children

A video published by a Palestinian content creator shows a group of children carefully lifting their doll on a stretcher to reenact a funeral as they play together in a displacement camp in Gaza.

Comedian Jason Manford, who will tonight present the BBC’s Big Night of Musicals is a father to six children from two marriages. While he prefers to keeps his family largely out of the spotlight, the funnyman has offered glimpses of his life behind the scenes

Jason Manford might be a household name for his comic prowess, but his personal life is far less well-known. The 41-year-old funnyman, actor and impressive vocalist has been captivating audiences since making his television debut back in 2007 with a minor role in the BBC Three comedy Ideal, and now he’s taking on hosting duties for the BBC Big Night of Musicals by the National Lottery.

He said ahead of the show tonight (28 March) that it was a “real honour” to head up the night of musical performances, but said in his view, “The real talent is in the orchestra and the performers on stage, and I just love being a part of it.” His illustrious career has certainly flourished over the years, with highlights including presenting the prestigious Royal Variety Performance twice and serving as a panellist on ITV’s Starstruck alongside fellow judges Adam Lambert, Beverley Knight and Shania Twain.

Beyond his professional achievements, what else is there to discover about the entertainer’s personal life? Here’s what we’ve uncovered.

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Jason’s first marriage

The funnyman tied the knot with his first spouse, Catherine, back in October 2007. The couple went on to have twin daughters in 2009, followed by a third daughter in 2010, and then a son in 2012. Their relationship encountered difficulties in 2010 when it emerged he had been messaging female admirers online. The 34-year-old subsequently chose to step down from his presenting duties on The One Show to prioritise his family commitments.

Speaking at the time, he stated: “I have decided after careful consideration to stand back from The One Show to concentrate on my family.” The marriage ultimately ended in 2013. During a frank conversation with the Mirror in 2021, Jason acknowledged he hadn’t devoted sufficient “care and time” to his first marriage.

He reflected: “My first marriage really disintegrated on my theory of, ‘I don’t want my children to have the childhood I had’. So I was out working all the time, and I didn’t put the care and time into that relationship that it deserved and needed. “It’s only now I’m starting to realise, ‘Oh, I’m not giving the children the childhood I had’, which is good in one thing but bad in another. Because I got to spend so much time, and we had laughs with my parents.”

Jason’s second marriage

Jason wed his second wife, Lucy Dyke, in December 2017. The pair exchanged vows in an intimate Manchester ceremony surrounded by loved ones, before celebrating at a local curry house. Lucy, like Jason, works in television as a producer, with an impressive portfolio including Black Mirror, The Split, Ripper Street and numerous other productions. Jason has frequently championed his wife’s professional accomplishments, even encouraging his followers to tune into BBC’s Better, a drama she produced.

Sharing promotional images of the crime series on Instagram, he enthusiastically wrote: “My wife made this excellent show! It’s an absolute smasher and will fill the hole that Happy Valley has left. “BETTER! Starts tonight 9 pm, BBC1. Crime thriller with a twist!”

While largely keeping their domestic life private, he revealed in 2021 that he’d tested Lucy’s tolerance while cultivating sideburns for his theatrical role in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. Speaking on the Manatomy podcast with Danny Wallace and Phil Hilton, he recalled: “When I was Caractacus Potts in Chitty [Chitty Bang Bang] I grew big sideburns and I got them right down to here, right down to below the lip sort of thing and my wife hated them, like genuinely hated them.

“I guess a lot of fellas do this, once you are married and they can’t leave you for trivial reasons, like having mutton chops. You can do what you like, but if you have dated someone once and they have got mutton chops, you don’t have to have a second date, but once you have got kids, that’s a really trivial reason to go through the process of divorce.

“So I think we as men do things that sort of annoy our wives, but it’s sort of like us testing the boundaries. I knew she hated it, but I still grew them and I was in that show for 18 months.”

Jason’s children

The funnyman is dad to six youngsters in total – four from his initial marriage and two from his current one. Jason shields his offspring from public attention and seldom posts pictures of his clan online.

That said, he does occasionally offer glimpses into family moments on social media. In July 2022 the beaming father shared an uncommon snapshot of his lad observing him perform live.

He wrote beneath the touching Instagram image: “My little boy watching me on stage today at @festunderthestars,” adding a broken heart emoji. During Father’s Day 2020, Jason uploaded an unusual picture showing him embracing all six of his children.

He appeared delighted as the youngsters gathered round for a cuddle while Jason positioned himself before a table displaying a PlayStation Four game and Celebrations chocolates. Within the caption, Jason informed followers: “A lovely Father’s Day. Recording radio show first thing, had pancakes and Nutella!

“Lots of cards and cuddles. Last of Us 2 on PS4 (and a promise of a day off chores this week to actually play it!). A visit to our new house/building site which is finally back up and running and ended the day with a lovely 5k walk which left everybody knackered. Early nights all round. Hope you all had a lovely day, and for those that had a tough one for various reasons, tomorrow is just a Monday and that’ll be easier.”

Big Night of Musicals airs this evening (March 28) from 7:45 pm on BBC One.

Do you have a story to share? Email me at emma.mackenzie@reachplc.com. Follow Mirror Celebs on Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads

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Iranian football players laid backpacks on a football pitch in Turkey to pay tribute to the children killed in a US-Israeli strike on Minab elementary school last month. The tribute came ahead of a friendly match against Nigeria.

Mental health burdens

Ramirez is among the advocates who say children are suffering under the uncertainty and widespread detentions taking place in El Salvador.

In 2025, El Salvador had the highest incarceration rate in the world, with approximately 1.7 percent of its population in prison — roughly twice the rate of the next highest country, Cuba.

According to human rights organisations such as MOVIR, El Salvador’s youth are among the most seriously impacted by the downstream effects of mass incarceration, especially when their caregivers are imprisoned.

“There is a very grave situation with children,” said Ramirez. “There are many children who have been left without their parents, so those who used to provide for their basic needs are not there any more.”

As a result, experts say the affected children are experiencing psychological issues.

“Anxiety issues in these children have increased,” said a psychologist with Azul Originario, a nonprofit youth organisation based in San Salvador.

The psychologist often works with children whose parents have been abducted. She asked to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, as NGO workers and critical voices have been intimidated, surveilled and, in some cases, arrested under El Salvador’s state of exception.

“Sometimes they don’t want to do any physical activity or any studying,” she said.

“They don’t want to spend time with other children or go outside. They’re afraid of authorities, because some of them experienced the authorities taking their parents away.”

At a recent demonstration near San Salvador’s Cuscatlan Park, several families echoed those observations.

Among them was Fatima Gomez, 47, whose adult son was arrested in 2022. He left behind two daughters, ages 10 and three.

With their mother working full-time, Gomez has been taking care of the children. But she has noticed the eldest daughter seems traumatised.

“When she sees soldiers and police, she starts crying and runs inside,” Gomez said of the 10-year-old. “She says they are going to take all of us, too.”

Gomez had gathered with a crowd of men and women to demand the release of their loved ones.

Clutched in Gomez’s hands is a blue printed poster, emblazoned with her son’s face and a single word: “innocent”.

It flutters in a rush of wind from the passing traffic.

WASHINGTON — Melania Trump on Tuesday called on nations to work together to improve access to education and technology for children around the world, delivering her plea as she addressed a gathering of her counterparts from more than 40 countries.

The first lady’s Fostering the Future Together initiative, which she announced last year, and an inaugural two-day summit that she opened Tuesday are examples of how Melania Trump has expanded her portfolio to embrace global issues.

“As people we dream. As leaders we progress. As nations we will build,” she said in opening remarks. “Beginning today, let’s accelerate our new global alliance, this bond, to positively impact the progress of our children.”

She called on participants to host regional meetings, conduct research studies, begin new partnerships and collaborate with another member country “to cultivate the skills young people need to be successful in this rapidly evolving world.”

She said the goal of empowering children will be achieved by creating innovative programs, advocating for supportive education policies, sponsoring tech-focused legislation and building strong public-private partnerships.

“This room is filled with extraordinary human capital,” the first lady said. She urged the leaders seated around a large U-shaped table in a State Department auditorium to “harness it to elevate your children, to empower your people and to accelerate your economies.”

The gathering included technology companies such as Microsoft, Google and OpenAI.

Among those participating were Olena Zelenska, the spouse of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and Sara Netanyahu, the wife of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The first lady announced the Fostering the Future Together initiative during the U.N. General Assembly session last fall.

Superville writes for the Associated Press.

NHL reporter Jessi Pierce and her three children were killed in a weekend house fire in Minnesota, the league announced Sunday.

Pierce, 37, covered the Minnesota Wild as the correspondent for NHL.com for the last decade.

“The entire NHL.com team is devastated and heartbroken by the loss of Jessi and her children,” said Bill Price, vice president and editor in chief of NHL.com, in a statement. “Jessi’s love of her family and hockey was evident in the energy and passion she brought to her work for us. She was an absolute joy to talk to and work with. She will be deeply missed.”

Firefighters responded to a house fire Saturday morning in White Bear Lake, Minn. Neighbors called 911 and reported seeing flames coming through the roof. Fire crews located an adult, three children and a dog inside the house, all deceased, the White Bear Lake Fire Department said. The department did not release the names of the victims in its statement Saturday.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“Out hearts ache for those involved in this tragedy. We ask for the opportunity to allow our community to come together and support one another during this difficult time,” Fire Chief Greg Peterson said in the statement.

The Minnesota Wild mourned her loss on social media Sunday. “Jessi was a kind, compassionate person that cared deeply about her family and those around her. She served as an ambassador for the game of hockey during her time covering the Wild and the NHL,” the post said.

Minnesota is known as the “State of Hockey,” and the Wild have had one of the biggest fan bases since their inception in 2000. The Minnesota North Stars moved to Dallas to become the Stars in the early 1990s.

Hill writes for the Associated Press. AP writer Stephen Whyno in New York contributed to this report.

The attack on a teaching hospital in Al Deain, the capital of East Darfur state, has rendered the facility non-functional.

An attack on a ⁠hospital in Sudan’s Darfur region has killed at least ‌64 people, including 13 children, according to the head of ⁠the World ⁠Health Organization (WHO).

In a social media post, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Saturday that multiple patients, two female nurses and one male doctor were also among those killed in the attack on Al Deain Teaching Hospital in Al Deain, the capital of East Darfur state, on Friday night.

Another 89 people, including eight health staff, were wounded, he added.

The attack damaged the hospital’s paediatric, maternity, and emergency departments, rendering the facility non-functional and cutting off ‌essential medical services in the ‌city.

“As a result of this tragedy, the total number of fatalities linked to attacks on health facilities during Sudan’s war has now surpassed 2,000,” said Tedros, adding that over the nearly three-year conflict between Sudan’s army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), the WHO had confirmed the killing of 2,036 people in 213 attacks on healthcare.

There was no immediate information about who was behind the attack.

The war between the army and the RSF erupted in mid-April 2023, unleashing a wave of violence that has led to one of the world’s fastest-growing man-made humanitarian crises, with tens of thousands of people killed and more than 12 million forced from their homes.

Both sides have been accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity, while the RSF has been implicated in atrocities in Darfur that United Nations experts say bear the hallmarks of genocide.

“Enough blood has been spilled. Enough suffering has been inflicted,” Tedros said. “The time has come to de-escalate the conflict in Sudan and ensure the protection of civilians, health workers, and humanitarians.”

Ahead of the busy Easter and summer holidays, the cost of a UK passport application, online and postal, are set to increase, with prices soaring above £100 for the first time

The cost of all passports will significantly increase from next month as the Home Office confirms proposed plans.

The Home Office has proposed an 8 per cent increase in UK passport prices, which could see an adult pay out over £100 for the first time. The price of a child’s and a pensioner’s passport will also increase, with the changes set to be implemented from Wednesday, 8 April.

The Home Office said it will “move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation”. The fee increases are subject to Parliamentary approval.

The Home Office said in a statement: “The new fees will help the Home Office to continue to move towards a system that meets its costs through those who use it, reducing reliance on funding from general taxation.

“The Government does not make any profit from the cost of passport applications. The fees contribute to the cost of processing passport applications, consular support overseas, including for lost or stolen passports, and the cost of processing British citizens at UK borders.”

READ MORE: British tourists ditch popular holiday hotspot as it’s become ‘too expensive’READ MORE: UK passport holders face major fee change on April 8 2026 ‘for the first time’

How much is an adult passport?

From April 8, the cost of a UK adult passport, for standard online applications, will rise from £94.50 to £102. Meanwhile, postal passport applications could rise from £107 to £115.50 for adults.

How much is a passport for children?

The standard fee for a child’s passport, for online applications, could increase from £61.50 to £66.50, while a postal application could rise from £74 to £80 for children.

How much is a pensioner’s passport?

A standard, 32-page concessionary passport is available free of charge for those who were born on or before 2 September 1929 and at the time of their application, hold any British nationality.

The government said: “Customers who naturalised or registered as British nationals will still qualify regardless when they naturalised or registered.”

While the passport is free, there may be some delivery charges to return the passport or to send any supporting documents.

Will next-day services increase?

While it’s always advisable to apply for a new or replacement passport as early as possible, a next-day premium service is available in the UK. However, the new fees from 8 April could see this rise from £222 to £239.50.

How much will overseas UK passports cost?

Those applying overseas for a UK passport online can expect a rise from £108 to £116.50 for adults and from £70 to £75.50 for children. Meanwhile, overseas paper applications will increase from £120.50 to £130 for adults and from £82.50 to £89 for children.

The last time the price of a UK passport increased was on April 10, 2025, when they rose by around 7 per cent. An adult passport soared from £88.50 to £94.50, while a child’s online application increased from £57.50 to £61.50.

Before 2025, there were increases in April 2024 and February 2023.. However, the price surge in 2023 was the first increase in five years.

The government advised that anyone needing a new passport should apply well in advance, as the renewal process can take up to three weeks in the UK or longer during peak travel periods. For more information or to apply for a new or replacement UK passport, you can visit the government website.

Do you have a travel story to share? Email webtravel@reachplc.com

Ralf Little got emotional as he candidly opened up during the latest episode of Will & Ralf Should Know Better

Death in Paradise star Ralf Little fought back tears as he shared the heartbreaking reason he doesn’t have children.

During the latest episode of Will & Ralf Should Know Better, Ralf, 46, and Will Mellor decided to face their fears, from dangling on a trapeze and tackling fatherhood to the ultimate horror of performing stand-up in front of a Glasgow crowd.

At the start of the show, Will, 49, pointed out to Ralf: “I think I’ve actually done something that you would find more frightening than any of that. What I’ve done that I think you’d find more frightening… is have a child.

“Yes, yes, actually commit to something, commitment. I have had two kids and brought them up. So, to give you a little taste, I’m taking you to a place, it’s like a charity set-up, where dads can go and learn how to be good parents. What to expect from a baby, how to be a parent” to which Ralf admitted: “This my living nightmare!”

At the charity set-up, Ralf was asked “what’s the worry about children” to which he admitted: “It’s a lot of work, innit? I bought a bread maker once and I loved making that bread, but after a little while, I was like, I’ll just unplug it and put it under the cupboard. You can’t really do that with babies, can you?”

The leader of the charity set-up then asked: “Ralf, what is it that you’re most afraid of?” to which the former Death in Paradise star said: “I’ve lived a lot of my life having a mentality where there’s nothing I can’t walk away from.

“It’s actually terrifying to me, the idea of loving something so completely and irreversibly. I can’t walk away from it intact. That’s terrifying to me.”

Following the charity set-up and being given a baby doll to look after, it made Ralf think deeper about why he doesn’t have children. He said: “Yeah, it’s been a funny old day. Just in general for me” to which Will added: “I can see it threw some questions into your mind that you weren’t expecting. I could tell from your reaction that you were a bit like maybe there is a reason a bit deeper why I haven’t had children.”

To which Ralf emotionally admitted: “For sure. My parents were fantastic with us and did the best that they could. But their relationship broke down really in a really difficult way and that was very difficult for us.

“You know, there’s no way of putting this that’s not blunt, but, you know, they had three kids and an idyllic family life and then one of the kids was alive one week and dead the next.

“Everything, their entire lives crumbled right in front of their eyes from that moment on. It’s like, you know, you can’t protect them.”

Ralf then fought back tears as he composed himself and continued: “My mum was really… my mum was really protective of us. Really protective.

“And it happened anyway. It happened anyway because you can’t wrap your kids in cotton wool and protect them 24-7. Like, it’s a lot. And it’s only when I’m forced to sort of say these things out loud that I realise quite what a lot it is.”

Tragically, when Ralf was just nine-years-old, his sister, Ceri, then 14, fell 150ft to her death from a cliff during a family holiday to Cornwall.

Ralf has said that the tragedy was partly to blame for his parents’ divorce and deeply affected his other sister Rowena – but it made him push himself academically and in extracurricular activities.

Will and Ralf Should Know Better is available to watch on Channel 4 and 4oD, as well as U.

**For the latest showbiz, TV, movie and streaming news, go to the new ** Everything Gossip ** website**

‘There! There – I can see it!” The cries of my four-year-old echoed around the ruins of 13th-century Urquhart Castle, causing a group of US tourists to come running over to the corbelled bartizans (overhanging turrets) where we stood. “It’s Nessie, I saw her,” he insisted, pointing at the ripples spinning out from the back of a sightseeing vessel on Loch Ness.

March 5 (UPI) — An international police operation coordinated by Interpol led to 60 suspects accused of sexual crimes against minors arrested and 65 child victims rescued after a yearlong investigation in nine Central American, North American and Caribbean countries, the agency said.

Operation Eclipse, conducted between February 2025 and January, focused on dismantling networks linked to producing and distributing child sexual abuse material, with the primary goal of identifying victims and reopening cases that had remained unsolved for years.

Most of the victims were between 5 and 13 years old, and about 80% were girls, Interpol said.

“Investigating old cases not only serves to deliver justice and protect victims, but also to prevent further harm,” said Cyril Gout, acting executive director of Police Services at Interpol.

“Operation Eclipse demonstrates that, thanks to international cooperation and specialized expertise, it is possible to uncover abuse committed even years ago and bring those responsible to justice.”

The countries that participated in the operation were Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama and the Dominican Republic.

Some victims had appeared for more than a decade in international archives that collect child sexual exploitation material without having been identified.

Investigators said the alleged perpetrators had different levels of relationship with the victims, including relatives, friends, neighbors, educators, online predators and foreign tourists, showing that sexual offenders do not fit a single profile.

The operation received support from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and the Child Rescue Coalition. Police and judicial authorities across the region synchronized investigations, conducted targeted interventions and gathered evidence in multiple countries.

Interpol said it provided technical support, real-time information sharing and strategic guidance.

One of the most notable cases occurred in Panama, where authorities resolved an investigation in which a victim had remained unidentified for more than 10 years in Interpol’s international database. The identification, the agency said, allowed investigators to gather key evidence for the judicial process and also led to the location of another victim.

Interpol also maintains the International Child Sexual Exploitation Database, which is used by investigators in more than 70 countries to analyze and compare images and videos of child abuse.

The system allows authorities to establish connections between victims, offenders and locations through digital analysis software, helping identify related cases across different countries and preventing duplicate investigations.

According to the organization, the database contains 4.9 million images and videos and has helped identify more than 42,300 victims worldwide.

A joint study by Interpol and global network ECPAT International also found that more than 60% of the unidentified victims in that material are prepubescent minors, including babies and young children, while 65% are girls and 92% of the visible offenders are men.

Interpol provided several cases of the background of victims.

In the Dominican Republic, two minors ages 10 and 13 were allegedly abused by their mother and a transnational sexual offender who lived with them. Both suspects were arrested during the operation.

In Costa Rica, one of the suspects initially posed as an online celebrity to contact his victim. He later used child-grooming tactics, sextortion and threats against the victim’s family to maintain control over her.

A bilateral meeting between Panama and the Dominican Republic led to identifying two suspects wanted by Panamanian authorities for sexual crimes. Both were located in Dominican territory, leading to the start of extradition procedures.

As part of the operation, participating countries also reviewed 57 existing international notices related to individuals believed to live within their borders. These included Red Notices, issued for suspects wanted internationally, and Blue Notices, intended to gather additional information about a person’s identity or location during an investigation.

So far, 12 of those people have been located and detained, while efforts continue to locate and extradite other suspects, Interpol said.

Authorities also said that 45 suspected child sex offenders remain wanted in the countries that participated in the operation.