Israel says it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank when it holds a general election on Tuesday.

Israel has said it will close all land crossings with the occupied West Bank on the day of its general election next week.

The Israeli army said in a statement early on Sunday that it would bar Palestinian workers from entering most areas of the West Bank from Sunday through Monday, and a full closure of crossings into and out of the territory will be enforced on Tuesday, the day of the Israeli vote.

The announcement comes a day after Israeli army imposed a lockdown in Hebron and displaced thousands of Palestinians from their homes.

It has conducted hundreds of raids since Friday’s attack by two Palestinian gunmen on an Israeli army reserve base, which killed two Israeli soldiers. The two Palestinians were also killed.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered a “full lockdown” of the occupied West Bank following the attack, while Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed that “about 2,000” people had been displaced.

“They will not be allowed to return to their neighbourhood until we’ve finished dealing with all the Hamas issues in Hebron,” Katz said in an interview with public broadcaster Kan.

‘Complete blockade’

Hebron’s Mayor Yousef al-Ja’bari told Al Jazeera that the city of Hebron and several neighbouring villages were under a complete blockade.

He also said on Saturday that 2,200 people had been forced from their homes by Israeli troops and raids.

The Palestinian Authority, which governs parts of the West Bank, has called for international pressure on Israel to protect Hebron’s residents, who said soldiers announced forced evacuation orders over loudspeakers late at night, leaving them with no time to prepare and few places to go.

The PA called Israel’s actions “collective punishment”, citing the demolition of homes, forced displacement of entire neighbourhoods, and the “closure and siege of Palestinian cities”.

About 200,000 Palestinians live in the city of Hebron, and a further 600,000 in Hebron governorate, making it the West Bank’s most populous area.

The Israeli military has said the operation will last several days.

But Netanyahu suggested bigger action was coming, saying he was planning an operation on a scale not seen since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967.

Netanyahu, Israel’s longest serving prime minister, is facing a tight race for a new term in Tuesday’s vote, and analysts say he is trying to capitalise on ongoing regional military conflicts and national security fears to anchor his re-election campaign.

LEE Andrews has continued to hint that he’s back with Katie Price with a cryptic love poem – as she’s seen wearing her wedding ring again.

The latest piece of the puzzle comes just days after the conman was spotted liking Katie’s post about her son Harvey.

The couple have been estranged since the summer, with Katie telling The Sun that she had dumped conman Lee after becoming fed up with his lies.

But recently, there have been clues they have secretly got back together, and today it was Lee‘s turn again.

It comes after Katie was spotted with her ring back on, hinting at a reconciliation with her jailbird hubby.

Now, Lee has posted a poem which reads: “There’s something about her eyes which f**** with my head.

PRICED OUT

Katie Price left fuming after being snubbed by Pride of Britain Awards

KATIE’S COURT FARCE

How a comment from Katie nearly COLLAPSED Jeremy Kyle-style rape trial

“And don’t give me that mascara or makeup bulls***.

“Makeup’s got nothing to do with it. You can’t buy a look like that at a f***ing beauty counter.

“Those eyes are a drug. Devastating. Beautiful. And I can’t get clean.”

Katie had previously spoken about how she had started wearing her engagement ring on her right hand instead of the left after the split.

But she has now swapped it back to her left wedding ring finger – as she continues to fuel speculation that she is back with Lee.

The TV personality was seen emerging from a nail salon after a pampering session with the ring firmly back on her finger.

The Sun previously revealed that Katie ended their marriage via WhatsApp last month after finding out he had just £2.22 in his bank account.

We then told how the former glamour model is bracing herself for a “messy” divorce battle with her ex as the conman vowed to return to the UK.

But just days after scrubbing all his images from her Instagram page in a subtle swipe, she appeared to have given him grace on social media.

Eagle-eyed followers spotted how the mum of five is re-following his account and Lee, who previously erased her from his page, is doing likewise.

Lee was recently released from the notorious Al Awir prison after a four-month stint, but is now eyeing up flying back to his home country.

The conman launched a Go Get Funding page this month in a bid to collect bail cash so he can return to Britain.

And as Lee vows to fly back to England, Katie is understood to be “naturally worried” that Lee will come after her money, in what could be one of showbiz’s messiest divorces.

SATURDAY’S RESULTS

Second Round

DIVISION 3

Santa Ana Foothill d. Sunny Hills, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 27-25

Cerritos Valley Christian d. Beckman, 3-1

Newbury Park d. Redlands, 25-18, 26-28, 16-25, 25-18, 15-10

Thousand Oaks d. Etiwanda, 28-26, 25-22, 23-25, 25-9

Corona del Mar d. Flintridge Prep, 25-18, 25-22, 22-25, 25-23

La Salle d. St. Margaret’s, 3-2

Crescenta Valley d. La Canada, 3-1

Windward d. Lakewood St. Joseph, 3-0

DIVISION 5

Liberty d. Marlborough, 3-1

Canyon Country Canyon d. Hesperia Christian, 3-2

El Toro d. Valencia, 25-22, 25-18, 23-25, 13-25, 16-14

St. Anthony d. San Jacinto, 26-24, 25-17, 25-21

Westridge d. Viewpoint, 25-18, 25-11, 25-15

Irvine d. Paraclete, 3-2

La Serna d. Maranatha, 25-18, 23-25, 25-23, 25-17

Quartz Hill d. Capistrano Valley, 3-2

DIVISION 7

Tustin d. Pasadena, 3-0

Sacred Heart d. Laguna Blanca, 3-2

Nordhoff at Placentia Valencia

Barstow d. Webb, 25-19, 25-19, 24-26, 25-21

Beverly Hills d. Pasadena Marshall, 3-0

Northview d. Vistamar, 24-26, 21-25, 25-21, 25-23, 16-14

Fullerton d. Buckley, 3-0

Rio Hondo Prep d. Foothill Tech, 16-25, 25-19, 25-18, 25-14

DIVISION 9

Rancho Mirage d. Canoga Park AGBU, 3-1

San Jacinto Leadership at St. Monica Academy

Nogales d. Santa Rosa Academy, 23-25, 26-24, 25-18, 13-25, 15-13

Azusa d. Westminster, 3-0

Jurupa Hills d. St. Jeanne de Lestonnac, 3-1

Desert Christian Academy d. Wildwood, 3-0

Buena Park d. Milken, 25-21, 11-25, 25-21, 25-22

California at Twentynine Palms, Monday at 4 p.m.

DIVISION 11

Arroyo d. Compton Early College, 3-0

Mesrobian d. Ramona, 3-0

Pacific Lutheran at La Sierra Academy, Monday at 6 p.m.

Newport Christian d. Grace, 3-1

Tarbut V’ Torah d. Workman, 18-25, 23-25, 25-16, 25-19, 15-10

Lynwood vs. Santa Clara, Monday at Firebaugh

Norton Science Academy d. Joshua Springs Christian, 25-18, 26-24, 25-21

Downey Calvary Chapel d. Silver Valley, 3-2

TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted)

Pool Play

DIVISION 1

Pool A

#5 Santa Margarita at #1 Mater Dei

#8 Harvard-Westlake at #4 Oaks Christian

Pool B

#6 Los Amigos at #2 Sierra Canyon

#7 Marymount at #3 Mira Costa

Quarterfinals

DIVISION 2

Newport Harbor at Redondo Union

Corona Centennial at San Juan Hills

Orange Lutheran at Murrieta Valley

Long Beach Poly at Sherman Oaks Notre Dame

DIVISION 4

North Torrance at Portola

Arcadia at Vista Murrieta

Hemet at Santa Barbara, 5 p.m.

Glendora at Linfield Christian

DIVISION 6

Dos Pueblos at Villa Park

Temecula Prep at Capistrano Valley Christian

Santa Ana Calvary Chapel at Castaic

Lakewood at Mayfair

DIVISION 8

Samueli Academy at San Gabriel Academy

San Jacinto Valley at Burbank

Garden Grove Pacifica at Rio Mesa

Artesia at Geffen Academy

DIVISION 10

Orange at Glendale

New Roads at Adelanto

Loara at La Quinta

Lancaster at Wildomar Cornerstone Christian

Note: Quarterfinals (Divisions 3, 5, 7, 9, 11) Wed., Oct. 28; Semifinals (Divisions 2-11) Sat., Oct. 31; Third Round pool Play (Division 1) Sat., Oct. 31; Finals (all divisions) Sat., Nov. 7 at TBA.

Maiduguri, Nigeria – For more than 15 years, Kashim Mohammed has hoped that his younger sister, Falmata Mohammed, is still alive.

Falmata disappeared in 2011 while travelling with her mother from Maiduguri, the capital of northeastern Nigeria’s Borno State, to Port Harcourt in the south. According to Kashim, the two women were abducted by unidentified gunmen.

Years later, a man approached Kashim at Baga Road Market in Maiduguri with news that briefly revived the family’s hopes of finding the women. He claimed Falmata had been found in Benin and was searching for her relatives.

But the man disappeared without leaving contact details. Kashim said he has never been able to establish whether the information was genuine.

“From then until now, nobody knows anything about the man who brought the information,” he said.

Kashim, 39, chairs the Association for the Well-being of Displaced and Missing Persons’ Families, a community organisation based in Bolori II, Ngarnam ward, Maiduguri. He said years of violence have torn his family apart.

“As a result of the violence, I lost my sister from the same father,” he said.

Their father, Mohammed Kolo, worked at Maiduguri’s State Specialist Hospital. Kashim said his father died at 60 from an illness he attributed to high blood pressure without learning what had happened to his daughter.

Kolo had refused to abandon hope that she would return.

“Our father always said, ‘Wherever she is, I believe my daughter is alive,’” Kashim recalled.

A brother still searching

For Muhammad Alhaji Bashir, the disappearance of his elder brother, Adam Muhammad Bashir, known as Bakura, has left a similar void.

Muhammad, 29, said Bakura went missing around 2012 or 2013 when Muhammad was about 14. His brother, then believed to be in his early 20s, sold cosmetics in a Maiduguri market and was studying civil engineering at Ramat Polytechnic, according to Muhammad.

“I sincerely lost my brother as a result of the Boko Haram crisis,” Muhammad said.

Boko Haram’s armed rebellion began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009. The conflict has devastated communities through attacks, abductions and displacement, leaving families searching for relatives whose fates remain unknown.

Muhammad said Bakura’s family searched across Maiduguri. A rehabilitation centre offered them some hope.

“Whenever we heard that rescued people had been brought to the rehabilitation centre in Bulumkutu, we went there with Bakura’s pictures, but unfortunately, nobody recognised him,” Muhammad said.

Muhammad said his father and stepmother, who was Bakura’s mother, later died from illnesses the family attributed to hypertension. He and other relatives continue to search, without confirmation of whether Bakura is alive or dead.

Thousands of families, thousands of questions

The two families’ experiences reflect the uncertainty facing relatives of people who have disappeared during more than a decade of conflict in northeastern Nigeria.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), working with the Nigerian Red Cross Society, has supported efforts to trace missing people and reconnect separated families.

Local advocates for missing people cited an estimate of 17,000 people missing across northern Nigeria, many of them linked to the conflict involving Boko Haram and its aftermath. Kashim said his association’s records indicated that about 10,000 people are missing in Borno State alone. He added that many families have yet to register their missing relatives.

The sources for the estimates cited by advocates and the association, their geographical coverage, reporting periods and methods of compilation have not been independently established for this article.

Behind the estimates are families who have spent years searching, parents who have died without learning what happened to their children and children growing up without a parent.

Some people reportedly disappeared during attacks on their communities. Others became separated from relatives while fleeing violence or travelling between towns. Families search hospitals, displacement camps and centres receiving people rescued from conflict areas, often following leads that prove impossible to verify.

Even when names, photographs and personal details are submitted to organisations involved in tracing missing people, locating relatives can take time.

An association born out of loss

Kashim said his search for Falmata helped motivate him and other affected families to establish their association in 2023. He said the organisation obtained registration with Nigeria’s Corporate Affairs Commission in 2025.

Members meet monthly to share information and discuss their circumstances. Some families have reported losing eight or nine relatives, according to Kashim.

“In our community of Bolori II, we have many families who lost their relatives as a result of years of violence that ravaged northeastern Nigeria,” he said.

Kashim said the group sometimes receives notices from the Red Cross containing names and details of missing people. These can give families leads to pursue although they do not necessarily mean a relative has been located.

The association also supports children affected by the disappearances. Kashim said it was assisting about 600 orphaned children from affected families. Some attend school while others have dropped out because their relatives cannot afford to pay for their education or other basic needs.

“We are now suffering because of the harsh living conditions,” he said, adding that the ICRC had distributed relief items to some families.

When a missing person is a parent or breadwinner, relatives must cope with lost income while trying to provide food, shelter and schooling for children. The association’s work has consequently expanded beyond tracing missing people to helping families manage the hardships their disappearances leave behind.

Floods add to the losses

The search became harder for some families after devastating floods struck parts of Maiduguri in 2024.

Kashim said floodwaters submerged parts of Ngarnam and destroyed photographs that families had kept to help identify missing relatives.

Photographs can be vital when families try to identify people who have been rescued, displaced or found in unfamiliar communities. Without them, relatives must rely on names, physical descriptions and memories.

Kashim said some families now have little beyond remembered details and surviving records to help identify their relatives.

The floods added another obstacle to searches already complicated by years of conflict, displacement and uncertainty.

Waiting for an answer

For Kashim, finding Falmata would resolve a question that has haunted his family since 2011. His father died believing she might still return, and the family has never established whether the report of her discovery in Benin was true.

Muhammad’s search for Bakura continues without the parents who once helped him look for his brother.

Both families are appealing to anyone who may have information about their missing relatives. For them, finding an answer would mean more than ending a search: It would establish what happened to someone whose absence has shaped their lives for years.

Kashim’s message to his sister remains a plea for a reunion that his family has waited years to see.

“Falmata Mohammed, if you are alive anywhere in this world, we are the family of late Mohammed Kolo in Bolori II, Ngarnam. We are waiting for you,” he said.

Since the January 3, 2026, military strikes and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, the Trump administration has imposed semi-colonial rule over Venezuela, forcing dramatic shifts in the country’s domestic and foreign policies.

The capstone of the new tutelary regime is an oil deal announced in late August that Trump called “the biggest in history.” The agreement turns over 17 prime oilfields, holding over 20% of the country’s reserves, to a Pentagon-controlled corporation tasked with supplying cheap fuel to the US war machine for decades to come.

After spending years manufacturing consent for US-sponsored regime change in Venezuela (e.g., FAIR.org, 6/4/21, 1/11/23, 2/12/25), having a government in Caracas subservient to Washington represented a new scenario for the corporate media. The novel conditions have raised few significant qualms for Western outlets. Tactical objections notwithstanding, there is no fundamental disagreement with the US running the affairs of a Global South country.

Not ‘stealing Venezuela’s oil’

Working hand in glove with the Trump administration, the acting Delcy Rodríguez government has overhauled Venezuela’s hydrocarbon legislation (Venezuelanalysis, 7/13/26) to offer what oil experts consider a business environment more favorable to foreign capital than at any point in the country’s history. The new oil agreement with the White House manages to go even further.

The 17 oilfields in question will be taken over by North American Blue Energy Partners (NABEP), a private company in which the Pentagon’s Office of Strategic Capital (OSC) will get a 35% stake while investing nothing—and wielding veto power over its board.

Furthermore, according to the White House, the US State Department will secure 20% of NABEP’s output at cost, and have a right of first refusal over the remaining 80%. On top of this, Venezuelan officials have already suggested Washington would be given an additional “sales discount”  (Venezuelanalysis, 9/9/26).

In summary, Trump is looking to secure cheap crude supplies at a time when his disastrous Iran debacle has thrown global energy markets into upheaval. The agreement is so blatantly skewed that US Energy Secretary Chris Wright felt he needed to clarify that Washington was not “stealing Venezuela’s oil” (AFP, 9/3/26).

Nevertheless, Western media outlets were largely unfazed by such an obvious oil grab, euphemistically referring to the deal as “highly unusual” (New York Times, 8/29/26) or “remarkable” (BBC, 9/1/26), at most as “contentious” (Guardian, 9/1/26).

Corporate journalists did raise objections over the central role played by NABEP owner Alejandro Betancourt, a shady Venezuelan businessman who faced multiple money-laundering probes before the Trump administration intervened, and pressured judicial authorities at home and abroad to drop the investigations (BBC, 9/2/26; CNN, 9/4/26; New York Times, 9/4/26).

But media seemed satisfied with Trump’s state and energy secretaries Marco Rubio and Chris Wright pledging that US oversight will keep proceedings honest (Reuters, 9/2/26; New York Times, 9/4/26), despite the fact that billions in Venezuelan oil revenues, controlled by the US Treasury Department since January, are unaccounted for (Council on Foreign Relations, 6/3/26; Financial Times, 7/22/26).

Procedurally transparent plunder

Objections to the Venezuela/NABEP/Pentagon venture were mostly procedural and out of concern for appearances, not driven by any principled opposition to US imperialist predation. Faced with outright colonial plunder of Venezuela, the political and media establishment only demands “accountability” and “transparency” (New York Times, 5/5/26; Financial Times, 9/18/26).

For months, the White House has controlled Venezuelan oil export revenues, with Trump officials openly calling them “one of the largest assets ever to go on the US balance sheet,” and a source of “leverage” over Caracas. Yet Trump’s Democratic opponents have found no issue with seizing another country’s income, raising only questions about the allocation of the funds in reference to alleged corruption on the part of Caracas and Trump insiders (The Hill, 9/30/26; Washington Post, 9/17/26). This despite the fact that the Venezuelan government has to submit a “monthly budget” to access its own funds (New York Times, 1/28/26) and is subjected to US-imposed auditors (Reuters, 4/27/26).

The other source of disappointment with Trump stomping all over Venezuelan sovereignty, but prioritizing oil over regime change, is impatience for the restoration/recovery/return of “democracy” to Venezuela (Politico, 9/2/26; Guardian, 8/30/26; CBC, 9/3/26). Despite  widely acknowledgement that Trump is eroding democracy at home (New York Times, 8/20/26, 10/14/26; Guardian, 10/8/26), somehow pundits expected him to prioritize it in an oil-rich foreign country.

In the establishment’s consensus, “democracy” does not mean a political system that meaningfully reflects the Venezuelan people’s collective will, but simply one that empowers opposition figures that have been groomed for years, like far-right María Corina Machado, their undemocratic credentials notwithstanding (FAIR.org, 10/23/25).

Eager to stay in power, Rodríguez has over-complied with every US demand, going as far as adopting language about Venezuela undergoing a “democratic transformation.” Her pliancy has earned her favorable corporate media profiles that completely contrast with the demonization of Maduro.

After securing an exclusive interview, Time (7/30/26) described the acting leader as a “disciplined operator” who “advocate[s] for greater economic openness,” in contrast to the “authoritarian” Maduro, who oversaw “economic collapse.” Along the same lines, the Guardian (9/12/26) presented Rodríguez as a “a pragmatic, witty and intelligent workaholic,” unlike her “authoritarian” and “incompetent” predecessor in the presidential palace.

Nevertheless, given the broad Beltway consensus for comprehensive regime change, it is unlikely that the Rodríguez administration’s subservience to Trump will secure any leeway in determining its political path forward, free from outside meddling—especially if, as is anticipated, the GOP lawmakers most likely to be impressed by such obsequiousness lose power in the US’s upcoming midterm elections (Axios, 9/23/26; Financial Times, 10/9/26).

Please think of the corporations!

Alongside their exceptionalist expectations about “democracy,” legacy outlets also focus on those they consider the true victims of Trump’s neocolonial offensive in Venezuela: multinational oil corporations.

According to Reuters (9/1/26), the recent oil deal “raises red flags for major producers,” who fear having their reputation sullied by being “seated at the same table with Betancourt,” as well as the prospect of the US government becoming a “competitor.”

Bloomberg (8/30/26) raised concerns that the agreement “reprises [the] neocolonial past” of Venezuela’s oil industry. The warning stems not from apprehension that the Venezuelan people’s future is being determined by a foreign nation, but from fear that the US’s “out-sized power” might lead to “popular unrest.” This could create conditions for what the business mouthpiece views as a catastrophic outcome: the nationalization of foreign-owned oil assets.

“The troubled history of Venezuela’s oil offers a cautionary tale,” Bloomberg’s Kevin Crowley and Patricia Garip wrote:

The country was once dominated by US and European operators and was among the world’s largest producers. But assets owned by ExxonMobil Holdings Corps. and ConocoPhillips were seized and nationalized during political upheaval in the 2000s.

Corporate media present companies that made massive profits in Venezuela for decades as victims, because the Chávez government wanted them to comply with new laws and accept minority stakes in joint ventures.

The New York Times (9/1/26) complains that the two corporations “have spent years trying to get the country to repay them for their seized assets, with little success.” The statement conceals the fact that the Venezuelan government, when it enacted the 2007 decree imposing state majority in all Orinoco Oil Belt projects, offered to compensate ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips for their transition to minority partners, or to buy out their assets altogether. However, both corporations rejected the offers in order to pursue international arbitration. The former has already recouped most of what it was granted, while the latter will eventually collect on a significant award.

Despite the fact that Chevron, BP, Shell and other energy giants have signed deals in recent months taking advantage of the reformed hydrocarbon law (Venezuelanalysis, 9/3/26), pundits complain that ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips remain “hesitant” (CBS, 8/31/26) and need to be “lured” (Reuters, 9/1/26). Still, the Western corporations are likely to return to the country with favorable deals (Reuters, 9/16/26).

The victor and his spoils

Faced with strategic defeat in West Asia, Trump has clung to his Venezuela success, stating on multiple occasions that “to the victor belong the spoils,” in reference to the US hijacking the Venezuelan oil industry following the January 3 attacks and presidential kidnapping (Al Jazeera, 9/24/26; Guardian, 9/26/26).

Furthermore, Trump has not been shy in boasting about the US winning a “war” against Venezuela (Financial Times, 9/18/26; New York Times, 6/26/26). Corporate journalists have rarely pointed out that this stance directly contradicts the administration’s official position that the kidnapping of Maduro and Flores was a “law enforcement” operation (New York Times, 1/6/26; PBS, 1/8/26) in order to justify bypassing congressional approval.

The US president has likewise claimed to have recovered the costs of the military operation “many times over” (Al Jazeera, 3/3/26; Guardian, 6/28/26), a fact confirmed by Luigi Pisella, a business sector spokesperson with close ties to the acting Rodríguez administration (Venezuelanalysis, 8/10/26). Pisella stated that the US has retained $4.7 billion from the Venezuelan export revenues it controls to cover the costs of its military operation.

In spite of their ostensible hostility to Trump, corporate outlets have historically been complicit with his Venezuela policies, from whitewashing a deadly sanctions program (FAIR.org, 6/13/22) to endorsing a military buildup over debunked “narcoterrorism” accusations (FAIR.org, 11/19/25). The New York Times and Washington Post went as far as to withhold information in order to not jeopardize the January 3 operation (FAIR.org, 1/13/26).

Now, with a semi-colonial regime in place, the only concerns are about procedural transparency, democratic appearances and the well-being of multinational corporations. The Venezuelan people always get the short end of the stick.

Source: FAIR

Neil Jones’ facial expression led Strictly fans to claim that the pro dancer looked ‘disgusted’ after Carlos Gu and Jaime Winstone performed a foxtrot to Man I Need by Olivia Dean

Strictly Come Dancing fans have said they thought Neil Jones looked “disgusted” after watching a couple’s dance.

The professional dancer, 44, faced backlash on social media after Carlos Gu, 33, and Jaime Winstone, 41, finished their dance. The pair, who were the first to perform on the October 24 show, danced a foxtrot to Man I Need by Olivia Dean.

As Carlos and Jaime hugged following their dance, the camera panned to the balcony, capturing Neil’s expression, which viewers then addressed on social media. One asked: “Why did Neil look disgusted?” Another said: “Had a face like a slapped a**e.”

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A third jumped in: “Neil needs to be given a partner & all will be solved. I’ve had enough of him being there to make up the numbers. He’s a great dancer & deserves to have a partner for the series!”

One more shared: “Sorry, Neil, have you got a problem with Jaime Winstone’s dance pal?” Someone else wrote: “I’d check if Neil’s armed. He’s fizzing.”

Neil has missed out yet again on a celebrity partner in this year’s show, with his last famous pairing being in 2024. Two years ago, Neil was paired with singer Toyah Willcox, but they lasted two weeks before being eliminated.

Last year, the professional dancer lost his father, and earlier this week, he posted on social media to pay tribute to him. Posting a picture

It is an emotional time of year for Neil as he lost his beloved father around this time last year. The dancer posted a tribute on Instagram earlier this week, as he returned to social media to mark a year since his dad’s passing.

Sharing a picture of them sharing a pint together, Neil told his followers: “It’s been a year, and I know you’ll be having a pint, smiling and looking down on us all.” He captioned the post: “Thinking of you.”

Meanwhile, many fans were left disappointed by the judges’ scores for Jaime and Carlos after their foxtrot. The pair, who opened the show, scored 25 out of 40, with every judge giving them a six, except Anton du Beke, who gave them a seven.

“I absolutely love Jaime and Carlos, and I thought the Foxtrot was gorgeous, much better than the judges are making out. Queue undermarking,” a fan said. Another tweeted: “I’m no dance professional but surely Jaime & Carlos was undermarked there?”

A third said: “That was a beautiful foxtrot routine from Carlos, so traditional. It was a bit lumpy and I did notice the couple of mistakes from Jaime, but overall I enjoyed it and I noticed some good footwork plus her spins were gorgeous. I felt the judges were a bit harsh.”

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He came into the weekend insisting he was going to try to apply the “same mindset as I had all year – one race at a time”.

But on Saturday he acknowledged that this one was a new kind of weekend.

“It does feel a little bit different,” he said. “But the goal stays the same. I just need to keep doing my job. And, actually, I feel like I can enjoy more driving, everything.

“But, of course, we’re going to do the race tomorrow. We’re going to try and win. And then we’ll see what happens. Obviously, I’m in a very good position.”

Antonelli is typically accompanied by his father, Marco, at grands prix, but he said this weekend he had brought other people with him as well to help keep him in the right frame of mind.

“I have a great group of people around me,” he said. “I have a lot of friends here as well, so we enjoy the evenings together.

“We play cards in the evening, so we’re just doing the fun stuff. And that’s what helps, to just relax a little bit and just connect with the mind, and then once you go on track you are back full focus.”

The maths suggest the most likely scenario is that Antonelli will not win the title on Sunday – it would, as he put it on Thursday, require “something catastrophic to happen to the others”.

If this is a bit of an overstatement – Russell and Hamilton would need only to crash together on the first lap, for example – the fundamental truth is real.

Polls show populist leader Aleksandar Vucic in a tight race against the anticorruption and anti-authoritarian movement.

Serbians are voting in parliamentary elections amid a mass student protest ⁠movement that seeks to oust longtime populist leader Aleksandar Vucic, who has held power as prime minister and then president for more than a decade.

The snap elections, called by Vucic in September, follow almost two years of student-led demonstrations against perceived corruption ⁠and creeping authoritarianism, triggered by the deaths of 16 people when a train station canopy collapsed in the city of Novi Sad in 2024.

The students have since gained widespread support.

A loss for Vucic ⁠would mark a profound political shift in the Balkan country of some 6 million people, reminiscent of the defeat of Hungary’s Viktor Orban in April.

But Vucic, who resigned as president in September to run again for prime minister, is a strong incumbent. Many voters thank him for pulling Serbia out of economic obscurity and ‌orchestrating a period of sustained modernisation.

“The Serbian election ⁠is shaping up to be a watershed moment for the country as the Student List mounts the biggest challenge against Vucic yet,” Mario Bikarski, senior Europe analyst at risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft, told the Reuters news agency.

During the campaign, Vucic has promised higher pensions and public sector salaries, investment in state healthcare, and subsidies for young couples. He has balanced closer ties with China, a major investor, and Russia, Serbia’s traditional ally and principal supplier of natural gas, while leaving the door open to joining the European Union.

But relations with the EU have frayed under his leadership, with the bloc growing increasingly frustrated over a lack of reforms addressing the judiciary, the rule of law and corruption.

The Student List movement’s agenda focuses on rooting out corruption and improving schooling, while saying little about their international ambitions.

Their roster of 250 largely unfamiliar candidates, including university professors, actors and farmers, is led by cardiologist Ilija Srdanovic.

Opinion polls are predicting a tight race.

An Ipsos poll published on Thursday gives Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party 47 percent ⁠of the vote to the students’ 40 percent, though other polls have put the students ahead.

Rights groups and activists say repression has worsened since the deadly train station canopy collapse, which was widely blamed on government corruption and sparked the student demonstrations.

About 150,000 supporters of the student movement rallied in central Belgrade on Thursday.

Vucic and his party have repeatedly denied accusations of repression, corruption and spying on their opponents.

The former president claims the students are funded by foreign agents in Croatia and Montenegro, a charge the students deny.

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said about 2,000 residents had been displaced by the operation, which has led to at least one whole street appearing to have been flattened, according to footage shared online.

Even before the entry and exit bans on workers were announced by the IDF on Sunday, the military had cordoned off the city, heavily restricting the movement of its 200,000 residents.

It is common for Israeli forces to demolish the homes of Palestinians who are suspected of carrying out attacks on Israelis in the West Bank – a practice Israeli rights groups have criticised as collective punishment.

Friday’s shooting came during a tense time for the region, just days ahead of Israel’s election taking place on Tuesday.

In an interview with Israel’s i24 television channel released on Saturday, Netanyahu threatened a “very big surprise” for the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs parts of the territory.

Hebron Mayor Youssef al-Jaabari said the operation was being “driven by the elections” and that Netanyahu and his ministers were attempting to secure the votes of the far right and the settlers.

On Saturday, thousands gathered in Tel Aviv for a large anti-government demonstration.

The protest was organised by the October Council, a group founded by the families of victims and hostages taken by militants on 7 October 2023, to demand accountability for the failure to prevent the Hamas-led attack.

“Three days before the election, we will hold the culminating event marking three years of struggle to uncover the truth, demand accountability, and establish a state commission of inquiry,” the October Council wrote on X ahead of the rally.

The gathering saw the participation of the leaders of the four main opposition parties, including Gadi Eisenkot, the former military chief of staff who is neck and neck with Netanyahu.

CALLUM Turner’s bid to bag the role of James Bond has had a boost — he’s advertising luggage for a fashion brand with links to the films.

The 36-year-old actor is the face of Louis Vuitton’s new trunk collection.

Bond author Ian Fleming incorporated their suitcases into 1963 book On Her Majesty’s Secret Service.

And a set of the brand’s luggage appeared in 1985 Bond film A View to a Kill.

A source said: “Louis Vuitton is exactly the kind of fashion house Callum wants to associate himself with.

“The fact that Ian Fleming also mentioned Vuitton in his books is a clear indication that Callum is aligning himself with all the right campaigns.”

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Bond casting director Nina Gold was spotted at Bray Film Studios in Berkshire yesterday as screen tests for the role were understood to be taking place.

Callum’s odds of becoming Bond were 2/1 last night.

The Brit, who is married to singer Dua Lipa, 31, co-starred in the Fantastic Beasts movies.

Scottish actor Jack Lowden, 36, is the bookies’ favourite to take over as Bond with odds of 4/7, according to Ladbrokes.

Sinners actor Jack O’Connell, 36, and The Crown’s Josh O’Connor, 36, sit at 12/1.

Daniel Craig stepped down after the release of his fifth Bond film No Time To Die in 2021.

MILWAUKEE — Sal Frelick tied the score with his first home run in three months, Cooper Pratt hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning and the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the Tampa Bay Rays 5-4 on Saturday night for a 2-0 World Series lead by overcoming a four-run deficit for the second time in the postseason.

Tampa Bay, which won the AL pennant by forcing opponents into mistakes, committed one error, made two other misplays that could have been charged as errors and had a runner thrown out at the plate.

Down 4-0 in the first inning, Milwaukee rallied for its seventh comeback win of this postseason. The Brewers also rebounded from a 4-0 deficit to beat the Dodgers 6-4 in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series, completing a four-game sweep.

After losing Friday’s opener 3-2, the Rays burst ahead against rookie Logan Henderson, but the Brewers started to claw back with two runs in the bottom half against Tampa Bay ace Drew Rasmussen.

David Hamilton cut the deficit to 4-3 with a run-scoring grounder in the fourth and Frelick capped a nine-pitch at-bat against Ian Seymour in the sixth by driving a fastball over the center-field fence.

Frelick had gone 103 plate appearances without a home run since his July 11 drive off Pittsburgh’s Braxton Ashcraft and had not gone deep against a lefty pitcher since opening day against Tyler Gilbert of the Chicago White Sox. Frelick sped around the bases in 18.72 seconds, half the time of some theatrical trots this postseason.

Screaming fans at the second game of Milwaukee’s first World Series since 1982 were fired up during the seventh-inning stretch, dancing to the “Beer Barrel Polka” played by Mike Schneider, an accordionist from Clinton, Wis.

Brice Turang doubled against losing pitcher Tyler Wells on the second pitch of the bottom half, advanced on Garrett Mitchell’s flyout to right and scored when Pratt, a 22-year-old who debuted in June, looped a sinker from Kevin Kelly into short right field.

Abner Uribe pitched 1⅓ hitless innings for the win.

Jonny DeLuca doubled off Aaron Ashby starting the ninth, then Victor Mesa Jr. struck out when he couldn’t check his swing. Pinch-hitter Ben Williamson’s groundout advanced the runner and Yandy Díaz struck out when he couldn’t check his swing on a full-count pitch.

Ashby has three saves in the postseason while not allowing a run.

Milwaukee won its seventh straight game, becoming the fifth team to twice overcome four-run deficits for victories in a single postseason and the first since Philadelphia in 2022.

Game 3 of the matchup between teams seeking their first title is Monday night at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla. where the Brewers last played in 2023.

Of the 57 previous teams to take 2-0 World Series leads, 46 claimed the championship.

Tampa Bay took a 4-2 lead in the highest-scoring Series first inning since 1993’s Game 4 as teams combined for seven hits, tying the most in an opening inning.

Still, Milwaukee improved to 13-0 in games started by Henderson, dating to his 2025 debut. He followed Jacob Misiorowski in the Brewers’ rotation, the first time teammates 24 or younger started the first two games of the Series since Cincinnati’s Gary Nolan and Ross Grimsley in 1972.

Henderson started on 11 days’ rest and struggled as the Rays fouled off 13 of 35 pitches in the first. He gave up four runs — three earned — in three innings.

Given an extra day of rest, Rasmussen gave up three runs and six hits over 3⅔ innings in his shortest start since July 9.

Pratt made his fourth error of the postseason at shortstop, the Brewers’ ninth in 10 games, bouncing his throw past first baseman Jake Bauers on a leadoff grounder by Díaz. Chandler Simpson and Junior Caminero followed with RBI singles, and Liam Hicks hit a two-run homer.

Jackson Chourio and Bauers started the bottom half with singles and first baseman Jonathan Aranda allowed Contreras’ one-out foul pop to bounce out of his mitt near netting in front of the seats.

With Bauers running on a full-count pitch, Contreras bounced an RBI single to the left of second baseman Richie Palacios, who had taken a step toward the base. Mitchell’s two-out single cut the deficit to 4-2.

Hamilton hit an RBI grounder in the fourth that bounced under Aranda’s legs for an error.

Chourio threw out Hicks from left for the final out of the sixth when third base coach Brady Williams waved the slow-footed catcher to try to score from second on Mesa’s single.

Blum writes for the Associated Press.

The settlement is the second-largest after an $880m ​deal reached by the Archdiocese of Los ​Angeles in 2024.

The Archdiocese of New York has agreed to pay more than $800m to settle the legal claims of about 1,300 survivors of sexual abuse by clergy.

New York Archbishop Ronald Hicks said on Saturday that the settlement will be formally signed on November 6 after an agreement with the plaintiffs and their lawyers.

“We are on the verge of being able to, please God, bring some measure of healing and reconciliation to all victim-survivors,” he wrote in an email sent to his priests and shared by the archdiocese’s news outlet.

“This agreement will also allow the archdiocese to turn its full attention once again to its mission of preaching the Gospel, healing the sick, caring for the poor and needy, welcoming the stranger, and educating our children,” he added.

According to The New York Times, which broke the story, each of the approximately 1,300 survivors will receive at least $250,000 from the Archdiocese of New York and potentially more depending on the severity of the abuse suffered.

The settlement is the second-largest of its kind after an $880m deal reached by the Archdiocese of Los Angeles in 2024.

“The unanimous agreement of survivors who filed claims against the Archdiocese of New York marks a powerful moment in the pursuit of justice,” Jeff Anderson, a lawyer representing people who filed more than 1,000 claims against the Catholic Church in New York state, said in a statement.

“Through their courage, sacrifice, and determination, survivors have helped bring about a reckoning and a meaningful step toward accountability.”

Scandals and settlements

The agreement marks the end of years of negotiations with lawyers representing the plaintiffs, as the Catholic Church in the United States has been mired in sexual abuse scandals since the early 2000s.

In the 2000s, media investigations revealed that Catholic priests in the US had committed sexual abuse against thousands of children over several decades, and that church leaders had often covered up these cases or transferred the offending priests instead of reporting them to civil authorities.

Dioceses across the country have had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in damages, and programmes have been created to compensate survivors without going to trial.

In June, the Archdiocese of San Francisco announced it had reached an agreement to pay $395m to about 530 survivors of sexual abuse committed by its clergy to settle their lawsuits.

ROBBIE Williams has been cleared over controversial tax scheme links — paving the way for a gong in the King’s New Year’s Honours.

The pop superstar, 52, is in line for recognition for his charity work with Unicef and Soccer Aid after he founded the all-stars event in 2006.

Sources said the She’s the One singer’s tax affairs had been “green-flagged” after a probe, meaning Whitehall chiefs can put him ­forward to for an honour — and he could even be made a Sir.

He has previously been linked to investments in Ingenious Media, a financing company designated a tax avoidance scheme by HMRC.

Footie stars and other celebs — including David Beckham, Wayne Rooney and Ant and Dec — were caught up in the battle between Ingenious and investigators.

Becks, also a Unicef ambassador, was knighted in 2025 after HMRC conducted financial checks.

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And former Take That member Robbie is now set for a gong.

A source said: “Robbie’s name has been put forward and if he gets anything it’s likely to be a knighthood or possibly an OBE.

“He has raised hundreds of ­millions for charity and this year was the 20th year of Soccer Aid — which was his idea. So his name has been put on the list by the charity and philanthropy committee after it was green-flagged. There are more hoops to get through, and it needs to go forward to the main honours committee and then the PM and ultimately the King.

“Anyone who is high-profile is checked and vetted thoroughly.

“And one of those checks is their tax affairs, so it is a good sign for him that HMRC have given him the thumbs-up.”

It was reported in 2019 that he was barred from receiving an OBE over his links to the tax scheme and placed on an “honours blacklist”.

But he is understood to have now satisfied Treasury bosses over his finances.

Robbie, who with wife Ayda, 47, and their four kids lives part of the year in California, has a home in London and pays tax here.

Stoke-born Robbie — catapulted to fame when he joined Take That in 1990 — founded Soccer Aid with pal Jonathan Wilkes and the annual fundraiser has so far made more than £137million.

This year’s event at a sold-out London Stadium, screened live on ITV, raised more than £16million for Unicef.

Robbie started working with Unicef after seeing the organisation’s efforts in Sri Lanka in 1998 and became a UK ambassador in 2000.

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: “We do not comment on speculation regarding honours.”

MADISON, Wis. — Just two short weeks ago, as the Trojans’ marching band roared joyously from the bowels of Beaver Stadium and a cold Pennsylvania rain poured down on a jubilant Lincoln Riley, it seemed like USC and its embattled coach might’ve finally found a foothold, just as they were about to begin a brutal back half of the schedule. They even had a bye to be sure it stuck.

But by Saturday night, any renewed sense of hope in USC’s season had all but slipped away. Maybe for good.

Instead, the Trojans played as poorly as they have all season in a 24-7 loss to Wisconsin. Quarterback Jayden Maiava looked lost. The offensive line was overwhelmed. The rushing attack was worse than nonexistent, with minus-17 yards. And the special teams were an all-too-familiar disaster, with two critical missed kicks.

For one half, it seemed USC’s defense might be the bright spot that kept the Trojans’ hopes alive. It allowed just 78 yards — and just three yards per play — from Wisconsin.

But as the other two phases descended into disaster for USC (6-2, 3-2), its defense could only hold for so long. Wisconsin only managed to rack up 200 total yards, only 58 of which came through the air.

All the Badgers would need in the second half to outlast the Trojans was two successful scoring drives. That was too much for one of the nation’s most high-powered offenses to overcome.

USC certainly didn’t live up to that reputation. Maiava was 31 of 50 for 258 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. The Trojans’ leading rusher, freshman Shahn Alston, had 28 yards rushing, while their usual starter, King Miller, never found any room against Wisconsin (5-2, 3-1).

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava passes against Wisconsin on Oct. 24.

(Ross Harried / Associated Press)

That was after USC spent the bye week talking a big game about its renewed focus on the run game.

But nothing about the Trojans’ effort Saturday seemed at all focused.

It was USC’s defense that set the tone early, while its usually high-powered offense struggled to move the ball at all. Wisconsin tallied just eight total yards in the first quarter, as the Trojans swarmed the line of scrimmage and terrorized quarterback Colton Joseph in the pocket.

USC couldn’t do much better on that side of the ball. After an opening three and out, the Trojans were facing the prospect of another empty possession when Maiava threw it downfield on third and 10. But the pass into double coverage was tipped … directly into the arms of Wisconsin cornerback Bryce West.

West returned the interception to the red zone. But USC’s defense clamped down, and the Badgers only managed a field goal.

USC coach Lincoln Riley argues a call during the first half Saturday against Wisconsin.

(Matthew Holst / Getty Images)

Maiava gave it back on the ensuing drive. Under pressure on third down, the senior quarterback scrambled and then threw a late pass over the middle. It was picked off.

USC’s rushing attack wasn’t helping, either. The Trojans didn’t have a single yard on the ground through the first quarter and only managed 10 by halftime.

But the Trojans somehow cobbled together a touchdown drive in the second quarter, thanks to three Wisconsin penalties, all of which handed them first downs. The last of the three — a face mask on what would’ve been an incomplete pass to the end zone — gave USC new life at the one-yard line, and even still, it took the Trojans three plays to punch it in. Maiava eventually found tight end Taniela Tupou for the score.

That’s when the Trojans started to sputter on defense. After being unable to move the ball at all for most of the first half, Wisconsin drove the entire field for a score just before halftime. Then the Badgers marched down the field again and scored to open the third quarter.

Down 17-7, USC drove to Wisconsin’s 12-yard line. But under pressure on third down, Maiava threw it away and was called for intentional grounding. The Trojans tried a field goal, but it was blocked.

The missteps continued. Maiava was sacked again on USC’s next drive, once again pushing the Trojans out of field-goal range. Then, a delay of game pushed them back even farther.

Still, early in the fourth quarter, Riley sent out his kicker, Caden Chittenden, for a 58-yard field-goal attempt. A rain had started to fall over Camp Randall Stadium, eerily similar to State College two weeks earlier.

But Chittenden’s career-long attempt came up well short. And soon enough, USC would follow.

The two leading candidates condemn recent deadly Black Sea drone strikes but differ on the Ukraine war more broadly.

Bulgarians are voting in a presidential election amid the spread of Russia’s war on Ukraine to the waters off Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast.

Ahead of Sunday’s vote, President Iliana Iotova, 61, and ex-caretaker Prime ⁠Minister Andrey Gyurov, 50, were leading a field of 27 candidates in the polls.

⁠The presidency is a largely ceremonial post in Bulgaria. While major policies must be approved by Parliament, direct election gives the president greater political authority. The president leads the armed forces and can veto legislation, sign international treaties and appoint ambassadors.

The election has also gained attention after a series of drone attacks on merchant ships off Bulgaria’s coast that likely killed some two dozen international seafarers.

The drone strikes ‌sparked international condemnation and concerns about the growing reach of the war in Ukraine, prompting Bulgaria to seek allied assistance to bolster its maritime security.

The Bulgarian government has stopped short of explicitly blaming Russia for the attacks, but Prime Minister Rumen Radev said the outcome of the strikes “benefits the Russian Federation”.

Relations with Russia, West at stake

The two leading candidates for president have both condemned the strikes, but they differ on the broader war in Ukraine.

Gyurov, who served as caretaker prime minister this year, is backed by ⁠pro-Western, reformist parties and has long expressed support for Ukraine. He ⁠signed a security cooperation agreement with Kyiv during his time as premier.

“I want Bulgaria to have a voice of its own in Europe, a reliable NATO ally that defends its interests through preparedness, strong diplomacy and ⁠a clear position,” he said at a rally on Thursday.

Iotova, a former vice president, became acting president in January after Radev resigned to ⁠enter the parliamentary race, which he won on what many ⁠political analysts considered a Kremlin-friendly ticket.

Radev supports Iotova, and they both call for a diplomatic end to the war.

“My opponents argue that there must be ‌a war of attrition,” Iotova told a rally on Thursday. “The truth is, we are all the ones who are most exhausted.”

While there is a broad consensus among the parties in Parliament on the country’s pro-Western path, widespread pro-Russian sentiments based on traditional historical and cultural ties with Russia have divided society, particularly since the start of Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Dobromir Zhivkov, managing director of the Market Links polling agency, said Iotova is among those who advocate that Bulgaria take a more neutral position.

“They call for an end to aid for Ukraine and a halt to arms deliveries to Ukraine; we often hear them use Kremlin rhetoric and terminology borrowed directly from Kremlin propaganda,” he told The Associated Press news agency earlier this week.

Run-off vote expected

Candidates are also addressing public fears about the steep rise in energy prices and surging inflation, with many Bulgarians in rural areas struggling to make ends meet.

Polls by Alpha Research give Iotova 41 percent of the vote and ‌Gyurov ‌28 percent.

Voting starts at 7am (05:00 GMT), and polls close at 8pm (18:00 GMT).

Analysts expect none of the 27 candidates to secure the outright majority needed to win in the first round, however.

Turnout must also be above 50 percent of the 6.6 million registered voters, and Sunday’s turnout is expected to be less than 40 percent, which means a likely run-off on November 1.

BRAD PITT has revealed he was forced to rely on close friends for support during the lowest points of his bitter divorce from Angelina Jolie.

After 12 years together, the actress accused him of physical and verbal abuse while on a private jet with their six children in September 2016.

He denied the allegations and the FBI brought no charges, but a gruelling £300million, eight-year divorce battle followed.

Brad said: “When I think of the darker days, it was certainly my close relationships that I relied heavily on. Friends, dear close friends — a handful — close family, and was very open about my struggle.

“And being able to be that free with people who love you and have your back, and that you love back, is everything. It’s everything.”

Since working on his new movie, survival thriller Heart Of The Beast, Brad has realised just how he got through the losses and pain with the help of some of his A-list pals, including George Clooney, Bradley Cooper, Leonardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

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In the film Brad plays a retired Special Forces veteran navigating a gruelling 60-mile trek through the Alaskan wilderness with his traumatised combat dog, Odin, after their seaplane crashes.

And it was the survival experts Brad worked with that truly opened his eyes to what he’d been through.

In a new interview from the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain, Brad, 62, said: “The survivalists would tell us it’s all about little wins.

“You’re going to suffer losses, you’re going to suffer pain, but it’s just getting to the next little win.

“I thought that equated to life in that way, in the sense of when we are struggling and going through many challenges, just getting to that next little win, not thinking about the big picture, just that next little win.”

There have been plenty of wins in Brad’s career, including two Academy Awards, but his personal life has been marked by significant challenges.

After falling for Angelina on the set of action comedy Mr & Mrs Smith in 2004, he divorced actress Jennifer Aniston the following year.

The pair became known as “Brangelina” and married in front of their kids — Maddox, now 25, Pax, 22, Zahara, 21, Shiloh, 20, and 18-year-old twins Vivienne and Knox — in August 2014.

But two years later, following the heated row on a flight from their £45million Chateau Miraval in France to LA, Angelina filed for divorce.

No charges were filed by the FBI and the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services closed their investigation with no finding of abuse.

In the aftermath, Brad gave up drinking for seven years, began therapy and attended Alcoholics Anonymous. He also leaned on those aforementioned friends, as well as ex-wife Jennifer.

Despite their split after four-and-a-half years of marriage, the pair were able to rebuild their friendship after Brad’s split from Angelina.

But his drawn-out divorce with the Maleficent actress, which was only settled in December 2024, caused a rift with his children.

Last month, his daughter Zahara followed in the footsteps of her siblings Shiloh and Maddox in legally dropping Pitt from her surname.

Vivienne has also filed to change her name, with the court hearing set for next month.

While Brad has declined to comment on the news, he appears to be in a good place after finding love with Ines de Ramon.

He was first linked to the 33-year-old jewellery exec in late 2022, when they were spotted at a concert.

By February 2024, Ines had moved into Brad’s California mansion and they were “happier than ever”.

And this summer, the couple were spotted attending Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s New York wedding.

Ines also accompanied Brad to the premiere of Heart Of The Beast in Nashville last month.

He says one of the greatest things about his new movie was starring alongside six-year-old German Shepherd, Uber.

Brad and the former search and rescue dog, who plays Odin, were given just three weeks to get to know each other before filming.

The actor would sit in Uber’s large kennel answering emails and making calls so the dog would get used to having him around.

Brad, who owns three dogs (Jacques, Blackout Superstar and a recent unnamed rescue), laughed: “Listen, spending a day with the dog just makes things a little better. It wasn’t without its complications. You know, there were days that amazed us.”

Despite being set in Alaska, the movie was shot on New Zealand’s South Island in 45 days.

For more adventurous scenes involving stunts, Odin was played by one of Uber’s three sons, but Brad primarily filmed with Uber.

He said: “We had a short time to shoot this film. We decided a plan of attack — whatever the dog does, we’re going to follow it. So some days, it was just incredible. I did have a really moving experience with Uber, we bonded quickly. We tried to make every day a play day for him.

“There were times he would do things that were just amazing that were not in the script.

“At the same time, there were days when the bees are buzzing and possums are coming down the hill, and things are just much more interesting in the woods than what’s going on here for my co-star.

“I had to be pretty adept at being actor-dog trainer-actor-dog-trainer in the middle of the scene. Thank God for editing!”

Brad’s secret weapon was boiled chicken, Uber’s favourite treat.

The star, who rescued a stray greyhound-mix while filming Seven Years In Tibet in Argentina in 1996, joked: “I can’t smell boiled chicken to this day. That was his favourite.”

While New Zealand’s glaciers, lakes and mountains provided a stunning backdrop, filming in such a rugged location had its drawbacks.

Brad and the crew had to spend 12-hour days outside in the wet and cold, with no heated trailers to rest in.

The actor would sit on logs between takes alongside Uber, who Brad insists is the real star.

He said: “He was pretty cool. He was first on the call sheet. He was priority number one, but he was pretty cool all the way through.

“Working with a dog was really kind of beautiful, it was kind of wonderful. And surprisingly easier than you would think.”

The presence of dogs on set brought welcome relief to an otherwise emotionally intense shoot.

Brad said: “Every day was fun. We tried to do the same thing. We’d roll up on set at six in the morning, and there is one of our dog whisperers just playing catch with Uber.

“It was just such a beautiful sight in the field.”

The story at the heart of the movie — of a man relying on the bond with his dog to get through his darkest days — left Brad with a broader message.

He said: “Yes, it’s a survival story, but ultimately it’s a love story.

“I think we could spend more time looking at where we are the same  — what binds us? What connects us?

“Then I think we could listen better through these divisional lines. But maybe just start taking care of the people around us and making sure they’re OK.

“And if everyone did that, I’d say that’s a good place to start.”

Britain’s Alisha Palmowski says that winning the F1 Academy title is “a dream come true”.

The 20-year-old finished second in Saturday’s reverse grid race at the Circuit of the Americas, which was enough to be crowned champion before Sunday’s feature race and the season finale in Las Vegas in November.

Palmowski becomes the youngest champion of the all-female development series, and is the second British driver to win the title after Abbi Pulling in 2024.

She drives for Campos Racing and is part of the Red Bull driver academy.

Glossop-born Palmowski has won five out of the 11 races held so far this season, only finishing outside of the points once during the reverse grid race at Zandvoort.

In an emotional post-race interview, she dedicated her championship win to her ill grandmother and thanked her family.

“It’s been a really special journey. I started racing when I was eight or nine years old, it was just me and my parents,” she said.

“The sacrifices that they’ve made behind the scenes, they’ve really put their lives on pause to allow me to live my dream.”

Before Saturday’s race, Austrian Emma Felbermayr was the only driver with a mathematical chance of overhauling Palmowski but fourth place was not enough to keep her hopes alive.

Denmark’s Alba Larsen took the chequered flag to secure her first F1 Academy victory, with 17-year-old Lisa Billard of France completing the podium in third.

Tehran warns that even limited strikes would trigger a response ‘several times greater’.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has blamed Washington for the unravelling of an interim deal aimed at ending the war with the United States and Israel, amid growing fears that the fighting could resume imminently.

In comments broadcast by Iranian Press TV on Saturday, But Pezeshkian also said that both sides should return to the deal and “conclude it”.

His remarks come amid growing fears that military action could resume as soon as this weekend, after US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he “may do another little Epic Fury”, using the codename of the US-Israeli war against Iran that started on February 28.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has warned that even limited strikes would trigger a response “several times greater”, according to comments reported by the semi-official Fars News Agency.

Iranian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Ali Abdollahi said on Saturday that the US military would not be allowed in the Gulf “under any circumstances and at any time”. Abdollahi said Trump could only “dream” of seeing US forces enter the Gulf, adding that he would take his dream to the grave.

Trump has suggested he could take further military action against Iran, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he remains committed to overthrowing the country’s government.

Both leaders face elections, with Israelis set to choose their next government on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Trump’s Republican Party faces crucial midterm elections on November 3, with Democrats potentially winning control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Such an outcome would be a major blow to Trump, who still has more than two years left in his final term in the White House.

Iranian government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani said on Saturday that Tehran would not “wait for permission to defend itself”, adding that the country “seeks peace but will respond to any aggression with severe consequences”.

“Our position is clear: we do not flee from dialogue for peace, and we do not hesitate in defending the country. Those who harbour the illusion of destroying Iran must correct their calculations,” Mohajerani wrote in a memo.

Her comments came as Iranian judiciary chief Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei met Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei. The pair discussed how to tackle corruption and pursue compensation for Iranians affected by the US-Israeli war, among other issues.

Khamenei replaced his father as supreme leader after the latter was assassinated during the opening strikes of the war on February 28. He has not been seen in public since assuming the position in early March.

Parliament Speaker and chief negotiator Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf was reported to have met Khamenei earlier this week.

Noah Adams, a longtime host of NPR news program “All Things Considered” and a journalist known for his gentle voice and genuine curiosity, has died. He was 84.

Adams died Oct. 16 at his home in Yellow Springs, Ohio, according to NPR. The cause was complications of a benign brain tumor removed eight years ago, his wife and longtime NPR news producer Neenah Ellis told the New York Times.

A host of the weekday edition of “All Things Considered” for 18 years, Adams helped cover major news events and produced segments from his travels around the country, talking to everyday people, often in small rural towns.

“He never liked talking to people who he knew had preprogrammed things to say,” Melissa Block, a former “All Things Considered” host who’d previously worked as a producer for Adams, said in NPR’s segment announcing his death. “He wanted people who were genuinely speaking from their heart and with conviction and sincerity.”

Born on Sept. 15, 1942, in Ashland, Ky., Adams joined NPR in the mid-1970s after working various jobs including as a DJ and in construction in and around his hometown. A college dropout, Adams was inspired to start working in public radio after encountering “All Things Considered” as a listener.

He was introduced to the program by a colleague shortly after it debuted in 1971. He told The Times in 2002 that he remembered thinking, “That sounds conversational, that they intend for me to be listening, that I’m smart enough to be listening,” when he first heard the show.

After working at the University of Kentucky’s public radio station, he applied for a job at NPR. He was hired as a production assistant on “All Things Considered” in 1975 before becoming a weekend co-host for the show in 1978. He moved to the weekday show in 1982.

Susan Stamberg, Adams’ “All Things Considered” co-host from 1982 to 1987 who died last year, described him as “the most genuine, uncontrived voice in broadcasting” in the foreword of his 1992 book about his work on the program.

“The conviction shines through the words he writes, and the quiet and very powerful way in which he speaks,” she wrote, according to Current. “He is a quiet, careful man, a craftsman in his work, his seriousness softened by a twinkle in his eye, an occasional goofy grin, and the daffodils he’ll bring into the studio on an especially tense or stuffy day.”

Adams mentioned the camaraderie with his colleagues and one-on-one interviews as among the things he would miss when he left his job as host of “All Things Considered” for a second and final time in 2002.

These interviews, which often turned into “a conversation that’s so quiet and so slow,” were the “kind of conversation [that] cannot be accomplished on anything but radio,” he told The Times.

Among Adams’ signature audio work is the 1981 radio documentary “Father Cares: The Last of Jonestown,” as well as a series of interviews with Tom DeBaggio, a man living with Alzheimer’s disease, and an interview with Betsy Walter, an 8-year-old girl whose parents had gotten divorced. Adams wrote a number of books, including “Piano Lessons: Music, Love, and True Adventures,” which chronicled Adams’ quest to learn how to play the piano in his 50s, and “The Flyers: In Search of Wilbur and Orville Wright.”

“He has a writer’s eye, and I think you hear that when he’s on the air,” Robert Siegel, Adams’ “All Things Considered” co-host, said in 2002. “And he takes sound very seriously. When you combine writing with sound, you can create extraordinary radio.”