Author: Truth Times News Desk

Ann Widdecombe, the former Conservative MP and later prominent figure in the Brexit Party and Reform UK, has died at the age of 78, with tributes already pouring in from across British politics. Ann Widdecombe has died aged 78, her representative confirmed early on Friday morning. She served as Conservative MP for Maidstone, later Maidstone and The Weald, for over two decades before leaving the Commons in 2010, and went on to become one of the most prominent Eurosceptic voices in British politics, campaigning for Brexit as a Member of the European Parliament and later serving as Reform UK’s spokeswoman…

A wildfire near the hamlet of Bédar in southern Spain has killed twelve people, some of them trapped in vehicles as flames cut off escape routes, in what regional authorities have described as the deadliest blaze in Andalusia’s recent history. Twelve people died late Thursday when a wildfire swept through the hamlet of Bédar, near Almería in southern Spain, regional authorities confirmed, with several victims found trapped inside vehicles after flames cut off their escape routes. Around 150 firefighters battled the blaze as it broke out amid soaring temperatures, while Andalusian officials described the fire as the deadliest wildfire in…

Anya Taylor-Joy stars as a con artist on the run from the FBI and a ruthless mob boss in Lucky, a seven-episode Apple TV+ adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, produced by Reese Witherspoon and premiering on 15 July. Apple TV+ is preparing to launch Lucky, a seven-episode crime thriller starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a brilliant con artist forced to go on the run after a multi-million dollar heist collapses. The series, adapted from Marissa Stapley’s bestselling 2021 novel of the same name, debuts on Wednesday, 15 July, with its opening two episodes, before the remaining instalments arrive weekly, running…

Scientists have detected a contagious cancer decimating soft-shell clam populations in Washington’s Puget Sound, with infection rates reaching 75 percent in one area, marking the first time the disease has ever been recorded on the West Coast. Soft-shell clams in Washington state’s Puget Sound are being ravaged by a contagious and lethal cancer that scientists have now confirmed for the first time on the West Coast. According to the Pacific Northwest Research Institute, the outbreak has hit especially hard in a large watershed known as Triangle Cove, where researchers estimate around 75 percent of sampled clams were infected, one of…

American drivers saw gas prices climb by five cents a gallon on Thursday, the sharpest single-day rise since early May, after President Trump declared the ceasefire with Iran “over” and ordered fresh military strikes, reversing a month-long run of falling prices at the pump. The average price of petrol across the United States jumped by five cents a gallon to nearly $3.85 on Thursday, according to AAA data, marking the largest one-day increase since 6 May and abruptly halting more than a month of steady declines at the pump. The spike followed President Donald Trump’s confirmation that he now considers…

Criminals are using the UK’s ongoing heatwave as cover for a fresh wave of “Hi Mum” and “Hi Dad” impersonation scams, with fraudsters claiming their phones have broken in the heat before persuading parents to hand over money, in some cases totalling tens of thousands of pounds. Scammers are exploiting the current heatwave to run a new variant of the long-standing “Hi Mum” text fraud, targeting parents with messages that claim their child’s phone has been damaged by the hot weather. The scam typically begins with a text or WhatsApp message from an unknown number opening with “Hi mum” or…

Vickrum Digwa, already convicted in connection with the killing of Henry Nowak, has appeared at Southampton Magistrates’ Court alongside his brother Gurpreet Digwa and father Moga Singh, with all three denying multiple weapons offences that are being prosecuted separately from the homicide case. Vickrum Digwa, Gurpreet Digwa and Moga Singh appeared before Southampton Magistrates’ Court, where all three entered not guilty pleas to a series of weapons charges. The brief hearing concluded with the case being sent to the Crown Court for further proceedings, and all three defendants were remanded in custody pending their next court appearance. Charges Kept Separate…

The New York Times, the Daily News and several other news organisations have filed a motion asking a federal judge to sanction OpenAI, accusing the company of concealing evidence about how ChatGPT was trained on copyrighted journalism, in a case that could shape the future of a struggling news industry. A coalition of news publishers has asked a federal judge in Manhattan to punish OpenAI over what they allege is deliberate obstruction of evidence in a landmark copyright lawsuit concerning how the company built its AI systems using millions of news articles. The New York Times, the Daily News and…

Andy Burnham has been quietly planning his path to Downing Street for at least a year and already has a blueprint for his first 100 days as Prime Minister, according to close ally Louise Haigh, as his path to the Labour leadership became all but certain on Thursday when nominations opened to replace Keir Starmer. Andy Burnham’s team has already begun laying the groundwork for government, with allies holding informal talks with senior civil servants to ensure preparations are in place should he become Prime Minister. The revelation, made by former Transport Secretary Louise Haigh on the BBC’s Political Thinking…

Strictly Come Dancing has confirmed its fifth celebrity for the 2026 series, Love Island winner Cach Mercer, as the BBC show enters a new era with three fresh hosts and a significantly reshuffled professional dancer line-up. Strictly Come Dancing has begun revealing its 2026 cast, with the show heading into what bosses hope will be a fresh, scandal-free chapter for the BBC’s flagship dancing competition. The new series follows last year’s win for Lioness Karen Carney and her professional partner Carlos Gu, and arrives alongside major changes behind the scenes: Tess Daly and Claudia Winkleman have both stepped down as…