Category: News

LONDON – Adolescence, the Netflix hit series about a 13-year-old British boy arrested on suspicion of a horrifying crime, has intensified the anxiety of parents worried about toxic and misogynistic influences young people are exposed to online.

In living rooms up and down the country or over a cup of tea or coffee at the office, the crime drama – on which Hollywood A-lister Brad Pitt worked as an executive producer – has got people talking. Even UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told parliament he was watching it at home with his two teen children.

It tells the story of schoolboy Jamie – played by British actor Owen Cooper, 15, in his debut role – whose family is thrown into turmoil when armed police smash down the door of his suburban home and arrest him in a dawn raid.

The four-part miniseries released on March 13 had 24.3 million views in its first four days, making it Netflix’s top show for the week of March 10 to 16, according to entertainment industry publication Variety.

One question hangs over the show: Could this angelic-looking young boy really commit such a savage crime?

Adolescence has resonated with an audience increasingly disturbed by a litany of shocking knife crimes committed by young people and the misogynistic rhetoric of influencers like American-British social media personality Andrew Tate, who gained notoriety for promoting various positions in the manosphere community.

The drama highlights the “incel” (involuntary celibacy) culture of males who feel unattractive to the opposite sex and harbour a hatred of them, and how it is discussed on social media.

Isabelle, a mother of two daughters aged 16 and 18, was shocked by the series and painfully aware that the story “could be true”.

“You don’t have any insight into the youth culture, you know, Instagram, all that stuff. And adults are basically shut out… and that’s really scary,” said the 49-year-old from Glasgow, Scotland. “If your child is sucked into it, what do you do or how do you get them out of it?”

British media, which has hailed Adolescence as powerful and timely, has been asking the same question.

“Is your son a teenage timebomb?” the Daily Mail tabloid asked, advising parents to watch out for signs such as boys spending more time alone in their rooms or becoming obsessed with the number of followers they have on social media.

Adolescence’s writers and actors have been taken aback by its success.

“We never thought for a second that (the show) would have such an impact,” creator Stephen Graham, who also plays Jamie’s father, told the BBC.

The British actor came up with the idea for the story after hearing on the news about two teenage girls who were murdered by young men within a few weeks.

“It really hurt my heart and I went a bit cold, and I just thought, what kind of society are we living in today where this thing is becoming a regular occurrence,” he said.

Co-writer Jack Thorne said their research required them to go “into the darkest holes of the internet”.

“It doesn’t take long to access and these kids are being polluted by this stuff, and we need to stop that pollution”, he said, calling on the government to act.

Michael Conroy, founder of Men At Work, an organisation which helps teachers and social workers engage with young men and tackle sexism, was glad the show had become such a talking point.

“The drama is brilliant and will be used a lot by teachers and parents. It will create essential conversations.”

But he warned that if those discussions came across as criticism, they would not lead to “constructive dialogue and I don’t think many boys or young men will engage. They will feel attacked”.

He called on adults to take an interest in the manosphere, masculinist discourses and the language that accompanies them: “What are they saying? What are the codes?” AFP

• Adolescence is available on Netflix.

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Describing how Athena looked when she was born, Beatrice wrote the newborn had been “so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry”.

She said: “I’m extremely pleased to let you know Athena is now doing really well, I have a few more answers as to what happened, but still no precise explanation.”

Beatrice expressed her hopes sharing her story would support other mothers going through the same uncertainty and that women’s health “has been left off the agenda”.

“My joys and fears in pregnancy and motherhood are the same as those experienced by millions of other women around the world,” she added.

The princess married her millionaire property tycoon husband in a private ceremony in 2020. The pair also share a three-year-old daughter named Sienna.

Mr Mapelli Mozzi has an eight-year-old son named Wolfie, from a previous relationship.

Princess Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.

She has worked with a number of charities, including the Teenage Cancer Trust and co-founding the Big Change, which helps young people to develop life skills, beyond academic subjects.

A man in Uttar Pradesh, overwhelmed by his father’s death, died of a heart attack while accompanying the father’s dead body after which both were buried together. 

Laiq Ahmed, a resident of Kanpur had passed away in a private nursing home in the city on March 20 after his health deteriorated, reported India Today. His son Atiq, who was deeply devoted to his father refused to accept the declaration of his father’s death by the doctors. 

In the hope of a different outcome, Atiq rushed his father’s body to a hospital specialising in cardiology. While the family accompanied Laiq Ahmed’s body in an ambulance to the specialised hospital, Atiq followed closely on his bike. 

However, overwhelmed by grief, he suffered a sudden heart attack and collapsed on the spot.

The police were alerted by local residents and Atiq was rushed to a hospital where he was declared dead. Both the father and the son were buried together leaving the family and locals deeply moved by the loss.

Atiq was the younger of Laiq’s two sons and had always been exceptionally close to his father, according to a family member. He we married and the couple had a daughter. 

The funeral for Atiq and Laiq was held in the local burial ground. 

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RLD Worker Dies Of Heart Attack 

A young worker for the Rashtriya Lok Dal died after a suspected heart attack during a morning walk in the Madanpur village of Bulandshahr district, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday. The deceased was identified as Amit Chaudhary (28). 

The incident was captured on a CCTV camera where Chaudhary was seen standing outside his house when a little later he lost consciousness and tried to take the support of a wall opposite his house but fell on the road. 

A man tried to revive him and two more people joined him. One of them was seen rushing to seek help. 

The cause of Chaudhary’s death was suspected to be a heart attack.

The mother of British transgender teen Brianna Ghey has spoken out in support of a ban on social media for children under 16.

Warning: This story contains details some readers may find distressing

Brianna was killed by 15-year-olds Scarlett Jenkinson and Eddie Ratcliffe in the English town of Warrington on February 11, 2023.

The pair lured her to a park before stabbing her 28 times all over the body with a hunting knife. The 16-year-old died from her wounds.

Speaking at the screening of an ITV documentary, Brianna: A Mother’s Story, in London last week, her mother Esther Ghey criticised social media companies for failing to act against harmful content online and for putting “lives before profit”.

“It is an absolute cesspit,” Ms Grey said, in comments reported by British news agency PA Media.

“Even if, say, if I do an interview — and I’ll try not to look at comments, but I can never help myself — and I’ll look at the comments, and you’ll see people saying about my child, trying to tell me what gender my child was, and also really, really horrific comments too.

“And it’s mentioned in the documentary, as well, that when you report things the support isn’t there.

“I’ve reported so many comments, and I always get the response that they haven’t done anything wrong, that it’s not something that they can take down. And our children have access to those comments.”

Brianna: A Mother’s Story sees Ms Grey talk about her daughter at length, explores child safety issues on social platforms, and features some findings from the murder investigation.

Having previously campaigned for age controls on smartphone use, Ms Grey said a mandatory minimum age of 16 should also be in place for social media accounts.

‘Sick’ influences online

Discourse around the harmful exposures of the digital world has recently come to the fore with the release of Netflix drama Adolescence. The series depicts a 13-year-old boy so driven by misogynistic communities online he is driven to stab his young female classmate to death.

Social media is known to have played a part in motivating Brianna’s killers. Prosecutors in her case said in 2023 that Jenkinson and Ratcliffe had shared hundreds of messages in the lead-up to the murder, sharing fantasies about murder and torture, with the former admitting she enjoyed watching videos about serial killers, murder and torture.

Ms Grey said she believed all children on social media were at risk of being radicalised, even those whose parents thought they were immune because they did not show those tendencies at home.

“No matter how much love and compassion you pump into your child when you’re bringing them up, and how much empathy you can teach them as well, they will then go online and they’ll see the way that other people are speaking about other people, and they might think that that’s right,” she said.

“And that’s without even going into the amount of harm that’s online, like the dangerous challenges where young people are losing their lives due to these sick challenges that people are uploading, misogyny, hate, misinformation, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.”

In November, Australia became the first country in the world to pass laws blocking children under 16 from using social media, including popular platforms such as TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.

YouTube was exempted on the basis of being an “important source of education”, according to the government, as opposed to the “short-form entertainment” model other apps are structured around. Other platforms carved out of the legislation included messaging services such as Whatsapp.

One government poll says 77 per cent of Australians back the legislation, but it has also received unfavourable reviews from some researchers and mental health experts who argue social media can also be constructive for certain groups of young people, particularly those who are marginalised.

Your childhood is likely playing a big role in your decision-making

Your parents’ or guardians’ actions during your childhood could be dictating some major life decisions and mistakes you keep repeating in adulthood. That’s according to Chris Meaden, a trauma specialist.

Chris told The Mirror: “The way you were treated, the things you went through, and even the small moments you barely remember can all leave their mark on your mental health as an adult.”

Boundary issues

Struggling to establish personal boundaries is common, but the anxiety expert points out that the habitual need to appease others just to “keep the peace” often has roots in childhood experience.

The Meaden Clinic founder said: “Maybe you were raised to be a people-pleaser, taught that your needs weren’t as important as everyone else’s. If your parents or caregivers dismissed your feelings, you might have learned that keeping others happy was the only way to feel safe or loved.”

Conflict avoidance

If you’re the type of person who agrees or lets things go simply to avoid a conflict regardless of how you feel in the situation, it might be because your childhood home was “explosive, unpredictable, or scary”, leading you to learn that staying quiet and compliant was the best way to stay safe. Chris explained: “This can carry over into adulthood, making it hard to speak up for yourself, set boundaries, or stand your ground.”

Abandonment fears

Constant fears of being abandoned as an adult could stem from early experiences of instability, like divorce or neglect. The expert emphasises the likelihood of these individuals feeling they’re constantly bracing for things to unravel even when they’re in a healthy, safe space.

Problems with self-worth

Self-worth issues can also arise when parental love is conditional, resulting in adults who perpetually strive for excellence but feel like they constantly fail. They often berate themselves for insignificant mistakes and their inner critic may be particularly harsh. This could also be if they experienced consistent criticism from people they looked up to like parents, teacher or peers and it can be extremely difficult for them to show self-compassion according to the expert.

Toxic relationships

If you find yourself stuck in a cycle of unhealthy relationship patterns, it may not be entirely your fault or simply down to bad luck. As Chris explained: “It could be your brain’s way of repeating what’s familiar. If love in your childhood was tied to instability, criticism, or emotional withdrawal, that kind of relationship might feel more ‘normal’ than a healthy one – even if it’s hurting you.”

Controlling tendencies

If your parents were chaotic and unpredictable, you may have developed a need to control everything during your childhood just to feel safe. This can lead to issues in adulthood, such as struggling to delegate at work, panicking when plans change, or needing everything to be perfect before you can relax.

Being disconnected

Children who learn that showing their emotions could be perceived as weak, annoying or even dangerous may suppress their emotions altogether as a coping mechanism. This can result in depression, difficulty connecting with others in adulthood and struggling to express extreme emotions like crying or excitement.

Unnecessarily strong reactions

Chris noted: “Maybe someone criticises your work and suddenly you feel like a failure, or a partner needing space makes you feel completely abandoned. These big reactions often come from old wounds that never properly healed. Your brain links present situations to past hurts, triggering a much bigger response than the situation calls for.”

Trust issues

An ongoing battle with trust, where you always suspect people might have an agenda or pre-emptively expect them to disappoint you, even when they’ve shown reliability, often has its roots in childhood experiences. Chris pointed out this tends to arise when those we counted on for protection and support during our vulnerable years fell short.

Despite these issues originating from long-passed incidents, Chris reassured us it’s never too late to address them. To prevent your inner child from influencing current decisions, he advised, “Don’t panic.

“Healing childhood wounds isn’t about blaming the past – it’s about understanding how it shaped you, so you can rewrite your story.,” he continued. He advocated for avenues of self-healing like therapy, coaching, journaling, and cultivating self-compassion as starting points, emphasising: “You deserve to heal, and more importantly – you can.”

Princess Beatrice has described the premature birth of her daughter as “humbling”.

Her daughter Athena Elizabeth Rose was born several weeks premature at London’s Chelsea and Westminster Hospital on 22 January. She weighed 4lb 5oz (2kg).

“Nothing quite prepares you for the moment when you realise your baby is going to arrive early,” the granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II wrote in British Vogue on Sunday, adding, “there’s so little control.”

The 36-year-old, who earlier this month was appointed as the new patron of prematurity charity Borne, said she was now trying to put a spotlight on female health.

News of the princess’s second pregnancy was announced by Buckingham Palace in October last year.

However, routine scans soon revealed their “precious cargo” needed close monitoring, and Beatrice and her husband Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi were told to prepare for an early arrival.

“What I learnt in this process has been humbling,” wrote the princess.

Despite acknowledging how fortunate she was to have access to a “remarkable” medical team, Beatrice revealed the uncertainty she experienced left her with “an overwhelming fear of the unknown”.

She wrote: “Like countless other expectant mums, I lay awake in the weeks leading up to birth, trying to monitor each movement of the baby in my tummy and asking myself a thousand times ‘What if this happens, or what if that happens?’”

Describing how Athena looked when she was born, Beatrice wrote the newborn had been “so tiny it took more than a few weeks for the tears of relief to dry”.

She said: “I’m extremely pleased to let you know Athena is now doing really well, I have a few more answers as to what happened, but still no precise explanation.”

Beatrice expressed her hopes sharing her story would support other mothers going through the same uncertainty and that women’s health “has been left off the agenda”.

“My joys and fears in pregnancy and motherhood are the same as those experienced by millions of other women around the world,” she added.

The princess married her millionaire property tycoon husband in a private ceremony in 2020. The pair also share a three-year-old daughter named Sienna.

Mr Mapelli Mozzi has an eight-year-old son named Wolfie, from a previous relationship.

Princess Beatrice, who is ninth in line to the throne, is the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York.

She has worked with a number of charities, including the Teenage Cancer Trust and co-founding the Big Change, which helps young people to develop life skills, beyond academic subjects.

My heart skipped a breath when my phone rang in the early hours of Thursday, March 6, 2025. It was an unusual call from the personal assistant to Dr Doyin Okupe, and I knew straight away that something bad must have happened to my godfather. The sad news of the passage of my God-sent benefactor was broken to me in a depressed voice by his personal assistant.

I met Omooba Doyin Okupe in February 2014, and our father and son chemistry jelled almost immediately. Instead of giving me handouts of fish, the former presidential spokesman taught me how best to fish. He opened my eyes to the lucrative side of the media business. God actually used the Iperu-born media strategist to change my story, and I will remain indebted to him, even in death.

The medical doctor turned media strategist was highly instrumental to my success in the media business.

In addition to helping my career, Omooba Okupe was also my father figure. He was also my confidant, adviser, and business strategist. I was always free to discuss any issue with him, and he was ever willing to help me in the best way possible.

Inasmuch as I still find it most difficult to address Dr Okupe as late, the memory we shared will continue to linger in the innermost recess of my consciousness. The Iperu prince was always fun to be with and was full of wisdom. He was also intellectually savvy, to the point that he knew a little about everything and many of the concerned areas.

Despite my impatient nature, my godfather was patient enough to manage my shortcomings in this regard. We talked almost every day, and our discussions were always centred on politics and other national issues. In all our discussions, I could establish that Omooba Okupe was patriotically passionate about Nigeria. I was with him in Abuja a few days before his demise, and we actually talked a day after he arrived in Lagos from Abuja.

A particular day two years ago, during one of our regular tete-a-tete, I drew his attention to the need for him to write his memoir. He agreed and went ahead to write the book with the title “Double Jeopardy: The Doyin Okupe Story”. He did write in the book that I was the person who encouraged him to work on the memoir. I found it a big honour that credit was given to me in the book when it was launched two years ago on the occasion of the 70th birthday of Dr Okupe.

Given my close relationship with Omooba Okupe, I knew when the health challenge that eventually led to his death began. No one could have ever thought that things would turn out this way. Omooba was, however, determined to wrestle with the illness, and he truly did just that with all his might, resources, and the best of medical services. My godfather fought a good fight, but he eventually submitted to the will of God. The Holy Bible admonishes Christians in the book of Thessalonians 4:13 not to mourn like unbelievers who have no hope. I am at least consoled by the admonition in Isaiah 56:1-2, which states that the righteous are taken away to be spared from the evil to come.

In all honesty, a written description of my relationship with Dr Okupe can never be well captured in this tribute for the want of space. The story will be told in detail soon, after the burial. By then, I must have shaken off the shock and would have also come to terms with the reality that my godfather had indeed completed his assignment on this side of the planet Earth.

The transition of my father figure confirmed to me that no man can actually add one hour to his appointed time on earth. Dr Okupe was only 16 days away from his 73rd birthday when he breathed his last. We were together on his 72nd birthday, but sadly, his 73rd birthday can at best be noted posthumously.

The passage of Dr Doyin Okupe has taught me a lesson that we must consciously live our lives to impact other lives. Another lesson from the death of my godfather is that we must tune the antenna of our consciousness towards leaving legacies rather than the crude acquisition of material things. Certainly, my mentor will not be buried with any of his property. Why, then, is the obsession with things that cannot speak for us when we are dead and gone?

For me, Dr Doyin Okupe is my major benefactor. My life also bears testimony to his many enduring legacies. He impacted lives and focused on things and people who are now living after him.

Inasmuch as I find it most difficult to say goodbye to my godfather, I can only wish you eternal peace in the pantheon of saints. I wish you a safe and smooth passage to your place of everlasting rest, Omooba Doyin Okupe.

Iperu Akesan

Akesan Bale Oja

Ara Oju Ona

Obi Owo nso ti won Oro’woka

Akesan d”ade

Omo re da Oja

Olori re ni da Oja…

Good night, my father figure!

• Salako, a journalist, writes from Abuja

CNN
 — 

A 21-year-old man from Honduras accused of killing a mother of five in an Atlanta suburb was in the United States illegally, CNN affiliate WSB-TV reported, citing US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Hector Sagastume Rivas crossed the US border illegally just over four years ago, an ICE spokesperson told WSB-TV. US Customs and Border Protection arrested him initially, and an order for him to be removed from the country was issued more than two years later, in July 2023.

“President Trump and Secretary Noem will not allow criminal illegal aliens, including accused murderers, to be loose on America’s streets,” the Department of Homeland Security wrote Sunday in a post on X, with a screenshot of a news story about the case.

CNN has reached out to ICE, the Department of Homeland Security and the Cobb County Police Department for further details. CNN is also working to identify an attorney for Sagastume Rivas.

Sagastume Rivas faces a felony murder charge in the death of Camillia Williams in Marietta, according to an arrest warrant obtained by WSB. Police accuse Sagastume Rivas of killing Williams late on March 11 or early on March 12 by placing her in a chokehold, then kneeling on her neck with his “full body weight,” according to the warrant.

The 52-year-old’s body was found in a wooded area, hidden under a bush, on March 13. Sagastume Rivas was arrested five days later. He is being held without bond.

Williams, a mother of five and a grandmother, was originally from Louisiana, according to CNN affiliate WANF. Her death has left her family searching for answers.

Her brother Arsene Williams told WSB that Camillia had expressed fear about a man she believed was following her in the days leading up to her death.

“She called the dude a weirdo and from my understanding, he pretty much waited until he caught her by herself and did what he done,” Arsene Williams said.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp issued a statement lamenting how Williams was “brutally taken from this world” and promised the state would seek justice for her killing.

“Those who commit acts of violence against our people will face the full weight of our justice system, and if they are here illegally, we will not hesitate to work with our federal partners to ensure their removal from our state and country,” Kemp said.

ICE issued a similar statement, telling WSB, “Criminal aliens who pose a threat to public safety should not be free to endanger communities. ICE remains committed to working with law enforcement partners to apprehend and remove those who break our laws.”

ICE has lodged an immigration detainer with the Cobb County Jail to ensure Sagastume Rivas remains in custody for removal proceedings, according to WSB.

One in 10 parents living in poverty told how their child had been bullied as a result, according to a survey said to show the “devastating impact” financial struggles can have on families.

Polling of 2,000 UK parents of school-aged children living on the lowest incomes found they spend on average £2,000 a year on school costs, with almost a quarter of adults reporting getting into debt to cover outgoings such as transport and school trips.

The Censuswide survey carried out for the charity Parentkind at the end of last year found one in 10 parents in poverty said their children had been bullied for being poor, while around one in eight parents were getting food parcels from their child’s school.

A household is considered to be in relative poverty if it is below 60% of the median income after housing costs.

There were an estimated 4.33 million children in households in relative low income after housing costs in the year to March 2023.

The latest official statistics on the number and percentage of people living in low income households in the UK are due to be published on Thursday.

Parentkind described the results of its polling as “shocking” in showing the costs of schooling for families.

They have sent their report to Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall ahead of the publication of the Government’s child poverty strategy, warning that a target must be set to reduce school costs for the poorest parents.

The charity’s chief executive, Jason Elsom said: “Parents living in poverty are spending huge amounts of what little money they have on sending their children to school. That can’t be right.

“We need the government to urgently start talking about parents in poverty alongside child poverty plans to make sure we support these parents.

“Pushing down on school costs by committing to an ambitious target of halving school costs in five years is a good first step.

“If school was free for these parents, it would be the equivalent of increasing household budgets, for the poorest families, by a fifth or more.

“This should be an attractive option for ministers struggling with making cuts to the welfare budget.”

The Government has previously described the level of child poverty in the UK as “unacceptable”, with the strategy to tackle the issue expected to be published this spring.

There have been repeated calls from charities for the Government to scrap the two-child benefit limit which campaigners say is keeping children in poverty.

General secretary of the National Education Union (NEU), Daniel Kebede said: “With nine children in every class of 30 growing up in poverty, teachers and school leaders see the very real impact this has on our children and young people.

“This report highlights how many families across Britain are struggling with everyday costs – and the devastating impact this is having on the mental wellbeing of both children and their parents.

“The Child Poverty Strategy is a huge opportunity for government to act decisively to lift thousands of families out of poverty, and to ensure that every child has the best chance in school. This is not an opportunity they can afford to miss.”

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We are determined to tackle the scourge of child poverty and break the unfair link between background and opportunity – and have already taken wide-ranging action despite this Government’s incredibly challenging fiscal inheritance.

“The first 750 schools will begin offering free breakfast clubs from April, backed by over £30 million, and we are capping the number of branded school uniform items to keep the costs down for parents.

“More widely, we have increased pupil premium funding to over £2.9 billion for the FY 24-25 and the child poverty taskforce is working to deliver an ambitious strategy to tackle challenges felt by those living in poverty.”

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service confirmed they attended a crash at the junction of Bury Road and Roscow avenue at around 6.45pm. 

They said the occupants of both cars, two adults and a baby and one adult and a child escaped from the vehicles. 

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) said: “At around 6:45pm this evening (Sunday, March23), firefighters were called to reports of a crash at the junction of Bury Road and Roscow Avenue in Bolton.

“One fire engine from Bolton North fire station quickly arrived at the scene, which involved a collision between two cars.

“The occupants of both vehicles – two adults and an infant, and one adult and a child – all self-rescued before the arrival of the fire service.

“Crews worked to make the area safe before handing over to Greater Manchester Police.

“Firefighters were at the scene for around an hour and a half.”

Greater Manchester Police have been approached for comment.