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By Philippa Roxby, BBC News Ultra-processed foods. Photo: RNZ / Cole Eastham-Farrelly They are the bête noire of many nutritionists - mass-produced yet moreish foods like chicken nuggets, packaged snacks, fizzy drinks, ice cream or even sliced brown bread. So-called ultra-processed foods (UPF) account for 56 percent of calories consumed across the UK, and that figure is higher for children and people who live in poorer areas. UPFs are defined by how many industrial processes they have been through and the number of ingredients - often unpronounceable - on their packaging. Most are high in fat, sugar or salt; many you'd call fast food. What unites them is their synthetic look and taste, which has made them a target for some clean-living advocates. There is a growing body of evidence t...

By Lucy Wallis, BBC The city of Hiroshima was left in ruins Photo: Supplied It was early in the day, but already hot. As she wiped sweat from her brow, Chieko Kiriake searched for some shade. As she did so, there was a blinding light - it was like nothing the 15-year-old had ever experienced. It was 8:15am on 6 August 1945. "It felt like the sun had fallen - and I grew dizzy," she recalls. The United States had just dropped an atomic bomb on Chieko's home city of Hiroshima - the first time a nuclear weapon had ever been used in warfare. While Germany had surrendered in Europe, allied forces fighting in World War Two were still at war with Japan. Warning: This article contains graphic content that some readers may find upsetting Chieko was a student, but like many older pupils, had be...

US Vice President Kamala Harris and former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump. Photo: Brendan SMIALOWSKI and Patrick T. Fallon / AFP By Stephanie Kelly, Jeff Mason and Tim Reid, Reuters Vice President Kamala Harris cast herself as the "underdog" in the presidential race and called her Republican opponent Donald Trump "just plain weird," while Trump painted Harris as "evil," "sick" and "unhinged" as the rivals exchanged barbs from afar on Saturday. The dueling appearances capped a whirlwind week that saw Harris ascend to the top of the Democratic ticket after President Joe Biden, 81, dropped his reelection bid under mounting pressure from his fellow Democrats. A series of polls indicate that Harris' entry erased the lead Trump had enjoyed over Biden in a...

Robert Downey Jr has been announced to return for two Avengers movies - as the villain. Photo: CHRIS DELMAS / AFP Robert Downey Jr is returning to Marvel movies - but not as Iron Man. A panel at the San Diego Comic Con today announced that Oscar winner Downey will be returning to play an entirely different character, the iconic comic book villain Dr. Doom, in two new Avengers movies, Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars. Downey was unveiled as Dr. Doom, a foe who first appeared in Fantastic Four comics in the 1960s, to a rapturous crowd at the comic convention. "New mask, same task," Downey said. "What can I tell you? I like playing complicated characters." In the comics, he's the evil ruler of the European nation Latveria and has battled the Avengers and Fantastic Four many tim...

Firefighters watch as flames and smoke move through a valley in the Forest Ranch area of Butte County as the Park Fire continues to burn near Chico, California. Photo: AFP / Josh Edelson By Joseph Ax, Reuters Thousands of firefighters were battling a rapidly growing wildfire in northern California on Saturday after the blaze more than doubled in size in a 24-hour span. The Park Fire had burned more than 350,000 acres (141,640ha) about 144km north of the state capital city of Sacramento as of Saturday afternoon, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire. Cooler temperatures and more humid air were expected in the region, potentially helping efforts to slow the spread of the fire, which was still 0 percent contained. The fire has destroyed 134 str...

By Danielle Broadway and Rollo Ross, Reuters Yvette Nicole Brown, Patrick Mckay, Charlie Vickers, JD Payne, Morfydd Clark, Daniel Weyman, Benjamin Walker, Megan Richards, Robert Aramayo, Tyroe Muhafidin, Charles Edwards, Maxim Baldry, Sophia Nomvete, Ismaël Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Lloyd Owen, Trystan Gravelle and Cynthia Addai-Robinson speak onstage during "he Lord Of The Rings: Rings Of Power Panel during 2024 Comic-Con International. Photo: Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP Note: This story contains spoilers for season one of The Rings of Power. Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power unveiled the first look at season two on Friday (US time) as the cast shared insights into what is coming next in the fantasy series at San Diego Comic-Con. The fantasy...

By Maayan Lubell, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam, Reuters Israeli emergency services and local residents gather near a soccer field where a rocket hit in Majdal Shams. Photo: AFP / Jalaa Marey A rocket attack on a football ground in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights killed 11 people including children on Saturday, Israeli authorities said, blaming Hezbollah and vowing to respond against the Iran-backed Lebanese group. Hezbollah denied any responsibility for the strike, the deadliest in Israel or Israeli-annexed territory since the start of the conflict in Gaza. "The Hezbollah attack today crossed all red lines, and the response will be accordingly. We are approaching the moment of an all-out war against Hezbollah and Lebanon," Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Axios. In a written sta...