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THE Defence Secretary has caused a row at the top of the Armed Forces by dishing out a senior command job in secret.

John Healey was forced to U-turn after Strategic Commander General Sir Jim Hockenhull found out Royal Marine General Rob Magowan was to get his job when he leaves the post next April.

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The news came in an email blunder sent by Mr Healey’s private office.

Healey had promised the post of Strategic Commander, which oversees cyber and special forces, to Royal Marine General Rob Magowan.

It is one of the most powerful posts in the military, on par with commands of the Army, Navy and RAF.

Chief of Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin forced Mr Healey to back down, defence sources told The Sun.

Our source said: “This was a spectacular own goal.

“Hockenhull was furious. He stormed out.

“Then Magowan was told the deal was off — he was livid as well.”

Hockenhull regularly briefed Sir Kier Starmer on Ukraine and was well liked in Downing Street

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A RIGGING row has erupted after Labour rebuffed Nigel Farage’s demand for Reform representation in the House of Lords.

The Brexiteer has no peers in the upper chamber and asked Sir Keir Starmer to grant some.

He sent a letter to the PM — who has ultimate say over appointments — arguing the “seismic shifts” in British politics merits some Reform seats.

Although they have just four MPs, Mr Farage’s party is leading national opinion polls.

He has in the past called for the Lords to be replaced with an elected chamber akin to that in the US.

Mr Farage said: “Whilst Reform UK believes in a reformed House of Lords, the time has come to address the democratic disparity there.”

But Defence Secretary John Healey told LBC: “This is the same Nigel Farage that called for the abolition of the House of Lords and now wants to fill it with his cronies.

“I’m not sure Parliament is going to benefit from more Putin apologists like Farage.”

While PMs technically have the final say on House of Lords appointments, they grant opposition parties some peers.

When Sir Keir nominated 30 Labour lords in December, he allowed six Tories to be elevated to the upper legislature.

Hitting back at Mr Healey’s remarks, Reform deputy Richard Tice last night accused Labour of not playing fair.

Denying they were “Putin apologists”, he told The Sun: “It’s a democratic outrage and another old-fashioned establishment stitch-up. They are essentially rigging the system against the new party, changing the rules of the game.”

In his letter, Mr Farage noted Lib Dems have 76 peers but received 600,000 fewer votes than Reform last year.

Sir Keir previously pledged to abolish the Lords but he is not expected to carry out plans before the next election.

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By midmorning in the Central Valley, the light turns hard and white, bleaching the sky and flattening every shadow. The rows of melons stretch to the horizon, vines twisted low in cracked soil. Pickers move in the rhythm the crop demands — bend, twist, lift, drop — their long sleeves damp with sweat, caps pulled low, bandanas hiding heat-burned cheeks. Spanish drifts along the rows, a joke here, a warning there, carried in the heavy air.

These are the cruelest days of harvest, when the sun turns fields into slow ovens and the heat climbs before breakfast, holding on until the stars are out. By nightfall, the damage is done: another collapse in the dirt, another family handed a death certificate instead of a paycheck.

It’s an all-too-familiar old problem in California. Nearly 20 years ago, in the shadow of four farmworker funerals — Arvin, Fresno County, Kern, Imperial Valley — California enacted the nation’s first heat rules for basic worker safety: water, shade, rest. Mercies you’d think needed no law. My fellow lawmakers and I who wrote those rules, along with then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger who signed them into law, believed they were enough. But two decades on, the grim reaper still walks the rows: 110 degrees, no tree, no tarp, a single water jug growing warm, its handle slick from dust and hands. Breaks denied, not from cruelty alone, but from the unrelenting clock of the harvest.

This is not a failure of the law itself, but of enforcement. Some treated the bill’s signing as the finish line instead of the starting gun. Inspectors are too few. Penalties too light. Investigations too slow. The state auditor’s latest report read like an obituary for Cal/OSHA’s credibility: outdated rules, missed chances, offices too empty to answer the phone.

Meanwhile the climate has turned meaner. Nights that once cooled now hold the day’s heat like a grudge. And the danger in the fields isn’t just the sun. Immigration raids now sweep through the Valley like dust storms — sudden, unannounced, merciless. For more than half of California’s 350,000 farmworkers, the greater threat isn’t heat stroke but a knock on the door before dawn or a traffic stop that ends with a vehicle full of workers detained and trucked to some distant site. The food that feeds the nation is pulled from the earth by people who work under triple-digit skies yet live in the shadows, where one complaint can cost them their job, their home, their freedom.

Twenty harvest seasons later, I’m calling for action — not another bill signing on the Capitol steps, but dollars, real and committed, and the regulations to match. With that will and funding, four simple fixes can turn promise into protection.

First, bring 21st century tools to the fields. In 2005, the “high-tech” solution was a plastic water jug in the shade and a flapping pop-up canopy. Today, for $50 — the price of two boxes of gloves — employers can deploy a wearable sensor clipped to a worker’s arm to track core temperature and heart rate, sending a warning before the body crosses the edge into heatstroke. That’s not Silicon Valley moonshot money. It’s pocket change for agribusiness, and for workers it could mean the difference between walking out of the rows or being carried out.

Second, enforce in real time. If a worker drops to one knee in the heat, the state shouldn’t hear about it days later in a report. Imagine a network linking growers, regulators and emergency crews to the same pulse of information — turning a slow, reactive system that documents tragedies into one that can act quickly and prevent many of them.

Third, train before the first row is picked. Ten minutes — no more — for workers to stand upright and learn, in their own language, the signs: dizziness, nausea, the creeping fog in the mind that means it’s time to stop. Not a photocopied handout in English tucked into an envelope behind a paycheck, not a rushed talk in Spanish at the field’s edge, but a verified safety course — certified by labor contractors and farmers alike. Knowledge here is as life-saving as water and shade.

Lastly, match the urgency we see in other arenas. While Cal/OSHA limps along, starved of staff and mired in red tape, Immigration and Customs Enforcement charges in the opposite direction — spurred by $170 billion in new funding, an immigration-enforcement and border-security blitz hiring thousands, dangling $50,000 signing bonuses, paying off student loans, waiving age limits, even pulling retirees back for double-dip salaries. That’s what happens when a government decides the wrong mission matters most. We pour urgency into chasing farmworkers from the fields, yet can’t muster the will to protect them in the heat. Until Cal/OSHA gets that same drive — inspectors recruited in every corner of the state, incentives to bring in a new generation, hurdles stripped away — the laws we wrote will remain a promise without a witness.

Some will say it’s too much, that the industry can’t bear the cost. But I’ve walked behind the hearses through Valley dust, stood in the gravel lots of farm town funeral homes, watched wives clutch work shirts as if they still held his warmth, seen children in Sunday clothes staring at the dirt. No budget line can measure that loss.

The Valley will keep feeding the nation. The question is whether we will keep feeding the graveyards too.

Once, by enacting heat safety rules, California declared that a life was worth more than a box of produce. If we let that promise wither in the heat, all we wrote back then was a press release. Government systems can fast-track billion-dollar projects, but until this much more affordable priority gets that kind of attention, the rules are just ink on paper, and the roll call of the dead just grows longer.

Dean Florez is a former California Senate majority leader, representing portions of the Central Valley.

Aug. 14 (UPI) — A federal judge in Illinois has rejected Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton‘s request to enforce arrest warrants for Democrats who fled the Lone Star State earlier this month to block Republican redistricting plans.

Paxton has filed a slew of lawsuits in the nearly two weeks since state Democrats left Texas early this month to deny Republicans quorum to pass controversial redistricting maps that will give the GOP five extra seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The Democrats went to Democratic strongholds, including Illinois, and Texas state House Speaker Dustin Burrows issued civil arrest warrants to force their return to Texas. On Aug. 7, Paxton and Burrows filed a lawsuit seeking Illinois to enforce the return of the Democratic lawmakers.

In his ruling Wednesday, Illinois Judge Scott Larson rejected the Texans’ request, stating it is outside his court’s jurisdiction to compel the Democrats’ return.

“This Illinois circuit court, under a petition to show cause, does not have the inherent power to direct Illinois law enforcement officers, or to allow the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, or any officers appointed by her, to execute Texas civil Quorum Warrants upon nonresidents temporarily located in the State of Illinois,” Larson said in his ruling, which was obtained by Democracy Docket and a portion of which was published on BluSky.

The warrants issued by the Texas House of Representatives are “geographically limited,” Larson said.

Paxton and Burrows have yet to comment on the ruling, which marks a blow in their efforts to compel Democrats to return to the state.

Congressional redistricting generally occurs every decade following the publication of U.S. Census Bureau data. Texas has taken the unusual step to redraw its maps at the urging of President Donald Trump ahead of midterm elections next year The maps are expected to produce an additional five GOP districts in the U.S. House of Representatives where the Republicans hold a narrow 219 to 212 majority.

Critics and Democrats accuse the Republicans of conducting a power grab in an attempt to rig control over the ongressional branch, and have backed their Texas colleagues who have left their home state to prevent the passing of the maps during the special session.

Democrats in other states have also come to their support, and California Gov. Gavin Newsom has vowed to respond by redistricting his state to produce an additional five Democratic seats to neutralize those GOP seats being created in Texas.

STRICTLY Come Dancing could be embroiled in a new ‘fix’ row after Dani Dyer claimed she was a ‘qualified dancer’.

Dani Dyer was the second celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2025, with the announcment being made on The One Show earlier this week.

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Dani, 29, shot to fame when she won Love Island in 2018 – with her new reality stint very different to the dating show.

The daughter of EastEnders actor Danny Dyer will waltz her way around the ballroom in September when she joins the cast of the hit series.

But now it has been revealed that in an unearthed passage from her autobiography, Dani boasted about being a “qualified dancer”.

She said in her 2019 book that she would put “qualified dancer” under the list of qualifications on her CV.

Writing in her book, which came out six years ago, Dani wrote about how she went to theatre school at weekends from the age of 2 to 14.

“It was called O’Farrell’s Stage School and I was a really good little dancer,” she said.

Dani added: “I’m not a bad singer but it was the dance stuff I loved more – jazz, tap, ballet, modern. I’d get home and prance around the house.”

Elsewhere in the book she writes up a mock CV where she states her qualifications include: “Qualified dancer and pretty good at singing (especially Dua Lipa or Ariana Grande at the top of her voice while cleaning the kitchen).”

‘I’D BE HAPPY TO BE WHISKED AROUND’

She also spoke about Strictly in her book, saying how she would jump at the chance of being asked to compete on the hit reality dancing competition.

“If Strictly Come Dancing want to give me a call I’d also be happy to be whisked around the dance floor,” she penned at the time.

At the time of her book coming out, Dani was all loved up with then-beau Jack Fincham, and she said of Strictly: “The only thing I’d be worried about would be the curse.”

In her book from several years ago, Dani also swooned about her bond with Shirley Ballas.

Bonding with her on a trek for Comic Relief, Dani said she was “just the most graceful, lovely person”.

But despite admitting her prior dance experience, fans are still excited to see Dani storm the ballroom.

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Reacting to the news of Dani being confirmed for the series, one person on X said: “Woooo I love Dani!!!”

“Whoop I love Dani! She’ll be awesome,” penned a second.

The Sun has contacted Strictly for comment but they did not immediately respond.

SHOWBIZ BACKGROUND SCRUTINY

Dani is not the only star in Strictly history to have had their background in the world of showbiz scrutinised.

Tasha Ghouri, also from Love Island, had her background in dance.

The star who appeared on the series last year faced a backlash for being a trained dancer and branded the show a “fix” because they signed her up.

Actress Sarah Hadland and JLS’ JB Gill were also accused of having advantages on the show because of their backgrounds and prior careers.

But despite all of their experience, nor Tasha, Sarah or JB won the show.

STRICTLY 2025 LINE UP SO FAR

Gladiator Nitro‘s signing for Strictly was shortly followed by the announcement of three more contestants – Love Island star Dani, Doctor Who actress Alex Kingston and former footballer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink were then revealed.

EastEnders star Balvinder Sopal, who plays the role of Suki Panesar in the hit soap, was then confirmed on Tuesday morning.

With YouTuber George Clarke unveiled on Tuesday afternoon on BBC Radio 1.

Model Ellie Goldstein, who has Down syndrome, was then the seventh celebrity revealed to be waltzing their way onto the dance floor next month, in the groundbreaking signing.

RuPaul‘s Drag Race UK star La Voix was then the next confirmed star to be announced.

And former England rugby union player and captain Chris Robshaw has also been confirmed this week.

Toni Laites emerged victorious from the latest series of Love Island but it’s now been alleged that she was actually spotted by a top ITV producer when he was on holiday

Toni Laites emerged victorious from the latest series of Love Island when she and now-boyfriend Cach Mercer were voted the nation’s couple. But now, it’s being claimed that the US native, 25, was actually handpicked by a top ITV boss who spotted her working in a club when he was on honeymoon to star in the show.

Olivia Attwood, who shot to fame on the third series of Love Island in 2017 and now has a successful TV career with a string of documentaries and a regular spot on the Loose Women panel, has alleged that this year’s winner didn’t apply for the show in the traditional manner. She said: “You know Mike Spencer, the producer? He found Toni in Vegas, she was a cabana girl – he was on his honeymoon.”

Olivia explained that the ITV boss simply struck up a conversation with the then-bar girl and decided there and then that she would be a good addition to the ITV2 programme, from which she eventually walked off with the £50,000 prize. She said: “He met her, got chatting with her and told her, ‘you’d be amazing on Love Island’. That’s how she got on [the show].”

READ MORE: Love Island’s Conor slams castmate on TikTok after ‘fallout’ despite strong friendshipREAD MORE: Love Island winner Toni Laites uses £30 eyelash growth serum that ‘works wonders’

The former TOWIE star then explained that she had spoken to Toni herself, and claimed that the Love Island beauty is in a little bit of a predicament because she hasn’t been back home ‘for months’ thanks to her career suddenly taking off in the UK. But Olivia was quick to offer her advice. During an appearance on Pete Wicks‘ Sunday Roast podcast, she added: “I said to her, ‘what are you going to do? When was the last time you went home?’ She said, ‘I haven’t been home for months, I don’t know what to do’. Because she’s now got this boyfriend who’s English. If I was her, I’d want to make the most of it and stay here for a bit.”

Toni and Cach made it to the final after weeks of being coupled up in front of millions of Love Island fans, and managed to beat Harry and Shakira and Yas and Jamie to the top prize with 33% of the vote. And since she has become the first American to be in such a position on the UK version of the hit franchise, Toni admitted that she ‘never expected’ any of it at all.

Discussing her aspirations at the ITV Reality event, Toni revealed: “The love has been insane. I never expected it in a million years honestly.”, reports the Daily Star I think for me this is all new. It’s a whole new world so I’m still trying to find my feet.

“There’s a lot of opportunities at hand but I think presenting is my thing. All the love is so incredible so shout out to the UK.”

In her first interview alongside her now-boyfriend after leaving the villa, she hinted that a move to the UK could be on the cards as she explores opportunities that have come with her newfound fame.

During an appearance on last Friday’s This Morning, she told hosts Joel Dommett and Emma Willis : “Crazy, isn’t it? I don’t think I’ll be spending much time in America. No decisions are made yet but obviously, but Cach is here, I have a lot of opportunities coming up, my friends are here. I see no reason to be in America anymore.”

Toni also explained just how ‘insane’ it is to her and Cach that they are now suddenly very famous in the UK after weeks of living in the Spanish villa, and noted that she even had her ‘doubts’ about their reception prior to landing back after the show had finished. She added: “Insane, I was a very regular person before the show and now there’s like millions of comments and followers.”

Toni also explained just how ‘insane’ it is to her and Cach that they are now suddenly very famous in the UK after weeks of living in the Spanish villa, and noted that she even had her ‘doubts’ about their reception prior to landing back after the show had finished. She added: “Insane, I was a very regular person before the show and now there’s like millions of comments and followers.”

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PRINCE Harry is considering starting a new humanitarian charity.

It comes after the Duke of Sussex stepped down as patron of Sentebale, the African charity he co-founded, after a bullying row.

Yesterday, Harry’s spokesman said: “The duke remains committed to continuing his support for the children and young people of Lesotho and Botswana — work he started nearly 20 years ago.

“In what form that support takes, no decisions have been made.

“All options remain on the table, whether that be starting a new charity or working to support pre-existing charities.”

Sentebale works in southern Africa supporting young people, especially those with HIV and Aids.

But Harry stood aside in March amid bullying claims by the board chairwoman.

Sentebale said in a statement: “The Charity Commission is explicitly clear, including in its public guidance, that it is not the commission’s responsibility to adjudicate or mediate internal disputes.

“This would include individual allegations of bullying, harassment, misogyny, misogynoir etc.

“As a result, the commission has not investigated any individual allegations and therefore has not made any findings in relation to individuals, including Prince Harry.

“The issues not investigated by the commission can and may be dealt with through avenues more appropriate than the commission.”

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Aug. 6 (UPI) — Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton on Wednesday launched an investigation into potential Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke over allegations that he “bribed” Democratic state lawmakers who fled the Lone Star State to prevent Republicans from passing GOP-favorable congressional maps that critics say strip power from voters of color.

Paxton announced the investigation amid a deepening row between the state’s Democrats and Republicans. The state’s minority Democrats fled Texas over the weekend to deny Republicans the quorum needed to certify the controversial maps. The state’s Republican leadership has responded with threats of arrest and to vacate their congressional seats if they don’t return by Friday, as well as investigations into anyone who solicits funds to support their effort.

Paxton said Wednesday that he is investigating the O’Rourke-led Powered by People, which is reportedly covering the costs of Texas Democrats who fled the state.

He also said the Powered by People group may have violated bribery laws and state laws, such as those governing campaign or officeholder contributions and expenditures, coercion of a public servant and abuse of office.

“Any Democrat coward breaking the law by taking a Beto Bribe will be held accountable,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the investigation. “These jet-setting runaways have already lost public trust by abandoning our state, and Texans deserve to know if they received illegal bribes to do it.”

The new maps, if certified, are expected to give Republicans five additional seats in the U.S. House of Representatives ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Critics and Democrats argue that the maps draw lines that dilute the voting power of Latino and Black people, while serving as a power grab by President Donald Trump through rigging the GOP representation in the House.

Democrats have widely supported their Texan colleagues’ actions to prevent a quorum. Republicans have viewed the move as a shirking from their responsibilities.

O’Rourke, a former U.S. House member and senatorial candidate, has been traveling throughout several states, including Missouri, Wisconsin, Indiana, Nebraska and others, trying to generate grassroots support for the Texas Democrats.

In response to the investigation, O’Rourke accused Paxton of hypocrisy.

“The guy impeached for bribery is going after the folks trying to stop the theft of five congressional seats,” he said on X.

Paxton was impeached by the state House but was acquitted of all corruption charges by the Senate.

The Republican attorney general has vowed that he will seek “aggressive legal action” against any Democrat who is not present at the House on Friday, while Abbott has called for their arrests.

PRINCE Harry was blasted last night for letting a boardroom battle damage his charity Sentebale. 

A watchdog said the public row risked undermining trust in good causes generally. 

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The Charity Commission said chances were missed to settle differences at Sentebale, set up by Harry and Lesotho’s Prince Seeiso in 2006 for young people and kids living with HIV and Aids. 

It launched a probe when they stood down as patrons in support of trustees who quit in a dispute with Dr Sophie Chandauka over a fundraising strategy. 

Board of trustees chair Dr Chandauka said the “toxicity” of Harry’s brand since his move to live in the US had seen a drop in donors. 

She accused the Duke of Sussex, 40, of involvement in a “cover-up” of a probe into bullying and harassment. 

Last night, she said the “adverse media campaign” launched by those who resigned “caused incalculable damage” to the charity. 

The Times reported a source close to Harry blasted the report and said the prince was “devastated the chair had been allowed to succeed with a hostile takeover”.

His spokesman said those who rely on Sentebale would bear the “consequences of her actions”. 

The Charity Commission said the public airing of the row harmed Sentebale’s reputation and risked overshadowing its achievements. 

The regulator, which cannot investigate individual allegations of bullying, found no evidence of systemic bullying or harassment, including misogyny or misogynoir at the charity but acknowledged “the strong perception of ill treatment” felt by some involved. 

David Holdsworth, chief executive of the Charity Commission, said: “Passion for a cause is the bedrock of volunteering and charity, delivering positive impact for millions of people here at home and abroad every day. 

“However, in the rare cases when things go wrong, it is often because that very passion has become a weakness rather than a strength. 

“Sentebale’s problems played out in the public eye, enabling a damaging dispute to harm the charity’s reputation, risk overshadowing its many achievements, and jeopardising the charity’s ability to deliver for the very beneficiaries it was created to serve.” 

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THIS is the shock moment one Love Islander admitted that he doesn’t know his own girlfriend’s middle name.

On the long-running ITV2 show, fans have been watching as Dejon Noel-Williams and gotten to know Meg Moore.

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In the villa, the pair were having a humorous discussion with each other when a concerning point of conversation came up.

Megan asked her Love Island boyfriend what her last name was, to which he answered correctly straight away.

However, she then asked him to identify her middle name, and there was great hesitation.

He replied: “I honestly don’t know.”

This was before she interjected: “It used to be a kids [TV] program.”

As he continued to hesitate, she decided to simply put him out of his misery as Meg stated the word, ‘Beaker’ in reference to the iconic kids drama, Tracy Beaker.

“Oh, yeah!,” he exclaimed. “Megan Beaker Moore.”

But she was still left unimpressed as he didn’t actually say her real name, Tracy.

She laughed off the quip as she said: “Not Beaker!”

However, viewers simply did not buy into the conversation as they questioned whether their connection is actually genuine.

Many users took to X – formerly known as Twitter – as they accused the couple of being ‘fake’.

One user commented: “Meg doesn’t want her “enemies” to feel like they have a one up on her and Dejon doesn’t want to look like “the bad guy” when he’s on TV.

“Both of them trying to prove something to someone else. Fake couple.”

A second claimed: “Dejon is more bothered about how he looks and is the biggest fake on the show.”

“Megan came back on some fake a** b* after seeing how the public perceived her,” noted a third user.

While a fourth stated: “Dejon has always been fake. How are people only seeing it now?”

In the last few weeks, viewers doubts have been creeping in as one interaction with Yasmin raised eyebrows.

In the moment that set off alarm bells among fans, his co-star asked: “I have a question for you, it’s a bit rogue, would you have a threesome with me and Toni?”

We’ll continue that question.

Dejon to YasminLove Island

Dejon laughed – but was soon saved from answering as Meg called out, “Come here please!”

He joked: “You called me at a good time! Oh my god! We’ll continue that question.”

Later, Harry’s actions in the Grafties led to his close pal and confidant washing his hands of him.

As the shamed star headed outside to sleep on the day beds, fans accused Dejon of backstabbing his best pal in the villa.

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Love Island continues on ITV2 and is available to stream on ITVX.

NEW YORK — Rickea Jackson‘s layup at the buzzer lifted the Sparks to a 101-99 win over the New York Liberty on Saturday night.

The Liberty also lost star Breanna Stewart to a lower leg injury three minutes into the game. Stewart had three points and a rebound before she left and went to the locker room. New York was playing the second game on back-to-back nights. The Liberty rallied to beat Phoenix on Friday night.

Sabrina Ionescu, who scored 30 points, tied the score at 99 with an elbow jumper with 23.1 seconds left. Los Angeles worked the clock down before Stephanie Talbot fouled Kelsey Plum with 5.9 seconds left. The Liberty still had a foul to give, so the Sparks got the ball on the side.

After a timeout, Jackson got the ball in the post and threw a shot up over her head just before time expired. She finished with 24 points and Plum added 20 for the Sparks, who have won five straight.

The Liberty (17-7), who had a five-game winning streak stopped, were down 15 points early in the third quarter before rallying. Ionescu’s three-point play with 2:18 left in the game tied it at 95. After the teams exchanged baskets, Azurá Stevens hit a layup with 1:03 left to give the Sparks a 99-97 advantage.

Los Angeles (11-14) led by 15 early in the third quarter before New York rallied. The Liberty got to 65-61 and then Ionescu hit a three-pointer that was waved off because off an illegal screen on Jonquel Jones. Ionescu vehemently disagreed with the call, telling the official to “tech me.” The referee obliged, giving the star guard a technical foul.

Sparks forward Azurá Stevens drives down the lane past Liberty forward Leonie Fiebich during their game Saturday.

(Catalina Fragoso / NBAE via Getty Images)

New York trailed 74-69 heading into the fourth quarter before coming back behind Natasha Cloud and Ionescu. Cloud had 10 of her 22 points in the final 10 minutes.

Los Angeles came out hot, making 13 of its 19 shots in the first quarter, including seven three-pointers. Jackson had 17 points in the opening quarter as the Sparks led 35-20. The team kept it going in the second quarter and was up 58-45 at the half, making 10 of its 18 shots from behind the arc.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Kelsey Plum had 30 points and six assists, Dearica Hamby added 20 points and 11 rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Connecticut Sun 101-86 on Thursday night.

Los Angeles (10-14) has won four in a row, beginning with a 92-88 victory over the Sun at home July 13 that snapped a 13-game losing streak against Connecticut.

The Sparks set a season high for points and have scored 90 points or more in four consecutive games, tying the franchise record set in 2013.

Azurá Stevens had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals for the Sparks. Julie Allemand scored 12 points.

Stevens made a three-pointer a little more than a minute into the second half that gave the Sparks the lead for good and ignited a 17-5 run that made it 64-54 with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Connecticut’s Bria Hartley, who was called for a technical foul midway through the first quarter, was ejected after she picked up her second about three minutes into the third quarter. Hartley finished with 16 points in 18 minutes.

Sparks forward Azurá Stevens, driving to the basket against Sun center Olivia Nelson-Ododa, finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists in the win Thursday.

(Chris Marion / NBAE via Getty Images)

Tina Charles led Connecticut (3-20) with 24 points and 10 rebounds while Olivia Nelson-Ododa had 17 points. The Sun have lost four in a row and 14 of 15.

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty is reportedly in talks to join another station amid the programme’s bullying row

BBC Breakfast presenter Naga Munchetty has reportedly ‘renewed talks’ with a radio station away from the corporation amid a bullying row that has plagued the morning programme. Last month, it was revealed show boss Richard Frediani was on extended leave on the flagship show after complaints about his behaviour.

Host Munchetty was also said to not get on with him. However, many staff members came out in defence of the editor. One even told the Mirror that some staff were disappointed with Munchetty who it’s claimed raised concerns about Frediani’s management style with BBC managers.

And now, a source has claimed that the presenter ‘loves the BBC’ but is looking for a new job.

READ MORE: ‘Life changing’ 48p-a-day supplement that gets rid of fatigue and leaves tummy ‘flatter’

Speaking to The Sun, they said: “Her team last week renewed talks with LBC. The Global Radio station would suit her as there’s far less of the fluffy nonsense that’s involved in working at the BBC.” The Mirror have reached out to Munchetty’s reps for comment.

Meanwhile, the BBC’s annual salary was recently published and Munchetty was revealed to be earning almost double her co-host Charlie Stayt’s pay.

Stayt and Munchetty present BBC Breakfast from Thursday to Saturday morning, while Jon Kay and Sally Nugent take the helm from Monday to Wednesday.

Stayt, aged 63, has stayed within the £190,000 salary band, whereas Munchetty, aged 50, has enjoyed a £10,000 increase to her earnings, moving from £345,000 to £355,000.

Munchetty, who has presented on the flagship news programme since 2014, has always been paid more than Stayt. Her pay packet accounts for 180 days of presenting on BBC Breakfast, as well as her Radio 5 Live programme and election coverage.

The BBC pay comes amid a bullying row concerning the BBC Breakfast editor. Some current and former staff of the programme jumped to his defence.

One source told the Mirror: “He is not a bully at all and the truth will come out. He’s a great boss and was – and is still – overwhelmingly loved by the team, who respect his drive, expertise, and journalistic ambition. He has delivered great audiences and the first ever Bafta for breakfast TV.

“He can be brash and opinionated but works so hard for his team and allows people to flourish.”

A second source said: “Yes, he is old-school and can rub people up the wrong way but it’s always in the pursuit of great television. It’s the best-rating breakfast show in the country – it’s not supposed to be a walk in the park. Some – Naga included – need to understand this. It feels like it’s a case of presenter power turfing out a brilliant journalist.”

Co-host Stayt is also said to have a strained relationship with Frediani.

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Love Island viewers reacted to a scene involving Andrada Pop and Meg Moore on tonight’s episode of the ITV2, with the two islanders seen in a tense exchange in the villa

Love Island viewers were divided over an islander on the latest episode, with some suggesting that they had made a mark on the reality TV show. Others weren’t impressed though following tension in the villa after movie night.

The latest episode of the ITV2 show included the aftermath of Meg Moore having been given a glimpse into Dejon Noel-Williams’ relationship with Andrada Pop whilst he was in Casa Amor. The situation left Meg upset and she confronted Dejon, whom she recently became ‘exclusive’ with.

Later in the evening, Meg and Dejon were seen in a tense discussion inside the Love Island villa. Andrada, who is coupled-up with Ben Holbrough, appeared to be listening from a room nearby as she told some of her co-stars: “Shh shh.”

Meg later heard about it and confronted Andrada. She told her: “Don’t be in here saying ‘shush’ to hear my conversation with D.” Andrada was then seen saying: “Pipe down, who’d you think you’re shouting at?” Meg replied: “You!”

Andrada asked: “What’s wrong with you?” Meg reacted: “What is right with you?” She added: “Don’t be saying ‘shush’ to try and listen to my argument.” Andrada questioned: “Why is it a big deal that I said ‘shush’? Why are you so hurt by it?”

The pair continued to engage with each other, with Andrada saying at one point: “I don’t understand why you’re shouting at me.” Meg responded: “You’re shouting at me!” Meg went on to share her thoughts with Dejon, whilst away from Andrada, saying: “I just told her to mind her own business.”

As Meg walked into the bedroom, Andrada was talking to Tommy Bradley about having previously listened to the couple arguing. She: “I didn’t say anything bad.” Meg went on to tell her: “End of convo right now. You’re speaking to the whole f***ing villa!”

Andrada took issue with being hold by Meg to stop speaking about it. She added: “I don’t deserve for somebody to come scream at me for no f***ing reason. I didn’t say anything bad.” Meg, sat on the bed next to her, replied: “Hun, I’m here.” Andrada replied by saying that she wasn’t speaking to Meg though.

They resumed their disagreement and was seen in another tense exchange. Toni Laites said at one point: “Everyone shut the f*** up!” Andrada later said: “She’s going through it and she’s letting it out on other people.” Meg said: “Babe, you’re still talking in front of my face.” As they continued to bicker, Ben held Andrada back in bed as she told Meg: “Take a breather.”

Some fans suggested that Andrada was making compelling TV, with one writing on X: “Andrada is tv gold. keep her in the villa.” Another said: “Andarna u have entered the hall of fame.”

A third viewer wrote: “Whoever found Andrada dead a raise, non stop entertainment.” Another said: “Andrada is tv gold.” Sharing their thoughts, one fan said: “OMG … this episode is giving S3 days …Andrada was ready to SCRAP…Now this is what you call TV!”

Others however weren’t impressed by his behaviour. One said: “This is not entertainment, they are all being horrible to Meg and you need to sort those girls out. They are mean girls it’s utter disgraceful.” Another wrote: “Andrada doing WAY too much. we can see straight through you babe.”

Someone said: “Not sure this spin off series is working, think Argument Island is a one series wonder.” Another person wrote: “Andrada proving Ben right, minutes after their chat. She loves to be up in everyone’s business.”

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