Month: October 2026

California Deputy Atty. Gen. Marissa Roy has nearly doubled her lead in the race to replace Los Angeles City Atty. Hydee Feldstein Soto, even as the mayor’s race has narrowed dramatically since September, new polling showed.

Both Roy and her rival, Los Angeles County Deputy Dist. Atty. John McKinney, made significant inroads among likely Los Angeles voters in October, winnowing the number of undecideds down to 45% from 70% last month, according to a poll released this week by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by The Times.

But while the race for mayor is now a dead heat, the contest for the city’s second-most-powerful elected position has widened, with Roy leading McKinney by 17 points in the final days of voting ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Some 36% of likely voters say they’ve marked their ballot for Roy or will soon, versus 19% who say they’ve bubbled in for McKinney or plan to. About 45% remain undecided — far more than are still mulling the mayor’s race, but far fewer than were on the fence a month ago.

Experts said it’s not uncommon for voters to have uncertainty about city attorney races, since few people realize the question of who should fill the office will be on their ballot and many elect not to answer. About 15% fewer Angelenos voted in the last city attorney’s contest than voted for mayor, data show. Other cities saw a similar slump in returns.

The Los Angeles city attorney controls a budget of nearly $200 million and a staff of 1,000, serving as lawyer for L.A.’s City Council and general counsel for its myriad municipal agencies.

Increasingly, city attorneys around the state also pursue so-called “affirmative litigation” against exploitative corporations or punitive federal policy — a role Los Angeles pioneered, but which Feldstein Soto largely eschewed during her tenure at City Hall.

Roy has built her career on affirmative litigation, making it a centerpiece of her campaign. McKinney has characterized it as grandstanding and “out of alignment” with voters.

The two have also knocked heads over how the city attorney should charge and prosecute misdemeanors, work that accounts for about a third of the job.

Polls show voters split on who is best to address what 43% named as their top issue: street homelessness. Both McKinney and Roy have vowed to use the office to stem encampments — Roy by keeping more Angelenos housed through attacks on wage theft and renter harassment, McKinney by inducing more chronically homeless residents into treatment through individual prosecutions.

On runner-up concerns — building more affordable housing and ensuring public safety — similar percentages of likely voters trust Roy and McKinney, respectively.

McKinney, who has taken pains to highlight himself as a Democrat, retains a commanding lead among registered Republicans and self-identified MAGA voters, as well as the much-sought-after supporters of former mayoral hopeful Spencer Pratt, who will likely decide the contest between Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman.

Roy was way ahead among renters, who make up nearly two-thirds of the electorate, as well as progressives and self-described Democratic Socialists.

Independent expenditure groups behind both continue to pump money into the race, with Roy’s supporters seeking to paint McKinney as closely aligned with President Trump, and McKinney’s boosters looking to tar Roy as the second coming of former Los Angeles Dist. Atty. George Gascón.

Despite Wrexham’s slow start to the campaign, they have the same number of points now as they did at the same stage last term.

Parkinson’s team are bidding to respond to last weekend’s 2-0 loss at Blackburn Rovers when they return to action against Sheffield United at Bramall Lane on Friday (20:00 GMT).

The Blades fixture comes almost exactly five years on from the day co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob Mac attended their first Wrexham match.

The Hollywood pair watched on as Parkinson’s side – then in the National League – were beaten 3-2 at Maidenhead United in October 2021.

Having masterminded three promotions and the club’s highest-ever league finish since being appointed in the summer of 2021, Parkinson stated that Wrexham’s upcoming opponents serve as a reminder of the immense progress made during his tenure.

“I think this week alone, it’s Sheffield United, Middlesbrough and Wolves – what a week for everyone connected with the club to look forward to,” he added.

“Five years ago, when Rob and Ryan came to Maidenhead away, that was an eventful game to say the least.

“It was a great introduction for them into the world of the National League. Then they came up at the weekend [for a draw with Torquay], which was a fantastic occasion for them to be at the Racecourse.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has arrived in Damascus to meet with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the first visit of an Iraqi prime minister to Syria since the fall of Bashar al-Assad.

The visit comes as the two neighbours seek to strengthen bilateral ties and boost economic and oil cooperation.

According to the official Iraqi News Agency (INA), the two leaders discussed the export of Iraqi oil through the Baniyas line, increasing the volume of trade exchange and joint work to develop the agricultural sector to achieve food and economic integration.

Iraq has recently begun exporting limited quantities of oil through Syria following the outbreak of the US-led war on Iran.

Last July, the two countries signed agreements to revive the Haditha Baniyas pipeline to transport Iraqi oil in addition to signing a memorandum of understanding with a consortium of three companies, most notably the American oil major Chevron to implement the project.

“The Iraqi and Syrian people are one people in two countries,” Zaidi said according to INA, noting that “work to develop partnership and joint cooperation in various fields especially economic and social affairs, enhance security co-operation, unify positions on regional and international issues, and work to achieve peace and stability in the region”.

For his part, the Syrian president expressed his “great appreciation for the visit of al-Zaidi and his accompanying delegation,” stressing “the depth of bilateral relations and Syria’s keenness to achieve the highest levels of cooperation between the two countries”.

Al-Sharaa and al-Zaidi had previously met last September in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, where they discussed ways to strengthen political and security coordination and expand economic and trade cooperation.

Real Madrid and Barcelona offer messages of support following train crash as Spanish football orders Copa postponement.

Spain’s national football federation has postponed all 24 Copa del Rey games scheduled for Wednesday because of a train accident that killed at least 30 people in the country’s central region.

About 80 people were injured and the death toll could rise, authorities said, after a high-speed train slammed into the rear of another one that had stopped on the track.

“Shocked by the tragic train accident,” the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said.

It said it ordered the postponement of the games “in solidarity with the victims”.

“The entire Spanish football community stands united in grief over this tragedy and has made itself available to the authorities to assist the victims of this devastating accident,” RFEF added.

It said it would later provide a revised tournament schedule. First-round games on Thursday have not been postponed. Games were played on Tuesday as well.

The Spanish league has not announced any postponements for the weekend’s games.

Among Wednesday’s games to be postponed were Navalcarnero against Real Betis, Salamanca against Celta Vigo and Tavernes against Valencia.

Several Spanish football clubs expressed their condolences and solidarity following the incident.

“The club wishes to convey its support and solidarity to the families and friends of the victims and to wish all those injured a speedy recovery,” FC Barcelona said on social media.

Real Madrid also offered condolences and in a statement said the club shared “in the grief of everyone impacted during these moments of profound sadness”.

Sevilla FC took a moment of silence ahead of their training on Wednesday and cancelled manager Luis Garcia Plaza’s press conference, which was scheduled for Wednesday ahead of their match against Sporting de Hortaleza.

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Today we discuss board games, snacks and boomerangs.

So where do things stand less than a week from election day?

With the usual caveats, about no certainties in life or politics …

Of course …

…. it seems pretty darned certain that Democrats are going to take control of the House next week, notwithstanding the delusions (or professed confidence) of Speaker Mike Johnson and his Republican allies. The only question is the margin.

Democrats need to flip just three seats, and even the most conservative handicappers (in terms of circumspection, not political views) see them netting more than half a dozen, at a minimum. From there, forecasts climb into the double digits.

“In the best-case scenario,” Erin Covey wrote in a recent analysis for the Cook Political Report, Democrats “could enter the new Congress with more seats than they had after successfully flipping control of the House in 2006 and 2018.”

Didn’t Republicans gerrymander several states to boost their chances?

They did, starting in Texas. Then California moved to gerrymander its political map, to boost Democratic chances.

That helped precipitate a nationwide redistricting war which, once the haze cleared, resulted in a third of the nation’s 435 House districts being redrawn to at least some extent. But that only marginally increased Republicans’ advantage. And there are signs the rejiggering of political lines may have backfired, or boomeranged, on the GOP.

How so?

By spreading their reliable voters thin and counting on support from 2024 Trump backers who’ve since soured on the president. In particular Latinos. In doing so, Republicans have put several House seats into play, most notably in Texas and Florida.

That’s what’s known in the business as a “dummymander.”

A knife’s edge

What about the Senate?

That remains a toss-up, which few would have imagined at the start of this election season.

Virtually all the contests that will decide control of the Senate are being fought in states that President Trump carried — several by landslide margins — making them not exactly friendly Democratic territory. But war, inflation and Trump’s wretched approval rating have dragged GOP candidates down in states such as Kansas, Mississippi and Texas, which, a year ago, would have required hallucinogens to appear remotely competitive.

So what’s the math?

Democrats need to hold on to all of their seats and gain four to flip the Senate.

While incumbent Jon Ossoff seems certain to win in Georgia, Democratic-held seats in Minnesota, New Hampshire and, especially, Michigan are more problematic. In terms of pickup opportunities, the aforementioned Kansas and Texas are toss-ups, along with Alaska, Iowa, Ohio and Maine. North Carolina seems ready to flip Democrats’ way.

And, who knows, there might be a surprise or two — which, obviously, wouldn’t be a surprise if we’re talking about it here.

One thing to bear in mind: Close races all tend to break in favor of one party or the other. Think of dominoes falling, not checkers hopscotching across the board.

Polls look good for Democrats.

They do. But as both of my faithful readers know, your friendly political columnist can’t stand the constant chattering about polls.

It’s not just how surveys understated Trump’s support the two times he won the White House. (In their defense, pollsters did pretty well in the last two midterm elections, in 2018 and 2022.)

It’s that too many people — including folks who should know better — ascribe a false precision to polls, which at best offer nothing more than an educated guess.

Are the polls again overstating Democratic support?

Could be.

In a recent analysis, the Economist found that polls tend to underestimate a party’s strength in states they dominate. That could mean surveys showing toss-up races in red states such as Alaska, Iowa, Kansas, Ohio and Texas could be overstating Democratic strength.

(Research also has shown that dispirited voters are less likely to participate in a poll, which could mean an oversampling of Democratic sentiments despite quite conscious attempts to adjust and weight the data.)

All of which is to say, ignore the polls and don’t let your hopes get too high, or your mood too low. We’ll have election results soon enough.

What does the early voting tell us?

Nothing dispositive. (That’s a fancy way of saying, again, don’t read too much into those numbers.)

Democrats are evidently way more enthused about voting this election than Republicans. And there have been some eye-popping turnout numbers among Black and Latino voters. But maybe Republicans are holding back to cast their ballots closer to or on election day.

Things will be abundantly clear after the fact, as they always are.

Table stakes

How about all the money Republicans — and Elon Musk — are pouring into the election?

It’s gross. But money alone is not determinative.

Just ask Tom Steyer, who spent the GDP of a small country on his failed run for California governor. Or Trump, who was outspent by Hillary Clinton nearly 2-to-1 when he was elected in 2016.

A certain amount of money is necessary to compete; it’s like the table stakes required for a serious competitor to get into the race. Beyond that, factors like candidate performance, external events and, especially, the overall political climate matter a good deal more.

The big Republican money advantage can help drive turnout, which is no small thing, especially if it helps coax reluctant GOP voters to the polls. But elections aren’t like vending machines, where the more money you put in, the more you take out.

Thankfully, we haven’t reached a point where public office can be purchased automatically like soda or a candy bar. At least not yet.

So get out and vote, or make a plan to, if you haven’t already.

What else you should be reading

Get smart: Many Latinos are done with Trump. The shift is especially striking in Texas
The deep dive: “A butter knife against a nuclear arsenal:” Tech billionaires vastly outspend wealth tax supporters
The L.A. Times Special: Skelton: Need help deciding on the state ballot measures? Here are my recommendations
Until next time,
mzb
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British light-welterweight Adam Azim is set to face Gabriel Gollaz Valenzuela at London’s Copper Box on 4 December.

Azim last fought in May when he stopped Steve Claggett in three rounds at Wembley Arena live on BBC Two.

The 24-year-old is undefeated in 15 professional fights, winning 12 by stoppage, while Mexico’s Valenzuela holds a record of 32 wins, five losses and one draw.

BBC Sport understands the bout will serve as an IBF title eliminator, with the winner in line to challenge for the belt in early 2027.

Azim, who made his professional debut in 2020, has won each of his last six fights by knockout.

Valenzuela has lost two previous world title eliminator fights against Subriel Matias and Lindolfo Delgado in 2025.

The 32-year-old has earned 18 of his 32 wins by stoppage, including a knockout win in his last fight in May.

One demerit point added to the Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf’s disciplinary record for conduct during ODI against England.

Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf has been reprimanded and fined 20 percent of his match fee for “displaying conduct contrary to the spirit of the game” against England, while the visitors were fined for a slow over-rate, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said.

Rauf breached Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during Sunday’s One-Day International (ODI) tri-series match against England, which Pakistan unexpectedly won by one wicket thanks to batting heroics by Shadab Khan.

The right-arm fast bowler breached Article 2.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “displaying conduct contrary to the spirit of the game”, according to the ICC.

One demerit point was also added to his disciplinary record, bringing the total to five, since this was his third offence within 24 months.

The incident occurred at the end of the 46th over of Pakistan’s innings, where Rauf appealed for a wide at the non-striker’s end before arguing with England all-rounder Will Jacks.

Per the ICC, Rauf raised his bat and continued the exchange with Jacks despite a warning from umpire Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid. He then brushed past the umpire while walking towards Jacks.

Separately, England were fined 15 percent of their match fee for being three overs short of their target after time allowances were taken into account.

Players are fined 5 percent of their match fee for every over their side fails to bowl within the allowed time, according to Article 2.22 of the ICC Code of Conduct.

Rauf and England captain Harry Brook admitted their respective offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Jeff Crowe of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees. As a result, no formal hearings were required.

The charges were levelled by on-field umpires Rashid Riaz and Sharfuddoula, third umpire Wayne Knights and fourth umpire Nassir Hussain.

Pakistan are through to the two-series final, while England take on Sri Lanka on Thursday for a shot at redemption and a chance at making the final after being thrashed by the Lions last week.

DIY SOS – hosted by Nick Knowles – will not return in its current format again following the end of this series, as we take a look back at some of the incredible families the team have helped over the years

DIY SOS will not return in its current format – as fans launch a petition to reinstate the show hosted by Nick Knowles.

The presenter was devastated by the news from the BBC that the show won’t return as it is now. For nearly three decades, Nick and the DIY SOS team have been joined by volunteers, tradespeople and supporters to transform the lives – and homes – of families who really need their living spaces adapted, changed or added to to help make their lives just that little bit easier.

Last night, fans were in tears as the final episode aired. The BBC have said the show will return next year but not in the format it is now. Ahead of the episode last night, Nick told his followers how emotional he was feeling about the show’s future.

“We have been told the programme has been shelved and not ended but I have asked the question, ‘Will it ever come back in the form it is where it builds whole houses for people or builds these hospices and charity places?’ and I’ve been told no, if it comes back in the future it will be smaller and more cost effective,” he said.

Discussing how he feels about the show ending in its current format, he added: “I thought I would be OK with it but actually it’s a little bit emotional. I’d like to thank everyone we’ve worked with over the last 26 years.”

A BBC spokesperson previously said: “In light of the BBC’s savings challenges we have taken the decision to rest DIY SOS in 2027 and commission a new spin-off show instead from producers South Shore. DIY SOS Rebuilt My Life will revisit successes from the show’s past and expand the brand on the BBC in a more cost-effective way next year.”

Here, The Mirror look back at just a few of the incredible people Nick and the team have helped over the years.

The Hudson Family

One of the most poignant stories from the history of DIY SOS was that of Darren Hudson, who hailed from Hull. Darren was diagnosed with a degenerative spine condition in 2017 and feared how he could provide for his family following his diagnosis.

In a wheelchair himself, Darren also lived with adopted son Oliver, who had severe disabilities. The DIY SOS team transferred the entire home, which was also being live in by Darren’s two other children.

Following the build, the family of four spoke of how they could take the “next step forward” finally with their new property. He told the volunteers and tradespeople: “Words don’t even seem enough. I have been in there and I didn’t even recognise my house. In fact it’s not a house, you have brought the home back for us.”

In 2020 when the show aired, the BBC announced the sad news that Ollie had since died, with host Nick sending his condolences to the family following their devastating loss.

The McAuley Family

DIY SOS fans will remember the tragic story of the McAuley family, made up of mum Lindsey and her four children. Sadly, Shaun McAuley died the previous year to them being on the show, leaving the house unfinished.

Shaun was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer but works on their home extension in Kettering had to stop when Shaun got ill. He had a kidney and bowel operation but fell ill with cancer and died in November, just two months or so after falling ill.

As a show of support, members of the Royal Engineers, Shaun’s old regiment, also helped to finish the project

“Shaun would have been amazed at what they achieved and thankful for what everyone’s done for his family. He would have loved living here,” Lindsey told The Mirror at the time, “To know so many people have come together to create this beautiful house out of the goodness of their own hearts, it’s just amazing. Without the show, we wouldn’t have been home for quite some time.”

A community makeover

As well as individual homes, DIY SOS also worked on big community projects too. One of those was at childhood cancer support centre The Joshua Tree, a charity based in Northwich, Cheshire.

It was one of the largest the show ever did and was for Children In Need. The upgrades featured two family accommodation studios, a gym for rehabilitation, two therapy suites, two counselling rooms, a teenage breakout room and an outdoor therapy garden.

There were around 250 volunteers each day, with founders Dai and Lynda Hill sharing: “It’s incredible, people came from far and wide to help us. The energy, compassion, and teamwork were just inspiring. We can’t thank them or BBC Children in Need enough.”

Nick Knowles had said ahead of the build: “We have another huge build ahead of us in Cheshire, which will benefit children who are going through cancer treatment and help support their families too. If you have a trade, a skill, can spare some time to graft or can help us with materials then get in touch. It’ll be great fun and something you’ll never forget being part of.”

Young Dan stuck in hospital

Most recently, host Nick Knowles was reduced to tears after he and the team headed to Preston to help 16-year-old Dan, who has spent the last three years in hospital after life-saving surgery to remove a brain tumour left him with complex disabilities.

He had been ready to leave the hospital for 18 months, but has been stuck on a ward as their home wasn’t suitable for his needs. Mum Julie spent her time by Dan’s side in hospital and dad Nigel was at home looking after their daughters, Charlotte and Emily, and the family had been living apart for years.

Towards the end of the build, he teared up as he said: “We still have hours of hard graft ahead of us, but against all the odds, the end is in sight. I genuinely don’t know how to put into words how tough this has been, how amazing everyone has been, how much doubt I had along the way, how much guilt I felt, and how amazing it is that these amazing people have called it of physically and emotionally draining,” before stepping away from the cameras.

The Chapman Family

One of DIY SOS’ builds followed the story of dad Peter, who was building am extension for his family at their home in Charlton Kings, near Cheltenham. He spent 24/7 caring for his wife Sarah and daughter Suzanne, who are at different stages of a long-term genetic disorder called myotonic dystrophy.

The symptoms of the condition are worsening muscle loss and weakness and it can also include cataracts, intellectual disability and heart conduction problems. Sadly, just before the team arrived, daughter Margaret – who had the same condition – died aged 31.

Peter’s mother also had died a few years before, so he and Sarah took 64-year-old autistic brother Steve in to live with them too. Peter himself was later diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

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WANT the dream holiday without the long flight? The Gambia has all the perks of bucket list breaks – and flights restart next week.

In just six hours, Brits could be on a safari spotting wild animals and exotic birdlife in 30C.

A trip to The Gambia can have all the perks of the likes of Kenya or South Africa without the 11 hour journey.

In fact, The Gambia is only a six-hour flight away from the UK and these restart with TUI next week from London Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham.

When it comes to activities, why not head on a safari?

Most tours will take visitors just across the border to Senegal which has lions, giraffe, zebras, buffalo, rhino and antelope.

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For those going on holiday with TUI offers excursions to the Fathala Wildlife Reserve.

On the trip, holidaymakers will take a ferry across the River Gambia and then head on the safari tour.

TUI Musement offers the full-day trip from £115 per person.

TUI also offers the South Gambia safari which takes visitors to local villages to get involved in local culture.

Cruises along the River Gambia will involve searching for hippos and crocodiles.

When it comes to birdlife, there are over 450 species to see.

TUI offers a seven-night holiday to The Gambia, staying at the 3T Senegambia Beach on a bed and breakfast basis from £798 per person.

The hotel has two swimming pools, four bars and three restaurants.

It’s found on the resort area of Kololi Beach in Serrekunda which has golden sand beaches, vibrant nightlife and wildlife.

TUI offers a seven-night holiday to The Gambia, staying at the 4T TUI BLUE Tamala on an all-inclusive basis from £1,337 per person

It has an outdoor swimming pool, three bars and two restaurants.

The rooms are Scandi-style and some of the rooms you can swim up to from the pool.

Throughout the year, The Gambia sits at 30C but the best time to visit is during the dry season which runs roughly from November to mid-June.

TUI Travel Advisor, Linda Sharrocks, who has been in the travel industry for 28 years said: “Lots of customers come in wanting a safari but are put off by the price or the flight time.

“The Gambia is the one I always tell them about. You’re there in six hours, and you can be spotting giraffes one day and lying on a beach in 30C sunshine at an all-inclusive the next.

“And make sure you pack some binoculars too, even if you don’t think you’re a birdwatcher. You’ll be amazed at the colours.”

Nithya Raman slowly recited the start of her handwritten message to Angelenos.

Llegué de la India con mi madre a los seis años. Sé lo que cuesta empezar de nuevo.

I came from India with my mother when I was 6. I know what it takes to start over.

The mayoral hopeful was in the green room of Univision’s Westchester studios on Thursday, waiting for an interview with anchor Guad Venegas. He would ask each question in both English and Spanish, and Raman could respond in English.

But she hoped to do better than that.

Since the start of her campaign, Raman has sprinkled Spanglish into her speeches and sometimes offered whole sentences in softly accented, lightly stilted Spanish. It’s part of an effort to win over Latinos, nearly half the city’s population and a crucial swing vote , with less than a week to go before election day.

“Can you say the whole thing for me?” Raman asked Lauren Perez-Rangel, her Latino outreach senior director, who read the full message in effortless Spanish. Raman repeated it word for word, accent for accent, with no flubs or pauses.

“You got it!” Perez-Rangel told her boss.

“I hope,” Raman replied.

It was showtime.

Raman, who serves on the L.A. City Council, grinned when someone said “me vale madre” — I don’t give a damn — on the walk to the studio. She cracked in English, “I doubt that’s true!” when I told an Univision producer in Spanish that no one likes my work.

A cameraman proclaimed “¡Muy bien!” when Raman rattled off an “uno, dos, tres” mic check. Venegas responded in English, “It’s always like that” to Raman’s comment in Spanish that her pronunciation is better than her comprehension.

During the interview, Raman raised her eyebrows when Venegas talked about streets filled with “basura,” the word for “trash” that became an insulting pun on Bass’ name hurled by then-candidate Spencer Pratt during the primary. Raman answered questions in English even when Venegas only asked them in Spanish, fully understanding what he said. And she kept saying “sí” to acknowledge Venegas’ points, as a native speaker would.

She never got a chance to read her Spanish-language statement, but that was OK. I saw enough to know that while she isn’t going to write the next “Don Quixote,” she isn’t limited to ordering at Casa Vega.

Supporters have praised her efforts en español. Critics dismiss them as pandering. I see something more interesting at work.

Raman spoke Tamil and Malayalam in India before moving to the U.S. as a child. If she wins, she would be the first immigrant mayor since Canadian-born Frank Shaw in the 1930s. She’d also be the first mayor whose native tongue wasn’t English since Bernard Cohn, who grew up speaking German in Prussia and served as mayor for two weeks in 1878.

Having a non-native English speaker in charge of a world capital such as L.A. — and one who wants to express herself in the city’s second tongue — wouldn’t just be symbolic. A person who’s earnest about learning a language is forever trying to decipher something new, failing far more often than succeeding in the early going — yet always working to master the task.

Isn’t that what we want from any politician, especially in a city where 56% of residents live in a household that speaks a language other than English?

Los Angeles mayoral candidate and city councilmember Nithya Raman prepares to speak at a “Latinos Con Raman” rally at La Cita Bar in downtown Los Angeles on Sept. 18.

(Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times)

Familiarity with Spanish has become a prerequisite for L.A. mayors. Antonio Villaraigosa famously took classes to improve his assimilated Spanish. Eric Garcetti described his fluency as “good community meeting Spanish” and often delivered remarks in Spanish. Bass, who was married to a Chicano and treats her ex-husband’s children as her own, isn’t fluent but has a robust Spanish-language outreach for her campaign, complete with ads, mailers and websites.

For Raman, though, learning Spanish isn’t just a way to reach out to constituents. It’s a reminder of “what it means to grapple with a bureaucracy that wasn’t intended for you.”

We spoke outside Univision’s studios after her interview. I asked to speak about her experience with Spanish as a way to show a private side of her to Angelenos. (I had asked Bass to sit down with me and talk about food. The interview was initially scheduled, then campaign spokesperson Alex Stack said it was canceled so Bass could attend a news conference assailing Raman for saying that former LAPD Police Chief Daryl Gates was a “gold standard” in protecting immigrants. Bass’ campaign didn’t reschedule the interview and didn’t provide comment on her Spanish skills in time for publication.)

In 2022, Raman co-authored a motion that introduced live Spanish translation services at city council committee meetings. She wants the city to research whether it can provide the information that’s being lost as the Trump administration increasingly deletes Spanish-language versions of federal websites.

“You have to show them that you’re trying,” Raman told me. “And even if you go out there, and you speak broken Spanish, and you mess it up, and you don’t conjugate it properly, and you get all the endings wrong — ‘a’ versus ‘o’ — the fact that you show up and you say it, and you try it in Spanish, means something to the people that I’ve been talking to.”

Her Spanish journey began with four years of classes at a suburban Boston high school. She chose Spanish instead of French because she felt it “would be more useful for me in the world.”

Raman forgot most of it while attending Harvard and MIT but started practicing with her brother, a Spanish major at UCLA, when she moved to L.A. 13 years ago. She read bilingual books for beginners and streamed shows such asNetflix’s dark comedy “La Casa de las Flores” (“The House of Flowers”) and podcasts such as “Chill Spanish.”

Those lessons have happened “pretty regularly” since she joined the city council in 2020, Raman said, although she scaled back once the mayoral campaign intensified.

I wondered what languages are spoken in her household. Her husband, whose Tamil-speaking parents are immigrants from India, only speaks English. Her twin 10-year-olds “can kind of follow along” when she speaks to her parents in Tamil, but she is no longer fluent in Malayalam.

“I have friends like who speak a different language, and they’re, like, religious about speaking it to their children,” Raman said. While she would love for her children to learn other languages, “life is too stressful trying to make every moment of your time with your family into almost a chore.”

I asked about the pandering charge. Throwing out Spanish phrases in an effort to appeal to Latinos is a political cliché as weak salsa as eating tacos in East L.A. or cruising in a lowrider.

Raman shook her head.

“To try and communicate to people in the language that they speak doesn’t feel like pandering. It feels like what the city should do,” she said. “Why shouldn’t elected representatives here also speak Spanish, or do their best to communicate to people in their language?

“If there was a lot of Tamil speakers here,” Raman continued, “I would appreciate that for me and for my family and for my grandparents.”

Mayor Karen Bass speaks during the “Latinos Con Bass” campaign at Ernest E. Debs Regional Park on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2026 in Los Angeles.

(Kayla Bartkowski/Los Angeles Times)

Then I tested her Spanish.

Had she heard of one of my favorite words: convenenciero? Someone who goes with what will help them and doesn’t stand for anything but themselves. Haters have never outright called Raman a convenenciera, I said, but that’s what they’re insinuating in almost every other sentence.

In fairness, most politicians have a bit of convenenciero in them.

“People say, ‘She doesn’t stand for anything,’ but people also criticize me for being ideological, so which is it?” Raman calmly responded. “I try and learn. And I don’t come and say, ‘I know what you want.’ I say, ‘I’m trying to learn what you want, and I want to make the city work for you. How can I make it work?’”

So you’re not a convenenciera?

“I don’t feel that,” Raman said, repeating the phrase two more times.

I told her I’d ask three questions in Spanish. First: how was she doing?

“Bien. Un poco nervioso.”

“Poca nerviosa,” I corrected. A bit nervous. She thanked me for correcting her and said, “Sí, sí, nerviosa.”

What was she doing to try and relax during this campaign?

“Yo quiero estar con mi familia. Mis hijos …” I want to be with my family. My children …

She thought about the right phrase.

“… son mi vida.” Are my life.

What’s a word she loves in Spanish?

Perez-Rangel suggested chisme — gossip.

“I do like chisme!” Raman said with a laugh. But that wasn’t it.

“I like the word tomar [to take] and how many different meanings it has,” she said in English, then rattled off definitions and tenses in Spanish. Tomar bebidas. Tomar su tiempo.

“Tomar City Hall?” I asked.

She laughed again and said something that needs no translation: “Yes.”

To stage the largest Olympics in history, LA28 is looking toward the cosmos for inspiration.

The committee in charge of bringing the Games back to L.A. for the first time in 44 years announced its slogan for the 2028 Olympic and Paralympic Games on Wednesday, hoping to rally athletes, volunteers and fans behind a simple call: “Stars align.”

“‘Stars align’ is when preparation meets opportunity,” LA28 chief marketing officer Alex Merchán said. “So together that creates something extraordinary, and that’s what we seek to do here.”

The slogan that will set the stage for the next 21 months developed organically within the organizing committee over several years, Merchán said. Only during the past 12 or 13 months did the team really start imagining ways to bring the phrase to life.

“Stars align” is a nod to the “stars in motion” emblem for the 1984 Olympics. It takes inspiration from the 50 stars on the U.S. flag. It speaks to L.A.’s Hollywood reputation.

But it also captures how the largest sporting event in history came to L.A. By the time the Olympics open on July 14, 2028, it will have been 11 years since the city won the original bid. More than a decade of planning and a lifetime of training for competitors align during the once-in-a-generation sporting event.

“Athletes commit so much and dedicate so much and sacrifice so much to get [to the Games] that we ground the idea in that effort, in that alignment,” Merchán said. “Alignment is teamwork, coordination, hard work and commitment.”

Along with the International Olympic Committee’s official motto of “Faster, Higher, Stronger — Together,” each organizing committee uses a slogan to share its vision for the Games. The 1984 Games in L.A. pioneered the marketing tactic with “Play a Part in History.” Those Games then turned into the most financially successful in history, relying largely on private sponsorship to produce a $235 million profit that has sponsored youth sports in L.A. for decades. Now official slogans are as ubiquitous as the Olympic rings when walking around the Games.

LA28 looked at translations of the slogan in the next 14 most-popular languages within the Olympic and Paralympic movement, finding equivalent messages. Some were exact translations. Others needed a different collection of words. The message always stayed the same.

“The simple idea of stars and constellations have, in recorded history, been a part of every group around the world,” Merchán said. “Every country, every tribe if you will, have looked upon stars as something filled with optimism.”

The Games return to L.A. at a high point. The popular Paris Games, which used the motto “Games wide open” to set the tone for a resurgent post-pandemic movement, reinvigorated the Olympics with international broadcast records and 12 million tickets sold across the Olympics and Paralympics.

LA28 is on pace to exceed some of those marks. With more than 6 million Olympic tickets already sold, the private organizing committee will open first-come, first-served Olympic ticket sales next year. Tickets for the first Paralympics in L.A. will go on sale in 2027. The Olympic torch relay will begin in spring 2028, uniting all 50 states en route to the opening ceremony. Wednesday’s slogan is only the starting point of LA28’s constellation of events, Merchán said.

“If we get this right,” Merchán said, “we like to think that we can bring the world together and connect people under this banner.”

Trade and security are expected to be on the agenda as delegations and leaders from dozens of African countries gather in Moscow for a two-day summit with Russia.

The third instalment of the Russia-Africa Summit will run through October 28–29 and will be chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the current African Union chair, Burundian President Evariste Ndayishimiye.

Russia has boosted security and trade cooperation with African nations as it grapples with Western sanctions imposed in response to its war against Ukraine.

So who will be attending and what is at stake?

Here’s what we know.

What is the Russia-Africa Summit?

The Russia-Africa Summit is a two-day diplomatic and economic meeting being held in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday.

Leaders and delegations from 48 African countries are meeting to discuss bilateral cooperation spanning politics, defence and technology.

This high-profile forum is the third of its kind. The first summit took place in October 2019 in Sochi, marking an unprecedented turn in Russian-African relations.

What’s on the agenda for the summit?

The event’s official theme is Developing Mutually Beneficial Cooperation and “unlocking the potential of every African country”.

More than 40 sessions and about 100 speakers will cover trade, investment, technology transfer, food and energy security, healthcare, education and youth exchange.

There will also be a business programme, culminating in a plenary session.

Who is attending?

Representatives from 48 African countries will participate, as well as 22 heads of state, according to Kremlin presidential aide Yury Ushakov. Heads of state from 17 countries attended the last summit in 2023.

Fewer leaders came to the last two summits, compared with the first gathering in 2019, when 43 took part, a decline which Moscow blamed on Western pressure.

Russian President Putin is scheduled to meet with his Egyptian counterpart Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed.

The guest list includes leaders closely tied to Russia’s growing security role in Africa, including Burkina Faso’s Ibrahim Traore and Niger’s Abdourahamane Tchiani.

Kenya’s William Ruto, Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni and Namibia’s Netumbo Nandi-Ndatiwah are also expected, as well as Sudan’s Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and Mohamed al-Menfi, the chairman of the Presidential Council of Libya.

What is the relationship between Russia and Africa like?

Russia has gained far more influence in Africa through security than trade, according to a report by the African Security Analysis group (ASA), a security consultancy.

Russia’s security presence has risen significantly in the region. In 2023, Russian forces, mostly from the Wagner Group, operated in only a few African countries, but the ASA now counts Russian missions or troops in at least nine countries.

Trade between African countries and Russia has exceeded $28bn. It was estimated to be about $16.8bn in 2019, when the first summit was held. But trade is mainly concentrated in a few countries and overshadowed by that of China and the European Union.

Russia’s strongest ties to the continent are in energy, fertilisers, defence and nuclear power, where the state-owned firm Rosatom has signed a string of agreements.

Russia has been an essential supplier of fertilisers and wheat to many countries in the region.

In 2023, Russia exported 200,000 tonnes of grain to Mali, Somalia, the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Eritrea and Zimbabwe. 

Why does this summit matter?

This is the first summit since 2023, so it will be an indicator of how far the relationship has developed and where it is heading, analysts say.

A final declaration and a Russia-Africa Partnership Forum plan should be adopted by the end of the Summit to cover 2027-2029.

Analysts have said that meetings on the sidelines could be more important than the main event, as talks between African delegations and Russian defence officials can illustrate where Moscow plans to expand its military ties.

The recruitment of Africans to fight in Ukraine could also be a growing problem for Moscow, as it has already caused diplomatic concern in countries such as Kenya.

Amnesty International has used the run-up to the summit to raise the issue of Africans being recruited to fight with Russia.

In an open letter, the directors of Amnesty’s African section urged leaders attending the summit to demand that Moscow end what the group describes as deceptive and coercive recruitment of Africans to fight in its war in Ukraine.

Gaza City — Mohammed al-Jamal, 60, tries to secure the nylon sheets of his family’s worn-out tent as a storm approaches his displacement camp on a beach in western Gaza City.

He and his sons pull at the tarpaulin, trying to fasten it firmly to the ground for protection from rain and wind coming in from the sea.

This will be the fourth winter that displaced Palestinians in Gaza have faced without adequate shelter. Many still live in tents and makeshift structures that offer little protection against the impending winter weather when temperatures can drop to 7C (below 45F) but can feel much colder due to strong coastal winds and rain.

The family cannot afford to fix their damaged tent with a replacement tarpaulin costing between 120 and 150 shekels ($37-$47) in local markets.

All al-Jamal can do is patch up the damaged shelter and hope it holds through the coming storm.

“We are trying to prepare as much as we can to protect ourselves from the water and the wind,” he said. “We follow the weather reports, and whenever there is a warning of a storm, we start preparing. But once the storm comes, everything gets torn apart, and we have to start all over again. It is continuous suffering throughout the winter.”

Mass displacement

Al-Jamal, originally from Gaza City’s Shujayea neighbourhood, has been displaced several times since Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza began in October 2023.

About 30 members of his extended family live in these difficult living conditions.

“We are just trying to adapt to what we have. This is what is available to us. We need everything,” he said.

When it rains, water enters the tent and floods their living space, risking damage to their meagre belongings.

When temperatures drop, tents offer little protection for the displaced, with al-Jamal and his family having no choice but to put on more layers of clothing.

“We are out in the open. We are living in the street, not in houses that protect us,” he said.

Al-Jamal said he had repeatedly heard promises that shelter materials and caravans would be allowed into Gaza, but none had arrived for his family, and he had not seen any of them enter.

He described these announcements as “false promises and lies” that had left displaced families waiting for help that never came.

“Our demand is to have our lives back the way they were before,” he said.

Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 74,500 Palestinians and destroyed or damaged more than 80 percent of buildings. With homes and infrastructure in Gaza destroyed, about 1.5 million of Gaza’s 2.3 million people are living in tents or makeshift shelters.

Many of the displaced have been forced to move from city to city when Israeli assaults begin on their homes or camps.

At least 294,250 families in Gaza need winter shelter assistance, according to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), but with current supplies, only 52,000 families, roughly 18 percent of those in need, have access to partial humanitarian assistance.

More than 65 percent of displaced households were living in tents or makeshift shelters, according to a Shelter Cluster survey, with more than half of those shelters in poor or very poor condition.

Israel’s siege on Gaza has also affected supplies reaching the enclave, with the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) saying on October 5 that at least 500 truckloads of shelter materials were awaiting entry or procurement.

At the current pace, NRC said, it could take more than seven months for those supplies to enter Gaza. The materials include tents, tarpaulins, ropes and other items needed to repair shelters.

Winter around the corner

For families already living in torn tents, the shortage leaves few options beyond repeatedly repairing the same shelters.

Khitam Salman, 39, originally from Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, has been displaced multiple times over the past two years.

Now living near the beach, she is trying to prepare for winter with tents that have already suffered repeated damage.

“Every time there is a storm, we put up the tarpaulins and tie them down, only to have to do it all over again,” she said. “With every low-pressure system, it is the same.”

Khitam said one of the family’s tents had collapsed four times while they were sleeping inside and was torn, allowing sand to enter and offering little protection from rain and wind.

She is trying to cover the family’s tents and the space where they store their belongings, but the costs are beyond their means.

“We need a tarpaulin for this tent, another for the other one, and one for the room where we keep our belongings,” she said. “But we don’t have the means. We have done what we can.”

Her husband works in the health sector, but she said he receives his salary only once every three months, and it is not enough to cover the family’s needs.

“The tents are not suitable for living in any more,” she said. “They are torn, and sand gets inside. It is exhausting.”

Last winter, after their tent collapsed and their belongings were soaked, Salman said she became so overwhelmed that she walked away and sat by the sea for hours.

“I was so frustrated,” she recalled. “The tent had fallen, everything was flooded, and all our belongings were wet.”

“I’m worried about this winter … that the whole nightmare will repeat itself all over again.”

Damaged roads, drainage and sewage systems also increase the risk that rainwater will mix with wastewater and swamp the camps.

Husni Muhanna, spokesperson for Gaza Municipality, said more than 85 percent of the city’s infrastructure had been damaged and its rainwater drainage system was operating at about 20 percent of its previous capacity.

Rubble, damaged drainage networks and shortages of heavy machinery, fuel and maintenance materials are hampering preparations for winter, Muhanna said.

The municipality has begun emergency cleaning and maintenance work, but its efforts remain constrained by a lack of resources.

Flood risks beyond tents

Yosra Mesleh, 45, was displaced from her home in Gaza City’s Nassr neighbourhood when her home was destroyed and is preparing for her second winter living in a tent.

Preparing for winter means thinking about what to do when water enters their tents and soaks bedding and belongings. When this happens, they often have nowhere dry to sit, cook or eat.

“When it rained last winter, the water came inside and reached the bedding. Everything got wet,” she said. “It was difficult to find somewhere to sit while we waited for everything to dry.”

In summer, the heat and humidity inside the tent were unbearable, she said, with water shortages compounding their dire living situation.

“The place where we are living is not healthy or safe. It is not suitable for summer or winter,” she said.

Her husband has been out of work since the beginning of the war, while her son is struggling to cover his own expenses.

“We need tents and tarpaulins. We need cooking utensils and a proper place to prepare food. We also need a regular supply of gas,” she said.

Without cooking gas, she worries about how the family will prepare meals when rain keeps them inside.

She remembers life before the war, when life was hard but they had an apartment and her husband ran a tea and coffee shop. They have since lost their home and their only source of income.

“We are not asking for towers or anything extravagant,” she said. “We are asking for tarpaulins and tents, for a dignified life.”

A primary school teacher revealed he even had his nipples removed and eyeballs tattooed

A primary school teacher has described the lengths he’s gone to in order to get more tattoos.

Sylvain Helaine has been working in classrooms in both the UK and his native France for nearly two decades. However, he has revealed that he began a new, unique journey in 2012, when he was 27.

Back then, he got his first tattoo. Now, aged 40, he is the most tattooed teacher. Sylvain made a special appearance on This Morning, in a tell-all chat with hosts Dermot O’Leary and Sian Welby.

The ITV presenters opened the segment by describing what comes to mind when they think of their own primary school teachers. Sylvain told them he was working in Britain when he saw someone with a full sleeve, which opened his eyes and led him to get an arm tattoo of his own.

He quickly became increasingly dedicated to getting more. Sylvain confessed that he always knew he wanted to be ‘fully covered’. Asked about how it has impacted his work, he told them: “During the first day [of school], because if I do something good, people will say, ‘Oh, obviously he’s the best, we were about to see that’. But if I do something a little bad, they will think that I’m awful because of my appearance.”

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As they asked about what kind of reactions Sylvain receives in his line of work, he revealed that he had previously said: “It always takes two minutes for children to accept me, two hours for the parents, and two days for grandparents. So it just takes a little bit of time.”

Sylvain went on to reveal that he doesn’t actually talk about his tattoos while at work. He revealed: “I don’t talk about my tattoos and my appearance at all when we are in the classroom. We just work, we take out our exercise book, write out the date, and it goes like that. I’m really serious. But if they have some questions to ask me, they can wait for the playground, for example.”

The teacher’s tattoo journey is far from over, however. He shared that he intends to go over some of his existing ink on most of his body again.

Sian pointed out that the whites of his eyes have also been completely covered with black ink. He also had his nipples and belly button removed.

His reason was to have a smoother skin surface. to make the tattooing process easier and get more. Other places he has been tattooed include his tongue, and underneath his nails on both his hands and feet.

However, when asked if he was ‘addicted’ to getting them, he shared that he actually can’t stand getting them and does not look forward to the next session. He explained: “I hate the pain. I hate getting tattooed.”

He continued: “I love evolving. I love seeing myself evolving. You suffer, and I really hate the pain and am counting the days to the next tattoo session. I’m really anxious. I don’t want to go, but at the end of the tattoo session, I’m really proud, and I feel invincible.”

This Morning continues tomorrow at 10.00am on ITV1 and ITVX.

Rachel felt a little unwell in the Canary Islands hotel they were staying in in October – then suddenly collapsed

A British mum who thought she had come down with a nasty cold collapsed and died while on holiday abroad. Rachel Weston, 42, was away with her husband, Mark, 41, and two friends when she started to feel unwell.

The carer, from Bury, Greater Manchester, went to a pharmacy and at first seemed to be getting better. However, her condition then deteriorated, leading the couple to arrange emergency flights back home for the next day.

But Rachel then suddenly collapsed in their hotel room in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote. Hotel lifeguards tried to help before paramedics turned up, but tragically she couldn’t be saved.

Local reports say Rachel suffered a cardiac arrest, though an underlying medical cause hasn’t been publicly confirmed. Mark said: “My world was completely turned upside down with the sudden and heartbreaking loss of my gorgeous wife, Rachel, while we were on holiday.

“Rachel and I were together for 11 years and one day – sadly only married for two of those years, but every single day was full of love, laughter and partnership.”

Rachel was a loving stepmum to Mark’s three children, Steven, 22, Charley, 19, and Mikey, 15. Mark described his late wife as “the absolute heart of our home”, adding that she had poured herself into helping him raise the children.

The couple tied the knot on May 11, 2024 after a memorable on-stage proposal at a Bowling for Soup concert. Mark contacted the band’s frontman, Jaret Reddick, before its December 2022 show in Torquay and was invited on stage during Punk Rock 101 to ask Rachel to marry him.

Rachel worked as a carer at Regency Care Home and had devoted her professional life to looking after others. She was also deeply attached to the couple’s two dogs, Maisie and Padmé. Mark said: “Losing her so unexpectedly is a total nightmare.

“Between planning the funeral and keeping life steady for the kids, it’s a massive weight to carry.” Rachel’s funeral is due to take place on November 6. Mark has launched a fundraiser in memory of his “beautiful wife” to help cover the costs.

He has requested that mourners wear something purple, which was Rachel’s favourite colour. To donate to the fundraiser, visit the GoFundMe web page here.