THE Riyadh Season Snooker Championship is nearing its end – and some huge names have crashed out.
Defending champion and snooker legend Ronnie O’Sullivan smashed Ding Junhui 4-0 to progress to the semi-finals against Mark Allen.
Luca Brecel beat Kyren Wilson 4-3 in a thrilling clash to set up his semi tie with Mark Williams, who overcame World No 1 Judd Trump.
Both last-four clashes will take place later today, along with the final – capping off a thrilling week of snooker in Saudi Arabia, with all four players looking to make a historic 167 break.
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JAMIE AND REBEKAH VARDY are set to follow the example of the Rooneys in being part of their own documentary series, reports suggest.
I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! star Coleen was handed her own series by Disney+, while Wayne has been profiled by Amazon Prime Video.
The former Manchester United star is also being filmed for a fly-on-the-wall series about his time as Plymouth boss, as exclusively reported by SunSport.
And following the success those shows already airing have seen, the Vardys are now set to follow suit on Netflix, according to The Telegraph.
A streaming series for the Leicester ace is likely to concentrate on his rise from non-league footballer to Premier League champion.
Vardy may not have the superstardom appeal like that of previous Netflix series stars David Beckham or Neymar.
But the streaming giant understands that some of the most popular parts of its Beckham series came from the at-home scenes with wife, Victoria.
And if the Vardy series proves popular, it could open the door to a fly-on-the-wall series about the ex-England striker’s home life with his wife.
A lucrative Netflix deal would go some way to helping Rebekah with her legal costs following the high-profile Wagatha Christie libel trial against Coleen in 2022, itself the subject of a drama series on ITV.
Rebekah had denied being the subject of stories about Coleen’s private life being leaked to the press, though a judge ruled she was an “untrustworthy witness”.
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This saw her rack of bills of £1.7million, though she went to the High Court in an effort to reduce the bill.
A 2023 report from the Daily Mail says Coleen was paid in excess of £1m for the Disney+ series, while the Beckhams earned £16m for their Netflix deal.
COLEEN Rooney has revealed the embarrassing habit hubby Wayne reckons will annoy her I’m A celebrity campmates.
She’s usually preened and perfect – but the WAG has confessed she snores.
Coleen said: “I didn’t think I snored, but Wayne says I snore.
“Not continuously though – just every now and again.
“I have been in the public eye for over 20 years now and people take what they want from it.
“I do think people will get a better idea of what kind of person I am.”
THE World Darts Championship is well UNDERWAY at the iconic Alexandra Palace – and there are some huge names still to feature.
On Thursday night, World No 2 Michael Smith crashed out after he lost a dramatic clash with Kevin Doets 3-2.
Fans are still patiently waiting for teen sensation Luke Littler in action as he kickstarts his campaign on Saturday night against Ryan Meikle.
Tonight’s show is headlined by three-time World Champion Michael van Gerwen‘s match against James Hurrell.
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KING Charles’ cancer treatment will reportedly continue into next year – with his recovery “moving in a positive direction”.
The King’s cancer treatment will continue into the New Year, Sky News reports.
A source told the broadcaster: “His treatment has been moving in a positive direction.
“As a managed condition the treatment cycle will continue into next year.”
Yesterday Kate and Wills skipped King Charles’s pre-Christmas lunch – after Andrew pulled out amid the alleged Chinese spy scandal.
The Prince and Princess of Wales are not at the royal family’s traditional pre-Christmas lunch and are in Norfolk as planned.
The Sun exclusively revealed insiders had urged Andrew to “uninvite himself” from the family’s pre-festive bash.
He was due to attend the lunch at the palace but a source said: “He is under pressure to step away.”
It comes just days after the Duke of York said he won’t be joining the Royal Family at Sandringham for the usual celebrations on Christmas Day.
It is understood his ex-wife Sarah, Duchess of York, has also dropped out from the Norfolk festivities.
The pair are said to be staying at Royal Lodge, in Windsor, for the period instead.
Both Andrew and Fergie’s daughters, Beatrice and Eugenie, had already chosen to spend Christmas with their respective in-laws.
It comes as a suspected Chinese spy who was friends with Andrew has been unmasked for the first time.
An insider said it’s hard to see the duke out in “public with the royals ever again”.
They said: “I find it hard to imagine he will ever join them again in public, if I’m honest.
“There’s only so many times the duke can be asked to keep his head down and wait for the storm to pass. Enough is enough.”
Yang Tengbo, 50 – who is understood to have been a “close confidante” of the Duke of York – can be named after a court anonymity ban was lifted this afternoon.
During a tribunal hearing, judges concluded Yang had not been honest about his links to the Chinese state and could exploit his relationship with the duke and other public figures.
The former chairman of Hampton Group had been in the country for two decades.
Photos show him posing alongside ex-Prime Ministers David Cameron and Theresa May, as well as the royal.
He was even invited to Andrew’s birthday party in 2020 and supported him through his recent scandals.
But the suspected spy subsequently lost an appeal against a decision to ban him from the UK on national security grounds.
He was stopped by counter-terrorism services in 2021 and ordered to surrender his devices.
Court documents said Yang had split his time between China and the UK and told officials he considered this country his second home.
In February last year, he was “off-boarded” from a flight from Beijing to London and told the home secretary was in the process of examining the case to exclude him from the UK.
By JACK ELSOM, Chief Political Correspondent
CHINA must be put in the highest threat category of a new foreign influence register, MPs tonight demanded.
Ministers were accused of dragging their feet after confirming the list of shadowy operators will not go live for at least six months.
The Beijing “spy” row sparked angry exchanges between Labour and the Tories, with both parties claiming the other had recklessly sucked up to the Communist regime.
It saw Sir Keir Starmer slammed for taking a “sycophantic tone” with President Xi at the G20 summit last month.
Security Minister Dan Jarvis said the long-awaited Foreign Influence Registration Scheme will launch next summer.
The programme – announced under the Conservatives – will force people working for overseas powers to declare their activities to the Home Office.
It is divided into two tiers, with the highest “enhanced tier” for hostile states that require additional vetting.
Government source have told The Sun that China was currently not being earmarked for that category.
Former Tory security minister Tom Tugendhat, who spearheaded the scheme in government, yesterday said: “The advice from MI5 was very very clear. If China isn’t in the enhanced tier it’s not worth having.”
Ex-Home Secretary Suella Braverman added: “Isn’t it regrettable that it has taken a high-profile case, public outcry, and the Opposition dragging the Minister to the chamber to finally get the government to commit to implement the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme.”
And former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith blasted: “How was it that somebody who was known for the security committee forces was allowed to get so close to a member of the royal family without proper scrutiny exposing him.”
Mr Jarvis insisted the Government would not hesitate to use “every tool at our disposal” to keep Britain safe – and blamed the Tories for leaving the register plans in disarray.
He said: “Where there are individuals who pose a threat to our national security, we are committed to using the full range of powers available to disrupt them.”
Conservative Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp attacked Sir Keir’s summit sitdown with President Xi last month.
He said: “Given what we’ve learned and what we know, these very close relations that the prime minister is apparently attempting may not be wise, and the rather sycophantic tone the prime minister took with President Xi at the G20 a few weeks ago may not be very wise in light of what we now.”
Highlighting David Cameron’s infamous beer with the China strongman, Mr Jarvis shot back: “At least he did not take him to the pub for a pint.”
That order was made the following month, with his appeal against the decision rejected last week by a special immigration appeals tribunal.
Judges concluded Yang had not been honest about his links to the Chinese state and could exploit his relationship with the duke and other public figures.
Guy Vassall-Adams KC, for Yang, told the High Court: “There has been an enormous amount of media reporting in relation to this story, and particularly in relation to the relationship between my client, H6, and Prince Andrew, as well as a huge amount of speculation about the identity of my client.”
Yang said he has “done nothing wrong or unlawful”, adding in a statement that the “widespread description of me as a ‘spy’ is entirely untrue”.
It comes after the Sun reported last week a foreign agent knew how to sneak people in and out of the duke’s Royal Lodge home.
The shock revelation emerged in a letter from one of the royal’s top advisers, Dominic Hampshire, to the spy.
Mr Hampshire continued to work for Andrew even after the note was found by MI5 on the spy’s phone in 2020.
It read: “I hope that it is clear to you where you sit with my principal (Andrew) and indeed his family.
“You should never underestimate the strength of that relationship.
“You sit at the very top of a tree many people would like to be on.”
It added: “Under your guidance, we found a way to get the relevant people unnoticed in and out of the house in Windsor.”
Mr Hampshire also confirmed the man could act for Andrew in talks with Chinese investors.
The note was sent 10 months after the duke withdrew from public life after paying damages to Virginia Roberts-Giuffre, a victim of his US paedo pal Jeffrey Epstein.
A source told The Sun: “Dom was still working for the duke until at least April this year.
“It’s hard to believe, given that Andrew must have known for years that his Chinese links had become a matter of national security.”
A statement from the duke’s office on Friday said “nothing of a sensitive nature [was] ever discussed”.
The statement added: “The Duke of York followed advice from HMG and ceased all contact with the individual after concerns were raised.
“The duke met the individual through official channels, with nothing of a sensitive nature ever discussed.
“He is unable to comment further on matters relating to national security.”
Writing for the Sun, royal expert Phil Dampier said: “By allowing a Chinese spy inside royal residences like Windsor and Buckingham Palace he endangered the security of the whole Royal Family and the institution of the monarchy.”
A look at King Charles cancer diagnosis and recovery.
January 17: Buckingham Palace announces the King has been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate
January 26: The Sun exclusively photograph the King arriving at The London Clinic for his ‘corrective procedure’
January 29: Seen waving and smiling as he left hospital after an extra night
February 5: Palace reveal while in hospital for his prostate operation doctors discovered the the King has a form of cancer
February 10: King issues ‘heartfelt thanks’ in a written statement
February 21: King tells Rishi Sunak he had been “reduced to tears” by get-well cards
March 21: The Princess of Wales and the King have lunch at Windsor Castle
March 22: Kate announces via video statement that she is being treated for cancer
March 31: King attends Easter Sunday service and takes part in ‘walkabout’ with members of the public and aides say ‘it was a significant step’ as King had ‘responded to treatment very encouragingly’
April 4: The Sun exclusively reveals King has ordered aides to ‘supercharge’ his diary for the summer and is ‘raring to go’
April 10: King and Queen embark on break at Birkhall, in Scottish Highlands
April 26: Buckingham Palace announce King will return to public-facing front-line duties
April 30: King marks his public comeback by visiting a cancer hospital with the Queen
Future:
May 8 and 21: Buckingham Palace Garden Parties
May 21 – 25: Chelsea Flower Show
June 6: 80th anniversary D-Day commemorations in France and UK
June 15: Trooping the Colour birthday parade in London
June 17: Garter Day parade at Windsor Castle
June 18 – 22: Royal Ascot
Late June: State Visit by Emperor and Empress of Japan
July 3: Holyrood Week in Scotland
October: Two or three-week tour of Australia
A flight to Thailand turned into a scene of mid-air mayhem, sparking outrage online after a viral video showcased the unruly behaviour of Indian passengers. Shared by Ankit Kumar, a content creator aboard the Thai AirAsia flight, the footage reveals groups of Indian men standing in the aisle, chatting loudly, snacking, and blatantly ignoring air …
The story Indian passengers turn Thai AirAsia plane into party zone (video) as seen on Thaiger News.
A Thai woman in the central province of Chanthaburi allegedly poisoned members of her husband’s family with cyanide, including her mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law, leading to one death. Non-profit organisation Saimai Survive accompanied Yupaporn to the Ministry of Public Health to seek justice for her mother, who had just died in hospital, and her grandmother, who …
The story Thai woman accused of poisoning husband’s family with cyanide as seen on Thaiger News.
Christmas is just around the corner! If you’re still finalising your holiday plans, don’t forget the show-stopping Christmas tree cake. Bangkok’s bakeries are serving up stunning, edible masterpieces that are sure to impress. From elegant designs to cute, budget-friendly creations. These cakes aren’t just desserts, they’re the centrepiece of your festive table. But act fast, …
The story 7 best Christmas tree cakes in Bangkok as seen on Thaiger News.
Cyber police arrested a 37 year old man for operating a YouTube channel selling gun barrels and firearms online. Upon searching him, they discovered four methamphetamine pills, and a subsequent house search revealed a substantial cache of illegal items. The suspect claims self-defence as the reason for possession. Police from the Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau, …
The story Man arrested for selling gun parts online, claims self-defence as seen on Thaiger News.