Politics
Want To Keep Fit? The Best Exercises For Women’s Longevity, By Age
Exercise is linked to a longer life. Strength training, for instance, is associated with up to four years greater lifespan, while one paper found that a combination of weight lifting and aerobic exercise resulted in the best longevity gains.
Speaking to HuffPost UK, Dr Harpal Bains, a longevity doctor and medical director at Harpal Clinic, seemed to agree with those findings.
“Exercise is one of the most powerful investments women can make in their future health,” she said.
“The key is consistency: moving regularly, avoiding long periods of inactivity and making sure exercise supports the four pillars of healthy ageing: cardiovascular fitness, strength, flexibility and stability.”
She suggested that, for longevity, women shouldn’t rely on cardio alone.
“Strength training is one of the most important things women can do because muscle supports metabolism, bone density, insulin sensitivity and long-term independence,” added the expert.
We asked Dr Bains to share the best exercise for women to do, by age.
Best exercise for women’s longevity, by age
1) 20-30
Now is the time to build a strong foundation of muscle, the doctor told us.
She advised: “Build your reserve. Prioritise strength training, brisk cardio, running, cycling, swimming, Pilates or yoga and balance-based movements. This is when you build muscle and bone density that protects you later.”
One study found that people whose cardiovascular health dipped between their 20s and 40s were 10 times as likely to experience heart health issues in their 60s.
2) 40-50
“This is where exercise becomes non-negotiable,” Dr Bains advised. “Strength training is key as oestrogen shifts can accelerate muscle and bone loss. Add brisk walking, intervals, cycling or swimming for heart and metabolic health, plus mobility and balance work to maintain joint range and coordination.”
Some experts think that downhill walking could improve menopausal women’s bones, which are more likely than usual to deteriorate during this life stage.
Strength training during the menopause, meanwhile, has been linked to better bone density and improved hormonal and metabolic levels.
3) 60+
“Focus on independence,” advised the doctor. “Walking, swimming, cycling, light weights, resistance bands, Tai Chi, yoga and balance drills are excellent.
“The goal is to preserve muscle, balance and confidence, which lowers frailty and fall risk.”
Balance training – including Tai Chi, walking backwards, dancing, and single-leg training – has been described as a “neglected” way to help your balance and mobility as you age.
Politics
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Politics
The populist trick that turned a soccer shirt into a campaign uniform
MAGA-friendly Abelardo de la Espriella’s decision to make Colombia’s national soccer jersey a defining feature of his victorious right-wing presidential campaign has sparked a debate over the political ownership of national symbols.
While the yellow shirt has long been associated with moments of collective celebration, critics argue that its prominent use by a partisan candidate risks recasting it as a marker of political identity. A Bogotá judge even banned de la Espriella from wearing the jersey while campaigning before the June 21 vote.
After hearing from fans in Miami on Saturday night vociferously in support of de la Espriella and his unflinching law-and-order policies, POLITICO spoke to two experts on Colombian politics who say the episode reflects a broader pattern seen in populist movements, where patriotic imagery is deployed to blur the line between support for the nation and support for a political project.
“In my view, he was very deliberately politicizing the national team’s shirt,” Eduardo Gamarra, professor of politics and international relations at Florida International University, said. “The Colombian jersey is one of the few symbols that can still claim to belong to all Colombians, across region, class and ideology. That is precisely why it is attractive to a populist campaign: it allows a partisan political project to present itself as the nation itself.”
“This is not unique to Colombia. Populist politicians around the world routinely try to appropriate national symbols. In the United States, MAGA politics has turned the American flag and other patriotic symbols into markers of partisan identity. In Venezuela, Chavismo also understood the power of national colors, patriotic imagery and sporting symbols such as the Vinotinto [the national team],” Gamarra added. “De la Espriella’s use of the shirt was effective because it transformed the emotion around the national team into a signal of political belonging.”
“But to me the real surprise is not that de la Espriella tried to use the jersey, or even that it worked. The surprise is how ineffective opposition groups were in defending the shirt as a shared national symbol. They allowed a symbol that should belong to the whole country to be claimed by one political camp,” Gamarra said.
The jersey’s appeal, however, went beyond nationalism — helping to reinforce de la Espriella’s carefully crafted populist image ahead of the election final round that he won in mid-June.
“Abelardo de la Espriella used the national team’s shirt, traditionally a symbol of unity and celebration throughout the country, especially at the time of the World Cup, to associate his campaign with strong patriotism,” said Julian Gerez, assistant professor of criminology, law and society and political science at the University of California, Irvine. “But I think more importantly, it’s about de la Espriella’s own image: he is a multimillionaire lawyer but it is essential to his brand to appear as a man of the people. And as opposed to wearing a suit jacket or other formal attire, which is what might be expected, the jersey and hat play an important role in the way he portrays his image.”
“Ultimately, I think it was an effective tactic, but [leftist candidate] Ivan Cepeda’s campaign ironically made it more effective by coming out against its use, which led to greater awareness of the jersey as linked to de la Espriella’s campaign — and stronger defiance among his supporters in wearing the jersey,” Gerez added.
Politics
Espresso Bombs: TikTok’s Trending Drink, Explained
Depending on how you spent your young adulthood and/or your powers of judgement, you may have heard of Jägerbombs.
These involve a pint glass filled with an energy drink, into which you must plop a shot glass of German liqueur Jägermeister. The pair are drunk together in ill-advised gulps of sloppy hedonism.
In these more sober times, though, the most recent iteration of the drinking style involves zero booze at all.
Enter: the espresso bomb.
What is an espresso bomb and how are they made?
It’s a bit like its Jägerbomb cousin, but instead of an energy drink, you use sparkling water or tonic water as the “big glass liquid”.
And in place of a liqueur shot, TikTokers, like coffee enthusiast Dr Coffist, use a single or double espresso.
Espresso bombs have an added step, though.
To create a more dramatic fizz, rub the exposed side of a sliced lemon on the bottom of the espresso glass before dipping it into some salt and then plopping it in the larger cup.
Coffee company Golden Brown Coffee described the combination as “the ultimate cure for your weekend hangover”.
They’re not the only ones to recommend that particular application of the drink.
Are espresso bombs safe?
Performance nutrition specialist and health and wellbeing consultant, Dan Osman from meal prep delivery service Prep Kitchen, said: “While the ‘espresso bomb’ trend isn’t necessarily unhealthy in itself, the biggest issue is the dose.
“People often underestimate how much caffeine they’re actually consuming, especially when double espresso shots are involved.”
He noted that a double espresso can contain anywhere from 120-150 mg of caffeine. Most adults are advised to stay under 400mg a day.
So, while the drink itself might not make you jittery, you risk a caffeine overdose if you’ve already had coffee that day.
Timing matters too, Osman said.
“Caffeine has a half-life of around 8-10 hours, which means it can remain active in your system long after consumption. That’s where we start to see potential issues with disrupted sleep, increased anxiety, and elevated heart rate if intake isn’t managed carefully.”
For that reason, he says, we should try not to consume “espresso bombs” after about 1-2pm.
As for those hangover claims, the expert said: “The addition of a salty or citrus rim may contribute trace electrolytes, but should not be viewed as a meaningful replacement for proper hydration or a nutritional benefit in itself”.
Politics
Everything A Shopping Writer Tested In June That’s Worth Your Money
We hope you love the products we recommend! All of them were independently selected by our editors. Just so you know, HuffPost UK may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page if you decide to shop from them. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.
As you can imagine, it’s rare that a day goes by where I’m not testing at least one new product. If you think you have change fatigue, I challenge you to a duel.
Of course, I love it really, and I often find myself asking people for recommendations of their favourite products so I can try even more – I can’t get enough.
And, look, you work hard for your money, so you deserve to know what to spend it on.
If you’ve been wondering whether that electric toothbrush on your Instagram is worth your money, or if you should spend a grand on a robot vacuum or LED blanket, I got you – I’ve probably tested it already.
To keep you on the straight and narrow with your spending, I’ve rounded up everything I tested in June that I think is worth your money. It is pay day, after all.
Politics
Is a fan march better than a Super Bowl parade?
Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas has participated in three Super Bowl parades and one World Series parade celebrating his hometown Chiefs and Royals.
None compared to when Netherlands fans marched through downtown Kansas City, Missouri, ahead of their team’s June 25 game at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It is special and different,” Lucas said, with a politician’s reluctance to get on the wrong side of a beloved hometown team.
Kansas City will host its knockout round game Friday: a match between Colombia and Ghana. Lucas was instrumental in making it happen, a key player in Kansas City’s bid to bring the World Cup to Missouri. Now he is basking in the moment — dancing to “Links Recht” with the Dutch, waving around an Ecuadorian flag and dancing with Mexican fans.
Like nearly every host city, Kansas City faced criticism ahead of the games over the challenging logistics of herding thousands of fans to a stadium that’s used to tailgaters instead of international tourists, the sky-high price of tickets and underwhelming hotel bookings.
Those concerns appear to have dissipated with the arrival of thousands of fans, which brought forth a cultural exchange that inspired the University of Kansas marching band to memorize the Algerian national anthem; caused Boston cops to stand by as Scotsmen decorated the city’s statues with traffic cones; and left Frenchmen puzzled as to why “Go Birds” comes at the end of interactions in Philly.
“I think it’s a huge win for us,” Lucas said. “I know there’s some discourse and scuttlebutt on the wisdom or not of some American cities, and not applying to be World Cup host countries. I have never regretted it, and I certainly don’t regret it right now.”
Kansas City is the only Midwestern city to host games, after Chicago passed on making a bid. Lucas said the experience of serving as the representative for the middle of the country has allowed Kansas City to be “central diplomats” for the United States, welcoming in foreign fans with barbecue and block parties.
“Say what you will about what happens in corridors in Washington, Brussels or beyond,” Lucas said. “We’ve had the chance to share the best of America. And I think the best of America is its welcoming environment.”
Politics
Yellowstone Creator Addresses Kevin Costner’s Exit From The Show
The man behind Landman, Lioness and 1883 recently appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast, where he opened up about Kevin’s involvement in his critically-acclaimed western TV show.
Kevin appeared on Yellowstone as ranch owner John Dutton from its 2018 premiere until he quit in 2023.
His character was shockingly killed off in the last ever episode, which aired in 2024.
During his interview with Bill Simmons, Taylor claimed that Kevin was actually “only supposed to be in the first three seasons” of Yellowstone.
“That was in his contract,” he explained. “In my mind, that’s when his youngest son takes over [on the show].”
He then suggested that the “network was so scared of not having Kevin be a part” of Yellowstone, “even though Kevin was ready” to leave, that his character ended up staying around a lot longer than intended.

The TV showrunner added that Kevin had wanted to go and work on other projects, but continued for another two seasons because Yellowstone ended up becoming “such a behemoth”.
“It was such a huge hit,” he added. “The notion of giving up a hit before it had run out of juice to squeeze is very foreign to a network.”
But, Taylor told the podcast, eventually the Oscar-winning star decided he needed to “go do [his] own thing”.
His exit from the drama prompted Taylor to end Yellowstone prematurely, and continue the story as the recently-released spin-off Dutton Ranch, revolving around Kevin’s character’s daughter, Beth.
Taylor had previously shot down rumours of a backstage falling out between him and Kevin at the time.
“[Kevin leaving] truncates the closure of his character. It doesn’t alter it, but it truncates it,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in May 2023.
“My last conversation with Kevin was that he had this passion project he wanted to direct. He and the network were arguing about when he could be done with Yellowstone. I said, ‘We can certainly work a schedule toward [his preferred exit date],’ which we did.”
Despite this speculation about behind-the-scenes tension, the Oscar-nominated Hell Or High Water writer praised Kevin’s work on the show.
“His creation of John Dutton is symbolic and powerful [and] I’ve never had an issue with Kevin that he and I couldn’t work out on the phone,” he insisted.

Paramount/Kobal/Shutterstock
Kevin shed light on his decision to leave Yellowstone during his September 2023 divorce hearing.
While on the stand, the Waterworld actor shared that a “long, hard-fought negotiation” about splitting season five into two parts was behind his decision to leave.
He explained that he needed to focus on his own Western epic, the four-part movie series Horizon: An American Saga, which would have been impossible to do alongside Yellowstone’s filming schedule.
Kevin testified during the divorce court hearing that he wanted to return for the sixth season of Yellowstone, but negotiations fell apart.
“They offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative,” he alleged.
Yellowstone and Dutton Ranch are both available to stream on Paramount+.
Politics
Empire State Intruders Engaged?
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Politics
It Turns Out Eliana Is A Pretty Popular Baby Name In 2026
Olivia’s been knocked off the top spot as the most popular baby name for girls in 2026, according to BabyCentre, with Eliana claiming the top spot.
Considered a modern alternative to the name Eleanor, Eliana has two meanings. In Hebrew, it translates to “my God has answered” while the name is also thought to derive from the Greek word for “sun” (ílios).
According to The Bump, Eliana ranks 29th in popularity in the US (according to birth data). Common nicknames derived from it include: Ellie, Elle, Liana and Ana.
BabyCentre’s naming expert SJ Strum said: “It’s no surprise to see Eliana reach the top of the charts. Parents are increasingly looking for names that feel special and memorable, that will also grow effortlessly with their child.”
She added that Eliana is “elegant, meaningful and timeless”.
The name made a big jump in popularity, up four places this year. Isabella also climbed into the top 10, rising eight places to rank fifth.
Muhammad is the most popular boy’s name on BabyCentre, closely followed by Noah.
Muhammad is derived from Arabic and means “the praised one” or “worthy of praise” – some Muslim families will give their boys this name as a way to honor the Prophet Muhammad.
The latest Office for National Statistics (ONS) data on popular baby names in England and Wales (from 2024) suggested Olivia, Amelia and Lily were the most popular girls’ names, and Muhammad, Noah and Oliver were the most popular boy’s names.
Interestingly, Eliana didn’t feature in the top 100 names at all.
When asked how they determined Eliana was now the most popular girls’ name, BabyCentre told me the rankings are compiled using data provided directly by users when they join the site – as part of this process, parents share what they called their baby.
Without further ado, here are their top girls’ and boys’ names for this year so far (as per BabyCentre’s user data)…
Top girls’ names
Top boys’ names
Politics
How To Respond To Kids Who Complain And Whine All The Time
There comes a point in every parent’s life when their sprogs discover the art of whining – and boy, can it grate.
While the odd whine is fine (who doesn’t need a good moan now and then?), when whining becomes the default, or children seem to constantly complain, it can be exhausting – especially when you’re trying to work, look after them, juggle endless amounts of life admin (yours and theirs), and everything else in between.
Such is the case for one parent of two young girls aged six and nine, who shared that their children’s complaints are “constant” – and it’s starting to really get to them.
“I reached the point that when I am working alone from home and I hear the main door opening (meaning they are back) I pre-stress and I start to have palpitations,” said the parent on Reddit’s r/Parenting forum. “It should not be like this.”
Why do kids whine?
Abigail Finnegan, a psychotherapist and member of Counselling Directory, said: “For many of us who have worked in the field of child development we know only too well that if a child feels that they can’t get the attention they need through being delightful, they will instead resort to less ‘delightful’ ways to be noticed – because, after all, any attention is better than no attention at all!”
Plenty of parents are increasingly stretched to capacity (a survey from this year found nine in 10 mums have experienced burnout) and unless you’ve got a village nearby, or have a lot of money to throw at childcare, you’re very much on your own.
Add this to the fact we’re increasingly living in fast-paced environments where, as Finnegan says, parents have to meet the competing demands of employers, schools, other children, ageing parents and then kids are coming home from school “past the point of exhaustion”.
Mix it all up and you’ve got a recipe for whiny behaviour.
When we’re stressed and bustling about like headless chickens (which I’ll be the first to admit is my default setting) it’s easy to forget that underneath all that whining and complaining is a need to communicate something.
Psychotherapist Pei-I Yang, also a Counselling Directory member, said: “Children often don’t have the words to say ‘I feel overwhelmed’ or ‘nobody’s really listening to me’, so it can leak out as moaning instead.
“The whining isn’t the problem. It’s a communication for parents from their children telling them that something underneath needs attention.”
The worst way to respond to whining
When your kid whines, your instinct is probably to say something along the lines of: “stop complaining”, “try to be more positive” or “some kids would love what you’ve got”.
However Yang highlights that more often than not, this can leave children feeling “brushed off”. And a child who feels brushed off “tends to complain more, not less”. Eek.
The best way to respond to whining
If whining is your child’s way of communicating something, therapists suggest the best way to nip it in the bud is to get to the bottom of why they’re whining. Or at least try to.
“It’s important to verbally acknowledge to both yourself and your child that there is obviously something making them unhappy – otherwise they wouldn’t be whining!” said Finnegan. “The questions is: what to do about it?”
Her advice for parents is to slow down and check no one is hungry or thirsty. (“Healthy snacks in a bag can make a huge difference to mood at the end of a long day,” she added.)
“As hard as it can be when you’re tired as a parent, maybe ask yourself when the last time was that you were able to slow down enough to play or talk with your child without distractions?” added the therapist. “Is it possible to create some time, on a regular basis, just to be with your child?”
If they get plenty of time with you but still complain a lot, sometimes it can help to simply validate their emotions. Yang noted that even a simple “that does sound annoying” can take the heat out of the moment, because they feel heard.
If your teenager has taken to complaining a lot of late, instead of trying to fix or lecture, Yang encourages parents to be curious. You could ask something along the lines of: “You’ve seemed really fed up lately, what’s going on?”
“Often the small complaints are hiding something bigger, and it’s the space to talk, without you rushing to solve it, that helps them open up,” she explained.
“Whatever their age, it comes down to the same thing: connection and being curious before correction. A child who feels genuinely heard rarely needs to complain to be noticed.”
Politics
Trump Chief Says There Are ‘Guys Living In Caves’ Responsible For Strait Of Hormuz Debacle
National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett gave an eyebrow-raising explanation for the ongoing issues with the Strait of Hormuz while speaking Wednesday with Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo.
The conversation kicked off after Bartiromo asked Hassett for an update on the strait after oil prices recently dropped since the conflict with Iran began in February. The war caused the closure of the strait, a crucial shipping chokepoint for global oil.
“Today’s national average gasoline [is] now at $3.84 a gallon, that’s down from $4.32 a month ago, Kevin. Is there anything you could tell us in terms of the update in the strait this morning?” Bartiromo questioned in a clip obtained by Mediaite.
“Right. Well, the president gets an update on the movement every day and a lot of that update is classified so one has to speak carefully and gently about it. The bottom line is the traffic went way up basically after the deal was made ― way, way up, heading up close to what you would expect,” Hassett began.
Noting “there were a couple of hiccup days,” he then blamed “guys living in caves” for the debacle.
“One of the ways to think about the straits is that there are a bunch of guys living in caves that live in the straits that may or may not be in steady communication with the people that we’re negotiating with who have stuff, you know, like, little better than a rubber band that they can shoot at a boat.”
Hassett continued, “Whether there will be a few more of those or not is something that nobody knows, but the bottom line is, there are very good faith negotiations going on with leaders. … We expect very much that this is going to be something that cruises to normalcy sometime really, really soon.”
Hassett’s remarks came after mixed messaging over the last few weeks from the Trump administration and Iran about the state of the Strait of Hormuz, including nuclear inspections and shipping.
Listen 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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