Category: NEWS

Exclusive: overhaul of system that imposed draconian penalties for innocent errors in benefit claims is expected
Patrick Butler and Josh HallidayTue 15 Oct 2024 19.00 EDTFirst published on Tue 15 Oct 2024 14.59 EDTShareDraconian penalties that caused unpaid carers to rack up thousands of pounds of debt after unwittingly falling foul of benefit rules are to be overhauled, the government has announced.
The move comes six months after a Guardian investigation revealed tens of thousands of vulnerable carers were being ordered to repay hefty overpayments – and even threatened with criminal prosecution – over minor breaches of carer’s allowance earnings limits.
The secretary of state for work and pensions, Liz Kendall, said she had commissioned an “open and transparent” independent review of carer’s allowance overpayments to assess how overpayments were allowed to be accrued on such a vast scale.
Kendall told the Guardian: “Like many people, I have read distressing accounts in this newspaper from carers who have had to pay back large sums of overpaid carer’s allowance.
“Carers have felt shock, frustration and anxiety as a result. Families are often pushed to breaking point just for looking after the people they love. They deserve to be recognised, supported and valued for all they do.
“I am determined to be open and transparent about what has happened in carer’s allowance and to learn all the lessons. This review marks a big step forward for unpaid carers, shedding light on this issue so we can put things right.”
A series of Guardian articles in recent months revealed what has become known as the “carer’s allowance scandal”, highlighting the often frightening and humiliating punishments imposed on carers by benefits officials, causing public outrage and leading to comparisons to the Post Office scandal.
The review, will be headed by Liz Sayce, the former chief executive of the charity Disability Rights UK. “My work aims to get to the bottom of how overpayments have occurred and how to prevent people who devote such time and care to others facing these difficulties in future,” she said.
The review announcement came on the eve of a Westminster opposition-day debate on carer’s allowance called by the Liberal Democrats, whose leader, Ed Davey, has made reforming carer’s allowance a key party policy, and who has been pressing Labour to make changes.
Davey, who is a carer for his disabled teenage son, John, will tell the Commons the benefit is “not fit for purpose”. He is expected to criticise the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) for failing in recent years to do more to prevent carers being hit with overpayments that have left many with huge debts.
“This is a terrible scandal. Tens of thousands of carers have become the victims of a system that is supposed to be there to support them. The last government should have acted then. But it didn’t. So can I urge the government today: act now,” Davey is expected to say.
The Lib Dems have for months called for carer’s allowance rates to be boosted and its complex earnings rules overhauled. They have also insisted existing carer’s allowance overpayments – about £250m in total owed by approximately 34,500 claimants – be written off.
There are about 5.8 million unpaid carers in the UK who look after ill, disabled or frail loved ones. More than 1 million are in poverty. About 1 million carers claim carer’s allowance, a weekly benefit worth £81.90 a week. Claimants are allowed to earn £151 a week from paid work, equivalent to about 13 hours at the national minimum wage.
New research indicates as many as one in five of all carer’s allowance claimants had to repay large sums after inadvertently falling foul of the £151 earnings limit. It also found anxiety and despair among carers “made to feel like criminals” after they were harshly punished for overstepping earnings limits by as little as £1 a week.
‘DWP threatened to send in bailiffs’: the unpaid carers told to repay benefitRead moreFindings from a survey of 12,500 unpaid carers by Carers UK, seen by the Guardian, found of the 40% who claim or had claimed carer’s allowance, one in five said they were hit by overpayments after unknowingly breaching the earnings limit, often because they had been paid overtime or received a bonus.
The draconian punishments for breaching earnings limits are notorious among carers: even going £1 over the weekly limit means they must repay the entire benefit. A carer who earned £1 more than the £151 threshold for 52 weeks, therefore, would pay back not £52 but £4,258.80.
One carer told the survey she went £4 over the limit over a four-month period during the Covid-19 pandemic due to wage fluctuations caused by furlough.
She said: “I was made to feel like a criminal … I had to pay nearly £400 back and was terrified about getting a criminal record. I became very depressed over the stress of this. So horrendous.”
Another said: “I earned £1 too much for 19 weeks and have to pay all the carer’s allowance from that time. I ended up using credit cards to cope. I’ve had to give up carer’s allowance to get another job to cope financially. My husband is 70 and on state pension. This is crippling us mentally and physically.”
Four in 10 claimants in the survey said fear of the restrictive rules for carer’s allowance and the risk of harsh punishments led them to give up paid work. Some said they had turned down pay rises, and had to forgo paid training opportunities to enable them to retain eligibility for carer’s allowance.
One carer told the survey they reluctantly gave up work after 45 years to maintain eligibility for carer’s allowance: “Trying to balance work and home is difficult at the best of times but with caring it is impossible. Some real compassion and common sense to consider what is a reasonable threshold needs to be considered,” they said.
Helen Walker, chief executive of Carers UK, said: “It’s a scandal that so many carers, who have unwittingly received overpayments, are facing additional stress and anxiety. Many are under huge pressure already and in precarious financial positions due to their caring role.”

The granite city has weathered many storms over the years but people there now fear the impact of the government’s tax plans on the local economy and jobs
Jillian AmbroseSat 19 Oct 2024 08.00 EDTLast modified on Sat 19 Oct 2024 13.38 EDTShare‘We’ve all accepted that the North Sea is declining,” says Roy, 70, a taxi driver working in Aberdeen for the past 20 years. “Over the years there have been a few huge market crashes but we always recover. This time, it’s a real decline.”
Drive along the granite city’s Union Street and there are dozens of shuttered shops, some empty for almost a decade following one of the longest routs in the history of the oil market, which brought oil prices to lows of less than $30 (£23) a barrel in 2016, less than half its value today.
The capital of the UK’s oil and gas industry has weathered the volatility of the global oil markets since the North Sea heyday in the 1970s; its fortunes tied to the rise and fall of the price of Brent crude. But it is now less than two weeks away from a reckoning with the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, who many expect to set out tax changes in the budget that could hasten the end of the North Sea industry and threaten the 200,000 jobs it supports.
“They’re killing us,” says Darren, 50, an oil rig worker for the past 22 years. He declines to give his full name for fear of losing his job with a major oil company. “This government is going to do to the North Sea what Margaret Thatcher did to the mines. We all know it: this is the end for the UK oil industry. We just don’t know when.”
The Labour party stormed to power in July with bold plans to end Britain’s fossil fuel legacy and emerge as a “clean energy superpower”. Within days of forming a government, the party confirmed the UK would bring an end to new licences for oil and gas projects.
The decision has cemented Britain’s climate leadership in a crucial decade for tackling rising carbon emissions – but this is cold comfort for workers such as Darren, a father of two, who fear for the future of their industry.
“Imagine losing your job, losing the roof over your kids’ heads, and all to save carbon emissions that are a drop in the ocean compared to China’s? The best I can hope for is to hang on and perhaps in four years this government will be voted out,” he says.
‘A multibillion-pound paradox’Alongside plans to ban new oil and gas licences, Labour came to power with an election pledge to toughen the windfall tax regime put in place after a surge in market prices following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It promised to raise the energy profits levy by increasing the headline tax rate companies pay on their oil and gas profits by three percentage points, to 78%.
Labour plans to use the higher taxes taken from the North Sea to help fund its ambition to turn the UK into a green energy “superpower” in line with its goal of making the UK’s electricity system net zero by 2030.
The party also promised to close the “loophole” left by the previous government that enabled oil and gas firms to reduce their taxes through investment allowances. These allowances, which are commonplace in tax legislation, allow companies to deduct the value of their investments from their profits – enabling companies to pay less tax and offering incentive for further investment.
The combined impact of higher headline taxes and lower tax relief risks devastating the sector’s predicted investment over the second half of this decade, according to the industry’s trade association, Offshore Energies UK (OEUK). It has warned that the changes could wipe out £12bn in tax receipts and jeopardise 35,000 industry jobs.
Stifel, an investment bank, believes that while the move would increase Treasury revenues in the short term, the wider economic impact would mean a sharp decline in takings from 2029 and the loss of 100,000 jobs in total.
“There is a multibillion-pound paradox here,” the bank said in a research note this year. “Any further increases to the windfall tax take, especially through the removal of investment allowances, would result in substantially lower investment and, therefore, lower tax income for the UK, fewer jobs, loss of skills for the green transition, higher emissions, and the export of jobs, skills and the UK’s energy security to other energy-producing countries.”
View image in fullscreenRussell Borthwick, chief executive of Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce at their offices. Photograph: Murdo MacLeod/The GuardianThe Aberdeen Chamber of Commerce has warned that the spectre of Labour’s budget is being felt far beyond the energy sector. Its most recent quarterly economic survey of more than 5,000 companies showed that concerns over taxation had rocketed up the risk register; more than 60% of companies in the north-east of Scotland have cited the government’s tax policies as a barrier to growth, up from 48% just three months ago.
“The Treasury understands the potential impact,” says Russell Borthwick, the chamber’s chief executive. “But I do wonder if they’ve painted themselves into a difficult corner with these policies.”
“The fact is, there are no windfall profits being made in the North Sea today. There was a short period of time when Russia invaded Ukraine and there were oil prices above $100 a barrel. But Celtic Football Club made bigger profits than our largest North Sea oil producers last year. It looks like they’re now being singled out for political reasons, rather than fiscal reasons,” he says.
The wider regional economy is still “inextricably linked to the oil and gas economy”, which means the knock-on effect “will be felt from professional services to the retail industry to cab drivers. It will be more marked here than anywhere else.”
Gabby Robertson, 24, has worked in high-street fashion stores for four years and has noticed the decline of Aberdeen’s retail sector, which was once flush with oil and gas money.
“We used to have people come in and spend £400 to £500, but we see that a lot less now. People are coming in to buy single items or they tell us they’ll have to come back at payday and ask about paying on Klarna (the buy now, pay later platform). It’s still better here than on Union Street. Shops there have closed and there’s nothing to replace them. It’s getting harder and harder for small businesses to survive,” she says.
Economic catastrophe is not inevitable. Most of the gloomier projections cited by the industry assume that all investment allowances will be scrapped, although this has not been explicitly proposed by the government. The industry is hoping that some allowances remain intact to help prolong investment in the declining industry and allow its workers the chance to transition to Britain’s low-carbon future.
‘Where is the transition?’At a busy heliport near Aberdeen airport, dozens of rig workers wait to board the helicopters that will take them up to 100 miles off the Scottish coast to the giant oil and gas platforms that extract the UK’s fossil fuels.
Most will work 12- to 13-hour days offshore for three weeks, before returning to their homes in Scotland and the north of England for a three-week break. On this grey October day, bad weather has kept many helicopters on the ground, and talk of the government’s upcoming budget has darkened the mood.
One oil rig worker, aged 53, who asked not to be named, has travelled to Aberdeen from his home in Lincolnshire each month for the past 30 years to work in the North Sea. After only a five-day break, he has returned for a one-week stint as part of his plan “to fit in more work while it’s around”.
“If Rachel Reeves does increase taxes for the North Sea then that’s another hit to the pockets of the oil companies that operate here. Harbour Energy, one of the biggest players, let 350 people go as part of a restructuring last year. I had hoped to keep working until I’m 60 but if I can get another five years I should be OK,” he says.
“It’s definitely the beginning of the end,” says Bob, 52. “Platforms that could have kept producing for years longer will shut. The one I work on will close in two years. It’s been 12 years that I’ve been working on the rigs after the refinery I worked at was left to close. I’ll be OK because I’ve had a long career but I think about the guys with young families who could lose their jobs and it just doesn’t seem right.
“It seems crazy to me that the North Sea faces windfall taxes but the likes of Amazon can get away with paying very little. Shouldn’t it be the same for all companies across the country? Isn’t that fair?”
Paul, a rig worker from Dundee, is one of many who fear that Britain’s plans to transition to a green economy will leave behind those who helped to build the fossil fuel economy of the past. “What I would ask the government is this: what’s the proposed solution to the problem that all this is going to create? They talk about a green transition but where’s the transition for us? All I hear is ‘woke’ jargon.”
The government’s plan to safeguard a “just transition” for Britain’s fossil fuel workers took a step forward last week with plans to launch a “skills passport” to help oil and gas workers to move into jobs in renewables such as offshore wind. From early next year, the passport, which will be overseen by industry bodies RenewableUK and OEUK, with the support of the UK and Scottish governments, aims to align standards, recognise transferable skills and qualifications such as oil and gas safety standards, and map out career pathways for suitable roles.
About 90% of oil and gas workers have transferable skills for offshore renewable jobs, according to OEUK – but not everyone is eager to make the switch. Barry, an oil worker in his late 30s, says he has “absolutely no interest” in retraining to work in Britain’s burgeoning offshore wind sector. For a start, the work is seasonal – with most maintenance taking place in the summer months. The pay is also not quite as good, he says.
“And it’s just not for me, I don’t like heights,” he shrugs. “If I had plans to stay in the North Sea I’d be worried. But I think I’m going to go out to work in Qatar. I’m not the one you need to worry about; I can leave the North Sea and work somewhere else. These big oil companies can leave the North Sea and work somewhere else. But the services firms – the supply chains serving the North Sea – which can’t leave are the ones who are going to feel the pain.”
View image in fullscreenThe sun rises behind a redundant oil platform moored in the Firth of Forth near Kirkcaldy, Fife. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PAA green Aberdeen?Like many oil workers, larger supply chain and oilfield service firms have already begun to eye the new oil and gas frontiers in the Middle East, Africa and South America as the UK’s reserves dwindle.
The loss of skills and resources that could be put to use helping to meet the UK’s green energy ambitions is a major concern for industry observers. At the same time, smaller firms without an international reach risk going bust if the gap between the end of Britain’s fossil fuel era and the full economic benefits of its green future becomes too wide.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an issue unite the trade unions, businesses, public sector and academics quite like this one,” Borthwick says. “We’re in danger of losing our industrial supply chains to overseas oil and gas projects before there’s a chance for them to benefit from the opportunities of the green economy.”
The answer, according to Borthwick, is to allow more breathing room for the oil companies to keep investing in their existing projects while the industry winds down, while speeding up the green agenda to provide a future for the region’s small businesses.
The government’s public energy company, GB Energy, which will be headquartered in Aberdeen, could use its “convening power” to build a home for green industries in the city, he says. “We want that ecosystem. We want green companies to believe that Aberdeen is the place that they need to be.”
Reimagining Aberdeen as a green hub could prove to be the next chapter for a city uniquely poised at the centre of Britain’s energy transition. It is a reinvention the city is ready for, says Borthwick.
“You know, Aberdeen used to be a very serious place; but we’re changing. We’ve started to break out of the greyness of our granite past. It’s like we’re waking up. We’re relearning who we are,” he says.

On October 17th, during a press conference held by the Liaoning Provincial Government, Li Jirui, a member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Liaoning Provincial Department of Transportation, spoke about the significant achievements made in transportation cooperation among the northeastern provinces over the past year.

“Last year, on October 14, the transportation cooperation joint meeting for the three northeastern provinces and Inner Mongolia convened in Shenyang. Over the past year, we have focused on several major projects and key engineering initiatives to effectively advance our transportation strategic cooperation, fostering integrated development and accelerating interconnectivity of inter-provincial corridors,” Li stated.

He highlighted that the collaborative efforts to establish the Northeast Maritime and Land Transit Corridor have shown notable success. “In the past year, we have placed a strong emphasis on the construction of major transit corridors, leading to breakthroughs in highway connectivity projects. We have completed the construction and opened the Fuxin to Naiman Highway, among others, and we are significantly accelerating the expansion of the Beijing-Harbin Expressway and seven other highways,” Li elaborated.

Li also noted that the highly anticipated upgrades to the Beijing-Harbin Expressway, along with the Binhai and Lingwei routes, are expected to be completed and operational before the end of 2025. “Moreover, we are expediting the construction of the Shenyang-Baicheng High-Speed Railway, aiming for it to be operational by September next year. Additionally, the regular rail services in Heilongjiang now connect nine port cities, while Inner Mongolia has established the Hailar to Manzhouli Expressway, enhancing access to the Manzhouli port,” he added.

According to Li, the successful completion of these key projects will significantly improve the overall efficiency of transportation in the northeastern region, enabling it to better support both domestic and international economic interactions.

Regarding the advancements in port and hub infrastructure, Li mentioned that the Liaoning Provincial Department of Transportation has undertaken substantial initiatives to enhance port capacity, completing 22 major projects valued at over a hundred million yuan, including the construction of 16 berths for chemical products at the Changxing Island Port area.

Li also addressed the progress in enhancing the coordination of land, sea, and air transport, noting that international maritime transport operations have expanded. “The Dalian-Korea cargo and passenger shipping route has been restored, and we have introduced 15 new container shipping lines to Chile, Mexico, and India, increasing our total to 200 international shipping lines,” he remarked. Furthermore, ports such as Dalian and Yingkou have completed their openings to international trade.

Over the past year, collaboration has also flourished in various sectors, showing tangible results in cross-province joint enforcement of transportation regulations, passenger transport transitions, and cooperation in large cargo transport approvals.

Looking ahead, Li expressed the intent to further strengthen transportation cooperation among the northeastern provinces and Inner Mongolia, planning to convene a second joint meeting in Inner Mongolia to systematically review both the achievements and challenges faced in collaboration. He emphasized the need for deeper discussions around the construction of inter-provincial corridors, the establishment of emergency response mechanisms for the three provinces and Inner Mongolia, and the integration of transportation and tourism sectors to continue advancing the comprehensive transportation system in the region.

In a recent investigation, it was revealed that Yaḥya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, had established a surprisingly lavish underground hideout in Khan Younis, Gaza. This hideout, previously highlighted by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in a February video, has come back into the spotlight following Sinwar’s reported death. The footage shows the bunker not only stocked with United Nations food supplies but also filled with an array of perfumes and a safe containing millions of shekels in cash.

According to a report from the New York Post, the 61-year-old Sinwar and his close security detail enjoyed a bright and comfortable living space, complete with a fully equipped kitchen and a modern, private bathroom.

The Israeli soldier featured in the video displayed food supplies that were clearly labeled with UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) tags, underscoring repeated allegations that Hamas has been pilfering humanitarian aid intended for nearly two million refugees in Gaza.

In addition to the food storage, the soldiers discovered multiple bathrooms and showers that stood out for their cleanliness and modernity compared to other Hamas tunnels.

Further inside the hideout, there was a living area for Sinwar’s guards, with weaponry, ammunition, and explosives stored in lockers by the door.

Going deeper into the compound, a private room for Sinwar was found, complete with a large safe containing “millions” of Israeli shekels. This small room also housed various perfumes and personal hygiene products.

Israeli military officials indicated that Sinwar had been directing operations from this location during the early stages of the ongoing conflict. After being surrounded by the IDF last December, he reportedly fled south to Rafah, where he was killed on October 16 during a routine Israeli reconnaissance mission.

On October 16, the U.S. Department of Justice released a statement regarding an investigation into RTX Corporation, formerly known as Raytheon, for allegedly inflating prices on missile and defense service contracts, as well as bribing high-ranking officials in Qatar. As a result, Raytheon has agreed to pay over $950 million to reach a settlement with the U.S. government.

Through this settlement, Raytheon will pay $950 million in criminal and civil penalties, implement enhanced internal controls, and cooperate with ongoing investigations, as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. If Raytheon complies with the terms of the agreement for three years, the prosecution will drop the charges.

The Justice Department noted that the Boston prosecutor’s investigation revealed that Raytheon admitted to inflating prices on two contracts, constituting fraud, involving the procurement of Patriot missile systems and radar system sustainment contracts signed between 2012 and 2013, as well as 2017 and 2018. The inflated prices amounted to approximately $110 million, although the department did not disclose who the victims of this fraud were.

The settlement related to the Boston case includes a $140 million fine, along with $111 million in restitution to the victims.

Furthermore, during the period from 2009 to 2020, Raytheon provided false pricing in multiple arms sales contracts across several countries, including inflated labor costs for radar maintenance and duplicate billing, which violated honest pricing regulations. In light of this, Raytheon has agreed to pay $428 million as part of a civil settlement.

Additionally, investigations by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York found that between 2012 and 2016, Raytheon bribed a Qatari Air Force official with approximately $2 million to secure arms contracts, violating the Arms Export Control Act. As a result, Raytheon has agreed to a penalty of $250 million.

The 136th China Import and Export Fair, commonly known as the Canton Fair, is currently taking place in Guangzhou from October 15 to November 4, featuring three phases. This annual event has drawn purchasers from over 200 countries and regions to Guangzhou in search of new business opportunities.

On October 19, Guangzhou Customs reported that from October 1 to noon on the 19th, the average number of inbound travelers through the Guangzhou port exceeded 24,000 per day, with an average of around 160 incoming flights daily, marking increases of 43.8% and 32.5% year-on-year, respectively.

During the first phase of the Canton Fair, from October 15 to noon on the 19th, Guangzhou Customs managed approximately 200,000 travelers passing through the port, with a peak of about 46,000 individuals arriving and departing in a single day—an increase of about 10% compared to the daily average in September. Notably, around 111,000 travelers arrived in the city during this period.

Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, one of China’s three major aviation hubs, serves as a primary entry point for overseas participants of the Canton Fair. “In the past week alone, we have overseen more than 1,110 inbound flights and around 170,000 passengers, with flights mainly coming from Europe, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East,” stated Fang Pinglan, head of the Aviation Inspection Section at the Baiyun Airport Customs.

Additionally, the Pazhou Port, located next to the exhibition center, is currently the only waterborne cross-border port in Guangzhou. It operates 12 ferry services connecting Pazhou with Hong Kong International Airport and the city itself. As the Canton Fair progresses, the port’s passenger traffic continues to rise. Statistics show that from October 1 to noon on the 19th, the Customs at the Guangzhou Exhibition Center supervised 170 vessels and over 10,000 travelers entering and exiting through the port.

“Father’s Short Drama Addiction Breaks the Bank”

Interviews Investigate the Phenomenon of Short Dramas Captivating Senior Citizens

**Editor’s Note**

Recently, a tragic news story emerged about a grandfather who became so engrossed in his smartphone that he failed to notice his 3-year-old grandson drowning by the river. This incident has sparked widespread concern about the growing issue of internet addiction among some elderly individuals.

With the rapid rise of short videos and live streaming, a segment of “internet-addicted seniors” spends their evenings glued to their screens, oblivious to the world around them. They find themselves immersed in tasks like scanning QR codes, tipping streamers generously, and making impulsive purchases of health products. Not only do they get easily caught in various short video “traps,” but they also fall prey to what is commonly known as the “information cocoon” created by big data, leading to multiple complications in their lives.

Following our recent series on “legally resolving the challenges of elderly disability,” we are launching a new column dedicated to exploring “legally addressing elderly internet addiction.” Stay tuned for our ongoing coverage.
**By Zhao Li, Staff Writer**
**With contributions from Lin Mingzhen, Intern**

The trend of short dramas is sweeping the senior community.

In the past two months, dramas aimed at middle-aged and older adults have dominated short drama rankings. For example, after its release, “Marrying a Rich Man in a Flash” topped the WETRUE short drama popularity chart for five consecutive days, while discussions about it on Douyin have surpassed 2.3 billion. Other titles like “Marrying at Fifty” and “Old Warriors: Father-son Soldiers” have also reached around 600 million and 300 million conversations, respectively.

The surge in popularity of senior-themed dramas has shifted industry perceptions; leading actors are now “mature billionaires,” proving that older characters can also be “money-makers” in the industry.

This shift is certainly evident in the case of Lin Han’s 85-year-old grandmother, who eagerly consumes these short dramas and is willing to spend several hours each day watching them. Similarly, 65-year-old Fang Can’s father is a “short drama enthusiast,” often lounging on the sofa for hours, simultaneously following five different series and with hundreds of short drama apps on his phone.

However, this binge-watching isn’t just mentally exhausting; it’s financially draining as well. Lin Han’s grandmother, once unfamiliar with online payments, ended up exhausting her account balance of over $2,000 by funding short drama subscriptions. Meanwhile, Fang Can’s father has racked up nearly $6,000 in expenses through various short drama apps. Efforts by their children to reclaim these funds have proven futile, as the systems often deny refunds by stating “already viewed” or “adult purchases.”

Experts have noted that many short drama apps employ deceptive tactics, particularly targeting consumers—especially the elderly, who often lack digital literacy and the ability to discern online financial transactions. Viewers can easily find themselves caught in a web of continual microtransactions. Therefore, regulatory bodies must work diligently to regulate the short drama market, combat consumer traps, and promptly remove inappropriate content.

**Dramatic Storylines: Tragedy Followed by Triumph**

Emotional Resonance Keeps Audiences Hooked

“Meet the Chairman!” a group of employees bows to a middle-aged man dressed in a maintenance uniform (who is actually the company chairman). To rescue his second wife from embarrassment, he reveals his true identity, shocking a conniving woman into submission as she realizes she’s been bullying the chairman’s wife…

This is a scene from one of the “elderly billionaire” short dramas that Lin Han’s grandmother has been watching. The story revolves around the whirlwind romance of a 50-year-old CEO and a 45-year-old woman who marry impulsively. Lin Han finds the plot “mindless” and chose to switch off within minutes, while her grandmother avidly watched every episode.

Yang Hua, a recently retired university professor from a major city, has also become captivated by this series. With a similar personal history of not wearing a wedding dress in youth, she feels that the narrative fulfills a desire she never realized.

“Storylines that resonate with the lives of middle-aged and older viewers are compelling,” explained Liu Zhuang, a Beijing-based short video director. He analyzed how hidden identities serve as a key plot device, revealing the main character’s true identity only near the end of the series, allowing for dramatic ups and downs that don’t necessarily require logical coherence.

Historically, television and film portrayals of older adults have tended to be realistic, often depicting typical characters in specific settings. Now, the short drama industry is beginning to focus directly on seniors, delivering unique emotional satisfaction.

Lin Han also observed that, unlike prior themes centered on youth and romance, current short dramas offer more “age-appropriate” content. Although each episode is only about three minutes long, the series are often lengthy, spanning upwards of 80 episodes, with multiple plot twists. While these tales might tend to follow well-worn storylines—such as conflicts between mothers and daughters-in-law or tales of long-lost family reunions—they resonate well with older viewers who can watch for hours, beginning as soon as they wake up or even while lying in bed.

She once witnessed her grandmother engrossed in a drama about a 45-year-old cleaning lady who falls for a 27-year-old billionaire. This plot unfolds dramatically as the billionaire’s father had once pursued the cleaning lady, complicating their romantic relationship.

“Her unfamiliarity with social media tools means she might accidentally click on a short drama and, from that point forward, receive a barrage of similar content,” Lin Han noted. “It’s as if the apps have targeted her, and she willingly succumbs to these recycled plots.”

Fang Can described his father’s addiction as, “Bored after retirement, he switched between platforms to watch videos.” Initially, his father used only one short drama platform, but after a few episodes, he began receiving prompts to download links for various other platforms, resulting in a plethora of apps populating his phone.

“My dad already has poor eyesight, and the small subtitles on his phone aren’t helping. It’s a cycle—watching hours of content only worsens his vision,” Fang Can explained.

**Short Drama Apps: A Land of Traps for Elderly Users**

Users Easily Fall Prey to Payment Scams

The exposure boost from short dramas relies heavily on targeted marketing, with dramatic hooks enticing users into spending.

“This is why so many dramas feature ‘face-slapping’ moments—these scenes build up tension and manipulate audience emotions, creating a stark contrast as the plot unfolds,” Liu Zhuang pointed out. For example, in a wedding dress scene, characters get criticized for being “unworthy” only for a superior employee to step in and deliver a comeback, driving viewer engagement on social media.

Young viewers may easily be lured in, but seniors are even more susceptible.

Lin Han noticed that her grandmother, drawn in by engaging snippets, ended up watching numerous paid episodes, with costs escalating from $1 or $3 to $19.99 or $39.99 without her fully realizing it. “By the time I caught on, her spending had exceeded $2,000—luckily, I discovered it early on,” she said.

Fang Can, however, was not as fortunate.

“Dad’s obsession with short dramas broke the bank,” he recalled. At first, he assumed his father had spent a few dozen dollars, but upon discovering his father’s account empty, Fang Can checked his records. What he found was shocking: countless short drama payment entries, nearly all $39.99 each. A deep dive revealed his father had charged nearly $6,000 over the past year and a half.

Upon seeing the bill, Fang Can’s father couldn’t believe his day-to-day spending had accumulated to such heights. “He explained that he started unlocking episodes one at a time, and then the platform began promoting bulk unlock options for better deals, so he fell for it,” Fang Can added. As his dad browsed different programs, he repeatedly opted for similarly promoted services, convinced he hadn’t spent much each time.

This has led to a troubling trend among some vendors: precise targeting of older consumers with deceptive pricing. Fang Can noticed that certain short dramas attract users with low initial prices but then automatically opt-in for subscription renewals during payment, leading to ongoing charges at full price.

When he searched for short dramas on a certain platform, numerous options from various apps were immediately displayed. After clicking on several, it became clear that users must switch to the respective app to watch full series, encountering prompts to “pay to unlock” soon thereafter. One application offered initial features like a one-dollar unlock, evolving into increasingly expensive options with no flexibility in pricing for seniors.

“An elderly woman wouldn’t comprehend these intricacies. She might be drawn in by the peak of the storyline but then unwittingly follow a series of prompts leading to unexpected charges,” Lin Han expressed.

Upon realizing her grandmother had spent significant amounts on short dramas, Lin Han attempted to decipher the complicated charging systems but found the rules differed among platforms, making it nearly impossible.

“Different pricing strategies exist, and understanding how to acquire full series versus episodes made it difficult for my grandmother to grasp,” she said.

Fang Can faced similar hurdles in reviewing his father’s charges. “Many dramas might have been purchased in full accidentally, with many remaining unwatched,” he remarked. He discovered his father had inadvertently bought a lifetime membership for a viewing platform, only to find that it had since been discontinued. He never understood the concept of subscriptions and simply paid for what he assumed to be reasonable viewing, leading to escalating costs.

Mr. Huang from Guangdong, who previously worked in the short drama marketing sector, confirmed that these apps often categorize users based on their spending history. A previously high-spending user receives more expensive recommendations, reinforcing the cycle of inflation in their fees.

**Setting Reasonable Limits on Spending: Protecting Senior Rights**

“The episodes bought have already been watched,” is a typical response Fang Can receives when requesting refunds from customer service.

“They’re technically correct, especially from the larger platforms,” he noted, as his father has subscribed to numerous short drama services, and tracking every small payment is impossible.

Interestingly, all these platforms inform users that “individuals under 18 must operate under adult supervision,” yet there are no protections or regulations established for senior users.

“This is why customer service won’t issue refunds. My father is an adult, and every payment was made voluntarily,” Fang Can explained.

To prevent further addiction and excessive spending, he had to delete over a hundred apps from his father’s phone, but the pace at which new ones appeared exceeded his efforts. “These apps are pervasive, popping up on ads across networks and platforms continually recommending content tailored to his interests.”

Lin Han faced a similar struggle. “When my grandmother’s account runs out of funds, she still finds a way to browse the content she craves,” she said. Moreover, friends her grandmother’s age frequently share snippets of different short dramas in chat groups, which inevitably leads to unintentional clicks on those applications.

In desperation, both Lin Han and Fang Can have resorted to setting their relatives’ phones to “youth mode” to limit their spending capabilities.

“Though the youth mode can restrict certain applications, my father is still an adult with functions he needs to access,” Fang Can lamented. He hopes the platforms will adopt more effective measures to curtail adsorption to short dramas while protecting seniors from impulsive spending.

Many industry professionals and community members recognize the merit of short dramas for older audiences and argue that it’s essential to not dismiss the entire industry for the shortcomings of a few low-quality shows or poor pricing structures. Moderation in spending, when done wisely, can enhance one’s enjoyment.

Zheng Ning, a professor at the Communication University of China, suggests that short drama platforms should standardize their charging practices, enhance transparency, and implement a clear auto-renewal system to safeguard consumer rights.

She recommends the creation of senior-friendly payment mechanisms to help vulnerable digital consumers avoid impulsive purchases. One solution could include more frequent notifications, larger or distinct labeling, and setting payment caps to establish a framework for protecting seniors from excessive spending. She also stressed the importance of family involvement in the lives of the elderly.

The Enugu State Government has dismissed the ‘illegal’ sit-at-home order by those it described as faceless persons, noting that the state had since gone past that era.
The government, therefore, directed citizens to go about their lawful businesses, as every inch of Enugu State had been well covered by the security agencies and infrastructure to assure security of lives and property.
This was even as the Enugu state command of the Nigeria Police also countermanded the sit-at-home advisory by criminal elements, declaring that any attempt to disrupt peace and security in the state would be met with “decisive action.”
In statement issued by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Prof Chidiebere Onyia, on Sunday, the government said: “Our attention has been drawn to a video by a criminal element making the rounds on the social media, advising the people of the South East region to stay at home on Monday and Tuesday this week.
“The Enugu State Government frowns at such impudence. The state has since gone past that dark and ignominious era when criminals and never-do-wells determined when people should go about their lawful businesses or sit at home against their will.
“But for emphasis and sake of clarity, the government wishes to reiterate to our citizens, civil servants, traders, farmers, students business owners that there will be no sit-at-home in any inch of the state.  Citizens should go about their lawful businesses.
“The Dr. Peter Mbah administration has demonstrated the will and capacity to keep the state safe.  The state has put in place adequate security arrangements and infrastructure to track down and deal with every criminal that wants to test the will of the government and Ndi Enugu on this matter.“Also, workers and businesses that fail to turn up at their places of work or business will have themselves to blame for sabotaging the effort of the government to maintain law and order in the state,” Onyia stated.
In the same vein, the state police command, in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, Daniel Ndukwe, has urged the people to go about their lawful duties.
“The Commissioner of Police, Enugu State Command,  Kanayo Uzuegbu, has described the advise and the reasons for a sit-at-home by a criminally-minded and faceless individual as baseless, unwarranted, and a deliberate attempt to incite fear and unrest in the State.
“CP Kanayo emphasises that Enugu State has long moved past such criminally motivated illegal sit-at-home orders or advise, which are often designed to destabilise the social, economic, and psychological well-being of the people under the guise of secessionist agitations.
“The Commissioner encourages citizens to carry on with their lawful activities without fear or intimidation, assuring them that the police, in collaboration with other security agencies, are fully prepared to maintain peace and security across the State. He warns that any individuals or groups attempting to disrupt public order will be ruthlessly dealt with.
“CP Kanayo also urges parents and guardians to warn their children and wards against being used for any act inimical to the peace and security of the State, warning that the legal consequences of such involvements will be dire.
“Furthermore, the commissioner enjoins residents of the State to stay vigilant, law-abiding, and report suspicious activities or individuals to the nearest police station. For emergencies, the public can contact the Enugu State Command via the following numbers: 08032003702, 08098880172, 08086671202, or email: [email protected],” the statement read.

A gently spiced, speedy vegetarian soup that makes a sumptuous light dinner, and is even better for lunch the next day
Rukmini IyerMon 7 Oct 2024 08.00 EDTShareAnother easy “dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow” recipe. This soup tastes even nicer the next day, and it’s perfect with some fancy tortilla chips on the side. The celery adds a lovely depth of flavour, but if you aren’t a habitual celery eater, it’s fine to leave it out – there’s no need to buy a bunch just for this recipe. I just so happened to have some spare in the fridge after hosting a children’s party, where it was, of course, roundly ignored.
Spiced black bean and tomato soup with avocado and limePrep 15 min Cook 30 min Serves 4
3 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp cumin seeds 1 onion, peeled and roughly chopped2 celery sticks, trimmed and finely sliced (optional)1 heaped tsp smoked paprika 1 heaped tsp freshly ground coriander seeds – avoid ready-ground coriander, because it tastes like despair 1 tsp ground cumin ½ tsp chilli flakes, or more, according to taste2 400g tins chopped tomatoes2 400g tins black beans, drained and rinsed400ml hot vegetable stock The juice of 2 limesFlaky sea salt, to taste2 ripe avocados1 handful fresh coriander, leaves picked
Put the oil in a large saucepan or stockpot on a medium heat, then add the cumin seeds and fry for 20-30 seconds, until aromatic. Add the onion and celery, if using, and cook, stirring frequently, for six to seven minutes, until the vegetables are soft and turning translucent. Lower the heat, add the paprika, freshly ground coriander seeds, ground cumin and chilli flakes, then stir-fry for a minute.
Try this recipe and many more on the new Feast app: scan or click here for your free trial.Add the chopped tomatoes, black beans and stock, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer, cover partly, then simmer for 20 minutes (if you have the time, leave it to simmer for up to 40 minutes, but you may need to top up the stock). Add the juice of one lime, then taste and adjust the salt as needed.
Peel, stone and chop up half an avocado per person, then dress with the remaining lime juice and a scattering of flaky sea salt (if you’re saving half the soup for the next day, don’t chop all the avocados at once – do this just before you serve).
Serve the soup in warmed bowls, topped with the chopped avocado and coriander.

Kamala Harris appeared via video for Al Smith charity dinner, where Donald Trump took aim at transgender people
Don’t miss important US election news. Get our free app and sign up for election alertsHelen SullivanFri 18 Oct 2024 01.06 EDTLast modified on Fri 18 Oct 2024 07.11 EDTShareDonald Trump laid into Kamala Harris and other Democrats on Thursday in a pointed and at times bitter speech as he headlined the annual Al Smith charity dinner in New York. The Republican nominee repeatedly criticised his Democratic campaign rival over her decision to skip the event – a break with presidential electoral tradition, as she prioritised campaigning in the swing state of Wisconsin, rather than New York, a safe Democratic state. Harris recorded a video that was played instead.
Trump questioned the mental fitness of Harris and the president, Joe Biden, commented on second gentleman Doug Emhoff’s extramarital affair during his previous marriage, and made jokes about transgender people. The dinner was emceed by the comedian Jim Gaffigan, who portrays the Democratic vice-presidential nominee, Tim Walz, on Saturday Night Live.
Harris, in her pre-recorded remarks – which featured the comedian and actor Molly Shannon, who reprised her long-running Saturday Night Live character Mary Katherine Gallagher, an awkward Catholic school pupil – mocked Trump for lying, a sin, about the results of the 2020 election, and comments he made in Michigan, saying that mocking Catholics in the video would be “like criticising Detroit in Detroit”.
Here’s what else happened on Thursday:
Kamala Harris election news A poll has revealed that Harris continues to lead Trump among Black likely voters in battleground states. The poll, conducted by Howard University’s Initiative on Public Opinion from 2 October to 8 October, surveyed 981 Black likely voters in the states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The results show that 84% of respondents said they planned to vote for the vice-president, while only 8% said they would support Trump for president in November, and another 8% remained undecided.
With three weeks left, Harris is spending most of her days trying to shore up support in the “blue wall” states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin as she tries to avoid a repeat of Hillary Clinton’s collapse there eight years ago. Her schedule reflects the Democratic nominee’s focus on her most likely path to victory over Trump. Harris visited Milwaukee on Thursday seeking support from college-age voters. She dropped by a business class at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and held a student rally at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, closing out the day with a rally in Green Bay.
The Democratic governors of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin this week embarked on a swiftly organised bus tour, rolling through the autumn landscape to press the urgency of the case for Harris in must-win states where some Democrats worry she is struggling. Gretchen Whitmer, Josh Shapiro and Tony Evers descended on Flint on Thursday afternoon, joined by the chairman of the national Democratic party, Jaime Harrison.
Harris and Walz will attend church on Sunday in the battleground states of Georgia and Michigan. Harris will also sit down for an interview with the Rev Al Sharpton that will air on Sunday night on his MSNBC programme, according to a Harris campaign official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss schedule details not yet officially announced.
Donald Trump election news Donald Trump’s transition team is reportedly preparing a blacklist of potential officials to be banned from a future administration, with special emphasis placed on those with links to the radical Project 2025 plan to overhaul the US government. The former president’s eldest son, Donald Jr, is spearheading the drive to compile the list of barred staffers, according to Politico, citing a former official in the first Trump administration.
Trump was joined at the Al Smith event by his wife, Melania, who has been an infrequent presence on the campaign trail. The white-tie dinner raises millions of dollars for Catholic charities and has traditionally offered candidates from both parties the chance to trade lighthearted barbs, poke fun at themselves, and show that they can get along – or at least pretend to – for one night in the election’s final stretch.
Gaffigan referenced allegations that the Trump Organization in the 1970s discriminated against Black renters in its buildings. “If vice-president Harris wins this election, not only would she be the first female president, a Black woman would occupy the White House, a former Trump residence,” Gaffigan said. “Obviously you wouldn’t be renting to her. I mean, that would never happen anyway. Maybe if Doug did the signing.”
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, a Nevada man who was arrested with guns at a security checkpoint outside a Trump rally in the southern California desert has filed a lawsuit accusing the sheriff of falsely characterising his arrest as a thwarted assassination attempt, for the sheriff’s own personal gain.
The Republican vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, falsely told a reporter on Wednesday that there were “serious problems” in the 2020 election and suggested that the then president, Donald Trump, did not actually lose the race. “Did Donald Trump lose the election? Not by the words that I would use,” Vance said in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. “But look, I really couldn’t care less if you agree with me or disagree with me on this issue.”
Other election news: The Nevada Democratic US Senator Jacky Rosen and Republican challenger Sam Brown painted each other as extremists on Thursday night in the presidential battleground state where the election could determine control of both the White House and the Senate. The election pits Rosen, a first-term senator seen as a political consensus-builder, against Brown, a retired army captain who bears scars from battlefield injuries and is endorsed by Trump.
Senior Democrats in US cities are preparing to defend their communities in the event of Donald Trump’s return to the White House after the former president repeated threats that he would use presidential powers to seize control of major urban centres. Trump has proposed deploying the military inside major cities largely run by Democrats to deal with protesters or to crush criminal gangs. He has threatened to dispatch large numbers of federal immigration agents to carry out mass deportations of undocumented people.
Read more about the 2024 US election:
Presidential poll tracker
Harris and Trump policies
What to know about early voting