PROUD MEDIA NEWS CENTRE

  Originally dominated by men, the podcast market in German-speaking countries is currently undergoing a significant change: in 2025, it will be primarily female listeners under 30 who will shape the market - in terms of reach, usage and interest in topics. This is shown in the new “Podcast 2025 Report” by Seven.One Audio, the leading podcast marketer in Germany. The genres “Comedy”, “True Crime” and “Society & Culture” are particularly popular among them - a trend that is also reflected in the overall listenership. However, the influence of female listeners is not only evident in the young target group: across all age groups, their share of total usage time is now over 50%. At the same time, the podcast market continues to grow steadily: reach is increasing among younger listeners in particular, while usage duration and frequency are increasing in all target groups. The market is also booming on the supply side: almost 13,000 new podcasts were published in 2024 - primarily on ...

  A sword attacker has been found guilty of virtually decapitating a schoolboy and injuring five more people during a rampage he compared to The Hunger Games. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, had gone into a cannabis-induced psychosis when he killed 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin with a samurai sword, the Old Bailey heard. Witnesses described the former Amazon delivery driver screaming “in delight” and smiling after mortally wounding Daniel, who had been walking to school in his PE kit. Prosecutor Tom Little KC told jurors it was “miraculous” that more people weren’t killed as Monzo slashed and chopped at whoever he came across over 20 minutes. Monzo had killed and skinned his pet cat Wizard before he ran amok in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. As well as killing Daniel, Monzo, who had a blue belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu, also attacked a pedestrian, two police officers and a couple in their own home before he was arrested by police. Afterwards, Monzo likened events to the H...

  Sir Keir Starmer insisted Nato remains committed to collective defence after US President Donald Trump cast doubt on his support for the mutual aid pact. Before Wednesday’s Nato summit in The Hague, Mr Trump had told reporters on the flight from Washington it would depend “on your definition” of Article 5, when asked if he would commit to collective defence. Nato’s Article 5 commits all members of the alliance to come to the defence of each other if attacked. But speaking to broadcasters on the way into the summit, the Prime Minister said allies were “absolutely committed to the importance of Nato, particularly in a very volatile world”. And before the meeting of the North Atlantic Council on Wednesday, Sir Keir appeared to be in deep conversation with Mr Trump. Sir Keir’s message was repeated by Nato secretary-general Mark Rutte, who opened the summit meeting with the words: “Our joint commitment to Article 5, that an attack on one is an attack on all, sends a powerful message.”...

  Peter Falconio was backpacking with his partner Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire, when he was ambushed and shot dead by Bradley John Murdoch. Police in Australia are offering a $500,000 (£238,670) reward for information leading to the discovery of the remains of murdered British backpacker Peter Falconio. The reward has been announced ahead of the 24th anniversary of the 28-year-old's death. Mr Falconio and his partner Joanne Lees, both from Yorkshire, had been driving near the tiny settlement of Barrow Creek on the remote Stuart Highway in the Northern Territory of Australia in 2001. The couple were backpacking across the country in a camper van when Bradley John Murdoch pulled up beside them claiming to have seen sparks coming from their vehicle. He shot Mr Falconio in the head as he inspected the van, before forcing Ms Lees into his vehicle and binding her wrists with cable ties. She managed a daring escape, hiding in the outback scrub for hours before flagging down a passing ...

  A private meeting between Donald Trump and the King will not take place before a full state visit, as was initially proposed in a letter of invitation from the monarch, Sky News understands. It's understood this has been accepted and appreciated by all parties. It has been suggested the complexities of both principals' diaries has meant a private meeting is not possible over the course of the summer months, and thus the formal planning for an official state visit has begun. 30:55 Play Video - Trump to get second state visi From February: Trump to get second state visit It appears the visit is likely to take place in September, as mentioned previously by Mr Trump, but this has not been officially confirmed by Buckingham Palace. The palace has confirmed that last week the "manu regia" was hand-delivered by representatives from the UK's Washington embassy to the White House. This is the hand-signed formal invitation from the King to President Trump for a second sta...

  Man appears in court charged with 63 crimes in Legacy Funeral Directors inquiry A man has appeared in court after police recovered 35 bodies and ashes from a funeral directors. Robert Bush, formerly of Kirk Ella, East Riding of Yorkshire, appeared at Hull Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday morning (June 25) charged with 63 offences in connection to the Legacy Independent Funeral Directors investigation, after officers recovered 35 bodies and ashes from its premises. Mr Bush, 47, is charged with 30 counts of preventing a lawful and decent burial and 30 counts of fraud by false representation. It is said all of the offences took place between 20 April, 2023 and 6 March, 2024. He is also charged with one count of theft from a charity between September 1, 2017, and March 6, 2024 and one count of fraudulent trading in relation to funeral plans between May 23 May, 2012 and March 6, 2024. He is also charged with one count of fraud by false representation in relation to ...

A cable theft has prompted huge disruption with the operator admitting the service is in ‘chaos. Eurostar passengers have been warned to cancel or postpone their journeys this morning after delays and cancellations left the service in “total chaos”. A huge cable theft near Lille, France, has caused severe disruption on the high-speed line in both directions between London and Paris,  where hundreds of passengers are said to be waiting to board a train. Today’s disruption comes after passengers faced long delays on Tuesday evening, when two people were hit by trains on the cross-Channel network. One customer claimed on social media that their disabled niece “had no choice to sleep on the floor of the train station” at Gare du Nord, Paris after their train to London was cancelled. “Her birthday holiday was ruined,” they added. Passenger Matt Bould told  The Independent  he had driven all the way from Lyon to Paris to catch a train to England so he can at...

  The Financial Conduct Authority has launched a discussion paper on the potential benefits and risks of changing mortgage rules. First-time buyers, people borrowing into retirement and those who are self-employed could benefit from possible changes to mortgage rules, as the  City  regulator kicks off a “public conversation” into the future of the market. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a discussion paper on the potential benefits and risks that changing rules could see. The paper highlights parts of the market where changes could help support wider access to sustainable home ownership as well as economic growth, and where allowing more flexibility could make it easier for lenders to tailor their products to customers’ needs. David Geale, executive director for payments and digital finance at the FCA, told the PA news agency: “We’re starting a public conversation on the future of the mortgage market, to see what we can do to help consumers navigate...

  Ben Duckett’s triumphant 149 guided England to another round of Headingley heroics as they completed a wonderful chase to down India by five wickets in the first Test. Yorkshire’s headquarters have witnessed some outrageous spectacles over the years, with Ashes classics in 1981, 2019 and 2023, and England chalked up another as they knocked off a massive target of 371 late on day five. That was their second highest pursuit ever – seven shy of the 378 they made against the same opposition at Edgbaston three years ago – as well as the 10th largest of all time. Duckett was their inspiration, leading a superb opening stand of 188 with Zak Crawley (65) and going on to a sixth Test hundred to take complete control. Only one Englishman has scored more in a fourth-innings win, Mark Butcher’s unbeaten 173 at the same ground in 2001. With Duckett’s work done, Joe Root’s 53 not out and an unbeaten 44 from Jamie Smith wrapped things up – the latter smashing two big sixes to finish in style wi...

  Ministers are introducing a law change to deport foreign inmates at an earlier point in their sentence in a bid to free up prison space. Fresh legislation is set to be laid in Parliament on Wednesday as the Government grapples with jail overcrowding. The move will apply to foreign criminals subject to the early removal scheme, when prisoners are serving fixed-term sentences. It will mean prisoners with no right to stay in the UK could be deported after serving 30% of their sentence, instead of 50% currently. Those serving sentences for terror-related offences are excluded from the scheme. According to the Ministry of Justice, foreign offenders make up around 12% of the prison population and removing them from the country earlier could free up around 500 jail cells a year. A prison place costs on average £54,000, the department added. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: “With prisons close to bursting, I’m clear we shouldn’t be giving bed and board to foreign criminals with no...