Month: November 2025

At least five people have been killed after Typhoon Kalmaegi hit central and highland provinces in Vietnam, destroying thousands of homes and cutting power to more than a million households.

DAVINA McCall has hailed Lorraine Kelly for encouraging people to “check their breasts” – after she bravely revealed her own cancer struggle.

Davina, 58, told fans she discovered a lump while “sitting on the loo” – after being urged to by posters put up by Lorraine.

The Masked Singer star shared her shock diagnosis at a Dine with Davina event yesterday, before posting an emotional video on Instagram today.

The crowd at the charity do – hosted at the Utilita Bowl in Southampton, Hampshire – gasped as she opened up on her quiet struggle.

Davina explained she made the discovery a few weeks ago, but has since had the lump removed and been given the all clear.

She will not undergo chemotherapy, but will be required to have five days of radiotherapy as a “insurance policy”.

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Davina had spotted signs in the ITV Studios encouraging people to “check their boobs”, which had been put up by Lorraine.

In the video on social media, she said: “I was working on The Masked Singer and Lorraine, the TV show.

“Lorraine Kelly had put signs on the backs of all the doors saying ‘check your breasts’ and every time I went for a wee I did that.

“It was still there, and then one morning I saw myself in the mirror and thought ‘I’m going to get that looked at’.”

Speaking on stage, she said: “I went and I got it checked. She (the doctor) was like, ‘You’re fine. You had a mammogram in August. It’ll be fine’.

“And I thought, oh, I’ll be fine. That’s great. But then she said, ‘Oh, well, if it is anything, we’ll do a little biopsy’.

“‘But if it is anything, it’s so small, you’ve got it early’. Anyway, I got the result back a few days ago. It was four millimetres, which is minute.

“I had a biopsy. I found out it was indeed breast cancer and I had it taken out in a lumpectomy nearly three weeks ago.”

She said her fiance and hairdresser Michael Douglas, 52, encouraged her to open up about how she was feeling.

Davina continued: “Because when I got it I just started feeling much better – you and me got into a really good place.

“I got really f*****g angry. And you know me, I’m a pacifist – I don’t really get angry – I’m like Tigger. I’m just always happy.

“I was like: ‘Are you f******g joking? What the f**k! Are you serious?”

“I was keeping it all in and Michael one day looked at me and he said: ‘Stop. I can see what you’re doing.

“‘You’re not going there. He said: ‘Let’s talk about it – I said: ‘I’m fine.

“He said: ‘You’re not fine’. I was like: ‘No, no, I’m fine. Honestly. ‘I’m not f*****g fine, that’s why I’m f*****g mad.

“He just sat and he came and watched me and I was f*****g stamping my feet. And it felt so good.”

It comes almost a year after the mum-of-three underwent emergency surgery to remove a “very rare” brain tumour.

The Long Lost Family host initially broke the news to her followers in a heartwrenching video on Instagram.

Davina had asked for prayers before having the operation to get the 14mm benign tumour – called a colloid cyst – removed.

Davina previously said her operation to remove the benign tumour was “the best thing to ever happen to me”.

She admitted spiralling into denial after it was discovered by chance last year, but was spurred into action by surgeons.

Breaking down in tears at Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place Festival, Davina revealed doctors told her she would die if she didn’t act quickly.

She said: “I needed someone to tell me what to do, and my American doctor told me I should undergo surgery to have the tumour cut out.

“When I got the phone call, although it was a hard one to hear, I needed it.

“But after the operation, I was aware of a noise in my head, and they were thoughts. I realised I did not have that before.

“I am not afraid of dying anymore. It was the biggest journey of my life. It was an amazing time.”

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Davina has since started her Begin Again podcast in an attempt to help others on their deathbed.

The show is dedicated to empowering people to embrace midlife as their most transformative era yet.

The tourist’s bathroom dilemma amused social media users when she admitted her problem

People have been left stunned after an American tourist admitted she didn’t know how to use the sink in her hotel room. The blogger, Angelica, has been posting about her UK travel on TikTok under the username @angelicajenniferr.

In one video from her recent trip to London, the tourist encountered an unusual problem. She told viewers: “Okay, I’m currently in London and guys, I don’t know how to make my sink water go away. I have tried clicking it.

“Am I dumb, or is it like, right in front of my face? Or is it broken? I’m like, it doesn’t click. Is there a button I’m missing?” Asking for help, Angelica said: “Yall, how do I make the water go away?

“Um, can anyone who lives in London or European help me? Because my sink is broken or, I don’t know if it’s broken or if I’m being dumb. The water isn’t going away.” In her caption, she added: “I feel so dumb but also I’m totally about to call the front desk.”

Fortunately, Angelica soon realised her mistake. In a follow-up video, she told viewers: “Let me go down the list of things that you told me to try, and it still didn’t work, and then I’ll tell you what did work.

“Okay, for starters, I have been pushing on this thing. My knuckles will be bleeding soon. People said to pull this down, to pull this. Nothing works. There’s nothing around the sink, okay.

“I had to call someone and be like, I think my sink’s broken. And I was like, the water isn’t going down, I’ve tried everything. And do you know what they told me? Let me tell you. They were like, flip it like a coin, which I know you guys said that. I was like, you’re kidding. You are kidding.

“So look at me. That’s so much easier. I have nails, and I was afraid to break them.” She joked: “Anyways, blonde moment. It flips like a coin. So I learned something new.”

The videos went viral, with the second clip racking up over 200k views. Reacting to the video, some commenters were shocked by the post.

One viewer replied: “Not trying everything then lol.” A second commented: “Standard hotel sink…” Another commenter said: “So if you didn’t think to try this, you obviously hadn’t tried everything.” Someone else wrote: “My sink is like that. I can’t believe you didn’t know how to do that….”

However, others rushed to defend the tourist, saying they would have struggled as well. A viewer said: “Italian here. Never seen anything like that. In fact, I would have been in trouble too… It should also be said that it seems like a very unhygienic solution.”

A second added: “As a Brit, I would have been lost too, don’t worry. I know these sinks exist, but they’re not everywhere.” Someone agreed: “I’m a Brit and have never seen a plug like this. Don’t worry, you’re not alone!”

WITH a bright blue flowing river, mountains and a huge canyon, you might think this spot is in America at first glance.

But no, this beautiful place is not in Arizona, instead it’s in one of the prettiest French regions, and Brits rarely travel to it.

You’ll find this spot in Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, which is one of the six departments in the Provence region.

The department is home to ‘Europe‘s Grand Canyon’ called Gorges du Verdon in France, which is a huge limestone gorge carved by the very blue Verdon River.

The Gorges du Verdon is 15 miles long, up to 700 meters deep, and between 6 and 100 meters wide at the bottom.

While it’s a great place to get pictures, there’s even more you can do there, from hiking to climbing, and watersports.

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The river begins near the town of Castellane, and ends at the Lake of Esparron.

To see more of the natural beauty, and particularly wildlife, head to the Verdon National Park where there are vultures, eagles and falcons.

There are also wolves, chamois (a type of goat-antelope), roe deer, wild boar, and ibex, as well as reptiles, bats, fish and scorpions.

The Sun’s Brittany Vonow explored France in a campervan earlier this year where she discovered the incredible canyon along the way.

She said: “One highlight was a visit to the Verdon Gorge, a river canyon close to the region of Quinson, filled with deep turquoise water.

“We filled up on a quick lunch from our gas stove — two minute noodles with some tinned veg mixed in — before hiking the stunning mountains bordering the water.”

Brittany continued: “Our “cooee” calls echo around the rock faces and at that moment, it feels like we are the only people left in the world. A short drive west of here took us to Sainte Croix Verdon, home to a huge lake with waters as turquoise as the Verdon Gorge.

“With each turn, southern France shows off its jaw-dropping vistas, from rolling lavender fields to gorgeous gorges that make way for towering snow-capped mountains and picturesque French towns nestled in between.”

The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence also has mountains with ski resorts in the north, with many in the Verdon valley.

The department is also famous for its lavender fields, especially the Plateau de Valensole – to see them in bloom, visit from late June to mid-July.

The Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department of France has no main airport and so it’s not as visited as some of its neighbours nearer the coast like Marseille and Nice.

These cities are the ones that Brits will have to fly to, and then drive into the department from.

Both Marseille and Nice are around two and a half hours away from the Verdon Gorge by car.

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For more in France, here’s an underrated city that has a ‘bit of everything’ with picturesque beaches and new cheap hotels.

Also in France is the world’s most beautiful village – with classic car tours & fairytale lavender fields.

There are three essential components to a healthy democracy: elected officials, voters and political opposition. The first two make the most noise and get the most attention.

But that third pillar really matters too.

According to Ballotpedia, the online nonpartisan organization that tracks election data, of the nearly 14,000 elections across 30 states that the group covered this week, 60% were uncontested — with only one candidate for a position, or for some roles, no candidate at all.

Much of this week’s postelection analysis has been focused on the mayoral race in New York City and Zohran Mamdani’s victory. Yet the same night, as democracy in America took center stage, more than 1,000 people were elected mayor without facing an opponent.

Only about 700 mayoral races tracked by Ballotpedia gave voters any choice. Dig a little deeper and you find more than 50% of city council victories and nearly 80% of outcomes for local judgeships were all without competition.

That’s a problem.

Elections without political opposition turn voting — the cornerstone of our governance — into performance art. The trend is heading in the wrong direction. Since Ballotpedia began tracking this data in 2018, about 65% of the elections covered were uncontested. However, for the last two years the average is an abysmal 75%.

It’s a symptom of broader disengagement. Over two and a half centuries, a lot of lives have been sacrificed trying to perfect this union and its democracy. And yet last November, a third of America’s eligible voters chose not to take part.

Are we a healthy democracy or masquerading as one?

Doug Kronaizl, a managing editor at Ballotpedia who analyzes this data, told me the numbers show Americans are increasingly more focused on national politics, even though local elections have the greatest effects on our daily lives.

“We like to view elections sort of like a pyramid, and at the tippity top, that’s where all of the elections are that people just spend a lot of time focused on,” said Kronaizl, who’s been at the nonprofit since 2020. “That’s your U.S. House races, your governor races, stuff like that. But the vast majority of the pyramid — that huge base — is like all of these local elections that are always happening and end up being for the most part uncontested.”

Take New York, for example. For all the hoopla around Mamdani’s win, the fact is most of the state’s 124 elections weren’t contested. Iowa had 1,753 races with one or zero candidates; Ohio had more than 2,500.

And that’s being conservative. In some cases, if an election is uncontested, ballots aren’t printed and the performance art is canceled. Ballotpedia says its data doesn’t include outcomes decided without a vote.

We have elected officials. We have voters. But political opposition? We’re in trouble — especially at the local level, down at the base of the pyramid. The foundation of democracy is in desperate need of repair.

* * *

The former mayor of Tempe, Ariz., Neil Giuliano, has dedicated most of his life to public service. He said when it comes to running for office, people must remember the three M’s: the money to campaign, the electoral math to win and the message for voters.

“It used to be the other way around,” he told me. “It used to be you had a message and you talked about what you believed in.” Now, however, “you can talk about what you believe in all day long,” he said, but if you don’t have the money and the data to target and reach voters, “it’s either a vanity effort or a futility effort.”

When an interesting electoral seat opens in Arizona, Giuliano — who was elected to the city council in 1990 before serving as mayor from 1994 to 2004 — is sometimes approached about running again. For two decades now, his answer has been the same: No, thank you.

Instead, the 69-year-old prefers mentoring candidates and fundraising. He also sits on the board of the Victory Fund, the 30-year-old nonpartisan organization that works to elect openly LGBTQ+ candidates at all levels of government.

Giuliano said the rise in uncontested elections can be explained by two discouraged groups: Some people don’t run because they believe the positions don’t matter. Others are “so overwhelmed with everything going on they’re not going to alter their life,” he said. “It’s already challenging enough without getting into a public fray where people hate each other, where people need security, where people are being accosted verbally and on social media.”

That sentiment was echoed by Amanda Litman, co-founder and president of Run for Something. Her nonprofit recruits and supports young progressives to run for local and state offices. Since President Trump was elected last November, Litman said, the organization has received more than 200,000 inquiries from people looking to run for office — which could indicate some hope on the horizon.

“I think the problems have gotten so big and so deep that it feels like you have to do something — you have to run,” she said. “The number one issue we’re hearing folks talk about is housing. The market in the last couple of years has gotten so hard, especially for young people, that it feels like there’s no alternative but to engage.”

* * *

Indeed, these are the times that try men’s souls, to borrow a phrase from Thomas Paine. He wrote those words in “The American Crisis” less than two years into the Revolutionary War, when morale was low and the future of democracy looked bleak. It is said that George Washington had Paine’s words read out loud to soldiers to inspire them. And when the bloodshed was over and victory finally won, the founders drafted the first article of the Bill of Rights because they knew the paramount importance of political opposition. That is what the 1st Amendment primarily protects: freedom of speech, the press and assembly and the right to petition the government.

Today, the crisis isn’t tyranny from abroad, but civic disengagement.

And look, I get it.

Whether you watch Fox News, CNN or MSNBC, it usually seems as though no one in politics cares about you or your community’s problems. We would have a different impression if we listened to local candidates. There are thousands of local elections every year, starving for attention and resources, right at the base of the pyramid. Since the 20th century — when national media and campaign financing exploded — we have been lured into looking only at the tippity top.

One reason political opposition in local races is critical to democracy is that it teaches us to get along despite our differences. The president will never meet most people who didn’t vote for them, but a local school board member might. Those conversations will affect how the official thinks, talks, campaigns and governs. When the system works, politicians are held accountable — and are replaced if they get out of step with voters. That’s a healthy democracy, and it’s possible only with all three elements in place: elected officials, voters and political opposition.

* * *

Former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa has dedicated most of his life to public service. He said he learned early on to care about his community because he grew up during the civil rights movement, “when they were sending dogs to attack human beings.”

Today, the 72-year-old is a 2026 gubernatorial candidate in California. He told me when it comes to the rise in uncontested elections, people have to remember “democracy is a living, breathing thing.”

“Not everybody can run for office, not everybody wants to run for office, but everybody needs to be involved civically,” he said. “We have an obligation and a duty to participate, to read about what’s going on to understand and yes sometimes to run when necessary.

“We got to stand up to the threat to our democracy, but we also got to fix the things we broke … and it’s a lot broken.”

Voters often want something better than the status quo, but without political opposition on the ballot, it can’t happen. That’s the beauty of democracy: It comes in handy when elected officials forget government is meant to serve the people — not the other way around.

Leanna Hubers contributed to this report. YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow

ARRIVING in India, I feel like Dorothy entering Oz. This country is an assault on the senses in every way.

One minute I’m practising sunrise yoga to the peaceful sound of birds chirping; the next, I’m surrounded by loud honking cars and bikes on a bumpy bus ride through the city.

My serene morning walk at the green Lodi Gardens sits in complete contrast to the brightly coloured markets, selling vibrant yellow flower garlands under the smell of rich incense, that I’m exploring just hours later.

It was my first visit to India and naturally, as a solo female tourist, safety was at the forefront of my mind. But the tide is changing with regard to how women are accepted across the country, and this has been incorporated into Intrepid’s unique Women’s Expedition tours.

It supports locals on the ground, and I met some during my stay in Chandelao.

A tiny village an hour from Jodphur and off the tourist trail, it is home to just 3,500 people.

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There, I explored the local arts centre Sunder Rang, which employs women to work — uncommon especially in more rural areas.

The shop is full of multicoloured items made from scrap fabrics, with everything from clothing and bags to decorations on sale.

One of the young jewellery makers let me try my hand at threading beads as we huddled together in the shade.

Due to my novice skills, I resorted to buying her handmade necklaces (guided by her on which to choose, as they even earn commission).

My art skills were tested further at Chandelao Garh, a stunning 17th century former fort now a hotel with 20 rooms and a swimming pool.

Locals taught me the art of Rangoli — circular patterns drawn on the ground in celebration.

I was only slightly offended when the cheeky hotel dog Pluto walked all over my wonky chalk designs.

Chandelao is the kind of village where slowness is encouraged — be it a sunset walk through the streets or a leisurely candlelit dinner chased by a Kingfisher beer.

But just a few hours east is the crowd-heavy Jaipur, nicknamed the Pink City for its terracotta walls.

Keen to escape the market chaos, I opted for a tour with Renu, a rare female tuk-tuk driver and now chair of tour company Pink City Rickshaw.

While the women face adversity from both family and other male drivers, the job gives them economic independence.

I was whirled around in the electric tuk-tuks, exploring the Old City with street food stops to keep me going in the 33C heat. I recommend trying Sabudana tikki, an Indian hash brown with tapioca, followed by a cooling kheer rice pudding.

The female rickshaw drivers were patient enough to let me take my selfies at the famous pink Hawa Mahal palace, too.

Built to allow the female royal household to watch the city without being seen by others, the towering palace wall was too beautiful to skip.

It was as I was gazing up at the intricately carved windows (of which there are 953) that my driver explained some of the stares we noticed from locals while in the tuk-tuk.

“We’ve seen male drivers crash into walls, they are so shocked to see a woman behind the wheel,” Renu told me with a laugh.

My experience of the Fast & Furious-esque rickshaws that squeeze through impossible gaps in the traffic means this doesn’t exactly surprise me. Thankfully, the women drive at a slower, safer pace for any nervous travellers.

Travelling further east, we head to Agra, home to the historic red sandstone Agra Fort and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal.

Haggled for scarves

It’s worth the 4.30am wake-up to see the sky lighting up behind the domed mausoleum, built over two decades by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in honour of his late wife, Mumtaz Mahal.

It’s almost impossible to comprehend the details that remain after 400 years, with the bright white marble towering 240ft high, ornamented with jewels and intricate patterns.

The early start also allows you to avoid the huge crowds and the midday heat.

I managed to skip the lunchtime crush by visiting Sheroes, a cafe run by acid-attack survivors.

It’s a hard visit, where staff share their stories about being injured.

Over homecooked chickpea curries and roti, I chatted to 25-year-old Dolly, who was attacked as a child by a man 22 years her senior. The cafe gave her confidence to re-enter society.

Being a female traveller, the Intrepid tour helped me explore the country safely as a woman.

I stopped in Jodhpur, the Blue City, and learned about the beautiful Mehrangarh Fort which was used to film Batman movie, The Dark Knight Rises, and the live-action movie The Jungle Book.

And in chaotic Delhi, I haggled for handwoven scarfs from eager market vendors, before being dragged into dance by a man wearing a bejewelled elephant outfit.

India might have a way to go still when it comes to equality. But it’s certainly on the right trajectory.

And with Virgin Atlantic now celebrating 25 years of flying to this awe-inspiring country, it shows this a destination that will always be top of British holidaymakers’ bucket lists.

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I’ll be back.

After a click of my new ruby red Indian slippers, of course.

Sources close to the situation say Edwards was willing to complete all the duties he has been removed from, with Middlesbrough taking the decisions regarding Friday’s training session and news conference and Saturday’s match.

Middlesbrough are believed to have been angered by Wolves’ approach and Edwards’ openness to taking the job.

It is understood Edwards views the Wolves job as his dream role, having made more than 100 appearances for the Molineux side between 2004 and 2008.

He grew up in nearby Telford and still has family in the area, though the logistics of any move to Wolves are not said to be a key factor.

Israel’s war on Gaza has not only razed entire neighbourhoods to the ground, displaced families multiple times and decimated medical facilities, but also poisoned the very ground and water on which Palestinians depend.

Four weeks into a fragile ceasefire, which Israel has violated daily, the scale of the environmental devastation is becoming painfully clear.

In Gaza City’s Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, what was once a lively community has become a wasteland. Homes lie in ruins, and an essential water source, once a rainwater pond, now festers with sewage and debris. For many displaced families, it is both home and hazard.

Umm Hisham, pregnant and displaced, trudges through the foul water with her children. They have nowhere else to go.

“We took refuge here, around the Sheikh Radwan pond, with all the sufferings you could imagine, from mosquitoes to sewage with rising levels, let alone the destruction all around. All this poses a danger to our lives and the lives of our children,” she said, speaking to Al Jazeera’s Ibrahim Alkhalili.

The pond, designed to collect rainwater and channel it to the sea, now holds raw sewage after Israeli air attacks destroyed the pumps. With electricity and sanitation systems crippled, contaminated water continues to rise, threatening to engulf nearby homes and tents.

“There is no doubt there are grave impacts on all citizens: Foul odours, insects, mosquitoes. Also, foul water levels have exceeded 6 metres [20ft] high without any protection; the fence is completely destroyed, with high possibility for any child, woman, old man, or even a car to fall into this pond,” said Maher Salem, a Gaza City municipal officer speaking to Al Jazeera.

Local officials warn that stagnant water could cause disease outbreaks, especially among children. Yet for many in Gaza, there are no alternatives.

“Families know that the water they get from the wells and from the containers or from the water trucks is polluted and contaminated … but they don’t have any other choice,” said Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City.

Destroyed water infrastructure

At the COP30 Climate Summit in Brazil, Palestinian Ambassador Ibrahim al-Zeben described the crisis as an environmental catastrophe intertwined with Israel’s genocide.

“There’s no secret that Gaza is suffering because of the genocide that Israel continues to wage, a war that has created nearly a quarter of a million victims and produced more than 61 million tonnes of rubble, some of which is contaminated with hazardous materials,” he said.

“In addition, the deliberate destruction of sewage and water networks has led to the contamination of groundwater and coastal waters. Gaza now faces severe risks to public health, and environmental risks are increasing,” al-Zeben added.

Israel’s attacks have also “destroyed” much of the enclave’s agricultural land, leaving it “in a state of severe food insecurity and famine with food being used as a weapon”, he said.

In September, a UN report warned freshwater supplies in Gaza are “severely limited and much of what remains is polluted”.

“The collapse of sewage treatment infrastructure, the destruction of piped systems and the use of cesspits for sanitation have likely increased contamination of the aquifer that supplies much of Gaza with water,” the report by the United Nations Environment Programme noted.

Back in Sheikh Radwan, the air hangs thick with rot and despair. “When every day is a fight to find water, food, and bread,” Mahmoud said, “safety becomes secondary.”

Ukraine is calling for more sanctions and asset freezes on Russia as it fends off intensified attacks, with another harsh winter of war looming.

At least 10 people have been killed, and more parts of Ukraine have been plunged into darkness, after another night of intense Russian attacks across the country, local authorities said, as diplomatic momentum to end the nearly four-year war falters.

Ukraine’s military announced on Saturday morning that hundreds of Russian drones, as well as missiles launched from the air, ground and sea, targeted critical infrastructure, a frequent Kremlin target as another harsh winter of war looms.

Ukraine said its air force detected 503 air attacks, including 45 missiles and 458 drones, launched by Russian forces overnight. Most of the missiles went through defences, with only nine successfully shot down, but 406 of the drones were intercepted.

The Russian attacks concentrated mostly on gas and power infrastructure, leading to power cuts in several regions.

In the front-line Zaporizhzhia region, Governor Ivan Fedorov said three people were killed and six wounded in overnight Russian attacks on several districts, which hit a residential building, among other targets.

Two more people were reported killed in two districts of Donetsk, according to local authorities. Oleksandr Prokudin, governor of Kherson, reported another two people killed and 10 wounded after several multistorey buildings, private homes and vehicles were hit.

Kyiv Governor Mykola Kalashnyk said an attack in the Vyshhorod district injured a woman and hit civilian areas and energy infrastructure.

At least two people were killed and 11 others, including children, wounded after a Russian strike hit a building in the eastern region of Dnipro, local authorities said.

A “massive” strike was reported by Governor Volodymyr Kohut in the Poltava region, where another person was injured and rolling blackouts are in place to compensate for damaged power infrastructure.

‘More pressure is needed’

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed a call for further sanctions on Russia and freezing its assets in the European Union before winter, saying “Russian strikes show that the pressure must be stronger.

“Russian nuclear energy is still not under sanctions, Russian military-industrial complex still receives Western microelectronics, more pressure is needed on oil and gas trade as well,” he said in a statement.

Russia’s Ministry of Defence confirmed in its latest combat report overnight that it launched a “massive strike with high-precision long-range weapons from air, land and sea platforms”, including hypersonic ballistic missiles.

It said Russian air defences brought down two guided aerial bombs and 178 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Ukrainian forces. Another eight drones were reportedly shot down before noon on Saturday.

Fierce house-to-house fighting also continues to rage in Pokrovsk, the city in Donetsk where tens of thousands of Russian troops have converged to push for control of more territory and to “liberate” buildings held for more than a year by Ukrainian soldiers, in intense close-range clashes.

Ukraine’s top general Oleksandr Syrskii said Kyiv’s troops were stepping up assaults on Russian forces around the eastern Ukrainian town of Dobropillia to ease pressure on Pokrovsk.

Sarah Paulson appears to be having a blast in Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu “legal” drama “All’s Fair,” and that’s about the only good thing about the show.

The New York Times recently ran a piece extolling it’s reimagining of the power suit (down to at least one visible thong) and I suppose that’s one way of avoiding the obvious. Still, I’m going to stick with Paulson’s obvious glee in playing a villain. Her Carrington Lane was left behind to fester in the comic-book sexism of a male-dominated divorce law firm when two of her colleagues stalked away to form an all-female team and Carrington is not one to surrender a grudge.

It’s impossible not to like Paulson and she is clearly enjoying the opportunity to glare and hiss and indulge in the kind of gross but creative profanity Melissa McCarthy likes to unleash when her characters hit the brink.

As for the rest … well, let’s just say with “All’s Fair,” American culture is getting exactly what it deserves: A series that wallows in the shiny, knockoff-ready trappings of new money (immaculate and soulless homes, private jets, diamonds the size of a Rubik’s Cube), defines “sisterhood” as the belief that any personal crisis can be alleviated by vaginal rejuvenation combined with a girls’ trip to a jewelry auction and gauges power by the ability to plot and take revenge. Preferably in the form of huge amounts of money.

“All’s Fair” may or may not be, as some have said, the worst show of the year (or possibly of all time), but with its celebration of the 1%, personal feuds and financial vengeance, it is certainly the first to truly embody the culture of the Trump presidency.

Down to the reality star at its center. “All’s Fair” gives top billing not to any of the fine and seasoned actors that star — Paulson, Niecy Nash, Naomi Watts, Glenn Close — but to Kim Kardashian, who plays Allura Grant, head of the law firm Grant, Ronson and Greene.

Niecy Nash, from left, Glenn Close and Kim Kardashian are among the stars of Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu drama “All’s Fair.”

(Ser Baffo / Disney)

That Kardashian (and Kris Jenner, who serves as a producer) were able to summon such forces of the galaxy to showcase her, shall we say, limited thespian abilities could be justifiably viewed as yet another “you go girl” testament to her seemingly limitless business acumen.

On the other hand, “All’s Fair” makes the dismal final season of “And Just Like That” look like Chekhov.

Murphy, and the forces at Disney, which owns Hulu, the home of “The Kardashians,” understand Kardashian’s cult-like following and are operating under the assumption that viewers will be so entranced by her and the fashions (which include an alarming amount of hats, capes and gloves) that they won’t notice that the main player is relying on her eyelash extensions to do her acting for her.

To be fair to Kardashian, few nonprofessional actors would shine beside scene partners like Close, Watts and Nash, and the writing of the series, which flirts with camp but never fully commits, does no one any favors.

Not since “Charlie’s Angels” has there been a “feminist fantasy” with such a male gaze. (Apologies to “Charlie’s Angels,” which was in many ways a groundbreaking show.)

After suffering on the sidelines of a mostly male law firm, Allura and Liberty Ronson (Watts) decide to branch out on their own. They do so with the blessing of Dina Standish (Close), that firm’s only female partner, and take with them ace investigator Emerald Greene (Nash). When we meet them again, 10 years later, Allura also has an assistant/mentee in Milan (Teyana Taylor), who later provides a predictable plot twist.

The names alone suggest a level of parody, and, in the first episode, a send-up quality flits in and out of the proceedings, but the show chooses cynicism over satire every time.

Instead of sexist jokes, the partners of Grant, Ronson and Greene spend much of their time discussing how awful men are, with the possible exception of Liberty’s beau, Reggie (“The Handmaid’s Tale’s” O-T Fagbenle), and Standish’s ailing husband, Doug (Ed O’Neill).

That is, after all, the raison d’etre of the firm: Grant, Ronson and Greene are intent on protecting rich women from the perils of the prenup and generally making the bastards pay, sometimes through their “superior” knowledge of the law (in one storyline, this involves explaining that gifts are the sole property of the recipient, which even I knew), but more often blackmail (if you have chosen to live your life without ever seeing a butt plug the size of a traffic cone, keep your eyes shut when Emerald starts her slideshow).

A brief, and seemingly contractually required, mention of the firm raising money to help the underprivileged is laughable — “All’s Fair” is 100% après-moi television, in which extreme wealth is presented as too normal to even be aspirational, and any work not done by Emerald consists of sashaying in super slick shades from one successful throwdown to the next. With brief interludes in sumptuous cars and, as previously mentioned, overbidding on hideous brooches at a high-end jewelry auction (held by a firm client, which honestly seems potentially unethical, but whatevs).

If the dialogue were sharp, funny or even self-aware, Murphy and his team might get away with it, but it’s not — “It’s a shame your mother didn’t swallow,” Dina tells Carrington in what passes as proof that women can be as tough as men. Or that older women can talk trash. Or that Close will do her best to give a decent reading of any line. Or something.

There are brief nods to the women’s personal lives — as a divorce lawyer, Liberty is reluctant to marry Reggie, Dina is struggling with Doug’s decline, Emerald is a super-single mom — but it all feels very box-ticky. Including Allura’s disintegrating marriage, which becomes a major plot point as the gals gather round to make that bastard pay as well, and her realization that if she wants to become a mother, she’s running out of time.

Reading the zeitgeist, the creators of “All’s Fair” were clearly not looking for raves or awards, just viewers.

(Disney)

In many ways, “All’s Fair” is an American version of the excellent British series “The Split,” which follows a matriarchal family of female divorce lawyers. Early on, one of the daughters (played by Nicola Walker) leaves the family firm and, in her own way, attempts to right the wrongs often done to women facing divorce from rich and powerful men while dealing with her own marital breakdown and a family with actual children.

But “American version” doesn’t really cut it. This is Trump’s-America version, in which ethics, morals and virtually all human feeling are secondary to winning, and winning is defined by who ends up making their opponent pay.

Between Kardashian’s conspicuous nonacting and dialogue that often seems lifted from the all-caps regions of X, “All’s Fair” has, not surprisingly, received a critical drubbing. Which seems almost intentional.

Critics, after all, have long been routinely, and often viciously, disparaged (after the reviews were in, Close felt moved to post a sketch of the cast gathered around a “Fatal Attraction”-like “critic bunny stew”). More important, reviews, bad or good, do not (nor should they) predict audience reaction (see early theater reviews of “Wicked”). As Trump has proved again and again, bad press is still press and the worse it is, the more easily it can be cast as proof that the cultural elites (i.e. critics) are out to get … somebody.

So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that, despite a 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes, “All’s Fair” was Hulu’s most successful scripted series premiere in three years.

Reading the zeitgeist, the creators of “All’s Fair” were clearly not looking for raves or awards, just viewers. In this American moment, bad is good and shrewd operators know that if you throw in enough high-profile ingredients — Kardashian, Murphy, a bevy of fine actors — you needn’t take the trouble to ensure the mix will rise to the occasion.

As the president builds a ballroom while food banks are overrun, why wouldn’t TV audiences want to feast on fallen cake?

For its Southern Section Division 3 football playoff opener on Friday night against Laguna Beach, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame brought in a “ringer” assistant coach this week to get its running backs a little tougher.

Former UCLA coach DeShaun Foster dropped by to offer lessons, particularly to his sophomore stepson, Noel Washington.

“He helped a lot,” Washington said. “Having him here means a lot. He’s been making us practice a lot harder.”

And what was the impact? Washington had touchdown runs of 35, two and 32 yards to help Notre Dame (6-5) come away with a 44-28 victory and advance to a home game next week against Chino Hills. He finished with 83 yards in 11 carries.

Safety Tahj Skinner of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame is happy after getting his sixth interception of the season.

(Craig Weston)

Junior quarterback Jack Hurst of Laguna Beach and West Virginia-bound senior quarterback Wyatt Brown of Notre Dame kept making plays all night. Hurst completed 32 of 51 passes for 417 yards and four touchdowns. Brown completed 16 of 31 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown. He ran for 61 yards and one touchdown.

The most important completion for Brown came with 7:38 left on third and 17 with Notre Dame clinging to a 34-28 lead. He found sophomore Emmanuel Pullins for a 19-yard completion. Then Pullins made a 31-yard catch. It set up a 21-yard field goal by Nico Marliani for a 37-28 lead with 2:22 left.

“Huge,” Notre Dame coach Evan Yabu said of the third-down reception.

“I just saw him one on one with no safety coverage,” Brown said.

Said Pullins: “I’m ready for those situations. Before the game, I promised myself to go for the ball.”

It became a wild game in the second half because Laguna Beach (9-2) refused to go down without a fight. After Andre Gamboa picked up a fumble on a high Laguna Beach snap to score a touchdown to start the third quarter, Notre Dame looked ready to pull away with a 28-14 lead.

Hurst responded with a four-yard touchdown pass to Grant Regal. Brown ran 10 yards for a touchdown and a 34-21 Notre Dame lead. Back came Hurst, who fired a 40-yard touchdown pass to Otis Boultinghouse.

“We knew it wasn’t going to be easy,” Brown said. “They throw a punch, we throw a punch back.”

In defeat, Laguna Beach made clear it will be a team to reckon with next season. Two freshmen, lineman Luke Bogdan and running back Charlie Christian, kept making plays like they will be future stars. The receiving corp made up mostly of juniors kept making catches for Hurst, who finished the season with 45 touchdown passes. The Breakers were hurt by two fumbles and an interception.

“It was a fun game,” Washington said. “They are tough and play hard.”

A mistake by Brown late in the first half helped Laguna Beach get back into the game. Brown had a pass intercepted by Will Kimball with 1:01 left on a scramble with Notre Dame leading 21-7. Hurst drove the team down to score on a four-yard touchdown reception by Kimball with four seconds left to make it 21-14 at halftime.

Two touchdown runs by Washington and a 25-yard touchdown reception by Luc Weaver accounted for the Knights’ first-half scores.

Tahj Skinner of Notre Dame picked up his sixth interception of the season. Notre Dame lost its standout nose tackle, Chris Colon, for next week’s game after being ejected for two 15-yard personal foul penalties.

Nov. 7 (UPI) — Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited the White House Friday for a summit with President Donald Trump and lavished praise on the president while disparaging former President Joe Biden.

“The reason why we are here, to open a new chapter between the bilateral relation between the United States and Hungary basically because during the Democrat administration everything was rigged,” Orbán said, according to The Hill.

“Everything was basically broke, ruined, cancelled. A lot of harm done by the previous administration,” he said. “You’ve improved the bilateral relationship. You repaired what was done badly by the previous administration, so now we are in quite a good position to open up a new chapter. Let’s say a golden age between the United States and Hungary.”

Orbán wants Trump to come to Budapest and to meet with Russia President Vladimir Putin about the Ukraine war. Trump has already canceled one meeting, saying he didn’t want to “have a waste of time.”

Orbán also came to the White House to ask Trump to give Hungary an exception to the sanctions on buying Russian oil. The president said he might exempt Hungary from those sanctions.

He also called on European leaders to be more respectful of Orbán, who has faced battles with them over migration, democracy and rule of law.

“I think they should respect Hungary and respect this leader very, very strongly because he’s been right on immigration,” Trump said.

Hungary claims it must buy Russian oil because it has no other viable source.

“We’re looking at it because it’s very difficult for him to get the oil and gas from other areas,” Trump said. “It’s a big country, but they don’t have sea. They don’t have the ports. And so they have a difficult problem.”

He also accused other European countries of buying Russian oil and gas. They “don’t have those problems, and they buy a lot of oil and gas from Russia. And, as they know, I’m very disturbed by that.”

Trump and Orbán are both conservative leaders who share similar values, including a dislike of immigration.

“Look what’s happened to Europe with the immigration. They have people flooding Europe,” Trump said. “You go to some of the countries, they’re unrecognizable now because of what they’ve done. And Hungary is very recognizable.”

Orbán defended his migration policies, blaming Europe.

“This is the absurd world we are living in now in Europe,” Orbán said. “We are the only government in Europe which considers itself as a Christian government. All the other governments in Europe are basically liberal leftist governments.”

In September, Trump lifted travel restrictions against Hungarians, readmitting them to the Visa Waiver program. Biden had added restrictions against Hungarians when he learned that Budapest was granting Hungarian citizenship without adequate security measures.

The Guardian reported that at Friday’s meeting, Orbán was expected to try to set up another meeting between the two leaders not only to broker peace in Ukraine, but to also boost his own standing as a statesman.

Citing insiders, the news outlet said the far-right leader is facing stiff opposition ahead of April’s parliamentary elections, and a visit from Trump would potentially boost support among conservatives.

“Orbán wants Trump to come to Budapest before the elections,” an unnamed source working in the Hungarian government told The Guardian. “This is a top priority. They will discuss the Russian gas issue, but the thing Orbán cares about the most is the elections.”

In a post on X on Thursday, Orbán said Trump’s first 10 months back in office have repaired the relationship between the United States and Hungary. He said the Biden administration damaged that relationship through “politically motivated sanctions.”

“Our goal is to establish a strategic partnership that includes energy cooperation, investments, defense collaboration, and discussions on the post-war landscape following the Russia-Ukraine conflict,” Orbán wrote.

“We are working on an agreement based on mutual benefits — one that serves the interests of every Hungarian citizen.”

Trump told reporters last week that Orbán wants an exemption from the oil and gas sanctions.

“We haven’t granted one, but he has asked,” Trump said aboard Air Force One. “He’s a friend of mine. He’s asked for an exemption.”

Viewers had one major complaint about Big Brother as a live eviction saw one housemate break a huge record on the show but not everyone was happy with the coverage

Big Brother star Nancy Nocerino broke a major record on the show as she evicted on Friday. As the 22-year-old graduate sat down to discuss her exit with show hosts AJ Odudu and Will Best, she appeared unfazed as they revealed to her that with 26 nominations she was the most nominated housemate of the series so far.

AJ then confirmed that she is also the most nominated BBUK housemate since 2013. Nancy took on the information, giggling and doing a victory dance as she exclaimed, “you’re joking,” before AJ asked her, “Why do you think that is?”

Nancy then responded, “well, I don’t know, I think it’s just, jealousy, maybe,” as she cheekily poked out her tongue and turned to look at the audience. She was given the boot in a double eviction alongside fellow controversial housemate, Caroline, who has been slammed for her treatment of Richard.

Fans of the show watching the exit interviews then took to X to slam AJ and Will for their interview technique as they failed to really address the issues surrounding the two housemates. Many then shared the same viewpoint, calling for the return of former hosts Emma Willis or Davina McCall to conduct the interviews.

One viewer wrote, “AJ and Will are terrible interviewers. They’ve not remotely tried to hold Caroline to account for her vile bullying of Richard.”

A second uploaded a picture of former host Emma and posted, “We needed her tonight for that Caroline interview #BBUK.”

A third commented, “Sorry but AJ and Will were very weak with Caroline there. They did not call her out on anything, no way would Davina or Emma have been so pathetic. #BBUK #BBLL.”

A fourth social media user shared, “Davina was fantastic, she was Big Brother. She happily handed the batton to Emma Willis who is one of the best with people and at asking the right questions, a true fan too. AJ and Will do not cut it at all, chaotic and bland #BBUK.”

The criticism continued with more viewers slamming AJ and Will as another scathed, “I really wanted AJ and Will to learn from the past few years of presenting this show and thought they would press both members of the clique but they just lauded both of them. No pressing questions, no challenges at all. God i miss Emma Willis #BBUK.”

However, some viewers were positive, with one writing: “This is so funny watching AJ & Will just tell Nancy she was wrong. Every thought she had in the house, was wrong. #BBUK.” A second said: “Obsessed with AJ calling Nancy out for flashing the British public on live tv #bbuk.”