Ruth Langsford, the host of Loose Women, has made a major decision for when the time comes for her to divorce her husband Eamonn Homes.
Ruth Langsford has made a bold decision following her split from Eamonn Holmes(Image: Getty Images)
Ruth Langsford has told friends she won’t start dating again until her divorce from Eamonn Holmes is finalised – but is desperate for her freedom, a source tells New. The pair were married for 14 years before announcing their shock split last year.
Our source says that despite 65-year-old Eamonn moving on with Katie Alexander, who is 22 years his junior, Loose Women panellist Ruth is not ready for a new relationship and “just wants out” of her marriage.
Continue reading the article.
“She’s still wearing her wedding ring because she’s coming to terms with a long relationship ending, and realising Eamonn maybe wasn’t the person she thought he was,” our source claimed. “And she’s also coming to terms with life being very, very different for her going forward.
Ruth has enjoyed a little flirtatious fun with her girlfriends and has been having fun with them. She needs her freedom and the full closure of the Eamonn chapter before she can pursue a romantic relationship.
“She really isn’t dating, it’s the last thing she wants to do,” our source continued. “She just wants to get the divorce over and done with. Her friends would love to see her happy with someone else, but she needs to get the divorce over with first before she can properly move on.”
Eamonn and Ruth announced their shock split last year(Image: Getty Images)
The former This Morning power couple, who have a son, Jack, 22, released a rather blunt statement last May, which said: “Ruth Langsford and Eamonn Holmes have confirmed their marriage is over and they are in the process of divorcing,” but didn’t elaborate on what prompted the decision.
However, a source claimed last week that Ruth, 65, was “totally horrified” when she learned that Eamonn and her husband, who were still married and live together in their London home, had been “sharing intimate chats with another woman.”
The source also told The Sun On Sunday that Ruth went on to find incriminating messages on her husband’s personal laptop. The source claimed they were “the straw that broke the camel’s back” and prompted the break-up a short time later.
Before they stepped out together at a major awards party two months later, Eamonn was spotted with relationship counselor Katie and they were seen boarding a Mediterranean cruise in September. Some thought their union was a soft start.
However, since the split, Ruth hasn’t had any romantic relationships. According to our source, it’s because she needs to start fresh off Eamonn completely.
They both expressed concern for the divorce to go smoothly and quickly because they have been dating for a while and have a lot of money to work out. Ruth simply desires a fair split and a disposing of it. She simply wants to leave.
A follower on Ruth’s social media page who had questioned why she was still wearing her wedding ring responded with a response last year.
Ruth has continued to wear her wedding ring(Image: Getty Images)
A fan asked, “Why has she still got her wedding rings on?,” after she posted a video of herself making a green smoothie. Ruth responded, “Because I’m still married,” to which Ruth responded.
The couple, who co-hosted This Morning from 1997 until 2020, first started dating. Eamonn’s first wife Gabrielle, with whom he has three children, had already split up at that time.
Their son, Jack, was born in 2002, and they got married in June 2010, a few months after Eamonn made the proposal. Given how much history they share, Ruth recently acknowledged that she was still accepting what had happened.
She told Woman &, Home, “I’m not thrilled my marriage is over, but I’ve accepted that my marriage is over.” “I’m trying to accept that I’m single and have the freedom to make decisions about myself,” she said.
Judging by Ruth’s socials, she has certainly been making the most of her me-time. Last month, Ruth celebrated her 65th birthday with two girlfriends at a swanky all-inclusive resort on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
Ruth captioned a collection of holiday photos with her pals, including Lucy Alexander, the host of A Place In the Sun, as “sun, sea, sand, many cocktails, and laughing until we cried!” perfect . Amazing accommodations, stunning beaches, fantastic restaurants, a spa, and no children, as I love them all! “!
Continue reading the article.
However, according to our source, a new man won’t be on Ruth’s horizon until the divorce papers are dry.
READ MORE: Emma Sleep’s foam pillow in spring sale for under £50 and shoppers say it’s a ‘game-changer’
I’m confident going up against Mohamed Salah as the captain for the first time in a while in the Fantasy Premier League gameweek.
That might seem daft to say if you look at the Egyptian’s past seven scores – 16, 13, 8, 12, 14, 6, 15.
He has been quiet in those games and will now face a Merseyside derby, which has the potential to turn into a tight game, despite having only scored in one of his previous five games in all competitions.
Leicester City face Manchester City in a fierce match, and with Erling Haaland almost certainly absent, Omar Marmoush has a great chance to score a goal.
If Haaland, who had his ankle in a protective boot during City’s FA Cup win at Bournemouth, was fit, it would be a little easier to make a decision.
In this game, nine out of ten FPL players would have led Haaland over Salah in a matchup six months ago.
Marmoush scored 15 goals in 17 Bundesliga games this season, and he has already scored four in seven league games for City.
What was the team’s performance last week?
A scorching 75 points in a sluggish gameweek were contributed by Haaland and Bryan Mbeumo, but captain Bruno Fernandes (34 points), Diogo Dalot (11), and other contributions from Diogo Dalot (11).
FPL team of the week for Gameweek 30
Protector and defense
David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £5.5m – Fulham (h)
Arsenal has the second-most clean sheets this season, with 11 clean sheets coming from Raya, who has four in his previous seven. This game is one of the chances of clean sheets coming out this week.
Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol, £6 million- Leicester City (h)
City may struggle to maintain a clean sheet this year, but they must do so when facing a Leicester side that has only scored once in their last 14 games.
That’s awful from Foxes, and Gvardiol could score with a goal and score you a 15-pointer.
Manchester City’s Ruben Dias, £5.4 million– Leicester City (h)
Due to the reasons cited above, Manchester City should defend twice this week. Dias appears to be the first choice after his first three league starts.
Dias seems to be City’s best option if we’re looking for a cheeky attacking return with a chance to keep up a clean sheet.
No, he hasn’t scored in the league in two years! However, he made seven attacking returns in 2021-22. Every drought has its end at a certain point.
Everton (h) – Jarell Quansah, Liverpool, £3.9 million
A major bargain is $3.9 million for a piece of defense that has kept the most spotless this season.
Liverpool face Everton at home, but the Derby game can go either way. They should outsmart their rivals, expect to win, and should dominate.
Milos Kerkez, Bournemouth, Ipswich (h) for £5.2 million
In his last three games, the Hungarian is currently rolling with assists. There were no clean sheets at the time, but if he can combine them, he’ll be alarmed.
Midfielders
Getty Images
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, £13.7m – Everton (h)
This week, Salah is out of armband. If you decide to bet against him and follow my advice, you’re just hoping he has a “quiet” game, which for him would mean just one goal or perhaps even one assist.
Ipswich (h) Justin Kluivert, Bournemouth, £6.3 million
Although they appear to be excellent at using Bournemouth attacking assets, they have recently fallen behind.
Additionally, Andoni Iraola’s rotational roster, which includes their FA Cup match against Manchester City on Sunday, makes this game feel prime for at least a few players.
Every Bournemouth player is therefore a slightly risky pick, but I’m betting on Kluivert with his form and penalties.
Ismaila Sarr, Southampton, £5.6 million (a)
With Jean-Philippe Mateta likely to start back up front, Palace will look forward to a respectable victory over Saints, who has 26 points in his previous two games.
Sarr, a midfielder for Senegal, has scored 43 shots this season, compared to his teammate’s 83, but more than half (24) have been on target, which is the most by any Palace player.
Only Salah and Cole Palmer have created more outstanding midfield chances.
Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku, $5.7 million, Tottenham (h)
Nkunku is revealing aspects of the offer that many FPL players had in mind.
Only Palmer has allowed more shots in the Chelsea box than Nkunku in the previous four games.
This video is not playable.
JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to play this video.
Strikers
Manchester City’s Omar Marmoush (captain), £7.3 million- Leicester (h)
Marmoush has four goals from six shots on target, four shots in the box, and two big chances since making his league debut in Gameweek 23.
You must consider three more factors, besides the fact that those underlying statistics are effective but not particularly impressive.
1 – Opportunity – He’s certain to be playing front-row for City in a game where they could win lots of points (and he’s very affordable).
2 – Watchs his hat-trick against Newcastle if he passes the eye test. The finishing by Marmoush is outstanding.
3 – Leicester City – Beto (week 24, 13 points), Mikel Merino (week 25, 13 points), Bryan Mbeumo (week 26, 14 points), Bruno Fernandes (week 29, 17 points). In recent weeks, these are all forward players who have faced Leicester. The next might be Marsmoush.
Brighton’s Joao Pedro, Aston Villa, $5.6 million (h)
With only four clean sheets this season, Villa are facing, on penalties, in form (three goals in four), at home, and in good form.
Subs bench
Jose Sa, Wolves, keeper, £4.4m – West Ham (h)
Liverpool striker Cody Gakpo, £7.4 million-Henderson (h)
Bournemouth midfielder Antoine Semenyo, £5.7 million transfer to Ipswich (h)
Southampton, £4.4 million defender Chris Richards (a)
Awoniyi might have a great chance to fill the central striker’s position for the Champions League-chasing team, according to Forest manager Nuno Espirito Santo, who says Chris Wood’s injury is “not good.”
The Nigerian has previously excelled in the FPL, scoring once in six straight games, but it is actually Wood’s injury and form that have kept him out of the side.
What team should I use?
Brighton and Brighton vs. Crystal Palace (a), and Newcastle and Manchester City (b) in double gameweek.
After two solid games, a double-celebrity could lead to a potential double for Palace in Gameweek 33.
With a stellar Miami Open victory, youngster Jakub Mensik denied Novak Djokovic’s 100th ATP singles title to his former idol.
On a gloomy, humid night, the 19-year-old Czech won his first ATP Tour title over Serbia’s Djokovic 7-6 (7-4) 7-6 (7-4) on a sticky, humid night.
Djokovic, a 24-time Grand Slam champion, had been competing to become the third person to have won 100 singles titles during the Open era.
The 37-year-old will continue to wait after losing to Mensik, who was just 10 months old when Djokovic won his first championship in 2006.
Mensik is a new rising star in the men’s game, and his powerful serve and backhand have helped him rank among the top 50 players worldwide.
Mensik said in his winning speech that Djokovic was “the reason I am here,” and that he had invited him to practice with him after the 2022 Australian Open when he was still a junior.
Mensik also expressed gratitude to his physiotherapist for treating him for a knee condition that almost caused him to withdraw in Miami’s first round.
Mensik said, “I was holding the paper to withdraw from the tournament an hour before my first match here.”
“It was just lucky that the referee had lunch,” I said.
I arrived for the treatment, I said. He performed a miracle, and I am now standing in this place as a result.
At the conclusion of the match, fourth seed Djokovic warmly thanked Mensik and said, “It hurts me to admit it, but you were better.”
Mensik, who reached the Qatar Open final in February 2024, saw a slight rise in his career.
In Miami, he successfully handled the pressure of the competition, defeating three of his top ten rivals, Djokovic, Jack Draper, and Taylor Fritz, to claim the biggest title of his career.
Mensik adjusted more quickly than Djokovic after a five and a half hour rain delay before the final.
When he ran out of time, he broke Djokovic, and his first serve burst with a 4-1 lead.
Djokovic, in contrast, had a difficult start. He fell twice, was unable to use sawdust to protect his racquet from the humidity, and needed eye drops after experiencing swelling in his right eye.
His serve improved as the set progressed, and Mensik eventually received the break for his backhand slice, which was particularly troubling.
Djokovic made a poor start to the match, even though he saved two set points before Mensik smashed his way into the opener, which seemed inevitable.
The encounter took place in a similar fashion to the previous one, which took place in Shanghai last year, when Mensik won the first set on a breaker before going out in the second set.
However, he maintained the intensity this time. Mensik didn’t have a break point in the second set as the heat and humidity started to weigh him.
Djokovic could only watch as Mensik sent three excellent serves past him in a tie-break before the Serb whacked his thigh with his racquet after dropping the opening point in it while he was sneezing heavily and wiping his face on a towel between each point.
If the argument were condensed, Djokovic won. However, Mensik persevered throughout the lengthy rallies, sending Djokovic flying around the court and ultimately clinching three match points.
Djokovic made a superb return to the baseline during the second one, but Mensik put together a fitting conclusion by serving the third serve wide.
He will now rank 24th in the world after his career-high.
Kulim, Malaysia – When tech giant AT&, S made the decision to increase production a few years ago to keep up with the growth of artificial intelligence (AI)), it did not look to China for its largest manufacturing facilities.
The Austrian firm’s plants in Chongqing and Shanghai – opened in 2022 and 2016, respectively – employ some 9, 000 workers between them, churning out high-end components used in everything from consumer electronics to cars.
However, AT&S was also learning about the potential benefits of concentrating production in one nation.
Like many tech firms grappling with the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic and the trade war salvoes between the United States and China, AT&, S decided it needed to diversify its supply chains.
Malaysia quickly risen to the top of the list of potential locations for the business’s newest plant.
A little more than two years after breaking ground, AT&, S opened its newest production facility in Kulim, in Malaysia’s Kedah state, in January 2024.
On February 25, 2025, John Power/Al Jazeera visited AT&, S’s production facility in Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Malaysia.
The plant, AT&, S’s first in Southeast Asia, produces substrates – critical components that act as an intermediary layer between the chips and circuit boards used in AI systems and other advanced electronics.
The 1,7 billion euro ($1,8 billion) facility, AT&’s largest investment ever, will have about 6, 000 workers working there when it will be operational when it is at its peak.
“It’s part of the China Plus One strategy”, Suan See Yap, AT&, S senior vice president and managing director, told Al Jazeera, referring to the efforts of many companies to diversify production outside China.
According to Yap, “the need for more capacity and also having a footprint outside China drives the choice.”
AT&, S’s Malaysian facility is located at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, an industrial park which is a stone’s throw away from the neighbouring state of Penang, home to a free-trade zone that earned the moniker “Silicon Valley of the East” after emerging as a semiconductor hub during the 1970s.
The US company AMD, one of the main buyers of AT&, S’s substrates, is one of the chip manufacturers with a manufacturing base in Penang.
“Our customers are located here, so it’s a very strategic location, and there are 4, 000 SMEs around this area as well”, Yap said, referring to small and medium enterprises.
The supply chain is thus very well supported.
Malaysia’s geopolitical position also factored into the company’s thinking.
Our government tries to be impartial, and Yap remarked, “We want to be friends with all the nations.”
“This is a personal view, but I think we want to become the United Nations of semiconductors. We want to operate in a world where politics and, you know, geopolitical influences are exempt.
Suan See Yap, AT&, S senior vice president and managing director, stands outside the company’s plant at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, in Kulim, Malaysia, on February 25, 2025]John Power/Al Jazeera]
Numerous tech companies are betting on Malaysia, drawn from a variety of factors, including the country’s strategic location, established chip industry, well-developed infrastructure, and neutral stance in the Washington-Beijing conflict.
After grappling with political instability and corruption scandals in recent years, Malaysia hopes that positioning itself as a leading AI hub will transform its economy, cementing its rise from middle-income to developed status.
Anwar Ibrahim, the Malaysian prime minister, has emphasized the need to embrace every aspect of the AI economy, starting with the manufacturing of chips and setting up the data centers for training and operating models like ChatGPT.
Anwar, 77, has placed particular emphasis on the potential of AI to raise labour productivity and wages for workers, nearly one-third of whom earn less than 2, 000 ringgit ($450) a month.
Anwar Ibrahim, the prime minister of Malaysia, addresses the Turkiye-Malaysia Business Forum on February 11, 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Among other initiatives, the veteran opposition figure-turned-leader has overseen the launch of an ambitious national semiconductor strategy and a dedicated AI office.
Additionally, he has made investment from abroad a top priority.
Since taking office as the head of a multi-party unity government in 2022, Anwar has visited more than 30 countries to court investors and promote the country.
He has repeatedly stated at home and abroad that Malaysia intends to remain “fervently neutral” and does not want to take sides in the US-China conflict.
Last year, Malaysia approved $38.5bn in foreign investment, a 15 percent rise from the previous year’s amount and the biggest haul on record.
The wider economy, which has grown steadily since the COVID-19 pandemic ended, appears to be already seeing the benefits of the influx.
Gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 5.1 percent in 2024, outpacing regional peers such as Thailand and Indonesia.
The World Bank projects that Malaysia could surpass its 2030 goal by achieving its goal of becoming a high-income nation by 2030. Malaysia’s GNI per capita stood at $11, 710 in 2023, the most recent year for which data is available, putting it roughly on par with Turkiye and Mexico.
Plans by Amazon, Google, ByteDance, and Microsoft to set up a number of new data centers in the nation have contributed a significant portion of the foreign investment windfall.
Construction workers stand outside a data centre under construction in Sedenak Tech Park in Johor state of Malaysia, on September 27, 2024]Vincent Thian/AP]
Once finished, the facilities are expected to support AI and cloud services used for everything from medical services to ride-hailing to online banking, as well as complying with local laws requiring the storage of sensitive data held by government agencies within the nation.
Microsoft, which plans to launch three data centres in greater Kuala Lumpur this year, has estimated that its facilities alone will generate some $10.9bn in new revenues and more than 37, 500 jobs over the next four years.
At the Microsoft office in Kuala Lumpur, Andrew Lau, director of strategic programs for Microsoft in Malaysia, stated to Al Jazeera that “part of our mission is to ensure we increase the adoption of AI as quickly as possible through Microsoft Cloud.”
“Especially here in Malaysia, because the networking is very strong – in the sense that we have good cables, we have good 5G as well – the capability to deliver the computate power to the public and to every person is a lot faster”, Lau said.
Which means that there will be a rapid adoption of AI in Malaysia using the cloud, he added.
“In fact, we’re seeing that already… 84 percent of Malaysians are actually bringing AI to work already”.
Upscaling Malaysia’s long-established chip industry is a crucial component of its strategy to ride the AI boom.
While Malaysia already ranks as the world’s sixth-largest semiconductor exporter, playing host to major players such as Intel, Infineon, GlobalFoundries, the local industry has been largely focused on “backend” services, such as chip assembly, packaging and testing.
Taiwan, South Korea, and the US have dominated both high-end manufacturing and design, making it more difficult and lucrative.
Under the National Semiconductor Strategy unveiled last year, Anwar’s government has allocated more than 25 billion ringgit ($5.6bn) to invest in high-value-added front-end activities over the next decade.
From establishing at least 10 Malaysian firms with a focus on design and advanced packaging that generate revenues of 1 billion to 4 billion ringgit (roughly $225 million to $1 billion), to training 60, 000 highly skilled engineers, the blueprint includes a set of ambitious goals for moving up the value chain.
Semiconductor chips displayed during an event to mark the $250m deal between the Malaysian government and Arm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 5, 2025]Hasnoor Hussain/Reuters]
Officials earlier this month revealed a first-of-its-kind partnership with Arm, a United Kingdom-based chip maker owned by Japan’s SoftBank, in an announcement that the government has hailed as a crucial step toward Malaysia becoming a hub for advanced production.
Under the agreement, Malaysia will pay the firm $250m over a decade to share its semiconductor-related licences, technology and know-how.
“Through this comprehensive partnership with Arm, we have developed one of the most ambitious technological plans Malaysia has ever seen to pioneer “made by Malaysia’s AI chips,” Anwar said at the start of the partnership.
“These chips will be designed, manufactured, tested and assembled here, and sold to the rest of the world”.
Industry figures believe Malaysia has a lot of potential to expand on its traditional strengths, even though it ultimately wants to enter the world of high-end manufacturing.
Malaysia is particularly well positioned to take advantage of the growing importance of advanced packaging, which involves the integration of multiple chips into a single casing for greater performance and functionality, said David Lacey, the president of the Free Industrial Zone, Penang Companies ‘ Association.
Multiple chips being packaged together could potentially have a similar functionality, Lacey said, making them more readily available for consumption in products like electric cars and health watches.
“So, the value-add of the packaging, or the value-proportion of the packaging, is rising up. According to Lacey, who is currently Osram Opto Semiconductors’ director of research and innovation, “it’s going from 10% to 30% or 40% of the value-add.”
“The balance of power, the product definition, is moving towards a package”, Lacey said.
Malaysia is also well-positioned to take advantage of this, again. So, you’ve got 50 years of packaging experience. And as a result, the electronics supply chain becomes significantly more valuable.
US President Donald Trump speaks as CC Wei, chairman and CEO of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick listen in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, DC, the US, on March 3, 2025]Pool via AP]
Yet, government officials and industry figures are acutely aware of the dangers looming ahead.
While the US-China rivalry benefitted Malaysia by spurring firms to diversify their supply chains, protectionist winds are now casting uncertainty over its tech ambitions.
Following an earlier pledge to impose duties of “25 percent or higher” on the chips, US President Donald Trump announced last week that tariffs on semiconductors would be “down the road.”
Trump, who has made a flurry of back-and-forth announcements on tariffs since entering office in January, did not specify a timeframe for the measures or whether certain countries or sectors could be excluded.
Many businesses are in wait-and-see mode when making investment decisions in Malaysia, according to Loo Lee Lian, the chief executive officer of Invest Penang, a state-owned nonprofit for investment promotion, Loo Lee Lian, said.
“So everybody is… holding on tight. In the upcoming six months, a lot will happen, Loo predicted.
“Nobody is making any decisions”.
Industry figures also face challenges, not the least of which is the difficulty of finding talent.
In a 2022 survey conducted by the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association, 47 percent of businesses identified the availability of talent as a major constraint to their operations.
Making up the shortfall will take some time, despite the government’s plans to train tens of thousands of engineers over the coming years.
Malaysian Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry Tengku Zafrul Aziz has noted that although the local industry needs about 50, 000 skilled engineers, local universities are only producing about 5, 000 engineering graduates annually.
As a possible solution to the shortfall, Aziz’s ministry has suggested allowing foreign graduates from nearby universities to work for a short while in the neighborhood tech scene. The proposal has received opposition from unions and has not so far been implemented.
The AT&, S logo at its production plant at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, in Kulim, Malaysia, on February 25, 2025]John Power/Al Jazeera]
After seeing a decline in company revenues of 13% in 2023-24 as a result of an industry-wide decline in demand, AT&, S ‘Yap anticipates business to be “flattish” this year.
But looking further ahead, the Leoben-based company’s outlook is bullish.
In 2026-2027, revenue is expected to reach 2.1 to 2.4 billion euros ($2.3 billion-$2.6 billion), which is higher than the record-setting 1.8 billion euro ($2 billion) of 2022-2023.
