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Kate Cassidy, the girlfriend of Liam Payne, has shared an emotional tribute to the late One Direction star on the first anniversary of his death. Liam tragically died aged 31, after falling from the balcony of his third-floor hotel room in Buenos Aires.

Sharing a black and white picture of the two of them to Instagram, she captioned it: “Today marks a full year without you here. I will forever hate goodbyes. I miss you Liam.”

In the photograph, Kate is smiling with her eyes closed and lies on top of Liam, who has his arm around her and is kissing her cheek. She also posted a picture to her Stories. That one was also black and white and had Liam beaming at the camera while Kate, wrapped up in a coat, hat and scarf, hugs him from the side.

Kate Cassidy shared a photo of her and Liam to her Instagram
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INSTAGRAM)

The comments of the first post were flooded with people sharing in her grief. One wrote: “We miss him too. Thinking of you today.” Another wrote: “Sending so much love today, he’s always looking down on you.”

Kate has been very open about her grief since Liam’s death, and felt the need to speak out after some fans criticised her for finding comfort in AI-generated photos of her and the singer.

Created using generative AI, Kate shared some realistic photos fans had posted of her and Liam smiling together. Some fans pointed out the dangers of using AI in this way, and one of Liam’s former colleagues even described her decision to share them as ‘distasteful’.

She shared another pic to her stories
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INSTAGRAM)

But Kate hopped on TikTok to tell her followers to “stop judging people for how they grieve”. She said: “Over the last few days, I’ve seen so many posts and so many news articles kind of bashing me for finding comfort and peace in seeing pictures of me and Liam created with AI.

“None of you have ever been in my position and hopefully you never will be, so please, please please, kindly stop telling me how to grieve and how I should be finding comfort and what I shouldn’t be finding comfort in.”

Kate shared realistic photos of her and Liam created by AI
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Instagram/kateecass)

Earlier this week, Kate also shared her plans for the anniversary of Liam’s death. She said she was spending the lead-up on a brand trip to “keep her mind positive”.

She said: “I am getting ready to go on a trip. I’m obviously transparent and open about my life on social media. I have been for a while now. This week hasn’t been the easiest week and it’s not going to be the easiest week.

“I have so many mixed emotions and my grief comes in so many waves. No matter what I do, I get commentary so if I make this video, people are going to be like, ‘Of course she had to make this video’, but if I didn’t make this video and just went on a trip, people would be like ‘What is she doing? How is she not in bed crying?’

“For those who might now know, October 16th, which is in two days, is the date my late partner passed away I have said this so many times in the past, I like to stay busy. It keeps my mind positive and keeps my mind active.”

Liam died on 16 October 2024 after falling from the balcony of a hotel in Argentina. The singer had been on holiday with Kate, as they were seeing his former bandmate, Niall Horan, perform. However, while she returned home, he chose to stay on a few days and she was not with him when he died.

If you have been affected by this story, Cruse Bereavement Support offers free help to make sense of how you are feeling. Click here for their website or call 0808 808 1677.

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October 16, 2025

‘If it’s not R360, another disrupter will come for rugby’

By 234Radio in News, Sports News

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Mike Henson

BBC Sport rugby union news reporter

1 hour ago

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You may dimly remember the Indian Cricket League.

Launched by billionaire media baron Subhash Chandra in 2007, it was, at the time, a revolutionary idea; a T20 tournament based in India and played by the biggest stars in world cricket.

Indian great Kapil Dev was the frontman, with Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Chris Cairns the big-hitting overseas headliners for the first edition. The final was played at a packed-out stadium to a backdrop of blaring music, cheerleaders and Bollywood stars.

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the governing body of the sport in the country, was, publicly at least, not impressed.

It called the unsanctioned ICL a “veterans’ series no-one will want to watch”, blocked any players involved from representing India and convinced other countries to bring in similar Test bans.

It then duly set up the Indian Premier League (IPL) – an almost identical concept – which bloomed into the biggest tournament in the sport, with media rights worth billions.

It is a lesson Rowena Samarasinhe says rugby needs to heed.

Samarasinhe hoped that the World 12s would be rugby’s equivalent. She was chief executive of the proposed event, the most recent rebel disrupter to the game before R360.

World 12s aimed to launch in August 2022, staging an annual three-week 12-a-side event, featuring the sport’s biggest names, in a major global city.

Ultimately, despite blue-chip ambassadors such as former All Blacks captain Kieran Read and Springbok legend Schalk Burger, and promises that stars could earn in excess of £250,000 for less than a month’s work, it failed to get off the ground.

Samarasinhe says the concepts will keep coming though unless rugby, like the BCCI, seizes the opportunity itself.

“I still believe in what we were doing was right,” she says.

“World Rugby are going to keep getting hit – if it’s not R360, if it’s not World 12s, it’s going to be something else.

“Actually they need to innovate the sport. My point to rugby’s authorities is why don’t we do something from within, rather than waiting for someone to come from outside?”

Despite leading unions and rugby league’s NRL insisting recruits will be exiled from their teams, R360’s organisers are confident they can still fill out teams for their October 2026 start date.

Samarasinhe has seen the enthusiasm among players for a potential bumper pay day.

“I would say 99% of the players I spoke to were so excited about it,” she says of her experience with World 12s.

“They were asking me what they could do to help get this off the ground.

World 12s faced the twin challenges that R360, or any other rugby start-up, face. Investors want to know players are on board before they commit, while players want to know the money is there before they break cover and sign up.

“It is a real chicken-and-egg situation,” says Samarasinhe, who fielded interest from more than 500 players in World 12s.

“The first thing investors will ask is where are all the players. My investor with World 12s wanted to send a list of 200 players, who had signed provisional agreements, to World Rugby.

“But I was never going to put the players on the line until I was clear that there was a path to success.”

Ultimately, for World 12s, there wasn’t.

It struggled to find a national union who would back the idea to the rest of World Rugby. The 12-a-side format, unlike 15, Sevens or 10s, wasn’t part of the law book. Investment got complicated.

In October 2021, World Rugby said it did not “wish to explore the concept further at this time”, effectively ending World 12s’ hopes of becoming reality.

Compared to R360, World 12s would have had little impact on rugby’s calendar.

It hoped to run for three weeks in one location – Los Angeles was pegged as host for the first edition – in August.

It would pay a release fee, putting much-needed money back into players’ clubs. It planned to field players from second-tier rugby nations alongside superstars to grow the game globally.

R360’s approach is more expansive and aggressive, with an itinerary that covers the globe and eats up five months of the year.

1 day ago
7 October
10 September

R360 spoke to Samarasinhe more than a year ago as they plotted out their own concept.

“I’m not convinced about it,” she says.

“How will R360 fill stadiums in Miami and all of these cool, glamorous places?

“Will people travel for it? Or will you rely on local people? I don’t know if they have underestimated that task.

“I think if you do an enclosed tournament, then you create that sort of major-event buzz.

“I was very passionate about launching in Los Angeles, because it is a big sports city with an appetite for the new, different and disruptive.”

R360 will hope that appetite is keen and widespread enough to ensure their own venture takes flight.

“Staying stagnant isn’t going help us in rugby,” concludes Samarasinhe.

Absolutely Fabulous star Jennifer Saunders has lent her voice to one of Amazon’s best-selling books in an effort to work towards her goal ‘of doing more for the planet’.

Comedy icon Jennifer Saunders has lent her voice to a new audiobook aimed at encouraging youngsters to reduce their plastic usage. During a recent episode of her popular ‘Titting About’ podcast with Dawn French, Saunders revealed her goal for the year was to make a positive impact on the environment.

First-time author Bertie Stephens was inspired by her comments and reached out to ask if she’d be interested in narrating the audiobook version of his debut book, Ellie Ment and the Material Matter . The book, which targets readers aged 9-14, has already become a bestseller on Amazon since its release in June, with the audiobook released earlier this week.

The tale blends science and fantasy, earning praise for its ability to spark kids’ interest in STEM subjects and environmental issues. Saunders, who accepted Bertie’s offer to narrate the audiobook, said: “I loved Ellie from page one.”

She added: “It’s funny and a bit mischievous, but it sneaks big ideas in too – how science works, what we owe the planet, and why asking questions matters.

“If a good yarn can make kids curious enough to try an experiment or think twice about their plastic usage, that’s a win.”

On her podcast, Saunders had said: “[This year] I’m going to do more for the planet – that’s my plan.”

She’s already made changes at home, stating: “I don’t have toothpaste anymore, I have little toothpaste pills. I just use soap. I don’t use any big shower gel plasticky things, and I don’t use plastic in my washing up liquids. I don’t use it in anything.”

The audiobook was launched with a video trailer featuring The Clean Planet Orchestra, who provided a bespoke soundtrack for the book composed by musician Joe Hogan.

Since its release over the summer, Ellie Ment and the Material Matter has been embraced by clubs and schools in both the UK and USA, even becoming the inaugural reading material for over 1,000 students across seven states in America.

The book has soared to the top spot on Amazon’s charts in both the UK and the US, boasting a 4.7-star rating on Goodreads and earning a coveted “Get It” recommendation from Kirkus Reviews.

It also bagged the highest accolade at the Moonbeam Children’s Book Awards, considered the most prestigious and longest-running national awards scheme in America dedicated solely to children’s literature.

Much of the book’s success can be attributed to social media, where snippets and recommendations have been shared on accounts with millions of combined followers.

Popular school influencer Holly Hos (@thehos), who boasts a whopping 1.5 million followers on TikTok, gave the book a shout-out, racking up over 10,000 likes and comments across her social media platforms.

A representative from the Clean Planet Foundation, the publisher of the book, explained that the non-profit organisation uses storytelling as a tool to spark children’s interest in environmental issues and science

They said: “This STEM book gives more young people the chance to see that science can be every bit as magical as fantasy, and important for helping the environment around them.

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“Adding Jennifer’s incredible voice to the audiobook will help thousands more children discover Ellie’s story and the magic that already exists in the world around them.”

October 16, 2025

Real’s Alexander-Arnold has chance of facing Liverpool

By 234Radio in News, Sports News

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1 hour ago

Trent Alexander-Arnold’s rehab is going according to plan and there is a chance the Real Madrid right-back will be fit to face his old club Liverpool in November’s Champions League tie.

The England international, 27, injured his hamstring against French club Marseille in the group phase of the competition on 16 September.

Alexander-Arnold was forced off in the fifth minute, with sources at the time indicating he could be sidelined for up to six weeks.

Real will visit Liverpool on 4 November for the European tie – exactly seven weeks since the injury happened.

A lifelong Liverpool fan, he said leaving the club he joined as an academy player aged six was the “hardest decision [he’s] ever made”.

Alexander-Arnold made 354 appearances for the Reds, which included winning two Premier League titles, a Champions League and the FA Cup.

When are the debates?

There will be two debates held before the election, each of them set to include the three main candidates.

The first is on October 16 at 7pm US Eastern Time (23:00 GMT) and will be hosted by local news outlet WNBC.

The second will take place on October 22 at 7pm US Eastern Time (23:00) and will be hosted by Spectrum News NY1, another local news channel.

How can I watch?

In New York City, the mayoral debates will be broadcast live on local television chains including WNBC, Spectrum News NY1 and PIX11.

For those outside the metropolitan area, the debates will be available live on the YouTube channels for those stations.

You can find NY1’s YouTube page here, and WNBC’s here.

Who are the candidates?

There are three main candidates in the race.

Leading the field is Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist and member of the New York State Assembly whose rapid rise has been interpreted as a sea change within the Democratic Party.

In February, an Emerson College poll found Mamdani trailing the pack, with less than one percent support. But by the time the Democratic primary arrived in June, the dark horse had become the frontrunner.

He ultimately trounced his nearest rival, Andrew Cuomo, with 56 percent of the primary vote, in a contest widely viewed as a bellwether in the strongly Democratic-leaning city.

Cuomo, however, remains Mamdani’s main competitor. After his loss in the primary, Cuomo announced he would continue his run as an independent in November’s general election.

Cuomo served as New York’s governor from 2011 to 2021, but he ultimately resigned amid numerous allegations of sexual harassment.

Finally, representing the Republican Party in the election is Curtis Sliwa, a conservative anti-crime activist and regular fixture in the city’s political scene. He previously ran for mayor in the 2021 race.

What happened to the incumbent, Mayor Eric Adams?

Mayor Eric Adams had been among the contenders for this year’s mayoral race. But in late September, he formally withdrew his bid.

Adams had faced slumping poll numbers, and throughout his four years as mayor, he has been dogged by corruption scandals. One culminated with a federal investigation into allegations he had entered into a quid pro quo with the Turkish government.

“I was wrongfully charged because I fought for this city,” Adams said in his withdrawal video. He blamed “the constant media speculation” for having “undermined” his ability to raise election funds.

Adams had also faced scrutiny about his increasingly close relationship with US President Donald Trump. He visited Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida in January, shortly before the Republican leader’s inauguration.

Weeks later, in February, Trump’s Justice Department dropped its case against Adams. The mayor has since switched his party affiliation from Democrat to independent.

What do polls say about the state of the race?

Since Adams dropped out of the race, most recent polls have shown Cuomo gaining ground but trailing behind Mamdani by a substantial margin.

A poll from Quinnipiac University on October 9 found Mamdani leading the field with 46 percent support, followed by Cuomo with 33 percent, and Sliwa with 15 percent.

The figures for Mamdani and Sliwa were similar to those gathered from a Quinnipiac poll in September, which featured Adams on the ballot.

Adams’s decision to drop out appears to have primarily benefitted Cuomo: His poll number rose from 23 percent in September.

Other polls show Mamdani with a lead that ranges from around 14 percent to 21 percent.

Media reports have suggested that Adams’s decision to exit the race may have been encouraged by Trump himself, in a bid to consolidate opposition to Mamdani.

What has President Trump said about the race?

Born in the borough of Queens, Trump has lifelong ties to New York City, and he has been vocal in his opposition to Mamdani’s candidacy.

Trump has threatened to withhold federal funds from New York should Mamdani win the election. He has also repeatedly branded Mamdani a communist, a false allegation.

“ I think he’s terrible,” Trump said of Mamdani after his primary win. ”I think he’s bad news, and I think I’m gonna have a lot of fun with him, watching him, because he has to come right through this building to get his money.”

“I think the people in New York are crazy,” Trump added. “If they go this route, I think they’re crazy.”

What issues will be discussed at Thursday’s debate?

While debate topics are not announced in advance, a range of local and national issues are likely to be discussed.

One question in particular is looming over the city’s election: How will the next mayor manage threats and intimidation from President Trump?

The Republican leader has already deployed troops and federal immigration agents to Democrat-run cities across the country and slashed funds for areas he sees as politically unfriendly.

The candidates may also be asked about their plans to address cost-of-living concerns, affordability and improvements to local transportation, three issues that have featured prominently in the mayoral race.

Questions about Israel’s war in Gaza, which has killed nearly 68,000 Palestinians, have also figured prominently in the race.

Mamdani is an outspoken supporter of Palestinian rights and has criticised Israel’s war as a genocide, a position held by a large number of scholars and rights groups as well as a majority of Democratic voters.

In July, just 8 percent of Democrats said they approved of Israel’s military actions, according to a Gallup poll.

Cuomo, for his part, is a strong supporter of Israel and previously volunteered his services for a group of legal professionals defending Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against accusations of war crimes.

October 16, 2025

Molly-Mae Hague ‘terrified’ as she prepares to reveal secret battle in new Amazon series

By 234Radio in Entertainment News, News

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Former Love Island star and YouTube sensation Molly-Mae Hague is gearing up for the release of season 2 of her hit Amazon Prime docu-series titled Molly-Mae: Behind It All

Molly-Mae Hague has admitted that she’s riddled with anxiety ahead of the launch of the new series of her reality TV series, insisting that fans are set to see a whole different side of her. The 26-year-old is returning to screens this weekend with three new eps of Behind It All, after the first series won an NTA award earlier this year.

At a launch event at Selfridges, Molly-Mae teased that she’s set to open up about struggles she has never publicly spoken about before. Of the new series, she said: “I was able to kind of trust the crew a little bit more and just to sort of let go a little bit, which I definitely have done in this season.

“I think you’ll see there’s bits that maybe I would have held back or wanted to sort of shy away from sharing, or topics that I feel like I didn’t maybe put the trust in the crew to talk about last time, because there’s just new territory for me.

“But this time around, I’m like, You know what? This isn’t our first rodeo. Now, we’ve done this before. I can really put my trust in them and just know that they’ve got my best interest and just more of a leap of faith with this one.

READ MORE: Molly-Mae’s Hague’s tense relationship with Tommy ahead of tell-all Amazon seriesREAD MORE: Did Tommy Fury cheat on Molly-Mae Hague? Stars ‘together’ but ‘living separate lives’

“I do feel really nervous about them, because we do talk about things in there that I haven’t spoken about before, but yeah, kind of just trusting the crew,” Molly-Mae admitted.

The social media superstar went on to admit that fans will see a whole new side to her in the new series, and they will be in for a shock.

Mum-of-one Molly-Mae revealed: “It’s definitely a new way to share my story. I feel like maybe Instagram is like that polished highlight reel where we keep it kind of like just in one lane, and YouTube is also where I can share a bit more, but never as much as I felt like I’ve shared in the doc, especially this time around.

“I’ve really spoken about things that I especially in two and three, that I just haven’t really delved into before. And just it’s been really nice to actually just speak a bit more. I feel like, over the few past few years, I kind of don’t speak as much, but having this show has been has enabled me to kind of just, yeah, be a bit more like ‘this is me’.”

While the whole second series shows a different side to Molly-Mae, she revealed that there’s one episode in particular that she’s incredibly anxious about.

“Episode three, I’m probably most nervous for. I mean, honestly, I’m definitely more nervous for this season than I was the first because I think it just delves into me more,” she admitted.

“And I think because obviously, last time, there was a lot going on and there was a lot of different storylines, and I felt like it was, it was about me and it was about other things at the same time, yeah. But with episode three, we definitely share things that in a dream world, maybe I’ve been like ‘CUT’. yeah.

“But I think also that’s just me at the start, because I was like, we’re gonna do it. Let’s just do it. Go for it. Like, show the good, bad, the ugly. Like, not every day goes smooth. But yeah, episode three is the drama.”

Last month, Molly-Mae’s dreams came true when she won her first National Television Award for her Amazon Prime docuseries. The influencer beat off competition from the likes of Amy Dowden, Freddie Flintoff, and Rob Burrow – who she dedicated her huge win to.

Molly-Mae faced harsh criticism after her incredible win for Best Authored Documentary at the NTA’s, and has now admitted that her dream of winning the public-voted gong has added the pressure.

“It definitely added the pressure, I think, within the NTA, I mean, we felt the pressure anyway, because I’m massive perfectionist, and I just want everything that I put out to be like I just said before,” she shared.

“I want them to enjoy it and fit to be perfect. But I think often in NTA, it does just add that pressure, because people like, okay, it’s winning awards. So follow that same energy. But no, it’s been so fun doing it again.”

Molly-Mae returns to the spotlight this weekend with Prime Video hoping the series is another big hit after Series 1 became the most-watched series on Prime Video by young women (18-34) in the UK.

The new series shows Molly Mae as she embarks on an exciting new chapter as she takes her business empire to the next level while navigating the challenges of motherhood with daughter Bambi under the scrutiny of millions.

She also spoke earlier this month of her hope to have a second baby one day and a sibling for Bambi. “I think about it a lot and it’s something that I feel quite a large pressure around because I’m desperate to give Bambi a sibling,’ she told Cosmopolitan.

“My life wouldn’t have been the same without my sister. I was the younger sister, so I benefited even more from having someone to guide me and someone to look up to. I’d want that for Bambi, but I would never want to do it just for her – I’d want to do it also because it’s something I want to do.”

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Molly-Mae: Behind It All eps 1-3 of Series 2 launch exclusively on Prime Video on Saturday, October 18. The latter three episodes will drop early 2026.

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Molly-Mae Hague ‘terrified’ as she prepares to reveal secret battle in new Amazon series

Former Love Island star and YouTube sensation Molly-Mae Hague is gearing up for the release of season 2 of her hit Amazon Prime docu-series titled Molly-Mae: Behind It All