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Black Mirror Drops Star-Studded Season 7 Teaser And We Are So Ready

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And it looks like we might be in for the most star-studded season yet.

On Thursday afternoon, the show shared a cryptic clip intended to resemble a glitching computer, to let fans know that the show would be returning next year.

The 15-second teaser (accredited to Tuckersoft, the video game company originally seen in the stand-alone Black Mirror episode Bandersnatch) also features cryptic messages like “is everything alright at home?”, “lonely old place, isn’t it?” and the repeated “oh dear – is the entire internet wrong?”.

Charlie also teased “one of the bleakest, heaviest gut punches yet” in the new batch of episodes, describing the new season as “a full emotional workout”.

All six seasons of Black Mirror are available to stream now on Netflix.

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I Just Learned What Flavour Haribo Fried Eggs Actually Are, And It’s Way Fancier Than I Thought

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Haribo’s brand name has a secret meaning ― it stands for HAns RIegel BOnn, the founder of the company’s name.

The sweets brand is known for its jelly inventions, including its adorable axolotls and more classic Goldbear gummies.

But perhaps one of its most iconic (and divisive) creations is the Haribo Starmix Fried Egg.

While some had previously thought the white and yellow treat was supposed to be a UFO, Haribo’s site confirms our sunny-side-up instincts.

Reading its ingredients, though, I realised that the surprisingly sophisticated flavour profile of the gummy reads a lot more like a fancy cordial than it does the orange extract and vanilla mix I’d expected.

What flavours are in Haribo’s Fried Eggs?

The ingredients listed in an online entry for a Fried Egg-only Haribo bag includes items most of us would expect, including sugar, gelatine and citric acid.

Even some of the fruit and plant concentrates are as we’d imagine – lemon and orange make an appearance.

But I was surprised by the presence of elderberry, safflower, mango, and passion fruit in the flavourful fray.

Elderberries, which are deep purple berries that ripen between July and October, are often used for wines, syrups, and in baking (if you can get your hands on some this autumn, do).

Meanwhile safflower, which I’d never heard of before, is sometimes used in place of saffron.

Huh! Anything else?

Yes ― it turns out that new Haribo designs have to be hand-drawn.

It’s not quite Willy Wonka, but that means it’s someone’s job to pen the sketches that’ll become real sweets.

“This template is then used to create a 3D sample drawing for a high-tech milling machine, which produces a plaster prototype,” Haribo adds.

Once they’re happy with the shape, they use that prototype as the basis for “several hundred stamps” which help to form the sweets in production.

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Kremlin Claims Attack On Hezbollah’s Pagers Was Meant To ‘Provoke A Major War’

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A Russian official claimed the attacks on Hezbollah’s pagers were intended to “provoke a major war”.

Nine people died and thousands more were wounded in Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday after communication devices, used by the militant group Hezbollah, abruptly exploded.

A similar event unfolded on Wednesday when two-way radios and more pagers were detonated again across Lebanon.

There are fears these acts of violence could escalate tensions in the region.

The Iranian-backed militants in the Lebanese group are already blaming Israel, as the two have been exchanging fire over their border for months.

Israel is yet to comment on the incident.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, the foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said the act was a “gross violation of its sovereignty”, but avoided blaming any one party.

She continued: “We strongly condemn the unprecedented attack on friendly Lebanon and its citizens, which constitutes a gross violation of its sovereignty and a serious challenge to international law with the use of unconventional weapons.

“We offer our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wish prompt recovery to the injured.”

Zakharova claimed it was “another act of hybrid warfare against Lebanon, which has affected thousands of innocent people.”

“In all likelihood the organisers of this high-tech attack purposefully sought to foment a large-scale armed confrontation with the aim to provoke a major war in the Middle East,” she speculated.

The Kremlin official added: “Such irresponsible actions are fraught with extremely dangerous consequences, as they provoke a new round of escalation.”

Zakharova took the chance to take a dig at the West, too, saying: “It is necessary to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this crime and bring all those responsible to justice to ensure that this act of terrorism should not be swept under the carpet, which the Western countries have been trying to do in relation to the investigation of the Nord Stream gas pipeline explosions.”

The Nord Stream pipelines exported natural gas from Russia to Germany for distribution across Europe, but were attacked in 2022.

The Kremlin also said on Wednesday that it was “necessary to get to the bottom” of what happened with the pagers in Lebanon.

“What happened – whatever it is – is certainly leading to an escalation of tensions. The region is in a volatile state. Of course, each of these incidents can become a trigger for the situation to get out of control,” the Kremlin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

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Downing Street Row Erupts After It Emerges Keir Starmer’s Chief Of Staff Earns More Than Him

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A furious war of words has erupted inside 10 Downing Street after it emerged that Keir Starmer’s chief of staff earns more than he does.

The BBC reported that Sue Gray’s salary was increased to £170,000 after the general election. The prime minister receives around £167,000.

Several unnamed government special advisers – who are known in Westminster as SpAds – were quoted attacking Gray, who has been accused of turning down their pleas for higher wages.

One said: “It’s bizarre. I’m working harder than ever in a more important job and they want to pay me less than the Labour Party was paying me when it was broke.”

Another described Gray’s pay package as “the highest ever special adviser salary in the history of special advisers”.

The attacks on Gray sparked an angry backlash from her allies in Downing Street.

One government source told HuffPost UK: “Any questions people have should be directed at the process and not an individual.”

Another source insisted it was “categorically untrue” that Gray was warned that her pay rise would put her on a higher salary than the PM but went ahead with it anyway.

The source said: “Sue Gray had no involvement in any decision on her pay. She was informed of her salary after this had been set.”

A Cabinet Office spokesman told the BBC: “It is false to suggest that political appointees have made any decisions on their own pay bands or determining their own pay.

“Any decision on special adviser pay is made by officials not political appointees. As set out publicly, special advisers cannot authorise expenditure of public funds or have responsibility for budgets.”

However, HuffPost UK has also learned that Gray sits on the “Special Adviser People Board”, which decides SpAd pay, alongside senior civil servants Darren Tierney, Fiona Ryland and Simon Madden.

The latest briefings against Gray come amid well-documented tensions between her and Morgan McSweeney, No.10′s head of political strategy.

She first rose to national prominence while she was still a senior civil servants and conducted the government investigation into the partygate scandal.

Her damning report into lockdown-breaking parties inside 10 Downing Street was one of the contributory factors which ultimately led to Boris Johnson’s resignation as prime minister in 2022.

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Feeling Unmotivated Right Now? Blame The Month

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My first thought on waking this morning was “ugh, I can’t wait to get back to sleep again tonight”.

Contrast this to sunnier, happier, more productive August me, who took up 6am workouts and made her own sourdough, and the September version of myself is looking pretty drab and unmotivated.

But at least I can comfort myself: everything, it seems, slumps this month.

“The month of September has been, on average, the worst month for the stock market going back more than a century,” NPR writes.

Over half of workers feel demotivated after summer ends too, Forbes reports.

We’re even less likely to work out in autumn. But why does it feel like our motivation takes a tumble as soon as the first leaf does?

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sorry boss, can’t come in today. the air has that early fall feeling

— trash jones (@jzux) September 9, 2024

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sorry boss, can’t come in today. the air has that early fall feeling

— trash jones (@jzux) September 9, 2024

Part of it may be down to seasonal affective disorder (SAD)

“Significant” SAD affects about 3% of the UK population, the Royal College Of Psychiatrists (RCOP) says.

The depression-like symptoms may come about thanks to the lack of light in colder months.

“If you have SAD, you may find it hard to wake up on a winter’s morning and can often feel sleepy during the day,” the RCOP says, adding that ”you may crave chocolate and high carbohydrate foods, such as white bread or sugary foods”.

Though the NHS says symptoms tend to be worse in December, January and February, SAD can start as early as September.

Then, there’s the post-summer (and potentially post-holiday) blues.

Dr Sherylin Thompson, a counselling psychologist, told the BBC: “After a period of relaxation there’s the stress of a new academic year, or work getting busy, but also healthy routines and habits.”

“It can be worse if you’re feeling stuck in the routine, and haven’t got a choice, but it can be a chance to change things,” the doctor added.

As if all that wasn’t enough, there are also additional work demands.

For many industries, the rapidly approaching Q4 is the most financially important, and knowing the added demands are coming can summon that “back-to-school” feeling.

Add kids’ school routines into the mix and it’s no wonder autumn “to-do lists… are never-ending,” psychologist Dr Lalitaa Suglani told Stylist.

“This can emotionally and psychologically impact our internal systems which in turn has an impact on our mood.”

What can I do about it?

Even though it’s the last thing you’re likely in the mood for, staying active and social in the cooler months is key to staying mentally healthy.

“When the days are shorter, it is important to make a clear routine about when we’re going to fit in exercise, get to the gym, see our friends,” clinical psychologist Dr Camilla Rosan told the BBC.

If you can, enjoy the season’s beautiful leaves while they’re still around, Dr Suglani told Stylist.

“Research suggests the importance of being in nature on our mental health, so try to get out in daylight as this is when your brain will produce melatonin and serotonin which will result in a better night’s sleep and reduce the autumn mood slump,” she shared.

Lastly, the NHS says you should see a GP as soon as possible if you’re experiencing symptoms of SAD and are struggling to cope.

Help and support:

  • Mind, open Monday to Friday, 9am-6pm on 0300 123 3393.
  • Samaritans offers a listening service which is open 24 hours a day, on 116 123 (UK and ROI – this number is FREE to call and will not appear on your phone bill).
  • CALM (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) offer a helpline open 5pm-midnight, 365 days a year, on 0800 58 58 58, and a webchat service.
  • The Mix is a free support service for people under 25. Call 0808 808 4994 or email help@themix.org.uk
  • Rethink Mental Illness offers practical help through its advice line which can be reached on 0808 801 0525 (Monday to Friday 10am-4pm). More info can be found on rethink.org.
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