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A PROFESSIONAL nanny has revealed the Aldi kids’ food she would never give her clients’ children.

Emily, who works with families all over the world, claimed that she would personally avoid “pouches and meal trays” that you can pick up in supermarkets. 

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Over recent years, numerous companies have found success in convincing parents that feeding a baby with a quick and convenient processed pouch is easier and also nutritious.

However, there have been growing concerns over whether they are nutritionally sufficient and if they hinder a varied diet.

On her @thenosugarcoatnanny account, Emily, who is trained as a prestigious Norland nanny, held up two items from Aldi’s Organia Mamia range, which are designed for children.

Speaking of their “super cheap” 65p apples, parsnips and carrots pouch (intended for ages four months and above) and their 95p chicken and vegetable cous cous (designed for 12 months and older), she said: “These are products that I do not recommend to parents.”

PANORAMA INVESTIGATION

Emily cited an investigation by BBC Panorama, which found that six leading UK brands did not meet their key nutritional needs for baby food pouches.

The NHS website has published advice on commercial baby food, and said parents should not rely on shop-bought pouches as everyday meals.

Some popular baby food pouches are labelled as being “perfectly balanced for growing babies” or “packed with goodness”.

Emily added: “Lots of you know about the Panorama documentary that came out about pouches and food. 

“I think if you haven’t watched it as a parent, definitely go and watch it.”

The study followed the World Health Organisation stating that it is “critical” that infants and toddlers get good nutrition in the first three years of life.

Babies need food that is “pure, varied, minimally seasoned and nutrient-dense.“

Despite this, by the age of two to five, the average UK toddler has been found to get 61 per cent of their energy from ultra-processed foods, according to a 2022 study.

IRON LEVELS

Emily’s next gripe was with the iron levels in baby meals, and claimed that “a baby needs 7.8 mg a day.”

In the Panorama documentary, Ella’s Kitchen spag bol had just 0.7mg of iron, while Aldi’s Bangers and Mash contained 0.5mg of iron and a Lidl meal had about 0.4mg.

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Emily claimed: “Aldi’s products were tested, and their iron levels in them were around 0.5 mg. 

“So, if you give your child, let’s say, this for breakfast, this for lunch, and a similar one for dinner, your child’s, getting 1.5 milligrams of iron a day? 

“That’s so incredibly low. 

“And obviously, children need iron to grow their blood cells.

“It’s obviously to help with their oxygen and the flow around their body.

“So, that’s something to really, really consider when thinking of these.”

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Emily shared how she wasn’t advising parents to avoid them completely, and said they are “absolutely fine” for days out if you’ve not made anything or forgotten a snack.

She explained: “But what I don’t want parents to be doing is stocking their cupboards full of these sorts of things, and then that’s your go-to.”

A spokesperson for Aldi said: “Our range of products can help parents and carers to support a child’s weaning journey by introducing a wide variety of food and flavours as part of a varied diet.

“Any sugar in them is naturally occurring and would be the same in a fruit puree made at home.”

NHS GUIDANCE

The NHS Start For Life website states that parents should wait until their baby is around six months old before feeding them solid foods, even if labels on pouches say the products are suitable from four months.

Experts say the products should only be used sparingly, and not as replacements for homemade meals.

They also advised they can cause children health problems if used as their main source of nutrition.

The six brands involved in the investigation were Ella’s Kitchen, Heinz, Piccolo, Little Freddie, Aldi and Lidl, who all said their products were intended to be used as a complementary part of a child’s varied weaning diet.

Several years ago, little was known about the StingRay, a powerful surveillance device that imitates the function of a cell tower and captures the signals of nearby phones, allowing law enforcement officers to sweep through hundreds of messages, conversations and call logs.

The secrecy around the technology, which can ensnare the personal data of criminals and bystanders alike, spurred lawsuits and demands for public records to uncover who was using it and the extent of its capabilities. In California, a 2015 law requires law enforcement agencies to seek permission at public meetings to buy the devices, and post rules for their use online.

But a Los Angeles Times review of records from 20 of the state’s largest police and sheriff’s departments, plus the Alameda County district attorney’s office, found some agencies have been slow to follow or have ignored the law. Several that partner with federal agencies to work on cases are not subject to the law’s reporting requirements. The result is that little information on StingRay use is available to the public, making it hard to determine how wide a net the surveillance tools cast and what kind of data they gather.

Out of 21 law enforcement agencies surveyed, 12 were found to own or have access to a StingRay or similar device. Nine of those agencies had developed and released online public polices.

**Officers don’t operate the stingray but work with other agencies that may

Source: L.A. Times review of public records

The Times reviewed more than 400 documents it received from public information requests, including grant proposals, purchase orders and memos on the use of StingRays and similar devices generically called “stingrays” or “dirtboxes.”

The devices, which cost between $242,000 and $500,000, are primarily marketed for preventing and responding to terrorist threats, but the documents suggest they are used most frequently in felony criminal cases, such as burglaries, murders and kidnappings.

Out of 21 law enforcement entities The Times surveyed, 12 either owned stingrays or used or had access to them through partner agencies. Nine owned the surveillance devices, and each of them posted public policies online as required by law. Three of the nine went a step further to conduct annual reporting audits that showed when and in what cases the devices were used.

But some stingray policies posted by the law enforcement agencies revealed little about the devices besides noting they were in use. Other agencies took months to post their stingray guidelines online. The Los Angeles Police Department, which owns a stingray, updated its public safety policies to include its stingray guidelines only after questions from The Times.

Data on stingray purchases and use have long been difficult to come by, a problem the 2015 law requiring more public accountability was meant to correct — and has yet to fix.

California police would have to disclose the use of more surveillance devices under this proposed law>>

The Times found that the nine agencies that own stingrays bought them between 2006 and 2013, mostly with federal grant money or under programs or agreements that prohibited any public disclosure, following a national trend. Local tax dollars weren’t used on the purchases, and city and county officials didn’t ask about them in a public forum.

Just two of the 21 law enforcement agencies polled by The Times have ever publicly discussed buying new devices before city or county officials: Santa Clara (which did not buy a device) and Alameda counties.

And only one agency, the Oakland Police Department, has gathered input from the public to develop guidelines for stingray use, which isn’t required under the 2015 law.

“Any tool can be used for good or bad,” said Brian Hofer, chairman of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission, which helped establish the surveillance policies. “This is the most controversial piece of equipment that we know about, and they should not be used in the dark.”

The StingRay II gives off the strongest wireless signal in an area, tricking nearby phones, tablets and laptops to connect. (Associated Press)

(Associated Press)

A device cloaked in secrecy

Stingrays tend to be the size of small briefcases and mimic the function of cell towers. They give off the strongest wireless signal in an area, tricking nearby phones, tablets and laptops to connect.

Investigators can target the location data of specific phones, allowing them to track suspects and their associates. They can also sweep up communications over a wide area. How much and what types of data they collect — location information, audio or images — depends on how the devices are designed and how law enforcement agencies use them.

The technology has been used for about 20 years by federal, state and local law enforcement, often secretly, under manufacturer agreements that typically prohibit agencies from disclosing the purchases.

The public did not learn about the existence of the equipment until 2011, after an inmate in federal prison, Daniel Rigmaiden, spent three years scouring government records and meeting transcripts on a hunch that investigators used some kind of secret device to catch him.

Rigmaiden, a native of Seaside, Calif., who hadn’t had a stable living situation, was arrested in Phoenix for filing fake tax returns. Police were able to find him through tracking an old Verizon wireless card he seldom used to connect online.

“It wasn’t just that [investigators] were able to get historical call data from Verizon,” said Linda Lye, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed an amicus brief in support of his case. “They were able to pinpoint him to a particular apartment in a particular apartment building, which was far more precise.”

State bill requiring California police to disclose surveillance equipment clears its first hurdle>>

In 2015, California lawmakers passed the sweeping Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which prohibited any investigative body in the state from forcing businesses to turn over digital communications without a warrant. That same year, state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) introduced legislation to compel local law enforcement agencies to disclose more information about the use of stingrays in California.

“Our country has a rich history of democracy and civilian oversight,” Hill told a Senate judiciary committee that May. “The stealthy use of these devices undercuts the very nature of our government.”

The law, which took effect in January 2016, requires cities and counties that operate a stingray to create guidelines for how and when officers use the equipment. Any agency that wants to buy a device must first receive approval at a public hearing.

Investigators can target the data of specific phones. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Opening access to information

The state law helped open up some public access to information about how and where the devices are used. Privacy advocates and lawyers have kept up the public pressure in some cities and counties, particularly in the Bay Area, calling on officials to put ordinances and guidelines in place to bar police from collecting data from those not under investigation.

Under most of those policies, officers can use the technology only when it is critical to a case and is approved by higher-ranking officers, or in emergency situations such as natural disasters. Investigators are also required to obtain search warrants. Any data not considered official evidence can’t be sought, recorded or stored. Officers must delete or destroy all information gathered by the equipment related to an investigation at the end of the period in which they’re authorized to use the technology.

Three agencies keep track of when officers use a stingray — the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the San Jose Police Department and the Alameda County district attorney’s office. But their data offer few details about the cases.

In Los Angeles County, a report from the sheriff’s office showed deputies followed state law and obtained a search warrant in nearly all 138 investigations that required a cell site simulator in 2015, and 38 investigations in 2016, the majority of which were murder cases.

In that time, the device helped officers arrest 70 suspects and find one crime victim. Sheriff’s Department officials declined to disclose further information or records on those cases.

Source: L.A. County Sheriff’s Office Ally Levine / @latimesgraphics Stingray use in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in Los Angeles County asked to use the surveillance equipment for investigations 138 times in 2015 and 38 times in 2016. In 2015 17 Narcotics 16 Assault 9 Robbery 6 Grand theft In 2016 Most common investigations using stingrays Murder 63 Murder 21 Weapons 3 Attempted murder 2 2 Rape 2 Assault* *with a deadly weapon

The Alameda County district attorney’s office, which purchased a device to be operated by the Sheriff’s Department and other area police agencies, said the stingray had not been used as of January.

The San Jose Police Department bought a $500,000 stingray in June 2013, and used it about 20 times between early September 2016 and June 2017.

Law enforcement officers in Oakland and San Jose, as well as several other California cities, say the law requiring them to disclose use of the devices has allowed them to ease community fears over what the technology can and can’t do.

“You watch TV and you’d think that we are sucking their phones dry of all the images, of all the texts, of all the pictures and emails,” said San Jose Police Lt. Steve Lagorio, who crafted guidelines for stingray use with the city attorney’s office. “But we are not. We don’t have that capability.”

The cellphone interceptor at his department is strictly used to target the phones of individual suspects, and Lagorio said he doubted any local law enforcement agencies used the equipment to do much more than that.

A traditional cellphone tower. Cell tower interceptors, often called “stingrays” or “dirtboxes,” tend to be the size of small briefcases and mimic traditional cell towers. (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)

(Jeff Roberson / AP)

Calls for oversight

Privacy advocates and lawyers say a state agency is needed for oversight to ensure law enforcement agencies are following the law and post their own guidelines.

Most of the records on purchases and grant proposals reviewed by The Times were highly redacted, providing little insight into how their equipment is designed and what it can collect.

The LAPD provided purchase orders and invoices that show the department first obtained price quotes for stingray equipment in 2004, but it is unclear when it acquired the technology. LAPD officials said only that the stingray was not deployed due to technical malfunction issues, but declined to elaborate.

Other records from the Police Department show it obtained another stingray in June 2012, but the department declined to release additional information on the purchase, including its cost.

It was used more than 21 times in routine criminal investigations over four months in 2012, according to LAPD records that were first obtained by the First Amendment Coalition, a nonprofit that works to advance free speech and open-records laws.

In response to an information request regarding its purchases of stingray devices, the San Francisco Police Department provided heavily redacted records, including a 2012 grant proposal and shipping receipt showing the purchase of “specialized surveillance equipment” in 2007.

The department also gave The Times a document indicating a stingray was bought with 2009 federal grant funds. But a spokesman said the department did not have any public policies on the technology because the equipment was not in use.

Seventeen of the 21 agencies polled by The Times said they did not keep or declined to provide data on how often and in what types of cases they used stingrays.

Privacy advocates point to a loophole in the law that allows some law enforcement agencies to avoid reporting their use of the devices. Police departments that partner with another agency that owns and uses a stingray in an investigation are not required to publish their own guidelines for using the equipment.

The Santa Ana and Fresno police departments, for example, said they did not have any records on the use and policies of surveillance devices. But both departments acknowledge they work with agencies that do have them, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, and might have indirect access to the data they produce.

“Our officers don’t use the equipment, but we often look for fugitive hunters,” Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. “Anaheim [police] may have one, the U.S. Marshals may have one.… They do help us catch fugitives, but whether they have one — you’d have to ask them.”

A new proposal by state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), left, would expand the state’s transparency laws on StingRays and extend it to all surveillance devices. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

(Rich Pedroncelli / AP)

Increasing transparency

This legislative session, a new proposal by Sen. Hill would expand the state’s disclosure law on stingrays to all surveillance devices, including facial recognition software, drones and social media monitors.

Senate Bill 21 would require law enforcement agencies to disclose not only the use of the surveillance equipment, but the use of any information obtained from the devices.

Civil rights lawyers and advocates have supported the measure, saying transparency is necessary at a time when concerns over surveillance of immigrant and Muslim communities have risen under the Trump administration.

The legislation was narrowly approved by the state Senate, with heavy opposition from law enforcement officials who argued it would give criminals a road map to police agencies’ crime-fighting technology.

Its prospects of passage in the Legislature are unclear. Hill says he understands the technology has many benefits for law enforcement.

“[But] we need people — we need agencies — to be accountable, and we need civilian bodies to create that accountability standard,” he said.

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FOR THE RECORD

6:31 a.m.: This article reported incorrectly that Daniel Rigmaiden was arrested in Phoenix. He was arrested in Santa Clara.

[email protected]

Twitter: @jazmineulloa

General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, has admitted that an unspecified number of fighter jets were shot down during its conflict with Pakistan last month.

The acknowledgement of aerial losses by the country’s highest ranking general comes weeks after the two South Asian neighbours were engaged in their heaviest fighting in decades, which involved fighter jets and cruise missiles.

Indian officials had previously refused to confirm or deny Pakistani claims of downing Indian jets. The conflict was triggered after gunmen killed 26 tourists in India-administered Kashmir’s Pahalgam town on April 22.

India’s first official admission of a loss of fighter jets came during Chauhan’s interviews on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security forum in Singapore.

What was the conflict between India and Pakistan?

India carried out strikes on what it called “terror infrastructure” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on May 7 in retaliation for the Pahalgam attack. India blamed armed groups backed by Pakistan for the April 22 attack.

An armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF) claimed responsibility for the Pahalgam killings. India accused the TRF of being an offshoot of the Pakistan-based armed group Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). Pakistan denied involvement, condemning the Pahalgam attack and calling for a neutral investigation.

India claimed to have targeted at least six cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir on the first day of the conflict. Pakistan initially asserted that it had downed six Indian fighter jets in retaliation. But a senior Pakistan official told Al Jazeera five Indian aircraft were lost in the aerial battle.

India did not confirm or deny the Pakistani claims. “Losses are a part of combat,” Air Marshal AK Bharti, India’s director general of air operations, said at a news conference on May 11.

The Indian embassy in China called reports of the downing of jets “disinformation”.

After that, tit-for-tat cross-border attacks across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border between India- and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, rattled the region, renewing fears of a nuclear war.

On May 10, United States President Donald Trump announced that the two countries had reached a ceasefire, potentially averting a “nuclear disaster”. India and Pakistan have given competing claims on casualties in the fighting, but more than 70 people were killed on both sides.

Both India and Pakistan claim Kashmir in full but administer only parts of the Muslim-majority Himalayan territory.

Here is what Chauhan said in recent interviews with the Reuters news agency and Bloomberg TV:

On the downing of Indian fighter jets

Chauhan admitted that India suffered air losses on the first day of fighting without giving details.

In an interview with Reuters, he said: “What was important is why did these losses occur and what we’ll do after that.”

The Indian general said that after the losses, the Indian army “rectified tactics” and then went back on May 7, 8 and 10 “in large numbers to hit airbases deep inside Pakistan, penetrated all their air defences with impunity, carried out precision strikes”. He added that the Indian air force “flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordnances” on May 10.

Islamabad acknowledged that its airbases suffered some minimal losses but denied that it lost any planes.

When a Bloomberg reporter asked Chauhan about Pakistan’s claims that six Indian jets were downed, Chauhan responded that this information was incorrect.

He went on to say: “What is important is … not the jets being downed but why they were downed.” Some media outlets inferred that his statement appeared to imply that a number of jets were lost in the aerial battle.

The general did not provide details about the number of jets downed or specifics about what these rectified tactics were.

The Pakistani military said India did not fly its fighter jets in the conflict again after suffering the air losses.

On the risks of nuclear war

Media reports suggested that some attacks were near Pakistan’s nuclear sites but the nuclear infrastructure itself was not a target.

“Most of the strikes were delivered with pinpoint accuracy, some even to a metre [3.3ft] to whatever was our selected mean point of impact,” Chauhan said in the interview with Reuters.

Chauhan had previously provided assurances that India was not considering using nuclear weapons during the conflict. The chairman of Pakistan’s joint chiefs of staff, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, has done the same for his country.

“I think there’s a lot of space before that nuclear threshold is crossed, a lot of signalling before that. I think nothing like that happened. There’s a lot of space for conventional operations which has been created, and this will be the new norm,” Chauhan said.

The Indian general added that on both sides, the most “rational people are in uniform” during conflict because they understand the consequences of “this kind of conflict”.

“I found both sides displaying a lot of rationality in their thoughts as well as actions. So why should we assume that in the nuclear domain there will be irrationality on someone else’s part?”

On Chinese role

The Indian chief of defence staff said that while Pakistan enjoys a close alliance with China, there was no sign that Beijing helped Islamabad during the conflict.

China sits on India’s northern and eastern borders and controls a barely inhabited northeastern zone in Kashmir called Aksai Chin.

“We didn’t find any unusual activity in the operational or tactical depth of our northern borders, and things were generally all right,” Chauhan said.

When Chauhan was asked whether China provided Pakistan with intelligence information such as satellite imagery, the Indian general responded by saying that such information is commercially available and Pakistan could have obtained it from China or other sources.

However, Chauhan said “almost 80 percent of the equipment” in Pakistan has been procured from China in the past few years.

From 2020 to 2025, China supplied 81 percent of Pakistan’s arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Chinese jets got a boost after media reports said Pakistan used Chinese-manufactured J-10C fighter jets in the air battle. The Chinese government did not officially confirm that the J-10C jets were used to down Indian jets, but China Central Television, a state broadcaster, posted on social media on May 17 that the jets achieved actual combat results for the first time.

What’s next

Chauhan said that while hostilities have ceased, India would “respond precisely and decisively should there be any further terror attacks emanating from Pakistan”. He added that this will be a new normal for India.

“So that has its own dynamics as far [as] the armed forces are concerned. It will require us to be prepared 24/7.”

The president of the main opposition Indian National Congress party said Chauhan’s admission warrants a review of India’s defence preparedness.

“There are some very important questions which need to be asked. These can only be asked if a Special Session of the Parliament is immediately convened,” Mallikarjun Kharge wrote in an X post on Saturday.

Referring to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he added: “The Modi Govt has misled the nation. The fog of war is now clearing.”

“We salute [the Indian military’s] resolute courage and bravery,” Kharge said. “However, a comprehensive strategic review is the need of the hour.”

The Congress party has called the Pahalgam attack a “security and intelligence failure” and sought accountability, given that India-administered Kashmir is directly governed from New Delhi.

A RARE mourning ring commissioned by King George IV has been found in a charity shop – and snapped up for just £15.

The gold band, engraved with the touching words “Remember me”, was created to honour the death of Princess Amelia, youngest daughter of King George III.

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The historic piece was discovered in a charity shop in Leicester and is now set to go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers, where it could fetch between £3,000 and £5,000.

Charles Hanson, owner of Hansons Auctioneers, said: “It’s the most important charity shop find I’ve heard about in a decade.”

The unsuspecting buyer had picked up the ring from a local shop, unaware of its royal connection.

Mr Hanson recalled: “I was stunned and dazzled. From a simple box emerged a piece of deeply personal Royal history – commissioned by the Royal family itself to honour a lost loved one.”

Princess Amelia was born on 7 August 1783 and died aged 27 in 1810 after a long battle with tuberculosis.

Her death is thought to have devastated King George III, accelerating his mental decline. She was believed to be his favourite child.

The ring, crafted by top royal jewellers Rundell, Bridge & Rundell, was one of only 52 made on the orders of the Prince Regent – who later became King George IV.

They were handed out to close family and friends after her funeral in Windsor.

“The white enamel used in the ring denotes that Amelia was unmarried at the time of her death,” Mr Hanson said.

“White enamel symbolised purity and innocence in mourning jewellery, particularly for those who died young or unmarried.

“It contrasts with the more commonly used black enamel, which signified general mourning.”

In a final act of love, Princess Amelia is said to have pressed a ring containing a lock of her hair into her father’s hand as she lay dying, whispering the words now inscribed on the newly discovered ring – “remember me”.

A matching mourning ring was later bought by Queen Mary in 1935. Back in 1810, each ring cost 58 shillings to make.

“This find proves treasures still lie hidden on our high streets,” said Mr Hanson.

“It’s not just the monetary value – it’s the emotion, history and humanity behind this ring that truly moves you.”

Experts believe the ring could attract international interest when it goes under the hammer, thanks to its royal provenance and remarkable condition.

Collectors of royal memorabilia are expected to watch the auction closely.

Jewellery historian Alexandra Michell said: “It’s incredibly rare to find such a piece outside of established collections.

“Mourning jewellery from this era, especially tied to a royal figure, is both historically and emotionally valuable.”

The ring has now been placed in secure storage until its auction day to ensure its protection.

It will feature as a highlight item in Hansons’ Summer Fine Art Jewellery Auction.

The auction will take place on 12 June 2025, and bids are expected to come in from across the UK and abroad.

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FESTIVAL fans are being urged to go green on Glasgow Green this summer with more sustainable fashion choices.

Every year Brits throw away 300,000 tonnes of fabric waste, which ends up slowly decomposing in landfills.

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And to do their bit, the team behind TRNSMT is encouraging festival-goers to choose second hand style when it comes to their outfits.

Bosses are launching a Sustainable Festival Fashion Trail, which kicks off this weekend.

Tomorrow, TRNSMT will take over the Barras Market, Off The Rails at VEGA Glasgow and will pop up at vintage stores where shoppers can explore unique finds and festival picks curated by Scottish Stylist of the Year Victoria Lee.

The Glasgow-based preloved fashion fan said: “It is my job to encourage people to step away from fast fashion and choose more sustainable routes when it comes to topping up their wardrobes.”

Getting a look right for a festival can be tricky, especially in our unpredictable Scottish weather.

But what Victoria hopes is that music-lovers will avoid buying fast fashion items that get tossed aside once the party weekend is over in favour of vintage pieces that will last a lifetime.

Victoria, who ditched her own fast fashion business when she discovered the unethical roots of her on-sale items, said: “I love the uniqueness of it.

“When you’re shopping, you can have those unique pieces that other people aren’t wearing.

“You can really focus on your personal style. I think when you’re more slow and more intentional about what you buy, it pays off more in the end as well.”

While the average lifespan of an item of clothing is three years, many people who consume fast fashion find their clothing only lasts a few months.

But some of the preloved pieces in second hand and vintage stores have been worn for decades — and are still going strong.

Victoria said: “I think a lot of people panic buy for festivals and also we’ve become a little bit too accustomed to viewing our clothes as disposable.

“So the fashion trail encourages people to buy more staple pieces. The pieces in the collections will all be pieces that you can hopefully style around other things. Normal life, not just festivals.”

SUSTAINABLE STYLE

WE are self-confessed clothes addicts.

But, despite our love for all things fashion, choosing a fest outfit still foxes us — especially with our different ages and sizes.

In our YouTube series For Everybody, we test out outfits from the high street to see who is winning when it comes to being inclusive.

Katy is 34 and a size 18 while I’m a tummy-conscious size ten 45-year-old.
So could Victoria choose gorgeous, preloved festival outfits that rocked both of our worlds?

She scoured the rails at Glasgow’s West Vintage for two looks that could go from day to night at TRNSMT.

And she played a blinder.

For Katy, Victoria chose a flowy, brightly-coloured, tie-dyed maxi skirt paired with an over-sized sports T-shirt, all for just over £40.

For me, she chose a classic denim waistcoat and a layered white mini, with a handbag scarf for a pop of colour all for £50.

These pieces can be worn for years to come, making cost per wear a snip — music to our ears.

And her top tip for what to wear this summer? The style pro said: “I’d say the most fashionable thing you can do is just go with your own personal style and express yourself and who you are. Get those pieces that are staples that you’ll be able to wear again and again.”

On Sunday, the day will kick off at the Barras Market in Glasgow’s East End, where from 12pm fans can browse curated rails of pre-loved fashion, discover upcycled gems and get styling tips from sustainability champions.

From there, fans can head to Kings Court, stopping at vintage favourites including Mr Bens Retro Clothing, Minted and West Vintage for even more unique finds picked out by Victoria.

The day wraps up at VEGA Glasgow with a special festival edition of Off The Rails, a quarterly pop-up that celebrates independent brands.

There will be live performances by artists from this year’s BBC Introducing line-up and Radio 1 Dance Stage DJs at both The Barras and VEGA, bringing the festival buzz to the city.

There will also be the chance to win festival tickets to this summer’s Glasgow Green music extravaganza on July 11 to 13, with ten golden labels hidden along the trail as a reward for those who choose pre-loved summer festival outfits.

A TRNSMT Festival spokesman said: “Planning a festival outfit is a priority for so many fans. We wanted to create something that shows how sustainable fashion can still be exciting, creative, and fun, especially in a city like Glasgow that’s full of legendary vintage and second-hand options.”

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• PEPE leads the meme coin rally with 70% gains and a daily trading volume of over $2.8 billion as renewed risk-on sentiment drives speculative assets higher across the board.
• Dogwifhat (WIF) and BONK post double-digit gains alongside broader meme coin momentum, signaling the sector’s return to form, while Dogecoin has rallied almost 50% over the past month.
• Bitcoin Pepe has raised $11m ahead of its May 31st launch, positioning itself as the infrastructure play that could capture massive value as meme coins regain mainstream attention.

Meme coins are rocketing right now, and the data backs up what traders are seeing across their screens.

PEPE just surged some 10% in 24 hours, recording over $2.8 billion in daily trading volume, while Solana’s Dogwifhat (WIF) climbed some 20% and BONK gained over 10%. Fartcoin also managed some 20% growth in just a day, showing this isn’t just isolated strength—it’s broad-based interest returning to the meme sector.

The original meme coin, Dogecoin, is also participating in this revival, trading around $0.2426 with impressive 47.90% monthly gains. Not long ago, 21Shares filed for a Dogecoin ETF, which would be a momentous moment for the meme coin sector.

🚨 Hot off the press: 21Shares just dropped a filing with Nasdaq for a Dogecoin ETF! Get ready—the meme coin king could soon be a staple for everyday investors! 🐶💸 pic.twitter.com/iOK43lgbMx

— Eywana ✳️ DeFi Dryad (@eywanadefi) May 21, 2025

A crypto market that rewards risk

This meme coin revival creates perfect conditions for an exciting presale project, Bitcoin Pepe, which has already raised an impressive $11m ahead of its May 31st launch.

Unlike pure speculation, Bitcoin Pepe brings serious infrastructure to the party—touted as “Solana on Bitcoin” through its revolutionary PEP-20 token standard. As WIF, BONK, DOGE, and PEPE show renewed strength across multiple chains, Bitcoin Pepe’s combination of meme appeal with genuine utility could position it as a standout performer.

The token price is still low, and with rumored tier 1 exchange listings ready to go, early investors might have made a very profitable decision by getting involved.

Bitcoin Pepe (BPEP): Meme + utility = long-term winner

Bitcoin Pepe stands apart from the typical meme coin playbook by bringing real infrastructure to the table. As the world’s first meme-centric ICO on Bitcoin, launching imminently on May 31st, Bitcoin Pepe aims to solve Bitcoin’s biggest limitation—slow speed and high gas fees.

While other meme coins rely purely on hype cycles and community enthusiasm, Bitcoin Pepe is developing what developers are calling “Solana on Bitcoin” through its cutting-edge PEP-20 token standard, bringing thousands of transactions per second to Bitcoin’s trusted network.

It’s a big deal, as meme-centric crypto plays have been plagued by their lack of usability beyond trading alone. Bitcoin Pepe aims to break that image, creating something that contributes to crypto’s biggest, most trusted ecosystem—Bitcoin—and the $2 trillion opportunity that comes with it.

The project has locked in some excellent partnerships across gaming, DeFi, and content creation, building a robust ecosystem around its core layer 2 functionality.

Key names include Plena Finance, which brings BPEP integration to mobile-first DeFi through their crypto super app, and GETE Network, positioning Bitcoin Pepe as the backbone for Bitcoin-based gaming infrastructure.

On the content side, BE__TV’s Web3 short video platform will showcase PEP-20 tokens through creator campaigns and viral content distribution, while GemuPlay’s 200+ casual games create real utility by integrating BPEP into prize pools and reward mechanics across the Web3 gaming economy.

With its end-of-month deadline now thoroughly in the wing mirror, all staking pools have completely sold out, with yields ranging from 75% to 10,000% APY—indicating serious smart money positioning ahead of the launch.

Currently at $0.0359 in stage 12, with $11m already raised, Bitcoin Pepe’s timing couldn’t be better.

As PEPE, WIF, and BONK show renewed strength, Bitcoin Pepe elegantly combines meme coin appeal with infrastructure that Bitcoin truly needs—among the best meme coins to buy now for short-term pumps and long-term utility gains.

Dogecoin (DOGE): The OG with staying power

PEPE: Technical strength meets cultural phenomenon

We can’t overlook PEPE, which has established itself as the premier Ethereum-based meme coin, combining the cultural power of one of the internet’s most recognizable memes with impressive technical momentum.

Currently trading around $0.00001450 after a massive 70% pump over the month, PEPE shows how memes can maintain long-term momentum.

Above: Pepe surges over 70% over a month. Source: CoinMarketCap.

The project benefits from Ethereum’s established DeFi ecosystem, allowing for more sophisticated trading strategies. Pepe undoubtedly remains one of the best meme coins for its established reputation and long-term viral appeal.

Quality beats hype for long-term meme gains

Bitcoin Pepe is right there waiting, bringing serious infrastructure to the meme coin space through its PEP-20 standard, solving Bitcoin’s scalability issues. Unlike the meme sector’s many speculative plays, Bitcoin Pepe offers utility that could drive adoption long after the initial hype fades.

With Bitcoin Pepe’s May 31st launch now imminent and $11m already raised, the timing aligns perfectly with green signals across alts and meme coins.

The powerful combination of infrastructure utility, meme culture appeal, and timing creates the kind of opportunity that defines long-term winners in the crypto space—the stars are aligning for this to be one of the top cryptos to buy now for both short-term upside and long-term gains.

Don’t chase yesterday’s pumps—position yourself in projects building tomorrow’s meme coin infrastructure while the sector regains its footing. View the official Bitcoin Pepe website to invest now.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not provide financial advice. Cryptocurrencies are highly volatile, and the market can be unpredictable. Always perform thorough research before making any cryptocurrency-related decisions.

Along with vacation necessities such as sunblock and a toothbrush, Southern Californians hoping to get away for Memorial Day weekend will also need to bring a hefty supply of patience to freeways and airports.

A record-breaking number of people across the country are opting to travel rather than stay in for the long weekend— the official kickoff to summer, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California, or AAA.

In Southern California, about 3.6 million are expected hit the road or hop on a plane, the third consecutive year of record-breaking travel for Memorial Day weekend.

“Consumers continue to prioritize travel with family and friends after the pandemic,” Jena Miller, vice president of travel products for AAA, said in a statement.

Most people will be behind the wheel for their weekend getaways, according to AAA. Roughly 2.9 million people in Southern California are expected to hit the road starting Thursday, about 3.6% more than last year.

About 45.1 million people across the country will be traveling for the long weekend and most of them — about 39.4 million — will be driving, AAA estimates.

The automobile club said drivers will also be paying less with car rental costs expected to be about 8% lower than last year, and gas prices about 50 to 60 cents cheaper than last May.

More drivers means more potential gridlock, but the midmorning traveler has a better chance of being rewarded with a speedier commute. Experts say before noon is the best time for people to get on the road this weekend.

“Thursday, May 22 and Friday, May 23 are expected to be the busiest travel day,” Gianella Ghiglino, a spokesperson for AAA, said in a statement. “So if you are leaving those days, you want to make sure you avoid that morning rush hour and you still leave before noon.”

In Southern California, the busiest stretch of freeway is expected to be the 5 Freeway from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, where the typical 90-minute drive could take up to three hours during the worst times, according to AAA.

Vacationers looking to hop on a flight this weekend should be prepared for packed airports.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, nearly 54,000 flights are scheduled Thursday, the busiest day of air travel for the weekend and one of the busiest days of the year so far at airports across the country.

That increase will come despite the fact that domestic flights cost about 2% more this year compared with 2024, according to AAA.

The Transportation Security Administration is bracing for the rush of travelers. The agency expects to screen about 18 million passengers and crew members between Thursday and Wednesday.

“TSA is ready for the additional passenger volume, and we look forward to welcoming families traveling during this peak period,” Ha McNeill, TSA acting administrator, said in a statement.

Officials are encouraging air passengers to ensure bags are compliant with TSA regulations and to bring a Real ID or other acceptable identification such as a passport.

WASHINGTON — House Republicans are getting closer to passing President Trump’s tax breaks, spending cuts and beefed-up border security as Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) attempts to pass the package over unified Democratic opposition by Memorial Day.

House committees have labored for months on the legislation, which exceeds 1,000 pages and is titled the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” a nod to Trump himself.

GOP divisions have narrowed but continue as fiscal conservatives worry the bill doesn’t do enough to curb Medicaid spending, while Republicans from competitive swing districts have expressed concerns about the prospect of their constituents losing access to health coverage and food assistance.

Democrats say they will fight what House party leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) calls “this extreme and toxic bill.”

Here’s a look at what’s in and out of the legislative package so far.

Tax cuts for individuals and businesses

Republicans are looking to make permanent the individual income and estate tax cuts passed in Trump’s first term, in 2017, plus enact promises he made on the 2024 campaign trail to not tax tips, overtime and interest on some auto loans.

To partially offset the lost revenue, Republicans propose repealing or phasing out more quickly the clean energy tax credits passed during Joe Biden’s presidency, helping to bring down the overall cost of the tax portion to about $3.8 trillion.

The bill includes a temporary boost in the standard deduction — a $1,000 increase for individuals, bringing it to $16,000 for individual filers, and a $2,000 boost for joint filers, bringing it to $32,000. The deduction reduces the amount of income that is actually subject to income tax.

There is also a temporary $500 increase in the child tax credit, bringing it to $2,500 for 2025 through 2028. It then returns to $2,000 and will increase to account for inflation.

The estate tax exemption rises to $15 million and is adjusted for inflation going forward.

Several of the provisions Trump promised in the campaign would be temporary, lasting roughly through his term in office. The tax breaks for tips, overtime and car loan interest expire at the end of 2028. That’s also the case for a $4,000 increase in the standard deduction for seniors.

Among the various business tax provisions, small businesses, including partnerships and S corporations, will be able to subtract 23% of their qualified business income from their taxes. The deduction has been 20%.

Businesses will temporarily be allowed to fully expense domestic research and development costs in the year they occur and the cost of machinery, equipment and other qualifying assets. This encourages businesses to invest in ways that enhances their productivity.

Parents and older Americans face work requirements for food assistance

House Republicans would reduce spending on food aid, what is known as the Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program, by about $267 billion over 10 years.

States would shoulder 5% of benefit costs, beginning in fiscal 2028, and 75% of the administrative costs. Currently, states pay none of the benefit and half of the administration costs.

Republicans also are expanding the work requirements to receive food aid. Under current law, able-bodied adults without dependents must fulfill work requirements until they are 54, and that would change under the bill to age 64.

Also, some parents are currently exempt from work requirements until their children are 18; that would change so only those caring for a dependent child under the age of 7 are exempt.

At the same time, the legislation would invest $60 billion in new money for agriculture programs, sending aid to farmers.

New work requirements for Medicaid

A focal point of the package is nearly $700 billion in reduced spending in the Medicaid program, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

To be eligible for Medicaid, there would be new “community engagement requirements” of at least 80 hours per month of work, education or service for able-bodied adults without dependents. The new requirement would not kick in until Jan. 1, 2029, after Trump leaves office. People would also have to verify their eligibility for the program twice a year, rather than just once.

Republicans are looking to generate savings with new work requirements. But Democrats warn that millions of Americans will lose coverage.

An estimate from the Congressional Budget Office said the proposals would reduce the number of people with healthcare by at least 7.6 million from the Medicaid changes, and possibly more with other changes to the Affordable Care Act.

Applicants could not qualify for Medicaid if they have a home that is valued at more than $1 million.

No taxes on gun silencers, no money for Planned Parenthood and more

Republicans are also using the package to reward allies and disadvantage political foes.

The package would eliminate a $200 tax on gun silencers that has existed since Congress passed the National Firearms Act in 1934. The elimination of the tax is supported by theNational Rifle Assn.

The group Giffords, which works to reduce gun violence, said silencers make it more difficult to recognize the sound of gunfire and locate the source of gunshots, impairing the ability of law enforcement to respond to active shooters.

Republicans are also looking to prohibit Medicaid funds from going to Planned Parenthood, which provides abortion care and other services. Democrats say defunding the organization would make it harder for millions of patients to get cancer screenings, pap tests and birth control.

‘MAGA’ kids $1,000 savings accounts

“MAGA” is shorthand for Trump’s signature line, “Make America Great Again.” But in this case, it means “Money Accounts for Growth and Advancement.”

For parents or guardians who open new “MAGA” accounts for their children, the federal government will contribute $1,000 for babies born between Jan. 1, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2028.

Families could add $5,000 a year, with the account holders unable to take distributions before age 18. Then, they could access up to 50% of the money to pay for higher education, training and first-time home purchases. At age 30, account holders have access to the full balance of the account for any purpose.

Funding for Trump’s mass deportation operation

The legislation would provide $46.5 billion to revive construction of Trump’s wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, and more money for the deportation agenda.

There’s $4 billion to hire an additional 3,000 new Border Patrol agents as well as 5,000 new customs officers, and $2.1 billion for signing and retention bonuses. There’s also funds for 10,000 more Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers and investigators.

It includes major changes to immigration policy, imposing a $1,000 fee on migrants seeking asylum — something the nation has never done, putting it on par with a few others, including Australia and Iran.

Overall, the plan is to remove 1 million immigrants annually and house 100,000 people in detention centers.

More money for the Pentagon and Trump’s ‘Golden Dome’

There’s also nearly $150 billion in new money for the Defense Department and national security.

It would provide $25 billion for Trump’s “Golden Dome for America,” a long-envisioned missile defense shield, $21 billion to restock the nation’s ammunition arsenal, $34 billion to expand the naval fleet with more shipbuilding and some $5 billion for border security.

It also includes $9 billion for servicemember quality-of-life-related issues, including housing, healthcare and special pay.

Tax on university endowments and overhaul of student loans

A wholesale revamping of the student loan program is key to the legislation, providing $330 billion in budget cuts and savings.

The proposal would replace all existing student loan repayment plans with just two: a standard option with monthly payments spread out over 10 to 25 years and a “repayment assistance” plan that is generally less generous than those it would replace.

Among other changes, the bill would repeal Biden-era regulations that made it easier for borrowers to get loans canceled if their colleges defrauded them or closed suddenly.

There would be a tax increase, up to 21%, on some university endowments.

More drilling, mining on public lands

To generate revenue, one section would allow increased leasing of public lands for drilling, mining and logging while clearing the path for more development by speeding up government approvals.

Royalty rates paid by companies to extract oil, gas and coal would be cut, reversing Biden’s attempts to curb fossil fuels to help address climate change.

In a last-minute add, Republicans also included a provision authorizing sales of hundreds of thousands of acres of public lands in Nevada and Utah, prompting outrage from Democrats and environmentalists.

Freking and Mascaro write for the Associated Press. AP writers Collin Binkley and Mary Clare Jalonick in Washington and Matthew Brown in Billings, Mont., contributed to this report.

THOUSANDS of households on Universal Credit will continue getting a huge pay rise in the coming days.

Benefit payment rates rose by 1.7% on April 7, in line with the consumer price index (CPI) level of inflation for September 2024.

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It’s important to note that, although the new rates are now in effect, most people won’t see an increase in their payments until later this month or in June.

This is because those on Universal Credit have to wait a bit longer to receive the uprating because of how the benefit is assessed.

It means that the date you’ll receive the pay boost will depend on when your last assessment period was.

Universal Credit is paid monthly and is based on your circumstances each month.

This is called your “assessment period”, and it starts the day you make your claim.

The new Universal Credit rates will not come into effect until after the first full one-month assessment period, which starts on or after April 7.

Those whose assessment periods started after April 7 saw their benefits rise as early as May 13.

However, those whose assessment periods started before this date could be waiting until June 12 to receive the payment boost.

Here’s how your previous assessment period affects when you’ll get the payment boost:

• March 17 to April 16 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 21
• March 18 to April 17 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 22
• March 19 to April 18 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 23
• March 20 to April 19 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 24
• March 21 to April 20 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 25
• March 22 to April 21 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 26
• March 23 to April 22 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 27
• March 24 to April 23 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 28
• March 25 to April 24 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 29
• March 26 to April 25 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 30
• March 27 to April 26 – increase applied in May, you’ll get it in your payment on May 31
• March 28 to April 27 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 1
• March 29 to April 28 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 2
• March 30 to April 29 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 5
• March 31 to April 30 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 6
• April 1 to April 31 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 7
• April 2 to May 1 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 8
• April 3 to May 2 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 9
• April 4 to May 3 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 10
• April 5 to May 4 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 11
• April 6 to May 5 – increase applied in June, you’ll get it in your payment on June 12

Here’s a full list of the new benefit rates for 2025-26 so you can check how much extra you might get.

Universal Credit

Universal Credit standard allowance (monthly)

• Single, under 25: £316.98 (up from £311.68)
• Single, 25 or over: £400.14 (up from £393.45)
• Joint claimants both under 25: £497.55 (up from £489.23)
• Joint claimants, one or both 25+: £628.10 (up from £617.60)

Extra amounts for children

• First child (born before April 6, 2017): £339 (up from £333.33)
• Child born after April 6, 2017 or subsequent children: £292.81 (up from £287.92)
• Disabled child (lower rate): £158.76 (up from £156.11)
• Disabled child (higher rate): £495.87 (up from £487.58)

Extra for limited capability for work

• Limited capability: £158.76 (up from £156.11)
• Work-related activity: £423.27 (up from £416.19)

Carer’s element

• Caring for a severely disabled person at least 35 hours a week: £201.68 (up from £198.31)

Work allowance increases

• Higher work allowance (no housing): £684 (up from £673)
• Lower work allowance (with housing): £411 (up from £404)

Everything you need to know about Universal Credit

Looking back, casting Diego Luna in “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” may well prove to be the single most consequential decision in that storied franchise’s history. Hearing Luna’s Mexican accent in a galaxy far, far away was not only refreshing. It was radical.

And as Season 2 of “Andor” proved, it set the stage for what has to be the most Latino-coded of all the “Star Wars” tales, which is fitting considering this Tony Gilroy-created series was designed not just to explore Cassian Andor’s backstory but flesh out the dashing revolutionary spirit Luna had brought to the character. What better place to, pardon the pun, mine for inspiration than the vast history of resistance and revolution throughout the American continent?

Here are a few ways in which “Andor” felt particularly Latino.

Warning: this article contains some spoilers.

Undocumented laborers

Season 2 of “Andor” found Cassian, Bix (Adria Arjona), Brasso (Joplin Sibtain) and Wilmon (Muhannad Bhaier) relocated to the agricultural planet of Mina-Rau. It’s a place that served as a safe haven for these Ferrix folks, allowing them to be housed while working for a local farmer — all without papers. Yes, our very own Cassian is an undocumented laborer (when he’s not, you know, on some super-secret Luthen-guided mission, that is).

“Andor” has always focused on the way the Empire functions at a granular level, while the “Star Wars” feature film trilogies are all about big-picture stuff. In its two-season run, this Luna-fronted project followed the day-to-day lives of those living under the thumb of the Empire. And in the scenes at Mina-Rau, the show insisted on showing what happens when those with a semblance of power (a uniform, a weapon) confront those who they think have none.

When Lt. Krole (Alex Waldmann), a lowly Imperial officer carrying out a run-of-the-mill audit of the crops in Mina-Rau, comes across Bix, he sees an opportunity. She’s clearly alone. And, perhaps most obviously, at a disadvantage: She has no papers. If she’s caught, the secure, if precarious, life she and Cassian have built in Mina-Rau will come crumbling down — all while putting them at risk of being revealed as smugglers and rebels.

Still, watching Krole escalate his slimy sexual advances into a rape attempt was a reminder of the impunity of such crimes. When those who are undocumented are seen as undeserving of our empathy, let alone the protections the law is supposed to provide — like many people in our current government seem to think — the likes of Krole are emboldened to do as they please.

Hiding in plain sight and los desaparecidos

Such ideas about who merits our empathy are key to authoritarian regimes. Borders, after all, aren’t just about keeping people out or in. It’s about drawing up communities and outlining outsiders; about arguing for a strict sense of who belongs and who does not.

When Cassian and Bix land in Coruscant after their escape from Mina-Rau, they struggle with whether to just lay low. You see Cassian being jumpy and constantly paranoid. He can’t even handle going out shopping; or, if you follow Bix’s winking joke at the grocer, he can’t really handle the spice. But that’s expected if you constantly feel unsafe, unable to freely move through the world, er, galaxy.
More tellingly: If your existence is wedded to bureaucracy, it’s easy to be dispensed with and disappeared. Bix knows that all too well. She’s still haunted by the specter of Dr. Gorst (Joshua James), the Imperial Security Bureau officer who tortured her. He appears in her nightmares to remind her that this is a war now littered with “desaparecidos”: “His body won’t be found and his family won’t know what happened to him,” his hallucination taunts her. It’s not hard to read in that line an obvious reference to those tortured and disappeared under the military dictatorships of Argentina, Brazil, Chile and the like.

Throughout “Andor” Season 2, we also watched the Empire slowly rev up its border policing — especially when it came to Ghorman. At first a planet most known for its gorgeous textiles, Ghorman later became the anchor for the show’s entire narrative. The best way to control a people is to surveil them, particularly because soon enough they’ll start surveilling themselves.

The Ghorman Massacre

The beauty of “Star Wars” has always been its ability to speak to its time. When the original film first premiered in 1977, echoes of the Vietnam War and anti-imperialist sentiment could be felt in its otherwise outlandish space-opera trappings. But not until “Andor” could the politics of George Lucas’ creation be so viscerally felt. This is a show, after all, that didn’t shy away from using the word “genocide” when rightly describing what happened in Ghorman.

In “Who Are You?” audiences got to see the Empire at its cruelest. Watching the Death Star destroy Alderaan from afar is one thing. But getting to watch Stormtroopers — and a slew of young, inexperienced Imperial riot police officers — shooting indiscriminately into a crowd that had just been peacefully singing in protest was brutal. It was, as Senator Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) would later frame it, unconscionable.

The chants in the crowd “The galaxy is watching” are clearly meant to evoke the chants heard at the 1968 Democratic National Convention: “The whole world is watching.” But the essence of the massacre harks back to another infamous 1968 event: the Tlatelolco massacre.

Just like Ghorman, the Oct. 2 student protests at Mexico City’s Plaza de las Tres Culturas began as a peaceful demonstration. But soon, with helicopters up above and an encroaching military presence from every which way, chaos followed and the incident has long served as a chilling example of state-sanctioned violence. The kind now best distilled into a fictional massacre in a galaxy far, far away.

Villa, Zapata, Andor

In the hands of Gilroy and Luna, “Andor” billed itself over two seasons as the begrudging rise of a revolutionary. Cassian spent much of Season 1 trying to hide from who he could become. It took being sent to a grueling slave prison complex in a remote location (sound familiar?) to further radicalize the once-smug smuggler.

But with every new Empire-sanctioned atrocity, he found himself unable to escape his calling as a member of the Resistance. Yes, it costs him his peaceful life with Bix, but neither would have it any other way. Cassian has a solid moral compass. And while he may not play well with others (with authority, really), he’s a charming leader of sorts whose childhood in Ferrix set him up to be the kind of man who would sacrifice his life for a cause.

You don’t need to have Luna sport a mustache, though, to see in his rascal of a character hints of revolutionary icons from Latin America. Even if Cassian is more Emiliano Zapata than Pancho Villa (you’d never find him starring in films as himself, for instance), the revolutionary spirit of those historical Mexican figures is undeniable. Especially since Cassian has long been tied to the marginalized — not just in Ferrix and Mina-Rau but later still in Ghorman.

Add the fact that his backstory grounds him in the indigenous world of Kenari and that he is quite at home in the lush jungles of Yavin IV (where he may as well be playing dominoes in his spare time) and you have a character who clearly carves out homages to resistance models seen all over Latin America.

As attacks on those most disenfranchised here in the United States continue apace, “Andor” (yes, a spinoff sci-fi series on Disney+!) reminds us that the Latin American struggles for liberation in the 20th century aren’t mere historical stories. They’re warnings and templates as to how to confront this moment.

And yes, that message obviously works best when delivered by the devilishly handsome Luna: “The Empire cannot win,” as his Cassian says in the first episode of the show’s stellar second season. “You’ll never feel right unless you’re doing what you can to stop them. You’re coming home to yourself. You’ve become more than your fear. Let that protect you.”

The highly coveted High Sierra Camps in Yosemite National Park that have been closed since 2018 will remain closed this summer because potable water and toilets won’t be available, according to park officials.

“This decision was made in collaboration with the National Park Service [NPS], which manages the utilities necessary to run the camps,” according to the park’s website. “Impacted guests have been contacted and can book alternate accommodations within the park and will be offered priority booking for next year’s lottery.”

Every year, more than 13,000 people stay at the Yosemite camps — five separate locations that offer various glamping amenities such as high-end meals and access to running water. Waste is recycled and composted and guests have access to either flush or solar-powered composting toilets, according to the park. Showers are available at May Lake and Sunrise Camps, depending on water availability.

The cabins fully reopened for the last time in 2018 and opened on a limited basis during the summer of 2024. Only three of the camps welcomed guests and the camp’s 56 tent cabins have mostly stayed closed due to COVID restrictions and extreme weather.

The Yosemite camps are spaced 6 to 10 miles apart along a loop trail and are open seasonally from June to September. Dates are heavily dependent on weather. Park visitors can book both guided and unguided trips between the cabins. Guided trips are either five or seven days and include a guide and all three meals at each camp. Unguided trips are self-guided and include two meals, with sack lunches available for an additional fee.

Visitors can enter a lottery for the 2026 season, which will open Nov. 1 and close Nov. 30 at the end of the day. Winners are notified by email.

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Financial markets are volatile with consumer confidence at its lowest level in five years – as economists point to a higher risk of recession.

It all adds up to financial uncertainty for a lot of people. Roughly half of US adults say that President Trump’s trade policies will increase prices “a lot,” according to a recent poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

About half of Americans are “extremely” or “very” concerned about the possibility of the US economy going into a recession in the next few months.

Matt Watson, CEO of Origin, a financial planning app, says it’s a period of uncertainty for everyone, including experts.

“No one has a crystal ball. No one, even the people that do this professionally and have done it very successfully for many years, know what’s going to happen,” he said.

If you’re worried about how economic uncertainty might affect you, here are some expert recommendations:

Take stock of your finances

The first step to preparing for uncertain financial times is knowing your starting point, Watson said. Look at your budget or your debit card expenses so you can understand how much you spend every month.

“Take stock of where you are across a number of different categories,” Watson said.

Looking at the state of your savings and investments can also provide you with an idea of your overall financial health.

Find where you can cut back

The more nonessential expenses you can pause, the more you can save for an emergency.

“Your choice is really to cut now or cut later, so it’s easier to cut now and have a cushion,” Watson said.

If you’re having difficulty finding where to cut back, Jim Weil, managing partner at Private Vista, a financial planning firm, recommends that you divide your expenses into three buckets: needs, wants and wishes. Wishes are larger expenses that can be postponed, such as a big vacation.

For the time being, cut back expenses from the wishes section until you feel like your finances are in a good place.

Take care of your mental health

Between news about tariffs and job losses, you might feel your anxiety rising. So, it’s important that you protect your mental health while also caring about your finances said Courtney Alev, consumer advocate at Credit Karma. Sometimes, reading too much news that can affect your finances can become overbearing and create more stress than you need.

“It’s good practice to stay informed but you don’t want to let the news cycle consume you,” Alev said.

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If you find yourself feeling high levels of stress or anxiety when it comes to your finances, it’s best to contact a professional who can assist you, such as a financial therapist.

If looking for regular mental health services, most health insurance covers some type of mental health assistance. If you don’t have health insurance, you can look for sliding-scale therapists around the country.

Focus on what you can control

Rather than worrying too much about the economics of the entire country, Alev recommends that you focus on the aspects of your personal life that you can control in order to feel more confident in case there is a recession.

“Identify any changes that you might need to make to have more of a safety net in place that could give you confidence,” Alev said.

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Things you can control include budgeting, creating an emergency fund and cutting unnecessary expenses.

Create an emergency fund

Whether you are worried about your job security or the high prices of goods, it’s best that you sit down and reassess your budget to create an emergency fund. An emergency fund can feel unattainable if finances are already difficult, but having even a small amount of cash saved can make the difference, Alev said.

Ideally, your emergency fund should amount to three to six months of expenses.

Weil recommends you start thinking about any special commitments that you might have in the next year or two, such as college tuition or moving. If you are planning for a large financial commitment in the near future, Weil recommends that you plan to build a larger emergency fund.

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Do monthly finance check-ins

Alev recommends regularly adjusting your budget to keep your financial goals on track. Monthly budget check-ins can help identify when you are overspending or if your needs change.

“A budget is only as good as it is to help you actually make decisions, so don’t be afraid to update and adapt your budget as the months go by,” Alev said.

Choose which type of debt to tackle first

Many people struggle with debt, whether it’s credit card debt or student loan debt, which limits their ability to save. But, if you want to create an emergency fund while also tackling your debt, it will take some prioritisation.

“I would think about different kinds of debt differently,” Weil said, adding that you can place debt in three buckets: short-, medium- and long-term debt.

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Weil recommends that you prioritise paying off high-interest debt such as your credit card. By making extra payments or paying over the minimum payment, you will be able to pay it off quicker. Student loan debt and long-term debt such as a mortgage can be tackled with more modest payments while you focus on creating an emergency fund.

If you have credit card debt and you can’t make too much progress in paying it down, Alev recommends you try to eliminate or reduce the amount of credit you use.

Don’t panic about your investments

While the stock market has had some bad days, it’s best that you are not reactive to the market. If you have investments, especially in retirement vehicles, it’s best not to make rushed decisions, Alev said.

“You really want to try not to panic. It can be unnerving but most likely, you should have time to make that up,” she added. If you’re closer to retirement, Alev recommends that you look into more conservative investments.

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United States President Donald Trump has announced that US sanctions on Syria will be lifted, in a huge boost to the government in Tehran, which took power after the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December.

“There’s a new government that will hopefully succeed in stabilising the country and keeping peace,” Trump said in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday, the first of a three-day visit to the Middle East, including Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. “I will be ordering the cessation of sanctions against Syria in order to give them a chance at greatness.”

Trump is also expected to meet Syria’s president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Riyadh on Wednesday, in a further signal to the world that the international isolation of Syria should end.

In Syria, the news has been met with celebrations in the capital, Damascus, and elsewhere. There is hope the move will help turn around the country’s economy after more than a decade of war.

Let’s take a closer look.

What sanctions had been placed on Syria?

The US was just one of many countries that had placed sanctions on Syria during the former al-Assad regime, which governed the country from 1971 to 2024.

The US sanctions were wide-ranging. The US initially designated Syria a “State Sponsor of Terrorism” in 1979, which led to an arms embargo and financial restrictions, including on foreign assistance.

Further sanctions were imposed in 2004, including more arms export restrictions and limits on Syria’s economic interactions with the US.

After the war in Syria began in 2011, and al-Assad’s regime started attacking civilian antigovernment protesters, numerous other wide-ranging sanctions were imposed on Syria and regime-linked individuals. This included a freeze on Syrian government assets held abroad, a ban on US investments in Syria and restrictions on petroleum imports.

The US had also announced a $10m reward for the capture of Syria’s current leader, al-Sharaa, and listed Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the organisation he ran before its dissolution with the fall of al-Assad, as a “Foreign Terrorist Organization”.

Why was Syria under sanctions?

The main tranche of sanctions was imposed during the early years of Syria’s war, when the US was supporting the country’s opposition and attempting to isolate the al-Assad regime, pointing to its human rights abuses, including the use of chemical weapons.

The “terrorist” designation placed on Hayat Tahrir al-Sham was a result of its former association with al-Qaeda. This was one of the reasons there has been international wariness to remove sanctions on Syria even after the fall of al-Assad.

Why are they being lifted now?

Al-Sharaa has slowly been gaining international legitimacy for his government since it came to power in December. The US had already removed the reward for his capture, and the Syrian president has been able to travel internationally and meet world leaders, including in Saudi Arabia and France.

The new Syrian government has made a concerted effort to present itself as a moderate force that could be acceptable to the international community, including by distancing itself from designated “terrorist” groups, promising to cooperate with other countries on “counterterrorism” efforts and making statements supporting minority rights. The latter has been particularly important in light of sectarian fighting involving pro-government forces and minority groups after the fall of al-Assad.

The Reuters news agency also reported this week that Syria has attempted to convince the US that it is not a threat but a potential partner, including by saying it was engaged in indirect talks with Israel to deescalate tensions with the US’s Middle eastern ally – despite Israel’s bombing of Syria and occupation of its territory. There had also been talk of US-Syria business deals, even including a Trump Tower in Damascus.

Trump on Tuesday said that his decision to end the sanctions came after discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

“Oh, what I do for the crown prince!” he said.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Omar Rahman, a fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs, said that US relationships with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE – all countries that had been pushing for an end to sanctions and support for the new Syrian government – had been an integral part of Trump’s decision.

“This wasn’t something that was too difficult for Trump to do,” Rahman said. “He didn’t need to get permission from anybody. He didn’t even need consent from Congress.”

Will investment now pour into Syria?

Because of the central role the US plays in the global financial system, the lifting of sanctions is a signal to the world that it can do business in Syria.

The sanctions had been economically debilitating for Syria, and presented a huge impediment for the new government, which is under pressure to improve living standards in a country where unemployment and poverty levels are high, and electricity blackouts are common.

Whether the US itself invests in Syria remains to be seen, but increased Arab and Turkish investment is likely.

“[The removal of sanctions] takes away a key obstacle in [Syria’s] ability to establish some kind of economic development, economic prosperity,” Rahman told Al Jazeera. “But there are plenty of other obstacles and challenges the country is facing.”