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Oscars 2026 Winners: 7 Stars Who Won Their First Academy Award This Year

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Oscars 2026 Winners: 7 Stars Who Won Their First Academy Award This Year

Excitingly, the 2026 Oscars saw a number of performers and filmmakers picking up those iconic gold statuettes for the first time – some of whom are relatively early on in their careers, and others who’ve been waiting a long time to win an Academy Award.

While One Battle After Another and Sinners were the two biggest success stories of the night, there were plenty of other movies whose cast and crew picked up awards during Sunday night’s ceremony.

Here are just seven first-time winners from this year’s Oscars…

Jessie Buckley

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After a clean sweep at awards season this year, Jessie Buckley rounded things off with a win in the Best Actress category for her performance in the heartbreaking drama Hamnet.

The Irish performer had one Oscar nomination to her name already this year, off the back of her work in the Maggie Gyllenhaal movie The Lost Daughter, in which she played the younger version of Olivia Colman’s character.

Michael B Jordan

The Best Actor category was one of the most open contests in the lead-up to the 2026 Oscars, but in the end, Sinners star Michael B Jordan beat stiff competition from Leonardo DiCaprio, Timothée Chalamet, Ethan Hawke and Wagner Moura to the prize.

Michael’s win was one of the night’s most emotional moments, following his performance as twins Smoke and Stack in the hugely popular musical vampire thriller.

Amy Madigan

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Amy Madigan achieved something really rare at the 2026 Oscars, winning an Academy Award for playing a horror character, after stealing the show in last year’s Weapons thanks to her work as Aunt Gladys.

Before this year, Amy had earned one Oscar nomination previously, back in 1986, for the film Twice In A Lifetime.

Earlier this year, she broke the record for the longest gap between two nominations at the Academy Awards, joking on stage: “Everybody’s asking me in the press, ‘well, it’s been 40 years, what’s different about this time?’. What’s different is I got this little gold guy!”

Ryan Coogler

Back in January, Sinners made Oscars history when it received more nominations than any other film since the Academy Awards started.

While sadly, it didn’t end up becoming the night’s top winner when the ceremony came around, it did pick up a respectable four awards, including Best Original Screenplay for Ryan Coogler.

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Ryan’s first nomination was in 2020 as a producer on the Best Picture nominee Judas And The Black Messiah, with another following two years later for his work on the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack.

Paul Thomas Anderson

“You make a guy work hard for one of these!” Paul Thomas Anderson joked during his first speech at Sunday night’s Oscars, quickly adding: “I really appreciate it.”

It’s been almost 30 years since Paul was first nominated for an Oscar as the director of Boogie Nights, consistently racking up more nods for movies like Inherent Vice, Phantom Thread and There Will Be Blood, none of which translated into a win until this year.

Of One Battle Another Another’s six wins, half of them were for Paul himself, who picked up three awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Autumn Durald Arkapaw

One of Sinners’ wins was in the Best Cinematography category.

Not only was this Autumn Durald Arkapaw’s first time winning an Oscar, it was the first time any female artist has triumphed in this category, which was not lost on the creator, who invited all of the women in the room to stand up with her to commemorate the moment.

Joachim Trier

What movie fans might not realise is that the Best International Feature Film prize doesn’t just go to filmmakers, but to actual countries.

So, this year’s triumph for Sentimental Value marks the first time a Norwegian film has won in this category – technically marking the first time Norway itself has received an Oscar, as well as its director, Joachim Trier.

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The Kabs Family’s Dad Gets Roasted By Kids Maliya and TJ In Viral Video

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The Kabs Family's School Run Roast Video Is Comedy Gold

One dad’s hilarious video of him being roasted by his children during the school run is a must-watch if you need a good laugh today.

Tay Kabs, a YouTube star who lives with his family in London, was taking his kids Maliya, nine, and TJ, six, to school on the first day back after the Easter holidays, when they started to talk amongst themselves about how old their friends’ parents were.

“Dad, what age did you and mummy meet?” asked Maliya, to which the father-of-four responded: “Umm, we were about 12.”

This clearly blew his daughter’s mind, who exclaimed: “12! Oh my gosh, wait. I’m nine [she then counts up to 12]. Three years older than me?!”

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Maliya then asks how long her parents have been together, to which Tay responds 23 years. And you absolutely know where this is going…

“23 years! Wait, if you and mummy did not have any phones back then, how did you communicate?”

At this point TJ chimes in: “Dad used to write letters to mum.”

The comments continued: “He probably used the fountain pen with the feather [cackling].”

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“And he probably dipped it in ink [explosion of laughter].”

The floodgates had been ripped wide open.

At this point both kids are in stitches in the back of the car, while Tay looks on. But the roast didn’t stop there. It was only just heating up.

“But dad, seriously, did you and your friends sing to mum on the way to school?” asked Maliya.

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“Wait, did you and mum get invited to the Queen’s coronation? And what did you wear?”

“Dad wore a durag!” adds TJ, roaring with laughter.

“Mummy and daddy went on a double date with Mary and Joseph,” continues Maliya.

“But what if they were on a date, who would be babysitting Jesus?

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“Oh yeah [hysterical laughter] Morgan Freeman.”

When I contacted Tay to check in (and ask how he kept a straight face for the duration of the video), he responded: “I didn’t, honestly. I was trying my best, but they were roasting me the whole time.

“With them, you never know what’s coming next – I just let the camera roll and hoped I could hold it together.”

The video has gone viral, with 1.9 million favourites and over 61,000 comments at the time of writing.

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“Them being so proper and roasting you is diabolical,” shared one commenter.

“YOOOO. These kids be out for blood because why am I hearing such eloquent children rake him over the coals,” added another.

Most people took the opportunity to praise the parent for raising such quick-witted kids.

“Okay but also proud parent moment that they were throwing all the most educational shade,” said one fan.

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“Sir, you’ve clearly done an excellent job raising your kids,” added another.

Discussing the reaction, Tay told me: “It’s funny because that’s genuinely how they are with me at home. I’m their dad but I’m also their number one target. I love that people are enjoying it – their confidence and quick wit is just natural.”

It’s clear humour is an important part of their day-to-day life. Any parent knows that with young kids, life can have many twists and turns, and while there are plenty of challenges, the Kabs are finding ways to giggle and guffaw through it.

“Humour is a big part of our household,” he ends. “With kids, especially at that age, things can get chaotic — laughter keeps everything balanced. Moments like that school run are real life for us.”

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Iran War: UK Government Prepares For Food Shortages As Costs Rises

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Iran War: UK Government Prepares For Food Shortages As Costs Rises

A cabinet minister has confirmed that the government has planned for food shortages this summer amid economic strains caused by the Iran war.

Business and trade secretary Peter Kyle said ministers were engaging in “scenario planning” as Iran continues to block the major oil shipping waterway, the Strait of Hormuz.

It comes after The Times reported the UK could endure a shortage of chicken, pork and other supermarket goods in the coming months.

Food supplies are not expected to reach critical levels but there could be less variety on the shelves as a result, according to the newspaper.

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Kyle told Times Radio: “We are doing this kind of scenario planning.

“Bearing in mind that back in Covid, Boris Johnson missed five Cobra meetings in the lead up to it.

“I can tell you because I’m in these meetings, the prime minister has been there since the very start and he is going through personally and driving deep dives into lots of areas of resilience throughout our economy.

“And you can see from the actions I’ve taken because CO2 has made its way onto the front pages today. So that’s why we’re having this conversation.

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“People should be reassured that we are doing this kind of action behind the scenes to keep resilience into our economy.”

Kyle pointed to his decision to “mothball” a company called Ensus in the North East, which produces CO2 as a by-product, when it faced bankruptcy earlier this year.

“In the first couple of days of the conflict erupting in the Middle East, I unmothballed Ensus. And I can tell you that it is now back up to full operation producing CO2,” he said.

Kyle also told Sky News he would “reassure people” that shortages of CO2 is “not a concern for our economy”.

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“Right now people should go on as they are, enjoying beer, enjoying their meats, enjoying all the salads,” he said.

Government officials have concluded that in a “reasonable worst-case scenario”, the closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger a carbon dioxide shortage.

According to The Times, insiders predict CO2 levels could fall to just 18% of what they currently are if a key UK plant faces a mechanical error, and if high gas costs trigger a fall in ammonia and fertiliser production, both of which make CO2 as a by-product.

The gas is used in a variety of products, including in the process of slaughtering pigs and most chickens.

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CO2 is also used to boost the shelf life of food like salad, packaged meats and baked goods.

It’s needed to make drinks fizzy, too, meaning a shortage would hit farming, hospitality, and breweries.

There could be disruption to healthcare and civil nuclear sectors as well, by hitting dry ice supplies and affecting storage for cold blood, organs and vaccines, as well as Britain’s national electricity supply.

The Times reported that officials from No.10, the Treasury and the Ministry of Defence have secretly rehearsed how to respond if there’s a CO2 shortage in an event called “Exercise Turnstone”.

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They have reportedly prepared a response on the assumption Strait of Hormuz is still shut and no permanent peace deal had been agreed by June 2026.

A CO2 shortage last hit the UK in 2022 after energy price shocks caused by the Ukraine war.

The report comes as YouGov polling found seven in 10 Brits (69%) think the country is poorly prepared for a major conflict.

A No.10 spokesperson said the government is “stress testing a wide range of scenarios, however unlikely they may be, to make sure that our supply chains and the economy are always protected”.

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“If there are any resilience issues, we will be upfront with the public about it,” he added.

Subscribe to Commons People, the podcast that makes politics easy. Every week, Kevin Schofield and Kate Nicholson unpack the week’s biggest stories to keep you informed. Join us for straightforward analysis of what’s going on at Westminster.

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Sir Olly Robbins: Starmer Sacks Foreign Office Official As Mandelson Row Re-emerges

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Sir Olly Robbins: Starmer Sacks Foreign Office Official As Mandelson Row Re-emerges

Keir Starmer sacked the top civil servant in the Foreign Office last night after the row over Peter Mandelson appointment returned.

Hours after it was revealed that the ex-Labour peer failed security vetting but still got the top job as the UK’s ambassador to Washington, the prime minister fired Olly Robbins.

According to the BBC and the Times, Starmer was “furious” after the Guardian reported that the Foreign Office had defied advice from the vetting process and appointed Mandelson anyway.

No.10 insists neither Starmer nor his ministers were aware of this detail until this week.

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It read: “Neither the Prime Minister, nor any Government Minister, was aware that Peter Mandelson was granted Developed Vetting against the advice of UK Security Vetting until earlier this week.”

It remains unclear why Mandelson failed the vetting and if Robbins was the person who decided to override security advice.

Mandelson worked as the ambassador to Washington between February and September 2025 before he was fired as the depth of his relationship with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein was revealed.

He has denied any wrongdoing in connection to the disgraced financier.

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Mandelson is currently being investigated by police on suspicion passing market-sensitive information to Epstein when he was a minister under New Labour.

The Conservatives, Reform UK and the Greens have all called for the prime minister to resign.

They accuse him of misleading MPs when he told them in September that “due process had been followed” when it came to hiring the former ambassador to Washington.

According to the Ministerial Code, ministers who knowingly mislead parliament are expected to stand down.

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Black Women Deserve Better Maternal Care, Safety And Support

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A baby picture of the author with her aunt

“Do you think I should consider freezing my eggs?”

I posed this question to my grandmother and aunt recently as the reality set in that I’m about to turn 30. According to medical science, the older I get, the fewer chances I have for pregnancy. But as we approach Black Maternal Health Week, I find myself returning to that question, and my age isn’t the only thing giving me pause.

Black women’s bodies have long been at the mercy of harsh surveillance, financial instability and health inequities. Because I have a Ph.D. in maternal and child health, I am well aware that maternal mortality among Black women has been a persistent inequity since the 1930s.

In 2023, for example, the maternal mortality rate among Black women was 50.3 deaths per 100,000 live births and significantly higher than rates for white, Hispanic and Asian women. And though there was a slight dip in 2024 (44.8 deaths per 100,000 live births), the statistics remain frighteningly high.

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The higher rates of maternal deaths aren’t attributed to one singular thing. Black birthing people are dying, regardless of income or education, because of multiple factors, including structural and systemic racism, provider bias, quality of linguistic and culturally appropriate care, and cumulative stress and weathering.

I was taught to name these as the social-structural determinants of health, focusing on how multiple levels of influence (i.e., individual, interpersonal, community and societal) can impact an individual’s health outcomes. This knowledge has heightened my awareness and consideration of, well, everything.

Such rates should be enough to alarm us, but as each year passes and more Black women die, the numbers remind me yet again that this country, along with its medical systems, doesn’t prioritise me. So, even as I wrestle with my readiness to give life, it is painfully clear that my own life may not be protected.

Because I study maternal health, I also know my autonomy is at the mercy of my geography.

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Reproductive rights have been under attack in recent years in the U.S. Abortion access is largely restricted in many places across the country. Currently, 41 states have abortion restrictions in effect, with 13 of these having total bans. This means my ZIP code literally determines the level of access I would have to reproductive care should I get pregnant. And my socioeconomic position would dictate the kind of care I ultimately receive.

As I flip over all this in my head, I collide with people and family all the time who express just how much they can’t wait for me to have a baby. To see what kind of mom I’ll be. To see what kind of children I’ll raise in this world.

A baby picture of the author with her aunt

Photo Courtesy Of Adia R. Louden

A baby picture of the author with her aunt

They make their hopes for me sound so simple. As if the mere desire for motherhood will shield me from the racism, pain and dismissal that my body may endure. As if my decision is just that — a personal decision.

In a country where reproduction is coupled with risk, options increasingly cease to exist and survival is a question mark, whether or not to choose motherhood is one of the most political decisions I can make.

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I hope for a baby I’ll survive to greet, meet and hold against my chest. I hope for the long nights, ordinary days with extraordinary joy and stress. I hope to mother in a way that makes life a jubilant spectacle instead of an everyday terror.

But even my hope often feels riddled with fear.

Because I study maternal health, I’ve followed the political attacks against the vaccine recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommendations meant to protect birthing people during pregnancy and children during their fragile beginnings.

Since 2025, federal officials have launched major assaults on previously established vaccine policies and public health recommendations. As a result, I’m left with diminished trust in a government that I never fully trusted anyway.

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Like gospel singer Tamela Mann said, truth is … I’m tired.

Tired of incessantly dreaming and wishing in a country that never wants to see me wake up. Tired of advocating for all the things at stake. Tired of being asked, “Are you ever gonna get married and have a baby?”

To which I’m forced yet again to shrug and say, “Maybe.”

With my 30th birthday less than three months away, that is still my answer. Because I don’t yet know whether I will become a mother. When I posed the question of egg-freezing to my grandmother and aunt a few months ago, they told me not to worry. That I have plenty of time. And perhaps they’re right.

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I don’t know if I’ll actually broach the topic of freezing my eggs at my next well woman exam.

But I do know one thing: Black women’s maternal autonomy and health deserve more than slogans and commemorative weeks. We deserve care. We deserve safety. We deserve support – not martyrdom.

Adia R. Louden has a Ph.D. in maternal and child health from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is a Public Voices Fellow of The OpEd Project in partnership with the National Black Child Development Institute.

Do you have a compelling personal story you’d like to see published on HuffPost? Find out what we’re looking for here and send us a pitch at pitch@huffpost.com.

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What Does ‘Call Your Uber’ Mean When Teens Say It

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What Does 'Call Your Uber' Mean When Teens Say It

We’ve covered off mid, chat, chopped, choppelganger, tuff, six-seven (*takes a breath*) and dozens of other weird phrases kids come out with thanks to viral internet culture.

Now, some teachers in the US are reporting kids are saying “call your Uber” or “call yo Uber” in class. Uber is a popular ride-hailing company so it’s kind of like saying, “call yourself a taxi”. In short: you need to leave.

TikTok creator and teacher Philip Lindsay said: “‘Call your Uber’ is a phrase that I’ve heard kids starting to use in the last couple of weeks and it’s always directed at somebody who’s either being annoying or doing something unwanted.”

The phrase has likely come from a video, the educator explained, where two people are interacting and are “very obviously annoyed at each other” – then one of them tells the other to “call your Uber”.

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Another teacher known online as Coach Philly noted he’s also heard the phrase and will be using it because it’s “hilarious”.

“I actually love this one and yes I’m going to use it,” he said in a TikTok video.

“So anytime you hear ‘call your Uber’ that just means: ‘please stop’, ‘shut up’, ‘you’re annoying’, ‘get out’, ‘leave’, ‘just quit’ … If you see somebody doing something you don’t like or they’re being annoying or they’re getting on your nerves or you want them to leave, you just say ‘call your Uber’.”

What else are kids saying?

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Mid

When Gen Alpha uses it, “mid” means mediocre or of disappointing quality. If you’re described as “mid” by a teenager then they’re basically saying you are… average.

According to Merriam-Webster, “mid” serves to express that something falls short of expectations, or isn’t impressive.

The dictionary notes that this slang term is thought to have come from a shortening of the term mid-grade, “a designation in cannabis culture of medium quality”.

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City boy

“City boy, city boy” is the call of Gen Alpha currently, with TikTok creator and teacher Philip Lindsay noting kids in his class have been saying it.

“It’s a meme from an old video clip that they’re just repeating,” explained the teacher, who is based in the US. The memes actually first did the rounds in 2022 and appear to be popular again.

From a Gen Alpha perspective, Mr Lindsay suggested the phrase doesn’t really mean anything and kids are just shouting it out at all opportunities – a bit like six-seven.

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Unc

This is short for “uncle”. And, per Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, it’s “often used humorously to indicate old age” and may imply “someone is old, getting old, or acting older than their age”.

Unc status may also be awarded to someone who “exhibit[s] behaviours that are considered outdated or out of touch”.

Chopped

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In Gen Z and Gen Alpha speak, it means “ugly”. In some cases, younger generations have been calling people, mainly girls, chuzz – a less-than-friendly portmanteau of “chopped” and “huzz”, which means “ugly hoes”.

If your child’s been called chopped at school, here’s some advice on handling it.

Some kids have also been using ‘chopped’ to describe anything they don’t like. (So basically, “that’s chopped” became the equivalent of “that sucks”.)

Choppelganger

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Choppelganger is a portmanteau of ‘chopped’ (aka ugly), and ‘doppelganger’, which is a person who resembles someone else. In short, it’s calling someone a less-attractive lookalike of someone else.

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Politics Home | PM Says It Is “Staggering” And “Unforgiveable” He Wasn’t Told About Mandelson Vetting Failure

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PM Says It Is 'Staggering' And 'Unforgiveable' He Wasn't Told About Mandelson Vetting Failure
PM Says It Is 'Staggering' And 'Unforgiveable' He Wasn't Told About Mandelson Vetting Failure

(Alamy UK)


2 min read

Keir Starmer has said he is “absolutely furious” that he wasn’t told that Lord Mandelson failed security vetting before being appointed US ambassador.

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The Prime Minister said on Friday that it was “staggering” and “unforgivable”.

Starmer’s position is coming under renewed pressure after The Guardian revealed on Thursday that Mandelson had been appointed UK ambassador to the US in 2024 despite failing his security vetting. 

No 10 said that the Foreign Office was responsible for the vetting process and overturned the failed security vetting without telling the Prime Minister or any other minister.

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Last night, the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, was sacked after he was understood to have lost the confidence of both Starmer and Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper. 

While Robbins has not yet spoken publicly about the move, Foreign Affairs Committee Chair, Labour MP Emily Thornberry, has requested that the former senior official appear before the select committee on Tuesday to give evidence. 

Downing Street added that Starmer had been first made aware of Mandelson’s failed vetting earlier this week.

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“I was not told that he had failed security vetting, no minister was told… No 10 wasn’t told, that is completely unacceptable,” the PM said this morning.

“It is totally unacceptable that the Prime Minister making an appointment is not told that security vetting has been failed.”

Starmer said he would “set out all the relevant facts in true transparency” to Parliament on Monday when he plans to correct previous statements he made to the House of Commons about Mandelson’s appointment.

Also speaking this morning, Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Darren Jones, said that he had suspended the Foreign Office’s ability to overturn security advice and launched an urgent investigation into how incidents like that could have taken place across government.

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Mandelson was sacked in September amid growing pressure over his links to the paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.

The former Labour cabinet minister is currently being investigated by the police over allegations that he leaked confidential government documents to Epstein while in office.

 

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The Kabs Family’s School Run Roast Video Is Comedy Gold

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The Kabs Family's School Run Roast Video Is Comedy Gold

One dad’s hilarious video of him being roasted by his children during the school run is a must-watch if you need a good laugh today.

Tay Kabs, a YouTube star who lives with his family in London, was taking his kids Maliya, nine, and TJ, six, to school on the first day back after the Easter holidays, when they started to talk amongst themselves about how old their friends’ parents were.

“Dad, what age did you and mummy meet?” asked Maliya, to which the father-of-four responded: “Umm, we were about 12.”

This clearly blew his daughter’s mind, who exclaimed: “12! Oh my gosh, wait. I’m nine [she then counts up to 12]. Three years older than me?!”

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Maliya then asks how long her parents have been together, to which Tay responds 23 years. And you absolutely know where this is going…

“23 years! Wait, if you and mummy did not have any phones back then, how did you communicate?”

At this point TJ chimes in: “Dad used to write letters to mum.”

The comments continued: “He probably used the fountain pen with the feather [cackling].”

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“And he probably dipped it in ink [explosion of laughter].”

The floodgates had been ripped wide open.

At this point both kids are in stitches in the back of the car, while Tay looks on. But the roast didn’t stop there. It was only just heating up.

“But dad, seriously, did you and your friends sing to mum on the way to school?” asked Maliya.

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“Wait, did you and mum get invited to the Queen’s coronation? And what did you wear?”

“Dad wore a durag!” adds TJ, roaring with laughter.

“Mummy and daddy went on a double date with Mary and Joseph,” continues Maliya.

“But what if they were on a date, who would be babysitting Jesus?

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“Oh yeah [hysterical laughter] Morgan Freeman.”

When I contacted Tay to check in (and ask how he kept a straight face for the duration of the video), he responded: “I didn’t, honestly. I was trying my best, but they were roasting me the whole time.

“With them, you never know what’s coming next – I just let the camera roll and hoped I could hold it together.”

The video has gone viral, with 1.9 million favourites and over 61,000 comments at the time of writing.

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“Them being so proper and roasting you is diabolical,” shared one commenter.

“YOOOO. These kids be out for blood because why am I hearing such eloquent children rake him over the coals,” added another.

Most people took the opportunity to praise the parent for raising such quick-witted kids.

“Okay but also proud parent moment that they were throwing all the most educational shade,” said one fan.

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“Sir, you’ve clearly done an excellent job raising your kids,” added another.

Discussing the reaction, Tay told me: “It’s funny because that’s genuinely how they are with me at home. I’m their dad but I’m also their number one target. I love that people are enjoying it – their confidence and quick wit is just natural.”

It’s clear humour is an important part of their day-to-day life. Any parent knows that with young kids, life can have many twists and turns, and while there are plenty of challenges, the Kabs are finding ways to giggle and guffaw through it.

“Humour is a big part of our household,” he ends. “With kids, especially at that age, things can get chaotic — laughter keeps everything balanced. Moments like that school run are real life for us.”

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The Surprising Heart Health Benefits Of Orange Juice

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The Surprising Heart Health Benefits Of Orange Juice

I’d always grown up hearing that orange juice is as bad for us as a glass of fizzy drink.

While it is high in sugars, some research suggests that it might have some less-well-known heart health benefits.

People who eat a lot of citrus fruits might also be at lower risk of heart disease and stroke.

Why might orange juice benefit our hearts?

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One paper, which looked at the “significant” decrease in blood pressure linked to drinking orange juice, said: “flavonoid, pectin, and essential oils content… might have been responsible for this finding”.

In that study, results were better for commercial, concentrated versions of orange juice, possibly because those had higher levels of these components.

Flavonoids are a type of antioxidant that helps to rid our bodies of “free radicals”. They have anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic properties, and are linked to lower levels of coronary heart disease.

Orange juice contains a specific flavonoid called hesperidin, which scientists think could be causally related to its blood pressure benefits. Another of its flavonoids, naringin, lowers the risk of cardiovascular disease.

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The drink also contains vitamin C, which helps to keep our bones and blood vessels healthy.

And pectin, a unique fibre found only in fruit, might prevent “bad” cholesterol from being absorbed in our digestive tracts.

With all that said, we still don’t know for sure why the beverage might help so much with our hearts.

How much orange juice do I need to see heart health benefits?

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A 2022 meta-analysis found that drinking 500ml of orange juice a day was linked to better cholesterol, lower blood sugar, and better insulin function.

Another study, which saw 12 participants’ blood pressure significantly decrease, also involved them drinking 500ml of orange juice daily for four weeks.

Yet another paper, this time looking at the memory-boosting benefits of the drink among older people, also involved 500ml daily.

While some research suggests that more concentrated versions of orange juice might be higher in flavonoids, though, they are typically lower in fibre, which has heart, bowel, and brain benefits.

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Bear in mind, also, that eating citrus fruits whole is also much lower in sugar, higher in fibre, and still offers significant heart health benefits, including a reduced risk of heart attack and stroke.

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Starmer Calls Mandleson Security Failure ‘Unforgivable’

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Starmer Calls Mandleson Security Failure 'Unforgivable'

Keir Starmer has lashed out at the Foreign Office saying it is “unforgivable” that he was not told Peter Mandelson failed security vetting.

The prime minister is under fresh pressure after the Guardian revealed the ex-Labour peer failed security vetting – only for Foreign Office officials to reportedly override advice and to give Mandelson the job as ambassador to the US anyway.

Starmer then fired the most senior civil servant in the Foreign Office, Olly Robbins, on Thursday night.

“That I wasn’t told that Peter Mandelson had failed security vetting when he was appointed is staggering,” the prime minister told Sky News.

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Starmer is currently in Paris where he is co-hosting a meeting with French president Emmanuel Macron about reopening the Strait of Hormuz.

But, dogged by this domestic issue which threatens to undo his premiership, Starmer insisted that he did not know about Mandelson’s vetting failure.

He said: “That I wasn’t told that he had failed security vetting when I was telling parliament that due process had been followed is unforgivable.

“Not only was I not told, no minister was told. I am absolutely furious about that.”

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He said he intends to go to parliament on Monday and “set out all the relevant facts in true transparency”.

Almost speaking through gritted teeth, the prime minister insisted he was not informed that Mandelson had failed vetting.

“No.10 wasn’t told that he had failed security vetting. That is completely unacceptable,” he said.

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What Happy V Unhappy Married Couples Bring Up In Sex Therapy

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What Happy V Unhappy Married Couples Bring Up In Sex Therapy

About 20% of Brits say they feel somewhat sexually incompatible with their partners; a factor you might think determines their levels of happiness.

But speaking to HuffPost UK, sex therapist and intimacy coach Leigh Norén said that “oftentimes unhappily married couples and happily married couples bring up the same sorts of issues in sex therapy”.

What tends to be different, though, is how they present and the causes behind their concerns.

What do happy vs unhappy married couples bring up most in sex therapy?

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Both groups often come in to discuss “mismatched libidos, erectile unpredictability and orgasm issues,” the sex therapist said, “but the sexual problems affect the couples in different ways”.

Among happy couples, there might still be a lot of physical, but non-sexual, affection, she added.

They’ll also have, “A lot of emotional connection. But it’s no longer translating into sex for various reasons.

“For instance, they might feel more like roommates than lovers because their identities have become enmeshed. They act like a collective and do everything with one another, as opposed to being two individuals who have chosen to live together and have both separate and joint lives.”

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Meanwhile, for unhappy married couples, “mismatched libidos or a sexless marriage might have come about because of different views of sex, or because one partner is responsible for the mental load and has started to feel resentful. When sex has become a chore for one of the partners, it can quickly escalate into high conflict or avoidance.

“When that avoidance becomes the norm, it moves from avoiding sex to avoiding anything that could ‘send the wrong signal’, so physical intimacy lessens over time, leading eventually to the erosion of emotional intimacy, too”.

How you talk about sex matters, too

It’s not just the topics themselves that matter, Norén told us. How you talk about sex can reveal a lot, too.

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“Oftentimes, unhappily married couples struggle communicating at all about sex, just as they might do about other things in their relationship. There’s often a sense of one of the partners being ‘in the right’, and the other being ‘in the wrong’ about how they function sexually,” she said.

“Perhaps the high desire partner says stuff like ‘it’s not normal to never want sex’, and the partner with low desire says ‘all you care about is sex’… Fundamentally, the unhappy couples aren’t on the same team, whereas the happily married ones tend to be more on the same team.”

Happily married couples tend to find communication a lot easier and less likely to follow rigid scripts about what a “good” sex life should look like, she continued.

Though it’s not always that black and white, she added: “whenever any couple comes to sex therapy, there is usually a part of the sexual problem that is negatively affecting the relationship”.

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How can I improve my relationship and communication around sex?

It sounds a little obvious, Norén said, but talking openly about sex with your partner is “usually one of the first and best steps to take if you want a happier marriage and sex life.

“Just like the rest of us, our sexuality evolves over time, meaning what once turned your partner on might not anymore, and as we age, our genitals tend to get less sensitive.”

Letting things fester can cause resentment and blame.

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Educating yourself about sex can help, too. “We know surprisingly less than we think we do about things like how libido really works, and common sexual difficulties in relationships and why they come about. The more we know, the less likely we are to spin into anxiety over it, and the more likely we are to solve it quicker.”

And lastly, the sex therapist said, don’t be afraid to try something new.

Step out of your comfort zone from time to time. For instance, yes, you may love oral sex, but what happens if you try something else that feels slightly intimidating but also exciting?

“You’ll likely find it infuses a bit of humour into your sex life, a bit of vulnerability that can be really gratifying, and a bit of spice that can make you more aroused,” the expert advised.

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