New tool can predict which children are likely to become obese

Scientists have developed a new tool which can predict a child’s risk of becoming obese in adulthood.

The test could help to identify children and adolescents who could benefit from targeted preventative strategies, like diet and exercise, at a younger age.

The new test, which analyses DNA from a blood sample, is thought to be twice as effective at predicting obesity as the previous best test.

As well as identifying children at risk of obesity, it can also predict how well obese adults will respond to targeted weight loss programmes.

“What makes the score so powerful is its ability to predict, before the age of five, whether a child is likely to develop obesity in adulthood, well before other risk factors start to shape their weight later in childhood. Intervening at this point can have a huge impact,” said Assistant Professor Roelof Smit from the University of Copenhagen and lead author of the research published in Nature Medicine.

The World Obesity Federation expects more than half the global population to become overweight or obese by 2035.

In England, almost 65 per cent of adults over the age of 18 are overweight or obese, while around one in eight children aged between two and 10 in England are obese, according to the NHS.

Although there are ways of tackling obesity, such as through diet, exercise, surgery and medication, these options are not always available and do not work for everyone.

Research for the study involved a collaboration with the consumer genetics and research company 23andMe, and the contributions of more than 600 scientists from 500 institutions globally. Traits such as human height and body mass index were noted and gathered in the data.

Subtle variations in our genetics can impact our health, including the likelihood of developing obesity and even our appetite, experts say.

A polygenic risk score is like a calculator that combines the effects of the different risk variants that a person carries and provides an overall score.

To create the score, the scientists drew on the genetic data of more than five million people – the largest and most diverse genetic dataset ever. They then tested the new risk score for obesity on datasets of the physical and genetic characteristics of more than 500,000 people.

“This new polygenic score is a dramatic improvement in predictive power and a leap forward in the genetic prediction of obesity risk, which brings us much closer to clinically useful genetic testing,” said Professor Ruth Loos from CBMR at the University of Copenhagen.

It assessed the relationship between a person’s genetic risk of obesity and the impact of lifestyle interventions, such as diet and exercise.

Scientists found that those with a higher genetic risk of obesity were more responsive to interventions, but they also gained weight quickly once those interventions ended.

However, the new test does have its limitations. Despite drawing on the genetics of the global population, it was far better at predicting obesity in people with European ancestry than in people with African ancestry.

Trump ‘named twice’ to FBI by Epstein accuser: Live

A Jeffrey Epstein accuser told the FBI on two occasions that President Donald Trump had ties to the disgraced financier, according to a new report.

Maria Farmer said she urged the bureau to investigate people in Epstein’s social circle, including Trump, in 1996 and again in 2006 after a “troubling encounter,” she told The New York Times.

​​Farmer recalled that during an alleged visit to Epstein’s office in 1995, Trump “started to hover over her” and allegedly stared at her legs, leaving her feeling frightened. “‘No, no. She’s not here for you,’” Epstein reportedly told Trump, according to Farmer. The White House denied that Trump ever visited Epstein’s office.

The report lands amid MAGA backlash over the Trump administration’s handling of the Epstein case. Amid the fallout, Trump has been accused by Democrats of trying to “change the subject” by promoting Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard’s conspiracy theory involving former President Barack Obama tied to the origins of the Russia investigation into Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Trump shared an AI-generated video on Truth Social Thursday, showing Obama being arrested by FBI agents in the Oval Office set to The Village People’s “YMCA.”

Divers join search for mother-of-three last seen in petrol station

Divers are searching a lake as part of an investigation into a missing mother who was reportedly last seen buying milk and a bottle of wine at a petrol station.

Rachel Booth, 38, was reported missing in the early hours of Saturday after being last seen by her family in the village of Barnton, near Northwich in Cheshire.

She was later captured on CCTV, at around 3.50am that morning, in a garage about five miles away in Sandiway.

Police have said they are “increasingly concerned” for the welfare of the mother-of-three, who may have travelled to the Oakmere area of Delamere after being seen at the garage.

On Monday, two underwater search units were deployed to Delamere Lake holiday park, next to Wild Shore Delamere water park, which is less than two miles from the petrol station.

Issac Carolan, 19, who works at the garage, told The Sun: “I spoke to my colleague who had served her on Saturday morning.

“She bought milk and wine and jogged from 45 minutes away.

“But it didn’t seem weird, she didn’t seem disturbed or flustered.”

The mother is described as 5ft 9ins, of a slim build, with blonde hair. She was wearing black leggings, a black vest and trainers at the time she vanished, with a phone visible on her outer thigh, suggesting she was out on a run.

Superintendent Paul Hughes said: “We are currently following a number of inquiries to trace Rachel and we are becoming increasingly concerned for her welfare.

“As part of our investigation, our officers and partner agencies, including the Underwater Search Team and Cheshire Search and Rescue, are conducting inquiries in the Oakmere and surrounding areas where it is believed Rachel travelled to, and we would like to thank local businesses for their patience and understanding while these are currently ongoing.

“Investigators are following all lines of inquiry and anyone who has seen Rachel since she was reported missing is asked to contact us. The same goes for anyone who has any information on her whereabouts.

“We would also like to appeal directly to Rachel to get in touch to let us know you are OK.”

The entrance to the Wild Shore Delamere Park was cordoned off and police tape was across a road in the holiday park leading to the lake area.

In a statement, the watersports centre said it is closed “due to ongoing police investigations in the surrounding area”.

Anyone with information is encouraged to get in touch with Cheshire Police by calling 101 or on the force’s website quoting IML-2136439.

At least 19 dead as Bangladesh jet crashes into college campus

At least 19 people have been killed and more than 50 injured after a Bangladesh Air Force training jet crashed into buildings at a college campus in the capital Dhaka.

The F-7 BGI aircraft took off at 1.06pm local time and crashed roughly twelve minutes later in the Diabari area of Uttara in the northern part of the capital, according to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations Directorate (ISPR).

The military aircraft crashed near the Milestone School and College canteen during lunchtime, Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo said, with large numbers of young students present at the time.

The death toll rose significantly from an initial toll of a single fatality after fire service and civil defence director general Brigadier General Mohammad Zahed Kamal arrived at the scene and briefed the media.

Videos posted to social media in the aftermath of the crash showed fire and smoke emanating from the scene as a crowd of students fled to open ground in panic.

Muhammad Yunus, head of Bangladesh’s interim government, said “necessary measures” would be taken to investigate the cause of the accident and “ensure all kinds of assistance”.

“The loss suffered by the Air Force… students, parents, teachers and staff, and others in this accident is irreparable,” he said.

A national day of mourning has been declared for Tuesday.

Panicked parents and relatives were seen rushing to the site of the crash later on Monday.

“A third-grade student was brought in dead, and three others, aged 12, 14 and 40, were admitted to the hospital,” said Bidhan Sarker, head of the burn unit at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, where some victims were taken earlier. Details of the identities of other victims were not immediately available.

Masud Tarik, a teacher at the school, described the moments he heard a loud explosion as he came to pick up his children.

“When I was picking [up] my kids and went to the gate, I realised something came from behind… I heard an explosion. When I looked back, I only saw fire and smoke,” he told Reuters.

A spokesperson from Milestone School and College said the aircraft crashed near the school gate when classes were underway.

“The plane fell on the gate and crashed nearby. A class was in session where the plane crashed. The injured are being taken out one by one,” the spokesperson said, according to BDnews24.

Bangladesh’s F-7 is a modern variant of China’s Chengdu F-7, itself modelled on the Soviet MiG-21. While considered outdated by global standards, it remains in service due to its cost-effectiveness and suitability for pilot training and limited combat roles. Its production ceased after China delivered the last of 16 units of F-7 BGIs to Bangladesh in 2013.

Pope condemns ‘barbarity’ of Gaza war as dozens reported killed queuing for aid

Pope Leo XIV has condemned the “barbarity” of the Gaza war and called out “collective punishment” as officials said dozens more Palestinians were killed queuing for aid on Sunday.

The pontiff renewed his call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, asking the international community to respect international laws and the obligation to protect civilians.

It came as Gazan officials said 85 refugees were killed after witnesses claimed Israeli soldiers and tanks fired on crowds queuing for food in northern Gaza.

“I once again call for an immediate end to the barbarity of this war and for a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” Pope Leo XIV said.

“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law, as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, the indiscriminate use of force, and the forced displacement of populations.”

Around 67 of those killed were gunned down trying to reach aid entering through the Zikim crossing with Israel, according to the health ministry and local hospitals.

“Tanks surrounded us and trapped us as gunshots and strikes rained down. We were trapped for two hours,” said Ehab Al-Zei, who had been waiting for flour. “I will never go back again. Let us die of hunger, it’s better.”

Israel’s military said soldiers had shot at a gathering of thousands of Palestinians in northern Gaza who posed a threat, and it was aware of some casualties.

On Saturday, witnesses said at least 32 Palestinians were killed by Israeli troops while queuing for food distributed by the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The shootings occurred near hubs operated by the US and Israeli-backed GHF, which launched operations in May this year.

The US and Israel seek to replace the traditional UN-led aid distribution system in Gaza, asserting that Hamas militants siphon off supplies. The UN denies the allegation.

While the GHF says it has distributed millions of meals to hungry Palestinians, local health officials and witnesses say Israeli army fire has killed hundreds of people as they try to reach the hubs since May.

The organisation’s four sites are in military-controlled zones. Israel’s army secures them from a distance, but does not operate them.

Pope Leo also expressed his “deep sorrow” for the Israeli attack on the only Catholic church in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, which killed three people and wounded 10 others, including the parish priest.

The shelling of the Holy Family Catholic Church in Gaza also damaged the church compound, where hundreds of Palestinians have been sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war, now in its 21st month.

Israel expressed regret over what it described as an accident and said it was investigating. “We need to dialogue and abandon weapons,” the pope said earlier on Sunday, after presiding over Mass at the nearby Cathedral of Albano.

Gaza’s population of more than two million Palestinians are in a catastrophic humanitarian crisis, now relying largely on the limited aid allowed into the territory.

Many people have been displaced multiple times. Hamas triggered the war when militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage.

Fifty remain in Gaza, but fewer than half are thought to be alive. Israel’s military offensive has killed more than 58,800 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

When my friends were facing cancer, a community of people stepped up

When I was younger, I used to worry incessantly about my parents getting cancer. I’d lay awake at night, ruminating on what would happen to my brother and I if they did. Who would support us? Thankfully, both are still cancer-free, well into their seventies.

However, now that I’m a parent myself, I worry about my children. Many people believe that cancer only really happens to people in old age, but that’s just not true. One beloved friend’s daughter died of leukaemia in 2020, aged just five; an unthinkable horror that changed the lives of everyone who knew her and her family.

And with Macmillan Cancer Support reporting that almost 3.5 million people in the UK are living with cancer, I also worry about my friends – parents themselves, their lives touched by cancer. One friend sat me down in our favourite local café, our toddlers playing at our feet, to break the news that she was about to undergo a double mastectomy. We cried together.

Another friend, Sarah, a single parent to two teenage girls, was diagnosed with breast cancer the day before we heard that King Charles had cancer, and a month before the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, announced her own diagnosis in March last year. It seemed like cancer was everywhere.

As a result, Sarah put 2024 on hold – she missed her daughter’s last sports day and last concert at primary school and had to find a whole new way of co-ordinating family life.

“I’m lucky in some ways that my children are teenagers, so they are able to look after themselves to some degree – but I’m also a single parent, so there are some things that they can’t do, or struggle with, due to their age,” she tells me.

“I have even set up multiple alarms on our Alexa reminding them to put their packed lunches in their bags or leave for school, just in case I can’t get up.”

Sarah says she thought she knew quite a lot about cancer prior to her diagnosis, but now admits she “really didn’t”. She explains: “There are so many terms and procedures to understand – stages and grades, not to mention over 100 different chemotherapy drugs.”

Sarah tells me about the exhausting cumulative effect of chemotherapy, which she endured every three weeks during her cancer treatment: “After the very first lot, I slept for a few hours and felt much better pretty quickly. For my last rounds, I slept for 48 hours solid and even days later, I needed to have a nap in the middle of the day and was in bed by 8pm.”

Sarah’s now finished chemotherapy and, a year on from her diagnosis, is turning 50. She’s throwing a huge party to celebrate not only the birthday milestone, but getting over this “annus horriblis” – a year she couldn’t have gotten through without the people around her.

“People can do so much for us when we are unwell – and I am forever grateful,” she says. “I’ve been really overwhelmed by the support that my friends have given me; from ferrying around my children to and from after-school events and sleepovers when things get bad, to my 75-year-old neighbour mowing the lawn. One friend popped round with a huge pot of pasta sauce and I even had a gift box from a recruiter at work.”

What talking to my strong, resilient friends about their cancer journeys has made me realise most, is the power of community: for when we receive the worst news imaginable, what we need is people around us to see us through. A community of other women: friends, school mums, neighbours.

They had people willing to make them food, pick up their children, go shopping for them or to just sit with them and listen. They had support when they decided to raise money for cancer support charities, when they did fundraisers such as hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning.

It takes a village to raise a child – and that village will be with you every step of the way when you need them most.

Find out how you can help raise vital funds by hosting a Macmillan Coffee Morning. Sign up now on the Macmillan website

Macmillan Cancer Support, registered charity in England and Wales (261017), Scotland (SC039907) and the Isle of Man (604). Also operating in Northern Ireland.

Ukraine latest: Moscow opens door to Trump-Putin meeting in China

The Kremlin has opened the door to a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in September.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Mr Putin would visit Beijing for events to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two, and said there could be a meeting with Mr Trump if he is there too.

The two presidents have spoken at least six times since Trump returned to the White House in January.

The Kremlin has said it is in favour of a face-to-face meeting between them, but this would need careful preparation in order to produce results.

It comes as Russia launched a new barrage of drones and missiles at Ukraine in an overnight attack on Monday, killing two people and causing multiple fires in the capital Kyiv.

In Kyiv, residents spent a tense and sleepless night, rushing to take shelter in underground stations amid the aerial barrage from Russia.

Volodymyr Zelensky said that two people were killed and at least 15 were injured, including a 12-year-old boy, in the aerial attack.

Lionesses respond to Carter abuse and Williamson injury latest

England are building up to their Euro 2025 semi-final against Italy and have revealed an update on the fitness of captain Leah Williamson before travelling to Geneva as they look to return to the final.

Williamson was forced off with an ankle injury during England’s dramatic quarter-final win over Sweden but the Lionesses are “very optimistic” that the defender will be available to play against Italy.

And there was a further boost as Williamson took part in England’s training session this morning, while manager Sarina Wiegman will also give an update in her press conference later this evening.

The Lionesses are continuing to support Jess Carter after the defender revealed she has been receiving racist abuse since the start of Euro 2025.

England’s players will not take the knee before Tuesday’s semi-final and want stronger action from the FA over the abuse suffered by Carter, with some players pushing for a boycott of social media.