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Iranian protesters speak of hope and defiance as crackdown sweeps the country

Published

5 days ago

30 January 2026

Iranian protesters speak of hope and defiance as crackdown sweeps the country

BEIRUT (AP) — This time felt different.

The 25-year-old Iranian fashion designer hoped that mass protests nearly four years ago — the ones that erupted after a young woman was arrested and died in custody for not wearing the hijab properly — would improve civil rights in the Islamic Republic.

Not much changed, though. Being on those streets, she felt, may have been for nothing. But it didn’t deter her.

In early January, she protested again. The sea of people across Tehran’s busy streets lifted her spirits. This time, the spark was inflation and the plummeting value of the Iranian rial — though chants soon targeted the country’s theocratic leaders.

The crowd was larger, more diverse, she said. Protests in Iran erupt every few years. But this momentum felt unprecedented, she said.

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, Iranians attend an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026. (UGC via AP)

The response by security forces would be, too.

Activists estimate that over 6,000 people, mostly protesters, were killed in the bloodiest crackdown on dissent since the Islamic Republic was created in 1979. They worry the number will increase as information trickles out.

The Associated Press spoke with six Iranians, each on condition of anonymity through secure channels as security forces continued to crack down on dissenters after the protests. They said they demonstrated and witnessed state violence against protesters. Four of them took risks to circumvent an internet shutdown to share what they saw, while two spoke from abroad.

They described a rare sense of hope among protesters, a consensus that the current status quo was no longer sustainable. The younger, more defiant generation was there, they said, but so were older residents, people from well-to-do families, even some children. All said they expected the state to respond aggressively but were horrified by the extent of the brutal crackdown.

“When we went out, I couldn’t say I wasn’t stressed, but there was no way I could stay at home,” the designer said. “I felt that if I stayed home — if anyone stayed home — out of fear, nothing would move forward.”

No group of interviews — no matter how illuminating — can reflect the experiences of an entire population or even a segment of it. They’re not representative of the large country of over 85 million people and its diverse ethnic and religious makeup. But these Iranians offer a rare glimpse of life in the Islamic Republic at a pivotal moment in its history.

Iran was battered by Israeli and U.S. jets during a 12-day war in June and has been under the grip of Western-led sanctions, compounding economic problems. People say the government has not responded to their concerns of economic mismanagement and interference in their personal lives. They want rights, they say. Dignity.

Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has said several thousand have been killed — a rare admission that indicates the scale of the movement and the government’s response. Officials and state media repeatedly refer to demonstrators as “terrorists,” showing images of buildings and state property they say protesters have burned or damaged. Iran’s mission to the United Nations did not respond to questions from AP about these witnesses’ recollections. Iran’s U.N. ambassador, Amir Saeid Iravani, has previously said security forces “firmly and responsibly” confronted protesters, whom he called “violent separatists.”

The fashion designer: ‘Everyone was afraid’

During the peak of the protests, the fashion designer said, people poured into the streets of Tehran. She described the events of Jan. 8, a turning point in the mood and crackdown on demonstrations.

“When I was outside in the evening, the city was still and empty,” the fashion designer said. Then came a call to protest from Reza Pahlavi, the exiled crown prince. By 8 p.m., she said, she was in a sea of thousands — a crowd larger and more diverse than she’d ever seen.

“Everyone was afraid,” she said, but “they kept saying, ‘No, don’t leave. This time, we can’t leave it. We must not leave until they are over.” She and two friends who protested with her spoke to the AP using a Starlink satellite dish because of the internet blackout, devices now being seized by authorities there.

They marched up Shariati Street, a commercial road that connects some of northern Tehran’s most bustling neighborhoods to one of the country’s busiest bazaars. But shops were closed. The three said they sprayed graffiti and yelled anti-government chants at the top of their lungs.

They described teenagers and elderly people joining Iran’s regular dissenting voices in chants of defiance and anger. Some chants called for the death of Khamenei — a cry that can bring the death penalty.

Then came the security forces.

Anti-riot police and members of the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard’s all-volunteer Basij force arrived, the three friends said, blocking the road and lobbing tear gas and firing pellet guns into the crowd. Protesters panicked and scrambled as the stench of tear gas swept across the crowd.

The group told AP that many pushed forward, throwing rocks at the security forces. Some younger people, veterans of previous protests, donned scarves or masks to protect themselves and hide their identities, expecting a violent pushback.

The protesters built momentum. Some security forces that had arrived on motorcycles appeared to have retreated. But, the fashion designer said, the forces returned, charging at protesters. She knew she and her friends had to run.

They dashed into alleys and side streets, away from the chaos. Residents cheering on protesters had thrown rags and antiseptics from their windows as security forces fired pellets at the crowd.

Soon, tear gas canisters fell into the alley. The fashion designer remembered lessons from other protests: “I thought I’d kick it back,” she said, to protect the wounded. But as she did, she said, security forces were firing paintballs and pellets. She described being pierced in the hand and leg.

Fortunately, she said, her mask softened the blow of the paintball that hit the side of her face.

This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran's capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP) — This frame grab from videos taken between Jan. 9 and Jan. 11, 2026, and circulating on social media purportedly shows images from a morgue with dozens of bodies and mourners after crackdown on the outskirts of Iran’s capital, in Kahrizak, Tehran Province. (UGC via AP)

The doctor: ‘This had never happened before at this scale’

When protests reached her part of the country, the doctor said, she wasn’t surprised. But the extent was a different story.

“This had never happened before at this scale,” said the doctor in Mashhad, Iran’s second-largest city and home to an important Shiite shrine. She spoke to AP while visiting family abroad.

Days before a hospital night shift, the physician said, she had attended protests in the northeastern city, hearing gunfire from a distance and feeling tear gas burn her eyes. She saw graffiti on walls and buildings afire, even mosques believed to be used by government forces as rally points.

Once she clocked in at the hospital, Iranian security forces had escalated their response.

“I was not afraid for myself,” the doctor said. “I was afraid for others.”

She didn’t work in the emergency room but tried to see what was going on as ambulances and protesters delivered bodies. Colleagues told her 150 bodies were brought in that night. As she tried to move in closer, she managed a glimpse at some of them, she said: a boy and a young woman lying on stretchers, bearing gunshot wounds.

Security agents in the hospital, both in uniform and plainclothes, took over the command of the hospital emergency room, the doctor said. Doctors protested, she said of the colleagues’ account, but they were told to stop speaking or asking questions.

“They were standing over their (ER workers) heads with a gun, telling them not to touch (the wounded),” the doctor recalled of the experience relayed by one colleague. It was “as if they wanted those injured people to die on their own.”

Momentum ebbed, and Iran remains isolated

Khamenei told the nation that the protesters were either collaborators working for American or Israeli intelligence agencies or misguided members of the public trying to sabotage the country. Authorities held a counterdemonstration showing people loyal to the country’s theocratic leadership.

Crackdowns continued. Momentum ebbed. Iran remains cut off from the world. For some, rage and grief over the violence have grown.

“What I fear is that these events will be treated as something ordinary by the world, that people will simply move on and no one will pay attention,” the doctor said. “The fact that the voices of so many of those who were killed never reaches anyone is truly the most painful thing for me.”

She described observing a family arrive at the hospital to retrieve the body of a relative— a young woman. Agents refused to hand over her body, the doctor said, unless the family gave them her national identification and let them identify her as a Basij volunteer and government supporter. An argument started, and her family was arrested, the doctor said, and the woman’s body was taken to the cemetery with the others.

The family said, “Our daughter was killed by your forces,” the doctor recalled. “I can’t get the picture of that day out of mind, even for an hour.”

As January comes to an end, tensions on the streets have cooled, the three Iranians in Tehran told AP. Some daily life peeks through. But everywhere they go, they said, they remain watchful — in case something sets it all off again.

In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, a slogan is written on a wall reading in Farsi, "Death to dictator" during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP) — In this photo obtained by The Associated Press, a slogan is written on a wall reading in Farsi, “Death to dictator” during an anti-government protest in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026. (UGC via AP)

They can’t connect with Iranians outside their circles because of the internet blackout, but in their area, they said they see large deployments of security forces in public places.

“I don’t know how the other places are,” one of the three said. “But on every square in Tehran, there are agents in plain clothing — and even riot police.”

The doctor said she hopes the world won’t turn away from Iran.

“No matter how many times I explain, I truly can’t really convey the extent of the horrible situation,” she said. “No one would believe that a government of a country can so easily kill its own people.”

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Dad-of-two told to ‘calm down and go home’ by GP before shock cancer diagnosis

Published

3 minutes ago

4 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Craig Spiers had been attending appointments at the GP surgery for five years before he learned he had cancer.

A dad-of-two was told by his GP to “go home and calm down” before being diagnosed with cancer.

Craig Spiers, 46, from Glasgow, said it took five years of doctor’s appointments before he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer of the small bowel in 2013. It has since spread to his liver and has also caused heart problems.

He said: “These visits didn’t get me anywhere and I was even told there was nothing wrong with me and that I had to go home and calm down as it was a result of stress from work.

“My cancer was invisible to the doctor.”

The dad is one of many patients whose stories have sparked a warning from a charity that those with an “invisible” cancer are being turned away by doctors and waiting years for a diagnosis.

There is an urgent need to ramp up the time it takes for people to be diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer – which impacts more than 6,000 people a year in England, Neuroendocrine Cancer UK (NCUK) said.

Neuroendocrine refers to a group of cancers that start in the nerve and gland cells that make and release hormones.

Analysis by NCUK suggests rates of the disease rose by 371 per cent between 1995 and 2018, compared to 116 per cent for other cancers in the same period – apart from non-melanoma skin cancer.

Diagnosis takes four-and-a-half years on average, the charity said, with almost half of patients not diagnosed at the first referral and 16 per cent of people returning more than 10 times before getting answers.

More than half of cases are diagnosed at an advanced stage.

There are two main types of neuroendocrine cancer: neuroendocrine tumours (NETs) and neuroendocrine carcinomas (NECs), which are fast growing.

The disease can develop in different parts of the body, such as the stomach, bowel, pancreas and lungs.

Symptoms include unexplained weight loss, tiredness, pain, diarrhoea, bloating, wind, heartburn, asthma-like symptoms, a flushing rash and a persistent cough.

Common misdiagnoses include irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, or menopause, experts said.

Gordon Brown, 62, is a GP from Ashby De-La-Zouch who “missed” his own cancer.

“I had been experiencing many seemingly benign symptoms but I never thought they were a result of neuroendocrine cancer,” he said.

“I did go to the hospital a couple of times complaining about the abdominal pain/diarrhoea but no one did a scan. I’d ask my GP colleagues for advice but everyone, including myself, felt that the symptoms were not significant enough.”

Lisa Walker, chief executive of NCUK, said: “A key part of the challenge of neuroendocrine cancer is that it doesn’t align with the common cancer narrative many expect.

“It doesn’t act or look like more known cancers and unlike others, it isn’t always about recovery or decline, it often requires people to live with it for many years. That is why we need a conversation that reflects the reality of the condition.

“Delays to diagnosis and inconsistent care cause serious and lasting harm. Precious time is lost, allowing the cancer to progress before people receive the treatment they need.

“Patients and families describe these experiences as isolating and frightening, leaving them without support when they need it most.

“This is unacceptable and requires urgent attention.”

Professor Raj Srirajaskanthan, a consultant gastroenterologist at King’s College Hospital, said: “In my years as a NET clinician, I have sat across from thousands of patients, and while every story is unique, they often share a hauntingly similar prologue.

“A large number have undergone a long and circuitous journey to their diagnosis, commonly being misdiagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, or menopause.

“This period of ‘not knowing’ is often marked by a sense of being unheard, as patients struggle to reconcile their debilitating symptoms with ‘normal’ test results.”

Prof Srirajaskanthan said managing NETs is “often a marathon, not a sprint”.

“Many of my patients have been undergoing treatment for over a decade,” he added.

Martyn Caplin, a professor of gastroenterology and neuroendocrine cancer at the Royal Free Hospital, said faster diagnosis can lead to more treatment options for patients, even if the disease cannot be removed surgically.

“Smaller volumes of neuroendocrine cancer are generally easier to manage than a more advanced disease, and larger tumours are more likely to cause significant symptoms, regardless of where they are in the body,” he added.

“Delays increase both the physical and emotional toll on patients and limit clinical options.”

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why not knowing how to dance could ruin your reputation in Regency Britain

Published

10 minutes ago

4 February 2026

NewsAdmin

why not knowing how to dance could ruin your reputation in Regency Britain

When a silver-clad stranger admits she cannot dance at a masquerade ball in the first episode of Bridgerton’s new season, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) is both entertained and mystified.

“A lady who cannot dance? Is this a part of the character you are playing tonight? A silver ingenue?” he asks Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). A lady of the Ton who is unequipped with the vital accomplishments for the “season”? Unthinkable. Today, we are no longer defined by our ability to dance, but in the world of Bridgerton, dance is central to identity and a signifier of social status.

In Regency Britain (1795-1837), dance was a vital accomplishment for elite society. The skill was regularly deployed in assembly rooms and the London townhouses of the beau monde – the pinnacle of metropolitan fashionable society.

From an early age, boys and girls in polite society were trained in deportment (posture and bodily carriage), etiquette and dancing by dancing masters – a role assumed by Benedict at the Bridgerton masquerade.

Dancing in Regency Britain

The real Prince Regent of the time (the future George IV) started to learn from his dancing master at the age of six, becoming so renowned for his prowess that he was celebrated as “the life of the dance”. Dancing masters were crucial to transforming girls and boys into ladies and gentlemen, equipping them with the skills necessary to perform when they made their entrance into society around the age of 18.

At a dance lesson in fashionable Queen’s Square, the German traveller, diarist and novelist Sophie von la Roche observed that the six-year-old girls “are eager to learn, as they are already quite advanced and promise to make good dancers”.

Le Bon Genre, La Walse by unknown artist (1812).
Courtesy of the Lewis Walpole Library, Yale University

However, not everyone in elite society was an accomplished dancer. Writing about the Duke of Devonshire, the press diplomatically observed that dancing was “not his forte”. Meanwhile, the real Queen Charlotte’s eldest daughter struggled with her dance lessons as a teenager. The Princess Royal pleaded in a letter to her governess: “I have behaved well in every occasion except last Wednesday, that I danced ill … However, I hope that you will not give me quite up, since I have done everything else well, and that I dance[d] better last Friday.”

A lack of skill would only lead to ridicule and disgrace, as Lord Mansfield observed of the 19-year-old Lord Titchfield in a letter: “To set out in London raw as he is seems to be Ruin.”

Dance was a prized accomplishment for building reputation and staking a claim to inclusion in elite society, especially since “narrow examination[s]” and “thoro’ inspection[s]” were integral to the ballroom. Learning to dance was so ubiquitous in polite society that those who did not – or could not – dance stood out from the crowd.

The societal waltz

In Bridgerton, as the illegitimate daughter of an earl, Sophie is disadvantaged, but has not have been entirely excluded from society. We’re told that she was allowed to watch lessons with her stepsisters, but was not directly included and taught.

Unaware of Sophie’s background, Benedict is perplexed by her “puzzling” inability to dance, assuming that she was raised like the other young ladies of the Ton. And it is precisely this inability to dance that becomes a defining characteristic in his search for her in the following episodes. Indeed, Benedict’s hopes are raised when he hears of Mrs Mondrich’s (Emma Naomi) neighbour, who had not been taught to dance – certain she must be his mysterious lady in silver.

The trailer for Bridgerton season four.

As Sophie’s dancing master, Benedict teaches her the waltz – a scandalous dance newly introduced to the British ballroom from France and Germany.

Unlike the lively and communal country dance and graceful minuet, which revolved around distance, the waltz featured a couple in a close embrace whirling around the ballroom. While quite a tame dance form today, the Regency waltz’s close physical contact shocked society. “Mad, bad, and dangerous to know” poet, Lord Byron even wrote a poem about it in 1812:

Hot from the hands promiscuously applied,
Round the slight waist, or down the glowing side;
Where were the rapture then to clasp the form,
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From this lewd grasp, and lawless contact warm?

Benedict teaches Sophie the waltz box step (which actually emerged in the late 19th century), but the Regency waltz was even more daring, with the dancers stepping between their partner’s legs. With a new, fashionable dance to master, diarist Thomas Raikes observed: “Old and young returned to school, and the mornings were now absorbed at home … whirling a chair round the room to learn the step and measure of the German waltz.” He continued: “The anti-waltzing party took the alarm, cried it down; mothers forbad it, and every ballroom became a scene of feud and contention” – a marked contrast to the ball scenes we see in Bridgerton.

Despite being raised as a social outcast, Sophie learns the waltz with ease like the other ladies in elite society, showing her compatibility with this season’s hero, and, perhaps, hinting at her true belonging in the Ton.

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We tried to buy nothing new all January. Here’s how we got on

Published

18 minutes ago

4 February 2026

NewsAdmin

We tried to buy nothing new all January. Here’s how we got on

January now has a plethora of ‘new year, new you’ campaigns. We asked some of the Positive News team to try out Buy Nothing New Month, and others, to see how they get on

January was Buy Nothing New Month – a new activity to add to the long, dark first month of the year. Established by Keep Britain Tidy, its aims are simple enough: save money, embrace a new hobby (that isn’t shopping) and, of course, live more sustainably, creating less waste.

Although the thinking behind Buy Nothing New Month is commendable, it does have a knock-on effect for small independent businesses that rely on year-round cash flow.

“While a no-spend mindset can really help the household finances by stopping meaningless spending with large corporations, we should be embracing a ‘think where you spend’ culture,” says Gemma Crawley-Roberts, owner of The Arc, an independent shop in Bedford.

“Local indies like us hire local people and offer a real sense of community on the high street. We are instantly reactive to customer needs and work tirelessly all year round to make sure we offer an experience you’ll love. Every penny spent with us goes straight back into your local economy. Supporting local has far reaching benefits that can be instantly felt.” she says.

Buy Nothing New Month (BNNM?) might need a snappier name if it’s really going to lodge itself in the public consciousness, but we asked three Positive News staffers to give it a go. Here is how they got on.

Tom Pattinson

January is already depressing enough, but I decided to fully lean in. I took on the triple challenge of Dry January, Buy Nothing New Month and Birchall’s Green Tea Challenge.

Dry January, surprisingly, was the easiest of the lot. With very little actually happening in January – few events, a near-empty social calendar and a busy work schedule – meant I barely left the house. Temptation was minimal.

While I did have the odd coffee, I made green tea my default drink as part of Birchall’s Green Tea Challenge, replacing my standard builder’s tea with something I enjoy anyway. The combined effect of no booze and detoxifying green tea left me feeling unexpectedly sprightly, and I’m fairly sure my liver noticed too. I also think I shed a few pounds, even though the gym and I still need re-aquainting.

After the usual Christmas splurge – kids’ toys, new socks and a surprising variety of soap – I didn’t feel a huge urge to shop much in January. Aside from the permitted food shop, I did pretty well for Buy Nothing New Month. I did have to buy a carbon monoxide monitor after strong suggestions from the man who surveyed the boiler, and there was also a lunch with a colleague but that’s still food right?

I now carry a refillable coffee (or green tea) cup and a water bottle everywhere, which has become part of my leaving-the-house checklist – keys, phone, bottle. Takeaway coffees were replaced with bring-your-own teas, and I noticed my monthly credit card bill was also nicely slimmer than it is on a usual month.

My only real crack came just before the end of the month, when I was strong-armed by my four-year-old into buying a kids’ magazine, sadly loaded with plastic tat, following a particularly uncomfortable visit to the opticians. I blame the emotional vulnerability but overall found it all surprisingly less painful than I anticipated.

Editor Tom Pattinson did Dry January, Buy Nothing New Month and the Green Tea Challenge

Angela Garwood

Full disclosure: I failed at Buy Nothing New Month. Quite abysmally, actually.

From the outset, a no-buy January was always going to be a tall order. I agreed to take part thinking it might be quite fun – I like a challenge – before putting a mental pin in it and forgetting all about said pin. For most of January, it rather slipped my mind. I’d failed before I’d even begun, largely due to forgetfulness, or possibly quiet subconscious self-sabotage. I write everything down, meticulously, so part of me wonders whether I avoided doing so on this occasion because, on some level, I knew I didn’t truly want to take part.

No unnecessary purchases? Nothing new? In January? Could we have picked a less appropriate time to deny a woman of her right to… joy? “No-joy January,” I muttered quietly to myself as the idea was first discussed. Buying things is fun; January is depressing. The former serves as an antidote to the latter.

That said, I was curious. Could I do my bit for the environment? Perhaps I could seek joy elsewhere? Go on more walks, delve into the books I’d already accumulated… and how many cleansers does one person really need? (Four.) These thoughts proved fleeting.

Soon enough, there was the gorgeous bedding I “desperately needed” (a bobbled duvet and mis-matched pillow situation; a sad state of affairs that needed rectifying), the skincare that I’d argue was practically medicinal; dry skin is an ailment after all, and the beautiful cardigan that was (supposedly) essential, all in the sale, of course. Then there were the lattés I could have skipped… but didn’t.

‘Campaigns like this get people thinking; and that can only be a good thing,’ says Angela Garwood

Contrary to my declaration of complete failure, I did have many successful days where I didn’t buy anything at all, though largely by default as opposed to restraint. While I’m disappointed in my efforts, I’ve decided that if I’m going to do this properly, I need accountability; a like-minded friend to go through it with, someone who understands the allure of a giant SALE sign.

It is, of course, an endeavour I’d encourage, an important campaign that fosters mindfulness, challenges our purchasing habits, and asks us to consider the environmental impact of what we buy and how we buy it. It prompts many questions.

What might change if more of us embraced second-hand clothing or simply bought less, more thoughtfully? Campaigns like this get people thinking; and that can only be a good thing.

I just ask that perhaps we try “no-buy July” next time. It’s a far more forgiving month, season/weather-wise, for those up for the challenge. And it rhymes.

Gavin Haines

Look, I failed spectacularly. To be honest, something about Buy Nothing New Month didn’t sit quite right with me, despite its good intentions. Collective acts of abstinence – not least Dry Jan – foment a rebellion within. So it was apt that I flunked on New Year’s Day with a pint of Guinness and packet of crisps in my local pub, which, frankly, needed the custom through January.

Pub visits aside, I did commendably for the rest of the month without really trying. My looming tax bill and empty bank account were motivating factors for my miserliness. But to be honest, Buy Nothing New Month felt like most months. I realised that I don’t generally buy much stuff, and what I do buy is usually secondhand. Vintage shops, charity shops and reclamation yards are my stomping grounds. That’s partly out of concern for the planet and my finances, but also because scouring these treasure troves is more fun than stomping around identikit high street shops.

Associate editor Gavin Haines failed the challenge in the pub on day one, and with a new book

The one brand new thing that I did buy was worth breaking the law for. Having left my book on a bus in Amsterdam, I needed a replacement for a long train journey, so I bought a copy of Until August – Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s final novel – in Centraal Station. It was so good that I read it again on the way back.

The other non-essentials that I purchased were a pre-loved t-shirt (sourced from a kilo shop in Groningen), a Van Gogh calendar (heavily discounted in my local charity shop), and a Victorian fireplace (sourced on eBay for a bargain price).

Buy Nothing New Month has a worthy mission in challenging rampant consumerism, albeit one that could impact small businesses at a time when they need support. The real challenge, however, is finding contentment with less for the rest of the year, and ensuring that the money we do spend goes to businesses that align with our values.

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Why did Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leave Royal Lodge in such a hurry?

Published

25 minutes ago

4 February 2026

NewsAdmin

Why did Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor leave Royal Lodge in such a hurry?

Now a line has been drawn under such provocative appearances, he’s going to be tucked away in Sandringham, first of all in a temporary home on the estate, at Wood Farm, before his planned permanent new address. This will be at the expense of the King, rather than any public money.

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superfood or superfad? Here’s what our study actually said

Published

32 minutes ago

4 February 2026

NewsAdmin

superfood or superfad? Here’s what our study actually said

According to the New York Post, our research team has discovered a much-overlooked “superfood”: bamboo shoots. Before you rush out to harvest the ornamental bamboo growing in your garden, there are a few things you should know.

We systematically reviewed all the available evidence on bamboo as a food and its effect on human health. The research base turned out to be surprisingly thin – just 16 studies met our criteria, including four trials in people and four that used cells in a dish. The final eight focused on bamboo characteristics with potential application to nutrition. This is what they showed us.

There is evidence of some positive health effects from eating bamboo. One study showed that eating bamboo shoots in cookies better controlled blood sugar levels, and that more bamboo consumption translated to further lowered levels.

Other studies documented the beneficial effects of the fibre they contain. This isn’t limited to the inevitable bowel movements but also includes the delightfully termed “faecal volume”, both of which were shown to improve.

Also, compared to a fibre-free diet, bamboo shoots lowered overall cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (so-called “bad cholesterol”) that can build up in blood vessels and cause heart disease.

One unusual benefit of bamboo is that it contains flavonoids – plant compounds that can protect against acrylamide, a potentially harmful chemical that forms when starchy foods are cooked at high temperatures. These compounds can increase the risk of some cancers and have been the subject of the Food Standards Agency campaign in 2017 to avoid any burning and “go for gold” when cooking.

Eating bamboo may also help calm inflammation and protect cells from damage. In lab tests, it reduced immune cell activity by 63% and halved the release of substances that trigger inflammation in the body. Bamboo also acts as an antioxidant – lab tests showed it cut by nearly half the production of harmful chemicals like hydrogen peroxide that can damage cells.

Although these findings were in cells in a dish, it gives some insight into the action of bamboo extracts on the human body.

The grass isn’t all green, though

However, if bamboo isn’t properly prepared, it can lead to problems. One study linked it to an increased risk of a condition called goitre. Goitre is an enlargement of the thyroid, a gland in the neck that is important for growth and setting the metabolic rate. It is visible as a swelling in the front of the neck and is most typically associated with low iodine consumption.

Poorly prepared bamboo contains chemicals called cyanogenic glycosides, which the body converts into another chemical called thiocyanate. These block the thyroid from using iodine effectively. People on low-iodine diets, or with existing thyroid issues, are particularly at risk. But the risk of goitre from bamboo shoot consumption may be reduced by properly preparing the shoot to eat, which can be achieved by boiling the shoot in water.

Some of the bamboo samples analysed contained heavy metals, like arsenic, cadmium and lead. These show up in most foods in trace amounts, and have safety levels specified, for example, by the Food Standards Agency.

Some bamboo shoots contained heavy metals.
aomas/Shutterstock.com

While most were measured well within permitted limits, lead was found in amounts up to 4.6 times the permitted levels in 21 of the samples assessed. While caution is important, these concentrations were not shown to affect the health of the cells in the lab, which might suggest how easily such chemicals are used by tissues (their so-called “bio-availability”).

There are some other things to bear in mind too. The evidence base in this area isn’t as strong as it could be. The few relevant studies we did find on this topic had some methodological issues and they didn’t offer the most compelling evidence for their findings.

We could only formally assess the four trials on people, which scored in a range indicating “overall satisfactory quality”. As ever, though, they do show the value of research in this area, and the attention our study has garnered shows the public’s clear interest in the topic.

Still, the research shows that bamboo shoots have potential as a sustainable, healthy food. And like the shoots themselves, interest in this area is only likely to grow – rapidly.

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When is it, odds and how to watch opening match

Published

41 minutes ago

4 February 2026

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The 2026 Six Nations campaign starts this week with the defending champions, France, taking on the side who finished third last year, Ireland.

Ireland welcome back their head coach Andy Farrell after his sabbatical from the 2025 tournament to prepare for the Lions tour of Australia.

Both Ireland and France, like England, won four and lost one match in the 2025 championship, France winning in Dublin and losing at Twickenham. Reflecting their finishes last year and their form throughout the autumn, France are favourites for the title and Ireland third, tucked behind England.

When is the opening match of the 2026 Six Nations?

France host Ireland on Thursday, February 5. The match will kick-off at 8.10pm GMT.

The French public love a Friday night fixture but their ardour is untested on Thursdays. They are treated to the opening match for the third championship in succession with contrasting results: France thumped Wales 43-0 last year but went down 17-38 at Ireland’s hands in Marseille in 2024, the visitors having overcome their World Cup hangover more quickly than the hosts.

Why is France v Ireland on Thursday?

The Thursday evening fixture is a controversial choice, but France’s broadcasters felt they had no choice because the opening ceremony of the 2026 Winter Olympics is taking place on Friday evening.

Where is France v Ireland taking place?

At Stade de France, the national stadium at Saint-Denis, 8km north of central Paris. The stadium has a capacity of 81,338 and hosted both the 2007 and 2023 Rugby World Cup finals, as well as the athletics at the 2024 Olympic Games and the football World Cup final of 1998.

France also host Italy this year and round off the tournament with another home night match against England on March 14 when Le Crunch is sure to crackle.

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Fiend admits drugging his wife so she would not wake while he sexually abused children in summer camp poisoning

Published

49 minutes ago

4 February 2026

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Fiend admits drugging his wife so she would not wake while he sexually abused children in summer camp poisoning

A PENSIONER who sexually abused children at a summer camp after giving them sedative-laced sweets has admitted also drugging his wife.

Jon Ruben, 76, preyed on two boys, aged nine and ten, at Stathern Lodge in Leicestershire after knocking them out.

Eight children – all boys aged between eight and 11 – and one adult were taken to hospital following the horror.

Ruben appeared at Leicester Crown Court today where he pleaded guilty to drugging his wife.

He admitted the offence of unlawfully and maliciously administered a noxious substance with intent to injure, aggrieve, or annoy, after giving a voluntary interview.

The court heard he drugged his wife over three days between 26 and 29 July.

It comes after he previously admitted a total of 17 charges – including drugging and sexually assaulting the two boys.

He also admitted child cruelty towards six other victims and three counts of possessing a controlled drug of class C – flubromazolam, diazepam, and temazepam – and three counts of making indecent photos of children.

But he denied one of the sexual offences he was charged with against a nine-year-old boy.

More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online

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Police release man arrested after Barnard Castle A66 crash

Published

55 minutes ago

4 February 2026

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Police release man arrested after Barnard Castle A66 crash

The woman, in her 50s, was pronounced dead after the crash near Boldron, close to Barnard Castle at 7.15am on Monday (February 2).

Durham Police say she was driving a BMW heading westbound when she her car collided with a Renault truck.

The 29-year-old driver of the truck was taken into custody

A force spokesperson said: “He has now been released under investigation while further enquiries are carried out.”

The woman who died has not yet been named.

The road was closed while crash investigators probed the scene but has since re-opened.

Durham Police previously said: “Police would like to thank several members of the public who stopped at the scene and tried to help – their efforts were much appreciated by all those involved in the response,” the spokesperson added.

“Officers are keen to speak to anyone who witnessed the incident, or who may have dashcam footage of the vehicles prior to the collision.”

Anyone who can help is asked to contact the Durham Police crash investigation unit on 0191 375 2996 or by emailing SCIU@durham.police.uk quoting incident number 54 of February 2.”

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Development corporation could ‘unlock’ Cambridge homes and jobs, minister says

Published

1 hour ago

4 February 2026

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The government has previously committed £400 million of funding to speed up development in the area

Plans to set up a government-established development corporation have been unveiled by the Housing Minister on Wednesday (February 4). The government said this could ‘unlock’ thousands of homes and jobs for people across Greater Cambridge.

The proposed body would focus on creating thousands of jobs in construction, bioscience, education, and hospitality, the government said. A development corporation was formed to regenerate Stratford after the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Housing and Planning Minister, Matthew Pennycook, said: “This government is determined to realise the full potential of Greater Cambridge to the benefit of its existing communities and the country as a whole.

“The centrally-led development corporation we are proposing would provide us with the necessary powers, authority and access to finance to unleash ambitious and high-quality sustainable growth in Cambridge and its environs in the years ahead.

“I encourage all those with an interest in the future of Greater Cambridge to respond to our consultation and share their expertise, insights and knowledge.”

Residents, local leaders, and businesses have been asked to have their say on whether a development corporation should be established and what area it would cover. They will also be able to comment on the planning powers it could have to approve new homes, workplaces, and other infrastructure.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury, James Murray, added: “We have huge ambitions for the Oxford–Cambridge corridor. This is an important step that will accelerate development in Cambridge and drive investment and growth for the whole country.

“A new development corporation will help us build more homes, create more quality jobs close to home, and raise living standards for working people across the area.”

It comes after the government committed £400 million of funding to ‘accelerate’ development locally. Part of the funding has been provided to tackle water scarcity while infrastructure is developed.

Chair of the Cambridge Growth Company, Peter Freeman said: “We all recognise that Greater Cambridge has an incredible track record for delivering good quality and sustainable growth and, has even greater ambition to see its innovation economy power inclusive jobs and prosperity for all.

“But we also all know that there are significant problems to address which are increasingly holding the area back. We must make sure that we make Cambridge and all the towns and villages around it more liveable than they are today. I strongly believe that a development corporation will give Greater Cambridge the tools, certainty and investment ability needed to deliver an infrastructure-first approach to sustainable growth.

“The role of a development corporation is to stay true to a shared vision, through economic cycles, and deliver it. When we look back, there will be better transport; no shortage of, and better quality, water; there will be more open public spaces and more protected space for nature; there will be more jobs and more genuinely affordable homes.”

The consultation will run for eight weeks.

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Hidden gem guide transformed my city break

Published

1 hour ago

4 February 2026

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Hidden gem guide transformed my city break

PLANNING a UK city break can be a right headache when you’re skint and short on time – but one must-do activity lets you see a lot without spending a penny.

Recently, my family came to visit me in London and even though I live in the city, I don’t often get the chance to be a tourist.

Stumped on ideas of what to do that pleases everyone but didn’t cost much, I took to Google and stumbled across London Walking Tours by Richard Jones.

On the website, there are a number of free, self-guided walking tours – but what makes them even better is that they aren’t to cliche spots, instead you get to uncover hidden pieces of history.

In fact, there are 22 free walking tours on the site to choose from.

I opted for the Soho self-guided walk, taking about two hours starting from Tottenham Court Road Station.