Category: News

The Kerala High Court has granted bail to a man who allegedly attacked his mother with a knife after she refused him money to celebrate new year’s eve last year, after the woman pleaded before the court that she was unable to see her son languishing in jail any more.

Justice P.V. Kunhikrishnan while granting bail recently to Sammil of Nemom, Thiruvananthapuram observed that “A mother’s love for her son is like a rose – it will bloom forever. There is no purpose in blaming the young generation. The society and parents should watch them closely and monitor that their relationship is with good people. No purpose will be served by retaining this youngster in
detention, to continue the trauma of his mother”.

The court observed that the statement of the mother contained the tears of the unfortunate mother. The wounds on her body might not have been healed. “But her love for her son overtakes the wounds. Thinking the fate and trauma facing the mother, I am forced to grant bail to the petitioner”

The prosecution case is that the mother refused to pay the amount when asked for money to celebrate the new year eve. Then the petitioner went out of the house and came back with a knife and inflicted cut injuries on the head, face and hand of the victim with a view to commit murder.

A recent study found that members of Generation Z are more traditionalist and conservative when it comes to marriage—more so than their Millennial parents.

According to The Times Generation Z study, “only a fifth of 18 to 27-year-olds believed that marriage was ‘irrelevant,’ while a third thought it better for a couple to be married before having children.” Additionally, “the research showed that young adults today were more in favor of marriage than young adults 20 years ago, when almost twice the proportion—39%—thought marriage to be irrelevant.” And it’s not just marriage that Gen Zer’s view differently, but sex as well.

In 2004, 78% of Millennial respondents considered “one-night stands” or “casual sex” outside of marriage to be common practice for the people in their lives. Now, only 23% feel this way. Even the use of pornography seemed to be slightly less of a factor, with 58% of respondents stating people in their circles viewed it commonly while only 40% say the same today. Even a third of Gen Zer’s felt couples should get married before having kids. However, researchers believe this worldview is not necessarily driven by a desire for romance and companionship so much as it is stemming from a pursuit of “economic survival.”

Concerning the results, generational expert and Human Resources consultant Bryan Driscoll told Newsweek that the “shift toward marriage,” in particular, wasn’t surprising. Beyond romance, he added, “Gen Z has grown up watching Millennials [experience] skyrocketing housing costs, stagnant wages, student debt traps, and a work culture that treats burnout and overwork like an admirable personality trait. … Gen Z sees that and, instead of rejecting traditional relationships outright, they’re looking for stability in an economy that offers them none.” Driscoll believes that young people today see marriage as a “strategy” to getting better “access to healthcare, housing, and even basic financial security.”

Yet, despite the more conservative views Gen Z seems to have on marriage, other research finds that there has been an overall decline in the number of people getting married over the last three decades among rural women aged 15 to 44. According to The Washington Post, “between 1988 and 2018, the proportion of rural women who were married fell from 55% to 33%.” At least among rural women, the Washington Post concluded that lower rates of marriage appear directly linked to lower education levels and lower income.

On a recent episode of “The Briefing,” Southern Baptist Theological Seminary President Albert Mohler addressed these findings. “We’re looking at the very essence of human civilization by God’s own design,” he said. “[W]e are looking at a long-term crisis that is not unique to rural America, [but] is present throughout America of declining marriage rates.” Whether it is concerning the women in the Washington Post research or the Gen Z study from The Times, Mohler acknowledged that there are many factors likely at play.

However, regardless of the causation, Mohler pointed out that Christians understand “creation order is very much at stake here.” Concerning the decline of marriage, he emphasized, “what began on the campuses, began in the cities, began on the coasts, is now in the heartland. It affects red America as well as blue America. And in that sense, we should all be saddened by the understanding of what’s taking place.” Yet, he added, “it also shows the importance of Christian churches and of Christian parents. It shows the importance of Christian pastors preaching and teaching the word of God, pointing to God’s plan, affirming and explaining creation order, setting forth God’s plan … a man and a woman coming together in marriage, receiving children as God’s gift, and raising those children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.”

But as Mohler stated, “The family … is the greatest engine for turning out successful adults. … It also, in ways that many people don’t want to think about, becomes one of the greatest predictors of how future citizens will vote and how they will act.” Ultimately, the “intact family” through healthy marriages that produce children “also turns out to produce people who want to conserve the intact family.”

And “if you’re surprised by that,” he concluded, “you shouldn’t be.”

Originally published by The Washington Stand

Ashanti, who is gearing up for a new chapter, has revealed that juggling motherhood and touring will be no easy feat.

Conversing with PEOPLE magazine, the 44-year-old singer-songwriter and actress shared that she loves being a new mom to her 7-month-old son, Kareem Kenkaide, also called KK.

The Coach Carter star, who shares her son with husband Nelly, is already making plans for how to balance work and being a parent.

Ashanti said, “It’s going to be my first time going [on tour] as a mom. Obviously, we need extra hands. There’s definitely going to be extra bags, because I already travel with too much luggage.”

“But [we are going to be] a lot more cognizant of time and [spend more time] preparing, because you just never know what’s going to happen,” she added.

For the unversed, in April 2025, the Mother crooner will travel for the Bring It on Tour in the U.K. and Ireland with Sean Paul and Fat Joe.

Later that month, she will join the R&B Forever Tour in Brooklyn with Ginuwine, Tyrese, and others.

In early May, Ashanti will go to California for a one-night concert with Fabolous, Lloyd, and more.

Since baby KK will be with her on tour, the mom of one quipped that having a daily plan and schedule will help a lot.

She explained, “[I will be] cognizant of time and my surroundings, obviously not having a lot of people in and out, not allowing people to come in with shoes on, just germs and that kind of thing. I’m definitely in Mama Bear protective mode, wanting to protect the baby.”

The Fabolous hitmaker noted, “Everything’s healed, I’m healthy, nothing crazy. It just feels good to be able to just move around and carry my baby and, you know, make moves. It’s a beautiful thing.”

“The one thing I will say is I really have to carve out the time to, like, really go hard in the gym and get back in there and get back to doing what I do,” Ashanti concluded.

Meghan Markle’s father Thomas Markle Sr. has broken his silence on her name change.

For those unaware, the Duchess of Sussex recently revealed that now she prefers to be called “Sussex.” In one of the scenes from her latest Netflix show With Love, Meghan, she corrected her friend Mindy Kaling for calling her “Meghan Markle.”

“It’s so funny, too, that you keep saying Meghan Markle. You know I’m Sussex now,” the Duchess said.

Now, the estranged father of Meghan, has expressed his disapproval of Meghan’s choice for changing her name.

He told MailOnline, “My mum loved Meghan very much but she would be so disappointed to hear that Meghan no longer wants to use the name ‘Markle’”

“My mother was proud to be a Markle. So am I. Meghan never had a problem with the Markle name until she met Prince Harry,” Thomas added.

He sarcastically stated, “Now I have to say, ‘I am Meghan Sussex’s dad.”

It is worth mentioning that Meghan Markle has a strained relationship with her dad, Thomas Markle Sr. since her 2018 wedding with Prince Harry, which he did not attend. Since then, he has often criticised his daughter in multiple interviews.

Notably, Meghan has been making headlines with the release of her latest Netflix show, With Love, Meghan. The show has already been renewed for season 2.

“Anyone who’s had a fight with their mother thinks they can mediate with Iran,” said a former US State Department Persian language spokesperson this week, responding to Russia’s offer to mediate between the US and Iran. What does he actually mean? A glimpse into the past that Vladimir Putin is apparently trying to hide.

On August 9, 1999, then-Russian President Boris Yeltsin fired Prime Minister Sergei Stepashin and appointed the Federal Security Service chief as prime minister – Vladimir Putin. This marked the security veteran’s first entry into state politics, where he has remained ever since. Shortly before taking office, his father died, and about a year earlier his mother had passed away – both from cancer. At least that’s what Putin himself claimed. But in a small village in eastern Georgia lived a woman who firmly insisted she was the Russian president’s biological mother. The story of Vera Putina, a woman who died in 2023 and who, even after her death, remained the great secret of one of the world’s most powerful men.

In 2003, Dutch filmmaker Inge Smits released a film about Putina. According to Putin’s alleged mother, the Russian president’s father was a Russian mechanic named Platon Privalov. He got her pregnant while married to another woman, hiding this fact from her. When Putina discovered Privalov’s wife, she left him. According to her, she gave birth on October 7, 1950 – exactly two years before Putin’s official birth date – and named the child Vova, a common nickname for Vladimir.

In 1952, Putina married a Georgian soldier and moved with him and her son Vova to the village of Metekhi in Georgia, located about 12 miles from the city of Gori, where Josef Stalin was born. In December 1960, under pressure from her husband, she gave Vova to his grandparents in St. Petersburg, Russia (then Leningrad), Putin’s official birthplace. Putina believed that those whom Putin refers to as his parents adopted her son from his grandparents.

In 2008, the British Telegraph spoke with a former elementary school teacher in Metekhi. That woman claimed she taught Putin between 1958-1960. She described him as “a most brilliant child who loved Russian fairy tales and Russian was his favorite subject. He also loved fishing and wrestling. He was the shortest child in the class but he always wanted to win at everything.”

Last year, Israel Hayom interviewed Polish writer Krystyna Kurczab-Redlich, who lived in Russia where she worked as a journalist, published two non-fiction books about Russia, and is currently working on a Putin biography. In the interview, Kurczab-Redlich said that in 2000, while speaking with hospital patients who had been shot by Russian forces, a foreign journalist approached her and told her there was a group of journalists going to meet Putin’s mother. According to her, “It wasn’t a secret at all.”

Kurczab-Redlich added that during that period, a man came to the Chechen embassy in Tbilisi and tried to convince the Chechens to kidnap a woman named Vera from the village of Metekhi for half a million dollars, claiming she was Putin’s mother. The Chechens didn’t believe him, so the man played them recordings of her neighbors telling stories about Vera and Vova who lived in the village during his childhood. “The next day, when we set out for Georgia, they wouldn’t let us in. That’s when I understood there’s no smoke without fire.”

In the past, many questions have arisen about Putin’s family history. The Russian president’s background is shrouded in mystery, and the details provided in his autobiography about the first decade of his life are very scarce compared to those of other world leaders. According to Putin’s official line, his parents were in their forties when he was born, leaving a gap of more than a decade since his two older brothers died in infancy until Putin’s birth.

“Imagine that in Leningrad, before Vova’s arrival, no one saw Maria pregnant or with a baby carriage,” Kurczab-Redlich told Israel Hayom (David Baron). “Vladimir and Maria’s two children died. One during the Nazi siege of Leningrad, and the other before that. Children who grew up in the same block said that Aunt Masha brought the new child in her arms, said he was her son, Vova, and asked them not to insult him. Something along those lines.”

“He needed to start first grade and learn everything from scratch,” she said, “so they issued him a new birth certificate stating he was born in 1952. That’s how Vova’s real biography began, but in his official biography, to this day, the woman listed as his mother is not his mother, his father is not his father, his birthplace is not the real place, and even the date is off by two years.”

According to Putina, she had not seen her son since 1960, but in 1999 suddenly spotted him on television. When asked by Smits how she recognized her son after not seeing him for nearly 40 years, she replied: “No matter how much time has passed, do you think a mother wouldn’t recognize her own son?” Putina had a black-and-white photograph of Vova. Photography experts who examined it weren’t convinced whether the photo matched the Russian president.

In an interview with the Telegraph, she declared she was no longer willing to speak with journalists on the matter, but challenged Putin to disprove her story. “I’m ready to take a DNA test.” Putina also claimed that nurses had visited her and taken blood samples, supposedly for DNA tests, but the results were never published.

Putina’s claim also presents an intriguing detail in light of the conflict between Russia and Georgia, giving it a more personal dimension. Moscow has previously claimed that Putina’s assertions were nothing but Georgian propaganda. “I used to be proud that my son became the president of Russia, since the war (with Georgia) I’ve been ashamed,” she said in that Telegraph interview.

For those inclined toward conspiracy theories that might strengthen speculation about Putin’s mother, some claim that Russian journalist and tycoon Artyom Borovik was on his way to publish the full story about Vera Putina when his private plane crashed. Italian journalist Antonio Russo sent photographs of Putina to Italy in preparation for an article about her shortly before he was shot dead near Tbilisi. No connection has been proven between these deaths and Putina.

When it comes to intergenerational conflict, you never hear too much about Gen Z having a hard time with Generation X or the silent generation having beef with the baby boomers. However, there seems to be some problem where baby boomers and millennials just can’t get on the same page.

Maybe it’s because millennials were raised during the technological revolution and have to help their boomer parents log into Netflix. There’s also a political divide: Millennials are a reliable liberal voting bloc, whereas boomers are the target demographic for Fox News. Both generations also have differing views on parenting, with boomers favoring an authoritative style over the millennials’ gentler approach.

A Redditor asked Xennials, older millennials, and younger Gen Xers born between 1977 and 1983 to share some quirks of their boomer parents, and they created a fun list of habits that can be both endearing and frustrating. The users shared that millennials are frustrated with their parents’ abilities to use technology but are touched when they send them a greeting card.

Of course, it is reductive to reduce generations into a series of stereotypes, whether it’s millennials or baby boomers. But, for many, hearing that they aren’t the only person who gets frustrated with their boomer parents can be pretty cathartic and make them feel less alone.

Here are 15 boomer parent quirks that Millenials just don’t understand.

1. They save everything

“They save EVERYTHING (containers, jars, boxes, etc.) just in case they might be able to use it for something later. I feel like this habit was handed down from our grandparents’ Great Depression upbringing.”

“Absolutely! Shopping bags, empty yogurt containers, boxes that some product came in…..although I love me a ‘good box!’ I have all my iPhone boxes for no reason.”

person using laptop attach to vehicle near green leaf plant during daytime
Photo by Brina Blum on Unsplash

2. Scary texts

“Will text something foreboding like ‘we need to talk;’ then turns out she forgot a recipe.”

“My dad will text me ‘You need to call me right now’ when it’s nothing. And not tell me major life events until well after the fact. Like my aunt had a heart attack and I found out a week later from her son. (And my dad did know.)”

3. Stranger death toll

“My mom is ALWAYS telling me about dead people I’ve never met. I really do not care. I know that sounds awful, but I don’t have it in me to be sad for everyone on the planet when they pass.”

“You remember my friend Carol? Her aunt had that above-ground swimming pool in her backyard. We swam in it a couple times one summer when you were about 9. Anyway, Carol’s mom just lost her brother-in-law. They were very close. Thought you’d want to know.”

4. They don’t travel

“They act jealous of us traveling but refuse to go anywhere.”

“Ooh good one. Mine act jealous of anything we do/buy that they can’t solely because they can’t get out of their own way and actually make things happen.”

man and woman sitting on blue sofa
Photo by Gift Habeshaw on Unsplash

5. They print everything

“My Boomer FIL prints out EVERYTHING from his computer. I understand printing out instructions or recipes to help remember but do you really need a file cabinet full of forwarded emails from friends and sale adverts from 5 years ago? Oh well, at least he keeps it organized. Also, both TVs in the house run 24/7 playing reruns of ‘CSI: Who Gives a Sh*t Anymore?’”

“I’m not on Facebook, but my dad is. Last year, he made a celebratory post on my birthday and all his church friends liked and commented on it. He printed up the post and all of the comments, stapled it into a little book, and MAILED me the printed Facebook comments…”

6. ‘From, dad’ texts

“My dad sends text messages with, ‘From, Dad’ at the end of them. It cracks me up every time. He also states who he is every time he calls me.”

7. Irrational fears

“One quirk my dad had was that he was deathly afraid of the house burning down. Not from the standpoint of the danger of fire but when he was growing up, if your house burnt down, you were basically homeless and destitute. My mom is much more level headed about it. She always told my dad, that is why we have homeowners insurance.”

man in brown and white plaid dress shirt and yellow hard hat holding black and orange
Photo by Emmanuel Ikwuegbu on Unsplash

8. Expired food

“My mother-in-law doesn’t throw out expired food. She has food in her pantry that is several years past their expiration dates. Same with condiments in her fridge. You just can’t trust any of the food she has on hand because more than likely than not it’s way expired. When we have brought this up, that she needs to throw some stuff out, she insists it’s absolutely fine. It’s not. “

“My grandmother is the same way. Once, she opened her refrigerator, and there was a jar of pickles with mold floating on the surface of the liquid. I pointed it out, and she said it was still good. She would just scoop the mold out at a later time. She has an incredibly strong stomach and immune system.”

9. Smartphone addiction

“You always hear a kids ‘these kids always on their damn phones.’ But when it comes to phone addiction, boomers are far worse.”

“My mom drives five hours to see us, then spends the whole time texting people from her church or looking at Facebook.”

“I once sat in their living room for over an hour before they decided to put their phones down and speak to me, only to phub me and pick them right back up.”

10. Rigid gender roles

“My dad still clings to the traditional division of ‘men’s/women’s work.’ He’ll fix a car, do any outside work, clean out a clogged drain. Cooking? If it’s any more complicated than making coffee or calling in a pizza, he can’t/won’t. I don’t think he even grills anymore. Laundry? Hell no. Taking care of small children? He’ll play with them but that’s it.”

man in blue top fixing green car during daytime
Photo by Elvis Bekmanis on Unsplash

11. The TV is constantly on

“In-laws leave the TV on for all waking hours. And FIL gets irritated if someone talks over the episode of MASH or Walker, Texas Ranger, that he’s already seen 50 times. Like clenching his teeth and stomping the floor.”

“TV on 24/7. Constantly flipping between some version of Law and Order, HGTV, and Guy Fieri. Asking me ‘did you see that commercial where…’ No mom. I don’t have cable. I don’t see commercials. All of the time.”

12. They are always right

“My dad…he’s has to be right about everything and doesn’t know what to do if you beat him to the point on something. He once was giving me a recipe that required cinnamon, cardamon, and clove and told me just to use Pumpkin Pie Spice! It’s the greatest thing! ‘Dad, I don’t need to. I have all those spices on hand (I bake)’ But…no! You have to use this. ‘No, I don’t. I don’t need to buy something that I already have” It happens all the time.”

“My parents are always right and they are not impressed about anything.”

13. Obsessed with the weather

“Yes, my dad should have been a meteorologist. He used to have a weather alert radio that would sound off in the middle of the night and he would watch the weather channel constantly. We all had to quiet down when your local weather forecast on the 8’s came on. He gets really excited about severe weather like when we might get thunderstorms or a tornado.”

selective color photography of three person holding umbrellas under the rain
Photo by Ryoji Iwata on Unsplash

14. One more thing

“Without fail, every time I’m leaving my mother’s house and backing down the driveway, she comes back out of her house and stops me to say something else, even though we’d just spoken.”

15. Mail stress

“My mom has an anxiety attack during the entire journey of a package or piece of mail she dispatched to me. No, she doesn’t know how to track. She will not rest until she knows that a package has arrived or a nominal check has been cashed. She calls when she is thinking about sending something, when she sent it, when it’s en route, and when it’s expected to arrive. God forbid it’s late. And if I don’t issue a prompt thank you, she will guilt me.”

This story originally appeared in January.

“So, in his name, we have fundraised to help Abigail’s Footsteps in their quest to put as many Abi Cots in hospitals as they can.”

The cot will be placed in the Daisy (bereavement) Suite at the hospital.

Claire Moors, a bereavement midwife, said: “We are so grateful to Abigail’s Footsteps for this generous donation.

“Having a purpose-made Abi Cooling Cot in our bereavement suite will enable bereaved parents to spend precious time with their baby and allow memories to be made,” she said.

Each cot costs more than £3,000 and, thanks to fundraisers, the charity has been able to donate more than 250 cots so far.

The Co Down village of Dundrum is expected to come to a standstill on Monday for the funeral of Mary Kielty, mother of Late Late Show host Patrick Kielty.

Mrs Kielty, aged in 80s, died peacefully at home on Saturday.

Her late husband Jack, a former chairman of Dundrum GAC, was shot dead by the UFF in 1988 at his business premises in the village.

The mother of three and grandmother’s funeral will take place at Dundrum’s Church of the Sacred Heart.

News of her passing was confirmed just hours after the TV presenter fronted the latest episode of the popular talk show on Friday night.

A death notice described her as a “loving mother” and “devoted grandmother”.

It added that she “will be sadly missed and lovingly remembered by her entire family circle, neighbours and friends”.

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Mrs Kielty has stayed out of the spotlight despite her son and daughter-in-law, Cat Deeley’s, public profiles.

Not long after he took over as host of the Late Late, Kielty said: “Mary Kielty is secretly delighted but not making any real public statements.”

He explained how his mother still offers to do his laundry.

“I think Irish mummies never really understand what age their youngsters actually are. So you do get a lot of offers like ‘Do you have any washing’ and I would be like ‘Well no, no that’s done, I’m 53 mum,” he said.

Her remains will leave her late residence on Main Street at 12.45pm for 1.00pm Requiem Mass followed by burial to follow in the cemetery of the Immaculate Conception, Aughlisnafin.