Aug. 13 (UPI) — Gun control groups are concerned that the Trump administration has yet to appeal a federal court ruling last week that struck down parts of the National Firearms Act that limited deregulated short-barreled rifles, shotguns, and silencers

U.S. District Judge Wesley Hendrix of the Northern District of Texas ruled Aug. 5 that federal restrictions on gun control could not stand after last year’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act eliminated a $200 fee to transfer or produce certain firearms.

Hendrix gave a one-week deadline to request a stay of his ruling, which expired early Thursday.

“Today, our government is failing us,” Brady President Kris Brown said in a statement on Thursday. “At midnight, uniquely lethal weapons and devices — including silencers, short-barreled rifles, and shotguns — were deregulated for the first time in nearly a century. The Department of Justice had the opportunity to act to protect our safety, but it failed to do so.”

A Department of Justice official reportedly told news outlets the Justice Department “is currently assessing the impact of the court’s ruling.”

“The Department of Justice’s decision is a failure to defend public safety,” Emma Brown, executive director of gun-control group Giffords, said in a statement.

“For nearly 100 years, Congress has required background checks before someone could buy a silencer, short-barreled rifle, or short-barreled shotgun,” she continued. “These commonsense safeguards keep these dangerous devices out of the wrong hands. Silencers make it harder for law enforcement to detect and locate active shooters. And short-barreled rifles and shotguns are easily concealable and extremely dangerous.

The lawsuit in Texas consolidated two separate cases. The first one was brought by B&T USA, Firearms Regulatory Accountability Coalition, Gun Owners Foundation, Gun Owners of America, Palmetto State Armory, Silencerco Weapons Research, Silencer Shop Foundation, 15 Republican-controlled states and several individuals.

The second lawsuit was filed by the Texas State Rifle Association, Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, FPC Action Foundation, Hot Shots Custom, and several others.

Hendrix’s ruling only applies to the parties in the two cases.

“For nearly a century, Americans have been forced to beg the federal government for permission to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Erich Practt, senior vice president of Gun Owners of America, said in a statement. “That changes tonight.”

Meanwhile, Gun Owners of America and Silencer Shop announced two of its members “lawfully acquired suppressors without complying with the currently enjoined registration requirements of the National Firearms Act of 1934.”

Since records began, only four days have been hotter than today in the UK.

The highest temperature ever recorded was on 19 July 2022 when temperatures at Coningsby, Lincolnshire, reached 40.3C. That marked the first and only day that readings above 40C have been seen in the UK.

Before that, the record was 38.7C at Cambridge Botanic Gardens on 25 July 2019.

Faversham in Kent reached 38.5C on 10 August 2003, while on 18 July 2022 a temperature of 38.2C occurred at Pitsford, Northamptonshire.

Amber warnings for “extreme heat” are in place for a swathe of England from London to Sheffield, parts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, into Gloucestershire and Wiltshire in the South West and Shropshire and Herefordshire in the west.

Temperatures were also forecast reach 35C in Wales, where a drought has been declared across the whole country.

Meanwhile, a yellow thunderstorm warning is in place for Northern Ireland until 06:00 on Friday, while rain is forecast for much of Scotland.

In England, the extreme heat in this heatwave is now believed to have peaked, with cooler temperatures of 30-34C expected for the Midlands, East Anglia and much of southern England by Friday, ceding to 26C by Sunday.

More than 27 million people are facing water use restrictions, including hosepipe bans.

Hugo Lara and Manolo Cabrera — the Mexican DJ pair better known as RØZ — casually strolled through Sightglass Coffee in Hollywood, one gripping a half-melted iced coffee, the other an empty Erewhon juice bottle.

To any onlooker, they might appear as two standard Gen Z Angelenos in sardonic streetwear: 22-year-old Cabrera flaunted a hat that referenced the 2008 financial crisis while 25-year-old Lara’s faded tee read, “You don’t dream of a better version of yourself.”

But over the past year, this fresh-faced pair from Querétaro, a small state just outside Mexico City, has dominated the festival world circuit. Spinning heart-thumping electronic beats and Latin house rhythms, RØZ has taken the stage at many a popular event, such as the most recent Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, Lollapalooza Chicago, Hard Summer, EDC Las Vegas and Sueños.

“We’ve had huge crowds at festivals, even the workers on stage are like, ‘No way, you filled more venues than yesterday’s headliner,’” Cabrera told The Times. “We filled it up and people started leaving for the next person, which is obviously not cool. It feels awful. But you do think: good! They value Latinos and Mexicans now.”

Besides regaling ravers at their concerts — which will continue for the remainder of the calendar year, including a 20-city North American tour that kicks off in Boston on Oct. 21 — RØZ has landed another major artistic goal.

“Everyone will give [the album] a different interpretation, but I think the through line is the idea of drama, or poetic essence,” said Hugo Lara.

(Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times)

Last Friday, they released their first full-length album, “Se Esta Haciendo Tarde.” It’s a 19-track, introspective debut that solidifies the duo’s standing in the EDM world as both masterful mixers and vocalists.

“We are neither fully DJs, or fully singers, but artists,” said Cabrera. “Our shows, with the album, are going to be us playing synths, at another point singing and at another point we mix some songs.”

Featuring cameos from Latin superstars like Peso Pluma, J Balvin and Ryan Castro, the LP itself is hard to define as simply house music; RØZ is known best for peppering its EDM with a heavy dose of Latino sazon. It’s a sonic recipe that the two former schoolmates have been mastering since they were under lockdown from COVID.

This era also saw the commercial rise of other Mexican artists in their generation: Natanael Cano and Latin Mafia were among the most prominent Mexican acts who maximized their creativity during the isolation period and used social media platforms like TikTok to gain traction.

“It’s like if Fred Again, Skrillex, Frank Ocean, Mora and Bad Bunny adopted a child and raised him,” said Cabrera about their own music, which they began uploading to the streaming platform Soundcloud in 2022.

At the start of their disc jockey journey, they remixed already established songs, from Bad Bunny and Bomba Estéreo’s “Ojitos Lindos” to Bellakath’s “Gatita.” By 2024, they would release their frosty original track, “Cora de Hielo” under Warner Music Mexico; this featured Natt Calma and Mau Moctezuma, artists whom they met through the local indie scene.

Their subsequent releases went viral — including the dark-synth pop “Flashes” with Yng Lvcas and atmospheric “Apaga la Luz” with a rather mellowed performance from Peso Pluma — which were released under LT:Vision Records, Queens Road Music and Atlantic Records.

“At that time, emotions were secondary [in the music],” said Cabrera when looking back on those early songs. “Perhaps we didn’t resonate with the artist’s lyrics, we might have helped with some ideas. But with this [new] project, we wanted to find more of a balance — we want to be transparent, while also releasing f— bangers.”

Inspired by the transient beauty of cherry blossoms, known in Japan as sakura — which is illustrated in their album cover, alongside a dark pegasus — much of the LP also hinges on melodrama. Glitchy beat drops in “Acelero Lento” (featuring Chitra) fade into acoustic ballads. The bouncy freestyle rhythm in “Soho” melts into feverish pop harmonies. There’s also an interlacing spiritual hymn in “Yo Gospel” (featuring Rodrii) that showcases the heavenly vocals of an American-style church choir.

“Everyone will give [the album] a different interpretation, but I think the through line is the drama, or poetic essence,” said Lara. “Perhaps in 10 years we will listen to the same song and have a different interpretation.”

The new LP is imbued with various Latin genre fusions. In “Ya es de Noche” (featuring Rodrii and Olisso) they open with neo-perreo rhythms that slowly wade in and out of a cumbia-guided trance. In “Hanami,” named after the traditional Japanese custom of observing a floral bloom, RØZ is joined by Colombian producer Sky Rompiendo, whose pulsating reggaeton beats undergo a warping process, as their lyrics harp on romantic tension.

“Cherry blossoms only last a while, so it was our way of saying that we must appreciate the moment in which beauty exists,” said Lara.

The magnetic pull of RØZ — whose stage name is pronounced like the second syllable in “arroz” — cannot be overstated. They’ve already sold out six shows in their upcoming tour, which will wrap up Feb. 27 in their home state of Querétaro. Their popularity comes at a time when electronic music was registered as the largest-growing genre in the U.S. in the first half of 2026, per Luminate’s 2026 data report, which also found that casual monthly listenership in Latin music peaked at 54% of streams in the first quarter.

The growing admiration for Latin-fused EDM by Latino listeners was most visually evident during their Coachella debut in April. One attendee uploaded a video to Instagram showing the jammed entrance to the Sonora Tent, which reached full capacity before the duo began their Sunday set: “Coachella underestimating the Latino crowds like [what do you mean] I can’t see RØZ [because] it’s at full capacity both weekends,” the subtext on the video read.

Even before their breakout year, on the night of their first U.S. performance on the rooftop of the Fonda Theatre in Los Angeles last August, the line to get inside stretched across the Hollywood Boulevard sidewalk with attendees eager to hear the pair’s early tracks.

Still, it doesn’t surprise RØZ that a Latino act like themselves might be early on the call sheet — or left to assemble a last-minute crew after their original team ran into visa processing delays ahead of the first Coachella weekend. “In this genre that we’re moving in, you’d never picture a Latino headliner. Latinos are always put down, down, down,” said Cabrera.

But some milestones have given them faith that the mainstream world is opening up to putting Latino acts at the top of the bill; including the fact that Colombian singer Karol G was the first Latina Coachella headliner this year. “And with music in Spanish, not English,” marveled Lara.

And rather than sulk about the conditions of Latino artists, RØZ is ready to put up a fight.

“Just because I’m Mexican or Latino doesn’t mean that I can’t connect with people the same way a person from the United States can,” said Cabrera. “Headlining is possible, without a doubt.”

Abdul El-Sayed made history this month in Michigan by becoming the first Muslim nominated by the Democratic Party to run for the U.S. Senate. But elation among many of his fellow Muslim Americans was tempered by awareness of persisting and widespread anti-Muslim sentiment across much of the nation.

Some Republicans, including President Trump, swiftly began referring to the nominee by his full name, Abdulrahman Mohamed El-Sayed, while depicting him as a danger to America. “Every single Muslim holding public office in America is a Trojan horse, and a threat to both national security and our republic,’’ said U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., in a post on X.

El-Sayed says such attacks betray a weakness in those who launch them.

“We all pray for the same things. … We want what’s good for our kids and our families,” he told MS NOW after his primary victory. “They’re going to use Islamophobia, because their ideas are tired.”

The vitriol extends far beyond the political class. Tensions related to anti-Muslim sentiment have heightened in several communities around the country, where some residents have bitterly opposed proposals to build new mosques.

“American Muslims have made incredible political and societal progress in recent years,” said Edward Ahmed Mitchell, national deputy director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR. He cited increased visibility in entertainment and sports and the election of Democrat Zohran Mamdani as New York City’s first Muslim mayor.

“But there also is a very concerted backlash to this progress,” Mitchell said. “You’ve seen this in the resurgence of anti-Muslim hate and rhetoric, the targeting of mosques.”

A Dallas suburb is a flashpoint

McKinney, Texas, a large suburb in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, is one of the flashpoints. Despite angry anti-Islam remarks at a heated city council meeting on Aug. 4, the council voted unanimously to approve a site plan for the McKinney Islamic Association’s proposed new mosque, classroom building and gym.

Among those urging the council to give the plan fair treatment was George Fuller, a former mayor of McKinney, a nonpartisan position. Opponents of the mosque project booed him, and some shouted “traitor” as he left the council chamber. One woman could be seen on video physically accosting him.

“I have never witnessed so much hate, anger and lack of humanity in our beautiful community gathered in one place as I did today at City Hall,” Fuller later wrote on Facebook.

During the hearing, which lasted more than four hours, the speakers included U.S. Rep. Keith Self, a Republican whose district includes McKinney. To loud applause, he urged the council to reject the mosque proposal.

“I know you’re in the accommodation phase, but the intimidation phase follows quickly,” Self said. “Child marriage. Honor killings. Don’t tell me it can’t happen here.”

Fuller also went to the microphone, evoking the broader phenomenon of divisive political rhetoric.

“Sadly, we live in a time when some have discovered that the easiest way to gain attention or win elections is not by offering solutions but by manufacturing fear, dividing communities, demonizing neighbors and turning misinformation into a political strategy,” he said.

In North Carolina, anger flares over approval for a new mosque

The scenario was similar in Mooresville, North Carolina, when town commissioners held a public comment session on Aug. 3 about a proposed mosque that had already been approved, with early phases of construction underway.

Angry residents at the meeting voiced hostility to Islam and assailed the commissioners for not being more forthcoming about the project as it took shape over previous months. One speaker cited violence in Nigeria by Islamist extremists as a reason for concern in Mooresville. Another depicted Islam as “a political regime with the ultimate goal of takeover in regions and nations.”

CAIR’s regional manager, Al Rieder, issued a statement denouncing “the hateful and conspiratorial anti-Muslim rhetoric” that surfaced at the meeting and expressed concern about the safety of Muslims in the area about 25 miles north of Charlotte.

“Muslims are your neighbors, your doctors, your teachers, your local politicians, your police,” he said.

A few hours after the public meeting, the town commissioners released a summary of the mosque project, which calls for a two-building Islamic center on a parcel acquired in 2019 by a local Muslim organization.

The commissioners said that the parcel is in an area zoned to allow religious assembly and that the mosque proposal was handled the same way as a proposal for a new church.

“All decisions must be based on adopted ordinances, objective standards and legal requirements, which do not allow for different rules for different religious groups,” the commissioners said. “We encourage all members of our community to remain respectful in their discussions and interactions as this project moves through the appropriate processes.”

In Oklahoma, Muslim leaders fight against the rebuff of a new mosque

A mosque controversy has been raging for many months in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, Tulsa’s largest suburb.

Back in January, at a stormy meeting attended by hundreds of people, the city council voted 4-1 to reject a rezoning proposal by the region’s Islamic Society to build Broken Arrow’s first mosque. Before the vote, dozens of residents voiced anti-Muslim views while opposing the project.

Council members who rejected the mosque had raised concerns about its potential impact on infrastructure such as roads, sewers and flood plain management.

But the Islamic Society is persisting with its quest. On Aug. 3, it filed a lawsuit against the mayor and four councilors, alleging that the vote reflected “a wave of bigoted opposition from members of the community and local politicians.” The lawsuit contends that the council violated state and federal laws governing religious land use, treating the mosque proposal differently from other comparable rezoning requests.

“They did not want a mosque in their city. They did not want Muslims here,” said Meghan Murphy, an attorney with CAIR’s Legal Defense Fund, at a news conference announcing the lawsuit. ”So they made up a reason, and in doing so they violated the law.”

Some see a terrorism threat while others see baseless scaremongering

Opposition to mosque construction isn’t a new phenomenon: In Murfreesboro, Tennessee, an effort launched in 2010 to block a mosque project dragged on for more than three years. The mosque was built anyway as the case moved through the courts, but members of the Muslim community faced public protests, vandalism, arson and a bomb threat during that span.

The latest anti-mosque campaigns coincide with a broad wave of anti-Muslim rhetoric from Republican officeholders over the past year. In Congress, several bills were introduced targeting sharia, the moral and spiritual framework that guides Muslims in prayer and ethical conduct. Some Republicans say they’re concerned about growing Muslim populations in major cities and potential ties to terrorism — fears that CAIR and other civil rights groups say are unfounded and being exploited for political purposes.

Republican governors in Texas and Florida have endorsed efforts to shut down CAIR, saying it has ties to terrorism. CAIR has denied the allegations and filed lawsuits calling the governors’ efforts unconstitutional.

Muslim American leaders view the vitriol as political scaremongering.

“Every election year, we expect a rise in anti-Muslim hate,” said CAIR’s Mitchell. “It’s been worse this year than it has been in years.”

Crary writes for the Associated Press.

Let’s hear it for author David Winder for putting together a list of the top 50 most interesting high school nicknames.

Of course, a school in California gets the No. 1 ranking. Life Academy of Health and Biosciences in Oakland has the Biohazards as their nickname.

Here’s his selections:

50. Poets (Dunbar HS – Baltimore)

49. Burrs (West Catholic Preparatory HS – Philadelphia)

48. Flying Flucos (Fluvanna County HS – Palmyra, Va.)

47. Shiretowners (Houlton HS – Houlton, Maine)

46. Amaguqs (Nunamiut School – Anaktuvuk Pass, Ark.)

45. Syrupmakers (Cairo HS – Cairo, Ga.)

44. Achaeans (Herron HS – Indianapolis, Ind.)

43. Vulcans (Vassar HS – Vassar, Miss.)

42. Spongers (Tarpon Springs HS – Tarpon Springs, Fla.)

41. Fourteeners (Lake City Community School – Lake City, Colo.)

40. Lava Bears (Bend HS – Bend, Ore.)

39. Ceramics (Crooksville HS – Crooksville, Ohio)

38. Mean Moose (Alamosa HS – Alamosa, Colo.)

37. Blizzards (Winters HS – Winters, Texas)

36. Dots (Poca HS – Poca, W.V.)

35. Earwigs (Dunn School – Los Olivos, Calif.)

34. Goblins (Harrison HS – Harrison, Ark.)

33. Cutthroats (Community HS – Sun Valley, Idaho)

32. Hoboes (Laurel Hill School – Laurel Hill, Fla.)

31. Cornjerkers (Hoopeston HS – Hoopeston, Ill.)

30. Lab Rats (Roanoke Valley Governor’s School – Roanoke, Va.)

29. Conchs (Key West HS – Key West, Fla.)

28. Pugs (Paoli HS – Paoli, Okla.)

27. Vineyarders (Martha’s Vineyard Regional HS – Oak Bluffs, Mass.)

26. Awesome Blossoms (Blooming Prairie HS – Blooming Prairie, Minn.)

25. Alices (Lincoln HS – Vincennes, Ind.): A popular theory for how the Lincoln Alices got their name is that it comes from the novel Alice of Old Vincennes, which features an orphan in the French outpost of Vincennes, Indiana (yes, the same town) during the Revolutionary War. Fun Fact: Alice of Old Vincennes was a bestseller in 1900 and 1901.

24. Sir Bills (Johnstown HS – Johnstown, N.Y.): They are named after the city’s founder, Sir William Johnson.

23. Barbs (DeKalb HS – DeKalb, Ill.):
Illinois farmer Joseph Glidden received a patent in 1874 for creating the first commercially successful barbed wire, which the local high school eventually adopted.

22. Amazons (Madeira HS – Cincinnati, Ohio): The Madeira Amazons materialized after a group of boys started calling the girls’ basketball team derogatory names and trashed their locker room. A coach liked what one of the words represented (powerful women warriors in Greek mythology) and had the sobriquet of the girls’ teams changed from the Mustangs.

21. Battling Bathers (Mount Clemens HS – Mount Clemens, Miss.): The Battling Bathers were named after the nearby mineral baths.

20: Boundaries, Curious, and Odd Animals (Borderites Blaine HS – Blaine, Wash.): The Borderites are located next to the Canadian border at the most westernmost point of the contiguous U.S.

19. Zizzers (West Plains HS – West Plains, Mo.): The West Plains Zizzers got their name in 1908 when a faculty member was so impressed with a class booklet that they exclaimed, “Oh, what a Zizzer!”

18. Winged Beavers (Avon Old Farms School – Avon, Conn.): The founder of Avon Old Farms adored beavers. But she wanted the school’s nickname to pop and something like Silver Beavers or Fighting Beavers apparently wasn’t good enough. In the end she gave her favorite rodents some feathers.

17. Spoofhounds (Maryville HS – Maryville, Mo.): The Maryville Spoofhounds are the result of a motivational insult. The Maryville coach chose “spoofhounds” after the ugly, plaster of Paris dog from a recent carnival. The players took a liking to the name, and the rest is history.

16. Ugly Eagles (Clayton Valley Charter – Concord, Calif.):
A football coach grew tired of his players’ long hair and unkempt look and gave the team a new nickname.

15. Kewpies (Hickman HS – Columbia, Mo.): The Hickman Kewpies are named after a naked, smiling baby who was a favorite in a comic strip and later dolls and figurines. The name caught on in 1969 when an announcer said that even though the Hickman football team was losing, they were “smiling like a bunch of Kewpies.”

14. Noises (Hale-Ray HS – Moodus, Conn.): The Hale-Ray Noises get their name from the nearby area, which the Algonquians called Machimoodus, meaning “the place of bad noises.” Geologists have determined the sounds are from shifting tectonic plates, creating underground rumblings that are amplified by the topography.

13. Obezags (Key School – Annapolis, Md.): Key School students in the late 1960s looked around their campus, saw three gazebos, and thought the reverse – Obezags – was a perfect nickname.

12. Peglegs (Stuyvesant HS – New York, N.Y.) The Peglegs are named after Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch Director-General of New Netherland before the English seized the colony and renamed it New York in 1664. Stuyvesant was known as “Peg Leg Pete,” after losing his leg below the knee during a battle on St. Martin in 1644.

11. Dateliners Diomede School – Diomede, Ark.): The Dateliners are located about a mile from the International Date Line in the middle of the Bering Strait.

10. Bubblers (Boiling Springs HS – Boiling Springs, Penn.): Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, sits on a network of springs that due to a hydrogeological phenomenon, causes water to bubble to the surface, making it look like it is boiling. The Bubblers are named after The Bubble, the largest spring.

9. Buff ’n Blue (Punahou School – Honolulu, Hawaii): The colors of Waikiki Beach.

8. Cutters (Fair Lawn HS – Fair Lawn, N.J.): The Cutters are a result of a few star football players cutting class to see a double feature in 1943. The players were caught, resulting in the coach benching them for an upcoming game. But at halftime the opposition held a 12-0 lead, so the coach changed his mind. With the movie aficionados apparently learning their lesson after two quarters, Fair Lawn rallied for a 13-12 win – one of the cutters scored two touchdowns and the extra point. Afterward, students demanded the school adopt the Cutters nickname because those players had won the game. The administration agreed.

7. Hodags (Rhinelander HS – Rhinelander, Wisc.): In 1896, a local lumberjack near a small town in northeastern Wisconsin told of a bizarre green monster roaming the nearby woods. It was called a hodag, and he even had a picture of it. He would later admit it was all a hoax, but not before the area became Hodag Country.

6. Hippos (Hutto HS – Hutto, Texas): Local legends abound about how the Hippos got their name. The most popular involves a hippo escaping from a traveling circus and finding its way to a nearby creek. The hippo liked it there, so it took a while to extract the animal from the muddy waters to the delight of the locals.

5. Jug Rox (Shoals HS – Shoals, Ind.): The Jug Rox are named after Jug Rock, a 60-foot-high, free-standing rock formation that resembles a jug. Jug Rock is the largest free-standing table rock east of the Mississippi River.

4. Feet (The Webb School – Bell Buckle, Tenn.): The Feet became the official nickname in 1974. There is no consensus as to why it was chosen.

3. Caxys (Lake Forest Academy – Lake Forest, Ill.): Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes’ comedy The Frogs inspired the Caxys nickname. The political satire was a big hit at the school, which led students to use the call of the Frog chorus, “Caxys, co-ax, co-ax, co-ax,” to cheer on their classmates. The school says that caxys is ancient Greek for ribbit, or the sound a frog makes.

2. Criminals (Yuma HS – Yuma, Ariz.): A fire forced Yuma High School to hold classes in an abandoned prison (1910-1912). This led to rival Phoenix Union players calling them criminals and making accusations of cheating during a 1913 football game. Eventually, Yuma students leaned into the Criminals moniker, and it became the school’s official nickname in 1917.

1. Biohazards (Life Academy of Health and Biosciences – Oakland, Calif.): The Biohazards are named after biological substances that threaten to human health – the only nickname that includes medical waste, viruses, and micro-organisms.

Aug. 13 (UPI) — The Israeli military ordered Palestinians to evacuate 15 homes in the West Bank village of Qusra in a move to clear Israeli illegal outposts in the area.

The military rescinded the order to evacuate after it became public in the media. The settlers have been in the Palestinian homes since Sunday. It was not immediately made clear why the military needed to remove the Palestinians to get the settlers out of the area.

Some Palestinians were able to return to their homes, but one of the two families told The Times of Israel that they still can’t get to their house.

U.S. Ambassador Mike Huckabee called the Israeli settlers “terrorists” and said the military went to the area because of his request.

“Actions by those who carried out this horrific act of terror meant to intimidate and harass this family are disgusting. No excuse for such thuggish behavior,” Huckabee posted on X.

The military said troops were in Qusra since Thursday morning and are there “to protect the residents and maintain security in the area.”

A similar operation on Wednesday failed.

Residents said the military destroyed all the structures erected by settlers. But Palestinian residents said they’re still too afraid to leave their homes.

Qusay Abu Ridi, a trapped Palestinian, told the BBC that his house had been attacked again overnight and that a few settlers were still hiding from the military.

His brother, who owns the property, is a Palestinian-American businessman who complained to the U.S. embassy.

The siege in Qusra started Sunday when settlers blocked the road to the Palestinian families’ gates and cut off their electricity and water, the BBC reported. The first Israeli soldiers to arrive prayed with the settlers’ families. The Israeli military said they would face discipline for that later.

The Abu Ridi and Hassan families made appeals for help on social media.

The attacks happened in multiple Palestinian towns and villages, including Qusra, where a mosque was burned in late July. Footage from the scene showed graffiti left on the Al-Rahma Mosque in Hebrew reading “Benayahu’s revenge” and other messages.

The settlers have said their goal is to remove Palestinians from the area.

According to the United Nations, 76 Palestinians, including 18 children, have been killed in the West Bank this year by Israeli forces or settlers. Three Israelis have been killed.

Since January 2023, 127 Palestinian communities in the West Bank have been fully or partially displaced, affecting more than 6,390 Palestinians, the U.N. said.

Ebola outbreak has killed 2,128 people out of around 4,566 recorded cases in the DRC, according to government figures.

The latest Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has spread to a sixth province after a death was recorded in previously unaffected Bas-Uele, said the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Jean Kaseya said on Thursday that the man died in Buta, the capital of Bas-Uele province, after travelling from Haut-Uele province.

“If we do not stop this outbreak, it will last more than a year and will be the largest in the world,” Kaseya warned. That would also increase the risk of the outbreak spreading to other countries, he added.

The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is spreading faster than any previous one.

The latest outbreak began in the northeastern Ituri province and infections have also been recorded in North Kivu, South Kivu, Haut-Uele and Tshopo provinces.

It has killed 2,128 people out of 4,566 cases recorded, according to government figures. There are no approved vaccines or treatments for the rare Bundibugyo strain of the virus responsible for this outbreak.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Wednesday that “at its current pace”, the outbreak was on track to surpass the deadliest on record, which started over a decade ago and killed more than 11,000 people.

The current outbreak was formally declared on May 15 but the virus had begun circulating in February, health officials said this week.

The WHO hopes to reverse the spread of the virus within three months, but warned that the outbreak would not end by then.

Ebola is rare but highly contagious and can be contracted from bodily fluids and contaminated surfaces and materials, such as bedding and clothing. The disease it causes is severe and often fatal.

Clinical trials of two possible treatments for this type of Ebola began last month in Ituri.

Two vaccines developed specifically for the Bundibugyo virus are being tested in people for the first time, the WHO said on Wednesday.

The UN health agency also plans to test whether an existing Ebola vaccine could protect people against the latest virus after studies in animals showed promising results.

ICONIC Fawlty Towers star Prunella Scales left a huge £3.2million in her estate, The Sun can reveal.

The acting icon sadly died last October aged 93 following a decade-long battle with dementia.

Documents obtained by The Sun show she passed on 40 per cent of her fortune to children Samuel West and Joseph West, who she had with late actor husband Timothy West, and 20 per cent to stepdaughter Juliet.

She also made a string of donations to charities close to her heart.

Court records show the star left an estate worth £3,376,585.

It was reduced to £3,166,554 after taxes, debts and costs were deducted.

i don’t

‘Sachsgate’ victim Georgina Baillie, 40, calls off wedding to DJ fiance, 68

STAR GONE

Fawlty Towers actress who starred alongside John Cleese dies aged 89

Her will was signed in 2020 and a grant was issued by the High Court earlier this week.

In the six-page document, Scales asked her trustees to delay selling her South London home by up to a year to let grandson Clement, who lived at the property, move out.

She also revealed she and husband Timothy had gifted son Sam £300,000 to help renovate his home.

Charities to benefit from her will included the Snipe Charitable Trust, which was given £10,000, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, which got £1,000, and the Royal Horticultural Society, which also got £1,000.

Prunella had continued to travel around the world into her 90s after a glittering 70-year career in TV, film and theatre.

The actress was best known for playing Sybil Fawlty, wife of John Cleese’s hot-headed hotelier Basil in classic Seventies sitcom Fawlty Towers.

The show ran for two seasons in 1975 and 1979 and is considered one of the best British comedies ever made.

Episodes often featured Sybil trying to calm Basil down or putting him in his place.

Cleese, 84, led tributes to his screen wife, branding her “a really wonderful comic actress”.

He added: “Scene after scene, she was absolutely perfect.”

Prunella also appeared in Coronation Street between in 1961 as bus guard Eileen Hughes.

She played Queen Victoria more than 400 times in a one-woman play, An Evening with Queen Victoria, written for her by Katrina Hendrey in 1979.

She would reprise the role of Victoria in the 2003 BBC docu-drama Victoria: An Intimate History.

In August 2024, aged 92, she reprised the role again for a voice over at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

The production, Queen, saw Prunella play an 81-year-old Victoria, reading out letters in the final year of her life.

Asked in 2024 if she liked playing royals, Prunella told The Times: “I don’t.

“When you say ‘like playing queens’ there aren’t any queens that I want to play.

“But the queens I have played have all been interesting people with interesting jobs and interesting lives.”

Prunella also appeared on Great Canal Journeys, a Channel 4 series celebrating her and Timothy’s love of narrow boating.

She continued to front the show despite a 2014 dementia diagnosis.

Timothy, her husband of 61 years, said of the condition: “The sad thing is that you just watch the gradual disappearance of the person that you knew and loved and were very close to.”

Prunella was born in Surrey in 1932, the daughter of actress Catherine Scales and cotton salesman John Richardson Illingworth.

She started her career as an assistant stage manager at the Bristol Old Vic in 1951 before moving into acting.

The star was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1992 Birthday Honours List, and awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 1999.

Timothy, who died in November 2024, left the bulk of his £110,000 estate to charity, including theatre schools and Guide Dogs for the Blind.

BBC Comedy director Jon Petrie said: “She was a national treasure whose brilliance as Sybil Fawlty lit up screens and still makes us laugh today.”

Citing Hollywood’s already struggling production economy, two influential industry unions have jointly called on Paramount Skydance Chairman David Ellison and California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta to settle their antitrust fight.

The Directors Guild of America and the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees — which represent a combined 200,000 union members — are turning up the political pressure to try to resolve the clash over the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger, which has already carved deep divisions throughout the industry.

The DGA and IATSE’s unusual missive comes as Paramount has been trying to drum up support for the deal and while
development projects reportedly are being put on hold. Paramount executives and others have decried the delay in deciding whether the deal moves forward. Bonta and Paramount are now poised to slug it out in an Oakland courtroom next spring.

“Our collective members are concerned about their futures, and the future of the industry,” DGA Executive Director Russell Hollander and IATSE President Matthew D. Loeb wrote Thursday in their three-page letter to Ellison and Bonta.

“We are aware of productions that have been put on hold or canceled altogether, leading to further reductions in available work for our members and other industry workers,” the letter reads in part.

The effort adds heat to a growing campaign urging Bonta to bend in his fight to block the industry- reshaping deal that would combine the Warner Bros. and Paramount film and television studios, HBO, CBS, CNN, HGTV and Comedy Central.

Earlier this week, California’s Democratic gubernatorial nominee, Xavier Becerra, said he favored a settlement. Republican Steve Hilton has decried the antitrust lawsuit as being politically motivated.

Gov. Gavin Newsom, who leaves office next year, has stayed above the fray.

Paramount and Bonta’s office didn’t immediately comment.

The Writers Guild of America last month joined Bonta’s coalition of state attorneys general in filing lawsuits to upend the $111-billion transaction, saying the Paramount-Warner combination violates U.S. antitrust laws and would decimate the entertainment industry by erasing jobs and reducing pay.

At issue is the $81 billion in debt that Ellison would have to take on to pay Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders for the keys to the studios and HBO.

WGA leaders and others have warned that level of debt would choke the two historic studios, creating a more devastating sequel to 2019‘s combination of the Disney and Fox studios, and the 2022 takeover of Warner Bros. by Discovery.

The union leaders conceded they weren’t merger fans, and they stopped well short of asking Bonta to throw in the towel.

Instead, they listed nine conditions — including requiring Paramount to maintain its operations in Hollywood and a commitment to make film and television shows in the U.S. — as part of any settlement.

The unions want Ellison to make an enforceable commitment that Paramount and Warner Bros. studios each release 15 films into theaters a year. They also want a 45-day theatrical window so that cinema chains can continue their rebound.

Some of the DGA and IATSE terms may be difficult for Ellison to swallow. Already, Paramount is looking to shave expenses to come up with the $81 billion promised to Warner Bros. shareholders. Sources have said Ellison’s suggestion to move Paramount from its picturesque Hollywood campus is designed, in part, to attract financial incentives from another state, such as Tennessee, eager to help with a relocation.

Among the conditions, the DGA and IATSE asked that Paramount’s and Warner Bros.’ motion picture units be kept as “as separate studios, with each studio maintaining its own production, distribution, marketing and exhibition groups as distinct divisions.”

One of the goals of the merger is to shave costs by consolidating overlapping business divisions and back-office functions.

The union leaders also want Warner Bros. television studio to operate independent from the Paramount and CBS production arms. They called on HBO to remain a linear television channel and available on third-party platforms, including Amazon.

Loeb and Hollander’s requests are designed to keep production jobs in the U.S.

They asked Ellison to commit to producing films and TV shows in the U.S. “at no less than the average percentage produced in the United States during the last five years” excluding 2020, the pandemic year, and 2023, when two strikes idled production.

“Our goal, with respect to the proposed merger, has always been to achieve an outcome that ensures a vibrant, competitive marketplace for the production, distribution, and licensing of film and television programming that serves the interests of consumers and filmmakers alike,” Hollander and Loeb wrote.

“We believe that these conditions, if secured through a binding agreement, will largely serve this purpose,” the said.

Bonta previously has said his preference would be structural remedies — divesting key business units — rather than “behavioral” compromises that could evaporate soon after the merger closed.

Should the two sides fail to hash out a settlement with conditions, Loeb and Hollander asked Ellison and Bonta to seek an earlier trial date for the legal showdown.

A federal judge set a March 2 date — despite Paramount’s request to hold the proceedings in November.

Asked what would constitute a successful season for his side, Barry-Murphy said: “We don’t know. I think one of the beauties of this season is that, for a lot of us, we’re going into the unknown.

“Our feeling is that we can surprise a lot of people. We have a real hunger and appetite to improve on what we did last season.”

Barry-Murphy is preparing for a blockbuster start to the campaign, with Welsh rivals Wrexham at the Cardiff City Stadium for a south-north derby on 17 August.

The former Manchester City academy coach says he is unsure whether any more new signings will be completed ahead of Wrexham’s visit, with Lincoln City midfielder Jack Moylan still the only outfield player recruited by Cardiff this summer.

“I don’t think so,” said Barry-Murphy when asked if Cardiff were close to a new signing.

“If you start anticipating timings or what may or may not happen, you just waste a lot of your time and your energy.

“Our focus is purely on the game on Monday and making sure that anything that could or maybe would distract us, doesn’t.”

Barry-Murphy said injured Wales forward Rubin Colwill could return for Wrexham’s visit, but fellow international Dylan Lawlor is unlikely to be fit to face the Red Dragons.

The initial step taken on August 14, 2001 cannot be viewed merely as the submission of a political party’s founding petition within the annals of international political history; rather, it is the reincarnation of a millennium-old, deep-rooted civilisational vision on the modern world stage. Today, having left a quarter of a century behind, the AK Party is not merely a tale of national development within its borders, but an unparalleled 25-year epic of democracy on a global scale. Coming to power with immense public favour just 16 months after its founding, and steering the country with uninterrupted stability for a quarter of a century, this political movement has secured a highly exceptional place in world political history.

The greatest power behind this stability lies in the fact that this movement is not a rootless structure blown about by the wind. It carries on its shoulders, as a historical trust, the democratic struggle of the late Prime Minister Adnan Menderes and his companions, who sacrificed their lives for the nation’s beliefs during the arduous days of the single-party era. The mighty plane tree founded by our President and Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan – under whose shade our nation and oppressed geographies have drawn a breath of relief for 25 years – is the very embodiment of this tremendous historical legacy.

While the lifespans of political parties are generally measured by election results or their terms in government, the AK Party’s ability to overcome successive global and national crises with the continuous support of vastly diverse social segments over 25 years can be explained by a much more structural concept: Its “capacity for political translation”.

This capacity is the process of accurately hearing the expectations, needs, and objections within society, transforming them into viable party programmes, budgets, and public policies, and submitting the resulting outcomes back for societal evaluation. Social needs do not always arrive in politics as ready-made texts; it is here that the AK Party has established a colossal “translation” mechanism that turns seemingly disparate experiences into common problems and solutions. Indeed, for someone of a generation like mine – who grew up in a Turkiye shaped by the AK Party, took on responsibilities in its youth branches since childhood, and today serves as a member of parliament and the party’s secretary-general – this political ground is the very essence of that transformation.

To grasp the magnitude of this transformation, one must look back at the Turkiye of the 1990s. It is essential to read those years not just as an “era of a unipolar world and severe economic crises”, but as a colossal “age of political collapse and instability” that paralysed the state and deepened societal fault lines.

The 90s were a lost decade in which fragile coalitions lasting only months, political bargaining and recurring crises shook state authority. While unsolved murders and an escalating spiral of terror threatened citizens’ lives on the one hand, the heavy fist of tutelage brought down upon civilian politics via the February 28 post-modern coup explicitly usurped the nation’s will on the other. Even though voter turnout reached 87 percent in parliamentary elections during that era, this high public interest in politics could not translate into a stable and effective governing capacity, with no single party able to form a majority government.

The closure of the Refah Party in 1998 and the Fazilet Party in 2001 through judicial tutelage created a profound crisis regarding the continuity of legitimate channels of representation for the masses. Therefore, the year 2001 was a historical threshold – not merely a year of economic bankruptcy marked by cash registers being thrown in protest, but the absolute peak of political fragmentation, tutelary regimes, governance vulnerabilities, and constitutional rights remaining strictly on paper. Inheriting this multidimensional political and economic wreckage, the AK Party built the world’s most experienced cadres in every field, from security to economics, from foreign policy to social policies, establishing a “game-changing” political style.

At the core of this game-changing politics lies the dismantling of the “state commands its citizens” mentality, replacing it with the principle that “the state is the servant of the nation”. Believing that true change lies in execution rather than packaging, the AK Party tore down the cold walls built between the state and the nation, making the nation’s red lines the same as the state’s.

The silent majority, who for decades had been left disheartened like “tenants” in their own homeland, rose with self-confidence to become the true “landlords” of their country. Today, as the world’s largest and most dynamic school of politics with more than 12 million members, the AK Party conducts politics not by pontificating from television screens, but by directly sharing the burdens of the people and keeping a finger on the pulse of the streets. The secret behind these victories is hidden in these devoted organisations that hold the nation’s consent above all else, and in the vision of the leader of this great march, our President and Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The party’s quarter-century has gone down in history not through noisy destructions and polarising conflicts, but through institutional “silent revolutions” woven stitch by stitch. The Health Transformation Program and national fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) produced in the defence industry are the building blocks of this revolution.

Moreover, Turkiye does not view technological transformation merely as instrumental progress; it presents a brand new vision. By openly opposing the algorithmic exploitation of global digital giants, it advocates for a value-oriented and ethical technological order that places human dignity, privacy, and the family at its centre. TEKNOFEST is not just a technology fair; it is a ceremony of institutional self-confidence where a generation – once intended to be manipulated in the streets during past coup eras – becomes the builder of this very moral and fully independent technological future.

The greatest outcome of this will for full independence is the historic struggle waged against the scourge of terrorism – which has made the nation weep blood – under the ideal of a “Terror-Free Turkiye”. Recipes dictated from the outside have been crumpled up and thrown away; terrorism has been dried up at its source, and the dirty corridors intended to be established at our borders have been shattered by the “Turkiye Model”. A Turkiye completely cleansed of terrorism has thwarted Israel’s expansionist ambitions built on dividing, weakening, and destabilising the region; it has become the greatest hope for the Palestinian cause, for Jerusalem, and for the oppressed in Gaza.

Viewing democracy not as a tool but as an unshakable value, this political mindset forever closed the dark parenthesis of tutelage opened on May 27, 1960, on the night of July 15, when the nation lay down in front of tanks and braved gun barrels. This democratic resilience achieved at home has today made Turkiye the vanguard of a global conscience movement abroad.

The objection raised by our President and Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan that “The World is Bigger Than Five!” has transformed into an “Erdogan Doctrine” that maps the conscience of humanity against those who fancy themselves masters of the globe. This quest for justice – embodied in the human tragedy in Gaza, in baby Aylan whose washed-up body shook the world, and in a little boy who recited the Quran with his last breath under the rubble – is the clearest indicator of Turkiye’s determination to defend the rights of the innocent in international diplomacy.

Today, moving far beyond being a passive ally in global politics, Turkiye has risen to the position of a subject that rewrites the rules of the international system, produces solutions to geopolitical crises, and personally steers diplomatic change.

Having long transcended artificial agendas and polemics in domestic politics, the AK Party’s true power in this multipolar world lies not only in the country’s economic and strategic capacity. It lies in the unshakeable democratic legitimacy behind our President and Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan – one of the most senior and experienced heads of state in world politics – and in the profound trust that all oppressed peoples across the earth place in Turkiye.

Our tremendous state experience over the past quarter-century is our most solid reference; yet, this political movement, with its face always turned towards the future, is determined to build the “Century of Turkiye” vision on the axis of justice, compassion, and sustainable global peace by blending it with the nation’s internal dynamics. In this new age marked by great trials that deeply affect humanity, under the leadership of our President and Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan – who shapes global politics with his unparalleled state experience and vision in the international arena – Turkiye marches forward with strong steps, shoulder to shoulder with our nation, as a playmaker towards new targets and a bright new quarter-century.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Netflix’s latest true crime docuseries pays tribute to a special ‘powerhouse’ figure

Netflix’s latest true crime documentary includes a special tribute one of the high profile figures taking part.

The platform has released the latest instalment in the Conversations with a Killer series.

Previous entries have included closer looks at high profile criminals including Jeffrey Dahmer, John Wayne Gacy and Ted Bundy. Now, the most recent edition focuses on Charles Manson.

According to its synopsis, the three-part title draws on previously unreleased prison recordings, firsthand accounts, and archival footage, to trace Charles Manson’s rise as a cult leader, the 1969 murders that followed, and the media spectacle of his trial.

It features interviews with former Manson Family members and law enforcement alongside recorded phone calls with Manson himself. Also featuring is one of the extinguished journalists who covered the story at the time.

In the final moments of the last episode of the series, a special tribute is made for this person. A title card appears that reads: “In loving memory of Linda Deutsch.”

It appears after the production reveals what happened to other individuals who spent time behind bars for the ‘Manson murders’. But who was Linda Deutsch? Here’s all you need to know.

Who was Linda Deutsch?

Linda Deutsch was a journalist from New Jersey, who worked for Associated Press as a court reporter in Los Angeles. She was a well known figure in the industry and enjoyed an illustrious career.

While studying for a degree in English in 1965, she worked on the student newspaper The Outlook. There she held prominent roles as Features Editor, while also running the letters section.

Her very first professional front page byline, while working as an intern for her local paper was her coverage of the civil rights march where Martin Luther King Jr made the “I have a dream” speech.

When she joined the Associated Press in 1967, she was the only woman working out of the Los Angeles office. She would go on to report on high profile cases including Charles Manson, O.J. Simpson, Erik and Lyle Menendez, Phil Spector and Michael Jackson to name a few.

She also wrote a book concentrating on the Simpson case, called Verdict: The Chronicle of the O. J. Simpson Trial. While as demonstrated by the new Netflix series, was a regular talking head discussing Charles Manson’s trial.

In a tribute to her from her old college paper, The Outlook said she was “a powerhouse in the journalism industry and a positive figure for female journalists everywhere”. Deutsch successfully campaigned for equal pay and the right for female journalists to be referred to as ‘newswomen’ and not ‘newsmen.’

She was named a special correspondent in 1992 and retired in 2014 at the age of 71. Never forgetting her roots, she endowed journalism scholarships at her former school and they named their newsroom after her.

Deutsch did not get married or have children and said of her personal life: “I have a godson who means the world to me. And I have a very full life, but it never included marriage. I think my relationships mostly broke up because of my work.”

She died in 2024 at the age of 80, two years after she was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Conversations with a killer: The Charles Manson Tapes is streaming on Netflix

Originally published in Spanish on Asdrúbal’s personal Substack

In the weeks following the June 24 earthquake, numerous figures regarding the tragedy’s cost have circulated. The World Bank estimated direct physical damages at $19.6 billion, equivalent to nearly 17% of Venezuela’s GDP. These figures help gauge the magnitude of the disaster, but from an economic perspective, they fall short. Confusing damages with economic costs leads to flawed diagnoses and, often, to poor public policy decisions. Furthermore, it is also worth reviewing the methodology behind these measurements, as in many cases the magnitude of the tragedy is being overstated.

The economy doesn’t just lose when a building is destroyed. It loses when that building stops producing, when a company stops selling, when a port stops moving goods, or when thousands of workers halt their activities. The economic cost of a disaster is not measured by the value of what disappeared, but by the income that ceases to be generated while that productive capacity remains out of service. This is what we economists call distinguishing between the stock and the flow.

That is precisely the exercise we are attempting to carry out for La Guaira.

La Guaira accounts for approximately 6.2% of national transactions (based on past studies we have conducted on transactions in Venezuela), which translates to an economic activity of around $6.9 billion annually out of an estimated GDP of $111.3 billion. However, reducing the state’s importance to that percentage would be a mistake. Its true weight lies in the fact that it concentrates over 40% of the national logistics and transportation sector, thanks to the Port of La Guaira and the Maiquetía International Airport. Both constitute the country’s main entry and exit points for goods and passengers. When that hub stops operating, the impact is quickly transmitted to the rest of the economy.

The first commercial census reveals that barely 1,752 establishments remain operational out of the nearly 7,000 businesses existing before the earthquake.

Physical damages in the state likely range between $4 billion and $6 billion. That is, between 60% and 90% of La Guaira’s annual output. That proportion illustrates the magnitude of the asset shock, but it still doesn’t answer the central question: how much did the state stop producing as a result of the earthquake?

To approach that answer, we must observe how the economy functioned in the weeks following the quake. The port remained completely paralyzed for 28 days and only reopened gradually for cargo operations. The Maiquetía airport will recover its normal operations by the end of this year at best, with a partial opening in August. For nearly eight weeks, the two assets that sustain much of the state’s economic activity operated at a minimal fraction of their capacity.

Added to this disruption was the collapse of the business fabric. The first commercial census reveals that barely 1,752 establishments remain operational out of the nearly 7,000 businesses existing before the earthquake. In other words, three out of four companies ceased to function. In parishes like Caraballeda, Macuto, and Catia La Mar, around 40% of commerce suffered significant damage, and tourism (one of the state’s main economic activities) practically vanished for the entire season.

With these elements, it is possible to build a reasonable estimate of the lost flow of economic activity. Our central scenario points to a contraction of nearly 35% of La Guaira’s GDP during 2026, with a year-on-year drop of between 55% and 70% during the third quarter, which represents the peak of activity disruption. The spending associated with reconstruction, the gradual recovery of the port and airport, and emergency credit lines will prevent an even deeper contraction, but they will hardly change the overall diagnosis.

Translated into numbers, La Guaira is expected to lose out on generating around $2.4 billion in economic activity during 2026 compared to the pre-earthquake scenario. That is, perhaps, the best approximation of the disaster’s direct economic cost for the state during its first year. It is a loss equivalent to more than a third of its annual economy, and quite distinct from the cost of rebuilding the destroyed assets.

The earthquake could cost Venezuela between three and four points of growth during 2026 compared to the pre-disaster baseline.

However, even that estimate remains conservative because the state does not operate in isolation. The temporary closure of the country’s main logistics hub drove up transportation costs, forced operations to be diverted to Valencia, Barcelona, and Maracaibo, increased delivery times, caused congestion in alternative ports, and disrupted supply chains in the central region of the country. These indirect effects explain why the national impact ends up being considerably larger than the mere loss of La Guaira’s output.

Our estimate is that the drop in the state’s activity subtracts approximately 2.2 percentage points from Venezuela’s GDP growth due to direct effects. When factoring in the deterioration of the logistics sector and the spillover effects on commerce, manufacturing, and consumption, the earthquake could cost Venezuela between three and four points of growth during 2026 compared to the pre-disaster baseline.

This difference between physical damage and economic cost is not just a methodological detail. It is a fundamental distinction for designing the reconstruction. If the objective is limited to replacing buildings and infrastructure, the country may recover part of the lost assets. But if the priority is to restore La Guaira’s productive capacity as soon as possible, then investment decisions must change. Reconstruction must focus first on the port, the airport, road connectivity, and financing the thousands of small businesses that make up the state’s economic fabric. Every week these activities remain partially paralyzed, the economic cost of the disaster will continue to rise.

During 2027, we will likely see very high growth rates in La Guaira as a result of the reconstruction process and the low baseline left by 2026. It would be a mistake to interpret these figures as a full recovery. Recovering a capital stock equivalent to between 60% and 90% of the state’s annual output will require several years of sustained investment, institutional stability, and access to financing. Yet, every crisis also opens an opportunity to do things better. La Guaira can be rebuilt by replicating the vulnerabilities of the past, or it can become the starting point for a more modern and efficient logistics infrastructure.

If investments are properly targeted, if financing reaches the businesses that sustain the productive fabric, and if reconstruction manages to become a shared project among the public sector, the private sector, and international cooperation, the state will not only recover what was lost: it can emerge stronger. In the end, true success won’t be returning to where we were before the earthquake, but leveraging this tragedy to build a logistics platform capable of driving Venezuela’s growth for decades to come.

The true indicator of success will not be next year’s growth rate, but the speed at which La Guaira regains its role as Venezuela’s premier logistics platform.

WASHINGTON — Public health experts have been quick to condemn an executive order from President Trump aimed at upending childhood vaccinations in the U.S., but the biggest obstacles may be the unprecedented financial and logistical challenges it would impose on parents, health providers and drugmakers.

Monday’s announcement by the Republican president calls for separating combination shots — including the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine — into separate injections. Appointments for that and other vaccinations should be spaced out whenever possible, the order states.

To accomplish that, drugmakers would need to revive a slate of individual vaccines that have not been marketed separately in the U.S. for decades. They would also have to build new manufacturing plants capable of producing millions more vaccine doses than the nation currently uses.

For parents, unbundling the MMR vaccine and spacing out the shots would mean returning to the doctor’s office many more times than is currently needed. Those appointments could also strain pediatricians who typically administer the shots, while driving up costs tied to syringes and other medical supplies.

Studies in the U.S. and other countries have shown that combination vaccines increase the likelihood that children will be fully protected from infectious diseases before starting school.

Health experts say there is no scientific basis for changing course.

“We do things that are less convenient and more expensive if there’s a good reason to do it,” said Dr. Anna Durbin, of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. “There is no good justification for this. I think it’s very bad public health policy.”

Trump’s plan would require vaccine manufacturing overhaul

Under Trump’s executive order, federal officials are instructed to develop within 90 days plans for breaking up the MMR shot and spacing out other vaccines.

But pharmaceutical scientists and former regulators say those changes would likely take years and require drugmakers to spend tens of millions of dollars on new studies and manufacturing facilities.

Currently, there are no individual vaccines in the U.S. for measles, mumps or rubella. All the vaccines approved for those viruses by the Food and Drug Administration are combination shots. That three-in-one approach has been the standard in the U.S. since the early 1970s.

Dr. Jesse Goodman, a former FDA vaccine chief, said companies would have to conduct large studies showing new individual shots produced immune system-boosting reactions in children similar to the current versions.

Companies might also have to demonstrate the safety of new manufacturing facilities and procedures, given that individual measles shots haven’t been widely produced in the U.S. for roughly a half-century.

“The question is how much has changed since then and how comfortable will the FDA and the companies be relying on those comparisons?” said Goodman, who is now a professor at Georgetown University.

Designing, constructing and getting federal sign-off for new vaccine plants typically takes about five years, according to industry experts.

Additionally, Goodman said the FDA would have to review and license each unbundled vaccine separately, a process with no precedent.

“I don’t think there’s any comparable example of removing hugely effective public health measures that protect babies for no documented scientific reason,” he said.

Individual shots for measles and related diseases tend to be used by lower-income countries that can’t afford the MMR shot. Merck, GSK and the handful of other companies that supply U.S. childhood vaccines make only the combination shot.

In separate statements, Merck and GSK said they stand by the safety and effectiveness of their products. Neither discussed plans to unbundle their shots.

“To date, there has been no published scientific evidence that shows any benefit in separating the combination MMR vaccine into three individual shots,” Merck said in an emailed statement.

Parents would need to make many more trips to the doctor

The MMR shot is currently delivered in two doses — the first at the age of 1 and the second dose after age 4. Splitting up the shot into its three separate components would mean six office visits. Spacing out other shots for pertussis and other infectious diseases could multiply the number of visits many more times.

As the number of visits goes up, parents are more likely to miss appointments or stop making them, according to Durbin.

“It’s going to be less convenient, more expensive and you’re going to have fewer people getting vaccinated,” she said.

Since last year, Trump has repeatedly expressed concern about the number of vaccinations U.S. children are receiving and called on Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to reduce the number. Kennedy and other officials have pointed to smaller countries, such as Denmark, that recommended slightly fewer vaccines than the U.S.

But breaking up combination shots will result in kids receiving many more individual shots than other comparable nations, Durbin notes.

White House spokesman Kush Desai said the Trump administration’s efforts on the MMR vaccine “will give parents more options on timing and frequency for their children, which ultimately will increase vaccination rates for all three diseases.”

Vaccine order is not legally binding

Despite the precedent-breaking nature of Trump’s order, some experts are skeptical it will result in meaningful changes.

Neither the White House nor the FDA can compel drugmakers to develop and seek approval for new vaccines. And from a business perspective, companies have little incentive to develop individual versions of vaccines they already sell in combination shots.

“They’d be competing against themselves, and there’s no reason to do that,” said Dr. Paul Offit, a Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia vaccine researcher and former government adviser.

While Trump’s order calls for more federal research and recommendations, only state governments have the legal authority to require vaccinations for schoolchildren. The order simply advises states to consider updating their laws to reflect the Trump administration’s approach.

“I think states will ignore this,” Offit said. “I think that bottom line is that we don’t need to look to Donald Trump for our medical advice.”

Perrone writes for the Associated Press. AP videojournalist Mary Conlon in New York contributed to this report.

YOU don’t need a celebrity budget to jet off to Europe’s most stunning beach destinations.

We’ve scoured Wowcher‘s holiday deals to find the best beach breaks with return flights included, slashing prices by up to 56%.

Whether you fancy living the high life at a five-star resort in Mykonos, floating in a rooftop infinity pool in Malta, or soaking up the sun on Turkey‘s Turquoise Coast, we’ve got you.

Here are the top sunny stays you can book right now from £99pp – before they sell out.

Malta – £99

With this gem of a deal, you can soak up the Malta sunshine from this four-star hotel’s rooftop infinity pool for under £100pp – saving up to 46% off full-price.

This stylish spot has sweeping views over the Mediterranean, plus a spa to unwind in and multiple bars and restaurants to pick from.

Read more on beach holidays

SCHOOL’S OUT

Cheap August beach holidays under £290pp with 30C heat and short flights

HOL YES

Cheapest summer for holidays in YEARS – with August breaks still on sale for £188pp

The hotel sits in the charming hilltop village of Mellieha, which is home to Malta’s longest sandy beach and historical landmarks like the 17th-century St. Agatha’s Red Tower.

The deal also comes with return flights from your pick of London Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Southend, London City & Manchester airports, plus you can pick the number of nights you stay.

Book a 4* holiday to Malta with return flights included from £99pp

5* Algarve holiday – £99

Bag a beachfront break to Portugal with this £99 stay at a luxurious 5* hotel in The Algarve, saving up to 56% off full-price breaks.

The glamorous resort, named Wine & Books by the Sea, boasts a huge, glimmering outdoor pool surrounded by palm trees and bright white parasols.

Indoors, the Library Spa has a heated indoor pool and offers treatments like aromatherapy massages and soothing facials.

When you fancy exploring the local area, this resort sits in Portugal‘s Reserva Natural dos Salgados, where wildlife like flamingos wander the wetlands.

Book a 5* holiday to The Algarve with return flights included from £99pp

Antalya – £159

Antalya’s Citrus Park Hotel has everything you’d want in a Turkey holiday – comfy sea view rooms, a huge hotel breakfast spread, and the golden sands of Konyaalti Beach a short walk away.

This hotel comes with some pretty amazing views, sitting on the beachfront and framed by dramatic mountains.

Just a short walk away you’ll find a promenade lined with bars, cafes, souvenir shops and water sports stations.

You can save 30% on the holiday with this Wowcher offer, which also includes breakfast during your stay and return flights from London, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh or Manchester.

Book a holiday to Antalya with return flights included from £159pp

Fuerteventura – £179

This 4* Fuerteventura hotel places you right in the heart of the action.

There’s white sands just steps away and a plethora of beachfront bars and restaurants.

There’s a huge swimming pool here with a dedicated kids section, plenty of loungers, plus a poolside bar serving up fruity cocktails.

The hotel is a short stroll from Corralejo Harbour, where you can hop on a ferry to the island of Lobos, or even take a day-trip to Lanzarote.

Book a 4* holiday to Fuerteventura with return flights included from £179pp

Mykonos 5* – £299

A 5* holiday to Mykonos sounds like something only celebs can afford. But this Wowcher offer means you can book one for under £300.

The offer includes a stay at Saint John Hotel Villas & Spa, home to its own private beach, gourmet restaurants and infinity pool facing the sea.

Here you’re also perfectly positioned to explore the best of Mykonos – with its white windmills, Mykonos Town and Little Venice all nearby.

This offer can save you up to 22% off full price, giving you some extra cash in your pocket to hit the island’s stylish bars and clubs.

Book a 5* holiday to Mykonos with return flights included from £299pp

Menorca – £179

Majorca’s quieter sister island Menorca offers all the same stunning beaches and scenery – but in a more relaxed, peaceful setting,

This Wowcher bargain includes flights plus a stay in the beachfront Aparthotel Sol Parc, surrounded by scenic pine woodlands.

Here you’ll get a spacious apartment plus access to multiple swimming pools and sports facilities like beach volleyball, mini golf, basketball and a tennis court.

Even better, you can walk directly out of the building onto the beach where there’s clear waters to paddle in and a restaurant overlooking the sea.

Book a holiday to Menorca with return flights included from £179pp

Prices correct at the time of publication.

Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. Mark Walter sold the Lakers for $12.5 biillion after owning the franchise for 10 months. If every reader of Dodgers Dugout can chip in $50 million, we might be able to buy the Dodgers.

Series with Brewers is important

The Dodgers begin a four-game series with the Milwaukee Brewers tonight at Dodger Stadium. Remember, the three division winners automatically qualify for the postseason, but the division winner with the worst record will have to play in the first round, while the other two skip the first round. And, if teams are tied, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head record. Let’s look at those three teams as of Wednesday night:

1. Milwaukee, 74-47
2. Atlanta, 73-48
3. Dodgers, 73-48

The Dodgers are 2-1 against Milwaukee and 1-2 against Atlanta. So, the Dodgers will need to at least split the four games to maintain tiebreaker advantage over the Brewers. Of course, winning three of four or sweeping would be even better. If the Brewers win three of four, or sweep the Dodgers, then they will be in the driver’s seat for best record and home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

The Dodgers have three games remaining against the Braves, Aug. 25-27 at Atlanta.

Let’s take a look at how the Dodgers and Brewers compare this season, through Tuesday.

Runs per game
Dodgers, 5.02 (third in the majors)
Milwaukee, 4.91 (fifth)

Batting average
Dodgers, .261 (first)
Milwaukee, .252 (sixth)

On-base percentage
Dodgers, .338 (second)
Milwaukee, .336 (third)

Slugging percentage
Dodgers, .428 (second)
Milwaukee, .396 (19th)

Doubles
Milwaukee, 214 (third)
Dodgers, 198 (ninth)

Triples
Milwaukee, 20 (seventh)
Dodgers, 12 (18th)

Home runs
Dodgers, 152 (seventh)
Milwaukee, 110 (30th)

As you can see, the Dodgers have more power than the Brewers, but Milwaukee makes up for it some in the next two categories.

Stolen bases
Milwaukee, 118 (fifth)
Dodgers, 46 (28th)

Sacrifice bunts
Milwaukee, 29 (second)
Dodgers, 12 (22nd)

ERA
Milwaukee, 3.54 (fourth)
Dodgers, 3.72 (seventh)

Rotation ERA
Dodgers, 3.54 (fourth)
Milwaukee, 3.56 (fifth)

Bullpen ERA
Milwaukee, 3.51 (fourth)
Dodgers, 4.02 (16th)

Pitcher strikeouts
Milwaukee, 1,169 (second)
Dodgers, 1,073 (eighth)

Pitcher walks
Dodgers, 373 (10th fewest)
Milwaukee, 376 (11th)

Home runs allowed
Milwaukee, 123 (seventh fewest)
Dodgers, 143 (20th)

Saves
Milwaukee, 38 (third)
Dodgers, 32 (14th)

Blown saves
Dodgers, 16 (T15th)
Milwaukee, 15 (T19th)

Inherited runners who scored%
Dodgers, 35.5%, 49 of 138 (23rd)
Milwaukee, 41.9%, 54 of 129 (28th)

The two teams are pretty evenly matched.

The big difference between the two is the Brewers just can’t seem to breakthrough in the postseason. They have made it in seven of the last eight seasons, but reached the NLCS only twice, losing both times to a very familiar team. Let’s look:

2018: Lost in NLCS to Dodgers, 4-3
2019: Lost NL wild-card game to Washington
2020: Lost in NL wild-card series to Dodgers, 2-0
2021: Lost in NLDS to Atlanta, 3-1
2022: Did not make postseason, finished with 86-76 record
2023: Lost in NL wild-card series to Arizona, 2-0
2024: Lost in NL wild-card series to New York, 2-1
2025: Lost in NLCS to Dodgers, 4-0

This is why it was such a surprise they didn’t do more to acquire Tarik Skubal. That would have given them a devastating 1-2 punch in Skubal and NL Cy Young favorite Jacob Misiorowski. Instead, they acquired former Dodger Dustin May.

Keep in mind, it is not imperative to finish in the top two. The Dodgers had to play in the first round last season and that worked out OK. In fact, this season is looking amazingly like last season, with the shaky bullpen and strong starting pitching.

L.A. radio/TV icon Steve Edwards discusses the team

Steve Edwards, who had done just about everything in the local TV and radio landscape and is probably best remembered as longtime host of “Good Day L.A.,” is a longtime Dodgers fan and newsletter subscriber. He agreed to answer a few questions recently, and we thank him for his time. This was conducted via email.

Q. How long have you been a Dodgers fan, and do you have a favorite Dodgers memory and player?

Edwards: To a certain extent it started before the Stone Age. I was a kid in New York in a glorious time for baseball. We had three teams. We had the famous Willie, Mickey and the Duke playing center field for the three teams. The teams were always going to the World Series every year in some combination and it was an incredible time when baseball was the king of all sports and to be a kid in the middle of all of was nirvana (a word that didn’t exist in the a nine year old’s vocabulary-but sounds good now). As a Bronx Kid I was geographically predisposed to the Yankees.

But I loved the Dodgers, who couldn’t? Jackie Robinson was a heroic figure in my part of the world and you had Pee Wee and Campy and Hodges, Oisk, Skoonj and of course The Duke. Over the years I gradually flipped allegiance — falling more in love with the Dodgers — and falling out of love with The Steinbrenner Yankees, mainly because of Steinbrenner. Moving to L.A. sealed it. When I came to L.A. the teams were playing in The World Series and I realized I was clearly rooting for the Dodgers, a thing that would’ve made my mother, who was from Brooklyn, very happy.

Q. How do you assess this season’s team?

Edwards: Really good and yet disappointing. We are like spoiled children — we get more of everything — and of course want even more. Of course it will come together in time for the playoffs where Kiké will hit .900, Glasnow and Snell will pitch no-hitters and Freddie will hit a couple of walkoffs. Now if Tucker and Díaz can really come around……

Q. A genie grants your wish and says you are the owner of the Dodgers and can make three immediate changes. What changes do you make? It can be to the team, the stadium, whatever you want.

1. Keep Yordan Alvarez.

2. Have Frank McCourt never buy The Dodgers (or at least not hold on to a share of the land and parking lots).

3. I am a BIG BIG fan of Joe Davis and Stephen Nelson. We are so fortunate to have them, but I still wish we could hear Vin’s voice — a voice that was the soundtrack of so many of our lives — not only the best ever, but connected us as a community and help define Los Angeles.

Q. Recently, a website listed their 10 greatest Dodgers. A lot of fans were unhappy that Shohei Ohtani wasn’t among the top 10. Seems way too soon to consider him one of the 10 greatest Dodgers. What do you think?

Edwards: Shohei didn’t become the Face of Baseball until he became a Dodger. All those years, even with everything that he personally accomplished on a team with Mike Trout,didn’t really move the needle that much (that’s a whole other Q&A).

When he arrived with the Dodgers, it wasn’t just the needle moving, it was a seismic shift. He is already one of the most memorable Dodgers (or all of baseball) in history — so to ask if you should be considered top 10 is crazy, maybe some think he needs a few more years but he’s definitely should be considered and — come on —he’s in.

Q. Way back in the ancient times of 1991, I won WrestleMania tickets from you while you were hosting a show on KABC 790 (which may have been the greatest talk station in history). You have been a TV host and have done virtually everything. What was your favorite?

Edwards: That’s like choosing among your children or grandchildren. I’ve been incredibly lucky and grateful for all of it. But I really did love doing Sportstalk…

Q. My two favorite shows of yours were “Two on the Town” with Melody Rogers and “Good Day L.A.” with you, Jillian Barberie and Dorothy Lucey. We recently did a story on the three of you hosting a podcast. What was the genesis of that podcast, and how can readers listen to it?

Edwards: It came around organically, we’ve remained really good friends through the years with all the ups and downs of life. We were approached to do this, and it seemed like a natural thing to do. There were a lot of people who loved that show — there also a lot of people who were annoyed by it. For me it brings back a familiar feeling of trying to finish a sentence. Funny you mention Two on the Town — I’m about to have a FaceTime with Melody Rogers right after this. You can find the podcast on YouTube — “So Unanchored” with Jillian Barberie, Dorothy Lucey and Steve Edwards. It’s a good deal at the price — it’s free. You can find it by clicking here.

Up next

Thursday: Milwaukee (*Shane Drohan, 6-4, 3.87 ERA) at Dodgers (Roki Sasaki, 5-5, 4.54 ERA), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Friday: Milwaukee (*Robert Gasser, 3-4, 4.57 ERA) at Dodgers (Yoshinobu Yamamoto, 11-7, 2.65 ERA), 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Saturday: Milwaukee (Jacob Misiorowski, 11-5, 2.76 ERA) at Dodgers (*Justin Wrobleski, 11-4, 3.44 ERA), 4:15 p.m., Fox, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

Sunday: Milwaukee (Logan Henderson, 6-2, 2.88 ERA) at Dodgers (*Tarik Skubal, 6-2, 2.93 ERA [0-1, 4.09 ERA with Dodgers]), 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020

All times Pacific

*-left-handed

In case you missed it

Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman appears to avoid serious injury in fall down dugout steps

Dodgers’ Dalton Rushing provides promising update on his elbow injury

Shaikin: The Shohei Ohtani Economy: A two-mile ride to Dodger Stadium, for $85

And finally

Highlights from the final game of Vin Scully‘s career. Watch and listen here.

Until next time …

Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.

AND just like that, the solar eclipse is over… until next year where you can see another in several European destinations.

The solar eclipse will return on August 2 next year, with some European destinations getting a total eclipse, including Spain again.

Alongside Spain, Gibraltar, Tunisia, Morocco and eight other countries will also experience a total solar eclipse.

Meanwhile, the UK will once again see a partial eclipse.

Unlike yesterday’s celestial event, this solar eclipse will take place in the morning in most destinations.

But the hype caused by yesterday’s event is already creating hype for next year’s.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

SO FLY

Our fave beach hols under 5 hours from UK with Caribbean dupes & £2 bottles of wine

Gibraltar, for example, you can fly from the UK for between £170 and £190 return, on average.

Looking at flights for next year around the solar eclipse, prices are already rocketing.

If you were to head out on July 29 and return on August 3, direct flights from Manchester will set you back at least £453 return and £739 return from London.

Alter the dates slightly and it is still expensive – flying out on July 30 and returning on August 4 will set you back at least £419 direct from London.

Even if you flew out the day before and then headed home straight after the eclipse, you’ll be set back around £400 for direct flights.

Adele Cooke, Senior Consumer Reporter and Consumer Champion at The Sun, who is from Gibraltar, said: “The next eclipse may still be a year away but Gibraltar is already buzzing with excitement.

“The total eclipse will be visible over Gibraltar and the uninterrupted views over the Strait make it a great place to watch the event.

“The eclipse will be visible for a full four minutes, one of the longest durations of anywhere in the world.

“Friends and family have already booked their flights home to be there on August 2 and prices are already climbing.

“But there’s no need to worry about missing out.

“There are dozens of flights from the UK to Malaga every day, and the Spanish airport is just an hour and a half’s drive from Gibraltar.

“Set up price alerts now so you’ll be notified when prices drop.
Meanwhile, website GibStay.com can help you find affordable accommodation.

“If accommodation in Gibraltar is out of your price range then consider staying in one of the nearby towns and driving down for the event.

“Estepona, Soto Grande and Tarifa are all around an hour’s drive away.

“You could book a villa and make a week of it.

“In August temperatures in southern Spain average between 21 and 28 degrees, while the region gets less than 8mm of rainfall for the entire month.”

For Spain, major cities and locations that will be under the path of totality include Cadiz, Malaga and the coast of Almeria and Granada in southern Spain.

If heading to Cadiz, you’ll need to head to Jerez Airport, which is about a 40-minute drive from the city centre.

Direct return flights for the days around the solar eclipse to Jerez Airport from London are already around £495.

This is still more than the average £170 to £350 return trip to the city usually costs in August.

Malaga seems to be one of the only destinations that hasn’t risen… yet.

Average direct return flights to Malaga from the UK in August usually cost £170 to £270.

There are currently direct flights still available heading out at the end of July and returning on August 3 for £187.

There are currently lots of hotels available for affordable prices too.

You don’t have to go to Spain though, you could fly to Morocco instead for £230 return.

Here’s the full list of countries you could head to where there will be a full solar eclipse on August 2:

• Algeria
• British Indian Ocean
• Egypt
• Gibraltar
• Libya
• Morocco
• Saudi Arabia
• Somalia
• Spain
• Sudan
• Tunisia
• Yemen

Most of these destinations will experience a total eclipse mid morning on August 2.

A REGIONAL UK airport has issued a warning for all travellers heading to the airport from this weekend.

The Metro at Newcastle Airport will close between August 15-23 for repair works.

No trains will run between the airport and South Gosforth across the week while repairs are carried out on the tracks, stations and cabling.

Trains will be cancelled from 5am on August 15 to 11:59pm on August 23.

During the nine-day disruption, there will be replacement bus services.

Travellers are being advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for travelling.

Read more on travel inspo

CHEAP BREAKS

UK’s best 100 cheap stays – our pick of the top hotels, holiday parks and pubs

SEA IT

All 25 of the English Riviera beaches ranked from best to worst – by a Devon local

Trains will be running elsewhere on the line.

Travel North East states on its website: “Your journey will take longer, so please plan ahead and leave extra time for travelling.”

Newcastle Airport recently completed a major upgrade that including refurbishing the departures area by adding 450 new seats.

This was part of a larger project that will grow the airport from eight million passengers by 2035 and nine million by 2040.

The project will include a three-storey airport extension with more restaurants.

There will also be two additional luggage carousels and 20 new plane stands by 2040.

Aug. 12 (UPI) — MyPillow founder Mike Lindell is refusing to concede defeat in the Minnesota governor’s Republican primary election, saying there were irregularities in the vote tallies.

Lindell lost by 11 points to Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth.

A reporter on his own network, LindellTV, asked him if he would concede if The Associated Press called it for Demuth, he answered: “Why would I listen to the AP?”

“There’s 265,000 votes left to count. I’m down by 18,000 now,” he said. “I’m not going to give up this race until the votes are counted. That’s nonsense.”

His own site shows Demuth as the winner by 11% with 99% of the votes counted as of 2 p.m. Wednesday.

Lindell, who was endorsed by President Donald Trump in his run for governor and has previously supported Trump’s claim that the 2020 election was stolen.

Lindell was sued by Dominion Voting Systems for defamation against a former employee of the company, which makes voting machines. Lindell claimed that the employee, Eric Coomer, had helped rig the 2020 election. In 2025, Lindell was ordered to pay Coomer $2.3 million.

Lindell stepped down from MyPillow leadership on Aug. 5 to focus on his campaign for governor.

“Minnesota deserves my full attention, and that’s exactly what I’m giving it,” He said in a statement on X at the time. “I’m all in, and I can’t wait to earn your vote.”

Demuth said her win is a “major milestone,” but said there was still the November election to win.

“Tonight, Minnesotans made it clear they are ready for real change — at the top. It’s time to end the fraud, restore common sense to our state government and return Minnesota to a place that works for families, seniors, businesses and our next generation,” the post said.

“Let’s go win in November!”

Demuth will face Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., in November’s election.

A series of Houthi attacks in recent weeks, which are among the deadliest in years, is raising fears that Yemen could be sliding back towards all-out war as conflict spreads across the Middle East.

A 2022 truce led to the end of heavy fighting between the pro-Iranian Houthis and Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces, which had been ongoing since September 2014.

But a series of clashes over the last month between the two sides – intensifying in the last two weeks – has led to civilian and military casualties and threatened to reignite the war.

Here is what we know.

What are the latest attacks?

The Houthis have killed a number of civilians in a series of attacks on the government-controlled west coast port of al-Makha, also known as Mocha.

There was also an attack on a commercial vessel in the Bab al-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, which Yemen’s coastguard said killed six people and injured 10 others. The Houthis said the vessel was carrying weapons.

It followed the Houthis targeting Yemeni government military sites in eastern Yemen with drones and rockets, killing at least 30 government soldiers and causing further clashes. The Houthis have also attacked Saudi Aramco’s Jazan oil refinery.

In response, Rashad al-Alimi, chairman of the Presidential Leadership Council (PLC), said the internationally -recognised government would not accept “a new truce that reproduces previous experiences”.

“No action by the Houthi militias will go unanswered or unchecked,” al-Alimi said, according to Yemen’s Saba news agency.

But he also appeared to leave space for a political way back, saying the Houthis could still “lay down their arms, engage in political life and compete through the ballot box on an equal footing with all other Yemenis”.

What is behind the latest tensions?

The Houthis seized the capital Sanaa in 2014 and have since fought a war with the government for control of the country.

Although the intensity of the war declined significantly after the 2022 truce, no comprehensive peace settlement followed.

The fragile status quo came under increasing pressure after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28 .

On July 13 , Yemeni government forces – which are backed by Saudi Arabia – attacked Sanaa airport, reportedly to prevent an Iranian aircraft carrying a Houthi delegation from landing. The government accuses Iran of arming the Houthis.

The rebel movement responded by launching missiles towards Saudi Arabia. Then, on July 20 , the Houthis announced a maritime blockade against Saudi Arabia, threatening oil shipments diverted towards the Red Sea and attacking Saudi Aramco facilities in Jizan and Yanbu.

Is Saudi Arabia changing its approach?

As the attacks have intensified, Saudi Arabia has begun to take a more proactive approach to its security – both in Yemen and across the region, according to experts.

Some analysts believe the prospect of the Houthis ultimately blocking Bab al-Mandeb – the narrow strait connecting the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean – may have helped push the Saudis to change their strategy.

Saudi Arabia was somewhat insulated from Iran’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz because it could use its East-West Pipeline to transport oil from fields in the east to the Red Sea, bypassing the strait.

If the Houthis were to severely restrict shipping through Bab al-Mandeb, that would threaten the Red Sea route for one of the world’s largest oil exporters.

Last month, Riyadh announced a new international alliance intended to protect shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi attacks. Dozens of countries were invited, with the kingdom saying 13 had agreed to participate.

It is also deepening its security relationships with Pakistan and Turkiye through a new joint defence agreement, while Saudi coordination with Washington also appears to be strengthening.

The Saudi Defence Minister, Khalid bin Salman, recently met US Vice President JD Vance amid reports that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman had secured US support for potential military action against the Houthis.

But in Yemen, the shift in the Saudi position may have been more visible when the Saudis intervened against the United Arab Emirates-backed Southern Transitional Council (STC) at the end of last year. That allowed Yemen’s fractious anti-Houthi coalition to coalesce around the Yemeni government and present a more united front against the rebels.

Simon Mabon, professor of international relations at Lancaster University in the UK, said Saudi policy on the issue has changed significantly.

“After years of attempting to de-escalate and work towards an accommodation with the Houthis, Riyadh appears to have concluded that approach is no longer viable,” Mabon told Al Jazeera.

“Saudi Arabia’s concern has become particularly acute because conflict around the Strait of Hormuz has increased the importance of alternative oil and shipping routes through the Red Sea.”

But rather than trying to totally defeat the Houthis and retake the capital Sanaa, Mabon said Saudi Arabia and the Yemeni government now appear to be focused on pushing Houthi forces away from the coast.

“That’s a marked shift from what we had been seeing previously,” he said.

Could Pakistan and Turkiye be drawn into the war?

The Saudi-Pakistan-Turkiye agreement potentially raises the stakes of any further Houthi attacks on Saudi Arabia.

Al Jazeera’s Yousef Mawry, reporting from Sanaa, said the latest attacks were being interpreted by some experts as a direct defiance of the new defence pact.

Pakistan has been directly affected by the recent escalation. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said three Pakistanis were killed and another person injured in a Houthi attack on a vessel in the Red Sea.

“Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” Dar said, adding that the government was in contact with Saudi and Yemeni authorities.

But experts say the defence pact does not mean that Pakistani or Turkish troops will join the war in Yemen on behalf of their ally.

Wolfgang Pusztai, a security policy and defence analyst, told Al Jazeera that the agreement so -far is “just ink on paper”.

What role is Iran playing?

Iran has long cultivated a so-called “axis of resistance” of governments and groups opposed to Israel and the United States, including Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, armed groups in Iraq and Syria and the Houthis in Yemen.

The Houthis supported Iran towards the end of March by launching attacks towards northern Israel and have since threatened to expand their operations in the Red Sea.

Last month, Iran reportedly asked the Houthis to prepare to close the Red Sea oil route if the US attacked Iranian power infrastructure.

A source close to the Houthis told Reuters that missiles and drones had been positioned near the Bab al-Mandeb Strait in Yemen’s highlands overlooking Hodeidah and the Gulf of Aden.

Mohammed Albasha, a Yemeni American analyst and former spokesperson for Yemen’s embassy in Washington, said the Houthis’ attacks on Saudi Arabia should therefore also be understood within the broader US-Iran confrontation.

“By threatening Saudi shipping there, the Houthis can increase pressure on both Riyadh and Washington, while supporting Iran in its wider confrontation with the United States,” Albasha said.

Is another all-out war imminent?

Analysts say the crucial question is whether the latest attacks are intended to pressure the Saudi and Yemeni governments, or whether the Houthis believe they are simply taking the initiative in a new potential ground war.

The Houthis also say Saudi Arabia is using the port of al-Makah to reinforce and resupply government forces and believe Riyadh and its Yemeni allies are preparing an offensive against Houthi-held territory.

Nadwa Al-Dawsari, Associate Fellow at the Middle East Institute, said those fears may be fuelling the current escalation.

“Since January, there has been significant progress towards bringing Yemen’s different government forces under a more unified command,” Al-Dawsari told Al Jazeera.

“Government forces have also demonstrated growing air capabilities, carrying out air and drone strikes against Houthi missile and drone launchers and other military sites.”

“The Houthis’ objective in this recent escalation is to disrupt these preparations before government forces are ready, degrade their capabilities and force them onto the defensive.”

Ultimately, she said, the Houthis are trying to shape the rules of any coming confrontation so that “if escalation takes place, it happens on their own terms”.

While a Saudi-led ground offensive is not inevitable, the Houthis have also shown over the past decade that they cannot be defeated by air power alone, Mabon said.

“Yemen’s mountainous terrain makes a ground campaign exceptionally difficult, while Riyadh has little appetite to become trapped again in a prolonged war,” he said.

A Saudi-backed offensive led by Yemeni government forces is still more plausible than a large Saudi ground deployment, he added.

The consequences of major fighting on the ground between the two sides will inevitably mean that civilians will suffer most.

“Amidst all of this, the tragedy is that people in Yemen are paying the price,” Mabon said.

“It wasn’t long ago that Yemen was facing one of the worst humanitarian crises since the Second World War. People are struggling, and continued fighting will make it far worse.”

The importance of parental support goes meta in Julia Hart’s “Don’t Say Good Luck.” The YA musical drama, which premieres Friday, pays homage to musical theater, unconditional maternal love and the family-hour TV, er, Netflix movie. In a landscape littered with teenage dysfunction, “Don’t Say Good Luck” is a moving argument for aspirational television.

And with a star whose famous father serves as producer, it‘s an admonition to the term “nepo baby.”

We meet normal kid Sophie Birenbaum (Sunny Sandler) as she anxiously prepares for a day that will include auditioning for her high school’s production of “Waitress.” While her father, Ted (Max Greenfield, marvelously transformed by a beard), wrangles her rambunctious younger twin brothers, her mother, Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey), assures her that she is talented and beautiful and will do just great. These sentiments are echoed by Sophie’s best friend, Carolyn (Scarlett Estevez), who joins her at the audition where the director is the super-cool Ms. Parker (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s” Stephanie Beatriz) and even theater department queen bee Mallory (Elyse Bell), who everyone knows is going to get the lead, is pretty nice.

It’s a high school experience that’s about as far from “Euphoria” or even “Glee” as one can get while still being situated on Earth. Still, all is not perfect in Sophie’s world. When Elizabeth learns that her cancer has returned, Sophie overhears her parents’ subsequent conversation via a butt-dial from her father’s phone. Her first impulse is to flee the audition; instead her emotional turmoil fuels a powerful performance that (spoiler alert?) lands her the lead role.

Determined to downplay the seriousness of her illness, Elizabeth insists that life continue on as normal — she and Ted own a local deli, which offers some nice bagel versus wrap shade and a Jon Lovitz cameo. Though Sophie is worried, she believes her mother who says she will beat cancer again. So she throws herself into the stomach-churning rigor of being the star of the show, which includes a painful separation from her bestie, a crush on her co-star and a struggle to find the confidence to let her obvious talent shine.

“Don’t Say Good Luck” is, obviously, a showcase for Sandler, whose parents, Adam and Jackie Sandler, serve as producers (which may have had something to do with the extraordinary supporting cast, which also includes Bebe Neuwirth and Steve Buscemi as Elizabeth’s parents). Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions have a long and lucrative partnership with Netflix, which recently debuted “Happy Gilmore 2” and announced “Grown Ups 3” as part of their deal. One could see this as yet another case of nepo-baby triumph — streaming is currently littered with the progeny of famous parents — or simply a living example of the film’s theme. Like the Birenbaum parents, the Sandlers want to help their daughter shine in her chosen career and that she certainly does.

Adam Sandler serves as a producer, which may have had something to do with the extraordinary supporting cast, which also includes Steve Buscemi as Sophie’s grandfather.

(Netflix)

Though Sophie is the only older daughter ever to escape the task of caring for her younger brothers (or doing any chores at all), Sandler makes her completely believable as a nice, self-conscious kid who just needs a push to trust her talent. If the tone of the film is 1970s-family-comedy aspirational (particularly in the mother-daughter scenes), that shouldn’t be construed as a low level of difficulty.

Indeed, it is almost revolutionary to see emotionally resonant teenage characters who aren’t mired in abuse, addiction or some kind of horror; leveraging dysfunction has become shorthand for “drama.” “Don’t Say Good Luck” is based on the real-life experience of co-writer Laura Hankin (collaborating here with Hart and Jordan Horowitz), and though the stakes are emotionally high, portraying a loving family doing their best to get through a devastating situation with minimal meltdowns is its own act of bravery.

It certainly helps that this family is firmly anchored by Lynskey, who proves, yet again, that she can do anything. Her Elizabeth is neither martyr nor saint, just a woman who wants to live as she’s always lived for as long as she can. Lynskey lifts what could have been a sappy (or even worse, guilt-inducing) cancer-mom tale into a quietly transcendent contemplation of motherhood. (A scene in which she flips through the calendar trying to figure out when to let the kids know what’s really going on drove the breath from this mother’s body.)

Does “Don’t Say Good Luck” skirt around the grim realities of cancer as cavalierly as it paints a Pinterest mood-board vision of high school? Absolutely. But that doesn’t mean the message and the feelings (yes, you absolutely will cry) are not just as authentic. Love is the root of much pain, but it’s also what conquers it in the end.

Melanie Lynskey as Elizabeth, Max Greenfield as Ted and Jon Lovitz as Lenny in “Don’t Say Good Luck.”

(Netflix)