Vernon Kay has gushed over his daughter online as he celebrates her 21st birthday, telling Phoebe she is ‘the best any parent could ask for’ alongside a family portrait
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Proud dad Vernon Kay took the opportunity to gush over his daughter(Image: PA)
BBC Radio 2 star Vernon Kay has taken to social media to wish his eldest daughter Phoebe a very happy 21st birthday in a rare family snap with his beautiful wife Tess Daly.
In the photo, all three of them are beaming for the camera while dressed to the nines. Phoebe can be seen wearing a glamorous glittering silver dress, while her mum opted for an off-the-shoulder gold and white number.
Vernon, 51, rose to the occasion with a white shirt, smart black trousers and a matching black bowtie. The image highlighted just how much Phoebe looks like her famous mother.
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The presenter’s post also included a series of snaps of himself with Phoebe as a baby and teenager. Vernon, 51, captioned the post saying: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY @phoebekay 21 Today!! The celebrations are gonna be epic!! You’re the best any parent could ask for.”
Followers flocked to the comments to congratulate the dad, with one writing: “You are not old enough to have a daughter of that age! But congratulations to you, Tess and most of all Phoebe!”
Another chimed in: “Oh the genes! Sending positive happy birthday vibes to your lovely daughter.” Meanwhile, a third added: “Aaah beautiful photos, stunning family, have a very special day all of you.”
The birthday celebrations coincide with an exciting weekend for Vernon, who is set to be honoured with the prestigious Variety Club Silver Heart Award 2025 for Outstanding Contribution to Radio on Sunday night.
The award recognises his two decades of work at the BBC, including his popular weekday mid-morning show on Radio 2, which he took over from Ken Bruce in 2023.
Vernon’s radio journey began on Radio 1 in 2004, where he hosted his own show until 2012. He then moved to commercial station Radio X in 2015 before returning to the BBC in 2021.
Despite his extensive experience on the radio, Vernon has had to tread carefully in recent weeks after inadvertently spoiling a major moment on Dress the Nation.
While on air, he admitted: “I’m going to avoid Traitors, I’m going to avoid it because people watch it on catch-up don’t they? So I’m not going to talk about it on the radio.”
The presenter explained that viewers can be very particular about spoilers: “I gave away the winner of Dress the Nation on Sunday, [I] congratulated the winner, oh my gosh, I got a tonne of grief.”
Away from work, Vernon seems to be enjoying his family life with his wife Tess and their daughters. The couple met in the early 2000s while Tess was hosting SMTV Live and Vernon was working on Channel 4’s T4.
They got married in 2003 and went on to have two daughters, Phoebe and Amber. Tess cheekily described their early romance as “pretty explosive” in a chat with Fabulous magazine.
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Six years ago, Vernon secretly organised a vow renewal in the South of France, and surprised Tess with multiple wardrobe choices and a heartfelt card to commemorate their second wedding day.
Russia is increasing air attacks to compensate for its failure to crack Ukrainian defences on the ground, according to Kyiv.
“Russia has started a new wave of air terror against Ukraine – against our cities and civilian infrastructure,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy told NATO’s 71st Parliamentary Assembly on October 13.
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Zelenskyy spoke days after Russia launched an overnight strike against Ukraine’s energy infrastructure involving 465 drones and 19 missiles.
A boy with a bicycle looks on near buildings damaged during a Russian drone and missile strike in the town of Brovary, outside of Kyiv, October 10, 2025 [Alina Smutko/Reuters]
Ukraine said it downed 405 of the drones and 15 missiles. The remainder deprived three-quarters of a million Ukrainians of electricity for the day, wounded 20 people and killed a seven-year-old boy.
Zelenskyy said cold autumn weather had reduced the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defences by 20-30 percent, claiming Russia “deliberately waited” for this.
On Wednesday, Russian drones again knocked out power in some parts of Ukraine and struck a thermal power plant, according to Naftogaz, Ukraine’s gas utility.
Russia ‘increased the number of air attack means’
On the battlefront, too, Russia was turning to the air.
“In a month, the enemy has increased the number of air attack means used by 1.3 times,” wrote Ukrainian commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskii on his Telegram channel on Saturday.
Syrskii generally refers to Russian first-person view (FPV) drones and air-launched glide bombs, which Russia uses at the front in addition to artillery and multiple launch rocket systems.
But Russia was increasingly using its long-range Shahed drones – the type it deploys against cities – to hit targets at the front as well, said the Kyiv Independent after speaking with analysts.
Shaheds are more precise than glide bombs, and Russia was “likely looking to conserve KAB guided aerial bombs where possible to prepare for a long war ahead”, said the newspaper.
An Orthodox priest blesses Russian conscripts called up for military service during a ceremony marking the departure for garrisons from a recruitment centre in Saint Petersburg, Russia, October 15, 2025 [Anton Vaganov/Reuters]
Russia’s tactics prompted a flurry of consultations with allies.
On the day of the massive air strike, Zelenskyy said he spoke with United States President Donald Trump about the damage to Ukraine’s energy sector and what the nation needs to protect it. During the week, he also spoke with the leaders of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and France, and the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas.
Zelenskyy said he is short of air defences and has asked allies to increase provisions to protect 203 key facilities in Ukraine.
At Wednesday’s meeting of the Defence Contact Group for Ukraine, Germany pledged 2.3 billion euros ($2.7bn) in new weapons and air defence systems, including interceptors for Patriot launchers and two more IRIS-T systems.
Poland offered electricity exports, generators and the services of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal to bolster Ukraine’s energy supply.
Zelenskyy dispatched Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko to the US to lay the groundwork for his meeting with Trump on Friday.
Russia’s fight for Donetsk
On the ground, Zelenskyy said this week that Russia had planned to capture the entirety of the Donetsk region this autumn. About a quarter of it remains in Ukraine’s hands.
The hammer has fallen hardest on Pokrovsk, once a city of 60,000 people. Russia has failed to take it by direct assault and by conducting an enveloping manoeuvre through Dobropillia to its north.
Syrskii said a Ukrainian counteroffensive at Dobropillia had retaken 181sq km (70sq miles) of territory since the end of August.
The Dobropillia counteroffensive caused 12,000 Russian casualties, including 7,000 deaths, and upset Russia’s plans to conquer Donetsk this autumn, Zelenskyy claimed.
Al Jazeera was unable to independently verify the death toll estimated by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s operation “disrupted all the plans that the Russians communicated to the American side, claiming they would supposedly occupy the Donbas – most of it – specifically by November. Initially, they said September, then pushed the deadline to November”, said Zelenskyy.
Russia’s determination to capture Donetsk was evident in the fact that it had returned to high-casualty mechanised assaults on October 6, 9 and 13, said the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, having largely stopped reinforced company-sized mechanised assaults in late 2024.
All three assaults came in the Dobropillia direction and were defeated with high losses to men and armour.
“The Russians are now tasked with urgently taking Pokrovsk – at any cost,” Zelenskyy said, and some analysts suggested they may be swinging to the south of Pokrovsk instead.
Russia has not been wholly without success. During the week of October 9-15, it claimed to have seized four villages in Donetsk, and settlements in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
In Kharkiv, Zelenskyy said, Ukrainian forces were pushing Russian troops out of some positions in the city of Kupiansk, in whose northwestern outskirts they have taken positions.
Despite this, Ukrainian authorities on Wednesday evacuated hundreds of families from 27 villages in the Kupiansk area, citing the security situation.
Ukraine’s strikes and Tomahawks
Ukraine continued a successful campaign to choke off Russian fuel production.
Its drones struck Lukoil’s Korobkovsky Gas Processing Plant in the Volgograd region of Russia on October 9.
“The plant is part of the fuel supply system for the domestic market of the Russian Federation, as well as for export,” said Andriy Kovalenko, head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation.
On Monday, Ukraine struck the oil depot at the port of Feodosia in Crimea, confirmed the region’s occupation head, Sergey Aksyonov. It is used to supply Russian occupying troops in Crimea, Zaporizhia and Kharkiv with fuel by rail.
Russian opposition news outlet Astra said the strikes damaged 11 fuel tanks, including eight 5,000-10,000-tonne diesel tanks and two petrol tanks.
Geolocated footage confirmed the attack, as well as strikes on two electricity substations in Feodosia and Simferopol, also in Crimea.
“This is absolutely fair that Ukraine strikes back with precise, targeted attacks,” said Zelenskyy.
The Financial Times reported on Sunday that Ukraine has not been conducting these operations alone.
Several US and Ukrainian officials told the daily that Washington has been providing intelligence for the targeting of Russian refineries for months.
(Al Jazeera)
“The shift came after a phone call between Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelenskyy in July, when the FT reported the US president asked whether Ukraine could strike Moscow if Washington provided long-range weapons,” wrote the paper.
The sources said the US was involved in target selection, timing and route planning to evade Russian air defences.
Ukraine has so far mostly used its domestically produced drones, and Zelenskyy last month asked Trump to provide US Tomahawk cruise missiles, with a range of up to 2,500km (1,550 miles)
The issue is to be among those discussed between Trump and Zelenskyy on Friday.
Russia’s deputy chairman of its National Security Council warned against the deployment of Tomahawks, which are nuclear-capable.
Cross River State Governor, Bassey Otu, has rewarded Miracle Usani, a member of Nigeria’s victorious Super Falcons team that clinched the 2025 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations (WAFCON) title, with ₦50 million and a plot of land in Calabar.
He also offered her an appointment as the state’s sports ambassador.
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The governor announced the reward during a reception held in his office in Calabar, describing Usani’s feat as a source of pride for Cross River, Nigeria, and the African continent.
Governor Bassey Otu commended her determination, talent, and the inspiration she represents for young women across the state.
He commended her determination, talent, and the inspiration she represents for young women across the state.
“Your courage and performance have brought honour to our state,” Governor Otu said.
“You’ve shown that what a man can do, a woman can do—even better. You are a symbol of excellence and resilience,” he added.
Otu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to reviving the state’s sports sector, noting that sports have evolved beyond recreation into a viable economic and developmental tool.
He urged other young people to draw inspiration from Usani’s success, adding that “stories like hers show that the future is bright”.
Presenting the gifts, the governor said, “We have approved ₦50 million and a plot of land in Calabar for you. You are now on our VVIP protocol list and will serve as Sports Ambassador of Cross River State.”
Humble Beginnings
Usani, who plays for Edo Queens FC, expressed gratitude to Governor Otu for the recognition, recalling her humble beginnings and the challenges she faced breaking into football.
“My journey wasn’t easy. I played football with boys because there were no female teams where I grew up.
“People discouraged me, but I remained focused. Today, I’m proud to represent Nigeria and Cross River on the world stage,” she said.
Miriam Margolyes has declared that her role as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter was ‘not a career highlight’ just a year after telling adult fans of the films to ‘grow up’
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Miriam Margolyes as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter(Image: Warner Bros)
Miriam Margolyes has disclosed that appearing in Harry Potter was “not a career highlight” – just one year after telling grown-up fans of the magical franchise to “grow up”.
The seasoned actress, 84, portrayed Professor Pomona Sprout in the film series, but she doesn’t regard it with the same reverence as some of her other work.
Miriam, who secured a BAFTA for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence, delivered her latest Potter criticism during a chat on Ireland AM.
Host Elaine Crowley enquired: “I suppose when you look at your career over the years, I know you’re a mad fan of Dickens. You think he’s perhaps overlooked in terms of Shakespeare. Your career from Harry Potter to everything else to Doctor Who you’ve done it all, been there for it all, but do you have any particular role that was a highlight for you?”
After a moment’s hesitation, Miriam responded: “Yes, there are certain things… I mean Harry Potter is not for me a highlight.
“That was a delightful experience because I was working with Maggie Smith whom I adored and she was lovely to me. She is not always lovely to everybody but she was lovely to me.
“Oh yes, if she didn’t like you, you knew it, you know. But she was great, she was fabulous”.
Downton Abbey legend Maggie passed away last year at the age of 89 and she memorably played Professor McGonagall in Harry Potter.
Miriam, known for her role in Romeo + Juliet, has shared some of her career highlights, including her latest film with Stephen Fry, A Friend of Dorothy.
The film tells the tale of a “lonely widow’s quiet life is upended when a teenage boy accidentally kicks his football into her garden”.
She described the film as “really quite good” and delved into her character’s emotional journey, dealing with “deep pain in her heart” after having a disabled child completely altered her nature.
The telly star was in Ireland promoting her new memoir, The Little Book of Miriam.
Despite downplaying the significance of Harry Potter in her illustrious career, it’s not the first time she’s ruffled the feathers of wizarding fans.
Last year, she told Potter fans they “should be over that by now”, adding to New Zealand broadcaster TZNZ: “It was 25 years ago, and I think it’s for children.
“I do Cameos and people say they are doing a Harry Potter-themed wedding, and I think, ‘Oh gosh what is their first night of fun going to be?'”
She also spoke about Cameo, a platform where fans can pay celebrities to create personalised videos, during her appearance on The Late Late Show with Patrick Kielty last weekend.
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Miriam revealed she has “never earned so much in my life” thanks to the site, exclaiming: “How lucky am I?”
The United Nations has called on the warring Afghan and Pakistani military forces to permanently end hostilities, after a 48-hour ceasefire took effect following days of skirmishes that killed dozens and injured more than 100 others.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) welcomed the announcement of a ceasefire and called on all parties “to bring a lasting end to hostilities to protect civilians and prevent further loss of life”.
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It also urged both Afghanistan and Pakistan to comply with their obligations under international law “to prevent” more civilian casualties.
The recent deadly clashes between the two neighbouring countries and former allies erupted last week after Pakistan struck targets inside Afghanistan, including in the capital Kabul.
Pakistan had been demanding that the Afghan Taliban administration act to rein in armed groups who had stepped up attacks in Pakistan, saying they operated from havens in Afghanistan.
In retaliation for the attacks, Afghan forces attacked Pakistani soldiers, accusing them of violating their territory.
The Taliban has accused the Pakistani military of spreading misinformation about Afghanistan, provoking border tensions, and sheltering ISIL (ISIS)-linked groups to undermine the country’s stability and sovereignty.
On Thursday, Karimullah Zubair Agha, director of public health in Afghanistan’s Spin Boldak, said clashes along the border areas killed 40 civilians just shortly before a truce took effect on Wednesday.
“We have 170 wounded and 40 killed, all civilians,” the official told the AFP news agency.
The fighting along the volatile, contested frontier has been described as the worst violence between the two nations since the Taliban seized power in Kabul in 2021 after the United States’s withdrawal.
In its latest statement on Thursday, UNAMA said it received “credible reports of significant civilian casualties” including women and children, just shortly before the ceasefire.
Most of the casualties were reportedly from the Spin Boldak district of Kandahar, UNAMA said, confirming at least 17 civilians killed and as many as 346 others injured.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s military has claimed that they have foiled an attempt by suspected Pakistan Taliban fighters to take advantage of the ceasefire and launch an attack on government forces in the border province of Ķhyber Pakhtunkhawa.
The military claimed that dozens of Pakistan Taliban fighters, know by the acronym TTP, were killed in the attack.
Perilous deportation for Afghan refugees?
As the fragile ceasefire continues to hold on Thursday, Pakistan has ordered the closure of Afghan refugee camps within its border.
Al Jazeera’s Kamal Hyder, reporting from Pakistan’s Torkham Crossing just across the border from Afghanistan, said that the UNHCR have expressed “deep concern” about the decision that could strip Afghans of their refugee status.
“People say they have been living here for decades, and their livelihoods are at stake,” Hyder said, adding that Afghans are demanding a “dignified return” back to their home country.
Hyder noted that there are an estimated two million Afghan refugees who fled to Pakistan during previous wars, and ordering them to leave within the next seven days could trigger an “enormous” refugee problem, and put many “in a very difficult predicament”.
For now, residents along the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan are hoping that the ceasefire will be extended beyond its original 48-hour timeframe, but the situation on the ground makes it difficult to see how that can be achieved, Hyder noted.
Severely malnourished one-year-old Ruqayya al-Dahdar is among thousands of children in Gaza who are still waiting for desperately needed aid, despite the ceasefire.
