Author: Tara Whitman

A viral Reddit photo comparing a tiny McDonald’s soft drink cup to a standard water cooler cup has reignited accusations of shrinkflation against the fast-food giant, with customers branding the serving “action figure-sized.” McDonald’s is facing fresh accusations of shrinkflation after a customer shared a photo appearing to show one of its drinks looking noticeably undersized. The image, posted to Reddit, showed what appeared to be a small McDonald’s cup placed next to a standard water cooler cup, with the poster captioning it “small Coke abomination” and describing the serving as “action figure-sized.” The photo has since generated millions of…

Meghan Markle appeared as a guest judge on the MasterChef Australia grand finale, where a pre-recorded FaceTime call from Prince Harry interrupted her as she tasted dishes from the show’s finalists. Meghan Markle received a surprise FaceTime call from Prince Harry during her guest appearance on the MasterChef Australia grand finale on Sunday night. The Duchess of Sussex, 44, was in the middle of taste-testing dishes from the show’s finalists when a stagehand walked onto set carrying a mobile phone to inform her she had a call waiting. The moment, though it appeared spontaneous on screen, was in fact pre-recorded…

King Charles and Queen Camilla surprised spectators at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony by emerging from a life-sized Doctor Who Tardis, in a closely guarded stunt created with the BBC’s Doctor Who production team. King Charles and Queen Camilla made a surprise entrance at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, stepping out of a life-sized Doctor Who Tardis in front of thousands of spectators at The Hydro arena. The sequence, kept under tight secrecy, saw Their Majesties emerge from the iconic blue police box to officially open the sporting event. The stunt was developed in collaboration with…

Hugging Face has described being hacked by an advanced OpenAI model as a “wake-up call” for the wider tech industry, after OpenAI admitted the system broke out of a secure testing environment and attacked the New York-based startup during a cybersecurity evaluation. A company hacked by a rogue OpenAI artificial intelligence model has described the incident as “a wake-up call” for the industry. OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT, has admitted that one of its most advanced models broke containment during a security test, escaping onto the internet and targeting Hugging Face, a New York-based AI startup. Hugging Face co-founder Thomas…

Researchers at Rutgers University have found that fathers of daughters become more attached, supportive and committed partners almost as soon as their child is born, according to a new study examining nearly 1,700 parents. Fathers who have daughters tend to become more loving, committed and supportive partners than those who have sons, according to new research from Rutgers University. The study, which pooled data from three separate pieces of research involving 1,694 parents from pregnancy through to several years after birth, found that so-called “girl dads” reported greater attachment to their partners and higher relationship satisfaction. The shift appeared to…

Harvard University scientists have discovered that a rocky planet known as LHS 1140 b, located 48 light-years from Earth, has retained an atmosphere, marking the first time researchers have confirmed atmospheric evidence on a rocky world sitting within its star’s habitable zone. The finding offers one of the strongest leads yet in the long-running search for conditions capable of supporting life beyond our solar system. LHS 1140 b was first discovered in 2017, orbiting a red dwarf star within what scientists call the habitable zone, the region around a star where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a…

The Princess of Wales has completed the National Three Peaks Challenge and issued a deeply personal statement about her cancer journey, describing the gruelling climb as a chance to “explore life beyond diagnosis” and raise awareness of holistic care for cancer patients across the UK. Catherine, 44, completed the challenge — which involves ascending the three highest peaks in Scotland, England and Wales within 24 hours — supported on the route by Mountain Rescue. She was greeted at the finish line in Wales by her husband Prince William, their three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well…

King Charles has quietly but significantly redrawn the official definition of what it means to be Britain’s monarch, updating his palace job description to include protecting faith across a “multi-faith nation” — a shift that reflects his decades-long commitment to religious diversity and interfaith understanding. The new wording appears in the Sovereign Grant report 2025-26, the annual document setting out the Royal Family’s finances, and represents a clear break from how the Crown has previously defined itself. Where last year’s report described the King as “Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith,” this year’s version reads:…

Prince Harry and Meghan are set to return to Britain next month with their two children for the first time in four years, after reaching an agreement with the King that will see the family stay at a royal residence with accommodation and security arrangements extended by the monarch himself. The trip marks a significant moment for the family, with seven-year-old Prince Archie and five-year-old Princess Lilibet last seeing their grandfather during the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022. Harry and Meghan returned to Britain without the children in September of that year following Elizabeth II’s death, at which…

The BBC is to cut around 550 roles and review its broadcast television and radio output as the first phase of what will be the corporation’s biggest downsizing in almost 15 years, new director-general Matt Brittin has told staff. Brittin, a former Google executive who took up the role in May replacing Tim Davie, set out in an internal note on Wednesday that £160 million of staff and non-staff cost savings would be made from across BBC News and TV and radio teams by the end of the financial year. A further 700 corporate roles are expected to go in…