birth

Zohran Mamdani’s stunning victory in New York City’s mayoral race was built on a promise of hope and political change, a message that is resonating loudly with the people in Uganda, where he was born.

The 34-year-old leftist’s decisive win in the United States’ largest metropolis on Wednesday was celebrated by many in Uganda’s capital Kampala, the city where Mamdani was born in 1991.

For many Ugandans, the unlikely rise of Mamdani – a young Muslim with roots in Africa and South Asia – in the world’s most powerful democracy carries an inspirational message in a country where an authoritarian leader has been ruling since even before Mamdani was born.

Uganda’s 81-year-old President Yoweri Museveni is seeking a seventh term in January elections as he looks to extend his nearly 40-year rule. He has rejected calls to retire, leading to fears of a volatile political transition.

“It’s a big encouragement even to us here in Uganda that it’s possible,” Joel Ssenyonyi, a 38-year-old opposition leader in the Parliament of Uganda, told The Associated Press.

He said that while Ugandans, who are facing repressive political conditions, had “a long way to get there”, Mamdani’s success “inspires us”.

Mamdani left Uganda when he was five to follow his father, political theorist Mahmood Mamdani, to South Africa, and later moved to the US. He kept his Ugandan citizenship even after he became a naturalised US citizen in 2018, according to AP.

The family maintains a home in Kampala, to which they regularly return and visited earlier this year to celebrate Mamdani’s marriage.

‘We celebrate and draw strength’

While Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist, has vowed to tackle inequality and push back against the xenophobic rhetoric of US President Donald Trump, opposition politicians in Uganda face different challenges.

Museveni has been cracking down on his opponents ahead of next year’s elections, as he has in the lead-up to previous polls.

In November last year, veteran opposition figure Kizza Besigye, who has stood against Museveni in four elections, and his aide, Obeid Lutale, were abducted in Nairobi, Kenya, before being arraigned in a military court in Kampala on treason charges. The pair have since repeatedly been denied bail, despite concerns raised by the United Nations’ human rights officials.

Other opposition figures have also faced crackdowns.

Tens of supporters of the National Unity Platform (NUP) party, led by 43-year-old entertainer Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, have been convicted by Uganda’s military courts for various offences.

“From Uganda, we celebrate and draw strength from your example as we work to build a country where every citizen can realise their grandest dreams regardless of means and background,” Wine wrote on X as he sent his “hearty congratulations” to Mamdani.

Robert Kabushenga, a retired Ugandan media executive who is friendly with the Mamdani family, told AP that Mamdani’s win was “a beacon of hope” for those fighting for change in Uganda, especially the younger generations.

Describing the new mayor-elect as belonging to “a tradition of very honest and clear thinkers who are willing to reimagine … politics”, Kabushenga said Mamdani’s victory underlined that “we should allow young people the opportunity to shape, and participate in, politics in a meaningful way”.

Okello Ogwang, an academic who once worked with Mamdani’s father at Kampala’s Makerere University, said his son’s success was an instructive reminder to Uganda “that we should invest in the youth”.

“He’s coming from here,” he said. “If we don’t invest in our youth, we are wasting our time.”

Anthony Kirabo, a 22-year-old psychology student at Makerere University, said Mamdani’s win “makes me feel good and proud of my country because it shows that Uganda can produce some good leaders”.

“Seeing Zohran up there, I feel like I can also make it,” he said.

PIXIE Lott has given birth to her second child with Oliver Cheshire.

The All About Tonight singer, 34, announced the happy news on her Instagram on Thursday.

Pixie posted a sweet video of her newborn baby boy and wrote: “He’s here,” with a blue heart emoji.

The clip showed her newborn’s little feet and hands for the first time.

Pixie’s close celebrity pals were quick to congratulate the star.

Gaby Roslin wrote: “Ahhh huge congratulations to you beautiful and your whole family. Big love.”

HOT TO TOT

Pixie Lott to perform on stage 3 weeks after giving birth to second child

incredible

Pixie Lott dances at nearly seven months pregnant as she wears showgirl outfit

AJ Odudu posted: “Awww CONGRATULATIONS.”

Earlier this year, the singer revealed she and husband Oliver were expecting their second child.

The couple are already parents to son Albert, who was born in October 2023.

Previously, Pixie and Oliver only revealed their son’s name a month after his birth when they celebrated his christening.

In August, Pixie revealed the due date for her second baby in an exclusive chat with The Sun.

The pregnant star revealed she’d been given the green light to keep performing for “as long as it feels good”.

She shared: “I think the last gig [Flackstock, Aug 8] is going to be four weeks before the due date.

“So yeah, I think it’s going to be fine.

“I did it last time and I’ve checked with the doc and he said that it’s fine to keep doing it as long as you feel good.

“So hopefully, I mean that last show, four weeks, I don’t know how long… Woo! [laughs].”

Meanwhile, Pixie had made the surprise announcement during her performance Mighty Hoopla.

While belting out her hits, she told the crowd: “I’m having another baby!”

KATHERINE Ryan has melted hearts after she shared adorable photos of her newborn baby after giving birth a week ago.

The comedian, 42, revealed she had welcomed her fourth child last Saturday in just 45 minutes.

Katherine, 42, already has three children including son Fred, three, and daughter Fenna, two, with husband Bobby Koostra, and she is mum to her 15-year-old Violet from a previous relationship.

Now a week into welcoming her fourth child, the comedian has given a sweet update into life with another baby.

She shared a slew of adorable snaps on Instagram which included a pic of baby Holland just after she had been born.

Another sweet snap saw the baby all wrapped up in pink knitwear.

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The proud mum wrote next to the adorable pictures: “One week of easy breezy Holland.”

Fans rushed to compliment her on the sweet snaps, with one saying: “Just beautiful!”

Another joked: “Stop it Katherine, you’re making me broody!”

This fan said: “Congrats! What a beautiful little girl.”

BABY JOY

Katherine announced she was adding to her brood earlier this year.

The star then revealed on October 18 that she had given birth.

Katherine shared a slew of sweet snaps to mark the occasion.

Her husband Bobby paid an emotional tribute to his “great” wife.

He said: “Holland Juliette Kootstra has arrived:)

“The ‘Patrick Mahomes’ of child birth pulled out another MVP performance!

“Amazing to witness the greatness of @kathbum #blessed”

One follower commented: “Congratulations and love the name.. a welcome addition to your amazing family… sending love.”

Another chimed in: “Yay!! Gorgeous name and post-birth line up.”

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Katherine’s husband also told fans that Katherine had achieved a ’45 minute PB’ when it came to giving birth to the baby.

Sharing a photo of her in the hospital bed, Bobby penned: “45 min PB,” alongside an emoji of a girl running.

HE is among the world’s highest-paid male models, with smouldering good looks and a six-pack you could grate cheese on.

But David Gandy has swapped his jet-setting lifestyle for school runs, sleeping alone and discussions about HRT after becoming a father.

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The Essex-born hunk — who has daughters Matilda, six, and Tabitha, three, with partner Steph Mendoros — may be desired by women across the globe.

But he spent three months kipping by himself on the floor after Tabitha’s birth in 2021, because she was taking up his side of the bed.

In his most candid interview yet, David — who shot to fame wearing tiny white briefs in Dolce & Gabbana ads — tells the latest episode of Fabulous’ No Parental Guidance podcast: “Steph, in the first few months, was sleeping with the baby and was breastfeeding.

“And just so she got a good night’s sleep, she would have the baby there falling asleep.

“That is a situation where you are just going to be a hindrance. You are taking up room. You can’t help.”

He adds: “So when we were building our house, Steph had just given birth to Tabs.

I failed at labour. I kind of turned into George Clooney from ER and thought, “I’m delivering this baby. I was at the business end and the midwifehad to ask me to get out of the way

David

“We were staying in Steph’s old flat while the house was being built, and Matilda had this little room.

“I had nowhere to sleep. I slept on the floor for three months. I had to spin like a dog, trying to find somewhere to sleep.

‘Christmas alone’

“But as long as your partner can get sleep, that’s the main thing. I am fine with no sleep. Steph is awful.”

Since settling down with Steph, a barrister, heartthrob David is now more likely to be found hanging out with the other dads at the school gates than strutting his stuff on the catwalk.

And it seems the menopause is a hot topic for men as well as women.

“The dads have had the [HRT] discussion at the school gates,” David, 45, tells comedian Hannah East and model and influencer Louise Boyce, who host the podcast.

“They say, ‘Get the patch’. Then one dad will go, ‘They’re very horny on the patch!’.”

David and Steph got together in 2016 and daughter Matilda was born two years later.

The model admits that when his girlfriend went into labour, he turned into George Clooney’s character Dr Doug Ross from US hospital drama, ER.

“I failed at labour,” he says. “We still argue about it. I kind of turned into George Clooney from ER and thought, ‘I’m delivering this baby’.

Of course I tried the gas and air. They told me to go and have a sleep and then Steph needed me and the midwife had to go back to Steph and say, ‘I can’t wake him up

David

“I was down at the business end. The midwife had to ask me if she could have her stool back and if I could get out of the way.”

Like most men, David could not resist having a sneaky puff of the gas and air intended to relieve labour pains — only for it to knock him out completely.

He reveals: “Of course I tried the gas and air. They told me to go and have a sleep and then Steph needed me and the midwife had to go back to Steph and say, ‘I can’t wake him up’,” he recalls.

It is all a world away from David’s globe-trotting days as a top-earning male model with an estimated £12million fortune.

After growing up in Billericay, he went on to study marketing at the University of Gloucestershire, where his flatmate entered him into a modelling competition on ITV’s This Morning without his knowledge.

He went on to win a contract with Select Model Management — and a star was born.

His now- infamous campaign for Dolce and Gabanna’s Light Blue fragrance in 2007 — which saw him squeeze into tiny white trunks to cavort on a boat with a brunette — set women’s pulses racing and launched him to stardom.

He now has more than one million followers on Instagram as well as 25million likes on TikTok, not to mention high-profile campaigns for Burberry and Hugo Boss.

After meeting Steph and becoming a dad, he cut back on the commitments that involved him take around 100 flights a year, and has recently launched his own line of underwear for his David Gandy Wellwear brand.

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But it could have ended very differently for David — who has also had high-profile romances with singer Mollie King, musical theatre actress Samantha Barks and TV host Laura Whitmore — because he thought Steph had stood him up on their first date nine years ago.

“We met through one of my good friends,” he recalls.

“We kind of knew each other before — we only lived a mile and a half away from each other. We arranged to go for a date, but Steph has a terrible sense of direction and ended up in the wrong pub.”

He adds: “When me and Steph got together, there was a discussion, like ‘When are we having children?’.

“I said I’ve been working solidly. I didn’t take holidays. I didn’t take time off.

“I spent Christmas alone because I was so exhausted sometimes. I just want two years of us two to enjoy being together’.”

Now, having had two kids with Steph, David thinks there should be more education for men about the hormone changes women go through when they embrace parenthood.

“When babies are born, no one ever tells the husband about the hormones,” he says. “Your wife’s hormones are all over the place, before and after giving birth.

I think we are so scared to let our children even out the front door

David

“No one explains that you are probably going to be wrong about everything for the next year and to just put up with it. Just go, ‘OK darling’.”

‘Give kids freedom’

While, nowadays, parents are often super-protective and more overbearing than previous generations, David is making a conscious effort to relax when it comes to raising his daughters.

He explains: “I’m trying to tell myself not to be too protective.

“I think we are so scared to let our children even out the front door.

At nine years old, I was on a bike going through Billericay, travelling five miles out, and my parents were like, ‘It’s cool’.

“My kids are outside for 20 seconds at a supermarket and I’m panicking. I just think we need to allow our kids a bit more freedom.

“That’s advice for all of us — ‘Don’t worry, no one knows what they’re doing’. Generally, everyone turns out OK.”

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But while he tries to be laid back, David, who is also an ambassador for Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, admits he is not a fan of the trend for “gentle parenting”.

He says: “I teach them, ‘You’re not having iPads. First of all, you have a conversation around the dinner table’.

“I take colouring stuff and I always make sure they’re entertained so they are not bored.

“But they are very polite. I’ve always said, ‘You don’t talk to someone like that. You don’t ask someone like that. Go and get it yourself. Go and do it yourself’.

“I got to a point with my mum and dad where they just needed to give me a look. It seems to work.

“My mum’s best threat that used to shut me up really quickly was, ‘I’m going to come and take your pants down in front of everyone and smack your bum’.

“My mum and dad never smacked me, but it was the threat of my bum being pulled out in front of everyone.”

And while his children might have excellent table manners, David jokes they treat him like a live-in chef at their home in London’s Richmond Park.

He says: “We have a pretty good rhythm going now. I do mornings — the kids are up with me.

“I do the breakfast, which they order from me.

“I am the waiter. I say, ‘What would you like? Do you want porridge today?’.

“And they say, ‘Daddy, I don’t want porridge, I want waffles. Can I have waffles with honey?’. Matilda musy think she’s at a Michelin-star restaurant.

“It’s actually not that chaotic. I put everything out in the evening as I am not a morning person.

“I’m OK once I get to my espresso machine.”

REALITY TV star Olivia Bowen has wowed the crowds in a striking outfit – just weeks after giving birth.

Mum-of-two Olivia looked sensational as she posed on the red carpet ahead of a screening for her and husband Alex’s new reality TV show.

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The former Love Island star dazzled in a short black dress and diamond-encrusted heels for the special occasion.

With her hair pinned up and sporting glamorous make-up, she accessorised with a black designer handbag and big smile as she posed alongside her husband.

She wrote on social media: “Not. Over. It. Our very special evening for our very special new show with @itv @itvxofficial.

“Thank you so so much to everyone who came & watched & supported our launch – we are so grateful & loved spending the evening with you all.

“And a huge thank you @angeleyemedia & our amazing sponsor @glade_uk.

“We had the most fabulous evening & are feeling so lucky – I just cannot wait for you guys to watch the first ep on Sunday.”

The mum shares three-year-old son Abel and daughter Siena, who was born in August, with husband Alex.

The ex islanders are set to star in their own ITV reality show called Olivia and Alex: Parenthood.

The series will offer intimate access to the couple’s real-life journey as they grow their young family from three to four, whilst dealing with the emotional aftermath of losing one of their twins during early pregnancy. 

Love Island 2016 star Alex told heatworld what to expect from the new series.

He said: “Before, being on Love Island, I was the serious one, and that’s really not me.

“Hopefully the new series will change people’s perception.”

He added: “When I’m on my Instagram, I’m quite serious when it comes to all my coaching and stuff and all that kind of jazz.

“I’m actually really immature and just daft. I’m quite a jokey person.”

In March, Olivia opened up to The Sun’s Fabulous magazine about finding out she was expecting twins, but then learning she had sadly lost one of the babies at eight weeks.

She revealed how she had miscarried after suffering from vanishing twin syndrome.

It occurs in the early stages, when one of the babies stops developing and is absorbed by the mother’s body, or the surviving twin.

Olivia and Alex first met on Love Island in 2016, coming second place to Cara De la Hoyde and Nathan Massey.

They married in 2018, and welcomed their baby boy Abel in June 2022.

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After last week’s worrisome Season 51 debut with Bad Bunny, it seemed like a 50/50 chance on whether the second episode of the season with guest host and beloved “Saturday Night Live” alum Amy Poehler would turn things around. Would the writing feel sharper and less obvious in the hands of a veteran sketch performer?

Poehler, host of the popular podcast “Good Hang,” made all the right moves and may have even overextended herself, appearing in almost every sketch, including the cold open and “Weekend Update” for a joke-off. You could (and should) give Poehler lots of credit for her boundless energy, which lifted weaker sketches, like one about a menopausal mom who goes goth and one where Poehler and Bowen Yang are the composers of the “Severance” opening theme (the joke is that their theme songs always start with a “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air”-like rap as their first draft).

But Poehler also benefited from much stronger sketch premises compared to last week’s, from a beautifully performed sketch about a TV psychic, Miss Lycus, who rushes everyone because she has a hard out at 7 p.m., to a spot-on parody of Netflix’s “The Hunting Wives,” with a guest appearance from Poehler’s “Parks & Recreation” co-star Aubrey Plaza. The writing afforded Poehler with big, broad characters, like a CEO giving birth during a meeting with her employees, the matriarch in a family of jerks called The Rudemans and an elderly lawyer who interrupts a TV commercial to one-up other lawyers on the basis of having the most experience.

Poehler also got a little help from some long-time friends and alums, including Tina Fey, appearing as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem in the cold open, and Seth Meyers, returning to the “Weekend Update” desk with Poehler and Fey.

Maybe podcasting has allowed Poehler to store some stage energy to burst-fire on “SNL”; she put in a great performance for a solid episode overall.

Musical guests Role Model performed “Sally, When The Wine Runs Out,” with a surprise appearance from Charli XCX as Sally, and “Some Protector.” Before the close, “SNL” memorialized Diane Keaton, whose death was announced Saturday, in a title card. She never hosted “Saturday Night Live” but was portrayed on the show multiple times.

The cold open this week parodied Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi’s contentious meeting this week with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Poehler appeared as Bondi and responded to questions from Democratic senators with a series of withering insults she described as “roast-style burns I have on this piece of paper.” After mocking them and avoiding questions about the indictment of James Comey and the Jeffrey Epstein files, Bondi makes way for Noem (Fey, returning to “SNL” cold open politics), who joins in the mocking, telling one senator, “That makes me laugh more than the end of ‘Old Yeller.’ ” After being reminded that a dog gets shot at the end of that film, she responds, “Dogs don’t just get shot. Heroes shoot them.” While the first half of the cold open was shaky, with insults that weren’t landing despite Poehler’s forceful delivery, Fey’s appearance livened things up and ended strong with a call-and-response between Fey and Poehler that made fun of ICE recruitment ads. “Do you take supplements that you bought at a gas station?” Noem asked, “buckle up and slap on some Oakleys, big boy, and welcome to ICE!”

Poehler’s monologue was sweet, wistful and self-deprecating. “I found my first love here,” she said, “being famous.” She went on to describe her life now, saying, “I am a podcaster. If that’s not a recession indicator, I don’t know what is.” She also pointed out that this episode marked the actual 50-year anniversary of “SNL,” which first aired on Oct. 11, 1975. “Just like (host) George Carlin, I am extremely high,” she said. Poehler poked fun at AI actors who’ve been in the news and might want to take her job. “You’ll never be able to write a joke, and I am willing to do full frontal, but nobody’s asked me, OK?” she concluded defiantly.

Best sketch of the night: The thigh squeezes are bigger in Texas, too

It may be a little late to the party (the show came out in July), but this mock trailer for Netflix’s “The Hunting Wives” hits all the right notes with Poehler as frequently topless Margo and Chloe Fineman as Sophie (Malin Ackerman and Brittany Snow, respectively, on the series). The trailer promises that as the women get hornier and drunker, thighs will be squeezed and guns will be drawn. Aubrey Plaza appears as a new wife from California and soon she’s being caressed by all the other women in the cast as they make mimosas. A few great lines from this one: “It’s like ‘Call Me By Your Name’ for women who shop at Bass Pro Shop,” and “Don’t watch it on a plane.”

Also good: Don’t settle for just 100 years of legal experience

Pohler’s character in the Psychic Talk Show sketch was very funny, but the sketch about one-upping lawyers edges it out only because it goes to some extremely weird and dumb places for much longer than needed and incorporates what looked like the entire cast. What starts as a basic personal injury lawyer commercial explaining how the firm has 50 years of combined experience ends up including long-living turtles, Sarah Sherman as a vampire attorney named Dracu-Law, and an ageless tree, Yggdrasil (Yang), who once represented Zeus.

‘Weekend Update’ winner: Someday, that 13-pound baby is going to watch this

On a packed “Weekend Update,” Sherman debuted over-caffeinated Long Islander Rhonda LaCenzo, who rails against New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. And Marcello Hernández and Jane Wickline returned as a seemingly mismatched couple discussing their Halloween plans. But it was an epic joke-off featuring past “Update” anchors Poehler, Fey and Meyers facing off against current ones Colin Jost and Michael Che to make fun of the birth of a nearly 13-pound baby born in Tennessee. “It was so big that he slapped the doctor on his ass!” Poehler began. Some of the better jokes: “The woman zipped around the room like a deflated balloon.” “Did she give birth or did it drive out?” “The baby’s name is AHHHHH!” Poehler rounded out the contest by declaring, “The record was for loosest vagina and the previous held… by me!”

LIAM Gallagher has become a grandfather for the first time after his daughter Molly Moorish gave birth to a baby boy.

The Oasis frontman, 53, had Molly, 27, in 1998 following a short-lived romance with her mum Lisa.

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The pair were estranged for 19 years but have become close and now Molly has given the rocker his first grandchild.

Molly shared the news of her son Rudi’s arrival on Instagram on Saturday, although it appears she gave birth a few weeks ago in September.

One picture featured her long term partner – footballer Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Phillips – holding their son while he wore a little red jumper with a big R initial on the back.

Another snap showed Rudi in his Moses basket facing the window with the sun coming in in front of him.

She also showed off some of the monogrammed items she had around the house for her baby boy.

She captioned the images: “a message to you, rudy.”

Scottish schools are now required to enforce toilet polices on the “basis of biological sex.”

Back in April, the UK Supreme Court dealt a devastating blow to trans rights when it ruled that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex.

The decision stemmed from a dispute centring on whether a trans woman with a Gender Recognition Certificate (GRC) should be treated the same as a cisgender woman under the UK’s Equality Act 2010.

A week later, a Scottish judge ordered that schools must provide single sex toilets after a case against the Scottish Borders Council (SBC) was brought to the court, per the BBC.

In light of the aforementioned rulings, the Scottish government issued “revised guidance for schools on supporting transgender pupils” on 29 September, which includes new recommendations for campus toilets and changing rooms.

The updated guidance says that under the law, schools must provide separate toilet facilities for boys and girls “on the basis of biological sex” – which the document refers to “sex recorded at birth – and accessible facilities for young people with a disability.

It also says that “educational authorities and schools should consider toilet provisions necessary for transgender pupils,” such as “gender neutral provisions.”

“The design of gender neutral facilities should ensure privacy for all young people. In practice, this should include features such as full height walls and doors and should take account of the particular needs of female pupils,” the guidance adds.

“Where any change is being introduced to the arrangements that a pupil has been familiar with, there should be additional planning and consideration of their needs, including relating to their safety and wellbeing.

“It is necessary to recognise and mitigate as far as possible, the risk of ‘outing’ a young person. This may mean that it is necessary that practical arrangements such as enabling young people to use facilities outwith usual breaktimes, or for particular facilities to be available aligned to the young person’s activities within school, to reduce visibility of them moving across and within the school building to access toilet or changing room facilities.”

Previously, schools were told that trans students could use any toilet they felt most comfortable in.

In an interview with BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland, Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth gave further insight into the adjusted guidance.

“The Scottish Government has made it absolutely clear that we accept the Supreme Court ruling, and since April we’ve been taking forward the detailed work that is necessary as a consequence of the ruling,” she said.

“Now we know in Scotland all schools are required to provide separate toilets for girls and boys, and in addition, the guidance makes clear that councils should give careful consideration to the individual needs of transgender pupils in light of the school context.”

Gilruth went on to say that the guidance was not mandatory, just suggestions from the Scottish government.

“That’s because of the statutory legal requirements that mean under the 1980 Education Act that our councils run our schools, not the government directly,” she continued.

“There are not penalties, but of course it is incumbent on the government to update our guidance in line with legal changes.”

While Gilruth confirmed that the guidance isn’t mandatory, she confirmed that schools are “required by law to have separate toilet facilities for boys and girls and also to have accessible toilet provisions.”

“And of course the guidance has been updated to recognise the clarification of the definition of sex under the Equality Act 2010 following the Supreme Court judgement,” she added.

In a separate interview with Good Morning Scotland, the general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) discussed the challenges that arise with the new guidance, stating that it doesn’t fully address the needs of trans youth. 

“Considering the nature of the Supreme Court judgement, it would be difficult for the Scottish Government to advise anything other than something which is considered to be compliant with the law,” she explained.

“The difficulty with it is that it perhaps does not fully address the needs of transgender young people in that many of them will not feel comfortable whatsoever using the toilets that the guidance suggests that they should.

“There’s suggestion in the guidance that perhaps those young people could use disabled toilet facilities or even staff toilet facilities, and neither of those are perfect.”

POP star Pixie Lott is set to perform on stage three weeks after giving birth to her second child.

The Mama Do hitmaker, 34, who also shares one-year-old son Albert with her model husband Oliver Cheshire, 37, is due to give birth next month.

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And Pixie has revealed that she is hoping to perform at Studley Castle in Warwickshire on November 8 as part of her Warner Hotels residency. 

Pixie said: “I will have two on tour. It’s going to be wild. It is going to be rock and roll. 

“I’ll just make sure I will rest until then and then just take my time with it and bring the baby with me and be breastfeeding and see what happens.”

Pixie said the couple have found out the gender of their baby but are keeping it a surprise for fans. 

She said: “The first time round I knew from day one it was a boy. I was like: ‘100 per cent it is a boy.’

“This time round, there was no clear indication, I had no idea. I really wasn’t sure when we were undoing the letter but it was very exciting.”

Of being a mum in the music industry, Pixie said: “I would say that you can do it. 

“It is definitely a juggle and I’m very lucky because I have my mum and dad who will help me out. 

“I know not everyone has a village around to help. So it all depends on your circumstance and what you can do.”

Pixie, who released her single Coming of Age last month, is also preparing to headline a show at London’s Union Chapel on December 17. 

She said: “I love going to concerts at Christmas with all the candles everywhere and the magic of it – I have never done my own show at Christmas before.”

Rihanna and ASAP Rocky have welcomed the latest addition to their growing family: their first baby girl.

The “Love on the Brain” singer announced the arrival of her daughter with the “Highest 2 Lowest” star on Wednesday, sharing a photo of her newest bundle of joy to Instagram. In the picture, Rihanna cradles her newborn, who is wearing a baby-pink jumpsuit.

“Rocki Irish Mayers,” she says in the Instagram caption, which also reveals the date of birth, Sept. 13.

Baby Rocki is the third child for the celebrity pair, who began dating in 2019. They also share sons RZA, born in May 2022, and Riot, who was born in August 2023. Rocki’s name is a twist on her father’s stage name, but it also continues the stars’ tradition of choosing names that begin with the letter “R.” Notably, Rihanna’s and ASAP Rocky’s birth names also begin with that letter: Robyn and Rakim.

The Fenty Beauty mogul shared the first public photos of her daughter months after her splashy pregnancy reveal at the 2025 Met Gala in May. At the event, the singer cradled her baby bump as she posed for photographers in a custom-made Marc Jacobs suit. She walked solo down the red carpet. ASAP Rocky, who was one of the co-chairs of the annual event, had arrived earlier in the evening. Even before hitting the carpet, the “Umbrella” and “Don’t Stop the Music” hitmaker publicized her pregnancy on social media.

“It feels amazing, you know,” ASAP Rocky told CBS News in May, confirming the pregnancy on the red carpet. “It’s time that we show the people what we was cooking up.”

For Rihanna, 37, and ASAP Rocky, 36, the arrival of their baby girl is the latest event in a busy year that also included a legal victory for the “Sundress” rapper and Hollywood projects for both.

In a 2024 cover story for Interview magazine, the singer expressed her desire for a large family, saying that having children with ASAP Rocky “was the best thing that ever happened to us.”

Rihanna also said at the time that she wanted as many kids as “God wants me to have.”

Families in Taiwan will receive cash incentives for newborns and fertility treatment.

Taiwan has announced that it is fighting back against low population growth with a new subsidy programme to encourage families to have more children.

Taiwan’s cabinet on Thursday approved standardised cash payouts to families for each newborn and the coverage of a larger proportion of infertility treatment costs, Focus Taiwan reported.

Under the new plan, families will receive $3,320 per newborn, Taiwan News reported, with twins qualifying for a payment of nearly $7,000. The previous system included payouts that ranged from $1,300 to $2,300 per baby, depending on the mother’s employment status.

Taiwan became a “super-aged society” in 2025, meaning that more than 20 percent of its population is aged 65 or older. The island nation has one of the lowest birth rates in the world, CNN reported last year, with its total birth rate in 2022 hitting just .087.

Countries need to maintain a total fertility rate of 2.1 children per woman to hit what the French Institute for Demographic Studies calls “replacement level,” meaning the number of children a couple must have to replace themselves in the population.

Taiwan saw its ninth consecutive year of declining birth rates in 2024, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of the Interior.

The country’s benefits will also extend to couples facing infertility. Women aged 39 and under will reportedly be eligible to receive subsidies for up to six attempts at in vitro fertilization (IVF). Women between the ages of 39 and 45 will receive subsidies for their first three attempts.

Low-and middle-income households will be eligible to receive nearly $5,000 per attempt at IVF.

Minister without Portfolio Chen Shih-chung told Taiwan News the recently announced subsidies are expected to help more than 120,000 families.

Other countries in the region have experimented with the type of programme Taiwan is looking to implement. Parents in Hong Kong receive over $2,500 for each newborn, and parents in South Korea can receive over $2,200 once they’ve had two or more children, CNN reported.

Taiwan’s policy changes are expected to go into effect in January 2026.

A WOMAN busted her bigamist husband’s secret marriage after the second wife gave birth at the hospital where she worked.

Vaithialingam Muthukumar from India married his Singaporean wife in 2007 – only to cheat on her 15 years on.

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He then moved to Singapore and got into a relationship with Salmah Bee Abdul Razak, a younger work colleague.

She reportedly knew about his marriage.

In 2022, Muthukumar married Salmah in a secret wedding, promising he would divorce his first wife.

The sick liar managed to juggle both wives until last year, when Salmah got pregnant.

She was rushed to a hospital for delivery, which also happened to be Muthukumar’s first wife’s workplace, according to CNA.

To his nightmare, Muthukumar was caught emerging from the hospital’s delivery suite – where no guests were allowed – by his first wife.

When confronted, Muthukumar revealed he was secretly married to Salmahn in a bigamy, which is a criminal offence in almost all countries.

Salmah later reported to the Ministry of Manpower that he was still married to another woman, leading to a police probe.

Investigations revealed that Vaithialingam had also lied in immigration documents when applying for permanent residency as the spouse of a Singapore citizen.

He falsely declared he had no other marriages, though his application was rejected.

Muthukumar pleaded guilty to one charge of conspiring to commit bigamy and another for making a false declaration in his permanent residency application.

A Singaporean court jailed him for three months and three weeks.

Bigamy carries a maximum penalty of seven years in jail and a fine of up to Singaporean $7,800 (£5,800).

It comes after a Brit bigamist married his 16-year-old stepdaughter while wed to her mum – then had children with both of them.

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John Ingram, 69, changed his name so he could tie the knot with the schoolgirl in a 1988 ceremony in Kent attended by his wife.

The sick liar then went on to father several children with the mum and daughter, although many of the kids were unaware who their dad was.

Ingram’s vile web of deceit was only discovered in February 2020 – a staggering 32 years after he committed bigamy.

He was facing a seven-year sentence after pleading guilty to the offence, but was spared jail.

Ingram was instead handed a two-year community order and told to pay £450 in total.

VICK Hope has spoken out for the first time since welcoming her son last month.

The DJ, who is married to Calvin Harris, shared a series of new pictures of her baby boy and told fans she was “utterly besotted.”

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Alongside the stunning images her home birth in Ibiza, where the couple have a house, she said:  “Our beloved baby boy Micah Nwosu Wiles completed his journey to us on Sunday 20th July in a beautiful, powerful home birth here in Ibiza, surrounded by love and nature and chickens.

“Emerging from our little newborn bubble to say happy first month Micah, you are magical and we are so utterly besotted with you.”

At the start of August, Calvin revealed Radio 1 star Vic had given birth with his own post.

He wrote: “20th of July our boy arrived. Micah is here!

“My wife is a superhero and I am in complete awe of her primal wisdom!

“Just so grateful. We love you so much Micah.”

Aug. 18 (UPI) — The wife of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam, who was among four people killed in a mass shooting last month, has given birth to the couple’s third son.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced baby Arham’s arrival Monday. Tisch said New York City Mayor Eric Adams joined Islam’s widow, Jamila Akhter, at Mount Sinai Hospital on Sunday night after she went into labor.

“Out of tragedy, a new life has entered this world,” Tisch said. “Arham joins his two big brothers, Ahyan and Azhaan.

“Together, they will carry forward their father’s legacy of service and courage — a legacy the NYPD will guard and uphold with the same devotion Didar gave to this city. Jamila, Ahyan, Azhaan, and now, Arham will forever be part of the NYPD family.”

NYPD officer Didarul Islam was killed July 28, while working security inside the New York City skyscraper, which houses the corporate offices of the National Football League and Blackstone. Islam was the first to be struck inside the lobby, where the suspect shot several other people before heading to the elevator. On the 33rd floor, the suspect shot another person and then himself.

Islam, 36, was a three-and-a-half-year veteran of the department and an immigrant from Bangladesh. During his funeral at a Bronx mosque three days later, New York’s police commissioner promoted Islam to detective, as thousands of officers and mourners lined the streets.

Since the deadly shooting, two online fundraisers on behalf of Islam’s family have raised nearly $500,000 to help care for Islam’s wife and three sons. A GoFundMe has raised nearly $80,000, while another fundraiser by several law enforcement and NYPD organizations has received more than $416,000.

“I know how special Arham’s birth is for this family that is still dealing with heartbreak after losing their hero,” Adams said in a post on X. “Rest in peace, Det. Islam. Your legacy lives on in your beautiful family.”

MARRIED At First Sight star Rozz Darlington has given birth to her first child with partner Jordan Morris.

The new mum shared the happy news with her fans on social media today, posting a photo of the adorable newborn.

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Rozz was seen holding the small tot in her arms while lying on her hospital bed.

Her boyfriend Jordan looked over the moon as they both smiled for a photo with their little daughter, who they sweetly name Arabella.

They shared a series of snaps of their baby girl wearing a white baby grow, a pink beanie hat and wrapped in a yellow blanket.

There was also a close-up photo of her baby feet and another photo of doting dad Jordan.

The new parents shared the photos on Instagram and wrote: “A baby Girl!!! Arabella Morris – Darlington has arrived! 8th August weighing 6lb 10! We are totally in love.”

Rozz’s fellow MAFS co-stars were quick to share their congratulations to the pair.

Ella Morgan wrote: “My bestie is a mummy!!! She’s beautiful! I can’t wait to meet her!!! Love you! So proud of you both.”

Jay Howard posted: “I’m in love!! Obsessed with her 😍 I’m so proud of you Rozz well done babe she’s adorable. I can’t wait for a snuggle.”

Tasha Jay commented: “I’ve been crying since this morning. So so happy for you both and so proud of you! Can’t wait to give my little strawberry the biggest cuddle. Aunty Tasha loves you angel.”

E4 bride Rozz stunned fans when she revealed her surprise pregnancy earlier this year.

Fans were convinced she had dropped a huge hint that she was expecting a girl at her baby shower in June.

Sharing a collection of snaps from the baby shower, Ella added the eyebrow-raising caption: “Our Baby Spice is having a mini Baby Spice @rozzdarlington @ellamorganc @itstashajayxx @jay_howard the Spice Girls reunited .. + 1!”

However, she did go onto add a hashtag reading “boy or girl” which could be to throw people off the scent.

Picking up on the hint, one fan said in the comments: “Is this confirmation Baby Spice is a pink one?!”

Rozz was married to hunky Thomas Kriaras during her time on the show but their union came to an emotional end.

Following the programme, Rozz moved on with Jordan and went public with their relationship in June of last year.

Looking stunning at her baby shower, Rozz showed off her baby bump in a gorgeous yellow gown.

Her co-stars held onto her baby bump in one snap before she was seen posing with Jordan who sweetly planted a kiss on her cheek as part of the celebrations.

Rozz went all out for the day with a balloon wall being the centre of attention for the party.

She also had an elaborate flower display as well as a cake that appeared to read “baby M-D” in icing on the top.

NEIGHBOURS star Bonnie Anderson celebrated with friends and showed off her baby bump just days before she’s due to give birth.

The actress, who is best known for playing Bea Nilsson on the Aussie soap opera, is 39 weeks pregnant with her second child and revealed she’s “ready to pop.”

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Bonnie, 30, was treated to an extravagant lunch by some of her closest friends who all posed around the singer and actress as she showed off her bump.

“When the girls take you for a beautiful lunch before you pop,” Bonnie captioned a photo on Instagram.

She later danced with her group of friends as she lifted up her top to show her baby belly.

“Thanks for making me feel special ladies,” Bonnie captioned a photo of the group.

Bonnie has kept fans updated about her pregnancy journey and revealed in a post that while she “can’t see anything below me,” she can “see the finish line” of her second pregnancy.

The actress, who joined Neighbours in 2018, welcomed her first child with husband Samuel Morrison in December 2022.

They have a son called Bobby Ray.

The Sun revealed how the pair later wed in a lavish ceremony in November 2023.

Before joining Neighbours in 2018, Bonnie found fame when she won Australia’s Got Talent in 2007 at the age of 12.

She then went on to forge out a successful music career and toured with Olly Murs and worked with One Direction and Demi Lovato’s producers on a number of tracks.

In 2020, Bonnie was crowned the winner of The Masked Singer Australia.

Bonnie and Samuel revealed they were expecting their second child earlier this year with a sweet video.

In the clip, the 30-year-old was seen showing off her bump during a beach trip with her husband and their two-year-old son.

Neighbours stars who made it big

The long-running Aussie soap has launched the careers of some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Here are some of the Neighbours alums who went on to make it big after starring on the soap…

Kylie Minogue

• Before she hit the big time with her music career, Kylie shot to fame playing Charlene Mitchell on Neighbours. Shortly after her arrival, Kylie began an on and off-screen romance with co-star Jason Donovan, who played Scott Robinson, which gained the couple an army of adoring fans. 

Jason Donovan

• After his stint as Scott, singer and actor Jason became an international popstar and had his pick acting of roles. He moved to the U.K., married, had children and has since starred in over a dozen West End show, most notably Joseph and his Technicolour Dreamcoat.

Alan Dale

• New Zealand born actor Alan was one of Neighbours 12 original cast members having made his debut as Jim Robinson on the soap’s first episode on 18 March 1985. As the head of the Robinson clan, widower Jim lived at Number 26 Ramsay Street with his children Paul, Julie, Scott and Lucy, and was a real anchor in the community. He stayed with the show for eight years, before his character was killed off in dramatic scenes aired in 1993 but which still reverberate through the soap to this day.

Margot Robbie

• Way before she was Barbie or Harley Quinn, Margot was best known as Ramsay Street resident Donna Freedman. Her notable storylines included her marriage to Ringo Brown and becoming a young widow following his tragic death. After three years she bid farewell to the soap and Australia with a plan to make a name for herself in Hollywood which she did when she bagged the role of Naomi Lapaglia opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in The Wolf of Wall Street.

Jesse Spencer

• Jesse rocked up on Ramsay street in 1994 with the rest of the Kennedy clan. He stayed for five years, literally growing up in front of the camera, but in 2000 felt it was time to spread his wings and head for Hollywood. It was certainly a smart move as he went on to bag leading roles in popular shows like House and Chicago Fire.

Russell Crowe

• New Zealand-native Russell had a brief arc on Neighbours, appearing in four episodes of the soap 1987 as Kenny Larkin, the former cellmate of Street resident Henry Ramsay. The role obviously got him noticed though because he quickly went on to become a fully-fledged Hollywood A-lister, winning the Best Actor Oscar for his standout performance as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator. 

Bonnie wrote: “Bobby’s going to be a big brother. We are beyond grateful for the new adventure.”

She then added: “Thank you for capturing these moments of the four of us @chelsdarnell I dressed the bump in @dissh and couldn’t be more obsessed with this outfit.”

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KATIE Price has revealed a pet tragedy after her cat gave birth to “so many” kittens.

The former glamour model, 46, is proud owner of Sphynx cat Doris, and previously made a witty social media post about how their figures were the same.

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Katie welcomed three of the bald cats into her home back in October – despite being blasted by animal charities for doing so.

On her Snapchat page on Friday, the mum of five told how Doris had given birth, and has now revealed she’s swerved a holiday to the Isle of Wight to look after the new litter.

Yet instead of kicking back and relaxing, she is keeping her house cosy with electric blankets and regular feeding patterns for the new arivals.

In a video which showed her in a cream jumper and her dark hair in a straight style, she added the caption “sad news” and four emotional Emoji icons.

In the clip, Katie told her followers there had been a death and said: “An update on the kittens, one unfortunately died.

“That’s the one wrapped in tissue, two hours after we fed it.

“Luckily I’m trying to help the kittens latch on to the mum, two are just about doing it but I’m having to put them on it, because they are so premature.

“As you can see how knackered I am, every two and a half hours through the day and through the night I’m feeding them for the mum.

“She’s a good mum, and then she keeps bringing one to the bed with her, she did that earlier, I think that was a sign to come and look in the box as one had died.”

Katie added: “But that’s good because she trusts us and loves us so thats good.

“So I’ve got two latching on to her now, so thats the update.”

She then panned the camera to new parent Doris, sitting on her bed, as she cooed: “Hey Doris good girl.”

CHARITY BACKLASH

Katie forked out for Doris and two other cats last year.

She showed her affections for the trio, even pushing them around in a pram.

Yet, at the time, she could not escape backlash from charity PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals).

They called for the need for an injunction to be put in place, stopping Katie from owning pets completely.

They had previously offered Katie £5,000 to stop buying pets, which she had not responded to. 

PETA UK founder Ingrid Newkirk told The Sun: “If there was a way to file an injunction to stop this serial animal killer, PETA would do so, as this woman doesn’t care about the lives she wastes or listen to vital advice and is still treating live animals like stuffed toys: as disposable.

“If William Hill took totally tasteless bets, the odds would favour those betting on how little time this kitten has on Earth, given the hideous track record of animal deaths in Price’s custody. No one could call it ‘care’.”

The new additions to the family came just a few months after she revealed she had to put down her last “designer” cat, Frog, after being diagnosed with a neurological disease.

She had bought Frog in February for £1,200, naming him in a sweet tribute to her son, Harvey, who loves frogs, but came under fire months later when she shared a video of the pet wrestling with a dog.

Katie had eight pets die in just six years – including four dogs and a horse all getting hit by cars. 

She has also given away pets, including an out-of-control Alsatian called Bear for attacking other animals.

At the beginning of 2024, Katie gave away a puppy called Tank because he ‘no longer looked cute on Instagram’.

She also currently has a pet pug, named Captain, and avidly looks after horses.

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DES MOINES — Iowa became the first state to remove gender identity from its civil rights code under a law that took effect Tuesday, meaning transgender and nonbinary residents are no longer protected from discrimination in their job, housing and other aspects of life.

The law also explicitly defines female and male based on reproductive organs at birth and removes the ability for people to change the sex designation on their birth certificate.

An unprecedented take-back of legal rights after nearly two decades in Iowa code leaves transgender, nonbinary and potentially even intersex Iowans more vulnerable now than they were before. It’s a governing doctrine now widely adopted by President Trump and Republican-led states despite the mainstream medical view that sex and gender are better understood as a spectrum than as an either-or definition.

When Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds signed Iowa’s new law, she said the state’s previous civil rights code “blurred the biological line between the sexes.”

“It’s common sense to acknowledge the obvious biological differences between men and women. In fact, it’s necessary to secure genuine equal protection for women and girls,” she said in a video statement.

Also taking effect Tuesday are provisions in the state’s health and human services budget that say Medicaid recipients are no longer covered for gender-affirming surgery or hormone therapy.

A national movement

Iowa’s state Capitol filled with protesters as the law went through the Republican-controlled Legislature and to Reynolds’ desk in just one week in February. Iowa Republicans said laws passed in recent years to restrict transgender students’ use of bathrooms and locker rooms, and their participation on sports teams, could not coexist with a civil rights code that includes gender identity protections.

About two dozen other states and the Trump administration have advanced restrictions on transgender people. Republicans say such laws and executive actions protect spaces for women, rejecting the idea that people can transition to another gender. Many face court challenges.

About two-thirds of U.S. adults believe that whether a person is a man or woman is determined by biological characteristics at birth, an Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll conducted in May found. But there’s less consensus on policies that target transgender and nonbinary people.

Transgender people say those kinds of policies deny their existence and capitalize on prejudice for political gain.

In a major setback for transgender rights nationwide, the U.S. Supreme Court last month upheld Tennessee’s ban on puberty blockers and hormone treatments for transgender minors. The court’s conservative majority said it doesn’t violate the Constitution’s equal protection clause, which requires the government to treat similarly situated people the same.

Not every state includes gender identity in their civil rights code, but Iowa was the first to remove nondiscrimination protections based on gender identity, according to the Movement Advancement Project, an LGBTQ+ rights think tank.

Incidents of discrimination in Iowa, before and after July 1

Iowans will still have time to file a complaint with the state Office of Civil Rights about discrimination based on gender identity that occurred before the law took effect.

State law requires a complaint to be submitted within 300 days after the most recent incident of alleged discrimination. That means people have until April 27 to file a complaint about discrimination based on gender identity, according to Kristen Stiffler, the office’s executive director.

Sixty-five such complaints were filed and accepted for investigation from July 2023 through the end of June 2024, according to Stiffler. Forty-three were filed and accepted from July 1, 2024, through June 19 of this year.

Iowa state Rep. Aime Wichtendahl, a Democrat and the state’s first openly transgender lawmaker, fears the law will lead to an increase in discrimination for transgender Iowans.

“Anytime someone has to check your ID and they see that the gender marker doesn’t match the appearance, then that opens up hostility, discrimination as possibilities,” Wichtendahl said, naming examples such as applying for a job, going through the airport, buying beer or getting pulled over in a traffic stop. “That instantly outs you. That instantly puts you on the spot.”

About half of U.S. states include gender identity in their civil rights code to protect against discrimination in housing and public places, such as stores or restaurants, according to the Movement Advancement Project. Some additional states do not explicitly protect against such discrimination, but it is included in legal interpretations of statutes.

Five years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled LGBTQ+ people are protected by a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibits sex discrimination in the workplace. But Iowa’s Supreme Court has expressly rejected the argument that discrimination based on sex includes discrimination based on gender identity.

Changing Iowa birth certificates before the law took effect

The months between when the bill was signed into law and when it took effect gave transgender Iowans time to pursue amended birth certificates before that option was eliminated.

Keenan Crow, with LGBTQ+ advocacy group One Iowa, said the group has long co-sponsored legal clinics to assist with that process.

“The last one that we had was by far the biggest,” Crow said.

Iowa’s Department of Transportation still has a process by which people can change the gender designation on their license or identification card, but has proposed administrative rules to eliminate that option.

Wichtendahl also said she has talked to some families who are looking to move out of state as a result of the new law.

“It’s heartbreaking because this is people’s lives we’re talking about,” Wichtendahl added. “These are families that have trans loved ones and it’s keeping their loved ones away, it’s putting their loved ones into uncertain future, putting their health and safety at risk.”

Fingerhut writes for the Associated Press.

‘Kayum was my friend for years,” recalls Abubakar Finiin. “But when I met his grandad in Bangladesh, it just felt like I understood his whole story. I knew so much more about him as a person.”

This moment of connection captures the essence of Kids of the Colony, a grassroots travel series on YouTube created by three childhood friends from Islington: Abubakar, Kayum Miah and Zakariya Hajjaj, all 23. In a series of chatty vlogs that thrive on their offbeat humour and close friendship, the trio provide a rich travelogue of culture and identity as they explore the countries of their parents’ birth.

The idea came to Abubakar while contemplating his next steps after graduating from Oxford University in 2023. “I just thought about the places that we came from,” he says, reflecting on the layered identity of growing up in London with ties elsewhere. Abubakar is Somali, Kayum is Bengali and Zakariya is of Moroccan and English descent.

“My uni life was so different from my home life. I wanted to do something positive that inspires people,” Abubakar says. After his pitches to media production companies were ignored, he turned to his school friends. “We were already planning to travel that summer, so I asked Kayum and Zakariya if they wanted to go to Bangladesh.”

“I was in love with the idea from the jump,” Zakariya says. “I’m a guy who loves travelling – especially if my friends are there.”

It was also a no-brainer for Kayum: “I couldn’t let you [Abubakar] go to Bangladesh on your own.”

Despite lacking a studio or a big budget, they gathered some friends to help them film. “Travel YouTube is such a huge mini-genre,” says Abubakar. “But it felt weird that people only go to the markets with a GoPro and try to haggle prices. You can’t go to a country and not show the culture or local traditions.”

Their rules were simple: no resorts, no tourist traps and no fancy restaurants – just real life, as lived by the people who call these places home.

“It’s always important for us to have someone that’s connected to that country on the trip,” Abubakar adds. “I think that’s what differentiates us.”

Their first trip was to Bangladesh, where Kayum’s family is from. Serving as an unofficial tour guide, he took them to try on a lungi (traditional men’s skirt) and sample street food from Sylhet, in the country’s north-east. They swam in a fukri, a large communal pond dug by locals, and marvelled at cows wandering freely along the roads.

“A lot of Abubakar and Zakariya’s first-time experiences were new to me, too,” says Kayum, despite having spent his summer holidays in Bangladesh. “But seeing their reactions to things I viewed as normal, like the cows, was hilarious.”

One of the more moving, yet humorous, moments comes when they chat with Kayum’s grandfather, a man who insists he’s 120, though no one can confirm this. “It was amazing to see my friends merge with my family in my homeland, especially when my nieces and nephews played football with us,” Kayum says. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

The second series took them to Somaliland, where Abubakar has roots. There, they served shaah (spiced tea) in a local cafe, caught fish in the northern port city of Berbera, and joined the Eid prayer with thousands of others at the national stadium in the capital, Hargeisa. In one episode, they’re invited to try martial arts at a local taekwondo studio. Kayum, who had never stepped inside a dojo before, was struck by the energy. “They didn’t have much funding – they were just doing it themselves,” he says. “But inside, there was so much talent.”

Then came the trio’s favourite moment – sharing an urn of camel milk. “Everyone started dropping like flies – there was very little footage the day after that,” Abubakar laughs, recalling how everyone but him got sick. The chaotic aftermath of Zakariya and Kayum splayed out on sofas, of course, made it into the vlog. “It was so funny to me that I drank it and just had immunity.”

Though not yet featured on their channel, the boys also visited Morocco, Zakariya’s home country. In one TikTok clip, they’re serenaded by a street performer whom they dub the “Moroccan Shakira”, somewhat questionably. “We’re planning to revisit and film another series,” Zakariya tells me.

Since uploading their first video in November 2023, Kids of the Colony has attracted a loyal audience. Their Instagram following has passed 35,000, their TikTok has racked up more than one million likes when combined with Abubakar’s own page. Their fans include everyone from NBA star Kyrie Irving to Amelia Dimoldenberg of YouTube’s celebrity interview show Chicken Shop Date. “We’ve had people recognising us in public and teachers telling us [on social media] that they’ve been showing our videos in geography classes,” Kayum says.

“We wanted to create a fun family show where parents can watch and remember their childhood,” Abubakar explains.

The desire to represent their roots and reframe negative perceptions is reflected in their channel name, which was coined by Abubakar after learning about third-culture kids – individuals who grow up in a culture different from their parents’. He says he wanted to come up with his own version: “[The name] references children of immigrants from ex-colonies. But when we come together, we can create a colony of our own – like ants – to be a nice and powerful force.”

After filming in each others’ countries of origin, Zakariya is keen to keep going: “I want to go to every country. I love travelling, so this gives me more of a reason.” Meanwhile, Kayum sees the show as a chance to reclaim misrepresented parts of the world: “I’d love to visit Palestine. I want to go to places that get the worst media coverage.”

While they’re still self-funding, all working and using their savings to pay for the filming and travel, the trio feel the investment has been worth it: “So many things are happening from us coming together, so it feels very good to see the results,” says Kayum.

“We grew up in working-class families,” Abubakar says, “but through film, writing and the arts, children of immigrants are trying to forge an identity. We hope our platform celebrates that identity.”

As Kayum puts it: “It’s about preserving culture.”

And in doing so, Kids of the Colony reshapes the narrative around where we get to travel and whose stories are documented.

Millions of people around the world are unable to have the number of children they desire, and financial constraints, lack of quality healthcare and gender inequality are some of the barriers to reproductive choices, according to a UN report.

The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) unveiled its State of the World Population report on Tuesday, warning that a rising number of people are being denied the freedom to start families due to elevated living costs, wars and lack of suitable partners and not because they reject parenthood.

Roughly 40 percent of respondents cited economic barriers – such as the costs of raising children, job insecurity and expensive housing – as the main reason for having fewer children than they would like, according to the report based on an online survey conducted by the UN agency and YouGov.

Fertility rates have fallen to below 2.1 births per woman – the threshold needed for population stability without immigration – in more than half of all countries that took part in the survey.

On the flip side, life expectancy continues to grow across almost all regions of the world, according to the survey conducted in 14 countries that are home to one-third of the world’s population.

Right-wing nationalist governments, including in the United States and Hungary, are increasingly blaming falling fertility rates on a rejection of parenthood.

But the 2025 State of the World Population report found most people did indeed want children. The survey findings indicated that the world is not facing a crisis of falling birth rates but a crisis of reproductive agency.

How was the study conducted?

UNFPA surveyed 14,000 people from four countries in Europe, four in Asia, three in Africa and three in the Americas.

The study examined a mix of low-, middle- and high-income countries and those with low and high fertility rates.

They were picked to try to represent “a wide variety of countries with different cultural contexts, fertility rates and policy approaches”, according to the report’s editor, Rebecca Zerzan.

South Korea, which is included in the study, has the lowest fertility rate in the world. The report also looked at Nigeria, which has one of the highest birth rates in the world.

The other countries included, in order of population size, are India, the US, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, Thailand, South Africa, Italy, Morocco, Sweden and Hungary.

The survey is a pilot for research in 50 countries later this year.

When it comes to age groups within countries, the sample sizes in the initial survey are too small to make conclusions.

But some findings are clear.

What were the key findings from the report?

According to UNFPA, 39 percent of people said financial limitations prevented them from having a child.

Job insecurity and fear of the future – from climate change to war – were cited by 21 percent and 19 percent of respondents, respectively, for reasons to avoid reproducing.

Elsewhere, 13 percent of women and 8 percent of men pointed to the unequal division of domestic labour as a factor in having fewer children than desired.

Only 12 percent of people cited infertility or difficulty conceiving for not having the number of children they wanted.

That figure was higher in countries like Thailand (19 percent), the US (16 percent) and South Africa (15 percent).

In many cases, there were significant differences in responses depending on which country people were reporting from.

But for Natalia Kanem, executive director at UNFPA, a universal finding from the report is that “fertility rates are falling in large part because many feel unable to create the families they want.”

In South Korea, three in five respondents reported financial limitations as an obstacle to having children.

It was just 19 percent in Sweden, where both men and women are entitled to 480 days of paid parental leave per child, which may also be transferred to grandparents.

Still, birth rates in Sweden are among the lowest in the world.

Zerzan pointed out that one factor alone does not account for falling fertility rates.

“I fully agree with that,” said Arkadiusz Wisniowski, professor of social statistics and demography at the University of Manchester.

“The decision to have a child is complex. Yes, it’s about money. But it’s also about time and access to the right kind of childcare,” he told Al Jazeera.

What role can immigration play?

When deaths outpace births, that is an indication that fertility rates are falling. “That’s not currently true at the global level,” Wisniowski said. “But it is true for numerous countries around the world, especially wealthier nations.”

“And some governments are having to navigate the reality of falling birth rates against the backlash against immigration. Clearly, immigrants can fill labour market gaps, and there is evidence they contribute to economic growth,” he said.

“But it’s no panacea.”

What can governments do about this?

“We can see both the problem and solution clearly,” the UNFPA report noted. “The answer lies in reproductive agency, a person’s ability to make free and informed choices about sex, contraception and starting a family – if, when and with whom they want.”

UNFPA warns against simplistic and coercive responses to falling birth rates, such as baby bonuses or fertility targets, which are often ineffective and risk violating human rights.

“We also see that when people feel their reproductive choices are being steered, when policies are even just perceived as being too coercive, people react and they are less likely to have children,” Kanem said.

Instead, the UN body urged governments to expand choices by removing barriers to parenthood identified by their populations.

Its recommended actions included making parenthood more affordable through investments in housing, decent work, paid parental leave and access to comprehensive reproductive health services.

“The recommendations [in the report] are all good,” Wisniowski said. “They would all empower people to try and achieve their family-linked aspirations. But these comprehensive policies will come with a cost.”

For years, labour economists have warned that falling fertility poses a threat to future prosperity because it increases fiscal pressures due to ageing populations – when the number of pensioners in relation to workers rises.

“Governments may need to tax working people more or take on more debt to address the reality of fewer young people,” Wisniowski noted. “But fertility isn’t something that you can easily tinker with. We are facing considerable uncertainty.”