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Pop star and recreational astronaut Katy Perry has found a new flame in former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in an unexpected romance that feels like a “Mad Libs” page come to life.

The “California Gurls” hitmaker and the longtime politician publicly debuted their relationship over the weekend, shutting down months of speculation. Perry, 41, and Trudeau, 53, were photographed holding hands during a date night in Paris on Saturday.

The singer, in a red body-hugging dress, and Trudeau in a black suit were seen exiting cabaret club Crazy Horse Paris, where they celebrated Perry’s birthday. Video shared by Backgrid shows Perry accepting a rose from a bystander and Trudeau placing his hand on her back as they walk to their SUV.

Perry and Trudeau first sparked relationship rumors in late July, when they were seen sharing a meal and some good conversation at an upscale restaurant in Montreal. They met up for their rendezvous, captured by TMZ, a month after Perry and “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Lord of the Rings” star Orlando Bloom ended their engagement. The former couple welcomed a daughter in 2020 and continue to co-parent.

At the time, the split with Bloom was the latest blow to Perry’s public image. Prior to their separation, the Grammy-nominated singer’s album “143” faced backlash and scathing reviews, her participation in Blue Origin‘s flashy all-female crew flight was subject to scrutiny and her Lifetimes world tour proved divisive. Trudeau seemed to be all smiles at the latter in late July.

Fans spotted the former Canadian leader, who resigned in January after nearly a decade in power, dancing and singing at Perry’s tour stop in Montreal. Earlier this month paparazzi snapped pictures of the then-rumored couple packing on the PDA on the singer’s yacht off the coast of Santa Barbara, Perry’s hometown.

Trudeau began his romance with Perry after he and ex-wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau announced their separation in 2023. The Trudeaus were married for 18 years and share three children. Though they are legally separated, their divorce is not yet final.

Neither Trudeau nor Perry has publicly addressed their relationship, save for one cheeky comment the singer made during a concert in London this month. When a fan tried shooting his shot and proposed to the singer, she responded, “You know you really should have asked me about 48 hours ago,” seemingly referring to her yacht outing with her new beau.

Perry continues the European leg of her Lifetimes tour Monday, performing at the MVM Dome in Budapest. Information about her remaining tour stops and future gigs can be found on her website.

Sept. 15 (UPI) — Senate Republicans on Monday confirmed White House economic adviser Stephen Miran to join the Federal Reserve Board despite staunch Democratic concerns about his independence.

The Senate voted 48-47 mostly along party lines to narrowly approve Miran’s nomination to serve as governor on the Federal Reserve Board, an independent nonpartisan agency that has been targeted by the Trump administration as it seeks to consolidate federal government power.

He will fill the remainder of Adriana Kugler’s 14-year term, which is set to expire in January.

As one of seven Fed governors, Miran will be a key economic policymaker, voting on the country’s monetary policy, including U.S. interest rates, which President Donald Trump has been calling to be lowered for much of his second term.

Democrats have been in vocal opposition to Miran’s nomination, saying his appointment to the board would undermine its independence due to his loyalty to Trump and the fact that he will remain chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers.

“Stephen Miran isn’t being nominated to help families. He’s being put on the Fed to do Trump’s bidding,” Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Arizona, said in a statement defending his “no” vote.

“He’ll do whatever helps Trump politically and leave us all with higher prices and a bad job market.”

Republicans backed the nomination, with the GOP-led U.S. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, R-S.C., saying it is “a win” for the American people.

“He brings deep experience, proven leadership and a clear commitment to ensuring the American economy remains strong and competitive. I am confident Dr. Miran will act in an independent manner,” Scott said in a statement.

The Senate took up the vote Monday after the Senate Banking Committee earlier in the day voted to advance Miran’s nomination for the seat left vacant by Kugler, a Biden nominee, who abruptly resigned.

Miran said during the committee hearing that he would take a leave of absence from his position at the White House while finishing the remainder of Kugler’s term. That unusual arrangement and Trump’s pressure campaign to get the Fed to lower interest rates has stoked concern about the independence of the central bank.

“You are going to be technically an employee of the president of the United States, but an independent member of the board of the Federal Reserve?” Sen. Jack Reed, D-Rhode Island, said during the hearing. “That’s ridiculous.”

Miran said during the hearing that his thinking process would be independent while serving on the board. Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., replied that they would hold him to that.

Sen. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said in a recorded statement before the Senate vote that if Miran is confirmed he will call for him to resign as Trump’s chief economic advisor.

“He cannot have someone simultaneously working for the White House, working directly under Donald Trump, and sitting on the board of the Federal Reserve,” he said, adding that several of his Republican colleagues have told him that they are also “very uncomfortable” with arrangement.

“If he wants to go, he has to resign his position at the White House.”

The Fed is expected to begin discussions on interest rates Tuesday.

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell has been reluctant to lower the cost of borrowing despite sharp criticism and insults by Trump, who is viewed as seeking to undermine the central bank’s independence.

Trump has attempted to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, alleging she committed mortgage fraud. A judge earlier found the charge to be unfounded and ordered her to be reinstated.

BANK branches across the UK continue to close at pace as Lloyds and NatWest confirm more branches are to shut for good in the coming weeks.

Hundreds have already shut so far this year with a staggering 163 more closures in the pipeline for the coming months.

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Banks are set to close a slew of their stores over the coming weeks and months.

In September alone, a total of 26 NatWest branches and 13 Halifax branches will pull down the shutters for good.

The closures are set to extend into October and November as banks grapple with the customer turn toward online and mobile banking.

And banks including NatWest and Lloyds have confirmed even more closures too with some now earmarked for 2026.

Banks and building societies have closed a whopping 6,443 branches since January 2015 equating to 53 closures every month, according to to consumer champion Which?

Sam Richardson, Which?’s deputy editor, said that the closures represent a “seismic shift” in how Brits bank.

NatWest

NatWest is just one of the major banks to be closing a swathe of its sites throughout the UK.

According to the Metro, a NatWest spokesperson said that more than 80% of its current account holders use digital services, and over 97% of retail accounts are opened online.

A total of 54 branches will be pulling the shutters down this year and since 2015, the NatWest Group — which also includes Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank — has shut 1,409 branches.

Full list of NatWest closures

NatWest are closing a huge number of bank branches in the coming weeks and months.

• Abingdon, September 24
• Birmingham (Acocks Green), September 16
• Birmingham (Edgbaston), September 11
• Birmingham (Shirley), October 1
• Birmingham (Smethwick), September 25
• Bicester, September 30
• Bridgwater, October 27
• Bridport, October 29
• Bristol (Fishponds), September 4
• Cardiff (Canton), September 16
• Cardiff (Llanishen), September 11
• Chippenham, October 15
• Cirencester, September 17
• Cwmbran, September 1
• Dorchester, October 22
• Ely, September 10
• Halesowen, September 3
• Hinckley, September 17
• Honiton, October 21
• Luton (Leagrave), September 15
• Leicester (Melton Road), September 2
• Leicester (Oadby), September 10
• Leighton Buzzard, October 28
• Llangefni, September 4
• Lowestoft, October 15
• Melton Mowbray, September 29
• Midsomer Norton, October 8
• Mold, October 21
• Neath, October 13
• Newmarket (Suffolk), September 24
• Northampton (Weston Favell Shopping Centre), September 15
• Paignton, October 2
• Rayleigh, September 2
• Redditch, October 14
• Ringwood, October 1
• Romsey, October 13
• Leamington Spa, October 1
• Stevenage, October 7
• Stratford-upon-Avon, October 8
• Sudbury, September 30
• Trowbridge, October 16
• Wellingborough, October 7
• Wickford, September 18
• Willerby, September 22
• Wisbech, September 1
• Yate, September 25

Expected to be confirmed later:

• Ashby-de-la-Zouch
• Cromer
• Evesham
• Launceston
• Portishead
• Torquay

Lloyds

Lloyds will close a number of its branches for good in the coming weeks with more closures announced for March 2026.

While four branches will shut in September, a further 23 will close for the final time in October and November while 13 more are due to wind down in March next year.

The bank says they assess “impact on customers” when it comes to shutting its branches.

Full list of Lloyds closures

Lloyds are set to close a number of branches before the year is out with 13 also confirmed for 2026.

• Biggleswade, November 5
• Blandford Forum, November 10
• Bristol Bishopsworth (Church Road), November 6
• Bury, October 21
• Chard, November 11
• Coventry (Foleshill), November 4
• Debden, November 12
• Dunstable, November 4
• East Grinstead, November 12
• Feltham, November 4
• Ferndown, November 17
• Hexham, November 5
• Hornchurch, September 11
• Kidderminster, October 16
• Leeds (Armley), September 22
• Loughton, November 12
• London (Tooting), October 8
• London (Walthamstow), October 22
• Manchester (Newton Heath), November 5
• Monmouth, September 12
• Plymstock, November 4
• Pontardawe, November 20
• Sheffield (Woodhouse), November 11
• Shipston-on-Stour, November 11
• Southall, October 15
• Stoke-on-Trent (Trent), October 10
• Thetford, September 12

Those due to close in March 2026 are:

• Briggs, March 3, 2026
• Catheram, March 5, 2026
• Falmouth, March 5, 2026
• Glossop, March 9, 2026
• Houghton-le-Spring, March 10, 2026
• Hucknall, March 4, 2026
• Leominster, March 3, 2026
• Peterlee Yoden Way, March 3, 2026
• Seaton, March 11, 2026
• Sleaford, March 12, 2026
• Thornbury Avon, February 26, 2026
• Tunstall, March 9, 2026
• Wymondham, March 12, 2026

Halifax

Halifax is another bank that have now announced closures for next year.

Lytham Road is due to close in February 2026 while four more will shut the following month.

The bank has previously reported a 48 per cent drop in face-to-face transaction at their branches in the last five years.

Because customers are using branches less, the brand has closed an enormous number in an effort to cut costs.

Full list of Halifax closures

Halifax will close a number of its branches from now through to November and have also earmarked several for closure next year.

• Barrow-in-Furness, September 10
• Bexleyheath, October 23
• Blackpool (Lytham Road), October 29
• Bolton, November 25
• Brentwood, September 10
• Bristol (Kingswood), October 8
• Carmarthen, October 6
• Castleford, September 8
• Cirencester, September 25
• Crewe, October 14
• Derby, October 23
• Eltham, October 29
• Epsom, September 15
• Erdington, September 24
• Folkestone, October 9
• Hayes (Hillingdon), October 6
• Hexham, November 11
• Hove, October 20
• London (Clapham Junction), September 23
• London (Woolwich), October 1
• Long Eaton, September 18
• Mold, October 16
• Monmouth, September 30
• Morecambe, September 29
• Northwich, September 3
• Rhyl, September 23
• Richmond (Surrey), September 16
• Sittingbourne, October 15
• Skegness, September 3
• Southport, October 7
• Stevenage, October 23
• Stretford, October 15
• Telford, October 22
• Thetford, October 1
• Walkden, September 25
• Wallasey, September 4
• Wickford, November 10

Those due to close in 2026 are:

• Birmingham (Beardwood), March 2, 2026
• Lytham Road, February 24, 2026
• Nelson, March 4, 2026
• Peterlee, March 3, 2026
• Sleaford, March 12, 2026

Santander

Santander will be closing a fifth of its branches in a major cost-cutting mission. 

The brand have confirmed 19 branch closures after 14 shut up shop for good in August.

Surrey Quays branch will shut on November 10 while the remaining branches are yet to have a confirmed closure date.

Santander has confirmed previously that 93% of the UK population will still be within 10 miles of a branch

Full list of Santander closures

Santander will close 19 branches but only one has a confirmed date for closure.

• Surrey Quays, November 10
• Bexhill, TBC
• Billericay, TBC
• Dover, TBC
• Droitwich, TBC
• Dunstable, TBC
• East Grinstead, TBC
• Holyhead, TBC
• Ilkley, TBC
• Larne, TBC
• Lytham St Annes, TBC
• Maldon, TBC
• Morley, TBC
• North Walsham, TBC
• Redcar, TBC
• Saffron Walden, TBC
• Turriff, TBC
• Uckfield, TBC
• Urmston, TBC

Bank of Scotland

Bank of Scotland is closing five of its branches in the remaining months of 2025.

As with Lloyds and Halifax, closures have now been confirmed for next year too.

Wider trends

As of last December, 64% of the branches that were open at the start of 2015 are now closed.

Branch closures peaked in 2017, when 867 sites closed across the UK, more than 70 each month, followed closely by 792 closures in 2018.

But community groups and campaigners point out that the closures are a concern for older people who are less comfortable with digital technology.

Research shows 39 per cent of people aged over 65 do not use online banking, putting them at high risk of financial exclusion.

Houthis condemn killing of Ahmed al-Rahawi, other government ministers in Israeli attack on Yemen’s capital this week.

A Houthi official has vowed “vengeance” against Israel after the Yemeni group confirmed that an Israeli air strike earlier this week killed the prime minister of the Houthis’ government in the capital, Sanaa.

Ahmed al-Rahawi was killed in a Thursday strike on Sanaa along with “several” other ministers, the Houthis said in a statement on Saturday.

Al-Rahawi, who served as prime minister in areas of the divided country that the group controls, was targeted along with other members of the Houthi-led government during a workshop, the statement said.

The Houthis did not specify how many other ministers were also killed in the Israeli attack.

“We shall take vengeance, and we shall forge from the depths of wounds a victory,” Mahdi al-Mashat, a Yemeni politician and military officer who serves as the chairman of the Supreme Political Council of the Houthis, said in a video message later in the day.

Israel’s attack on Sanaa, which the Israeli military had said struck “a Houthi terrorist regime military target”, came as tensions in the region continue to escalate amid Israel’s war on Gaza.

🔴عاجل🔴
رئاسة الجمهورية اليمنية: نعلن استشهاد المجاهد أحمد غالب الرهوي رئيس الوزراء في حكومة التغيير والبناء مع عدد من رفاقه الوزراء يوم الخميس الماضي pic.twitter.com/sSpIqTukkn

— قناة المسيرة (@TvAlmasirah) August 30, 2025

Translation: Yemeni Presidency: We announce the martyrdom of the mujahid Ahmed Ghaleb al-Rahawi, prime minister of the Government of Change and Construction, along with several of his fellow ministers, on Thursday.

Israel has repeatedly targeted Houthi positions in recent months as the Yemeni group has launched attacks on Israel and on Western vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, in what it says is a show of support for Palestinians in Gaza.

The group has repeatedly said that Israeli attacks will not deter its military operations.

On Wednesday, the Houthis claimed responsibility for a missile attack on southern Israel, which the country said was intercepted.

Escalating attacks

In its statement on Saturday, the Houthi presidency said its government and institutions would still be capable of carrying out their duties after the deadly Israeli attack.

“The blood of the great martyrs will be fuel and a motivator to continue on the same path,” it said.

Al-Mashat also said the Houthis will “continue the path of building our armed forces and developing their capabilities”.

“To our people in Gaza, our stance is steadfast, and will remain so until the aggression ceases and the siege is lifted, no matter the scale of the challenge,” he said.

It remains unclear how many people were killed in Thursday’s air strike on Sanaa.

Quoting unnamed sources, Israeli media reported on Friday that the Israeli army attacked the entire Houthi cabinet, including the prime minister and 12 other ministers.

The attack came four days after Israeli strikes on the Yemeni capital on August 24 killed 10 people and wounded more than 90, according to health officials.

The Israeli military said it had targeted Houthi military sites and the presidential palace in that attack.

Al Jazeera’s Hamdah Salhut noted that Israel has said it will “continue to target Houthi-related targets, meaning that anything that could be used militarily or politically by the rebel group” will be a target for the Israeli military.

“The [Israeli] defence minister, Israel Katz, had previously noted that Israel’s strikes on Yemen weren’t really doing enough to deter the group from launching” attacks against the country, Salhut said.

As a result, Katz said “he wanted to target their leadership similar to what Israel has done with assassinations within other political groups across the region, like Hezbollah, like Hamas, like Islamic Jihad”, she added.

There’s less than a week to go before the ‘mother of all reunions’ on EastEnders, as Kat and Zoe come face to face for the first time in two years – as they tease what’s to come

With just a week to go until the ‘mother of all reunions’, Jessie Wallace and Michelle Ryan joined The One Show live from Albert Square on Wednesday night, to give EastEnders fans a teaser of what they can expect.

Spoilers have revealed that Kat and Zoe will finally come face-to-face next week for the first time in two decades, months after Zoe made her brief return to Albert Square.

At the time, Alfie and Stacey were the only ones who had been in contact with her and had tried to do all that they could to keep the secret from Kat. However, the two couldn’t keep the secret for long as news got to both Tommy and Jean this week. Tonight, the guilt got too much for Alfie, as he confessed all…

READ MORE: EastEnders fans ‘convinced’ Cindy and Anthony will have scandalous affair after ‘clue’READ MORE: EastEnders horror as resident ‘fights for life’ after shock shooting on the Square

Kat was left stunned as the episode came to an end, and now the secret’s out, EastEnders fans only have to wait a few days until the highly anticipated reunion next week. The BBC soap aren’t giving too much away, but JB Gill managed to get some details out of Michelle and Jessie during his trip to Albert Square…

Revealing what viewers can expect from her major return next week, Michelle said: “Zoe is at the lowest point that we’ve ever known her to be. Disappeared 20 years ago, and we’re seeing that she’s struggled a lot. So, she’s desperate, she comes back, and even despite herself, she knows that she needs her family.

“And I think that’s where Kat is such a huge part. The mother-daughter dynamic is the best thing that you can play,” Michelle continued.

“But we still play it in a way as sisters, because we grew up as sisters,” Jessie added. “Well, the characters grew up as sisters, but there are elements of, ‘I am your mother!'” she laughed. “But that’s there, that’s sort of underlying.”

Digging for even more details, the JLS star asked the duo whether the reunion would be explosive, or pain sailing – but of course, we knew the answer.

“Oh come on! It’s EastEnders, what do you think?!” Jessie laughed. “Carnage. Complete carnage,” Michelle added.

As Jessie mentioned, Kat and Zoe grew up as ‘sisters’ until October 2001, where Kat accidentally revealed the truth during an argument, creating the iconic – “You’re not my mother!” line.

The pair have had a tumultuous relationship ever since – but with Zoe now heading back to Albert Square, can Kat have the mother daughter relationship with Zoe that she’s always wanted?

It’s not the only dramatic moment happening next week in the BBC soap, as one residents life is set to hang in the balance after a shock shooting. But who is it?

EastEnders airs Mondays to Thursdays at 7:30pm on BBC One and BBC iPlayer. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat ,Instagram ,Twitter ,Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

WASHINGTON — The Senate on a party-line vote on Tuesday confirmed Emil J. Bove, President Trump’s defense lawyer and loyal ally atop the Justice Department, to a lifetime seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia. The vote was 49 to 50.

Bove, 44, was a highly controversial judicial nominee, not because of his legal views, but because he led a purge of prosecutors and FBI agents who had worked on cases growing out of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Before this year, the Justice Department held to a tradition of keeping politics out of law enforcement. But Bove and Atty. Gen. Pam Bondi saw their missions as carrying out the wishes of President Trump, including his plans for retribution against the prosecutors and investigators who brought charges against him or the 1,500 Trump allies who stormed the Capitol and fought with police.

In the first weeks of Trump’s second term, Bove served as the acting head of the Justice Department before Bondi was confirmed by the Senate.

Bove also ordered federal prosecutors in New York to drop bribery and corruption charges against Mayor Eric Adams. The move prompted several of them to resign over what they saw as an unethical deal to win the mayor’s cooperation in the administration’s plan to round up immigrants who are in the country illegally.

Bove also played a key role in the new administration’s clash with a federal judge over deporting Venezuelans to a brutal prison in El Salvador. A former Justice Department attorney-turned-whistleblower said Bove told government lawyers they should ignore orders from the judge who sought to halt the deportations.

When Bove appeared before a Senate committee as a judicial nominee, he said he had been misunderstood and unfairly criticized.

“I am not an enforcer” or “anybody’s henchman,” he said.

Deputy Atty. Gen. Todd Blanche, who partnered with Bove in defending Trump last year, said he had been smeared by unfair criticism.

“Emil is the most capable and principled lawyer I have ever known,” he wrote in a Fox News opinion column.

Democrats said Bove did not deserve a promotion to the federal courts.

Sen. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) described Bove as a partisan loyalist who served Trump as “the instrument of his vengeance.”

“When Trump wanted to purge the department of prosecutors who had proved to juries beyond a reasonable doubt that the violent offenders who attacked police officers that day did so to interfere with the peaceful transfer of power, Emil Bove was there to punish not the criminals, but the prosecutors,” Schiff said in opposing the nomination.

On Tuesday, Bove was called a “diligent, capable and fair jurist” by Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), according to the Associated Press.

Bove is not likely to have much influence on the 3rd Circuit Court. Its 14 judges hear appeals from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Bove has no experience as a judge and has not written on legal or constitutional issues.

However, if Justices Clarence Thomas or Samuel A. Alito were to retire in the next three years, Trump could nominate him to the Supreme Court.

His nomination drew unusually broad opposition from the legal community.

In a July 15 letter to the Senate, 80 former and retired judges said confirming Bove to a life-term judgeship undercuts the rule of law and respect for the federal courts. They said his “egregious record of mistreating law enforcement officers, abusing power and disregarding the law itself disqualifies him for this position.”

More than 900 former Justice Department attorneys signed a letter to the Senate saying “it is intolerable to us that anyone who disgraces the Justice Department would be promoted to one of the highest courts in the land.”

Sen. Susan Collins, a Maine Republican, became the first Republican to declare her opposition to his nomination.

“We have to have judges who will adhere to the rule of law and the Constitution and do so regardless of what their personal views may be,” she said in a statement. “Mr. Bove’s political profile and some of the actions he has taken in his leadership roles at the Department of Justice cause me to conclude he would not serve as as impartial jurist.”

Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska were the only Republicans to vote against Bove.

LIVERPOOL have announced the arrival of new striker Hugo Ekitike in a £79million deal from Eintracht Frankfurt.

The Frenchman’s arrival comes after months of the Reds courting him and his camp, with an end-of-season meeting with Arne Slot proving crucial in turning his head.

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Eiktike, 23, becomes Liverpool’s latest big-money addition this summer after splashing out on the like of Jeremie Frimpong, Milos Kerkez, Giorgi Mamardashvili and Florian Wirtz – taking their total spend to just under £300m.

The striker has penned a six-year deal on Merseyside, tying his future down with the champions after his impressive campaign in the Bundesliga last term.

Ekitike scored 15 goals and registered eight assists in his 33 Bundesliga appearances during the 2024/25 campaign, earning himself a spot in the league’s Team of the Season.

According to The Athletic, Liverpool beat a number of their Premier League rivals to Ekitike’s signature.

Chelsea are said to have explored a move, Manchester United considered a late bid and Newcastle were well-known to have had an offer knocked back by Frankfurt.

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