News Juice!

We extract the best stories, so you don’t have to.

Is Surrogacy an ‘Unethical’ Trend Amongst Women? Lily Collins, the star of ‘Emily in Paris,’ welcomed her first child via a surrogate. Since the news broke out, social media has been rife with criticism and speculation as to why a 35-year-old woman would choose to rent a womb. Some argue that the practice is similar to human trafficking and perpetuates a capitalist notion that anything can be bought. Another criticism is that surrogacy is largely used by the rich, suggesting that children have become a status symbol or a high-end commodity.
Gascón Gets the Social Guillotine: With 13 Oscar nominations, including a Best Actress nod for Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofia Gascón, things looked promising. Until they weren’t. Evidence of racist and Islamophobic tweets made by Gascón has surfaced, spurring Netflix and others to disassociate themselves from the troubled actor.
Your Next Vampire Movie Fix: Nosferatu may have won over audiences and critics, but another hotly anticipated vampire film is coming. The Blood Countess, starring Isabelle Huppert and directed by Ulrike Ottinger promises to deliver a sumptuous gothic mystery set in picturesque Vienna, with the blood-thirsty countess hunting for the red elixir of life.
Is Skinny Back in Vogue? The 2010s may have been all about ‘body positivity’ but the 2020s have embraced the Ozempic look. The plus-sized revolution is in apparent decline as fashion houses once again embrace the ultra-thin look. In 2024, of the 8,800 looks showcased across 230 shows, just 0.8 per cent were worn by plus-sized models.
Why is the UK Economy Stagnant? ‘Stagnation,’ when prices rise and growth plateaus, is on the horizon. The Bank of England is showing little trust in Labour’s budget, having cut interest rates from 4.75 per cent to 4.5 per cent and predicting slower growth with higher inflation at 3.5 per cent for 2025. Rising water and gas bills, together with the threat of Trump-imposed tariffs, are exacerbating an uncertain climate for growth.
Is this the End of the Diversity Era? Following pressure from the Trump administration, Google becomes the latest in a line of companies including Amazon, McDonald’s and Walmart to abandon diversity targets or DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) policies.
Why a Smartphone Ban is Not Enough: A worldwide study finds no significant difference in mental health and wellbeing in young people whose schools ban the use of phones. Senior author of the paper, Professor Miranda Pallan said: ‘The paper shows that restrictive policies on recreational phone use in schools do not lead to better outcomes among students, but that addressing overall phone use should be a priority for improving health and wellbeing among adolescents.’