VATICAN CITY - World leaders welcomed the election of Robert Francis Prevost, who, as Pope Leo XIV, becomes the first leader of the world's 1.4 billion Catholics from the United States.
Tens of thousands cheered as Leo, successor to the late pope Francis, appeared on the balcony of St Peter's Basilica to deliver his first address.
"Congratulations to Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, who was just named Pope. It is such an honour to realise that he is the first American Pope. What excitement, and what a great honour for our country," said US President Donald Trump. "I look forward to meeting Pope Leo XIV. It will be a very meaningful moment!"
"This is a historic day for the United States, and we will pray for him as he begins the sacred work of leading the Catholic Church and setting an example for so many, regardless of faith," former US president Barack Obama said, congratulating the "fellow Chicagoan."
President Cyril Ramaphosa also congratulated Pope Leo, saying his early emphasis on peace is a call that resonates with most of humanity and is one that honours the legacy of the late Pope Francis.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has hope for 'moral' support.
"At this decisive moment for our country, we hope for the continued moral and spiritual support of the Vatican in Ukraine's efforts to restore justice and achieve a lasting peace."
GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/Getty Images via AFP | SCOTT OLSON
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas sent his best wishes for success to Pope Leo XIV in continuing his noble work and maintaining the legacy of the late Pope Francis and his peace efforts.
Abbas stressed "the importance of the moral, religious, and political role of the Holy See in defending just causes, first and foremost that of the Palestinian people and their right to freedom and independence."
Russian President Vladimir Putin hoped that "the constructive dialogue and cooperation established between Russia and the Vatican will continue to develop on the basis of the Christian values that unite us."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he looks forward to enhancing the relationship between Israel and the Holy See "and strengthening the friendship between Jews and Christians in the Holy Land and around the world.
"May your papacy be one of building bridges and understanding between all faiths and peoples," he said.
France's President Emmanuel Macron highlighted "a historic moment for the Catholic Church and its millions of faithful."
"Through your role, you provide hope and guidance to millions of believers around the world in these challenging times," said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Nigeria's President Bola Tinubu said "the election of Pope Leo XIV opens a new chapter in the history of the Catholic Church and the values of love, humanity and charity, particularly to the underprivileged that it has consistently projected.""The election of Pope Leo XIV is a deeply profound moment of joy for Catholics in the United Kingdom and globally, and begins a new chapter for the leadership of the Church and in the world," said British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. World leaders welcome first US pope
Neighbors Josie Church (L) and Anne Wallace-Hadrill outside their homes in Oxford will celebrate their 101st birthdays on April 1 – SWNS
Two longtime English neighbors are celebrating their joint 101st birthday, born on the same day in 1924.
Josie Church and Anne Wallace-Hadrill have lived side-by-side in Oxford since the 1980s, and the great-grans have celebrated their birthdays together for years.
“I think life has gone quite quickly,” said Josie. “I don’t think we’ve thought much about the time passing. It’s just passed.”
Both women threw themselves into volunteering and creative activities after their husbands died—and the women have been fast friends ever since.
“Anne was very busy when she was younger—so was I—always very productive and creative.
“She did a lot of painting and tapestry, and she was always busy, and I was always busy doing something else, somewhere else, because that’s the sort of life we live.”
Anne, studied English at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University, and served in the Women’s Royal Naval Service as a radio mechanic during the Second World War. After graduating, she worked as a lexicographer for the Oxford English Dictionary.
“I was always interested in words. It was my trade.”
She was very proud to receive a medal for her service from the Royal Navy last year, described as “long overdue” by the representative who gave it to her.
Anne Wallace-Hadrill (R) and Josie Church – SWNS
Josie was trained in nursing for three years at Preston Royal Infirmary and remembers the introduction of the National Health Service.
Learning a new language later in life can be a frustrating, almost paradoxical experience. On paper, our more mature and experienced adult brains should make learning easier, yet it is illiterate toddlers who acquire languages with apparent ease, not adults.
Babies start their language-learning journey in the womb. Once their ears and brains allow it, they tune into the rhythm and melody of speech audible through the belly. Within months of birth, they start parsing continuous speech into chunks and learning how words sound. By the time they crawl, they realise that many speech chunks label things around them. It takes over a year of listening and observing before children say their first words, with reading and writing coming much later.
However, for adults learning a foreign language, the process is typically reversed. They start by learning words, often from print, and try to pronounce them before grasping the language’s overall sound.
Tuning in to a new language
Our new study shows that adults can quickly pick up on the melodic and rhythmic patterns of a completely novel language. It confirms that the relevant native-language acquisition mechanism remains intact in the adult brain.
In our experiment, 174 Czech adults listened to 5 minutes of Māori, a language they had never heard. They were then tested on new audio clips from either Māori or Malay – another unfamiliar but similar language – and asked to say if they were hearing the same language as before or not.
The test phrases were acoustically filtered to mimic speech heard in the womb. This preserved melody and rhythm, but removed the frequencies higher than 900 Hz which contain consonant and vowel detail.
Listeners correctly distinguished the languages more often than not, showing that even very brief exposure was enough for them to implicitly grasp a language’s melodic and rhythmic patterns, much like babies do.
However, during the exposure phase, only one group of participants simply listened – three other groups listened while reading subtitles. The subtitles were either in the original Māori spelling where speech sounds consistently map onto specific letters (similar to Spanish), altered to reduce sound-letter correspondence (like in English, for example “sight”, “site”, “cite”), or they were transliterated to a script unknown to any of the participants (Hebrew).
The results showed that reading alphabetic spellings actually hampered the adults’ sensitisation to the overall melody and rhythm of the novel language, reducing their test performance. As complete beginners, the participants were able to learn more Māori without textual aids of any kind.
Our study shows that spelling can even hinder our natural ability to listen to speech melody and rhythm. Experts looking for ways to reawaken adults’ language-learning capabilities should therefore consider the potentially negative impact of premature exposure to alphabetic spelling in a foreign language.
Early studies have proposed that a putative “sensitive period” for acquiring the sound patterns of a language ends around age 6. Not coincidentally, this is the age when many children learn to read. There is also research on infants that shows that starting with the global features of speech, such as its melody and rhythm, serves as a gateway to other levels of the native language.
A reversed approach to language learning – one that begins with written forms – may indeed undercut adults’ sensitisation to the melody and rhythm of a foreign language. It affects their ability to perceive and produce speech fluently and, by extension, other linguistic competences like grammar and vocabulary usage.
A study with first- and third-graders confirms that illiterate children learn a new language differently from literate children. Non-readers were much better at learning which article went with which noun (like in the Italian “il bambino” or “la bambina”) than at learning individual nouns. In contrast, readers’ learning was influenced by the written form, which puts a space between articles and nouns.
Learn like a baby
Listening without reading letters may help us to stop focusing on individual vowels, consonants and separate words, and instead absorb the overall flow of a language much like infants do. Our research suggests that adult learners might benefit from adopting a more auditory-focused approach – engaging with spoken language first before introducing reading and writing.
The implications for language teaching are significant. Traditional methods often place a heavy emphasis on reading and writing early on, but a shift toward immersive listening experiences could accelerate spoken proficiency.
Language learners and educators alike should therefore consider adjusting their methods. This means tuning in to conversations, podcasts, and native speech from the earliest stage of language learning, and not immediately seeking out the written word.
10-yo paramedic Jack Dawson teaches lifesaving skills – SWNS
Meet the 10-year-old paramedic who teaches adults life-saving procedures as an in-demand mini-medic.
Jack Dawson was just two-years-old when it became obvious he was interested in becoming a paramedic.
His grandfather owns a first response company in Staffordshire, England, and Jack would ride along in his ambulances with the flashing blue lights. By age three, he would start “randomly performing CPR on his teddies, pumping the bear’s chest”.
“So, at the same time he was learning to speak, my husband and I decided to teach him first aid,” said his mother, Danielle. “He was like a sponge. He just picked everything up so quickly.”
Jack, quickly grasped the act of CPR, understanding the different recovery positions, and learned how to use a defibrillator.
Then, at age seven, the youngster started to lead workshop sessions of his own, overseen by his father and other trainers for their charity, Tamworth Have A Heart, which aims to make automatic defibrillators publicly accessible and train people to use them confidently.
Jack teaches both children and adults how to perform CPR and use defibrillators, while also patrolling his town centre and checking that the public defibrillators’ pads and batteries are up to date and fit for use. (Watch a demonstration at the end of the article…)
“His motto was ‘if I can save a life, then you can’,” says Danielle.
The sessions often draw 20-40 people and sometimes Jack gives presentations teaching in front of 100 people.
10-yo mini-medic Jack Dawson teaches lifesaving skills to adults – SWNS
He does step-by-step walkthroughs on how to perform CPR with practice dummies laid on the floor, informing people about the dangers—including “looking into patients airways before pumping, in case of vomit or blood”. He gives tutorials on how to operate defibrillators which are used to revive someone from sudden cardiac arrest.
“He absolutely loves teaching,” Danielle told SWNS news agency. “I’ve never seen him so confident before and the fact he’s helping people to save a life determines him even more.”
“People are very surprised. He gets a lot of positive feedback and even special requests to teach people.
“I think people appreciate the information coming from a child, as it makes them think that if a 10-year-old can do it, then they can.”
Under the name ‘Mini Medic’, Jack has a YouTube channel and a page on TikTok posting medical tutorials and training nights for those unable to attend.
As a result of his community work, the 10-year-old is a finalist for Children of Courage Birmingham Awards.
SWITZERLAND - The Moutier-Grandval Bible, an illustrated ninth-century masterpiece considered one of the finest manuscripts in the world, is back in Switzerland, where it miraculously survived the ages in impeccable condition.
The priceless Bible was produced in Tours in France in around 830-840, before making its way to Moutier-Grandval Abbey, in the mountainous Jura region in northwestern Switzerland.
Now in the care of the British Library, the 22-kilogramme (50-pound) manuscript is being loaned for three months to the Jura Museum of Art and History in the region's tiny capital Delemont.
It is only the second time it has been loaned from London, after being shown at the Jura Museum in 1981, when 32,000 people flocked to see it.
"We could even call it a miracle: this mediaeval masterpiece has survived the ages, the circumstances of history; it has escaped ransacking, wars, fires, revolutions, and has reached us in remarkable condition," said the museum's director Nathalie Fleury.
When it returned on Tuesday, "the emotion was palpable: more than 1,200 years of history were in our hands", she said.
Around 100 Bibles were produced during the same period in Tours, of which 18 have survived intact, including only three that are illustrated. The Moutier-Grandval Bible is the best-known.
- 'Joy, awe and wonder' -
The Bible is going on show in the museum's basement, behind a thick steel door. Sealed inside a glass cabinet, it is the only object in the bare, darkened room.
AFP | SEBASTIEN BOZON
It is open on the first page, showing a vivid illustration of the story of Adam and Eve - its colours still remarkably bright - from the Book of Genesis.
For optimum conservation conditions, only five people at a time are allowed in the room, for five minutes only.
"The Moutier-Grandval Bible really is a masterpiece of scribal and artistic endeavour," said Claire Breay, head of ancient, mediaeval and early modern manuscripts at the British Library.
"It is one of the greatest treasures of the British Library," where it is periodically displayed on rotation.
"This spectacular, 1,200-year-old, hand-written Bible, with this wonderful decoration, is still bringing people together and bringing, joy, awe and wonder to everyone who sees it."
The 450 leaves, or 900 pages, measure 50 by 37.5 centimetres (20 by 15 inches), with text written in two columns of 50 to 52 lines each. The skins of 210 to 225 sheep were required to produce the parchment.
AFP | SEBASTIEN BOZON
It contains four full-page illustrations and around 20 copyist monks worked on the text, written in Latin in highly legible Carolingian minuscule script.
"It's very emotional to see it in real life: it's completely different from seeing a reproduction of it in a book or online," said book historian and co-curator Angeline Rais.
"People can see how big it is, how beautiful the colours and the gold still are," she told AFP.
- Unravelling the mysteries -
"There's a lot of mystery around the Bible," said Rais.
How it came to Moutier-Grandval remains uncertain.
AFP | SEBASTIEN BOZON
The Bible was left behind by canons and forgotten about until it was found, according to legend, in a Delemont attic in the late 1810s or early 1820s. It was sold to an antiques dealer in 1822.
It was eventually sold to the British Museum in 1836 for £750, or $93,600 in today's money.
With much of its back story so little known, the Bible even today remains shrouded in a degree of mystery: how it was transported from London to Delemont, and all matters of security, remain a guarded secret.
Rais said it had "enormous" resonance for the region.
The founding of Moutier-Grandval Abbey, in around 640, is seen as the starting chapter in local history.
"There is a really, really strong link between the community here of Delemont, of Jura, and the Bible," Rais told AFP.
AFP | SEBASTIEN BOZON
The exhibition opens to the public from Saturday until June 8.
Research continues on the Bible, notably on the parchment and the pigments used in the illustrations.
A survey of 2,000 single Americans revealed that 56% of respondents agreed it’s important that their partners have the same career values that they do.
In terms of ambition, 44% would prefer someone whose career ambitions were the same as their own, while 34% are looking for someone who is even more ambitious.
Regarding salary, 39% of all respondents—which were equally divided between men and women—said they would prefer to be an equal “breadwinner” with their partners. Unsurprisingly, this was much more common for women, with 45% of females preferring salaries to be equal, compared to 33% of men.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of the dating app The League, the survey also looked at the most desirable careers for 2025.
29% of men and women agreed that those in the health care field make the best partners, while careers in education ranked as the second most attractive for the men surveyed (28%).
21% of women are interested in dating an entrepreneur, 19% were interested in an educator, while finance guys and artists were desirable for 18%.
Also ranking in the top most dateable jobs for both genders are lawyers (24%), scientists (16%), and careers in tech, like web or software developers (14%).
The poll also explored the ideal time to have “the career conversation” with potential partners. Nearly a quarter of respondents (22%) said that, ideally, they’ll have a conversation about goals and aspirations before going on a first date—but most will bring up the conversation by the end of their first date.
“Transparency is more attractive than ever,” said Rachel DeAlto, a dating expert at The League. “While there may be no perfect time to talk about careers and ambitions, bringing it up in conversation sooner than later in the dating process allows singles to determine if they share similar values and life goals from the start.”
Despite many respondents being eager to speak with potential partners about their career, that doesn’t mean single Americans are “all work and no play.” 40% of singles surveyed want their potential partners to have a passion for what they’re doing but also prioritize a work/life balance.
Gabriella Clare Marino
Additionally, over one in five respondents are looking for partners who have a desire to leave a positive impact on society or other people.
64% are willing to date someone in graduate school, further demonstrating the appeal of having drive and goals, no matter where your career is at the moment.
“When partners share similar aspirations and value the same things in life, they’re better equipped to support and understand each other. The key is to stay open to finding that alignment,” said DeAlto.
On the flip side, constant burn-out (32%), long overtime hours (29%) and switching jobs every year (25%) are some of the top career “red flags.” Interestingly, being an “influencer” was also a “red flag” for more than one in five respondents (22%).
WHAT CAREER VALUES ARE IMPORTANT IN A POTENTIAL NEW PARTNER?
Passion for what they’re doing — 40%
Prioritizing work/personal life balance — 34%
Understanding that there is always more to learn/ways to improve — 28%
Ability to work well with others and build relationships with colleagues — 25%
Desire to leave a positive impact on society or other people — 21%
Competitiveness or wanting to be successful — 19%
Desire to leave a positive impact on the environment — 15%
Take care lovers, wherever you are, as Valentine’s Day is soon upon us. Whether you’re in a relationship or want to be in a relationship, research over a number of years shows that February 14 can be a day of broken hearts and broken wallets.
A study by US psychologists in 2004 found that relationship breakups were 27% to 40% higher around Valentine’s Day than at other times of the year. Fortunately, this bleak trend was only found amongst couples on a downward trajectory who weren’t the happiest to begin with.
For stable or improving couples, Valentine’s Day thankfully didn’t serve as a catalyst for breakup. (That said, science has more to say on the predictions of any breakup in a relationship.)
But it’s hard to avoid the pressure of Valentine’s Day. This time of year, television, radio, printed publications and the internet are littered with advertisements reminding people of the upcoming celebration: Buy a gift! Make a reservation! Don’t forget the flowers! And by all means be romantic!.
Think you’re safe and single? Not so fast – ads urging those not in romantic relationships to seek one out (namely, via fee-based dating websites) are rife this time of year.
The origins of Valentine’s Day go back many centuries and it is a time of dubious repute. Originally it was a day set aside to celebrate Christian saints named Valentine (there were many). The association with romantic love was only picked up in the UK during the Middle Ages. Thank you, Chaucer and Shakespeare.
Mass-produced paper Valentines appeared on the scene in the 1800s, and it seems that the commercialisation of the day has increased ever since. Now, many refer to Valentine’s Day as a “Hallmark Holiday” – a reference to the popular producer of many Valentine’s cards.
No matter the history, or whether you are a conscientious objector to the commercialisation of love, it is difficult not to get swept up in the sentiment.
Despite the research (mentioned earlier) that Valentine’s Day can be calamitous for some, other research speaks to how to make this day a positive and beneficial one for you and your loved ones.
My funny Valentine
For those not in a romantic relationship, it’s hard to avoid the normative message that you are meant to be in one. But is it worth risking social rejection by asking someone for a date on Valentine’s Day?Unfortunately, science can’t answer that one. What we do know is that social rejection hurts –- literally – according to Professor Naomi Eisenberger, a social psychologist and director of the Social and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory at UCLA. She found that being socially rejected results in activation in the same brain areas that are active during physical pain.
Even though we may treat physical pain more seriously and regard it as the more valid ailment, the pain of social loss can be equally as distressing, as demonstrated by the activation of pain-related neural circuitry upon social disconnection.
A low dose of over-the-counter pain-killer can buffer against the sting of rejection. And, as silly as it seems, holding a teddy bear after the fact can provide relief.
If you do decide to seek a partner, dating websites and smartphone apps are a popular option. In 2013, 38% of American adults who were “single and looking” used dating websites or apps.
Dating websites such as eHarmony even claim to use scientific principles in their matching system (though this claim has been heavily critiqued by relationship researchers).
On this point, US psychology professor Eli Finkel provides a timely commentary on smartphone dating apps such as Tinder. He says he can see the benefits but he also points out that “algorithm matchmaking” is still no substitute for the real encounter.
As almost a century of research on romantic relationships has taught us, predicting whether two people are romantically compatible requires the sort of information that comes to light only after they have actually met.
The multi-billion dollar dating website industry would have you think it is a path to true-love. Though the fact of the matter is, despite several studies, we simply don’t know if dating websites are any more effective than more traditional approaches to mate-finding. So, on this point, single-and-looking payer beware.
Can’t buy me love
Speaking of money, the consumerism surrounding Valentine’s Day is undeniable. Australians last year spent upwards of A$791 million on gifts and such. Americans are estimated to spend US$19 billion (A$24 billion) this year.
Spending in and of itself, however, isn’t a bad thing. It turns out it’s how you spend that matters.
First, given the choice between buying a thing and buying an experience – ongoing research by Cornell University’s psychology professor Thomas Gilovich favours opting for the latter. Chances are, you’ll be happier.
In the case of Valentine’s Day, spending on a shared experience will make your partner happier too – research from US relationship researcher Art Aron suggests that spending on a shared experience will reap more benefit than a piece of jewelry or a gadget, especially to the extent that this shared experience is new and exciting.
Second, if you’re going to part with that cash in the end, you might as well spend it on someone else. Across numerous experiments (see here, here, here, here and here), individuals instructed to spend on others experienced greater happiness than those instructed to spend the same amount on themselves.
The effect is even stronger if you spend that money on a strong social bond, such as your Valentine.
It’s not always about the gift, sometimes it’s the shared encounter that’s more important. Flickr/julian wylegly, CC BY
Third, if you do give a gift, you’re best to pay heed to any dropped hints by your partner about desired gifts.
This is especially the case if your loved one is a man. In one study, men who received an undesired gift from their partners became pessimistic about the future of their relationship. Women didn’t react quite so poorly to a bad gift.
All you need is love
Of course, don’t think that love is just for lovers – even on Valentine’s Day.
Love Actually anyone?
Given the robustly supported conclusion that close non-romantic friendships can be just as rewarding (and health promoting) as romantic relationships, an alternative is to treat Valentine’s Day as an opportunity to celebrate all of your social relationships.
Scientific research supports the benefits of the following, simple (and free) acts:
simply engaging in chit-chat with those around you could be extremely rewarding
just a few minutes of loving-kindness mediation – wishing for happiness for yourself and those around you – can lead to a sense of deeper connection with others.
If all else fails on Valentine’s Day, then settle back and listen to Stephen Stills’ classic song Love The One You’re With: “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with.”
Tokyo, (IANS) Japanese media on Saturday reported that 116-year-old Tomiko Itooka, recognised as the world's oldest person, has died of old age.
Itooka died earlier this week at a nursing home in the city of Ashiya in western Japan where she resided, the city government in Hyogo Prefecture said, reported Kyodo News.
The Japanese woman was born on May 23, 1908, in Osaka as the eldest of three siblings.
"At the special nursing home in the city where she resided, she enjoyed drinking her favourite lactic acid beverages and often said Thank you to the staff," reported Japanese daily 'The Mainichi' on Saturday.
Ashiya Mayor Ryosuke Takashima commented, "Through her long life, she gave us great courage and hope. I express my deepest condolences."
Itooka became the oldest living person in Japan in December 2023 following the death of Fusa Tatsumi, a 116-year-old in Kashiwara, Osaka Prefecture.
Fusa Tatsumi was born on April 25, 1907, and had spent most of her last days in bed at a nursing home in Kashiwara.
Tatsumi had become the oldest living person in Japan in April 2022 following the death of a 119-year-old woman in Fukuoka.
Itooka was subsequently recognised as the world's oldest living person by Guinness World Records in September 2024, following the death of the previous holder, Maria Branyas Morera, a 117-year-old from Olot, Catalonia, Spain.
Morera was born on March 4, 1907, according to the Guinness World Records.
Japanese average life expectancy had peaked in 2020, at 87.71 years for women and 81.56 years for men.
The average life spans had decreased in 2021 and 2022, due to rising death tolls from the coronavirus.
The average life expectancy of Japanese people rose in 2023 for the first time in three years, due to a decline in deaths from the Covid-19 pandemic, a government data had showed.The average life expectancy of women in Japan came to 87.14 years, up 0.05 from 2022, while for men it stood at 81.09, up 0.04, revealed the data released by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in July 2024. World's oldest person dies in Japan at 116 | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
American parents offer their kids lots of financial advice per year, according to a new poll—but they admit their guidance isn’t always implemented.
Indeed, respondents said their child listens only about half the time.
The survey of 5,000 parents over age 30, split evenly across all 50 states, asked about the type of financial advice they give their children and which areas parents feel knowledgable.
On average, kids are asking for financial advice multiple times per month, but parents are often giving unsolicited advice about five times a month, adding up to over 100 tips shared per year.
In the survey conducted by Talker Research on behalf of the international money app Wise, the findings showed that parents’ confidence levels vary widely.
When asked for financial advice, 36% said they feel “very” confident, while 34% said they are “somewhat” confident in the suggestions they provide.
From a list of 14 different financial areas, parents had the lowest confidence in assisting their child with currency conversion (11%), taking out/refinancing loans (13%), and sending money abroad (14%).
On the other hand, a majority of parents noted higher confidence in helping their child with budgeting their money (55%), managing savings options (52%) and navigating credit cards (41%), as well as understanding debt (32%) and credit scores (32%).
“Parents have to manage countless complex conversations as they prepare a child for adulthood,” said Ankita D’Mello, a Manager at Wise. “Finances are certainly top of the list, and international finance is one area where more education is essential.”
“As our lives become increasingly global, whether that’s a child studying abroad or sending money to family and friends in another country, the importance of managing money across borders is becoming more of a mainstay for parents and kids.”
40% of parents surveyed shared concerns their kids will “outgrow” the advice they are equipped to give. It’s why most of those surveyed (72%) want to further their financial knowledge.
This may be due to the changing nature of how we manage our finances, as nearly three-quarters (74%) of respondents believe it’s become more complicated since they were a child.
When asked why they believe financial management has become more complicated, 48% of these respondents noted the internet makes it easy to search for financial information, but it’s hard to know what to trust.
The vast majority (79%) of parents said they’re open to new tools and resources to help them improve their financial knowledge, and nearly a quarter (22%) actively look for new services to use.
“With more financial information available now than ever before, it’s essential to work with providers that are established, affordable, convenient and transparent, especially when looking to move money internationally,” said D’Mello.
HOW CONFIDENT ARE PARENTS HELPING THEIR CHILD IN 14 FINANCIAL AREAS?
● Budgeting — 55%
● Savings options — 52%
● Credit cards — 41%
● Managing debt — 32%
● Managing credit score — 32%
● Insurance — 29%
● Financing a car — 29%
● Investments — 21%
● Mortgages — 16%
● Retirement planning (Roth vs. traditional IRAs, etc.) — 16%
● High-yield savings accounts — 15%
● Sending money abroad (i.e., sending money to friends or family internationally) — 14%
Four out of five parents are working to make the back-to-school season “magical” for their elementary school kids, according to a new poll.
A survey of 2,000 parents with children aged 12 and under found 86% are trying to bring the “magic” back to school and, for many, their goal is getting their child excited about returning to the classroom.
In order to do so, parents are allowing their child to choose their clothing and outfits (62%), purchase school supplies they liked best (62%), and help support their child’s passions and interests (56%).
19% of parents admitted they disliked school when they were their child’s age, and 96% are hoping to create more positive memories for their little ones.
Results found that 40% of kids are typically “very excited” to return to school after their summer break, which means parents are working overtime to make it match expectations.
How do parents get their kids excited about learning? 63% use hands-on learning (like teaching fractions through baking a cake). 43% said they use food or snack activities, and 25% exercise their imagination and learning with experiences, such as fantasy costume play.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Keebler snacks, the survey looked into more ways parents are making the school year “magic” for their kids.
Over four in ten like to surprise their kids with their favorite snacks, three in ten slip notes into their lunchbox, and 19% have given their child a “lucky charm” to take to school for good luck. And, 70% of parents believe an after-school snack is a “magic” fix when their child has had a rough day.
According to the results, parents generally ‘keep magic alive’ by encouraging their child to use their imagination (70%), encourage a belief in the Easter Bunny, Tooth Fairy, or Santa Claus (53%), teach them to always see the best in people and their experiences (50%) and encourage them to look for the unexpected (46%).
“There’s plenty of small ways to make a new routine ‘magical’ and help instill that love of learning and school in your child,” said Alicia Mosley, Vice President of Marketing for the Keebler Brand. “Whether you’re putting notes in your child’s lunch box or surprising them with their favorite snack.”
“It’s encouraging to see parents working so hard to keep magic alive for their children and it’s those little moments of magic that their children are going to remember and cherish for the rest of their lives, How Parents Plan to Make Back-to-School ‘Magical’ For Their Kids
A mom created a fairytale dress made of more than 200 fresh flowers she grew herself, as part of her university studies in art and design.
Anita Lee-Archer created the dress on her daughter, Bella, spending around two hours arranging multi-colored dahlias, hand-picked from her garden in Australia.
The mother-of-five is pursuing a fine arts degree at the University of Tasmania at age 48. She decided to go back to college four years ago to pursue her dreams of a career in art.
Now she’s combining another passion—her love of gardening—to create impressive art installations.
To attach the flowers to the dress, she wrapped bird netting tightly around her daughter, Bella, who wore a black slip underneath (see the video at the bottom). She threaded the flowers through the holes, choosing colors from seven buckets of pre-cut blooms.
“It turned out how I wanted it,” said Anita, from Launceston, Tasmania. “It was really fun.”
Anita says she was discouraged from choosing a career in art as a teenager, so instead worked as a nurse and midwife.
“I have always been a creative. But, people always said, ‘you won’t earn any money doing art’.”
But Anita never forgot her love and when they moved to Tasmania she asked her husband, a neurologist, if she could enroll in university. She eagerly started classes in 2020 to finally fulfill her dreams.
“I really want to paint flowers. I breed different varieties and have always been a gardener.
Dahlia flower dress by Anita Lee-Archer / SWNS
“It’s nice to combine my loves. One lecturer told me ‘it’s your work, you need to do what you love’.”
She admitted the dress turned out to be “really heavy” and it was hard to walk in it.
“Initially it was going to be a strapless dress, but I had to fashion straps.”
22 April 2024: This Earth Day, BT is announcing a new partnership with the UK Business Climate Hub (UKBCH) that aims to help UK small & medium businesses (SMBs) halve CO2e emissions by 2030 and empower them to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. It comes as research suggests UK SMBs would stop 280 million tonnes of CO2e emissions from reaching the atmosphere if they hit this near-term goal*.
There are 5.5 million SMBs in the UK, making up more than 99% of all businesses nationwide. Collectively they account for almost half (44%**) of non-household emissions, making their role in tackling the climate crisis critical to the UK’s chances of hitting net zero by 2050.
Nine in ten (90%) of SMEs would like to address climate change at their business, but find it challenging to get started and identify the right tools to mitigate their environmental impact.*** To help them map out a path to net zero, the UKBCH, a shared endeavour between industry and government, has welcomed BT as a key industry partner and member of its Advisory Board, and has developed ‘Seven Steps to Sustainability’ to empower SMBs to get started today.
The new partnership aims to bring together BT’s expertise in supporting more than one million small business customers with the UK Business Climate Hub’s free resources to help businesses reduce their carbon footprint and their energy bills. Businesses can take the first step today by checking out the available, free resources from the UKBCH on its website. They can also work towards the SME Climate Commitment, by making a pledge to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050, and report progress on these goals annually.
Chris Sims, Managing Director, Small and Medium Business at BT, says: “BT set its first carbon reduction target more than 30 years ago, and we’ve had a strong track record of hitting our sustainability goals ever since. But we have size on our side – and from speaking to our small business customers we know that with limited resources, many of them struggle to find the time, the funding, or the guidance to help them prioritise sustainability. With the UK Business Climate Hub we are beginning our journey to reach more businesses with free tools and practical support to help them set the foundations for a greener future, and ultimately, reach Net Zero.”
Chris Taylor, Net Zero Programme Director at the Broadway Initiative – which manages the UK Business Climate Hub – adds: “We’re delighted to partner with BT and are energised about the impact we will make together. The UK Business Climate Hub works closely with the government and our industry partners to produce essential guides for SMBs across multiple sectors, with practical advice on how to reduce carbon emissions and save on energy bills. Whether it’s a tailored net zero plan for individual SMBs, free carbon footprint calculators or an online training course on cutting emissions, with our tools and support, SMBs can reduce both costs and emissions and transition to a greener economy – the ultimate win-win.”
Seven steps to Sustainability: Practical tips for all sectors
The UKBCH has charted a course for SMBs to build and achieve a greener future. The ‘Seven Steps to Sustainability’ break down key actions so that businesses can create an achievable plan. These include:
1. Understand the basics: An overview of net zero and how to reduce your business’s carbon footprint and any legal requirements on reducing carbon emissions.
2. Involve your team: Engage staff across the business to develop carbon reduction and energy saving initiatives. This could include an internal working group or hiring an external consultant.
3. Make the SME Climate Commitment: Commit to halving business emissions by 2030, reach net zero by 2050, and report yearly on progress towards these goals.
4. Make a plan: Measure current emissions from fuel consumption and electricity use. Taking stock of current business activities that contribute to overall carbon emissions will enable businesses to identify key focus areas.
6. Find finance and support: Businesses across England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales can identify specific programmes or initiatives to help them to finance their sustainability journey.
By Vishü Rita Krocha: It isn’t just biology that enables one to become a mother. Motherhood is so much more than the ability to conceive whether it is through natural means or with the help of science. It is about unconditional love that leads to making sacrifices and being selfless all the time. Motherhood supersedes every other role that she plays in life.
As Karl Lagerfeld says, “The only love that I really believe in is a mother’s love for her children.” The maternal instinct seems to be universal. Everywhere across the world, a mother’s love is universal. It isn’t defined by what or who she is. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor; it doesn’t matter in which part of the world you were born, a mother’s love is everyone’s first experience of love.
And it isn’t just the first experience, but a love that you will not find anywhere else or experience with anybody else in your lifetime. Mothers do so much more than the society or individuals can imagine. For them, their children always come first although this is rarely acknowledged.
Regardless of the circumstances mothers are in—during pregnancy, at childbirth, at the various stages of raising a child, whether she is in a poor mental and spiritual state, or whether she is financially and intellectually deprived, mothers ensure that the best out of that circumstance is given to her children.
That, she sacrifices her own wants, needs and desires for the welfare of her children is taken for granted a lot of times. Mothers are barely recognised for all the things that they do with love. They ever only do every single thing with nothing but love for their children.
Maybe, it is only on occasions such as Mother’s Day that they are remembered and showered with gifts. But a day isn’t enough to say or show how grateful one is for bringing you into this world and nurturing you all along.
Mothers have their own struggles and the power of resilience each mother has, is remarkable. And it should not just be on Mother’s Day that they are thought of so fondly, or when mothers are gone, that they are remembered even more. It should not be at their graves that the unconditional love of a mother is realised, with guilt and pain. But mothers deserve all the love we can give everyday.
How to raise a child is not taught in schools, and for many mothers also, it may be trial and error. But despite it all, the unconditional love of a mother is always there. It is unmistakable. No matter the country, tribe, race, or time, a mother's love is unmistakable. And that is what remarkably stands out about motherhood regardless of the situation or circumstance that they may be in when raising a child.Being a mother is also a full-time job although it often goes unnoticed. It is a lifetime commitment that mothers embrace and choose to take on without any reservations. With excessive overtime hours of working that is hardly acknowledged, being a mother is truly the noblest job of all. To raise another human being and help them reach their full potential in life, is something that the society should not take for granted., Motherhood, the noblest job of all | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
Hannah Carmack with quadruplets – family photo via SWNS
An Alabama woman broke the odds of 70-million-to-1 giving birth to quadruplets that are two sets of identical twins.
Hannah Carmack and her husband, Michael, found out they were expecting a year and a half ago—and were shocked when the sonogram revealed they were having quads.
The fact that they were two sets of twins gives it the 70 million odds.
In March last year, 27 weeks into her pregnancy, Hannah gave birth to Evelyn 2-lbs 11oz, David, 2 lbs 40z, Daniel 2 lbs 4oz, and Adeline 1lbs 10oz—all via a planned c-section.
Just 96 days later, they‘d all arrived home to Gadsden, and the parents now say they are “thriving”.
“It was chaotic when we brought them home for the first time,” said the 29-year-old veterinary technician. “Luckily I flew my step mom out for two and a half months to help me adjust.
“They all slept and ate at the same time. They thrived off each other: if one would scream, the other one would scream.
“The first time I saw them all home together I cried, I couldn’t believe it. They were a miracle.” (Watch an adorable video of their morning routine, below…)
Hannah Carmack with her quads (via SWNS)
Hannah and Michael were not even trying to have a baby, so when they found out they were expecting it came as a shock.
When the first scan revealed they were having quads, Hannah said she had a “panic attack”.
“I saw two placentas on the screen and I asked if they were twins. My husband put his hands on his head and started laughing while I was crying.”
But the technician wasn’t answering.
“I asked if it was triplets and she still didn’t reply, she put her hand on my knee and said there were four. I asked if she was sure and she said how there was definitely four babies there.”
Hannah Carmack and husband Michael with sonogram of quadruplets – via SWNS
From the outset, Hannah was warned that it would be a miracle to make it to 30 weeks—and at 27 weeks, she was hospitalized at the University of Alabama Hospital and monitored closely. Doctors told her the goal was to get her to 28 weeks, as the babies would be safer to deliver—but it wasn’t to be.
After the births, the doctors told her all the babies were “doing good” although they had been intubated. Three days later, Hannah was sent home.
Baby Evelyn followed after 69 days, Adeline and David after 80 and 82 days and the last one came home after 96 days.
“Oh man, a lot of people prayed over our babies. They all had a 50 percent chance of survival; they had odds against them from the beginning.
“They are all super sweet. The boys are obsessed with me and the girls are drifting towards their father.”
“They are all doing great now, Daniel is trying to walk, they are crawling and eating table food.”
The Isdales with their first foster child, Kim – released by the family
English couple Margaret Isdale and her husband Robert decided to welcome a teenage girl into their home for foster care back in 1978.
Now almost 40 years later, they are receiving a lifetime achievement award, because the octogenarians have fostered an incredible 150 children and teenagers.
They’ve seen many dramatic circumstances, including a boy who had to have a kidney removed, and a child who came with no possessions of any kind apart from a set of pajamas, but they have no plans on slowing down.
From the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, they received a lifetime achievement award from Lincolnshire Foster Services, whose administrator, Michelle Sawmynaden, was in awe of the pair, saying that over their 46 years of raising other people’s children, lots of them have either gone back to their birth families or gone on to be adopted.
“It’s really quite humbling. It’s not about us, it’s about the kids we look after—they’re the important ones,” said Margaret, on the occasion of the award.
Their years have seen the love they offer children manifest in different ways. There was Kim, who was 4 years old when she entered the Isdale household with a heart complication and Down syndrome. They traveled as much as they could with her before she passed away at age 21.
In other cases, there are happier endings, such as a child for whom they were asked to be the godparents. They had two children of their own, and even in their older age, they’re still going strong—fostering an eight-month-old baby.
“People say, how can you hand them over? Well, that’s part of what we do, and sometimes when you hand [a child] over the adoptive parents or birth parents keep in touch and they say how appreciative they are,” said Mr. Isdale. “That in itself is a reward.”Couple in Their 80s Who’ve Fostered More Than 150 Children Have No Plans to Retire
New Delhi, January 30 (IANSlife) In today's digital age, parenting presents an unprecedented set of challenges. With children growing up in a world saturated with online content, the line between constructive engagement and harmful addiction has become increasingly blurred. Baatu Tech, the pioneer in Smart Parenting Solutions in India, announced the results of a recent survey that shed light on the alarming concerns of Indian parents regarding screen addiction, gaming, and adult content consumption among children. The survey conducted among 3000 participants revealed that an overwhelming 95% of Indian parents are deeply concerned about screen addiction, while 80 percent and 70 percent expressed worries regarding gaming addiction and adult content consumption, respectively.
Numerous research from the past have indicated that excessive screen time can negatively impact children's physical and mental health, hinder cognitive development, and impede social interactions. One area of particular concern is the rising trend of gaming addiction among children. According to a study published in the Journal of Behavioral Addictions, approximately 3-4% of children worldwide experience problematic gaming behaviours. This addiction can lead to a variety of detrimental effects, such as poor academic performance, disrupted sleep patterns, and decreased physical activity. Moreover, prolonged exposure to violent or aggressive game content has been linked to increased aggression and desensitization to real-life violence.
Parents and educators must be aware of the signs of gaming addiction and take proactive measures to ensure a healthy balance between gaming and other activities in children's lives. By promoting alternative forms of engagement and setting clear boundaries, we can help children develop a well-rounded approach to technology and prevent the negative consequences of excessive gaming."Baatu Tech understands the concerns of Indian parents and is committed to addressing the pressing issue of screen addiction and inappropriate content consumption among children," said Sandeep Kumar, Founder and Managing Director of Baatu Tech. "We believe that parenting in the digital age requires constant vigilance, open and honest communication, and a well-informed approach. Our Smart Parenting Solutions empower parents to foster digital literacy while safeguarding their children's well-being." 95% of Indian parents concerned about child’s screen addiction, says report | MorungExpress | morungexpress.com
Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
Written byNepali Times: This story was originally published by Durga Rana Magar in Nepali Times. An edited version is republished on Global Voices as part of a content-sharing agreement. Like many Nepalis, Surendra Dhami left his home village in Darchula District in the Sudurpashchim Province of Nepal for Malaysia in the hope of improving his family’s quality of life. He returned in a few months because the work and pay were not what he had been promised by the recruiter. But there were no jobs in Darchula, and farming in the rugged, arid mountains would not feed his family.
So, like many other mountain farmers, Dhami, 36, migrated with his family down to the Tarai to settle in the village of Gharkheda in Kailali District’s Chure Rural Municipality. It was a good move. He sold 10,000 kilograms of oranges last year, and Surendra and his wife Bhaka have diversified into vegetables. “So far, we can make a living with our farming. At least, it is better than in Darchula,” says 30-year-old Bhaka Dhami. Neighbour Krishna Devi Kandel and her husband Devendra have involved all five of their children in their farm. Their orange trees are not doing well because of infestation, and the failure of winter rains affected crops.
Surendra and Bhaka Dhami. Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
“We do not have irrigation and do not get as much rain as we used to,” says Devendra. Chure village is full of families who have moved down from Darchula, Baitadi, and other mountain districts to the north. But even here, erratic rains due to the climate crisis have impacted farming. Diversifying crops is the best way to cope. After her orange trees died, Pabitra Sapkota moved on to vegetables.
Pabitra Sapkota. Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
“The tomatoes that my son planted in this greenhouse are nearly ripe,” she says, clutching a lush bunch of mustard greens. The Chure range in western Nepal rises to elevations of 2,500 meters, unlike in the east, where it is less than 500 meters. It is the youngest, lowest and weakest of the folds that form the Himalayan range and the first ridges to rise up from the plains.The Chure covers nearly 13 percent of Nepal’s area and runs through 37 of the 77 districts from Jhapa in the east to Kanchanpur in the west. It is a fragile range, where deforestation has led to frequent landslides and floods.
Aftermath of a flood. Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
“The Chure watershed is deteriorating and there are frequent droughts, further declining farm productivity,” explains Sushmita Dhakal of the President Chure Terai-Madhes Conservation Development Board. One way recent migrants from the mountains to Chure are adapting to the crisis is through family farming, without hired labour for better food security, nutrition and to protect the environment. The United Nations declared 2019–2028 a “Decade of Family Farming” to preserve traditional agriculture, increase the involvement of youth, recognise women’s leadership, promote sustainable agriculture and improve livelihoods.In doing so, family farming also protects households from the climate crisis by diversifying crops. It is also an antidote to water-intensive commercial farming with its use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides.
Devendra and Krishna Devi Kandel. Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
At one point, more than 80 percent of Nepal’s population depended on agriculture, and most were family farms. But the figure has come down to 62 percent. Agriculture now only makes up around 25 percent of the GDP. Agronomists say that family farming can reverse the decline by making agriculture profitable again. Vegetable farmers of Lisbeli village in Kailali district are proving this — their products have a ready market in the towns of western Nepal. Dammari Bhatta works on her vegetable patch with her family and chooses not to hire anyone else. The cabbages, cauliflowers and tomatoes are enough to feed her family year-round, and she sells the surplus to pay for the education of her children. Her husband, Madanraj Bhatta, leads the Lisbeli Farmers’ Group, which sold 1,700 kilograms of cabbage and 700 kilograms of tomato this winter.
Dammari and Madanraj Bhatta. Image by the author via Nepali Times. Used with permission.
None of the 30 families here in Lisbeli use chemical fertilisers, and apply organic manure instead. This, in turn, has reduced pest infestation and diseases in the crops, all the while restoring soil quality. “Home fertiliser has increased harvest and made the soil more fertile,” says Manju Jagriti, a former teacher, now a full-time farmer. “The whole family farms, and we do everything together,” says Manju proudly. Family farming is nothing new in Nepal, it has been the traditional method of agriculture. However, many families moved away as commercial farming using agrochemicals took over. Now, families are moving back to the old method of growing food. Agriculture scientist Binayak Bhandari shared his thoughts on the trend: We need to go back to our old sustainable farming ways, protect the environment and find the fine balance between nature and livelihood, especially to adapt to the climate crisis. Source: https://globalvoices.org/, By: https://creativecommons.org/
