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MacGyver actor Richard Dean Anderson is looking healthy and happy in a rare public outing and a source exclusively tells Closer he’s got plenty of offers to return to acting if he wants to – although these days he’s a lot happier focusing on family and charity work while enjoying his retirement. “He still gets...

Міністерство оборони США направить близько 700 військовослужбовців Корпусу морської піхоти до Лос-Анджелеса через протести та заворушення. Про це йдеться у заяві Північного командування Збройних сил США USNORTHCOM, передає Укрінформ. «Північне командування США активувало батальйон зі складу 1-ї дивізії морської піхоти, який протягом вихідних був приведений у стан готовності до виконання завдань», — зазначається в документі. Як […]

A NEW Love Island bombshell has a secret connection to two former show stars, but they’ve cut ties with him. 

Semi-pro footballer Shea Mannings and fitness influencer Remell Mullins will be seen on screen within days, after being revealed as two new Love Island bombshells. 

instagram/@shea.mannings

A new Love Island bombshell has a secret connection to two former show stars, but they’ve cut ties with him[/caption]

Instagram

Two villa girls were liking Shea’s snaps[/caption]

instagram/@umajammeh

Uma Jammeh liked his photos between 2021 and 2023[/caption]

Shea is a 6ft 4 striker from Brighton with an Instagram bursting with action shots from his time on the pitch.

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And a scroll on his Instagram shows that two former Islanders – Ella Barnes and Uma Jammeh – were liking his photos. 

The two girls liked Shea’s snaps between 2021 and 2023, but it seems they’ve since cut ties. 

Neither of the girls now follow the footballer on Instagram, despite previously liking his pictures. 

Ella appeared on Love Island for season 10, and found a connection with Mitch Taylor, but the pair split shortly after leaving the show.

And Uma rose to fame on the hit dating show last year, and is still with boyfriend Wil Anderson after meeting him on it. 

New bombshells Shea and Remell are already in the Love Island villa, ready to stir up trouble. 

A source told The Sun: “The two new boys are already in the villa and immedietely started turning heads.

“The OG lads thought they were safe but three bombshells in three days shows that producers aren’t messing around.”

Their arrival follows a genius twist introduced by Maya Jama on launch night.

She announced the show’s first ever American bombshell and immediately gave her the power to steal a boy.

Las Vegas VIP waitress Toni swiped Ben – leaving Burnley lass Shakira single.

Shakira now has 24 hours to make a new connection or be dumped from the island.

If Shakira can convince a boy to split from his partner she’ll be saved.

Either way, at least one girl is going home tonight.

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Ella Barnes was also liking Shea’s snaps[/caption]

instagram/@shea.mannings

Shea isn’t followed by either of the Love Island ladies anymore[/caption]

EXPERTS have revealed their top tips for punters looking to get their hands on the EuroMillions £208m jackpot prize – from where to buy your ticket to the numbers most likely to come up.

Our lottery gurus have busted common myths and pointed out several key points to bear in mind ahead of tonight’s draw, which is the largest the UK has ever seen.

Alamy

Experts have answered some of the most common questions ahead of tonight’s draw[/caption]

Winners would become instantly richer than the likes of music giants Adele and Dua Lipa.

Allwyn, operators of The National Lottery, has provided some crucial advice for Brits hoping to win hundreds of millions of pounds ahead of the 7.30pm EuroMillions deadline.

It answered common questions, including choosing the optimum spot for buying tickets and the best way to choose your numbers.

The British firm has given a rare insight into some of the previous winners, exposing their rituals and the stories behind their success.

Where is the best place to buy my ticket?

Simon Horne, Consumer Communications Manager at Allwyn, advised players to keep things personal when choosing where to buy a ticket.

Speaking to The Sun, he said: “If I can offer some advice, it would be to buy your ticket where you feel lucky.

“Some might prefer to go to their local shop and buy one from their friendly newsagent, maybe somewhere they’ve been going for the last few years.

“Others might feel lucky sat in the bath, if that’s the case, go and buy your ticket online sat in the tub.

“It’s really personal and up to players to decide where they might get that extra little bit of luck.

“We look after so many previous winners and we hear some amazing stories about how they’ve played their lucky numbers.

“Many of us have these little rituals which we think can bring us a little bit of fortune.”

Simon told how one winner had picked up a ticket from his own corner shop after a shift and became a millionaire overnight.

Will picking random numbers boost my odds?

In terms of numbers, Simon added: “Players should not rule out any set of numbers.

“Just because we intuitively think close numbers like 1,2,3,4,5 won’t come out, they have the same chance.

“We’ve had winners in the past who have won by choosing numbers that mean something to them.

“Anniversaries and birthdays are very common and they might be lucky for you.

“But some also like to choose a random selection, like number plates on the motorway

“Every set of numbers has as much chance of coming out because this is a random draw.

“Players need to go with their gut. Do not rule anything out.”

Is it actually worth buying more tickets?

You don’t buy a ticket, you won’t win the raffle.

Simon pointed to the fact that anyone who buys a ticket is in with a chance.

Although it means you’ll have to share your winnings, pooling your luck will increase your chances of scooping some cash.

The same goes for buying multiple tickets yourself – but this way you only have to pay for one.

And the odds become much more favourable for every additional ticket you purchase.

He said: “From the raw statistical point of view, if you buy ten tickets, you have ten chances in the draw.

“It’s why some people prefer to play as a syndicate, with other people.

“You have statistically more chance as a group – we know people like to play together and it’s nice to be part of a group

“They capture people’s imaginations and it can be a really nice way for people to play and be more social

“We have lots of syndicates who win and the shared joy comes regardless of who it’s with, whether that’s work, pals or family.

“Just make sure you have an agreement signed beforehand!”

Which numbers come up the most?

Since September 2016, more than 900 draws have been made for the EuroMillions.

The number 20 has been pulled out the most with 111 appearances.

It was last drawn four days ago, in Friday’s EuroMillions.

Lottery

As of June 10, 2025, the number 20 is the most common number, while 22 has appeared the least amount of times since September 2016.[/caption]

The 20s have proved very popular in the past nine years or so – with 21, 23 and 29 all appearing more than 100 times.

Completing the top five, 42 has been drawn 104 times.

The most popular lucky stars numbers (between one and 12) and three and two, which have been picked 178 and 174 times respectively.

The least popular number is 22, which has only been thrown up 65 times out of 908 chances.

IT was one of the most fearsome regimes in the Middle East, ruling Syria with an iron grip and “disappearing” hundreds of thousands of people during the country’s brutal civil war. 

But President Bashar Al-Assad’s dramatic toppling in December last year exposed the true horrors of his “human slaughterhouse” prisons.

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Rebels swarmed the now-empty prisons after the collapse of the Assad regime[/caption]

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Saydnaya Prison near Damascus was the most notorious prison in the country[/caption]

Reuters

The Assad regime collapsed in December 2024. Pictured: a former inmate demonstrates how he was forced to line up naked for a medical check before being taken to a solitary confinement cell at the basement of Saydnaya[/caption]

Here detainees were fed from buckets and tortured day and night by sadistic guards who often assassinated them and threw sick ‘execution parties’ – before disposing of the dead in mass graves.

Now a harrowing new BBC documentary, on tonight, delves into what really went on in jails that let Assad keep his grip on power for so long – and hears not only from the inmates detained in them, but the people who ran them. 

“When the prisoners heard my name, they would tremble,” said Hussam, a military policeman who worked in the notorious Saydnaya Prison.

“I beat them with all my strength. I showed them no mercy at all.” 

With the dictator gone, outsiders were free to explore the labyrinth of concrete corridors that only a few months before were filled with the echoing screams of gaunt prisoners.

The floors were littered with files and photographs of detainees – some partially burnt in an attempt to cover up the crimes – just part of the meticulous records kept by the state of everyone who passed through the prison walls, their names replaced by a number. 

Families of the missing and imprisoned are seen in the documentary desperately crawling over rubble hunting for a trace of their loved ones – or at least the truth about what happened to them. 

Since 2000, dictator Bashar Al-Assad presided over a Syria where dissent was crushed and human rights abuses were rife.

Crucial to his hold on power were his security services, who showed little mercy to prisoners accused of threatening the regime. 

“As security officers we had the right to kill as we please. We wouldn’t be held accountable,” said Colonel Zain, a former Air Force Intelligence officer interviewed on the documentary. 

“[Our] mission, like any other agency, was to protect the ruling regime. You have unlimited authority.”

To them, these were terrorists – and death was the least they deserved. 

In 2011, protests in Tunisia turned into a call for better human rights across the Middle East and North Africa, a movement called the Arab spring. 

But when those protests swept into the squares of Syria’s capital, Damascus, they were met with a fierce crackdown. 

Instead of toppling Assad, the country was plunged into a brutal civil war as different factions wrestled for control. 

During the 13 years of fighting, more than one million people were detained by the regime. 

Street kidnappings

EPA

A new BBC documentary tells the story of those who were locked up by Assad – and the officers administering the brutal torture[/caption]

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The floors are littered with the belongings of former inmates[/caption]

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A giant iron press was allegedly used to crush and torture prisoners[/caption]

Shadi Haroun was one of the first organising protests back in 2011, along with his brother Hadi. 

After dodging shots from snipers on rooftops, he was bundled into a car and taken to what looked like an ordinary house in the suburbs of Damascus. 

But this was no home. It was an interrogation centre – and Shadi was to get his first taste of the Assad regime’s determination to stamp him out.

“The soldier told me to open my mouth,” Shadi recalled. “He put his gun inside, and said: ‘You’re going to get tortured to death. So why don’t I make it easier and put you to rest?’”

Soon after he was transferred to Mezzeh Air Force Intelligence base, one of the regime’s most notorious detention sites.

Like all those who opposed Assad, Shadi was deemed a terrorist – with torture their chosen method of extracting a confession. 

“He called the investigator and said to him, ‘This man, flay him and break his bones. Kill him, do whatever you want, but I need his confession on my desk’,” said Shadi.

This man, flay him and break his bones. Kill him, do whatever you want, but I need his confession on my desk

Security official

“He told me to lie down. They handcuffed my hands behind my back, and then cuffed my feet and joined my hands and feet together. 

“They wrapped me in a blanket, like being inside a pipe. I was sweating and the smell of blood was very strong. I stayed wrapped like that for about a week.”

Eventually Shadi was released. Undeterred, he began organising protests again, more determined than ever to bring down the regime. 

Carpet of bodies

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Thousands still don’t know the whereabouts of their imprisoned family members – be they dead or alive[/caption]

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Hundreds swarmed the now-open prisons, pleading for any sign of their loved ones[/caption]

AFP

Saydnaya was particular well-known for its inhuman conditions and human rights abuses that went on inside[/caption]

Within nine months of the protests, thousands had been arrested, many bundled off the streets like Shadi and taken to secretive locations where they were tortured until they ‘confessed’. 

At least 3,000 had already been killed. 

Syria’s security forces had a network of spies and informants across the country that tracked people like Shadi’s every move. 

“You could find informants wherever you go,” said Sergeant Omar, an officer in the Air Force Intelligence. 

“They could be a taxi driver, they could be a plumber, a mobile phone shop owner, a guy selling cigarettes. 

“People were living in fear. This is why we’d say, ‘the walls have ears’.”

It wasn’t long before soldiers pulled up to the house Shadi and his brother were hiding in.

Arrested once again, they were taken to the notorious Air Force Intelligence branch in Harasta, on the outskirts of Damascus. 

Those who entered would walk over the bodies of the detainees – you couldn’t see the floor

Colonel Zain

Colonel Zain was second in command at the time.

“The place I worked in was very famous for its bloody practices and the number of detainees held there,” he said. 

“We would pack 400 detainees in a room that was eight by ten metres. Those who entered would walk over the bodies of the detainees – you couldn’t see the floor.”

Shadi returned to Harasta with the documentary crew and showed them round the bare walls that once imprisoned him.

“The temperature was around 40 degrees, because it was so crowded,” said Shadi.

“We saw strange cases of disease amongst prisoners, I think due to oxygen deficiency because of overcrowding. These psychotic episodes soon turned into physical symptoms.”

‘Torture parties’

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Prisoners were executed with a noose around their neck[/caption]

SOPA Images/LightRocket via Gett

Piles of clothing now litter the floors where once inmates were tortured for hours on end[/caption]

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Prison guards relished in administering beatings[/caption]

Inside is a changing room, where inmates were stripped, and solitary confinement cells where prisoners would spend months, or even years, locked up.

In a neighbouring room, Shadi is reminded of when he was chained up with his brother before being interrogated from pipes on the ceiling. 

“We were taken there and hung by our handcuffs from the pipes,” he said. “It was unbearable – for almost 72 hours, three days, in the same position, without food or drink.”

Colonel Zain recalled: “The interrogation room was right underneath my office.

“Everyone heard the screams. Everyone knew how the interrogations were conducted.”

Four months into their detention, a truck pulled up that was normally used to transport meat and they were moved to Saydnaya, a prison with a reputation for brutality that preceded anywhere else in the country. 

Brainwashed guards treated prisoners like animals, subjecting detainees to continuous beatings. 

“We were tortured for hours, and stopped keeping track of time,” recalled Hadi. 

“If someone cried during a beating, the beating would get worse.”

Torture them, don’t let them sleep at night. Throw them a party… put them in a grave if you want to, bury them alive

Intelligence officer

Putting his arms up against a door, Shadi said: “They’d bring a cable and suspend us like this. This is the ‘Ghost Method’.

“They’d pull us up and we’d be on our toes – you’d last 30 minutes then you’d pass out.”

Up to 13,000 prisoners were executed here alone in the first four years of the civil war, according to Amnesty.

“I beat them with all my strength,” said Hussam, a military policeman. 

“Our superiors would say, ‘Torture them, don’t let them sleep at night. Throw them a party… put them in a grave if you want to, bury them alive’.

“When they’d call me to go and torture them, the prisoners would go back to their cells bloody and exhausted.”

‘Execution parties’

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Compartments uncovered in the prisons were filled with shoes belonging to executed prisoners[/caption]

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Bodies of the dead were taken to military hospitals where their deaths were recorded as ‘heart and respiratory failure’[/caption]

Occasionally a prisoner would be dragged out of their cell, finally receiving a respite from the torture.

But they were on their way to a secret trial – and death was the usual sentence.

“On Wednesday mornings, we’d have an ‘execution party’,” Hussam recalled.

“Our role during executions was to place the rope on the prisoner – only an officer could push the chair.

“One time, the chair was pushed, but after 22 minutes he didn’t die. So I grabbed him and pulled him downwards, so another guard who was bigger and stronger said, ‘Go I will do it.’ 

“Before he died he said one thing: ‘I’m going to tell God what you did’.”

The bodies of the dead – be it from execution, torture, or disease – were then taken to military hospitals where their deaths were registered.

“Most of the bodies suffered acute weight loss, resembling a skeleton,” said Kamal, an army nurse. 

“Most of them suffered from skin lesions and rashes due to lack of hygiene – and most of them had torture marks.”

He added: “It was forbidden to record the cause of death as torture. Even those killed from gunshots were recorded as heart and respiratory failure.”

All the decision makers who had a role in oppressing the Syrian people escaped, and are now in hiding

Shadi

With the bodies piling up, mass graves were the only solution. 

At least 130 grave sites have been found across Syria so far – but dozens more are believed to be out there, known only to those who dug them out.

There is little hope of identification for the thousands dumped there.

Many of the guards and officers defected from Assad’s regime, joining the rebels or fleeing the country. 

By 2019, the rebellion had largely been suppressed.

Shadi and his brother were released at last, fleeing to exile in Turkey.

Then, in December this year, rebel forces overwhelmed Damascus and Assad fled the country and claimed asylum in Russia. 

With the collapse of the regime, Shadi set to work helping others locate their missing friends and family. 

But for many there is little hope of ever finding out what really happened to them.

“Everyone, the detainees, and families of the missing, should keep talking about this,” he said.

“All the decision makers who had a role in oppressing the Syrian people escaped, and are now in hiding. 

“They’ve left everybody to pick up the pieces – to deal with what they left behind.”

Surviving Syria’s Prisons airs tonight on BBC Two at 9pm.

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A view from a secret compartment at Sednaya Prison, littered with clothes belonging to former inmates[/caption]

A COUPLE have revealed that they have ditched the UK to live in a caravan in Benidorm.

Brits Gemma and Nicky now don’t have to pay for council tax, energy bills or a TV licence, whilst they soak up the sun in the popular Spanish tourist city.

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Gemma and Nicky ditched the UK for sunny Benidorm[/caption]

tiktok/villamar.gemmanicky

They love Benidorm because of the balmy weather and budget prices[/caption]

The duo are delighted with their decision to purchase an old caravan for £2500, and are planning on obtaining Spanish residency, so they can live in it full time.

Taking to TikTok, Gemma and Nicky revealed that their decision to move to the tourist hot spot has a lot to do with the city’s budget friendly prices.

They also boasted that their new home gets “300 days of sun a year.”

They shared that a ticket back to the UK costs them just £24, which they said is less than the cost of a taxi in to town back home.

The couple have parked their caravan at the Villamar camping site, and have already made pals with the “friendly staff and residents.”

Describing the campsite, they said it has “lovely cheap food, no big bills, no stress, [and] no problems.”

They added that is also boasts “cheap beer”, “three beautiful pools, and an onsite supermarket and hairdressers.”

Currently, the couple are only allowed to stay at the caravan for 90 days in a 180 day period, as this is how long Brits can stay in Europe without a visa.

However, they hope to soon obtain residency, so they can make a permanent move to the caravan site.

When the couple first purchased the caravan, it had been left abandoned for seven years, and featured outdated upholstery and a grubby exterior.

However, determined to turn it into their dream home, Gemma and Nicky revamped the caravan into a stylish pad featuring two bedrooms, a stylish kitchen, a living room and a bathroom.

They have even installed an air conditioning unit to help them cope with Benidorm’s scorching temperatures.

Despite the cheap cost of the caravan, the couple also have to pay £5000 a year to place their caravan on the campsite, and to use its facilities.

However, their beaming faces in their TikTok videos suggest that they believe it’s worth every penny.

Gemma and Nicky have been documenting their Benidorm journey via the @villamar.gemmanicky TikTok page, and their videos have proved popular with fans, racking up 97,000 likes in total.

Social media users have flooded the video’s comments section to share their thoughts on the couple’s move abroad.

One person said: “Good for you, I’d love to do this.”

A second person said: “My dream. Congratulations. I love it. I want one.”

A third person said: “I would love this!

“Much better than living in the UK!”

A NEW driving licence rule has officially been brought in, changing what a standard permit can legally cover.

British motorist who hold a standard Category B licence will now be allowed to drive zero-emission vehicles weighing up to 4,250kg.

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Millions of UK motorists will be eligible to drive a wider range of vehicles without additional testing (stock image)[/caption]

Under this update, millions of UK drivers will now be able to legally drive an electric van or small truck with a standard vehicle licence.

Previously, motorists would have been required to provide a higher licence category.

The rule change is aimed at making it easier to switch to greener vehicles, which often weigh more due to large battery packs or hydrogen fuel systems.

A typical medium-sized electric delivery van or passenger minibus can weigh close to 4,250kg, especially when fitted with extra equipment.

This is a significant increase from the 3,500kg limit which was previously in place.

The licence update is expected to support the growing shift towards greener transport options.

Use of zero emission vehicles has grown significantly in recent years as drivers embrace cleaner motoring.

Beginning today, motorists with a Category B driving licence can drive an electric or hydrogen-powered vehicle with a maximum authorised mass (MAM) of up to 4,250kg.

In order to be eligible, the vehicle must be a zero emission vehicle.

Meanwhile, the MAM limit for petrol and diesel vehicles remains at 3,500kg when driving with a category B licence.

To fall in within the category, the vehicle must be classified as a van or a light commercial vehicle.

The rule applies to standard vehicles that can be used with a Category B licence, including cars, SUVs, vans, and small trucks.

Vehicles which use specialist equipment to support disabled passengers can have a MAM of up to 5,000kg, however, the extra 750kg must be attributable to the equipment.

Category B licence holders can also tow a trailer with a MAM up to 3,500kg wit a petrol, diesel, electric, or hydrogen vehicle.

However, the combined MAM of the vehicle and trailer must not exceed 7,000kg.

And if someone with a Category B licence passed their test before January 1, 1997, they can drive a vehicle and trailer combination as heavy as 8,250kg.

The UK Government reports that zero emission vehicles are constructed to the “same high standards” as equivalent internal combustion engine vehicles.

However, they still advised drivers to ensure they are familiar with using the controls, as the zero emissions vehicles can “handle differently”.

Motorists are advised to practice driving the vehicle in a safe and controlled environment, especially before towing a trailer.

“When driving, you should understand how to safely manoeuvre the vehicle and trailer,” the DVSA said.

“If the trailer starts to snake or swerve, ease off the accelerator and reduce your speed gently.

“Do not brake harshly on a bend, as it makes the trailer unstable.”

While there won’t be any physical changes made to the Category B licence, the entitlement will apply to all motorists who hold it.

The Government offers an online service for checking your driving entitlements and what restrictions may apply.

It’s especially important for anyone unsure about their rights, particularly if they passed their driving test before licensing rules changed in 1997.

Drivers in Northern Ireland should note that licence categories may differ slightly and should check regional guidance.

The changes come at a time when the UK is encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles to meet its net zero targets.

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The update will affect anyone who holds a Category B driving licence in the UK (stock image)[/caption]

The BET Awards delivered surprise performances and stunned viewers with the list of winners, but the whole event exploded after Keri Hilson caught fans off-guard with her shocking move. The annual awards night celebrates the talent of Black artists and other minorities in the field of music, film, sports, and philanthropy. This year’s host is comedian […]

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