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Warren Buffett will step down as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A 0.39%) (BRK.B 0.30%) at the end of the year. But before he does, the conglomerate he’s run for nearly 60 years will make at least one more big acquisition.

The Oracle of Omaha and soon-to-be CEO Greg Abel expect to close on a deal to acquire the petrochemicals business OxyChem from Occidental Petroleum (OXY 0.32%) in the fourth quarter. Berkshire will pay $9.7 billion in cash, which will barely make a dent in the $340 billion sitting on the company’s balance sheet. Still, it represents the largest purchase for Berkshire since Allegheny Corp. in 2022.

The deal is an exceptional example of Warren Buffett’s investing style, which relies on being in a good position to act when great opportunities present themselves. Here’s what Berkshire Hathaway is getting in the deal, and why it’s an absolutely genius move.

Image source: The Motley Fool.

What is Berkshire buying?

OxyChem is a leading petrochemical company, one of the largest producers of caustic soda, potash, chlor-alkali, and PVC. It’s a global operation with 23 facilities worldwide, and Greg Abel described the acquisition as “a robust portfolio of operating assets, supported by an accomplished team.”

However, the industry is facing pressure. Weak pricing for caustic soda and PVC led to disappointing pre-tax earnings in the second quarter of just $213 million. Management revised its outlook for the business for full-year pre-tax income low to between $800 million and $900 million for this year.

Occidental’s management expects the supply side pressure on pricing to mitigate next year. In management’s first quarter earnings call, it said it expects to generate “$1 billion in incremental pre-tax cash flow from non-oil and gas source in 2026, with further expansion in 2027.” Part of that improvement is from modernization of OxyChem facilities.

In the meantime, though, Berkshire is swooping in to buy the assets when the entire industry is near a cyclical trough. The $9.7 billion price tag is estimated to be around 8 times OxyChem’s 2025 EBITDA expectations. That’s roughly in line with other chemical stocks like Eastman Chemical and Dow, but the entire industry is seeing lower earnings multiples due to the same headwinds pushing profits lower at OxyChem.

If the industry turns around as Occidental’s management expects, Berkshire could be getting a heck of a bargain. But the way it’s acquired the business makes it an even better deal for Berkshire and its shareholders.

The cherry on top for Berkshire

The big reason Occidental was willing to sell OxyChem despite expectations that it will see significantly improved earnings and cash flow over the next few years is because it needs cash. The oil and gas company took on additional debt to acquire CrownRock in August of 2024.

The increase in debt on Occidental’s balance sheet was always meant to be temporary. When it announced the acquisition, management said it plans to divest assets and use excess cash flow to reduce its debt levels back below $15 billion. While it’s been aggressive in using excess cash to pay down debt, the company still had $24 billion worth of debt on its balance sheet as of the end of the second quarter.

The cash infusion from Berkshire is set to net $8 billion after taxes. Of that, $6.5 billion will go toward paying down debt, with the other $1.5 billion going to Occidental’s coffers. Combined with debt pay down from excess free cash flow, management expects to meet its sub-$15 billion target.

The debt reduction indirectly benefits Berkshire as well. The conglomerate owns a 28% stake in the business. The stronger balance sheet should support projects to maximize its vast resources in the Permian Basin while improving its free cash flow position with reduced debt burden. That should support long-term growth for the business.

One other aspect of the deal provides tremendous benefits to Berkshire and its investors. Instead of using Berkshire’s preferred shares of Occidental to acquire OxyChem, Buffett and Abel managed to convince the company to take cash. That means Berkshire will continue to collect its 8% annual dividend on the $8.5 billion in preferred shares it continues to hold. That’s a much better yield than the company’s getting on its short-term Treasury bills.

Occidental says it plans to start redeeming those preferred shares in August of 2029, giving Berkshire shareholders at least three more years of extra-high yields. That’s just the cherry on top for Berkshire shareholders, who finally saw Buffett put some of Berkshire’s growing cash pile to work.

Quantum computing is becoming a popular investment theme in the market, but there’s just one problem: It’s still a few years away from commercial relevance. This makes it nearly impossible to predict which company will be a major winner in this field. Adding to the difficulty of quantum computing investing is that the technology is incredibly complicated and can be difficult to understand. However, not investing in quantum computing could be a massive mistake for your portfolio’s future returns.

So, what should investors do? One advantage investors can get in this investment sector is looking at which competitors have strong backers. Amazon (AMZN -0.61%) is one tech giant that is investing in this space and is backing one of the leading pure plays: IonQ (IONQ -3.92%). This gives IonQ a vote of confidence from one of the biggest companies in the world, making IonQ an intriguing stock to invest in.

Amazon owns a small amount of IonQ

We know that Amazon is investing in IonQ from its Form 13F, which informs investors what other stock holdings Amazon has because its investment portfolio is greater than $100 million. As of its last report filed for Q2 holdings, Amazon holds nine stocks, with IonQ being one of them.

Amazon holds just over 850,000 shares of IonQ. While that may sound like a lot, that’s only about 0.3% of IonQ’s total shares outstanding. So, Amazon isn’t a controlling party in IonQ; it’s just an investor like you and me (although it has a lot more capital than you and me).

Just because Amazon doesn’t own 10% or so of the company doesn’t mean this isn’t an insignificant investment. Amazon clearly likes what it saw, and with Amazon having more technical prowess than the average investor, I think this makes IonQ an intriguing quantum computing investment.

One thing that sets IonQ apart from its competitors is the path it’s taking. While most quantum computing players are using superconducting technology, which requires cooling a particle to nearly absolute zero, IonQ uses a trapped-ion approach, which can be performed at room temperature. Furthermore, the trapped-ion technique is inherently more accurate than superconducting, which is a trade-off for slower processing speeds.

Because the biggest hurdle in quantum computing technology is accuracy, I think IonQ is one of the more compelling investment options right now, as it is the leader in this category, holding two world records.

This makes IonQ my top option in the quantum computing investment world. But is the stock worth buying right now?

An investment in IonQ will be volatile

IonQ has had an incredible run over the past few months as quantum computing investing has risen in popularity. The stock is up around 90% since the start of September, which is a massive movement considering that we’re still years away from viable quantum computing technology.

Most companies in this realm point toward 2030 as the turning point for quantum computing adoption, and IonQ is no different. Earlier this year, IonQ’s CEO Peter Chapman gave investors the projection that the company will be profitable with sales approaching $1 billion by 2030. That’s still five years away, which is a long time to wait and hold the stock to see if IonQ is an eventual winner in the quantum computing arms race.

With how much attention quantum computing has gotten in recent weeks, it’s impossible to tell where the stocks involved in this sector will head. It’s possible that there is a quantum computing investing mania ongoing, and the stocks continue to rise at an irrational pace.

It’s also possible that the stock could be ripe for a sell-off, especially after the past few weeks of strong gains. However, as long-term investors, we need to avoid that noise. If you’re buying IonQ stock now, you need to have the mindset of buying and holding through at least 2030, regardless of what the roller coaster ride of the stock market is like.

If you’re confident in IonQ, buying today makes sense, but your measure of success cannot be the stock price; it must be the company’s announcements. If IonQ wins the quantum computing arms race, the stock will be a winner over the long term, but keep in mind that it will be incredibly volatile along the way.

META has launched a dizzying array of new hi-tech glasses – including a posh pair with a built-in screen for seeing apps.

The new specs were unveiled at today’s Meta Connect event by tech boss Mark Zuckerberg, alongside a genius AI that can create any video game that you dream up.

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Meta Connect is the company’s annual showcase for new gadgets and apps.

META RAY-BAN DISPLAY

This year, the headline product is the Meta Ray-Ban Display.

This is the company’s most advanced pair of smart specs to go on sale so far. The Sun’s Sean Keach has already tried them – read his Meta Ray-Ban Display hands-on impressions.

Regular Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses come with a built-in camera and microphone, and an AI assistant to answer questions – even about real-world objects that you’re looking at.

But the new Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses go one step further and feature a built-in screen.

This display is invisible to the outside world, so no one can see what you’re looking at.

But it can show you apps – like WhatsApp text chains, Instagram Reels, or your camera viewfinder – that float in your field of view.

You can even use it to see live captions over the face of someone speaking to you.

It’s a full-colour display but you can still see what’s going on behind the overlays.

You can even use it to follow directions that float in front of your eyes – but only for walking, not for driving.

They come with a Meta Neural Band, which goes on your wrist and detects tiny movements that let you control what you’re seeing.

So tap your fingers together to select, or roll your thumb to scroll.

The glasses start at $799 and are available from September 13 at limited stores in the US, followed by a UK release in early 2026.

They come in two colours, Black and Sand, with colour-matched Meta Neural Bands to go with them.

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META RAY-BAN GEN 2 GLASSES

The regular Meta Ray-Ban glasses have also been upgraded.

There’s now a new Gen 2 version that Meta says serves up twice the battery life of the old model.

And you’ll get 3K Ultra HD video capture too.

They’ll still feature the AI assistant, offer real-time translation, and music playback too.

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But now they’ll last eight hours with “typical use”, according to Meta.

And you can charge them up to 50% in 20 minutes, with a charging case that gets you an extra 48 hours of use.

There’s also an upcoming Conversation Focus mode that amplifies the voice of the person that you’re talking to.

So you can hear them better when you’re somewhere with a lot of ambient noise, like a busy restaurant.

There are some new styles too, given that this is effectively a fashion accessory as well as a gadget.

The new glasses go on sale today and start at $379 – with the Gen 1 version priced at $299.

META OAKLEY VANGUARD GLASSES

Meta has also teamed up with Oakley for some proper sports-friendly smart-glasses.

There’s a new product category called Oakley Meta Vanguard, which are meant for high-intensity activities.

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So think: outdoor cycling, mountain biking, trail running.

They have an “action-ready camera” built in, and a three-point-fit system plus three replaceable nose pads so you get a secure fit.

After all, you don’t want your posh specs falling off a cliff.

They have Oakley PRIZMTM Lens tech to block out sun, wind, and dust – and feature built-in speakers too, plus a five-microphone array that reduces wind noise.

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You’ll get nine hours of battery life from a pair – or six hours with continuous music playback.

And the charging case gets you an extra 36 hours of charge, with 50% refuelling for the glasses in 20 minutes.

You can also pair the glasses with Garmin and Strava to query your performance, and even overlay your exercise metrics on the video you capture.

The glasses start at £499 in the UK and $499 in the US.

META AI TO CREATE YOUR OWN GAMES

Meta also showed off a special tool that makes it extremely easy to create your own video games.

The games live inside Meta’s Horizon metaverse, which is a series of digital worlds that you can share with pals.

And now Meta has developed its AI helper to let you create massive virtual worlds, game textures, audio, skyboxes, and characters all just by typing in some words.

You can even generate custom voices for characters, give them personalities, and they’ll spring to life in seconds.

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The AI lets you create game rules and systems, spawn objects, and change what you’ve magicked up on the fly.

Importantly, you don’t need any experience of coding.

You just chat to the AI in a conversational way to edit your game, and it’ll generate automatically in just a few seconds.

Then you can invite friends to play in a custom video game that would normally have taken thousands of hours to create.

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Chris Robshaw’s wife Camilla Kerslake has made a drastic move to head off speculation about Strictly Come Dancing’s infamous curse just days before he takes to the dancefloor

Strictly Come Dancing is set to return this weekend, and former England rugby captain Chris Robshaw will be among the new celebrity contestants.

However, while he prepares to take to the dancefloor, his wife Camilla Kerslake has reportedly already taken steps to make sure the infamous and dreaded ‘Strictly curse’ doesn’t enter their marriage.

Camilla, 37, who tied the knot with Chris, 39, in 2018, is said to be keen to shut down speculation before it starts and has even invited his professional partner over for dinner.

“Camilla is a woman’s woman. She knows it’s inevitable that women will be compared and pitted against each other, but she won’t stand for that. She’s always been very vocal about women supporting each other and has already invited Chris’ partner over for dinner.

“She wants to build a friendship outside of the show in a bid to stop any gossiping around the curse,” a source revealed.

READ MORE: Anton Du Beke reveals he didn’t know celebs in Strictly Come Dancing line-upREAD MORE: Stefan Dennis reveals secret Strictly advantage despite having just ‘one day’s training’

According to insiders, Chris’ dance partner has been receptive to Camilla’s efforts, with both women finding common ground and planning to spend time together before the series begins.

“Chris thinks they’ll hit it off as mates,” the source added, “and he’s joked to friends that he’ll end up being the third wheel,” they told The Sun.

The ‘Strictly curse’ has become a well-worn talking point since the show first began in 2004, with several celebrity contestants leaving long-term partners for their professional dancers.

Notable cases of the dreaded curse include Countdown star Rachel Riley splitting from her husband before marrying professional dancer Pasha Kovalev in 2019.

Stacey Dooley also left her partner Sam Tucknott and later had a child with professional dancer Kevin Clifton. Elsewhere, comedian Seann Walsh was brutally dumped after being caught kissing his professional dance partner, Katya Jones.

Camilla is determined not to let history repeat itself in their household as friends say she wants to ensure there is unity between her and Chris’ dance partner rather than any sense of rivalry.

Away from the dancefloor, Chris and Camilla have also been dealing with a personal and terrifying challenge. Earlier this year it was revealed that the couple had been targeted by a stalker.

Addressing the situation at the time, Camilla said: “Chris and I are so grateful to the press for handling a very difficult situation with such sensitivity. It’s meant we can focus on keeping our little family safe.

“We’ve truly been overwhelmed by the kindness shown. From here, we’re choosing to move forward. This won’t define us and instead, we’ll be focusing on our family and the exciting journey ahead with Strictly.”

Chris joins a cast that includes former Love Island star Dani Dyer, TV personality Vicky Pattison, and YouTube sensation George Clarke.

The series will officially launch this weekend with the pairing-up episode, before the celebrities and their professional dancers kick off the live competition.

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Emmerdale pulled off another big moment on Friday night which saw the killer John Sugden plot take another sharp turn, proving there’s still twists and turns ahead

While Emmerdale‘s dark John Sugden storyline looks set to be heading for the finish line, Friday night’s episode proved there’s still plenty of life, no pun intended, in the killer plot.

While some fans have had enough and are ready for villain John to face his comeuppance, perhaps the latest twist that aired on Friday could see it take its biggest turn yet. The latest episode of the ITV soap saw the moment it was revealed that John’s latest victim Mackenzie Boyd was still alive.

He’s been missing ever since John appeared to kill him a couple of weeks ago, in brutal scenes that sparked a number of Ofcom complaints. Mack was shot with a bow and arrow before John appeared to silence him for good, slamming a rock over his head.

But in the shocking closing moments of Friday night, we saw Mack alive while seemingly in a bad way. Then, nothing. The episode ended before we got any context and any news on his condition post-attack.

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Of course there will be questions and likely some reactions calling out the big move. How could Mack possibly have survived such brutal injuries? How did he get Mack away without anyone realising?

All to be revealed of course, but arguably this is one of the biggest twists yet, and one of the best in the entire storyline. “Robert Sugden’s big return, the will-they-won’t-they Robron chaos it triggered and Robert finding himself in the middle of John’s secret antics, and the resulting feud, was very much an epic move by the show, and it revitalised the storyline,” our soap insider shared.

“But this latest twist does so much for the storyline, and means so much. To have Mack alive completely reaffirms that John is not an intentional killer, he’s just someone who’s done very, very bad things.

“He’s a manipulator, he has to be in control and he goes to desperate lengths to ensure things go the way he wants. But he’s not a planned killer, and he feels guilt… most of the time. He could have killed Mack, silenced him, but he didn’t, because he no doubt couldn’t go through with it.”

This isn’t about painting John in a “he’s just made bad choices” light though. The twist is “genius” according to our soap expert, as it could completely derail John’s life and be the pivotal moment that sees it all come crashing down.

With Aaron already suspicious over John’s behaviour and his lies, about the cottage and about his whereabouts, surely it is only a matter of time before the truth about Mack, and everything, finally comes to light. We know John is leaving the show, so a comeuppance is inevitable.

Not only does Mack’s survival seal John’s end, but it could spark a ton of new mysteries across the coming days and weeks which can give this rather dark plot some new life. Again, no pun intended, RIP Nate. “The fact that John has ‘saved’ Mack, the very person that now knows everything, there is every chance the already guilty villain will cave and expose his own deep, dark secrets – not to mention keeping Mack alive surely has to spell the end of his villainous ways.

“John is already on the edge, and we don’t know yet, thanks to the cliffhanger, what his plans are for Mack and whether he plans to let him go. We know very little asides Mack’s true fate. John could crack at any moment with Aaron or even with Mack, given his desperate calls and messages to the helplines recently.

“But the bigger question is the stuff we haven’t seen. Mack’s survival was kept top secret, so we are guaranteed to be shown or told some unaired moments, and stuff that has not been given away in spoilers. That cannot simply be it with Mack, it has to be revisited.

“What did happen to him after that showdown? What has happened since his capture, and what’s gone on in those weeks he was believed to be dead? Surely, onscreen or not, we will be told some previously untold and unaired moments.”

That’s not all though, as it could spark some new mysteries. “This isn’t just going to leave big questions in terms of what we haven’t seen, but also a new mystery surrounding whether Mack will live or die, and if he can get away. Then there’s the ongoing mystery surrounding the body of Anthony Fox who was killed at the start of the year by Ruby Miligan.

“John still hasn’t disclosed where he buried him, and he sparked new theories with fans when mentioning him in a recent episode. This latest twist with Mack will no doubt leave fans wondering what really happened there too, and where Anthony is. Some may call it unrealistic, but I’d say Mack’s reappearance is somewhat a genius move, given all the things it could now lead to. It’s really, really exciting.”

Emmerdale airs weeknights at 7:30pm on ITV1 and ITVX, with an hour-long episode on Thursdays. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .

At a time when most of their peers have retired, threatened to call it quits or died, the Beach Boys continue to perform 120 shows per year. Led by original singer Mike Love and longtime multi-instrumentalist Bruce Johnston, this version of the Beach Boys performs the sounds of Southern California to three generations of fans, something which isn’t lost on Love.

“The positivity that our music generates, and the good vibes and good feelings, is a wonderful thing to see,” Love says. “It’s an inspiration to me to see kids with their parents or their grandparents at our shows.”

This weekend, the Beach Boys return to Long Beach for the first time in nearly 15 years to the day, when they performed at Harry Bridges Memorial Park. As Love recalls, the band played one of its first shows in the city at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium on New Year’s Eve 1961.

“That first concert we were paid for as the Beach Boys at the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium for the Ritchie Valens Memorial Dance,” he recalls. “We played three songs and got $300, but also on that show was Ike Turner and Kings of Rhythm. We got to hear Tina Turner sing this song called ‘I’m Blue.’ It was primordial and blew my mind.”

Thousands of shows later, the Beach Boys continue to have a receptive audience who will gladly see them perform the hits of yesteryear. Love has no issue leaning into the band’s 1960s heyday. In fact, he sees it as his duty to spread “peace and love” through the Beach Boys’ concerts.

Chatting hours before he departed his Lake Tahoe, Calif., home to fly to Southern California for the band’s latest string of shows, Love reflected on nearly 65 years of the Beach Boys, feeling like he finally got his due by being inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, why he’s looking forward to the decidedly un-Beach Boys crowd at Riot Fest, and honoring his late cousin Brian Wilson.

Mike Love

(Udo Spreitzenbarth)

How did it feel to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame?

Better late than never, but it was a great honor. It meant a lot because I wasn’t recognized for my contribution to so many of the Beach Boys’ hits over the years. So, the recognition is a good thing. There are various reasons I wasn’t recognized for it. My uncle [Beach Boys original manager] Murry [Wilson], didn’t put my contribution of the lyrics. “I Get Around,” “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Be True to Your School,” a lot of great songs that I wasn’t credited for. We fired my uncle as manager to get even for me, and he excluded me when he handled the publishing. We didn’t know what publishing was when we started in 1961. We were unsophisticated regarding the business end of it, and we just loved creating music. We loved harmonizing. That was a family tradition that morphed into a long-lasting profession because my cousin Brian and I got together and wrote some songs that people still love to this day.

What is it about the songs that continue to bring people together at a time when people can hardly agree on anything?

The harmonies and the positivity go a long way towards eliminating the negativity. In “Good Vibrations,” I wrote every word of it. I even came up with (sings) “I’m thinking of good vibrations / She gave me excitations” with the chorus melody as well as all the lyrics. But that was written in 1966. The Vietnam War was percolating, and there were student demonstrations. There were problems with integration, and stuff like that made the news. But I wanted to write “Good Vibrations.” I wanted to write this song. I wrote a poem about a girl who loved nature. She was only into the peace, love and flower power, which was also going on at that time. The juxtaposition of the negative and the positive is pretty amazing. It turns out there’s a psychologist in Sheffield, England, who wanted to find out which songs made people feel the best. And our song “Good Vibrations” came in at No. 1, which is unbelievable. In 1966, when it went to No. 1 in England, we were voted the No. 1 group in Great Britain, with No. 2 being the Beatles. Incredible. That was a pretty amazing achievement.

You’ve been joined on stage by the likes of Mark McGrath and Dexter Holland from the Offspring. What does that say to you about the longevity of what the songs have meant?

Dexter sounded amazing on it! He is a really good singer, obviously, but he wanted to do “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” and so we rehearsed backstage [at Oceans Calling Festival in Maryland last September], ran through it about once or twice, and came out on stage in front of 40,000 people, and it was pretty amazing! Mark McGrath is just the most positive and fun guy ever. We have the same birthday, so he’s a few years younger than I am (laughs).

And of course, John Stamos, who inducted you into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

He’s been with us since he was Blackie on “General Hospital.” At this point, he is pretty much an honorary Beach Boy and family.

In the days after Brian’s death, the clip of the band appearing on “Full House” made the rounds on Instagram. What’s it like to remember that when both Brian and Carl were there and you appeared on that show?

John Stamos likes to say that we need this music more than ever now because of so much negativity in the world, and I agree. When I was writing, I accentuated the positive with the harmonies, giving that warm feeling, and the subject matter being fun at times. We’d maybe been a little introspective on “God Only Knows,” maybe “In My Room,” and “The Warmth of the Sun.” The upbeat songs are all fun, positive, and make people feel good. We were just in Spain, and we had standing ovations every night. It was amazing.

What’s wild is seeing the Beach Boys appear on the historically punk festival Riot Fest. Are you familiar with it?

Yeah! We were invited to do it a year ago, but we are doing it this year. Our songs go over well with every demographic and all kinds of people. It doesn’t matter what the format of this is. We’ve done very well with some country festivals, enormously well. It doesn’t matter what the genre of the festival appeals to. We played Stagecoach last year, and there were 70 or 80,000 people at our set. Singing along and dancing around, so we had a great time at that one.

Who are you looking forward to seeing at Riot Fest?

Who is on it other than us?

On your day, it is Weezer performing the Blue Album, Jack White, a reconfigured version of the Sex Pistols, Dropkick Murphys, All Time Low, James …

Weezer! They did “California Girls” on a tribute show that aired on Easter Sunday a few years ago. There’s a lot more guitar in that particular version (laughs). Maybe one of those guys will come and sing with us. What happens at those things is that you’re with a lot of people you don’t ordinarily see, and people like to do unique things.

Do you think the Beach Boys would be considered a punk band, if that was a term, in 1961?

If you listen to some of our songs, like “Surfin’ Safari,” “Catch a Wave” and “Hawaii,” there’s a lot of tempo there. I think those songs appeal to all kinds of genres.

Does returning to Long Beach, near where you all grew up, carry more weight with the loss of Brian?

Well, we have a tribute song called “Brian’s Back” that I wrote many, many years ago. So, back when that was released (in 1976 as part of “15 Big Ones”), we did a video tribute to Brian that we play every night at our concerts, which people love and appreciate. He may have passed on, but he’s always with us every night in the music.

Elton John said that the “Pet Sounds” album would be the one album that would be played forever, which is an amazing accolade,” Love said. “So those songs are pretty much immortal to some degree. So if somebody is capable of replicating them as closely as possible for the record, then great.”

(Udo Spreitzenbarth)

Do you see the Beach Boys continuing to tour in name after you and Bruce are done?

I’m not sure. We haven’t given that a whole lot of thought because we’re very active these days with this configuration. Elton John said that the “Pet Sounds” album would be the one album that would be played forever, which is an amazing accolade. So those songs are pretty much immortal to some degree. So if somebody is capable of replicating them as closely as possible for the record, then great.

But the problem is that mortality is an issue, of course. So, at some point in time, nature will take over and say, “OK, you’re out of here, huh?” But in the meantime, I think we’ve got a good several years to go.

What do people misunderstand about your and Brian’s relationship?

Well, there’s a lot of misinformation given out over this early part of our careers that says I didn’t like the “Pet Sounds” album, which is bull—, because I actually named it and Brian brought it to Capitol Records, who didn’t know what to do with it. If you listen to the tracks of “Pet Sounds,” you say, “How the heck did he ever do that with the greatest musicians in L.A., the Wrecking Crew?” My cousin Brian did some amazing stuff that’ll stand the test of time, if Elton John is right, forever. It’s a true blessing to be able to do what started as a family hobby and became a long-lasting profession.

Is “That’s Why God Made the Radio” the last Beach Boys album, or do you all have one more left in you?

Anything’s possible. We don’t have immediate plans, but I do think of that kind of thing from time to time.

Neil Armstrong was worried about potential charges over luggage size restrictions when he flies with his family of nine – so he decided to take matters into his own hands

When Neil Armstrong and his family of nine were gearing up to fly with a budget airline, he was concerned about potential extra charges due to luggage size restrictions. The clan had booked flights with Ryanair, an airline notorious for its stringent carry-on bag policy and associated fees.

To sidestep a hefty bill, the 54-year-old took the initiative. Equipped with cardboard and tape, he constructed his own replica of the airline’s sizer cage in just 15 minutes. He then used this DIY sizer to measure all the family’s hand luggage, ensuring there would be no costly surprises at the airport.

READ MORE: EasyJet, Ryanair and TUI travellers warned over little-known rule that could stop them flying

A viral video on TikTok shows Neil diligently crafting the sizer to the exact dimensions of 40x20x25cm. The father-of-three confessed that he had to swap his own hand luggage backpack after discovering it didn’t fit into his homemade box, reports the Daily Record.

However, he is now confident he has avoided a potential £510 fee, based on Ryanair’s standard charge of €60 (£51) per bag. The graphic designer remarked that he felt ‘like a Ryanair employee’ while inspecting the bags but urges other patrons of the budget airline to follow suit.

His daughter, Imogen (Immy) Armstrong, 20, shared a TikTok video of Neil assembling the box, which has since amassed over 200,000 views. Neil, from Maidstone, Kent, said: “The family had a bit of a snigger but they think it’s a great idea. I’m proud of it. I’ve read that people have been charged so I wanted to be sure that our bags would fit. I didn’t want to get caught out.

“You can get the tape measurer out but that’s not really accurate and I saw the boxes at the airport but when you’re there it’s too late. I thought I’d make my own and all 10 of us can get our hand luggage and make sure it fits in that.

“I went and got some cardboard, followed the strict centimetre rule, stuck the cardboard together and made this box. The rest of the family only live streets away so I told them to come round when they have a minute and pop their bags in.

“It’s not until you mock something up that you can actually visualise it (the Ryanair measuring box). I don’t want to spend my holiday spending money on a bag. I realised the bag I was going to take wasn’t going to fit so I’ve used another one. I felt like a Ryanair worker, saying to the kids ‘no that won’t do. Go and get another one (bag)’. I’d encourage other people to do it too so they’re not caught out.”

The family is now confidenT that they will avoid any extra baggage fees for their flight from London Stansted to Tenerife. Imogen’s TikTok video bore the caption ‘When your dad doesn’t wanna pay Ryanair £70 so makes his own hand luggage check’.

A TikTok user reacted by saying: “A new level of airport dad has been unlocked.” A second person commented: “Honestly, great idea.” A third quipped: “Hey, I don’t blame him! Work smarter not harder.” Ryanair has been approached for a response.

July 18 (UPI) — President Donald Trump on Friday signed the GENIUS Act, which regulates dollar-based digital tokens called stablecoins and is the first major law governing digital currency.

On Thursday, the U.S. House voted 308-122 for the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act. In June, the Senate passed the bill 68-30 with at least 60 votes needed for passage.

With congressional leaders and industry leaders in the White House’s East Room, he said: “This could be perhaps the greatest revolution of financial technology since the birth of the Internet itself.”

Trump has become a big ally of the crypto industry since his 2024 presidential campaign after calling it a “scam.”

Stablecoins are tied to tangible assets, such as the U.S. dollar, to make them more stable in comparison to other types of cryptocurrencies that derive their value from market demand.

Other digital cryptocurrencies, including Bitcoin, can experience significant price fluctuations and are not part of the Senate legislation.

Stablecoins must be fully backed by U.S. dollars or similar liquid assets, along with mandated annual audits for issuers with more than $50 billion in market capitalization and added language on foreign issuance.

Trump said “we take a giant step to cement the American dominance of global finance and crypto technology.”

He named David Sacks as his crypto and artificial intelligence czar early his in second presidency.

On March 6, Trump signed an executive order establishing the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve capitalized with Bitcoin that the U.S. Treasury seized through criminal and civil forfeiture.

A crypto market structure legislation has been delayed in the Senate. The House passed the Digital AssetMarket Clarity Act, for clarity and regulatory framework for digital assets.

Some Democrats were concerned about foreign issuers, anti-money laundering standards, potential corporate issuance of stablecoins and Trump’s deepening ties to crypto ventures.

Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who voted against the legislation, said: “Through his crypto business, Trump has created an efficient means to trade presidential favors like tariff exemptions, pardons and government appointments for hundreds of millions, perhaps billions of dollars from foreign governments, from billionaires and from large corporations. By passing the GENIUS Act, the Senate is not only about to bless this corruption, but to actively facilitate its expansion.”

His affiliated venture, World Liberty Financial, launched its stablecoin. Trump Media is planning to build a multi-billion-dollar Bitcoin treasury. And American Bitcoin, a mining firm backed by his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., is planning to go public via a Gryphon merger.

Trump and his wife, Melania, launched meme coins days before his inauguration on Jan. 20.

On May 22, Trump invited the top 220 holders of his $TRUMP meme to a private dinner at Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Va.

July 17 (UPI) — The House of Representatives voted to regulate digital currencies and protect their owners on Thursday during what many lawmakers called “crypto week.”

The House voted 308-222 to approve the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for U.S. Stablecoins Act, which is dubbed the GENIUS Act.

The measure goes to President Donald Trump for signing and establishes financial guidelines and protections for owners of stablecoins.

“For far too long, America’s digital assets industry has been stifled by ambiguous rules, confusing enforcement and the Biden administration’s anti-crypto crusade,” House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., told media on Thursday.

“President Trump and this Congress are correcting course and unleashing America’s digital asset potential with historic, transformative legislation,” Emmer said.

“President Trump promised to make America the crypto capital of the world,” Emmer added. “Today, we delivered.”

Stablecoins are digital assets that are tied to tangible assets, such as the U.S. dollar, to make them more stable in comparison to other types of cryptocurrencies that derive their value from market demand.

A dozen Republican House members voted against the measure, the passage of which was delayed by GOP-based opposition on Tuesday.

The president met with 11 Republican lawmakers who stopped the measure’s passage and on Tuesday evening announced they reached an agreement to pass the GENIUS Act.

Despite Trump’s announcement, several GOP lawmakers stalled the measure’s passage for nine hours on Wednesday, which delayed its passage to Thursday.

The House also passed the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 with a 294-134 vote and the Anti-Central Bank Digital Currency Act with a 219-210 vote.

Those measures go to the Senate for consideration.

The Anti-CBDC Act would ban the Federal Reserve from issuing its own version of a cryptocurrency.

Those who oppose a Federal Reserve-issued digital currency say it would enable the federal government to monitor the currency and track its use.

The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 would define digital assets as commodities, securities or stablecoins.

The proposed act also would divide regulatory control of the digital assets between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

House approval of the three measures occurred during what many Republican lawmakers called “crypto week” on Capitol Hill.

Advocates hope House bills will bring decentralised currency into US mainstream as Trump pushes ‘crypto week’.

The United States House of Representatives has passed three bills related to cryptocurrency, sending one directly to US President Donald Trump and the other two to the US Senate.

The votes by the Republican-controlled chamber come amid a wider push by the Trump administration to make the US the “crypto capital of the world”, in what the president has dubbed “crypto week”.

Trump and his family’s emphasis on the largely unregulated crypto industry has also raised concerns it could be used to mask corruption and foreign influence.

The bill that will go directly to Trump is called the GENIUS Act. It sets initial guardrails and consumer protections for a cryptocurrency known as stablecoins, which are tied to “stable” assets like the US dollar to reduce their volatility.

House Financial Services Chair French Hill said during debate on Thursday that the bill will “ensure American competitiveness and strong guardrails for our consumers”.

“Around the world, payment systems are undergoing a revolution,” he said.

The legislation passed in the Senate and by a 308-122 vote in the House. It garnered bipartisan support in both chambers.

A second bill would create a new market structure for cryptocurrency. It passed by a slimmer margin of 294-134 and will need to go to the Senate, where lawmakers could craft a new version.

That legislation aims to provide clarity for how digital assets are regulated, mostly by defining what forms of cryptocurrency should be treated as commodities regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and which are securities policed by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Commodities are typically considered goods that can be traded or sold, while securities, like stocks and bonds, typically refer to partial ownership of an asset.

A third bill, passed by a narrower 219-210 margin, would prohibit the US from offering what’s known as a “central bank digital currency”, essentially a government-issued form of digital cash. It will also head to the Senate.

Trump’s crypto interests

Cryptocurrencies, which are unmoored from any central government authority, have exploded in popularity since first emerging in 2009.

But experts have said US operations have been curtailed by unclear laws governing the industry. Advocates have said the bills passed on Thursday could help to hearken in more mainstream adoption.

Still, Democrats critical of the GENIUS bill accused Republicans of fast-tracking the passage, while failing to address Trump and future presidents’ interests in cryptocurrency.

For example, a provision in the bill bans members of Congress and their families from profiting off stablecoins. That prohibition does not extend to the president and his family.

Trump’s family holds a significant stake in World Liberty Financial, a crypto project that launched its own stablecoin, USD1. Trump reported earning $57.35m from token sales at World Liberty Financial in 2024, according to a public financial disclosure released in June.

A meme coin linked to him has also generated an estimated $320m in fees, though the earnings are split among multiple investors.

“No one should be surprised that these same Republicans’ next order of business is to validate, legitimise, and endorse the Trump family’s corruption and efforts to sell the White House to the highest bidder,” Representative Maxine Waters, the top Democrat on the House Financial Services panel, said amid the flurry of votes on Thursday.

Since taking office, Trump has also proposed creating a cryptocurrency “national reserve” and has suspended Department of Justice investigations related to cryptocurrency.

Some Democrats also criticised the GENIUS bill for creating what they called an overly weak regulatory framework that could pose longterm financial risks.

They also say the legislation opens the door for major corporations to issue their own private cryptocurrencies.

The day before our interview, cinematographer Darius Khondji tells me he went to see a Pablo Picasso exhibit in uptown New York City. And though he would never compare himself to the Spanish painter, Khondji says he found a kinship in the way he described his artistic practice.

“About his style, he said that he was like a chameleon, changing completely from one moment to another, from one situation to another,” Khondji, 69, recalls via Zoom. “This is exactly how I feel. When I’m with a director, I embrace that director completely.”

Backlit, with natural light coming from the large windows behind him on a recent afternoon, Khondji appears shrouded in darkness, at times like an enigmatic silhouette with a halo of sunshine around his fuzzy hair. The Iranian-born cinematographer speaks animatedly, with hand movements accentuating every effusive sentence.

“Sometimes I talk in a very impressionistic way,” Khondji says, apologetically. “I might be confusing but I try to be just honest and say what I feel.”

Khondji’s eclectic resume flaunts an exceptional collection of collaborations, some of the best-looking movies of their moments: David Fincher’s gruesome but gorgeous “Seven,” Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro’s darkly whimsical and richly textured “Delicatessen” and “The City of Lost Children,” Michael Haneke’s unflinching love story “Amour,” James Gray’s old-school luxurious “The Immigrant,” the Safdie Brothers’ nerve-racking and kinetic “Uncut Gems,” and now Ari Aster’s paranoid big-canvas pandemic saga “Eddington,” in theaters Friday.

Khondji stands simultaneously as a wise member of the old guard and a hopeful champion for the future of film. Sought in decades past by the likes of Woody Allen, Roman Polanski and Bernardo Bertolucci, he’s now lending his lensing genius to a new generation of storytellers with ideas just as biting.

“Darius understands the human soul and he masters the tools to express it,” says filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu via email. “All the technical choices — framing decisions, uses of color and lighting techniques — he is able to apply them, but always subordinated to the director’s vision and, most importantly, to the needs of the film itself.”

Khondji, left, with director Alejandro González Iñárritu on the shoot of 2022’s “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.”

(SeoJu Park / Netflix)

Khondji earned his second Oscar nomination for his work on the Mexican director’s surrealist 2022 film “Bardo, False Chronicle of a Handful of Truths.” The motion picture academy first acknowledged his artistry with a nod for Alan Parker’s sumptuous 1996 musical “Evita.”

“Darius is kind of a poet — everything is feeling-based with him,” says Aster via video call from Los Angeles. “He is an intellectual but he is also decidedly not.”

If you were to dissect the pivotal memories that shaped Khondji’s creative mind, the array of touchstones would include a photograph of Christopher Lee as Dracula that his brother would bring him from London. Also in prime of place: an image of his older sister, Christine, whom he considers an artistic mentor.

You would also find the intense orange color of persimmons squashed in his family’s garden in Tehran during winter — the only sensory memory he has from his early childhood before his family moved to Paris when he was around 3 1/2 years old in the late 1950s.

“Sometimes I look at my granddaughter and grandson and say, ‘OK, they are 3, almost 3 1/2, so this is the amount of language I had, but it was probably mostly in Farsi,’” he says. Khondji returned to Iran only once, as a teenager in the early 1970s, with a Super 8 camera in hand.

He has been watching movies since infancy. His nanny, an avid moviegoer, would take him to the cinema with her. And later, his father, who owned movie theaters in Tehran and would source films through Europe, brought him along to Parisian screening rooms as a kid.

“These are all stories told to me and a mix of impressions and feelings of things that I remember,” Khondji explains. That visceral, heart-first way of perceiving the world around him might be the defining quality of his approach to image-making. It’s always about how something feels.

“Cinema is a strong force,” he says. “You cannot limit it only with aesthetic taste or things that you like or don’t like or rules. You just have to go with the flow and give yourself to it. You need a lot of humility.” At that last thought, Khondji laughs.

Cinematographer Darius Khondji, photographed in France in 2021.

(Ariane Damain Vergallo)

When he started making his own Dracula-inspired short films on Super 8 as a teenager, Khondji had little idea about the distinct roles of a film production. Slowly, he started noticing that the directors of photography for the movies he liked were often the same artists.

“I was discovering that some films looked incredible — they had a very strong atmosphere,” Khondji recalls. “Then I found that the same name of one person was on one movie and then another movie, and I thought, ‘OK, this person really is very important.’” He mentions Gregg Toland, the legendary shooter of Orson Welles’ “Citizen Kane.”

But it wasn’t until Khondji attended NYU for film school that he dropped his aspirations for directing and decided on becoming a cinematographer. His film exercises leaned more toward the experiential than the narrative. He refers to them as “emotional wavelengths.”

“It’s really the director and the actors that trigger my desire to shoot a movie,” says Khondji. “The script is, of course, a great thing, but once I want to work with the director, I really trust them.”

Hearing Khondji speak about directors, it’s clear that he puts them in a privileged light — so much so that he makes a point of creating what he calls a “family” around them to ensure their success. This means he ensures the director feels comfortable with the gaffer, the dolly grip, the key grip, so that there’s no one on set that feels like a stranger.

With Aster, for example, their bond emerged from a shared voraciousness for film. The pair had several hangouts together before a job even entered the equation. Khondji is a defender of the polarizing “Beau Is Afraid,” his favorite of Aster’s movies. “Eddington” finally brought them together as collaborators for the first time.

“Ari and I have a common language,” he says. “We discovered quite early on working together that we have a very similar taste for dark films, not dark in lighting but in storytelling.”

Joaquin Phoenix, left, and Pedro Pascal in the movie “Eddington.”

(A24)

While scouting locations in Aster’s native New Mexico, he and Khondji came across the small town where the Coen brothers’ “No Country for Old Men” was filmed. And though they both revere that arid 2007 thriller, they wanted to get away from anything tied to it, so they pivoted again to the community of Truth or Consequences.

Khondji recalls Aster describing his film, about a self-righteous sheriff (Joaquin Phoenix) in a grudge match against the mayor (Pedro Pascal), as “a European psychological thriller on American land.” For the cinematographer, the movie is “a modern western.”

“We wanted the exterior to be very bright, like garishly bright, like the light has almost started to take off the color and the contrast a little bit because it’s so bright, never bright enough,” explains Khondji about shooting in the desert.

For Khondji, working Aster reminded him of his two outings with Austria’s esteemed, ultra-severe Michael Haneke, with which the cinematographer made the American remake of “Funny Games” and “Amour,” the latter on which he discovered a “radically different kind filmmaking” where “everything in the set had to have a grace of realness.”

“‘The color is vivid in a way that it isn’t in any of his other films,” says Aster about the quality that Khondji brought to “Amour,” Haneke’s Oscar-winning film.

Still, after working with some of the world’s most acclaimed filmmakers on features, music videos, commercials and a TV show (he shot Nicolas Winding Refn’s 2019 “Too Old to Die Young” and became infatuated with the San Fernando Valley), Khondji prefers to be reinvigorated by younger artists challenging the rules.

“‘Uncut Gems’ was like turning a page for me in filmmaking,” he says, calling out to Josh and Benny Safdie. “These two young filmmakers were making films in a different way. And the fact that I could keep up with them — they are in their 30s — psychologically, it gave me a lot of strength.” Khondji also shot Josh Safdie’s upcoming “Marty Supreme,” out in December.

Is there a visual signature that defines Khondji’s work? Perhaps, even if he doesn’t consciously think of it. A lushness, a preference for olive greens and blacker-than-black shadows. An intense fixation on color in general. There are also aesthetic preferences that Aster noticed from their work on “Eddington.”

“Darius and I hate unmotivated camera movement,” Aster says. “But there are certain things that never would’ve bothered me compositionally that really bothered Darius, and now they’re stuck in my head. For instance, Darius hates it when you cut off somebody’s leg, even if it’s at the ankle. A lot of Darius’s prejudices have gone into my system.”

Khondji concedes to these particularities, yet he doesn’t think in rigid absolutes.

“You have a rule, and then you decide this is the moment to break the rule,” he says, citing the rawness of the films of French director Maurice Pialat or how actor Harriet Andersson looks directly into the camera in Ingmar Bergman’s 1953 “Summer with Monika.”

He recently watched Ryan Coogler’s box-office hit “Sinners” without knowing anything about its premise beforehand. “People who know me know that I don’t like spoilers,” he says. “I’m very cautious with film reviews. They are very important, but at the same time, I don’t want to know the story.”

Khondji had never seen one of Coogler’s films, but was impressed. “I really enjoyed it,” he says. “After I watched it I wanted to know who shot the film, but I enjoyed the actors so much and I love just being a real member of the audience.”

It might surprise some to learn that Khondji’s initial interest in seeing a film is unrelated to how it looks or who shot it.

“When I watch a film people say, ‘Oh, did you notice how it was shot?’ And I don’t really go for that,” he says. “I mostly go to watch a film for the director.”

These days, his wish list includes the opportunity to shoot a proper supernatural horror film (Aster might be handy to stay in touch with) and for a company to make a modern film-stock camera. Khondji is not precious about format but believes shooting on film should stay an option as it is the “natural medium” of cinema.

He tells me how much he loves going to the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. “It’s really like a shrine for me,” he says, recalling seeing Alfred Hitchcock’s “Vertigo” there on true VistaVision.

“It was an incredible emotion,” he adds. “Like the emotion I had when I grew up with my dad, when they would take me to see big films in the cinemas where the ceiling had stars to make you dream even before the film started.”

That dream is what Khondji is still chasing, in the cinema and on set.

A mum has been praised as a ‘genius’ after sharing the main activity she packed to keep her baby occupied during their three-hour flight from Germany to Spain – and it’s not what you might expect

If you’re going on a family holiday anytime soon, you’ll probably know parents or guardians often face the added challenge that come with travelling with babies. This will become extra nerve-wracking if it’s their first flight so you don’t know how they’ll react.

While parents are often armed with a selection of toys and activities to entertain their kids in the cabin, it’s a whole different experience when it comes to keeping babies entertained. While popular tips usually include packing their favourite things to play with or timing flights to coincide with nap time for keeping infants happy mid-flight, sometimes it pays to have an extra trick up your sleeve.

One creative mum known as Lala, took to TikTok, where she has over 6.1 million followers, to share her unique life hack for keeping her seven-month-old daughter amused on their recent three-hour flight from Germany to Spain.

“If you don’t pack a head of lettuce for your next flight with your baby, what are you even doing?” Lala said in her video while packing a head of sweet gem lettuce into a zip lock bag.

The video then cut to Lala and her partner getting onto the plane with their sleeping baby snuggled up in her arms. She went on to explain the little one slept through take-off, only to wake later on as they soared high above the ground, which is when they introduced the lettuce.

“Whenever we want to eat in peace at home, we always give her a piece of lettuce, and it always keeps her occupied for so long. And I thought, if it works at home, why would it not work on a plane?” Lala said as she showed their baby the lettuce before letting her tear off a leaf.

Lala added: “She loves tearing things, like anything really. Like, bread, paper, tissue, anything. But bread is way too messy, like there are crumbs everywhere. And with paper or tissue, we always have to keep an eye on her that she doesn’t eat it. But lettuce, lettuce is genius.”

Continuing, she expressed how the lettuce provided a fun and unique texture for the infant to explore, as well as being a healthy, hydrating snack if wanted to taste it.

“This kept her occupied almost the entire flight,” Lala revealed. “She had so much fun, and the best part when it’s time to clean up, you can just eat it. This way, I’m not only entertaining my baby but I’m also getting my greens in.”

Lala then shared: “We were so nervous about her first flight at first, but this was such an amazing experience for us. She did so well, she was just having fun the entire flight and we’re so proud of her.”

The comment section of the video soon filled with comments from viewers sharing their take on the clever hack for in-flight entertainment.

One person joked: “I have a 14 hour flight with my baby next month. I’ll just bring a whole field,” while another added: “Plus points cause it helps her develop her fine motor skills.”

A fellow mum wrote: “You Lala have just unlocked a whole new toy for all of us mums out there thank you.”

“That’s effing genius! I’m trying this on the next flight!” another viewer wrote.

A FIRST-TIME mum dreading flying with her baby daughter has shared how she got through it without any tears

Lala, from Germany, took to social media to share her genius parenting hack just in time for any summer holidays you have planned.

2

And the best part is that the travel hack costs just 45p.

In the clip, Lala and her partner could be seen boarding the plane with their baby asleep in her mum’s arms.

She said: “This was her very first flight and we timed it perfectly with her nap. She slept right through takeoff but eventually she woke up.”

So how did the parents keep her entertained for the three hour flight? Lettuce.

Lala said they often give their tot lettuce when they’re trying to eat in peace, so decided to try it on the plane.

“It always keeps her occupied for so long. And I thought, if it works at home, why would it not work on a plane?” she explained.

Like most kids, her daughter was obsessed with tearing things up and trying to put them in her mouth.

“Like bread, paper, tissue, anything. But bread is way too messy, like there are crumbs everywhere,” she explained. And with paper or tissue, we always have to keep an eye on her that she doesn’t eat it. But lettuce?

“Lettuce is genius. It has a really fun texture and it’s not messy at all. And it’s safe if she decides to munch on it. Not just safe, but it’s actually a really refreshing and healthy snack for her.”

“This kept her occupied almost the entire flight.”

2

While Lala’s easy travel hack was worth giving a go, it’s worth noting that some airlines may not let you bring it on, depending on what country you are flying to.

Others may not let you bring it into the country when you land so you’ll have to chuck it away.

But that won’t matter too much as the hack costs just 45p as two heads of lettuce cost 90p from Waitrose.

The clip quickly went viral on her TikTok account @lalaleluu with over 1.7 million views and 267k likes.

Plenty of parents took to the comments thanking her for the advice.

One person wrote: “Wow this is genius. About to take my baby on her first flight alone and I might try this.”

Another commented: “I have a 14 hour flight with my baby next month. I’ll just bring a whole field.”

“You, Lala, have just unlocked a whole new toy for all of us mums out there thank you,” penned a third.

Meanwhile a fourth said: “This is some next level parenting!! Bravo!!”

“Genius idea,” claimed a fifth

Someone else added: “This is such a good idea!!”

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Packing for a weekend getaway can be a struggle when you’re trying to keep costs low – but one woman has shared a simple trick to avoid paying cabin bag fees

We all want to score the best deals when jetting off to soak up some sun abroad.

But with major airlines cracking down on luggage allowances, packing for a quick weekend getaway has become tricky — and often expensive — especially when you’re trying to keep costs low.

Luckily, one savvy traveller has shared a clever hack that lets you avoid paying for a cabin or underseat bag altogether.

If you’ve already visited far-flung places like Australia or South America, chances are you might already own the perfect item for this trick.

Instead of splashing out on an extra carry-on, TikToker Nina Edwine showed how much you can actually fit inside an empty travel pillow cover.

READ MORE: Influencer’s travel hack gets you an entire row of seats on plane to yourself

Not only does this keep your clothes safe, but the packed pillow also doubles as a comfy cushion for those long flights. Don’t be fooled by its small size — Nina stuffed the pillow with plenty of clothes.

In her video, the German traveller unpacks a non-padded bra, a strappy dress, multiple tops, a stunning red co-ord, and more — totalling ten pieces of clothing.

She revealed that this stash was enough to put together “more than six” different outfits.

Proud of her budget-friendly hack, Nina said: “Smart trick to avoid paying 50 euros (£42) for cabin luggage.”

While some airlines allow a small free cabin bag, their size restrictions often aren’t enough — making this hack a game-changer.

The clip has gone viral, racking up over 2.6 million views on TikTok, with more than 75,000 likes and nearly 1,900 comments.

“This is actually genius, for real,” one user commented, liked over 4,100 times.

Another was amazed: “Wait, you fit so much stuff in there!”

A third said: “Legendary… how have I never thought of this?”

And one more chimed in: “Love doing this — it saves so much space.”

One fashion-savvy viewer added: “One of those Uniqlo crossbody bags fits loads. Wear it under your coat with a scarf to hide the strap.”

It comes after another influencer shared a simple trick that will help you get an entire row to yourself on your next flight.

Maddie revealed she had signed up for a service called Neighbour Free when she flew with Etihad. In a video posted to her social media platforms, she explained: “I bid on the seats next to me on the plane, and if the flight isn’t completely full when I board, I get the whole row to myself. It’s basically like Business Class in Economy. I can lie down, sleep, all that.”

The content creator was “excited” to discover she had “won” the seats, meaning she had the entire row to herself. Maddie managed to sleep for eight of the 13.5-hour long-haul flight.

When asked how much this luxury had cost her, Maddie revealed in the comments section of her video that she had paid £200 to upgrade to three seats. In response to a suggestion that it might have been cheaper to upgrade to Business Class, she retorted: “Business Class upgrade would have cost £1,900++.”

READ MORE: Hair loss sufferer says hairdresser ‘couldn’t believe’ growth with 55p-per-day supplement

In a now viral video, a TikTok user shares their travel hack for packing more clothes while avoiding excess baggage charges. While some commenters praise the hack as ‘genius’ others see some faults.

A plane passenger has stunned others by revealing where she secretly stashes her clothes to avoid paying extra baggage charges.

The video, posted by Nina Edwine (@nina_edwine) to TikTok and which has amassed two million views, shows how she stuffs her neck pillow – as opposed to her hand luggage – with clothes.

Despite the small size, Nina pulls garment after garment after garment out of the neck pillow – showing just how much you can fit inside. She was able to pack in 10 individual items of clothing – including a bra, tops and a dress – inside her neck pillow. She captioned the video: “rat technique to avoid paying 50euros [£43] for cabin baggage”.

READ MORE: Ryanair, Wizz Air, easyJet and Jet2 exact hand luggage sizes confirmed to avoid fines

In addition to drawing millions of eyes, the viral video has generated much discussion in the comment section, attracting almost 2,000 comments. The tactic has been widely applauded by the TikTok community, but some people have pointed out some flaws.

“This is actually genius [for real],” wrote one commenter. “I will surely do this my next trip” wrote another, with many others also agreeing they were ready to put this hack to the test.

However, some commenters were sceptical that this would actually be allowed by airline staff. Especially on low-budget airlines like Ryanair that are sticklers for overweight and oversize luggage.

One user wrote: “I was traveling with Ryanair last Thursday and if you only have a small luggage you can’t have [anything] else. The lady by the gate told EVERYONE to put the pillow in their bag or throw them away.”

Another user claiming to work at an airport said: “As a gate agent, we still notice and we’ll still charge you for that.” While a different commenter said their attempt to use a similar hack failed: “Did this with a normal pillow and Ryanair staff at Marrakesh were not having it”.

Others joked that, even if gate agents weren’t already inspecting people’s neck pillows for ‘contraband’ they would from now on. “You lot are exposing this and when we get to the gate about to hop on a Ryanair flight, they will want to check everything,” wrote one commenter.

Commenters were quick to share other great tips for how to sneak extra clothing onto a flight without paying for additional baggage. “Buy any item at duty free [store], get a bag to go and you can put your clothes etc in that bag,” wrote one user.

Another tip was to use “one of those Uniqlo cross body bags”, and to “wear it under your coat with a scarf round your neck to disguise the strap”.

Brian Wilson, the musical savant who scripted a defining Southern California soundtrack with the Beach Boys before being pulled down by despair and depression in full public view, has died. He was 82.

Wilson’s family announced his death Wednesday morning on Facebook. “We are at a loss for words right now,” the post said.

“Please respect our privacy at this time as our family is grieving. We realize we are sharing our grief with the world,” said the statement, which was also shared on Instagram and the musician’s website.

The statement didn’t reveal a cause of death. Wilson died more than a year after it was revealed he was diagnosed with dementia and placed under a conservatorship in May 2024. For decades, Wilson battled mental health issues and drug addiction.

“The world mourns a genius today, and we grieve for the loss of our cousin, our friend, and our partner in a great musical adventure,” the Beach Boys said in a statement on Wednesday. “Brian Wilson wasn’t just the heart of The Beach Boys — he was the soul of our sound. The melodies he dreamed up and the emotions he poured into every note changed the course of music forever. “

The group added: “Together, we gave the world the American dream of optimism, joy, and a sense of freedom — music that made people feel good, made them believe in summer and endless possibilities. We are heartbroken by his passing.”

Elton John, the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood, Mick Fleetwood and Nancy Sinatra were among the artists who remembered Wilson on social media. Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Lucian Grainge and California Gov. Gavin Newsom also paid tribute to Wilson and his contributions to music.

“Wilson fundamentally changed modern music, helping make the Beach Boys not only the defining American band of their era, but also the California band to this day,” Newsom said in a statement. “He captured the mystique and magic of California, carrying it around the world and across generations.”

Roundly regarded as a genius in the music studio, Wilson wrote more than three dozen Top 40 hits, bright summertime singalongs that were radio candy in the early 1960s, anthems to the surf, sun and souped-up cars.

In an era when rock groups were typically force-fed material written by established musicians and seasoned songwriters, Wilson broke the mold by writing, arranging and producing a stream of hits that seemed to flow effortlessly from the studio.

Riding the crest of peppy, radio-friendly songs like “Surfer Girl,” “California Girls” and “Don’t Worry Baby,” Capital Records gave Wilson almost unchecked control over the group’s output. The label came to hold Wilson in such high regard that it even allowed him to record where he wished rather than use the cavernous Capitol studios in Hollywood that the Beach Boy leader felt were suitable only for orchestras.

“There are points where he did 37 takes of the same song,” said William McKeen, who taught a rock ‘n’ roll history course at the University of Florida. “One track will be someone singing ‘doo, doo, doo’ and the next will be ‘da, da, da.’ Then you hear them all together and, my God, it’s a complex piece of music.

“And he heard it all along.”

In many ways, the studio became Wilson’s primary instrument, just as it had been Phil Spector’s. As his confidence grew, Wilson’s compositions became more majestic and complex as he pieced together a far-reaching catalog of music while his bandmates toured the world without him — just as he preferred.

When the group returned from a tour in Asia in 1966, they discovered that Wilson had created an entire album during their absence. He had written the songs — many with guest lyricist Tony Asher, used the highly regarded Wrecking Crew session musicians to record with him and regarded the product as essentially a solo album. All his bandmates needed to do, he explained, was add their voices.

Brian Wilson, second to right, performs with the Beach Boys in California circa 1964.

(Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)

The songs on “Pet Sounds” were achingly beautiful and introspective. Some were melancholy, wistful, and brimming with nostalgia. Gone were the waves, the sunshine and the blond-haired girls that populated his earlier work. They were replaced with interlocking songs that seemed to form a single piece of music.

His bandmates were dumbstruck. Mike Love, his cousin and lead singer of the group, told him the album would have been better had he had a bigger hand in its creation. “Stop f— with the formula,” he reportedly snapped. Other band members agreed that the songs seemed foreign compared with surefire crowd pleasers like “Surfin’ U.S.A” and “Dance, Dance, Dance.” But they relented, and the album was released.

Love, in a lengthy 2012 L.A. Times op-ed about his brittle relationship with Wilson, told the story far differently, however. He said he was an early champion of the album, wrote some of the songs, came up with the title and helped convince Capitol to get behind the record when the label dragged its feet.

Though “Pet Sounds” was the first Beach Boys recording not to go gold — at least not immediately — it was a virtual narcotic to critics and admirers. Paul McCartney said it was “the classic of the century” and, as the story goes, rallied the rest of the Beatles to record “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” in response. Classical composer Leonard Bernstein declared Wilson a genius and one of America’s “most important musicians.”

As the years passed, the album became a treasured gem, saluted as one of the finest of the rock era and preserved in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress. Fifty years after it was released, it was still ranked as the second-best album of all time by both Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, topped only by “Sgt. Pepper’s.”

“Part of Brian Wilson’s genius was his ability to express great complexity within the frame of great simplicity,” wrote Anthony DeCurtis, an author and former Rolling Stone editor.

Then things fell apart.

For months, Wilson tinkered in the studio on an album with the working title “Smile” as anticipation built for what it might be and in what direction it might take rock, already shifting quickly in the dawn of the psychedelic era — music, drugs, lifestyle and all. Wilson said the album would be a “teenage symphony to God,” a piece of music so audacious it would unlock the straitjacket he felt was keeping pop music bland and predictable.

The first window into the album was “Good Vibrations,” a 3-minute, 35-second song that featured dramatic shifts in tone and mood with Wilson’s distinctive falsetto soaring above it all. It was an immediate commercial and critical success.

But it was also a disturbing sign of the madcap world Wilson now inhabited. Recordings for “Good Vibrations” stretched over seven months, the sonic blips and beeps he was trying to stitch together consumed 90 hours of tape and costs soared to nearly $75,000 — roughly $740,000 in 2025 valuation. All the while, musicians — some bandmates, others hired guns — filed in and out of four different studios as he searched for perfection.

Not everyone thought it was worth the effort for a single song.

“You had to play it about 90 bloody times to even hear what they were singing about,” complained Pete Townshend, the guitarist and songwriter for the Who. Spector — Wilson’s idol — said it felt “overproduced.” McCartney said it lacked the magic of “Pet Sounds.”

Wilson felt otherwise. When he finished the final mix on “Good Vibrations,” he said it left him with a feeling he’d never experienced.

“It was a feeling of exaltation. Artistic beauty. It was everything.”

The band toured again as Wilson continued work on “Smile,” an increasingly troubled project. He ordered members of a studio orchestra to wear fire gear and reportedly built a fire in the studio during a recording of “Mrs. O’Leary’s Cow,” which was to be the album’s opening number. He turned to veteran recording artist Van Dyke Parks for help with the lyrics rather than wait for his bandmates to return.

When Love listened to the still-under-construction album, he dismissed it as “a whole album of Brian’s madness,” according to the Guardian. Parks, an admired lyricist with his own career to worry about, eventually walked away from the project, spooked by Wilson’s erratic behavior and what he saw as Love’s uncomfortable tendency to bully his cousin.

David Marks, from left, Al Jardine, Brian Wilson, Blondie Chaplin, Mike Love and Bruce Johnston at the 2024 world premiere of the Disney+ documentary “The Beach Boys” in Hollywood.

(Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)

Whether it was the hostile reaction from his bandmates or the hopelessness of navigating the maze of half-finished songs and sonic fragments he’d created, Wilson put the whole thing aside. It would be decades before he revisited it.

“When we didn’t finish the album, a part of me was unfinished also, you know?” Wilson wrote in his 2016 memoir “I am Brian Wilson.” “Can you imagine leaving your masterpiece locked up in a drawer for almost 40 years?”

Love, who sued Wilson repeatedly through the years to get songwriting credit for dozens of songs he claimed he helped write, bristled at the suggestion that he had upended his cousin’s masterwork.

“What did I do? Why am I the villain?” Love wondered aloud in a lengthy 2016 profile in Rolling Stone. “How did it get to this?

Wilson’s psyche had been fragile for years. He was reclusive at times, spending days alone in a bedroom at his Malibu mansion, where he had a baby grand piano installed in a sandbox and a teepee erected in the living room. He admitted that he suffered from auditory hallucinations, which caused him to hear voices.

And he took drugs by the bucketful.

He was public about his demons. He was mentally ill, he said, consumed with such depression that he couldn’t get out of bed for days at a time. He smoked pot, experimented with LSD and got through the day with a steady lineup of amphetamines, cocaine and sometimes heroin. A tall man, Wilson’s weight ballooned to more than 300 pounds, and when he did surface in public, he seemed withdrawn and distracted.

“I lost interest in writing songs,” he told The Times in a 1988 interview. “I lost the inspiration. I was too concerned with getting drugs to write songs.”

It all started in Hawthorne, where Wilson was born on June 20, 1942. The eldest of three boys, he grew up in suburban comfort not far from the beaches that would inspire so many of his early songs.

His father, Murry, was a musician and a machinist; his mother, Audree, a homemaker. Wilson went to Hawthorne High, where he played football and baseball. He earned an F for a composition he submitted in his music class, though decades later the school changed his grade to an A when administrators discovered the composition had become the Beach Boys’ first hit song, “Surfing.” School officials invited him to campus to accept their apology.

At home, he played the piano obsessively. He recalled hearing George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” when he was 4, lying on the floor of his grandmother’s house, mesmerized that the composer had captured both a city and an entire era in a single piece of music. He took accordion lessons but set the instrument aside after six weeks. His father, though, noticed his son had the ability to quickly repeat melodies on the piano.

“He was very clever and quick. I just fell in love with him,” Murry Wilson says in Peter Carlin’s “Catch a Wave: The Rise, Fall and Redemption of the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson.”

In 1961, with his parents on vacation, Wilson, his brothers, Love and their friend Al Jardine rented guitars, a bass, drums and an amplifier with the food money their parents had left behind and staged a concert for their friends. When Murry Wilson returned home, he was more pleased than angered and encouraged the fledgling musicians to continue. Armed with a handful of songs, the Pendletones — named for the then-popular flannel shirts — began to play at school dances and parties. When they went into the studio to record, a producer changed the group’s name to the Beach Boys and never bothered to tell them.

If it all sounded sunny and carefree, Wilson didn’t remember it that way. He said his father was abusive and seemed to delight in humiliating him, typically in public. It was possible, he said, that his hearing problems stemmed from one of the times his father smacked him in the head.

“I was constantly afraid,” he told The Times in 2002. “That’s what I remember most: being nervous and afraid.”

When the Beach Boys became successful, Murry took over as their manager and increasingly took charge of their business affairs. When money was needed, he overrode his sons’ objections and sold off the band’s publishing company, believing the group had peaked. When the group went on the road, he went with them and fined his sons if they broke his rules — no booze, no profanity, no fraternizing with women. Finally, in 1964, Wilson and his brothers essentially fired their father. Never fully reconciled with his sons, Murry died of a heart attack in 1973.

To some observers, the riddle of Brian Wilson could not be fully explained by the drugs he took, the voices he heard or the depression that smothered him like a blanket. It was more than that.

“My own theory is that he was never able, never quite allowed, to become an adult — and that this, more than anything else, has been the story of his life, and of his band,” wrote Andrew Romano in a lengthy 2012 Newsweek article.

An abusive father, a cousin he regarded as a bully and ultimately a psychologist who sought to control his every move, his every thought — all appeared to have a hand in making Wilson who he was.

And then there was Eugene Landy, a colorful character by any measurement. He wore orange sunglasses, drove a Maserati with a license plate reading “HEADDOC,” sported a Rod Stewart-style haircut and practiced a brand of pop psychology that was regarded by some as revolutionary. Others, though, saw Landy as a Svengali-like figure, a man who could make Wilson appear to be on the road to recovery while bleeding him of every resource he had.

Hired by Wilson’s first wife, Marilyn, in 1976, Landy had his first meeting with his new client in Wilson’s bedroom closet, the only place where the musician said he felt safe. Landy gradually won Wilson’s trust and, believing in 24-hour therapy, moved in with the musician.

The results were immediate. Wilson shed weight, quit taking street drugs and rejoined the Beach Boys on stage for the group’s 15th anniversary. For a man who was so paranoid that he reportedly refused to brush his teeth or shower for fear that blood would gush from the faucet, it was a night-and-day change.

But it was short-lived, and Landy was fired when the Beach Boys’ management balked at his fees, which hovered around $35,000 a month — around $345,000 in 2025 valuation.

Without Landy, Wilson quickly regressed — back on drugs, overeating, retreating to his bedroom. He separated from his wife and grew apart from his daughters, Carnie and Wendy. Then with a flourish, Landy returned and — armed with a full team of nutritionists, assistants and caregivers — doubled down on his around-the-clock therapy.

Landy concluded Wilson suffered from a schizoid personality with manic depressive features — introverted, painfully shy, unable to show emotion. Left untreated, Landy said, Wilson would inevitably swing freely between delusional highs and nearly suicidal lows. He loaded Wilson up on medications — lithium, Xanax, Halcion, among others.

So involved was Landy in Wilson’s every move that in 1988 when the musician released “Brian Wilson” — his first solo album and his best effort in years — Landy was listed as the executive producer and given co-writing credit on five of the 11 songs. Landy’s girlfriend was given co-writing credit on three other songs. Landy became Wilson’s manager, formed a business interest with the musician to share in any profits from recordings, films and books and tried to become executor of Wilson’s estate.

Landy was ousted for good when the state attorney general’s office opened an investigation into his relationship with Wilson, probing accusations that he had prescribed drugs without a medical license and had financially exploited his famous client.

Gary Usher, a songwriter who worked with Landy, told state investigators that Wilson was a virtual captive, manipulated by a man who frightened and intimidated him.

In 1989, Landy pleaded guilty to a single charge of unlawfully prescribing drugs, surrendered his license and moved to Hawaii, where he died of lung cancer in 2006.

Wilson, who rarely said anything negative about anyone, could find little kind to say about Landy in a 2015 interview with Rolling Stone. “I thought he was my friend, but he was a very f— up man.”

Despite the tumult, Wilson kept recording and performing, sometimes showing glimpses of his former self, yet always doomed to comparisons with his earlier work.

In 2017, Times rock critic Randy Lewis observed that Wilson seemed chipper and content during a leg of the “Pet Sounds Live” tour at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. His voice, once shriveled by years of smoking and other abuses, was “assertive and confident,” Lewis wrote.

Two years later, though, Wilson postponed a leg of his “Greatest Hits” tour to focus on his mental health.

“It is no secret that I have been living with mental illness for many decades,” he wrote in a tender apology to ticketholders. “I’ve been struggling with stuff in my head and saying things I don’t mean, and I don’t know why.”

Through it all, the unfinished concept album he had put aside hung like a cloud.

A few snippets of the album had been used on “Smiley Smile,” a hurry-up recording in 1967 that the Beach Boys recorded to meet contractual demands, and “Surf’s Up,” a 1971 album built around a song of the same name that Wilson wrote for “Smile.”

Nearly 30 years later, an L.A. musician named Darian Sahanaja asked Wilson whether he’d be interested in revisiting “Smile.” The two had come to know each other on the road when Wilson sat in with Sahanaja’s group, the Wondermints.

The master tapes were unlocked, and Sahanaja said he downloaded the tracks and unconnected song fragments, aware that he was handling the very material that had nearly driven its author mad.

As the two worked on a laptop, the harmonies and unwritten connective tissue seemed to return to Wilson, Sahanaja said. They smoothed out transitions, changed tempos to help connect songs and phoned Parks when they were unable to make out lyrics. If he couldn’t remember a passage, Parks came up with substitute language.

In February 2004, Wilson’s version of “Smile” finally premiered at London’s Royal Festival Hall. With Wilson on stage, seated at a piano, and Parks in the audience, the crowd roared thunderously as a song cycle that had become nearly mythical in its absence was finally unveiled.

“I’m at peace with it,” Wilson said later, smiling.

Wilson is survived by six children, including daughters Carnie and Wendy, who made up two-thirds of the Grammy-nominated pop vocal group Wilson Philips. He is preceded in death by his wife, Melinda, who died in January 2024. His brother Dennis drowned in 1983 while diving in Marina Del Rey, and Carl, his other brother, died of lung cancer in 1998.

Times staff writer Alexandra Del Rosario contributed to this report.

Cherki is only the latest talent fresh off the Lyon production line, but may be the best yet.

He joined Lyon at the age of seven from AS Saint-Priest and, aged 16 years and 140 days, Cherki became the youngest goalscorer in the Ligue 1 side’s history in a French Cup tie back in January 2020.

Before that in November 2019, a Champions League debut came against Zenit, while he also helped France reach the quarter-finals of the European Under-21 Championships in 2023.

Previously linked with Real Madrid, Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea, in 2020 he admitted to Lyon TV “my dream is to play for Real Madrid”.

His footballing idol is Cristiano Ronaldo, can play as a winger but his preference is a more central number 10 role.

Cherki has just enjoyed a break-out campaign in Ligue 1, providing 11 assists, 22 big chances – the most in the league – 13 through-balls and 48 successful dribbles.

A return of 12 goals in all competitions is by far the best of his short career, but it is his work and understanding of the game off the ball that has arguably improved the most this term.

French football expert Julien Laurens, speaking on the Euro Leagues podcast, said: “He has been incredible this season. Since he was 16 – even before that – the talent is there, left foot or right foot.

“A player at this level who takes corners with each foot depending on which side of the corner it is, to be an inswinger every time is just incredible.

“He is one of the greatest technicians in Europe right now.”

The stats support Cherki’s ambipedal qualities. Of the 44 shots he took with his feet in Ligue 1 last season, 22 came with the left and 22 with the right.

Cherki’s growing reputation was only enhanced by Thursday’s stunning international debut on Thursday against Spain, where he sparked France’s comeback from 5-1 down.

Three days later he made his full international debut as Les Bleus beat Germany 2-0 in the Nations League third-place play-off.

Laurens certainly isn’t Cherki’s only admirer.

France legend Thierry Henry has previously said he has “never seen a player in history who dribbles as quickly as him”, while Lyon’s captain Alexandre Lacazette described him as “special”.

The former Arsenal striker added: “This season, he has managed to raise his level. I would put [Mesut] Ozil in a different category but, with time, Rayan can get close to him.”

Cherki, also part of the France squad that finished runners-up at the 2024 Olympics, scored in both legs for Lyon against Manchester United in a Europa League quarter-final defeat last season.

Speaking to BBC Sport in April about him, Lyon’s former Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles said: “He is the best natural talent I’ve ever seen. An absolute master, a wizard with the ball.

“He is taking chances, assists and dragging us up the pitch by taking people on and nutmegging them – he is a genius.”

The former player bagged a huge win for charity

The 1% Club viewers have branded a former football star as a ‘genius’ after he bagged £100,000 for charity.

The ITV gameshow, hosted by Lee Mack, aired its Soccer Aid special on Saturday night (7th June), and saw Clarke Carlisle striking the jackpot.

After a competitive episode, with a star-studded panel including Paddy McGuinness and Tommy Fury, Carlisle and comedian Lloyd Griffith were the last pair standing.

The final 1% question asked: “In the opening verse to the original version of Three Lions, what TWO words feature exactly three times in the lyrics?”

With the lyrics plastered on the screen to help them, the final duo locked in their answers.

Unfortunately for Griffith, he misread the verse and selected ‘they’ as his answer. ‘They’ only appears twice in the lyrics because the contraction “they’ve” isn’t technically a repetition of the word.

However, Carlisle answered correctly, pointing out that ‘it’ and ‘know’ appear three times in the verse.

Viewers have been left impressed by the 45-year-old’s efforts, with many taking to X, formerly Twitter, to share their praises.

“Clarke Carlisle just hit the back of the net. Well done Clarke,” gushed one. Another chimed in, penning: “Clarke Carlisle you Brainiac!! Well done!”

A third fan simply said: “Wow he’s so clever,” while a fourth declared: “Clarke Carlisle is a genius!!”

Yet another viewer joined the chorus, stating: “Absolutely delighted for Clarke! Always had a brilliant brain – but came close to losing him!”

The former Premier League star has been open about his mental health battles, revealing that he attempted to take his own life back in 2014.

The Preston-born sportsman has since become an advocate for mental health education in the sporting world.

The 1% Club’s Soccer Aid special comes just days before the charity event, set to kick off on Sunday (15th June).

Founded by Robbie Williams in 2006, Soccer Aid raises funds towards UNICEF’s efforts to protect children’s safety globally. The celebrity football match features everyone from former professionals to reality TV stars.

This year’s game features the likes of Sir Mo Farah, TV star Bear Grylls, singer Tom Grennan and social media sensation Morgan Burtwistle.

The 1% Club’s Soccer Aid special is streaming now on ITVX

For confidential support call the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123 or visit a local Samaritans branch.

IF your child’s birthday is coming up and the thought of splashing the cash on a lavish cake sends shivers down your spine, fear not, you’ve come to the right place.

Many parents will know that ordering a personalised birthday cake can often end up costing hundreds of pounds.

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But in a bid to save cash, one savvy mum took matters into her own hands and was able to cut costs by DIY-ing her little darling’s birthday dessert.

Posting on social media, a mother named Amy shared a step-by-step tutorial of how she DIY-ed her daughter Myla’s pink birthday cake – and it cost her less than £20.

So if you’re on a budget and your purse is feeling tighter than ever before, then you’ll need to listen up. 

The UGC content creator explained that to celebrate her daughter turning one, she decorated the Pretty in Pink Lambeth Cake, which she bought from Waitrose.

The pink coloured golden sponge cake, which is filled with raspberry jam and topped and decorated with pale pink and dark pink buttercream, cost Amy just £18.

Then, using some pink icing and ribbons she already had, she was able to personalise the cake – and we think it looks incredibly professional.

Alongside a short clip shared online, the influencer penned: “Making my daughter’s first birthday cake, saving £100s!”

Showing off the box-fresh vintage-style cake, which is decorated with whirls and swirls of piping, Amy beamed: “Come with me to DIY my daughter’s first birthday cake for only £18!” 

Amy confirmed that she used letter cutters to cut out “Myla is one” in pink icing, which she placed on top of the cake.

Following this, she attached pretty pink bows, which she already had from Shein, and was able to stick these to the cake with cocktail sticks. 

We think Amy’s DIY cake looks brilliant and is a great way for those strapped for cash to save money, without having to scrimp on the celebrations. 

The TikTok clip, which was posted under the username @mummyandmylaa, has clearly left many open-mouthed, as it has quickly racked up 178,600 views.

Not only this, but it’s also amassed 2,782 likes, 31 comments and 780 saves. 

Social media users were impressed with the jaw-dropping cake and many eagerly raced to the comments to express this. 

One person said: “Love that. Wish I hadn’t already ordered a cake almost the exact same.”

Another added: “This is genius!” 

A third commented: “Super cute!”

Not only this, but another parent beamed: “Omg that cake is adorable, I wish I knew about it before!” 

This is genius!

TikTok user

At the same time, one user wondered: “What it nice? I worry that supermarket cakes can be dry inside as they are sat on the aisle for a while.”

To this, the content creator replied and confirmed: “Not dry at all!!! 

“Honestly, it tasted AMAZING, no regrets!!!” 

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