Andrea Bajani's award-winning novel, The Anniversary, explores a son's 20-year struggle with an oppressive father and passive mother, culminating in a complete break. The book, lauded for challenging family loyalty taboos, uses a fragmented narrative to give voice to the silenced mother, though its therapeutic framing is critiqued.
Films are increasingly featuring therapists as protagonists, exploring their own struggles. This trend reflects a societal rise in therapy attendance and the mainstreaming of 'therapy-speak,' often within horror or psychological thriller genres.
A 70-year-old Hong Kong gang member was sentenced to one year in prison for forcing two Thai women into prostitution after they were trafficked to the city on job scams in 2023. The women were rescued after alerting the Thai consulate.
Experts offer strategies to combat smartphone addiction, including tracking usage, scheduling screen-free time, changing lockscreens, cutting notifications, and making screens less engaging. Solutions range from software tools to physical deterrents and switching to feature phones.
Becky Chaplin, who was found as a newborn by a vet in Kenya and adopted by British parents, has trained the first cohort of physiotherapists in Sierra Leone through Mercy Ships. The occupational therapist from East Grinstead mentored 15 new graduates in 2023, helping establish the country's first university-level physiotherapist course. Previously, only six fully-trained physiotherapists existed for Sierra Leone's nine million people.
