KIM Kardashian stunned on the red carpet at the All’s Fair premiere in London in a surprise trip to the UK.
The huge U.S. star just celebrated her 45th birthday at a strip club in Paris.
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Kim stunned in an all-black ensembleCredit: Shutterstock EditorialHer momager Kris joined her in the UKCredit: APKim wore a gothic get-up at the eventCredit: APKim joined co-stars Teyana Taylor (from left), Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash, and Naomi WattsCredit: AP
Now she’s jetted into the capital for tonight’s Disney+ event at the Odeon in Leicester Square, joining a host of celebrities.
Joined by momager Kris Jenner, the Hollywood stars looked gorgeous in all-black, glamorous ensembles.
Vogue Williams and Fleur East were amongst the first stars to pose for snappers at the event.
Sarah Paulson, Ashley Roberts and Naomi Watts were also in attendance.
Before her French birthday bash, the SKIMS founder attended the first All’s Fair premiere, also held in Paris.
Posting up a storm at the Maison de La Chimie on Tuesday, Kim looked amazing as she donned a form-fitting blue-hued silver number.
She had a plunging neckline and her black locks in a sleek updo.
Momager Kris Jenner supported her daughter as she attended the premiere too, wearing a black and white gown, with her hair scooped up in a bun atop her head.
She also showed off her amazing facelift in the process while standing beside her daughter.
All’s Fair, which premieres on Hulu on November 4, follows a team of successful female divorce attorneys who start their own practice in Los Angeles, California.
Kim leads the cast in her second scripted series ever, following her acting debut in American Horror Story: Delicate in 2023.
Yesterday, Kim headed to the cabaret club Crazy Horse in Paris to celebrate turning 45.
She wore a gold corset dress, which had a white miniskirt attached to it.
Kim’s incredible curves were on full display in a striking garment. The draped mini skirt and nude heels added a Grecian vibe to the look.
Crazy Horse is a legendary Parisian cabaret known for its sensual, artistic, and modern shows featuring all-female dancers.
The venue, housed in a former wine cellar, hosts a 90-minute show with a mix of avant-garde acts.
Vogue Williams was amongst the first on the red carpetCredit: Shutterstock EditorialFleur East wore red at the London premiereCredit: PASarah Paulson looked glamorous in greenCredit: GettyAshley James wore an all-black latex numberCredit: PAAshley Roberts stunned in a grey denim-like ensembleCredit: PA
One of the first things Sarah Paulson’s character does in the new trailer for “All’s Fair” is call Kim Kardashian’s character a vulgar slang term for female genitalia. One of the last things she does is call her a “whore lawyer.”
Hulu released the latest look at its upcoming legal drama Tuesday and it appears that, much like contentious divorces, the show will get vicious and personal.
Created by Ryan Murphy, “All’s Fair” will follow a group of female divorce attorneys who leave a male-dominated law firm to start their own practice. According to the synopsis, these “fierce, brilliant, and emotionally complicated” women will “navigate high-stakes breakups, scandalous secrets, and shifting allegiances.”
The trailer shows several women — including those portrayed by Brooke Shields, Elizabeth Berkley and Judith Light — seeking the services of “the best divorce lawyers in town.” Most of the men in the clip, meanwhile, seem to represent the most unsavory examples of their gender.
In addition to Paulson and Kardashian, the show’s all-star cast also includes Naomi Watts, Niecy Nash-Betts, Teyana Taylor, Matthew Noszka and Glenn Close.
“All’s Fair” will mark Kardashian’s second scripted television project since her role in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” While the reality TV star and businesswoman will be playing a fictional attorney in the show, she has also studied to be one in real life. Earlier this year, Kardashian celebrated completing her legal studies with a single-student graduation party.
Instead of attending a traditional law school, Kardashian apprenticed with attorneys for six years under California’s Law Office Study Program. She passed the Multistate Professional Responsibility Exam, commonly known as the “baby bar,” in 2021. That doesn’t mean you can retain Kardashian as an attorney, however. She has yet to pass the state bar.
Kardashian’s most recent real-life legal tangos includes filing a lawsuit with her mother, Kris Jenner, against ex-boyfriend Ray J for defamation and false-light publicity.
The energy drink company is expanding its share of the beverage industry.
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Amorim ignored Mainoo while the window was still open but had a heart-to-heart during the international break — telling him he is not the finished product and could do more.
“I didn’t have a conversation with him before the window closed but I did this week.
“I didn’t want him thinking I was having the conversation just to hold on to him. Some people think he is there but I think he can do so much better.
“For some guys it’s enough, for him it’s not enough. Maybe it’s not fair but I think I’m helping Kobbie Mainoo.
“I have the same feeling that you have. That he’s a top, top player. But he can be so much better. So I’m focused on that.
“He’s not used to fighting for his place, maybe. He is uncomfortable but he is a very good kid — and he is fighting.”
Mainoo looked set for superstardom when he scored for his boyhood club in their FA Cup final win over City and then started for England in the Euro 2024 final, despite defeat to Spain.
Amorim added: “I know he started the final of the European Championship in a team that has a lot of talented players.
Bruno Fernandes matches Cristiano Ronaldo record as he wins Man Utd award – but admits he DOESN’T want it
“Phil Foden played that game. Cole Palmer was on the bench. He was playing. But sometimes I have a different way of seeing the game.”
The ex-Sporting Lisbon boss explained where he thinks Mainoo can improve.
The United boss added: “He needs to have the technical ability that he has but he needs more pace.
“He needs to play at different speeds. Sometimes he’s slower and sometimes he’s faster. He can improve on that.
“And then he has to beat Bruno Fernandes. He has to beat Casemiro and Manuel Ugarte. They are good players also. I need to choose.”
Amorim pointed to fellow Portuguese Vitinha, Paris Saint-Germain’s midfield general, as a player who once struggled but is now thriving.
He said: “Sometimes it’s about the opinion of a coach. I remember Vitinha was not playing for Wolves. Nowadays, Vitinha is maybe the best midfielder in the world.”
Corrie Lee Stavers’ family said the pain of losing him was impossible to put into words
A fairground worker who died at a seaside carnival will be loved endlessly, his family have said.
Corrie Lee Stavers, 28 and from Sunderland, suffered fatal head injuries at Spanish City, in Whitley Bay, at about 14:15 BST on Saturday, Northumbria Police said.
His family said the “pain of losing him so suddenly” was “impossible to put into words”.
The Health and Safety Executive has been informed and the funfair, which was due to run over the Bank Holiday weekend, will remain closed. Fairground bosses said it was a “tragic accident”.
Mr Stavers’ next of kin are being supported by specialist officers, Northumbria Police said.
In a statement released through the force, his family said: “It’s with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our beloved Corrie has passed away.
“He was tragically taken from us in an accident while working on a fairground ride.
“None of us were prepared for this, and the pain of losing him so suddenly is impossible to put into words.
“Our lives will never be the same without him, but his memory will live on in our hearts forever.
“We love you endlessly, Corrie, and we miss you more than words can ever say.”
An air ambulance was deployed to the funfair at Spanish City in Whitley Bay
Earlier, Turners Funfairs posted on Facebook that it was “heartbroken” that “one of our much-loved colleagues has sadly passed away following a tragic accident”.
Its statement continued: “Our team is like a family and we are all deeply affected by this loss.
“As a mark of respect, Spanish City Funfair will remain closed this weekend, while we take the time to grieve together.”
The North East Ambulance Service said it had dispatched an emergency ambulance crew as well as a helicopter.
An off-duty medic had supported Mr Stavers until crews arrived.
However, police said despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was declared dead “a short time later”.
Anyone with information has been asked to contact the force.
A BRAND new vintage fairground-themed playpark has just opened its doors in the UK.
The new Adventure Play Fair in Norfolk is “one of East Anglia’s largest themed play areas,” according to the attraction’s Instagram account.
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A new vintage fairground-themed playpark has opened near NorfolkCredit: Instagram/thursford_
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It features many different areas with climbing structures, slides and interactive elementsCredit: Instagram/thursford_
Win one of 8 incredible holidays to the Caribbean, Mexico and Greece by voting in The Sun’s Travel Awards –enter to win here
Sprawled across the 30,000-square-foot park, wooden huts have been converted into all the things you would expect to find at a funfair.
A towering red and yellow Helter Skelter stands out in the play area and has a small climbing wall and exit to a bridge walkway on the side as well.
Then there is a wooden shed standing as a ‘Popcorn Hut’, with a rope bridge leading it to the ‘Hook a Duck’ hut with a slide and another exit to the ‘Hall of Mirrors’.
Read more on travel inspo
Another spot is ‘Tin Can Alley’, where kids can bang on long metal tubes that vary in length to create differently pitched sounds.
The Ferris Wheel, dubbed ‘The Big Wheel’ has a network of tunnels, bridges and different wooden ‘pods’.
While the giant play structure doesn’t move like a Ferris Wheel does, the different cabins have a variety of things to do, including one with a slide out of it.
The carousel also stands stationary, with wooden horses and a long rope bridge coming from its roof and stretching to another part of the park.
And scattered across the park are a number of multicoloured teacups.
Adding to the vintage steam rally theme, there is a train that kids can crawl through, and on hot days, they can have a splash in the UK’s first water fountain organ.
New seafront playground with unreal view and incredible theme opens minutes from busy city
Classic playground elements are in the ‘funfair’ too, such as swings, pedal quadracycles and trampolines in the ground.
For the parents, there are plenty of picnic benches with parasols to perch on and a cafe to grab refreshments or a light bite at.
One visitor, who headed to the open day yesterday, said: “[T]his is outdoor play on a whole new level.”
Tickets cost £4 per adult and £8 per child and the Adventure Play Fair is open Sunday to Thursday, 10am to 5pm.
While there, families can also explore the museum that has the world’s largest collection of steam engines.
For half price adult admission and free tickets for kids under 12, you can show your Adventure Play Fair tickets.
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And there is also a water fountain area that kids can play inCredit: Thursford
Thursford is also popular in the festive season for its Christmas Spectacular, which includes a three-hour show with over 130 performers.
There is also Santa’s Magical Journey, which includes a meet-and-greet with Father Christmas.
From November, visitors can head on The Enchanted Journey of Light – an immersive light trail with fairytale characters, lanterns and lit-up seesaws and swings.
And if you are looking for something else to do nearby, head down the road to Pumpkin House which has a maize maze, minigolf, tractor sand pits and pumpkin picking in October.
Or you could discover Hindringham Hall – a moated Tudor manor house with fishponds and historic walled garden.
There are holiday cottages at the house too, if you wanted to extend your stay in the area.
At Whisky a Go Go, the Doors were the house band during the summer of 1966. Guns N’ Roses and Bob Marley and the Wailers recorded live albums at the Roxy. Van Halen got their start at shuttered nightclub Gazzarri’s. It’s undeniable that West Hollywood’s Sunset Strip is a legendary music mecca — particularly when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll.
To celebrate the rich history and lore of the iconic 1.7-mile strip, the Sunset Strip Business Improvement District is hosting a free vinyl fair called Spinning Sunset on Saturday from 1 to 7 p.m. Part of the district’s annual Summer on Sunset initiative, the free, family-friendly event will feature vinyl DJ sets, brand activations and about 55 booths from local record stores and vintage vendors. Businesses like Hotel Ziggy, Andaz West Hollywood and Book Soup will also be offering discounts, vinyl-themed specials and pop-ups throughout the day.
With so much to see and experience at Spinning Sunset, here are five things to know before you visit.
Yes, there will be vinyl records for sale — lots of them
It’s no secret that vinyl records have been having a moment. According to Statista, 43.6 million EPs/LPs were sold in the U.S. in 2023, up from less than one million in 2006. With the surge in popularity, it’s only natural that vinyl fairs are also popping up more frequently.
At Spinning Sunset, you can expect to find more than 40 record vendors including In Sheep’s Clothing, Vinyldigs and Helix Sounds. Serious diggers may want to arrive on the earlier side to secure rare finds.
If you’re still on the hunt for a particular record, try checking out VinylCon, a massive music event taking place Aug. 23 and 24 at the California Market Center in DTLA. Founded in 2023 by record enthusiast and event producer Kobi Waldfogel in Philadelphia, VinylCon is coming to L.A. for the first time and will feature more than 80 vendors from some of the nation’s most sought-after collectors, as well as professional shops and dealers. There’ll be vinyl DJ sets too.
You’ll hear the sounds of today’s vinyl DJ scene
There’s a reason why people still prefer to listen to vinyl records. The sound is fuller, the bass hits you deep in your bones and there’s just something electrifying about the imperfect scratchiness that makes you feel like you are actually in the room with the artist.
As you’re crate digging, you’ll be able to experience that feeling firsthand at the fair, where DJs will be throwing down live vinyl sets throughout the day. Among the curated lineup of sound selectors — all of whom will be playing various genres — is Dino Soccio, El Decomicio and Chulita Vinyl Club, an all-vinyl DJ collective that is made up of women, nonbinary, LGBTQ+ and self-identifying people of color. Other performers include Adrian Younge, an Emmy-winning composer and co-founder of the Jazz is Dead record label and live concert project, and Grammy-nominated musician Mayer Hawthorne.
You can have a drink at the former “Riot House” — and feel the spirit of legendary rockers
Decades before it became the Andaz West Hollywood, this high-rise hotel earned the nickname “Riot House” due to the rambunctious behavior of its famous clientele.
It was here, in 1966, that Doors frontman Jim Morrison was spotted hanging from the balcony by his fingertips, which led to him being evicted from the hotel. A few years later, in 1972, Led Zeppelin took over the entire 11th floor and “flung beer bottles and furniture out of the windows, aiming for billboards across the road,” according to Harper’s Bazaar. These are just some of the hard-to-believe, wild stories that came from this iconic building.
Although rock stars aren’t wreaking havoc there anymore, you can still feel their spirit at the hotel’s Riot House restaurant, which will be hosting the official happy hour for Spinning Sunset. So if you need a break from the festivities, stop by the restaurant to order from their specially curated menu, which includes guacamole and tortilla chips for $12, wild shrimp tacos for $18, a Paloma cocktail for $14 and specific wines for $12.
There’ll be giveaways (just be sure to RSVP)
Yes, access to Spinning Sunset is free, but you’ll want to RSVP for the chance to win an array of prizes including a one-night stay and breakfast for two at the Mondrian, along with drinks for two at the hotel’s Skybar. Other prizes include gift cards to WeHo restaurants like the buzzy Dialog Cafe and Katana, and complimentary bottle service and entry to Keys nightclub. Guests will be required to take a photo at the fair and tag @thesunsetstrip to complete their entry for the giveaway. Winners will be selected via the Instagram page within 24 hours of the event. Attendance is required to claim your prize.
But even if you don’t win a gift at the fair, there will be other free offerings including complimentary Dippin’ Dots ice cream and samples from West Hollywood Edition’s signature restaurant, Ardor.
After the fair, continue the party at Hotel Ziggy
The fair ends at 7 p.m., but the party doesn’t have to stop there. Head over to the official after-party at Hotel Ziggy, the music-themed boutique hotel that takes its name from Davie Bowie (a.k.a. Ziggy Stardust). Grab a $10 margarita or a $5 draft beer and enjoy a vinyl DJ set by Dirty Dave. Entry is free and the party goes from 6 to 9 p.m. Afterward, the hotel will be hosting Zap Sessions, a free live music show featuring emerging artists powered by Beach Party Records from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. This function is also free, but RSVP is required.
If you’d like to explore more Sunset Strip hot spots, check out Darci at the Roxy or Thorslund and the Stellar Bandits at the Viper Room. Also, Nico Bones, Velicious, Rev It Up and more will be performing at Whisky a Go Go.
Record rainfall and life-threating flash flooding prompted road closures, emergency declarations and closure of the Wisconsin State Fair Sunday. Photo courtesy of City of Milwaukee Facebook.
Aug. 10 (UPI) — Rescue workers and emergency crews are responding to life-threatening flash flooding in the wake of record rainfall in Wisconsin, and more rain is in the forecast for Sunday night, officials said.
Officials were forced to close the Wisconsin State Fair early as nearly 8 inches of rain soaked Milwaukee and surrounding areas overnight Saturday, according to the National Weather Service, a record for two-day rainfall, prompting flood alerts and a disaster declaration.
Local officials reported even more rain than the official totals reported by the NWS. Milwaukee mayor Cavalier Johnson said some parts of the city had received as much as a foot of rain.
Fair organizers canceled a concert by Lynyrd Skynyrd on Saturday night and closed the fairgrounds early as rain continued to soak the area and severe weather created dangerous conditions for fairgoers.
The 11-day fair remained closed Sunday, the final day of the annual event, and social media posts showed cars partially submerged as attendees scrambled to leave the event.
Parts of Wauwatosa, just north of Milwaukee, was especially hard hit and many parts of the town remained under water Sunday morning, WISN reported.
Along the Menomonee River, police used loudspeakers and word of mouth to inform people that a popular sports complex was closed, and asked visitors to leave.
There were widespread road closures and power outages as a result of the severe weather, but as of Sunday afternoon, no weather-related deaths or serious injuries had been reported.
Firefighters responded to at least 614 emergency calls between 8 p.m. Saturday and 7 a.m. Sunday, the Milwaukee Fire Department reported.
Hundreds of thousands of supporters of Bangladesh’s largest Islamist party took part in a rally in the capital, Dhaka, demanding an overhaul of the electoral system.
The South Asian nation is expected to head to the polls next year as it stands at a crossroads after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
On Saturday, Jamaat-e-Islami placed a seven-point demand on the country’s interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election, justice for all mass killings, essential reforms and the proclamation and implementation of a charter involving last year’s mass uprising.
The party also said it wants the introduction of a proportional representation system in the election.
Thousands of supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami spent the night on the Dhaka University campus before the rally.
On Saturday morning, braving the sweltering heat, they continued to stream towards Suhrawardy Udyan, a historical site where the Pakistani army surrendered to a joint force of India and Bangladesh on December 16, 1971, ending the nine-month war.
“We are here for a new Bangladesh, where Islam would be the guiding principle of governance, where good and honest people will rule the country, and there will be no corruption,” said Iqbal Hossain, 40.
“We will sacrifice our lives, if necessary, for this cause.”
‘No discrimination’
Some demonstrators wore T-shirts bearing the party’s logo, others sported headbands inscribed with its name, while many displayed metallic badges shaped like a scale – the party’s electoral symbol.
Many young supporters in their 20s and 30s were also present.
“Under Jamaat-e-Islami, this country will have no discrimination. All people will have their rights. Because we follow the path of the holy book – Quran,” said Mohidul Morsalin Sayem, a 20-year-old student.
“If all the Islamist parties join hands, soon, nobody will be able to take power from us.”
The party’s chief, Shafiqur Rahman, said the country’s struggle in 2024 was to eliminate “fascism”, but this time, there would be another fight against corruption and extortion.
“How will the future Bangladesh look like? There will be another fight … We will do whatever is necessary and win that fight,” Rahman said.
Jamaat-e-Islami party members rally at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]
After Bangladesh’s independence, Jamaat, which sided with Pakistan during Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, was banned.
It later re-emerged and registered its best electoral performance in 1991 when it secured 18 seats.
The party also joined a coalition government in 2001, but failed to build lasting popular support.
While Prime Minister Hasina was in power from 2009 until she was toppled in student-led protests last year and fled to India, top leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami were either executed or jailed on charges of crimes against humanity and other serious crimes in 1971.
Last month, the Supreme Court restored the party’s registration, paving the way for its participation in elections slated for next April.
In a statement on X, Hasina’s Awami League party reacted sharply to Yunus’s government allowing Saturday’s rally.
The statement said the move “marks a stark betrayal with the national conscience and constitutes a brazen act of undermining millions of people – dead and alive – who fought against the evil axis [in 1971]”.
The Yunus-led administration has banned the Awami League, and Hasina has been in exile in India since last August. She faces charges of crimes against humanity.
Government wants to lower the voting age, saying it aims to modernise UK democracy.
The United Kingdom is set to make an historic change to its electoral system.
The government has announced a plan to lower the voting age from 18 to 16. It says the move will modernise and strengthen British democracy.
But critics say this is more than just democratic reform.
So, what’s really behind the decision? Is this about democratic renewal or short-term political gain? And has lowering the voting age worked elsewhere?
Presenter: Adrian Finighan
Guests:
Afzal Khan – Labour Member of Parliament in the UK
Yannis Koutsomitis – European affairs analyst
Alex Deane – Political analyst and conservative commentator
Copyrighted books can be used to train artificial intelligence models without authors’ consent, a federal judge ruled Monday.
The decision marked a major victory for San Francisco startup Anthropic, which trained its AI assistant Claude using copyrighted books. The company, started by former OpenAI employees and backed by Amazon, was sued by authors Andrea Bartz, Charles Graeber and Kirk Wallace in August.
U.S. District Judge William Alsup ruled that Anthropic’s use of purchased books was “exceedingly transformative and was a fair use” but the company may have broken the law by using pirated books. Alsup ordered a trial in December to determine damages, which can reach up to $150,000 per case of willful copyright infringement.
“If someone were to read all the modern-day classics because of their exceptional expression, memorize them, and then emulate a blend of their best writing, would that violate the Copyright Act? Of course not,” the ruling reads.
“The purpose and character of using copyrighted works to train [large language models] to generate new text was quintessentially transformative. Like any reader aspiring to be a writer, Anthropic’s LLMs trained upon works not to race ahead and replicate or supplant them — but to turn a hard corner and create something different.”
Anthropic pirated more than 7 million books from Books3, Library Genesis and Pirate Library Mirror, online libraries containing unauthorized copies of copyrighted books, to train its large language models, according to Alsup. As the company started to become “not so gung ho” about pirating “for legal reasons,” it brought on Tom Turvey from Google to obtain “all the books in the world” but still avoid “legal/practice/business slog.”
While Turvey initially inquired into licensing agreements with two major publishers, he eventually decided to purchase millions of print copies in bulk. The company then proceeded to strip the books’ bindings, cut their pages and scan them into digital and machine-readable forms, according to the decision.
Though the plaintiffs took issue with Anthropic making digital copies, Alsup ruled that this practice also falls under fair use: “The mere conversion of a print book to a digital file to save space and enable searchability was transformative for that reason alone,” he wrote.
Anthropic later purchasing books that it initially pirated did not absolve the company, but it may impact the extent of statutory damages, Alsup said.
AS KING Canute found over a thousand years ago, it is quite difficult to stand on a beach and order the tide to recede.
Today, it is equally difficult to make the argument that giving families cash is not always the best way of lifting them out of poverty.
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David Blunkett grew up on just bread and dropping at home – but he is warning that lifting the 2 child benefit cap is not the best way to tackle povertyCredit: Alamy
This is especially true when one particular measure becomes the symbol of whether or not you’re on the right side of the debate about child poverty.
But as someone who now can afford the comforts of life, I constantly remind myself of my childhood.
The grinding poverty that I experienced when my father was killed in a work accident when I was 12 – leaving my mother, who had serious health problems, to fight a long battle for minimal compensation.
Having only bread and dripping in the house was, by anyone’s standards, a hallmark of absolute poverty.
Why on earth would I question, therefore, the morality of reversing a Tory policy introduced eight years ago?
This restricts the additional supplement to universal credit – worth over £3,000 a child per year – to just two children.
I should know, my friends tell me, that the easiest and quickest way of overcoming the growth in child poverty is to restore the £3.5 billion pounds it would cost to give this additional money for all the children in every family entitled to the credit.
It is true that the policy, introduced in 2017, failed its first test.
Women did not stop having more than two children even when they were strapped for cash. It is still unclear why.
After all, many people have to make a calculation as to how many children they can afford.
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Keir Starmer is under massive pressure form Labour backbench MPs to lift the 2 child benefit cap and go on a new welfare spending spreeCredit: AP
But one thing must be certain: namely, that if you give parents a relatively substantial additional amount of money for every child they have whilst entitled to benefits, they are likely to have more children.
Nigel Farage, leader of Reform UK, said as much last week. His argument for restoring the benefit to the third and subsequent children was precisely that we needed to persuade low- income families to have more children.
Surely having children that you cannot afford to feed is the legacy of a bygone era?
All those earning below £60,000 are entitled to the basic child benefit, so the argument is about just over £60 a week extra per child.
One difficulty in having a sensible debate about what really works in overcoming intergenerational poverty is the lack of reliable statistics.
Some people have claimed, over recent days, that over 50 per cent of children in Manchester and Birmingham live in poverty.
I fear that such claims should be treated with scepticism.
Those struggling to make ends meet – sometimes having not just one but two jobs – who pay their taxes and national insurance and plan their lives around what can be afforded, have the right to question where their hard-earned wages go.
The simple and obvious truth is that child poverty springs from the lack of income of the adults who care for them.
Transforming their lives impacts directly on the children in their family.
There is a limit to how much money taxpayers are willing to hand over to pay for another family’s children.
Helping them to help themselves is a different matter.
So, what would I do?
Firstly, I would ensure that families with a disabled youngster automatically have the entitlement restored.
This would self-evidently apply also to multiple births.
In both cases, life is not only more difficult, it is also harder to get and keep a job.
I would come down like a ton of bricks on absent parents.
My mum was a single parent because she was widowed; many others are single in the sense that the other partner has walked away.
The Child Maintenance Service should step up efforts to identify and pursue absent parents who do not pay their fair share towards their child.
We, the community, have a clear duty to support and assist those in need.
To help those where a helping hand will restore them to independence and self-reliance.
But there is an obligation on individuals as well as the State, and mutual help starts with individuals taking some responsibility for themselves.
Finally, if (and this is where I am in full agreement with colleagues campaigning to dramatically reduce child poverty) we make substantial sums of money available to overcome hardship, then a comprehensive approach to supporting the families must surely be the best way to achieve this.
As ever in politics there is a trade off. What you spend on handing over cash is not available to invest in public services: that is the reality.
Help from the moment a child is born, not just with childcare but with nurturing and child development.
Dedicated backing to gain skills and employment and to taper the withdrawal of help so that it genuinely becomes worthwhile having and keeping a job.
A contract between the taxpayer and the individual or household. Government is about difficult choices, that is why Keir Starmer and his colleagues are agonising over what to do next.
Angela Rayner says lifting 2-child benefit cap not ‘silver bullet’ for ending poverty after demanding cuts for millions
Faustina (left) wishes driving lessons were cheaper, while Keith says the driving test backlog means his son Brandon (right) needs to take lessons for longer
Paige Williams is desperate to pass her driving test.
Her three-year-old son sometimes has “meltdowns” on public transport, where he might scream, cry or throw himself on the floor, she says. She just wants to be able to visit family and go on day trips more easily.
But the 28-year-old single mum, from Barnsley, is having to drastically cut back on how much she spends on food, gas and electricity to be able to afford her £35-an-hour lessons, which she’s been having since September.
“It’s literally scrimping and scraping to be able to manage to get one lesson a week,” she says.
As the cost of driving lessons continues to rise alongside an already high cost of living, experiences like Paige’s may be becoming increasingly common.
The BBC has spoken to more than a dozen learners and parents of learners who say they’re frustrated by how much they have to pay – and also to instructors who argue that the prices are justified.
Driving instructors can charge what they like, and the DVSA does not release official statistics on average lesson costs.
But a DVSA survey completed by more than 5,000 approved driving instructors (ADIs) in September shows how prices have shot up in recent years.
In the survey, the most common price bracket for an hour lesson was £36 to £40 per hour.
Just 31.5% of driving instructors said they charged £35 or less per hour – that number had halved since the DVSA’s June 2023 survey.
While 20.8% said they charged more than £40 an hour – nearly triple as many as in June 2023.
For many people, driving is essential for taking their kids to school, going to work or carrying out caring responsibilities.
Public transport might be unaffordable, inaccessible or simply not available for some people.
Two-thirds of people in Great Britain who commute to work drive in, and 45% of five-to-10 year olds are taken to school by car, Department for Transport figures from 2023 show.
Faustina Kamara, a 23-year-old in Birmingham, needs a licence for her dream job – being a runner in the media industry.
But the £60 cost of her two-hour driving lessons means she’s only having them once a fortnight, which isn’t as frequently as she’d like, and means it will delay when she can take her test.
She says she’d love to have lessons weekly but it would mean she’d have to cut back on spending money seeing her friends.
Other people also say that the high cost of driving lessons means it’s taking them longer to learn to drive.
Rather than having the two lessons a week she would have liked, Sandra Onuora, a 30-year-old civil servant in Newcastle, had three per month until she passed her test in March.
“That was all I could afford,” she says. And even then, “I had to take a lot of money from my savings” for her £39-an-hour lessons, she adds.
Because she had to space out her lessons more, she had to wait longer until she felt ready to take her test.
She’d spend hours every week travelling between her home, her son’s childminder’s and her office, taking six buses every weekday.
“It was a rough year,” says Sandra. She would return home “so exhausted”.
Sandra Onuora
Sandra says she had to take “a lot of money from my savings” to pay for her driving lessons
And just as driving lessons become more expensive, some learners are also finding they’re having to take more of them.
Keith Rose hasn’t been able to book a driving test near where he lives in Bridgwater, Somerset, for his 17-year-old son, Brandon.
The best option he could find is an hour’s drive away in Newport, Wales, and isn’t until September.
Keith says that his son is ready to take his test, but will need to keep taking lessons at a cost of £76 for a two-hour session to maintain his skills.
“We’re being forced into spending money that we don’t need to,” Keith says.
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander has acknowledged that waiting times for tests are too long and pledged to reduce the average waiting time for a driving test to no more than seven weeks by summer 2026.
Instructors say that they have little choice but to charge these kind of rates if they want to make a profit.
“Prices for driving lessons are where they should be, having been probably under-priced for many years,” says Stewart Lochrie, the owner of a driving school in Glasgow and chair of the Approved Driving Instructors National Joint Council (ADINJ).
“I think the price was overdue a reset.”
Stewart notes that the UK’s more than 41,000 approved driving instructors are having to pay more for the expenses associated with their jobs like buying or leasing a car, fuel, insurance and maintenance.
“We have costs to cover as well and if the things that we need to run our business go up, then our prices will have to go up as well,” he says.
Pro Vision Photography Ltd
Stewart says driving lessons have likely been “under-priced for many years”
The rising price of lessons “isn’t really translating to a pay increase in our pockets,” adds Terry Edwards, a driving instructor in Ashford, Kent.
His expenses include around £280 a month on fuel, £135 on insurance and £440 on car payments.
Other costs include servicing, repairing and cleaning his car.
Terry charges £39 an hour, but offers a discount for buying in bulk. While customers “don’t generally push back” against his prices, some “try and be a bit cheeky” and ask for discounts, he says.
For Amy Burnett, a pharmacy advisor in Glasgow, the prices are so high that she’s avoiding learning for the time being. The only instructors she’d found with availability charge between £50 and £60 an hour, she says.
“I’m living pay cheque to pay cheque as it is,” the 22-year-old says.
But she sees being able to drive as an investment in her future – she’d have more freedom and she’s had to limit her previous job searches to roles accessible by public transport, she says.
Amy hopes to pass her test by the time she’s 24 – if she can find a more affordable instructor with availability in her area, she says.
Paige, the mum in Barnsley, is sure her frugality will be worth it in the end. Being able to drive would make it much easier for her to return to work, she says.
And it would make journeys with her son much less stressful, she says. Most of all, she wants to take her two children to the seaside.
“It’d be so good for my son Ronald, with his sensory needs,” Paige says. “Getting to go on the little arcade rides and seeing his little face would be lovely.”
I’m not much of a fair guy — I never win at carnival games, I get dizzy as a passenger in a car, and fair food is as overrated as In-N-Out. But last week, I attended the Los Angeles County Fair for the first time ever because why not?
Besides, if Miguel Santana can be a Fairhead, so can I.
“Who’s there says a lot about us as Southern California,” Santana said of the L.A. County Fair’s audience as I exited the 10 Freeway toward the Fairplex. “It’s a sense of Americana and proof we can be diverse and American at the same time.”
I asked if this fair was as big as the Orange County Fair. He laughed the way all Angelenos do when presented with a comparison to Orange County.
“It’s enormous. You’re gonna get your 10,000 steps.”
Behold, then, this newbie’s L.A. County Fair tips:
Times columnist Gustavo Arellano at the 2025 L.A. County Fair.
(Gustavo Arellano / Los Angeles Times)
Have a Pomona homie drop you off
Fair parking is an ungodly $22.50, and don’t you dare try to leave your jalopy at nearby Ganesha Park unless you want to spend a couple hundred dollars fishing it out of some random tow truck yard. My Pomona parking hookup was faithful reader Fernando Iniguez — gracias, Fern Iggy! I owe you a Jerez sweatshirt.
Buy your tickets online
$21.50 on the internet. At the gate? $32. Um, yeah. But one big complaint, Fair lords: It took me three attempts to buy my tickets online. Ever heard of Zelle?
Feel the music
“There’s going to be so much music,” Santana told me, and he was right. Between live bands, Spotify playlists, DJs and radio stations, it was like walking through a wholesome Coachella. Bachata smoothly transitioned to Go Country went to KCRW became Taylor Swift switched over to a super-chirpy cover of the O’Jays’ “Love Train” at the Disco Chicken stand. And though Pharell Williams’ “Happy” played at least five times while I visited, the atmosphere was so cheerful that I didn’t have to scream to drown out his ode to optimism.
Hang out at the petting zoo for the best people watching
There’s nothing like seeing suburbanites who probably think meat comes from Erewhon fairies stand with terror in their eyes as bleating sheep and goats swarm them asking for pellets.
Lose yourself in the fair
How much did fairgoers live in the moment? I saw next to no one use their smartphone other than for photos. And I also noticed a middle-age white guy in a MAGA cap standing a few feet away from a Muslim family with nary a negative look at each other. They were too busy staring ahead like the rest of us at an octet of magnificent Clydesdale horses ready to pull a Budweiser wagon.
Head to the coolest section of the fair
I loved all the vegetables and livestock at the Farm & Gardens, enjoyed the trippy art at the Flower & Garden Pavilion and appreciated the juxtaposition of a lowrider show next to the Wally Parks NHRA Motorsports Museum near the Millard Sheets Art Center. But the best part of the fair was the area labeled “America’s Great Outdoors” — and I say this as someone who thinks camping and hiking are for the (literal) birds! Volunteers sawed logs with kids, taught them how to pan for gold, showed off desert reptiles and even hosted an environmental magic show. Throw in a replica of a Tongva hut and a U.S. Forest Service fire lookout tower and the nearby sound of the RailGiants Train Museum, and this is what Knott’s Berry Farm used to be before it became whatever the hell it is now.
Block off at least three hours to fully enjoy
I had to rush back to Orange County for a columna the day I visited, so I only spent an hour and a half at the fair. I had to skip the tablescape competition, didn’t go through the exhibit halls and was only able to eat at Hot Dog on a Stick because they make the best lemonade on Earth. But it was wonderful to leave the problems of the world mostly at bay for a few hours to enjoy the living, breathing Wikipedia that is a county fair at its finest — and the L.A. County Fair is definitely that.
Huge Snorlax plush toy: Next year, you’re mine.
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Wildlife biologist Carl Lackey, with the aid of a dog, chases off a California black bear that was captured and relocated to the Carson Range.
(John Axtell / Nevada Department of Wildlife)
A woman’s grisly death inflames debate over how California manages problem black bears
The proposed cut to UC dropped from $397 million in January to $130 million four months later, representing a 3% year-to-year budget cut.
For CSU, Newsom’s budget cut went from $375 million in January to $144 million, also a 3% budget reduction.
Riverside wants to become ‘the new Detroit’
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(Peter DaSilva / For The Times)
Going out
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A question for you: What is your go-to karaoke song?
Alan says: “Your Man by Josh Turner.” C Price says: “The Circle Game by Joni Mitchell.”
Email us at [email protected], and your response might appear in the newsletter this week.
And finally … your photo of the day
Kaj Betts, son of Dodgers infielder Mookie Betts, runs away with the ceremonial first pitch ball as they celebrate Mookie Betts’ Bobble Head night at Dodger Stadium.
