Anti-government protests in Serbia turned violent as riot police clashed with demonstrators in several cities, including Belgrade and Valjevo. Protesters vandalised offices of the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), marking a major escalation in the nine-month-long movement against government corruption.
Thomasina Miers has achieved great success since being crowned winner of MasterChef in 2005 under the judgement of John Torode and Gregg Wallace. At the time of winning the coveted trophy, both John and Gregg were held in great esteem by the amateur chefs and production staff.
But now, both presenters have had their careers blighted by upheld accusations and have been sacked by the BBC following an investigation into their use of offensive language and inappropriate behaviour.
It comes after John Torode’s wife Lisa Faulkner broke her silence after his MasterChef sacking.
Since news of their sacking emerged, Thomasina, 49, has finally broken her silence and has come out in support of John Torode as she believes he was “hung out to dry”, by the broadcaster.
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John was sacked from his role on the show after he was accused of using a racist term. The term was allegedly made while on set in 2018 and the show’s production company deemed the term as “seriously offensive.”
In an interview with The Sunday Times, Thomasina said: “I cannot believe that John got hung out to dry like that. Twenty years of his life of dedicated service. John is like the least racist person I’ve ever met … I just don’t get it.”
Gregg was also sacked over inappropriate behaviour and his use of sexual jokes. And while Thomasina only felt compelled to comment on John, she seems to have an understanding of “smutty” jokes in the kitchen.
She continued: “I have a really smutty sense of humour so God knows what the BBC would make of some of the banter we have. I don’t think they’d approve but we have a lot of fun in the kitchens.”
She added: “Obviously you can’t be making other people feel uncomfortable, but equally I think you have to have fun and be able to have a joke … The kitchen is notoriously full of innuendo and double meanings.”
Thomasina is the owner of restaurant chain Wahaca.
After much deliberation, the BBC decided to air this year’s series which was filmed before both presenters were told to step down from their role.
However, the episodes were edited in a desperate bid to show a reduced amount of interaction between the amateur chef and the show hosts.
And according to reports two contestants asked to be edited out of the series.
Reflecting on her time on the show twenty years ago, Thomasina said the show has a special place in her heart as it was the first time she was told she was good at cooking.
She added: “It was the first time someone said, ‘You’re really good at this, this is what you should be doing’, I went to quite an academic school [St Paul’s Girls’ School in Hammersmith, west London], so being a chef felt not like a proper career.”
In her restaurants, loyalty from her long-term staff is rewarded with either a month long sabbatical or a trip to Mexico.
She said: “We have really good parties. You’ve got to have fun at work. I’m obviously not condoning any kind of inappropriate behaviour … but if you are, you know, good friends, you just have fun. Kitchens are notorious for smutty behaviour but it’s fun, light-weight.”
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West Ham vice-chair Karren Brady says the club “won’t panic” and manager Graham Potter will be given time to turn things around following a disappointing defeat to Sunderland in their Premier League opener.
The Hammers were beaten 3-0 to the newly promoted Black Cats at the Stadium of Light on Saturday – a continuation of the patchy form under Potter since his appointment in January.
The former Brighton and Chelsea boss has won five, drawn five and lost 10 of his 20 matches in charge since he replaced Julen Lopetegui.
Some angry fans called for Potter to be sacked amid fears of a relegation battle this season.
“He builds a special relationship with players and they understand where he’s coming from.
“He has a modern mindset and all of those things mean it does take some time to put a team together, to get the team playing the way that you want.
“West Ham is not a club that panics about its managers. We tend to stick with them, tend to support people, stick with them and see it through.
“I really hope he does well. He’s a pleasure to work with, he’s incredibly professional.
“I know his relationship with the players is good. I know he’ll be sitting down with them today to have a long, hard think about what went wrong yesterday, expecting a reaction and expecting to put it right.”
Potter gave full debuts to Senegal full-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, a £19m signing from Slavia Prague, and Denmark goalkeeper Mads Hermansen, who joined for £20m from Leicester.
Striker Callum Wilson also made his debut as a substitute following his arrival from Newcastle, while another free transfer, Kyle Walker-Peters, remained on the bench.
West Ham have yet to bring in a direct replacement for Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus, who joined Tottenham for £55m.
They performed well in the first half and went close through Jarrod Bowen and Diouf, but faded badly after Eliezer Mayenda’s 61st-minute opener, conceding twice more in the final 17 minutes.
“I wish yesterday could start all over again,” added Brady. “It’s so tough to take. It’s never easy for the supporters, the players, or the manager to lose 3-0, particularly in the opening game of the season.
“I spent a lot of time with the manager and the squad in America on the pre-season tour. The spirit among them is fantastic. I know that they’ll be more disappointed, that they’ll be the most disappointed people this morning.
Former Premier League striker Alan Shearer was critical of West Ham’s performance on Match of the Day, particularity their reaction to going 1-0 down.
“I would be [concerned if I was a West Ham fan], that is Graham Potter’s biggest defeat as West Ham manager,” he said.
“They haven’t replaced Kudus, two new players in the starting line-up, Callum Wilson came on, but Bowen was their main threat, particularly in the first half.
“The second half would be the one to worry about because once they conceded that first goal, they just folded like a pack of cards.
Thousands of protesters in Israel have taken to the streets demanding an end to the war in Gaza and a deal to free captives held there, as the military intensifies attacks on Gaza City to force tens of thousands of starving Palestinians to flee again.
Israeli schools, businesses and public transport have been shut down, with demonstrations planned in major cities as part of a national day of action by two groups representing a number of the families of captives and bereaved families.
Protesters, who fear further fighting could endanger the 50 captives believed to remain in Gaza, only about 20 of whom are thought to be alive, chanted: “We don’t win a war over the bodies of hostages.”
“Military pressure doesn’t bring hostages back – it only kills them,” former captive Arbel Yehoud said at a demonstration in Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”. “The only way to bring them back is through a deal, all at once, without games.”
Police said they had arrested 32 as part of the nationwide demonstration – one of the fiercest since the uproar over six captives found dead in Gaza last September.
Sunday’s rallies came just days after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to advance on Gaza City, nearly two years into a genocidal war that has devastated the enclave, left much of its population on the brink of famine, and led to Israel being increasingly internationally isolated.
At Tel Aviv’s so-called “Hostage Square”, activists unfurled a huge Israeli flag covered with the faces of captives still held in Gaza. Protesters also blocked major roads, including the highway linking Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, where tyres were set alight and traffic came to a standstill, according to local reports.
The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents relatives of those held, declared a nationwide strike. “We will shut down the country today with one clear call: Bring back the 50 hostages, end the war,” the group said, pledging to escalate their campaign with a protest tent near the Gaza border.
“If we don’t bring them back now – we will lose them forever,” the group warned.
In Jerusalem, businesses closed as demonstrators joined marches. “It’s time to end the war. It’s time to release all of the hostages. And it’s time to help Israel recover and move towards a more stable Middle East,” said Doron Wilfand, a 54-year-old tour guide speaking to the AFP news agency.
Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat and consul general in New York, told Al Jazeera from Tel Aviv that while protests were spread across the country, turnout remained relatively small.
“The number of people is pretty small … I do expect it to increase during the day,” he said, noting many shops, restaurants and universities were closed, with public transport running at half capacity. “It’s not a general strike in the sense that people envisage, but it is palpable, it’s tangible, you can feel it in the air.”
On Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response to the unrest, Pinkas was scathing. “Most prime ministers would have resigned after October 7th … He is not just another prime minister. He cares only about his survival. He is driven by some Messianic delusions of redrawing the Middle East.”
Pinkas added that Netanyahu was deflecting public anger by blaming “the elites” and a “deep-state cabal” rather than taking responsibility.
President Isaac Herzog voiced support for the captives’ return, urging international pressure on Hamas rather than heeding calls to halt the war.
But senior government figures lashed out at the protests.
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich denounced them as “a perverse and harmful campaign that plays into the hands of Hamas,” while Culture Minister Miki Zohar said blocking roads “is a serious mistake and a reward to the enemy”.
Police reinforced their presence across the country, warning that no “public order disturbances” would be tolerated. Demonstrations were also held near the Gaza border, including in Beeri, a kibbutz badly hit during the Hamas-led attack of October 2023. At least 1,139 people were killed in that attack that triggered what campaigners say is Israel’s war of vengeance. More than 61,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority women and children, in an Israeli offensive that has been dubbed genocide by multiple rights groups.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yaov Gallant have been issued arrest warrants by the International Criminal Court for war crimes.
Meanwhile, Egyptian officials said efforts were under way to broker a 60-day truce that would include captive releases. A previous round of talks in Qatar collapsed without progress. The last trace agreed to in January was broken by Israel in March.
Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ has returned for a second series – and it’s promised to be better than ever with a whole host of celebs added to the cast, including Joanna Lumley and Billie Piper. Lady Gaga even made a subtle appearance after the sped-up version of her song ‘Bloody Mary’ reached new heights of popularity thanks to the first season of the show.
However, many people were left wondering whether ‘Thing’ from the show is CGI. For those not in the know, Thing from The Addams Family is a disembodied hand that serves as a loyal and helpful companion to the family.
In the Netflix spin-off series, Thing is portrayed by 28-year-old Victor Dorobantu, a Romanian magician, but people were shocked to learn there was a person behind the hand.
Victor shared some behind-the-scenes footage of him portraying the unusual character, and some people said he had the “hardest job on the set”.
Taking to X, someone wrote: “Rather than relying entirely on CGI, Thing was performed by Romanian magician and actor Victor Dorobantu, who wore a specially designed costume and prosthetics.”
His costume was blue with a hood so that he could be edited out of the background easily.
In the comments of Victor’s video, someone wrote: “Imagine telling the grandkids you were in the Wednesday series, every time thing comes on ‘that’s me’. So cool to know it was a person and not CGI.”
Another said: “Wow I actually thought Thing was like an AI type of thing. Not going to lie, he has the hardest job on set. That looks like a good workout lol.”
Somebody else shared: “The way I checked IMDB so fast this season to make sure it was you again before watching!! I was so stoked it was… love how you play Thing.”
“This is INCREDIBLY cool! I’m so happy you shared this,” a woman praised him.
A man penned: “Dang I never thought it was actually someone’s hand I thought it was just animated.”
An Instagram user shared he must have a lot of strength, writing: “I know it takes immense shoulder strength to be able to pull off something like this. I know your shoulders are well built. I know your shoulders hurt.”
“Ok, no, but in all seriousness, the way this dude communicates and sends feelings across the screen is beyond me,” a fan praised.
Some tried to put the actor down, though, saying: “All this technology we have and there was no room for a robot hand? But I guess this makes it look more realistic.”
Thousands rallied in New York for a ‘Mass March for Humanity’ demanding an end to Israel’s imposed starvation of Gaza and the complicity of the US. Protesters honoured slain journalists, including Al Jazeera’s Anas al-Sharif, and accused Israel of targeting media workers.