Month: October 2026

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee paused all executions for the remainder of the year and ordered an independent review to “determine exactly what occurred”.

Lee was asked by reporters this week about a potential second execution attempt. “I suspect her sentence will be the same as before unless determined otherwise by the courts,” he responded.

Speaking about the state’s response to what happened to Pike, Mann said: “I find it deeply troubling that, even after what Christa endured, Governor Lee has shown little public willingness to reconsider the death penalty itself, rather than simply the procedures used to carry it out.”

She added: “What happened to Christa is not an isolated tragedy, nor should this conversation begin and end with her.”

The Tennessee Department of Correction has not explained why the execution did not go as planned, though it has defended the method it used.

It declined comment on Pike’s statement when contacted by the BBC.

Slemmer’s mother, May Martinez, was among those pushing for Pike to be put to death and attended the botched execution, later calling it a “mess”.

She told a local ABC News affiliate in Florida, where she lives, that she thinks the state owes her an apology.

“All I wanted was justice,” Martinez said.

Pike was the first woman scheduled to be executed in the state of Tennessee in over 200 years.

Her lawyers have spent decades appealing her case. In the days leading up to her scheduled execution, both the US Supreme Court and Lee declined to block the execution.

The attempted execution of Pike was not the first in Tennessee in 2026 that did not go to plan.

The execution of Tony Carruthers, who was convicted of kidnapping and murdering three people in 1994, was postponed in May after staff were unable to find a vein for a lethal injection. He was granted a year’s reprieve by the governor.

In 2022, more than a third of executions across the US were botched or highly problematic, according to the Death Penalty Information Center, which does not take an ethical stance on the penalty.

PLANS for a musical based on the songs of late chart superstar George Michael have been confirmed.

His lifelong best friend David Austin has told The Sun that preparations are in motion for the stage show to help keep George’s legacy alive.

Those involved have set their sights on Broadway — with a West End run almost certain to follow if the project proves ­popular enough.

George shot to fame in 1980s pop duo Wham! with Andrew Ridgeley and became one of the best-selling recording artists of all time.

Speaking at the world premiere of concert film George Michael: The Faith Tour at the BFI IMAX in London, David said: “There is talk about Broadway. We’ve got our fingers in a lot of pies.”

The confirmation comes six months after The Sun first told the world of the secret plans.

READ MORE ON GEORGE MICHAEL

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In April, we revealed that George’s sister Yioda Panayiotou, 64, had held confidential talks with producers.

A source said at the time: “As things stand, it’s all in the very early development stage, but the plan is to tell the story of George’s life and career with some of his hits mixed in.

“Right now it’s not a Mamma Mia! situation where his songs soundtrack a new story — this is about his life.”

The production is already being workshopped in New York, with seven-time Olivier Award nominee Maria Friedman in talks to direct.

George, died aged 53 on Christmas Day 2016 at home in Goring-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.

IF YOU are looking for your next countryside escape then look no further than this holiday park set to open next year.

A new Landal holiday park in Malvern Hills is set to open in spring next year.

Landal Malvern Hills will be set in a woodland with 40 timber lodges complete with terrace hot tubs.

The lodges can each host between two and six people.

Inside, the interiors will have a modern design, with light woods throughout.

The entire park will be dog friendly too so your four-legged friend doesn’t need to be left behind.

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There’s parking on site, as well as electric car charging points and WiFi across the entire park.

The park sits on the edge of Malvern Hills National Landscape AONB where you can head off on hikes.

A four-night stay for up to four people costs from £516 in March 2027, working out at £32.25 per person, per night.

Or a four-night stay for up to six people costs from £716 in March 2027, working out at £29.83 per person, per night.

As for things to do in the local area, you aren’t far from the pretty town of Broadway as well as attractions such as the 19th-century Eastnor Castle.

The city of Worcester is also only a short drive away where you can visit the historic cathedral and discover the ruins of Witley Court.

Apple’s call will address Apple Intelligence adoption, supply constraints, memory costs, and the iPhone Duo. Options imply a 4.3% share-price move; Cirrus Logic, Skyworks, and Qorvo are also in focus because each gets more than half its revenue from Apple.

Two California governors faced recall in the last 30 years.

In 2021, Gavin Newsom survived an effort to recall him amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But in 2003, Gray Davis was ousted from office and replaced by Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Now, voters will consider significant changes to recall rules for elected state officials.

The basics

Under current law, when an elected official is recalled in California, the election for their replacement occurs at the same time. Proposition 5 breaks up that process into two parts, prioritizing the voters’ right to oust an official before selecting a replacement.

The impact

This ballot measure would amend the state constitution to change the current recall system. Under the proposed changes, voters would first be asked to choose whether or not to oust an official. Then, in the event of a recall, the official would be replaced by appointment, succession or special election at a later date. In the case of a special election, the former officeholder could run again.

The measure also would designate California’s lieutenant governor as the de facto replacement for a recalled governor until the next term.

Dig deeper

California’s rules for recalling politicians date to the Progressive era and were seen at the time as a way to give more power to voters.

But there have been concerns in recent years that the process needs reform, especially after the 2021 recall that Newsom overwhelmingly beat back; it cost local and state governments more than $200 million.

After the Newsom recall failed, the Legislature began a bipartisan task force to suggest changes.

More reading

California’s costly, confusing recall sparks an effort to rethink the rules (L.A. Times, 2021)

The history of recalls in California (L.A. Times)

The Little Hoover Commission on recall reform (State of California)

Ukraine’s ice hockey federation has expressed “deep outrage” at Russia being allowed to compete in international events again.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) overturned the ban placed on Russia by the sport’s global governing body, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF).

Russia have been suspended from competing in IIHF events since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022 and earlier this year the IIHF ruled they would remain excluded.

The Russian Ice Hockey Federation (RIHF) appealed that decision to Cas, which has upheld it following an in-person hearing at its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In a statement, the Hockey Federation of Ukraine said it “respected the authority and status of Cas”.

“At the same time, we express our deep outrage at this decision,” it added.

It said the threats, which had formed the basis of the ban, had not disappeared, adding “against this background, the decision to allow Russian teams to international hockey competitions causes special outrage”.

A statement from Cas, external said that arguments made by the IIHF “citing safety, security and other concerns” were “not supported by sufficient evidence”.

Russia are now set to be part of IIHF events in the 2026-27 season, including the men’s and women’s world championships.

Ukraine’s men have qualified for the top flight world championships for the first time in 20 years after winning promotion at this year’s Division 1 tournament in Poland.

The IIHF would not confirm whose place Russia could potentially take but pointed to its statement which said: “The ruling also has significant practical implications for competitions already at an advanced stage of preparation.

“These decisions made by Cas do not consider the practical elements which cannot be implemented immediately.”

Individual athletes from Russia were allowed to compete at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy under a neutral flag, although not in ice hockey.

The IIHF expressed “disappointment”, external with the ruling.

“The IIHF disagrees with this aspect of the ruling and maintains that its decisions were necessary to protect the safety and security of all participants and safeguard the integrity of its competitions,” they said in a statement.

“While the IIHF respects the authority of Cas and will act in accordance with its ruling, the outcome does not remove the concerns that informed its assessments.”

Germany will host the men’s world championships in May and Frank Lutz, chairman of the German ice hockey federation, said: “We reject the return of Russian national teams to international ice hockey tournaments.

“Allowing Russia to participate entails significant security-related, political, and economic consequences for us as hosts. We are now evaluating the ruling together with the IIHF and will provide information regarding the next steps.”

The United Kingdom, Finnish and Czech federations also condemned the decision to allow Russia to enter teams.

Jan Cerny, secretary general of Czech Ice Hockey said he “very unpleasantly surprised” by the decision adding: “The current stance of Czech ice hockey does not change with the CAS decision. We do not agree with Russia’s participation in IIHF tournaments during the war of aggression in Ukraine.”

The chairman of the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation, Heikki Hietanen, called the ruling “in it’s entirety, incomprehensible”.

Ice Hockey UK said: “While disappointed, we respect the authority of Cas, and will analyse the decision and its potential implications for Great Britain’s national teams.”

A statement from the RIHF said it “welcomes the decision” from Cas and stated it will work with the IIHF to “facilitate the return of Russian teams to competitions”.

Binance, which was founded in China in 2017, allows users to trade digital assets and is estimated to have more than 300 million registered users worldwide.

The company said in 2024 that it had more than $160bn in assets under its custody.

A lot of the fear right now from Binance users – and the crypto industry at large – is whether or not Binance will actually be capable of covering this enormous financial loss.

The company has said repeatedly that customer funds will be covered and that the firm is strong enough to weather the storm.

But crypto history watchers have been pointing out online that this is exactly the kind of message that FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried gave before his crypto exchange collapsed in 2022, leading to huge losses for customers and the industry.

Several experts have warned customers not to regard Binance’s promise to cover losses as legally binding and said they may need to pursue litigation to recover them.

Daniel Tunkel, of the London-based Edwin Coe law firm, said that would “come down to what [customers] have been promised in their contracts”, and “where Binance can be sued for non-performance, if it comes to it”.

Binance has been subject of regulatory scrutiny around the world.

Meanwhile, AI-powered investigations company TRM Labs said that several elements of the attack resembled earlier North Korean-linked incidents, including the Bybit hack.

In the last five years the crypto industry has been beset by enormous losses from hackers.

In nearly all cases investigators have blamed hackers from North Korea, pointing to the infamous Lazarus Group – also know as TraderTraitor. The names refer to clusters of cyber criminals accused of working directly for the regime.

Chainalysis, a crypto analytics firm, said it had “high confidence” that a North Korean is linked to the hack.

North Korea is an impoverished country with very little industry and heavy international sanctions and experts say the regime uses cyber crime as a way to bring money in.

North Korea has always denied this, but the wealth of evidence from cryptocurrency flow analysis and insider interviews from defectors is compelling.

It makes North Korea likely to be the only nation that uses hacking as a way to raise public funds.

Big Brother 2024 winner returned to our screens and admitted some of the current series was ‘uncomfortable’

One of Big Brother’s former winners has shared they hope one housemate is ‘OK’ after some ‘difficult to watch’ scenes this series. It comes as the latest edition of the ITV reality series approaches its final week.

The most recent episode set to air on Friday (October 30) will see a double eviction to mark the Halloween special. Ahead of that, companion show Big Brother The Group Chat welcomed ex-housemate and previous winner Ali Bromley to talk about the current series.

Ali was victorious during the 2024 series even though she later admitted she nearly quit the show part way through. She was joined by hosts GK Barry and Kate Lawler as the forensic psychologist was asked about her opinions on the current crop of housemates.

The conversation progressed through most of the contestants as Ali predicted Philip and Rhianna the next to go.

She also called the self professed Queen of Scottie Road from Liverpool as ‘the most relatable’ after he was spotted eating snacks in bed.

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Ali commented: “We’ve all been there with our chocolate bars, hoping for better days.” Later though, GK Barry turned their attention to Frankie.

She said: “Frankie has been coming out (as bisexual) slowly but surely. He told Catrin tonight. Which I think Catrin already knew.” Kate asked Ali what she thought of the matter, after recent scenes showed Frankie reveal he had hatred towards himself and felt ashamed regarding his sexuality.

Ali replied: “I think you can see it in the way he talks about bisexuality. I think, as a viewer, that’s been difficult to watch at times. Because if you are gay and you’ve been through the process of coming out and you have those feelings yourself and you’ve worked through those feelings yourself and you’ve worked through them, seeing somebody else still holding some of that hostility can feel a bit uncomfortable.”

She continued: “So I feel like that’s been a bit tricky to watch sometimes, and these moments where he’s been coming out have felt a bit raw and probably bring something up for people that are watching as well.

“I hope he’s OK. I’m not sure what he hopes to achieve by coming out in these dribs and drabs throughout the series.”

GK suggested he could be ‘getting used to’ coming out. Ali responded: “A real baptism of fire. If feel like if you’re not fully there in your self acceptance like wow, that’s like a hard, hard journey.”

Big Brother continues tonight at 9pm on ITV2 and ITVX

Your ballot is overflowing with decisions you need to make. Some you’ve probably heard about — Karen Bass vs. Nithya Raman for L.A. mayor, Xavier Becerra vs. Steve Hilton for California governor, the controversial billionaire tax.

But there are also some more obscure races on the L.A. County ballot that are important as well. Here are seven to keep an eye out for.

Los Angeles County sheriff

This is a rematch between rivals for the job of running the Sheriff’s Department, which also oversees county jails.

• Robert Luna is the sitting sheriff. The former Long Beach police chief, Luna came out of retirement to run for sheriff in 2022, arguing that incumbent Alex Villanueva had taken the department in the wrong direction. Luna points out that violent crime has fallen every year since he took office. Between 2023, his first full year in office, and 2025, homicides fell by more than 25%.
• Alex Villanueva was elected sheriff in 2018 in an upset victory. His tenure was marked by controversy and scandal, and he became a fixture on Fox News, where he appeared repeatedly to vilify “woke” culture and criticize Democrats. He faults Luna, claiming the department has issues with recruitment and retention. He also says the department does not have the resources it needs.

L.A. County Charter Amendment A

This measure deals with labor negotiations for key public safety personnel in L.A. County.

Basics

Measure A is a charter amendment that would require binding arbitration between county government and negotiators representing sheriff’s deputies, firefighters, lifeguards and other public safety workers if contract talks reach an impasse and no compromise can be reached. It would alter the current last step, in which county supervisors can impose a final offer that these employees must accept — by law, public safety personnel cannot strike.

Impact

The initial phase of contract talks still would have union and county representatives seeking to hammer out a mutually beneficial deal, with a presumption that both sides would negotiate in good faith. But if a gap remains and an impasse ultimately is declared, the supervisors no longer would dictate the final offer. Instead, a three-member arbitration panel would be formed. The county and union each would select one member, with the sides together choosing the third person, who would serve as chair. If they can’t agree on the final panelist, a state entity could provide a list of qualified arbitrators to choose from. The arbitrators would focus on key employment elements such as wages and hours and would hold hearings and receive evidence from the parties. At the end of the process, a binding result would be issued and made public.

Read more:

L.A. County Charter Amendment E

This is a highly complicated measure that involves jail financing and seeks to clean up some bureaucratic muddles.

Basics

Jails: In 2020, 57% of county voters approved Measure J. This mandated that at least 10% of locally generated, unrestricted revenue be allocated to incarceration alternatives. The problem? Voters later approved the county reform effort Measure G, which had the unintended effect of repealing Measure J. Measure E would ensure that Measure J remains in effect.

Governance: Measure G also created, among other things, a county ethics commission and an ethics compliance office. Officials determined that for true independence, the commission and the compliance office must be permanently enshrined in the county charter.

Impact

Backers say Measure E would clean up those messy governmental issues.

L.A. County Superior Court judges

Voters will decide runoffs for four open judge seats:

• Maria Ghobadi and Rhonda Haymon are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 64 seat.
• Justin Allen Clayton and Anna Slotky Reitano are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 65 seat.
• Anthony “A.J.” Bayne and David DeJute are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 87 seat.
• Donna Tryfman and David Ross are competing for the Superior Court Judge Office 131 seat.

Christian Watson didn’t literally come back from the dead on “Thursday Night Football.”

But what the Green Bay Packers receiver pulled off during his team’s 27-19 win over the Carolina Panthers was nearly as dramatic.

“He resurrected himself,” quarterback Jordan Love said during a postgame interview on Prime Video.

Injured while making a 53-yard catch at the 9:11 mark of the second quarter — he later said he might have landed with the ball or his elbow in his chest — Watson was having trouble breathing on the field and coughed up some blood on the sideline. Prime cameras showed him climbing into an ambulance under his own power and still wearing his pads.

Less than an hour later, the same cameras showed Watson climbing out of the ambulance and jogging out of the tunnel at Lambeau Field, much to the surprise and delight of his teammates and the crowd.

“It was super dramatic,” Watson told reporters in the locker room after the game. “I used to watch WWE as a kid — I felt like I was watching ‘WWE SmackDown vs. Raw’ or something out there, you know, seeing the cameras on me when I got out of the ambulance, that was a little crazy. It was a surreal experience, no doubt, just to go through that and have you know the fans cheering for me getting back out there. It was definitely exciting.”

It was a scene Watson would have liked to have avoided in the first place.

“I never wanted to go” to the hospital, Watson said during an on-field interview with Prime after the game. “I was hoping that they would let me off. I said it was feeling better once I kind of caught my breath, but they said there was a couple signs that made them have to take me over there. I was just praying that it was good enough where I could come back out here.”

Watson, who was able to keep up with the game on a doctor’s phone, said he was told he had broken a rib. He was cleared to return after a CT scan showed no signs of internal bleeding.

“I was spitting a little blood [on the sideline] at first, so they just wanted to make sure there was nothing crazy,” Watson said. “I cleared everything and was able to get back out.”

Donning extra padding to protect his ribs, Watson re-entered the game with 4:01 remaining in the third quarter and was targeted on the first play. The deep pass from Love was knocked away by Carolina’s Nick Scott, with Panthers cornerback Marco Wilson landing on Watson’s chest at the end of the play.

But the NFL’s second-leading receiver said he was happy just to be back on the field.

“I had so much adrenaline that it didn’t really hit me right away, but definitely, definitely felt that one,” said Watson, who caught two passes for 13 yards after his return and finished the night with eight catches for 113 yards.

“That’s pretty remarkable,” coach Matt LaFleur said of Watson’s performance. “He had a heck of a night. Just can’t imagine what he would have had had he not missed so much time.”

“I think it shows resiliency, I think it shows toughness, and I think it just shows the love that he has for this team,” safety Xavier McKinney told reporters after the game. “Sometimes, you might see that happen and he had his 100 yards, and he could’ve just sat it. But the fact that he wasn’t satisfied and the fact that he felt like and he knew that we still needed him out there and he still said, ‘OK, I love this team and I want to be able to go out here for this team and do that,’ that gains our respect.”

Lamine Yamal was tipped for the Ballon d’Or which went to Harry Kane, but his Barca boss ‘proud’ of teenager’s reaction.

Lamine Yamal has “reacted very well” following the disappointment of the Ballon d’Or being awarded to Harry Kane, Barcelona coach Hansi Flick said on Friday.

Despite winning La Liga with the Catalan club and lifting the World Cup with Spain, the 19-year-old winger came third in the vote for the best player in the world on Monday, behind Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

“Harry Kane deserved it, but you already know what I think about Lamine. He’s at the level required to win this award,” Flick said ahead of the La Liga leaders’ home match against Alaves.

“I’m very proud of Lamine. He reacted very well and was very focused in training.

“That’s the way to respond. His mentality is very good for the team.”

Yamal will have a chance to put any lingering disappointment behind him on Saturday when Barcelona look to correct course at home to Alaves following two high-profile defeats.

After winning their first 11 matches in all competitions, Barcelona were flying but then came undone when they travelled to PSG in the Champions League last Tuesday.

That 4-2 reverse in the French capital was swiftly followed by a Mbappe-inspired 2-1 loss at home to Real Madrid in La Liga last weekend.

“The most important thing tomorrow is to win,” Flick said.

“The team is playing well and we believe in our strengths. I’ve seen a good training session and a positive mood. We have to show that tomorrow.

“Alaves are a team that know how to defend well, but we’re Barca and we want to show our best version.”

Barcelona still hold a two-point lead at the top of La Liga ahead of their meeting with Atletico Madrid.

While the German coach admitted he does not like losing, he insisted that the campaign is “a long road”.

“It’s at the end of the season that we can win trophies,” he added.

“We have to deal with it. We could have won, but we have to accept defeat and learn from it.”

European diplomats have refused to stand for an official photo with Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at the G20 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in the US, leading to the American hosts cancelling the planned picture.

Two officials confirmed to the BBC the cancellation of the so-called family photo scheduled for Friday morning, which would usually include representatives from all the nations in attendance.

The meeting, which gathers top diplomats from the world’s biggest economies, is being hosted in Atlanta by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Ukraine is not not a G20 member but has been invited to similar meetings in recent years. However, Ukraine was not invited to this meeting.

Relations between Ukraine and the US have been particularly tense this month, with a diplomatic standoff between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump over Kyiv’s strikes on oil infrastructure within Russia.

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband is present and a diplomatic source confirmed the UK was among the countries which refused to participate in the picture.

One British official said: “The UK has a longstanding policy not to have direct, bilateral engagement with Russian ministers since the invasion of Ukraine and we are not about to change that”.

A US official said the photo was cancelled “after it became clear some of the delegations were unwilling to participate in a joint photo”.

“Rather than allow a ceremonial photo opportunity to become a diplomatic distraction, the US decided to forgo the photo and keep the focus on the substantive discussions,” the official said.

In contrast to Ukraine, relations between the US and Russia appear to have partially thawed in recent weeks, as Trump waived some sanctions and agreed a deal to import Russian diesel for the American market.

The move comes as Trump attempts to lower fuel prices in the US ahead of mid-term elections at the start of November, after months spent grappling with the political consequences of the Iran war.

Ukraine and its European allies have heavily criticised Trump’s deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Zelensky called it “a gift” to Putin that amounts to “an investment in a war that must be ended, not prolonged”.

Trump said his decision to suspend several Russian sanctions is an effort to keep Moscow at the negotiating table in the war between Russia and Ukraine.

Putin has said Russia, which introduced a ban on diesel exports earlier this year, is willing to supply both the US and global markets with oil and petroleum products.

Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and currently controls approximately a fifth of Ukrainian territory.

Moscow has in recent weeks intensified its deadly missile and drone attacks on Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities.

WHEN crusading journalist Chris Hansen told his guests to “have a seat” they really did need to sit down – because they were men who’d been caught discussing having sex with children.

His hit US TV show To Catch a Predator spawned hundreds of copycats across the globe, where online vigilante groups snare alleged paedophiles in similar stings.

Now Hansen is considering suing Robert Pattinson for the way the British actor has portrayed him in a controversial new movie called Primetime.

That’s because the Batman star’s Oscar-tipped film makes the reporter, who confronted potential child sex offenders in front of the cameras, the bad guy rather than the abusers his ground-breaking program exposed.

In the mid-2000s Hansen’s show To Catch a Predator worked with law enforcement and an online vigilante group to reveal the depraved men thinking of having sex with under 16s.

Nearly 200 men were arrested, including an agent for the Department of Homeland Security, a teacher and a firefighter.

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The NBC show ended in 2007 after a district attorney with an interest in teenage boys shot himself before Hansen could quiz him.

To many predator hunters Hansen is a hero.

But Batman star Pattinson depicts the 67-year-old journalist as an ego driven prima donna chiefly interested in ratings and getting To Catch a Predator onto prime time telly.

Emmy award winner Hansen, who is still bringing alleged child abusers to book on a different show, is angry about Primetime, which is in UK cinemas now.

He raged: “I think it’s an insult to the thousands of men and women who work hard every day to protect children from predators. 

“They turn something that is very positive, very challenging and not without risk into what is essentially a horror film.

“I guess it’s not surprising that a Hollywood studio would act in such an exploitative or predatory manner. 

“We’re talking about an industry that was led by perhaps one of the biggest predators to walk the planet, Harvey Weinstein.”

In 2004 when To Catch a Predator set its first trap, Hansen didn’t even know if any child abusers would fall into it.

Back then social media was still in its infancy, with Facebook only available to university students.

But an US online vigilante group called Perverted Justice realised that depraved men were using chat rooms on sites such as AOL and Yahoo to contact minors.

Hansen decided to link up with them to expose this danger. 

Perverted Justice used adult males and females who looked like children to set up profiles as under 15s in the chat rooms.

They then waited for the men to make the first move, with many of the digital deviants quickly sending explicit questions.

Perverted Justice’s decoys strung them along, hoping they would ask to visit them.

Rather than going to the ‘children’s’ homes, though, they were turning up at a suburban house filled with hidden cameras.

The decoy greeted them at the door, led them to the kitchen and made an excuse to leave the room.

At that point Hansen would walk in and ask them to “have a seat.”

He recalled: “In the first investigation, we didn’t know what was going to happen. We had partnered with Perverted Justice and I didn’t know if we were going to get anybody showing up. 

“Yet, there we were over two and a half days in Long Island and 17 guys surfaced, including a New York City firefighter.”

Even more potential sex offenders turned up for the next sting in the capital Washington DC.

One of them was rabbi David Kaye, who was later jailed for six and a half years for trying to solicit sex from a 13-year-old boy over the internet.

Wishing to make sure more of these men were brought to book, the NBC show teamed up with the police.

Cops in Harris County, Texas were waiting to arrest the men after Hansen confronted them in 2006.

This was dangerous work for all involved, because two of the alleged offenders were serving soldiers.

When one of the men did a runner he was tasered.

Hansen was praised in Congress for his work, with the show leading the House of Representatives to investigate the threat of online predators.

As To Catch a Predator’s ratings climbed and climbed, human rights lawyers started to question its ethics.

In many parts of the US it was an offence to attempt to entice a minor to have sex, but there were suggestions of entrapment. 

There were calls for catching criminals to be left to the professionals.

That’s exactly what Hansen’s show appeared to do when Perverted Justice realised that Texan prosecutor Bill Conradt was the man messaging someone pretending to be aged 13.

When Conradt wouldn’t go to the To Catch a Predator house in Murphy, Texas in November 2006 the police chief decided to go to him.

With Hansen’s TV crew following them, the armed officers smashed their way into his home.

But when they arrived Conradt shot himself dead.

The prosecutor’s relatives sued NBC, winning a £75million out of court settlement.

Charges against 23 other men in Murphy, Texas were dropped because the online chats had not taken place in the county.

To Catch a Predator was scrapped.

It is the build up to Conradt’s death that forms the tense finale to Primetime, which has been a hit at the US box office.

It depicts Hansen as desperate to snare the powerful district attorney at all costs.

Pattinson’s version of the veteran journalist sneers, snarls and shouts at his team.

Variety magazine described the actor’s portrait of Hansen “as a horror villain” and Hansen thinks it is “unhinged.”

Primetime shows little interest in the sex offenders and focuses more on the journalist’s alleged affair with a younger woman.

In 2011 the paparazzi caught the married father-of-two meeting TV news reporter Kristyn Caddell, who was 21 years his junior.

Hansen denied cheating on his wife Mary Joan, who divorced him seven years later.

He has talked about suing the film’s producers, which include Pattinson, but isn’t keen to get caught up in a legal case.

The actor defended his movie, commenting: “The fact that people are still discussing the ethics of it, of a 20-year-old TV show, it’s absolutely insane.” 

The reason the ethics of To Catch a Predator are being discussed so keenly is that predator hunting is even more relevant today than it was two decades ago.

According to the children’s charity the NSPCC over 9,000 child sex abuse offences in the UK a year “involved an online element.” 

Hansen continues to name and shame such offenders on an online TV channel called TruBlu.

It is estimated that 140 vigilante groups in the UK are also trying to snare paedophiles online.

Cambridge University academic Mark de Rond, who last year appeared in a documentary titled Predators about the impact of Hansen’s show, spent time working with these secretive organisations.

He questions the way that To Catch a Predator “commercialised” the “public humiliation” of the men the show caught.

But he defends the groups which are trying to expose online sexual offenders, telling The Sun: “Paedophilia is a crime, it’s kind of the lowest of the low and it’s the kind of crime that really almost any means can justify when you are trying to stop it.

”Because what can be more important to keep a kid safe?”

That, though, is not the perspective of Primetime.

Near the end of the film, Pattinson says to one of his doubters “your definition of bad and my definition of bad are vastly different.”

Many cinemagoers watching the movie are likely to think the same thing, but for different reasons.

Voters decide four runoff contests for Superior Court seats on Nov. 3, choosing who will preside over criminal and civil cases across the region.

Seat 131

The candidates

• Donna Tryfman, a deputy public defender, serves in the major cases unit, where she handles homicide and other high-profile defendants. She also has extensive experience in juvenile cases.
• David Ross is an alternate in the Torrance branch of the public defender’s office and also works in Bellflower and Long Beach. He claims to have represented more than 10,000 clients at hearings and in trials.

Dive deeper

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. rates both attorneys as “qualified” for office. Ross said his mix of legal and life experience and his time as a journalist, when he “listened to real people, gathered the facts and told objective stories,” provide a unique perspective. Tryfman has served as a Superior Court judge pro tem, handling traffic and small claims cases. She has proctored teen courts at Dorsey and Hamilton high schools.

Seat 64

The candidates

• Maria Ghobadi is an L.A. County deputy district attorney. As a child, Ghobadi fled Iran with her family during the Islamic Revolution and settled in Southern California. She joined the L.A. County district attorney’s office in 2015 and has handled misdemeanors, felonies and domestic violence cases. She’s spent seven years in the gang homicide division.
• Rhonda Haymon is an L.A. County deputy public defender. She grew up in Southern California and became an attorney in 2001. She started in the Orange County public defender’s office before moving to L.A. County, where she’s spent 23 years as a deputy public defender. She has been assigned to a restorative justice drug court and consulted on police misconduct cases.

Dive deeper

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. ranked Ghobadi as “well qualified” and Haymon as “qualified.”

Seat 87

The candidates

• David DeJute, who defended President Obama against the so-called birther claims, spent a decade as vice president of litigation at Sony Pictures Entertainment. He now works in litigation at a private firm. An adjunct professor at Pepperdine’s Caruso School of Law, he’s taught ethics, antitrust, copyright and patent law. After last year’s wildfires, he returned as director of the disaster relief clinic, where he instructed students who provided pro bono legal services to victims of the Palisades and Eaton fires.
• Anthony “A.J.” Bayne’s background includes nearly two decades serving in the Compton Courthouse, where he for a time served as deputy in charge. He’s now handling serious felony cases at the Torrance branch. Bayne is an inventor, with patent-pending applications for artificial intelligence tools that automate legal workflows. One helps with closing arguments; another uses court reporter transcripts to generate cross-examination questions.

Dive deeper

DeJute is rated “qualified” to serve by the Los Angeles County Bar Assn. Bayne is rated a notch higher, “well qualified.”

Seat 65

The candidates

• Justin Allen Clayton is in charge of the Inglewood branch of the public defender’s office and has defended three cases with life sentences. Clayton said a priority is improving court efficiency through pretrial preparation and “firm but fair enforcement of deadlines.” Clayton said running a public defender branch office gives him a “comprehensive understanding” of the courtroom.
• Anna Slotky Reitano represented juvenile and adult clients, many of them accused of felonies, before joining the county counsel’s office. Reitano focused on mental health diversion and treatment, aiming to support rehabilitation when possible. A former child actor, she volunteers with local schools and, according to her website, mentors “future lawyers” through moot court competitions.

Dive deeper

The Los Angeles County Bar Assn. considers both qualified to serve.

Oct. 29, 2026 8:29 PM PT

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

THURSDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

DIVISION I

#1 SOCES d. #9 North Hollywood, 25-13, 25-21, 20-25, 25-20

#4 San Pedro d. #5 L.A. University, 23-25, 25-19, 25-13, 19-25, 15-13

#11 Lincoln d. #14 L.A. Marshall, 22-25, 25-22, 16-25, 25-23, 15-11

#2 Granada Hills Kennedy d. #7 Sun Valley Poly, 25-22, 25-22, 25-12

DIVISION II

#1 South East d. #8 Carson, 25-21, 25-18, 25-20

#5 Alliance Levine d. #13 Panorama, 25-21, 30-28, 26-24

#11 Maywood CES d. #14 South Gate, 24-26, 25-21, 25-23, 24-26, 15-10

#7 Verdugo Hills d. #15 Reseda, 25-16, 27-25, 25-5

FRIDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Matches at 4 p.m. unless noted)

Quarterfinals

DIVISION III

#17 RFK Community at #9 Marquez

#12 Harbor Teacher at #4 Wilmington Banning

#11 Larchmont Charter at #3 Narbonne

#18 L.A. Wilson at #18 Math & Science College Prep

DIVISION IV

#8 Arleta at #1 Santee

#12 Fairfax at #4 Community Charter

#11 Canoga Park at #3 Huntington Park

#7 Legacy at #2 Garfield

DIVISION V

#8 San Fernando Arroyo at #1 Elizabeth

#21 Discovery at #4 Animo Pat Brown

#14 Smidt Tech at #6 Angelou

#15 Manual Arts at #7 Lakeview Charter

Note: Semifinals (all divisions) Tues., Nov. 3 at higher seeds; Finals (all divisions) Fri., Nov. 6 or Sat., Nov. 7 (times and sites TBD).

Switzerland formally reopens diplomatic office in North Korea after its closure in 2020.

Switzerland has formally reopened its diplomatic office in North Korea as Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis held talks in Pyongyang about normalising political relations between the two countries.

On Friday Cassis wrapped up a two-day visit to North Korea – the first by a Swiss government minister in more than two decades – in which he discussed “regularising political relations and reestablishing a political dialogue”, he wrote on X.

Cassis, who is also Switzerland’s vice president, met Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui and Jo Yong Won, a secretary of the Central Committee of the ruling Korean Workers’ Party.

“We also exchanged views on security on the Korean Peninsula and broader Eurasian security challenges,” he added on X.

After the formal reopening of the Swiss diplomatic office on Thursday, Cassis posted that he was “pleased” to mark a “new chapter” in his country’s presence in Pyongyang, hailing the office as a “concrete step towards strengthening direct dialogue” with North Korea.

The office, operational since October 19, will not have an ambassador. It reports to the Swiss embassy in Beijing, which handles diplomatic and consular relations with North Korea. The office had closed in March 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This office will help to strengthen direct contacts with the authorities of the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] and support political dialogue with them,” the Swiss Foreign Ministry said.

North Korea’s state news agency KCNA confirmed Cassis’s arrival in the country on Thursday but gave no details on the purpose of the visit. It had not been known beforehand whether he would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and there has been no report of a meeting.

Bern said it intended to maintain its commitment to the region amid heightened tensions and limited international contact with North Korea, having been one of the few Western countries to keep up a dialogue with Pyongyang.

The last Swiss Federal Council member to visit was then-Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, in 2003.

Cassis crossed into South Korea on Friday for the final leg of his regional trip.

According to the Swiss foreign ministry, his talks in Seoul will focus on security on the peninsula, prospects for easing regional tensions and bilateral ties.

Switzerland’s involvement on the Korean Peninsula dates back more than 70 years, including its role on the Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission.

Also in South Korea, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz invoked his country’s reunification during a visit to the inter-Korean border. “Let us hope that Korea, too, will one day have the chance to regain its national unity,” he said.

IT’S now easier than ever to get to the world’s largest non-continental island.

Greenland has opened a new airport in Ilulissat – the country’s third largest town.

The country is one of the least visited in the world, only welcoming 180,000 tourists a year (for comparison, the US welcomes that many tourists per day, on average).

The airport aims to connect Greenland to the rest of the world, costing an estimated 1.77billion DKK (£197million).

It is the third new airport to open in the country since 2024 as part of a huge project costing around £700million.

The new airport has a 2,200 metre runway which can host larger aircraft, allowing for international flights and as a result, making Greenland easier to get to.

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There’s also a passenger terminal that sprawls across 5,000 square metres for departures and arrivals.

One of the airlines that operates at the airport is Air Greenland, with domestic flights between Ilulissat Airport and destinations including Nuuk, Aasiaat, Qaarsut and Upernavik.

Air Greenland also launched a direct route between Ilulissat and Denmark’s capital, Copenhagen this week, which takes around six hours.

And Icelandair will operate a seasonal service between Keflavík and Ilulissat from June 3 to October 16, 2027.

The airport is currently ramping up its operations gradually but is set to be fully operation by summer 2027.

Jens Lauridsen, CEO of Greenland Airports said: “The opening is a historic milestone for Ilulissat, for North Greenland, and for all of Greenland.

“The three new airports in Ilulissat, Nuuk, and Qaqortoq fundamentally change how the country is connected internally and how Greenland is connected to the rest of the world.”

Near to the airport is the Ilulissat Icefjord UNESCO World Heritage Site, where you can see enormous icebergs as well as the local wildlife.

You could even head off on a whale watching excursion.

To get to Ilulissat from the UK, you will need to fly to Copenhagen, taking less than two hours, and then fly onto Iluissat.

A LEGENDARY 70s rock band have cancelled all their 2027 tour dates in their first breaking form performing in 50 years.

Cheap Trick formed in Illinois in 1973, with current members being Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen and Tom Petersson.

In a statement shared to Instagram, the band addressed their decision to take some time off.

They wrote: “Many thanks to everyone who has expressed concern for us.

“To clear things up, we’ve decided to take some time off after decades of touring because we need a break.

“Not for health reasons.

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“We’ll play our November shows and then take our first break in 50 years.

“Thank you for all your support!”

One fan commented: “The hardest working band in rock!”

Another said: “Take your well deserved break from touring & enjoy some free time for yourselves. You are forever MY Band.”

A third wrote: “Get some great rest. Its all good.

“Hope you have a wonderful break. Take care.”

A fourth shared: “Enjoy your well deserved break and time with your families.

“Looking forward to future shows!”

Throughout Cheap Trick’s history, they have released 21 studio albums, eight live albums and 20 compilation albums.

The rock group also have four extended plays, and 66 singles to their name.