Archive September 28, 2025

At least 4 killed in major Russian drone, missile attack on Ukraine’s Kyiv

‘This handheld steamer has been a lifesaver for erasing creases in shirts within minutes’

Meghan, a writer for shopping, has discovered a game-changing gadget for last-minute fights with creases on shirts and dresses, calling it “an absolute lifesaver.”

A handheld steamer is a great option if you need to quickly fix wrinkles on clothes just before leaving the house or if you don’t have room for a cumbersome ironing board. Handheld steamers are currently popular as a must-have tool for achieving that professionally pressed look without sacrificing any of the necessary equipment.

I’ve been looking for a cheap way to eliminate tumbledryer creases and last-minute outfit changes because I don’t have room for an ironing board in my home (and, truth be told, I hate ironing anyway). This Philips handheld steamer has become my new best friend in this regard.

This portable device is just the thing to fix folds and crinkles from time spent in the wardrobe, improve your date night appearance, or get your shirts stale before going to work or school. Additionally, it is available on Amazon.

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This steamer was created with ease and precision in mind, making it ideal for delicate items, stubborn creases, or replacing a traditional iron. This gadget can simply be tilted to suit the item you’re steaming, whether you’re hanging up or lying flat, with the help of an adjustable head.

Additionally, its clever folding design makes it incredibly portable and sleek in addition to its already slim and compact size. This gadget quickly and effectively addresses those issues so you can have a “just-pressed” shirt wherever, whenever you are heading to a formal or work event.

The use of this device is impossible. Whatever the circumstances, it’s always ready to steam whenever needed. You simply need to plug it in, turn it on, wait as little as 35 seconds, and then depart.

This little whiz will help you get rid of those annoying creases on anything that can be ironed on with no preparation or set-up. It has two heat settings: Eco, your ideal default setting for energy-saving, and Max, which has a higher steam rate and is ideal for cotton fabrics with more wrinkly lines.

This steamer has been a godsend for removing those sagging creases that come from using tumble dryers in our homes. This handheld steamer has quickly stepped up my wardrobe, from shirts to skirts and pants.

Even the most stubborn wrinkles were removed in less than 10 minutes after the shirt was tumble-dried for several hours.

For smaller or larger steaming jobs, the steamer comes with two different-sized water containers. A heatproof glove is included, which is great for situations where you need to hold up a sleeve or other piece of clothing but don’t want to get burned.

The only drawbacks to using this device are that it is wired, which is only because I have a small number of plug sockets available and are limited in how and where I can use it. The wire was a little bothersome while steaming, and I believe I would ultimately prefer a wireless design for even more convenience.

The steaming end can feel heavy after a long period of use, which may cause some users to have an issue with it because it is about 30 cm long when bent, which is a problem for me. This may also cause some people to struggle to hold heavier objects for long periods of time.

My Philips Series 5000 handheld steamer is currently available for a reduced price of £59.99 on Amazon and Currys.

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The same model can be purchased from John Lewis for $45.99 or Argos for $60.

‘I shared bunk beds with Taylor Swift – her mum was constantly telling me off’

Emily Poe Stumler, who previously played violin on Taylor Swift’s first ever tour with her daughter, gives an account of Andrea Swift’s resolve to make sure her daughter receives the life she desires.

From the sweet farm kid who ran around barefoot with her wild tangle of white-blonde curls to a global mega-star, Taylor Swift has secured her billionaire status, recorded 16 full-length albums and is freshly engaged to her American footballer fiance Travis Kelce.

And a woman who was with her during her early years of fame claimed that this was Taylor’s “driven and determined” strategy. When the country singer, age 17, was promoting her demo CD around Nashville in search of a record deal, Emily Poe Stumler was hired as Taylor’s fiddler in 2006.

“She was so driven, even at that age”, says mum-of-two Emily, now 40, who was just a few years older than the teenaged Taylor when they went on tour for the first time. She should always be as well-known as she became, according to the plan.

Now Emily reveals for the first time the incredible impact Taylor’s mum Andrea Swift had on the young girl, and how her support meant the world as Taylor negotiated transitioning from “the weird kid with no friends” in middle school to the young popstar winning her first VMA Award. “If there was no Andrea, there would be no Taylor Swift,” says Emily bluntly. “She saw her daughter’s vision and she sacrificed her life so Taylor could do what she wanted in life.”

Andrea, who had worked as a mutual fund marketing executive before having Taylor and her younger brother Austin with their father Scott, gave up her high-flying career to manage the young Taylor’s music affairs, using the skills she’d built up in her previous male-dominated industry to secure deals for Taylor.

She was also raising the teenage Taylor, Emily, and the rest of the band on their leopard print tour bus, which Cher had previously hired because it was outfitted with leopard print. “We were all living on top of each other – I was in the bottom bunk, Taylor was in the top bunk, and it was like having a little sister who was also my boss”, remembers Emily.

It was all so strange and crazy that Andrea attempted to do everything she could with the management side. Normal teenagers have conflict with their parents, but since we were all bus passengers, there was no room for conflict. I do remember Andrea telling me off constantly for having a messy bunk, though”!

Emily and Taylor shared many of her biggest “firsts,” including the first time a fan recognized her. “We were in a department store and the assistant looked at her ID and said, ‘ oh, Taylor Swift, that’s the name of my favourite singer’. And Taylor said, “That’s me!” She was so excited afterward because she wanted to share her music with others and get them to like it.

Taylor has since gone on to win 14 Grammys, but Emily was there when she bagged her first ever CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Best New Artist – and they celebrated with McDonald’s. She exclaims, “We had performed at the CMAs, and Taylor had won.” Taylor wanted fries, and we all piled back on the tour bus. So we tried to get this enormous bus through the Drive-Thru”!

It’s possible to be challenging but also very enjoyable on the road. “It was like having a sleepover with a high school friend every night”, Emily recalls. Taylor and her band set the stage for her opulent 2023-24 Eras Tour, which featured 149 three-hour shows that span five continents, and performed more than 300 shows in one year as she fought to launch her musical career.

“You live out of a suitcase for a year, and tour buses are very luxurious when you’re not slumming it!” – it is hard to be constantly on the move”, says Emily. But for Taylor’s entire career, which has spanned 20 years, both her and Andrea’s lives. Although it’s difficult for her, it has been very rewarding.

Off-stage, Taylor was still a teenage girl finding her feet. Today, there are stylists and a sizable entourage, but Emily recalls that we all spent the day getting ready for the pre-show bus. Taylor was much smaller than me, so I couldn’t wear her clothes because I was the only woman in the band. But I remember I gave her my earrings when she was on The Jay Leno Show for the first time”.

Emily assisted the young singer in maintaining her feet on the ground while Taylor taught her the virtues of pure determination. “I was a very loyal friend to her at a time when her life was going crazy, and I think I taught her that life can be fun, and we can do regular people things and have fun – hanging out at the mall, going to the cinema.

Even though that’s not how life is now, I hope she continues to try that. I acted like a sister to her, really, really.

Emily and Taylor parted ways in 2007 when the young singer’s songwriting started going in a more poppy direction”. There was a natural breaking point because I played country fiddle. Why would you want things to last forever, and sometimes not?

There are online rumours that Taylor’s song Breathe was penned about the end of her friendship with Emily – but the chief deputy prosecuting attorney for Harrison County in Indiana refuses to be drawn”. How flattering to think that I deserve a song because I spent so much of her life! She laughs .

After Emily stopped touring and departed for law school, the pair didn’t communicate, but she now wishes the former 35-year-old star best wishes. I hope she looks back on those early years of her career as fun if we bumped into each other now, because I believe we would think about it all those years ago and how fun we had, “she says.

” They were a whole lot of work, but also you only get the ‘ first’s once, and I was there for so many of those. The first album she released, playing the Grand Ole Opry, a live country music radio station from Nashville. How cool was that, and how much does life now look to her.

With Taylor’s next studio album, Life of a Showgirl, due to be released on October 3 – her first since winning back the master rights to her entire back catalogue after a protracted legal battle – Emily says the talented singer seemingly hasn’t changed from those early days.

She recalls writing down lyrics in the back of the bus while always holding a notepad and pen in hand. I remember when she wrote Fearless, she came off the bus and just started playing it during soundcheck and everyone was going along with it. That was a cool moment, and the audience adored it when we played it live.

And Emily isn’t bothered by Taylor’s fervent support of Swifties from all over the world. Even in those early days she’d be selling nearly as much merchandise at shows as the headliners, and we were supporting, “she remembers.

Girls “liked her, they connected to her, and they wore her face or the lyrics on their shirts,” which meant getting customers’ money for her goods.

She has already given me some insight, so I’m not surprised if she grows as much. To be unapologetically who you are, like Taylor is, that’s a big thing”.

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Geri Horner’s heartache over Christian which has ‘reopened old wounds’

ExCLUSIVE: As Geri Horner’s husband officially left his position, a source claims that it serves as an immediate reminder of the texting and investigation scandal.

When Geri Horner’s F1 boss husband Christian officially walked away from his top Red Bull role last week with a reported £80m payout, a source claims it reopened ‘painful wounds’ for his ever-loyal wife. Last year, Christian faced allegations of “controlling and inappropriate behaviour” by a female colleague, which he strongly denied. Cleared of any wrongdoing following an investigation, the 51-year-old racing car driver nonetheless faced a flurry of backlash amid the scandal.

Spice Girls star Geri, 53, may have stood by her husband of ten years – but our source maintains it’s not so easy for the mum-of-one to forget what was a dark time. “Christian’s departure from Red Bull means huge amounts of money for the family, but it doesn’t erase what led to this”, they exclusively tell OK!.

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“Geri feels like him leaving Red Bull is reopening painful wounds – it’s naturally bringing back all of the drama and heartache of the last year. People talk about Christian leaving and it’s an instant reminder of the investigation and texting scandal,” they say. Christian was sacked from his two-decade long run as Red Bull’s Team principal in July, his duties immediately paused, but he has only now reached a settlement with the Austrian company to officially leave. His time at Red Bull came to a sour end this summer when the company announced he was to be “relieved” of his operational duties with immediate effect, to be replaced by current CEO and Team Principle Laurent Mekies. Following a three-week investigation, he was cleared of any wrongdoing. However, WhatsApp texts allegedly sent between the two parties were leaked just 24 hours later, causing further speculation that Christian had been suggestive towards the colleague.

Mum-of-two Geri supported her other half throughout, but was said to be finding the public speculation tough to take behind the scenes. And our source claims that things haven’t quite been brushed under the carpet, with all eyes on Christian yet again. “Geri is still struggling with what happened, it wasn’t easy to go through at all. Christian’s payout from Red Bull brings that all back up for her. She stood by him when some would have questioned him, and has worked really hard to move past it all.” At the time of his dismissal, a source told us that Christian’s axing was the latest in a string of public embarrassments for Geri. “Geri is going to stand by her man and is supporting him fully. Image means so much to her, but behind closed doors she isn’t happy about the attention this brings,” they said.

It’s not easy for Geri because she knows everyone will relate to the leaked messages and what happened last year because of how important image is to her.

However, there is some good news. Christian reportedly received an $80 million payout last week to end his contract, which was set to continue until 2030.

The band’s massive compensation package is almost twice what Geri received for her chart-topping pop career with the Spice Girls, and it is more than twice as much.

Geri, alongside Victoria Beckham, Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton and Melanie Chisholm, became a household name before leaving the band in 1998.

Christian and Geri have two sons, Montague, eight, and Bluebell, 19, both of whom were previously in a relationship with filmmaker Sacha Gervasi.

Geri is also stepmum to Christian’s 11-year-old daughter Olivia, whom he shared with late ex-wife, Beverley Allen. While it hasn’t been an easy year for Geri and her brood, our source goes on to say that one thing she is thankful for is the chance at a whole new chapter. “Geri is ready for a fresh start. She’s made it clear she doesn’t want any more negativity surrounding them, it’s been embarrassing enough as it is. Money doesn’t take away the public scrutiny and judgement, so she’s laid down the rules to Christian going forward to make sure they’re not in this kind of situation again. It’s time to move past all of it.”

They added, “This clean slate also means more family time and a chance for Christian and Geri to spend time together, which is what they both want”. While the former singer is yet to speak out on what her husband’s next move may be, Christian did share a statement last week, in which he said: “Leading Red Bull Racing has been an honour and privilege. When we started in 2005, none of us could have imagined the journey ahead – the championships, the races, the people, the memories.”

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He continued, “I am incredibly proud of what we accomplished as a team, breaking records and reaching heights that no one would have imagined were possible, and I will always carry that with me.”

Poland briefly closes airspace as NATO increases presence in the Baltic Sea

As Russia launches a new wave of strikes against Ukraine, Poland has briefly closed some of its airspace southeast of the city’s capital Warsaw due to “unplanned military activity.”

The transatlantic security bloc NATO announced that its mission in the Baltic Sea is being strengthened in response to drone incursions in Denmark and reported drone sightings in Norway with the deployment of Polish and allies in its airspace on Sunday.

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As diplomatic efforts to end the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine falter, new information highlights the rising tension in the region, which raises the possibility of a wider conflict erupting into Europe.

After Russia launched strikes on Ukraine, the Polish armed forces reported in the most recent incident that it scrambled aircraft to ensure the security of its airspace.

The actions were described as preventive and intended to secure airspace and safeguard people, according to the statement.

Up until early in the morning, Lublin and Rzeszow’s airspace was expected to be closed.

As of 03:00 GMT on Sunday, Ukraine’s air force had issued air raid alerts in response to Russian strikes.

Russian drones intercepted earlier this month by Polish and NATO forces entering Poland’s airspace. This was their first direct military retaliation against Moscow since the Kremlin’s 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian prime minister of foreign affairs, warned NATO and the EU that “any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response.”

Lavrov insisted at the UN General Assembly on Saturday that Moscow was prepared to react if provoked but that it had no intentions to attack the West.

In response to a string of incidents in Denmark, NATO announced on Saturday that it would be upgrading its presence in the Baltic Sea with an air-defence frigate and other assets, including “intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance platforms.”

Unidentified drones were reportedly spotted overnight on Saturday near military installations.

Copenhagen Airport, the busiest airport in the Nordic region, was also forced to close for several hours late on Monday due to the presence of several large drones in its airspace. In the days that followed, five smaller Danish airports, both for business and for military, temporarily closed.

The incursions, according to Danish authorities, are hybrid attacks, and Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called them “the most serious attack on Danish critical infrastructure to date.”

Police in neighboring Norway announced on Saturday that they were looking into possible drone sightings close to Norway’s Oerland Air Force base, which is the main hub for Norway’s F-35 jets.

A joint headquarters for the Norwegian armed forces told the Reuters news agency, “The guards at the base made several observations outside the base’s perimeter early on Saturday.”

Brynjar Stordal said in a separate statement to the AFP news agency, “The investigation will find out what it was.”

He claimed that “at least two drones” flew “for about an hour” in a restricted area close to the base before disappearing.

Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt in Germany reported on Saturday that Schleswig-Holstein, a state in northern Germany, had been spotted over the state on Friday.

He claimed that he wants to make air safety regulations more stringent so that drones can be shot down by the armed forces.

Defense ministers from about 10 EU countries made the announcement on Friday that building a “drone wall” to secure their borders is a priority.

According to state news agency RIA Novosti, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the measures would “accrobate the military and political tensions on our continent.”