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This Morning presenter admits ‘that’s the reality’ as she faces devastating family regret

By in Entertainment News, News

This Morning and Capital Breakfast presenter Siân Welby has opened up about regretting a tough decision she made after giving birth to her first daughter, Ruby in 2024

ITV’s This Morning and Capital Breakfast host Siân Welby has admitted wishing she’d taken a longer maternity break.

The 39-year-old presenter, who shares 18-month-old daughter Ruby with fiancé Jake Beckett, welcomed her baby in June 2024, but has since revealed she would have preferred more time at home with her newborn, given the choice.

Discussing her concerns about how becoming a mum might affect her flourishing career as one of Britain’s most recognisable broadcasters, Siân has shed light on those pivotal early months.

Speaking to The Sun’s Fabulous about her brief maternity period, she said: “That’s the reality, isn’t it? You have to make decisions in life.

“I had momentum, and I thought: ‘I can’t totally let this drop because what a shame, I’ve finally got these shows that I want to do’.”

The Capital Breakfast show co-host also addressed the limited paternity leave available to fathers.

She argued that the current system must evolve to reflect modern families where mothers sometimes out-earn fathers. Siân noted: “It’s not always fair on dads that they get two weeks’ paternity leave, and that’s that.

“For some people, it suits them way more to have the dad at home. It might be that the mum is the one who has the better job.”

This isn’t Siân’s first candid discussion about her pregnancy journey, having previously revealed on Giovanna Fletcher’s ‘Happy mum Happy Baby’ podcast that she deliberately kept her pregnancy under wraps from numerous people.

As for the reasoning behind it, Siân revealed that, once more, it stemmed from anxieties about job security and a need to demonstrate her capabilities: “When you first start a job, you think ‘nobody knows what I’m actually like, that I’m trustworthy’ and you have to prove yourself.

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“I felt like I had proven myself [on This Morning], that I can do this and that – when I got that first cover with Dermot, I knew I was pregnant but I didn’t tell anyone.

“In the back of my mind I was thinking, ‘If I tell them I’m pregnant, will this put them off getting me in again? And will they think I’m gonna be off for ages?’

From 421st to top 10 – Bencic eyes Melbourne glory

By in News, Sports News
Getty Images
Emily Salley

BBC Sport journalist

A year ago, Belinda Bencic found herself 421st in the world rankings.

The former Olympic champion had dropped down after an 11-month maternity break in which she had daughter Bella.

But after a solid 2025 and a superb start to the 2026 season, Bencic is now back inside the world’s top 10.

She is the first woman to enter the top 10 in singles after giving birth since the great Serena Williams did so in 2019 – 17 months after having daughter Olympia.

After being named the Most Valuable Player at the United Cup, Swiss team-mate Stan Wawrinka said the side were “living in Belinda’s world”.

    • 3 hours ago

‘I see myself as a mum first’

Belinda Bencic holds the Abu Dhabi Open trophy and her daughter BellaGetty Images

When Bencic made her top 10 debut in 2016 – aged just 18 – she became the first teenager in the top 10 of the WTA singles rankings since Caroline Wozniacki in 2009.

It wasn’t until five years later, however, that she won her first big title, beating Marketa Vondrousova in the final of the Tokyo Olympics to claim the gold medal.

A few WTA Tour-level titles followed in 2022 and 2023, but her pregnancy meant she missed out on defending her Olympic gold in Paris.

By the time Bencic returned from her maternity break in October 2024, she had slipped to 1,213th in the world.

But less than four months later, Bencic was back to her best – reaching the fourth round of the Australian Open before winning the Abu Dhabi Open, which she celebrated with Bella in one arm and the trophy in the other.

A deep run at Wimbledon in July – ended in the semi-finals by eventual champion Iga Swiatek – lifted her back into the world’s top 20, and she clinched her second title of the year at October’s Pan Pacific Open.

Australian Open 2026

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‘We’re living in Belinda’s world’

Switzerland's Belinda Bencic, in a red tennis top and white visor, reacts with team-mate Stan Wawrinka as they touch palms. Wawrinka is wearing a white T-shirt with a picture of Bencic and the words BELINDA'S WORLDGetty Images

When Bencic played in the United Cup at the start of 2025, she was thrashed 6-1 6-1 by Italy’s Jasmine Paolini as Switzerland failed to make it past the group stage.

But the 28-year-old enjoyed a stellar run in Australia this month as she helped Switzerland reach the final for the first time.

She won all five of her singles matches, including victories over seventh-ranked Paolini and world number two Swiatek in the final, although Poland fought back to win the team event trophy in Sydney.

Three-time major champion Wawrinka wore a T-shirt with Bencic’s photograph on it during the tournament and praised her “impressive” comeback.

“We all know we’re living in Belinda’s world. Belinda, thank you for what you’re doing on the court. Thank you for what you’re doing off the court,” the 40-year-old said.

“You still came back so quick, so fast to that high level. This is so impressive to watch.”

Bencic said the United Cup had been a “big confidence booster” before the Australian Open, where she has never gone beyond the fourth round.

She added: “Also super happy to be in the top 10 now. I think it’s been a huge goal, maybe a huge ride after the whole comeback, to come back and prove this to myself, that it’s possible.

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    • 16 August 2025
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A ‘new sport’ with ‘room to improve’ – how is Baller League doing?

By in News, Sports News
Reuters
Bobbie Jackson

BBC Sport journalist

East London played host to two very different versions of the ‘beautiful game’ on Sunday.

Just a stone’s throw from the London Stadium, where 58,669 fans turned out to see West Ham beat QPR in the FA Cup, about 4,000 supporters watched close to five hours of football as season two of Baller League UK concluded.

Wembley Rangers – managed by former England strikers Ian Wright and Alan Shearer – won the title by beating defending champions SDS in Sunday’s final.

And Baller League chief executive Felix Starck believes his six-a-side competition has surpassed what the Premier League can offer for the younger generation.

He claims the top flight is “not even close” to the age group following Baller League.

“In the younger audience, we are leading that market share – between 16-28 we are more watched than the Premier League when it comes to live games,” he says.

The figures are hard to verify – but it is worth pointing out Baller League matches are more accessible than Premier League fixtures shown solely on subscription channels.

Baller League is broadcast simultaneously across Sky, Twitch and YouTube, and the league says it had more than two million live viewers per matchday in season one.

It is yet to release figures for its second season in the UK but just one of the 11 matchdays hit one million views on YouTube – compared to eight matchdays in season one.

Premier League games shown on Sky Sports attracted an average audience of about 1.57 million per game during the 2024-25 season – down 10% from the previous campaign.

Baller League leans on former Premier League players, content creators and celebrities to attract the masses, with Wright, Shearer, England Euros winner Chloe Kelly and actor Idris Elba among those managing teams.

    • 23 October 2025

    • 27 October 2025

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Starck acknowledges Baller League still has “room to improve”.

He has ambitions to raise the pay structure over the coming years and is looking to ensure players are cared for financially if they are unable to play because of injuries sustained on the field.

Goalkeeper Serine Sanneh is one such example.

Sanneh plays for Southern Counties Eastern Division side Rusthall FC but sustained a broken finger playing for the 26ers in season two of the Baller League.

The former Crystal Palace academy player also has a day job as a delivery driver, and Starck wants to ensure he – and any others in a similar situation – have financial security.

“Every player who plays for us is insured in the world of Baller League, but if you can’t do your job then we are working on solutions,” Starck said.

Is Baller League at odds with non-league clubs?

Most of the 12 clubs have at least one player who can tell a tale of almost making it at the highest level of the 11-a-side game, having spent time in Premier League academies.

Alfie Matthews falls into that category.

Matthews was one of just four boys – alongside Bukayo Saka – to be handed a pre-scholarship contract two years early, aged 14.

The 24-year-old now plays for National League South club Dover Athletic in the sixth tier of English football and also turns out for Baller League side SDS.

Baller League offers players like Matthews the opportunity to gain exposure and benefit financially, with contracts ranging from £300 to £800 per game.

But it is also stepping on the toes of non-league clubs.

Matthews and Dover team-mates Francis Mampolo and George Nikaj fell foul of manager Jake Leberl in December when they played in the Baller League just 24 hours before losing in the league against Kent rivals Ebbsfleet.

“We’ll manage it and I’m sure they’ll be even more desperate to do well for the football club,” Leberl said. “It doesn’t need to be a circus act around it.”

‘Like comparing Mario Kart and Formula 1’

Three people run after a football Reuters

Starck has cast his eye far and wide to look for other emerging leagues across sport that could offer insight as to how to forge a successful future.

He dismissed any suggestion that Baller League is similar to Kings League – a seven-a-side format launched in Spain by former Barcelona defender Gerard Pique in 2022.

“It’s like comparing Mario Kart and Formula 1,” Starck said.

Kings League captured a huge audience when it first launched and held a sold-out event at Barcelona’s Nou Camp, but interest has waned over the past couple of years.

The decision to branch out to new territories such as Mexico, Italy, France and Brazil has not proved successful.

Starck has similar ambitions. He is launching Baller League USA in the first quarter of 2026 and said he “would love” to do a Champions League and women’s-only version.

In order to ensure he continues to sustainably grow the Baller League, Starck has been looking at cricket’s short-format game The Hundred.

“They are role models to us,” Starck said.

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    • 17 October 2025
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Which countries host the largest Venezuelan populations?

By in News, World News

EXPLAINER

After the abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by the United States on January 3, nearby countries that host large Venezuelan communities, including Colombia and Peru, have warned of a potential new influx of refugees if the country is distabilised.

The Venezuelan diaspora remains one of the largest in the world with at least 7.9 million people living outside the country as of early 2026, primarily due to nearly a decade of ongoing political and economic crises.

In this visual explainer, Al Jazeera unpacks where Venezuelans are living abroad, what protections they have and what the abilities are for Venezuelans wishing to travel.

Which countries host the most Venezuelans?

Venezuelan migration started with a small group of mostly professionals leaving the country after leftist leader Hugo Chavez became president in 1999, promising to change the old political system, which was stacked against the poor and the Indigenous people, with more than half of the population falling below the poverty line.

During one decade of Chavez’s rule, the country ramped up government spending using the revenue from oil sector. Millions of people were lifted from extreme poverty.

In 2013 after the death of Chavez, Maduro came to power and inherited high levels of debt and rising inflation. By 2014 as oil prices plummeted, these challenges escalated into an economic collapse.

The resource-rich nation experienced a deep depression and soaring inflation, making the cost of living unbearable. This situation led hundreds of thousands of people to flee abroad, primarily to countries within South and Central America as well as a significant number migrating to the US.

By June, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) had tracked nearly 8 million refugees and migrants around the world with 6.7 million (85 percent) of them in Latin America and the Caribbean.

(Al Jazeera)

The top host countries are:

  1. Colombia – 2.8 million
  2. Peru – 1.7 million
  3. US – 987,600
  4. Brazil – 732,300
  5. Chile –  669,400
  6. Spain – 602,500
  7. Ecuador – 440,400
  8. Argentina – 174,800
  9. Mexico – 106,000
  10. Dominican Republic – 99,700

What protections do Venezuelans have?

UNHCR lists Venezuelans under a unique category of displaced persons due to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in their home country.

This classification allows them access to essential services, such as legal assistance, healthcare and shelter in host nations.

In Colombia, the region’s primary host with 2.8 million Venezuelans, the Temporary Protection Statute provides a 10-year residency permit. In the United States, a temporary protected status for Venezuelans was revoked in late 2025 by the Trump administration, leaving more than 600,000 Venezuelans uncertain about their future and legal status to live and work there.

The Trump administration also deported hundreds of Venezuelan immigrants, some of them to notorious prisons in El Salvador. Rights groups say many of them were tortured and sexually abused there.

According to the UN, nearly half of the Venezuelans who have left the country rely on informal, low-paid work, 42 percent struggle to afford enough food and 23 percent live in overcrowded housing.

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem speaks during a press conference, Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Venezuelans who previously lived in the US under temporary protected status are now eligible to apply for asylum [File: Yuki Iwamura/AP]

How strong is the Venezuelan passport?

Despite Venezuela’s unstable political and economic situation, its passport remains one of the stronger travel documents in the world, according to the 2026 Passport Index.

It currently ranks 42nd globally, providing visa-free, visa-on-arrival or e-visa access to 124 countries.

Venezuela has a longstanding visa waiver for the Schengen Area, allowing 90 days of visa-free travel to most of Europe. Additionally, Venezuelans may enter and work across much of South America due to decades-old regional mobility treaties.

INTERACTIVE - How strong is the Venezuelan passport-1768214321
(Al Jazeera)

Meghan Markle’s ‘true motive’ for bombshell UK return that hinges on huge call

By in Entertainment News, News

It has long been thought that Meghan Markle would not want to return to the UK on a visit – but a source has dismissed this idea explaining why she would want to come back

Meghan Markle could be set to make a bombshell return to the UK – and an insider has revealed the exact reason why. It has been claimed that the Duchess of Sussex could travel to Britain as early as this summer, along with husband Prince Harry, for an event tied to his Invictus Games – but it hinges on one major decision.

It is said that Meghan will only make the trip if Harry’s automatic police protection when in the UK is restored – with a decision on this said to be imminent following a new review by the Home Office. The issue of security has seemingly long been a stumbling block for Harry bringing Meghan and their children, Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet, to the UK to potentially see their grandfather, the King.

READ MORE: Meghan Markle ‘plans to return to UK with Harry this summer’READ MORE: Kate Middleton sets herself major new goal – and it’s all about family

Harry himself has said he would love to bring his children to his homeland so they can learn about their heritage, but currently feels it’s too dangerous. The Duke is set to return to the UK in July for a series of engagements to mark one year until the 2027 Invictus Games in Birmingham. If his automatic police protection is restored, many have speculated he could bring his children to the UK at the same time.

But it has been thought that Meghan would be less keen given her popularity in the UK. But now a source close to the Sussexes has dismissed the idea she will never come back to Britain – and revealed the reason why she would return.

They told the Sunday Times: “I think she would come back with him [and the children]. They love to do stuff as a family whenever they can, and when they do things as a couple philanthropically, they often do take the kids along privately. I can’t see a reason why he’d come over with the kids without her.”

They added: “There will be all kinds of considerations, like the children’s school and other commitments. But if the security is sorted, then yes, of course that would open up the door to come back more with his family and bring the family over more. He’s been clear on that.

“His desire is to show his kids where he grew up and the UK. If security is sorted, he’ll want to sit down and think about what does that look like? How should we show up? We’d all hope for and love that to happen.”

It comes as Harry is reportedly set to extend a major ‘olive branch’ to his estranged father King Charles on another UK trip. The Duke is said to be offering him a special role at the Invictus Games next year.

It means the father and son could appear on stage together at the opening ceremony at the NEC in Birmingham next June, marking a significant thawing in their relationship after years of near-silence.

The move would be a “dream” for the 41-year-old were it to happen, it is claimed, after he said last year that he “would love reconciliation” with his family.

Harry is set to fly back to London from California for the opening of his High Court case against Associated Newspapers later this month, with the case scheduled to open on January 19 – but is not expected to meet his father while staying in Britain.

The pair reunited for the first time in 19 months on his last visit in September, and had afternoon tea at Clarence House, with the duke describing his father as ‘great’.

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But the monarch is expected to be in Scotland for his traditional post-Christmas stay when the trial is due to start , although the date and timetable have yet to be finalised.

The Telegraph reported that royal sources acknowledged the King did not wish to be linked to any court proceedings, so will give his son a wide berth on this occasion.