4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Neighbours axed AGAIN as Amazon pulls plug on Australian soap’s revival after two years
NEIGHBOURS is being axed again – after production company Fremantle failed to agree a new deal with Amazon.
The Sun can exclusively reveal the beloved Australian soap will stop production this summer with the final ever episode being aired at the end of the year.
Neighbours has been axed again just two years after being saved by AmazonThe show will cease production in the summer and come to an end later this yearAmazon FreeveeSusan and Karl will be saying goodbye to Erinsborough for a final time[/caption]
It is just two years since Amazon brought the soap back to life after it was axed after 37 years by Channel 5.
Amazon announced the end of 2022 that it was brining the iconic soap back in a multi-year deal.
The soap aired its final episode on July 29th and saw the return of the likes of Margot Robbie, Kylie Minogue and Guy Pearce in the emotional goodbye.
Months later Amazon offered the show a lifeline and brought it back to life with a revamped production.
It started filming in 2023 and was shown on Amazon Freevee worldwide.
However last year Amazon axed the service and folded it into its Prime Video streaming offering.
But now after two years streaming the show will come to an end once more.
The Sun can exclusively reveal that Amazon have told Fremantle, that their venture into soaps hasn’t worked and they are pulling funding.
A source said: “Amazon gave Fremantle two years to see if it worked but sadly they just didn’t get the viewers.
“It’s a really sad day especially for the cast and crew who work on the show in Melbourne.
“This really is the end of Neighbours just as it’s celebrated it’s 40th birthday.”
It is not knows whether the cast and crew have been told about the development.
The revival was nominated for its first two Emmy Awards last year for best daytime drama series and best guest performance for Guy Pearce.
Neighbours was first shown on BBC1 in 1986, a year after its Australian debut.
Neighbours axe is a warning to all other soaps
The Sun’s Soaps Editor Carl Greenwood reveals why soap fans should be very nervous about Amazon axing Neighbours.
NEIGHBOURS revival sent shockwaves through the TV industry back in 2022 when Amazon swooped in to save the beloved soap.
After 37 years it had become victim of an increasingly expensive and hostile TV industry when Channel 5 pulled the plug.
Budgets had spiralled out of control and there was a £5m hole in production costs that the UK channel couldn’t justify spending.
Now it seems Amazon, the multi-billion dollar company has learned the same lesson.
Spiralling costs are making it more and more difficult for shows – especially soaps that produce a huge number of episodes – to continue to go on.
If even Amazon with its mountains of money are struggling – what hope is there for the rest of the industry?
Soap fans should be incredibly concerned about the crisis enveloping their favourite shows.
Hollyoaks has already slashed its episodes by 40 per cent, now airing just three times per week.
ITV have taken the decision to cut an episode per week of Emmerdale and Coronation Street starting next year.
The only one that appears safe is EastEnders with its significant licence fee money budget – but in this economy, how long will that last?
One thing is clear – the industry has to get a grip on this crisis because there’s no big money streamer coming to save the day anymore.
Nearly 20million UK viewers tuned in two years later to see Scott, played by Jason Donovan, and Charlene, played by Kylie, get wed.
4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on The ‘IMPOSSIBLE dilemma’ Brit troops face if Putin betrays peace deal…as General says Starmer plan is 20 TIMES too small
EUROPEAN peacekeeping troops would face an impossible dilemma if Putin betrayed a Ukraine peace deal, defence analysts have warned.
AFPUkrainian troops training up to fight Vlad on the frontlines[/caption]
PAKeir Starmer has made a rallying cry to Europe urging them to ‘step up’ and deploy peacekeeping troops to Ukraine[/caption]
APUkrainian servicemen fire an MRLS BM-21 missile towards the Russian army in the Donetsk region[/caption]
GettyVladimir Putin announced his plans to meet US President Donald Trump in the nearest future[/caption]
But key Nato members have rejected it, wary of provoking Russian retaliation.
If a multinational force is deployed to secure Ukraine’s borders, what happens if Mad Vlad Putin launches another offensive in the future?
Former diplomat Tim Wilsey warned that peacekeeping missions are fraught with dangers – and Western troops could face a nightmare scenario.
He told The Sun: “If a European or multinational force was put into Ukraine, and in three years’ time Putin kicks off again… what do we do?
“Do we open fire or do we just put on our tin hats and let it happen?”
Sir Keir has backed a 30,000-strong “reassurance force” to secure key cities, ports, and infrastructure after President Zelensky warned the West must choose between “Putin or peace.”
But military experts say Starmer’s plan is far too small to be effective, with Finnish MEP and former general Pekka Toveri warning at least three times that number would be needed.
“You would need 150 to 200,000 troops there and then you have to rotate them so you need three times more,” Toveri told The Sun.
“We, the West, have to support Ukraine so that they can re-arm the army so it is strong enough with modern Western technology so that they can be the main deterrence, and then, of course, some kind of presence from the Western countries.”
Nato now faces critical decisions on who should take part, how the force would operate, and whether such a mission is even feasible.
Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army officer and tank commander, insists that if Nato troops are deployed, it must be as a peace enforcement mission, not a traditional UN-style peacekeeping force.
He told The Sun: “Well, the first thing to say is peacekeeping is one thing, but initially this is going to be peace enforcement.”
He warned that the UN lacks the strength to maintain security, saying: “The United Nations will eventually need to take over, but the UN is pretty toothless.
AFPStarmer has backed Zelensky as he hopes to act as a ‘bridge’ between the US and Europe[/caption]
No 10 Downing Street / BEEMCrisis talks were held in Paris earlier this weeks after Europe was frozen out of peace talks between Russia and the US[/caption]
AlamyUS and Russian officials met at Diriyah Palace, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on February 18 to discuss the war in Ukraine[/caption]
“There’s no good in getting some lesser countries from other parts of the world who don’t have the training and the equipment to do this sort of thing. That would be counterproductive.”
A Nato-led force in Ukraine would almost certainly provoke a reaction from Moscow, according to the former tank commander.
But he suggested that if Russia refuses to accept NATO peacekeepers, they risk losing everything gained from their three-year invasion.
‘NO GOOD OPTIONS’
As Trump suggested leaving his troops on the other side of the pond, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has already warned that Europe and Canada alone will be responsible for enforcing any peace deal.
If a European-led force were deployed in Ukraine and Russia launched another offensive in the future, Western troops would face an impossible choice.
Referencing the Srebrenica massacre, in which Dutch peacekeepers failed to prevent the slaughter of thousands of Bosniak men and boys by Serb forces, Wilsey warned: “If we open fire, then we are at war with Russia.
“And if we do nothing, we are humiliated… like the Dutch troops at Srebrenica.”
Beyond the political and strategic risks, ex-diplomat Wilsey raised a more practical problem: the UK simply does not have enough troops to sustain a meaningful peacekeeping force in Ukraine.
“We could probably put a maximum of 5,000 in. It’s not true that we could put 10,000 in,” he said.
“Our troops are not trained to fight in the way that Russia and Ukraine have been fighting.
“We don’t have the drones, we don’t have… we’re not trained in the techniques they’ve been using.”
AFPUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky listening to VP JD Vance at the Munich Security Conference last week[/caption]
ReutersNato troops training in Europe in the wake of Russia’s illegal invasion[/caption]
ReutersFears are rising that Trump’s desperation to end the war in Ukraine will see him capitulate to Putin[/caption]
Another major hurdle is that Russia would never accept NATO troops operating in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has already stated that any peacekeeping mission would need UN Security Council approval —giving Russia a veto.
“Putin would not accept any NATO troops in Ukraine, and it looks as if the Americans will probably give in to that demand of his,” Wilsey said.
Instead, Russia could push for a UN-mandated force made up of nations unlikely to challenge Moscow’s interests.
“Putin wants a multinational force in there which would have… let’s just say Bolivians, Zimbabweans, Pakistanis… and he will know that the rules of engagement of those countries won’t allow them to fight back if he kicks off again,” Wilsey warned.
THE TRUMP FACTOR
Donald Trump’s stance on the conflict and crunch talks also looms over NATO’s decision-making.
The US president has slammed Zelensky as a “dictator” and a “moderately successful” comedian, blasting him for delaying elections during wartime.
With Trump pushing for Europe to take full responsibility for Ukraine’s security, Starmer is expected to pitch a European-led peacekeeping force when he meets him in Washington next week.
GettyUS President Donald Trump is trying to bring an end to the war as quickly as he can[/caption]
ReutersTrump has made it his mission to reopen talks with Putin[/caption]
But he is likely to request US air cover — including American jets and weapons on standby in Eastern Europe.
Despite the uncertainty surrounding Trump’s next move, de Bretton-Gordon believes his position could shift.
“Trump, although he does seem to be throwing the Ukrainians and us Europeans under a Russian bus at the moment, we know how transactional he is,” he said.
“Some of his proxies have suggested that if Russia doesn’t agree, America’s going to throw the kitchen sink at them. That could really ruin Putin’s day, if it were.”
With European leaders scrambling to respond to Trump’s unpredictability, Starmer and French officials rushed to Paris for emergency talks.
But Wilsey warned that without unity, Europe risks being caught off guard if Trump strikes a deal that leaves Ukraine vulnerable.
He said: “So the question is, if it is a bad deal, has Europe got the unity, the military strength, the political will to continue to support Ukraine in its war with Russia?”
GettySoldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine gear up for battle[/caption]
GettyA heroic Ukrainian soldier speaks to an elderly woman outside her bomb-struck home in Ukraine[/caption]
What is Trump’s Ukraine plan?
Before he took office last month, Trump ambitiously vowed to find a resolution within days.
Any new deal is said to involve Putin stopping in his tracks and finally putting to an end Russia’s steadily advancing front line.
European soldiers, including Brits, could then be used to guarantee Putin doesn’t invade again by policing a demilitarised zone.
Crucially for Trump and Putin’s relationship, this wouldn’t include American soldiers, say reports.
In return, Ukraine would be barred from joining Nato and would have to declare neutrality.
The country could still join the EU in 2030, and Trump would want the bloc to drive Ukraine’s postwar reconstruction.
The US would continue to support Ukraine’s military, but Kyiv would have to accept Russian ownership of the land Moscow has seized.
The alleged outline for peace was leaked to Ukrainian news outlet Strana – but Zelensky’s office slammed it as Russian disinformation.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth addressed a potential deal last Wednesday at a meeting of Ukraine’s military allies at the Nato headquarters in Brussels.
He said a return to Ukraine’s pre-2014 borders before Vlad’s illegal invasion was unrealistic – meaning Russia would be able to keep the land it has stolen.
Hegseth added that his administration doesn’t see any circumstance where Kyiv would be allowed to join Nato.
His speech was regarded as the bluntest statement made by the US on how they believe the conflict can be stopped so far.
4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Popular ‘power saving’ mobile feature is actually sucking your battery – avoid simple mistake everyone is making now
SWITCHING your devices to ‘dark mode’ is likely draining your battery faster than the standard ‘light mode’, according to new research.
The study goes against popular belief that the ‘dark mode’ available on apps and websites is an ‘energy saving’ feature.
Having the backgrounds on apps and websites black instead of white does require less energyAppleBBC Research & DevelopmentFull brightness on your phone, laptop or TV can twice as much power as a device on a low brightness setting, the study said[/caption]
Having the backgrounds on apps and websites black instead of white does require less energy.
But a study from BBC Research & Development found that 80 per cent of people using it were turning up their brightness far higher than they would on ‘light mode’.
In doing so, devices ended up using more battery than they would on ‘light mode’.
“It’s great that lots of us are looking for ways we can be more environmentally friendly,” said BBC R&D engineer, Zak Datson.
“But some of the most common sustainability recommendations are overly simplistic, to the point that many simply don’t work in the way they’re intended – or in the case of dark mode, actually end up using more energy.”
Mobile phone owners can still use ‘dark mode’ to use less energy – or simply because they prefer it.
But to be energy conscious, researchers say they should turn their screen brightness down.
Full brightness on your phone, laptop or TV can twice as much power as a device on a low brightness setting, the study said.
“What we need is a better understanding of what exactly causes our devices to consume energy when we spend time online,” added Datson.
“That’s what our team is working on, so that we can make changes based on evidence that will allow us to reduce the overall footprint of digital media consumption, both here at the BBC and for the wider media industry.”
Other energy-saving tips offered by the study were to use smaller devices, and keep electronics for longer – even if they’re ageing.
For example, surfing the web on a phone or tablet requires less energy than a laptop or PC.
And using a laptop with a monitor eats up more power than using a laptop alone – which could be reflected in your energy bills.
The SunDevices with ‘dark mode’ switch on ended up using more battery than they would on ‘light mode’ because the brightness was turned up higher[/caption]
4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Watch space wreckage CRASH into Earth before smouldering ‘unidentified’ debris is probed in Roswell-style scenes
INCREDIBLE footage shows wreckage from space hurtling towards the Earth before part of it crashes into a garden in Poland.
The burning debris came from Elon Musk‘s Falcon 9 space rocket that was launched on February 1 in California.
NewsflashBurning debris from Falcon 9 crashed into a garden in Poland[/caption]
ReutersOne of several unidentified objects being investigated by Poland’s space agency POLSA[/caption]
ReutersPossible debris from a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is being inspected near Sliwno, Poland[/caption]
The Polish Space Agency confirmed that the debris was from a SpaceX rocket.
Meanwhile, images show investigators in hazmat suits examining unidentified debris in dramatic Roswell-style scenes.
There have reportedly been sightings of the debris in Denmark, Sweden and England.
Some pieces of the rocket crashed into Poland and may have landed in Ukraine as well.
Polish Adam Borucki apparently discovered some of the remains of a second stage of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in his backyard.
Police spokesperson Magdalena Zblewska said the latest object fell in the town of Czersk.
The Polish police, fire brigade, chemical team and representatives of the Polish Space Agency have been inspecting locations where debris has fallen.
Astronomer Karol Wojcicki told local media: “I don’t recall such a clearly visible deorbit of a second-stage rocket over Poland before.
“It’s very spectacular and many people recorded the event. In reality, such phenomena don’t happen often over densely populated areas.
They usually take place over the ocean.”
An object resembling a container was found near Poznan in western Poland on Wednesday.
Later, a second identical container was found in the forest of Wiry village.
Zblewska said: “The police received a report from a resident of the Czersk commune, who reported that an unidentified object had fallen on her property.
“The police are securing the area and investigating the circumstances of the incident.”
The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) said a stage of the Falcon 9 R/B rocket made “an uncontrolled re-entry into the atmosphere” at about 0346 GMT.
It said the rocket was part of a Space X Starlink Group launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California on February 1.
The launch was to put Starlink satellites into a low-level orbit.
The debris left spectacular luminous trails visible in the sky in western Poland, witnesses said.
Jesse Marcel initially investigated and recovered some of the debris from the Roswell UFO site
One of the world’s most talked-about questions stemmed from a U.S. Army Air Forces press release from the summer of 1947.
The document noted that they had discovered a “flying disc” from a ranch near the small city of Roswell, New Mexico.
Some believers have claimed an extraterrestrial spacecraft crashed into the desert, leaving debris and alien bodies.
The mystery has spurred rumours and ideas that this moment came to be a decades-long cover-up by the government.
A local rancher reported finding debris in the area and had an intelligence officer, Jesse Marcel, come to the site and take more debris.
The mystery became rampant after the US military made a major u-turn 24 hours later and said the UFO rumors had been a mistake and explained the debris was from a crashed weather balloon.
Decades on, some people have still argued that the balloon crash was a cover-up for something more sinister or extraterrestrial.
4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on Dancing On Ice star Anton Ferdinand closes soccer academy after running up almost £240,000 debts
DANCING On Ice star Anton Ferdinand’s football academy is being wound up after running up large debts.
The former footballer, 40, was granted a court order to dissolve the firm after telling a court that the outfit was insolvent.
RexDancing On Ice’s Anton Ferdinand is winding down his football coaching business[/caption]
News Group Newspapers Ltd.Anton’s firm was unable to pay its large debts[/caption]
The ex-West Ham star founded the Ferdinand Football Group Ltd in 2021.
The most recent accounts for the venture covering 2023 revealed the firm employed 30 people and had debts of around £240,000.
It also had a tax bill of just £2,247 pointing to a modest income.
A High Court judge rubber stamped the winding up order and documents sent to Companies House reveal that a liquidator has been appointed to break up the doomed Essex-based firm.
The Sun has contacted a representative for Anton for comment.
One person said on a junior football page on social media: “Seems like FFG has gone into liquidation! Have tried contacting but not getting any response and the website is down.”
The firm ran football packages for all for ages and said of its £50 per month offer: “Will provide all children aged between 6 – 16 years the opportunity to receive extra technical coaching, in additional to their fun community and grassroots based provision.
“The Development Centre is highly suitable for players who either want to begin their football journey or already playing at high level.
“In addition we teach in a positive learning environment for players whether that’s in game related practices, Individual and group – team challenges to encourage them to improve their technique, individuality, communication skills, physicality, decision making and game related tactics.”
4 weeks agoNew York StateComments Off on EastEnders fans praise BBC bosses for ‘sublime’ link to the 80s during Angie Watts’ shock return – did you spot it?
EASTENDERS fans were stunned when the BBC brought back the legendary Angie Watts for the 40th anniversary special – complete with a nod to her very first episode.
Anita Dobson made a surprise comeback as Queen Vic’s iconic landlady Angie 37 years after her last appearance.
BBCAngie Watts made a return to EastEnders for the show’s 40th anniversary special[/caption]
HandoutIt was the character’s first time back in Walford in 37 years[/caption]
x./@juliastheme / BBCViewers noticed she was wearing the same outfit as in her debut episode[/caption]
In the poignant scene, Sharon Watts (Letitia Dean) found herself trapped in the Vic’s wreckage, only to be met by a vision of her late mother urging her to scream for help.
Angie’s return was a moment of pure nostalgia, made even stronger by the fact that she was dressed in the exact same outfit she wore when EastEnders debuted in 1985.
Fans wasted no time in heaping praise on the BBC for the production team’s immaculate attention to detail.
One thrilled viewer wrote: “I can’t believe we got her back, even if only for a moment. And wearing her first-ever dressed-up outfit too. After all this time, Angie Watts came home!!!”
Another questioned: “Did they dig that costume out from somewhere or did the costume department have to painstakingly recreate it so perfectly?
“Such a beautiful attention to detail when they really didn’t even need to.”
The emotional scene had many in tears, with one fan calling it “an incredible moment in EastEnders and, in my opinion, a golden TV moment.”
Another simply added: “It was like she never left! Sobbing.”
EastEnders executive producer Chris Clenshaw revealed just how much it meant to have Angie back in Walford for the landmark episode.
He shared: “Angie Watts is undoubtedly one of EastEnders’ most formidable and iconic landladies.
“Since the very first episode, Anita instantly created a character that the audience adored. She not only shaped EastEnders into the show it is today but also had a huge impact on British television.”
He added: “Watching Angie Watts grace the halls of The Queen Victoria, 40 years to the day she made her first appearance in Walford, is a day we will never forget.”
