From the outside looking in, Dakota Fanning — as a household name for roughly two decades and an actor with an enviable list of credits — might seem to exist in the usual celebrity bubble, insulated, as far as possible, from quotidian inconvenience. But she is also a busy professional with a relatable dependence on takeout and delivery, and one who follows the news.

“I’m in a panic over this lettuce situation,” she admits, referring to the cyclosporiasis outbreaks. “What is everybody doing? That’s all I can think and talk about. What do you mean I can’t eat lettuce? What am I supposed to do? I’m not ordering salads. We’re not talking about me cooking. I’m not worried about that.”

For now, perhaps the solution is to return to her “stomping grounds” and eat sushi “anywhere on Ventura Boulevard” after a hike of Fryman Canyon — her ideal day-off itinerary. (That seems fairly lettuce-free, right? Maybe stick to sashimi.)

After all, it’s how Fanning ended up as “a Valley girl” that led to this Zoom call with the actor: Fanning, now 32, first moved to California to pursue work as a child actor and has been a steady presence in film and TV ever since. And 25 years on, she’s still celebrating major milestones. “I’m enjoying where I am and not taking it for granted,” she says. “I’m trying to enjoy the moments that I can, be present for them and try not to move through them too fast.”

Speaking with The Envelope from New York City, where she just landed from Paris to continue filming an untitled thriller for Apple, Fanning jokes that she is working with “half a brain” from jet lag, but feeling grateful and energized about her busy year. She recently wrapped her first onscreen collaboration with sister Elle, the Kristin Hannah adaptation “The Nightingale,” and received Emmy nominations for her supporting performance in the twisty “All Her Fault” and as a producer on “Margo’s Got Money Troubles,” under the Fanning sisters’ Lewellen Pictures banner.

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“This has not been a year with a lot of time off,” she says. “You can’t plan for it; you have to take advantage of it when it appears.”

Fanning was on set in Europe on Emmy nominations day. “I had just rehearsed and was waiting for them to set up and got the news of my sister and [‘Margo’s Got Money Troubles’], and that was really exciting. And then ‘All Her Fault’ and Sarah [Snook] and then myself. It was just a wonderful surprise.” Fanning adds that she is genuinely honored by the nominations, no matter how trite it may sound. “I don’t know why it became a cliche to say it’s an honor to be nominated, but it’s a hundred percent the truth.”

When asked how she’s planning to attend the ceremonies, plural, given the fact that her nominated categories will be presented at both the Sept. 14 televised ceremony and the not-for-broadcast events of Sept. 5 and 6, Fanning says she’s still figuring that out. “I don’t know, we’ll see. It’s up in the air, but it’s lovely to think about.”

How does she feel about the TV Academy’s surprising change? “There were a couple statements from SAG and from the Directors Guild, from the Writers Guild, and my agency that I’m represented by, UTA, had some thoughts, and I tend to agree with those thoughts,” she says. “So I think I’ll just leave it there.” (The joint statement issued by SAG-AFTRA, DGA and WGA called the academy’s decision a devaluation of “the contributions of the talented people the Academy is meant to honor. An awards show dedicated to recognizing excellence should not reduce recognition for the artists whose work gives it meaning.”)

Regardless, the actor looks forward to celebrating with both productions. “If you’re lucky to be there as a nominee, it’s exciting to just feel what that feels like [in the room] and be excited by that. It’s not a feeling that gets old.”

In the Peacock thriller “All Her Fault,” Fanning relished the opportunity to work within a starry ensemble including Sarah Snook, Michael Peña, Jake Lacy and more, as well as getting to explore and express female rage through her character, steady yet overworked mom Jenny. “People connected with the mystery of it, and I think audiences love trying to figure out what’s going to happen or who did it,” she says. “A lot of women have really responded to Jenny … they felt validated in her struggle and her rage. And I took a lot of inspiration from the women in my life [to play her].”

Fanning with co-star Sarah Snook in “All Her Fault.”

(Peacock)

In an email, “All Her Fault” executive producer Minkie Spiro, who directed the first four episodes, praised Fanning’s ability to be fully prepared but flexible with her performance. “She remains completely alive to whatever unfolds in the moment. Watching her play Jenny, I was constantly struck by how much she could communicate without announcing any of it — wit, exhaustion, anger and vulnerability could all pass through a single look. The camera doesn’t just capture Dakota performing; it captures her thinking, and that is what makes her work so compelling.”

Fanning’s true Hollywood story is of the more rare and idyllic variety. Her acting potential was “discovered” after the final performance at a weeklong summer camp at an Atlanta playhouse, when an instructor told her parents their daughter “seemed to really enjoy and understand [acting] in a different way than some of the other kids” and suggested she start going out for commercials. The Fannings moved from Georgia to Los Angeles not long after that.

“I knew it was a job, but I didn’t really think about it in that way. It was something that was just fun, I liked the way it made me feel,” she says of her early work. The young star held her own with memorable gut-punch performances opposite Sean Penn in 2001’s “I Am Sam,” for which she won a Critics Choice Award (the youngest-ever winner at age 7), and three years later with Denzel Washington in “Man on Fire.” “It was all kind of instinctual. I didn’t really take any classes,” she says. “I’ve learned a lot from people I’ve worked with. I’ve learned so much, but it’s been more on the ground.”

Fanning says she’s always surprised by the projects fans refer to when they approach her. “If it’s a girl my age, it’ll probably be ‘Uptown Girls’ [a 2003 coming-of-age drama with Brittany Murphy]. But if I had to pick one that sort of [gets mentioned] across the board, it’s ‘Man on Fire.’ That’s a lot of people’s favorite. And I totally understand. Denzel freaking Washington, Tony Scott. It’s such a good movie. It’s so sad, it makes me cry.”

(David Urbanke / For The Times)

The film’s ending, she means, not the experience making it. “I think because I started acting so young and had these really pivotal, poignant experiences, it’s immortalized the memories. So when people ask, ‘Do you even remember doing “Man on Fire”?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, of course I do. What do you mean?’ I think about the memories with Denzel and with Tony, and getting to live in Mexico City for six months when you’re 9 years old is pretty spectacular.”

While Fanning continues filming the Apple series, helmed by showrunner Alex Cary (“Homeland”), alongside another stellar ensemble (one that includes Stellan Skarsgård and Grace Gummer), she’ll be promoting “The Sun Never Sets.” The indie drama also stars Jake Johnson, is directed by Joe Swanberg and opens in limited release Aug. 28 before going wide Sept. 4. “We filmed that in Alaska last June, and it was one of the most magical experiences I’ve ever had in my life,” says Fanning. “I’ve never been camping, I’m not super outdoorsy, but in Alaska, it is so unbearably beautiful you can’t even believe what you’re looking at and you want to be out in it, on the water and on a mountain.”

In addition to getting more in touch with her outdoorsy side, Fanning added an unexpected skill to her résumé. “My character works in construction and I learned to drive and operate a bulldozer and a forklift,” she says with pride. “I loved every second.”

Fanning’s co-star Johnson told The Envelope via email he loved working with her, “first because she’s a great actor. She is present and unpredictable in scenes. She is real,” he shared. “But what I enjoyed most is being around her. I knew she was going to be talented, I didn’t know she was going to be so fun and funny. We became fast friends and she made the experience such a joy.”

Twenty-five years in, Fanning is just as fulfilled by the work as she was at the very beginning of her career. “It’s a job, but it’s also time in your life, days, months,” she says. “If you’re not filled by it in a real way that feels good, I don’t know how to do that.”

Which makes another upcoming industry milestone all the more meaningful: a permanent “place” on Hollywood Boulevard. “My sister and I are the first sisters to get stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame,” Fanning reveals. “It’s a very ‘Whoa, what is happening?’ moment because I remember being 6 years old and coming to L.A. to see if I could get some commercials. I was a massive ‘I Love Lucy’ fan when I was little and Lucille Ball was my favorite. And so we went to see her star. That’s a big memory for me as a kid, so having that happen is insane. It will be a double star ceremony, and I’m so excited and can’t wait for that.”

(David Urbanke / For The Times)

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL
Tuesday’s results

Southern Section
Agoura 46, Rio Mesa 0
Antelope Valley 12, Adelanto 0
Aquinas 32, Jurupa Hills 6
Arlington 20, Riverside North 0
Arrowhead Christian 40, Nuview Bridge 0
Arroyo Valley 31, Citrus Hill 0
Baldwin Park 40, Calvary Baptist 6
Beaumont 62, Rancho Cucamonga 12
Cajon 65, Indian Springs 0
California Military Institute 44, Rancho Mirage 0
Camarillo 34, Buena 0
Canyon Country Canyon 18, Lancaster 6
Cerritos Valley Christian 27, Glenn 12
Channel Islands 21, Newbury Park 7
Colony 8, Los Osos 6
Compton 14, Mayfair 6
Corona del Mar 20, Santa Margarita 14
Esperanza 15, Anaheim 0
Fountain Valley 36, Sunny Hills 12
Gahr 34, Claremont 0
Great Oak 21, Temecula Prep 0
Harvard-Westlake 20, Village Christian 0
Highland 22, Eastvale Roosevelt 14
Hillcrest 6, Norte Vista 0
Hueneme 26, Saugus 7
Fountain Valley 36, Sunny Hills 12
JSerra 40, Woodbridge 21
La Mirada 12, Pioneer 0
Los Alamitos 31, Costa Mesa 6
Knight 50, Rosamond 0
Miller 19, Colton 0
Millikan 32, Palos Verdes 12
Monrovia 20, San Gabriel 12
Northview 41, La Puente 8
Oxnard Pacifica 34, Valencia 12
Ramona 8, Moreno Valley 6
Redondo Union 12, Downey 6
Rim of the World 39, Entrepreneur 0
Rowland 21, Nogales 0
San Gorgonio 45, Bloomington 7
Santa Barbara 27, Simi Valley 12
Santa Monica 26, Windward 0
Schurr 12, San Marino 8
St. Lucy’s 40, Mark Keppel 0
Temescal Canyon 14, Elsinore 7
Torrance 12, El Segundo 0
Trabuco Hills 30, Portola 0
Troy 25, Orange 12
Upland 39, Rialto 26
Ventura 25, Castaic 7
Victor Valley 14, Eastside 0
Vista del Lago 14, Heritage 12
Warren 14, Sonora 6
Westlake 53, Oak Park 20
West Valley 44, San Jacinto 6
Yucaipa 47, La Sierra 18

Intersectional
North County San Marcos 44, Dana Hills

Monday’s results

City Section
AMIT 18, Diego Rivera 0
Eagle Rock 33, Sotomayor 0
Franklin 31, Contreras 0
Franklin 31, King/Drew 14
Granada Hills Kennedy 18, Bishop Alemany 6
King/Drew 40, Contreras 0
Monroe 19, Reseda 0
New Designs University Park 27, West Adams 0
Panorama 6, Sotomayor 0
Panorama 23, Eagle Rock 22 (OT)
San Fernando 32, Reseda 0
San Fernando 24, Monroe 0

Southern Section
Artesia 40, Oxford Academy 6
Ayala 12, Sunny Hills 6
Azusa 33, Alhambra 7
Baldwin Park 32, Workman 6
Bell Gardens 15, Norwalk 7
Bishop Amat d. Sacred Heart of Jesus, forfeit
Cajon 68, San Bernardino 0
California 20, La Habra 0
California Military Institute 31, Nuview Bridge 0
Castaic 6, Santa Paula 0
Cerritos 21, Montebello 6
Chaparral 20, Linfield Christian 18
Chino Hills 12, Northview 0
Colony 20, Montclair 0
Corona Centennial 28, Riverside Poly 26
Covina 29, Sierra Vista 13
Culver City 33, Immaculate Heart 18
Downey 26, Aliso Niguel 7
Eastvale Roosevelt 18, Patriot 13
El Dorado 32, La Palma Kennedy 19
Etiwanda 20, Corona Santiago 12
Foothill 34, Placentia Valencia 7
Fountain Valley 18, Sage Hill 0
Gabrielino 32, Arroyo 7
Godinez 36, Garden Grove Santiago 6
Glendora 39, Alta Loma 18
Hemet 25, Desert Hot Springs 24
Hillcrest 39, Jurupa Valley 0
Jurupa Hills 26, San Jacinto 0
La Canada 20, West Covina 0
Laguna Hills 41, Katella 6
Lakewood 6, Paramount 0
Lakewood St. Joseph 34, Cypress 6
La Serna 28, La Mirada 14
Liberty 24, Vista del Lago 0
Long Beach Wilson 19, Bellflower 6
Los Alamitos 52, Loara 6
Los Altos 24, Rosemead 0
Los Osos 7, Don Lugo 0
Magnolia 14, Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary 6
Millikan 49, Santa Fe 6
Murrieta Mesa 45, Lakeside 0
Murrieta Valley 34, Elsinore 6
Nogales 12, Charter Oak 0
Oaks Christian 30, Oak Park 20
Ontario 21, Hacienda Heights Wilson 6
Ontario Christian 32, Chaffey 0
Orange 6, Irvine 0
PACS 13, Rosamond 12
Palm Desert 18, La Quinta 6
Ramona Convent 21, Rio Hondo Prep 6
Rancho Alamitos 13, Bolsa Grande 6
Rancho Cucamonga 24, Norco 13
Redlands East Valley 13, Riverside King 7
Riverside North 24, Heritage 13
Saddleback 18, Tustin 6
San Dimas 38, Duarte 0
San Gorgonio 18, Ramona 13
San Juan Hills 6, Northwood 0
Santa Ana Valley 26, Bell Gardens 18
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 20, Mayfair 13
St. Margaret’s 34, Crean Lutheran 26
Temecula Prep 47, Rancho Christian 6
Temescal Canyon 20, Paloma Valley 19
Tesoro 19, Portola 14
Valencia 12, Vasquez 0
Villa Park 20, Segerstrom 0
Western Christian 72, United Christian Academy 0
Whittier 20, Western 7
Yorba Linda 40, Garden Grove Pacifica 6

Intersectional
Carson 25, Mater Dei 19
Granada Hills Kennedy 18, Alemany 16
Indio 12, Central 6
Mountain View 25, South East 14
Shadow Hills 13, Brawley 12

Aug. 19 (UPI) — Federal prosecutors have charged a man from the Bronx with hate crime offenses alleging he assaulted a security guard and a congregant in a racially motivated attack at a Manhattan synagogue last week.

Larry Montes was arrested following the alleged attack at Central Synagogue on Friday and was charged by New York State.

On Tuesday, the Justice Department charged him with two counts of committing hate crimes, each of which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment, and one count of damage to religious property resulting in bodily injury, which carries a maximum 20 years’ imprisonment.

“These charges serve as notice that the Department of Justice will intervene to protect the public in the face of antisemitic and racially motivated attacks,” Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division said in a statement.

According to the complaint, Montes was allegedly among some 375 people who attended Shabbat service Friday night at the synagogue. During the service, he is alleged to have stood up and begun shouting and then struck two ceremonial silver candlesticks, which were damaged.

As a security guard attempted to remove Montes from the building, Montes allegedly uttered profanities about those in attendance and allegedly punched a woman.

After being handcuffed, he allegedly looked at a Black security guard cursed and called him a racial slur, before spitting on and head-butting the security guard.

During an interview with law enforcement, Montes allegedly issued antisemitic statements.

As of the end of July, there were 360 hate crime incidents committed in New York City, 205 of which were motivated by anti-Jewish bias, according to the city statistics.

Nearly every week, I pass a colleague in the office who taunts me with four words: “Count of Monte Cristo, Count of Monte Cristo,” as he shakes his head. He’s disappointed his favorite book didn’t make the cut of our 101 best book club picks list, which served as the 2026 LA Times Festival of Books curtain-raiser. I don’t mind the barb. There’s nothing more exciting than an impassioned reader — even when they’re wrong. I’m all for rallying around a book or author and debating their merits like it’s a sporting match. Our book lists, after all, aren’t meant to be final verdicts. They’re invitations to read more (and, maybe, better).

To compile our expansive list we surveyed more than 200 bookish luminaries — along with a few zealous book club members. Our readers had their own ideas for their top book club picks, many of which we deeply considered. Here you’ll find some of our worthy Los Angeles Times reader selections.

“Fahrenheit 451” by Raymond Bradbury

“A favorite book my book group read and discussed is ‘Farenheit 451.’ It was fascinating to see what the past thought the future might bring,” reader Margaret Hardy writes of the 20th century classic. “In terms of technology and control by the government we are seeing today what Bradbury was thinking about in 1953. We felt that the future was found in the past. It was a chilling read.” Equally chilling is that the book often shows up on banned books lists — not unlike in its narrative.

“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi

“You missed ‘Homegoing’ by Yaa Gyasi!” reader Melanie H. writes of the critically acclaimed Ghanian historical fiction novel. “My book club read it and I was enthralled. I can’t stop thinking about it ever since. The amount of research and empathy into every single character and era Gyasi put into this story is incredible. It altered my brain and to this day I tell everyone about this book.”

“Giovanni’s Room” by James Baldwin

Reader Roxanne Yahner writes, “It is beautifully written, elegant and eloquent, and there is no preparing anyone for the sheer inexorable force of Baldwin’s language. This novel expresses the personal — and historical — grief of two gay, perhaps bisexual, men as they explore their sexuality at a time and place where such behavior was dangerous. The reader aches for these men and feels their grief. Some in our book club were disturbed by this novel, but all agreed they were deeply moved by it.”

“The Satanic Verses” by Salman Rushdie

Several readers wrote to us recommending Rushdie’s magical realist epic. “It’s such a complex, yet entertaining novel. We learned a lot about the tenets of Islam as woven into the story,” Ellyn Moscowitz shares about their book club pick. “It provoked great discussions about death, afterlife, religion in general and great character studies.”

“Geek Love” by Katherine Dunn

Reader Francesca Smithwick-Driver chose this as a book club pick in the ‘90s for her group and the 1989 National Book Award fiction finalist remains a favorite.

“[It’s] about a family who runs a carnival of ‘freaks.’ The story is told by an albino dwarf. There are strong themes about what it is to be normal, falling in and out of love with yourself — your family — and the world around you. Wonderfully written scenes about horrible things and beautiful things. I still remember the discussion of my book club — from ‘why in the world did you recommend this disgusting book’ to ‘what a book’ … I couldn’t wait to get back to it each time I put it down.”

“The Master and Margarita” by Mikhail Bulgakov

Reader Kate Karp, who has a cat who resembles a key character in this Russian classic, writes: “[It] turned out, no surprise, to have been the inspiration for the Stones’ ‘Sympathy for the Devil.’” She notes it also requires multiple readings to grasp all the subplots — but it’s worth it.

“Klara and the Sun” by Kazuo Ishiguro (and “Chain Gang All-Stars” by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah)

“I am terrible at book clubs because I have found that I am a very picky reader who simply will not read a book that I do not enjoy,” reader Mike Gascoigne writes. “That said, in a book club I did very much enjoy Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Klara and the Sun’ and Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s ‘Chain Gang All-Stars.’ There was a lot to discuss about both titles including AI/robots, intellectual enhancements, climate change, reality television, prison reform/abolition and human nature.”

“All the King’s Men” by Robert Penn Warren

“‘All the King’s Men’ is a powerful summer read — a Pulitzer-winning novel that feels strikingly current,” reader Ken Muche writes. “Set in the 1930s South, Willie Stark’s political rise echoes modern demagogues, reminding us how easily power can blur truth. Even more important, the novel invites reflection on our own bad life choices — showing that taking accountability for one’s actions is the first step toward forgiveness, peace, and ultimately, a more grounded kind of happiness.”

(Grove Press / Black Cat)

“Girl, Woman, Other” by Bernardine Evaristo

Reader Seth Kivnick’s pick is this work of fiction that co-won the Booker Prize in 2019, he notes that the compelling book describes the Black women in the British Isles who came from all walks of life and different countries. “[It] appealed to male and female club members.”

“Hell of a Book” by Jason Mott

“It’s good-humored without being comedy or satire but opens serious friendly discussions about contemporary problems,” reader Christine Almeida writes of the novel that won the 2021 National Book Award for fiction. “Our library-based book club talked about it for a solid 90 minutes without straying from what the book itself had to offer its readers.”

Footballers Toby Alderweireld, Robbie Keane, Ashley Young, and former Tottenham manager Thomas Frank will join Match of the Day as pundits and BBC Sport will launch four new YouTube formats for the new men’s football season.

The BBC Football YouTube channel will house the quartet of new shows including FANS², The Truth About Football, Golden Goal and Football Hub.

There will be a focus on fan experience with the addition of the BBC Sport Fan Collective, which will bring together supporters representing all 20 Premier League clubs.

“Football means something different to every fan, and this season BBC Sport is putting those fans even more firmly at the heart of the game,” said BBC director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski.

“We’re bringing together the unrivalled expertise of former players and managers with the passion, personality and perspectives of supporters to create a richer football experience wherever and however audiences follow the game.”

BBC Radio 5 Live will broadcast live commentary of 209 Premier League matches this season, as well as coverage from the Champions League, Scottish Premiership, FA Cup, men’s League Cup and international matches.

As well as Match of the Day’s Premier League coverage, BBC will broadcast two matches from each round of the FA Cup as well as one Bundesliga match every week on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.

Highlights and clips will also be available from La Liga, Serie A, the Europa League and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland’s international games.

Kelly Somer’s The Football Interview will continue on BBC iPlayer, BBC Football YouTube and the BBC Sport website and app, as well as on BBC One every Saturday from 12:45 BST.

Aug. 19 (UPI) — The United Arab Emirates announced it was indefinitely severing trade relations with Iran on Wednesday after accusing Tehran of firing two ballistic missiles at it.

The move was announced by the UAE’s Foreign Affairs Ministry communications director, Afra Al Hameli, who said “in light of regional escalations that undermine regional and international peace and security, all trade, commercial exchanges and financial transactions with Iran have been halted until further notice.”

“The UAE remains firmly committed to safeguarding the integrity of the international financial system, in line with international law and the highest global standards,” she said in a statement, while stressing the UAE’s “steadfast commitment to dialogue cooperation and regional integration as essential means of advancing peace, stability and prosperity in the region.”

The UAE-Iran trade relationship was worth billions a year, with the Observatory of Economic Complexity platform stating the UAE exports nearly $6 billion in goods, mostly electronics, to Iran each year, while Iran exports nearly $500 million, mostly in grapes, nuts and crustaceans.

The announcement came hours after the UAE’s Ministry of Defense said its air defense systems had detected two ballistic missiles fired from Tehran toward maritime traffic, with both falling into the sea, one within the UAE’s territorial waters.

“The Ministry of Defense confirms that it is on high alert and readiness to deal with any threats, and to firmly confront everything that targets undermining the state’s security or the security of navigation in the region, thereby ensuring the preservation of the state’s sovereignty, security and stability, and protecting its interests and national capabilities,” it said in a statement.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei rejected the accusations that Iran had launched missiles toward the UAE, saying Abu Dhabi was violating “the principle of good-neighborly relations” in doing so, Iran’s Mehr News Agency reported.

According to the UAE’s Ministry of Defense, its air defenses have engaged more than 550 ballistic missiles, 29 cruise missiles and more than 2,265 drones fired at it by Iran since the war began on Feb. 28. However, Tuesday’s launches were the first since May.

A brand new season of Love Is Blind UK has finally returned to Netflix

A Love Is Blind UK star looks completely different in an unearthed throwback snap.

Love Is Blind UK has returned for its third instalment, with a fresh group of singles taking to the pods in the hopes of finding their perfect match. As ever, they will go on blind dates, narrowing down their potential love interests along the way.

They will only meet face to face for the first time if they decide to take their relationship to the next step and become engaged. Then, will they move in together and plan their wedding day, but for some, the process is not without its difficulties.

A synopsis reads: “Love is Blind: UK returns to Netflix for a third series which promises high drama, raw emotion and plenty of romance.

“The latest group of hopeful singles, each one searching for their Mr. or Mrs. Right, will step into the iconic Pods for a string of blind dates. From behind a wall, they are all hoping to form a connection so deep that they’re willing to put their hearts on the line by agreeing to marry without ever having seen each other.”

Now, eight episodes have been released on Netflix, with viewers having to wait until next week to find out who gets married, or who, if anyone has been left at the altar.

But as fans binge watch the brand new release, there is one star that appears to be unrecognisable in unearthed throwback pics.

Pilates Instructor Ciara Murphy, from London, is looking for someone who values her for “more than just her looks”. The now 30-year-old is a fan of the finer things in life and has been single for a year, having been cheated on in every relationship in the past.

Now, the star is looking for her forever love, hoping the pods will help her find the one. Exploring her connections, Ciara admitted on the show that she did in fact used to be a brunette, as she showed off her now-blonde locks.

Over on Ciara’s Instagram page, which she regularly posts selfies from her adventures, the star is known for her bright blonde hair, in recent snaps, but throwback pics confirm her natural colour.

In one post, from 2023, she can be seen smiling at the camera, with Christmas decorations in the background, captioning her post: “merry christmas.”

Whether Ciara finds love on the show though, fans will need to tune in to find out.

Love Is Blind UK can be streamed on Netflix.

Former Maj. Gen. John Bruce Medaris, the military director of the nation’s unmanned space program who after a seemingly miraculous recovery from cancer devoted his remaining years to the Episcopal priesthood, has died of the disease, it was learned Sunday.

Medaris was 88 when he died Wednesday at his summer home in Highlands, N.C., after a long struggle against bone and lung cancer. The announcement was made by friends in Florida and reported by United Press International.

He had commanded the Army’s early space program, the Army Ballistic Missile Agency, when it orbited America’s first satellite on Jan. 31, 1958. The program was soon turned over to the civilian control of the new National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Col. Pat Patterson of Maitland, Fla., a friend of Medaris’ for 47 years, said the former general had picked the nation’s first team of space scientists, both military and civilian, “and I have never seen a team surpass that one.”

The historic team that built those first missiles was headed by German scientist Wernher Von Braun, father of the Saturn V rocket that was to send Americans to the moon and a pioneer in the development of Germany’s wartime V-2 rocket. Kurt H. Debus, the Kennedy Space Center’s first director, was another team member.

The expatriated German scientists that included Von Braun had been sent after the war to Ft. Bliss, Tex., and later transferred to the small north Alabama cotton town of Huntsville where Medaris became their commander.

There was little sense of urgency about the nation’s embryonic space program until the Korean War broke out in 1950. Then seven years later, on Oct. 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the 184-pound Sputnik I, the world’s first orbiting satellite.

On Dec. 6, Medaris’ team tried to respond by sending a three-pound satellite into orbit, but the Vanguard rocket which was to have propelled it rose two feet off its Cape Canaveral launch pad and exploded into a giant fireball.

America finally got into space Jan. 31 when a Jupiter C booster hurled the 31-pound Explorer I into orbit. The satellite discovered the Van Allen Radiation Belt.

Medaris was born in Milford, Ohio, and at 16 lied about his age to get into the Marines. After a couple of years, he resigned and tried his hand at business, where he made but then lost a fortune.

Medaris entered the Army as a second lieutenant and came through 300 days of World War II combat unscathed.

An ordnance expert, he served as chief of the first Army contingent to Argentina from 1949 to 1952, and in 1955 was named commander of the Ballistic Missile Agency.

He became known as an aggressive, often arrogant commander who would roll over anyone in his way. He even carried a swagger stick for emphasis.

But in 1964, four years after retiring from the service, he was stricken with bone cancer and told he had only 18 months to live. Eighteen months later he was not only still alive, but the cancer somehow had gone into remission.

“The thought had sometimes crossed my mind that perhaps a power, or whatever it was, was keeping me intact because there was some important job that I was destined to do,” he said in a 1970 interview.

He told the Los Angeles Times in a 1982 interview from Cape Canaveral, where he had gone as an honored guest to watch the launch of the space shuttle Columbia, that he decided to repay the debt by service to his church.

He said he originally intended to become only an Episcopal deacon but “soon I found myself irresistibly forced into (other) situations.” He thus became the Very Rev. John B. Medaris, rector of Anglican churches in Maitland and Orlando, Fla.

In recent years, the International Aerospace Hall of Fame made Medaris a fellow, its highest award. The Army awarded him the first Medaris Award to Army Space Pioneers.

In the meantime, the cancer resurfaced in 1970 but again went into remission, returning only recently.

Although he had become a man of God, he did not lose the aggressiveness that had marked his military days and remained particularly critical of the decisions made many years earlier that separated military and civilian space objectives.

“It’s one of the greatest mistakes we ever made.”

A beach in the UK has been named among the top ten best in the world, beating all sorts of exotic destinations thanks to its white sands and clear turquoise seas that visitors love

If you were aiming to visit one of the world’s best beaches, you might think this would involve an extremely long flight, and possibly a boat to an island or trek through a rainforest to reach it.

But one of the best beaches in the world is right here in the UK, and it has been revealed in a ranking by Big 7 Travel. Its list of the 50 Best Beaches in the World includes many destinations you’d expect, from the Seychelles to Sri Lanka, but only two European destinations made the top ten, only one of which is in the UK.

The list explains the reason for the Cornish beach’s ranking, saying: “Hidden beneath towering granite cliffs in Cornwall, Porthcurno Beach is easily one of England’s most beautiful. The entire Cornish coast is known for its rugged coastline and significantly better weather than the rest of the UK, and with the clear waters and bright sands of Porthcurno Beach, it’s easy to imagine that you’re in the tropics.”

Found just a few miles from Land’s End, Porthcurno Beach is reached by a sloping coastal path and is surrounded by cliffs to protect it from high winds. This bay has soft golden sands and clear blue waters, and during the summer months there are usually safe places to swim marked out by the lifeguards.

When it’s low tide, the sea rolls back to expose a walking route to the neighbouring beach of Pedn Vounder; just be careful to check the tide times for your return, as people sometimes find themselves cut off. Overlooking the beaches is the iconic Minack Theatre, where a variety of plays and family shows are on the schedule, with incredible cliffside views as the backdrop. While it looks like something from Roman times, the theatre was designed by Rowena Cade and opened in 1932.

Another unique creation of Rowena’s was the Porthcurno Wendy House, which she designed for her lucky nieces and nephews. This playhouse was carved into the granite rockface of the cliffs and had a fireplace, glass windows, and two storeys of rooms. Sadly, it’s now closed to the public, but you can still see the exterior when you’re on the beach.

Porthcurno is a small village, which adds to its charm and the remote vibes of the beach. You’ll find a few facilities such as a pub and a couple of shops. But there’s one unique attraction that you might not expect. The village was once home to the world’s largest submarine station, and at the PK Porthcurno Museum of Global Communications you can learn about its role in WWII. You can even explore the tunnels that were built to protect its infrastructure in case of an attack.

Aside from Porthcurno, only three other UK and Ireland locations made it into the top 50. Luskentyre Beach in Scotland was praised for its white sands and rugged mountain scenery, while Keem Beach was named as “one of Ireland’s true hidden gems. Whitesands Beach in Wales was also on the list, with the guide stating: “While the coastline looks its wildest during winter, on a clear summer’s day, the sea views can rival those of any beach in the world.”

Ten best beaches in the world according to Big 7 Travel

1. Anse Source d’Argent – Seychelles
2. Entalula Beach – Philippines
3. Pink Beach – Indonesia
4. Sandy Lane Beach – Barbados
5. Ee Motu Beach – Cook Islands
6. Whitehaven Beach – Australia
7. Matira Beach – Bora Bora, French Polynesia
8. Cala Macarella – Menorca, Spain
9. Porthcurno Beach – England
10. Mirissa Beach – Sri Lanka

Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com

If you were once a child dragged to the British coastline, seemingly regardless of the time of year or weather, then you too will know how beautiful but also bleak it can be

Bleak or beautiful? When it comes to the UK coastline, it can be difficult to know what you’re going to get.

Camber Sands, Morecambe and Cromer are all picture-perfect places that belong on a postcard when the sun is shining and the chippy fryers are bubbling away.

But, when the clouds roll in and the temperatures drop, leaving the prom deserted but for the hopeless sound of ignored arcade machines, such beauty is replaced by a bleakness.

If you were once a child dragged to the British coastline, seemingly regardless of the time of year or weather, then you too will feel this particular brand of wist deep within yourself.

Inarguably, the bleak jewel in the Dungeness crown is its twin nuclear power plants, which once whipped a patch of nearby sea into a whirlpool but have lain dormant and decommissioned for the past 19 years.

The unique feel of the place has been best captured by artist, filmmaker, gay rights activist, and gardener Derek Jarman, who turned his home into Prospect Cottage—a point of pilgrimage for his fans and those who love the way he carefully manicured the garden into a concentrated miniature form of Dungeness.

But not everyone is a fan. In fact, many are left cold by Dungeness’ charms.

“Bleak is an understatement,” one detractor of the place recently wrote on Reddit. Another added: “Bleak to Dungeness is like ‘a wee bit cold’ in Antarctica. The missus loved it though…” A third wrote: “I find it dismal down there. Old nuclear power station for a view.”

Others love Dungeness and how different it feels from other parts of the UK.

The science writer Ben Goldacre recalled his experience of riding through Dungeness on the small railway that takes day-trippers down the coastline.

“The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway has a strange, dreamlike existence, on the border between fantasy and reality. You leave toytown in a cute miniature train, surrounded by excited children. But Disney, this is not. Suddenly, you’re riding through real life: past clothes lines, collapsing breezeblock walls, an abandoned washing machine in a back garden, chuffing along behind a miniature steam train. Finally, you’re ferried across a beautiful, windswept shingle peninsula, spotted with railway carriage houses and abandoned shipping containers. Then you are delivered to the foot of a nuclear power station,” Ben wrote.

“This meeting of toy train sets and grim industrial purpose is what makes the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway so perfect.”

Ben is not alone. Dungeness was named the seventh-best beach town in the UK in Which?’s survey of the British public last year. The consumer organisation surveyed more than 3,800 people about their experiences of UK seaside destinations and their opinions on beaches, scenery, food and drink offerings, accommodation, tourist attractions, and value for money.

The elevation of Dungeness into the top ten is a major scoop for the Kentish settlement, which languished in 35th place the year before.

DENVER — The Dodgers are putting closer Edwin Díaz on the injured list for the second time this season, this time with inflammation on the right side of his neck, manager Dave Roberts said before the game against the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday.

The Dodgers are going to have Dr. Robert Watkins, who specializes in spine injuries, examine at Díaz’s neck in L.A. on Wednesday morning, Roberts said. He’s set to undergo imaging.

“It’s something he felt [Monday] night,” Roberts said before the Dodgers’ 7-6 win against the Rockies on Tuesday. “We don’t know if it’s something that has been there the last, call it, week or whatever but it showed its head last night. So we’re going to address it.”

The move comes after Díaz gave up nine runs and recorded three blown saves in a span of six appearances.

“I know Edwin is — I don’t know if it’s encouraged, but just know that there could be a reason why the stuff is not playing like it has in the past,” Roberts said. “And the neck, obviously, there’s ties with the whole body, the arm, and all that stuff matters. So I’m personally excited to kind of find something that kind of make us understand what’s going on.”

“We’ll know more after seeing Dr. Watkins,” Roberts said, “but given where he’s at, I don’t see a situation where he’d be out for the year.”

Díaz has only made 16 appearances for the Dodgers this season, recording an 11.85 ERA and 6.01 FIP. He spent three months on the IL after undergoing surgery to remove loose bodies from his elbow in late April.

After collecting a save in a 4-2 win over the Seattle Mariners on July 29 in his first appearance back, Díaz was unable to show command in subsequent outings. He blew saves on consecutive days against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Aug. 7-8, and then blew a 4-2 lead last Thursday against the Milwaukee Brewers — which proved critical for the Dodgers in losing the head-to-head tiebreaker against the Brewers as the division leaders jostle for playoff seeding.

During the Dodgers’ 11-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday night, Díaz pitched the ninth inning and gave up three runs and four hits.

With Díaz no longer an option in save situations, left-hander Tanner Scott is set to slide into that role.

“I just wait for the phone to ring, I don’t care when,” Scott said after a four-out save Tuesday. “You get the adrenaline rush when your name’s called and just go out there and pitch.”

On Tuesday, Roberts turned to Scott to get the final out of the eighth inning, with runners on first and second in a two-run game. He induced left-handed pinch hitter Brett Sullivan to ground out to third.

Back out for the ninth he gave up a one-out double to Jake McCarthy’s and a two-out RBI single to Willi Castro. But the run was of no consequence.

“He’s been great,” Roberts said of Scott’s contributions this year, in multiple roles. “Tanner doesn’t complain. He’s always ready, wants to pitch, wants to help his teammates, his team. And certainly, given how last year went, for him to come back and right the ship, he’s been our most consistent reliever by far. I trust him, and I feel like you can use him in any situation.”

The Dodgers also recalled right-hander Emmet Sheehan on Tuesday as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen. Sheehan, optioned to triple A at the trade deadline for a reset, made two starts for Oklahoma City.

“I got the hang of it a little bit last year in the playoffs,” Sheehan said of pitching in relief. “I have the routine that I would have for starting, and that I have for coming out of the bullpen. So comfortable doing either one or whatever they want me to do.”

Ohtani may be ready for next step

Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani appeared to throw two simulated innings in his bullpen session on Tuesday, for a total of about 45-50 pitches.

When Roberts asked how it went, he said Ohtani gave him a thumbs up.

Roberts did not rule out the possibility of Ohtani throwing live batting practice back in Los Angeles as his next step.

“I could see that,” Roberts said.

Serving as the designated hitter Tuesday, Ohtani hit a two-run homer in the third inning. It was his third homer in two games and his 30th of the season. He’s reached the 30 home-run mark in six straight seasons.

“You’ve got to be available, you’ve got to be a high-performer,” Roberts said of the feat. “And Shohei this series is back to being who he is. I like the at-bat quality. I like the swing decisions. And obviously he’s hitting homers out with breaking balls, fastballs, a curveball tonight. When he goes, it certainly adds a lot of energy to our offense.”

Crude oil and natural gas supplies have been disrupted worldwide by the United States-Israel war on Iran, but one energy sector appears to be cashing in – coal.

This week, South Africa’s thermal coal producer Thungela Resources said it had doubled its half-year profits as the war has forced more countries to buy the fuel.

Although abundant and relatively cheap to produce, coal is considered one of the dirtiest fossil fuels.

Mining it causes water pollution, and burning it releases enormous amounts of carbon into the atmosphere, which contributes to global warming.

In recent months, several countries, especially in Asia, have reversed or delayed promises to scale back on coal production.

Global coal consumption was already rising in 2025 with the Eurasia region and the US using the fuel to power artificial intelligence data centres, according to the World Bank.

Here’s what we know:

Why is more coal being used?

The US-Israel war on Iran has triggered a global energy crisis. Soon after strikes on Tehran began on February 28, Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz, through which about one-fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies were shipped during peacetime.

Negotiations to reopen the strait are ongoing.

Its closure has reduced oil and gas supplies and caused oil prices to soar, prompting many countries to fall back on the most readily available alternative to keep the power on – coal.

While coal prices have also risen, the fuel is still much cheaper than oil – and is more readily available.

No region has been more impacted than Asia, which largely depends on the Gulf for its energy needs. About 82 percent of oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz went to Asia in 2022, according to the US Energy Information Administration. China, India, Japan and South Korea were the top destinations.

Besides being unable to ship exports through the strait, Gulf countries caught up in the conflict have also been badly impacted by Iranian strikes. Qatar, for example, was forced to declare force majeure on its delivery contracts in March when Iranian drones hit its Ras Laffan oil facility – the world’s largest LNG complex – forcing it offline. Iran’s attacks had knocked out 17 percent of Qatar’s LNG exports by March, state officials said.

Similarly, the United Arab Emirates’s Das Island LNG terminal, Fujairah oil terminal, Ruwais Refinery Complex and other energy sites have been attacked during the conflict. Facilities in Saudi Arabia and Oman have also been hit.

Where has coal use increased?

According to an analysis by the energy data company Ember, coal output will rise globally by 1.8 percent by the end of 2026 compared with 2025 in a “worst-case” scenario.

This represents a notable uptick considering that countries are meant to be transitioning away from coal, experts said.

Since the war began, several Asian countries have announced plans to increase coal-fired electricity generation.

Japan has lifted restrictions on older, high-emission coal plants to cope with the energy shocks while South Korea has delayed the shutdown of coal-powered plants it promised to wind down by 2040.

In Bangladesh, the government at first imposed power cuts, closed universities and rationed fuel sales for vehicles before announcing it had ramped up coal-powered electricity generation.

Thailand, the Philippines and Vietnam have also increased coal-powered electricity generation to preserve dwindling gas reserves.

In Pakistan, data from the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority showed that by July, electricity generated from imported coal had risen by 90 percent compared with the same period the previous year.

China and India already consume 70 percent of the world’s coal and are also major producers. In India, where electricity demand is increasing partly due to more intense heatwaves, the government plans to launch several new coal-mining projects that will see global supplies increase by 2.5 billion tonnes a year, according to the Global Energy Monitor.

Germany also said it won’t jeopardise electricity generation because of earlier climate promises it made while Italy has pushed back its coal phase-out plans from late 2025 to 2038.

Who is making a profit from coal?

Indonesia is the top coal exporter by a wide margin, followed by Australia and Russia.

In March, Jakarta reversed previous plans to curb coal production and reduce oversupply in a bid to benefit from the rising prices. Prices were set at $131.85 per tonne in July, compared with $102.20 in the previous year.

South Africa’s Thungela, meanwhile, reported doubled profits from January to June, compared with the same period of 2025, driven largely by higher production from its Ensham mines in Queensland as well as higher demand and higher prices at both Ensham and its South Africa operations.

Production at Ensham rose by 38 percent in the first half of the year – during the peak of the conflict – to 2.2 tonnes, compared with 1.6 tonnes in the previous period.

The company reported 4.80 South African rand ($0.30) in headline earnings per share – or HEPS, a primary metric of profitability used in South Africa. That’s up from 1.92 rand ($0.12) in June last year.

In a statement, Thungela said prices will likely remain high as European and Asian markets prepare for winter.

What does this mean for the drive for clean energy?

In 2021, more than 40 countries, including Indonesia and Vietnam, promised to scale back coal use at the COP26 global climate summit. India and China did not sign up, however. Last year, South Korea joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance, which helps coal-dependent economies transition away from the fuel.

However, the Middle East crisis has upset those plans largely because many countries do not have sufficient renewable energy-generating capacity to fall back on, said Nick Hedley, an energy transition analyst at South Africa-based Zero Carbon Analytics.

“For the likes of Bangladesh, it’s easy to lift coal use when global gas supplies are disrupted because the country invested heavily in coal infrastructure in recent decades, and much of that capacity has been sitting idle,” he said.

“Coal becomes cheaper than imported gas when gas prices surge. Importantly, coal still cannot compete with renewables on cost,” Hedley added.

It’s not all doom, however. Analysts noted that upticks in some places are being offset by long-term declines in coal use in places like Europe.

China’s domestic coal production also fell this year as the government tightened oversight following a deadly explosion in May at the Liushenyu coal mine, where 82 people died. Beijing has also made large investments in renewables.

In addition, the breakdown of global fossil energy supply chains could make clean alternatives more competitive and force more countries to invest in them, Hedley pointed out.

“The lesson here is that Asian countries need to speed up their shift to clean energy and electrification to safeguard themselves against future global crises,” he concluded.

Reflect. Think about yourself, about those around you, and you will reach the same conclusion as I have. Since the signing of the disastrous economic adjustment package with the International Monetary Fund in February 1989, Venezuela has never experienced such a unanimous feeling of bewilderment, contained anger, and repulsion at others deciding for us.

In October 2025, a Hinterlaces survey had 83% of respondents state that they would be willing to confront a foreign military invasion. The attack came [on January 3], we were denied the possibility of resistance, and now we face an invisible invasion. An insolent foreign presence that barely appears on screen, but tramples us, crushing the executive, legislative, judicial, and moral attributes of sovereignty one after the other, stealing over $13 billion worth of oil from us in just half a year, resources that no one knows where they have gone, and remodeling our country so that the plundering can continue indefinitely.

Along with the looting, a shroud of opacity has fallen over Venezuela, relegating everything that matters to mystery, except for occasional voices that infiltrate informal media. María Alejandra Díaz Marín warns us from Colombia about the attempt to remove all constitutional limits that hinder the looting. Mario Silva contrasts what politicians used to say and what they say now. Ramsés Reyes confesses that he “spits blood.” José Sant Roz proclaims in Ensartaos: “I tremble with indignation when I hear people say ‘Iran is not Venezuela,’ ‘Cuba is not Venezuela.’”

Comparisons are odious, but more odious is avoiding them to escape self-criticism.

For my part, I preach that anger is a more valuable natural resource than the oil and gold that the US is plundering from us, because anger is infinitely renewable and more fruitful than resignation. I admire all the countries that have shaken off the yokes of empires. I appreciate those who reproach us for apparently having stopped doing the same. I do not even invoke the sacred wrath of the [1813] Decree of War to the Death, which liberated what are now six countries. The assertion that Venezuela is not like this or that country reiterates that freedom and sovereignty do not fall from the sky nor are automatically defended. They are conquered through the extreme pedagogy of the unbearable.

Venezuela is not Iran. Nothing could be truer. Since 1941, Iran had been living under the dictatorship of Shah Reza Pahlavi. The nationalist Majlis movement succeeded in having Mohammed Mossadegh appointed as prime minister in 1951, and he nationalized the oil industry. The hegemonic countries blockaded the Iranian state from selling oil. In 1953, the CIA and MI6 incited street demonstrations, a military coup ousted Mossadegh, and Shah Reza Pahlavi was installed as a dictator, handing over oil to Europeans and yankees and presiding over a repressive autocracy. Only in 1979, after an endless 37 years of fierce monarchical dictatorship and the continuous theft of oil by foreign powers, did waves of Iranians depose the puppet and confirm that autonomy is not gifted: it is defended. They took their affirmation of cultural identity to the extreme. They faced the selective assassination of their scientists and leaders until they became impregnable. They won wars against neighboring Iraq, instigated and armed by the United States, and now against the US Empire itself. They divided their defensive system into “mosaics” capable of continuing to resist when others would have fallen. We are not like the admirable Iranians. But they teach us a rough path to become like them.

We are not like the Cubans. When José Martí arrived in Caracas in 1881 and first visited the statue of Simón Bolívar, it had already been 57 years since we had gained independence and formed what are now six countries. The Liberator included in the Panama Congress of 1826 the goal of the emancipation of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Hispaniola, and planned to achieve it with an expedition that domestic secessionism thwarted. The Apostle [Martí] and Cuba still had to endure a bitter lesson. For Martí, death in his first battle. For his homeland, the humiliation of an independence interfered with by the US invasion of 1898, and a sovereignty tarnished by the Platt Amendment. And still remaining was the bitter record of 60 years of dictatorships and corruption covered up by the United States, until Commander Fidel Castro arrived and put a stop to it. Martí never felt humiliated because in his time Cuba was not like Venezuela. He sacrificed his fragile existence in the Promethean attempt to overcome it, and his legacy pierces our conscience like red-hot iron.

China is not like Venezuela. Starting from 1848, it was attacked by England amid the Opium Wars. Through the Infamous Treaties, Western powers filled it with military bases and puppet governments. Starting in 1931, the Japanese invaded Manchuria; the rest of the world threatened, blockaded, or ignored China. Only after a bitter century of humiliations could the country, in 1948, resume the arduous path that led it to becoming the world’s leading power.

No, Venezuela is not Algeria, or Vietnam, or Korea, or Afghanistan, or India, or Pakistan, or Somalia, or Yemen. Venezuela preceded them. In 1810, we had a foolish homeland that had to learn to stand on its feet, and in 1825 it taught the world lessons. Today we must understand, along with so many admirable nations, that there is no independence greater than that which is conquered, nor sovereignty greater than that which is defended.

Once again, the current metropolis [the US] is losing its hegemony. Its bases are demolished, its mercenaries put to flight. Its Congress denies funds for its reckless aggressions, its energy sources slip away, its fraudulent unbacked currency vanishes, emerging powers surpass it in economy, social advantages, science, culture, and defense. The path diverges between the road to extinction and that of Utopia.

What Venezuela needs to relearn is to be like Venezuela.

Translated by Orinoco Tribune. Minor edits by Venezuelanalysis.

Source: Luis Britto García blog

Kaia Gerber says she had an exorcism after her parents believed she was “possessed” as a child.

While promoting her new FX series “The Shards” on the podcast “The Mitch Churi Chat Show,” the 24-year-old actor and model recalled her experience working with Ryan Murphy on “American Horror Stories” (co-created by Brad Falchuk).

Gerber played a teenage ghost in the 2021 “Horror Stories” spinoff trapped inside the historic Rosenheim Mansion, also known as the Murder House from the first “American Horror Story” season. Concerned about the spooky Los Angeles estate — which served a convent for nuns for half a century — Gerber said her mother, supermodel Cindy Crawford, gave her holy water to take on set.

“She was like, ‘I don’t want you to get possessed,’” Gerber said. “I was told I was possessed as a child.”

Gerber — who during the interview sat next to her co-star Homer Gere — shared that she was “haunted” her whole life.

“I do feel as though I attract beings from the other dimension, in a very casual and chill way,” said Gerber, who was also a cast member in “American Horror Story: Double Feature” (the 10th season of the FX anthology series) in 2021, where her character was involved in an alien abduction.

When questioned by host Mitch Churi if the actor-model had undergone an exorcism, she revealed that she “actually” did.

“They played a didgeridoo all over me. That’s how they did the exorcism,” Gerber said. “That actually did happen. I’ve never talked about it, but it actually did happen.”

The sacred wind instrument — which is created from a eucalyptus tree trunk or branch naturally hollowed out by termites — was developed a thousand years ago by the Aboriginal community in northern Australia and is often used in cultural ceremonies.

Some didgeridoo instrumentalists believe its low-frequency sound waves can foster a state of health and harmony for those in the Aboriginal community. An online search showed no info on it being used in an exorcism.

Regardless, the “Bottoms” actor revealed to the Australian podcast host she was “all healed” now that she was promoting the ’80s slasher TV series, which is based on the autofictional novel by Bret Easton Ellis centering on privileged high school seniors who are stalked by a killer known as the Trawler.

In response to her spiritual update, Churi said, “that’s the devil speaking, I don’t know who to trust.”

In early results from the special election runoff to complete the congressional term of disgraced former Rep. Eric Swalwell, state Sen. Aisha Wahab was in the lead late Tuesday by a narrow margin.

Wahab (D-Hayward) is competing against Melissa Hernandez, president of the Bay Area Rapid Transit Board and the former mayor of Dublin.

According to Associated Press results, Wahab had 51.0% of the vote to Hernandez’s 49.0% as of 10:11 p.m. with 62% of votes counted.

Swalwell’s District 14 seat has been vacant since he resigned in April amid sexual assault allegations, which he has repeatedly denied.

Wahab and Hernandez were the finalists in the June 16 special primary, in which the top two finishers regardless of party affiliation advanced to Tuesday’s special election.

The two also will compete, once again, in the fall in a slightly redrawn district for a full term that begins in January 2027.

Both versions of the district are contained entirely within Alameda County in the East Bay. The current district includes Hayward, Livermore, Pleasanton and Union City, as well as parts of San Leandro, Fremont and Dublin.

The two candidates are both Democrats, but Wahab leans more progressive, while Hernandez is generally considered the more moderate candidate.

Earlier this summer, Wahab initially emerged as the clear front-runner. She placed first in both the June 16 special primary for the partial-term seat and the June 2 primary for the full-term seat — leading Hernandez by more than 20 percentage points in both races.

But the race became much more competitive after the pro-Israel lobbying group American Israel Public Affairs Committee funneled millions into campaign materials designed to defeat Wahab, who has publicly criticized Israel’s military actions in Gaza and called the humanitarian crisis there a genocide. Hernandez has said she supports Israel’s right to defend itself, but neither candidate has made the conflict a core part of their campaign.

United Democracy Project, a super political action committee backed by AIPAC, spent $1.2 million on the race in August in support of Hernandez and in opposition to Wahab, according to Federal Election Commission records. Another group, Bold America, which has received funding from United Democracy Project, has recently spent about $1.7 million supporting Hernandez.

In total, around $3.7 million in outside funding has been spent to promote Hernandez’s campaign since mid-July, compared to around $400,000 spent in support of Wahab’s campaign during the same time frame.

Over the course of the campaign, Hernandez has more than doubled Wahab’s fundraising and spending. However, both candidates ended July with roughly even amounts of cash in the bank.

Times staff writer Clara Harter contributed to this report.

BOSTON — Olivia Nelson-Ododa scored 18 points and Kennedy Burke had 17 to lead the Connecticut Sun to an 85-77 win over the Sparks at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

Diamond Miller finished with 13 points for the Sun, who played a game in Boston for the third straight year before moving next season to Houston.

Rae Burrell finished with 19 points for the Sparks (12-23). Nneka Ogwumike added 18 and Dearica Hamby scored 15.

Nelson-Ododa also had 11 rebounds and scored 13 points in the first half for the Sun (9-25). Leila Lacan had 10 assists and Saniya Rivers scored 11 points off the bench. Burke was three for four from beyond the arc.

The Sun took a 7-2 lead off a pull-up three-pointer by Miller. Leading 46-40 at halftime, the Sun went on an 8-0 run that started with a driving layup by Nelson-Ododa, who was fouled and completed the three-point play. Burke added a three-pointer and Miller made a layup to force the Sparks to take a timeout.

Beirut, Lebanon – Not long after the fall of the Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, the new government was keen to hunt down members of the former regime.

Al-Assad and his brother fled the country hours before the capital Damascus fell to the advancing armed opposition, leaving many top officials and military commanders to fend for themselves.

Many of them reportedly fled and crossed to neighbouring Lebanon where some top officials were spotted openly in capital, Beirut.

Now the Syrian government is trying to get them extradited for war crimes committed during the uprising, which began in 2011.

“We are seeking to boost the international judicial cooperation to pursue members of the former regime and extradited to Syria to complete judicial procedures and process,” judge Mustafa al-Qassem, an aide to the Syrian justice minister, said in an interview with state television.

Former officials felt they were safe in Lebanon due to their close connections with Hezbollah or their network with figures in Lebanon’s military. Some had built connections in Lebanon over the years, including during Syria’s occupation of Lebanon, which ended in 2005.

But that’s no longer the case.

Adel Issa, a former major general in al-Assad’s Syrian Army, was arrested recently in Lebanon after staff at the Syrian embassy reportedly tipped off authorities after he came in to do paperwork. A top Lebanese prosecutor announced on Tuesday that Issa would be extradited to Syria to face trial due to alleged crimes he committed during his military service.

But there are other former al-Assad regime officials who are in Lebanon and whom Syrian authorities also want returned to face justice.

Last week, al-Assad, his brother Maher and his cousin Atef Najib were all sentenced to death by a Damascus court. Bashar and Maher al-Assad were sentenced in absentia because they are in exile in Moscow, where they fled after the regime fell.

Their presence in Russia likely protects them from extradition. But the case brings to attention important issues about remaining regime figures in Lebanon and their potential extradition to Syria.

Regime officials in Lebanon

On December 8, 2024, the five-decade reign of the al-Assad regime ended when Bashar left Damascus for Moscow. As rebels entered Damascus, al-Assad fled without telling many of his top officials who then had to sort out their own escapes.

Sources with knowledge of the whereabouts of former regime members said the top figures – such as the al-Assads or the former head of the National Security Bureau Ali Mamlouk – are in Moscow or the United Arab Emirates.

However, Jamil al-Hassan, the former head of the Air Force Intelligence Directorate, is thought to be in Lebanon. Last year, media reports suggested that Syria and France have called on Lebanon to arrest and extradite al-Hassan.

Aside from him, Bassam al-Hassan, a former Republican Guard commander who was in al-Assad’s inner circle, was tracked down to a Beirut apartment by a US broadcaster last year. He had been responsible for procuring weapons and liaising with Syria’s chemical weapons programme, which the regime used against its own people.

Hezbollah’s role

Syrian and European sources intimately familiar with the details said most former regime officials still in Lebanon are now in Tripoli’s Jabal Mohsen neighbourhood or in parts of the northern region of Akkar, which borders Syria. Estimates on the number of former regime officials in Lebanon are imprecise, experts said, because many have either moved to third countries, sometimes with false passports, or have been smuggled back into Syria.

One source familiar with the issue, speaking on background because he wasn’t authorised to share information publicly, said that in the early days after the fall of the regime, former government figures set up training camps in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. However, the source said, the camps have since been shut down by Hezbollah and the Lebanese army.

On August 4, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem said his party was open to a meeting with Syria’s leadership. The group fought side by side with the al-Assad regime in Syria’s war and is, therefore, viewed negatively by many Syrians. But Hezbollah has said it has no desire for bad relations with Syria’s new government.

“Russia shelters the family and its fortunes while so far declining to fund a restoration [of the al-Assad regime], and Hezbollah, under disarmament pressure, needs calm with Damascus more than it needs a [battle on the] Syrian front,” Nanar Hawach, the International Crisis Group’s senior analyst on Syria, told Al Jazeera.

Syria has been under pressure from the United States to intervene in Lebanon against Hezbollah although experts believe Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and his government are aware that such a move could lead to widespread regional unrest and undermine the domestic authority they are working to establish, including from figures still in Lebanon.

For years, Syria had a paternal relationship and view towards neighbouring Lebanon. The Syrian military entered Lebanon in 1976 when Bashar’s father, Hafez al-Assad, was in power and occupied large swaths of the country until 2005 when a popular uprising pushed Bashar al-Assad to withdraw his troops.

The younger al-Assad and Syria still exerted their influence in Lebanon via local allies, including Hezbollah, until the regime’s demise in 2024. Since then, Syria’s new government under al-Sharaa has indicated a willingness to have a more balanced and egalitarian relationship with Beirut.

To date, no Syrian regime figures accused of committing atrocities have been returned from Lebanon. That’s why, with extradition approved, Issa’s case could be so groundbreaking. While they have not yet faced trial, many former regime officials are either under foreign sanctions and/or worked in key regime roles that contributed to severe crimes against the Syrian people.

Earlier this year, Syrian authorities asked Lebanese security forces to hand over more than 200 senior officers who fled to Lebanon after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, according to a Reuters agency investigation that showed how the neighbouring country was a hub for insurgent plotting.

Lebanon’s parliament has passed a law to abolish capital punishment, making it the first country in the Middle East to do so. That has contributed to the controversy over the extradition process with Syria, which does apply the death penalty.

Wadih al-Asmar, cofounder and president of the Lebanese Centre for Human Rights, said a number of the Syrian officials in Lebanon would have committed crimes during the occupation period and, therefore, the Lebanese judiciary “has a duty and obligation” to prosecute some of these figures.

Al-Asmar said his organisation has received asylum requests from Syrians afraid to return to their country but none had been military figures connected to the former regime.

But other ex-regime officials, particularly those in Europe, could have those connections. And the landmark trial in Damascus last week that sentenced the al-Assad brothers and their cousin to death could be a concern for European and other states when extraditing wanted figures to Syria.

Experts said Beirut’s desire to have a positive relationship with Damascus will likely supersede human rights concerns related to the death penalty for former regime figures. Still, al-Asmar said: “Lebanon cannot, without violating international law and its own law, send back any person to a country where he can face the death penalty.”

He added: “It’s a very complicated situation, and I believe the only way out for the Lebanese government and the Syrian government with respect to the state of law is for Syria to abolish the death penalty.”

A street located in a popular UK seaside town has been deemed totally “magical”. In fact, people think it’s so beautiful, they’ve compared it to “being in Italy”

There are so many popular seaside towns in the UK, but a certain location has captured the attention of many. In fact, the beauty spot in Wales has been widely celebrated for homing a street deemed totally “magical”.

Indeed, many visitors reckon it’s so charming it feels as though you’ve walked straight into a postcard, and it’s just one of numerous Welsh gems that people simply can’t get enough of. It previously came to wider attention on TikTok after UK Hidden Gems posted a video of the area, showcasing just how breathtaking it can be to wander around in Pembrokeshire.

It’s not the only Welsh location to have set tongues wagging recently either. Just a few months ago, visitors also raved about a stunning beach too.

Alongside the clip, UK Hidden Gems wrote: “Hidden just steps from the harbour, this narrow cobbled lane is lined with colourful doors, flower boxes and twinkling lights that feel absolutely magical as the afternoon light softens.

“Even though it’s one of Tenby’s best-kept secrets, walking here makes you feel like you’re wandering through a postcard.”

Unsurprisingly, Tenby is a wonderful place to explore in general, as the seaside town remains enormously popular. There’s a wealth of sights to take in and savour throughout the town.

Pembrokeshire’s Hidden Gem: The Magical Cobbled Lane in Tenby

Dozens of individuals have left comments since the footage was posted, eager to share their opinions and suggestions. The clip has also been watched thousands of times.

One person said: “Love Tenby. It’s a beautiful place. Last visited 15 years ago. So happy it’s not been ruined. Will now consider going again.”

Another added: “Oh wow, it’s like a little Italy.” A third replied: “OMG! I was there only last week.

“I came out purely by mistake to the back entrance of a gift shop and stumbled on this purely by chance. I was amazed. Great find.”

Meanwhile, a fourth also commented: “This is a beautiful place to visit and even more stunning in person.”

One more also chimed in with: “We go tomorrow. It’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve been to.”

How to Find Tenby’s Picture-Perfect Street Off Lower Frog Street

UK Hidden Gems shared some information for those who fancy a visit. It was pointed out it’s situated off Lower Frog Street, Tenby.

They describe is as a “quiet nook with instant cosy vibes and tonnes of photo charm”. It’s reportedly an especially picturesque location to check out during golden hour or just before sunset.

This is when the lane is said to glow “in the best way”. It certainly appears to be the ideal place to discover and wander through on a bright day.

Indeed, many confessed they adore Tenby as they consider it so stunning. It’s difficult not to agree.

The latest episode of Olivia Atwood’s The Price of Perfection took an unexpected turn

The ITV presenter caught a mystery man’s eye.

Olivia Attwood briefly paused her ITV2 show, The Price of Perfection, to address a flirty encounter. The former Love Island star, 35, returned with the latest episode of her hit show on Tuesday (August 18) night.

This instalment focused on all things face lifts, and followed Olivia as she journeyed around London trying to uncover what treatments are available for young women looking to transform their faces.

But the presenter was interrupted when she visited a clinic where one surgeon was performing a full face and neck lift.

As she explained the procedure to the camera, a man with his face blurred walked by and seemingly shot a flirtatious look at Olivia.

Spotting his lingering look, the ITV host turned back to the camera and joked: “In your dreams, do you know what I mean?”.

She went on to add: “That’s honestly what it’s been like since I took my wedding ring off. It’s actually, it’s just like let me [live].”

The former TOWIE cast member was married to footballer Bradley Dack for just over two years, before they called it quits in January.

She has since found romance with fellow reality star Pete Wicks, with the pair publicly launching their relationship back in July.

Season 3 of The Price of Perfection is now streaming on ITVX, and the just-aired third episode features a cameo from TOWIE star Dani Imbert.

A synopsis for the instalment teases: “With so many techniques and brands offering to slice and sculpt our face, Olivia looks at the options the under fifties are looking at.

“At just 28, TOWIE’s Dani Imbert has a brow lift but is left unhappy with the results. Newly single Sophie tries a thread lift for a ‘snatched’ look. Amy, exhausted by the cost of facial maintenance having spent £150,000 on fillers, opts for a short scar mini facelift, a procedure with mixed online reviews.

“Olivia also joins a surgeon performing a full face and neck lift on business owner Brit, learning the real differences between SMAS and deep plane approaches, and what may have delivered Kris Jenner’s headline grabbing result.”

Olivia Attwood: The Price of Perfection is available to stream on ITVX