Gwen Stefani initially described Niall Horan's Irish accent as 'distracting' and then proceeded to imitate his pronunciation of the word 'love'

Taiwan's Taoyuan International Airport became the scene of a simulated Chinese invasion on Wednesday for the first time ever as the island's military conducted an anti-takeover drill to fend off any possible attack from Beijing.

The big changes at X, formerly known as Twitter, just keep coming this week. Users

In response to the KSI vs Tommy Fury fight, Twitch personality Kai Cenat reacted with disbelief and shock as he eagerly awaited the outcome

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Williams have confirmed that Logan Sargeant has kept his seat for the 2024 F1 season. The American driver’s future at the team was in doubt after he finished bottom of all the active drivers in the 2023 standings, registering just one point in 22 races. But team boss James Vowles has put the speculation to bed and confirmed Sargeant’s spot as Alex Albon’s team-mate next season. "I am pleased to continue our journey with Logan into the 2024 season,” Vowles said. “Logan has demonstrated immense skill whilst under the pressure of the world stage, making him a perfect fit for our team. We have great confidence in his abilities and believe that together we can achieve even greater success in the upcoming season." Sargeant added: "I am thrilled to be continuing with Williams Racing for the 2024 season. It has been an incredible journey with the team so far, and I am grateful for the opportunity to continue developing as a driver within such a talented and dedicated group. “We have exciting plans for the future, and I can’t wait to contribute to the team’s success in the coming year." More to follow... Read More Max Verstappen reveals three favourite wins in 2023 title triumph F1 Drive reveal bespoke karts with ‘DRS’ for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium track Lando Norris snaps at Max Verstappen ‘BFF’ comment

MLB Rumors: Phillies, Blue Jays, Giants competing for Teoscar HernándezThe Mariners were busy on Monday, trading Paul Sewald to the Diamondbacks and AJ Pollock to the Giants. It does not sound like the front office is going to get a break going into the final hours of the MLB trade deadline...

When it comes to approaching someone you like at a bar, it may be more a case of alcohol giving you liquid courage than “beer goggles”, researchers say. A new study suggests drinking alcohol makes people more likely to approach someone they already find attractive, but does not make others appear more attractive. Some people argue that intoxication makes others seem better-looking – but according to the researchers, this has not been systematically studied. Past research typically had people simply rate others’ attractiveness while sober and while intoxicated based on photos. But the new study added the possibility of meeting the people being rated. The study, led by Molly Bowdring of the Stanford Prevention Research Centre, Stanford University, in the USA (affiliated with University of Pittsburgh at the time of this study), and her dissertation adviser, Michael Sayette, involved 18 pairs of male friends in their twenties. The men were brought to the laboratory to rate the attractiveness of people they saw in photos and videos. They were also told that they may be given the chance to interact with one of those people in a future experiment. After the ratings were given, the men were asked to pick those who they would most like to interact with. Pairs of men visited the lab on two occasions – on one occasion they both received alcohol to drink – up to about a blood alcohol concentration of .08 per cent, the legal limit for driving in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the United States, and on the other occasion, they both received a non-alcoholic drink. Friend pairs entered the lab together in order to mimic social interactions that would typically take place in a real drinking situation. The researchers say they did not find evidence of beer goggles – whether or not the men were intoxicated had no effect on how good-looking they found others. Professor Sayette, from the University of Pittsburgh, said: “The well-known beer goggles effect of alcohol does sometimes appear in the literature, but not as consistently as one might expect.” However, according to the findings, drinking alcohol may affect how people react to those they find attractive in a different way. The researchers found it impacted how likely the men were to want to interact with people they found attractive. When drinking, they were 1.71 times more likely to select one of their top-four attractive candidates to potentially meet in a future study compared with when they were sober. The researchers suggest alcohol may not be altering perception but rather enhancing confidence in interactions, giving the men liquid courage to want to meet those they found the most attractive. According to the researchers, the findings could have implications for therapists and patients. Prof Bowdring said: “People who drink alcohol may benefit by recognising that valued social motivations and intentions change when drinking in ways that may be appealing in the short term, but possibly harmful in the long term.” The findings are published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. Read More Yewande Biala thought she was unique in never having had an orgasm – then she made a film about it The dish that defines me: Evelin Eros’s rum cake Woman adopts husband’s ex-wife’s son after growing up in foster care herself Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live

A 680-year-old Shinto festival accused of animal cruelty has promised reforms after a horse died.

Prior to his boxing battle with Anderson Silva, Jake Paul introduced the concept of starting MMA's first union

President Joe Biden is expected to sign legislation on Saturday to raise the debt ceiling, just two days before the U.S. Treasury warned that the country would struggle to pay its bills. The bipartisan measure, which was approved this week by the House and Senate, eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default. “Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher," Biden said from the Oval Office on Friday evening. “Nothing would have been more catastrophic,” he said, than defaulting on the country's debt. The agreement was hashed out by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, giving Republicans some of their demanded federal spending cuts but holding the line on major Democratic priorities. It raises the debt limit until 2025 — after the 2024 presidential election — and gives legislators budget targets for the next two years in hopes of assuring fiscal stability as the political season heats up. “No one got everything they wanted but the American people got what they needed,” Biden said, highlighting the “compromise and consensus” in the deal. “We averted an economic crisis and an economic collapse.” Biden used the opportunity to itemize the achievements of his first term as he runs for reelection, including support for high-tech manufacturing, infrastructure investments and financial incentives for fighting climate change. He also highlighted ways he blunted Republican efforts to roll back his agenda and achieve deeper cuts. “We’re cutting spending and bringing deficits down at the same time,” Biden said. “We're protecting important priorities from Social Security to Medicare to Medicaid to veterans to our transformational investments in infrastructure and clean energy.” Even as he pledged to continue working with Republicans, Biden also drew contrasts with the opposing party, particularly when it comes to raising taxes on the wealthy, something the Democratic president has sought. It’s something he suggested may need to wait until a second term. “I’m going to be coming back,” he said. “With your help, I’m going to win.” Biden's remarks were the most detailed comments from the Democratic president on the compromise he and his staff negotiated. He largely remained quiet publicly during the high-stakes talks, a decision that frustrated some members of his party but was intended to give space for both sides to reach a deal and for lawmakers to vote it to his desk. Biden praised McCarthy and his negotiators for operating in good faith, and all congressional leaders for ensuring swift passage of the legislation. “They acted responsibly, and put the good of the country ahead of politics,” he said. Overall, the 99-page bill restricts spending for the next two years and changes some policies, including imposing new work requirements for older Americans receiving food aid and greenlighting an Appalachian natural gas pipeline that many Democrats oppose. Some environmental rules were modified to help streamline approvals for infrastructure and energy projects — a move long sought by moderates in Congress. The Congressional Budget Office estimates it could actually expand total eligibility for federal food assistance, with the elimination of work requirements for veterans, homeless people and young people leaving foster care. The legislation also bolsters funds for defense and veterans, cuts back some new money for the Internal Revenue Service and rejects Biden’s call to roll back Trump-era tax breaks on corporations and the wealthy to help cover the nation’s deficits. But the White House said the IRS' plans to step up enforcement of tax laws for high-income earners and corporations would continue. The agreement imposes an automatic overall 1% cut to spending programs if Congress fails to approve its annual spending bills — a measure designed to pressure lawmakers of both parties to reach consensus before the end of the fiscal year in September. In both chambers, more Democrats backed the legislation than Republicans, but both parties were critical to its passage. In the Senate the tally was 63-36 including 46 Democrats and independents and 17 Republicans in favor, 31 Republicans along with four Democrats and one independent who caucuses with the Democrats opposed. The vote in the House was 314-117. ___ AP Congressional Correspondent Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report. Read More Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide FBI offers to show GOP chairman document that purports to relate to Biden, his family Republicans schedule 1st presidential debate for Aug. 23, but there's no guarantee Trump will attend DeSantis wraps up 1st early states tour as candidate with more personal touch in South Carolina

Six 'Gladiator 2' crew members were reportedly rushed to hospital after an on set explosion, according to The Sun newspaper.