MIAMI — When minor-league reliever Matt Sauer showed up in the Dodgers clubhouse Wednesday afternoon, it was a sign that something was amiss.

In the middle of the first inning of the team’s 10-1 win against the Miami Marlins, the reason for his arrival finally became clear.

In yet another blow to their increasingly banged-up pitching staff, the Dodgers placed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips on the injured list with forearm discomfort, leaving an already overworked bullpen without one of its most trusted arms.

Phillips missed most of the first month of the season while recovering from a tear in his rotator cuff he suffered during last year’s postseason. He hadn’t given up a run in seven outings since coming back, but was bypassed in the bullpen during Tuesday night’s loss when the Dodgers instead called upon lower-leverage relievers in high-leverage spots.

The severity of Phillips’ injury was not immediately known.

The good news for the Dodgers: Phillips’ absence didn’t harm them Wednesday.

In fact, in the team’s ninth win out of its last 11 games, it was Sauer who got some of the biggest outs.

With the Dodgers protecting a 1-0 lead in the sixth, right-hander Landon Knack got the hook after back-to-back leadoff singles, ending his spot start after five scoreless innings. Sauer was then summoned, making his first appearance since an important five-inning relief outing against the Marlins (14-22) in Los Angeles last week.

This time, Sauer played the role of high-leverage reliever, getting a double-play and strikeout to extinguish the threat.

The next time he took the mound, the Dodgers (25-12) had broken the game open, exploding for a six-run rally in the seventh.

After a one-out pinch-hit walk from James Outman and a single from Kiké Hernández, Hyeseong Kim rolled an RBI single through the right side of the infield, part of a two-hit day that has him batting five-for-12 since being called up last week.

Shohei Ohtani, who helped the Dodgers get on the board in the sixth with a triple, came up next but was intentionally walked by Marlins manager — and former Dodgers first-base coach — Clayton McCullough with first base open, leaving the bases loaded for Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.

They each promptly took advantage, with Betts drawing a run-scoring walk before Freeman cleared the bags with a three-run triple. Freeman finished his day three-for-four with four RBIs, extending a 12-game hitting streak and raising his early-season batting average to .362, trailing only Aaron Judge (.412) among MLB hitters with 90 at-bats.

Teoscar Hernández’s timeline

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had a more encouraging update Wednesday on injured outfielder Teoscar Hernández, saying the veteran slugger could return from his groin strain in as little as two weeks if he progresses well.

“That’s my hope, and that’s his hope,” Roberts said. “But obviously we’re not going to activate him until he’s good and ready to get back and stay healthy.”

Though Roberts didn’t offer a timeline on Hernández’s injury — which he suffered running down a fly ball in right field Monday night — he had said on Tuesday that the MLB’s RBI leader would be “inactive for a while.”

By Wednesday, however, Roberts said Hernández told him he was already feeling better, raising hopes that his absence will ultimately be on the shorter side.

Clayton Kershaw’s return

The Dodgers have only four true starting pitchers in their rotation right now. But in a couple more weeks, that could finally change.

Clayton Kershaw is eligible to come off the 60-day injured list on May 18. And Roberts said the future Hall of Fame left-hander is on track to be ready when that date arrives, showing more progress in his return from offseason toe and knee surgeries on Tuesday with six no-hit innings in a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League.

Kershaw is expected to make one last rehab outing with triple-A Oklahoma on Sunday, Roberts said. After that, the 37-year-old left-hander should be ready to make his return to the majors.

In the meantime, the Dodgers will likely keep swingman Ben Casparius stretched out to pitch bulk innings every time the open spot in the rotation is up.

Roberts said the team’s other injured starters, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow, are scheduled to begin throwing by the end of this week, an important step in their recoveries from similar shoulder inflammation injuries.

Recent deportation flights that have taken migrants to the Terrorist Confinement Center (CECOT) in El Salvador (pictured) and elsewhere have triggered legal challenges in federal courts. File Photo by Tia Dufour/U.S. Department of Homeland Security/UPI | License Photo

May 7 (UPI) — Officials in the Trump administration have proposed flying several deportees to Libya aboard a U.S. military aircraft as soon as Wednesday, several reports say.

The nationalities and number of those who would be deported to Libya are unknown, but a deportation flight to Libya might occur as soon as Wednesday, the New York Times, CBS News and NPR reported.

Deporting individuals to Libya, where they might be subjected to unpleasant conditions, supports President Donald Trump‘s encouragement for people to self-deport instead of waiting for the federal government to do so, the New York Times reported.

If a deportation flight does leave for Libya, it would herald an expansion of Trump’s controversial deportation policies to more nations and continents.

Recent deportation flights to El Salvador and elsewhere triggered legal challenges in federal courts and visits to El Salvador by members of Congress.

Opponents say people are being deported without due process and have accused the Trump administration of deporting U.S. citizens.

Officials in the Trump administration denied deporting U.S. citizens and have said those deported to El Salvador are members of violent gangs, such as Tren de Aragua and MS-13, which Trump has designated as terrorist organizations.

The State Department has warned U.S. citizens against traveling to Libya because of that nation’s “crime, terrorism, unexploded landmines, civil unrest, kidnapping and armed conflict,” the New York Times reported.

Libya has been divided since former dictator Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011.

Libya now has a U.N.-recognized government in Tripoli, which controls the western half of the nation.

The eastern half is controlled by warlord Khalifa Haftar from his headquarters in Benghazi.

Haftar controls most of Libya’s oil fields, and his son met with several officials in the Trump administration while visiting Washington, D.C., last week.

When asked about a potential deportation flight to Libya, Trump denied knowing anything about it and said the Department of Homeland Security handles such matters, NPR reported.

Trump picks Dr Casey Means, a close ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, as nominee for key health position.

United States President Donald Trump has selected Doctor Casey Means, a wellness influencer with close ties to Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, as his nominee for surgeon general after withdrawing his previous nominee.

In a social media post on Wednesday, Trump said that Means would work closely with RFK Jr, who is his Health and Human Services secretary.

“Her academic achievements, together with her life’s work, are absolutely outstanding,” the post states. “Dr Casey Means has the potential to be one of the finest Surgeon Generals in United States History.”

Means, who was an adviser on RFK Jr’s 2024 presidential run, is currently serving as an advisor to the White House, and makes frequent appearances on TV and podcasts defending the administration’s moves related to health and nutrition policy.

She has no government experience and dropped out of her surgical residency programme, stating that she had become disillusioned with traditional medicine.

She founded a company named Levels that helps users track blood pressure and other health metrics. She also makes money from sponsoring various dietary supplements and other products that she says have health benefits on her social media account.

Few health experts would dispute that the American diet, full of processed foods, is a contributor to obesity and related problems. But Means goes further, linking changes in diet and lifestyle to a host of conditions including infertility, Alzheimer’s, depression and erectile dysfunction.

Members of the administration, such as RFK Jr, have attacked measures such as mandatory vaccinations and the use of fluoride in drinking water, both practices that scientists and health officials say have been highly successful public health measures.

Attacks on such measures and traditional sources of scientific authority showed limited, but energising, appeal among a group of core supporters during the 2024 campaign, tapping into mistrust of medical expertise as well as common disillusionment with the US healthcare and food production industries.

Critics say that appeals from figures like Trump and his allies tap into legitimate sources of concern while leaving their root causes largely unaddressed and simultaneously rolling back environmental and health protections.

The announcement comes after Trump withdrew his initial pick for the key health post, a medical contributor on Fox News named Janette Nesheiwat, who had been scheduled for a confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday.

Nesheiwat had come under fire from far-right allies of the administration over her support for the COVID-19 vaccine and allegations that she may have misrepresented her academic and medical school history.

While Cercle’s in-person shows over the years have required fans to get on an airplane and travel to historical and remote destinations such as the Sisteron Citadel in France, Barbolla wanted Cercle Odyssey to be more accessible to fans. “We wanted to bring nature to the city,” he says.

It was also a goal for Barbolla to make the massive production as sustainable as possible, so he he used projected screens instead of lead screens. That way his team only has to travel with the custom-made canvas they use for the projections, which “is very small” and can be folded up. For everything else, the Cercle team rents the sound, light and camera equipment and hires local crews to work in each city, making the project more economical and ecological.

For now, the Cercle Odyssey tour, which kicked off in Mexico City last month, will wrap in Paris on June 1, but Barbolla says he wants to expand it and bring it to more cities in the near future. It’s also a dream of his to give the art installation he created to other creators and artists, so they can add their interpretation to it as well.

“The possibilities are infinite,” he says. “We [maybe] explored 1% of what we could do in this room.”

A BELOVED family-run shop has closed its doors after an incredible 125 years, with the owner saying it’s finally “time for a holiday.”

Burrows Newsagent, a city centre landmark since 1899, in Ely, served its last customers on April 26.

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According to Better Retailing, the Cambridgeshire shop was overwhelmed with thanks from loyal customers past and present as it shut for good.

Annabel Reddick, the only full-time employee and niece of owner Jeff Burrows, said the final day was packed with emotion.

“People were constantly coming in saying ‘thank you,’ bringing presents and cards,” she said.

The shop was first opened by Jeff’s grandfather, James Frederick Burrows, and stayed in the family across four generations.

Annabel’s great-grandfather passed it on to her grandfather Percy, then to Jeff, with Annabel stepping in as part of the team.

“It has always been a traditional family business,” Annabel told Retail Express.

“My mum worked here until a year before she died, and another member of staff retired about the same time — but even then, he kept coming back to help us.”

The shop was more than just a place to buy newspapers.

It became a vital community hub, offering a personal touch that’s rare these days.

The decision to close didn’t come easily.

Burrows provided a crucial paper delivery service, with about 20 boys and girls delivering to nearly 700 loyal customers every morning.

Jeff, who began working full-time in the shop in 1965, took over from his father in 1973.

He recalled being a young boy, helping collect papers from the station on the 6:40am train.

As Jeff told the BBC, the shop has always opened early, 5am every day except Christmas, and stuck to a cash or cheque-only system.

“By the time you’ve paid the charges, you’d make very little,” he explained.

The shop employed around 500 paperboys and papergirls over the years, giving many teens their first taste of work.

“It taught them to count, responsibility, and commitment,” Annabel said.

A week before the final day, more than 80 former paper deliverers gathered to take a group photo outside the shop, sharing stories and celebrating the shop’s legacy.

The final day was meant to be a quiet goodbye, but the community had other plans.

“We made a point of closing the door at 4pm and blocking it, but we kept getting a flow of customers and visitors,” Annabel laughed.

Sadly, Jeff missed the big farewell due to illness.

Burrows stuck to magazines, newspapers, and a few greeting cards, while the high street around it changed.

Local businesses joined in the tributes, with the Ely Museum posting online: “Burrows will undoubtedly be missed.

Jeff has sold his paper round to a national company and plans to enjoy a well-earned retirement.

“We haven’t had to close,” Jeff said. “This is purely about retirement — and spending more time at the caravan in north Norfolk.”

He sent a heartfelt letter to customers, thanking them for their support and saying the family was “proud and honoured to be part of Ely’s history for all these years.”

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BOXER Tyson Fury’s dad faces trial next year over claims he drove down a closed motorway lane.

Ex-bare knuckle fighter John, 59, is accused of ignoring signs it was shut for safety reasons.

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His 1992 Mercedes 190E was picked up by a camera on a smart section of the M6 between Keele and Stoke last July.

Smart motorways, which operate without a hard shoulder, have displays above each lane indicating if it is open.

If it is closed, the screen displays a red ‘X’, with all traffic forced to move across.

He was charged via post but is said to have failed to give details to Staffordshire Police about who was driving.

Mr Fury, of Wilmslow Cheshire, did not appear at North Staffordshire Justice Centre yesterday.

But the prosecution said he had submitted a hand-written plea of not guilty to two offences.

A trial date was set for February 23 next year.

Fury was in his son’s corner when Tyson lost his first world titles fight with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk last May.

Drama is reportedly simmering among Coronation Street cast members amid claims that only a chosen few are being granted access to high-paying brand deals

Tensions are reportedly boiling over behind the scenes at Coronation Street, as accusations of preferential treatment have sparked major discontent among the cast.

Sources claim a growing divide has formed after stars Samia Longchambon and Sair Khan were chosen for lucrative brand collaborations – opportunities others on the show claim they were denied.

Samia, 42, recently made an appearance in a promotional video for Marks & Spencer, promoting seasonal treats from its café alongside her husband Sylvain Longchambon, best known from Dancing on Ice. Meanwhile, Sair, 37, showcased a high-end Bertazzoni oven worth £2,500 in a slick Instagram post.

While ITV enforces strict restrictions on external endorsements for its soap stars, requiring all commercial activity to pass executive approval, not everyone seems to be playing by the same rulebook as at disgruntled insiders on the soap have claimed that other cast members are fed up.

Frustrated actors say the rules are inconsistently applied, with some actors allegedly blocked from even the smallest form of brand deals. One cast member, who claims two of her endorsement opportunities were vetoed this year, didn’t hold back when speaking to The Sun: “It’s one rule for the polished PR favourites, and another for the rest of us. If you’re not part of the golden circle, forget it,” they said.

“They wouldn’t let most of us even do a teeth-whitening collaboration, meanwhile Samia’s out there posing with pastries. It’s a total p**s take.”

The cast member continued: “We’ve been told time and time again: no ads, no endorsements – not so much as a candle on Instagram. But then Samia pops up in a full-blown promo for M&S and everyone’s just supposed to pretend it’s normal?

“People are keeping quiet as they don’t want to rock the boat or get the boot but there’s a lot of anger. Why are some allowed to cash in while the rest of us struggle?”

Samia has portrayed Maria Connor since the early 2000s, while Sair joined the cast in 2014 as Alya Nazir. According to internal policy, all outside gigs must receive prior sign-off and must align with ITV’s commercial obligations and protect character integrity.

The behind-the-scenes friction comes at a challenging time for the legendary soap, currently navigating significant financial constraints. As previously reported, producers are scaling back filming days, shifting actors to part-time status, and stretching scripts in an effort to control costs and boost profitability.

When approached for comment, an ITV spokesperson told The Mirror: “We do not discuss individual cases, but the cast are aware that all requests for commercial deals go through an approvals process and are dealt with on a case by case basis.”

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READ MORE: Rochelle Humes’ chic £40 linen trousers are a must-have for spring and summer

May 7 (UPI) — Former Sen. David Perdue, R-Georgia, is the United States’ newest ambassador to China after being sworn in Wednesday afternoon at the White House.

President Donald Trump hosted Perdue’s swearing-in ceremony in the Oval Office.

“Our new ambassador brings to this position a lifetime of experience at the highest levels of business and politics,” Trump said in a video recording of the swearing-in ceremony that was posted on Truth Social.

“Over four decades in business, he rose to lead several major American corporations,” Trump said, “including as the president and CEO of the footwear giant Reebok … and later CEO of Dollar General.”

Trump said Perdue, 75, did a “great job” and lived and worked in Singapore and Hong Kong for several years while negotiating business deals.

“Following his business success as an executive, David stepped forward to serve the American government and was elected to the United States Senate in Georgia,” Trump said.

“As our lead diplomat in Beijing, David will work to promote American interests in stability in the Indo-Pacific,” Trump told those attending Perdue’s swearing-in ceremony.

He will “help stop the flood of Chinese fentanyl from across the border, seek fairness and reciprocity for the American worker and ensure safety of our citizens overseas, and promote peace in the region and in the world,” Trump added.

The president called the relationship between the United States and China “complex and complicated” and said he is confident Perdue will do well.

“This is a very, very extraordinary man, and you’re going to do a fantastic job,” Trump said. “Say ‘hello’ to President Xi while you are there.”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio swore in Perdue with Perdue’s wife, Bonnie, at her husband’s side during the about 5-minute ceremony.

“Mr. President, I am humbled to be in this office today,” Perdue said afterward.

“I want the world to know that I know this man personally,” he continued. “He loves this country, and I am glad to be your man in China.”

Trump gave Perdue the order that he signed to nominate him as the ambassador to China to end the ceremony.

Perdue represented Georgia in the U.S. Senate for one term from 2015 to 2021.

He replaces former ambassador to China R. Nicholas Burns, whom former President Joe Biden nominated for the position in 2021.

Perdue was sworn in as Chinese and U.S. representatives met in Switzerland to discuss a potential trade agreement.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square as cardinals voted in first ballot.

Thick black smoke has emerged from the Sistine Chapel’s chimney, signalling that the cardinals sealed off inside have failed to elect a new pope in their first conclave vote.

Tens of thousands of people gathered in Vatican City’s St Peter’s Square to await the smoke, which came about three hours and 15 minutes after the 133 cardinals were sequestered.

Cardinals from about 70 countries were called back to Rome following Pope Francis’s death on April 21 after 12 years as head of the Catholic Church. As they were shut off from the outside world on Wednesday, their mobile phones were surrendered, and airwaves around the Vatican were jammed to prevent communications until a new pope is elected.

The cardinals will return to the Sistine Chapel on Thursday to vote again, and will continue to do so until one of them secures a two-thirds majority – 89 votes – to be elected pope.

The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter’s Basilica.

Huge crowds waited in St Peter’s Square, watching screens that showed the chimney and the occasional seagull. While some left in frustration, those who stayed cheered when the smoke finally billowed out.

“It would be perfect, lovely to be here for a new pope,” said Irish tourist Catriona Hawe, 60.

“Francis was brilliant, progressive, a man of the people, though he didn’t move things forward as quickly as I would have liked,” she said.

“The Church won’t be doing itself any favours if it elects someone conservative.”

Black smoke emerged from the chimney over the Sistine Chapel at 21:00 on Wednesday evening, signalling that a first ballot has been held at the conclave and has concluded without the election of a Pope.https://t.co/hlmAJdskTO pic.twitter.com/AKxuUbDK2g

— Vatican News (@VaticanNews) May 7, 2025

Reporting from Vatican City, Al Jazeera’s Hoda Abdel-Hamid said the black smoke, signifying that a new pope had not been elected, was expected.

“In no living memory has there been a pope that was elected on the first day of the conclave,” she said.

“Usually this first vote is a way for the cardinals to understand how things are going and in which direction their fellow electors are thinking,” before they return to the guesthouse where they are staying for the election, said Abdel-Hamid.

Francis named 108 of the 133 “princes of the church,” choosing many pastors from countries including Mongolia, Sweden and Tonga that had never had a cardinal before.

His decision to surpass the usual limit of 120 cardinal electors has injected an extra degree of uncertainty in a process that is always full of suspense.

Many cardinals had not met until last week and lamented they needed more time to get to know one another, raising questions about how long it might take for one man to secure the votes necessary to become the 267th pope.

Both Francis and his predecessor, Benedict XVI, were elected within two days, but the longest papal election lasted 1,006 days, from 1268 to 1271.

Challenges facing the Church

There is no clear frontrunner to succeed Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church. More than a dozen names are circulating, from Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa to Hungary’s Peter Erdo and Sri Lanka’s Malcolm Ranjith.

But there are numerous challenges facing the 2,000-year-old institution: falling priest numbers, the role of women, the Vatican’s troubled balance sheets, adapting the Church to the modern world, the continued fallout from the clerical child abuse scandal and – in the West – increasingly empty pews.

The new pope will also have to face diplomatic balancing acts at a time of geopolitical uncertainty, as well as deep splits within the Church.

WATCHING this week’s Champions League semi-finals was the golden ticket for fans.

And four West Ham players appeared to agree.

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Keen-eyed viewers would have been surprised to see the quartet in the stands as Arsenal took on Paris Saint-Germain in the French capital – a day after Inter Milan completed a 7-6 aggregate triumph over Barcelona.

Managers often blame testing midweek trips to Europe for poor Premier League displays just days later.

But amid a tough domestic season for the Hammers, their players knew the pressure was off them – and all on the Gunners – who trailed 1-0 for Wednesday’s return leg.

Two of the London Stadium stars were former England men in left-back Aaron Cresswell, 35, and 32-year-old striker Danny Ings.

They were joined by ex-Wolves centre-back Max Kilman, 27.

And third-choice stopper Wes Foderingham, 34, who has yet to play a senior game since arrivng at West Ham last June, was there too.

But for most of the season, Europe has been the furthest thing from the Hammers’ minds.

London Stadium chiefs sacked manager Julen Lopetegui in January after half a season in the lower reaches of the Premier League.

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And successor Graham Potter has hardly fared better.

With three Prem games left, West Ham are fourth bottom, albeit safe from the drop.

That’s only because promoted trio Ipswich, Leicester and Southampton have long been guaranteed to go straight back down.

The Hammers’ foursome could afford to wear big grins at Parc des Princes as they saw the Gunners take the strain.

They wondered to their seats, seemingly unrecognised by those around them.

And one possible answer to why they came featured dramatically in just the third minute.

West Ham legend Declan Rice – Arsenal’s record £105million signing in 2023 – headed a gaping chance high to level the tie at 1-1.

PSG stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma then produced two stunning saves.

Fabian Ruiz and Achraf Hakimi then fired home to put PSG 2-0 up on the night, 3-0 on aggregate.

And Bukayo Saka’s bundled reply on 76 minutes proved in vain.

But although it was a contrasting night for the four Hammers and the Arsenal team they were watching, both groups of players will have to get over it in time for massive Prem matches on Sunday.

West Ham visit Manchester United, while the second-placed Gunners travel to new champions Liverpool.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Arsenal 2-1 at home to take their Champions League semifinal 3-1 on aggregate.

Paris Saint-Germain weathered one attack after another and showed remarkable adaptability to hold off and defeat an inspired Arsenal 2-1 to reach the Champions League final.

Deprived of the ball possession they so often enjoy, PSG looked in trouble early on but found the right answers to hurt the Gunners in the match on Wednesday.

They relied on counter-attacking football and an excellent Gianluigi Donnarumma to prevail, advancing 3-1 on aggregate.

“The feedback straightaway from their bench is that we were much better than them,” Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta told TNT Sports after the game.

“When you look at the two games, the best player on the pitch has been their goalkeeper. He has made a difference for them in the tie.

“We were much closer than the results showed. I am very proud of the players, the way we handled the pressure, and after 20 minutes, it should have been 3-0.

“We are not there, and that has to hurt.”

PSG reached the final of Europe’s elite tournament for the second time in five years. They will take on Inter Milan on May 31 after the three-time champion defeated Barcelona 7-6 on aggregate in one of the greatest semifinals in the competition’s history.

PSG had lost to Borussia Dortmund at this stage last year and was beaten by Bayern Munich in the 2020 final.

PSG broke the deadlock in the 27th minute from a set piece after the Arsenal defence cleared a free kick towards the edge of the area. The ball bounced back into the path of Fabian Ruiz, who smashed a stunning half-volley into the back of the net.

Achraf Hakimi curled in a precise finish in the 72nd minute to make it 2-0 on the night, before Bukayo Saka pulled one back for the Gunners.

The England forward then spurned an open goal minutes later and, with it, the last real chance for a comeback to truly be mounted.

PSG had earlier missed the chance to double their lead from the penalty spot when Ferreira Vitinha had his kick saved by David Raya.

The kick itself was somewhat controversial in that VAR (video assistant referee) called back play when Myles Lewis-Skelly’s hand was innocuously clipped by Hakimi’s shot.

“Over the two legs, we could have scored three or four more goals,” Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice told TNT Sports.

“Sometimes, you have to lose a few to win, you have to overcome some of these setbacks to grow as a player and a team.

“We are growing as a team, but we need to keep pushing and believing. This is why we play. There will be setbacks on the way.

“PSG have gone through, but this isn’t going to define us. We’ll be back and we’ll get our players back and will be a much stronger outfit.”

THE REAL reason behind Sophie Kasaei’s Geordie Shore departure can be revealed after a behind the scenes fallout.

Sophie, 35, who has been a staple on the hit reality show on-and-off since its 2011 debut, walked away due to an ongoing pay dispute with MTV.

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The reality star had been in negotiations with the network for several months, hoping to secure a pay rise that reflected her longstanding contribution to the show.

However, despite numerous discussions and back-and-forths, the two sides ultimately couldn’t reach an agreement.

A source told The Sun: “Sophie had been in discussions about a pay rise with MTV for months, but in the end, they couldn’t agree on a figure.

“Sophie decided to walk away as she felt she was worth more than they were offering – she has been on the show for a long time and brings a lot to the table.

“There was a lot of back and forth, and in the end, negotiations stalled.

“Sophie was gutted as she was really keen to come back, but she doesn’t want to undersell herself.”

Representatives for MTV and Sophie have been contacted for comment by The Sun.

We previously told how Sophie had quit the series – just weeks after Scotty T was axed.

An insider told us at the time: “Sophie has been in negotiations with show bosses for weeks now, but they can’t agree on the terms of her next contract.

“Sophie doesn’t really want to leave, but she feels she feels like she brings a lot to the show and has been there a long time, so she wanted her new contract to reflect that.

“Sadly, an agreement couldn’t be reached, and while there could always be a last minute bid to keep her from MTV, as it stands right now, Sophie is walking away.”

Sophie, who joined ITVBe reality show The Only Way Is Essex in 2023, also has her hands full with a number of other projects.

They continued: “She’s sad about it, because the show has been a huge part of her life, but she has lots of other things going on – she’s a regular on TOWIE, she’s focusing on starting a family with her boyfriend Jordan and she has a radio show and lots of brand deals so she won’t be short of work.”

Sophie’s shock exit will come as a major blow to her fellow co-stars – including viewers of the much-loved show.

“It’s a blow for the show though as lots of the long standing cast members have departed, from Charlotte to Scotty T, and every time a much-loved Geordie departs, the show loses a bit of that magic that has allowed it to run for all these years,” they added.

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Palisades High baseball coach Mike Voelkel, who is in his 18th season, said he’s been promised a new field after bulldozers did what they do best — removed anything remaining of the Palisades baseball field two weeks ago.

It just won’t be him coaching, because he’ll be long retired when a new field is built. The Los Angeles Unified School District is estimating 2029 when a new field will be completed, but everyone knows LAUSD estimates to finish building something are rarely accurate.

Palisades High’s baseball field is no more.

(Craig Weston)

LAUSD will be putting temporary bungalow classrooms on the space to help the school rebuild from the Palisades fire. The rapid leveling of the field happened despite some wanting an alternative plan. The school had bungalows before the fire but they were destroyed. Suddenly the field became the lead option.

Here’s the statement from an LAUSD spokesperson: “There were 21 classrooms destroyed in the fire that were housed in both permanent and portable buildings. Temporary portable classrooms have been placed on the baseball field and will be utilized until permanent structures are erected — which is expected to be complete in Q4-2028. At that time the portable classrooms on the baseball field will be removed and the baseball field will be reconstructed, which is anticipated to be completed in 2029.”

This season the baseball team has been traveling to various sites for games and practices because the campus is closed. No plan has been announced for what they will do next year. Not having a field will not encourage baseball players to stick around at a school holding classes at the old Sears building in Santa Monica.

For alumni, the destruction of the field is disturbing. Millions of dollars were invested for improvements, including netting, fencing, pitching machines and batting cages. Rick Poulos, who had two sons play baseball at Palisades, said he helped put in “very expensive protective poles and netting.”

All gone.

“It is an integral part of the community,” he said.

Darryl Strawberry once hit a ball onto Sunset Boulevard during his playing days at Crenshaw High.

The whole Western League is facing a challenge with four of the seven schools having no baseball fields. Only Venice, Fairfax and Westchester have playable fields on campus at the moment.

Voelkel got one last look at his field when he was escorted to check out things in his office before the bulldozers cleared everything.

“I think I can go to heaven with my head held high with the blood, sweat and tears put into that field,” he said.

The United States and the Houthis have agreed to a ceasefire.

The Houthis, who control large areas of Yemen, began attacking Israel and commercial shipping and some US navy vessels in the Red Sea after Israel launched its war on Gaza in October 2023.

In response to Houthi attacks on shipping lanes, the US carried out attacks on the Iran-aligned group in Yemen.

Under the truce deal mediated by Oman, the US will halt its strikes on Houthi sites, and the Yemeni group will stop attacking US ships.

But the agreement does not include a truce in the conflict between Israel and the Houthis.

So, will Israel also stop its attacks? What does this all mean for the acute humanitarian crisis facing Yemenis?

Presenter: James Bays

Guests:

Maysaa Shuja al-Deen – Senior researcher, Sana’a Center for Strategic Studies

Ahmed al-Ashwal – Political and military analyst

Nabeel Khoury – Former US diplomat and former US deputy chief of mission to Yemen

The administration of President Donald Trump has continued to face setbacks in its attempts to deport pro-Palestinian student protesters, as courts probe whether the students’ rights have been violated.

On Wednesday, separate courts issued orders related to two of the most high-profile cases: that of Mahmoud Khalil and Rumeysa Ozturk.

In New York, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit ordered Ozturk, a 30-year-old Turkish student from Tufts University, be moved to Vermont no later than May 14.

That ruling marked a rejection of a Trump administration appeal to delay the transfer and keep Ozturk in Louisiana, where she has been held in an immigration detention centre since late March.

“We’re grateful the court refused the government’s attempt to keep her isolated from her community and her legal counsel as she pursues her case for release,” said Esha Bhandari, a lawyer with the American Civil Liberties Union who represents Ozturk.

Separately, in Newark, New Jersey, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to deliver specifics about its rationale for describing Khalil, a leader in Columbia University’s student protests, as a threat to US foreign policy.

Inside Ozturk’s case

The latest ruling in Ozturk’s case highlighted a practice that has become common under the Trump administration: Many foreign students involved in the pro-Palestinian protest movement have been transferred to detention centres far from their homes.

Ozturk’s ordeal began on March 25, when six plain-clothed police officers arrested her outside her home in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, where she went to school.

Supporters believe Ozturk, a PhD student and Fulbright scholar from Turkiye, was targeted for having co-written an opinion article in her student newspaper, calling on Tufts University to acknowledge Israel’s war on Gaza as a genocide.

The US is a longtime ally of Israel and has supported its military campaign in Gaza. The Trump administration has accused Ozturk of having “engaged in activities in support of Hamas, a foreign terrorist organization that relishes the killing of Americans”, though it has not offered evidence.

After she was detained outside her home, Ozturk was reportedly whisked across state borders, first to Vermont and later to Louisiana, all within a 24-hour period, according to her lawyers.

Critics have described those rapid transfers as a means of subverting due process, separating foreign students from family, friends and legal resources they can otherwise draw upon.

In Ozturk’s case, the confusion led her lawyers to file a petition for her release in Massachusetts, as they did not know where she was when they submitted the paperwork.

On April 18, a lower court ruled that Ozturk must be returned to Vermont no later than May 1, as it weighed her habeas petition: a type of complaint that challenges the legality of one’s detention.

“No one should be arrested and locked up for their political views. Every day that Rumeysa Ozturk remains in detention is a day too long,” Bhandari, her lawyer, said in a statement.

But the Trump administration appealed, seeking an emergency stay of Ozturk’s transfer to Vermont.

The Second Circuit Court of Appeals rejected (PDF) that request, however. It said the government had failed to show any “irreparable harm” that Ozturk’s transfer would cause.

“Faced with such a conflict between the government’s unspecific financial and administrative concerns on the one hand, and the risk of substantial constitutional harm to Ozturk on the other, we have little difficulty concluding ‘that the balance of hardships tips decidedly’ in her favor,” the court wrote.

Though Ozturk is expected to be transferred to Vermont, where her habeas petition will be heard, the Trump administration is slated to continue with deportation proceedings in Louisiana.

The appeals court, however, explained that this should be no challenge for the Trump administration, given that Ozturk can appear through video conference for those hearings.

“The government asserts that it would face difficulties in arranging for Ozturk to appear for her immigration proceedings in Louisiana remotely,” the court wrote. “But the government has not disputed that it is legally and practically possible for Ozturk to attend removal proceedings remotely.”

The Trump administration has the option of appealing the decision to the Supreme Court.

Inside Khalil’s case

Likewise, Khalil faces deportation proceedings in Louisiana while his habeas petition is heard in New Jersey, closer to his home in New York City.

On March 8, he became the first high-profile case of a student protester being arrested for deportation. Agents for Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived at his student housing building at Columbia University, where his wife, a US citizen, filmed him being handcuffed and led away.

Khalil himself was a US permanent resident who recently graduated from Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs. He is of Palestinian descent.

On Tuesday, the Third Circuit Court of Appeals in New Jersey rejected a bid by the Trump administration to transfer Khalil’s habeas petition to Louisiana.

And on Wednesday, US District Court Judge Michael Farbiarz ordered the Trump administration to provide a specific assessment of the risks Khalil poses by being in the US.

Trump’s Secretary of State Marco Rubio has cited Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 to justify Khalil’s detention and deportation. A rarely used provision of the law allows secretaries of state to remove noncitizens who could cause “potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences”.

But Rubio has so far been vague about what those consequences might be in Khalil’s case. The student protest leader has been charged with no crime.

Judge Farbiarz also required the Trump team to supply a catalogue of every case in which US officials have employed that law. The Trump administration is expected to appeal that judge’s order as well.

Actor Michael Pitt, known for “Boardwalk Empire” and “Dawson’s Creek,” faces criminal charges for allegedly sexually abusing, assaulting and choking his ex-girlfriend, according to a grand jury indictment recently filed in New York.

Pitt was arrested Friday in Brooklyn in connection to the indictment, The Times has confirmed. The 44-year-old actor was indicted on nine criminal counts, including two counts of first degree sexual abuse, two counts of second degree assault and one count of second degree strangulation. His arrest and the indictment stem from a string of alleged incidents that occurred from April 2020 to August 2021. The actor pleaded not guilty to the charges Friday and posted $100,000 bail. He is scheduled to return to court in Brooklyn on June 17.

Pitt’s attorney Jason Goldman denied the allegations against his client in a statement shared with The Times. “Unfortunately, we live in a world where somebody like Mr. Pitt — an accomplished professional who would never so much as contemplate these crimes — can be arrested on the uncorroborated word of an unreliable individual,” Goldman said.

“In reality, this baseless claim is suspiciously raised some four or five years after the alleged incident, from a time when the two parties were in a completely consensual relationship,” the statement added. “We have already uncovered exonerating evidence and this case will be dismissed.”

Pitt was also indicted on two counts for criminal sex acts and two counts of attempted assault.

All nine counts arise from four alleged incidents, according to the indictment. The first incident occurred in April 2020, when Pitt allegedly forcibly touched the complainant’s genitals. Months later in August 2020, Pitt allegedly forced oral sex on the woman, whose identity was redacted in the indictment, and assaulted her with a four-by-four plank of wood, according to the legal documents.

Less than a year later in June 2021, the actor allegedly assaulted her with a cinderblock. He also choked her in August 2021, the indictment said.

A spokesperson for the Kings County district attorney’s office did not comment.

Pitt is best known for his portrayal of Jimmy Darmody in the early seasons of HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire.” His television credits also include “Hannibal,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and “Animals.” Pitt also appeared in films “Hedwig and the Angry Inch,” “The Dreamers,” “Hugo” and “Ghost in the Shell.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON — President Trump plans to announce while on his trip to Saudi Arabia next week that the United States will now refer to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf or the Gulf of Arabia, according to two U.S. officials.

Arab nations have pushed for a change to the geographic name of the body of water off the southern coast of Iran, while Iran has maintained its historic ties to the gulf.

The two U.S. officials spoke with the Associated Press on Tuesday on condition of anonymity to discuss the matter. The White House and National Security Council did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

The Persian Gulf has been widely known by that name since the 16th century, although usage of “Gulf of Arabia” and “Arabian Gulf” is dominant in many countries in the Middle East. The government of Iran — formerly Persia — threatened to sue Google in 2012 over the company’s decision not to label the body of water at all on its maps.

On Google Maps in the U.S., the body of water appears as Persian Gulf (Arabian Gulf). Apple Maps only says the Persian Gulf.

The U.S. military for years has unilaterally referred to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf in statements and images it releases.

The name of the body of water has become an emotive issue for Iranians who embrace their country’s long history as the Persian Empire. A spat developed in 2017 during Trump’s first term when he used the name Arabian Gulf for the waterway. Iran’s president at the time, Hassan Rouhani, suggested Trump needed to “study geography.”

“Everyone knew Trump’s friendship was for sale to the highest bidder. We now know that his geography is, too,” Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif wrote online at the time.

On Wednesday, Iran’s current foreign minister also weighed in, saying that the naming of Mideast waterways does “not imply ownership by any particular nation, but rather reflects a shared respect for the collective heritage of humanity.”

“Politically motivated attempts to alter the historically established name of the Persian Gulf are indicative of hostile intent toward Iran and its people, and are firmly condemned,” Abbas Araghchi wrote on the social platform X.

“Any short-sighted step in this connection will have no validity or legal or geographical effect, it will only bring the wrath of all Iranians from all walks of life and political persuasion in Iran, the U.S. and across the world.”

Trump can change the name for official U.S. purposes, but he can’t dictate what the rest of the world calls it.

The International Hydrographic Organization — of which the United States is a member — works to ensure all the world’s seas, oceans and navigable waters are surveyed and charted uniformly, and also names some of them. There are instances where countries refer to the same body of water or landmark by different names in their own documentation.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, Trump is also set to visit Doha, Qatar and Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, which also lies on the body of water. Originally planned as Trump’s first trip overseas since he took office on Jan. 20, it comes as Trump has tried to draw closer to the Gulf countries as he seeks their financial investment in the U.S. and support in regional conflicts, including resolving the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and limiting Iran’s advancing nuclear program.

The U.S. president also has significant financial ties to the countries through his personal businesses, over which he has retained ownership from the Oval Office.

The move comes several months after Trump said the U.S. would refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

The Associated Press sued the Trump administration earlier this year after the White House barred its journalists from covering most events because of the organization’s decision not to follow the president’s executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America” within the United States.

U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden, an appointee of President Trump, ruled last month that the 1st Amendment protects the AP from government retaliation over its word choice and ordered the outlet’s access to be reinstated.

Lee writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Zeke Miller in Washington, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Meg Kinnard in Chapin, S.C., contributed to this report.

Rally legend Carlos Sainz Sr is considering running for president of the FIA, motorsport’s governing body, in December’s election.

The 63-year-old two-time world champion told motorsport.com, external he was “in the process of figuring out how much support I will get in the community of motorsport”.

Sainz – who is also a four-time winner of the Dakar Rally, on which this year he was still competing – would be running against current FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, whose term in office since 2021 has been beset by controversy.

Ben Sulayem has not yet formally declared his intention to run again, but is known to be intending to. No other potential candidate has yet declared interest.

Sainz said: “This possibility has been in my mind for some time now, not very deeply, but now I think it could be the right time in my career for me to take the step.

“I’m confident I can do a good job and put together an excellent team to give back to the sport part of what it has given me.

“I have accumulated a lot of experience in this sport throughout the years and I’m certain I can bring new and interesting things, to strengthen and develop the sport and the automobile world.”

Sainz is widely regarded as a man of seriousness and integrity, as well as unquestionably an all-time great in his field. Sources say he is a consequential candidate and would have widespread support from within the sport.

Sainz said there would be no conflict of interest with the fact that his son Carlos is an active F1 driver with Williams.

“I have my track record and people know me well enough to understand that this will not be an issue,” Sainz said. “Obviously, I will have to step down regarding my role with Carlos and his career but this is not an issue at all.

“He’s not a child any more, he has been in F1 for a decade now and we both know that if I go ahead with this project our relationship will change, of course.

“The FIA is a very serious entity and there will be no conflict.”

Ben Sulayem suffered a blow to his presidency with the resignation of his deputy president for sport, Robert Reid, last month.

Reid quit citing “a fundamental breakdown in governance standards” within the FIA.

On the day Reid announced his resignation, the former FIA chief executive officer Natalie Robyn broke the silence she had maintained since being forced to resign last summer after 18 months in the role.

Robyn told BBC Sport the FIA had “serious ongoing structural challenges”, adding that “professional processes are not adhered to and stakeholders are excluded from decision-making”.

Robyn’s departure came after she raised questions about the general governance of the FIA and its professional practices, including finances in the president’s office.

Her departure was followed by those of the head of the audit committee Bertrand Badre, a former head of the World Bank, and audit committee member Tom Purves, a former BMW executive.

In November, Ben Sulayem fired FIA compliance officer Paolo Basarri, who in March last year looked into allegations that Ben Sulayem interfered in the operations of the Saudi Arabian and Las Vegas Grands Prix in 2023. Ben Sulayem was cleared following an investigation by the FIA’s ethics committee.

The FIA is currently the subject of legal action by Susie Wolff, the boss of the F1 Academy for aspiring female drivers, after a controversial conflict of interest inquiry into her and her husband, Toto Wolff, the boss of Mercedes motorsport.

Senior FIA figures have also raised concerns about Ben Sulayem’s decision to change the statutes of the governing body last year to reduce accountability.

And at last weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Grand Prix Drivers’ Association director George Russell called for action rather than words from the FIA on the controversy over censures for swearing and criticising the governing body.

The FIA is also yet to explain the circumstances behind the return to the organisation of former interim secretary general Shaila-Ann Rao, a little over two years after she left the organisation following a difficult relationship with Ben Sulayem.