President Donald Trump has driven Colin Firth’s ex-wife to return an honor bestowed upon her by the British government. Livia Giuggioli gave back the MBE awarded to her by the U.K. in protest over the president’s state visit in September. Giuggioli, an Italian national known as the “queen of the green carpet” for her work in sustainable fashion, also slammed Trump for what she called his “poisonous rhetoric.” The 56-year-old ripped up her MBE certificate in a video on Instagram, saying, “I have been reflecting on his visit to the U.K. last week and I am afraid I can’t reconcile [with] the way he was appeased and honored and, again, legitimized.” The environmentalist added that the U.K. had rolled out the red carpet for “someone who stands for the obliteration of the natural world and the most vulnerable people on Earth.” She was given the fourth-highest award in the Order of the British Empire as part of a tranche of foreign nationals in 2019. An MBE, or Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, is awarded by a member of the royal family for sustained, positive contributions to society. Giving hers back, Giuggioli said, “As I write this, we see that horrible excuse of a human (called Trump) in full flow at the U.N. General Assembly.” She was referring to his rambling, almost-hour-long speech after the teleprompter broke. She and Firth were married from 1997 to 2019 and have two sons together.
Authorities arrested a former anti-drugs czar after a cocaine “crystallization” lab was found on land he owns, officials said. The suspect—Felipe Cáceres, 63, who ran the Bolivian government’s controlled-substances office from 2006 to 2019—was detained on Tuesday. According to a report by the BBC, police said the facility—near the sand-and-gravel business Cáceres owns in the Cochabamba region, a major coca growing area—could employ up to 10 people. It is unclear whether Cáceres—a former union rep for coca growers—was aware of the operation. Prosecutors are now working to establish who ran the lab and whether Cáceres profited from it. Former president Evo Morales called the arrest a “set-up” by the government “to detract from its own scandals,” although he did not specify what scandals he was referring to. The case comes amid a rotten run for Bolivia’s anti-drug brass. Ex–narcotics chief Maximiliano Dávila was extradited to New York in December to face cocaine-smuggling charges, according to charging documents and U.S. officials, which he denies. Another former top official, René Sanabria, received a 14-year U.S. prison sentence in 2011 after being caught in a trafficking sting.
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Bill Ferrario, a former NFL lineman, was found dead on Wednesday in his Wisconsin home, two days after his 47th birthday. A cause of death has not been announced. The Green Bay Packers drafted Ferrario in the fourth round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons with the team before playing for the former Washington Redskins and Carolina Panthers. He retired in 2005. Before the NFL, he was a starter for four years at the University of Wisconsin after becoming a standout recruit at West Scranton High School in Pennsylvania. Ferrario committed to the university in 1997 and played in 50 games. His blocking work helped running back Ron Dayne win the Heisman trophy in 1999. Despite his short professional career, he remembered it fondly. “It was definitely an honor to be able to be part of that offensive line,” he told The C.S. Podcast in 2013. “To be able to tell my kids as they grow up, it wasn’t for a long time, but your dad got to block for Brett Favre, one of the best quarterbacks ever.” He is survived by his two children.
A kindergarten has shelved a bizarre plan to bill parents $1,451 for their own kids’ artwork. The volunteer-run Craigslea Community Kindergarten in Brisbane, Australia, informed families that it was insolvent and owed approximately $26,587 (AUS$40,314) to staff and the tax office, then proposed selling the children’s “portfolios” for AUS$2,200 as a fundraising effort. Families were asked to tick a form “opposing” or “agreeing” to the fee. However, according to a report in The Guardian, it backed away from the plan after the Queensland education department intervened, stating that the scrapbooks must be handed back free of charge. A spokesperson for the department said the children’s portfolios “are now available for families to collect, free of charge.” The center, affiliated with C&K Childcare and Kindergarten, but run independently, reported a 2024 loss of approximately US$29,679 (AUS$45,003) on income of around US$237,929 (AUS$360,772).
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Sleep can be hard to come by these days. From city noise and snoring partners to late-night scrolling and spiraling thoughts, there’s a lot that can get in the way of a good night’s rest. In fact, research suggests that one in three adults doesn’t get enough sleep. (Hello, fellow insomniacs!) Luckily, you don’t have to accept exhaustion as your default—Ozlo Sleepbuds can help improve sleep hygiene sans habit-forming treatments or sleeping in separate rooms (aka ‘sleep divorce’).
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Ethiopian runner Shewarge Alene, who won the Stockholm Marathon in May, died at the age of 30 after falling ill during a training session. Alene was training in Ethiopia and taken to a hospital in the country’s capital, Addis Ababa, but she died soon after. “It is with deep sorrow that we have received the news of the passing of Shewarge Alene, winner of Adidas Stockholm Marathon 2025,” the Stockholm Marathon reported on Instagram. “Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones.” Alene was carving out a successful running career, winning 12 out of the 27 races she entered as a professional. The marathoner set a personal best of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 34 seconds earlier this year at the Tata Mumbai Marathon, finishing in fifth place. But securing a win at the Stockholm Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 30 minutes and 38 seconds is arguably the pinnacle of her accolades. Alene lived in Mexico, where she also won a couple of races, after living in New York.
A new spate of poisonings from free school lunches was recorded in Indonesia’s West Java province, where 1,117 children got sick just this week. First reported by BBC Indonesia, the new wave of illnesses comes after 800 students fell ill across the West Java and Central Sulawesi provinces last week. Students complained of stomachaches, dizziness, nausea, and even shortness of breath. A flagship of President Prabowo Subianto’s 2024 election campaign, the country’s free school lunch program serves 80 million schoolchildren at a cost of $28 billion and is one of the most expensive programs of its kind globally. Non-governmental organizations have called for a halt to the program, which before the recent spate of poisonings they said had caused 6,452 children to get sick since it first started in January. Indonesia’s coordinating minister for community empowerment, Muhaimin Iskandar, told the BBC there were no plans to stop the program.
Colin Farrell says he’s glad he never got hooked on gambling, despite being candid about his own battle with addiction. The Banshees of Inisherin star spoke at the San Sebastián Film Festival, Spain, about his role as Lord Doyle in Ballad of a Small Player. Doyle is a high-stakes gambler, but while the movie tackles that vice, Farrell said it’s the “one affliction that never really came near me. I’m glad to say I only damaged my body and my brain, not my bank account.” Speaking at a press conference ahead of the Oct. 29 release on Netflix, he continued, “It’s pretty well-chronicled now my history with addiction, but I don’t think you have to be an addict to play an addict.” The In Bruges actor has been forthcoming about his demons in the past, going sober in 2006. The Daily Mail reports the 49-year-old previously “had quite a high tolerance for various drugs for years… It accumulated to the point where I couldn’t put my foot on the brake anymore.” The same outlet reported he had been “‘drunk or high’ since the age of 14.″ In 2021, he spoke at the Dublin International Film Festival, saying, “After 15 or 20 years of carousing the way I caroused and drinking the way I drank, the sober world is a pretty scary world.”
Most Americans fear for the safety of free speech under President Donald Trump, a new poll has revealed. New data from Quinnipiac University showed 53 percent feel “pessimistic” about the sanctity of the right granted by the First Amendment despite Trump running on a promise to protect free speech. Meanwhile, the data found that only 43 percent felt “optimistic” about it being protected. It comes amid an outcry over the White House’s role in the short-lived suspension of Jimmy Kimmel by ABC, following comments he made during his show about slain MAGA activist Charlie Kirk. The incident saw Jimmy Kimmel Live! get suspended after an intervention from Trump-appointed Federal Communications Commission boss Brendan Carr, who threatened: “We can do this the easy way or the hard way.” The poll also offered a damning indictment of Trump’s handling of key issues. Across the seven hot topics of immigration, foreign policy, trade, the economy, gun violence, and the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, all had approval ratings of 41 percent or lower, while none had a disapproval rating lower than 53 percent.
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Turn your holiday countdown this year into something a little naughtier (and more fun) with Lovehoney’s Advent calendars. A spicy spin on the class tradition, these calendars are an erotic journey of passion, play, and connection. Choose from five tantalizing options, each loaded with toys and treats to keep things steamy all winter long. The ultimate pick? The Couples Calendar. With 24 luxe goodies—think card games, blindfolds, and whips—it’s full of ways to turn everyday into a new adventure with your partner.
Lovehoney Couple’s Advent Calendar (24 Day)
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Starbucks will axe 900 office jobs and shutter underperforming stores as part of a $ 1 billion restructure. CEO Brian Niccol outlined the latest cutbacks as demand for Starbucks’ products continues to fall. In July, Starbucks announced it would close 100 stores that formed part of its takeout-only “Starbucks Pick Up” locations. In a letter to employees on Thursday, Niccol said he would now scale back management roles in corporate and close many existing open job vacancies. The decision came after a review where they “identified coffeehouses where we’re unable to create the physical environment our customers and partners expect, or where we don’t see a path to financial performance,” Niccol wrote. Starbucks said its store count would fall about 1 percent in the 2025 fiscal year and the planned store closures would happen mostly in North America.
Residents of a Bay Area suburb are on the lookout for a “very mean” squirrel that has terrorized locals and sent two people to the emergency room. “This is not a joke, more than five people have been attacked by a very mean squirrel over the past few days on Diablo Circle and Mount Lassen,” read posters plastered throughout the town. “Several have gone to the ER for leg lacerations.” Joan Helbeck told ABC how she was accosted by the critter while walking through the neighborhood. “It clamped onto my leg. The tail was flying up here. I was like, ‘Get it off me, get off me!” Isabel Campoy said she was walking down the same street when the squirrel started following her, before it launched itself at her face and ended up on her arm, biting her repeatedly and leaving her bloodied and in need of medical attention. “Unfortunately, it’s not unheard of,” said veterinarian Vanessa Porter, who said the aggression was likely due to humans feeding and caring for it when it was small. “If they associate people with food, they’re not afraid of them,” she explained. The search for the fugitive squirrel continues.