Call

Cliff Parisi starred in different medical drama before landing the role of Fred Buckle on Call the Midwife

Cliff Parisi looks a world away from Call the Midwife‘s Fred Buckle in a popular ITV period drama.

During the first season of Call the Midwife, which aired in 2012, actor Cliff Parisi was introduced as Fred Buckle, the kind and attentive handyman at Nonnatus House before he became a local shopkeeper, and he’s remained a fan favourite ever since.

Fred is married to councillor Violet Buckle (played by Annabelle Apsion), has two daughters from a previous marriage, and an adopted son, Reggie, portrayed by Daniel Laurie.

In the forthcoming Call the Midwife prequel, Sisters in Arms, which is set to air this Christmas, Fred’s backstory will be explored as the BBC show rewinds to World War Two, with actor Ciaran Bowling taking on the role of a younger incarnation of Fred.

For the first time, viewers will see the character alongside his first wife Betty Buckle, played by Ami Metcalf, as the Blitz takes hold of Polar, East London.

Away from Call the Midwife, EastEnders fans will recognise Cliff as the kind-hearted Minty Paterson on the BBC soap between 2002 and 2010.

The 66 -year-old actor also won over audiences during his stint on I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here in 2019, and showcased his culinary talents on Celebrity MasterChef in 2022.

Beyond EastEnders and Call the Midwife, Cliff has played a variety of roles in some of Britain’s most popular TV shows over the years, including Casualty, Hollyoaks, Outnumbered, The Darling Buds of May, and London’s Burning.

His acting career began with the 1989 comedy film Queen of Hearts, where he played the Manager. Following this, he appeared in A Bit of Fry and Laurie in 1990 and KYTV in 1990 and 1993.

Between 1995 and 1996, Cliff took up the role of Daniel Bentley in ITV’s series Bramwell, and he’s now utterly transformed from the ill-fated hospital porter we see today. Sporting darker locks, facial hair, and a pensive expression, the actor is hardly recognisable.

Set in Victorian times, the medical drama centers around Dr. Eleanor Bramwell, portrayed by Jemma Redgrave, as she operates a free infirmary for the destitute in the East End.

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

The second season sees a cholera outbreak take its toll, with Daniel Bentley succumbing to illness and subsequently dying from an overdose caused by a dosage miscalculation. Bramwell aired on ITV across four seasons from May 1995 until June 1998.

Since Bramwell debuted on television, the show has gained legions of fans, with one person writing on IMDb: “Great period piece–well worth watching. I came upon this miniseries by accident, and I am glad I did.

“I’d never heard of it, but it sounded interesting. It really does a good job of portraying what London and medicine probably were like back in the 1800s.”

A second explained: “An amazing series. I have followed “Bramwell” since I started watching the mini-series on PBS’s “Masterpiece Theatre” a few years ago. The depiction of a female doctor in Victorian England is very entertaining and groundbreaking. I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in period drama or the history of medical practice.”

“Loved Seasons 1-3. I started watching this show (Netflix instant play) as background noise while I worked on some projects, but soon fell in love.

“I am particularly drawn to medical dramas, and this show was no exception. I love the relationship between the doctors Bramwell (Elanor and her father) and the hopefully somewhat-accurate depiction of the struggles a woman doctor might face in those times”, added another.

Call the Midwife is available to stream on BBC iPlayer

ANDREW Sachs’ granddaughter has branded Russell Brand a “a seriously unwell sex addict” after the fiend was found guilty of rape and sexual assault.

Brand and Jonathan Ross left vulgar voicemails on the Fawlty Towers legend’s phone after sleeping with his granddaughter Georgina Baillie, who was 21 at the time.

The jibes were made during a series of prank calls broadcast on BBC Radio 2 in 2008.

In a series of three voicemails left on Sachs’ phone, Brand and Ross made repeated graphic claims about Brand’s sex life with Georgina.

Later in the show, Ross said if people were offended by the prank calls they were “crazy”.

The scandal, which became known as Sachsgate, saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.

BEHIND BARS

‘Shaken’ rapist Russell Brand in ‘real danger’ in ‘dirty’ Wandsworth prison

‘WORLD’S COLLAPSED’

As Brand’s wife stands by disgraced star, pals reveal her next moves

On Thursday, Brand was found guilty of rape and sex attacks on a string of victims as part of a depraved campaign to sleep with 5,000 women.

Georgina, now 41, told the Daily Mail it’s now “obvious” to her that Brand is a sex addict, adding “that boy is seriously unwell”.

She said she’s “disappointed” with Brand and wants him to “own up and make the amends” after being found guilty.

“I want those victims to get some help. I really do. It’s possible to recover from this, it’s hard having experienced sexual assault myself- though not at the hands of Russell,” she continued.

The 41-year-old provided a statement to be used in mitigation for Brand’s trial, but it was never used.

Speaking about their fling, she said: “He was seeing loads of women, and I knew that. I was never in any doubt whatsoever that I was one of many but I didn’t really care at the time. He had his drug of choice on tap all day. I was just a piece of that, I was only one line out of many.”

Georgina said she was “completely dazzled by celebrity” when she first met Brand, now 51.

Their consensual fling came at a time when she was in the throes of addiction. He was 10 years older than her at the time.

Both Brand and Ross apologised for their actions later in 2008. The corporation was fined £150,000 by the regulator Ofcom over the lewd jokes.

Georgina said previously: “I was really lost back then. After Sachsgate, Russell made millions of pounds doing a stand-up routine about it and that was very hard and painful for me – I was the butt of the joke, I was young and didn’t know how to process it and I turned to drink and drugs.”

“It was a very unnerving time. Not only had my grandparents heard what I had been up to sexually, which anybody would recoil at, but then it was all the ‘boys will be boys’ attitude.

Brand went on to apologise to Georgina in person 11 years after the stunt, and paid for her rehab.

But she lost out on eight years with her granddad as the pair stopped speaking.

Former burlesque performer Georgina made up with her grandfather before he died aged 86 in November 2016.

In a 2015 interview, Georgina said her grandparents had a lot to forgive her for.

She told the Daily Mirror: “I love and miss them so much. I admit I was a nightmare in my early 20s. I’ve tried to repair my relationship with my grandparents. They were understandably angry.”

A BBC spokesman said at the time: “Russell Brand worked for a number of different organisations, of which the BBC was one. As is well known, Russell Brand left the BBC after a serious editorial breach in 2008 – as did the then-controller of Radio 2. 

“The circumstances of the breach were reviewed in detail at the time.

“We hope that demonstrates that the BBC takes issues seriously and is prepared to act. 

“Indeed, the BBC has, over successive years, evolved its approach to how it manages talent and how it deals with complaints or issues raised.

“We have clear expectations around conduct at work, these are set out in employment contracts, the BBC Values, the BBC Code of Conduct and the Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy.

“We will always listen to people if they come forward with any concerns, on any issue related to any individual working at the BBC, past or present.”

Brand preyed on women between 1999 and 2009 and used his growing fame – from presenting Big Brother’s Big Mouth and Hollywood movies – to target the victims in a range of locations.

On Thursday,  a jury found Brand guilty of one count of rape and three counts of sexual assault after deliberating for eight and a half hours.

The 51-year-old is facing years in jail after the court heard he became a “ruthless, calculated and manipulative” predator as he sought to satisfy his “voracious” sexual appetite.

Brand has been accused of raping two more women and could now face further criminal charges, it was revealed after the verdicts.

The court heard that one of the complaints comes from a woman who dated Brand when he was 30 years old and another was a 16-year-old schoolgirl.

Brand, who told his wife Laura Gallacher “I love you” after entering the dock, displayed no emotion as the jury delivered its verdicts, at the end of a trial that lasted nearly four weeks.

He was remanded into custody and will be sentenced on Monday. The judge told Brand he should expect a “significant custodial term”.

Democrats swept California’s statewide down-ballot races — no surprise in a state where registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by a nearly two-to-one margin, and voters haven’t elected a Republican to a statewide office since 2006.

The dominance was evident in the Democratic candidates’ victories for attorney general, secretary of state, lieutenant governor, treasurer and controller.

“When you look at the results so far, the thing that’s most striking, I think, is that the percentages are almost identical for every statewide race between the two parties,” said Kim Nalder, director of the Project for an Informed Electorate at Sacramento State University. One might have imagined that some candidates would have received a larger or smaller share of votes than others, based on voters’ personal feelings toward them, but Californians instead hewed strongly to party lines, she said.

“I think that says that Californians are probably voting based on nationwide trends, as much as anything else,” she said, referencing the blue surge that swept the country, with Democrats taking control of both the House and Senate.

“It also just means, honestly, that people don’t know a lot about most of these statewide offices and don’t necessarily do their homework, so they’re reverting to the cue that’s simplest, which is party cues,” she added.

The AP called the victories for the down-ballot races.

One contest remained too close to call Wednesday afternoon: The race between two Democrats to succeed Ricardo Lara as insurance commissioner. With 51.7% of expected votes in, former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim held a slight lead over three-term state Sen. Ben Allen, with 52% versus 48%. The commissioner regulates the state’s insurance industry and has the authority to approve or reject rate increases and investigate fraud.

A former director of the Working Families Party, Kim has proposed a novel “single payer” state-run insurance plan to cover catastrophic fire damage, earning her endorsements from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and the California Federation of Labor Unions. Allen, who has blasted Kim’s plan as too short on details, has campaigned on improving the current system, pointing to his long record of insurance industry reform bills. He’s backed by the California Democratic Party and top elected party officials, including U.S. Sens. Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla.

Elsewhere down the ballot, incumbent California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta, a former Democratic state legislator, handily won releection as the state’s top prosecutor. He beat out former Huntington Beach City Atty. Michael Gates, a Republican, receiving 63.8% of the vote with 59.6% of expected votes in.

Bonta was first appointed to the office by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021, and then elected in 2022.

Democrat Shirley Weber was reelected as secretary of state, besting Orange County Supervisor Donald Wagner, a Republican, with 64.7% of the vote when 59.4% of expected votes were in. The secretary of state is in charge of administering statewide elections, providing information about ballot measures and candidates to voters, overseeing campaign finance and handling business licensing and filings.

Weber, a former state Assembly member, was initially appointed to the role in 2020 by Newsom and then elected by voters in 2022.

Voters chose state Treasurer Fiona Ma, a Democrat, to succeed termed-out Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis. Ma defeated former State Senate Majority Leader Gloria Romero, a Republican, receiving 63.8% of the vote with 59.5% of the expected vote in. The job is largely a ceremonial post, but if the sitting governor dies, resigns or is removed from office, then the lieutenant governor would be elevated to take over.

Kounalakis, meanwhile, won the race to succeed termed-out Ma as state treasurer, beating Republican Jennifer Hawks, who had billed herself as a political outsider. With 59.1% of the expected vote in, Kounalakis received 64%. The California treasurer is the state’s chief financial manager and responsible for overseeing public investments and issuing bonds to fund major projects like roads, sewers, schools and affordable housing.

Incumbent Controller Malia Cohen won reelection over challenger Herb Morgan, a Republican finance and investment advisor. With 58.9% of the expected vote in, Cohen received 63.8%. The controller is the state’s fiscal watchdog, responsible for auditing government agencies, administering payroll for state employees and reuniting abandoned assets with their owners.

Cohen was elected in 2022 after serving as a member of the state Board of Equalization from San Francisco.

Times staff writers Laurence Darmiento, Iris Kwok, Summer Lin, Kevin Rector and Dakota Smith and correspondent Jon Regardie contributed to this report.

Kevin the Carrot and his daughter Chantenay are devastated as they desperately try to find their beloved Cauli-dog

Kevin the Carrot is back for Aldi’s yearly Christmas bonanza – but heartache is in store as the family ‘Cauli-dog’ goes missing.

This year’s advert sees Kevin and his daughter Chantenay morosely trudging through the snow as they place a LOST poster on Santa’s letterbox.

Listing the Cauli-dog as being “friendly, but nervous around cheese”, the poster asks shoppers to call Kevin the Carrot if found on 03335775577. Out of pure professionalism, the Mirror tested the number and can confirm you will be treated to a voicemail message from a shivering Kevin who says he can’t get to the phone right now because he’s searching for his beloved pooch.

He also directs callers to Aldi’s Facebook page, which is full of shoppers claiming to have found the helpless Cauli-dog. “I wouldn’t worry too much. He’ll probably turnip when he’s hungry,” one social media follower quips.

Sadly returning home, Kevin cuddles up to his children on a floral couch wedged in between a giant turkey and sprouts as they watch a video of their Cauli-dog projected on the wall amid candlelight.

Returning back to Santa’s letterbox, Kevin and his daughter notice paw prints treading away from the suspiciously yellowed snow corner of the postbox. It leads them them to a snowman scarecrow decorated with a mop beard and fairy lights.

The father-and-daughter carrot duo are then guided to a branch in the snow, only to get a fright from what appears to be a terrifying creature… and turns out to be a squirrel with a frozen acorn.

Paw prints leads them all the way back home to their dining room table fulled to the brim of of Christmas trimmings, buttered new potatoes and lobster tails.

They come to a gold Christmas cracker, which the family pulls to pop out a moustached Cauli-dog wearing a green jumper and red party hat.

Confetti rains and peas roll around the table as Aldi declares: “All you want for Christmas.”

As usual, Aldi is keeping is keeping it a light-hearted and joyful affair and, with the extent of delicious-looking food on offer, reiterating that “more is more”. There’s rarely anything ‘deep’ about Aldi’s yearly ads, but seeing Kevin regardless is reason to start getting into the festive spirit.

It’s in contrast to John Lewis’ luxury Christmas ad takes into account the cost of living crisis with the tagline “Don’t give up on giving.” This year, Dame Kristin Scott Thomas steps into the shoes of grandmother Gloria, who attempts to find the perfect gift for her grandchildren with the help of a talking toy dog.

When she is guided to Oxford street to find a toy that is “better than giving cash”, she is inspired by a pink tuk-tuk to transform one of her rooms into a special cave complete with sparkling lights, disco balls and a record player.

All items seen in Gloria’s fun room have either been recycled from elsewhere in her house or cost less than £100, in a bid to show making magical memories doesn’t always come with a hefty price tag.

The ad garnered a mixed reaction, with some hailing as a “return to form” for the retail giant, while others slammed the “rude and entitled” grandchildren.

One wrote: “What a return to form. A beautiful Kristin Scott Thomas playing a glam granny. Warm, Christmassy, nostalgic. The 1st time JL has used a celeb (except Elton John playing himself in 2018).”

While another commented: “Not sure what message John Lewis was trying to land with their Christmas advert. But all I see is 2 rude & entitled kids, their mother making excuses & tidying up after them & a gran spending a fortune trying to buy their affection while going on a trip down memory lane.”

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

Oct. 31, 2026 2:13 PM PT

ANCHORAGE — Alaska’s Republican-run state government Saturday urged a federal judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed at President Trump’s direction to stop the certification of a possible Democratic win in that state’s pivotal U.S. Senate race, writing that there is “no reason for this Court to entertain this meritless lawsuit any longer.”

The scathing filing from the state’s attorney general’s office, headed by Republican acting Atty. Gen. Cori Mills, comes as U.S. District Judge Sharon L. Gleason set a deadline of Saturday for arguments over whether she should dismiss the lawsuit without even a hearing.

The complaint from the U.S. Department of Justice has been roundly criticized by election law experts. It demands that the judge halt certification — only in the event of a win by Democrat Mary Peltola — until it is determined whether voters were confused by the presence of a second candidate on the ballot with the same name as her main rival, Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan.

The Department of Justice on Friday added a request that the judge separate all ballots showing votes for the challenger Dan Sullivan until it can be determined whether voters were fooled into wasting their votes for a spoiler candidate. In its Saturday filing, Alaska said this was “both disturbing and impossible.” It added there would be no way to do that without violating voter privacy.

Trump also demanded that Peltola be prosecuted after the New York Times this week reported that internal texts and posts appeared to show the Democrat’s campaign was involved in recruiting the second Sullivan, a retired schoolteacher in the remote fishing village of Petersburg, onto the ballot. But the state filing notes that the two Sullivans are distinguished from each other on the ballot — the senator is listed as a Republican and the incumbent, and the other is simply “Daniel J. Sullivan Jr.” with no party affiliation.

“State officials carefully designed the ballot to minimize voter confusion,” Alaska officials wrote. “The Court should immediately dismiss this lawsuit with prejudice and allow state officials to conduct the general election — including ballot counting and certification — free from unwarranted federal interference.”

The Trump administration argued that a preamble to the 1990s law governing voter registration gave it the responsibility for ensuring states maintained the “integrity” of federal elections. It has claimed it is trying to combat fraud by preventing the Democrat from being declared the victor in a race that could determine which party controls the U.S. Senate.

The Department of Justice issued a wave of subpoenas and announced it was conducting a criminal investigation in the case as the administration has stepped up its use of its legal powers to support Trump’s side in Tuesday’s midterm elections.

Peltola has denied involvement in the presence of the challenger Sullivan on the ballot. The New York Times report was based on interviews with her former campaign manager, texts and contributions from a political group backing Peltola to an out-of-state Democratic consultant who recruited the second Sullivan.

Alaska’s Republican governor, Mike Dunleavy, who announced a state investigation into the situation after the Times article, has condemned the placement of the second Sullivan on the ballot. The Alaska Supreme Court ruled this summer that the second candidate fulfilled all legal requirements to stay on. The state government’s filing on Saturday says that the new revelations about the possible role of Peltola’s campaign don’t change the fact that both Sullivans are legally on the ballot.

“Not every wrong can be righted in federal court,” the state wrote.

Peltola’s campaign and voting rights groups also have urged Gleason to dismiss the case, putting them in unusual alignment with Alaska state officials.

“Imagine if the federal executive could pluck a few words like ‘election integrity’ from some statutory preamble and, on that basis alone, bend the machinery of state elections to his will, preemptively blocking certification of a U.S. Senate election to protect his preferred candidate from defeat and then subjecting voters to a law-enforcement-led inquest about who they ‘really’ supported,” the American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a filing urging the lawsuit’s dismissal.

“Imagine that world and ask whether it is what the Framers wanted or precisely what they most feared.”

Riccardi and Bohrer write for the Associated Press.

The joint statement comes as US President Donald Trump seeks a new meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

The United States, South Korea and Japan have reiterated their longstanding call for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, a move  Pyongyang has repeatedly ruled out.

The three countries addressed the issue on the sidelines of the Group of 20 (G20) meeting in the US city of Atlanta on Thursday, with their top diplomats reaffirming their “resolute commitment to the complete denuclearisation” of North Korea, according to a readout by the US Department of State.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Hyun and Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi also pledged the “full implementation” of United Nations Security Council resolutions, including a ban on supporting revenue for North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

The statement comes despite repeated overtures to North Korea by US President Donald Trump, who held a series of historic summits with its leader, Kim Jong Un, during his first term in office and has continued to call Kim a “friend”.

Last year, Trump bucked a long-held US policy by conceding that North Korea was already “sort of a nuclear power”.

More recently, he has played down concerns about North Korea’s nuclear programme and expressed a desire to meet Kim again. Speculation is mounting that the two leaders could reconnect at next month’s APEC summit in China, which Trump is due to attend.

Analysts and South Korea’s spy agency say Kim may have conveyed Pyongyang’s position on potential talks with Trump to Beijing during a recent visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong.

South Korea’s dovish President Lee Jae Myung – who has repeatedly offered Pyongyang talks without preconditions – suggested in September that Washington seek a freeze, rather than the immediate elimination, of the North’s nuclear programme in return for sanctions relief.

Critics have said such an approach risks tacitly accepting North Korea as a nuclear-armed state while allowing Pyongyang to win sanctions relief without giving up its arsenal.

Despite long-running UN sanctions, North Korea, which is backed by Russia and China, has enshrined its status as a nuclear-armed state in law. Pyongyang’s government has declared its atomic arsenal to be permanent and irreversible.

Pyongyang denounced a joint statement on Saturday by a group of nations monitoring sanctions implementation against it, pledging that “the stereotyped sanctions racket of the US and the West can neither influence the position of the DPRK (North Korea) as a nuclear weapons state.”

Portland’s Robert Williams III scores in front of Laker Ziaire Williams at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday.

(Gina Ferazzi/Los Angeles Times)

One day after being retroactively fined for flopping on a play against Utah, forward Ziaire Williams was whistled for the violation again during the fourth quarter Tuesday.

Avdija drove on Williams with 3:38 remaining in the fourth quarter and bumped his left shoulder and arm into Williams’ body. Williams stumbled backward and circled both arms backward as Avdija kicked the ball out to Lillard for a three-pointer. Lillard nailed the shot from the wing and tacked on a technical free throw when play was stopped for Williams’ flopping call.

Williams’ violation was one of three called Tuesday by the crew led by Scott Foster. Portland’s Toumani Camara and Morant were also whistled for flops, and all of the calls came in the fourth quarter of a tight game that saw 52 total personal fouls and 71 free throws.

NBA officials have placed a larger emphasis on flopping this season, along with limiting use of off-arm force against defenders, reckless closeouts and time wasting on free throws. Flops are characterized by “exaggerated and theatrical” movements in an attempt to get a call, according to the NBA. Redick said he didn’t believe Williams’ movements rose to that level against Utah, at least.

With 4:44 left in the fourth quarter against Utah and the Lakers trailing by one, Utah’s Keyonte George switched onto Williams. The Jazz guard drove on Williams and was called for a push-off foul as Williams stumbled backward. It was only until the next day that Williams was fined $2,000 for a flop.

“That’s just the way his body naturally moves,” Redick said.

Williams said Tuesday he had not received feedback about the call he thought was a good defensive play against the Jazz.

“I’ll pay my fine,” Williams said before Tuesday’s game, “and if I got to flop again to get a win, then that’s what I’ll do.”

The Lakers turned the ball over on the next possession, but pieced together a 8-1 run during the fourth quarter to pull away for a thrilling nine-point win after trailing by 18 during the second quarter.

Strikes hit a major bridge in the Ukrainian capital as leaders push for ‘direct discussions’ to end the war.

Russia has attacked transport infrastructure in Ukraine’s capital, targeting a major bridge, as the leaders of Finland and Norway held a rare call with Russian President Vladimir Putin and a separate one with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Officials in Kyiv said the South Bridge was hit in overnight attacks on the city ⁠⁠that included 16 ballistic missiles and more ⁠⁠than 280 drones. Zelenskyy said Russian forces struck again while emergency crews were still dealing with the aftermath of the initial strikes.

“This is a serious escalation in Russia’s campaign targeting our logistics,” he said.

Russian attacks also caused deaths and injuries in the cities of Kharkiv and Pavlohrad.

Russia’s Defence Ministry said on Telegram that its forces had targeted transport infrastructure in Kyiv and a logistics hub in the Kharkiv region, along with industrial sites and cargo vessels it said were serving military purposes.

Officials in the Russian-controlled part of Ukraine’s southeastern Zaporizhzhia region said a drone strike on a bus killed one person and injured 30 others.

One person was also killed and six others were wounded in a drone attack on the Russian city of Bryansk, near the Ukrainian border.

The attacks come as the warring sides prepare for talks. On Friday, Kyiv and Moscow said they had agreed to hold United States-mediated technical meetings in Abu Dhabi in early November.

Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store called Putin from Helsinki on Tuesday to convey messages on future negotiations ahead of the Abu Dhabi meetings, according to a statement from both governments.

Zelenskyy, who spoke to the pair afterwards, said on X that they had told Putin real steps were needed to de-escalate attacks on Ukraine’s energy facilities and infrastructure. He said they also discussed preparations for the November talks.

“There must be peace, de-escalation is needed, and Russia must stop dragging out the war,” he said.

In the Finnish-Norwegian statement, Stubb said the war’s outcome would directly affect the security of Finland and Norway, both of which border Russia, and of Europe more widely.

“Ending the war requires direct discussions,” he said.

Store said the two leaders had stressed the importance of de-escalation during the call.

Both leaders said they spoke for their own countries, not Europe, and that Finnish and Norwegian support for Ukraine would continue.

Most Western European leaders have avoided direct contact with Putin since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.

The calls come amid a renewed US push to end the war. The two governments described Tuesday’s call, held in consultation with Ukraine, as a follow-up to talks in Oslo on October 20 with Zelenskyy and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Witkoff met Putin in St Petersburg the next day, after which the Kremlin said it was ready to resume US-mediated talks with Kyiv that stalled in February.

US President Donald Trump has also credited his wife, First Lady Melania Trump, with securing a localised ceasefire in the southern Kherson region, which took effect on Tuesday to allow aid into the Russian-controlled town of Oleshky.

JJ Watt got the job.

After six weeks of filling in as lead NFL game analyst for CBS Sports, Watt has reached a multi-year agreement to continue alongside play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz in the network’s top broadcast booth. The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

The move assures that Watt will call his first Super Bowl on Feb. 13, 2028, in Atlanta. In a video posted Wednesday on his X account, Watt said it is “humbling” to be in such a position.

“It is a true honor and a privilege, and I do not take that responsibility lightly at all,” Watt said. “I appreciate their trust in me, and I have an absolute blast doing it every single week. And I cannot wait to continue to do it.”

The former three-time defensive player of the year wasn’t so sure the news would be that good Monday morning when he saw he had missed a call from parent company Skydance global sports group chairman David Berson.

“I’m thinking to myself, ‘Oh man, missed call from the boss. Am I in trouble for potentially breaking Jim Nance’s hand on the broadcast on Sunday with our with our ball drill?’” Watt joked. “It turns out that it was significantly better news than being called into the principal’s office.”

After a 12-season NFL career (10 with the Houston Texans, two with the Arizona Cardinals) that included five Pro Bowl selections, Watt joined CBS Sports as a studio analyst in 2023, then moved to the broadcast booth to call games with play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle last season.

Watt got bumped up to the top booth this season after Tony Romo, who had been the network’s lead game analyst since 2017, was placed on indefinite leave following his July arrest on suspicion of operating a vehicle while intoxicated. Earlier this month, CBS announced it had “mutually agreed to part ways” with Romo.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to JJ’s growth as a top-tier broadcaster, watching him tackle this role just like he did his hall-of-fame playing career,” Berson said in a statement. “He’s insightful, entertaining, passionate, meticulous in his preparation, and the ultimate teammate. He has a unique ability to see things and communicate to fans of all levels. We are thrilled to have him leading our NFL coverage.”

A day after the Tennessee Titans released defensive tackle Jordan Elliott after an alleged incident involving a gun at the team’s practice facility, coach Robert Saleh defended the veteran player as “a good man” who “had a terrible lapse in judgment that I recognize as a call for help more than a criminal act.”

The Titans announced Elliott’s dismissal on Tuesday but provided no details on the incident that prompted it. The NFL confirmed Wednesday that it was looking into the matter.

“The league’s firearm policy prohibits any personnel from bringing a firearm to club facilities, stadiums, and team hotels and on team planes or buses,” NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy said in an email. “The club promptly notified the league of the matter which is under review.”

Details have since emerged that Elliott got into an altercation with offensive lineman JC Latham at practice last Thursday, then went out to his car in the players’ parking lot to get his gun, according to reports by multiple media outlets. Latham told reporters Wednesday that the incident between him and Elliott just happened in the “heat of the moment” and “we’d actually never had an argument leading up to it.”

“It’s no bad blood,” Latham said. “Nothing personal on my end.”

Defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers reportedly helped Elliott regain his composure before anything happened involving the gun. Latham said he was still on the practice field and not with Elliott when Franklin-Myers intervened.

“The D-line room is really close,” Saleh told reporters Wednesday, “and for JFM to go out there and just kind of help Jordan with whatever he was dealing with at that moment I thought was really admirable on JFM’s part.”

Elliott played five seasons with the Cleveland Browns and two with the San Francisco 49ers before signing a two-year, $8-million deal with the Titans this past offseason. Saleh, who was the 49ers’ defensive coordinator last season, told reporters Wednesday that the Titans and the league provided Elliott “with clinicians he needed to speak to help him in that moment.”

“He’s never committed a crime in his entire life, and he pulled a gun in the parking lot,” Saleh said. “And the first question that I think everyone forgets to ask is why would a great man, a great father, a man who shows up on time every day, works his ass off every day, contributes the way he’s supposed to contribute, is well-liked in the locker room — why did he go off the rails and grab a gun?

“To me, those are small signs of a cry for help, in terms of obviously there’s something greater happening,” he continued. “And I thought the team and the NFL did an outstanding job with regards to pausing and asking those questions and checking every single box with regards to getting him the help that he needs.”

Saleh added: “I will stand on the table for Jordan’s character. Unfortunately, rules are rules with regard to guns on property, and sometimes it’s far greater than the knee-jerk reaction of kicking somebody when they’re down. My message to 31 other teams would be: If you need a hell of a run-stopping D-tackle that can help you on a playoff run, give me a call. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about him.”

UN experts have called on the Indian government to stop the use of “excessive force” in the wake of the crackdown on opposition and student protests in India.

In a statement on Tuesday, the two dozen independent experts pressed for an impartial investigation into Indian authorities’ conduct, saying that demonstrators had sustained injuries and some reported being subjected to ill-treatment.

“Protesters have sustained injuries, with some reporting being subjected to ill-treatment. The experts expressed particular concern about reports of sexual violence and other forms of gender-based abuse in the protests and related detentions,” according to the statement.

UN experts are appointed by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and document specific human rights crises but are independent of the organisation itself.

India’s Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), along with other opposition parties and student organisations, has led protests this month demanding Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation, after 130 million names were removed from voter lists.

The protesting groups said the removal disproportionately affected poor and homeless people as well as ethnic minorities including Muslims, who are unlikely to vote for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The BJP and India’s Election Commission deny the accusations. The Election Commission said it was removing duplicate, deceased, shifted and otherwise ineligible voters and that anyone excluded in error can pursue appeals.

‘Deployed force’

“Despite the non-violent nature of the assemblies, law enforcement agencies have reportedly deployed force against unarmed students including by means of police so-called lathi charges, and have prevented thousands from joining the protests,” the UN experts said.

Lathi charges are coordinated movements by a policing force using sticks to disperse crowds.

“We call on the authorities to immediately cease the use of excessive force, rescind blanket assembly bans, and refrain from the misuse of digital surveillance, including through biometrics, and internet disruptions,” they added.

India has repeatedly dismissed such criticism and cast it as interference in the country’s internal affairs, including when the UN human rights office earlier this month expressed concerns over mass detentions in relation to the latest protests.

IT’S never convenient if the wifi goes down.

But spare a thought for Harry Styles who had that happen to him — after being hypnotised on a video call.

The As It Was singer has revealed he was left “disorientated” and slept for hours after the incident, as he was so out of it he was unable to get the hypnotherapist back on the call.

He made the hilarious admission on stage at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday night, when he spotted the therapist in the crowd at his concert.

He told the crowd: “I got some hypnotherapy — and I spotted my therapist in the crowd, there he is. I’ll just share a quick story with you about my experience . . . 

“We were doing it remotely. I was in London, he was in New York — and I was under, I was hypnotised.

Read More on Harry Styles

sweet homage

Harry Styles pays emotional tribute to Liam Payne on anniversary of his death

DRAG ME DOWN UNDER

Harry Styles’ Australian accent explained

“Then my wifi went out. The call hung up. He was trying to call me back — and I was hypnotised.

“I woke hours later, disorientated, with a lot of missed calls. Hypnotherapy — would recommend, it was the greatest nap of my entire life.”

I could always do with a kip but am not sure I’ll be following Harry’s lead with this suggestion.

He is currently deep into his 30-date New York residency as part of his Together, Together tour — and you’ll soon be able to see footage.

It’s been announced indie filmmaker John Wilson has been filming Harry in the Big Apple since August, for a documentary being made by Universal Pictures.

The project will feature a mix of live performances as well as glimpses into Harry’s life, as well as stories from his army of fans.

Instead of it going straight to streaming services, like similar documentaries for other artists, demand is so high that it may be released in cinemas.

I gave his tour five stars when I went to the opening night, in Amsterdam in May.

So I would not need much persuading to get along to the pictures and see it all over again.

JAY’S SAY ON AI

BUCKS FIZZ star Jay Aston believes it’s “cheating” if countries submit songs produced by AI for the Eurovision Song Contest, amid a brewing controversy about its usage.

No rules have yet been introduced to ban its use and Swedish broadcasters have admitted they have no way of testing whether songs submitted for the contest have used AI.

However, Norway has banned fully AI-generated tracks from its submissions.

In an exclusive chat at best magazine’s Heroes Awards, Jay, whose band won in 1981 with Making Your Mind Up, said: “I can see why people do it – it’s very lazy. It’s cheating.

“Obviously for Eurovision I do think it should be a really homegrown song.

“I imagine that it will happen. I don’t think it should, but if everyone’s doing it, then you’ve got to compete.

“But I think that we are influenced by so many things, even when we’re writing with pen and paper, we’re still influenced.

“The world is full of influencers – where do you draw the line?I guess we’re going to have to get used to it because we’re not going to stop it.”

The UK is yet to announce who will represent us in Bulgaria next May, but given we came dead last this year with Look Mum No Computer’s song Eins, Zwei, Drei, the only way is up.

Tate’s late summer vibe

IT’S still summer for Tate McRae as she poses in tiny shorts on the set of her new music video.

She looked sensational as she promoted her single Housewife, after the video racked up more than five million views following its release on Friday.

According to the Official Charts, it is on course to debut at No3 this Friday, while Olivia Rodrigo and Chappell Roan’s collaboration Expectations is set to top the charts.

In fact, it looks like there could be lots of change in the Top Ten, with Taylor Swift’s Patient Zero down to No6, while Zach Bryan and Lana Del Rey’s new collaboration Lies is on track to go to No10.

And it’s good news for Fontaines D.C., because following the release of their album Dopamine Chamber on Friday, their track Marianne is at No8 followed by Six Shot Morning at No9.

SKYE’S THE LIMIT FOR FREYA

BRITISH rising star Freya Skye is about to set history aged just 17, becoming the youngest solo headliner at the O2 Academy Brixton in South London.

Freya, who has garnered millions of fans through the Disney film Zombies 4 and a stint on Junior Eurovision in 2022, has sold out her entire 74-date world tour across Australia, New Zealand, North America, Asia, Europe and Latin America.

She will play two nights at the 5,000-capacity venue in Brixton next month and across her tour, she’s sold 222,000 tickets.

It’s a groundbreaking start to her career, particularly as she is yet to even release her debut album.

But I’ve been told fans should expect that in 2027, with massive opportunities in the pipeline to turn her into the next British superstar.

WILL YOUNG has revealed Adele told him she was suspended from school for punching a girl who was voting for Gareth Gates, and not him, on Pop Idol in 2002.

The singer, who will tour the UK next year to mark 25 years since he won the show, said: “Adele got suspended for standing up for me . . . She punched a girl.”

SAM PLAN FOR TOUR NEXT YEAR

SAM FENDER is gearing up to return in 2027 and will announce a string of shows in the coming weeks.

The Seventeen Going Under singer has updated his website with a logo for “SF27” which teases “live shows, music, more.”

It comes days after a rumour that he could headline Glastonbury next summer, which would be amazing.

It’s been a quiet year for Sam following his busy 2025 which saw him go to No1 with his third album, People Watching, and play an extensive tour.

Although he hasn’t been out and about in 2026, his music has still been omnipresent, with his Olivia Dean collaboration Rein Me In becoming the longest-reigning No1 single of all time in the UK, with 23 weeks at the top.

Miley on Dolly good form

MILEY CYRUS has returned to the stage for her first full-length concert in four years, fuelling hope she may finally tour again.

She performed at the Hollywood Bowl in LA on Friday ahead of a second gig performance there last night, in a tentative return to live shows.

Miley has been open about how anxious she gets performing to big crowds, but looked in her element during her 18-song set.

This included a cover of Jolene, to honour her late godmother Dolly Parton.

Thanking fans, she said: “It’s been 20 years of us on this journey, this evolution, this meta-morphosis. You have not skipped a beat.

“I am so, so appreciative of your support. It’s been steadfast, and it’s been deeply felt. The appreciation I have for you is never forgotten on show days.”

DAYTIME TV ARE A RATINGS WINNER

INDIE rockers Daytime TV are riding high with new single Meditate and forthcoming album Rodeo, so there’s no stopping them, unless frontman Will Irvine’s rock ’n’ roll antics land him in handcuffs again.

The singer was arrested in America after being caught buying booze underage, but reckons his Scottish roots came to the rescue.

I’m told one cop said: “This guy’s from Scotland, He knows William Wallace.”

Incredibly, the officer handed back the band’s contraband, leaving them feeling invincible.

Will added: “They’ve given us back the beer and we realised we were unstoppable, because the police had given us booze.”

Will, John Caddick, Naomi Boschetti and Gareth Thompson hit the road last week, kicking off their UK tour in Hull.

If they make it through the tour without another run-in with the law, Daytime TV will be ones to watch.