Tearfully recalling the moment, she said: “I saw Leo on his bike perched up against a wall, and he was talking to himself as if he had an imaginary friend, and it made me fall in love with him so much.
“But equally and probably one of the reasons why it’s jerking tears is because, I guess for a second I thought, ‘oh god is this because he doesn’t have any siblings?’’.
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As Ryan attempted to reassure his emotional partner, she revealed her first time mum fears that Leo’s behaviour was “abnormal.”
He reflected: “I think that’s very normal for kids, I’m pretty sure I had imaginary friends.”
To this, Louise shared: “I guess Leo’s our only child and we’re still first-time parents and navigating all of those milestones for the first time.
“And you don’t really know what to expect when you have one child, you have nothing to compare it to, so I didn’t know whether that was normal.”
However, she then claimed a fan had got in touch with her to tell her that a child having an imaginary friend was a “sign of intelligence.”
Alongside the podcast clip, Louise wrote: “First-time parenting really is just learning on the go, isn’t it?
Louise Thompson’s fiance Ryan admits he ‘resented her’ after traumatic birth of son where she asked him ‘am I dying?’
“Every week there’s something new, something that makes you stop and think.
“It can feel scary, but it’s also the most rewarding thing in the world.”
I worried that it was because we haven’t been able to give Leo a sibling yet
Louise Thompson
Opening up about the support from fans, the brunette beauty wrote: “One of my followers messaged me to say that having an imaginary friend at a young age is a sign of intelligence.
“That was really kind of her because as an anxious first time mum navigating this whole world as each milestone passes, I worried that it was because we haven’t been able to give Leo a sibling yet.”
Numerous other fans followed and eagerly rushed to the comments to share their support and reassure Louise that Leo’s behaviour was in fact “normal”, as one said: “Bless though wonderful mummy tears. That raw protective emotion we feel is unmatched to one another.”
A second chimed in: “All the only children I know are so smart, great with people of all ages and very capable and independent thinkers.”
Is it selfish having an only child?
MARRIED gift company owner Calypso, 40, has a five-year-old son. She says:
I took great pride in being an only child. That’s why I deliberately have just the one.
I never felt I was missing out on anything through not having a sibling. There was never a time when I craved a brother or sister.
It was not until I was in junior school, aged eight, that I gave it any thought. I wasn’t a loner – I had lots of friends – but the advantage was I got to have time alone too.
I’d make up games or draw for hours. If anything, being an only child stretched my imagination.
Mum worked long hours in the TV industry. People might think it’s glamorous but working freelance meant she couldn’t afford to have another child, financially or time-wise.
I’ve always been told I have “only child” traits, like working for myself or being a bit bossy. And I’m the first to say I am headstrong. I certainly don’t take to being told what to do, either.
I’d always known I would have just the one child – and that’s because I like my independence. We get to go away. I cycle everywhere with my son on the back of my bike and we live on a canal boat.
It’s a life we all love and it wouldn’t work with four of us. I also have more time for my other half, as my mum is very happy to look after one child.
I like an easy life. I just don’t know how parents cope with three kids. One child is enough for me to parent. I like my moments of peace and I don’t enjoy chaos.
I’ve got enough energy, resources and focus to make sure he gets my attention to live his best life.
It’s working so far. He hasn’t noticed that he doesn’t have any brothers or sisters.
He thrives on having lots of “Mum and Dad time”. My husband has a brother yet he wasn’t fussed about having more than one kid. He also prefers an easy life.
With the financial resources we have, I can give my son a good life filled with love, adventure and my undivided attention.
Maybe I’m selfish but we are working to our capabilities to keep a happy and healthy family unit.
Meanwhile, a third penned: ”I have a daughter, only child, and I still worry and she’s 33! She is the kindest, most grounded girl and I’m so proud of her….. you’re doing an amazing job.”
At the same time, one mother explained: “Our 5-year-old daughter used to have an imaginary friend called Boxy. I was worried at first but it’s very normal and also a sign of great imagination. I love her for it.”
With the desire to extend her family in the future, Louise has also spoken of difficulties and admitted she will “never carry another child.”
Our 5-year-old daughter used to have an imaginary friend called Boxy. It’s very normal and also a sign of great imagination
Instagram user
She told Grazia: “For a long time I was so triggered by babies – I couldn’t look at people’s babies and pregnancy announcements and those sorts of things.
“The tricky thing for us is that this just isn’t really possible in the conventional way because I’m not going to carry another child.
“I really wanted to freeze my eggs and some embryos last year, but I was overcoming my stoma surgery for a good chunk and then that was when I started to feel really well.
“And I feel like I slightly missed the boat but I can’t put the blame on myself because there wasn’t really an appropriate time before I started taking a bit of a dip again.”
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The mum-of-one received a flood of support from fansCredit: instagram/@hesaid.shesaid.podcast
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Many reassured her and praised her son’s “great imagination”Credit: Instagram
WASHINGTON — The Democratic Party’s standing in public opinion polls has sunk to its lowest point in more than 30 years. Many of the party’s own voters think their leaders aren’t fighting hard enough against President Trump. In one survey, the words they used most often were “weak” and “tepid.”
“The party is in shambles,” said James Carville, the political strategist who helped Bill Clinton win the White House after a similar bout of disarray a generation ago.
And yet, in recent weeks, the beleaguered party has begun to exhibit signs of life.
Its brand is still unpopular, but its chances of winning next year’s congressional elections appear to be growing; in recent polls, the share of voters saying they plan to vote Democratic has reached a roughly 5% lead over the GOP. Potential presidential candidates, led by California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, are competing noisily for the title of fiercest Trump-fighter. And they have an ace in the hole: As unloved as the Democratic Party is, Trump is increasingly unpopular, too, with an approval rating sagging to 40% or below in some polls.
“There’s no requirement that people love the Democratic Party in order to vote for it,” Republican pollster Patrick Ruffini said last week. “In an era of negative partisanship, people are motivated to vote more by dislike of the other party than by love for their own.”
So Carville, despite his diagnosis of “shambles,” thinks things are looking up in the long run.
“The Democratic Party’s present looks pretty bad, but I think its future looks pretty good,” he said. “I think we’re going to be fine.”
He cited several straws in the wind: the Democrats’ new energy as they campaign against Trump; the encouraging poll numbers on next year’s congressional elections; and an impressive bench of up-and-coming leaders.
“The talent level in the current Democratic Party is the highest I’ve ever seen,” he said. “Whoever comes out on top of that competition is going to be a pretty strong candidate.”
But that nomination is three years away — and meanwhile, Democrats face daunting hurdles. For one, Trump has pressed Texas and other Republican-led states to redraw congressional maps to cement GOP control of the House of Representatives — an effort that could succeed despite Newsom’s attempt to counter it in California.
Gov. Gavin Newsom is pushing a measure to redraw California’s congressional map to aid Democrats.
(Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)
The Democrats, by comparison, remain leaderless and divided — arguing over the lessons of their 2024 defeat and debating how to regain their lost support among working-class and minority voters.
In a historical sense, the party is going through a familiar ordeal: the struggle a party normally faces after losing an election.
So Carville and other strategists have sketched out variations of what you might call a three-step recovery plan: First, get out of Washington and rally public opposition to Trump. Second, focus their message on “kitchen table issues,” mainly voters’ concerns over rising prices and a seemingly sluggish economy. Third, organize to win House and Senate elections next year.
“We have to do well in 2026 to demonstrate we’re not so toxic that people won’t vote for us anymore,” said Doug Sosnik, another former Clinton aide.
They’re arguing over the lessons of defeat and debating how to regain lost support among working-class and minority voters.
In battling Trump, they say they’ve found a starting point.
“We’ve found our footing. We’ve gone on the offensive,” argued Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont), who spent most of the summer campaigning across the country. “Trump’s cuts to Medicaid and tax breaks for billionaires have given us a message we can unite around.”
They still have plenty of differences over specific policies — but a spirited debate, some say, is exactly what the party needs.
“The most important task of the Democratic Party is to organize … the most robust debate Democrats have had in a generation,” said William A. Galston of the Brookings Institution, a former Clinton aide who argues that the party needs to move to the center.
Here’s what most Democratic leaders agree on: They’ve heard their voters’ demands for a more vigorous fight against Trump. They agree that they need to reconnect with working-class voters who don’t believe the party really cares about them. They need to cast themselves as a party of change, not the status quo. And they need to begin by regaining control of the House of Representatives next year.
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Fremont) says the Democrats have “found our footing.”
(Sue Ogrocki / Associated Press)
Most Democrats also agree that they need to focus on a positive message on economic issues such as the cost of living — to use this year’s buzzword, “affordability.”
But they differ on the specifics.
Progressives like Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) have focused on “fighting oligarchy,” including higher taxes on the wealthy and government-run health insurance.
Khanna, a Silicon Valley progressive, is campaigning for a program he calls “economic patriotism” — essentially, industrial policies to spur investments in strategic sectors.
Sen. Ruben Gallego of Arizona, a blunt-spoken populist, wants to make capitalism do more for ordinary workers. “Every Latino man wants a big-ass truck,” he said in an interview with the New York Times. “We’re afraid of saying, like, ‘Hey, let’s help you get a job so you can become rich.’”
And from the party’s centrist wing, former Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel describes his program as “build, baby, build,” arguing that Democrats should focus on making housing affordable and expanding technical and vocational education.
A sharper debate has opened over social and cultural issues: Should Democrats break with the identity politics — the stuff Republicans deride as “woke” — that animates much of their progressive wing? Moderate Democrats argue that “wokeness” has alienated voters in the center and made it impossible to win presidential elections.
“I think there’s a perception that Democrats became so focused on identity that we no longer had a message that could actually speak to people across the board,” former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told NPR last month.
The controversy over transgender women and girls in women’s sports has become an early test. Newsom, Buttigieg and Emanuel have broken with the left, arguing that there’s a case for barring transgender women from competition. “It is an issue of fairness,” Newsom said on his podcast in March.
Their statements prompted fierce backlash from LGBTQ+ rights advocates. “I’m now going to go into a witness protection plan,” Emanuel joked in an interview with conservative podcaster Megyn Kelly in July.
Other Democrats have tread more cautiously. “We need to make a compelling economic vision … our first, second and third priority,” Khanna said. Meanwhile, be said, “we can stay true to our values.”
Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin was blunter. “We have to stand up for every LGBTQ kid and their family who want to play sports like any other kid,” he said last week.
Those battles will play out over the long campaign, already in its first stirrings, for the next presidential nomination — the traditional way American political parties settle on a single message.
“It takes time for a party to get up off the mat,” acknowledged Sosnik, the former Clinton strategist. “We didn’t get here overnight. We’re not going to get out of it overnight.”
Premier League champions Liverpool host last season’s runners-up Arsenal on Sunday (16:30 BST kick-off), with both teams looking to keep up their perfect starts to this campaign.
Could we be in for another thriller like the extraordinary 4-4 draw the sides shared at Anfield in 2009, when a certain Russia striker scored all of Arsenal’s goals?
That’s the match we’ve chosen for this week’s Saturday starting line-ups quiz.
How many players can you name? You have seven minutes. Good luck!
Aug. 30 (UPI) — North Carolinian Jan Carey on Wednesday was charged with two misdemeanor counts arising from the burning of a U.S. flag on Monday as an act of protest.
Carey, 54, is charged with one count of lighting and maintaining a fire in an area that is not designated for fires and without using a receptacle under approved conditions.
He also is charged with one count of creating a public hazard by lighting and tending a fire in a manner that threatened, caused damage to and resulted in the burning of property, real property and park resources.
U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro and Assistant U.S. Attorney Travis Wolf filed the charges against Carey in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.
Each charge carries a maximum penalty of up to six months in jail and fines based on the amount of damage done.
Carey burned the flag in front of the White House on the same day that President Donald Trump signed an executive order making it illegal to burn the U.S. flag.
Carey was arrested and said he is a veteran who burned the flag in protest over the president’s executive order, CBS News reported.
Upon learning of the executive order, Carey told WUSA that he wanted to test the executive order.
The executive order also requires Attorney General Pam Bondi to challenge a 1989 Supreme Court ruling affirming that burning the U.S. flag is a form of protected speech
Bridget Phillipson told the BBC that the start of the year was a crucial time for pupils and parents
The education secretary has warned parents of the dangers of poor attendance at the start of the school year, as children return for the new term this week.
It comes as BBC analysis reveals more than half of pupils who missed some of the first week of school went on to become “persistently absent” in 2024, compared with just 14% of pupils who fully attended the first week.
Bridget Phillipson said schools and parents should “double down” to get children into classrooms at the start of the 2025 term.
She told BBC Breakfast: “What we know is if children miss a day or two in the first couple of weeks of term, they’re more likely to go on to be persistently absent.”
She continued: “That means they’re more likely not to be going to school on a regular basis, and all the consequences that has for their life chances.”
Phillipson said parents had to pull together with schools and government to get their children “off to a good start”.
Data first seen by the BBC showed about 18% of pupils were persistently absent in the 2024-25 school year.
This was down from a peak of 23% in 2021-22, but higher than the pre-Covid levels of about 11%.
Schools have always grappled with attendance issues, but they became much worse after the pandemic in 2020 and schools closed to most pupils during national lockdowns.
Attendance has improved since, but it remains a bigger problem than before Covid.
The Department for Education (DfE) said the data from the first week of the 2024-25 school year showed the start of term was “critical” for tackling persistent absence.
The Conservatives said Labour’s Schools Bill had dismantled a system that had “driven up standards for decades”.
A head teachers’ union said more support was needed “outside of the school gates” to boost attendance.
Karl Stewart, head teacher at Shaftesbury Junior School in Leicester, said his school’s attendance rates were higher than average and but there was a “definite dip” in the two years after Covid.
“I get why. Some of that wasn’t necessarily parents not wanting to send them in. It was because either they had got Covid or other things, they were saying, ‘We’ll just keep them off now to be sure’,” he said.
The school has incentives like awards and class competitions to keep absence rates down, and Mr Stewart said attendance had more or less returned to pre-Covid levels.
“When we have the children in every day the results are just better,” he said.
“If you’re here, that gives you more time for your teacher to notice you, for us to see all that good behaviour [and] that really hard work – and that’s what we want.”
But, like lots of schools, he said some parents still took their children on unauthorised term-time holidays to make the most of cheaper costs.
Others, he said, have taken children for medical treatments overseas to avoid NHS waiting lists.
Head teacher Karl Stewart says results are “just better” for pupils with high attendance
The education secretary said that while attendance improved last year, absence levels “remain critically high, putting at risk the life chances of a whole generation of young people”.
“Every day of school missed is a day stolen from a child’s future,” Phillipson said.
“As the new term kicks off, we need schools and parents to double down on the energy, the drive and the relentlessness that’s already boosted the life chances of millions of children, to do the same for millions more.”
Parents can be fined upwards of £80 if their child misses five days of school without permission. Last year, a record number of fines for unauthorised family holidays were issued in England.
Phillipson told BBC Breakfast that fines remained “an important backstop within the system”.
“It’s not just about our own children, but the impact it has on the whole class – if teachers are having to spend time covering work they’ve already done, it is disruptive,” she said.
But the education secretary stressed that schools were asked to take a “support-first” approach and work with parents where there were wider issues affecting a pupil’s attendance.
The DfE said 800 schools were set to be supported by regional school improvement teams – through attendance and behaviour hubs.
These hubs are made up of 90 exemplary schools which will offer support to improve struggling schools through training sessions, events and open days.
It said it had appointed the first 21 schools that will lead the programme.
However, Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said attendance hubs were not a “silver bullet” and a more “strategic approach” was needed.
“I think the government has worked really hard to improve attendance and it continues to be a priority for them, but there’s certainly more to do,” he told the BBC.
“So many of the challenges that [school leaders] are facing come from beyond the school gates – children suffering with high levels of anxiety, issues around mental health.”
He said school leaders wanted quicker access to support for those pupils and specialist staff in schools, but pupils also needed “great role models” in the community through youth clubs and volunteer groups.
Shadow education secretary Laura Trott said: “Behaviour and attendance are two of the biggest challenges facing schools and it’s about time the government acted.”
She added: “There must be clear consequences for poor behaviour not just to protect the pupils trying to learn, but to recognise when mainstream education isn’t the right setting for those causing disruption.”
The UK Government has issued an urgent reminder to all passport holders who are planning to travel abroad in the near future, whether it be for a holiday or business purposes
HM Passport Office has been sending out an alert(Image: krblokhin via Getty Images)
Passport holders across the UK have received a crucial warning from HM Passport Office. Officials are urging anyone planning holidays or business trips abroad to carry out one vital check.
Text messages circulating read: “Remember to check that your passport is valid for the country you are travelling to.” The guidance also emphasises the need to “check the entry requirements” via their official website. This resource lists numerous destinations and helps travellers access “advice and warnings about travel abroad, including entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences.”
France serves as a prime example of a popular holiday spot and travel guidance highlights that France operates under Schengen area regulations. Under these rules, your passport must have a ‘date of issue’ less than 10 years before the date you arrive, and have an ‘expiry date’ at least 3 months after the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (the expiry date does not need to be within 10 years of the date of issue).
Before you start packing your bags, you need to make sure you’re clued up on the requirements. The UK Government has issued a fresh warning to holidaymakers, which reads: “Do not book travel until you have a valid passport – your new passport will not have the same number as your old one.”
If it’s time for a renewal, head over to the official GOV.UK website to submit your application. You can replace, renew, apply for or update your passport and even make a payment online.
The cost of a passport can vary based on your age and whether you apply online or via post. Applying online could save you £12.50 compared to sending your application by post.
In the waning days of the 1960s, when Don Sutton was starting his Hall of Fame career and Don Drysdale was finishing his, kids all over the Southland could turn on Channel 9 and catch a block of cartoons. “Speed Racer” came on first, followed by “Ultraman”.
In the lore: “A 130-foot tall red and silver giant of light, Ultraman came to Earth from another galaxy to protect humanity from invading aliens and giant monsters.”
Fortunately, the meet-and-greet version of Ultraman that showed up at Dodger Stadium on Tuesday was about 6 feet tall. I dropped by to say hello, although I had been warned he did not converse with humans.
“He’ll look at you quizzically, but also with endearment, knowing you are a little carbon-based unit that would like to become his friend,” said David Kornblum, president of Tsuburaya Fields Media and Pictures Entertainment.
Ultraman turns 60 next year. Kornblum is based in Los Angeles, and his job is to take what his Tokyo-based company calls “Japan’s most beloved superhero” and revive his popularity in the United States. This fall, you’ll be able to stream new and classic episodes of Ultraman.
It’s not just that Shohei Ohtani is more popular than Ultraman in Japan these days. If you’re a Japanese company wanting to get the word out in America about your product, you’re in good company at Dodger Stadium.
“With the Dodgers, you’ve got a 50,000-seat stadium basically sold out for 80 games a year,” Kornblum said. “It’s a natural in terms of having exposure for this character in this market, the second-largest market in the country.
“You have the opportunity to showcase your character with the most popular team.”
The “Shohei economy,” as one team official dubbed it last year, has taken on a new dimension.
Japanese fans flock to Dodger Stadium, of course, taking stadium tours conducted in Japanese, enjoying a variety of national delicacies at concession stands and clutching shopping bags packed with hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of dollars’ worth of Ohtani merchandise.
And, of the 24 corporations with advertising space between the foul poles at Dodger Stadium as of Tuesday, eight are based in Asia.
What’s new: With Ohtani as a global attraction, Japanese entertainment companies have used Dodger Stadium as a platform to popularize their star attractions.
“There is not a business sector that hasn’t weighed in with us,” Dodgers president Stan Kasten said, noting the Dodgers’ league-leading attendance and global viewership. “We are an entertainment venue. We’re a place to go to get attention.
“If you’re a brand looking for attention, where else would you go?”
With each deal, Ohtani’s contract becomes even more magical for the Dodgers. Never mind, for the moment, the sponsorships with Asian airlines, retailers, beverage companies, and so on.
With four Japanese character appearances at Dodger Stadium this season, the Dodgers have made more than the $2 million they pay Ohtani in salary this year. (The other $68 million is deferred.)
And, as the entertainment companies reach customers in the United States, the Dodgers reach fans in Japan, where they have leveraged Ohtani to become the dominant major league team.
The Dodgers launched a fan club there this year. Kasten said they hope to expand their marketing presence there as Major League Baseball considers relaxing rules under which the league itself — rather than individual teams — typically controls international business ventures.
“FC Barcelona told me they have 300 million fans around the world,” Kasten said. “That’s a good role model.”
When Tokyo’s Cover Corp. opened a Los Angeles office last year, they brought their star animated character — Gawr Gura — to Dodger Stadium.
“The fact that we could say we had a collaboration with the Dodgers, that is helpful to show we are that level of a brand,” said Motoaki Tanigo, the chief executive of Cover. “That was helpful to us, to introduce ourselves.”
The Dodgers sold 8,000 tickets as part of the Cover promotion, the company said and the team confirmed, with 80% of those fans visiting Dodger Stadium for the first time, and with many showing up super early to snap up commemorative merchandise. Cover staged a larger ballpark promotion this year.
Ultraman takes down Alien Baltan before before the ceremonial first pitch on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.
(Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times)
Ultraman brought no merchandise with him, but he did bring an evil nemesis, who tried to steal the show during the ceremonial first pitch. If the point was to identify the evil nemesis called a kaiju for an unfamiliar audience, I suggested the company dress him in a Padres uniform.
“Or in a Giants uniform,” Kornblum said. “I would love if they would allow us to have a full smackdown, with a kaiju in a Giants jersey vs. Ultraman in a Dodgers jersey.
“A beatdown at home plate would be fun. But the corporate guys won’t let me do that.”
ExxonMobil shareholders have been very happy in recent years.
For years, ExxonMobil Corp(XOM 0.82%) was stuck in limbo. In 2007, for instance, Exxon stock traded at roughly $85 per share. In 2016, nearly a decade later, shares still traded at roughly $85 per share.
The past five years, however, have been very different. Exxon shareholders have crushed the market. You may be surprised to learn just how much a $1,000 investment would have become since the summer of 2020.
ExxonMobil shareholders are very happy about the last 5 years
As one of the largest oil stocks in the world, Exxon is heavily dependent on the prevailing price of oil. Five years ago arguably marks the nadir of the oil price collapse that occurred due to uncertainty surrounding the ongoing global pandemic. In April of 2020, oil prices fell as low as $20 per barrel! By August of that year, prices had already rebounded to around $40 per barrel, but that was still one-third below pre-pandemic levels.
Today, oil prices hover just above $60 per barrel due to rising costs and geopolitical tensions. Today’s price level is roughly 50% higher than it was five years ago, but Exxon’s stock price has risen significantly more.
Source: Getty Images
If you had invested $1,000 into Exxon stock in August 2020, you’d have around $3,460 today. That figure includes dividend income — an important consideration given Exxon currently pays a dividend yield of 3.5%. Over the same time period, a $1,000 investment in the S&P 500 would have grown into just $2,000.
Much of this outperformance stems from Exxon’s continued investments throughout the last bear market. With greater access to capital, the company was able to invest at rock bottom prices, highlighting the company’s capital advantage and savvy leadership. Exxon’s CEO called these strategic moves “counter-cyclical investments” — an appropriate term for a business that can deploy capital at every stage of a cyclical industry.
Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Sudan’s civil war saw a number of developments on the battlefield as well as in diplomacy and the humanitarian crisis.
Published On 31 Aug 202531 Aug 2025
Sudan’s civil war between the Sudanese armed forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary has produced the largest humanitarian crisis in the world.
Estimates suggested tens of thousands of people have died from combat and thousands more have perished from disease and hunger brought on by the war, now well into its third year.
There have been many significant military and political developments this month. Here are the key updates:
Fighting and military control
The SAF is consolidating its control over the capital, Khartoum, which it took from the RSF in March. It also holds the central and eastern regions of Sudan, including its wartime capital of Port Sudan on the Red Sea.
The RSF controls most of the sprawling western region of Darfur and much of the Kordofan region to the south.
The RSF continues to besiege North Darfur’s capital, el-Fasher, where the SAF has its last Darfur garrison. If el-Fasher falls, the RSF will rule over a stretch of land roughly the size of France in western Sudan.
The RSF has escalated attacks on el-Fasher and on nearby displacement camps, including the Abu Shouk camp, where 190,000 people from around Darfur have sought shelter.
It has also erected massive sand berms around el-Fasher from the north, west and east, effectively creating a “kill-box,” according to recent satellite imagery obtained by the Yale Humanitarian Research Hub.
The RSF is working to expand its control in Kordofan by working with a new ally, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), headed by Abdelaziz al-Hilu. The two allied in February to counter the SAF on the battlefield.
With the help of the SPLM-N, the RSF retains control over most of West and South Kordofan, giving them cross-border access to South Sudan.
SAF controls the most strategic city in North Kordofan, el-Obeid, which the RSF is besieging. The SAF needs to hold onto el-Obeid to keep the RSF from threatening central Sudan.
A map showing areas under the control of the RSF and SAF in and around the strategic city of el-Obeid in North Kordofan [Interactive/Al Jazeera]
Humanitarian crisis
The RSF has trapped an estimated 260,000 civilians, including 130,000 children, in el-Fasher, turning the city into an “epicentre of child suffering”, according to UNICEF.
Most are surviving on animal fodder known as ambaz – the residue of pressed oil seeds, such as peanuts, sesame, and sunflower – which they grind into a paste; however, even this is running low.
About one-third of the children in Mellit, a city the RSF controls near el-Fasher, are severely malnourished, according to figures obtained by Relief International and shared with Al Jazeera. That is more than double the World Health Organization’s threshold for a malnutrition emergency.
A cholera outbreak is compounding the humanitarian crisis across the vast region of Darfur, according to Adam Rojal, internally displaced people spokesperson in Darfur. On August 30, he said the water-borne disease killed nine people that day and infected a total of 9,143 people, with 382 deaths, since the epidemic first started in June 2025.
Food convoys from the United Nations and other nongovernmental organisations rarely reach the neglected region of Darfur due to road closures and bureaucratic impediments. Human rights groups and local activists accuse both sides of weaponising food.
The World Food Programme told Al Jazeera that it provides electronic cash assistance to vulnerable people in North Darfur, but no food convoys have reached the region for more than a year.
A UN food convoy was hit by a drone strike in North Darfur on Friday, the second aid convoy in three months to be targeted. The RSF and SAF traded blame for the attack.
There is a similar hunger emergency in South Kordofan due to an RSF siege on the cities of Dilling and Kadugli.
Diplomacy and political developments
RSF leader Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo was reportedly sworn in as president of the parallel “Peace government” on August 31 in South Darfur’s capital, Nyala. SAF hit the city with a drone strike on the same day.
A secret meeting reportedly took place in Switzerland between SAF Commander-in-Chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and a United States adviser in mid-August, ostensibly to discuss a plan to end the war, according to Sudan experts and media outlets. The US has not confirmed the talks.
A week after the secret meeting, al-Burhan retired several senior military officers, some of whom reportedly belong to Sudan’s political Islamist movement, which ruled the country for 30 years with former President Omar al-Bashir at the helm. Experts believe al-Burhan is under external pressure to dilute the influence of prominent figures tied to the al-Bashir government.
When the 2025 cloudburst hit Buner, a district located in northern Pakistan, villagers described how torrents of water came down upon their dwellings with such fury as never before seen. Entire settlements vanished behind walls of mud and rock. Survivors stood amidst the rubble of their houses, blaming fate, blaming climate change, and waiting for relief from the provincial government. But the mountains behind them spoke a different tale. Its slopes, stripped of forests and scarred by marble quarries, had long been preparing for this disaster.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is a province in northern Pakistan where the marble industry has grown very fast. By 2023, more than 6,000 marble factories were working in that province. These factories were mostly found in the Buner, Mardan, Swabi, Malakand, and Mansehra areas and also in the industrial belt on Warsak Road up to Mohmand and Bajaur. In just one city area alone, there were 350 units that Peshawar hosted. Yet alongside this economic boom came a quieter tragedy: about 1,091 units reportedly ran without environmental clearance from the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Only 133 factories held the required no-objection certificates (NOCs). The rest continued to blast mountains, dump slurry, and strip forests unchecked.
The ecological costs have been devastating. Global Forest Watch figures demonstrate that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost an average of 4,690 hectares in tree cover per year between 2020 and 2024. Swat’s forest cover, which at one time was 30 percent in 1947, has now decreased to just about 15 percent in 2025. Deforestation led by marble quarry expansion and firewood extraction that caters to the needs of the urbanizing population results in barren slopes replacing natural watersheds. Mountain blasting destroys soil structure, leading to erosion and reducing the water absorption capacity of the land, thereby ensuring flash floods accompanied by landslides with every spell of heavy rain. The Buner flood was not a natural calamity, but rather it was the net result of years of environmental neglect by the PTI government.
Villagers, whose words seldom reach the ears of policymakers, tell of dry streams, washed-away topsoil, and lost animal corridors that happen when the forest disappears. Farmers watch their yields decline while factory owners argue the industry brings jobs and export earnings Pakistan needs. Yet the floods that now strike with greater intensity destroy far more than they ever build.
Here, the climate debate takes a dangerous turn. Pakistan is right to point out that it happens to be among the top five most climate-vulnerable countries while contributing less than one percent to global carbon emissions. But local actions—unregulated mining, illegal riverbed construction, and deforestation—weigh heavily in magnifying the impacts of a changing climate. Extreme weather may be global, yet the scale of destruction in places like Swat and Buner reflects local choices as much as global injustice.
What makes this tragedy sharper is the economic paradox at its core. The marble industry contributes almost $1.5 billion every year to the economy of Pakistan, and it is this region that supplies a major portion of exports from the country. But this same industry depletes those very ecosystems on which agriculture, tourism, and rural livelihoods depend. When floods destroy the crops, roads, and houses, the damage is more than what profits could be made out of marble extraction, hence leaving the communities in a cycle that has economic gains disappearing with ecological losses.
The provincial government’s unwillingness to act sits at the heart of the crisis, permitting unregulated factories to function as environmental grey zones. The provincial EPA remains underfunded and politically sidelined. Deforestation bans exist on paper but are rarely enforced. Mining royalties swell provincial coffers, while watershed restoration receives scant attention. More than one thousand illegal factories are operating without NOCs, and only a few face closure orders. The trade-off between short-term revenue and long-term ecological survival remains tilted towards profit.
The paradox is striking. The provincial government continues to blame the Global North for carbon emissions yet does not want to place regulations on companies that are destroying its own watersheds. International climate finance and disaster relief from Islamabad come after every flood, but the mountains continue to be stripped, the diggings continue expanding, and the risks multiply.
This does not have to be the case. If NOCs are strictly enforced, if mining companies undertake mandatory watershed restoration, and if provincial climate adaptation plans are integrated with industrial licensing, the trajectory can be altered. When mountain quarrying was regulated in Turkey and Nepal, mining was allowed to proceed, but only under conditions of ecological stewardship, which is only possible under strong governance.
Until then, the people of Buner, Swat, and Malakand pay. With every flood deadlier than the last, every disaster is met with a cycle of blame and appeals for relief. Yes, climate change is a global issue, but in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, it’s as much about local negligence as it is about distant smokestacks. Without governance reforms, no amount of international aid can stop those mountains from crumbling when the next storm comes.
Some countries (such as Bhutan and Sri Lanka) in South Asia have recently piloted community-based watershed rehabilitation efforts wherein local bodies keep checks on mining activities, which are accompanied by financial payouts for reforestation. If applied here, it has the potential to transform the current humanitarian recovery response into an upfront investment for risk reduction. This could pressurize provincial authorities of KP to enforce stricter measures and to plan for resilience in the long run.
The provincial government sinks into its political warfare with the center, treading on anti-state rhetoric while there are crises within its own borders. As elites trade barbs and chase power across the hall, ordinary people pay the price of floods and deforestation and unregulated mining.
Strictly Come Dancing 2025 is just weeks away with 15 stars competing for the Glitterball Trophy
09:37, 31 Aug 2025Updated 09:44, 31 Aug 2025
Strictly’s judges will be watching every dance step
The launch of Strictly Come Dancing 2025 is now just weeks – but there’s bad news for two of the show’s brightest stars.
Pro dancers Luba Mushtuk and Nancy Xu are reportedly gutted to have been told they won’t be getting celebrity partners this year, meaning they are out of competing in the main show.
The BBC dance show kicks off next month with the likes of Emmerdale’s Lewis Cope and model Ellie Goldstein taking part.
There will be 15 stars competing in a couple with one of the experienced professionals. Sadly, it has now been revealed that favourites Luba, 35, and Nancy, 34, will not be training up and performing with the famous faces this year.
A source said : “Luba and Nancy were gutted not to be in a celebrity pairing and competing on the show this year.
Strictly professional Nancy Xu won’t be getting a partner this year(Image: Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)
“They are, understandably, disappointed, but realise that not everyone is able to get a celebrity partner every year.
“Of course, the professional dancers are all expert athletes and want the best chance possible to win, it’s in their nature, but they’re grateful for the gig,’ the insider told The Sun On Sunday.
Last year Nancy was partnered with former X Factor winner Shayne Ward, while Luba was with DIY SOS star Nick Knowles.
Luba Mushtuk had a rough ride on Strictly last year with her partner Nick Knowles plagued by injury(Image: PA)
Earlier this week it was reported that long-serving dancer Gorka Marquez is actually ‘relieved’ not to have a leading role in this year’s show.
Gorka declined the opportunity to be centre stage with a celebrity partner in favour of spending weeks as a judge on the Spanish version of Strictly, Bailando Con Las Estrellas.
A source told The Sun: “Gorka loves Strictly and is so proud to be one of the longest-serving pros, but has said he’ll be relieved not to be there during another fraught series while the show and its cast are accused of toxic behaviour.
“He’s very excited to have been part of the group dances, which were pre-recorded, and loves everyone on the show. But this is the third series where they face questions about bullying, chaperones and everything else.”
Gorka Marquez is switching things up by joining the judging panel this year(Image: Gorka Marquez Instagram)
A spokesperson for Gorka responded: “Gorka does not feel this way at all; he is delighted to still be a part of Strictly alongside his Spanish filming schedule.”
One agent of a star on the show said: “Everyone is a little more mindful about the fact that things can blow up…and one misstep is all it takes. Last year Wynne Evans came under immense pressure, while the previous year Amanda Abbingdon said she had a torrid time…the phrase danger money has been bandied about.”
Strictly has been hit by a string of storms recently. Last year, dancer Giovanni Pernice quit after being accused of bullying and harassing 2023 partner Abbington. Some complaints against him were upheld but he was cleared of the most serious ones in a probe.
In the same series, the BBC pro Graziano Di Prima was removed over claims of misconduct towards partner Zara McDermott during training. And this year, Welsh opera singer Evans left the dance tour after being accused of making inappropriate remarks.
The current series of Strictly got off to a rocky start with Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn quitting the show after just one week into rehearsals. He was swiftly replaced by Emmerdale actor Lewis Cope, who is now hot favourite to win.
Meta Platforms is using artificial intelligence to strengthen its advertising business, and its Orion augmented reality glasses could be the next big consumer electronics product.
Interest in artificial intelligence went parabolic following the release of ChatGPT in late 2022. Since then, Nvidia stock has advanced 1,090% to a market value of $4.2 trillion. And Palantir Technologies stock has climbed 2,340% to a market value of $370 billion. That means the companies are collectively worth $4.6 trillion.
I predict Meta Platforms(META -1.69%) will surpass that figure in no more than five years (i.e., before the end of 2030). The company is currently worth $1.9 trillion, which means its share price must increase by about 247% for its market value to reach $4.7 trillion. Here’s why I think that could happen.
Image source: Getty Images.
Meta Platforms is a digital advertising giant with deep AI expertise
Meta Platforms owns three of the four most popular social media platforms as measured by monthly active users. That competitive advantage lets it collect consumer data on a tremendous scale, and that data helps brands target ad campaigns. As a result, Meta is the second-largest adtech company worldwide and is likely to gain market share, according to Morningstar.
Meta has already made strides in boosting engagement with artificial intelligence (AI). CEO Mark Zuckerberg told analysts on the second-quarter earnings call, “Advancements in our recommendation systems have improved quality so much that it has led to a 5% increase in time spent on Facebook and 6% on Instagram.” He also said that advertising conversion rates increased across both social media platforms, meaning more clicks and purchases.
Importantly, Meta is investing aggressively in AI infrastructure and aspires to automate the entire ad creation process by next year. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Using the ad tools Meta is developing, a brand could present an image of the product it wants to promote along with a budgetary goal, and AI would create the entire ad, including imagery, video, and text.”
Meta’s Orion smart glasses could be the next big consumer electronics product
Meta Platforms is the market leader in smart glasses, a nascent market where shipments more than tripled last year and are forecast to increase faster than 60% annually through 2029. And Meta is actually gaining market share. Its Ray-Ban smart glasses accounted for nearly three-quarters of shipments in the first half of 2025, up from 60% in 2024.
Counterpoint Research writes, “Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses redefine the smart glasses experience by integrating wearable AI while combining a stylish design with enhanced smart functionalities.” The company sees a large opportunity on the horizon. Zuckerberg believes smart glasses could replace smartphones as the personal computing form factor of choice within the next 15 years.
To capitalize, Meta announced Orion last year, smart glasses that incorporate augmented reality (AR) that overlays the physical world with holographic displays. The company will not commercialize the product for several years while it works to make the technology less expensive. However, smart glasses that blend AR and AI could be revolutionary, as they would enable wearers to search the internet, talk with friends, and watch media content without phones.
Apple rose to great heights following its introduction of the iPhone in 2007. If Zuckerberg is correct about smart glasses being the next big breakthrough in consumer electronics, Meta could become the Apple of the next decade, which means its market value could increase substantially in the years ahead.
Meta Platforms could be a $4.7 billion company by mid-2030
To summarize, Meta has a strong presence in digital advertising and a leadership position in smart glasses. Adtech spending is forecasted to grow at a rate of 14% annually through 2032, while smart glasses sales are projected to increase by more than 60% annually through 2029. In total, that gives Meta a reasonable shot at annual earnings growth of 20%+ in the next five years.
That outlook makes the current valuation of 26.7 times earnings seem quite reasonable. And if Meta does grow earnings at 20% annually over the next five years, its share price could increase by 149% without any change in the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio. That would bring its market value to $4.7 trillion by mid-2030, surpassing the current combined market value of Nvidia and Palantir.
Trevor Jennewine has positions in Nvidia and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Apple, Meta Platforms, Nvidia, and Palantir Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
LOCALS in “Britain’s most dangerous” say it has become overrun with knife-wielding kids who are making their lives hell.
In a children’s playground at 2pm on a weekday afternoon, two masked drug dealers bear down on our photographer, spitting threats.
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A hooded young man approached our photographer at Ayresome Gardens childrens play areaCredit: North News & Pictures Ltd
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The remains of a trolley and fire outside homes in the Hemlington area of MiddlesbroughCredit: NNP
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Middlesbrough town centre – where crime is on the riseCredit: North News & Pictures Ltd
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The two young men questioned what our reporter for was doingCredit: North News & Pictures Ltd
The two young men had seen him taking pictures in the town centre park and wanted to make sure they didn’t appear in them, one putting on a balaclava and the second pulling up the hood of his jacket.
After threatening to smash up his equipment, one of them explained the reason they were there.
“We’re here to f*** up your society by selling drugs to the white boys,” he snarls.
It’s an alarming – but perhaps not surprising – welcome to Middlesbrough, the Teesside town which now has the unenviable status of “Britain’s most dangerous”.
New Home Office statistics reveal that the town suffered 158 crimes per 1,000 people – or to put it another way, one person in six was the victim of crime in the past year.
The Community Safety Partnership stats show Middlesbrough was eclipsed only by Westminster (423 crimes per 1,000) and Camden (195) – although both have much higher populations.
After encountering the town centre drug dealers, The Sun went to the crime-plagued Hemlington estate on the south western edge of the town to speak to locals.
The hot topic of the day was the suspension of bus routes to some parts of the estate due to stone and brick attacks by children aged as young as 10.
And another community facility, the Cleveland Huntsman pub, had just had its licence revoked after a man was allegedly stabbed and slashed in an altercation following a spate of criminal damage at the premises.
A number of knife-related cases from recent months are heading through the courts, including the murder of 28-year-old Jordan Hogg.
Our once-booming town has become a benefits sinkhole where HALF of adults are out of work & bored, feral kids set homes alight with fireworks
Four men and two youths deny stabbing him to death in the bleak Fonteyn Court.
It was also on Fonteyn Court that a 19-year-old man was stabbed on August 11 at 5.20pm – and within five minutes a 21-year-old man suffered the same fate on nearby Dalwood Court.
There was a weary acceptance from locals.
“It’s sickening but at the same time it’s just bog standard,” says one elderly woman who stops to chat on Fonteyn Court.
The kids are carrying knives before they’ve left primary school and they learn from the older lads how to use them, the number of stabbings is out of control.
Resident in Fonteyn Court
“The kids are carrying knives before they’ve left primary school and they learn from the older lads how to use them, the number of stabbings is out of control.
“I’d say we need more bobbies, but they have no respect for authority. I mean, just look around you.”
She has a point. The street is split around 50/50 between occupied and boarded up houses. Disconcertingly, voices can be heard coming from behind some of the green shutters.
Mattresses are dumped on pavements and the remains of torched wheelie bins, sofas and shopping trolleys litter the deserted green areas where children might once have played.
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Discarded mattresses in Fonteyn Court, Hemlington, an area which is a crime hotspot in the townCredit: NNP
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Residents say kids are carrying knives before they’ve left primaryCredit: NNP
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Many locals are worried to leave their homes in parts of the townCredit: NNP
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The one rare sign of cheer is that someone has placed a giant paddling pool at the centre of a grassy areaCredit: NNP
The one rare sign of cheer is that someone has placed a giant paddling pool at the centre of a grassy area, a hosepipe leading through the back gate of a neighbouring house.
People are loath to speak publicly for fear of reprisals, but one shopkeeper tells us “feral” kids are at the centre of the problems.
“You can see them lining up at the side of the road to bomb the buses with bricks,” he says.
“Some of them are tiny little kids, screaming and swearing as they chuck stones.”
Police travelling undercover on buses
The situation became so bad that officers from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team travelled undercover on buses in the area, leading to the arrest of a 10-year-old boy on suspicion of four counts of criminal damage and three counts of causing danger to road users.
He was later referred to the Youth Offending Team while another boy aged 14 was identified and dealt with for separate offences.
Middlesbrough Council identified a further 10 kids involved in nuisance behaviour, with home visits and “diversionary activity referrals” doles out to their parents.
Acting Inspector Des Horton, from Middlesbrough Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “This operation not only helps us to identify those involved in these incidents, but also allows us to build up intelligence and provide reassurance to the drivers of the buses that are being targeted.”
In an unconnected incident, two teenagers have been charged with attempted murder after a 17-year-old was stabbed in the estate’s Phoenix Park in May.
And on August 14, a dozen police vehicles swarmed the estate after a police officer was injured as he responded to reports of a man in possession of a knife.
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A hooded youth in Ayresome Gardens childrens play areaCredit: NNP
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Rubbish bags piled up outside homesCredit: NNP
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Wailan Lau says the number of stabbings are ‘completely out of control’Credit: NNP
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John Clark, 85, worries for young members of his family living in the townCredit: NNP
An arrest was made following a five-hour stand-off in which cups, bricks and chairs were hurled in the direction of emergency workers.
Chinese takeaway owner Wailan Lau, 48, has lived in Hemlington for the past 25 years.
He told The Sun: “It has got worse and worse over the years, the number of stabbings we see now is completely out of control, it never used to be like this.
“Where I live is fine, I have the same neighbours I have had for years and it is a proper community, everyone looks out for each other.
“But some parts of the estate are just dangerous, so much so that buses and taxis will not go down those streets.
“A lot of the problems we face are down to drugs and in a lot of cases it is drug dealers fighting drug dealers, but sometimes innocent people get caught up in that, which is scary.
“Kids seem to carry knives all the time and the ones who do are getting younger.
“It’s sad to see this town become one of the worst places in the country for crime because it’s a good place full of good people, unfortunately parts of it have become dangerous.”
Asked whether he knew anyone who had recently been a victim of crime, 17-year-old Harvey Wilson initially shook his head and then suddenly remembered: “Oh yeah, I was held at knifepoint.”
The casual way he recounts a terrifying encounter is chilling.
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Harvey Wilson, 17, described how he’d been robbed at knifepointCredit: NNP
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Certain crimes continue to rise in MiddlesbroughCredit: NNP
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A sign warning customers to ‘please remove hoods when entering shop’Credit: NNP
Harvey, who hopes to become a carpet fitter when he finishes his studies, said: “I’d just gone for a walk near Albert Park in the town and two lads stopped me and pulled a knife.
“Thankfully I’d left my phone at home and didn’t have any money so they just walked away.
“I’ve been able to forget it pretty quickly but I suppose it is quite scary how many people carry knives. I never would but people do.
“There are areas where you know not to go and if you keep yourself to yourself you probably won’t get any trouble, it’s the people who try to make a name for themselves who end up getting hurt.
“If your name gets known you’ll end up getting hurt.”
Things are getting worse and there are way too many young kids getting killed and injured with knives or getting involved with drugs.
John Clark, 82Middlesbrough resident
In the Parkway Centre, just outside Hemlington, John Clark, 82, reflects on the change in his home town over the course of his lifetime.
He started his working life as a hand rammer making sand castings at steel foundry on the river Tees.
John said: “That was my life, working in steel works and foundries and all of that has gone, there’s nothing left of the industry that built the town and that’s a big part of its problems.
“When I was a kid we had prospects and there was work to pay us a wage and keep us occupied, now the young people have nothing.”
He nods down at his young grandson in the buggy he’s leaning on and says: “I don’t worry for myself when I go about in Middlesbrough but I worry for him and younger members of the family.
“Things are getting worse and there are way too many young kids getting killed and injured with knives or getting involved with drugs.
“The brand new sports shop near us got ram raided the other night as soon as it opened by people in flatbed trucks. The place was left in a right mess and he lost all his new stock.”
Rebecca Green, 40, agreed that poverty plays a part in MIddlesbrough’s crime epidemic.
She said: “We live in a part of the world that has high levels of deprivation and that feeds the crime rate, when people are struggling to live they do desperate things.”
Student Shay Thorpe, 18, hopes to be a social worker.
“I’d move away if I could,” she says. “Even though I have always lived here, there are some parts of the town that I wouldn’t go.
“The town centre is scary and you can see from looking round that there’s a major drug problem there.”
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Shay Thorpe, 18, says she would move away if she couldCredit: NNP
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Shuttered up shops in Middlesbrough town centreCredit: NNP
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A person speaks to cops outside Poundland in the town centreCredit: North News & Pictures Ltd
If your summer holiday saw screen time soar, you’re not alone. New research shows kids spend up to 67 per cent of their time on them while off school. Mum-of-two Hannah Britt reveals how cutting back made her feel like a better parent – and you can do it too
Hannah and family outside their Airbnb in the Lake District
Our summer was full of sea, sand, sun… and screen time. K-Pop Demon Hunters, anyone? But with September now in full swing, it’s time to crack down – and fast. And I am by no means alone. In fact, the latest statistics show that, for primary-aged children, 29 per cent spend two or more hours per day on screens during the school week, but that number jumps to an eye watering 67 per cent during the holidays.
Parenting expert Kirsty Ketley explains. “School provides children with structure and built-in limits on screen use, and of course, once home, there are less hours in the day for screens, but once the holidays arrive, that structure disappears,” she says. “Parents are often juggling work, childcare, and the cost of keeping kids entertained, so screens naturally become a convenient option. On top of that, digital entertainment is designed to be engaging and hard to switch off from, so it’s no surprise children gravitate towards it when they have long stretches of free time.”
Hannah and Molly ditch the screens and play dominoes
So what’s the issue? “It’s not that screens are inherently ‘bad’,” says Kirsty. “In fact, they can be educational, social, and even calming at times. However, when screen time dominates, it can crowd out other important activities like active play, real-world socialising, outdoor time, and rest. High levels of screen use are also linked to disrupted sleep, reduced concentration, and higher stress levels in both children and adults. The key issue isn’t the screen itself, but what’s being displaced when usage creeps up too high. It’s why having consistent boundaries around screen time is important, so that kids strike a healthy balance.”
Having done some serious Netflix parenting over the summer holidays, I decided to pull the plug – and go cold turkey when it came to screens. Indeed, experts agree the benefits of reducing screen time are huge. “Reducing screen time means more space for connection. Families who put healthy limits in place often find they talk more, laugh more, and feel less stressed,” advises Kirsty. “Sleep improves, behaviour often does too, and there’s more opportunity for shared activities – from board games to walks, to simply sitting around the table together.”
Molly has a read
Looking around our home, my eyes glanced upon the TV, the iPad, various laptops, a Nintendo, the Kindle and two phones. So I booked an Airbnb, and we hopped in the car to the Lake District. And there the screen time stopped.
For our digital detox I chose Dodd’s Lee, a 17th Century farmhouse, located in the village of Dockray, near Ullswater. It was a Guest Favourite (easy to recognise as they have a special logo on the properties, and a collection of the most-loved homes on Airbnb, according to guests), and around £400 per night, with four bedrooms. It looked ideal – there was a pub at the end of the road, walks to Aira Force waterfall, Ulswater and more from the door and plenty of board games to enjoy while we were there. It was so well located, I wouldn’t even need Google maps to explore.
Once there, my partner John and I put our phones, along with Molly’s Kindle, and the TV remote in a little bag and hid them in an upstairs wardrobe. “What now”, I thought. “Can I watch Mr Bean?” asked my five-year-old, Molly. When the answer was no, she huffed. Getting out the board games, we started our digital detox by playing dominos. Then Monopoly. Molly’s grump gave way to laughter as she beat both me and her dad.
John tries to teach Molly how to play chess
Then, it was time for a walk, for which we headed down the hill from Dockray to a little beach on the banks of Ullswater. I found myself reaching for my phone several times out of habit. Whatever I would have done on it, check Instagram, reply to a text, it could wait. Holding hands with Molly, we chatted all the way instead, and she told me stories, clearly happy her mummy was fully engaged. That evening came stories and songs, and when the children were in bed John and I set about talking away before we too hit the hay.
The next morning, Molly didn’t ask for her Kindle but to play snap. She beat us again. Lunch came in the form of a trip to the pub, where John tried in vain to teach us the rules to giant chess. We fell about laughing, getting our rooks mixed up with our pawns.
Molly and Poppy play in the cosy Airbnb
After three days, when checking out of our wonderfully cosy Airbnb, I almost didn’t want to get my phone out of its bag. And in fact, after just a few minutes of a Disney film in the car on the way home, Molly set her Kindle aside and asked for a family sing song. A complete digital wipeout might not be possible in the modern age in which we live. But a detox every now and again might be just what we need.
How to reduce your family’s screen time
Kirsty shares her advice:
OFFER ALTERNATIVES
For me, the most effective way isn’t to ban screens altogether, but to add in alternatives, and have rules and boundaries in place – they need to be fair and realistic, too. Children need things to do instead, whether that’s setting up playdates, encouraging outdoor activities, or giving them creative projects at home.
SCREEN-FREE ZONES
Having screen-free zones or times of day (like during meals or the hour before bed) also helps build natural boundaries. Start small and be realistic: shaving an hour off daily use by swapping it for something else is far more sustainable than trying to go cold turkey. Also, when creating boundaries for the kids, incorporate some as whole family rules – no screens at the table, after a certain time, in bedrooms, for instance.
SET AN EXAMPLE
Children copy what they see, so if we’re always scrolling, they’ll think that’s normal. Modelling balanced screen use is powerful. That might mean putting your phone away at dinner, not checking emails late into the evening, or choosing to read, cook, or go for a walk instead of defaulting to a device. Being honest with kids about your own screen habits can also help. If you explain, “I’m putting my phone down because I want to spend time with you,” it sends a strong message.
In replacing Emma Hayes at Chelsea last summer, Sonia Bompastor perhaps faced the toughest task in women’s football.
But you wouldn’t have guessed this after a season in which the Blues won the WSL, FA Cup and League Cup, and lost in the Women’s Champions League semi-finals to Barcelona.
Despite only being under the guidance of the Frenchwoman for a year, Bright has built a relationship with Bompastor similar to what she had with Hayes, who left the Blues to take charge of the United States women’s national team.
“To be able to experience that and have that relationship with two separate managers is really special,” added Bright.
“To still feel you have that open-door policy, I could go to her for anything, and she has been amazing throughout the summer as well.
“I know if I needed her, I could go to her. You feel really lucky to have that.”
Bright said it was “really refreshing” to return to Chelsea training and is now raring to go for the new campaign.
“I was eager to get back on the pitch and finally be pain free with my knee and it not blow up after every session and I am actually able to walk down stairs after a tough day,” she added.
“I don’t feel like I ever lost the buzz, but I was so drained that I was so ready for a break. But now I am so ready for the first game and get back out there.”
Having won the last six WSL titles and claimed the two cup competitions last season, Chelsea are the dominant force in women’s football.
Before their season opener at Stamford Bridge against Manchester City on Friday, 5 September, Bright said her side will not rest on their laurels, especially having missed out on a coveted first Champions League.
“You can’t stand still,” she added. “You have to look at every factor of the game, what we do and the Chelsea model.
“We achieved a lot, but we didn’t achieve one thing that we really want. We want to do it all again. We don’t just want that, we want everything. We want to be even better.
“Every other team has grown and is getting even stronger and every team is going to want to win like us.
“It’s scary that we are going to another level, but that is the exciting part.”
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story, information and support can be found at the BBC’s Action Line.
Aug. 30 (UPI) — The Seoul Central District Court on Friday indicted former South Korean first lady Kim Keon Hee for alleged corruption during her husband’s presidency.
Kim is the wife of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who also was indicted on corruption charges on Friday and is being held in detention.
Kim is charged with influence peddling during South Korea’s 2022 by-elections, bribery and stock manipulation.
“I am truly sorry for the distress this situation has caused the public, but I will not make excuses under any circumstances,” Kim said, as reported by The Korea Herald.
“I will endure this time by holding on to the truth,” she said.
A special counsel investigation began two months ago and accuses Kim of receiving free polling data on 50 occasions during her husband’s 2022 presidential election race.
The special counsel also accuses Kim of helping former People Power Party Rep. Kim Young-sun to win that party’s nomination in 2022.
She also is accused of engaging in a stock market manipulation scheme from 2009 to 2012 involving shares in Deutsch Motors and receiving a diamond necklace worth $34,244.
A high-ranking Unification Church official allegedly gave Kim two Chanel designer handbags in exchange for supporting related projects in Cambodia.
More charges might be filed against Kim as the special counsel continues its investigation through Nov. 29.
Her husband in December briefly imposed martial law in South Korea amid the political scandal that resulted in his impeachment and the current charges against him and Kim.
In a related case, former South Korean Prime Minister Han Duck-soo was indicted for assisting Yoon in the martial law declaration.
President Donald Trump is scheduled to meet with current South Korean President Lee Jae Myung on Monday in the United States, CNBC reported.
CHELSEA are interested in signing Sporting Lisbon striker Conrad Harder, according to reports.
The Blues could re-enter the transfer market for a forward following the injury suffered by Liam Delap against Fulham on Saturday.
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Conrad Harder is attracting interest from ChelseaCredit: Shutterstock Editorial
Enzo Maresca’s side were on the brink of loaning Nicolas Jackson to Bayern Munich, having deemed the 24-year-old to be surplus to requirements.
Jackson was allowed to travel to Germany for a medical yesterday, only for Chelsea to pull the plug on the deal upon Delap’s injury.
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TRANSFER NEWS LIVE – KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW
When things seem too good to be true on Wall Street, they usually are.
For more than a century, the stock market has stood tall as the premier wealth creator, with stocks generating a higher average annual return than bonds, commodities, and real estate. But getting from Point A to B can often be an adventure.
Just five months ago, the unveiling of President Donald Trump’s tariff and trade policy sent the benchmark S&P 500(^GSPC -0.64%), growth-fueled Nasdaq Composite(^IXIC -1.15%), and ageless Dow Jones Industrial Average(^DJI -0.20%) spiraling lower. The S&P 500 endured its fifth-steepest two-day percentage decline since 1950, while the Nasdaq Composite plummeted into its first bear market in three years.
However, sentiment on Wall Street can shift at the drop of a hat. Since President Trump announced a 90-day pause on higher “reciprocal tariffs” on April 9, the S&P 500, Nasdaq Composite, and Dow Jones Industrial Average have been off to the races, with all three indexes achieving multiple record-closing highs.
The stock market has rarely been pricier than it is right now
To preface the following discussion, historical precedent can’t concretely guarantee what’s going to happen in the future. If there was a metric or correlative event that could guarantee directional moves in the stock market, every investor would be using it by now.
Value tends to be a subjective term that varies from one individual to the next. What you consider to be expensive might be viewed as a bargain by another investor. This dynamic is one of the reasons the stock market can be so unpredictable.
When most investors “value” a stock, they turn to the time-tested price-to-earnings ratio (P/E), which is arrived at by dividing a company’s share price by its trailing-12-month earnings per share (EPS). The P/E is a quick and easy way to evaluate mature businesses, but it’s not without its faults. This traditional valuation measure doesn’t account for a company’s growth rate, and it can be rather useless during recessions and shock events (e.g., the pandemic).
When back-tested, arguably no valuation tool provides a more-encompassing, apples-to-apples comparison of stock valuations than the S&P 500’s Shiller P/E ratio, which is also referred to as the cyclically adjusted P/E ratio (CAPE ratio).
The Shiller P/E is based on average inflation-adjusted EPS over the trailing decade. This means short-lived recessions and shock events won’t skew valuation multiples.
With the S&P 500 crossing above 6,500 for the first time in its storied history on Aug. 28, the Shiller P/E ratio closed at 39.18, which is its high-water mark for the current S&P 500 bull market. There are only two other periods spanning 154 years when the Shiller P/E has been higher:
During the first week of January 2022, the S&P 500’s Shiller P/E surpassed 40 by a few hundredths.
In December 1999, the Shiller P/E hit its all-time high of 44.19.
Historical precedent comes into play when examining what has happened to stocks following these previous periods of premium valuations. The 2022 bear market wiped out a quarter of the S&P 500’s value and lopped off more than a third of the Nasdaq’s value.
Meanwhile, the dot-com bubble, which took shape just months after December 1999, saw the S&P 500 and Nasdaq Composite lose 49% and 78%, respectively, on a peak-to-trough basis.
In fact, any instance in which the S&P 500’s Shiller P/E ratio has surpassed and sustained 30 for a period of at least two months has been a harbinger of significant downside. The S&P 500, Dow Jones, and/or Nasdaq Composite lost between 20% and 89% of their value following the five previous occurrences of the Shiller P/E topping 30.
With the stock market closing in on its second-priciest valuation since January 1871, history couldn’t be clearer on what’s to eventually come.
Image source: Getty Images.
Widening the lens leads to a completely different outlook
But there’s a big difference in attempting to forecast short-term directional moves for Wall Street’s major stock indexes and widening the lens to look at the big picture. While the Shiller P/E has an immaculate track record of forecasting eventual bear market downturns, few (if any) asset classes have proved more resilient over multiple decades than stocks.
For example, approximately 80 years have passed since the end of World War II. Since September 1945, the U.S. has navigated its way through a dozen recessions. The average recession has endured just 10 months, and none of these 12 downturns stuck around for longer than 18 months.
On the other end of the spectrum, the typical period of economic growth has endured for about five years, with two expansions surpassing the 10-year mark. Short-lived downturns and extended periods of growth are favorable to corporate EPS expansion over time.
In June 2023, the analysts at Bespoke Investment Group published a data set on X (formerly Twitter) that examined the calendar length of every bull and bear market in the S&P 500 dating back to the start of the Great Depression in 1929.
Bespoke found the average S&P 500 decline of 20% or greater lasted just 286 calendar days, or approximately 9.5 months. But over this nearly 94-year stretch, the typical bull market was sustained for 1,011 calendar days, or two years and nine months.
While it’s anyone’s guess what might happen to stocks a month, six months, or even a year from now, patience and perspective have proved invaluable to investors willing to look to the horizon. The S&P 500 has never been down over any rolling 20-year period, including dividends, which is a strong endorsement for the U.S. economy and stocks in the decades to come.
