Latest news with #Piers
Daily Mirror
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Piers Morgan told to 'have a day off' after accusing Beyoncé of 'cultural appropriation'
Former GMB presenter Piers Morgan was accused of 'attention-seeking' after sharing a post about Beyoncé's new jeans advert Piers Morgan was told to 'have a day off' as he shared yet another controversial post, this time accusing Beyoncé of cultural appropriation. The former Good Morning Britain presenter, who stormed off the ITV set before quitting the show, is known for his outspoken views that have often landed him in hot water. This time, the 60-year-old took to his X/ Twitter account to share a picture of Beyoncé rocking a full denim outfit in a new advert for Levi's jeans. The award-winning singer posed in a bedazzled denim crop jacket and equally bedazzled jeans for the photo, which was shared on the brand's social media page. She rocked curly blonde hair in the snaps and completed the outfit with silver shows. While most people loved the advert, Piers couldn't help but hit out at her, claiming she was trying to 'culturally appropriate' Marilyn Monroe. It comes after Taylor Swift sparks engagement rumours as fans spot Travis Kelce's lock screen. His criticism comes extremely soon after Sydney Sweeney received backlash for her American Eagle advert, which had her saying she had 'great jeans'. In the advert, she said: "Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair colour, personality, and even eye colour. My jeans are blue." A voiceover then adds: 'Sydney Sweeney has great genes." In the US, American Eagle's billboard ads show the word 'genes' crossed out and replaced with 'jeans'. While some think the campaign is harmless, many say it taps into the ideology of eugenics - the belief that the human race could be 'improved' by increasing the presence of traits considered desirable, traits historically linked to whiteness. Meanwhile, Piers used the heightened tension regarding the recent advert to share the picture of Beyoncé's advert and wrote: "Very disappointed to see Beyoncé culturally appropriate Marilyn Monroe in her new Levi's ad." Fans hit out at his antics, with one writing in the comment section: "Have a day off," and another posting: "A white British man talking about cultural appropriation. The jokes. They write themselves." Another commented: "Do you understand.. Words? Do you know what culture means?" while one simply pointed out: "Attention seeking ting Piers?" One person reminded the TV presenter Marilyn, real name Norma Jeane Mortenson, wasn't a natural blonde and another posted: "Marilyn Monroe is not a culture she's a person and she didn't invent blonde hair either lol." Even Dionne Warwick said: "Getting involved in women's business again, I see…" before Piers responded: "Oh not you too, Dionne… it was a JOKE!" He defended himself in another tweet and claimed: "I would say I can't believe anyone took my obvious Beyoncé joke post seriously… but I forgot the woke brigade have zero sense of humour."
Daily Mirror
30-07-2025
- Daily Mirror
'I survived a deadly tsunami - the first sign was nothing like you'd expect'
As tsunami warnings force millions to flee coastal areas across the world, Luke Simon, 50, recalls how he survived the devastating 2004 tsunami that destroyed widespread communities and killed more than 227,000 people As a panicked crowd of holidaymakers desperately ran through the back kitchen of a cafe on Thailand' s Koh Phi Phi resort, Luke Simon initially thought a gunman was on the loose. Bracing himself as he stepped out into a labyrinth of streets, he even considered the idea that people were running from a rabid dog. He hadn't yet caught sight of the 100ft wave racing towards him. The Brit's harrowing account comes as the world's biggest earthquake in 14 years has sparked tsunami warnings across the pacific, with millions being forced to evacuate across Japan and travel warnings issued across 15 countries. That early Boxing Day morning in 2004 had begun like any other day in paradise for Simon, with a leisurely breakfast with his friends Ben Seyfried and Nick Thorne, girlfriend Sophie Moghadam, and brother Piers. They had planned to leave the island later that day to head to Koh Lanta. Instead, they heard the chilling two words: " Water, coming." Luke, then 30, who had been in Thailand for several months working as a PE teacher, looked back at the sea and saw 30ft palm trees had snapped in half, with debris flying at them at 30mph. "The horizon was sort of bubbling up and down because the wave had already hit the shore and then had destroyed anything in its path, and then was coming straight at us," Luke, from Somerset, previously told the Mirror. The now-50-year-old led his group to a row of streets he knew that had buildings they could climb and remembers shouting for them to "get high and off the ground." He managed to hoist himself up onto a flimsy, corrugated iron shed and held a hand out for Sophie, with Piers helping to push her up. His friends had been pushed by the water to another alleyway, and as Luke's focus narrowed on Sophie, whose head was covered by water, Piers was suddenly nowhere to be seen. They had been hit by the deadliest natural disaster of the 21st century, which killed an estimated 227,898 people, including Piers Simon, 33. With a magnitude of 9.1, one of the largest ever earthquakes triggered a tsunami with waves of up to 100 feet that devastated communities across 14 countries. Despite several hours between the earthquake - with an epicentre in Indonesia at 7.58am - and the impact of the tsunami, there were no systems in the Indian Ocean to warn the population. Now countries have alarms and evacuation procedures in place. On the 20th anniversary of the disaster last December, marked by a special ITV documentary Tsunami: The Wave That Shook The World, Luke told of what it was like to survive such a tragic event, and how he came to learn of his brother's death, five days later on New Year's Eve. After struggling to get his then-girlfriend to safety, Sophie was miraculously caught by one of the large cotton canopies that hung above the streets to provide shelter from the sun. Piers worked his way over to her along cables to ferry her across to the roof he was on, before using a plank to get to a higher rooftop. Locals already up there formed a human chain to help her reach the top, and Ben was also able to join them. Sophie, who flew home two days later, had been just a second away from drowning, her GP later told her. Those down below, wedged underneath piles of debris, began to call for help, and Luke rescued some by tying a sarong around their bodies, using his height advantage to lift them out. The group waited for another hour and a half as the powerful body of water destroyed anything in its path. The island then fell silent, and they began to call Piers' name, to no reply. Luke already began to form sentences in his head about what he would say at his older brother's funeral. "I think my brain had already worked out the severity of what we just experienced," the dad-of-two remembered. "We were all together again but Piers isn't, there is something not right here. I tried to stop myself putting together these sentences, but I couldn't." He then explored four scenarios, with only one of them positive. "One, we would find Piers and he'd be fine. Scenario two, we'd find Piers injured; scenario three, we'd find Piers, and he'd be dead. And scenario four is that we'd never find him. So whilst the search for Piers lasted five days and we always had hope, I think intrinsically I knew that something wasn't right." Despite the turmoil that had just taken hold, Luke couldn't get over how the sun was still beaming down on them. "It was the most beautiful, tropical day. If you ever watch Twister, those sorts of films when you have these massive, colossal disasters, you expect it to be pouring rain and flooding and it wasn't, it was just a beautiful, hot day," he said. "And this volume of water came in, destroyed so much. And then within an hour, the water had really subsided down to about ankle length. "When we got off the roof, I went into a bit of a leadership role, I think because I knew I had a job to do to find Piers". He instructed Ben and Nick to get provisions such as water, while Sophie's job was to constantly keep an eye on the sea as they walked their way to higher ground - a hill at the back of a bar Luke would visit. They had no idea if it was going to strike again. Deep down, he had hoped he'd be reunited with Piers once at the top of the hill, but that moment never came. He started to ask around to see if anyone had come across him, describing his key features and what he was wearing. But Luke was overcome by those who needed help, and he gave first aid to several injured and lacerated people who had cut themselves trying to make their way to the water's surface. Throughout the night, there were some false alarms, with people waking up screaming. "All of us started just climbing the trees because the ground had just done something that we'd never experienced before. And so it was just your instinct to get off the ground," Luke said. The following morning, the pals returned to the place where they last saw Piers. The alleyway they used as their getaway was clogged with debris, which he pulled apart to see if there was any trace of his brother, who he had invited to stay with him for Christmas. The cafe they evacuated had been stripped of everything. By this point there was talk of an 'earthquake under the sea', and as dead bodies had been picked up overnight, Luke was only aware of the material destruction, ignorant to the the enormous scale of the human loss of life. He wanted the four of them to stick together as they searched for Piers, so they travelled to the city of Phuket, where they continued their search using the internet. He texted their parents, Celia and Henry, at home, saying, "Four of us are OK. We've lost Piers." "My dad said, 'I wasn't sure whether you meant Piers was missing or Piers was dead. What does lost mean?' And then for that, really the next five days were all about strategy for trying to find a missing person," Luke continued. When they got off the ferry, dozens of locals were waiting on the other side, handing out polystyrene containers of food and offering lifts. In just 24 hours, the town hall had been filled with piles of clothing for survivors and there was a box of donated mobile phones to use. Luke was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Thai people, and even those who had lost their own family members were doing anything they could to help find Piers. The group put up missing person posters using his photo, and they checked into the intensive care units at hospitals on the island to see if he had been admitted before moving to Krabi, where most bodies from Koh Phi Phi were taken. A few days in, there was a false alarm: another 33-year-old man from Britain named Piers had checked out of a triage centre in Krabi. But their Piers was finally identified after they trawled through makeshift morgues in temples, where numbered bodies were lined up under plastic sheets. "That was unpleasant," Luke recalled. "Bodies decomposing at the extremities in 30-degree heat so their fingers and toes go black and they hiss as water seeps out of them. For around two days, I lifted up plastic sheeting and looked at bodies, trying to identify whether it was Piers. So, I mean, gosh, what a job. But then the Thai authorities had been quite smart, actually, and they photographed all of the bodies." Luke and his friend sat through a slideshow of the photographs, and when 'body 348' came up in a red Oakley T-shirt, he knew it was Piers. The body was found with his phone and passport in his pocket, which he had put there to get more money out. "I told the police that I wanted to come and identify the body and they said, 'No, you can't. We're not going to let you.' And I said, 'Well, why not?' And they said, 'Look, this doesn't need to be the lasting memory and image that you have with your brother'. "Ben did it for me and I could see where they were looking at him, his body was about three feet off the ground because he was just so bloated with water." He rang home to deliver the sad news and worked with the embassy to repatriate his body. "The embassy was really good to us and I said to them 'I just have one last request - when we fly home, is there any chance I could be on the same flight with Piers? I'd like to do one last journey with him', and we did," Luke added. The brothers were back on UK soil on January 2, and within two days, the family had opened a bank account to start raising money in Piers' name. Luke doesn't believe in survivors' guilt and just thinks they were incredibly unlucky. "Someone once said to me, 'If you hadn't taken that teaching job, he wouldn't have come out and he'd still be alive'. And I thought, gosh, people are different - I've never looked at it like that because we were having a fantastic time, and I just think we were really unlucky with about a million other people that were impacted by it. "I don't feel any guilt. It could have happened anywhere in the world. And I've done enough research on disasters to know that they can happen at any point, at any time. And, we were just unfortunate." Luke, who was inseparable from his brother growing up, takes comfort in their memories from Christmas Day playing in volleyball competitions on the beach together and knowing that he died at a time of contentment in his life - which came just a few months after a period of struggle for Piers. However Luke still doesn't think the grief has quite hit him. Immediately after the tragedy, he was focused on trying to find him, and then his next job was raising money to give back to the local Thai people for their kindness and gratitude. The 20th anniversary of the tragedy also marked 20 years since they set up School in a Bag - the charity which provides bright red rucksacks full of essential resources that enable poor, orphan, vulnerable and disaster-affected children worldwide. As the charity CEO headed back to Thailand for the filming of the ITV documentary, Luke felt immense pride at how they have been instrumental in helping communities rebuild their schools and provide education. He talks about Piers all the time, in his line of work, and shares stories with his daughters Evie, 13, and Iris, 10 about the uncle they sadly never got to meet. "One of the biggest things I miss and there would be no guarantee of this, obviously, but I suspect Piers would have married and had children," Luke, who worked with his brother as a garden designer, began. "And so, therefore, I miss being an uncle to his potential family. And then I hate the fact that my children don't have an uncle because Piers is very present in our lives constantly. And so even Iris hears his name mentioned a lot, and they ask questions about him. And I just feel sorry that they'll never get a chance to meet him. "He was just a really good big brother. Throughout all of my childhood with him, I always looked up to him as a very good role model. I miss the conversation and the chat because we had a period in our lives where we lived together, we worked together, socialised together, wore the same clothes, listened to the same music, and liked the same films. "I've had a few difficult times in the last few years or so, my divorce, I miss just being able to run things past him. Everyone loved him, and when he died, we saw a real outpouring of loss from so many people whose lives he had touched in some way." For the past 15 years, the Simon family has invited people to their farm on Boxing Day for a walk around a nearby National Trust property. For their charity Christmas campaign last year, they raised money for school bags in Sri Lanka, one of the countries affected by the tsunami. "On the farm, we've dug up 20 little oak saplings and we're encouraging people to buy them and plant them somewhere dear to them. Hopefully, they'll send us the location, and we'll create a map of these commemorative trees growing up around the country that are in memory of Piers, and all the other people who passed away 20 years ago."
Scottish Sun
06-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Two brothers in miracle escape from Texas floods after they swam for their lives as water reached top bunk in camp cabin
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) TWO brave young brothers have told of their gutsy escape from the Texas floods - which have killed at least 50 and left dozens missing. Piers and Ruffin Boyett were asleep in the cabin at Camp La Junta on the bank of the Guadeloupe River when it was hit by a wall of water at 4am. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 11 Piers (left) and Ruffin (right) Boyett had to swim out of their camp cabin to higher ground Credit: ksat 11 The floods have left a trail of destruction around Kerr County Credit: AFP 11 Damage to a home near Camp Mystic Credit: AFP 11 The heartbreaking scene in Camp Mystic, from dozens of girls went missing Credit: AFP Further down the river, Camp Mystic - a Christian camp hosting around 750 girls - was also swamped, and over 20 girls are still missing. They awoke to find water rising rapidly around them - and were forced to make a split-second decision. The plucky pair knew immediately that they had to swim. Younger brother Piers told KSAT: "The flood started getting bigger. read more in us news TRUMP'S RUMPY PUMPY GRUMP Donald Trump 'moaned he could not access PORN in White House' "We had bunk beds in our cabins and [the water] was going up to the top bunk and we had one choice — and we had to swim out of our cabin.' Ruffin, the elder one, said: 'I had a first-hand view of the flood. "The cabins were flooding and the walls, they broke down. 'All of the campers in those cabins had to go up on the rafters and wait there until they could swim out." The brothers fought through the water to reach another cabin on higher ground. They waited there until a rescue bus arrived to take them away from the Guadeloupe River and back to safety. 15 children among 50 dead in Texas floods with little girls still missing' Whilst the Boyetts made it out of the water, not everyone has been so lucky. A Texas dad-of-two died while valiantly trying to save his family from the floods - after having is arm almost cut "clean off". Julian Ryan, 27, was with his family in their trailer home when the surging waters hit. His mother, fiance Christinia, six-year-old and 13-month-old were all huddled in the bedroom after being shaken awake at 4am on Friday. Christinia told KHOU: 'It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in." 11 Julian Ryan died while trying to help his family escape their trailer during the floods Credit: gofundme 11 His fiance, two children and mother survived Credit: khou 11 11 The two kids were sitting on a floating mattress when the door of the bedroom burst open and water cascaded in. It was then Ryan took a bold decision to save his family. The dad punched a hole in one of the bedroom windows - but the shattered glass severed an artery and almost cut the limb "clean off". With blood spurting from the wound and emergency crews unable to reach the house, Julian told his family: "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all." 11 The waters continued to rise and the trailer was eventually broken in half - allowing the rest of the family to escape. Christinia said: 'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost. A GoFundMe has been set up to support the family after they lost Julian, and it has so far raised almost $30,000. It reads: 'Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero. While his family is eternally grateful for his sacrifice, they are shattered by their loss." Rescuers are still scouring the devastated landscape in central Texas, but hopes of finding survivors are fast dwindling. 11 Janie Hunt, 9, also died after floods hit the all-girls Christian summer camp on Friday night 11 Best friends Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner were sharing a cabin and both lost their lives Credit: X/Keenan Willard 11 The scene of devastation inside Camp Mystic Credit: AFP Larry Leitha, Kerr County sheriff, said on Saturday: "We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. "Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children." Multiple people lost their lives in other counties, bringing the current confirmed death toll to 50 - though this is sadly expected to rise. The most desperate search is for a group of school-age girls who went missing from Camp Mystic - a Christian summer camp near the river. Heartbreaking photos from the wrecked site show sodden mattresses and teddies strewn across dormitories. On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 of the children were still missing.
The Irish Sun
06-07-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Two brothers in miracle escape from Texas floods after they swam for their lives as water reached top bunk in camp cabin
TWO brave young brothers have told of their gutsy escape from the Texas floods - which have killed at least 50 and left dozens missing. Piers and Ruffin Boyett were asleep in the cabin at Camp La Junta on the bank of the Guadeloupe River when it was Advertisement 11 Piers (left) and Ruffin (right) Boyett had to swim out of their camp cabin to higher ground Credit: ksat 11 The floods have left a trail of destruction around Kerr County Credit: AFP 11 Damage to a home near Camp Mystic Credit: AFP 11 The heartbreaking scene in Camp Mystic, from dozens of girls went missing Credit: AFP Further down the river, Camp Mystic - a Christian camp hosting around 750 girls - was also swamped, and over They awoke to find water rising rapidly around them - and were forced to make a split-second decision. The plucky pair knew immediately that they had to swim. Younger brother Piers told Advertisement read more in us news "We had bunk beds in our cabins and [the water] was going up to the top bunk and we had one choice — and we had to swim out of our cabin.' Ruffin, the elder one, said: 'I had a first-hand view of the flood. " The cabins were flooding and the walls, they broke down. 'All of the campers in those cabins had to go up on the rafters and wait there until they could swim out." Advertisement Most read in The US Sun Exclusive Exclusive The brothers fought through the water to reach another cabin on higher ground. They waited there until a rescue bus arrived to take them away from the Guadeloupe River and back to safety. 15 children among 50 dead in Texas floods with little girls still missing' Whilst the Boyetts made it out of the water, not everyone has been so lucky. A Texas dad-of-two died while valiantly trying to save his family from the floods - after having is arm almost cut "clean off". Advertisement Julian Ryan, 27, was with his family in their trailer home when the surging waters hit. His mother, fiance Christinia, six-year-old and 13-month-old were all huddled in the bedroom after being shaken awake at 4am on Friday. Christinia told KHOU: 'It just started pouring in, and we had to fight the door to get it closed to make sure not too much got in." 11 Julian Ryan died while trying to help his family escape their trailer during the floods Credit: gofundme Advertisement 11 His fiance, two children and mother survived Credit: khou 11 11 The two kids were sitting on a floating mattress when the door of the bedroom burst open and water cascaded in. It was then Ryan took a bold decision to save his family. Advertisement The dad punched a hole in one of the bedroom windows - but the shattered glass severed an artery and almost cut the limb "clean off". With blood spurting from the wound and emergency crews unable to reach the house, Julian told his family: "I'm sorry, I'm not going to make it. I love y'all." 11 The waters continued to rise and the trailer was eventually broken in half - allowing the rest of the family to escape. Advertisement Christinia said: 'He was the best father, and was always such a happy person who was never above helping people, no matter what it cost. A It reads: 'Julian gave his life for his family, passing as a true hero. While his family is eternally grateful for his sacrifice, they are shattered by their loss." Rescuers are still scouring the devastated landscape in central Texas, but hopes of finding survivors are fast dwindling. Advertisement 11 Janie Hunt, 9, also died after floods hit the all-girls Christian summer camp on Friday night 11 Best friends Eloise Peck and Lila Bonner were sharing a cabin and both lost their lives Credit: X/Keenan Willard 11 The scene of devastation inside Camp Mystic Credit: AFP Larry Leitha, Kerr County sheriff, said on Saturday: "We have recovered 43 deceased individuals in Kerr County. Advertisement "Among these who are deceased we have 28 adults and 15 children." Multiple people lost their lives in other counties, bringing the current confirmed death toll to 50 - though this is sadly expected to rise. The most desperate search is for a group of school-age girls who went missing from Camp Mystic - a Christian summer camp near the river. Heartbreaking photos from the wrecked site show sodden mattresses and teddies strewn across dormitories. Advertisement On Saturday, Sheriff Leitha said 27 of the children were still missing. 'Miracle' survival: Rescued 20 miles downstream By A YOUNG woman was miraculously rescued after being swept 20 miles downriver in the Texas floods. The 22-year-old was scooped up by from her campsite in Kerr County, Texas by at 4am, and found clinging to a tree four hours later . A third of a year's worth of rain fell in a few hours in the area, creating an "extraordinary disaster", with an enormous search-and-rescue mission still underway. A Center Point resident, Carl, heard screaming when he stepped into his yard at around 8am on Friday morning. He spotted the woman clinging to a huge Cyprus tree near Lion's Park Dam as the river thundered beneath her. She had for been holding on for several hours after a terrifying 20-mile journey down dams and dodging debris. Emergency calls weren't connecting, so the local resident desperately flagged down a police car for help. Two By this time, the water level had receded considerably, so the woman was stranded 12ft above the water's surface. She was forced to drop into the rescue boat, and was finally brought to safety.
Daily Mirror
06-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mirror
Brothers recall terrifying moment they swam for their lives to escape floods
Piers and Ruffin Boyett, 11 and 14, were at Camp La Junta in Hunt, Texas, when a flash flood swept through the area and killed at least 51 people, including four campers Two brothers who narrowly escaped the Texas flash floods have recounted their terrifying ordeal, with one of them having to swim for his life. The horror occurred after the Guadalupe River burst its banks early on Friday. The water rose by 26ft in just 45 minutes, officials said. At least 51 people, including 15 children, have died following the flash floods and dozens remain missing. Piers and Ruffin Boyett were at Camp La Junta in Hunt, Texas, when they spoke to ABC affiliate KSAT about their cabin being inundated during the heavy rains. Piers described how they had to scramble up into the rafters of the cabin to avoid the swiftly rising waters. Ruffin said: "I couldn't sleep because of the lightning," Piers chimed in: "People were screaming that there was a flood. There was a lot of water." Ruffin revealed to the broadcaster that he was the first to stir in his cabin around 4am local time on Friday. He mentioned that another camper woke up simultaneously and dashed to alert the counsellor, who then roused the rest of the boys in the cabin, reports the Mirror US. Once fully awake, the campers grasped the peril they were in. "Oh my God, we're floating," is what Ruffin Boyett remembered thinking. The boys explained that it was at this point they realised they had to act fast. "The flood started getting bigger," Piers remembered. "We have bunk beds in our cabin, and it (the water) was going to the top bunk. We had one choice, and we had to swim out of our cabins." The campers, along with the Boyett brothers, managed to swim to safety and took refuge in a cabin on higher ground before being evacuated by bus from the Guadalupe River. As of Sunday morning, the flood has claimed at least 51 lives. In Hunt, the families of four Camp Mystic campers have confirmed their children perished in the flood. Amidst the catastrophic floods in Kerr County, Texas, over 20 campers are still reported missing. The young campers, Janie Hunt, Renee Smajstrla, Sarah Marsh, and Lila Bonner, all aged nine, have been the first to be found and named publicly. On Friday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced that more than 20 children were still missing at the private Christian summer camp for girls, which accommodates around 750 kids. Over 850 residents of Kerr County have been forced to leave their homes. Kerrville city manager Dalton Rice said there could be more people missing in the region than the 27 girls unaccounted for from Camp Mystic. "We are kind of looking at this in two ways, called the known missing, which is the 27... We will not put a number on the other side because we just don't know," he said at a news conference. He said "hundreds" have been rescued from campsites around the Guadalupe River so far, and searches are ongoing.
