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Getty Images She was a national treasure with multiple awards under her belt. But somewhat surprisingly, Dame Maggie Smith never loved the limelight. “I’m never shy on stage, always shy off it,” is how she once described herself to the critic Nancy Banks Smith. She never watched herself in Downton Abbey. She famously didn’t even…

BBC A nature reserve in the Philippines, which has been lauded by top climate activists and film stars, has come under a concerted disinformation attack on social media as it fights to continue its work, a BBC investigation has found. A network of nearly 100 fake Facebook accounts and pages were found to be spreading…

Sycamore Gap sapling gifted in memory of boy with cancer Dan Monk Kielder Observatory The Sycamore Gap tree is thought to be one of the most photographed trees in the world Ruth lost her only child Fergus to cancer when he was just 12. “Your worst fear after your child dies is that he’ll be…

Arrested for posting on social media For Tyler Kay and Jordan Parlour, justice for what they posted on social media has come fast and heavy. Kay, 26, and Parlour, 28, have been sentenced to 38 months and 20 months in prison respectively for stirring up racial hatred online during the summer riots. Charges in the…

Premier League Labour: Dr Rosena Allin-Khan – two hospitality tickets worth £900 – 22 April 2024 Dr Rupa Huq – one hospitality ticket for the Brit Awards worth £1,250 – 2 March 2024 Liz Kendall – two hospitality tickets for the Brit Awards worth £1,500 – 2 March 2024 Peter Kyle – one hospitality ticket…

Homeless system under strain as families wait months for housing   BBC Michelle has been in temporary accommodation for 18 months with Devon and her other two girls There is a growing pressure on the homelessness system in Scotland as some families wait months for housing, new data is expected to reveal. The annual statistics…

At least 492 people have been killed in extensive Israeli airstrikes targeting Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry. This marks the deadliest day of conflict in the region in nearly two decades. The Israeli military reported hitting 1,300 Hezbollah targets in an operation aimed at dismantling infrastructure the group has built…

Is Reform UK’s plan to get Farage into No 10 mission impossible? At their annual conference this weekend, Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party had passed through its adolescent tantrums and was now coming of age. But party insiders know the party still has a lot of growing up to do if it…

Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of Harrods, was a monster enabled by a system that pervaded the London store, a lawyer for his accusers has said. The late Harrods owner was described as a “sexual predator” who assaulted staff and threatened them over a 25-year-period, barristers representing dozens of women told a press conference…