If you’re looking for a great watch in the cinema, this could be the film for you.

My mum, being a Sky Cinema member, receives two complimentary cinema tickets each month – and she alternates between taking my sister and me to catch the latest films. It’s a cute little tradition, made all the more convenient by the fact that her local Vue cinema (the only chain where the tickets are valid) is just a five-minute drive away.

This time around, The Housemaid was on the cards; having only seen the trailer and a few TikTok videos of women shielding their boyfriends’ eyes during certain scenes, I was bracing myself for an uncomfortable viewing experience. However, I found the film to be fast-paced, mildly risqué for about five minutes, and packed with unexpected plot twists.

The Housemaid initially focuses on Millie (Sydney Sweeney), an ex-convict on parole who is desperately in need of employment. Soon enough, she finds herself sitting across from Mrs Nina Winchester (Amanda Seyfried), who just so happens to be looking for a live-in maid.

The offer seems too good to pass up, particularly as Millie has been sleeping rough in her car and washing in public restrooms.

Once hired, Millie’s quickly introduced to Mrs Winchester’s handsome husband, Andrew (portrayed by Brandon Sklenar), who initially appears to be a devoted family man dealing with an unstable wife.

In a job she can’t afford to walk away from, Millie finds herself biting her tongue as Mrs Winchester’s demands become increasingly chaotic.

Witness to his wife’s tantrums, Andrew begins to feel sorry for Millie and tries to comfort her, which predictably turns into an affair – but that’s when the predictability stops.

Unexpected plot developments arrive one after another, maintaining the film’s brisk momentum; before long, Mrs Winchester’s viewpoint emerges, and the audience are shown what really drove her to madness.

The two-hour runtime flies by remarkably quickly, making for genuinely compelling viewing. Plus, Amanda Seyfried delivers an outstanding performance as an emotionally fragile mother justifiably worried about her wandering husband.

Notably, Sydney Sweeney excels in her part – creating a character audiences find themselves supporting as she seeks retribution against the charismatic unfaithful spouse, convincingly brought to life by Brandon Sklenar.

What other people are saying

The production has earned a remarkable 92% popcornmeter score on movie review platform Rotten Tomatoes, with viewers hailing it as “one of the best thrillers” they’ve experienced – a sentiment I wholeheartedly share.

One reviewer stated: “Honestly, one of the best thrillers I have watched. Absolutely nerve-racking and exciting, would definitely watch again.” Someone else said: “Phenomenal. Much better than I expected. Definitely worth the watch.”

Provided you don’t scrutinise the conclusion too closely once everything appears resolved, this gripping thriller offers plenty to appreciate.

TRUMP: Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone.

(APPLAUSE)

Sorry to keep you waiting; complicated business; complicated.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

TRUMP: I’ve just received a call from Secretary Clinton.

(APPLAUSE)

She congratulated us — it’s about us — on our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign. I mean, she — she fought very hard.

(APPLAUSE)

Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.

(APPLAUSE)

I mean that very sincerely.

(APPLAUSE)

Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division; have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.

(APPLAUSE)

It’s time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.

(APPLAUSE)

For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people…

(LAUGHTER)

… I’m reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country.

(APPLAUSE)

As I’ve said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign, but rather an incredible and great movement made up of millions of hard- working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their families.

(APPLAUSE)

It’s a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds and beliefs who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.

(APPLAUSE)

Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American Dream. I’ve spent my entire life and business looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world. That is now what I want to do for our country.

(APPLAUSE)

Tremendous potential. I’ve gotten to know our country so well — tremendous potential. It’s going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.

(APPLAUSE)

We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We’re going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none. And we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it.

We will also finally take care of our great veterans.

(APPLAUSE)

They’ve been so loyal, and I’ve gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey. The time I’ve spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors. Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It’s going to happen.

(APPLAUSE)

We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be.

(APPLAUSE)

We’ll have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great.

TRUMP: Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.

America will no longer settle for anything less than the best.

(APPLAUSE)

Track what’s next »

(Mark Wilson / Getty Images )

We must reclaim our country’s destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We’re going to dream of things for our country and beautiful things and successful things once again.

I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America’s interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone — all people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict.

And now I’d like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this what they are calling tonight very, very historic victory.

First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now.

(APPLAUSE)

Great people. I’ve learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard. I had truly great parents.

I also want to thank my sisters, Maryanne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. And, where are they? They’re here someplace. They’re very shy, actually. And my brother Robert — my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert?

(APPLAUSE)

My brother Robert. And they should all be on this stage, but that’s OK. They’re great. And also my late brother, Fred. Great guy. Fantastic guy.

(APPLAUSE)

Fantastic family. I was very lucky. Great brothers, sisters; great, unbelievable parents.

To Melania and Don…

(APPLAUSE) … and Ivanka…

(APPLAUSE)

… and Eric and Tiffany and Baron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough.

See how Trump won »

(APPLAUSE)

This was tough. This political stuff is nasty and it’s tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all.

And Lara (ph), unbelievable job, unbelievable.

Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much.

What a great group. You’ve all given me such incredible support and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. You know, they kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all the people that we have. Look at all of these people.

And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got — we have got tremendously talented people up here. And I want to tell you, it’s been — it’s been very, very special. I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani.

(APPLAUSE)

Unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings. That Rudy never changes. Where’s Rudy? Where is he? Rudy.

Governor Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you, Chris.

The first man, first senator, first major, major politician, and let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he’s as smart as you get: Senator Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff?

(APPLAUSE)

Great man.

Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up?

(LAUGHTER)

(Saul Loeb / AFP/ Getty Images )

Is that Rudy? Oh, Rudy got up here.

Another great man who has been really a friend to me. But I’ll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats: Dr. Ben Carson. Where is Ben?

(APPLAUSE)

Where is Ben?

TRUMP: And by the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his family, Sarah — thank you very much.

General Mike Flynn. Where is Mike?

(APPLAUSE)

And General Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign. And they’re special people and it’s really an honor. We have 22 congressional Medal of Honor recipients. We have just tremendous people.

A very special person who believed me and, you know, I’d read reports that I wasn’t getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He’s an unbelievable star. He is…

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: That’s right. How did you possibly guess? So let me tell you about Reince, and I’ve said this. I said, Reince — and I know it, I know. Look at all those people over there. I know it. Reince is a superstar. But I said, “They can’t call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win,” because you can’t be called a superstar — like Secretariat — if Secretariat came in second, Secretariat would not have that big, beautiful bronze bust at the track at Belmont.

But I’ll tell you, Reince is really a star. And he is the hardest-working guy. And in a certain way, I did this — Reince, come up here. Where is Reince? Get over here, Reince.

(APPLAUSE)

Boy oh boy oh boy. It’s about time you did this, Reince. My God.

(APPLAUSE)

Say a few words. No, come on, say something.

RNC CHAIRMAN REINCE PRIEBUS: Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the United States, Donald Trump.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you. It’s been an honor. God bless. Thank God.

TRUMP: Amazing guy.

Trump vows America will ‘no longer settle for anything less than the best’ »

Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we’ve done.

So I also have to say I’ve gotten to know some incredible people — the Secret Service people.

(APPLAUSE)

They’re tough and they’re smart and they’re sharp, and I don’t want to mess around with them, I can tell you. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down on the seat. But they are fantastic people, so I want to thank the Secret Service.

(APPLAUSE)

And law enforcement in New York City. They’re here tonight.

(APPLAUSE)

These are spectacular people, sometimes under-appreciated unfortunately, but we appreciate them. We know what they go through.

So, it’s been what they call a historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job. And I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job.

(APPLAUSE)

I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years, or maybe even eight years…

(APPLAUSE)

… you will say, so many of you worked so hard for us, but you will say that — you will say that that was something that you really were very proud to do and I can…

(CROSSTALK)

TRUMP: Thank you very much.

And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning.

(APPLAUSE)

We’re going to get to work immediately for the American people. And we’re going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president. You’ll be so proud. Again, it’s my honor. It was an amazing evening. It’s been an amazing two-year period. And I love this country.

(APPLAUSE) Thank you. Thank you very much.

(APPLAUSE)

Thank you to Mike Pence. Thank you.

@latimespolitics

ALSO

Live coverage of the election aftermath

Trump wins presidency

Trump wins, sparking protests across California: ‘Not my president’

How Donald Trump put together such a strong showing

Sierra Canyon, ranked No. 1 in high school basketball in the Southland, traveled to Springfield College on Saturday for the Hoophall Classic and came away with a 75-58 win over Miami Columbus.

Brandon McCoy earned game MVP honors by scoring 24 points and collecting 10 rebounds. Maxi Adams also had 24 points.

Sierra Canyon (18-1) has an even bigger test coming on Wednesday in Mission League play when it faces defending champion Harvard-Westlake (21-2) in a home game that should be sold out quickly.

Fairfield (Conn.) Notre Dame Prep 72, Mater Dei 57: The Monarchs (14-9) were beaten at the Hoophall Classic.

Los Alamitos 73, St. Francis 70: The Griffins won in overtime behind Tyler Lopez, who had 25 points. Sophomore Cole Ragsdale scored 19 points for St. Francis, which played without 7-foot-4 Cherif Millogo (illness).

Damien 53, North Torrance 32: The surging Spartans improved to 20-4 behind Eli Garner, who scored 20 points on eight-for-12 shooting from the field.

Heritage Christian 68, St. Anthony 45: Dominic Loehle finished with 24 points and 10 assists for Heritage Christian.

Girls basketball

Brentwood 73, La Jolla Bishops 42: The Eagles received 21 points from Mikaella Kawahito in the win in San Diego.

South Torrance 53, St. Anthony 51: Laila Hughes of St. Anthony had 13 points and nine rebounds.

Birmingham 84, El Segundo 43: Kiara Wakabi had 21 points while Jaydin Walker 20 points and 11 rebounds for Birmingham.

Jan. 17 (UPI) — Representatives of the European Union and South American nations signed a free trade agreement on Saturday, but it won’t be official until approved by the European Parliament.

The free trade agreement would support trade between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, collectively called “Mercosur,” and E.U. member nations, but the E.U.’s parliamentarians could reject it.

Mercosur is a Spanish acronym that is short for “Southern Common Market,” and the European Parliament might take months to ratify the agreement, if it does at all, some European officials have warned.

E.U. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa participated in the signing ceremony held in Asuncion, Paraguay, along with representatives of the four South American nations subject to the agreement.

If ratified by the E.U., the deal would affect more than 700 million people in Europe and South America, but it still has significant opposition to overcome.

Officials in France and Poland are especially averse to the free trade agreement, which they said could place their domestic farmers and producers of beef and poultry food products at a competitive disadvantage to agricultural goods produced in South American nations that have more lax regulations, EuroNews reported

Opponents also say the deal could lead to increased deforestation in the Amazon rainforest and other environmentally sensitive areas.

Many French and European farmers displayed their objections to the trade agreement by entering Brussels and Paris on their tractors and other farm implements in December to protest the proposed deal.

An initial agreement was reached late last year after roughly 25 years of effort to reach its current status, and recent tariff policies announced by U.S. President Donald Trump have made the E.U.-Mercosur trade agreement more viable, according to leaders on both sides of the agreement.

Domestic political issues in France also are weakening opposition to the trade agreement there, and a former E.U. trade negotiator told The Washington Post that a consensus no longer is needed among the 27 E.U. member states regarding the trade agreement.

“Other member states were of the view that we cannot really delay this much further,” Ignacio Garcia Bercero said. “There would be a huge loss of credibility for the European Union if it cannot go ahead at this time.”

The current global political climate makes it more important for the deal to be approved as the United States and China become more aggressive in promoting their respective global economic and political goals, he added.

The United States has urged Syrian troops to halt their advance through Kurdish-held territory in Syria’s north, amid clashes with Kurdish-led forces over strategic posts and oilfields along the Euphrates River.

The rapid advance of Syrian troops on Saturday came after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) agreed to retreat east of the river, following recent fighting in Aleppo and areas east of the city over stalled plans to merge the SDF into the Syrian state.

Brad Cooper, who heads the US military’s Central Command (CENTCOM), wrote on X that Syrian troops should “cease any offensive actions in areas” between the city of Aleppo and the town of Tabqa, approximately 160km (100 miles) further east in the Raqqa governorate.

On Saturday, the Syrian Army Operations Command told Al Jazeera Arabic that the military had entered Tabqa, a strategic town near a dam and a military airbase. The SDF denied the claim, saying its forces were “still in their positions” there.

‘Betrayal’

The SDF had said it would pull back from the key towns of Deir Hafer and Maksana, as well as some surrounding villages in the Aleppo governorate, whose residents are predominantly Arab.

Syria’s army took control of the area on Saturday and accused the SDF of violating a withdrawal agreement by targeting an army patrol near Maksana, “killing two soldiers”.

The SDF, meanwhile, accused Damascus of violating the agreement by entering the towns “before our fighters had fully withdrawn”.

Later, Syrian troops advanced further, with state news agency SANA reporting they had expanded into the Raqqa countryside, entering Kurdish-controlled towns and villages, including Hneida, Rajm al-Ghazal, Mansoura and Zur Shamar, and imposing a curfew in the Maadan area, as they raced closer to Tabqa.

The SDF accused Damascus of betrayal. “Heavy clashes continue between our forces and Damascus factions, who violated the recent agreements and betrayed our forces during the implementation of the withdrawal provisions,” it said in a statement, adding that parts of Raqqa had been “subjected to artillery shelling and rocket fire”.

But the SDF said in a statement on Saturday that Tabqa was “outside the scope of the agreement” and that it would fight to keep the town, as well as an oilfield in its vicinity.

Reporting from Aleppo, Al Jazeera’s Zein Basravi said there was ongoing shelling in the Raqqa governorate.

“Judging by the amount of weapons, the amount of long-range artillery, the truckloads of ammunition we saw going in that direction, it is unsurprising,” he said.

“There are fights ongoing for oilfields that were controlled by the SDF, so this is a very ongoing, active theatre of operations, and things are moving very quickly,” he added.

The Syrian Petroleum Company said on Saturday that it had taken over the al-Rasafa and Safyan oilfields from the Syrian Army shortly after soldiers seized the areas of Deir Hafer and Maskana from the SDF.

Unresolved issue

The US has had to recalibrate its Syria policy to balance years of backing for the SDF, with whom it was allied in the fight against ISIL (ISIS), and its support for the new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose forces ousted Bashar al-Assad in late 2024.

US envoy Tom Barrack travelled to Erbil in ‌the Kurdish region of northern Iraq on Saturday to meet with Abdi and Iraqi Kurdish leader Masoud Barzani.

The Kurdish region’s authorities welcomed a decree announced on Friday that formally recognises the Kurdish language and restores citizenship to Kurdish Syrians, but said that it needed to be translated into law and enshrined in the constitution.

From Baghdad, Al Jazeera’s Bernard Smith said that behind the “conciliatory words” lay the “unresolved issue of how to integrate these tens of thousands of heavily armed, well-trained SDF fighters into the Syrian Army”.

“It was supposed to start last year. It never got going by the end of the year. That’s what led to these clashes earlier in January,” he said.

HE has been linked to Rihanna, J-Lo and Kylie Jenner, but I can reveal that Drake secretly wooed OnlyFans star Lily Phillips.

The Canadian rapper slid into the adult entertainer’s DMs and invited her out for dinner when he performed in Birmingham in July last year.

Lily, who owns a sprawling £1.1million mansion in Cheshire, was bowled over by the star hiring a whole Italian restaurant for the pair of them to dine alone.

A US source close to the rapper said: “Drake first met Lily at a party, when they were introduced by mutual friends, and he was completely struck by her.

“He was asking her lots of questions about herself and really showed an interest in her. He’s a global megastar, so Lily was quite taken aback and she couldn’t believe how nice he was.

“He really wanted to make sure she had a great time.

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“Then he slid into her Instagram DMs to invite her to his gig at the Utilita Arena in his special VIP area.

“After the gig, he surprised her by hiring out an entire Italian restaurant so he could wine and dine her. He went all out to impress her and it was really romantic.

“They went back to his hotel to continue the party, and have continued texting each other since.”

Lily, who appears in Olivia Attwood’s latest series of Getting Filthy Rich on ITV2, revealed she made £800,000 in a month after filming herself sleeping with 100 men in a single day.

She has usually dated other adult performers since starting her OnlyFans career.

Talk about Hotline Bling . . . 

Will J-Law scoop a Bafta or end up pig sick just like her mum?

JENNIFER LAWRENCE is set to bump into ex Nicholas Hoult at next month’s Baftas.

And they could reminisce about the time Jen’s mum got a nasty infection after kissing a pig in the company of her British X-Men co-star.

Jen told the SmartLess podcast: “I brought a British boyfriend home and, in celebration, they roasted a pig on a spit.

“My boyfriend was very fancy and didn’t want to eat it but was being polite. My mum was like, ‘When I saw that naked pig, I couldn’t help myself so I leaned right in and gave it a kiss, and won’t you know it, two weeks later I got ringworm’.”

Jen is being tipped for Best Actress for Die My Love ­– but recently said she now sees herself as a “stay-at-home mum” rather than an actress after having two kids.

Hopefully she swerves smooching bacon.

DENISE VAN OUTEN has revealed she saw Jessie Buckley’s promise straight away when the Oscar favourite appeared on I’d Do Anything in 2008.

Denise was a judge on the BBC talent show alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber.

She said: “We always knew she’d be a big star – we spotted it in her immediately. She’s one of the best actresses in the world.”

Jessie came second and has said she was “brutalised” by the intensity of the series.

Denise who was one of Jessie’s mentors, said of the contestants: “I felt a sense of responsibility for them all at the time.

“I was older than them and they were just kids.”

ACTING’S IN THE JEANS, BELLA

SUPERMODEL Bella Hadid looks dandy in denim for a Miss Sixty fashion shoot.

The fashionista revealed last week that she would like to do more acting after appearing in Ryan Murphy’s new TV series The Beauty.

Bella said: “I would love to keep continuing acting after this. This is a dream of mine.

“I’ve brought my art side and my creativity to modelling but, at the end of the day, I love being able to move, and I love film and acting in general.

“I love actors because they can be different characters for so many different people.”

Bella’s definitely got enough contacts in the industry – her sister Gigi is dating Bradley Cooper.

I’m sure he would put a good word in for her.

Heidi: I don’t see my ’babes

HEIDI RANGE has revealed she doesn’t keep in touch with her ex-Sugababes bandmates – and has no idea where they live.

The singer performed in three of the girl band’s four line-ups, alongside Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, Amelle Berrabah and Jade Ewen.

Heidi said: “We don’t keep in touch but if we see each other we will chat and catch up. I don’t know where they all live now. I don’t miss those days.”

Speaking at the premiere of Cirque du Soleil at the Royal Albert Hall, she added: “I was in the band for 11 years and it was incredible, but I love this stage of my life.

“I miss singing but I don’t want to be on the road. I want to be home with my kids. I want to pick them up from school and put them to bed.”

CIRQUE du Soleil had the audience buzzing on Wednesday night as their annual London residency returned bigger, bolder and brighter.

The joyous opening night at the Royal Albert Hall had an insect theme, with performers transforming into bees, dragonflies, grasshoppers and spiders.

From acrobats to contortionists, fans were whisked off to a magical world of nature – a welcome escape from the January rain and gloom.

Celeb guests including Queen legend Brian May, supermodel Jodie Kidd singer Becky Hill and Strictly’s Janette Manrara and Nadiya Bychkova posed on the red carpet before sipping bubbles in the VIP area.

Olivia Dean was seen in the crowd ahead of her upcoming Brit Awards performance.

Such star power shows this return was truly the bee’s knees.

ROB APPY TO CHAT TO TOM

HE may have refused to perform in the Strictly Come Dancing finale amid rumours he planned to sue the BBC over being voted off, but Thomas Skinner is still in the 2025 contestant WhatsApp group.

Former rugby ace Chris Robshaw who took part in the show alongside The Apprentice star Tom revealed: “Thomas hasn’t left – he is still there. We all keep in touch. Thomas is a nice guy. We shared a dressing room. From what I’ve met of him, he was decent. We got on fine.

“I don’t think he feels too hard done by with Strictly.

“The great thing about the show is that you are put in touch with people you would never normally meet.”

Chris shed the pounds during the show, which saw him partnered with pro dancer Nadiya Bychkova.

He said: “I lost 4kg and it was the best I have felt in a long time.

“It’s the most energised I have felt in a really long time. I really miss the training.”

Chris also hinted that he could be launching his own podcast later this year, adding: “I’ve got a project in the podcast space, but it’s too early to say any more.”

I fear the cat is already out of the bag . . . 

KYLIE LOOKS SEW RETRO

KYLIE MINOGUE will have fans hooked as she oozes subtle sex appeal in this white crocheted dress.

The singer posed for Northern Irish designer JW Anderson’s new fashion campaign, while actors Daryl McCormack and Ruth Wilson were also models.

Kylie’s look matches her liking for retro styles. She has said previously: “I miss almost everything about the 1990s.

“There were no phones, dance music was going nuts and I was in it and among it, going to the clubs, going to fashion shows, pounding the pavement, going to markets.

“I wasn’t wasting time scrolling on socials or dealing with, like, adulting.

“So there’s a lot I miss. Overall, just freedom.”

What a Step Back In Time . . . 

SYDNIE’S HARRY NEW YEAR

SYDNIE CHRISTMAS has gone Instagram official with her new man.

The 2024 Britain’s Got Talent winner quietly split from fellow singer Max Rizzo last year, but has now posted a series of photos with her new bloke, Harry Woods.

The couple have visited New York and Thailand since meeting last autumn.

A source said: “Sydnie is having the time of her life. Her career is going from strength to strength and she’s in a whirlwind romance.

“Harry is really supportive of her career and loves that she is so talented.

“They’ve really enjoyed getting to know each other and making new memories. She couldn’t be happier.”

I look forward to seeing if she pens any songs about her new beau.

DAN AND CRAIG GET IN STUDIO

THEY were both titans of the UK garage scene and now Craig David and Daniel Beddingfield are going to release music together.

Gotta Get Thru This hitmaker Daniel says he’s been getting creative with Craig because most of today’s artists are rubbish. Meow.

Daniel said: “I don’t think music moves many people these days. It’s really boring.

“At the moment, you have to befriend someone that is incredible at what you do. Whatever you’re good at, they have to be as good and that’s extremely hard to find.

“Most music I’ve heard this year is mush, but Oppidan, Flava D and DJ Zinc . . .  they are making garage that sounds really fresh.”

He added: “Craig David –  we’re working on some stuff together at the moment.”

Watch this space.

SACRAMENTO — Reacting with anger and despair, welfare recipients and advocacy groups predicted Monday that Gov. Pete Wilson’s proposed initiative to cut aid payments to families with children would only serve to increase hunger and homelessness among California’s poor.

With housing costs already taking most of each month’s welfare payment, the groups said, even the 10% cut proposed for all recipients would force more families onto the streets. The proposal also calls for an additional 15% cut for the able-bodied after six months.

“I wouldn’t be able to live anywhere. We’re barely living on what we get now,” said Sendre James, a disabled Vietnam veteran who supports his son and two foster children in Los Angeles on $535 a month. James has been unable to receive any aid for the foster children.

Monica Valease Hamilton, a Los Angeles mother of three who has been living on welfare since a son was born three years ago with heart problems, said that if payments are reduced many families will cut back on food to try to keep their homes. Hungry children, she warned, often resort to desperate acts.

“If you’ve got a child whose mother can’t feed him, that child’s going to be stealing somebody’s purse because that child’s got to eat. The whole situation is just frightening. I pray to God it’s not my child who has to resort to stealing,” she said.

Advocacy groups said Wilson’s proposals seemed to be based on his belief in the old myths that welfare recipients are basically lazy, able-bodied adults who have chosen existence on the public dole as a lifetime occupation. Casey McKeever, directing attorney for the Western Center on Law & Poverty, said the state’s own statistics dispute those contentions, showing that most recipients have one or two children and stay on welfare less than two years.

“(Wilson) seems to blame poverty on welfare, and I think the reality is that welfare is the reflection of poverty,” he said.

Lenny Goldberg, executive director of the California Tax Reform Assn., said Wilson’s attack on welfare recipients has served to mask what he considers the real cause of many of government’s fiscal woes–namely, tax loopholes that have been granted large corporations and the wealthy.

Because of the way government is structured, he said, special interests can be granted a tax loophole through a simple majority vote of the Legislature, but tax reformers who want to close those loopholes need a two-thirds vote.

“It seems that from a fiscal standpoint, (Wilson) is trying to lay the burden of balancing the state budget on the backs of the very poor, and that’s not really where it belongs,” Goldberg said.

Hamilton, who acknowledged that the welfare system needs reform, said Wilson seems to be accepting a stereotypical view of poor people rather than trying to understand their plight.

“Poverty is 10 degrees below hell,” said Hamilton, who supports her family on a $788 monthly welfare payment. “If he’s been there, he can relate. But if he hasn’t been there, how can he dictate? He wants to sit up there and cut my check again, and I’m not even surviving on what I’ve got.”

Callie Hutchison, executive director of the California Homeless and Housing Coalition, criticized the governor’s proposal to limit the amount of welfare new residents can receive, noting that there is no “concrete evidence” that large numbers of people were moving to California because of the welfare benefits.

“People come for jobs and the much-touted California lifestyle,” she said. “They are attracted by their dreams for a better life, not how to live better in poverty.”

The tunnel will be 23 miles – and will be completely out of sight.

Britain’s longest tunnel is currently under construction beneath a national park, and it’s set to snatch the title from the Northern Line on the London Underground as the nation’s lengthiest.

The ambitious project is making significant progress, though its price tag has spiralled dramatically from an initial £1.1billion estimate to a reported staggering £7.4billion.

The massive undertaking will transport fertiliser across 23 miles, running entirely underground and out of view.

The Northern Line currently holds the record at 17 miles, having opened back in 1937. But the Woodsmith Mine Tunnel is on track to open in 2030 and claim the crown as the UK’s longest.

Managed by Anglo American, the tunnel is the largest private sector infrastructure scheme in the country. The aim is to extract polyhalite – a nutrient-packed fertiliser – from the North York Moors near Whitby and transport it to a processing facility in Teesside.

Sirius Minerals originally owned the project and provided the initial cost projections. However, reports from 2023 indicated the scheme had already blown well past its budget, reports the Express.

Tom McCulley, head of Anglo American’s crop nutrients division, previously acknowledged that estimates of $9billion costs were “not too far off”, according to the Times.

The route will run from an underground reserve near Whitby to a processing plant in Wilton, close to Teesside.

Last month marked a significant achievement as the project surpassed 30km in length – just over 18 miles.

The tunnel boring machine (TBM), dubbed Stella Rose, smashed the record for the longest continuous drive by a single TBM.

Andrew Johnson, project director at Woodsmith, said recently: “We are incredibly proud of this milestone. The Woodsmith Project is one of the most innovative mining developments in the world today and construction is progressing well.”

He added: “We currently employ 1,100 people in the area of which 75% are local – something we are incredibly proud of.

“We are also proud to have a small international workforce with the specialist expertise we need for this unique world-class engineering project that will provide employment for hundreds of local people for many many years to come.”

The tunnel proposal initially faced opposition. Sirius Minerals successfully navigated 98 environmental regulations to secure planning permission for Britain’s first deep mine in over four decades.

John Higgins stunned world number one Judd Trump as he fought back from 3-0 and 5-3 down to win 6-5 and reach his first Masters final since 2021.

The Scot will now face Kyren Wilson in Sunday’s best-of-19 showpiece match beginning at 13:00 GMT, after he defeated Chinese debutant Wu Yize 6-5 in another thrilling last-four encounter.

Higgins had lost his previous seven matches against Trump and appeared to be toiling as he made a series of errors in the opening three frames.

However, Trump, whose highest break until that point was just 60, failed to convert two good opportunities to take the fourth frame which provided Higgins with a route back into the contest.

“He should maybe have been 4-0 in front and I maybe made it too easy for him,” Higgins, who won the second of his two Masters titles 20 years ago, told BBC Sport.

“The fourth frame was massive because if he goes 4-0 it’s done, but at 3-1 I felt good.”

“People will laugh but I think I’m a better player now than I’ve ever been. You play these great champions like Judd and I am so proud because I’ve lost the last few against him.”

With the momentum shifting, Higgins, 50, also took the fifth with a superb 104 break.

The Englishman pinched the sixth and eighth frames with half centuries after his opponent missed reds, but Higgins made a 57 clearance in similar fashion to take frame seven.

Trump, 36, who has generally held sway in meetings between the pair since triumphing in their 2019 world final, looked set to seal victory in the ninth frame but with just four balls to pot, remarkably missed a routine brown.

And that gave Higgins the impetus to craft pressure-breaks of 70 and 57 on his way to reeling off three tense frames in a row to complete a remarkable turnaround and become the oldest player to reach the final of a Triple Crown event.

FIND handcrafted treats, sumptuous scents and cool art in this French gem, says writer Janice Hopper.

Aix is a destination where creativity, culture and indulgence blend beautifully at every turn.

COUNT THE FOUNTAINS

Derived from the Latin word for “water”, Aix is known as the city of a thousand fountains.

Check out the Rotunda Fountain decorated with lions, dolphins and swans, then soak in the spring waters at Thermes Sextius spa, with its saunas, hammams, experience showers and whirlpool.

Sessions cost from £42 (Thermes-sextius.com).

Feeling peckish? Try local delicacy calissons – iced marzipan treats with a citrus tang.

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TAKE FIVE

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You’ll find the best at Léonard Parli (Leonard-parli.com) and Le Roy René (Calisson.com), where a 75g box costs £8.

Meanwhile, in the Italian Quarter, Hat’s boulangerie serves up truffle and ham focaccia for £6 (Hatsboulangerie.com).

Finish at Maison Weibel’s elegant tea room and order a sticky Lightning Bolt chocolate choux pastry, £3.50 (Maisonweibel.com).

SMELL THE LAVENDER

Tour the pretty fields of lavender from June to August – 1.5-hour tours cost £9, (Getyourguide.com).

Or, if you’re visiting out of season, buy beautiful scented drawer sachets, £2, at Maison De La Lavande on Rue Gaston de Saporta, which also sells soaps and lavender-inspired artworks.

Aix’s flower market brightens up Town Hall Square every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, while Fragonard’s locally made perfume, £42 for 50ml, at its boutique on Rue du Maréchal Foch is an absolute winner (Fragonard.com).

SWOT UP ON ART

The city was home to impressionist artist Paul Cézanne, and you can tour his tranquil studio for £8.50 (Cezanne2025.com).

Then embark on a Cézanne walking trail by following the gold “C” on pavements, starting at his statue on Place De La Rotonde.

The Musée Granet is another hot house of art. Expect Monet, Van Gogh, Picasso and more.

Tickets cost £6, but entry is free on the first Sunday of the month (Museegranet-aixen provence.fr).

Or visit the majestic Château La Coste for a two-hour walking tour, £22, to spy works by Damien Hirst, Yoko Ono and Bob Dylan, plus Louise Bourgeois’ iconic Crouching Spider.

Finish your day dining on a succulent chicken platter with cumin-roasted carrots, roast potatoes and parsley croutons at La Rôtisserie, £27 per person, while sipping its Château Rosé, £9 per glass (Chateau- la-coste.com).

HIT THE MARKET

You can’t visit Aix without strolling down the tree-lined Cours Mirabeau, plus on Saturdays, it’s buzzing with affordable fashion stalls.

Rue Chabrier is home to quirky boutiques, including Kitch for chic gilets (Kitchshopaix.fr) and Fanfreluche for knitwear (Fanfrelucheconcept.fr).

Later, toast your finds at the bustling bars on Place des Cardeurs.

Grab a house vino, £4, and baked camembert, £12.50, at relaxed Pompette and take a pew on its terrace – a perfect sun spot (@Pompette_aix).

SPLASH OUT

The recently refurbished rooms at Grand Hôtel Roi René have a dreamy cream, olive and terracotta palette.

Winston Churchill stayed here in 1948 while on a painting holiday, and as well as it being super-central, there’s also a heated courtyard pool.

Hit the L’Intemporel bar for a Le Roi René cocktail, £15 – a punchy Martini Riserva Ambrato with Bénédictine.

Come breakfast, feast on coconut chia with sunflower seeds and berry compote and chocolate-topped calissons.

Double rooms cost from £193 B&B (All.accor.com).