Watch the highlights as Celtic score a controversial late penalty to win at Motherwell and take the Scottish Premiership title race to a final-day decider against Hearts.
The Count of Monte Cristo is a 2024 film based on the 1844 novel by Alexandre Dumas.
Starring Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantes, the tale follows the young sailor falsely imprisoned for treason on his wedding day.
Escaping more than a decade later from the fortress he is imprisoned in, he transforms into a wealthy Count and builds a new life under the fake identity.
Behind the mask, he sets out to get his revenge on those who betrayed him.
The synopsis reads: “Falsely accused, imprisoned for 15 years – now he’s out for revenge on those who wronged him. An epic drama of betrayal, love and vengeance starring Pierre Niney.”
The 2024 film has been split into four parts for BBC iPlayer after becoming a huge hit when it first premiered.
One fan hailed it an “excellent adaptation from the beautiful novel, with another calling it “absolutely terrific”.
One viewer branded it a “masterpiece”, while someone else said: “I truly loved this movie and I am not an avid movie watcher, easily one of the best movies I’ve ever seen.”
“A dream come true for Monte Cristo fans,” one said, as another review was titled “Absolutely stunning”.
“Go out of your way to see this one,” one viewer advised, while someone else called it “unmissible”. They continued: “I was absolutely captivated by the film from start to finish. Every moment kept me on the edge of my seat, and I wasn’t bored for a single second.”
“A gorgeous modern production of timeless epic,” another person said, while one fan called it “spectacular”.
Despite the widespread praise, French actor Pierre Niney previously admitted he was “pessimistic” about the project at the start.
He told Forbes: “I remember thinking ‘It’s not going to be made, they’re not going to find the money’. It would take people crazy enough to embark on a 1200 pages book to make one movie.
“So I was pessimistic at the start, thinking it was too good to be true. And actually it’s even better than what I had imagined, so it will stay engraved in my memory forever.”
The Count of Monte Cristo is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters on Tuesday that Operation Epic Fury – the US-Israeli strikes on Iran which commenced on February 28 and prompted a regional conflict – had concluded as its objectives had been achieved. Washington now prefers “the path of peace”, Rubio said.
On the same day, US President Donald Trump announced that the US military operation to escort stranded ships out of the Strait of Hormuz – “Project Freedom”, which was launched the day before – had been paused.
So, does this mean the US-Israel war on Iran is over?
What did Rubio say about Operation Epic Fury?
In a media briefing at the White House on Tuesday, Rubio told reporters that Operation Epic Fury was over.
“The Operation Epic Fury is concluded. We achieved the objectives of that operation,” Rubio said.
“We’re not cheering for an additional situation to occur. We would prefer the path of peace. What the president would prefer is a deal,” he said, referring to Pakistan’s efforts to arrange direct talks between Iran and the US.
The first round of these, in Islamabad last month, ended without a resolution. Both sides have submitted new proposals since then.
“The on-again, off-again talks with Iran, alongside Trump’s abrupt about turn on ‘Operation Freedom’ to guide vessels out of the Strait of Hormuz has created unwelcome frenzy in the Gulf,” Burcu Ozcelik, a senior research fellow for Middle East security at UK-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), told Al Jazeera.
“It also reflects the highly fraught and almost frantic diplomatic backchannelling aimed to extract deep concessions from Tehran on the nuclear issue that will lock in commitments that exceed previous conditions, and which will convince the US to lift the blockade on Iranian ports and unlock sanctions relief – thereby effectively ending the war.”
Ozcelik explained that Iran, on the other hand, wants guarantees that this will be the end of the war, rather than just a pause.
What did Trump say about Project Freedom?
The same day, Trump told reporters that Project Freedom had been paused “based on the request” of Pakistan and other countries, and the “fact that Great Progress has been made towards a Complete and Final Agreement” with representatives of Iran.
Project Freedom was the US forces’ operation to escort stranded ships through the Strait of Hormuz that Trump announced the day before. It had appeared to signal a direct challenge to Iran’s closure of the strategic waterway, through which 20 percent of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies are shipped in peacetime. Iran’s threats to attack ships in the strait have blockaded it since the US-Israel attacks on Iran began. Then, the US announcement of a naval blockade on Iranian ports added to the standoff around the strait.
After Trump announced Project Freedom, Iran said ships trying to use the strait without permission from the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) would be fired on, igniting fears of a return to war. His announcement triggered a war of words between the US and Iran, with claims and counterclaims about strikes continuing throughout the day.
First, Iran’s Fars agency claimed it had hit a US warship with drones after it ignored orders to turn back from the Strait of Hormuz. US Central Command (CENTCOM) denied a US ship had been struck, however, and instead claimed to have sunk at least six IRGC vessels. Iran denied that. Tehran then published a new map extending its claimed area of control over the strait into UAE waters, raising fears of a new regional confrontation.
The UAE accused Iran of launching strikes on its Fujairah port, the site of an important oil pipeline, which sparked a fire in an oil refinery.
On Tuesday, the US operation had been stopped, according to Trump.
“We have mutually agreed that, while the [US] Blockade will remain in full force and effect, Project Freedom (The Movement of Ships through the Strait of Hormuz) will be paused for a short period of time to see whether or not the Agreement can be finalized and signed,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Iran has not immediately responded to this.
Shahram Akbarzadeh, a professor in Middle East and Central Asian politics at Australia’s Deakin University, told Al Jazeera that while it is difficult to determine exactly why Trump has paused Project Freedom, the pause comes against the backdrop of growing antiwar public opinion in the US.
“At the same time, Trump may be losing patience with the war; he says he has time to drag this out,” Akbarzadeh said.
“But in reality, Trump has a short attention span and needs to secure a win – soon. Pausing Project Freedom allows diplomacy to pick up pace, bringing US and Iran closer to a deal that Trump would label as a win.”
Is this the end of the war on Iran?
Not exactly. Akbarzadeh said pausing Project Freedom could serve as “the beginning of the end for the war”.
“We know that the Iranians are desperate for an end, so there is little chance of them resuming attacks on US Navy if Trump sends explicit signals that diplomacy has a green light,” he said.
However, he added, “The problem is that we have been here before. Earlier opportunities were squandered because Israel insisted that the US could get a better deal or because Trump misread the situation and expected the military option to grant him more concessions.”
What happens next?
It is difficult to predict this, but neither side appears to want a return to full-scale war, so both are likely to prioritise a diplomatic way out, Akbarzadeh said.
Still, “neither can afford to be seen as the loser,” he added. “They feel their public image needs to be preserved for their own respective domestic audience. This complicates negotiations and reaching a deal.”
Ozcelik said what happens next “will be determined by what the fractured leadership in Tehran commits to on the nuclear file.
“While it has rejected that talks involve curbs on Iran’s nuclear programme, this type of posturing has aimed to assuage domestic, hard-line and Iranian nationalists who are rattled by the US-Israel strikes and see nuclear issues from a nationalist, sovereign rights perspective.”
She predicted that the United Nations may soon issue a formal condemnation of Iran for unilaterally blockading the Strait of Hormuz.
“But the real pressure, mounting by the day, is the economic one – that shutting the strait is imposing punishing costs on Iran’s economic recovery prospects,” she said.
“Despite rhetoric on resilience and survival, the remaining Iranian leadership is undeniably concerned about the costs of the war. The possibility of renewed military strikes against Iranian critical infrastructure and the destabilising impacts these would inevitably have might be finally forcing Tehran’s hand,” Ozcelik concluded.
A new hit Netflix series is returning for its second season just over a year after its stunning debut last year
‘Epic’ Netflix drama hailed ‘better than Virgin River’ gets thrilling update
The hit show has been called “cowboy Virgin River” by fans.
Netflix’s Ransom Canyon has officially announced a release date for its eagerly awaited second season, and fans won’t have to wait much longer.
The popular Western drama launched last April and brought viewers an epic family saga unfolding on a Texas ranch, with the powerful romance between Staten Kirkland (portrayed by Josh Duhamel) and Quinn O’Grady (Minka Kelly) taking centre stage.
The first season exposed the shocking truth surrounding the death of Staten’s son while the stoic rancher slowly grows closer to Quinn, his long-time family friend and proprietor of the local dancehall.
At the same time, charming and mysterious drifter Yancy (Jack Schumacher) arrives in town to reconnect with his long-lost grandfather and embarks on a romance of his own, only to unveil a startling secret in the jaw-dropping finale.
The programme has drawn favourable comparisons to Netflix’s other hit small-town romance, Virgin River, with some Redditors even declaring the new series is “so much better”, reports the Express.
Netflix Tudum has this week announced that the gripping drama will return on Thursday, 23rd July, with all eight episodes dropping.
Creator April Blair has disclosed that the much-anticipated follow-up will resume six months after Quinn’s decision to leave home to chase a dream job in New York.
“In that time, she didn’t speak to Staten at all,” actress Kelly disclosed. And Duhamel confirms: “He missed her. Staten has been masking that with his behaviour.
“So when he finds out Quinn is back, Staten realises that he’s made some mistakes, and he wants to make it right.”
Season two will also follow the blossoming teenage romance between high schoolers Lauren (Lizzy Greene) and Lucas (Garrett Wareing), while Yancy is likely in hot water with bartender Ellie (Marianly Tejada) following the arrival of a woman claiming to be his wife in the season finale.
“We’ve also built out the world even more this season,” showrunner Blair reveals. “Quinn’s mother, Claire – played by Patricia Clarkson, who’s an icon – comes to town, and she’s a little Postcards from the Edge meets The Notebook.
“What did she do to mess up? We find out there’s some secrets from the past.”
Alongside Clarkson, several fresh faces join the cast, including High Potential’s Steve Howey as Staten’s half-brother Levi, a rugged outdoorsman who lives off the land.
Watch Unchosen on Sky for free
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Sky is giving away a free Netflix subscription with its new Sky Stream TV bundles, including the £15 Essential TV plan.
This lets members watch live and on-demand TV content without a satellite dish or aerial and includes hit shows.
This includes the brand new UK drama Unchosen, starring Asa Butterfield and Christopher Eccleston.
Ben Robson (Vikings) and Heidi Engerman (Chicago Fire) have also signed on, with familiar faces returning including Casey W. Johnson, Tatanka Means, Justin Johnson Cortez, Kenny Miller, Philip Winchester, Jennifer Ens, Brett Cullen, Lauren Glazier, and Niko Guardado.
Netflix’s synopsis for season two states: “Season two begins six months after the events of the first season, with rancher Staten fighting to reclaim his legacy after being unseated as trustee of his family’s Double K Ranch.
“Meanwhile, musician Quinn must decide if her heart truly belongs in the small town she once tried to outrun or in the fast-paced world of New York City. Are the pair star-crossed lovers, or fated to be together? In Ransom Canyon, true love stories are messy, complicated, and always worth the wait.”
Ransom Canyon season 2 premieres Thursday, 23rd July on Netflix.
Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
For the first time since at least the launch of Operation Epic Fury on Feb. 28, an Iranian-linked vessel was interdicted in the Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) region, the Pentagon confirmed to The War Zone. The boarding of the Botswana-flagged oil tanker M/T Tifani came just days after Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine told reporters, including from The War Zone, that the U.S. would “actively pursue any Iranian-flagged vessel or any vessel attempting to provide material support to Iran” anywhere in the world. The move also follows the U.S. firing on and seizing the Iranian cargo ship Touska on Sunday in the Arabian Sea.
Meanwhile, as the clock ticks down toward the end of a fragile ceasefire between the U.S and Iran, the future of peace negotiations remains very much uncertain, which we will discuss later in this story.
“Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility,” the Pentagon stated Tuesday morning on X. “As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit networks and interdict sanctioned vessels providing material support to Iran—anywhere they operate. International waters are not a refuge for sanctioned vessels. The Department of War will continue to deny illicit actors and their vessels freedom of maneuver in the maritime domain.”
The oil tanker M/T Tifani with a U.S. Navy Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship in the background (Pentagon) A U.S. Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter hovers over the deck of the Tifani. (Pentagon)
Video released by the Pentagon shows about two dozen armed troops boarding two MH-60S Seahawk helicopters on a U.S. Navy Expeditionary Sea Base (ESB) ship. The video then cuts to the troops repelling onto the deck of the Tifani and searching that vessel.
Overnight, U.S. forces conducted a right-of-visit, maritime interdiction and boarding of the stateless sanctioned M/T Tifani without incident in the INDOPACOM area of responsibility.⁰⁰As we have made clear, we will pursue global maritime enforcement efforts to disrupt illicit… pic.twitter.com/EGwDe3dBI3
The Pentagon did not say where the incident took place, however, according to MarineTraffic.com, the Tifani was last located yesterday in the Indian Ocean, about halfway between Sri Lanka and Indonesia and some 2,000 miles southeast of Iran.
The Pentagon told us that “multiple agencies” played a role in seizing the ship. We have reached out for additional details.
Gregory Brew, Senior Analyst, Iran and Oil for Eurasia Group, stated on X that the Tifani departed from Iran’s Kharg Island on April 5 and that the ship appears to have continued sailing on after the boarding. We asked the Pentagon for more details about the ship’s disposition and they referred us to the White House, which sent us back to the Pentagon.
Tifani embarked from Kharg on 5 April, bound for Singapore.
FWIW this post suggests the ship was boarded and searched but not seized.
As of 3 hours ago, it was still en route to Singapore, though its course had shifted south, per Kpler. https://t.co/Em2P9ZRKrT
The ship was sanctioned under a 2018 executive order issued by President Donald Trump during his first term designed to counter Iranian malign activities and prevent it from obtaining a nuclear weapon.
UPDATES
The status of peace talks in Pakistan remains murky. While Vice President JD Vance and other top officials are expected to leave for the negotiations today, Iranian officials have yet to officially commit. The main sticking points remain the future of Iran’s highly enriched uranium, the Strait of Hormuz, the status of its ballistic missile inventory and support for proxies like Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Houthis of Yemen.
“A diplomatic source in Pakistan says no diplomatic delegation from Iran has been dispatched to Islamabad ‘so far,’” the official Iranian IRNA news agency stated on Tuesday. “In response to speculations about possible negotiations in Pakistan, a diplomatic source told IRNA on Tuesday that no delegation from Iran has arrived in the Pakistani capital.”
The source clarified that “neither official nor unofficial information has been received regarding any Iranian involvement in the negotiations in Islamabad.”
#BREAKING: #Pakistan Information Minister: .Formal response from #Iranian side about confirmation of delegation to attend Islamabad talks is still awaited .Pakistan made sincere efforts to convince Iranian leadership to participate in second round of talks, efforts continue… pic.twitter.com/cw9rPb1F6X
In a brief phone call, Trump told CNBC host Joe Kernan he thinks the U.S. is “going to end up with a great deal” with Iran to end the war, even as he said he does not expect to extend a ceasefire due to expire on Wednesday.
“I think they have no choice,” Trump said during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box,” when asked what he expected to come out of a second round of peace negotiations with Iran. “We’ve taken out their navy, we’ve taken out their air force, we’ve taken out their leaders.”
President Trump breaks down ongoing negotiations with Iran on @SquawkCNBC 🎙️
“I think we’re in a very strong negotiating position to do what other presidents should’ve done… we had 47 years with these bloodthirsty people.” – President Donald J. Trump 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/X7nceyI622
The president added that he is ready to resume the conflict if a deal with Iran does not appear in the offing.
“Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with – but we’re ready to go,” Trump answered when asked if he needs at least the prospect for a signed deal either today or tomorrow.
.@JoeSquawk: “You’re saying that you need at least the prospects for a signed deal today and tomorrow or else you would resume bombing Iran?”@POTUS: “Well, I expect to be bombing because I think that’s a better attitude to go in with — but we’re ready to go.” pic.twitter.com/vEmOfes6Er
Trump also said “I don’t want to do that,” when asked if he would extend the ceasefire beyond tomorrow if talks with Iran appear promising.
Iran is banking on “market meltdowns” and domestic economic pressures to get Trump to back down on his demands, Fox News reporter Trey Yingst suggested Tuesday morning.
“Iran sees this as a game of endurance. They believe that time is on their side and that ultimately the domestic pressure, when it comes to energy markets and the stock market, will force President Trump to make a deal that’s in their favor,” he explained. “That is not the truth. That is not the reality…The president and his counterparts in Israel have the ability to continue this operation for months if they need to.”
TEHRAN’S TACTICS: Senior regional intelligence source indicates that Iran is betting on a game of “endurance,” banking on market meltdowns and domestic distress to force President Trump into a deal.@TreyYingst: “Iran sees this as a game of endurance. They believe that time is… pic.twitter.com/HTMz1dVt8H
Trump is “misleading” the world about “conditions on the ground,” Iran’s top military operational commander claimed.
“Holding the upper hand, the Armed Forces do not allow the lying and delusional president of the United States to exploit the situation or fabricate false narratives about conditions on the ground, particularly regarding the management and control of the Strait of Hormuz, during periods of silence in military confrontation,” proffered Major General Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, which is responsible for coordinating operations between the country’s Army and the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC).
Abollahi added that the Armed Forces “will duly respond to any breach of commitments” by the “adversaries,” a reference to the U.S. firing on and seizing the Iranian cargo ship Touska on Sunday.
Iran’s Armed Forces Ready to Deliver Decisive Response to Any Enemy Breach
Major Gen. Ali Abdollahi, commander of Central Khatam al-Anbiya HQ, declared that Iran’s armed forces are fully prepared to deliver a decisive & immediate response to any breach of commitments by enemies. pic.twitter.com/KzP1sIlEL3
Though the status of the peace talks is unclear, Pakistan has emerged as a winner on the world stage. However, it is an unlikely mediator, The Washington Post notes.
“Pakistan does not formally recognize Israel, one of the key countries involved,” the Post posited. “It became a nuclear power in secret, as the U.S. and Israel have accused Iran of seeking to do. And it did not start off on the right foot with President Donald Trump, who in his first term said Pakistan had given Washington ‘nothing but lies and deceit.”
But over the past year, “a focused campaign to win Trump’s favor appears to have paid off,” the newspaper added. “For months, Pakistan’s leaders wooed the Trump administration with flashy deals and public praise.”
“We read him right,” said Mushahid Hussain Syed, the former chairman of the Pakistani Senate’s Defense Committee. He said Pakistan recognized Trump’s transactional approach to diplomacy early.
“We delivered, and we delivered big time,” Syed said. “We gave him the three C’s: crypto, critical minerals and counterterrorism.”
Pakistan, a nuclear-armed power that doesn’t recognize Israel, is hosting talks to end the Iran war despite not always getting along with President Trump.
The country improved ties with the U.S. through deals in crypto, minerals and counterterrorism. https://t.co/KQPjiNH2nN
Recent events in and around the Strait of Hormuz – including the IRGC opening then closing the narrow body of water, its attack on several foreign vessels and the U.S. seizure of an Iranian cargo ship – are creating further instability in the world energy markets, according to global market intelligence firm Kpler.
Hormuz reopening misread
The declaration that the Strait of Hormuz was open prompted a rapid market repricing, with #oil falling and risk assets rising. Yet the reopening was conditional, requiring IRGC-managed transit rather than offering free passage. A short-lived surge in… pic.twitter.com/srAFRnb9M7
Shipping giant Maersk is urging ships to avoid the region.
“Volatility persists in the situation,” the company stated. “In coordination with our security partners, we have assessed that as of now, transit through the Strait should be avoided. We will continue monitoring developments and provide updates as clarity improves.”
The International Maritime Organization is “working on an evacuation plan for hundreds of ships that have been stuck in the Persian Gulf since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began more than seven weeks ago,” Bloomberg News reports, citing Secretary General Arsenio Dominguez.
The plan can only be put into action when there are clear signs of de-escalation, Dominguez said on the sidelines of Singapore Maritime Week on Tuesday. The United Nations agency would also need to ascertain if mines had been laid in the strait before sending ships through, he said.
Around 800 ships remain stuck in the Persian Gulf after traffic through the Strait of Hormuz slowed to a trickle following the outbreak of the war. Tehran’s threats and attacks on vessels had made most shipowners too nervous to attempt a transit, although the Islamic Republic had been allowing some vessels that followed approved routes to exit, and demanding payment in some cases.
The U.S. blockade of Iranian ports on April 13 — aimed at depriving Iran of revenue for the war — has made the situation even more perilous.
Even if the war ended today and the Strait was reopened, it will likely take several months – and maybe even into next year – for U.S. domestic gasoline prices to drop back down to pre-war levels, Axios noted.
There is disagreement on this even in Washington. Energy Secretary Chris Wright told CNN Sunday that gas might not drop all the way down to the pre-war level — just under $3 per gallon — until next year. President Trump, for his part, appeared to contradict Wright in comments to The Hill Monday, seeing a faster drop.
However, researchers and analysts Axios interviewed “see slower price drops — pretty close to Wright’s prediction,” the outlet posited.
“Even in the most optimistic of these scenarios, in which flows through Hormuz recover quickly with no restrictions, U.S. retail gasoline prices are likely to face an uphill battle to return to pre-war levels until 2027,” Rob Smith, S&P Global director of refining and marketing, told Axios.
China is lowering domestic retail gasoline and diesel price caps, Reuters reported. This marks its first cut this year as global oil prices retreated from their peaks of the Iran war.
The price drop “will save a private car owner about $3.23 to fill a 50-litre tank of 92-octane gasoline,” the outlet noted. “High gasoline and diesel prices have sharply curbed retail consumption, leading to a surge in inventories at independent refineries and prompting widespread wholesale price cuts to clear stocks, Chinese consultancy Oilchem said.”
Iraqi militias backed by Iran launched dozens of explosive drones at Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states during more than five weeks of fighting, in what is becoming a shadowy war within a war pushing some of the world’s largest oil producers toward open conflict, according to The Wall Street Journal.
According to at least one Saudi assessment described by a person familiar with it, up to half of the nearly 1,000 drone attacks on the kingdom came from inside Iraq, the publication pointed out.
Iraqi militias backed by Iran launched dozens of explosive drones at Saudi Arabia and other Gulf states during more than five weeks of fighting, in what is becoming a shadowy war within a war https://t.co/16B5sxake9
