children

Dani Dyer showed off a stunning tribute to her children with a personalised multi nameplate necklace that she had made just in time for her Strictly Come Dancing appearance

Ready for her first appearance on this year’s Strictly Come Dancing, contestant Dani Dyer has been showing fans some behind the scenes snaps, with one in particular causing a stir with fans. In one photo, the former Love Island winner showed off a stunning nameplate necklace she’d had made with each of her children’s names – Summer, Star and Santi (short for Santiago) – that fans couldn’t get enough of.

One comment said: “Loved the necklace” whilst plenty of others were begging for details. Although Dani didn’t share where she’d bought it, our sleuthing skills have tracked down one that’s identical, with the Multi Crystal Cursive Name Necklace hailing from Abbott Lyon.

READ MORE: Kate Garraway’s ‘gorgeous’ £100 slimming midi dress is now just £30 in huge sale

READ MORE: Beauty baubles are the affordable advent calendars alternatives to buy this Christmas

Whilst we can’t say for certain, we’re pretty sure that this is the exact same necklace Dani had made as a tribute to her children. The Abbott Lyon necklace lets you choose up to five different names that can be added to it, and comes in either gold or silver with a cubic zirconia crystal finish.

The brand is popular with other celebs, with both Stacey Solomon and Olivia Attwood both recently launching their very own collections with Abbott Lyon, so it wouldn’t be a surprise that Dani has taken a leaf out of their book. The Multi Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is also pretty affordable, costing between £95 for two names or up to £110 for five different names, and if you use the code TAKE10 you’ll save 10% – bringing it down to £85.50 – not to mention orders over £79 get a free bracelet worth £49.

You also have the option of customising the chain length, and each name can carry up to eight characters. The Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is made from 18k gold-plated stainless steel, and is water, sweat and heat resistant – perfectly for wearing whilst dancing on Strictly.

If the sparkles aren’t for you, you could also head over to PRYA, where the Miami Multiple Name Necklace is currently on sale. Usually priced at £78 for two names, or £128 for five names, the necklace has been slashed to £50 for two names, or £68 for five – making it a huge saving.

For something a little more dainty, the Multiple Name Necklace from Abiza is available at Not on the High Street, and also has a 20% discount at the moment, slashing it from £53 to £43.40. You can add up to four names, which incurs an extra cost of £22.40, making it £65.80.

However Abbott Lyon’s Crystal Cursive Name Necklace is your top pick if you want to copy Dani’s look, and it seems shoppers are also huge fans of the necklace. It currently only has two reviews, but they’re both five star ones with one simply writing: “Beautiful necklace.”

Whilst the second said: “I brought this for my sister she was almost in tears I am so bad at keeping secrets I didn’t tell her that I was going to order something like this she has always wanted something personalized with her children’s names it come out so outstanding it looked great the quality and care that went into it was above and beyond.”

Whilst the necklace makes a great treat for yourself, it also makes a beautiful meaningful gift – especially as we start to head towards Christmas. And don’t forget to take advantage of the discount code while it’s still available – you can keep the free bracelet for yourself, or consider it one Christmas gift to cross off your list!

Israeli forces continue to carry out attacks on Gaza’s main urban centre, with two children killed in a strike on tent.

Sept. 18 (UPI) — A federal judge on Thursday blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to deport at least 600 Guatemalan children, rejecting claims by the Department of Homeland Security that the move was an effort to reunite them with their parents.

Judge Timothy Kelly of the U.S. District Court in the District of Columbia said in his ruling that the administration’s claim that it was reuniting children with their parents “crumbled like a house of cards” because “there is no evidence before the Court that the parents of these children sought their return to Guatemala.”

Kelly temporarily stopped the administration from transferring, repatriating, removing or otherwise aiding in the transport of any of the 76 Guatemalan migrant children that immigration authorities attempted to deport in the middle of the night during the Labor Day weekend.

Attorneys representing the children said they were notified by federal officials late at night that they were being “repatriated,” the ruling said.

The Trump administration pushed back on Kelly’s ruling

“This judge is blocking efforts to REUNIFY CHILDREN with their families,” Tricia McLaughlin, Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, said in a statement to NBC News. “Now these children will have to go to shelters. All just to ‘get Trump.’ This is disgraceful and immoral.”

Kelly, appointed by President Donald Trump, referenced a report from the Guatemalan attorney general’s office in response to the administration’s plan to deport more than 600 children to the country. The report said no parents had requested the return of their children.

WASHINGTON — A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Trump’s administration from immediately deporting Guatemalan migrant children who came to the U.S. alone back to their home country, the latest step in a court struggle over one of the most sensitive issues in Trump’s hard-line immigration agenda.

The decision by U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly comes after the Republican administration’s Labor Day weekend attempt to remove Guatemalan migrant children who were living in government shelters and foster care.

There was already a temporary order in place preventing the removal of Guatemalan children. But that was set to expire Tuesday.

Kelly, who was appointed by Trump, granted a preliminary injunction extends that temporary protection indefinitely, although the government can appeal.

There are also temporary restraining orders in separate cases in Arizona and Illinois, but those cases are much more narrow in the scope of children they cover.

A SCHOOL teacher has been suspended for allegedly showing a video of Charlie Kirk’s horror assassination to kids as young as 10 in class.

The teacher also reportedly told their students that the MAGA influencer “deserved” to be killed.

6

6

6

Graphic footage of Kirk’s death has been widely circulated online in the aftermath of the shocking attack.

But in Toronto, a teacher allegedly “traumatised” their class by showing school children the grisly clip.

The Corvette Junior Public School teacher, who has not been named, was relieved of their duties after the incident pending an investigation.

Kids aged 10 and 11 were made to watch the horrifying video of Kirk’s final moments, the Toronto Sun has reported.

The staff member is understood not to be the class’ regular teacher and was simply supervising the group that day.

Everything we know so far…

A source close to the situation told the paper: “Several students from his class went home and complained to their parents, traumatised at witnessing the on-camera death, which they were forced to witness numerous times over.

“Parents subsequently reached out to school administrators, who will be putting him on leave at the start of the school day September 12, 2025.”

They added: “While playing this video repeatedly, he gave a speech to his students regarding anti-fascism, anti-trans, and how Charlie Kirk deserved for this to occur.”

The school’s principal Jennifer Koptie sent a letter to the parents of the affected children to explain the situation.

It reads: “We are writing to inform you about an incident that is reported to have taken place in your child’s class yesterday.

“During class, students were said to have been shown a portion of a violent video in response to questions being asked about a recent tragic event in the United States.”

“The teacher has been relieved of all teaching responsibilities pending the outcome of the investigation and will not be at the school.”

Koptie added that the school is providing support to any kids who were traumatised by the video.

“The video is believed to have been shown once by a staff member supervising the class who is not the homeroom teacher,” she wrote.

6

6

6

“While an investigation must still be conducted to learn all of the details, the report of this incident is extremely troubling and completely unacceptable.

“We recognise the seriousness of this matter and have taken immediate steps to follow all appropriate policies and procedures.”

It is just one of several firings and suspensions across schools and universities in the wake of Kirk’s death.

At the University of Mississippi, a staff member was let go for sharing “hurtful, insensitive comments” about the assassination.

Broadcaster MSNBC has also fired one of its analysts over comments made in the wake of the shock attack.

Kirk was hit in the neck by a bullet at a student debate even on Wednesday in Utah.

His death was confirmed by President Donald Trump within a couple of hours.

After a multi-day probe, cops apprehended Tyler Robinson as a suspect in the investigation.

The 22-year-old was arrested after his dad turned him into the police.

He had “excitedly” bragged about his long-range shooting skills last year, according to a former colleague.

The alleged shooter also shared twisted jokes with his friends on Discord as the FBI frantically searched for a suspect.

After a grainy image was released during the probe, Robinson had reportedly joked that his “doppleganger” was on the loose.

On a Discord forum, he also mocked the police investigation, saying he had “better also get rid of this manifesto and exact copy rifle I have lying around”.

A firebrand conservative commentator, Charlie Kirk was perhaps best known for his key role in the pro-Trump think tank Turning Point USA.

His funeral is scheduled to take place on September 21 in Arizona.

Kirk was a hard-line supporter of President Donald Trump, who has pledged to attend the ceremony.

The first group of critically ill and injured Palestinian children set to receive NHS treatment have left Gaza and are expected to arrive in the UK in days.

They are the first children to be brought to the UK for treatment as part of a government operation being co-ordinated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Home Office and Department of Health.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper confirmed the children had been evacuated from Gaza in an interview with the Daily Mirror newspaper.

A Foreign Office source told the BBC the report was correct and the children were due to arrive in the UK in the “coming days”.

The UK government is also working to evacuate students with places to study at British universities.

Cooper did not confirm how large the first group was but the BBC understands it contains between 30 and 50 Palestinian children.

Each child could be accompanied by family members if necessary, according to the Mirror.

Cooper told the newspaper “it was a lot of diplomatic work in order to help them actually leave Gaza”.

She added: “But that work is underway and I’m determined to make sure that we can do our bit to help those injured families and also to help students get into their courses this autumn.”

Some Gazan children have been brought privately to the UK for medical treatment through an initiative by Project Pure Hope, but the government until now had not evacuated any through its own scheme during the conflict.

On Saturday, the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said the bodies of 47 people killed by the Israeli military had arrived at its hospitals over the previous day.

Since UN-backed global food security experts confirmed a famine in Gaza City on 22 August, the ministry has reported that at least 142 people have died from starvation and malnutrition across the territory.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization said that Israel’s offensive in Gaza had stretched the territory’s health system “beyond breaking point”.

Israel has said it is expanding its efforts to facilitate aid deliveries and has disputed the health ministry’s figures on malnutrition-related deaths.

The Israeli military launched its campaign in Gaza in response to the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage.

At least 64,803 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s health ministry.

AS the UK waves goodbye to summer, experts are urging people to take extra precautions to stay healthy.

As winter illnesses start to circulate, one virus parents are being asked to be especially wary of is RSV – as new evidence shows it can be just as risky to healthy babies as those born premature of with underlying health conditions.

2

RSV, which stands for respiratory syncytial virus, is a common cause of respiratory infections in young children and accounts for around 245,000 hospital admissions annually in Europe. 

In some cases, it can lead to more severe respiratory issues like bronchiolitis and pneumonia, which can lead to hospitalisation, the need for oxygen or mechanical ventilation, and even death.

Researchers have now analysed data from more than 2.3 million children born in Sweden between 2001 and 2022 to find out who is at greatest risk of suffering serious complications or dying from an RSV infection

Almost all children will get RSV at least once before they’re two years old.

Premature babies and children with chronic diseases are known to be at increased risk of developing severe illness when infected with the virus.

And children under three months of age are also particularly vulnerable – although it hasn’t been entirely clear how common severe disease is among previously healthy children. 

As part of their findings, scientists from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden found the largest group among the children who required intensive care or were hospitalised for a long period of time were under three months of age, previously healthy and born at full term.

“When shaping treatment strategies, it is important to take into account that even healthy infants can be severely affected by RSV,” said the study’s first author, Giulia Dallagiacoma, a physician and doctoral student at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.

“The good news is that there is now preventive treatment that can be given to newborns, and a vaccine that can be given to pregnant women.”

The NHS RSV vaccine programme was launched in England on September 1, 2024 offering protection to pregnant women from 28 weeks gestation to protect their baby and to older adults aged 75 to 79.

Several factors were linked to an increased risk of needing intensive care or dying by the researchers.

Children who were born in the winter, or had siblings aged 0–3 years or a twin, had approximately a threefold increased risk, while children who were small at birth had an almost fourfold raised risk.

Children with underlying medical conditions had more than a fourfold increased risk of severe illness or death.

“We know that several underlying diseases increase the risk of severe RSV infection, and it is these children who have so far been targeted for protection with the preventive treatment that has been available,” said the study’s last author, Samuel Rhedin, resident physician at Sachs’ Children and Youth Hospital and associate professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet.

“However, the study highlights that a large proportion of children who require intensive care due to their RSV infection were previously healthy.

“Now that better preventive medicines are available, it is therefore positive that the definition of risk groups is being broadened to offer protection during the RSV season to previously healthy infants as well.”

In the UK, if you’re pregnant, you should be offered the RSV vaccine around the time of your 28-week antenatal appointment.

If you’re aged 75 to 79 (or turned 80 after 1 September 2024) contact your GP surgery to book your RSV vaccination.

2

Spotting RSV symptoms is important to help prevent serious complications.

Most people who get an RSV infection will only get cold-like symptoms, according to the NHS, including the five following signs:

• a runny or blocked nose
• a cough
• sneezing
• tiredness
• a high temperature – signs include your back or chest feeling hotter than usual, sweatiness and shivering (chills)

Babies with RSV may also be irritable and feed less than usual.

But if RSV leads to a more serious infection (such as pneumonia or bronchiolitis) it may also cause a worsening cough, shortness of breath, faster breathing, difficulty feeding in babies, wheezing, and confusion in older adults.

It’s important to note cold-like symptoms are very common in babies and children and aren’t usually a sign of anything serious.

They should get better within a few days.

There’s no specific treatment for an RSV infection as it often gets better on its own in one or two weeks.

If you or your child have mild RSV symptoms, there are some things you can do to help ease symptoms at home, including taking paracetamol or ibuprofen if you have a high temperature and are uncomfortable (giving children’s paracetamol or children’s ibuprofen to your child) and drinking lots of fluids.

But children and adults who get a more serious infection may need to be treated in hospital.

JOEL Dommett first appeared on I’m A Celebrity in 2016 and has gone on to become a much-loved household name.

When he’s not busy hosting top shows including the National Television Awards, Joel can be found spending time with his wife Hannah Cooper and their young family.

4

4

Who is Joel Dommett’s wife Hannah Cooper?

British model Hannah Cooper met husband Joel Dommett when she drunkenly messaged him with a cat emoji on Instagram, shortly after he appeared on I’m A Celeb in 2016.

She was born in Holland and also works as an Instagram Influencer.

Hannah has modelled for several high-street brands, including Boux Avenue, M&S and MissGuided.

She’s also appeared on the pages of Grazia, OK! and Sunday Express Magazine.

According to Metro Models, Hannah was discovered by a modelling scout outside Topshop in Oxford Circus at 16.

If that wasn’t enough, she also has a degree in Fashion Marketing.

When did Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper get married?

The couple were first seen together in May 2017 and married two years later in a ceremony held in Mykonos, Greece.

Love Island narrator Iain Stirling performed their ceremony.

Discussing the wedding with OK! in February 2020, Joel said: “It was honestly so fun.

“I was fully prepared to say it was the best day of my life and pretend it was — because I’ve been lucky enough to do Bake Off and I’ve had these amazing experiences in my life — but it was genuinely the best day of my life!

“We had 28 people there. Some people have weddings where half the day is saying hi and bye to people.

“I wanted our closest friends and family to have a wonderful time.”

Not long after they began dating, Joel released a memoir – It’s Not Me It’s Them: Confessions Of A Hopeless Modern Romance – which charts romantic encounters with 40 women before he met Hannah.

At the end of the book, the comedian proposed to Hannah.

The mum guilt thing is real, definitely, and if I’m not feeling guilty, then Joel will be feeling guilty, so we’re probably not that helpful to each other.

Hannah Cooper

Speaking to The Sun about their marriage, Joel said: “It’s worked out all right, really. I’m very lucky.

“A lot of people call their wives ‘babe’ or ‘chick’. I go for Sexy Sexpot of Sex.

“But her nickname for me is just Joel. That’s as far as it goes.”

In an exclusive interview with The Sun on Sunday in July 2024, Hannah revealed why she would rather Joel never did Strictly Come Dancing, citing the infamous “curse”.

4

She told us: “I have a rule with Joel that I’d rather, if there was a choice, he didn’t do Strictly.

“I hate to say it, but the Strictly curse and all that stuff.

“And it makes me sound awful because Joel says, ‘Don’t you trust me?’.

“He can practise the Tango at home with me, it’s fine.”

4

How many children do Joel Dommett and Hannah Cooper have?

Hannah and Joel announced in May 2023 that they were expecting their first child together.

In a sweet Instagram post with photos of her growing bump, she wrote: “Does anyone know how to change a nappy? Because Joel has s**t himself.”

They then welcomed their son Wilde in September 2023.

Speaking to The Sun about being a mum for the first time, Hannah told us: “The mum guilt thing is real, definitely, and if I’m not feeling guilty, then Joel will be feeling guilty, so we’re probably not that helpful to each other.

“There are times when he’ll say, ‘I’ll look after Wilde. Go out and have fun’. Then he’ll send me a message saying, ‘Look at this photo of Wilde’, and I’ll go, ‘Damn it, I was in the zone with the girls’.

“It is difficult managing it but you’ve got to switch off and take an hour for yourself, then you’ll feel better for it.”

Talking about the possibility of another child, she added: “I really would love to, but Joel before was like, ‘one is good’.

“One means we’re in control, and we can totally manage that.

“But now Wilde is here, I would totally love another one.

“I feel like Joel is Wilde’s sibling. I feel like there is enough fun in the house, and there is enough drama and energy going on.”

Joel Dommett’s career so far

Joel started out as an actor, landing small roles in shows including Casualty, Inspector Lynley and Skins.

But the funnyman has also presented or taken part in other big shows, such as:

I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! (2016 – runner up)

I’m a Celebrity: Extra Camp (2017-2019)

Celebrity Juice (2018-2022)

Hey Tracey! (2019-2020)

The Masked Singer (2020-present)

The Masked Dancer (2021-present)

In With a Shout (2023-present)

Who is hosting the NTAs 2025?

The National Television Awards (NTAs) return for their 30th anniversary in 2025, taking place on Wednesday, September 10, 2025.

The Masked Singer UK host Joel is returning for his fifth year in a row hosting the National Television Awards (NTAs) after replacing comedian David Walliams back in 2021.

Opening up on fronting this year’s ceremony, he said: “The NTAs are 30 years old and the party planning starts here!

“Star guests? Check. All our best-loved shows? Check. My payment? Cheque. Join us at London’s O2 to mark this extra special evening!”

And on what he thinks about 2025’s prize shortlist, he added: “It’s the best the shortlist has ever been since I’ve hosted it. I genuinely don’t know which way it’s going to go.

“That’s what’s really exciting about the NTAs — it’s shows, those things that are loved by the public.

“It’s not decided by a panel or a committee. It’s the people at home — it’s what they like, it’s what they watch.”

A legal aid group has sued to preemptively block any efforts by the U.S. government to deport a dozen Honduran children, saying it had “credible” information that such plans were quietly in the works.

The Arizona-based Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project, known as FIRRP, on Friday added Honduran children to a lawsuit filed last weekend that resulted in a judge temporarily blocking the deportation of dozens of migrant children to their native Guatemala.

In a statement, the organization said it had received reports that the U.S. government will “imminently move forward with a plan to illegally remove Honduran children in government custody as soon as this weekend, in direct violation of their right to seek protection in the United States and despite ongoing litigation that blocked similar attempted extra-legal removals for children from Guatemala.”

FIRRP did not immediately provide the Associated Press with details about what information it had received about the possible deportation of Honduran children. The amendment to the organization’s lawsuit is sealed in federal court. The Homeland Security Department did not immediately respond to email requests for comment Friday and Saturday.

Over Labor Day weekend, the Trump administration attempted to remove Guatemalan children who had come to the U.S. alone and were living in shelters or with foster care families in the U.S.

Advocates who represent migrant children in court filed lawsuits across the country seeking to stop the government from removing the children, and on Sunday a federal judge stepped in to order that the kids stay in the U.S. for at least two weeks.

Children began crossing the border alone in large numbers in 2014, peaking at 152,060 in the 2022 fiscal year. July’s arrest tally translates to an annual clip of 5,712 arrests, reflecting how illegal crossings have dropped to their lowest levels in six decades.

Guatemalans accounted for 32% of residents at government-run holding facilities last year, followed by Hondurans, Mexicans and Salvadorans. A 2008 law requires children to appear before an immigration judge with an opportunity to pursue asylum, unless they are from Canada and Mexico. The vast majority are released from shelters to parents, legal guardians or immediate family while their cases wind through court.

The lawsuit was amended to include 12 children from Honduras who have expressed to the Florence Project that they do not want to return to Honduras, as well as four additional children from Guatemala who have come into government custody in Arizona since the suit was initially filed last week.

Some children have parents who are already in the United States.

The lawsuit demands that the government allow the children their legal right to present their cases to an immigration judge, have access to legal counsel and be placed in the least restrictive setting that is in the best interest of the child.

Willingham writes for the Associated Press.

Indonesian President Prabowo’s free meals programme hit by more mass illness as protests against government rock country.

An investigation has been launched after some 400 children became ill after eating free school meals in Indonesia’s western Bengkulu province, in the worst case of mass food poisoning linked to President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship food programme to help pregnant women and children.

The reports of mass illness on Wednesday came as President Prabowo arrived in Beijing, China, for events commemorating the end of World War II, and days after widespread antigovernment protests rocked cities and towns across Indonesia.

Authorities will launch an investigation into the cause of the illness, Bengkulu Province ‘s Vice Governor Mian said.

“We will temporarily suspend operations at this kitchen while we investigate where the weaknesses lie,” said Mian, who goes by a single name.

“This is the domain of the BGN [National Nutrition Agency] investigation team and the authorities,” he said.

Dadan Hindayana, chief of the National Nutrition Agency, which runs the programme, told the Reuters news agency the kitchen in question had only recently started operating, asking staff to evaluate services while waiting for results of tests on the food.

Since its launch, Prabowo’s free school meals programme has been rapidly expanded to reach more than 20 million recipients, and authorities plan to reach 83 million recipients by year-end, budgeting a total cost of 171 trillion rupiah ($10.52bn) for the programme this year.

The president launched the programme in January, but the initiative had already been marred by food poisoning that affected hundreds of people.

Last month, 365 people fell ill from free school meals in Central Java. According to local media reports, laboratory results indicated that the outbreak was a result of poor sanitation.

In the latest mass illness in Bengkulu, children aged from about 4 to 12 were rushed to a local hospital complaining of stomach pain beginning last Thursday, according to a video handout from the local government.

On Wednesday, Prabowo was seen attending a military parade hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing, to mark 80 years since Japan’s defeat at the end of World War II, according to China’s CCTV.

Despite the ongoing street protests at home over his government’s handling of the economy, Prabowo decided he would travel to China, after briefly reconsidering his trip amid the mass unrest.

The Jakarta Post reported on Wednesday that some 10 people are now thought to have died in protests over the weekend, with 20 people missing and 500 injured, according to reports from civic organisations and officials.

In Geneva on Monday, the United Nations called for investigations into the alleged use of disproportionate force by Indonesia’s security forces against demonstrators.

“We are following closely the spate of violence in Indonesia in the context of nationwide protests over parliamentary allowances, austerity measures, and alleged use of unnecessary or disproportionate force by security forces,” UN human rights office spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani said.

“We stress the importance of dialogue to address the public’s concerns,” she said in a statement.

The Israeli military onslaught on Gaza City continues nonstop, resulting in the killing of more than 50 Palestinians, including aid seekers, as it seeks to seize control of the enclave’s biggest urban centre – home to some 1 million people.

At least 105 Palestinians were killed across Gaza on Tuesday as Israeli strikes levelled densely populated areas, particularly al-Sabra neighbourhood, which has been under attack for days. At least 32 of those were killed while seeking aid.

The attacks are intensified as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is facing a “decisive stage” of the war as it prepares to seize Gaza City despite global condemnation.

“Palestinians are in a cage in Gaza City right now, trying to survive as many air strikes as possible. Wherever they go, the air strikes follow them,” said Al Jazeera’s Hind Khoudary.

“They are also dying from the food and aid blockade as they are not able to get the basic means of sustenance,” she said, reporting from Deir el-Balah in central Gaza.

Palestinians are struggling to survive the dual threats of targeted attacks and starvation, with at least 13 people dying of starvation in the past 24 hours, bringing the total hunger-related death toll since the war began to 361. Eighty-three of those deaths have been recorded since a global hunger monitor confirmed famine conditions in Gaza on August 22.

Among those killed on Tuesday were at least 21 people, including seven children, who were struck by an Israeli drone while queuing for water in the al-Mawasi area near Khan Younis in southern Gaza.

Images posted online by Palestinian Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal showed children’s bodies and water containers stained with blood at the attack site, which Israel had previously declared a so-called “safe zone”.

“They were standing in line to fill up water … when the occupation forces directly targeted them, turning their search for life into a new massacre,” Basal said on Tuesday.

In Gaza City, an Israeli strike on the al-Af family home killed 10 people, mostly women and children, Gaza officials said.

“These crimes expose the criminal fascist nature of the enemy,” Gaza’s Government Media Office said in a statement, accusing Washington of complicity. It called Israel’s actions “war crimes under international law” and urged the UN Security Council to halt the “brutal genocide”.

Two more journalists, Rasmi Salem of al-Manara and Eman al-Zamli, were killed in the latest attacks, bringing the total number of journalists killed since October 7, 2023, to more than 270. The war in Gaza has become the deadliest conflict for media workers ever recorded, press watchdogs say.

Israel starts ground assault in Gaza City

On Tuesday, thousands of Israeli reservists reported for duty as efforts to end the war seemed to be stalling.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Hamas had accepted a ceasefire proposal, but Israel had yet to respond.

“There has been no Israeli response yet,” he said, adding that negotiations with mediators and the United States had stalled. He warned that Israel’s plan to occupy Gaza “poses a threat to everyone”, including Israeli captives.

But Israel has tightened its siege of Gaza City in recent days, barring even limited humanitarian aid deliveries.

Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirmed ground operations were intensifying. “We are going to deepen our operation,” he told reservists as tens of thousands of troops were called up. Israeli media reported that 365 soldiers have refused to report for duty.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, said in a video statement on Tuesday that “we are working to defeat Hamas.”

Yemen’s Houthi movement said its forces launched four drones targeting Israel’s General Staff headquarters near Tel Aviv, Ben Gurion Airport, a power station, and the port of Ashdod, days after Israel killed Yemeni Prime Minister Ahmed al-Rahawi along with top officials in Sanaa.

The group claimed its drones “successfully hit their targets.” It also said a missile and drone attack struck a cargo vessel in the Red Sea for violating a ban on entering Israeli ports.

International ‘indifference’ to Palestine

Meanwhile, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry welcomed Belgium’s decision to recognise the State of Palestine on Tuesday and urged other nations to follow suit, saying it was “in line with international law and UN resolutions” and necessary to halt “genocide, displacement, starvation, and annexation”.

In a separate statement, the ministry accused the international community of “alarming” indifference to Gaza’s economic collapse and Israel’s seizure of Palestinian tax revenues. It called for urgent financial support to “enhance the resilience of citizens and their steadfastness on their homeland’s soil”.

McALLEN, Texas — President Trump’s administration has started requiring parents looking to reunite with their children who crossed into the U.S. alone to show up for interviews where immigration officers may question them, according to a policy memo obtained by The Associated Press.

Legal advocacy groups say the shift has led to the arrest of some parents, while their children remain in U.S. custody. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security did not confirm that or answer questions about the July 9 directive, instead referring in a statement to the Biden administration’s struggles to properly vet and monitor homes where children were placed.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement, which is part of the U.S. Health and Human Services Department and which takes custody of children who cross the border without a parent or legal guardian, issued the directive. The agency said the goal is to ensure that sponsors — usually a parent or guardian — are properly vetted.

The memo is among several steps the Trump administration has taken involving children who came to the U.S. alone. Over the Labor Day weekend it attempted to remove Guatemalan children who were living in shelters or with foster care families.

The July 9 memo regarding sponsors said they must now appear in person for identification verification. Previously, sponsors could submit identity documents online. The directive also says “federal law enforcement agencies may be present to meet their own mission objectives, which may include interviewing sponsors.”

Neha Desai, managing director of human rights at the National Center for Youth Law, said the change provides U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement a “built-in opportunity” to arrest parents — something she said has already happened.

Mary Miller Flowers, director of policy and legislative affairs for the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights, said she knew of a case in which immigration officers arrested the father of a child under the age of 12 who had shown up for an identification check. “As a result, mom is terrified of coming forward. And so, this child is stuck,” Miller Flowers said.

Desai also said the interviews are unlikely to produce information authorities don’t already have. Vetting already included home studies and background checks done by Office of Refugee Resettlement staff, not immigration enforcement.

The Office of Refugee Resettlement said it communicates “clearly and proactively” with parents, telling them they may be interviewed by ICE or other law enforcement officials. It said parents can decline to be interviewed by ICE and that refusal won’t influence decisions about whether their children will be released to them.

“The goal is to ensure that every child is released to a stable and safe environment and fully vetted sponsors by ensuring the potential sponsor is the same individual submitting supporting documentation, including valid ID,” it said in a statement.

However, Desai is aware of a situation in which a sponsor was not notified and only able to decline after pushing back.

“We know of sponsors who are deeply, deeply fearful because of this interview, but some are still willing to go forward given their determination to get their children out of custody,” she said.

Trump administration points to Biden

Tricia McLaughlin, a Homeland Security spokesperson, issued a statement that did not address any arrests or mention the specific changes. Instead, she said the department is looking to protect children who were released under President Joe Biden’s administration.

A federal watchdog report released last year addressed the Biden’s administration struggles during an increase in migrant children arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border in 2021. The Trump administration has dispatched Homeland Security and FBI agents to visit the children.

Another recent change allows ICE to interview children while they are at government-run shelters. That took effect July 2, according to a separate directive that the Office of Refugee Resettlement sent to shelters, also obtained by the AP.

The agency said it provides legal counsel to children and that its staff does not participate in interviews with law enforcement. Child legal advocates say they get as little as one-hour notice of the interviews, and that the children often don’t understand the purpose of the interview or are misled by officers.

“If we don’t understand what the interview is for or where the information is going, are we really consenting to this process?” said Miller Flowers, with the Young Center.

Jennifer Podkul, chief of global policy at Kids in Need of Defense, said some officers lack language skills, trauma-informed interviewing techniques and knowledge of the reunification process.

“It seems like it’s designed just to cast the net wider on immigration enforcement against adults,” she said.

String of policy changes adding hurdles to reunification process

The July changes are among the steps the Trump administration has taken to ramp up vetting of parents seeking to reunite with children.

The administration has required fingerprinting from sponsors and any adults living in the home where children are released. It has also required identification or proof of income that only those legally present in the U.S. could acquire, as well as introducing DNA testing and home visits by immigration officers.

Children have been spending more time in government-run shelters under increased vetting. The average length of stay for those released was 171 days in July, down from a peak of 217 days in April but well above 37 days in January, when Trump took office.

About 2,000 unaccompanied children were in government custody in July.

Shaina Aber, an executive director of the Acacia Center for Justice analyzing child custody data, attributes the longer custody times to the policy changes.

“The agency’s mission has been conflated and entangled,” she added. “It seems ORR’s mission has been somewhat compromised in that they are now doing more on the immigration enforcement side, and they’re not an immigration enforcement entity.”

Gonzalez writes for the Associated Press.

HARLINGEN, Texas — A U.S. judge at least temporarily blocked the government Sunday from deporting a group of Guatemalan children who had crossed the border without their families, after their lawyers said the youngsters were loaded onto planes overnight in violation of laws affording protections for migrant kids.

Attorneys for 10 Guatemalan children, ages 10 to 17, said in court papers filed late Saturday that there were reports that planes were set to take off within hours for the Central American country. But a federal judge in Washington said those children couldn’t be deported for at least 14 days, and after a hastily scheduled hearing Sunday, she emphasized that they needed to be taken off the planes and back to the Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities while the legal process plays out.

“I do not want there to be any ambiguity,” said Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, who said her ruling applies broadly to Guatemalan minors who arrived in the U.S. without their parents or guardians.

Government lawyers, meanwhile, maintained that the children weren’t being deported but rather reunited at the request of their parents or guardians — a claim that the children’s lawyers dispute, at least in some cases.

Similar emergency requests were filed in other parts of the country as well. Attorneys in Arizona and Illinois asked federal judges there to block deportations of unaccompanied minors, underscoring how the fight over the government’s efforts has quickly spread.

Immigrant advocates react

The episode has raised alarms among immigrant advocates, who say it may represent a violation of federal laws designed to protect children who arrive without their parents. While the deportations are on hold for now, the case underscores the high-stakes clash between the government’s immigration enforcement efforts and the legal safeguards that Congress created for some of the most vulnerable migrants.

At the border-area airport, the scene Sunday morning was unmistakably active. Buses carrying migrants pulled onto the tarmac as clusters of federal agents moved quickly between the vehicles and waiting aircraft. Police cars circled the perimeter, and officers and security guards pushed reporters back from the chain-link fences that line the field. On the runway, planes sat with engines idling, ground crews making final preparations as if departures could come at any moment — all as the courtroom battle played out hundreds of miles away in Washington.

Shaina Aber of Acacia Center for Justice, an immigrant legal defense group, said it was notified Saturday evening that an official list had been drafted with the names of Guatemalan children whom the U.S. administration would attempt to send back to their home country. Advocates learned that the flights would leave from the Texas cities of Harlingen and El Paso, Aber said.

She said she’d heard that federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials “were still taking the children,” having not gotten any guidance about the court order.

The Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.

Plans to remove nearly 700 Guatemalan children

The Trump administration is planning to remove nearly 700 Guatemalan children who came to the U.S. unaccompanied, according to a letter sent Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. The Guatemalan government has said it is ready to take them in.

It is another step in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement efforts, which include plans to send a surge of officers to Chicago for an immigration crackdown, ramping up deportations and ending protections for people who have had permission to live and work in the United States.

Lawyers for the Guatemalan children said the U.S. government doesn’t have the authority to remove the youngsters and is depriving them of due process by preventing them from pursuing asylum claims or immigration relief. Many have active cases in immigration courts, according to the attorneys’ court filing in Washington.

Although the children are supposed to be in the care and custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, the government is “illegally transferring them to Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody to put them on flights to Guatemala, where they may face abuse, neglect, persecution, or torture,” argues the filing by attorneys with the Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights and the National Immigration Law Center.

An attorney with another advocacy group, the National Center for Youth Law, said the organization started hearing a few weeks ago from legal service providers that agents from Homeland Security Investigations — ICE’s investigative arm — were interviewing children, particularly from Guatemala, in Office of Refugee Resettlement facilities.

The agents asked the children about their relatives in Guatemala, said the attorney, Becky Wolozin.

Then on Friday, advocates across the country began getting word that their young clients’ immigration court hearings were being canceled, Wolozin said.

Migrant children traveling without their parents or guardians are handed over to the Office of Refugee Resettlement when they are encountered by officials along the U.S.-Mexico border. Once in the U.S., the children often live in government-supervised shelters or with foster care families until they can be released to a sponsor — usually a family member — living in the country.

The minors can request asylum, juvenile immigration status or visas for victims of sexual exploitation.

Due to their age and often traumatic experiences getting to the U.S., their treatment is one of the most sensitive issues in immigration. Advocacy groups already have sued to ask courts to halt new Trump administration vetting procedures for unaccompanied children, saying the changes are keeping families separated longer and are inhumane.

Guatemala willing to receive the unaccompanied minors

Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Martínez said Friday that the government has told the U.S. it is willing to receive hundreds of Guatemalan minors who arrived in the U.S. unaccompanied and are being held in government facilities.

Guatemala is particularly concerned about minors who could pass age limits for the children’s facilities and be sent to adult detention centers, he said.

President Bernardo Arévalo has said that his government has a moral and legal obligation to advocate for the children. His comments came days after U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Guatemala.

Gonzalez and Santana write for the Associated Press and reported from Harlingen and Washington, respectively. AP writers Jennifer Peltz in New York and Corey Williams in Detroit contributed to this report.

Nigeria’s Lost Children – The Crisis of Out-of-Sch | RSS.com

On The Crisis Room, we’re following insecurity trends across Nigeria.

According to UNICEF, Nigeria has the highest number of out-of-school children in the world, an estimated 20 million. That’s one in every ten children globally.

Many of them roam the streets of towns and major cities without guardianship or structured education. And behind those numbers are cycles of neglect, forced labour, trafficking, and recruitment into armed groups.

It’s a very quiet crisis, but one with consequences that could worsen insecurity, poverty, and instability for generations.

Today, we’ll hear from experts and advocates on how Nigeria got here and what it will take to break the cycle.

Hosts: Salma and Salim

Guests: Aliyu Dahiru, Dr Labo, Philip Dimka, Mohammed Sabo Keana,

Audio producer: Anthony Asemota

Executive producer: Ahmad Salkida

Parenting in London can often be defined by “don’ts”, says Jen Ablitt, 48, who has a four-year-old daughter – “don’t touch that, stop there, don’t run”.

But whenever they go camping in the countryside, she finds, for a city kid it’s a completely different realm. “Off they go, and you give them more freedom,” she says.

Ablitt is one of many people taking a camping or caravanning holiday this summer, options that tend to be significantly cheaper than some other breaks while providing benefits such as proximity to nature.

Camping and caravan holidays work out cheaper than other domestic accommodation types. With 62% of UK adults saying they’re currently spending cautiously or cutting back due to the cost of living crisis, according to the British Tourist Authority, cheaper holiday options are increasingly attractive.

Dozens of people responded to a Guardian callout asking for their experiences of UK camping holidays. Here are some of their affordable tales of pitching up and switching off.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever met a little kid that doesn’t love camping’

I was recently made redundant, and hopefully I’ll get a new full-time job, so this might be the last summer holiday where I can spend the entire six weeks with my daughter, who’s four.

I rented our home out online and planned nearly three weeks staying with friends and camping: the Forest of Dean, the Peak District, the Lake District and north Wales. We camp a lot anyway – and started when she was 18 months old – so we’re used to it. I don’t think I’ve ever met a little kid who doesn’t love camping.

We’ve had a very cheap holiday – about £20 a night – more than paid for by the home rental money. But as a solo parent it has been exhausting to do all the driving, packing, camping, parenting, interspersed with house guest changeovers.

Overall, I’m very glad I did it. Camping is a terrific way to see some truly gorgeous parts of the UK. Jen Ablitt, 48, south-west London

‘I watched the children uncurl’

I went camping for the first time in the Lee Valley this August – three mums and six kids – to try to give our city kids a taste of outdoor living, off their phones and out into nature. They’re teenagers, and most of them are glued to screens.

We had looked at a few seaside holiday lets, but the prices – one place was £1,000 a week – were just too high. Cost was definitely a factor. It feels like UK seaside holidays are getting out of reach, whereas the campsite cost £140, including equipment hire, for two nights per family. It was camping for softies – none of us have camping equipment or tents, so we got to experience it without the stress of bringing endless bits.

Only one of us has a car, so she drove with the luggage, and the rest of us got the train, which was only 20 minutes. We then walked 45 minutes along the River Lea to the campsite. It was brilliant that it wasn’t far.

There were the initial complaints from the kids: “How long is this walk going to take? There’s no toilet in the tent. It’s cold at night. The shop doesn’t sell any good snacks.”

It took about 24 hours, but I watched the children uncurl, and by the end of our stay they were all out playing frisbee, making fires, going on river walks, watching the ducks and climbing trees to get apples. Rebecca Lovell, small business owner, east London

‘On clear nights you could see the Milky Way’

This summer, I’ve reacquainted myself with low-tech camping and had two glorious weeks in Dumfries and Galloway. My family prefer more comfort and also have less spare time, so I went solo.

I stayed at a family-owned farm campsite, which is in the Galloway Dark Sky area and close to lots of interesting attractions.

This is my happy place. Each day was an early rise, including watching an uninterrupted sunrise on Midsummer Day from my tent. Most days I cycled around the quiet roads and trails. On clear nights you could see the Milky Way and millions of stars.

For £17 a night, I got my pitch, free hot water and showers, a freezer for ice packs, and mains electricity to charge my phone and electric bike. It was amazing value and I had a great reception from the owners.

The carbon footprint of these holidays was tiny: two cans of butane gas a week and 50 litres of petrol. The weather was kind, but then being retired I could pick my weeks to take advantage of the sunshine.

As a solo holiday, there were many other folks around to chat with and share tips. I think these are the best holidays I can remember. Nick Norton, 70, retired business analyst, Glasgow

‘Camping offers the opportunity to be close to nature’

We took our two children to Coniston Water in the Lake District camping, We’re keen paddleboarders and kayakers. It did not disappoint and was only a two-hour journey from our home.

We all enjoyed the water, with spectacular views. We played ball games on the camping pitch, made a lovely campfire under the stars and toasted marshmallows. Our children also enjoyed the brilliant tree swing each day. It was absolutely perfect, and all for £34 a night.

As a family, we have enjoyed holidays to France, Finland, Scotland, Tunisia, Spain and Cornwall. Each holiday is unique so it’s hard to say how our camping trip compares, but we had just as much fun in the Lakes and felt really connected as a family.

Camping offers the chance to be close to nature, and it is a great learning experience for children. We love that these kinds of holidays build character and resilience.

Other holidays, you can end up fretting about a missed departure, getting lost or wondering whether you can afford to eat out. But when we got home from camping, we felt refreshed and relaxed. Rachel Hardy, teacher, northern England

WASHINGTON — The Trump administration is planning to remove nearly 700 Guatemalan children who had come to the U.S. without their parents, according to a letter sent Friday by Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, and the Central American country said it was ready to take them in.

The removals would violate the Office of Refugee Resettlement’s “child welfare mandate and this country’s long-established obligation to these children,” Wyden told Angie Salazar, acting director of the office within the Department of Health and Human Services that is responsible for migrant children who arrive in the U.S. alone.

“This move threatens to separate children from their families, lawyers, and support systems, to thrust them back into the very conditions they are seeking refuge from, and to disappear vulnerable children beyond the reach of American law and oversight,” the Democratic senator wrote, asking for the deportation plans to be terminated.

It is another step in the Trump administration’s sweeping immigration enforcement efforts, which include plans to surge officers to Chicago for an immigration crackdown, ramping up deportations and ending protections for people who have had permission to live and work in the United States.

Guatemalan Foreign Affairs Minister Carlos Martínez said Friday that the government has told the U.S. it is willing to receive hundreds of Guatemalan minors who arrived unaccompanied to the United States and are being held in U.S. facilities.

Guatemala is particularly concerned about minors who could age out of the facilities for children and be sent to adult detention centers, he said. The exact number of children to be returned remains in flux, but they are currently discussing a little over 600. He said no date has been set yet for their return.

That would be almost double what Guatemala previously agreed to. The head of the country’s immigration service said last month that the government was looking to repatriate 341 unaccompanied minors who were being held in U.S. facilities.

“The idea is to bring them back before they reach 18 years old so that they are not taken to an adult detention center,” Guatemala Immigration Institute Director Danilo Rivera said at the time. He said it would be done at Guatemala’s expense and would be a form of voluntary return.

The plan was announced by President Bernardo Arévalo, who said then that the government had a moral and legal obligation to advocate for the children. His comments came days after U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem visited Guatemala.

The White House and the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the latest move, which was first reported by CNN.

Quoting unidentified whistleblowers, Wyden’s letter said children who do not have a parent or legal guardian as a sponsor or who don’t have an asylum case already underway “will be forcibly removed from the country.”

The idea of repatriating such a large number of children to their home country also raised concerns with activists who work with children navigating the immigration process.

“We are outraged by the Trump administration’s renewed assault on the rights of immigrant children,” said Lindsay Toczylowski, president and CEO of Immigrant Defenders Law Center. “We are not fooled by their attempt to mask these efforts as mere ‘repatriations.’ This is yet another calculated attempt to sever what little due process remains in the immigration system.”

Santana, Seitz and Gonzalez write for the Associated Press. Gonzalez reported from McAllen, Texas. AP writers Sonia Pérez D. in Guatemala City and Tim Sullivan in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

Three London-born friends have been vlogging their travels to their parents homelands to represent their cultures authentically – now they plan to take their channel to the next level

A trio of British friends have been flipping the YouTube travel genre on its head by visiting their immigrant parents’ homelands – now, in a bid to make their travels their full time job, they’re planning to release “the best series yet” and it’s set to come out in early September.

While Bangladesh, Morocco and the self-declared republic of Somaliland are not the most frequented destinations for travel vloggers, for London-born, Abu Finiin, Kayum Miah and Zak Hajjaj, they saw an opportunity to learn about themselves and each other – as well as show their ancestral cultures through a non-Western lens.

The friends, who are looking to make the transition into full-time vloggers, spoke on their channel name’s origin: “Kids of the Colony”. As the child of Somali immigrants, Abu, who was studying at Oxford University, wanted to explore the ex-colonial countries he and his friends came from. Kayum is from Bangladesh and Zak is of English and Moroccan descent.

READ MORE: Aldi releases full list of 11 new store locations that are opening this yearREAD MORE: ‘My wedding dress cost £350 was made in 24 hours – but the level of detail is insane’

Abu tells The Mirror: “I wanted a name like ‘children of immigrants’. Kids of the Colony had that ring to it.” He attempted to pitch the idea to several media production companies but it was ultimately rejected. They were told it was because their idea “only normally works with celebrities”.

So, with no major budget or studio behind them, the trio gathered some friends and set off to Bangladesh to begin the series. They travelled through the streets of Dhaka and met Kayum’s grandfather, who insists he’s 120 years old.

From there, their chatty vlog style, immersive film and core message captured over 100K viewers. Their channel now has almost 30K subscribers and their social media videos rack up hundreds of thousands of views.

‘The experience humbled me’

The trio have since visited Morocco, where Zak’s father is from, and Somaliland, involving themselves in everyday life: from getting local jobs to playing football with the local kids. Zak shares: “We gathered lots of locals kids in the football team each. I can’t speak the language and neither can Kayum, but we were still trying to teach the kids.”

One of Abu’s favourite experiences was when travelling to Somaliland and he, Kayum and Zak were working on top of a water truck delivering water to different houses – when they bumped into his grandmother. “We hadn’t seen her on this trip and the first thing she saw was just us three on top of a water truck in overalls and she was like, ‘what the hell?’” he jokes.

Their travels also gave them the chance to reflect on their own lives. A memory which stands out to Kayum was visiting one of Somaliland’s games cafes. “We went to one that was in not such a nice area and they had PS2s and the lights were barely working and there were power cuts,” he says.

“It [gave me] humility…I appreciate growing up [in the UK] gave me a lot of opportunities that a lot of people that don’t have from birth. Even things such as having a game console that I have at home that I barely play that these guys would love to.”

‘We’re helping people explore their identities’

Abu says these experiences stand out because they show how unscripted their videos are. The Somaliland series was mainly filmed in a one-mile radius to keep its “true and authentic” representation of the culture. He says: “For me, it was always about also creating a space for second generation immigrants to explore their identities.”

The impact of the series has been monumental with it gaining a large audience and positive reactions from viewers. Abu mentions how “touching” it was “because [he] never had that representation growing up.” And so was honoured to be able to provide that representation for others.

The Bangladesh series received “so much support from the Bengali community”, as did the Somaliland series with the Somali community. Abu says: “There were parents messaging me saying I’ve got something to show my kids, to show them where they’re from”.

‘We keep it super authentic –this is what life is like‘

Aside from exploring different cultures they also gained knowledge in film production and “that was a big learning curve as well in terms of producing a show.”

Their hope that viewers can get out of their videos is that they want “children of immigrants” like them to “be proud of [their] heritage” Abu highlights that they wanted “to create a show” where “kids can see their country in a positive light and be like, ‘Okay, yeah, that’s where I’m from'”.

He adds: “I hope people get that sense of pride from that, a sense of representation, a sense of belonging” understanding “the identity of your parents being from one place but you being from a completely different culture and just navigating that balance.”

Kayum agrees on their series showcasing “an unbiased opinion” on their countries as they do not have “a great media representation” so they want to show the objective view. Abu adds: “When we do our travels, we don’t go to fancy restaurants or we don’t stay in hotels. We keep it super authentic because we want people to see, this is what life is like.”

The outreach of their videos have reached the likes of NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving who follows them on Instagram. They mention Complex posting them and former footballer and media personality, Ian Wright liking one of their videos.

For more stories like this subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Weekly Gulp, for a curated roundup of trending stories, poignant interviews, and viral lifestyle picks from The Mirror’s Audience U35 team delivered straight to your inbox.

‘We’re doing the craziest things that no one has ever done’

The group explains how they aim to expand their content but still keep it authentic. They share how they recently filmed their Albania series and claim that it is “the best series yet.” From their previous travels they improved what they learnt and made this series have it all: “the relatability, it was natural, free-flowing, spontaneous and [they] introduced some challenges as well.”

When asked whether there are more new elements they are incorporating into the series, Abu says: “We’re just doing the craziest things that no one has ever done. And I just don’t see other YouTubers doing it because I just think they’ve got too much money and too comfortable in their lives to take the risk.”

They provide little information about their next series which will follow the boys as they travel across the UK. “It’s a countdown series where we travel across the UK. And the way it will be different is that it will be extremely interactive.” People will be dictating their journey across the country,” Abu shares.

They will be posting everyday on their travels, “letting people know what city [they’re] in” and whoever they come across will have the chance to express what they’d like the trio to do. This is something original that they have never done and are due to set off on their travels later this month.

Finally, they were asked what one word or sentence they would use to describe their content. Abu says, for him it was “reimagining travel.” Kayum also keeps it short and sweet with, “action-packed” and finally Zak shares that their content is “authentic and chaotic at the same time, we go out there, nothing’s fake or planned…it’s all action-packed, but it’s all authentic from ourselves”

Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We’d love to hear from you!

Aug. 29 (UPI) — The two children killed in Wednesday’s church shooting in Minneapolis have been identified by their families.

The two children were killed Wednesday when a gunman opened fire at the church of the Annunciation Catholic School where students and parishioners had been assembled for Mass.

Jesse Merkel identified one of the deceased as his 8-year-old son, Fletcher Merkel, during a press conference outside of the school on Thursday.

“Yesterday, a coward decided to take our 8-year-old son, Fletcher, away from us. Because of their actions, we will never be allowed to hold him, talk to him, play with him and watch him grow into the wonderful young man he was on the path to becoming,” Jesse Merkel said.

“Fletcher loved his family, friends, fishing, cooking and any sport that he was allowed to play.”

He added that they are not asking for sympathy, but empathy as his family and the community grieve.

“Please remember Fletcher for the person he was and not the act that ended his life,” he said.

The second deceased victim was identified as 10-year-old Harper Moyski, according to a statement from the family.

“Harper was a bright, joyful and deeply loved 10-year-old whose laughter, kindness and spirit touched everyone who knew her,” Michael Moyski and Jackie Flavin said in the statement.

“Our hearts are broken not only as parents, but also for Harper’s sister, who adored her big sister and is grieving an unimaginable loss. As a family, we are shattered, and words cannot capture the depth of our pain.”

Eighteen others, including 15 children aged 6 and 15 and three adult parishioners in their 80s, were wounded in the shooting.

The Minneapolis Police Department earlier Thursday increased the casualty count from 17 after an identifying another injured child.

The suspect, 23-year-old Robin Westman, reportedly a former student and transgender woman, was found dead at the scene from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Police said in a statement the shooter used three different firearms in the shooting, with officers recovering 116 rifle casings, three shotgun shells and one live pistol round from the scene.

Video surveillance of the shooting confirmed the gunman was unable to enter the church and fired into the church from outside.

“The practice of locking the doors once Mass began likely prevented a worse incident,” the Minneapolis Police Department said. “At the same time, the suspect attempted to barricade a door from the outside, preventing exit from the church.”

Mayor Jacob Frey said following the shooting that “it could have been far worse.”

A motive for the shooting was not clear.

On Thursday, police said four search warrants were executed at the church and three other locations in the Metro Minneapolis area, resulting in officers finding additional firearms.

Hundreds of pieces of evidence were also recovered, they said.