10+ hour, 1+ min ago (519+ words) Welcome to this week's Media Watch! Typically, this newsletter goes pretty hard on mainstream media when it comes to coverage of Scotland and Scottish issues. However, today I'm going to launch a bit of a defence of the BBC after it faced criticism from English viewers about the amount of airtime given to Scotland's victory over Denmark last week, which sent Scotland to their first World Cup in almost 30 years. The BBC's Newswatch programme on Saturday featured a segment on England fans taking issue with the fact the win was covered as the top item on the News at Ten immediately after the victory and the next morning. Viewer Gill Trbovic'complained: "People have been killed, there are wars going on in the world, and we feel we need to highlight football as the number one item." It's a completely valid…...

23+ hour, 1+ min ago (687+ words) A boy was told his sore throat was "just a virus" - hours before dying in front of his family. Frankie-Rae Law, 11, from Braintree, complained that he had a sore throat on Friday, November 14. Mum Keleigh Law, 33, rushed him to the local GP where he was told it was "just a virus". But hours later, he approached his mum, saying he couldn't breathe - and within two minutes, he went silent. Keleigh followed him to the bathroom, where he was found slumped over the toilet, his lips were grey, and his eyes glazed over. Despite efforts from paramedics and doctors, the young boy passed away in the early hours of Saturday. His family are yet to find out what was the cause of his death. Dagenham murderer dies in prison 20 years after killing man outside his home Woman killed in Chelmsford fire…...

13+ hour, 49+ min ago (429+ words) Nearly 4,000 cyber-flashing crimes have been recorded by police in England and Wales since it became an offence last year, new figures show. Figures from the Home Office focusing on crimes which primarily target women and girls show 3,951 cyber-flashing offences were recorded by police up to the end of June this year. The Met Police recorded the highest number of cyber-flashing crimes (268), followed by West Midlands Police (240) and Essex Police (192). Although cyber-flashing is a considered a violence against women and girls (VAWG) offence, the figures include crimes against all genders. Other selected VAWG offences which were introduced under the Online Safety Act include sending messages threatening death or serious harm and sending a message with false information to cause harm. Police forces recorded 41,064 threatening communication offences and 6,541 false communication offences as of the end of June. The End Violence Against Women…...

21+ hour, 27+ min ago (136+ words) Mourners gathered Monday in Tehran to honor the unknown soldiers killed in the 198088 Iran-Iraq war, whose remains were recently recovered from former battlefields. The ceremony paid tribute to 100 soldiers, with families, veterans, civilians and senior military officials participating. The ceremony paid tribute to 100 soldiers, with families, veterans, civilians and senior military officials participating. The remaining 200 bodies were reportedly buried simultaneously in other cities. Processions through the city were filled with chanting, as mourners carried flowers and flags to honor the fallen. Military personnel stood by coffins draped in the Iranian colors, marking the return of soldiers who had been missing for decades. The gathering allowed relatives and citizens to pay respects, acknowledge the losses of the long and devastating conflict, and finally lay to rest fighters who never returned home....

2+ hour, 14+ min ago (554+ words) "I come from Ryukyu Province. I am not Japanese. Its name is not Okinawa and it does not belong to Japan. Ryukyu, Diaoyu Islands and Taiwan belong to China," reads simplified Chinese text superimposed on a'Douyin video shared on November 7, 2025. The 10-second clip shows a woman speaking in Japanese and was posted with a Japanese-language caption that largely repeats the overlaid text. A similar'Douyin clip shared on October 31 shows two Japanese-speaking women in front of a red wall with superimposed simplified Chinese text that reads: "I am Ryukyuan, not Japanese. Its name isn't Okinawa. It doesn't belong to Japan." The region now called Okinawa was at the centre of the Ryukyuan kingdom that paid tribute to Chinese emperors until it was absorbed by Japan in 1879. Some Chinese see historical ties as a basis for sovereignty and dismiss Japan's possession of…...

22+ hour, 1+ min ago (336+ words) A live trial will be shown in the 2025 series, which will be the first time this has happened since the 2020 series, which was filmed in Wales. For the last time it occurred in Australia, you'll have to go back to 2019. This year, the live trial is called Cocktails Of Cruelty, and is a head-to-head drinking trial. Each celebrity taking part must pick two "delicious" jungle ingredients for their fellow contestant to drink. The first in the pair to down their beverage and put their glass back on the table will win. One of the live trials produced one of I'm A Celebrity's most famous moments back in 2010. This involved TV presenter Gillian McKeith fainting after the public voted for her to do yet another trial. She fell to the ground near hosts Ant and Dec, and former Olympic gold medallist…...

9+ hour, 1+ min ago (318+ words) Back in its 2010 series, TV presenter Gillian McKeith was voted for by the public to do the live trial called 'The Un-Fair Ground', which had a carnival theme. The trials are usually pre-recorded, and Gillian had been picked on by the public to do quite a few of them. By that point in the series, this would have been her seventh trial in a row. When it was revealed by Ant and Dec that she was selected for yet another one, she stood up quite gingerly beside them. A few seconds later, she then fainted, prompting medical personnel to come and give her oxygen before the show cut to a break. Former Olympic gold medallist Linford Christie stepped in to replace her. This caused some debate among fans on whether Gillian faked fainting or if it was real, but the…...

10+ hour, 55+ min ago (188+ words) A volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted for the first time in 12,000 years on Sunday, November 23, sending a plume of ash nine miles into the air.Satellite imagery taken by NASA shows Ethiopia's Afar region, where the Hayli Gubbi volcano is located, on Saturday, November 22, and Sunday.A plume could be seen in the area surrounding the volcano after the eruption on Sunday.According to the Toulouse Volcanic Ash Advisory Centre, ash clouds from the eruption drifted over Yemen, Oman, India, and northern Pakistan, CBS reported. Credit: NASA via Storyful A volcano in northern Ethiopia erupted for the first time in 12,000 years on Sunday, November 23, sending a plume of ash nine miles into the air. Satellite imagery taken by NASA shows Ethiopia's Afar region, where the Hayli Gubbi volcano is located, on Saturday, November 22, and Sunday. A plume could be seen…...

18+ hour, 50+ min ago (103+ words) An investigation has been launched after a group of youths caused a disturbance during a Christmas light switch-on. Officers were called to Rutherglen Main Street on Saturday, November 22, at around 4.30pm, after receiving reports of a disturbance outside a premises during the festive celebrations. Thankfully, no serious injuries were reported. Police have confirmed they have now launched an investigation into the incident. A Police Scotland spokesperson said: "Around 4.30pm on Saturday, November 22, 2025, we received a report of a disturbance involving a group of youths outside a premises on Main Street, Rutherglen. "Officers attended, and no serious injuries were reported....

22+ hour, 29+ min ago (259+ words) Rachel Reeves has urged Labour MPs to support Wednesday's Budget, which is widely expected to see tax hikes introduced. The Chancellor called for unity from her party as she spoke in front of restive backbenchers ahead of the Budget, and insisted she was proud of her forthcoming statement. Ms Reeves has long suggested she will have to hike taxes to fill a black hole in the public finances, and is now facing the prospect of a downgrade in the Budget watchdog's economic growth forecast for every year of this Parliament. Labour backbenches are said to have become increasingly frustrated about the planned tax hikes, which come as the party's opinion poll ratings have dropped significantly. Speaking before the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) on Monday night, the Chancellor could be heard to tell backbenchers politics is a "team sport" as she…...