It seems the world will never tire of the creepy character Wednesday Addams and all of her iterations. That couldn’t be more true for the newest version of the teen psychic in the widely popular Netflix series Wednesday. Both the show and its deadpan leading lady, played by Jenna Ortega, turned a quirky viral dance into a major resurgence for all-black gothic style. And now, you can add some edge to your own style with the new Wednesday x Kitsch collaboration.

Thailand is mulling a plan to station Chinese police personnel at some of its popular tourist destinations to

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The U.S. government's tech-based immigration policies are blocking asylum-seekers from safely entering the country through

Defining Dishes is a new IndyEats column that explores the significance of food at key moments in our lives. From recipes that have been passed down for generations, to flavours that hold a special place in our hearts, food shapes every part of our lives in ways we might not have ever imagined. My earliest memory of Taiwanese beef noodle soup is the first time I compared the version my mother makes and then going out to eat it at restaurants. It was just terrible outside the walls of my home, just a sad watery soup with no flavour. I was born in Washington DC but grew up in Orlando. In America, and even in some places in Taiwan, there are a lot of places that are lazy when it comes to making beef noodle soup. They just whip up a thin broth with ginger, spring onions, some type of chilli. Then there are other places trying to do expensive s***. They’ll try and promote it by saying, “Oh, I use dry aged beef” or “I use this super expensive stock”. But that’s all unnecessary. What Taiwanese beef noodle soup needs is time, not anything fancy. What do we do when we cook? We apply the right level of heat to the proper amount of time to the proper ratio of ingredients. That’s it. With this dish, the longer you let it simmer, the better it is. The flavour develops and becomes richer, the beef becomes fall-apart tender. It’s so simple and humble, all it takes is time. I make mine using two separate stocks. I make a master stock, which begins with simmering meat and bones for a long time so it becomes really flavourful. Then I make another stock with my aromatics – including ginger, spring onions, garlic, fresh chili peppers and dried red chili peppers, and Szechuan peppercorns – and sauces, like dark and light soy sauce and rice wine. Doing it separately allows me to strain the aromatics out and keep the broth really clean so that each bite is consistent. For the protein, I use beef shank and oxtail. The thing that sets my beef noodle soup apart is that I use chilli oil as well as fresh chilli for that acid kick. That’s something I haven’t seen other people do, most dishes use just chilli oil. I’m also quite loyal to tomatoes in my beef noodle soup. A lot of people make it with either tomato or no tomato, it’s one of those divisive things. People will ask, “Are you a tomato beef noodle soup guy or you’re not a tomato guy?” I’m a tomato guy because it gives the dish more umami and another layer of acidity. The chillies and tomatoes combined deliver different levels of acidity. Between those three, they cut through the fattiness of the beef. I don’t over-skim my soup either, I leave all the globs of fat in there to keep it rich, but the acidity stops it from being excessive. I’m agnostic about the type of noodle I use in my soup. I served it once to my homies with a really good number 10 Italian spaghetti, which is a finer noodle than regular spaghetti. They were like, “Yo, this is crazy”. It totally changed the dish, I’ve never had it like that. Most people use a Chinese wheat noodle, some do knife-cut noodles and others do hand-pulled. They’re all fine for me. I’m mainly here for the broth, which I’ll just drink a lot of the time. I do like knife-cut noodles though, I would love to try that. But mostly I will serve it with a Chinese wheat noodle or spaghetti, because it’s the closest you can get to wheat noodles if you can’t get them. The difference between my mum’s beef noodle soup and mine is that she doesn’t add the chilli oil and fresh chillies. But I have to say that my mum will tell you that my beef noodle soup smokes hers. It’s just that much better. She does not f*** with me anymore. There are certain dishes that I practice so much and she just says, “I’m not playing with you anymore, right?” But she’s still the best at home-style small dishes and stir fries, like baby dried fish with peanuts, red-cooked pork or lion’s head meatballs. But some other dishes, my mum gives me the nod. She doesn’t make them anymore, she’s like, “You make it”. It’s fun to say, “Alright, you taught me and I really, really mastered it”. I was never one to do it just like my mum. I was always going to learn how she does it and then I’m going to make it a little bit better. Beef noodle soup is incredibly close to my heart, it’s the only dish that occupied an entire chapter of my memoir, Fresh Off The Boat. I wrote at the time that the best part of beef noodle soup is that there are no rules and you can add whatever you like as long as it has the essentials: beef, noodle, and soup. I like it the most because there is nowhere to hide with this dish. Just take your time. Eddie Huang is the chef-founder of Baohaus. He wears many hats, including author, presenter and director. Read More Eddie Huang: ‘I’ll never eat at BAO London – I know mine’s better’

Stefano Domenicali, chief executive of Formula 1, has hailed the “exciting” partnership between Honda and Aston Martin as the Japanese manufacturer prepare to return to the sport. The two brands announced this week that Honda would be the engine partner for Aston Martin’s F1 cars from 2026. Although the automotive giants had officially withdrawn from the sport in 2021, its engines are still utilised by the two Red Bull teams. But with Formula 1 pushing towards an attempt to be carbon neutral by 2030, Honda have been attracted back. And Domenicali believes their return shows the sport is moving in the right direction. “It is great news for Formula 1 that Honda will partner with Aston Martin to supply power units from 2026,” said Domenicali. “This is further evidence that our global platform and growth provides brands with huge potential, and it also shows that our plans to move to sustainable fuels in 2026 is the right approach to offer the automotive world alternative solutions to decarbonise the planet. “We can all see the incredible commitment Aston Martin has made to our sport and we can’t wait to see the exciting partnership in action, and I want to congratulate both parties on this exciting news.” New rules in 2026 will increase the electrical performance of engines utilised in F1, which has used hybrid engines for nearly a decade. The FIA will also introduce regulations mandating fully synthetic, sustainable fuels at the same time. Honda’s engines have helped Max Verstappen and Red Bull to the last two world titles, with a third likely to be secured this year, but the team has partnered with Ford to build its own engine for the 2026 season. That has opened the door for a partnership with Aston Martin, who are enjoying a promising season after a significant offseason of improvement that also brought former world champion Fernando Alonso to the team. Alonso is currently third in the Drivers’ Championship standings, with Aston Martin the closest challengers to Red Bull in the chase for the constructors’ crown. “Aston Martin is building a team to win in F1,” Martin Whitmarsh, the group chief executive officer of Aston Martin Performance Technologies, explained. “We have been recruiting the right people and investing in the required facilities and developing the right culture and processes to win. “To partner a global motorsport titan like Honda is an extremely exciting and important further step for the team. Both organisations share the same relentless ambition to succeed on track. We are very proud, honoured and grateful to put in place this partnership.” The 2023 F1 season continues in Monaco this weekend. Read More Lewis Hamilton will stay with Mercedes as nowhere else to go – Guenther Steiner Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes are the biggest losers from Imola Grand Prix cancellation Ambitious £80m relaunch of World Cup of Motorsport earmarked for end of 2024 Lewis Hamilton ‘receives multi-million pound offer’ to make major change F1 Monaco Grand Prix: Why is practice no longer on a Thursday? F1 2023 race schedule: When is the Monaco GP?

Playing with dolls could help the social development of children - including those with neurodiverse conditions such as autism, according to a study. The research, from Cardiff University, found children exhibiting higher levels of autism traits showed increased brain activity in a key region associated with social processing when engaging in conversations with individuals during doll play. The new findings suggested that broader social engagement with others while engaging in doll play was a unique pathway to social development for these children. This was in contrast to what was observed in neurotypical children, who were more likely to discuss the dolls’ thoughts and emotions. However, researchers said that despite this difference, it showed that both groups may be able to benefit from doll play by using it as a tool for practising social scenarios and developing social skills, such as empathy. The findings are the latest release from a multi-year study by the Centre for Human Developmental Science at the university’s School of Psychology. Previous years have focused on neurotypical children and found wide-ranging social and developmental benefits of playing with dolls. Now, in its third year, the research team has replicated those results with a more diverse range of participants, including children aged between four and eight displaying both high and low levels of traits associated with autism. Lead researcher Dr Sarah Gerson said: “Our study shows that doll play can encourage social processing in children, regardless of their neurodevelopmental profile. “The findings show that all children, even those who display neurodivergent traits commonly associated with autism, may use doll play as a tool for practicing social scenarios and developing social skills, such as empathy.” State-of-the-art functional, near-infrared spectroscopy equipment was used to explore brain activation while children played with dolls and on tablets, both by themselves and with another person, replicating conditions from the first year of the study. While observing children, researchers saw increased brain activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) region - which is heavily involved in social and emotional processing such as empathy - when playing with dolls, for both play with a social partner and during solo doll play, but less so during solo tablet play. The study’s results suggest that doll play could support social processing, regardless of a child’s neurodevelopmental profile, but through different pathways. For children displaying fewer autistic traits in the research, talking about the mental states and emotions of the dolls they were playing with was associated with increased pSTS activity. In contrast, for those displaying more autistic traits, talking with others during doll play, even when playing by themselves, led to more social processing on a neural level. Other research has shown that social processing and empathy skills are important determinants in children’s future emotional, academic, and social success. The study was a collaboration with the Wales Autism Research Centre. ‘Create a more inclusive and supportive environment for their development’ Its director Dr Catherine Jones said: “The study reinforces how it is important that that we acknowledge and value neurodiversity. “This means recognising and valuing the diverse ways in which children’s brains work and approaching social development in a way that is inclusive and accommodating for all children, regardless of their neurodivergence. “By embracing all ways that children choose to play, we can create a more inclusive and supportive environment for their development.” Since the landmark publication of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, the effects of play have been thought to be positive for kids’ social skills and creativity, but this has never been scientifically evidenced at the brain level. The multi-year long-term study, commissioned by Barbie, is the first time key Piaget theories on play have been scientifically evidenced via brain imaging and the first to use neuroimaging evidence with natural doll play, meaning there was no prescribed storyline to show how the brain is activated during doll play. Michael Swaisland, head EMEA of insight and analytics, Mattel, said: “We are proud to know that when children, regardless of their neurodevelopmental profile, play with Barbie, their playtime may benefit their development. “As Barbie continues to inspire the limitless potential in every child, we are delighted to know, through neuroscience, that playing with dolls may encourage the development of social skills such as empathy in children, including those who display neurodivergent traits commonly associated with autism. “We look forward to uncovering even more benefits of doll play through our long-term partnership with Cardiff University as we look to shine a light on the benefits the play pattern has towards development, that parents might not have been aware of.” Parents and caregivers can visit here to learn more about the research and access resources. Read More Toys children play with can have an effect on their success in adulthood The best exclusive discount codes this payday Many parents of under 5s on less than £50k ‘quit work due to childcare costs’ – survey

California condors will receive a vaccine for a deadly strain of avian influenza that threatens the already critically endangered vulture species

Lewis Hamilton was the notable exception on a night when numerous F1 drivers voiced their concerns about jet lag and the demanding end of season schedule. This weekend’s inaugural Las Vegas Grand Prix in the heart of Sin City takes place a week prior to the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi, 8,000 miles away. F1 has a record 24-race calendar next season but even with this year totalling 22, Max Verstappen was among a number of drivers critical of the end of the season travel across the world. Yet Hamilton, speaking in the pre-race press conference in Vegas on Wednesday, insisted he feels ‘great’ ahead of the final two races of the season. “I personally haven’t found it [jet lag] a problem,” the seven-time world champion said. “Still manage to keep training and I feel great. I saw some of the drivers complaining about jet lag… but I’ve not found it a problem since I’ve been here. “It is demanding but we know that entering the sport. If it was easy, we wouldn’t do it.” Three-time world champion Verstappen had earlier criticised the schedule as the 2023 season draws to a close. Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon were among the other drivers admitting to struggling with their sleep. “It’s already a 12-hour difference but also a completely different timezone because basically we live on a Japanese time schedule [in Vegas] but then almost on a different day,” Verstappen said. “I don’t really get that. That is very tiring. “It’s the end of the season that we have to do this, it doesn’t really make a lot of sense.” Verstappen also lambasted Wednesday’s lavish opening ceremony outside the new $500m pit building. All 20 drivers were introduced via lifts onto a string of podiums, concluding a half-an-hour show which included a drone sequence and a number of musical performances from the likes of Kylie Minogue, John Legend and Steve Aoki. Lando Norris also revealed he was “not a big fan” of the opening ceremony festivities, while Carlos Sainz believes the sport should soon look at the overall race weekend schedule due to it being “overpacked” with commitments for the drivers. Practice at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit starts at 3:30am on Friday morning (GMT). The race starts at 6am on Sunday morning in the UK, which is 10pm on Saturday night in Vegas. Read More ‘You look like a clown’: Max Verstappen derides Las Vegas GP opening ceremony F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix LIVE: Opening ceremony updates and news Lewis Hamilton makes F1 ‘circus’ plea after backlash from Las Vegas locals Celebrities and sponsors descend on Las Vegas as F1 returns to Sin City How Formula 1 cracked America Bernie Ecclestone wouldn’t bet on F1’s future in Las Vegas

A UN-sponsored deal which let Ukraine continue exporting grain despite the war is due to expire.

ORLANDO, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug 1, 2023--

From the personalized compassion shown in Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Sesame Street, to the direct-to-camera