LONDON (AP) — Former U.S. President Joe Biden ’s prostate cancer has spread to other parts of his body and is causing him pain, even as he continues to speak out on public issues, his son Hunter said in an interview.

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC broadcast late Friday, Hunter Biden grew emotional as he discussed his father’s condition, describing it as very sad to watch.

“The cancer has spread, metastasized into his bones and further,” he said. “It’s very painful and it’s very debilitating in many respects.”

Biden, 83, was the oldest man to serve as U.S. president and his age was a source of concern for much of his four years in office. He and his White House advisers have faced intense criticism for allegedly concealing the extent of his problems, especially after he was forced to abandon his bid for re-election after a disastrous debate with his eventual successor, Donald Trump.

The former president revealed his cancer diagnosis in May of last year, less than four months after he left the White House.

Hunter Biden said the diagnosis had been tough on the family.

“It’s really sad to watch,” Biden said. “The only thing that I’d say about my dad, about his health right now, is I wish he would complain more, because it’s not good.”

But Biden said his father remains “out there,” speaking publicly about the issues that are important to him.

“He’s still doing his thing,” he said. “He so believes in this country.”

Biden will publish a memoir, “Promise Me, America,” after the mid-term elections.

The scheme, run by Proper Pubs, will recognise individuals who go above and beyond to make a difference in their communities.

Nominations are open via QR codes displayed on posters, table talkers, and digital screens inside participating pubs, directing customers to an online entry form.

The Bolton pubs taking part include: 

• Alma Inn
• Beeley’s Bar
• Gilnow Arms
• Keg & Thread
• Lamb Hotel
• Lord Raglan
• Royal Hotel
• Victoria

An independent panel will select a winner for each pub, with winners receiving a certificate and a bottle of fizz.

Three national winners will also receive £1,000 to donate to a local charity or community group of their choice. 

An awards event will be held for national and local pub winners on the week commencing  November 23 at their local Proper Pub. 

These pubs are part of Proper Pubs, the award-winning community wet-led operator division of Admiral Taverns, which has more than 220 pubs across England, Scotland, and Wales. 

Jorge Messi, a businessman and agent for his superstar footballer son, Lionel, had been ill for a significant period of time and passed away on Friday in his home city of Rosario, Argentina

Lionel Messi’s father has died at the age of 68 following a long battle with illness. Jorge Messi passed away in hospital on Friday in his home city of Rosario, Argentina.

His family said during the World Cup in June that Jorge had been dealing with a ‘health-related situation’. Messi’s former club, Newell’s Old Boys, confirmed his passing on Saturday.

A statement read: “Club Atletico Newell’s Old Boys bids farewell with deep sorrow and grief to Jorge Messi, who passed away at the age of 68 in the city of Rosario. Recognised leproso fan, businessman, and father of the Argentine national team captain, Lionel Andres Messi.

“Jorge was the pillar and the person who supported with vision, rigor, and affection the career of the greatest player of all time alongside his wife, Celia Cuccittini. His constant companionship and behind-the-scenes leadership were essential in backing every step of Lionel, from his beginnings at Malvinas to the pinnacle of world football glory.

“Thank you for teaching him to love these colours. The Board of Directors, members, athletes, and the entire leprosa family embrace with affection Celia, Lionel, Rodrigo, Matias, and María Sol, and all their loved ones and close ones in this difficult moment.”

His son was seen crying after a World Cup match which prompted speculation about his father’s wellbeing. “Why was I crying? It had absolutely nothing to do with football. I have had a few difficult days,” the Argentina captain said post-match.

A subsequent statement read: “The Messi family wishes to inform you that Jorge Messi is currently dealing with health problems. He is currently under medical supervision and is recovering well.

“Given the reports, rumours and speculation that have been circulating in recent hours, the family wishes to express its deep concern about the lack of sensitivity, respect and discretion with which some people have treated a strictly private family matter.”

There will be more to follow on this breaking news story and Mirror Sport will bring you the very latest updates, pictures and video as soon as possible.

Please check back regularly for updates on this developing story.

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The former first minister insisted she is not “at war” with the billionaire writer of the Harry Potter novels.

Nicola Sturgeon has claimed Harry Potter author JK Rowling is “obsessed” with her – and branded a former SNP MP’s book as “s***”.

The former first minister made the comments during an appearance with broadcaster Iain Dale the Edinburgh Fringe – just a day after the billionaire author’s most recent criticism of the ex-MSP.

In a social media blast, Rowling described the former SNP leader as a “world-class misogynist” and “profoundly disloyal” to her party following criticism of its election campaign in a new foreword for her book.

Asked by Dale if she wanted an “amnesty” with the Harry Potter author, Sturgeon said she was not “at war”.

“She seems to be at war with me,” she said. “So if we’re going to get an amnesty, I think it’s probably going to have to come from her.”

Rowling has been an outspoken critic of the former first minister, particularly on gender issues – which have become a hot-button issue in Scotland since Ms Sturgeon’s attempt to reform gender recognition laws in 2022.

“We disagree on more than one thing – we disagree about independence, we clearly disagree on trans rights,” Sturgeon said. “My god, that woman is obsessed with me.

“I don’t spend as much time thinking about her as she does thinking about me.”

The former first minister also hit out at Joanna Cherry KC – the former SNP MP who has been one of her most vociferous critics.

Sturgeon described the former MP’s book, which was heavily critical of her time as SNP leader and first minister and was published earlier this year, as “shit”.

Cherry “seems to have an obsession with me that is not reciprocated”, she said when asked if there was a question she would like to put to the former MP when she appears in a later edition of the show.

“It’s not a question, it’s a challenge,” Ms Sturgeon said.

“Can she get through more than 30 seconds of the answer to any question without talking about me?”

Asked if she had read Cherry’s book, the former first minister said she had not.

“One of the things that distresses me most the older I get is that realisation of all of the books I’ll never get to read,” she said.

“Why on earth would I spend time reading one that’s shit?”

Responding to Sturgeon’s comments, Cherry said: “It appears that the criticisms JK Rowling and I have made of Nicola Sturgeon’s politics and her behaviour, in particular her attack on the rights of women, have so discomforted her that rather than addressing them, she has resorted to a foul-mouthed rant.

“I think people can see through this.”

US President Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer Todd Blanche has been narrowly confirmed as attorney general – the nation’s top law enforcement official.

The vote brings to an end a lengthy standoff between Senate Republicans and the Trump administration over Blanche, who has served as acting attorney general since April.

Blanche won confirmation in a 50-49 vote overnight, with two Republican senators, Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski, joining all Democrats to oppose his nomination.

Senator Bill Cassidy cast the deciding vote, a decision closely watched in Washington given the years of acrimony between the Louisiana Republican and Trump.

Some Republican senators had raised concerns about Blache’s handling of the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and his role in establishing Trump’s $1.8bn (£1.3bn) “anti-weaponisation” fund.

The fund was planned to provide compensation to individuals who alleged government persecution but critics including Murkowski feared it would go to individuals who were prosecuted for participating in the 6 January attack on Congress.

Blanche eventually pledged to walk back the fund after blowback from Republican senators during his confirmation hearings.

It remains unclear whether the commitment is legally binding or whether Trump could later persuade Blanche, his former personal attorney, to revive a similar scheme under another name.

These issues meant Collins and Murkowski held off from backing Blanche, with the latter citing her lack of confidence in Blanche to “check the worst impulses of this administration”.

Murkowski announced on Friday she would oppose Blanche, citing concerns over the “politicisation” of the justice department.

A Scottish Greens politician has sparked outrage after saying that rape exists ‘on a spectrum’ and rapists should not be ‘demonised’.

MSP Q Manivannan, who also described the idea of ‘monster rapists’ as a ‘myth’, made the comments during a podcast recording with Dr Sindhu Rajasekaran for The Subjective Space in February 2025.

Manivannan, who is trans non-binary and currently in Scotland on a student visa, was elected as an MSP for the Edinburgh and Lothian East region in this year’s local elections.

They are currently in the process of applying for a graduate visa and ‘global talent visa’ – one of which they must secure if they are to serve a full-term in Holyrood.

The global talent visa would enable Manivannan to live and work in the UK for the entire five-year parliamentary term and beyond.

A student visa includes a series of restrictions such as only being able to work part-time during term time for a maximum of 20 hours a week, and not being able to fill a permanent vacancy. 

Asked by Dr Rajasekaran about compassion in forgiving acts of violence such as rape, Manivannan said: ‘This question also leads to an imagination of what a just society would be. It is parallel to questions of abolitionism, of what it means to think of rehabilitating rapists, for instance, into society.

‘I think our distaste towards rape is toward the idea of and the act of it, not towards the myth of this monster rapist that we’ve now been born to be thinking of it that way. 

‘Because there definitely is a demonisation of rape in the sense of it [rape] is a spectrum.

Manivannan, who also described the idea of ‘monster rapists’ as a ‘myth’, made the comments during a podcast recording with Dr Sindhu Rajasekaran for The Subjective Space, with clips now circulating online

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‘I don’t seek to lighten any kind of […] It is a spectrum, none of which is any worse, or less or more worse, but it is a spectrum of things that constitute one homogenised word rape. 

‘And I think there’s also different modes of not just consent but also context and conditions under which rape is, well, rape.’

They continued: ‘And I think in that circumstance, the idea that the rapist is the big burly man is not necessarily unfounded, because that’s the individual I’m most scared of on a daily basis, but it’s also an entity that is misconstrued because I think any individual is capable of rape.’

Clips of the exchange shared on social media have sparked outrage, with one viewer describing Manivannan as a ‘threat to victims’.

They said: ‘Manivannan has a very warped view and doesn’t want men who rape demonised and would like us to believe that rape is a spectrum.’

They continued: ‘He is a disgrace and is a threat to victims and potential victims with this way of thinking.’ 

A second viewer said: ‘This is not a nuanced academic debate. It is a sitting MSP minimising one of the most serious crimes there is. 

‘If your moral framework cannot bring itself to say clearly that rape is never acceptable and rapists deserve condemnation, then it is not progressive it is dangerous.’

Scottish Labour MP Tracy Gilbert said she was ‘alarmed’ by the comments, adding: ‘I am absolutely clear that there is no spectrum of rape and know that there is certainly no spectrum of suffering from the survivors of rape.

‘Studies have shown that 9 in 10 survivors of rape knew their attacker while half of survivors have said that their attacker was a current or former partner.

‘A survivor of rape never fully recovers. There can be serious physical and mental injuries from the attack, survivors often feel shame and feel isolated for a long period of time afterwards.

‘The consequences of rape are often felt for years and decades after the attack. I am grateful to the many wonderful organisations and individuals who support victims of rape and sexual assault.

‘The Scottish Greens MSP should fully retract and apologise for their comments and Gillian MacKay and Ross Greer should make clear that the views shared are not Scottish Green Party policy.’

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Responding to the criticism, Manivannan said the clip had been taken out of context and ‘misrepresented’.

They said: ‘This clip has been clearly misrepresented and taken out of context from a much longer interview. As a survivor of sexual violence, who has spoken openly about my recovery, I am clear that we need to focus on reducing the likelihood of perpetrators of rape reoffending.

‘The point I made about demonisation was that not all rapists fit a stereotype, and that all kinds of men can and do commit it.

‘The vast majority of sexual violence is from men who the victims know personally. Victims should be believed regardless of who the perpetrator was, and rapists should be punished in the strongest terms.

‘If we are to tackle rape and sexual violence we need to tackle wider issues in society, including the ways boys and men are socialised, the communities or lack thereof they’re in, and how they’re raised.

‘When talking about a spectrum I was making the point that laws often take a narrow definition of what rape and sexual violence is, which often allows it to continue without consequence. A full viewing of the interview clarifies this.

‘In a country where rape has the lowest conviction rates of any crime, and reoffending continues, this is an urgent and important conversation we need to have in Scotland.

‘Any suggestion that my statements minimise or excuse rape or sexual assault are deeply false and misleading.’

When contacted by the Daily Mail, the Scottish Greens declined to comment.

When elected in May, Manivannan, who was born in India, told cheering supporters: ‘My name is Q Manivannan, I am a transgender Tamil immigrant, my pronouns are they/them.

‘I am to some in this country everything that the hateful despise, and I am standing here as your MSP now with care.

‘They say politics is the art of the possible. A politics of care expands what is possible for everyone left behind, pushed out or never invited in.’

Manivannan was elected after MSPs agreed a change in law that extended candidacy rights to foreign nationals with limited leave to remain, including those on student visas.

Manivannan’s visa is due to expire at the end of this year and the Scotland Act states that an MSP would then be disqualified from holding office at Holyrood.

They have said they are taking steps to secure a new visa which would enable them to serve the rest of the term. 

Three pasta salad products have been recalled from two major UK supermarkets over fears of possible contamination.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has issued a ‘do not eat’ warning over the products manufactured by Greencore due to the possible presence of Listeria monocytogenes, which can cause serious illness.

They are Asda’s cheese and tomato pasta salad and nacho cheese pasta salad, and Morrisons chicken and bacon pasta.

Anyone who bought them is advised to return them to their nearest store where they will be given a full refund. You do not need your receipt.

The recalled items in full:

• Asda Cheese and Tomato Pasta Salad – 300g – Code 5063089221990 – Use by August 10
• Asda Nacho Cheese Pasta Salad – 500g – Code 5063717198311 – Use by August 9
• Morrisons Chicken and Bacon Pasta – 300g – Code 5010251790587 – Use by August 7

What is listeria?

Listeria is a bacterium that causes listeriosis, a foodborne infection that is usually caught by eating unpasteurised dairy, cheese, deli meats, and other products.

Those who fall ill usually experience flu-like symptoms, including high temperatures, muscle aches, chills, and vomiting and diarrhoea.

In more serious cases, Listeria infections can lead to complications like meningitis and even death.

The FSA warns that those over the age of 65, pregnant women and their unborn babies, as well as babies under one month of age and those with weakened immune systems, are all more vulnerable to listeria infections.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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Jared Leto‘s mysterious Mars Island retreat promised fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to spend time with the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman.

The band invited fans, who call themselves the Echelon, to the event held on Obonjan, a private island off the coast of Croatia.

The luxury getaway was an immersive alcohol-free three-day retreat, which was said to have cost over $6,499 (£4.8K) to attend.

It included accommodation, workshops, performances and group activities designed around creativity, self-expression and connection.

Attendees were said to have swam, sunbathed, walked on the beach and engaged in yoga, all while celebrating the rock band.

According to Air Mail – which in 2025 published the accounts of sexual improprieties allegedly committed by Jared toward nine women, all of which he denied – the mostly female attendees also ‘meditated, chanted and lounged barefoot in caftans alongside Leto’. 

The band invited fans, who call themselves the Echelon, to the event held on Obonjan, a private island off the coast of Croatia

Fans described the event as magical and inspiring as they praised the atmosphere, while they also got the chance to interact with Jared in a more personal setting.

However, snaps from Mars Island quickly attracted attention online.

While Jared’s band called it a ‘spiritual retreat’, the overall vibe of the festival drew widespread comparisons to a cult.

Speculation reached a high after the actor was spotted in a photo standing on a cliff with his arms raised, with fans below him with their arms also out.

Other images showed fans wearing white while sitting on the floor listening to Jared speaking to them while seated on a stool.

‘Yes, this is a cult,’ a 2019 tweet posted by Thirty Seconds to Mars read, adding the hashtag, ‘#MarsIsland.’ 

Jared was even spotted in an image wearing a shirt reading ‘This is a Cult’ on the back.

Before Mars Island, Thirty Seconds to Mars launched an adults-only event in Malibu, California in 2015 dubbed ‘Camp Mars’.

It was a weekend fan retreat filled with campfires, archery, hiking, and music. 

Camp Mars finished in 2019, and though a 2022 Mars Island event was said to have been brewing, it seemingly never materialised.

According to L’Officiel, the band leaned into the ‘cult’ image by ‘playing on journalists telling them that they have a “cult following”.’

Interest in the Mars events has resurfaced amid the news that Jared has been accused by four women of sexual misconduct.

In June 2025, digital media outlet Air Mail published accounts from nine women accusing Jared of sexual impropriety, unwanted advances, and pursuing minors.

Then, a BBC documentary released last week amplified the crisis by featuring on-camera accounts from ten women – including four who explicitly accuse Leto of criminal sexual conduct, statutory rape, and grooming during their teenage years.

One of the women says she was sexually assaulted in a motel bathroom when she was 17.

While Jared’s band called it a ‘spiritual retreat,’ the overall vibe of the festival drew widespread comparisons to a cult

Jared was even spotted in an image wearing a shirt reading ‘This is a Cult’ on the back

Another says the Dallas Buyers Club star threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19, and had been unexpectedly left alone with him in a hotel room.

A third accuser describes how she had under-age sex with the star in California when she was 17 – which would be classified as statutory rape.

Jared ‘shrugged off’ a conversation about the age of consent being 18 in the US state, she alleges.

The fourth woman claims she was groomed by the actor, accusing him of abusing his celebrity status by making repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16.

On at least one occasion, she alleges he suggested they should have sex.

The fourth woman was allegedly sent a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) to prevent her from talking about her relationship with Jared, according to the BBC, which claims to have seen the document.

However, she refused to sign.

Four further women allege they received strange and often very sexual phone calls from Leto when they were younger.

Another woman claims, when she was 14, the actor instructed a security guard to take her backstage at a music festival after having made a lewd comment about her chest during an autograph signing.

The girl’s mother confronted Jared, but he repeated the comment, it is alleged.

The allegations all come from between 2002 and 2016 when the star was in his 30s and 40s.

He has since issued a denial since the BBC documentary. 

‘I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false,’ he said in a statement to The Associated Press. 

One unnamed accuser said: ‘This was 25 years ago… he has gotten away with it.’

A teenage boy is believed to have killed his grandparents and opened fire inside the secondary school, killing five staff members and pupils before taking his own life

A young girl has tragically died after a pupil allegedly opened fire at a school on Friday, bringing the death toll to eight.

Emergency services raced to Debsirin Nonthaburi School in Nonthaburi province, north-west of Bangkok, at around 10am local time (4am BST) on Friday to reports of gunfire.

The authorities have now confirmed a 12-year-old girl has sadly died in hospital today, Thai officials have said. Her death follows five school staff members, the accused shooter, and his two grandparents. All eight bodies were claimed by relatives from Bangkok’s Institute of Forensic Medicine.

The tragic news also comes as the school posted an urgent message online yesterday, seeking blood donations for two injured students, including the girl who has now passed away.

A further 14 people remain in hospital, with seven still in critical condition. Most of the injured are between 12 and 14 years old.

It is believed the suspect, aged 14, killed his grandparents at the family home earlier in the morning.

Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, head of the institute, said most of the victims had suffered a single fatal gunshot wound.

The injury found on the alleged shooter was consistent with the weapon he had used, Supasingsiripreecha said. More detailed findings, including toxicology results, are anticipated later.

Officials said the firearm, described as small and compact, was legally registered to the boy’s grandfather.

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It’s back at Christmas, but BBC have confirmed a major change

Call the Midwife fans have been left feeling divided as BBC teased the Christmas special which will be a spin-off from the beloved series.

At the end of the last series of Call the Midwife, viewers gave an emotional farewell as Sister Monica Joan sadly died after deciding to stop taking her medication.

This Christmas, Sister Monica Joan is set to make a return to screens, but not as viewers knew her. Call The Midwife’s prequel series will chronicle the early days of Nonnatus House.

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It was also recently announced that Julie Hesmondhalgh, who hails from Accrington, Lancs, would be joining Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms, which will be a prequel to the original BBC series, set in Poplar in September 1939 during the outbreak of the Second World War.

New pictures released by the BBC show actresses Julie, who is best known for having played Hayley Cropper in the Salford-filmed Corrie, Helena Wilson, Ellie McKay, Liv Andrusier and Lizzie Back in their uniforms while taking part in the series for the first time.

Heidi Thomas, writer and showrunner, said: “Call The Midwife has a long and noble history of filming Christmas specials during heatwaves, and this year we welcomed the snow-machine back to the Nonnatus House set like an old friend.

“But I was surprised how many new emotions Call The Midwife: Sisters In Arms sparked. In particular, the evacuation of Poplar’s children, and the fear that they may not make it home for Christmas had us all in tears.”

A synopsis for the special from the BBC reads: “Sister Monica Joan is in her prime, Sister Julienne and Sister Evangelina are young and zealous, and Nonnatus House is the beating heart of Poplar.

“Together with Sister Alice, and local GP Dr Kit, the nuns dedicate their lives to mothers, babies and those in need. But there is no gas and air, no penicillin, no cure for TB, and no welfare state. Then war is declared – and life gets even harder. The three young secular midwives who complete the team – Sybil, Olive and Marianne – receive a baptism of fire as the blackout and the Blitz take hold.

“While bombs rain from the sky, women give birth underground, families are shattered, children run wild, and whole streets are reduced to rubble. But courage, compassion and resilience triumph as the community unites in its efforts to survive.”

An exact broadcast date has yet to be announced, but the special will be aired during the festive period. Emmy-winning actress Jenny Agutter, who stars in Call The Midwife as Sister Julienne, will narrate the special episodes as the older version of her character, while Helena, known for her work with the National Theatre, will portray her younger counterpart.

The spin-off will be helmed by the Call The Midwife creative team, including showrunner, creator and writer Heidi Thomas, who hailed the new show as “a joy to write”. She continued: “Having loved and lived with the sisters of Nonnatus House for so many years, I found myself longing to turn the clock back and tell the story of their finest hour – the Blitz.”

Now, fans of the beloved series appear to be somewhat divided when it comes to this Christmas special, drifting away from what viewers love ever so slightly.

One viewer penned: “New cast, but I do have mixed feelings” as another added: “I’ll definitely give it a go, just not sure if I will enjoy it as much as the original! But, can’t say until I have watched it all”.

Another fan agreed: “Yep! Will be interesting to see, keeping my fingers crossed that it has the same charm and thought added into it for that Christmas magic.”

However, others are already looking forward to it, as a viewer wrote: “Aww I cannot wait for this to air i do so miss Call the Midwife”, as another simply stated: “This will be brilliant”.