Author: Tara Whitman

Doctors are urging parents to lock away medication cabinets after three children in Connecticut died following exposure to diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl, amid concerns the dangerous “Benadryl Challenge” social media trend may be resurfacing. The challenge, which first gained widespread attention several years ago, encourages participants to take doses of the over-the-counter allergy medication far beyond the recommended amount in an attempt to induce hallucinations or a high. Medical experts warn the consequences can be severe and potentially fatal. “You can get a lot of things, seizures, and cardiovascular effects; those sorts of things can cause death in…

Thailand’s Princess Bajrakitiyabha, the eldest child of King Maha Vajiralongkorn and once widely seen as a potential heir to the throne, has died at the age of 47 after spending nearly four years in a coma, the Royal Palace announced on Thursday. The Thai Royal Household said the princess, affectionately known to many Thais as “Princess Bha,” died peacefully at Chulalongkorn Hospital at 19:48 local time on Thursday 11 June, according to The Royal News Organisation. The palace said her death came after years on life support, with a recent “severe” and “uncontrolled” infection spreading through her body and worsening…

The travel chaos triggered by Europe’s new biometric border checking system could persist for up to two years, a senior EU official has admitted — as new research suggests the disruption is already on course to divert nearly £2 billion in British tourist spending away from European destinations this summer alone. Uku Sarekanno, deputy executive director of Frontex, the EU’s border security agency, told the Daily Mail he expects the disruption from the Entry/Exit System to “stabilise in one to two years,” adding that many countries are “still adjusting to the new reality.” He acknowledged that some nations were actively…

Thousands of NHS pathology workers are being routinely exposed to a cancer-causing chemical that experts have likened to the next asbestos — with new research revealing that seven in ten NHS lab sites regularly exceed safe exposure limits set by the European Union, while Britain maintains the world’s highest permitted workplace exposure threshold for the substance. The chemical is formaldehyde, widely used in hospitals as a disinfectant and to preserve tissue samples in pathology laboratories. A study published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, based on Freedom of Information requests sent to 122 NHS Trusts by researchers from the…

A flesh-eating parasite that was eradicated from the United States more than four decades ago has been confirmed on American soil for the first time since 1966 — triggering a quarantine zone in Texas and raising alarm across the country’s multi-billion dollar livestock industry. The New World Screwworm, a parasitic fly whose larvae burrow into living tissue and consume their host from the inside, has been detected in a three-week-old calf in LaPryor, Texas, approximately 50 miles from the Mexican border. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins confirmed the case and said a 12-mile quarantine zone had been established, prohibiting the movement…

NASA has awarded nearly $440 million in contracts to two companies to build crewed electric rovers for the Moon — the centrepiece of a sweeping nearly $1 billion investment in lunar infrastructure designed to establish a permanent American presence on the Moon’s south pole by the end of the decade. Astrolab has been awarded $219 million for its Crewed Lunar Vehicle, known as the CLV-1, while Lunar Outpost has received $220 million for its Pegasus rover — a lighter, mission-ready vehicle evolved from its earlier Eagle design. Both rovers are crewed electric vehicles capable of carrying two astronauts across the…

A police investigation into claims that royal protection officers fell asleep while guarding the King has widened beyond Windsor Castle to include Buckingham Palace and other royal residences, with 23 officers now served with misconduct notices in one of the most serious lapses in royal security in recent memory. The Metropolitan Police confirmed the expansion of its inquiry, which is being conducted by the force’s directorate of professional standards, after allegations first emerged a fortnight ago that officers had left their posts unattended and slept while on duty at Windsor Castle. Twenty-one of the 23 officers served with notices have…

Thames Valley Police have dramatically expanded their investigation into Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor to encompass potential sexual offences and corruption, making an unprecedented public appeal for victim survivors to come forward — as officers reveal they have identified “multiple lines of inquiry” in what is now being described as a “significant investigation.” Three months after the former Duke of York was arrested on his 66th birthday at his home on the Sandringham Estate, detectives have confirmed the probe has broadened well beyond its original focus on misconduct in public office. Senior officers are already seeking early advice from the Crown Prosecution Service…

A soldier from the King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery has died after falling from their horse at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, just moments after performing in front of King Charles, leaving the monarch “greatly shocked and saddened.” The military rider fell from their horse at around 7pm on Friday evening as they exited the arena following the performance. Despite receiving immediate medical treatment at the scene, the soldier sustained fatal injuries and died shortly afterwards. Thames Valley Police confirmed the death is being treated as unexplained but non-suspicious, and said next of kin had been informed and were being…

King Charles has announced the government’s intention to introduce a national digital ID scheme as part of a sweeping legislative programme unveiled at today’s State Opening of Parliament — a move that will allow citizens to interact with public services through a single digital profile, but which has already drawn scepticism from experts and civil liberties groups. King Charles set out the government’s legislative plans for the second session of parliament today, 13 May, including the introduction of digital IDs, framed as a measure to modernise how citizens interact with public services under a proposed Digital Access to Services Bill.…