From Bill Plaschke: They mentioned “The Odyssey,” they talked about “Lord of the Rings,” they referenced “The Hobbit,” they cited the hero’s journey, they predicted a season filled with mythological tales of triumph.
What they didn’t promise was that their Lakers’ team would contend for a championship.
What they couldn’t mention was what will happen to them if they don’t.
In their annual pre-training camp news conference at their practice facility Thursday, Pelinka and Redick talked about fictional characters perhaps because the reality is too grim for words.
Their jobs are on the line with a rebuilding team that might not be good enough to save them, and no amount of cute Gandalf references can change that.
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Dodgers lose to Padres
From Kevin Baxter: The Dodgers didn’t win Thursday. But they got something far more valuable before they even took the field for their 4-2 loss to the San Diego Padres.
With the Atlanta Braves’ loss to the Cincinnati Reds earlier in the day, the Dodgers clinched the second seed in the National League playoffs and the first-round bye that goes with it. That means the Dodgers will get five days off next week to prepare for their playoff opener, a godsend for a bruised and bloodied team that has stumbled to the finish of the regular season.
“I think we all know why it’s important,” first baseman Freddie Freeman said of the break. “There’s a lot of us kind of limping toward the end here, a lot of aches and pains this year.”
For the Padres (89-70), the victory was important because it clinched a wild-card berth and a franchise-record third consecutive trip to the postseason.
In addition to Freeman, who has been hobbled all month by a sore right knee, the Dodgers are rushing to get designated hitter Shohei Ohtani, starting pitcher Blake Snell and closer Edwin Díaz healthy.
Christian Moore hit a two-run double and had three RBIs, Bryce Teodosio drove in two runs, and the Angels beat the Seattle Mariners 6-4 on Thursday night.
Moore’s RBI single in the second gave the Angels a 1-0 lead, and Teodosio’s one-run groundout pulled the Angels within 3-2 in the fifth before Zach Neto drove in the tying run.
Moore plated two more runs in the sixth with a double to put the Angels back on top for good, 5-4. Teodosio capped the scoring with an RBI single in the eighth.
From Marisa Ingemi: The Sparks’ season was mere seconds away from ending on a high note. Then, the Golden State Valkyries scored 13 consecutive points late in the fourth quarter to dissolve a double-digits Sparks lead.
Sparks star Nneka Ogwumike concluded her WNBA career with 17 points and 15 rebounds in the 76-75 loss to the Valkyries. Her double-double was her 19th this season, which set a Sparks single-season record.
Immediately after the game, the Sparks announced that they would name their new practice facility in El Segundo after Ogwumike, who retires as the Sparks’ all-time leading scorer.
The loss itself mattered little. The Sparks were eliminated from postseason contention nearly a month ago after beginning with championship aspirations. In one of their most disappointing seasons to date because of the expectations attached, the Sparks go into the offseason trying to put the pieces together again
During defensive line drills, the Future Hall of Famer continues to go third — even when groups are split — rather than lead.
“Earning my keep right now,” Donald said after Rams practice Thursday. “I’m a guy that likes to work and earn everything I get.”
Donald, 35, has one game under his belt after returning from a two-year retirement to rejoin the team that selected the three-time NFL defensive player of the year in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft.
Donald played 33 snaps in the Rams’ 28-6 victory over the New York Giants on Monday. He made three tackles, including one for a loss.
1866 — Jerome Park, named for its founder Leonard Jerome, opens in the Bronx in New York. Jerome, seeking to emulate the British racing system, also establishes the American Jockey Club, precursor to the present Jockey Club, formed in 1894.
1920 — Molly Bjurstedt Mallory wins her fifth title in six years with a two-set victory over Marion Zinderstein in the U.S. Lawn Tennis Assn. championships.
1926 — Walter Hagen wins his third straight and fourth overall PGA Championship. Hagen beats Leo Diegel 4 and 3 in the championship match at Salisbury Golf Links in Westbury, N.Y.
1949 — Louise Suggs wins the U.S. Women’s Open by 14 strokes over Babe Didrikson Zaharias.
1962 — Sonny Liston knocks out Floyd Patterson at 2:06 of the first round at Comiskey Park in Chicago to win the world heavyweight title.
1966 — Gloria Ehret wins the LPGA Championship by three strokes over four-time champion Micke Wright.
1982 — Ricky Edwards rushes for 177 yards and four touchdowns to help Northwestern end its 34-game losing streak in a 31-6 victory over Northern Illinois.
1988 — Americans sweep the medals in the long jump at the Seoul Olympics; Carl Lewis wins his second gold of the Games with leap of 8.72m ahead of teammates Mike Powell & Larry Myricks.
1988 — Super swimmer Matt Biondi wins his fifth gold medal of the Seoul Olympics anchoring the victorious American 4 x 100m medley relay team.
1994 — Oliver McCall scores a major upset by stopping Lennox Lewis 31 seconds into the second round to capture the WBC heavyweight title in London.
1995 — Jerry Rice has 181 yards receiving in San Francisco’s 27-24 loss to Detroit. It’s his 51st 100-yard game, which breaks Don Maynard’s NFL record.
1997 — WNBA announces it will add Detroit & Washington, D.C. franchises.
2000 — American basketball player Vince Carter jumps over 7 foot 2 Frédéric Weis in 2000 Summer Olympics, known in France as “le dunk de la mort” (the dunk of death).
2004 — Bobby Seck of Hofstra throws eight touchdown passes to tie an Atlantic 10 mark and set a school record in the Pride’s 62-43 victory over Rhode Island.
2005 — Fernando Alonso becomes Formula One’s youngest champion by finishing third in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Alonso, 24, a six-time winner in his third full season in Formula One, ends Michael Schumacher’s five-year hold on the title.
2010 — Collingwood and St. Kilda plays to a 68-68 tie, the first in an Australian Rules football grand final since 1977, setting up a rematch to decide the league title.
2011 — The Detroit Lions snap a 13-game losing streak with a 26-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. The Lions, who won in the Metrodome for the first time since 1997, are 3-0 for the first time since 1980.
2013 — Skipper Jimmy Spithill and Oracle Team USA win the America’s Cup with one of the greatest comebacks in sports history to keep the oldest trophy in international sports in the United States. Spithill steers Oracle’s space-age, 72-foot catamaran to its eighth straight victory, speeding past Dean Barker and Emirates Team New Zealand in the winner-take-all Race 19 on San Francisco Bay. All but defeated a week ago, the 34-year-old Australian and his international crew twice rallies from seven-point deficits to win 9-8.
2016 — Rory McIlroy rallies to enter a three-man playoff and win the FedEx Cup. After trailing by three shots with three holes to play in the Tour Championship, McIlroy holes a 15-foot birdie putt on the fourth extra hole to win the playoff and claim the $10 million FedEx Cup bonus.
2022 — Laver Cup Men’s Tennis, London: Team World sweeps final day for 13-8 victory over Team Europe; tournament marks retirement of Roger Federer.
Compiled by the Associated Press
This day in baseball history
1941 — Pete Reiser’s homer and Whitlow Wyatt’s five-hitter helped Brooklyn beat the Boston Braves 6-0 and clinch the Dodgers’ first pennant in 21 years.
1955 — Detroit’s Al Kaline, at the age of 20, became the youngest player to win a batting title, finishing his second season with a .340 average. Ty Cobb was one day older when he won the crown, batting .350 in 1907, also playing for Detroit.
1956 — Sal Maglie of the Brooklyn Dodgers pitched a 5-0 no-hitter against the Philadelphia Phillies.
1960 — The New York Yankees clinched manager Casey Stengel’s 10th and last American League pennant with a 4-3 victory over Boston.
1965 — Satchel Paige, at 60, became the oldest player in the majors, taking the mound for Kansas City and pitching three scoreless innings over the Boston Red Sox. He gave up one hit, to Carl Yastrzemski.
1965 — Willie Mays, who hit 51 home runs in 1955, joined Ralph Kiner as only the National Leaguers to have more than one 50-home run season.
1974 — Dr. Frank Jobe transplanted a tendon from Tommy John’s right wrist to the Dodger pitcher’s left elbow. The revolutionary ulnar collateral ligament reconstruction allowed John to win an additional 164 games, more than half of his career total of 288 victories.
1980 — Oakland’s Brian Kingman lost his 20th game when the A’s were defeated by the Chicago White Sox 6-4. Kingman was the first pitcher to lose 20 games with a winning team since Dolf Luque went 13-23 for the 1922 Cincinnati Reds.
1984 — Rusty Staub of the Mets became the second player to hit homers as a teenager and past his 40th birthday. Staub’s game-winning home run off Larry Anderson to give the Mets a 6-4 victory over Philadelphia at Shea Stadium. Ty Cobb was the other major leaguer to accomplish the feat.
1987 — San Diego’s Benito Santiago set a modern major league record for rookies by hitting safely in his 27th consecutive game in a 5-3 loss to the Dodgers.
1998 — The New York Yankees set the AL record for wins with their 112th, beating Tampa Bay 6-1 to break the victory mark held by the 1954 Cleveland Indians.
2001 — Richie Sexson and Jeromy Burnitz became the first teammates to hit three home runs apiece in a game as Milwaukee defeated Arizona 9-4.
2003 — Toronto’s Carlos Delgado became the sixth player to homer in four straight at-bats in one game as the Blue Jays beat the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 10-8 at SkyDome. Delgado tied the game at 8-8 in the eighth with his fourth homer, a solo shot off Lance Carter.
2007 — Prince Fielder, at 23 years, 139 days old, became the youngest major league player to hit 50 home runs in a season, connecting twice in Milwaukee’s 9-1 rout of St. Louis.
2013 — The New York Yankees failed to make the playoffs for only the second time in 19 years, getting mathematically eliminated during their 8-3 loss to Tampa Bay.
2016 — Jose Fernandez, 24, ace right-hander for the Miami Marlins, was killed in a boating accident.
2017 — Aaron Judge broke Mark McGwire’s major league record for home runs by a rookie, hitting a pair for the second straight day to raise his total to 50 and lead the New York Yankees over the Kansas City Royals 11-3.
2018 — Max Scherzer became the 17th pitcher since 1900 to strike out 300 batters in a season, reaching that milestone by fanning 10 in seven innings during Washington’s 9-4 win over Miami.
Compiled by the Associated Press
Until next time…
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.
Towering teenager Zhang Zhanshuo became the first swimmer in history to win seven golds at a single Asian Games, while on the track, Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson powered to victory in the 100m.
China’s Zhang, 19, scorched to the men’s 400m freestyle title in the pool in Tokyo on Friday in a Games-record three minutes and 41.28 seconds.
He sat on the lane divider after the race and slowly counted off on his fingers all seven medals he had won.
Zhang also won individual golds in the 200m, 800m and 1,500m freestyle events, as well as three relays.
He said, after wrapping up a scintillating campaign, that it had been the “perfect week”.
“I think the most important thing is to stay grounded and focused, because the Asian Games are not my ultimate goal,” said Zhang, who stands 198cm (six feet, six inches).
With the Los Angeles Olympics less than two years away, China won 30 of the 42 golds in the pool this week.
Their 13-year-old phenomenon Yu Zidi was the undoubted superstar, taking home three individual golds and all in Games-record times.
Not to be outdone, Japan’s 17-year-old Shin Ohashi shattered the men’s 200m breaststroke world record on Thursday.
Swimming, equestrian and diving are taking place in Tokyo, but the city of Nagoya and the wider Aichi prefecture are the main Games host.
The men’s and women’s 100m sprints, the blue riband events in track and field, took place in front of rows of empty seats in Nagoya.
China’s Chen Yujie streaked to a comfortable victory in the women’s final in a Games-record 11.06 seconds.
The men’s was won by 20-year-old Puripol, who burst out of the pack in the final quarter of the race to win in 9.90 seconds, breaking his Games record from earlier in the evening.
It was Thailand’s first men’s 100m gold medal since Suchart Jairsuraparp on home soil at the 1978 Bangkok Games.
‘Today was a miracle for me’
On the last evening of gymnastics, Carlos Yulo won the men’s vault for his second gold of the Games.
The double Olympic champion won floor gold on Thursday to complete his collection of major titles.
“I can’t believe it,” the Filipino said.
“In this whole Asian Games, I felt really stressed, but at the same time, I enjoyed what I did today. I really did my part.
“Today was really a miracle for me.”
There’s little time to celebrate, however, with the world championships next month.
South Korea edged China 85-80 in the semifinals of the women’s basketball, and will face hosts Japan for gold.
China had their giant centre Zhang Ziyu, 19, but it was not enough.
Zhang Ziyu stands 223cm (seven feet, four inches) and scored 22 points.
“She was tough to guard,” said South Korea’s Kang Lee-seul.
“We couldn’t defend her, but we focused on fast breaks and shooting more three-pointers.”
North Korea’s women were again in record-setting form on the weightlifting dais.
Oh Kwang Ok set three world records on her way to women’s 57kg bodyweight class gold.
Oh lifted 104kg in the snatch and 134kg in the clean and jerk for a 238kg total – all world records to add to the two golds North Korea’s women won in the 49kg and 53kg classes this week.
North Korea has won four gold medals and two silvers in the six weightlifting events contested so far.
ONE train station that sees over 167,000 passengers each day will completely close next week.
Due to essential works, no trains will run to or from Amsterdam Centraal on October 3 – this includes Eurostar services to and from St Pancras.
Amsterdam Centraal railway station will be disrupted over a weekendCredit: GettyThe busy train station will undergo important works that means it will closeCredit: Getty
The train station that serves the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands is about to undergo ‘vital’ rail works.
As a result it will be closed for one full day on October 3 with schedules significantly reduced on the two following days between October 4-5.
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The upgrades include connecting new tracks around Amsterdam Centraal to the rail network.
ProRail’s construction manager Wai Ko explained: “We are adapting the station step by step so that there will be more space for passengers and trains in the future.
“Over the weekend of October 3, together with contractor Dura Vermeer, we will connect track 11a to the rail network. We will also disconnect track 14a.
“That involves a great deal of visible work, such as physically joining the tracks, as well as a great deal of work that passengers never see.”
Other works taking place will be ‘invisible’, held within the signalling systems in technical rooms and at the traffic-control center.
It’s likely to cause major disruption over the weekend considering that Amsterdam Centraal is the second-busiest railway station in the Netherlands and one of the busiest in Europe.
As a result of the engineering works, Eurostar has said that there will be no trains between St Pancras and Amsterdam between October 3-5.
On its website, Eurostar apologised for the disruption.
From the UK there will be no Eurostar services to Amsterdam between October 3-5Credit: Getty
On Saturdays there are typically three direct Eurostar routes to Amsterdam Centraal and 15 indirect routes from London St Pancras.
There are also the same number of services between Amsterdam and London.
On Sundays there are usually four direct routes and nine indirect journeys with the same from Amsterdam to London.
Eurostar usually has five direct Amsterdam services on Monday and nine indirect services – on the return are typically five direct trains and six indirect.
Eurostar’s services to Rotterdam will remain unaffected.
If you were due to travel to Amsterdam on these dates – these are the options provided by Eurostar…
Eurostar has provided the following options for those affected by Amsterdam Centraal’s closure between October 3-5…
• Use your ticket to get on or off your train at the station before or after your cancelled stop if your planned journey is only partially disrupted.
• Exchange your booking for free to travel in the same travel class at a different time or date. It only takes a minute to rearrange your trip.
• Cancel your booking and get a refund. You’ll receive a refund for the value of your ticket but not for any booking or exchange fees. We’ll process your request within 28 days.
You have three months from the date you were due to travel to claim your preferred option.
JANE Austen knew what she was doing when she wrote her books in atmospheric locations.
And with a new movie based on her novel Sense & Sensibility coming out this weekend, the locations in the film are the perfect destination for a staycation.
The new Sense & Sensibility film used Dartmoor for several scenes – and having been hundreds of times I know the National Park very wellCredit: Cyann FieldingThe new film featuring Daisy Edgar-Jones is believed to have filmed in Princetown and TavistockCredit: YouTubeThey even shot a scene at Ditsworthy Warren House – which was also used in War HorseCredit: YouTubeThe National Park is around nine times the size of the City of ParisCredit: YouTube
I have visited Dartmoor National Park more times than I can count, including the spots used in the film – and I stand by that it is the best staycation spot in England.
The National Park spans 368 square miles and to put that into perspective, its around nine times the size of the City of Paris.
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In fact, Dartmoor is so huge you could spend a whole week exploring it and you could still come back again and see new things.
But you won’t see skyscrapers and massive roads here – instead, rolling hills meet meandering rivers with winding country roads running alongside them.
The new Sense & Sensibility film starring Daisy Edgar-Jones as Elinor Dashwood and Esmé Creed-Miles as Marianne Dashwood, used the rugged and windswept landscapes of Dartmoor extensively to film scenes of the movie.
One location used was Gutter Tor – a large granite rock pile that makes for the ideal walk.
There is a small car park not too far away and after exploring the tor, head to Ditsworthy Warren House, just south of the tor, which was also used in film and it already featured in Steven Spielberg‘s film War Horse.
As a child and still now as an adult, I love searching for letterboxes on Dartmoor – a traditional hobby box with a rubber stamp inside and a visitor book.
Across the moors there are loads of places to explore, including Dartmeet where you can waddle through the riverCredit: Alamy
Obviously some are harder to find than others and while I haven’t found one at Gutter Tor, there are three officials ones in the area.
It is a great activity for kids, like the ultimate hide and seek.
You will usually find them in the crevices of the granite rocks, or even under some that are light enough to move.
Another spot the new blockbuster used as a filming spot was Princetown, which is one of the National Park’s villages.
The small village is home to the famous Dartmoor Prison, made entirely out of granite.
Many myths and folklore about Dartmoor originate at this prison and are usually about escaped prisoners.
I’d really recommend heading to the Dartmoor Prison Museum to learn more about the 200-year-old building.
And if you want to hear more about the folklore, book onto a Heart of Dartmoor Guided Walk, based in Princetown.
Gutter Tor is another spot used for filming – if heading on a walk to the Tor, make sure to look out for a letterboxCredit: AlamyThey aren’t regular letterboxes, but instead ones with a stamp in to say you were herein the guestbook.Credit: Alamy
For half a day (£40pp) or a full-day (£70pp) visitors head off on walks across open moorland and tracks with a guide who will share local folklore, history and hidden features.
Pop into Dartmoor Brewery’s shop as well and pick up some of their famous Jail Ales which have won numerous awards over the past few years.
The ales all come from the brewerynext door, which is England‘s highest brewery at 446.5 metres above sea level.
If you want to sit and enjoy a pint in a pub, then pop into the Plume of Feathers or the Prince of Wales.
The final Dartmoor filming spot was Tavistock – a historic market town on the edge of the National Park.
Known as the original home of the cream tea, it is well worth spending a day exploring.
The World Heritage status town is home to loads of independent shops, a famous pannier market and an award-winning farmers market.
The town has a heap of restaurants, pubs and cafes as well and if you want to extend your stay then book into the Cornish Arms for a night, costing from £124 per night.
Across the moors there are loads of award-winning pubs tooCredit: AlamyAnd you might see the famous Dartmoor poniesCredit: Alamy
Dartmoor has more to explore than just these filming spots though…
One of the most popular spots to visit – with good reason – is Haytor.
The towering tor at the edge of the moors provides the ideal walk for those who enjoy being outside but don’t want anything too rigorous.
By Haytor is also The Moorland Hotel, with stunning gardens and a large restaurant serving delicious comfort food.
Staying here is the perfect base to explore the National Park and what makes it even better is that it costs from just £80 per night – so £40 per person per night, with breakfast included.
And across the moors you will find more than 70 pubs in total, many of which have won awards for either their drinks or food.
For example, head to The Chagford Inn, which is recognised as a leading West Country gastropub and focuses on farm-to-table menus.
Tavistock was also used for filmingCredit: AlamyThe bustling town has lots of coffee shops as well as top restaurantsCredit: Alamy
Also in Chagford, drop into the Three Crowns which is the Gold Winner for Pub of the Year at the Visit Devon Tourism Awards and a Devon Life Food and Drink Awards finalist.
Another fun family spot – that is free to visit – is Dartmeet.
Here you can go for a dip in the river, head over a traditional clapper bridge and venture across giant stepping stones that span the river.
If all of this wasn’t enough, Dartmoor is actually the only place in England you can wild camp for free.
So, get your tent out and you’ll have free accommodation too.
It’s stunning to comprehend how much has changed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine. The conflict quickly turned into one dominated by artillery, with both sides scrambling to source shells wherever possible. Drones have since replaced tubed artillery as the ‘king of battle’ along the front, but cannons still have an important place on the battlefield. The commander of a new combined drone-artillery brigade offered some fresh insights into how his guns are now being deployed to achieve effects that drones still can’t provide.
As we have frequently documented, the ubiquity of drones has changed the nature of combat, especially when it comes to artillery. Not only can drones hold artillery positions at risk, many are cheaper than shells and easier to produce at scale. Most types are also precision guided munitions capable of hitting moving targets with pinpoint accuracy and can also provide battlefield surveillance. However, they are not a panacea, especially amid the cat-and-mouse game of electronic warfare countermeasures and improving kinetic and passive defenses.
In a recent interview with the Ukrainian Oboronka news outlet, Lt. Col. Vitalii Korniienko, commander of the 7th Artillery Brigade, talked about the changing nature of artillery warfare. Korniienko, whose unit is part of the Ukrainian National Guard, explained what is being done to keep his array of domestically produced Bogdana 155mm systems, donated weapons like M777 howitzers, remaining Soviet-era 2S7 Pion 203mm self-propelled howitzers and other guns, relevant. Here are some takeaways from that discussion.
How The Game Changed
“Guns used to be massed at positions to create an ‘artillery wall’ and a barrage of fire,” the lieutenant colonel said. “That practice is gone now. So, how effective is artillery today? We can create an artillery barrage, but what is the point of mindlessly churning up the earth? I’d rather send 20 FPV drones to destroy the target. The cost of that mission is $20,000.”
A soldier from the 13th Khartiia Brigade of Ukraine’s National Guard hones his FPV drone piloting skills during a training flight in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine. (Photo by Viacheslav Madiievskyi/Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images) Future Publishing
“Alternatively, I could fire 200 shells, but the cost would be astronomical,” he pointed out. “Plus, if we fired 100 shells from a gun in a single day, it likely wouldn’t survive until evening. The sky is full of drones; every shot gives away the position, leading to detection and an attempt to dismantle it using every available means. Nowadays, a typical mission involves a series of up to 10 shots. First, 3–5 shells for ranging, followed by fire on the target. That’s a minimum of five shells, with each costing at least $2,000.”
What Does The Drone-Artillery Brigade Do Differently?
“It is a concept of ours that was approved: combining artillery and drones within a single brigade,” Korniienko said. “Drones take out enemy artillery and logistics, while our guns provide cover for the infantry, destroy targets, and pin the enemy down in their dugouts. This way, we mitigate the limitations of both systems and boost overall effectiveness.”
Ukrainian troops firing a domestically produced 2S22 “Bogdana” self-propelled howitzer against Russian forces near the front line in the Zaporizhia direction. (Photo by Maksym Kishka/Frontliner/Getty Images) Frontliner#VIDEO
“Our primary operations are focused within the corps’ area of responsibility—targeting positions 10 kilometers deep or farther behind enemy lines. Of course, we will also engage closer targets if requested by the brigade holding the defense. In addition, we are shifting logistics tasks from pickup trucks to ground-based robotic systems. They are already transporting ammunition to drone and artillery positions, as well as food and fuel for generators.”
What Artillery Can Do That Drones Can’t
“Let’s be honest: 95% of strikes right now are carried out by drones,” Korniienko explained. “Yet, we cannot simply abandon artillery. The focus of our operations has shifted from merely striking the enemy to destroying, suppressing, and halting the actions of assault groups and armored columns—and the need for that remains as critical as ever. There are tasks that only artillery can handle.”
“For instance, we currently have several enemy targets in the Kupyansk sector that drones cannot reach due to electronic warfare (EW) interference, while slow fiber-optic drones are simply shot down,” the officer noted. “What do we do? We call in artillery. Nothing affects its shells. Fog, strong winds, snow, or headwinds—it makes no difference to artillery; it will operate regardless.”
Preparing Artillery For The Modern Battlefield
“At the beginning, both we and the Russians might have had two or three guns at a single position,” Korniienko proffered. “The enemy was doing this as late as 2023. Then it tapered off, because if you deployed six guns, an hour later they’d be gone. No one drives out into an open field anymore. Today, a gun wouldn’t even make it to the position without being spotted.”
Ukrainian National Guard troops prepare a ‘Bogdana-BG’ artillery installation from a dugout position. (Photo by Sofiia Bobok/Anadolu via Getty Images) Anadolu
As a result, the artillery crew’s deployment “is prepared in advance,” the officer stated. “First, anti-aircraft drone teams ‘clear’ the sky above the site of enemy reconnaissance assets. The position itself is a fully underground-dugout caponier with well-camouflaged access routes. We put a lot of effort into ensuring the artillery doesn’t get destroyed. Losing a gun is a huge blow to us.”
Short Range Versus Long Range Shells
“There is currently an ongoing debate about phasing out ‘short’ shells and switching entirely to long-range variants,” the officer stated. “This is intended to protect artillery from drone strikes.”
“What exactly is a ‘short’ shell, and should we stop using it?” he asked rhetorically. “The M107 155mm round is what is known as a ‘short’ shell. It is inexpensive and mass-produced; all our allies—and even our own country—manufacture it. We have sufficient stocks of them for combat operations. While accurate, its range is limited to 14–18 km, depending on the propellant used.”
Army
Long-range options “include the M795 and its foreign equivalents,” Korniienko explained. “These are longer, heavier, and significantly more expensive. With high-quality propellant, they can reach 30 km, or even further if equipped with a base-bleed unit. However, both these shells and the necessary propellants are in short supply.”
Army
“I do not believe abandoning the M107 is the right move,” the officer suggested. “Long-range shells cause faster barrel wear and compromise position concealment; firing a long-range charge produces a massive burst of flame from the muzzle—visible for kilometers at dusk or dawn.” “Besides,” he added, “18 km is a respectable range. If the gun is positioned 15 km back, it still has a 3-km margin to spare. That is sufficient for engaging frontline infantry. In my view, the ideal mix for most brigades would be 60% long-range shells and 40% standard M107 rounds.”
Big Versus Small Guns
“I operated 105mm guns in the Serebryanka area, on the Kharkiv axis,” Korniienko noted. “Based on intercepted communications, the enemy thought it was a mortar and searched for it within a five-to-six-kilometer range. But the howitzer was positioned eight or nine kilometers away and fired out to 10–12 kilometers.”
“There is almost no muzzle flash, just a bit of dust,” he added. “The shell arrives, and the enemy doesn’t even hear the sound of the shot. It’s compact and lightweight—you can transport it on a pickup truck. So yes, it would be useful.”
An L119 lightweight towed howitzer. (Via X)
“I’d also like to see the development of 203mm artillery; why move away from that caliber?” the officer wondered aloud. “Our ‘Pion’ systems fire a massive 100-kilogram shell capable of punching through at least two floors of a building or a bunker. And it’s reasonably accurate, too. You wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end when guns like that are firing at you. Overall, I believe we need competition. Right now, the ‘Bogdana’ is evolving under wartime conditions, which is good. But in a few years, momentum could stall. They might just keep producing the same system without significant upgrades because there’s no incentive to innovate. Yet, the nature of war doesn’t stand still.”
Wary Of Asian Shells
“We have a wide range of shells from different countries, and the ones coming from the West are fine,” Korniienko said. “However, their counterparts produced in certain Asian countries… the quality is frankly poor.”
“What is wrong with them?” queried Korniienko, who did not name the country in question. “On paper, the shell weight is listed as 46 kilograms, but when we weigh them, we find 46.9 or 45.4 kg. And that half-kilogram difference—give or take—has a huge impact on where the shell lands.”
As a result, “we no longer trust the standard firing tables provided with the shells; instead, we compile our own for each manufacturer. We weigh every batch and sort them by weight so that the difference between the ‘piles’ is minimal, ensuring a reasonably tight grouping. I can’t afford to make a mistake that causes a shell to land 2 kilometers off-target—right where our infantry guys are positioned. I should add that our artillerymen are actually wary of shells from one specific country. There have been instances where they tore off the muzzle brake or even caused the barrel to burst. A barrel burst is a disaster.”
Homegrown Is The Best
Korniienko said his unit was one of the first to test the Bogdana system, adding that he prefers it to other guns.
“We tested them and provided feedback to the manufacturer, which was then used to refine the design,” he explained. “It is a solid gun now, and it is my preferred choice. It might not be the absolute best, but I am very satisfied with the support and service.”
“If there’s a breakdown, the gun is back in position within a day or two,” he pointed out. “For instance, a gun broke down today, and we needed a repair team from the manufacturer. I know I’ll have it fixed by the day after tomorrow. They arrive in the morning, and by midday, the gun is ready. Then it takes another day or two to get it back to the position. That is very fast.”
That’s a very different experience than what he sees with donated weapons like the U.S.-made M777.
Ukrainian soldiers prepare to fire an M777 howitzer at Russian forces. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) Anadolu
“As for the Western partners helping us—we are deeply grateful,” the officer avowed. “However, by the time you actually receive a part—say, a sensor—the gun might have been sitting idle for six months. And you can’t try to fix it yourself, because that would void the warranty.”
While artillery may no longer be the reigning weapon of war, as far as Ukraine is concerned, it has not been relegated to the dustbin of history yet either.
St Cuthbert’s Way now ranks alongside the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and France’s scenic Route Napoleon as the ‘Best in Travel’ for Lonely Planet guide.
15:35, 25 Sep 2026Updated 15:36, 25 Sep 2026
The traditional Good Friday Pilgrimage to Holy Island in 2024(Image: Getty Images)
A 62-mile walking route to England’s Holy Island has been named as one of the world’s top experiences in the ‘travel bible’ Lonely Planet.
St Cuthbert’s Way now ranks alongside the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway and France’s scenic Route Napoleon as the ‘Best in Travel’.
The list also highlights lesser-known destinations like Quebec and Veneto, and cities such as Dessau in Germany, Šibenik in Croatia, León in Spain and Rabat in Morocco.
St Cuthbert’s Way covers 100km from Melrose in the Scottish Borders through some of the most peaceful countryside in the UK to Lindisfarne in Northumberland.
The BBC featured “The Road to Holy Island’ in a series earlier this year, including sections of St Cuthbert’s Way. It featured celebrities Patsy Kensit, Ashley Banjo, Hermione Norris and Jayne Middlemiss.
Lonely Planet recommends its “moorlands” and “ghostly hillforts” and village pubs. The walk officially opened in the summer of 1996. It begins in Melrose where St Cuthbert started his religious life in 650 AD and makes its way through the Eildon hills, past Jedburgh to Morebattle and Town Yetholm.
From there it crosses the border into England passing through Wooler before ending up on Holy Island off the Northumberland coast where St Cuthbert was first laid to rest.
Most people walk it from west to east as that follows the chronology of the saint’s life and also benefits from having the prevailing wind at your back.
It is described as enjoying an “ever-changing variety of scenery and spectacular views” and can be “easily completed” in four to six days.
The walk offers dramatic views of the countryside of southern Scotland and northern England, and an area identified as the most peaceful in the UK.
It ends with a ‘bit of a bang’ at Lindisfarne, famous for its causeway, castle and beautiful views. St Cuthbert is recognised as one of the world’s earliest wildlife conservationists. He was born in 635 AD and, after a “divine vision,” the young shepherd entered the monastery in Melrose.
A decade later, the town was struck by the plague and afterwards, he helped victims throughout the countryside and was reported to have performed many miracles.
He transferred to Lindisfarne in 664 but, described as a “hermit by nature,” retired to Inner Farne in 676. His efforts to protect birds led to his recognition as one of the earliest wildlife conservationists.
Andrew Fox, Chair of Visit Northumberland, said: “We are thrilled to see Northumberland featured in Lonely Planet’s Best in Travel 2027.
This recognition shines a global spotlight not only on St Cuthbert’s Way, but on the wider range of world-class experiences that make Northumberland such a distinctive destination.
“St Cuthbert’s Way perfectly captures the growing demand for more meaningful travel experiences.
Whether visitors come to walk, reflect, explore our coast and countryside, discover our historic sites or simply slow down and reconnect with nature, Northumberland offers an unforgettable journey and a genuine sense of place.”
The Lonely Planets top places and experiences in Europe are:
Places
Veneto, Italy
Dessau, Germany
Swedish Riviera (Skanör-Falsterbo), Sweden
Šibenik, Croatia
León, Spain
Experiences
Road-trip through history on the Route Napoléon, France
Sail the Aeolian Islands, Sicily
Walk St Cuthbert’s Way to Lindisfarne, United Kingdom
Dive into an unexpected underwater world, Greece
Be wowed by wonderful Killary Fjord,Co Galway, Ireland
CLAUDIA Schiffer showed off her age-defying looks as she stripped down to tiny bikinis on her luxury break away.
The OG supermodel, 56, looked timeless as she teased fans with a slew of sexy holiday snaps which saw her show off her enviable physique.
Claudia Schiffer showed off her timeless good looks as she stripped down to a bikiniCredit: @claudiaschiffer./InstagramThe star showed off her incredible body on her luxury vacationCredit: @claudiaschiffer./Instagram
Claudia captioned the photos from her sun-soaked Grecian vacation with: “An endless summer.”
In one photo the model was seen showing off the body that made her famous in a sexy bikini, with a beautiful sunset background behind her.
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In another stunning snap, Claudia was seen posing in another two-piece, this time in front of an idyllic ocean.
Other bikini shots saw her showcasing her toned figure as she got out of the sea after a dip.
During her heyday in the 90s, and along with the likes of Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, Claudia helped to launch the world of supermodels.
The blonde bombshell was first scouted aged just 17 while partying in a Dusseldorf nightclub with a pal.
Previously speaking about this moment that changed her life, she told Elle magazine: “I thought they were making a mistake and would find out I was the wrong girl and send me home once I arrived in Paris.”
Claudia appeared to have spent the summer in her bikiniCredit: UnknownThe supermodel teased fans with her ‘endless summer’Credit: @claudiaschiffer./InstagramThe supermodel showed off her gym honed body as she got out of the ocean after a dipCredit: @claudiaschiffer./InstagramThe star also looked stunning in this dotted dressCredit: @claudiaschiffer./Instagram
Soon, Claudia was one of the most in-demand models on the ’90s catwalks, modelling for Chanel, Versace and Yves Saint Laurent and fronting an ad campaign for Guess Jeans.
During her career, the sexy star has appeared on more than 1,000 magazine covers.
After quitting the catwalk to focus on starting a family, she soon welcomed Caspar, now 23, Clementine, 21, and Cosima, 16, with her English filmmaker husband, Matthew Vaughn, 55.
The family live in Coldham Hall, a 14-bedroom haunted Tudor mansion in Suffolk.
NEW YORK — Some of the loudest cheers for Sen. Ted Cruz at the Republicans’ recent midterm convention in Dallas came after the Texas politician targeted Muslim Americans and their faith’s religious code.
“Sharia law has no place in America,” said Cruz. “We need to stand together and stop it now.”
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott chimed in moments later, vowing to “fully ban Sharia law in Texas.”
Muslim American civic leaders and scholars — in Texas and other states — are responding forcefully to this latest surge in anti-Sharia rhetoric that dates back more than 15 years.
They passionately defend Sharia — the way it’s practiced in the United States — as positive guidance that has elements in common with the codes of other faiths, such as the Ten Commandments and the collective body of Jewish law derived from the Torah. They rebut the claims of GOP critics that Sharia is a coercive code that threatens the U.S. Constitution and judicial system.
Though there are multiple interpretations of Sharia, its essence is to serve as a code for how Muslims should live and worship — covering such matters as prayer, pilgrimages, fasting, charitable donations and personal virtue.
Among the most energetic of Sharia’s defenders is Illinois-based Sabeel Ahmed, director of an outreach project called GainPeace. He travels widely around the U.S., with a recent focus on Texas, speaking at mosque-sponsored workshops and open houses.
“Sharia is often misunderstood,” Ahmed posted on Instagram after a midsummer visit to Plano, Texas. “Many people think Sharia is only about punishments, but in Islam it is Allah’s guidance for living with faith, justice, mercy, and responsibility.”
Ahmed attributes the durability of anti-Sharia vitriol to politicians and social-media influencers who want to rile up their voting base or their followers.
“They gain popularity by saying it,” he told The Associated Press. “It’s the job of the Muslims to educate what is the proper meaning of the word Sharia. We cannot be angry or hateful.”
Sharia’s role varies significantly among Muslim nations
Among those appalled by the anti-Sharia surge in the U.S. is Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, a Sudanese-born Islamic scholar who taught for many years at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta. He is a longtime critic of the relatively small number of governments in Muslim nations that coercively enforce Sharia, saying Muslims are better off in secular states where their religious observance is a matter of free choice.
An-Na’im says he and other Muslim Americans embrace Sharia willingly as a core part of their identity, even as they also embrace American values.
The demonization of their beliefs displays “a shocking ignorance of what Sharia means,” An-Na’im said. “It’s a total dehumanization of the other, the rejection of their right to be human.”
The rhetoric is similarly dramatic among Sharia’s opponents — epitomized by the two U.S. representatives from Texas, Republicans Keith Self and Chip Roy — who co-founded the Sharia-Free America Caucus in Congress.
“Sharia is a direct threat to our Constitution and Western values and seeks to replace our legal system and erode our basic freedoms,” Roy said earlier this year. “Our immigration system must be prepared to confront this challenge and defend our Judeo-Christian values.”
By last count, the caucus had more than 60 members. All of them are Republicans, and its members have introduced several anti-Sharia bills since the caucus was formed last December. None of those measures have been successful.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, has designated the caucus as an anti-Muslim hate group.
“The bigoted rhetoric used by this caucus resembles the hatred that anti-Catholic politicians once unleashed against Irish Americans,” said CAIR research and advocacy director Corey Saylor.
“Islam is an American faith, present for over 250 years,” he added. “No one who wrote the Constitution or enforced it since has empowered these legislators to pick which religions get to exist in America.”
Texas has been a battleground for Sharia disputes
There has been substantive anti-Sharia action in Texas. In August, Attorney General Ken Paxton demanded documents from the Dallas-based Islamic Tribunal, which provides religious guidance to Muslims.
Paxton said in a news release that the investigation by his office sought to determine if the tribunal was engaged in illegal activity, such as acting as a court, applying foreign laws that conflict with Texas or federal law, or issuing rulings that imply government authority.
“This is America, and we will not be governed by sharia law,” Paxton said.
The Islamic Tribunal subsequently updated its website with a “ Clarification of Mission and Activities,” stressing that its guidance “complements, and never replaces, the legal, social, and professional services available in American society.”
“The Tribunal does not function as a court of law and does not issue legally binding judgments,” it said. “Our role is limited to mediation and religious arbitration requested by members of the Muslim community in matters related to faith, family guidance, and internal religious affairs.”
Any matters requiring legal enforcement are referred directly to the Texas judicial system, said the tribunal, which likened its work to the services provided by Jewish Beth Din courts and Catholic ecclesiastical tribunals.
Sharia defenders seek to broaden understanding of its essence
Asma Uddin, a professor at Michigan State University’s College of Law, has argued in her writings that many American politicians are depicting ordinary Muslim religious practices — such as prayer, choice of apparel, family counseling and mosque attendance — as evidence of a political danger.
In an interview with the AP, Uddin depicted the current wave of anti-Sharia rhetoric as fearmongering by politicians who view the issue as advantageous for them.
“When politicians use this, it’s giving them exactly what they’re looking for,” she said. “They’re looking for a scapegoat … and this gets people riled up.”
Sabeel Ahmed, who has made three outreach trips to Texas so far this year, plans a trip to Houston in a few weeks for another mosque open-house. He’s also working on a book to be mailed to Christian clergy across the U.S., seeking to broaden their understanding of Sharia and other Islamic practices.
“Islam is not to be feared,” Ahmed said. “People should meet a Muslim, go to the mosque, reach out to us. Let’s emphasize the commonalities we have.”
Hi, and welcome to another edition of Dodgers Dugout. My name is Houston Mitchell. I was reading my Bible, and baseball was mentioned almost immediately. “In the big inning, God created the heavens and the earth.”
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The postseason awaits
There are still three games left in the season, but let’s jump ahead and talk about the postseason a bit. We will have more in the run-up to the NLDS next week. The good news is the Dodgers have clinched a first-round bye and will open the postseason on Saturday, Oct. 3. The NLDS is best-of-five on a 2-2-1 format, so the Dodgers will host Games 1 and 2, and if necessary, Game 5.
Who will they play? The winner of the series between the No. 3 seed (Atlanta) and the No. 6 seed, which has yet to be determined. There are four teams vying for the three wild-card spots.
Should the Dodgers fear any one team more than the others this postseason? Let’s see how they have fared against all the other potential postseason teams. In fact, let’s see how all the postseason teams have fared against each other.
Dodgers vs. Arizona, 6-7 (-5 run differential) vs. Atlanta, 1-5 (-11) vs. Chicago, 2-4 (+2) vs. Milwaukee, 3-4 (+2) vs. Philadelphia. 4-2 (+11) vs. San Diego, 8-5 (+19) Total, 23-27, (+18)
Arizona vs. Dodgers, 7-5 (+5) vs. Atlanta, 4-3 (-8) vs. Chicago, 2-4 (-11) vs. Milwaukee, 2-4 (-22) vs. Philadelphia. 3-3 (-5) vs. San Diego, 5-5 (+5) Total, 18-19, (+25)
Atlanta vs. Dodgers, 5-1 (+11) vs. Arizona, 3-4 (+8) vs. Chicago, 3-3 (-1) vs. Milwaukee, 3-3 (-5) vs. Philadelphia. 9-4 (+23) vs. San Diego, 3-4 (-7) Total, 26-19 (+29)
Chicago vs. Dodgers, 4-2 (-2) vs. Arizona, 4-2 (+11) vs. Atlanta, 3-3 (+1) vs. Milwaukee, 4-9 (-9) vs. Philadelphia. 6-1 (+22) vs. San Diego, 5-1 (+27) Total, 26-18, (+50)
Milwaukee vs. Dodgers, 4-3 (-2) vs. Arizona, 4-2 (+22) vs. Atlanta, 3-3 (+5) vs. Chicago, 9-4 (+9) vs. Philadelphia, 4-2 (+14) vs. San Diego, 2-4 (-5) Total, 25-18, (+43)
Philadelphia vs. Dodgers, 2-4 (-11) vs. Arizona, 3-3 (+5) vs. Atlanta, 4-9 (-23) vs. Chicago, 1-6 (-22) vs. Milwaukee, 2-4 (-14) vs. San Diego, 6-0 (+11) Total, 18-26, (-54)
San Diego vs. Dodgers, 5-8 (-19) vs. Arizona, 5-5 (-5) vs. Atlanta, 4-3 (+7) vs. Chicago, 1-5 (-27) vs. Milwaukee, 4-2 (+5) vs. Philadelphia, 0-6 (-11) Total, 19-29, (-50)
This serves as a basic guideline for you. We would really have to dig deep to find hidden meanings here, since a lot depends on who started for each team. Philadelphia started the season poorly, fired their manager, named Don Mattingly manager and turned things around. So, when did these teams face the Phillies? I could do that for every team, but I can just hear people closing the newsletter and deleting it if I get too far into the weeds. Just as an example, San Diego is 0-6 against the Phillies, but were outscored by only 11 runs, while the Dodgers have losing records against Chicago and Milwaukee, but outscored both teams. And every Dodger fan from that era can tell you that the Mets were 10-1 against the Dodgers in the regular season in 1988, but lost to them in the playoffs.
But, stuff like this is fun. And remember when stats were sometimes just for fun, and not every stat had to look at launch angles and elevation rates?
The postseason roster?
The final position player spot on the postseason roster will be very interesting. Does it go to Josue De Paula, who hit .323/.500/.581 with three doubles, one triple, one homer and seven RBIs in 42 plate appearances. He also walked an impressive 11 times while striking out only five times.
He is back in the minors now, but the Dodgers can bring him back for the postseason, as long as he is replacing an injured player, such as Dalton Rushing. They would need to petition the Commissioner’s Office to allow it, but that kind of petition has never been denied in the past.
Of course, De Paula is blocked at DH, left field and right field now that Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández are hitting better. But he did seem to bring a shot of energy to the team, as if he reminded them “Hey, this is supposed to be fun.”
Does the final spot go to Rushing? I don’t see how, because he can’t play in the field right now because of his elbow injury.
Does it go to Hyeseong Kim? His name was brought up this week by Dave Roberts, because Kim brings speed, versatility and good defense. He could be this season’s Justin Dean, appearing in almost every game and never hitting.
And the bullpen? If you have Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell in the rotation, that means Roki Sasaki goes to the bullpen. Does Justin Wrobleski get a bullpen spot? What about Emmet Sheehan, who has pitched great in his return (one earned run in 17 innings, giving up six hits and walking three while striking out 24)? Do you need all three of them in the bullpen in anticipation of the inevitable injury to Snell and Glasnow? We’ll know more about Snell when he starts Saturday.
Can Yamamoto pitch in every postseason game?
A lot of questions, no answers yet.
Forgotten Dodger: Willie Crawford
Willie Crawford, 17, who hit .444 for Fremont High, signs a $100,000 deal with the Dodgers in 1964 as Al Campanis watches.
(Associated Press)
We won’t go quite as far back in time for this one as the previous ones.
Willie Crawford is one of those guys who was good at a lot of things but not great at anything, and those types of players tend to be overlooked. But you need players like that every year in order to win.
Crawford first played for L.A. as a 17-year-old in 1964 and had his best season in 1973, when he hit .295/.396/.453 with 14 homers and 66 RBIs. He was solid defensively, playing more shallow than most right fielders to cut down on bloop singles and relying on his speed to catch any balls hit over him.
“He was big and powerful, and he could hit a ball as far as anybody. Boy, was he something,” Tommy Lasorda once said of Crawford, who the Dodgers signed out of Fremont High. Crawford was signed out of high school for $100,000, and the rules at the time said if you signed for at least that much, you had to stay on the major league roster for a season, which hampered his development. In 1965, the 19-year-old Crawford got a World Series ring for being on the Dodgers roster, but he batted only 27 times in the regular season. He had a pinch-hit single in Game 1 of that series.
In his first four seasons as a Dodger, he played in 72 games.
He was a productive player for many years and retired after the 1977 season. Crawford died of kidney disease at age 57 in 2004. You can read more about him here.
The postseason race
Here are the postseason seedings as of Thursday’s games. The three division winners get the top three seeds, followed by the three teams with the best records. The top two division winners get a first-round bye. Milwaukee and the Dodgers have clinched division titles and first-round byes.
Mikwaukee has clinched the No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the postseason. The Dodgers have clinched the No. 2 seed and the Braves the No. 3 seed.
The Padres and Cubs have clinched wild-card spots. If the season ended today, Atlanta would host Philadelphia in one best-of-three wild-card round, with the winner taking on the Dodgers. The Padres would host the Cubs in the other wild-card round, with the winner playing Milwaukee.
In their final three games of the season, the Padres host the Diamondbacks, Philadelphia hosts Tampa Bay and Chicago plays at Boston.
Five of the six teams in the AL have been decided, with Tampa Bay and Cleveland clinching the top two seedings and the first-round bye. The third seed will be the AL West champion, either Texas or Houston (no relation), who are both 79-80. The Astros have the tiebreaker advantage. The three wild-card teams are the Yankees, Boston and the Chicago White Sox, in that order.
The Cat Man is back
Reports of the demise of Tony Gonsolin were greatly exaggerated. He’s back in the majors.
Gonsolin was an All-Star with the Dodgers in 2022, finishing the season 16-1 with a 2.14 ERA. He was having a mediocre 2023 before he was shut down and had Tommy John surgery. After missing the 2024 season, he came back in 2025, made seven starts and had internal brace surgery on his elbow. The Dodgers let him go. He was busy rehabbing his arm for the last year, and finally the Kansas City Royals decided to give him a chance. They sent him to the minors in August, and called him up to the majors this week.
He came in for a relief appearance on Tuesday and, after pitching two scoreless innings, gave up five runs and four hits, with two walks, ending the outing on a sour note.
“Essentially, I’m trying out for next year,” Gonsolin told reporters before the game. “It has been a while since I’ve thrown before this many fans. Just looking forward to the excitement and the adrenaline.”
These names seem familiar
This will be the final time this feature runs this season. It will be back next season. How many names will have joined it then? How notable players who were with the Dodgers the last few seasons are doing with their new teams (through Wednesday). Click on the player’s name to be taken to their full stats page:
Anthony Banda, Twins: 2-0, 4.46 ERA, 2 saves, 34.1 IP, 31 hits, 15 walks, 33 K’s, 95 ERA+, out for the season
Friday: Dodgers (*Tarik Skubal, 11-7, 2.85 ERA [4-2, 2.95 ERA with Dodgers]) at San Francisco (Yunior Marte, 0-1, 4.66 ERA), 7:15 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Saturday: Dodgers (*Blake Snell, 4-1, 1.86 ERA) at San Francisco (*Matt Wilkinson, 1-3, 3.65 ERA), 7:15 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Sunday: Dodgers (TBD) at San Francisco (TBD), 12:05 p.m., SportsNet LA, AM 570, KTNQ 1020
Have a comment or something you’d like to see in a future Dodgers newsletter? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com. To get this newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Youth group threatens return to mass protests, sets deadline for Gyanesh Kumar to quit due to reports of meddling with voter lists.
By Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters
Published On 25 Sep 202625 Sep 2026
India’s ‘cockroach’ party youth movement has threatened to launch nationwide protests unless the country’s chief election officer does not resign by Saturday.
Founder of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP), Abhijeet Dipke, announced on Friday that protests would begin in Mumbai on October 2 – if Gyanesh Kumar does not step down.
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The CJP, a satirical outfit born on Instagram in May after India’s chief justice compared unemployed young Indians to “cockroaches” and “parasites”, has shaken the staunchly conservative government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
On Thursday, the group demanded that Kumar quit within 48 hours, following a newspaper report linking him to altered voter lists. Opposition parties say the lists have been manipulated to benefit Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
“If Gyanesh Kumar does not resign by tomorrow, CJP will begin its nationwide protest from Mumbai on 2 October, and take it to cities across India,” Dipke posted on X.
“This Gandhi Jayanti let’s pledge to save democracy,” he added, referring to the October 2 holiday marking independence leader Mahatma Gandhi’s birthday.
CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke celebrates with supporters in New Delhi after the resignation of India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, July 25, 2026 [Ritesh Shukla/Getty]
Report provokes political storm
On Wednesday, the Indian Express newspaper reported that two election commissioners had raised questions or voiced concern with Kumar at least 14 times in 10 months, mostly over the process of updating voter lists that began last year.
The main opposition Congress party announced protest marches on state election offices across India on Friday, demanding Kumar’s arrest, his removal and an independent review of decisions and voter-list changes made under him.
Opposition parties have long accused the commission of deleting the names of millions of voters without warning and adding new voters without verification to favour the BJP.
BJP leaders and supporters at a ‘Drug-Free Punjab’ march in Amritsar [File: Narinder Nanu/AFP]
Election panel rejects claims
The Election Commission of India said that “differing views and observations are a normal part of deliberation in any institution” and that all its actions were lawful.
The BJP has defended the commission, accusing the opposition of a smear campaign because it keeps losing elections.
“Neither the Election Commission of India nor any constitutional body in India is under dictatorial rule,” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra said on Wednesday.
CJP-led protests in July forced the resignation of Modi’s education minister over exam-paper leaks, one of the prime minister’s biggest political setbacks since coming to power in 2014.
The police watchdog has said the Metropolitan Police’s professional standards unit should investigate the force’s handling of a case in which a man suspected of pushing a woman into the path of a bus on Putney Bridge was found dead.
The 44-year-old was under suspicion of being the jogger who pushed a woman into the path of a bus during a run on Putney Bridge in west London in May 2017.
The Met police made a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) following the banker’s death.
In a statement, the IOPC said: “After carefully considering the referral, we have decided that an investigation is required and that the Met’s Directorate of Professional Standards should conduct it.
“We have recommended the review considers matters including the necessity and proportionality of arrest, what engagement was there with the media and considerations made in relation to Mr Brandram’s welfare and the relevant policy.”
The police watchdog added that if the Met’s investigation did not find “any potential misconduct”, the final report must be submitted to the IOPC for review.
The family of Nicholas Brandram insisted in an interview with the BBC that he was not the so-called “Putney pusher”.
The Met previously said that it recognised the “strain that being subject to a police investigation” could cause.
The force said the investigation into the 2017 incident remained ongoing.
A UK-based theme park has beaten competition from across the globe to be named the best in the world, and a brand-new ride that only opened this summer also scooped a major award
The park has thrilled seaside visitors for generations(Image: PR Handout)
The Park World Excellence Awards has named its top theme park picks for 2026, and the coveted Best of the Best award has been given to a British theme park that has beaten competition from across the world.
The north west resort scooped the prestigious prize at the awards ceremony held on Wednesday (September 23). The awards, which focus on parks in Europe, the Middle East and Asia, included categories from the Best Roller Coaster to the Best Water Park, and competition was stiff, with nominations for huge theme parks including PortAventura, Futuroscope, and Land of Legends.
Pleasure Beach Resort in Blackpool took the top prize, which was described as being awarded to “theme parks, rides, or tourist attractions recognised for excelling as the best of all time within its respected industry.” The Best of the Best award is given to parks that offer “the absolute pinnacle, reflecting everything that is great about our industry”.
Formerly known as Blackpool Pleasure Beach, the iconic theme park has been celebrating its 130-year anniversary in 2026, making it one of Europe’s oldest, and it is fourth-generation family-owned. It’s the first UK theme park to win the award, with former recipients including Germany’s Europa Park and Siam Park in Tenerife.
The theme park also scooped Best Ride of the Year for Aviktas, the largest ride of its kind in the UK, which swings passengers 138ft in the air on a rotating pendulum. Aviktas opened in May 2026 and was an £8.27 million addition to the park. Meanwhile, Valhalla, a Viking-themed attraction, was the runner-up in the Best Water Ride category. It’s the fifth time the water-based ride has been nominated in this category.
The Pleasure Beach Resort is also home to the UK’s only Nickelodeon Land, which includes SpongeBob SquarePants and PAW Patrol-themed rides for all the family.
It’s Halloween event, Journey to Hell, is set to open on October 17, just in time for half term. Described as an “immersive scare experience”, it’ll include three new scare mazes and a selection of rides that stay open until 9pm.
Amanda Thompson, managing director of the Pleasure Beach Resort, said in a statement: “To be named Best of the Best is a massive achievement for our park. Our industry is full of so much talent, so to be recognised among the best speaks volumes on the dedication and hard work that has kept us moving forward for 130 years.
“Avitkas has been a hugely valuable addition to the park and I’ve been delighted by its reception so far. If they haven’t already I’d absolutely encourage people to visit Pleasure Beach and give our ride, now recognised as one of the world’s best a go!”
Have a story you want to share? Email us at webtravel@reachplc.com
In an otherwise empty compartment of a regional train on its way to a small town in Germany last month, a friendly passenger asked if I was headed to Halberstadt for “the note change.” He was an Australian law professor based in Hong Kong who was traveling with his Swiss mother for the irregular ritual every few years of a new note being sounded on a decommissioned old church’s diminutive modern pipe organ in what feels like the middle of nowhere.
He was hardly alone. The audience the next day in the packed late-Romanesque St. Burchardi “John Cage Organ” Church had come from seemingly everywhere, along with international media, to witness a barely distinguishable new note added to a sustained chord in Cage’s “Organ2/ASLSP.”
“ASLSP” stands for as “As Slow(ly) and Soft(ly) as Possible,” adapted from the opening line of the final paragraph in James Joyce’s “Finnegans Wake”: “Soft morning City! Lsp.” Cage had meant his organ piece to enjoy the indeterminacy of neither the performer nor the audience knowing how long the score, in eight parts, would last. In Halberstadt, they are stretching it out 639 years! The performance began in 2001 with the intent that each note change would be a great event.
Four years ago, Times columnist Nicolas Goldberg wrote an opinion piece about his fascination with what to him sounded like a profound project about the meaning of time. I tried to talk him out of what I believed to be a gimmicky violation of the being-in-the-moment spirit of Cage. But what mattered to Nick was the idea, not the intent, and he used me in his column as a foil. Still, Cage has been central to my practicing what some people (not me) call music criticism, and I contended wild horses couldn’t drag me to Halberstadt.
Nevertheless, early August’s “From 7 to 8,” as the note change was advertised, occurred almost exactly to the day, as when, 50 years earlier, I filed my first music review in the Los Angeles Herald Examiner. This was also to be my last summer and 121st season on staff of the Los Angeles Times. I step down as music critic Friday. (I still plan to contribute to The Times on an irregular basis.)
I happened to be visiting the Salzburg Festival in August and, in a spirit of endgame, hopped on a train to Halberstadt. On the seven-hour ride, my half-century Cage-suffused career passed through my mind.
I thought about how Cage had once told me that when he was a boy in Los Angeles, he loved Grieg with no need to know why. When he studied music, reason replaced love. It was only regaining the ability to hear music as music that he could compose.
Cage described this as an example of the celebrated Zen koan about reality: First there is a mountain, then there is no mountain, then there is.
When I accidentally stumbled into music criticism with an academic penchant for music analysis, my crutches for writing about music were technical and of little use in a newspaper. I had to find a way to simply listen. It gave me new ears, and I was hooked.
Cage solved my next problem by insisting that the way to discover new things is to overcome our dependence on our likes and dislikes, those supposed pillars of criticism. College taught me to investigate the “great” composers who mattered and disdain those of no value. Consequently, I had never paid attention to the likes of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich but discovered that they moved listeners deeply. Again, for me, so-called criticism proved a pathway to opening the mind, and writing about discovery is an ancient pleasure. Cage put it this way: “It’s not what I don’t know that scares me, it’s what I do know.”
The great enticement to return to L.A. after spending nine years in New York (and periodically reporting on Cage from the East Coast and Europe for The Times) was the prospect of Walt Disney Concert Hall. Construction hadn’t yet begun and fundraising was iffy; the community was scared about what it didn’t know. I came armed with another Cage-ism: Every seat is the best seat in the house.
I tried to get the Music Center to make that the motto of the hall. After all, Cage was born at Good Samaritan Hospital about a mile from Disney. That didn’t fly. Still, thanks to Frank Gehry, every seat meant every view inside and out was the best. Every way of seeing also meant every way of hearing. Disney taught L.A. the joy of architecture in a way many of us had never known in this haphazardly built town. Once it was built, there was no choice but to embark on an ongoing love letter to L.A.
Such thoughts on the Cage train poorly suited arriving in the heart of the state of Saxony-Anhalt. One of the first things to catch my eye was a campaign billboard for a far-right Alternative for Germany candidate. A month later AfD would win a landslide victory, dividing Germany and alarming much of Europe.
The streets were mostly deserted. There wasn’t much open, giving the handsome and well-preserved Halberstadt a “Twilight Zone” aura.
In the St. Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany, “The Cage Organ Project” is to be played for 639 years.
(Mark Swed/Los Angeles Times)
Dawn, though, attracted life. “The Cage Organ Project” proved marvelous, to use one of Cage’s favorite words. Whether they were 200-euro ticket holders who had journeyed long and far to be in the church for the note change or the hundreds on complimentary folding chairs outside on the lawn, unshaded in the hot sun watching on large video screens and listening with the assist of a fine amplification system, the aura was now calmness, grace and gratitude.
Nick had been right all along. Time became grounded. The note change is a marker, but the organ, in which air is electronically blown through the pipes day and night for all to hear, has become an endearing sound that connects you to your being. Here and now and hear and now are the same.
ASLSP, moreover, reflects the magical unhurriedness the world craves, be it the slowing down of AI or turning down the volume on social media and politicians’ bully pulpits. None of this may have been on Cage’s mind when “Organ2/ASLSP” had its premiere in Metz, France, in 1987, five years before Cage’s death. That performance lasted a half hour. But Cage is no longer with us, and “Organ2/ASLSP” now has a marvelous life of its own.
One of my most memorable interviews at The Times was with the Dalai Lama in 1999. He had never given one about music and appeared at first sorry he had agreed to. Every question about music got a negative response. The only need he expressed for it was as a fundraising tool for his Tibetan government in exile.
Noting my distress, he explained the problem with music is how easily we get attached to it, and at the heart of Buddhism is nonattachment. Then, breaking the tension with his trademark belly laugh, he admitted his problem was attachment to Buddhism.
At Halberstadt, I may have found my way of letting go. But I also leave The Times with the gratitude not only for the freedom it allowed me to champion causes but also to be part of a very long, quirky process that makes this newspaper unique.
Going back to 1925, there have only been four Times classical music critics in 101 years, and arriving here in 1996, I immediately discovered my roots in Isabel Morse Jones. A violinist who covered music from 1925 to 1947, she was a modernist with her finger on the pulse of the times and stood in refreshing contrast to the fussy East Coast male critics.
She was said to have provided an intellectual awakening of music on the West Coast. She put the Hollywood Bowl on the map. She championed new music and not just the stellar locals, Stravinsky and Schoenberg, but also the avant-garde and world music no one else gave the time of day. After leaving The Times, Jones founded the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara originally modeled after the Salzburg Festival.
She threw her lot in with the society page editor, who covered women’s clubs. Together they became a power duo who campaigned to build a home for the Los Angeles Philharmonic, which three decades later led to the Music Center. That society editor — who chronicled and illuminated the social, political and artistic issues in L.A. in the 1930s from the women’s perspective — was Crete Cage. John Cage’s mother was a must-read for all women in L.A.
We cannot hold on to Cage, but we can’t escape him either. Times look bad. L.A. feels in the dumps. It was like that, as well, when I arrived at The Times in 1996. The city was still recovering from the 1992 riots — the beating of Rodney King had caused a profound social reckoning — and the 1994 earthquake. There was a recession. The L.A. Phil, now the model arts institution in the country if not the world, was millions of dollars in the hole.
Today, catastrophe is wherever you look. The Olympics, the environment, the damn developers, self-driving cars, LAX. The news business isn’t so hot either.
But let history — and John Cage — remind us that opening our ears can be the conduit to opening our minds. We have a wealth of new artistic leadership on the way at the L.A. Phil, L.A. Opera, L.A. Chamber orchestra and Pacific Symphony; new management at the L.A. Master Chorale and the Wallis and Long Beach Opera. And new ideas all around us.
Just as Disney Hall spread joy when we needed it most, one of Gehry’s final masterpieces is taking shape, the Colburn Center on 2nd Street a block from Disney. I took a hard-hat tour after returning home from Halberstadt and experienced the same combination of awe and promise. When it opens next year, it will be a game changer.
And even here, Cage the connector can’t keep out. At the press opening of Peter Zumthor’s new LACMA building, I buttonholed the architect, telling him I see John Cage all over the place. He looked startled for a moment and then with an uncharacteristic grin replied that he considered that a welcome compliment. Chance, he said, is very important.
Across town, one of MOCA’s most successful exhibitions was its 1993 Cage celebration, “Rolywholyover A Circus.” Cage asked for natural light, so that paintings would always look different whenever you saw them. He wanted the surprise of artwork hung in an unpredictable fashion. He wanted to let the outdoors in and the indoors out.
It is no coincidence that this describes aspects of the new LACMA. “Rolywholyover” traveled to the Guggenheim in New York’s SoHo district the next year, and the young curator in charge was Michael Govan, LACMA’s visionary head behind the Zumthor galleries.
Along with the new LACMA building we have a new Metro D Line stop nearby. Now a direct connector between LACMA and the Colburn Center passes almost directly under Good Samaritan Hospital.
Let me make my last suggestion as “music critic.” How about naming the new D Line connection between LACMA and the Colburn Center the John Cage Express?
SACRAMENTO — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco got slapped down Thursday by the California Supreme Court in not one but two cases. Ouch.
First, the court told Bianco to return more than 600,000 ballots he had seized as part of an ill-conceived, conspiracy-laden “investigation” into voter fraud — making it clear it was the sheriff who was the criminal.
“The seizure of the ballots was unlawful,” the court wrote, before ordering Bianco to give them back to the registrar of voters and “refrain from further handling of the ballots except as necessary to comply with our order.”
Then the court, in a separate case, told Bianco he’s not a law unto himself, and in fact does have a boss in the form of the state Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta. Bonta had previously ordered Bianco to pause his investigation, and Bianco largely ignored him.
While the high-profile lawsuit about Bianco’s seizure of hundreds of thousands of ballots from last year’s special election on redistricting has grabbed headlines, the second case about the authority of the state attorney general to oversee all California sheriffs and district attorneys is equally powerful.
It’s the first time the court has weighed in on a long-running debate in California over whether elected sheriffs have to answer to anyone. Not only did Bianco lose for election deniers everywhere in the first case, he also managed to clarify for all California sheriffs in the second case that they are not as powerful as some would like to believe.
Combined, the two opinions by the state’s highest court give another layer of assurance to Golden State residents that the integrity of the November midterm elections is as secure as the state can make it — some welcome news in a national landscape where free and fair elections are increasingly at risk.
The quiet advocate
Before we get into what the ruling means for midterms in California, there are two overlooked bits that make these cases even more interesting.
First, gubernatorial candidate and former Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra has been closely involved in the ballot-seizing case, but also pretty quiet about it.
Whenever a politician does something good and doesn’t advertise it, it always catches my attention. Politicians, especially ones running for office, aren’t big on modesty.
But Becerra has not spent a lot of time talking about this, even though he is actually a working attorney on this case, as an advisor to the UCLA Voting Rights Project. He came up with ideas, he participated — this wasn’t just a put-my-name-on-it role, I’ve been told by folks who know.
And it’s not the first time Becerra has helped the Voting Rights Project in a major endeavor. It was their work that helped define the legal arguments that made Proposition 50 happen. That’s last year’s ballot initiative that redrew California voting maps to favor Democrats, in response to a Texas effort to gerrymander in favor of Republicans. It was Proposition 50 ballots that Bianco seized.
“Today the California Supreme Court handed voters a great victory,” Becerra said in a statement from the voting project. “The Court knocked election deniers off their feet and strengthened our hand in election protection just ahead of the November vote. We must use every lever at our disposal to beat back voter interference and intimidation.”
That line about knocking election deniers is not hyperbole. In some far-right, conspiracy-rich circles, Bianco’s cowboy-saving-the-day routine was viewed as heroic. Maybe even something to emulate.
Across the country, there are rumblings — including from President Trump — about seizing ballots from past or future elections. While this ruling is firmly rooted in California law, most states have similar chains of custody when it comes to ballots. So it’s likely to at least make other would-be-Biancos pause.
In a later interview, Becerra told me that the Voting Rights Project was “the one thing I decided I would do after I came home from being secretary in Washington, D.C.,” whether he ran for office or not, “just because I so believe in the work that they do.”
He said as he campaigns this year, he’s seeing anxiety in minority communities from that interference and intimidation, maybe even fear that could pressure some legal voters to sit this one out.
“It makes it tough when you’ve got all these things standing in your way before you even get to thinking about going to vote,” Becerra said. “The Latino community, other communities, mostly under-served communities, I always tell them, we’re not rich. The way we win these things is by voting.”
The Liu concurrence
The second fact that caught my attention was a concurring opinion on the ballot case by Justice Goodwin Liu.
While the court was unanimous in its findings, Liu wrote his own opinion highlighting how the Riverside registrar of voters was “caught between a rock and a hard place” when the sheriff of his own county showed up with a warrant, guns and “enough trucks to remove several pallets of materials.”
That trifecta, Liu wrote, left the registrar little room for dissent — but that’s a problem.
Liu’s point seemed to be that with the current state of our president making election denial chic, our voting officials need to step up. He said the registrar should have come directly to the court for relief, and not left it to the Voting Rights Project and other plaintiffs.
“It is a lot to ask of our election officials that they not only do their jobs competently but also stand ready to sue anyone who unlawfully interferes with their duties,” Liu wrote. “Yet here we are.”
Since Bianco seized the ballots, state law has been changed. This session, legislators passed (and Gov. Gavin Newsom signed) at least 13 laws pertaining to election security, including making it a felony to break the chain of ballot custody, and ensuring that local election officials immediately contact the state in instances when that is threatened. Those laws will offer protection to election officials if a situation like this comes up again.
But Liu’s point is still valid. Being an election official is no longer a sleepy little job, but a front-line battle for democracy, and for “our democracy to flourish, our elections must be conducted in accordance with the law.”
As Bonta put it, “if you can imagine it, we are ready for it.”
I’m not quite that confident — and definitely concerned for contests outside of the Golden State — but Thursday’s rulings are a reminder that the law still holds, even when lawmen try to break it.
Against the tidal wave of public opposition to those who go barefoot on a plane, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks
Not everyone loves seeing a barefoot on a plane(Image: reddit.com/Qwaymind)
They may be the most maligned group in modern society – the barefoot passenger.
There is something about a naked, sock-free foot at 30,000 feet that unifies the public in its fury and disgust in a way rarely seen in the 21st-century world of social media polarisation. And every now and again, there’s a particularly egregious case that captures the attention.
Back in October last year, Boston-based artist Ashley Eisenman filmed a man behind her propping his bare foot into the gap beside her seat for the entire hour-long flight, leaving them mere centimeters from her defenseless arm. “He 1000% should be on the no-fly list ASAP,” she wrote after the traumatic incident.
If a one-hour flight from Reno to San Francisco is bad, then a nine-hour journey from Zurich to New York is the stuff of flakey-skinned, wiggly-toed nightmares. That is what happened to Reddit user u/sarahfayejay, who posted an alarming photo with the caption: “I have a 9-hour flight ahead of me.”
And it’s not an issue that inflicts only those in economy. The alarming Instagram page Passenger Shaming shared a video of a woman lying on her back in first class, with both her bare feet resting against the plane’s wall.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
While you might assume that the dislike of this practice was universal and a given, Expedia decided to check. In a 2018 survey of 18,000 travellers it found that more than 90% said it’s never okay to go barefoot on a plane, while a later 2023 Kayak-led piece of peer reviewing found that 76% of travellers “prefer their vision free of toes” on a flight.
Against this tidal wave of public opposition, there is a countercultural force of people determined to get up in the sky, unencumbered by socks.
“I think the trick, generally, is not ask for consent. Idk (I don’t know) why you would anyway, but I’ve seen it done, and the answer was a negative. So don’t ask, just go… Hopefully you won’t get a Karen next to you who does the whole anti-barefeet on the plane shtick that is still doing the rounds…” one Reddit user wrote in response to a member of the r/barefoot community asking how flying with your feet in their birthday suit typically went down.
Another explained their method for getting on board without attracting attention. “I wear a pair of flip-flops or light sandals that I put on when I enter the airport. I go through security in them and take them off while I’m in the terminal. When they announce my flight, I put them back on to go to the gate, board the plane with them on, and once I’m seated, I take them off until the end of my trip,” they explained.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
A third wrote: “I flew back home from Florida in January barefoot without incident. Except a young female TSA agent insistently asked two or three times ‘Where are your shoes?’ I told her that ‘the government does not require me to wear shoes.’ She let me pass.”
While the US government may not require its citizens to wear shoes, American, Delta, and United all explicitly reserve the right to refuse or remove barefoot passengers, though enforcement in practice appears inconsistent based on these accounts. In the UK, none of the major airlines such as Ryanair, easyJet and Jet2 have rules specifically banning passengers from taking off their shoes.
While the majority of people may take issue with seeing a bare foot in a public place, there is a subset of people who sincerely believe in going without shoes, whether that be for foot health or spiritual reasons.
Kriss Sands is a no-shoes advocate whose blog, Born to Live Barefoot, details the ups and downs of living without shoes on. It is something he takes seriously. “In general, as a full-time 24/7 barefooter, the only reason I would ever put on shoes would be when there is imminent danger of my feet being damaged or injured otherwise, such as extreme weather conditions, caustic chemicals, fire, or similar conditions,” Kriss writes.
In one post, Kriss argues that a “passenger who chooses to travel barefoot on a plane is harming no one and should never be of anyone else’s concern.”
According to Kriss, it’s only the US airlines that specify that being barefoot is against their terms of carriage. “I have not seen all foreign based airlines’ contracts of carriage, but I have reviewed the ones from Aeroflot, Air Canada, Air France, Air New Zealand, British Airways, China Southern Airlines, Lufthansa, and Qantas. With the exception of Air Canada, none of these make any mention at all of bare feet or someone who is barefoot,” Kriss writes.
However, he says airports and planes are no places to argue with staff, given how seriously security is taken. From Kriss’s experience, most staff will allow you to board and fly barefoot, so long as you’re polite. Over a 20-year period, he took 114 flights without shoes on and was only asked to cover his feet eight times.
Transfer windows, team budget caps and drones replacing convoy vehicles at races are three of the ideas to boost cycling in a new report from the sport’s global governing body.
The Union Cycliste Internationale’s (UCI) report, entitled “Future of Cycling”, examined road cycling and heard from 55 stakeholders including professional teams, national federations, race organisers and some riders.
It aims to turn a “large but passive audience into active, loyal fandom”, admitting cycling’s under-35 audience was “under-represented” and there was a need to “strengthen its appeal”.
“While the sport today enjoys strong and growing popularity across five continents, its media exposure and the revenue it generates for its stakeholders do not yet fully reflect its potential,” it said.
Among the most frequently referenced recommendations were:
A more coherent race calendar based on geography with fewer overlaps
More predictable rider participation in races alongside transfer windows and fees
Simplifying the ranking and category system
A stronger second division with clearer pathways
Continued growth of women’s cycling
A financial fairness mechanism, such as a budget cap on teams
The combined total budget of professional UCI tour teams in 2025 was £731m (850m euros), but individual team budgets vary.
Long-discussed budget caps, aimed at evening out the peloton and increasing “financial fairness”, would improve the attractiveness of the sport for investors according to the UCI.
But it admitted any such mechanism remains the biggest point of difference for stakeholders and would be at the heart of upcoming discussions.
Meanwhile work on a new transfer system and rider-agent regulation was already under way, it said.
Fighting has intensified between Ethiopia’s military and a new rebel alliance in Tigray, after the Tigray People’s Liberation Front announced a ‘full-blown war’ against the government.
A WOMAN who listens to podcasts about violent crime in every spare moment would prefer never to be the victim of a violent crime herself, she has admitted.
Crime aficionado Maria, not her real name, loves nothing more than tales of innocent women being brutally murdered by persons unknown but, despite her obsession, plans to live into old age and to die of natural causes.
She explained: “I watched a documentary about Ted Bundy as a teenager and I’ve been fascinated ever since. There’s not a serial killer I don’t know, even the niche hipster ones.
“I know loads about victimology, criminal profiling and how dangerous predators are caught, but nonetheless I personally would hate to be kidnapped and held in a cellar by a psychopath? Is that weird? It just gives me the ick.”
Criminologist Dr Helen, not her real name, said: “Maria is wrong. When it comes to murder, as with many things, women get confused about what they actually desire.
“If she likes finding out about things it automatically follows she would enjoy being personally involved in those things, even if it does inevitably lead to a shallow grave in the woods.
“The contradiction is further compounded by the fact that Mary, as a young, attractive woman with her life ahead of her, fits the profile of the ideal murder victim. It’s a tragedy for the true crime community. Imagine the content we’d get out of it.”
YOU’LL be able to travel to 34 more destinations with Jet2 from the UK soon.
The airline is launching a number of new routes for Winter 26/27, with destinations including winter sun spots, city breaks and pretty Christmas markets.
Jet2 is launching 34 new routes including winter sun spots with 25C weather in DecemberCredit: GettyOther destinations will be across Europe, such as Spain and DenmarkCredit: Alamy
It marks the airline’s biggest winter programme as well as its first winter season from London Gatwick Airport.
Destinations in Europe include La Palma in Spain, Copenhagen in Denmark and Vienna in Austria.
The Egyptian resort city sits on the Red Sea and is the ideal spot to head off scuba diving to see colourful coral reefs.
And there is sunshine year-round.
You’ll get the best of both worlds too as after exploring the water you can head to the desert, for a quad biking or camel riding experience.
Another destination getting Jet2 flights is a city that feels more like stepping into a Disney movie.
Often referred to as a fairytale city due to its winding medieval streets, Tallinn in Estonia takes just three hours to get to from the UK.
You could also head to a number of destinations with great Christmas markets – such as TallinnCredit: Mark Hannah
The old town of the city is full of interesting shops as well as grand medieval churches and walls.
For a city centre, it is very quiet as well.
And if you happen to visit in December, go the Christmas market, full of chalets selling handmade Estonian gifts as well as glögi – which is essentially Estonian mulled wine.
At the centre of the market is the world’s oldest recorded public Christmas tree as well, which dates back to 1441.
Steve Heapy, CEO of Jet2, said: “We are seeing strong demand from customers and independent travel agents for all kinds of winter holidays, so we have responded by putting a fantastic selection of brand-new routes on sale for Winter 26/27.
“Whether holidaymakers want winter sun, a festive Christmas market break, a ski holiday to the Alps or a city break, this expanded programme gives them more choice and flexibility than ever before.
“The addition of 34 new winter routes, three new destinations and our first winter season from London Gatwick Airport shows how we are continuing to grow in direct response to demand.
“This is about giving customers more of what they want for winter, with an exciting mix of destinations that caters for every type of getaway.”
Flights for the new routes cost from as little as £30 per way.
And if you don’t want to wait, the airline currently has 6.3 million seats on sale to 42 destinations for this winter.
Full list of the 34 new destinations
From Birmingham Airport: Copenhagen (Denmark); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
From Bristol Airport: Cologne (Germany)
From East Midlands Airport: Agadir (Morocco); Gdansk (Poland); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
From Edinburgh Airport: Strasbourg (France)
From Glasgow Airport: Hurghada (Egypt)
From Leeds Bradford Airport: Tallinn (Estonia); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
From London Gatwick Airport: Agadir (Morocco); Funchal (Portugal); Tallinn (Estonia); Vienna (Austria); Cologne (Germany); Gdansk (Poland); Grenoble (France); Turin (Italy); Geneva (Switzerland); Salzburg (Austria); Chambery (France); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
From Manchester Airport: Strasbourg (France); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
From London Stansted Airport: La Palma (Spain); Strasbourg (France); Innsbruck (Austria); Sharm El Sheikh and Hurghada (Egypt)
Tigray was cutoff from the world during the 2020-2022 civil war, which killed around 600,000 people.
Published On 25 Sep 202625 Sep 2026
Fears of a communications blackout in northern Ethiopia have increased as fighting flares between the federal military and forces from the Tigray region and their allies.
Telecom and internet networks were reported to have stopped working on Friday as the conflict threatened to develop across the country into a full-scale war.
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The interruptions have provoked fears of a repeat of the communications blackout and supplies blockade during the 2020-2022 civil war in northern Ethiopia, when Tigray was largely cut off from the outside world.
Web monitor NetBlocks said it had detected an “internet disruption in northern Ethiopia corresponding to reports of a telecoms blackout in Tigray”.
The Reuters news agency reported that Tigray’s ruling party, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front, had ordered private operator Safaricom and state-owned Ethio telecom to cut off access to phone and internet networks in the region.
Full-scale war
A source said the restrictions may be part of a tactic to neutralise the advantage of government forces using battlefield drones.
Lower-level clashes between federal and Tigrayan forces have been ongoing for some time. However, fighting intensified this week across Tigray and later spread to the neighbouring Afar and Amhara regions, after seven armed groups announced they have formed an alliance.
The Ethiopian Peoples’ Forces Alliance for Survival has committed itself to removing the government of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.
The Tigray Army said the federal government had launched a “full-scale offensive” involving infantry, mechanised units and drones, and said its forces had begun what they called a defensive war to counter aggression by Abiy’s government.
The alliance forces have seized three airports and launched attacks against federal troops in Afar and Amhara.
The federal government has accused Eritrea of financially backing the TPLF and its allies, which leaders in the capital Asmara deny.
Abdisalam Balema, a member of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front’s (TPLF) central committee, told Al Jazeera that the situation has become a “full war”.
The outbreak of violence is the most serious escalation since the civil war in 2020-2022. During that conflict, which killed an estimated 600,000 people, the telecoms blackout and supplies blockade imposed on Tigray caused famine-like conditions for hundreds of thousands of people.
People in Tigray are reported to have rushed to stock up on basic supplies and withdraw cash.
The renewed fighting comes at an awkward moment for the United States, which only this month lifted sanctions on Ethiopia and Eritrea related to atrocities committed during the last civil war, saying the “national emergency… has expired”.
The conflict could also draw in neighbouring Eritrea, which fears landlocked Ethiopia is planning to invade it to gain access to the Red Sea.
WHEN Joey Essex was pictured getting close with newly single Love Island star Priya Jaswal earlier this month, many hoped it was the start of the latest reality TV romance.
But The Sun can reveal that despite their late-night flirtation things have not been heating up between the Towie icon and the Surrey-born beauty for one very surprising reason.
Joey Essex has dated a string of beauties, including Grace Jackson, pictured, but his latest romance has cooled for a very surprising reasonCredit: RexThings were heating up between Joey Essex and newly single Love islander Priya as they chatted all night at the National Television Awards earlier this month
Even though Joey has acquired something of a lothario reputation – dating a bevvy of beauties including Jesy Potts and Sam Faiers, since rising to fame on the ITV reality show in 2011 – he’s got his eyes on a very different sort of prize, I’m told.
A source tells me: “Priya and Joey spent the evening laughing and joking away so many assumed it could turn into something more serious.
“But Joey is taking a break from women and sex at the moment. In fact, he’s taken a vow of chastity.
“He’s got this big boxing match next month and he’s taking it very seriously.
“He is determined to win and has been sweating it out in the gym and is going to give it everything he has got.
“So Joey is on a strict sex ban until after the fight.”
The 36-year-old TV star is scheduled for a Misfits Boxing match on October 10 against comedian Dapper Laughs – real name Daniel O’Reilly – at the Copper Box Arena, London.
Misfits was launched in 2022 by YouTube star KSI and his manager Mams Taylor as the home for celebrity-style crossover bouts.
Priya was in the latest season of Love IslandCredit: Shutterstock EditorialPriya arrives at the NTAsCredit: Ian West/PA Wire
The effectiveness of sex bans before big sporting bouts is contested, but it is thought that Muhammad Ali abstained for six weeks prior to matches, as he believed avoiding sex preserved testosterone, focus and leg strength.
Joey is not the only modern day boxer to take a pre-match vow of chastity.
Tyson Fury has also switched to no-sex preparations, instead of his previous method of masturbating furiously before matches.
In 2022, ahead of his fight against Derek Chisora, Fury told Barstool Sports: “You know how I used to masturbate seven times per day to give me power?
Joey dated Jessy Potts after they got together in Love IslandCredit: WireImage
“This time I’m celibate. I’m celibate for seven weeks until the fight. It’s a new method, I’m trying something out.
“I’m going in there with a loaded gun, someone’s getting in severe trouble.
“I’m gonna be testosteroned out of my head completely. Seven weeks’ worth.”
Joey’s stringent new regime will be a bitter blow for gorgeous Priya, 25, who is newly single after splitting from Love Island villa beau Aidan Murphy hours before the NTAs.
Joey and Priya were inseparable at the after party at London’s O2 arena, looking cosy as they chatted for hours and then left the bash together.
They then carried on partying at the after-after party in the Skybar at the nearby Intercontinental Hotel.
A source said at the time: “Joey and Priya really hit it off and got close. We’ll have to see what happens.
“Obviously Priya is very fresh to showbiz and just out of her connection with Aidan so we’ll see.”
However, according to sources, the pair swapped numbers and exchanged messages since their fun night out together.
It is not the first time that Joey has been linked to a Love Island beauty.
The London-born star even did his own stint in the villa in 2024, entering on the evening of Day 1 as the first “bombshell” of the series. Essex was the first celebrity to appear on the revived version of the show.
Joey was linked to model Grace Jackson, with whom he reportedly enjoyed a whirlwind romance for around six weeks in early 2024 after meeting in Dubai.
However, their relationship ended abruptly, leaving Grace feeling “hurt and confused” by Joey’s decision to break up.
The situation took an unexpected turn when Grace entered the Love Island villa on June 13, 2024, much to Joey’s shock.
It certainly called fireworks and became the drama of the season.
He was initially coupled up with Samantha Kenny, but later swayed toward bombshell Grace, leading to explosive arguments and mixed signals.
Joey then later turned his attention to another bombshell, Jessy Potts. This transition caused massive fallout with Grace, resulting in explosive arguments that dominated the screen time.
Joey Essex has thrown himself back into the gym to work on his well-honed bodyCredit: InstagramLast year Joey Essex fought Joao Barbosa at the AO Arena n ManchesterCredit: Getty
But it was not meant to be. Joey Essex and Jessy Potts confirmed their split on September 18, 2024.
The break up came just seven weeks after they left the Love Island villa together.
Despite their initial connection, both Joey and Jessy cited their busy schedules as a significant factor contributing to their breakup.
Jessy said that they “tried to make it work”, but the demands of their post-villa lives made it challenging to maintain their relationship.
More recently Joey confirmed on The Sun’s Showbiz Fix that he is a single man, and if his boxing career continues to thrive, it might just stay that way.
