The hall was once rented out by royalty to stay in while studying at the University of Cambridge

A historic hall in Cambridgeshire known for its peaceful grounds could be worth visiting with your family this summer. Madingley Hall and Gardens has a storied history and is open to the public, who can walk around its old corridors and gardens.

The hall was built in 1543 after John Hynde acquired the Shire Manor of Madingley. He built the hall to feature the south wing containing domestic buildings, a kitchen, and a garderobe. The east wing had a few rooms for sleeping and two large halls.

In 1861, the hall was rented out by Queen Victoria for her son, Edward, Prince of Wales, to stay in while he studied at Cambridge University. However, his stay was fairly short, as he returned home after the death of Prince Albert.

The hall, along with the surrounding park and farmland, was sold to Cambridge University in 1948 for £50,000. Today, the hall is open to the public to take a look around with tours available. It is also a popular venue for celebrations and corporate events.

If you are lucky with the weather, you could also spend some time in the extensive gardens with winding gravel paths. In 1756, Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown was commissioned to design the garden with lawns and meadows.

The formal terraces and Croquet Lawn were added by Colonel Walter Harding between 1908 and 1914 with many of the trees he planted still a part of the estate’s tree collection to this day. In 1927, Ambrose Harding added the Yew Topiary Gardens.

After looking around the hall and gardens, you might want to treat yourself to an afternoon tea. This can be enjoyed in one of the hall rooms, at the terrace bar, or overlooking the gardens in the summer. The afternoon tea comes with finger sandwiches, fresh scones, and a range of sweet treats such as mini Victoria sponge cakes and macaroons.

A traditional afternoon tea costs £21.50 per person or £30 if you want a glass of sparkling wine with your meal. The afternoon teas are available on the last Sunday of each month and need to be booked in advance.

You could also visit the café where you can enjoy a coffee and a slice of homemade cake or a more substantial meal like a steak and ale pie or classic fish and chips. The terrace bar is also open for you to have a beer or glass of wine during your trip.

Madingley Hall and Gardens is around a 22-minute drive away from Cambridge via the A603. There is a car park on site that is free for visitors to use.

It was far from a convincing performance against Thistle, hardly surprising given what was at stake, and the relief from fans and players alike was obvious after the game.

“We wanted to make sure the players were remembered as legends at this club after winning the League Cup,” McLeish said.

“We didn’t want that black mark against our name.

“First half was nervy, cagey and full of mistakes. It wasn’t really tactical, just us controlling our emotions. We did that better in the second half.”

McLeish won three of his nine league matches after Robinson left, but he was unable to keep St Mirren out of the play-off spot as Kilmarnock shone after the split.

A change of approach initially yielded an upturn in performances, but results started to slide and a run of four defeats without scoring cost them.

The 36-year-old stand-in boss was unable to completely solve the goalscoring issues that plagued their season.

Key defender Alex Gogic says McLeish could do more with greater time, though, and would be happy for him to stay on.

“Yeah, of course, whatever the club chooses,” Gogic said.

“If he has a pre-season, it will probably be better than what it is. If the club decide to go his way, we’ll all be behind that.”

Former Dundee United and Partick Thistle boss Ian McCall says McLeish has done his chances no harm by steering St Mirren to safety.

“I don’t think he had any chance of getting the job if St Mirren were relegated,” McCall said.

“What he has done is conducted himself really well and given himself a real chance of the job.

“The power-that-be here took a real chance appointing a young lad like that. But he has come through it really well. He has talked really well.

“He came through one dodgy moment when Kilmarnock won here 3-0. But he’s come back from that really strongly.

“It didn’t just plummet when Craig McLeish took over. It was a bad run of results when Stephen Robinson was there after the cup final which brought this on. He certainly has a chance.”

In the summer of 2024, driver Brian Kelly picked up Tam Hewitt for what would prove to be a fateful trip across Glasgow.

A Scots taxi driver has thanked one of his passengers for saving his life after a chance encounter led to a discovery that he had prostate cancer. Driver Brian Kelly picked up Prostate Cancer UK volunteer Tam Hewitt in the summer of 2024 – for what would prove to be a fateful trip across Glasgow.

The now 76-year-old spoke to him about the risks of prostate cancer and the importance of getting checked. Brian later became concerned about his own health and went to see a GP, recalling his passenger’s advice to seek a PSA blood test which can detect prostate cancer.

Despite not feeling any symptoms, Brian felt compelled by the conversation in the taxi and asked his doctor to carry this out. The PSA results led to further tests which ultimately revealed two sites of prostate cancer, one of which was aggressive.

The taxi driver, 66, would go on to receive brachytherapy treatment in June 2025, just after his youngest daughter’s graduation. The early intervention meant the cancer was dealt with at stage two, before it could progress further.

He was back at work within a week and is still feeling fit. Brian, who is from East Ayrshire, credits Tam for his life-changing decision to seek the test, but it was not until another chance encounter in December 2025 that he got the chance to properly thank him.

In a complete coincidence, Brian’s cab was called to the Prostate Cancer UK volunteer’s house, where the pair were reunited. Speaking to the Press Association, Brian said: “I knew the address, I knew where Tam lived. Again, he had material that we wanted to take with him, we were putting it into the back of the car.

“Once we had done that, I then broke the news to him. I just shook his hand and said ‘by the way, I just want to thank you for saving my life’.”

As they spoke further, Brian discovered that Tam had also undergone brachytherapy to treat prostate cancer some 20 years ago. He said: “Anyone who gets into my car who’s over a certain age, I have the conversation with them. I just throw out, ‘You’re of a certain age, have you had this PSA blood test?’”

Tam regularly gives talks to raise awareness about prostate cancer, often organising pop-up stalls in hospitals and other venues. The 76-year-old, from Glasgow, said: “Although it’s not the first time someone has thanked me for having the conversation that has led them choosing to get a PSA test and an early diagnosis I was completely taken aback when Brian asked to shake my hand.

“If his treatment and journey works as well as mine he will be delighted. I have been raising awareness for over 20 years and currently average over 50 awareness stands per year before the talks and presentations.”

He added: “Results like this make it all worthwhile and I’m sure all our volunteers will feel exactly the same.” Joseph Woollcott, Prostate Cancer UK’s head of health policy, said: “Brian and Tam’s story is wonderful, and it shows the power of men talking and looking out for each other.

“I’m so grateful to all our incredibly dedicated volunteers like Tam, who have lifesaving conversations all the time. One in eight men will get prostate cancer, and your risk doubles if you’re Black, so most of us will know someone living with or after the disease.

“It’s curable if found early, but it’s also a complex disease that leaves many feeling confused about the right path to take. Men need people like Tam in their corner, and at Prostate Cancer UK we are here to help men at every step of their journey from diagnosis to treatment and with what comes next.”

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He remains missing, along with teenager Columba McVeigh, former monk Joe Lynskey and soldier Robert Nairac.

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A search to set to get under way later for one of the final four members of the Disappeared who remains missing.

Seamus Maguire, 29, from Aghagallon near Lurgan, is thought to have been killed and secretly buried by republican paramilitaries in 1976.

His name was added to those being searched for by the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains (ICLVR) in 2022.

READ MORE: Funeral takes place of Jean McConville’s son, JimREAD MORE: James Nesbitt shares emotional dedication to The Disappeared on The Late Late Show

He remains missing, along with Co Tyrone teenager Columba McVeigh, former monk Joe Lynskey and soldier Robert Nairac.

The ICLVR said the search in Derryclone, Co Armagh, starting on Tuesday will be the first for Mr Maguire.

It is also the first search for one of the Disappeared in Northern Ireland since the remains of Peter Wilson were recovered from the beach at Waterfoot, Cushendall, in 2010.

ICLVR lead investigator Eamonn Henry said it had not been immediately clear whether Mr Maguire was a missing person case or the victim of an abduction, murder and secret burial by a paramilitary group.

“The criteria for a case to be accepted by the Commission are that the death and secret burial was as a result of paramilitary activity and was carried out before the signing of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement on 10 April 1998,” he said.

“On the basis of information received from the PSNI, Seamus Maguire became one of the Disappeared in 2022.”

He said while they believe Republican paramilitaries were involved, it is not clear which wing of the IRA was responsible.

Mr Henry said Mr Maguire is thought to have been disappeared in 1976.

“It was initially thought that Seamus disappeared sometime around 1973-1974 but it was also subsequently suggested that after spending time in Manchester he may have returned to Northern Ireland and was then killed and secretly buried in the Aghagallon/Derryclone area in 1976 aged 29,” he said.

“Whatever the issues around specific dates, we are now satisfied that there is sufficient credible information to commence a search in the Derryclone area.

“The search area is around two acres in size and while unlike Bragan Bog where we searched for the remains of Columba McVeigh, regrettably without success, farmland is more stable each search site throws up its own challenges.”

He said the search will continue until they find what they are looking for or are satisfied that Mr Maguire is not there, adding: “I’m not going to put a specific timeframe on the search”.

Mr Henry also urged anyone with information about Mr Maguire’s disappearance to come forward.

“There may be an assumption that because a search is underway the Commission has all the information we need,” he said.

“That is not necessarily the case.

“If there is anyone who has any information on this case please get it to us.

“All information is treated in the strictest confidence and our sole purpose is to return the remains of a loved one to their family for a Christian burial.”

In a statement, Mr Maguire’s family described him as a “much loved eldest brother”.

“He has been missing now for over 50 years,” the family said.

“We hope that the Independent Commission for the Location of Victims’ Remains can now recover Seamus’s body so that he can be buried in St Patrick’s graveyard in Aghagallon with our parents May and Patrick.

“Our mum looked for Seamus right up until the day that she died.

“We appeal for privacy at this time. Our thanks to the ICLVR and all those involved in the search process.”

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Hilary Benn said: “My thoughts are first and foremost with the Maguire family, who have endured so many years of anguish since the abduction and disappearance of Seamus.

“I am deeply grateful to the commission for their unceasing efforts to find the Disappeared and for their painstaking efforts to help ease these families’ long-suffering.

“As well as the Maguire family, the families of Columba McVeigh, Joseph Lynskey and Robert Nairac still await the return of their loved ones’ remains.

“I urge anyone with information – no matter how insignificant they think it may be – to come forward and speak to the commission. All information will be treated in the strictest confidence.”

Anyone with information on the case of Mr Maguire or the other three outstanding Disappeared cases, Joe Lynskey, Columba McVeigh, Robert Nairac, should contact the ICLVR on +353 1 602 8655 or Secretary@iclvr.ie or ICLVR PO Box 10827 Dublin, Ireland.

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Plans to build up to 138 homes have sparked strong reactions online, with residents raising concerns over traffic, local services and village identity

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CambridgeshireLive readers have been voicing their opinions on the proposed development of up to 138 new homes in Hardwick, mirroring concerns raised in formal objections. Numerous comments centre on traffic congestion, the village’s character, and whether local infrastructure can accommodate the growth. Others contend the area requires additional housing and improved transport options.

Proposals to construct up to 138 homes in Hardwick have provoked opposition from residents living close to the potential development site. Local people have expressed worries that the new housing would inflict “irreversible harm” to the village and its sense of community.

The homes are planned for land south of St Neots Road in Hardwick. Of the 138 dwellings, 40 percent are earmarked to be provided as affordable housing. The scheme also includes plans for a new site entrance, internal access roads, parking facilities, drainage systems, and public open space.

Developer Pigeon stated its proposals would seek to establish an “inclusive community through the provision of a variety of tenures and dwelling types to suit all stages of life” and a “sustainable movement strategy where walking and cycling opportunities are integrated into the heart of the development”.

One reader, Calumen Nomen writes: “This is ribbon development and needs stamping on.”

Rhodabike adds: “The usual drivel from developers. Please explain how tarmacking over a field will create ‘biodiversity enhancement? And how will this development compensates for the increased pressure on schools, GPs, transport infrastructure and other services?”

Freddly says: “So we give the next generation a housing shortage, because today’s young adults consider driving a pastime, and are too important to use public transport.”

Nocyclinganywhere replies: “Driving is not a pastime, as you say, it’s a necessity for many to earn a living. Does the public transport go past everyone’s home at the exact time they need to travel to work?”

While over on our Facebook page, Paige D comments: “Hardwick/Caldecott and Cambourn will soon be linked up. With Madingley, it becomes another section of Cambridge. Think of all the small towns around London 200 yrs ago, now just one city.”

Lisa-Marie G states: “Affordable housing DOES NOT EXIST!”

Elaine L writes: “Ramsey too. Hundreds of houses are about to go on sale. No school spaces, doctors’ spaces, nor dentists.”

Thalia M says: “Poor Hardwick, surely enough, new houses there now.”

Neville Cope adds: “All the other nice Cambridgeshire villages are being ruined by new, overpriced housing developments and no new amenities, so why not?”

Do you believe that there is room and a need for 138 new houses? Comment below or HERE to have your say.

Construction work has started at the White House for the UFC ring to celebrate President Donald Trump’s birthday.

In an event dubbed UFC Freedom 250, six bouts are expected to be held on the White House South Lawn on June 14. The fight is being marketed as one of the many events to commemorate America’s 250th birthday, but it also falls on Trump’s 80th birthday.

“This will be the greatest show on Earth,” Trump said from the Oval Office earlier this month as the UFC fighters set to participate in the bouts stood behind him.

Trump also showed off a nighttime rendering of what the fight will look like during the press briefing. The photo appears to show a UFC Octagon floor with red, white and blue lights around it. The Octagon was placed in front of the White House, and a massive light rig is arched on either side of the presidential residence.

Photos taken outside the White House Saturday and Monday appear to show construction crews starting to assemble the lighting rig in anticipation of the fight.

Two massive yellow cranes were seen towering over the South Lawn as pieces of the rig lay on the ground below, one photo taken Saturday appears to show.

Progress on the lighting rig can be seen in a collection of photos taken Monday. In one, cranes can be seen carrying a section of the rig as it arches in front of the White House.

Another photo appears to show two sections of the rig being connected, using the cranes.

Monday afternoon, Trump was seen examining a White House pillar and talking to his staff, according to a video shared on X by NewsNation White House Correspondent Kellie Meyer.

“President Trump just spent a few moments when he returned to the White House residents [sic] to look at one of the White House pillars and asking questions to his staff, directing them to take photos of it and touching the white pillar himself. Unclear why,” Meyer wrote in the post.

The Independent has reached out to the White House for comment.

UFC Freedom 250’s main event will be between lightweight champion Ilia Topuria and interim champion Justin Gaethje.

Topuria thanked Trump, who is friends with UFC president Dana White, for the “opportunity to build the biggest event in sports history” while at the White House earlier this month.

Gaethje, who shared his gratitude for Trump supporting UFC before it was mainstream, told the president at the Oval Office, “It’s truly an honor. It’s awesome. It’s your birthday. Awesome. It’s Flag Day. Wonderful to represent this country.”

Trump said that there would be 4,000 seats on the South Lawn for the fight, and there would be a screening of it “in the park right across the street,” seemingly referring to Lafayette Park. He said the park will have “anywhere from 75,000 to 100,000 people,” adding that it was free to attend.

While the UFC is paying for the event, sponsorship packages that include ringside tickets to the fight have been selling for $1 million or more, a Republican lobbyist familiar with the matter told NBC News in an article published earlier this month.

The third series of the Yorkshire Dales documentary concluded in February 2026, wrapping up another chapter for Amanda Owen, Clive Owen and their nine children as they continued restoring the historic farmhouse at Anty John’s alongside life at Ravenseat Farm.

Although Channel 4 has not yet announced an official release date, the broadcaster previously confirmed that the programme had been recommissioned for a fourth series.

Anty John’s that features in Our Farm Next Door (Image: CHANNEL 4)

That means viewers will once again return to Upper Swaledale to follow the Owen family’s ambitious renovation project and the realities of farming in one of the most remote parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park.

What could happen in series four?

Series three focused heavily on the second year of work at Anty John’s, with the project moving from major structural repairs to interior restoration.

The latest episodes also captured the changing seasons at Ravenseat, family milestones and the everyday challenges that come with hill farming in the Dales.

With the farmhouse edging closer to completion, the fourth series is expected to explore the next phase of the restoration, as well as the continuing evolution of family life for the Owens.

Amanda and Clive remain hugely popular with viewers following the success of Our Yorkshire Farm on Channel 5, and the spin-off has continued to attract strong audiences for More4 since launching in 2024.

When could Our Farm Next Door return?

While Channel 4 has not confirmed a broadcast date, previous series of Our Farm Next Door have followed an annual release schedule.

If that pattern continues, new episodes could arrive later in 2026 or in early 2027.

Until then, fans can revisit previous episodes of Our Farm Next Door: Amanda, Clive and Kids on Channel 4’s streaming platform.

The Sun and Pluto are in alignment today, intensifying the need for emotional excitement and sponteneity. Keep things fluid today.

Cancer, Virgo and Scorpio, you may have a conversation or interaction that seems meaningless, though carries a heavier weight. Don’t brush over small talk.

Energy is high, so take this chance to connect with others. You have a gift to give and sharing is caring.

Ahead, you’ll find all star signs’ horoscopes for today: Tuesday May 26, 2026.

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To order your unique personal horoscope based on your time, date and place of birth, visit patrickarundell.com.

Aries

March 21 to April 20

One of astrology’s most transformational planetary influences is in play today. Your appetite for fast movement and decisive action may have been tempered of late by the steady hand of Saturn. Yet a conversation now can see you pivot in a new and exciting direction. This can be especially so around any group or community activities where you can come to the fore.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aries

Taurus

April 21 to May 21

As much as you value continuity and sticking with what works and is functional, at times it’s important to step back and review the big picture. Today, look into what the long-term benefits might be. Someone influential can be a moving force in this, sharing an insight, knowledge, or experience that gives you the chance to subtly shift your focus in a positive direction.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Taurus

Gemini

May 22 to June 21

Your communication is often witty, but your mind can switch subjects as rapidly as your focus. Yet today your words can carry just that much more authority, and people will find them harder to ignore. The deeper theme here is that you are going beyond immediate exchanges and being drawn into redefining who you are, but also your guiding philosophies.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Gemini

Cancer

June 22 to July 23

The tiny but influential Pluto may have its planetary status disputed by some, but its raw power and influence are undiminished. His link to the Sun, in the fleet-footed Gemini today, is a case in point. As a discreet conversation or some deeply personal realisations can help you to recognise an attitude or situation that you simply have to release, and quickly.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Cancer

Leo

July 24 to August 23

Different friends and connections have different roles in our lives. The ones you value highly is where you can direct your attentions today, and you may have a heart-to-heart. It could be intense, but even if it is, it can help you to cut through to the root of what you both bring to this situation, drawing you closer and leading to a more authentic and valuable bond.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Leo

Virgo

August 24 to September 23

Your gift for analysis is the stuff of astral lore, but today, this quality is super-powered, and particularly around your job. Not only can you penetrate right to the heart of any matter, but your ability to mix the details with how these can be applied can be so strong. You can apply this to managing your own affairs shrewdly, but it can show up most at work.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Virgo

Libra

September 24 to October 23

There is an atmosphere of excitement and anticipation around you at the moment, and some important influences have seen you gain confidence in recent days. However, whatever you do, it needs to spark your passion, and today’s Sun/Pluto tie can do precisely that. Don’t ponder, make bold moves, and even if some don’t work out, it will be exhilarating.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Libra

Scorpio

October 24 to November 22

For some years to come, your modern ruler, Pluto, is set to work his way through the very root of your solar horoscope, and this can see big changes afoot around where you live, who with and within family or close ties. Today, the Sun makes an intense connection to Pluto, and this can add even deeper perspectives to the process of change that is ongoing for you.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Scorpio

Sagittarius

November 23 to December 21

If you are feeling a powerful attraction to someone, this can get even more intense today, and the conversations you share can have a fated quality. However, if you have to work with someone you don’t align with, this energy can see you clearly marking out what you will or will not accept. Sound forceful? Well, perhaps, but really it is about firming up boundaries.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Sagittarius

Capricorn

December 22 to January 21

Your work ethic often shines through, Capricorn. What is less talked about is your talent for structuring ideas and applying them in a steadfast and productive way. So, although your efforts may not be showy and obvious, your thoroughness often sees you succeed. So, know that whatever you put in place now can bring solid rewards over time.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Capricorn

Aquarius

January 22 to February 19

Your personal magnetism will shine even brighter – especially if you’re invested in creative or self-expressive strands. As the feedback you’re getting increases, so can your sense that this is about destiny and a deeper purpose. Not feeling this? It’s possible that more mundane demands seem to be holding you back. Yet you may have more options than you realise.

Head here for everything you need to know about being an Aquarius

Pisces

February 20 to March 20

Some deep family or emotional influences may have given you so much. If some were less positive, liberator Uranus can see you want to break free in the years to come. Today gives you a powerful opportunity to review what is or was not helpful. Immediate action may not be needed, but evolving realisations can set the stage for you to act when you are ready.

Head here for everything you need to know about being a Pisces

Your daily Metro.co.uk horoscope is here every morning, seven days a week (yes, including weekends!). To check your forecast, head to our dedicated horoscopes page.

Head here for this week’s tarot horoscope reading, and see what the cards have in store for you!

Check out the tarot horoscope reading for the month of May here.

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Wes Streeting has likened tech companies to the tobacco industry, and medical leaders have compared the dangers of social media to smoking, as pressure grows on ministers to impose a ban for under-16s ahead of the closure of an online safety consultation.

The Government’s Growing Up In The Online World consultation, which floated measures such an Australia-style social media ban for under-16s, app curfews and limits on addictive features, closes at the end of Tuesday.

In his first intervention on the issue since he quit Government earlier this month, former health secretary Mr Streeting said: “Social media should be treated like tobacco – it’s extremely addictive, bad for our health, and Big Tech is borrowing the Big Tobacco playbook to avoid regulation.

“We’ve got to give our children their childhood back.

“A ban for under-16s must be the start, not the end.

“We have given the pen to tech moguls to write our future for us.

“It’s time to take the pen back.”

Meanwhile, a report by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges submitted to the public consultation said social media and smartphone use “ranks alongside smoking and wearing seatbelts in cars as a unifying force for the medical profession”.

Doctors are seeing a “wave of radicalised children” from exposure to “hateful, addictive and grossly distressing content”, the report said.

Of the 454 doctors surveyed by the academy of 22 member royal colleges, half said they treated at least one child a week whose mental distress or physical injury was linked to online content.

The report included harrowing stories of deaths and injuries from “replicating acts of extreme pornography” and interests in violence or radicalisation.

Families who have lost relatives to harm linked to online platforms are set to meet Sir Keir Starmer on Tuesday and urge him to honour the Government’s promise to impose social media restrictions on under-16s.

There have been widespread calls for the UK to follow Australia’s lead on a prohibition, although there have been questions about how effective it has been.

Ministers announced in April they would introduce “age or functionality restrictions” on social media for under-16s regardless of the consultation outcome, with proposals to be unveiled by the summer and plans to legislate before the end of the year.

The concession by the Government came after pressure from the House of Lords over the issue, led by Tory former education minister and academy chain founder Lord Nash.

Peers voted four times to press the Commons into accepting an outright ban, ending their stand-off with MPs only after ministers agreed to restrictions.

Lord Nash said: “The Government gave a commitment to Parliament that they would introduce some form of age or functionality restriction on social media for children under 16.

“We now expect them to deliver on that commitment fully and in the shortest possible timeframe.

“Hundreds of thousands of people have made their voices heard, asking the Government to raise the age for access to harmful social media to 16….

“And today the Prime Minister will meet the bereaved parents who have campaigned tirelessly to prevent their experiences happening to anyone else.

“Please, just get on with it.”

Ellen Roome, who believes her son Jools Sweeney died aged 14 while attempting an online challenge, said: “I, and other families who have lost children to social media, will tell the Prime Minister directly: Social media is a product, and like any other faulty product causing the deaths of children, it should be restricted until the companies responsible have fixed it and proven it is safe.

“We cannot go on with further speculation – we need clarity.”

But another coalition of children’s organisations warned that focusing solely on age limits risked failing to address the structural drivers of online harms.

The Children’s Coalition for Online Safety, led by 5Rights Foundation and including groups such as the NSPCC and Girlguiding, demanded a broader overhaul of technology companies’ business models and product design choices that keep young users hooked.

In a joint statement, 25 organisations called for a ban on targeted advertising and manipulative design features; a ban on personalised services for under 13s and default safety protections for under-16s with penalties for firms that fall short; stronger regulation of AI systems including child-focused risk assessments; and the creation of an independent online safety commissioner.

Leanda Barrington-Leach, executive director at 5Rights Foundation, said: “We will not fix this by tinkering around the edges – by tweaking features or relying on age limits alone.

“The issue is not a single product or setting; it is built into the system itself, into business models and design choices that prioritise engagement, data extraction and profit over children’s wellbeing.

“If a product were unsafe for children offline, it would not be allowed onto the market. We must insist on this same logic online.

“The onus must be on these businesses to demonstrate that their services are safe for children and not on parents or children to navigate or manage that risk themselves.”

The NSPCC charity said tech companies prioritising profit over keeping children safe “cannot be allowed to continue”.

Rani Govender, associate head of policy for child, said politicians must set out a path “requiring platforms to build safety into every device, feature and AI tool from the outset, preventing children from encountering harmful or illegal content and ensuring they can only access age‑appropriate services through risk-based age ratings – something that children and adults are telling us they strongly support.

“It also means ending the addictive design tricks that keep young users scrolling, gaming and watching for hours on end.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Everyone – especially children and young people – should be able to have a positive, safe experience online.

“That’s why we are consulting on a wide range of measures, from restricting social media access to potential app curfews, to ensure we get the balance right and protect young people from harm.

“We are still seeking views from parents, young people and experts before taking our next steps. More than 70,000 people have already engaged, and there is still time for others to share their views before the consultation closes at midnight.

“We are also taking wider action to tackle online harm. Through the Online Safety Act, platforms have to give users more control over the content they see and stronger protections from harmful material.”

BUNIA, Congo (AP) — Every time Vanny Birungi, a volunteer with the Red Cross in eastern Congo, goes out to raise awareness about the latest Ebola outbreak as suspected cases near 1,000, she faces a double threat.

One is the rare Bundibugyo type of Ebola, with no vaccine or treatment. The other is the anger and suspicion of residents who have pelted her with stones and verbal abuse in Bunia, a city at the heart of the outbreak.

“We continue to tell them that the disease is out there. Some accept, and others don’t,” Birungi told The Associated Press on Monday as she and colleagues spoke with groups of people in a working-class neighborhood under the scorching sun.

Aid workers are especially at risk in this volatile region where residents, like Birungi, have long been under threat of armed groups that have killed thousands of people and displaced many more in recent years.

Trust is hard to find among the traumatized population that is wary of outsiders, even those trying desperately to contain the rapidly spreading outbreak that experts say was discovered weeks late. Surveillance for such diseases has been weakened by U.S. and other aid cuts.

“These people should stop bothering us. They just want to get rich. Let’s not forget that Ebola is a white man’s invention,” declared Pierre Basola, a 56-year-old resident of Bunia, who added: “Stop talking to me anyway.”

Cases are nearing 1,000 but health centers are burned

Three times in the past week, healthcare facilities have been attacked. On Sunday, angry young men stormed a hospital treating Ebola patients, forcing medical staff to evacuate them as gunfire rang out.

On Saturday, a group of residents set fire to a tent for suspected and confirmed Ebola cases run by Doctors Without Borders in Mongbwalu, and more than a dozen people suspected to have the virus fled. On Thursday, a center in Rwampara was burned after relatives were barred from retrieving the body of a man suspected to have Ebola.

Anger is amplified as virus prevention practices keep loved ones from handling bodies in final rites following an illness some have described as sudden and dramatic, with vomiting and bleeding.

The Ebola virus is spread through close contact with sick or deceased patients’ bodily fluids, such as sweat, blood, feces or vomit. Experts say healthcare workers and family members caring for patients face the highest risk.

“Trust is almost as important as the health response, because if you get this massive distrust in the communities, they’re not going to go to the health centers,” said Heather Kerr, country director for the International Rescue Committee in Congo.

Armed conflict in the region poses another challenge. To travel from Bunia, the capital of Ituri province, to Mongbwalu, aid groups risk potential attacks in a region more than 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) from Congo’s capital, Kinshasa.

Meanwhile, the outbreak now has over 900 suspected cases and more than 220 suspected deaths, the director general of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said Monday.

“We are now playing catch-up with a very fast-moving epidemic,” he said.

‘We leave everything to God’

Mado Nditamba, a 70-year-old Bunia resident, said she has seen students running away from aid workers.

“The last time Ebola came, it was not on the scale that we see today,” Nditamba said. “But this epidemic today is worse. We go to the doctors in the hospitals, but they also die. That’s what worries us. We don’t know what to do and we leave everything to God.”

Congo has had 17 Ebola outbreaks, and the WHO says the country is equipped to respond. But early tests in this outbreak were conducted for a more common type of Ebola, losing valuable time. Experts are still trying to determine when this outbreak began.

There are few places to test for this Bundibugyo type in a region where clinics can run on generators and a major airport serving as a humanitarian hub has been in the hands of rebels for over a year.

Health workers on the ground have told the AP they are underprepared and underprotected. Now an unknown number of responders have been infected, and some have died.

A Congolese doctor was reported dead on Sunday in Rwampara, Rubens Dhedgia, coordinator of the Ebola response in the region, told the AP. In neighboring Uganda, where a far smaller number of cases has begun to spread after Congolese traveled there, at least three health workers have been infected.

And perhaps most worryingly, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies says three volunteers died in Mongbwalu after it believes they handled bodies on March 27 during work unrelated to Ebola.

If confirmed, that would significantly push back the timeline of the outbreak from the first confirmed death in late April in Bunia.

Some residents still believe Ebola is a myth

Even as at least one funeral home manager dusted off coffins for sale alongside a road in Bunia, experts reported a lack of trust among some residents of the region who do not believe the virus exists.

Action Aid, another of the international humanitarian groups responding, said a high level of skepticism and lack of understanding remains, citing residents it questioned in mid-May in Ituri province just after the outbreak was announced.

“The only way to go, as far as this particular virus is concerned, is community engagement,” said Yakubu Mohammed Saani, country director for Action Aid in Congo.

How that will be improved, and quickly, is still not clear. Meanwhile, both the WHO and Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believe the outbreak is larger than the cases reported so far.

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Adetayo reported from Abuja, Nigeria. Associated Press writer Jean-Yves Kamale in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed.