how this current deadlock ends without the US committing troops to the ground or entering into a bloody showdown.
Which brings us to option two: Trump finds an off ramp and claims victory.
Donald Trump is discussing military action with aides as he calls the ceasefire with Iran ‘weak’ (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
It is reasonable to assume that this is the most attractive option for the mercurial President. His escalating threats and rhetoric pull Iran to the table and force a deal that is largely beneficial to the White House. It is, in a sense, classic Art of the Deal brinksmanship stuff.
What’s harder to imagine is how both sides actually get there. From Tehran’s perspective, Trump has effectively thrown his best punch and it is still standing. The longer this conflict goes on, the harder it becomes diplomatically for Trump. His traditional allies are already backing away from the US and want no part of the fallout. Neither can Trump rely on his apparent great friendships with Vladimir Putin or Xi Jinping, both of whom have deep and lasting ties to Iran, having bonded over their mutual disdain for the US-led West.
There is a third option, which is the continuation of the status quo. We all know the acronym Taco: Trump Always Chickens Out. In the past few weeks, Wall Street traders have replaced this with Nacho: Not A Chance Hormuz Opens.
The longer that goes on, the more soft power and international goodwill America throws away. Every Trump tantrum will be viewed less seriously by allies and adversaries alike. Energy prices will remain high, causing inflation and making people poorer, for which they will no doubt blame the US. Trump’s erratic behaviour will become baked into international diplomacy, as countries find ways to move beyond a US-led world order.
Trump’s failures in Iran have left the world in a considerably more dangerous and unstable place. He has proven that nations he deems weaker than America can still hold the US President over a barrel and leave the leader of the free world with no good options. For a man so obsessed with winning peace prizes and being remembered as a global saviour, it is beyond desperate that he doesn’t understand the damage he is causing.
