Boxes of prosecco spilled across the carriageway from one of the lorries on Monday morning, leaving “significant debris” and “smashed glass throughout”, while the other lorry had its empty container dislodged, Thames Valley Police’s roads policing team said on social media.

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, was taken into custody after the alleged Trump assassination attempt at the White House Correspondents’ dinner on Saturday night and appeared in federal court in Washington on Monday

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A man who allegedly attempted to force his way into the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner while armed with guns and knives has been charged with trying to assassinate Donald Trump.

Cole Tomas Allen was arrested following the shooting on Saturday night and is facing charges in federal court in Washington.

He appeared before the court on Monday in connection with a chaotic incident that saw shots fired, Trump hurried from the stage and guests diving for cover beneath their tables.

Officials report that an officer wearing a bullet-resistant vest was struck in the vest but is anticipated to make a full recovery.

Allen, from Torrance, California, is being represented by lawyers from the federal defender’s office and sat alongside them in court wearing a blue jail uniform. He has additionally been charged with transporting a firearm and ammunition across state lines and with discharging a firearm during a violent crime. He has not yet entered a plea, reports the Mirror.

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Prosecutors haven’t disclosed a motive, but in a message that authorities claim was sent by Allen to relatives moments before the attack, Allen described himself as a “Friendly Federal Assassin,” made numerous references to the Republican president without naming him and hinted at grievances concerning various Trump administration policies.

Investigators are treating these writings, combined with a history of social media activity and interviews with relatives, as some of the most compelling evidence of the suspect’s state of mind and potential motivations. Allen, 31, is understood to have made his way by train from California to Chicago before continuing on to Washington, where he checked in as a guest at the hotel hosting the gala dinner, which typically operates under stringent security measures, acting Attorney General Todd Blanche revealed.

Footage shared by Trump depicts a man, whom authorities allege was carrying both firearms and knives, sprinting past a security barrier as Secret Service agents rushed towards him and successfully tackled him to the ground.

Police had previously confirmed that the suspect was staying at the Washington Hilton, the venue for the dinner, and believe he carried out the act alone.

According to records, Allen is a highly qualified tutor and amateur video game developer. A social media profile belonging to a man of the same name, accompanied by a photograph appearing to match that of the suspect, indicates he had been working part-time for the past six years at a firm providing admissions guidance and test preparation services to prospective university students.

ITV’s new spy drama Secret Service starring Gemma Arterton is almost here.

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ITV viewers won’t have to wait much longer for the arrival of espionage thriller Secret Service.

Featuring the talents of Gemma Arterton, Rafe Spall and Mark Stanley, spy drama Secret Service looks set to become ITV‘s next prime-time must-watch.

Following a mission in Malta, MI6 operative Kate Henderson (portrayed by Gemma Arterton) uncovers intelligence suggesting a leading politician vying for the role of Prime Minister may be compromised by Russian interests.

She must uncover the truth before time runs out while protecting her loved ones from those determined to silence her.

The countdown has nearly ended with Secret Service launching tonight, Monday, April 27, at 9pm on ITV.

Audiences can continue the journey the subsequent evening, Tuesday, April 28, at the identical time, though the broadcast pattern will then change.

Secret Service’s third through fifth episodes will drop across three consecutive evenings.

The third chapter airs at 9pm on Sunday, May 3, with the fourth and fifth episodes following on successive days.

Below is the complete ITV Secret Service episode transmission schedule:

Episode One: Monday, April 27

Episode Two: Tuesday, April 28

Episode Three: Sunday, May 3

Episode Four: Monday, May 4

Episode Five: Tuesday, May 5

But if you dont want to wait to find out how the thriller ends, all five episodes have now been released on ITVX.

Beyond the impressive ensemble and gripping storyline, Secret Service has the added appeal of being adapted from ITV News presenter Tom Bradby’s 2019 novel bearing the same title.

Discussing his work being adapted for television, he told Radio Times: “The aim was to make a really compulsive, high-octane, nerve-shredding but emotionally rich thriller.

“A spy story, family drama and political thriller all rolled into one. We want people to sit glued to their sofas and preferably stay up half the night to finish it.

“To succeed, we always knew it must land as a piece of mainstream entertainment.

“But I’d be doubly thrilled if we could achieve all that and have people chewing its ideas over with friends in the days afterwards.”

Secret Service premieres on Monday, April 27, at 9pm on ITV.

Donald Trump has called for Jimmy Kimmel to be fired over a joke the late-night host made about First Lady Melania Trump, calling her the “glow of an expectant widow”

Donald Trump has lashed out at a Jimmy Kimmel joke where he quipped that Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow”.

The comedian made the remarks during an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live last Thursday, days before a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night.

“Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow,” Kimmel said.

Trump has now taken to Truth Social demanding Kimmel be fired over the remarks, marking the latest chapter in a long-running feud between the pair. Trump previously cheered when Kimmel was suspended by broadcaster ABC following a monologue referencing the shooting of Charlie Kirk, in which he likened the US President’s grief to “how a 4-year-old mourns a goldfish”, reports the Mirror.

Trump has now posted on social media: “Wow, Jimmy Kimmel, who is in no way funny as attested to by his terrible Television Ratings, made a statement on his Show that is really shocking. He showed a fake video of the First Lady, Melania, and our son, Barron, like they were actually sitting in his studio, listening to him speak, which they weren’t, and never would be.”

“He then stated, “Our First Lady, Melania, is here. Look at Melania, so beautiful. Mrs. Trump, you have a glow like an expectant widow.” A day later a lunatic tried entering the ballroom of the White House Correspondents Dinner, loaded up with a shotgun, handgun, and many knives. He was there for a very obvious and sinister reason.

“I appreciate that so many people are incensed by Kimmel’s despicable call to violence, and normally would not be responsive to anything that he said but, this is something far beyond the pale. Jimmy Kimmel should be immediately fired by Disney and ABC. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP.”

Cole Tomas Allen, 31, from Torrance, California, is the suspected gunman who was allegedly armed with guns and knives when he stormed the Washington Hilton on Saturday night.

Melania also took to social media earlier today to urge ABC to “take a stand” against Kimmel and his programme. Writing on X, the First Lady stated: “Kimmel’s hateful and violent rhetoric is intended to divide our country. His monologue about my family isn’t comedy- his words are corrosive and deepens the political sickness within America. People like Kimmel shouldn’t have the opportunity to enter our homes each evening to spread hate.

” A coward, Kimmel hides behind ABC because he knows the network will keep running cover to protect him. Enough is enough. It is time for ABC to take a stand. How many times will ABC’s leadership enable Kimmel’s atrocious behavior at the expense of our community.”

The Greens have come under pressure in recent weeks over social media posts made by a number of candidates, including some in Newcastle, ahead of the May 7 elections in which the party is expected to make massive gains from Labour.

That has included Philip Brookes, who is standing in the city’s Manor Park ward. A Facebook account in his name stated in one post about the war in Gaza that it “takes serious effort not to be a tiny bit antisemitic”.

It also posted an image of a statement he called a “bit provocative, but historically valid”, which branded Israel “just a bunch of Polish, Russian, Hungarian terrorists killing Palestinian people for 76 years”.

Asked if he would pull support for candidates found to have made antisemitic remarks, Mr Polanski said during a visit to Newcastle today (Monday, April 27): “It is important to say that I condemn whenever there has been any antisemitism – I do that both as a political leader, but also as someone who is Jewish.

“In fact, I am one of five people in British political history who have been Jewish and lead a political party.

“So antisemitism is personal for me. In the same breath, I have been accused sometimes of antisemitism when I have been criticising the Israeli government and their ongoing genocide.

“It is really important that we do not conflate genuine antisemitism with legitimate criticism of an Israeli government who are committing war crimes, I think that is really important.”

The Green Party leader added that he would not comment on or interfere in specific cases going through a disciplinary process.

Another of the Greens’ Newcastle candidates, Mohammed Suleman, has also come under scrutiny over what Newcastle City Council labelled an “act of environmental vandalism”.

Fenham Properties Ltd, of which Mr Suleman is a director, was fined thousands of pounds by magistrates last year after being prosecuted by the local authority for burning waste in a large bonfire on the grounds of the historic Pendower Hall in the West End.

The Arthur’s Hill ward candidate admitted to illegally disposing of waste and operating a facility to dispose of waste without an environmental permit at Newcastle Magistrates’ Court in June 2025.

Asked if the Greens’ vetting processes for candidates were sufficient, Mr Polanski pointed to the party’s rapid growth over recent months.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “The Green Party when I ran for leader had 55,000 members.

“We now have 226,000 members and we have quadrupled in the polls. So the scrutiny, as it should be, has increased. But also some of the silly political attacks have also increased in time too.

“I think there are a handful of cases where people have complained and we will take those very seriously. But I also think the public are pretty forgiving and recognise that we need perspective.

“Where you have 4,500 candidates, to have a handful of cases I would say is not some kind of big scandal. It just says, ultimately, you need to look at those cases on a bespoke basis and make sure the people representing you are suitable, that they are in the lines of the Green Party, and they want to make sure they are bringing in environmental, social, racial, and economic justice.

“I am confident that in the vast majority of, 99 per cent of cases,  that is exactly what has happened.”  

King Charles’ security has been reviewed ahead of a trip to the White House on Monday after another assassination attempt on President Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner over the weekend.

The state visit is expected to last three days between 27 and 30 April and will include a meeting with the US president at the White House.

The White House Correspondents’ Association dinner was thrown into chaos on Saturday night after the attempted attack, which saw shots fired, prompting Trump to be swiftly evacuated by Secret Service agents along with other senior members of his administration.

After the events, the trip was reviewed and some additional precautions have been taken to ensure the monarch’s safety, with Buckingham Palace confirming that the visit would definitely go ahead.

Experts told The Independent that the extensive planning could include the use of covert agents, snipers, counter-drones and special forces.

Below we look at the “ring of security” – an elite security operation designed to keep the King safe.

Royalty and specialist protection officers (RaSP)

Sir Christopher Turner, Britain’s ambassador to the US, said that UK and US security teams had been planning the trip for weeks before the incident and had prepared for possible changes “as we go”.

“The real point is that our respective security teams have been in close touch for weeks,” he said.

“And any operational changes we have to make, we can make them as we go, and we are all very confident that all appropriate security measures are in place.”

Security teams in both the UK and US worked through the night to assess the safety of the visit after Mr Trump escaped his third assassination attempt.

While minor adjustments will be made to one or two royal engagements during the trip, the overall plan remains unchanged.

Former security specialist Richard Aitch told The Independent that members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection, working within the specialist command of the Metropolitan Police, would be armed on the trip in order to ensure the safety of the monarch.

”With this particular visit you’ve already got members of the Royalty and Specialist Protection in in the US on the ground liaising with the US Secret Service, and they’ve probably been over there for several weeks already,” he said. “They will be refining what they’re doing based on a response to what happened at the weekend.”

Mr Aitch believes that this could include plans to “increase distance” in order to reduce the opportunity for any lone wolf attack and create a “sterile environment”.

Intelligence coordination and undercover agents

“Intelligence flows are vitally important because operational plans are based on them,” says Mr Aitch.

This means UK and US security forces will share intelligence from a diverse array of sources in order to monitor any threats to the King during his visit.

“There will be a uniformed presence, but you will also have covert members blending in with the crowd,” he explains.

“You’ve got people there weeks in advance, blending in with the local population. Security services will listen in on the internet and phone calls and will be paying particular attention to specific individuals, groups and organisations that could do harm.”

They will be especially sensitive to any “lone wolf” threats in light of the incident. Vehicle searches will be conducted in the vicinity of Charles’ route. Control of crowds and the public will also be essential with barricading of the utmost importance to ensure distance.

Snipers, special forces and counter-drones

American officials have an “almost unlimited budget” to conduct their security operations, according to Mr Aitch. However, they have a reputation among their British counterparts for having “all the gear but no idea”.

Nevertheless, US security services will be pulling out all the stops after President Trump promised that the King would be “very safe”.

Protection is likely to include “snipers, counter snipers and search teams with dogs”. Special forces could also be deployed, such as the American Delta Force, the equivalent of the British SAS.

Counter-drone devices and jamming equipment could also be deployed.

“They could also use designated counterattack teams that are part of the FBI and US Secret Service.”

However, he adds that “you can have all of the assets, all of the people in the world, and it only takes one guy to get through. There is actually nothing that exists that is 100 per cent secure 100 per cent of the time.”

Sir Keir Starmer has made a personal appeal to Labour MPs as he prepares to face a Commons vote on whether to launch a sleaze inquiry into the Peter Mandelson vetting saga on what will be a crucial day for the future of his premiership.

His direct appeal at a meeting of the parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) came after Sir Lindsay Hoyle confirmed on Monday that MPs would be allowed to debate whether or not the prime minister should be referred to the powerful Commons Privileges Committee for a probe into whether he misled parliament over the disgraced peer’s appointment as US ambassador.

Speaking at a Monday night meeting of the PLP, the beleaguered prime minister said: “I have responsibility for being totally transparent with you, with parliament and the British public. I take that very seriously as well.

“But this is not about a lack of transparency. This is a political stunt by our opponents who want to bring us down, obscure our message, stop us getting on with our work. And the timing tells you everything nine days before local elections.”

He told Labour MPs: “Tomorrow is pure politics and we need to stand together against it.”

With Labour MPs mulling over supporting Kemi Badenoch’s motion and others plotting to remove him in May, Sir Keir pleaded with them to “look at the bigger picture” and stick by him.

The Privileges Committee was responsible for Boris Johnson’s exit from frontline politics after it investigated him for misleading the House over the “partygate” breaches of Covid laws in Downing Street.

The vote will come on a difficult day withhis former chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and former top civil servant Sir Philip Barton – both of whom played key roles in the appointment of Lord Mandelson – will give evidence to the Foreign Affairs Committee.

already Labour grandees, former home secretaries Alan Johnson and Lord David Blunkett, have written a letter calling on Labour MPs to oppose referring Sir Keir for investigation.

Mr McSweeney was widely regarded as a protege of the former US ambassador and pushed for his appointment, while Sir Philip was the predecessor of Sir Olly Robbins – who was sacked by Sir Keir for failing to tell ministers that Lord Mandelson had failed security vetting.

Sir Philip left the department in January 2025, eight months earlier than expected. The committee is expected to examine whether he left his post as a result of his opposition to Lord Mandelson’s appointment.

As the prime minister faces pressure from all sides on the Mandelson saga, he will also have his attention diverted by a meeting of the Middle East Response Committee, as part of an attempt to mitigate the economic impacts of the Iran war, and by King Charles’s address to the US Congress, both of which are taking place on Tuesday.

On the same day, the Commons will vote on whether to refer the PM to the Privileges Committee to consider if he misled MPs when he claimed “due process” was followed in Lord Mandelson’s appointment, and that there was “no pressure whatsoever”.

It comes after it emerged that the Foreign Office decided to appoint the Labour grandee despite the fact that he failed the vetting process.

The prime minister repeatedly told MPs that he and his ministers only found out that UK Security Vetting had advised Lord Mandelson should be denied clearance for the role last Tuesday evening, despite The Independent raising concerns that he had failed vetting last September and running a front page story on it – prompting claims of a cover-up.

Labour’s huge majority in the Commons means such a vote would almost certainly not pass, especially as Labour MPs are expected to be whipped to vote against the motion, but it could still be damaging for the prime minister.

As first revealed by The Independent, MPs from both sides of the House, including Labour, are understood to have written to the speaker requesting that the committee, which deals with serious disciplinary issues in parliament, investigate the PM.

In the wake of Sir Lindsay’s decision to allow MPs to debate the issue, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch claimed that the “facts are overwhelming”.

“The prime minister misled the House of Commons, repeatedly,” she claimed. “He appointed a national security risk and friend of a convicted paedophile, to be our ambassador in Washington, our most sensitive diplomatic post. He pretended that full due process was followed for this appointment. It was not.”

Ms Badenoch argued that the prime minister must “be held to the same standards he held previous prime ministers to”, warning: “There is no room for hypocrisy.”

She added: “Every MP now faces a matter of conscience, not party, conscience. Do they cover this up or do they vote to seek the truth?”

But a No 10 spokesperson dismissed the attempt to launch a parliamentary inquiry as a “desperate political stunt by the Conservative Party”.

A number of MPs and former parliamentarians have referred to the precedent set during the Partygate probe into Mr Johnson, when the Tories failed to use their majority to oppose the inquiry, and their MPs on the committee “put party second” in finding him guilty.

It comes as concerns grow among Labour MPs across different factions of the party that the government plans to whip to block the vote.

However, the Tories are going to push the fact that they did not oppose the motion when Boris Johnson was referred to the committee for misleading parliament.

One former cabinet minister said: “We did set something of a precedent, but I think we have some moral authority on the issue because of the way we allowed the inquiry to take place into Boris. This is a question of putting integrity before party.”

Sir Ed Davey also piled pressure on Sir Keir not to whip his MPs to oppose his referral to the Privileges Committee, saying: “Even Boris Johnson didn’t block his MPs voting for scrutiny.

“MPs must be given a free vote on any motion to refer Starmer, not forced into being accomplices to a cover-up.”

Over the weekend, Cabinet minister Darren Jones insisted there is “no case to answer” when asked about a potential referral of Sir Keir to the committee, as well as accusing the Conservatives of “using tactics” ahead of local elections.

Actor James Cartwright’s time in the ITV soap could be coming to an end as villain Theo Silverton

Coronation Street star James Cartwright has shared the simple, almost wholesome, way he has found to switch off from playing Theo Silverton as his time on the cobbles could be nearing an end.

The actor joined the ITV soap in March last year in the role of builder Theo, and quickly found himself involved in a hard-hitting, coercively controlling, and abusive relationship with Todd Grimshaw.

It has been in recent weeks and months that Theo’s behaviour has slowly been exposed to those in Weatherfield, eventually leading to Todd bravely going to the police about the horrific domestic violence he has suffered at the hands of his husband.

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But, Corrie fans have been aware for a couple of months now that Betsy Swain will make a deadly discovery as she finds the lifeless body of one of her neighbours following her mum, Lisa Swain’s, wedding day with Carla Connor – with one of the possible victims being Theo.

In a flashforward episode, which was aired in February, fans saw the shocked and anxious teen being interviewed by detectives about finding the dead body of someone she knows. She explained she had been at the Swarla wedding and was heading into town to continue the celebrations when she made the shocking discovery.

As the episode returned to the present day, Corrie viewers started to see how the behaviour of the five characters could lead to their possible death, with Theo, Megan Walsh, Maggie Driscoll, Jodie Ramsey and Carl Webster seen as the potential victims, each showing behaviours that could lead to them being bumped off.

The killer week has since gotten underway on Monday (April 27), with Theo’s being the first of five stories to be told before the victim is seen being found by Betsy in Friday’s (May 1) episode of the long-running show.

There were dramatic scenes as Theo wasn’t pleased to find Todd at the flat, getting ready to leave for Thailand. After an altercation in the flat, which saw George Shuttleworth helping Todd to escape, despite being hit by the villain himself. But as the police arrived, Theo managed to escape the police, only to end up confronting Todd once more.

Speaking about Theo’s state of mind this week, James told the Manchester Evening News and other press: “He’s really desperate and I think it’s like those sorts of people. If they’ve got a front on, what’s that saying? You can fool some of the people some of the time but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time.

“And I think eventually it’s got to the point where he’s not even bothered now. He is not even bothered trying to persuade people he’s a nice fellow. Because you know, the game’s up and so now it’s about survival. And I think very much like the wild dog analogy. You know, a dog backed into a corner is a dangerous dog, and actually, he’s suddenly become incredibly unpredictable. I think he’s become hyper-aggressive. I think all his negative traits have suddenly bubbled to the surface and you realise what a dangerous nut job he is.”

Having now played the villain for over a year, James was also quizzed on how he manages to switch off from playing Theo, to which she said: “It’s a funny thing really, I don’t know if I have to shake him. Sometimes, if you’re having to do a lot of shouting and arguing, what’s really weird is the brain knows you’re acting, but the body doesn’t.

“So if you are shouting at someone all day, you get all stiff in your shoulders, it’s dead weight and you’ve got adrenaline in your system and all that sort of thing. But I don’t know really, I mean I’m as daft as a brush, so I don’t really take it too hard to just sort of go home and watch Homes Under the Hammer or Bargain Hunt.”

Asha Bhosle, the last surviving singing legend of the golden era of Hindi cinema, has died at 92. She debuted in the industry shortly after Indian independence in the late 1940s and is now widely considered the best-known singer in India, with more than 12,000 songs to her name. Over the course of a long and prolific career, she demonstrated extraordinary enthusiasm for reinvention, and a range and versatility that still remain unmatched.

Fans of Bhosle found joy in her singing and intrigue in her tumultuous love life. She was often associated with the trope of the fallen woman in the public imagination and pitted against her singing elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, who famously did her best to steer clear of “vulgar” songs and was seen to embody piety, modesty, and self-sacrifice.

The painting of Mangeshkar’s good sister to Bhosle’s bad reflected the distinct categorisation of female characters as either submissive women of virtue or self-serving women of vice, which prevailed in Hindi cinema well into the 1980s. This was mapped onto the singing voices of the sisters by music directors. For instance, Anil Biswas, the pioneer of playback singing, quipped that “Asha has body while Lata has soul”.

However, it was precisely this penchant for breaking the rigid bonds and boundaries of acceptable femininity that always drew me, as it did many other queer south Asian misfits, to Bhosle’s songs.

Possibility and Plenitude

Bhosle belonged to the first generation of star playback singers. These were singers who record songs for actors to lip synch over in films – a common practice in south Asian cinema. Although she was behind the scenes, the quality of her singing made her, in many cases, more famous than the actors who mimed along to her voice.

The hundreds of songs Bhosle sang in the voice of “the other woman” moved sapphic (women and non-binary people who are attracted to women) listeners like me not because they were literally addressed to women, but because they gave voice to women whom Hindi cinema often treated as excessive, dangerous or disposable.

The actors who lip-synched her pre-recorded vocals on screen were frequently women who stood just outside the moral centre of the film: cabaret dancers, courtesans, mistresses, club performers and women whose desire was too intense to be easily domesticated. In their films, such women were often punished, abandoned or contained. In Bhosle’s voice, however, they became vivid, thinking, feeling subjects.

This is why Aao Huzoor Tumko from romantic thriller Kismat (1968) is so revealing. Sung by Bhosle, composed by O.P. Nayyar and written by Noor Devasi, the song is an invitation into intoxicated romance during a seduction scene in the film. Its refrain may be translated as: “Come, my lord, let me take you among the stars; let me take you into such springtime that your heart begins to sway.”

The actor Babita Kapoor performs the song on screen for her beloved, who is played by the debonair Biswajit Chatterjee. But what I hear in Bhosle’s performance is not simply a woman offering herself to a man. I hear a woman luxuriating in the textures of her own desire.

Bhosle laughs, hiccups, sighs and croons languorously through the song. These are not merely ornamental flourishes, but also small acts of vocal acting: ways of turning a film song into a miniature performance of mood, body and selfhood.

When she lingers on the word “mein” (“in” or “into” ) in phrases such as “sitaron mein le chalun” (“let me take you among the stars”), “baharon mein le chalun” (“let me take you into springtime”) and “hazaaron mein le chalun” (“let me take you among thousands”), she makes each repetition feel slightly different. She carefully infuses each “mein” with a distinctive flavour of longing, turning an intoxicated declaration of desire into an intoxicating invitation into female interiority.

For me, the space of this song was never only straight. The song invited me into an elsewhere: into stars, springtime, crowds, intoxication, laughter and the strange privacy of a woman’s pleasure. It allowed me to imagine desire not as shame, sin, or plot device, but as atmosphere. This is what Bhosle so often made possible: the reimagining of a spectacle of seduction as a scene of emotional complexity.

Bhosle herself seemed to understand the power of such performances. In later years, when asked to name her favourite actor to sing for, she chose Helen, who appeared in countless films as a dancer. She remembered Helen as so beautiful that she would stop singing when she entered the room, and joked that, had she been a man, she would have eloped with her.

To me, this felt like a gift to queer women: not because the remark makes Bhosle queer in any simple biographical sense, but because it acknowledged the force of female beauty, female performance and female fascination without embarrassment.

Bhosle did not merely sing women who desired men. She made female desire itself sound artful and alive: playful, pensive, hungry, theatrical, contradictory. In her voice, levity became a mode of serious identity construction, melancholy a means of knowing, and seduction something more than a narrative device designed to punish the woman who performed it. Time and again, she made room for coyness, brazenness, restlessness, satisfaction, anger and hunger to coexist within the same sonic space.

If the pure and pious heroines of Hindi cinema were often permitted only dignity and devotion, Bhosle’s women were granted appetite, ambivalence and ambition. Her singing offered us possibility and plenitude: complex ways of feeling, sensing and relating to love and life that the moral world of Hindi cinema could neither name nor contain.

Her singing was often sinuous and sensuous, and deliberately so, but it was also playful, pensive and passionate in equal measure. She embraced and enlivened the full spectrum of femininity, and rendered women profoundly, excitingly and almost achingly human in ways that were often unthinkable in the narratives that her songs animated. For me, she will always be the greater sister.

The reporter was bombarded with further adverts for codeine, xanax and oxycodone, among other high-strength opioid medications.

An investigation has uncovered that highly addictive pain pills and prescription medications are among the items being advertised for sale locally on TikTok.

Our sister title, Glasgow Live, became aware of the items after a reporter started receiving ads on the platform promoting the controlled substances. After clicking on one ad, which the platform was paid to host, the reporter was taken to pages on the messaging app Telegram where users could purchase the drugs.

After closing the page, the reporter was bombarded with further adverts for codeine, xanax and oxycodone, among other high-strength opioid medications, which are illegal to sell in the UK without a prescription. Within minutes of looking at the account behind it, the owner – believed to be from Scotland – messaged asking if they needed ‘benzos, uppers or opiates’, despite the account clearly stating they were a journalist.

Benzos, short for benzodiazepine, are a commonly abused prescription sedative-hypnotic medication used for short-term, acute anxiety, panic attacks, seizures, and insomnia. Uppers can refer to a wide range of drugs, including cocaine, amphetamines and methylphenidate (a stimulant medication used in the UK as a treatment for ADHD). The NHS describes both as addictive.

It comes as the number of suspected drug deaths in Scotland rose by 8% last year, with Glasgow seeing the highest spike in deaths. Statistics released by the Scottish Government earlier this year showed 1,146 people were suspected to have died from drugs, up from 1,065 the previous year.

National Records of Scotland found that in 2024, the most common drugs implicated in drug misuse deaths were opiates/opioids (80% of deaths), benzodiazepines (56%) and cocaine (47%).

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), which regulates the sale of medication in the UK, said that they are closely working with law enforcement partners to stamp out the sales and have warned the public of the risk of buying from illegal online suppliers.

A spokesperson for the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said: “Buying any medicine from illegal online suppliers significantly increases the risk of receiving falsified or unlicensed products. We work closely with law enforcement partners, customs authorities, social media and online platforms to remove illegal medicines from sale, block harmful websites, disrupt payment routes, and delist offending domains from search engines.

“Where breaches of the law are identified in the UK, we will not hesitate to use the full range of our enforcement powers to protect public health, including, where appropriate, prosecuting those who put people at risk.”

Medications being touted on the social media platform also included peptides, which are often marketed for weight loss or muscle gain.

Lynda Scammell, Head of Borderlines, MHRA said: “Peptide products may be sold as cosmetics, supplements and medicines, and depending on their intended purpose, they fall under different regulatory frameworks.

“The MHRA determines whether a product is a medicine on a case-by-case basis. This includes consideration of a number of factors including the product’s effect on the body, the way it is used and takes into account all the available evidence and relevant legal precedents.

“We disregard claims that products are for ‘research purposes’ if it is clear that such claims are being used as an attempt to avoid medicines regulations. If there is evidence within the promotional material that the products are in fact unauthorised medicines intended for human use, we will take appropriate regulatory action.

“If a product is classified as a medicine and is not appropriately authorised, we take regulatory compliance action. Not all peptides fall under MHRA’s remit, for example, many peptides are sold for body-building purposes and in the absence of medicinal claims, these would not be considered medicines.”

TikTok were contacted about the sale of the medications on the widely used platform. The company said that all accounts found in the investigation have been banned, adding that their community guidelines ban the sale of to regulated, prohibited, or high-risk goods and services. They added that the majority of adverts violating their policies are removed before being reported.

However, moments after receiving their response, two further adverts for pregabalin (a prescription medication used to treat epilepsy, nerve pain and generalised anxiety disorder) and “Royal-225” (a high-dose, illegal tablet containing synthetic opioid tramadol hydrochloride) appeared.

The BBC reports that Royal-225 is “not licensed for use anywhere in the world” and can cause breathing difficulties, seizures and an overdose can kill. The drug is among a dozens driving a public heath crisis in West Africa.

Police Scotland were also contacted for comment.

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