Month: January 2025

The eight fires, which have been raging across the county since 7 January, have officially claimed the lives of 11 people, The New York Times reports, with the death toll estimated to rise.

The two biggest fires are reported to be the Palisades and Eaton fires, which The Independent says have covered almost 36,000 acres of land over the past few days, with the flames being passed as a result of high winds.

Meanwhile, a man has been arrested in connection with arson regarding the Kenneth fire, which police say they are now investigating as a ‘crime’.

Robbie Williams

Robbie Williams’ wife Ayda Field said that she and 10 others have been evacuated from a property in LA.

The American actor, 45, said on ITV’s Loose Women that she was concerned for her mother who is due her chemotherapy treatment for cervical cancer.

“It’s chaos here – it looks like some kind of warzone and it’s just all so sad,” she said (via The Mirror). “I’ve had about ten people evacuated with me including my dad, who has potentially lost his house.

“We’re waiting to hear whether he has in fact lost everything and my mum has chemo early tomorrow too.”

Field also revealed that her husband’s LA premiere of biopic A Better Man had been cancelled. Meanwhile, the singer said in a video on social media: “Hey guys I’m sat in 90210 in Los Angeles waking up to lots of my friends’ houses disappearing.

“I’m just sending loads of love and power and strength to the firefighters right now who are doing an incredible job. Stay safe everybody and lots of love.”

Mark Owen

Mark Owen’s wife revealed the pair had been evacuated from their home (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

The wife of Take That singer Mark Owen revealed that the pair have been evacuated from their LA home.

An emotional Emma Ferguson said on Instagram: “Thank you for all your messages and checking in. I can’t quite comprehend what happened here, but we are safe. The hurricane-force winds and lack of water have meant the fire has spread catastrophically fast and taken much of our beloved area with it. Schools, homes, shops, and stables are all gone.

“We woke up to helicopters, thick black smoke, winds howling, and the uncertainty that our house would survive. I wish I had packed better. Even if I had just grabbed each of their baby shoes, it would have been something.

“So many have lost everything, pets included. And it’s nowhere near over. Three active fires are blazing around us, and there is not enough water to manage the situation. Planes are grounded due to the winds.”

She added that she wasn’t sure ‘what our next step is’, adding: “Right now, I’m just heavy and tired.”

Patsy Palmer

Patsy Palmer was in the UK filming Eastenders when the fires occurred (Karwai Tang/WireImage)

Eastenders actor Patsy Palmer, who is known for her role as Bianca Jackson, moved to LA in 2014 and was back in the UK to film the TV soap when the fires occurred.

She wrote on her Instagram: “My heart is broken. My brain is fried today looking at the devastating scenes of the fires AGAIN in my hometown. I just returned home to my home in case after the fires a couple of weeks ago and left on Saturday back to work in the UK and now this.”

The star confirmed that her family was safe, but that lots of her friends had ‘lost their homes again which is extremely traumatic’.

Cary Elwes

Cary Elwes said he was ‘grateful’ to have survived (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

The Princess Bride‘s Cary Elwes told his followers on social media: “Sadly, we did lose our home but we are grateful to have survived this truly devastating fire.

“Our hearts go out to all the families impacted by this tragic event and we also wish to extend our gratitude to all the firefighters, first responders and law enforcement who worked so tirelessly through the night and are still at it.

“We want to thank everyone for the incredible outpouring of support. It really means a great deal to us.”

Alice Evans

Alice Evans says she felt ‘helpless’ (Ferdaus Shamim/WireImage)

British-American actor Alice Evans said she has her ‘bags packed’ and that she feels ‘helpless here but praying hard’.

“My family are safe but lots of my friends have lost their homes again which is extremely traumatic. Being here so far away is really really hard.” she added.

“Please reach out if you need anything. Richard and kids are there safe and evacuated.”

You might have thought that the complaints directed towards the confectionary company would have died down after Christmas, but you were dead wrong.

Customers were ready to riot in December after a festive favourite was axed, while Cadbury’s also receive an annual bashing from Brits who notice popular flavours missing from tubs.

Now, the chocolate giant has come under fire again after shoppers realised that a major tweak had been made to multipacks of our beloved Twirls.

Cadbury’s customers aren’t a fan of the change to the Twirl multipacks (Ocado)

People in the UK could previously pick up a four-pack of the indulgent chocolatey swirls, which are wrapped in smooth Cadbury milk chocolate, for around £1.75.

However, there has been uproar online after customers realised that these bundles now only contain three bars, rather than four – even though the price remains the same.

One person took to social media to slam the ‘outrageous’ change, while another said they ‘could not believe’ they were still being sold at the same amount.

Before the multipacks were reduced by one Twirl, shoppers would get four sets of two bars.

Each Twirl weighed 34 grams, meaning the entire packet totalled up to 136 grams.

The product will be feeling a bit lighter now though, as it only contains three Twirls – which weigh 43 grams each, adding up to a total of 129 grams.

Needless to say, people are feeling a bit done over by Cadbury.

In a tweet on X, one person fumed: “Just a curious post really to flag a @CadburyUK issue. They have reduced Twirl multipack sizes from 4x2bars to 3×2 bars but still charging the same.

People have been sharing their outrage about the situation online (PAUL ELLIS/AFP via Getty Images)

“Not sure about other lines. Prices skyrocket from £1.10 to £1.75 now this, frankly outrageous.”

Another described the situation as an example of ‘shrink-flation gone too far’, saying: “The Twirl bars were already getting incrementally smaller but all of a sudden Cadbury’s have now reduced the multipack from 4 to 3-bars!

“Could not believe it. Had to find a replacement.”

Brits have also been flooding the review section on the websites of retailers to share their fury, branding the three-strong multipack a ‘rip-off’.

Mondelēz International – which have owned Cadbury since 2010 – said that the move to modify the multipacks was a result of manufacturing issues, according to The Sun.

The firm reassured customers there had only been a ‘slight reduction’ in the total weight of the product as a statement explained: “Due to manufacturing constraints that cannot be easily resolved, we’ve made the decision to move from packs containing four smaller twin-finger Cadbury Twirl bars to packs containing three full-sized twin-finger Cadbury Twirl bars.

“Whilst we appreciate that there is a slight reduction in the overall weight of our Cadbury Twirl multipacks, this move enables us to retain the twin finger proposition within our Multipacks offer, which is a defining and much-loved feature of the Cadbury Twirl brand for our consumers.

“We remain committed to providing choice to consumers, and continue to offer a variety of different pack sizes within our Cadbury multipack range.

“We have no current plans to make any similar pack changes to our remaining Cadbury 4-pack range, and are confident that our new Cadbury Twirl 3×2-pack will complement our existing range of multipacks, and offer great value to consumers through its unique twin-finger proposition.”

This comes after the 17-year-old made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the World Darts Championship earlier this month.

He breezed past Michael van Gerwen by 7-3 to pick up the Sid Waddell trophy at Alexandra Palace last Friday (3 January).

Littler burst onto the scene in January 2024 after finishing as runner-up to Luke Humphries in the PDC World Darts Championship final, at the tender age of 16.

Having thrown his first dart at 18-months-old, it seems that the sport is in his blood, picking up 11 senior PDC titles since.

Surprisingly though, the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year winner was not the only ‘Nuke’ in his family.

Prior to the coronavirus lockdown, his older brother Leon was supposedly better than him.

“My brother was actually as good as me, at one point he was better than me,” Littler told The Guardian.

“When lockdown hit, he stopped playing but he’s trying to get back into it. It’s good to see him falling back in love with the game.”

Leon said to The Sun: “Nothing’s changed Luke, and I know nothing ever will.

“He’s very down to earth and keeps his feet on the ground. He’s still the caring and devoted brother who grew up with me.”

Even after winning Sid Waddell trophy, Leon was asked by the outlet how his younger brother would celebrate the victory.

He joked: “Can’t do much with him, can you! He’s 17.

Littler made history by becoming the youngest ever winner of the World Darts Championship earlier this month (PA)

“He’ll go out, chill on his game, maybe order some food. I’ll do the celebrating for him.”

Meanwhile, the darts sensation said he watched reruns of his defeat to Humphries from 12 months ago in preparation for the final.

“No one will know this, but earlier today, I watched all of the game back against Luke and I just had the visions,” he said.

“There was a live stream on YouTube, I just thought there were only going to be highlights but they streamed the full game.

Van Gerwen, a three-time world champion, added: “Fair play to him, every chance he got, every moment he had to hurt me, he did it. I sometimes say that every 17 years a star gets born, and he is one of them.”

While that might be a dream for people, it also seems highly unlikely you’d even pass the first round of questions during an interview.

However, that’s not actually true and apparently, it’s pretty straightforward.

To prove this, Bezos once interviewed a potential Amazon employee by asking her just two questions.

Ann Hiatt applied to and was then interviewed for a role at Amazon in 2002.

I don’t know about you, but I’d be shaking in my boots if I had to be interviewed by the man himself.

So you can only imagine how terrified she felt when she ended up facing 61-year-old Bezos (happy birthday!) as part of the recruitment process.

But at least she wasn’t asked these three crazy questions. So, it could have been worse.

While she had to pass a number of smaller interviews to get to this stage, once it was Bezos’ turn to suss her out, things went quickly, as she revealed on the CNBC show CNBC Make It.

Hiatt, who was interviewing to be a Junior Assistant, made the revelation after leaving Amazon.

She said Bezos began by asking her a simple brain teaser that began with him saying: “I’ll do the math.”

“I want you to estimate the number of panes of glass in the city of Seattle,” he said.

This forced Hiatt to seriously think on her feet to come up with something that resembled an answer.

I’m not going to lie, if I’d been in her shoes, I’d have probably panicked and run out of the room.

But not Hiatt, who told Bezos that the best way to establish a number would involve taking the city’s population, and then creating a figure depending on whether they had a home, transportation, an office, and a school.

Jeff Bezos hired her on the spot (Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for The New York Times)

“So I suggested that we base the estimate on averages of those,” she said.

She then worked with Bezos and the pair ‘got down into every possible scenario, group, anomaly and ways to account for these exceptions’.

The hopeful assistant said it was thrilling to watch one of the world’s richest men come up with the figure itself.

“That looks about right,” he said afterwards.

The second question that he went on to ask her was a lot simpler, and it was one we’ve likely all been asked at some point.

“What are your career goals?” he questioned.

Hiatt explained that she wanted to work at Amazon because, in her opinion, the company was comprised of ambitious, passionate people who she wanted to learn from and emulate.

This was enough to seal the deal, and she said Bezos hired her on the spot.

Looking back on the interview process, she concluded: “He was measuring my potential by asking questions that would explore whether I had the grit, courage and motivation to run at his pace and be brave enough to consistently jump with him and level up.”

According to the website, Illicit Encounters, 18 to 20 per cent of married couples experience infidelity at some point.

You spend months or years building up something that you think is special – only for it all to come crashing down when you discover their dirty little secret.

While they might try to dismiss your fears, experts have shared that there are common things that cheaters do that can let you know that you’re on the money with your suspicions.

As the boss of a leading adult toy shop, she knows what couples do and don’t like, and she explained to The Sun what five telltale signs you need to look for in the bedroom.

She said: “Changes in how a couple has sex can be early indicators that a partner is thinking about being unfaithful.”

Less sex than usual

Of course, your partner is going to be wanting less sex from you if they are getting it elsewhere, right?

Whether they’ve lost interest in being physical with you, or they’re just plain tired from all the sneaking around, your sex life is noticeable less exciting, according to Amy.

She said: “If they constantly avoid sex with excuses about being tired or stressed, it could be a red flag.”

You may notice your sex life dwindling (Tara Moore / Getty)

More sex than usual

On the flip side, they might have more sex as a way to avoid suspicion from their other half, which might come across as overcompensating for something.

Amy said: “People know that having less sex can lead their partners to suspect they’re having an affair, so they might force more intimacy than usual to try and cover their tracks.”

It’s robotic

If your partner is going through the day-to-day motions with you and just seem like they’re having sex with you to fulfil their duty, or just so they can finish and leave you high and dry, then they might not care about your wellbeing or the relationship anymore.

Or you could be having too much (PhotoAlto/Frederic Cirou / Getty)

They pull a new move out of nowhere

If you’re being intimate and suddenly, they pull a new move that they’ve never tried or they’re suddenly interested in trying something different, it might be because they’ve been doing it with someone else.

Obviously, if they do the new move and it’s clumsy, maybe not- but if they’re a pro? It could be bad news.

Amy says: “Their other partner might have taught them something new, or they might have simply felt freer to practice something with them.

“Either way, if they’re flawlessly executing something you’ve never seen before, ask yourself when they had the opportunity to practice that.”

Sometimes you can smell the difference ( jhorrocks / Getty)

You can smell it

We all know that people have their own unique scent, and you can quickly become accustomed to it.

So, if they suddenly start to smell different and you can’t place why, it could be that another person has rubbed off (sorry) on them.

Amy said: “And of course, a hickey you didn’t give them is just a no-brainer.”

Depending on the severity of the situation, cheating can sometimes be the end for some couples, however, according to relationship experts, Dr John and Julie Gottman, it can sometimes ‘help’ it.

The popular travel destination attracts thousands annually, mostly due to its stunning views, black sand beaches and diving opportunities – as well as a near clear water sea.

It’s known by locals as Gas Mask Island, and while many choose to hike to the top of the island’s towering Mount Oyama to take it all in, there are actually parts of the island that are off-limits for residents and tourists.

Located approximately 110 miles southeast of the Japanese capital of Tokyo, Miyake-jima is a volcanic island part of the Izu Island group, which also helps to make up the Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park.

But why is the air on the island toxic?

Well firstly, not all of it is toxic: certain areas are more harmful than others and residents are only told to wear gas masks sometimes.

The reason behind it is Mount Oyama, a 759-metre high volcano that spews poisonous sulfuric gas with little warning, which causes all 3,000 of those living on the island to put gas masks on.

It’s for their health, as the last major eruption, back in September 2000, released such a large amount of volcanic gas and sulfur dioxide that the island was evacuated.

Over four years later, in February 2005, residents were allowed to return following a four-year period of volcanic emissions.

The travel YouTuber documented his visit to the island (YouTube/Josep Bautista)

It’s a bit creepy, as an alarm is sounded when the volcano lets out sulfur dioxide into the air, meaning it’s time to put your mask on.

Flights were suspended to the island until 2008 following this mass event too, as flying was deemed unsafe.

But now, tourists make their way to the island willingly, as one YouTuber, Josep Bautista, vlogged his visit to the Japanese Island.

Viewers may have noticed that he had no gas mask with him, to which he explained: “Miyake-jima is known for being ‘the toxic island’…

“People wear gas masks all the time,” he added, though clarified that he didn’t need one.

“There’s certain areas that we cannot go (to), like the whole centre of the island,” Bautista explained, before calling the area ‘wonderful’ and headed for the beach for a spot of diving.

Miyake-jima is a stunning place to visit in Japan (YouTube/Josep Bautista)

But getting to the island is no joke – ferries from Tokyo take six and a half hours, with overnight options leaving at 10:30pm and arriving at the island at 5am.

Flying is no longer banned as well, so you could always book the 50-minute air travel option from Tokyo.

Bear in mind, the volcano has erupted multiple times in the last 100 years – 1940, where eleven people were killed by lava flow, 1962, 1983, and 2000.

But what’s travelling the world without a little bit of risk?

The Hangover star, 49, made an honest admission about how he struggled to form a bond with his now-seven-year-old in the early stages of her life.

He shares his only child, Lea, with his former partner and Russian model, Irina Shayk, 38.

Shayk has previously described the actor as the ‘best father Lea and I could dream of’ – but according to Cooper, his parental instincts took a while to kick in at first.

The Hollywood heavyweight sat down to discuss his journey into fatherhood with Dax Shepard on the Armchair Expert podcast last year, and he didn’t shy away from difficult subjects.

Cooper told the comedian that he often found himself confused when parents would say they were willing to ‘die in a second for their children’.

Most people would jump in front of a bullet for their kids, no questions asked – but the A Star Is Born actor didn’t have the same feelings towards Lea initially.

“The first eight months – I don’t even know if I really love the kid,” Cooper said. “It’s dope. It’s cool. I’m watching this thing morph. That’s my experience. Fascinated by it. Loved taking care of it. But would I die if someone came in with a gun?”

“It’s only been a few months! She could be an asshole,” he joked.

Cooper then explained that ‘all of a sudden’ his feelings towards little Lea changed completely – and he realised he would do anything to protect her with ‘no question’.

The American Sniper star then opened up about the extraordinary impact his daughter has had on his life.

“I’m not sure I’d be alive if I wasn’t a dad,” he continued. “I just needed someone to say, like, ‘We’re gonna drop this massive anchor. I’m like, ‘Why? We’re speeding! I just got an upgrade on the boat, and I know where the wind’s coming in’.

“They’re like, ‘No, no, no, there’s a tsunami coming in, and you need an anchor and we’re gonna drop it’.

The actor explained that he soon realised just how much he loved his daughter (Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

Because this is gonna dictate everything you do from now on. Your DNA is going to tell you that there’s something more important than you.”

But despite it taking a while for him to adjust to his feelings about being a father, Cooper couldn’t contain his emotions when it came to his role in Maestro.

The actor starred as American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein in the 2023 biopic and became visibly upset when discussing his death in an interview in February 2024.

“He was with me, certainly, throughout the entire time. His energy has somehow found its way to me, and I really do feel like I know him.”

Whether it’s been a few years of losing on Monopoly, Uno or on a console of some sort, there’s only so much loss one person can take.

Thankfully, a game designer has the ultimate strategy which can see you win every time at Rock, Paper, Scissors against anyone.

The New Yorker called Nick Metzler posed on TikTok under his @nickmetzler1 account and showed his followers how to beat out the competition.

In a video posted last week, Metzler explained that it’s all about psychology and this determines what hand someone is going to play.

He revealed: “When people say ‘rock, paper, scissors, shoot’, they’re going to throw one of these three items.

“But how can you predict what they’re going to throw? The answer might surprise you.”

He shared that when people say things out loud, it’s going to have an impact on what option they choose.

Particularly when it comes to the first and last thing mentioned.

So, if someone says ‘rock, paper, scissors’, they’re likely to either play rock or scissors so you need to know what to choose so you can win instantly.

As for Metzler, he’s got his own favourite pick to start the game off with.

He explained that choosing rock on your first go will either make you a winner or it’ll tie you with them if they choose scissors.

If they choose paper, it’s all over and there’s nothing really you can do with that.

He said there’s only one choice to make (TikTok)

But that’s rare.

“Most people never open with paper, and that’s honestly a good thing because they learned through a good experience that if they lead with paper, they will often lose because most people do either rock or scissors,” Metzler explained.

He revealed that his strategy should work around 40 per cent of the time, so while it’s not making sure you win every time, it is enhancing your natural chances.

He said: “When scissors get thrown, about half the time, you lose with paper, so it’s actually not a great strategy to start with paper.”

Metzler added: “I usually do rock, and if I win, I will switch. If I tie, I will remain the same. If I lose [and] somebody does paper, then give them the win.

“Like, who starts with paper? How ridiculous is that?”

Commenters were quick to talk about his strategy and even introduce some of their own with one writing: “If you want to get an edge throw the same thing everytime.”

Another commented: “Now I’m going to send this to everyone I play rock paper, scissors, too, and then start with PAPER.”

Someone else said: “I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to use this in my adult life. But I’m 100% using paper every time.”

According to anthropologist Professor Gregory Forth, dozens of local people have told him that they have seen a tiny ‘ape-man’ on the remote island of Flores.

Researchers found the remains of the Homo floresiensis – an ancient species of humans – in a cave in Indonesia in 2003.

As reported by the Daily Mail, the species – which were 3ft 7in tall – went extinct 50,000 years ago and could be a relative of Homo erectus, a far more ancient human ancestor.

Forth told the outlet that the local ‘Lio’ people said they heard stories of the ‘ape men’ way before the discovery in 2003.

Anyhow, Forth has been listening closely to locals for years and has reached the conclusion that there must be some truth in what they’re saying.

Around 30 residents of the 10th largest island in Indonesia have personally told the professor that they’ve seen at least one of the mammals, which are said to be a lot hairier and ape-like than humans, roaming in the mountains.

The skull in the middle which was found at a cave site belonged to an adult who was barley a metre tall (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

“I first came across talk about things that sounded physically primitive humans when I first began research on Flores 40 years ago in 1984,” he said.

“What could explain their conviction? What they describe is uncannily similar to the reconstructions of Homo floresiensis.

“It’s a very small bodied, physically primitive member of the homo group.”

He noted that the way the locals spoke about the Homo floresiensis species was not as if they were talking about a ‘spirit’ or a ‘belief’, rather an actual sighting.

“The descriptions all had a fixed form: it varied, as you would expect from different observers, but at the same time, all the different accounts lent plausibility to this idea there might be some kind of natural species,” he continued.

Locals are convinced that they’ve witnessed the species up close (Getty Stock Images)

“Two young men from the UK, as a matter of fact, had been to Flores, mostly on a snorkeling holiday.

“And they, they climbed a mountain which I’m familiar with, and they claim they saw something that sounded very much like, very much like the ape men.”

Forth’s book, Between Ape and Human: An Anthropologist on the Trail of a Hidden Hominoid, tries to examine just why the Lio people were convinced that the tiny, ape-like creatures live among us.

But if you think that’s crazy, Flores is also home to Komodo dragons and the world’s largest rat.

I think we’re all less interested in the rat.