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Simon Cowell takes savage dig at X Factor stars complaining about him

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Simon Cowell has hit back at previous X Factor contestants who have complained about him, and insisted that they all knew what they were signing up for at the time

Simon Cowell has hit out at the former X Factor contestants who have complained about him. The music mogul, 66, headed up the ITV juggernaut that launched the careers of stars like One Direction, Leona Lewis and Olly Murs, but has come under fire in recent times from those who he helped put on the map.

Jade Thirlwall, who on The X Factor in 2011 as part of Little Mix, famously claimed in her solo song Angel Of My Dreams that she had “sold [her] soul to a psycho,” and this was widely interpreted as a dig at Simon, who offered the winners a recording contract through his Syco record label. Katie Waissel, who appeared on Celebrity Big Brother after placing seventh place in 2010, has been vocal about her time on the show, and a host of former contestants spoke of the “tears, trauma and anxiety” they had endured more than a decade on from taking part.

But Simon hit back at those claims as he said: “It’s the music business so my job is to make money for you and me and that was the deal. If I saw an opportunity, you jump on it”.

READ MORE: Jade Thirlwall says ‘I struggled the most’ as she talks tearful worry with Little MixREAD MORE: Simon Cowell’s boyband December 10 set for second series

The Britain’s Got Talent judge also claimed that anyone who launched a successful career off the back of The X Factor benefited massively in a financial sense and insisted they all knew what they were letting themselves in for by applying to be on the programme in the first place.

During a chat on The Rest Is Entertainment podcast, he told Richard Osman and Marina Hyde: “The vast majority of people have made a lot of money and got what they wanted which was fame, so certain people, they’ve just got it in for me.

” There’s nothing I can do about it, they signed up to what they knew the show was about, and if you don’t like that, then I suggest you become an accountant or a gardener or something where no one knows who you are and you won’t have that problem. “

When Jade came out with her song featuring the cryptic lyric, representatives for Simon were quick to defend the music manager. A representative for Syco told the Mirror at the time: “The entire team who worked incredibly hard behind the scenes with Little Mix to help make the group a success would continue to wish them all solo success.”

Jade also responded to the rumours and said that it explained her “journey” in the music industry. She told Beat Juice: “It’s not specifically about that. But I wanted the song to be my journey, from entering the music business to now, and what that felt like. That’s why the song feels so chaotic. The opening is like the music to that montage bit on The X Factor after you’ve won and you’re just catapulted into the industry.”

Meanwhile, Jade’s single It Girl also caused fans to speculate on the meaning behind the lyrics. Throughout the song, Jade sings about working in showbiz and in the final line she sings, “It’s a no from me” – leading some to question whether it’s a reference to her time on The X Factor after she auditioned for the show on three occasions.

Taking to social media to comment on the reference, one queried:” The ‘ It’s a no from me ‘ reference in the end is a masterpiece! “Another added:” omg is that Simon Cowell shade. “

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In a recent appearance on The Louis Theroux Podcast earlier this year, singer was questioned about the lyrics. “Syco happens to be the name of Simon Cowell ’s company,” Louis said.

” Coincidentally, yes, “Jade added in response”. Is that what we’re gonna say about that?, “Louis asked”. Mmm, “Jade said, adding:” I mean, it’s written on the tin, isn’t it, really? “

‘There’s no running’ – Dubois calls out Harper

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Caroline Dubois is hopeful she can finally fight Terri Harper in a lightweight unification bout in 2026.

WBC champion Dubois has been exchanging verbal spars with British rival and WBO belt holder Harper for the best part of a year, but they have been unable to come to terms for a unification bout.

Both are now both signed to Jake Paul’s Most Valuable Promotions, with Dubois making her promotional debut on Friday in Miami.

“I know for a fact [Harper] signed with MVP hoping to get away from me,” Dubois said.

“I don’t think about Terri. She’s kind of irrelevant to me.

“The only thing I care about is the belt and she’s unfortunately holding on to it.

Dubois, 24, signed with MVP this month having turned professional with UK-based promotion Boxxer.

She says she turned down several offers from MVP in recent months.

The unbeaten Londoner says being promised regular fights in the UK was key to her joining, as well as them having Harper and unified super-featherweight champion Alycia Baumgardner in their stable.

“I think we’re going to make [the Harper] fight happen next. Just a matter of where and when. I hope she can find her pen when it comes to it,” Dubois added.

Baumgardner, 31, defends her world titles on Friday on the same card as Dubois, with both women key figures on the undercard for Jake Paul’s bout with Anthony Joshua.

Dubois is keen to fight Baumgardner in the future and has been following the American’s career closely at the weight below her.

“She likes to walk around like she is the biggest, baddest fish in the pond and I believe that’s not true. I believe I am,” Dubois said.

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Is Trump about to wage war in Latin America?

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As Washington launches airstrikes and declares alleged drug networks terrorist organizations, there are growing concerns in Latin America about the US military’s expansion in the Caribbean. Hassan Massoud of Al Jazeera reports from Bogota, Colombia, where tensions are rising due to the region’s largest US military display in decades.

Kneecap run for Palestine – and are joined by Greta Thunberg

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Belfast hip hop group Kneecap have been doing more 10k charity runs in aid of Palestine – and were joined by a high profile guest earlier today

Kneecap have been doing more 10k charity runs in aid of Palestine – and were joined by a high profile guest earlier today.

The Belfast hip hop group were spotted joining in with a run in Dublin on Wednesday to help raise money in support of families and charities working on the ground in Gaza.

Member Móglaí Bap was seen running alongside fans and posing for selfies after the run. While Swedish activist Greta Thunberg was also seen amongst the crowds.

It comes after singer Móglaí made it a tradition to run 10km in each town and city that Kneecap gig in while on tour, all to raise funds for The Gaza Food &amp, Play Project.

In a social media post before the run, the band wrote: “Join us for a 10K Run for Palestine with Kneecap &amp, friends in Dublin on Wednesday the 17th of December, 1PM, at Dalymount Park St Peter’s Road Entrance. The Run is in aid of the Gaza Food and Play Project. Everyone is welcome to run all or part of the 10K so get your runners on and support Palestine”.

You can donate to the Gaza Humanitarian Appeal here

Faced with Trump’s deportation push, US teachers fear leaving the classroom

Washington, DC – For the past two years, weekdays for Susanna have meant thumbing through picture books, organising cubby holes and leading classroom choruses of songs.

But her work as a pre-school teacher came to a screeching halt in October, when she found out her application to renew her work permit had been denied.

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Susanna, who uses a pseudonym in this article for fear of reprisals, is one of the nearly 10 percent of teachers in the United States who are immigrants.

But while the US has increasingly looked abroad to fill teacher shortages, some foreign-born teachers say the deportation push under President Donald Trump has threatened their livelihoods — and risks traumatising their students.

Susanna, an asylum applicant who fled violence in Guatemala nearly a decade ago, said that losing her permit meant she had to stop working immediately.

She recalls breaking the news to her students, some of whom are only three years old. Many were too young to understand.

“In one week, I lost everything,” Susanna told Al Jazeera in Spanish. “When I told the kids goodbye, they asked me why, and I told them, ‘I can only tell you goodbye.’ There were kids that hugged me, and it hurt my heart a lot.”

Advocates warn that the sudden departure of teachers could harm the development of young children in school [Mohammed Zain Shafi Khan/Al Jazeera]

Looking abroad for teachers

Estimates vary as to how many foreign-born teachers currently work in the US. But one 2019 report from George Mason University found that there were 857,200 immigrants among the country’s 8.1 million teachers, in roles ranging from pre-school to university.

For the 2023-2024 school year alone, the US government brought 6,716 full-time teachers to the country on temporary exchange visas to fill openings in pre-kindergarten, primary and secondary school education.

Many hailed from the Philippines, as well as countries like Jamaica, Spain and Colombia.

The uncertainty for immigrants under Trump’s second term, however, has proven disruptive to schools that rely heavily on foreign-born teachers.

That is the case for the pre-school where Susanna worked, CommuniKids, which offers language immersion programmes in Washington, DC.

Cofounder and president Raul Echevarría estimates that immigrants — both citizens and non-citizens working with legal authorisation — comprise about 90 percent of CommuniKids’s staff.

But Echevarría told Al Jazeera that the push to rescind legal pathways to immigration has jeopardised the employment of several faculty members.

Five other teachers at the school have seen their ability to work affected by changes to the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) programme.

All five, Echevarría explained, were originally from Venezuela. But in October, the Trump administration ended TPS status for more than 350,000 Venezuelan citizens, including the teachers at CommuniKids.

Their authorisation to work legally in the US will expire on October 2, 2026, according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website.

“These teachers lost their ability to make a living,” Echevarria said, noting that his school requires educators with expertise in languages like Spanish, French and Mandarin.

A classroom hall at CommuniKids
CommuniKids, a language immersion school in Washington, DC, helps young children develop skills in French, Mandarin and Spanish [Mohammed Zain Shafi Khan/Al Jazeera]

‘Strong bonds’

For the schools themselves, the losses can be devastating. Every state in the US has reported teacher shortages to the federal government.

But advocates say the high stress and low pay of education make teachers difficult to recruit and keep.

That leads some states to look abroad for education workers. In North Carolina, for example, 1,063 foreign nationals worked full-time as grade-school teachers on temporary J-1 visas during the 2023-2024 school year.

The top destinations for such recruits were all southern states: North Carolina was followed by Florida with 996 teachers on J-1 visas, and Texas with 761.

But Echevarria said some of the biggest impacts of the deportation drive are felt by the students themselves.

“Our students develop strong bonds with their teachers, and all of a sudden, overnight, they lost their teachers,” said Echevarría.

“Their number one superpower”, he added, “is their ability to empathise and to create strong, effective bonds with people from any background”.

But when those bonds are broken, there can be mental health consequences and setbacks for educational achievement, particularly among younger children.

A 2024 study published by the American Educational Research Association found that, when teachers leave midyear, children’s language development takes a measurable hit.

In other words, the loss of a familiar teacher — someone who knows their routines, strengths and fears — can quietly stall a child’s progress. The consequences extend to a child’s sense of self and stability.

Mental health consequences

For parents like Michelle Howell, whose child attends CommuniKids, the loss of teachers has also made the classroom environment feel fragile.

“The teachers there aren’t just teachers for these young kids,” Howell said of CommuniKids. “They’re like extended family.

“They hug them, they hold them, they do the things a parent would do. When those people disappear, it’s not just hard for the kids. It’s hard for everyone.”

Howell, who is Chinese American, said the sudden disappearances reminded her of her own family’s history.

“I used to read about things like this happening in China, the place my family left to find safety,” she said. “It’s very disturbing to know that what we ran from back then is our reality now. People disappear.”

School psychologist Maria C, who asked to remain anonymous to protect her work in the Texas public school system, has noticed the children she works with struggling with instability caused by the deportation push.

The disappearance of a loved one or mentor — say, a favourite teacher — could flood a child’s body with cortisol, the hormone meant to protect them in moments of danger, she explained.

But when that stress becomes chronic, the same hormone starts to hurt more than it helps. It interferes with memory, attention and emotional regulation.

“For some, it looks like anxiety. For others, it’s depression or sudden outbursts,” Maria said. “They’re in fight-or-flight mode all day.”

She added that selective mutism, an anxiety disorder, is on the rise among the children she sees, who range in age from five to 12.

“It used to be rare, maybe one case per school,” she said. “Now I see it constantly. It’s a quiet symptom of fear.”

Preparing for the worst

Back at CommuniKids, Echevarría explained that he and other staff members have put together contingency plans, just in case immigration enforcement arrives at the pre-school.

The aim, he said, is to make both employees and students feel safer coming to class.

“We put those steps in writing because we wanted our staff to know they’re not alone,” he said. “We have attorneys on call. We’re partners with local police. But above all, our job is to protect our children.”

But as an added precaution, teachers are advised to carry their passports or work permits with them.

Even Echevarría, a US citizen born in Virginia, said he carries his passport wherever he goes. The fear of deportation has a way of lingering.