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BBC Radio 2 presenter Owain Wyn Evans shared a heartfelt message to his fans following hois Children In Need challenge and news of a BBC documentary

Owain Wyn Evans has broken his social media silence following the completion of his Children In Need challenge, sharing a heartfelt message with his followers alongside an exciting announcement.

The Welshman was greeted by hundreds of fans in Cardiff on Friday, November 13, as he crossed the finish line having cycled through all four of the UK’s nations, raising millions of pounds for the appeal.

On Sunday, November 15, Owain, who hosts BBC Radio 2’s Early Breakfast Show, posted a video message on his Instagram Stories addressing his supporters. He said: “Hi everyone, I just wanted to send a quick message actually from me to say thank you so much for everything over the last week. Oh my gosh it’s been the most incredible, the most overwhelming, the most just unbelievable week.”

He went on to express his gratitude to everyone who accompanied him on the road, including the Radio 2 team, as well as all those who sent him messages. “Just a million thank yous. It’s been incredible.”

He then revealed some exciting professional news, including an upcoming TV documentary centred on his remarkable challenge. He continued: “I’m on Early Breakfast (on BBC Radio 2) from Wednesday onwards and then on Friday I’m going to be on The One Show,” reports Wales Online.

“We’ve got a special documentary going out which is on Friday after The One Show, a look at the whole thing from way before I started on the road, so that’s going to be really, really good.”

Owain Wyn Evans‘ Four Nations Challenge for Children In Need is a 30-minute documentary going behind-the-scenes as he geared up for the cycling challenge and the expedition itself.

The Radio Times synopsis reads: “Starting in Glasgow, Owain passes through Scotland, Northern Ireland and north-west England before finishing in central Cardiff and along the way he meets some inspirational children and their families whose lives have been transformed by projects funded by the charity.”

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Owain has raised nearly £4m for the appeal so far, and he certainly encountered some gruelling moments throughout his epic adventure, including taking a tumble from his bike and suffering from back and knee pain.

On the second-to-last day he reached his Welsh homeland, but as he departed Welshpool he admitted during a BBC Breakfast interview that he was struggling.

He told presenter Naga Munchetty: “Oh Naga I tell you what I’m not feeling good today. It’s been a long old couple of days and today is the day I’ve been kind of dreading. It’s so weird, I’m back in Wales in my home nation but today’s a long hilly day, wherever you look around us now, hills everywhere, my knee’s playing up, got a bad back, I’m absolutely zonked.”

Owain Wyn Evans’ Four Nations Challenge for Children In Need is on BBC One on Friday, November 20 at 7.30pm

Another major earnings week is ahead, with NVIDIA taking center stage alongside some of the biggest names in retail, Chinese technology, cybersecurity, industrials, and global shipping. The results are set to offer fresh insights into AI spending, consumer resilience, global trade, and the direction of corporate investment.

With the busiest travel days of the year just ahead, U.S. airports and federal officials today scrambled to restore flights for tens of thousands of travelers grounded by Friday’s historic suspension of air traffic.

“We are back at full operations,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy at a Washington D.C. news conference Saturday morning. However, he said, “Games may not happen on time today. People may not get to a wedding. They may not get to a birthday party.”

At LAX at 2:20 p.m., travel website FlightAware reported 85 canceled departures and 110 canceled arrivals, along with 189 delayed departures and 196 delayed arrivals. At Hollywood Burbank Airport, the figures were 12 canceled departures, 11 canceled arrivals, 22 delayed departures and 22 delayed arrivals.

“It’s just going to take some time for things to get back to normal. I don’t have an estimate on that,” said an LAX spokesperson Saturday morning. “The only thing we’re able to recommend is that people check with their airlines before they travel.”

John DiScala, who runs the travel advice website JohnnyJet.com and has a pre-Thanksgiving flight from LAX coming up on Wednesday, said he plans to follow his usual pre-flight routine, which includes having the airline’s app on his phone, having the airline’s number on his phone (in case he needs to rebook in a hurry), checking his seat assignment, showing up at the airport two hours ahead of departure and consulting flighty.com, which tracks airlines, airports and plane locations.

That said, in the absence of another FAA hiccup, “I don’t think there are going to be any problems. The only problems will be if there’s bad weather,” DiScala said. Still, he said, “Be extra kind to TSA, to gate agents and to flight attendants. This is not their mess. They’re just dealing with it like you, and they’re not getting paid any more. That’s why we bring chocolates.”

Nationwide, as of Saturday afternoon, FlightAware reported 5,577 canceled flights within, into or out of the U.S., along with 6,915 delayed flights. Though about 10% of LAX’s departures were canceled Saturday, the airport appeared to be recovering faster than some others. Airports in Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, New York and San Francisco were among those with cancellation rates of 17% or higher.

That slowdown follows several hours of grounded flights Friday, when federal officials said more than 9,000 commercial flights were canceled, forcing tens of thousands of travelers into long waits or overnight stays in major airports across the country. Apart from 9/11, the FAA’s only “nationwide ground stop” order — banning takeoffs until further notice — came in 2023. That order, prompted by problems with the FAA’s Notice to Air Missions system, was lifted after about 90 minutes, but affected thousands of flights.

“BAD NEWS: I’m at the airport. GOOD NEWS: I’m in the bar,” Chicago-based poet Patricia Smith wrote on Facebook.

“We’ve landed at LAX. We can’t get a gate because there are no free gates,” said actor Johnny Cannizzaro in an Instagram post. “We’ve got a plane full of cranky passengers…. We have a few crying babies. We have a bit of a nightmare situation going on here.”

“I’ve been stranded at the airport for hours,” author Reyna Grande wrote on Facebook from LAX on Friday. “I may or may not make it out of here tonight for the Texas Book festival tomorrow.” (Two hours later, Grande said she’d miss the festival on Saturday, but was still hoping to be there Sunday.)

Desi Barlett, who lives in Hawaii, was due to fly there from San Diego on Friday, but learned in the “chaotic” San Diego airport that her flight was scrubbed. “It’s a little scary-slash-weird,” she said on Instagram. During the wait, she did exercises and found a massage chair. Later, texting from a Hawaii-bound flight on Saturday, she said, “the whole thing was a mess…Today was much more relaxed.”

For Santa Rosa-based author and cartoonist Stephan Pastis, the mess developed in stages. He was due to fly Alaska Airlines to Spokane for a book-tour event, saw that his flight was canceled and booked an alternative. Then that was canceled, and another.

“They don’t cancel them altogether,” Pastis said via text, still en route to Spokane. “So you have to stay up all night waiting for the alert that your new flight has ALSO been canceled. Nutters.”

Pastis’s event in Spokane was delayed to give him more time to arrive. But the author’s travel challenges are far from over, because he’ll be in transit almost constantly between now and Thanksgiving.

“I have no choice but to endure it,” Pastis said. Nine tour stops in nine days.”

Air travel expert Brian Kelly, also known as The Points Guy, has warned that “it’s going to be a rough weekend at airports. Speaking on Instagram, Kelly said that “it will take days before things are back to ‘normal.’ I highly recommend tracking your flight and opt-in for updates in your airline app.”

One of many events affected by the grounding is Camp Flog Gnaw, a sold-out Saturday-Sunday music festival at Dodger Stadium expected to draw about 50,000 people per day with more than two dozen acts. The gates were set to open at noon Saturday.

“I unfortunately am going to miss the festival because all flights are either canceled or have the longest standbys imaginable,” wrote one Reddit user. “I’m hoping AXS” — the event’s official ticket vendor— “can give some refund back.”

The incident comes as the holiday travel season intensifies. On a typical travel day in mid-November, TSA agents screen roughly 2-2.5 million passengers nationwide. Last year, that figure reached 2.7 million passengers on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and 3.1 million on the Sunday after. As of 9:30 a.m., Friday’s total hadn’t been posted.

At Saturday morning’s news conference in Washington, federal officials said they did not believe cyber-crime or artificial intelligence played any role in Friday’s trouble. Instead, Duffy blamed lagging federal air-traffic technology and pointed to government contractor L3Harris, which owns and operates a communications network crucial to air traffic control. After some communications and radar became unreliable on Friday afternoon, Duffy said, officials traced the trouble to a recently updated communications router.

So far, Duffy said, it’s unclear whether the root problem was human error or a faulty router. Officials said that router was in a “remote” location, but didn’t say where.

When Nan Lehnert of Los Angeles boarded her flight from Burbank to Oakland Saturday morning, “everyone gave a big cheer and applause for the pilots,” she said by text.

Nathan Banks of Portland, who works for TriMet, that city’s public transportation agency, was in San Diego for a conference on transportation scheduling software. When word reached him of the canceled flights, he imagined the transportation professionals trying to sort it out.

“It must be a nightmare,” Banks said.

But for Banks and his wife, Lisa Smillie, it wasn’t so bad. Instead of going to the airport for their scheduled Friday afternoon flight, they rebooked for Saturday on Alaska Airlines, had dinner at a restaurant on Shelter Island and spent the night in a hotel on the water. As of midday, their Saturday afternoon flight was listed as on time.

BBC Shetland series 11 returned with DI Tosh McIntosh and DI Ruth Calder investigating murder mysteries

Shetland fans think one major character is about to be killed off in horrific circumstances.

The BBC crime drama made a welcome comeback on Thursday (November 12) as DI Ruth Calder and DI ‘Tosh’ McIntosh tackle more murder mysteries across the Scottish archipelago. Actress Alison O’Donnell has announced the current series will mark her final outing as Tosh, confirming her departure.

In the opening episode of Shetland series 11, skeletal remains of an unidentified male were discovered inside a vehicle hauled from the sea, leaving Calder and Tosh tasked with tracking down the troubled owner who fled the Isles nine years earlier.

The investigation quickly focused on two men who vanished back in 2017, including local doctor Raymond Linden, the car’s owner, and Ukrainian contract worker Ivan Dudka, who had an emergency home appointment with Raymond shortly before his disappearance.

Ivan had been residing at a hostel in Lerwick, yet the address logged in the surgery diary was in Isbister, roughly an hour away. Attempting to crack the mystery, Tosh travelled to the location and started investigating an underground tank, though she wasn’t alone.

Tosh called out, “Are you okay? Do you need help?” but received no response. As the ladder she was scaling gave way, she plunged deeper into the tank and tumbled. Luckily, Tosh escaped injury and managed to regain her footing before a mysterious figure darted towards the ladder while her back was turned.

She attempted to escape from them and shouted, “Hey”, but they swiftly slammed the hatch shut behind them and bolted from the scene, leaving a visibly panicked Tosh trapped inside, reports the Express.

The detective retrieved her mobile phone torch to examine the area, and she was in for a nasty surprise. Tosh discovered the remains of another body, just as Calder was leaving a message on her phone.

It had come to light that the skeleton found in Raymond’s car did, in fact, belong to him, and that Ivan was most probably the man Tosh found in the tank, but the motive remained a mystery. Will Tosh escape from the tank alive?

Shetland viewers fear the officer has reached the end of the road. Taking to X, one viewer pleaded: “#Shetland I hope Tosh gets out okay. I know she’s leaving, sadly.” A second fumed: ” #Shetland hasn’t been the same since Jimmy and Duncan left. Now Tosh is the last straw.”

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A third chimed in: “That was a pretty good episode except for that at the end……why oh why #Shetland”, with another commenting: “So good to have this brilliant drama back on TV. I could feel it in my bones that something was coming right down the road at Tosh, oh & I was right; please no, not Tosh #Shetland.”

“Who is writing the scripts for #Shetland this Season?! There’s no way Tosh /Any Woman would enter & explore that building on their own…Finished with it,” exclaimed one viewer. (sic).

“So, new season of #Shetland started tonight, first: Did no one tell Tosh you don’t go down a dark, scary hole on your own without backup and/or without telling anyone where you are?”, added another.

Shetland series 11 airs Thursdays at 9pm on BBC One and iPlayer

AMERICANS planning to travel for Christmas and New Year’s are cautioned to book flights now to avoid higher prices as the holidays approach.

New data has revealed the best days and times for customers to buy tickets, so they can take advantage of deals and snag the lowest prices before the holiday rush, especially as fuel prices keep rising.

Google data shows travelers should buy their tickets as soon as possible to save money, particularly if they are headed to destinations in Mexico or Europe.

An analysis from the previous five years found that Christmas prices typically reach their peak around 56 days prior to departure for domestic flights.

Fortunately for travelers, several major airlines are offering holiday-season deals to help customers save on their travel plans.

While not Christmas-specific, Southwest Airlines is one of the few companies promoting sales this time of year, as most airlines look to capitalize on increased spending.

Southwest currently offers one-way flights for as low as $59, but customers must act quickly, as these deals run only from November 10 through the 12th.

Elsewhere, American Airlines is also offering vacation deals, with some advertised flights targeting the week of Christmas itself, such as Dallas to Los Angeles for $247 round trip.

As with any flight, customers should always check with the airline before clicking purchase to confirm rates and see if they include baggage fees and other charges, which could increase the final charge.

Finding a good deal is half the battle when traveling for the holidays, and choosing when to fly is often just as important.

Google found departing on a Monday and returning on Tuesday or Wednesday could be 14% cheaper, with domestic travelers potentially saving as much as 20% by avoiding Sundays altogether.

For Christmas, departing closer to the holiday could also offer great savings, according to travel company KAYAK.

December 21 and December 22 offer some of the season’s best deals for domestic flights, and those flying international should aim for December 23 or even Christmas Eve.

Travelers returning immediately after Christmas should consider departing after December 27 to get the lowest price.

For Americans traveling for the holidays, waiting until the last minute could hurt your wallet in a big way.

With bookings in full swing, travelers may have little time to secure the best deal.

Tandy’s side now host a New Zealand side that impressively stretched away from Scotland in the second half in a comprehensive 43-21 success.

Wales have lost 34 straight games to the All Blacks since their 1953 triumph, a streak that few expect to end in Cardiff.

But Rees-Zammit takes encouragement from last November’s meeting when New Zealand won 52-26 – but led just 24-21 early in the second half.

“Last year we were in it until 60-odd minutes. It’s about hard work and putting your body on the line against those boys,” said the wing, who scored an acrobatic try against New Zealand last year.

“Then when you get the ball and get chances, be brave with it, be fearless because we have a strong back line and players who can finish.

“Next week will be brave and go for it. They are obviously a great team, but the second that you shy away from it, you miss and they take advantage.”

After left wing Tom Rogers became the first Welsh player to score a hat-trick against New Zealand last year, Rees-Zammit will hope for plenty of chances to show his finishing prowess on the right flank next weekend.

Another diverse earnings week is ahead, with results spanning AI infrastructure, semiconductors, space technology, energy, fintech, healthcare, and speculative growth stocks. The lineup offers investors a broad look at where capital is flowing, how demand is evolving, and which emerging technologies are beginning to translate into commercial growth.

Fox Corporation has completed its $22 billion acquisition of Roku, transforming the Murdoch family’s company into a major player in the streaming video business.

The deal closed Friday, months ahead of the companies’ original target of the first half of 2027.

The deal combines Fox’s news, sports and broadcast channels with the San Jose-based streaming platform, which reaches 100 million households globally. The $22 billion valuation includes debt.

Roku, founded in 2002, provides Fox with a direct line to consumer households at a time when the traditional pay-TV universe continues its slow decline as viewers move away from cable and satellite services to video streaming. Fox already owns the free ad-supported streaming service Tubi, which turned profitable last year.

Fox Corp. expects to see around $400 million in cost reductions within two years of the Roku acquisition.

While Roku provides Fox with an opportunity to be more aggressive in marketing its channels, Fox has pledged that the platform will remain open to distributing content from competitors.

“Beginning today, our top priority for the combined company is to continue to relentlessly serve audiences and partners, while reinforcing the openness and choice that is the essence of the Roku platform,” Fox Executive Chair and Chief Executive Lachlan Murdoch said in a statement. “Our shared entrepreneurial passion and clear conviction toward building the future together with our new Roku colleagues gives us great confidence in the opportunities ahead of us.”

Roku founder Anthony Wood will join the Fox board of directors. He will also serve as co-chair of Fox Digital Platforms, the newly formed division that includes Roku, Tubi, the direct-to-consumer streaming service Fox One and Red Seat Ventures, which provides sales and technical support to podcasters. Paul Cheesbrough, who oversaw Tubi for Fox, will become co-chair and chief executive of the division.

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Roku stockholders are entitled to receive $95.30 in cash and 0.9799 shares of Fox Class A common stock for each share of Roku Class A and Roku Class B common stock they owned immediately prior to closing. As a result of the transaction, Fox stockholders own around 74% of the outstanding shares of Fox common stock and former Roku stockholders own approximately 26%.

Roku shares stopped trading on the Nasdaq Friday.

Los Angeles County Sheriff Robert Luna was leading challenger and former Sheriff Alex Villanueva by a wide margin in his bid for reelection Tuesday, according to early returns, in a rematch of the 2022 race between the two lawmen.

Early returns also showed L.A. County voters favoring Measure A, which would establish binding arbitration for sheriff’s deputies, firefighters and other public safety employees who by law cannot go on strike.

A second county ballot measure, Measure E, was far ahead in early returns. Measure E asks voters to create an independent ethics commission that previously was approved by another measure, and address administrative missteps that invalidated funding approved by voters in 2020 to support jail alternatives.

In the sheriff’s race, Villanueva was seeking to regain the job he lost in 2022 when Luna successfully challenged him for reelection.

This contest was lower profile than the 2022 race, but the stakes are just as high, as the new Los Angeles County sheriff will face a host of challenges, from navigating relationships with federal and local agencies to boosting recruitment and retention.

Luna pitched himself to county voters as a calmly effective operator who has brought down crime while building relationships with local, state and federal leaders that suffered under his predecessor’s tenure. The incumbent highlighted his department’s successful navigation of World Cup security and the Trump administration’s deployment of federal immigration agents and troops to L.A. as examples of the efficacy of his approach.

Villanueva, on the other hand, has sought to depict L.A. County as more dangerous under what he describes as the overly permissive approach of Luna. The former sheriff claimed Luna has presided over a deep decline in department morale and staffing while being too soft on drug users, the homeless and petty criminals.

Representatives of the Luna and Villanueva campaigns did not immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday evening.

Both men guided the department through tumultuous periods for the county. Villanueva was sheriff for nearly two years at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while Luna was in office during the Eaton and Palisades fires.

The next four years promise further challenges. The Olympic Games are less than two years away, and the sheriff’s department will be expected to play a major role keeping millions of visitors and athletes safe.

The new sheriff also will be expected to rein in the department’s budget, which has experienced ballooning overtime costs as sworn vacancies have risen markedly under both sheriffs.

Villanueva claims Luna is out of touch with deputies and that they are leaving the force en masse in response to his poor leadership skills. Villanueva said he would improve staffing by redirecting overtime spending and serving as a beacon to would-be deputies who’ve been turned off by Luna.

But Luna denies that deputies are fleeing the department and says he’s taken major steps to improve the hiring process. He has hired an outside contractor to speed up applicant background checks and provided an avenue for many new deputies to go from the academy to patrol instead of first requiring a stint in one of the county’s jails.

Among the two countywide ballot measures, Measure A was the highest profile, with unions representing county deputy sheriffs, firefighters and others spending millions of dollars in support.

Measure A would mandate binding arbitration between the county government and negotiators who represent deputies, firefighters, lifeguards and other public safety employees in the event contract talks reach an impasse.

Currently, the county supervisors can impose a final offer that employees must accept because by law, public safety personnel are not allowed to strike.

Supporters say the measure adds balance to the negotiations process and removes the unilateral authority of the county Board of Supervisors. The change is backed by unions representing county firefighters, sheriff’s deputies and other public safety employees.

County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath authored the motion, which has the support of four out of the five supervisors. No formal opposition has been filed. Supervisor Holly Mitchell raised financial concerns about the measure but has not officially opposed it.

Measure E on the county ballot would fix issues with Measure J, which was approved by voters in 2020, and Measure G, which passed in 2024.

Measure J earmarked at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue to incarceration alternatives. However, some of the ballot language in Measure G unintentionally repealed Measure J — an administrative error that was discovered in June 2025. Amendment E would partly ensure the funding to incarceration alternatives remains in effect.

The amendment also would enshrine in the county charter the seven-member ethics commission and ethics compliance office that was created when Measure G passed.

The amendment has the support of Horvath and other supervisors, as well as the League of Women Voters of L.A. County, who said Measure J shouldn’t be undone by an administrative error.

IT’S Monday lunchtime on London’s Old Bond Street and I’ve been invited to Dolce & Gabbana to hang out with the legend that is Sir Rod Stewart.

As the doors swing open, he walks in with two pairs of trousers under his arm and chirps in his trademark ­Cockney twang, “They’re too long in the leg”, before adding: “And a bottle of perfume for the lady, please.”

With me looking like a ropey Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, Rod escorts me upstairs and a beautifully gift-wrapped, £280 ­perfume bottle is handed to me en-route.

Turning his attention to a £3,800 silver sequinned jacket, Rod laments: “It’s lovely, but it’s far too heavy for the stage.”

Then, he ushers me to a posh sofa to discuss his last hoorah.

The Final Encore will mark Rod’s retirement from touring after six decades on the road.

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Two extra dates have been added to the almost sold-out UK run thanks to the phenomenal demand for tickets.

Set lists are still being finalised, but fans can expect a spectacular trip down memory lane, with hits from Rod’s incredible back catalogue of 11 No1 albums — which include 25 Top Ten hits.

“At 81, it’s quite remarkable,” he says of the ticket sales for his farewell tour.

“I can’t jump around like I used to when I was 32. But I think the audience knows that, vocally, I’m better now than I’ve ever been.

“A few of the big voices have gone. Paul McCartney’s has gone a bit. I treat my voice like the crown jewels. Pavarotti said, ‘I’m a prisoner of my voice’, and you are. You wake up, you say, ‘Oh, I’ve got an itch. I’m f***ed. I’ve got to cancel’. I’m totally paranoid about runny noses now. “Now, when I go out, I wear white gloves like Michael Jackson. He did it to stop him catching colds and flu.”

Rod puts his remarkable good health down to a strict exercise regime which sees him training like an athlete — and getting lots of sleep.

“When you’re in your 20s and 30s, you don’t even warm up,” Rod laughs.

“You drink whatever you want, do the drugs, get on the stage.

“In the old days, we used to get p***d as farts with [band] FACES. Now, when I go on, I’m absolutely sober, then I’ll have a rum and Coke after the third song or so.

“Plus, I have an hour’s workout before I go on — stretching, cycling, stationary bike, massaging, warming up the voice, just getting yourself in the zone.

“It is like being an athlete.”

Of his regime at home, Rod adds: “Three times a week, I cycle for a mile, lots of uphill stuff, and I do a load of swimming.

“Frank Sinatra told me about that. He said, ‘If you just do underwater swimming as much as you can, holding your breath till you want to burst, because then your lungs will get bigger. And they’ll get used to you holding your breath and singing’.”

Rod’s pipes, I can attest, are back on top form after a scary ­incident this summer in Utah.

At an amphitheatre 4,300ft above sea level, Rod needed oxygen after almost fainting on stage.

Keen to reassure his fans he’s now fine, the Maggie May singer explains: “I had a bout of illness, which was bad luck. I’d just had bronchitis at the same time as I was playing above altitude. I was in a right state.

“The geezer who worked for me didn’t tell me. I said, ‘Are we above sea level?’. He said, ‘Nah, of course we’re not’.

“So, I ran out and did three fast songs. All of a sudden, I was like, I couldn’t breathe. I got through the show, but it was painful.

“If I’m performing above altitude, you go out and do a mid-tempo one and a slow one, then do a fast one. Not three off the bounce, jumping about.”

Rod, with his electric blonde hair and bronzed skin, could pass for a man 20 years younger.

A decade after being diagnosed with prostate cancer, he is still all-clear from the disease.

Grinning, he says of his health tests: “My PSA levels are at 0.02. You’ve got to keep an eye on it.”

But cackling, he adds of the old-style check for prostate problems: “Finger up the bum, no harm done. That’s what most men don’t like. The old finger up the bum. But just get on with it.”

Like any good musician, Rod has his vices and cannot resist a drink . . . even if his wife Penny Lancaster warns him off it.

“I wish I could curb my drinking, but I love wine with an evening meal,”

Rod explains. “I’ve got a great chef and I can’t drink water with a good meal.

“Penny says, ‘You must cut back, darling’. I only have a couple of glasses. But then, sometimes, I’ll get on the apple martinis and I can really knock those back.

“I have these conversations with my kids. I stress to them that I can have a drink, you know, because it’s show business, I drink whenever I want. Not that I drink a lot. But, you know, one of my sons goes out and gets all pd on a Sunday night and he’s got to go to school the next morning.”

Laughing, he adds: “I’ve let the cat out of the bag there, haven’t I? There’s only one going to school.”

The Final Encore will kick off its UK leg in Glasgow on April 29 at the OVO Hydro, after Rod turned down a farewell gig at his beloved Celtic Park in the city.

“It would have been just, like, 90 minutes and I’d say goodbye,” he explains. “I thought, ‘If I can have it for three nights, I can really get into it and indulge myself in it’.”

By next summer, Rod’s touring days will be over — but he says that, inspired by artists such as Adele, he is planning smaller, residency-style shows in future.

“I made the album [Swing Fever in 2024] with Jools Holland, which got to No1 and, when I do my last show, that’s what I’m going to do. I’ve talked to Jools.

“I don’t know if he wants to do it with me, because I think he’s afraid of losing his identity. If he doesn’t, I’ll form my own big band. I’d like to do the London Palladium for a few nights, then maybe the Albert Hall.”

Rod’s fans also have a top-secret documentary to look forward to next year, after the star confessed he’s just done a tell-all interview with his old foe, Sir Elton John.

The pair, who are now good pals, traded comedy barbs over the years, with Rod admitting to me he was miles better at football than Elton when they trained together at Watford FC.

“I nearly signed for Brentford,” Rod says proudly. “I only finished playing when I was 68.

“But Elton, I was miles better than him when we trained together. The documentary we’ve done should be out at the ­beginning of the year. At the end . . . he kissed me on the lips. And we caught it on film.”

Rod added of Elton’s kids Zachary, 15, and Elijah, 13: “His boys are wonderful. I don’t know whether they were putting it on for me, but they came in from school and went, ‘Daddy, Daddy, oh, Mr Stewart, we are so glad to meet you, Mr ­Stewart’. They are so well spoken.”

Looking back at his six-decade career, Rod knows it won’t be easy to retire from touring.

He says: “Carly Simon found it stressful going on stage. I don’t. I am absolutely raring to go out there. I absolutely love it.”

Stepping back will, however, give Rod more time to focus on Penny and his one other true love — his model train set.

Covering 156 square metres and featuring a 275-metre track that runs through a city landscape, it has kept Rod busy for decades.

“I want to open it to the public and give the money to charity,” he explains.

“I think I’ll be able to get permission. I would like to share it with the world.”

Politics is another keen passion of Rod’s, although he admits he’s more likely to keep his views to himself these days for fear of being misunderstood.

One subject we speak passionately about, however, is the plight of the people of Ukraine — who Rod has publicly supported since Russia invaded in 2022.

“I just hope it’s not too late for Ukraine,” he says.

“They’re going into winter now, and this could be the turning point. It’s scary.

“They’re bombing the fuel and water supplies. Putin is a b*****d.”

Another topic of contention is US president Donald Trump, who Rod has no time for.

“I stand by what I told Kind Charles,” he says.

“I said, ‘Trump’s a pig’. I could tell the King wanted to laugh.”

Rod will, undoubtedly, use his Final Encore shows to urge fans to champion all that’s good in the world — despite still coming to terms with his own global impact.

“I haven’t twisted anybody’s arm or threatened to kill them if they don’t give me money,” he tells me.

“I’ve earned it off my own back.

“I want to thank my public for this. They’ve given me the most glorious, unimaginable lifestyle.

“When I was at school, I never dreamed that when I started singing, it would end up like this.

“Me, performing on stage at 81.

“It’s been the best life and I am so grateful.”

Nov. 3, 2026 11:26 AM PT

OKLAHOMA CITY — Federal authorities charged an Oklahoma City man with sending hundreds of letters containing nonhazardous white powder to public officials ahead of the 2024 and 2026 elections.

The powders turned out to be yeast or flour, though not all letters have been fully tested, the FBI said in a court filing made public Tuesday.

Robin Martin is charged with conveying a hoax and mailing threatening communications. Martin was arrested Monday and was expected to make an appearance Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Oklahoma City.

Online records do not list an attorney who could comment on his behalf, and several relatives didn’t immediately respond to social media messages seeking comment.

Federal authorities announced last month that they were investigating letters with “suspicious substances” that had been mailed to congressional and election offices nationwide and urged recipients to treat the mailings as “potentially hazardous.”

The packages led to the evacuation in October of election offices in Louisiana and Oklahoma. Numerous states, from Idaho to Florida, said their election offices either received letters or had them intercepted by the Postal Service.

Investigators believe more than 700 mailings appeared to be associated with the same sender. They were addressed to election officials, members of Congress, pollsters, news media and federal law enforcement, FBI agent David Cole said in an affidavit.

The investigation stretched back to 2024 when multiple election officials in every state reported mail with a white substance and a three-page letter declaring war, the FBI said. Some bore ominous messages that could only be read under ultraviolet light.

The sender wrote a return address as “U.S.T.E.A., United States Traitor Elimination Army, Takoma Park, MD.”

A common message in the 2024 and 2026 mailings was a warning to recipients about upcoming arrests for treason “or worse!!”

The FBI said it has video evidence of Martin’s car stopping in October at mailboxes at Postal Service sites in Oklahoma City, Dallas and San Antonio. Investigators also gleaned his fingerprints from a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, whose first name was written as “Kashyap.”

The Democratic Socialists of America apparently assisted the FBI in the investigation. The FBI said it believes Martin, posing as someone using the name George Livingston, posted a message to a DSA email list in October, warning that members were traitors and eligible for arrest for treason if they vote in the Nov. 3 election.

White and Hollingsworth write for the Associated Press. AP journalist Alanna Durkin Richer in Washington contributed reporting.

Oakland, California – Protesters dressed as cardboard robots chanted and danced to a drumbeat as they protested against new data centres outside Oakland City Hall last month.

Their concerns largely focused on how the centres — which process large amounts of digital information — might strain the energy grid.

The result, they argued, would not only be environmental harm but also sky-high electricity bills for local households.

“Power prices have gone up so much in Oakland that some people are thinking of shutting off their power,” said Carlos Gutierrez, an activist for Communities for a Better Environment, an environmental justice group.

“And the city is planning to provide power to a data centre instead.”

Opposition to data centres is growing across the United States, as residents express concern about their rapid expansion.

More than 3,000 data centres already operate in the country, with more than 1,500 others in development, according to the Pew Research Center.

But the backlash is perhaps most striking in California’s San Francisco Bay Area, a region considered to be the heart of the artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

Major AI companies such as Anthropic, OpenAI and Meta are based in the Bay Area, and the industry’s growth has been credited with fuelling a local economic renaissance.

Data centres house the advanced computer chips and servers needed to run AI-powered services such as Anthropic’s Claude and OpenAI’s ChatGPT.

But they also require 24-hour power and a large supply of water to cool their processors.

Even with such cooling technology, data centres are notorious for emitting heat, leading to an increase in land surface temperatures as high as 9 degrees Celsius (16 degrees Fahrenheit).

A midterm election issue

Concerns about the cost of rapid data centre growth, both environmentally and financially, have catapulted the issue into the discourse around Tuesday’s midterm elections.

In the final two months before the vote, at least seven Bay Area cities, including San Francisco and Richmond, have passed temporary moratoriums on data centre construction.

They include Oakland, which passed a data centre moratorium on October 6, after days of protest.

Local politicians competing in Tuesday’s midterms have also used the topic as a wedge issue, to rally support among certain pockets of voters.

One of the most closely watched races in the Bay Area is for the seat left vacant by longtime Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi. After 39 years in the House of Representatives, Pelosi is retiring at the end of the year.

Two Democrats are competing in Tuesday’s election to fill her position in Congress: San Francisco Supervisor Connie Chan and state Senator Scott Wiener.

Each one has staked out a different position on AI data centres. Wiener, for instance, opposes any ban on data centres.

“A blanket data centre moratorium could undermine AI regulation,” he told the publication Mission Local.

Chan, meanwhile, has pledged to seek a nationwide moratorium on data centres, at least until responsible AI regulation is put in place.

“Let’s start with a moratorium on data centres. Allow us to have that moment to regulate artificial intelligence,” she said at a debate in October.

Chan played a leading role in passing San Francisco’s moratorium in early October.

A poll from the University of Southern California showed Wiener leading Chan 47 percent to 41, as of mid-October.

Navigating public backlash

“Right now, data centre opposition is an issue that unifies the US public like no other,” said Shum Preston, a political analyst based in San Francisco.

So far, there has been relatively little opposition to the data centre moratoriums in local hearings. But he speculates that there may be several reasons for the lack of pushback to the bans.

Among them are the surveys indicating widespread public backlash to data centre creation.

An October CNBC poll found that 63 percent of registered US voters oppose building data centres within 16 kilometres, or 10 miles, of their homes.

“Data centres poll very poorly, and developers probably don’t want to put their supervisor friends in trouble ahead of elections. So they probably let this pass,” Preston said.

He also signalled that the short-term nature of the moratoriums may be a factor.

Certain Bay Area cities like San Francisco, Brisbane and Oakland paused construction on data centres for 45 days, with the option to extend the ban later.

Opponents of the moratoriums “will be more vocal when” the 45 days end, Preston said. By that time, the heat of the midterm election season will also have settled, he added.

“That’s when the hearings will get more contentious,” he said.

Not long enough?

Another hurdle facing the moratoriums is the lack of transparency surrounding data centre construction.

Supervisor Shamann Walton, who sponsored San Francisco’s moratorium ordinance, has argued that the city’s definition of “data centres” is outdated.

Created in 2001 — long before the AI boom — the city planning code defines data centres as “internet service exchanges”, a definition that may not accurately characterise the technology today.

Walton said the outdated language has made it hard for authorities to count how many data centres exist in the city.

Not being able to identify data centres can also prevent city officials from monitoring their power and water usage.

“We cannot use 2001 rules to regulate 2026 technology,” he said in a September 14 statement.

Another issue is the time it takes to carry out the necessary environmental assessments. The moratoriums may not offer enough time for a comprehensive review.

“Forty-five days is hardly enough time to document and study the impacts and then frame regulations,” said Roger Lin, senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, a US environmental nonprofit.

He added that legal barriers limit access to such information from the data centres themselves.

“Data centres often have nondisclosure agreements, so even local air quality boards may not know the impact of data centres on air quality,” said Lin.

Supporters tout economic benefits

Still, AI industry supporters have touted the growth of the data centres as evidence of a flourishing industry, with positive downstream effects for US communities.

Anthropic, for instance, is preparing an initial public offering (IPO) that is likely to raise billions of dollars.

But critics warn that the company’s growth may not translate into an economic boom for the San Francisco Bay Area overall.

Instead, residents fear unequal economic growth that primarily benefits the wealthy. Already, San Francisco faces some of the highest and fastest-growing home rental prices in the country.

At a hearing at San Francisco City Hall, a resident vented their frustrations about the data centres to the supervisors.

“This city is less for humans and more for robots and billionaires,” the resident said.

All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the Senate’s 100 seats are being contested on Tuesday.

Fabricated political polling has forced its way into the spotlight during the midterm election period in the United States.

Revelations that a small number of fraudulent firms have released fictitious results – some of which were picked up by news outlets and polling trackers – have raised concerns about how easily false information can acquire credibility.

Those datasets can be used to cast doubt on the electoral process. And when bad actors are unmasked, their existence can be leveraged to undermine voter confidence in election information overall.

The latest example occurred earlier this month, when Wedgewood Polls released a statement on social media admitting its statistics about a bevy of battleground states – like Texas, Ohio, Michigan, Kansas and Maine – were fake.

Wedgewood described its work as “an experimental project” designed to highlight the “vulnerabilities, lack of oversight and overall low barrier to entry” in the US polling industry.

“Having previously worked in the polling and research sector, we watched as the public’s trust in polling eroded alongside a rise in unverified, low-quality methodology,” the firm said in a statement posted to its social media account, which has now been deleted.

It justified its false data as a test to see how easy it would be for fabricated polling to gain traction among voters and the media.

“The short answer: Far too easy,” Wedgewood said.

But Wedgewood’s admission came after its surveys had already circulated through the political information ecosystem, reaching prominent media outlets like The New York Times.

The incident was the second such scandal in the 2026 election cycle, following the exposure of another operation, Median Strategies, which acknowledged in August it had also faked results as a “short-term social experiment”.

In an increasingly polarised US political environment, the incidents have roiled a polling industry – and a public – struggling to adapt to an ever-changing information landscape.

How fake polls gained credibility

Wedgewood, which launched in June, published surveys covering competitive races across several states. Its results attracted attention from political campaigns, commentators and organisations that compile polling data.

The New York Times said its polling tracker had listed 15 Wedgewood surveys between June and October. The newspaper subsequently removed them.

In the wake of the scandal, it explained that the firm had answered questions about its personnel, methodology and funding before its results were included.

While the Times said Wedgewood’s surveys were not incorporated into the newspaper’s own presidential approval or national congressional polling averages, the case revealed a vulnerability in the process by which polling information becomes established as credible.

Polling aggregators help journalists and voters make sense of a crowded field of surveys by collecting results from multiple research organisations. Their value depends partly on their ability to distinguish reliable research from poorly conducted or fraudulent work.

Wedgewood’s success in passing some of those checks suggests that transparency on paper is not necessarily proof that research has been conducted as claimed.

According to FiftyPlusOne, a polling and forecasting website that investigated the firm, inconsistencies in the raw data and the technical identifiers associated with survey responses helped raise suspicions about its authenticity.

The investigation prompted Wedgewood to acknowledge that most of its results were fabricated.

Though Wedgewood has denied trying to mislead the public, some pollsters are not convinced, suggesting the group could was up to something more nefarious.

“We were investigating Wedgewood for faking their data,” said data journalist G Elliott Morris, who was involved in FiftyPlusOne’s probe. “They are trying to cover up for their fraud with the ‘we were doing a social experiment’ excuse.”

How fake polling has impacted elections

The consequences of fake polling extend far beyond the polling industry.

Mallory McMorrow, who ran unsuccessfully in Michigan’s Democratic Senate primary, has argued that a Wedgewood survey showing her support in the single digits damaged her campaign.

McMorrow said the poll left her volunteers demoralised, and journalists repeatedly contacted her to ask whether she should abandon the race.

Donations, she added, also evaporated, with Democratic supporters looking to other campaigns to invest.

In a social media post, McMorrow described the poll from Wedgewood – and another from the firm Mitchell Research and Communications – as a “one-two punch” that “killed her campaign”. She suspended her Senate bid in July.

“By that point, we took a risk and we spend our money. We put our ads up. They were working. But the damage was done. And I was drowned out by outside spending and the narrative that we had completely collapsed,” she wrote.

Experts say McMorrow’s account illustrates a broader problem: Even when a poll does not accurately measure public opinion, its findings can still influence the decisions of people who believe it does.

Why it matters

The Wedgewood controversy demonstrates how fraudulent data can become ammunition in an already polarised political environment.

Researchers at the University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public tracked how discussion of Wedgewood’s admission spread across social media.

Initially, much of the conversation was concentrated among polling experts and people who followed election data. But the story subsequently gained traction among influential political commentators and partisan accounts.

Some posts focused on the fact that prominent outlets and polling aggregators had listed Wedgewood’s results. Others used the revelation to question polling more broadly, particularly surveys suggesting that Democrats were competitive in closely contested races.

The researchers found the controversy became intertwined with claims that polling was systematically misleading voters or understating support for particular political parties.

“Within 24 hours, the right-wing media ecosystem had succeeded in drawing attention to the story and setting some of the most salient frames: that poll numbers around the midterms, especially poll numbers favoring Democrats, cannot be trusted,” the Center for an Informed Public wrote in its analysis.

President Donald Trump, who has regularly made false claims about US election integrity, seized on the revelations to criticise the Times for including Wedgewood’s surveys in its polling tracker.

“The New York Times got caught,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “Everything about The Failing New York Times is ‘ARTIFICIAL’.”

He also suggested the Wedgewood case would help his $15bn defamation suit against the Times.

“Our powerful Lawsuit against them is getting stronger and stronger everyday,” he added.

What can be done?

No laws exist in the US that criminalise fake polls outright.

Some advocacy groups and law scholars have argued that the publication of fake polls constitute commodities and wire fraud, warranting federal prosecution.

“Deterring this sort of fraud before it can happen – and raising awareness of it – is vital,” Tyler Yeargain wrote for the Missouri Law Review in 2020.

He argued that enforcement of election-related laws against fake pollsters has “not been fully utilized”.

“Prosecution would serve a strong federal interest,” he wrote. “The interest at stake is weightier than concerns over how fake polls can shade the accuracy of an academic endeavor in prediction markets. It is instead to deter other wrongdoers, the sort who would weaponize fake polls to manipulate elections.”

Brendan Carr, the head of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), which regulates broadcasts in the US, said there has been “a significant surge” in fake polls during the 2026 midterms, urging networks not to amplify them. Otherwise, Carr said, they could lose their licence to operate.

“Broadcasters are prohibited by the terms of their federal licenses from engaging in News Distortion or promoting Broadcast Hoaxes,” Carr wrote on social media. “It is important that broadcasters comply with their public interest obligations.”

But the FCC’s sole Democratic commissioner, Anna Gomez, disagreed with Carr’s assessment.

“Pollsters who intentionally mislead the public should answer for it, but broadcasters who report publicly available polling data should never be punished when a poll is wrong,” she wrote on X. “FCC rules on news distortion or hoaxes do not apply to a station that reports this data in good faith.”

Without a clear legal remedy against fake polls, experts argue the onus is placed on media outlets and voters themselves to evaluate the quality of the election data they see.

Mark Baldassare, the survey director of the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), said there are ways to quickly spot which surveys are real – and which are not.

“Look for transparency,” Baldassare told PPIC’s Stephanie Barton in an interview. “A credible survey will list its mission, the purpose of its polling, and its sponsors or funders.”

“A poll guided by partisan groups or campaigns that is publicly released may have a message to relay to the public.”

TO some, Tiffany Pollard is the ultimate reality queen, gracing Celebrity Big Brother and many other shows with her own explosive brand of drama.

But it is less well-known that she is now a recording artist as well, thanks to a cheeky sample on Zara Larsson‘s track Hot & Sexy.

Tiff — who dubs herself the Head Bitch In Charge, or HBIC — speaks the refrain “beautiful, fly, hot and sexy” on the pop princess’s empowering song.

Speaking for the first time about the collab, Tiffany said: “Zara is multi- talented, and for her to come for the HBIC to honour a track blows my mind.

“I was in that studio. It was like I was Beethoven because I wanted to get it right and iconic just for her.

“I was dedicated to the piece and a lot of people dance to it, so we’re happy.”

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The track from Zara’s multi-platinum album Midnight Sun was even played during last week’s Victoria’s Secret catwalk.

But we’re not going to see Tiff on tour with Zara any time soon.

She revealed: “I don’t want to crush dreams or anything like that, but our girl is going to handle it. I’m not gonna be on tour — I got bad knees, honey.”

Tiffany’s back on the reality beat as she begins a stint on ITV’s Celebrity Big Brother — a decade on from her career-defining appearance.

Fans will remember her spats with Gemma Collins and the “David’s dead” misunderstanding when housemate Angie Bowie was told her ex-husband had died, but Tiffany thought it was David Gest who had passed away — until others found him asleep in bed.

Today Tiffany heads into a divided house, with the self-proclaimed “hierarchy” of Rochelle Rackham and Philip Regan facing accusations of bullying — but she is ready to take them on.

The outspoken American said: “It’s Halloween week and I’m gonna put the whore in horror.

“I’m gonna listen to people, I’m gonna have an authentic experience but I don’t want to be on my best behaviour.

“It’s called the hierarchy? The king and the queen of the house? Oh, please. It’s time for me to knock down the bricks.

“I only go around this life one good time and I want to make sure I’m living it authentically.

“I don’t want to quiet a voice of something that should have been said.

“I have a lot of people who are betting on me to be real and to just say what it is.”

Tiffany will also make time while staying in the UK for some of her favourite British pastimes — including watching Towie, Hollyoaks and tucking into our good old fish and chips.

Just hours before heading on to Big Brother, she said: “Bring all that vinegar. People are so nice here.”

We’ll see if she feels the same following her stint in the spy-on-the-wall house.

• Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX.

RYANAIR has announced a major new rule that will impact all its passengers.

From November 10, Ryanair will close its bag drop off services 60 minutes before flight departures.

This will change from the current rule, where the bag drop off services close 40 minutes before departure.

As a result, travellers will need to be at the airline’s bag drop off services earlier than currently.

The change was originally announced back in April.

The airline has commented that it will give its passengers 20 per cent more time to clear airport security and passport control queues.

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Though, passengers checking in a bag will need to ensure they are at the drop off desks earlier now.

The change will not impact passengers who are not checking in a bag.

Ryanair CMO, Dara Brady, said: “From Tue, 10 Nov, bag drop services at all Ryanair airports will close 60 minutes before scheduled departure, instead of the current 40 minutes.

“This small change will give the 20% of Ryanair passengers who check in a bag, more time to clear airport security and passport control queues and get to their departure gate before boarding begins, particularly during busy travel periods when airport queues can be longer.

“We remind passengers using airport bag drop services to arrive at the airport in good time and ensure they have checked in and dropped their bags before check-in and bag drop closes 60 minutes before departure.

“The remaining 80% of passengers who check in online and do not check in a bag are unaffected by this change.”

WASHINGTON — President Trump offered $1 million Monday to anyone who reports voter fraud that leads to an arrest and conviction, escalating his efforts to cast doubt on the midterms as Republicans risk losing control of Congress.

“Anybody reporting Voter Fraud in the past Elections, or the upcoming 2026 Midterm Election, will be paid $1,000,000 upon the arrest and conviction of those that created the Fraud!” Trump posted on Truth Social.

The offer comes as the Trump administration has moved more aggressively to intervene in the midterms, including an effort in Alaska to invalidate a potential Democratic victory in a U.S. Senate race and a push in California to segregate ballots from voters the administration considers likely non-citizens.

Trump did not say how the tips should be submitted to the federal government or who would decide whether a claim qualifies for a reward. The White House declined to comment beyond Trump’s social media post.

Last week, the administration launched a separate program that is meant to pay people for providing information to the administration to combat fraud. When announcing it, Trump said he would personally decide who gets paid.

“I will be the arbitrator of all of these decisions,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “In other words, I’ll determine whether or not the person is deserving, and I’ll determine, and I will be very generous.”

It is unclear whether Trump, who has spread false claims about the nation’s voting systems and routinely questions the integrity of the elections, intends to play a similar role over the voter fraud tipping system.

In the lead up to the midterms, Trump has tried to assert more control over the elections, calling on Republicans to “nationalize” voting and pushing for restrictions on mail-in ballots. Trump has also cast doubt over the integrity of California’s primary election, claiming without evidence that Democrat cheated — an allegation that was investigated by the U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles, which is run by a Trump loyalist.

Even as Trump says he wants “honesty in our elections,” the president told supporters at the Republican Party convention in Dallas in September to “cheat like hell, like they do.”

Trump’s efforts to cast doubt over voting come as polls show Republicans facing headwinds heading into the Nov. 3 election as Trump’s popularity sags amid voter concerns over the economy.

As Trump has tried to rally supporters in red states, he has also vowed to give every American adult $5,000 if Republican retain control of Congress. The promise drew bipartisan criticism, with some even calling the idea a potential bribe.