Zoe Ball has opened up about having an empty nest and her home being ‘so quiet’Credit: Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe BallZoe has revealed her 16-year-old daughter Nelly has moved in with her dadCredit: Zoe Ball/Instagram
Mum-of-two Zoe shares both Nelly, and son Woody, 25, with her ex-husband, Norman Cook, 62.
But, the presenter has revealed how her house is now “so quiet” after both of her children had moved out, as her son now lives in Bristol.
Speaking to Jo Whiley, 60, on their Dig It podcast, Zoe reflected on how empty her Brighton home was, in comparison to her co-host’s busy house.
“Mine’s so quiet, it’s like ugh! It’s less and less because Nel is based more at her dad’s now because I think she’s got to that point of, ‘Ah can I just be in one place?’” the star said.
Zoe shares her kids with her ex-husband, DJ Fatboy SlimCredit: Refer to CaptionZoe now lives with her boyfriend Mathieu Weekes in her Brighton homeCredit: Click News and Media
“All of her CSI revision notes are on the wall at her dads and it’s just [nice] not having to move from house to house, so she’s just spending more time there now.”
Zoe then revealed how Nelly was not far away, as Norman lived closed by.
“It’s great because it’s only around the corner and I can nip round at any time, which is great, and she can come here if she gets upset about anything like, ‘Mum, I need you’ but it’s less and less,” she said.
Both of Zoe’s kids, Nelly and Woody, have now moved out of the family homeCredit: Zoe Ball/InstagramIt comes as Zoe recently missed out on the Strictly hosting jobCredit: BBC
The couple have been dating for a year now, with the pair completely smitten with each other.
Speaking about being a single mum and dating, Zoe previously told her podcast: “Introducing new partners, it’s a tricky one.
“You just have to go with the feeling of it. I think it’s okay to have a bit of a private life that isn’t part of the kids’ life for a little bit.
“In the past I’ve rushed that by welcoming someone in and being like ‘here’s my kids. Here’s my life. This is me.’
“And it’s all a bit much. It’s all a bit much for me. It’s all a bit much for the kids.
“Hopefully at some point there is someone where you think actually this person’s pretty cool and they’re pretty laid-back and they’re not going to come in and demand to be part of your kids’ lives.”
It was a familiar sight: Caitlin Clark stepped to her left, paused and lofted a right-handed layup.
But looming tall, Cameron Brink smacked it out of bounds, caught on camera yelling a couple of curse words before chest-bumping teammate Erica Wheeler so hard she tumbled backward.
That’s the Brink that the Sparks were hoping for this season, and the version of the third-year center they fully expect to shine.
“That was quite the highlight,” coach Lynne Roberts said last week. “That’s what we see in practice, she’s been like that. I was just smiling. … I’m so proud of her.”
After the first game of the season, a 105-78 loss to Las Vegas, Roberts was asked about Brink playing only eight minutes, when she was a minus-19.
“We need Cam to produce,” Roberts said. “We need Cam to bring that defensive energy. We have so much confidence and belief in her. She’s got to get out on the floor with some confidence and do what she’s capable of doing.”
After the next game, when Brink contributed 11 points with five rebounds in that 87-78 loss to Indiana, Roberts wanted to end “the narrative” that the 24-year-old was off to a slow start. Then she netted 10 points in 16 minutes during a defeat of the Toronto Tempo.
The Sparks are in win-now mode but are yet to prove this version of the team can do that. Brink would be a cornerstone player for almost any team in the league, yet she’s coming off the bench with high expectations for her to be one of the team’s most important players.
“My teammates aren’t gonna trust me if I don’t believe in myself,” said Brink, who is averaging 8.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. “Coaches, same thing. So, you know, I’ve had a slow start, but I’m putting in the work with the coaches. They work with me every day. We watch film, shoot a little extra.”
The Sparks need Brink this season. In her first two seasons, she had moments. With Dearica Hamby starting and the addition of Nneka Ogwumike, she is coming off the bench again after doing so last year for the first time since her freshman season at Stanford.
Roberts has said she wants at least two of them on the court at all times. Through the first four games, Brink has played 16.2 minutes per game and the Sparks are minus-29 points when she is on the court.
“Coming into the league, it’s interesting because a lot of times people feel like they have to do something different or more,” Ogwumike said. “But I think one thing that she’s done is she’s really leaned into who she is, and that that level of self assurance is something that I think really plays out when she’s on the court as well.”
In 38 career games, she is already 10th all-time in blocks in Sparks history. Brink dealt with a 13-month layoff after tearing her ACL and meniscus just 15 games into her rookie season, and was slowly re-integrated last season in 19 games.
Sparks forward Cameron Brink tries to power her way past a Tempo defender during agame May 15.
(Jeff Lewis / Asociated Press)
What could really separate the Sparks from the rest of the league, though, would be if Brink plays to her full potential as a sixth player. There are few players in that role who can take over a game the way she can.
“I definitely feel like I have an understanding for just the speed of the game, the nuances and what we’re doing,” Brink said. “The playbook this year is much easier because it was the same as last year.”
The Sparks rebuild started last season with the addition of Kelsey Plum, where they gave up the No. 2 pick to Seattle that would become Dominique Malonga. Then, this offseason they added Ogwumike, Ariel Atkins and Wheeler while trading away their other young star, Rickea Jackson.
The Sparks still gave up 90-plus points in three of their first four games. Brink has the second worst plus-minus rating on the team, but has also made some of their important defensive plays and has 1.8 blocks per game.
“She erases a lot of mistakes out there,” Ogwumike said. “Being able to be out there and know that she has my back, and we’re looking for each other to be in good spots to do well, yeah, I’m just, I’m just happy that we’re rebuilding our chemistry early and fast.”
Brink was a star at Stanford but became known for her fouling habits. As a pro, getting one extra foul to work with, has helped considerably. She’s averaged seven fouls per 36 minutes in her first two seasons.
But the new officiating mandate to allow more freedom of movement is another hurdle. The path to being an elite pro has not been easy for one of the most dynamic college players of the past half-decade, but this season seems essential for Brink and the Sparks to find themselves, together.
Moments like that block of Clark‘s shot are signs the player they need is in there.
“It’s one of those things where you’re in awe,” Ogwumike said. “But also, you know she can do that. I always tell her, go out there and release everything and be yourself. That was very much a Cam Brink play.”
British Airways has said it will cut flights to six destinations and permanently end its route to a seventh, citing the war in the Middle East
British Airways said the cuts are due to the war with Iran (file)(Image: NurPhoto via Getty Images)
British Airways is cutting flights to seven major international airports in response to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
The airline said it has updated its schedule of flights for the Summer 2026 season, which ends on October 24. Customers have been told the changes were made to destinations in the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict between Iran and US-Israeli forces in the region.
As a part of the new schedule, British Airways has reduced the number of flights to seven cities in the Middle East. Services to Dubai are being reduced from three flights a day to one, with the daily service due to return on August 1 (meanwhile, a second daily flight is planned to start on October 16).
Flights to Doha in Qatar, Riyadh in Saudi Arabia and Tel Aviv in Israel are also being cut from twice‑daily to once‑daily. All three routes are expected to resume normal frequency on August 1.
Following a wider review of the programme, the airline has also made the decision to permanently end its route to Jeddah in Saudi Arabia from April 24, The Express reports.
The airlines said in a statement: “Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, we have made further changes to our flying schedule to provide greater clarity for our customers.
“We are keeping the situation under constant review and are directly in touch with affected customers to offer them a range of options.
“Since the disruption began, we have helped thousands of customers return home, operated relief flights, and added additional capacity on key long‑haul routes. We will continue to assess and introduce further flying where possible.”
Destinations impacted by reduced British Airways flights
THE glitter has settled, the nerve-shredding votes are in, and Europe has crowned its brand-new pop royalty for 2026.
In a night packed with spectacular high notes, outrageous outfits, and the usual dose of nail-biting voting drama, one country managed to come out on top.
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The Grand Final of the 70th Eurovision Song Contest has come to an endCredit: AP
Whether your favourite act walked away with the grand prize or suffered the absolute dread of the infamous ‘nul points’ the night has not been short of entertainment.
Here is everything you need to know about who won Eurovision, how they managed to pull off the ultimate musical heist, and where the world’s biggest party is heading next year!
Who won Eurovision 2026?
Lifting the iconic glass microphone trophy for 2026 was Bulgaria.
The country came through at the last moment to smash its competitors out of the water on 516 points.
After hearing the result, Dara performed her song Bangaranga for a second time before lifting the iconic glass trophy.
It’s also the first time Bulgaria has ever won the contest.
DARA representing Bulgaria with the song Bangaranga was the winner of the 2026 Eurovision Song ContestCredit: Getty
The UK suffered yet another crushing defeat in tonight’s grand final as Look Mum No Computer’s Sam Battle sadly didn’t do enough to win over the voters.
He ended up with just one point from the jury and zero points from the public, placing him in the bottom spot.
Here is the breakdown of tonight’s votes in full:
JURY VOTES
Bulgaria: 204
Australia: 165
Denmark: 165
France: 144
Finland: 141
Italy: 134
Poland: 133
Israel: 123
Norway: 115
Czechia: 104
Malta: 81
Greece: 73
Romania: 64
Albania: 60
Ukraine: 54
Croatia: 53
Moldova: 43
Cyprus: 41
Serbia: 38
Belgium: 36
Sweden: 35
Germany: 12
Lithuania: 10
United Kingdom: 1
Austria: 1
AUDIENCE VOTES
Bulgaria: 312
Romania: 232
Israel: 220
Moldova: 183
Ukraine: 167
Greece: 147
Italy: 147
Finland: 138
Australia: 122
Albania: 85
Denmark: 78
Croatia: 71
Serbia: 52
Cyprus: 34
Norway: 19
Poland: 17
Sweden: 16
France: 14
Lithuania: 12
Czechia: 9
Malta: 8
Austria: 5
United Kingdom: 0
Germany: 0
Belgium: 0
FINAL RESULTS IN FULL
Bulgaria: 516
Israel: 343
Romania: 296
Australia: 287
Italy: 281
Finland: 279
Denmark: 243
Moldova: 226
Ukraine: 221
Greece: 220
France: 158
Poland: 150
Albania: 145
Norway: 134
Croatia: 124
Czechia: 113
Serbia: 90
Malta: 89
Cyprus: 75
Sweden: 51
Belgium: 36
Lithuania: 22
Germany: 12
Austria: 6
United Kingdom: 1
How was the winner decided?
Countries are unable to vote for themselves, but may vote for countries they consider friends.
This may be because the countries are close geographically, or if the nations have historical links, which could be culturally or in political terms.
The contest has been eager to avoid links to politics, with a view to avoiding bias.
The votes are split between public votes and national juries, often with celebrities from the various countries appearing to confirm where the juries have given their points.
RuPaul’s Drag Race UK and Strictly star, La Voix, announced the UK’s results.
Who will host Eurovision in 2027?
The victorious nation is handed the honour of hosting the following year’s competition.
That means, thanks to Dara’s success this year, Bulgaria will have the chance to welcome all the other competing countries in 2027.
MAY half-term is almost here and if you’re looking for a fun way to fill the days, there are a wide range of new theme park rides open across the UK.
Whether your little one is a thrill seeker or a Paw Patrol fan, you won’t be stuck for something to entertain them.
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A number of new theme park rides and attractions have opened across the UK just in time for May half termCredit: CrealyCBeebies Land recently opened at Alton Towers, offering a range of rides for your little ones to enjoyCredit: Instagram / @altontowers
A number of new rides and attractions will be open across the UK’s biggest theme parks during the school break, including nine new additions.
Some of these exciting worlds and rollercoasters are already open to customers.
And there are even themed rooms available at some of these sites for the full experience.
So get planning now for a thrilling and memorable half term break.
Bluey the Ride: Here Come The Grannies! is the first coaster themed on the popular cartoon in the worldCredit: Alton Towers
The world’s first Bluey rollercoaster, Bluey the Ride: Here Come The Grannies!, opened at Alton Towers’ CBeebies Land at the end of March.
This kid-friendly coaster features Bluey and Bingo dressed as Janet and Rita, a fun call-back to fan-favourite episode, and you can even book a Bluey-themed room at the park’s hotel this half term.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Blackpool Pleasure Beach will open its new gyro swing ride later this monthCredit: Supplied
Blackpool Pleasure Beach will open its £8.72 million gyro swing ride Aviktas this Thursday (May 21).
Measuring a whopping 138 feet, the ride will be the tallest of its kind in the UK.
Chessington World of Adventures Resort
Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure will be the UK’s first ‘Drifter’ rideCredit: Chessington World of Adventures
Chessington recently opened its highly-anticipated PAW Patrol land, which features four exciting new rides, and also has themed rooms available nearby.
Chase’s Mountain Mission is a rollercoaster suitable for young kids, while Skye’s Helicopter Heroes takes kids on a high-flying mission, and Marshall’s Firetruck Rescue lets kids take a ride on a shiny red truck, and Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure offers the UK’s first “drifter” ride.
Crealy
Pirates’ Plummet opened at Crealy theme park in Devon in AprilCredit: Facebook
The exciting new land will feature new rides, Drakon, the park’s first inverting rollercoaster with a dramatic vertical lift and Vild Swing, which will swing riders 39 feet into the air.
Favourites Finland winning a place in the finalCredit: APThe UK is represented by Look Mum No Computer, who will perform his song Eins, Zwei, Drei with a guaranteed Grand Final slotCredit: PA
What happened in the first Eurovision semi-final?
A total of 15 countries competed for 10 Grand Final spots on Tuesday night.
Pre-qualified Italy and Germany were slotted in after the sixth and 10th songs respectively.
Both nations were performing and voting, but not competing for a place in the final.
After all acts had performed, it was down to Eurovision fans to vote for who they want to see in Saturday’s final.
Just ten countries were picked and they were:
Moldova – Satoshi, Viva, Moldova!
Sweden – Felicia, My System
Croatia – Lelek, Andromeda
Greece – Akylas, Ferto
Finland – Linda Lampenius and Pete Parkkonen, Liekinheitin
Israel – Noam Bettan, Michelle
Belgium – Essyla, Dancing on the Ice
Lithuania – Lion Ceccah, Sólo quiero más
Poland – Alicja, Pray
Serbia – Lavina, Kraj mene
Viewers in the UK were not able to vote during the first semi-final, but things are going to change tonight.
Greece also made it through to Saturday night’s finalCredit: AFPBoy George performed with San Marino’s Senhit, but sadly they didn’t make it thoughCredit: AFP
What is the Eurovision semi-final 2 running order?
The second Eurovision semi-final follows at 8pm on Thursday, May 14, live on BBC One and iPlayer.
Another 15 countries will battle it out for the remaining 10 places.
Pre-qualified France, Austria and the UK will slot in after the fifth, eighth and 12th songs respectively.
These countries are performing and voting, but not competing for a place in the final.
The order for the second semi is as follows:
Bulgaria – Dara, Bangaranga
Azerbaijan – JIVA, Just Go
Romania – Alexandra Căpitănescu, Choke Me
Luxembourg – Eva Marija, Mother Nature
Czechia – Daniel Žižka, Crossroads
France (non-competing) – Monroe, Regarde !
Armenia – Simón, Paloma Rumba
Switzerland – Veronica Fusaro, Alice
Cyprus – Antigoni, Jalla
Austria (non-competing) – Cosmó, Tanzschein
Latvia – Atvara, Ēnā
Denmark – Søren Torpegaard Lund, Før vi går hjem
Australia – Delta Goodrem, Eclipse
Ukraine – Leléka, Ridnym
United Kingdom (non-competing) – Look Mum No Computer, Eins, Zwei, Drei
Albania – Alis, Nân
Malta – Aidan, Bella
Norway – Jonas Lovv, Ya Ya Ya
This is the show where UK fans can pick up the phone and vote.
When is the Eurovision Grand Final?
The Eurovision 2026 Grand Final takes place on Saturday, May 16, with the show getting underway at 8pm on BBC One, iPlayer, BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
A whopping 25 acts will perform – the top 10 countries from each semi-final, alongside hosts Austria and the Big Four of Germany, France, Italy and the UK.
The full Grand Final running order won’t be locked in until after the second semi-final.
A draw will decide if each of the qualifying nations is slotted into the first or second half of the show.
Another draw has already determined that Austria are the closing act, meaning the host country is set to be the 25th and final performance of the night.
Graham Norton is back behind the mic for the BBC’s live coverage, with former Drag Race winner Tia Kofi heading up the broadcaster’s backstage and digital coverage.
FLIGHT cancellations have dominated the news recently with Ryanair in particular axing millions of seats.
As a result of rising air tax, budget-friendly Ryanair has cut a huge amount of routes over the last year – here’s every destination that’s been impacted as a result.
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Ryanair has axed lots of routes across the last yearCredit: GettyRyanair has scrapped off-season flights to certain parts of CreteCredit: Getty
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
At the same time, the airline announced it would be scrapping off-season flights to Chania and Heraklion in Crete and will reduce its Athens services too.
All of this will result in 700,000 fewer seats on sale this winter which works out as a 45 per cent reduction, and resulting in 12 routes being scrapped in total.
The destinations where the airline has closed operations and ceased flights to were Asturias, Vigo, Valladolid, Jerez and Tenerife (North).
At other holiday spots in Spain, Ryanair significantly reduced its flights – this includes Santiago de Compostela, Girona, Vitoria, Zaragoza and Santander.
This is in response to Aena – the state-controlled airport operator in the country – increasing its fees for airlines.
The operator has proposed an increase in passenger fees, meaning airlines would be paying 21 per cent more from 2027 to 2031.
Portugal
Ryanair no longer flies to the Azores off the coast of PortugalCredit: Getty
From Mary 29, Ryanair stopped all services to and from the Azores meaning that six different routes have been scrapped.
This has impacted around 400,000 passengers who visit the islands every year.
Ryanair’s CCO Jason McGuinness said: “As a direct result of rising costs, we have been left with no alternative other than to cancel all Azores flights from 29 March 2026 onwards.”
Germany
Berlin routes have been cut by halfCredit: Getty
While no routes have been completely axed, Ryanair has dropped 24 services to and from Germany from its schedule.
These destinations include Hamburg, Memmingen, Baden-Württemberg, Cologne, Frankfurt-Hahn, Dortmund, Dresden and Leipzig.
Ryanair also revealed plans to close its Berlin hub and slash its 2026 winter timetable to the capital by half.
The airline confirmed it would move seven aircraft to alternative locations.
Passenger figures will as a result drop from 4.5million to 2.2million annually.
Ryanair DAC CEO Eddie Wilson said: “We regret to announce this planned closure of our 7 aircraft Berlin base from October 24, 2026, but we have no alternative following the Airport’s latest 10 per cent fee increase to its already high airport fees.
“This comes on top of the 50 per cent increase in Berlin’s airport fees since 2019.”
France
Ryanair axed its routes completely to Strasbourg in FranceCredit: Alamy
Ryanair cut many services to France in 2025 – with the loss of 25 routes and some 750,000 seats last winter.
The airline decided to drop services completely to both Strasbourg and Brive.
Emmerdale fans have been left even more worried about Jacob Sugden after his latest run-in with Doctor Todd on the ITV soap as his former boss issued another threat
Emmerdale fans have been left even more worried about Jacob Sugden after his latest run-in with Doctor Todd on the ITV soap
Emmerdale fans have been left even more worried about Jacob Sugden after his latest run-in with Doctor Todd on the ITV soap. The medical student, played by Joe-Warren Plant, has been terrorised by his superior at Hotten General for months now, originally masking her bullying as tough love as he began his journey in the profession.
On Monday’s edition of the Yorkshire-based soap, Jacob called round to see Doctor Todd, also known as Cailtin, on the day of her father’s funeral. He took with him some flowers as a gesture of condolence and explained that he hoped to put the past behind them, especially now that she has decided to retire.
Caitlin (Caroline Harker) thanked him for the flowers and seemingly agreed they could draw a line on it, but as soon as Jacob was out the door, she dismissed his gesture by tossing the flowers onto the sofa.
Later on, Caitlin bumped into Vanessa Woodfield (Michelle Hardwick) in the shop, where Jacob was working on the till amid his paternity leave, and arranged to go on a date with her. Vanessa then got a phone call and had to leave immediately to deal with a family emergency, with Caitlin swooping in to offer to pay for her shopping so she could leave quickly.
She took the basket to the till and instantly used this as an opportunity to lay out her plans for Jacob. She said: “Thanks again for the flowers. I was a bit blindsided by you showing up, to be honest.
“But you said something about us going our separate ways and moving on. That’s gonna be a bit difficult, that first bit, isn’t it? Because we both live here.
“But I’m gonna have a lot more time on my hands, as you know, what with no job, and no dad to worry about. I wonder what I’m gonna do with it. Hopefully, it won’t involve finding new ways to make your life as hellish as when you worked with me…especially with what I know. Cheery-bye!”
Jacob was left looking confused to say the least as Caitlin walked out of the shop, but the knowledge that she has is that baby Leyla isn’t actually his daughter, nor is she his wife Sarah’s.
The retired doctor has worked out that Charity Dingle (Emma Atkins), who is Sarah’s grandmother and had claimed to be acting as surrogate, is the child’s biological mother, having conceived the baby during a one-night stand with Ross Barton.
Reacting to the shock threat, one fan wrote on Reddit: “Todd is seriously scary now she’s in full psycho mode.” Another said: “Is Todd that sad that she’s retiring to make his life a misery?”
A third wrote: “Jacob – ‘this woman is bullying me and making my life hell every time I see her, so I know what I’ll do, I’ll go round to her house’”
Emmerdale airs weeknights at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX.
The European Council says the move ‘sends a clear political signal of the EU’s commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery’.
Published On 11 May 202611 May 2026
The European Council has terminated the partial suspension of a cooperation agreement with Syria, thereby restoring fuller trade ties with the country as it seeks to emerge from nearly 14 years of war.
The council said on Monday the move marked an important step towards strengthening relations between the European Union and Syria.
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The decision “sends a clear political signal of the EU’s commitment to re-engage with Syria and support its economic recovery”, the European Council added in a statement.
At the same time, the EU’s foreign ministers met in Brussels with top Syrian diplomat Asaad al-Shaibani, kicking off a high-level political dialogue 18 months after the removal of Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad.
The 27-nation bloc has launched a new chapter with Syria after al-Assad was swept from power in December 2024.
Meeting in Damascus
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen promised after meeting interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa in Damascus in January that Europe would “do everything it can” to support Syria’s recovery.
The commission proposed that EU states fully reactivate the bloc’s cooperation agreement with Syria last month.
The deal, which abolished duties on imports of most industrial products from Syria, was partially suspended in 2011 when al-Assad’s regime cracked down on antigovernment protests at the start of a civil war.
Syria-EU trade had peaked in 2010 at more than 7 billion euros ($9.1bn at the 2010 exchange rate).
By 2023, EU imports from the country had dwindled to 103 million euros ($120m) while European exports to Syria stood at 265 million euros ($310m).
On the sensitive matter of Syrian refugee returns, Germany, home to the EU’s largest Syrian community at more than a million people, is on the front line.
Chancellor Friedrich Merz has embraced tougher migration policies as he seeks to counter the far right, and he triggered a backlash by declaring during a visit by Syria’s president last month that he hoped 80 percent of Syrian refugees would return home within three years.
He later clarified this was a figure put forward by al-Sharaa himself.