children

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.

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