Warframe is a game that’s full of surprises. At first glance, the team at Digital Extremes is simply making a free-to-play space ninja game. Once I started digging past the surface, I was continually shocked with some new feature coming out of left field: a fighting game, a character creator for a new form, or a different game mode with deep progression trees and unique rewards. The next big Warframe expansion, Warframe 1999 , is going to offer even more big changes, like a climactic battle against a boy band in space. But the new feature I’m most interested in is a romance system. As the game’s protagonist, the Drifter, explores the world of 1999 , they’ll meet the Hex. The Hex are six proto-Warframes who live in the abandoned remains of a mall, and if you play your cards right across a series of IM conversations on old-school CRT monitors, you can smooch one of them on New Year’s Eve. “We always wanted a deeper relationship system in the game — not necessarily romance proper, but something you could be more immersed in,” said Rebecca Ford, creative director on Warframe , in a call with Polygon. Ford then provided examples of the developer’s inspiration: Stardew Valley , Baldur’s Gate 3 , and Fire Emblem. In the early stages of Warframe 1999 , the team realized that the framework would allow for a contextual romance system. “It just happened that during COVID, I read about 25 of [Kathryn Kingsley’s] books,” said Ford. “On the back of all her book covers, it said she was a romance author as well as game designer. I wondered if she would want to take a stab at this, so I just messaged her on LinkedIn, and Kat right away was like, ‘I’m in.’” Kingsley, after joining Digital Extremes, beseeched her own Discord community for help. The Warframe fans in the Discord gave her a crash course in the setting, like the identity of the Drifter, the secrets of the Warframes, and the political factions fighting over the galaxy. Writing around the canon of an 11-year-old game is a tough task, one that Kingsley compared to balancing a Jenga tower. So, the Drifter arrives in this alternate timeline, meets the six members of the Hex, and then gets to chatting. Each member of the Hex has their own typing style, set of interests, and sense of humor. “We wanted to make sure these characters were identifiable, even if you couldn’t remember whose usernames were which, just by the manner in which they speak,” said Kingsley. “So one of the very first things we came up with was a style guide on how each character types.” The player can revisit and redo the events of Warframe 1999 , which means that while a decision might determine the events of that particular campaign, the player isn’t locked into any permanent choices. “Whatever happens, it’s not permanent, if you choose to not let it be permanent,” said Ford. “When we set out designing the experience, we went to look at other live service games with a romance system and quickly found out that, oh, there aren’t any. “It became very quickly clear that we needed an easy way for our players to roll back on choices and give them the freedom to explore and feel safe enough to click choices without having to Google the answers to everything.” The relationship between the Hex and the Drifter isn’t all sweetness and light. The Drifter drops in on their lives with some heavy alternate-universe lore that makes the group question everything they know. “We were really trying to make this a relationship system in parallel to this being a romance system, so you can go through fully platonically and get just as much lore and conversation without having to flirt with or date the characters,” said Kingsley. The Hex maintain a group chat, where the player can find the recognizable progression systems. But the individual IM windows offer their own possibilities, and the player can poke each character about lore, ask probing questions, or try and interest them in some flirting. There are no cosmetic or gameplay rewards associated with romance through the IM system, but after the New Year’s kiss, your love interest will move in with the Drifter and offer some custom dialogue. That opt-in impermanence means that the devs at Digital Extremes felt comfortable giving the players some opportunity to put their foot in their mouth or say something downright rude. “You can definitely be an asshole. I was ashamed at some of the things I’ve said to characters,” said Ford. “I approached these six characters as individual little romance novels — not for video game characters, but actual people. And so there are times where you can say really mean things to them,” said Kingsley. “Sometimes it’s the right thing to do, sometimes it’s the wrong thing to do. You have to know these people well enough to know if it’s the right decision. But the first time [Ford] showed anyone on the team one of my conversations, I swear I thought I was fired. “This isn’t your average video game,” Kingsley went on. “If you ask the character to dump his backstory on you in your first conversation with him, it’s not going to go well. I got told off, and that’s fine. I recovered. It was but a road bump in my blooming romance.” Warframe 1999 has a demo available through Warframe , and is set to arrive free on all platforms this December. Developers at Digital Extremes are also continuing to work on Soulframe , a similarly structured open-world game with slower combat and a big Elden Ring vibe. Gaming Mobile Nintendo PC PlayStation Xbox WarframeNon-Fungible Token (NFT) Market to Grow by USD 68.16 Billion (2024-2028), Driven by Digital Art Demand and AI-Powered Market Evolution - Technavio
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Tottenham Hotspur star Rodrigo Bentancur is suspended for the Newcastle United clash As confirmed by Football.London, Tottenham Hotspur will be without midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur for their crucial clash against Newcastle United on January 4. Bentancur, who scored in Spurs’ 2-2 draw with Wolves on Sunday, received a booking in the dying moments of the game for a foul on Rodrigo Gomes, leading to his suspension. His absence presents yet another challenge for manager Ange Postecoglou as his squad continues to be ravaged by injuries and suspensions. Bentancur’s goal against Wolves showcased his importance in Tottenham’s midfield, making his omission all the more significant. His absence leaves Postecoglou scrambling to fill yet another void as the team faces a hectic fixture schedule in January. Tottenham’s Ever-Growing Injury List The loss of Bentancur adds to a growing list of unavailable players at Spurs. Destiny Udogie, who limped off with a suspected hamstring injury during the Wolves match, joins Cristian Romero , Micky Van De Ven, Guglielmo Vicario, Ben Davies and now Destiny Udogie on the sidelines. With such a depleted squad, Postecoglou’s options are increasingly limited as he tries to navigate a gruelling winter period. Tottenham’s packed schedule exacerbates their challenges. Just days after hosting Newcastle, Spurs face Liverpool in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final. This is followed by an FA Cup trip to National League side Tamworth, and then the high-stakes North London derby against Arsenal. Maintaining form and competitiveness with a threadbare squad will require exceptional squad management and tactical adaptability from Postecoglou. Ange Postecoglou has not shied away from expressing his frustration with the relentless fixture list, which he believes is hindering Tottenham’s ability to field their best XI. The January stretch of matches will be a test of endurance for Spurs, and Postecoglou’s tactical ingenuity will be critical in ensuring the team remains competitive across competitions. Tottenham’s current situation underscores the importance of squad depth, particularly during congested periods of the season. While Bentancur’s absence is a blow, it also highlights the need for Spurs to strengthen their roster in the upcoming transfer window. For Postecoglou, the coming weeks will be a defining period that tests his ability to adapt and extract the best from an injury-hit squad and salvage the 2024-25 campaign. This article first appeared on To The Lane And Back and was syndicated with permission.
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USA Today on Wednesday published its annual analysis of college football assistant coaching salaries, and the Gophers in 2024 ranked 15th among the 15 Big Ten teams who are required to report with a total of $4.599 million for 10 assistants. Ohio State led the nation and the Big Ten in 2024 with an assistant coaching pool of $11.425 million, followed by Georgia, Clemson and Alabama. Others in the Big Ten included Michigan ($9.384M), Oregon ($8.225M) and Iowa ($7.9M). Penn State, Northwestern and USC of the Big Ten are not required to reveal salaries. One of the Gophers assistants, defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman, will receive a substantial pay bump. Hetherman on Saturday agreed to a new contract that will keep him with the team through the 2026 season . On Wednesday, documents provided by the athletic department show that Hetherman could earn up to $1.19 million per season if he stays with Minnesota through the life of the contract. Hetherman, the former Rutgers linebacker coach, just finished his first regular season with the Gophers and helped the team rank fifth in the Big Ten in total defense (290.9 yards allowed per game) and sixth in scoring defense (17.5 points allowed per game) while leading the conference with 16 interceptions. His 2024 base and supplemental pay was $850,000, and he’ll receive a $140,000 raise to $1 million for 2025 and ‘26. In addition, he’ll make an additional $200,000 in a retention bonus each year should he stay with the team, moving his compensation to $1.19 million annually. Hetherman’s contract is pending Board of Regents approval, possibly it its meeting on Thursday and Friday. Gophers coach P.J. Fleck credited Hetherman and the administration for making the deal. “Corey Hetherman is a great man, and he loves the University of Minnesota,” Fleck said. “He loves the players he gets to coach. He loves his staff. That was very evident in the process.” Smith, Brown staying with U Gophers defensive end Anthony Smith and safety Kerry Brown both announced via Dinkytown Athletes posts on the X platform that they’re returning to Minnesota for the 2025 season. Smith, who’ll have two years of eligibility remaining next season, led the Gophers with five sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2024 . Brown, who’ll have three years of eligibility left in 2025, tied for second on the team with 59 tackles, intercepted two passes and had three pass breakups.
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November 25, 2024 This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies . Editors have highlightedthe following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: fact-checked trusted source proofread by Chinese Academy of Sciences Rice is one of the world's most essential food crops, but its production is constantly threatened by leaf diseases caused by pathogens such as fungi, bacteria, and viruses. These diseases, which manifest as spots or blotches on leaves, can severely impact crop health and yield. Traditional manual identification of such diseases is labor-intensive and error-prone. The advent of deep learning-based segmentation technologies has brought improvements, but current methods often struggle with irregular disease features, complex backgrounds, and blurred boundaries in leaf images. A study published in Plant Phenomics on 5 August 2024 may help farmers make better decisions, resulting in healthier crops and higher yields while reducing environmental impact . The AISOA-SSformer model introduces several new components to enhance performance in rice leaf disease segmentation. The team implemented the model using PyTorch 1.10.0 to ensure consistency across experiments. The Sparse Global-Update Perceptron (SGUP) is employed to stabilize the learning process, effectively capturing the irregular features of leaf diseases. Additionally, a Salient Feature Attention Mechanism (SFAM) is incorporated to help the model filter out background noise while focusing on important features. This is achieved through two key modules: the Spatial Reconstruction Module (SRM) and the Channel Reconstruction Module (CRM), which work together to separate and optimize disease features. To further enhance accuracy, the model uses the Annealing-Integrated Sparrow Optimization Algorithm (AISOA), which adjusts the training process to avoid being trapped in local optima and improves the recognition of fuzzy leaf edges. Compared to existing models, AISOA-SSformer achieved an impressive 83.1% mean intersection over union (MIoU), an 80.3% Dice coefficient, and a recall of 76.5%, making it one of the most accurate methods for segmenting rice leaf diseases. Ablation studies confirmed the combined impact of SGUP, SFAM, and AISOA, boosting the MIoU and Dice coefficients significantly. Comparative analyses with established models, including CNN-based and Transformer architectures, highlighted AISOA-SSformer's superior ability to segment rice leaf diseases, even in complex environments, emphasizing its potential for practical agricultural applications. The AISOA-SSformer model represents a breakthrough in precision agriculture, providing an advanced tool for identifying rice leaf diseases. By enhancing segmentation accuracy and addressing complex backgrounds and irregular disease patterns, this model has the potential to revolutionize crop disease management. In the future, it could be applied to other crops and agricultural challenges, making significant contributions to sustainable farming and food security. More information: Weisi Dai et al, AISOA-SSformer: An Effective Image Segmentation Method for Rice Leaf Disease Based on the Transformer Architecture, Plant Phenomics (2024). DOI: 10.34133/plantphenomics.0218 Provided by Chinese Academy of SciencesBy Chris Ogden , University of Auckland associate professor in Global Studies* Comment - The election of Donald Trump for his second presidential term has led to widespread fears of an imminent authoritarian descent in the United States. Quite how that might play out remains speculative, for now at least. But evidence from Trump's first term, as well as his campaign policies and cabinet nominations since the election, suggest those fears are not without foundation. Another way of looking at this, however, is that Trump's return simply echoes realities within the international system's other great powers - China, Russia and India have all displayed similar political pathologies for some time now. Due to their collective power and influence in determining the nature of the world order, Trump's victory thus marks the amplification of a deeply autocratic era in global politics. The hallmarks of what we might call this nascent "Pax Autocratica" can be seen in a variety of ways, as these four horsemen of authoritarianism charge ahead with their policies and plans. Strongman politics Donald Trump and his counterparts - China's Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and India's Narendra Modi - are all bombastic, divisive and confrontational leaders. They embody the archetype of strongman politics whereby power is focused on a single, would-be omnipotent individual. As well as sharing similar alpha-male psychological characteristics and developing cults of personality around themselves , they seek to rule for long periods. In 2018, Xi removed the presidential term limit from China's constitution . In 2020, Putin amended the Russian constitution , allowing him to rule until 2036, leading to what's been described as a "politics of eternity". In power since 2014, Modi has won the past three elections in India . Accused of having a god complex, his success has rested on mainstreaming Hindu-first nationalism, capturing the legal system and rewriting Indian history. Trump, too, has flirted with ideas of a third term (impossible under current constitutional rules), saying, "We just have to figure that out." Constraining human rights Each of these leaders has overseen governments that have sought to narrow and constrain human rights. This includes limiting freedoms of speech and expression within Russian media , attacking journalists and protesters in India , and purging opponents in China . In all three countries, this involves using legal mechanisms to stifle dissent. Reports after Trump's victory suggest he also wants to punish or suppress protest and dissent . The growing politicisation of the US Supreme Court matches similar trends in the other three countries. This has been likened to a shift away from the rule of law (which underpins a free and open society) towards "rule by law" (whereby the law becomes a tool of control). Globally, there have been warnings that reduced freedoms of speech, association and expression threaten the fundamental structures of civil society. The 2024 State of Civil Society Report by watchdog group Civicus estimates 72 percent of the world's population now lives under authoritarian regimes. Attacking minorities The first Trump administration actively discriminated against minority ethnic groups, LGBTQ people, those with disabilities, and immigrants. Trump's 2017 travel ban closed the US border to Muslims , while the planned deportation of up to 13 million illegal migrants was a mainstay of his 2024 campaign. In Russia, attacks against minorities and foreigners are commonplace, with racism in the country described as "out of control" by Amnesty International . Since 2014, violence and discrimination against India's 200 million Muslims has significantly increased under Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The Modi government's actions actively discriminate against Muslim employment, education, justice and housing, especially in Kashmir and Assam. These chime with China's actions in Xinjiang and Tibet where ethnic minorities are experiencing fundamental human rights violations . Beijing is also building a national social credit system designed to enhance public trust in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and create a society of "compliant subjects". Weakened electoral systems While ostensibly democratic, there are glaring weaknesses in the US, Indian and Russian political and electoral systems, which undercut claims of electoral equality, fairness and plurality. While not as blatantly authoritarian as China (under the one-party rule of the CCP since 1949, and which consistently silences its opponents), elections in Russia are essentially non-competitive and only a façade of democracy. In the US, the gerrymandering of electoral regions, voter suppression, and vast corporate donations tilt the political landscape towards particular interests. Much the same is true of India, which has shifted towards a form of "electoral autocracy", and is described now as only a "partially free democracy" by monitoring group Freedom House . These trends are exacerbated by India's persistent intergenerational political dynasties and powerful political donors. Surveillance and security All of these authoritarian trends are underpinned by modern surveillance structures , directed inward towards a country's own citizens as much as outwards, and enabled by Big Tech and now AI. What has been described as "algorithmic authoritarianism" takes different forms. The Chinese social credit system uses such technology to instil social control mainly through financial levers. India's Central Monitoring System allows government agencies to monitor all mobile phone, landline and internet communications with minimal legal restraints. The pervasive reach of Russia's capabilities has resulted in a "cyber gulag" of "total digital surveillance". In the US, whistleblower Edward Snowden revealed the mass surveillance of telephone records in 2013 , which was found to be illegal in 2020. Now, Trump's alliance with Elon Musk has potential implications for his administration's approach to AI and national security - including Musk continuing to use his social media platform to boost Trump's political support. Trump's return has normalised and supercharged authoritarianism internationally, making it the rule rather than the exception. America's autocratic drift is now part of a broader global pattern, one that threatens democratic forces everywhere. * Chris Ogden is affiliated with the Foreign Policy Centre (London) as a senior research fellow
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Maupay also had a dig at Everton when he departed on loan to Marseille in the summer and his latest taunt has further angered the Premier League club’s supporters. The 28-year-old said on X after Sean Dyche’s side had lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest at Goodison Park on Sunday: “Whenever I’m having a bad day I just check the Everton score and smile.” Former boxer Tony Bellew was among the Toffees’ supporters who responded to Maupay, with the ex-world cruiserweight champion replying on X with: “P****!” Maupay endured a miserable spell at Everton, scoring just one league goal in 29 appearances after being signed by the Merseysiders for an undisclosed fee in 2022. He departed on a season-long loan to his former club Brentford for the 2023-24 season and left Goodison for a second time in August when Marseille signed him on loan with an obligation to make the deal permanent. After leaving Everton in the summer, Maupay outraged their fans by posting on social media a scene from the film Shawshank Redemption, famous for depicting the main character’s long fight for freedom.Stock market today: Asian shares are mostly lower, with most world markets closed for Christmas BANGKOK (AP) — Shares are lower in Tokyo and Shanghai, two of only a handful of world markets open on Christmas day. Oil prices rose. On Tuesday, stocks closed higher on Wall Street in a shortened holiday session. Gains in Big Tech stocks helped the S&P 500 to a 1.1% gain, while the Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 4.59% Undersea power cable linking Finland and Estonia hit by outage, prompting investigation FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — Finland’s prime minister says authorities are investigating an interruption in a power cable under the Baltic Sea between his country and Estonia. Petteri Orpo said on X that power transmission through the Estlink-2 cable suffered an outage Wednesday. Authorities have been on edge about undersea infrastructure in the Baltic after two international data cables were severed in November and the Nord Stream gas pipelines between Russia and Germany were blown up in September 2022. Japan to maximize nuclear power in clean-energy push as electricity demand grows TOKYO (AP) — A Japanese government panel has largely supported a draft energy policy calling for bolstering renewables up to half of Japanese electricity needs by 2040. It also recommends maximizing the use of nuclear power to accommodate the growing demand for power in the era of AI while meeting decarbonization targets. Cabinet is expected to formally approve the plan by March following a period of public consultation. The policy says nuclear energy should account for 20% of Japan’s energy supply in 2040, with renewables expanded to 40-50% and coal-fired power reduced to 30-40%. Biden will decide on US Steel acquisition after influential panel fails to reach consensus WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful government panel has failed to reach consensus on the possible national security risks of a nearly $15 billion proposed deal for Nippon Steel of Japan to purchase U.S. Steel. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States on Monday sent its long-awaited report to President Joe Biden, a longtime opponent of the deal. Some federal agencies represented on the panel were skeptical that allowing a Japanese company to buy an American-owned steelmaker would create national security risks. That's according to a U.S. official familiar with the matter. Both Biden and President-elect Donald Trump opposed the merger and vowed to block it. Nippon Steel says it is confident the deal will go ahead. Nissan and Honda to attempt a merger that would create the world's No. 3 automaker TOKYO (AP) — Japanese automakers Nissan and Honda have announced plans to work toward a merger that would catapult them to a top position in an industry in the midst of tectonic shifts as it transitions away from its reliance on fossil fuels. The two companies said they signed an agreement on integrating their businesses on Monday. Smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors agreed to join the talks. News of a possible merger surfaced earlier this month. Japanese automakers face a strong challenge from their Chinese rivals and Tesla as they make inroads into markets at home and abroad. What a merger between Nissan and Honda means for the automakers and the industry BANGKOK (AP) — Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan will attempt to merge and create the world’s third-largest automaker by sales as the industry undergoes dramatic changes in its transition away from fossil fuels. The two companies said they had signed a memorandum of understanding on Monday and that smaller Nissan alliance member Mitsubishi Motors also had agreed to join the talks on integrating their businesses. Honda will initially lead the new management, retaining the principles and brands of each company. Following is a quick look at what a combined Honda and Nissan would mean for the companies, and for the auto industry. Survey: Small businesses are feeling more optimistic about the economy after the election A survey shows small business owners are feeling more optimistic about the economy following the election. The National Federation of Independent Businesses’ Small Business Optimism Index rose by eight points in November to 101.7, its highest reading since June 2021. The Uncertainty Index declined 12 points in November to 98, following October’s pre-election record high of 110. NFIB Chief Economist Bill Dunkelberg said small business owners became more certain about future business conditions following the presidential election, breaking a nearly three-year streak of record high uncertainty. The survey also showed that more owners are also hoping 2025 will be a good time to grow. Heavy travel day starts with brief grounding of all American Airlines flights WASHINGTON (AP) — American Airlines briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical problem just as the Christmas travel season kicked into overdrive and winter weather threatened more potential problems for those planning to fly or drive. Government regulators cleared American flights to get airborne Tuesday about an hour after the Federal Aviation Administration ordered a national ground stop, which prevented planes from taking off. American said in an email that the problem was caused by vendor technology in its flight operating system. Aviation analytics company Cirium said flights were delayed across American’s major hubs, with only 37% leaving on time. Nineteen flights were cancelled. Nordstrom to be acquired by Nordstrom family and a Mexican retail group in $6.25 billion deal Century-old department store Nordstrom has agreed to be acquired and taken private by Nordstrom family members and a Mexican retail group in a $6.25 billion deal. Nordstrom shareholders will receive $24.25 in cash for each share of Nordstrom common stock, representing a 42% premium on the company’s stock as of March 18. Nordstrom’s board of directors unanimously approved the the proposed transaction, while Erik and Pete Nordstrom — part of the Nordstrom family taking over the company — recused themselves from voting. Following the close of the transaction, the Nordstrom Family will have a majority ownership stake in the company. Stock market today: Wall Street rallies ahead of Christmas Stocks closed higher on Wall Street ahead of the Christmas holiday, led by gains in Big Tech stocks. The S&P 500 added 1.1% Tuesday. Trading closed early ahead of the holiday. Tech companies including Apple, Amazon and chip company Broadcom helped pull the market higher. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.9%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 1.3%. American Airlines shook off an early loss and ended mostly higher after the airline briefly grounded flights nationwide due to a technical issue. Treasury yields held steady in the bond market. The yield on the 10-year Treasury was little changed at 4.59%
Beyond evangelicals, Trump and his allies courted smaller faith groups, from the Amish to ChabadRooney recalled meeting the US president-elect with her former England captain husband Wayne when their family was living in the US. Coleen Rooney has branded Donald Trump a “dirty bastard” as she revealed in the latest episode of I’m A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! a comment he made about her. The 38-year-old recalled meeting the US president-elect with her former England captain husband Wayne when their family was living in the US during Sunday’s episode. Discussing her encounter, she told her fellow campmates: “When we lived in America, we got invited to the White House for Christmas and we went in to meet Donald Trump. “And so we walked in and we had to get the official photograph taken in front of the Christmas tree. “So Donald Trump said to his son ‘See? Told you, all the soccer players get the good-looking girls’. “And I told my mum, I was like ‘dirty bastard’.” She also revealed that Mr Trump wanted Wayne to “go over to teach his son to play football”. Afterwards, McFly star Danny Jones asked her: “Is he that orange?”, to which she confirmed: “He was very orange.” Sunday’s episode also saw Rooney compete in a Bushtucker Trial a day after her her husband Wayne encouraged viewers to vote for her to do a challenge in a social media post. The former England footballer said he was “proud” of how she was doing in the Australian jungle but said he and their boys would “love” to see her do a trial. The couple, who first met at school and began dating aged 16, share four sons, Kai Wayne, Klay Anthony, Kit Joseph and Cass Mac. Ahead of competing in the Absolute Carnage trial, she said: “I’m a bit scared of the unknown but I’m excited for my boys back home just to see me do something. “Hopefully I’m going to do well, I’m going to try my best.” The trial saw her trapped in a box in the back of a car which was filled with cockroaches, crickets, giant mealworms and rats. Her fellow campmate, BBC Radio 1 presenter Dean McCullough, had to rummage through a garage area which was filled with creepy crawlies to find tools which he would pass to Rooney so she could unlock the stars in the box. The pair worked together to win nine stars for camp, with hosts Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly branding Rooney as “very calm, very quiet, you just got on with it”. Liverpool-born Rooney replied: “That is my way of coping, silence, the silent treatment.” Elsewhere, Love Island star Maura Higgins recalled to Jones and Loose Women panellist Jane Moore that she went into the ITV dating show “like a bull in a china shop” after being so angry with her ex-boyfriend before entering the villa. She explained that she had been in a relationship when she got the offer for the show and decided to check her partner’s phone and was unimpressed with what she found. “When he went to the gym the next day I got his toothbrush and I filmed myself scrubbing in the verges, he had a dentist appointment that day,” she said. Jones said you “don’t want to mess with Maura” while Moore described her as “fierce”. It was revealed at the end of the episode that McCullough will take on another challenge during Monday’s episode. I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! continues at 9pm on ITV1, STV and ITVX.
NoneCommentary: Don’t get distracted by Trump’s outlandish Cabinet picks