Articles by Zahra Khaliq

Technology

Prince Andrew 'eviction': William and Kate 'want him out before bonfire night'

Prince William and Princess Kate have a date in mind they want Prince Andrew out of Royal Lodge before they move into their new “forever home” nearby, royal insiders have claimed. The Prince and Princess of Wales are said to be preparing to move into Forest Lodge in Windsor Great Park before Bonfire Night - but William reportedly wants his disgraced uncle gone from his 30-room mansion by the time they arrive. Andrew's public downfall began with his long-standing ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's accusers, alleged she was trafficked by him to have sex with Andrew when she was 17 - claims Andrew has always strenuously denied. Last week, he released a statement agreeing to give up all of his royal titles, including the Duke of York, because of the “continued accusations” about him. A source has now told how William and Kate want him removed from Royal Lodge before they move in nearby. “Catherine shudders at the thought of living so close to Royal Lodge while Prince Andrew is still in it,” the source said. William wants him gone before they start to move in next week. It’s not about what Andrew doesn’t want to do anymore. It’s about what he’s going to be told to do.” Negotiations over Andrew’s future at Royal Lodge are taking place daily, amid growing public anger over revelations that he pays only a “peppercorn rent” for the sprawling property. Despite holding a “cast iron” lease that prevents eviction, Palace insiders believe he will ultimately have to move out because of the scale of the backlash. William and Kate are also said to be using the half-term break to prepare their children - George, 12, Charlotte, ten, and Louis, seven - for the relocation. The Waleses had originally hoped to move to Royal Lodge itself, but were forced to settle for Adelaide Cottage in 2022 after Andrew refused to leave, MailOnline reports. “Them going into Adelaide Cottage was never the plan,” one well-connected source said. “But they were forced to because Prince Andrew wouldn’t shift.” Earlier this year, the family set their sights on Forest Lodge, an eight-bedroom Georgian mansion just over a mile from Royal Lodge. They are understood to see it as the perfect setting to raise their children in a more rural, hands-on environment. Both Royal Lodge and Forest Lodge sit in secluded parts of Windsor Great Park, surrounded by fields and woodland where Andrew is frequently seen horse-riding. This week, a separate source told how Prince Andrew could be offered free use of a lavish palace as part of a plan to quietly leave Royal Lodge. Sources say Abu Dhabi's ruler, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has extended an extraordinary offer - free use of one of his royal palaces, a vast waterfront estate surrounded by palm trees and sand dunes.

Technology

Bacon and ham ban demanded by scientists claiming cancer link

Leading scientists are demanding a ban on supermarket bacon and ham, warning that chemicals used in their production are linked to more than 50,000 bowel cancer cases in the UK. Nitrites - the preservatives that keep processed meats pink and extend their shelf life - are estimated to cause around 5,400 cases annually, with treatement for each patient averaging £59,000 and costing the NHS roughly £3 billion over the past decade. The warning comes after the World Health Organisation 's International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classified processed meat as a Group 1 carcinogen - placing it at the same high-risk category as tobacco or asbestos. Despite the known risks, ministers have taken virtually no action to curb public exposure, says Professor Chris Elliot OBE, founder of the Institute for Global Food Security and former government adviser. He said: "A decade on from the WHO report, the UK Government has done virtually nothing to reduce exposure to nitrites - the curing agents that make these products pink and long-lasting but also create nitrosamines, compounds known to trigger cancer. Every year of delay means more preventable cancers, more families affected, and greater strain on the NHS." The scientists stress that the ongoing use of nitrites has inflicted severe human and financial toll, and they are pushing for urgent measures to prevent further avoidable cancers. Their conclusions, drawn from data from Cancer Research UK and the British Journal of Cancer, underline the hidden cost of Britain's reliance on processed meats. The experts now written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting pushing him to ban nitrites in processed meats - as well as the European Union's health and food safety commissioner, urging similar action, while acknowledging that the EU has already begun to reduce permitted nitrite levels. Their pioneering 2015 report looked at data from more than 800 studies and found that for every 50g of processed meat eaten a day, the risk of colorectal cancer rose by 18%. According to the experts, it is the combination of nitrites and processing methods used in meats like bacon, ham and sausages that produces carcinogenic compounds. As much as 90% of bacon sold in the UK is believed to contain nitrites, which have been linked not only to bowel, prostate and breast cancer. Professor Robert Turesky, of the University of Minnesota, who contributed to the original WHO report, said the evidence is stronger ten years on from when the report was published. "A decade later, it is even stronger, and many preventable cancers have likely occurred," he said. "The evidence now calls for public health action." Scientists are calling on the Health Secretary to allow clear signage on the front of processed meat packets warning consumers of nitrite-cured products and its cancer risks. In the long-term, they are demanding for nitrite to be phased out and backed by regulatory measures to ensure compliance, as well as funding to allow smaller producers to move to safer alternatives. Currently, nitrite-free meat, sold as "naked" bacon make up just 5-10% of the market. Bowel cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer in the UK, with roughly 44,000 new cases a year, and 142,000 in the US. Warning signs include changes in bowel habits - such as persistent diarrhoea or constipation, a feeling of incomplete emptying, and blood in the stool. Other symptoms to watch out for include stomach pain, bloating, unexpected weight loss and fatigue.