DAVID Walliams plucked a model out of the Britain’s Got Talent audience then pestered her for sex, it was claimed last night.

Louisa — whose full name we are not disclosing — told The Sun how the disgraced entertainer paraded in front of her in a towel and begged her for intimate photos.

The aspiring model’s life turned upside-down after a night with her father to watch BGT auditions in Birmingham in February 2015.

Production staff picked her out of the queue to give her a seat near the front, before she was moved again to the front row, leaving her dad at the back of the auditorium.

She claimed Walliams “clocked” her as soon as he came out with fellow judges Simon Cowell, Alesha Dixon and Amanda Holden.

She said: “I think a producer must have had a word, because he was looking out for me as soon as he emerged on stage — smiling and trying to catch my eye.

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“During filming he turned around and threw me a sweet, no one else. He wanted me to know he’d seen me. I didn’t know what was going on.”

After the show a producer singled out Louisa to ask if she could return the next day to “work on sketches” with them for spin-off show Britain’s Got More Talent.

Louisa said: “When I got home that night I told my partner. He didn’t believe me.

“Then suddenly David Walliams rang my phone. I’d left my number with the producer. David said I was charismatic and one of their models had dropped out, so he’d love it if I could fill in for them. I was in dreamland.

“And then the next morning I had a lovely chauffeured Mercedes pull up outside my home on a Walsall council estate.

“I was taken to Birmingham and met presenter Stephen Mulhern, ‘dancing’ dog Pudsey, and the band Diversity. It was all amazing.”

However there was a nasty surprise in store for Louisa, who went on: “I was ushered into my own dressing room when Walliams appeared naked apart from a towel. He claimed his shower was broken.

“I was intimidated and uncomfortable but didn’t know what to do or say. I was timid, on my own, and thought naively this is what happens in the world of TV.

“David stood there chatting and being very flirty. Looking back I think he was hoping I’d make a move on him there and then.

“I’m not that kind of girl. I’ve had one relationship in my life. I was appalled and freaked out.”

Louisa, then 24, had been asked to bring “provocative clothing” and posed in a skimpy top and hotpants while Walliams was dressed as a dog. She had to lead him out on a leash, and sit on his lap.

A clip showed co-host Mulhern asking Louisa if the star had been a “good boy”, then with a nudge and a wink he said to Walliams: “Did you get any treats?”

Afterwards, Walliams began lavishing Louisa with jewellery and designer handbags.

He would also FaceTime her and began begging for “sexual pictures”.

Louisa eventually visited his London home, but insisted on taking a pal.

She said: “He loved talking about himself. I was a masseuse and part-time model and he offered me a job there and then, saying I could work his body whenever he was stressed.

“It was sleazy, but I was caught up in it all. He made it obvious what he wanted from me.”

However she said his attitude later changed, recalling: “David grew impatient when I wasn’t doing everything he wanted. His wacky, fun public demeanour evaporated.

“He was particularly cruel one night at the Hotel Du Vin in Birmingham. I wouldn’t give him what he wanted and he called me boring, saying I reminded him of his wife because it was like we’d been married for years.”

Walliams split from supermodel Lara Stone in 2015.

Louisa said it was her love for her two children which gave her the strength to cut ties with him.

She said: “One time I was meant to go and meet him. I got to the train station but just watched the train go past. I’d had two years of being used by him. I didn’t want to be his ‘Birmingham babe’.

“I’d been picked up then tossed away like rubbish on a whim because I wasn’t pleasing him.”

Louisa said it led to the end of her long-term relationship and an ADHD diagnosis.

She said: “I was in bits. I had to take anti-depressants. He doesn’t realise what he’s done to me. Everybody hailed David. But the reality is, he’s a bit of a monster.”

A former junior BGT employee also said he saw two “very young” people in Walliams’ dressing room in 2017, while the star was wearing just a towel.

BGT bosses are now to wipe disgraced Walliams — a show judge for ten years — from film montages for its 20th anniversary tribute next year.

One source said: “They don’t plan on even mentioning it.”

BGT producers Fremantle said last night: “We are disturbed and concerned at these serious allegations.

“During David’s time on the show and in the intervening period, no complaint was ever made regarding his behaviour to Fremantle UK.

“If anyone feels they have been the subject of any impropriety or wrongdoing by anyone on any Fremantle or associated labels’ productions, we encourage them to come forward.”

Williams rejects any wrongdoing and has not been accused of any criminal conduct.

Shane Wright, Nils Hoglander and Jayden Struble had a goal and an assist apiece, and the Nashville Predators extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-2 victory over the Ducks on Wednesday night.

Hoglander put Nashville ahead with a remarkable between-the-legs goal in the second period, and Justus Annunen made 27 saves to win his fourth consecutive start. Steven Stamkos also scored late in the third period.

One night after a comfortable shutout of the Kings, the Predators completed the Southern California sweep by cooling down the surging Ducks, whose five-game winning streak ended.

Cutter Gauthier extended the NHL’s most prolific seven-game goal scoring binge in more than three decades with a first-period score for the Ducks. Captain Mikael Granlund also had a goal and an assist for the Ducks, who had been the first team since the 1988-89 Kings to score at least five goals in eight consecutive games.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 18 shots in his first loss in his five starts for Anaheim. The Ducks’ power play went 0 for 3 after scoring in eight consecutive games since Oct. 22.

Gauthier extended his streak in the first period, sweeping home his 16th goal in 18 games. He is the first player since 1921-22 to score 12 goals in his team’s first six games of a calendar month.

Gauthier became the first player to score 14 goals in a seven-game stretch since Mario Lemieux and Alexander Mogilny did it in the 1992-93 season. He also extended his goal-scoring streak to seven games and his point streak to a career-best nine games.

But 21 seconds later, Wright batted a loose puck to Struble for his third goal. Wright’s assist was his first point in his fifth game with the Predators, who acquired him from Seattle on Nov. 1.

Hoglander put Nashville up when he got alone in the slot and put his stick between his legs to roof an exceptional shot for his fourth goal. Wright extended the Predators’ lead with a goal set up by Hoglander and captain Roman Josi, who earned his 800th NHL point with the first of two assists.

Veteran forward Troy Terry made his season debut for the Ducks after missing 18 games while recovering from hip surgery in June.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka, son of former President Joko Widodo, resigns as court questions his overseas education credentials.

Indonesia’s vice president has resigned in the midst of a scandal over his high school diploma, the head of parliament says, adding to pressure on a government facing widespread dissatisfaction over the economy, corruption and wildfires.

Gibran Rakabuming Raka submitted his resignation to President Prabowo Subianto and parliament on Thursday, the speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly told reporters.

Gibran is the eldest son of former President Joko Widodo, Prabowo’s immediate predecessor.

The 39-year-old left office after serving two years of his five-year term as questions grew over his eligibility after recent court rulings disputed his educational credentials.

Under Indonesia’s Constitution, a vice presidential vacancy does not trigger a new election. The office remains vacant until the People’s Consultative Assembly elects a replacement from two candidates nominated by the president within 60 days.

Gibran had offered to resign on Tuesday during a meeting with the president, saying he wanted to avoid a prolonged political controversy.

But a cabinet minister said Prabowo urged Gibran at the time to defend himself, and it wasn’t clear whether he had accepted the resignation offer.

Indonesia’s vice president does not have many constitutionally defined powers apart from acting as the president’s representative at official events and taking over if his boss is incapacitated.

The Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court ruled last month that the documents Gibran submitted regarding his overseas education did not meet election requirements. His critics have accused him of never receiving a high school diploma.

A subsequent petition submitted on Wednesday to the leaders of the House of Representatives by 120 lawmakers from eight political parties began a parliamentary process that could lead to Gibran’s impeachment.

Under Indonesian law, House leaders must establish a special committee to examine whether Gibran has violated the constitution by serving as vice president despite allegedly failing to meet election requirements.

If lawmakers determine there is sufficient basis for the accusation, the House must ask the Constitutional Court to rule on whether a constitutional violation has occurred.

Gibran’s downfall comes as thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest economic hardship, corruption, perceived authoritarianism and the government’s handling of months of devastating wildfires emitting a toxic haze that has made thousands of people ill.

It also comes amid investigations into allegations that top police officials were involved in wiretapping targeting the president. The academic credentials investigation was apparently not related to the wiretapping scandal.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for a national unity government – at least among Jewish Israelis – during the swearing-in of Israel’s new parliament, or Knesset, on Tuesday, hoping to cling to power. The opposition to him, which now has a majority of seats but has yet to form a government, reacted with heckles, catcalls, and walkouts.

Citing supposed internal and external threats, Netanyahu called for unity with the opposition bloc that has been tasked with forming a government to replace him. Netanyahu pointed to the threat posed by Iran and the increased number of democratically elected lawmakers who are Palestinian citizens of Israel, whom he accused, without evidence, of seeking Israel’s destruction.

“We must do one thing – set aside every other consideration and form a national unity government. Only such a government will be able to meet challenges of this magnitude. It is impossible to handle them with a narrow government,” he said of the potential for a minority government that many analysts consider likely after coalition negotiations are complete.

“I say this because here in this parliament they are seriously talking about forming a narrow government like this, a government that includes within it terror supporters, haters of Israel, or that would be dependent on them,” he said, referring to the parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel.

Even by the standards of Israeli politics, where analysts say personality has long overshadowed party and policy, Tuesday’s session was unusually contentious.

Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett heckled Netanyahu while trading barbs with the latter’s wife, Sara, and his hard-right ally Itamar Ben-Gvir, while many of the Palestinian lawmakers attacked by the prime minister during his speech walked out in protest.

Gadi Eisenkot, who has been given the first chance to form a new government, subsequently cancelled previously scheduled coalition talks with Netanyahu and declared him “unfit for office”.

Personality politics

Netanyahu has long played an outsized role in Israeli politics, helping transform the political system into one that is highly based on personalities, with voters typically identifying a leader they like first, and then focusing on policy discussions. Nevertheless, despite having contributed more to that change than any other politician, Netanyahu now finds himself fighting for his political life.

If Eisenkot is able to form a viable new government – which still hangs in the balance – Netanyahu faces being frozen out of power, and a future in which his corruption trial continues without the protection of the prime minister’s office. There will also likely be an inquiry into his and his government’s failings in the run-up to the Hamas-led attack of October 7, 2023.

His potential downfall, however, does not mean an end to personality politics in Israel. Instead, it may be one of the most lasting parts of his legacy, said Roi Zur, an Israeli specialist in voting behaviour and election strategies at the University of Essex.

“Netanyahu Americanised the party system in Israel and made Likud a populist party,” he said of the influences the country’s longest-serving prime minister has had on Israel and his own party.

“It is a clear case in Israel that the person at the head of the list or the head of the party is very important, and politics evolve around the head of the party,” Zur said. “We see it in how people think about political parties or voting in general in Israel. When you ask people, ‘Who are you voting for?’, they say, ‘I vote for Netanyahu, I vote for Bennett, I vote for Eisenkot,’ whilst in the past it was ‘I vote for Likud, I vote for Labor,’ and so on.”

Toxic populism

Dahlia Schneidlin, an American-Israeli pollster, noted that Israeli political campaigns had become more personalised in the past few decades even though elections in the country are almost all based on voting for a party slate, and not individuals.

That had led to many cases where voters focus on the personality rather than the party, and vote accordingly.

However, the Israeli electoral system almost always leads to coalition governments. And bringing other parties into a coalition often needs leaders to demonstrate “political neogitiating and bargaining skills”, Schneidlin said, as they try to encourage others to join them.

Eisenkot, Schneidlin said, will have to demonstrate those skills if he is to form a government, rather than simply being focused on his own personality.

But the emphasis on differences in political personality over policy positions has fuelled a culture where personal differences, such as those between Netanyahu and opposition stalwart Avigdor Lieberman – whose shared animosity is well known but whose right-wing political positions are in some ways very close – contribute to a populist politics easily understood by a public eager to see itself as politically engaged.

“The stress on the personal makes everything so much worse,” Yossi Mekelberg, a senior fellow at Chatham House, said. “With party structures so centralised, leaders can become almost dictatorial and get to act without constraint. This is how it becomes possible for a prime minister to accuse 19 elected members of the Knesset of being terrorist sympathisers and nobody thinks it’s extraordinary. It’s become toxic,” he said.

It’s only 15 minutes away from the Dutch capital by train, but Haarlem feels a million miles from Amsterdam, and perhaps provides a more typical glimpse of the Netherlands than trailing around the well-worn tourist trail of Van Gogh, coffee shops and red lights. An attractive city of cobbled streets, gabled houses and canals, Haarlem is, as the Dutch would say, a gezellig sort of place – cosy, convivial, and full of intriguing nooks and corners. I’ve been coming here for years, and it seems odd that Haarlem is not better known, at least to UK visitors.

This winter there’s the added draw of an exhibition devoted to the works of a local boy, the 17th-century painter Frans Hals, and his better-known contemporary Rembrandt in the city’s Frans Hals Museum (until 28 February 2027). No one really knows whether these two titans of the Dutch Golden Age of the 16th and 17th centuries ever met, but seeing their work hung together like this is powerful and compelling. The museum used to be the Oudemannenhuis (Old Men’s House), a retirement and care home where Hals lived out his final penniless years.

The Hals-Rembrandt exhibition is perfectly in tune with Haarlem itself, in both its (relatively small) size and the historical insights it provides into the Golden Age. There are commissioned portraits of 17th-century merchant bigwigs, all beards, black gowns and ruffs, so-called tronies (portraits of ordinary people, including Hals’ informal paintings of fisherfolk, and Rembrandt’s sensitive, affecting study of his young son Titus) and both artists’ remarkable group portraits. A final room shows Rembrandt’s dynamic De Staalmeesters (The Wardens of the Amsterdam Clothmakers’ Guild) from the Rijksmuseum, alongside Hals’ depiction of the trustees of the Oudemannenhuis itself.

Like many of the works in the rest of the museum, the faces in these paintings stare powerfully out at us from the 17th-century gloom. Above all, don’t miss Hals’ stirring and evocative Haarlem civil guard portraits of local militias, and a couple of 17th-century depictions of the city showing streets virtually indistinguishable from those you can explore today.

Start exploring with a stroll to Peuzelaarsteeg, a nondescript street in itself, but where Hals is said to have had a studio, though there’s nothing here now apart from a graffitied image of one of his paintings. Afterwards, take a peek into the former home of the Cloveniers, the citizen militia or schutterij that Hals painted, on nearby Gasthuisstraat. Look for the two crossed muskets above the gate (part of it is now a municipal library). Walk from there through the pretty, ivy-draped streets of the Vijfhoek neighbourhood to the Proveniershuis, where an otherwise ordinary door opens on to perhaps the grandest of Haarlem’s many hidden courtyards – once the base of another schutterij. A crossbow over one of the doors gives it away.

Hals was buried in the city’s magnificent Grote Kerk (Big Church). It’s like stepping into a 17th-century Dutch painting of a church interior: a vast, unadorned gothic space focused on a magnificent baroque organ at the western end: one of the largest in the world, and said to have been played by Handel and Mozart.

The Grote Kerk is on the attractive Grote Markt (Big Square), flanked by cafes and restaurants, and the perfect point from which to launch yourself into Haarlem’s web of streets. Two minutes away is the Corrie Ten Boomhuis, where a family of Dutch Christians hid Jews and resistance fighters during the Nazi occupation – an alternative to Amsterdam’s Anne Frank House without the queues. Among several other museums worth seeing is Teylers Museum down by the river, a treasure chest of fossils, crystals, scientific instruments and late 19th-century Dutch paintings. It claims to be the country’s oldest museum, and its galleried, wood-panelled interior is alone worth the admission price.

Perhaps the best thing to do is just amble and get lost: many of Haarlem’s historic streets look similar, with secret doors into sheltered courtyards or hofjes, and the streets are refreshingly free of global chains. There’s an excellent market on Grote Markt on Saturdays, and any number of stylish indie stores to browse in nearby, whether you’re looking for vintage clothes (Yenvi) or new ones (Stitch), chocolates at Pierre or Dutch liquorice at Dropje van Haarlem.

Cyclists vastly outnumber cars in this city. Rent a bike (try Green Bikes by the train station) and head out to the Zuid Kennemerland national park, west of the city centre, a protected area of dunes, forests and lakes that gives way to the glorious sandy beaches of the North Sea coast.

There’s no shortage of choice for great places to eat and drink. For breakfast or lunch, La Maru on Koningstraat is a great bakery, or try the sandwiches, salads and flammkuchen (sort of Dutch pizzas), at Meneer Frans in the historic centre. Alternatively, enjoy a pickled herring at the fish stall on Grote Markt.

Another Haarlem pleasure is to stop off for a pils at one of its many cosy bars. Lively In den Uiver on Riviervismarkt – a typically Dutch “brown cafe”, housed in a former fish shop – offers a choice of 35 gins and 35 speciality beers. Or the Jopenkerk brewery tap, in a former church, is a five-minute walk from the Grote Markt. For dinner, there can be no more bizarre place than DeDakkas, in a greenhouse-like structure on the top of a multistorey car park near the river. It serves a sustainable, locally sourced menu, with superb views.

There are plenty of places on Grote Markt to watch the world go by. Among the best is historic Grand Café Brinkmann. Or walk five minutes down Koningstraat to Botermarkt, on the edge of the Vijfhoek quarter, where Café De Roemer is one of a number of bar-restaurants with a covered terrace.

Finally, there can be no better place to wake up in Haarlem than in one of the corner dual-aspect room at the 17-room ML hotel (doubles from about €119 room-only), right by the Grote Kerk, which has two good restaurants and a sleek bar. Across the road, the Amrâth Grand Hotel Frans Hals is a large, slightly cheaper alternative, while the Staats Hotel, on a quiet street two minutes from the station, offers cool, spacious and contemporary boutique rooms from €165 room-only, and also has its own bar and restaurant.

The trip was provided by Netherlands Board of Tourism. Martin Dunford is one of the founders of the Rough Guides travel guide series and wrote the first editions of the Rough Guide to the Netherlands

VETERAN actor Randall England, best known for his role as General Hospital villain Jack Slater, has died aged 75.

The star passed away peacefully, surrounded by family following a battle with oesophageal cancer, according to an obituary.

“Randall lived a life full of interesting people and stories. Of all his roles, being a father and “Pappaw” to his grandchildren meant the most to him,” the tribute continued.

“‘His legacy lives on in the people he loved, taught, and supported.”

The actor’s family requested that donations be made to the Esophageal Cancer Action Network in his memory.

England played Slater in 31 episodes of the hit soap opera General Hospital between 1984 and 1985.

He launched his decades-long career in 1978 with an uncredited role in the TV Movie Ruby and Oswalk.

Six years later, he landed an episode of the TV show This is the Life before being cast in General Hospital.

Breaking news… More to come…

BERKELEY — Alijah Arenas had 19 points and seven rebounds, Rodney Rice added 18 points and five rebounds, and No. 21 USC beat California 77-65 on Wednesday night in a nonconference matchup between the former Pac-12 foes.

Jacob Cofie contributed 13 points, matched his career high with rebounds and dished out six assists and KJ Lewis scored 16 for USC (3-0), which dominated on the boards 53-36.

Sammie Yeanay scored 14 points and Nojus Indrusaitis 13 to lead the Golden Bears (2-2) on a night 5,087 fans turned out for the 8 p.m. tipoff.

And their attendance paid off: Arenas missed two free throws midway through the second half, earning everybody at Haas Pavilion a free burger at the Berkeley Shake Shack.

It was a homecoming of sorts for USC and third-year coach Eric Musselman, who coached the Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. Arenas is the son of former Warriors guard Gilbert Arenas and the star sophomore had a large contingent of friends and family in the stands.

The Trojans topped Wichita State 93-86 on Sunday with Rice and Arenas each scoring career highs — 32 points for Rice and 30 for Arenas — and again relied on their depth to pull away in the second half.

USC has won nine of the last 11 matchups in the series but hadn’t won on Cal’s home floor since Nov. 30, 2022.

Cal, which won 22 games last season for its most victories since 2016, faced a Top 25 opponent for the second straight game and hasn’t beaten a ranked team since an 84-78 victory over 14th-ranked North Carolina on Jan. 17. The Golden Bears lost to then-No. 10 Houston 86-68 on Sunday night in the inaugural Caesars Lake Tahoe Classic.

The Bears jumped out to a 9-2 lead as USC was slow getting going offensively and committed three quick turnovers. Then Lewis connected from deep at the 11:39 mark.

Since the Pac-12 dismantled, USC went to the Big Ten while Cal is now in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Caracas, November 11, 2026 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The acting Delcy Rodríguez government and ExxonMobil signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday as the oil giant prepares to return to Venezuela nearly two decades after having its assets nationalized.

“We welcome [ExxonMobil] back, hoping that synergy will develop and produce benefits for Venezuela and the United States,” she said in a televised broadcast.

Rodríguez stated that the “very important” agreement followed “months of negotiations.”

“This return takes place under very favorable conditions, in a context of legal guarantees for foreign investments,” she added. The acting president also saluted US Chargé d’Affaires John Barrett, who attended the ceremony

For his part, Dan Ammann, president of ExxonMobil Upstream Company, expressed confidence that the firm’s “unique capabilities” and Venezuela’s “extraordinary results” would yield “significant benefits for all parties involved.”

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods had previously called Venezuela “uninvestable” and demanded industry reforms before the talks leading to the company’s imminent return.

ExxonMobil left Venezuela in the late 2000s after refusing to comply with reforms introduced by the Hugo Chávez government to assert state sovereignty over the oil industry. The Texas-based multinational refused compensation offers and pursued international arbitration after its assets were nationalized. The company received a US $908 million arbitration award from the International Chamber of Commerce, significantly below its demands. It is likewise attempting to enforce a separate $985 million award.

Caracas had likewise denounced ExxonMobil after it spearheaded offshore drilling projects in the territorial waters of the disputed Essequibo Strip.

The Venezuelan government and ExxonMobil have not disclosed the projects under consideration. But reports suggest the company will take over its former projects, light and medium-crude La Ceiba in the Maracaibo Lake Basin and extra-heavy-crude Cerro Negro in the Orinoco Oil Belt, later relaunched as Petromonagas. The oil giant is also linked to Carabobo block oilfields adjacent to the latter. 

According to Petroguía, ExxonMobil is eyeing concession-type “Productive Participation Contracts” and has engaged in negotiations with Russian state-owned company Roszarubezhneft to acquire its 40 percent stake in the Petromonagas joint venture.

Since the January 3 US attacks and kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan authorities have enacted a pro-business overhaul of the energy industry in consultation with Washington, while signing dozens of agreements with Western corporations. Chevron, Repsol, and Shell are among the companies to have struck new deals or renegotiated old ones to expand their foothold in the country.

Rodríguez has also radically shifted Caracas’ foreign policy, including reestablishing ties with Israel.

Recent reports have revealed that NewMed Energy, a subsidiary of the multi-billion Delek Group conglomerate and one of Israel’s largest energy firms, is negotiating a 60 per stake in an unnamed Venezuelan “oil-producing company.”

NewMed has an exclusivity window to negotiate with the Venezuelan counterpart until January 1, 2027. The undisclosed firm is said to hold “onshore oil rights” as well as additional “onshore and offshore oil and gas assets.”

Venezuelan legislation imposes a state-owned majority in any joint ventures. However, the recent reforms allow foreign corporations to take over operations and sales in concession-type agreements despite being minority shareholders.

Notwithstanding the opening of the industry to foreign capital under exceedingly favorable conditions, Venezuela’s oil output has stagnated in recent months. The latest monthly OPEC report placed October’s production at 1.158 million barrels per day (bpd) according to secondary sources. The figure is on a par with the previous month’s 1.147 million bpd output.

Venezuelan authorities had pledged to reach 1.3 million bpd before the end of the year.

In addition to overseeing legislative changes and mediating oil agreements, the US has taken control of Venezuela’s export revenues, with Trump officials deciding when and how much of the funds to return to Caracas.

A New York Times article published on Tuesday claimed that, according to a report from auditing firm KPMG, the Trump administration has managed $12 billion of Venezuelan export revenues through the end of September, with nearly all the funds returned to Caracas to be supplied to the private sector via commercial banks.

Traders Vitol and Trafigura, which secure Venezuelan crude below market price before reselling it, have been the biggest depositors into the US Treasury account at Citibank.

However, the total figure contradicts a previous Financial Times investigation that estimated $13 billion of US-controlled Venezuelan funds in the first half of the year alone. Additionally, Venezuelan government advisor Luigi Pisella stated that the Trump administration deducted around $4.7 billion from the revenues to cover the costs of its January 3 military operation.

Edited by Lucas Koerner in Philadelphia, USA.

Sue Perkins used to host The Great British Bake Off when it was on the BBC alongside co-host Mel Giedroyc and has criticised bosses for their treatment of contestants.

Sue Perkins has spoken about her time hosting The Great British Bake Off saying she raised complaints about the way contestants were being treated.

The TV star, 57, fronted the show alongside co-star Mel Giedroyc for six years until 2016. The pair left the show when it was decided the programme would be moving from the BBC to its current home on Channel 4.

Mel and Sue had previously revealed they nearly quit the show on the first day of filming after being frustrated by how the show was run. They asked producers for a kinder format and demanded change.

Speaking on the How To Fail podcast, Sue said: “It was always like ‘get the narrative’, but get the most dramatic narrative and make people cry and that’s what they tried to do. And then we just said, ‘We’ve had enough of this.’

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“And we walked out and for some reason I found myself on the phone to the director general of the BBC and I have no idea why. We were raising complaints about behaviours and all the rest of it.”

She added: “It just seemed very important in that moment that when people were entering our office, our workspace, that we treated them with respect. You don’t put a camera in their face and ask about their dead dad. How disgusting.”

The BBC, who broadcast the show at the time, and Love Productions, who make the show, have been contacted for comment.

It’s not the first time Sue has called out Bake Off. She previously explained how she just wanted to have a laugh with the programme but found the focus was on harder hitting back stories from the contestants.

“We’re quite cheesy and homespun and we just want to have a laugh. Who wants to see people crying? I don’t. Especially if you work in television and you know the mechanisms that have been used to make them cry,” she said.

Mel and Sue quit in 2016 after learning the show was moving to Channel 4. They claim they found out through the news rather than being independently told. Sue insisted: “There’s no antagonism there. I just think, ‘If you’re going to let us find out that way [from TV], then we’re not really a team, are we?'”

The show is now hosted by Alison Hammond and Noel Fielding, whilst Nigella Lawson has stepped in as judge alongside Paul Hollywood following Prue Leith’s exit from the show.

“I didn’t give it up because I didn’t like it – I loved it. And when I watched Nigella Lawson doing her first episode – and by the way, I think she’s terrific at it – I did feel a pang. I thought, ‘Why did I leave? That was such a great job.’ But I’m glad I did,” Prue shared about her exit from the show as she gave her verdict on her replacement.

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In the aftermath of widespread Republican losses in the midterm election, California GOP Chair Corrin Rankin announced Wednesday night that she would not seek reelection next year.

“The recent election results have reinforced something I have said consistently throughout my chairmanship,” she said in a statement. “We must move beyond competing organizations and disconnected efforts toward a unified, coordinated strategy that puts winning ahead of everything else.”

The party held eight seats in California’s 52-member congressional delegation and is projected to lose at least half. In the state legislature, the GOP is projected to lose 8 of their 20 seats in the Assembly and as many as three of their 10 seats in the Senate.

Such losses would result in the fewest Republicans in both state bodies since the 1875-76 session, according to Alex Vassar, communications manager at the California State Library.

Rankin, the former statewide president of the California Bail Agents Assn., was elected chair in March 2025. Her decision to not run for reelection comes amid a challenging moment for Republicans in California and nationwide with many questioning the party’s direction in the wake of election losses this month.

The state GOP has been spiraling in voter registration and financial support for years. The party that launched the careers of Presidents Reagan and Nixon last elected GOP candidates to statewide office two decades ago. Registered Democrats outnumber Republicans by 20 points, according to the secretary of state’s office as of Oct. 19.

State Assemblyman Carl DeMaio (R-Valley Center) questioned Rankin’s competence for the leadership role, saying in an interview with The Times that the chairwoman “doesn’t know how to manage a taco stand.”

DeMaio also took aim at the state party, saying that it will take more than a new chair to fix the GOP.

“What we first need to do is get a plan to fundamentally restructure the entire party,” he said.

He said that the “new California Republican Party has to have clearly defined roles, and they have to cut their budget down to the bare minimum with 100% of the remaining resources going to candidate support.”

Rankin followed in the footsteps of two state party leaders who were able to raise significant funds because of their relationships — Jessica Millan Patterson, a close ally of former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield) and powerful former legislative leader Jim Brulte.

Rankin didn’t have such relationships, and fundraising suffered.

The state Democratic Party received nearly $40.9 million in contributions this year through Oct. 17. The state GOP raised nearly $3.3 million in the same stretch, during a time when Republicans were swamping Democrats nationwide in fundraising, according to the secretary of state’s office.

State Sen. Tony Strickland of Huntington Beach, who conceded his race for reelection this week, is the name most prominently mentioned as a potential successor to Rankin. Others include Rep. James Gallagher (R-Yuba City) and 2026 GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Hilton, both of whom also lost their bids last week.

Former state GOP Chair Ron Nehring pointed to Rankin’s roots as a GOP volunteer who rose through the ranks to become a party leader at an incredibly challenging time for Republicans.

“She got baptism by boiling oil in this election cycle,” he said.

Winger Dan James says Wales proved a point when they beat Norway – but is wary Erling Haaland and his team-mates are now intent on turning the tables.

The Leeds United attacker said that Craig Bellamy’s side were being written off before the eye-catching win in Cardiff last month.

James was on the scoresheet as Wales came from behind to see off the World Cup quarter-finalists, reigniting hopes of staying in the top tier of the Nations League.

It represented the biggest scalp of Bellamy’s reign, ending a winless run of six and quietening some of the rumblings of discontent around the manager.

Repeating the trick in Oslo on Saturday (17:00 GMT) would inch Wales to within a whisker of securing third spot and the boost to Euro 2028 qualifying seedings that comes with it.

In contrast, Norway are on their worst run of form in a decade and in danger of dropping out of the European elite they seemed on course to challenge.

“They’re a great nation and, at home especially, they’ve been brilliant,” said James as Wales prepared for the encounter at Ullevaal Stadion.

“They’re a very hard team to beat and I think after having that win in Cardiff it’s something that they’ve had to take – and they’ll be even more up for this game.”

After many hours slowly submerging, the SS United States finally sunk off the coast of Florida on Wednesday night.

The historic ocean liner will now become the world’s largest artificial underwater reef, designed to attract marine life and diving enthusiasts.

The SS United States has not been in commission for decades, and spent 30 years docked in Philadelphia before it was moved to Florida.

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CHAT show host Jonathan Ross desperately sought to distance himself from shamed former friends Russell Brand and David Walliams last night.

But The Sun can reveal he let rapist Brand stay at his country home, unaware that just weeks earlier the comedian had allegedly attacked a woman in Los Angeles.

Glum Ross appeared deep in thought in London as the scandal threatened to engulf him.

Snaps emerged of him hugging Brand and smiling with Walliams — and in one image he grinned as he lay across their laps.

A picture also showed him with other celebs at a dinner table as Walliams posed with one of his alleged victims, Lilly Creightmore.

Ross, 65, was completely unaware of the rape allegation against Brand when he let him use his holiday home in Swanage, Dorset, in late 2012.

Neither Ross nor his family were there at the time.

It later emerged that in July of that year Brand was accused of raping a woman against a wall in his Los Angeles home — the same month his divorce from singer Katy Perry was finalised.

In a statement, Ross said: “I am as horrified by the revelations about David Walliams and the crimes of Russell Brand as the rest of the nation.

“There was a time in my life when I was on friendly terms with both men, and during that period I was genuinely unaware of their conduct.

“My thoughts are with the many, many women who have bravely come forward.”

Ross was slammed over a 2004 clip of him presenting an awards show saying: “The Comedy Awards is 15 years old — 15 years old.

“And like most 15-year-olds, it’s drunk, it’s unpredictable and it’s probably going home with David Walliams.”

Ross claimed he had not written the joke himself, and yesterday insisted: “I recognise how deeply shocking it is to revisit.

“This joke was submitted to me by the Comedy Awards script writing team and I believed that the punchline was a reference to the fact he had publicly dated younger women, exaggerated for comic effect.

“It is also a tasteless joke that I would not dream of making today about anyone, but that is beside the point.

“Had I had any reason to suspect that it might be referring to actual events, I would not only have refused to use it, but I would not have felt comfortable continuing a personal or professional relationship with him.”

Ross added: “I also like to think that I would have acted upon that knowledge.”

Brand, 51, was jailed for 10½ years on Monday for raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others.

He and Ross appeared on several TV shows together.

And on Radio 2 in 2008 they left a series of vulgar voicemails for Fawlty Towers actor Andrew Sachs about his 20-year-old granddaughter Georgina Baillie, who Brand had dated.

At one point, Ross shouted: “He f***ed your granddaughter!”

The scandal saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.

Ross and Brand also appeared with Noel Fielding on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007 — with Brand cracking jokes about rape, later described by fellow panellist Lily Allen as “really horrendous”.

In the episode, Ross moves singer Lily, then just 21, away from Brand and Fielding.

Ross tells her: “I’m a bit concerned because look where you’ve put us — you’ve put the only sexually attractive young lady near two of the best known cocksmen of the business.

“I’m going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily’s life that she moves over there. And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.”

The scandal saw Brand resign from the BBC and Ross suspended from his TV show for three months.

Ross and Brand also appeared with Noel Fielding on Channel 4’s Big Fat Quiz of the Year in 2007 — with Brand cracking jokes about rape, later described by fellow panellist Lily Allen as “really horrendous”.

In the episode, Ross moves singer Lily, then just 21, away from Brand and Fielding.

Ross tells her: “I’m a bit concerned because look where you’ve put us — you’ve put the only sexually attractive young lady near two of the best known cocksmen of the business.

“I’m going to insist as a sort of uncle figure in Lily’s life that she moves over there. And then, Lily might go home with her dress still on.”

It is thought that when Brand stayed at Ross’s bolt-hole, it was allegedly to escape publicity over the break-up with Katy.

The woman who said she was attacked in LA told the Sunday Times she was treated at a rape treatment centre and had five months of therapy before deciding against pressing charges.

Brand sent her text messages apologising for what happened and describing his behaviour as “crazy and selfish”.

Brand was spotted in the seaside town walking along the pier and popping to a pub.

Ross and his wife Jane bought the £2million Grade II listed farmhouse in 2005.

It features stables, a 50m swimming pool, and an orchard that leads down to the tracks of a steam railway.

An elderly neighbour, who asked not to be named, said: “I can remember seeing Russell Brand.

“He walked out of the private road in a group of people. It was definitely him because he is very recognisable.

“I rarely see Jonathan Ross. I believe the last time was in August. He is having building works done, I believe to his barns, so perhaps we’ll see more of him in the future.”

Another elderly neighbour refused to comment as he “didn’t want to make Ross’s life more difficult”.

Brand could face further ­allegations after cops said “several” people have come forward since the trial. The Guardian reported that at least ten more women are thought to have been attacked.

Jonathan Ross was approached for comment last night.

Elon Musk, founder of SpaceX (SPCX) and CEO of Tesla (TSLA), said it would be “an honor” to hire embattled Nvidia (NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang, following reports that Nvidia’s board may be considering removing him from the company.

Late Wednesday

Kieron Bowie is having a difficult time at Sassuolo and Robbie Ure is in-and-out of the Sevilla team, but he scored twice for them last month. Oli McBurnie’s painful wait for a Scotland goal carries on, but he has two in his last three for Hull in the Premier League.

Pocognoli says he has no fixed system, no slavish adherence to his favoured back three. It does sound like he’s sticking with it for North Macedonia, though.

“I try to find the best shape to make the players shine on the pitch,” he says. “After that, it’s up to them to show it. But I always try to adapt to my team. I think the shape that we play is the best shape to fit the best quality of the team.

“At Union Saint-Gilloise, when we became champions, we played three at the back because that was the system of the club.

“Sometimes I felt like, if we try a back four, maybe we can have more power in the game, but I didn’t do it because the club was building. In Monaco when I make the analysis of the squad, the best shape was a back three, but sometimes we played with a back four.

“It depends on the players’ abilities. I believe for this team, right now, it’s one of the best shapes. It’s a brave style of play that demands a lot of energy. But it’s a process. You need to analyse what is good for the future.”

Israel has reportedly ordered its military to step up readiness for possible strikes on Iran as Tehran warned it would expand the war beyond the region if attacked.

Israel’s security cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has ordered the military to step up preparations for an attack on Iran, Israeli media reported on Wednesday evening.

“The directives issued by the security cabinet to the Israeli military could lead it to carry out activities that could trigger a war,” public broadcaster KAN reported.

KAN said the directives were made public after Israeli opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot issued a statement telling Netanyahu – who is serving as prime minister in a caretaker capacity – not to deploy the military “without a direct and immediate threat” until the next government is formed.

Eisenkot was offered the chance to form a new government by Israeli President Isaac Herzog over the weekend after Netanyahu’s ruling coalition lost its parliamentary majority in the October elections.

Netanyahu, who is on the cusp of losing power if the opposition succeeds in forming a government, has been adamant that the war on Iran will continue until the collapse of the government in Tehran.

‘From West Asia to Europe’

Reports of Israeli preparations to attack Iran come at a time of intense diplomatic efforts to avert further conflict and reach a diplomatic solution.

US President Donald Trump has said that he is prepared to return to waging war if a diplomatic track offered by Qatar fails to facilitate a deal between Washington and Tehran.

Iran’s security chief Mohsen Rezaei said in a social media post, “If the US launches another war against Iran, every military base involved in the aggression, from West Asia to Europe, will be a legitimate target for Iran’s lethal strikes.”

“No safe distance. No safe haven. No immunity,” he added.

Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar Atas, reporting from Tehran, said the Iranian leadership has been discussing whether or not to appoint the hawkish Rezaei as Iran’s new chief negotiator.

“In Tehran, there have been voices saying that if this status quo goes on for quite a long period of time, Iran will not wait and might take pre-emptive action,” Atas said, adding that the current lead negotiator, Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, has commented on Iran’s determination to move beyond this state of “no war, no peace” through “sustainable deterrence” if negotiations fail.

Ghalibaf told Al Jazeera in an exclusive interview published on Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz will “never return” to its status prior to the US-Israel war on Iran and that “the ball is now in the American court”.

“What stands in the way of an agreement is our lack of trust in the United States,” he said.

‘Position to declare victory’

In Washington, DC, Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher said Trump is still justifying why he went to war with Iran and saying that it would end soon.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has also said the Trump administration’s economic pressure campaign against Iran is proving so effective that a resumption of large-scale military operations is unnecessary.

“Over the last few days, both the president and Marco Rubio have said, effectively, that large-scale military engagement is over. They do not see the need to restart it unless Iran crosses red lines,” Fisher said, adding that the “key issue for this White House is always to be in a position where Trump can declare victory”.

“But it is clear there is some movement behind the scenes as far as negotiating a settlement,” he said.

Despite the push for peace, US forces “continue to work around the clock” in keeping the Strait of Hormuz open for commercial shipping, strictly enforcing the “ironclad” naval blockade against Iran, according to the US Central Command.

Meanwhile, oil prices rose about 1 percent on Wednesday after Tehran rejected a US proposal to transfer its stockpile of 60 percent enriched uranium to a third country.

Brent futures settled $1.27, or 1.39 percent, higher at $92.76, while US West Texas Intermediate crude gained 49 cents, or 0.57 percent, to $86.53.

In the previous session, oil prices had initially fallen by more than $3 a barrel after US officials played down the need for further military strikes against Iran.

Prices later pared some losses when an Iranian official said no talks were taking place between the two sides.

Before its retirement, the SS United States was known for carrying royalty and celebrities from the US the Europe, beginning in 1952 and ending in 1969.

A young Bill Clinton, before he was president, used the ship to cross the Atlantic. Former presidents Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower and John Kennedy also travelled on the vessel.

The ship was moved from Philadelphia to Alabama last year for cleaning and remediation work. On Monday, it took its final journey from Alabama to the coast of Destin, Florida, where it will be sunk on Wednesday in a precision operation without explosives.

Popular BBC crime drama Sherwood – which stars Lesley Manville and David Morrissey – is to end after four years with a third and final series as fans are left ‘gutted’ over the news

Hit BBC drama Sherwood will not return after its third series.

James Graham, the creator of the show, has announced plans for the programme – which features Lesley Manville and David Morrissey – to end with a final series, expected to air early next year.

Sherwood is set in a Nottinghamshire mining village and is based loosely on real life murders which took place in the city in 2004. The fictional story starts with the murder of a former union activist, Gary Jackson and follows how the death impacts the wider community and has a connection with the miners’ strike.

Speaking on the launch episode of Sky News podcast Backstory with Cathy Newman, the drama’s creator, James Graham said: “We’ve finished it, we’ve edited it, and it will be the last series, and it will be out in January, February time.

Fans rushed to social media, devastated over the end of the show. One fan wrote: “I have been so thrilled for another season of #Sherwood because DCS Ian St Clair is my roman empire! But I am so gutted to hear its the last season, I thought it would go on for at least 6 whole seasons.”