working

A lot of people start collecting Social Security specifically because they’ve stopped working, or when they’re ready to stop. But you should know that if you wish to work while collecting Social Security, that option exists.

However, there are rules you should know in the context of working while on Social Security. Here’s a rundown.

Image source: Getty Images.

Working while on Social Security has its advantages

You may find that your Social Security benefits aren’t enough to cover your retirement expenses in full. If you don’t have an IRA or 401(k) to supplement with, then you may be inclined to work in some capacity to make up the difference.

Once you reach full retirement age, which is 67 for people born in 1960 or later, you don’t have to worry about having Social Security benefits withheld for working, regardless of what you earn. But if you’re collecting Social Security before having reached full retirement age, you’ll be subject to an earnings test whose limits change annually.

This year, for example, you can earn up to $23,400 without having any Social Security withheld if you’re under full retirement age. Beyond that point, you’ll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $2 of income.

The earnings-test limit is much higher if you’re reaching full retirement age at some point in 2025. In that case, it’s $62,160. And beyond that point, you’ll have $1 in Social Security withheld per $3 of income.

If you’re under full retirement age but also earn less than the earnings-test limit, you can enjoy a nice supplement to your income without any negative impact. And even if you have benefits withheld for exceeding the earnings-test limit, you’ll get that money back eventually.

Once you reach full retirement age, your monthly benefits will be recalculated and boosted to make up for withheld Social Security earlier on. That could be a good thing, because if you get used to living on less and your monthly benefits go up substantially, it could feel like a bonus of sorts.

You may get larger monthly benefits for another reason

In addition to putting more money in your pocket, working while on Social Security could set you up for larger benefits down the line. The formula used to calculate your benefits accounts for your 35 highest-paid years of earnings while adjusting earlier wages for inflation.

If you earn a lot while collecting Social Security, you might replace a year of lower income with a higher income. That could, in turn, lead to larger benefit payments.

Let’s say you worked for 35 years, but for three of those years, you only worked part-time and earned very little. If you work part-time while on Social Security and bring in $22,000 over the course of the year, you’ll be below the earnings-test limit.

But $22,000 may also be a lot more than what you earned during one of your years of part-time work, even with those earlier wages adjusted for inflation. So you may find that working leads to a more generous monthly payday for life once the Social Security Administration is able to factor your most recent wages into your benefit formula.

Know the rules

You may have heard that working while on Social Security is not a good idea because of the earnings-test limit. Or, you may be under the impression that if you’re getting monthly benefits, you’re barred from working, period.

It’s important to understand the rules of working while collecting Social Security so you’re able to supplement your income as you please. And you may find that holding down a job while receiving benefits gives you more money not just from those wages, but in the form of larger monthly Social Security checks later on.

AFTER a roller coaster few weeks, which saw her publicly battle her ex-husband while enjoying unexpected chart success, Katie Price has found comfort in her large entourage of friends.

Amid her devastating feud with Peter Andre over the welfare of their children, Junior and Princess, she’s continued to tour with pal Kerry Katona, partied with Chloe Ferry and celebrated her single, I Got You, topping the charts with a young group of up-and-coming collaborators. But there’s one person Katie secretly relies upon more than anyone else.

9

9

9

And that’s her best pal of over twenty years and the woman whose influence in Katie’s life is slowly but steadily becoming more apparent. 

Despite referring to Louisa Anderson-Roy as “extended family”, not a lot of people are aware of just how inseparable the ladies are. And in recent times, fiercely loyal Lou, an aesthetics practitioner and CEO of the LA Hair Skin and Beauty salon, has been working closely with Katie in a bid to overhaul her image and get her public persona back on track. 

Not only has she styled Katie in a series of “classy” ensembles for Katie and Kerry’s ‘Evening With’ tour, Lou was also responsible for connecting Katie with SHAYE, a producer who’s working with her on brand new music. She’s also been attending professional jobs with Katie, including a recent recording alongside Olivia Attwood.

Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back

Lou’s efforts come after Peter, 52, publicly slated Katie, accusing her of telling “lies and baseless accusations” and claiming their children were placed in his care “for their safety” years before. 

Katie, 47, hit back, saying she “refused to be gaslit” by her former husband – but the damage was done and the former glamour model didn’t come out of the public slanging match very well.

Now sources have revealed just how much of a “secret weapon” mum-of-six Lou is, and why she’s one of only a few people that Katie genuinely listens to. 

“Kate and Lou have been friends forever, and while a lot of people have betrayed her, Kate knows Lou genuinely has her back,” a pal revealed. 

9

9

9

“But more than anything, Kate trusts Lou’s opinions and judgement. Lou is incredibly influential. She’s been there for all the drama in Kate’s life and she seems to have an instinct for what’s right for Kate.

“Obviously the Pete stuff really p**sed Lou off – she immediately felt protective over Kate and has vowed to step up and help her friend shine. Kate really does see her as a secret weapon – somehow she’s stronger when Lou’s around.”

Indeed Lou has been extremely defensive of her bestie of late. After sharing a picture of them together on social media, a handful of Lou’s followers bodyshamed Katie for her recent weight loss, which some assume to be the result of Ozempic. 

It led Lou to clap back in a lengthy rant. 

“Anyone commenting on any of my posts or pictures with my friend re weight.. Whether it be about someone gaining or losing weight, I really don’t care, but you will be removed..,” she wrote. “You do not know reasons as to why anyone may lose or gain or what’s going on in people’s worlds so don’t be so nasty to point out weight changes! Women should support women.” 

Lou is incredibly loyal…Kate will be grateful for the support.

Our source explained why a message like this would be so important for Katie. 

“Lou is incredibly loyal and won’t stand for any hate on her socials, but more than anything she’s trying to protect Kate,” they said.  “And it won’t go unnoticed. Kate will be grateful for the support. Especially when she’s trying so hard to turn public opinion around in the wake of the Pete mess.” 

Last week Lou reassured Katie’s fans that she would “never do anything for my mate for any kind of recognition or financial gain – never have and never will” and gave a telling insight into their friendship. 

“Its one that’s always been based on total honesty and loyalty to one another and realness throughout some of the toughest moments we have equally both faced in our lives,” she shared on Instagram. “I’ll always support people I love, especially when I see they don’t deserve hate.”

When a follower replied, “I know you have a deep fondness and love for Katie”, Lou responded, “I really do care for those I love.”

9

In response to another comment Lou admitted she got “a fair bit of hate” for supporting Katie but added, “I let it go over my head.”  

Lou has been at Katie’s side for many years, staying out of the spotlight to work as a hairdresser, although she has appeared in Katie’s various videos and social media posts. 

‘Fair bit of hate’

One infamous moment in 2020 saw Katie coughing on a pizza to stop Lou from having any of it. Following backlash from disgusted fans, a spokesperson for Katie insisted at the time, “Lou is deemed as extended family – Katie pretending to cough on her pizza is simply making light of life and highlights the sisterhood shared between the pair. It’s not uncommon behaviour when they’re larking about.”

It looks like Katie will need Lou’s shoulder to lean on again this week, following fan backlash when it was revealed she had pulled out of a charity event in order to attend Geordie Shore star Chloe Ferry’s birthday party at the weekend. 

While claiming she was too busy ‘filming’ to attend Milton Keynes Pride last Saturday, the mum of five was instead seen living it up in Newcastle where she was filmed dancing with Chloe and pals. 

Everything you need to know about Katie Price

Step inside the life of former glamour model Katie Price

9

9

The blow comes after a spell of good news for Katie. Not only did her single end up at number one in the iTunes charts following a fan campaign, it’s also been reported that her two youngest children, Jett and Bunny, will move back in with her in November. The pair had been living with their father, Katie’s third husband Kieran Hayler, since 2022.  

As well as that, Katie’s been getting decent reviews for her tour with Kerry, with one punter saying they “loved every minute of the show”. 

This, despite several hiccups, including backlash for vaping on stage, reportedly missing the first half of one show last week and landing herself in hospital after she “accidentally stabbed” herself with a knife while making a curry. 

But one thing is certain, despite all the ups and downs, loyal Lou will be at Katie’s side regardless. 

The Voice UK has been a hit with viewers since it first aired in 2012

The Voice UK first graced our screens in 2012 and has been a hit ever since, now filming its 14th series.

The popular show features blind auditions, where the star-studded coaches hit a button to turn their chair if they like what they hear, seeing the performer for the first time.

If more than one coach turns, the artist chooses a mentor for their journey on the show. After the blind auditions, the contestants are divided into four teams, each mentored by a coach who selects songs for their artists to perform in a series of battles until a winner is crowned.

The Voice UK has welcomed many musical talents to the coveted coach chair, but one constant presence since the beginning is Sir Tom Jones.

Sir Tom, 85, was part of the original panel alongside will.i.am, Jessie J and Danny O’Donoghue. However, as filming for series 14 commences, only Sir Tom and will.i.am remain from the original line-up, reports Wales Online. For series 14, they’re joined by Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones sharing coaching duties, and Kelly Rowland.

A familiar face behind the scenes of The Voice UK is executive producer, Moira Ross, who has produced five seasons of the successful singing series.

Speaking in an exclusive interview to discuss her new series KPOPPED, Moira, whose work also includes Strictly Come Dancing, The Masked Singer and Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas, told us: “It’s some time ago now but I made five seasons of The Voice when it first launched in the UK.

“That was my sort of insight into A-list superstar music talent. That was a big learning curve, you know, to understand firsthand just how hard these people work.”

Talking about working with Sir Tom, Moira added: “Tom is the ultimate professional and it was always a privilege to hear him sing. Even in rehearsals, it was just an absolute privilege so it never felt like a job that show.

“It was a really fun time, actually, for those five years and hanging out with the likes of will.i.am. He’s a lot of fun, Will, he’s got endless bags of ideas!”

Moira has been able to utilise her experience on The Voice UK for her latest project Apple TV+’s KPOPPED, where she worked as an executive producer.

The eight-part programme, from executive producers Lionel Richie and Miky Lee, sees each episode presented by Soojeong Son and it showcases two Western music legends – from Patti LaBelle to Boy George, Kesha to J Balvin and Megan Thee Stallion to some members of the Spice Girls – teamed up with a premier K-pop act, including ITZY, Billlie, BLACKSWAN, and STAYC. The K-pop group splits into two units, each teaming up with one of the guest artists.

They have just hours to reinvent a global hit, whilst also working on choreography, vocals, and visuals to wow the audience during their live stage performance. K-pop fans are then asked to choose the winning collaboration.

Discussing the filming process, Moira confessed it’s the “fastest turnaround” she’s ever experienced in her impressive career.

She said: “The Western stars would arrive and we would have approximately 48 hours! They’d arrive, they’d maybe get their bearings, they’d get to rehearsals and they were straight into work with the K-pop bands.

“There would be some sort of relief in terms of that experience of seeing some of the sights of Seoul and the cultural exchange. Then we’d rehearse again and next day we’re in studio, so rehearsing on set and they’re in front of that live audience of very excited K-pop fans.”

Moira added: “It’s the fastest turnaround I’ve ever done in terms of these entertainment productions but because of their level of stardom and professional capacity, they could pick it up like that and they all work so hard so it all fell into place.”

KPOPPED is available to watch now on Apple TV+

Sir Keir Starmer’s former chief of staff Baroness Sue Gray has challenged the government’s plan to limit a civil service internship scheme to working-class students.

The Labour peer questioned the “evidence base” behind last month’s decision to restrict a Whitehall internship to students from “lower socio-economic backgrounds”.

The government argued the change will bring in “more working-class young people” widening the talent pool for a civil service that will “truly reflect the country”.

But Baroness Gray told peers she was “from the most working class of backgrounds” but had “learned a lot from being around people from different walks of life”.

From October 2026, Whitehall’s main internship scheme designed to attract university students to the civil service will now only be available for students from “lower socio-economic backgrounds” – judged by what jobs their parents did when they were 14.

Those who are successful on the internship will then be prioritised for entry to the Fast Stream, the main graduate programme for entry to the civil service.

But Baroness Gray said: “As a former civil servant from the most working class of backgrounds, and I’m sure there are very good intentions here, I would have found it really difficult when I joined the civil service to not have a wider group that I actually was exposed to, and I learned so much from that.

“I would like to know what the evidence base is for actually reaching this conclusion, because I do think it’s good intentioned, but I think there are other ways that the civil service can be opened up as well.”

Labour minister Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent said this was one of the “rare” occasions she “disagreed” with Baroness Gray.

“This is not about stopping the civil service being a meritocracy. It is ensuring that the meritocracy is available to everyone, regardless of where you were born,” she said

Earlier, Tory shadow Cabinet Office minister Baroness Finn pointed out that the current rules made clear a person’s selection for work in the civil service “must be on merit on the basis of fair and open competition”.

She said: “The changes proposed by the government to the summer internship programme would allow the child of a mechanic, an electrician or even possibly a toolmaker to apply, but discriminate against the child of a roofer, a taxi driver or a nurse, who would be deemed ineligible.

“Quite apart from dramatically reducing the range of talent, does she really believe that this is still a fair and open and indeed a sensible process?”

Baroness Gray, the daughter of Irish immigrants in 1950s Tottenham, grew up with a salesman father and a barmaid mother.

She joined the civil service straight from school after her father died when she was a teenager.

She became a household name as the Partygate investigator, and her critical report into Downing Street lockdown gatherings contributed to Boris Johnson’s downfall in 2022.

She was poached from the civil service by Labour to lead Sir Keir Starmer’s office as the party prepared for government ahead of the 2024 election, but infighting forced her out within 100 days of victory.

Since joining the House of Lords she has used her speeches to warn about proposed cuts to the civil service, criticising those who call public servants “pen pushers”.

Making her maiden speech in the House of Lords, Baroness Gray said that the UK needs “public servants to succeed”.

MANCHESTER UNITED are set for a make-or-break deadline day after failing to sell any players this window.

But Ruben Amorim’s side is running out of time with the window shutting at 7pm tonight.

7

7

Goalkeeper

United are keeping potential deals with Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez and Royal Antwerp’s Senne Lammens warm before deciding which one to go for.

Both players want to join Amorim’s side and were left out of their respective squads over the weekend. United aren’t in line to sign both goalkeepers.

£17million-rated Lammens, 23, is a project for the future, while World Cup winner Martinez can surely put things up between the sticks immediately.

SunSport understands Lammens is happy with the personal terms now on offer after talks stalled last week, and the Belgian wants to move to Old Trafford.

However, the Red Devils still need to agree a fee with Royal Antwerp, who are believed to be seeking £20 million.

Martinez, 32, would cost significantly more at around £40million and would demand higher wages in line with his current Villa Park deal, which still has five years left.

Antony

United winger Antony is expected to travel to Spain for a medical with Real Betis, where he enjoyed a revitalising six month loan last season.

He will take a significant pay cut to leave and will join Betis for £21.7m, with the deal made up of an initial £19m payment plus £3.4million in adds.

SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN

It stalled on Friday night due to a £4-5million loyalty bonus that the player felt he was due from Old Trafford chiefs.

Jadon Sancho

Jadon Sancho could follow in Marcus Rashford’s footsteps by joining Aston Villa on loan with hours left in the window.

Villa Park chiefs have made contact with Sancho’s camp over personal terms but there is no agreement yet on either.

Sancho has one year left on his United deal.

Sancho, 25, seems the most likely Bomb Squad member to stay at the moment due to his outrageous £350,000-per-week wages.

7

Midfielders

Injuries to Matheus Cunha and Mason Mount have hit Kobbie Mainoo‘s slim chances of being allowed to leave United today.

The Red Devils were not willing to let him leave on loan anyway.

But the first half injury blows against Burnley have only hardened their resolve.

7

Tyrell Malacia

United are waiting for a suitable loan offer from LaLiga side Elche for left-back Tyrell Malacia, but it looks set to happen today.

Malacia enjoyed a loan spell at PSV last season where he won the Dutch league.

7

Harry Amass

Sheffield Wednesday are in talks with United over a move for left-back Harry Amass.

United will consider a straight season-long loan as Amass, 18, is still seen as one for the future.

7

7

TRANSFER DEADLINE DAY LIVE – KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST AS THE CLOCK TICKS

AN England Women’s rugby star is inspiring the next generation in a unique way – by appearing on TV show Gladiators.

Jodie Ounsley, also known as Fury from BBC Gladiators, played for England‘s rugby sevens team as well as Sale Sharks and the Exeter Chiefs.

5

5

5

She was forced into an early retirement aged just 23 because of a shoulder injury, but has put her rugby skills to good use in her new role.

The Gladiators star told SunSport: “I naturally miss playing and just to see how much the sport’s growing. But on the other hand, I feel very privileged in what I’m doing now.

“Obviously being in a different field of work, on TV in a show like Gladiators, I love that I’m able to still showcase women’s rugby in a show like that through my character, Fury.

“Kids might see me as Fury tackling contenders and think, oh, she must play rugby and then now follow rugby. And I think that’s really powerful. I take so much pride in that.

“I just think of the bigger picture and if I can try and inspire the next generation to get into rugby, then that’s enough for me.

“I’ve stepped away now but never say never, I could go back to rugby in the future, but I’m gonna do everything I can to push the game and bring a new audience, new people to the game as well.”

Ounsley was born deaf and wears a cochlear implant, and has followed in her father’s footsteps by appearing on the show.

She is also a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu British champion and a five-time World Coal Carrying champion, but despite her individual accomplishments she still misses the team environment of rugby.

CASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS

The 24-year-old continued: “It’s really different from going from a full-time team environment to then being pretty much on your own.

“So still very much lots of training. I mix it around now and I’m obviously not around a team, which is a bit different, but that’s the beauty of rugby.

“I miss my team because that’s what rugby’s about. It’s about being surrounded by your team-mates and you go through so much together.

“Big tournaments like the World Cup, even training, injuries, there’s so much to the game that people don’t even sort of get to see.

“So that’s the part I miss but I’m very happy where I am at the moment.”

Ounsley is also a proud supporter of the See It. Believe It. campaign as part of her role as a brand ambassador for Vodafone.

The campaign aims to dismantle misconceptions surrounding women’s rugby, with research showing 70 per cent of Brits who hold a negative opinion of the sport have never watched a match.

5

5

Ounsley said of the campaign: “It means a lot to me because obviously I’ve had my own journey in rugby.

“The whole meaning behind it is there is a whole misconception from people who have a negative view about women’s rugby. It’s people who haven’t even watched a game of women’s rugby.

“So I think it’s about trying to change that misconception but also getting a new audience and new people to watch the game.

“And then funnily enough, they come and watch the game and they realise they might actually like it. It’s like that throughout all women’s rugby, you always have those different opinions and how people sort of expect it to be.

“I think it’s just how we can change that and flip it to more of a positive light.

“The biggest thing is people try and think we’re trying to say, oh, it’s the same as the men’s game, but it’s really not, it’s just about showing that women love the game as much as anyone else.

“It is a really special game, regardless of what gender is playing it.

“It’s a game of rugby. It’s an exciting thing. It’s really just coming to watch a game of rugby. If you enjoy sport, then it shouldn’t really matter who was playing.”

Jodie Ounsley is proudly supporting Vodafone’s ‘See it. Believe it.’ campaign, which aims to challenge misconceptions about women’s rugby and connect the sport with new audiences.

As part of the campaign, Jodie is working with storytelling experts Goalclick to provide exclusive behind-the-scenes content from all levels of the game.

THERE can be no cooler claim to fame than to be name-checked in one of the greatest pop songs ever written.

Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks, released at the height of the Swinging Sixties, featured a couple referred to only by their first names — Terry and Julie.

10

10

10

Julie was Julie Christie, the drop-dead gorgeous actress, and Terry was Terence Stamp, her real-life boyfriend.

The accomplished actor died yesterday morning, aged 87, and last night his family led the tributes to him.

They said in a statement: “He leaves behind an extraordinary body of work, both as an actor and as a writer, that will continue to touch and inspire people for years to come.”

Along with a handful of other leading men from humble backgrounds such as Michael Caine and Albert Finney, Stamp epitomised a new breed of screen star.

Ruggedly handsome, uncompromising and from a tough working-class background, he shot to fame with his first movie.

But as the Sixties drew to a close, it looked as though the sun was also setting on his career — and it was almost a decade before he triumphantly reappeared.

The oldest of five children, he was born Terence Henry Stamp on July 22, 1938, in Bow, East London, to mother Ethel and father Thomas, a £12-a-week tugboat stoker.

‘I was in pain. I took drugs – everything’

That made him, according to the saying, a genuine Cockney — “born within the sound of Bow bells”.

His first home had no bathroom, only a tub in the backyard which he would be dragged into on Friday evenings.

He later remembered: “The first one in would get second-degree burns — and the last one frostbite.”

In 2016, he said of his childhood: “The great blessing of my life is that I had the really hard bit at the beginning. We were really poor.

“I couldn’t tell anybody that I wanted to be an actor because it was just out of the question. I would have been laughed at.

“When we got our first TV, I started saying, ‘Oh I could do that’ and my dad wore it for a little bit.

“After I’d said, ‘Oh I’m sure I could do better than that guy’, he looked at me and he said, ‘Son, people like us don’t do things like that’.”

As an 18-year-old, he tried to evade National Service — a year and a half of compulsory duty in the military — by claiming to have nosebleeds but was saved when he failed his medical because of fallen arches.

Determined to realise his dream, Stamp left home and moved into a basement flat on London’s Harley Street with another promising young Cockney actor — Michael Caine. The pair became firm friends and ended up in repertory theatre, touring around the UK together.

10

10

10

Stamp’s performances soon brought him to the attention of acclaimed writer and director Peter Ustinov, who gave him the lead role in the 1962 historical drama movie Billy Budd. He was an overnight success.

Nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, he also won the hearts of millions of female fans. And with his first Hollywood pay cheque, the image-conscious actor celebrated by buying himself a Savile Row suit and bleaching his hair blond.

Stamp heeded the career advice Ustinov gave him — to only accept job offers when something he really wanted came his way.

That may explain why he made only ten movies between 1962 and 1977.

His most famous role was as Sergeant Troy in Far From The Madding Crowd in 1967 — where he met and fell in love with co-star Julie Christie.

While Stamp was fast becoming a screen icon, his younger brother Chris was making waves in the music biz.

I was someone who was desperately unhappy. I was in pain. I took drugs — everything

Terence Stamp

Stamp Junior managed The Who and Jimi Hendrix, and was friends with many music legends of the time.

Talking about The Kinks’ classic Waterloo Sunset, written by frontman Ray Davies, Terence said: “My brother was quite friendly with him.

“He asked Ray Davies about that lyric and Ray Davies told my brother that, yes, he was visualising Julie and me when he wrote the lyric.”

But by the end of the decade, Stamp’s career was on the wane — and he was devastated when his “Face of the Sixties” model girlfriend Jean Shrimpton walked out on him — beginning what he called his “lost years”.

He said: “I’d lost the only thing I thought was permanent.

“The revelation came to me then — nothing is permanent, so what was the point trying to maintain a permanent state?

10

10

10

“I was someone who was desperately unhappy. I was in pain. I took drugs — everything.”

He clung on to a feeling that “the call would come” — but the wait was a long one.

It finally came in 1977 when he was offered the part of General Zod in Superman.

He took it — mainly because it gave him the chance to appear alongside his acting hero Marlon Brando.

The part brought him to the attention of a new audience — and last night fans paid tribute to his portrayal of the banished alien villain.

In a nod to his role as the evil leader who demanded his enemies show him deference, one fan wrote on X: “Thank you Terry . . . we will kneel today in your honour.”

Another wrote: “Terence Stamp was much more than Zod but at the same time one of the best comic book villains ever.”

‘My present was a box of Star Wars stencils’

Making up for lost time after the 1978 release of Superman, Stamp made dozens of films from then until 2021, showing off his huge range.

He won universal praise for his portrayal of an East End villain in The Limey (1999) and transgender woman Bernadette Bassenger in The Adventures Of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert. Stamp also played Supreme Chancellor Finis Valorum in Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace, although the director George Lucas did not give him a huge payday.

He once cornered a producer during the shoot and complained about the pay.

He recalled: “I said, ‘Listen, you’re not paying much money and it’s making hundreds of millions. What goes down? What happens?’

“She said, ‘If the actors are really good, George gives them a present’.

“I thought, ooh, that’s all right. So when I leave the studio I go into my dressing room and there’s a box. It was a box of Star Wars stencils.

“That was my present. I just couldn’t believe it. I thought, may the Force be with you, George. I didn’t keep my stencils. I left them in the dressing room.”

Around that time, he said: “I moved from England some time ago because I wasn’t getting any work.

“I’m getting work in America and my films appear in France but for some reason I’m not getting any offers in Britain.”

But he kept himself busy by launching a successful parallel career as an author, writing five bestselling memoirs and two cookbooks.

He continued to select interesting roles and made a series of memorable cameo appearances, most recently, in 2021, in Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller Last Night In Soho.

10

Although he dated some of the world’s most beautiful women, including Julie Christie, Brigitte Bardot and sisters Joan and Jackie Collins, he married only once — to Elizabeth O’Rourke.

The pharmacist was 35 years his junior and the marriage lasted from 2002 to 2008.

He admitted he was upset by the split but added: “I always said I’ll try anything once, other than incest or Morris dancing.

“I’d never been married and I thought I would try it, but I couldn’t make a go of it.”

Looking back on his career, he once said: “I’d be lying if I said I was completely indifferent to the success of all my contemporaries. There are parts I would love to have had a stab at, but I see the decisions I made as invaluable.

“I’m not just chasing an Oscar. I am learning how to die — how to build something within myself that does not become dust.”

IT’S the showpiece beach resort at the heart of Kim Jong-un’s plans for a holiday empire – but the “North Korean Benidorm” hides a dark secret.

The Wonsan-Kalma resort reportedly got its nickname after dictator Kim sent a fact-finding mission to Spain’s Costa Blanca in 2017.

11

11

11

But unlike its Mediterranean rival, Wonsan-Kalma has a history filled with forced labour, human rights abuses – and poo.

The horrors began right at the start of the project, when the regime press-ganged teenage schoolkids into “shock brigades” of builders.

Pyongyang propaganda bragged that these youths were building the resort’s hotels at the rate of a storey per day in a December 2019 report.

But by then two deadlines to finish the job had already passed, and with a third looming, builders were made to work almost round the clock in icy temperatures.

Party chiefs mobilised workers “in the bitter cold of January, February, and March, allowing them to sleep for only three hours a day,” a source told the Daily NK newspaper.

And though the regime called the youths “volunteers”, really they had no real choice.

People are forced into “shock brigades” with the threat of arrest and detention in labour camps, according to a UN report about forced labour in North Korea.

Recruits get a monthly wage that is “only enough to buy two packs of cigarettes”, the report added, and are fed so little that malnutrition is widespread.

Workers at Wonsan lived off “foul-smelling seaweed soup, salted radishes and yellow corn rice,” according to Daily NK.

Female workers faced an added peril.

One woman quoted by the UN recalled how shock brigade chiefs “harassed” them and said “many women were sexually abused”.

North Korea expert Michael Madden described the backbreaking toil faced by “volunteers” at Wonsan.

He said: “Youth Shock Brigades would be involved in digging foundations, framing, painting, paving, and moving materials and supplies.

“Pay for brigade members is minimal.

“In the past, the brigade members were not provided adequate food supplies and stole from local populations.”

Today the resort welcomes Russian visitors and members of the North Korean elite.

But guests may be surprised to learn that they’re not the first to stay in the brand-new hotels.

When the third deadline for finishing the resort passed in April 2020, the site lay almost abandoned for months as Covid-19 spread around the world.

11

11

11

Soon reports emerged that homeless wanderers – known as kkotjebi in North Korea – had moved in to the skeletal hotels.

“The buildings are no different from toilets, with bowel movements left behind by the kkotjebi everywhere,” a source told Daily NK.

“Now they’re full of human waste and soot from fires.”

The same report also revealed that the resort’s planning chief and site manager had been sacked in 2019 amid mounting delays.

It’s a punishment with potentially fatal consequences.

Mr Madden, the founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, and a fellow of the Stimson Center in Washington DC, said nothing had been heard of either of them since.

If they were blamed for inefficiencies or incompetence, he said, they probably faced demotion, intensive indoctrination, and a manual labour assignment.

“On the other hand if there was malfeasance or some type of corruption, then both of these people have, at the least, faced a lengthy incarceration,” he continued.

“If these individuals had a habit of corrupt activities on Wonsan-Kalma and any previous projects, then one or both project managers faced the firing squad.”

11

11

Before it was a holiday destination, Wonsan was a missile launch site.
Indeed the rockets continued blasting off even as the hotels took shape.

And ultimately, that’s how money spent by tourists will be used.

Greg Scarlatoiu, executive director of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea, warned holidaymakers not to fund Kim’s “tools of death”.

He said: “The money coming from tourists, mostly Russians at the moment, will go to the areas that the regime regards as critical to its survival.

“These are: keeping the Kim family rich, and the key elites happy, as well as developing nuclear weapons, ballistic missiles, and other tools of death.”

The North Korean tourism push, which seeks to raise foreign currency, has also seen the regime open the Masikryong Ski Resort, and Yangdok hot springs resort.

11

11

11

Emma Raducanu says she is “excited” to be working with Rafael Nadal’s former coach Francis Roig as she prepares for this year’s US Open.

The 22-year-old had been working with British coach Mark Petchey on an informal basis since March and has now added Spaniard Roig to her team full-time.

Roig, 57, worked alongside Nadal’s uncle Toni from 2005 to 2022 and was part of all 22 of the Spaniard’s Grand Slam victories.

“He’s obviously got a bank of experience and I’m very excited to continue working with him and to have him on my side,” Raducanu told Sky Sports.

The British number one is playing in the Cincinnati Open for the first time since 2022 this week and will face either fellow Briton Katie Boulter or Serb Olga Danilovic in her opening match after receiving a first-round bye.

Roig has joined Raducanu for the WTA 1,000 event in Ohio, which is the last tournament before the final Grand Slam of the season begins in New York on 24 August.

“It’s going really well,” Raducanu said. “It’s my second day with [Roig] here, but I did a few days in London before I came out here.”

Two stars from Strictly Come Dancing are alleged to have taken cocaine while appearing on the BBC One show and now another scandal has hit the series

One of the Strictly Come Dancing stars accused of taking cocaine was also suspected of drinking on the BBC show last year, according to reports.

Two stars from the family series are alleged to have taken the Class A substance while appearing on the BBC One programme and now another scandal has hit the show – this time involving alcohol.

It has been reported that it was widely known that the pair, who have not been named, took the cocaine, and that one of these Strictly performers was also known for being a drinker. It comes as the BBC is reportedly ready to offer the two stars a rehabilitation programme following allegations of cocaine use.

READ MORE: Strictly Come Dancing stars arrive for rehearsals as BBC launches cocaine investigationREAD MORE: Strictly Come Dancing bosses ‘to offer rehab to cocaine scandal-hit stars’

The Sun reports that junior members of the Strictly team were asked to keep an eye on the unnamed star during last year’s show and to look for signs that they may have been boozing during work hours.

A source claimed: “The person in question is renowned for loving to party, and that is a major problem when it impacts on their ability to do the job they need to do on Strictly in a safe and professional manner.

“It’s not just about something being illegal or legal, it’s about the BBC’s workplace policies and how the behaviour of certain individuals can impact on their work colleagues.”

“On a very physical show like Strictly, with lots of sets and moving parts, the idea of someone being intoxicated in any way is wholly unacceptable.” When contacted by the Mirror, a spokesperson for the BBC said: “We do not recognise these claims and any suggestion that anyone has been asked to monitor an individual is completely untrue.”

In bombshell news last week, two stars from Strictly were alleged to have taken cocaine while appearing on the primetime series, which is due to start again in September.

In the latest shock to rock the long-running programme, drug use claims were submitted to the BBC in March by Russell’s Solicitors on behalf of a celebrity contestant.

It’s believed that other individuals have also brought forward allegations of drug consumption on Strictly to the BBC. Earlier in the week, it was reported that one such allegation involved a Strictly star who allegedly commented on another individual’s dilated pupils.

It comes after bosses reportedly launched an investigation into claims that two of its stars took cocaine. The BBC has hired law firm Pinsent Masons to probe the allegations.

Now, the BBC is said to be set to offer those at the centre of the storm the chance of rehab. It’s also claimed there could be random drug tests added to the upcoming tours, which are known to include after-parties.

In a statement shared with the Mirror over the weekend, a representative for the BBC said: “We have clear protocols and policies in place for dealing with any serious complaint raised with us. We would always encourage people to speak to us if they have concerns. It would not be appropriate for us to comment further.”

READ MORE: Lisa Snowdon loves this hair serum that’s ‘must have for hair loss’ now 20% off

Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Thread

The government will restrict civil service internships to students from poorer families as part of a drive from ministers to make Whitehall more working class.

The main internship scheme designed to attract university students to the civil service will now only be available for students from “lower socio-economic backgrounds”, judged by what jobs their parents did when they were 14.

Those who are successful on the internship will then be prioritised for entry to the Fast Stream, the main graduate programme for entry to the civil service.

Conservative shadow Cabinet Office minister Mike Wood said: “No young person should be told they’re not welcome based solely on leftist social engineering.”

The change has been driven by Pat McFadden, who as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is responsible for civil service reform.

He told the BBC: “We need to get more working class young people into the civil service so it harnesses the broadest range of talent and truly reflects the country.

“Government makes better decisions when it represents and understands the people we serve.”

Currently around a quarter of higher education students are from a lower socio-economic background, but the group represented only 12% of successful applicants to the Fast Stream in 2024.

Some Labour ministers have come to believe in their first year in office that parts of the civil service are too privileged, with people who have come from similar backgrounds.

A summer internship programme already exists. The programme is for undergraduates in their final two years of university, lasts six to eight weeks and is paid, with a salary of £430 per week.

Under the scheme, which will open to applicants in October with the first cohort starting in summer 2026, the intake will be restricted only to students from poorer backgrounds.

The programme will give around 200 undergraduates experience of civil service work including planning events, writing briefings for ministers, shadowing senior civil servants and carrying out research for policy development.

Those deemed to have performed well will then be fast-tracked to the final stages of the Fast Stream selection process if they decide to apply to work in the civil service after graduation.

The government is also trying to establish more career paths into the senior ranks of the civil service outside of London, announcing earlier this year that by 2030 half of the placements on the Fast Stream will be located outside of the capital.

The Labour government has been strikingly critical of some of the practices of the civil service since coming to office in July last year. In December, Sir Keir Starmer said that “too many people in Whitehall are comfortable in the tepid bath of managed decline,” incurring criticism from civil service unions.

The prime minister has also said he wants to “rewire” the way the state works.

Conservative shadow cabinet office minister Mike Wood said the UK’s public services “deserve talent chosen on ability”.

In a statement Wood said: “We believe in opportunity based on what you can do, not where you come from.

“We all want to see greater opportunity for working-class young people. But this scheme sends the message that unless you fit a particular social profile, you’re no longer welcome.

“No young person should be told they’re not welcome based solely on leftist social engineering.”

Emmerdale’s Robert Sugden made another big move on the ITV soap on Wednesday, a day on from stealing Lewis Barton’s weed and selling it to new villain Ray, with a new accomplice too

Robert Sugden was back up to his old tricks on Emmerdale on Wednesday, as he made another deal with a new accomplice.

Just a day on from being revealed as the person who stole Lewis Barton’s weed stash from the farm, selling it to dealer and new villain Ray, Robert’s next plan was revealed. We’d seen him smugly confess he was ready to bring mayhem, and on Wednesday we learned exactly what he was up to.

He had a heart-to-heart with Moira Dingle, where it seemed he was using the money he’d got from the drug sale to buy some land off of Moira. The land was originally owned by Annie Sugden, Robert’s grandmother, and Robert’s family lived and worked there for a long time before the Barton family moved in.

A few years back Victoria inherited the land after Annie’s death and she sold it to Moira. But on Wednesday Robert claimed he was keen to get his grandmother’s land back into the family, telling Moira he had a proposal for her that would get her some much needed money.

READ MORE: Emmerdale Joe Tate star lets slip identity of blackmailer – and it’s not Dr Crowley

Robert said memories had come flooded back and he was different now, with him eager to buy back the land to start the Sugden legacy up again. Moira seemed keen, desperate for the money.

He said he had an investment policy and after a chat with the bank, he was able to offer a huge sum while it wasn’t the amount she hoped for. Moira told him she accepted as she could see how much it meant to him.

Robert then said: “You have no idea what this means,” before appearing to smirk after claiming it wasn’t about getting a cheap deal, or striking while Moira was desperate. It left Moira feeling positive amid the drug drama, telling Ross and Lewis “she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel”.

But what she didn’t know was that Robert was plotting, and he wasn’t working alone. As the camera panned over to Home Farm, we saw Kim Tate getting out a bottle of champagne.

She then made it clear she and Robert were in cahoots, teaming up to get the farm using Kim’s money. Robert also made it very clear the legacy comments were all lies, and he had no intention of starting up the farm again.

He revealed to Kim, laughing as he did: “I gave her all this rubbish about how I wanted to live up to the Sugden name, dad’s legacy, but I only had a tiny budget.” Kim asked how much he had offered, but he refused to say.

Kim then said: “You do know I am only willing to pay market rate for that field, before you get any ideas.” He said: “It should still give me a decent profit.”

Kim then revealed they’d been talking for a while clearly plotting, as she said she was “impressed with how he operates”. Robert then warned: “Trust me, We’re only just getting warmed up.” But what exactly do Robert and Kim have planned, and what does this mean for Moira?

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

Emmerdale’s Robert Sugden featured in a huge twist with new villain Ray on the ITV soap on Tuesday night, and it won’t end well for Mackenzie Boyd or Ross Barton

There was a dangerous new alliance on Emmerdale on Tuesday night, as new villain Ray made his debut – and it’s bad luck for Ross Barton.

As the character arrived claiming to be an acquaintance of Mackenzie Boyd, he suggested he was selling farm machinery and wanted to see if he was interested. But soon his real agenda became clear when he was shown the weed crops that were stashed in the barn.

Ross, his brother Lewis Barton, who owns the cannabis and has been harvesting it for a while, and Mack were secretly hiding the crops there with a plan to sell it for money. With Moira Dingle’s farm facing closure and the family in crisis, Mack blamed himself for his sister’s situation and wanted to raise the funds.

But he left Ross and Lewis furious when he secretly told Ray about the crops and took him to see them. Lewis refused to sell to him, with it soon clear Ray was a dealer.

As the end of the episode approached though, the crops vanished and one person was thought to be to blame. Ross accused Mack, believing he’d stolen them and sold them onto Ray like he’d initially suggested.

READ MORE: Emmerdale confirms exit for character amid heartbreaking new health storyline

But Mack protested his innocence and insisted he had nothing to do with it. Ross didn’t believe him, with Mack saying he planned to take it but had cold feet.

He told Ross to call Ray from his phone knowing he’d prove he was innocent, before he then showed him messages that showed he was not in contact with the dealer all day. They both then feared Lewis had actually fled to Leeds with the crops to sell them on.

But when Lewis returned home Ross asked him about it, and he had no idea what he was talking about. Ross then had to explain the weed was gone, leaving his sibling horrified.

As Lewis questioned whether Mack was to blame wanting answers, Ross shared his determination to track down the real culprit. But soon enough the camera panned to Ray who was asking someone about selling drugs, and soon we saw the stolen crops in the back of a van.

It was none other than Robert Sugden who then stepped forward and was confirmed to be the person who stole the drugs and then sold them for a huge amount to Ray without telling Lewis, Mack or Ross. He’d come across the weed while working on the farm, before selling them on for the cash.

He told Ray there would be no other dealings, most likely because Lewis now had nothing left. Then he made it clear he planned to “cause mayhem” wanting to use the money to do so, so what does he have up his sleeve?

Either way, it’s bad news for Ross as his relationship with Lewis is now at risk because of the whole drama, and him getting Mack involved – leading to Ray and Robert being able to steal everything. Ross is also set to face drama when he confronts Robert about the theft, with Robert threatening to ditch his deal with Moira as a result – so will Ross bring more trouble to Moira’s door?

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

WEIGHT loss jabs could prevent a medication taken by millions of women from working – and increase patients’ risk of cancer.

The British Menopause Society said the jabs could cause hormone imbalance in women taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT), particularly for those with obesity, putting them “at increased risk of womb cancer”.

1

It follows warnings to women on weight loss medications to take effective contraception, as the jabs could render the pill less effective.

That’s because weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro – as well as diabetes jab Ozempic – can delay the absorption of pills taken orally, as well slowing down the passage of food through the gut.

Guidance suggests women taking HRT in pill form may also be at risk.

The British Menopause Society (BMS) told doctors to closely monitor menopausal women on HRT who are also using weight-loss jabs.

The treatment tops up the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which dip to low levels as the menopause approaches.

Data from 2023-24 showed that 2.6 million women in England rely on the drugs to alleviate hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping and mood changes.

“During the last two years, since semaglutide and tirzepatide [the active ingredients in Wegovy and Mounjaro] received licenses for weight loss, there has been an increase in uptake of these medications through private clinics, while NHS prescribing is limited to specialist weight management services,” the BMS guidance stated.

“There are no current data available about numbers of women receiving HRT concurrently with semaglutide or tirzepatide.”

The most common form of HRT is a progesterone pill alongside a skin patch or gel to deliver oestrogen, but some people opt for a combined pill.

Progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which on its own stimulates the growth of the womb lining, and can cause “abnormal cells and cancer” to grow.

The menopause experts expressed concern over the loss of the progesterone’s protective effect on the womb as a result of weight loss jabs.

They recommended that doctors move women taking progesterone orally to an intrauterine device, such as a Mirena coil, or increase their dose of progesterone.

Prof Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and member of the society’s medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, told The Telegraph that a hormone imbalance could put women “at increased risk of womb cancer” – particularly if they are obese.

“Oestrogen is almost always given through the skin for HRT in women living with obesity, but progesterone is frequently given as a tablet, and that formulation is thought to be the safest route for women who have complicated health issues,” she said.

“If we then start one of these injectable weight-loss drugs, then you’re preferentially stopping absorption of the progestogen that’s coming in orally, but you’re allowing plenty of the oestrogen through the skin.

“The rules are very clear that if you give a very high dose of oestrogen and you don’t give enough progesterone, however that happens, you’re putting that woman at risk of womb cancer,” she said.

Prof Mukherjee said there was currently a “culture of putting women on very high doses of oestrogen”, which can make the womb lining thicken.

“It’s like having a lawn in a woman’s womb. Oestrogen makes the lawn grow. Progestogen cuts the lawn. But if it’s not being cut, it grows thicker, and then you can get abnormal cells and cancer.”

But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity – meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease.

“These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,” Prof Mukherjee said.

“But if they are prescribed to a woman who’s on oestrogen through the skin, and she might already have womb thickening because she’s living with obesity, and she’s not absorbing the progesterone because she’s been put on a weight-loss injection, she’s potentially getting loads of oestrogen on top of her thickened womb lining, and that could potentially unmask cancers that are there or drive an early cancer to a more advanced stage.”

The BMS put together the guidelines after calls from GPs for advice to give to patients.

Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, told The Telegraph that weight loss jabs can cause side effects such as “vomiting and severe diarrhoea in some patients”.

“Obviously this could render any medication, such as HRT tablets or oral contraception, ineffective if there hasn’t been enough time for them to be fully absorbed,” she said.

“If these side-effects are occurring, then people should discuss the matter with their doctor or specialist clinician to find the combination of drugs that’s right for them.”

Sun Health has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly – the makers of Wegovy and Mounjaro – for comment.

It follows warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) that GLP-1 weight loss drugs could reduce the absorption of contraceptives, due to the fact they slow down the emptying of the stomach.

The watchdog also said the jabs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive or breastfeeding, over fears they could lead to miscarriage or birth defects.

The MHRA explained: “This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine could cause harm to the baby.”

Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: “It’s not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman’s hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again.

“Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.”

Several years ago, little was known about the StingRay, a powerful surveillance device that imitates the function of a cell tower and captures the signals of nearby phones, allowing law enforcement officers to sweep through hundreds of messages, conversations and call logs.

The secrecy around the technology, which can ensnare the personal data of criminals and bystanders alike, spurred lawsuits and demands for public records to uncover who was using it and the extent of its capabilities. In California, a 2015 law requires law enforcement agencies to seek permission at public meetings to buy the devices, and post rules for their use online.

But a Los Angeles Times review of records from 20 of the state’s largest police and sheriff’s departments, plus the Alameda County district attorney’s office, found some agencies have been slow to follow or have ignored the law. Several that partner with federal agencies to work on cases are not subject to the law’s reporting requirements. The result is that little information on StingRay use is available to the public, making it hard to determine how wide a net the surveillance tools cast and what kind of data they gather.

Out of 21 law enforcement agencies surveyed, 12 were found to own or have access to a StingRay or similar device. Nine of those agencies had developed and released online public polices.

**Officers don’t operate the stingray but work with other agencies that may

Source: L.A. Times review of public records

The Times reviewed more than 400 documents it received from public information requests, including grant proposals, purchase orders and memos on the use of StingRays and similar devices generically called “stingrays” or “dirtboxes.”

The devices, which cost between $242,000 and $500,000, are primarily marketed for preventing and responding to terrorist threats, but the documents suggest they are used most frequently in felony criminal cases, such as burglaries, murders and kidnappings.

Out of 21 law enforcement entities The Times surveyed, 12 either owned stingrays or used or had access to them through partner agencies. Nine owned the surveillance devices, and each of them posted public policies online as required by law. Three of the nine went a step further to conduct annual reporting audits that showed when and in what cases the devices were used.

But some stingray policies posted by the law enforcement agencies revealed little about the devices besides noting they were in use. Other agencies took months to post their stingray guidelines online. The Los Angeles Police Department, which owns a stingray, updated its public safety policies to include its stingray guidelines only after questions from The Times.

Data on stingray purchases and use have long been difficult to come by, a problem the 2015 law requiring more public accountability was meant to correct — and has yet to fix.

California police would have to disclose the use of more surveillance devices under this proposed law>>

The Times found that the nine agencies that own stingrays bought them between 2006 and 2013, mostly with federal grant money or under programs or agreements that prohibited any public disclosure, following a national trend. Local tax dollars weren’t used on the purchases, and city and county officials didn’t ask about them in a public forum.

Just two of the 21 law enforcement agencies polled by The Times have ever publicly discussed buying new devices before city or county officials: Santa Clara (which did not buy a device) and Alameda counties.

And only one agency, the Oakland Police Department, has gathered input from the public to develop guidelines for stingray use, which isn’t required under the 2015 law.

“Any tool can be used for good or bad,” said Brian Hofer, chairman of Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission, which helped establish the surveillance policies. “This is the most controversial piece of equipment that we know about, and they should not be used in the dark.”

The StingRay II gives off the strongest wireless signal in an area, tricking nearby phones, tablets and laptops to connect. (Associated Press)

(Associated Press)

A device cloaked in secrecy

Stingrays tend to be the size of small briefcases and mimic the function of cell towers. They give off the strongest wireless signal in an area, tricking nearby phones, tablets and laptops to connect.

Investigators can target the location data of specific phones, allowing them to track suspects and their associates. They can also sweep up communications over a wide area. How much and what types of data they collect — location information, audio or images — depends on how the devices are designed and how law enforcement agencies use them.

The technology has been used for about 20 years by federal, state and local law enforcement, often secretly, under manufacturer agreements that typically prohibit agencies from disclosing the purchases.

The public did not learn about the existence of the equipment until 2011, after an inmate in federal prison, Daniel Rigmaiden, spent three years scouring government records and meeting transcripts on a hunch that investigators used some kind of secret device to catch him.

Rigmaiden, a native of Seaside, Calif., who hadn’t had a stable living situation, was arrested in Phoenix for filing fake tax returns. Police were able to find him through tracking an old Verizon wireless card he seldom used to connect online.

“It wasn’t just that [investigators] were able to get historical call data from Verizon,” said Linda Lye, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, which filed an amicus brief in support of his case. “They were able to pinpoint him to a particular apartment in a particular apartment building, which was far more precise.”

State bill requiring California police to disclose surveillance equipment clears its first hurdle>>

In 2015, California lawmakers passed the sweeping Electronic Communications Privacy Act, which prohibited any investigative body in the state from forcing businesses to turn over digital communications without a warrant. That same year, state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) introduced legislation to compel local law enforcement agencies to disclose more information about the use of stingrays in California.

“Our country has a rich history of democracy and civilian oversight,” Hill told a Senate judiciary committee that May. “The stealthy use of these devices undercuts the very nature of our government.”

The law, which took effect in January 2016, requires cities and counties that operate a stingray to create guidelines for how and when officers use the equipment. Any agency that wants to buy a device must first receive approval at a public hearing.

Investigators can target the data of specific phones. (Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

(Spencer Platt / Getty Images)

Opening access to information

The state law helped open up some public access to information about how and where the devices are used. Privacy advocates and lawyers have kept up the public pressure in some cities and counties, particularly in the Bay Area, calling on officials to put ordinances and guidelines in place to bar police from collecting data from those not under investigation.

Under most of those policies, officers can use the technology only when it is critical to a case and is approved by higher-ranking officers, or in emergency situations such as natural disasters. Investigators are also required to obtain search warrants. Any data not considered official evidence can’t be sought, recorded or stored. Officers must delete or destroy all information gathered by the equipment related to an investigation at the end of the period in which they’re authorized to use the technology.

Three agencies keep track of when officers use a stingray — the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the San Jose Police Department and the Alameda County district attorney’s office. But their data offer few details about the cases.

In Los Angeles County, a report from the sheriff’s office showed deputies followed state law and obtained a search warrant in nearly all 138 investigations that required a cell site simulator in 2015, and 38 investigations in 2016, the majority of which were murder cases.

In that time, the device helped officers arrest 70 suspects and find one crime victim. Sheriff’s Department officials declined to disclose further information or records on those cases.

Source: L.A. County Sheriff’s Office Ally Levine / @latimesgraphics Stingray use in Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputies in Los Angeles County asked to use the surveillance equipment for investigations 138 times in 2015 and 38 times in 2016. In 2015 17 Narcotics 16 Assault 9 Robbery 6 Grand theft In 2016 Most common investigations using stingrays Murder 63 Murder 21 Weapons 3 Attempted murder 2 2 Rape 2 Assault* *with a deadly weapon

The Alameda County district attorney’s office, which purchased a device to be operated by the Sheriff’s Department and other area police agencies, said the stingray had not been used as of January.

The San Jose Police Department bought a $500,000 stingray in June 2013, and used it about 20 times between early September 2016 and June 2017.

Law enforcement officers in Oakland and San Jose, as well as several other California cities, say the law requiring them to disclose use of the devices has allowed them to ease community fears over what the technology can and can’t do.

“You watch TV and you’d think that we are sucking their phones dry of all the images, of all the texts, of all the pictures and emails,” said San Jose Police Lt. Steve Lagorio, who crafted guidelines for stingray use with the city attorney’s office. “But we are not. We don’t have that capability.”

The cellphone interceptor at his department is strictly used to target the phones of individual suspects, and Lagorio said he doubted any local law enforcement agencies used the equipment to do much more than that.

A traditional cellphone tower. Cell tower interceptors, often called “stingrays” or “dirtboxes,” tend to be the size of small briefcases and mimic traditional cell towers. (Jeff Roberson / Associated Press)

(Jeff Roberson / AP)

Calls for oversight

Privacy advocates and lawyers say a state agency is needed for oversight to ensure law enforcement agencies are following the law and post their own guidelines.

Most of the records on purchases and grant proposals reviewed by The Times were highly redacted, providing little insight into how their equipment is designed and what it can collect.

The LAPD provided purchase orders and invoices that show the department first obtained price quotes for stingray equipment in 2004, but it is unclear when it acquired the technology. LAPD officials said only that the stingray was not deployed due to technical malfunction issues, but declined to elaborate.

Other records from the Police Department show it obtained another stingray in June 2012, but the department declined to release additional information on the purchase, including its cost.

It was used more than 21 times in routine criminal investigations over four months in 2012, according to LAPD records that were first obtained by the First Amendment Coalition, a nonprofit that works to advance free speech and open-records laws.

In response to an information request regarding its purchases of stingray devices, the San Francisco Police Department provided heavily redacted records, including a 2012 grant proposal and shipping receipt showing the purchase of “specialized surveillance equipment” in 2007.

The department also gave The Times a document indicating a stingray was bought with 2009 federal grant funds. But a spokesman said the department did not have any public policies on the technology because the equipment was not in use.

Seventeen of the 21 agencies polled by The Times said they did not keep or declined to provide data on how often and in what types of cases they used stingrays.

Privacy advocates point to a loophole in the law that allows some law enforcement agencies to avoid reporting their use of the devices. Police departments that partner with another agency that owns and uses a stingray in an investigation are not required to publish their own guidelines for using the equipment.

The Santa Ana and Fresno police departments, for example, said they did not have any records on the use and policies of surveillance devices. But both departments acknowledge they work with agencies that do have them, including the FBI and the U.S. Marshals Service, and might have indirect access to the data they produce.

“Our officers don’t use the equipment, but we often look for fugitive hunters,” Santa Ana Police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. “Anaheim [police] may have one, the U.S. Marshals may have one.… They do help us catch fugitives, but whether they have one — you’d have to ask them.”

A new proposal by state Sen. Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), left, would expand the state’s transparency laws on StingRays and extend it to all surveillance devices. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

(Rich Pedroncelli / AP)

Increasing transparency

This legislative session, a new proposal by Sen. Hill would expand the state’s disclosure law on stingrays to all surveillance devices, including facial recognition software, drones and social media monitors.

Senate Bill 21 would require law enforcement agencies to disclose not only the use of the surveillance equipment, but the use of any information obtained from the devices.

Civil rights lawyers and advocates have supported the measure, saying transparency is necessary at a time when concerns over surveillance of immigrant and Muslim communities have risen under the Trump administration.

The legislation was narrowly approved by the state Senate, with heavy opposition from law enforcement officials who argued it would give criminals a road map to police agencies’ crime-fighting technology.

Its prospects of passage in the Legislature are unclear. Hill says he understands the technology has many benefits for law enforcement.

“[But] we need people — we need agencies — to be accountable, and we need civilian bodies to create that accountability standard,” he said.

—————————

FOR THE RECORD

6:31 a.m.: This article reported incorrectly that Daniel Rigmaiden was arrested in Phoenix. He was arrested in Santa Clara.

[email protected]

Twitter: @jazmineulloa

VLADIMIR Putin is known for keeping his personal and family life very private, but some details about the tyrant’s children have surfaced over the years.

Maria Vorontsova (née Putin, born April 28, 1985): His eldest, 39, leads government-funded programs personally overseen by Putin, which have received billions from the Kremlin for genetic research.

She is the first of two daughters of Putin and his ex-wife, Lyudmila Putina.

Maria is said to be an expert in rare genetic diseases in children, and also dwarfism, according to reports.

She was married to Dutch businessman Jorrit Faassen.

In 2013, the couple were living in a penthouse in Voorschoten, the Netherlands, but the following year, Dutch residents called for her to be expelled following the shooting down of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by pro-Russian rebels in Ukraine.

The pair are believed to have moved the Moscow the following year.

In March 2022, it was reported that the couple had split after the war in Ukraine crushed Maria’s dreams of opening a money-spinning clinic for wealthy foreigners in Russia

Katerina Tikhonova (née Putin, born August 31, 1986): Also daughter of Putin and Lyudmila, 38-year-old Katerina is a tech boss whose work supports the Russian government and defence industry.

She started as a “rock’n’roll” dancer before moving into the world of artificial intelligence.

In 2013, his daughter Katerina married Kirill Shamalov, whose father, Nikolai, is a longtime friend of the president.

Nikolai Shamalov is a shareholder in Bank Rossiya, described by US officials as the Russian elite’s personal bank.

They were married in a secret ceremony at the Igor ski resort just north of St Petersburg.

It was reported at the time that the pair rode into the ceremony on a sleigh pulled by three white horses.

All the guests invited were sworn to secrecy, and the Kremlin has never confirmed that the wedding took place.

“I have a private life in which I do not permit interference,” Putin once said. “It must be respected.”

The couple had corporate holdings worth around $2 billion, according to Reuters, mainly from their large stake in Sibur Holding, a major gas and petrochemical company Kirill bought from another long-time friend of Putin, Gennady Timchenko.

Kirill also bought off Timchenko’s luxury villa in the seaside resort of Biarritz, southern France, estimated to be worth some $3.7m.

In March 2022, the house was taken over by pro-Ukraine activists, in response to Russia’s brutal invasion.

But Katerina and Kirill divorced in January 2018, with Putin’s former son in law rumoured to have been romantically involved with London-based Russian socialite Zhanna Volkova.

After the split, Kirill was said to be forced to give up his stocks in Sibur, and he lost almost half his wealth.

Their divorce settlement hasn’t been disclosed but likely runs into the millions.

Despite that, Kirill is still worth an estimated $800 million.

Putin was reported to be “quietly grooming” Katerina to be his successor.

Vlad is also rumoured to have “hidden” children, though he has never confirmed these reports.

Elizaveta Rozova (aka Luiza Rozova): Elizaveta, also known as Luiza Rozova, 21, is the rumoured love child from Putin’s alleged affair with a former cleaner.

The daughter of Svetlana Krivonogikh, who later became a millionaire, is now a fashion designer and DJ.

She often shared details from her lavish life on Instagram, until suddenly taking down the page in the wake of the Ukraine war.

Speculation also surrounds his supposed secret family with Alina Kabaeva, a former rhythmic gymnast once known as “the most flexible woman in Russia”.

Officials have denied that he has kids with Alina, but it is reported that she is in hiding in Switzerland, avoiding any possible sanctions in the wake of the Ukraine war.

A petition demanding she is thrown out by the Swiss authorities has garnered 75,000 signatures, demanding that “it’s time you reunite Eva Braun with her Führer”.

Alina retired from gymnastics and took a strange career turn to become a Russian MP.

The former athlete – dubbed “Russia’s First Mistress” – the Duma, the Russian parliament in 2007, representing her alleged lover’s United Russia party but left years later to pick up a lucrative job running a media company, despite having no previous experience.

In April, Alina’s name and picture was dramatically stripped from the website of the media empire she controlled.

AN X Factor legend has passed away aged 64 after working closely with Simon Cowell on the show for eight years.

Bodyguard Tony Adkins – known as Big Tony – died on Easter Sunday while on a rugby tour, a family member confirmed on social media.

2

2

Sharing a photo of Tony, his cousin wrote: “It is with great sadness my family would like to announce that my Cousin Big Tony, Simon Cowell‘s ex bodyguard, passed away on Easter Sunday while on a Rugby Tour.

“He was a loveable Rogue and will be missed very much, RIP Big T.”

Hammersmith and Fulham RFC also paid tribute to Tony with a statement on its website.

It read: “It is with immense sadness that the club pays tribute to a true gent and great Hammer, Tony Adkins, who passed away whilst on tour with the Club in Poland on Easter Sunday.”

Viewers will remember dealing with upset contestants on The X Factor, often being forced to remove them from the audition room when things didn’t go their way.

After his time working for Simon and the show came to an end, he revealed what his former famous boss is really like.

He told the Mirror: “Simon was so laid-back and a very nice guy.

“He was generous, too. Whenever the show finished – and at Christmas – you’d get an envelope as a thank you. The last one I got had £700 stuffed in it.”

Tony continued: “He’s a very private person. He doesn’t give much away. You never see him drunk or out of control.

“Simon is vain – he does his hair all the time.

“If there are five breaks in filming then Simon will do his hair five times.”

He added: “And I think he has about 20 identical T-shirts. I remember once he had a hole in one, so he just reached into a bag and pulled out another from a big pile.”