It's social media's latest beef – can you survive on the carnivore diet and, more importantly, should you? "Meatfluencers" on TikTok are extolling the virtues of a regime in which they eat only animal products, including some dairy, while excluding fruit, vegetables, nuts and grains, and true adherents drink nothing but water.

Is there really a health benefit?
The carnivore diet is an extreme form of the ketogenic (keto) diet, which by limiting carbs, forces the body to burn body fat for energy instead. Proponents focus on a 2021 online study that found that "contrary to expectations", eating only meat had several health benefits, "especially in participants with diabetes", Dr Bhavini Shah told Glamour. But experts have "voiced concern regarding the reliability of the research", which was based on self-reported, unverified responses.

Despite such scepticism, a growing number of men and women are joining the "meatfluencing" trend, which was long a male-dominated space.

What do doctors say?
Doctors and dieticians say the carnivore diet lacks essential nutrients and could be a form of disordered eating.

People report benefits for three reasons, PhD researcher Patrick Elliott told the Irish Independent. First, there are few counterarguments from people who have had a bad time on the diet. There is also a strong "anti-establishment narrative" against following recommended guidelines.
Finally, the person's diet may not have been good before they changed to meat-only so they may feel better, "particularly if they have gastrointestinal issues like IBS or IBD and they are reducing trigger foods, or if someone has given up junk food".

But health risks associated with a meat-heavy diet include developing heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes and some cancers. In addition, there may be unpleasant daily side-effects of cutting down on fibre, including constipation, headaches and bad breath.

What should we be eating?
If you want to embrace a healthy diet, said the Daily Mail, "mountains of research" points to one answer: a plant-based regime "rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes".

EU citizens have been told to have enough food, water and essential items to last them for at least three days of crisis.

"New realities require a new level of preparedness," said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, as the continent braces for threats ranging from cyberattacks and armed conflict to disease and the fallout of climate change.

'Prepare, but don't panic'
The stockpiling advice is part of the EU's new Preparedness Union Strategy, which warns that Europe is facing an "increasingly complex and volatile security landscape". 

"'Prepare, but don't panic' is the message," said Deutsche Welle. Hadja Lahbib, the commissioner for preparedness and crisis management, has "admitted that striking a balance between fostering greater understanding and keeping cool heads" is "not always easy". The EU's aim is "prevent people from panicking" and avoid scenes like those in the early days of the Covid pandemic, when supermarket shelves were stripped of toilet paper, Lahbib said. That is why the bloc is "gaming out different scenarios", so that citizens feel ready to cope "in case of danger".

Different countries will also approach "preparedness" in different ways, said Deutsche Welle. "Wildfires are more common in Spain and Greece", for example, while Romania and Bulgaria are more susceptible to earthquakes. Brussels wants to "harmonise protocols and spur on more actions in member states".

From first-aid kits to tin openers
As well as stockpiling 72 hours' worth of food and water, Europeans have been advised to prepare a survival kit of items including torches, matches, radios, identification papers and phone chargers.

Every survival kit should include batteries in case of a power cut, according to the US Federal Emergency Management Agency, and a first-aid kit, manual tin opener and paper maps are essential too. Survivalists are also advised to remember the needs of other members of their family, including taking a favourite toy for pets, and books, games and puzzles for children, because "disasters can be stressful".

One group won't need telling twice, said Metro. "Preppers" have been ready "for years", piling their cupboards high with tinned food and keeping blankets and flares in their cars.

"Few things spark as much impassioned debate as the humble hot cross bun," said London's The Standard. Easter treat or year-round staple? Toasted or untoasted? And, perhaps the biggest dispute of all: should a hot cross bun contain anything other than spices and sultanas? Here are some of this year's best-tasting alternative takes.

M&S Bramley Apple Hot Cross Buns
Toasting these tasty buns left "the room filled with a sweet, spiced apple scent", said The Independent. "Deliciously sweet", without abandoning the "classic flavours", they're filled with "generous chunks of apple" and taste "naturally buttery".

Exceptional by Asda Tiramisu Hot Cross Buns
"OK, I admit it – I was doubtful," said Xanthe Clay in The Telegraph. But Asda's tiramisu take on hot cross buns is a "surprise hit". With chocolate drops and a "hint of coffee flavour", the buns are "not too sweet" and work well even when untoasted.

Morrisons The Best Millionaire's Hot Cross Buns
Bursting with fudgy pieces and melted chocolate, these buns sound like they'll be sickly but are actually incredibly "moreish", said The Independent. They somehow manage to maintain an "almost custard-like centre".

Waitrose No. 14 Apricot & Stem Ginger Hot Cross Buns
This luxurious offering from Waitrose is "unusual" but "still in the spirit of a hot cross bun", said The Telegraph. The "smart, plump" buns have "shiny, sticky" tops and are generously filled with apricot pieces and "gorgeous" crystallised stem ginger.

Bettys Large Yorkshire Rarebit Hot Cross Bun
"For something completely different", said Good Housekeeping, Bettys' giant savoury hot cross bun is a great option. The sharing-sized bun is made with mature cheddar and parmesan, marmalade porter ale and a "sprinkling" of chives.

Putin has pushed Trump too far
Owen Matthews in The Spectator
Donald Trump has said he's "very angry" with Vladimir Putin, and the Russian president should "take those words very seriously", writes Owen Matthews. "Like an orange version of the Incredible Hulk, the Kremlin won't like Trump when he's angry." But Putin is "arrogant and lives in a bubble of yes-men and old KGB apparatchiks", so it's "more than likely" that he will "provoke a much stronger opponent into an unpredictable display of fury".

It's a WhatsApp world at work now
Pilita Clark in the Financial Times
There is an "irksome blurring of work and play on the chat apps that have come to dominate so much of daily life", writes Pilita Clark. Starting "some time before Covid", colleagues and work contacts "began to send messages over apps once confined to social life". The consequences go beyond work-life balance – "off-channel" communications have landed a growing number of politicians "in hot water" and left US banks facing "more than $2.5bn of fines since 2021".

How sweet! Chic establishments are pairing wine with ice cream
The Times editorial board
Rather than "shell out for a full meal, or spend an evening drinking", cash-strapped younger consumers are "sampling the delights of wine with ice cream", says The Times. It "may sound counterintuitive" but the "combination is flourishing online and in chic establishments in London and Paris". Wines such as pinot noir "would in principle be well-suited" to pairing with ice cream, so even the "sceptical" should try it "at least once".