News Desk

Aug. 11 (UPI) — Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee, led by Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., launched an investigation Tuesday into the Trump administration’s prosecution of a former Olympian for allegedly vandalizing the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro brought the felony charges against David Hearn, who was accused of vandalizing the reflecting pool by “forcefully and violently” ripping up part of the pool floor, earlier this summer.

However, on Aug. 1, she requested the charges be dismissed, saying that new documents from the Department of the Interior showed the damage was instead caused by “hasty and botched work” by the contractor and that she was misled. On Thursday, a federal judge granted a dismissal.

Pirro initially said there was “tremendous evidence” that Hearn had caused more than $1,000 in damages to the pool. President Donald Trump has publicly criticized her for the decision to dismiss the charges, saying she “choked” and that she should “revisit her hastily made decision.” He maintains that vandals caused the damage.

Raskin sent letters to Pirro and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum requesting all communications between their offices and the White House, as well as all documents related to the case — including all evidence presented to the grand jury that indicted Hearn in early July.

In a statement, Raskin noted that court filings show that, despite Pirro’s blame of the Department of the Interior, the Department of Justice also had its own evidence of the botched installation before indicting Hearn.

“How did this debacle happen?” Raskin wrote in the letters to Pirro and Burgum. “… Did the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. in fact maliciously prosecute an American citizen it knew to be innocent with a felony charge carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison? Did the U.S. Department of the Interior deliberately mislead prosecutors to cover up a ‘botched’ renovation by a company awarded a dubious $15 million insider no-bid contract?

“The conclusion seems inescapable that at least one, if not both, of you have misled the American public about the evidence and used it to corrupt and weaponize our justice system against an innocent 67-year-old American citizen.”

Raskin also noted that, in what he called a “jaw-dropping admission,” Interior Department officials wrote to the contractor as early as June 11, more than a week before Hearn was arrested, saying that the reflecting pool liner was already peeling.

Great British Sewing Bee contestant were left shocked after a huge twist was annouced

Great British Sewing Bee judges announced a huge twist.

During Tuesday’s (August 11) episode of the BBC hit show, the sewing room was transformed for Sports Week with the eight remaining sewers facing a series of challenges designed to test everything from technical precision to their creativity under pressure.

They had to go above and beyond to impress judges Patrick Grant and Esme Young and earn their place in next week’s episode. However, not long into the show, things took an unexpected turn as Patrick revealed a major change to the competition.

Everyone was left stunned when the Savile Row tailor delivered the biggest surprise of the episode and announced that the contestants would no longer be working individually.

Just before they could get stuck into the Transformation Challenge, Sophie told the sewers: “It’s time for the transformation challenge, where you take something that’s been through the mill and give it a new lease of life.”

She then turned to Patrick and asked: “So Patrick, what have you got for them?” Patrick revealed the unusual materials waiting for the contestants.

He said: “Well as you can see, we’ve given you wind surfer sails. We want you to transform these into a two-piece outfit but for the first time in the sewing room, you will be working and being judged in pairs.”

The announcement immediately left the contestants stunned, with everyone gasping at the unexpected twist but Patrick wasn’t finished. “Which, like all classic cup competitions, will be drawn at random,” he added, meaning the sewers had no control over who they would be teaming up with.

Fashion designer Esme then laid down the challenge for the newly formed teams. “We want you to make a cohesive outfit. So, remember teamwork makes the dream work,” she explained.

Rather than being judged solely on their own individual creation, the pairs had to produce two pieces that worked together as a complete outfit – making communication just as important as technical ability.

And the choice of material was certainly not straightforward as they were presented with windsurfing sails. They had to work out how to turn a tough, technical material designed for use on the water into something fashionable and wearable, all while working against the clock.

Adele was paired with Tim, Emma had to work with Heather, Beth worked with Minnie and Rebecca’s with Anna. Despite everyone’s hard work it was Rebecca and Anna who came out on top in first place after impressing the judges with their crisscross trouser suit.

Patrick explained: “We chose this one as our winner because it was so dramatically different from the sail. But the way the whole thing ties together is exemplary.” Meanwhile Esme added: “I think it’s brilliant.”

The Great British Sewing Bee is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

Aug. 11 (UPI) — At least six people were killed Tuesday when Houthi militia attacked a cargo ship with missiles in the Red Sea, the Yemeni government said.

The Yemeni Transport Ministry said in a statement that the ship was carrying food and was hit while traveling through the Bab al-Mandab Strait. One Indonesian and three Pakistani crew members were killed in the attack after a fire broke out on board the Tihamah.

The Yemeni coast guard said later Tuesday that two members of the armed forces were also killed during a rescue mission when another Houthi missile was launched at the ship.

The Houthis have not commented on the attack, but the group has recently fired on Saudi Arabian vessels in the Red Sea as part of a blockade against its northern neighbor.

It’s unclear who owns the ship. The Transport Ministry described the Tihamah as a Yemeni commercial vessel, but Equasis, a shipping database, said it’s a small cargo ship owned by Egyptian company Thubab for Marine Services and flies the Tanzanian flag, The New York Times reported.

Yemen has been embroiled in a civil war since 2014, though a 2022 cease-fire had slowed conflict. In 2014, the Iran-backed Houthis took over the Yemeni capital Sanaa. A Saudi-led coalition intervened but failed to remove the Houthis. Now, the Houthis control the northern half of Yemen, including Sanaa.

The Red Sea has become increasingly important since the Strait of Hormuz has been blocked by Iran after the United States and Israel began a war on the country.

On Sunday, the Houthis attacked a Saudi state-owned oil refinery in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, as well as the Red Sea port of Mokha, which is controlled by the Yemeni government. The attack on Mokha killed at least seven people. It was the most recent in a spate of attacks by the rebels.

Trump labels US Democratic nominees ‘jihadists’ in inflammatory remarks made in the Oval Office.

United States President Donald Trump has described Democratic candidates in the midterm US elections as “jihadists” in an apparent reference to Muslim Democratic candidate Abdul El-Sayed securing his party’s nomination for the Michigan primary elections last week.

The pronouncements fuel a proliferating wave of Islamophobic discourse among Republican lawmakers and elected officials in the sprint to lock down ballots ahead of November’s midterm elections.

“We have jihadists being elected all over the place, whether it’s communism [or] jihadism,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Monday. “A friend of mine called up, he said, ‘You know […] you should use the word jihadist’, that’s what’s happening. If you take a look at what’s happening in other countries, I’m not really sure that’s the way we want to live.”

Trump also hurled another tirade against people of Somali descent, of which there are upwards of 260,000 across the US. He called them “not smart”, and said they have “no aptitude” and “nothing going” for them to “tell us how to run our country”.

Edward Ahmed Mitchell, the national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation in the US, said that Trump’s hateful anti-Muslim rhetoric “is putting a target on the back of Muslim elected officials across our nation” and that “this type of dangerous rhetoric is fueling the surge in complaints of anti-Muslim bigotry that our civil rights organization has documented over the past three years”.

Although the president refrained from explicitly naming any individual candidate, hours later, he focused his attention on El-Sayed, who is a son of Egyptian immigrants. The president shared a photo on Truth Social showing the Democratic contender positioned before a gathering that featured two women in headscarves, accompanied by the caption: “They are coming for your home and your belongings.”

Trump also targeted El-Sayed’s victory directly last week, calling him a “hater of Jews” and “hater of Israel” who will bring “filth, crime, death, destruction, embarrassment”.

Several other Republicans also beefed up their anti-Muslim rhetoric, following El-Sayed’s win, parroting remarks that Muslims do not belong in American society. Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina claimed on social media that “every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic”.

Meanwhile, Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville labelled El-Sayed a “TERRORIST” and wrote on social media that “Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed is a RADICAL ISLAMIST.”

This outburst occurred just two days after Trump shared a social media post comparing a photo of himself and First Lady Melania Trump with one of El-Sayed and his wife Dr Sarah Jukaku, who is a psychiatrist. The image was captioned: “Two VERY DIFFERENT America’s.”

Speaking on CNN’s State of the Union with host Jake Tapper on Sunday night, the Democratic Senate candidate hit back, saying, “Sarah and I actually like each other”, adding “I don’t know about the first lady and the president, but from what I’ve heard, it’s a bit of a rocky road”.

With less than 90 days to go until the highly anticipated midterm elections come to a head, and with all 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 34 Senate seats up for grabs, Democrats are confronting an ideological schism between moderate leaders and triumphing democratic progressives, some of whom are increasingly being characterised as an endangerment to Washington’s national security establishment altogether.

“People don’t want to have radical lunatics involved in running our country,” said Trump on Monday, “and that’s what we have.”

There is no timetable for NFL analyst Tony Romo’s return to CBS Sports, the division’s president David Berson said Tuesday.

Romo was placed on leave by CBS after he was arrested in Milwaukee on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated on July 23. JJ Watt, a three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year, will work alongside Jim Nantz and sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson as CBS’ lead broadcast team during Romo’s absence.

No decision has been made on Romo’s long-term future at the network, Berson told journalists at the network’s annual press briefing on the NFL season at parent company Paramount’s New York headquarters.

Berson called Romo’s legal matters “an evolving situation.” He added that naming Watt, who joined CBS as an NFL analyst in 2023, as an interim replacement was necessary as the first kickoff is a month away.

“Since it continues to evolve, and we’re on the eve of the season,” Berson said “I felt it’s very important that our team, the many, many hundreds of people work on the NFL and CBS, have certainty and direction, so we can definitively plan and focus on the production and marketing as we kick off the season.”

Romo has a court hearing scheduled for Sept. 21, He was arrested on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and received citations for having an open container in a moving vehicle and unsafe passing.

Romo joined CBS as an NFL analyst in 2017. He had a 14-year career as a quarterback with the Dallas Cowboys. He led the team to six playoff appearances and was named to the NFL Pro Bowl team four times.

Paramount CEO David Ellison may pull his operations out of California if the state does not end its attempt to block the company’s merger with Warner Bros Discovery and agree to settlement talks as soon as October.

The rumours were first reported by the publication Variety on Tuesday. They signal Ellison may be willing to leverage economic pressure on California’s ailing film industry in order to push through the merger.

Al Jazeera was not able to independently confirm the validity of the report.

In July, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that he was leading a coalition of 12 state attorneys general in an antitrust lawsuit to block the consolidation.

Should Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery combine, Bonta warned that the resulting company would control 27 percent of theatrically released films in the United States and a third of the country’s basic-cable output.

“Consolidation here not only leads to higher prices,” Bonta said. “It also leads to fewer opportunities for important stories to come to life, and fewer ways for audiences to encounter stories, ideas, and perspectives beyond their own experiences.”

But Variety reported that Ellison told Paramount’s senior executives that he would begin the process of moving the company out of California on October 1 if Bonta does not agree to settlement talks.

There could be downstream effects as well. The report also alleged that Ellison would pull Warner Bros Discovery out of California, too, if the $110bn merger goes through.

Variety indicated that Paramount is considering relocating to the US states of Tennessee, Texas or Georgia — none of which are involved in the ongoing antitrust lawsuit.

A growing enterprise

The dispute over Warner Bros Discovery’s fate stretches back to late 2025, when the company’s sale was first announced.

Critics quickly observed that the sale had the potential to shift the balance of power in Hollywood, with Warner Bros Discovery wielding influential properties including the news channel CNN, the production company New Line Cinema and the television-streaming service HBO.

The streaming giant Netflix initially emerged as a frontrunner to take over Warner Bros Discovery, but by February, Paramount succeeded in inking an agreement.

It was the second major merger Paramount had lined up in less than a year. In 2025, it had also succeeded in consolidating with the media production company Skydance, in a deal that generated scrutiny about the editorial independence of its subsidiaries.

Paramount’s decisions that year to cancel The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and enter into a $16m settlement with US President Donald Trump were widely perceived as efforts to curry government favour for the merger.

Paramount is considered a titan in US filmmaking and media production, as one of the oldest studios in the country. Its portfolio includes CBS News and Paramount Pictures.

A pair of lawsuits

The impending merger with Warner Bros Discovery has led to a fresh round of scrutiny for Ellison and the Paramount leadership.

Last week, Ellison addressed some of those concerns in an opinion column in The New York Times.

In it, he questioned whether the states’ antitrust lawsuit was “really about market share”, speculating that it was instead about control over major news outlets like CNN. He also sought to portray himself as politically independent.

“I have regularly voted for candidates of both parties; I hold some views that would be called conservative and others that would be called liberal, just like most Americans,” Ellison wrote.

“When it comes to our news operations, I do not aspire to lead these companies to bend their newsrooms to my views.”

But the states have argued that combining Warner Bros Discovery and Paramount would create a monopoly, stifling competition.

If the merger succeeds, the states say that only four distributors would control 86 percent of the country’s films.

The merger could also mean job losses. As of the end of 2025, the headcount at Paramount stood at 17,600, while Warner Bros Discovery had 35,500 employees.

A day after the 12 states filed their lawsuit, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) followed suit.

In its July 14 complaint, the guild argued that the merger would mean fewer jobs and more pressure on writers to accept less favourable working terms, owing to reduced competition in the media market.

“Writers will be paid less and have fewer employment opportunities,” the WGA complaint said.

In Los Angeles County alone, the merger could result in a loss of nearly 2,500 jobs, according to an analysis by the Los Angeles County Department of Economic Opportunity, published in June.

As many as 6,000 employees around the world could also see their positions cut.

By comparison, when the Paramount and Skydance merger was completed in 2025, the company laid off roughly 2,000 people.

Costly standoff

On July 24, Paramount Skydance agreed to pause the merger until a ruling in the states’ case is ultimately made or until June 1, 2027 — a move the WGA celebrated.

“It remains our view that this merger is unlawful, and we will continue the fight to block it,” WGA said at the time.

The WGA did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Slowing the merger could be costly for Paramount Skydance. Under the terms of the merger, the company would have to pay a so-called ticking fee of $7m per day, or $650m per quarter, if the deal does not close by September 30.

But the standoff with Ellison could also be costly for California, which is experiencing a downturn in the number of productions filmed in the state. New York, another state involved in the lawsuit, could see a backlash, as it houses studios for CBS News and Paramount’s executive offices.

Representatives for the state of California and Paramount Skydance did not respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment.

Paramount Skydance’s stock is trending upward on the heels of Tuesday’s report. The stock was up 0.4 percent in midday trading, while Warner Bros Discovery was up 1.1 percent.

Lillia Turner, who plays Lily Slater on EastEnders, has forged a remarkable bond with her on-screen mother Lacey Turner – and the pair share more than just a surname

EastEnders star Lillia Turner joined the soap as Lily Slater back in 2020.

The actress may share a surname with her on-screen mum Lacey Turner, but the pair are not related in real life though you would be forgiven for thinking otherwise.

The teenager, who plays feisty Lily on the BBC One soap, has built a warm and genuine relationship with Lacey, who plays Stacey Slater and the bond between them is clear both on and off set.

Lillia was born on 16 March 2009, making her 17 years old, while her on-screen character Lily is currently 16. She took over the role in 2020, having been chosen to breathe new life into the character previously played by Aine Garvey from 2014 to 2019.

Away from the bright lights of Walford, Lillia lives the life of a typical teenager. In May 2025 she temporarily stepped away from EastEnders to focus on her GCSE examinations, demonstrating that despite her impressive acting career, her education remains a firm priority.

She returned to screens in August 2025, picking up where she left off and continuing to impress both fans and fellow cast members alike.

One of the most charming glimpses into Lillia’s life away from the soap came when she teamed up with co-star Thomas Law, who plays Peter Beale, for an impromptu singing session.

The pair took advantage of a break on set to record a rendition of Best Part by Daniel Caesar, with Law posting a snippet of the performance on Instagram, writing: “[Lillia] and I stealing the echos from the staircase for our teaser version of this beautiful song.”

The clip quickly drew warm reactions from their EastEnders colleagues. Bobby Brazier, who plays Freddie Slater, wrote: “Omg so happy to see, yes lilia,” while Denise Fox star Diane Parish called them “Cutie pies.” Lauren Branning actress Jacqueline Jossa added: “Lillia amazing beautiful girl x.”

The performance offered a peek at a hidden talent that has clearly delighted her castmates, with Lillia’s singing voice earning particular praise in the comments.

Despite not being related in real life, fans frequently mistake Lillia and Lacey for genuine family members thanks to their striking facial similarities, matching surnames and undeniable on-screen chemistry.

Lacey has been vocal in her admiration for her young co-star, heaping praise on Lillia in an interview with Digital Spy.

“Lillia is such a great little actress. There’s something about her that is so warm and so natural, and her instincts are just bang-on,” Lacey said. “She’s been so desperate for a storyline of her own for so many years, so to see her have one is lovely.

“To watch her absolutely nail it has just been brilliant. I’ve tried to stay out of it as much as I can because Lillia actually doesn’t need any help, tips or guidance because she’s just great. She’s got something that is so natural that I don’t want to take that away from her.”

It is high praise indeed from one of EastEnders’ most beloved and long-standing stars, and a testament to just how much of an impression the young actress has made since joining the cast.

Since her arrival on EastEnders six years ago, Lillia has tackled some of the soap’s most challenging storylines, most notably when Lily discovered she was pregnant at just 12 years old.

The powerful performance earned Lillia the Best Young Performer award at the 2023 British Soap Awards, cementing her status as one of the most talented young actresses on British television.

More recently, Lily has found herself at the heart of a gripping new storyline surrounding the attack on Joel Marshall, with the character confessing she had been withholding key information about what she witnessed that night.

With her GCSEs behind her, a soap award already on the mantelpiece, and a castful of admirers cheering her on, Lillia’s future both on and off screen looks extraordinarily bright.

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7.30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer

Brazil’s Supreme Court is set to hear several cases that could reshape protections for the Amazon rainforest, after a mostly conservative Congress overrode several of leftist Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s environmental vetoes.

The court will take up the cases on Wednesday, as lawmakers and environmental groups remain divided over how Brazil should balance economic development with environmental protections.

Deforestation in the Amazon has fallen to its lowest level in a decade during the first half of 2026. The cases put some of Brazil’s most consequential environmental fights before the country’s top court.

Indigenous land rights

On Friday, Brazil’s Supreme Court began reviewing final motions seeking clarification of a 2025 ruling that rejected the “time limit” thesis. The legal theory, backed by Brazil’s agribusiness lobby, restricts Indigenous land claims to territories occupied or under legal dispute when Brazil’s 1988 Constitution took effect.

The agribusiness caucus argues that a cutoff date would provide legal certainty for landowners. Indigenous groups say it ignores decades of forced displacement and violence that pushed communities from their ancestral lands. Indigenous communities across the Amazon, including the isolated and uncontacted Kawahiva people, could be affected by the ruling.

The justices are considering motions that seek clarification of the court’s ruling, addressing questions about compensation and possible deadlines for completing Indigenous land demarcations.

The soya farming moratorium

On Wednesday, the court will consider a legal fight over the future of Brazil’s soya moratorium, an agreement that barred major traders from buying soya grown on land deforested in the Amazon after 2008.

The agreement has been credited with helping curb deforestation, even as Brazil became an agricultural powerhouse. But states that are major soya producers passed laws in January revoking tax incentives for participating companies, prompting the Brazilian Association of Vegetable Oil Industries (ABIOVE) to withdraw from the moratorium.

Brazil is the world’s largest producer and leading exporter of soya beans. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change has defended the soya moratorium, saying it helped reduce Amazon deforestation even as Brazil expanded production.

Environmental licensing

The court will also consider on Wednesday a challenge to a new environmental licensing law that took effect in February.

The law fast-tracks approval for projects including mines, highways and industrial plants, prompting environmental groups to warn that it could weaken safeguards in one of the world’s most important ecosystems.

Suely Araujo of the Climate Observatory said the law is already having tangible consequences in the Amazon, citing the paving of a controversial highway and plans to dredge the Tapajos River without adequate prior environmental review.

The squad have become familiar with those principles following a draining training camp in Spain last week, which culminated in a 2-1 win against Valencia.

Goalkeeper Lukas Hornicek said Newcastle want to “show the opponents that they will have a hard time against us”, while defender Malick Thiaw has spoken about the intensity under Jaissle being “really high”.

Season ticket holder Adam Stoker feels the club still need further additions, but he believes Jaissle’s playing style will be a “huge positive” as the German looks to build on Howe’s legacy.

“Eddie did look a bit tired and didn’t quite look the same manager as when he started,” Stoker said. “Some of that energy had been lost and it correlated with the performances of the team.

“We have seen a tiny bit of Jaissle’s ideas now and they seem to be very much in keeping with Newcastle in 2022-23, which was a hugely exciting team to watch.

“That playing style makes the crowd feel involved because the fans want to watch a high tempo.

“Playing front-foot, high-intensity football is something the crowd at Newcastle has always been on board with.”

Jaissle now has little time to catch his breath before the season opener against Liverpool on Tyneside on 23 August.

This is a manager who, like all of the club’s young signings this summer, has never experienced the Premier League before.

That brings the unknown, particularly after Newcastle lost key players Anthony Gordon, Sandro Tonali and Bruno Guimaraes this summer, which Jaissle said has left a “vacuum”.

But he also sees it as an opportunity.

“We are ambitious,” he added. “That is the most important thing.

“It is why I decided to come here, but this will not happen overnight, especially when you have such a big transition phase now.

“You need to have a clear goal and wish of where we want to go to. That starts from the decision-makers, the management and the board.

“Then, if you have that synergy with the fans, the players and the staff to go there, I’m pretty sure it will be a successful story. But we need time now.”

Universal Studios Hollywood appears to be taking steps to address noise complaints regarding its new high-speed, outdoor roller coaster. The office of L.A. City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian stated the theme park will install two additional sound barriers to mitigate the sound of rider screams on its new ride Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which have been described by nearby residents as “disturbing” and “untenable.”

Nazarian’s office made the announcement Monday evening on social media. A Universal Studios Hollywood spokesperson has not yet responded to a request for comment.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, which is currently in a soft open phase, has come under attack from residents in the nearby Toluca Lake neighborhood.

“You think something is happening,” said Toluca Lake’s Patrick Nazari. “Like someone is getting murdered out there.”

Nazarian’s Instagram post stated that construction of the new sound barriers would be completed by early September. It also insinuated that recent testing of the coaster has met Universal’s sound requirements with the county. A community meeting is being planned by Universal and the Toluca Lake Homeowners Assn., stated the post.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift does not yet have an official opening date. The ride is operating in what Universal refers to “technical rehearsals,” which is essentially still a testing phase. It is not guaranteed to be operational on any given day, but has been cycling guests in recent days.

Universal Studios Hollywood has been proactive with Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, devoting a website to just how silent and unobtrusive its groundbreaking coaster would be. Multiple noise mitigation efforts were undertaken — sound walls, scream shields and even pea gravel in the coaster’s tracks.

Residents have stated the coaster runs relatively quiet, noting that there were no complaints until it began testing with guests. At that point, say many Toluca Lake residents, the screams became untenable.

“I heard it, and I thought to myself, ‘There are going to be problems with this,’” said Toluca Lake’s Leonard R. Garner Jr.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been about a decade in the making. It’s a feat of engineering, situated on a hill between the park’s upper and lower lots, extending out toward Lankershim Boulevard. Universal has its own interest in limiting noise from the ride, beyond being a polite neighbor, as it is still a working studio.

The theme park has made outreach into the neighborhood over the years in an attempt to assuage concerns, be it distributing fliers or attending community meetings. And many a Toluca Lake resident enjoys some theme park perks courtesy of Universal, such as free parking, and invites to preopening events at the park.

Aug. 11 (UPI) — The price of oil reached $90 per barrel Tuesday as Iran and President Donald Trump traded jabs about war reparations, decreasing hopes for a new peace deal.

The price dipped back down to $87 as of Tuesday morning.

West Texas Intermediate futures rose 19 cents to $82.32 per barrel around 8 a.m. EDT. Brent crude was up to $87.74.

Prices had dipped when Pakistan’s Defense Minister said the two warring countries were “close to some sort of arrangement.”

But on Monday, President Donald Trump posted on Truth Social demanding that Iran pay reparations, dimming hopes for peace. That caused a 3% spike.

The contradictory statements between Washington and Tehran also added to the fears Monday, as Trump said the United States has “100%” control of the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the two sides were engaging, but not in person.

“The oil market remains very headline-driven, which leaves prices whipsawing. The latest bout of optimism is quickly fading,” ING strategists wrote in a Tuesday note, CNBC reported. “Current rhetoric suggests any potential deal is still some way off, meaning risks remain skewed to the upside for oil prices.”

Analysts at Deutsche Bank wrote in a research note that fears of higher inflation are coming from worries of a long standoff, The New York Times reported.

“That in turn led to mounting speculation about central bank rate hikes, with investors pricing in a more hawkish path for the months ahead,” the bank wrote.

The average gasoline price stayed at $4.11 a gallon Tuesday, a 38% increase since the start of the war with Iran.

Baka’s confirmation is the latest repudiation of Viktor Orban’s legacy by Hungary’s new leaders

Hungary’s parliament has confirmed Andras Baka, a former Supreme Court chief and critic of former Prime Minister Viktor Orban, as the country’s next president.

The National Assembly voted in a secret ballot on Tuesday to confirm him as president with 140 votes in favour, six opposing and no abstentions.

He had been nominated on Saturday by the Tisza party, which holds a constitutional majority of more than two-thirds of parliament. During the nomination, Tisza lawmakers said Baka’s experience would represent “a significant asset” as the party lays “the foundations for Hungary’s new constitutional order”.

Opposition party Fidesz – which dominated Hungary’s politics until a landslide electoral defeat in April – boycotted the vote. They accuse Tisza of using authoritarian tactics to reshape the country’s political system, a charge the party denies.

Baka, 73, served two terms as a judge on the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg before being elected head of Hungary’s Supreme Court in 2009. He was removed two years later after publicly criticising Orban’s government reforms, which he said threatened judicial independence. He will assume office on August 19.

Baka replaces ex-President Tamas Sulyok, an Orban appointee who weeks ago was ousted from the role by constitutional amendment, part of Tisza’s wide-reaching campaign to dismantle the political power structures built by Orban during his 16 years in power.

Tisza has also used its majority to reform the media, establish an anticorruption task force and impose an eight-year term limit on prime ministership, effectively barring Orban’s return to the office.

While Hungary’s presidency carries mostly ceremonial powers, with limited authority to veto or refer legislation, Baka’s is appointment is seen by many as the latest repudiation of Orban’s legacy.

The documentary was originally released in 2023 but is now available on HBO Max, NOW and more. It’s left many fews with “goosebumps” after watching the “haunting” ending

It can be tricky deciding which documentaries to devote your time to, especially with so much choice on offer. But an “unforgettable” documentary has earned praise for its emotional depth and “haunting”, chilling conclusion that lingers with audiences long after the final credits.

There’s an abundance of thought-provoking, powerful and compelling documentaries available across numerous streaming services like NOW, Disney+, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and beyond. Those seeking greater insight into our world and the cosmos can indulge in the various David Attenborough-led programmes like Life on Earth, Planet Earth and countless others.

True crime devotees have no shortage of options, with the likes of Making a Murderer, Girl in the Picture, Fred & Rose West: A British Horror Story, and plenty more capturing global audiences.

But for those yearning for something slightly different, a 2023 documentary currently streaming on HBO Max might prove the ideal solution.

Lots of telly fans head to social media while searching for their next marathon viewing session and popular TikTok content creator Luke Ecclestone, who shares content online as Eccy Reviews, has emerged as a trusted resource for many audiences.

Luke has accumulated hundreds of thousands of followers across social media where he offers his thoughts and analysis on various films and television programmes.

What is 2023’s Daniel about?

In a recent video uploaded to TikTok, he highlighted the 2023 documentary, Daniel, which chronicles the life of Daniel Northcott, who started filming his life from just seven after acquiring his dad’s video camera.

Luke began: “You need to cancel whatever you [were] planning on watching tonight because I’ve just gone and found you the perfect documentary to go and watch.

“It is emotional, it will send shivers down your spine, and you genuinely never will forget the ending.”

He continued: “The documentary you need to see is called Daniel. Now, this is available on HBO Max and if you’re someone who’s seen it, you’ll know exactly why I’m talking about it.

“[This documentary] follows Daniel, who at a young age is given a film camera. He begins to document his whole entire life into his 20s, when he begins to explore the whole world.”

However, circumstances soon shifted dramatically for Daniel.

Luke explained: “He becomes a teacher in Asia until one day, he goes into this Mayan cave, where he is drawn to this rock.

“He decides he wants to take it home, but he is advised not to because of the bad spirits, etc, etc. However, after the warnings, he begins to take the rock home.

“And three months later, he is diagnosed with leukaemia. Now, he begins to document his journey with cancer.

“It is very emotional, it is very personal, it will definitely bring a tear to your eye. When he begins to remember about this rock, he cannot find it – and it becomes a documentary that is super entertaining, but emotional.

“Genuinely, when you get towards the end of this documentary, you will never, ever forget what happens. So make sure you go and head over to HBO Max – go and check out Daniel.”

How did viewers react to Daniel?

In the comments section, fellow TikTok users were eager to voice their opinions. One person said: “It’s absolutely brilliant but very haunting.” Another said: “Best documentary.”

A third commented: “Just watched it on Sky Docs, wow! One of the most powerful documentaries I’ve seen for a long time, good shout.” While a fourth said: “Daniel documentary absolutely broke me and [I] get goosebumps every time I think of that ending.”

Someone else shared: “This was such a bittersweet watch.” And another viewer added: “I can confirm, the ending gave me the shivers. Wow!”

Daniel is available to stream on HBO Max via NOW.

Washington, DC – A year after United States President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington, DC, opinions are mixed among residents, politicians and experts about the mission’s success.

Thousands of troops were deployed to DC in August 2025 as part of Trump’s Safe and Beautiful Task Force after he declared a crime emergency in the city.

The arrival of the soldiers triggered immediate opposition from many DC residents, with protests throughout the year. The advocacy group Free DC organised 11 days of demonstrations culminating in a protest outside the White House on Tuesday against what the group calls a “hostile military occupation”.

“I think Trump should go ahead and let them go home,” Ybonne Coles, a 60-year-old restaurant worker who was born and raised in the capital, said on a hot August day in Farragut Square as several soldiers patrolled nearby.

“They ain’t doing nothing but walking,” said Coles. “That money could go towards organisations to help people that really need help.”

The deployment has also faced resistance from legal officials, who have questioned its constitutionality.

On September 4, DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb sued the Trump administration over the deployment, which the lawsuit claimed was an illegal use of military force for law enforcement purposes in violation of the Posse Comitatus Act.

US District Judge Jia Cobb ruled to end the deployment on November 20, but a federal appeals court later granted the administration’s request for a stay on the order as litigation continues.

DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, whose administration Trump blamed for what he described as soaring crime rates, similarly criticised the legality of the deployment.

“We use the Guard to respond to emergencies. We use the Guard for large-scale events. We do not use the Guard to police our local laws,” Bowser said at a DC conference in October.

As the deployment approached its one-year mark, federal officials announced a “summer surge” of National Guard troops in advance of the 250th anniversary celebrations in the capital, requesting an additional 1,500 troops.

‘Peaceful and tranquil’

Not everyone opposes the National Guard’s presence.

Aaron Taslitz, a 30-year-old teacher who also works as a bike courier in DC, said that, though he would prefer that military resources be used on something more urgent than roaming the streets of the capital, he does feel safer with them around.

“For the most part, they’ve kept things peaceful and tranquil here,” he said, as he took a break from his morning bike ride in Dupont Circle.

Trump has often railed against DC, calling it “one of the most unsafe cities anywhere in the world” and claiming that since the Guard was brought in, crime has dropped by 88 percent.

However, the precise impact of the National Guard’s presence on crime in Washington, DC, remains unclear.

A report from the Niskanen Center in May found that the deployment has had no significant impact on violent crime, which has been in consistent decline in the district over the past few years.

Although the report found notable reductions in property crimes, it showed a limited impact of the troop presence on “opportunistic” crimes.

“They’re not trained police officers,” explained Richard Hahn, a co-author of the report. “The best thing a National Guard member can be, in terms of a crime deterrent, is a sentinel.”

Troop patrol zones have also concentrated in “high-traffic” areas, including tourist hubs like the National Mall and Union Station.

“Violent crime really concentrates in specific places in DC,” said Hahn. “And those are places where, by and large, the Guard was not deployed.”

Currently, 4,636 soldiers are deployed to the DC mission, including nearly 700 from the DC National Guard and thousands from various other state guards, according to a Joint Task Force-DC spokesperson. The largest out-of-state contributors are Georgia, South Carolina and Mississippi.

Despite the high number of troops, local news stations in DC have reported a notable absence of troops east of the Anacostia River, where several neighbourhoods post some of the highest violent crime rates in the city.

Commanding General Leland D Blanchard II indicated in a news conference on August 3 that patrol zones would shift in the coming weeks, but declined to provide further details.

‘Unnecessary’ use of force

A Senate investigation and report, authored by Senators Gary Peters and Andy Kim in February, also expressed concerns that the deployment risked harming local trust in law enforcement, politicising the armed forces and reducing troop preparedness.

The report further identified a threat to civilian privacy posed by the Guard’s software tools, including social media monitoring systems Meltwater and Cision, and the Palantir Technologies platform Maven Smart System.

The National Guard has also faced multiple lawsuits since the deployment began last August.

On July 29, the American Civil Liberties Union filed a claim on behalf of retired US Army captain Anna King after members of the Idaho National Guard violently detained her in May for allegedly assaulting an officer two days earlier.

King has denied the allegation and instead believes she was detained for her vocal criticism of the Guard’s presence in the city.

“What you see here is an aggressive use of force that was totally unnecessary and totally disproportionate,” said Michael Perloff, a lawyer representing King, “and this illustrates the broader concerns with the reliance on the National Guard to patrol this district.”

While no official cost has been reported for the first year of the operation, the Senate Committee on Homeland Security reported an annual estimate of $602m.

In July, the Pentagon announced plans to keep the Guard in DC through the end of Trump’s term. According to an estimate obtained by Senator Elizabeth Warren, the deployment will cost an additional $1.4bn from October 2026 to January 2029.

The figure comes on top of an already steep deployment cost so far.

One service member from the Indiana National Guard, who was deployed for a few months as part of the DC mission in November and asked not to be named, expressed mixed feelings about his time patrolling the streets of DC.

“My time there was to help the citizens of DC,” said the soldier, adding that he took pride in providing this service.

“It didn’t matter who they were, what they were doing – I was just there to help in any way that I could,” he said. “I’ve seen people impacted by us in a positive light.”

At other times, though, he said he had his doubts about the mission, noting especially low morale in his unit while they were away from their families during the holiday season.

“There were days when I was like, ‘What are we doing here? We’re not really doing anything.’”

Death sentences will be replaced with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.

Lebanon’s parliament has passed a law to abolish capital punishment, making it the first country in the Middle East to do so.

The Lebanese parliament’s speaker’s office said lawmakers signed off on the legislation Tuesday after making several amendments.

A majority of the 128-member assembly voted in favour of ending the death penalty, with the exception of the parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah.

Justice Minister Adel Nassar, who was in parliament, called it a “historic step” for the country.

The new system replaces the death sentence with life imprisonment with aggravated hard labour.

While Lebanon has observed an unofficial moratorium on executions since January 2004, courts have continued to issue dozens of death sentences.

At the end of 2025, 85 people were facing death sentences, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Justice’s Directorate of Prisons.

‘Lasting legal protection’

Rights group Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa director, Heba Morayef, praised Lebanon’s move to end capital punishment as “a major milestone and a victory for human rights in the country”.

“After more than two decades without executions, today’s step transforms a precarious hiatus in executions into lasting legal protection upholding the right to life and bringing Lebanon in line with the global trend towards abolition,” Morayef said.

It is unclear how aggravated hard labour would be enforced, with some legislators saying the terms of the new punishment are not yet clear. Lebanon does have the punishment of hard labour written into law and court decisions, but even those have been rarely enforced in recent years due to cash-strapped Lebanon’s lack of resources and capacity within its overcrowded prisons.

Lebanon’s abolition of the death penalty comes as parliament also debates a controversial general amnesty law, the largest since the end of its 15-year civil war in 1990, that could reduce sentences or even release some people convicted of violence offences.

Family members of Lebanese soldiers and servicemen killed in attacks have repeatedly protested against the law, some saying they had hoped to see the perpetrators who killed their family members executed rather than be issued reduced prison sentences.

KATIE Price has revealed just how much weight she’s really lost after sharing a picture of her five years ago along with a recent snap.

The former glamour model, 48, has been open about her drastic weight loss and said she was undergoing tests to get to the bottom of it.

In June, she admitted her weight had plummeted due to “stress” after her husband Lee Andrews was arrested in Dubai, but has since been released.

Now, Katie has taken to social media to share before and after snaps of her tiny frame.

The TV personality shared a photo of herself from 2021, wearing a navy T-shirt and beige jogging bottoms with oversized aviator sunglasses.

Katie showed off her once more curvier figure in the throwback snaps.

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She posted a picture of her much slimmer frame now as she showed off her thin legs and small waist.

In the recent snaps, Katie is seen wearing black leggings and a skintight gym top.

The star shared the comparison on her Facebook page amid growing concerns from her family.

In June, the former pin-up showed off her outfit, which was a tight grey t-shirt and leggings.

“I am so stressed at the minute. Look, I’m just losing weight,” Katie said.

She then likened her slim body to an 80s cartoon character: “I actually look like a Skeletor. Look, look at that gap.”

The star then added: “Life in general is stress but I’m good.

“What I mean is I’m good and everything but obviously it takes a toll on your body.

“Because my adrenaline is like… That’s what it is, it’s the adrenaline pumping.”

In March, Katie’s daughter Princess revealed “awful” comments about her mum’s weight loss make her “feel sick.”

The 19-year-old influencer opened up about trolls in season two of her ITV show Princess Diaries.

Opening up about the topic, Princess told Kerry Katona’s daughter and good pal Heidi: “I feel bad for mum as she is not the most happy with herself, people all slate her for how she looks. 

“I posted a vid of her out shopping the other day and the comments made me feel sick. I’ve never seen anything like it. 

“We’ve all told her she looks skinny but why do other people have a right to comment on it. The amount of hate she got was awful.”

This follows Princess sharing her concern with her mum, telling her in a video: “Your legs might snap.”

Princess – daughter of Katie and Peter Andre, who split when she was two – then opened up about her views on plastic surgery – following her mum’s well-documented history of going under the knife. 

The teen said: “I’m not against surgery but not now, I don’t want it. You have to let your body develop at this stage.”

Meanwhile, Katie’s family have also shared their concerns.

Last year, Katie’s sister Sophie went on to reveal that their mum Amy called the star to say she was worried about her weight loss.

Sophie revealed: “Mum called me the other day and said I’m going to have a word with Kate because she’s too thin. I think mum saw a picture on Instagram and she wasn’t happy.”

Katie responded: “My legs do look thin, but I like it.”

The I’m A Celebrity star’s rapid weight loss has been a topic of discussion for a while now, with even her fans being worried about her.

Leaders of Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Pakistan signed the Mecca Joint Defence Agreement last Friday, pledging to strengthen collective deterrence against any act of aggression and stating that an armed attack on any one of the three would be regarded as an attack on all.

The pact comes as the three countries navigate growing regional tensions, including concerns over Israel’s expanding military reach and Iran’s regional influence.

Together, these countries form a sizeable military bloc. Riyadh is a top oil exporter, Ankara has NATO’s second-largest military, and Islamabad is the only nuclear-armed Muslim country.

In this explainer, Al Jazeera breaks down their combined land, air and naval strength.

Joint land, air and naval strength

Together, the three countries combine nearly 1.4 million active military personnel, 3,400 aircraft, 6,000 tanks and more than 340 naval assets according to the 2026 Global Firepower Index, which ranks the defence capabilities of 145 countries.

The index scores each country’s potential war-making capability across land, air and sea, drawing on factors including manpower, equipment, natural resources, finances and geography.

• Manpower: Combined, the three countries include about 1.4 million active personnel, backed by large paramilitary and reserve forces. Pakistan provides the largest pool of active personnel at 660,000, followed by Turkiye at 481,000 and Saudi Arabia at 247,000.
• Air power: Together they operate 3,415 military aircraft including fighter jets, helicopters, transporters and training military aircraft. Pakistan possesses some 1,397 aircraft, followed by Turkiye at 1,101 and Saudi Arabia with 917.
• Land forces: The three countries field some 6,046 tanks and more than 179,000 armoured vehicles, alongside thousands of artillery systems and multiple-launch rocket systems. Pakistan has the highest number of tanks at 2,677, Turkiye has 2,284 and Saudi Arabia, 1,085.
• Naval power: Their combined fleets include 344 naval assets, including 33 frigates, 24 corvettes and 22 submarines. Turkiye comes out top here with 192 naval assets, followed by Pakistan’s 120 and Saudi Arabia’s 32.
• Defence spending: Their combined defence budgets amount to about $124.4bn annually. Saudi Arabia has the largest military budget of the three at $63.9bn in 2026, while Turkiye set aside $51.4bn and Pakistan $9.1bn according to Global Firepower.

Complementary military powers

Andreas Krieg, an academic, security analyst and political risk consultant specialising in the Middle East and North Africa, said the pact’s significance lies in how the three countries’ different capabilities could complement one another.

“Saudi Arabia contributes capital, geography, infrastructure and political convening power. Turkiye contributes an increasingly sophisticated defence-industrial base, drones, missiles, sensors, electronic warfare, naval systems and NATO-derived military expertise,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan contributes manpower, a large professional military establishment, operational experience, defence production and nuclear capability.

What does the alliance mean for each country?

For Saudi Arabia, the pact diversifies its defence partnerships beyond the United States, adding Turkiye’s advanced military capabilities and Pakistan’s nuclear deterrent, amid growing threats to vital maritime corridors such as the Strait of Hormuz and Bab al-Mandeb.

Pakistan is one of nine states that possess nuclear weapons, which it first tested in 1998. The country of more than 250 million people relies heavily on China for its arms imports.

Turkiye, which joined NATO in 1952, has no nuclear weapons of its own but hosts US warheads under NATO nuclear-sharing arrangements.

David Des Roches, a former director of Arabian Peninsula affairs in the US Department of Defense, told Al Jazeera that the deal also serves Saudi arms diversification amid Western export unpredictability, since Turkiye and Pakistan can supply items like 155mm artillery shells at scale.

For Turkiye and Pakistan, it opens Saudi financial markets for their defence industries – both have manufacturing capacity exceeding what their own economies can sustain.

Zaid M Belbagi, managing partner at Hardcastle Advisory, told Al Jazeera that, for the US, the stakes are high. “Pakistan is a recipient of US aid, Saudi Arabia is the largest foreign buyer of US military equipment, and Turkiye is NATO’s second-largest army after the United States – so the spectre of the US within this agreement is quite interesting,” he said.

Krieg added that the US remains highly important, particularly for intelligence, advanced missile defence, and high-end military technology – but said that regional actors want to convert their own resources into usable power rather than purchasing from Washington.

“The old model was overwhelmingly hub-and-spokes, with Washington at the centre and individual states looking primarily to the United States for security. What is emerging now is horizontal connectivity between regional powers,” said Krieg.

Which other countries could join the pact?

Egypt is the only country whose potential membership has been publicly raised by a signatory. Turkiye’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan called Egypt a “natural partner” and said he expected Cairo to join once technical issues are resolved.

Krieg said Egypt’s military weight, strategic geography and control of the Suez Canal would make it a significant addition to the pact.

But Cairo may be wary of binding military obligations and the impact on its existing agreements, analysts said. “Egypt may join only if the language protects its aid relationship with Washington, doesn’t undermine existing alliances and peace treaties, and maintains its own freedom to decide when and where it fights,” said Karim Elgendy at Chatham House.

Despite risks in the Strait of Hormuz and Black Sea, seafarers from the Philippines are still competing for jobs.

Manila, Philippines – Monsoon rains may have forced schools to shut down and suspended government services in the Philippine capital last week, but applicants at shipping companies and employment agencies still formed long lines that snaked around street corners.

The rain was the least of their worries. They were taking the first step on a journey that would take them to increasingly treacherous waters – and they say they are fully aware of the risks.

Gerald, a veteran sailor, was sorting out some last-minute paperwork for his next deployment next week. He is going to board the same ship he was last on – a cargo vessel off the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The last time he was there, he was stuck for two months. He was due to return to the Philippines when the United States and Israel launched air attacks on Iran in late February.

“There was one missile that flew over. The navy intercepted it right when it was above us, so we hid,” recalled Gerald, who asked for his full name not to be used to protect his job. “We knew fragments could land on our ship. But what can we do? There was nowhere safe.”

He said he had never had to face and fear and uncertainty in 15 years as a commercial seafarer. As the US-Israel war on Iran spread across the region, effectively closing the Strait of Hormuz, he and his stranded colleagues for weeks watched projectiles from both directions blow up mid-air. Shrapnel mostly ended up in the water, but the crossfire prevented their usual rations from coming through. They had to brave the danger and fish on the deck to survive.

But none of that has deterred him – not even the on-and-off diplomacy between Washington and Tehran.

“I was able to save enough to buy a property after just two years of sailing,” he said. “I was able to build a house for my parents.”

The sea had always been a source of food and income for Gerald. He grew up in a fishing village. And while he says he was never hungry, sailing in waters beyond his hometown changed his life.

“This job has provided me with a decent income. And it’s the only job I’ve known for a long time. I can’t just go into business or farming. That’s easier said than done,” he said.

‘If I die, my family will be set for life’

At the height of the war in March, nearly 20,000 sailors on 1,500 ships were trapped in the Strait of Hormuz. At least 17 have been killed in attacks since then.

The Philippines supplies more than a quarter of the world’s seafaring workforce. Among the 6,000 sailors currently stranded in the waterway, approximately 2,500 are Filipinos, according to data from the International Maritime Organization in July.

But even when the US and Iran struck an interim deal in June to end the war, there was no mass repatriation of Filipino sailors. The Department of Migrant Workers said more than 60 have since returned home from the Gulf, but most Filipinos on vessels that have been able to transit the Strait of Hormuz remain on board.

Alberto Lobaton was also due to return to sea and was staying at the same apartment complex near Manila Bay where Gerald was. The place has served as a halfway house for seafarers for years and was fully booked despite escalating maritime conflicts.

In addition to the conflict in the Gulf, there has been an increase in attacks on merchant vessels in the Black Sea as the war between Russia and Ukraine intensifies. In July alone, 35 ships were struck, and more than 20 sailors were killed, including at least three Filipinos.

Lobaton witnessed one such strike last year.

“I felt the ship shake because the explosion was so close. It was just around 300 metres (984 feet) away; I was in our quarters, but those who were on duty that night stood up and ran,” said Lobaton.

The Philippine government has appealed to shipowners to avoid high-risk areas or disembark their Filipino crew. It’s also reminded Filipino sailors they have the right to refuse to sail.

Lobaton says it would be a lie to say he is not concerned for his safety, but the financial rewards outweigh the risk of injury or death.

“If I die, my family will be set for life because we are insured. So if something were to happen to me, I’d prefer it happened while I’m at work at sea.”

Saira Khan has candidly revealed why quit Loose Women as she claimed she was “treated unfairly” and received death threats during her time on the ITV chat show

Saira Khan has revealed why she really left Loose Women after Nadia Sawalha claimed she’s been dropped by ITV.

The former Apprentice star, 56, joined the ITV chat show in 2015 and spent five years debating live on air alongside the likes of Ruth Langsford, Coleen Nolan and Nadia Sawalha but eventually made the tough decision to leave the high-paying TV job after even her children had started to realise she had been treated “unfairly” during the height of her fame.

She said: “When you’re new, it’s really hard because it’s such a clique. You’ve got to prove yourself. But I aligned myself to Coleen and Ruth pretty quickly because I could relate to them. It was a hard decision to leave because I’d done it for a long time. No matter what you give to the media, you don’t get the thanks back, there’s no loyalty and you can be dropped. I saw people giving less but getting more. My kids said, ‘You’re not being treated fair, mum.’

“As a parent, I had to show that you don’t stick around. It doesn’t matter how good the job is. Financially, it was really hard to say goodbye to that.” Saira also claimed that because she was expected to be the one on the panel to talk about tough political subjects, she ended up receiving death threats.

She said: “The problem is, for someone like me, I then get stereotyped. ‘Oh, we’re talking about terrorism, bring Saira in, we’re talking about grooming gangs, bring her in.’ But I couldn’t do any of the fun stuff. So if you keep bringing me out talking about that stuff, that is stereotyping.

“I’d run two marathons, I like to snowboard, I’ve travelled around the world. None of that was ever explored. So people thought I was gobby and opinionated and a one-trick pony.

“I got death threats. Honestly, my husband was really scared for me. I got quite a few death threats and and I just said, ‘Steve, if I get shot the head for something I believe in, that’s my fate. I can’t do anything about that.”

Saira, who is married to Steve Hyde and has Zac, 18, as well as 15-year-old Amara with him, also co-hosted The Martin Lewis Money Show before going on to take part in in Dancing On Ice and Celebrity Big Brother during her her mainstream television career.

Elsewhere in the chat, Saira, who now focuses on managing her skincare business, admitted that she thrilled that neither of her children want to pursue a career in the spotlight after her own tumultuous experience.

Speaking on the Nolans Uncensored podcast, she explained: “Both of my kids have no interest in the media and I think it’s because of what they saw me go through. I’m really happy about that. The industry is changing, for me I’ve always seen it as a business and because it doesn’t see itself as a business, it’s not in such a great place right now.”

Saira’s frank comments come just days after Nadia Sawalha, also a long-serving panellist on Loose Women, spoke out about her lengthy absence from the show and threatened legal action, claiming ITV bullied her out of her job.

The former EastEnders star, who has not been seen on the show since April despite previously appearing up to three times a week for years, thinks she is being targeted for speaking out for Palestinian rights and was worried that police officers could come knocking on her door.

She told The Mirror: “I accept that there is a huge risk I will never work in television again.”

Colleagues have offered Nadia support, but she claimed many are too scared to do so publicly. She said two well-known faces at ITV reacted to an Instagram video she posted on her threat to sue the network.

But Nadia added: “I deleted it because I don’t want these people to be phased out. I feel sad that there is an atmosphere of fear that if they were to be seen to be supporting me, their career could be at risk. I don’t believe for one second the head of daytime wanted me off that show, I feel for her.”

The Mirror has contacted ITV for comment

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