News Desk

Oct. 30 (UPI) — Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 2 storm, was heading toward Bermuda on Thursday evening after battering the Caribbean over the past few days, forecasters said.

Forecasters said Melissa was forecast to pass Bermuda, where a hurricane warning is in effect, on Thursday night.

The eye of Melissa was about 260 miles west-southwest of Bermuda, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 p.m. EDT update.

It had maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, and was making its way northeast toward Bermuda at 21 mph. Earlier in its lifecycle, the storm was largely stationary, moving at about 2 mph as it made its way toward a Jamaican landfall Tuesday.

Forecasts indicate the storm would pick up more speed as it moves away from the Bahamas. It was forecast to pass to the northwest of Bermuda on Thursday night and should become a strong extratropical cyclone near the southeastern tip of Newfoundland on Friday.

The outer bands of Melissa could pour an additional 1 to 2 inches of rain over Bermuda through Thursday night, while a brief period of heavy rain was considered possible for the southern Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland on Friday night.

Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday at about 1 p.m. as a powerful Category 5 storm, with estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. It was the strongest direct hit on Jamaica since records have been kept in the Atlantic basin. It was also the first storm to make landfall in the Caribbean this season.

The storm lost some strength as it traveled over Jamaica’s western mountains, but maintained major hurricane status as it headed for Cuba. It remained a hurricane when it reached the Bahamas.

Melissa is the 13th named storm and fifth hurricane of the season. The other Category 5 storms in the Atlantic this season have been Erin and Humberto.

In September 2019, Hurricane Dorian had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and devastated the Bahamian islands, including the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama, as a Category 5 storm.

The all-time highest sustained wind speed recorded in the Atlantic was Hurricane Allen at 190 mph in August 1980 over the Yucatan Peninsula before weakening to a Category 3 when it struck South Texas.

The most destructive Category 5 storm in the United States was Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, causing $27.3 billion in damage. Hurricane Michael, also a Category 5 storm, struck the less populated Florida Panhandle in October 2018.

Hurricane Gilbert struck Jamaica in 1988 as a Category 3 storm.

President Donald Trump has come out in support of a future fleet of South Korean nuclear-powered submarines. He says he has signed off on the plan and has claimed that at least some of the boats will be built in the United States. Authorities in South Korea have been open about their nuclear-powered submarine ambitions for years, but have faced pushback, including from the United States, particularly over nuclear proliferation concerns.

Trump has made two posts on his Truth Social social media network discussing South Korean nuclear-powered submarine plans in the past day or so. The U.S. President held a summit with his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae Myung, yesterday, which was centered heavily on trade negotiations. Trump’s visit to South Korea was part of a larger tour of Asia.

“Our Military Alliance is stronger than ever before and, based on that, I have given them approval to build a Nuclear Powered Submarine, rather than the old fashioned, and far less nimble diesel powered submarines that they have now,” Trump wrote in one post on Truth Social.

“South Korea will be building its Nuclear Powered Submarine in the Philadelphia Shipyards, right here in the good ol’ U.S.A.,” he wrote in a second post. “Shipbuilding in our Country will soon be making a BIG COMEBACK. Stay tuned!!!”

The South Korean Navy already has a substantial fleet of diesel-electric submarines, which currently consists of 12 Jang Bogo class, nine Sohn Won-yil class, and three Dosan Ahn Chang-ho class types. The Jang Bogo and Sohn Won-yil class submarines are German-designed Type 209s and Type 214s, respectively. The Dosan Ahn Chang-ho class, also known as the KS-III Batch I, is a domestically developed design. Just this month, South Korea launched the first of a planned subclass of three KS-III Batch IIs, the country’s largest and most advanced submarine to date, which you can read more about here.

In general, compared to even advanced diesel-electric types like the KS-III Batch II, the key benefit that nuclear-powered submarines offer is functionally unlimited range.

The Trump administration has yet to elaborate on exactly what the current South Korean nuclear-powered submarine plan might entail and the roles that the United States may play.

The shipyard in Philadelphia that Trump mentioned is most likely the Hanwha Philly Shipyard. That yard had been Philadelphia Shipyard Inc. until elements of the South Korean conglomerate Hanwha acquired it last year. That yard has never produced a submarine of any kind or any type of nuclear-powered vessel.

“Asked about Trump’s submarine announcement, Hanwha Ocean, which owns the shipyard with another Hanwha affiliate, said it was ready to cooperate with both countries and provide support with advanced technology, but did not mention specifics,” according to Reuters.

General Dynamics Electric Boat in Groton, Connecticut, and Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) in Newport News, Virginia, are two current producers of nuclear-powered submarines in the United States.

South Korea’s “Defense Minister Ahn Gyu-back told lawmakers that plans called for South Korea to build its own submarines and modular reactors, and receive a supply of enriched uranium fuel from the United States,” Reuters also reported. “Seok Jong-gun, the minister for the defense acquisition program administration told the same hearing that South Korea had been developing small nuclear reactors for some time and would be able to build one for a submarine in less than the decade usually needed to develop such nuclear-powered vessels.”

“We believe if we use the technologies we have been preparing for the future…we’ll be able to achieve this within a short period of time,” Seok added, per Reuters‘ story.

The South Korean government is known to have conducted at least one detailed design study relating to a miniature nuclear reactor for use on a future submarine, called the 326 Initiative, in the 2003 timeframe. The country also has an established nuclear power industry that develops reactors for non-military purposes, but which could be leveraged for such work.

A key question, in general, when it comes to nuclear-powered submarine designs, is the level of enrichment of the fuel inside their reactors. U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarines notably have reactors with fuel enriched to the same level as material for nuclear weapons. This is not a requisite, however. The reactors inside current French nuclear-powered submarines use low-enriched uranium. There are reports that Chinese nuclear-powered submarines may also use reactors with LEU fuel.

Still, it is worth noting here that, at least currently, the only countries with operational nuclear-powered submarines are also nuclear weapon states. At the same time, that is already set to change with the Australian Navy’s expected acquisition of nuclear-powered submarines through the trilateral Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) defense cooperation agreement.

Since 2015, South Korea has also faced the unique hurdle of a bilateral agreement that bars it from enriching uranium and reprocessing spent fuel without U.S. government approval. Trump appears to have now given that approval. Defense Minister Ahn’s comments, per Reuters, indicate the hurdle has been further cleared by a plan to source the nuclear material directly from the United States.

A South Korean nuclear submarine program could still create proliferation concerns for the country, which is presently a party to the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). As TWZ previously wrote when the possibility of South Korea acquiring nuclear-powered submarines came up in 2018:

The need to build enrichment or other nuclear facilities, or otherwise acquire the highly enriched fissile material, could also draw international criticism that South Korea is abiding by the letter, but not the spirit of the NPT, effectively developing a nuclear weapons program in all but name. These issues are at the core of why South Korea conducted the 326 Initiative in secret and why it abandoned it after it became public, attracting the attention of both the United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

South Korean officials have talked in the past about the possibility of changing geopolitical circumstances on the Peninsula, and elsewhere, leading it to start its own nuclear weapons program. North Korea is, of course, a nuclear weapons state, and it may now be pursuing its own nuclear-powered submarines with assistance from Russia.

The South Korean Navy would also have to develop suitable infrastructure to sustain a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, as well as train personnel in the operational and maintenance of naval reactors. There could be cost and related industrial base concerns, especially depending on how deeply involved the United States needs to be in any such plan. Questions have already been raised about whether the U.S. nuclear-powered submarine industry can support Australia’s needs and U.S. Navy requirements. The U.S. naval shipbuilding industry, as a whole, has faced serious challenges in recent years and continues to despite government-backed efforts to bolster its capabilities and capacity.

There are still larger questions about South Korea’s practical need for a nuclear-powered submarine capability. South Korean President Lee has said that his country fielding nuclear-powered submarines could help reduce operational demands for its American allies. Especially combined with conventionally-armed submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM), it could also give the South Korean Navy more of a true second-strike capability to help deter North Korea.

However, North Korea has limited anti-submarine warfare capabilities, while South Korean diesel-electric submarine designs are only getting more and more advanced. The range and other benefits that nuclear propulsion offers for naval vessels generally point to broader, blue water ambitions. This is certainly the case for Australia, which is situated far from the areas it expects its future nuclear-powered boats to operate.

As such, South Korea’s work to acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, especially if they are capable of carrying out longer-range strikes on targets at sea and/or ashore, could have broader ramifications. The KSS-III Batch I submarines can already fire conventionally-armed SLBMs (SLBM), a capability that is being expanded upon in the Batch II types.

The Chinese government “hopes that South Korea and the United States will earnestly fulfill their nuclear non-proliferation obligations and do things to promote regional peace and stability, and not the other way around,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for the country’s foreign ministry, said in response to the nuclear-powered submarine news, according to Reuters.

China already has a very large submarine force that includes diesel-electric and nuclear-powered types, and which it continues to expand in both size and capability.

Much still remains to be learned about how, and when, South Korea may expect to finally begin operating nuclear-powered submarines. Regardless, the country’s ambitions in this regard have now gotten a major boost in support from President Trump.

Contact the author: [email protected]

Question Time host Fiona Bruce was forced to apologise after making a huge blunder about Andrew during Thursday’s live broadcast, following the ex royal’s title removal

BBC Question Time presenter Fiona Bruce apologised after a major gaffe about Andrew during Thursday’s live show.

The host mistakenly used the Duke of York’s Royal title mere minutes after King Charles confirmed that Andrew would no longer be known as Prince Andrew. She broke the news during the live programme, to which the audience in Bradford, West Yorkshire, applauded warmly.

The error occurred while the panel discussed the King’s decision to officially strip his brother of his remaining Royal privileges, prompting immediate corrections from guests and chuckles from the studio audience. She said: “I should remind everyone that Prince Andrew has, of course, always protested his innocence and denied the allegations.”

Matthew Goodwin and other panellists quickly jumped in to correct her, emphasising “it’s just Andrew” before she raised her hands and admitted: “Of course, it’s Andrew. Forgive me, force of habit,” reports the Express.

She continued: “Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has always denied the allegations against him and the King has said are deemed necessary notwithstanding the fact that he has continued to deny the allegations against him.”

The blunder came just hours after Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles had officially removed Andrew’s titles and honours, completing the final stage in his brother’s withdrawal from Royal duties.

In a statement, the Palace revealed a formal notice had been issued to Andrew requiring him to give up his lease at the Royal Lodge in Windsor, where he has resided for over two decades. The monarch’s decision comes after growing calls to remove the Duke from the property following continued public outrage over his connections to paedophile Jeffrey Epstein and claims made by Epstein victim Virginia Giuffre, which Andrew steadfastly refutes.

Officials confirmed the 64 year old will relocate to accommodation on the Sandringham Estate, with his future housing costs met privately by the King. The Palace stated that “Their Majesties’ thoughts and utmost sympathies remain with the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.

“Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.”

Meanwhile, Fiona was compelled to intervene and halt a heated clash between writer Matthew Goodwin and Labour’s Lisa Nandy.

The duo clashed during a heated debate about illegal immigration and crime, with Goodwin contending that increasing migration figures had led to “shocking cases” of violence nationwide and asserting the system was “broken and in urgent need of reform.”

Nandy immediately fired back, labelling his remarks “outrageous” and claiming he was “trying to create distrust, division and fear.” The row rapidly escalated, prompting Bruce to intervene with raised hands, calling out over the commotion: “Matt, wait one second – both of you wait one second! If you talk at the same time, no one can hear anything.”

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Oct. 30 (UPI) — Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said that there is not sufficient evidence to claim that Tylenol causes autism a month after the White House discouraged pregnant women and young children from using the pain reliever.

Kennedy said that while evidence does not support the claim that Tylenol causes autism, he said it should still be used cautiously.

“The causative association … between Tylenol given in pregnancy and the perinatal period is not sufficient to say it definitely causes autism,” Kennedy told reporters. “But it is very suggestive.” Kennedy cited animal, blood clotting and observational studies as the reason for his concerns over Tylenol.

“There should be a cautious approach to it,” he continued.

Earlier this week, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxon sued Kenvue, the maker of Tylenol, over health concerns. Acetaminophen, the active analgesic in Tylenol, has been widely marketed and sold for decades as an effective pain reliever and fever reducer.

Trump administration officials denied that Kennedy’s statement was a softening of his stance on Tylenol, and claimed it is consistent with his previous statements.

Kennedy said an August study found “interventions” that could be causing autism. A month later, he and President Donald Trump, neither of whom have any formal medical training, warned pregnant women against taking acetaminophen without citing any scientific evidence.

In April, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2022, 1 in 13 children was diagnosed with autism by age 8, up from 1 in 36 in 2020, and a five fold increase since 2000.

The New Reactor Economy

In the twenty-first century, nuclear energy has re-emerged not only as a source of electricity but also as an instrument of geopolitical endurance. Among all global reactor exporters, Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporationremains exceptionally resilient. Despite sanctions and fractured supply chains, Rosatom today is involved in the construction of thirty to forty reactor units worldwide, including in Egypt’s El-Dabaa, Bangladesh’s Rooppur, and Turkey’s Akkuyu.

Yet beneath the story of uranium and concrete lies a subtler revolution: the rise of digital-twin technology. A digital twin is a virtual, data-driven replica of a reactor that mirrors every process in real time using sensors, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI). It enables engineers to simulate performance, anticipate faults, and fine-tune safety systems remotely.

In doing so, Rosatom is no longer merely exporting atomic hardware; it is exporting data architectures and predictive-analytics ecosystems that tether partner nations to Russian digital infrastructures for decades. The company has consolidated these capabilities under its Unified Digital Platform, linking design, construction, and operation through cloud-based modelling and AI-driven monitoring (Rosatom Newsletter, 2025).

This digitalization marks a turning point in nuclear diplomacy: power now flows through algorithms and data, not only through megawatts and materials.

From Hardware Exports to Data Dependencies

Since 2020, Rosatom’s subsidiaries, notably Atomenergomash and Rusatom Service, have begun integrating digital lifecycle systems across their international reactor portfolio. The company’s engineering arm, ASE, has developed what it calls Multi-D IMS, a digital configuration-management platform that creates detailed virtual models of nuclear facilities during design and construction. These models enable real-time collaboration, fault prediction, and workflow optimization across sites, forming the foundation of Rosatom’s emerging digital-twin ecosystem.

Rosatom’s own communications describe these tools as part of a broader Unified Digital Platform, which connects design, manufacturing, and operation through cloud-based modelling and AI-driven analytics. While official statements do not identify specific plants using these systems, Rosatom notes that its “digital infrastructure and twin technologies” are being offered to international partners within its reactor export programs.

This architecture creates a durable maintenance corridor between Moscow and client operators.  Even after physical construction ends, the flow of digital data and software updates ensures that Russian engineers remain integral to plant performance.  In practice, the information layer itself becomes a channel of long-term engagement and influence.

Comparable Western vendors, EDF, Westinghouse, and GE Hitachi, are also pursuing digital-twin technologies. Yet Rosatom’s approach is uniquely state-integrated, aligning with Russia’s national strategy of digital sovereignty and self-sufficient AI infrastructure. The result is a hybrid of engineering innovation and strategic design: a system that embeds Russian digital standards within the nuclear industries of its partners.

For many developing economies, the offer is pragmatic: a single vendor providing financing, turnkey construction, and continuous digital assistance.  But this convenience introduces a subtler dependence, one not of uranium supply or credit, but of algorithmic reliance and data governance.

Kudankulam: India’s Quiet Test Bed

Nowhere is this shift more visible than in southern India. The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), jointly operated by India’s Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Rosatom, is the first operational complex of VVER-1000 reactors in the Global South.

Originally a hardware partnership signed in 1988, Kudankulam is evolving into a digital interface. In 2020, Rosatom’s fuel subsidiary TVEL supplied India with next-generation TVS-2M fuel assemblies, extending reactor cycles from twelve to eighteen months, a shift managed through digital modelling and predictive maintenance.

Rosatom’s 2024 annual report outlines plans to connect Kudankulam’s operational analytics to its Unified Digital Nuclear Industry Platform, integrating India into the same digital ecosystem that supports Turkey’s and Egypt’s projects.

For India, this offers substantial advantages, higher capacity factors, enhanced safety diagnostics, and exposure to emerging global standards in nuclear AI. Yet it also entwines India’s civilian nuclear operations with Russian data protocols and remote diagnostic tools. Kudankulam thus becomes not only a reactor but also a node in Rosatom’s global digital web, where megawatts are managed by code as much as by turbines.

This duality defines the future of strategic cooperation: efficiency through integration, balanced against data-driven interdependence.

Algorithmic Sovereignty and Strategic Autonomy

Digital integration introduces a new vocabulary of power. Terms once reserved for information technology, data sovereignty, algorithmic control, and cybersecurity now shape energy diplomacy. For countries like India, which prize autonomy, these are practical concerns.

In 2019, a cyber incident at Kudankulam briefly demonstrated how vulnerable nuclear infrastructure can be when administrative networks intersect with global data flows. Although operational systems were unaffected, the episode exposed the need for stronger digital-governance frameworks in critical energy sectors.

Another question concerns ownership of reactor data. Predictive-maintenance algorithms rely on vast datasets, coolant temperatures, pressure levels, and sensor diagnostics gathered continuously during operation. If these datasets are processed on Rosatom’s proprietary cloud, who controls their reuse or replication? India’s Digital Personal Data Protection Act (2023) mandates localization for sensitive data, yet nuclear information exists in a legal grey zone, governed more by bilateral contracts than explicit national legislation.

For Russia, digitalization ensures resilience under sanctions. Cloud-based engineering assistance allows specialists in Moscow to monitor reactors abroad even when travel or logistics are constrained. For partners, it delivers cost-efficient expertise, yet it also embeds an asymmetry; operational sovereignty becomes mediated by foreign algorithms.

Rosatom’s approach reflects Moscow’s broader strategy of technological statecraft, using digital ecosystems to sustain global reach despite economic isolation. The outcome is a new form of dependence: not energy insecurity but informational dependency.

Atoms → Algorithms: The Next Frontier of Energy Diplomacy

Rosatom’s digital transformation parallels wider trends in global technology politics. China’s Digital Silk Road, the U.S.-EU “trusted-tech” frameworks, and Russia’s own push for a “Digital Atom Belt” all reveal how infrastructure and information are converging.

India occupies a delicate middle ground. Collaboration with Rosatom at Kudankulam grants access to advanced analytics, but New Delhi also explores partnerships with Western firms on small modular reactors and new fuel cycles. Balancing these engagements will require clear rules on digital interoperability, data governance, and cyber assurance.

India already has the institutions to do so. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) verifies reactor-control software domestically, while CERT-IN supervises cyber-critical infrastructure. Extending such oversight to digital-twin and predictive-maintenance platforms can preserve sovereignty while encouraging innovation.

For Russia, meanwhile, digital twins are both export products and diplomatic instruments. By embedding AI-based support systems in every reactor project, Rosatom ensures long-term relevance. Even if hardware exports slow, its role as a digital-lifecycle provider guarantees enduring engagement. In that sense, Rosatom’s most influential reactor export may no longer be physical; it is virtual.

Conclusion: The Politics of Invisible Power

The shift from atoms to algorithms defines the next frontier of nuclear diplomacy. During the Cold War, power was measured in reactors built or megawatts produced. Today, it is determined by who controls the data that sustains those reactors.

For partner nations, digital twins promise transparency, efficiency, and safety. For exporting powers, they offer a quiet form of leverage that persists beyond physical construction. As India pursues self-reliance through Make in India and Atmanirbhar Bharat, it must treat data infrastructure with the same strategic weight as fuel supply chains.

The aim should not be isolation from partners like Russia but reciprocal digital governance, shared access protocols, transparent algorithmic audits, and domestic data custody. Rosatom’s digital twin diplomacy exemplifies a future where technological cooperation and strategic caution must coexist.

The next great non-proliferation challenge may not concern uranium enrichment but data enrichment: who holds it, who protects it, and who decides how it is used?

IT’S album release day when I connect with Brandi Carlile at her Seattle home, by video call. 

The US folk-country singer’s ninth album, Returning To Myself, has just been released globally and the smile across her face says it all. 

It’s already been a great year for Carlile, who in April celebrated her first UK No1 album with Who Believes In Angels? — the collaboration with her idol, Sir Elton John. 

She says: “I’m lucky to have new chapters — not everyone gets to have a renewal in their forties. 

“And I’m really excited about it. I want to keep going. I like getting older — that’s my favourite bit of life so far.” 

The singer believes that authenticity has come with age, and that confidence shines through her new music. 

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It’s also her enduring friendship with Sir Elton John that has helped elevate her profile on the international stage.  

She says: “I’m astounded by Elton’s generosity. He could have made an album with anyone — and choosing to make it with me was such a compliment.  

“He’s the most iconic living artist on the planet but what that did for me emotionally is something I try not to put on his shoulders, so that he can exist independent of my expectations of him. 

“But it did a lot for me, because he is my hero and we have a special chemistry as friends.“ 

Returning To Myself is a record that allows Carlile to reconnect with her own emotions and finds her in an introspective mood — and there’s even a solo version of You Without Me, previously a collaboration with Elton John. 

She says: “It’s a song that’s pertinent to my life and age and there’s been a lot of reflection. 

“My career reminds me of what happened in Bonnie Raitt’s career.  

“She’d been making music for a long time, living in vans, in and out of clubs and theatres and playing with all these different bands. Then one thing changed, and suddenly it was on. 

“When it happens to you, you remember how long it took for the phone to ring.  

“Suddenly it’s ringing and you’re just answering and saying yes and wanting to do everything, understanding that it won’t ring one day.  

“I stayed in a cycle of that mentality for many years, just attaching to everyone that ever inspired me. 

“I wanted everything all at once. Then I just hit a wall. My mind and body give me no warnings. They just shut down one day. It meant I should take time off. 

“But what do you do when the songs are coming? You have to listen to that and then take action.” 

The songs were coming like a tap was on, and I can’t turn it off once that happens. I just don’t function — I don’t change my clothes, I don’t sleep, I forget to eat, I’m just a dysfunctional person

Brandi Carlile

On Returning To Me, Carlile teamed up with producer Aaron Dessner of The National — who worked with Taylor Swift.

She also brought in producers Andrew Watt, who she worked with on the Elton John album, and Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon who helped produce the track Human. 

The title track began with a poem Carlile wrote when she was dealing with loneliness while staying at the barn-house guest room at Aaron Dessner’s remote home in upstate New York. 

She says: “It came from a place of contemplation, and my discomfort with aloneness. It’s me asking some existential questions.  

“The songs were coming like a tap was on, and I can’t turn it off once that happens. I just don’t function — I don’t change my clothes, I don’t sleep, I forget to eat, I’m just a dysfunctional person.  

“I wrote one or two out there with Aaron that were really deep and meaningful to me.” 

She adds: “I was at Aaron’s the day after Joni Mitchell played the Hollywood Bowl and I was moved by her triumph there and deep in thought about the journey it took us to get there.” 

Carlile had helped with the esteemed singer’s six-year journey to return to the live stage — her Hollywood Bowl performance was Mitchell’s first full show in 24 years — following a brain aneurysm in 2015 that had left the singer unable to play.

Carlile had been part of a jam band alongside Mitchell, Elton John, Meryl Streep, Annie Lennox, Marcus Mumford and more. 

Carlile had first met the legendary singer at her 75th birthday tribute concert in 2018, then began organising monthly music evenings, called Joni Jams, at her Bel-Air house.

Elton, Sir Paul McCartney, Bonnie Raitt and Harry Styles all joined in encouraging her return to singing. 

She says: “It wasn’t getting through to her about how much she was loved and it bothered me. It nagged at me. If only she knew what Lana Del Rey says about you. If she knew that Gracie Abrams had her lyrics tattooed on her arm.  

“She is so important to multiple generations of not just women, but all people, and so I got to have the passenger seat to watching that reality wash over Joni as she pulled herself into recovery from her aneurysm.  

“I get too much credit for what happened with Joni as she got herself back on stage and retaught herself how to use those instruments.  

On Returning To Myself, Joni is one of the standout songs, which pays homage to her heroine.

She says: “Writing a song about her, I couldn’t be sappy because she’s not going to like that.

“Joni has got a great sense of humour. She’s wildly intelligent but I wanted to point out the most profound things about her. I also wanted to show how wild she is and how much she loves a party because she is fun. 

 “She’s such a reverential character and people have so much respect for that. Some people see her as stern, and I wanted to address that in a tongue-in-cheek way in the song in a way that she would understand, yeah, and she really did understand.” 

 Carlile believes her work with both Elton John and Joni Mitchell has been life-changing. She says: “It’s everything when you’re growing up and when you get to meet the people that you’ve had on your bedroom walls. 

 “It’s more than music. I get how important it is to work with these people because I am a f***ing fan. That’s why I champion women in music. When young musicians come up to me and say I inspire them too, I get that as I am still a fan.” 

Returning To Myself is a different sound for Carlile — it’s stripped back and self-assured.  

She says with a laugh: “When I was younger, I would scream all the time. I was yelling and singing open-chested and I’d tell myself that when I got older, I was never going to be quiet — I was going to stay punk-rock.  

‘Oppressive ideology’ 

“And to a certain extent, I stand by that, but sometimes the lyrics you write don’t ask that. They asked for it on the song Church And State, and at the end of Human, but they don’t ask for it anywhere else on the album.

“It just wouldn’t do justice to the poetry, so I just didn’t do it. That’s not to say I won’t do it again.” 

Evangeline, our oldest, asked could we move to Canada if the United States overturned gay marriage. But Elijah, our youngest, is worried she won’t have a Mommy or a Mama — which we are called

The politically inspired Church And State is a powerful song born out of frustration and anger about US President Donald Trump and his challenges to American institutions. 

She says: “Activism is important to me and important enough to never dilute it.  

“That song is about the separation of the church and state and how important that is to me and my family.  

“We are not living in a theocracy. There’s no wisdom creating laws and building walls based on a subjective interpretation of someone else’s faith.  

“You can’t use so-called Christian values to enable an oppressive ideology. As a person of faith myself, I can tell you I feel as protective of my faith against the state as I do a quasi-secular person living in the United States.” 

A mother of two daughters with her wife, Catherine, Carlile admits recent events have scared her kids.  

She says: “I read this morning that the Supreme Court in the US is going to consider a case which would overturn marriage equality in November.

“It’s something I’ve been afraid of for a long time, since [former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court] Ruth Bader Ginsburg died [in 2020]. 

“I’ve been afraid of us going backward on that sentiment. 

“It’s not me and my life that it concerns. I’ve been talking to my wife about this for a long time — and our kids listen to like everything.  

“Evangeline, our oldest, asked could we move to Canada if the United States overturned gay marriage. But Elijah, our youngest, is worried she won’t have a Mommy or a Mama — which we are called. She’s worried she won’t have parents — and it made me so angry.” 

Carlile also joined forces with Elton John for a joint HIV/Aids campaign earlier this year to try to offset the Trump administration’s cuts to HIV/Aids- related funding. 

She says: “It’s desperately important to Elton and [husband] David [Furnish] that it’s not pushed from the sphere of public awareness and we’re able to continue to educate and alleviate the suffering of people.

“And that’s how I found Elton John as an 11-year-old, as I wrote a book report on a young boy who had died of Aids.

“I had already canonised the man as a saint, but because of this report I went to the library and checked out a CD with his song Skyline Pigeon on it because this man had played at this kid’s funeral. 

“It was a full-circle moment that later I was able to lend my activism to the person who inspired me to start it.” 

Carlile will have a small break for Christmas before kicking off her tour early next year.  

She says with a laugh: “I hope the tickets sell. I don’t know how to switch off. I want to be cool and say, ‘I don’t read reviews, I don’t watch the tickets’. But no, I’m going to be sitting there digesting my stomach lining. 

“I just want to get out and play. I love this album and am going to play it from start to finish, and I’ve got all these ideas for covers.  

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“I’ve got a world-class band and so next year is going to be another big year for me — and I’m loving it all.” 

• Returning To Myself is out now

BRANDI CARLILE 

Returning To Myself

★★★★☆

Pakistan has accused Afghanistan of harbouring the Pakistan Taliban, a charge Kabul denies.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have agreed to extend a ceasefire for at least another week during talks in Turkiye, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The sides plan to meet again at a higher-level gathering in Istanbul on November 6 to finalise how the ceasefire will be implemented, the ministry said in a statement released on behalf of Pakistan, Afghanistan and mediators Turkiye and Qatar.

“All parties have agreed to put in place a monitoring and verification mechanism that will ensure maintenance of peace and imposing penalty on the violating party,” the statement read.

The two neighbours engaged in a weeklong border conflict earlier this month following explosions in Afghanistan, which the Afghan government blamed on Pakistan.

In the subsequent cross-border strikes, Pakistan’s military claimed it killed more than 200 Afghan fighters, while Afghanistan says it killed 58 Pakistani soldiers.

It was the most serious fighting between the two countries since the Taliban regained control of Kabul in 2021.

After the skirmishes, mediation by Qatar and Turkiye led to a ceasefire signed by the defence ministers of Pakistan and Afghanistan on October 19 in Doha.

The two nations — which share a 2,600-kilometre (1,600-mile) frontier — began a second round of talks in Istanbul on Saturday, which broke down Wednesday when both parties failed to reach a consensus on Islamabad’s central demand that Kabul crack down on Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, an armed group often called the Pakistan Taliban or TTP, which has been long accused by Pakistan of carrying out deadly attacks inside its territory.

The Afghan government has consistently denied that it provides safe haven for the group.

Talks resumed on Thursday, leading to the agreement to maintain the ceasefire until a new round of talks on November 6.

Afghan government spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid issued a statement confirming the conclusion of the talks and saying both sides had agreed to continue discussions in future meetings. Pakistan did not immediately comment.

While a ceasefire remains in place, the border between the two countries has been closed for more than two weeks, leading to mounting losses for traders in the region.

In Kandahar on the Afghan side, Nazir Ahmed, a cloth trader, told the newswire AFP both countries “will bear losses.”

“Our nation is tired and their nation is also tired,” the 35-year-old said Wednesday.

Abdul Jabbar, a vehicle spare parts trader in the Pakistani border town of Chaman, said “trade suffers greatly”.

“Both countries face losses — both are Islamic nations,” he told AFP.

Advocates say new rules let Education Department to politically punish groups working on immigration, transgender care.

The United States Department of Education has finalised new rules that could bar nonprofits deemed to have undertaken work with a “substantial illegal purpose” from a special student loan forgiveness programme.

Those rules, finalised on Thursday, appear to single out certain organisations that do work in areas that President Donald Trump politically opposes, including immigration advocacy and transgender rights.

Under the new rules, set to take effect in July 2026, the education secretary has the power to exclude groups if they engage in activities like the “chemical castration” of children, using a politically charged term for gender-affirming healthcare, including puberty-delaying medication.

It also allows the education secretary to bar groups accused of supporting undocumented immigration or “terrorist” organisations.

The Trump administration has said its decisions “will not be made based on the political views or policy preferences of the organization”.

But advocates fear the move is the administration’s latest effort to target left-leaning and liberal organisations.

Trump has already threatened to crack down on several liberal nonprofits, which the White House has broadly accused of being part of “domestic terror networks”.

Thursday’s rules concern the Public Service Loan Forgiveness programme, created by an act of Congress in 2007.

In an effort to direct more graduates into public service jobs, the programme promises to cancel federal student loans for government employees and many nonprofit workers after they have made 10 years of payments.

Workers in the public sector, including teachers, medical professionals, firefighters, social service professionals and lawyers, are among those who can benefit.

In a statement, the Trump administration defended the updated rules, calling them a necessary bulwark to protect taxpayer funds.

The programme “was meant to support Americans who dedicate their careers to public service – not to subsidize organizations that violate the law, whether by harboring illegal immigrants or performing prohibited medical procedures that attempt to transition children away from their biological sex”, said Education Undersecretary Nicholas Kent.

Critics, however, have denounced the administration for using false claims of “terrorism” or criminal behaviour to silence opposing views and restrict civil liberties.

Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, said the new rules weaponised loan forgiveness.

Lukens explained that many of the lawyers, social workers and paralegals who work at his organisation handle cases to stop deportations and other immigration litigation.

They count on public service loan forgiveness to take jobs that pay significantly less than the private sector, he said.

“All of a sudden, that’s going away,” Lukens told The Associated Press news agency. “The younger generation, I hope, will be able to wait this out for the next couple of years to see if it gets better, but if it doesn’t, we’re going to see a lot of people leave the field to go and work in a for-profit space.”

Organisations have raised concerns over the education secretary’s broad power to determine if a group should be barred. Short of a legal finding, the secretary can decide based on a “preponderance of the evidence” whether an employer is in violation.

The National Council of Nonprofits was among the associations criticising the change.

It said the rules would allow future administrations from any political party to change eligibility rules “based on their own priorities or ideology”.

It’s time to resume your island getaway — and possibly incur more virtual debt. (We see you, Tom Nook.)

Nintendo announced Thursday that its cozy social sim “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” is getting a Switch 2 upgrade. “Animal Crossing: New Horizons — Nintendo Switch 2 Edition,” which will offer improved visuals, mouse controls, an in-game megaphone that uses the console’s built-in microphone and multiplayer enhancements, will be released Jan. 15.

In addition to allowing players to experience the game in 4K when playing on their TV, the upgraded edition of “New Horizons” will enable them to utilize the mouse controls on the Joy-Con 2 controller when redecorating their homes, creating custom designs and writing messages on the bulletin board.

The megaphone, which will be available at Nook’s Cranny, can be used to locate fellow villagers by calling out their names. “New Horizons” players also will be able to play online with up to 12 other Switch 2 edition players and use a webcam.

A free update for all “Animal Crossings: New Horizons” players, regardless of console, will also be available Jan. 15. This will include access to a new resort opening on the pier, which will allow players to decorate guest rooms and purchase new items at a souvenir shop. The update will also see the “Animal Crossing” world’s familiar grumpy mole, Resetti, offering a “reset service” to clean up a player’s island.

Other offerings include the option for players to upgrade their home storage to hold up to 9,000 items — including trees, shrubs and flowers — and the ability for Nintendo Switch Online members to design and save up to three islands that they can collaborate on with friends online. New Nintendo-themed goods, including playable classic Nintendo console games, and Lego items also will be available within the game through the update.

Released in 2020 for the Nintendo Switch console, “Animal Crossing: New Horizon” became a balm during the COVID-19 pandemic by offering players a way to connect and be social during quarantine and uncertain times. The fifth main installment of the “Animal Crossing” franchise would go on to become one of the best-selling Switch games ever.

Oct. 30 (UPI) — England’s Prince Andrew has been stripped of his official title and will leave his royal residence amid fallout from his relationship with the late convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein.

Andrew, the son of the late Queen Elizabeth II, is alleged to have attended gatherings hosted by Epstein.

Buckingham Palace announced Thursday that King Charles III will initiate the process of removing Andrew’s “style, titles and honors.”

“Prince Andew will now be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor,” a statement from the palace said.

“His lease on Royal Lodge has provided him with legal protection to continue in his residence. Formal notice has now been served to surrender the lease and he will move to alternative private accommodation.”

Andrew stopped using his Duke of York title and announced in a statement released by the palace that “the continued accusations about me may distract from the work of His Majesty and the Royal Family.”

It is the first time that a member of the royal family has been stripped of their title in more than a century, according to the House of Commons.

Andrew will move from the royal residence on the grounds of Windsor Castle to a property on Sandringham, which is the private estate of the King in Norfolk, England, according to ABC News.

Andrew has consistently denied accusations against him regarding his association with Epstein and attacked the credibility of Virginia Giuffre, author of a book centered on Epstein called, “Nobody’s Girl.”

Giuffre died of an apparent suicide in April.

In Feb, 2022, Andrew settled a sexual assault lawsuit filed by Giuffre while not admitting any wrongdoing. Epstein and Giuffre settled a lawsuit for $500,000 in 2009.

Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s former accomplice, was convicted in 2021 on child sex trafficking and other charges connected to her involvement with Epstein.

Maxwell has consistently denied all wrongdoing and is the only Epstein associate who has been charged in connection with his crimes.

After more than 20 years under construction, the Grand Egyptian Museum will finally open this weekend, promising more than 50,000 artifacts showing what life was like in ancient Egypt.

An Oscar-winning actress has been revealed as the narrator for a documentary about King Charles III titled Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision, which is due for release in early 2026

A BAFTA-winning actress is set to lend her voice to a Prime Video documentary that explores King Charles‘s dedication to aligning nature and humanity. The documentary, titled ‘Finding Harmony: A King’s Vision’, is slated for release in early 2026.

Narrated by Titanic’s Kate Winslet, it will spotlight the work of The King’s Foundation, a charity established by Charles in 1990. Oscar-winning actress Winslet expressed her excitement about the project, stating: “It is a both pleasure and a privilege to be a part of this film, which is a fascinating insight into the King’s work as an environmentalist.”

She added: “I share His Majesty’s passion for protecting our planet and building sustainable communities, so it’s been really rewarding to work with The King’s Foundation on this exciting project.

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“I know audiences will learn, laugh and feel inspired by what’s featured in the film, and I hope the impact of Harmony will be felt in years to come.”

Earlier this year, the Titanic star, who is now 50, became an ambassador for The King’s Foundation. She was also present at the foundation’s awards ceremony at St James’s Palace in June.

Known for her roles in films such as The Holiday (2006), The Reader (2008) and Revolutionary Road (2008), Winslet is also set to appear in the upcoming Avatar sequel, Fire And Ash.

The documentary following the monarch will delve into the King’s “harmony” philosophy, which views everything in nature as interconnected, including ourselves, as per The King’s Foundation. It will reveal how The King’s Foundation, based at Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, has championed this philosophy through initiatives centred on community regeneration, sustainable textiles and traditional crafts.

Director Nicolas Brown said: “Working with Kate Winslet on this film has been transformational. She has the perfect blend of intellect and star power to tell this story like no one else could.

“His Majesty King Charles III has lived such an incredible life, striving to bring humankind into harmony with the natural world for over half a century. It’s an epic tale, full of drama, and Kate has turned it into a story that any one of us will relate to. We are so fortunate to have an artist of her calibre on the team.”

Kristina Murrin, chief executive of The King’s Foundation, added: “Through the film we hope that viewers will gain a better understanding of His Majesty’s Philosophy of Harmony, which is so central to our work at The King’s Foundation.

“We are thrilled that Kate is a part of this journey with us and look forward to sharing the film with the world next year.”

Produced by Passion Planet, the documentary will stream exclusively on Prime Video across more than 240 countries and territories worldwide early next year. Last year, Amazon released A Very Royal Scandal – a dramatised account of Prince Andrew’s infamous Newsnight interview.

Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.

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Reports of massacres by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Darfur – after the army was pushed out of the region.

Tens of thousands of civilians are now feared trapped in el-Fasher.

The conflict in Sudan has caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.

So, what can be done to stop the bloodshed?

Presenter: Nick Clark

Guests:

Hamid Khalafallah – Researcher and Policy Analyst

Bakry Eljack – Professor of Public Policy at Long Island University Brooklyn

Justin Lynch – Managing Director, Conflict Insights Group

The rare move comes after mounting pressure to act over Andrew’s relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

King Charles III has stripped his brother Prince Andrew of his remaining titles and evicted him from his royal residence after weeks of pressure to act over his relationship with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Buckingham Palace said on Thursday the king “initiated a formal process to remove the Style, Titles and Honours of Prince Andrew”.

After the king’s rare move, Andrew will be known as Andrew Mountbatten Windsor and not as a prince, and he will move from his Royal Lodge residence into “private accommodation”.

It is almost unprecedented for a British prince or princess to be stripped of that title. It last happened in 1919, when Prince Ernest Augustus, who was a UK royal and also a prince of Hanover, had his British title removed for siding with Germany during World War I.

Demand had been growing on the palace to remove the prince from Royal Lodge after he surrendered his use of the title duke of York earlier this month over new revelations about his friendship with Epstein and renewed sexual abuse allegations by one of Epstein’s victims, Virginia Roberts Giuffre, whose posthumous memoir hit bookstores last week.

But the king went even further to punish him for serious lapses of judgement by removing the title of prince that he had held since birth as a child of a monarch, the late Queen Elizabeth II.

“These censures are deemed necessary, notwithstanding the fact that he continues to deny the allegations against him,” the palace said. “Their Majesties wish to make clear that their thoughts and utmost sympathies have been, and will remain with, the victims and survivors of any and all forms of abuse.”

Giuffre’s brother declared victory for his sister, who died in April at the age of 41.

“Today, an ordinary American girl from an ordinary American family, brought down a British prince with her truth and extraordinary courage,” her brother Skye Roberts said in a statement.

Andrew faced a new round of public opprobrium after emails emerged earlier this month showing he had remained in contact with Epstein longer than he previously admitted.

That news was followed by the publication of, Nobody’s Girl, by Giuffre, who alleged she had sex with Andrew when she was 17. The book detailed three alleged sexual encounters with Andrew, who she said acted as if he believed “having sex with me was his birthright”.

Andrew, 65, has long denied Giuffre’s claims, but stepped down from royal duties after a disastrous November 2019 BBC interview in which he attempted to rebut her allegations.

Andrew paid millions in an out-of-court settlement in 2022 after Giuffre filed a civil suit against him in New York. While he did not admit wrongdoing, he acknowledged Giuffre’s suffering as a victim of sex trafficking.

The move by the king means Andrew will no longer be a prince or be known as “his royal highness”, “duke of York”, “earl of Inverness” or “baron Killyleagh” – all titles he held until now. Also gone are honours that include Order of the Garter and status as knight grand cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

Andrew is expected to move to a property on the king’s Sandringham estate near the northeast coast and receive private financial support from his brother.

PIXIE Lott has given birth to her second child with Oliver Cheshire.

The All About Tonight singer, 34, announced the happy news on her Instagram on Thursday.

Pixie posted a sweet video of her newborn baby boy and wrote: “He’s here,” with a blue heart emoji.

The clip showed her newborn’s little feet and hands for the first time.

Pixie’s close celebrity pals were quick to congratulate the star.

Gaby Roslin wrote: “Ahhh huge congratulations to you beautiful and your whole family. Big love.”

HOT TO TOT

Pixie Lott to perform on stage 3 weeks after giving birth to second child

incredible

Pixie Lott dances at nearly seven months pregnant as she wears showgirl outfit

AJ Odudu posted: “Awww CONGRATULATIONS.”

Earlier this year, the singer revealed she and husband Oliver were expecting their second child.

The couple are already parents to son Albert, who was born in October 2023.

Previously, Pixie and Oliver only revealed their son’s name a month after his birth when they celebrated his christening.

In August, Pixie revealed the due date for her second baby in an exclusive chat with The Sun.

The pregnant star revealed she’d been given the green light to keep performing for “as long as it feels good”.

She shared: “I think the last gig [Flackstock, Aug 8] is going to be four weeks before the due date.

“So yeah, I think it’s going to be fine.

“I did it last time and I’ve checked with the doc and he said that it’s fine to keep doing it as long as you feel good.

“So hopefully, I mean that last show, four weeks, I don’t know how long… Woo! [laughs].”

Meanwhile, Pixie had made the surprise announcement during her performance Mighty Hoopla.

While belting out her hits, she told the crowd: “I’m having another baby!”

“No one is safe in el-Fasher.” The UN Security Council condemned escalating violence in Sudan’s Darfur region amid reports of atrocities by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The ambassadors to Sudan and the United Arab Emirates had a heated exchange, with Sudan accusing the UAE of supporting the RSF.

Kim, you’re not doing amazing, sweetie.

Kim Kardashian, long at the center of a few conspiracy theories herself, has cosigned one that’s a fan favorite — and also thoroughly debunked.

During the most recent episode of Hulu’s “The Kardashians,” the fashion and beauty mogul professed her belief that the 1969 moon landing, a watershed moment of great American pride, never really happened. She also tried to get her “All’s Fair” co-star Sarah Paulson to drink the Kool-Aid.

“I’m sending you, like, so far a million interviews with both Buzz Aldrin and the other one [Neil Armstrong],” Kardashian told Paulson on the show.

“Yes, do it,” Paulson told the Skims founder, promising to go on her own “massive deep dive.”

Kardashian then went on to cite an interview that’s made the rounds on TikTok wherein she alleged that Buzz Aldrin — who completed the Apollo 11 mission alongside Armstrong and capsule communicator Michael Collins — gave the hoax away. (The going theory, of course, is that famous footage of the mission was actually filmed on a sound stage.)

“So I think it didn’t happen,” Kardashian concluded, adding that Aldrin, 95, has “gotten old and now he, like, slurs.”

Hours after the episode dropped, NASA Acting Administrator Sean Duffy fact-checked the socialite.

“Yes, @KimKardashian, we’ve been to the Moon before… 6 times!” Duffy wrote Thursday on X. “And even better: @NASAArtemis is going back under the leadership of @POTUS.”

“We won the last space race and we will win this one too,” Duffy wrote.

As for Aldrin’s takes on the matter, a 2022 Reuters article debunked one of the most popular clips used to implicate the former astronaut, which was was taken out of very critical context.

In a shortened version of the clip, Conan O’Brien recounts to Aldrin a childhood memory of his family watching the astronauts walk on the moon.

“No, you didn’t,” Aldrin responds, seemingly contradicting O’Brien’s account. Later in the interview, however, Aldrin clarified that the moon landing itself was authentic, but the animated footage broadcast by TV stations at the time was not.

The National Air and Space Museum has explained that there was a $2.3-million camera on board to capture the real-life images that were sent back to Earth.

Nonetheless, Kardashian doubled down on her opinion when a producer on “The Kardashians” probed further.

“For the record, you think that we didn’t walk on the moon?” the producer asked.

“I don’t think we did. I think it was fake,” Kardashian said, adding that she’s seen several videos of Aldrin allegedly disputing the event.

“Why does Buzz Aldrin say it didn’t happen?” she said. “There’s no gravity on the moon. Why is the flag blowing? The shoes that they have in the museum that they wore on the moon is a different print in the photos. Why are there no stars?”

For what it’s worth, there is gravity on the moon, albeit about a sixth of what it is on Earth, give or take. Hence the footage of astronauts bouncing across the lunar surface but not flying off into space. As far as there being no breeze, NASA planned for the lack of one — a rod can be seen holding up the top of flag, because scientists knew the stars and stripes wouldn’t fly without one. And did we mention that Aldrin did not say it didn’t happen? Yes, we did. We did mention that.

To her credit, Kardashian was self-aware enough to add that people were “gonna say I’m crazy no matter what.”

She also encouraged viewers to look for themselves on Tiktok. Keep in mind, though, the accounts that regularly promote the moon-landing conspiracy theory are also fond of other mistaken notions, like saying the Earth is flat and aliens built the pyramids.

Oct. 30 (UPI) — Los Angeles has toppled Chicago as America’s Rattiest City, according to exterminating company Orkin, which publishes a Top-50 list.

“With year-round warm weather, a booming culinary scene and dense neighborhoods that offer ample access to food and shelter, the City of Angels checks every box for rodent survival,” a company press release said.

“From bustling commercial corridors to hidden alleyways, Los Angeles’ signature blend of glam and grit creates a perfect storm for rodent activity.”

Chicago has held the top spot since Orkin created the annual list in 2015

The shift is most likely due to weather patterns, urban infrastructure and human behavior, the press release said.

“Rats and mice are more than a nuisance — they’re opportunists,” Ian Williams, Orkin entomologist, said in a statement. “If there’s food, warmth and a way in, they’ll find it. And once inside, their constant chewing and rapid reproduction can quickly turn a small issue into a large, expensive one.”

Rodents are known carriers of illnesses to humans, including Leptospirosis, Salmonellosis, Lymphocytic Choreomeningitis, plague and typhus.

Orkin measures the number of calls to Orkin to eliminate rats to make the rankings.

The top 25 Rattiest Cities, according to Orkin are, in order, Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, Hartford, Conn., Washington, D.C., Detroit, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Denver, Cleveland, Baltimore and Boston.

Also, Indianapolis, Dallas, Milwaukee, Seattle, Atlanta, Sacramento, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Tampa, Fla., Houston, San Diego and Grand Rapids, Mich.

The streets have grown restless since Cameroon announced the results of its Oct. 12 presidential election, which returned 92-year-old Paul Biya as the country’s leader for an eighth consecutive term since 1982.

From Douala to Garoua and the capital, Yaounde, protesters have clashed with police, denouncing what they call a “stolen” and “manipulated” election, revealing the deep anger and mistrust that have defined the country’s politics for decades. 

Biya, who won the election with 53.66 per cent of the vote as declared by the Constitutional Council, is Africa’s oldest and one of the world’s longest-serving leaders. This latest election extends his 43-year rule for another seven years. 

Biya’s main challenger, Issa Tchiroma Bakary, a former ally turned critic, rejected the results, claiming victory based on his campaign’s own tallies. He accused the government of “manipulating the will of the people” and called for nationwide demonstrations. His appeal quickly spread through social media and opposition networks, sparking street protests that soon turned violent.

Other opposition parties and civil society groups have also raised concerns about the credibility of the election. They point to unusually high voter turnouts in some districts, inconsistencies in vote tabulation, and the speed at which results were certified. 

But the anger on the streets is about more than the election. For many, the problem is about a system they say is built to protect incumbency and silence opposition.

Cameroon has been grappling with multiple crises that have weakened its social and political fabric. For nearly a decade, the country has battled separatist insurgencies in the English-speaking North West and South West regions, jihadist attacks in the Far North and the border with Nigeria, and worsening economic hardship in its cities. The election, analysts warned before the vote, could act as a trigger to more instability in the country. Those fears have now materialised. 

The violent ongoing protests have claimed the lives of at least four people, and hundreds have been arrested. Observers suggest the figure may be higher. 

The UN Human Rights Office has since called on security forces to “refrain from the use of lethal force” and urged protesters to demonstrate peacefully. It also reminded authorities of their obligation to respect international human rights law and called for restraint from all political actors.

“We urge the authorities to ensure prompt, impartial and effective investigations into all cases of election-related violence, including the use of unnecessary or disproportionate force, and to bring those responsible to justice,” the UN statement read. 

Douala, the country’s economic capital and largest city, has been the epicentre of the post-election unrest. Eyewitnesses report scenes of gunfire, barricades, and hurried funerals in the city.

In the north, Garoua has also seen violence after reported attacks near Tchiroma’s residence. Smaller towns have joined in, with reports of arrests and clashes spreading across the country. Observers warn that the tension risks taking on ethnic and regional dimensions — a dangerous trend in an already divided nation.

Ethnic divisions have long shaped Cameroon’s politics, and the 2025 election has further exposed these fractures. President Biya’s support remains anchored in his Beti/Bulu base from the Centre and South, while many Bamiléké and Anglophone communities continue to feel excluded from power. The candidacy of Issa Tchiroma, a northern Fulani politician, introduced another layer to the political landscape but did little to ease existing mistrust. Although some of his support came from northern and western groups united mainly by opposition to Biya, the campaign and its aftermath remained charged with ethnic undertones.

As these divisions deepened, tensions between the authorities and the opposition escalated sharply. The government has accused Tchiroma and his supporters of inciting violence and promised to hold them accountable through legal action. Officials say the state is acting to preserve order, but critics argue that the heavy-handed response risks deepening public resentment. Security operations, arrests, and reported internet restrictions have further strained the situation. Access to several areas has been cut off, making it difficult for journalists and humanitarian workers to verify reports of casualties or destruction. However, Tchiroma promised to continue his push until “final victory”. 

As the unrest spreads, attention has also turned to the country’s conflict-prone Anglophone regions. Separatist movements are watching closely, with many viewing the chaos as proof of the central government’s weakness and are using the moment to push their demands for independence. Local leaders warn that any harsh crackdown by the state could inflame tensions in areas where peace is already fragile. 

“Had Biya and his entourage exercised more care in the months before the vote and understood the depth of the government’s unpopularity, this standoff might have been averted,” wrote the International Crisis Group.

Beyond the immediate crisis, the unrest underscores a deeper issue — the fragility of Cameroon’s democratic institutions. Elections are meant to provide legitimacy and a peaceful means of political competition. Instead, they have become flashpoints for unrest. For many young people who have grown up knowing only one president, the sense of disillusionment runs deep. Unemployment remains high, corruption is endemic, and the promise of reform feels distant.

International reactions have been predictable but cautious. Western governments and regional bodies have called for dialogue and restraint. While congratulating Biya on his re-election, the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, stated that he “is gravely concerned about the reported violence, repression and arrests of protesters and political actors in connection with the election results.”

Youssouf urged “the Cameroonian authorities to accord topmost priority to inclusive national dialogue and consultation with all political stakeholders in order to reach consensus in the spirit of national unity, peace and collective security.”

Whether those appeals will be heeded remains uncertain. What happens next depends on how the government and opposition respond in the coming weeks. Analysts warn that Cameroon stands at a crossroads. A violent crackdown could trigger a wider crisis, while genuine dialogue might begin to ease the tension. 

The first step, according to the International Crisis Group, should be an independent review of the election results and the violence that followed — a process that includes civil society, opposition representatives, and credible international observers.

Equally critical is the release of protesters detained for exercising their right to peaceful assembly. Restoring communication channels, lifting internet restrictions, and creating safe conditions for independent reporting would also help reduce misinformation and rebuild trust.

But the challenges go far beyond the current unrest. Cameroon’s long-term stability depends on addressing structural grievances, from political exclusion and corruption to the Anglophone crisis that has displaced hundreds of thousands. The government’s reliance on military solutions in the separatist regions has failed to end the conflict, while economic inequality and youth unemployment continue to feed discontent nationwide.

Without deep reform, each election risks becoming another trigger for instability. Political analysts argue that the ruling party must open the political space, allow real competition, and engage communities long excluded from decision-making. “Cameroon’s democracy has been reduced to a ritual,” one Cameroonian journalist told HumAngle. “People vote, results are announced, and nothing changes.”

For now, calm remains fragile. Markets have slowed, schools have closed in some regions, and the streets are lined with soldiers. In several cities, families are mourning relatives caught in the violence. Others fear more crackdowns as protests continue.

The coming days will test whether President Biya’s government can navigate the crisis without pushing the country into deeper turmoil — or whether the unrest will harden into yet another chapter of Cameroon’s long struggle between power and the people.

If the country fails to learn from this moment, the cycle of repression and resistance will only deepen. And for millions of Cameroonians weary of conflict, the dream of a peaceful transition of power will remain just an illusion.