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For more than two years, India’s northeastern state of Manipur has been beset by violence between two ethnic groups, the Meitei and the Kuki-Zo.

With nearly 260 people killed and about 60,000 displaced, the Indian government has taken control of the state in a bid to restore order.

In what has been described as a civil war, both sides accuse the other of committing atrocities.

New Delhi has pledged to disarm the warring factions and restore peace to the region.

101 East examines how the ethnic conflict in Manipur is affecting the lives of common citizens on both sides of the divide.

Former President Obama, speaking on stand-up comedian Marc Maron’s final podcast on Monday, said the Trump administration’s policies are a “test” of whether universities, businesses, law firms and voters — including Republicans — will take a stand for the nation’s founding principles and values.

“If you decide not to vote, that’s a consequence. If you are a Hispanic man and you’re frustrated about inflation, and so you decided, ah, you know what, all that rhetoric about Trump doesn’t matter. ‘I’m just mad about inflation,’” Obama said. “And now your sons are being stopped in L.A. because they look Latino and maybe without the ability to call anybody, might just be locked up, well, that’s a test.”

In a more than hourlong discussion with Maron on the wildly popular “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast, the former Democratic president said current events could jolt Americans.

“It’d be great if we weren’t tested this way, but you know what? We probably need to be shaken out of our complacency,” he said.

Obama also criticized some Democrats’ messaging as he touched on significant issues facing Californians and discussed the state of the nation’s democracy, core convictions and the weakening of institutional norms.

After Los Angeles-based Maron joked, “We’ve annoyed the average American into fascism,” Obama responded, “You can’t just be a scold all the time.

“You can’t constantly lecture people without acknowledging that you’ve got some blind spots too, and that life’s messy,” Obama said in the interview, which recently took place in the former president’s Washington, D.C., office.

Faulting language used by some liberals as “holier than thou,” Obama argued that Democrats could remain true to their principles while respecting those with whom they disagreed.

“Saying, ‘Right, I’ve got some core convictions [and] beliefs that I’m not going to compromise. But I’m also not going to assert that I am so righteous and so pure and so insightful that there’s not the possibility that maybe I’m wrong on this, or that other people, if they don’t say things exactly the way I say them or see things exactly the way I do, that somehow they’re bad people,’” he said.

Obama’s remarks come as the Democratic Party faces a reckoning after losing the presidential election in 2024, in part because of declining support from the party’s base, notably minority voters.

Maron, a comedian and actor, launched his “WTF With Marc Maron” podcast and radio show in 2009. Interviews with guests such as actor Robin Williams, comedian Louis C.K., filmmaker Kevin Smith and “Saturday Night Live” creator Lorne Michaels often took place at his Highland Park home.

Obama’s 2015 interview in Maron’s garage became the podcast’s most popular episode at the time — downloaded nearly 740,000 times in the first 24 hours after it was posted.

On Monday, the former president criticized institutions for capitulating to President Trump’s demands. His words come as USC leaders are debating whether to agree to a White House proposal to receive favorable access to federal funding if they align with Trump’s agenda.

“If you’re a university president, say, well, you know what? This will hurt if we lose some grant money in the federal government, but that’s what endowments are for,” Obama said. “Let’s see if we can ride this out, because what we’re not going to do is compromise our basic academic independence.”

MORE changes are coming to Sky TV tomorrow, set to affect four favourite channels for millions of viewers.

The premium TV giant is known to regularly switch-up their channels to keep things fresh for customers.

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This often involves common favourites vanishing or taking on new names.

There have already been eight changes that were made to Sky TV at the beginning of this month.

And four more are expected to be introduced tomorrow which customers should be aware of.

From Monday, September 8, Back to School (Satellite 306/850 – Sky Glass/Stream 306) is reverting back to the name Sky Family/Sky Family HD after a temporary change.

Sky 90s (Satellite 302 – Sky Glass/Stream 302) is being renamed to Sky 00s/Sky 00s HD for a bit.

Sky Monsters (Satellite 311 – Sky Glass/Stream 311) is also reverting its name back to Sky ScFi/Horror/Sky ScFi/HorHD following a temporary change.

Finally, Sky Hits (Satellite 303 – Sky Glass/Stream 303) is changing its name to Sky Gems/Sky Gems HD temporarily.

There is also another change due to come at the end of the week.

On Friday, September 12, Sky Cinema Action (Satellite 307/851 – Satellite 307) will turn into SkySpider-Man/Spider-Man HD for a short period.

It comes after several rebrands to Sky’s kids channels occurred at the start of the month.

This included Nick Jr. Paw Patrol and Nick Spongebob being replaced by Nick Jr. Peppa and Nicktoons.

Overhauls also came to Sky Cinema channels, such as Sky Lord of the Rings being reverted back to Sky Action.

Several channels turned into Christmas themed to prepare for the festive season.

And Sky Sports Action disappeared to make way for Sky Sport NFL.

Researchers at Stanford University recently tested out some of the more popular AI tools on the market, from companies like OpenAI and Character.ai, and tested how they did at simulating therapy.

The researchers found that when they imitated someone who had suicidal intentions, these tools were more than unhelpful — they failed to notice they were helping that person plan their own death.

“[AI] systems are being used as companions, thought-partners, confidants, coaches, and therapists,” says Nicholas Haber, an assistant professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Education and senior author of the new study. “These aren’t niche uses – this is happening at scale.”

AI is becoming more and more ingrained in people’s lives and is being deployed in scientific research in areas as wide-ranging as cancer and climate change. There is also some debate that it could cause the end of humanity.

As this technology continues to be adopted for different purposes, a major question that remains is how it will begin to affect the human mind. People regularly interacting with AI is such a new phenomena that there has not been enough time for scientists to thoroughly study how it might be affecting human psychology. Psychology experts, however, have many concerns about its potential impact.

One concerning instance of how this is playing out can be seen on the popular community network Reddit. According to 404 Media, some users have been banned from an AI-focused subreddit recently because they have started to believe that AI is god-like or that it is making them god-like.

“This looks like someone with issues with cognitive functioning or delusional tendencies associated with mania or schizophrenia interacting with large language models,” says Johannes Eichstaedt, an assistant professor in psychology at Stanford University. “With schizophrenia, people might make absurd statements about the world, and these LLMs are a little too sycophantic. You have these confirmatory interactions between psychopathology and large language models.”

Because the developers of these AI tools want people to enjoy using them and continue to use them, they’ve been programmed in a way that makes them tend to agree with the user. While these tools might correct some factual mistakes the user might make, they try to present as friendly and affirming. This can be problematic if the person using the tool is spiralling or going down a rabbit hole.

“It can fuel thoughts that are not accurate or not based in reality,” says Regan Gurung, social psychologist at Oregon State University. “The problem with AI — these large language models that are mirroring human talk — is that they’re reinforcing. They give people what the programme thinks should follow next. That’s where it gets problematic.”

As with social media, AI may also make matters worse for people suffering from common mental health issues like anxiety or depression. This may become even more apparent as AI continues to become more integrated in different aspects of our lives.

“If you’re coming to an interaction with mental health concerns, then you might find that those concerns will actually be accelerated,” says Stephen Aguilar, an associate professor of education at the University of Southern California.

Need for more research

There’s also the issue of how AI could impact learning or memory. A student who uses AI to write every paper for school is not going to learn as much as one that does not. However, even using AI lightly could reduce some information retention, and using AI for daily activities could reduce how much people are aware of what they’re doing in a given moment.

“What we are seeing is there is the possibility that people can become cognitively lazy,” Aguilar says. “If you ask a question and get an answer, your next step should be to interrogate that answer, but that additional step often isn’t taken. You get an atrophy of critical thinking.”

Lots of people use Google Maps to get around their town or city. Many have found that it has made them less aware of where they’re going or how to get there compared to when they had to pay close attention to their route. Similar issues could arise for people with AI being used so often.

The experts studying these effects say more research is needed to address these concerns. Eichstaedt said psychology experts should start doing this kind of research now, before AI starts doing harm in unexpected ways so that people can be prepared and try to address each concern that arises. People also need to be educated on what AI can do well and what it cannot do well.

“We need more research,” says Aguilar. “And everyone should have a working understanding of what large language models are.”

In a desperate effort to tackle over-tourism and fight against rising sea levels, one Spanish island is planning to remove a whopping 1,700 of its sun loungers from popular beaches

Sun-worshipping Brits heading over to one EU hotspot could soon be impacted by a major beach shakeup. Last year, a whopping 15.3 million international tourists flocked to the Balearics, a cluster of Spanish-owned islands renowned for their golden sands and crystal clear waters.

The influx marks a 6.15 per cent spike compared to 2023, despite growing calls to curb over-tourism from fed-up locals. Many Brits opted to holiday in Majorca (also known as Mallorca) which is the largest of the Balearic Islands.

Here, you’ll find the party-mad resort of Magaluf, the beautifully idyllic town of Alcúdia, and the sleepy inland hotspot of Seineu. Palma, the island’s capital, is also extremely popular with Brits – perfectly balancing rich history, gothic architecture, and picturesque beaches.

READ MORE: Brits start ‘snubbing’ Spain and head to sizzling 38C tourist hotspot instead

However, the city is believed to be clamping down on over-tourism by removing a staggering 1,700 of its sun loungers from beaches – to make more room for protesting locals. According to local media, Palma’s council has green-lighted plans to reduce sun beds on the city’s beaches by 20 per cent by 2026.

“There has been a loss of sand on the beaches, and we couldn’t maintain the same number of sunbeds and umbrellas – and this has coincided with complaints from residents who feel they have less space,” a spokesperson for the Department of Home Affairs of the Balearic Islands reportedly said. “The mayor [Jaime Martínez] is aware that the majority of residents don’t use the sun bed service, so we decided to implement this redistribution.”

The move isn’t just to snub pasty Brits desperate for a tan, but has also been attributed to rising sea levels which are slowly taking away space on the beach. The Local Es, a Spanish news site, claims this will impact several popular stretches of coastline, and will see Platja de Palma go from 6,000 sunbeds down to 4,436.

The publication states Cala Major will go from 300 to 250 sunbeds, while Cala Estància will also have 18 fewer sun beds by next year. Can Pare Antoni, a popular urban beach located just east of the city centre, is also thought to be cutting down on its sun bed offerings.

While the announcement won’t go down well with UK holidaymakers, it may help appease frustrated residents who argue that over-tourism is pricing them out of the property market and destroying the environment. This has slowly cumulated in a series of confrontational protests where banner-waving activists have demanded Brits ‘go home’ for good, while anti-tourist graffiti has been smeared across the island and mainland.

More recently, demonstrators have flocked to the streets en masse – armed with water pistols – to get their message across. As previously reported, this could be one of the reasons behind a surge in summer holiday bookings to rival destinations such as Egypt.

Has rising anti-tourist sentiment put you off from visiting Spain? Let us know in the comments section below

WASHINGTON — President Trump is resurrecting the travel ban policy from his first term, signing a proclamation Wednesday night preventing people from a dozen countries from entering the United States.

The countries include Afghanistan, Burma, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

In addition to the ban, which takes effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday Eastern time, there will be heightened restrictions on visitors from Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan and Venezuela.

“I must act to protect the national security and national interest of the United States and its people,” Trump said in his proclamation.

The list results from a Jan. 20 executive order Trump issued requiring the departments of State and Homeland Security and the Director of National Intelligence to compile a report on “hostile attitudes” toward the U.S. and whether entry from certain countries represented a national security risk.

During his first term, Trump issued an executive order in January 2017 banning travel to the U.S. by citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries — Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.

It was one of the most chaotic and confusing moments of his young presidency. Travelers from those nations were either barred from getting on their flights to the U.S. or detained at U.S. airports after they landed. They included students and faculty as well as businesspeople, tourists and people visiting friends and family.

The order, often referred to as the “Muslim ban” or the “travel ban,” was retooled amid legal challenges, until a version was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2018.

The ban affected various categories of travelers and immigrants from Iran, Somalia, Yemen, Syria and Libya, plus North Koreans and some Venezuelan government officials and their families.

Trump and others have defended the initial ban on national security grounds, arguing it was aimed at protecting the country and not founded on anti-Muslim bias. However, the president had called for an explicit ban on Muslims during his first campaign for the White House.

Megerian and Amiri write for the Associated Press.

Those interviewed told researchers about the scale of abuse they suffered and its impacts.

Participants were chosen because they had experience of abuse. Former Yorkshire cricketer Rafiq encountered abuse and threats after documenting the racism he suffered in the game.

“The abuse left me feeling incredibly paranoid, at times, and often made me question my sanity,” Rafiq says in the report.

“The impact of this experience on me as a human being and on my mental health has damaged my life to such an extent, I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to quantify it.”

Aluko, who last month won the first stage of a libel case after being targeted on social media by ex-footballer Joey Barton, is not quoted in the report but did contribute to it.

Ex-international rugby referee Barnes detailed the abuse aimed at his wife, which he says “shocked” him. Much of it originated after contentious decisions taken in games, he said.

“I wasn’t active on social media. She then became the subject of the abuse, with people attacking her personally via direct messages to her social media accounts and work email address, or by posting fake and offensive friend requests. The abuse went on for some time,” Barnes said.

He said “misogynistic language” and even “threats of sexual violence” were aimed at her.

The report documents how “a female TV sports presenter will get horrendous amounts of abuse, often just about what she’s wearing”.

Another contributor said: “I didn’t leave my house for a week because of the impact of online abuse, the sort of wave [of intensity] and the amount of people that are abusing you.”

Researchers were told that the fear of receiving more abuse led to some of the contributors turning down work.

Sanjay Bhandari, chair of the anti-discrimination body Kick It Out, said: “The impact of online abuse is undeniable, and the rise in discriminatory social media reports to Kick It Out last season shows it’s getting worse.”

He said the Ofcom report showed “a culture of abuse that has become normalised”.

“It’s vital that we see social media companies step up with meaningful tools that give users real control over what they see and experience online,” he added.

Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK.

Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market.

Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year.

How do they work?

The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight.

They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists.

They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients’ sugar levels are too high.

Can I get them?

NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics.

Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure.

GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss.

Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk.

Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health.

Are there any risks?

Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild.

Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea.

Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at patient.info, said: “One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.”

Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia.

Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients’ mental health.

Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines.