Palestine’s ambassador to Brazil told the COP30 climate summit that Israel’s genocide in Gaza and occupation of Palestinian land has added significantly to the climate crisis.
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Boots shoppers ‘always get compliments’ on £105 perfume cut to £49
The better-than-half-price deal is part of the beauty store’s huge Black Friday selection
When it comes to perfumes, few brands are as widely recognised as Yves Saint Laurent. Now, shoppers at Boots can get their hands on a massively reduced bottle of one of the designer fragrances as part of the Black Friday sale.
The Yves Saint Laurent Black Opium Eau de Parfum Over Red has been cut in price and, at the time of writing, was one of the best deals in terms of discount on the Boots website. Originally, the 50ml perfume bottle should cost shoppers £105, but the Black Friday deal cuts that down by more than half to £49, saving shoppers a huge £56.
The Boots website described the perfume as being “captivating, unparalleled in provocation, deliberatively seductive”. It uses notes of black coffee, orange blossom and vanilla from the original YSL Black Opium with a twist of cherry accord and jasmine flower.
READ MORE: Boots reduces £70 ‘Luxury Beauty Bauble’ filled with high-end brands to £20
READ MORE: Christmas gift guide 2025: Presents for her, him and kids from £5
There are similar perfumes on offer during Black Friday at other stores. For example, Superdrug has a range of deals, including the Calvin Klein Euphoria for Her (was £82, now £31 for 100ml), and The Perfume Shop has slashed the price of Vera Wang’s popular Princess scent (was £66, now £19.99 for 100ml).
However, dozens of shoppers were pleased with the Boots deal and have been praising the perfume for years. One said: “I always get compliments whilst wearing it.” Another wrote: “Amazing, luxurious and smells divine! This scent is my all-time favourite.”
A third put in their review: “I have fallen in love hard and fast with this perfume. I’ve always been a fan of the original YSL Black Opium and this takes the classic scent to a new level. On my initial wear I thought the cherry in the scent faded quickly on my skin, but hours later a co-worker asked me if I was wearing a new, fruity perfume. I was surprised he could still smell it!”
Someone else said: “This scent is similar to the regular black opium but the cherry adds a fun twist. I get compliments on it all the time.” A fifth shopper suggested: “This is a perfect perfume for winter.”
However, a few shoppers did share some issues they had, with one shopper putting online that the scent was “overpowering and instantly gave [them] a headache”. Someone else warned that they “can’t smell it anymore after 10 minutes”, and a third said: “This reminds me of a cough medicine. If you like this, you will probably love this perfume.”.
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However, many people were praising the perfume and claiming that its scent reminded them of an even more expensive one, which is priced at £290 for the 50ml version in Boots. One claimed: “Compared to Tom Ford Lost Cherry, it is slightly sweeter and lasts way longer!”
Why VAR gets involved in some penalties but not others
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It was a weekend of video assistant referee penalty decisions in the Premier League, with spot-kicks awarded, cancelled and ignored.
VAR is always going to face accusations of being inconsistent, because its role is not to create consistency of decision-making but judge individual incidents based upon the on-field call.
So it can be helpful to understand what VAR is looking for and why similar situations can have opposing outcomes.
From the penalty awarded to Manchester City against Liverpool, to Dan Burn’s challenges on Dango Ouattara and Brighton’s overturned spot-kick at Crystal Palace, we saw a whole range.
Why a small touch on Doku was enough
Jeremy Doku skipped into the penalty area in the ninth minute and stumbled as he looked to move the ball past Liverpool goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili.
Referee Chris Kavanagh waved for play to continue, but was sent to the monitor for a penalty review by VAR Michael Oliver. It was awarded, with Mamardashvili making a save from Erling Haaland.
When sliding, Mamardashvili only made a small amount of contact on Doku. We are often told this is not enough for a VAR penalty, so why was this any different from what we have seen before?
One of the key considerations for VAR is how the attacker goes to ground, which the Premier League refers to as “contact with consequence”. Does the contact from the challenge fit the way a player has gone down or has it been embellished?
That Doku attempted to stay on his feet, and was trying to balance to shoot rather than look for a penalty, gives an indication to the VAR that the contact had a natural impact on the forward’s ability to continue with the ball.
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Why Ouattara did not get a penalty
If Doku gets a penalty, what is the difference with Burn’s challenge on Ouattara, which was not given and meant the Brentford player was booked for a dive?
It comes back to “contact with consequence” and guidance which asks the VAR to consider the motivations of the attacker and how they go to ground.
Doku went down in a way which would be expected for the contact, but Ouattaro threw himself theatrically to the floor. That counts against an attacker on a VAR review.
We can look at a penalty Arsenal were given against Leeds by the on-field referee in August when Max Dowman had his foot touched by Anton Stach.
The Premier League’s key match incidents (KMI) panel voted 3-2 that this should not have been a spot-kick, noting: “There is slight contact made by Stach on the toe of Dowman’s foot, with the significance and impact of the contact debated by the panel. The panel felt that the referee’s call of a penalty was incorrect (but) unanimously agreed that VAR was correct not to intervene.”
The wording is part of the reason fans cannot get fully on board with VAR. So was the Stach decision an error? Yes, but not enough to be corrected.
In basic terms, Ouattara and Dowman are very similar, so the KMI panel is unlikely to feel it was a mistake not to give the penalty on the field.
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When can VAR review a yellow card?
We often hear that yellow cards cannot be reviewed by VAR, but there are a handful of exceptions.
On Sunday Brighton’s Georginio Rutter was correctly booked for simulation after initiating contact with Palace’s Jaydee Canvot.
There was no challenge by the Palace player, and Rutter’s only intention was to deceive the referee and win the spot-kick, which was overturned on review.
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Fulham’s Josh King suffered the same fate at Aston Villa earlier this season. The KMI panel supported no penalty 3-2 on field, and 5-0 on the VAR call.
From next season, second yellow cards are set to be reviewable. That creates a two-tier situation whereby a player could get a caution for simulation revoked if it is their second booking, but not their first.
There are other situations when a yellow card can be rescinded or shown.
If a player is booked when giving away a penalty but the spot-kick is cancelled, that yellow can be scrapped. So if the penalty Burn conceded had been cancelled, he would have stayed on.
Related topics
- Premier League
- Football
- 17 October
Maura Higgins reveals the secret to getting her amazing figure after Botox admission
Maura Higgins has said she ‘wants to be in the best shape of her life’ next year as she dropped big hints about what her next career move could be
Maura Higgins has shared the secret behind her amazing figure as she took part in an Instagram Q&A with fans over the weekend.
The 34-year-old former Love Island star has come a long way since her days as a Formula 1 grid girl. She is now a model, TV presenter and aspiring actress who recently made her film debut in the 2025 Irish comedy film The Spin that has reportedly got Hollywood film bosses talking.
Though she’s always had a good figure, Maura wasn’t shy about telling fans how she sustains it as she posed for her latest snaps in a festive-inspired red and white trim bikini while on holiday in Marrakesh.
Asked how what her ‘ab routine’ was, Maura replied: “I’ve honestly been working my (tiny) ass off in the gym the last few months!! It’s not been easy but this is the best I’ve felt in such a long time!!”
READ MORE: Olivia Attwood and ‘nemesis’ Maura Higgins’ awkward clash as they wear identical dresses to awards
Sharing what workouts she does, Maura continued: “I do a lot of power yoga & pilates!” Dropping a huge hint of what is next for her career wise, she added: “Next year is super super exciting for me so I want to be in the best shape of my life.”
In another question from fans, Maura finally admitted that she does get Botox – despite previously denying having the cosmetic tweakment.
Asked ‘Will you ever talk about skin treatments you have? You are glowing! Xx.’, Maura replied: “When I first got perioral dermatitis I stop getting facials altogether, now it’s just skincare and of course with the help of Botox from the best @drroshoffical.”
Back in 2020, Maura claimed she hadn’t had Botox, telling OK! magazine: “I probably will get Botox some day, but I’m afraid to right now. I don’t want to change myself. I did think about having a boob job a long time ago, but that went out the window.”
She also spoke about wanting a curvier bottom after complaining her bottom was “flat”. She said at the time: “I would like a bigger bum, but I’m never going to have that so there’s no point talking about it. I have a flat bum, but I can’t have everything.”
In 2022, she even joked how she gets compared to Michael Jackson because of her ‘perfect nose’. Speaking during a TV appearance on Shopping With Keith Lemon, Maura shared: “I get trolled. The main thing I get is that I look like Michael Jackson.”
An incredulous Keith replied: “Well you’re the fittest Michael Jackson I’ve ever seen” to which Maura said: “I think it’s because people think I’ve had a nose job. I will admit my nose is very perfect. People would pay a lot of money to have my nose.”
Before she impressed fans with her stint on I’m A Celebrity last year, one cosmetic surgery expert told the Mirror he thought Maura may have had facial contouring on her cheeks and jawline to add definition.
But Maura – who recently won praise for showing fans her grey hairs after revealing she went grey at 18 – has hit back at the speculation telling MailOnline: “I got my lips done three months after coming out of Love Island and lip fillers lasts five to six months. I haven’t had anything done since then, I just let it dissolve.
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“But people still assume I’ve had my lips done, Botox, people are even saying I’ve had my nose done when I’ve not actually had any work.
“I had braces on for a long time and since my teeth have moved, they’ve actually pushed my lips out slightly and I feel like I don’t need it. If I were to get my lips down now with my straight teeth, it just wouldn’t be a good look.”
READ MORE: ‘Ninja’s Crispi airfryer transformed my everyday meals and now it’s £40 off for Black Friday’
Jonathan Ross says Celebrity Traitors stars still won’t speak to him over awkward feud
Months after Celebrity Traitors’ filming ended, Jonathan Ross says some of his co-starts still haven’t forgiven him an struggle to accept the shoe was just a game
Jonathan Ross says some of his co-stars struggle to accept Celebrity Traitors is just a game – and still haven’t forgiven him for not being a Faithful!
The TV star, who last week said that there was no “beef” between him and Ruth Codd despite their on-screen spat, says some haven’t forgiven him for his part in the hit programme. Jonathan was of course a Traitor alongside Cat Burns and eventual winner Alan Carr – but he was the only one not to make the final.
Jonathan was eventually rumbled but didn’t go without a parting shot, pretending his was a Faithful as he left before came clean. He has now claimed that some of the stars are yet to forgive their Traitor counterparts even though filming wrapped months ago.
READ MORE: Celebrity Traitors Series 2 update as BBC make exciting announcementREAD MORE: Jonathan Ross addresses Ruth Codd ‘beef’ after Celebrity Traitors feud
Chatting In the latest episode of his Reel Talk podcast, he says: “It is a bit weird because there are a couple of people from in there – I’m not gonna name names – who do seem to still, not hold a grudge exactly, but still seem to struggle with accepting that it was just a game, and that the lying and accusations that flew around were all part of the game.
“They are nothing to do with who we are or what we are or how we interact outside of that hothouse environment. But it is kind of weird. I’ve gone on record saying I struggled doing it. It was hard doing it. And those who’ve now seen the final, the emotions you see at the end from someone – I’m not going to name names – you can see how hard we all found it. I think everyone found it.”
He went on to address the issue of other celebs still being a little off about what happened. I hate the word ‘triggering’ because it’s such a common word to use now and I think it’s used too casually,” he said.
“But I think when you’re in a stressful situation you rarely react just because of that situation; there’s almost always other factors that you might not even be aware of – old wounds and fears you might have about how you’re perceived or how you think people see you or how you think you are acting or whether you’re acting quickly.”
There was big news for fans today after it was confirmed Celebrity Traitors will return for a second series next year following its phenomenal debut. More than 12 million people tuned in to see Alan win the show last Thursday, defeating Nick Mohammed, Cat, David Olusoga and Joe Marler in a brilliant final.
Kalpna Patel-Knight, head of entertainment at the BBC, said: “Studio Lambert have done an outstanding job as The Celebrity Traitors has well and truly captivated the nation, becoming a bona fide highlight of the year bringing record numbers of people together to enjoy every twist and turn.
“In 2026 the doors of the castle will be opened again to welcome celebrity players to the game to see who can charm, who can scheme and ultimately who can survive in series two, which promises to be just as unmissable as the first.”
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After the nail-biting final, where Alan duped the unsuspecting Faithfuls to snatch the prize pot, speculation is rife about who might join the next series. Even though the dust has barely settled on his victory, several celebs have already expressed interest in participating in a potential second season.
Messi Makes Emotional Return To Camp Nou, Hints At Possible Comeback
Argentina and Barcelona legend Lionel Messi said on Monday he had visited the renovated Camp Nou and hoped for a return one day to say his “goodbye”.
Messi, 38, left the Catalan club in 2021 for Paris Saint-Germain due to the outfit’s dire financial problems before moving to Inter Miami two years later.
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“Last night I returned to a place I deeply miss. A place where I was immensely happy, where you made me feel a thousand times like the happiest person in the world,” the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner said on Instagram.
“I hope one day I can return, and not just to say goodbye as a player, as I was never able to do…,” the 2022 World Cup champion added.
You’re always welcome at your home, Leo. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/LUgD5D6Wdb
Messi scored twice on Saturday for Inter Miami to help them into the next round of the MLS Cup play-offs.