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Winter war in Ukraine “will obviously be difficult”: Zelensky

by www.newsweek.com Leave a Comment

Temperatures in Ukraine are frigid this time of year with lows in the teens and highs that hover near the freezing mark. With the Russian war of aggression also happening within Ukraine borders, there’s also the loss of power, loss of heating and potential bombardment of Russian missiles.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on the fourth day of winter addressed his nation Sunday night, just like he does every evening, to talk about the hardships of war plus winter.

“The enemy [Russia] really hopes to use winter against us: to make winter cold and hardship part of his terror,” Zelensky said in his address. “We have to do everything to endure this winter, no matter how hard it is. And we will endure. To endure this winter is to defend everything.”

Zelensky said Russia still has a sizeable advantage when it comes to resources like missiles, artillery and other equipment of war. But the Ukraine president said his country has something Russian forces don’t have, and that’s a love for Ukraine.

“We defend our home, and that gives us the strongest motivation possible. We fight for freedom, and that always multiplies any force. We defend the truth, and this unites the whole world around Ukraine,” Zelensky said.

It’s been close to a year since Russia began positioning troops along Ukraine’s northern and western borders in late January while it also conducted military with neighboring Belarus. Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24 this year and there have been heavy casualties on both sides.

Russia has lost more than 91,000 soldiers during the war, according to estimates from Ukraine’s ministry of defense.

Since the war began, Russia has failed to overtake Kyiv, Lviv and Odesa, but they occupied many regions in the eastern portion of Ukraine. Russia has occupied most of the Donbas Oblast, which includes Luhansk, Severodonetsk, Donetsk and Mariupol. They occupied the Crimea peninsula in 2014.

The winter months in Ukraine began December 1, and the 90-day hiatus will be a testament to the country’s moxie, Zelensky said.

“To get through this winter, we have to help each other more than ever and care for each other even more,” Zelensky said Sunday night. “And please don’t ask if you can help, and how. Just help when you see you can.

“To get through the winter, we have to be even more resilient and even more united than ever. There can be no internal conflicts and strife, which can weaken us all, even if someone out there thinks that somehow it will strengthen him personally. We need more interaction than ever. All of Ukraine has to become one big Point of Invincibility and work every day, work every night. The state, business, people – all of us, Ukrainians, all together.”

The war is now in its 284th day and 10th month.

DR MAX PEMBERTON: It’s hard, but we should all ignore ‘imposter syndrome’

by www.dailymail.co.uk Leave a Comment

Who among us hasn’t felt, every now and then at least, a little out of their depth? Who hasn’t felt as though, really, they’re chancing their arm a bit, and aren’t adequately qualified or good enough?

I know I’ve felt like that at times. Imposter syndrome — pervasive, unshakeable feelings of self-doubt — is a blight of modern life, made all the worse by social media where we are constantly comparing ourselves to an idealised version of other people.

Now, this isn’t an official psychiatric diagnosis. It’s not an illness. But there’s no doubt the phenomenon exists and it can have a significant impact on people’s lives. I think most people experience it at some point.

Except, of course, if you are Catherine Zeta-Jones .

She said last week in an interview that she has never felt imposter syndrome, at least not when it came to acting.

Who among us hasn’t felt, every now and then at least, a little out of their depth? Who hasn’t felt as though, really, they’re chancing their arm a bit, and aren’t adequately qualified or good enough?

And it’s a mark perhaps of how frequently women put themselves down that she felt the need to add: ‘I hope [that] doesn’t sound conceited.’

Give Tom Parker’s widow break

Tom Parker’s widow, Kelsey, has come under fire for starting dating again nine months after the singer’s death from cancer. Give the woman a break. People react to bereavement differently. There’s no right or wrong way. I hope she finds happiness whatever she decides to do in her private life.

Well, it doesn’t. In fact good for her — I’ll have some of what she’s having.

You might think it helps that Catherine is beautiful, successful and wealthy, but these things don’t protect you from the gnawing self-doubt of imposter syndrome.

Michelle Obama has confessed to having it, for goodness’ sake. In fact, Zeta-Jones went on to say that while she didn’t doubt her acting capabilities, she had always worried she wasn’t beautiful enough. In which case, what hope is there for the rest of us? Imposter syndrome is particularly prevalent among doctors, and much of the research into it has been done on medics.

We have an idealised notion of doctors in our heads: they’re super-knowledgable, authoritative, in control during life and death situations.

The reality, of course, is very different.

I remember in my first week of being a junior doctor walking onto one of the wards as an emergency unfolded and one of the nurses looking up and exclaiming: ‘Thank goodness, the doctor is here.’ For a split second I, too, was relieved — until I realised they were talking about me.

I didn’t feel like a doctor because I was only too aware of how much I didn’t know. My only certainty was that I didn’t match up to the fantastical ideal of the all-knowing doctor.

I still feel like that on an almost daily basis. I cope with it by refusing to dwell on it and accepting that all doctors continue to learn throughout their career.

Imposter syndrome is often assumed to affect women more than men.

I know I’ve felt like that at times. Imposter syndrome — pervasive, unshakeable feelings of self-doubt — is a blight of modern life, made all the worse by social media where we are constantly comparing ourselves to an idealised version of other people

It’s reasoned that, in a patriarchal society, women are made to feel inferior and less entitled to success, so when they do get to positions of authority, they conclude there must have been a mistake or that they were lucky.

But research shows that these feelings of inadequacy, the fears you’re about to be ‘found out’ at any moment, affect women and men in equal measure.

The difference is that men often won’t admit to having them. I think this is why there are so many bad bosses.

People who try to bury their self-doubt will sometimes over-compensate by being bolshie, demanding, arrogant or rude. It’s a means of covering up the feeling that they don’t really know what they are doing. They deflect blame when they do make mistakes and put off doing some things entirely for fear they will be ‘exposed’.

But for many other people, this constant niggling feeling that other people are better than them serves only to hold them back in life.

Think what we’d all be able to achieve if we could shake these wretched feelings off?

As you look around the room at the office party this month, try to remember that you deserve to be there just as much as anyone else and that you’re valued for the skills you have.

We can beat imposter syndrome if we take a leaf out of Zeta-Jones’ book and silence that treacherous little voice of self-doubt.

Remote GPs miss vital clues

I’ve been very worried to hear that in some areas as many as 80 per cent of consultations with GPs are happening remotely. Sure, for the young and generally fit who need a simple prescription, a phone call might work. But that’s not the majority of people who want to see their doctor. The nature of a phone appointment means it tends to be brief and to the point — but this is what worries me. What about people with complex complaints?

Many of those with mental health problems who are presenting for the first time make appointments for something else — they come on the pretext of having a physical complaint when, in fact, they are depressed, anxious or suicidal. Phone appointments miss what’s sometimes called the door-knob diagnosis. This is when a patient comes to see a GP about one thing, but, just as they’re set to leave and have their hand on the door-handle, they mention a key symptom. Working out that there’s more going on than first meets the eye is what GPs are so good at — yet this is precisely what is lost over the phone.

  • Children who spend just two hours in front of the TV per day are more likely to grow up being addicted to gambling, cigarettes, cannabis or alcohol, according to a shocking study, which has caused concern among parents. But I suspect this may be an example of ‘confounding factors’ — variables that can skew the result and lead us to false conclusions. So it might be that parents who let their kids watch lots of TV have confounding factors that are the actual risk for their children developing addiction in later life, such as poverty or addiction in the family. Watching TV for long periods isn’t great. But I doubt that a few hours a day is in itself going to turn your child into an addict.

Dr Max prescribes… stop adding salt

Sprinkling less salt on food could cut your risk of an early death, according to scientists. A new study suggests that ditching that added sprinkling of salt reduces your risk of heart disease, heart failure and strokes by a fifth. While you may be used to the taste of added salt, your taste buds will soon adapt when you stop. It’s an easy, quick way of boosting your health.

Lawmakers’ special session to address high gas prices will sit in neutral until January

by www.sfchronicle.com Leave a Comment

California legislators will convene a long-awaited special session Monday to weigh Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposal to combat spiking gas prices by penalizing oil companies for their record profits.

But after more than two months of fiery rhetoric, as Newsom attacked oil refineries over their “price gouging” tactics, the session is likely to start with more of a slow walk than a bang.

Democratic leaders in the state Senate and Assembly said they will open the special session on Monday, a day that also serves as a ceremonial occasion for new lawmakers to be sworn in. Soon after gaveling in, however, legislators will decamp to their districts.

They aren’t scheduled to hold any further floor sessions or public debates on Newsom’s proposal until they return to the Capitol in early January.

In some ways, the Legislature’s less-than-urgent response to Newsom’s call for a special session reflects the skepticism that some feel about the necessity of a special session just a few weeks before lawmakers begin their regular session.

It also reflects that Newsom’s plan remains in its infancy. The governor announced, on Oct. 7, that he would call a special session for legislators to pass a tax on windfall profits, but no details of his plan have been released in the intervening weeks.

The top two Democratic leaders in the Legislature, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon of Lakewood (Los Angeles County) and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins of San Diego, seemed to nod to the lack of progress last week, when they had little to say after Newsom signed a formal proclamation to convene the session.

“We look forward to examining the governor’s detailed proposal when we receive it,” they said in a joint statement.

Newsom plans to release details about his proposal when the special session convenes Monday, said spokesperson Daniel Villasenor.

The governor has said he would like to see the excessive profits of oil companies returned to consumers in the form of a rebate. His proclamation states that he wants lawmakers to pass legislation to deter price gouging, empower state regulators to more closely investigate profits and give the state more regulatory oversight to prevent supply shortages at refineries.

Villasenor said legislation considered during the special session will still move more quickly than legislation enacted during the regular session, even if lawmakers don’t start hearings until January.

“Calling a special session really shows the urgency that the governor is moving with here to really try and show Californians we’re working to keep money in their pockets,” Villasenor said. He noted that, in general, bills will take effect 90 days after Newsom calls an end to the special session.

“That’s definitely quicker than if we were to introduce bills in the normal legislative process,” Villasenor said.

The governor began escalating his criticism of oil companies in late summer, as gas prices across California skyrocketed for unclear reasons. He said state leaders have, for too long, been timid in confronting Big Oil about price gouging.

California’s average statewide price for a gallon of gas was $4.86 on Friday, about $1.41 more than the national average, according to AAA. Prices have fallen in recent weeks after spiking to a statewide average of about $6.40 in early fall, at least $2.60 more per gallon than the national average at the time.

Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, an advocacy group that has long pushed for a cap on oil profits, said he’s not discouraged by the slow start to the special session.

“I’ve been waiting a decade, waiting a month isn’t so bad,” Court said. “I’m feeling really optimistic for the first time in a long time that we’re going to get something done. No other governor has gone to bat against the oil companies like this.”

Consumer Watchdog released a poll last week that found 63% of likely voters surveyed in late October said they strongly support or somewhat support the idea of a profit cap for oil companies. The group has also found that large refiners have posted profits of $67.6 billion in the first nine months of 2022, up from $17.6 billion during the same period last year.

But critics of Newsom’s proposal said pushing the bulk of the special session into next year shows that Democrats’ tough rhetoric was always about optics, not driving results.

“This has really been about politics,” said Kevin Slagle, a spokesperson for the Western States Petroleum Association, an industry trade group. “If they were serious about doing it this year, there was time before the election.”

WSPA and other industry leaders have blamed high prices on California’s climate regulations and a host of other factors, including the state’s higher taxes, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and post-pandemic supply problems at numerous refineries in California.

Newsom hammered the state’s five largest oil refiners — Chevron, Marathon Petroleum, PBF Energy, Valero Energy and Phillips 66 — last week after they refused to attend a hearing about oil supply prices at the California Energy Commission, though an industry association leader testified.

The oil industry has also worked aggressively to try to stack the deck in its favor before the new Legislature even begins to weigh Newsom’s proposal.

Fossil-fuel companies spent more than $7.5 million on independent campaigns to influence legislative races this year, most of which they spent after Newsom announced his plans for a special session. More often than not, the industry’s investment appears to have paid off — five of the eight candidates the industry spent heavily to support in the Nov. 8 general election won their races.

Most of the oil-preferred candidates did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

But the industry’s foray didn’t pay off in every race. Under the name Coalition to Restore California’s Middle Class, oil companies spent nearly $2 million to steer voters toward Republican Matt Gunderson and away from Democrat Catherine Blakespear in a Southern California Senate race. Blakespear beat Gunderson by about 4 percentage points, according to the latest vote totals.

She said she believes she was targeted by the oil companies because of her track record of pro-environment policies as Encinitas mayor, including leading the city to ban gas power in new buildings. She said the oil companies’ spending seems to have backfired.

“I don’t think that oil companies are sympathetic because people are paying exorbitant prices at the pump and burning oil is warming our planet,” she said. “Many people see both of those things as negative.”

Blakespear said she doesn’t intend to take a position on Newsom’s proposal to tax oil companies’ profits until after she’s sworn in. She said cutting greenhouse gas emissions and protecting the environment will be among her top policy goals, along with reducing homelessness and gun violence.

Similarly, oil companies failed to sway the outcome of a nail-biter race in the Santa Clarita area north of L.A., where Democrat Pilar Schiavo, a labor advocate, narrowly ousted incumbent Republican Suzette Valladares. The industry spent at least $480,000 to boost Valladares.

Schiavo, who signed a pledge to not accept oil and gas money in her campaign, said she welcomes the idea of a cap on oil profits and is eager to see details of Newsom’s plan.

“People in our district want to make sure that we have an independent voice,” Schiavo said.

In the race to replace outgoing Sacramento Sen. Richard Pan, oil companies had more luck. The candidate they spent more than $1.7 million to support — Sacramento City Council Member Angelique Ashby — beat fellow Democrat Dave Jones by about 3 percentage points.

Although oil companies funded an independent effort to elevate her candidacy, Ashby publicly denounced their support. In October, Ashby told The Chronicle she did not have a position on Newsom’s plan to tax oil companies, but was grateful for the special session to address high gas prices.

“I understand that people need relief at the pump,” she said.

Dustin Gardiner and Sophia Bollag are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: [email protected] , [email protected] Twitter: @dustingardiner , @SophiaBollag

Holly Willoughby’s bodycon glitter skirt is giving us every Christmas feel

by www.hellomagazine.com Leave a Comment

Holly Willoughby looked incredible on Instagram wearing a gold glitter skirt from Mint Velvet for Monday’s This Morning.

Holly Willoughby is really getting into the Christmas spirit! On Monday’s This Morning , the blonde beauty looked sensational, rocking a simple black roll neck jumper, and a dazzling fringed sequin skirt by Mint Velvet.

READ: Holly Willoughby wows in tiny black mini dress – and looks out of this world

Posing up a storm, the mother-of-three captioned her stylish snap: “Morning Monday… see you on @thismorning at 10am!!! Skirt by @mintvelvet knitwear by @karen_millen.”

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WATCH: This Morning’s Holly Willoughby divides fans with latest announcement

Known as the ‘Gold Sequin Fringe Midi Skirt’ it costs £139 and all sizes are currently available. The website says of the festive style: “Make a statement with this gold sequin midi skirt – the taped fringe makes it perfect for twirling.”

READ: I tried Holly Willoughby’s bargain beauty faves under £15 and here’s what I thought

We couldn’t agree more!

HW has been loving a smattering of sequins recently. Last week she donned yet another sequin midi skirt, this time from Phase Eight . The 41-year-old teamed the style with a stone coloured roll neck top by Massimo Dutti. She added beautiful sparkly high heel shoes too. Divine!

Holly’s skirt:

Gold Sequin Fringe Midi Skirt, £139, Mint Velvet

SHOP NOW

The ‘Celeste Sequin Pleat Skirt’ has great reviews online.

One shopper wrote: “This skirt is gorgeous. Really swishy and sparkly and deliciously blingy! It could, perhaps, have been a couple of inches longer, and I did ponder for just a moment or two, but it really is such a lovely skirt. And how much do I love an elasticated waist! Christmas day sorted!”

You may also like:

Scallop Sequin Tassel Skirt, £69.30, Warehouse

SHOP NOW

Speaking about Christmas on her Wylde Moon website, Holly said: “My favourite time of all is the build up from about mid-December. This is when the magic of anticipation really starts and the kids start to tingle with excitement – obviously coinciding with the annual spout of good behaviour just in case – but that’s not the only reason it’s my favourite.

MORE: Holly Willoughby astounds fans in mini skirt – and the Princess of Wales’ favourite heels

“I love the feeling of togetherness that oozes out of everywhere this time of year. Whether you’re at the pub, the panto or at work, there’s a unique community spirit that pulses through us at Christmas Time that I just can’t get enough of.”

HELLO!’s selection is editorial and independently chosen – we only feature items our editors love and approve of. HELLO! may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. To find out more visit our FAQ page .

Kate Middleton’s NEXT tiara moment to coincide with Harry and Meghan’s Netflix documentary

by www.hellomagazine.com Leave a Comment

The Prince and Princess of Wales are expected to attend the Diplomatic Reception at Buckingham Palace this week, according to reports

After wowing royal fans on the green carpet at the Earthshot Prize Awards in Boston, the Princess of Wales is expected to don a tiara in London this week.

According to The Telegraph , King Charles will host his first annual Diplomatic Reception, which has been traditionally held at Buckingham Palace to honour foreign and British diplomats. It is believed to be taking place on Thursday, as the first three episodes of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s documentary series on Netflix drop.

The white-tie event was last held in 2019 and has been unable to take place for the last two years due to the coronavirus pandemic.

READ: Prince William wore SECOND wedding outfit when he married Kate Middleton – new photo

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WATCH: Princess Kate stuns in bold green dress as she and Prince William front Earthshot Awards

Royal family members usually turn out in force for the reception, with ladies wearing evening gowns and tiaras, and men donning tuxedos.

It will be the first time the King and his Queen Consort Camilla will have hosted the Diplomatic Reception, which will see around 500 guests mingle in the State Rooms at Buckingham Palace.

It comes after the King and Queen Consort, along with Prince William and Kate, and the Earl and Countess of Wessex welcomed the South African president, Cyril Ramaphosa, for a state banquet at the monarch’s London residence last month.

The Princess of Wales stunned in an embellished white Jenny Packham gown and the Lover’s Knot tiara – a favourite of her late mother-in-law, Princess Diana .

LATEST: Prince William and Princess Kate enjoy fun Christmas outing with children after US tour

PHOTOS: Royal Style Watch: Princess Kate’s impeccable Boston tour outfits you need to see

Princess Kate, King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla at the state banquet

William and Kate carried out a three-day tour of Boston last week, where they met a number of special organisations close to their hearts, as well as meeting with the President of the United States, Joe Biden . The royal couple then went on to host the Earthshot Prize Award Ceremony on Friday evening.

The event celebrated and awarded funding to environmental projects that will better the world for future generations, and among the people who handed out awards were David Beckham, Home Alone star Catherine O’Hara and No Time to Die star Rami Malek, while Billie Eilish performed remotely for audiences.

In keeping with the theme of sustainability, Princess Kate wore a bright green gown by Solace London, which she rented from HURR .

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