From early next week, a change in wind direction will bring lower temperatures.

A north-westerly wind will drag in some colder air with temperatures on Monday actually falling below average in Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It will also temporarily turn more unsettled with an area of low pressure tracking across Scotland into Tuesday.

This will bring some showers which could turn a little wintry over the higher ground of Scotland, northern England and Wales.

Feeling chilly early next week too with temperatures ranging from 6C in northern Scotland to 13C in south-east England.

Looking further ahead, there are signs that high pressure will return to bring the settled weather back for the start of the Easter school holidays.

You can stay up to date with the details of that on our monthly outlook.

NO ONE could ever have imagined that little Maura Higgins from a sleepy Irish town would go on to be one of the country’s most famous exports.

Not least her sisters – Becki and Louise –  who have sat watching her meteoric rise to fame from the peripheries. There are few relationships closer than that of siblings, but what happens when celebrity gets in the way? Here, we take a look at their now very complicated dynamic – and reveal why Maura’s decision to miss Louise’s wedding had a lasting impact and how imitation isn’t always the highest form of flattery when it comes to Becki.

When Maura, now 35, chose to apply for Love Island, she already knew her older sister Louise was getting married that summer.

Astonishingly, fitness instructor Louise, 38, gave her blessing for her to miss her big day – but whisperings at the time suggested not everyone in the family agreed with the move.

She made it very clear what her intentions were when she chose fame over Louise’s wedding.

It was certainly risky, but it paid off massively. From the very first moment Maura appeared on screen in 2019 on Love Island, her family – which also includes her brother, who has never been named publicly – realised life would never be the same again.

An insider explained: “Maura was from a very tight-knit family and grew up in a place where everyone knew everyone. When she became well known, of course, things changed. 

“At times, she’s not always been able to support her sisters as much as she would like. She made it very clear what her intentions were when she chose fame over Louise’s wedding.

“Louise has spent years just trying to get on with her life, while Becki has been hanging off her coattails, desperate for even some semblance of her success.

“Like all sisters, there is a level of competitiveness and jealousy that just doesn’t exist in other relationships. It’s fair to say it’s very complicated.”

Today, Maura is a huge star both in the UK and in America – rubbing shoulders with A-listers and really putting her home town of Longford on the map in a way no one could ever have dreamed of.

But it has meant Maura has missed out on a series of huge life events – most notably her sister’s wedding.

When Louise walked down the aisle with long term fiance Mark Kelly at a private ceremony at Abbeyshrule Church, outside Ballymahon, Maura was busy cementing herself in the Love Island hall of fame.

Even Maura’s ex-boyfriend, James Finnegan, attended the big day, having grown very close to the family.

A source told us at the time: “Louise got engaged in 2016, and the wedding was planned over a year ago. So Maura would have known that when she applied for Love Island.

“But Maura and Louise are very close, and her sister fully supports her decision to go on Love Island.

“In fact, she’s happy for Maura and is delighted she’s been given an amazing opportunity to find love and further her career.”

Louise made the decision to distance herself from the limelight as much as possible at that time.

Mimicking Maura

But Becki, Maura’s younger sister, who is now 31, grabbed the chance of fame with both hands.

She chatted about Maura whenever she got the chance and even appeared on Virgin Media One’s Ireland AM for a fashion segment. 

Maura was delighted, gushing that she was “so proud”.

She started joining Maura on nights out and built up her own social media presence.

Becki, however, has never quite managed to break into the limelight fully – despite her best efforts. She regularly posts images of herself glammed up for a night out and clearly shares Maura’s same cheeky sense of humour, judging by some of her more risky posts.

She has just 3.5k followers but has still managed to land herself a few paid ads here and there. 

‘Scared and alone’

As Maura’s fame grew, her schedule became busier and busier – she moved to London and her once close relationship with her sisters felt the strain.

Maura has said she felt “scared” and “very alone” during that period of her life.

It wasn’t long until Becki and Louise stopped posting publicly about their sister – they couldn’t keep up with her endless achievements.

Maura tried to get back to see Louise’s children as much as possible and is particularly close to her niece Isabelle. While she may not always be around, she made sure she was there for Isabelle’s first Holy Communion in 2024, calling her a “best friend for life”.

When she found out her nephew, believed to be her brother’s son, was being bullied in 2022, she showed up at his school to pick him up – no doubt scaring the bullies off for good. 

Maura was very close to her siblings while growing up, and their bond became even tighter when her parents, Sharon and Seamus, split up.

The break-up was a defining moment in all their lives.

In an interview with Married At First Sight relationship expert Paul C Brunson‘s podcast We Need To Talk, she talked about a moment her mum collapsed at the family home, following her split with her dad.

Maura candidly said: “It was a very nasty break-up and a lot went on, like, things I would never want to talk about because I wouldn’t want to be saying things about my mum or dad.”

She added: “When the break-up happened, my mum was trying to keep a roof over four kids and herself, and we were all in school, it was very, very hard and I remember seeing my mum struggle a lot.”

Maura continued: “She had a nervous breakdown, she collapsed in the kitchen in front of all of us and only my older sister, she was a lot older at the time, she knew how to like put her on her side and call the ambulance.

“I don’t know why I remember this, but I remember, mammy has a rare blood type and my older sister knew to say that to the paramedics.”

Cutting contact

After appearing on Love Island, Maura ended up cutting all contact with her dad, which is said to have left him blindsided.

She explained: “My dad spoke to me not very nice. I’m not saying it was just a bit of an argument. It was horrendous where I physically couldn’t breathe after the phone call.

“I thought to myself, ‘I wouldn’t let a partner talk to me like that. I wouldn’t let a friend talk to me like that. I’m not going to let my dad talk to me like that’.

“But also, I think if I dig deep, I don’t think I’ve ever forgiven my dad for not being there for me when my best friend passed away. And he wasn’t there for me.”

Maura and her sister’s close friend, Andrew Rowan, died aged 26 in a crash when his motorbike collided with three cars in 2017.

The sisters were bonded by the horror. Tragically, Becki suffered more heartache when another close friend passed away at the start of the year.

As she laid him to rest on January 23rd, Maura was in New York filming The Drew Barrymore Show.

It was a real sign of just how far apart their lives had become. Maura’s future is no doubt going to be bright – but what part, if any, her sisters will play isn’t as clear. 

Former Ryanair flight attendant Eleanor has shared her top seating recommendations for passengers, including the best rows for extra space and which seats to avoid on your next flight

When reserving a flight with Ryanair, many of us will steer clear of selecting our own seat, primarily due to the extra charge. However, a former cabin crew member with the budget carrier has identified the best row to reserve if you’re seeking optimal space and comfort for a specific journey.

Eleanor was based in Marseille, France, and logged countless hours traversing the globe alongside her cabin crew colleagues. She has now highlighted the seats that could enhance your trip considerably.

Speaking to us about her top travel tips, she explained: “I would say usually it’s better to sit at the emergency exits in the middle of the aircraft, usually around row 17 for safety reasons.

“You have more space and also because children under 16 can’t sit at the emergency exits and infants under two can’t even be in the two rows before and ahead of the emergency exits. So these and row 1 are basically the only seats where you can be sure you won’t be spending your flight with crying babies next to you.”

Nevertheless, while row 17 might be the most tranquil, according to Eleanor, there are particular seats passengers may also want to steer clear of.

The content creator, 25, revealed to us: “I can only say to avoid 11A. That’s supposed to be a window seat – but it doesn’t have a window! You won’t be able to see outside.”

This seat has previously been labelled “Europe’s most hated” because it’s notorious for being the sole ‘A’ seat on a Boeing 747 that lacks a window to peer through. And having urged travellers to reserve row 17, she also pointed out the row that might be worth avoiding.

She elaborated: “Also avoid row 32 on the 737 MAX, an aircraft that Ryanair has only in some bases. That has emergency exits at the wings, and a crew seat near them that faces the passengers.

“So, if you sit in that row, you’ll have the flight attendant stare at you during take off and landing, and you’ll have to move every time they have to pass. It was very uncomfortable as a flight attendant, I imagine it is as a passenger also.”

She emphasised that securing your seat on Ryanair wasn’t absolutely critical, especially since flights are generally brief and there’s no complimentary meal service, which means your location won’t determine whether you’re served first or last, as it might on other carriers.

The Italian ex-Ryanair employee said it ultimately boiled down to individual preference but she did provide one final recommendation.

She stated: “Another thing I can say is to avoid sitting at the rear of the aircraft, mostly because sometimes, although not often with Ryanair, only in some airports, you will have a bridge from the front and you’ll be the last one to disembark if you’re sitting at the back.

“And also because in case of ditching (controlled emergency landing onto water), that’s the first part that goes in the water, and you won’t be able to open the doors at the back, so you’re less likely to make it in case of a landing in water.”

‘Want to come skiing in Austria at half-term?” I asked my 13-year-old son. “It’ll be just like one of those luxury chalet holidays, only we’ll make our own beds, cook our own dinners and carry our gear back to our accommodation ourselves.” Osian didn’t hear the caveats. “Sounds amazing,” he said, his eyes glazing to a cinematic sweep of white powder and the chance to perfect his 360.

For many families, the dream of a catered chalet – and its ready-lit fires, homemade strudels and chauffeured lift shuttles – remains just that. Apartments offer access to the slopes at less vertigo-inducing prices, but they tend to come with a minimum seven-night stay. If you only have a few days to spare, or a budget that won’t stretch to a full week’s lift pass, hotels fill the gap, but then you’re back navigating the moguls of cost.

Instead, Osian and I were youth hostelling. I booked the last room available in the February school holidays at St Josefsheim, in the small western Austrian town of Schruns, and started scrolling Vinted for salopettes. Opened in December 2021 within a stately, blue-shuttered villa built in the early 1900s as a hospital and maternity facility, this is the first – and, so far, only – hostel in the Montafon ski area. Five minutes’ walk from the town’s railway station, and across the road from a bus stop, it is also, crucially, just two minutes’ ski-booted shuffle from a gondola station.

Above the ground-floor restaurant and bar are 13 bedrooms and bunkrooms, some doubles, the others sleeping up to eight people in cosy wooden sleeping pods. Although there is not, yet, any kind of communal games room or lounge, there is a shared kitchen and, in a playful homage to the building’s former function as a baby unit, a run of bathrooms tiled in pinks and blues.

The hostel operates a contactless self check-in system and early check-ins aren’t possible, so when we arrived on a lunchtime train from Zurich, we found ourselves unable even to leave our luggage until our allotted 3pm arrival time. Luckily, the restaurant manager, Christian, spotted us lurking on the steps and offered to watch our suitcases while we went off to explore the town and sort out ski hire.

Lower-key than many Austrian resorts, the five ski areas strung out along the Montafon valley, in Vorarlberg’s southern corner, are known for their snowsure pistes, all covered by the WildPass lift pass. This also gives access to the valley’s buses and trains, meaning it’s easy to hop between them to pick and mix your own slopeside schedule; Golm, in Vandans, is brilliant for younger children, with a new kindergarten and Golmi Land fun park, while Silvretta Montafon, directly above Schruns, is the largest ski area in the valley with 140km of marked runs. Access to all those pistes, and having almost everything you need within five minutes’ walk, makes Schruns a popular base for families – as does its restrained après-ski scene.

Wandering back to St Josefsheim in the late afternoon, kitted out with skis, boots and helmets, we came across flotillas of sea-shantying sailors and choreographed human sunbeams dancing away the sky’s snow-clouded gloom in the town’s annual carnival celebrations.

Inside our twin room, however, it was less carnival and more cocoon. Roomy and bright, from door handle to flooring, nothing creaked or rattled. A cord strung between hooks either side of the main window, made a handy line for hanging damp clothes, and shoe racks in the corridors helped us maintain the wholesome spotlessness. Making up our beds with the cheery gingham bed linen provided, we unpacked our ski clothes into the room’s pristine pink lockers, then padded down to the communal kitchen for an early dinner.

With only two cooking stations, the kitchen can fill up quickly if everyone goes at the same time and, because it was carnival and most of the town’s restaurants were closed, everybody did. Osian and I squeezed on to a table with a German family, who told us this was their first time skiing from a youth hostel. “We like Schruns and usually book an apartment, but finding something for only a few days, which we wanted this time, is not so easy. This was an affordable alternative.”

Early next morning, we found the kitchen was already packed with families spooning muesli into bowls, slicing through local cheeses and sipping steaming coffees. Not us, though. Collecting our gear from the cellar’s ski room, we clomped across to the bus stop and took the five-minute journey to the Zamang lift to meet Natascha Zandveld, from the Silvretta Montafon ski company, heading up the slopes for breakfast at the newly renovated Kapellrestaurant. There, we filled up on scrambled eggs and bacon while soaking up the panorama of peaks and pistes beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows.

In summer, cows graze the mountainsides and Osian insisted he caught a whiff of hay on the lift up. “It’s a working farming community here rather than a resort,” Natascha told us. “Tourism in Montafon began with locals renting rooms in their homes to visitors prescribed alpine air by their doctors, and most hotels are still family-run.”

Snow clouds began to billow on the horizon, so we clipped in and set off while there was still a seam of sunlight above us. Our first run was a long, glorious blue, threading through towering pines. Sunlight spilt on to the snow between their trunks and when we stopped for hot chocolate, at Gasthaus Kropfen mountain hut, it was so warm on the terrace we peeled off our jackets.

The next day, we took the bus in the other direction, to Golm. The sky was awash with inkblot clouds, but the snow beneath our skis was as soft as whipped cream. Higher up it was hard to tell where the piste ended and the sky began, but on the lower slopes we snaked between fir trees slouched under the weight of snow, the forested tracks blissfully quiet early in the day. We refueled at Haus Matschwitz, a steam-fogged mountain chalet doing a fast trade in fluffy kaiserschmarrn (sweet pancakes cut into bitesized pieces) and jam roly poly-like germknödel.

“Burn calories, not electricity,” a local sustainability initiative urged and we greedily obliged, carving squeaky powder all afternoon to make space for dinner back at St Josefsheim. Inside its bar, local people mingled with guests beneath a suspended vintage gondola cabin and there was a buzz in the restaurant, too, as we ordered plates of schweinsbraten (roast pork with caraway-laced bread dumplings) and pillowy keesknöpfli (Austrian mac’n’cheese).

On our final evening, we took another bus, to Garfrescha, to go night tobogganing. Snow fell thick and fast as a retro chairlift hauled us nearly 1,400m up the mountain before our sledges propelled us back downhill in a rush of giddy abandon. “This is amaaaazing!” whooped Osian, vanishing into the dark ahead of me, both of us convulsed with laughter.

Waiting for the bus at the bottom of the mountain, we looked up at the cluster of exclusive chalets above us, steam rising from their hot tubs and the sound of clinking glasses within. In taking local buses, joining the carnival crowds and talking to other travellers at St Josefsheim, we had felt more connected to this valley – and each other. That, it turned out, was the real luxury.

Beds in shared dorms at St Josefsheim start from €30pppn, private rooms from €135 for four. The accommodation was provided by Austria Tourism and Montafon. Flight-free travel was provided by Eurostar, Twiliner and FlixBus

Despite Liverpool’s dominance, the talk at half-time was of Mohamed Salah’s missed penalty. For a man who rarely misses, it was an unusually weak attempt and one that would certainly have got the headlines had Liverpool not progressed.

By now, Salah’s hunger for success is clear and it spoke volumes that instantly after his miss, he forced a save from Ugurcan Cakir.

And the Egyptian was involved in all three of Liverpool’s second-half goals to cap off a terrific all-round display.

First, Salah teed up Hugo Ekitike and it was Ryan Gravenberch who finished after Salah’s strike was saved, for Liverpool’s third.

The goal to make it 4-0 was a work of art as the 33-year-old used his left foot to curl a sublime effort into the top corner from outside the box.

“It says a lot about his mentality,” said Slot. “That was a difficult moment [when he missed the penalty] but then to come out in the second half with a great assist for Hugo and then score a trademark goal coming inside and finding the top corner.

“That tells you a lot about his mental strength, so credit to him and the whole team because adversity is something we can talk about when it comes to this season.”

Salah could have easily had more on a night where he became the first African to score 50 Champions League goals and recorded his 200th and 201st goal involvements for Liverpool at Anfield in all competitions (140 goals, 61 assists) in just 211 appearances.

There was some concern when Salah asked to be substituted in the 74th minute, with Slot saying afterwards that he had felt something.

But this was another timely reminder of his sheer class. Salah’s numbers alone are stupendous and whether or not he is still a Liverpool player come next season, there is little doubt that Liverpool have a stronger chance of knocking out PSG with him fit and firing.

March 18 (Asia Today) — A South Korean civic group on Wednesday called for changes to ethics laws after finding that dozens of former police officers took jobs at law firms shortly after retirement, raising concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

The People’s Solidarity for Participatory Democracy said 144 retired police officials joined law firms between January 2020 and February 2026, based on data from the government ethics oversight body.

Of 228 post-retirement employment reviews during that period, 63.2% were approved, allowing former officers to take positions at law firms, the group said.

Nearly half of those cases – 68 out of 144 – involved individuals who joined law firms within three months of leaving the police force.

The group said the trend raises concerns that former officers could still wield influence over active investigators, particularly because many held mid-level supervisory roles directly involved in criminal investigations.

Such overlap could undermine the neutrality and fairness of police work, it added.

The civic group also noted that the expanding role of police following recent criminal justice reforms has increased the need for stronger safeguards to ensure impartial investigations.

It called for revising the Public Officials Ethics Act, arguing that current rules do not sufficiently restrict employment at law firms for retired officials who hold legal qualifications.

The group urged lawmakers to amend the law to require stricter review of such employment and prevent potential conflicts of interest.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260318010005507

In a follow-up to our recent story about a pair of U.S. Navy Independence class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) configured for minesweeping appearing in the Pacific, those vessels have now moved further east from Malaysia to Singapore. USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara remain thousands of miles away from their primary assigned operating area in the Middle East, where the conflict with Iran grinds on. The highly strategic Strait of Hormuz notably remains closed to normal maritime commerce due to Iranian attacks. Though the regime in Tehran does not yet appear to have employed naval mines to a large degree in the Strait, this remains a major threat that will factor into any plans to reopen the critical waterway.

As to why the Navy sent two of its three mine hunters in the Middle East not just out of the line of fire, but literally across the globe at a time when the U.S. and its allies could be facing the mining of one of the world’s most critical waterways remains a mystery.

U.S. Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) has confirmed to TWZ that USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara are in Singapore. Last year, the Navy sent Tulsa and Santa Barbara, as well as a third Independence class LCS, the USS Canberra, to Manama in Bahrain in the Persian Gulf. Canberra‘s current location remains unclear. All three ships were explicitly sent to the Middle East to fill capability and capacity gaps left by the decommissioning of four Avenger class mine-hunters that had been deployed in the region for decades beforehand.

Local spotters had already caught the two LCSs arriving in Singapore earlier today. Authorities in Malaysia had previously confirmed that the LCSs had left the Port of Penang in that country on March 16. Singapore is a city-state that lies roughly 370 miles southeast of Penang.

“Tulsa and Santa Barbara are conducting scheduled maintenance and logistics stop in Singapore. The U.S. and Singapore navies have an excellent and longstanding defense relationship,” a NAVCENT spokesperson told TWZ. “A testament to this relationship is the agreement to allow littoral combat ships to operate primarily from Singapore as a logistics and maintenance hub, as well as supporting regular port visits and logistics stops for other U.S. ships.”

NAVCENT had given TWZ an almost identical statement when asked previously about the arrival of the LCSs in Malaysia:

“Tulsa and Santa Barbara are conducting brief logistical stops in Malaysia. U.S. forces routinely make port calls in Malaysia as part of our operations, reflecting the close and enduring military cooperation between the United States and Malaysia.”

“These stops allow for logistical arrangements such as replenishments,” Malaysian Defence Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin separately told the New Strait Times newspaper yesterday. “Any foreign naval vessel must submit a request through its country to the Royal Malaysian Navy, which forwards it to the Foreign Ministry for approval.”

When Tulsa and Santa Barbara left the Middle East, to begin with, is unclear. There is no evidence of any U.S. warships having been in port in Bahrain since at least February 23, five days before joint U.S. and Israeli strikes on Iran began. Manama was almost immediately subjected to retaliatory attacks, making clear that sending American vessels elsewhere was, broadly speaking, a prudent security measure.

How long Tulsa and Santa Barbara will remain in Singapore, and where they might head to next, remains to be seen. As NAVCENT’s statement noted, Singapore’s Changi Naval Base has been a hub for forward-deployed LCSs in the Indo-Pacific region. U.S. naval vessels, in general, regularly make port calls there, including for maintenance.

As an aside, online ship tracking data indicates that the America class amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli and the San Antonio class amphibious warfare ship USS New Orleans are also now sailing through the same general area. The Tripoli Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) is reportedly on its way to the Middle East, loaded with Marines, as you can read more about here.

Regardless of where they might head next, Tulsa and Santa Barbara have now moved even further away from their assigned station in the Middle East. This, in turn, means that two of three mine countermeasures ships that are supposed to be forward-deployed in that region, at least, are currently in an entirely different part of the world. Whether any other LCS or other ships configured for the mine countermeasures mission have been deployed closer to the Middle East, or are now on their way, is unknown. There are only four other Avenger class ships still in Navy service, all of which are in Japan and have been slated for decommissioning in the coming years.

Generally speaking, the Independence class LCS is a far more advanced ship, overall, than the Avenger class mine hunter. When suitably equipped, the LCSs also offer new standoff mine countermeasures capabilities, including uncrewed mine-sweeping drone boats and helicopter-borne systems. It should be noted that the Navy had originally planned for both Independence and Freedom class LCSs to be readily configured and reconfigured for different operational needs using an array of different mission packages, or ‘modules.’ The service now deploys LCSs in static configurations.

Still, questions continue to be raised whether LCSs fitted out for the mine countermeasures role are adequate replacements for ships purpose-built for this mission set, as you can read about in much more detail in our past reporting. Mine-clearing operations are complex and slow-going affairs that carry significant risks even in optimal conditions in benign environments.

As noted, Iranian naval mines have yet to make a major appearance in the current conflict. U.S. officials have largely downplayed the mine threat, especially when compared to the active ongoing attacks Iran has been launching on commercial ships in and around the Strait of Hormuz using drones, missiles, and uncrewed boats.

That being said, “we defend all these countries and then, ‘do you have any minesweepers?’ And they say, ‘Well, would it be possible for us not to get involved?’” U.S. President Donald Trump said earlier this week in response to a question from a reporter about the current conflict with Iran. This suggested that American officials had at least asked allies and partners about the possibility of them providing additional naval mine countermeasures capabilities to the region. If so, this is somewhat puzzling, coming as the Navy had sent the two LCSs to another hemisphere.

Trump had previously appealed publicly for assistance, in general, in reopening the Strait of Hormuz, but had been soundly rejected by a number of countries. The President then said yesterday that any help was no longer required.

“I wonder what would happen if we ‘finished off’ what’s left of the Iranian Terror State, and let the Countries that use it, we don’t, be responsible for the so called ‘Straight?’ [sic],” Trump then wrote just earlier today in a post on his Truth Social site. “That would get some of our non-responsive ‘Allies’ in gear, and fast!!!”

In an interview last Thursday with CNBC, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright had said the prospect of U.S. Navy warships escorting commercial vessels through the Strait of Hormuz was still weeks away, at best. TWZ previously explored how risky such an operation would be, given Iran’s ability to turn the waterway into a super weapons engagement zone where mines would be just one of many concerns.

The fact that USS Tulsa and USS Santa Barbara have moved even further from the Middle East only underscores questions about what the U.S. government’s line of thinking might be now about how to get maritime commerce flowing again in and out of the Persian Gulf.

Contact the author: joe@twz.com

The TikTok Killer is currently streaming on Netflix and tells the shocking case of the murder of Esther Estepa, 42, and how the social media platform helped piece the tragedy together

Netflix’s chilling true crime documentary The TikTok Killer tells the horrifying story of 42-year-old Esther Estepa, whose final days were pieced together through TikTok videos, messages, and digital clues. It’s the kind of nightmare ripped straight from a thriller film – but Netflix ’s chilling true-crime documentary The TikTok Killer tells a story that is horrifyingly real.

The two-part series explores the murder of 42-year-old Esther Estepa – and the suspect at the centre of it, convicted killer-turned-TikTok influencer José Jurado Montilla. What unfolds is a disturbing case of deception, digital footprints and a man who appeared to be hiding in plain sight.

At the heart of the story is Esther – a free spirit with a love of travel. Raised in Seville, she left her hometown in 2013 to “spread her wings,” living a nomadic lifestyle across Spain while remaining incredibly close to her family – especially her mother, Josefa “Pepa” Pérez. They spoke every single day.

READ MORE: ‘I intervened in a London mugging and was praised in parliament but one thing must change’READ MORE: The Mean Girl Murders: Inside the terrifying murder of schoolgirl Skylar Neese by her friends

By 2022, Esther was trying to rebuild her life after leaving an allegedly abusive relationship. For a time, she stayed in women’s shelters across Spain, determined to start again. In August 2023, Esther met Montilla.

According to his account, the pair met at a hostel in Alicante and bonded over their shared nomadic lifestyle. They travelled together along Spain’s east coast, hiking for days and eventually reaching Gandía, near Valencia, around August 20.

He claimed their hiking journey ended when Esther became unwell, suffering from a swollen leg and severe headache, and that he accompanied her to a health centre before she left to meet friends. He insisted that was the last time he saw her.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

On August 23, 2023, Esther’s mother received a string of bizarre WhatsApp messages. The texts claimed Esther was broke, living on the streets in Argentina and planning a new life in Buenos Aires. But Pepa immediately sensed something was wrong.

“She didn’t have any friends there,” she says in the documentary. “It made me doubt that it was her writing it.” When she tried to call, Esther’s phone went straight to voicemail.

Even more chillingly, Esther had left behind her beloved dogs – something her family insist she would never have done voluntarily. Suspicious and frightened, Pepa demanded a voice note; otherwise, she would go to the police. None came.

After that, contact stopped completely. On August 26, Esther was officially reported missing. Then came the phone call that would change everything. Out of the blue, Montilla contacted Esther’s family, claiming he last saw her on August 21 when she left to meet friends for a job in Castellón.

But instead of stepping back, he did something deeply unsettling. He kept calling. Asking about the investigation. And, most bizarrely of all, he began retracing their journey – posting videos about it on TikTok.

To Esther’s family, alarm bells rang. What ultimately began to shift the case was something distinctly modern. Investigators began analysing Esther’s digital footprint, alongside Montilla’s own online activity. TikTok videos, messages and geolocation data allowed police to reconstruct her final movements in remarkable detail.

Crucially, his own posts placed him with Esther – effectively documenting key moments himself. Director Héctor Muniente describes becoming transfixed by the footage, noting Montilla’s ability to switch emotions instantly – from warm and engaging to cold and detached.

“It feels like watching psychopathy unfold in real time,” he suggests. For months, the case appeared to go cold. Then came a grim breakthrough.

Partial human remains – including a skull – were first discovered in a remote area near Gandía, close to Bairén Castle and a canal junction in February 2024. At the time, their identity was unknown.

It wasn’t until June 21, 2024, when further remains were found in the same location, that the full horror became clear. DNA testing later confirmed they belonged to Esther Estepa. Medical experts concluded she had died from blunt force trauma to the head.

As suspicion grew, a far darker picture of Montilla emerged. The man who had presented himself as a reflective travel influencer had, in fact, spent decades behind bars for a string of brutal killings in the 1980s in the Málaga region.

Between 1985 and 1987, he carried out four murders. For these crimes, he was sentenced to 123 years in prison. However, he was released in December 2013 after serving 28 years, following a European Court of Human Rights ruling on Spain’s “Parot Doctrine,” which changed how sentencing reductions were applied.

By the time Esther’s remains were identified, Montilla was already in custody. He had been arrested in connection with the murder of a 21-year-old student in Málaga, who was found shot in the back and neck on a family farm. DNA found on the victim’s backpack ultimately linked back to his family tree.

Prosecutors now allege that evidence recovered from his phone connects him to Esther’s assault and murder, including chilling photos and videos of a woman’s body hidden inside a sleeping bag in a remote field.

Despite this, he denies any involvement. Investigators also relied heavily on digital evidence throughout the case – not just Esther’s data, but Montilla’s own social media activity, which helped place him with her.

As of March 2026, José Jurado Montilla remains behind bars in Spain, awaiting trial for the murders of Esther Estepa and a 21-year-old man in Málaga — allegations he continues to deny.

It is a case study in manipulation — and a chilling warning about trusting online personas. A man who appeared calm, reflective and charismatic on screen, while allegedly committing acts of extreme violence, and someone who built a false, carefully curated online identity.

Perhaps the most unsettling aspect of The TikTok Killer is how ordinary everything appeared on the surface. He wasn’t hiding. He was posting videos. Gaining followers. Telling stories. All the while, investigators allege, concealing a far darker reality.

For Esther’s loved ones, this is more than a documentary. It’s a fight for answers. They became investigators themselves – analysing footage, tracking movements and refusing to let her story disappear.

But questions remain. What really happened in those final hours? And could there be more victims? Because while José Jurado Montilla documented his journey online, Esther Estepa was unknowingly living out her final days.

And for her family, the truth that followed was more devastating than they could ever have imagined.

The TikTok killer is available to stream on Netflix now.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Lavenham in Suffolk is home to over 300 preserved Tudor houses and charming timber-framed buildings – and was used as the filming location for Godric’s Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Tucked away in Suffolk lies a remarkably well-preserved village, famed for its collection of over 300 Tudor houses, instantly recognisable by their timber-framed design.

During England’s Tudor period, this very village was among the country’s most affluent areas, but today it serves as a living museum for history enthusiasts and tourists seeking a glimpse into the past.

Lavenham is the quintessential ‘higgledy-piggledy village’, boasting a variety of architectural styles, but it’s the Tudor buildings that truly set it apart.

So much so, that hundreds of its structures are listed and thus protected to maintain their original appearance, whilst the National Trust owns some of its most significant sites, renowned for their historical importance within the village.

Best UK holiday cottage deals

This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more

From £27 per night

Sykes Cottages

See the deals

Sykes Cottages offers a wide range of handpicked holiday homes across the UK and Ireland, from cosy countryside retreats to stunning coastal escapes. Prices start from £27 per night

The area’s grandiose atmosphere is rooted in the village’s wool trade history, as it gained fame for producing high-quality lavender blue broadcloth.

However, when the trade declined in the 17th century, there were no attempts to rebuild; instead, efforts were focused on preserving what already existed.

Historic Buildings

Among these stunning structures stands a 15th-century Tudor building located on Main Street, known as the Crooked House.

This particular spot inspired the well-known nursery rhyme There Was A Crooked Man, and much like the Leaning Tower of Pisa, its upper section exhibits a noticeable tilt.

Dating back to 1395, this stunning edifice, now adorned in a vibrant orange hue, is owned by two ‘crooked men’, husbands Alex and Oli.

Visitors are invited to explore the interior and receive a warm greeting from its owners, complete with a guided tour of its captivating rooms.

In addition, the village is home to the Lavenham Guildhall, currently under the stewardship of the National Trust, and serves as a showcase for local history.

This bewitching structure sits at the very heart of the village and has functioned as a community hub throughout its 500-year existence, assuming new roles and changing hands over time.

A recent guest shared on TripAdvisor: “Was very impressed with our visit to this NT property. Instead of being stuffed with display cases full of historic relics, the approach here is to set up the Guildhall how it would have been used through its history and have minimal information boards and artefacts that support and demonstrate that approach.

“But the real stars here are the volunteer guides, and all three who were working the different rooms at the time we visited had fantastic knowledge that could bring the building to life.”

Harry Potter

Already famous in its own right, Lavenham elevated its status when it featured on the silver screen as the filming location for Godric’s Hollow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1.

The idyllic setting portrayed the location of Harry’s parents’ graves in the film. In a poignant and memorable scene in the movie, he and Hermione visit the village on Christmas Eve.

De Vere House served as the exterior of the Potters’ ruined home, which was later modified for the screen using computer-generated imagery. The Guildhall was also utilised, depicted as the abandoned house sitting in the backdrop of the village.

The already serene village gained an added sense of tranquillity when it was blanketed by a thin layer of snow as the two characters strolled down its Main Street.

However, it is widely understood that the Hollywood actors themselves did not actually set foot in Lavenham and were instead superimposed onto the village’s backdrop after filming in a studio.

March 19 (UPI) — Iran on Thursday attacked major energy facilities in Qatar and the United Arab Emirates after vowing to retaliate for Israel striking its gas field a day earlier, escalating a war that is driving up energy prices and rattling global markets.

Qatar said Iranian ballistic missiles struck its Ras Laffan Industrial City, the centerpiece of the nation’s LNG production and export, while the United Arab Emirates said its Habshan gas facilities and Bab field had come under attack.

Several liquefied natural gas facilities at the Ras Laffan Industrial City, which is responsible for about one-fifth of global LNG supplies, were struck early Thursday, igniting what state-owned QatarEnergy said in a statement were “sizeable fires.” Extensive damage was reported.

Two of three fires that ignited from the attack were contained as of 5 a.m. local time Thursday, according to a statement from Qatar’s Ministry of the Interior.

Iran attacked the complex’s Pearl gas-to-liquids facility late Wednesday, which was dealt “extensive damage” and prompted emergency teams to be deployed to the site.

Rockets launched at the UAE facilities were successfully intercepted, but falling debris prompted Abu Dhabi authorities to respond to unspecified incidents at the Habshan gas facilities and the Bab gas field, the Abu Dhabi Media Office said in a statement.

The facilities have been shut down in response, it said, adding that no casualties were reported.

Iran also targeted gas facilities in eastern Saudi Arabia, but all projectiles and drones were intercepted, its Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The attacks mark an escalation in the war, and come after Israel attacked Iran’s South Pars gas field, one of the world’s largest resources of natural gas.

Israel’s attack was condemned by several countries, including Qatar. Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari said it was “a dangerous & irresponsible step amid the current military escalation in the region.”

“Targeting energy infrastructure constitutes a threat to global energy security, as well as to the peoples of the region & its environment,” he said in a statement.

Following Iran’s attack on Wednesday night, Qatar gave Tehran’s embassy officials 24 hours to leave the country.

The targeting of Persian Gulf energy facilities is expected to further drive surging energy costs. On Thursday, Brent crude reached nearly $110 a barrel, up sharply from $71 before the war began in late February.

Iran had vowed to attack the region’s energy facilities after Israel attacked its South Pars gas field.

Oil facilities “associated with America are now on par with American bases and will come under fire with full force,” Alireza Tangsiri, chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy, said on X.

“You have heard a lot about #hell; we will paint its picture for you,” the IRGC said Thursday in a social media statement.

“Stay away from energy facilities…”

Following the attacks, U.S. President Donald Trump said on his Truth Social platform that there would be no more Israeli attacks on the South Pars field.

Trump claimed the United States “knew nothing” about Israel’s plan to attack the gas site and that Qatar was also neither involved.

He said Iran was unaware of that, but warned that if it again attacks Qatar, the United States will join Israel and “massively blow up the entirety of the South Pars gas field at an amount of strength and power that Iran has never seen or witnessed before.”

Israel’s National Security Minister has filmed himself in front of gallows at a Jerusalem museum, threatening the death penalty for “terrorists”. Itamar Ben-Gvir is leading a campaign to expand the grounds for execution, which human rights groups have slammed as discriminatory.

Emmerdale fans think they know what Joe Tate has in store for Lydia Dingle and Kim Tate after he appeared to target Lydia over news about Home Farm on the ITV soap

After news about Kim Tate’s will on Emmerdale this week, fans think Joe Tate is plotting something sickening.

He’s seemingly targeting Kim’s friend Lydia Dingle, after he discovered she would get the Home Farm estate if Kim died. Since he found this out he’s been overly nice to Lydia, who saw right thought the “snake’s” behaviour.

But Wednesday’s episode saw him taking things further, as he was determined to make sure Home Farm was his should anything happen to Kim. Graham Foster had worked out his plan, with Joe deciding to open a bank account in Lydia’s name.

Fans immediately feared Joe was trying to set up Lydia in a shocking scheme. They believe Joe is planning on framing Lydia for fraud or money theft to tear apart her friendship with Kim, and have her removed from Kim’s will.

READ MORE: EastEnders fans ‘work out who Jasmine killed before Anthony’READ MORE: Emmerdale fans ‘rumble’ what Tracy’s hiding as past character’s return ‘sealed’

One fan said: “Ffs Joe’s targeting Lydia. Trying to get her written out of the will.” Another agreed: “Bet Joe is going to set Lydia up for stealing from Kim!” as another said: “Nasty Joe going to set Lydia up.”

A fourth fan said: “Something is definitely going to happen to Kim and Lydia is going to get framed for it, making room for Joe to prey and get the house in the will. But all of this could have been started with a single discussion but then she’d know they’re snooping into her private affairs.

“I hope whatever happens, they don’t mess with that friendship.” A further post read: “I think the plan is to make it seem like Lydia is stealing from Kim because Joe has opened an account in her name presumably so they’ll fall out and Kim will change the will.”

A final theory read: “Ohh, I was thinking he’d find a way to steal Lydia’s identity and get her inheritance. I’m sure Kim would see right through Lydia ‘stealing’ from her, especially so soon after the recent events.”

It comes amid some fans feared Kim might die in the plot. With Joe acting like Kim was going to die soon with his fury over Home Farm not being left to him, and the focus on Kim’s will, it left fans wondering if it was a hint.

Some fans thought it was a bit random to be focusing on what might happen if Kim died, and therefore it could be foreshadowing her being killed off very soon. But with it being almost 37 years since she debuted, are we about to lose Kim for good?

One fan said on social media: “I hope it’s not but this is starting to feel like the beginning of the end for the character of Kim with the will plot. She has become one of my favourites recently so I will be sad if it is.”

Another viewer said: “I can’t lie all this talk about Kim’s will and Joe’s desperation for Home Farm got me wondering the same. But would they really kill off the Kim Tate?” It comes as new spoilers teased the Tates and the Dingles would feature in much more drama with things escalating at the farm.

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

Strong pitching, good hitting and solid hitting has led to a 9-0 start for the Sherman Oaks Notre Dame baseball team.

On Wednesday, Malakye Matsumoto threw two scoreless innings of relief and had three hits and four RBIs in Notre Dame’s 11-0 win over Chaminade. The Knights are 4-0 in Mission League play. Dru Wilson homered and had two RBIs. Troy Trejo added two RBIs.

Corona 8, King 3: Anthony Murphy hit for the cycle — home run, triple, double and single — in the Big VIII League win.

Norco 12, Corona Centennial 4: Dylan Seward had three hits and Zion Martinez added three hits and four RBIs.

Corona Santiago 9, Roosevelt 4: Striker Pence struck out eight and gave up no hits in four innings.

Sierra Canyon 14, Crespi 3: Bryaden Goldstein and Cody Gallegos each had two hits and three RBIs.

Loyola 11, St. Francis 0: Robert Rapp had three hits and five RBIs.

Harvard-Westlake 17, Bishop Alemany 0: Avenging its first loss in Mission League play Tuesday, the Wolverines received home runs from James Tronstein and Jake Kim. Ethan Alexander gave up one hit in 5 1/3 innings.

Carson 3, San Pedro 1: Sal Carrillo picked up the save in the Marine League.

Banning 4, Narbonne 3: Santiago Meza had the game-winning single in the ninth and AJ Herrera threw all nine innings for Banning.

El Camino Real 5, Taft 0: Jackson Sellz struck out 10 and RJ De La Rosa had two hits and three RBIs.

Cleveland 10, Granada Hills 4: Joshua Pearlstein and Elliot Schoenwald each had three hits for Cleveland.

Birmingham 9, Chatsworth 3: Julius Monroe-Truitt broke through for three hits in the West Valley League win.

Bell 12, Huntington Park 0: Vincent Rubio led Bell with three hits and four RBIs in a five-inning win. Jayden Rojas struck out six in three innings.

Garfield 6, Roosevelt 1: Mayo Robles went three for three to lead the Bulldogs.

St. John Bosco 5, JSerra 1: Jhett Ohira hit a two-run home run and Jack Champlin continued perfection as a closer for the Braves.

Orange Lutheran 8, Damien 5: Gavin Hottie hit two home runs for Orange Lutheran.

Santa Margarita 15, Brother Rice 3: Freshman Cooper Holland continued his impressive hitting in Las Vegas

Los Alamitos 7, Edison 6: Rowan Shelley had two hits and four RBIs in the eight-inning victory.

Fountain Valley 7, Capistrano Valley 2: Ethan Cortez had two hits and two RBIs for Fountain Valley.

Huntington Beach 5, Marina 3: Tanner Brown homered and Christian Haupt threw four innings of scoreless relief for Huntington Beach.

Newport Harbor 4, Corona del Mar 2: Henry Mann’s two-run triple in the fifth broke a 2-2 tie.

Palos Verdes 7, Torrance 3: Charles Hoye finished with three hits for Palos Verdes.

Ayala 7, Northview 1: Jaden Valenzuela and Caleb Trugman each had three hits for Ayala.

March 18 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s four major oil refiners are ramping up production and delaying maintenance to stabilize domestic fuel supply amid rising global energy risks, industry officials said Tuesday.

The move comes as refining margins approach $30 per barrel, far above the industry break-even level of about $4 to $5, signaling what analysts describe as a “super cycle.”

Despite strong profitability, refiners said the decision reflects a priority on supply stability as concerns grow over potential fuel shortages linked to Middle East tensions and disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.

GS Caltex has postponed major maintenance at its Yeosu refinery by about two months to May, opting to keep production running during the current high-margin period. Such maintenance typically lasts about 40 days and costs hundreds of billions of won.

Industry officials said the delay was driven not only by profitability but also by the need to ensure stable supply, including naphtha, a key feedstock for petrochemical production.

Naphtha prices have surged to about $1,009 per ton, roughly double the level seen a year earlier.

Refiners said maintaining high operating rates will also support petrochemical companies by ensuring a steady supply of raw materials.

SK Energy said it will continue operating at full capacity while complying with the government’s oil price cap policy. Authorities are monitoring refinery inventories and shipments in real time through a joint task force.

S-Oil and HD Hyundai Oilbank are also prioritizing domestic supply in line with government measures limiting exports of gasoline and diesel.

Industry sources said other refiners may follow GS Caltex in adjusting maintenance schedules, as shutting down facilities during a period of elevated margins would reduce efficiency.

Analysts said refiners are seeking to balance strong earnings with their role in preventing a domestic fuel crisis as geopolitical tensions persist.

— Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

Original Korean report: https://www.asiatoday.co.kr/kn/view.php?key=20260317010005107

Harvey Hind from Lancashire stars in EastEnders playing Arlo, a preschool boy who is registered blind, as his mum says she hopes it shows disabled children they can achieve anything

A mother has expressed her hope that her five year old deafblind son will “break down barriers” for disabled children following his appearance in an episode of EastEnders.

Harvey Hind, from Clitheroe, Lancashire, made his acting debut during Wednesday’s episode of the BBC One soap, portraying Arlo, a preschool boy who is registered blind.

His mother Kimberly said: “I hope Harvey featuring in EastEnders shows other disabled children, especially those who are deafblind, that they can achieve anything.” She added: “Harvey loves being in the spotlight but for us the most important thing will always be raising awareness and breaking down barriers so every disabled child gets the same opportunities as anyone else.

Ensure our latest headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as your Preferred Source in your Google search settings.

READ MORE: Mum noticed something different about her daughter – days later she was completely blindREAD MORE: Liam Payne’s girlfriend Kate Cassidy left ‘shaking and angry’ after troll sent cruel gift

“Harvey did amazingly at the filming, I’m so proud of him. There were four cameras on him but he took it all in his stride.”

During the episode, Arlo and his mother visit Lauren Branning and Peter Beale’s home, where Arlo plays with her son Jimmy, who was revealed to be blind in a storyline last year, with Arlo’s mother offering Lauren guidance on raising a blind child.

At around four weeks old, Harvey failed his newborn screening hearing test, and his mother spotted a flicker in his eye around the same time. The family arranged a private consultation and he was diagnosed as blind at three months old.

He navigates using a red-and-white striped cane, which is used by deafblind people, and communicates through BSL. He also wears cochlear implants which provide him with access to sound. Kimberly revealed she found his first two years challenging as she battled to connect with her son, and was forced to quit work to look after him as he grew increasingly distressed whilst attending a mainstream nursery.

Disability charity Sense ultimately provided the family with a specialist in supporting deafblind children, which Kimberly described as “lifesaving” for her. She added: “I was so anxious when I found out Harvey was deafblind, so his character’s storyline resonated with me a lot. I didn’t have any experience with disability and I kept imagining the worst-case scenarios.

“Luckily, with the support of organisations like Sense, Harvey is now a really happy child who is eager to learn, loves exploring and has a cheeky personality.”

Harvey has featured in the charity’s 2025 Christmas appeal and in TV news segments highlighting the difficulties encountered by disabled children within education.

The EastEnders episode featuring Harvey will broadcast on BBC One at 7.30pm on Wednesday.

WASHINGTON — U.S. companies will be allowed to do business with Venezuela’s state-owned oil and gas company after the Treasury Department eased sanctions, with some limitations, on Wednesday as the Trump administration looks for ways to boost world oil supplies during the Iran war.

The Treasury issued a broad authorization allowing Petróleos de Venezuela S.A, or PDVSA, to directly sell Venezuelan oil to U.S. companies and on global markets, a massive shift after Washington for years had largely blocked dealings with Venezuela’s government and its oil sector.

Separately, the White House said President Trump would waive, for 60 days, Jones Act requirements for goods shipped between U.S. ports to be moved on U.S.-flagged vessels. The 1920s law, designed to protect the American shipbuilding sector, is often blamed for making gas more expensive.

The moves highlight the increased pressure that the Republican administration is under to ease soaring oil prices as the United States, along with Israel, wages a war with Iran without a foreseeable end date. Global oil prices have since spiked as Iran halted traffic through the narrow Strait of Hormuz, where one-fifth of the world’s oil typically passes through from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide.

The Treasury’s license is designed to incentivize new investment in Venezuela’s energy sector and is intended to benefit both the U.S and Venezuela, while increasing the global oil supply, a Treasury official told the Associated Press. The official was not authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Since the ouster and arrest of Nicolás Maduro as Venezuela’s president during a U.S. military operation in January, Trump has said the U.S. would effectively “run” Venezuela and sell its oil.

The U.S. license provides targeted relief from sanctions, but does not lift the penalties altogether. The license allows companies that existed before Jan. 29, 2025, to buy Venezuelan oil and engage in transactions that would normally be banned under American sanctions, reopening trade for a major oil producer to global markets.

There are some limits.

Payments cannot go directly to sanctioned Venezuelan entities such as PDVSA, but must be sent instead to a special U.S.-controlled account. In other words, the U.S. will allow the oil trade but will control the cash flow.

Additionally, deals involving Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba and some Chinese entities will not be allowed. Transactions involving Venezuelan debt or bonds will not be allowed.

The license is expected to give a massive boost to Venezuela’s oil-dependent economy and help encourage companies that have been apprehensive to invest. The decision is part of the Trump administration’s phased-in plan to turn around Venezuela. But critics of the acting Venezuelan government argue that the move rewards Venezuela’s leadership — all loyal to Maduro and the ruling party — while repression, corruption and human rights abuses continue.

Many public sector workers survive on roughly $160 per month, while the average private sector employee earned about $237 last year, when the annual inflation rate soared to 475%, according to Venezuela’s central bank, and sent the cost of food beyond what many can afford.

Venezuela sits atop the world’s largest oil reserves and used them to power what was once Latin America’s strongest economy. But corruption, mismanagement and U.S. economic sanctions saw production steadily decline from the 3.5 million barrels per day pumped in 1999, when Maduro’s mentor, Hugo Chávez, took power, to less than 400,000 barrels per day in 2020.

A year earlier, the Treasury Department under the first Trump administration locked Venezuela out of world oil markets when it sanctioned PDVSA as part of a policy punishing Maduro’s government for corrupt, anti-democratic and criminal activities. That forced the government to sell its remaining oil output at a discount — about 40% below market prices — to buyers such as China and in other Asian markets. Venezuela even started accepting payments in Russian rubles, bartered goods or cryptocurrency.

The new license does not allow payments in gold or cryptocurrency, including the petro, which was a crypto token issued by the Venezuelan government in 2018.

Meantime, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the Jones Act waiver would help “mitigate the short-term disruptions to the oil market” during the Iran war and would “allow vital resources like oil, natural gas, fertilizer, and coal to flow freely to U.S. ports.”

Hussein and Cano write for the Associated Press. Cano reported from Caracas, Venezuela. AP writer Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.

NEW ORLEANS — Saddiq Bey scored 25 points, Trey Murphy added 23 and the New Orleans Pelicans overcame an early 18-point hole to beat the Clippers 124-109 on Wednesday night.

Dejounte Murray had 17 points and 11 assists, while Zion Williamson and rookie Derrick Queen each scored 14 for the Pelicans, who received a standing ovation as the final seconds wound down on their sixth straight victory at home and ninth win in their last 13 games overall

Kawhi Leonard scored 25 points and John Collins added 18 for the Clippers, who dropped a game below .500 (34-35), but maintained a tenuous hold on the No. 8 spot in the Western Conference standings, a half-game ahead of Portland.

Bey hit five of 10 three-point shots to help New Orleans go 16 of 37 (43.2%) from deep. The Pelicans also made 20 of 21 free throws, with Queen making all nine of his.

Pelicans rookie guard Jeremiah Fears chipped in 11 points off the bench.

Murphy made his 200th three of the season late in the third quarter to give New Orleans an 89-81 lead. His fourth make from deep made it 94-81 in the final minute of the period, which ended with New Orleans leading 96-85.

Murphy’s double-clutch dunk over Brook Lopez to close out a fast break spawned by Herb Jones’ steal gave New Orleans a 117-101 lead with 4:43 left, and the Pelicans led by as many as 20 in the final minutes.

New Orleans committed eight turnovers in the first nine minutes, and the Clippers converted those into nine points while building a 33-18 lead.

Leonard scored 12 of his points during that stint and the Clippers led by as many as 18 during the opening quarter before the Pelicans trimmed it to 40-26 on Murphy’s free throws.

New Orleans came all the way back to tie it at 58 on Murphy’s three late in the second quarter.

Leonard and Murphy traded baskets in the final 10 seconds before halftime, with Murphy tying it at 60 on a high, driving floater in traffic.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister warns Iran that regional neighbours have ‘significant’ capabilities with which to respond to Tehran’s aggression.

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud has warned Iran that tolerance of its attacks on his country and those of neighbouring Gulf states is limited, calling on Tehran to immediately “recalculate” its strategy.

Warning that Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states have “very significant capacities and capabilities” that could be drawn on should they “choose to do so”, the foreign minister told a news conference early on Thursday that Iran had carefully planned its strategy for striking regional neighbours, despite denials from Tehran’s diplomats.

“The level of accuracy in some of this targeting – you can see it in our neighbours as well as the kingdom – indicates that this is something that was premeditated, preplanned, preorganised and well thought out,” Prince Faisal said.

“I’m not going to lay out what would and would not precipitate a defensive action by the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia] because I think that is not a wise approach to signal to the Iranians,” the foreign minister continued.

“But I think it’s important for the Iranians to understand that the kingdom, but also its partners who have been attacked and beyond, have very significant capacities and capabilities that they could bring to bear should they choose to do so,” he said.

“The patience that is being exhibited is not unlimited. Do they [the Iranians] have a day, two, a week? I’m not going to telegraph that,” he added.

“I would hope they understand the message of the meeting today and recalculate quickly and stop attacking their neighbours. But I am doubtful they have that wisdom.”

Prince Faisal’s warning followed a meeting of foreign ministers from Arab and Islamic countries in the Saudi capital earlier in the day to discuss the expanding war in the region, which on Wednesday saw Iranian attacks on Gulf energy sites, including Qatar’s Ras Laffan gas facility, where significant damage was reported, and the United Arab Emirates’ Habshan ⁠ gas facility.

Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed its “strong condemnation and denunciation of the blatant Iranian attack targeting Ras Laffan Industrial City”, located 80km (50 miles) northeast of the Qatari capital Doha, which is the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) production facility, producing some 20 percent of the world’s LNG supply.

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) had warned earlier that oil and gas facilities in Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE would face retaliation for an Israeli strike on Iran’s South Pars gasfield.

Iranian state media reported that facilities linked to the country’s huge offshore South Pars field – located off the coast of southern Iran’s Bushehr province – had come under attack.

Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Defence also said on Wednesday that its air defences had intercepted four Iranian ballistic missiles that targeted Riyadh and two launched towards the country’s eastern region.

Air defences in the UAE dealt with 13 ballistic missiles and 27 drones, according to the country’s Defence Ministry, while operations ⁠were ⁠suspended at the Habshan ⁠gas facility as authorities responded to ⁠incidents caused by fallen debris after the successful interception of a ‌missile.

The Saudi foreign minister also told the news conference on Thursday that while the war will end one day, it will take much longer to restore relations with Iran as trust “has completely been shattered” due to Tehran’s tactics of targeting its neighbours.

“We know for a fact that Iran has been building this strategy over the last decade and beyond,” Prince Faisal said.

“This is not something that is a reaction to an evolving circumstance where Iran is improvising. This has been built into their war planning: targeting their neighbours and using that to try and put pressure on the international community,” he said.

“So when this war eventually ends, in order for there to be any rebuilding of trust, it will take a long time. And I have to tell you, if Iran doesn’t stop … immediately, I think there will be almost nothing that can re-establish that trust,” he added.

Three women in an occupied West Bank hair salon became the first Palestinian deaths of the US-Israeli war on Iran when they were hit by falling material.

Carly Rae Jepsen is officially in her mother era.

The Grammy-nominated “Call Me Maybe” pop star and her husband, music producer Cole M.G.N., welcomed their first child together months after tying the knot last fall. Jepsen, 40, revealed the arrival of her little one on Instagram.

“Last 2 weeks have been the best of my life,” the Canadian singer-songwriter captioned a photo shared to her Instagram story on Tuesday. The photo, a mirror selfie, shows Jepsen all smiles in a leopard-print bucket hat, white shirt and black shorts as she cradles her child, who wears a green-striped onesie.

“Welcome to the world little one,” Jepsen wrote.

“Run Away With Me” singer Jepsen and music producer Cole M.G.N. — whose full name is Cole Marsden Greif-Neil — exchanged their vows in late October at the Chelsea Hotel in New York, three years after striking up a romance in 2022. A month later, Jepsen announced she and her husband were expecting.

“Oh hi baby,” she captioned a set of baby-bump-baring photos shared to Instagram in November. In the tender maternity shoot, Jepsen cradles her bump in bed alongside Marsden Greif-Neil. Jepsen continued posting on Instagram about her maternity journey with fans, in January posting photos from the beach, from home and from fitting rooms as she spoke about finding a lullaby for her child-to-be.

On Tuesday, she channeled a Frankie Valli classic to express her “Emotion” about being a mother: “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.”

Last year, Jepsen celebrated 10 years of her cult-favorite album “Emotion,” the follow-up to her 2012 smash hit “Call Me Maybe.” She celebrated the milestone with a lively anniversary concert in August at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, featuring celebrity guests and moments of reflection.

“I had brought a little suitcase, and I kept calling my parents and saying, ‘Send more clothes!’” Jepsen said, recalling her move to Los Angeles from her native Canada when she was 26. “Five years later, I was like, I think I live here now. I’m very happy to say L.A. has become my home.”

Pop music critic Mikael Wood contributed to this report.