LISA Snowdon has been seen without her ring on after sparking fears that she has split from her fiancé.
After 12 years with George Smart and plans to marry, Lisa, 54, has been seen without her engagement ring.
The TV presenter was spotted going to a Pilates class in Essex this week, with her ring was noticeably absent from her left hand.
She was chatting on the phone as she made her way home while rocking gym gear and carrying a tote.
Lisa said recently that she feels like she’s in a “new chapter of her life” at 54.
Lisa has been enjoying solo travelling recently, and has failed to share snaps of George on Instagram.
She last shared a snap of George, 46, on her Instagram back in January.
Meanwhile, his own social media account is currently set to private.
Her fiancé featured regularly on Lisa’s social media before then, but he hasn’t been seen on her socials in more than six months.
When Lisa shared a gallery of pictures of herself with her friends hanging out at Wimbledon last month, George was absent again.
Some fans noticed this and one wrote: “Oh no, no George again.”
George might be taking a break from social media and there might be nothing in it – but it’s sparked concern about their relationship.
Lisa and entrepreneur George briefly dated 20 years ago and reconnected in 2014, before getting engaged in 2016.
Last year, Lisa said she was in no rush to marry George.
She told Hello!: ‘A lot of women imagine walking down the aisle.
“They imagine their flowers, their dresses, and I just have never had that vision. It’s just a contract at the end of the day.
“I don’t want everybody looking at me, which is weird because I do television and hosting.
“I’m just really relaxed and so is George. It will happen, but I just don’t know what that looks like.”
But now she seems to be moving on.
In a chat with Prima this week, Lisa said: “I’m 54 now and see this time in my life as a new chapter. It’s important to reframe ageing in a more positive way.
“It takes time for that readjustment to happen, but now I’m in this powerful place where it’s about, ‘What do I want? What do I need?”
She went on: “I don’t have children, so it’s easier for me than mums juggling teenage children, but it’s a powerful time for us to reconnect with ourselves and make big life changes. It’s the second spring.”
Roughly six weeks before the first midterm ballots are mailed out, the U.S. Postal Service is emerging as a pivotal player in an election season that will determine control of Congress.
President Trump is seeking greater control over mail balloting through an executive order while a change to how the agency processes mail is leading to criticism that it’s failing to deliver ballots on time.
Democratic officials have raised concerns over the past week about how quickly the Postal Service will process ballots after tens of thousands of them in California and hundreds in Wisconsin arrived at local election offices too late to be counted in elections earlier this year. The top election offices in Kansas and Michigan are urging voters who want to cast their ballots early to avoid the mail and instead drop them off in person.
The Postal Service replied to those concerns by saying it remains “committed to fulfilling our role in the electoral process.”
“We provide a secure, efficient, and effective way for citizens to participate when policymakers decide to use mail as part of their elections,” it said in a statement Tuesday.
The Postal Service faced similar questions about mail delivery in 2024, but the scrutiny this year is heightened because of an executive order Trump issued in March that seeks to create a national voter list to guide the Postal Service in deciding who gets a mail ballot.
The order has sparked multiple lawsuits and federal court orders, leading to a case now before the U.S. Supreme Court in which the administration is asking the justices to allow it to impose its restrictions on mail balloting.
Trump has lied for years about voter fraud to try to explain away his loss to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, and mail balloting is a favorite target, even though he has used the method himself. During a recent stop in Michigan, he falsely characterized mail balloting as “inherently corrupt” and added, “Hopefully there will be no mail-in ballots.”
A 2025 report from the research group Brookings identified about four cases of fraud for every 10 million mail ballots cast.
Despite Trump’s attacks, the method remains popular with voters of both major parties. In 2024, nearly 30% of U.S. voters cast their ballots by mail, according to federal data. In Michigan, where competitive U.S. House and Senate races could help determine the balance of power in Congress, the state said it has sent out more than 2 million absentee ballots for the state’s Aug. 4 primary.
“We want to keep vote by mail. We want to protect it. We want to expand it,” said Jonathan Smith, president of the 200,000-member American Postal Workers Union, which launched a campaign in April promoting it and is opposed to turning the Postal Service into an election administrator. “Why? Because it works.”
The Postal Service proposed a rule in June in line with Trump’s executive order that would create a national list of eligible voters, based on databases kept by other federal agencies. Only those on the list would be eligible to receive mail ballots.
Democratic officials in nearly two dozen states filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts. A federal judge there blocked Trump’s order last month, and an appeals court upheld that ruling, prompting Trump’s appeal to the Supreme Court. But the appeals court for the District of Columbia refused Tuesday to block the order in a separate case, calling a legal challenge premature.
Democratic senators and governors have written to the Postal Service urging it to abandon efforts to implement Trump’s order.
“Donald Trump has shown he’ll stop at nothing to meddle in our upcoming elections,” Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin said in a statement to The Associated Press. “At best, this new push will exacerbate already severe delays for mail-in voters and at worst, it will stop eligible Americans from casting their ballots.”
In a letter to Democratic senators earlier this month, the heads of the Postal Service said they were abiding by the court rulings that had halted the executive order. But Smith, of the postal workers union, told the AP on Tuesday that USPS information technology staffers who are union members are working on a planned portal for the list of eligible voters “behind the scenes.”
The Postal Service declined to respond to Smith’s statements and said it could not comment about whether it’s moving forward with work related to Trump’s order because of the litigation.
The postal workers’ union opposes the plan for a portal, a national list of eligible voters and using that list to determine who can receive a mail ballot. Smith said it shouldn’t be postal workers’ responsibility “to decide who can vote and who can’t vote.”
The Postal Service has been under financial stress for years and has been consolidating mail processing into fewer regional centers. Mail travels an average of 139 miles to reach one and sometimes 500 miles, according to a recent Brookings report.
In January, a group of mostly Democratic senators said it was concerned about a decision to end twice-daily mail dispatches from local post offices to regional processing centers. The result is that mail arriving after the only daily dispatch would go out the next day.
California officials said the change was a factor in the state rejecting more than 148,000 ballots from its June primary, with 63% of them arriving too late despite a seven-day grace period. Officials worried that some ballots were postmarked at processing facilities the day after they were dropped off at a post office, possibly invalidating them. Wisconsin officials also said hundreds of ballots from an election in April arrived late.
The Postal Service said postmarks generally are being applied with automated equipment at processing centers, “in the same manner and to the same extent as before.” It said someone who wants to make sure their ballot envelope gets a timely postmark can get a free one applied by a postal worker.
A report on the 2024 election by the USPS Office of Inspector General said the Postal Service handled more than 59 million pieces of ballot mail from Sept. 1 to Nov. 15 that year and that 97.3% arrived on time.
The Michigan secretary of state’s office is advising voters to hand-deliver ballots to their local clerk’s office or a drop box.
“We’ve seen these issues over a number of election cycles now — they’re always concerning, and that’s why we’ve put out that guidance,” said Deputy Secretary of State Aghogho Edevbie.
The Postal Service said its Michigan centers are not seeing processing delays.
In Kansas, concerns about late ballot deliveries in the state’s 2024 primary election prompted a quip on the social platform X from Secretary of State Scott Schwab, a Republican: “The Pony Express is more efficient at this point.” Asked his view now, spokesperson Whitney Tempel said Schwab still believes “keeping your ballot out of the hands of the federal government is best.”
Jamie Shew, a Democrat elected to oversee elections in Douglas County, home to the main University of Kansas campus, said his office is trying to change voters’ perceptions.
“I think voters are used to, you can drop it off on Friday and we’re going to receive it by Election Day,” Shew said Tuesday. “That’s just not the reality.”
California’s state budget includes $10 million for social media campaigns and other efforts to discourage last-minute ballot mailings.
And the Postal Service said it hasn’t changed its own longstanding advice for voters: They should get their ballots in the mail at least a week before their state’s deadline for receiving them.
Hanna writes for the Associated Press. AP writers Scott Bauer in Madison, Wis., Michael R. Blood in Los Angeles, Michael Casey in Boston, and Jacqueline GaNun in Lansing, Mich., contributed to this report.
MI London and London Spirit goes down to the final ball as the first women’s London derby of the season ends in a tie in The Hundred at The Oval.
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Palestinians inspect a destroyed mosque following an Israeli air strike in Gaza, Tuesday. The Palestinian Ministry of Health said at least four people were killed in Israeli attacks across the territory on Tuesday. Photo by Mohammed Saber/EPA
July 29 (UPI) — The Israeli military on Wednesday accused Hamas of storing weapons inside a mosque it bombed in northern Gaza on Tuesday, an allegation Palestinian sources called false.
The mosque was “another example of terror organizations using civilian infrastructure for terror purposes,” The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli military.
Israel said the weapons were to be used in attacks on Israeli troops in Gaza and Israeli civilians, and the sites were hit “to remove the threat.”
The Hamas government said the allegations were “entirely false” and that Israel used the claim “to justify its attacks on mosques,” The New York Times reported. There were no reports of deaths from the mosque attack, but there were four deaths from attacks in Gaza, the Palestinian Ministry of Health reported.
The Israeli military said it gave advance warning of the attack to civilians “to mitigate the risk of harm to them.”
“It was a terrifying sound,” Riyad al-Masri, 31, who lives near the mosque, told The New York Times. “It shook the ground.”
Despite a cease-fire signed in October, Israel has increased its attacks on Gaza in recent weeks.
More than 1,200 people have been killed in Gaza since the cease-fire, on top of more than 73,000 killed during the war, according to the Gaza health ministry. Its list does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, The New York Times reported.
Under the 20-point peace plan for Gaza negotiated by the United States, Hamas was required to disarm. The group has agreed to give up administrative control of Gaza, but it has not yet agreed to disarm.
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai said earlier this month that Israel would continue strikes in Gaza if Hamas doesn’t disarm, The New York Times reported.
“At the end of the day, this place will be demilitarized, and there will be no Hamas,” he said in remarks published by Channel 14, a right-wing Israeli TV station.
Taiz, Yemen – Fuad Mohammed has been working as a construction labourer for more than 25 years. The 46-year-old has seen things get progressively worse in Yemen’s construction industry since the war in the country started more than a decade ago, and then further deteriorate after the US-Israel war on Iran began in late February, with its devastating economic impact on the wider region.
“We can barely eke out a living for our families,” Fuad told Al Jazeera.
list of 3 itemsend of list
The ongoing regional war has damaged economies across the Middle East, with government-controlled areas of Yemen bearing a heavy burden as commodity prices soar. Among the hardest-hit sectors is fuel: in January, 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of diesel cost 25,000 Yemeni riyals ($17), but today that price has skyrocketed to 45,000 riyals ($30). That massive spike has triggered a domino effect, driving up the costs of all goods and services dependent on fuel and transportation – including construction.
As a result, countless construction projects across those areas – in Yemen’s east and southwest – have ground to a halt.
Fuad explained that, before the US-Israel-Iran war, he was able to find work for around two weeks every month. But this year, he has now gone several months with barely any work.
“The price hikes in building materials have frustrated both homeowners and construction labourers,” Fuad said. “Those who want to build find that their budgets are no longer enough, and we are left with no work.”
Fuad recalled that he briefly found work in May for a woman who had saved money to build a home for her family. However, when a fresh wave of price increases hit the market, she paused construction to wait for prices to drop.
“I also work with construction contractors, but most of them have paused their projects at the request of homeowners,” he added. “When I call them, they tell me they are waiting for regional conditions to improve.”
As an example of the rising costs, the price of a truckload of sand increased from 130,000 Yemeni riyals ($87) to 190,000 riyals ($127), while the average cost of one metre of window glass rose from 90,000 riyals ($60) to 130,000 riyals ($87).
Fuad’s situation at home is desperate. Relying entirely on daily wages but having no work, he can not provide basic essentials for his family. He has considered finding another job, but he lacks professional experience in other fields.
In a desperate attempt to find work, he has lowered his daily wage from 25,000 Yemeni riyals ($17) to 20,000 riyals ($13).
“My situation is getting worse every day,” he said.
An official from the Yemen Petroleum Company in Aden told the Reuters news agency in May that the increase in the price of diesel was caused by the worsening supply crisis and rising global fuel prices, driven by regional tensions and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, alongside increased transportation and marine insurance costs. The official noted that the measure was temporary and would remain in place until the end of the crisis and conditions returned to normal.
Wafeeq Saleh, executive director of the Taiz Center for Yemeni-Gulf Studies, explained that the Yemeni economy was particularly susceptible to external economic shocks.
“Any disruptions in global commodity markets directly affect the local market because [Yemen] imports nearly 90 percent of its needs,” Saleh told Al Jazeera. “Consequently, the local rise in commodity and fuel prices is a natural outcome of surging global prices, shipping tensions in the Strait of Hormuz, as well as increased maritime insurance and freight fees.”
In areas controlled by Yemen’s Houthi rebels, however, including the capital Sanaa, there has not yet been a sharp increase in fuel prices, and therefore no impact on the construction industry – yet.
Yemen’s war has entrenched two separate economic structures in the country, with the central bank bifurcated between Aden and Sanaa, and two different exchange rates operating for the Yemeni riyal.
The Houthi group is already facing popular anger over a weak economy, as it grows increasingly isolated regionally and internationally. The group has so far avoided an increase in the price of fuel, with 20 litres (5.3 gallons) of diesel costing 9,500 Yemeni riyals, which at the exchange rate set in Sanaa is the equivalent of roughly $18.
“[The Houthis] may have sufficient inventory from previous months, which is why the local market hasn’t been affected,” Saleh said. “However, the impact will appear in the coming period when imports are made at the new price.”
The actions of the pro-Iranian Houthis themselves have contributed to the increase in global oil prices. Having sat out the Iran war for its first few months, the Houthis recently began attacks against Saudi ships passing through the Red Sea, after the Yemeni government and the Saudi-led coalition that backs it refused to allow a plane from Iran to land in Sanaa. The Houthi attacks mean that the transportation of oil from the Gulf is now disrupted in both the Strait of Hormuz and the Red Sea, and has contributed to oil prices going past $100 a barrel for the first time since May.
Lutf Zuraiqi, 58, had saved some money to build a home, but the dramatic increase in the cost of building materials forced him to pause the project until “things get better”.
“Price increases aren’t new in Yemen, but I believe this current surge is regional. I believe as soon as the regional war ends, building materials will return to their old prices,” Zuraiqi told Al Jazeera.
Zuraiqi has been following news of the Iran war on a daily basis because its end would mean lower material costs for him and the chance to resume building his planned home.
“The government promised that prices will go back down after the [US-Iran] war ends,” he said. “So this time I’m choosing to believe them and hope I will manage to finish my home.”
Mohammed Jameel, on the other hand, hasn’t been following the news – but the building contractor has been tracking prices of building materials instead. The 59-year-old believes that, based on his experience, once the price of the materials goes up, they never come down.
“I have worked in construction for more than four decades now, and throughout this entire period, building material prices have consistently risen,” Jameel said. “We have never witnessed a price drop. So, I advise those who have paused their construction to resume, as today is always better than tomorrow.”
Jameel said that he has been forced to reduce his rates and cut profit margins on major contracts to keep some work.
“My experience tells me it is normal for owners of homes and projects to pause work until they adapt to the new prices,” he added. “But eventually, construction labourers’ wages will rise, and the total cost of building will increase.”
Jameel feels for the plight of construction labourers, but he views this as a temporary phase and believes the suffering will ease once work picks up again. “We are all in the same boat, not just the daily wage labourers,” he said. “But we hope things will get better.”
SiriusXM is leaning into its sporty side.
The satellite radio company is launching a new subscription plan built specifically for sports fans, called the Sports Pass. For $5 a month, listeners will be able to follow live game broadcasts for every home and away game for nearly every major sporting event.
Launching Sept. 1, SiriusXM will offer one of sports media’s most comprehensive packages, including everything from the latest Formula One race to international soccer.
“SiriusXM Sports Pass brings that vision to life for sports fans by putting every game and event we carry, hometown voices, national personalities and the daily sports conversation into one simple, affordable subscription,” said Jennifer Witz, SiriusXM’s chief executive, in a statement. “No matter who you cheer for or where you listen, it brings you closer to the teams and voices that matter most to you.”
The subscription includes coverage of the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL; every NASCAR, IndyCar and Formula One race; the PGA Tour; WWE events among others. In addition to the live broadcasts, the Sports Pass will also include expert analysis, podcasts and 24 local sports stations, including ESPN LA 710.
The introduction of the subscription package emphasizes sports as an essential part of SiriusXM’s business. The company said in a statement that sports is one of its biggest engagement drivers and that more subscribers than ever are tuning in to sports. Other subscriptions include its All Music tier for $11.99 a month or its All Access tier for $25.99 monthly, which includes music, sports and news.
By having these sports available through a single subscription, SiriusXM is “creating a one-stop shop for any sports fan who’s listening to the radio,” said sports media analyst Lee Berke. This kind of convenience often increases the time listeners are willing to spend on a platform, he added.
“If all sports and all major coverage is available throughout one service, then there’s no reason to go anywhere else,” Berke said. “If you want to maintain subscribership 24/7, 365, you have to have all these things. You don’t want to just appeal to one type of sports fan.”
Outside of sports, SiriusXM is well known for its curated music channels, like Pitbull’s Globalization and The Kelly Clarkson Connection, and talk shows hosted by on-air personalities Howard Stern and Andy Cohen. The radio company, headquartered in New York, reaches roughly 255 million listeners and has 33 million subscribers, making it one of North America’s leading audio companies. SiriusXM also owns the streaming service Pandora, which it acquired for $3.5 billion in 2019.
“Every new channel, artist performance, live event, and creator collaboration advances our vision for the future of audio,” Witz said.
Earnings Call Insights: General Dynamics (GD) Q2 2026
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WASHINGTON — President Trump and the Justice Department are asking the Supreme Court to toss an $83 million defamation verdict won by writer E. Jean Carroll after she accused him of sexual assault, saying he can’t be sued for comments he made while he was president.
It’s the second time Trump has asked the justices to nix damages awarded by a jury to Carroll, a longtime advice columnist and former TV talk show host. The Supreme Court refused in June to hear his appeal of another verdict, for $5 million, that found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation.
The latest case centers on comments Trump made during his first term as president. The Justice Department wants to invoke the Westfall Act, which shields government employees from being sued for doing their jobs.
“Absent this Court’s intervention, the sitting President is facing nearly a hundred million dollars of personal liability for conduct that was well within the scope of his federal office,” federal attorneys wrote. “That alone deserves this Court’s attention.”
The appeal was filed electronically and is expected to be formally docketed with the court Wednesday.
Trump’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that an appeals court “engaged in procedural contortions” to avoid addressing Trump’s claims that presidential immunity protects him from the $83 million award because he made the statements in question in 2019 while he was president.
The lawyers argued that the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan ruled in a manner that “cries out for this Court’s review in this unprecedented case” and called the damages “grossly excessive.”
“This is the first case in our nation’s history in which a court has imposed damages liability on a president for his conduct in office,” the lawyers wrote.
Carroll’s lawyers have declined to comment on the latest Trump filing.
Trump has long argued he cannot be sued over comments he made about Carroll during his first term where he disavowed knowing her and attacked her motivations for going public with her story in a recent memoir. He’s also asking the Supreme Court justices to reconsider their rejection of his appeal in the $5 million verdict.
The appeal comes about two years after the Supreme Court granted Trump broad immunity from criminal prosecution as a former president.
Carroll testified twice before New York juries that Trump sexually assaulted her in spring 1996 in a dressing room at Bergdorf Goodman, a luxury retailer across the street from Trump Tower. She first went public with the claims in a 2019 memoir.
She sued Trump for defamation after he accused her of making up the allegation to help book sales, adding that he’d never met her and “she’s not my type.” He has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
A Manhattan jury awarded her $83 million in damages in January 2024. Lower courts have so far rejected Trump’s appeals to overturn the verdict, though the New York-based appeals court split over the decision and agreed to delay that payout until the Supreme Court weighs in.
In 2023, another jury said Carroll was entitled to $5 million after concluding that Trump had subjected her to sexual abuse in the department store encounter and for defamation for remarks he had made after his first term ended. That judgment has been paid.
The Associated Press does not identify people who say they have been sexually assaulted unless they come forward publicly, as Carroll has done.
Whitehurst and Neumeister write for the Associated Press. Neumeister reported from New York.
Another failed summer. Another broken promise.
The most underachieving team on the Los Angeles sports landscape is embarrassingly stumbling through another season.
The Sparks stink. Again.
They’re not making the playoffs. Again.
There’s no reason to watch them even though there’s more than a month left on their schedule. Again.
For the sixth consecutive season, one of the WNBA’s legacy franchises has come apart at the seams, tattering the franchise’s three-championship history with a sordid record that mandates a clear response.
Trade your best player.
Trade Kelsey Plum.
The trade deadline is Sunday so do it quickly, and do it boldly, sending her to the sort of playoff contender who would find her worthy of young talent and draft picks.
Trade KP and do it now.
Yes, her 25-point scoring average would rank second in the league if she had not missed half the games with injuries.
Truly, she is arguably the team’s biggest attraction with the sort of Hollywood flash that overshadows even Nneka Ogwumike.
Indeed, the hard-nosed ballplayer elicits more screams and sells more tickets than any other Sparks player.
Trade her anyway. Swallow hard and make it happen. Out of a million reasons, here are just three.
First, her contract expires at the end of the season and she reportedly does not want to spend her prime years on a losing team. Can you blame her? Trade her before you lose her for nothing.
Nneka Ogwumike shoots over Chloe Bibby of the Chicago Sky during a game this month.
(Geoff Stellfox / Getty Images)
Second, at age 31, she is the team’s most valuable asset, and would command a high price among contenders looking for a shooter with a championship pedigree.
Third, this would be a powerful first move in a season-ending tank job.
You read that right. The Sparks should tank. They should tank hard. Tank, tank, tank. They should do anything it takes to have the best chance at nabbing the first pick in the 2027 draft and a chance to take USC phenom JuJu Watkins. The pursuit of Watkins, who will need to be convinced to give up her final year of college eligibility, should be the organization’s most important priority.
Anything for JuJu, and that includes trading Plum. While they’re at it, could they also please dump the massively disappointing Ariel Atkins and Erica Wheeler? Those two busts were part of the Sparks’ ill-conceived attempt last offseason to build a veteran team that could immediately compete.
It didn’t work, and now the Sparks have only four players who should be welcomed back next year — Cameron Brink, Rae Burrell, Dearica Hamby and Ogwumike.
Without Plum, Brink can have more space to work inside. Without Plum, Burrell can score 25 points a game. It’s a tank, but it’s not necessarily an ugly tank.
The front office should also be cleansed. Former general manager Raegan Pebley is already gone, meaning coach Lynne Roberts is next, probably fired the day after the season ends.
Cameron Brink is pressured by Indiana Fever guard Lexie Hull during a game in May.
(Jae C. Hong / Associated Press)
Their replacements might be anonymous shadow dwellers, but that’s OK. The Sparks need to not hire college wonders — no Cori Close — and enlist some good old-fashioned WNBA veteran thinkers and evaluators and leaders.
The Sparks basically need to start from scratch, and it starts with a major move sometime in the next five days.
Trade KP.
Please?
“We pushed in a lot of chips this year, and we had good reason to do that, but the reality is it hasn’t gone as we’d hoped or expected,” said Farhan Zaidi, special advisor to Sparks’ owner Mark Walter. “Now we have to be open for anything. Everything has to be on the table for us. We have to take a long-term perspective rather than focusing on the rest of the season.”
In other words, the trade light is lit!
Zaidi wouldn’t comment on specific players or club personnel, only to note that the Sparks cannot grow as constituted.
“We have to be realistic where we are,” he said. “We don’t want to be that team stuck in the middle.”
In other words, keeping Plum might give them a few more wins, but to what end? They contend for the final playoff berth only to fall short? And if they make it, how long would they last against a powerhouse like Minnesota? For a big-market, win-now team like the Sparks, mediocrity is a death knell.
Zaidi trusts that Sparks fans will understand, and I agree.
Their growing fan base is as smart as they are passionate. They understand that to break this losing spell, the Sparks will have to break with franchise tradition and basically give up on this season to build hope for the next.
My daughter and fellow season-ticket holder MC was quick to react when I told her I was going to advocate trading Plum.
The Sparks should trade Kelsey Plum before she walks away as a free agent.
(Aryanna Frank / Getty Images)
“Write it,” she said. “I want hope.”
Zaidi thinks other fans will agree.
“We have very smart fans, I don’t want to patronize them as to where we are,” he said. ”Our dedicated fans will understand if we have to take a step back to get to that championship level. I can step back if I feel like we’re building something.”
Zaidi noted, “I think it can happen quickly.”
He’s right. In a league in which a team like Golden State can contend for a title in only its second season, in a space where both of this year’s expansion teams — Toronto and Portland — can have better records than the Sparks, rebuilding doesn’t take much.
If the Sparks get some young talent and draft picks for Plum, then sign a top free agent by using the construction of their new practice facility as a selling point… who knows?
The Sparks need to do whatever it takes to become the Sparks again.
Hello, hope.
Goodbye, KP.
Disruptions across Strait of Hormuz, Bab al-Mandeb and the Black Sea threaten supplies and raise costs for consumers.
Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains in effect halted.
Tankers are now avoiding another critical waterway – Bab al-Mandeb – as Yemen’s Houthi forces threaten Saudi-linked vessels. Ukrainian strikes have hit Russian export infrastructure.
Three major routes are now disrupted at once: the Gulf, the Red Sea and the Black Sea.
Together, they threaten trade flows equivalent to nearly a quarter of global oil supplies just as reserves sit at multiyear lows.
Goldman Sachs says oil could rise above $120 a barrel by the fourth quarter if disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz alone persist.
Economies worldwide are bracing for another energy shock.
Published On 29 Jul 202629 Jul 2026
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Weekly insights and analysis on the latest developments in military technology, strategy, and foreign policy.
Singapore has started exploring whether to become involved in the Global Combat Air Program (GCAP), a new report suggests. While it doesn’t state that Singapore has decided to join or purchase the Tempest fighter at the center of that program, it is in line with the country’s approach to buying the F-35. At the very least, it would seem to indicate that Singapore is starting to look at the sixth-generation combat aircraft technologies that could follow the Joint Strike Fighter.
According to Janes, Singapore has begun early, informal discussions about possible participation in GCAP. These are described as exploratory, meaning Singapore is gathering information rather than negotiating membership of the program.
The report explicitly states that the Singapore government has not made any decision to become a participant in the program, which makes sense considering that the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is still waiting to receive its first F-35s.
GCAP is a joint next-generation air combat program led by the United Kingdom, Japan, and Italy, aiming to field the Tempest sixth-generation combat jet and wider air combat system by around 2035. With the demise of the pan-European Future Combat Air System (FCAS), GCAP is the preeminent Western sixth-generation fighter effort outside of the United States.
GCAP is intended to include not only the Tempest crewed fighter but also an integrated ecosystem of AI-enabled systems, advanced sensors, networking, air-launched weapons, and autonomous ‘loyal wingman’ aircraft.
As for the RSAF, this is a notably modern and capable force, benefitting from considerable investment throughout the years.
It is currently spearheaded by a combat fleet of 40 F-15SGs, plus 49 F-16C/Ds, a combination of Block 52 and Block 52+ jets.
Next, the RSAF will receive eight conventional takeoff and landing (CTOL) F-35As and 12 short takeoff and vertical landing (STOVL) F-35B fighters. The F-35Bs will be the first to arrive, with deliveries due to start before the end of this year. These will initially be based at Ebbing Air National Guard Base in Arkansas for training, with the first F-35Bs scheduled to be stationed in Singapore from 2029.
#SGBudget2024: MINDEF will acquire 8 F-35As adding to the previously announced 12 F-35Bs. Steady defence spending allowed this calculated decision, including the mid-life upgrade of the F16s before they are progressively drawn down from mid-2030s onwards & replaced by the F-35s. pic.twitter.com/NV4EgUEF8s
— Ministry of Defence (@mindefsg) February 28, 2024
In total, Singapore covers an area of less than 280 square miles, putting unique strains on the RSAF.
In preparation for the F-35B, the RSAF is extending the runway at Pulau Sudong, an offshore location, which will reduce the noise burden on more populated areas. The existing runway will be extended from around 6,500 feet to approximately 9,800 feet, with work to be completed by 2028. The growing demand for training capacity is something that has previously led the RSAF to look at having a detachment in Guam, but the reworked Pulau Sudong should help address the issue.
The RSAF has traditionally acquired the best available Western-made equipment to meet its combat aircraft needs. Looking at what is currently the only sixth-generation combat jet that is likely to be available to Singapore for the foreseeable future makes sense. However, as Roy Choo, a defense journalist and TWZ contributor, noted, deeper involvement in GCAP would be years away.
“From this news, it appears they may have identified a future requirement for a sixth-generation fighter, although this is unlikely to transition into a program of record for at least another two decades,” Choo explained. “As with most operators, Singapore engages with industry to stay informed about available market offerings all the time.”
In the next decade or so, the RSAF will likely remain focused on its F-35A/B program and on bringing these aircraft up to full operational capability.
Another upcoming program will be a midlife upgrade for the F-15SG, deliveries of which first began in 2008. Choo expects work on this to begin once the ongoing F-16 upgrade is finished. The F-16s are set to remain in service into the mid-2030s, according to Singapore Chief of Air Force Maj. General Kelvin Fan. The F-15SG will be around longer, giving considerable lead time for it to be replaced by a sixth-generation platform.
When it comes to a path to a potential Singapore Tempest acquisition, it is worth looking at the approach taken with the F-35.
Singapore joined the F-35 program as a Security Cooperative Participant (SCP) in 2003 when it identified the fifth-generation fighter as a potential replacement for its F-16s. At that time, Choo notes, Singapore was still receiving its F-16s and was yet to select a contender for its Next Fighter Replacement Program (NFRP) — it eventually chose the F-15SG in 2005.
Singapore placed an initial order for four F-35B in 2020, a full 17 years after joining the program as an SCP. This is very much an indication of the long-term view Singapore takes in its defense procurement.
If Singapore were to join GCAP, it would likely be part of a long-term view toward acquiring a sixth-generation fighter capability.
While Singapore has maintained generally good relations with Beijing, it is acutely aware of its economic vulnerability in the face of rising tensions in the South China Sea as China makes increasingly forceful moves to assert its claims in the region. With China preparing for potential contingencies in the South China Sea through the continued expansion of its anti-access and area-denial (A2/AD) capabilities in the region, the People’s Liberation Army Air Force — busy working on its own sixth-generation platforms — is very much the pacing threat.
Given Singapore’s prudent approach to defense procurement, it is unlikely to commit large sums of money to a program at such an early stage of development.
If pursued, a likely option would be for Singapore to join GCAP with observer status, something that Canada (another F-35 customer) recently signed up to do. “This would give greater visibility of GCAP’s governance and capabilities,” Choo added. “After all, Singapore doesn’t have the deep technological know-how as the other full-tier partners.”
“An observer status would fit with its cautious and non-committal approach to the program just as it did with the F-35 SCP membership.”
Potentially, GCAP could provide a platform for Singapore to build future relationships with other partners and secure a workshare arrangement involving supply chain and maintenance work. That would all be a long way off, however.
Logically speaking, the RSAF’s next procurement project will likely involve a collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) to build combat mass.
Interestingly, earlier this week, Singapore and Australia signed the Industrial Base Resiliency Arrangement (IBRA), which establishes a practical framework for closer defence industrial cooperation between the two nations.
The IBRA “allows both countries to engage in cross-sustainment of common defense platforms, examine priority delivery requests for defence orders, streamline equipment transfers, foster defence industry partnerships, and facilitate information exchanges to mitigate supply chain risk.”
When it comes to common defense platforms, it’s not hard to imagine that the MQ-28 Ghost Bat could be in the RSAF’s thoughts. At the same time, the F-35A and the P-8A maritime patrol aircraft will also offer commonality with Australia once they arrive in RSAF service.
Singapore has a history of studying major defense programs years before making procurement decisions. Whether it intends to buy the Tempest in the future or not, the report is the first known indication that Singapore is formally examining possible links to GCAP, and looking at sixth-generation combat aircraft more generally.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com
The Southern California Independent Bookstore Bestsellers list for Sunday, Aug. 2, 2026, including hardcover and paperback fiction and nonfiction.
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Cashea ad on the Nasdaq tower. Photo: Romina Hendlin, Cashea
Cashea just announced it raised another $60m for its Series B round, led by FinSight Ventures, bringing its total capital raised (all equity) to $100m in 2026 alone. Another amazing fit for the already impressive Venezuelan BNPL king. In the same week, we knew that Colombia’s Grupo Nutresa acquired ice cream manufacturer Tío Rico.
The big question after these two announcements is whether Venezuela has finally become investable. Does the potential return of the capacity to do business, to invest in the country, outweigh its risks? In the long and medium term, it does, but in the short run it still needs a lot of work.
Venezuela remains very dependent on oil. This sector is held closely by the State, and I speculate that, after the US took over the reins of the fuel commercial activity, a bigger size of the GDP is concentrated in oil and gas than in previous years. According to Financial Times, this year the US has collected about $13bn since January in oil revenue, while in 2025 and 2024 PDVSA reported collecting $14.7bn and $17.5bn, respectively. So we could expect at least $20bn in oil revenue by the end of the year (+30%, not bad). Until that income is divested in the economy in a hopefully efficient manner and trickles down to the sectors that directly impact the end consumer, the rest of the country’s value chains remain constrained.
So, considering we cannot count on oil yet, the rest of the economy will need to do some legwork that involves both the efforts of the public sector and the private sector to attract international investors. The headlines about Chasea and Tío Rico might suggest that this is working. However, conditions haven’t changed much since before the economic devastation.
The exchange rate gap appears to have narrowed, but recent monthly inflation figures seem to have reversed the gains in that front from previous months (6.3% in May, 13.8% in June, according to the Central Bank BCV). The biggest indicator right now to measure business sentiment, according to Guillermo Arcay (and I agree with him), is the BVC index, which has fallen from its all-time high of 7,331.21 points in March to around 5,170–5,210 points, a 29% decline that indicates the euphoria and frenzied sentiment have subsided.
First, let’s dissect the “whys” of the two major deals that have put Venezuela on a better side of the headlines after the terrible devastation of June 24th. Because in spite of the earthquakes, there were still a lot of issues that international investors need to be clearer about before they swarm the market and become part of the eventual recovery.
Investment rounds are usually carefully considered and longer to close than they appear.
Cashea was already on a path to raise an enormous amount of capital; even in a similar economic scenario without the political change and the earthquakes, they would still have raised a huge amount in 2026. However, how much upside could this new macroeconomic scenario have contributed to the rounds reaching $100 million?
The interest of these venture capital firms (Finsight Ventures, Spice Expeditions, and others) that were already investing in emerging markets stemmed more from the company itself than from the country’s promise of returning to greatness. It’s a bet on the jockey, not the horse. The reason for continuing to invest in the only relevant player in Venezuela’s BNPL sector, which Cashea basically revived by itself, is its operational efficiency, innovation genes, and discipline. They are not simply a first-mover: they did build a business to last. They make it seem easy, though it was certainly not.
The other major news came from Grupo Nutresa’s acquisition of Tio Rico, a brand loved by Venezuelans (remember Bati Bati?) and the main competitor of Helados Efe, owned by Empresas Polar.
Sold by Mack (an automobile company) for $30m according to familiar sources reported by Bloomberg, this announcement looks more like a typical baron play of buying equity in a once promising business at the price of “vacas flacas”.
Two months ago, Grupo Nutresa also bought another ice-cream-making company in Colombia called Mimo, for about $12-15m, which doesn’t sound so bad, except this company represents only 5.8% of market share in that country, while Tío Rico could easily possess 50% of the market share in Venezuela. Just double the price for 10 times the share. So in this case it was an equity play by the Gillinsky family, which controls Nutresa. They are fulfilling their prophecy of “dumping” the market with Colombian products, acquiring cheap equity stakes in major companies and not investing a single dime in CAPEX, waiting to see how things play out.
I’ve even seen the appetite for opportunities in both tech and more traditional sectors by helping international investors be exposed to those deals. The appetite is there, but the conditions aren’t right just yet; investors still need to trust the public sector before any major CAPEX investment is played out, and private companies need to demonstrate professionalism, show a strategic mindset to achieve operational efficiency, and prove their commitment to growth, which is so needed to calm the nerves of investing in Venezuela.
Low prices, equity plays in real estate, and quick wins are not enough to Make Venezuela Prosperous Again. The private sector needs to be open to innovation, be more transparent, and appeal to a language that might be unknown to them but common to foreign capital.
COLUMBIA, S.C. — The Washington powerbroker Sen. Lindsey Graham returned home to South Carolina for the last time Wednesday for his funeral and burial.
After Graham was eulogized Tuesday in the nation’s capital as an indefatigable dealmaker by the president, vice president and others, mourners in Columbia prepared to remember him Wednesday as the son of pool hall owners who never forgot his roots.
Graham seemed to know every small-town mayor and police chief and the location of every Chick-fil-A across South Carolina. His PAC made sure Republicans had money to run in legislative and local elections across the state.
Graham died suddenly on July 11 at his home in Washington, likely of an aortic tear, according to preliminary findings. He had just returned from a whirlwind trip to a NATO summit in Turkey, where he celebrated his 71st birthday, and a visit to Ukraine as he negotiated punishing sanctions against Russia. Senators voted late Tuesday to advance the package as a final gesture for their colleague.
Wednesday’s funeral was at First Baptist, the giant downtown church where his predecessor Republican Sen. Strom Thurmond was honored 23 years ago.
Graham’s body was first brought to the South Carolina Statehouse, where he started his political career in 1993, for a law enforcement ceremony and a flyover by military jets. A horse-drawn caisson then carried his casket to the church, where his family followed members of his family carrying it inside.
Graham’s burial Wednesday near his home in Pickens County was planned as a private ceremony.
On Tuesday, Graham’s flag-draped casket was at the U.S. Capitol, where the Republican spent more than 30 years talking and laughing and badgering his colleagues into action.
President Trump then joined foreign leaders at the Washington National Cathedral, a testament to Graham’s stature on the global stage.
Trump called Graham “a giant of the United States Senate, a true American original who left us much too soon.”
Graham’s death has created opportunities for change in South Carolina. Graham had already won the Republican nomination as he ran for a fifth term. Gov. Henry McMaster named his younger sister Darline to hold his seat until January. Darline Graham then surprised many by deciding to run for the full six-year term herself.
State law has Republicans holding a special primary in two weeks to decide the new nominee. Eight others are competing, including former Gov. Mark Sanford and U.S. Reps. Ralph Norman and Russell Fry.
Kinnard and Collins write for the Associated Press.
From Joaquin Ruiz: Dominic Canzone’s go-ahead home run in the eighth spoiled a Tuesday night of leaderboard climbing for Max Muncy and Shohei Ohtani as the Mariners beat the Dodgers 7-6 in the first game at Dodger Stadium since before the All-Star break on July 12.
With one out, Julio Rodríguez on first and the score tied at five, Canzone got all of Alex Vesia’s 82-mph slider, sending it 414 feet to center to help lift Seattle to its first win over the Dodgers in five years and first in Los Angeles since June 28, 2009.
“I mean it’s a pitch that’s had different results,” Vesia said. “Obviously it’s not the best pitch. I would have liked to have it more outside or more down. Kind of just flush it and on to the next one. Clearly need to be better in that situation. I felt like my stuff was good after that.”
Added manager Dave Roberts: “Alex made a really bad pitch, [an] 0-1 slider that was middle-middle, and they were hitting the ball out of the ballpark. So, that’s kind of the tale of the run prevention tonight.”
The Dodgers (67-40), with some much-needed help from dubious Mariners fielding, did have Ohtani on third and Muncy on second as the tying and game-winning runs in the ninth. But Seattle reliever Andrés Muñoz survived, putting an end to the thrilling opener of this three-game series.
Seattle won the offensive slugfest with 10 hits and five home runs to the home team’s 13 hits and two homers.
Shaikin: The Dodgers’ three-peat chance may never come again. Trade accordingly
Dusty Baker’s peers expect him to become the first Black manager in the Hall of Fame
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Yordan Alvarez homered and hit a go-ahead RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning to lift the Houston Astros to a 3-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday night.
Christian Walker added a solo homer while Houston relievers Enyel De Los Santos, Bryan Abreu, Steven Okert and Josh Hader combined for four hitless innings. Okert (4-1) threw a scoreless eighth to earn the win and Hader threw a four-pitch ninth for his 14th save.
The Astros won for the seventh time in eight games to remain two games behind Texas in the American League West. The last-place Angels have lost 17 of 22 games.
From Steve Galluzzo: On a night when a franchise legend had her jersey raised to the rafters, the Sparks played with inspiration and determination but were unable to snap their losing streak, falling to the New York Liberty 113-109 on Tuesday at Crypto.com Arena.
The Sparks (10-17) have lost six straight.
Down 11 with 3:30 left, the Sparks pulled to within 112-109 on Nneka Ogwumike’s three-pointer with 15 seconds left, but Breanna Stewart sank the second of two free throws with 13.9 seconds left to ice it for New York (16-12).
Despite the absence of leading scorer Kelsey Plum, who is averaging 23.9 points a game but has been sidelined with a lower leg injury since the teams’ prior meeting June 25, the Sparks had a balanced attack with six players in double figures.
Rae Burrell led the charge with 24 points, Ogwumike added 21 points and nine assists, Erica Wheeler had 17 points and nine assists, Ariel Atkins had 16, Dearica Hamby had 12 and Cameron Brink had 11 for the Sparks, who squandered a chance to inch a half game in front of Portland for fifth place in the WNBA’s Western Conference. The Fire (11-17) lost to Las Vegas earlier Tuesday.
“I’m proud of my team — we were active and connected,” Sparks coach Lynne Roberts said. “We scored 30 points off of 18 turnovers, we made more field goals than them and we had 35 assists, which is a franchise record. We just didn’t get rewarded with a win.”
From Ryan Kartje: The stage was set this past summer, and Lincoln Riley was a ball of nerves.
The USC coach should’ve been used to weathering pressure by that point. After all, his previous four seasons spent coaching the Trojans had been nothing short of a powder keg, filled with ups and downs, as well as a constant undercurrent of tension and uncertainty. But in this particular case, success was out of Riley’s control. He wasn’t even near a football field.
Rather, he was sitting in the audience of a local dance recital, waiting on his two young daughters, Sloan and Stella, who were each making their solo dancing debut with their company.
“This was the first year, stepping out on their own, no one else to rely on,” Riley said. “But they told me, ‘Dad, we’ve got it.’”
Entering his fifth and most pivotal season yet at USC, their father can relate to that sentiment. While the spotlight burns brighter than ever and the collective college football world is spinning 2026 as a make-or-break moment for Riley, the coach had never sounded so confident that his Trojans had turned a corner than he did Tuesday.
“I’ve felt the pressure to win every single year here,” Riley said during Big Ten media days. “What does feel different is that I think our opportunity to do that is greater than what it has been. It just flat out is. The things you need to win, we have more of than we had in the first four years.”
1751 — The first International World Title Prize Fight takes place in Harlston, England. The champion, Jack Slack of England, beats the challenger, M. Petit of France, in 25 minutes.
1934 — Paul Runyan beats Craig Wood on the 38th hole to win the PGA Championship at Park Country Club in Williamsville, N.Y.
1956 — Cathy Cornelius wins a playoff over Barbara McIntyre to win the U.S. Women’s Open.
1957 — At the Polo Grounds in New York, Floyd Patterson TKOs Tommy Jackson at 1:52 of the 10th round to retain the heavyweight title.
1960 — The first American Football League preseason game is played in Buffalo, N.Y. The Boston Patriots, led by quarterback Butch Songin, beat the Bills 28-7 before 16,474 fans at War Memorial Stadium.
1979 — Amy Alcott shoots a 7-under 285 to beat Nancy Lopez in the Peter Jackson Classic, later named The du Maurier Classic. The du Maurier is one of the LPGA Tour’s major championships from 1979-2000.
1986 — The U.S. Football League wins and loses in its lawsuit against the NFL. The jury finds the NFL violated antitrust laws, as the USFL claimed, but awards the USFL only $1 in damages.
1989 — Cuba’s Javier Sotomayor becomes the first person to high jump 8 feet, breaking his world record at the Caribbean Championship in San Juan, Puerto Rico. He surpasses his mark of 7-11½.
1990 — Beth Daniel shoots a 66 to overcome a 5-shot deficit and win the LPGA Championship — her first major title in 12 years on the tour. Daniel beats Rosie Jones by one stroke and pockets $150,000, the largest in LPGA Tour history.
1992 — The U.S. 400-meter freestyle relay team wins the gold medal, with Matt Biondi and Tom Jager becoming the first U.S. male swimmers to win golds in three Olympics.
1996 — Michael Johnson sweeps to victory in an Olympic 400-meter record 43.49 seconds, while Carl Lewis leaps into history in Atlanta. Lewis’ long jump of 27 feet, 10¾ inches earns him his ninth gold medal, equaling the American mark held by swimmer Mark Spitz.
2001 — Copa América Final, Estadio El Campín, Bogotá: Defender Iván Córdoba scores winner as home team Columbia edge Mexico, 1-0.
2008 — Disgraced ex-NBA official Tim Donaghy admits he brought shame on his profession as a federal judge sentenced him to 15 months behind bars for a gambling scandal.
2012 — Kimberly Rhode wins the Olympic gold medal in women’s skeet shooting, becoming the first American to take an individual-sport medal in five consecutive Olympics.
2012 — Dana Vollmer of the U.S. sets a world record to win the 100-meter butterfly at the London Olympics. Vollmer hits the wall in 55.98 seconds to shave 0.08 off the mark set by Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden at the 2009 world championships in Rome.
2015 — Russia’s Natalya Ishchenko wins a record 18th career synchronized swimming gold medal at the world championships at Kazan, Russia.
2021 — Sunisa Lee wins the women’s all-around gymnastics gold medal in Tokyo.
Compiled by the Associated Press
1908 — Rube Waddell struck out 16, sending the St. Louis Browns past the Philadelphia A’s 5-4.
1911 — Joe Wood of the Boston Red Sox beat the St. Louis Browns with a 5-0 no-hitter in the first game of a doubleheader. Wood fanned 12 and allowed three baserunners on two walks and a hit batsman.
1915 — Honus Wagner, 41, became the oldest player to hit a grand slam as Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn 8-2. The grand slam was an inside-the-park homer. Wagner remained the record holder until 1985, when Tony Perez hit one the day before his 43rd birthday.
1928 — The Cleveland Indians scored eight runs in the first inning and nine more in the second and went on to beat the New York Yankees 24-6 at Dunn Field. Johnny Hodapp singled twice in the second and sixth innings.
1936 — The Brooklyn Dodgers beat the St. Louis Cardinals 22-7 in the first game of a doubleheader, then lost the second game 5-4.
1955 — Smoky Burgess of the Cincinnati Reds hit three home runs and drove in nine runs in a 16-5 rout of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Crosley Field.
1968 — George Culver of the Cincinnati Reds pitched a 6-1 no-hitter against the Phillies in the second game of a doubleheader at Philadelphia.
1983 — Steve Garvey of the San Diego Padres ended his NL record of 1,207 consecutive games played. The streak ended when he dislocated his thumb in a collision with Atlanta pitcher Pascual Perez while trying to score.
2000 — Eddie Taubensee hit a tying homer with two out in the ninth and homered again in the 11th to lead Cincinnati to a 4-3 win over Montreal.
2001 — Craig Monroe homered in his first major league at-bat, and the Texas Rangers beat Tampa Bay 2-0.
2003 — Boston’s Bill Mueller became the first player in major league history to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a game and connected for three homers in a 14-7 win at Texas.
2006 — Tomas Perez tied a major league record with four doubles, going 5-for-5 and leading the Tampa Bay Devil Rays to a 19-6 rout of the New York Yankees.
2010 — Anibal Sanchez pitched a one-hitter, leading the Florida Marlins past the San Francisco Giants 5-0. Sanchez retired his first 13 batters and matched a career high with eight strikeouts.
2018 — The Hall of Fame inducts one of the largest classes in its history. Honored are Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones, Jack Morris, Jim Thome and Alan Trammell.
2022 — Aaron Judge hits two more homers in leading the Yankees to an 11-5 win over the Royals. He now has 41 on the season, tying the American League record for most before the end of July held by Hall of Famers Babe Ruth, Jimmie Foxx and Ken Griffey Jr. Judge will set a new record with another homer tomorrow.
Compiled by the Associated Press
That concludes today’s newsletter. If you have any feedback, ideas for improvement or things you’d like to see, email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
July 29 (UPI) — The stock market opened with the Dow falling 400 points on Wednesday ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee’s latest interest rate decision.
The committee will announce its decision on Wednesday afternoon with Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh making his second address since being appointed. Economic indicators point to the Fed holding interest rates at a target range of 3.5% to 3.75%.
“My colleagues and I recognize that high inflation has been an undue burden on American households and businesses,” Warsh said during a Senate Banking Committee hearing earlier this month. “The members of our committee have no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation and we share a resolute commitment to restore price stability.”
The war in Iran has increased economic pressure, driven by rising fuel costs as the United States and Iran use the crucial Strait of Hormuz as a point of negotiation. The annual inflation rate rose to 4.2% in May on the back of rising gas prices.
The Federal Reserve has maintained a target goal of 2% annual inflation rate.
The average fuel price in the United States is $4.09 per gallon for regular grade gasoline on Wednesday, AAA reports.
The Federal Reserve will announce its interest rate decision at 2 p.m. EDT, followed by an address by Warsh at 2:30 p.m. EDT.
An Indian student from Bihar says he has been charged over ‘Cockroach’ protests despite being in Russia for the last four months. Hundreds of students across India have faced arrest for participating in the youth-led demonstrations.
Published On 29 Jul 202629 Jul 2026
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JARED Leto has broken his silence on allegations of criminal sexual conduct, calling them “categorically false”.
Four women including accused the Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman of criminal sexual conduct, with one alleging he raped her as a teenager.
He said: “I have never sexually assaulted anyone in my entire life. These claims are absolutely and categorically false.”
The allegations against the Oscar winner, 54, date from when the women were aged between 16 and 19.
One accuser alleges she had sex with Leto when she was 17, which under Californian laws would be classed as statutory rape.
The Hollywood star, aged 34 at the time, invited the woman and a friend to his Californian home, the alleged accuser told the BBC.
She claims Leto told her friend to wait in a separate room as the alleged rape took place.
A second woman claims she was sexually assaulted in a “dingy” Las Vegas motel bathroom when she was 17.
Leto, who was in his early 30s at the time, allegedly invited the girl into the bathroom as he showered and made her touch him inappropriately.
A third claims the Dallas Buyers Club star threatened her with sexual assault when she was 19 after the pair were left alone in a hotel room.
The allegations came after a Thirty Seconds to Mars concert at London’s O2 Arena in 2013 when Leto would have been 41.
A fourth accused Leto of grooming her and alleges he once took advantage of his celebrity status by making repeated sexually explicit phone calls to her when she was 16.
He suggested they should have sex on at least one occasion, the alleged victim claims.
The accusations all come from a new BBC documentary titled Jared Leto: Hollywood‘s Dark Secret.
The BBC claims they have seen at least one non-disclosure agreement (NDA) sent to a woman aimed at preventing her from talking about her relationship with Leto.
Another woman also accuses the Morbius lead of ordering a security guard to take her backstage at a music festival when she was 14.
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
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A MAJOR European airport is set to close for months in 2028, impacting all flights.
Charleroi Airport in Brussels, Belgium, will close for 11 weeks as its runway is renovated and the airport is revamped.
All flights will be impacted between August 15 and October 31 – which includes travellers heading away during both the school summer holidays and October half-term break.
Charleroi Airport is the second largest airport in Belgium.
It will undergo a number of updates during the closure, estimated to cost around €50million (£42.8million).
Airlines that operate to and from the airport include popular budget carriers, Ryanair and Wizz Air.
Read more on travel inspo
For UK travellers, this will include flights from and to Newcastle and Manchester.
Airlines will need to temporarily reroute their flights to different airports.
Currently there is no further information of what this will look like although is likely to mean cancellations and diverted.
According to several reports, the airport stated: “A complete refurbishment of Charleroi airport’s sole runway, together with other major infrastructure modernisation works, has been scheduled by SOWAER (the company behind the works) for the second half of 2028.”
Works include completely resurfacing the 3,200 metre runway.
The works are expected to impact two million travellers.
The Sun has contacted Charleroi Airport for comment.
The destination is easy to reach from the UK(Image: Getty Images)
Wildfires are currently raging across large parts of southern Europe. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece have all been affected – and this could potentially have a knock-on effect to British summer holiday plans.
These nations are often among those favoured by UK tourists during the warm summer months, but these nations may be too warm at the moment with temperatures surging past 40C.
France’s president Emmanuel Macron described the escalating situation as the nation’s worst wildfire crisis since World War Two, with firefighters battling blazes around the clock. Flames are also spreading at an alarming rate across Spain, while active fires continue to rage in northern and central Portugal, as well as Sicily and parts of southern Italy.
With this in mind travel experts have been suggesting potential alternatives if people want to take a so-called ‘coolcation’, and one name keeps cropping up.
Several industry insiders suggested to Reach PLC that people might consider visiting Norway, and Scandinavia more broadly, owing to the milder temperatures that come with heading north instead of south, reports the Express.
Jacqueline Mondelli, of travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth, was among those to recommend Norway. She added: “Similar to last summer, we’re seeing coolcations draw travellers away from the traditional European hotspots like Italy, France, and Spain, in lieu of cooler climates and outdoor adventures.”
Emily Grossman, travel expert with the site TrustedHousesitters, said Norway could be a possibility for travellers looking for cooler climes: “For holiday travellers still weighing up their plans, it’s worth considering destinations less exposed to extreme heat and drought.
“We’re already seeing cooler summer climate choices reflected in TrustedHousesitters’ booking data. House-sitting stays in Norway up nearly 30% year-on-year, and Denmark is up over 24%.”
Norway, Denmark and Sweden are all straightforward to get to from the UK, with direct flights available from a range of airports across the country.
Alicia Hempstead, travel insurance expert at MoneySupermarket.com, suggested that those planning a holiday might want to look towards Scandinavia as an alternative destination.
She said: “As wildfires are unpredictable and can arise at any moment, especially during periods of extreme heat, it’s difficult to say where people should choose instead.
“However, the safest approach would be to choose destinations that are less prone to extreme heat, for example, countries in Scandinavia such as Denmark or Sweden.”
Tim Gunstone, of HotelPlanner, was in agreement, saying: “Tourists are choosing cooler European destinations and to travel to the hottest destinations in October rather than August.
“The biggest winner has been Scandinavia. This has seen August bookings grow by a massive 120%.”
Bryce Collins, founder of INTRO Travel, said: “If you’re set on Europe, head north. The nordics rarely see the extremes, and anywhere on a coast or a big lake stays cooler, there’s something calming about having all that water around.”
PART of a popular beach will close for the remainder of the summer holidays.
Work will start on extending Hove Beach, near Brighton in East Sussex, as well as protecting the coastline, next week.
From August 3, part of the beach will be closed for a groyne to be added, as well as thousands of tonnes of shingle.
This forms part of a wider project that started earlier in the year, to add nine new groynes – known as a groyne field – to the beach.
The section closed from next week will be between King Alfred Leisure Centre and Second Avenue.
During this time, the old groynes will be replaced with new ones while the part of the beach remains closed to the public.
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Once finished, the beach will be 25 metres longer.
Work on the beach is expected to finish in November.
Councillor Trevor Muten, Cabinet member for Transport and City Infrastructure, said: “This is a really exciting phase of the scheme. It’s going to be great to see the barge offshore and the new shingle being pumped onto the beach.
“The completed groyne field is going to ensure the homes and businesses here are better protected from climate change, rising sea levels and storms.
“We’ve seen for many years the impact storms can have, with tonnes of shingle washing up onto the promenade. This will help massively to reduce that and keep the prom accessible for everyone.”
Hove Beach is backed by a long esplanade with a cycle lane as well as a grassy area where visitors can find cafes, an amusement arcade, crazy golf and a leisure centre.
Beach huts for hire can also be found along the promenade.
Many Brits move to Benidorm for sun, sand and good food(Image: Getty Images)
Moving to Spain from the UK can be quite the transition. The pub culture and food is very different from one another since us Brits will happily devour a fish and chippy, while our Spanish friends turn to paella and tapas.
One man who swapped the England for sunny Spain is Harry Poulton – and he hasn’t looked back. Harry has become quite the local where he uses his social media platform to share advice and urge travellers to avoid three ‘no go’ areas. The Brit moved to Benidorm around 10 years ago after a lads’ holiday and vowed to never return back home.
Now after sinking his teeth into the Spanish culture for a decade, Harry revealed he hasn’t had a steak since he was back in England.
In a bid to find the best steakhouse in the area, he ventured to the Old Town’s back streets where he came across a glorious food option called the Entrecôte Steakhouse Salsa Café de Paris.
The Spanish restaurant opened its doors last month and serves up a variety of charcoal-grilled premium meats from Galicia, located in the northwestern region, with a signature sauce.
Speaking with his 67,300 TikTok followers, Harry said he was “on the hunt for a decent steakhouse in Benidorm” as he thinks he finally found one.
First he checked out the entire menu where he saw starters and mains with a strong selection of meats aged up to 21 days. Before his food turned up, Harry had to enjoy a bottle of Coca Cola which is when a waiter arrived.
Offering a range of meats, Harry was stunned as he said: “Oh my goodness I was not expecting this.” The waiter shared the selection of cuts, which included a 500g Ribeye steak, 1kg Ribeye on the bone, fillet steak and the Entrecôte steak, known as their sirloin.
A pork rib was also on offer, the only cut matured for 21 days. Harry didn’t hesitate in going for the Entrecôte, requesting it well done – something his fans weren’t keen on.
Then in a second clip, he gave a proper lowdown on the entire meal.
Harry confessed: “Now I’ve not had a steak in a proper long time and I’m not even sure I’ve had a steak in Benidorm.
“But here I am and I’m about to tuck into this and it looks insane. We also have a lovely side salad and they also dished up a burger in their signature sauce.”
Upon tucking in, Harry simply declared: “Wow, absolutely unbelievable.”
He added: “The meat itself is very very juicy, full of flavour, it’s been cooked to perfection and covered in their signature sauce.
“With the sauce, I’m detecting a bit of butter, pepper and I think there might be a bit of brandy as well and it’s really different, I’m really liking the taste. For me, the meat is really soft and juicy. It’s incredible.”
Harry also confessed to feeling slightly nervous about the meat as he dislikes seeing it raw or bloody, however the restaurant did a “really good job”. Once the main course was cleared away, he was presented with dessert – a Pain Perdu, a brioche soaked in milk with cinnamon then caramelised in butter and orange juice, along with a tiramisu.
Wrapping up the whole experience, Harry said: “And just like that I’ve finished the meal. It was incredible, mouth-watering.
“I think what makes this place stand out is that you get to choose the meat that is cooked which I think makes it 10x better because you know what you’re getting.
“The food was cooked very very well and the staff are friendly, the service is quick and I think the prices are reasonable. So if you’re looking for a decent steakhouse in Benidorm in the Old Town this is the place to go to.”
Since he shared the clips, many people fled to the comments section to share their opinion.
One admitted: “Went here last night! And not going to lie, best steak I’ve eaten in years!” Another fumed: “Well done c’mon you’re having a laugh.”
A third pointed out: “Way too expensive.” While a fourth mentioned: “Well done? Nahhhh that’s the only thing I’m going to judge you for.” And a fifth joked: “Well done? Surprised you didn’t get kicked out?”
