Regulation could put working families’ jobs on the line and imperil our supply chainGREGG Wallace may be entirely edited out of the next series of MasterChef to ensure it can be broadcast. It's been a tumultuous week for the greengrocer, 60, who quit the BBC show as he is investigated for a barrage of off-screen misconduct complaints. But Gregg completed filming the upcoming installment alongside his co-host John Torode, 59, just last month. While The Professionals spin-off continues to air, MasterChef Celebrity's Christmas specials have been canned. The Beeb has stated its future will depend on the results of an ongoing investigation. And a production insider has claimed removing Gregg from the episodes is a viable option. The source told MailOnline , "John and Gregg were always shot with separate cameras. "Any two-shots or wide angles featuring both presenters can be edited. Removing Gregg entirely is a challenging but achievable task." John has continued filming abroad, with Irish chef Anna Haugh stepping in to replace Gregg. Anna, a familiar face to the show’s audience, joined John to provide feedback to contestants in Gregg’s absence. Filming for the upcoming season concluded earlier this week. The series had been scheduled for a Spring 2025 release, but its air date is now uncertain. Despite the sudden change, production sources praised the smooth transition. Another source said, "It couldn’t have gone better given the circumstances. Anna Haugh was brilliant, and the team worked hard to keep the atmosphere calm for the amateur finalists." Editing Gregg out of pre-recorded material is not without precedent for the BBC. In past instances, individuals accused of misconduct have been removed from shows before broadcast. A contestant on RuPaul's Drag Race was removed from an entire season following accusations of inappropriate behavior. And TV presenter Jay Blades , who was charged last month with physically and emotionally abusing his wife, has not been featured in episodes of The Repair Shop that were pre-recorded. Representatives for Banijay and Gregg have been contacted for comment. Tonight, The Sun revealed John repeatedly raised concerns about Gregg's behaviour on MasterChef — but no action was taken. The chef was unhappy about some of Wallace’s on-set language and was aware of his bullish reputation, pals say. The Aussie is understood to have spoken to officials at production firm Banijay about his co-host. He and actress wife Lisa Faulkner are now keen to publicly distance themselves from the scandal, viewing it as a PR disaster. Last night, a source said: “John is not stupid — of course, he was aware of some of Gregg’s less savoury behaviour . He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it. He does not have a machismo sense of humour and when he made that comment about the pair of them not being friends in real life , he knew what he was doing. “It was his way of distancing himself when attempts to do it otherwise failed. “He repeatedly flagged his behaviour and poor-taste remarks to execs on set and made clear he wasn’t happy. It was never a formal complaint, rather a series of spoken concerns raised. “He does not know whether any formal record was ever made but the sense he got was that bosses needed to protect the MasterChef brand at all costs and that meant turning a blind eye. “He and Lisa are mortified with the fall-out, and are considering hiring a PR to help handle the situation and extract themselves as quickly as possible.” Wallace is accused of making sexual remarks to staff and guests across multiple programmes over 17 years, as well as allegations of groping colleagues and contestants . He denies any behaviour of a sexually harassing nature and has stepped back from MasterChef while Banijay UK investigates. This week, John wrote on Instagram: “I love my job, and I love MasterChef. I love being part of it and will continue to be part of it. “The thought of anyone who has appeared on our show not having a brilliant experience is awful to hear and I have found the recent Press reports truly upsetting. John is not stupid — of course, he was aware of some of Gregg’s less savoury behaviour. He did not condone it, and nor did he engage with it “But as I hope everyone appreciates, there is an investigation under way, which I fully support, so I cannot make any further comment at this stage, and I hope that you all understand and respect my silence on the matter moving forward.” His wife Lisa, 52, whom he met on Celebrity MasterChef in 2010, reposted his message. They and Wallace, 60, no longer follow each other on Instagram — a move the Londoner prompted as he is reportedly devastated that his co-presenter did not back him. John was best man at his co-host’s fourth wedding in 2016. But in an interview the following year, he said pair “weren’t really friends” — which Wallace later claimed earned him a “telling off” from BBC bosses. A spokesperson for John, who has presented MasterChef with Wallace since 2005, did not respond to requests for comment. Gregg Wallace has been a familiar face on TV for years now thanks to his role as a judge on MasterChef - but let's take a closer look at his career so far...ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — Jojo Uga's 2-yard touchdown run capped a 24-point fourth quarter and Albany beat Hampton 41-34 on Saturday in a season finale. Jack Iuliano recovered a fumble by Malcom May at the Hampton 24, and though it took 10 plays, Uga went in for the touchdown and the game's final lead. Malcolm Mays scored on a 25-yard run for Hampton (5-7, 2-6 Coastal Athletic Association) but the PAT was blocked and Kevon Angry ran it back for Albany (4-8, 2-6), leaving Hampton with a 34-27 lead with 10 minutes remaining. Alex Jreige's 53-yard run then tied the game. Hampton led 28-0 before Van Weber threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Carter Moses with a couple minutes left in the first half. Albany added 10 points in the third quarter, including Jackson Parker's 38-yard touchdown catch. Nick Totten's pick-6 early in the fourth quarter got the Great Danes within 28-25. Weber threw for 184 yards with two scores and an interception. Jreige rushed for 110 yards. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football . Sign up for the AP’s college football newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25
New coach Chris Holtmann has been tasked with rebuilding DePaul to the point where it can return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004. Northern Illinois coach Rashon Burno knows what it takes to steer DePaul to the NCAAs because he was the starting point guard on the 2000 team that made the tournament -- the Blue Demons' only other NCAA appearance since 1992. Perhaps they can compare notes Saturday afternoon when Burno leads the Huskies (2-3) back to his alma mater as DePaul (5-0) hosts its sixth straight home game in Chicago. Last season, Burno's NIU squad helped accelerate DePaul's need for a new coach -- as the Huskies waltzed into Wintrust Arena and owned Tony Stubblefield's Blue Demons by an 89-79 score on Nov. 25. The Huskies built a 24-point second-half lead before coasting to the finish line. Can history repeat for NIU? There's just one problem with using last year's game as a potential barometer for Saturday's rematch: Almost no players on this year's teams were part of last year's squads. At DePaul, only assistant coach Paris Parham remains as Holtmann had the green light to bring in an all-new roster. UIC graduate transfer Isaiah Rivera (16.0 ppg, .485 3-point rate) and Coastal Carolina transfer Jacob Meyer (15.4 ppg, .406 on 3s) lead a balanced attack that focuses on getting half its shots from beyond the arc. At NIU, Burno retained only two players who competed against DePaul last year -- Ethan Butler and Oluwasegun Durosinmi -- and they combined for three points in 26 minutes in that game. The Huskies' main players used the transfer portal to join such programs as Kansas, Wisconsin, Penn State, Colorado State, James Madison, Georgia State and Niagara. With every starting job open, Butler has jumped into the lineup and produced 11.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals per game. Transfers Quentin Jones (Cal Poly) and James Dent (Western Illinois) pace the Huskies with 14.4 and 14.0 points per game. NIU is on a two-game losing streak, most recently a 75-48 home defeat at the hands of Elon on Wednesday. Holtmann hopes to have Arkansas transfer Layden Blocker for Saturday's game. Blocker missed Tuesday's 78-69 win over Eastern Illinois with a quad injury. With the combo guard unavailable, point guard Conor Enright handed out a career-high 11 assists in a season-high 38 minutes. "We need (Blocker)," Holtmann said. "I don't want to play Conor 38 minutes." --Field Level MediaThe shift from the "lying flat" era for savings to a more proactive approach to personal finance is becoming increasingly necessary. Individuals are realizing that relying solely on passive income streams is no longer a viable long-term solution. Instead, they are exploring alternative sources of income, such as freelance work, entrepreneurship, and upskilling to adapt to changing economic landscapes. The traditional notion of saving for retirement is also being reevaluated, with more emphasis placed on creating multiple streams of active income to ensure financial security in the future.Nicaragua tortured at least 229 political prisoners, rights group says
TEHRAN-The Playwright’s Night ceremony, held at the Shahnaz Hall of the Iranian Artists Forum, celebrated the contributions of iconic Iranian playwrights. The event also marked the birthday of Bahram Beyzai and commemorated the anniversary of Akbar Radi’s passing, two giants of Iranian drama. During the session, a segment of Bahram Beyzai’s 2019 play “Dash Akol: As Narrated by Marjan” was read by Afshin Hashemi. Beyzai, 85, is an Iranian playwright, theatre director, screenwriter, film editor, and master of Persian letters, arts, and Iranian studies. Before the outset of his cinematic career in 1970, he was a leading playwright (as well as theater historian), so much so that he is often considered the greatest playwright of the Persian language. In 1968, Beyzai was one of the nine founders of the Iranian Writers' Guild, a highly controversial organization in the face of censorship. In 1969, he was invited to teach at the Theater Department of the College of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. He chaired this department from 1972 to 1979. With his readership, many prominent authors and artists started teaching at the department and created the most fruitful period in the history of that department. Some of his plays, such as his masterpiece “Death of Yazdgerd,” have been translated into numerous languages and performed worldwide. “Death of Yazdgerd” has been performed in Iran, France, England, India, and the U.S., among other countries, and was made into a film of the same name by Beyzai in 1981. Moreover, in memory of Akbar Radi (1939-2007), excerpts from his play “Slowly with the Red Rose” were staged. Radi completed his studies in social sciences at the University of Tehran. The playwright’s works have been compared with those of Anton Chekhov and Henrik Ibsen. A part of the ceremony was dedicated to honoring playwright and translator Andranik Khechumyan. Colleagues and collaborators praised his dedication to the craft. Khechumyan’s name is synonymous with groundbreaking theatrical work in Iran. He is often referred to as a bridge between the Armenian and Iranian theatrical traditions. Behzad Sedighi, the former chairman of the Playwrights' Association, was another honoree in this event. Rahim Rashidi Tabar, Hadi Hoori, Hamid Dashti, Shokoufeh Arvin, Maryam Yasinzadeh, and Reza Ashofteh were also recognized as other collaborators of the Playwrights' Association. Writers Hossein Kiani and Nader Borhani Marand were honored at the ceremony as well. The final part of the program was dedicated to awarding the special medal of the Playwrights' Association to master writer Khosrow Hakim Rabat. SS/The Pittsburgh Steelers have a defense in disarray, with their depth depleted by injuries, communication issues causing coverage problems and back-to-back losses marred by missed tackles. The timing couldn’t be worse for the Steelers (10-5) to draw the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs (14-1), who boast not only the best record in the NFL but an offense led by two-time MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes. For the Steelers, the communication breakdowns are the newest concern. “You’re always working to fix some problems because you always have problems,” Steelers defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “This just showed up last week, so we have to get it fixed.” With a short turnaround between their loss Saturday at Baltimore and the Christmas Day contest with the Chiefs at Acrisure Stadium — their third game in a brutal 11-day stretch — the Steelers are seeking a quick fix. If not, they’re well aware they could face a familiar consequence. “The same end result that we keep getting if we keep doing the same thing,” Steelers inside linebacker Patrick Queen said. “It’s that simple.” The Steelers know that the same thing troubling them — trust and communication issues — is what Kansas City can count on, given how Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce have thrived in Chiefs coach Andy Reid’s West Coast offense on their way to three Super Bowl titles. Mahomes continues to make magic, as the Chiefs have had a dozen games decided by single digits this season. And Kelce remains his favorite target, leading the team with 89 receptions for 739 yards. “You really feel that continuity when you watch it on their side of the ball,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I think it’s more displayed in Mahomes’ extension than anywhere else. When he extends plays and utilizes his talents, his mobility, his arm talent, his ability to deliver the ball from a variety of angles, his field vision and all of that, it comes together in the form of splash plays. But I think it’s just borne out of that continuity. “You talk about a guy who’s in complete command of his offense and knows where all his eligibles are and consistently displays that, and that allows them to extend and move around and make the plays that he makes. But he also has good nonverbal communication with central targets like Kelce. They’re always on the same page on these play extensions in terms of finding open space and creating big plays without the potential for negativity for them.” The Steelers, by contrast, spent Monday stressing fundamentals and talking about trusting their teammates after blown assignments factored into two Ravens touchdowns. One involved a miscommunication between Queen and free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. “We’ve got the guys here to be great,” Queen said. “There’s playmakers at every position all over the field. If we can communicate, we should be fine.” Defensive captain Cameron Heyward preached accountability, blaming the missed tackles on players “trying to do too much,” in some part as an effort to make up for missing four starters. The Steelers were without defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (groin), strong safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and cornerback Donte Jackson (back) before losing top cover corner Joey Porter Jr. (knee) to injury in the first quarter at Baltimore. That forced backups Dean Lowry, Damontae Kazee and James Pierre into starting roles and Cory Trice Jr. into a prominent role after being out since Week 3. “If you’re in the vicinity of where you need to be, there’s less chance for that error,” Heyward said. “We’ve got to clean that up. We’ve got to get back to playing our ball. I’m looking forward to doing that. ... We’ve got to rely on what we got into: It’s your fundamentals, it’s your technique, it’s your execution of plays. It’s a mixture of all of that and remembering that if one guy does his job, then we can rely on everybody doing his job.” While the Steelers know Mahomes isn’t putting up MVP-caliber numbers this season — a 67% completion percentage, 91.3 passer rating and 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions — they still marvel at his remarkable ability to extend plays and superior improvisational skills. For that reason, Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson believes that it’s on the offense to match Mahomes as much as it is the defense to contain him and a Chiefs offense that is averaging 23.7 points a game, just a fraction better than the Steelers’ 23.5. “You understand that you know when he’s going to make plays, we have to make them, too,” Wilson said. “We’ve got to find ways to make them and do different things. I’m excited about who we are. It’s not just one versus one, though. It’s 11 versus 11. That’s the great part about this game. That’s part that I love more than anything else, and we have to respond great in all three phases. “They’re great in all three phases. We are, too, when we’re on our stuff, and so we’re excited about that opportunity to do that in front of our fans.”
On the other hand, Manchester United has also expressed interest in signing the Dutch defender. With defensive issues plaguing the English club in recent seasons, Manchester United sees him as the missing piece to solidify their defense and mount a serious challenge for domestic and European titles. The prospect of playing in the Premier League and under the guidance of a world-class manager is an enticing proposition for the Dutch defender.
For Rashford himself, a move away from United could represent a fresh start and an opportunity to reignite his career at a new club. Despite his struggles in recent times, the England international remains a highly-regarded talent and has the potential to thrive in a new environment.DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 05, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DKbitex , proudly headquartered in Dubai, has emerged as a trailblazer in the Middle East's cryptocurrency landscape. As the first advanced cryptocurrency exchange rooted in the region, DKbitex is revolutionizing the way people in the Middle East access and invest in digital assets. With a mission to empower the Middle Eastern community, DKbitex provides a seamless, secure, and innovative trading experience. DKbitex: Pioneering a New Chapter for Middle Eastern Crypto DKbitex's launch comes at a pivotal moment for the cryptocurrency market. After weathering a challenging "crypto winter," the industry has entered a bullish phase fueled by Bitcoin's halving and its milestone breakthrough of $90,000. This resurgence has reignited global interest in digital assets, and DKbitex is positioned to lead the charge in the Middle East, offering a gateway for Saudi Arabia and neighboring nations to participate in this dynamic economy. Historically, the Middle East's economic identity has been linked to oil wealth, with cryptocurrencies gaining limited traction. However, the region's vast economic potential and rapid diversification make it ripe for digital transformation. DKbitex serves as the region's forerunner, ensuring that its communities can invest and thrive in the digital economy without being left behind. Key Features of DKbitex DKbitex is more than a trading platform-it's a movement aimed at integrating the Middle East into the global cryptocurrency ecosystem. By providing a reliable, locally-rooted exchange, DKbitex is empowering communities to invest, trade, and build wealth in a secure and innovative environment. The exchange's vision extends beyond just trading. It aspires to be a catalyst for economic inclusion, aligning with Dubai's ambition to be a global leader in blockchain technology and cryptocurrency adoption. Exciting Developments Ahead After over half a year of rigorous planning and preparation, DKbitex is set to unveil a series of exciting updates. From expanding its list of tradable assets to launching new features and services, DKbitex is committed to meeting the evolving needs of its users. These updates underscore its dedication to innovation and excellence in the cryptocurrency space. Industry Optimism Around DKbitex Crypto experts are optimistic about DKbitex's potential to reshape the region's digital economy. "DKbitex is not just the first advanced cryptocurrency exchange in Dubai; it's a bold step towards democratizing access to digital assets in the Middle East," noted a leading blockchain analyst. "Its strong focus on user experience, security, and innovation makes it a platform to watch." A New Era of Cryptocurrency Investment in the Middle East DKbitex represents a landmark moment in the Middle East's financial evolution. As Bitcoin's rise continues to fuel global interest, DKbitex offers the tools and infrastructure needed to harness this momentum. With a commitment to empowering the region and keeping pace with global trends, DKbitex is set to become a cornerstone of the Middle Eastern cryptocurrency market. Media Contact: Company Name: DKbitex Contact Person's Name: Sarah Malik Email: [email protected] Website: https://dkbitex.io/ Disclaimer: This content is provided by sponsor. The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the content provider. The information provided in this press release is not a solicitation for investment, nor is it intended as investment advice, financial advice, or trading advice. It is strongly recommended you practice due diligence, including consultation with a professional financial advisor, before investing in or trading cryptocurrency and securities. Please conduct your own research and invest at your own risk. A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/5099bb33-7375-4b77-b1f9-f2e04e6c9787
Rumors quickly spread throughout the community, with many speculating that the student had intentionally set fire to the car out of anger and frustration over failing the driving test. However, the driving school was quick to clarify the situation, stating that the car in question was an old vehicle that was due to be scrapped due to its age and frequent mechanical issues.Republicans who oppose Trump plan their next move after the electionAs Nantong Development Zone continues to celebrate its 40th anniversary, the spotlight is now shining brightly on the rapid growth and innovation within the realm of cross-border e-commerce. In a world where digital transactions have become the new norm, this sector has emerged as a key player in driving economic development and fostering international cooperation. Despite being a latecomer in the game, Nantong Development Zone has quickly positioned itself as a frontrunner in the realm of cross-border e-commerce, showcasing how timing and adaptability can lead to success.
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