His family have paid tribute to the singer-songwriter, who was 82, in a statement this week. His family said: “We are heartbroken to announced that our beloved father Brian Wilson has passed away. We are at a loss for words right now. Please respect our privacy at this time as our family grieving. We realize that we are sharing our grief with the world. Love & Mercy.”
The musician rose to fame as a member of the beloved band alongside his two siblings. Brian was part of the original line-up with his late brothers Dennis Wilson and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love and pal Al Jardine.
Alongside providing vocals for the group, Brian also wrote and produced music for the Beach Boys. He’s credited as having written some of their best known songs like Wouldn’t It Be Nice, Good Vibrations and God Only Knows.
It’s been reported that Brian Wilson has died ( Getty Images)
The Beach Boys first began releasing music in 1961 and went on to have chart success with singles like Surfin’ U.S.A. and I Get Around, which were both released in the 1960s.
Brian experienced what he described as a “breakdown” in 1964 whilst onboard a flight with his bandmates.
It was reported last year that Brian, who has been described as a “genius” in his career, had dementia. The news of a “neurocognitive disorder” came following the death of his wife Melinda Ledbetter.
This is a breaking showbiz news story. Join The Mirror’s WhatsApp Community or follow us on Google News, Flipboard, Apple News, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads – or visit The Mirror homepage.
Louise Thompson has recently been sharing her favourite Free People pieces – and it included this ‘most flattering’ maxi dress that she owns in multiple shades
This article contains affiliate links, we will receive a commission on any sales we generate from it. Learn more
Louise Thompson says this ‘most flattering’ dress gets ‘so many compliments’(Image: Louise Thompson/Instagram)
One who always shares her latest fashion find, Louise Thompson, has once again been pointing fans in the direction of a must-have maxi dress that she loves so much that she bought it in different shades.
The “beauty” of a dress that Louise was raving about this week is the Dixie Maxi from Free People. Boasting a flowy design and lightweight material, Louise’s maxi dress comes in a whopping ten shades to choose from. That said, it’s worth noting that some sizes in some colours may have sold out, thanks to this gem’s popularity, so you may want to act fast.
READ MORE: Save £250 on a giant Tuscan olive tree that will transform any patio into a Mediterranean haven
READ MORE: Stacey Solomon’s new ‘Sunshine Spritz’ shimmer mist drops in time for festival season
Louise Thompson says she owns this Dixie Maxi in multiple colours(Image: Free People)
Touted as “romantic and ethereal”, this maxi from Free People’s free-est collection is a true versatile staple. Boasting a billowy fit throughout that cinches at the waist for a flattering but unrestricted silhouette, this number features an elegant V-neckline that seamlessly merges casual style with formal flourishes.
Also offering a smocked panelling bodice that promises a flattering and comfortable fit that complements any body type, this dress features exaggerated sleeves that add to its fairytale charm and loose-flowing vibes – a feature Louise has loved in various other outfits.
Elevated with embroidered lace piecing at the skirt, this dress can be your perfect companion from everyday activities to sunset walks on the beach. Timelessly complemented by a sleek heel or simple flats, this piece promises endless ways to wear. The dress is available in sizes XS to XL and retails for £108.
This beauty comes in a range of hues, including Louise’s favourites: rust orange, blue, and ivory. Shades of pink, green, beige, and red are also available. That said, some size options are sold out in some colours, so you’ll need to hurry to get yours before it’s gone.
Louise raved about the dress on her social media, telling fans it gets her “so many compliments” and is one of “the most flattering” dresses she has.
Others who have bought Louise’s beloved dress can’t stop raving about it. One thrilled customer says: “I got so many compliments while walking around Santorini. It is so perfect with the coverage for the sun, light enough for the hot weather. I feel like a goddess in this dress.”
Another buyer beams: “This is my new favorite dress! It’s extremely comfortable, flattering and has big pockets. I’m a C cup and don’t need a bra with it and am 5’8″ and it comes to my ankles. I’m buying two more in other colors. Way to knock this one out of the park FP!”
And a third shopper shares: “Purchased this one for my teen daughter. Its truly a beautiful dress. She looks like a little woodland fairy every time she wears it. Its light weight and has very generous, deep pockets. I legit watched her put 2 oranges in one pocket to carry around as snacks. She is a size 2 and the Small was a perfect fit.”
More love comes from this customer who writes: “I have been eyeing this dress for a while after seeing one of my favorite tiktokers wearing it in her videos. I finally pulled the trigger and bought it. Shipping was extremely fast. It is so gorgeous the material is so nice and high quality. According to the size chart I should be a small but I read reviews and followed the advice to size down, and I’m so glad I did it fits great! I feel like a cottage core princess and will be ordering in other colors as well!”
Article continues below
And another chimes in: “Wore this dress this past weekend and I got some many compliments, wasn’t too long on me & I’m 5’3 usually maxi dresses from free people is long on me , but this one fixed perfectly I ended up getting it in a xs . I pair it with some platform sandal’s.”
Russian dissident and Kremlin critic Leonid Volkov, a prominent ally of the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny, has been sentenced in absentia to 18 years in prison.
The sentence was handed down by a Russian military court on Wednesday that found Volkov guilty on dozens of charges, including spreading fake news about the war in Ukraine and “justifying terrorism”.
“Volkov was found guilty of more than 40 episodes of crimes in nine criminal cases,” the Interfax news agency said, quoting a Moscow military court.
Volkov, who lives in Lithuania, made light of the verdict, describing the accompanying 2-million-rouble ($25,200) fine as a slap on the wrist.
“And they didn’t ban me from using the internet! Well, I’ll use it then,” he wrote on social media.
In a subsequent post, he corrected himself and said, after reading the full verdict, that he had in fact been banned from using the internet for 10 years.
“And I’ve already started using it. Damn. What should I do?” he wrote in a jocular riposte.
Volkov, 44, left Russia in 2019 after authorities opened a criminal case against him. He has been on Russia’s wanted list since 2021.
Navalny, the most prominent domestic critic of Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, died suddenly in February 2024 in an Arctic penal colony at the age of 47. He had been serving prison terms totalling more than 30 years on fraud, “extremism” and other charges that he said were trumped up to silence him.
The authorities designated his movement as “extremist”, casting it as a Western-backed organisation bent on fomenting unrest and revolution.
Despite Navalny’s death, investigators have continued to launch new cases against his supporters and associates, many of whom have been designated as “foreign agents” or “extremists”.
In January, three lawyers who had worked for Navalny were found guilty of belonging to an “extremist” group and sentenced to terms of up to five and a half years in a penal colony.
The UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) has frozen properties in the United Kingdom owned by Saifuzzaman Chowdhury, Bangladesh’s former Minister of Land, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit (I-Unit) can reveal.
The move follows legal requests from Bangladesh authorities to take action against assets owned by Chowdhury, a political ally of deposed Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of the now-banned Awami League party. Chowdhury is under investigation by Bangladesh authorities for money laundering.
Last night, in a statement to the I-Unit, an NCA spokesperson confirmed the freezing order: “We can confirm that the NCA has secured freezing orders against a number of properties as part of an on-going civil investigation.”
The property freeze means, in effect, that the assets cannot be sold by Chowdhury.
The action by the police agency, often dubbed “Britain’s FBI”, coincided with this week’s visit to London by Bangladesh’s interim leader, Professor Muhammad Yunus.
Last year, Al Jazeera revealed Chowdhury, 56, owns more than 350 properties in the UK. While the full extent of the NCA’s action is not yet understood, the I-Unit can disclose that Chowdhury’s luxury home in St John’s Wood, London, is part of the asset freeze.
The home, bought for 11 million pounds ($14.8m), was the scene of secret filming by undercover reporters from Al Jazeera’s I-Unit. Reporters met Chowdhury during a long-running investigation into wealth that he had accumulated while he was still a government minister.
During the meeting, Chowdhury talked expansively to reporters about his global property portfolio and revealed his taste for expensive suits and designer “baby croc” leather shoes. He described his close ties to the now deposed Sheikh Hasina, telling Al Jazeera’s journalists, “I am like her son, actually.”
“She knows I have a business here,” he also told them.
The I-Unit revealed that Chowdhury, from a powerful family in the port city of Chittagong, amassed a property empire despite a $12,000 annual limit as part of the nation’s currency laws on the amount a citizen can take out of Bangladesh. The investigation uncovered that Chowdhury spent more than $500m on real estate in London, Dubai, and New York but did not declare his overseas assets on his Bangladesh tax returns.
The undercover meeting was part of the Al Jazeera documentary The Minister’s Millions, broadcast last October.
Chowdhury had been a close ally of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024 after hundreds were killed as security forces cracked down on student protests.
After Hasina’s departure, Bangladesh authorities launched an investigation into allegations of widespread corruption in her government.
Following the uprising and street violence in Bangladesh, the I-Unit tracked down Chowdhury to his London home, where he could be observed taking leisurely walks around his exclusive neighbourhood, which includes Lord’s Cricket Ground.
Three colours are used for cricket balls in different formats – red, white, and pink.
The difference in colour is down to visibility. The traditional red ball remains used for Test matches as they stand out in daylight and don’t clash with the players’ whites
White balls were introduced for matches in limited-overs formats, which often take place under floodlights like One-Day Internationals and T20s. They were developed in the 1970s and first used in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
What rules must cricket balls abide by?
Cricket balls have a cork interior, held together by tightly wound yarn. The exterior of first-class balls is typically made of four pieces of leather which is either machine or hand-stitched together to create the distinctive seam.
Whenever a manufacturer produces cricket balls for the men’s first-class game, they must abide by the following measurements:
Getty Images
Which balls swing more?
The different balls are designed with distinct colours for visibility reasons only, and manufacturers often insist no difference exists beyond the colour.
But many players, coaches and fans believe they each behave differently.
There is a common perception the white ball swings more than the red ball, and bowlers also sometimes claim there is a difference in feel in the hand between the two, leading to a slight difference in grip and greater difficulty generating spin.
Given the discrepancy between what the manufacturers say and what players insist they experience, there is no conclusive answer which explains whether the different balls really do or do not play differently.
But if they do, what could possibly be behind it?
Well, the exteriors of the different kinds of ball are treated slightly differently during the manufacturing process.
Red balls are commonly darkened with wax before the lacquering process, lending them a leathery feel, while white balls can have an extra layer of polish applied to improve their shine under floodlights.
That creates a smoother, glassier finish which could allow white balls to move slightly more quickly through the air and face less resistance, leading it to swing farther than the red ball. The seam on a white ball can also be less prominent than on a red ball, leading to a further decrease in air resistance.
The pink ball is treated more similarly to the white ball, though it features a black or green seam to improve contrast. Some believe the pink ball has a tendency to swing even more than the white ball.
Get in touch
Contact form
What is Ask Me Anything?
This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This question was submitted by Mark in Preston. Thanks, Mark!
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
Three colours are used for cricket balls in different formats – red, white, and pink.
The difference in colour is down to visibility. The traditional red ball remains used for Test matches as they stand out in daylight and don’t clash with the players’ whites
White balls were introduced for matches in limited-overs formats, which often take place under floodlights like One-Day Internationals and T20s. They were developed in the 1970s and first used in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.
What rules must cricket balls abide by?
Cricket balls have a cork interior, held together by tightly wound yarn. The exterior of first-class balls is typically made of four pieces of leather which is either machine or hand-stitched together to create the distinctive seam.
Whenever a manufacturer produces cricket balls for the men’s first-class game, they must abide by the following measurements:
Getty Images
Which balls swing more?
The different balls are designed with distinct colours for visibility reasons only, and manufacturers often insist no difference exists beyond the colour.
But many players, coaches and fans believe they each behave differently.
There is a common perception the white ball swings more than the red ball, and bowlers also sometimes claim there is a difference in feel in the hand between the two, leading to a slight difference in grip and greater difficulty generating spin.
Given the discrepancy between what the manufacturers say and what players insist they experience, there is no conclusive answer which explains whether the different balls really do or do not play differently.
But if they do, what could possibly be behind it?
Well, the exteriors of the different kinds of ball are treated slightly differently during the manufacturing process.
Red balls are commonly darkened with wax before the lacquering process, lending them a leathery feel, while white balls can have an extra layer of polish applied to improve their shine under floodlights.
That creates a smoother, glassier finish which could allow white balls to move slightly more quickly through the air and face less resistance, leading it to swing farther than the red ball. The seam on a white ball can also be less prominent than on a red ball, leading to a further decrease in air resistance.
The pink ball is treated more similarly to the white ball, though it features a black or green seam to improve contrast. Some believe the pink ball has a tendency to swing even more than the white ball.
Get in touch
Contact form
What is Ask Me Anything?
This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team. Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions. This question was submitted by Mark in Preston. Thanks, Mark!
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team explores everything you need to know and calls upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We answer your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and go behind the scenes at some of the world’s biggest sporting events.
