There is an old – and deeply dubious – bit of playground wisdom: when a boy pulls a girl’s hair, it means that he likes her.
This aphorism is showing its age. Few modern parents would now shrug off what many of them would see as an assault on their child at school. But more than that, boys are expected to grow out of these impulses pretty early. Even if you think hair pulling is charming at age six, it’s less so once you hit 20.
Eighty-year-old Donald Trump seems not to have learned that lesson. For the past two years, he has alternately been insisting he would like Canada to become the USA’s 51st state, or else launching trade wars against its northern neighbour, close trading partner, and longtime ally. In recent weeks, the US-Canada trade war has intensified again after Trump imposed more auto tariffs.
What ‘ferritin face’ means – and how worried you should be
So-called ferritin face is the latest new health term trending across social media, with influencers posting content that encourages viewers to self-diagnose if they have this particular affliction.
How to spot ‘ferritin face’
Ferritin face is a non-medical term used to describe a collection of features that social media influencers say is the result of low iron, more specifically ferritin.
Ferritin is a blood protein which plays a significant role in the absorption, storage, and release of iron – and is the useful indicator of iron deficiency.
What are the signs of ‘ferritin face’?
- A dull complexion
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Cracked lips
Five common iron deficiency symptoms
- 1Tiredness and lack of energy
- 2Shortness of breath
- 3Heart palpitations
- 4Paler than usual skin
- 5Headaches
What should you do if you’re worried about iron deficiency?
If you’re worried about iron deficiency, the NHS recommends you see a GP. They will work to determine a diagnosis, cause and treatment, which can include tablets or even an intravenous iron infusion.
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Dietary changes that can help
Iron supplements
If your diet is the cause of your deficiency, eating foods rich in iron and taking iron supplements is recommended.
What to eat more of
Iron-rich foods include dark green leafy vegetables such as curly kale, meat and pulses.
What to eat less of
Drinking and eating less tea, coffee, milk and dairy, which can stop your body absorbing iron from other foods and tablets is also advised.
Seven months of relentless rain needed to end drought
The UK will need above average rainfall for seven months for all areas to move out of drought by spring, officials have said.
The Government has urged water companies not to carry on water measures as drought conditions continue after the UK’s record dry, hot summer – even with the recent September rainfall.
What you need to know
This week the National Drought Group of ministers, officials, water firms, farming leaders, anglers and conservation experts met.
Here are three highlights from that meeting:
- The panel said there were no changes in drought status for areas across England, with three-quarters of the country remaining in drought.
- Water firms were called on to give updates on leakage reduction efforts and preparedness for supplying homes and businesses during autumn and winter.
- The recent rain has not been enough to replenish water supplies, the National Drought Group said, with drought only being declared over when rivers, groundwaters and reservoirs return to normal levels.
How much have reservoir levels improved?
15%
The recent wetter conditions have helped rivers recover and only 15 per cent are now classed as below normal levels, officials said.
20%
Reservoir levels are about 20 per cent lower than they should be for the time of year.
How much rain is needed to recover from drought?
Research from the Environment Agency, which was presented at the drought meeting, showed country will need 120 per cent of typical rainfall over the next seven months for all areas to be considered out of drought.
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What is the latest forecast for September?
The Met Office is forecasting the second half of September will see a return to drier conditions, particularly in the south where the rain is needed the most. The El Niño global weather event and climate change are set to put the UK at higher risk of a wet, stormy autumn.
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Inside the BBC’s plan to cut your licence fee by £36
The BBC has drawn up plans to cut the cost of watching TV by £36 a year if the licence fee is replaced by a German-style household levy.
What has the BBC boss suggested?
20%
Director-General Matt Brittin suggested the £180 annual charge could be cut by 20 per cent under a new funding system.
2.5 million
However, a mandatory levy would mean that the 2.5 million people who have cancelled their licences since 2020 must once again pay to fund the BBC.
How would this model work?
Under this model, most UK adults would pay a monthly fee to support the BBC as a public service broadcaster, whether or not they watch the BBC, use its website or listen to its podcasts.
Since a declining base of TV licence-payers – down 539,000 to 23.3 million households last year – would be replaced by a new charge covering nearly all UK households, the fee could be reduced across the board, the BBC has suggested.
A closer look at the detail
German inspiration
Germany operates a similar system, , requiring all over 18s to pay €18.36 monthly.
Opposition to ‘new tax’
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy previously said: “We ruled out a new tax on households because of the cost of living crisis.”
Streaming surcharge
Nandy has also ruled out charging a levy on subscriptions to streaming platforms.
What about a new BBC Charter?
Ministers at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport are currently meeting with BBC leaders on a weekly basis to thrash out a new BBC Charter, which will include a reformed funding mechanism.
A public consultation will follow, with any major changes set in train by the end of 2027, when the current Charter expires.
Palace hits back at Earl Spencer’s book
King Charles has made a rare and remarkable public statement, rejecting explosive claims in a new book by Earl Spencer that described his alleged “pent-up contempt” for Diana, Princess of Wales.
The claims feature in Swan Song: Diana, My Sister, due to be published next week.
The claim at the centre of row
The Earl recalls a conversation with the then-Prince Charles over Diana’s funeral.
- The Palace wanted William and Harry, then aged 15 and 12, to join the funeral procession but the Earl writes his response was “that’s not going to happen”.
- The Earl says he soon after received a phone call from Charles, who “unleashed down the phone what I have always taken to be his pent-up contempt for Diana, and his horror that the world was so bowled over by her death. ‘Rest assured,’ he hissed, ‘we’ll forget her soon enough!’”
- Earl Spencer says he replied: “I can’t believe you just said that,” then hung up the phone.
How did the Palace respond?
While we do not comment on books as a matter of principle, His Majesty is mindful that the pain of fraternal grief can cloud reason, affect judgement, and colour memory in ways that others do not recognise even many years after such a loss.
Buckingham palace
A closer look at the royal crisis
Buckingham Palace didn’t initially comment on the claims. However, they later issued a statement implying that the Earl had misremembered the conversation.
The row represents a fresh crisis for the King, who is already trying to manage Harry and Meghan’s return to Britain and the continuing scandal surrounding Prince Andrew.
Energy prices forecast to jump
Energy bills are forecast to jump in the coming months, with the war in Iran blamed for pushing up prices for consumers by hundreds of pounds.
Donald Trump’s war on the Middle Eastern country has sent wholesale gas and electricity prices soaring, and Bloomberg’s macroeconomic research service said the energy bills spike could push inflation up beyond 4 per cent.
When are energy prices are forecast to jump?
The 25 per cent jump is forecast to happen by January, according to Bloomberg Economics. However, it is difficult to confidently predict the cost of energy four months in advance.
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How much will energy bills rise by?
Energy bills are expected to rise by 25 per cent, according to Bloomberg Economics. The increase would result in an additional £427 added to the typical annual bill, taking it from £1,723 to £2,150.
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How can consumers keep bills lower?
Many of the cheapest fixed tariffs are priced similarly to the current July price cap, so while savings may not be immediate, they will kick in as soon as October hits and increase if January’s forecast is accurate.
Sabrina Hoque, energy expert at Uswitch.com
Life-extending breast cancer drug made available in England
Breast cancer patients will now have access to a life-extending drug on the NHS in England after the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) reversed its initial decision to reject the medicine for widespread use, concluding the treatment was “not cost-effective” at the time.
What to know about the drug
From today, around 1,000 women with HER2-low advanced breast cancer will have access to Enhertu after a “commercial solution” was agreed.
- It is the first licensed targeted treatment for patients with HER2-low breast cancer that cannot be removed surgically or that has spread to other parts of the body, also known as metastatic breast cancer.
- Clinical trials have found that women with breast cancer who took the drug survived for around two years, compared with 17.5 months for those who had chemotherapy.
- The treatment has been available in Scotland for more than two years.
- Patients in Wales and Northern Ireland do not have access to Enhertu via the NHS.
Patients given hope by drug
Patient Kathryn Hulland, 48, who was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in 2022, said the decision would give her more time with her nine-year-old daughter Grace.
“I may still be here to support my nine-year-old daughter into high school,” she said. “It’s another chance at more time with my daughter, another chance to make memories together, another month to be her mum and see her grow.”
‘Momentous day’ for thousands but decision comes too late for many
Breast Cancer Now chief executive Claire Rowney hailed the announcement as “momentous” but said many died waiting for access to the drug. Helen Knight, director of medicines evaluation at Nice, said she was pleased with the decision but also acknowledged it “comes too late for many families”.
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Faced with an erratic and unreliable primary trading partner, Canada has understandably done what most countries would in its situation – looked to build up relationships and increase its trade elsewhere.
That diplomatic work delivered a win for the Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday, when Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, offered Canada “associate membership” of the European Union in a keynote speech.
In reality, no one – including Carney and Von der Leyen – knows what “associate membership” of the EU actually means. EU parliamentarians had not been forewarned about the line in the speech, there is no existing political status with that name, and the early consensus is that the offer was more of a symbolic statement of intent than something material.
All the same, Trump is mad as hell, and he’s not even trying to hide it. If the EU does a deal with Canada that Trump doesn’t like, he warned, he’ll introduce “very serious tariffs” or even “stop trading with Europe” altogether.
The comments once again show how confused Trump is when it comes to trade, which he always seems to view with the suspicion of a paranoid man who thinks he’s being ripped off, even if he can’t work out exactly how.
The US has become the richest and most successful nation of the early 21st century by outsourcing low-value manufacturing and importing the cheap goods while selling high-margin services – especially through Big Tech – to the rest of the world.
Instead of getting his head around this, Trump obsessively focuses on the USA’s supposed trade deficit with the world – thinking that because the US buys more goods from a country than it sells, it must be doing worse.
As he threatened Canada and the EU, Trump said: “If we lose $50bn a year with a country, and we say ‘we’re not going to trade with you anymore’, we don’t lose $50bn a year. It’s very simple. Right?”
By Trump’s logic, if the US immediately stopped trading with the entire world, it would be fantastic for the US economy. Almost anyone could immediately see the problem with that proposition, but it still seems to elude him.
To put it another way, I spend about £3,000 a year buying goods from my local supermarket, and it spends nothing buying goods from me – meaning I’m running a trade deficit against it. But if I stop buying food until a supermarket promises not to run a deficit with me, I’m going to starve to death.
If a credible US president didn’t want Canada to build closer ties with other nations, they would focus on wooing Canada with a charm offensive of its own – it might offer closer co-operation on defence and security, better trading terms and the like so Canada has no reason to look elsewhere.
Trump seems determined to treat Canada roughly, but also insists it shouldn’t be allowed to make other friends in response. This is once again Trump trying to play geopolitics by the rules of the playground – he makes up his own rules as he goes along to suit himself, and he’s getting increasingly angry when others won’t just go along.
This would be embarrassing for any president, but it is particularly humiliating for Donald Trump – the man who sold himself as the ultimate dealmaker, the guy who wrote The Art of the Deal (even if in reality it was ghostwritten). Trump seems to have forgotten, or never learned, the very basics of reciprocity.
Neither has Trump learned the basics of how international trade works. That’s pretty embarrassing for his alma mater, the Wharton School, given his degree is in economics. It’s even worse for him, given he’s had nearly six years as president to absorb the lesson from one of his many advisers.
Now, Trump’s zero-sum, confused world view is coming back to haunt him. Everyone else is getting on without him – what could be worse for a president who demands to be the star of the show?