pulls

Dutch withdrawal is the latest in a number of boycotts by countries unhappy about Israel’s inclusion.

The Netherlands has withdrawn from next year’s Eurovision Song Contest, its public broadcaster NPO has confirmed, citing “sensitivities” over Israel’s participation.

“We have known for some time that Israel’s participation elicits various reactions in society and causes discussion and division,” the NPO’s media director Jurre Bosman said in a statement.

“Therefore, after consultation with the board of broadcasters, the NPO has decided to forgo participation in 2027.”

The announcement follows a decision in August by Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS to boycott the competition. AVROTROS, which usually selects the Netherlands’ entry and broadcasts the show, said the event could “no longer be considered neutral”.

NPO stepped in last month, saying it would take responsibility for the Dutch entry to the competition, before reversing course on Tuesday.

Jet de Ranitz, NPO’s executive chairman, acknowledged that the decision would disappoint fans but stressed that the contest would still be aired on public channels.

“Due to the sensitivities surrounding the themes currently at play, we have decided to take a step back for the time being,” De Ranitz said.

The announcement follows the Netherlands’ boycott of the 2026 edition. Iceland, Spain, Ireland, and Slovenia all pulled out, with the latter three refusing to broadcast the show at all.

More withdrawals

In August, the organisers announced that countries would be unable to host the competition if “an armed conflict, a sensitive geopolitical situation, or any other situation materially affects the security, safety or stability of their state or immediate region.”

But that has not prevented withdrawals, with Ireland already having announced that it will not be participating in next year’s contest for the second year in a row.

Earlier this month, the Czech broadcaster also pulled out of next year’s event, but cited spending cuts as the reason.

Bulgaria will host next year’s edition of Eurovision for the first time in the Black Sea city of Burgas, after Bulgarian singer Darina Yotova, known as Dara, won this year’s contest in Vienna, Austria, with her catchy floor-filler ‘Bangaranga’. 

Since its first edition in 1956, Eurovision has become the world’s biggest live televised music event. It catapulted Swedish icons ABBA to worldwide fame, as well as boosting artists such as Celine Dion and Olivia Newton-John. 

PRINCESS Andre has been left in stitches of laughter as she pulled a hilarious prank on her mum Katie Price.

The daughter of Peter Andre and Katie has been cropping up on red carpets and celeb-filled events over recent years as she carves out a career for herself in showbiz.

Now, fans have loved the prank she pulled on her mum — and how clearly it showed the closeness between them.

Taking to TikTok, Princess said: “I’m going to call my mum and ask her if she was in the delivery room when she gave birth to me.”

When she rang, Katie asked why she wasn’t on video but Princess explained: “I’m at the doctors, and they’re asking if you were in the delivery room when I was born.”

“Was I?” exclaimed Katie as Princess giggled quietly in the background.

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Katie continued: “Well, of course, because you came out of me. Are you taking the p***?”

Princess replied: “No, they just wanna know were you definitely in the delivery room?

“Well I’m your mother, so of course I was in the delivery room. I had a caesarian. Then they put you on me and I didn’t leave your side,” said Katie.

Princess then broke down in fits of laughter as Katie asked again: “Are you actually taking the p*** Princess?”

“I’m joking honestly,” she replied.

Katie then asked if she was really at the Doctors and Princess said: “No, I just wanted to play a prank on you.”

“You’re such a b***,” joked Katie.

A smiling Princess then told her she’d FaceTime her now, as Katie giggled a loving goodbye.

Fans flocked to comment and one wrote: “Why aren’t you on video’ shows how close you both are coz there’s clearly never a voice call.”

A second said: “Go on Katie!! that woman is an absolute legend.”

A third added: “Katie is just f***ing class.”

A fourth wrote: “Katie’s laugh at the end.”

While a fifth said: “This has really tickled me lol.”

This comes after Katie issued a word of thanks to her ‘biggest supporters’ while her mother has been incredibly unwell.

The star’s mum Amy, 74, is terminally ill with a lung condition called Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Taking to Instagram, Katie posted a series of snaps smiling with her daughter Princess and her sister Sophie.

She also included a number of photos with her mother on trips with her as well as on the red carpet.

The energy at The Badlands Stadium on Friday night was too much for Mother Earth to handle. She had to put a temporary stop to it.

Both sets of players for San Juan Hills High and San Clemente were fired up by a full crowd of rowdy fans, and it promised to be one of the best high school atmospheres of the season.

But then everybody was forced into the basketball gym after five minutes and seven seconds of play. For 90 minutes a lightning delay threatened to end the affair all together.

Nothing, however, could force these two teams and communities to give up on this night. After the Norte fire tore through 570 acres across south Orange County, destroying many homes in the process, everybody needed this. The matchup — which hadn’t been played since 2021 — meant so much to both the Stallions and Tritons.

“Between the white lines, for 48 minutes, I expect nothing less than war,” San Juan Hills head coach Robert Frith said before kickoff.

It was San Juan Hills (8-1) that ultimately came through with an 16-0 upset victory, which puts it on the brink of the Alpha League title before next week’s big matchup against Mission Viejo.

This was the Stallions’ first win against San Clemente (7-1) since 2015, and likely knocked the Tritons out of contention for the CIF Southern Section Division 1 playoffs. That felt pretty sweet for Arthur Tuverson, who gave a little smack talk to the San Clemente student section after the game, taunting them about the defense’s shutout.

It was the junior defensive back’s 52-yard touchdown interception that sealed the victory. As he ran it down the field, the noise in the stadium reached pre-delay levels.

“I knew they were in desperation mode and needed to pass the ball,” Tuverson said after the win. “I made the play. I was waiting for it.”

Both teams played with backup quarterbacks as Preston Beck for San Clemente and Eiler King for San Juan Hills were out because of injuries.

The Stallions turned to senior Parker Armstrong, who started two years at Scripps Ranch High in San Diego. He finished the night completing 17 for 19 passes for 172 yards, doing enough to manage a low scoring contest and help his team not turn the ball over for the seventh game running.

The Tritons gave freshman Koston James his first taste of varsity action, but it was a tough game to come into as he finished 11-for-16 passing for 60 yards with two interceptions.

San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz knew that points would be at a premium in this matchup.

“We’re going to have to play good defense and not allow the big play,” Ortiz said pregame.

Frith called it a power of wills. San Clemente let gave up only 20 rushing yards, but San Juan Hills’ two interceptions and swarming defensive line swung the game.

Late in the third quarter, San Clemente attempted a flea flicker and San Juan Hills was on James the second he got the ball back. It was exemplary of the home team’s sustained energy during a long and tiring night.

San Clemente often ran two-way star Jaxson Rex out of the Wildcat formation, letting the Brigham Young commit’s athleticism take center stage. A lot was put on the talented senior’s shoulders to get the offense going. He finished with five catches for 42 yards and 32 rushing yards.

His counterpart, Texas State commit Luke Frith, finished with four catches for 48 yards.

Frith noted pregame that special teams would have a big role to play in the night. He was correct, as San Juan Hills senior kicker Trevor Koko knocked through two field goals in the first half, and then nailed a season-long 44-yarder to put the Stallions up 9-0 in the third quarter. San Clemente missed a field goal when down 3-0.

Penalties also hurt the Tritons as they committed 10 for 105 yards in the team’s first loss of the season after last week’s game against Mission Viejo was cancelled because of the Norte fire.

Before the game, first responders were honored and both coaches made sure to express their gratitude for the swift and effective work of those who protected the communities.

The coaches on both sidelines wore Orange County Fire Authority hats as a token of gratitude.

“[The hats] are a sign that it is sometimes bigger than football, and a lot of programs could take note of that,” Ortiz said.

Last week, a British bomb disposal robot roamed the area near the Royal Air Force (RAF) base at Fairford and 85 homes were evacuated as the threat of an attack appeared imminent.

Days later, the United States speedily sent B-1 bombers stationed there, which were used to strike Iran in its ongoing war, back home. About a dozen had been stationed at the air base.

The foiled incident resulted in no charges and the release of five suspects, and subsequently a separate British-Iranian suspect. But the US cited concerns about more potential attacks for its decision to withdraw its fleet. Tehran has denied any link to the alleged plot to target the base.

RAF Fairford was a pit stop for US bombers during the war – but more importantly, it allowed Washington to rapidly unleash intensive strikes on Iran, say analysts.

They added that their withdrawal reduces Washington’s ability to rapidly generate and sustain bombing missions, but it will not prevent the US from continuing to strike Iran.

“The United States has lost a convenient launchpad, not its underlying strike capability,” Dania Thafer, executive director of the Gulf International Forum and a lecturer at Georgetown University, told Al Jazeera.

Long bombing campaigns made more demanding

The analysts were in agreement that the British base gave the US a faster and more efficient way to sustain strikes on Iran.

The bombers at the Fairford base were officially stationed there for defensive strikes – at the behest of the UK government – and likely had a modest targeting list, said Christoph Bergs, an analyst at the world’s oldest defence and security thinktank, the Royal United Services Institute.

“Their withdrawal reduces the capacity to quickly surge sorties against Iran, reducing the threat level somewhat,” Bergs told Al Jazeera.

Thafer explained that while the loss of the bombers does not remove the US’s ability to strike or escalate, “depending on where other assets are positioned, it could make a prolonged bombing campaign more demanding”.

The removal of B-1 bombers imposes a number of tactical costs, says Arun Dawson. He is a PhD candidate at King’s College London’s Freeman Air and Space Institute and a researcher with the UK Nuclear Deterrence Network.

Unlike the more modern B-2 stealth bomber designed to make enemy tracking difficult – which has also previously been stationed at RAF Fairford – “the B-1’s principal advantage is its conventional weapons payload – the largest of any aircraft in the US military”, Dawson told Al Jazeera. The B-1 carries at least 34 tonnes of ordnance, he said.

“This makes the B-1 particularly effective at delivering large volumes of precision-guided weapons against multiple targets during a prolonged air campaign,” said Dawson.

“In the Iran war, those targets may include air-defence infrastructure, ballistic missile sites and IRGC facilities,” he added, referring to the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps.

With the B-1s withdrawing, the US may now have to rely more heavily on longer-range missions from the US or other distant bases, increasing flight times, crew fatigue and the need for aerial refuelling, he explained.

Still, the US may have made the withdrawal decision based on an examination of risks, said Dawson.

“Their abrupt departure suggests that specific threats may have been directed at the aircraft, their crews or the base itself,” he said.

Washington may have also calculated that temporarily withdrawing the bombers could protect it for future operations, especially if the US does not expect the Iran war to intensify any time soon, said Dawson.

For David Des Roches, a professor at the Thayer Marshall Institute and a former Pentagon official, the B-1 withdrawal suggests that the risks outweighed the benefits of keeping the jets at the UK airbase.

The security incident last week “exposed a vulnerability” as the aircraft were “out in the open” and only about 300 yards (275 metres) from where the public could see them.

“So they were very vulnerable to, say, drone attacks or other kind[s] of mortar attacks,” he told Al Jazeera.

“Just a small drone or any kind of a drone with explosives on board could conceivably cause significant damage,” said Des Roches.

The former Pentagon official acknowledged that the deployment of the US bombers means “you lose a little bit of operational ability,” but said that given the threat seen at Fairford, “we should have had overhead cover for all of our aircraft, globally, years ago”.

Can the bombers go elsewhere?

The US has two potential options if the bombers are to be redeployed: to Diego Garcia, the remote coral atoll in the central Indian Ocean hosting both a US and UK military base; or to its many US bases in the Gulf.

Thafer pointed out that Diego Garcia offers greater protection from potential Iranian attacks, but requires longer flight distances.

Rerouting the bombers to Diego Garcia will also depend on how quickly additional aircraft can be folded into the local basing infrastructure, pointed out Bergs.

Stationing them in the Gulf closer to Iran would give them the advantage of shortened transit times, reduced tanker requirements and the ability to generate sorties more rapidly, said Dawson.

But basing in the Gulf region, the analysts agreed, will require more deliberate negotiations around risk mitigation, given that these countries have taken the brunt of Iranian counterstrikes throughout the war. They also want to avoid being seen as direct participants in a US campaign against Iran.

Fairford had therefore offered a “useful” middle ground between the two options, said Thafer.

But with Fairford no longer an option, Diego Garcia would be the more obvious choice, Dawson said, offering not only greater distance from Iran but also a more secure operating environment. It has infrastructure designed to support large-scale US air operations, he said.

US capabilities in the war ahead

For now, the withdrawal appears to blunt rather than eliminate US bombing capacity against Iran.

However, the practical impact on US military options will depend largely on whether the administration sees a need for such strikes now, or whether the threat posed by similar aircraft stationed at Diego Garcia is sufficient for the time being, said Bergs.

The expected arrival of the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group and the Makin Island Marine Expeditionary Force to the Middle East by November, meanwhile, will add significant US carrier-based air power in the region, said Dawson.

“Aircraft for aircraft, carrier fighters cannot substitute for the B-1’s enormous payload, but there are many more of them, giving commanders additional options for shorter-range strikes,” he said.

What this episode highlights, said the researcher, is the importance – and the vulnerability – of the US’ alliances and overseas basing.

Washington has long enjoyed access to a global network of military facilities – which has been key for its ability to project power rapidly and at scale, he said.

But if those bases face attacks or political restrictions – the implications would extend beyond the Iran war, warned Dawson.

They would affect “how the US military structures its forces, distributes its assets, generates combat power and sustains operations overseas”.

The BBC has made the decision to edit episodes of Horrible Histories, which featured sketches including child workers and slavery, after they failed to meet strict guidelines.

The BBC has edited and removed sketches from Horrible Histories. The broadcaster decided to edit the programme after it failed to meet guidelines for children’s programmes.

The broadcaster has also removed an entire episode of the show featuring slavery, Victorian child workers and chimney sweeps. Horrible Histories is based on the bestselling book series of the same name by Terry Deary, which was intended to pique children’s interest in history.

The show, produced for CBBC, debuted in 2009 and aired 11 series before ending in 2014. At least seven sketches or scenes have been removed from the show, including one showing Madame Tussaud making wax masks from severed heads, according to The Times.

Another sketch, no longer available on BBC iPlayer, depicted white actors using darker makeup to portray ancient Egyptians or Incas.

Actor Mathew Baynton, who played characters including William Shakespeare and Guy Fawkes on the programme, previously said it could be argued the show did “blackface” in its depiction of Egyptians.

Speaking to The Telegraph in 2022, he said: “We didn’t do blackface, for example, but you could argue that we did. Because I played Egyptians, you know, for example, where you’d get a spray tan, essentially, and stand in your pants.”

The episode, which has been removed, is said to have featured a sketch teaching children about slavery in ancient Rome by depicting a Roman galley as an airline flight, with enslaved rowers chained to their oars and told they will not be allowed to escape if the ship sinks.

Another sketch showcased how children in the Victorian era were sent into dangerous and narrow chimneys, with one young boy being sent into the chimney and being told: “Try not to die.”

A spokesperson for the BBC said: “The edits to Horrible Histories were made seven years ago, in consultation with the programme makers, to ensure the series meets our editorial guidelines for children’s programmes.”

The news comes after the BBC removed several sketches from That Mitchell and Webb Look when the show aired on iPlayer, having decided that some of the material “no longer works today”.

The sketch comedy show, starring comedians David Mitchell and Robert Webb, who wrote and starred in the programme, originally ran for four seasons between 2006 and 2010. It also took home a BAFTA in 2007.

To celebrate the sketch comedy programme’s 20th anniversary, the national broadcaster added four seasons of the smash-hit show onto iPlayer for fans to enjoy – but with a few notable omissions.

A total of 11 sketches had been edited out amid fears of racism and ethnic stereotyping. “That Mitchell and Webb Look has been made available on BBC iPlayer,” the broadcaster said in a statement. “This is a 20-year-old sketch show; in consultation with the programme makers, we have included the ones that still work today and not the ones that don’t.”

As per The Times, material removed from the programme included scenes featuring war re-enactors in blackface, a joke about Jimmy Savile, and an indigenous tribe living in a garden centre.

One now-deleted sketch shows Mitchell playing a woman in a burka in a scene that sends up reality TV programming. The sketch then cuts to the pair – as themselves – discussing whether or not the sketch itself is actually offensive.

The Mirror has approached Horrible Histories author Terry Deary for comment.

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