The charity warned on Friday that its annual Big Garden Birdwatch study showed a 65% fall in Britain's greenfinch population over the past three decades. It's blaming trichomonosis, a highly contagious disease that spreads where birds gather in large numbers, such as at bird feeders. Birds should be fed seasonally and safely, the RSPB said, with small amounts of mealworms, fatballs or suet while avoiding seeds or peanuts between May and October. The disease is more likely to spread in summer and autumn, which is "also when there are more natural foods available to birds, such as seeds and insects". For the rest of the year, a full range of bird foods, including seeds and peanuts, can be offered. Keeping bird feeders clean will help keep birds healthy, as they can become hotspots for disease. The charity recommends cleaning feeders and water baths at least once a week and to "clean away any old food or droppings from beneath feeders". Moving bird feeders every week "will help to prevent any build-up of potentially contaminated debris underneath". Where feeders are placed is important, too, as avoiding roosting spots, such as under trees, "will help to avoid contamination through droppings". The type of feeder can make a difference, as contaminated food can build up on those with flat surfaces, such as bird tables, window feeders and feeders with trays. Avoid overfeeding birds, making sure food is eaten within a couple of days and keep it as dry as possible, as "damp food allows disease to survive and spread". Read more from Sky News:Why did some thought this picture was AIThe battle for the ArcticMultimillion-pound defence plan 'a fiasco' Put fresh tap water in bird baths daily and help birds find their own food by growing bird-friendly plants, such as sunflowers, teasels and ivy. More than 650,000 people took part in the 2026 Big Garden Birdwatch, counting the birds that landed in their garden or local park for one hour in January. Trichomonosis is known as 'canker' when seen in pigeons and doves, and as 'frounce' when seen in birds of prey, the British Trust for Ornithology said on its website. Caused by the protozoan parasite Trichomonas gallinae, it has been known as a disease of cage birds for some time and was first seen in the UK in 2005.

The animal charity revealed on its website that more than 250 poodle-cross dogs were found at a property earlier this year, but an accompanying image was dismissed as fake by people on social media. Some Facebook commenters accused the charity of using artificial intelligence to make it. "We can confirm that AI has not been used to create this image," the RSCPA said. "As much as we wish this image wasn't real, sadly it very much is - and we are being called to more and more multi-animal reports like this. "We don't need to use AI as we have countless stories to share about the animals our frontline teams are helping." The numbers and living conditions of the dogs at the property had grown out of control during extenuating family circumstances, the RSPCA said. It took in 87 dogs, while the rest went to the Dogs Trust. 'Staggering reality' On Wednesday, RSPCA superintendent Jo Hirst said she wasn't surprised some questioned the authenticity of the "shocking" image. "We understand that people are so aghast they don't believe what they are seeing," she said. "But this photo is not AI – it's real. This is the staggering reality of what can happen when even well-meaning owners become overwhelmed – overbreeding can take over, and conditions can spiral out of control." Read more from Sky News:Trump's surprise claim in call with Sky NewsAI delusion problem is bigger than we thought The charity said that in the last year, it had responded to 4,200 incidents which involved at least 10 animals at the same address across England and Wales. Meanwhile, it said it is dealing with a six-year high of animals in its care due to "rising cruelty and neglect", with almost half in emergency boarding as "many of the charity's centres are full to bursting point". The RSPCA's AI policy states: "We will be transparent about our use of AI-generated imagery, clearly labelling any content that has been (wholly or partially) created using this technology. "It also states that we will only use AI to accurately represent our work and our purpose. We will not use this technology to create misleading or deceptive images."

Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis confirmed the ban on Wednesday morning, announcing it would begin on 1 January 2027. He said rising anxiety, sleep problems and addictive platforms were to blame for the ban. In a video message to Greek children, the PM said spending long hours ​in front of screens does not allow their minds to rest, and they faced growing pressure from constant ​comparison on social media and online comments. "Greece will be ​among the first countries to take ​such an initiative," Mr Mitsotakis said. "I am certain, ​however, that it will not be the last. Our ⁠goal is to push the European Union in this direction as well." From the start of next year, platforms will need to be able to restrict users or face fines reaching up to 6% of their global turnover, according to digital governance minister Dimitris Papastergiou. Greece's parliament will legislate the ban in mid-2026. There is widespread support for a social media ban among adults in Greece, with 80% supporting the restrictions, according to polling firm ALCO. According to the Greek Safer Internet ‌Centre ⁠in Athens, 75% of children using social media in Greece are of primary‑school age. "Ban them, shut them down. We've ​reached our limits... We parents need help," one mother told the Reuters news agency before the ban was announced. Georgia Efstathiou, 43, said she had tried everything to stop her 14-year-old son from spending so much time on social media - and called on the government to intervene. Another parent, Dimitris Daniil, 44, said he thought a ban should only be in place as a last resort. "I'd prefer a different approach, limiting mobile phone use within the family," he said. "But where that's not possible, perhaps a ban would work as the extreme ⁠remedy." His 14-year-old ​daughter Katerina said most teenagers her age have never known a world without ​social media. "It is the way we learned since we were born," she said. "I can control it - but then ​again I usually get carried away." Phones are already banned in Greek schools, unlike the UK, and the government has set up parental control platforms to ​limit teenagers' screen time. As well as announcing the ban, Mr Mitsotakis wrote to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen to call for coordinated EU action. He argued national measures would not be enough to protect young people and proposed establishing an EU-wide "digital age of majority" of 15. He asked for a coordinated framework to be put in place across the bloc by the end of 2026. In December, Australia banned under-16s from the technology, becoming the first country to do so. Since then, there have been growing calls around the world for governments to tackle online harms faced by young people. Read more:The countries that have social media bans, or are planning to implement oneThe social media-fuelled craze leading to crowds of teens swarming citiesA social media ban for children isn't cut-and-dried case A number of countries are exploring social media bans, including Slovenia, Spain and Austria, with the UK government consulting the public on social media restrictions. As well as an all-out ban for under-16s, the consultation also explores restrictions like digital curfews and screen time limits. The results of that consultation are expected in the summer. The Greek scheme could be the first such ban in Europe when it is introduced next year, although legislators in France may implement a ban sooner if they can get political approval. The French Senate voted in favour of a ban last month. However, a disagreement persists between the government, which advocates a broad ban, and the Senate, which wants to make it conditional on the publication of a list of platforms deemed dangerous for children. If there is agreement in the coming months, a ban would come into force in September. At the same time, a series of landmark legal trials is under way in the US, with the first two major trials recently finding social media companies liable for harming users through addictive features and design.

Carlo Tritta, from Eastleigh, Hampshire, had pleaded guilty to offences including making indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, and intimidating a witness. He was 18 when he began messaging his victim on the gaming app, building her trust online until she felt they were in a relationship. After moving to other platforms as well as Roblox, he then encouraged her to send explicit sexual images. Soon, the grooming moved offline and Tritta started sending the girl - whose identity is protected by law - gifts and takeaways at her family home. After a year of grooming, the victim's mother became concerned and reported Tritta to the police. "I can't even explain how I felt, what I'd seen on my girl's phone," the victim's mother told Sky News. "I can't even explain it, it's like... I have medication to calm me down, I'm in therapy. "It's like a continuing nightmare," she said. After his arrest, when he was ordered not to contact the girl, he continued to do so. Tritta, now 19, sent his victim greeting cards containing his new phone number, because his old phone was being held by the police, and contacted her friends. In one card, he warned her if the case against him ended up in court, "both our names" would be "ran through dirt for the world to see". He also warned her the officer leading the case was male and "would see anything", and claimed he had tried to stop that. Tritta travelled from his Hampshire home to her home in Manchester several times and maliciously called social services about the girl's mother, as well as telling the teenager he had called the police on her mother and brother "for your protection". In December, he was arrested for perverting the course of justice after he tried to get his victim to drop the charges. But, three days after he was given a suspended sentence, Tritta returned to her family home. He was rearrested and was charged with a series of child sex offences. In court the next day, Tritta pleaded guilty to three counts of making indecent images of a child, engaging in sexual communications with a child, causing a child aged 13-15 to watch/look at a sexual image, two counts of intimidating a witness, and criminal damage. Read more from Sky News:Face of a 'vampire' revealedThis AI just passed the 'vending machine test' "Once the police came, and they sat talking to my daughter, and they asked, 'Where did you meet him?' [She said] 'Roblox'. I was like... 'Roblox? The kids game you go on? What?'" said the victim's mother. She blames Roblox for what happened to her daughter, because she said the company "should do more" to protect children. "[It's] a child's game where predators are going on. And they might not even be necessarily there to groom children but they can talk to them freely and do what they want," she said. "It's like a nice playing field for them with children, isn't it?" A Roblox spokesperson said: "We are deeply saddened to hear of this troubling case. With more than 144 million daily active users on Roblox, cases of harm are rare, but we know any incident of harm is one too many and we are committed to building safeguards designed to prevent that from happening." They added: "We cannot comment on this specific case but we work closely with law enforcement to support investigations and will take action where violations of our Terms of Service are found."

Up to 60 patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumours will be recruited in the UK and the US for the study, known as Mighty. The first patient, who is in their 20s, has already been enrolled in the study, which is being led by scientists on the Cancer Grand Challenge's NexTGen team - the UK arm of which is headed by experts at University College London (UCL). The trial will involve patients who have three types of rare and aggressive cancers. Participants will be treated with CAR T-cell immunotherapy, which trains a patient's immune cells to recognise and fight cancer. Dr Karin Straathof, a lead investigator for the Mighty trial, said: "Cancers in children and young people are fundamentally different from those in adults". "They are unique in how they develop, how they resist treatment, and where their vulnerabilities lie, so the treatments should be different too." "We urgently need new treatments that kill cancer cells without harming healthy ones - T-cell immunotherapy has the potential to do just that." She added that: "While current chemotherapy-based treatments work well for some patients, in other patients the tumour does not respond or comes back". Patients in the UK will be recruited from University College London Hospital (UCLH) and Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), while US patients will be recruited from the Children's National Hospital in Washington and the Dana-Faber Cancer Institute in Boston. The trial is also being co-funded by The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research, whose chief executive Ryan Schoenfeld said it offered "a real sense of hope". Read more from Sky News:British teen dies in VietnamJeremy Hunt: Let mums with cancer delay maternity leaveThe trial will include patients with rhabdomyosarcoma, a soft tissue cancer most commonly found in children under the age of 10, which develops in voluntary muscles such as those found in the arms, legs and neck. Patients with Ewing sarcoma, which affects bones or soft tissue in teenagers and young adults, and soft tissue sarcoma, which primarily affects teenage boys and young men, will also be part of the study. Cancer Grand Challenges is a global initiative founded by Cancer Research UK and the National Cancer Institute in the US.