Month: September 2026

Guy Ritchie is back on Netflix this week with his big name cast for Season Two of hit series The Gentleman

Guy Ritchie admitted the success of his drugs thriller The Gentlemen “surprised” him and made him work even harder on the follow up series. The Gentlemen became a global success when the series launched in March 2024, having reached the global Top 10 in over 90 countries and securing the number one spot in 75. Between 2024-2025 the series generated 100 million views globally.

Speaking at a London press conference to launch the second season of The Gentlemen, Creator, Writer and Executive Producer Ritchie said: “We were quite surprised by the interest that season one provoked. And then of course the challenge is how do you keep this live and interesting.

“We have paid more attention to the second season but our principle challenge is to evoke an unpredictable but enough of the same world where we were stimulated. And the audience would feel they were given enough of something new, but a meal that they were anticipating. We are trying to thread the needle of something new and provocative and something that is also familiar enough.”

The award-winning filmmaker also discussed the difficulties of trying to come up with a story which was “new and provocative” whilst also being “familiar enough”.

“The scripts, to some degree, write themselves as characters do,” Ritchie added. “Once characters have been given a voice, it’s odd how they can unfurl their characteristics and subsequently the drama that thereby follows.”

The first season followed aristocratic Eddie Horniman, played by Theo James, who inherits the family estate and discovers that it is home to a huge weed empire. In a separate interview with other media, actor Theo was asked about the rumours of Meghan Markle making her acting comeback in Season Three, which is yet to begin filming.

“I think that is just a rumour,” Theo responded. “I don’t even know the practicalities of how one would make that happen.”

Ritchie and other cast were not asked about Meghan possible involvement at the drama’s main global press conference, despite questions being submitted on the subject.

Manda Levin, Netflix ’s scripted chief in the UK, cryptically said last week “all bets are off” when asked about Meghan.

The Gentlemen also stars Skins actress Kaya Scodelario, who plays Susie Glass. Susie teamed up in business with Eddie in the first series and is the daughter of Ray Winstone’s character Bobby Glass. On working with Winstone, 34-year-old Kaya said: “Some days I’d go home, having spent 12 hours on set honestly feeling like I’ve grown as an actor.

“Working with Ray really is a masterclass. I’ve also learned how funny and kind Ray is and that you can be both this sort of scary East End guy and also a feminist. But then Ray’s the father of three daughters so what do you expect?”

The second series begins a year on from when Eddie and Susie joined forces to work together in Bobby’s criminal empire overseas. But Bobby is making some dubious decisions which seem to be increasingly unsound and the duo have to decide what to do next.

There is also a growing tension between the pair when it comes to business.

Other cast members who attended the premiere in London’s Guildhall included Vinnie Jones, Joely Richardson, Hugh Bonneville and Chris Eubanks Jnr.

* The Gentlemen Season 2 launches September 3/today.

California lawmakers have voted to shift a state forest system away from commercial logging and pave the way for tribal co-management, delivering a win to a movement rooted in the historic timber wars.

Managed by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, the state’s 14 demonstration forests are currently required to produce and sell timber to show — or “demonstrate” — sustainable practices, while considering factors like recreation and wildlife.

AB 2494 eliminates what’s often cast as a logging mandate, instead prioritizing values such as carbon storage, wildfire resilience and biodiversity conservation. There could still be logging, but it would need to support those principles.

It also directs state officials to seek agreements with Native American tribes to integrate their traditional knowledge into managing the land. The bill now heads to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk.

“We don’t need more demonstrations of what clear cutting does to a forest — we have plenty of those,” said Assemblymember Chris Rogers (D-Santa Rosa), who authored the bill. If the forests are being used to show how to boost commercial logging gains, “then that is not how we want to use our public assets.”

At the center of the discussion is Jackson Demonstration State Forest, spanning nearly 50,000 acres in Mendocino County. For decades, loggers and environmentalists have clashed over the fate of its stately redwoods.

About five years ago, tensions reignited when community members caught wind of plans to cut towering trees near the coastal town of Caspar.

Tribes whose historic homelands fall within the forest became leading voices in the effort to halt logging, with the Coyote Valley Band of Pomo Indians’ Priscilla Hunter emerging as a major force. She has since passed away but her legacy looms large in the movement.

While running for his assembly seat representing the North Coast, Rogers heard from constituents and local politicians who wanted to see the forest run differently. The bill grew in part out of those discussions.

Polly Girvin, Hunter’s former partner and a retired lawyer focused on Native American issues, called AB 2494’s passage by the Legislature “nearly miraculous.”

“We’re at a time right now where scientists are going to have to reach across the table to the Indian voice,” she said. “They feel they have a sacred obligation to manage their forest, not for commercial logging per se. So I think it’s really a meeting of science and the sacred.”

Some backers say the bill offers a new economic path forward for communities behind the so-called redwood curtain. With the decline of logging and cannabis as livelihoods, they see income from tourists attracted by ultramarathons, mushroom foraging and other outdoor activities as a financial savior.

But the push to reshape forest management is fiercely opposed by loggers and mill owners, who say their work is sustainable and provides blue-collar jobs in a region where they’ve dwindled. Already California imports most of its wood from Oregon, Washington and Canada.

The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors has supported the bill, but it’s opposed by the Rural County Representatives of California, an advocacy group representing 40 counties.

Staci Heaton, senior policy advocate for the organization, said they’re concerned that the new management goals are so vague they would expose forest projects — including wildfire research — to costly lawsuits.

“We’ve experienced the majority of the largest wildfires across the state over the last decade, and it is paramount that research and forest management knowledge be fostered in these demonstration state forests so that it can be used statewide,” Heaton said.

Currently, money from logging — roughly $8.5 million a year — pays for management of the demonstration forests. Under the latest iteration of AB 2494, it will remain one source of funding but not the only one, Rogers said.

Cal Fire’s Kevin Conway believes that if the bill becomes law, it will, in practice, limit funding. So they’d likely look to bring in money by charging day-use and other new recreation fees.

Conway, who is the agency’s chief for resource protection and improvement, added that some aspects of their mission wouldn’t change; the land would remain “actively managed.” For instance, he called wood products “a big part of our climate strategy in the built environment” and suggested it would still be prudent to understand how they’re produced in California.

“We don’t think that just locking up your forest and making a tree museum longterm will deliver biodiversity, carbon, recreation — all these things,” he said. Cal Fire has not taken a position on the legislation.

Newsom has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill.

Johnstone, who won the last of his four England caps in 2023, made 17 appearances last season but lost his starting place at relegated Wolves in December and has not played since an FA Cup loss to Liverpool in early March.

“I’m buzzing to be here and I’m excited to get going,” said the goalkeeper, who began his career at Manchester United and has had spells at Aston Villa, West Bromwich Albion and Crystal Palce.

“I didn’t need convincing by anyone, but Joe Hart rang me the other day just to reiterate what a place this is, what a great group of lads and how the fans are unbelievable.

“You hear about the size of the club, but just being here for a day, you notice how big the club is. And the pressure to win, which is what I like – pressure to win, pressure to perform and we all want to win trophies.”

Kasper Schmeichel had been first choice at Celtic since the summer of 2024, but played his last game in February and subsequently retired due to a shoulder injury.

Manager Martin O’Neill said Johnstone would be “a very good addition” and that Mheuka has “great quality”.

O’Neill also said new left-back Emenalo “has many attributes which I think can benefit us”, adding he is “very quick on the ball and, while he can defend, he certainly gets up the pitch into attacking positions too.”

Sept. 2 (UPI) — Workers removed a 24-foot-tall blue sculpture by Joel Shapiro from the grounds at the John F. Kennedy Performing Arts Center on Wednesday amid President Donald Trump‘s efforts to overhaul the venue in Washington, D.C.

The abstract blue sculpture of a stick figure appearing to be mid-kick called Blue was installed outside the Kennedy Center in 2019. Shapiro, who died in 2025, said the artwork was a “celebration of possibility,” The Washington Post reported.

The National Park Service announced the temporary closure of the northbound lane of Rock Creek and Potomac Parkway between the Kennedy Center and the Potomac River to allow heavy machinery to remove the sculpture.

A representative at the Kennedy Center told The Hill the sculpture’s relocation will be determined by the Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation.

“We are deeply grateful to Joel Shapiro for the years Blue has spent animating our campus and connecting visitors to his vision,” the representative said. “We are honored to have been stewards of his vibrant work and park of his enduring legacy.”

The venue confirmed the work to remove the sculpture was done at the facility’s request but didn’t specify the reason. The Joel Shapiro and Ellen Phelan Foundation declined to comment on the move.

The removal of the sculpture is one of several changes to take place at the Kennedy Center in the past year. The Board of Trustees voted in December to add Trump’s name to the building less than a year after the president dismissed the entire existing board and named new members, who in turn elected him chairman.

Since then Trump announced the building would be renamed to include his own name, which sparked a legal battle resulting in the courts ordering his name to be removed from the facade. Trump also planned to shutter the building for two years to carry out renovations.

The star, who died aged 76, also presented the schools show Our World and pioneering deaf community shows Listening Eye and Insight.

One of the stars of Children’s ITV has died aged 76. Tributes are being paid to Peter Llewellyn-Jones, who played Mr Grimley in The Riddlers, which was a teatime fixture throughout the Nineties.

The Riddlers featured the adventures of Marjorie Dawe, played by Victoria Williams, her neighbour Montgomery Lancelot Grimley, played by Llewelyn-Jones, and two Riddlers – puppet creatures – called Mossop and Tiddler.

The show, which was produced by Yorkshire Television, was a huge success, running for 224 episodes on ITV from 1989 until 1998. Five videos, two DVDs and a series of Riddler books were also released.

Away from Riddleton End, Llewellyn-Jones also presented on Our World, an ITV schools series about how children approach life that ran during the Eighties and Nineties.

He was also a prominent British Sign Language (BSL) advocate and appeared in the children’s TV show Insight, which produced sketches and short stories for deaf and hard of hearing young people from 1980 to 1984.

Llewellyn-Jones also appeared on its successor, the BBC’s Listening Eye, a pioneering show for the deaf community which later became Sign On.

The British Deaf Association paid tribute in a signed video, saying: “Today the British Deaf Association is deeply saddened by the passing of Peter Llewellyn-Jones, a BSL champion and strong ally of the deaf community for over 50 years.

“Peter had a long and valued association with the BDA, supporting our work and contributing to BDA events over many decades.

“From the early BDA Summer Schools through to wider national Deaf community events, he played an important role in improving communication and access between Deaf and hearing people.

“Peter was a visionary leader and pioneering advocate for linguistic rights.”

One fan responded to the news, writing: “Sad to hear that Peter Llewellyn Jones has passed away, I love The Riddlers and I remember buying it on video, when I was a kid.”

The $1 coin designed to celebrate America’s 250th birthday and seemingly President Trump, whose face gazes from one side of the gold finish, will go on sale Wednesday, according the U.S. Mint.

The coin’s design — Trump’s visage as “heads” and the Great Seal of the United States as “tails” — was given the stamp of approval this year by the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts, whose members Trump appointed. In past comments, the president said that the idea to stamp his face on a coin was “very unusual” but that he was “honored by it.”

The president’s second term has come with several such brandings, or attempts at them that have become tangled up in lawsuits. That includes moves to put Trump’s name on the Kennedy Center, as well as the U.S. Institute for Peace, as Trump works to leave his stamp on history and Washington, D.C.

The coins, which can be used as legal tender, stirred some criticism particularly because of federal law that bars the depiction of a living president on U.S. currency. But in some circumstances, the treasury secretary does have authority to authorize the minting and issuance of special coins.

The coins were struck to “honor 250 years of great American heritage,” the U.S. Mint wrote on its website. In an arc above Trump’s face is written “LIBERTY,” and below is “1776 — 2026.” On the flip side is the Great Seal of the United States, with the bald eagle gripping arrows in one claw and an olive branch in the other. In a banner clutched in its beak is written “E PLURIBUS UNUM,” Latin for “out of many, one”

A roll of 25 coins will cost $61, and a bag of 100 will cost $154.50, and the U.S. Mint said they randomly hid some special-issue coins among the rolls and bags. Those will be marked “July 4th,” because they were stuck on that day, the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Households are limited to only two orders, the U.S. Mint wrote, but that cap will lift at 2 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday.

Bedayn writes for the Associated Press.

Meanwhile, Raskin has been consistently linked with a move away from Glasgow after impressing during the World Cup, but Besiktas’ offer was rejected.

The 25-year-old has missed Rangers’ past two matches amid transfer speculation, but manager Derek McInnes insisted Raskin has been “good as gold” during that period.

“Until an offer comes in that the club need to consider, Nico just has to knuckle down and train,” McInnes said earlier this week.

“I’ve no doubts that, if the window closes and Nico’s still a Rangers player, he’ll give brilliant service as he’s done previously.

“He’s getting interest because he’s a good player. I want to work with good players. We just needs to wait and see how things develop.”

Sept. 2 (UPI) — Private payrolls rose by 38,000 in August, though it was less than expected and fell below the 46,000 jobs added in July, ADP reported on Wednesday.

August’s new hires report was the slowest month in terms of hiring since January with the manufacturing, professional services and information industries cutting jobs.

“Pay can tell us a lot about today’s choppy hiring,” Dr. Nela Richardson, chief economist for ADP, said in a statement. “To understand hiring patterns, you have to look deeply into where pay growth is accelerating, where it’s slowing, and for whom. Once-predictable wage growth has been overtaken by the complexities of demographic change, persistent inflation, and AI’s effects on jobs.”

Manufacturing jobs posted the biggest losses, down 17,000, followed by professional and business services, down 16,000. The losses offset a 45,000 gain in education and health services jobs and 16,000 new hires in the leisure and hospitality industry.

Large businesses of more than 500 employees added the most new hires, up 34,000, followed by small businesses with one to 19 employees, up 20,000. Small businesses with 20 to 49 employees decreased by 17,000 jobs.

The Dow Jones consensus estimate projected 47,000 new hires in August, 9,000 jobs more than ADP’s reported results.

Wednesday’s report comes ahead of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ monthly nonfarm payrolls report expected on Friday.

The Repair Shop’s expert craftsman Dominic Chinea has launched into yet another ambitious engineering project – leading to a somewhat chaotic video from his workshop

“The pressure really is on,” says The Repair Shop’s Dominic Chinea as he embarks on a tough engineering project: “We’re going to blitz this Land Rover and get it hopefully running, starting, possibly driving.”

In a new video, Dominic adds that, as he’s still missing a few components, it probably won’t be fully running for a little while yet. Nevertheless, he says, he’s determined to move as fast as he can with the project: “I do feel like this video needs to come with a little bit of a disclaimer or a warning that it’s quite hectic,” he joked, while giving his YouTube viewers an update.

Explaining that he has overstretched himself a little, Dominic says: “I’ve got multiple jobs all over the place and I am jumping around with no time. I filmed as much as possible and I’ve tried to assemble it into some kind of video to make some kind of sense.”

He stresses that the heat is on: “I have two days to get as much done as I possibly can.” But nevertheless, Dominic adds, he knows that rushing a job can lead to disaster.

“Patience is so important at moments like this.” He says, “I’m so tempted to just reach for the biggest hammer and try and persuade these things off of the shaft. But that is how you damage things.”

Dominic doesn’t need anything in his workshop to suffer any more damage. When Dominic and his wife Maria packed up their house in Kent last year and moved to Cornwall with their dog Wendy, he admitted that weatherproofing the newly converted workshop would be a “pressure.”

The dramatic storms that thrashed the county in January made Dominic’s prediction all too real. He was left struggling to make urgent repairs before he could get back to work, all while attempting to complete the renovations for his farmhouse kitchen.

He said at the time: “The storm has caused a lot of damage, the workshop roof, various tiles and bits and bobs. I’m doing my best to deal with those, I’ve ordered more roof sheets and I’ve lined up roofers to try and fix the roof, but I’m also juggling trying to finish this kitchen.”

A month later, another violent storm caused a section of his workshop roof to collapse, inflicting substantial damage to a nearly irreplaceable vehicle he’d been restoring underneath.

Then, in June, Dominic’s workshop was hit by yet another apocalyptic storm. Somehow, amid all this chaos he’s managed to fit in the filming of two TV series.

His decision to put his life on screen with his new series Dom Chinea’s Cornish Workshop was by no means an easy one. “It was definitely different to filming The Repair Shop, but that was part of the reason to try to do it, to experience something new.”

And of course he’s still working alongside the rest of The Repair Shop team. In tonight’s season opener for Beyond the Barn, electronics expert Mark Stuckey restores a homemade K-9 dog, and leather expert Suzie Fletcher repairs a bag belonging to Winston Churchill’s cook.

Meanwhile, milliner Jayesh Vaghela undertakes the delicate restoration, determined to bring this unique piece of rock ‘n’ roll history back to life while preserving its authentic character and remarkable connection to the rise of David Bowie and the 1970s glam rock movement.

A NEW railcard has been launched with no restrictions on age – and it could save you up to £750.

The new Traincard has been launched by Trip.com.

Costing £25, not only can it be used with other Railcards (such as 16-25 or Senior) but anyone can apply for it, no matter their age.

The Trip.com railcard is linked to Trip.com accounts, and can be used on 30 bookings in a 90 day period.

Up to £25 can be saved per ticket – so that means as much as £750 discounted.

Of course, this would only apply if you were buying tickets over £250.

CASH IN

Brits save £184 a year on average with this no-brainer travel hack

Raily good deal

Join Sun Club and save up to £20 on a railcard – plus up to £190 on tickets

For example, an Anytime Return from Manchester Piccadilly to London costs £386 when bought at short notice.

Other savings include a discount of £9.48 on a return from Folkestone to London, based on a £94.80 ticket.

But the 30-booking limit could also save families hundreds of pounds too.

One booking can include multiple tickets – meaning the 10 per cent discount could also include a a family’s four return tickets too, provided they are booked in one transaction.

The new railcard can be bought via the Trip.com app and lasts 90 days. I’d only valid in UK train journeys.

Alvaro Ungerean, Commercial Director, Europe – International Train, Trip.com Group, said: “We know that the cost of regular travel can quickly add up.

“Traincard has been designed to give passengers a simple and flexible way to save on the journeys they already make, regardless of their age or where they live.

“Whether travelling for work, education, to visit loved ones or for leisure, customers can access the same Traincard discount, including on eligible peak-time journeys.”

Here’s the new change you need to know about if buying a student railcard.

And we’ve explained how to get even more value out of your railcard.

WASHINGTON — A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers is pressing the Army to explain why it told a unit based in Europe to stop specializing in drone warfare, an order that comes as the world’s battlefields rapidly evolve and military tactics increasingly rely on uncrewed systems to fight.

The 173rd Airborne Brigade was building its own drones and practicing the kind of warfare that Ukraine has pioneered against Russia and that Iran has fought against the U.S. — warfare that has killed and wounded American troops. The brigade of 600 soldiers was set up in November to be deployed anywhere that drones were needed.

“We have deep concerns that eliminating this specialized drone unit will limit our ability to learn from allies, particularly the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and hinder our efforts to modernize drone warfare at the speed necessary to compete on the modern battlefield,” the lawmakers said in a letter shared with The Associated Press.

It requests a briefing from the Army to explain its decision and was sent Tuesday to departing Army Secretary Dan Driscoll and Gen. Christopher LaNeve, the Army’s acting chief of staff. It was signed by Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Republican Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, independent Sen. Angus King of Maine and Republican Rep. Mike Turner of Ohio.

“This specialized unit was a prudent response in a moment when the character of warfare is changing faster than a conventional formation’s ability to adapt,” the lawmakers say.

They said they were particularly keen to understand the data, analysis and process behind the change after less than a year of the drone unit being active. They also want to know if the decision was based on guidance from Pentagon leadership or made internally by the Army.

LaNeve, who is filling in as the Army’s top uniformed officer, recently ordered the battalion to refocus on its core mission of being an airborne infantry unit. The move followed Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s sudden ousting of the Army’s prior chief of staff, Gen. Randy George.

Integrating drones into the Army’s tactics was a major focus for George. Last year, he and Driscoll had rolled out what they called the Army Transformation Initiative, which pushed to add “modernized (unmanned aircraft systems) into formations.”

George, who became Army chief of staff under President Joe Biden, regularly spoke about the need to accelerate development of new drone systems and get them in the hands of regular soldiers, not just specialized units. Driscoll supported such efforts and focused on cutting the red tape for military contractors to quickly develop more drones.

After George was ousted by Hegseth without explanation in April, he was replaced by LaNeve. This week, Driscoll submitted his own resignation and later said on social media that Wednesday would be his final full day on the job. A reason for his departure was not publicly revealed, but he was an ally of George, and his tensions with Hegseth have been widely reported.

“We are supportive of the transformative initiatives the Army has taken under Secretary Driscoll’s leadership in this area and would like to see that momentum maintained even as uniformed leadership changes,” the lawmakers wrote.

Toropin and Finley write for the Associated Press. Toropin reported from Nuremberg, Germany.

HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

TUESDAY’S RESULTS

Southern Section

Adelanto 26, Arroyo Valley 0

Alemany 42, Immaculate Heart 0

Anaheim 27, Nogales 0

Arlington 20, Ramona 8

Azusa 19, Pomona 0

Bonita 25, Eastvale Roosevelt 0

Burbank Providence 32, Shalhevet 15

California Military Institute 34, Rancho Mirage 13

Calvary Baptist 7, Keppel 6

Castaic 19, Hart 6

Chaffey 25, Arrowhead Christian 6

Colony 18, Chino 13

Colton 12, Bloomington 8

Corona 20, Canyon Springs 14

Crean Lutheran 12, Sunny Hills 6

Dos Pueblos 31, Santa Barbara 0

Downey 33, Mira Costa 13

Eastside 9, Lancaster 0

Elsinore 24, Tahquitz 0

Gardena Serra 41, Culver City 12

Garey 21, San Gabriel 0

Grand Terrace 19, Carter 6

Great Oak 33, Rancho Cucamonga 12

Heritage 21, Perris 15

Highland 14, Knight 0

Hillcrest 12, Valley View 6

Imperial 37, La Quinta 0

Indian Springs 12, Victor Valley 6

Indio 12, Miller 0

Jurupa Valley 43, Rubidoux 0

Kaiser 33, Jurupa Hills 13

Lakewood 19, Santa Fe 14

Lakewood St. Joseph 34, Beckman 13

Lawndale 7, Compton Centennial 6

La Sierra 28, Lakeside 0

Liberty 19, Rancho Verde 6

Long Beach Wilson 52, Orange 0

Los Altos 34, La Puente 0

Millikan 51, Cerritos Valley Christian 13

Moreno Valley 12, Temecula Prep 6

Newbury Park 41, Rio Mesa 14

North Torrance 19, El Segundo 14

Nuview Bridge 19, Highland Entrepreneur 7

Nuview Bridge 31, Highland Entrepreneur 0

Oaks Christian 20, Village Christian 7

Orange Lutheran 20, Aliso Niguel 7

Oxnard 49, Buena 13

Oxnard Pacifica 35, Hueneme 12

Pacific 12, San Bernardino 6

Paloma Valley 26, Rancho Christian 6

Quartz Hill 18, Palmdale 0

Redondo Union 12, Etiwanda 6

Riverside King 45, Riverside North 0

Royal 18, Agoura 14

San Gorgonio 20, Rialto 13

San Marcos 34, Channel Islands 0

Santa Margarita 39, Dana Hills 0

Saugus 14, Golden Valley 0

Sierra Vista 2, Rowland 0

Sonora 37, Norwalk 6

South Torrance d. Peninsula, forfeit

Temescal Canyon 40, West Valley 6

Thousand Oaks 28, Oak Park 6

Trabuco Hills 39, Corona del Mar 19

Vasquez 14, Fillmore 0

Western Christian 20, El Toro 13

Westridge 25, Rio Hondo Prep 12

West Torrance 21, Wiseburn-Da Vinci 20

Woodbridge 59, Northwood 12

Intersectional

Cleveland 40, Calabasas 0

MONDAY’S RESULTS

City Section

Arleta 20, Sylmar 12

Arleta 52, Bernstein 0

Contreras 32, Camino Nuevo 0

Contreras 19, West Adams 0

Foshay 27, Orthopaedic 6

Fremont 14, South East 0

Granada Hills Kennedy 45, Chatsworth 0

Granada Hills Kennedy 24, Verdugo Hills 0

Huntington Park 13, Hollywood 2

Jefferson 6, Los Angeles Marshall 0

Los Angeles Marshall 6, Bell 0

Los Angeles Wilson 31, Garfield 20

Manual Arts 19, Hawkins 18

Manual Arts 7, SOCES 6

Panorama 34, Sun Valley Magnet 0

Port of Los Angeles 33, Gardena 0

SOCES 23, Hawkins 7

Sotomayor 32, USC Hybrid 13

Sylmar 21, Bernstein 0

Van Nuys 45, VAAS 0

Van Nuys 12, East Valley 0

West Adams 14, Camino Nuevo 6

Southern Section

Adelanto 40, Fontana 13

Alhambra 14, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 2

Alta Loma 8, Los Osos 6

Aquinas 47, Xavier Prep 7

Aquinas 12, Redlands Adventist Academy 0

Arlington 31, Hillcrest 7

Antelope Valley 42, Rosamond 0

Baldwin Park 6, Don Lugo 0

Beckman 33, Santa Ana Foothill 14

Bonita 18, Bishop Amat 7

Bloomington 12, Carter 7

Cajon 13, Etiwanda 6

California Military Institute 54, San Jacinto valley Academy 6

Century 25, Oxford Academy 12

Cerritos 20, Cerritos Valley Christian 2

Chaminade 24, Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 6

Charter Oak 67, Bassett 0

Chino Hills 13, Claremont 0

Citrus Valley 27, Rancho Mirage 6

Colony 65, Jurupa Valley 0

Compton 22, Compton Centennial 0

Compton Early College 47, Environmental Charter 0

Corona Centennial 12, Eastvale Roosevelt 6

Corona Santiago 20, Corona 0

Costa Mesa 7, Paramount 0

Desert Hot Springs 33, Woodcrest Christian 0

Dominguez 7, Long Beach Cabrillo 6

Downey 44, Bellflower 0

Eisenhower 14, Colton 6

Edison 32, Los Alamitos 0

El Modeno 13, Anaheim Canyon 0

El Rancho 18, Orange 13

Elsinore 25, Valley View 0

Fullerton 34, La Palma Kennedy 0

Gabrielino 19, Burbank Burroughs 18

Gahr 6, Mayfair 0

Garden Grove Pacifica 12, Rancho Alamitos 6

Glendora 25, Covina 20

Grand Terrace 12, Rim of the World 6

Huntington Beach 32, Fountain Valley 0

Irvine University 32, Laguna Beach 14

Kaiser 22, Rialto 0

La Serna 14, California 0

La Sierra 13, Palm Springs 6

Linfield Christian 14, Murrieta Mesa 12

Long Beach Wilson 48, Artesia 0

Los Altos 12, Rowland 6

Los Amigos 32, Whitney 0

Mater Dei 33, La Habra 7

Mission Viejo 20, St. Margaret’s 18

Montebello 12, Schurr 6

Moreno Valley 12, Hemet 6

Newport Harbor 41, Marina 0

Nogales 21, Bell Gardens 6

Norte Vista 13, Vista del Lago 0

Orange Lutheran 13, Woodbridge 7

Palm Desert 14, Banning 7

Palos Verdes 47, Warren 12

Patriot 44, Temecula Valley 6

Placentia Valencia 20, Laguna Hills 7

Portola 20, San Juan hills 13

Rancho Cucamonga 25, Liberty 12

Riverside King 34, Norco 19

Riverside North 25, Citrus Hill 0

Riverside Poly 14, Chaparral 6

Saddleback 31, Bolsa Grande 13

Sage Hill 33, Rosary Academy 7

San Gabriel 14, Ramona Convent 12

San Gorgonio 33, Summit 6

San Jacinto ValleyAcademy 13, Desert Christian Academy 7

Santa Paula 7, St. Bonaventure 0

Segerstrom 21, Garden Grove 12

Serrano 26, Arrowhead Christian 6

Shadow Hills 14, La Quinta 0

Sierra Canyon 74, Flintridge Sacred Heart 6

St. Lucy’s 18, Azusa 6

St. Paul 26, Arroyo 0

Sunny Hills 42, San Dimas 6

Tustin 13, Santa Ana Valley 7

Victor Valley 13, Jurupa Hills 7

Villa Park 39, Norwalk 0

West Covina 38, Pasadena Poly 6

Western Christian 31, Hacienda Heights Wilson 7

West Valley 24, Lakeside 12

Whittier 18, Katella 6

Yorba Linda 41, Brea Olinda 0

Intersectional

Glenn 33, South Gate 25

Southwest EC 14, Indio 6

IF you’re itching to grab your passport and head somewhere hot, Loveholidays has just made your next holiday a whole lot cheaper.

The holiday company slashed rates on last-minute sunny holidays, lowering costs from five-star hotels to all inclusive resorts to a fraction of usual prices.

We’ve rounded up the best last minute deals to places like Spain, Egypt, Tenerife and Greece, with package holidays including your flights from as little as £129pp.

Whether you want non-stop waterslides for the kids or bottomless cocktails on the beach, here are the best last minute deals to book today. (Or click here to browse all the deals).

Hurghada – £489pp (all inclusive)

For a lively, action-packed family holiday where you’ll barely want to leave the resort, check out the 4* Rewaya Inn Resort in Hurghada.

This massive beachfront complex puts everything right on your doorstep – with thrilling waterslides on-site to spectacular coral reef snorkelling on the beach.

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With its own aqua park and action-packed entertainment schedule, plus water sports, evening shows and sports activities, there’s plenty here to keep the kids entertained.

Parents, on the other hand, will love the hotel spa with its whirlpool, sauna and hot tub – plus the seven restaurants and eight bars around the property where you can grab an all inclusive cocktail, wine or beer.

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Rhodes 5* – £409pp

Fancy a five-star holiday to a stunning Greek island? This last minute offer bags you a stay at one of Rhodes’ most glamorous family hotels.

Rodos Palace certainly feels royal, with a fairytale bridge stretching over an enormous outdoor pool, and a giant glass dome sheltering the heated indoor pool.

With nearly 800 rooms, there’s a massive range of accommodation options. The standard double and family rooms in the main tower are sleek, modern, and many offer spectacular sea views, while the garden suites boast their own private pools and sun terraces.

You could stay here for a week and never eat in the same place twice. There are eight different dining venues, including the main buffet restaurant plus a la carte options for Italian and authentic Greek cuisine.

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Majorca – £389pp (all inclusive)

This sprawling complex in Majorca is built around family activities and a lively, action-packed atmosphere.

The Club Cala Romani Hotel boasts three outdoor pools, a kids splash zone, a beautiful sandy cove just 10 minutes away, plus activities like mini discos and sports on-site to ensure no one is ever bored

With your all inclusive stay, you can help yourself from a rotating buffet for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with familiar favourites as well as themed dinners and local cuisine.

In the evening, the lounge bar and disco become the main hub, where you can enjoy your all inclusive drinks and watch the nightly entertainment shows.

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Tenerife – £349pp

Take a trip to sunny Tenerife with a stay at a glam aparthotel overlooking a shimmering pool.

The Piramides Resort is a budget-friendly base in Playa de las Americas, putting you in the prime spot to explore local beaches, bars, restaurants and nightlife.

Stays here come in the form of modern, spacious apartments which are fully kitted-out with sleek kitchens, tellies and private balconies.

Plus there’s four swimming pools on-site, a main buffet restaurant, poolside and snack bars plus lively evening entertainment to get you pumped for a night out in one of Tenerife‘s most popular resorts.

Click here to browse all Tenerife holiday deals

Agadir, Morocco – £129pp

If you’re looking for a very afforable break to catch some last minute sun, you’ll want to snap up this Agadir deal.

Temperatures in Agadir can still reach 30°C in September, plus the coastal city even has a golden six-mile long beach built for sunbathing.

This hotel gives you all the sunny holiday essentials – a spacious apartment with a balcony, an outdoor pool for a dip, a buffet restaurant and even its own nightclub.

If you want to browse for some souvenirs, the massive Souk El Had market is nearby, and you are surrounded by plenty of cheap local cafes, pubs, and shops.

Click here to browse all Agadir holiday deals

A SMALL village in Oxfordshire could get a new £29million railway station.

The village itself is small, home to around 700 people – but is right next to Bicester Village and a new attraction currently being built nearby too.

Oxfordshire County Council has the potential for a new station on the Chiltern Main Line in a small village called Ardley.

It’s location is a nine-minute drive away from Bicester Village, a luxury designer outlet shopping centre.

A possible location being considered for the new railway is the site of the previous Ardley station, which closed in 1963.

Plans to build the new station forms part of part of the council’s bid to improve rail connectivity across the region.

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The cost of the station is estimated to be between £24-£29million.

If built it would be added to the existing OxRail 2040 proposals, which includes new stops at Oxford Cowley, Oxford Littlemore, Begbroke and Wantage and Grove.

The location of the potential train station will mean it won’t be far from the proposed Puy du Fou theme park.

It’s set to be built on a site north of Bicester near the M40.

Plans were submitted last year for the 370-acre attraction which is set to have four ‘villages’ based on different periods of time, with 13 different live shows.

Three on-site hotels would be part of the theme park and each themed on different periods of British history.

Being primarily outdoors, the park would be open between April and October.

If approved, the first phases of the park will open in 2029, with nearly 1.5million visitors a year.

The theme park is already popular in both France and Spain – it doesn’t have any rides but lots of historical re-enactments and immersive villages.

Sept. 2 (UPI) — The USS Abraham Lincoln docked in Thailand Wednesday morning, the first break for the sailors aboard since before Thanksgiving.

The 5,000 crew members aboard the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier stepped on land and headed to the beach town of Pattaya, Thailand, to begin their first significant shore leave in nine months.

The ship, based in San Diego, has spent more than 250 consecutive days supporting actions in Venezuela and Iran. The crew has faced issues with morale, plumbing and food supplies. At least one sailor aboard the ship has attempted suicide, and there have been reports of more.

During the Lincoln’s deployment in the Middle East, the U.S. naval base in Bahrain was mostly destroyed at the beginning of the war, making restocking and repairs more challenging.

After public outcry, the Navy replaced the Lincoln with the USS George Washington, allowing the Lincoln to head home.

The Lincoln docked Wednesday at Laem Chabang, north of Pattaya, and crew members traveled by bus into the beach town. Many of them booked hotels for their shore leave, said Pattaya Mayor Poramet Ngampichet.

“It is a well-deserved break for all of the crew, and we really look forward to our time here,” said Capt. Daniel J. Keeler, commanding officer of the Lincoln, The New York Times reported.

“It’s good to have you here,” the mayor said, shaking hands with the Captain.

The mayor and other local dignitaries greeted the first arriving sailors at the Hard Rock Hotel in Pattaya. They handed the crew members gifts and welcomed them to the area.

“Our arrival in Laem Chabang provides a well-deserved opportunity for our sailors and Marines to rest and recharge. It also underscores the strong and enduring partnership and alliance between the United States and Thailand,” Rear Adm. Robert E. Loughran, commander of Carrier Strike Group 3, which includes the Lincoln, said in a statement. “What this strike group has accomplished is truly historic. I could not be prouder of the exceptional professionalism and expertise demonstrated by every member of this team during our operations in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.”

The statement pointed out that Thailand has been a partner of the United States since the 1833 Treaty of Amity and Commerce, and it’s the only treaty ally in mainland southeast Asia.

Pattaya is just north of U-Tapao, where an airbase hosted U.S. B-52 bombers during the Vietnam War. It also provided a rest and relaxation spot for U.S. servicemembers during the war and since. For this shore leave, local authorities said the military has restricted certain activities, including consuming marijuana, parasailing and jet skiing.

After the weekend in Thailand, the Lincoln is scheduled to leave for San Diego Sunday.

Premier League breaks its own record as four of its 11 most expensive signings have arrived in this transfer window.

The English Premier League displayed its financial power once again by smashing the summer transfer window record for the amount spent by its clubs on new players.

It had only set the previous record last year.

The spree continued deep into the final hours of the window, which shut on Tuesday, with several big-money deals completed before the 11pm (22:00 GMT) deadline for signings by English clubs.

Approximately 38 percent of the Premier League deals were made between the clubs from within that competition, up from 30 percent last year’s summer transfer window.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at major takeaways from the 2026-27 transfer window:

How much did Premier League clubs spend for the 2026-27 season?

A total of 3.46 billion pounds ($4.67bn) was dished out by England’s top-flight clubs, with 475 million pounds ($640.1m) being spent on deadline day itself, up from 391 million pounds ($526.7m) on the same day last year.

During the last summer transfer window, the combined spending of the league’s 20 clubs breached the 3 billion pounds ($4.05bn) barrier for the first time, while this year’s figure dwarfed the 1.13 billion pounds ($1.52bn) spent five years ago.

What were the most expensive Premier League and La Liga signings?

Manchester City topped the list when they spent 125 million pounds ($168.7m) on signing Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea.

He’s the first player to be transferred twice for figures upwards of 100 million pounds ($134.7m), and his deal equalled the amount spent on Aleksander Isak when he moved from Newcastle United to Liverpool during the last summer transfer window.

Liverpool paid a close second 123 million pounds ($166m) to sign France forward Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain.

Chelsea followed with 117 million pounds ($158m) spent on bringing England international Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa to Stamford Bridge, while Manchester City dished out 116 million pounds ($156.6m) for midfielder Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest.

Which clubs spent the most money on summer transfers?

Manchester City’s signing of Fernandez capped the whopping 458 million pounds ($618.2m) spent as new manager Enzo Maresca assembled his first squad, which includes Moroccan midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi for 86 million pounds ($116.2m).

It was a new Premier League record that surpassed the 415 million pounds (560.3m) paid by Liverpool last year.

Chelsea also spent heavily, shelling out 349 million pounds ($471.1m) to back new boss Xabi Alonso.

Tottenham splashed out 303 million pounds ($409m) as they rebuild after two successive seasons close to being relegated.

Promoted trio Ipswich, Coventry City and Hull City spent more than a combined 400 million pounds ($539.9m) to prepare themselves for life in the top flight.

Sunderland landed highly rated Belgian winger Malick Fofana, 21, from Olympique Lyonnais in a reported 30 million pounds ($40.5m) deal after beating Crystal Palace to his signature.

Tottenham Hotspur also broke their club transfer record to sign Sandro Tonali from Newcastle United in a deal that could reach 100 million pounds ($134.9m).

Why did Julian Alvarez, Folarin Balogun and Lamine Camara fail to join a new club?

Some deals failed to go through on deadline day.

British media reported that Everton’s move for Folarin Balogun collapsed after the US striker decided against proceeding with the transfer, while Senegal midfielder Lamine Camara remained at Monaco after his reported 47.1 million pounds ($63.5m) move to Chelsea fell through.

Julian Alvarez’s dream of playing for Barcelona never materialised after Atletico held onto him despite strong interest from Barcelona and Arsenal.

Atletico chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin made his feelings quite clear about ⁠⁠Barcelona last week and ⁠⁠said Alvarez would never be sold to them.

“There has not been, and there will not be any negotiation with them [Barcelona] regarding Alvarez’s transfer,” Atletico’s board of directors said in the statement.

“Atletico de Madrid is open to standard transfer market negotiations when conducted in a professional, ethical and respectful manner,” the statement added.

CHARLOTTE Church shot to fame aged just 11 and went on to make over £25m as a child star.

Her debut album Voice Of An Angel followed a year later, launching a career that saw her sell more than ten million records worldwide.

But after admitting she does not have “a lot of money” left, the singer has now put her character-filled Welsh cottage on the market for under £700,000.

The period property is packed with character, featuring exposed wooden beams, brick walls and plenty of greenery throughout.

The sale comes two years after Charlotte admitted to Closer magazine in 2024 that she no longer had millions in the bank while discussing her decision to sell her former six-bedroom mansion, The Spinney.

“I am not a millionaire anymore,” she said. “What mattered to me when I bought The Spinney is it was absolutely beautiful and close to the forest and it was a big mansion house.”

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Previously, Charlotte transformed the 15th-century Rhydoldog House in Powys, Mid Wales, into a hippie wellness retreat.

She previously admitted sinking “pretty much” her entire life savings into the property, which she bought for £1.5million in 2021.

Charlotte was able to access her millions when she turned 18 after spending six years performing around the world.

Her famous audiences included US President Bill Clinton, Pope John Paul II, the late Queen and King Charles.

She even told reporters she planned to buy a £1million ruby-encrusted bra to celebrate her 18th birthday.

Charlotte later admitted her spending habits meant she would need to continue working.

She told Stylist: “I haven’t got a lot of money. I’ve got enough to be comfortable if I was reasonable for the rest of my life.

“But I’m not reasonable, so I will have to find a way to sustain my lifestyle.”

Charlotte Church has been approached for comment.

Late last night, on September 1st, on the day the commercial terminals of Maiquetía airport went back online, US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright landed in Caracas for the second time this year. Of course, Wright didn’t fly commercial, and he was swarmed by a flurry of journalists looking for headlines on the “massive” oil deal that has invaded the news both in the US and Venezuela. 

“I think very good times are coming,” Wright told reporters upon his arrival. “As large investments flow into this country, that creates more jobs, which pushes wage pressure up, creates opportunity and prosperity for Venezuelans, and it snowballs: when you get business confidence and investment, it creates all sorts of opportunities—not just jobs, but opportunities for entrepreneurs.”

Wright arrived to give this new partnership a bit more ceremony, but also, very likely to join in the festivities of what is to be an important week for the Trump administration’s push for energy supremacy in the region and for the Venezuelan oil industry. Besides the strange deal that we’re going to unpack in this piece, this week will feature Chevron, which according to Bloomberg is about to invest $7 billion looking to double its production in the country. Also, it is expected that deals with Eni, ONCC, and Colombia´s Geopark will be signed as well. And the icing on the cake, it’s been also reported that one of the agreements with GE Verona to tackle Venezuela’s decaying power grid is close to being executed.

The clumsy communications around the announcement of the deal have generated some negative backlash from the Venezuelan public and skepticism from the same oil majors the Trump administration is trying to woo. Just a couple of hours before Secretary Wright touched ground in Venezuela, Marco Rubio had to jump on a livestream with a Venezuelan journalist in a damage control mission.

The US-Nabep deal 

Those who brokered the US-Venezuela oil agreement are boasting about historical proportions, about leaving a mark for generations to come, but they took their time to explain why it is so important. Information has been coming out in a very fragmented way, heavily determined by propaganda needs from the Trump administration and the chavista regime. After vague rumors related to Mauricio Claver-Carone taking a step back as the Americans’ informal envoy, and the fall of Harry Sargeant III in Venezuela, we saw an old communication trick, which the Trump administration did not invent, setting the stage for the big news. Washington sent out a first version with catastrophic details, waiting for panic to spread, and published a second, corrected version that would make the news look better than initially perceived. Last week, the first Axios “scoop” talked about 90 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil reserves that the US would own. Now, the current version of the official announcement says it’s 65 billion barrels, so people can say “well, it’s just 65 billion barrels, it ain’t so bad.”

The White House finally published a fact sheet on Monday night disclosing more details about the involvement of the State and “War” Departments in buying the oil produced in 17 Venezuelan fields (supposedly containing about 65 billion barrels) by a private Venezuelan company. North American Blue Energy Partners, or Nabep, is the country’s second biggest crude producer led by notorious Venezuelan oligarch Alejandro Betancourt. To execute this deal, the Rodríguez government is granting a 100-year concession to a Nabep-Pentagon joint venture that looks, sounds and smells pretty unconstitutional from a Venezuelan point of view.

Francisco Monaldi: “Instead of generating more credibility and allowing investors to feel confident, the fact that this is allocated without any bidding and to an individual that has issues with justice, that could be a problem in the future.”

These are the known conditions of the deal:

• NABEP granted the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital a 35% equity stake in its corporate parent.
• The Department of State receives a guaranteed right to purchase 20% of NABEP’s current and future output at production costs, alongside a right of first refusal to buy the remaining 80%.
• The deal is strictly governed by US law and US court jurisdiction.
• Washington is granted veto power over board appointments. The majority of NABEP’s board of directors must be American citizens. 

The US government is trying to sell this to the American public as a way to restock US oil reserves and to cut domestic gas prices, which have a negative impact on Trump’s popularity and the prospects of Republican candidates in November’s congressional elections. In an interview in Spanish published Tuesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio insisted that the deal was between the US and a private company, not the chavista regime, and offered this as a model the White House expects can be replicated.

The expert opinion

Francisco Monaldi, director of the Latin America Energy Program for the Baker Institute at Rice University, warned on X that Venezuela’s famous oil reserves are inflated by order of Hugo Chávez: in reality, they are about a third of the 300 billion barrels everyone quotes as the total proven reserves. So those 17 fields must have about 25 billion barrels, instead of 65 billion barrels, an unreliable figure no one should take for certain. Besides that, it would be very hard to actually extract those 25 billion barrels in 25 years, given that most fields are undeveloped. Monaldi added before PBS News that “the presence of the US government could make investors more willing to take the risk of going into Venezuela with all the issues, including the fact that this is an illegitimate government in Venezuela, and that the history of the country, of course, is not great in terms of respecting deals… The other issue is that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve typically uses light oil, and Venezuela mostly produces heavy and extra heavy oil.”

Monaldi thinks that “if it’s an opaque deal that doesn’t seem to benefit the country, then there will be a backlash eventually, and we will end up as in other parts of the world and in Venezuela itself with renegotiation at some point.” Even if the agreement with NABEP means that they can run faster than other private companies, Trump’s anxiety to get American investors to Venezuela won’t be helped by this, because “instead of generating more credibility and allowing investors to feel confident, the fact that this is allocated without any bidding and to an individual that has issues with justice, that could be a problem in the future.”

Amid the fall of Tareck El Aissami and the rise of súper ministra Delcy Rodríguez, Betancourt re-entered the Venezuelan oil scene alongside Trump-linked oil magnate Harry Sargeant.

Harvard scholar Ricardo Hausmann, a former planning minister who leads a research center on economic growth, avoided the oil economy dimension of the matter and just trashed Rubio for betraying the idea of democracy transition. On the other hand, some influential economists see opportunities. Asdrúbal Oliveros chose a middle ground between celebration and condemnation and pointed out that benefits will come as long as the country develops not only the oil fields but the institutions to create accountability. 

Betancourt: a meteoric rise and a shady trail

That Alejandro Betancourt, the CEO of NABEP, is at the center of this deal is bad news in the eyes of observers and Venezuelan journalists familiar with his trajectory.

Over the past two decades, this businessman became a symbol of the bolichico culture, a term apparently coined by investigative journalist Juan Carlos Zapata to define those scions of Venezuelan old-money families who became travel companies of Bolivarian-era corruption. Betancourt and his partners—namely his cousin Pedro Trebbau López and childhood friend Francisco Convit Guruceaga—became synonymous with the vanishing of hundreds of millions of dollars the Chávez government allocated to a newly-formed company, Derwick Associates, to fix the country’s power grid. Both Betancourt and Trebbau were in their late 20s when Derwick first emerged, and had no experience in the electricity sector.

Many things would happen between then and now. Betancourt became famous in Spain for investing in Hawkers, a Spanish sunglasses brand that got him cleaner headlines before local journalists discovered who he was. Prior to the Hawkers move, the three bolichicos created a Bahamas-based company to partner with a Gazprombank subsidiary. The resulting company, called Gazprombank Latin America Ventures, would operate a heavy-crude PDVSA project in the Lake Maracaibo region called Petrozamora. The joint venture did get to hold a steady production, but as with everything Russian, its operations were quite opaque. The Maduro regime eventually raided its offices and forced Betancourt to leave the country.

Betancourt faces probes in Spain and Switzerland. US prosecutors investigated him as an alleged co-conspirator in the $1.2 billion money-laundering scheme that targeted Convit and others, but didn’t charge the former.

Amid the fall of Tareck El Aissami and the rise of súper ministra Delcy Rodríguez, Betancourt re-entered the Venezuelan oil scene alongside Trump-linked oil magnate Harry Sargeant. Through Nabep,  Betancourt and Sargeant took control of a number of oil projects (including the Petrozamora fields) under the CPP scheme, in which private companies could hold a larger stake than the State (running counter to the country’s hydrocarbons legislation until it was changed this year). 

Betancourt seems to have a hand on both sides of Venezuela’s political conflict. That a close relative of Juan Guaidó was seen visiting Betancourt’s castle in Spain, in the company of Trump ally Rudy Giuliani, helped to cement the bad reputation of the interim government. In fact, Rubio now alleges that Betancourt was a friend of the opposition to deflect the suspicion that the tycoon is a man of the Rodríguez regime, and that the US chose Nabep because it is the biggest private company in the Venezuelan oil sector. Questioned by journalist Sergio Novelli about Betancourt’s past, the Secretary of State said that the businessman faced no charges “in our system.” 

Over the past several weeks, Betancourt reemerged as a key operative between the Trumpworld and the Rodríguez government. The Washington Post reported last week that the Trump administration lobbied Switzerland to “resolve” an ongoing money-laundering probe into Betancourt without him facing criminal charges. Despite such a level of external interference, Betancourt remains under investigation in both Spain and Switzerland. He hasn’t been charged in these countries. US prosecutors investigated Betancourt as an alleged co-conspirator in the $1.2 billion PDVSA money-laundering scheme that targeted Francisco Convit and many others, but did not charge the former. 

Distrust has grown in the Venezuelan public sphere. Before the oil agreement was announced, Cazadores de Fake News published an investigation about the network of social media accounts defending Betancourt. Hours after the White House published the fact sheet, an Axios piece tells the story of Betancourt as the global, influential businessman that promoted the Trump-backed Guaidó government and, during the events of January 3, persuaded Delcy Rodríguez to cooperate with Rubio. An Axios source even says that Maduro would still be in power had Betancourt not helped to remove him.

How Delcy is selling this

As another blackout hit Western Venezuela over the weekend, Delcy Rodríguez released a video statement saying this was about improving the future of the country. She was emphatic in thanking Trump and Rubio, and assured the nation would preserve sovereignty of the oil reserves while turning into a big energy powerhouse. Social media reacted by reproducing pre-2026 footage of her and Diosdado Cabello accusing the opposition of offering all our oil to the US. The most significant detail remains a mystery: what Delcy Rodríguez is demanding in exchange for signing and enforcing this deal.

How Venezuelan political figures are reacting

The most enigmatic reaction in the Venezuelan opposition came from María Corina Machado: she hasn’t said anything, really. A couple of days after Trump’s announcement, the opposition leader remotely attended an international conference held in Slovenia. She did not mention the reported contents of the deal or the role of Betancourt, but insisted on the potential of Venezuela as the energy hub of the Western Hemisphere in light of the Ukraine War and the crisis in the Strait of Hormuz. Machado added that a democratic government could serve as a bridge between the US, Europe and Latin America.

Leopoldo López and Julio Borges, two important opposition figures who held leadership roles in the past, also remain quiet. Their political parties are linked to a US-sponsored working group meant to reform the Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ) and electoral authority. López and Borges previously praised the US for its role and welcomed the progress made in August. In the deal’s factsheet, the White House says these talks resulted in significant reforms to the Venezuelan judiciary and the release of hundreds of political prisoners, which are grossly exaggerated claims. The reform to the Organic Law of the TSJ has not been approved yet, though the National Assembly sanctioned it on Tuesday night.

Edmundo González Urrutia said more, but not much against it. He stated that “Venezuela’s recovery cannot be measured only by the barrels it produces again, but by the lives that wealth allows us to rebuild.” He made no mention of Delcy, the deal’s legality, or its conditions, but wondered whether oil will improve the lives of all Venezuelans or only some this time around.  He asked what those millions of dollars could mean to a family that lost a home and is still waiting to rebuild it, to someone who arrives at a hospital to find no supplies, to a community that lives waiting to see when the water will come. González did not denounce the agreement, but reflected on the difference between financial resources reaching the country and reaching the families that need it most. 

Ruling chavismo has invoked its “loyalty to national sovereignty and the well-being of the people,” offering a list of crises the deal is supposed to solve: economic reactivation, the recovery of public services, care for those affected by the double earthquake, jobs, workers’ wages.

Juan Pablo Guanipa, a popular ally of Machado in Primero Justicia, sort of misread the animus. He called for a “calm reading” of the deal hours after it broke, arguing that Venezuela cannot develop its reserves without massive foreign capital. “If we see new jobs, more investment, more income, and a new economic upturn, this agreement will earn its backing. But if we don’t see it, little by little, popular rejection will follow.” His critique became sharper days later. From a rally in Falcón, Guanipa denounced that no government without an electoral mandate—like Delcy’s— has the standing to enter binding commitments like this. 

Henrique Capriles did better, insisting Venezuelans were entitled to defend their oil, their interest and their future: “What is the deal’s scope? Its legal basis? What do Venezuelans receive? What do they give up, and under what conditions? Questions, he noted, no one can begin to answer when the country doesn’t even have clarity on this year’s oil income.” He recognized that, although oil remains the only lever at hand to “push everything” and grow the economy, the triumvirate of the Rodríguez siblings and Diosdado Cabello are not qualified to lead that commitment, and will only coat the process with more opacity and corruption.

Diosdado Cabello is yet to say a peep, though we expect him to put some nice words together for his Con el Mazo Dando TV show tonight. PSUV, Venezuela’s ruling socialist party still under Cabello’s control, fully backed Delcy Rodríguez’s leadership in light of the oil deal. The party recalled its historical loyalty to national sovereignty and the well-being of the people, offering a list of crises the deal is supposed to solve: economic reactivation, the recovery of public services, care for those affected by the double earthquake, jobs, workers’ wages. According to them, Rodríguez was simply using “every tool possible within the constitutional framework to put our immense hydrocarbon reserves at the service of national development.” During last night’s session, the Rodríguez-controlled National Assembly passed a motion supporting the “US-Venezuela Binational Energy Agreement.”

Maduro’s son, “Nicolasito” Maduro Guerra, came out in support of the “historic” deal—as he called it, in English. He quoted an interview where his father said the State was fully open to the return of American capital to the Venezuelan oil industry. Which isn’t exactly false: before the US captured Maduro on January 3, The New York Times reported that the dictator had offered all existing oil and gold projects to US companies in exchange for being allowed to remain in power.

Rafael Ramírez, Venezuela’s oil tsar under Hugo Chávez who oversaw PDVSA’s total collapse and the embezzlement of billions of public funds, called the new deal illegitimate, unconstitutional, and a pillage (saqueo). He considered it a ploy by the Trump administration ahead of midterms, as the “Venezuelan case has become the only success to show their [voter] base,” further criticizing Delcy and US policy in an interview with El Nacional.  Among other original chavistas that broke with the Maduro regime, Chávez’s  former propagandist Andrés Izarra used a double-edged sword: “Delcy is carrying out Machado’s oil plan.” He also tweeted that the agreement was high treason for which its enforcers should be tried.

Juan Barreto, the former chavista mayor of Caracas who is trying to become a relevant opposition figure, quote-tweeted Alejandro Betancourt’s defense of the agreement (who had said that it would benefit Venezuelans and Americans alike) and took the class war route: “The true head of the transition speaks: from intervention to colony… from the stands, the traditional political class and the elites applaud, begging for a scrap… in the streets, neighborhoods, and factories, the people converse, organize, unite…Workers across the country, begin national dialogue and consultation.” Elías Jaua followed suit. The former chavista vice president and career chavista minister said Venezuela is now under the occupation of a foreign invader, calling for grassroots organizing and the recovery of national independence. In what seems to be an ongoing effort to distance himself from what remains of chavismo in power, Jaua clarified he had not spoken to any government official or PSUV leader.

ACROSS 10 days in September, Brits can enjoy thousands of free events courtesy of Heritage Open Days.

The festival has thousands of free things to do from checking out Silverstone race course to ghost walks and even football tickets are up for grabs.

Between September 11-20, lots of England’s best-known attractions and destinations will open to the public for free.

Events will be held across the country – here are some of the places to explore with Heritage Open Days.

For racing fanatics, book a day out at Silverstone where the collections team take you through its history with a guided tour.

At Bletchley Park in Milton Keynes, families can check out the codebreaking trail, try hands-on activities and have a go themselves.

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Other spots to explore include the grand Lyme Park in Cheshire, Wightwick Manor and Lyveden.

Transport museums around the country are open with lots of vintage trains and buses for viewing.

This includes Aldridge Transport Museum, Dover Transport Museum and East Anglia Transport Museum.

At the Museum of Transport in Manchester, visitors can ride on its historic buses.

Depending on who you support, some people might be interested to know that you can get free football tickets.

Head into Wigan Athletic Heritage Museum and then enjoy the match as the team plays Wycombe Wanderers (make sure to prebook).

Activities for kids include medieval crafting like decorating shields, crowns, princess hats and horse puppets at The Garage in Norfolk.

Over at Acorn Bank Watermill in Cumbria, see the mill in action and even taste some of baked goods yourself.

In Milton Keynes, head to the Midsummer Place Shopping Centre for the Caribbean carnival village celebrations with hands-on workshops.

At museums across the UK, kids can dress up and see what life was like in different eras – like the 1800s in the National Justice Museum.

Some of the best events take place during twilight hours.

Onboard the Tudor ship, the Golden Hinde, there’s a reconstruction of living, working and sailing.

At the Rosse Observatory, get up close to the impressive telescope itself – and if it’s a clear night, you could even see Saturn or Jupiter.

Or if you’re into ghosts, head to Ripon Market Place in North Yorkshire for some spooky walks.

Make sure to look at activities and events in advance as you may need to pre-book before attending.

For more on attractions – check out all the ones that you pay for once and then return all year for free.

Almost every day, quarterback and left-handed ace pitcher Joe Bell looks out on the La Cañada High football field and sees faces so familiar he might as well be taken back in time to the days of playing in the sandbox, in the street, in the backyard or at the local park.

It’s so fun as a high school senior to know the person at your side has been your friend and teammate for years. It’s the magic of going to your neighborhood school and being a multi-sport athlete.

There’s his younger brother, Jake, a sophomore middle linebacker and his catcher since birth. There’s Brandon Mohaghegh, a receiver and outfielder; Chase Regan, a running back and second baseman; Ross Piken, a receiver and pitcher; Ethan Wong, a right offensive tackle and designated hitter; and Caythan Kim, a left offensive tackle and.outfielder.

They know each other from Little League days and earlier.

Yes, the group likes to go take batting practice together before football practice, and everyone agrees it’s the coolest thing.

“It’s crazy,” said Bell, who’s 21 of 29 passing for the 2-0 Spartans and was the Rio Hondo League baseball player of the year with an 11-2 record and 1.71 ERA last season. “It’s impressive. We go to the locker room, change our stuff and leave our gear. Playing multiple sports is the best thing you can do as a kid. It’s completely doable to do both. And if you don’t you’re missing out.”

Said football coach David Avramovich: “It’s very common for them playing long toss or being in the cage once or twice a week. They’re walking by with their bats.”

Thanks to Avramovich and baseball coach Nathan Bernstein each being multiple-sports advocates, everyone is on the same page supporting each other. Avramovich sits in the parent section for baseball games; Bernstein stands on the sideline during football games.

“It’s really good for them to take a break,” Avramovich said of his football and baseball players.

The Bells are a family of three siblings with great grades and great parents. Jake has a twin sophomore sister who plays volleyball and softball.

“I need 30 Bells,” Avramovich said. “They’re all awesome.”

Quarterback Joe Bell of La Canada runs for yardage. He’s also a standout left-handed pitcher in baseball.

(Lisa Mattmann)

Joe Bell, with a 4.1 grade-point average, is living the life of someone ready to be a Division I college athlete but comfortable and thriving in his neighborhood setting while going from one sport to the next.

“I’ve always played as many sports as I can,” he said. “I played soccer, pick-up basketball, baseball. I actually credit my success in sports keeping it fun. I go to the park to throw a football with my friends, then go play hoops in some backyard.”

Bell is 6 feet 1, 185 pounds and loves being left-handed.

“It’s pretty nice,” he said. “It’s like being an anomaly. I would go to these football and baseball camps, ‘Is anyone a lefty?’ It was great being in that special group.”

For the first time, his brother, Jake, will be his catcher on varsity.

“Jake’s a Dawg,” Joe said. “It’s like playing catch in the backyard mound we built. I’ve been playing with him since the beginning. I’d say, ‘Jake, do you want to catch a bullpen?’’’

If Jake says no, it will be the first time.

If anyone is not inspired by the Bells and their friends, then you need to think back to the way high school sports used to be with the focus on having fun and winning with your neighborhood friends.

At La Cañada with this group, it’s Back to the Future and a return to the 1980s.