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The Irish Sun
37 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
‘It's unreal' – says RTE star Maura Derrane in disbelief as she finishes up on air with Daithi in ‘final show' statement
RTE stars Maura Derrane and Daithi O Se were left in disbelief as they finished up on air this evening. , hosted by , and 3 Maura and Daithi co-hosted their last show of season 13 of Today Credit: RTE 3 Maura and Daithi couldn't believe how quick the year went Credit: RTE 3 Maura and Daithi thanked their loyal viewers Credit: RTE The popular chat show airs every Monday to Friday at 3.30pm to 5.40pm. Daithi co-hosts with Sinead every Monday and Tuesday before he's joined by Maura on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. However, the series wrapped up for its annual Maura got all dolled up for the occasion wearing a cream floral print shift dress with collar and button details and a belt cinched in at her waist. read more on maura derrane While Daithi looked dapper wearing a denim shirt, navy blazer and a pair of black trousers. At the beginning of the show, Daithi remarked: "Our final show of season 13, can you believe it?" The Galway native replied: "I can't believe it actually it has just flown in. I know we say this every year but this year has especially gone so fast." Daithi said: "I think this year and last year have gone so fast Maura. it might be also kind of..." read more on the irish sun Maura cut across him and said laughing: "It might be us ageing!" Daithi replied: "Well... getting up the ranks - I was going to say, but yeah. We've had so much fun." Maura Derrane shows off beauty routine ahead of major awards show Maura added: "We have actually, it's been brilliant." At the end of the programme this evening, the pair took a few moments to thank their listeners. Daithi said: "Sin é." Maura said: "That is it. Oh my God, yes. Season 13, of the show. No, we can't believe it. It's just unreal. "Listen, thanks to our guests. Thanks to all of you as well for watching. And thanks to our great Today show team behind the scenes who put us on air every single day." REPLACEMENT Daithi added: "That's it. We are back after the summer. So we hope you will have a summer full of sunshine and great fun as well." Maura blew kisses to her viewers and added: Absolutely. Take care. Have a great summer." Next Friday, in Today's usual slot, RTE will be showing a repeat episode of Frankie Drake Mysteries at 3.20pm and an episode of Room to Improve at 4.40pm. The hit chat show was jam-packed this season with appearances from many Today will be back on air in September for the new autumn RTE schedule
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Business
- Yahoo
The sleeping Heathrow boss proves we're a nation led by donkeys
It was one of the more astonishing admissions of the week: 'Sorry lads, my phone was on silent.' Or, as the Kelly Review, published on Wednesday, put it: 'Mr Woldbye expressed to us his deep regret at not being contactable during the night of the incident.' The apology nestles in a 75-page report authored by Ruth Kelly, the former transport secretary, who examined the circumstances relating to the closure of Heathrow Airport on March 21. It's an impressively speedy job, with most inquiries of this nature usually waiting for the protagonists to die – or, at best, until their memories have long faded and the events have been massaged into a Netflix documentary – to be concluded. Yet here is a report published while the senior folk of one of the largest and busiest airports in Europe are still firmly in post, and clinging on for dear life – especially the chief executive, Thomas Woldbye. Indeed he has been vexed at the idea that he acted in any way other than exemplary over the 18-hour shutdown of Heathrow that resulted in the cancellation of 1,300 flights and affected some 270,000 passengers. The day after the shutdown, the Danish businessman even told Emma Barnett on BBC Radio 4's Today programme that, in relation to the actions and decisions of Heathrow and related parties, he was 'proud of the entire ecosystem'. Pride being the most plausible emotion for him to express because, when the decision was taken to press the Heathrow off-button, Woldbye was asleep. Which for a Dane strikes me as a peculiarly British reaction, albeit with firm roots in the comedy of Captain Mainwaring of Dad's Army or Blackadder's General Melchett. Our hero, Woldbye, as you can read on page 36 of the report (section 14, subsection 3), 'first became aware of the incident at approximately 06:45 on 21 March, and received a debrief from Mr Echave [Heathrow's chief operating officer]'. 'Fine work, man,' he might have said. 'Now, what's going on?' And, famously, it was not for want of trying to get hold of Woldbye during the night. In fact, what is known in the trade as the most 'critical event communication platform that provides information and sends alerts through all available communication channels', an F24 alarm was issued at 00.21. This is the technical equivalent of a cold bucket of water being thrown in your face, a gong being struck by your ear, a jumping up and down on Daddy at dawn. There was another F24 sent at 01.52, this one activating Gold (harder slaps around the chops, cries of 'wake up, you idiot!') and Echave, also we learn, 'attempted to call Mr Woldbye several times during the early hours'. Except Woldbye's mobile, albeit on his bedside table, was on silent. Or, as the report states, 'the phone had gone into a silent mode, without him being aware it had done so'. That's right, the man in charge of Heathrow – an airport that uses the most sophisticated technology available to run and protect a place with planes departing and landing every 45 seconds – has a phone that, completely of its own accord, jumps into 'do not disturb' mode. Perhaps the man whose most recent annual take-home pay was £3.2 million needs a second phone. Or how about an old-school landline with a trilling bell on it? We Brits are, quite clearly, lions led by donkeys. Incompetence seems key to the skill set in running either a large company or indeed government. There are, for example, the civil servants of the Department for Business and Trade who, in the face of colossal public pressure and moral finger-wagging, continue to resist fully compensating the likes of Sir Alan Bates for the Horizon IT system scandal. Last weekend he revealed that he had been offered a 'take it or leave it' offer of 49.2 per cent of his original claim. The compensation scheme, Sir Alan said, had become 'quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses'. Or, consider the major water companies presiding over the effluent that pollutes our rivers. Earlier this month, Chris Weston, the CEO of Thames Water – Britain's biggest water company; a firm with massive debts, outdated infrastructure and more leaks and spills than the Titanic – admitted that senior managers had been in line for substantial bonuses courtesy of a privately financed £3 billion rescue-plan loan. Following pressure from Environment Secretary Steve Reed, Weston's spokesperson then announced that payments had been 'paused'. Yet, as The Guardian reported, Thames Water 'declined to answer questions about whether any of the retention package has already been paid'. High Court judge Mr Justice Leech, in relation to an £800 million cost to be spent on interest and advisers for the debt deal, said: 'Customers and residents who are struggling with their bills will be horrified at these costs and mystified how the Thames Water Group has been able to fund them or why it has agreed to do so.' Ponder, too, on those who run Royal Mail, increasing prices while presiding over terminal decline of their services, and the pen-pushing ninnies of our councils conjuring up safety costs that are wrecking traditional country street fairs and festivals. Indeed, just look to the politicians who run our country. We have a Chancellor in Rachel Reeves who claims to support hospitality while actually savaging it with increases in National Insurance Contributions for employers, and a Secretary of State for Education gleefully manifesting over a VAT policy that is closing down private schools. Hapless leadership is a terrific subject for fiction. But, sometimes, life is not supposed to mimic art. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vape ban 'helps stop children getting addicted'
The upcoming disposable vape ban will help "prevent a new generation of nicotine-addicted young people", Wales' leading public health body has said. Public Health Wales (PHW) said it was important to learn from the experience with tobacco and "work as hard as possible to prevent the use and uptake of vapes by children and young people". Single-use disposable vapes will be banned across the UK from 1 June as part of efforts to protect children's health and prevent environmental damage. The UK Vaping Industry Association has been approached for comment, but previously said a ban would increase illegal sales. Disposable vape ban in Wales to start in 2025 Why are disposable vapes being banned and how harmful is vaping? PHW said disposable vapes were "cheap, easy to use and widely available" and appealed to children. It added that most contained nicotine, which affected concentration, memory and the ability to learn when consumed regularly. Mary-Ann McKibben, consultant in public health at PHW, said: "While vaping is safer than smoking for adults, it is not risk–free and we do not yet have a comprehensive understanding of the long-term health effects." She called the ban an "important step" towards preventing a generation of young people addicted to nicotine. Data in Wales shows that 7% of people aged 11 to 16 use vapes weekly, up from 5.4% in 2021. For 15 and 16-year-olds it is 15.9%, up from 13.6%. Keep Wales Tidy estimates that 360,000 single use vapes are dropped on the floor each year, while 120,000 are flushed down the toilet. People at the Urdd Eisteddfod in Neath Port Talbot were largely supportive of the ban. Anna Sitori, 18, from Swansea, said vaping was a "real issue" that she often sees at school and parties and this would "really help crack down" on it. Steffan Thomas, 19, from Swansea, believes many of his friends who vape would stop due to the ban, but felt some could resort to smoking tobacco. In Swansea, Kyle Evans, from Aberdare, Rhonda Cynon Taf, described the ban as "ridiculous" as it was a helpful way to quit smoking. He added: "People need to put them away properly, dispose of them properly and there shouldn't be a ban." Crimestoppers said it was stepping up its efforts to combat the illegal sale of vapes in the wake of the ban because "unscrupulous vendors will continue to sell these products illegally". "These products pose serious health risks – they are unregulated, untested, and may contain dangerously high levels of nicotine and harmful substances such as lead and nickel," it said. Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme when the ban was announced, John Dunne, director general of UKVIA, said authorities already struggled to tackle the black market, even without a ban. He said the association wanted the UK government to instead introduce a licensing scheme for retailers and distributors.
Perth Now
7 hours ago
- Health
- Perth Now
Hoda Kotb's decision to leave Today was fuelled by her daughter's major health crisis
Hoda Kotb decided to leave 'Today' when her daughter was facing a health crisis. The 60-year-old journalist - who is the adoptive mother of Haley, eight, and six-year-old Hope - recently stepped down from her long-running position as host of the NBC news programme 'Today' alongside Jenna Bush Hager and after revealing that her daughter had been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes, recalledthat that the "worry" she felt when the little one took ill "definitely factored in" to her decision to quit. She told US TV show 'Extra': "We thought it was the flu and it wasn't getting better. I went to the pediatrician a handful of times, and they kept saying that it seemed like the flu and don't worry, don't worry, and one day I looked at her and I said, 'I'm worried.' So I took her to the ER and she was in the ICU for several days, so it was difficult. "It definitely factored in [to my decision to leave]. I mean, look, all I did was look at her numbers. I had my phone on the set when we were doing the news, and I was looking, 'cause you can see what her levels are doing, and if they drop too low, she needs help. So I was constantly looking at it, calling the school, calling my babysitter, calling, and I'm like, 'Why am I calling all the time? Just, you be there. Meanwhile, the 'Dateline' presenter noted that she had become so "tired" in the run-up to her exit from the show that her former co-host had "forced" her to undertake a breathing class - which she was reluctant to do - and now she has become open-minded to all forms of wellness methods. She said: "I think I was tired, man. I think I felt depleted. I think I couldn't figure out why I felt like I was carrying a heavy load. I was doing all the things, but I didn't feel right. I tried a breath work class — Jenna forced me. I was, like, stiff-arming her. I was like, 'I don't want your breath work, crazy. I'm not woo-woo like you are.' And then I tried it, and she was like, 'Did you cry?' I go, 'I did.' She goes, 'See?' So, I felt a clarity and an energy that I was lacking, and it felt so good, so, and then it just snowballed. I'm just insatiable. I try this, I try that. I'm gonna try everything!"
India.com
11 hours ago
- Politics
- India.com
Women Commission
Videos Women Commission | রাজ্যে আজ থেকে জাতীয় মহিলা কমিশনের জনশুনানি | Zee 24 Ghanta Women Commission | National Commission for Women Public Hearing Begins in the State Today | Zee 24 Ghanta Women Commission | National Commission for Women Public Hearing Begins in the State Today | Zee 24 Ghanta | Updated: May 30, 2025, 12:00 PM IST Advertisement Women Commission | National Commission for Women Public Hearing Begins in the State Today | Zee 24 Ghanta
