A new guide from Australian early-childhood specialists has ignited fresh controversy by proposing that parents treat diaper changes as an opportunity to practice consent — even with infants who can’t yet speak, the NY Post reports. The advice challenges long-standing assumptions about what a routine cleanup should look like.
The researchers argue that parents should announce what they’re about to do and give the baby a chance to absorb the message. As they put it: “At the start of a nappy change, ensure your child knows what is happening. Get down to their level and say, ‘You need a nappy change,’ and then pause so they can take this in.”
The recommendation is part of a November 2025 guide published by Deakin University, which urges caregivers to rethink the speed and style with which they approach this otherwise hectic task. The team suggests slowing down and treating the process as an early lesson in bodily awareness rather than something to “just get done.”
Their guidance goes beyond giving a heads-up. Parents are encouraged to frame diaper time as a dialogue — even if the child cannot respond. “Then you can say, ‘Do you want to walk [or] crawl with me to the [changing] table, or would you like me to carry you?’” the researchers advise, adding, “Observe their facial expressions and body language to check if they understand what is happening.”
From their perspective, this moment can teach fundamental ideas about autonomy. “This can be a time to help children learn about consent and how their bodies work,” they explain.
The Deakin team also proposes involving babies physically during the process, prompting them with statements like, “Can you please lift up your bottom so I can slide your nappy out?” They insist that “These habits plant the seed of the idea that a child has the right to say what happens to their body.”
Child-development professionals in the United States told The NY Post that while infants can’t converse, narrating actions is still meaningful. Yamalis Diaz, a clinical child psychologist at NYU Langone Health, says parents can use diaper changes to normalize conversations about privacy and boundaries long before children develop language. “This is more about integrating the teaching of consent into the [adult’s] parenting practices early on,” Diaz said. “It’s aimed at increasing the parents’ awareness of all the ways that the need for consent occurs in a child’s life.”
Diaz adds that starting early helps ensure such conversations remain “part of the conversations throughout early development,” making boundary-setting more natural. “Parents and kids will be more comfortable talking about and establishing boundaries,” she said.
NYC psychotherapist Lesley Koeppel echoes that sentiment. “Babies cannot verbally agree or disagree, but parents can still narrate what they are doing,” she told The Post. “This builds a foundation for bodily autonomy long before a child has language.” She stresses, though, that these exchanges should be understood symbolically: “The validity of this approach lies in its message. You matter. Your body matters. I will always tell you what I am doing.” According to her, that message “becomes the template for healthy boundaries later in life.”
The Deakin researchers warn that traditional diaper-changing habits — such as entertaining the child with toys or songs — may blur a child’s perception of what is happening to their body during an intimate task. “It’s important children notice when someone is touching their most intimate parts,” they state, encouraging parents to keep the moment grounded and consistent. “Even in early infancy, children can respond to consistent verbal cues,” they add, recommending that parents maintain familiar language and stable routines.
They also urge the use of anatomically correct terminology when cleaning or bathing a child. “Parents may feel uncomfortable doing this and think more childish names should be used,” they acknowledge. “But this keeps children safe, as it means they can then inform trusted adults about their experiences with all the people who care for them.”
Despite the criticism the advice has drawn, the authors insist the intention is to lighten, not increase, the burden on parents. “The habits we outline above may also seem to add more work to the already demanding parental load,” they concede. “So try and do them as often as possible and be kind to yourself if every nappy change isn’t a perfect moment of connection.”
“You are supporting a small child after all.”
{Matzav.com}
Iran’s intelligence establishment is escalating its rhetoric, alleging that outside powers are working to undermine the regime and even eliminate its top leader. According to an AFP dispatch, officials in Tehran say the United States and Israel are at the center of what they describe as an intensified campaign against Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
In remarks carried by the ISNA news agency, intelligence minister Esmail Khatib warned, “The enemy seeks to target the supreme leader, sometimes with assassination attempts, sometimes with hostile attacks.” His comments represent one of the few times in recent years that Iranian leadership has publicly suggested a direct threat against Khamenei’s life.
Tehran frequently accuses foreign nations of covert operations, but such explicit claims about attempts on the supreme leader had rarely surfaced before the 12-day Israel–Iran conflict that erupted in June. Against that backdrop, Khatib cast a wide net of blame, insisting, “Those who act in this direction, knowingly or unknowingly, are the infiltrating agents of the enemy,” a pointed reference to both Washington and Jerusalem.
Iran’s accusations come months after the June confrontation, during which Israel carried out strikes on high-ranking Iranian military figures, nuclear scientists, infrastructure targets, and residential areas. The United States later entered the fray with attacks on several strategic nuclear sites.
In the midst of that conflict, ABC News questioned Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu about whether Israel would attempt to kill Khamenei. He replied that the assumption that eliminating Iran’s supreme leader would necessarily intensify the regional crisis was unfounded, declining to rule the possibility out.
Amid the fallout from the war, President Donald Trump later declared that he had saved Khamenei “from a very ugly death” during the hostilities — an assertion that added another layer of friction to an already volatile situation.
Khamenei, now 86, has served as Iran’s Supreme Leader since 1989, maintaining ultimate control over the political, military, and religious hierarchy of the Islamic Republic.
{Matzav.com}
Colombian authorities detained members of a remnant Lev Tahor radical group this week and removed 17 minors from their custody, according to local reports. Officials say the families involved were attempting to re-form the cult after its collapse in recent months — but were discovered and stopped by law enforcement.
The operation took place in Yarumal, Antioquia, and was led by Colombia’s immigration authority. Local media said the raid included military support after officials received reports of foreign minors present in the area under “possible risk conditions.”
In total, authorities located 26 foreign nationals connected to Lev Tahor — nine adults and seventeen children. Five of the minors had active Interpol yellow notices, meaning they were flagged as being at risk for human trafficking, kidnapping, or exploitation. Immigration officials said those five children held Canadian, American, and Guatemalan citizenship.
The group had reportedly traveled into Colombia on October 22 and 23 from New York. Their attempt to establish a new communal enclave followed the recent dismantling of Lev Tahor operations in Guatemala, where most families had dispersed to the United States, Canada, and Israel.
Officials say about seven families were involved in the new effort to rebuild the cult. Representatives from the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (ICBF) participated in the intervention, and the group has since been transferred to an immigration services center. Authorities have not yet determined whether they will be deported to the United States or Guatemala.
Despite being incarcerated in New York on a long prison term for multiple crimes, cult leader Nachman Helbrans — son of the group’s late founder — is believed to still be directing its remaining members from behind bars, attempting to revive the organization.
{Matzav.com}
A severe and deeply troubling security breach occurred at Ben Gurion Airport over the weekend, when a man wanted for police questioning managed to flee the country by impersonating his twin brother — all while officers from the Population and Immigration Authority were actively pursuing him.
According to an i24NEWS report by Lee Ayash, the suspect, in his 40s, successfully passed through border control and even the biometric verification system using his brother’s passport. Despite using a document that was not his, he was not flagged at any checkpoint and boarded a flight to Bulgaria, where he is currently located.
The suspect is wanted on allegations that he assaulted his wife.
Meanwhile, the twin brother who remained in Israel was detained. He initially told police he had no knowledge of the escape plan, but investigators say evidence they uncovered indicates otherwise. His arrest has been extended. The Population and Immigration Authority stated that the incident will undergo a thorough internal review.
This alarming breach is not the only major security failure at Ben Gurion Airport in recent months. Approximately two months ago, a 13-year-old boy managed to infiltrate an El Al aircraft without passing security screening, passport control, or supervised boarding procedures. The boy was only discovered by flight attendants moments before takeoff, preventing what officials described as a potentially catastrophic situation.
Initial questioning in that case revealed that the teenager entered the airport’s secure area by tailgating another passenger. His infiltration triggered serious concern among airport authorities and the airline. He was immediately transferred to security forces and police for further investigation, while El Al and the Israel Airports Authority launched an urgent inquiry into the incident.
{Matzav.com}
One day before Hamas unleashed its devastating assault on October 7, a highly unusual intelligence alert quietly arrived at the Yarkon base of Unit 8200, according to a new report. Channel 12 News reports that the message referenced the activation of a significant weapons-related system in the northern Gaza region—an activity that, under normal conditions, should have set off loud alarms across the broader operational arena.
Security personnel had tracked Hamas members clearing out storage structures and maneuvering in a way that did not match their standard patterns. Such behavior typically demands immediate dissemination of warnings through direct communication. Instead, the information was sent solely through email, bypassing the urgent channels routinely used for time-sensitive threats.
Because this message landed just hours before the onset of Simchas Torah, no one in the Gaza Division logged into the system to read it. As a result, the warning effectively vanished into an unopened inbox, leaving the field unaware of the potentially explosive shift taking place on the other side of the border.
The alert had come in late Friday afternoon into the night. As Shabbos progressed, more unusual movements appeared in the region, but without that initial warning, the emerging pattern failed to register as an imminent danger. The dots were never connected.
Earlier in the week—from Tuesday through Thursday—intelligence officers had collected other pieces of information related to Hamas’ weapons deployments. These findings were assessed as routine at the time, insufficient to push the sector into a higher level of readiness, yet in hindsight, they formed part of a chain pointing toward escalation.
Lt. Col. A., the intelligence officer for the Gaza Division who was later relieved of his post by IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, did receive the alert but judged the developments as nothing more than a Hamas “show of force.” The evaluation was never brought to the situational briefing, leaving senior commanders unaware that anything had changed on the ground.
Responding to the revelations, the IDF stated: “The IDF has conducted and presented a wide range of in-depth investigations into the events of the morning of October 7 and the night preceding it. The findings were presented to the families, the injured, relevant decision-makers, the media, and the public. The investigations included lessons and insights, and the IDF in general – and Unit 8200 in particular – are working to implement them.”
{Matzav.com}
