England’s Lewis Ludlam is swapping the Premiership for Toulon at the end of the season. Photograph: David Rogers/Getty Images Another week, another England international confirming a move to the Top 14. Kyle Sinckler will join Lewis Ludlam in swapping the Premiership for Toulon, taking the number of players from England’s World Cup squad who will be turning out in France next season to nine. Should Billy Vunipola complete a move to Montpellier it will be double figures and if brother Mako joins him then France’s top two divisions will be just a scrum-half shy of a full XV who represented England at either the 2019 or the 2023 World Cup. By anyone’s standards it is an unprecedented direction of travel. It is not as if this raft of players are trailblazers – Rob Andrew’s stint at Toulouse in the early 90s shows that Englishmen have been making the move across the Channel since even before the advent of professionalism – but it is the sheer numbers as well as their profile. The Rugby Football Union’s decision to prevent anyone playing outside England pulling on the red rose jersey in 2012 was made to ensure that on the back of Jonny Wilkinson’s success story at Toulon there was not a flood of players who followed but it seems powerless to stop the nouvelle vague. While it is true to say that a lot of those making the move are the wrong side of 30, players whose international careers were coming to a natural end and who would probably not be offered “enhanced” contracts by the RFU next season, there are too many exceptions to consider that a rule. Owen Farrell is the highest profile departure but Henry Arundell, Joe Marchant and Jack Willis are all players with their best years ahead of them. Those will sting most for the RFU. The former England centre Jamie Noon finished his career with stints at Brive and then Tulle and since then has been employed as an agent in France. As a result he is better placed than most to assess the growing number following in his footsteps and he finds it striking how it is the players themselves, rather than the French clubs, who are engineering the moves. “The French clubs are open to getting quality players but it seems that there is more interest from the UK to get to France,” Noon tells the Guardian. “Sometimes when a player has been released, they think: ‘I’ll just go to France and make more money.’ It doesn’t work like that. This year more than ever there has been some genuine quality players who are looking to come to France. It’s people who aren’t even necessarily out of contract, Owen has cut his contract to move so there’s a real desire there to do something different.” Looking for reasons behind the exodus and some are obvious. The World Cup cycle is still relatively new and someone like Arundell may yet return to England in time to make the squad for the 2027 tournament. The financial benefits are clear, too, and perhaps more pertinently the security offered with the demises of London Irish, Wasps and Worcester still reverberating. The fact that Premiership clubs are now allowed just one marquee player is also significant as well as an appreciation that careers are short. Owen Farrell is leaving Saracens to join Racing 92. Photograph: George Beck/PPAUK/Shutterstock “Japan is the wealthiest league in the world so players will make the most money over there but in terms of transition and adaptation, France is that little bit easier,” adds Noon. “The money is good, there are benefits associated with that and the league is competitive. The French leagues have got a financial police in place, they have to account for their money at the start of the season, they have to be able to prove they’ve got all this money coming in to be able to offer the players these contracts. So it’s definitely safer. “And the big thing about French contract offers is that they get accommodation included. There are also tax breaks, so you pay less tax or there are tax benefits if you’re married, if you have children. You can get something called impatriation, which helps with your tax allowance as well – that’s pretty interesting, especially compared to the rates in the UK.” To look at things purely in cold, hard, economic terms is too simplistic, however. “It’s also a beautiful place to be, the whole French lifestyle, the rugby is very competitive and to be able to test yourself at that level is definitely very appealing to someone who has still got that desire to be competitive and really push the boundaries,” says Noon. “This year more than ever players are a little bit more open to exploring and also not naive to think they’re going to be playing this level of rugby forever and if they can cash in, maybe they cash in earlier. Or they just want to do something different. I can speak from experience, changing scenery is refreshing.” To pose the question another way, why are the French clubs so happy to welcome ageing Englishmen into a league that is the most prosperous in Europe? The answer may lie thousands of miles away because it requires only a cursory glance at the squad lists to see how many leading All Blacks and Springboks – the kind of players who would once have headed to France – are instead making for Japan. That in turn makes English players a more attractive proposition for the Top 14. Jack Willis joined Toulouse after the World Cup in 2023. Photograph: Lionel Hahn/Getty Images “The French clubs like a name, they like a CV with lots on there,” says Noon. “That’s the presidents as well – they want to offer something to their supporters. It’s definitely something that they’re conscious of. They also know that in terms of being able to get the best players to France, Japan at the moment seems to be winning that battle. “So the fact that England is just a stone’s throw away, it works pretty well. It’s not like instead of going to get a Kiwi or a South African, they’re going to the basement bucket. These guys are still world class and still operating at a similar level.” To date there has been little pushback from within France, no complaints about an English invasion though it was telling to hear the LNR president Rene Bouscatel say back in December that “it’s good news for the attractivity of our leagues, but it’s not necessarily good news for rugby long term in general”. There is also a salary cap in France as well as rules which encourage clubs to select homegrown players. Accordingly, Noon strongly advises against anyone planning to head to France simply to line their pockets in the twilight of their career. “I say this to a lot of players who we move over here, the French approach to rugby and culture and philosophy is different to the UK,” he adds. “You do have to come open minded, to come with a desire to learn the way they do it and to buy into it. Sometimes it’s very different, sometimes it feels a bit wacky but if you go with it then they appreciate it and they also respect you a little bit more. Instead of coming and trying to change things or complain, if you knuckle down and work hard on the language which will help in general day-to-day life as well as within the team, they’ll love you for it.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/29/england-rugby-exodus-france-top-14

‘She’s my soulmate. People always think that’s just for romantic relationships – but we’re proof that it isn’t’ … Hannah and Izzy in Dublin in 2005. Photograph: Supplied image When Hannah was 16, she loved going to her local under-18s nightclub to dance to alternative music. “In the summer of 1999, I was getting ready to start my BTec in media studies. I was living with my parents in Ipswich, working part-time and having lots of fun going out,” she says. One night, she spotted Izzy at the club and mistook her for someone she knew. “I approached her and asked if she knew my brother,” she remembers. She said no, but they got chatting and realised they were both enrolled on the same college course. “I was living with my mum and working for a bakery,” says Izzy. “We didn’t have mobile phones at the time, so we never swapped numbers.” ‘She had short, dark red hair and her eyebrow pierced, which I thought was really cool’ … Izzy and Hannah in Ipswich in 1999. Photograph: Supplied image They didn’t see each other again until the first day of college. “I walked in and thought: ‘Oh, it’s the girl from the club’,” says Hannah. “We buddied up together in class from that day.” She was impressed by Izzy’s style and outgoing nature. “She had short, dark red hair and her eyebrow pierced, which I thought was really cool. She was very bubbly and I was a bit quieter.” Izzy says they hit it off “straight away” and that the friendship felt effortless. “It was so easy to bond. We both loved a lot of the same music, like Pearl Jam, Metallica and Rage Against the Machine, as well as the nu-metal scene.” They stayed best friends after graduating in 2001, and Hannah began working at Waterstones. “I suggested Izzy get a job there too and we loved working together.” After five years, Hannah moved into an office reception job and now works in HR, while Izzy has since retrained as a dental nurse. They have continued to be there for each other through life’s ups and downs. “I got married in 2015 and Hannah was my chief bridesmaid,” says Izzy. “My husband is now very unwell with cancer and I’ve temporarily stopped working to care for him. After he had treatment for a couple of years, I realised that I needed to take a step back from work and Hannah helped me feel comfortable in making that decision.” After living near each other in Ipswich for most of their lives, Hannah moved to Felixstowe in 2019. “I got married quickly but once it settled we realised we were too different and decided to get divorced. I told Izzy everything and she helped me through. I moved away to be close to the sea. Now I’ve met a new partner and bought a house here.” Hannah also has a great relationship with Izzy’s little girl. “She is autistic, which comes with challenges, but Hannah loves her for who she is and is always there if I need to talk about anything. We text each other every day.” Due to the distance, and Izzy’s caring responsibilities, they see each other less often than they used to, but remain as close as ever. “We write down things that we want to share and then tell each other everything when we meet up,” laughs Hannah. As well as visits to the seaside, they plan regular days out together. “We take trips to London and love historical tours and houses,” says Hannah. “We’re both quite geeky.” We’re both quite geeky’ … Hannah and Izzy in Felixstowe for Izzy’s birthday in 2019. Photograph: Supplied image They also love visiting vintage fairs across the country and learning new things. “We did an Italian course before a holiday to Italy, and we did a Swedish massage course together,” says Izzy. Hannah loves the support she gets from her friend. “I was nervous about moving, but she gave me the confidence to do it. I always take her advice and think: ‘What would Izzy do?’” Izzy, meanwhile, admire’s Hannah’s loyalty. “She’s so honest and trustworthy. I tell her things I’ll never tell anyone else,” she says. “We have so much fun and what we have is so special.” “She’s my soulmate,” Hannah concludes. “People always think that’s just for romantic relationships – but we’re proof that it isn’t.” https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/29/how-we-met-i-tell-her-things-ill-never-tell-anyone-else-what-we-have-is-so-special

Drone used to identify animal that went on rampage in northern Slovakia this month, says Tomáš Taraba A brown bear. Politicians from Slovakia’s populist nationalist government have called for the animals’ endangered status to be relaxed. Photograph: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images Brown bear that attacked five people shot dead, says Slovakian minister Drone used to identify animal that went on rampage in northern Slovakia this month, says Tomáš Taraba Jon Henley Europe correspondent Wed 27 Mar 2024 16.24 GMT Share A brown bear has been killed by an armed patrol after drone technology identified it as the animal that injured five people during a rampage in a town in northern Slovakia this month, the country’s environment ministry has said. The environment minister, Tomáš Taraba, said the bear, which left a 49-year-old woman and a 72-year-old man needing hospital treatment and three other victims including a 10-year-old girl with cuts and bruises, was shot dead late on Tuesday. Local media cited the state nature conservancy as saying a drone had taken high-resolution photographs and videos of the bear, which special biometric software then compared with footage of the 17 March attack in the town of Liptovský Mikuláš. “The detailed physiological comparison enabled the intervention team to accurately identify and successfully eliminate the problem bear,” the conservancy said, adding that this was the first time the technology had been used. Video footage of the bear bounding through the town’s streets went viral and the town declared a state of emergency, asking people not to leave residential areas and dispatching six armed emergency patrols to track it down. Mobile phone footage posted on social media showed the bear charging along a road and over a zebra crossing as terrified pedestrians scattered, then bounding across a green space and lunging at a man hurriedly climbing a fence to escape it. Liptovský Mikuláš town hall said on its Facebook page that since then teams had been hunting the animal, estimated by local media to be three years old and weigh about 70kg, using drones fitted with advanced cameras and thermal imaging equipment. The attack came a day after a 31-year-old Belarusian woman died after falling into a deep ravine, apparently while trying to evade a brown bear in the Low Tatra mountain range near the same town. Politicians from Slovakia’s populist nationalist government have called for the animals’ status on Slovakia’s endangered species list to be relaxed, arguing that with an estimated domestic po[CENSORED]tion of 1,275, bears could now be hunted and culled. The environment ministry has said that, together with Romania, it will propose a reclassification of the species at EU level so as to allow selective culling. Improved environmental protection in central and eastern Europe since the late 1980s has led to bears returning to their natural habitats across the Carpathian mountains, which stretch from Romania through western Ukraine to Slovakia and Poland. Slovakia has had several bear attacks in recent years, including its first fatal assault in more than a century in 2021. A 57-year-old man was found in the central Banskô valley with his hip, neck and hand mauled and recent bear prints nearby. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/27/brown-bear-shot-dead-slovakia-rampage

The number of people killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 32,623. Fighting and humanitarian crisis Eight people were killed and an unknown number injured during an Israeli attack on a house in the Maghazi refugee camp in central Gaza on Thursday. Israel is expanding a buffer zone in Gaza adjacent to the border fence, significantly enlarging the area declared by the army as a Palestinian no-go zone before the war, Haaretz reported on Thursday. The Israeli newspaper said a project director has been appointed by the army to oversee the expansion. Journalist Muhammad Abu Sakhil of Gaza’s al-Quds Radio has been shot and killed by Israeli forces near al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Al Jazeera Arabic reported on Friday. The number of people killed in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 7 has risen to 32,623, according to the enclave’s Ministry of Health. At least 75,092 people have been injured in Israeli attacks on Gaza. Gaza’s Health Ministry said 71 Palestinians were killed and 112 wounded over the latest 24-hour reporting period. Diplomacy and regional tensions Five members of the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and 33 civilians were killed during Israeli air strikes on the Syrian city of Aleppo on Friday, two security sources told the Reuters news agency. The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the air strikes were a clear violation of international law and the sovereignty of Syria. Warning sirens have sounded in the settlements of Kiryat Shmona, Tel Hai, Beit Hillel and Ma’ayan Baruch in northern Israel on Friday, according to local media. Hezbollah and the Israeli army have been exchanging fire over the Lebanon-Israel border since the day after the war in Gaza started. Japan is preparing to resume funding to the crisis-hit United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which coordinates the vast majority of aid to Gaza, according to its government. iolence in the occupied West Bank Israeli air strikes have hit the Saad bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in the Jabalia refugee camp, injuring two Palestinians, Al Jazeera correspondents reported. The strikes caused a fire to break out in an electrical appliances store early on Friday. Israeli forces have arrested a resident in Nablus, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported on Thursday. Laith Jibril al-Sharbaji was arrested after the military searched his house and seized his vehicle, it said. The army also stormed the village of Madama, south of Nablus, and raided a number of homes. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/israels-war-on-gaza-list-of-key-events-day-175

The 44-year-old will be inaugurated to replace Macky Sall, who ruled the West African nation for 12 years. Senegal's president-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye at the presidential palace in Dakar [Photo by Senegalese Presidency/AFP] Senegal’s Constitutional Council has confirmed the presidential election victory of opposition candidate Bassirou Diomaye Faye. The confirmation on Friday paves the way for his inauguration as the country’s fifth president, which is expected to take place on April 2. The top court validated provisional results announced on Wednesday based on vote tallies from 100 percent of polling stations. Faye – an anti-establishment candidate and ally of po[CENSORED]r opposition figure Ousmane Sonko – won more than 54 percent of votes cast in last Sunday’s delayed presidential poll. His closest competitor in the polls, ruling coalition candidate Amadou Ba who was handpicked by outgoing President Macky Sall, took about 35 percent of the vote. The Council said no objections had been raised by the other contenders. At age 44, Faye becomes Africa’s youngest president. The African Union hailed the “unanimous acceptance of the results”. African Union Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said he “warmly congratulates” Faye on his victory and wished him “full success in his weighty and noble charge”. French President Emmanuel Macron also offered Faye “warm congratulations” and said France wanted to “continue and intensify the partnership” between their countries, his office said. Faye’s victory came just 10 days after he was freed from prison. He has said he wants a “break” with the current political system. Analysts said his win reflected a protest against the outgoing leadership and divisions within a powerful, but weakened, governing coalition. Ousmane is Diomaye’ Millions in Senegal took part in the vote last Sunday. The polls followed three years of political turbulence that led to violent antigovernment protests, which garnered greater support for the opposition. Going into the election, Faye was seen as a strong contender to replace Sall, after his ally Sonko was disqualified from the ballot because of a suspended jail sentence following a conviction for defamation. Sonko endorsed Faye to run in his place. Although Faye was imprisoned last April and charged with contempt of court, defamation and acts likely to compromise public peace, after posting a message critical of the justice system, he was not convicted of any crime and was able to stand in the election. “A man that was imprisoned for more than 11 months, over a Facebook post that authorities had deemed dangerous to the sovereignty and the security of the state, is now at the helm of one of the fastest growing economies in West Africa,” said Al Jazeera’s Nicolas Haque, reporting from Dakar. “Faye is the youngest elected head of state in Africa and is promising change to the people … of Senegal,” he added. Commonly known as ‘Diomaye’, Faye ran under the slogan “Ousmane mooy Diomaye”, meaning “Ousmane is Diomaye” in Wolof – reinforcing the links between him and Sonko. Both men studied law and worked as tax inspectors, where they met and spoke out against corruption, and later co-founded the now-dissolved PASTEF party in 2014. They have branded themselves as incorruptible tax inspectors who did not fill their pockets while others did. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/29/senegals-top-court-confirms-bassirou-diomaye-fayes-election-victory

Music title: برنامج محفل القرآني - متسابق اعتَزَل الموسيقى واتجه لتلاوة القرآن | QURAN TV SHOW Signer: QURAN TV Show - برنامج محفل القرآني Release date: 2023/05/12 Official YouTube link:

Honestly, I faced this problem previously, and I lost my account, which I created in 2014, and I could not recover it. I created this account in 2020, So if the Gmail has been deleted, frankly, it is difficult to recover it, so the problem is difficult to solve. I do not know if the Administrators here can recover it for you. I hope for you. Therefore, if you do not find a solution, Start fresh with a new account This is my opinion, Good luck!

Yes @Cyberpsycho?

VOTED✔️

No @WHAT IS GOING ON?

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No @Bellingham?

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أستخدم هذا النموذج عندما تخطط لطلب أدمن في داخل السيرفر ¤ الأسم الخاص بك (نفسهُ في الموقع) : ¤ عنوانك ( دسكورد أو فيس بوك) : ¤ العمر : ¤ اللغات التي تستطيع التكلم والنطق بها : ¤ موقعك ( الدولة ) : ¤ الخبرة الخاصة بك كأدمن ومسؤول ( في سيرفر سابق - أستخدم موقع جيم تراكر GameTracker Link ) : ¤ هل تستطيع البقاء اللعب في هذا الوقت او البقاء متفرجا ( من الساعة 24:00 الى 12:00 مساءً ) : ¤ ساعات اللعب الخاصة بك في السيرفر ( أضغط هنا وأبحث عن اسمك لكي تعرف عدد ساعات لعبك ) : ¤ هل أنت موجود في ديسكورد سيرفر نيولايف؟ وهل ستكون متواجد ونشط في شات الادمنز بالدسكورد؟ : ¤ كلمة السر - الادمن ( أقرء القوانين جيداً لكي تعرف كلمة المرور ) : القوانين: يجب ان يكون لديك 30 ساعة من اللعب داخل السيرفر. يجب عليك أحترام قوانين السيرفر والادمن واللاعبين. يجب عليك ان تكون نشطاً في الموقع وفي سيرفر الدسكورد ايضاً. يجب عليك ان تكون نشطاً في السيرفر على الاقل 3 - 2 ساعات في اليوم. يجب عليك ان تكون قد لعبت في السيرفر لمدة أسبوع او أسبوعين بشكل متواصل ( ليس فقط تبقى AFK بدون لعب ). يجب عليك أن تفهم وتعرف اللغة الإنجليزية وأن تكون قادراً على الكتابة بالانجليزي حتى تفهم باقي الادمنز ( جيداً / شبه جيد ). الرجاء أحترام اسم العنوان عندما تقوم بتقديم طلب أدمن - العنوان عندما تطلب ادمن يجب ان يكون هكذا: [ طلب أدمن - أسمك هنا ] يُسمح لك بتقديم طلب أدمن واحد فقط لكل 7 ايام او 14 يوماً. سبحان الله والحمد لله ولا إله إلا الله والله أكبر والسلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاتهُ تم النشر بتاريخ 1445\9\16 من شهر رمضان المُبارك أفضل التحيات كان معكم المُشرف: 7aMoDi

No @King_of_dark™?

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No. @El Máster Edwin?

The new subcompact SUV features a few interesting touches inside and out to go along with its larger size and new powertrain. The new 2025 Nissan Kicks is different in a big way, with a new powertrain, newly available all-wheel drive, and a larger footprint. But it's more interesting in smaller ways too, as the designers slipped in plenty of details and easter eggs that make the Kicks a bit more interesting to look at than your average subcompact SUV. Hidden C-Pillar Badge You'll have to look closely to spot this cool-looking exposed "KICKS" script in the C-pillar aft of the rear quarter windows. The cutout is etched into the tinted glass to expose a body panel behind it, so it shows up in whatever body color you opt for on your Kicks. Shoe-Inspired Cladding We're used to seeing black plastic body cladding on all manner of crossovers and SUVs, but the Kicks' cladding has a bit more visual interest. Nissan says this texture on the side skirts is meant to look like a sneaker. Get it, like Kicks? Headrest Speakers The optional 10-speaker Bose audio system includes headrest-mounted speakers for both the driver and passenger. The previous Kicks had a similar system, but the headrest speakers were only for the driver's seat. Headlight Logo This small Nissan logo is embossed in the headlights. Mirror Logo Lest you forget which model you're driving, this emblem on the plastic molding for the side mirrors will remind you. Front "Signature" Lights While all Kicks models have shiny chrome trim on the lower grille slats, only the SR comes with these six additional LED accent light strips. Zero-Gravity Rear Seats Nissan previously only touted its "Zero Gravity" seats in the front, but now the outboard rear seats feature this setup. This special cushioning and seat design is supposed to help with posture and comfort. https://www.caranddriver.com/news/g60268933/2025-nissan-kicks-easter-eggs-details/

Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes W15 retires with engine failure on lap 17. Photograph: Eric Alonso/DPPI/Shutterstock Mercedes driver admits this season is ‘worse than 2009’ Team principle Toto Wolff says lack of progress has been brutal Hamilton laments ‘worst season ever’ after retiring from Australian Grand Prix Mercedes driver admits this season is ‘worse than 2009’ Team principle Toto Wolff says lack of progress has been brutal Giles Richards Sun 24 Mar 2024 17.43 GMT Share Lewis Hamilton described the worst Formula One season start of his career as tough on the spirit and warned it was a challenge leaving him in danger of just going through the motions, after he and Mercedes endured a dismal weekend at the Australian Grand Prix. The seven-time champion’s team principal at Mercedes, Toto Wolff, was equally blunt in his assessment, describing it as brutally painful, conceding it was a fair question to ask if it was time he stepped down from the role and that he felt neither positive nor optimistic about his team’s situation. Hamilton retired with an engine failure on lap 17 of the race in Melbourne, which was won by Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz. The British driver has been off the pace all weekend, qualifying only in 11th and making little progress in the race when his engine gave out. He has scored only eight points in three races this season, taking seventh in Bahrain and ninth in Saudi Arabia, a worse return than his previous opening nadir in 2009 of a disqualification, sixth and seventh. This is the third year in succession Mercedes have failed to deliver a car capable of competing at the front and this season have been outpaced not only by world champions Red Bull, but also by Ferrari and on this form in Australia, McLaren. After leaving his stricken car at the side of the track in Albert Park Hamilton admitted another season of struggle to little avail was far from inspiring. “This is the worst start to the season I’ve ever had for sure and it’s worse than 2009,” he said. “It’s tough on the spirit for everyone in the team. When so much work is going on throughout the winter for everybody, you come in excited, motivated and driven, and then you’re with the mindset that you’re going to be fighting for wins. “Then obviously that’s not the case and you’re like: ‘Okay, maybe second, third’. No, it’s not the case, and it cascades a bit further down and you just go through the motions. It’s challenging.” George Russell is helped from his car after crashing out of the final lap. Photograph: Paul Crock/AFP/Getty Images His teammate George Russell crashed out on the final lap but had made it no higher than seventh, ending a very disappointing weekend for Mercedes. They had entered the year having adopted an entirely new design philosophy for their car and were optimistic the new season would bring greater returns. Instead the problems seem all too familiar, the car is not performing as predicted in the wind tunnel and does not present a stable, reliable platform from one race to the next. Wolff, who joined Mercedes in 2013 – the same year as Hamilton – and who has been beside the British driver as he secured six titles with the team, conceded it had been a bitter start to 2024. “You see the progress that McLaren and Ferrari have made, so on one side, I want to punch myself on the nose,” he said. “We have got to really dig deep because it is brutally painful. “I would be lying if I said I feel positive and optimistic about the situation. You need to overcome the negative thoughts and say ‘we will turn it around’, but today it feels very, very, very brutal.” The 52-year-old, who is a one-third shareholder in Mercedes, also admitted it was reasonable to ask if he was the right person to lead the team but insisted he would not be stepping down. “I look at myself in the mirror every single day about everything I do and it is a fair question but it [leaving] is not what I feel that I should do at the moment,” he said. “If you ask the manager question, I cannot go to Chelsea or Liverpool or over to Ferrari, I have not got that choice [as a co-owner] which is also unfortunate. I am not a contractor or an employee, who has said: ‘I have had enough of this’. My hamster wheel keeps spinning and I cannot jump out.” https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2024/mar/24/lewis-hamilton-worst-season-ever-australian-grand-prix-formula-one

‘It is harder to feel for others and to emotionally connect with them when this was mostly missing from our own upbringing.’ Photograph: Jaren Jai Wicklund/Shutterstock The dilemma I have been with my girlfriend for eight years. We have never lived together, which has worked well for us due to our shared love of us each having our own space. My girlfriend has recently become pregnant, and I am struggling with the decision of whether to continue our relationship living separately and supporting the child, or to end our relationship and provide financial support from a distance. I have always been clear about my desire not to have children. However, she wants to keep the child. I have lost my attraction to her lately and become increasingly depressed. We would have different parenting approaches; I am more pragmatic and disciplined, while she is more empathic and loving. I had a troubled childhood and can find it difficult to connect emotionally or socially with most people. I do not feel a bond with the child or the idea of raising one. I am unsure of what to do and would appreciate your guidance. Philippa’s answer It’s difficult to have a bond until we’ve met a baby. We bond with babies by being with them and interacting with them. They don’t speak of course, but they do learn turn-taking very early on. For example, you look at them, you do something like smile or stick your tongue out and they mimic it back to you. Bonding can take time and it’s not easy to bond to someone who isn’t here yet. It’s “most people” you find it difficult to relate to, it’s not everyone. It is harder to feel for others and to emotionally connect with them when this was mostly missing from our own upbringing. We gain a lot of our blueprint for relating from how we were related to as babies, as infants, as children. It is difficult to give to others what was not given to us, but it is not impossible. (I’m not criticising your parents for this. I expect they did the best they could in whatever circumstances they were in.) I’m not sure if you are being sympathetic enough to yourself in your current situation and I am guessing you are understandably fearful. When we don’t allow a feeling, we don’t just numb the fear, we numb other emotions too, such as love and joy, for example. We press most other feelings down along with the fear, and then the result, unsurprisingly, is depression. The way out from this is, I expect, to acknowledge fear and what it is that is scaring you. Don’t hide the fear behind anger, or behind not feeling anything at all, but look at it, take it out, unpack it, accept it, put it into words. We gain a lot of our blueprint for relating from how we were related to as babies, as infants, as children Now I’m going to state the blinking obvious: every time we have sexual intercourse, conception is the potential consequence of it. It is a responsibility of the parties involved to accept that possible outcome. I can see it isn’t particularly sexy. Fear isn’t very sexy either, nor is repressing emotions. It is understandable that you don’t fancy your girlfriend; this probably isn’t permanent, and it will also be to do with your reaction to her decision to continue with the pregnancy. It isn’t important that you don’t fancy her while you work through your feelings. A human will (all being well) be born and will be carrying your genes. So there really isn’t any running away from being a father. And if you do, there is always the risk that your child will take it personally and it will affect their self-esteem. It might affect yours, too. My book The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did may be hard for you to read it, because it will encourage you to feel again what you felt as a baby and a child and how it felt for you growing up. It’s hard for anyone to feel things we’ve been running away from, but if we are brave enough to face them, they are rarely as frightening as we might have imagined. When you can reconnect with the baby and child you once were and love him, rather than wanting to push him away, then the idea of being a parent may be easier. Whether to break up with your girlfriend might not even seem to be the most important point. The main point is what sort of relationship will you be able to offer to your child. When you have compassion for yourself as a baby, as a child, you will be able to relate to yourself and to the baby as a person, not as a thing to be repressed, controlled, ordered or ignored. When we have a baby, they are wholly dependent. They cannot even contain their own emotions and so they look to you to do this and everything else for them. This requires a huge shift in the adult person’s priorities, and it is enough to send the wisest and most loving of us into a panic, and such anxiety, understandably, tempts us to run away from the source of our fears instead of facing up to them. It’s a big shock you’ve had. Give yourself time, give your relationship time, and what you want to do going forward will unfold in its due course. When you find that inner child of yours and treat him with compassion, then I think you will find the decisions you need to formulate about your own future are easier to make. https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2024/mar/24/ask-philippa-perry-i-never-wanted-kids-but-now-my-partner-is-pregnant

Robinson estimated that the number of cats in his home had swelled to 298, including 15 who were pregnant. Photograph: Nick Ansell/PA An animal welfare charity in western Canada is scrambling to secure the resources needed to care for about 300 cats – all of them seemingly in good condition – after a call came in from a man who described himself as being “overwhelmed” by the sheer number of cats and kittens in his home. Bruce Robinson told the British Columbia SPCA that he had taken in cats that had been abandoned during the Covid-19 pandemic but that the cost of caring for them had become a herculean task after he lost his job. The charity had sent staff to his home in the small town of Houston to assess the situation, said Eileen Drever of the BC SPCA. “When asked how many cats he had, I think he said it was like counting bubbles in boiling water.” The cats were sociable and seemed to be in good condition, she told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. “You know, he had a huge heart, and he was caring for them,” she said. “And then they just kept multiplying. One cat can have three litters in a year.” Robinson estimated that the number of cats in his home had swelled to 298, including 15 pregnant cats that were expected to deliver in the coming days. “I ended up in a crazy situation,” he told the broadcaster. “I made a bad decision … I thought I could handle the cats.” He had tried to give away the cats, but with little luck. Instead, he found himself spending thousands of dollars a month – at times going without food himself – to ensure they had the 28kg of food a day they needed and to buy cat litter for their 10 litter boxes. He said he had named each one of the cats. “I love every one of them,” he said. “I wanted to give them a safe home.” Drever said the SPCA was racing to raise funds and find a building capable of housing the cats while they are assessed by a veterinarian, vaccinated and spayed or neutered before being put up for adoption at centres across the province. “This is a huge undertaking and it’s going to take resources from around the province to bring these animals in,” she said. In the meantime, SPCA staff were helping to provide food, supplies and litter for the cats. “He had, the other day, between 70 and 80 newborn kittens,” she said. “That’s why we need to move as quickly as we can.” She said charges against the cat’s guardian were not being considered, as he was the one who had reached out for help. “Kudos to him for recognising he was overwhelmed,” she said. It also appeared that he had done his best to care for the animals, even as their po[CENSORED]tion rocketed. “I have never seen so many cats in good condition, they appear to be in good condition,” she said. “And the fact that they’re sociable is incredible. It’s quite shocking, actually.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/mar/24/charity-steps-in-to-rehome-cats-man-in-canada