Clavicular, the manosphere influencer leading the “looksmaxxing” movement, was rushed to the hospital Tuesday after a suspected overdose in a Miami nightclub.
The controversial internet celebrity, born Braden Eric Peters, was live streaming to his hundreds of thousands of followers from a Miami hot spot Tuesday night when the party took a dark turn. Live stream footage showed Peters hanging with friends outside of the club when he took a swig from a tiny bottle and said he was going to be “done for,” and “that was giga,” meaning that whatever he had taken was a large dose.
Inside the club, with cameras still rolling, Peters found a place to sit down with his friends and started to say “Oh my God” repeatedly and rubbing his eyes. A friend sitting next to him, influencer Androgenic, asked “How f— are you?” and then repeatedly offered him an “addy,” which is short for Adderall, a prescription stimulant used to treat ADHD that’s often sold as a party drug. Peters started to mumble, sway and close his eyes as the camera panned away.
TMZ obtained the audio from a 911 call alerting emergency services to the possible overdose of a 20-year-old man. Additional videos, taken by bystanders, have since made their way online showing Peters being carried out of the nightclub.
A source close to Peters told the Times that he was hospitalized for the overdose and checked himself out Wednesday morning.
“Just got home, that was brutal,” Peters wrote early Wednesday on X. The influencer, who has said he has autism, also posted a selfie with dried blood on his face. “All of the substances are just a cope trying to feel neurotypical while being in public, but obviously that isn’t a real solution. The worst part of tonight was my face descending from the life support mask.”
On his Kick channel Wednesday, Peters live streamed as he played online slots and said that “it could have been worse” and he wouldn’t “do that s— anymore.”
He also said that in the hospital, doctors asked what he planned to do after he was discharged. “Then I was like, ‘Dude, I got the club grand opening,’” he said, adding that doctors advised him to get rest and shouldn’t attend. “I was like, dude, gotta be on the grind.”
The influencer, who rose to fame helming the “looksmaxxing” movement — a subculture hyperfocused on taking extreme measures to perfect one’s physical appearance — has been candid about using drugs, from steroids, peptides and testosterone to methamphetamine and Adderall. He has also said he chisels his face by smashing his bones with a hammer.
Androgenic, the influencer videotaped asking Peters if he needed “an addy” as Peters swayed and lost motor function control, has also been vocal about his own drug use. He recently posted on X that he was on “Walter White’s batch” when someone snatched his wig off his head and ran away. (Walter White is a fictional chemist and crystal meth manufacturer from the show “Breaking Bad.”)
A source close to Peters told The Times that Androgenic was escorted away from the hospital where Peters was being treated for the overdose Tuesday night.
Androgenic has not responded to The Times’ request for comment.
Tuesday’s suspected overdose is the latest in a series of incidents involving the manosphere personality. Last month, Peters was arrested in Florida on suspicion of misdemeanor battery. The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office alleged Peters instigated a fight between his girlfriend, Violet Lentz, 24, and a 19-year-old influencer in February at a short-term rental in Kissimmee, Fla.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission launched a separate investigation into another of Peters’ videos involving an alligator in the Everglades.
In that video, the influencer appears to come across what is seemingly the carcass of an alligator floating in the water and shoots it repeatedly. Peters has not been charged with any crime in that incident.
According to Peters’ Kick live stream, the influencer is headed back out Wednesday night to celebrate Miami’s Bacara Club streaming launch party.
The Israeli army has bombed buildings in southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil district. Military footage shows the moments when Israel struck a residential block near the Bint Jbeil Governmental hospital in Aynata, and a house in the Al-Maslak neighbourhood.
When a visibly drained looking Alvaro Arbeloa stepped into the press room in Munich, questions about his future felt unavoidable. His expression echoed the same sense of disappointment he showed after his very first match in charge, the defeat by Albacete.
The 43-year-old has been in the role for only four months, having replaced Alonso in January. Yet the pressure has been relentless, the results have been inconsistent, and the season now looks set to end without major silverware – a repeat of 2024-25, when only the Uefa Super Cup was secured.
This would be the first time in 16 years Real Madrid have gone two consecutive seasons without winning a major trophy. Under president Florentino Perez, managers’ contracts have typically ended the moment those trophies disappear.
Throughout it all, Arbeloa has consistently taken responsibility, deflecting the blame away from his players. By his own admission, he is ‘a man of the badge’, fully committed to fighting for the club at all costs.
But taking consistent ownership for poor defeats won’t be enough to convince Perez he’s the right man to lead Madrid into next season.
The club never publicly clarified the length of Arbeloa’s contract although sources suggest it runs until the end of the 2026-27 campaign. For now, dismissing Arbeloa before the season concludes would serve little purpose, with relatively little left at stake.
Real sit nine points behind Barcelona is La Liga with a Clasico at Camp Nou still to play in May. Players have also spoken openly about how Arbeloa improved morale in the dressing room. Vinicius Junior, speaking ahead of the first leg against Bayern, said that he had ‘a wonderful connection’ with Arbeloa and that he ‘hoped he could continue’ working with him.
For now, Arbeloa said he isn’t worried about his future.
“Since I’ve been in this position, it hasn’t been the slightest worry. I feel I’ve done everything I can to help my players win every day.”
But if anyone understands the unforgiving nature of Real Madrid’s managerial turnover, it is Arbeloa.
BBC Ambulance took an emotional turn as one paramedic was brought to tears
A BBC Ambulance paramedic was left in tears(Image: BBC)
A BBC Ambulance paramedic was left sobbing as he made a heartbreaking admission.
Healthcare professional Jeff tackled an emergency call that he said “hit close to home” as his dad passed away from a similar issue he had to take on.
Fans of the BBC hit show see real-life emergencies and high-pressure environments as frontline workers give everything they have to save lives in the most critical of circumstances.
During tonight’s (April 15) instalment, which is the final episode of the season, Castleford crew paramedic Jeff and associate ambulance practitioner Eddie receive a call to attend to a 51-year-old man, who has been having trouble getting his dialysis most of the week.
The duo rushed to the scene and after arriving it was clear Dale was uncomfortable as they found him lying in his bed struggling to move.
Dale’s mum explained to Jeff and Eddie that he has been feeling drowsy, has been suffering with pain in his chest and was being sick all morning.
After running some checks, Jeff quickly informed his mum that if they had left it any longer he would have gone into cardiac arrest. Acting quick, Jeff and Eddie rushed Dale to hospital and made sure he got treated immediately.
While sitting in the ambulance, things took an emotional turn as Jeff broke down in tears and revealed: “Quite close to home for me because my dad passed away from renal failure. So it’s quite close to home for me.”
Jeff struggled to control his emotions as he stepped out of the car to have a moment to himself.
Stepping back into the vehicle, he explained to colleague Eddie: “My dad went into renal failure. British National in South Africa, during COVID as well so I couldn’t go and see him and he passed away before he really knew what was happening.”
Visibly moved, he continued: “I think as a bloke sometimes emotionally we don’t deal with what’s going on in the background. The baggage becomes quite heavy until you get to the point where it’s overflowing and your whole world comes crumbling down.”
Jeff added: “I think half the problem is that I don’t do good talking about emotions. People deal with grief in different ways. It’s the little things that can trigger it and it can come out of the blue. My dad dying has definitely been life changing for me.”
At the end of the show it was revealed that after a long illness and multiple hospital admissions Dale died 6 months later
April 15 (UPI) — Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Wednesday filed articles of impeachment against Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, leveling serious criticisms of his handling of the Pentagon and the U.S. attacks on Iran.
As Republicans control the House, this move is unlikely to have an effect in 2026. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., introduced the resolution, which says Hegseth has “demonstrated a willful disregard for the Constitution, abused the powers of his office and acted in a manner grossly incompatible with the rule of law,” CBS News reported.
The six articles of impeachment cite offenses including waging unauthorized war in Iran and reckless endangerment of U.S. service members, as well as breaking the laws of armed conflict and targeting civilians. Civilian casualties in Iran have included more than 160 people killed in an attack on a girls school in February.
They further accuse Hegseth of mishandling sensitive military information, which refers to his use of a Signal group chat on his personal phone to share information on a military operation in Yemen last year.
The resolution also says Hegseth obstructed congressional oversight by withholding information on military operations and abused his power by using it for political retribution.
Pentagon press secretary Kingsley Wilson dismissed the resolution and its claims as “just another Democrat trying to make headlines,” The Hill reported.
“Secretary Hegseth will continue to protect the homeland and project peace through strength,” Wilson said in a statement. “This is just another charade in an attempt to distract the American people from the major successes we have had here at the Department of War.”
Multiple Democrats are cosponsoring the resolution. These include Reps. Dave Min of California, Brittany Petterson of Colorado, Sarah McBride of Delaware, Nikema Williams of Georgia, Shri Thanedar of Michigan, Dina Titus of Nevada, Steve Cohen of Tennessee and Jasmine Crockett of Texas.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., speaks during a press conference on Tax Day and the Working Families Tax Cut outside the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday. Photo by Bonnie Cash/UPI | License Photo
Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered a probe into whether right-wing presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro issued defamatory statements about his election rival, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
On Wednesday, a decision from Justice Alexandre de Moraes was published, allowing the Federal Police to proceed with an investigation into posts Bolsonaro published in January.
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Bolsonaro, at the time, responded to news that the United States had abducted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro with insinuations linking Lula to crimes.
“Lula will be exposed,” Bolsonaro posted on the social media platform X, with screenshots of a handcuffed Maduro and an article about Lula.
He then predicted that the left-wing alliance known as the Sao Paulo Forum would collapse in scandal.
“It is the end of the Sao Paulo Forum: international drug and arms trafficking, money laundering, support for terrorists and dictatorships, rigged elections,” Bolsonaro wrote.
There are limitations to the freedom of speech in Brazil, and under its penal code, defamation can be a criminal offence. Prosecutors have the option of seeking heightened penalties for defamation against presidents or heads of state.
The Federal Police have a period of 60 days to carry out their initial investigation.
But in a statement to local media, a spokesperson for Bolsonaro, a senator for Rio de Janeiro, denounced the probe as a violation of his rights.
“The senator limited himself to reporting facts and detailing crimes for which Nicolas Maduro was arrested and is being prosecuted internationally,” the statement said, adding that there was no “direct criminal accusation against” Lula.
Bolsonaro and Lula are currently in a neck-and-neck race for the presidency ahead of October’s general election.
A poll released this week from the research firm Quaest shows Lula slightly ahead in the first round of voting, with 37 percent of the vote compared with Bolsonaro’s 32 percent.
But if the race proceeds to a run-off, the frontrunner flips. Bolsonaro polls slightly ahead in a one-on-one contest against Lula, netting 42 percent support compared with the incumbent’s 40 percent.
The poll has a margin of error of about 2 percent, though, meaning the results are not conclusive. There is also nearly five and a half months until the first round of voting on October 4.
Both Bolsonaro and Lula are well-known quantities in Brazil’s political sphere.
For the 80-year-old Lula, this year’s race will see him run for a fourth term in office. Previously, he served as president from 2003 to 2011, and then he ran again in 2022, defeating Senator Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro, the incumbent president that year.
The elder Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for attempting to subvert the results of that election.
The margins were tight in the 2022 run-off, and then-President Bolsonaro refused to concede defeat, instead suggesting that there were “malfunctions” in the electronic voting machines that favoured Lula.
His supporters took to the streets to protest his loss, blockading roads and attacking police headquarters in the capital, Brasilia.
The unrest culminated in an attack on January 8, 2023, against government buildings in the capital, which was seen as an attempt to trigger a military uprising against Lula’s leadership.
Former President Bolsonaro was later convicted in September 2024 of plotting to stay in power, with prosecutors presenting evidence that he and his allies explored options including calling a new election and assassinating Lula.
The former president has denied wrongdoing and accused his adversaries of a political witch-hunt.
Earlier this year, Lula vetoed a bill that would have lowered Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence. He has denounced his predecessor’s actions as a coup attempt.
ACTRESS Zendaya goes against the grain — with a bizarre sand-like outfit.
The US star, 29, dressed the part to promote upcoming flick, Dune: Part Three.
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Zendaya stood out with an unusual sand-like outfit to promote upcoming movie, Dune: Part ThreeCredit: GettyThe third part of the Dune trilogy will be released in DecemberCredit: GettyDune star Timothée Chalamet joined Zendaya at the event hosted by Warner BrosCredit: Getty
She was joined at CinemaCon by her co-star Timothée Chalamet, 30, and director Denis Villeneuve, 58, for a first look at the sci-fi sequel, which is out in December.
Last month the US actress, wore abridal-style gown at the Los Angeles premiere of her film The Drama.
The movie is about a couple unravelling on their wedding week.
Zendayahas been dating her Spider-Man co-starTom Holland, 29, since 2021.
Jason Momoa, Denis Villeneuve, Chalamet, and Zendaya were all at the eventCredit: GettyNicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock were in Vegas to to promote their new film Practical Magic 2Credit: Getty
Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation were found to be an illegal monopoly by a Manhattan, N.Y., jury Wednesday. File Photo by Andrew Gombert/EPA
April 15 (UPI) — A jury found Wednesday that Live Nation and its subsidiary Ticketmaster maintained an illegal monopoly in ticketing.
The case was heard in a Manhattan federal court over five weeks and saw testimony from dozens of witnesses. The jury began deliberations Friday.
The complaint was brought by the Department of Justice and several state attorneys general in 2024. It said that the company engaged in “anticompetitive conduct” and controlled all ticketing, concert booking, venues and promotions.
Because of this, fans paid higher fees, and artists had fewer options for touring and venues.
Live Nation denies acting as a monopoly.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta called the verdict “a historic and resounding victory for artists, fans and the venues that support them.”
“In the face of dwindling antitrust enforcement by the Trump Administration, this verdict shows just how far states can go to protect our residents from big corporations that are using their power to illegally raise prices and rip-off Americans,” Bonta said in a statement.
The Justice Department struck a settlement deal in March, but states decided to continue with the lawsuit instead.
The Justice Department settlement with Live Nation required Ticketmaster to divest up to 13 amphitheaters, reserve 50% of tickets for nonexclusive venues and cap ticketing service fees at 15%. A senior Justice Department official said it would lower prices by expanding choices.
“This settlement will resolve all remaining matters with the DOJ, without any admission of wrongdoing,” Live Nation said in a statement.
The verdict does not mean prices will drop soon, CNN reported.
Judge Arun Subramanian now must have a second trial to decide on remedies. The states requested a breakup of the company, or he could order a sale of the business.
“It will be an earthquake in the industry in terms of people’s perception in feeling validated,” Scott Grzenczyk, a lawyer with law firm Girard Sharp, told CNN.
“There’s a big difference between people complaining about Goliath and getting a jury verdict that Goliath was a monopolist and doing something wrong,” he said.
Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the states, pleaded with jurors during closing arguments to “apply your common sense,” NBC News reported.
“You’re New Yorkers,” he said. “I trust that you know when someone is blowing smoke or being straight with you.”
“It’s time to hold them accountable,” Kessler said.
Shakira performs onstage during Global Citizen Live at Central Park in New York City on September 27, 2025. Photo by Derek French/UPI | License Photo
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
The German military has revealed details of tests in which its tiny Wiesel armored personnel carrier has been airdropped under parachutes from A400M transport aircraft. While the diminutive Wiesel (German for weasel) is already notably mobile, including fitting into a CH-53 helicopter, this appears to be the first time that it has been airdropped, marking an initial step toward a significant new capability for Germany’s airborne forces.
The German Army posted a video showing the airdrop trials, which involved, among others, the German Armed Forces’ Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft (WTD 61) and the 1st Airborne Brigade (Luftlandebrigade 1).
The video shows the tracked Wiesel first being loaded into the hold of an A400M within its ‘cage,’ the ATAX parachute system from the British manufacturer IrvinGQ. The load is then rolled off the aircraft’s rear ramp and descends under three parachutes. Reusable shock-attenuating airbags under the cage provide a softer touchdown. Soldiers then drive the vehicle directly off the pallet, without any significant preparation.
According to the German Army, the aim is to deliver the vehicle within 200 meters (650 feet) of the designated landing zone.
As for the Wiesel, as you can read about here, this vehicle already offers some unique capabilities.
60 Sekunden Bundeswehr: Wiesel
The German Army first began development of the vehicle in the 1970s to give added firepower to its airborne units. Initially led by Porsche, work on the project continued after the German Army abandoned its plans for the vehicle in 1975.
Ultimately, the German Army returned to the Wiesel and bought its first batch in 1985, becoming the only country to adopt the type. Rheinmetall took over series production and built more than 340 examples up until 1993. In 2001, Germany purchased around 180 lengthened Wiesel 2s.
In a drive toward simplicity, the Wiesel uses a standard four-cylinder diesel car engine from Volkswagen. The vehicle can reach a top speed of over 40 miles per hour and travel around 120 miles on one tank of gas, which is relatively impressive when you consider its diminutive size.
The Wiesel 1A5 MK vehicle is equipped with a 20mm MK 20 DM 6 A1 autocannon. Bundeswehr
Perhaps the most remarkable feature of the Wiesel is its weight. There are more than a dozen variants in total, and the heaviest of them weighs less than five tons. For comparison, the latest examples of up-armored Humvees weigh around six tons.
The Wiesel’s modest size means two of the standard variants fit inside a CH-53 series helicopter and at least one into a CH-47. Heavy helicopters can carry more slung below their fuselages, too. An A400M typically carries four of the vehicles, but it’s unclear how many can be airdropped by a single A400M, after they have been rigged up.
Considering its capabilities, it is perhaps surprising that Germany has waited so long to test the airdropping of the Wiesel. In fact, until now, the modern German Army has had no means of airdropping vehicles into the theater of operations.
Instead, airborne operations have required paratroopers to first secure landing strips before vehicles can be delivered by tactical transport or heavy-lift helicopter. Until those vehicles arrive, the troops have only limited direct tactical fire support.
With the ability to airdrop the Wiesel, paratroopers and their combat vehicles can be delivered directly to their objective, without the need for any supporting infrastructure. While the Wiesel doesn’t offer the highest level of armor protection, it does at least shield its occupants against shrapnel, rifle, and light machine gun fire. On the other hand, since it was first fielded, it now faces the threat of battlefield drones and loitering munitions, although its small size and maneuverability could help mitigate that threat in some respects. Overall, like all armored vehicles, it would still be vulnerable.
Once on the ground, the Wiesel offers a significant amount of capability for its size. The most common version is a reconnaissance vehicle with a 20mm automatic cannon and a 7.62mm machine gun, more firepower than many American light armored vehicles. Another type packs a Spike anti-tank missile launcher, the Israeli weapon having replaced the earlier TOW anti-tank missile.
The Wiesel 1 MELLS is the version armed with the Spike anti-tank missile and is used by the German Army’s light infantry, mountain infantry, and paratrooper units. Bundeswehr
There is also the Leichtes Flugabwehr System, or Light Air Defense System, which includes a command post Wiesel 2 variant and another one of the vehicles with a small radar. This last component of the system is known as Ozelot, or ocelot, and features a launcher containing four FIM-92 Stinger heat-seeking surface-to-air missiles. This is a level of small, mobile, but still somewhat protected short-range air defense capability that few nations have.
Soldiers reloading an Ozelot vehicle with Stinger missiles. Bundeswehr
Other Wiesel ‘families’ include a mobile mortar section, including a vehicle with a computerized 120mm mortar. There are also different command post versions for unit headquarters, along with ambulances and engineering support types. In the past, there have also been studies for an uncrewed ground combat vehicle variant.
Once again, it’s not clear which of these versions might be cleared for airdropping, considering their different weights, dimensions, and the relative resilience of their equipment.
Should the trials prove successful, the ATAX parachute system would also allow the German Army to airdrop other vehicles. According to the German-language hartpunkt defense publication, these could include the airmobile Caracal, other light utility vehicles as used by both regular forces and special operations units, and uncrewed ground vehicles. Ultimately, airdropping with ATAX would also extend to the Wiesel’s designated successor, now being developed under the Luftbeweglicher Waffenträger, or Airmobile Weapon Carrier program.
These tests come as the German Armed Forces undergo their biggest transformation since the Cold War in response to Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. As well as increased defense spending, there is a broader attempt to move from a low-readiness, expeditionary force to a high-readiness, territorial military focused on operations on NATO’s eastern flank. With that in mind, these latest airdrop tests for the Wiesel could be the start of a significant new phase for the airborne troops and their capabilities.
BBC bosses are poised to offer Sara Cox the Radio 2 Breakfast Show job after Scott Mills’s sacking, insiders told The Sun.
Sources said veteran broadcaster Sara, 51, was seen as the “heir apparent” for the role — which is widely regarded as the best job in radio.
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Sara Cox is being lined up by BBC bosses as the frontrunner to replace sacked Scott Mills on the Radio 2 Breakfast showCredit: GettyA downcast Scott, who hosted the show since January 2025, until being sacked last month, was seen out for the first time todayCredit: Darren FletcherInsiders said they expected Sara, who joined the BBC in 1999 as a Radio 1 DJ, to be offered the job this summerCredit: Getty
Mills, who had hosted the show since January 2025, was dismissed last month.
“Since Scott left, she has been the name which has been discussed as the best candidate and everyone at Radio 2 is saying she will be offered it.
“Sara has made a huge success of her drivetime slot and is hugely popular at the station, plus she’s hosted the Breakfast Show as a stand-in before.
“The BBC won’t be rushing this through as they want the dust to settle. But Sara is the one in line and, as far as her colleagues are concerned, she is the best person for the job.”
Sara, who began a TV career in the 90s, featured on Radio 2 as a cover host for various shows in 2012 while still working for Radio 1.
The mum-of-three landed her first permanent Radio 2 show, hosting Sounds of the 80s on Saturday nights, the following year.
She went on to replace Simon Mayo as the drivetime presenter in 2019 and stood in on the Breakfast Show in 2025.
Pakistan’s army chief, Asim Munir, has arrived in Iran for high-level talks aimed at reviving negotiations between Tehran and the United States. The visit comes as Iran warns it could halt trade across key waterways if a US naval blockade on its ports continues.
Sources tell Al Jazeera that Pakistani mediators are hopeful about a breakthrough on Iran’s nuclear programme.
A high-level Pakistani delegation has travelled to Iran to hold talks focused on arranging a fresh round of negotiations between Iran and the United States, a week before their fragile truce is due to expire.
Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir is heading the delegation that arrived in Tehran on Wednesday evening, according to Iranian state media. It said he came with a new message from the US and plans to coordinate a second round of US-Iran talks, after an initial round in Islamabad ended on Sunday without a deal to end the war.
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Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi is also joining mediation efforts in Tehran, while Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is in Saudi Arabia for the first stop in a four-day Gulf tour.
Pakistan’s diplomatic blitz comes as competing US and Iranian sea blockades strain tensions – and the global economy – but amid indications of progress towards a deal to end the war, which has killed 3,000 people in Iran and spiralled across the Middle East.
“The urgency is being driven by the ceasefire expiring on April 22, and Pakistani officials are hoping they can get that extended,” said Al Jazeera’s Kimberly Halkett from Islamabad. “Sharif will try and convince regional partners to also use their leverage to convince the US to participate in new talks with Iran and make sure there is no diplomatic line-crossing.”
Washington ‘feels good’ about potential deal
The latest mediation appears bolstered by optimistic comments from US President Donald Trump, who said the world should brace for an “amazing two days” as the war with Iran is close to over.
Trump also said his negotiators were likely to return to Pakistan, thanks largely to the “great job” Munir was doing to moderate the talks.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt later reiterated that additional talks with Iran would likely go forward in Islamabad. “We feel good about the prospects of a deal,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Nevertheless, the US military said its naval blockade on all Iranian ports was still in effect, with US forces “present, vigilant and ready to ensure compliance”.
The blockade, which Iran’s military slammed as a violation of the ceasefire, turned nine ships away as of Wednesday, according to US Central Command.
The commander of Iran’s joint military command, Ali Abdollahi, threatened to halt trade in the region if the US did not lift its blockade. He also warned Iran would retaliate by blocking trade through the Red Sea along with the Gulf and Sea of Oman.
‘Detractors on all sides’
Mediators in the conflict are pushing for a compromise on three main sticking points – Iran’s nuclear programme, control of the Strait of Hormuz, and compensation for wartime damages.
Iran’s Foreign Minister spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei has said Iran is open to discussing the type and level of its uranium enrichment, but his country “based on its needs, must be able to continue enrichment”, according to Iranian state media.
Sources told Al Jazeera that Pakistani mediators are optimistic about a potential major breakthrough on the nuclear front, which is the reason for Munir’s rare diplomatic trip.
“It looks like there is some agreement in the making, but we’ve been cautioned by sources [close to the mediation effort] that there are detractors on all sides,” said Al Jazeera’s Osama Bin Javaid from Doha.
He said the detractors include elements “in Tehran, in Washington, DC, and biggest of them all, according to Pakistani sources, is Israel, which does not want a peace deal and wants a perpetual war in the region”.
Coronation Street viewers were left in tears as the “most distressing scenes ever” aired on Wednesday night as a long-running abuse plot finally began to unravel
20:45, 15 Apr 2026Updated 20:50, 15 Apr 2026
Todd opened up about the abuse he has faced on Wednesday’s Coronation Street(Image: ITV)
Coronation Street fans were left in tears as the “most distressing scenes ever” aired on Wednesday night. The world’s longest-running TV soap has been exploring another abuse storyline for several months now, which has seen Todd Grimshaw become the victim of coercive control at the hands of Theo Silverton.
What started as cutting Todd off from his friends turned into bizarre forms of abuse, like making him eat his dinner cold and then coercing him into getting married. Theo caused the death of Todd’s friend Billy Mayhew (Daniel Brocklebank) in the programme’s crossover with Emmerdale, leaving him to die in an explosion following a multi-car pileup.
As the events unfolded in a special mid-week episode of the programme, Todd was at the police station for an interview, where he promptly broke down in tears and spoke of everything he had been put through. Back on the street, Gary caught Theo (James Cartwright) trying to make an escape, but had taken his keys out of his van to stop him, and made sure that he had no option but to go to the police station.
Sarah set about taking Todd (Gareth Pierce) to the hospital once his police interview had finished, but he collapsed in the car park. She later confirmed to George Shuttleworth, who has become a father figure to Todd, that he had suffered a lacerated spleen and internal bleeding as he and the other residents of Weatherfield wondered how they could ever let it get this far.
Through tears, Todd’s daughter Summer said: “I hate him. How could he do this to Todd? I’ll kill him. I swear I will!” Police then confirmed that Theo’s devices would be searched, and he was ordered into a cell.
To wrap up the episode, DS Lisa Swain, who has wrongly arrested most of the street during her time in Weatherfield and once failed to realise her wife had faked her own death, was given the honour of delivering a powerful monologue to tackle the issue head-on.
Viewers immediately took to social media to share their reactions, with one writing: “Oh my Days I think I’ve just used a full box of tissues. One of the most distressing, moving and amazing acting I’ve ever seen on Corrie! Well done for bring Domestic violence to the forefront.”
Another said: “Spoilers, but tonight’s episode is so powerful. It’s heartbreaking but so important. I hope this helps people to reach out for help. The last few minutes were so moving, it really got to me. I don’t think Theo will be killed, it’s too obvious, I hope he goes to prison.”
A third wrote: “Excellent episode tonight. It reminded me so much of how I felt 20 years ago. How I was scared to stay, but scared to leave. And I’m glad they mentioned honour abuse because that badly needed saying. WELL DONE.”
A fourth said: “Absolutely Heartbreaking & a hard watch[heartbroken emoji] but today’s episode was brilliant. Gareth pierce, the actor you are truly a fantastic performance throughout this storyline he has been outstanding and Lisa’s monologue at the end, was powerful what a scene!”
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has been unambiguous about his desire for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a sweeping voting law that supporters say will boost election security and that detractors say risks disenfranchising millions of voters.
The push has gained new urgency, with the US Senate continuing debate on the law following a two-week recess.
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The president has said the bill, which at its core would create higher documentation standards for proving citizenship when registering to vote and casting a ballot, is his top priority ahead of the midterm elections in November, which will determine which party controls the Senate and the US House of Representatives.
The bill has near-total support from Republicans, with Democrats remaining largely unified in opposition. It passed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives in February along party lines.
The measure has since remained stalled in Congress, where Republicans control 53 out of 100 seats, short of the 60 votes it will likely need to pass.
That is, unless party leaders move to change the chamber’s longstanding rules, a transformative approach considered a”nuclear” option that will reverberate for years to come.
Here’s what to know.
What would the SAVE America Act do?
The version of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) America Act passed by the House in February would require voters to provide proof of citizenship – a birth certificate or passport – when registering to vote. It would also implement stricter voter identification requirements for individuals casting ballots, whether by mail or in person.
Under the US Constitution, states administer elections, and currently have different processes for registering voters and confirming citizenship. Voting by noncitizens is already illegal, and all people registering to vote attest they are US citizens under threat of perjury.
The bill does not provide any funding for the new verification processes, which would be effective immediately upon the bill being signed into law.
The legislation would also require all states to run their voter rolls through a US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) “Alien Verification Eligibility” system to identify potential noncitizens already enrolled.
It would include criminal penalties for election officials who register voters without the required documentation.
What has Trump said about the SAVE Act?
The US president has long maintained that elections in the country are marred by widespread fraud, including noncitizen voting, despite there being no evidence to support these claims.
Even the conservative Heritage Foundation, which has influenced many of Trump’s policies, has found only exceedingly rare instances of voter fraud over decades of US elections.
Trump’s focus on election administration dates back to his 2020 loss to former US President Joe Biden, which he continues to maintain was the result of the vote being “stolen”. Again, no evidence has emerged to back those claims.
The president has called the SAVE America Act “one of the most IMPORTANT & CONSEQUENTIAL pieces of legislation in the history of Congress, and America itself”.
In March, he vowed not to sign any other bills into law until the legislation was passed. He has further vowed not to endorse any Republicans who do not support the legislation.
Trump also told members of his party in March that passing the bill would “guarantee” their success not only in the midterm elections but in the years to come.
Several top Republicans have embraced Trump’s messaging, with US House Speaker Mike Johnson saying opponents of the legislation “want illegal aliens to vote in our elections”.
What have critics said about the SAVE Act?
Critics have said the bill would be tantamount to widespread voter disenfranchisement, creating onerous barriers to address what several studies show to be the fleetingly rare problem of noncitizens registering to vote.
Several studies have shown that about 11 percent of eligible voters do not have access to birth certificates, while 52 percent do not have valid passports. All told, a recent study by several election-monitoring groups found that about nine percent of eligible voters in the US do not have easy access to documents proving citizenship, accounting for about 21.3 million people.
Several groups, including the Bipartisan Policy Center, have argued the legislation risks doing more damage than good. Data from a USCIS voter verification system, which some states already use to identify noncitizens in their voter rolls, found that only 0.04 percent of reviewed cases were flagged as potential noncitizens.
But as noted by the Bipartisan Policy Center, evidence indicates that the rate may be considerably lower, pointing to a review by Travis County, Texas that found that a quarter of the voters flagged by USCIS had actually provided proof of citizenship.
In another example, a review of all registered voters in Utah from 2025 to 2026 found only a single instance of a noncitizen registered to vote out of more than two million voters. There were no confirmed instances of a noncitizen actually voting.
Top Democrats have echoed those criticisms, while charging that Trump is seeking to influence the outcome of the midterms as part of what they call a years-long effort to politicise voting administration.
“The only thing Republicans are trying to save with this legislation is their own skin in the next election,” Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, said earlier this week.
Could it affect women and name changes?
A main point of contention for opponents of the legislation is the additional barriers it could create for individuals, primarily women, who changed their last names after marriage or for other reasons.
An estimated 69 million women in the US lack easy access to documentation linking their current legal names to those at birth, according to the League of Women Voters, which has been a leading opponent of the bill.
The requirement for extra documentation for some married women creates inherent inequality in the system, the organisation has argued.
The law would further create extra barriers for individuals who move regularly, including members of the military, and those who have been afflicted by disruptive life changes, including natural disasters, opponents have argued.
How does this relate to the filibuster?
The so-called “filibuster” is a procedural rule in the Senate that can be used to require 60 votes to pass most bills, as opposed to a simple majority of 51 votes in the 100-seat chamber.
Parties in the minority have long used the rule to temper the party in the majority, with Republicans and Democrats rarely holding a filibuster-proof 60 seats.
Being a rule of the Senate’s own making, it could be easily scrapped by the party in power. However, doing so has long been seen as a “nuclear” option. While it would offer short-term benefits to the majority party, it would undermine the same party if it becomes the minority in future elections.
Nevertheless, Trump has heaped pressure on Republican leaders in the Senate to scrap the rule, writing on Truth Social in March, they need to “Kill the Filibuster”.
What happens next?
Debate remains ongoing in the Senate over the legislation, but major shifts in support are seen as extremely unlikely.
Republicans are unlikely to bring the legislation to a vote if they do not have the support for it to pass.
Currently, there is no plan to hold a vote to do away with the filibuster, which would require only a simple majority.
Lawmakers have also not yet pursued other, more incremental procedural manoeuvres to pass the bill without 60 votes.
All this comes as Trump has been telling media outlets that he believes the war could soon end. We’ll talk more about that later in this story.
“China is very happy that I am permanently opening the Strait of Hormuz,” the American leader proclaimed on Truth Social, even as the flow of oil from the Middle East has been drastically reduced by the war. “I am doing it for them, also – And the World. This situation will never happen again. They have agreed not to send weapons to Iran.”
“President Xi will give me a big, fat, hug when I get there in a few weeks,” he added. “We are working together smartly, and very well! Doesn’t that beat fighting??? BUT REMEMBER, we are very good at fighting, if we have to – far better than anyone else!!!”
In a pre-taped interview that aired Wednesday morning, Trump told Fox News that the war hasn’t soured his relationship with Xi, who has expressed frustration with American actions in the Middle East.
“I don’t think it does,” Trump told Fox News host Maria Bartiromo. “He’s somebody that needs oil. We don’t. He’s somebody I get along with very well. He just wrote me a beautiful letter…He responded to a letter that I wrote because I had heard that China is giving weapons to – I mean, you’re seeing it all over the place – to Iran…I wrote him a letter asking him not to do that, and he wrote me a letter saying that essentially he’s not doing that.”
Trump:
I wrote a letter to Xi. I asked him not to give Iran weapons. He wrote me a letter, and he is saying that he is essentially not doing that. pic.twitter.com/yrTT9Dwi2V
Before his Truth Social Post and the Fox interview aired, Financial Times reported that Iran “secretly acquired a Chinese spy satellite that gave the Islamic republic a powerful new capability to target US military bases across the Middle East during the recent war.”
“Leaked Iranian military documents show the satellite, known as TEE-01B, was acquired by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Aerospace Force in late 2024 after it was launched into space from China,” according to the outlet. “Time-stamped coordinate lists, satellite imagery and orbital analysis show that Iranian military commanders later tasked the satellite to monitor key US military sites. The images were taken in March before and after drone and missile strikes on those locations.”
Meanwhile, China continues to push back against accusations that it is helping Iran and repeated previous assertions that it will respond should Trump go through with his threat to impose a 50% tariff.
“Media reports accusing China of providing military support to Iran are purely fabricated,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian stated on X. “If the U.S. goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures.”
Lin did not offer details about those countermeasures.
Media reports accusing China of providing military support to Iran are purely fabricated.
If the U.S. goes ahead with tariff hikes on China on the basis of these accusations, China will respond with countermeasures. pic.twitter.com/QwETjpJEyY
Regardless, Iran’s use of commercial space imagery to strike U.S. and allied targets “will force the Pentagon to adjust, the head of U.S. Space Command said,” according to Defense One.
“We have to recognize that the rest of the world can now see the entire planet transparently and almost 24/7 and so we have to be able to operate in that environment successfully,” Gen. Stephen Whiting, the head of U.S. Space Command told reporters Tuesday during the Space Symposium conference.
UPDATES
UPDATE: 2:24 PM EDT –
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt denied the U.S. requested an extention to the ceasefire.
‘I saw some reporting that we had formally requested an extension of this ceasefire. That is not true. We remain engaged in these negotiations.’
She also thanked Pakistan for its help in the negotiations.
PRESS SEC on U.S.-Iran negotiations: The Pakistanis have been incredible mediators and we really appreciate their friendship and efforts to bring this deal to a close.
The President feels it’s important to continue to streamline this communication through the Pakistanis. pic.twitter.com/3iIeF0oUpn
Trump, as we noted earlier, is saying that he believes the war could soon be concluded.
“I think it’s close to over,” Trump posited. “I mean, I view it as very close to over. You know what? If I pulled up stakes right now, it would take them 20 years to rebuild that country. And we’re not finished. We’ll see what happens. I think they want to make a deal very badly.”
When asked by Sky whether a deal could happen before King Charles visits the U.S. at the end of the month, Trump said: “It’s possible. Very possible. They’re beaten up pretty bad.”
U.S. and Iranian negotiators made progress in talks on Tuesday, moving closer to a framework agreement to end the war, two U.S. officials said, Axios reported on Wednesday.
“U.S. officials and sources familiar with the mediation cautioned that a deal is not guaranteed, given the substantial differences between the two sides,” the news outlet noted.
“Let’s wait and see if we can get a deal. We are hopeful and accordingly trying to push with both sides,” a Pakistani official told Axios.
“U.S. officials and sources familiar with the mediation cautioned that a deal is not guaranteed, given the substantial differences between the two sides.”
“We want to make a deal. And parts of their government want to make a deal. Now the trick is to get the whole of government…
In another step toward potential future negotiations, Pakistan’s Army Chief of Staff Asim Munir arrived in Tehran today for talks.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, said that during the visit, “the views of both sides are likely to be discussed in detail.”
Iran’s Foreign Minister Spokesman, Esmail Baghaei, confirms that a high-ranking Pakistani delegation will visit Tehran today to follow up on talks with the U.S. in Islamabad. “During this visit, the views of both sides are likely to be discussed in detail,” Baghaei said. pic.twitter.com/bdMnyCKUA5
— Ariel Oseran أريئل أوسيران (@ariel_oseran) April 15, 2026
Baghaei, however, said Iran would not capitulate.
“If a negotiation is based on one side imposing conditions on the other, that is not negotiation; it is dictation and imposition, and you know that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian nation will never accept such imposition,” he stated.
Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson:
If a negotiation is based on one side imposing conditions on the other, that is not negotiation; it is dictation and imposition, and you know that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian nation will never accept such imposition. pic.twitter.com/lnKeJT9Pow
In an X post, CENTCOM on Wednesday said that during “the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces. Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area.”
During the first 48 hours of the U.S. blockade on ships entering and exiting Iranian ports, no vessels have made it past U.S. forces. Additionally, 9 vessels have complied with direction from U.S. forces to turn around and return toward an Iranian port or coastal area. pic.twitter.com/h4msgvaPTl
Late Tuesday night, Adm. Brad Cooper, commander of CENTCOM, took to X to announce that the “blockade of Iranian ports has been fully implemented as U.S. forces maintain maritime superiority in the Middle East.”
“An estimated 90% of Iran’s economy is fueled by international trade by sea,” Cooper noted. “In less than 36 hours since the blockade was implemented, U.S. forces have completely halted economic trade going into and out of Iran by sea.”
Senior IRGC commander Maj. Gen. Ali Abdollahi claimed the Islamic Republic would consider it a prelude to the breach of the ceasefire if “the aggressive and terrorist America” continues the blockade.
Abdollahi “threatened that the powerful Iranian armed forces would not allow any export and import to keep going in the Persian Gulf, the Sea of Oman, and the Red Sea region, in the face of the US maritime aggression,” the official Iranian IRNA news agency stated on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I became the first crude carrier to head west through the Strait of Hormuz since the US blockade on Iran’s ports came into force, according to MarineTraffic.
First crude carrier heads west through Strait of Hormuz since the US blockade
The Malta-flagged VLCC Agios Fanourios I has become the first crude carrier to head west through the Strait of Hormuz since the US blockade on Iran’s ports came into force. According to #MarineTraffic… pic.twitter.com/K8syfSZtFL
Though another round of peace talks between the U.S. and Iran is being discussed, the Pentagon continues to pour resources into the Middle East, something we have been reporting about for weeks.
“The forces moving into the region include about 6,000 troops aboard the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush and several warships escorting it, said current and former officials,” according to The Washington Post, citing anonymous officials. “About 4,200 others with the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and its embarked Marine Corps task force, the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit, are expected to arrive near the end of the month.”
The Nimitz class aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mitchell Mason) Petty Officer 2nd Class Mitchell MasonA stock picture of the Wasp class amphibious assault ship USS Boxer. USN
During the pause in fighting, Iran appears to be using the time to reopen entrances to underground missile cities damaged during the war, according to CNN. The network published footage showing engineering equipment at the Tabriz South missile base and the Khomein missile bases.
The network also noted that, according to U.S. intelligence estimates, about half of the Iranian missile launchers remained intact after a month of fighting, and that many of these launchers could have been buried in underground storage facilities as a result of strikes on the entrances.
CNN published footage showing engineering equipment making use of the ceasefire to reopen the entrances to underground facilities at missile bases that were damaged during the war.
The sites documented include the Tabriz South missile base and the Khomein missile base.
A day after negotiations took place in Washington between the U.S., Israel and Lebanon, Hezbollah issued a veiled threat to Beirut. Considered a terrorist organization by the U.S. and Israel, Hezbollah was not a party to the talks.
“The Lebanese authorities must reconsider their actions and return to the embrace of the people,” said Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah in a statement. “The authorities withdrew the army from the south, leaving it vulnerable to occupation and giving the enemy [Israel] free rein.”
Meanwhile, Israel is continuing to bombard Hezbollah.
“In the past 24 hours, the IDF struck over 200 Hezbollah terror infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon,” it claimed. “Among the targets struck: terrorists, military structures, approximately 20 launchers, including those recently used to fire towards the State of Israel.”
ביממה האחרונה הותקפו יותר מ-200 מטרות של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בדרום לבנון. בין התשתיות שהותקפו: מחבלים, מבנים צבאיים וכ-20 משגרים, בהם משגרים ששיגרו לעבר שטח הארץ והושמדו בסגירות מעגל מהירות. pic.twitter.com/LeR2mr37Vv
SINGER Rochelle Humes made jaws drop as she confessed she made more cash from being in S Club Juniors than she did in The Saturdays alongside stars Frankie Bridge and Una Healy.
The businesswoman launched her career as a singer in 2001 when she joined S Club Juniors after being selected for the band on the reality TV show S Club Search.
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Rochelle Humes confessed she made more money from S Club Juniors than in The SaturdaysCredit: Great Company with Jamie Laing / YoutubeThe Saturdays – Una Foden, Vanessa White, Frankie Bridge, Rochelle Humes and Molly King performing at Wembley Arena in 2014Credit: GettyRochelle joined S Club Juniors after auditioning on a reality showCredit: Getty
The juniors, who released their first single One Step Closer in 2002, accompanied S Club 7 on their huge tour as the supporting act.
After just three years in the girl band, Rochelle joined The Saturdays in 2008 and despite their chart topping success, the star revealed she made more money at the beginning of her career.
Speaking on the Great Company with Jamie Lang podcast, Rochelle said: “When I look back on it I made more money from S Club Juniors than I did in The Saturdays.”
Made In Chelsea star Jamie was so baffled by Rochelle’s revelation that she jokingly asked him to call Frankie Bridge, who was also in both bands, to confirm their experience.
Explaining why she thought she made more money from S Club Juniors, Rochelle said: “The music industry… the money just went out of it.
“It wasn’t the same space to be in anymore.”
The star added: “At the time your the chosen one, you never want to rock the boat because your like do you know how many girls would be whipping these extensions out ready to put them in their hair.
Rochelle joined S Club Juniors in the early noughties, when she was just 12-years-old, alongside Frankie Bridge, Aaron Renfree, Jay Asforis, Stacey Franks, Calvin Goldspink, Daisy Shelvey and Hannah Richings.
While the girl band was successful, The Saturdays were huge with 11 top 10 singles including All Fired Up and What About Us.
The 37-year-old explained that when she was part of The Saturdays she was paid a “salary” and was expected to live a certain type of lifestyle.
The singer told how when she was part of The Saturdays she was scared to ‘rock the boat’Credit: Great Company with Jamie Laing / YoutubeThe star told how most of her money came from brand deals before record labels started taking cuts of their profitCredit: Great Company with Jamie Laing / Youtube
But, most of her money actually came from brand deals and touring rather than the group’s singles.
“When someone says your record deal is X amount of money, that doesn’t mean that’s what we’re making. That means they’ll put this money into the album, pay these producers, the marketing budget,” she said.
Rochelle continued: “The tours and the brand deals was where you would make your money. The records weren’t for us. So we’d be the face of a shampoo and all have our own scent – that’s where we’d make our money.
“But then record labels changed their whole strategy…they would then also take a cut of the brand [deals], and then take a cut of the live performances. You’ve got to remember everything you earn, split that in half, basically with tax and an agent. And then there’s five of you. You’re expected to live a lifestyle that you can’t always prop up.”
During her candid interview with Jamie, Rochelle also revealed her uncle is an England footie legend.
Her uncle is none other than Paul Ince, who had 53 caps for England and played most notably for Premier League teams West Ham and Man United.
Paul was the first black player to ever captain the England team and later the first black British manager to coach in the highest tier of English football.
Stunning Rochelle has since pivoted from the music industry and has set up multiple businessesCredit: GettyPaul Ince (right) is Rochelle Humes’s famous England footie legend uncleCredit: Alamy
Iran has condemned a ban imposed by YouTube on a pro-Iranian group that releases Lego-style artificial intelligence videos. But as war messaging moves into
The experts call Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon on April 8 ‘a blatant violation of the UN Charter’.
Published On 15 Apr 202615 Apr 2026
A group of United Nations experts has denounced Israel’s attack on Lebanon a day after the United States and Iran agreed a ceasefire as illegal and urged UN member states to halt all arms transfers to Israel.
The 19 experts – including special rapporteurs and independent experts across a range of human rights mandates – issued the condemnation on Wednesday as Israel continued to pound areas of southern Lebanon, killing at least 16 people, including four paramedics, Lebanese state media reported.
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Referring to a devastating wave of Israeli attacks across Lebanon on April 8, which Lebanese authorities said killed more than 350 people, including 30 children, the experts said: “This is not self-defence. It is a blatant violation of the UN Charter, a deliberate destruction of prospects for peace, and an affront to multilateralism and the UN-based international order.”
They called for Israel to “cease all military operations in Lebanon” and urged UN member states to halt arms transfers to Israel while “there is credible evidence of serious violations of international humanitarian and human rights law”, according to the UN Human Rights Council.
Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon on March 2 after the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah fired rockets into Israel in response to the US-Israel killing of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei two days earlier, the first day of their war on Iran.
Israel has carried out a devastating bombardment across Lebanon and a ground invasion in the south, killing more than 2,000 people and forcibly displacing more than 1.2 million.
The UN experts said such forced displacement “of a civilian population constitutes crimes against humanity”. They also condemned Israel’s targeted “destruction of homes”, particularly in predominantly Shia areas of the south, as “a form of collective punishment” that “points to ethnic cleansing”.
Israel’s continuing bombardment of Lebanon has been a point of tension in US-Iran negotiations. Tehran said Lebanon should be covered in the ongoing ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Lebanon is not part of the ceasefire with Iran and Israel will continue to target Hezbollah “wherever required”.
On Saturday, days before Israel and Lebanon held rare, high-level diplomatic talks in the US, Netanyahu said Israel wanted long-term peace with Lebanon but on the condition that Hezbollah is disarmed.
The Reuters news agency quoted a senior Israeli official as saying Israel’s security cabinet planned to convene on Wednesday evening to discuss a possible ceasefire in Lebanon. It also quoted several senior Lebanese officials as saying ceasefire efforts were under way.
AN *NSYNC star has confessed he was so skint that after failing to pay his bills the lights went out in his house on Christmas Eve.
Joey Fatone, who was one of the American group’s original members, recently opened up on how his boyband millions quickly depleted.
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American boy band *NSYNC found fame in 1995Credit: GettyJoey Fatone from *NSYNC recently opened up on being so skint the lights went out in his homeCredit: Investigation DiscoveryJoey explained how the power went out on Christmas Eve when he had his family around for dinnerCredit: Getty
The singer shot to fame in 1995 alongside his fellow bandmates, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, and Jason Galasso.
During the new docuseries Boy Band Confidential, Joey admitted he was forced to ask people for money after he was given bad advice by his accountant.
At NSYNC’s peak Joey splashed out on a huge 10,000-square-foot house on four acres of land, but not before running it past his financial advisor.
He recalled in the docuseries: “Money was coming in. I asked my accountant, ‘Hey, are we good?’ ‘Yeah, we’re great.’ ‘I’m OK to buy this house, right?’ He goes, ‘Your kids’ kids’ kids will be fine.’
“Now, he was saying that as if money was probably still coming in.”
But, ten years later was when Joey really felt the pain of being cashless.
Joey said: “I go to a new accountant, I say, ‘Hey man, can you look at my finances and what’s going on?’ And he goes, ‘You need to get out of that house or you’re gonna go bankrupt.’ I went, ‘I’m sorry, what?’”
His money woes all came to a head on Christmas Eve when he had family around to celebrate the holidays.
Joey continued: “There was one point during Christmas they shut off the lights to my house because I didn’t pay the bill. I almost was gonna go bankrupt.
The singer confessed he was given bad advice by his accountant and was left nearly bankruptCredit: Investigation Discovery
“And I have a family. This is when I am married, I have two kids. These are certain things that happen in normal people‘s lives as well, but then you have to figure out, for me, how do I do this without the public even watching of what’s going on?”
Joey lost the power in his home before they had even got to opening their presents.
He said: “It was horrible. I had family over at my house. Good thing I had the water, but the power just went pew.”
“I was asking people for money,” he recalled.
The 49-year-old told how he was forced to “put his tail between his legs” and figure out what to do.
The producer ended up flogging his house and moving his then-wife Kelly, to whom he was married from 2004 to 2019, and their daughters, Briahna and Kloey, in with his parents for a year.
Joey made a life for himself in Las Vegas for a year, working to build back up his slowing career.
The Dancing with the Stars alum explained the situation was a “big eye-opener” and he slammed his former accountant saying, “And the one that I had was not the brightest person to help me out. They were always the ones going, ‘Don’t worry, you’re gonna be fine. You’re making so much money.’”
NSYNC won 15 music awards during their heyday and are best known for their hits Bye Bye Bye, Girlfriend and This I Promise You.
Joey Fatone, Justin Timberlake, Chris Kirkpatrick, Lance Bass and JC Chasez of *NSYNCCredit: Getty
Italy’s decision to suspend a defence agreement with Israel has more symbolic value than concrete consequences, but it is an unprecedented move by the Italian government and reflects deep unease over its longtime ally’s actions in the Middle East, analysts say.
On Monday, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Italy would not renew a memorandum of understanding – signed in 2003 and ratified in 2005 – between the two countries’ ministries of defence. The accord provided a framework for cooperation in “defence industry and procurement policy” and “import, export and transit of defence and military equipment”, among other things.
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The memorandum was set to automatically renew every five years “unless a written notice of intention to denounce is given” by one of the two countries to the other.
That notice arrived on Monday in a letter written by Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto to his Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz.
The Israeli government has downplayed the move. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said it was a deal that “never materialised” and did not have “substantial content”. “Israel’s security will not be harmed,” he wrote on X.
It is true that the Italy-Israel agreement constituted more of a political framework than a series of operational commitments between the two countries. Furthermore, the Italian government’s decision does not cancel it outright, as opposition parties and human rights advocates have long demanded, but merely suspends it.
Still, the move is a sharp reversal for a right-wing government that has been one of Europe’s staunchest allies of Israel.
Along with Germany, Italy has been one of the strongest opponents of calls to suspend a trade agreement between Israel and the European Union. Italy has largely supported Israel’s war on Gaza, which a United Nations inquiry says amounts to genocide, and it has refused to recognise Palestinian statehood.
But relations between Israel and Italy have soured recently.
On Monday, the Italian ambassador to Tel Aviv, Luca Ferrari, was summoned after Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani condemned Israel for its “unacceptable attacks against the civilian population” in Lebanon during a visit there. And last week, the Italian government accused Israeli forces of firing warning shots at a convoy of Italian peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, prompting Tajani to summon the Israeli ambassador.
Israel also launched a massive attack across Lebanon last week, bombing 100 targets in 10 minutes on Wednesday, shortly after a two-week truce between Iran and the US was called. That series of strikes killed hundreds of people in one of the country’s worst mass slaughters since the end of the country’s civil war in 1990. Observers say the attack on Lebanon was an unwelcome disruptor to efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region.
De-escalating Middle East tensions
The Italian government’s decision to suspend its defence agreement with Israel “must be seen within a broader effort to progressively stabilise the region, including by reducing tensions in Lebanon”, said Michele Valensise, president of the Institute for International Affairs and former secretary-general of Italy’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Israel’s military operation there objectively constitutes an irritant, complicating negotiations with the Iranians,” said Valensise. “If the Lebanese front can be part of a deal with Iran, then everyone has an interest in de-escalation there.”
European governments, including Italy, have been watching nervously as the United States-Israeli war on Iran has unfolded. Following initial joint Israel-US strikes on Tehran on February 28, Iranian forces brought shipping traffic in the Strait of Hormuz to a near-total halt, causing the paralysis of the one-fifth of global oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports that pass through the narrow waterway in peacetime.
Following a first failed round of high-stakes Iran-US talks in Islamabad last weekend – amid a fragile two-week truce – Washington imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports, further aggravating fears of a protracted energy crisis. Italy heavily relies on gas imports.
‘Stop the genocide’
Possibly more importantly, Italy’s government and prime minister are preparing for elections next year.
“There is a general discontent over the war in Iran and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz – a crisis that’s impacting Italian growth and, if it continues, could have a significant impact on citizens, something Meloni worries about in a pre-election year,” said Arturo Varvelli, a political scientist and senior policy fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations.
Italian public opinion also has a strong pro-Palestinian component. Last October, more than two million Italians took to the streets as part of a general strike in solidarity with the Global Sumud Flotilla, which was intercepted by Israel while trying to bring aid to Palestinians in Gaza. The flotilla had been carrying 40 Italians among its passengers, calling on Israel to “stop the genocide”.
“There’s a concern that this will be a long agony, between an increasingly unmanageable Trump and the economic problems he and Netanyahu have caused with the war in the Middle East,” Varvelli said.
After years of efforts to emerge as US President Donald Trump’s “whisperer” in Europe, Meloni has been pushed by the war in Iran to put some distance between herself and Trump. Rome refused the US president’s request to join a naval coalition to force the opening of the Strait of Hormuz and to allow US bombers to refuel at a military base in southern Italy.
Trump had not commented on those decisions until yesterday, when, in an interview with Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, he took aim at Meloni. The Italian PM had leapt to defend Pope Leo XIV after he became embroiled in a feud with Trump. Pope Leo had condemned the US president’s threat that Iran’s “civilisation will die” if it didn’t re-open the Strait of Hormuz. In response to that, Trump unleashed a storm of criticism at Leo, calling him “weak on crime” and “terrible for foreign policy”. He said he does not “want a Pope who criticises the President of the United States”.
Trump also posted a bizarre image of himself as a Christ-like figure healing the sick on social media. He has since claimed it was meant to depict him as a doctor, following widespread criticism.
Of Meloni, who he once affectionately called “a real live wire”, Trump said, “I’m shocked at her” during an interview with Corriere della Sera on Tuesday.
“Do people like her? I can’t believe it,” he said in the interview, adding, “I thought she had courage. I was wrong.”
The Dropout tells the story of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes, the founder of biotech company Theranos, starring Amanda Seyfried.
Angie Quinn Screen Time Reporter
17:32, 15 Apr 2026Updated 17:33, 15 Apr 2026
The Dropout: Official trailer from Disney+
The true crime series starring Amanda Seyfried is now available to stream on ITVX.
The Dropout chronicles the true story behind the collapse of tech firm Theranos and its founder, Elizabeth Holmes.
The tale commences in 2002, when Holmes embarked on a chemical engineering degree at the prestigious Stanford University in California, where she quickly began developing concepts for groundbreaking inventions.
Professor of Medicine Dr Phyllis Gardner (Laurie Metcalf) advised Holmes of this, but she appeared to dismiss the academic’s knowledge as an underestimation of her capabilities.
Holmes insisted that she could “change the world” with this pioneering technology and garnered international acclaim, reports the Express.
She left Stanford before completing her second year to concentrate on her new venture, Theranos, which centred around an equally ambitious and potentially transformative piece of technology.
Nevertheless, when The Wall Street Journal launched an investigation into the firm, its reporting triggered a cascade of enquiries and increased scrutiny of Theranos, prompting it to become more transparent about its tightly guarded methods.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched an investigation, and 40 per cent of staff were made redundant a year later as the company went through restructuring.
Following the charges, the trial was postponed due to Holmes’ pregnancy and the COVID-19 pandemic, but eventually commenced in September 2021, with a jury convicting her on four counts of defrauding investors four months later.
No verdict was reached on three additional counts of wire fraud against investors, which the government later dropped, while Holmes was also acquitted on four counts of defrauding patients.
On 18th November 2022, Holmes received a sentence of 11 years and three months in prison, and she began serving her sentence in Texas on 30th May 2023.
The Dropout chronicles the dramatic downfall of the woman Forbes once dubbed the “youngest self-made female billionaire” in the world.
“Wow.. this show is insane. I want to start off by saying that I know movies and shows overdramatise true stories, so I’m speaking solely about the show right now. This goes from you rooting for the main character to you hating her.. like a real life Anakin Skywalker story”, one viewer commented about the series in a review on IMDB.
Another remarked, “The story itself is good. It moved at a quick pace, and everything they got is amazing. The one that played Edmund Ko, Stephen Fry as Ian Gibbons, are standouts for me. Sunny was also great.”
A third wrote: “Highly Watchable With Great Performances”, while another stated: “Wonderful! One of the very best shows you can see. Amanda Seyfried deserves every award to which she is eligible. Her performance as Elizabeth Holmes is off the chart.”
