By ARTHUR PARASHAR, SENIOR REPORTER

Published: 04:09 EST, 17 December 2025 | Updated: 04:14 EST, 17 December 2025

A 15-year-old boy has been charged with the murder of a nine-year-old girl in Weston-super-Mare, Avon and Somerset Police said. 

Aria Thorpe, who had celebrated her ninth birthday with friends just two weeks ago with a Kpop Demon Hunters party, was found dead at a property in Lime Close just after 6pm on Monday. 

A teenage boy was later arrested outside Worle rail station, less than half a mile from the scene. 

The 15-year-old has now been charged and will appear at Bristol Magistrates’ Court today.

A post-mortem examination has been carried out and the preliminary finding is that Aria was killed by a single stab wound.

Superintendent Jen Appleford said: ‘Our investigation has continued at pace since Monday evening and we can confirm a 15-year-old boy, who lives in Weston-super-Mare, has overnight been charged with murder. He is due to appear in court later today.

‘This remains an incredibly difficult time for Aria’s family, who we continue to support and update around our investigation. 

‘It is impossible to adequately describe how traumatic the past 36 hours have been for them and we’d like to reiterate in the strongest possible terms their request for privacy.

Police and forensics at the scene in Lime Close, Weston-super-Mare

‘The tragic loss of such a young girl has caused a huge amount of shock and upset, with there being a profound sense of loss felt throughout the community. 

‘We are working closely with partner agencies and schools across the Weston area to make sure those affected receive access to any support they need.

‘We are grateful to local residents for the patience shown while we have been carrying out enquiries in the area. 

‘This work will need to continue over the next few days, but if anyone has any issues then please do not hesitate to speak to officers on the cordon who will be happy to help.’

This is a breaking news story. More to follow. 

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Boy, 15, is charged with murder of nine-year-old Aria Thorpe in Weston-super-Mare

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Shannon Collins, 46, is a personal trainer who is a super fit and super ripped gym mum. If you want to avoid fat gain over Christmas, she shared simple methods to follow without dieting

08:45, 17 Dec 2025Updated 08:45, 17 Dec 2025

Shannon Collins shared how she avoids fat gain at Christmas(Image: Jam Press/@thegymnurse)

It’s no secret that the festive season is a time for joy, happiness and indulging in all sorts of delicious food, but many people worry about gaining weight at the super decadent time of year. However, you may not need to worry, as a personal trainer, who happens to be a super ripped gym mum, has shared simple things you can do to prevent the problem.

Shannon Collins, 46, is known for sharing fitness advice online and she helps people to tone up and achieve weight loss without imposing huge restrictions. In a post about Christmas, she said people can start making simple changes to aid their bodies and their health over the festive period.

The mum explained you can still enjoy yourself and eat some pretty delicious food. The key, according to Shannon, is ensuring you balance this with exercise and follow a few simple rules along the way.

In an Instagram post, Shannon wrote: “It doesn’t need to be the norm to gain weight over the holidays and start [January] up another 5lbs. Every day and every meal from now until January doesn’t need to be a free for all.

“There is lots of time to be making progress and even lose fat. Wouldn’t it be cool to be starting off in control?

“There is never going to be the perfect time. The key is making the most of your time and keeping the mindset that something is better than nothing.”

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As someone who often posts snaps of herself flaunting her ripped abs, Shannon is someone you probably want to listen to. She knows her stuff, and wants to help others keep on track throughout the holidays.

The mum said you don’t need to be “perfect”, you just need to be consistent enough to avoid the “rebound spiral”. She claimed you should ensure you move every day, and achieve your step goals, while still enjoying yourself.

Another good thing to do, she said, is ensure you add fibre and protein to every meal you eat. Drinking plenty of water is deemed essential, as you can often snack when you feel dehydrated.

According to Shannon, there’s another big mistake people make during Christmas, and that’s “saving calories” for festive treats. She urged people not to skip meals, as this can seriously end up backfiring.

She revealed how she keeps in shape(Image: Jam Press/@thegymnurse)

On the topic of treats, she also noted it’s important to be picky with them. Only opt for the ones you really enjoy, as eating things simply because they’re there can lead to unnecessary weight gain.

Shannon also stressed the importance of sleep. When you’re tired, it can lead to “poor appetite control”, according to the personal trainer.

On the topic of alcohol, she said it’s “best” not to drink it but, if you’re going to drink it, it’s wise to have a few rules in place. Avoid having multiple drinks a week and maybe skip dessert if you’re going to have a few tipples.

Shannon said there’s no need to feel “guilty” for enjoying yourself, as you can always get back on track. However, it’s wise to be mindful about overindulging if you want to avoid fat gain.

What should I be eating every day?

The NHS website states: “You need energy from calories for your body to work properly. Your body uses this energy to function properly.

“To stay at around the same weight, the calories your body uses should be the same as the amount of calories you eat and drink.”

Generally, the NHS says an average man needs 2,500kcal a day and an average woman needs 2,000kcal a day. However, this could differ based on your age, weight, height and how much exercise you do.

If you’re worried about your weight at all, or need to help to control it, contact your GP for further advice. Always seek professional guidance before making any drastic changes to your diet.

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Mourners packed the Shabad of Bondi Synagogue today for the funeral of British-born Rabbi Eli Schlanger.

He was one of 15 people killed in Sunday’s attack and one of the main organisers of the Hannukah event.

Friends and family wept as they arrived to pay their respects – embracing each other, grieving together and reflecting on the huge impact the rabbi had on this community.

Bondi Beach shooting latest: Alleged gunman charged – as funerals begin for victims

Image:
Rabbi Eli Schlanger

Breaking down as he spoke, mourner Michael Shamrakov said: “He was the kindest man you ever knew. He’d do anything for you.

“He’d never say no. He’d always have fun with you. He meant the world to us.”

Rabbi Schlanger, 41, was also a father of five. He’d welcomed a new son, just two months ago.

Inside a packed synagogue, where his family gripped onto his coffin as they wept, people mourned a man with a huge influence and inspiration.

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The funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue. Pic: Reuters

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Eyewitness remembers friend killed at Bondi Beach

The funeral marks the first day of seven days of mourning. But the impact of the attack on Bondi Beach will endure long after that.

Here, the grieving found solace in song and being able to hold and console each other.

“It’s raw emotion, the love, the unity that we felt, the brokenness that we all felt together,” Rabbi Yossi Freidman said as he walked alongside the cortege – with many weeping as they made their way to bury their friend.

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Family grieve over the coffin at the Chabad of Bondi Synagogue during the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger. Pic: Reuters

It was the first of many funerals. Each one a searing reminder of the threat the community faces and the vulnerability it feels.

But there was huge determination on show too – with many saying how important it was for them to hold their heads high, to show they will not cede to those who try to divide them.

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Fans of English novelist Jane Austen have been celebrating the anniversary of her birth 250 years ago. Al Jazeera’s Charlie Angela has been to Austen’s former home in southern England.

Published On 17 Dec 202517 Dec 2025

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A probationary constable who was shot in Sunday’s terrorist attack at Bondi beach has lost the sight of an eye, as questions persist about the experience and numbers of police at the event.

Jack Hibbert, 22, was on duty on Sunday evening having joined the police only four months earlier.

“While serving and protecting the community, Jack sustained two bullet wounds – one to his head and another to his shoulder,” the 22-year-old’s family said in a statement.

“Jack was on duty, patrolling the Hanukah celebration interacting with the community at Bondi Beach, when the incident first occurred. Jack was taken to ICU where he was intubated and underwent multiple surgeries. Although miraculously surviving, Jack’s injuries have resulted in a loss of vision in one of his eyes and he now faces a long and challenging recovery ahead, with additional surgeries required.”

Another officer injured in the attack, Const Scott Dyson, had been attached to the eastern suburbs police area command for 18 months.

The NSW premier, Chris Minns, said on Wednesday at least three officers had been patrolling the park where the shooting took place.

“My understanding is NSW police worked closely with CSG noting that there were a number of Hanukah events, including events in Bondi, North Bondi and Dover Heights,” Minns said on Wednesday, referring to the Community Security Group, a private security initiative for the Jewish community.

“I am advised there were around 20 NSW police officers on duty in the Bondi area, including two detectives, with at least three officers patrolling the park.”

The former federal minister Josh Frydenberg said on Wednesday the event at the beach had been inadequately protected.

“How, with some 1,000 people here in a heightened threat environment, did we just have three police, ill-equipped to provide the first and fundamental duty of both the state and the federal government, to protect the safety of their citizens? We need answers, we need solutions, we need action.”

Probationary Const Jack Hibbert was shot twice while patrolling the Hanukah event. Photograph: NSW Police

The NSW’s opposition leader, Kellie Sloane, echoed his concerns, saying more needed to be revealed about the decisions on police resourcing to protect Jewish events.

“The two police officers who ran towards danger and are in critical situations, we owe it to them, we owe it to their colleagues, to be asking questions about what more could have been done,” she told ABC radio.

“The Jewish community is at such an extreme risk. We knew this before the event on the first day of Hanukah.
And I felt like they were sitting ducks, so no blame here at the moment, but we do need to understand what more could have been done and why they weren’t protected.”

The premier said on Tuesday, in response to robust questions about police resourcing and response times, that officers had acted “with bravery and integrity”.

“They didn’t take a backward step,” he said. “They engaged the gunman on the foot bridge with handguns. The offenders had long-range rifles, and New South Wales police officers were responsible for killing one of them and shooting the other one, and as a result, saving many, many people’s lives.”

‘An impossible mandate’

Dr Vince Hurley, a lecturer in criminology at Macquarie University and a former NSW police officer with 29 years’ experience, said any concern about the officers’ relative youth on the force was unwarranted, and probably would not have made much difference during Sunday’s attack, which threw the entire beach area into “chaos”.

“Regardless of the experience of the police, I don’t think if I was there, or other senior police with years of experience, I don’t think the results would be any different,” he told the Guardian, noting there were hundreds of people in the area at the time of the attack.

“I think it is an impossible mandate … even if there were 10 police there.”

Hurley said the officers on duty in the area would be “initially as shocked as the punters who were there” when two men opened fire on a celebration for the first day of Hanukah. As soon as the attack began, the scene would have been akin to an urban war zone, with officers making split-second decisions about who to help and who to engage on one of the most crowded beaches in the country.

“There’s no amount of police training that can deal with a situation like this,” Hurley said.

Syrian relatives of Bondi hero Ahmed al-Ahmed say his home country is proud of him – video

The NSW police commissioner, Mal Lanyon, has maintained the force bases its policing responses “on the threat that exists at the time”, saying officers were moving through the Bondi area at all times during the Hanukah celebration.

Lanyon said on Wednesday NSW police would “absolutely” examine whether front-line police officers should have greater access to more powerful firearms.

“Part of any incident like this, and this is the most significant tragic incident we’ve had in many years, is to review our policies, to look at our resources, to look at the way we go about doing things,” he said.

“Historically, NSW police operational officers have only used hand guns, because our traditional form of contact that we’ve had where we’ve had to use our firearms has been in close quarters.

“What happened on Sunday has changed that dynamic. And it’s important as an organisation we consider everything to keep our officers and the community safe.”

Hurley said in the past, general duty officers had not had access to long arms like rifles because of the danger that they could be overpowered and a rifle turned on the public.

“The risk of them falling into the hands of the offender is incredibly high,” Hurley said.

Lanyon visited Hibbert on Wednesday morning, describing the young officer as a “really positive young man” who had the full backing of the agency. He said Dyson had undergone further surgery and remained in a critical but stable condition.

“All of our thoughts and prayers are with him and his family,” Lanyon said. “For both officers, it will be a long road to recovery.”

• In Australia, support is available at Beyond Blue on 1300 22 4636, Lifeline on 13 11 14, and Griefline on 1300 845 745. In the UK, the charity Mind is available on 0300 123 3393. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org

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A 24-year-old man accused of carrying out the Bondi Beach mass shooting has been charged with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, as Sydney began holding the first funerals for victims of the attack that killed 15 people.

The charges against Naveed Akram include a terrorism offence, 15 counts of murder, and 40 counts relating to wound/grievous bodily harm to a person with intent to murder.

He has also been charged with the alleged firing of a weapon, displaying the symbol of a banned terrorist group, and placing an explosive device in or near a building.

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A woman consoles Valentyna (R), mother of 10-year-old Matilda, who was killed in the Bondi Beach attack (AFP via Getty)

According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, prosecutors will argue that Akram’s actions were intended to advance a religious motive and were carried out in a way that caused deaths, inflicted severe injuries, and put the wider public at risk.

The charges were laid even as families, faith leaders, and political figures gathered in Sydney on Wednesday to mourn the victims of the Bondi Beach attack.

The first funerals marked a sombre turning point for a nation still reeling from Sunday’s violence, which left 15 people dead after two gunmen – Sajid Akram, 50, and his son Naveed Akram, 24 – opened fire at a beachfront Hanukkah celebration attended by Jewish families.

One of the earliest services was held at the Chabad of Bondi synagogue for Rabbi Eli Schlanger, whose death has become emblematic of the scale of loss suffered by the local Jewish community. Outside the synagogue, mourners packed the streets in silence as Schlanger’s coffin – draped in black velour embroidered with the gold Star of David – was carried inside. Family members leaned over the coffin, weeping.

Schlanger, 41, was an assistant rabbi at Chabad of Bondi and the organiser of the “Chanukah by the Sea” event at Bondi Beach. A father of five, his youngest child is just two months old.

Often referred to as the “Bondi Rabbi”, Schlanger was widely known for his work supporting Jewish life in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. Chabad described him as a tireless community figure devoted to strengthening faith and connection.

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The community transformed the Bondi beachfront into a sprawling floral memorial (AFP via Getty)

During the funeral service, his father-in-law Rabbi Yehoram Ulman struggled to speak through tears.

“Whatever I say today will be an understatement to what you mean to everyone and to your family and to me personally,” he said. “You are my son, my friend, my confidant.”

He added: “A day without you is impossible.”

Prime minister Anthony Albanese, speaking earlier to reporters, said Schlanger’s loss was felt far beyond his immediate family.

“He was clearly much loved in the community, not just by his family as well,” Mr Albanese said.

“I think all Australians’ thoughts and hearts are with those families as they go through farewelling their loved ones.”

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Mourners attend the funeral of Rabbi Eli Schlanger (Reuters)

Funerals were also scheduled on Wednesday for Reuven Morrison, Peter Meagher, and Rabbi Yaakov Levitan.

As services continued, residents across Sydney gathered at Bondi Pavilion, laying flowers and lighting candles at the site of the attack, transforming the beachfront landmark into a sprawling memorial.

Meanwhile, the surviving gunman, Naveed Akram, is set to face court later on Wednesday via video conference. Another gunman, Sajid Akram, was shot by police at the site of the attack on Sunday.

Mr Albanese has said that the attack was driven by “Islamic State ideology” and investigators believe the suspected attackers had recently undergone “military-style training” in the southern Philippines, an area associated with Islamist extremist groups, according to public broadcaster ABC.

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Emergency legislation is being drafted for gun law changes in Australia (AFP via Getty)

New South Wales premier Chris Minns has confirmed that emergency legislation is being drafted and that parliament will be recalled ahead of the Christmas break. Proposed changes include caps on the number of firearms an individual may own, the reclassification of straight pull-up and pump-action shotguns, reductions in shotgun magazine capacity, and a ban on belt-fed shotgun magazines, local media reported.

The state is also seeking to eliminate appeal mechanisms once a gun license has been revoked.

Meanwhile, opposition leader Sussan Ley told reporters on Wednesday that over the past two years Jewish Australians had seen “a rising tide of antisemitism” in the country.

“They have looked to their leaders in Canberra, and they have looked to Prime Minister Albanese, and he has failed them. He has failed them every single day.”

“If none of the events of the last two years were a wake-up call, then surely this is the wake-up call the prime minister needs to step up,” she said.

Deputy prime minister Richard Marles told Channel Seven that Jewish Australians have not felt secure “for a long time”.

“Antisemitism is at the heart of this and we need to be doing everything in our country to stamp it out. We have been acting on that in terms of commissioning the Segal report,” Mr Marles said. It is a report by special envoy Jillian Segal on combating antisemitism.

“Not for a moment am I saying that everything has been done. We need to do so much more and we will do that. This won’t be a week or a month, it’s a long-term project but we must stamp antisemitism out. In this we must bring Australians together.”

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NEED TO KNOW

• Timothée Chalamet is continuing his bright orange trend for the Marty Supreme press tour
• Chalamet wore coordinating neon orange looks with his mother, Nicole Flender, at the premiere in N.Y.C. on Tuesday, Dec. 16
• Last week, he wore a twinning orange ensemble with girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the Los Angeles premiere

Timothée Chalamet is continuing to paint the town orange.

Just a week after wearing matching custom Chrome Hearts vibrant orange outfits with girlfriend Kylie Jenner at the Los Angeles premiere of his upcoming film Marty Supreme, Chalamet, 29, donned the same hue alongside his mother Nicole Flender at the New York City premiere of the film on Tuesday, Dec. 16.

Chalamet’s double-breasted neon orange suit, paired with a coordinating fringe scarf, was designed by Haider Ackermann for Tom Ford. He completed the look with a chain necklace, a watch, and wire-rimmed glasses.

Flender wore matching neon orange halter neck gown paired with coordinating shoes and a glittery gold purse. She wore her hair in an elegant updo.

At the Los Angeles premiere on Dec. 9, Chalamet wore a bright orange leather suit, with an orange silk shirt and orange boots. He also carried a Chrome Hearts black leather ping-pong paddle case draped over his shoulder.

The Kylie Cosmetics founder, 28, wore a floor-length orange gown with triangular cutouts below her bust and across her waist. The base of her deep V-neckline was cinched with a cross embellishment, which was then replicated on her necklace with several more crosses varying in size. She paired the look with orange pointed-toe pumps.

The star of Marty Supreme previously selected the unique hue during a now-viral marketing meeting made public back in November. In the video, widely circulated by studio A24 on social media, Chalamet explains his desire to incorporate the bright orange shade into the film’s promotional materials.

Referring to the color as “Great Idea #1”, Chalamet said at the time, “Hardcore orange. Corroded orange. Falling apart orange. Rusted orange.” He cited the pink frenzy that surrounded Barbie in 2023 as his reason for selecting a color.

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Chalamet then showed the Zoom group the “mock-up” of the color orange his visual artist prepared that took him “six months” to create, before then pulling up a file of a tiny square of the shade. 

Timothée Chalamet and his mother Nicole Flender at the NYC premiere of ‘Marty Supreme’.

John Nacion/Variety via Getty

“It’s not totally ready yet, but this is like a working example of the very specific orange I want to be on every poster for this,” he said at the time, before pitching the idea to change the Statue of Liberty from green to orange to get onlookers to be “thinking Marty Supreme” upon first glance. 

Chalamet proposed the idea of turning the Eiffel Tower orange, too, in addition to the Egyptian Pyramids and the Taj Mahal. 

Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner at the LA premiere of ‘Marty Supreme’.

Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty

“When you guys think of the great vehicle of American greatness, what do you think? … the blimp,” he said on the Zoom call, dismissing the car (specifically, the “Model T”) and plane that were put forth by his coworkers. 

Since the brainstorm meeting, orange Marty Supreme blimps have been spotted floating through the sky. 

Marty Supreme hits theaters on Dec. 25.

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15 year old Ann-Louise has a rare life-limiting condition, but lights up when she sings. As our Mirror Christmas appeal for Lifelites continues, her mum Mary shares how the charity’s clever tech helps her daughter enjoy life

15:50, 16 Dec 2025Updated 06:46, 17 Dec 2025

As Ann-Louise Owens took to the stage to perform in her hospice’s Disney showcase, she took on an amazing transformation. The teenager, who has a rare life-limiting condition, which causes up to 200 absent seizures a day was beaming with happiness and confidence as she sang ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen. Her mum Mary, 56, watched with pride as her daughter’s angelic voice wowed the audience. She felt emotional as this moment was a real triumph for Ann-Louise.

Ann-Louise, who yesterday celebrated her 15th birthday, was diagnosed with rare Chromosome 22Q duplication genetic disorder at the age of three. The condition causes severe uncontrolled epilepsy but music is a way for her to connect and have fun. She regularly plays on a guitar gifted by East Anglia’s Children’s Hospices’ (EACH) ambassador, Ed Sheeran, and his hit song Castle on the Hill is her favourite.

READ MORE: Olly Murs ‘blown away’ in special video for schoolboy who plays music with his eyes

Two weeks ago we launched our Mirror Christmas appeal in aid of Lifelites to ‘Unwrap the Magic of Christmas’ for thousands of children and young people like Ann-Louise. The campaign aims to raise vital funds for them to experience the wonder of life-changing technology.

Ann-Louise plays with the Lifelites Cosmo Switch with musical therapist Ray(Image: PHIL HARRIS)

Lifelites currently reach 15,000 children with life-limiting conditions. The charity provides seriously ill and disabled children the chance to play, create and communicate, using the power of assistive and sensory technology. This includes the Soundbeam, a touch-free musical device that uses sensor technology to translate movement into sound, Magic Carpet, Magic Carpet, which projects moving images onto the floor (or any suitable surface) to enable children to interact and control their environment, the Eyegaze, which tracks eye movements and allows children to control a computer, and more.

However, there are still 85,000 children without access to Lifelites. By donating to our appeal, Mirror readers can help thousands more receive this life-changing technology, enhancing the life of a seriously ill or disabled child and help them make the most of the precious moments they have with their families.

Ann-Louise has attended The Treehouse, EACH’s hospice in Ipswich, Suffolk, for three years. Mary, said: “She loves her music and Ed Sheeran and she gets to play his guitar that he gifted to the hospice when she is here. She loves singing his hit Castle on the Hill and went to his concert in Ipswich in July.”

Ann-Louise with mum Mary(Image: PHIL HARRIS)

As a result of her condition, Ann-Louise has two holes in her heart, has asthma, hypermobility and digestive problems that means she is fed via a gastric tube. Mary said: “Ann-Louise’s condition means she has two copies of the 22Q chromosome, which makes everything go wrong. She can walk but not very far as she has daily seizures – around 200 absent and tonic clonic seizures a day, which is why she’s in a wheelchair as it makes it difficult to get around.

“Because it’s such a rare condition doctors don’t know much about it so it’s tough. She’s now on experimental drugs for her epilepsy as everything else has failed.” Sadly Mary was given news last week about Ann-Louise that every parent dreads. She said: “We found out that her gut is failing. There will be more trouble when her stomach gives up. We have just been told to make memories.

“Her needs have changed drastically and her condition has worsened as she’s gotten older. It’s been a long road and we now have to think about what we want for her going forward when it comes to medical intervention. It’s hard when you get bad news but you have to work through it, we need to do what’s best for her and if that’s filling the house with lights and music that’s what we will do.”

Ann-Louise plays with the Cosmo Switch(Image: PHIL HARRIS)

Mary says she can’t thank The Treehouse enough for helping fill Ann-Louise’s life with joy. “She gets so much from coming to The Treehouse and has found her love of music. She sang ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen in front of everybody and wore a princess dress. It was amazing and she makes me very proud.

“When she plays music and sings she is a different person, she doesn’t say anything at all hardly to anyone until she’s got a microphone and music and then she comes alive and is so happy. She totally changes, you wouldn’t think it was the same person when you see her singing, it gives her so much confidence.

“We get so much from coming to the hospice, they support me as well and Ann-Louise, who comes to stay two nights a month. She loves the Lifelites technology – she enjoys the Sensory Room and the Magic Carpet and the Cosmo Switches – she likes pressing them and hearing music.

“This Christmas we will make it extra special, Ann-Louise wants a karaoke machine for Christmas and all the family will be coming over to share it with us. It will be loud but full of joy. Having access to the Lifelites technology and the music is extremely important for Ann-Louise as it turns her into a totally different child, she can express all her emotions through play and music. It’s one of the only times you see her truly happy, laughing and having fun.”

Ann-Louise(Image: PHIL HARRIS)

Ray Travasso, 52, music therapist at The Treehouse, said: “Ann-Louise is like another person and she fully comes alive when she makes music, she’s just happy sitting at the piano and playing and listening to songs and singing along. In our music therapy sessions we sing but I’ve noticed she can be a quiet girl sometimes, a little bit anxious, and have her head down. But when we play music her head is up, her eyes are open and she’s fully engaged and she’s totally in the moment.

“That’s one of the wonderful things about music, it can really unlock things for people and someone like Ann-Louise is a brilliant example of that. She was able to sing in front of other people at our Disney night. She was great and fully alive.

“It’s really rewarding seeing people change through music, I get such a buzz from seeing the transformation. For people like Ann-Louise, who feel they haven’t got a place in this world, music can make them be somebody and engage. I use the Lifelites Soundbeam in my classes which is amazing – it works through movement and movement makes the sounds which makes music accessible for everyone.”

Rob Lightfoot, CEO of Lifelites, said: “Lifelites technology is truly life-changing. Seeing the transformation in Ann-Louise as she uses the technology to make music is incredible. With thousands of children still unable to access this kind of support, we are so grateful to Mirror readers for supporting our Appeal.”

Unwrap the magic of Christmas

Donate today and unwrap the Magic of Christmas for seriously ill children. Donations from Mirror readers will be used to provide seriously ill children access to life-changing technology that will enable them to play, communicate and have fun in ways that would otherwise be impossible.

• Donate online HERE
• Text MIRROR to 70085 to give £10. To donate without receiving further updates, text MIRRORNOINFO. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message, and you’ll be opting into hearing more from Lifelites.
• Donate by post: Send cheques made payable to Lifelites to Lifelites, 60 Great Queen Street, London WC2B 5AZ

READ MORE: ‘Our children’s hospice creates magical Christmas memories for families to treasure’



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Donald Trump has said the quiet stuff out loud. His Tuesday evening social media post on Venezuela feels like an offload, a dump of thoughts. But it is nonetheless very revealing.

“Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America,” the US president says.

“It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before…”

That’s a reference to the massive US naval and Air Force presence in the Caribbean off Venezuela. It is indeed an armada, and it’s been there for months now.

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‘They’ve treated us badly’

On the face of it, it’s all part of an anti-drug mission, to counter the drug trade from Venezuela into America. At least that’s the public messaging. And the missile and drone attacks on suspected drug boats in the region are all part of the play.

And that’s why the second part of his post is particularly interesting, because he now appears to be saying out loud what plenty have suspected all along – that this is actually about regime change, and it is about oil far more than it is about drugs.

He says that the military will remain in place “until such time as they [Venezuela] return to the United States of America all of the Oil, Land, and other Assets that they previously stole from us”.

He continues: “The illegitimate Maduro Regime is using Oil from these stolen Oil Fields to finance themselves, Drug Terrorism, Human Trafficking, Murder, and Kidnapping.”

This is a reference to the fact that the US was once a huge importer of Venezuelan oil. American companies based in the country extracted the oil and refineries on the Texan coast processed it. The refineries were adapted over decades to refine the thick, heavy crude that is typical of Venezuela.

The process was big business for American firms until Venezuela, under Hugo Chavez in the 2000s, nationalised the foreign oil assets.

Read more:
The US-Venezuela crisis explained

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Is America about to invade Venezuela?

Trump wants all that back – the oil, the revenue, the influence. So all this, it seems clear now, is about oil, and it is about spheres of influence – hemispheres. Trump is determined to assert American control over the western hemisphere.

The ultimate ambition it seems is threefold:

• To remove the Maduro regime and support a friendly, compliant government;
• To seize control of the oil, through commercial partnerships, not force;
• And to stop any drug and people smuggling into the US.

With this latest social post, Trump has now said all that out loud. Interesting days ahead are certain.

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Lucknow, India – Harshit Verma believes his 50-year-old father, Vijay Kumar Verma, died because he was handling an “inhuman task”.

Vijay, a contractual government teacher in Lucknow, the capital of India’s Uttar Pradesh state, was hired as a booth-level officer (BLO) to conduct a revision of the voter list in his constituency, as part of an enormous electoral exercise involving millions of BLOs across the world’s most populous country.

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The exercise, called the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), was launched by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on November 4, across 12 states and federally governed territories, to update the electoral rolls by adding eligible voters through house-to-house enumeration and removing ineligible people. The exercise will be repeated in the remaining states in phases.

According to a handbook for BLOs on the ECI’s website, their responsibilities range from doing house visits to identifying existing and dead voters, collecting their photos and other relevant documents, and uploading them on a designated portal. The BLOs, who are mostly government teachers or junior officials, have complained of their immense work pressure. A single mistake means the entire process of filling out the forms and uploading them has to be done again.

A report last week by the Spect Foundation, a New Delhi-based think tank, said at least 33 BLOs have died across India since November 4, at least nine of whom took their own lives and left desperate accounts of their work pressure in their suicide notes.

Vijay did not die by suicide. He collapsed on November 14 while completing SIR work late at night at his home in Lucknow’s Sarava village, and was rushed to hospital. He died of a brain haemorrhage 10 days later.

“Since he had joined the BLO duty, his phone continuously rang. We saw him working from morning till late night,” Vijay’s sister-in-law, Shashi Verma, told Al Jazeera.

A photo of Vijay Kumar Verma, a booth-level officer who died of a brain haemorrhage, at his home near Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh [Sumaiya Ali/Al Jazeera]

Harshit, 20, said he had read text messages sent by district officials to his father, repeatedly telling him to do more work or “face consequences”.

“Quickly complete 200 forms. If it’s less than that, you will be charged,” he recalled one of the messages as saying.

“We have received no support from the government,” Harshit told Al Jazeera, as he stood with his mother, Sangeeta Rawat, outside the Lucknow offices of the Samajwadi Party, an opposition party supporting their protest.

“The senior district magistrate visited us after my father’s death, but only paid condolences and told me to focus on my studies,” he said.

‘Barely two hours of sleep every day’

Al Jazeera spoke to two other BLOs in Lucknow who refused to reveal their identities over fears it could invite the wrath of the government and jeopardise their jobs.

“I have been functioning with barely two hours of sleep every day. On many days, I didn’t even sleep at all,” said a 45-year-old BLO who works as a teacher at a government school in Lucknow.

Another BLO, also a teacher at a village school in the same district, said her phone numbers have been made public and her devices now ring at odd hours. “People call me late at night and ask me to correct their details or find if their name is in another list,” she said.

The BLO said that most people in villages do not keep an electronic version of their documents, unlike residents in cities. “Quite often, when we visit these villagers to collect their details, they would take a long time going through their trunks or cupboards to find their papers. It is a common problem.”

She said BLOs return to their homes in the evening after a long day of work and continue to upload forms online until late into the night. “Quite often, the server does not work, and I upload forms at 4 in the morning to avoid this issue,” the 35-year-old said.

“I would get worried that my mobile phone’s battery will run out, so I would always keep plugging it in to charge whenever possible,” she added.

The BLOs’ biggest concern, she said, was to complete their work within the one-month deadline given by the ECI, a process for which she said they were not given proper training.

“It was just a two- [to] three-hour briefing in which we were told how to collect and upload data. That’s it,” the BLO in rural Lucknow said.

In Uttar Pradesh, the deadline to finish the SIR process has been extended twice: first to December 11, and then to December 26. The exercise ended in Tamil Nadu and Gujarat states on December 14, and will end in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and Andaman and Nicobar on December 18.

Controversial exercise

The eastern state of Bihar was the first to go through a revision of its electoral rolls this year, after a gap of more than two decades. In July, the SIR was launched in Bihar before its legislative assembly elections in November, in which Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) emerged for the first time as the single largest party.

In the run-up to the polls, Bihar’s opposition parties had demanded a rollback of the SIR, accusing the ECI of rushing through a mammoth electoral exercise that could render vast numbers of citizens unable to vote. In September, the ECI published its final voter list for Bihar, removing 4.7 million names from the rolls.

In Seemanchal, a Muslim-majority region in Bihar’s northeast, voter removals exceeded the state average, prompting allegations by opposition parties and Muslim groups that the ECI was especially targeting Muslim voters, who generally do not vote for the BJP, for removal.

The BJP’s thumping win in Bihar triggered accusations by the losing coalition of a “vote chori” (“chori” means stealing in Hindi). Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the Indian National Congress party, last month called the SIR “a sinister plan of the Election Commission to destroy democracy”.

In response, Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah said in a speech in parliament that the real “vote chori” happened under Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi’s great-grandfather and grandmother who were also former Indian prime ministers.

As the political debate over the electoral exercise ramped up, it continued to destroy lives. In Bihar, at least two BLOs died during the revision of the electoral rolls.

On November 9, five days after the SIR was announced in a dozen other Indian states and federal territories, Namita Handa, a 50-year-old rural health worker, died of a stroke while she was on duty in West Bengal’s East Burdwan district. Her husband, Madhab Hansda, blamed the SIR workload for her sudden death.

On November 22, Rinku Tarafdar, a 53-year-old biology teacher recruited as a BLO, was found dead at her residence in Nadia district of West Bengal.

In her two-page suicide note, Tarafdar blamed the ECI. “I do not support any political party, but I cannot handle this inhumane pressure anymore”, she wrote, adding that she was threatened with an “administrative process” if she failed to do the required work.

At least four BLOs died during the SIR in West Bengal. On Monday, the ECI published a draft voter list for the state, which removed about 5.8 million people. The deleted names were marked as absent, shifted, dead or duplicate voters.

Sangeeta Rawat, the wife of Vijay Kumar Verma, talks to reporters in Lucknow after her husband’s death while he was working on the SIR [Sumaiya Ali/Al Jazeera]

‘Barely ate or slept’

Anuj Garg worked as a teacher in a government school in Dholpur city in the western state of Rajasthan. On the night of November 30, he fell to the ground while working at his laptop at his home and died of cardiac arrest. He was 44 and had two children.

“He asked for tea at around 1am, but by the time it came, we had lost him,” his sister, Anjana Garg, told Al Jazeera. “In the last month, he barely ate or slept. We only saw him working without a break.”

Anuj had previously worked as a BLO. But Anjana said the pressure this year was extraordinary. Despite working around the clock, he had received notices from his supervisors warning him to meet his targets, she said, adding that the death by suicide of another BLO in the state had added to his stress.

On the night of December 1, Sarvesh Singh, a 46-year-old BLO in Uttar Pradesh’s Moradabad district, died by suicide while his wife and four daughters were sleeping in another room. Singh left a note and a final video, purportedly recorded by his wife.

“I failed in this election,” he said in the video, adding that he was losing his mental stability due to a lack of sleep and excessive pressure. In the note, he wrote: “I used to work day and night, but still could not finish my target.”

The ECI has rejected accusations of workloads leading to the deaths of dozens of BLOs across the country.

“The SIR work is very normal. It is not that the BLOs are doing it for the first time,” ECI spokesman Apurva Kumar Singh told Al Jazeera, calling the deaths unfortunate. He said the work was “not overburdening at all”, adding that the ECI was taking required action, without specifying what that action is.

The commission recently doubled the compensation for BLOs to 1,000 rupees ($11) in addition to their salaries, and announced an incentive of 6,000 rupees ($66) upon the completion of an election cycle.

Sapan Mondal, the general secretary of the Kolkata-based Election Staff and Booth Level Officer Forum, said the Election Commission provided no training to the BLOs before pushing them into the enormous exercise.

“When the BLO duty was assigned, nothing was provided, not even devices or data entry operators to help those who don’t know how to work online,” he told Al Jazeera.

As criticism mounted, the ECI on December 1 posted a video on its X account showing a group of BLOs dancing to “relieve their stress”.

The video added to the outrage. Social media users called the commission’s move insensitive. The ECI has not officially responded to the criticism.

Meanwhile, petitions have been filed in several courts against the SIR by opposition politicians, victims’ families and the Association for Democratic Reforms, a prominent watchdog on India’s election processes.

Many affected families said they have been waiting for government support after losing their loved ones, who were often their sole breadwinners.

“We want the money we spent on our father’s untimely death, and a government job for me. Are we asking for a lot?” Harshit asked as he held a 200,000-rupee ($2,200) cheque given to his family by the opposition Samajwadi Party.

If you or someone you know is at risk of suicide, these organisations may be able to help. In India, New Delhi-based Sumaitri (+91-11-23389090) and Chennai-based Sneha Foundation (+91-44-24640050) are important helplines.

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