opens

Universal Studios Hollywood’s landscape-changing, park-altering new thrill ride, Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift, is officially open. The coaster boasting spinning, drifting cars along 4,100 feet of track had been in a soft launch phase since late July. But as of Wednesday morning, the theme park has declared the ride fit for daily operation.

“It elevates us to a new level,” says Jon Corfino, the park’s lead creative executive. “When we first started thinking about this 10 years ago, we recognized that. It’s our first big outdoor coaster. It changes the complexion of who we are, even the visual nature of who we are. You can see this from the freeway.”

The theme park hosted a private ribbon-cutting ceremony — in this case, a metal chain cutting to better represent the action-focused, garage-like grit of the “Fast & Furious” film franchise — on Tuesday evening. Mark Woodbury, the chairman and chief executive of Universal Destinations & Experiences, and Scott Strobl, executive vice president and general manager of Universal Studios Hollywood, together sliced the cable.

‘“Fast & Furious’ has delivered 25 years of high-speed thrills and big blockbuster movie moments and it was the perfect story for us to build this incredible, one-of-a-kind innovative attraction,” Woodbury said, noting a similar coaster, set to open next year, is under construction for Universal’s Florida resort.

Universal Studios Hollywood’s Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift towers over the theme park.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

The coaster reaches a top speed of 72 mph, the fastest coaster in Universal’s global portfolio, and places riders in authentic, mini-re-creations of real cars that can rotate 360 degrees to create the drifting sensation of a stunt vehicle. With four inversions that bring guests upside down, Hollywood Drift is decidedly intense.

Wait times on Wednesday were hovering around 90 minutes. “I’m a big fan of the movies, and I think this is the best coaster in Southern California, hands down,” said L.A.’s Peter Lee, 43, as he was exiting the attraction on Wednesday. Lee has ridden the coaster 10 times since late July, but wanted to attend its opening day to purchase a picture of himself on the ride on its first proper day of operations.

Phillip Lambert Duke, 42, of Orlando, came to Universal Studios Hollywood to experience the West Coast edition of Halloween Horror Nights but said Hollywood Drift will be a highlight of the trip. “It’s fantastic,” Lambert Duke said. “It’s beautiful. I love how all the cars move independently of one another. “

Yet Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has also attracted some unwanted attention from the neighboring community of Toluca Lake, where residents have cried foul at the sound of rider screams emanating from the coaster. “Untenable,” “disturbing” and “like someone is getting murdered” have been a few of the ways longtime Toluca Lake homeowners have described the noise of riders.

An upside down rider enjoying Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift at Universal Studios Hollywood.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

A number of Toluca Lake residents sent a media alert and hosted reporters in their neighborhood on Wednesday’s opening day to showcase just how disruptive the screams could be. Standing in the backyard of a house situated near a neighboring golf course, rider screams are certainly audible, and residents said the consistency of them is destroying their quality of life.

“It’s a constant stress,” said Colby Jensen, 55, a Toluca Lake resident of 26 years. Jensen said some residents have begun exploring their legal options, citing both the emotional duress of hearing constant screams and also a fear of potentially lower property values.

“It’s not just a noise, like the freeway, which is in the background,” Jensen said. “It’ll be quiet for a minute, and then you’ll hear this cacophony of screams. It inherently raises your blood pressure and stress level and it’s unnatural to hear that.”

Sofia S., who declined to give her full last name, said she just returned home to Toluca Lake after graduating from Indiana University. The 22-year-old noted the coaster has made it difficult to work from home.

“I have a little dog, and she’s barking a lot more because she thinks people are trying to come into the house,” she said.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift was designed as one of the quietest thrill rides ever constructed so as not to disrupt the working studio below and the communities nearby. Its track has been filled with pea gravel to mitigate rumbles, and multiple walls and glass-outfitted curved shields have been placed on or near its layout. Universal has even stated that it can rotate the cars so riders scream away from the nearby neighborhood at particularly extreme moments. Such measures have been welcomed by the community, but they’re not enough, say many neighbors.

Universal has scheduled a community meeting with residents for Sept. 30. The park also last month pledged to build additional sound barriers to further dampen rider screams.

Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift has been the most anticipated theme park attraction of 2026.

(Ronaldo Bolaños / Los Angeles Times)

At Tuesday’s media event, Universal executives declined to discuss community concerns or efforts to alleviate them, but later issued a statement acknowledging that community feedback has been an important part of the process.

“Testing completed to date confirms the attraction is operating in compliance with sound ordinances applicable to Universal property, which are more stringent than city and county codes,” the emailed comment reads.

Toluca Lake residents dismiss criticisms that this comes with the territory of living next to a theme park, noting for much of its history Universal focused on indoor attractions and has previously worked with the community, such as adjusting the audio on its “WaterWorld” stunt show.

Fred Iberri, who said he’s lived in his inherited Toluca Lake home since the early ’70s, said everyone has a right to peace in their home.

“People say, ‘If you don’t like it, it’s your choice to live next to a theme park.’ That’s not true. Universal hasn’t had a coaster outside until three months ago,” Iberri said. “I’ve been here for 52 years, my family for 90, and Toluca Lake has been a peaceful neighborhood until three months ago. Anyone who says that doesn’t know us or the neighborhood. It’s not so easy for seniors to just pick up and move.”

Mr. Todd’s Wild Ride comes out every Tuesday, but we occasionally publish special editions (like this one!) when we have breaking theme park news. Make sure you’ve signed up to be the first to know.

PETE Wicks has opened up about the huge birthday gesture he received from Olivia Attwood that made him cry – and her awkward reaction.

The pair confirmed their relationship back in July after the tattooed hunk hard launched their romance on Instagram.

Pete will be turning 38 on November 1 and Getting Filthy Rich presenter has decided to treat him.

Speaking on the Staying Relevant Podcast, Pete revealed: “Liv has booked my birthday present. She’s taking me to Vegas.

“She told me over lunch at the weekend.

“And do you want to know something even more embarrassing? I cried.

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“No one has ever bought me anything for my birthday.

“I’ve never had anything or done anything. So when she did that, I cried at the dinner table. How pathetic is that?!

“And it’s really awkward because Liv and I are not really like that.

“And she went ‘Oh God. What are you doing?’”

He added: Favourite place ever. Favourite person.”

The loved-up couple made their first red carpet appearance at the National Television Awards earlier this week.

Days before Olivia branded her boyfriend Pete “so hot” as they posed together for romantic new snaps.

“Went on a date with Pete Wicks from Towie can’t believe it, he’s so hot in real life too xxxx,” she captioned the post.

She also revealed what gives her ‘the ick’ about her man.

Talking on her podcast, Olivia’s House, the reality star admitted that Pete’s 2024 stint on Strictly Come Dancing isn’t one she likes to look back at.

Explaining that the sequin ensembles and foxtrots are a far cry from Pete’s day-to-day rugged image, Olivia said: “Oh this is so mean, he won’t even care about me saying it.

“I obviously think he’s the most handsome, gorgeous man. But, when I see Strictly Come Dancing, I, honestly, I don’t even – some people might find men dancing sexy but that is just not my thing.”

Olivia split from her ex husband Bradley Dack in January.

The pair tied the knot in 2023.

The “best of the best” in athletics are preparing to compete in the inaugural World Athletics Ultimate Championship that gets under way in Budapest this weekend.

The three-day competition will see 26 Olympic champions from Paris, 26 world champions from Tokyo last year, and this season’s top athletes battle it out to be crowned the best in track and field.

Many return to the stomping ground in the Hungarian capital after successes at the 2023 World Championships, while others have racked up global titles after breakout performances throughout the year.

Here’s Al Jazeera’s all-to-know guide to the meet:

Who, what, where and when at the Ultimate Championship?

The Ultimate Championship is an invite-only competition featuring the Olympic gold medallist, World Championship gold medallist, Diamond League winners, and the best performers of 2026 based on the World Rankings qualification system.

It runs from September 11-13 in Budapest and will become a biennial feature in World Athletics’ calendar. The sport’s global governing body chose 2026 to launch the event in between the World Championships, and, in Olympic years, use it to round out a highly competitive season.

Jamaican sprint legend Usain Bolt, an ambassador for the event, said it was “great to see track and field going in a different direction”.

“It’s going to be great to see the best of the best,” the eight-time Olympic gold medallist said at a news conference on Thursday before the event.

“This was one of my greatest things. I’ve always lived to compete against the best and I would thrive in this moment.”

What is the Ultimate Championship prize pot?

The $10m prize pot will see winners of each event bag a record $150,000.

That’s more than double the $70,000 given at last year’s World Championships in Tokyo, and three times what was awarded by World Athletics to Olympic champions in Paris. Second place takes home $75,000, third place $40,000, all the way to $2,000 for 16th-place finishers.

Relay teams will split $80,000 among themselves, followed by $40,000 and $24,000 for second and third place, respectively.

The Ultimate Champion also walks away with global “bragging rights”, World Athletics President Sebastian Coe said before the event as he explained its significance to the sport.

What’s new at the Ultimate Championship?  

For one, there are no medals. It’s part of World Athletics’ “reimagining of awards” that replaces the traditional accolade with a customised trophy for the Ultimate Champions based on individual tokens.

All events will be direct semifinals or finals rather than starting off as heats. Athletes competing in the men’s and women’s 200m will select their preferred semifinal heat and lane based on their seed order.

A tie for first place in a vertical jump will be decided by a jump-off rather than be shared, while athletes in throwing events will have four attempts down from the typical six, that too in the 8:8:6:4 model.

The mixed 4×100-metre relay will feature in Budapest after its debut at the World Relays earlier this year, with each quartet competing in national kits.

Why is Ultimate Championship getting criticism from a few athletes?

A number of events have been excluded from the Ultimate Championship, including shot put, triple jump, women’s hammer throw, and discus throw, as well as long-distance track events like 3,000-metre steeplechase and 10,000-metre.

World Athletics said its decision was based on viewership and priority for faster-paced events.

Olympic discus champion Matthew Denny and former world champion and two-time triple jump champion Pedro Pichardo were among the athletes who lamented the decision on social media.

Denny, current world number two, explained that the prize money “can change a career and a life” and implored World Athletics to reconsider its stance on public interest driven by its own statistics.

“Innovation should not come at the expense of opportunity.”

World record watch

These athletes are already the creme de la creme in their field and are most likely to set a world record, based on this year’s performance:

• Men’s Pole Vault: None other than Sweden’s Armand ‘Mondo’ Duplantis, who has broken the world record 15 times and most recently this March.
• Men’s 800m: World lead Emanuel Wanyonyi has repeatedly threatened fellow Kenyan David Rudisha’s 1:40.91 set at the London 2012 Olympics.
• Women’s 800m: Audrey Werro is fresh off her 1:53.70 set on home soil at the Zurich Diamond League in August. The Swiss’s time is third all-time and dangerously close to the 1:53.28 set by Jarmila Kratochvilova in 1983.
• Men’s 400m hurdles: Brazil’s Alison dos Santos recently smashed the record in Zurich, five years after Norway’s Karsten Warholm clocked 45.94 at the Tokyo Olympics.
• Women’s 100m hurdles: Zurich magic extended to the women’s 100m hurdles as USA’s Masai Russell stormed to a 12.09 to cap off 12 straight wins this season.

THE Great British Bake Off is back in a matter of weeks with a new horde of amateur bakers wanting to prove their skills to the judges.

But did you know that the Channel 4 series films on the grounds of a stunning manor house and you can visit the estate for yourself next month?

Welford Park, a country house in Berkshire, has been GBBO’s filming location since 2014 – and members of the public usually aren’t allowed inside.

For the majority of the year, the 17th century estate is a private family home and working farm.

However, it does open for seasonal events and will open its doors to the public in October for its Spectacle of Light trail.

It will see the grounds, woods and gardens is lit up with lanterns and beautiful light displays for families to explore.

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New for this year is its Alice’s Amazing Adventures in Wonderland where you’ll spot the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, Cheshire Cat – and even the Queen of Hearts.

There’s food and drink too from hot chocolates to toasted marshmallows and plenty more at Food Truck Village where there’s also a Tipi Bar.

It’s received high praise by families too with one visitor called it a “a magical winter event”.

They added: “The lights at this event were spectacular and the children were in awe of them, as were the adults. The formal gardens in particular were stunning. Hot chocolates were some of the best we’ve had.”

The light trail will be on at Welford Park between October 22 and November 7.

Tickets start from £24 per adult and £14.50 per child (3-15) – infants between 0-2 go free.

For those who want to see the grounds in all their glory, they will reopen to the public for snowdrop season.

Between January 27 and February 28 will be its Winter Gardens & Snowdrops event that has been a tradition for the last 50 years.

The snowdrops flood the grounds of the woods and sit along the riverbanks of the River Lambourn and the gardens.

The gates open at 11am and last entry is 4pm (it is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays).

Tickets start from £12 per adult and £8 per child (4-15) – under 4’s go free.

NEW YORK: The UN closed the books on the 80th session of the General Assembly on Tuesday and opened the 81st in a single day of ceremony, amid warnings from its outgoing and incoming leadership that the world body must reform itself or face erosion.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who was addressing the assembly for what he noted was his final time as UN chief, painted a bleak picture of the present moment in the world: wars that carry a risk of nuclear escalation; worsening climate chaos; advances in artificial intelligence without adequate governance; and human suffering that is intensifying even as aid funding has been slashed.

“Geopolitical mistrust and suspicion continue to block the effective solutions we need — and erode people’s faith in the possibilities of global cooperation,” Guterres said.

Still, he told delegates, he has “enormous hope,” pointing in particular to the UN’s Pact for the Future and the UN80 reform initiative as “a blueprint for action, solutions and bold reforms.”

The UN80 Initiative is a reform drive launched by Guterres in March last year, the organization’s 80th anniversary. It aims to overhaul overlapping structures and outdated mandates that officials say have rendered the UN slow and bureaucratic.

The departing president of the General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, described the initiative as unfinished business that she and her successor, Khalilur Rahman, were carrying into the 81st session.

Baerbock described the 80th session one that had found itself at “a crossroads” over whether a handful of states could effectively impose a veto on the General Assembly’s consensus. Member states, she said, had answered by refusing “to allow compromise to become compromising,” by pushing through 317 resolutions, holding 116 plenary meetings and opening a new chapter on AI governance, despite the challenges and only a few processes concluding through consensus.

“Not a single day, not a single country would be better off without the United Nations,” Baerbock told the assembly as she rejected the argument that the body had become irrelevant.

She credited Guterres with forcing the question of reform onto the agenda through the UN80 Initiative, including cuts to mandates and a merger of the UN System Staff College, which provides personnel and partners with the knowledge, skills and tools to act collaboratively and effectively, with UN Institute for Training and Research.

“If we are not capable of freeing this organization from overlapping structures and mandates, as well as a heavy bureaucratic mentality, it will erode over time,” she warned, describing the upcoming selection of a new secretary-general, a process she formally handed over to her successor, as “the credibility test of this institution for this decade.”

Rahman was then sworn in. He is from Bangladesh and told reporters he intended to run an open, media-engaged presidency built around the theme “Restoring Trust, Managing Transformation.”

During his formal address to the assembly he lamented that the UN “has often fallen short of the expectations placed upon us,” citing in particular a “widening trust deficit” that member states must work to close through the delivery of results, not rhetoric.

“Trust cannot simply be requested, it must be earned,” he added.

Rahman outlined six priorities for the coming 12-month session: peacekeeping-driven conflict prevention; acceleration of the Sustainable Development Goals, with just four years left to achieve them and only 36 percent of targets on track; climate adaptation ahead of the UN Climate Change Conference, COP31, in November, and a high-level meeting this month on rising sea levels; human rights, including the anniversaries of the Durban Declaration to combat racism and other forms of discrimination and intolerance, and the Declaration on the Right to Development, an issue he described as personal, given that Bangladesh hosts more than a million displaced Rohingya; inclusive governance of AI; and institutional solvency, as he appealed to member states to pay their assessed dues “in full, on time and without conditions.”

Rahman also inherits oversight of the selection process for the next secretary-general, under Article 97 of the UN Charter, to replace Guterres, whose term ends on Dec. 31. He pledged to run it “fairly, inclusively and transparently,” alongside the Security Council.

He said he had built his office to reflect the opening words of the Charter — “We the peoples,” not “We the states” — and noted that women make up 60 percent of his cabinet.

Guterres closed the day with a separate, more somber commemoration: a wreath-laying ceremony for Dag Hammarskjold, the second secretary-general of the UN, who was killed in the course of his duties, along with 15 others, in plane crash on Sept. 18, 1961.

Citing a new report from investigator Mohammed Chande Othman, Guterres renewed his appeal for undisclosed records relating to the crash in what is now Zambia, and said he would soon send recommendations to the General Assembly.

He also noted that UN personnel had been killed “in record numbers” over the past three years and added: “Their sacrifice reminds us of all the women and men who have lost their lives while serving the United Nations.”

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia has opened subscriptions for its September “Sah” savings sukuk, offering a fixed annual return of 4.80 percent, up from 4.70 percent in August’s issuance. 

The window opened at 10 a.m. Saudi time on Sept. 6 and closes at 3 p.m. on Sept. 8, according to the National Debt Management Center, or NDMC. 

The Shariah-compliant sukuk is denominated in Saudi riyals, carries a one-year maturity and pays a fixed return at maturity. The issuance is part of the NDMC’s 2026 calendar and reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to boost household savings and advance financial inclusion. 

The Shariah-compliant sukuk is denominated in Saudi riyals, carries a one-year maturity and pays a fixed return at maturity. The issuance is part of the NDMC’s 2026 calendar and reflects the Kingdom’s efforts to boost household savings and advance financial inclusion. 

In a post on X, the NDMC said the minimum subscription is SR1,000 ($266), while the maximum is capped at SR200,000 per individual across the program period. 

The sukuk is available only to Saudi citizens aged 18 or older through approved platforms, including SNB Capital, Aljazira Capital, Alinma Investment, SAB Invest and Al Rajhi Capital.  

Issued monthly, “Sah” sukuk returns are set according to prevailing market conditions. The program is issued by the Ministry of Finance and arranged by the NDMC and is designed to encourage personal savings and expand financial inclusion. 

Launched under Vision 2030’s Financial Sector Development Program, “Sah” aims to raise the Kingdom’s national savings rate to 10 percent by 2030, up from about 6 percent currently. 

International sukuk 

On Sept. 2, the Kingdom raised $3.25 billion through a two-tranche international sukuk issuance that drew about $16.5 billion in orders, the NDMC said. 

The order book was about five times the size of the offering, as the Kingdom tapped international Islamic debt markets through its Global Trust Certificate Issuance Program. 

Separately, Saudi Arabia’s non-oil private sector grew at its fastest pace in six months in August, with the Riyadh Bank Purchasing Managers’ Index rising to 53.8, driven by stronger business activity and domestic demand. 

The reading came as the non-oil economy continued to show resilience amid a sharp downturn in oil activity. 

The first edition of the remade “60 Minutes” under CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss debuts Sept. 13 with a reliable formula from the venerable newsmagazine’s playbook.

Correspondent Jon Wertheim will lead off the 59th season with an in-depth look at the Los Angeles Rams, the favorite of oddsmakers to win the Super Bowl this season. Wertheim sits down with Rams general manager Les Snead, head coach Sean McVay and veteran quarterback Matthew Stafford. The segment will also explore team owner Stan Kroenke’s investment in technology, including artificial intelligence, to help the team gain an edge on the field.

Jon Wertheim interviews Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay.

(CBS News)

“60 Minutes” has often turned to sports-related segments when a season premiere follows a late afternoon NFL game. Last year, Wertheim profiled Ultimate Fighting Championship Chief Executive Dana White for the 58th season premiere. The program scored more than 10 million viewers and was the most-watched non-sports program of the week. In 2023, Wertheim interviewed University of Colorado head football coach Deion Sanders for the 56th season opener.

CBS News will be under pressure to have “60 Minutes” get off to a strong start in the ratings following the major upheaval at the program earlier this year.

After the completion of a successful season where ratings were up 9% over the previous year, Weiss fired “60 Minutes” correspondents Sharyn Alfonsi and Cecilia Vega — both of whom complained that the executive pushed them to add right-wing talking points to their stories. Weiss also dismissed “60 Minutes” executive producer Tanya Simon and replaced her with screenwriter and documentary filmmaker Nick Bilton, who has no previous experience in TV news.

In response to the firings, longtime correspondent Scott Pelley accused Weiss of “murdering” the program and claimed she was putting “her thumb on the scale” for more favorable coverage of President Trump’s administration. Pelley was shown the door with cause after confronting management at a June 1 meeting. CBS denied the claims.

The discord meant the program spent much of the summer hiring replacement correspondents, including Ross Douthat, a conservative New York Times opinion writer with no experience as a TV journalist.

Weiss, founder of the heterodox digital news site the Free Press, was hired by Paramount Chief Executive David Ellison with a mandate to pull the news division to the political center. The stated goal has put every move by Weiss under heavy scrutiny, as many critics have suggested she is at the network to placate the Trump White House while Paramount pursues its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery.

Other new “60 Minutes” contributors include author and journalist Sebastian Junger, former CNN and Vice News correspondent Gianna Toboni, and Trevor Phillips, a British journalist who joined CBS News earlier this year as a senior global affairs correspondent. They will join correspondents Wertheim, Norah O’Donnell, Bill Whitaker and Lesley Stahl.

The program will also feature stories with CBS News correspondents outside of the core group at “60 Minutes,” such as Seth Doane and Matt Gutman.

The other two segments on the “60 Minutes” premiere, — which could include a significant newsmaker interview, — will be announced sometime next week.

This year’s premiere should get a strong boost, as most of the country will get CBS coverage of a late afternoon match-up between the Green Bay Packers and the Minnesota Vikings, two contenders in the highly competitive NFC North. The network’s pregame show “The NFL Today” is traveling to Green Bay for the telecast.

WHILE most shy away from pain, Ellie Goulding leans into hers for new album I Know Too Much.

And it makes the ten-track record, out today, one of her greatest pieces of work.

Her searingly honest lyrics shine a light on the last two years of her life, while the mix of pacy beats and stripped-back acoustic ballads elevate her ethereal voice.

Part heartbreak, part rebirth, I Know Too Much takes listeners on a journey through deceit and betrayal before ending in a place of euphoria with final song Ravers.

The end of her marriage to art dealer Caspar Gopling has most definitely inspired some of the tracks.

But you can also see how fans might link some lyrics to her apparent unhappiness with her old management team, with whom she is now locked in a nasty legal battle after they parted ways earlier this year.

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Two ultimate diss tracks, Always Thinking Of You and Misremember You, are sure-fire hits for the broken-hearted.

Lyrically, the latter is raw, with Ellie singing: “All my friends would die if they knew I still see you in a good light from time to time. But I won’t let the truth get in the way of a good story.

“I’ll leave out all the details that don’t add up to your glory.”

On Always Think Of You, Ellie chides: “Run your mouth, when I post a pretty picture you would make me take it down.

“The s**t you did then I would never put up with now.”

She continues: “Losing your s**t over something small, throwing a fit like you’re two feet tall, blame it on me, or the alcohol, what do you know now, Mr know it all?”

For Your Entertainment and Loser are my stand-out favourites, with the lyrics on Loser enough to make any of her former flames cringe.

“See you got a new job, new life, got a new girl that’s fine, you’re not fooling anybody,” Ellie sings.

“You can change all your clothes, baby you’re still a loser.

“Change your cologne, you still smell like a loser.”

I’ll be singing that on repeat any time someone gets on my wick.

Guendouzi and Greenwood made provocative gestures towards the Lyon ‌supporters after their Champions League playoff.

UEFA ‌has opened disciplinary proceedings ⁠against ⁠Fenerbahce’s Matteo Guendouzi and Mason Greenwood following the second leg of ⁠a Champions League playoff match at Olympique Lyonnais, the ⁠Turkish club said.

“Our club will present the necessary defences before the ⁠relevant UEFA bodies ⁠in order to protect the rights and interests of our players and Fenerbahce during ⁠this process,” the Turkish outfit added in a ⁠statement on Thursday.

French midfielder Guendouzi and English forward Greenwood allegedly made provocative gestures towards the Lyon ‌supporters, which was followed by a brawl as Guendouzi left the pitch, following Fenerbahce’s 2-1 win last month.

It led to clashes between players and coaching staff on and off the football pitch, and the visiting team’s celebrations descended into chaos.

Fenerbahce said they ⁠are also under scrutiny.

“Everything from that match is still with the disciplinary body,” a ‌UEFA spokesperson said.

Fenerbahce progressed to the league phase of the Champions ‌League ‌with a 3-2 aggregate victory.

Casualty is set to air a gripping double-bill as the BBC medical drama celebrates its 40th anniversary with an explosive incident.

Casualty fans are in for a treat during the landmark anniversary.

Over the years, BBC fans have seen the team at Holby Hospital face a range of intense situations, from helicopter crashes, horrific stabbings and bomb explosions.

However, it looks as though the upcoming double-bill episodes could top them all as one star from the medical drama has spoken about the gripping scenes ahead.

As Casualty is set to mark its 40th anniversary in September, the programme has given viewers a glimpse at what’s to come with a trailer earlier this month.

It features a huge explosion, a multitude of injuries, tears, police and two favourites in an ambulance crash, reports the Daily Star.

Actress Melanie Hill, who takes on the role of Siobhan McKenzie in the BBC drama, spoke to the Screen Time team at Reachplc about the upcoming episodes.

While saying the scenes are ‘always chaotic’, the actress confessed she thinks the instalments are the ‘most ambitious’ that have been seen in the history of Casualty.

Melanie explained that not only is there an influx of people who are injured and needing to be seen to, but there are personal stories surrounding the doctors and nurses who work at the hospital.

A synopsis for the upcoming episodes teases that ‘impossible life-or-death’ decisions are forced onto the beloved characters as their courage, resilience and leadership will be tested.

While Dylan (William Beck) is set to face a personal tragedy of his own, Stevie (Elinor Lawless) and Flynn (Olly Rix) find themselves fighting for survival in a race against time.”

With the trailer dropping earlier this month, devoted fans were quick to share their reactions to the tantalising preview, with many fearing the worst was yet to come.

One person said, “I wonder which paramedic is driving the ambulance; it looks like Indie.” Another added: “This is going to be one intense watch, peak TV incoming.”

While someone else commented: “Sounds awful, but as long as Dylan is ok, I will be SO upset if they kill him off, he’s been my fav for SO long!!” As another added: “If anyone dies, I will be crying unapologetically.”

Casualty’s special double-bill will air on Saturday, 5 September 2026, on BBC iPlayer and BBC One

CHANTELLE Houghton says she still has a friendship with her ex Preston, two decades after their Big Brother romance.

The reality star was sent into Celebrity Big Brother in 2006 to trick her famous housemates into thinking she too was a star, and ended up falling in love with singer Preston.

They married later that year, but were divorced after ten months.

Now, Chantelle says that despite their failed union, she and Preston – real name Samuel Dylan Murray Preston – keep in touch to this day.

“We still message every now and then. I think he’s engaged to someone now,” said the star.

She continued to Betway: “We’re still friendly, there’s no bad blood. We didn’t have an awful falling out. Obviously, there were problems and a bit of animosity at the time, but no, I genuinely wish him well.

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“We’ve been through so much together that no one else will really understand. That friendship still matters.

“It’s good memories, and it’s something we did once in our lives. It was just a great experience.”

Whilst her relationship with Preston was very public, Chantelle has gone the opposite direction when it comes to her current relationship.

The star revealed she was in a relationship earlier this year, but didn’t divulge on who with.

Last month, it was revealed her man was local garden center owner Westley O’Bryan.

But she says the relationship will be kept private for now.

“Right now, I’m not sure whether I want to go public with my new man or keep it just for me. I’m living in the moment. I want to tell the world how amazing he is, of course I do, but for now, I’m keeping it to myself,” explained Chantelle.

Eight months have passed since Rob and Michele Reiner were killed and their youngest son was arrested and charged with murder, but the couple’s eldest son still feels he “will never understand why this happened.”

The children of film director Rob Reiner and photographer Michele Reiner mostly have kept mum despite extensive coverage of the brutal stabbings of Dec. 14, 2025.

In a television interview with KABC-TV’s Marc Cota-Robles, Jake Reiner, the eldest son, described the aftermath of the slayings and the arrest of his brother, Nick, as a “living nightmare.”

“Nobody really understands what it’s like to go through something like that until you’re living it,” said Jake, 34. “It’s been eight months. It feels like eight years at the same time. And it also feels like eight minutes because every moment that I wake up, I’m reminded of my reality.”

Jake said he learned the night of their deaths that the Los Angeles Police Department was looking at Nick as a prime suspect. A grand jury indicted Nick last month on murder charges with special allegations of committing multiple murders and lying in wait, making him eligible for life without parole or the death penalty if convicted.

“He’s in jail,” Jake said. “It’s like, I physically lost my parents, and then Nick was arrested. Now it’s just me and Romy, and we have to navigate this by ourselves essentially.”

Asked whether he was surprised that Nick was suspected in the crime, Jake declined to answer. He also declined to discuss his brother’s attempt to use family trust money to fund his legal defense. Instead he discussed the anger he is feeling.

“It manifests into rage, into how unfair this was, how I didn’t get a say in what happened. I didn’t get to stop it from happening. I had no choice in the matter,” Jake said. “I just have to accept the reality of it. And to me, that is just one of the most infuriating parts of all of this.”

He said he learned of his parents’ deaths while attending a celebration of life event for a high school friend at Union Station. His sister, Romy, tried to call him.

“I screened it because I thought, at the time, I’m in the middle of something, you know, I’ll call her back,” he recalled, “and then she called immediately again, and I knew at that point that something was wrong.

“Romy told me our dad was dead, and then she said, ‘I can’t find mom.’ I immediately went into shock.”

Investigators found the body of Rob Reiner in the master bedroom. Michele Reiner subsequently was found in the bedroom area as well.

Romy, 28, has not publicly commented.

Nick’s struggles with addiction and mental health were public knowledge. In 2015, he partnered with his father on the film “Being Charlie,” about a drug-addicted son, which Nick wrote and Rob directed. It was loosely based on Nick’s life.

Jake was no stranger to crime scenes — as a longtime television news reporter he said he witnessed plenty, but nothing could have prepared him for his parents’ home that night.

“As a reporter, I did it for 10 years; I came up on crime scenes all the time,” he said. “But when it’s your crime scene, a crime scene at your childhood home, it’s like the most surreal thing I’ve ever seen.”

Nick has pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing is slated for Sept. 15, a day after his 33rd birthday.

“I’ll never understand. I don’t care how it’s explained to me. I don’t care what facts come out, ” Jake said. “My parents had unconditional love for all three of us. I can tell you they never stopped wanting to help him. They never stopped helping him.”

Jake and Romy made their first public appearance together since the tragedy on Aug. 2 at Dodger Stadium, where they took part in the ceremonial first pitch. Dodger Stadium meant a great deal to their father.

“One of the great pleasures I have is walking into Dodger Stadium. It’s like I feel at peace,” Rob Reiner once said.

“He had season tickets for the Dodgers,” Jake said, “and we would go anywhere from three to four games a week, and it was just the greatest time with him.

“It was an emotional thing that we did. I don’t know if I really could take in the moment, because everything happened kind of fast, but I was really happy that we got to do that.”

DANIELLE Lloyd has opened up to fans after her son Ronnie was unexpectedly rushed to hospital.

The model, 42, revealed the news on social media following a ‘heavy night’ but reassured that he was now on the mend.

The mum-of-five took to her Instagram Stories to share a photo of her eight-year-old son laying asleep in a hospital bed. 

Danielle captioned the post: “Well that was a heavy night!

“Thanks for all your messages Ronnie is out and feeling a lot better (heart emoji)”

After reassuring fans of Ronnie’s recovery, a later snap uploaded by Danielle showed the model all smiles as she posed alongside her daughter and nephew. 

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She penned: “Tired but… love my kids & Nephew.”

Danielle shares sons Archie, George, and Harry with ex-husband Jamie O’Hara, while she and Michael O’Neill are parents to Ronnie and Autumn Rose.  

The star had previously gone through her own health scare after being diagnosed with a melanoma last year.

Danielle, who is now cancer free, had admitted to The Sun at the time: “Being a mum, I was trying to put a brave face on for everyone, but inside I’ve been crumbling. 

“I was worried every single day that I was going to die.”

Danielle has been very candid about her cancer journey and shared photos alongside health updates to raise awareness of skin cancer.

She had an operation to remove a cancerous patch from just above her collarbone, after spotting a change in a small freckle.

She said the freckle was “smaller than a five pence coin” but had started to raise alarm bells after she saw how much it had evolved over time.

She responded to a fan in her comments: “Mine was melanoma which was sun damage x”.

Danielle admitted she believed her tanned skin tone gave her some protection from cancer.

She revealed she rarely wore sunscreen with a high SPF, saying: “Honestly, if I did, it was very low factor as I go so brown very quickly. I never thought my skin tone could get skin cancer and if I did anyone can”.

The mum also said she had ditched sunbeds for the first time in her life.

Posting the update to her fans, Danielle urged others to be vigilant about any skin changes, especially those that may seem minor at first glance.

She said in the comments: “I used to be a total sun worshiper, never really thinking about the risk of skin cancer.

“Sunbeds before holidays? Absolutely! But now, I’ve decided it’s better to fake the glow because my health and being there for my kids are what truly matter.”

AFTER referring to her new record I Know Too Much as a “divorce” album earlier this year, Ellie Goulding’s fans were convinced it was about the her marriage split.

But after having a sneak preview of her upcoming record, some might think she’s crooning about another break up, which became public earlier this week.

The Burn singer is taking legal action against her old team TaP Management.

And it’s little wonder Ellie is saying she’s so miffed.

To keep it brief, Ellie signed with Ben Mawson and Ed Millett — whose previous clients have included Dua Lipa and Cruz Beckham — in 2018.

She claims they failed to disclose that TaP’s parent company, HNOE, was partially, then fully, owned by Live Nation.

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During her seven years with TaP, Ellie signed agreements with Live Nation for tours and merchandise, plus a documentary film which she argues financially benefited Mawson and Millett.

Ellie pumped in almost £4million as part of those deals, unaware her managers had a vested interest.

When I first listened to I Know Too Much — which I think is Ellie’s most powerful body of work lyrically — I immediately connected the dots to her ex-hubby Caspar Jopling.

The couple, who have a five-year-old son, split in 2024.

But now I know about her row with TaP and looking back over my notes, it seems some of it could have been influenced by Ellie’s experiences in the music industry.

This is Ellie’s first album since Higher Than Heaven hit No1 three years ago.

And she’s already hinted that she opens some old wounds on the record, saying of her new album’s title track: “It’s probably the most honest song I’ve written. It is what it is. I know too much.

“It’s tongue in cheek but it’s also some kind of comment on my life so far and music. I couldn’t think of a more apt title for everything I was singing about.

“I do know too much. Way too much.”

I’m sworn to secrecy on the album, which comes out on September 4, and would be strung up if I gave too much away.

But if you take a quick glance at the lyrics to Black Prada Dress, the single Ellie released earlier this year, you’ll see what I mean.

“I heard what you said, just as I was tasting freedom,” Ellie sings at the top of the track.

“Don’t want the pills, but you kinda make me think I need ’em.

“I’m tryna be a Hollywood baby, cause you made me think that London hates me.”

Intriguing. The gloves are off.

PHOEBE BRIDGERS received the worst 32nd birthday gift on Monday – appendicitis.

he US singer, who is set to top the album charts tomorrow with Lost Weekend, has had to postpone intimate shows in Kingston, Brighton and Bristol.

She told fans: “I got appendicitis for my birthday. But I’ll make it up to you!”

Phoebe got a boost from Taylor Swift who bigged up her record to her 273million Instagram followers.

Tay wrote: “Haven’t been able to stop listening. This album is an absolute triumph in every way.”

ROBBIE WILLIAMS has teamed up with Ukrainian DJ and producer Miss Monique for single Beauty In Us, which they performed for in Ibiza at the weekend.

He said the track, out on September 18, is “inspired by our different but equally defining experiences of electronic music and clubbing in Stoke-on-Trent and Kyiv . . . from the Nineties to the 2010s.”

YOU could be in Guy Ritchie’s next movie.

A walk-on role in one of the upcoming films Guy is directing is up for grabs as Children With Cancer UK puts on its most showbizzy auction yet.

You could bid for afternoon tea with EastEnders’ Natalie Cassidy, or a Picasso painting and VIP festival tickets. While Mel C, Katherine Jenkins and Jack Whitehall are offering meet and greets.

It is all to raise funds for groundbreaking research into the prevention and treatment of childhood cancer, as well as support for affected families. The auction runs from today at 8am until Friday.

• See thereallybigauction.com.

Maura’s totes gorgeous

MAURA HIGGINS looks absolutely fabulous in her latest major fashion campaign – seven years after Love Island changed her life.

She is the new face of Guess as it launches its Allegra bag – which she modelled in this photoshoot as she opened up about her upcoming stint on America’s answer to Strictly, Dancing With The Stars.

Maura, who will start on the show on September 15, told Grazia: “Confidence isn’t something you magically wake up with every day.

“I still get nervous. But I trust the people around me to help me feel my best once I’m on set or in front of a camera.

“Dancing With The Stars is definitely a different kind of pressure because you’re learning something completely new every week and have to perform live to an audience of millions watching, but that’s also what makes it exciting.

“Growth only happens when you push yourself a bit.”

Matt’s date tops the bill

THE MOLOTOVS’ MATT CARTLIDGE looks to have found a Hollywood love interest after growing close to actress Kathryn Newton.

The notoriously private rocker was reluctant to be drawn on their relationship, but his bandmate sister Issey let slip the pair met on The Jonathan Ross Show.

Londoner Matt took the Big Little Lies star to LA’s Beverly Hills Hotel, and one thing he wasn’t quiet about was the cost.

Chatting to him at King’s Cross Summer Sounds, in partnership with Lightroom, home of David Bowie: You’re Not Alone, I asked how much it came to, and he said: “For an omelette at the Beverly Hills Hotel?

“Omelette –  ham and cheese, two coffees and pancakes, but she got all the add-ons, you know, like strawberries. It was $80 – way more than I wanted to spend, mind you.”

The band go on tour next month and there are still tickets for their show at London’s O2 Kentish Town Forum on September 26. That should help pay for the second date.

Joan makes Billy Ray’s day

NOW here’s a holiday snap I didn’t think I’d see.

Elizabeth Hurley and her director son Damian, posing in the sunshine with her boyfriend Billy Ray Cyrus. . . and Dame Joan Collins.

Liz shared snaps on Instagram of their surprising trip, revealing they joined Joan and her husband Percy on an “enchanting holiday” at their home in St Tropez.

Superstar Joan still manged to look super cool in the pool with Liz, who also posed in a chic summer dress.

The most-liked comment on Liz’s post said: “Billy Ray hit the jackpot.” I couldn’t agree more.

Weeknd’s fireworks fall flat

By Jack Hardwick

WITH 129million record sales and a seriously big budget behind him, expectations were high as The Weeknd took to the stage at Wembley Stadium.

From the get-go, it was clear that money was no object, thanks to a giant cross-shaped stage with a 40ft silver “sexy robot” in the middle.

But after a cult-like opening with 30 cloaked dancers, I have to admit things all felt a bit samey.

He’s spent four years touring the world and The Weeknd’s vocals were flawless throughout the two-hour spectacle.

The mammoth 38-track set was punctuated with hits including Can’t Feel My Face, Star Boy and Save Your Tears, before building to a finale including Blinding Lights and his Swedish House Mafia collaboration Moth To A Flame.

But once you get over the giant robot and the stage shooting out pyrotechnics, things all start to blend into one.

Maybe we’ve been spoiled by the high standards of pop shows in recent years but I couldn’t help but feel underwhelmed as I left.

And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way, either.