I think since Ali Wong’s Baby Cobra was huge, there has been a little bit of a trend of female comedians recording specials pregnant. AdvertisementI don’t think that they work as hard as we do. I don’t know if it’s the trad-wife movement online or what has precipitated this, but my generation was very much splitting the bill. Having done two Netflix specials and two U.K.-based Sky Comedy specials, what are some key differences between dealing with the two different streaming platforms? Have you noticed any sort of notable evolution in the U.K. comedy scene in the last few years?

Three more UK universities have confirmed they are not taking subscriptions to Elsevier journals, with one Russell Group institution hitting out at the “financially unsustainable” terms of the nationally agreed deal. “Unfortunately, the Elsevier deal continues to be financially unsustainable and we will not be in a position to subscribe to this deal,” it explained. Lancaster University and the University of Surrey have also confirmed it will not sign another deal with Elsevier, joining the universities of Essex, Kent and Sussex among those walking away from direct access to the imprint’s 2,800 journals. Sheffield and Surrey were among three UK universities to terminate their previous deal with Elsevier at the start of 2025. Most UK universities have yet to declare whether they are taking up the Jisc-negotiated Elsevier deal, with the 2023-25 agreement extended for a month until the end of January to allow for further talks.

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24-school academy trust “using EHCP and pupil premium cash to fund its central topslice,” union says chain has admittedThe DfE: scene of protests yesterday. An academy trust, which is facing a huge campaign of protest over its financial management, has been taking pupil premium (PP) and special needs funding meant for pupils to pay for its central operations, a union has stated. The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) has been including PP and Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) money in its “topslice” calculations, according to the National Education Union. UPDATE: The trust responded, late afternoon on Wednesday, to say: "Regarding your query on EHCP and Pupil Premium funding, the Trust has several pupils eligible for additional funding. I asked whether ATLP could say, given the above, whether all of the money that it receives for EHCP and PP pupils is spent on support for these specific pupils.

TLDRThe US dollar has fallen to its lowest level in four years, dropping by 1.3% against a basket of currencies after President Trump dismissed concerns over the currency's decline. This marks the fourth day of declines and follows the largest one-day drop since April of last year. Trump's comments have led investors to seek safer assets like gold and the Swiss franc, causing the dollar to touch its lowest level since February 2022.

Jeff Bezos’s Amazon MGM Studios is to release its feature-length documentary about Melania Trump, directed by Brett Ratner, a formerly exiled film-maker accused of sexual misconduct by multiple women. The film was screened at a promotional event at the White House attended by what the Hollywood reporter described as '70 assorted VIPs', including Apple’s Tim Cook and Mike Tyson. Bezos bought the rights to the film for $40m (£30m) and spent a further $35m on a global marketing push – but so far, ticket sales are reportedly ‘soft’. It is expected to be screened in more than 100 UK cinemas

Fake visa agents are creating non-existent jobs for illegal migrantsShadowy black-market middlemen are selling fake jobs with payroll documents showing migrants earn £55,000 a year, when no such roles exist. The breathtaking bogus jobs like this are being offered by dodgy visa agent firms in Britain, hoping to cash in on the illegal migration market. The fake visa agents offer migrants a chance to have their stay in the UK sponsored by helping them pretend they have a job, complete with an imposter CV, bank records and payroll documents. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENTAccording to an undercover investigation by The Times, fake visa agents profit from the invisible jobs by charging the illegal migrant a monthly fee, as well as shelling out anywhere up to £20,000 up front. That’s it.”An investigation by The Times found visa agents offering illegal migrants fake jobsAn investigation by the newspaper found multiple agents operating across the UK.

THE Human League and The Proclaimers will headline this year’s Rewind Festival in Henley. The Human League, which rose to fame with Don’t You Want Me, will headline the main stage on Saturday night. The English synthpop band returns to the festival after appearing in 2022. Other acts include Brit-award winner Kim Wilde, synthpop band Blancmange, and Back to Life duo Soul II Soul. Clive Jackson, also known as The Doctor from Dr and the Medics, will compère the main stage on Sunday.

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HENLEY TOWN and visitors GORING UNITED played out the fifth successive draw between the two sides during last Saturday’s Thames Valley Premier League Premier Division clash at The Triangle Ground. Henley opened the scoring when Fosh managed to thread a ball through on 20 minutes for Harry Taylor to calmly side foot past May. In Division 1, ROTHERFIELD UNITED picked up a point from their 1-1 draw at league leaders COOKHAM DEAN. In Division 2, basement side HENLEY EXILES went down to a 2-1 defeat at home to MAIDENHEAD TOWN DEVELOPMENT. In the second half Henley continued to play well but were unable to convert their chances.

Outside the Kadorr apartment complex in Ukraine’s Black Sea city of Odesa, about 500 metres from the seafront, residents and rescue workers mill around in freezing temperatures. I didn’t hear the explosion but I heard another Russian Shahed drone that was extremely loud. Russian strikes against Odesa have escalated sharply in recent months, as conflict centred on the Black Sea has heated up again after it had settled into stalemate. “Right now the situation in the Black Sea is like a chess board. We’ve pushed the Russian warships away to Novorossiysk, but Russian aviation still controls the air over large parts of the Black Sea.

AdvertisementWhen Pratt first appeared on “The Hills” in 2006, he wasn’t exactly a stranger to reality TV. He thought “The Hills” could use a shot of adrenaline that Conrad, a “Laguna Beach” holdover (or, “Ambien in human form,” as Pratt writes) failed to provide. Pratt writes how executive producer Sean Travis encouraged him to be “at his absolute worst here. Pratt and his siblings attended the prestigious Crossroads Academy in Santa Monica, “where the children of Oscar winners and studio bosses learned alongside regular kids like us,” Pratt writes. (Matt Sayles / Associated Press)This is all to say that well before his villainous arc on “The Hills,” Pratt was willing to cross a few lines to get ahead.